5 interesting facts about December

1. December is the 12th month of the year and is highly popular for Christmas and for being the coldest month of the year. Through this article, we bring you some interesting facts about December.

2. The origin of the word
The most amazing fact about December lies in its origin itself. The word December is derived from the Latin word “decem” which means 10. The word decem depicts the 10th month in the ancient Roman calendar.

3. The month of Proposal Acceptance
It may be shocking to know but the record says that the maximum number of marriage proposals is accepted in the month of December itself. It shows that if you want to propose your love for the marriage, you should opt for this month as it increases the probability of yes to the maximum. Moreover, it is being noticed that most of the proposal happen in the week leading to Christmas.

4. Least sunshine month in the UK
The United Kingdom straddles the higher mid-latitudes between 49° and 61° N. This leads December to bring the least sunshine to the UK. Even the record says that In December 1890, Westminster saw no sunshine at all and also Moscow experienced its darkest December on record in 2017, with just SIX MINUTES of sunshine in total.

5. The only Existence of December in play
It is amazing to find that the only play that contains December in it line is the As You Like It by Shakespeare. It is used in Act 4 where it says “Men are April when they woo, December when they wed,”

Credits: https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/10-interesting-facts-about-december/the-only-existence-of-december-in-play

Another proud life moment I have to share. 

An inspirational story. 

I recently visited my clients, Behnam and Marzieh, who invited me to their dream home for coffee and cookies to see how they were settling in their brand new home I found for them. 

As new Canadians from Iran, Benham and Marzieh were renting in Toronto and were  struggling to find an affordable home to own in the city as first-time homebuyers. As well, they did not understand the process of buying a home in Canada.

Luckily, Marzieh found me through my website and  connected with me to explain her and Benham’s difficult situation. I knew their situation very well as affordability and understanding the homebuying process are typical challenges with first-time homebuyers.

I explained to the couple the home-buying process and the first-time homebuyer incentive programs. I also identified affordable neighbourhoods they can purchase a home based on their personal and financial needs. 

I invited Benham to visit Ottawa one weekend where we went to see many homes for sale that fit his and Marzieh’s criteria. Unfortunately, the homes we saw did not meet the couple’s expectations. I decided then to advise Benham to see some new home developments as options. We went to see some new home opportunities based on the builders’ quality workmanship of their home models and their reputation on customer service, which I researched heavily. 

Low and behold, we found a gem of a new home development in Stittsville in west Ottawa where it exceeded Benham and Marzieh’s needs and expectations. 

I helped the couple choose their dream home model, along with educating them about the steps of buying a newly-built home from a builder and the Ontario Tarion New Home Warranty Program. 

After finalizing the deal, I conducted the pre-delivery inspection (PDI) with an experienced, professional and detailed-oriented home inspector, on behalf of the couple who were unable to attend the inspection, as they were busy working in Toronto. I advised the couple to have an experienced home inspector to ensure their home was in good condition and their interests were protected. And Greg succeeded. After the inspection, myself and Greg informed the couple about the results of the PDI, which were positive. 

The couple were thrilled and excited about the results of the PDI and the quality workmanship of their dream home. 

I am thankful and fortunate to make a difference for this beautiful couple and their family.
    

Halloween is quickly coming up this month in October. It is a time of year where most people are looking forward to attending parties dressing up in their favourite scary and hilarious costumes. As well, seeing kids all dressed up and going out for trick or treating excited to get their candy and chocolate treats. Although Halloween is a fun and positive life experience, it is important to protect yourself by drinking responsibly at parties and checking the candies and chocolates your children collect to ensure that they are not damaged or tainted before they eat them.  

In celebration of Halloween, over my 6 years of real estate investing, I have seen plenty of individuals who are ‘scared’ to invest in the real estate for the following reasons: 

1)  I Don’t Have Enough Money?

Yes, you definitely need money to invest in real estate and money is scarce. However, there are many ways you can find money to invest in real estate. You can save your money, get a line of credit from your bank or use other people’s money as a down payment to purchase an investment property. In fact, you can find no or low money down real estate investment deals through a realtor, mortgage broker, real estate lawyer or a motivated seller. This can be done and many successful people do it all the time.  

2)  It’s Not The Right Time?

This negative mindset is a myth which keeps people from never investing in real estate. There is never a right time to invest in real estate because no one can predict the way the economy and markets will go in the future, and no one can tell you what will happen. There are always good deals out there. You just need to do your homework by finding and analyzing properties to see whether they are good deals that can help achieve your personal and financial goals. If there are no good deals, you will need, for example, to go out and do some doorknocking and ask homeowners if they or other homeowners in the neighbourhood are motivated to sell their properties.

3)  I Can’t Find A Good Deal?

The bottom line is that there are good deals out there no matter what. Anything is possible in finding a good deal and there are creative ways of doing it by: i) talking to many wholesalers and have them send you deals. You can find them in classified ads in your local newspaper, Kijiji or Craiglist; ii) posting an ad in your local newspaper, Kijiji or Craiglist looking for properties to buy; iii) speaking to an experienced and trusted investor-focused realtor to send you investment properties for sale via email that fits your criteria when they hit the market, and iv) networking with many investors as you can. You can find investors on the internet in Facebook and Meetup groups or at local real estate investment clubs. At the end of the day, the more investors you meet and talk to, the better your chances are in finding good deals. 

4)  I Don’t Want To Be A Landlord?

Yes, I know. As an experienced landlord, it is challenging when dealing with difficult tenants not paying their rent on time and problems with toilets. If you don’t want to deal with the headaches of being a landlord, hire an experienced and trusted property management company. I recommend shopping around when looking for the right property management company. Here is a list of important questions you need to ask when interviewing a property management company. These questions will help you make a well-informed decision and give you peace of mind when you own an investment property. 

These common reasons, mentioned above, are factors that make people ‘scared’ to invest in real estate. Do not let this happen to you because if you let these reasons hold you back, you will never achieve your goals and have the life you want for yourself and your family. To avoid falling into this negative mental trap, I have written a book called, ”No Sweat’ Real Estate Investing’. This book helps you learn and understand the complexities about real estate investing.in order for you to become a successful strategic real estate investor.

Here is the link to get a free copy of my book: http://www.michaelbarthur.com/rei-resources

Best regards,

Michael B. Arthur

If you are like most people, the idea of riding the stock market ‘roller coaster’ makes you feel a little queasy. The highs can be a lot of fun, but the lows really give you a kickin’ (and there seem to be a lot more lows than highs for most investors). 

While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one. Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation.   

This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets. It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run. This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments. 

I hope you had a safe and enjoyable Civic holiday long weekend with your friends and family.

Over the Civic holiday, I was reminiscing about another proud moment in my realtor career where I helped another client who was more deserving. A few weeks ago in July, I helped my seller client conditionally sell her home in less than 12 hours and $15,000 over what she wanted her home to be sold for! Then a week later my client’s home went firm! I am truly proud of this moment because I was fortunate enough to help my client immediately find a qualified buyer at the first and only open house I organized at my client’s home, which, by the way, was attended by close to 30 visitors! At the open house, the buyer was absolutely impressed by the features of the property. 

Built on a large corner lot, the 2-bedroom, 1-bedroom or office-converted den and 2-full bathroom property provided a high-ceiling open space dining/living-room with a 3-sided gas fireplace. The property came with a large outdoor deck in a large private backyard with no rear neighbours. The backyard displayed a colourful perennial garden which can be also be transformed into a vegetable garden. Going downstairs, the property provided an in-law-suite with large windows, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom that can be used as a rental unit or an Airbnb accommodation space to generate extra income to pay off the mortgage and other expenses.

What makes this positive experience remarkable is not only about getting the house sold but hearing the joy, happiness, excitement and satisfaction of my client over the phone after accepting the buyer’s offer.  My client experienced many difficult and heartbreaking challenges in her life. She is a widowed, single mother of 2 daughters who is planning to retire sometime this year. She lost her husband to terminal cancer. She is facing some financial and health challenges. When my client told me about her story, I took the initiative to help her clean her home to prepare and stage it for the market and delivered to her free moving boxes. This experience has taught me that beyond helping someone sell their home and earning a commission, what truly matters most is that you have contributed to making a positive difference in someone’s life by reducing their pain and increasing their pleasure. 

Best regards,

Michael B. Arthur

While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation.

This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.

Many sellers I have seen make plenty of mistakes when it comes to preparing their homes and/or investment properties for sale in the market. These mistakes have resulted in sellers losing plenty of money when their homes and/or investment properties were either in the market for a long period of time or sold way below the original listed price. As a result, I witnessed sellers become frustrated with their realtors for not doing a good job professionally preparing and selling their homes or investment properties at the sale prices they were expected to get. Observing these experiences were pretty sad and unfortunate.  

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.

As I am writing this blog, I successfully helped an investor and tenant-buyer secure a property using the rent-to-own strategy.

The rent-to-own strategy is a creative real estate investing strategy that many successful investors have used to generate extra income and profits to create the financial freedom and independence they want.

The rent-to-own strategy happens where an investor buys and leases a rental property to a tenant and gives the tenant the option to purchase the property at a specified time period and price in the future. The investor can typically charge above the market rent rate and get the tenant motivated to take care of all the maintenance and upkeep on the property, since the tenant will eventually purchase the house without the need to look for another property.

The rent-to-own strategy provides the following benefits:

– It generates more positive cash flow than normal from a traditional investment property.

– At the beginning of the lease, the investor can get a deposit from the tenant that’s much higher than a usual damage deposit from a traditional investment property.

– The investor does not have to deal with tenant management headaches, such as plumbing or property damage issues, which all are taking care of by the tenant. This provides the investor with more time and freedom to focus on other important priorities outside of real estate, such as travelling or spending quality time with friends and family.

– Rent-to-own properties are usually short-term deals that last from two to four years, which makes it attractive for investors. After the investor sells the rent-to-own property, they can use the proceeds from the sale to purchase another rent-to-own or traditional investment property, lend money to other investors to generate extra cash-flow, pay off their personal debts and expenses, pay their children’s college/university education, invest the money into the stock market and/or fund their retirement.

If you would like to learn more about the profitable rent-to-own strategy to generate extra income for yourself and your family, please send me an email or call me at (613) 618-4082 to start a conversation.

Enjoy reading the newsletter.

All the best!

Michael Arthur

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.

Happy property hunting!

Michael Arthur.

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.

It is official! Spring is finally here, somewhat to an extent with the unpredictable freezing rain and snowfall Ottawa receives from time to time. 

The spring season is also the time of year where many eager buyers are feverishly and anxiously looking for their dream home in the Ottawa real estate market. Although this trend is great for Ottawa’s economy, what I have been seeing is that home prices are continuing to increase due to the low inventory of homes available for sale which are driving up prices. This impact combined with high buyer demand from other Canadian cities and foreign countries is placing pressure on buyers to pay more for homes that are available on the market. In fact, I have seen homes sold in less than 24 hours beyond the original listed price as soon as they hit the market, which has made sellers earn a substantial amount of profit. As well, the impact of the mortgage-stress test has made it impossible for some buyers to have the affordability to purchase a home, especially for first-time home buyers.  

According to the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB), 1,511 homes were sold in March 2019, a decrease of 8.6 per cent compared to 1,654 properties sold in March 2018. When it came to new listings, there was a 21 per cent decrease in March 2019, compared to the same month in 2018. The number of those new listings in 2019 was a 30 per cent decrease compared to March 2017. It will be interesting to see how the market will perform this spring and summer. 

Maintaining good health always plays a critical role in our lives. Without good health, we will not be able to do things we love to do to have the quality of life we want to have for ourselves and our families.

One important way to maintain good health is weight loss.

According to the World Health Organization, overweight and obesity contribute to:

1. cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke);
2. diabetes;
3. musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis – a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints), and some cancers (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon).

I recently met up with Emily Manuel of Plant Forward Nutrition to learn more about weight loss where she explains:

1. Foods that contribute to weight loss;
2. Some helpful nutritional tips on losing weight sustainably, and
3. Practical tools to support the body in weight loss.

Enjoy the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NloxoTVCi9o 

Best regards,

Michael B. Arthur

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.

How is Ottawa real estate market these days?

Is Ottawa a sellers, buyers or balanced market?

Which neighbourhoods in Ottawa are affordable to buy a home?Are home prices continuing to go up?

Will Ottawa experience a housing market bubble in the near future?

Which are the best neighbourhoods to buy real estate investment properties that generate positive cash-flow?

These are a sample of many questions I receive all the time from curious and eager buyers, homeowners, investors and even renters, who are seeking my advice and insight about the current state of the Ottawa real estate market.

I decided to do a video to answer these questions by explaining how well the Ottawa market performed in 2018 and its outlook in 2019.

Here are some important things you’ll need to know about the Ottawa real estate market by watching this video

00:22 – Why Ottawa has a strong condo market.

01:40 – What was the average price of residential homes in Ottawa?

01:59 – What price range buyers are buying luxury homes, which is a growing sector of Ottawa’s residential home market.

02:31 – Factors contributing to Ottawa’s economic growth which is better than Ontario and the rest of Canada on average in terms of high incomes and high employment.

03:09 – Why investing in residential real estate located near infrastructure and transportation development projects are the best places in Ottawa to immediately generate consistent positive cash-flow , higher rental income and higher value appreciation.

04:40 – The suburbs are affordable places to buy a home in 2019.

You are welcome to share with people you know who can receive value from this video.

(After watching the video, enjoy reading the articles in the newsletter. Happy reading!)

                                    
Best regards,

Michael B. Arthur

– Jay Baer

   Now let’s say we want to buy a $500,000 duplex – how much will that cost us?  $500K?   Nope. 
   We can buy that property with just a 20% downpayment ($100K) and the bank will finance the other 80% ($400K).  We use a little bit of money in order to own a LOT of real estate. 

   Now here’s where it gets really exciting… Let’s say the property increases in value by 4%.  That would be a $20,000 increase in value.   $20K on a $500K investment is pretty good… However, because we LEVERAGED our money, we are actually making a $20,000 return on our $100,000 downpayment.  That’s a 20% return on our cash invested! 

   That’s the POWER of LEVERAGE, and that’s one of the BIG benefits of investing in real estate vs. most other options out there.

A lot of people have been asking me which neighbourhoods in Ottawa are affordable to buy a home.

Below is some interesting information about which neighbourhoods are ranked in terms of home affordability based on the minimum household income required to purchase a home.

It is important to keep in mind that the home prices for each neighbourhood in the map are average purchase prices for all types of homes. These average home prices do not reflect which specific types of homes are cheaper or expensive to buy. These numbers provide you with an idea about the home price trends throughout various neighbourhoods in the Ottawa area. Therefore, it is best to speak to a realtor to find out actual sale prices of specific types of homes in neighbourhoods you would like to buy and live in.

What do you think about these numbers and rankings?

You are welcome to share this article with people who you know that may benefit from this information. 

                                    
Best regards,

Michael B. Arthur

– Grant Cardone

   Now let’s say we want to buy a $500,000 duplex – how much will that cost us?  $500K?   Nope. 
   We can buy that property with just a 20% downpayment ($100K) and the bank will finance the other 80% ($400K).  We use a little bit of money in order to own a LOT of real estate. 

   Now here’s where it gets really exciting… Let’s say the property increases in value by 4%.  That would be a $20,000 increase in value.   $20K on a $500K investment is pretty good… However, because we LEVERAGED our money, we are actually making a $20,000 return on our $100,000 downpayment.  That’s a 20% return on our cash invested! 

   That’s the POWER of LEVERAGE, and that’s one of the BIG benefits of investing in real estate vs. most other options out there.

I wish you and your family a Happy (belated) New Year! 

Buying homes during the winter season provide some advantages for buyers. During the winter season, where there is less demand for homes that are currently on the market, buyers are less likely to compete against many buyers in a bidding war situation. As such, buyers have a better chance to be in a stronger bargaining position to negotiate with motivated sellers to purchase homes at lower prices than what they were originally listed for sale in the market. This has been my experience working with home buyers and investors whom I have educated and advised to take action on this proven strategy.

Myself and Anita had an enjoyable vacation in Cuba over the Christmas holidays to celebrate and welcome 2019. Apart from the beautiful beaches, we travelled to many exotic and unique tourist sites throughout the country, ranging from seeing Hotel Ambos Mundos, in Havana, where Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote his famous novels to experiencing Cuban history, art, food and culture in the towns of Santa Clara, Cienfuegos and Trinidad.  

                 
                                         *********************
                 

Best regards,

Michael B. Arthur

– Robert T. Kiyosaki

Although the winter season can be fun doing exciting activities, such as skating, skiing or playing hockey outdoors, it can also be harsh to your home which can cause structural and physical issues if they are not taken care of in advance.

Here are some proven winter maintenance tips for your home to help you avoid problems in the future where you can save money. It is recommended to hire a trusted and experienced professional to do this maintenance work if you are unable to do it yourself.  

Indoors:

• Air Filters: Clean or replace air filters in HRV, furnace, hood­ fan (do monthly or as needed).
• Air Vents: Ensure indoor air vents (HRV & forced air furnace supplies & returns) are clean and not blocked by dust,­ furnishings, drapes, etc. Air supply vents in the basement should be open.
• Humidifier: Turn on and clean humidifier and open humidifi­er damper, if you have a humidifier. Adjust settings to provide a relative humidity of 30% or higher.
• Doors: Whenever possible, leave bedroom doors open to allow for better air circulation.
• Furnace: Refer to furnace manual and carry out any required furnace maintenance.  Run furnace fan throughout the year to provide ventilation for your home.
• Hardwood Flooring: Winter is a critical time of year to closely monitor your indoor relative humidity with a suitable hygrometer. If the air is too dry, your floor will release its moisture. A low moisture content will damage your hardwood floor, lead­ ing to gapping, cracking, and squeaks.
• Window Coverings: Keeping blinds and curtains open when­ ever possible exposes the glass to warm inside air, minimizing condensation.

Outdoors: 

• Attic Vents: Ensure roof louvers, vents and soffits are not blocked with snow. Ventilation is a critical factor in roof dura­bility – air must be able to move through the attic.
• Ensure roof louvers, vents and soffits are not blocked. Ven­tilation is a critical factor in roof durability – air must be able to move through the attic. Check for damaged areas, nests, trees or vines blocking openings, etc.
• Shingles and Roofing: Remove excessive accumulations of snow and ice from the roof to avoid ice damming. Snow covered roof vents will not keep the attic properly ventilated.

Anita and I recently went to a fun and entertaining annual Christmas party organized by my real estate brokerage office, RE/Max Core Realty. It was great to meet my colleagues to unwind, drink, eat a delicious buffet, take photos of each other, dance and enjoy each other’s company after having a busy, successful and productive year in our real estate businesses.
As the new year is quickly approaching, I would like to wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable Christmas holiday and a prosperous, joyous and successful 2019!

Best Regards,

Michael Arthur.

The fall season is finally here with the leaves changing colour and falling off the trees, coupled with the cold temperatures.

I hope you and your family had an safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. I had a great time over the holiday visiting my family and friends in Toronto enjoying plenty of food and their company.

In my experience and speaking with other realtors, when it comes to attracting buyers to buying homes, I have learned that today’s homebuyers are attracted to specific top features in a home that they want and are willing to pay more money for. The top features are:

• Open concept floor plans – This feature provides a homeowner with the ability to interact with their guests even if they are in a different room. This home feature is popular with families with young children as an open concept allows the parents the ability to watch their children even if they are not in the same room or area of the home.
   
• Updated kitchen – Many home buyers today are not interested in remodelling a kitchen themselves or don’t have the money to pay for it. I have seen too many times homeowners making the mistake of spending tremendous amounts of money on kitchen renovations which, in turn, did not attract today’s homebuyers. There are many ways to update your kitchen at a low cost without breaking the bank that will attract today’s homebuyers, such as a fresh coat of paint, re-staining or refinishing kitchen cabinetry, new kitchen cabinet hardware, new light fixtures, new plumbing fixtures and a new sink.
   
• Updated bathroom – Many home buyers will not choose a home that has a bathroom that is outdated and dirty. Here are some low-cost bathroom upgrades that would appeal to today’s homebuyers: new vanity, new medicine cabinet, new plumbing fixtures, new bathtub/shower surround, updated light fixtures and clean and organized linen closet(s). 
   
• Outdoor space – Many of today’s homebuyers prefer to choose a home with specific outdoor features, such as landscaping, pools, fire pits, balcony, gardens and outdoor kitchens.
   
• Home technologies – Many of today’s home buyers are very “tech-savvy” especially millennial home buyers who are 28 years and under.  Home technologies that can help increase the appeal of a home are: programmable thermostats,  which can be controlled by a smartphone, tablet, or another mobile device; whole home speaker systems; key-less locks that can be accessed via Bluetooth, and timed irrigation systems.
   
• Energy-efficient appliances, furnace, air conditioning and windows – These features that appeal to today’s homebuyers who are not looking for a home that is environmentally-friendly and safe, but a home that will help save money on their utility bills.

Have fun reading the newsletter!

Michael Arthur.

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.

September is the ninth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of four months with a length of 30 days. September in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of March in the Southern Hemisphere.  In the Northern hemisphere, the beginning of the meteorological autumn is on the 21st of September. In the Southern hemisphere, the beginning of the meteorological spring is on the 21st of September.

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.

It has been a truly busy time for me lately where I completed some great deals that exceeded my clients’ expectations. One of those great deals that I am proud of was helping a good friend of mine sell his condo investment property, at the price he wanted, in a well-managed, well-maintained condo building complex in about 5 hours! This sale was completed before hitting the Ottawa real estate market. Through my network of active buying investor clients, I was immediately able to find my friend a qualified buyer investor.

The investor was attracted to my friend’s investment property based on its:

 consistent and growing positive cash-flow;
 location in a safe, growing and family-oriented community of Findlay Creek that is surrounded by new residential and commercial developments. Located in south Ottawa, Findlay Creek offers many amenities, namely the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, Findlay Creek Shopping Plaza, Highway 417, parks, schools, public transit, walkways, restaurants, bicycle paths, just to name a few;
long-term appreciation potential;
 quicker mortgage principal paydown; 
 instant equity;
 high-quality decor and finishings in the kitchen, living room and bedrooms; and,
 a loyal, long-term tenant who keeps the unit tidy and clean, works at the Findlay Creek Shopping Plaza and pays her monthly rent consistently on time.

What I am also thankful about this achievement is that the new owner of this unit will hire me again to not only prepare a long-term rental lease with the tenant, but to help her look for another positive-cash flow investment property. It doesn’t any better than that when you offer value to your clients! 

Myself and Anita went to St. Lucia not only for vacation but to celebrate our wedding anniversary. This island is a special place to visit with its gorgeous weather and natural scenery, along with meeting friendly St. Lucians. We visited many popular attractions, ranging from Sulphur Springs, the world’s only drive-in volcano to the Piton Mountains, which is a designated World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 

Have fun reading the newsletter! 

Michael B. Arthur

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.

If you are curious or interested about getting into real estate investing, here are some important principles you need to know and apply to become a successful real estate investor:

1. Educate Yourself

For years, world-renowned, personal development and motivational guru, Tony Robbins, always reminded people that knowledge is power when it is applied in real-life situations. This sage advice holds true today as knowledge is the new currency. Without acquiring and applying knowledge, you are doomed to follow other people’s advice without knowing if its right or wrong. Applying knowledge through education will take you from being a “good” investor into becoming a “great” investor. Get yourself educated by joining a real estate investment club in your local community, where you would gain the opportunity to learn from successful real estate investors, including their failures. I always continue my education in real estate investing through workshops offered by the Ottawa Real Estate Investors Organization and the Real Estate Investment Network.

2. Set Investment Goals

Setting clear and specific real estate investment goals becomes your roadmap and action plan towards having financial freedom and success you want to have. You are statistically far more likely to achieve financial independence by writing down specific and detailed goals than not doing anything at all.

Your goals can include the number of properties you need to acquire each year, the annual cash-flow they generate, the type of property, and the location of each property. You may also want to set parameters on the rates of return you want to earn on your real estate investment.

3. Invest for Positive Cash-Flow

It is important to buy an investment property that has positive cash-flow not only to cover your property’s expenses, but to have extra income available to either pay down your debt or set some money aside to pay your children’s university education. The higher your cash flow, the more financial freedom you have to improve you and your family’s quality of life. Your cash-on-cash return, or rate of return on your investment, is directly related to the before-tax cash-flow from an investment property.

4. Understand the Local Housing Market

Depending on where you live, always start looking at the best housing markets that align with your investment goals. Most investors start by analyzing properties with little to no regard of its location. This can be a big mistake if you don’t consider the investment in light of the market and neighbourhood it’s in.

The best approach is to first choose your city or town based on the health of its housing market and local economy (unemployment, job growth, population growth, etc.). From there, you would narrow things down to the best neighbourhoods (amenities, schools, crime, renter demand, etc.). Finally, you would look for the best deals within those neighbourhoods.

5. Use Professional Property Management

Never manage your own properties unless you run your own property management company or you have plenty of time on your hands. Property management is a thankless job that requires a solid understanding of tenant-landlord laws, good marketing skills, and strong people skills to deal with tenant complaints and excuses. Your time is valuable and should be spent on your family, your career, and looking for more investment properties you are interested in buying if you choose to do so.

I hope you and your family had a safe and enjoyable Canada Day holiday weekend despite the sweltering heat wave. Myself and Anita spent the Canada Day holiday with our friends in Canada’s original capital city of Kingston on Garden Island, one of the thousand islands in Kingston and the surrounding areas. We enjoyed great food, great company and the unique natural wildlife that Garden Island offered. This beautiful experience made us appreciate how fortunate and proud we are, as Canadians, to live in the greatest country in the world!

Enjoy reading the newsletter!

Michael B. Arthur

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.

One of the things I appreciate about real estate is learning from other people’s mistakes, especially when homeowners are unable to sell their home quickly for top dollar. 

Apart from the price, location and features that can determine how much and how fast a home sells, there is another important factor that I see all the time that most sellers forget. That factor is not understanding the buyer market, specifically not knowing who their target buyer is to purchase their home. When this happens, they place their home on the market that is overpriced or is not properly prepared and marketed to attract the right buyers. As such, their home stays on the market for a long period of time with no interested buyers and eventually doesn’t sell.

If you are an owner of a small home with a garage and a decent backyard, having this buyer profile information available to you provides you with a competitive advantage over other homeowners selling their homes. Furthermore, this inside information can help you strategically market and promote your home that would immediately attract the right buyers.

Knowing and understanding the needs of your target buyer market plays a critical role in determining how long and how much money your home will sell for. You can find out details about your target buyer market through various sources, such as a trusted, experienced realtor who has access to housing market information. As well, you can refer to the following housing and demographic information sources: 

Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation Housing Market Outlook – Ottawa
https://tinyurl.com/yb8lsdms
 
City of Ottawa Annual Development Reports
https://tinyurl.com/y8fl6nk6

Myself and Anita are excited as we finalized our summer vacation plans where we will be heading to St. Lucia for the first time at the end of July until the beginning of August. We will be visiting the world’s only drive-in volcano, some rain forests and cultural festivals! Stay tuned for photos of our trip to this beautiful, picturesque Caribbean island paradise. ☺

Enjoy the newsletter!

Michael B. Arthur

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.

Recently, I attended the annual Advance Canadian Real Estate Investing workshop in Toronto that was hosted by the Real Estate Investment Network (REIN). At the workshop, to my surprise, I learned that Ottawa became ranked as the number one city in Ontario to invest in real estate! This is a proud moment for Canada’s national capital! To learn more about which other cities in Ontario, other than Ottawa, that made the top list, you can visit: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/ontarios-top-10-cities-for-real-estate-investment-report-released-675839223.html

REIN produced a market research report that examined a series of market and economic factors that made Ottawa outperform other Ontario cities. One of the reasons why Ottawa is outperforming other Ontario cities in real estate investment growth for the next five years is its new infrastructure projects. The most notable infrastructure project is the city’s new Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. For new and experienced investors, the LRT system provides plenty of potential positive cash-flow opportunities, especially rental properties located within an 800-metre radius of the nearest newly-built LRT stations, which will open in November 2018. The location of these properties will be in demand for tenants who are looking for convenient rental accomodations that are closer to work, school or shopping outlets. In fact, the City of Ottawa 2016 Annual Development Report conducted a study on walkability ratings of each LRT station, using walkscore.com. They discovered that five stations — Lyon, Parliament, Rideau, Bayview, and St Laurent — produced a 90+ walkability score. This result demonstrates that these stations provide transit users with convenient access to important amenities that they demand, such as shops, restaurants and tourist attractions.

A map showing the expected ‘walkscore‘ — a measurement intended to illustrate how easy it is to perform everyday tasks on foot of the Ottawa light rail stations set to open in 2018. (City of Ottawa)

Finally, spring is officially here! No more unexpected snowfall days and it is that time of year to change the winter tires, which I have to do myself pretty soon!

Enjoy the newsletter! 

Michael B. Arthur

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.