Breezeful Mortgage review: Get a mortgage in your PJs
Moneywise.com / Moneywise.com
Updated: January 29, 2024
Best for:
- Comparing multiple mortgage rates at once
- Seeing your mortgage options quickly
- Free service and advice
- Buying real estate online
- Alternative paths to homeownership
About Breezeful
Breezeful is an online mortgage broker that lets you compare multiple lenders to find the right rate for your personalized path to homeownership. Currently, Breezeful partners with more than 30 lenders ranging from big financial institutions like TD and Manulife to smaller lesser-known banks and credit unions. You only have to fill out a single application before you can see your rates, which saves you a lot of time, energy, and running around. Additionally, Breezeful will only do one credit check, which prevents you from getting your credit score checked multiple times by each individual lender. (Each additional credit check negatively impacts your credit score.)
You can use Breezeful to get pre-approved for a mortgage before you even start house hunting, to find the best rates on Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs), or to finance your new home. As mentioned previously, you’ll work with an online mortgage expert who will negotiate on your behalf with the financial institutions. They can help you as you decide what is best suited to your financial situation, whether it be rent-to-own, a private mortgage, or a mortgage with a big bank. This range of options is especially useful for newcomers to Canada or people who are self-employed and who may have trouble accessing financing through traditional means.
Since Breezeful is an online mortgage broker, you won’t meet with anyone in person; everything is done over email, phone, and the Breezeful website. This is a real advantage during a global pandemic where you may not necessarily want to be taking extra trips to the bank to meet with mortgage advisors.
While the company has its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, they provide mortgage services to all of Canada and within the U.S. as well.
What does Breezeful offer?
- Mortgage pre-approval. Get approved for a mortgage term and rate based on your financials with a quick online application. Finishing this up ahead of time ensures that you can move quickly when you find the right place. This process can take up to three days once you’ve uploaded all of your documents through the online portal.
- Mortgage refinancing. Not happy with your existing mortgage? Breezeful can help you negotiate changes to your mortgage term and rate, and even help with extra cash flow by helping you leverage your existing home equity.
- Mortgage renewal. Working with Breezeful a few months before your current mortgage term is up can make sure that you get the best rates for the next term.
- Rent-to-own. This alternative homeownership program lets you rent for a set amount of time with the option to buy your home at the end. Depending on the property, a percentage of your rent may go towards the eventual purchase.
- Home equity line of credit. Find out if you qualify for a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC), which lets you borrow using your home as collateral, and how much you qualify for.
- Second mortgage. If you need extra cash flow to consolidate debt, add to your investments, do home repairs, or for myriad other reasons, you can consider taking out a second mortgage on your home.
- Private mortgage. Another alternative path to homeownership is a private mortgage. Instead of a bank, this loan is offered by a group of individuals or a mortgage corporation. These mortgages typically have terms of 1-3 years and the payments are interest-only.
- Closing costs calculator. Use the calculator to estimate what you’ll spend on the closing of your home. The calculator includes typical costs such as realtor fees, legal fees, and land transfer tax, among others.
Why use Breezeful?
The biggest advantages of using the Breezeful platform are speed and simplicity. You’ll get to see rates from multiple lenders based on one single application. There’s no shopping around, getting quotes from various banks and making phone calls—Breezeful gathers all of the information for you in minutes.
One of the potential downsides is that while Breezeful has more than 30 lenders to choose from, your lender of choice may not be among them. In this case, you’re better off contacting that lender directly to negotiate your mortgage. Also, if you’re not totally comfortable going digital with the whole process, you may prefer the guidance of an in-person agent who can help you navigate the technological side of things.
Furthermore, if you’re someone who really wants that in-person experience of going to the bank and meeting with a mortgage specialist, Breezeful may not be for you. With Breezeful, everything is online and over the phone. You also won’t negotiate directly with the lender: your mortgage specialist will do that for you.
Pros and cons
Pros
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Simple, secure and fully digital
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Get approved anywhere, anytime
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Flexible qualifications and multiple mortgage solutions
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One credit check for multiple applications
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Receive unbiased advice from professional mortgage brokers
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Accessible through most parts of Canada
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Search multiple mortgage lenders without hurting your credit score
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See rates from multiple lenders within minutes
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Multiple paths to home ownership — There's more than one way to get a mortgage
Cons
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Everything is online — If you’re not great with computers or if you prefer in-person conversations, this may not be the platform for you.
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Your preferred lender may not be on the list — While Breezeful has more than 30 lenders, your bank may not be among them.
What do they offer?
Breezeful offers both fixed and variable rate mortgages from some of Canada’s best known lenders, as well as some “wholesale” lenders if you’re looking for the absolute lowest rate.
Mortgage pre-approval
Get pre-approved for a mortgage amount under a specific term and interest rate so that you know exactly how much you can afford when you look for your new place.
Mortgage refinance
Breezeful will help negotiate the terms of your existing mortgage for a new one. Whether you need to shorten the term of your mortgage, switch between variable and fixed rate or a cash-out refinance, they can help you through the process.
Mortgage renewal
Start working with Breezeful on your mortgage renewal a few months before the end of your current mortgage term and get help in ending your current mortgage term for a new one.
Rent to own
You even have the option to slowly transition into homeownership. The company’s “rent to own” program allows you to rent the home for a certain period with the option to eventually buy it.
Home equity line of credit (HELOC)
A HELOC can be used with a mortgage or to finance another home without breaking your existing mortgage. By applying with Breezeful, you can find out home much HELOC you are eligible for.
Second mortgages
Get an additional loan on top of your first mortgage. You can use this to consolidate debt, invest the money or use it towards home improvements or renovations.
Private mortgages
Breezful help connect you to private mortgage lenders that have shorter terms and charge interest only. This is a good option for the self-employed or those with credit, income or debt requirements that don’t meet the banks’ expectations.
Closing cost calculations
Using their closing costs calculator, you can find out how much actual closing costs you’ll have and then be matched with competitive mortgage rates on the market.
How to apply for breezeful
Using their site is easy. By filling in a few simple questions, you can be pre-qualified for a mortgage in less than two minutes.
The questionnaire starts by asking you if you’re buying a home or if you want to refinance. Let’s say you’re buying a home, to help deliver exactly what you’re looking for, the website asks you what stage of the home buying process you’re in. Are you in the early stage? Do you just want to know how much you qualify for? Do you have an accepted offer or are you just looking for a better rate?
Let’s say that your offer has just been accepted. To make sure it displays the right rates for you, the website asks you several follow up questions, including whether you’ll be living there yourself or if it will be a rental property and how soon you need the mortgage.
After entering the property’s address and the property’s value, you’re asked some simple questions about your credit score and income. Then, you’re able to select your preferred mortgage rate. You can choose from the lowest rates to the most well-known lenders.
Overall, I found the sign up process quite user friendly. At no point did I feel overwhelmed and the questions were easy to answer.
Who does Breezeful work with?
Breezeful works with over 30 mortgage lenders in Canada, including some of the most well-known lenders like Scotiabank, Manulife, Duca, EQ Bank and TD Bank.
Breezeful also works with a special category of lender known as “Monoline Lenders”, available exclusively through Breezeful and other mortgage brokers. Monoline lenders tend to offer more competitive rates than the big banks, better prepayment privileges and fairer penalties with no additional risk.
Do I qualify for Breezeful?
Unlike some mortgage brokers and lenders who may only offer their services in the select provinces, Breezeful offers its services to all 10 provinces and three territories across Canada.
The company also helps those who might have a tougher time qualifying for mortgages through traditional lenders. If you’re self-employed, or you’re new to Canada, an Uber driver or you’ve been denied by the banks, Breezeful might be the solution you need.
Keep in mind that you may have to have a Government-issued ID, proof of income, lists of debts and assets as well as give Breezeful access to your credit report.
Fees and costs
There are no fees or costs to using Breezeful. Their mortgage brokers offer their invaluable services free of charge. They’re paid a finder’s fee by the lender when you sign up for a mortgage.
Why use Breezeful?
If you’re looking to get the best mortgage rates from the comfort of home, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better mortgage solution. With a few clicks, you can search from over 30 lenders, shop around and make sure you’re getting the best deal possible on your mortgage.
Did I mention that Breezeful is completely free?
How does it compare?
There are only a handful of online mortgage brokers operating in Canada at the moment. Breezeful stands out because of the number of partners (more than 30) and because you can use it from anywhere in Canada and in parts of the United States. Homewise, another online mortgage broker, offers a competitive service but it is currently only available in Ontario (they co-broker for other regions). There are several other online mortgage brokers, but many do not offer access to as many partners as Breezeful does, and not all of them have such a user-friendly platform. If you’re doing research to find the best rate, it may be in your interest to compare rates on multiple platforms that support different vendors—just be sure to keep your credit checks to a minimum.
Final word
As a homeowner I think this service is great. I wish it was around when I had a mortgage. The ability to search for a mortgage with multiple lenders without hurting your credit score it a big plus, and the fact that it’s all online makes it easy for those of us who know how to navigate a computer or phone. It might not present all the options on the market, but I’d say it’s a good place to start if you’re looking for a simple way to get a mortgage.
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