Amy McQuaid Mortgage Agent Level 1

10/06/2026

Buying a home with a basement suite?

Some lenders may use rental income to help you qualify for a mortgage.

How much can be used depends on the property, lender, and documentation.

Want to know how it could affect your buying power? Send me a message.

10/05/2026

Should you wait for the next Bank of Canada rate decision before choosing your mortgage?

The next announcement is October 28 but that doesn’t automatically mean you should put your plans on hold.

Here’s the important part:

Variable mortgage rates are more directly affected by changes to the Bank of Canada’s policy rate.

Fixed mortgage rates are influenced more by bond yields, so they can move before — or even in the opposite direction of — a Bank of Canada announcement.

So the better question isn’t:

“Will rates go down?”

It’s:

“What mortgage option makes sense for my budget, timeline, and risk tolerance right now?”

If you’re buying, renewing, or refinancing in Ontario, it can be worth reviewing your options before the announcement instead of trying to perfectly time the market.

Send me a message if you want to compare fixed vs. variable based on your numbers.

09/26/2026

Had a good time at Applefest today.

09/21/2026

09/21/2026

Together, we raised approximately $1,300 in food and gift cards for 8 local schools! Each school will receive 4 to 6 bags of food for breakfast club and snacks plus a $50 gift card, with the remaining deliveries heading out tomorrow.

A huge thank you to Sobeys, our amazing community of parents, including Smithfield P.S. School Council, the kids and others who helped like my hubby Andrew McQuaid at McCurdy GM and everyone who donated. Anne Butwell REALTOR-Royal Heritage Realty, Brighton and I matched the gift card donations, helping ensure each school receives a little extra support.

Thank you to everyone who came together to make this happen! ❤️

Schools included are:
Brighton Public
Spring Valley Public
Smithfield Public
Colborne Public
Northumberland Hills Public
Murray Centennial
Stockdale Public
ENSS

09/20/2026

We are at the half way point got Fill The Cupboards to help our local school breakfast programs.

Come by Sobeys before 5 pm.

09/20/2026

We are filling the cupboards for local breakfast programs today at Sobeys in Brighton.

Come by and say hello and donate an item to help keep our kids fed and nourished.

At the end of the day Amy McQuaid Mortgage Agent Level 1 and Anne Butwell REALTOR-Royal Heritage Realty, Brighton will also donate a gift card to each of the schools so staff and volunteers purchase other items needed.

Shelf stable, healthy nut-free items are much appreciated as well as sandwich and snack bags.

Huge shout to out to all the parents volunteering today!

09/18/2026

🍎 Favourite Friday! 🍎

With Applefest coming up, this week’s Favourite Friday is all about Cheer Farms which a wonderful local business helping us make the day a little sweeter!

Anne Butwell REALTOR-Royal Heritage Realty, Brighton and I will be picking up fresh apples from Cheer Farms to hand out at Applefest on September 26th outside 🍏🍎

Supporting local businesses and bringing our community together are two things I’m always happy to celebrate and what better way to do both than with fresh local apples?

A big thank you to Cheer Farms for being part of the fun. 💕

Come by, say hello, and grab an apple while they last!

🍎 See you at Applefest!

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09/11/2026

We’ve all heard it: Stop buying avocado toast and you’ll be able to afford a house.”

But does the math actually work?

As a mortgage agent, I decided to run the numbers.

🥑 $15 once a week = $780 a year
🥑 Over five years = $3,900
🏡 5% down on a $500,000 home = $25,000

Saving matters. Small spending habits matter too. But home affordability is much bigger than one weekly treat.

Now, that daily Starbucks? That one will add up a little faster. 😉☕ And in reality its a combination of a lot of things we might consider small at the time we purchase it.

The point isn’t that you have to give up everything you enjoy to buy a home. Income, debt, credit, interest rates, housing costs, your spending habits and available down payment all contribute to the bigger picture.

So before you give up the avocado toast, let’s run your actual numbers

You might be closer than you think, or you might leave with a realistic plan to get there.