Issue link: https://canadawidemedia.uberflip.com/i/879023
32 >> OUR HOUSE FALL 2017 Dominion LenDing Centres (2) et CAnADA, (3) hgtv CAnADA, istoCk a brand new home on a cul de sac. so we made that leap. We're really smart about the way we spend our money and try to go on vacation twice a year. that's something we committed to, showing our kids the world, so we're making it happen. You mentioned you were mortgage-free in five years. Do you have some advice for people getting into the housing market? that's the other question my husband and i asked, how are we going to pay off the mortgage on this house? We both stepped back for a second; do we need to be mortgage-free? my advice: don't just put down a down payment. Assess how much you're going to spend each year. You have to control your spending as well. For us, we wanted to pay down the maximum every year and we didn't have kids, so it was the thing for us to do. But once we had kids we wanted to enjoy life. You have to prioritize what's important to you when it comes to spending money. the market is crazy right now… the interest rates are so low people think they can afford the house and they just buy it, and put themselves into debt for a long time. step back for a second, and see what you have and how much you're going to make per year and think it through. get out of toronto—you don't have to live in toronto! We live in mississauga and it's perfect for us. You've been busy with Home to Win, an HGTV show where 30 of the network's stars renovate a home that a lucky person will win. What is it about that project that interested you? it's one of my favourite projects in my whole career. it is an incredible show. the concept is so great and i get to work with these incredible personalities from hgtv Canada. essentially it's a show where i'm the teacher and they're the kids and they're coming to summer camp. it always comes down to the last moment where we give the house away. it's just me with an earpiece and my director telling me who the winner is. And everyone around me doesn't know who's winning. even my director will be in my ear saying, "i can see you're about to cry. take a moment. You can only deliver this line once." i would take four minutes to deliver the line, and everyone is just waiting for me to say the winner. When i say it and that response "My advice: don't just put down a down payment. Assess how much you're going to spend each year. You have to control your spending as well."