Rent-to-own is an alternative financing path for homeownership that includes a qualification and support plan for becoming a homeowner. It includes putting in manageable amounts toward the future downpayment on your home, plus an overall financial and credit improvement plan. We've got a whole page on our website dedicated to explaining what rent-to-own is and how it works.  Click here to view the page or contact us with any questions. 

Beyond working with our financial coaches and homeownership pros, we can help you with some practical approaches:

1. Credit reporting: We work with our partners to report your on-time payments to credit bureaus
2. Credit Improvement Plan: A credit improvement plan helps you to stay on track by giving you visibility into where you are in relation to your goals.  That visibility truly does work wonders

Of course, this is just a small example of what we do to help. If you want to know more, book your free homeownership evaluation. 

We still might be able to help!

For some people, it takes a bit of determination and committment, but rent-to-own is a great path to set your sights on a big goal while you rebuild credit.  Plus, with our trusted homeownership pros and financial coaches you'll be better equiped to conquer that challenge and move into homeownership. 

In other cases, bankruptcy may be too recent. While we would love to help every single person, there are situations that we advise people rent-to-own is not their best solution.  

Either way, we strive to positively impact every person we interact with by providing practical tips and tools to help empower them with financial knowledge  – because, we are incredibly passionate about financial literacy. 

Just like any home purchase, you will need to put some money in so you've got some skin in the game.  After all, this is going to be your house! 

Generally, we'll require a minimum initial amount of  about 3.5% of the purchase price, or $10,000.  

We make a modest amount of money by working with our network on preferred rates, prices, policies and terms when we purchase; on fair rent during the life of the rent-to-own program; on fair market appreciation; and at the end of the rent-to-own program when you purchase the home under your own mortgage. 

Most importantly, we make sure we get a great deal on any home. We wouldn't want you investing in it if its not something we would invest in ourselves.

It's a big committment to purchase a home, and both you and us have made financial commitments – you've been putting money toward the future purchase and we invested tens of thousands to purchase the home you chose.  If you do choose to exit the rent-to-own program we do offer partial refundability of your option deposits.  Talk to us to learn more about how this works. 

A main part of any rent-to-own program for a home is the "rent" portion of the equation.  The reason why this is so important is that when you go to qualify for your own mortgage the bank will want to see that can afford to take on the full costs of the house yourself. 

Any portion paid above fair market rent goes towards the eventual purchase of your home at the end of the program. 

In a rent-to-own program we cover all the costs of the mortgage principal, interest, taxes, and insurance right up until the end of the program when you qualify for your own mortgage and purchase the house outright.  

Our clients are responsible to pay rent, utilities, minor repairs and upkeep, and option payments that go toward the future down payment on the home. 

No, we're not real estate agents.  A real estate agent's job is to buy and sell houses, and they make a commission from that.  

While we work with real estate agents, mortgage brokers and other trusted pros to structure rent-to-own programs to help our future homeowners, we do not make any commissions on the sale or purchase of a home. 

We are rent-to-own specialists and trained in the fundamentals of the real estate market. The best analogy to use is that we are to real estate what credit counselling agencies are to credit cards. 

Our job is not to sell you a house, it's to help you achieve homeownership.  In fact, a key criteria we have when you're out shopping for your house is that it is a good investment for the long-term.  We can even help you find houses that are up for private sale and not listed on the MLS.  

Absolutely!  

While we primarily help people province-wide in Ontario and Alberta, we are able to serve people from across the country.  Even if we might not be the best fit for you, we have a large network of passionation rent-to-own specialists from coast-to-coast that we can refer you to.

We're so glad you're wondering!  

Our brand name was created based on the Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site.  This is the legendary Gold Rush Trail from the late 1800s that spans from Alaska into the Yukon. 

Not only is this a hike that our founders have done (to be more specific, it is a gruelling 5-day hike they've conquered), it is a personally meaningful place for them.  

Of course, there is symbolism of this being that legendary Gold Rush Trail. It embodies our brand mission in helping others to reach for the summit and pursue financial well-being.  

We understand that bank hours don't work for everyone. So we've created a custom set of hours we find works best for our future homeowners. 

• Mon-Wed: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
• Thur & Fri: 9:00 am - 7:00 pm
• Saturday: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

All times listed are in Eastern Time.  We are available after hours for our clients in emergency situations.