The Law Is the Law

THE LAW IS THE LAW!   

I really love this one. This is one of the better e-mails I have received in a long time !
  
I hope this makes its way around  Canada   several times over!  

So Be It! 

THE LAW IS THE LAW

So if the Canadian   government determines that it is against the law for the words 'under God'   to be on our money, then,   so be it.   

And if that same government decides that the 'Ten Commandments' are not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.   

I say, 'so be it,' because I would like to be alaw-abiding   Canadian   citizen.   

I say, 'so be it,'   because I would like to think that smarter people than I are in positions to make good decisions. 
  
  I would like to think that those people have the Canadian public's best interests at heart. 


BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'D LIKE?   

Since we can't pray to God,
Can't Trust in God and
Cannot post His Commandments in Government buildings, 


I don't believe that the Government and its employees should participate in the Easter and Christmas  celebrations which honor the God that
Our government is eliminating from many facets of Canadian life.   

I'd like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving, and Easter.   


After all, it's just another day. 


I'd like the 'Canadian Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving, and Easter, as well as Sundays.'
After all, it's just another day. 

I'd like the Senate and the House of Commons
To not have to worry about getting home for the'Christmas Break'. 
After all, it's just another day. 


I'm thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved,
If all government offices & services would work on Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. 
  
It shouldn't cost any overtime since those would be just like any other day of the week to a government that is trying to be
  
'politically correct'. 

In fact.... 

I think that our government should work on Sundays 
(initially set aside for worshipping God...) 
Because, after all, our government says that it should be 
Just another day. 

What do you all think???? 

If this idea gets to enough people, may be our elected officials
will

stop giving in to the 'minority opinions' and begin, once again, to represent the 'MAJORITY' of ALL the Canadian people.

Listing Status Report Jan 1 - Oct 31, 2011

LISTING STATUS REPORT
1-Jan-2011 TO 30-Oct-2011

	RESIDENTIAL	COMMERCIAL	MULTIFAMILY	FARM	TOTALS
ACTIVE	1285	193	29	25	1532
SOLD	2390	93	50	44	2577
CONDITIONAL	45	6	0	0	51
EXPIRED	1546	236	26	43	1851
CANCELLED	716	41	9	21	787
WITHDRAWN	111	6	1	2	120
TOTALS	6093	575	115	135	6918

LISTING STATUS REPORT
1-Oct-2011 TO 30-Oct-2011

	RESIDENTIAL	COMMERCIAL	MULTIFAMILY	FARM	TOTALS
ACTIVE	292	35	12	6	345
SOLD	207	6	8	4	225
CONDITIONAL	29	6	0	0	35
EXPIRED	276	35	3	3	317
CANCELLED	89	5	5	1	100
WITHDRAWN	9	2	0	0	11
TOTALS	902	89	28	14	1033

Market to remain Steady says Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s third quarter housing report

New home construction is anticipated to see very modest growth in 2012 with an estimated 183,900 housing starts verses the 183,200 estimated by year end for 2011.  Resale of existing properties is set to follow the same pattern with an estimated total of 458,000 transactions over the 2011 number at 446,700.

What does this mean for the Mortgage Brokerage Industry in Canada? 

With the relatively flat projection it means that we will still see a strong real estate market.  With very moderate growth projected, 2012 is a year where the brokerage community will need to enhance their client communication and marketing strategy.  The ability of the mortgage broker to have strong relationships with the consumer based on providing sound expertise gives us an edge when looking for growth opportunities.  Consumers are more and more seeking options when pushing forward with the largest financial transaction of their lives.  With the banks continuing to push for a market share grab, and the overshadowing uncertainty of the world’s economic climate, the broker channel is uniquely positioned to give comfort with a focus on what is best for the consumer verses selling one product line that is aggressively cross sold.

Consumers in Canada continue to experience credit strain as indicated by a recent Royal Bank report where 38% of Canadians now indicate that they are not as comfortable with their level of consumer debt as they were 12 months ago.  This combined with an ever more aggressive program of pushing unsecured lending by the banks, means that the trend for continued expansion of personal debt will rise.  Place the burden of additional mortgage lending restrictions into the mix and the need for sound advice grows stronger.  Consumer Proposals are continuing to see a dramatic increase as people seek out solutions to their debt woes especially as the banks and other lenders do not offer solutions that focus on long term solutions.

All indicators tell us that keeping in touch with clients with relevant and timely information is the foundation to creating a strong and diverse portfolio of clients.  Being able to offer clients sound advice, and additional options on credit and debt management will become ever more important as we move into the New Year.

Giving Thanks to Low Mortgage Rates

At this time last year, sitting around the feast laden table, many economic forecasts indicated that mortgage rates would be on the rise in 2011. Here we are on the fleeting end of the year and rates for the most part have remained at a historical 30 year low.

Although prime rate remains unchanged, a noticeable trend over the second half of the year seems to be the pricing by the mortgage facilitators or lackthereof on any variable rate products offered. This said most lenders are offering prime minus -0.30% to -0.60% of which still remains a ridiculously great rate, should one be tempted to the fate of the variable option, stay tuned for our discussion on fixed versus variable mortgages.

So should you need to search the corners of your mind to find something to be thankful for, here it is - Prime rate has been below 10% since May 1991, and one has to wonder whether or not we will ever see double digit rates lending again.

With increased purchase power, affordability is relatively attainable in the majority of Canadian cities. As more Generation X and Y’s move into homeownership and Boomers are buying the vacation or pre-retirement homes, now is the time to make the leap of faith. Equity and prices have leveled off in almost every major city with of course the notable exception of Vancouver.

Here are some fun facts for you, while we are talking about increased purchase power:

• 1981 Prime Rate 22.75% based on mortgage of $300,000 and an amortization of 25 years, the monthly payment would be $5460.28

• 2011 Prime Rate 3.00% based on mortgage of $300,000 and an amortization of 25 years, the monthly payment would be $1419.74

What does this mean to you? With the likelihood that mortgage rates will rise in 2012 now is the time to look into early renewal options, refinancing or making that purchase you have been holding off on.

Constantine Isslamow
T. 705.743.6235
CENTUM Core Financial Inc.

Licence #: 10642

constantine_isslamow@centum.ca

Good to know, especially since rumour has that Canada Post Customer service is headed to India before the New Year

A lot of us do not realize this option is open to us.

Any time you call an 800 number (for a credit card, banking, charter communications,
health and other insurance, computer help desk, etc. ) and you find that you're talking
to a foreign customer service representative (with an accent, difficult to understand
perhaps in India, Philippines, etc), Please consider doing the following:

After you connect and you realize that the Customer Service Representative is
not working in Canada (you can always ask, if you are not sure about the accent),
please, very politely this is not about trashing other cultures.

Say, "I'd like to speak to a Customer Service Representative in Canada."

The rep might suggest talking to his/her manager, But, again, politely say,
"Thank you, but I'd like to speak to a Customer Service Representative in Canada .."
YOU WILL BE IMMEDIATELY CONNECTED TO A REP IN CANADA .

That's the rule and the LAW.
It takes less than one minute to have your call re-directed to Canada .
Tonight when I got redirected to a Canadian Rep, I asked again to make sure
- and yes, she was from Calgary ....

Imagine what would happen if every Canadian Citizen insisted on talking to only
Canadian phone reps, from this day on.

Imagine how that would ultimately impact the number of Canadian jobs that would need
to be created ASAP.

If I tell 10 people to consider this and you tell 10 people to consider doing this -
see what I mean...it becomes an exercise in viral marketing 101.

Remember - the goal here is to restore jobs back here at home - not to be abrupt or rude
to a foreign phone rep. You will get correct answers, good advice, and solutions to your
problem - in real English.

Why the U.S. was downgraded:

• U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000
• Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000
• New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000
• National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
• Recent budget cuts: $ 38,500,000,000

Let's now remove 8 zeros and pretend it's a household budget:

• Annual family income: $21,700
• Money the family spent: $38,200
• New debt on the credit card: $16,500
• Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
• Total budget cuts: $385