The city has checked the water intake pipe at my rental property and found it to be lead. I`d like to replace it as soon as possible (then the city will replace their portion). Does anyone have recommendations on who I should hire? Or any experiences/advice? Thanks!

I expect my tenants will want to stay after their lease expires in June. Never having renewed a lease, given tenants` deposit interest, or raised the rent, I have a ton of questions. Thanks in advance for your help, it`s really appreciated. (This is Ontario, BTW.) Re: Increasing the...

I got an email from a RE agent that starts: "We have just listed two properties that are being readied for sale under the Multiple Listing Service banner. You will find details on www.morethanahome.ca (featured properties). The Sellers would be happy to consider offers before we take it to the...

I`m considering purchasing a house in Ontario that has a 3-year-young oil tank (in the basement, not buried or outdoors), an old boiler, and radiant baseboards (like radiators, not electric). There are no ducts, so switching to forced air natural gas isn`t feasible. But I see online that there...

Thanks to everyone who gave me advice regarding a recent conditional offer, including buying using LOC. I had the inspection on the weekend and have decided not to proceed with the purchase. I contacted the agent and he said he will fax through paperwork to sign to say that the offer is not...

When you have an accepted offer with a condition of inspection, and the inspection find problems, do you have any principles or guidelines (financial or other) that you follow to decide whether it`s worth going ahead with the deal? I`m wondering because I will likely be facing such a decision...

I have a conditional offer accepted on a tiny (~500sqft) SFH in Hamilton, 1/2km from downtown and GO Station. If anyone could give me feedback on my numbers, I`d really appreciate it. My usual spreadsheet isn`t set up for interest-only and I don`t know how to change it. Thank you!!! Purchase...

Though only a few bucks are at stake, I`m wondering what the proper procedure is.... On the Landlord Tenant Board website, it says "The landlord must pay the tenant interest on the rent deposit every year." If the tenant stays for less than a year, do you give them a prorated portion of the...

Did buying the house damage my credit rating somehow? Or should I worry that something fraudulent has happened? When I was buying my first rental property this summer, the mortgage broker told me my Beacon score. It was excellent. Now (yesterday and today) a phone company has run two credit...

Hi everyone, I did my first rental open house recently, for my first property. I would now like to check applicants` credit history and so on. I`m totally green and I welcome all advice. I`ve been looking at the Rent Check site, but I have some reservations. Would you recommend them, or...

I bought my first investment property (in Ontario; it hasn`t closed yet) through my incorporated company. The company will pay the downpayment and expenses and collect rent; the company name will be on the deed and mortgage, and I am personally a guarantor for the mortgage. There`s the...

What`s in your exit strategy? What do you take into account, and how specific do you get? I`ve made my first purchase, a single family townhouse in Hamilton Ontario which I intend to hold long term (minimum 10 years) and rent out as a single unit. (I haven`t taken possession yet; it`s currently...

I have a conditional offer on a house with a basement that reeks of cat pee. It`s a mostly full basement, plus a small crawl space. It has a linoleum tile floor directly on concrete, and I think some of the smell is from the floor, but mostly I think the cats have used the crawl space as a...

Hi everyone, This is my first question on the forum. I`ve already learned so much from reading your posts, and from Don`s books! I hope this isn`t a stupid question, but how do you estimate insurance costs for an investment property? I`m trying to buy a house in Hamilton to rent out. I know...