Sunday Morning Thought -

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. (MT. 10:16)

Faaron Inc. - PRESENTATION & SEMINAR SERVICES

Faaron has a complete line of seminars designed for businesses and their employees who need to brush up on or be introduced to new areas of endeavor. Be it a Sales presentation, Accounting, Computer Operation or Troubleshooting we can modify an existing or customize a new program suited to your business. Companies such as Microsoft, IBM, DELL, Gateway, Compaq, Systemax, Toshiba, Chevron/Texaco, Petro-Canada, Mohawk Oil Co, GE/Supra and others have used our services to assist in the consultation to and training of their network throughout North America.

Business Development Seminars Include:

The Basics of Business Success Seminar

The Basics of Business Success Seminar covers the essentials needed for all business success and includes a somewhat flexible array of subjects. The Basics of Business/Marketing Plan Development, The Basics of Financial Management, The Basics of Computers, The Basics of Sales and The Basics of Coping with Business Stress. The course also includes a CD packed with working documents from all 5 books. Each attendee will receive the full 5 book set & CD. 

Business Plan Primer

A one day in office workshop attended by management and key employees to produce clarity and alignment in business goals. The workshop includes presentations and exercises geared to bring out the best in employees and add to the corporate enterprise. Through the use of our business plan template we guide you through the steps to reveal where the business is, where it wants to be and how it will get there. The workshop also includes digital as well as hard copies of tools, templates and a soft copy of Book 1 of The Basics of Business Success, The Basics of Business/Marketing Plan Development.

Marketing for Commission Based & Independent Contractor Employees

With the present trend of employers to move employees to a straight Commission based or Independent Contractor status to better maintain costs of overhead and benefits. Many workers find themselves without the skills to market their services to the general public. Many commission based employees find themselves relying on their employers to provide their work simply from phone-in and walk-in traffic for their income. Many independent contractors receive the marketing provided by their franchisor or franchisee and in some cases no advertising at all. This type of marketing is not individual based and does not point out the qualities, efforts and accomplishments of the individual but is rather broad based and promotes the whole. Imagine if you could add 10, 25 or 50 clients per year to your present base. Would that make a difference to your lifestyle? This program is designed to provide small business, commissioned and contract workers with the tools and techniques needed to grow their client base and move their lifestyle forward as well as provide additional growth to their employers. For more information, please click the following link. 

Real Estate Seminars Include:

Realtor's Boot Camp

After spending some time in the Real Estate business, I have met many Realtors who are in their second to seventh year in the business who can not seem to get the on-the-street training they require in order to take their business to the next level. Many work from day to day uncertain how their business is really doing and find at year end they have made little or no money. Others do not have a clue of how to plan for success in today's technological business climate. Real Estate is a Service business and their presentation of their services to their potential clients determines how successful they will be. Realtors' Boot Camp is designed to get the most out of Realtors in a short amount of time. We provide the tools and the guidance of how to properly use these tools.

Realtor Business Plan Workshop

A one day brokerage workshop attended by management and realtors to produce clarity and alignment in business goals. In the Real Estate Profession, with its widespread self-employed or contractor model, Realtors find themselves lacking a think tank to bounce ideas to. Some find themselves frustrated for knowledge when they could be our making sales with the right information at hand. This workshop includes presentations and exercises geared to bring out the best in realtors and clarify the direction and steps to their business success. Through the use of our realtor business plan template we guide realtors and reveal where their business is, where it wants to be and how it will get there. In breakout sessions realtors share ideas in small groups on what has worked for them in the past and also discuss the pitfalls of travelling down paths that lead to no results. Teams then report to the group as a whole. The workshop also works with an e-Budget that takes the data collected during the workshop and presents a bottom line scenario to their plan. There is also a Time Management component for after all Time Is Money. Also included are digital as well as hard copies of tools, templates and a copy of our Five Book series The Basics of Business Success. This Workshop improves Realtors personal as well as business well being and mindset.

Real Estate Wealth Planning System

The Real Estate Wealth Planning System is a tool used by Realtors and Mortgage Brokers to generate interest in Real Estate investment. It is a one on one or group presentation with exercises and handouts to determine potential investors Real Estate Personality, Investment Level & Financial Viability. From first time buyers to rental landlords and project investors, Realtors and Mortgage Brokers will have the details to determine an investors present and / or future potential and be able to work with them to achieve their real estate goals. Stop wasting time with talkers and opinionates and move on with real prospects and clients. 

Custom Seminars Include :

• Accounting Fundamentals - the basics on Debits, Credits, Bookkeeping, Balance Sheet & Income Statement. (Manual Overview and use of Popular Software)
• Computers - What makes them work? Technology in Business.
• Sales Technique - Attention, Interest, Conviction, Desire, Close, Payment, Follow-up.
• Building a Marketing Plan - What to do before you re-mortgage the house.
• Business & Meditation - Coping with the stress!

Call 604-603-1257 to discuss how we can assist in your business goals and success.

Međugorje - The Most Peaceful Place On Earth

Međugorje

or Medjugorje (Croatian pronunciation: [ˈmɛdʑuɡɔːrjɛ]) is a town located in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Herzegovina region around 25 km southwest of Mostar and close to the border of Croatia. Since 1981, it has become a popular site of religious pilgrimage due to reports of apparitions of the Virgin Mary to six local Catholics.

The name Međugorje literally means "an area between mountains". At an altitude of 200 metres above sea level it has a mild Mediterranean climate. The town consists of an ethnically-homogeneous Croat population of over 4,000. The Roman Catholic parish (local administrative and religious area) consists of five neighbouring villages, Međugorje, Bijakovići, Vionica, Miletina and Šurmanci.

In March 2010, the Holy See announced that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was forming an investigative commission, composed of bishops, theologians, and other experts, under the leadership of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's former Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome.

Reported apparitions

"Our Lady of Međugorje" is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by those who believe that she has been appearing since 24 June 1981 to six children in Međugorje (then part of socialist Yugoslavia).

The visionary Marija Lunetti (Pavlovic) claims to receive messages from the Virgin Mary on the twenty-fifth of every month, while Mirjana Soldo (Dragicevic) reports receiving messages on the second of the month.

The messages reputed to Our Lady of Međugorje have a strong following among Catholics worldwide. Međugorje has become one of the most popular pilgrimage sites for Catholics (and people of other faiths) in the world and has turned into Europe's third most important religious place, where each year more than 1 million people visit. It has been estimated that 30 million pilgrims have come to Međugorje since the reputed apparitions began in 1981. Many have reported visual phenomena including the sun spinning in the sky or changing colors and figures such as hearts and crosses around the sun. Some visitors have suffered eye damage while seeking to experience such phenomena.

The phenomenon is not officially approved by the Catholic Church.

In March 2010, the Holy See announced that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was forming an investigative commission, composed of bishops, theologians, and other experts, under the leadership of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's former Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome. The Commission is expected to report any findings to the Congregation, which has responsibility for any possible judgment on the case.

 History

 Early history. To the east of Međugorje in the Neretva valley, the Serbian Orthodox Žitomislić Monastery has stood since 1566. Gravestones erected in the Middle Ages have remained to this day in the Catholic cemetery Groblje Srebrenica in the hamlet of Miletina as well as in the hamlet of Vionica. In the area of the cemetery in Miletina, structures from the Roman era stood, whose ruins have not yet been fully excavated.

19th and early 20th century.

In 1882 the railroad line between Mostar and the Adriatic coast of Dalmatia was built, with a station in the hamlet of Šurmanci, through which the village gained access to rail transport.

The Catholic parish of Sveti Jakov ("Saint James") was erected in 1892 by the Bishop of Mostar Paškal Buconjić. The twelve-meter tall crucifix on the mountain called Križevac (Cross Mountain), completing the parish's Stations of the Cross (križni put), was completed in 1934.

Second World War

In 1941, when Međugorje belonged to the Independent State of Croatia, the Žitomislić Monastery was plundered by the Ustasha, and its refectory was burned down.

On June 21, 1941, members of the Ustasha committed a massacre in the hamlet of Šurmanci against 559 Serb civilians, which led Mostar bishop Alojzije Mišić to write a letter of protest to the Archbishop of Zagreb Aloysius Stepinac. The Communist government of Yugoslavia had the pit containing the bodies sealed with a concrete slab; hence they were only exhumed and reburied at the cemetery of Prebilovci in the neighboring town of Čapljina in 1989.

Development of the pilgrimage site

On June 24, 1981, reports began of Marian apparitions on Crnica hill in the Bijakovići hamlet, and shortly thereafter confrontations with Yugoslav state authorities began. Pilgrims' donations were seized by the police and access to what was called the Apparition Hill was largely blocked.

In October 1981, Jozo Zovko, then the pastor of the town, was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment with forced labor for allegedly participating in a nationalistic plot. After Amnesty International, among others, appealed for his release and a judicial appeal was made, the sentence was reduced in the Yugoslav Federal Court in Belgrade to one and a half years, and the priest was released from prison in 1983.

In the last years before the breakup of Yugoslavia, the travel of pilgrims was no longer hindered by the state.

Međugorje during the Bosnian War

During the Bosnian War Međugorje remained in the hands of the Croatian Defence Council and in 1993 became part of the internationally unrecognized Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia. By the Dayton Agreement in 1995, Međugorje was incorporated into the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, populated mostly by Bosniaks and Croats. It lies within the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, one of ten autonomous regions established so that no ethnic group could dominate the Federation.

In 1992 the town was the launching point for ethnic cleansing on the part of the Croatian Defence Council, which led to the complete destruction of the Serbian Orthodox Žitomislić Monastery. The property of the Franciscan order in Bijakovići below Podbrdo ("Apparition Hill") was used during the war years as a testing ground for grenade launchers by the militia of a local weapons dealer.

On April 2, 1995, at the high point of conflict within the local diocese, Bishop Ratko Perić was kidnapped by Croatian militiamen, beaten, and taken to a chapel run by one of the Franciscans associated with Međugorje, where he was held hostage for ten hours. At the initiative of the mayor of Mostar he was freed without bloodshed, with the help of the United Nations Protection Force.

Development after the war

After the ending of the Bosnian War, peace came to the area: UN peace troops were stationed in western Herzegovina. Efforts by the politician Ante Jelavić to create a Croatian entity were unsuccessful, and Međugorje remained part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The town and its environs boomed economically after the war. Over a thousand hotel and hostel beds are available for religious tourism. With approximately one million visitors annually, the municipality of Medjugorje has the most overnight stays in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The Mostar International Airport, located approximately 20 km to the northeast, which was closed in 1991, reopened for civil aviation in 1998 and has made air travel to region easier since then. The road network was expanded after the Bosnian War. In addition the hamlet of Šurmanci in the lower Neretva valley has a train station on the route from Ploče to Sarajevo.

Peace

Of all the places I have travelled and I have circumnavigated the Northern Hemisphere, Medjugorje is the most peaceful place I have been.

Mortgage Application Checklist

This checklist shows you what you'll need before you complete your mortgage application, so make sure to print out this page. Keep in mind that if you're married, the lender will need a personal background, as well as financial and employment information on both you and your spouse. 

New Property: 

• Copy of the signed Agreement of Purchase and Sale 
• Copy of MLS Listing (if purchased through a Realtor) 
• Address of new house and complete description of property 
• Contact information to obtain access to the house 
• If it's a new construction, plans and specifications
• Name, address, phone and fax number of your Lawyer

Personal Information: 

• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Marital status
• Number of dependents
• Current address and phone number
• Your addresses for the past 3 years
• Your Social Insurance Number

Employment History: 

• Detailed information about your past three years of employment
• Letter of Employment and recent pay stubs (occasionally, a T4 may be required)
• If self-employed, two years of Notice of Assessments and 3 years of income tax returns
• Written explanation of any gap in employment
• Records of dividends and interest received

Assets: 

• Complete information on all bank accounts
• Bank statements for the past three months
• Confirmation that the down payment came from within your own resources
• Current value of stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other investments
• Current value of any RRSP’s
• Value of life insurance (CSV)
• Information on your cars, how much you owe or its current value
• Information on real estate you own
• Value of significant personal property
• If any financial gift is provided by immediate family member(s), please keep record

Liabilities: 

• Itemized list of all debts, including loans, credit cards and other bills
• Written explanation of any past credit problems
• Full details of bankruptcy during the past seven years, if applicable

Call me at 604-603-1257 for more details.

Stats to April 2011

VANCOUVER, B.C. – May 3, 2011 – Greater Vancouver saw a typical, solid month of residential home sales on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in April, in contrast to the near record pace witnessed in the two preceding months.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales of detached, attached and

apartment properties in Greater Vancouver reached 3,225 in April 2011, an 8.2 per cent decrease compared to the 3,512 sales

in April 2010 and a 21 per cent decline compared to the 4,080 sales in March 2011.

Looking back further, last month’s residential sales represent an 8.8 per cent increase over the 2,963 residential sales

in April 2009, relatively unchanged compared to April 2008, and a 4.8 per cent decline compared to the 3,387 sales in

April 2007. “While it continues to be a seller’s market in Greater Vancouver, last month’s activity brought greater balance between supply and demand in the overall marketplace,” Rosario Setticasi, REBGV president said. “The year-over-year decline in April sales can be attributed to a less active condominium market on our MLS®, as there were more detached and townhome sales this April compared to last year.”

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver totalled 5,847 in April 2011. This represents a 23.5 per cent decline compared to April 2010 when 7,648 properties were listed for sale on the MLS®, which was an all-time record for April. Compared to March 2011, last month’s new listings total registered a 14 per cent decline.

At 14,187, the total number of residential property listings on the MLS® increased 8.2 per cent in April compared to last

month and declined 10 per cent from this time last year. “There’s considerable variation in activity within the communities in our region. This is causing home price trends to differ depending on the area,” Setticasi said. “Your local REALTOR® is a valuable resource for obtaining the most accurate, up-todate market evaluation.”

The MLSLink® Housing Price Index (HPI) benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver over the

last 12 months has increased 5 per cent to $622,991 in April 2011 from $593,419 in April 2010.

Sales of detached properties on the MLS® in April 2011 reached 1,402, an increase of 2.3 per cent from the 1,370 detached

sales recorded in April 2010, and a 17.8 per cent increase from the 1,190 units sold in April 2009. The benchmark price for

detached properties increased 7.4 per cent from April 2010 to $879,039.

Sales of apartment properties reached 1,201 in April 2011, a 21.3 per cent decrease compared to the 1,526 sales in April

2010, and an increase of 1.9 per cent compared to the 1,179 sales in April 2009. The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 2.9 per cent from April 2010 to $409,242.

Attached property sales in April 2011 totalled 622, a 1 per cent increase compared to the 616 sales in April 2010, and a 4.7

per cent increase from the 594 attached properties sold in April 2009. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 2.4

per cent between April 2010 and 2011 to $514,670

For a complete Stats Package to April 2011, Please call or send me an email request.

Greater Vancouver housing market sees typical spring activity in April