Sarnail Singh, CCIM, CBI's blog

An increasing number of people are getting involved in buying and selling property, much of which has been focused on the commercial sector. This rising popularity has led to more people wondering what’s involved in commercial real estate.

There may be more factors involved in this than many people may expect. As a result, many people may often become overwhelmed by the process, which can often lead to a variety of mistakes happening.

These can end up becoming quite costly for buyers, which is why most people will want to avoid them. One area that many people may overlook is performing...

Unfortunately, the word of the seller may not be enough when purchasing property. Hiring an independent inspector will ensure the purchaser there is nothing wrong with the property while saving them a lot of aggravation and money. Nearly everyone believes one of the biggest decisions they will make in their life is purchasing a piece of property. Despite this, many individuals do not use a commercial inspector.

A commercial property inspector will make certain there are no faults in the property prior to the purchase reaching completion. The majority of properties do have a defect. The...

Have you ever thought of buying a second property, without selling the first one? Often people rule out that possibility, without exploring their options. This is a situation; you own a home and are now planning to buy a new home. Your options could be:

1. Sell the existing home and buy a new one or

2. Rent out the existing home and buy a new one

Well ask yourself a few questions:

1. Are you willing to be a landlord?

2. If you are willing, how are you going to identify the right tenant?

3. Once the tenant is in place, how will you handle the issues associated with leasing?

4. What is the...

I have been receiving many calls about recent mortgage rule changes in Ontario, though many links have been shared but were not fully consumed as a layman. Find below the explanation that will help further untie the knot!

Starting October 17th, 2016, borrowers who take out insured mortgages that are fixed-rate loans of five years or longer will be subject to a more stringent “stress test”. Currently, borrowers who take a five-year insured mortgage (less than 20 percent down payment) qualify for their mortgage based on the actual rate they receive. Now under the new rule, the mortgage...

If you own property of any kind (personal property or real estate), you need a Will to ensure that such property shall be distributed, upon death, in accordance with your wishes. A Will is the key legal document that ensures your wishes are carried out, especially where there are children/dependents.

Without a Will and upon death, your estate may be in limbo until the government or someone (not necessarily a person you would choose) is appointed as the estate trustee to oversee your assets. This may result in delays, further expenses, and/or other complications. Not having a Will can...

Purchasing a business in Ontario is usually a quicker process compared to starting up one from scratch. However, it is critical to ensure that you have the capacity to manage the new business so that you don’t end up overpaying for it. Before embarking on the journey, there is much that you must learn. You need to understand the purchasing process and decide on the type of business to invest in, locate the opportunity, negotiate the price, close the deal, and ensure that all legal requirements are fulfilled. For this reason, this guide gives you the best skills you need to evaluate a...

The era of COVID-19 has been historic and unprecedented. With the shutdowns of millions of businesses, and the changed operations of others, this period of time has been quite a roller coaster ride for business in Canada. Business owners have to restart their businesses amid this epidemic, with varying levels of uncertainty. Business during COVID 19 has definitely been an unprecedented game-changer. Here is how to restart your business during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Evaluate the Financial Damage

The first thing that you should do is assess the financial damage that the COVID-19 era has done...

It’s often said that one of the most expensive and important purchases you will ever make will be your home. However, unlike the guarantee a buyer receives with most purchases, there’s no money-back guarantee or return policy if you’re not satisfied with your recently purchased home. Once you buy a home, you’re on your own to maintain it, repair it, anticipate problems and pay the bills. This is why it’s best to know as much as you can about potential problems before you make the commitment to buy.

I’m sure you will have the following questions in your mind before you hire a home...

Sometimes clients are not upfront with what they own, “They’ll either forget or they don’t disclose everything, and then you find out at the last minute that they have another property.”

Failing to disclose these things will only extend the length of time it takes to get a mortgage. Learning of additional properties late in the game forces me to re-write the application.

So guys make sure full disclosure is done to avoid last moment “NO” from the bank.

For many, flying solo may not be the way to go–and could end up being more costly than a realtor"s commission in the long run. Buying or selling a home is a major financial and emotional undertaking.

Better Access/More Convenience

A real estate agent"s full-time job is to act as a liaison between buyers and sellers. This means that he or she will have easy access to all other properties listed by other agents. Both the buyer"s and seller"s agents work full time as real estate agents and they know what needs to be done to get a deal together. For example, if you are looking to buy a home,...