(905) 441 0770 allen@allenehlert.com

Real Estate Articles

Your Home, Your Life!
Mortgage Term

Insider’s Look into Mortgage Terms

Navigating the world of mortgages can be daunting for both new and seasoned homeowners. A fundamental aspect of any mortgage is the "mortgage term," which dictates several key financial decisions and outcomes over the course of homeownership. My goal in this article...
Closing Costs: Commercial Vs Residential

Closing Costs: Commercial vs. Residential

Closing Costs: Commercial vs. Residential. Residential closing costs are usually more predictable. Commercial closing costs, on the other hand, can feel like opening a junk drawer: legal fees, lender fees, environmental reports, appraisals, accounting advice, GST/HST questions, lease reviews, zoning issues, and sometimes a few “where did that come from?” moments.

Understanding IRR

Understanding Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

Understanding Internal Rate of Return (IRR): In real estate, it’s easy to get caught up in surface-level numbers—cash flow, purchase price, appreciation. But if you really want to operate like a professional investor, and guide your clients like one, you need a metric that answers a deeper question

Interest Rate Impact on Property Value

The Impact of Mortgage Rates on Residential Property Values

The potential consequences of escalating mortgage rates on the valuation of residential properties are leading to a projected decline of 5% in home prices. By analyzing the impact of rising interest rates on the housing market, my research seeks to shed light on the...
Credit Lock Freeze

Ontario’s Credit Lock/Freeze Law

Ontario Credit Lock/Freeze Law: Ontario has just added a powerful new consumer-protection tool to your financial toolbox: the ability to lock or freeze your credit file. Think of it like putting a digital deadbolt on your credit report. It will not stop every form of fraud, and it will not replace common sense, strong passwords, or careful monitoring, but it can make it much harder for someone to open new credit in your name.

Lawyer Don't Wait to Last Minute

Don’t Leave the Lawyer to the Last Minute

Don’t Leave the Lawyer to the Last Minute: Your lawyer protects your legal interests, handles the transfer of ownership, deals with title, coordinates funds, pays out old mortgages, registers new ones, and helps make sure your sale and purchase actually close properly.

Understanding Condo Fees

Understanding Condominium Fees

When considering the purchase of a condominium in Canada, it is essential for potential buyers to understand condominium fees. These fees are a significant component of condo ownership, affecting both budgeting and financing. Here, we will explore the nature of these...

HELOCs and Hidden Land Tax

“Wait… We’re Paying Land Transfer Tax Again?” A lot of homeowners think adding a HELOC is just paperwork. You sign a few documents, the lawyer registers a new charge, and away you go. Easy peasy, right? Well… sometimes. But every now and then, a refinance or HELOC...
Property Taxes

Property Tax Calculations

Understanding property taxes and their calculations in Canada is essential for homeowners, prospective buyers, and real estate professionals alike. Property taxes are a significant source of revenue for municipalities and directly impact local services and...
Scam to Pay Full Year’s Rent Up Front

Is It a Scam to Pay a Full Year’s Rent in Advance?

Learn what is legal and what is practised when competing for a place to rent.

Understanding Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

Understanding Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

Understanding Internal Rate of Return (IRR): In real estate, it’s easy to get caught up in surface-level numbers—cash flow, purchase price, appreciation. But if you really want to operate like a professional investor, and guide your clients like one, you need a metric that answers a deeper question

read more
Climbing the Mortgage Ladder

Climbing the Mortgage Ladder

Mortgage Ladder: Life doesn’t always unfold in neat, predictable steps. Sometimes you get bruised credit after a divorce, sometimes your business income doesn’t show well on paper, and sometimes the bank just flat-out says “no.” That’s when the mortgage ladder comes into play: starting where you are, even if that’s at the bottom rung, and climbing steadily toward prime lending.

read more
How to Merge Ownership

How to Merge Ownership

How to Merge Ownership: Two people fall in love, their lives start to merge, and eventually the question comes up: What about the house?

Maybe one partner bought the home years earlier. Maybe they built up equity on their own. Now the relationship has grown serious—marriage is on the table or the couple has decided to live common-law—and the other partner wants to contribute financially and build equity too.

read more
Ultimate First-Time Homebuyer Pre-Approval Calculator

Ultimate First-Time Homebuyer Pre-Approval Calculator

Ultimate First-TIme Homebuyer Pre-Approval Calculator: Most mortgage calculators out there are glorified guess machines. This isn’t a toy. It’s not a marketing gimmick. It’s a full underwriting-style analyzer designed to show you how a lender actually looks at your file—before you ever submit an application.

read more
Canadian Wealth Gap Widens

Canadian Wealth Gap Widens

Explore the expanding wealth gap in Canada and its impact on economic disparity, home ownership and social equality. Understand today’s financial divide.

read more
Rental Investment Analyzer Manual

Rental Investment Analyzer Manual

The Rental Investment Analyzer is a comprehensive financial analysis tool for evaluating Canadian rental properties. It converts user inputs (market rent, expenses, financing, etc.) into professional metrics like NOI, DSCR, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and break-even rent.

read more
Understanding Addbacks

Understanding Addbacks

Understanding Addbacks: In Canadian mortgage lending, addbacks are one of the most important (and most misunderstood) tools for turning taxable income into true cash-flow income—without pretending, stretching, or “making numbers up.”

read more
Financial Power of Your Basement

Financial Power of Your Basement

Basement Apartment or Rental Suite: an owner-occupied rental — a basement suite, in-law unit, or secondary living space — can fundamentally change how a lender sees them, how much mortgage they qualify for, and how heavy their housing costs feel month to month.

read more
Dangerous Radon Gas

Dangerous Radon Gas

Dangerous Radon Gas: Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that forms as uranium in soil and rock breaks down. Outdoors it disperses harmlessly. Indoors—especially in basements and lower levels—it can accumulate, and long-term exposure raises lung cancer risk.

read more

Featured Publications

Articles

Book: “The Program”

  • Part 1 – Building Your Down Payment
  • Part 2 – Mortgage Payoff Strategies
  • Part 3 – Building Wealth Through Real Estate

Don’t Wait Any Longer. Start Forging Your Own Path Today!