Covering property taxes, strata fees and insurance
A mortgage-free home is not a cost-free home.
The person
- No mortgage, but taxes, strata, insurance and maintenance keep climbing
- Retirement income has not kept pace
The problem
Ownership costs are rising faster than fixed income, and they never stop.
Controlled advances to supplement the budget — while honestly testing whether the home is affordable long term.
If ownership costs are making it hard to stay, we compare using equity against the real cost and benefit of moving.
The numbers we'd put in front of you
- Annual ownership cost and its growth rate
- Years of coverage the available equity provides
- The same costs in a smaller property
Strong fit when
- A temporary or moderate shortfall
Weak fit when
- A permanently unaffordable property
The honest caveat
This solves a temporary shortfall. It does not fix a structurally unaffordable home. If the costs are permanently out of reach, downsizing is the better answer and we will tell you.
Before you assume this is the answer
If you fit this situation — or any of the others in the library — a reverse mortgage is one option, not the option. Because Tyler is licensed as both a mortgage broker (MB611612) and a realtor through Engel & Völkers, we'll also model what selling and rightsizing would leave you with, so you can see every available route and choose the one that makes the most sense to you. Run both below.
Model this: Covering property taxes, strata fees and insurance
Because Tyler is licensed as both a mortgage broker and a realtor, we can show you the borrow-and-stay path and the sell-and-rightsize path on the same screen — including the selling costs, property transfer tax and moving costs most reverse-mortgage calculators quietly leave out.
Reverse mortgage
Illustrated at 7.99% — CHIP Max 5-year fixed, effective July 3, 2026. Semi-annual compounding, not in advance.
Downsize
Friction cost of moving: $106,600 in costs you never get back — plus the neighbourhood, the doctors and the stairs you already know.
Reading this honestly
On these assumptions, staying and borrowing leaves roughly $73,927 more after 10 years, largely because a larger home keeps appreciating and the move costs are gone forever. That gap shrinks fast if the market flattens. Change the appreciation rate and the replacement price — the answer moves, and knowing which way it moves is the whole point.
Educational estimate only — not a pre-approval, not an offer of credit, and not a market valuation. Reverse mortgage rates, qualifying amounts and terms are confirmed only through a full application, appraisal and independent legal advice. Downsizing figures use typical South Surrey / White Rock selling costs and current BC property transfer tax rates.
Educational information only. Not a pre-approval and not advice about your specific circumstances. Amounts, rates and eligibility are confirmed only through a full application, appraisal and independent legal advice.
If you fit one of these buckets, you deserve to see every option — not just the one that pays us.
Tyler Waldron is licensed as both a mortgage broker (MB611612) and a realtor through Engel & Völkers. So alongside any reverse mortgage scenario, we'll also model what selling and rightsizing would actually leave you with — selling costs, property transfer tax, moving costs and all. Same advisor, both sides of the math, and no pressure to pick either one.