| House hunting tips |
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Every house hunter has a story - and a real estate lesson they learned along the way. Nothing proves this point better than BMO's recent Great House Hunter Contest . While the contest is said and done - it ended on October 10 - there is still plenty to learn from the finalists' stories: - When hunting for the perfect house, never underestimate the valuable r ... |
| Turning your principal residence into a rental |
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So, you're ready to move out of your starter home and into a larger residence. The thing is, your first home is so well-located that you'd love to hold onto it for a little longer - and maybe use it as a tool to launch you into the rental market. Before you make the commitment, however, here are a few things to consider:
1. Wil ... |
| Thinking of renovating? Make sure it’s for the right reasons. |
Canadians still seem to have the reno bug – if a recent homeowners study is accurate. According to the report, Canadians are planning on spending $46 billion on home renovations in 2011 – up from $45.3 billion in 2010.
If you’re thinking about joining the masses and improving your home this year, make sure you’re doing it ...
More than half of young adults waiting till next year to buy home: RBC survey
By Sunny Freeman, The Canadian Press
TORONTO - As rising home prices continue to outpace income growth, many young Canadians have decided to delay home ownership for another year, according to a poll released Thursday by Royal Bank of Canada.
RBC's annual home ownership poll found that 55 per cent of respondents age ...
Reno coach keeps projects in the ballpark
Planning her first major home renovation in the summer of 2009, Tina Davies felt like she was awaiting her first baby: excited, nervous and not sure what to expect.
The project would plunge the Toronto makeup artist’s household into chaos for five months, but once it was done, her family of three would have a new kitchen and bathrooms, updated plumbin ...
Lifestyle and expenses determine how much money is needed in retirement
By LuAnn LaSalle, The Canadian Press
MONTREAL - Your current lifestyle may impact your retirement more than you think.
Can it be sustained? How much money will it take to maintain the standards you're used to? What will it take in RRSPs, investments, savings and private and government pensions once retired?
"Understand ho ...
The amount of tax due depends on the fair market value of the property that is transferred:
November 19 update: Transitional rules for new housing have been released by the provincial government today. The Province is proposing to increase the previously announced threshold for the B.C. HST new housing rebate from $400,000 to $525,000. For pre-sales, any home sold (m ...
Too many clowns with no financial plan
Garry Marr, Financial Post · Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010
You have to be a real clown not to have a financial plan and be saving for your retirement. Right?
Not really, you would just be among the approximately 80% of Canadians who don’t have any sort of comprehensive financial plan, according to the Financial Planning Standards Council.
Who are these people ...
Cottage v. mutual fund: Which is better?
In one of the hottest real estate markets in history, where would your money have grown faster?
Ted Rechtshaffen
Globe and Mail Update Published on Friday, Sep. 03, 2010 6:00AM EDT Last updated on Friday, Sep. 03, 2010 6:35AM EDT
Last week I wrote about four reasons to sell your cottage now.
There was a great deal of feedback, much of it related to the ...