Trusted Saskatoon Mortgage Brokers Tip About Your Phone and Low Mortgage Rates

28. Nov 2019 Trusted Saskatoon Saskatoon Mortgages, Trusted Tips

Buying a home is one of the most important and exciting steps in your life.... now that pesky financing! Deal with people who can offer you and your family the best options for you.

So How Does Your Phone Affect Your Mortgage Rates

What many people aren’t aware of is that your cell phone payment history DOES affect your credit score.

Cell phone accounts work differently than a credit card or a line of credit. A cell phone is an open or “O” account, which means the balance has to be paid in full at the end of each month.

There is no such thing as a minimum payment with an “O” account like there is with credit cards and lines of credit. You can’t just pay a portion of your bill. The amount that you see on your statement has to be paid in full otherwise your credit score will suffer.

Unfortunately, many Canadians don’t view paying their cell phone bill in full or on time as being as important as other payments. Lenders disagree. The bank underwriters (the people who review your application) are thinking, “If you can’t make or keep track of a cell phone payment, what are the chances that you are going to be responsible with your mortgage payment?”

Costly Missed Payments

Let’s take a look at one borrower, John, who was declined for best-rate mortgage financing on the purchase of a new house because he had three late payments on his cell phone bill during the last two years. His argument wasn’t unique. “I called (the phone company) before the payment was due and asked if I could pay half of the bill this month and the remainder of the outstanding balance the following month,” he said. “The customer service rep told me that it was okay to take a couple of months to get caught up.”

Susan and Frank found themselves in a similar situation. They were approved for mortgage financing but were then declined at the last minute due to a recent late payment showing up on their report in the same week they were supposed to be moving.

Arranging a mortgage and preparing for a move is stressful enough without having a financing issue in the eleventh hour. In the end they were able to find a resolution, but it resulted in a delayed closing. They had to get approved by a different lender at a higher rate. In addition to all the stress and time, this small mistake ended up costing them $3,459.28.

Despite what they tell you, late payments will continue to be recorded until your account is caught up. Underwriters will look at an applicant with an outstanding balance as someone who is not in control of their finances. It will drop your score and hurt your chances of being approved for the best rates and terms.

A Matter of Principle

It’s common for consumers to not make a payment because they were unfairly charged or they found a mistake on their bill. On principle, I understand that you might not want to make the payment, however, even if you are disputing the charge, it will not stop the negative item from showing up on your credit report.

And keep in mind that one late payment can be enough to negatively impact your best rates and terms for future financing. Your cell phone company will start the collection process if an overdue balance is not paid within 60 to 90 days.

As you can guess, a collection appearing on your report does not help your credit score. Many of my clients echo my caution, and in hindsight wished they had simply paid the bill in the first place. If you find yourself in this situation, my suggestion is to clear the amount owing first and then dispute the charges. That way it doesn’t lower your score or cause you to get charged higher rates just because of one account.

Warning…Warning

If you have paid out or closed your cell phone account, make sure you get something in writing to confirm that there is no outstanding balance owing.

The same goes for an outstanding amount or settled collection. Don’t take anyone’s word for it or assume that it will be updated on your credit report. Are you starting to see a trend? Whatever you do, get a confirmation in writing! If you don’t, it will make trying to correct the error even more difficult.

The only way to avoid having your cell phone report on both Equifax and TransUnion is to go with a pay-as-you-go contract. If you are on any other type of plan, keep your fingers crossed. You don’t want to be one of the unlucky ones to have a cell phone error or problem tarnishing your credit. To improve your chances of avoiding any issues, ensure you pay the full amount owing each month and keep good records.

Breathe Better Indoor Air Quality Trusted Saskatoon Furnace & Duct Cleaners Tip On When To Clean Your Ducts

26. Nov 2019 Admin Saskatoon Furnace & Duct Cleaning, Trusted Tips

Breathe Better Indoor Air Quality are here to service all your Indoor Air Quality needs in Saskatoon.They provide the best furnace and duct cleaning in Saskatoon. In this article they explain when you should get the furnace and ducts cleaned!. Breathe Better Indoor Air Quality Specialists are Trusted Saskatoon Furnace and Duct Cleaners.

When Is It Time To Clean Your Ducts?

Over time, ducts become littered with foreign objects such as dust, mould, dead insects, dust mites, and animal hair. Unfortunately, people often overlook cleaning their ducts, which can lead to problems.

Consequences Of Dirty Ducts

Dirt and dust restrict the heating and cooling capability of ducts, which results in increased run time requiring more fuel and energy, therefore costing you more!
Airflow is restricted, which means the system can’t effectively circulate properly warmed or cooled air throughout your home. Again, this means that more energy will be used.
As your HVAC system needs to operate longer, it increases its wear and tear. This means you’ll need to replace it sooner, which would be a lot more expensive than just getting it cleaned.
All the dirt and dust that is left in the ducts can become a breeding ground for bacteria, mites and other unwanted pests, which can be detrimental to your health and exacerbate allergies.
The dirt and dust spread much quicker around your home with dirty ducts, no matter how much you clean! The contaminants flow from room to room covering anything in their paths, such as beds, tables, phones, and children’s toys.

How To Determine If Your Ducts Need Cleaning

You can attempt a visual inspection of the air ducts to help determine whether they need cleaning. However, you must be able to physically access ALL the areas of your HVAC system in order to do this properly. That is why we recommend you getting the professionals in to inspect the system, as with our high-resolution video inspection cameras, we can have a thorough look to determine whether your ducts need cleaning.

Determine The Type & Amount Of Debris Inside Your Ducts

It is inevitable that at some point ducts will get clogged with various types of debris and pollutants. This can consist of pollen, rodent and insect faeces, dust, dust mites, and lint. All of these MUST be removed to ensure the proper functionality of your ducts.
If you find mould growing inside or outside the surface of the ducts, a thorough moisture issue investigation needs to be quickly carried out to prevent any further complications. It is essential that you do not try to tackle mould in or out of the system yourself, but instead, let the professionals do it on your behalf.

Clean The Duct Yourself Or Not

If dust, debris, pollens or moulds have accumulated to the point where they are clogging air ducts, collecting on dampers, joints and screws, then it is most certainly time to get those ducts PROFESSIONALLY cleaned. If you fail to do so the airflow will get restricted, affecting its efficiency in the long run and potentially causing premature failure of the whole system.

Breathe Better is committed to providing clean and healthy indoor air quality. They always follow best practices in sanitizing equipment between clients, maintaining a comfortable distance between technicians and clients, and offering unique sanitizing options to help you keep safe and healthy.

'Indoor Air Quality Specialists Helping You To Breathe Better.'

Breathe Better Indoor Air Quality Specialists are Trusted Saskatoon Furnace and Duct Cleaners

Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body Experts Preferred Collision Explain The Costs of Respraying

25. Nov 2019 Nat Saskatoon Auto Body, Trusted Tips

What can you expect when you deal with the professionals at Preferred Collision and Glass Saskatoon?
You can also expect Seamless quality repairs! A faster turnaround for your vehicle (on average 25% faster!!) & Assistance dealing with insurance! You'll find quality at every price point - from a few hundred dollars to a thousand or more. It's up to you. Preferred Collision and Glass is a Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body Expert.

Preferred Collision Break Down The Costs Of Re-Spraying Your Vehicle

Respraying a vehicle is a time-consuming process, with dozens of hours needed for preparation, painting and follow-up color sanding, making it very difficult for a good-quality paint job to cost less than $10,000. Obviously, there is trade-off, you can have less time spent on the respray, which will mean the process will cost less. However, there will be a noticeable difference in the quality of the finish.

Here we look at the various costs that are involved with any respray

DISASSEMBLY
Before any work can begin, the vehicle needs to be completely disassembled. This can be done by the owner if they wish to save costs. However, we recommend that the shop should do it for continuity and parts-tracking assurance. This process can take 12-20 hours and will cost around $2,500.

STRIPPING
The next step is to media-blast or chemically strip the body, which will reveal the full extent of any rust or previous body repairs. This step is where the cost of the project can increase considerably, but it is essential to ensure that a quality job is done. This step will cost around $1,500-$2000. A body respray can be done without media-blasting to save on cost, however, several hours will still be spent sanding down the existing finish.

BODY REPAIR
Body Repair is often the biggest variable as every vehicle needs a different amount of work, but it's normally inevitable that it will need to be done to some degree on every project. Sometimes, it can be cheaper and more efficient to do a whole panel replacement than repair the existing damage. It is difficult to estimate the cost of body work before the project has started, but it can range from a few hours of work to hundreds of hours, purely depending on the state of the car once it has been stripped.

PANEL ALIGNMENT
Panel alignment tends to be necessary on older vehicles, as the body panels generally need to be adjusted to achieve more even gaps and ensure the body lines have good alignment. This process could add $2,000 or more to the cost, but it isn’t always necessary on every project.

BLOCK SANDING
The smoother and straighter the body is, the better the finished job will look, and this comes down to block sanding. Block sanding is an extremely time-consuming process and it takes hundreds of hours to do a quality job. A reasonable 100 hours of block sanding can add $9,000 to the tally, but this doesn’t include a concours-level finish. It is very important not to skimp at this step as it will massively affect the quality of the paint job.

PAINTING
This part of the project actually involves less hours than others. Depending on how many layers are sprayed on, the painting process tends to involve 8-12 hours’ worth of labor, costing around $800-$1,200. However, two or three gallons of paint will be needed, so this part of the project will normally cost between £3,000-$5,000 in total, but can sometimes be more.

COLOR SANDING
Similar to block sanding, hundreds of hours can be spent on high levels of color sanding. Color sanding is necessary in order to achieve a greater appearance to the finish. A reasonable 40-50 hours of color sanding can add another $3,500-$4,500 to the final cost of the project, but for an even better finish more hours are needed, which will increase the cost.
So, if you are needing a re-spray on your vehicle come visit us at Preferred Collision, and we PROMISE to do a quality job for a fair price.

If you are in a collision, Preferred Collision and Glass will look after all your and your car’s needs, during and after, with our Customer For Life program.

Preferred Collision and Glass is a Trusted Saskatoon Auto Body Expert.

Trusted Founder Shares A Personal Experience With A Roofing Company That Would Never Qualify For Trusted Saskatoon

18. Nov 2019 Nat Saskatoon Roofers, Trusted Partner News, Trusted Tips

When I started Trusted Saskatoon back in 2011, my aim was to create a website where consumers could find TRUSTWORTHY locally owned businesses who operate with integrity. I had suffered a few times from negative experiences and felt that there was something missing that prevented people being ripped off. I recently experienced first-hand ( again) the exact reason why I was driven to create www.trustedsaskatoon.com, as a real resource to protect and help YOU the consumer who is choosing where to spend your hard earned money!

Sara Shares A Real Life Roofing Story

Not long ago I returned home to find that a local 'cedar shake expert' roofing company had stopped by. They spoke to a family member in my absence and delivered a flyer, product brochure, business card and a detailed $12,500 quote for a new roof. I had not requested a quote, however the company representative said they wanted to provide it to us as a courtesy as they were concerned for us. They noted that this was their recommendation based on the many issues they could see whilst working on our neighbours roof. The company had been next door for a few days repairing and re-roofing the roof and they said that had given them an excellent opportunity to see the issues on our roof. Even better, because they were in the area, they would do it for a special reduced price – how kind of them!

Unfortunately for this roofing company, they pitched their quote to the wrong homeowners...

Being the owner of Trusted for nearly 9 years, means that I have learnt a lot of best practices when it comes to quoting. In addition to that, I have lots of people sharing with me who NOT to trust in Saskatoon. This company has been mentioned to me at least a dozen times over the years, so I was bound to be suspicious of the quote and the motivations behind it.

Naturally, I wanted to find out whether these roofing ‘experts’ were right about the issues with my roof, so I called one of our Trusted Saskatoon Roofers, Scott Roofing to take a look.

Scott Roofing

Scott Roofing has over 30 years years of experience in the Saskatoon roofing industry and they are the first roofing choice for many of Saskatoon's top contractors. Owner, Scott Landru has extensive roofing experience, skills and knowledge.They have proven track record and we know them to be a trustworthy reliable roofing contractor for both builders and homeowners who value friendly service and honest advice.

A Roof Inspection

Scott visited my house with some team members, and inspected my roof from ground level as well as from on the roof itself. They also checked via a drone to make very sure they had done a thorough job. After a few days he sent over the report and a quote that I have attached below.

Please note that the roof showed “signs of normal wear due to ageing”, but that it still had a “projected remaining life expectancy of 15-25 years” so in his expert opinion there would be no reason to complete a roof replacement or any repairs any time soon.

Scott’s information raised the question, WHY would this other roofing company give us a quote for $12,500 for a new roof when there was nothing wrong with it? Was this just a genuine mistake, or was there something a bit more sinister to the story?

WHY You Should Always Do Your Due Diligence

Upon further investigation, they have 19 (yes,19) cases against them due to issues with past jobs, so it is clear that there is a trend beginning to appear with this business.. They are NOT trustworthy.

Roofers are often seen as untrustworthy by homeowners, as there have been too many stories like this of people being scared into thinking that their most valuable asset is going to be wrecked by a roof that is in 'desperate' need of a replacement. To add to the problem, few Canadians make the necessary verifications, such as ensuring the company they are signing with legally exists (16%), has proper insurance (19%), a business licence (27%), and a clean legal history (14%). This exacerbates the problem and leads to people being ripped off unnecessarily.

So, what point am I trying to make by sharing my experience??

I want to emphasize that you should ALWAYS shop around and get at least 2 or 3 quotes whenever you need a job done, to ensure that you do not get ripped off by a disreputable contractor or business owner. Alternatively, you can cut out all that leg work and save time and stress, simply visit Trusted Saskatoon, where you can find a Trusted Saskatoon businesses in 40 categories. We KNOW them, we care about them AND you the consumer. We have checked them out for you and we work with them to maintain standards. They share their experience and advice with you in articles like this - we have collected over 1000 helpful articles in our Trusted Saskatoon library . We GUARANTEE that we only promote trustworthy integrity driven locally owned businesses who are invested in our community and will always complete work to the highest quality for a fair price on time!

I will not name the other roofing company - that is not my role- Trusted is here to support and promote the businesses we partner with, those operating in line with our Trusted Guarantees. We stand by them and so do all of our other wonderful Trusted Saskatoon partners.

5 Trusted Guarantees

Provide the service and quality promised.
Complete the job on time.
Charge the price quoted with NO surprises.
Communicate honestly and be responsive to customer needs.
Resolve any issues with customer satisfaction in mind.

Scott Roofing is a Trusted Saskatoon Roofer

Trusted Window & Door Experts At Wiebe Windows Share A Customer Testimonial

7. Nov 2019 Nat Saskatoon Windows & Doors, Trusted Tips

Owner, Bradley Wiebe has been installing windows and doors in Saskatoon and area for over 10 years. They only install Canadian manufactured windows and doors. These products are built for the Saskatchewan climate. Bradley also offers general handyman and renovation services! Wiebe Windows & More are Trusted Saskatoon Window & Door, Experts!

Wiebe Windows & More share a testimonial from a happy customer:

The Trusted Saskatoon directory was set up based upon the principals of good business, and the foundation of good business is integrity. Simply put, if you don't care about your customer's needs as a business then you will never be trusted.

On a regular basis, we get feedback from YOU the public when they have used the directory to find a Trusted business and we like to share it with you...here we document some real words from a REAL customer about one of our Trusted Saskatoon experts