Should I rent or buy? Is it better for me to rent or buy? Find out the answer to these questions and more as you look at the pros and cons of each option.

Rent or Buy? Which Should You Pick?

Explore all the steps to buying a house in Ontario to ensure you are paying the right price. Understand what you need to have to buy your dream home.

How to Buy a House in Ontario

If you are looking to buy a new home in Ontario, here is a breakdown of what to look for and save money. Includes tips on investing in Ontario real estate.

Buying A House in Ontario in 2021

Investing in real estate can be difficult, but by learning the pros and cons of investing in Canada, you can find out what is best for you.

Real Estate: Investing in Canada

Toronto property tax is difficult to understand. Here are helpful tips on property taxes and setting yourself up for success when buying a new home.

The State of Property Taxes in Toronto

Learn some of the first questions you should ask when looking for home insurance. Discover how to get the most from your home insurance policy.

Your Home Insurance Questions Answered

Explore what you need to do to find the perfect time to secure a home insurance policy and how to find the right quote for you.

When To Get Home Insurance

Hoping to stumble upon the perfect property? Answer these questions and be well on your way to finding your dream home.

Finding Your Ultimate Dream Home - Properly

Finding Your Ultimate Dream Home

Get educated on what you can afford. Make the best financial decisions for your mortgage payments.

Determining Mortgage Payments You Can Afford - Properly

Determining Mortgage Payments You Can Afford

Learn about home loans for first time home buyers. Tips on the types of mortgages, interest rates, incentives, and more.

Home Loans For First Time Home Buyers - Properly

Home Loans For First Time Home Buyers

Find out about real estate and mortgage rates in Ontario, which cities have the lowest interest rates, and more.

What Are the Current Mortgage Rates in Ontario - Properly

What Are the Current Mortgage Rates in Ontario?

Buying real estate can be a huge decision and a big commitment, especially if you're buying a home. This guide will help you understand how much mortgage you may be able to afford.

How Much Mortgage Can I Afford? - Properly

Your Question Answered: How Much Mortgage Can I Afford?

Discover the advantages of signing up for a mortgage versus buying a home outright, plus non-traditional financing routes.

Home Ownership: Zero Mortgage or Mortgage? - Properly

Home Ownership: Zero Mortgage or Mortgage

The real estate market in Canada’s largest city is getting more and more difficult to navigate, here’s everything to know about buying a house in Toronto, the GTA, and beyond.

City Real Estate: Toronto Homes for Sale — Properly

City Real Estate: Toronto Homes for Sale

Now more than ever, it’s crucial to stay on top of all real estate investing news and developments. Here’s how you can make informed property choices.

How to Find Real Estate Investing News — Properly

How to Find Real Estate Investing News

Finding the best home insurance rate is often lost in all the excitement of the big purchase. Here are some things you can do to improve your insurance costs.

How to Get the Best Home Insurance Rate — Properly

How to Get the Best Home Insurance Rates in Canada

Step by step instructions on the process of buying a home in Ontario, from saving for a downpayment to finding a real estate agent, to closing the final deal

10 Steps to Buying a Home In Ontario - Properly

10 Steps to Buying a Home in Ontario

Being a first time home buyer is as daunting as it is exciting. Here are some things you should know about your first purchase to help make the process less stressful.

What You Need to Know as A First Time Home Buyer in Canada — Properly

What You Need to Know as A First Time Home Buyer in Canada

The Canadian housing market is intimidating to say the least. Here’s how first time home buyers can determine if they’re ready to buy a house in Canada.

Buying a House: Are You Ready — Properly

Buying a House: Are You Ready?

Although many people don’t associate the two, purchasing Canadian property is also a lucrative form of investment. Here’s everything you need to know about the basics.

The Basics of Real Estate Investing — Properly

The Basics of Investing in Real Estate

As a first time home buyer in Ontario, check out this guide to incentives, government rebates, tax credits and more.

Tips for a first time home buyer in Ontario - Properly

Your Guide to Being A First Time Home Buyer in Ontario

Proof of Funds is a simple yet crucial component of a smooth real estate transaction, proving that the buyer is trustworthy and financially responsible.

What is a Proof of Funds Letter — Properly

What is a Proof of Funds Letter?

Finding home insurance in Ontario is getting more difficult due to increasing premiums, here’s what you can do to make things easier.

How to Find Home Insurance in Ontario — Properly

How to Find Home Insurance in Ontario

Home insurance estimates from third-party calculators can be useful, but their accuracy is also variable. Here’s what to expect when using one.

What to Expect When Using a Home Insurance Calculator — Properly

Meta Description: Home insurance estimates from third-party calculators can be useful, but their accuracy is also variable. Here’s what to expect when using one.

What to Expect When Using a Home Insurance Calculator

Figuring out how to buy a house that works for you can be daunting, to say the least; here are six steps to buying a house that make the process easier!

6 Steps to Buying a House — Properly

6 Steps to Buying A House

Before fully committing to any plan, it pays to research some of the factors that influence home insurance cost and the efficacy of these important policies

What Does Home Insurance Cost — Properly

What Does Home Insurance Cost?

With how competitive the real estate market is getting across Canada, those new to the industry need to take advantage of first time home buyers incentives

First Time Home Buyers Incentives to Know — Properly

First Time Home Buyers Incentives to Know

Purchasing real estate involves plenty of ancillary tasks that can become stressful, including selecting real estate lawyers. Here’s how to make the process less stressful!

Finding the Top Real Estate Lawyers — Properly

Finding the Top Real Estate Lawyers

Understand all there is to know about Canada's new housing rebate for your new home. Use the knowledge of the refund to invest in real estate.

The New House Rebate: What You Need to Know

Buying a new home can be an exciting prospect, but it can also be quite stressful. Here are some tips to make the process a little easier.

What Should You Look For In a New Home? - Properly

What Should You Look For in a New Home?

A mortgage calculator helps you see the big picture, and helps you understand how much you can afford to spend on a home.

Why Use a Mortgage Calculator? - Properly

Why Use a Mortgage Calculator?

Finding a mortgage is a confusing process. This article explains the types of mortgages so you can pick the best one for you.

Mortgages 101: Everything you need to now but were afraid to ask - Properly

Mortgages 101

Get the facts about what to know about down payments. Here you can learn how the down payment affects the mortgage, and learn if you qualify for any home buying programs.

What to Know About Down Payments - Properly

What to Know About A Down Payment On a House

Learn about how to get a pre approved mortgage on Properly. The article above will give you an idea on what you need to consider to get preapproved the easiest way.

How to Get a Pre Approved Mortgage - Properly

How to Get A Pre-Approved Mortgage

Real estate in Canada is a big business, but there are rules and regulations. In order to get a mortgage, you might have to take a mortgage stress test, and that means you need to know the rules.

Mortgage Stress Test: What to Know - Properly

Mortgage Stress Test: What to Know

Mortgage broker or bank — what's the difference? Find out who is the preferred choice for your real estate transaction.

Mortgage Broker vs Bank - Properly

Mortgage Broker vs Bank: What's the Difference?

Receiving a mortgage approval is a big deal. Check out our mortgage approval tips on how to make it happen in 2021.

Mortgage Approval Tips for 2021 - Properly

Mortgage Approval Tips for 2021

Given Canada’s rising real estate prices, having bad credit can be very stressful. Here are ways you can improve your credit score for mortgage procurement.

Ways to Improve Your Credit Score for a Mortgage — Properly

Ways to Improve Your Credit Score For a Mortgage

People are often caught off-guard by the additional expenses necessary to finalize a home purchase; here’s everything you need to know about closing costs in Ontario.

How to Calculate Closing Costs in Ontario — Properly

How to Calculate Closing Costs in Ontario

Learn the major differences between fixed vs variable mortgage rates and how you can find the best mortgage lender

The Difference between Fixed vs Variable Mortgage Rates - Properly

Fixed vs Variable Mortgage Rates

Discover all the ways to refinance your mortgage and find the best option for you so lenders can help save you money on your mortgage payments.

How to Find the Best Lender to Refinance a Mortgage - Properly

How to Find the Best Lender to Refinance a Mortgage

It might be more challenging to get a loan as a self-employed borrower. Here are some factors to consider before applying.

Self Employed Mortgage Hunter - Properly

Factors to Consider as a Self Employed Mortgage Hunter

Understand how to get the most from your mortgage renewal and how to find the best mortgage rates so you can save money on mortgage payments.

Where to Start with Your Mortgage Renewal - Properly

Where to Start with Your Mortgage Renewal

Better understand the pros and cons of mortgage insurance and learn how to be confident that you are getting the right mortgage rate for your future.

Buying & Selling: Know the Risks of Mortgage Insurance in Canada - Properly

Buying & Selling: Know the Risks of Mortgage Insurance in Canada

Searching for a private mortgage lender? We have the answers about the risks and rewards of private lenders.

Risks and Rewards of Private Mortgage Lenders - Properly

Risks and Rewards of Private Mortgage Lenders

Find out what a good minimum credit score for a mortgage is in Canada for specific types of lenders on Properly.

Good Minimum Credit Score for a Mortgage in Canada - Properly

What is a Good Minimum Credit Score for a Mortgage in Canada?

Down payments can be a pain. Is it really possible to get a no down payments mortgage in Ontario? Find out on Properly.

How to Get a No Down Payment Mortgage - Properly

How to Get a No Down Payment Mortgage

Learn about the difference between an open and closed mortgage. How will either loan affect your monthly mortgage payment?

Open vs Closed Mortgage: Which One is Right For You? - Properly

Open vs Closed Mortgage: Which One is Right For You?

Buying real estate and looking into mortgages? Find answers to your questions about a high ratio mortgage.

The High Ratio Mortgage: What Is It? - Properly

The High-Ratio Mortgage: What Is It?

How to find the best mortgages near you and other real estate market insights on Properly.

Mortgages Near Me - Properly

How to Find the Best Mortgages Near Me

Today, Properly, the Canadian tech-enabled real estate brokerage, announces $44M in Series B financing to fuel a national expansion across C

Properly Raises $44M in Series B Financing To Transform The Real Estate Experience In Canada

Today, Properly, the Canadian tech-enabled real estate brokerage, announces $44M in Series B financing to fuel a national expansion across Canada’s $400bn real estate market. Bain Capital Ventures led the financing, and was joined by strategic investors Intact Ventures, the venture arm of Canada’s largest provider of property and casualty insurance, and FCT, the leading national service provider in real estate technology and title insurance.

Following 2021's record-setting spring housing market in the GTA, Properly, a tech-enabled real estate brokerage, reveals how much home pric

GTA Condo Prices Rise by 44% Since 2017 Housing Peak

Following 2021's record-setting spring housing market in the GTA, Properly, a tech-enabled real estate brokerage, reveals how much home prices have appreciated since the last housing peak in 2017. By comparing the sale prices of GTA homes during the housing peak of January - April 2017 to their current Instant Estimate, Properly found significant increases in value across all housing types, with condos showing the greatest appreciation at 44 per cent, followed by townhouses with condo fees (33%), semi-detached homes (27%), freehold townhouses (26%), and detached homes (21%).

Today, tech-enabled real estate brokerage, Properly, reveals how much homes across Toronto purchased in the six months prior to COVID-19 hav

Where Have Toronto Home Values Jumped The Most?

Today, tech-enabled real estate brokerage, Properly, reveals how much homes across Toronto purchased in the six months prior to COVID-19 have appreciated in value. Using its proprietary, AI-powered home value calculator, Instant Estimate, the analysis shows that housing trends seen throughout the GTA in the past year — with homeowners fleeing the city and flocking to the more spacious suburbs — are playing out in a similar way in the city of Toronto itself.

Using our AI-powered home value calculator, Instant Estimate, we’ve compared the selling prices of homes bought in the six month period prio

Hey Toronto, how much have home values appreciated in your neighbourhood?

Using our AI-powered home value calculator, Instant Estimate, we’ve compared the selling prices of homes bought in the six month period prior to COVID-19 (September 2019 - February 2020) to their current Instant Estimate value (May 2021). Similar to trends seen throughout the greater GTA, City of Toronto homeowners are moving out of the downtown core in search of bigger homes and more greenspace, causing neighbourhoods on the edges of the city to see the greatest appreciation in prices.

Buying and selling a home can be a stressful experience: finding the best home for your family, trying to keep the house clean for showings,

Real estate stories worth sharing

Buying and selling a home can be a stressful experience: finding the best home for your family, trying to keep the house clean for showings, lining up closing dates. There are a lot of moving pieces to consider. These Properly clients moved without the headaches, and you can, too.

Homes purchased in the six months prior to the start of COVID-19 in Oshawa (48%), Georgina (46%) and Brock (46%) saw the greatest appreciati

Homes Bought in GTA Suburbs Before COVID-19 Jumped By Up To 48% In Value; according to Properly’s I

Homes purchased in the six months prior to the start of COVID-19 in Oshawa (48%), Georgina (46%) and Brock (46%) saw the greatest appreciation

Homes Bought in GTA Suburbs Before COVID-19 Jumped By Up To 48% In Value; according to Properly’s Instant Estimate

By LowestRates.ca

When the Bank of Canada cut interest rates three times in one month last year, LowestRates.ca saw an unprecedented incr

All your friends are refinancing their mortgages. Should you?

By LowestRates.ca

When the Bank of Canada cut interest rates three times in one month last year, LowestRates.ca saw an unprecedented increase in the number of Canadians using our mortgage quoter to refinance their homes. 

Our data revealed a 389% increase in refinancing mortgage quotes on LowestRates.ca in March 2020 compared to February 2020, and a 156% increase in March 2020 compared to March 2019.

As the homebuying season ramps up, 4 in 5 Ontarians are concerned about in-person showings during the pandemic

Does COVID-19 mean the end of home showings?

Your home is likely your biggest asset, and the best way to protect it is regular inspections and maintenance, especially before a change of

Get your home winter-ready with our maintenance checklist

Your home is likely your biggest asset, and the best way to protect it is regular inspections and maintenance, especially before a change of season. There’s a lot of seasonal maintenance tasks you can take care of on your own, or with the help of relatively inexpensive handyperson services.

This year has been one where anything goes, including decorating three months or more before the holidays. Many experts say that the need fo

The trendiest ways to deck the halls this holiday season

This year has been one where anything goes, including decorating three months or more before the holidays. Many experts say that the need for holiday cheer is at its peak in 2020, given the restrictions on social gatherings due to the pandemic. Decorating early for Christmas has been scientifically proven to make people happier, and we could all use a little extra joy this season.

There’s nothing like beautiful, nostalgic, or even goofy decorations to get you in the holiday spirit. At a time when many holiday tradition

Take a tour of Toronto’s best holiday homes

There’s nothing like beautiful, nostalgic, or even goofy decorations to get you in the holiday spirit. At a time when many holiday traditions have been put on hold, looking at holiday lights from a safe distance can bring us all some much needed comfort and joy.

The convenience of big brands can have a certain appeal, but local businesses are what make a place truly unique. They add character to a ne

It’s easy to shop local in these Toronto neighbourhoods

The convenience of big brands can have a certain appeal, but local businesses are what make a place truly unique. They add character to a neighbourhood and give you a special reason to visit. Luckily for Torontonians, we have thousands of local businesses – all of whom need our support ...

Few of us are excited to see the end of warm weather and the beginning of more time indoors – especially this year – but there is some good

How to get your house ready for cozy season

Few of us are excited to see the end of warm weather and the beginning of more time indoors – especially this year – but there is some good news: cozy season is here! To help chase away the winter blues, try tackling a few home decor projects and at-home ...

Living in a big city like Toronto comes with plenty of perks, one of which is the ability to walk or use Toronto transit instead of putting

Toronto neighbourhoods to live in if you don’t want a car

Living in a big city like Toronto comes with plenty of perks, one of which is the ability to walk or use Toronto transit instead of putting wear and tear on your vehicle. When you live in certain neighbourhoods, you may be able to get away with not having your own car at all. Most everything your family could need is within walking distance, and what isn’t available locally is just a short TTC ride away.

Just how much will home can $1 million buy you? The answer, of course, depends on where you’re shopping. When you’re buying a house in the G

Toronto real estate: What $1M will buy you across the city

Just how much will home can $1 million buy you? The answer, of course, depends on where you’re shopping. When you’re buying a house in the Greater Toronto Area, you’ll find a lot of variety in the types of houses for sale (and their prices) by neighbourhoods. Here’s a look at $1M homes in some popular areas to live across Toronto.

This winter, you’ll likely find yourself staying inside more often than usual – why not put that time to good use with a few home improvemen

Home improvement projects to tackle during your time indoors

This winter, you’ll likely find yourself staying inside more often than usual – why not put that time to good use with a few home improvement projects? There’s always something you can upgrade in your home to make it better suit your needs, your style, or just to make it feel more home-y. Here are a few of our favourite ideas for DIY home projects, with options for any level of home improvement experience:

COVID-19 has changed the way many of us think about home. Home is the office, the classroom, the gym, and the spot for date night. Our recen

New year, new home: Millennials are seeking more space as the pandemic moves into 2021

COVID-19 has changed the way many of us think about home. Home is the office, the classroom, the gym, and the spot for date night. Our recent survey shows that millennials’ perspectives on their homes have shifted more than any other generation this year. As we move into our second year at home, roughly half (48%) of millennials report being happy with where they live, as compared with 67% before the pandemic hit.

Despite the initial impacts of the pandemic and its resulting economic turmoil on the Canadian real estate market, BMO Senior Economist Robe

It was a great year for home prices in these Toronto neighbourhoods

Despite the initial impacts of the pandemic and its resulting economic turmoil on the Canadian real estate market, BMO Senior Economist Robert Kavcic says that 2020 “will be a banner year for the Canadian housing market.” Home prices in October were up 10.9% year-over-year – the fastest rate of price appreciation recorded on CREA’s Home Price Index since August 2017 – and home sale volume beat the previous October record by 14,000 homes.

Most people considering a move know that spring is traditionally the peak season for real estate. There’s usually more inventory available, 

The perks of buying a home in the winter

Most people considering a move know that spring is traditionally the peak season for real estate. There’s usually more inventory available, and yards look nicer when they’re not buried in snow. However, there’s a strong case for buying in the winter – especially when you can buy now and sell later by working with Properly. 

The late fall and winter months – November through February – are a great time to buy a home across Canada, and particularly in hot markets like Toronto. Here’s a look at some of the benefits of winter buying that you might not have expected:

There’s a good chance that your home is the most valuable asset you own. But do you know how valuable it really is?

Properly is a free on

In Toronto? Find out what your home is worth in two minutes | Financial Post

There’s a good chance that your home is the most valuable asset you own. But do you know how valuable it really is?

Properly is a free online service that provides an accurate home value report.

With just a few basic questions, Properly instantly calculates how much your home is worth.

Whether you’re looking to sell or you’re just curious, Properly is an easy way to get an up-to-date home valuation — it only takes two minutes and it won’t cost you a cent.

Latest articles