For all the humdrum time spent commuting on the TTC, we tend to forget just how fascinating complex transit systems can be. Part of the reason for this, I suspect, is that we don't know about all the hidden spaces and clandestine features that surround us every time we take a ride on the subway.    From abandoned passageways to PA codes, here are 10 fascinating secrets of the TTC.   1. There's a walled off passage between... [read more]

The Liberal government has announced sweeping changes aimed at ensuring Canadians aren’t taking on bigger mortgages than they can afford in an era of historically low interest rates. The changes are also meant to address concerns related to foreign buyers who buy and flip Canadian homes. Below is a breakdown of the four major changes Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced Monday. The current rules Buyers with a down payment of at least 5 per cent of the purchase price but... [read more]

Take a drive around any Toronto neighbourhood and you are sure to see many different shapes and styles of houses, from Tudor, Colonial, Contemporary and so many in between. Curb appeal is usually your first impression of the house, and whether it suits your style and needs or not. Knowing the style of your house, or what types of houses you are drawn to can help you in buying, selling or remodeling your home. We will take a look at 10 different architectural styles of houses that you may come... [read more]

Hire an agent to be your tour guide and choose carefully! It’s crucial that you hire someone who’s well experienced with various types of real estate transactions and representing your best interests throughout the entire buying process. A buyer’s agent will help you with your home search, required contractual paperwork, negotiations, inspections, and any other concerns that may come up along the way. A good tour guide understands market trends and how those trends will affect... [read more]

BlogTO published an article on January 19 titled 5 Toronto Neighbourhoods That Will Change The Most In 10 Years. One of the neighbourhoods mentioned in the article is the Upper Beaches/Kingston Road Village. The “Upper Beaches” includes a neighbourhood known as Birch Cliff, where five generations of my family have lived, and where I still live with my family.  Having called the community home for most of my life, it’s the first community that I’ll share some... [read more]

Whether it is saving to buy a house, traveling more, getting a promotion, losing weight, eating out less, many of us have already gotten started on our resolutions for the new year. However, more often than not come December, those goals have been thrown to the wayside. This blog post will give you the tips you need to stick to your resolutions throughout the year.     Make sure that your resolutions are specific and measurable  Sit... [read more]

Along with writing Santa lists, holiday shopping, parties and family gatherings, my family is in the midst of ending a move to our new house. While this is a very exciting time, not only because of the holidays, but also because we will now have a new place to call home and make some new memories, it is also extremely busy and stressful. Therefore, I felt that I would give some advice if you are faced with moving during the holidays, or thinking of selling.   Putting your house... [read more]

What a $1 million house looks in Toronto vs. other cities     What does a $1 million house look like around the globe? From Toronto to Hong Kong, the real estate market is a pricey one with the top players seeing a surge in million dollar properties year after year. There's less new listings, higher prices and in some cities, the $1 million to $2 million range is now considered the average. Nowadays, you can buy a fixer-upper for a mil or a tiny two bedroom with no... [read more]

This is what could replace the Gardiner Expressway     There have been many ideas pitched for how Toronto should deal with the slowly crumbling Gardiner Expressway, from tearing it down to turning it into an elevated park. None, however, have been quite so bold as a new plan from CORE Architects. Pitched as part of the Toronto of the Future exhibit at Metro Hall, the plan is called "Dig Down and Build Up" and imagines a radically... [read more]

The average sale price for a house in Toronto in the first two weeks of March was $620,106, a rise of 10.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2014. The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) reported 3,838 sales through the TorontoMLS system, an 11.8 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2014. "Strong year-over-year growth in home sales continued during the first half of March for most home types in the GTA, both in the City of Toronto and the... [read more]

Average price of a condo in Toronto passes 400K     It's been a record breaking month for the Toronto real estate market. Let's think of some of the recent milestones reach of late. Well, we're the hottest luxury housing market in the world and the average price of a detached home soared over the million dollar mark. In fact, the average price for all homes surpassed the 600K mark just last month. Condo prices are the latest to hit... [read more]

Number of unsold Toronto condos now at 21 year high     The condo boom is as fierce as ever in Toronto. According to a report from the Bank of Montreal, a record 10,368 units were completed in the city last month, shattering previous totals. Analysts chalk the burst up to companies playing catch-up after construction delays in previous years, but the flood of finished units is expected to cause a ripple effect in the market. Despite demand being high for new... [read more]

Best place to live': Toronto tops magazine's ranking of world cities Toronto may not have a winning hockey team, but it does lead the world in another way: according to an index of city rankings compiled by The Economist, Toronto is the best place in the world to live. In its Safe Cities Index 2015, the magazine considered six different indexes, including safety, business environment, livability, food security, democracy and cost of living. When all those lists are averaged out,... [read more]

The Bank of Canada shocked markets today by cutting its key overnight lending rate by a quarter of a percentage point, citing the economic threat posed by plunging oil prices. "The drop in oil prices is unambiguously negative for the Canadian economy," Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz said in a morning news conference. "Canada's income from oil exports will be reduced, and investment and employment in the energy sector are already being... [read more]