As I am sitting here at the table writing this blog at my favourite coffee spot, Bridgehead, nestled in the beautiful community of Westboro, I reminisced about my experience, earlier in the day, doorknocking and interacting with homeowners living in the quiet, friendly neighbourhood of Westboro Village. I was engaged in interesting conversations with some homeowners in that community to find out if they knew anyone in the neighbourhood who would consider selling their home.

To give you some background, I recently sold a home for a client in Westboro Village where I faced intense negotiations with several buyers who were highly keen in buying the home. In fact, when I held the first open house for the property, there were over close to 40 interested buyers who visited the property on that particular day! Furthermore, some of my buyer clients were not only interested in my listing but were looking for a home similar to my listing in Westboro. Westboro has transformed substantially over the years, as it has become one of the highly sought neighbourhoods in Ottawa for many buyers due to new infrastructure and residential developments in that community, such as the new Light Rail Train station at Tunney’s Pasture and new infill homes, which have significantly gentrified the neighbourhood.

Based on increased buyer demand for single-family homes in Westboro, I decided to visit Westboro Village to seek out potential listing opportunities. The consistent message I received from my interaction with some homeowners was that they did not want to leave the neighbourhood because of its location near the Ottawa River, parks and walkways, its close proximity to downtown Ottawa, local shops and restaurants and offers popular community events such as WestFest and, more importantly, it is a close-knit community. In fact, some of the homeowners I spoke with have lived in the neighbourhood for over 20 years. This was an interesting experience learning more about this great neighbourhood and what it offers in terms of community and a better quality of life.

I have started a new workout program developed by a well-known, results-driven personal trainer, Funk Roberts, who I have been following and used some of his workout programs for many years. Funk has trained many mixed martial arts athletes and professional athletes from other sports. This full-body workout program I am doing is intense and unique where it incorporates a combination of cardio, fat loss, muscle growth and muscle endurance. The best thing about this workout is it can be done in about 15-20 minutes, which is convenient and useful for those who have busy lives such as myself. You can learn more about this workout by clicking here.

Have fun reading the newsletter!☺

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.

Lately, I have participated in a number of bidding wars for my buyer and investor clients. Being engaged in multiple offer situations can be entertaining as a strategic and tactical game where you are competing against other realtors and their clients. On the other hand, however, this game can be stressful and frustrating as you are going back and forth with the seller’s agent who tells you that they received a better offer than your client’s offer. As a result, you constantly have to amend the offer, get your client’s initials and submit the offer numerous times until you receive the devastating news that the seller accepted another offer, instead of yours. This what happened to me a few times, and is demoralizing after all the hardwork, time and effort invested in making your client’s offer the one that the seller should take.

Similar to Toronto, the Ottawa real estate market currently is in a home bidding frenzy due to the limited inventory of homes available for sale on the market, coupled with increased buyer demand, which has led to significant home price increases. Homes are being bought immediately beyond the sale price after being listed on the market after a few days or less than 24 hours.

If you are interested in seeing any upcoming events in Ottawa, you can visit the Ottawa Tourism website at: https://www.ottawatourism.ca/events/#

Happy reading!

Best regards,

Michael B. Arthur

   Real estate on the other hand is much more flexible.  It is quite common to be able to get a $10K, $20K or even $50K or more DISCOUNT off the asking price of a property.  All that’s required is a bit of knowledge, some negotiation skills, and simply ASKING for it!

   Getting a bargain on what I buy is another reason I love real estate over almost any other kind of investment out there.

After the Christmas holidays, January was a busy month for me as my current and new buyer clients were really eager and ambitious in looking for affordable homes available for sale in the market. As such, myself and my clients went on plenty of home showings. Unfortunately, during these showings, the homes that we saw were either poor quality, expensive, or bought immediately after they were listed in the market for a few days. This is the reality of the Ottawa housing market where there is a limited supply of homes for sale coupled with increased buyer demand resulting in higher home prices. In fact, there are reasons why these trends are happening as I wrote about it in my 2017 year-in-review of the Ottawa market in my blog, which also includes the 2018 outlook of the market along with revealing the best places to invest in the Ottawa.

You can learn more about this review in this video: https://youtu.be/PMyre_xlRbs

As you already know, I am not thrilled about the winter season, especially those unpredictable, wind chill temperatures. However, things will be heating up in Ottawa with Winterlude starting this week, from February 2 – 19. Here is the website on events taking place at Winterlude:

https://www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-insider/winterlude

Happy reading!☺

Best regards, 

Michael B. Arthur

   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.

First off, I wish you and your family a happy, healthy and prosperous 2018 where you receive opportunities to achieve your personal, professional and/or business goals in order to move your life to the next level you envisioned it to be!

Wow, I don’t know about you, but for me, 2017 was definitely an interesting year that moved very quickly. Personally, the year brought me joy and happiness when I married the love of my life, Anita, in front of our friends and family in a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception. This joyous occasion was definitely a highlight for us! 

On a business level, I was humbled and grateful to have opportunities to help my clients find their dream homes and sell their homes as they are going through a transition in their lives. In fact, one highlight of my real estate career that I am proud of was helping my client, a recently divorced, single mother, sell her home at the sale price and time period she needed a few days before Christmas. The outcome of this inspirational story could not have come at a better time for my client and her son to receive this early Christmas present.

I would like to share with you some inspiration to make your 2018 a successful and fulfilling year and beyond! Enjoy reading the rest of the newsletter!☺

                                           (Please click the image below to enlarge it)

Best regards,

Michael B. Arthur

“Every person who invests in well-selected real estate in a growing section of a prosperous community adopts the surest and safest method of becoming independent, for real estate is the basis of wealth.”
-Theodore Roosevelt
 

The honeymoon is over. Winter is officially here, and the Christmas holidays have begun! I don’t know about you but I have started my Christmas holiday shopping. I am almost nearly done. As you see, I am not a last-minute Christmas shopper because I am not a fan of long lineups, not finding free parking spots at the local mall, not knowing where to find that perfect gift, and frantically running around from store to store to find out that the perfect gift I wanted is either sold out or discontinued. ‘Tis the season!

Business continues to go upward as I secured a few more listings and more buyer clients. I have been securing more buyer clients because of their fear about the new stress test offered by the banks on qualifying buyers at higher mortgage rates starting on January 1, 2018. As such, buyers are calling me daily to show them more homes and putting offers. And yes, it has been “stressful”, unfortunately, no pun intended. C’est la vie!

To illustrate the concern of my buyer clients about the stress test, below is an example of a scenario about the impact of the stress test on a buyer’s home purchasing power. As you see in the table, regardless of the amount of down payment a buyer has, they have less purchasing power when they are qualified at a higher mortgage rate which is significant. This significance is the difference between purchasing a single-family home versus buying a condo, or, worse off, being denied a mortgage and forced to continue paying more rent. To avoid becoming a victim of the stress test, you will need to have an offer to purchase a home accepted before December 31, 2017.

On a positive note, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable holiday season, and a prosperous and healthy 2018!

Best regards,

Michael B. Arthur

   The same is true for real estate.  There is a serious shortage of rental properties available in many areas, and that leads to low vacancies.  Low vacancies mean we can charge higher rents, and increase our profits and the values of our properties.  And the beautiful thing about real estate is that it fills a true need.  People always need shelter – in good times and in bad times.  I love real estate because there is a built in demand.

Greetings from Mexico as I’m writing to you while on vacation with Anita.
I will tell you why we are in Mexico in a moment.

Wow! It was a busy and crazy month of October on so many levels.
Business-wise, I secured more listings, conducted numerous home showings and placed offers on quality homes that offered value for my buyer clients that, unfortunately, fell through.

Perhaps you may have heard or read about from, Canada’s banking regulator,
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) recent announcement of its new stress test on qualifying buyers for mortgages. As of January 1, 2018, all new mortgage applications (regardless of down payment size) will need to qualify at a rate equal to 2% higher than the contract rate being offered, or the posted bank rate, whichever is higher. This means, for example, that buyers being offered 2.99% for a 5-year fixed rate will need to qualify at 4.99% because that’s higher than the current posted rate of 4.89%.

Therefore:

✔️ if you’re a buyer and you’ve been shopping around for a new home or condo, and waiting to see what “the market will do,” it is recommended to find out from a trusted mortgage professional what you’ll be qualified for now vs. after January 1, 2018;

or

✔️ if you’re a seller and you’ve taken your property off the market and are considering selling it in the spring or further into 2018, the implementation of this new rule may potentially decrease the number of qualified buyers looking for your property.

On a personal level, it is official! Myself and Anita got married in Ottawa on October 21.
Despite the stresses and challenges leading up to our special day, it was a success!
All of our guests and families enjoyed the festivities, along with the quality food and music they will never forget.

Overall, our special wedding day was memorable!  

We are currently on our honeymoon in Riviera Maya, Mexico as we are enjoying the sights, sounds, food, music and culture of the Mayan people.

Happy reading!☺

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.

I hope you are enjoying the fall season.

I have some great news to share with you. Anita and I have completed over 75% of the tasks in our wedding plans as the big day is quickly approaching in a couple of weeks.☺This is a major achievement for us as we have been tremendously busy with our own careers and personal endeavours. A lot of my friends have been asking me if I am nervous about the big day. My response to them is simply NO! – at this point.☺

Along with being heavily engaged in the wedding planning, the real estate business continues to get busier and busier with new listings, plenty of showings, submitting and negotiating offers, finalizing deals, personal development and training, and securing new clients. I was also in the media as I was invited again to speak on The Nikki Clarke Radio Show to provide an educational talk about RRSP mortgages as a practical wealth building strategy. I also explained how the rent-to-own strategy can help renters or first-time home buyers purchase a home sooner rather than later. Here is the interview: http://bit.ly/2ym1dvp

Happy reading!

Best regards,

Michael B. Arthur

   Real estate on the other hand is much more flexible.  It is quite common to be able to get a $10K, $20K or even $50K or more DISCOUNT off the asking price of a property.  All that’s required is a bit of knowledge, some negotiation skills, and simply ASKING for it!

   Getting a bargain on what I buy is another reason I love real estate over almost any other kind of investment out there.

At this point, I think you will agree with me that the summer season is officially over, especially with the milder and colder temperatures we have been consistently receiving lately.

The real estate business continues to be much busier right now as I have finalized some good and difficult deals and have taken on more clients who are eager to make a move immediately. One thing that I have learned quickly about the real estate business is that each deal and client I encounter are never the same. I have worked with clients with different personalities, encountered unexpected circumstances in negotiations that required me to adapt and adjust, and resolved complex problems with clients and other agents which has taught me plenty of humbling lessons. At the end of day, these learning experiences have helped me grow as a person and enabled my business to strive for more success.

Anita and I have made significant progress in our wedding plans as we completed approximately 65% of our outstanding items on our checklist. We are almost there!☺

One of the things that I appreciate about Anita is her cooking where she prepares delicious meals for the both of us with healthy ingredients from scratch, as we both value the importance of healthy eating. As the saying goes, “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”, which Anita has definitely proven with her wonderful cooking! Here is one of her inexpensive, healthy and quick meal recipes she would like to share with you.

Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

3 to 4 cups of basil leaf

3 to 4 peeled cloves of garlic

2 cups of shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of Himalayan salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

Blend the basil leaves, peeled garlic and parmesan cheese together. Heat the olive oil and add the blended basil, garlic and parmesan cheese in the heated oil to cook for about 5 minutes. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Your pesto sauce is ready.

To make your pesto sauce a little more decadent, you can add one or two table spoon of lemon juice. I sometimes add lemon peel when blending the solid ingredients. You can also garnish your sauce with chili pepper. At times, I add chopped spinach, red and yellow bell peppers to my sauce when it is about to finish cooking and chop small colourful tomatoes to the sauce when finished. The colours from the vegetables with the sauce makes your food aesthetically pleasing. The sauce can be used with all kinds of pasta. Enjoy!☺

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.

I hope you enjoyed the Canada long weekend and the various festivities to celebrate our country’s 150th birthday. We should be proud and fortunate to live in this great country that has provided us with the rights, freedoms and opportunities that we enjoy and appreciate dearly. I stayed in Ottawa to celebrate Canada Day with friends whom I haven’t seen for a while as we catched up and talked about what is currently happening in our personal and professional lives. It was a great time talking with them about current issues and past memories. 

On the real estate front, I was fortunate enough to have the great opportunity to be invited to participate in my first-ever, exclusive live radio interview with Nikki Clarke of the Nikki Clarke Radio Talk Show where we discussed about my experience in real estate, the mistakes people make in buying a home and the latest trends in the Ottawa real estate market. Here is the link to listen to the full interview: Interview With Michael Arthur On The Nikki Clarke Radio Show. I welcome and appreciate your feedback about the interview.

On a personal note, I proposed to my girlfriend, Anita, and yes, she was shocked and relieved that I performed the “duty” to her joy and satisfaction. Both of our families are excited and are looking forward to seeing us tie the knot. Myself and Anita are planning to get married sometime this Fall. Wedding planning is well underway which, at times, is not a fun, positive experience you need to make sure that all the major and even the minor details are covered to make the wedding day successful. Wedding planning is well underway which, at times, is not a fun, positive experience.  You need to make sure that all the major and even the minor details are covered to make the wedding day successful. We are taking our wedding planning one step at a time.

Happy reading!!! 

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.

Summer is in full swing! It is great to have this beautiful weather back!

Plenty of things have been happening to me lately. To start it off, I am proud to have finally achieved another commitment for 2017 that I wrote down in 2016. I became a graduate of the Master Certified Negotiation Expert Designation Program from the Real Estate Negotiation Institute! Participating in this meaningful Program was a great learning experience for me in understanding the complexities and challenges of real estate negotiations. Not only is this Program useful in real estate, it is also practical in addressing life’s situations. Graduating from this Program will serve me well in helping my clients and improve my personal growth and development.

 
On a somewhat happier note, despite not making it to the Stanley Cup Final, I would like to congratulate the Ottawa Senators for a great regular season and playoff run! This team defied the odds where they were on the verge of not making the playoffs and battling the number one team in the National Hockey League, the Pittsburgh Penguins, to a Game 7 in overtime. The Senators demonstrated true grit and strong determination with a refuse-to-lose attitude when their backs were against the wall. I am sure that this playoff experience will motivate the team to make it to the Stanley Cup Final next year and win it all!

Enjoy the newsletter!

         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.

The winter season is finally over! No more wearing winter coats and boots. No more dealing with snowstorms and the frigid cold temperatures. This time of year reminds me that I need to replace my winter tires with my all-season tires for my SUV soon. With that in mind, the spring season is finally here and brings fresh air for a change!

As an advocate for personal development, I learned an invaluable life principle at a real estate investment workshop I recently attended in April that was hosted by the Real Estate Investment Network. During one session, this quote was presented to the workshop participants that was life-changing for me:

“Don’t Discount Your Goals When Markets Change…

Adjust Your Tactics To Match the Realities.”

Although this quote applies to real estate investing, it also applies to life. In life, change is always inevitable where you need to make adjustments and adapt for you to realistically achieve your personal goals, and pursue your dreams the way you envision it to be. This requires changing your thinking, your routines and your habits that enable you to have a better quality of life you want for yourself and your family.

As an avid sports fan, I have been watching the NHL and NBA playoffs where I saw plenty of entertaining games. In hockey, its too bad, the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames and the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated in the first-round of the playoffs. However, I am looking forward to seeing the Edmonton Oilers and the Ottawa Senators go far deeper into the playoffs. You never know these teams may face each other in the Stanley Cup Final. Anything is possible!

In basketball, it was nice seeing the Toronto Raptors, Canada’s only NBA team, advanced to the second round of the playoffs despite playing poorly at the beginning of the playoffs. I have faith that the Raptors will go deeper into the playoffs.

Happy reading! ☺

         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.

Here is e-zine letter for April.

Spring is finally here! I hope your month of March was eventful as mine. As in February, March continued to be a busy month for me as I did my usual home showings, negotiation of offers and open houses for my clients, along with securing three listing opportunities. However, the highlight for me was helping a couple, who from immigrated from Ivory Coast, purchase their first home for themselves and their three young kids. Seeing their jubilation and beautiful smiles after they signed their home purchasing agreement was PRICELESS! Helping this couple was not only one of my proudest moments of my real estate career, but being a proud Canadian helping new Canadians have the opportunity to experience the pride of home ownership. This is what the Canadian dream is all about!

Did you have the opportunity to go and watch the popular Red Bull Crushed Ice event that was held in Ottawa on March 3-4? If you didn’t, you missed an entertaining and breathtaking experience! If you don’t know what Red Bull Crushed Ice is, it is a sport that has an obstacle course made out of ice where competitors skate on and bump into each other (at speeds of up to 80 km/h) to gain position towards the finish line. Think of this sport as ice downhill skiing without skis and ski poles. Despite experiencing the bitter cold temperatures at the event, I was able to see great competition among participants from around the world who displayed bold and daring skating skills. If you missed this great event, you can watch the highlights at the Red Bull Crushed Ice website.

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.

I hope you and your family are doing well.

The month of March was certainly a busy month for me. I was showing homes, negotiating and writing offers for my clients, doing open houses, and finding new clients along the way. February is the time of the year where the Ottawa real estate market starts to pick up where homeowners begin putting their homes for sale, and buyers become eager and anxious by looking for deals that they want to purchase immediately before the spring/summer season starts where there is plenty of competition. While I was busy, I also obtained my Certified Negotiation Expert designation from the Real Estate Negotiation Institute where I acquired and gained important skills in handling complex real estate negotiations. Receiving this invaluable training was important to me as an investment in my personal development to help and serve my clients.

Outside my busy schedule, I was able to enjoy some leisure where myself and my girlfriend, Anita, went to Winterlude where we enjoyed our delicious Beavertails and hot apple cider. We walked on the Rideau Canal for a few kilometers enjoying the beautiful warm weather, the music and seeing people having fun skating on the Canal. Myself and Anita decided to not skate as we haven’t skated in years since elementary school and we didn’t want to embarrass ourselves in front of the general public. LOL!

Perhaps you may already know this fact. Do you know that the Rideau Canal is the world’s largest skating rink according to the Guinness Book of World Records? It certainly is. You can find out why the Rideau Canal has this international recognition by visiting the World Heritage Site – Rideau Canal. You can also learn about the history of the Rideau Canal and how it was built by going to the History of Rideau Canal.

I hope you enjoyed reading this newsletter.


Warmest regards,

Michael B. Arthur

   Real estate on the other hand is much more flexible.  It is quite common to be able to get a $10K, $20K or even $50K or more DISCOUNT off the asking price of a property.  All that’s required is a bit of knowledge, some negotiation skills, and simply ASKING for it!

   Getting a bargain on what I buy is another reason I love real estate over almost any other kind of investment out there.

About the month of January:

January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year’s Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemisphere and the warmest month of the year within most of the Southern Hemisphere.

About the month of December:

December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days.

December’s flower is the narcissus or holly. December’s birthstones are turquoise, lapis lazuli, zircon, topaz (blue), or tanzanite.

In Latin, decem means “ten”. December was also the tenth month in the Roman calendar until a monthless winter period was divided between January and February.
December is the month with the shortest daylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest daylight hours of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.

December in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to June in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.

The same is true for real estate.  There is a serious shortage of rental properties available in many areas, and that leads to low vacancies.  Low vacancies mean we can charge higher rents, and increase our profits and the values of our properties.  And the beautiful thing about real estate is that it fills a true need.  People always need shelter – in good times and in bad times.  I love real estate because there is a built in demand.