I get asked this all the time. “If you live in Vancouver, why do you invest in Alberta?” Surely, it must be simpler to invest closer to home. Less commute time, easier to manage, etc. The short answer is that it doesn’t really matter where you invest, as long as the fundamentals in the market are correct. This is mostly true, although accessibility is somewhat important to me as well. I like to be able to travel to my investment within a day, simply in the event of an emergency. That pretty much means that anywhere in North America fits the bill. The top 10 reasons that I like Alberta over BC; 1.     Economy. Alberta (and Saskatchewan), are the Canadian … Continue reading →

You buy a new residential rental property, and do your due diligence by hiring a home inspector to look over things and provide a report. Everything looks good, you remove conditions, and away you go! Well, did you know that home inspectors don’t check absolutely everything? Nothing against them, they are a critical team member to most successful real estate investors, but they’re not superhuman. What are some of the things that they don’t usually find? 1. Foundation issues. Most good inspectors can see if there is a large gaping crack in the concrete foundation, but what happens when no foundation wall is exposed? They don’t have x-ray vision like Superman, and can’t see what’s behind the drywall, nor are … Continue reading →

You hear the saying all the time; “Cash is King”. Well, in the buy and hold real estate world, cash FLOW is actually King. It is really the only thing that matters. I personally don’t care if the value of my investment goes up, down, or sideways (at least in the short term). The only thing that really matters is that the rental income covers all of my monthly obligations. This includes the mortgage payment, property taxes, condo/ strata fees, property management fees, and any maintenance required. I know that my money is made by paying down the mortgage over a period of 25-35 years, using tenant’s money to do so. If the value goes up, that’s a bonus. In … Continue reading →