Tagged : finance

I often get asked how to invest in real estate and what should investors should be looking for in an income producing property.

It can be overwhelming for a first-time investor, as the real estate investment industry is riddled with various scenarios and situations that can decimate your returns. While the returns can be lucrative, proceed with caution.

Toronto realtor Matt Smith has shared with me his extensive experiences in helping investors both acquire and manage single-unit condominium investment properties. These are a very popular vehicle for investment in both Vancouver and Toronto, where both supply and demand for these units seems to be endless. In Toronto’s Downtown Bloor Yorkville area alone, there are currently eleven projects, all

The process for selecting real estate agents and mortgage lenders is often similar, with the main difference being your search will turn up several non-local lenders that may be a good fit for your particular lending needs. Whatever your methodology is, these tips to select a mortgage lender can make the process seem less scary and non-evasive.

It is critical that you have a local real estate agent who knows street-level and regional pricing dynamics in your target neighborhoods intimately. But since mortgage lenders can lend anywhere and mortgage rates and fees are generally the same nationally, non-local lenders claim they can handle your transaction as well as local lenders.

To examine which lender will work best for you, look at 3 of the ways

As the population ages, many Canadians will find themselves managing wealth for their parents.

Seniors own an estimated one-quarter of all financial wealth and over the coming years, their children, some of whom may qualify as seniors themselves, will be not only helping them manage it, but will likely also be the ultimate recipients of whatever is left over after their parents have passed on..

By 2036, Statistics Canada estimates that the over-65 cohort will represent more than 25 per cent of the population — more than triple the number of Canadians over the age of 65 in 1960.

Difficulty managing finances will likely creep up gradually, so aging parents may not ask for help, or even realize they need it. Signs such as unopened mail, large cash

For those taking on a mortgage or renewing one, it’s a question that can be complicated.

On one hand, interest rates are at historic lows. The Bank of Canada’s benchmark overnight lending rate is at 0.5 per cent. To some borrowers, this might suggest it’s a good time to lock in at a low rate for a long time.

On the other hand, to the surprise of almost no one, the bank suggested that it anticipates no changes. “The near-term outlook remains broadly the same as it did in January,” it said in its most recent rate-setting statement, on March 9. That suggests a floating rate might make sense.

See our BLOG article on interest rates HERE

The issue becomes more complicated, though, because borrowers likely won’t find much advantage.

Compared with

Things like traffic, work and dirty dishes can seem to go on forever; your mortgage doesn’t have to.

Even if you have signed on for a long mortgage, with payments scheduled to continue until you’re old, there are ways to speed everything up, experts say.

It’s a matter of knowing your options and paying attention to detail.

“Obviously there’s budgeting, where you cut back on some of your spending,” says April Dunn, a mortgage broker at Red Door Mortgage Group in Kelowna, B.C.

“But that only works if you actually take the funds to pay down the mortgage.” If you can’t bear to give up that triple skinny latte with an extra shot and some foam, “there are other things you can do.”

Some of these may seem simple but knowing more lets you make the