Sivage Sivagumaran Reviewed By Rathi on 2026-09-21

We bought our first home a few years ago near Fanfare Avenue in Centennial Scarborough, Toronto E10, and this year we had to decide what to do with it. Sell, hold, or lease. Prices had cooled, we were nervous about walking away from something we had worked hard for, and honestly we had no way to compare the three options in real dollars. A friend told us to call Sivage Sivagumaran, CPA, Broker at RE/MAX Crossroads Realty Inc. That one call changed the entire outcome for us. The first meeting was not a sales pitch. Sivage sat down with us and actually did the math. He prepared a comparative market analysis for our exact pocket of Centennial Scarborough, showed us what comparable homes near Port Union and Lawrence had sold and leased for, and then built out the other side of the ledger: estimated net proceeds after commission, legal fees and closing costs if we sold, against carrying costs, projected market rent, monthly cash flow, equity growth and return on investment if we leased. Because he is a CPA, he explained the financial and tax implications in plain language and told us what records we should be keeping going forward. Nobody had ever shown us our own home as a set of numbers before. For the first time the decision felt clear instead of emotional. We chose to lease, and Sivage treated that lease listing like a major sale. Professional photos, proper MLS exposure, promotion across his channels, private showings, and constant follow up with cooperating agents and interested applicants. The home was vacant while it was on the market, so he drove by regularly to make sure it was clean, secure and in good shape, and he sent us updates so we were never left guessing. On the tenant side he was patient and disciplined. He did not take the first application and he never pressured us to. He reviewed every applicant with us, verified credit, employment letters, pay stubs, references and identification, passed on the ones that did not hold up, and walked us through the lease, the schedules and the deposits so we understood exactly what we were signing. We leased at market rent to a AAA tenant with strong credit and stable income, within a reasonable timeframe, with no stress and no surprises. Our investment is protected, the cash flow works, and we still own the asset while it grows. One more thing that mattered to us. Every call, text and email was directly with Sivage. Not an assistant, not a junior agent, not a call centre. He answered on weekends. He answered when we asked the same question twice. If you are a first time buyer who has become a landlord, an investor, a seller, a downsizer, or anyone sitting in that "should I sell my house or rent it out" position in Toronto, Scarborough, Centennial, Rouge E10, Markham, Unionville, North York, Ajax or anywhere in the GTA, speak to Sivage Sivagumaran before you decide anything. He is the rare Realtor who understands both the real estate and the financial side of owning property, and he will tell you what the numbers actually say, even when that is not the answer that pays him the most. Thank you, Sivage. We recommend you without hesitation.

Reply: Rathi, your review is one I will remember for a very long time. Thank you for trusting me at a moment when the decision was much bigger than simply whether to put your Centennial Scarborough home on the market. You had worked hard to become homeowners, and now you were facing a completely different question: should you sell, hold, or lease the property? I appreciated that you allowed me to slow the process down and look at the decision objectively before discussing any transaction. For your 2026 property decision near the Port Union and Lawrence pocket of Centennial Scarborough, I wanted to compare the choices in real numbers. That meant looking at the local comparable sales and leases, estimated net proceeds if you sold, selling and closing costs, carrying costs, potential market rent, monthly cash flow, equity, and return on investment if you continued to hold the property. As Sivage Sivagumaran, CPA | Toronto & GTA Real Estate Broker, this is exactly where I believe financial analysis belongs in real estate. A sell-versus-hold decision should be based on net proceeds, after-cost cash flow, equity position, market conditions, and long-term objectives, not simply on today's headline property value. Once the numbers were laid out clearly, I was very pleased that the decision became less emotional and more understandable for you. You chose to lease and continue holding the asset because that strategy made sense for your circumstances. I also appreciated your comments about the tax and record-keeping side of the conversation. Property owners should understand that once a home becomes an investment property, good records matter. Keeping organized information relating to rental income, eligible expenses, improvements, financing, and property-related costs can become very important later when speaking with the appropriate tax professional and evaluating future decisions. Once you decided to lease, I treated the assignment with the seriousness I believe every landlord deserves. Professional presentation, MLS exposure, private showings, promotion, follow-up, applicant communication, and regular updates were all part of protecting the value of the property and creating the right opportunity. Because the home was vacant, I also understood that you needed more than marketing. You needed someone physically paying attention to the property. Checking that it remained secure, clean, and presentable was simply part of the responsibility I accepted when you entrusted the home to me. Tenant selection was another area where I did not want speed to replace judgment. I was happy to review the applications with you carefully, look at credit information, employment documentation, pay information, references, identification, and consistency across the application before you made your decision. No screening process can remove every future risk, but proper due diligence gives a landlord a much stronger foundation for making an informed choice. The outcome you described is exactly what I hoped to achieve for you: a successful lease at market rent to the AAA tenant you felt comfortable accepting, within a reasonable timeframe, while preserving the property and making the cash flow work for your ownership strategy. Your comments about direct access also meant a great deal to me. When you called, texted, or emailed, you were dealing directly with me. I believe continuity matters, especially when clients are making decisions involving an important family asset. You should not have to explain the same situation repeatedly to different people. What makes your story especially meaningful is that you began as first-time buyers and have now stepped into the responsibilities of being landlords and property investors. That transition changes the questions you need to ask about real estate, and I am honoured that I could help you understand that next stage. Rathi, thank you as well for saying that I was willing to follow the numbers even when the answer might not create the quickest commission for me. That is one of the greatest compliments I can receive. My responsibility is to help the client understand the options and make the decision that fits their interests. Going forward, I will remain available for annual property value updates, future sell-versus-hold analysis, rental market reviews, contractor referrals, and CPA-informed conversations about carrying costs, records, and the financial side of property ownership. Thank you again for your confidence, cooperation, and extraordinary recommendation. It was a privilege to help you move from first-time homeowners to informed landlords while protecting an asset you worked hard to build. With sincere appreciation, Sivage Sivagumaran, CPA | Toronto & GTA Real Estate Broker, RE/MAX Crossroads Realty Inc. Run the Numbers First. Understand the Options. Protect the Asset With a Long-Term Plan.