From the founders: your July number is out of date

In July, TRREB said prices might level off through the second half of the year. Last week it said tighter supply could bring renewed price growth instead. The second view arrived one report after the first.

Any number you gave a seller earlier this year came from the first view. It is out of date now, and the seller has no way of knowing that. Sellers don't read the monthly reports. Anyone who took their listing down this year is still holding the figure you gave them at the time.

That is worth a call, and it is a better reason than a check-in. Tell them what TRREB changed, and tell them prices are still below where they were a year ago. A call that is only good news reads as a pitch.

When the number moves, your client should hear it from you first.

The library: worth flagging early

All three are on the Ownright blog, and each is the kind of detail a client would rather hear from you than from their lawyer on closing day.

Matrimonial home in Ontario: consent to sell or refinance. A married seller's spouse must consent before the matrimonial home is sold or refinanced, even if only one name is on title, and a regularly used cottage can qualify as one too.

Joint tenancy vs tenancy in common in Ontario. A parent who already owns a home, going on title as a joint tenant, can reduce their child's first-time buyer rebate. Holding title as tenants in common can preserve the rebate on the child's portion.

Capital gains tax when you sell a rental property in Ontario. There's no principal residence exemption on a rental, so half the gain is added to the seller's income and any capital cost allowance claimed can be recaptured, both worth raising before you price it.

Hot off the press: Joel on the rate hold

Two outlets went to Joel after the Bank's September decision:

Western Standard - What the Bank of Canada's rate hold means for housing and mortgages: Joel on what a seventh straight hold does and does not change for borrowers.

CMP - Canada sheds 42,000 jobs as tariff toll tests BoC resolve: Joel said that if inflation keeps easing while the economy stays weak, a cut later this year is possible.

Market snapshot: the benchmark holds, borrowing costs creep up

Our take: The thing that actually changed this month sits on the financing side, not the supply side. The Bank held for a seventh time but flagged that financial conditions have tightened and long-term bond yields have moved up, and TRREB names concern about future borrowing costs as the main thing holding buyers back.

Client spotlight: in their words

The Ownright advantage

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