Many may have heard that Canada's housing market is hot right now, but just how does The Great White North stack up against the rest of the world when it comes to real estate?
According to MSNBC, Canada is the seventh-hottest country in the world for housing right now, tied with Norway. Over the past five years, prices for Canadian housing have risen 28.7 percent, beating countries like Switzerland and the U.S. but losing out to Asian markets like Singapore, Hong Kong and China.
The news source reports existing home sales in Canada rose 8.6 percent in February compared to the previous year. Housing starts were also on the rise as more developers invest in apartment complexes to meet the growing demand.
For much of early 2012, Vancouver was the hot real estate market in the country, and the city continues to be popular with many foreign investors looking to move to Canada. In recent months, Toronto has actually outpaced Vancouver's growth and appears to be the "place to be" for the moment.
Those buying a new house or apartment in Canada can be easily overwhelmed by the stress of move-in day. One way to avoid this is by renting an affordable self storage facility in Toronto or any other city. This way, owners have a place to put their things until they're settled.
Jiffy Self Storage, a leader in Toronto storage solutions, is currently running a contest on their website for a free iPad 3. Visitors to the site simply need to match a few Canadian landmarks and they'll be entered to win the iPad or one of several other prizes.