Blog Entries tagged 'Investors blog'

Alberta housing more affordable, remains overvalued:

info@canadareic.com — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Alberta's housing conditions have softened since prices peaked in 2007, with declining prices restoring some of the affordability lost during the boom, according to the latest housing report released today by RBC Economics.

The RBC Affordability measure for Alberta, which captures the proportion of pre-tax household income needed to service the costs of owning a home, improved across all home segments with the benchmark detached bungalow dropping to 43 per cent, the standard to [...]

City of Calgary gets tough on abandoned construction sites

info@canadareic.com — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:00:00 +0100

The city says it is taking action against abandoned construction sites. It says it will now be billing costs back to developers for work the city is forced to complete.

There are several sites around Calgary that the city says it's keeping an eye on. One of those sites is at 5320 2 Street, S.W.

Ashley Norris' boyfriend lives across the street from the future site of the Manchester Station condo [...]

If Canadian prices follow U.S. trends,

info@canadareic.com — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:00:00 +0100

If Canadian prices follow U.S. trends, certain cities will experience a major slide in house prices
Some experts are predicting a U.S. style housing crash here in Canada, saying that we're only a year or so behind them. So what would that mean for us?
We decided to take a look at how much the average U.S. housing prices rose in the last ten years, and discovered that prices in October 2008 were 54% higher than in October 1998.Since U.S. prices peaked in April 2007 and Canadian p [...]

Foreclosure �Vultures�

info@canadareic.com — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:00:00 +0100

They may be ready to swoop down on hapless homeowners, but pickings could be lean

One person's misery might be another's opportunity.

With foreclosures soaring in Clark County, up 40 percent or more from last year, it might seem like a good time to swoop down and pick up that dream home for pennies on the dollar.

But before you decide to become a foreclosure vulture, just remember [...]

Downtown rents dip after massive run-up

info@canadareic.com — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Sublease space helps stabilize office rates

Downtown office rental rates in Calgary soared by 160 per cent from 2003 to 2007, but show a slight dip this year as the vacancy rate continues to increase.

A market report by Barclay Street Real Estate Ltd. says the overall average rental rate for office space in downtown Calgary jumped from $15.25 per square foot in 2003 to $39.60 last year. This year i [...]

Volatile areas and house types skew averages

info@canadareic.com — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:00:00 +0100

A quick glance at the latest figures from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) indicates that in October the average Canadian home price was 10% lower than it had been a year earlier. But this figure is only weighted by the relative sales volumes in each city. Thus the number becomes a less-useful guide to real estate trends when, such as today, markets across the country are experiencing significant fluctuations.

"The conventional national average price calculation is subje [...]

Rise in new home prices slows to 2.1 per cent

info@canadareic.com — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:00:00 +0100

The price of new homes in Canada increased by 2.1 per cent in September on a year-over-year basis, a slower pace than the 2.3 per cent advance in August but still slightly ahead of economists' expectations.

On a monthly basis, new housing prices rose a bare 0.1 per cent between August and September.

However, the bloom was off in the Edmonton and Calgary housing markets.

" [...]

Real Estate Investment Mistakes

navtaj_chandhoke@yahoo.ca — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:00:00 +0100

* Real Estate Investment Mistake #1 - Quick Buck Schemes & Scams

Real estate wealth was the road to riches of 9 of every 10 Canadian millionaires. That's why in looking at real estate we agree you are definitely going in the right direction. But few made their fortunes in overnight changes of value, or by buying their real estate for less than it was worth when they bought it. They made their fortune in buying the real estate for less than it was worth over time as they owned [...]

A Grand Entrance Can Impact Your Home Investment

navtaj_chandhoke@yahoo.ca — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:00:00 +0100

It's been said you never get a second chance to make a first impression. In fact, your front door is telling people things behind your back! How come? What does it say? Since your front door is one of the first things guests and neighbours see, making your front entrance magnificent can go a long way in enhancing your home's attractiveness and your pride of home ownership. It is one way you can use to maximize both the curb appeal and the enjoyment of your home.

You might be [...]

Ottawa to buy $50B in mortgages, hopes to spur loans

info@canadareic.com — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:00:00 +0100

CTV.ca News Staff

The federal government is purchasing another $50 billion in residential mortgages to further stabilize the lending industry and encourage lower interest rates, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced Wednesday.

The Canadian economy has stalled and is on the brink of a recession. The government hopes that its cash injection will keep consumers spending and keep businesses afloat.

The announcement follows a similar move last month in which Ottawa bought $2 [...]

Stable Economy Makes Canada Worth A Look

info@canadareic.com — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Despite the economic woes facing the USA Canada is in good health and is drawing many people to live and work there.

Canada is in a great position to weather the current global financial storm which most of the world is facing, with its strong levels of employment, its oil and gas reserves and the fact that it has enjoyed 10 consecutive years of balanced budgets. As a result many people are taking a second look at Canada [...]

4 Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud Tips

info@canadareic.com — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:00:00 +0100

In recent years with the advent of technology and the internet there has been increased focus of privacy and identity theft but this is nothing new. Theft and fraud has always been a constant threat but especially in our society where your credit is everything and everything can be bought on some form of credit. And the largest form of credit most people have is their home mortgage. But what if the mortgage you have is not even yours and on a property you did not know even existed. This is mortg [...]

Making billions on real estate with no money down

info@canadareic.com — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:00:00 +0100

"This is a transaction in which the government of Canada, the taxpayers of Canada will not lose money....quite frankly, because the costs of our borrowing are lower than the value of these mortgages, we'll probably make money when this transaction is over."

Stephen Harper saw a buying opportunity and he pounced. Not with his own money, obviously, but on behalf of all Canadians. Most of us are too stupid or broke to see the buying opportunities [...]

Toronto�s Real Estate Market - Bubble or Boom?

info@canadareic.com — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

John Pasalis in Toronto Real Estate News

Toronto's real estate bubble in the late 1980's left a grave mark on the city. Those who didn't lose money in the bubble probably knew someone who did.

We saw the lingering effects of the last bubble in 2002 when after just five years of modest price appreciation in Toronto's real estate market (2.61% to 6.64% annually) fears of another real estate bubble l [...]

Calgary homebuyers' appetite for luxury declines

info@canadareic.com — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Economic uncertainty, the U.S. housing slump, and a lacklustre local real estate environment have taken a toll on Calgary's market for luxury homes this year.

Luxury home sales across the country have held steady so far this year despite an overall cooling in the residential real estate market, but activity in the top end is expected to taper in most major Canadian markets in the coming months, says [...]

Benefits of Being a Real Estate Bird Dog

info@canadareic.com — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Finding hot leads is the main challenge for any real estate investor. One of the most popular and effective ways to find wholesale deals is called "driving for dollars," which simply means driving around targeted neighborhoods to locate ideal wholesale properties. Another option you can resort to is to have someone drive for you - a bird dog or a property scout. Good thing is that either way will work out depending on your resources or in other words how much time and money you have.

Real Estate Bird Dogs: Sniffing the Right Deals

info@canadareic.com — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Can real estate bird dogs make money in the real estate industry? And if so, how?
A virtual real estate bird dog is a person who finds property investment deals for real estate investors without having to buy it. It is considered a risk free method of real estate investing and a method of learning real estate investments while making money.
So how do they make money?
Successful real estate bird dogs are making good amount of money by locating deals for their investors whether i [...]

The housing onion

info@canadareic.com — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Peeling back the layers of Squamish's residential real estate boom
Boom and Bustle
There's a difference between house and home. The former is just a structure, a construct of wood and concrete, insulation and siding, shingles, nails and glue, something picked over by inspectors and showcased by realtors. It's an early stop on the often expensive, always exciting and potentia [...]

Selling of Real Estate by Non-Residents of Canada

info@canadareic.com — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0100

As I deal routinely with non-resident investors wanting to sell Canadian real estate assets, I would like to shed some light on this otherwise somewhat arcane subject. DISCLAIMER: please note that the following essay is presented solely for general information purposes, it is not intended to be legal advice or purported to be as such, it may or may not apply to your particular situation and that I strongly recommend - in fact I urge you - to discuss this topic in-depht further with your lawye [...]

10 Ways to Increase Your Home's Value

info@canadareic.com — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 01:00:00 +0100
If you are ready to put your home on the market, you certainly want to do everything you can to increase its value. After all, the more valuable the home, the more money you will be able to make off of the sale. At the same time, you don't want to go broke while increasing the home's value. By following these ten tips, you can improve your homes value for very little cost.

{sidebar id=1}Clean Up the Yard
First impressions are difficult to overcome. As such, [...]