Real Estate Articles
Your Home, Your Life!
Porting Your Mortgage
Navigating the complexities of mortgage management can be daunting, especially when life's changes necessitate a move. One valuable feature offered by many mortgage lenders in Canada is the ability to port a mortgage. This article delves into what it means to port a...
Canada’s Financial Snapshot
Whether you’re renewing, refinancing, or getting ready to jump into homeownership, let’s sit down and chat about something that directly affects your financial future: Canada’s financial landscape. Think of this as our casual coffee chat—packed with important info, minus the confusing jargon.
Mortgages for Co-Ops
The idea of a co-op might raise an eyebrow. You’ve probably heard the term before, maybe in a Manhattan movie — but in Canadian real estate? Not so common. And the truth is, financing a co-op isn’t quite the same as getting a regular condo mortgage. So let’s walk through what makes them different, what lenders look for, and how you can still make it happen if you’ve got your heart set on one.
Why Can’t We Build Homes
“Supply, supply, supply.”
If you’ve spent any time in the world of Canadian housing policy—or if you’ve even just watched the evening news—you’ve probably heard that phrase tossed around as the magic bullet to solve our housing crisis. But here’s the real question: If we all agree that we need more homes, why can’t we just build them?
Hidden Housing Costs: Provincial Downloading
We talk a lot about high home prices in Ontario—land costs, construction costs, interest rates. But there’s a quieter, less visible factor that doesn’t get enough airtime: provincial downloading.
In plain terms, downloading is when the provincial government offloads responsibilities and costs onto municipalities—without providing the funding to go with it. And when municipalities are left holding the bill, they turn to one of the few revenue tools they have: development charges.
Provinces Make Housing Expensive
If you’ve ever wondered why Ontario’s cities are straining to pay for everything from public housing to transit to stormwater pipes, the answer lies in a quiet but powerful political strategy called “downloading.” It’s the art of pushing responsibility down the ladder—without sending the dollars to match.
5 Reasons to Escape The Rent Trap
Renting can offer advantages over buying, such as flexibility, lower upfront costs, and freedom from maintenance responsibilities. However, for most people, renting is not a lifestyle choice; it is an economic necessity. Most people would buy something if they could....
Ever Consider a Co Op?
let me introduce you to an underrated gem that’s been quietly helping people live affordably for decades: co-operative housing — or co-ops, for short.
“Will I Get Paid?” What Realtors Need to Know
If you’ve ever sold a home that came with more drama than a Real Housewives reunion, you know how messy things can get when there’s more debt on the property than equity. And if your client has a first mortgage, a second mortgage, and took out some equity to help the kids — well, we’re already in “handle with care” territory.
In Defence of NIMBYism
When homeowners resist changes to their neighbourhoods—particularly the addition of multi-family housing in established single-family areas—they’re often labelled with a pejorative acronym: NIMBY, or “Not In My Back Yard.” The term implies selfishness or resistance to progress. But in reality, the NIMBY instinct is not only understandable—it is grounded in centuries of legal tradition, economic rationale, and the very nature of what it means to own property in a commonwealth nation like Canada.
Foundations Impact Mortgages
A house foundation is the structural base that supports a home, distributing its weight evenly and providing stability against shifting soil, moisture, and environmental conditions. In Canada, where climate and soil composition vary widely, the choice of foundation...
Mortgage Scenario: Self Employed Man Meets Employed Woman
Imagine a man and a woman want to get a mortgage to buy a house. The man has a dry wall business where he doesn't pay himself much to keep his income taxes down, and the woman is a full-time permanent dental hygienist. Should they apply for a mortgage under a prime...
Why Listings Are Killing the Market
The Paradox of Choice is a concept popularized by psychologist Barry Schwartz in his book “The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less.” It refers to the phenomenon where having too many options leads to decision paralysis, increased anxiety, and dissatisfaction—rather than greater freedom or happiness.
10 Ways Development Costs Impact Real Estate
Development costs refer to the expenses incurred in the process of developing a property. These costs can be quite extensive and vary greatly depending on the project's scale, location, type of development, and other factors. Here's a breakdown of typical development...
Understanding Wells and Your Mortgage
In Canada, wells are a crucial water source for many rural and semi-rural properties where municipal water services are unavailable. Homeowners rely on wells to access groundwater for daily use, including drinking, cooking, and irrigation. The need for a well...
Are House Prices Too High?
You don’t need to be a real estate expert to feel it: house prices seem out of reach for the average family. But why? What’s keeping prices so high when affordability has clearly left the building? As someone who gets into roughly a hundred homes every month, I’ve had a front-row seat to the push and pull of today’s housing market—and let me tell you, it’s a fascinating, frustrating, and complex story.
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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