Do Your Homework

By Ilene Denton, March 2, 2015

Pondering a condo purchase? Consider these tips from the author of The Condo Bible.

Condo perils explained

Condos have grown to become a major habitat of urban centers across North America. Touted as a housing alternative with a care-free lifestyle, they have become very popular, especially during the last 10 years or so. Single people, childless couples and retirees seem to be particularly attracted to them, mainly because of convenient amenities in and around them.

Living in a Bubble: Time to sell and run for cover

Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, was interviewed recently on the subject of economic bubbles which many economists have been suggesting we are heading towards. In fact, some proclaim we are in one already.

Consumer Advocate Barnabic: Almost Entire US Economy Is in a Bubble

By Dan Weil, August 18, 2014, 

Bubbles are brewing everywhere, says consumer advocate Dan Barnabic. And not surprisingly, he warns that many of us may suffer when those bubbles pop.

Buying a Condo Near a College

By Lew Sichelman, May 31, 2014

Buying a condo for your child near his or her college is often a sound investment.

Condo Author Advocates Back-To-Basics Approach

By Duncan McAllister, Friday, May 2 & Sunday, May 4, 2014

Do not let anybody get you to sign something overnight, think about it, go around, look at the choices, says Dan Barnabic. The Condo Bible addresses and explains the profound changes that Canada’s urban landscape has gone through over the course of the past 30 years. 

“Beware NO-PET Rules”

By Michelle Ervin, March 2014 issue of CondoBusiness

The St. Lawrence Market condo should have sold in days. Instead, it took months.

The line between a condo and a rental building

Consumer Alert: Is the condo bubble bursting ?

Click here to go to CTV News and watch my interview with CTV’s Pat Foran, aired on March 20, 2014

Wrong time to buy into a condo

A Look at U.S. and Canadian Real Estate

Updated: January 2014

From the year 2000 onward, U.S. and Canadian real estate markets experienced an incredible boom in the construction of residential real estate.

However, most people seem to have forgotten – and more important, seem not to have learned their lesson – from the previous horrific real estate crash of the late 80s and early 90s, where due to oversupply, the market popped in both countries, sending real estate prices on a free fall of up to 50 percent of their previous values. Exceptionally hard hit were condos.

The U.S. Economy in Layman’s Terms

Updated: September 2013

The U.S. economy as reflected in its national budget may not be easily understood as it contains too many zeros and the very terms by which the huge, unfamiliar numbers are represented may not ring a bell to the average person.

In order to bring light to people’s minds, I make an analogy of the U.S. budget to a family budget, which leads into an insightful discussion of the U.S. economy.

Troubling Thoughts on Foreign Buying of U.S. and Canadian Real Estate

Updated: January 2014 

Reports from Miami indicate that certain investors from South America, namely, Brazil, started to buy into empty Florida condominiums. This may be seemingly encouraging news, as it is a well known fact that the record sales of condos in Canadian cities, such as Toronto and Vancouver, are being mostly, if not solely supported by Chinese and other foreign investors, who have been buying Canadian real estate on an exceptionally large scale for quite some time now.