Guest Speaker: Sean Galbraith, Principle and Owner of Galbraith & Associates

• What is an urban planner and what does his company do?
• Why do developers need to work with a professional like Sean?
• What’s involved in putting together a development application?
• How long does it usually take for a developer to put together and then build a project?
• What is the OMB (Ontario Municipal Board)?
• What changes are about to happen to the OMB and how Sean feels about them
• What is the yellow belt?
• How Sean feels about the City of Toronto making use of the available land we have. Is there too much or not enough density?
• The impact of adding more density to our city
• What Sean thinks we should be doing to create more affordable housing
• Does Sean rent or own? what part of the city does he live in?

Guest Speaker: April Stewart, Owner of Landlord Legal which provides Professional Services for Landlords

• Why landlords need an advocate
• When landlords tend to call on April's services
• Why some of her clients are trying to evict their tenants
• When a sheriff should get involved in an eviction
• Does she ever run into professional tenants and who qualifies as a professional tenant?
• What April thinks about the new rent control rules that state that a landlord must pay the tenant one month’s rent if they want to move into their own place
• What she has to say to tenants who feel that landlords have too many rights
• Cases she has had to defend landlords in
• April's suggestions on how the Landlord & Tenant Board could be fixed to be more neutral to both landlords and tenants

Guest Speaker: Jean-Paul Bedard; Him and his wife are sharing a house with another couple.

As housing prices climb in the city many people really have to get creative as to how they can own a home in the city and Shared Ownership is a great option.

• How the Shared Ownership arrangement came about
• Was it difficult to get everyone on board with the idea?
• How they handled the finances and who they put on title
• Did they put together any kind of formal agreement for living together? How has it worked out?
• How they divided the snow-shovelling and exterior home maintenance
• How they decided on which part of the house each couple would live in
• Did it take them a long time to find a place?
• Were any renovations required?
• Do they have life insurance on each other?
• What kinds of contingencies do they have in place if one couple wants out or divorces?
• How much longer they'll continue with this arrangement
• Do they see shared ownership as a stepping stone to eventually owning a home or condo?
• Their biggest fear about shared ownership
• What they like best about the arrangement
• Would they recommend shared ownership?
• Have they built up equity in their home?
• Advice Jean-Paul has for those who are on the fence about doing a Shared Ownership arrangement

Guest Speaker: Oliver Dang, Him and his family share a house with another couple.

As housing prices climb in the city many people really have to get creative as to how they can own a home in the city and Shared Ownership is a great option.

• Was it difficult to get everyone on board with the idea?
• How they handled the finances and who they put on title
• Did they put together any kind of formal agreement for living together?
• How has it worked out?
• How do they divide the snow-shovelling and exterior home maintenance?
• How did they decide which part of the house each couple would live in?
• Did it take them a long time to find a place?
• Were any renovations required?
• Do they have life insurance on each other?
• What kinds of contingencies do they have in place if one couple wants out or divorces?
• How much longer will continue with this arrangement?
• Is shared ownership a stepping stone to eventually owning the home or condo?
• What was their biggest fear about shared ownership?
• What they like best about shared ownership?
• Would they recommend shared ownership?
• Have they built up equity in their home?
• Advice they have for the ones who are on the fence about doing a Shared Ownership arrangement

Guest Speaker: John Groe, Managing Partner at Accessible Daily Living

• Why people should engage in John's services
• Things he does to people’s homes to make them accessible
• The simple things people can do to make their homes more accessible
• The services he provides to people through this process
• Is this expensive? What are the price ranges for modifying homes?
• Why contact a contractor/consultant like John as opposed to a regular general contractor
• John's specific credentials
• How people finance these changes

Guest Speaker: Ellen Nightingale, Family Law Lawyer

• If Ellen had a friend who owns their home, what advice would she give them if their partner was thinking of moving in with them?
• The differences when it comes to property rights if someone is married vs in a common law relationship
• Does having kids or step kids change any of these dynamics?
• Does this all apply to same sex partnerships? Spousal and child support?
• What a pre-nuptial agreement should contain
• Are these documents full-proof to protect you? In what circumstances might the agreement be nullified?

Chris Spoke, Co-Founder of Housing Matters, joins us this week on the Morrison Report. Housing Matters is a community of urbanists, activists, and others working towards a growing dynamic and affordable Toronto. This episode dives into the Housing Matters initiative, 'Yes In My Backyard' (YIMBY), a departure from the 'Not In My Backyard' (NIMBY) movement.

• Why Chris felt the need to start Housing Matters
• How the 'Not in My Backyard' (NIMBY) movement affects Chris
• Is NIMBY only a concern for millennials?
• The reception of the Housing Matters organization
• How large of a movement Chris feels they have
• Do YIMBY groups exist elsewhere in North America? Do they have any connection to those groups?
• What Chris has to say to those critics who feel that millennials should stop spending their money on Starbucks and Avocado Toast
• What Chris would you like to see the leaders of our city do to increase the supply of housing
• Can the millennials get the support of their boomer parents on this to impact more changes?
• Housing Matters' next event

Guest Speaker: Mark Purdy, Rental Rebate Tax Consultant

• Mark's background and how he got started in this business
• Once a pre-construction condo has been purchased, who pays the HST and how to avoid paying it?
• Do international buyers qualify for the rebate?
• Details about the 15% foreign buyer’s tax
• Does it matter whether it’s the principal residence or a rental property?
• Is HST owed on a resale condo?
• How does HST work in a new-build home with a Tarion warranty?
• What can Mark do for us on the HST front if renovations have been done?
• What’s involved in filing for an HST rebate?

Guest Speaker: Darcia Armstrong, one of my clients

I recently helped Darcia and her husband sell their condo and find a rental.

•Why Darcia and her husband decided to sell their condo
•How Darcia decided to select an agent after selling her condo
•Why she selected Davelle over all the other agents with whom she could've listed with
•How she you felt about her condo taking some time to sell and how she remained positive
•The biggest surprise she had in selling her condo
•What she thinks Davelle did as an agent that was must helpful in the sales process
•What she was looking for when it came to finding her new rental
•What she thought about looking for a new place
•How she felt during the offer process
•How she felt when she got the condo she wanted
•How she feels now that she has been living in her new place for a few months
•The advice she has for our listeners who are thinking of buying or selling

Guest Speaker: Katherine Gross, one of my clients

I recently helped Katherine sell her condo and buy another one.

• After she decided to sell you condo, how did she decide to select an agent?
• Why Katherine selected me over all the other agents that she could have listed with
• Her condo sold very quickly, then deal fell through. It that happened a second time until it finally sold. How did she feel when that happened? How did she remain calm?
• Her biggest surprise while selling her condo
• What she thinks I did as an agent that was most helpful in the sales process
• The biggest challenge or surprise in the sales process
• What she was looking for when it came to buying your new condo
• How did she find it was when we were looking for a new place?
• How did she feel during the offer process?
• When we lost out on our first offer, how did she feel then?
• When we continued to look for a place, was she still thinking about the condo that we didn’t get?
• We almost put in an offer on another place too, what stopped her?
• How she felt when she got the condo you wanted
• How she feels now that she have been living in your new place for a few months
• Advice she has for those who are thinking of buying or selling