My Real Estate Blog

But relevant. I hear all the time, my basement is finished so my taxes are higher, my driveway is concrete so my taxes are higher, I have a fenced yard, so my taxes are higher, I live in Niagara on the Lake so my taxes are higher. I could make this blog post very very short and say, your taxes are not based on those things or others. They are based solely on the value of your home. An easy peasy equation is as follows; the value of your home multiplied by the mill rate of the city your in = your property tax.&... read more
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Guest Blog Series 3: Investment and Insurance Broker Megan Karges...

You Need To Change Your Financial Game Plan For When The Housing Market Cools
Posted by Kathleen Taylor on June 01, 2018 in  uncategorized
A hot housing market feels awesome if you own a home, but there are side effects. You spend more when your home is rising in value, and you put less money away as savings. You’ll need to fix that when the housing market falls or moves sideways for a while. With interest rates possibly rising again on Wednesday, don’t dismiss this possibility. A new report from CIBC Economics highlights the two kinds of savings – active and passive. Active savings is putting money away, while passive savings occurs... read more
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As the weather changes, from a Realtors point of view

Posted by Kathleen Taylor on May 27, 2018 in  General Interest
The melting of the snow, the subtle signs of green grass, or even the change in the sunlight can cause the hotsheet graph on our system to show a specific level in listings. I’m beginning to see those signs and the rise in the listing graph. Have a peek at what we see everyday on our hotsheet. Watching this daily, combined with experience and other tools helps to gauge the market and provides an agent with valuable information on where things are heading each season. The following screenshots were taken appro... read more
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What the new mortgage regulations mean for homebuyers In October 2017, OSFI introduced revisions to their guidelines on Residential Mortgage Underwriting Practices and Procedures (B20) that include the requirement for the stress testing of uninsured mortgages and introduce a restriction over co-lending or bundling of loans. For example, a minimum qualifying rate for uninsured mortgages will be required which, is the greater of the five-year benchmark rate published by the Bank of Canada or the contractual mortgage ... read more
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Maybe A Word About Me!

Posted by Kathleen Taylor on April 07, 2018 in  General Interest
Hello world! I’m Kathleen and this is Niagara ….Niagara Real Estate and Kathleen, some would say a perfect Match! Here’s why with some note-able points about me….born and raised in Niagara Iam a 4th generation NOTLer most recent of my descendants my Grandfather and Great Grand Father were both retired Niagara on the lake post masters dated early 1900’s of the then very small very quaint and quiet town of Niagara On the Lake. I now live in the “city” of St. Catharines and ... read more
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