16 Feb

BE THE SUNSHINE FOR A SENIOR THIS MONTH

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

As Canadians, February can be one of the hardest months. It’s when the wounds of the holiday credit card bills are still fresh and taxes for the upcoming season need to be prepared. Financial stress may be at its peak. According to Statistics Canada, over 1.4 million senior Canadians reported feeling lonely. The loneliness and […]

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15 Feb

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NO FRILLS MORTGAGES

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

You’ve been offered an amazing rate and you just can’t believe how much you will save. You’re super excited and getting ready to go sign off on the papers when you randomly run into a mortgage broker and mention the deal you scored. The broker says to you that’s an awesome rate, any idea what […]

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14 Feb

TOP FIVE HOME RENOVATIONS THAT INCREASE PROPERTY VALUE

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

Looking to increase your homes property value? Here are five of the best renovations you can do to your home to increase property value. These five renovations can sometimes have a return on investment 5-6x what they cost. # 5 Flooring Flooring is one of the most important aspects of your house. You will see […]

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13 Feb

REMEDIATED GROW-OP – A GOOD INVESTMENT?

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

It is forever in discussion in the Lower Mainland – is a former grow-op home a good investment? Prices are often much lower than similar properties so at first glance it seems so. But the stigma will follow the property in perpetuity, unless it’s razed to the studs and rebuilt. If it’s been remediated that […]

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10 Feb

GET IN FRONT OF A BAD SITUATION

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

Financial difficulty can happen. Marital breakdown, economic downturn / job loss, health issues are all realty. If I can give one piece of advice it’s this – in the face of financial difficulty the worst thing that a person can do is to go dark on their creditors. In my experience, being 100% upfront and […]

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9 Feb

FINANCING SOLUTIONS – BRIDGE LOAN

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

The fast pace of buying and selling real estate is daunting. Throw in trying to manage closing dates, possession dates and access to the proceeds for the purchase and you have a recipe for disaster. I recently received an email from a potential client asking these very questions: “I was wondering how the process usually […]

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7 Feb

Things to Consider When Deciding to Buy a Foreclosure

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

When bad things happen to good people sometimes the reality is they just can’t keep up with their mortgage payments. While Canadian mortgage defaults are amongst the lowest in the world at just 0.31%, foreclosure still happens. In BC, if a lender forecloses on a homeowner they are required to give the borrower a 6-month […]

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3 Feb

WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY MEAN TO CO-SIGN FOR A MORTGAGE?

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

There seems to be some confusion about what it actually means to co-sign on a mortgage and you know that where there is confusion, your trusted mortgage professional seeks to offer clarity. Let’s take a quick look at why you may be asked to co-sign and what you need to know before, during, and after […]

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2 Feb

10 FIRST TIME HOMEBUYER MISTAKES

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

If you’re on the hunt for your first home and want to have a smooth and successful home purchasing experience avoid these common first-time homebuying mistakes. 1. Thinking you don’t need a real estate agent You might be able to find a house on your own but there are still many aspects of buying real […]

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1 Feb

RRSP FOR YOUR DOWN PAYMENT??

General

Posted by: Mike Hattim

Are you a first time home buyer and looking to use your RRSP’s as a down payment? Here’s a few things you need to know: 1. To use this program you must have not owned a home in the last 4 years but did you know that if your spouse owned a home previously and […]

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