Higher mortgage rates could be coming – and a lot sooner than many of us anticipated. Ever since the start of the year, the Canadian economy has been on a tear. GDP soared 3.7 percent in the first quarter, followed by 0.2 percent in April. With our economy not showing any signs of slowing down, […]

Last week I attended the first annual Ontario Housing Summit. The summit was created to address the increasing importance of housing on the political agenda. The event featured panel discussions on a number of real estate topics, including “Deconstructing Ontario’s Fair Housing Plan,” “The Future of Housing,” and a Fireside Chat on “Ontario’s Approach to […]

On Tuesday, June 13th, I have the privilege of speaking on the “Millennials and Home Ownership” panel at the 2017 Ontario Housing Summit. The affordability of real estate is surely a topic that will be heavily focused on. To address this, the Ontario Liberals recently introduced the Fair Housing Market Plan. Although it was a […]

I’m a big fan of the “Your Money” section of the Business Insider. I especially enjoy reading articles from millionaires sharing the secrets of their success. I may not always agree with everything that the “one per cent” says, but at least it gets us to reconsider our spending habits. Some opinions are controversial, but […]

Last week the Ontario Liberals released a 16-point plan ahead of this week’s provincial budget aimed to cool the red-hot real estate market in Toronto. With the premier’s approval rating at a woeful 12 percent and a provincial election set for June 2018, it became too politically costly not to do something. When the government […]

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau caught a lot of flak last year when they told younger workers to get used to “job churn” and “precarious work.” While their warning may have seemed harsh, unfortunately, this is the new reality of the current labour market. Growing up many baby boomers enjoyed jobs […]

New Year’s, it’s a time of celebration and reflection. Celebration for all that we’ve accomplished in the year. Reflection for positive changes we could make to ensure that next year is even better. A popular annual tradition is to set New Year’s Resolutions. Popular resolutions include getting in better shape, quitting smoking and better managing […]

The Ontario government hinted last week it would offer something “small” to first-time homebuyers in its fall economic statement and it didn’t disappoint. On Monday, the Liberals announced that starting January 1, 2017, the maximum provincial land transfer tax rebate for first-time homebuyers will double from $2,000 to $4,000. If you’re buying a home in […]

Last week CBC Marketplace aired an eye-opening episode on the wild, world of Toronto real estate. In the episode entitled, “Real estate: How some agents break the rules,” the show’s journalists went undercover with hidden cameras to investigate real estate agents for wrongdoing. And what they found was downright shocking. Is the Deck Stacked Against […]

Besides the U.S. election, another popular topic of discussion at dinner parties these days is housing. There’s no easy way to put it: Canada is a country obsessed with real estate. We love spending money on home renovations – whether it’s granite counter-tops or stainless steel appliances – and we like our homes big. Canadians have […]