Earth Hour Tonight at 8:30 pm

Again this year Canadians are encourage to turn off their lights tonight (Saturday) at 8:30 pm for 1 hour and join the rest of the world in the dark.

Since it began in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has grown to become what environmental group WWF organizers say is the world's largest demonstration of support for action on carbon pollution.
BC Hydro encourages their customers to join in this year. Last year stats have BC'ers saving equivalent of 7.8 million 15-watt compact fluorescent light bulbs for the hour. This amount adds up to powering 4000 homes if everyone in BC did this for 1 hour each night.

In Ontario, Hydro 1 will be turning off all non-essential electricity through out the province at their offices.

Even the NHL in Toronto and Vancouver will be dimming their lights while the hockey games play on.

Many events are taking part in Canada , as well as, around the world. Check your local newspapers and google for events near you.

WWF said the number of countries and territories participating has grown from 135 last year to 147 this year.


Angela Kroemer, AMP
Mortgage Professional
TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.
TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team
1.250.650.4182
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
www.KroemerMortgages.com
Your Mobile Mortgage Professional in The Comox Valley

Reverse mortgages an income lifeline for some seniors

Reverse mortgages an income lifeline for some seniors

A great article. For more information, give me a call.

Angela Kroemer, AMP
Mortgage Professional
TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.
TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team
1.250.650.4182
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
www.KroemerMortgages.com
Your Mobile Mortgage Professional in The Comox Valley

Canada’s Top 50 Rental Markets- Courtenay, BC Is One

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.’s latest survey of Canada’s rental markets yields some surprising finds and some long-term winners. Rental housing is a hot topic across Canada as house prices rise above what many people can afford, prompting first-time homebuyers to defer a purchase. Add in economic uncertainties, and both tenants and landlords want a property that makes the best use of their money.

For mortgage brokers this is great information . We know  there is enough interest in the rental market and we know that there are alot of people who rent, but with great guidance could afford to buy. Basically we have 3  main clients.
-  wants to buy for their own personal use
-  wants to invest in the housing market
-  wants to rent or does not know that they can buy

The community profiles look at trends in vacancies and monthly rents in each area; the charts and tables show how the communities stack up on a national scale.
A wealth of additional information for each province and what the statisticians term “Census Metropolitan Areas” is available online at www.cmhc.ca, but the following offers a glimpse of what lies ahead for 2012, based on what happened in 2011.

Alberta
Brooks
Calgary
Canmore
Edmonton
Grande Prairie
Lacombe
Lethbridge
Lloydminster
Okotoks
Red Deer
Wetaskiwin

British Columbia
Courtenay
Vancouver Island’s laid-back lifestyle helps support the rental market in Courtenay, which is moving from a resource-based economy to one driven by tourism and supported by the military base CFB Comox. A popular destination for retirees, approximately a fifth of the population is seniors. Vacancies in Courtenay have continued to tighten even as the rental stock as declined, and now average 3.5%. The market is stable, but the demand for new homes will continue to exert pressure on the existing purpose-built rental stock, primarily older buildings.
Fort St. John
Kitimat

Manitoba
Portage La Prairie
Thompson
Winnipeg 

 New Brunswick
Fredericton
Saint John

Newfoundland and Labrador
Grand Falls-Windsor
St. John's

Nova Scotia
Halifax

Ontario
Barrie
Belleville
Brantford
Cobourg
Greater Sudbury
Guelph
Kawartha Lakes
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo
Meaford
Norfolk
Oshawa
Petawawa
Peterborough
Stratford
Thunder Bay
Tillsonburg
Toronto

PEI
Charlottetown

Quebec
Baie Comeau
Saguenay
Québec City
Saint-Hyacinthe
Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
St-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Trois-Rivières

Saskatchewan
North Battleford
Regina
Saskatoon

snippets from an article written by Peter Mitham


 Angela Kroemer, AMP
Mortgage Professional
TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.
TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team

1.250.650.4182
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
www.KroemerMortgages.com
Your Mobile Mortgage Professional in The Comox Valley

St Patrick's Day in Canada

St Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador on the nearest Monday to March 17 each year.
This event commemorates the life of St Patrick, a missionary who worked in Ireland and is said to have died on March 17 in the fifth century. He played an important role in converting the inhabitants of Ireland to Christianity. Now, his feast day is an opportunity to celebrate Irish culture.

The most widely-seen St Patrick's Day symbols are the colors green, and sometimes orange, and the shamrock. The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and a registered trademark of the Republic of Ireland. It is the leaf of the clover plant, which grows on the ground, often among grass and an Irish Catholic symbol of the Holy Trinity. It is sometimes confused with the four-leaf clover, which is a variety of the three-leaf clover and is thought to bring good luck.

If you are looking for a home in the Comox Valley and are hoping for the Luck of the Irish to help you out today, you may want to go to  www.comoxvalleyopenhouses.com .

Good Luck on your search and call me for all your mortgage needs.



Angela Kroemer, AMP
Mortgage Professional
TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.
TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team

1.250.650.4182
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
www.KroemerMortgages.com
Your Mobile Mortgage Professional in The Comox Valley

Shucking Corn-- Clean Ears Everytime

I know, this has nothing to do about mortgages. But it is amazing all the same. How many ways have you tried to shuck corn and still got all those silk threads hanging on to your corn. In this video, the silk threads will be gone with no work involved. No running an elastic band up down the corn cob bruising the corn or what ever method you saw last. This method looks like it works.
I have not tried this method but Ken looks like a guy you can trust. Just look at him.
If you have tried this method, let me know how it works for you.
Here in BC it is March, so fresh corn won't be here for awhile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnBF6bv4Oe4&feature=share

right click and open in new tab.

Thanks Ken.


Angela Kroemer, AMP
Mortgage Professional
TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.
TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team
1.250.650.4182
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
kroemermortgages.com
Your Mobile Mortgage Professional in The Comox Valley

CMHC--Buying a House

http://www.cmhc.ca/en/co/co_007.cfm

A video on buying a house and what to expect going through the buying process. The video is very general, so if you have any questions give me a call.




Angela Kroemer, AMP
Mortgage Professional
TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.
TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team

1.250.650.4182
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
KroemerMortgages.com
Your Mobile Mortgage Professional in The Comox Valley

BMO- 2.99% Again

Thank you BMO for reposting that awesome rate again.

I don't have anything close to your advertising budget, so you posting that rate is helping me and my lack of advertising budget.
You see when you post that rate, it gets people talking and thinking about mortgages in general or their personal mortgage. When they start thinking, they start calling and wondering what this is all about. When they call me, I let them know there are better deals out there, sometimes not in rate but in flexibility and in the long run using my Lender could make the mortgage a less expensive option. Most people change their mortgage options within 3.5 years, so it is most important to have flexibility in your mortgage.

So lets break down the BMO offer

BMO 2.99% 5 year fixed
-amortization only 25 years-bigger mortgage payment
-prepayment only 10%-once a year you can raise your monthly payments up 10%, but they must stay raised for the whole year
-prepayment only 10%- only once a year you can pay off up to 10% of the orignal principal amount
-prepayment penalites will apply unless you stay with them
-you must qualify on the posted rate- which is higher and you may not qualify for the 2.99%
-rate is only held for a few weeks

Sounds like a great plan for your mortgage but in reality it is not very flexible and may cost you more in the long run if things happen in your life that you have no control over.(job loss, sickness) Example-- you have raised your mortgage payments up 10% for the year, which may be fine now, but if something happened and money is tight you are stuck with the bigger payment for the rest of the year. With the lender below, you can double up you payments any month and for just that month, giving you the flexibility of having a low mortgage payment with the option of doubling the payment at any time for as long as you like.

What my Lenders offer

Lender- 2.99% 4 year fixed or 3.19% on 5 year fixed or 3.99% on 7 or 10 year fixed

-amortization 30 year
-prepayment 15% on orignal principal on any date in $100.00 increments
-double up monthly payments on any date without penalty as many times as you like
-mortgage transferable to your next property
-you qualify on the sale rate.
-rate is held for months

This product is better than the BMO's product because of the flexibility it allows.

So BMO please keep this advertising campaign up, it only saves me money on my advertising expenses and brings more clients to me. Thanks




Angela Kroemer, AMP
Mortgage Professional
TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.
TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team

1.250.650.4182
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
comoxvalleymortgagestoday.com
Your Mobile Mortgage Professional in The Comox Valley

B.C. First Time New Home Buyers Bonus

NEW PROGRAM
as per government website


An eligible new home includes new homes (i.e., newly constructed and substantially renovated homes) that are purchased from a builder and that are owner-built. The bonus will be available in respect of new homes purchased from a builder where:

- A written agreement of purchase and sale is entered into on or after February 21, 2012;

- HST is payable on the home (e.g., HST will generally be payable if ownership or possession of the home transfers before April 1, 2013 - see further details below);
- and no one else has claimed a bonus in respect of the home.

The bonus will be available in respect of owner-built homes where:
- A written agreement of purchase and sale in respect of the land and building is entered into on or after February 21, 2012;
- Construction of the home is complete, or the home is occupied, before April 1, 2013; and
- No one else has claimed a bonus in respect of the home.

A substantially renovated home is one where all or substantially all of the interior of a building has been removed or replaced. Generally, 90% or more of the interior of the house must be renovated to qualify as a substantially renovated home (90% test).

Amount of the Bonus

MAXIMUM AMOUNT

The bonus is equal to 5% of the purchase price of the home (or in the case of owner-built homes, 5% of the land and construction costs subject to HST) to a maximum of $10,000.

PHASE-OUT FOR HIGHER INCOME EARNERS

The bonus will be reduced based on an individual's/couple's net income (line 236 of your income tax return) using the following formula:
- For single individuals, the bonus is reduced by 20 cents for every dollar in net income over $150,000 (bonus is reduced to zero at $200,000 net income).
- For couples, the bonus is reduced by 10 cents for every dollar in family net income over $150,000 (bonus is reduced to zero at $250,000 family net income).

Additional Information

APPLICATION PROCESS

Individuals must apply for the bonus through the B.C. government. Individuals can apply once application forms have been posted on the B.C. Ministry of Finance website later this year. Applicants will be required to submit documentation demonstrating eligibility for the bonus.

ELIGIBLE NEW HOME

The bonus is available in respect of new homes (i.e., newly constructed and substantially renovated homes) where HST is payable. HST will generally be payable on homes purchased from a builder where ownership or possession transfer before April 1, 2013. Potential buyers should consult with the builder to determine if the home will be subject to the HST.

For owner-built homes, the bonus will be based on land and construction costs subject to the HST. Eligible new homes will include:
- Detached Houses, semi-detached houses, duplexes and townhouses,
- Residential condominium units,
- Mobile homes and floating homes, and
- Residential units in a cooperative housing corporation.



For More Information
INCOME TAXATION BRANCH

Ministry of Finance
Province of British Columbia
Telephone: (250) 387-3332 or 1 (877) 387-3332
Email: ITBTaxQuestions@gov.bc.ca


< Angela Kroemer, AMP Mortgage Professional TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc. TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team 1.250.650.4182 akroemer@mortgagegroup.com comoxvalleymortgagestoday.com Your Mobile Mortgage Professional in The Comox Valley>

Transfer or Switch Your Mortgage- Legal Fees Paid For You

Transfer or Switch Your Mortgage- Legal Fees Paid For You. Wow this is exciting news. Now what is the catch? There is no catch. Read below for more information on this great deal.

Switch/Transfer Program

This switch/transfer program allows you to transfer your mortgage from another lender quickly and efficiently.


Terms Available:
3,4,5 year fixed and 3 and 5 year VRM

Approved Financial Institutions (to transfer in)
Maple Trust, Firstline, TD, BMO, RBC, First National, MCAP, Scotiabank, HSBC, ING, Laurentian Bank, CIBC, National Bank and PC Financial

High Ratio and Conventional loans are acceptable

Owner Occupied Properties are only eligible

There are no legal fees for you under this program, we take care of the legal fees!

What documents are needed from client?
1. Documents such as income,T4, etc

2. Fire Insurance Policy

3. Mortgage Statement

Call me for more information on this program.


Angela Kroemer, AMP
Mortgage Professional
TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.
TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team

1.250.650.4182
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
comoxvalleymortgagestoday.com
Your Mobile Mortgage Professional in The Comox Valley