It's Back to School time, and if you're an empty-nester, you may be driving furniture around right now as your new high school grad moves to University Town. You might be looking at those teeny, tiny rooms in campus dormitories and thinking: I'm paying for this?Is there an alternative to the overpriced dorm life or, off-campus, paying rent that goes out the window? In the current housing market, it ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on August 28, 2009
The perfect mortgage is, of course, no mortgage at all! But the next best thing is to have one flexible enough to pay off the principal as fast as possible. All mortgages are structured so payments in the early years are primarily interest charges: Very little principal is shaved off unless you make sure payments are high enough and frequent enough that a good chunk -- perhaps 50 per cent rather ...
Posted by Leslie Lee
on August 27, 2009
While you're looking at homes to buy, don't rule out properties that include a rental suite - especially in this tough economy, or if you're a first time home buyer.Being a landlord will help pay your mortgage (sometimes entirely), and having a rental space increases the value of your home when it's time to sell - especially if you live in an area where rental properties are in high demand, such as ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on August 26, 2009
"By 2010, every home and small business in Ontario will have a smart meter," reads the official government site, Smart Meters Ontario ... Wait a sec, that's next year, isn't it? And, well, what's a smart meter?If that's what you're thinking, you're probably not alone.The Ontario government first established a target for the installation of 800,000 smart meters - that measures the consumption of energy ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on August 24, 2009
Traditionally, newcomers to Canada rent more often, and for longer periods, than do their Canadian-born neighbours. But times they are a-changing... immigrant families are playing catch up in the home buyer market.
Recent census data shows that in 2006, almost 72% of immigrants live in a dwelling owned by a household member - up from 68% in 2001... That's a bigger increase than Canadian-born homeowners ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on August 20, 2009
Garage sales are becoming more and more popular; especially in this economy, homeowners are finding it makes good money sense to sell these items rather than throw or give them away, or have the expense of putting them in storage or hiring a mover for them.Some people are going through “right-sizing,” i.e. moving to a smaller home for various reasons. Garage sales are also held by people ...
Posted by Eric McCartney
on August 18, 2009
In a day and age rife with identify theft and Ponzi schemes, the last thing you want to worry about is yet another way to get ripped off.But as a homeowner, you need to be aware of crimes on the rise known as mortgage fraud and real estate title fraud.Red Flags - Mortgage Fraud
Someone offers you money to use your name and credit information to obtain a mortgage
You are encouraged to include ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on August 17, 2009
By "dates," I don't mean candlelit dinners and playing footsy! I mean important dates in a real estate transaction; they are...
The Acceptance Date
The first is the date of acceptance. This is when the buyer and seller agree to a price and conditions. Most offers are conditional, meaning the buyers agree to buy if they are satisfied with the condition of the home, the documentation associated with ...
Posted by Mike Stewart
on August 13, 2009
I know a woman who told her real estate agent, "Let's make an offer" as soon as she saw the 75-year-old copper beech tree in the backyard.Her passion for nature aside, the mature tree's foliage spread - covering the entire width of the lot - would ensure lower heating and cooling costs. And as a majestic centerpiece in the yard, that beech might increase the selling value of the house - though ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on August 11, 2009
You may have heard about indoor air quality being a health issue. But I doubt you factored the fumes from an illegal drug operation into family's well-being.
But maybe you should. More than 50,000 homes across Canada operate as methamphetamine labs, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). That nice-looking house in your suburban neighbourhood could be harbouring harmful chemicals ...
Posted by Don Lawby
on August 9, 2009