When Mark and Sarah stood in an empty lot in early spring 2021, it was hard to imagine that the plot of land would soon become their dream home. After years of saving, endless house hunting, and debating whether to buy or build, they finally decided to take on the challenge of constructing a home…
It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, and I was sitting at the kitchen table, sorting through a pile of bills, when my husband casually asked, “Have you ever thought about paying off our mortgage early?” I looked up from the paperwork, intrigued but sceptical. Sure, we had talked about how great it would feel to…
I still remember the day we got the news: my husband had been offered a fantastic job opportunity in a new city, complete with better pay, better work-life balance, and a chance for us to experience a new adventure. It was perfect in every way—except one. We were only four years into a 30-year mortgage,…
It was a decision that kept us up at night. My husband and I had lived in our home for nearly a decade, but with the kids grown and out of the house, we knew it was time to downsize. As we sat down to review our finances and calculate potential proceeds from the sale,…
When Mark and Jessica decided to sell their home, they were excited but nervous. They had lived in their suburban three-bedroom house for ten years, but it was time for a change. After watching home prices soar in their neighbourhood, they thought they were sitting on a goldmine. They assumed they could set a high…
When Sarah decided it was time to sell her home, she was excited about the potential financial gain but overwhelmed by the process. Friends told her to list with a real estate agent, but she was curious about for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) options. She also wondered if the new iBuyer companies, offering fast cash for homes, were…
After her mother passed away, Rachel found herself in charge of selling the family home. At first, she planned to take her time, updating the home’s outdated features and marketing it through a local real estate agent. But when unexpected expenses from the estate began to pile up, she realized she needed to sell the…
When Mark and Lisa decided it was time to sell their home, they were hit with an unexpected realization: the steep cost of traditional real estate commissions. Their dream of upgrading to a bigger house was met with the sobering reality that a 6% commission on their $400,000 home sale would mean handing over $24,000…
When Sarah and James found their dream home in the quiet suburbs of Portland, they were elated—until they sat down to crunch the numbers. With mounting student loan debt and a modest income, securing a traditional mortgage felt out of reach. They did not want to keep renting, but saving for a down payment could…
When John and Melissa bought their suburban home in 2016, they knew it needed work. The kitchen was outdated, the bathrooms were cramped, and the backyard was just a patch of grass. But they saw potential. Over the next few years, they tackled home improvements that add value projects individually. They remodeled the kitchen, added…
