How to navigate a real estate market in transition Unless you’ve been away on a very long vacation for the past seven months, you know that inflation has been raging and interest rates have been steadily climbing. There have always been direct consequences of that...
Robyn Thompson is featured in The Globe and Mail’s “Financial Facelift” series by Diane Maley. Mark and Meredith are well positioned financially with robust cash flow, and want to retire, but they still have mortgages on rental properties. Should they pay off the...
How to cut the capital gains tax hit Thinking about selling the cottage, cabin, or lakeside getaway? Plenty of people are, especially those of the Baby Boom generation who are finding that maintaining two properties is increasingly time-consuming, tiresome, and...
Getting away from it all with the CRA Cottages and cabins in the woods or by the lake are an iconic Canadian getaway. Most owners of recreational property happily deal with maintenance issues for the chance of that glorious sunset, water-skiing, or a dip in the...
Crunch the numbers before you make an offer The big question for young couples just starting out is whether to move out of that downtown condo unit and borrow to buy a home. This becomes especially critical if you’re planning a family or if a baby is already on the...
The ABCs of the ACB Thinking of selling your cottage, cabin, or recreational property? Unless it’s truly your principal residence, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will want its share of any capital gain you make on the sale. It calculates the capital gain as the...
Know the rules before you sign on the dotted line If you’ve been shopping for a mortgage for your new home, you probably have run across something called a “stress test.” It raises the bar on your financial health a lot higher before you can qualify for a mortgage...
A source of funds for first-time home buyers Looking for a source of funds as a down payment on your first home? If you have a good chunk of money sitting in your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), you may be eligible to use some of it towards the purchase...
Unless it’s a principal residence, you’ll pay tax on any gain in value If the likes of Steven Spielberg, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Tom Hanks, and Bill Murray have been spotted vacationing at summer homes in the exclusive Muskoka lakes region of Ontario, there...
When to take advantage of the Home Buyer’s Plan First-time homebuyers who have RRSPs often look to supplement their down payment by taking advantage of the RRSP Home Buyer’s Plan. But frequently, they have only a sketchy idea of how it works and whether it’s even...
Timely tips for first-time homebuyers Real estate is hot, hot, hot. Just ask anyone trying to buy a home in Vancouver or Toronto. The Teranet-National Bank National Composite House Price Index was up 0.5% in January from December. The rise matched the largest...
Why some first-time homebuyers are scared stiff If you’re looking to buy your first home, you’ve probably heard about the recent changes to mortgage lending rules recently announced by the government. If you’re shopping for an insured mortgage, these changes could...