Ava Cui-GTA Condo Ambassador

05/06/2026

🚨 Toronto Condo Warning: 9 Types You Should Avoid

After working in condo industry for decade, here are some real reasons certain condos are NOT a good choice to buy:

Building-related issues
⚠️ Very high condo fees
Buyers often get scared of paying too much on maintenance fee each month.
⚠️ Poor building maintenance
Elevator breakdowns, parking garage leaks, or unpleasant smell/decor of the common areas repels potential buyers immediately during showings.
⚠️ Legal disputes involving the condo corporation
Some lenders may hesitate to finance units in buildings involved in litigation.
⚠️ Too many investor-owned units
Buildings dominated by rentals can sometimes face stricter lending rules.

Unit-specific issues

Sometimes the building is fine, but the unit itself limits the buyer pool.
🚫 Unusual or inefficient layout
Odd shapes, narrow rooms, or wasted space reduce demand.
🚫 Very small units
Studios under certain sizes can be harder to finance or resell.
🚫 Ground floor or facing noisy areas
Units facing highways, garbage areas, or mechanical equipment can be less desirable.
🚫 Poor natural light
Dark units tend to sit longer on the market.
🚫 Major interior issues
Old appliances, water damage, or heavy renovation needs can turn buyers away.

One thing I always remind buyers:

When you purchase a condo, you're not only buying the unit — you're buying a share of the entire building.

That’s why understand the condo operation and overall maintenance is so important when making purchase decision.

04/09/2026

Ontario has launched a $1.3 billion public-private initiative aimed at addressing the large inventory of unsold condos in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). How this will reshape GTA's condo market? 1. Softer rent growth in supply-heavy pockets 2. Continued pricing pressure in the resale market 3. Banks are taking more time due to rising delinquencies 4. Potential future supply gap from 2028–2030 due to muted pre-construction projects How First Time Buyers Vs. Investors could better cope with this condo market adjustment?
First Time Home Buyers: ✔️ Get pre-approved early
With lenders slower than usual, having financing ready increases your bargaining strength.
✔️Target motivated sellers
Look for:
– Investors exiting due to carrying costs
– Units with long days-on-market
– Assignments nearing completion date
These situations offer real negotiation room. ✔️ Consider well maintained resale condos, they offer bigger layout, more affordable cost per sqft, more developed communities, more established condo's reserve fund if managed properly
Investors: ✔️Reassess cash flow honestly, recalculating total carrying cost(mortgage, maintenance cost, property taxes against potential little or none increase of rent) ✔️ Small improvements to stand out from government's rental units ✔️Consider shifting from pre-construction to resale condos to have better risk management and cash flow visibility ✔️Partner with a knowledgeable realtor to understand how the asset is performing

03/27/2026

💰 Buyers Can Now Save Up to $130,000 on HST !
Ontario has officially rolled out a new HST rebate that applies from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 — and the impact is HUGE for anyone considering a new build or pre-construction unit.

🔥 What’s New?
✔ Not just for first-time buyers — all eligible buyers qualify
✔ Up to 13% HST back (up to ~$130,000 in savings)
✔ Homes under $1M: full federal + provincial HST rebate
✔ 12-month limited window — starts April 1, 2026

🏡 Why This Matters
The timing is not random. Ontario’s new home market has been extremely slow:
📉 Only 269 new homes sold in Jan 2026
🔻 Down 36% from last year
🔻 Down 80% compared to the 10-year average (1,339 units)

This rebate clearly aims to:
1️⃣ Boost a very quiet new-home market
2️⃣ Support builders and stabilize supply
3️⃣ Increase affordability even before major rate cuts happen

03/20/2026

Feeling like the housing market is just one giant "waiting game" lately? 🙃
The Bank of Canada just announced they’re holding rates at 2.25% again. It’s the third time in a row, and honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Inflation is down to 1.8%, but with everything going on globally, the BoC is playing it super safe.
If you’ve been watching the Toronto market, things are definitely shifting:
📍 Prices are cooling: The average price in the GTA is sitting around $1M now—that’s down about 7% from last year. It’s the biggest "correction" we’ve seen in a long time.
📍 Many condo deals on market GTA condos have been dropping for 9 quarters straight. Some Toronto units are actually popping up at $400k, which felt impossible just a couple of years ago.
📍 More breathing room: With sales down nearly 10% across Canada, buyers finally have some actual leverage.
It’s not exactly the "crash" some predicted, but it’s definitely not the "moon mission" sellers got used to. If you’re a first-time buyer, those new 30-year amortizations might actually make the math work for the first time in a while.
Are you still sitting on the sidelines waiting for a bigger drop, or does this "stability" make you feel better about jumping back in? Let’s talk in the comments! 👇

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03/13/2026

Should First-Time Buyers Still Buy a Condo Right Now in Toronto? 🤔
A lot of people are waiting on the sidelines. But the market today actually looks very different from a few years ago.

Right now buyers have:
✔ More condos to choose from
✔ Less competition
✔ More room to negotiate

Recent data from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board shows:
• Condo sales dropped about 15% year-over-year
• Average condo prices fell around 5% in 2025
• Inventory has increased — meaning more options for buyers

For first-time buyers, this means less pressure and more time to choose carefully.

One thing I always remind clients though: When you buy a condo, you're not just buying the unit — you're also buying part of the entire building.

After 15 years in condo development, management, and real estate, first things I check are the overall operation and maintenance of the condo, because the right building matters as much as the unit.🧐

03/05/2026

It’s now Day 5 of the conflict between United States, Isreal and Iran. How would this impact Toronto's housing market?

Here’s the chain reaction many economists watch:
Middle East tensions →
⛽ Oil prices rise
📈 Inflation pressure increases
🏦 Central banks delay interest rate cuts

And when interest rates stay higher for longer:
• Mortgage payments remain expensive
• Buyers hesitate to jump in
• Real estate activity slows down

But there’s an interesting twist: Because Canada is a major energy exporter, higher oil prices can actually support parts of the Canadian economy. That sometimes softens the blow compared to other countries.

So the big question right now isn’t just about geopolitics.

It’s whether global uncertainty will delay the rate cuts many buyers were hoping for in 2026.

02/06/2026

🚨 Pre-Construction Condo Buyers: Important Lesson to save $25K🚨

A buyer in Niagara Fall purchased what was marketed as a penthouse.
Two years later, the builder added another floor on top.
Result? The “penthouse” became a sub-penthouse.

The court agreed this was a material change — something a reasonable buyer would care about.

❗ But here’s the catch:
Under the Condominium Act, buyers only have 10 DAYS after receiving a revised disclosure to cancel or go to court.

The buyers missed the deadline.
The contract stayed binding.
They were ordered to pay $25,000 in legal costs.

💡 Takeaways for Condo Buyers
✔️ Builders can change plans
✔️ Disclosure updates matter
✔️ Material change ≠ automatic exit
✔️ The 10-day clock is strict

Warning for Pre-construction Condo buyers:
If you buy pre-construction, review every disclosure update immediately and talk to your lawyer right away. Remember, you have only 10 days to make a decision: Take it, or Leave it. A written notice should be delivered to vendor or vendor's solicitor to walk away from the deal.

02/01/2026

Warning: GTA Condo market's biggest risk is on it's way

According to Urbanation’s latest GTA pre-construction condo market report:
👉 By the end of 2025, new condo sales have fallen to the lowest level since 1991
👉 A large number of projects have been cancelled or delayed
👉 Developers are hesitant to launch new projects or even start construction

But here’s the part many people are missing 👇
🏗 Deliveries in 2026–2027 will continue to decline
🚫 By 2028–2029, there will be almost NO new condo completions
➡️ A true “supply cliff” is forming in the new condo market

🧠 What does this actually mean?
Many focus on today’s high inventory — but ignore tomorrow’s shortage:
• High inventory today ≠ long-term oversupply
• Future buyers and renters will face fewer choices
• When demand rebounds, supply won’t be ready
• Price and rent pressure is being delayed, not eliminated

📌 Now look at population growth:
After 2028, the GTA is expected to welcome ~40,000 new immigrants every year
👉 Conservatively, that means at least 20,000 new homes annually — possibly more, depending on household structure

❗If:
• New single-family homes remain limited
• Purpose-built rental supply can’t keep up
• New condo deliveries fall into a gap

Then 👇
👉 The GTA housing market could once again become stuck — or tight — very quickly

01/21/2026

❄️ Snow keeps falling — so who’s responsible for snow removal in Ontario rentals?❄️
With snow coming down almost 36cm since last week in Toronto, this question is popping up again and again:
👉 Is it the landlord or the tenant who has to shovel?

In Ontario, the general rule is simple:
✔️ Snow and ice removal is the landlord’s responsibility

That includes:
• Walkways
• Driveways
• Entrances
• Common areas

Even if a lease says the tenant must shovel, that clause alone usually isn’t enforceable. For snow removal to be a tenant’s duty, it must be set out in a separate agreement, often with compensation.

On top of that, many municipalities require snow to be cleared within specific time limits — especially after heavy or ongoing snowfall like we’ve been seeing.

Understanding this isn’t just about convenience — it’s about safety, liability, and avoiding disputes during winter.

If you’re a landlord or tenant and unsure how this applies to your situation, it’s always better to clarify before the snow piles up. ☃️🏘️

01/08/2026

🏠✨ 2026 Toronto Housing: The Calm After the Storm?

If you’re waiting for Toronto real estate to either take off again or crash hard in 2026…
👉 both Royal LePage and RE/MAX are basically saying: neither.

Here’s the interesting part 👇

🔹 What both agree on
• 2026 won’t be a “hot market”
• Prices are under pressure, not racing up
• Buyers are coming back — slowly, carefully
• The power balance is shifting (finally)

Royal LePage believe it will be a "reset" of the market, GTA prices may still soften a bit, and any recovery will be gradual.
RE/MAX forecasts as rates ease and prices adjust, more deals will happen — not because homes are pricier, but because buyers feel comfortable moving again. I believe that Buyers get more choice and leverage, Sellers need realistic pricing and smart timing.

12/23/2025

Merry Christmas! May you enjoy the holidays with loved ones and have a fruitful 2026!