Ty's Blog

If you build or purchase a new home, you may qualify for a rebate of a portion of the GST/HST paid on the purchase.  See the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) web page GST/HST New Housing Rebate for more information on this. If you substantially renovate your home, you may qualify for a rebate of a por...

Dear Mom and Dad:    Since I left for university I have been remiss in writing and I am sorry for my thoughtlessness in not having written before. I will bring you up to date now, but before you read on, please sit down. You are not to read any further unless you are sitting down, OK.     Well, t...

Property Assessment in Ontario The Government of Ontario has made a number of changes to the property assessment system that went into effect in the 2009 property tax year. These changes include the introduction of a four-yearassessment update cycle and a phase-in of assessment increases. I am c...

     If you have made repayments to your RRSP for the Home Buyer's Plan (HBP) or Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP), did you know you must complete Schedule 7 on your income tax return? If you fail to designate the RRSP payments as repayments of HBP or LLP, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will add to your ...

Ontario's four largest real estate boards have an agreement to share real time access to each others' MLS listing information. The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB),the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington, the London St.Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR) and the Ottawa Real Estate Boar...

"Consumers are at risk from unsafe financial products" says Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren. "It is impossible to buy a toaster that has a one-in-five chance of bursting into flames and burning down your house. But it is possible to refinance an existing home with a mortgage that has the s...

Would you like to know the impact your lifestyle has on the environment and what you can do about it? Here is a City of London website that allows you too calculate your carbon footprint and make changes, from switching cars to eating less meat, to where you live-that will help reduce your greenh...

What was the real estate market for houses and condos like in Hazelden, a London Ontario Neighbourhood in 2009 and what to expect for 2010? Houses in Hazelden   From January 01, 200 9 to December 31, 2009, 11 houses in Sunningdale exchanged hands, 5 were ranches and 6  were 2 storey houses. The a...

Market Recovery Continues With Record Sales of Real Estate in London Ontario for December    Last month, (December 2009) 438 homes exchanged hands in the jurisdiction of the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR), a 55.9-per-cent increase over December 2008!   This was the best De...

What was the real estate market for houses and condos like in the Stoneybrook Masonville Neighbourhood of London in 2009 and what to expect for 2010?    Houses & Condos in Masonville/Stoneybrook       From January 01, 2009 to December 31, 2009, 219 homes in Masonville/Stoneybrook exchanged hands ...