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The holiday season is coming fast, and we would like to celebrate this with YOU at Oakville Networking Christmas Party coming up this Tuesday, December 8th from 7.00 pm to 10.00 pm. The venue is Hamptons Restaurant, 754 Bronte Road, Oakville. There will be appetizers and a cash bar, so get your spouse and guests together and join us for a social evening!  

Please respond to Liz or Angela before Monday, December 7th. The costs of our Christmas party is only $10!

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Oakville Networking Executive Committee

The winter holidays are a time for celebration, and that means more cooking, home decorating, entertaining, and an increased risk of fire and accidents. InterNACHI recommends that you follow these guidelines to help make your holiday season safer and more enjoyable.

Holiday Lighting

• Use caution with holiday decorations and, whenever possible, choose those made with flame-resistant, flame-retardant and non-combustible materials.
• Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and do not use candles to decorate Christmas trees.
• Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings, and replace damaged items before plugging lights in. If you have any questions about electrical safety, ask an InterNACHI inspector during your next scheduled inspection. Do not overload extension cords.
• Don’t mount lights in any way that can damage the cord’s wire insulation. To hold lights in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples–don’t use nails or tacks. Never pull or tug lights to remove them.
• Keep children and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations.
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
• Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use.
• Make sure all the bulbs work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.
• Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground-fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.
• Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.

Decorations

• Use only non-combustible and flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel and artificial icicles of plastic and non-leaded metals.
• Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.
• In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp and breakable, and keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children.
• Avoid trimmings that resemble candy and food that may tempt a young child to put them in his mouth.

Holiday Entertaining

• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. When cooking for holiday visitors, remember to keep an eye on the range.
• Provide plenty of large, deep ashtrays, and check them frequently. Cigarette butts can smolder in the trash and cause a fire, so completely douse cigarette butts with water before discarding.
• Keep matches and lighters up high, out of sight and reach of children (preferably in a locked cabinet).
• Test your smoke alarms, and let guests know what your fire escape plan is.

Trees

• When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label “fire-resistant.”
• When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches, and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break.
• When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces, radiators and portable heaters. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.
• Cut a few inches off the trunk of your tree to expose the fresh wood. This allows for better water absorption and will help to keep your tree from drying out and becoming a fire hazard.
• Be sure to keep the stand filled with water, because heated rooms can dry live trees out rapidly.
• Make sure the base is steady so the tree won’t tip over easily.

Fireplaces

• Before lighting any fire, remove all greens, boughs, papers and other decorations from fireplace area. Check to see that the flue is open.
• Use care with “fire salts,” which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten.
• Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely.

Toys and Ornaments

• Purchase appropriate toys for the appropriate age. Some toys designed for older children might be dangerous for younger children.
• Electric toys should be UL/FM approved.
• Toys with sharp points, sharp edges, strings, cords, and parts small enough to be swallowed should not be given to small children.
• Place older ornaments and decorations that might be painted with lead paint out of the reach of small children and pets.

Children and Pets

• Poinsettias are known to be poisonous to humans and animals, so keep them well out of reach, or avoid having them.
• Keep decorations at least 6 inches above the child’s reach.
• Avoid using tinsel. It can fall on the floor and a curious child or pet may eat it. This can cause anything from mild distress to death.
• Keep any ribbons on gifts and tree ornaments shorter than 7 inches. A child could wrap a longer strand of ribbon around their neck and choke.
• Avoid mittens with strings for children. The string can get tangled around the child’s neck and cause them to choke. It is easier to replace a mitten than a child.
• Watch children and pets around space heaters or the fireplace. Do not leave a child or pet unattended.
• Store scissors and any sharp objects that you use to wrap presents out of your child’s reach.
• Inspect wrapped gifts for small decorations, such as candy canes, gingerbread men, and mistletoe berries, all of which are choking hazards.

Security

• Use your home burglar alarm system.
• If you plan to travel for the holidays, don’t discuss your plans with strangers.
• Have a trusted friend or neighbor to keep an eye on your home.

YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD InterNACHI INSPECTOR WISHES YOU A SAFE & JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON!

The simple fact of renewals is this: nearly 60% of people sign back renewal letters without even taking the time to see what else is available. As a result, there is little or no incentive for the financial institution to give their best offer. What makes things even more interesting is the fact that renewal letters usually only arrive about two to three weeks before the mortgage is actually up for renewal. This two to three weeks gives you very little time to arrange financing with another lender, or to take advantage of the lower rates that may have occurred in the three to four months before your renewal date.
Consumers should be pre-approving their renewals 90-120 days prior to their actual renewal date. This immediately gives you the benefit of the lowest rate on the market for the longest period possible before your renewal date. What makes this better is the fact that this is completely free and without obligation.
A mortgage is too big a financial decision to not take seriously.  It makes sense to place your mortgage with the institution that gives you the best rates and service.

Using the services of a mortgage broker who shop’s the market to obtain the best rate and terms makes a lot of sense!
For more information about obtaining a mortgage renewal please call Charmaine at Verico Designer Mortgages Inc. Toll Free: 1.866.824.8057

Special:  Mortgage renewal or closing coming up within 30 days – 5 year fixed rate 3.84%

Call Charmaine at Verico Designer Mortgages Inc  Today to find out more about how you can cash in on this amazing offer. 905.336.5997

For most Canadians, your home is your most important investment. But owning a home also comes with a great deal of responsibility. When unforeseen circumstances impact your ability to meet your mortgage payments, it’s important to take quick action and contact your lender. With early intervention, your lender can help you fund a solution to your financial difficulties.

For mortgages insured by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), CMHC provides lenders with the tools and the flexibility they need to achieve a solution to your unique financial situation. Depending on your circumstances, this might include:

• Converting variable rates into fixed to avoid sudden rate increases
• Temporary short-term payment deferral.
• Extending your repayment period to lower your monthly payments
• Adding any missed payments to your outstanding balance
• Arranging special payments unique to your particular financial situation

CMHC is also willing to consider other alternatives proposed by the mortgage professional to resolve or avoid mortgage payment default. In every case, the options available will depend upon your individual financial circumstances.
CMHC is Canada’s national housing agency. For over 60 years CMHC has shared a wealth of knowledge and housing expertise to help create an informed and reassured homeownership experience for Canadians.
For more information visit: CMHC or call Charmaine at Verico Designer Mortgages Inc. 905.336.5997.
Source: Canada Mortgage and Housing Company

I attended a seminar this Tuesday at the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus. It was the 10th session of the “Growing your business” breakfast series presented by OCETA and the R.I.C. Centre. This final session of the season was an “Innovator Idol” session, and the session was sold out!

Four emerging companies needing financing got the opportunity to present their pitch to a panel of industry experts and investors. The four presenters were:

• Thoughtspeed providing a web-based supply chain integration solution for health care,
• idAlerts providing an identity theft protection and credit management tool,
• Realtech having developed a cutting-edge line of water quality test instrumentation, and
• Refined Data providing a software application which provides easy access to environmental and OHS management information.

All four companies made terrific presentations, all having market potential and viability, but only one could win.

The winner was Realtech Inc. with their cutting-edge water quality testing instruments, capable of on-site testing and monitoring, bringing the current lab-test turnaround time of days down to minutes. Realtech has ensured that their product line is protected by patents or patent applications, even though cash was limited at the time of starting up.

And this is crucial for any technology based start-up. You may want to consider using a patent consultant outside of Toronto downtown as these are often less expensive. However, you must file the first patent application(s) before you start talking to investors and partners to protect your intellectual property.

Camilla Nielsen
Intellectual Property Consultant

My LinkedIn profile

It means that you can get a 5 year fixed rate Mortgage for as little as 3.69% Quick Close Special (the lowest in Canadian history) and a variable rate at 2.85% (Prime plus 0.60).

Another important point, never before made, is that the Bank of Canada is going to hold the overnight lending rate steady until June 2010.  

So if you currently have a variable rate, now is not the time to lock in if the Bank holds true to its promise.

Many people who are in fixed rates are looking at refinancing their mortgages into lower rates.  The penalty to break an existing mortgage is the greater of three months interest or what is called the interest rate differential. The interest rate differential is the lost interest between your current rate and market rates.  Whether this is worth your while can only be decided on a case-by-case basis.

I listened to Benjamin Tal, chief economist of CIBC and his comments regarding the variable rate mortgages where as follows:

“You might do better the first two years [of a five-year mortgage] but not the remaining three. I’m convinced long-term interest rates will rise. I can see [long-term] rising 200 basis points. These are emergency rates and at some point this emergency will end,” says the economist.

The banks and the mortgage insurers are becoming more stringent on their lending criteria; minimum credit score requirements have increased, if you are self-employed they are wanting more documentation and appraisals are getting harder too – they look at the appraised value as opposed to the purchase price.  If your credit is less than perfect, this can also be challenging, that is why we are finding more and more people seeking out the expertise of an accredited mortgage professional.

Written by:  Charmaine Idzerda, (AMP) Mortgage Broker   FSCO# M080000747
Verico Designer Mortgages Inc.  www.DesignerMortgages.ca    FSCO# 10194
Tel: 905.336.5997, Tollfree 1.866.824. 8057

 

Did you know that:

• There are 31 billion searches on Google every month?
• China will soon become the number one English-speaking country in the world?
• India has more honour kids than America has kids?

See this 5-minute video for a quick reality check of the world we live in.

Boris Mahovac R.G.D.

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