A mortgage loan pre-qualification is the process of being pre-approved for a home mortgage loan BEFORE you make an offer to purchase.

Here are three good reasons why you should pre-qualify BEFORE you start looking:

1.  Getting pre-qualified lets you know what your top price is.  You won’t waste your time looking outside of your range.

2. You won’t go through the terrible disappointment of being rejected on a mortgage application … or having your “dream home”  pulled out from under you.

3. If the property you are looking at is hot … you don’t have to put a mortgage qualification “subject-to” in your offer. This could make the difference between getting the property … or not!   Pre-qualification strengthens your bargaining position.

4.   Pre-qualification shows you are a serious shopper. Both your agent and the sellers will take you more seriously.  By knowing what your financial limitations are, your agent can spend more time looking for homes that “fit” instead of wasting time time showing you homes you will never qualify for.

5. You’ll save time running around after you have put in an offer.

The bottom line?  Pre-qualification makes the whole process of shopping for a new home easier!

Pre-qualifying is easy … just give us a call at 604-736-1855.  We know the mortgage business inside and out!  Our mission is to get you the BEST mortgage possible.

I’ve tried not to get too caught up in the hoopla … but you know, THIS makes be proud to be a Canadian!

If you live in, or are visiting Vancouver it is hard to escape the “Games Fever.”   There is activity where ever you go and excitement in the air!

Here are a few fun and curious things we found while enjoying the craziness.

You too might wonder WHY Ontario is giving away Vancouver Tap Water!   Hmmmmm.

Do you think this artist is making a comment on the Vancouver Housing Market?

Personally, these mailboxes are a BIG improvement over the old ones.  Hope they keep them after the Olympics.

Justin and I are thrilled to announce that we have been selected as CMP Canadian Mortgage Awards finalists in TWO categories:

Best Customer Service from an Individual Office
Award of excellence for outstanding customer service by a mortgage brokerage office. Customer service is an incredibly important measure of any brokerage’s long-term success. The finalists from this selection process will be invited to provide further details on the extra mile they go to give customers the perfect 10 of service.

Best Internet Presence
Award of excellence for the best Internet presence. The Internet is important medium for communication, and this category recognizes brokers who have harnessed this medium to provide consumers with practical, effective and easily accessible facilities to help streamline the mortgage process. As a change this year, the winner of this category will be picked through a combination of a reader poll and judge deliberation.

The Awards Ceremonies are held in Toronto on April 23, 2010.  It is an honour just to be selected as a finalist … but we have our fingers crossed for two wins!

Thanks to all of YOU (friends, customers, associates) for supporting us over the years. We could not have been nominated without you!

Mike and Justin

Here are a few resources that will help you navigate the Olympics:

The road closures have already begun. If you have to drive be sure to check for closures and restrictions ahead of time. Many of the major downtown routes will have Olympic Vehicles only lanes. You might decide to walk or take public transport instead!

Visit travelsmart2010.ca for road closures and parking restriction maps.

Want to share a ride? Find ride matches at  ride-share.com.

Buses, Sky Train and Sea Bus maps and schedules

Did you know the Olympic Line is FREE?
The Olympic Line connects Granville Island to the Canada Line Olympic Village Station (Cambie Street and West 2nd Avenue) between January 21 and March 21, 2010.
For more information on the Olympic Line CLICK HERE

MAPS, MAPS AND MORE MAPS

From walking tours and routes, to a public art map and transportation routes for transport trucks, to a half dozen city maps of various kinds.  FIND THEM HERE

WHAT’S HAPPENING on and around the Olympics?

VANCOUVER2010.COM is the main website for the Olympics. You could spend hours on the site finding interesting stuff to do.

Information about the VENUES for both sporting and non-sporting events

CULTURAL FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

Not interested in sports, or want a good dose of culture too? There is so much to do you’ll want to hire a social secretary. For your dose of culture CLICK HERE

Let’s not forget about RICHMOND and   WHISTLER

This year Justin and I were once again recipients of The Mortgage Group’s Summit Award. The purpose of the Summit Awards is to acknowledge the top producing brokers in the company.

Part of the Summit Award was a trip to a Five Star resort in Mexico.

Here are Justin and myself with two other Summit Award winners, Monique Cornish and John Charbonneau.

Honest … we didn’t have THAT much to drink, but somehow they managed to get us to pose for the following.    Cast your vote for your favorite mortgage team costumes!

Surf and Turf Team Special

Team Arriba!!

We’re planning on even MORE fun next year!