Michael Torres

Michael got into mortgages after spending eight years in residential construction management. He knows how draws work, what the builder completion timeline actually looks like versus what's on paper, and why your new build closing date will probably move at least once.

That construction background makes him a natural fit for new-build financing. He handles everything from the initial pre-approval through the progress draw inspections to the final funding — and he knows which lenders are set up for it and which ones make the process miserable. He works with builders across Calgary's growth areas: Cornerstone, Livingston, Glacier Ridge, and the Harmony development in Springbank.

Michael also handles a fair number of rural and acreage mortgages in the areas surrounding Calgary — Bragg Creek, Priddis, the MD of Foothills. Rural properties have their own set of complications: some lenders won't touch properties on well water, others have minimum acreage requirements, and the appraisal process is different. He knows which lenders are comfortable in that space.

He's licensed through RECA and submits through a network of about 40 lenders including the national monolines, credit unions, and B lenders for files that don't fit the A-side box.