Close More Deals - For REALTORS®

Scott Dillingham is a licensed mortgage broker who has helped clients finance over $1 billion in real estate. He works closely with REALTORS® across Ontario to help their clients get financing approved — and in this episode, Scott breaks down one of the most exciting government programs to hit the new construction market: Ontario's HST waiver on all new homes. The Ontario government is waiving HST...

Scott Dillingham is a licensed mortgage broker who has helped clients finance over $1 billion in real estate. Scott works closely with REALTORS® across Canada to help their clients get financing approved — even in challenging situations. In this episode, Scott breaks down one of the most common roadblocks REALTORS® face: clients who want to buy but have bad credit. Whether it's a primary residence...

Scott Dillingham is a licensed mortgage broker who has helped clients finance over $1 billion in real estate. He works closely with REALTORS® to help their clients get financing approved — and in this episode, Scott breaks down one of the most misunderstood topics in Canadian real estate: why putting more money down doesn't always mean you'll get a better interest rate. Scott walks through the thr...

Scott Dillingham is a licensed mortgage broker who has helped clients finance over $1 billion in real estate. He works closely with REALTORS® across Canada to help their clients get financing approved — and in this episode, he's sharing how the smartest agents are using AI to do more with less effort. This isn't about using AI as a search engine or a content writer. This is about wiring AI directl...

Most realtors think bridge loans only work when your client has a firm sale date. They are wrong. In this episode, Scott Dillingham reveals a powerful alternative bridge loan strategy using private and alternative lenders that lets clients buy their new home before selling — with no firm sale required. Most realtors know a bridge loan as a short-term financing solution that covers the gap when a c...

Deals die every day because of five preventable mortgage mistakes — and most realtors do not see them coming until it is too late. In this episode, Scott Dillingham reveals the exact deal killers that blow up transactions before closing, and gives you the rescue strategies to save the sale before it is gone. Scott starts with appraisal issues , one of the trickiest deal killers because realtors an...

Right now, 1.2 million Canadians are facing mortgage renewals — many locked into rates far higher than what they originally paid. This is the single biggest listing opportunity in years for realtors who know how to approach it. Scott Dillingham shows you exactly how to position yourself, what to say, and how to convert renewal conversations into transactions. The core challenge is simple but impac...

Private mortgages can save a deal — but they can also cost your client tens of thousands in unnecessary fees and rates. In this episode, Scott Dillingham reveals how private mortgage pricing actually works in Canada, how to compare lenders, and the exit strategy every client should have before they sign. Scott breaks down why rate and term should matter just as much as simply getting an approval....

If your investor clients have been told their debt ratios are too high, a rental worksheet could be the solution they have never heard of. In this episode, Scott Dillingham explains how certain lenders allow 80-100% of rental income in their calculations — instead of the standard 50% — potentially qualifying clients for hundreds of thousands more. Scott breaks down the math with a clear example: i...

If your client is buying a commercial property or business, the lender's decision will hinge on one number: Net Operating Income (NOI). In this episode, Scott Dillingham walks through exactly how NOI is calculated, what a healthy DSCR ratio looks like, and how realtors can help clients structure deals that actually get financed. Net operating income is calculated by taking a property or business's...

Debt ratios are the hidden gatekeeper on nearly every mortgage application — and most realtors don't know how to work around them. In this episode, Scott Dillingham shows you how GDS and TDS ratios work, when to bring in B lenders or private lenders, and how to get clients approved at higher purchase prices. Debt Ratio Variations: The same 44% debt-to-income ratio means different things at differe...

Did you know your clients can buy a 5+ unit apartment building with as little as 5% down using CMHC's MLI Select program — including a 50-year amortization? In this episode, Scott Dillingham compares CMHC insured and conventional financing for multifamily properties, revealing which path saves more money long-term. Scott explains that conventional bank financing for commercial multifamily properti...

Your client wants to keep their current home as a rental and buy a new one — but their bank only counts 50% of the rental income. There's a better way. Scott Dillingham reveals the rental worksheet strategy that lets clients qualify based on 100% of actual rental income, unlocking significantly higher purchase prices. The rental worksheet approach fundamentally changes how lenders calculate debt s...

Acreage and agricultural properties are deal-killers for most lenders — but not for those who know the right programs. In this episode, Scott Dillingham explains why rural properties get declined and exactly how to find lenders who specialize in financing properties up to 10+ acres. The key to successfully financing an agriculturally zoned property lies in understanding how lenders assess risk. Wh...

One of the most frustrating situations for a realtor: your client is under contract but just started a new job. Banks say no — but that doesn't have to be the end. Scott Dillingham explains how to find the right lender for clients on probation or with less than one year at their job. Scott explains that while many major banks require at least one year of employment history, this requirement is not...

Self-employed buyers are often turned away by banks — even when they earn excellent income. In this episode, Scott Dillingham breaks down stated income and bank statement mortgage programs that qualify self-employed clients based on what they actually earn, not just their tax returns. The first program Scott discusses is the insured stated income mortgage option, which requires just 10% down. This...

Most real estate investors hit a wall after 2-3 properties — their debt ratios are too high and the banks say no. In this episode, Scott Dillingham reveals the DSCR loan strategy and commercial financing paths that let your investor clients keep buying, deal after deal, without the traditional debt ceiling. Scott introduces a game-changing approach: leveraging special commercial lending programs t...

When buyers fall in love with a home but hate the kitchen or bathroom, most realtors lose the deal. The Purchase Plus Improvements mortgage lets clients finance renovations directly into their mortgage — and it's one of the most overlooked tools to close deals on fixer-uppers and win more listings. Scott breaks down the funding options, from lump-sum payouts to progress draws where funds release a...

The #1 reason first-time buyers walk away from a deal is 'I don't have the down payment.' In this episode, Scott Dillingham shows you how to legally help clients borrow their down payment using CMHC FlexDown, cash-back mortgages, and gifted funds — turning dead-end conversations into closed deals. Scott layers in a pro tip from his early days at LendCity: pair FlexDown with cash-back mortgages off...

Many lenders automatically decline clients on maternity leave — but they're wrong to do so. In this episode, Scott Dillingham reveals which lenders will use mat leave income to qualify buyers and exactly what documentation to prepare, so you never lose a sale to an unnecessary decline again. Scott shares practical advice for navigating these programs to avoid denials, noting that some lenders don'...

If you're a REALTOR® looking to close more deals and stop losing buyers to financing issues, this episode is your starting point. Host Scott Dillingham — a mortgage expert who has closed over $1B in Canadian real estate — reveals the exact mortgage strategies top producers use to win more listings and grow their business. Scott stresses the pitfalls of defaulting to a client's bank for pre-approva...