Explaining streets, avenues, boulevards, lanes & more.

As you drive around you’ll see streets, avenues, roads, lanes, courts, parkways, and more. There is a reason for those names being used and it's more than just that they sound better with whatever other name that has been attached to them.  

Here's by definition what all those names mean. 

• Road (Rd.): Can be anything that connects two points. The most basic of the naming conventions.

• Way: A small side street off a road.

• Street (St.): A public way that has buildings on both sides of it. They run perpendicular to avenues.

• Avenue (Ave.): Also a public way that has buildings or trees on either side of it. They run perpendicular to streets.

• Boulevard (Blvd.): A very wide city street that has trees and vegetation on both sides of it. There’s also usually a median in the middle of boulevards.

• Lane (Ln.): A narrow road often found in a rural area. Basically, the opposite of a boulevard.

• Drive (Dr.): A long, winding road that has its route shaped by its environment.  Often found near lakes, hills and mountains. 

• Terrace (Ter.): A street that follows the top of a slope.

• Place (Pl.): A road or street that has no throughway—or leads to a dead end.

• Court (Ct.): A road or street that ends in a circle or loop.

• Concession (Conc):  Usually one of sixteen divisions of a township, each division being 10 sq. mi. (26 sq. km) in area and containing thirty-two 200-acre lots.

If you have a question concerning your real estate needs (now or down the road) please connect with me here.

Labour costs for renovations and repairs

OntarioContractors.com is a nonbiased/nonaffiliated database directory of contractors, builders, construction suppliers all related to renovation, contracting, construction, building or the home building industry.

You can get a good idea of labour costs in the Province of Ontario associated with this comprehensive list of small to large renovation and construction projects.

I provide this link only as an information source to assist you in budgeting for work to be completed. It provides you with a general overview of what to expect when you get to the point of reaching out to local professionals, which I highly recommend.

Key Points To Consider

1) It's always best to get several quotes.

2) Cheapest isn't always your best option.  

3) Ask for references.

OntarioContractors.com  is designed to give you an estimate on a wide range of labour costs. Labour costs can vary according to region, but a low to high range is provided on the list found here.  

Drop me a line with your real estate questions.

First time buyers get a bigger tax break

To help Ontarians buy their first home, the Province of Ontario will double the maximum refund for first-time homebuyers from $2,000 to $4,000, effective January 1, 2017.  (Ontario Ministry of Finance-Land Transfer Tax)

Currently, no Land Transfer Tax is payable on the first $227,500 of the value of consideration for a first home. The value of consideration for residential properties is typically the purchase price of the property and is the amount used for calculating LTT payable.

The Ontario Real Estate Association had asked the government to expand the land-transfer tax rebate program for first-time buyers as one way to help more people accomplish their dream of getting into the housing market.
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Contact me for more information.

Reporting principal residence sales at tax time

Recent changes means  you must report any and all real estate sales at tax time.

Not only did the mortgage rules change this year, but now you are also required to report any and all real estate sales at tax time.  Yes, that includes a principal residence. 

Although the sale of your principal residence will be more of a compliance issue than an actual change in what you have to pay for your taxes, there could be implications if you fail to report a sale or misrepresent the sale and there is a great deal to consider if you have more than one property that you own.

To help you further understand the changes take a look at these 8 questions you might have about principal residence tax rules.

A woman's make-up pays the mortgage

Canadian females are better at fulfilling their mortgage obligations than males.  It has to do with their make-up.


A woman's psychological make-up actually makes them more likely to make sure the mortgage is paid. It boils down to risk aversion which women have more of than men.

Get the full story here.

You must qualify for a higher mortgage rate

Ottawa has tightened mortgage lending rules that will limit the amount many Canadians can borrow to help ensure that when interest rates rise, they’ll still be able to make their payments.

Basically the change means that borrowers must be able to qualify for their mortgage using a higher interest rate than they will actually be paying on their mortgage. With the new rules, first time home-buyers will probably have to reduce some of the things on their wish list for that first home. 

Get the full story on the changes coming into effect October 17, 2016