 Connie Laforest was born and raised in
Sudbury
before moving to
Valley
East
in
1974. Her oldest child, Corey (29) lives in Hanmer and together he and his
wife, Kim (Dwyer) have provided Connie with two
of her three grandchildren.
Her daughter, Christina (28), lives in Sudbury raising
Connie's other grandchild. For the past 18
years, Connie has gained
valuable experience in all facets of banking with the
Royal Bank of
Canada. She
has worked at various branches in Hanmer, Val Caron,
Sudbury
and
. Her
passion for working with clients has lead Connie to her current position
as a Residential Mortgage Specialist.
“I really enjoy
working with individual clients to
help them
make one of the most important
purchases of their life
a little
less stressful,” Connie explained when asked why
she chose this particular field of banking at this time in her career.
“I totally
understand where people are coming from when they are going
through the process of buying a house. It can be a very frightening time in their life. I try to help
them feel relaxed by removing some of the “fear of the unknown”, especially for
first-time buyers.”
Staying on top of all
of the new product lines in the residential mortgage market is one of
Connie’s main responsibilities. “Things are changing all of the time
with residential mortgages. I make sure that I am fully aware of all of
the different options available to my clients, and then we work out the
best choice for their particular situation. By educating my clients, and
making them feel at ease with the process, many of them are comfortable
about coming back to see me when they make their next purchase, or even
referring me to their family and friends. This is the greatest compliment
they can give me. It means that I have done my job well and I have
developed a healthy, long-lasting relationship with them. I love it when
my clients treat me as a friend. After all, if they live in the Valley we
are likely to be neighbours.”
Connie points out that
buying a house is relatively simple when you break down the steps.
1.
A client will come to Connie for a pre-qualification
meeting
to determine
the amount of mortgage
for which
they
might be
able to
qualify. This will depend on their
income and current debt ratio. It then gives the client an idea of the
price range he/she/they can afford and gives them
some
focus
and
direction
to their house hunting.
2.
The client then searches
the market
for a house that will be satisfactory to
their needs.
This is usually done through one or more real estate agents.
3.
Once they find a house and settle upon a purchase price, they
return to Connie for the final mortgage approval. When it comes to the
pre-qualification of the amount of the mortgage, the amount is determined
by the income and financial status of the client. When it comes to the
final mortgage approval, the amount is determined by the
value and
state of the
property. After the mortgage amount is approved, the payment details and
terms of the mortgage are agreed upon.
4.
The client is
then free to take care of all of the necessary legal
details of the purchase, including the closing date.
5.
All that
house
and enjoy their new home
Connie
is not afraid to show her feelings about her new career as a
Residential Mortgage Specialist,. “I just love
working flexible hours and being mobile. It means that I can meet my
clients at a time and place when it is convenient to their schedule in a
more relaxed atmosphere. There is already enough stress in the purchase of
a house. Anything I can do to make it easier helps me to serve my clients
in the best way possible.”
Connie invites
anyone who is interested in finding out more information about residential
mortgages to contact her at any time by email or phone.
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