In 2023, the median renting family under 35 held just $12,000 in liquid assets. To buy a home at the national average price forecast for 2026, you would need roughly $137,791 for a 20% downpayment alone. That gap explains why more Canadian families are pooling resources to buy homes together — not as a fallback, but as a deliberate strategy.
In 2023, 38% of Canadian homebuyers waived their home inspection — up from 22% in 2021. That single decision has since cost thousands in unexpected repairs for buyers who thought they were saving time and winning a bidding war. What many don’t realise until after closing is that the average cost to fix latent defects runs about $15,000, compared to
Canada lost hundreds of department stores and anchor tenants over the past decade as e-commerce and the pandemic rewrote retail. Malls that once anchored suburban life now sit half-empty on some of the most service-ready land in the country — large lots with road access, utilities, and transit already in place. That same land is now being looked at as
You drive past a house with a realtor’s sign out front, and you see the “Open House” placard. A few years ago, that probably meant a steady stream of visitors. Today, it could mean a realtor sitting alone for four hours, or it could mean a line of buyers waiting outside. It depends entirely on where in Canada that house
You’ve been in your rental for three months, and the kitchen tap has been dripping since week one. You’ve emailed the landlord twice, left a voicemail, and even slid a note under their door. Nothing. In Canada, housing law is set by each province, not the federal government, so your rights and the steps you can take depend entirely on
Rent a two-bedroom apartment in Canada today and you’ll pay around $1,550 a month on average — up 5.1% from last year, according to the March 2026 National Rent Report from Rentals.ca. But the monthly rent is only part of the picture. Between security deposits, last month’s rent, moving costs, and utility connections that aren’t always included, the total you
Walk into an open house for a $650,000 condo and a $950,000 freehold townhouse in the GTA and the monthly cost difference — roughly $1,000 to $1,200 — might seem like the whole story. But the research tells a different one. The real gap between freehold and condo living in Canada isn’t just about the monthly payment. It’s about who
Buying a first home in Canada today often means asking mom and dad for help. CMHC data shows 41% of first-time buyers received a financial gift toward their down payment in 2025, and the Bank of Canada reports that 11% of mortgages for buyers under 50 are now co-signed by parents — up from just 4% in 2004. What used
Transportation eats up a bigger slice of most Canadian household budgets than housing does — roughly 17.2% of shelter-related spending goes to vehicles, fuel, and insurance, while mortgages and rent account for about 16.5%. That single percentage point flips the usual assumption that your home is the biggest cost you carry. For anyone buying a home farther from work to
When a Canadian apartment building changes hands, the new owner doesn’t just inherit the doors and elevators. They inherit every lease, every tenant relationship, and every obligation under provincial law. In Ontario alone, recent Bill 60 and Bill 97 changes—effective July 1 and September 21, 2026—are reshaping what landlords can do and what tenants can expect. Meanwhile, institutional investors are
Toronto’s average residential sale price sits near $1.075 million, pushing first-time buyers toward homes under $750,000 and forcing many to look further from the city centre. Every kilometre of distance saves money at purchase but adds time on the road — and those commuting costs can quietly rival the mortgage payment itself. What looks like a good deal on paper
Carrying a $600,000 home in the Greater Toronto Area with a 10% down payment and a five-year fixed rate of 4.1% costs roughly $2,665 per month. The average one-bedroom apartment in Toronto rents for $2,360. That gap of about $305 each month is one reason a growing number of Canadians are deciding that renting forever makes more sense than buying.
