Canadian Real Estate

Robert B. Shortly was a chartered accountant in Toronto.

Richard Steacy has been in the real estate and mortgage brokerage business for over 25 years. He has contributed articles on real estate to newspapers and magazines. He is also the author of the Practical Canadian Mortgage Guide.

This is a down-to-earth, nuts-and-bolts book on the basics of real estate. It does not tell you how you can be a millionaire buying and selling real estate. The topics range from the basics (mortgage, interest, lawyers, leverage, buy-or-rent decision, and valuing a house) to the more esoteric (the buying of motels, farms, office buildings). His writing style is to the point; the book is written for the average person who has some financial knowledge. While the thrust of the book is objective and informative, the author expresses his bias toward home ownership in the foreword, where he also states that the prime objective of his book is to get the reader involved in owning real estate. Bearing this in mind, the book is a good one for those who want some fundamental background in real estate.