More recently, finding one’s own property was seen as a rite of passage into a new stage in independent life. That’s also why our ancestors respected peasants: although they may not have been rich, they were masters of their own land. Home ownership does take effort, and adulthood is when a person directs their resources towards the construction or acquisition of a home, its upkeep, providing for their family, and planning for their future. Funds are no longer solely spent on entertainment.
However, access to property may not be as unimaginable as today. Society was structured around the needs of ordinary families – it supported our concept of the common good.
Unfortunately, a lot has changed in recent years. For the past 30 years, society has been divided between two extremes. On the one hand, there is a global elite whose main desire is to feel at home anywhere on the planet, in megalopolises. On the other hand, there are low-income individuals who receive various forms of life support. And what about the people in the middle, the so-called “middle class”? This group is under pressure and does not benefit from the society it helps to finance. Now, it is becoming increasingly difficult for middle-class people to acquire property, which often proves to be simply out of their reach, as it involves financial hardship.
It would be naive to believe that all this would have no political impact. People who are forced to delay buying a home for an indefinite period lose hope of improving their lives, which inevitably affects their participation in the political process of the country.
Buying your own home is not just a financial matter, but also an essential aspect of our daily lives that should not be overlooked.
Therefore, I would advise you to begin by purchasing an affordable home or apartment. Do not wait until prices continue to rise and money becomes meaningless.
Always ready to help you, Olga Ouspenski, real estate broker with 20 years of experience. Contact me : +1-514-999-9260, , or here www.OlgaOuspenski.net/.
Les calculs d’augmentation des loyers des logements locatifs ont été publiés par le Tribunal administratif du logement du Québec à la mi-janvier 2024. Les propriétaires des logements locatifs du Québec doivent baser leurs augmentations de loyer en 2024 sur ces calculs. Pour les appartements dans lesquels le chauffage n’est pas inclus dans la location ou avec le chauffage électrique, la majoration moyenne de loyer est de 4 %. Pour les appartements chauffés au gaz naturel, l’augmentation est de 3,3 %, pour le chauffage au mazout, elle est de 1,6 %, les prix du gaz et du mazout ayant diminué cette année. Afin de compenser l’augmentation des taxes municipales, ces pourcentages sont augmentés à raison de 0,6 % par tranche de 5 % d’augmentation des taxes. Ainsi, par exemple, si un appartement a été loué en 2023 pour 1 000 $ par mois sans chauffage et que les taxes municipales ont augmenté de 5 % par rapport à 2023, l’augmentation totale du loyer en pourcentage serait de 4,6 %.
Il faut rappeler que le locataire a le droit de refuser l’augmentation de loyer proposée. Et, si vous ne parvenez pas à un accord, le propriétaire peut ouvrir un dossier au tribunal pour fixer le montant de l’augmentation du loyer. Dans ce cas, il doit fournir le calcul et tous les documents confirmant ses dépenses. Si le dossier n’est pas ouvert, le bail est automatiquement prolongé sans majoration de loyer, avec les mêmes conditions que l’année précédente.
2023 ended with a slight decline in sales and home prices in the Greater Montreal area. But the market should recover soon, perhaps at the same time as nature, at the end of winter, experts predict.
This is exactly what realtors observe in their practice. “They have a lot more calls, a lot more visits,” confirms Dominic St-Pierre, vice-president and general manager of Royal LePage, Quebec region. He predicts a “hot” spring market. Which has nothing to do with temperature, he clarifies. Buyers are waiting for real reassurance about the Bank of Canada’s intentions and lower mortgage interest rates. “And even if the decline does not happen now,” adds Mr. St. Pierre, but at least in the near future. Once this is done, we should see a gradual return of life, especially among buyers who have put their projects on hold to wait for these more favorable conditions.
