You wouldn’t mow your lawn with a snowblower … Right??

Refinance Nathan Lawrence 28 Jan

Refinancing is just one financial tool that you have at your disposal as a home owner that can be leveraged to help strengthen your financial position.  In any good financial tool box, you will have a number of different tools at your disposal, which if utilized correctly, can help you save on interest, build wealth, or achieve your dreams.  Those tools can include things like:

  • A Financial/Investment Broker
  • RRSP, Mutual Funds, Tax Free Savings Accounts.
  • Life/Disability Insurance
  • Everyday Bank Accounts
  • Your Accountant – Tax Planning
  • Your Mortgage Broker – Mortgage Planning
  • Your Real Estate Agent – Property Investments

SO HERE’S THE TRICK…Just like any everyday tool, you should always use the right tool to for the right job…. you likely wouldn’t use a snow blower to mow your lawn…you would likely end up being very disappointed with the end results.

The same logic applies to finances and most of the time we forget that.  When you’ve used the right tool to do the right job, you’re likely to be very happy with the outcome.

Step 1 (which many of your might have already done): Build a team of trusted professionals that are focused on your best interests.

Step 2:  Book annual reviews with each of those trusted advisors.

Step 3: With your trusted advisers, discuss your plans, build a plan and implement that plan.

When it comes to refinancing your mortgage, a good advisor will look at saving you interest.   A GREAT Mortgage Specialist with take it deeper than that.  A GREAT Mortgage Broker will dive into your application and build a mortgage strategy to put you in a great position moving forward.

Do you need to or want to…

  • Save interest on your overall debt portfolio?
  • Improve monthly cash flow?
  • Put yourself in a position to buy investment property?
  • Leverage the low interest rates to invest for the years ahead
  • Have an expected large expense in your future?
  • Have a number of tax planning or life planning decisions that you need to make?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then meeting with your GREAT Mortgage Broker is something you need to do.  That Broker, at the very least, will help save you interest, balance the savings vs. the costs of making the change and improve your monthly cash flow.

At the end of the day, your GREAT Mortgage Broker will never simply get you an approval because you booked a meeting with them.  A Great Mortgage Broker will advise you if at that moment, a mortgage refinance is the right tool for you at that moment in time.

Credit Recovery Starts With Great Advice

Alternative Lending Nathan Lawrence 21 Jan

Today, we are thrilled to launch our Tough Mortgage Resource Page.  We know that it can often be overwhelming for mortgage applicants that have been dealt a tough blow that has negatively impacted their credit or overall financial health.  We have put together this resource to help provide our clients and the wider community with a better understanding of how to apply for a refinance when your credit has taken a hit.

At some point in our lives, most of us will face a challenge that can threaten our financial health…

– Job Loss

– Injury that results in short or long term disability

– A personal health issue or a health issue of a family member

– Or even the death of a loved one.

These types of circumstances often lead to unexpected expenses or reduction in your personal income.  Life changes like these over an extended period of time can result in credit challenges, missed payments or even falling behind on a mortgage.   If you have equity built up in your home, there is likely an option to help set you on the road to recovery.  Our resource helps provid you with some insight into how the process works and what we do to help.

Should you, a family member or friend have additional questions or want to look closer at your options, our team is here to help.  We understand that stress that comes along with tough mortgage applications and we work to help you get things back on the right track.

VISIT WEBSITE

Feeling the Winter Blues

General Nathan Lawrence 13 Jan

We sometimes overlook the simple things that can positively change the way we think during the cold winter months.  Your home is the best place to start. During the winter months we tend to hibernate at home, so why not look at ways to do things in your home to make you feel better about yourself and your home? This will help you stay motivated and inspired during the cold winter months.

Plan that much needed home renovation!

Look at areas of your home that you have been thinking to change or upgrade. Spend some time and start to visualize the home that you want.  Then take the time and start planning for that dream home renovation. Get everything organized now, and you just might have hammers swinging by spring time.  Your next step, find out if it is financially feasible. Consult with a mortgage professional about a renovation mortgage and an interior designer to review your home projects with you. Knowing that you are financially prepared and working with professionals towards a home project will keep you excited and something to look forward to.

Keep your home and yourself, healthy and fit!

Start by giving your home a good cleanse.  LET GO of what is not needed or you have no use of. If you haven’t used it in a long time then you don’t need it. Having a clean and organized home will in turn make yourself feel better about spending time indoors.  Fill your fridge and freezer with healthy foods.  Winter months are good to pre-make meals in advance and freeze. Soups, stews, sauces, and healthy loaves and muffins are easy and fun to make.

Dress up your house…in a budget friendly way!

Do little things in your home to keep yourself motivated, energized and inspired.  Add budget friendly décor pieces such as candles, warm throws and pillows, fresh flowers, fill glass vases with outdoor pieces like pinecones or grass stocks.  Update cabinet hardware or light fixtures. Replace old towels with new soft towels, or even simply change your bathroom curtain and hooks to make it feel like a new space. These are all ways to stay connected to your home to help with the winter blues.

Take Control of Your Mortgage in 2016 – Your easy, quick win, New Year’s Resolution!

Mortgage Tips Nathan Lawrence 4 Jan

It’s officially 2016!!  So what have you resolved to do this year?

  • Exercise more?
  • Go on that dream vacation?
  • Spend more time with family and friends?
  • Work less??…maybe work more?
  • Tackle your debt load?
  • Buy a new home?

 

Regardless of the resolutions that you’ve committed to, sometimes the best way to get moving with new commitments is to start with an easy win!  Something that can get you motivated!  Something that can be completed easily, with little work on your part!

What?!?! …that’s exactly what you’re thinking isn’t it? …”Which of those resolutions can be done easily?”  “Where is this so called ‘easy win’?” 

Every year, we make huge commitments to ourselves and we often fail because we become discouraged quickly.  I’m here to tell you that some resolutions are much simpler than we make them out to be.  For instance, saving interest, taking control of your debt and improving your monthly cash flow…that’s right…this can be an easy win.

It all starts with taking a look at the largest debt that you have, your mortgage.  Most home owners don’t take the time each January to have an independent Mortgage Broker assess their mortgage and how they might be able to better leverage home equity in their favor.  We often avoid talking about our finance and debts, which makes sense given that money is often one of the leading causes of stress in a home.   As Mortgage Brokers, we take your whole application and from that financial picture we look at how you could:

  • save interest,
  • reduce your month payments,
  • consolidate debt,
  • or pay your mortgage off sooner.

 

So how is getting a better handle on your finances an easy win?  Simple!… it involves very little of your time and commitment…actually, it will only take about 5 minutes right now to get the ball rolling. Heck, you’ve taken the time to read the blog, what’s another few minutes of your time to get a no obligation second opinion?    Step 1: Complete our online application and hit the “Easy Button” or in this case the “submit” button.   Did you hit it?? Great, now on to step 2… Sit back and let our knowledgeable team of Mortgage Professionals take it from here!

 

Happy New Year!  Wishing you and everyone you know a Happy, Prosperous and Stress Free 2016!