Tag Archive for: Vancouver Mortgage Broker

Google it

If you don’t know something you Google it. Yes the company with the same name has also become a verb describing the action of searching for information online. If you want to learn how to cook, you Google it. The same for working out, learning a new language, buying insurance, buying a new home or getting a mortgage. It ( and countless cat videos ) are all on line for your browsing pleasure.

However like in Captain America Winter Soldier, your life is a digital book and most of it now is online. Your prospective employers don’t just call your references, they also check you out online. The same can be said for your prospective romantic partners. Only the naïve will take what is presented on the dating app or site at face value. If they are smart they are also confirming the details by doing their own research.

All of this brings us to mortgage lending. We frequently know more about our clients lives than their employers, friends or even spouses as we have to have the complete financial picture in order to secure them financing. All of this requires full disclosure on the client’s behalf about their past. So if you think that redacting out parts of your bank statements as you don’t want lenders to know where you have spent your money will help you, it won’t and usually results in an automatic decline. These same lenders are also checking into you online. Sadly Google, Facebook and Twitter don’t forget your past indiscretions, so please disclose them upfront so they can be dealt with properly, and not surprising us at the end when the lender does it.

Today I am thankful for frank and honest discussions with clients, great conversations with other dog owners on my morning walk and to my American friends their Thanksgiving.

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, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

What a relief

What a relief is what you say to yourself after the completion of an important or stressful event. It could be your recent wedding or divorce, a big race or sporting event that you spent a long time preparing for or the recent closing or your mortgage. Celebrate that the event is now over and the stress that came with it was almost all self induced.

In hindsight you now realize that you stressed out and worried about nothing. The event came and went and nothing tragic happened. So getting worried and stressed out only succeeded in stopping you from really enjoying life. Nothing is really good or bad unless you label it as such. So drop the labels, see events, people and things just as they are, neither good, bad or indifferent. You will then realize that life has so much more to offer you when you do.

Today I am thankful for the recent book I read which was “Awareness” by Anthony de Mello, a coating of snow when I got up this morning and a situation that I had stressed myself about last night is finely over and nothing really came of it so I worried for nothing.

“We have nothing to fear but fear it’s self.” Franklin D Roosevelt

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, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Know your numbers

When buying a property which is often your single largest invesment in your life, it’s a good idea to know your numbers backwards and forwards. In this article I am going to talk about deposit on purchase.

Deposits are required on purchase & sale agreements when you become the successful bidder on the property. It shows that you are serious about buying the property and illustrates what you are willing to lose should you break the legally binding contract. While there is no fine line about the amount of deposit required, generally it is between 5-10K and is due shortly after you have become the successful bidder.

These deposits are held by the vendors (seller) agent’s brokerage in a trust account. These deposit are not used by the brokerage for any expenses and are frequently audited to confirm this. Brokerage are required to insure the deposits up to 100K to prevent lost due to the unlikely event of the insolvency of the brokerage.

Lastly your deposit forms part of your down payment and closing costs upon closing. Please confirm this with your solicitor upon closing and check to make sure that it has been recorded as part of the statement of adjustments.

Today I am thankful for underwriters who have gone above and beyond to insure that file close, clients who are patient with the process and the sound of rainy days.

“Nature is written in mathematical language.” Galileo Galilei

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, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Triple check

For accuracy and when it’s important please double check then check again the accuracy of your information that you are submitting on your mortgage application. Purchase and sales are time sensitive so an undiscovered error at the last minute could potentially delay your closing. This is why we review everything then we check it again and again to make sure that there are no error’s or missing paperwork.

Your home purchase is one if not the largest single investment in your lifetime, this is why we want everything to go smoothly as possible. However we are all human so by checking multiple times lessens the risk of anything slipping through the cracks.

Today I am thankful for the fact that the rain held off this morning so Augie and I could squeeze in our morning walk, a quiet house with my girls having 1st period off and another client becoming homeowners today.

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, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Practice Patience

Easy to say, somewhat difficult to do on a consistent basis. It’s easy to be zen and relaxed while meditating at 5am and the house is quiet. It is quite another to maintain the same level of zen stuck in stuck in rush hour traffic taking my daughter to see the parade of lights in Halifax last night.

I fully admit that I am a work in progress. However I try to improve each and every day so mistakes of the past are not repeated the following day. Instant gratification only happens in movies. So if you are stuck in traffic, shopping for Christmas on Black Friday weekend or putting in what maybe your 9th offer to purchase a home. Stay patient as things always have a way of working out.

Today I am thankful that my kids did not inherit my impatience, that the tools are readily available to help me improve in this area and anything I have stressed about in the past has always worked out.

“The enemy is the necessary condition for practicing patience.” Dalai Lama

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, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Saved by routine

We all have those days that we don’t feel like doing X or Y. However if it’s Tuesday and you normally run 5K on Tuesday, guess what you’re doing. That’s right you are going for a 5K run as that is what you normally do. The run gets you out of your funk and also helps you clear your head.

Sometimes routine saves you. It saves you from having to decide what to do. Steve Jobs notoriously wore the same outfit everyday, this was because he could save his cognitive energy for more important things than deciding what to wear. Routine allows you to be more creative because it cuts out so many monotonous decisions that you no longer have to make.

Productive routines are actually good for you and allow you to get more done and remain creative and productive. Gone are the days when it was thought that routines were limiting for you. So just remember that runners run, writer’s write and saver’s save. Those are all productive habits, we all have days where we don’t really feel like it but just continuing your productive habit with make you feel so much better.

Today I am thankful for my daily exercise and writing routines, my wife’s homemade chocolate chip cookies and calls that were made weeks ago that lead to some new business.

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” John C Maxwell

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, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Herding Cats

Sometimes business and life is a lot like herding cats. You tell clients and kids what they shoud do and then they go off and do the opposite. Since the pandemic began last year we have been going out for groceries once a week on Friday’s. My kids take this as personal challenge to eat any and all remaining food that we have in the house on Thursday just so the cupboard is bare come Friday.

Also on the business side, to all those who are not in the mortgage business they think it’s a predominantly an analytical endeavour where it’s mostly about numbers. While knowing numbers does play a significant role in this business it is largely a people business. You see every client is different and has their own needs, requirements and personal history. By listening and hearing them out it makes them that much easier to help.

Today I am thankful for the fact that it is finally grocery day, challenges with clients have been overcome by listening to their needs and requirements and technology that allows me to keep relationships going with friends oversea’s.

“Dogs come when they are called, cats take a message and get back to you later.” Eloisa James

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, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Push & Pull

There are still some old school sales people who use push and pull tactics to get people to buy from them. The sad part of that strategy is that they will most likely only buy from you once and never recommend you to friends and family. My business is built on a strong word of mouth from my past clients and my referral sources, so I am never going to push and pull you to do business with me.

Sure there are other people in my field who will reduce their commission to next to noting to get your business but you need to know in advance that is not me. I strive on treating my clients and referral sources how I want to be treated. I am not going to walk into your shop and demand a discount or I am waking. You have to make a living too. I am going to take the time and explain the opinions to you so you know that you getting a solution that is ideal for you.

I always come to the table with the best rates and terms that are available. That is the advantage of dealing with a broker. I told a client this week to take another offer on a private financing purchase as my investor and I could not match it. At the end of the day I want my clients to be happy and whether that is with my products and services or from a competitor that’s fine with me as I know that I have offered the best solution that I have available. I am not going to push or pull you.

“Stop selling, start helping” Zig Ziglar

Today I am thankful for waking up and seeing the results of the first snowfall of the year, for my clients and referral partners who choose to do business with me and for my daughter who can’t seem to keep track of her clothes.

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, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Fixer Upper

In more normal real estate markets, people would look at several homes and then buy the one that was perfect for them. Show up on the day after it closed with all their suff and carry on with their lives. In today’s real estate market with next to no inventory, people are bidding on the first property they find with the hopes that their offer will be excepted.

This is also resulting in getting homes that are less than perfect for them. Kitchens from the the 1970’s, wall to wall shag carpet and general funky design themes. However these home are still selling for top dollar and most if not all cases well over the list price. In addition to these issues people are also wining the bid on homes with some serious issues that in almost any market would cause people to walk away.

Instead of walking away they are closing on these properties. This means that the day after close what ends up happening is a huge dumpster shows up in the driveway so the new owners can gut the property so they can make it perfect for them. Also well, septic and other structural issues are being added on to the purchase price as purchase plus improvements. Cause if you let the house go, it could take you months to find another one. So they just fix what needs to be fixed and carry on with life.

Today I am thankful for my lenders who have such incredible products that allow my clients to purchase and fix their new homes, past clients with new projects and the first snowflakes of the year.

“If you can’t find happiness in the ugliness, you’re not going to find it in the beauty either.” Joanna Gaines

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, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Last minute challenges

Last minute challenges, call for last minute solutions. We all want things to proceed smoothly as planned, but sometimes that is not always the case. When problem arise as they sometimes do, don’t think why me. Instead think about being grateful for the opportunity to come up with some creative solutions. Always focus on the end in mind and solutions will appear much easier than if you are thinking about why you got the problem in the first place.

Today I am grateful for the last minute solutions to a challenge that popped up yesterday, prospective clients that take the initiative to call when they have questions or need help and business partners who go above and beyond to help.

“If you’re not apart of the solution, you’re apart of the problem.” African Proverb

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, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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