Zareh Homes

11/02/2026

First-time buyers looking at Burlington: here's one cost to plan for before you make an offer.

In September, the median townhouse or condo in Burlington sold for $670,000. That's down 8.2% from last year, and homes took 42 days to sell.

On a $670,000 home, Ontario's land transfer tax comes to about $9,875. It's due on closing day, and it can't go into your mortgage.

If you've never owned a home anywhere, you get up to $4,000 of that back as a first-time buyer refund. That brings it down to about $5,875. And unlike Toronto, Burlington doesn't add a second city tax on top.

Save this for later and send it to a friend who's saving for their first place.

What closing cost surprised you most when you bought?

A local guide to homes for sale in Burlington, Ontario — neighbourhoods, home prices, and what buyers should know about this lakeside city between Hamilton and Oakville in 2026.

11/01/2026

"I'll just wait for spring to sell."

I hear it every fall. Just so you have the full picture: spring brings more buyers, but it also brings back every seller who pulled their listing this year.

Right now in Stoney Creek, new listings were down 37% in September. Your competition is thinner today than it will be in April.

Sometimes waiting is still the right call. It's worth working through, not assuming.

Save this and send it to the friend who keeps saying "maybe in the spring."

If you were selling, would you list this fall or wait for spring?

10/31/2026

Trick-or-treating tonight? A quick safety check before you head out 🎃

Before the candy gets eaten:
• Check every wrapper. Anything torn, opened or homemade from someone you don't know goes in the bin
• Read the labels for allergens. Fun-size bars don't always have the same ingredients as the full-size ones
• Toss anything that looks like candy but isn't. Cannabis edibles can come in look-alike packaging

On the walk:
• Glow sticks or a flashlight, it's dark by 6:30
• Stick to well-lit streets and houses with the porch light on
• Cross at corners, not between parked cars
• Drivers, slow right down in the neighbourhoods tonight

Save this and send it to a parent heading out tonight.

What's the one candy everyone in your house fights over? 👇

10/30/2026

GTA new home sales in September told two very different stories.

Houses: 820 new low-rise homes sold (detached, semis and towns). That's 17% above the 10-year average for September, and the sixth month in a row above it since Ontario's expanded HST rebate started.

Condos: 129 units sold. That's the lowest September on record, down 40% from last year and 90% below the 10-year average.

What it means if you're thinking about buying new:

• The HST rebate is doing the heavy lifting. It's up to $130,000 back on a new home up to $1.5M if it's going to be your home, and it's not just for first-time buyers. The purchase agreement has to be signed by March 31, 2027.
• Condo buyers have the leverage. There's about 49 months of unsold new condo inventory in the GTA, and that's when builders get flexible on price, deposits and closing costs.
• The low-rise benchmark is $1.25M, down 13.3% in a year, and that's before the rebate.

Source: BILD / Altus Group, September 2026.

Save this if you're thinking about buying new in the next few months, and send it to someone who's been watching pre-construction.

If you were buying new right now, would you go condo or house?

10/29/2026

Oakville buyers have more choice than they've had in a while.

September: 162 sales, a median of $1.21M, and 4.9 months of inventory. The benchmark price is down 3% from last year.

Well-priced homes still sell. Overpriced ones sit.

Based on what you're looking for, the neighbourhood matters more than the town average. Happy to walk you through it.

Save this for later and send it to the friend who's been eyeing Oakville.

Which Oakville neighbourhood would you pick first? 👇

A local guide to homes for sale in Oakville, Ontario — neighbourhoods, school catchments, home prices, and what buyers should know about this Halton market in 2026.

10/28/2026

Rates went up this morning for the first time since 2023 — the Bank of Canada moved to 2.50%.

Three quick things:

On a variable? Check which kind you have. Your payment goes up, or your amortization stretches. Those are very different problems.

Renewing soon? Get your quote now instead of waiting for the letter. Fixed rates don't move with the Bank the way people assume.

Fixed term with time left? Today changed nothing for you.

Full breakdown, including what it does to prices around Hamilton, Burlington and Oakville:

The Bank raised its policy rate 25 basis points to 2.50% on October 28, 2026. What it does to a variable payment, a renewal, a pre-approval — and what it doesn't do.

10/28/2026

The Bank of Canada raised rates today, from 2.25% to 2.5%. It's the first increase since July 2023.

Here's my take: this hike is about gas and oil, not housing. Inflation hit 3.1% in September, but take gas out and it was 2.2%. Shelter costs were up just 1.8%.

So what does a quarter point actually mean? On a $500,000 variable mortgage, it's about $70 a month more. That's real money, but it's not a reason to panic-sell or put your whole plan on hold.

Worth doing this week:
• Variable or HELOC: your payment follows prime once the banks move. Find out your new number before it shows up.
• Renewing in the next year: start the conversation early. Many lenders will hold a rate for up to 120 days.
• Buying: get your pre-approval done now so you know exactly where you stand.

The Bank said another hike is possible, but it will "proceed carefully." The one I'm watching is December 9.

Save this for when your renewal letter shows up, or send it to someone with a variable mortgage.

Fixed or variable, which are you on right now? And did today change your plans at all?

https://zarehhomes.com/blog/bank-of-canada-raises-rate-october-2026

10/27/2026

The clocks go back an hour this Sunday. 🍂 Here's a good use for it: four fall jobs most checklists skip.

• Get the chimney swept or the gas fireplace serviced before your first fire of the season
• Switch your ceiling fans to clockwise on low. That pushes warm air back down off the ceiling
• Clean the dryer vent all the way out to the flap outside, not just the lint trap
• Trim branches hanging over the roof before snow and ice weigh them down

One more: know where your main water shut-off is. If a pipe ever bursts, that's the first thing you'll need, and it's the worst time to go looking for it.

Save this for Sunday and send it to a friend who just bought their first place.
Which job always ends up at the bottom of your fall list?

10/26/2026

Hamilton condo buyers have the most room they've had in years.

In September, condos had 8.5 months of supply and took 72 days to sell. Detached homes were at 4.5 months and 44 days.

Just so you have the full picture: a soft market isn't the same as a cheap building. Check the fees, the reserve fund and the status certificate before you fall for a floor plan.

If you want, we can go through a few buildings together.

Save this for later and send it to a friend who's looking at condos in Hamilton.

When you look at a condo, what do you check first: the fees or the view?

September 2026 sold data for Hamilton, Grimsby and Stoney Creek. Hamilton's median fell 8.6 percent — but nine of the ten areas moved differently, and Hamilton Centre went up.

10/25/2026

Halloween week around Hamilton 🎃 From one Stoney Creek dad to another, here's what's actually worth your time this week. Three of them are today.

I also threw in an easy Halloween dinner on the last slide: mummy hot dogs. 20 minutes, and the kids get some real food in them before trick-or-treating.

Share this with a friend who's still making plans 👻

Which one are you going to?