Blog
HST
There’s lots of confusion about how HST will affect all kinds of purchases. Here’s a short explanation of its impact on a real estate transaction: The HST will have more of an impact on new construction home sales over $400,000, as the purchase price of these homes will be subject to HST. The effect on […]
Financing Your Home Renovation
Home renovations can be a great way to improve the value of your home for sale or to enhance your living space for you yourself to enjoy. Whatever your reason, you ‘ll need to determine your budget before getting started. Once you have an idea of what the job will cost, you have to decide […]
New Lending Rules Will Affect Home Purchases
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced three new rule changes connected to government-backed insured mortgages. These changes have been anticipated and many lenders had already put them into practice. They become mandatory on April 19th, 2010. The first relates to higher qualification rates. Since interest rates are at an all time low, there’s been some […]
Growth in home sales
Jason Mercer, TREB’s senior manager of market analysis said that, “The number of existing home sales in the fourth quarter will be well ahead of the volumes experienced during the last three months of 2008. I am confident that the number of transactions will push through the 80,000 mark and perhaps be hovering around 85,000 […]
Green Homes
How do you know that you’re buying a ‘green home’? The Canada Green Building Council just introduced the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program ‘LEED’ Canada for Homes rating system. This third party certification program is perhaps the most rigorous in North America. If you’re considering a new build that is LEED certified, you […]
Real Estate Buying Decisions – Women Make Up Their Minds Faster Than Men!
A recent survey of 1,000 people conducted by International Communications Research, delved into the inner-psyche of men and women, asking questions such as “How long did it take for you to know that the last home you purchased was right for you?” and “If you found the home of your dreams but had concerns about […]