One Size Does Not Fit All When it Comes to Aging in Place

I spend a lot of time sharing stories about downsizing, but another option as we grow older is to age in place. According to an article about aging in place by Jennifer Legge, a Yale study “revealed that persons with a positive attitude…

The Ins and Outs of Downsizing Your Belongings

One of the best things you can help your parents do, is start planning their next steps before a move is necessary.

Let the sun shine in: Solar Power for your Home

With prices for home heating, air condition and gas continuing to rise, many are looking for ways to reduce our monthly bills. Rooftop solar panelling has been around for a long time, and I wrote about this a decade ago. The playing field…
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The new—and improved—suburban lifestyle

More than a decade ago, Christopher Hume, the now-retired architecture critic and urban issues columnist for the Toronto Star, lamented that "though many suburbs are now trying desperately to reinvent themselves in more urban forms, they’re…
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Tax Breaks for Ontario Homeowners

It can be overwhelming to navigate through some of the tax credits available to Ontario homeowners. Below is a list of the most common and accessible credits and rebates offered through the federal government as well as the province of Ontario. Federal First-time…
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What is a Home Equity Line of Credit?

And why should you have one? For guidance on this, I asked my friend Lino Contento, mortgage broker with Sherwood Mortgage Group. HELOC stands for Home Equity Line of Credit, a secured line of credit against a home. It's a convenient way…

Highway 427 Extension – Update 2022

The much anticipated extension of Highway 427 deeper into Vaughan officially opened to traffic on September 18, 2021. Amidst delays, a legal battle and a pandemic, the 6.6-kilometre stretch between Highway 7 and Major Mackenzie Drive aimed to ease congestion and improve the flow of traffic from Vaughan to Toronto. With new ramps at Langstaff Road, Rutherford Road and Major Mackenzie Drive, the highway is now accessible from all reaches of Vaughan. In this busy city, the promise of saving commuters up to 25 minutes of total travel time for a two-way trip during peak periods is very encouraging.
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Gifting the Inheritance via Real Estate

I have a couple of clients who made the conscious choice to buy an investment property with an eye to the future. With the booming Canadian real estate market and favourable mortgage rates, my clients purchased a 2-bedroom condo and have rented it out until their own children are ready to move out. Was this a good use of their savings?

A lesson in safety

On May 4th, I was doing some online TRREB searches in the living room, waiting for my homemade granola to finish baking. I make this granola for Julian and I, but mostly Julian, so he can enjoy it with greek yogurt and reduce the stops at Tim…

Sandra’s Saucy Supper

      INGREDIENTS 1⁄2 tablespoon oil 1⁄2 onion, chopped 1 lb ground pork or 1 lb ground beef 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 cup long grain white rice, uncooked 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated…