BY JAY BRIJPAUL

Properties were taxed temporarily to raise cash during the war. Today, real estate taxes are one of the government’s most significant revenue sources. There are many tax-saving strategies in real estate; let’s look at a few.

Buy RRSP’s. Many first-time buyers have their downpayment in a saving account or short-term deposit. It’s better to open a self-directed RRSP account. If you were contributing yearly, then you can top it up. If you still need to, you will have room to transfer a large sum which will trigger a tax refund. A first-time buyer can take up to $35,000 (or $70,000 as a couple) from their RRSP. The funds must be in the RRSP account for 90 days. The buyers must withdraw the funds within 30 days before closing the deal.

Build a basement apartment. Income from a basement apartment is taxable. Similarly, the operating expense is deductible. However, having a basement apartment on a principal residence property can change the use and limit your principal residence exemption. CRA has three criteria to determine that the use has not changed:

• The rental use of the property is secondary to the principal residence
• There are no structural changes done for income generation
• There is no capital tax deduction on the secondary suite (You cannot write off the cost to build the suite)

If one or any of these criteria are not met, then, upon sale, the secondary suite portion of the property will be taxable. You can only claim some expenses if you rent a part of the property. If the basement apartment is 1/3 the size of the property, you can claim 1/3 of the utilities, mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, etc.

Buy a rental property. Let’s assume that you have $100,000 saved up as a downpayment to buy an investment property and that your principal residence has a remaining mortgage of $400,000. It’s better to use the $100,000 to pay down your principal residence’s mortgage and then borrow $100,000 from the property for investment. You must set up a Home Equity Line Of Credit (HELOC) on the principal residence to borrow. The interest paid on the HELOC is tax deductible. With an investment property, an investor can write off the interest on the mortgage, rental insurance, some legal costs to purchase the property, property taxes, and other related expenses.

Split your rental income. If you are in a high tax bracket, consider splitting your rental income with your spouse or adult child. The party with the lower income must be actively involved in the day-to-day activities of the rental property. Some duties include bookkeeping, communicating with tenants, and collecting and depositing rent.

Claiming an expense on a rental property. There are two types of expenses, and they are called operating and capital expenses. Operating expenses are expenses incurred in the day-to-day operation such as accounting fees, maintenance, minor repairs, management fees, etc. Capital expenses are called capital improvements. For example, when you install a new roof. You can claim Capital Cost Allowance (CCA) and deduct the cost over time.

Claiming a rental loss for the property. When the gross rental income is lower than the rental expense for the year, that is known as a rental loss. You cannot claim rental loss when you rent the property to a family or friend below fair market rent. If a tenant has been living in the property for a long time and the rent is lower than reasonable market rent, that loss can be considered a rental loss. Rental losses that originated from a tenant who failed to pay rent are also tax deductible.

There are many more tax-saving ventures available. The government of Canada website, www.canada.ca, is resourceful. You cannot claim your labor and services in real estate, and it is better to use the services of a professional. I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation. The accountant’s fees are tax deductible.

BY JAY BRIJPAUL

Recently I visited a client who sold her 2,600 square foot home in Etobicoke and bought a one-bedroom condo. I asked her how she felt about such a drastic move. She said that now, she can enjoy an affluent lifestyle. I pried further.

“When living in my Etobicoke house, I would have hotdogs for dinner. Now, I can have a steak instead. I was house-rich and cash-poor then, and today I am house-poor and cash rich.”

Downsizing is becoming a trend with all age groups. A bigger home will cost more for mortgages, property taxes, insurance, and maintenance. A smaller home will bring less financial stress, less care, less housework, and more time to relax. Some families choose to downsize so that they can spend more time with their loved ones instead of beating the streets to pay the bills. Usually, homeowners who reduce appear happier since they also downsized their financial load.

Doreen had a resort-style home with a large in-ground pool, sauna, and built-in BBQ. It was a hot spot for friends and families. There was only one problem—when the guests and family members left, she alone had to clean up and cover the bills. Now moved, her small dwelling brings her happiness and money too.

Many of us are worried about what others will say if we downsize. The size of our home gives us a sense of prestige. The best way to overcome this is to list the advantages and disadvantages of scaling down.

Moving to a smaller home is stressful. Families with children used to having bedrooms and adequate washrooms will need help to adjust. Have an open and honest discussion with family members. For financial reasons, consider converting the basement into a rental unit.

Upsizing is easier than downsizing. We love to move up to bigger and better. It’s exciting because, with the new home, we want more oversized furniture. Before downsizing, look at the kinds of homes you want to move to before selling your home. Don’t search for a home based on the size of your furniture, or you will be disappointed. This exercise can give you an idea of what to expect.

The next step is to sort through your belongings and decide what you will take to your new residence. You may need to get rid of oversized furniture. It’s an excellent time to sort clothing, books, and everything else. Group the items in three categories: keep, not sure, and good riddance. Dispose of the ones in the good riddance category. These can be sold at a discount or given as a donation. Social media such as Facebook marketplace is helpful.

Now, look at the second category. Sort the items into two sets: keep and good riddance. A rule of thumb is that if you do not use an item for a year, chances are you will not need it. Avoid the temptation of renting storage space to store items that you may not use for a while. Storage can be costly.

Should you sell first and then buy or do the opposite? In a market where prices are climbing, buying first and selling later is better. In a market where prices are coming down, it’s best to sell first and buy later. A good realtor can guide you through the process. A decluttered, cleaned, and staged home will be more appealing to prospective buyers. Avoid pumping money into significant upgrades. A fresh coat of paint can add thousands of dollars to your pocket.

It is advisable to take possession of the home you are moving to a week earlier than the one you are selling. You can do so through bridge financing, where the lender will facilitate the request. This way, you have a week to do minor repairs, cleaning, and moving.

If you are selling to free up retirement cash, consult a financial planner to invest the proceeds. There are situations where a family needs the space but cannot afford the home. Instead of downsizing, consider moving to smaller towns, and you will pay less for a bigger house.

BY JAY BRIJPAUL

Title in real estate is a form of ownership. It’s not a specific document. It brings you the right to use the property. In a way, it’s a journal of that property. A deed, on the other hand, is a legal document that declares ownership. When you buy a property, you will receive the deed which affirms that you have title to the property. When there is a mortgage in place, the deed is transferred to the lender and the owner receives a document called a transfer deed.

Title fraud results when someone snatches a property by altering a deed. They immorally transfer ownership. The thief can now sell the home or arrange a mortgage against it. Usually, the real owner is unaware of the crime until they receive notices from the lender. Title fraud has increased drastically over the years.

A scammer’s prime target is seniors. Many seniors are mortgage free or have small mortgages. For the scammers, there is a ton of loot. Small investors are good targets for scammers as well. Investment properties are usually tenanted. Landlords generally pay less attention to their investment properties and may miss important documents such as bank notices. Knowing this, scammers have extra time to clean the safe.

When fraud is committed, the property does not belong to the fraudster or the new buyer. The documents are fake. However, it is expensive to correct the problem. Court can be costly and take years to resolve. The answer is title insurance.

Title insurance is a one-time purchase that is good for as long as you own the home. The best place to start is to check whether you already purchased title insurance. When you bought the home, your lawyer would have provided you with a stack of real estate papers. Among them, you may find a copy of the title insurance certificate. There are two kinds of policies. These are homeowner policy and lender policy. A lender policy protects the lender and not the homeowner. It’s important to have a homeowner policy. If you do not have homeowner’s title insurance, then its best to purchase it as soon as possible. The insurer will not cover you if the insurance is taken out after the fraud has happened.

You can purchase title insurance from First Canadian Title (FTC). Their website is Ftc.ca and their phone number is 1-866-804-3122. You can also email FTC at residentialsolutions@ftc.ca. If you bought the home over six months ago, then you can buy title insurance directly from FTC. Other than that, contact your lawyer. When buying title insurance, the owner must provide the date when the home was purchased and the estimated market value of the property. In the event of title fraud, FTC will step up and pay the costs plus legal fees to restore a homeowner’s title.

When a buyer unknowingly purchases a home from a fraudster, the buyer cannot resell that home to recover the losses. The home still belongs to the original owner. If the buyer has bought title insurance during closing, the insurer will take on the duty to defend that client. They will investigate the claim, retain council and compensate the buyer.

In addition to protecting the title of the property, title insurance has more advantages. A buyer’s lawyer has to research the entire history of the property. With title insurance, the lawyer does not require to research the entire history. The lawyer can view the last four or five entries. This saves time and costs the buyer less.

Prior to title insurance, lenders wanted a survey of the property. If the seller could not provide one, then the buyer would have had to hire a surveyor. This cost thousands of dollars. With title insurance, lenders have ditched the requirement for a survey.

There are many incidents where improvements are made to a home without obtaining a building permit such as building a deck or finishing the basement. If the home is inspected by a city inspector and the improvements are not up to code, the owner ought to apply for a building permit and retrofit the improvements. This can be costly. Title insurance covers that cost.

Sometimes, exterior structures, such as a garden shed, partly sits on the neighbouring property. When there is a disagreement, title insurance will take over and cover the cost.

A common problem occurs when a previous owner is in arrears for property tax. That responsibility runs with the property. The arrears are transferred to the new owner. If the new owner has title insurance, the insurer will pay that cost.

We are living in a time where internet pirates can ruin our ship. Homeownership in the electronic age is under protected. A hacker can sell our home or remortgage it and bag the cash while sitting on a beach in a different country. Let’s protect ourselves. Let’s buy homeowner’s title insurance.