26 Sep

4 COSTS TO CONSIDER AS A FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER

General

Posted by: Deb White

  Oftentimes even the most organized and detail oriented first-time homebuyer can overlook some unexpected costs that come with the purchase of their new home. We are outlining 4 of the costs that we most commonly see overlooked by home buyers in hopes that we can better prepare you—and save you from a few surprises! […]

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19 Sep

HELPING FAMILIES ONE AT A TIME

General

Posted by: Deb White

  Every once in a while you get to help people out and make a real difference in their lives. Recently a couple was referred to me who wanted to renew their mortgage. The bank that they had been dealing with for over 20 years had offered them a 5 year fixed rate that was […]

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29 Aug

NEED AN APPRAISAL – 7½ TIPS FOR SUCCESS

General

Posted by: Deb White

Do you need to get a current value of your property? Then you are going to need an appraisal. Banks and other lending institutions want to know the “current” market value of your home before they consider loaning money on the property. An appraiser checks the general condition of your home and compares your home […]

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22 Aug

MORTGAGES ARE LIKE COFFEE?

General

Posted by: Deb White

The most common question we get for mortgages is “what is your best rate?” Now imagine we walked into our local coffee shop and asked “what is your best price?” Doesn’t happen. There are all kinds of different coffees and lots of ways to make them. The same goes for mortgages. Getting a coffee at […]

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8 Aug

4 WEIRD THINGS LENDERS ASK FOR

General

Posted by: Deb White

A number of times I have had people who wonder why they need to provide so much documentation when it comes to arranging a mortgage. Besides an employment letter, you are usually asked to provide a pay stub and your most recent Notice  of Assessment NOA) to prove income. “Why do they need all 3, […]

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1 Aug

CREDIT REPORTS: YOU’VE SCORED! BUT ARE YOU PLAYING THE GAME?

General

Posted by: Deb White

For most people, your personal credit score and how a credit score is calculated are complete mysteries. How can you be expected to play and be successful if you aren’t even told the rules of the game? There are things borrowers can do to improve their score so they can access better mortgage products and save […]

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25 Jul

WHAT IS A MORTGAGE “REFINANCE” AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT ME?

General

Posted by: Deb White

Refinancing a Home is one of those things where people understand what it is but have trouble explaining How it works. To put it simply, refinancing your Home allows you to access the equity you have built up, by changing the mortgage amount. Let’s say you bought a $300,000 condo and you paid 20% ($60,000) […]

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11 Jul

5 MORTGAGE TIPS TO HELP YOU AFFORD A HOME

General

Posted by: Deb White

Buying a home is more difficult now than ever—and this is not news to anyone! No matter where you live, the recent stress testing measures, increase in housing prices in major cities, and continued increase of the cost of living all combine to make home ownership a daunting task. But we do want to offer […]

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13 Jun

THINKING ABOUT RENOVATING?

General

Posted by: Deb White

        Let’s take a closer look at how a Refinance Plus Improvements mortgage can get you the extra cash you need to get your renovations completed. The Standard Refinance An everyday refinance allows the home owner to access up to 80% of the fair market value of the home. The value is […]

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