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Power Of Sale vs Foreclosure

Power of sale is a lender sale process common in Ontario where title does not transfer to the lender. Foreclosure is a court process where the lender may take title and extinguish borrower equity.

Why it matters

power of sale vs foreclosure can change after-tax proceeds, legal risk, carrying cost, and closing certainty. Ignoring it can turn a good spreadsheet into a bad real deal.

Worked example

In underwriting, tag power of sale vs foreclosure beside the exact source input and rerun the model when that input changes. The point is not a pretty metric; it is a better buy, hold, refinance, or walk decision.

How investors read it

Use it to kill bad deals quickly. If the back-of-envelope version does not survive conservative assumptions, do not spend five hours making it look alive.

Common mistakes

  • · Treating the metric as a verdict instead of a screen.
  • · Using broker-package assumptions without checking the source documents.
  • · Ignoring taxes, capex, vacancy, financing terms, and timing.

Canadian tax, legal, municipal, and provincial rules change. Treat this as investor education, not legal or tax advice; confirm with local counsel/accountants.

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