{ Mortgage Update and Debt Consolidation }

Hello Faithful Blog Readers!

  I came across this write up from one on my amazing mortgage advisors BJ Block and thought I would let you in on it.  It covers where things are at currently with interest rates and lets you know about one of the FREE services we provide to help you save money.  I encourage you to call me @ 604-910-LACE (5223) should you have any questions or if you would like some more information.
 

A NOTE FROM BJ - http://bjblock.mortgagebrokerteam.ca/ 

Rate News – One of the most asked questions we’ve received lately is regarding interest rates, and where they’re headed.  While its impossible to predict the future, one of the key indicators we pay close attention to is policy set by the US Federal Government.  Ben Bernake, U.S. Federal Chairman confirmed recently that the exceptionally low interest rates in the US will last for an ‘extended period of time’.  Though the Canadian economy is in considerably better shape, most analysts predict that we won’t see any movement in our Prime rate until the announcement on July 19th.  Even if rates begin to rise, we don’t expect them to rise too quickly or too aggressively.  For this reason we are still recommending variable rate mortgages to our clients who qualify, while maintaining options to ‘fix’ at any time for long term planning.

Debt Consolidation - The debt load the average house hold carries has garnered significant press recently.  I’m often surprised by how many clients continue to carry high balances on credit cards and student loans when there is equity in their home they can access.  Whether it be a Line of Credit, or a small second mortgage, there are a variety of products available for people who have equity in their home to consolidate debt.  I recently went through this process with my mortgage and took out a small home equity line of credit to consolidate some of our debt.  By doing so I’ve saved nearly 15% in interest, and have been able to manage and pay down debt much easier.

I encourage you to take us up on this offer.  Should you have any debt allow us to see if we can help save you some money.  REMEMBER It’s not always about how much money you have but it’s how you manage it and what you do with it!
 

What are you waiting for? It’s worth a call......
 

604-910-LACE (5223)

www.homeswithlacey.com   

{{The Three In One DIY Project}}

Ok, you're going to love this one...I promise.  It combines two of my favourite things: burlap (or in your case, maybe a fabric you L O V E) and creativity. And just in case you're wondering I have lots of both!

In my never-ending search to find you some awesome and creative home decor ideas I came across a a bulletin board makeover done two ways...and I thought I would share them both with you.  The reason I liked them is because they do TRIPLE duty, three in one, yep, that's my kind'a deal!

1. They are pretty - we all need some pretty in our house
2. They are practical - they are functional and will help keep you organized
3. They take up wall space and can easily be "art" - and lets face it, artwork is expensive, so this is great!

The first one is from "Hodge Podge" - a local Vancouver blog....Barbara does some awesome DIY projects, including recovering a bulletin board with burlap.  Check it out:

To see how she did it step by step follow this link:

http://hodgepodge-babselou.blogspot.com/2010/04/burlap-bulletin-board.html

The next one is from Canadian designer Sarah Richardson, and was recently featured on an episode of her show "Sarah 101":

An inexpensive mirror (let's think Sally Anne, Value Village or Craigslist!) was removed from it's frame and then fabric was glued to foam core and re-inserted into the frame.  Beautiful, practical and fills up the wall space perfectly.

Both versions of the DIY bulletin board are simple, practical and easy to do.  They also add a bit of character and interest to your home that you can easily take with you if you ever decide to move.  And if moving is in your near future, don't hesitate to give me a call!

*Lacey

{{Trade Program}}

Over the next little while I would like to share about some of the amazing programs that I offer to my clients. Let’s just say I don’t just put a sign on the lawn. We Trade Homes, We Finance, and We Partner. What do I mean by this? Continue to read and I will tell you....

    

“WE TRADE HOMES”

 

This common question is always asked: "How does it work?"

To be fair, this is not a service that most realtors commonly offer their clients. The main reason is, realtors usually are not willing to take the risk. 

At Westridge Realty, I, Lacey Forward, offer this service to my valued clients to make your real estate needs simpler and thereby removing risk to my clients! Hopefully the following will give you a brief overview of how this amazing service works.

1.  Have Lacey Forward represent you as your Buyer’s Agent.

2.  Place an offer to purchase on a Westridge Realty Co. listing.

    Lacey will prepare an accurate market evaluation for your existing   property.

3.  List your existing property with Westridge Realty Co. on the MLS service.

4. If your property fails to receive an accepted offer to purchase within 30 days from the listing date, then you will receive a pre-determined “Guaranteed” price for your property. The worry and inconvenience of waiting for an offer on your property is now removed.

 

My clients have found the trade program to be a valuable asset and service for the following reasons.

 

·          Take the uncertainty out of moving.  Most buyers make an offer on their dream home “ Subject to the sale of their existing property.” What generally happens is another party without property to sell, makes a competing offer and then your offer to purchase falls apart. You are now back to square one. Avoid this disappointment by trading.

·          Some buyers chose to buy non subject, and then obtain interim financing. This is costly and you run the risk of owning Two Properties. Trading removes this expense.

·          Sellers when entertaining offers want to know that their property is sold. Many wont’ accept a buyers “Subject Offer”.  I am usually able to negotiate a better purchase price for my client, based on the fact that the sellers are certain of a sale.

·          Your existing property gains better exposure to the buying public because they have the option of also “Trading” and they know that a trade property is priced right on the market by a motivated seller. 

·          When I receive an offer on your existing property, I can once again offer this amazing service, so that you may receive an offer without the subject to sale clause!

·          Perhaps you wish to build a NEW HOME and you don’t want to move twice. Trading may offer you the advantage of remaining in your existing property until your new home is complete. This can avoid the cost and inconvenience of calling the movers twice and renting interim accommodation.

 

When you are thinking of moving, you owe it to yourself to at least find out the details of this amazing offer!

 

All of the above features offer my clients superior real estate service, a faster sale, and more money in your pockets.

 

Some flexibility and certain restrictions may apply. You never know until you ask. It is worth at least a phone call. 

604-910-LACE (5223)

{{Lacey's Favourites}}

Every now and then you’ll find me sharing a few of my favorite things…everything from people, to places and just some random things too! 

This time around I wanted to share with you one of my favorite places to visit:  Porter’s Coffee and Tea House in one my favorite neighborhoods in Langley…… MURRAYVILLE. 

A 110 year old heritage building, once of the home to the Porter family, Porter’s sits next to the round-a-bout at 216^th and 48^th in the heart of Murrayville.  Not only do they have home made fresh baking, sandwiches and soups, they have a great selection of old style candy (reminiscent of a good ol’ candy store), live music and YUMMY breakfasts!!!

I love breakfast food and it’s one of my favorite places in Langley to visit and enjoy a great breakfast with my sweetheart or good friends. You will often find Lisa and me having our meetings over a great breakfast and a cup of coffee.  

If you haven’t visited Porter’s I would encourage you to go check it out.  They have live music various Friday and Saturday nights…what a great place for a special night out or date night.  Quaint, unique, comfortable and certain to have something for everyone’s taste buds.

{{Easy Entertaining}}

In today’s world it seems as though the art of entertaining and hospitality has been lost.  Life is busy, full to overflowing with things to do.  We’re meeting, tweeting, Facebooking, on our phones, our computers and not really welcoming people into our homes, unless it’s on our computer!

A couple weeks ago the Bakers talked about the ability to turn any house into a home…I want to run with this idea and explore it a bit more.

One VERY simple way to transform your living space into a welcoming home is let people in.  Open the doors, invite people in, enjoy spending time with others.   Now I don’t want you to get overwhelmed with the thought of having to entertain and host people for a whole meal, start with something simple like appetizers or dessert.

As newlyweds, Tim and I love having people in our home, and sometimes it happens to be very last minute, or even surprise guests.  I have two tips I thought I’d share to encourage you to relax your entertaining style and just go with it:

1.  Easy Appetizer – my all time favourite appetizer is super simple to prepare and only requires three ingredients.  I make sure I keep these things on hand at all times: cream cheese, sweet chili sauce & crackers.   Place your cream cheese on a large plate, pour sweet chili sauce on top and serve with crackers.  Delish…..and always a crowd pleaser.

2.  Bake & Serve cookies – who doesn’t really love a good cookie??  When you bake cookies double your batch and instead of baking all of them at the same time, roll half the dough into logs, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.   When unexpected guests pop in, put on a pot of coffee and pull out some frozen cookie dough.  Cut into pucks, place on the baking sheet and in 12 minutes (or so) you have fresh baking!

{{Get Your Garden ON!}}

Hello!

Continuing our look at getting a garden going I thought I would share a couple posts from the "Reluctant Entertainer." 

Her blog is full of great ideas for home, entertaining and gardening.  She talks a lot about growing what you love, eating from the garden and making the most of what you have without blowing the budget.

Here are links to her first two posts in her gardening series this year:

http://reluctantentertainer.com/2011/03/gardening-and-building-raised-beds-in-the-city/

http://reluctantentertainer.com/2011/04/gardening-amending-the-soil-for-raised-beds-in-the-city/

Tim and I have been working out in the garden the last couple days enjoying the sunny weather. My raised garden bed is almost built now and I will be posting some photo’s to share with you soon.  It’s turning out REALLY well and I think some of you may enjoy this style of gardening as an alternative.

Stay tuned!

{{Get Out the Garden Tools}}

I LOVE this photo…it’s my inspiration shot to get me moving and working in the garden!

Spring has SPRUNG! It is time to get out in the yard, do some clean-up, some trimming and plant your garden.  Maybe you’re scared of gardening, maybe you think your thumb is more black than green, well be encouraged my friends, you can do it!

Even I, yes I, went to the garden shop the other day to buy some seeds! I was leafing through a gardening issue that Martha Stewart put out the other month and I have anxiously been waiting for this cold weather to go away. Now that the cherry blossoms are blooming it’s a pretty good sign that spring has arrived! So Tim and I are going to work out in the garden over the next couple weeks to start to get things “Spring Ready.”

My plan is to do a little vegetable patch in my backyard and to add a few more herbs to my garden this year. Because I have limited space and I like things to grow fast (are you surprised? I admit I am not always the most patient lady. That’s why I have a large amount of miracle grow for my flowers in my garage!) I have asked Tim to help me make some homemade boxes to grow some veggies in. Hint: Boxes that are elevated off the ground will help the soil heat up and will help your plants grow faster.

Over the next few weeks, stay tuned for some great gardening inspiration, I have found a number of blogs with excellent tips on how to get going in your own garden.

Martha Stewart has some great information on starting your own vegetable garden, everything from seed starting, planting and garden prep to a vegetable garden glossary. Check it out:

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/planning-your-vegetable-garden

Don’t have a big backyard? No problem! Container gardening, indoor vegetable gardens and “square foot gardening” is simple and easy to do.

Have you had gardening success? If so, I’d love to hear your tips and ideas, please feel free to leave a comment.

Happy Planting!

Lacey