Did you know that owning a second property and renting it out can be a great way to supplement your retirement income or a great way to pay off the mortgage quicker on your principal resident. We have been landlords for over 10 years now.  I admit, some tenants have been challenging. When considering becoming a Landlord, know that there will be challenges, but if you go about it with a plan, the pros out way the cons. When we began investigating what it would take, to purchase a few... [read more]

Over the last few years, more purchase offers have fallen apart due to financing than in the past couple of decades combined. Financing has become that challenging, and few people realize it until they actually write an offer and make the application. When it comes to mortgage financing, while money may never have been cheaper… it’s also never been harder to get. Get preapproved!!! [read more]

Recent studies have shown that the old adage of buying the worst house on the block may not offer the best rate of return. Often it is the worst house, and priced accordingly, for good reason. As an investment strategy one is often better off focusing on the neighborhood itself, with an average home in a hot neighborhood often doing far better than the ugly duckling in a less desirable area.   [read more]

Home ownership continues to be a great investment and remains very important to the majority of Canadian households. As we move through 2017, we expect the demand for ownership housing to remain strong, including demand from first-time buyers who, according to a recent Ipsos survey, could account for more than half of transactions this year. However, many of these would-be buyers will have problems finding a home that meets their needs in a market with very little inventory. That's where we... [read more]

Toronto's soaring home prices are in line with the reality of other world cities such as New York, Hong Kong and London, says Mark Renzoni, president of global commercial real estate giant CBRE. "The market is fairly balanced. It's not being driven by foreign capital. It's being driven by Canadians, moving up, buying for the first time," he told the Star, following a speech at CBRE's annual market forecast event. [read more]