The Vine Edition

Join us, as Usman Mahmood of The Usman Group – Sotheby’s International Real Estate, walks us through the COVID-19 experience from a real estate point of view. How has the pandemic impacted the market and what can be predicted for the future?

Courtney Kencher, Account Manager at Genworth Canada, shares some insights and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the Insured Mortgage World.

Our first ever VINE Rant recorded at the new Vine Group office in Yaletown, Vancouver! Hugo Dos Reis chats with Stephen Appiah, Vine Group Mortgage Broker, about the subtle differences between his Ontario and British Columbia business, how technology has made things easier this year, and advice for those thinking of becoming a Mortgage Agent amidst the uncertainty of 2020.

Let’s talk about credit!
VINE Group’s Trevor Leys Schirok chats about maintaining a good credit score, especially in these unprecedented and difficult times. What can YOU do to increase your credit score? Tune in to find out.

Special guest, Rudy Naraine (Senior Executive National Manager – Broker Services, The Nationwide Group – NAS) sheds some light on how the appraisal service network was changed by the pandemic and how they adapted so quickly to the COVID-19 lending environment.

Are lenders open to accepting to automated valuation appraisal model (AVM)? Are property values more conservative because AVMs are more common? Are regular appraisal service methods going to be returning any time soon and what should be predicted for appraisal services in the near future?

Tune in to hear Rudy’s first-hand experience over the past few months.

How has COVID-19 affected business in Alberta?

Tune in to hear from VINE Group Mortgage Associate, Kim Nguyen, as she discusses what she has experienced over the last few months of the pandemic. Learn about the philosophies she attributes to her success in the business as she and Hugo Dos Reis chat about her move from bank to broker and the key factors that helped her with the learning curve.

Hugo Dos Reis chats with Charles Kornbluth about his leap from his career at a big bank to becoming a VINE Group Mortgage Agent.

Why did he make the decision to move on from the security of the bank?
How did VINE Group’s underwriting HUB help him with his transition to becoming a Mortgage Agent?

Christopher Darwiche, David Goncalves and Hugo Dos Reis chat about their transition from Mortgage Specialist at the bank to becoming a Mortgage Broker and touch on some of the reasons they chose the path to become entrepreneurs.

How did their careers with the banks help them build exposure to the industry and financial advice? Do they regret their decision? What are the misconceptions with the transition? What are the risks and the rewards?

At VINE Group, we have been continuously setting the benchmark for what it means to be a Mortgage Team in Canada.
We offer our agents access to an in-house underwriting team, training resources and mentorship with some of the top producers in the industry, top tier status with all of our lender partners, and much more.

With control, prosperity will come – no matter what the situation. Are YOU in control?

How mortgage payment deferrals are portrayed in the media vs. what is happening behind the scenes in the lending industry. VINE Group’s Hugo Dos Reis, Christopher Darwiche and David Goncalves chat about the impacts and how they have been affecting some clients directly.

The current economic environment has completely changed the real estate landscape as a result of COVID-19.

When others see adversity we see opportunity. Despite seeing over 65% drop in real estate purchases we’ve been able to continue to grow our business, improve efficiencies, double down on technology and marketing investments, while keeping all our full-time staff onboard and agents productive.

The glass should always be half-full and remaining positive will allow you to prevail, despite current challenges.