housing

Is your suburb ripe for gentrification? How to tell if higher property prices and high-rises are on the horizon

by

Shiny cafes, designer “doodle” dogs, micro breweries. There goes the neighbourhood. Gentrification is a decades-old global phenomenon that can lead to a suburb being completely transformed.  British sociologist Ruth Glass first coined the term in 1964 to describe the displacement of London’s working-class residents by wealthier newcomers. “Once this process of gentrification starts in a … Read more

Here’s how to avoid surprises with home maintenance costs

by

Senior couple repairing kitchen cabinet at home Momo Productions | Digitalvision | Getty Images Alex Marrero and his wife bought their first home this spring in Coral Springs, Florida — and the couple has already spent nearly $17,000 on home maintenance, repairs and installations.  While they knew they needed to do improvements from “the minute … Read more

NOAA expects 4 to 7 major hurricanes in 2024. How to prepare your home

by

Hurricane Irma strikes Miami, Florida, in 2017. Warren Faidley | Getty Images Hurricane season has officially begun. With scientists predicting yet another active year for storms, making your home hurricane resistant has become a more valuable precaution. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its forecast May 23 that it expects an 85% chance … Read more

Locked out of the US housing market? Here’s how to win ‘revenge’ in the meantime

by

Hacked off with soaring housing costs and stubborn mortgage rates? Disgusted by skimpy supply and the fierce bidding wars that are now required to find a decent place to live?  If you’re looking for revenge, buy mortgage-backed securities. No, investing in these lesser-known financial instruments won’t directly cut high housing costs. But it will position … Read more

How to negotiate real estate agent commissions

by

Fuse | Corbis | Getty Images When you buy or sell a home, your real estate agent’s commissions can trim thousands of dollars off the sale price — but many consumers don’t realize you can negotiate those terms. Nearly a third, 31%, of homebuyers and sellers negotiated commissions with their agents, according to a new … Read more

How to build a lot of housing that isn’t ugly

by

Open this photo in gallery: Two women peer into a construction site on Broadway street in Vancouver on Feb. 16.Jennifer Gauthier /The Globe and Mail At first glance, the three new buildings that developer Adrian Lai is promoting – among the first proposals in Vancouver’s effort to turbocharge densification along its extensive east-west Broadway corridor … Read more