A robust economy and strong industry fundamentals continue to propel investment activity in the Canadian commercial property sector, according to Avison Young’s Fall 2017 Commercial Real Estate Investment Review (North America and Europe). “With record amounts of capital still seeking a home, investors continue to find ways to buy into Canada’s finite investable commercial real estate sector,” Avison Young said in the report. “Investment activity is buoyed by a relatively h

Most landlords get their tenants to sign a minimum one-year lease. This is usually done to give them some peace of mind, knowing their rental properties will be occupied for at least 12 months. What most landlords don’t realize, however, is that one-year lease agreements don’t hold much weight. In Ontario, tenants can break their leases with relative ease. Though a lease agreement is considered to be a binding contract and a tenant is obliged to stay for the term agreed to

Every landlord should know some basic math. There are calculations that are indispensable to the business. I have seen plenty of fast and loose interpretations of these formulas. Remember when you are buying a property the seller is going to try to get creative to minimize expenses while you the buyer must use proper formulas to determine the purchase price for the property. Capitalization Rate (Cap Rate) This is probably the most common metric used by investors. Sellers will

Ever since I was young I’ve aspired to be a homeowner. In August 2012 my lifelong goal became a reality when I purchased my first home. Home ownership was a big step – for the first time I was out on my own. Buying a house on your own is tough, but being a first-time landlord is even tougher. Although I could afford to carry my house by myself, with a mortgage of $255,000, my goal is to be mortgage-free as soon as possible. When I first started house hunting I was satisfied w

With tax season finally over and now more than halfway into the year; Taxes and tax planning for many may seem off in the horizon. My objective in this article is to challenge that conventional thinking. Like an athlete preparing for a race, he or she would never wait until summer to train, as he or she knows to get the greatest results it is a year-round commitment. Achieving financial success is no different. For many people the focus is on the asset management and a hopefu