25 Sep

5 TIPS ON HOW TO GET OUT OF DEBT AND INTO YOUR OWN HOME

General

Posted by: Patti MacLennan

To get out of debt, you need a plan and you need to execute that plan. That’s why I’ve created this simple, five-step, get-out-of-debt checklist that can help you leave that financial burden behind you. As you work on your plan, you’ll need to make all necessary adjustments to your budget along the way so […]

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22 Sep

RENT,OWN, OR DO BOTH?

General

Posted by: Patti MacLennan

There are generally three different situations you can find yourself in when it comes to living situations; living with parents, renting, or owning. A lot of the times the first decision someone will need to make is whether they buy a home to live in, buy a home to rent to someone else, or buy […]

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21 Sep

A CHIP SUCCESS STORY

General

Posted by: Patti MacLennan

A few years ago, I met with my Home Equity Bank representative. He was trying to encourage me to go visit my financial adviser referral partners to offer the Chip Reverse Mortgage product. I explained that I did not know anyone who had a reverse mortgage so it was hard to promote to financial advisers […]

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19 Sep

DON’T FORGET THE CLOSING COSTS WHEN YOU PURCHASE A HOME

General

Posted by: Patti MacLennan

The purchase price you negotiate when buying or selling a home is just one part of the total cost for buying a home. In addition to the purchase price there are several other fees – known as closing costs – all of which you need to factor in to your purchase price. Closing costs tend […]

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14 Sep

THE REAL ESTATE BUG

General

Posted by: Patti MacLennan

The Real Estate Bug is something slowly starting to creep it’s way into the demographic of people in my social circle. Some, not all, are beginning to move on from their “Travel Bug” brought on from graduating high school or post-secondary and onto The Real Estate Bug. The Real Estate Bug doesn’t mean you are […]

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13 Sep

KEEPING YOUR CREDIT SCORE HEALTHY

General

Posted by: Patti MacLennan

There is a lot of misinformation floating around about credit bureaus, credit reports and credit scores – not only that, but a large amount of the clients I work with have never even seen their credit report or score before! I’d like to shed a bit of light, as they say, on the importance of your […]

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11 Sep

LAST MINUTE CREDIT CHECK

General

Posted by: Patti MacLennan

As I’ve said many times, one of the single greatest determining factors in whether you can become qualified for a mortgage and the interest rate at which you do, is your credit history. Many people unfortunately don’t know this, and can be completely blind-sided when it comes time to qualifying. However, the truly unsettling idea […]

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31 Aug

IS EASY MONEY COMING TO AN END?

General

Posted by: Patti MacLennan

In a previous post, I discussed interest rates and their effect on real estate values. I argued that they did indeed alter buyer perceptions, and consequently value and price. But what about absolute interest rate levels? Is easy money coming to an end? Many lack any experience of high interest rates In a June 5, 2017 […]

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23 Aug

7 SURE-FIRE WAYS TO GROW YOUR CREDIT SCORE

General

Posted by: Patti MacLennan

Have you ever wished for a simplified guide on how to actually GROW your credit score? Well today is your lucky day! We have had years of experience working with individuals who come to us with poor or damaged credit and we have found 7 steps that prove to be tried and true in fixing […]

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21 Aug

MORTGAGE BROKERS HAVE SOLUTIONS

General

Posted by: Patti MacLennan

A lot of people are getting stressed out by Canada’s new mortgage stress test. In the past, if you had a good sized down payment (ie 20%) someone with a low income could purchase a home even if they did not meet the debt level guidelines for insured mortgages of 32/40 . Later this was […]

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