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architecture for your finances

Mortgage guidance built around you.

To make the path to homeownership clear, stress-free, and genuinely collaborative—backed by 50+ years of combined expertise and a team that treats every client like a partner, not a file.

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Funded Volume

Deals Funded

Years of Combined Experience

UNRIVALED MARKET ACCESS

1.5B

50+ years of combined experience. 1,000+ deals funded. $1.5 Billion in mortgages arranged. Seven brokers who have worked together long enough to know exactly how to get your file across the finish line.

That’s Mortgage CoLab.

We work with first-time homebuyers, newcomers and permanent residents, growing families, and investors—all across British Columbia. Our team brings deep experience with a wide range of client situations, from straightforward purchases to complex files that other lenders have turned away.

Our name is a deliberate play on collaboration, because we don’t believe in a transactional mortgage experience. You get a real broker, a real conversation, and a team that treats your goals as seriously as you do.

We are currently licensed across BC and working toward Ontario—because great clients don’t stop at one province.

OUR EXPERTISE

Focused on your next move

Buying a Home

Whether it's your first condo or a forever home, we navigate the competitive Vancouver market with precision and care.

Explore Strategy →

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Refinance or Renew

Optimize your current mortgage structure to free up capital, lower your rates, or prepare for future investments.

Review Your Rate →

Refinance or Renew

Optimize your current mortgage structure to free up capital, lower your rates, or prepare for future investments.

Review Your Rate →

Collaborative by design.

Clear by choice.

①

No Jargon Policy

We translate complex mortgage mechanics into clear, actionable insights you can actually use.

②

The Multi-Lender Lens

As a CoLab, we leverage internal peer reviews to ensure no stone is left unturned in your strategy.

③

Lending Architecture

We build structures that protect your future, not just your monthly payment for today.

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Direct Access to the whole team, not just a call centre.
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What our clients say about the collaborations

★★★★★

"It has been such a great pleasure working with Ivan Tam, he is an experienced, passionate, professional and knowledgeable mortgage advisor! Ivan always goes above and beyond his clients' expectations, answers all the questions and concerns they have, and the clients always come back to Ivan for any financing needs as they enjoy Ivan's seamless customer experiences! Way to go, Ivan. Onwards and upwards! Give Ivan a call if you ever have any financing needs. Highly recommend."

K. Sison
First-Time Buyer

★★★★★

"Ivan Tam provided tremendous help during my stressful home purchasing journey when tons of subject-free offers were flying around. With the professional help of Ivan, my mortgage application was effortless. He not only provided timely responses to all my questions and concerns but also valuable advices on how to structure my mortgage during the current interest rate hikes. I would definitely recommend Ivan to anyone who would want to have a worry-free mortgage experience."

M. Yeung
First-Time Buyer

★★★★★

"Sandy Yu is the BEST mortgage advisor I've ever worked with across 6 mortgages my husbands and I have done. She is professional, very quick to respond, extremely competent and generally, just very pleasing to work with 🙂 My husband and I will be relying on her again in the next 2 months and she is an integral part of expanding our real estate portfolio. Wouldn't be able to do that without her! HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Sandy! 🙂"

★★★★★

"Sandy Yu, a mortgage broker recommended by a friend, was introduced to me when I began planning to purchase an apartment. I first interacted with her via a Zoom meeting around February, initially uncertain about her capabilities due to her youthful appearance. However, by working with her, Sandy demonstrated remarkable patience in explaining everything thoroughly and consistently responded to my inquiries promptly, even late at night and on weekends.

 

During my initial dealings, Sandy was on vacation in England when I submitted my first offer. Despite the distance and time difference, she assured me that she would regularly check her emails and respond promptly as soon as she received my messages.Within just four days, she secured an excellent rate for me, impressing not only myself but also my realtor.Unfortunately, that purchase fell through due to inspection revealing water leakage issues.

 

Approximately a month later, when I resumed my apartment search, I turned to Sandy once more. She continued to be extremely helpful, offering invaluable advice throughout the process. Armed with my previous information, Sandy swiftly secured my mortgage with an excellent rate within a day for my second offer.

 

I am deeply grateful for Sandy's expertise and support and wholeheartedly recommend her services."

Tong Zheng
First-Time Buyer

★★★★★

"I had the pleasure of working with Ivan Tam on my mortgage application, and I have no doubts in saying that the entire process was 5-stars. Ivan was professional in explaining all the details to me, and the application was swiftly approved in 3 days! One of the most stressful part of a home purchase is ensuring you are well-taken care of by a mortgage broker/specialist, and that he/she has your best interest in mind when in comes to the approval process and the best rates. I fully trusted Ivan and he took care of it. I would recommend his service to anyone in need of a mortgage or loan!"

L. Zheng
First-Time Buyer

★★★★★

"I was introduced to Mortgage CoLab by my realtor, and have had a great experience working with Sandy Yu and the rest of their team.

My mortgage was coming due for renewal in August, however, I was not able to renew with my existing bank directly because I was outside the 120 renewal period. This created issues due to spikes coming in the mortgage rates.

I first reached out to Sandy Yu at end of March, and though I initially said we can connect in a couple of days she was "friendly & persistent" to encourage me to hop onto a call right away and I'm glad she did as I was able to secure a solid fixed rate for the next few years as she wanted to ensure our application was submitted that evening before the rate spikes came the next morning.

Even though we had just "first met" from my first outreach, she took the time late in the evening to ensure application was managed and submitted to secure a more favorable renewal rate than what was available directly from my bank. She was also very helpful as we worked through a mixup by Equifax to help clear up credit issues we encountered on accounts not related to us

From a random "I'll give it a shot to try out this company" outreach, I have nothing but positive & favorable experiences working with Sandy and Mortgage CoLab, and would definitely recommend them for others."

Dominic Hung
First-Time Buyer

★★★★★

"We were first-time home buyers and our realtor recommended Sherlock Yam who is now with Mortgage Colab. Sherlock was very professional and knowledgeable, and he was very patient with us and responsive to our questions. He was able to secure us a rate that we were satisfied with. We had a great experience overall and would recommend Sherlock to anyone looking for a broker."

Kenny
First-Time Buyer

★★★★★

"David was awesome! He would reply to any of my questions so quickly via email, phone call, etc. He got us the best rate and made everything super quick and easy!"

Meghan Courtney
First-Time Buyer

★★★★★

"I reached out to True David with questions regarding our unique situation. David was quick to reply with all the answers we were looking for and guided us through the process quickly, efficiently and got us an amazing rate on our Mortgage."

Beau Michaud
First-Time Buyer

★★★★★

"David was incredibly helpful during the entire process. From start to finish, he always kept an open line of communication so I knew what was going and everything went very smoothly. He was quick to respond, always answered all of my questions, and was super easy to work with! I would highly recommend David if you are looking for a professional, friendly, and hard working mortgage specialist that will get you the best rate! Thanks again for making this process so seamless!"

Erika Kwon
First-Time Buyer

★★★★★

"When we were diving head first into the real estate market with our new home purchase, we had the great pleasure of dealing with our mortgage broker Shanel Dutt. She led us through the process with great patience, describing many intricacies of the mortgage aspect that we had no idea about.

 

She has been very diligent about assisting us with our financial requirements while purchasing our new home. She was always trying to help us out when we needed it most even when she was busy or when it was late at night. When we got to a low point in the process and thought that maybe this will not work out, she did everything she could to find a way to bring us alternatives and pushed to make our deal hold together.

 

We were able to see that things could work out thanks to her and she has been very compassionate about our situation. We knew then that we had someone really great that we could trust. She made our first home purchase possible along with the help of our real estate team as well, and we are just very grateful we had someone like her to be on our side throughout it all.

 

If you do get a chance to work with her you won't regret it, Shanel is a very insightful and patient mortgage broker and I know she will always be there when you need it. We are very thankful for her compassion and she made it so much easier to see our process through to the end."

P. Hasani
First-Time Buyer

★★★★★

"I really appreciated my mortgage broker Shanel Dutt! It’s first time purchase in BC and I knew her through only a business card my friend forwarded same as other brokers contacts I had on hand. What made me to choose her as my broker the time I didn’t seriously make decision yet to buy I approached several different brokers included her either some expected commitment to do business or other reasons she is only one provided me email/phone feedback with very detailed with different down payment structures. And my purchase was really last minutes and need to be removal condition only 48 hours after signed final offer and it’s sensitive time before long weekend. She did work on my case over night in regardless how small of my mortgage size. She is not doing her work rather really appreciating her career she loves. Beyond, she also thought of client’s interest and she also helped me with really lower appraisal cost for bank which I didn’t even ask, so much things she did for me during the mortgage. I will definitely go her again for next purchase.

Thanks so much Shanel!"

N. Yin
First-Time Buyer

★★★★★

"We had a great experience working with Ritchie Wong at Mortgage CoLab. Our transaction was complex and time-sensitive, but Ritchie was responsive, knowledgeable, and easy to work with throughout.

He guided us through each step, answered our questions clearly, and helped us meet very tight deadlines.

We especially appreciated how smooth he made the mortgage process, which removed a lot of stress during an otherwise challenging transaction.

We’re very grateful for his support and would highly recommend Ritchie and Mortgage CoLab."

Lynda Dos Santos
First-Time Buyer
45

Financial Toolset.

Calculators and insights to sharpen your perspective.

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Mortgage Calculator

Model your monthly payments and see how rates impact your long-term equity.

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approval checklist

Everything you need to gather to ensure a smooth, stress-free approval process.

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beyond the rate

Why prepayment privileges and portability matter more than 0.10% on a rate.

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COMMON QUESTIONS

HOW LONG DOES THE PRE-APPROVAL PROCESS TAKE?

Most pre-approvals are completed within 24–48 hours once we have all your documents. A pre-approval is not a guarantee of final mortgage approval, but it is the most important first step before starting your home search. It also gives you a clear picture of what you can realistically afford — so when you find the right property, you already know the financing side is a green light. In competitive markets like Vancouver, this puts you in a much stronger position to make a confident, clean offer.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIXED AND VARIABLE RATES RIGHT NOW?

A fixed rate stays the same for your entire term, giving you predictable payments. A variable rate moves with your lender’s prime rate, meaning your rate can go up or down. Fixed offers stability; variable has historically offered savings over the long run but with more uncertainty. We help you choose based on your budget, timeline, and comfort with risk.

Is it free to use a mortgage broker in BC?

In the vast majority of cases, yes. For standard residential mortgages, brokers are compensated by the lender you choose—not by you. We’ll always be upfront if a fee applies to your specific situation before we move forward.

If your situation requires a specialized solution (like a private or commercial mortgage) where a fee might apply, we are legally required to disclose that upfront so there are never any surprises.

READY TO BEGIN?

Your financial architecture starts with a conversation.

No pressure, no aggressive sales. Just clear guidance and professional expertise tailored to your goals.