Indi Mortgage · Toronto, ON
Toronto Mortgage Broker
An independent mortgage broker for the Greater Toronto Area
Joshua Tagg
Mortgage Broker (Level 1) · Indi Mortgage · Greater Toronto Area
- ✓ Dozens of lenders, one application
- ✓ Rates banks can't match
- ✓ Fast pre-approvals
How I can help
Whatever stage you're at, you get one application, dozens of lenders, and honest advice.
Why local knowledge matters here
One price threshold decides what you can shop for
Below $1.5 million a GTA purchase can be insured, and the minimum down payment is $75,000 on a million-dollar home. At $1.5 million it is $300,000, there is no insurance available, and fewer lenders will look at the file. An enormous amount of Toronto freehold inventory sits within a hundred thousand dollars of that line — which means the threshold, not the asking price, is what actually sets your search.
That is one of maybe six things that decide most GTA files. Knowing which one is about to decide yours, before you write the offer, is most of the job.
What makes a Toronto mortgage differentThe $1.5 million insured-financing cap decides what you can shop for
Below $1.5 million a purchase can be insured, and the minimum down payment is 5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the portion between $500,000 and…
Read more →A condo and a house are two different financing problems
For a house, the lender is largely assessing you and the property. For a condo, they are also assessing the corporation: the status certificate, the…
Read more →Pre-construction closings and the appraisal gap
A lender lends against the lesser of purchase price and appraised value. Where a unit was bought pre-construction in 2021 or 2022 and appraises below…
Read more →Rental income: legal status and how the lender applies it
Rent from a basement apartment, a duplex or a laneway house can substantially increase what you qualify for, and the GTA housing stock is full of it…
Read more →
Meet your broker
Joshua Tagg — Mortgage Broker (Level 1) · Indi Mortgage · Greater Toronto Area
Independent mortgage broker serving the Greater Toronto Area. Licensed in Ontario since 2023, in the mortgage business since 2006, and running an entirely remote process built around how GTA files actually work.
- In the business
- 20+ yrs
- Lenders
- Dozens
- Applications
- Just one
- No credit check until you say so. We work out what you qualify for and what it costs before anything touches your credit file. A rate quote should never cost you points.
- A straight answer, including no. If the deal does not work, I will tell you why and what would have to change. Wasting three weeks to arrive at a decline helps nobody.
- The lender chosen before the application. On a GTA file the difference between lenders is often approval versus decline, not a tenth of a point. That decision gets made deliberately, up front.
- Entirely remote, deliberately. Phone, video and secure upload. No office visits, no printing, no taking an afternoon off — which in this city is worth something on its own.
Files are underwritten by Tamar Leis and managed by Iris Gill and Cherie Tyers, so documents and deadlines are actively handled rather than left with you.
A broker who knows Toronto
Buying, refinancing or renewing in the GTA? I have been licensed in Ontario since 2023, through a brokerage I started in 2006, and I work Toronto files remotely — by phone, video and secure upload — so you never take time off to get a mortgage. What matters here is that Toronto is not one market. A downtown condo, a Leslieville semi with a basement suite, a Vaughan new build and a detached house north of Eglinton are four completely different financing problems, and the $1.5 million insured-financing cap decides which of them you can even shop for. As an independent broker I put dozens of lenders in competition rather than selling one bank's shelf.
Serving Toronto, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, East York, Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Newmarket, Aurora, Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Ajax, Pickering, Whitby and Oshawa.
Buying in Toronto
A genuine local guide — the employers, the amenities, every neighbourhood, and the honest trade-offs of living this far north.
Frequently asked questions
How much do I need for a down payment in the GTA?+
Below $1.5 million: 5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the portion above it — $75,000 on a $1,000,000 purchase, $125,000 at $1.5 million. At $1.5 million and above there is no default insurance, so the minimum is 20%, or $300,000. Closing costs come on top, and inside the City of Toronto that includes land transfer tax charged twice, municipal as well as provincial.
Can you help if I am self-employed?+
Yes, and it is one of the most common file types in the GTA. If your tax return understates what your business actually earns, the options include adding back specific expenses, using retained earnings inside the corporation, or a bank-statement program at an alternative lender that looks at deposits instead. Lenders differ enormously on all of this, which is exactly why choosing the right one before applying matters more than shopping a rate.
I am new to Canada with savings but no credit history. Can I buy?+
Usually yes. There are established programs for new permanent residents that weigh your down payment, employment and international credit rather than requiring a Canadian bureau history. Start building a Canadian credit file as soon as you arrive — even a secured card, used and paid off monthly — because a few months of history opens materially better options than none at all.
Do I have to meet you in person?+
No, and you cannot — I do not take in-person meetings. Everything runs by phone, video and secure document upload. Most clients find it faster than an in-person process, and it means no afternoon off work.
Will getting a quote affect my credit score?+
Not unless you tell me to pull it. We can work out what you qualify for and what it will cost before anything touches your credit file. The credit check happens when you decide to move forward, not before.
How long does an approval take?+
Usually within a business day once your documents are in, with a rate typically held up to 120 days. In a market where you may want a short financing condition, the useful thing is to have the file properly underwritten in advance — a rate hold on its own is not the same as an approval, and the difference matters if the appraisal comes in low.
Ready to talk about a Toronto mortgage?
Two ways to start: book a call and we'll talk it through, or start the application online and I'll come back to you with what you qualify for. Neither pulls your credit until you say so.