Day: January 25, 2009

 Hello Again,

 

I spoke with a good friend of mine, John Walsh – Founder of the Ottawa Real Estate Investors Organization (http://www.oreio.org/ ) and a Mortgage Agent with Mortgage Alliance, and I asked him to provide me with some explanation as to why it is significant to us that the Bank of Canada (BoC) has lowered THEIR lending rate. Here is an excerpt:

 

 “Banks borrow from the Bank of Canada at the BoC’s prime rate (also significantly from the bond market, but that’s another story for another day). Banks need to make money, so they charge a “spread”. The spread used to be 150 Basis Points (Bps), then 175 Bps, then most recently 200 Bps.

When the banks didn’t follow the second most recent rate drop of 75 point (in December), the BoC President was not happy and let them know publicly. No mincing of words either. Follow the BoC lead or face consequences.

 

 John Walsh is not just a smart man, he is also one that I TRUST (Remember the New Social Contract – and what is important to me?). In fact, he is the one I introduced to my fiancé to arrange her mortgage – need I say more?

Hi Everyone,

 

Remember that New Years Resolutions blog that I wrote at the beginning of the new year? Well, I got some good feedback from a few good friends, and I decided to share their comments with you so that you could all see what others are planning in 2009.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Meet Adam Elsaadi. Adam is a bilingual IT professional with 8+ years experience and a background that blends business, management and technical expertise focusing on management consulting, project management, business transformation, strategic planning, systems analysis, product engineering, development and integration to meet public and private sector client requirements. Clearly, Adam is a busy man. As managing partner at Navigatus Consulting, the bulk of his efforts in 2009 will be dedicated to the provision of IT and Management Professionals to his clients. Adam has set his Real Estate goal of 2009 to acquiring a piece of land in order to build a custom home in 2010.  He can be reached at adam.elsaadi@navigatus.com

 

 

Meet Jacquie Chammas. I have known her personally for about 5 years now, and she is VERY driven. Jacquie started University at 16 (yes, SIXTEEN!) with high hopes of becoming a surgeon. She quickly realized that the life of a surgeon was not for her, and she quickly shifted focus to Law, where she will see herself graduating this year with a keen eye on International Law. In the near future, she plans on pursuing her MBA and becoming the CEO of her very own business. I think it is safe to say this is within her potential, wouldn’t you? Jacquie is a proud sponsor parent of 12 year old Thiasara Hansamali Subasigha from Sri Lanka – a true testament to Jacquie’s desire to help those in need. Her Real Estate goals for 2009 include purchasing a condo or a small house to get her started. She clearly recognizes that Real Estate is a sound investment, and is looking forward to getting started! Jacquie can be reached at jacquiechammas@hotmail.com .

 

Finally, meet Remi Bedirian. He is a 4^th year University of Ottawa Finance student by day, and a passionate guitar teacher by night. Remi would like me make clear that he is a handsome young lad, who enjoys long walks on the beach, and is the proud owner of a brand new shiny cell-phone – his first! (You’re welcome Remi!). For 2009 he is focused on completing his degree (with no break in his scholarship, mind you), expanding on his guitar teaching practice, and fine-tuning his Spanish. His Real Estate ambitions for 2009 include educating himself on how to acquire and manage investment Real Estate (something I can help with!). Throught the years I’ve known him, and through all the times we have spent late at night on weekends at University working away, he has mentioned to me that his father is an active and successful landlord, and his brother is a Realtor as well (smart move!). Remi is a great guy with a lot of depth to him, and recognizing this, I asked him to include a little more contact info that the previous two so that he could get a little exposure – here it is:

 

Email: remibedirian@hotmail.com

My MySpace Page where I post some of my more recent guitar recordings: www.myspace.com/remibedirian

Website: I had an actual website going a few years ago, but never got beyond the one page where I post music. It has some older recordings: http://137.122.145.36/~b4209056/