The Vine Edition

Join us as we delve into the origin story of Paul Clara - a former electronics sales rep who rose to become one of Vine Group's top mortgage agents. From selling VCRs to navigating the complex world of mortgages, Paul's journey will inspire you with his humble beginnings and remarkable success.

In this Vine Edition, we chat with Oscar Torres, CPA, CA, LPA (Assurance & Advisory Partner - Bateman Mackay) to discuss tax returns for real estate investors. With years of experience, Oscar provides valuable insights on maximizing tax benefits and avoiding common pitfalls regarding real estate investments.

Johnson Andrews chats with Hugo Dos Reis about his road to becoming a $1 billion mortgage agent and the blueprint to becoming a successful mortgage agent in Canada. He touches on the key factors that have led to his success and the building blocks he is putting in place to reach his goal of $1 billion in mortgage volume.  

Johnson Andrews, Mortgage Agent

Vine Group – Mortgage Alliance, Lic. 10530

johnson@vinegroup.ca  

Starting as a Credit Analyst, Johnson Andrews quickly discovered his desire to guide homebuyers through the mortgage process. More than just a transaction, Johnson is committed to simplifying this process and educating his clients every step of the way to ensure complete transparency. He prides himself on cultivating open communication and uncovering tailored solutions to meet the financial objectives of every client. At Vine Group, Johnson has successfully assisted agents and clients, funding over $500 million in residential, commercial and private mortgages in the last two years. Johnson has been recognized as one of the Canadian Mortgage Professionals Rising Stars for 2020 and selected as a finalist for Best New Agent for the 2020 Mortgage Awards of Excellence. This prestigious nomination placed Johnson as one of the five finalists out of over 1,500 nominations across Canada for this category. After completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Brock University, Johnson continued his studies at Brock and attained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 2017. Upon graduation, Johnson was presented with the Goodman Graduate Award, recognizing students who achieved exceptionally high academic standing and demonstrated leadership in school and community life. Before studying at university, Johnson played semi-professional hockey for the Niagara IceDogs and is now the team’s goal sponsor.

Our thoughts about the recent Bank of Canada announcement, what it means for mortgage rates and some predictions about the 2023 real estate market. With insights from David Goncalves, Hugo Dos Reis and Paul Clara in this very unfiltered and raw edition.  (Recorded Feb 1, 2023)

Hugo Dos Reis and Paul D'Abruzzo (Rock Star Real Estate Inc.) chat about Ontario’s proposed development plan changes to the Greenbelt area. What kind of conversation has been taking place in the real estate market? The importance of understanding the difference between living somewhere and owning somewhere, how to get your money working for you and reframing the Canadian real estate dream.

Paul D'Abruzzo, Real Estate Investment Advisor, Realtor and Professional Real Estate Investor
Rock Star Real Estate Inc.
905-361-9098

Paul D'Abruzzo is the leader of the Expert Investor Team, an Industry Leading Investor-Focused Realtor & Sales Team, and a regular industry Speaker & Goals-Oriented Coach. Based out of Rock Star Real Estate, a brokerage well known in Ontario in Real Estate Investment sales. Paul and his team specialize in the Acquisition and Sale of Investment & Development Grade Property in Southern Ontario.

Exclusive chat with Lauren van den Berg, President and CEO of Mortgage Professionals Canada (MPC), to cover mortgage industry trends, the future of mortgage brokering and more.

“Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or you're moving up the ladder, mortgage brokers and lender partners are all sort of behind the scenes. We make sure everything happens, but we're not necessarily always that first point of contact, that frontline connection that you might get with a realtor, for example, physically taking you through a home. Part of what I want to do with my mandate here in my role as CEO and President is to really start taking up more space and bragging about what we do and making sure that when you decide to embark on a home-buying journey, a mortgage broker is absolutely first on your list before you even speak to a realtor; and that's because we know the local markets, we have that insight, that perspective and it's not a transactional relationship. We want to be here over the course of your mortgage life cycle.”

Our thoughts and insight to make the most of a slower market and what our team is doing to remain successful.

Vine Group's Hugo Dos Reis and Johnson Andrews discuss why this may be the best time to buy a home despite the record rate increases.

Following the latest CPI data release, Donal Ward McCarthy and Hugo Dos Reis talk about the current real estate market in the Greater Toronto Area. The inflation rate is currently sitting at 7.6%. What does this mean for the mortgage interest rates and the real estate market?

Vine Group's Hugo Dos Reis sits down with Suzy Fernandes-Arruda,

Business Development Manager at HomeEquity Bank, to chat about Reverse Mortgages. In this episode, they cover the misconceptions about Reverse Mortgages and the opportunities available for Canadians.

The Bank of Canada (BOC) increased their overnight rate by 1.00%, bringing it to 2.50% on July 13th, taking the Prime rate for most lenders to 4.70%. This is the fourth increase in 2022. The increase was higher than expected as most economists had forecasted an increase of 0.75%, making this one of the highest increases since 1998. 

David Goncalves and Hugo Dos Reis weigh in on the current rate environment, their expectations for the near future and what they have been suggesting to their clients.

Vine Group's Kim Nguyen and Hugo Dos Reis talk about the 2022 trends in the Alberta Real Estate Market. (Calgary, Alberta)

Zeifmans is a full-service tax, accounting and business consulting firm based in Toronto, Canada. David Posner (Zeifmans Partner) and Jonah Bidner (Zeifmans Senior Canadian Tax Manager) visited VINE Group's office to discuss accounting tips for real estate investors and trends they are seeing through their experience. Big shout out to these rockstar accountants! 

Great ideas. Positive impact. That's Zeifmans. 

VINE Group’s Jason John and Justin Chang, Sales Representative from The Connexus Group at ReMax Hallmark Realty Ltd. have a chat about the pressures and opportunities for first time homebuyers, real estate trends and pre-construction properties in Toronto. 

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Johnson Andrews and Rahul Saggu discuss how client experience might differ if you walked into a branch seeking financing vs. building a relationship with a VINE Group Mortgage Professional to find a customized solution.

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Passion prevails as we revisit the great debate: Canadian mortgage rules and qualifying for financing in 2019.

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Being a mortgage professional often means helping someone make the biggest purchase of their life: their home. Johnson and Chris discuss the different skills that help them, as VINE Group agents, take a holistic approach toward reviewing a client’s portfolio.

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There’s a lot of value in leveraging your home to unlock equity.

A mortgage with a home equity line of credit (or HELOC) is a great way to keep the mortgage that you’re paying down, while still maintaining access to a large sum of money through a HELOC. See what else your mortgage can do for you by scheduling a call with one of our agents. 

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Thinking of buying a cottage? Can short-term rental income be used to qualify for financing?

We discuss cottage ownership, short-term cottage rentals and the risks that lenders assess when it comes to financing a cottage property.  

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Negative interest rates? VINE Group Partners are back on the RANT discussing everyone’s favourite topic: Interest Rates! The Partners share the thoughts on global rate trends and where they think Canadian mortgage rates are headed in the near future.

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VINE Group Mortgage Agent, Lauren Pye, and Realtor, Marlow Singh of Condos.ca, discuss current real estate market trends, the importance of being pre-qualified and what first-time home buyers should expect when they begin their home buying journey.SHOW MORE

With the current rate trends, is this the right time for you to convert your mortgage?

We all know the lending landscape can change very quickly. Lenders are looking closely at regional properties that rely on rental income, due to concerns that rents may be dropping and vacancies may be on the rise. We take a look at how this might impact investors and primary homeowners alike.

Like watching paint dry, insurance isn't the most interesting topic of conversation but definitely something that is important when it comes to protecting you and your family.

Credit bureau's are not as scary as you might think!

Mortgage Agents are motivated to find a solution that fits your needs, but how does that translate into payment? On this episode, VINE Partners Christopher Darwiche and Hugo Dos Reis provide clarity on how Mortgage Agents generate income.

What's the best kind of mortgage? Is it the interest rate itself or the interest you pay what matters? What are the benefits in getting a HELOC? What are prepayment penalties? We answer the most commonly asked questions from Canadians when it comes to their mortgage.

As Mortgage Brokers, our growth potential is endless as the Canadian lending landscape is constantly changing. On this episode of the VINE Rant we brought in new agent, Lauren Pye, to share her experience on her recent transition from banker to broker.

The opportunities within real estate are endless, but it's always important to identify your goals and how you are going to get there. Through education, patience and a little bit of risk, CEO of Golden Triangle Group, Aaron Charles joins us to share his journey from Real Estate Agent to Real Estate Developer.

The spring market moves very quickly, and so do it’s buyers. Whether you are in the process of purchasing your first home or a seasoned real estate investor, here are some best practices on what you should know (and keep an eye out for) when completing your next mortgage application.

As experts in our industry, we dissect every client's file to see what challenges could arise before sending it to a lender for financing. While the bank still serves as an institution of influence, how well does your bank mortgage specialist know your file?

Every year, Mortgage Alliance recognizes their top performing mortgage agents from across the country by hosting a Rewards & Recognition trip. On this week's special edition of The VINE Rant filmed at the Paradisus in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, we took a moment to discuss our individual transitions into mortgage brokering and being self-employed individuals.  

Recently we’ve encountered many clients who’ve come to us with “pre-approval” letters from their bank stating what they can quality for and the rate available to them. While this is great way for the bank to secure a deal, the reality is that documentation is not always collected up front so the client isn’t getting a true picture what they actually quality for. 

While we know little details surrounding the 2019 Federal Budget, we are a little apprehensive as to whether the first-time home buyer initiative will solve the real issue at hand. 

As we see rates continue to drop heading into the spring market, we explore a few different theories as to why this is happening. 

First time buyer? Usman Mahmood from Sotheby's International Realty joins in on the conversation with the VINE Partners as they touch on education, property trends and first-time buyer demographics.

When our Senior Credit Analyst, Johnson Andrews identified a 38 year amortization loan on a client's existing mortgage, this sparked a heated conversation around lender's variable rate options. 

Have you ever thought of building a secondary suite to earn an additional income?

Andy Tran, Consultant and Educator from Suite Additions give us some insight on best practices and benefits on this growing trend for homeowners.

Watch what happens when we ask our staff to provide us with mortgage topics at random.

Whether you are buying, selling or investing in your first rental property, the Toronto real estate market is still growing - but with limited supply to meet the demand. Edward Zhang from Volition Investment Properties sheds some light on turn-key investment properties, market trends, and why investors shouldn't always focus on cash-flow. 

While qualifying for a low-interest rate helps you save money and pay back your debt faster, the products associated with a lower rate may not be the best fit for your current situation. Knowing your main objective and asking the right questions are essential when having a conversation about rates with your mortgage professional.

Over the age of 55 and need to unlock equity in your home? On this week's episode, we discuss a financial solution designed to help Canadian homeowners retire safely and securely.

Looking to buy or invest this year? Paul D'Abruzzo from Rockstar Real Estate gives us a recap on market trends over the past year and gives his predictions on what 2019 will hold.

Continuing our discussion on private lending with Joseph Fooks and Lawrence Schwartz from JV Capital, they explain how technology has helped them eliminate the process of manually underwriting commitments to provide investors and mortgage professionals with more efficient service.