November 2012

The housing market is looking to gain in the years ahead, but this doesn’t mean that all homes on sale right now are marketable. A handful of residential properties here and there remain unsold, and if you have property you’re looking to sell, then you might be in the same boat.

Some people have waited three, four or even five years to sell their property without any takers. It’s becoming so frustrating for them that they turn to banks for advice. Most of these financial advisors will tell them the same thing: wait it out. It’s true that five years is a long time in the residential real estate game, but with the market steadily gaining, it’s only a matter of time before their property is sold.

Some other enterprising homeowners choose to rent out the property. This is a great solution as it allows you to receive a fixed monthly income with the possibility of selling the property for a better opportunity. The big concern here is that as the owner of the property, you are still legally responsible for everything that happens in and around the house. This is why it’s rare to find a homeowner who’s willing to rent out their space to anyone and everyone.

If you’re really desperate for money, then you can always put up the property on short sale. You’ll receive substantially less than with a full sale, but as they say, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Over the last few months, the Pooled Registered Pension Plan has come up in the news and has received a fair amount of criticism. Labor unions and respected analysts have come against it for its shortfalls with regards to its long term financial portfolio. With all of its flaws however, the PRPP has some benefits that are worth examining.

First of all, the PRPP will cover those people who currently don’t have a pension plan. This is crucial as workers without any kinds of retirement plan have a good chance of falling into some kind of welfare plan later on in life. With the PRPP, the chance of this happening is drastically reduced.

The number one complaint brought about by opposing parties is the monthly fee for those participating in the plan. Luckily, the PRPP calls for a substantially affordable fee. The amount is comparable to most of today’s insurance plans, and best of all, it is strictly participatory, at least in the latest version covered by the media.

One other thing the PRPP does right is offer nationwide coverage, regardless of previous working location. This means that a person can transfer to another province or state and still be covered. With this kind of benefit, it’s almost hard to imagine why anyone would oppose this deal.