Tag Archive for: mortgage options

Be Prepared

You will never know what life can and will throw at you, so it’s best to be prepared. Most if not all cars and trucks come with a spare tire and the necessary tools required to change it. Any household with small kids will also have a first aid kit or a least a good stock of bandages cause accidents happen.

I was reminded of this while doing an 80K bike ride with my friend Marissa today. We rode out to the 40K marker and she had to do an extra Km as my route to meet her was a Km. So during this kilometre ride she crashed. Came back to our turnaround point with a bike bent, and scrapes and bleeding. While I didn’t have a first aid kit with us, I did have a towel and water to clean her up. Also thankfully she had a multi tool to do some needed bike repairs.

So are you prepared in the event that you didn’t get paid next month? Do you have 3 months living expenses put aside? Do you have an estate plan in case something happened to you? While we can’t control what happens to us tomorrow. At the very least we can be prepared to face it.

Today I am thankful for the multi-tool and the towel to clean up my friend after her crash, that there was still some Gatorade left in the fridge when I got home from my ride and a quick lunch with my son after I got home.

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

Patrick

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 Brokerage (2021-3000179) Broker (2021-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Expectations

More often than not when things don’t turn out as we have expected them to turn out we get upset, angry or disappointed. This is because we got caught up in some future picture instead of focusing on the present. Not everything turns out as planned and things don’t necessarily get resolved on our desired timelines.

The only thing that we can control is our selves and our responses to the events around us. That’s it! We can love, guide and teach our kids but ultimately they will do what they want to do. The same applies to your friends & family. So don’t “should” anyone but yourself.

I love the Buddhist philosophy on expectations whereby they say that disappointment, frustration or anger are emotions that we feel when people or events do not meet our expectations. This causes us to suffer as a result. By releasing expectations will allow us to live in the moment and realize that life is already perfect.

Today I am thankful for my Friday conversations with family, that things are much better when you release the expectations and just live in the moment and for seeing a deer walk with us ( my dog and I ) early this morning.

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

Patrick

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 Brokerage (2021-3000179) Broker (2021-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Prep work

It has long been said that the best time to apply to borrow money is when you don’t need it. Also the best time to workout is when you are young and healthy. This is because if you do the prep work when it is easy but not necessary your life will be much better.

Life is not always smooth sailing so I have always looked at each workout as a deposit into my future health bank. The same can be said about your investments and sound financial management. Far too often people have the instant gratification mindset. It’s best to approach life as a marathon rather than a sprint. Playing the long game will always make you much better off, and doing the prep work when it’s easy to do will help make that happen.

Today I am thankful for a walk with my dog before the sun and the rest of the city got up, renewed intensity in my runs lately and a change in perspective towards the actions that make up a much brighter future.

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

Patrick

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 Brokerage (2021-3000179) Broker (2021-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Add/Subtract

I am learning from experience that in order to add any desirable behaviour, one must also subtract a corresponding undesirable behaviour. In my effort to read more I have decided that I don’t need to watch TV at night. So I have replaced the TV watching with more reading. Good habit in, bad habit out.

The thing is that we can’t add more time to our days. We all get the same 24 hours, or 86,400 seconds in each day. So in order to really improve by adding more good habits, you must also remove the bad ones. Want to exercise more then consider cutting out social media. Want to save more money then consider preparing your own meals & coffee instead of buying it during the week. Want to be more of a morning person, then go to bed earlier.

Since we all live in this vacuum of the same 24 hour period. To make any change easier, just make sure that you have removed something so that you can fit the good thing into your life.

Today I am thankful for the time I got to read while my truck was getting serviced today, not missing tv or social media as I have added activities of greater value to my life and the chance to drive a new truck with all the bells and whistles while mine was getting serviced.

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

Patrick

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 Brokerage (2021-3000179) Broker (2021-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Small changes

Sometimes small changes yield big results. Also small changes done consistently over time will give you humungous results. I say this from experience as just in the past year or so I decided to dedicate at least 20 minutes a day to reading. Now I have always enjoyed reading, it’s just that I had not really made time for it until recently. So last year I comfortably read 25 books and this year I will strive to hit 30.

This same principal can also be applied to your finances, your health or your personal relationships. Rome wasn’t built in a day and people don’t just decide to run a marathon on a whim. Pick some area that you want to improve and start with small changes repeated daily.

Apply this to saving for a down payment on a house or paying off your debts. Start small and be consistent over time and you will achieve your objective sooner than you could think. Also taking a small step is much easier than completing a complex task. One small step at a time is all you need to do to achieve your goals.

Today I am thankful for the sound of of the rain in the morning, helping out returning clients and small incremental progress day after day.

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

Patrick

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 Brokerage (2021-3000179) Broker (2021-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

The biggest mistake

The biggest mistake that we all make is that we all think that we have more time. Time is our only finite resource. You’re delusional if you think it’s money as you can always make more of that given enough time. It’s also not your health either as people have shown time and time again the ability to totally transform themselves from overweight/underweight to the picture of health given the proper amount of time to do so.

For some tomorrow, next week or next year will not happen for them. So get it done today. Make reparations with that family member or old friend as you may not get another chance. Say yes to that spontaneous invitation to do something different as we have all spent far too much time in our own homes the past few years.

If you are sitting on the sidelines trying to time the real estate market so you can buy at the perfect time, I always say that the perfect time is always now as long as you are planning to make it your forever home.

“My favourite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource that we all have is time.” Steve Jobs

Today I am thankful for the time I’ve been able to spend with my kids from working at home, for service providers who call me back and cool foggy mornings after hot nights.

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

Patrick

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 Brokerage (2021-3000179) Broker (2021-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Close call

For most a close call is a wake up call. It’s a signal to pay attention so you won’t get caught off guard again. Almost hit people in a crosswalk cause you were playing with your phone, then it’s time to put it away and use Bluetooth only. Survived a heart attack or a stroke then that is a sure sign that you need to make your health a priority. Car making a weird noise and the dealer who only puts on new parts quotes you 2K to replace it until you find a local shop with a mechanic that can fix it for $250.

I thought of this today as I had one of those close calls yesterday. I always to my long workouts in the weekend and yesterday I did a 50K bike ride. Even though we finished before the day got really hot, I still lost quite a bit of fluids. Thinking I had my bases covered with Gatorade and other fluids wasn’t enough. Several leg cramps last night made me realize that I am not replacing all the nutrients that I have lost and need to make sure that I have enough potassium and magnesium. Neighbour is a dietician who helped with the diagnosis this morning.

So what will it take you before you take the necessary action and change your ways. Do you need a close call? Be fortunate if you get one cause sometimes people are not so lucky. Make the most of it if you get it.

Today I am thankful for a chat with a knowledgeable neighbour, the opportunity to do it again but better the next time and people who respond to service requests on Sunday.

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

Patrick

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 Brokerage (2021-3000179) Broker (2021-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Stimulus Response

Yes I know this was a scientific theory developed in the 1940’s by Clark Hull. However today I want to talk about my personal experiences with stimulus response. In layman’s terms it means that we are already pre programmed to respond to situations that life presents us in already pre defined ways. So in order for us to change our behaviours we have to recognize what sets us off so we can change how we respond.

I won’t say that I am a weekend warrior as I train every day of the week, I just schedule my longer intensity sessions on Saturday & Sunday. Saturday I normally do a 50-70K bike ride with friends and Sunday I run between 10-15K. However if I am not careful if I sit down too long at any point in the afternoon on either of those days, I very easily pass out. Now don’t get me wrong I love naps, it’s just unless I can have a full hour long one I ruin the rest of my day be being extremely cranky. So my wife’s rule for me is no more naps.

So find something that you want to change, it could be what you eat, how much you drink or watching too much tv. There is invariably a stimulus that sets you off by making the activity pretty much automatic. Once you realize what that is then it can be quite easy to change your behaviour. Once you cut out or change the stimulus it then becomes easier to change the response.

Go out with or hang out with certain friends and you drink too much, change your stimulus. Board and go to the mall or surf to Amazon/wayfair or any other online merchant and you spend too much money, then find other ways to spend your time and you will save money. I realized that I was wasting too much time on social media so I cut it out cold turkey as it wasn’t serving me. Change your stimulus and you can change your response.

Today I am thankful for the great Saturday morning ride with Marissa & Steve today, that I realized what was setting me off so I could change it and my quiet house when I got home so I could get some work done.

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

Patrick

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 Brokerage (2021-3000179) Broker (2021-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Every Penny Counts

When it comes to managing your money, every penny counts. It’s the same when it’s about life in general, the little things matter. Far too often we discount the small purchase or the small actions until they have accumulated into a massive bill or horrible habit.

So to put this into perspective, that daily coffee habit is closing you far more than you think. That grande non fat latte is $5.65, I know as this was my wife’s daily drink. This is $28.25 a week, $113 a month or $1,356 a year. Since she is now working at home we purchased a Nespresso machine and just make it at home for 1/4 of the cost.

You can look at your daily habits the same way. I just had breakfast with a childhood friend and he was asking me for advise about exercise. I asked him what he can give up in the run of a day to add in some time to exercise. This is because to add a good habit one must first subtract something that is not serving you.

What are you spending your money or your time on that is not giving you the results that you want? If you don’t know where your time or money goes most days then I highly suggest that you track it for two weeks to determine what you can remove or change for the better.

Today I am thankful for the breakfast with an old friend, keeping track of the little things before they become huge problems and my 1st day back in my renovated office.

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

Patrick

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 Brokerage (2021-3000179) Broker (2021-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

To the limit

No this is not a reference to the Eagles song, but rather about pushing yourself to new area’s of growth. If you are always living in your comfort zone and doing things well within your limits then you are merely surviving but not actually truly living to your fullest potential.

I bring this up as I have been running for years and was normally quite pleased with my running pace. However after having some injuries this past winter I was struggling to get back to where I was before and each run seemed like a struggle. The effortless pace of the past had been replaced by a slog to get through my runs.

This all changed when I started running with a neighbour and challenging each other to improve the pace at the next interval. Doing this resulted in my first sub 5 average over 5K today, when I thought my fast days were behind me. The thing is that we are capable of so much more than we are currently experiencing, all we really must do is push ourselves past our comfort zone to the area of real growth.

Today I am thankful for the extra push on my run this morning, finding one area of growth that is leading to growth is so many more other area’s and listing to my wife sing as she works this morning.

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

Patrick

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 Brokerage (2021-3000179) Broker (2021-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here