If you bought your home a few years ago and have been diligently paying off your mortgage, chances are high that you have built quite a bit of equity. The equity is the difference between what the home is worth and what you owe - and the more the value grows and the more you pay off, the more that equity grows. The great [...]
I came across a quote the other day that I just love. It's from American speaker and author, James W. Frick, “Don't tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I'll tell you what they are.” So many of us are a little delusional, saying that we're saving for this or working towards that, yet we're still eating [...]
My parents owned a corner store and I learned from them that we had to offer excellent friendly service and be price competitive otherwise people would buy from somewhere else. (Good lesson) I also learnt that when you needed money you could take it from the till. (Not so good lesson) For them it wasn't a problem - it was their business, they knew [...]
One of the things you need before you buy a home is a clear financial plan. This is needed for a couple of reasons: to demonstrate to the lender that you’re a “good risk” - that you can manage your money and chances are high that you’ll pay off the loan as per the agreement that you sign. to demonstrate to yourself that you [...]
When you’re saving money, you need a goal and a plan. In my experience, it’s pretty hard to save for “nothing” but totally different when you’re saving for “something”, whatever that something is. And if you’ve got nothing to save for right now, I suggest that you make up something great because, again, in my experience, it’s pretty easy to fritter away your money [...]
One of the really important things that I always stress to my clients is that living to a spending plan sets you up for success in life. Knowing what you’re spending your money on is not just being responsible, it’s being respectful of the fact that you’ve worked hard to earn that money. Tracking where your money is going, knowing what it costs you [...]
Whether it’s your first mortgage or your tenth, you need to understand what you’re getting yourself into because: a. it’s probably the highest value contract we’ll ever have besides the contract to actually purchase the property b. it’s probably the contract with the longest time period that you’ll ever sign (other than your marriage certificate) So what do you need to know? Firstly [...]
Welcome to September, which also means the change of seasons with the arrival of spring, which also means that the real estate market is heating up. And this is what we've been waiting for! Sales listings have increased and the number of interested buyers is also increasing. So now we just need to see the impact. To check what's happening in your local market, [...]
Awards are funny things, aren’t they. They’re nice to win and they give you good boost of confidence. They’re good for your clients and potential clients to see that you’ve been recognised as doing well in your profession. They’re good to add to your email signature as a sign of credibility. Generally, they’re a sign that you can be trusted. But then you’re [...]
I’ve been reading a lot of inspirational stories, blogs and posts over the past couple of weeks and came across a quote that really resonates with me, “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.” The quote is by John Maxwell, a well known author on books primarily on leadership. I think the reason that this really [...]
