Tag Archive for: mortgage excellence

10 Things NOT to do once your financing is approved.

Congratulations you have just been approved for a mortgage on the new home that you are buying. You went through all the steps with your banker or broker and now all you can do is wait till you pick up your keys on the closing day in a few weeks.

You may think that just because the bank signed off on all the conditions that you are free to do what ever you want and that there would be no repercussions effecting your purchase. Sadly this is not the case. The lenders continue to work on your file behind the scenes up until your closing date.

Any material change that you make from the date you received word that all your conditions were met until the closing date may in-fact effect your ability to close the transaction.

Here are a list of 10 things in no particular order of what NOT to do prior to closing on your new home.

  1. Don’t quit your job.
  2. Don’t suddenly become self employed
  3. Don’t commit a crime or get arrested
  4. Don’t finance your furniture
  5. Don’t finance a new vehicle
  6. Don’t get divorced
  7. Don’t go on a spending spree on your credit cards
  8. Don’t close any credit accounts
  9. Don’s apply for new credit
  10. Don’t increase the limits on existing cards

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Pat

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

Subject free offer’s

This is when you write an offer to buy a property without any conditions. So there would be no financing condition, no property inspection and no subject removal period. Once accepted by the vendor ( the seller) it’s a done deal. Well at least in your mind and the sellers mind it’s a done deal. Unless you have the cash on hand don’t do this, and I’ll tell you why.

Yes I know that the real estate market across Canada is crazy right now. I was speaking with one of my local Realtors this week and he told me about a property in my subdivision that was listed for 349K, had 28 offers and ended up going for 646K. This was absolutely un heard of almost a year and a half ago.

That 60 second pre approval you have in your hand isn’t actually a pre approval. However unless they pulled your credit, reviewed your income and verified your down payment, it’s most likely a rate hold. That is great as fixed rates have been increasing lately but it does not allow you the put in a subject fee offer.

While it’s true that we have many sources of funding available to you in Canada these days. If you were thinking of going subject free and using 5% down payment, those sources have now shrunk to 3. This is because we only have 3 high ratio mortgage insurers in Canada, CMHC, Canada Guaranty and Sagen ( formally Genworth). Also a bad idea if you are putting 20% down or more as lenders will require an appraisal. Now what if that appraisal comes in less than your agreed upon price? If this happens you will have to make up the difference from your own pocket.

Lastly if you are putting in a sight unseen offer, as these have been happening. You could find out that the house has a cracked foundation, was a former grow op/meth lab, has a mold problem or is just plain non conforming. You may be perfectly suited to getting financing but that house is not.

For most people this is your single largest financial transaction in your lives. Don’t put yourself in jeopardy by presenting a subject free offer.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Pat

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

Crazy ones

Steve Jobs was one of my business idol’s. Not just because I am a huge Apple geek, but also because he saw things differently and found ways to make things happen. The common expression goes that if you want something done just ask someone who is busy and they will find a way to do it. Look for the men and women of action, the risk takers and those with a sense of urgency.

The same goes with your mortgage request. Find someone who is willing to go the extra mile and get your financing completed. Every mortgage file is unique like your fingerprint. No two are exactly the same. Let me find the solution that works best for your situation.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Pat

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

Get good at something great!

Let’s just face it that we are all good or great at things that don’t serve us. Who among us does not excel at procrastination! Better yet watching tv, eating junk food, playing video games, wasting your money, shopping, drinking or hours spent on social media. I am sure you are saying that everything in moderation is fine. However what has it gotten you so far???

So why not get good a something that moves you forward! This does not matter if you currently are a barista at Starbucks, a cook at McDonald’s or a customer service representative at a call centre. Being great at what you do gets you noticed, gets you promoted and helps you succeed. No job is worth doing unless you are doing it well.

I love what I do, let me be your mortgage expert and help you get your financing for your first home or your dream home.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Pat

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

24 Hour Service!

You have to admit that we live in a busy non-stop world. As long as you have internet service you can shop on-line 24 hours a day, stream the latest tv show, movie, do general banking or in most cases get tech support if you needed it.

However our modern connected world does have it’s limitations at what you can do at 2am on a Tuesday or 8am on a Sunday. Craving for a burger at those hours it isn’t going to happen. Same goes for getting your dry-cleaning done. Can’t have a consultation with your lawyer or your accountant either. In my business there are things that I can or can’t do if I happen to be available to chat during those hours.

Thanks to my chat bot that I have on my website, I get a notification on my phone, my watch or my computer if I have a new visitor. Now like most people I do have down time, but I am generally awake, near my phone or have my watch on from 6am till 10pm most days. This means that before and after regular banking hours I can and will happily answer general enquiries or respond to client questions. However note, that outside regular banking hours I am unable to get your mortgage approved or issue unconditional finance letters without first consulting with the lender.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Pat

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

Dig deep!

Often with clients it’s necessary to ask them tough questions about their personal and financial situation. This is because we need to know in advance of sending their file off for approval if there are any possible roadblocks or issues that need to be addressed. You see I would prefer to know of anything that may prevent the client from getting approved so it can be dealt with prior to getting any surprises from a lender.

Getting to know my clients and getting as much as possible upfront allows the process to be much smoother for the client, the broker and the lender. Sure there are lenders who will approve files with just the application and the credit bureau but why run the risk of getting into trouble as you move toward funding.

In most cases this is the largest financial decision of your lives. So dealing with a competent broker is in your best interest. So if you have had past bankruptcies, consumer proposals, was married but now divorced, gifted down payment, co signed a loan for a friend or just started working for your self. These are all things that could impact your ability to get a mortgage.

My goal is to help you get into your first home or your dream home. Getting to know the real you is part of the process to making this happen.

I look forward to hearing from you in regards to your mortgage needs.

Pat

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

Plan Ahead!

As the common expression goes ” If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail”. Since today is Sunday, it is the day the highly organized plan for their upcoming week. Athletes that I know call this meal prep Sunday where they prepare the meals for the upcoming week so it’s just one less thing to worry about during the week. They also plan their training for the week ahead.

Burnout is just another way of saying decision fatigue. You get to a point in your day where you are mentally spent from having made too many unplanned decisions. Steve Jobs notoriously wore the same outfit so it was one less thing that he had to decide on for his day.

Start slowly by planning what you will be wearing for the next day by laying it out the night before. I have been doing this for years and it saves a lots of time. Then if you are so adventurous plan the start of your morning. Including the time you will get up, your morning meditation or exercise routine, meal then right up till you start work.

By planning your day, it will make it easier for you to hit the objectives for your week, your month and your year. What every your objective it, plan ahead and break it down so it is more obtainable.

If your plan is to buy your next home, your dream home or refinance your current home let me know as I would love to help you reach your goal.

I look forward to hearing from you in regards to your mortgage needs.

Pat

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

Just good enough is NOT good enough!

Sure just getting a passing grade will probably mean that you will graduate high school but just scraping by is not a recipe for success in life. I am sure there are many careers for you if you just want to put in your time, get a pay check and drink with your buddies.

You wouldn’t want the doctor who barely passed med school to operate on you. The lawyer who squeaked by the bar exam to represent you in court. The accountant did the minimum requirements for their CA designation to prevent you from getting audited.

Let’s face it if you have a tooth ache you don’t try to do your own dental work. We all know what it looks like if you cut your own hair ( for those lucky few who still have lots of hair). There are many back yard mechanics out there but I wouldn’t go to them if my vehicle needed serious repairs.

The same applies to your mortgage. It’s because there are lots of brokers and lenders out there that you need to work with someone who will help you sort through it all and find the best product that meets your particular needs. Be aware that shopping for rate alone may come back to haunt you when you find out your lender doesn’t have a portability clause, or calculates your penalty on posted rates or that your mortgage is locked in and closed and you can only break it with the power of sale.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit” Will Durant 1926 ( Sorry not Aristotle folks)

I look forward to hearing from you in regards to your mortgage needs.

Pat

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).