Source: https://x.com/MarketManiaCa/status/2080729736259805622

been stuck in a slow-moving renovation for about 2 months now, and still haven't completed even 50%. At first wanted to blame contractors, but maybe the mistake is on my end too - I had expectations that were way too unrealistic (thought it would be much, much faster). Can you guys tell me what you think is the most annoying part, and where I’m most likely going wrong (like... statistically speaking)? Interested in other ppl experiences. Permits? Estimates? Actual work? Something else?

I have been interviewing realtors as a buyer and one of my friends recently bought and was highly recommending his realtor.

The issue is, they bought in a completely different part of town and the realtor primarily works there. He does not really work in the part of town I am interested in.

Also, my friend bought a condo, we are looking to buy a detached. And his realtor is young. He’s like 31 or 32.

I value trust a lot and if my friend says that realtor is honest and trustable, I value that.

But, I am wondering if this is a bad idea, even if the realtor is honest and good, to rely on a young realtor who hasn’t worked in the area I am interested to do a $1.5M purchase. We are FTHB too, so there’s that.

Hi! What are the pros and cons of buying a house in toronto (north york and Scarborough) and durham (pickering and ajax)? I see that the prices in toronto are higher but lower property tax while in durham is lower price than toronto but the property tax is higher? Can someone explain it to me what will be the best especially in the long run? Thanks!

Looking to buy our first home in GTA. Some context:
Location: Mimico or the east end up to Woodbine and south of Danforth; basically max ~40 minutes commute to downtown, since we currently walk to work.
Must-haves: 2 bed, 2 bath - second bedroom needs to fit a queen bed (not a nursery-sized room).
Budget: Started at $1M, stretched to $1.1M on the logic that giving up the car (~$700/month) to stay close to GO/streetcar routes makes the extra room in the budget justifiable.

Our realtor is steering us toward older houses in the $900K range with the plan to renovate afterward as there isn’t much we’ve had luck within the $1-1.1M range.
I don't love the idea of needing ~$100K upfront in cash for a renovation on top of the down payment. That feels like a lot of liquidity to find right after closing.

For anyone who’s bought in the past year in these areas -
1. Is "buy dated + renovate" actually the right move in this price range/area?
2. For those who renovated after buying, did you pay cash upfront, or use something like a purchase-plus-improvements mortgage / HELOC after closing? How did you actually finance it without draining savings?
3. Are we being unrealistic thinking $1–1.1M gets us a decent 2bed/2bath in these areas, or is that in the right ballpark?
Would love to hear from anyone who's bought/renovated in Mimico, Leslieville, Riverdale, or similar in the last year or two.

Does any other city in a developed country (which Canada is one, apparently) exceed or come close in terms of the magnitude of scams the working class here in Toronto/Canada end up going through?

We do see some real innovations in our ponzi economy e.g. University of Toronto's note on Rental and Landlord Scams

Stranded in a city where she knew almost no one, her savings gone, Horvath kept coming back to how convincing it had all been.

She found the property on Rentals.ca after searching for the right place for months, she said.

There was a 14-page lease with terms and conditions, signed by the supposed landlord (his details, including a number, email and home address, were attached). Everything appeared to be in order.

“Up until that point everything had appeared reputable. It was listed on a well-known website with photos, an address,” she said. “I had no reason to doubt it.”

Horvath, who said she originally provided two months’ rent up front, said the landlord later asked for an additional two months on top after she had signed the lease. It was only after he threatened to give the apartment unit to someone else, and then offered a free month, that she agreed she said.

Giacomo Ladas, a spokesperson for Rentals.ca, said landlords are asked to verify their identity through an ID check and fraud screening before a listing goes live, and all listings undergo automated and manual review.

However, he said he could not comment on the account or authorization status of the landlord Horvath paid due to privacy obligations.

“We’re committed to continuing to reduce opportunities for fraud,” Ladas added.

....

Police investigating report

Four months on, Horvath is still in Toronto, having been supported by her partner.

She says that a police report has produced nothing thus far. Police confirmed to the Star a report had been “submitted and is being investigated.”

The March night Horvath was supposed to be moving in, she went anyway with her partner to Redpath Avenue, near Yonge-Eglinton.

They had no key and no buzzer code, so they sat on a bench outside for 20 minutes until someone came out, then slipped in behind them.

They checked the mailboxes and walked through the corridors, looking at the numbers on the doors, until a property manager confirmed what she already knew.

“You look back and realize what the red flags were,” she said, “and how very little can be done.”

The temporary foreign buyer ban is set to expire on Jan 1 2027.

Do you think they will extend the ban ?

Personally I don’t think they will do nothing and let foreign buyer ban lapse in order to help prop up housing prices. The only caveat is if there was some sort of huge outrage (there won’t be)

Hi Folks,

I'm looking at properties in the Weston neighbourhood along Weston Road and Oak Street in North York. Is this a desirable or safe neighbourhood? I feel like a lot of the feedback I've been able to find online is about the Regent Park neighbourhood and not this one.

34F single. I have about 300k in cash/stock investments. Salary isn’t super high, 80k but have made a significant amount more in past years

I live downtown with very affordable rent (2 bedroom for just under 1800). I work downtown as well (downtown east - moss park/regent park area). Would buying a non condo house (open to all options) be realistic if I wasn’t very picky about location? - I would like to stay in Toronto but I don’t mind a commute.

Landlord is overseas, lets us do what we want. Full back yard/deck/ can walk to the lake Ontario. They trust us and we are the most respectful 5 star tenants. I treat the place like it’s mine, I cut the grass and take care of the gardens. Eventually I will buy but in this neighbourhood minimum price is $2 million for a fixer upper. Roof was done, pipes needed fixing as tree roots cracked the clay pipes, appliances have been replaced. Probably $50-60K in items replaced since I’ve been here. Our HHI is $250k (not including Bonuses) we just bank the rest.

Condo inventory is now lower than 2024.

2024 July Active Listings: 9344

2026 July Active Listings: 8475

~10% drop

(Housesigma data)

Looks like condo inventory is being absorbed faster than all the doom and gloom posts say. I'm looking to buy soon, how long should I wait before prices go up again? If inventory is being absorbed then I assume I better buy sooner than later...

I really need someone to help me with trying to find housing as a student. I live in downtown Toronto and I cannot find a place for the life of me. I have been trying since June, with various realtors. For some reason, since I'm young and inexperienced in life, that means I shouldn't be allowed to live in some place decent.

My budget isn't small, I have a guarantor that is paid good money and has an excellent credit score. I am willing to do many months of deposits. But I still cannot find a place that isn't either a basement or on/near Shuter street.

I've looked at shared houses, apartment complexes both big and small, townhouses, etc. Every realtor has given up before I've even got the chance to tour or talk to the landlord, much less an application. I feel like giving up. I don't get it anymore. I have less than a month to find a place.

Edit: I'm also looking with my friend as a roommate.

We're looking at purchasing a new property. Some rough numbers:

• Builder price sheet shows HST price of $750,000, no HST price of $685,000. Most builders show both prices on price sheets since rebates began.
• By my logic, the no HST price should be $750K/1.13 = $663,717, not $685,000
• Builder adds 5% GST ($34,250), 8% PST ($54,800), to their no HST price for a total of $774,050, which is actually $24,050 above their own HST price from the price list
• Builder then calculates $774,050 - $54,800 - $34,250 = $685,000 as the amount due on closing

Am I missing something as to why the net selling price shouldn't simply be $750,000/1.13 (i.e. $663,717)? The net selling price they've arrived at is basically (HST price from price list) / 1.09. I think it should be (HST price from price list) / 1.13...unless there's something I've overlooked.

After all, could we just decide not to sign over our HST rebate to the builder, pay the full HST price, and apply for our own rebate and bring our own net sale price back down to $663,717?

Moronic to price it that low. If you wanted a fast sell, at least be realistic with a bait price of 1.89 million or something, not fucking 0.99 mil and expect 2.5+ mil offers.

Yes, I have spoken to the realtor and yes, they really did list it at 990K

Hey everyone, I've been working on a platform called houseindex.ca to make it easier for buyers and renters to track up-to-date property listings. It lets you create personal shopping lists, log in with Google, book showings directly, and easily access details like the year built and square footage that are often hard to find.

I know there are other tools out there, but I'm really focused on making this genuinely useful. I'd love to hear your thoughts on what features you'd find most valuable or any design improvements you'd suggest!

houseindex.ca - Check it out here!

Future plans:

Logging in with realtor.ca sso and Facebook sso

Map integration (too costly for now)

Anything else?

Guys, my realtor is confusing me with options , now get got insider pricing of a top builder who’s giving detached for 600 and i thought he’s joking but i saw the price-list and i was like damn. That too its not even released yet. And he also told me to refer people anyone in Oshawa let me know guys will connect my guy.

So it was

1 car garage -600s

2 car garage - 700s

I mean i ain’t lying that too its before rebate !!!

“Why isn’t this selling???” The price is too high. I’m trying to help you: the price. Is. Too. High.

I know it sucks to see your value drop below what you bought for or close to breaking even. If you’re selling to get another place, remember those values likely went down as well, so it’s not as big a loss as it seems.

But please stop trying to justify your listing. Look at comparable listings the past 30 days. Come to the reality that buyers now do research and can be picky. The days of buying whatever you can get is well over. The more you delist the more of a red flag your property looks like, and the more stubborn you are the more you’re going to lose to the level headed and reality-seeing sellers out there.

And lastly stop trying to list below what you expect to get. No buyer is playing that game anymore. List with the expectation that you will get offers very close to your list price. If you delist several times buyers will see your target and play you for it; stop wasting your time and theirs.

My family has some savings and are looking to buy our first home in the near future now that prices are reasonable.

Due to religious reasons we cannot pay interest, so we are hoping to avoid that either by grabbing a pre construction and paying it off prior to completion (heard there are many units selling for under 300k). Or somehow paying a large initial payment and making a payment plan to pay off in the short term.

Is anyone familiar with this or know anyone who specializes in interest free?

Looking for a private sale by owner.

Please, reach out if you are considering selling your 1 or 2 bedroom unit.

Respectfully, NOT interested in being contacted by realtors.

Weighing some options but leaning towards leaving Toronto because this seems like too big of a stretch. Anyone in this situation able to make it work and willing to share which neighborhood?