Master the
Private Deal.
Private mortgage lending rewards the professionals who understand equity, risk and exit strategy at a deeper level than everyone else in the room. This course is how you get there.
Developed by top Canadian mortgage professionals. Content is reviewed and updated to reflect current lender guidelines, OSFI regulations and provincial requirements. Used by mortgage agents, underwriters and brokers across Canada.
Three ways this course changes how you see private deals.
Structure any private deal
Understand loan-to-value, lender fees, deal terms and security positions. Know exactly what makes a private deal viable — and what makes it fall apart — before you bring it to a lender.
Assess risk with precision
Master the risk factors every private lender evaluates: borrower suitability, exit strategy credibility, equity adequacy and property quality. Know when a deal makes sense and when to walk away.
Speak the language
Engage confidently with private lenders, MICs and mortgage investment professionals. Present deals the way experienced players expect, and build relationships that bring you more opportunities.
12 modules. Everything behind every private deal.
Every module is built around real private mortgage scenarios — equity positions, lender negotiations, exit strategies and the decisions that make or break a deal.
- What private mortgage lending is and isn't
- Who private lenders are and how they operate
- How private mortgages differ from A and B-lender products
- The private lending ecosystem: individuals, syndicates and MICs
- Why borrowers turn to private lending
- The role of the mortgage professional in a private deal
- What private lenders look for — and what they don't care about
- How different lenders weigh equity, income and credit differently
- Minimum beacon score expectations: the range and the reality
- Property types private lenders will and won't fund
- Due diligence standards: what you must be prepared to provide
- Priority of security: first vs. second mortgage positions
- How second mortgages are structured and priced
- Rights of first charge holders and what second lenders need to know
- Inter-lender agreements and their implications
- How to present a second mortgage deal to a private lender
- Why equity is the foundation of every private deal
- Calculating available equity and usable LTV
- How private lenders set maximum LTV thresholds
- Property valuation in a private lending context
- Urban vs. rural properties: how location affects LTV
- The relationship between LTV and pricing in private deals
- How to build a risk profile for a private mortgage borrower
- Identifying the key risk factors in a private deal
- Credit impairments and how lenders really view them in private deals
- Income risk vs. equity risk: understanding the balance
- Environmental and structural property risks
- How to price risk and communicate it to all parties
- Why the exit strategy is the most important part of any private deal
- The three types of exit: refinance, sale, and income recovery
- Evaluating the credibility of a borrower's stated exit
- Timeline planning: when does the exit realistically happen?
- What happens when the exit doesn't materialize
- Lender fees, broker fees and how they're disclosed
- Interest rate structures in private lending
- How total cost of borrowing is calculated and communicated
- FICOM, FSRA and provincial regulations on fee disclosure
- Ensuring borrowers understand the full cost of a private mortgage
- Assessing whether a private mortgage is the right solution
- Ethical obligations when placing borrowers in private products
- Documenting suitability and protecting yourself and your client
- When to recommend against a private mortgage
- Understanding private lending from the investor's perspective
- How MICs manage portfolio risk
- Default scenarios: what happens and how it unfolds
- Power of sale vs. foreclosure: the process and the timeline
- How to structure a private deal from first conversation to commitment
- Combining private and institutional mortgages in one transaction
- Creative deal structures: blanket mortgages, collateral charges, cross-collateralization
- Short-term vs. long-term private financing
- Renewal strategy: preparing the exit before the term ends
- Presenting a private deal to a lender the right way
- What triggers default in a private mortgage
- Lender remedies: demand letters, enforcement, and the legal process
- The role of the mortgage professional when a deal goes wrong
- How to avoid default situations through proper structuring
- Case study: bridging to a B-lender refinance
- Case study: second mortgage for debt consolidation
- Case study: equity takeout on a rural property
- Case study: private financing for a self-employed borrower
- Case study: construction bridge mortgage
- Final practical review: build and assess a complete private deal file
Built for professionals who want to close deals others can't.
This course is for mortgage professionals who want to operate confidently in the private lending space — not just refer deals to someone else.
Add private lending expertise to your practice and confidently close deals that institutional lenders won't touch.
Understand the deals that come across your desk with the depth needed to evaluate risk and make smarter lending decisions.
Build the foundational private lending knowledge needed to advance within a mortgage investment operation.
Understand private financing options so you can advise clients who can't qualify through traditional channels.
Zubair Afzal — Principal Broker with 20+ years of real deal experience.
Zubair Afzal is a Principal Broker and one of Canada's top-producing mortgage professionals. This course draws directly from his extensive experience across private lending markets — MIC-funded products, individual investor transactions and complex equity-based deal structures.
Every module reflects real decisions, real lender conversations and real outcomes — from deals that closed and some that should never have been touched.
"The private lending course gave me the confidence to close deals I would have walked away from before. I went from avoiding private deals to actively seeking them out."
Mortgage BrokerBritish Columbia
"The exit strategy module alone changed the way I evaluate every single deal. I ask completely different questions now — and my clients are in much better situations because of it."
Mortgage AgentOntario
"Finally a course that treats private lending as the sophisticated practice it is — not a last resort. The deal structuring module is worth the entire course on its own."
Senior Mortgage AgentAlberta
Private Lending.
Mastered.
The professionals who close the most deals aren't lucky — they're prepared. Enrol now in the Private Mortgage Lending course and our team will confirm your enrolment within one business day.
- 12 modules, 65+ lessons
- Real-world Canadian private deal case studies
- Certificate of completion
- In-person, Mon–Fri 10AM–4PM
- Lifetime access to course materials
Our team will confirm your enrolment and send all details within one business day.
Get started in three steps.
Enrol now
Reserve your spot below. Our team confirms your enrolment and sends you everything you need before your class starts.
Attend your class week
Join your class Monday–Friday, 10AM–4PM. Your instructor works through every module with you. Bring your laptop.
Complete and earn your certificate
Finish at your pace and receive your Certificate of Completion — ready for your LinkedIn profile, resume and client conversations.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about the Private Mortgage Lending course.
Who should take this course?
This course is for mortgage agents who encounter private deals — or want to — and feel uncertain about how to structure them correctly. It's also valuable for agents who want to expand beyond A-lender business and position themselves as specialists in complex files.
Do I need to know how private lending works before starting?
No prior private lending knowledge is required. The course starts with the fundamentals — what private mortgages are, who uses them and why — before moving to deal structuring, risk analysis and exit strategy. Agents at all experience levels can start here.
Will I learn how to work with MICs?
Yes. Mortgage Investment Corporations are one of the most common sources of private capital in Canada, and the course covers how they evaluate deals, their appetite for different loan types, fee structures and how to present files to them effectively.
How is private mortgage lending different from what licensing covers?
Licensing courses teach you the rules. This course teaches you the practice. Private lending decisions are made on equity, exit strategy and lender appetite — not the income-and-credit model that drives A-lender decisions. Most agents have never been taught this framework, and it's what separates agents who can fund complex files from those who can't.
How long is the course?
One intensive week: Monday to Friday, 10AM–4PM. Classes run twice per month at our Toronto location. Bring your laptop.
Is a certificate included?
Yes. Graduates receive a Skayle Academy certificate of completion that can be added to LinkedIn and shared with brokerages. We're also recognized by several Canadian brokerages as a continuing education provider for agent professional development requirements.
Still have a question?
We're happy to talk through whether this course is the right fit before you reserve your spot.
The private deal doesn't
wait for the unprepared.
Enrol now and get started. Our team is ready to confirm your enrolment.
Related reading
Want personal guidance
beyond the course?
The Private Mortgage Mentorship is Skayle Academy's one-on-one program — 12 months of direct access to a Canadian principal broker. Built around your goals, your deals and where you want to go. Limited spots available.