Genworth Canada, one of the three mortgage default insurers in Canada, offers a program called Family Plan. It provides you with a solution which only requires a 5% down payment to take advantage of its unique solutions to family problems.

In the past, I have used this with clients who want to purchase a home for their child or children who are going to a post-secondary educational institution in another city. Why pay high rent in residence or in a run-down over-priced rental property near the college when you can purchase a property? There are a number of advantages to owning the property your child is living in.

1- you control the maintenance and upkeep for the property ensuring a safe environment for your child.
2- You are allowed to purchase a property with 2 units – this allows you to collect rent and lower the total cost for you. You should be able to write off any renovations or improvements you make to the property- check with your accountant first.
3- when your child graduates you can sell the property for a profit , helping you to recover some of the costs for your child’s education.

Elderly Parents
If you want to find a safe and comfortable place for your parents to live, buying a property such as a condominium apartment or town home may be a solution for you. Often parents are retired on fixed income and can’t get a mortgage . Now you can help.

Providing a Home for an Adult Entrepreneur
So your adult child has decided to start their own business and they want a home. The problem is that you need to show 2 years of successful business financials to prove you can afford mortgage payments. This program allows parents to provide a home for their child right now. An exit strategy can be for them to take over the mortgage payments and then get the next mortgage term in their own name a few years down the road.
As you can see, Genworth’s Family Plan is a very useful program that can help out in a number of different situations. Let’s face it families are unique and we need programs like this to provide solutions to our problems and challenges.

Courtesy of David Cooke – AMP – DLC Jencor Mortgages in Calgary, AB.