Meet your broker
Josh Tagg
Mortgage Broker · Calgary & area
Josh Tagg grew up in Calgary and has been arranging mortgages here since 2006 — through the 2008 crash, the 2014–16 oil downturn, the 2013 flood and the growth years since. He is independent, which means he works for you, not a lender.
“I grew up in Calgary and lived here most of my life. I know this city and I know how business gets done here.”
My team is in Calgary. We do not take in-person meetings — everything runs by phone, video and secure document upload, which is faster for you and means nothing waits on someone being in an office.
Lived here most of my life — this is not a market I learned from a spreadsheet.
Through the 2008 crash, the 2014–16 oil downturn, the 2013 flood and the growth years since.
Recognised on Mortgage Professional's global list of top mortgage experts.
Not owned by a bank — dozens of lenders compete for your file.
20+ years of Calgary mortgages
I grew up in Calgary. I lived here most of my life, and I have been arranging mortgages in this city since 2006 — long enough now to have financed the same clients through a first condo, a move-up, a renovation and a renewal, and to have watched three separate downturns come and go.
That local grounding is the part that actually shows up in your file. Calgary is not one market, it is a dozen of them stacked inside one city, and the financing problem changes completely depending on where you are buying. A Beltline condo runs into building-level lending policy — reserve funds, rental ratios, square footage, post-tension construction. A Marda Loop infill turns on whether the suite is legal and how much of its income a lender will use. A new build in Seton or Legacy is a rate-hold and closing-timeline problem, not a qualification problem. A 1980s bungalow in the north can hinge on poly-B plumbing and whether an insurer will write the policy at all. Knowing which question to ask before you write the offer is most of the job.
I also know how business gets done here, which sounds soft until you are in a competitive offer and your financing condition is the thing standing between you and the house. Calgary buyers get pushed to shorten or waive conditions constantly. I would rather tell you honestly what can be done in the time available than let you waive something you should not have.
I am an independent broker, so I am not fitting you into one institution's product shelf. I send your file where it actually fits, and I tell you why. If the honest answer is to stay with your current lender, wait six months, or buy less house than you have been pre-approved for, that is what you will hear. A mortgage is a five-year decision and often a twenty-five-year one, and the lowest rate on the page is only one of the variables that matters — penalties, portability, prepayment terms and whether the charge is collateral or standard all cost real money later.
My team is here in Calgary, and we deliberately do not do in-person meetings. Everything runs by phone, video and secure document upload. It is faster, it fits around your work rather than office hours, and nothing in your file ever waits on somebody being at a desk.
What working with me is like
One application, dozens of lenders
You apply once. I take your file to the lenders that actually suit your income and the property you are buying, and bring you the best of what comes back — not the one product an employer told me to sell.
I read the fine print out loud
Penalty calculation, portability, prepayment privileges, collateral versus standard charge. You will know what breaking or moving this mortgage costs before you sign it, not three years later when you need to move.
Answers fast enough for a Calgary offer
Competitive offers here live or die on the financing condition. You get straight answers on what is genuinely achievable in the days you actually have — not optimism that leaves you exposed.
A straight answer, including "not yet"
If waiting, paying down one card, or buying less house is the better decision, I will say so. I would rather lose the deal than put you in the wrong one.
Straight answers
Are you actually based in Calgary?
I grew up in Calgary and lived here most of my life, and I have arranged mortgages in this city since 2006. My team is here in Calgary. We deliberately do not take in-person meetings — everything runs by phone, video and secure document upload, which is faster for you and means nothing in your file ever waits on someone being at a desk. What you get is someone who knows this city and how business gets done in it, working on your file the same day rather than at your next available appointment.
What does a mortgage broker cost me?
On standard residential mortgages with mainstream lenders, nothing. The lender pays the broker when the mortgage funds, and the rate you get is the same or better than going to that lender directly. If a file ever needs a lender or arrangement where a fee applies — which is uncommon — you would be told the amount in writing before any work is done, and you would be free to walk away.
Will talking to you affect my credit score?
Not until you say so. We can talk through your situation, run the numbers, and get you a realistic idea of what you qualify for without pulling anything. Credit is only checked once you have decided to move forward and have given permission.
Why use a broker instead of my own bank?
Your bank has one set of policies. If those policies happen to suit your income and the property you are buying, you may do perfectly well. The problem is that if they do not, the answer is simply no — and nothing tells you that a different lender would have said yes. In Calgary that bites hardest on suited properties, condo buildings, self-employed income and higher-value homes, where lender policy varies enormously. One application, sent where it actually fits.
What Calgary clients say
Real reviews from people who financed homes here. A lot of them have now renewed with me two and three times.
As I had previously only gone through my bank for my mortgage, I was hesitant at first to go through a mortgage broker. However, after contacting Josh, who explained all of my options in detail, I felt very comfortable with my choice. He was able to answer all of my questions and was very quick to respond to any of my inquiries. We received a great rate and were extremely happy with Josh's services.
I have worked with Josh for 10 years now and he has made our mortgage process very comfortable, which can sometimes be overwhelming. His professionalism, promptness in getting back to us whether by phone or e-mail, and overall industry knowledge provides comfort that we are in good hands. He is very open and honest, is not pushy, and offers the best solution that fits our needs. People say you need a good lawyer — I say you need a good mortgage broker, and Josh is your guy.
I went looking for a mortgage broker in Crowfoot and contacted Josh. My situation was complicated by the oil crisis: I had a second mortgage based on an assessment from the previous year that valued my home higher than the current assessment, so I no longer had 20% equity. Josh got both mortgages rolled into one with 0.2% less interest than CIBC's four-year offer — and I got that for five years. Really pleased with the result.
I've had the pleasure of working with Josh on three occasions: my first mortgage four years ago, then about a year later to switch from variable to fixed, and again this fall on my renewal. My experiences have been as good as it gets. Not only did I get the best rates out there, Josh is very knowledgeable and a really nice guy. He even called me back while he was at a lake on vacation — for something that easily could have waited. To me that said a lot.
I am a middle-aged father of two and I work for the government. Before now, my wife and I had bought two houses through one of the big banks, so I have grounds for comparison. My experience with the banks was nothing to write home about — they always acted like they were doing me a favour. Not only did you completely exceed my expectations each time, you used a combination of experience and knowledge to find solutions to my unique circumstances.
I was a first-time home buyer and was a little overwhelmed by all that needed to be done. Josh was very patient, efficient and reassuring along with highly professional. I always felt informed on each step, comfortable asking the many questions I had, and it made the entire process of purchasing my condo an effortless and rewarding experience.
Let's talk about your mortgage
Two ways to start: book a call and we'll talk it through, or start the application online and I'll come back to you with what you qualify for. Neither pulls your credit until you say so.