When homes near you come on the market and sell quickly, it’s tempting to wonder how the new buyers were able to purchase that home and qualify for the mortgage, especially in Vancouver

Were they lucky?

Did their parents lend them the down payment?

Did the ball simply roll their way?

Some people believe that fortune is subject to luck.  Experience shows, it’s not.  Only about 10% of our lives are completely out of our control. The rest is defined by the choices we make and the actions we take.  Lucky people tend to be open to new things.  Rather than approaching the unknown with an abundance of caution, they take risks, and feel relaxed enough to see the opportunities that exist.

You may know someone, right now, who has the ability to buy their very first home, but don’t yet know how to make luck reality.  Give me a call and I’ll send you my free report, How to Buy a Home With No Money Down, and together we’ll show them the real role that luck plays in home ownership.

Go ahead and call me to discuss

Mark Fidgett, Your Vancouver Mortgage Broker For Life

www.notapennydown.com

604-273-2002

PS – Who’s the next person you know who wants to be in charge of their luck? Be sure to give me a call to discuss how I can help them with a mortgage?

If you’re happy paying the banks more than you have to, STOP reading right here.

BUT, if you’re tired of being hoodwinked, read on -

For fun, I just called up the bank and asked them what their best 5 year rate was.

Guess what they said…

Well, our posted rate is 5.39%, but if you’re lucky, I may be able to get you in around the mid 4′s

WOW, that’s great except for the fact that I could get you in around the mid 3′s

That’s a whole 1% difference.

Do you know what that means to your bottom line?

This is a perfect example of what the banks do.

By preying on unsuspecting clients, they make a HUGE profit, and you get hoodwinked into a higher rate.

Another travesty is that 85% of mortgage clients simply sign their mortgage renewal docs and stay with their current bank.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO LEAVE YOUR BANK

There is a perception that it’s difficult to switch banks, plus it costs you money to switch.

WRONG!

Question is, do you want to pay the banks more than you have to?

You may also be interested in reading “Your Banks 6 Dirty Secrets”

Why pay the banks, more than you have to?

call me 604-273-2002

or at www.notapennydown.com

As usual, make it a great day and we’ll talk to you soon.

Mark Fidgett, Your Vancouver Mortgage Broker For Life

www.notapennydown.com

604-273-2002

P.S. Who’s the next person you know who needs Help with their Stuff?
Be sure to give me a call so we can help them get on that path!

I recently read a survey that said most renters would prefer to own a home.  Makes sense, yes?  But did you know that most of them are stopped dead in their tracks because they think that they need a 10- to 20-percent cash down payment?  That makes sense, too, because you and I both know that in today’s challenging credit environment, coming up with a lump sum of cash even for the most modest of homes can be next-to-impossible for many renters.

But it’s important that you and they both know that there are options for renters with good credit and a good income. And to help those folks on the path to homeownership I put together a free report, How to Buy a House with No Money Down. If you know a friend, family member of coworker who is currently renting and wants to say, “Take a hike, landlord!” then take out your cell phone, look up my number, and call me immediately.  You can pass along my free report to them so they can start enjoying the short- and long-term pleasures and benefits of owning a home.

Mark Fidgett, Your Vancouver Mortgage Broker For Life

Apply today at www.notapennydown.com

604-273-2002

P.S.  Who’s the next person you know who’s ready to tell their landlord to take a hike? Be sure to give me a call so we can help them get on the path to owning their own home!

Here are some tips to create a captivating kitchen:

You can cut down on visual clutter by removing items you normally store on the counter.  This will help your kitchen look more spacious.

Your eat-in kitchen should have a table and chairs in it.  Buyers like to see an eat-in kitchen, but often don’t have the vision to see it as such without the furniture.

Remove window screens in the kitchen.  Screens take away from allowing natural light inside.  Plus, no one will notice they are missing.

It’s a good idea to keep some toll-house cookie dough on hand, and bake up a few cookies just before a showing…but don’t overdo it.

Keep the exotic spices and fish to a minimum when cooking the night before a showing.  Work towards achieving a “clean” smell.

Thoroughly clean all your appliances and cupboards, including the inside of your oven and microwave.

Set the dinner table with your best china to stimulate your buyers’ imagination of the dinner parties they’ll host.

Many buyers will look inside your cabinets, so make sure the inside is organized and clean.  Also store non-essential items elsewhere to make the cabinets look more spacious.

Clean as much as possible off the countertops.  Items such as the coffeemaker, toasters, can openers, salt and pepper shakers, recipe boxes, and dish draining rack can be put away.

Make sure that your counter is spotless and shiny.

If you keep fruit or flowers on your counter, be sure they are always fresh.

If your cabinets show wear and tear, you might want to paint them.  A simple trick to update the look of your cabinet doors is to replace your current knobs with new ones.  It’s much cheaper than getting a new kitchen, and it sure can make a difference.

Shine your faucets and knobs and use spot remover to prevent water spots.

Remove notes, pictures, and coupons from the refrigerator door.

Empty your trash cans.  Garbage and recycling bins must be out of sight.

You may want to make your home more attractive by having us approve a rate hold on the home you’re selling.

That way if rates rise, your buyer gets a lower rate!

Mark Fidgett
Vancouver Mortgage Broker
Owner www.NotaPennyDown.com
604-273-2002

In the meantime, Flaherty’s cutting elsewhere.

It’s expected tomorrow that Jimbo will be cutting loan-to-value ratios on refinances from 90% to 85%

An amortization reduction is also rumoured to be in the cards, going from 35 to 30 years.

Pressure is definitely building towards a rate hike. A few days ago, the C.D. Howe monetary policy council — a panel of hand-picked economists from the private sector and academia — told the governor the time has already come and he should hike the trendsetting rate 25 basis points to 1.25 per cent on Tuesday.

“I don’t think it’s a close call for Carney at all (Tuesday),” said Porter. “The market has factored in a one per cent chance of a rate hike.”

Flaherty continues to hint he wants the banks to rein in home-equity loans and suggests he is prepared to do it if lenders won’t.

Looks like he’s not waiting. This change is also rumoured to be coming down the pike tomorrow by way of no insurance being offered on Heloc’s.

What do you think? Please Leave your comment below.

Mark Fidgett
Vancouver Mortgage Broker
Owner www.NotaPennyDown.com
604-273-2002

In·di·an Giv·er n. (ca. 1848):  A Federal Government which gives something to another and then takes it back.

Wow, that sounds familiar, huh.

I guess All the HUGE FINANCIAL brain power that went in to extending amortizations to 40 years, was for not.

Latest word on the street has the Feds once again monkeying around with amortizations and Down Payments.

Lowering the maximum length of amortizations for a mortgage, down to 30 years from 35.

Not to mention the latest condo conundrum: rules now being discussed would add 100% of condominium fees to the list of expenses that are measured against income to decide whether a buyer can afford a mortgage or not.

Presently, only 50% of the fee is considered.

Can you say Condo Discrimination…

Then there’s the talk about upping the downpayment from 5%…

These moves have the potential to squeeze thousands of consumers out of the market.

Maybe ONE day the powers that be will wake up and speak to someone who actually knows the business and is in the business of providing mortgages.

Until then, I guess it’s simply “Shoot first, ask questions later”

Mark Fidgett
Vancouver Mortgage Broker
Owner www.NotaPennyDown.com
604-273-2002

In fact, it may even establish rapport with the seller.

Is it wrong to establish rapport, knowing full well the price is too high?

I read a book a couple of years ago on Psychology.

Based on the story below, as it might relate to winning a listing presentation, would you consider the realtor who engages in this type of listing tactic to be smart and trustworthy?

Believe it or not, this is a principle of psychology, whereby we are convinced by a false sense of trustworthiness. (Influence)

• “About two years ago, I was trying to sell my old car because I’d bought a new one. One day I passed a used-car lot with a sign reading, WE WILL SELL YOUR CAR FOR MORE. Just what I wanted, so I thought; so I stopped in to talk with the owner. I told him I wanted to get about $3,000 for my old car, and the owner said he thought I should be asking for a lot more because it was worth at least $3,500. This came as a real surprise to me, because the way their consignment system worked, the larger my asking price for the car, the less money was left over for the dealership to keep after they sold it to somebody. Therefore, by telling me to ask for more than $3,000, he was cutting off his own profits. He was seeming to argue against his own interests so I’d see him as a trustworthy authority; but I didn’t realize this until much later. Anyway, I went along with the owner’s idea that my car was worth more than I’d first thought or than other dealers had initially told me, and set my asking price at $3,500. After they’d had my car on their lot for a couple of days, they called saying that someone was really interested in it, but that the price was a little too high. Would I be willing to drop my price by $200 to sell the car? Convinced that they had my interests at heart, I agreed. The next day they called back to say that the buyer’s financing had fallen through and that he couldn’t buy the car. In the next two weeks, I got two more calls from the dealership, each asking me to drop my price two hundred dollars to seal a sale to some customer. BOTH times I Ok’d it because I STILL believed they were trustworthy. But each time, the alleged deal fell through. I was suspicious enough to call a friend whose family was in the car business. He said this was an old trick designed to get sellers like me to reduce their asking price to super low levels, once they had the car (listing) on the lot.

I’ve seen this type of influence used many times as it relates to winning a listing presentation, but I’m not sure how many vendors actually caught on.

Is it wrong?

Please leave me your comments below.

I’d love to get your feedback…

Intrigued, the little girl and mom decided to call the grandmother and pose the question about cutting off the ends of the holiday ham. Grandmother admitted that she didn’t know the exact reason, either. She replied, “I’ve just always prepared the ham the way my mom did it.”

So their next call was to the great-grandmother. When they asked her about her method of preparing the holiday ham, she laughed for a solid minute. Then she solved the mystery by saying, “I was forced to cut the ends off the ham because it was the only way I could get it to fit the small pot I had!”

Each time I hear this story of the holiday ham, I can’t help but think of the parallels that exist in business where the “cutting off both ends of the ham” is represented in the pressure to actively cold call, prospect door-to-door, and run the traditional ads that were effective for businesses back in 1970.

I think we can all agree that the landscape of business has changed. Things look much different today than two or three years ago – much less two or three decades ago. It’s unfortunate that much of the information we receive in the area of marketing and growing a business is based on what’s “traditionally” been done rather than on what’s generating Real Results in today’s new world.

Experience has shown that gimmicky taglines and glossy two-page spreads in the local real estate magazine are not enough to grow a thriving business.

The days of surviving as a “C” player in an “A” market have changed.

To succeed in today’s New World you’ve got to learn how to become an “A” player in a “C” market.

The power of communicating to the masses as a stranger has been replaced by the importance of effectively communicating to a smaller group as a friend.

It’s no longer about the ad – it’s all about the relationship.

This requires you to become more skilled in acquiring new prospects, converting more leads to contracts, generating more referrals, and staying more connected with your sphere.

The good news is that you’re not on this journey alone.

I can help, and of course, I’ll be extra careful to make sure you don’t  “cut off both ends of the ham” along the way.

Join me as I grow my business in 2011.

Mark Fidgett | 604-273-2002

“Your Personal Mortgage Consultant….For Life!”

PS – Please Don’t Keep Me a Secret

A REFERRAL is when you INTRODUCE someone you care about to someone you TRUST!

T 604.273.2002 | F 604.522.2072

W http://www.notapennydown.com

An independent Mortgage Specialist associated with the Verico Mortgage Network.



Mark Fidgett | 604-273-2002

“Your Personal Mortgage Consultant….For Life!”

PS – Please Don’t Keep Me a Secret

A REFERRAL is when you INTRODUCE someone you care about to someone you TRUST!

T 604.273.2002 | F 604.522.2072

W http://www.notapennydown.com

An independent Mortgage Specialist associated with the Verico Mortgage Network.

A powerful iPhone mortgage calculator that allows users to calculate mortgage payments with precise accuracy.  Specifically geared towards ease of use. Automatically shows rates, calculates payments, determines income needed and also mortgage capacity with only a few clicks of a button.

Video also shows how to simply add this or any URL to your iPhone Home Screen.

Mark Fidgett | 604-273-2002

“Your Personal Mortgage Consultant….For Life!”

PS – Please Don’t Keep Me a Secret

A REFERRAL is when you INTRODUCE someone you care about to someone you TRUST!

T 604.273.2002 | F 604.522.2072

W http://www.notapennydown.com

An independent Mortgage Specialist associated with the Verico Mortgage Network.