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Ask David

New Mortgage Qualifications, Dealing with Graffiti

Dear David, I’ve heard rumours the past few weeks about a new and tougher “stress test” for those taking out a mortgage next year. What’s going on? – Nervous Buyer DEAR NERVOUS: The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is setting a new minimum qualifying rate for mortgages (referred to as a “stress

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Rent Increases, Affordable Home Ownership Program

Dear David, We own several rental properties and it time for us to increase the rent. We usually put it up $50 per month, but heard that something has changed with rent increases. Can you fill us in? – Curious Landlord DEAR LANDLORD: Rent control used to apply to properties rented out before 1991, but

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Ask David

Professional Home Staging, Hot Water Heating, Realtor Agreements

Dear David, My Realtor wants to bring in a stager in before listing my home. I’d rather not have someone touching my things. Isn’t it enough that the house is clean? – Spotless DEAR SPOTLESS: According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), professional staging can increase a home’s selling price by up to 9

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Ask David

Using Online Forms, Sale of Buyer’s Property, Duplex vs In-Law Suite

Dear David, I found real estate forms online and want to use them to buy my neighbour’s house. My wife is concerned that this might not be safe. – Self Sufficient Dear Self Sufficient: Because they are available for very little cost, online forms may seem appealing when you’re trying to reduce expenses. But there

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