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Investing in publicly traded real estate is going to get even harder now that one of Canada’s largest shopping mall operators is going private. A $9.4 billion deal, including debt, will see Toronto-based First Capital Real Estate Investment Trust, a retail landlord with about 136 shopping centres in urban areas, be sold to privately held […]
Spring is traditionally the busiest time for real estate and this year, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Follow our Spring Real Estate Survival Guide series as we unpack some of the most pressing questions buyers and sellers are grappling with, plus expert advice on how to navigate the reality of a slower market. Read the
The spring housing market is here, and with it a temptation to move, but before you pull the trigger on a purchase, it is worth stepping back and considering a long-range plan for how many times you will buy and sell homes in your lifetime. Downsizing, upsizing, buying for the first time … it doesn’t
Garry Marr: With housing prices flat, the high cost of moving has never been more clear Read More »
In a previous post, I debated whether it’s better to buy a home with a bigger lot or an amazing view. One key point was that unlike increasing livable square footage, it’s nearly impossible to create or improve a view. Sure, you could add a level to peek over surrounding houses. But building a 1,000-square-foot new level
How To Improve Your Home’s View With Foresight and Patience Read More »
Despite a trade war and other geopolitical tensions, as well as the ongoing mortgage renewal wave, the majority of Canadian homeowners are still meeting their monthly mortgage payments, according to a new poll. About 83 per cent of Canadian homeowners say they have never missed a mortgage payment, according to a survey from brokerage True
Despite growing financial pressures, Canadians are still reliably paying their mortgages Read More »
There is a time to throw in the towel on any investment and that moment may be coming for some homeowners and condo investors. Bankruptcy is still an ugly word in our society, and many will fight tooth and nail to avoid it, but it is becoming a viable financial option today if your real
Garry Marr: Why it could be the right time to walk away from your real estate Read More »
Fifth anniversaries are traditionally celebrated with wood, but five years after mortgage rates hit an all-time low, some homeowners are probably wishing for stone, with a rate etched in it. About a million Canadians got the rate of a lifetime on a mortgage in 2021, but today find themselves married to homes that will cost
The mortgage renewal wave that has long loomed over pandemic buyers who purchased homes at rock-bottom rates may finally be coming to an end, according to a Wednesday report from Toronto-Dominion Bank. “Canadian households are approaching the turning point where the shock is behind them,” TD economist Maria Solovieva wrote in the report. “The hill
Mortgage renewal headwinds near a ‘turning point’ for pandemic buyers, report says Read More »
All of us have three main options to profit from AI: 1) Invest in the right AI companies. 2) Work for the right AI companies. 3) Invest in real estate that will benefit from the AI boom. Investing in the right AI companies is easier said than done. The gorillas like Google, Tesla, Nvidia have
Real Estate Is The Easiest And Safest Way To Profit From AI Read More »
A client recently told me their mortgage was up for renewal in late January, and earlier that month — maybe four weeks before renewal — they received a mortgage renewal form from their bank, one of the Big Six . I was asked which term they should sign off on even though they didn’t like
Here’s why mortgage renewals may be the banks’ biggest rip-off Read More »
Once defined solely by a critical lack of supply, Canada’s housing crisis now faces the compounding challenge of plummeting sales. Sales over the past year have dropped in major centres across the country, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), where the housing shortage remains most acute. Home sales in the GTA fell 11.2 per
Brad Carr: Canada needs to cut the GST/HST for all new homebuyers, not just first-timers Read More »
Raiding your retirement to make a down payment on your first home is a Canadian tradition that has long been encouraged by the government, but for young Canadians who bought homes at the top of the market, the strategy is looking like a disaster. The average sale price of a home peaked in March 2022
If you want to sell a home for a potential maximum overbid, you need something rare. A tasteful remodel with permits helps. A highly functional layout helps. Being in a prime location helps even more. Beyond those three fundamentals, I strongly recommend trying to buy a home with a view and or one that sits
The Rarest Homes Have Enclosed Front And Back Yards Read More »
There are thousands of unsold condominiums in Canada’s two priciest cities for housing, with not many buyers in sight. Who blinks first — buyers or sellers — is the biggest question that will determine whether sales pick up. A wildcard could be private equity groups, which are already eying inventory in Toronto and Vancouver, hoping
Garry Marr: As Canada’s condo market swoons, private equity is circling Read More »
If you want to find better value when buying a house, avoid the real estate frenzy zone. The real estate frenzy zone is the price range where the largest number of buyers can compete. It generally spans from the median home price plus about 50%. This is where demand is thickest, emotions run hottest, and buyers routinely
Why the Best Real Estate Deals Exist Outside the Frenzy Zone Read More »
Could 2026 be the year of the renter ? After 15 straight months of rental price declines , the power balance may finally be swinging back into the hands of tenants, something that should come as a relief to cash-strapped Canadians, though not all will be in position to take advantage. At the end of
Garry Marr: Why 2026 could be the year of the renter Read More »
I’m back in Honolulu for the winter holidays, visiting my parents, and I’ve been looking forward to this trip for months. Especially after spending about $41,000 remodeling and furnishing a neglected two-bedroom in-law unit attached to their home. The goal was simple: test whether the in-law unit could comfortably house my wife, daughter, and son.
Almost Burned Down My Parent’s Home Twice In One Week Read More »
Rick, a retired accountant from Vernon, B.C., has been coming to California for 17 years. But closing in on 80 years of age, he has been reconsidering that ritual. He doesn’t like the political climate in the United States and he also worries about how Canadians will be accepted. He would probably sell his place
Ideally, you want to find a home with both a big lot and amazing views. These are the two special features that most buyers covet the most, which create bidding wars and higher re-sale prices. However, they rarely coexist at an affordable price. Usually, when a home has amazing views, it’s perched on a hill
Big Lot vs Great Views: Deciding Which Home Offers More Value Read More »
Billed as the tallest residential tower in Canada, the 85-storey project at Yonge and Bloor in Toronto once known as the One , will probably be also famous for one of the longest construction runways to final completion, a time frame every condo buyer should worry about. Developer Sam Mizrahi bought the land in 2014,