“New Year, new you” may be a cliché but it is for a reason! The New Year always has us thinking about where we are now, and where we want to end up. When it comes to your personal goals, a review of your finances and estate should be at the top of your list.
February 15, 2024
When I was a kid growing up at home, I was always looking for ways to supplement my allowance. At first snowfall, I was up and out with a list of two or three homes with walks to shovel on my way to elementary school. In summer I would pick dew worms and sell them along the highway up in cottage country. I had a paper route. It was a Toronto based newspaper and so I had to cycle all over St. Catharines to service a few customers. But it was income.
Christmas is a wonderful time of year. Enchanting! The season brings visions of golden-brown turkeys with all the trimmings. Carolers singing as the snow falls gently down. Gifts under the Christmas tree. Stockings hung by the fireplace. Family times. It’s just a special time unlike any other in the year. And a time when memories are forged that will last a lifetime.
January 15, 2024
There are a lot of challenges being a residential landlord these days. That’s for sure. But one of the major ones is our governing legislation, The Residential Tenancies Act. It’s there. It’s a reality. We need to understand it and work with it. But as I say, it’s a challenge.
January 15, 2024
Looking back at market performance over the years, we see that while in rapidly appreciating markets like 2017, 2020 and 2021 it is not unusual to see prices continue to climb into December and January, that is not typically the case. In both declining markets and in stable balanced markets, we see prices decline at year end, and generally on into January as well. That pattern was seen in 2022-2023 and that is precisely what we are seeing again in 2023-2024.
December 15, 2023
As we slide into the last few weeks of 2023 the market presents no real surprises. Prices in November are down on average about $12,362 or 1.8% from October. And that’s pretty consistent with what we’ve seen in past years for November, as the market runs out of steam approaching the Christmas season.