Buying in Newmarket & Aurora

Found a house you like? Let an investor look at it first.

I am a landlord, a property manager and I have flipped homes. Send me any listing and I will tell you, straight, whether it is worth the price and what it will really cost you after you move in. Free, before you book a showing or write an offer.

Investor, landlord & flipper
5.0 Google rating
10+ years in Newmarket & Aurora

Is it worth the price?

Paste the listing link or address. Any MLS® listing, from Realtor.ca, Zolo, HouseSigma or anywhere else.

What you get back

A second opinion from someone who buys houses too

Not an automated estimate. I look at the house the way I would if my own money were on the line.

01Is the price fair?Asking price against what actually sold nearby, so you know if it is priced right, high, or bait for a bidding war.

02Red flagsWhat the photos, the listing history and the price changes are telling you that the description is not.

03What it really needsThe work coming in the next few years and a rough cost, from the contractors I use on my own properties.

04Offer or walk awayMy honest call. If it is worth seeing, we walk it together and I tell you what the inspector should focus on.

What my reply looks like · sample, not a real listing

Price. Asking $1,149,000. The four closest detached sales on the street and the next one over closed between $1,060,000 and $1,135,000 in the last five months. Fair range for this one is $1,090,000 to $1,120,000. The asking price is a bit ambitious, not bait.

What I see. Listed 41 days, one price cut. Photos show a new kitchen and floors but the same 1998 windows and a furnace label from 2009. Water heater is almost certainly rented; I would ask for the contract. The "finished basement with separate entrance" has no permit on record.

Real cost to own. Furnace and AC within three years, roughly $9,000 to $12,000. Windows eventually, $18,000 or more. Budget that into your number.

My call. Worth seeing. Offer with an inspection condition; after 41 days they will take it. Do not pay for the basement as income.

Before you fall in love with it

What that house really costs you

The asking price is only the start. Put in the numbers for the house you are looking at.

Purchase price

Down payment % Mortgage rate %

Amortization I am a first-time buyer

Down payment
Ontario land transfer tax
Legal and adjustments (est.)
Cash you need on closing
Mortgage
Monthly payment

Check the house before you offer

Estimate only. Land transfer tax uses Ontario's provincial rates; Newmarket and Aurora charge no municipal land transfer tax. The first-time buyer refund is up to $4,000 for eligible buyers. With less than 20% down, mortgage default insurance is added to the loan and is not shown. Payment assumes a fixed rate compounded semi-annually. Not financial advice; confirm with your lender and lawyer.

The walkthrough

What an investor sees that a buyer misses

Fresh paint and new floors sell houses. I have done flips myself, so I know what a quick renovation can cover up. Here is what I look at when we walk through together.

1
The big-ticket itemsRoof, furnace, air conditioner, windows, electrical panel. How old, how long they have left, and whether they are owned or rented.
2
Water and structureGrading, foundation, basement moisture, signs of past leaks that were painted over.
3
Renovation qualityWas it done properly with permits, or done fast for the sale? A flip can look perfect for six months.
4
Real cost to ownWhat it needs in the first few years, priced with the contractors I use on my own properties. Not a guess.
5
Value and resaleIs the price backed by what actually sold nearby, and will this layout and street sell well when it is your turn?

This does not replace a home inspection. It tells you whether the house is worth an offer at all, and exactly what to have the inspector focus on.

Found out too late

The mistakes buyers tell me about after closing

None of these show up in the listing photos. All of them can be caught before you sign.

They let the seller's agent handle their offer.

Calling the number on the sign feels faster. But the listing agent's job is to get the seller the best price and terms, and that is who they answer to.

What I doI represent you, and only you. If a house is overpriced or wrong for you, I say so.

They paid for the bidding war, not the house.

Offer nights are built to create pressure. Without the real sales on that street, you are guessing how high to go, and guessing usually means overpaying.

What I doBefore you decide on a number, you see every recent comparable sale nearby.

They waived the inspection to win.

Then came the roof, the foundation crack, the old wiring, the wet basement. Problems that cost more than the bidding war ever did.

What I doIf a conditional offer will not fly, we arrange an inspection before the offer date so you still know what you are buying.

They inherited a rental contract.

Many Ontario homes come with a rented water heater, furnace or air conditioner. Some carry long terms and expensive buyouts, and the details hide in the paperwork.

What I doI ask for every rental contract up front so you know the real monthly cost before you commit.

They counted on basement rent that was not legal.

Separate entrance, kitchen, tenant already there. But no permits. That can affect your insurance, your resale and the income you budgeted for.

What I doI check what was permitted before you rely on that income. I am a landlord myself.

They forgot about closing costs.

Land transfer tax, legal fees, adjustments, moving. Buyers who only planned for the down payment get a nasty surprise right before closing.

What I doYou know your real cash-to-close before you make an offer, not after.

They skipped the status certificate.

Condo and townhouse buyers can inherit a special assessment, a weak reserve fund or a building dispute they never heard about.

What I doYour offer is conditional on your lawyer reviewing the status certificate. No shortcuts.

They bought the house, not the street.

A busy cut-through at 8 a.m., a school boundary that was not what they thought, a development planned across the road.

What I doI tell you what to check at rush hour and on a weekend, and what is planned nearby.

Why buyers call me

I have paid for my own mistakes, and I have fixed other people's. You do not have to make either.

I have bought and sold for myself and my family. I own and manage rental property that still cash-flows positive, and I have flipped homes. I know how easy it is to stop asking questions once you want a house badly.

My job is to keep asking them for you. Ten years in Newmarket and Aurora means I know the streets, the builders, and the houses that keep coming back on the market.

1
Send me the houseOr tell me what you want. I come back with my honest read, free.
2
Walk it togetherIf it is worth seeing, we go through it and I show you what I see.
3
An offer you can defendYour number comes from the street's real sales, with conditions that protect you.

Questions

Before you send me a house

Does the listing check cost anything?

No. It is free and you are under no obligation to work with me afterwards.

The house is on Zolo, HouseSigma or Realtor.ca. Can you still help?

Yes. Those sites show MLS® listings from every brokerage. I can review any of them and book a showing on any of them.

How are you paid if I buy with you?

We put it in writing in a buyer representation agreement before you commit to anything. In many purchases the buyer's agent is paid out of the sale, but it depends on the property, and I will show you exactly what applies to the homes you are looking at before you sign.

I am just starting and not pre-approved yet.

That is the best time to talk. I can connect you with a lender, and you will know your real budget, including closing costs, before you start falling for houses.

I already have an agent.

If you have signed a buyer representation agreement with someone else, please keep working with them. This page is for buyers who have not chosen an agent yet.

Free, no obligation

Rather just talk?

Tell me what you are looking for. I will call you, send homes that fit, and walk through the good ones with you.

10+Years local

5.0Google rating

InvestorLandlord · Flipper