Insights  ·  Case Studies

Real Decisions,
Run With Real Numbers

Every week, clients bring us the same big questions. Instead of opinions, we answer with math. Each case study below takes a real decision our clients face, builds it on current 2026 rates and rules, and shows the honest trade-offs on both sides.

For First-Time Buyers

Getting into the market

Three connected studies that walk you from "should I buy at all?" to "how much down?" to "what will closing day really cost?"

Jun2026

Rent or Buy in the GTA? When Each One Actually Wins

A $550,000 condo and a $750,000 townhome, run against renting. The break-even point, the wealth gap at five and ten years, and the one table that decides the whole question.

First-Time BuyersRent vs BuyNumbers
Jun2026

5% vs 20% Down Payment: Buy Now or Wait and Save?

The same $750,000 home, two very different paths. CMHC premiums, monthly payments, the income you need to qualify, and the real cost of waiting years to save the bigger down payment.

First-Time BuyersDown PaymentCMHC
Jun2026

The Hidden Closing Costs Nobody Mentions

She saved the $50,000 down payment. The real bill was $72,500. Every closing cost on a $750,000 first home, itemized for Toronto and the 905, with the rebates that soften it.

First-Time BuyersClosing CostsLand Transfer Tax
For Retirement & Downsizers

Making your home work for you

For most Canadian retirees, the house is the retirement plan. These studies look at how to use it wisely.

Jun2026

Can Your Home Fund Your Retirement?

A couple at 65 with a paid-off $1.2M home and nothing but CPP and OAS. Downsizing, a HELOC, and a reverse mortgage, compared honestly: how long each one pays $2,500 a month, and what is left at 85.

RetirementDownsizingReverse Mortgage

Have a decision you want run with real numbers?

These studies use composite scenarios, but the most useful version is the one built on your actual situation. Tell us what you are weighing and we will model it with you, no pressure, no pitch.

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