GarthFAQ
Hi! Blog dog, Derek R here. So you’ve been reading Garth Turner’s blog for a few weeks and you’re still not sure of the difference between the Boomers and the Doomers, what squirrel recipes have got to do with anything, or why Garth’s got such a downer on gold? Well, here's the GarthFAQ for you or anyone else who's been puzzled by one of the following terms or feels the need to ask a few common questions.
416 - The city of Toronto.
905 - The suburbs of Toronto
Amazons - Beautiful warrior women, working at the Store or living with Garth at the Bunker and helping to type articles, get things ship-shape, throw out troublemakers, run his bath, and generally keep him happy.
Bandit - Garth's faithful hound.
Big D - Deflation. AKA a shortage of cash. Bankers and loan sharks fear Inflation but this is what the rest of us should be worrying about.
BitCoins - Pretend gold for geeks
The Big Owe - Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister of Finance, 2014-2015.
BPOE - The Best Place On Earth, as it's known to some of its residents. The rest of us just call it Vancouver.
Blog Dogs - Garth's faithful followers.
Boomers - Anyone over the age of 50. Born roughly between 1945 and 1965.
B.R.A - Buyer Representation Agreement. Optional contract between you and your real estate agent that you will pay him even if he proves to be unable to find you a house.
Bunker - Garth's home and refuge for the time when civilisation collapses.
C - Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada, 2008-2013.
Cat Food - Special Sunday treat for all those who reach retirement with no savings except the equity in their house. The rest of the week it’s dog kibble for them.
Cauliflower - Luxury food imported from the US at vast expense. It’s an acquired taste, reserved for people with sophisticated palates on special occasions. Only affordable by those with balanced, liquid, diversified portfolios. And big ones at that...
CMHC - Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation which insures mortgages for the banks. Not for you.
CREA - Canadian Real Estate Association, an organisation dedicated to informing the Canadian public whether it is a good time to buy real estate or a really good time to buy real estate.
Depends - Adult diapers.
D - Deflation. See Big D.
DH - Dear Husband
Dogapalusa - Get-together in 2016 for blog dogs and other ne’er-do-wells at Garth’s Belfountain General Store.
DOM - Days on Market. The length of time it takes to find a sucker worthy citizen, willing to buy your house.
Doomers - Anyone who thinks that civilisation is about to collapse, hyperinflation is just around the corner, house prices are going to crash, the Leafs are about to lose a game, etc.
Dorothy - Garth's wife and Queen of the Amazons.
DRiP - Dividend Re-investment Plan which uses the dividends from your shares to buy more shares automatically
ED - Erectile Dysfunction. Inability to maintain a strong interest rate. See Orange Guy’s Shorts.
The Elfin Deity - James Flaherty, Canada’s Minister of Finance, 2006-2014.
EFT - Electronic Funds Transfer.
ETF - Exchange Traded Funds.
F - The F- word. See Elfin Deity.
FASTPGFBDCParty - The First Annual Sunnyvale Trailer Park Greater Fool Blog Dog Christmas Party, a shindig which is rumoured to have been the wildest event of 2011.
First Rule of Purchasing - Always buy the worst house on the best street.
FOMO - Fear Of Missing Out. The fear that you will never be able to afford a giant mortgage of your very own, if you don’t get one Right Now.
Frankenumber - A number created by stitching together other less desirable numbers. For instance, the HPI created from house price averages by the CREA to disguise drops in prices.
G - Garth Turner
Gen X - Born between 1965 and 1985. Early Generation-Xers did okay from Real Estate ownership later Gen-Xers, not so much.
GFC - Global Financial Crisis.
GIC - Guaranteed Investment Certificate. Investment in which you charitably lend money to a poverty-stricken bank for at least a year at a rate of interest possibly lower than is offered by that same bank’s “High-Interest” Savings account.
G-man - Garth Turner
Gold - Magical material which, it is rumoured, will protect you from poverty when civilisation collapses, hyperinflation arrives, house prices crash, the Leafs lose a game, etc. Warning! It is alright to like this metal but if you find yourself licking it, you probably like it a bit too much.
GTA - Greater Toronto Area.
Greater Fool - The person who is willing to buy your 500 sq ft condo from you at an even more ridiculous price than you were stupid enough to pay. Caution! Such a person may not exist.
Granite - The granite countertops without which no kitchen is usable.
H - Stephen Harper, Prime Minister, 2006-2015.
HAM - Hot Asian Money, allegedly ill-gotten gains used by Asian immigrants to buy property.
Harley - Garth's favourite brand of motorcycle.
HELOC - Home Equity Line Of Credit, bank loan backed by house as collateral. Payable on demand. In other words, unlike a mortgage, the bank can ask you to pay it back in full at any time. They normally won’t unless you start causing them problems but...
Horny - Desperate to buy a house.
HouseAgeddon - The time when house prices fall.
HPI - House Price Index
Hummer - Garth's main mode of transport.
The Jar Lady - Gail Vaz-Oxlade, who used her magic jars on “Till Debt Us Do Part” to save people from out-of-control spending.
K - Karma. The idea that Greater Fools will get what they deserve. Eventually.
Lawn Asians - See Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Ornaments - People hired to look like eager buyers at an Open House or other house buying event.
Luccheses - The only boots that the well-dressed, financially savvy cowboy is wearing this year.
Marmalade Dude - The spokesman for the Tangerine Bank. See Orange Guy’s Shorts.
MIL - Mother-in-Law.
Millennials - Also known as Gen Y or Generation Rent. Children of the Boomers. Born roughly between 1985 and 2005. Often the victims of helicopter parenting and always the victims of astronomically-priced housing.
MOI - Months of Inventory. The number of months it would take to sell all the houses listed for sale right now, if people keep on buying at the current rate.
Moisters - Young folk, still not fully baked and a bit damp in the middle. See Millennials.
MPAC - Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. The company which ensures that everyone in Ontario knows how much their land is worth for tax purposes.
MSM - Mainstream Media. Television, radio, newspapers, books and websites controlled by The Powers That Be.
Orange Guy's Shorts - ING Bank's high interest savings account.
OSFI - The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. The government’s bank cops, charged with keeping Canadian Banks, Insurance Companies, etc. on the straight and narrow.
Porn - Films or articles or pictures intended to make people want to buy houses.
POS - Power of Sale or Piece of Sh*t.
Peckerettes - Civil servants at the Department of Finance. The Minister’s minions. Or possibly his minders. No one’s really sure.
Peekaboo mortgage - Mortgage with the option to miss a payment every so often in order to ensure that you don’t pay it off too quickly and thus deprive the poor bank of all that lovely interest.
Preferreds - Preferred shares in banks (or other organisations). They give a higher dividend than common shares and tend to have a more stable price.
P/R ratio - The Price to Rent ratio which is calculated by dividing the price you would pay for a house by the yearly rent you would pay for it. If it’s below 16, you should buy, buy buy. Above 21, you should rent, rent, rent.
REIT - Real Estate Investment Trust, or the smart way to own real estate. An organisation which rents out buildings to people and businesses, then pays the rent to its shareholders.
Rocks - See Gold.
Rule 4 - You need income, not real estate. Especially when the seriously wrinkly years commence.
Rule of 90 - The principle that you shouldn't have more than (90 - YourAge)% of your net worth invested in residential housing. And that includes the roof over your own head.
QE - Quantitative Easing. Roughly speaking this is when the government borrows, using low-interest short-term debt, to give it enough cash to pay off its high-interest long-term debt. Similar to a homeowner borrowing from a low-interest HELOC to pay off high-interest credit card debts or car payments.
SASTPGFBDCParty - The Second Annual Sunnyvale Trailer Park Greater Fool Blog Dog Christmas Party, a hootenanny which promises to be even wilder than the FASTPGFBDCParty.
SFH - Single Family Home.
Silent Generation - Also known as the Lucky Few, these are the people who were born between 1925 and 1945. Too young to take part in World War Two for the most part, these folks were the major beneficiaries of the post-WW2 economic boom and the enormous house-price inflation of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
SMA - Simple Moving Average. A stock market term for an average calculated by taking the last 10 days (or 20 days or 30 or whatever) of prices for a stock and averaging them then doing the same thing again tomorrow (and the next day and the next day). Graph the result and you will have a SMA curve.
Squirrel recipe - It is important to be prepared. Some people are better prepared than others. Those who are well prepared have a month's supply of canned beans. Those who are really well prepared own a Bunker. Those who are perhaps a little too well prepared have already googled for and printed off their squirrel recipes, Just In Case. See Doomers.
SS&G - Stainless Steel appliances and Granite countertops without which no kitchen is complete. God may forgive you for installing White appliances and Wooden countertops but the property virgins won’t
Stainless - See SS&G.
The Store - Garth’s latest venture, situated in deepest Caledon, selling ice-cream and other essentials to the blog dogs (and anyone else who wants to buy).
T1 - Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister, 1968-1979 and 1980-1984.
T2 - Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister, 2015-.
TH - Townhouse
Thirsty underwear - See Depends
Tin Foil - Magical material which, it is rumoured, will protect you from mind control rays when made into a hat. Recommended by those who believe that The Powers That Be are out to get us. Apparently works against all TPTB except Mothers-in-Law (who it seems “don’t need rays to control anyone”).
TNL@TB - The Nice Lady At The Bank. Has a friend, TNM@TB, who you may occasionally meet.
ToM - Time on Market
TPTB - The Powers That Be. Those who shape society and attempt to control it. Includes the Government, the Bankers, the Corporations, the Communists, the Illuminati, the Lizardmen and Mothers-in-Law. Note that some of these are trying to control the others as well as you.
Track 5er - Person who goes against the flow to gain an advantage. Refers to the behaviour of commuters on track 5 (or more accurately platform 5) in Union station, Toronto.
Track 6er - Person who goes with the flow because “everyone else is doing it”. See track 5er
UCC - The Universal Consciousness Coordinator which whispers the secrets of the universe to a select few. Apparently.
VanCity - Vancouver.
VI - Vancouver Island or Vested Interest.
Virgins - People who do not yet own a house.
VRM - Variable Rate Mortgage.
VTB - Vendor-Take-Back mortgage. Mortgage offered by house seller to house buyer. Recommended for sellers who like pain.
Vultch - Wait while house prices drop to the bottom like a vulture waiting for a wounded animal to die. Or buy at that point like a vulture feeding.
Wild Bill - Bill Morneau, Canada’s Finance Minister 2015-.
YEG - Edmonton.
YHZ - Halifax.
YVR - Vancouver.
YYC - Calgary.
YYZ - Toronto.
The Zero guy - The guy who runs the Zero Hedge blog.
Why does Garth hate Gold? - Garth does not hate Gold. Garth loves balanced, liquid, diversified portfolios. He used to advise that Gold should be between 5% and 10% of a person's net worth on the basis that anything more was too risky. In fact since late 2012 he believes that gold is so risky that it should not form part of anyone’s portfolio. Far better to own something that pays you dividends rather than something that costs you storage fees. See Doomers, Gold.
Why does Garth hate Real Estate? - Garth does not hate Real Estate. Garth loves balanced, liquid, diversified portfolios. So he advises that Real Estate should be no more than 60% of a 30 year-old's net worth and no more than 30% of a 60-year-old's assets. Anything more is too risky. See Rule of 90.
Why does Garth love balanced, liquid, diversified portfolios? - Garth knows that prediction is very difficult, particularly if it involves the future. Since predictions will not necessarily come true, he advises that people do not put all their eggs in one basket, or all their investments in one asset. When investments are made in more than one asset, a drop in the price of one asset may be balanced by an increase in the price of another asset. In particular the price of bonds tends to drop at the same time as the price of shares tends to rise. And vice-versa. So a portfolio of assets needs to include a balance of bonds and shares in order to reduce the risk of the owner predicting the future wrongly.
Why does Garth hate GICs? - Garth doesn’t hate GICs -- well, maybe he does just a little bit. But it’s nothing personal. He hates all low-yield, illiquid, tax-inefficient investments. And that’s what GICs are. Low yield? They don’t give much interest. Illiquid? You can’t cash them in early if you need to. Tax inefficient? You always pay your maximum rate of income tax on them unless you put them in a TFSA -- and that would be a waste of your TFSA contribution allowance.
When does Garth think the crash is going to happen? - Garth doesn’t think that a crash will happen. He thinks that there will be a correction followed by a multi-year melt. The correction will be large in places like Vancouver or Toronto and small in places like Moncton. But it will not be a crash.
Does Garth believe that Renting a House is always better than Buying a House? - The simple answer is "No". The complicated answer is "Garth believes that it depends on how much the house costs when you compare the total cost of renting (which includes rent, contents insurance and possibly utilities) to the total cost of buying (which includes mortgage interest payments, property taxes, reno/repair costs, building insurance, contents insurance, utilities, opportunity costs on the house equity, changes in local house prices, and the cost of buying and selling the house)". At the moment in Canada's major cities, owning a house costs much more than renting it, particularly in Vancouver and Toronto. However there are a few cities and many rural areas in Canada where Buying is still better than Renting. It is unlikely that you live in one of those places. In fact at the moment the chances are extremely good that you live in a part of Canada where Renting is better than Buying. As a rough guide you can tell by following his rule of thumb.
According to conventional wisdom, when a P/R ratio is 15 or less, you should buy. When it’s 16 to 20, renting has a slight edge. Above 21, only fools would not be a tenant. And north of 30, you should giggle every time you write a rent cheque and offer to date and marry your landlord’s unfortunate spawn in profound, unbridled gratitude.
Or read what the G-man has to say on this in his article on the topic for Victoria Day, 2013, ”Victoria's Secret”.
How does Garth feel about buying a house in partnership with a friend or relative? - This is hardly ever a good idea. If something goes wrong over such a large purchase, you may end up never speaking to your friend or relative again. If you can handle that possibility then go ahead. Otherwise don’t. The only exception is when you’re intending to marry him or her but even then you should think very carefully about it. In short, if you like them but you aren’t sleeping with them, you shouldn’t buy real estate with them.
When does Garth think that the US will collapse? - Not in our lifetime. Don’t bet against the US, he says.
Does Garth believe that the U.S. dollar will still be the reserve currency of the world during our lifetime? - Yes, of course. And for some time thereafter.
My real estate agent keeps on showing me her BRA. Now she wants me to sign it. Should I? - Not unless you really love her. Garth explains the problems with these agreements in his post, The trouble with BRAs, and why signing it would be great for the agent but probably not so great for you
Does Garth write the emails, he says that he receives from the general public? - Are you kidding? Garth’s inbox gets so many messages, he has to have five Amazons working all hours just to filter out the trivial stuff. He doesn’t need to make up any more.
Hey Garth, I posted a comment and now it’s disappeared. What gives? - There are two reasons that a comment can vanish. Reason number one is that you broke the rules on commenting. Garth is pretty lenient but if you break the rules too often or too badly, your comment will be deleted. However a deleted comment is more likely to appear with the word “DELETED” (or “BANNED” if you really annoyed him) rather than just vanish. The more common reason for “vanishing” is a technical one to do with the entries in the Name: Mail: Website: fields. If these no longer contain anything or contain something other than what you originally typed, your comment will become invisible until Garth gets round to checking it. However it will still exist even though you won’t be able to see it while it’s awaiting moderation. Just be patient. It will show up when Garth gets round to it or when you post another comment with the same Name: Mail: Website details.
Does Garth own any real estate? - Garth has owned much real estate in the past. He still owns a Bunker, Somewhere in Canada, and a General Store in Caledon but rents his digs in Toronto.
What’s the little code at the bottom of some of the comments? - Some blog dogs want to share a little more information about themselves and put a small code showing their gender, age and province. Something like M28AB or F56ON. It’s up to you whether you want to do this or not. Some folk like doing it, some don’t
Garth checks every comment that appears on his site. And he deletes any that don’t meet site standards. Those which have been deleted are replaced by a simple delete code. As explained by the G-Man himself these are ...
1. Language – offensive, potty-mouthed, juvenile, worthy of the HuffPost site.
2. Slur – deliberate demeaning of an identifiable group (gays, Chinese, immigrants, Costco shoppers etc.).
3. Ad hominem – disrespectful comments attacking a person, rather than his/her ideas or opinions. Especially mine.
4. Anti-canine
5. Verbal garbage – blathering comments, unrelated to blog topic, which nobody cares about. Seriously.
6. Ennui – Stop, already. You’ve posted too much today or this week.
7. Garth’s List – I don’t like you. This is your invitation to go away.
8. Firster – yes, Jimmy, you.
9. Bully – any combo of the above used to intimidate others and assert your pathetic masculinity or dubious superiority.
10. Evil linker – trying to bury a link in your post to porn, white power, gold nut, Adele or doomer sites.
11. Illegal dumping – no, we don’t want to scroll through a complete Trump speech or a twisted Zero guy column. Post a reference.
12. Blog terrorist – your IP’s also been sent to the CRA, CSIS, the RCMP plus you have been subscribed here. Suffer.
December 2014
20141222 Cowboy hell - Oil prices have begun to cause trouble in Calgary RE
20141221 Urges - New baby? Advice on insurance, housing and RESPs
20141219 The willful idiot - It is far too easy to get into debt
20141218 Going negative - Own financials, not stuff. Stuff has started to go down.
20141217 Bad choices - Should we time investment decisions? Nope.
20141216 The obvious - The BoC, CHMC and the MSM are beginning to see the problem
20141215 The unicorns - Debt-free Albertan Millennials that love renting; oil supply/demand
20141214 Race to the bottom - Oil will go down and stay down but renters still want to buy
20141212 Market update - Kelowna RE isn’t doing quite as well as the local estate agents say
20141211 Realtor® DNA - real estate agents are often True Believers
20141210 Kaboom - The oil shock continues and the BoC admits that RE is overpriced
20141209 The unequals - North of the border high prices; south of the border low prices
20141208 Could be worse - Jobs are beginning to feel the effect of low oil prices
20141207 Down with stuff - Stuff is getting cheaper. Including oil, stocks and shares
20141205 What comes next - Debt is going to hurt Canadians while the US slowly improves
20141204 The bloat - Prices can only go up. Apparently
20141203 Extreme - Sell your Calgary house now.
20141202 Pushing it - Your TFSA savings are safe as long as you aren’t a day-trader
20141201 Planning - Looks like the $10,000 TFSA contribution is on the cards
November 2014
20141130 If I had a million dollars - There are better things to spend a $1,000,000 on than RE
20141128 Choices - Pete discovers that you can’t have it all
20141127 The shock - Oil price fall doesnt bode well for Calgary housing
20141126 'I am weakening' - Family and societal pressure is difficult to bear
20141125 Good advice - Better to rent than to own just now. Interest rates will rise in 2015
20141124 The lottery - Some have won the lottery with house prices
20141123 Your turn - Government spending. What are the blog dogs thoughts?
20141121 Trust - A diversified, liquid, balanced account for millennials
20141120 The temptress - The Nice Lady at The Bank is bankrolled by the CMHC
20141119 The rich - What makes a person rich? Why is the middle class disappearing?
20141118 Parents - Most parents can’t really afford to give their kids down-payments but...
20141117 I feel bad - What Garth feels bad about
20141116 The urge - Babies, nesting and Toronto bidding wars
20141114 Managing risk - How to diversify investments to keep risk low
20141113 We're cool - The middle class is in trouble
20141112 Conduct unbecoming - Penalties for being a bad financial adviser or a bad realtor
20141111 Lest we - Remembrance Day. Lest we forget. Never again.
20141110 Fail - Garth upsets Mothers, Realtors and Gold-lickers in one post
20141109 Trust us - Young and old are both suffering because of property prices
20141107 The deniers - New houses that need repairs; interest rates WILL go up
20141106 Bottle it - job losses, oil price down, house prices down.
20141105 The professionals - More interesting behaviour from the realty profession
20141104 Get a job - The economy is depressing and Stephen Poloz isn’t helping
20141103 Crude - Calgary and the falling price of oil
20141102 Useless - The causes of high house prices. Big down-payments could fix things.
October 2014
20141031 Love your landlord - Landlords are mostly subsidising their tenants
20141030 Joy - Stock market rises as QE finishes.
20141029 50 shades of taper - QE stops - and the sky doesn’t fall on our heads.
20141028 Too late - Canadians are on the wrong path mortgagewise, marketwise, pensionwise
20141027 Careful - The unwelcome consequences of signing a BRA
20141026 Into the night - The significance of Nathan Cirillo’s funeral cortege
20141024 Wheels up - Cars, car loans, jobs and consumer debt
20141023 It works. - Why house prices are much higher in Canada than in the US
20141022 October 22 - Bad news on various fronts for Canada.
20141021 Darwin - Pensions are under threat. Here’s what Millennials should do about it.
20141020 Screwed - Millennials have learned from the Boomers. Unfortunately.
20141019 What could go wrong? (2) - Should a 23-year old buy an unbuilt $500k condo?
20141017 What to worry about - Unnecessary fear is making the stock market volatile.
20141016 The end - RE prices are dropping nearly everywhere in Canada
20141015 Weird - Emotion and investing don’t mix - in RE or the stock market
20141014 The cowboy gene - Effects of oil price drop on Calgary real estate.
20141013 Progress - Lots of progress in the last century. Can it continue?
20141012 The last tool - More on deflation around the world
20141010 Thankfully - Thanksgiving thoughts
20141009 Reality check - Reasons why the stock market is starting to drop
20141008 The unthinkable - Detroit where RE has gone waaaay down.
20141007 The beast - Protecting yourself from Deflation.
20141006 Hopeless - Newspaper trouble. And support for the RE bears.
20141005 From scratch - How to invest without a lot of cash
20141003 The analyst - Six important things to bear in mind about the economy right now.
20141002 Predictions - Defense of RE predictions over the last six years.
20141001 The snooze portfolio - Good portfolios are doing well. Don’t mention RE fees!
September 2014
20140930 It's not working - Financial Literacy Leader needs help. From the blog dogs?
20140929 Big D - Sad story from Fort Mac; And Deflation is creeping about again.
20140928 Lust on the rocks - Perils of flipping expensive RE - and disclosure forms update
20140926 Almost worth it - Compare rent plus investment to owning - with Pat.
20140925 The correction - Reasons why the TSX is beginning to drop
20140924 A valuable lesson - Garth has been spreading the word for 7 years now
20140923 Uncool - The economy isn’t keeping up with the RE bubble.
20140922 Not alone - News from Australia; Sydney price madness; just like Canada
20140921 Tax this - Special property taxes on foreign owners aren’t fair.
20140919 B of M - Canadian mothers still giving kids too much cash for downpayments
20140918 The good stuff - The US stock market keeps on rising.
20140917 Family planning - Investment planning should be based on the household
20140916 Aliens - Canadian sales round-up. You can’t stop foreigners buying property
20140915 Party time - Bad news for those in debt. Interest rates are set to rise.
20140914 That's it - Indications that the RE boom is almost over
20140912 The robust bust - Net worth goes up because net debt goes up.
20140911 Party mode - Millennials are getting the wrong ideas from their parents.
20140910 The wrong idol - You can’t rely on RE to finance your retirement.
20140909 Really boring post - Really useful advice on rebalancing your portfolio
20140908 Chutzpah - A 1970s fixer-upper; in April featured in a bidding war; now a rental.
20140907 Confusion - Interest rates, debt, inflation and deflation
20140905 The fork - Sensible numbers for a liquid, balanced, diversified portfolio.
20140904 Pay attention - Deflation in Europe
20140903 Soggy - RE Sales and prices are dropping
20140902 Hang on - Nasty fees with which Mutual Funds hawkers trap folk
20140901 Bank on this - Banking will be affected by an RE crash. A bit. And flipping is back.
August 2014
20140831 Ugly - “Prices always go up” say realtors; until they don’t
20140829 Throwing in the towel - Affordability is elusive yet people may have to buy
20140828 More ambition - RECO, manipulative realtors and clueless lawyers
20140827 The manipulators - Another young realtress targets people’s greed
20140826 Breach of trust - The MSM and the police move on the Centrium lawyer
20140825 Big dog - Poloz tries to talk down the dollar because of the deflation threat
20140824 History sucks - RE is expensive by historical standards; Millennials have it tough
20140822 Who can you trust? - Prices drop because of the CMHC limit; Australian activism
20140821 Legally sad - Centrium - sad case of condo pre-sales going horribly wrong
20140820 The ride - Car loans are symptomatic of Canadians’ increasing indebtedness
20140819 The smell test - Lots of obfuscation but something’s not right with the RE market
20140818 Blind ambition - Tom and Laura’s case shows why investing beats RE
20140817 The change - Bad news on climate change
20140815 La fin - Signs that the property boom is reaching its final stages
20140814 Adios, property ladder - All RE is connected: falls in one sector; falls in others
20140813 Investment grade - Condo prices do not make investment sense
20140812 Wrinklenomics - How much money do you need for retirement?
20140811 The high life - Breakdown of assets and debt for Canadian households
20140810 Generations - Millennials growth in net worth is down to RE appreciation
20140808 Shocks - Latest employment report is not good news for house prices
20140807 The melt - Summer RE stats don’t look good; cheap RE in Nova Scotia
20140806 No kidding - Open letter to Australian Senator on the Home Buyers Plan. Don’t do it!
20140805 Empty bubble, Part deux - Vancouver RE below $1m is selling; above $1m is not
20140804 The empty bubble - Canada RE round-up shoiws falls in most parts
20140803 Baleful - Ottawa announces new bail-in rules for Canadian banks
20140801 Hater House - Xenophobia strikes Vancouver again.
July 2014
20140731 Too big to bail - Is housing too big an issue for government to ignore?
20140730 The change - US economy still doing well for some
20140729 Erinomics - Undisclosed conflict of interest
20140728 Bad news - Tenants rights when asked to move out
20140727 Toxic - Property disclosure forms: good for buyers; bad for sellers
20140725 Knowledge - Realtors have too much control over RE history data
20140724 #Debtshaming - People used to be ashamed of debt. They still should be.
20140723 The bomb - Louise is ready to retire; most folk aren’t; here’s what to do about it.
20140722 The correction - The stock market and risk. Stay balanced, diversified and liquid.
20140721 What are you worth? - How the Rule of 90 works and how to calculate it
20140720 Venus & Mars - When to pay down a mortgage and when to let it ride
20140718 Debt train - Too many Canadians are in too much debt
20140717 Truth - In our turbulent times bain-in bonds are oversubscribed
20140716 The gullible - Foreign buyers do not drive Vancouver RE prices
20140715 The condo economy - Too many Canadian jobs are based on housing
20140714 Lost dog - A reader thinks he missed the RE boat in Kitsilano
20140713 Regrets - Garth regrets introducing the policy of using RRSPs for RE purchases
20140711 The formula - A bad formula which is used to price for bidding wars
20140710 The tree police - Even if you own a house you may still be subject to Rules
20140709 Drama queen - Emotion can lead to bad decisions even when one gets the logic.
20140708 The landing - Latest government moves won’t make for an RE soft landing
20140707 The exit strategy - Fees can make it expensive to pay off a mortgage early
20140706 The surprise - Banks are getting choosier about who they lend to
20140704 The fight - Irvin Leroux’s trouble with the CRA
20140703 Gasbags - Housing bubble? Yes. Stock market bubble? Maybe.
20140702 Time to vultch - It’s a good time for people to buy houses in parts of rural BC.
20140701 Fakes - Outcome of fake buyers story from last year
June 2014
20140630 Mortgage prison - Defaulting on recourse and non-recourse mortgages.
20140629 O - Garth reminisces about making a difference on a Canada Day many years ago.
20140627 Freaking - Why aren’t people scared about what’s happening?
20140626 The deep end - Interest rates and prices; cottages are not a good buy
20140625 Rinse & repeat - The kids are making the same mistakes as their parents
20140624 Canaries - Bell Media job cuts; Irish perspective; Joe Owe’s “thoughts”
20140623 The big reveal - Breakdown of the figures from the “Who are you?” comments
20140622 Stress - Signs that the US stock market is in a bubble
20140620 Come on in - “Affordable Ownership”; subsidies for house purchases in Peel
20140619 Who are you? - Request for information about blog readers
20140618 Balance - Housing situation in Invermere
20140617 Stubborn - REITs have been good for your portfolio in the past few years
20140616 Role model - Being a judge doesn’t prevent you from being a money moron
20140615 Generations - Iraqi trouble pushes oil up; Gen X are the big losers in the Gen wars
20140613 Moist - First-time buyers drive the market.
20140612 Elevated threat - Why is borrowing for RE easy; for anything else, difficult?
20140611 Cranky town - The effect of cheap money and risk-free lending on punters
20140610 Bear scare - Worries about the US stock market are overblown
20140609 Fear factor - How to use fear to market real estate.
20140608 BRA talk - Why you shouldn’t sign a Buyers Representation Agreement
20140606 The bloat - CMHC tightens its rules again; new bank cop.
20140605 Let them eat soup - Industry moving from Canada to the US
20140604 The gene pool - Spending all your savings on one asset is dumb.
20140603 Debt junkies - Debt continues to rise in Canada.
20140602 Hot, not - Toronto condo tower not attracting much interest
20140601 Blog dogenomics - Thanks and some feedback from the “Little fools” post.
May 2014
20140525 Debt 1, brains 0 - Worldview of Canada’s debt and RE bubbles.
20140530 Good debt - Young adults are taking on too much debt.
20140529 Survivor - Readers letter, the good the bad and the ugly.
20140528 Race to the bottom - Reasons why banks are giving money away.
20140527 Obedience - Methods used to make people buy RE
20140526 Little fools - Teaching financial literacy in schools -- a request for help.
20140523 Hicks - Round Canada economy and RE round-up.
20140522 The straw man - Immigrants are not the cause of high RE prices.
20140521 Blown away - BCREA says thanks; Investor’s Group cheap mortgage is iffy.
20140520 They asked for it - BCREA looks for feedback from Garth and the blog dogs
20140519 Gross me up - Dividend and capital gains tax is less than wage, rent or interest tax
20140518 Almost human - Toronto realtors still trying to fool the punters
20140516 The 'balanced' market - Spring 2014 sales round Canada ain’t good
20140515 The Millennial portfolio - A balanced, diversified, liquid portfolio allocation for Gen Y
20140514 Wusses - Are Millennials really cautious? A lot of them are. Why?
20140513 Race to the bottom - Even lower mortgage rates -- 1.99%
20140512 The bête noire - Deflation: why it’s so scary.
20140511 The harbinger - Job losses in Canada continue
20140509 Gas me up - Mortgages are getting cheaper again
20140508 The Must See - Canadian situation resembles US in 2005
20140507 How to ride - Why not to buy a new car with your TFSA
20140506 Really? - What the latest stats really mean.
20140505 Market update - The cost of not selling plus how Canada is doing
20140504 The sure thing - Why a sure thing is so risky.
20140502 Are we there yet? - The advantages of a balanced, diversified, liquid portfolio
20140501 Bad idea - Why Jane should sell her North York house and invest the proceeds
April 2014
20140430 Parents - What was right for the parents is wrong for the children
20140429 In extremis - Late bubble behaviour; demographics and the US market
20140428 Nobs and tubes - Not a good time to buy; agents who act for the buyer and the seller
20140427 Evil - The CHMC: good intentions and evil consequences. Changes are coming.
20140425 Planning - Advice on saving for retirement.
20140424 Denial - The retirement crisis and the Targeted Benefit plan.
20140423 Faux times - Comparing Canadian and US RE trends.
20140422 Obsession - Land registry under threat; RE prices are still worrying the government
20140421 Laughable - Worry about lack of down payments; Frankenumbers are taking over.
20140420 Moral hazard - The madness in Vancouver continues: high debt plus high prices
20140418 Good bones - Flippers buy semi and accidentally wreck it.
20140417 Spring fever - Toronto sales have improved from terrible to bad. Hooray!
20140416 What could go wrong? - Renting beats buying; the housing cycle is turning
20140415 Gen F - Hormones beat experience. high sales in the middle prices; low elsewhere.
20140414 The heartbroken - A property inspector’s view of buyers and estate agents
20140413 Treats - How to combine RRSP tax refunds and the TFSA to best advantage
20140411 Safety first - Young people are opting for “risk-free” investments
20140410 Finale - Eulogy for James Michael Flaherty (1949 - 2014)
20140409 Choices - Advice if you’re 50+ with a paid-off house, some TFSAs and some RRSPs
20140408 Detached - Latest housing figure are detached from reality
20140407 The slush fund - Why the TFSA contribution limit will likely rise to $10,000 p.a. soon
20140406 Bite me - Buying a house won’t make you rich any more. So don’t believe the hype.
20140404 'It's not just a house...' - Bidding wars and RBC’s latest mortgage adverts.
20140403 Flying blind - The lack of clarity in real estate statistics.
20140402 I am yours - An estate agent who offers more than just real estate.
20140401 Canukistan - Canadians have less income, more spending and more debt. Oh dear.
March 2014
20140331 Real men invest - What Garth means by rebalancing a balanced, diversified portfolio
20140330 Risk on - Millennials are extremely risk-averse. Too much so
20140328 Live with it - Despite even lower mortgage rates, it’s still not a good idea to borrow
20140327 Race to the bottom - The new finance minister blinks. 22 reasons RE is near a top
20140326 Rick's house - A Yank in Calgary shares his experience of the US and Canada
20140325 The empty middle - Poor people with big incomes and big expenses
20140324 What fire? - Bidding wars, bubbles, and the Conference Board of Canada
20140323 Money for nothing - Why an index-linked GIC is good for the bank but not for you
20140321 Why I suck - The median Boomer is not about to inherit a bundle from his/her parents
20140320 The epiphany - Real estate is great but here’s ten reasons not to buy just yet
20140319 Baby Doomers - Baby boomers aren’t saving enough for retirement
20140318 F - Jim Flaherty’s resignation, reminiscences
20140317 Yahoo - Calgary real estate and its link to oil
20140316 Out of control - Example of misleading incentives to borrow from mortgage broker
20140314 The big R - Risk and debt
20140313 Eau de mal - Desperate realtors;misleading adverts; the Eau de Soleil development
20140312 The deniers - Denial of our house-rich, cash-poor society; Avery dumping on Carney
20140311 Swan song - Quebecois independence and Etienne’s rent-vs-buy calculator
20140310 Not so fast - Not a good time to jump into the Canadian property market
20140309 Gen why? - If your house is your retirement fund, you need to act now
20140307 Snowflakes - Things are getting better in the US; and worse in Canada
20140306 A little respect - Real estate agents are still best for buying and selling houses
20140305 Save me - Dodgy stats: Garth receives a letter from the CREA about trademarks
20140304 Why life's unfair - How much tax you pay on different kinds of income
20140303 Roll over - Lots of people think the Canadian RE market is over-priced
20140301 Plan B - People can’t afford RRSPs and TFSAs because of the cost of mortgages
February 2014
20140228 Happily ever after - Carl and the expensive mortgage
20140227 The big news - Speculation on what CMHC might be announcing tomorrow
20140226 You're _ _ _ _ _ _ than you think - StatsCan’s “wealth” report is out to lunch
20140225 Out there - News of markets where prices are dropping
20140224 Animal instincts - Why do people lust after houses?
20140223 Who can you trust? - More dodgy real estate board figures
20140221 Temptations - Eschew debt; build a diversified, balanced, liquid portfolio
20140220 The followers - Don’t believe the doomers: the future’s not that bad
20140219 Jim - Sad tale of a man who died house-rich but income-poor
20140218 Tell her - Renting beats buying in Calgary at the moment
20140217 Troubles - Various graphs showing economic troubles ahead
20140216 Coming clean - Real estate round-up with Ross Kay
20140214 How to be a hero - What a balanced portfolio consists of and how it performed
20140213 How to uninvest - Real estate is a bad investment right now
20140212 R.I.P. HAM - Flaherty announces the death of the Immigrant Investor Program
20140211 Smarts - People are still daft enough to prefer a mortgage to financial assets
20140210 What pig? - Canadian debt is still rising; but it can’t go on much longer
20140209 Spring - Readers letters on HAM, spring listing, bankruptcy, and Bandit
20140207 Family planning - Why the Bank of Mom and Dad is a bad idea for all concerned
20140206 Oblivion - We’re headed for oblivion because we’re still investing all wrong
20140205 Poor Jason - Year-on-year drop in January sales
20140204 The drug - Real estate addicts come to a sad end
20140203 $803,649 - Why a hovel can sell for big bucks when economists are worried
20140202 The accident - Update on Garth’s leg
January 2014
20140131 Screw it - The oncoming retirement crisis - how people will fund the big R
20140130 The obvious - Job losses and the outlook for the CAD and the economy
20140129 'Trust me' - Jimmy’s predicament and co-owning property with siblings
20140128 Bombs away - Technical analysis and the slide in the Canuck dollar
20140127 Six cool things - Tips on using an RRSP effectively
20140126 Loaves and fishies - Turning a $35,000 taxable GIC into a $45,000 tax-free portfolio
20140124 Camenomics - Misleading real estate investment advice.
20140123 The wars - The ethics of bidding wars
20140122 Surprise! - Unemployment, disinflation and the mortgage Trigger Point.
20140121 The head fake - Fixed rate and variable rate mortgage outlook
20140120 Oh, sh… - Emergency savings? Bad idea. Emergency LOC? Good idea.
20140119 Americans - Americans think Canada is going down. They’re not wrong.
20140117 Faux chateau - An amazing story of realtor spin plus update on Garth’s leg.
20140116 Walking The Dog - Garth’s leg, visit to emergency, Never Waste A Day.
20140115 Meeting K - Lower prices, lower dollar, higher interest, fewer jobs, lying realtors
20140114 ‘You should worry’ - Pressure from desperate realtors, boat shows as indicators
20140113 The disconnect - Rising unemployment, the drop in consumption and the economy
20140112 The road ahead - What might happen in 2014
20140110 What were we thinking? - The 2014 economic outlook is worse than Garth thought
20140109 Too scary - Reasons why the young are scared to invest in the market
20140108 Ant talk - Ant and cicada behaviour in modern Canada
20140107 The fat landing - Will there be a soft landing or a hard landing for real estate?
20140106 The new normal - Low interest rates, high house prices and high debt
20140105 Rutting - Case study - Mike and renting versus owning
20140103 Stunned - Why the TFSA is so amazing
20140102 The hug - Strategy for TFSA, spousal RRSP and bonds versus bond ETFs.
20140101 Leverage - Comparing owning a house against owning investments.
December 2013
20131231 Rules - How to buy a house for beginners
20131230 Stay tuned - Outlook for real estate and stock markets in 2014
20131229 Garth vs 2013 - Review of real estate and stock markets in 2013
20131226 How to worry - REITs, the housing correction and interest rates
20131225 It’s a date - Investments, RRSPs, TFSAs and end-of-year deadlines
20131224 Blessed - Christmas greetings
20131223 The iStorm - News of ice storm, and the economy
20131222 Redemption - Dr Devon and the bubble
20131220 The hedge - A US hedge fund manager’s view on the bubble
20131219 Suck it up - The pension situation and proposed changes to the CPP
20131218 Tapering - Effects of reducing the US bond-buying program
20131217 Knockoffs - Why FSBO is not a good idea, especially for buyers
20131216 The blame - Causes of high house prices
20131215 Realtors - Bidding wars, fake offers and a change in the rules for realtors
20131213 Choices - Seven actions to take to defend your investments against deflation
20131212 Really? - The risk of deflation
20131211 Lost - Jim, the realtor outlook on house prices and the Deutsche Bank outlook
20131210 Down - Deflation and job losses at Kellogs, Heinz, etc.
20131209 Up yours - Hedge fund manager’s view on Canadian debt
20131208 The bad idea - Jane, CMHC rules and rule changes
20131206 The contrarian - VRMs are best just now as BoC rates are lower than bond rates
20131205 The warning - Wen, Patrick, Ross Kay and the risk of high house prices
20131204 The end of normal - Risk of job losses, slackening economy and Poloz’s dilemma
20131203 Risk on - Jake, Penny, job losses, the slowing economy and risk
20131202 Stressed out - Carmen, Pat, the media and “buy now or buy never”
20131201 Whacked out - The iniquities of land transfer tax
November 2013
20131129 Can’t buy me love - BitCoin is digital gold, not money
20131128 Simple lives - Real estate prices are high because of Canadians
20131127 The enabler - House prices don’t always go up, Motley Fool says they’re too high
20131126 The indebted - Julie Dickson, mortgages, debt, jobs
20131125 Writing history - Young Lisa and lessons from the last housing crash
20131124 Crash course - Advantages of a TFSA in 2014
20131122 Market update - Real estate summary for late 2013 around Canada
20131114 Conservatives - Housing obsession, NIMBYs, and the ownership-and-jobs link
20131113 Choices - Byron’s question and VRM and Manulife One is the way to go now
20131112 The hero - The 0/40 mortgage was a big mistake by the Conservatives
20131111 The obvious - CREA data is wrong and the housing market is segmenting
20131121 I confess - Garth owns a house but he follows the rule of 90
20131120 It happens - Investments, inheritance and estate planning
20131119 Disorderly - Bad behaviour on flights and in the mortgage market
20131118 Ambition - Debt is rising but the government is tackling it in an odd way
20131117 Finding balance - How to build a balanced, diversified, liquid portfolio
20131115 Disorderly - The housing market is up and down simultaneously
20131110 Little monsters - The correct use of RESPs
20131108 Unfair - Paying rent by credit card is a bad idea
20131107 Rate limp - Deflation, ECB interest rate cut
20131106 What the rich know - Firms are doing well even though the economy is struggling
20131105 B of M - The effect of the Bank of Mom on the real estate market
20131104 The cowboy gene - Advantages of ETFs over stocks
20131103 Scrubbed - Why Frankenumbers are bad
20131101 The shedsters - Very small houses and land availability
October 2013
20131031 Pooched - Real estate porn in Victoria
20131030 Why we suck - Most Canucks are abusing GICs, Mutual Funds, TFSAs and RRSPs
20131029 Recycled virgins - More MLS relisting shenanigans
20131028 Hit & run - CREA twisting of statistics, effect on ordinary folk like Betty’s parents
20131027 How people think - Why housing is still overpriced
20131025 Wasted - Real estate roundup from around Canada, another Wicked review
20131024 An awkward romp - Real estate deathwish, bidding war and Wicked reviews
20131023 A new lesson - The Canadian economic outlook isn’t good right now
20131022 Riding with the stars - Rockstar realtors, cars and Vancouver prices
20131021 How to buy - Jim, Linda and the rules for buying a house if you must
20131020 Carrion - The downfall of the League group of companies
20131018 Game-changer - US gov shutdown and balanced, diversified portfolios
20131017 The .85% club - Investments beat real estate
20131016 Truth & trust - CREA manipulation of real estate statistics
20131015 Expert opinion - Real estate roundup around Canada, CREA sunshine and lollipops
20131014 What to really worry about - Jenny, why mutual funds don’t do well
20131013 Dinks - The US default won’t happen but will provide opportunities
20131011 Thank you - Thanksgiving, Bandit’s birthday and things to be grateful for
20131010 I was wrong - Why Canadian debt keeps growing
20131009 Kids - Bidding wars and overpayment, condos and freebies
20131008 The rock star - Mark Carney’s effect on the Canadian real estate market
20131007 The end - Likely US government default effects
20131006 How much is enough? - The lowdown on pensions
20131004 Careful - Real estate roundup around Canada, Brad Lamb’s a fighter
20131003 Surprise! - The outlook for pensions
20131002 What could go wrong? - The Canadian economy
20131001 Data dinks - Petition to clean up real estate statistics
September 2013
20130930 Breaking bad - The real estate situation is worse than it looks
20130929 Trust - Banks overselling mortgages
20130927 Investing 101 - Investing for beginners
20130926 Y & E - The madness of buying an unbuilt condo on Yonge & Eglinton
20130925 Dog fight - The CREA defends its dodgy statistics by attacking Ross Kay
20130924 Juiced - Bill, Evelyn and the inadequacy of most people’s retirement funds
20130923 The wall - New condo sales are dropping off a cliff
20130922 The flipper king - Ryan Coyle makes amazing promises on condos
20130920 Wasted - Blackberry layoffs and Kitchener-Waterloo real estate
20130919 The F-house - Why a house is not forever
20130918 Rock bottom - Condo sales are in trouble
20130917 The horny ones - Sales are up - or down - depending on who you believe
20130916 Manipulation - CREA spin on the latest numbers
20130915 The changeup - Review of what happened and what’s coming up
20130913 The bounce - Why sales are rising right now
20130912 The yield curve - and its effect on bonds and mortgages
20130911 The masses - Personal debt and mortgages are still rising
20130910 Who can you trust? - Ross Kay describes dubious RE statistics
20130909 Barato - What the bank means by affordability
20130908 Incredulous - More investing hints
20130906 Longevitis - Why people are jumping into fixed term mortgages
20130905 Happy, happy - Mortgage rates are going up again
20130904 Integrity - The economy is slowing as house prices rise
20130903 Die Hard - Swelling risk
20130902 Losing it - Renting is better than buying
20130901 The slaughter - Bond yields and mortgage rates
August 2013
20130830 Divine guidance - Readers letters
20130829 Lessons - Condo flipping ain’t what it used to be
20130828 The shill - Canadians aren’t saving enough for retirement
20130827 Be bold - Best way to borrow just now - fixed rate or VRM? The latter.
20130826 Bankers - Will mortgage debt ding the banks? Nope.
20130825 What could go wrong? - Big developer inventory of new housing
20130823 Rubbers - Tapering will start in before end of year, slight because of housing news
20130822 The shock - Mortgage rates rise
20130821 The real thing - Mortgage rates rise
20130820 We’re different - Effect of mortgage rises on house prices
20130819 Worries - The housing market is segmenting. Some parts up, some down.
20130818 For better or worse - Financial implications of marriage
20130816 Why not? - Dodgy RE stats and dodgy “financial” advice
20130815 The sure thing - Mismatch between MSM reports and RE reality
20130814 Too real - State of the housing market just now
20130813 Renting - How to work out whether renting is cheaper than buying
20130812 Bad advice - Credit squeeze, Vendor-Take-Back mortgages are a bad idea
20130811 It’s hard to be soft - Soft landing or hard landing for RE. Which is it to be?
20130809 What they know - Reasons why the outlook for RE is grim
20130808 Bad dogs - Why REITs are good, Why America is recovering
20130807 Careful what you believe - State of the RE market just now, Bimmers
20130806 F-bomb 2 - Tapering announcement and Flaherty’s bubble pricking
20130805 Facts - The MSM and the truth about real estate
20130804 Shame list - Abusive comments and how much real estate is enough
20130802 Honest! - Ross Kay, dodgy real estate figures
20130801 Nosty - Garth ain’t Nostradamus. Just a dude trying to help out Ray
July 2013
20130731 Crazies - Dropping out, downsizing, and the quieting economy.
20130730 Happy bidding - Flipping houses, potash and Saskatoon
20130729 Delivered - Donating winnings to charities for High River and Lac-Mégantic
20130728 Failure to launch - Adult children living at home
20130726 Open for offers - Property porn, rising interest rates and US Real Estate
20130725 Lousy endings - Calgary floods and mortgage renewals, time to exit BC RE
20130724 Whoopee - Greaterfool wins the financial blog contest, Toronto condo market
20130723 Aliens - Do immigrants cause high house prices? Nope.
20130722 Dear Garth - Readers’ letters answered
20130721 Surprise - Calgary floods and their after-effects on real estate
20130719 Humans - Emotional investment versus rational. Recency and the rule of 90
20130718 Consequences, part deux - International opinion on RE
20130717 Consequences - June RE sales across Canada and deception
20130716 All hat. No cattle. - Calgary floods viewed as a marketing opportunity
20130715 Hosernomics - International opinion on Canadian RE. Bubble
20130714 Go long - Why mortgage rates will be rising.
20130712 How to pick a realtor - Advice on picking a good realtor and why it’s a good idea
20130711 Learning to read - Interest Rate Differential penalties and unfair mortgage fees
20130710 Eat the rich - Income inequality in Canada is getting worse.
20130709 The cataclysm - Rift between reality and RE spin 2, Ross Kay
20130708 Yup. - Rift between reality and RE spin
20130707 Muppets of fear - Fear and investments don’t mix, effect on the market
20130705 Little nibbles - Bond rates will cause mortgage rates to rise.
20130704 The manipulators - Things that realtors don’t want you to know
20130703 Stats - Debt up, mortgage rates precarious
20130702 How sad - Calgary floods, realtor response, Garth’s advice
20130701 Bad attitude - John’s predicament. Last minute retirement savings. Garth’s advice
June 2013
20130630 Our Day - Garth loves Canada, so Happy Canada Day, everyone!
20130629 Canadians - Canadian economy versus American economy
20130628 The chill - Canadian job losses and US real estate gains
20130626 Yellow fever - Collapse in the price of gold and silver
20130625 Savers - Savers are still getting the sharp end of the stick
20130624 The deluge - Effects of Calgary floods and drop in the bond market
20130623 OMG. Normal - Mortgage rate increases
20130621 Good thinking - Don’t buy a cottage with your relatives
20130620 Blogonomics - Mortgage rate rises and the effect of cheap money on house prices
20130619 Seriously. - Rising interest rates are on the way
20130618 Advice - How to hire a financial advisor
20130617 Emotional baggage - Advice to Suzi on how to build a portfolio
20130616 Real men go long - Reasons a 10-year fixed mortgage is the right choice right now
20130614 Suck it up - Banks desert mortgage brokers; Okanagan house price losses;
20130613 Too human - Stock market fall; Condo market spike; fear and greed
20130612 Useless - Real Estate is local; National market numbers are useless
20130611 Not even close - Interest rates are rising because of the bond market
20130610 Hold on - REITs are for income; latest job numbers
20130609 Wasted - Renting versus owning for Axel; Victoria housing drops
20130607 Mr. Market spanks - Mortgages are going up; spring RE market not good
20130606 Stagnant, expired & terminated - Misleading reports on the RE market
20130605 Too late? - Mortgages and Bank safety; the CDIC insurance limit for investors
20130604 Surprise - Misleading RE investment advice from realtors
20130603 Almost there - Real estate round-up
20130602 Fear, greed & risk - How they affect the Stock market and the RE market
May 2013
20130531 Smoky hole - Drop in demand for housing; Darren makes a case for renting
20130530 Of men & bonds - Low interest rates will go up because of bond yields
20130529 'The day it died' - Ross Kay says the RE market has topped
20130528 Mr. Wonderful - Don’t bet against America. Round-up of Garth’s predictions.
20130527 Woody - New BoC governor, Stephen Poloz
20130526 Junkies - Effect of interest rates on house sales
20130524 The rest of us - We should prepare for a downturn by having higher liquidity
20130523 Just say it - Flaherty says there’s no bubble; the evidence says otherwise
20130522 Common denominator - Money is cheap so people run up debt instead of saving
20130521 Too good to be true - Mortgage payment vacations are a seriously bad idea
20130520 Duty of care - RBC defends a misleading rent-versus-buy comparison.
20130519 Victoria's secret - Killer Arguments Against Renting - Not!
20130517 Star 3, truth 0 - Toronto Star rent-versus-buy editorial piece for RBC is misleading
20130516 Soft landing, part deux - Spring sales are lower than predicted
20130515 Soft landing - Everyone says soft landing for house prices -- except Ross Kay
20130514 Why life isn't fair - Immigrants find it easier to qualify for a mortgage
20130513 The man who loved short - It looks like Flaherty is about to kill 30-year mortgages
20130512 Investing with James - A mortgage broker gives misleading RE investment advice
20130510 Anticipation - Sales and prices remain high in some markets but fall in others
20130509 Busting the banks - 30-year mortgages are still around but not for much longer.
20130508 Protection - The Buyer Protection Plan for houses
20130507 The sure thing - Canadian millionaires don’t all own million dollar homes
20130506 Not again - Condos are going down. Top Canadian Finance Blog round two
20130505 Hicks - Life in Nova Scotia is great
20130503 The gospel of buy - House sales figures for April
20130502 Star 2, truth 0 - Puff piece about mortgage broker in the Toronto Star
20130501 Choices - Garth is right; the Doomers are wrong.
April 2013
20130430 Gen Homeless - Canada is repeating the USA’s 2006 mistakes
20130429 Race to the bottom - Flaherty, mortgage rates, and the need to buy
20130428 The trouble with shorts - How to short real estate - sort of…
20130426 All in this together - The MSM’s approach to real news ain’t what it used to be
20130425 Fake - KLM is not who she seems to be
20130424 The new Eden - Garth discusses RE with investment bank dudes from NYC
20130423 Seriously? - Two graphs: US and Canadian RE prices; Stock market flash crash
20130422 Ant talk - The economic outlook isn’t good
20130421 Rate roulette - %-year loans; 10-year loans, interest rates and the mortgage act.
20130419 Feelings - Readers letters; how feelings lead them astray.
20130418 The perfect Canadian - Loves debt, loves buying houses, can’t say no.
20130417 How to rock - Fewer people have plans to buy houses
20130416 Cheatin - Tax issues with buying condos before they’re built
20130415 What matters - Deflation is what we should worry about -- not inflation
20130414 Trendy - Those who are sceptcal about buying houses have friends here
20130412 Chain of fools - Bitcoins crash, real assets down, financial assets up
20130411 Ready? - You should sell and rent right now; keep it liquid
20130410 Doomer update - Bitcoins, no -- balanced, diversified, liquid portfolio -- yes
20130409 As predicted - House prices are slowly falling nationally. 5 year fixed is best
20130408 The fix - If you’ve overbought, your best option might be to go bankrupt
20130407 Fatal attraction - The economy is changing; unemployment is up as a result
20130405 Silent spring - Staging; the lack of sales
20130404 Be very afraid - Fear that the banks will steal your savings is unfounded
20130403 When bulls croak - Canada sales round-up -- down.
20130402 Lemming nation - The S&P 500 rises, as does Canadian debt. Be on the right side
20130401 Offer like a man - Sarah hates Garth. So if you gotta buy, follow these 10 steps.
March 2013
20130331 Now or never - Buying now or never is a bad idea. Prices are dropping slowly.
20130329 Renaissance - The stock market is doing well as the American recovery continues
20130328 Hysteria - Why bank bail-in provisions won’t allow them to steal your cash
20130327 The trouble with old people - Why an old age funded by a sale won’t work for all
20130326 Rex F - Flaherty’s war on low mortgage rates; evils of the peek-a-boo mortgage.
20130325 Cypriotitus - Fear, people, banks and Cyprus
20130324 Good thinking - It is possible to make more than 4% per annum from investments
20130322 Race to the bottom - Banks vie to offer low mortgage rates
20130321 Ethics - Today’s unadjusted RE figures compared to last year’s unadjusted figures
20130320 Royal Jelly - Comparing renting versus buying -- an example
20130319 What F knows - The unholy alliance of teaser bank rates and lying estate agents
20130318 Self-inflicted - With markets Greed makes us blind; Fear makes us fools
20130317 The 'guarantee' - Cyprus and guarantees from the CDIC and the CIPF
20130315 In like a lion - Sales are falling; spring housing market review.
20130314 Lamb chopped - Who is the most trusted RE advisor in Canada? Poll.
20130313 Excuses - Readers letters: advice on buying or renting.
20130312 The beaver list - A Macleans’ writer asks for help.
20130311 Spring - Things don’t look good
20130310 Twits - Toronto market has changed; sub-million dollar houses are now hot.
20130308 What's in your wallet? - Balanced, diversified, liquid portfolios are doing well.
20130307 Extremes - The economy is in bad shape.
20130306 Spring - You don’t need a second house; you need more investments
20130305 It's here - House prices are down; stock prices are up.
20130304 Spring market - House Sales down; Ratings agency says the market is too high
20130303 Rate rape - Banks are stoking the market with low rates again
20130301 Remorse - Pitfalls of buying an “investment” condo.
February 2013
20130228 The season - Ten things worth thinking about for RRSP season.
20130227 Oh Canada - CMHC is telling RE brokers to hide the fact it is selling repossessions
20130226 The downsizing - Boomers will have to sell their houses over the next ten years
20130225 Family planning - Stay-at-home kids have to leave before their parents sell.
20130224 Gen hex - Demographics are about to put pressure on RE prices.
20130222 It's back - Deflation rears its ugly head in Canada once more
20130221 The move-up - Canadians are still being persuaded to trade up to bigger houses
20130220 Advice - Is it a good time to buy RE? Not as good as it seems
20130219 Planning - There aren’t enough kids
20130218 Telling tales - Three RE markets where there are signs of correction
20130217 Won't end well - Gold and RE down or flatline. Financial assets up.
20130215 The candidate - Garth enters the top Canadian finance blog contest
20130214 The myth of HAM - Evidence that RE is not being goosed by HAM
20130213 Bad advice - You should Invest your money instead of paying down your mortgage
20130212 What problem? - People shouldn’t be emptying their RRSPs to buy houses
20130211 Planning - Advantages of an RRSP
20130210 What can go wrong? - Real estate is not a financial strategy
20130208 I, Candi - Candi shares typical realtor half-truths with us
20130207 Cowgirls - Using sex to sell RE. And Alison Redford on Alberta’s gloomy outlook
20130206 The harbinger - High RE inventory and falling prices in Victoria; selling at the top.
20130205 The strong start - Supply may be starting to overwhelm demand in some areas.
20130204 It's different here - American commentary on the Canadian RE bubble
20130203 The goal of life - Why people go for GICs instead of the sensible alternative
20130201 Careful what you wish for - Canada’s economic outlook for 2013 and 2014
January 2013
20130131 The sting - Job losses and a condo glut. Not good
20130130 The shepherd - Toronto Life RE panel report
20130129 What a deal - Mortgages versus collateral loans - pros and cons
20130128 Flyboy - Why we shouldn’t worry about the Canadian banks and a plea for advice
20130127 Careful - Buy RE in haste; repent at leisure: a cautionary tale.
20130125 The F effect - Death of the 30-year mortgage will have an effect
20130124 Humans - Don’t own Apple; own a balanced, diversified, liquid portfolio.
20130123 Badass - 2013 mortgage market outlook is not good
20130122 Mom - Fear, greed and Moms.
20130121 Advisors - What financial advisors should be saying to their clients (or not).
20130120 The gift - TFSAs are wonderful. Here’s why.
20130120 Moral Hazard - A thank-you letter from a blog dog.
20130118 Lost - There are a lot of unethical real estate agents about
20130117 Brilliant - Get Rich Quick with Kelowna real estate! - or not.
20130116 Trust us - TREB’s figures shouldn’t be believed; CBC mortgage advice is dodgy too.
20130115 The manipulators - There’s no economic justification for current house values
20130114 Fear no evil - A third of Boomers are retiring with a mortgage; retirement crisis.
20130113 Hubris - Toronto Life panel sold houses while saying things were rosy.
20130111 Pooched 2 - How bad is it. Various economist give their opinion.
20130110 Ready? - There’s a good chance interest rates will rise this year.
20130109 Out there - Unbelievably rosy forecasts for RE in Edmonton and the Peg.
20130108 Delusions - A blog dog wants Garth to read his crystal ball for Vancouver RE
20130107 Numbies - Silly Persons write in for advice from Garth - or possibly abuse.
20130106 What to fear - People fear loss and the media is starting to feed that - a bit
20130104 Not pretty - Stock markets up; everything else down; outlook grim; Happy New Year!
20130103 The con-fidence men - Realtors putting a positive spin on some dismal RE numbers
20130102 Sit. Stay. - Stock market good; RE market bad (in Vancouver and Victoria)
20130101 Bad strategy - Gambling on house prices is not investment
December 2012
20121230 2013 - Ten things to bear in mind for 2013
20121228 Doomer alert - US economy is looking good