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5 Small Backyard Ideas to Make Your Cramped Outdoor Space Feel Like Versailles These backyard ideas will make your small space look and feel BIGGER. Don’t think of your microscopic yard as a curse. So what if it’s technically a small concrete slab that baaarely accommodates a half-sized Weber grill? Or if your flagstone patio is just big enough for

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Why a national real estate crash isn’t in the cards The Bank of Canada says we won’t have a U.S.-style housing crash—but we resemble pre-crisis America in other dangerous ways Jun 12, 2017 Kevin Carmichael   0 Construction workers build homes on a lot in Vaughan, Ontario. (March Blinch/Reuters) Ottawa didn’t handle the near bankruptcy of Home Capital Group Inc.

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Face it, Canada—you’re a real estate addict, and no one wants a cure Canada’s housing mania is a collective lunacy fuelled by debt and irrational hope Ian McGugan The Globe and Mail: Monday, May 29, 2017 Why, Canada! It’s great to see you, old friend. Here, take the comfortable seat by the window. You’re probably wondering why I’m here in your

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Real estate practice of ‘double-ending’ under scrutiny in Ontario Marketplace report shone spotlight on practice considered conflict of interest for agents By Tiffany Foxcroft, CBC News: Apr 23, 2017 Trying to buy a home in a red-hot market can make it feel like the deck is already stacked against you. But if a real estate agent is behaving unethically, it could

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Retirees find financial freedom in renting after selling their homes A growing number of homeowners are unlocking the equity in their houses, by selling and moving into a rental. By Tess KalinowskiReal Estate Reporter Tues., Feb. 21, 2017 William Jack woke up in the middle of the night last month as he often does. This time, though, he rolled over

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Home Inspection Act finally passed: Property Law Until the new legislation was passed last month, anyone with a flashlight and a business card could call himself or herself a home inspector. By Bob AaronProperty law Sat., May 6, 2017 The Ontario government last month finally passed legislation to regulate the home inspection industry and establish qualifications for home inspectors. The

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Leaving the family cottage to children will cost you – or them The gesture couldn’t be more generous and loving. Imagine a fairly wealthy elderly couple with a beautiful vacation home on the south shore of Nova Scotia (or in Muskoka, or Whistler, if you prefer). The couple and their children remember decades of summers on the beach. The couple

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For the wealthy, carrying a mortgage is part of the strategy DAVID ISRAELSON Special to The Globe and Mail Paying off a mortgage is often a point of pride. For the wealthy, however, it might not be the smartest thing to do. The reasons to hold on to a mortgage are compelling, says Andrea Thompson, senior financial planner at Coleman

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Mortgage rates continue to defy expectations as Trump runup fizzles Robert McLister Special to The Globe and Mail, Apr. 26, 2017 Here’s the least surprising news you’ll hear all day: Interest rates are not doing what most experts predicted. Mortgage rates blasted off after Donald Trump’s presidential win last November. The narrative back then was that he’d trigger higher inflation

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This new way to buy and sell risk in Canada’s hot housing markets might help cool them off Special to Financial Post | April 24, 2017 The housing market in Canada is seasonal and at its hottest in spring. Hence, it is no surprise that politicians are getting jittery and looking for scapegoats over a lack of affordability that, for some

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