Future of Canadian Housing Market – How Does it Look?
In the beginning of this year, many predictions on the Canadian housing market were made. Now that three months have gone by, do we have a better picture of how the market is going to look? Let’s just say that the future of Canadian housing market isn’t looking too good. In most areas of the [...]
Real Estate Investing for the College Student
Most college students these days think about things that only matter in the now. They certainly don’t think about starting down the road to financial freedom today, but instead wait until after they graduate or several years after that. The sad truth is that far too many of us wake up one day without the [...]
Investing in Real Estate 101
Understanding the basics of investing in real estate doesn’t have to be a complicated process. For an outsider looking in, the idea of investing in real estate can be a bit intimidating, however, the fundamentals of the business are not nearly as complex as they may seem. There are a few ground rules involved that [...]
Market Cooling? Not the Luxury Home Market!
According to a report by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, market for high-end homes in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary continues to be booming. Homes that go for over $1 million in these cities are seeing growth and Calgary alone witnesses a 20% increase in luxury mansions from 2011 to 2012. As luxury real estate enters 2013, [...]
Sharekey – Just bring your smartphone and unlock!
We have all experienced it one time or another, forgetting to pack your keys and being locked out of your very own house! Most people however, rarely forget to bring their smartphones with them. In fact, telecommunications giant Rogers reported that over 83 percent of individuals take their phone to the toilets with them [...]
B.C. Home Assessments Decline–Don’t Sweat!
According to many Vancouver realtors, decline in B.C. home assessments is not something to be concerned about. In fact, nowadays property owners are more concerned about property taxes. Assessments done by B.C. Assessments do not accurately reflect the actual “worth” of your property; it is more useful for property tax purposes. To illustrate, consider this [...]
2013 Housing Market Outlook
As the housing market and overall economy took a dive near the end of 2012, many people are concerned about what the market will look like in 2013. In this blog, we will explore the market trends that effect our real estate market. Employment growth, high net migration and low mortgage rates have all contributed [...]
Exactly how overpriced is the Vancouver real estate market?
It’s no secret that Vancouver has one of the most overpriced housing markets in the world. I recently came across an interesting website that makes visitors play a game to decide whether a house in a picture is a “crackshack” or “mansion”. The results are ASTOUNDING! Play the game here: http://www.crackshackormansion.com/
Creepy or not? A real estate app for snooping has just been released for the iPad
HomeSnap is a real estate app that allows users to snap a photo of a house or search up a house’s address to learn all the details about the house using MLS and public record data. This includes information such as: square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, floor plans, nearby amenities, estimated price, financials, [...]
What does the $7-billion Loblaw deal imply?
In one of our previous blogs, Loblaw to Spin Real Estate into REIT, we talked about Loblaw’s plan to form one of Canada’s largest REITs. While the spin-off is no longer news, there is something more to the spin-off: it indicates that there will be more spin-offs to come. “The creation of the REIT is [...]
Real Estate mag gives back! Donating $1 to Covenant House per reader!
For this holiday season, BOOM Magazine is giving back to the local community and we need YOUR support! This year we are working with the Covenant House, North America’s largest youth care agency, to help homeless youth in need during the holidays. From now until the end of January, BOOM Magazine will donate $1 dollar to the Covenant House [...]
Loblaw to Spin Real Estate into REIT
Loblaw Companies Ltd. plans to form one of the largest real estate investment trusts in Canada. Investors cheered the news, increasing shares by 23 per cent to $41.46 Loblaw (TSX;L) after the grocery chain operator announced its plans of forming the $7 billion REIT. The goal is to unlock value for shareholders. REITs are perceived to [...]
Trouble brewing in Toronto and Vancouver’s housing markets…
Recent news coming from Toronto and Vancouver’s housing market has not been very positive. Apart from a mysterious monkey ( wearing a thick shearling coat) being found wandering around a Ikea store in Toronto, activity in Canada’s largest real estate market has continued to weaken. Toronto Real Estate November sales were down a staggering 16% [...]
Investing 101: Mortgage Investment Corporations
Mortgage Investment Corporations We’ve received many emails about Mortgage Investment Corporations (MICs), so we put together a 101 lesson for the new investor. Let’s breakdown the MIC. What is a Mortgage Investment Corporation? A MIC is an investment that lets people pool their money to be lent out as mortgages. 100% of the net profits from [...]
Onni fails to win development rights in up and coming investment neighbourhood, Lonsdale
Renowned Vancouver developer, Onni Group, has just pulled the plug on its lucrative proposed Lonsdale development. The loss includes both 24- and 17- storey condo towers, a 6-storey office building, 80,000 sq ft. commercial space and community amenities. Lonsdale, North Vancouver is one of the top neighbourhoods for investors to watch out for. It’s [...]
Will Canada’s Housing Market Experience a Crash Similar to the US?
According to Benjamin Tal, deputy chief economist of CIBC World Markets, the answer is NO, Canada will not experience a US-style crash. While continuous increase in home prices is something to worry about, Canada is not at risk for a similar crash because the current Canadian housing market is different from the 2006 American [...]
Canadian Housing Market Cooling: Good or Bad for Our Economy?
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) recently reported that the sales of existing homes in Canada, along with year-over-year sales, fell in October from September. This indicates a slowing housing market, most likely due to the recent mortgage tightening rules. Now, is this slight dip in the housing market good or bad for the Canadian [...]
Canadian Real Estate Investment: High risk or just right?
Real estate, along with gold and oil are said to be one of the safest and most liquid investments due to their never ending demand and limited supply. However, it seems that the real estate market in Canada has hit its glass ceiling with a significant decrease in demand for newer construction over the past [...]
Guest Blog: Don’t leave money on the table when selling your investment property
The point of purchasing an investment property is to make money. Ergo the term “investment” property. However, all too often I see seasoned real estate investors making the same mistake or at the very least, overlooking a simple accounting maneuver that can help them get thousands of dollars more on the sale of their investment property. [...]
Getting the most out of your real estate investment
With the average price of a home now around $375,000 and increasing, buying a home for most Canadians is probably the largest investment that they will make in their lives. Once this real estate investment is made, protecting it becomes paramount. Good real estate is generally considered to be once of the best long-term investments [...]
Warning to all boomers, baby boomers that is!
Boomers are warned that using home sale to fund their retirement could backfire About a third of Baby Boomers have plans to sell their home as a way of funding their retirement. But, Bank of Montreal warns boomers against this because there are a number of risks that could arise by doing so. Marlena Pospiech, [...]
Rent confusion may limit returns for property investors
Property investors may be loosing out when it comes to cash flow due to confusion about rent controls, just ahead of rent-increase season. Many property investors believe that the vast majority of rental units are subject to rent control, when, in reality, they are not. While rent-control increases are set to be capped at 2.5% [...]
Tips to picking a correction-proof investment property
For investors, finding a strategy that withstands the ups and downs of the real estate cycle is part of the course. But how do you choose a property that can do just that? Avoid picking a property solely on price-point, no matter how good of a deal it may seem to be. The biggest mistake [...]
Best BC Neighborhoods for Real Estate Investment
According to an article published by the Huffington Post, despite some not-so-good outlooks for the housing market in B.C., 20 of the province’s neighborhoods were included in a list of the Top 100 Canadian neighborhoods to invest in. The report by Canadian Real Estate Wealth magazine, which was aimed at aiding investors identify exact locations [...]
