Refinancing Plus Improvements

We recently told you how refinancing your mortgage can help you find the money needed to make home upgrades, implement new energy saving products or redesign completely. Yet still, you may have been led to believe that you cannot refinance because you purchased at a time that gave you fewer options to gain equity.

When it comes to refinancing it is true that very few clients have the equity in their home to allow for a home renovation budget or sale. Luckily, with our Refinance Plus Improvements service now is the time to go for it!

What is Equity

When we talk about having equity in your home we’re referring to the difference in what you owe on your mortgage to date compared to the current market value of your home. Some people purchased their homes when the market was low and, as such, their home values have increased substantially even if they haven’t been making payments for very long. These are the lucky few who may already have equity. For most of us, especially those who bought in the last couple years, this option is next to impossible. Refinancing Plus Improvements allows you to gain equity to make upgrades you didn’t think were possible.

Who Should Seek Refinancing Plus Improvements

Does it seem like everyone around you is either buying, selling or updating their homes while you sulk about your outdated kitchen? If you fall into any of the categories below YOU too quality for our Refinancing Plus Improvements service:

• Purchasing a new home
• Upgrading current home features and appliances
• Renovating
• Selling your home

How it Works

A traditional refinance allows you to access up to 80% of the current market value of your home.  Refinancing Plus Improvements allows you to access up to 80% of the total value of current market value PLUS estimated improvements.  (See chart below.)  Improvement value automatically increases the market value of your home.  In other words, even if you have already refinanced you will still benefit from adding improvements as you can refinance for the total improvement amount.

Current Market Value of Home	Traditional Refinancing	Available Equity
$400,000	80%	$320,000.00
Current Market Value of Home	Improvement Quote	Available Equity
$400,000	$40,000	$352,000.00

Get Started

First things first, determine what improvements you want to make. For inspiration, read more on Refinancing for Home Improvements here. Next, obtain quotes on the upgrades or purchases you wish to make.  We will then use this quote in re-evaluating your house to determine the amount of equity you can access. What’s even better is that this option actually gives you access to more equity than a regular Refinancing service would!

Not only will you have the equity to make your upgrades, but in doing so, you really will increase your home’s value. What are you waiting for?  Book your appointment with us and watch your Pinterest Dream Board transform into your reality!

Home Renovations ARE in your Budget

There are many reasons for home renovations, all of which can either make or save you money in the long-run.  With our refinancing options you can increase your home's resale value and decrease ongoing expenses. There are no excuses to keep putting your renovation dreams on hold.

How it Works

Refinancing will allow you to pull out equity which can be used for a variety of purposes, such as consolidating debt, paying college expenses, taking that vacation and improving your home. We love the latter because it will provide lasting comfort and increase your property value. It's a win-win!

Benefits to Refinancing for Home Improvement

1)      Receive a better discount on your mortgage
2)      Increase you living space
3)      Make much needed repairs
4)      Invest in energy efficient upgrade
5)      Lower your monthly operating costs
6)      Reduce your carbon footprint
7)      Increase your comfort – you work hard for your home, you should enjoy it!
8)      Find a practical and cost-efficient solution rather than moving

Careful Planning

Your home should be a reflection of who you are and what makes you happy. Don’t rush into a renovation without a good plan which considers both your lifestyle and priorities. Be sure to consider your current and future needs so that the upgrades will take you further. After coming up with your wish list we recommend speaking with a Designer who can help you to set realistic goals for your budget.  You will also want someone who is honest about any foreseeable obstacles which could cost you thousands of dollars in repairs for what could have been avoided with proper planning.

Inspiration

Pinterest is a great help you find your design style – just make sure the links are directed to professional design pages – and selecting colour palettes.  For some inspiration check out Vancouver based Designer Jamie Banfield.

Determining a Budget

Speaking of budgets, yours will depend on the refinancing options available to you.  Contact Carie and Tammy to discuss your options and turn your “someday” list into your summer project!


With our refinancing options there is excuse to not have the home you love.

The Spirit Of Giving

The spirit of giving can be felt everywhere this time of year. This year especially as we all have watched the global struggles of others increase, we are feeling thankful for all that we have here in Canada. Watching as the refugees de-plane at various Canadian airports with the outpouring of support in true Canadian fashion, has made us even that more appreciative.





As a part of this community Harmony Mortgage Group and our friend Ken Oldale from A Buyer's Choice Home Inspections feel strongly that we lead by example and pitch in where we can.
One of the charities that we make a point of supporting every year is The Salvation Army.  With the Statement "Everyone is worthy of compassion and respect" as The Salvation Army's Mantra  you can understand how this organization has become a true extension of the community.





Locally they work with those that are unable to support themselves or are just down on their luck, like single mother Raeann that opened her door to the Salvation Army on Christmas Eve to find “A Little Miracle” at her door on what would have otherwise have been a spiritless Christmas for her and her 4 year old daughter.   Globally The Salvation Army supports refugees over seas.  The Salvation Army across Europe is supporting refugees with accommodation, food, water, clothing, shoes and hygiene supplies. Further to that The Salvation Army is a strong community support for those Refugees lucky enough to find themselves here in Canada.
This year the team at Harmony Mortgage Group were so touched by the out pouring of donations at our Annual Realtor’s Christmas Appreciation Event  that we held at the Coast Hotel.  We hold this even annually and every year it gets better and better.  This year especially notable with the outpouring of support and donations.






Our food bank donation table was jam packed with little to no room left as we started to put donations under the table to make room for more.  With cash donations totaling over $600 which is particularly exciting as The Harmony Mortgage Group and A Buyers Choice will match those donations and The Salvation Army is able to increase those dollars again as their buying power is double what ours is.
We want to thank all of you who took time out of their day to swing by in a very busy time of year.  The event is also important to us as it gives us an opportunity to touch base with those we work with all year long and show our appreciation for each and every one of them.  It is always so good have that opportunity to say it in person making it that much more special.

Check out our guest list:

inners of the Gift Baskets:

Gloria Santa Cruz & Angela Thraves – Congratulations you two!

We Have A Winner

Thank you to the Coast Hotel for all that you do for us each year at this annual event for us.

The Spirit Of Giving

14

December

• Date: December 14, 2015
• Author: carie
• Tags: Harmony Mortgage Group, Spirit of Christmas, A Buyer's Choice, Giving back, Charity, The Salvation Army, Realtors, Appreciation
• 0 Comments

The spirit of giving can be felt everywhere this time of year. This year especially as we all have watched the global struggles of others increase, we are feeling thankful for all that we have here in Canada. Watching as the refugees de-plane at various Canadian airports with the outpouring of support in true Canadian fashion, has made us even that more appreciative.

As a part of this community Harmony Mortgage Group and our friend Ken Oldale from A Buyer’s Choice Home Inspections feel strongly that we lead by example and pitch in where we can.
One of the charities that we make a point of supporting every year is The Salvation Army.  With the Statement “Everyone is worthy of compassion and respect” as The Salvation Army’s Mantra  you can understand how this organization has become a true extension of the community.

Locally they work with those that are unable to support themselves or are just down on their luck, like single mother Raeann that opened her door to the Salvation Army on Christmas Eve to find “A Little Miracle” at her door on what would have otherwise have been a spiritless Christmas for her and her 4 year old daughter.   Globally The Salvation Army supports refugees over seas.  The Salvation Army across Europe is supporting refugees with accommodation, food, water, clothing, shoes and hygiene supplies. Further to that The Salvation Army is a strong community support for those Refugees lucky enough to find themselves here in Canada.
This year the team at Harmony Mortgage Group were so touched by the out pouring of donations at our Annual Realtor’s Christmas Appreciation Event  that we held at the Coast Hotel.  We hold this even annually and every year it gets better and better.  This year especially notable with the outpouring of support and donations.


Our food bank donation table was jam packed with little to no room left as we started to put donations under the table to make room for more.  With cash donations totaling over $600 which is particularly exciting as The Harmony Mortgage Group and A Buyers Choice will match those donations and The Salvation Army is able to increase those dollars again as their buying power is double what ours is.
We want to thank all of you who took time out of their day to swing by in a very busy time of year.  The event is also important to us as it gives us an opportunity to touch base with those we work with all year long and show our appreciation for each and every one of them.  It is always so good have that opportunity to say it in person making it that much more special.
Check out our guest list:

She really is everywhere!

Blonde Ambition

Cynthia & Betty enjoying

Diane, Mark & Laina.

Cheeky!

Behave!

A great place to catch up

The Harmony Team

Tammy & Brett

Geeling Like Christmas

Carrie’s Amazing Shoes!

The Rockettes?

A couple of Handsome Cats!

Winners of the Gift Baskets:
Gloria Santa Cruz & Angela Thraves – Congratulations you two!

We Have A Winner

Thank you to the Coast Hotel for all that you do for us each year at this annual event for us.

If you missed it and feel compelled to donate you can do that here.
Merry Christmas everyone, thank you for coming out and supporting and helping us to make a difference.  Happy New Year!

Sincerely
Carie, Tammy & Ken.
Harmony Mortgage Group
A Buyers Choice

More Than Just A Referral

Referrals are an integral part of any Mortgage Broker’s business.

An important part of the service we offer our clients as they come in to set the wheels in motion to solidify a mortgage is the ability to refer them in good faith to one of our referral partners.  Whether it be a financial advisor, local area real estate professional, qualified home inspector, financial planner or appraisers, we expect a high standard of care for our clients and our referral network partners know and understand this.

All of these professionals play in to the purchase of a home and being able to offer our clients referrals based on strong valuable relationships is very important to us and what we do.  A referral reflects on who we are; so who we choose to  work with and ultimately refer our clients to is very important to us.  We take time to really get to know who we are networking with and to make sure that our clients will receive the utmost care as we forward them on.  If our Network partners don’t have the same dedication to service and quality of care that we do, we can not be assured of the care our clients will receive.  So building strong relationships with our referral network is a very important aspect to our business.

By taking the time to do this we can be confident that our referral partner knows and understand what and how we expect our client to be handled.  Our referring partners know that when they receive a referral from Harmony Mortgage Group that it is because they have met our referral standards and we have built a relationship based on those qualities.  Which in turn means our clients are treated like GOLD and prioritized as Harmony Mortgage Group Clients.

Often other networking type businesses will offer kick backs or other incentives to the referring business in order to gain their business.  At Harmony we don’t engage in any of that with our referral partners. The partners we refer to work with us because we mutually have the best interest of the client in mind and are working towards the end goal of providing amazing customer service and assisting our clients in a seamless transaction. 


Over the next couple of weeks we are going to introduce you to a few of our networking partners so that you can better understand who they are, what they do and why we have chosen to work with them.  Showcasing their services but also their commitment to their professions and how our referral relationship has evolved to make sure our clients are top priority and taken care of in a way that meets Harmony Mortgages Standards.

Watch for our next blog as we walk you through one of the most of important transactions you will ever make and showcase  our referral partners and their part and process of the transaction. 

Harmony Mortgage Group. 

Tammy O’Callaghan 

Harmony Mortgage Group Partner

Carie Pool 

Harmony Mortgage Group Partner