Scotch Fridays – Tune in to the Podcast

  Scotch Fridays formed its roots many years ago when our law firm shared office space with Nancy, a brilliant friend of mine. The Scotch Friday tradition evolved in those long ago days when Nancy would saunter over to my office on Fridays, just before the end of the day, and stand at my door […]

COVID-19 Impact on Residential & Commercial Tenancies

Commercial The Ontario government hasn’t provided any assistance yet to commercial tenants. There is mounting public and media pressure to get something done before April 1st. Media reports have been urging commercial landlords to be lenient with their tenants and show some compassion such as: Rent deferrals; Rent abatements; Alternative pay structure; Short term arrangements. […]

It’s not a bubble – It’s a devastating storm

Real Estate Bubble? I believe it is everyone’s right to have a safe and affordable home to raise a family.  The reality in today’s economy is quite the opposite.  I see people making desperate decisions to buy a home out of their price range for fear that they won’t be able to afford anything similar […]

What does Trump have to do with Real Estate and homeownership in the GTA?

Real Estate and Homeownership in the GTA Benjamin Tal, Deputy Chief Economist with CIBC World Markets, made a spectacular presentation to kick off the Landpro conference today at the Paramount Centre in Vaughn. Tal spoke about the economy and real estate outlook for the GTA. Tal started with Trump’s election and ended with the rise […]

The Principle Residence Exemption is under attack – flipping homes

The Principle Residence Exemption and flipping homes Principle Until recently, when you sold your principle residence you did not have to declare it on your tax return and you were not at risk of paying income tax on its increase in value from the original purchase price. As of October 3, 2016, the federal government […]

“WHY” the new stress test lending requirements?

Home Buyers stress Test –  Real Estate The federal government, bless their heart, have implemented a financial stress test for homebuyers effective October 17, 2016. Qualifying for a mortgage has always been a “stress test” for borrowers but we never called it that.  The federal government tweaked their lending rules in four substantive ways: Banks now […]

The Housing Market….

Housing Market Real Estate Sales The other day, I heard a report on CBC that housing sales are down an overall 3%, primarily due to the B.C. housing market.  Although this is a very busy time for real estate deals, the number of deals our office is handling is leveling off compared to the same […]