Real Estate Articles
Your Home, Your Life!
Ontario Land Transfer Tax Rebate Explained
Imagine you and your partner are excited to buy your first home in Ontario. You spend your weekends looking at homes, dreaming of your future, and planning your perfect space. But then, you start to worry about the extra costs, like the land transfer tax. That's when...
Struggling Under the Stress Test
Discover how the mortgage stress test in Canada impacts the ability of Canadians to afford homes and the actionable steps you can take to address this requirement.
Balancing Financial and Lifestyle Goals
In the realm of personal finance and lifestyle design, real estate often serves as a cornerstone. It represents not only a significant financial investment but also a profound lifestyle choice. As a former realtor, financial advisor, and mortgage agent, I've observed...
Condition of Home Inspection
When purchasing a property, the condition of home inspection gives the buyer the right to hire a professional home inspector to assess the property's condition. If significant issues are uncovered, the buyer can renegotiate the price, request repairs, or cancel the...
Regulating the Canadian Mortgage Industry
The structure of the regulatory framework for the mortgage industry in Canada is intricate and multi-layered, involving federal, provincial, and municipal entities along with key market participants such as the Bank of Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing...
Home Appraisal vs Home Inspection
Discover the difference between a home inspection and a home appraisal and how those differences impact your purchase and finance decisions.
Condition of Appraisal
In real estate transactions, an appraisal condition is a clause in the Agreement of Purchase and Sale that makes the buyer's obligation to complete the purchase contingent upon the property's appraised value meeting or exceeding the agreed-upon purchase price. This...
Condition of Sale of Buyer’s Property
Navigating the real estate market can be complex, especially when conditions like "sale of current property" clauses—commonly referred to as Sale of Buyer’s Property (SBP) conditions—come into play. With the cooling real estate market, these conditions have made a...
Mortgages On Rural Properties
Mortgage lenders in Canada are often hesitant to finance properties in rural areas or properties with active farms for several reasons: Marketability and Resale Value Loan-To-Value Property Appraisal Challenges Zoning and Use Restrictions Maintenance and Condition...
Understanding Condo Reserve Funds
Discover what a condo reserve fund is, the signs it may be insufficient, and how to discover and avoid condos with insufficient reserve funds.
Condominium Conditions
When a person in Canada wishes to purchase a condominium, they put in their offer to purchase a condition to enable themselves, their lawyer, their realtor, and their mortgage agent and lender the opportunity to review detailed information about the financial and...
(RRSP) Home Buyers’ Plan: Saving for Your Home
RRSP Home Buyers Plan or Home Buyer Plan. Unlock your RRSP savings to buy your first home with the Home Buyers’ Plan. Learn how to make a tax-free withdrawal for your down payment.
Real Estate Conditions
In Canadian real estate transactions, conditions are specific clauses included in a purchase agreement that must be satisfied for the deal to proceed. These conditions are designed to protect the buyer (or sometimes the seller) and ensure that certain requirements or...
Condition of Financing
When purchasing a property, buyers either pay for the entire property with their existing funds or they need to seek out financing by getting a mortgage. Previous to looking for a home, buyers need to have a relationship with a mortgage agent to create a financial...
How Much is AirBnB Driving Up Rent Prices?
How much is AirBnb driving up Rent Prices?
Rent prices continue to surge across the country begging the question, “what effect and how much are temporary rentals like AirBnB driving up the cost of rent, and even driving up the cost of housing?
Finding the Right Realtor
Finding a realtor is not just about hiring a professional to help you buy a home; it's about choosing a partner for one of the most significant financial decisions of your life. I used to be a realtor with Royal LePage, then later Sutton Group. I was a consultant at...
Featured Publications
Articles
- Extended Amortizations and Hypothetical Calculations
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) - Minimum Qualifying Rate for Uninsured Mortgages
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) - Residential Mortgage Underwriting Practices and Procedures
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) - Guideline on Existing Consumer Mortgage Loans in Exceptional Circumstances Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Book: “The Program”
- Part 1 – Building Your Down Payment
- Part 2 – Mortgage Payoff Strategies
- Part 3 – Building Wealth Through Real Estate