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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

Farmhouse and barn beside a grassy dike on Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford BC with standing water in the field and mountains behind.

Buying in a Fraser Valley Floodplain: Maps, Insurance, Risk

Sumas Prairie flooded in 2021 and again in 2025. Before you buy in Abbotsford or Chilliwack, check the flood map, the floor elevation rules, the covenants on title and your insurance quote.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 22, 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

New multiplex building with separate front doors on a residential street in East Vancouver BC between two older houses

Buying a Multiplex Unit in Vancouver: What to Check First

Vancouver multiplexes put three to six strata homes on a former single-family lot. Here is what you own, what the small strata changes, and the tax rules for a new unit.

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

New side by side half duplex next to a row of townhouses on a tree lined East Vancouver street with mountains behind.

Strata Property Act in Plain English for BC Buyers

BC strata buyers meet the same few Strata Property Act sections before subject removal. Here is what Form B, the bylaws, the rental and age rules, and special levies say.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 15, 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

Strata manager and council member reviewing a maintenance binder outside a Burnaby condo building with mountains behind.

Strata Management Companies in BC: What They Do and Charge

A strata management company runs your building's money and paperwork, but the council still makes the decisions. Here is how BC licenses them, what they charge and how to judge one.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 12, 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

Buyer reading strata documents outside a low rise condo building in Surrey BC on an overcast evening.

Foreclosed Condo in BC: Strata Arrears and Special Levies

132 condos are listed as BC court-ordered sales. Who pays the former owner's strata fees, which special levy instalments become yours, and what the Form B shows before you bid.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 7, 2026

Old knob and tube wiring on porcelain knobs along basement joists in an older Vancouver house with an electrician inspecting.

Knob and Tube Wiring in Vancouver: Insurance and Removal

More than a third of the detached houses for sale in Vancouver were built before 1951, when knob and tube wiring was standard. Here is how to spot it and deal with it before you buy.

Hamidreza EtebarianOctober 6, 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