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Gerry’s Blog

Interest Rate Announcement: Rate Drops Amidst Rising Confidence

Bank of Canada Drops Interest Rate at 4.75% In a widely expected and long awaited move, the Bank of Canada has cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point, to 4.75%. This is the first sign of interest rate relief in four years for financially stretched Canadians, due to cooling inflation and weaker-then-expected economic…

How Will the BoC Interest Rate Impact My Mortgage?

It’s a question more homebuyers and owners have been asking: how will the BoC interest rate impact my mortgage? The Bank of Canada’s interest rate roller-roaster ride began in 2020, with a trio of interest rate cuts in response to the pandemic-induced economic shut-down, followed by a tightening campaign over the last year, in an…

Tips for Staging Your Home in the Summer

Canadian summers offer ample opportunities to enjoy the warm weather, from lakeside gatherings and cottage weekends to neighbourhood barbecues and outdoor sports. Summer is also an ideal time for buying and selling homes, with the busy season often stretching from the Victoria Day weekend in May to Labour Day in early September. Selling your home…

Is it a Good Time to Buy a House for the First Time?

Let’s be honest: There is a lot of uncertainty in the current Canadian real estate market. Are home prices climbing, rising, or stagnating? Where will mortgage rates be by the end of the year? Will economic conditions improve as 2024 progresses? Indeed, there are many variables that buyers and sellers need to think about as…

Thrifty Tips for a More Luxurious Home

Avoid the cost and chaos of a major renovation and transform your space into a luxurious home with these simple steps. Money may be tight, but you can still live the luxe life. 5 Thrifty Ways to Make Your Home Feel More Luxurious Clean Off Surfaces The first step to making a space feel more…

The Pros and Cons of Owning Commercial Real Estate

If you are interested in real estate as an investment, or you want to diversify your real estate holdings, commercial real estate might be for you! With commercial real estate, you can earn a steady income and still have the potential to earn a great return when you sell. The idea of buying a commercial…

Navigating Home Inspections: A Guide for First-Time Buyers

Are home inspections back in style again? During the pandemic-era buying frenzy in many Canadian real estate markets, bidding wars were commonplace. This not only involved submitting a bid higher than the asking price, but it also involved desperate homebuyers choosing to waive home inspections to close the deal as quickly as possible. Now that…

Farmland Investment: Growing More Scarce and Valuable Every Year

As inflation eats into profits, investors continue to seek out alternatives to typical commercial real estate offerings in the office, retail, multifamily and industrial sectors. Farmland investment, which has historically provided stable annual income, attractive risk-adjusted returns and a solid hedge against inflation, is one of the fastest-growing options on the table today. Size of…

The Financial Upside of Downsizing

For years, downsizing has been common throughout the Canadian housing landscape. When homeowners see their children all grown up and leave the nest, they have little need to own a larger residential property. In addition, the amount of work and cost to maintain a single-family home can be quite challenging for older households. Of course,…