#Ontario Real Estate

Older wooden cottage with a dock on a granite shoreline in Muskoka, Ontario.

Buying a Muskoka Cottage: Prices, Septic, Water Access

Muskoka cottage asking prices in six towns, plus the checks city buyers miss: septic re-inspections, well tests, winter roads and shore road allowances.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 29, 2026

Young couple walking past brick semi detached houses on an autumn street in Ontario.

First-Time Home Buyer Ontario: Every Rebate and Program, Added Up

Seven programs, one Ontario buyer. We add up the land transfer tax rebates, FHSA, Home Buyers' Plan and new home HST rebates at real Toronto and Windsor asking prices.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 27, 2026

One storey garden suite in the backyard of a brick semi detached house in Toronto on an overcast autumn day.

Garden Suites in Toronto: What Your Lot Allows

Toronto lots can now hold up to four units plus a garden or laneway suite. Here are the size limits, permits, development charge breaks and real build costs.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 23, 2026

Row of brick townhouses beside a private laneway on an overcast autumn day in Toronto.

Freehold vs Condo Townhouse in Ontario: What a POTL Fee Is

Freehold, condo or POTL: three Ontario townhouses that look alike from the street but differ on ownership, fees, repairs, insurance and the status certificate.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 21, 2026

Overgrown rural lot with an older frame house beside a gravel road in Ontario cottage country

Ontario Tax Sales: How Municipal Property Auctions Work

When property tax goes unpaid in Ontario, the municipality can sell the land by tender or auction. Here is the timeline, the 20% deposit, and the title risks.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 19, 2026

Modern Toronto condo lobby with mailboxes and a concierge desk in daylight.

Status Certificate Ontario: What Condo Buyers Get

An Ontario condo corporation has 10 days to deliver a status certificate and can charge at most $100 including taxes. Here is what the package contains, which pages decide the purchase, and why a buyer should never waive the condition.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 13, 2026

Modest older houses with front porches on a small town street in Ontario.

The Cheapest Places to Buy a House in Ontario

The 10 cheapest places to buy a house in Ontario right now, ranked by the median asking price of active listings, from $399,000 in Thunder Bay to $649,999 in Niagara Falls. Active asking prices, not sold prices.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 8, 2026

Aerial view of a GTA suburban subdivision of detached homes with the Toronto skyline in the distance.

Toronto Property Tax vs the GTA: What You Actually Pay

A $1,000,000 assessed home pays $7,228.89 a year in property tax in Markham and $15,753.42 in Oshawa. Here are the 2026 residential rates across the GTA, and why Toronto's low rate still produces a high bill.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 5, 2026

House keys and a plain envelope on the porch railing of an Ontario brick home in autumn.

Closing Costs in Ontario: $23,701 on a $900,000 Home

A $900,000 Ontario purchase closes with about $23,701 due on top of the price, and about $38,292 inside Toronto. Every line itemised, with the source for each figure and which ones you can avoid.

Hamidreza EtebarianSeptember 28, 2026

View from a furnished Toronto condo living room looking out at nearby condo towers

Toronto Condo Fees: What a Condo Costs Every Month

A Toronto condo's asking price is only half of what it costs. Here is what the maintenance fee pays for, what pushes a building to the top of the fee range, and how property tax and insurance add up to a real monthly number.

Hamidreza EtebarianSeptember 25, 2026

Empty brick detached house with drawn curtains on an Ontario street in late autumn.

Power of Sale in Ontario: How It Works and What Buyers Risk

Ontario power of sale runs on notice periods, not court hearings: 15 days of default, then 35 days after notice. Here is what the Mortgages Act requires, what the lender owes the borrower, and what a buyer takes on.

Hamidreza EtebarianSeptember 23, 2026

Row of brick semi detached houses on a Toronto street in autumn.

Toronto Land Transfer Tax: What Buyers Actually Pay

Buy in the City of Toronto and you pay land transfer tax twice, once to Ontario and once to the city. Here is the bracket math at real Toronto asking prices, plus both first-time buyer rebates.

Hamidreza EtebarianSeptember 18, 2026