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Hello Hamilton Real Estate Investors! Do you remember that movie – The 6th Sense – where the little kids say to Bruce Willis, “I see dead people?”  I’m not gifted like that, but I do see risk everywhere, LOL My last corporate job was for seven years at that mega computer technology company called “big…

Hello, Hamilton Real Estate Investor! Do you love sharing with other real estate investors?  I absolutely do, and in my experience, it can be fulfilling at times 🙂 A married couple reached out to me about a property, their first foray into real estate investing.  They’ve located a property they tell me is below market…

Hello, Everyone Investing in Hamilton real estate!!  I trust you’re enjoying your summer, and if you’re not out there looking for deals, you’re enjoying your time with those who matter to you and making memories.  Speaking of making memories, we have our kids learning all sorts of life skills: English and Math tutoring (yup, we’re…

Why are amateur real estate investors so keen on condos?  I get how they’re easy, and I agree they’re great for their simplicity for those with stable and high incomes. But how would one ever scale a portfolio of condos without constantly scaling their job income? While paying more in income tax, the higher one’s…

I first met Ryan Carr at a Durham real estate networking event.  I believe most investors should already know Ryan. He’s been on my podcast more than anyone else, and he’s always up to something big, whether it’s writing articles about how to increase cash flow by renting out sheds, vertical splitting of a duplex,…

Greetings, Hamilton Real Estate Investor! I’m so grateful for more normalcy and the world opening up again even if it means less folks are interested in learning about how to invest in real estate or stocks lol.   For all you driven, ambitious types out there, I know you’ll be back this fall because while pandemic…

When it comes to real estate investing, the name of the game is location, location, location.  Where you decide to invest your money dictates the long-term profitability of your investment properties and your success as an investor. As a savvy real estate investor, you naturally want to invest in the best-performing markets. That way, you…

Hello, Hamilton Real Estate Investor! The interest rates going up 0.5% may have doused our red-hot housing market as real estate prices are gradually falling. We are seeing prices down 5-10% and could go down even more.  Just last week, our client scored a detached bungalow for under $875,000 in Brantford. Also, we recently got…

Hello, Hamilton Real Estate Investor! Our Hamilton community news has been reporting on a story about the garage causing concern among residents in the Highview neighbourhood.   I first read the “38 Rendell Boulevard Garage” story in our local newspaper, The Hamilton Spectator (behind a paywall) and have been following it ever since. As events unfold,…

Hello, everyone with real estate investments in Hamilton, Ontario! By now, you must have heard that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, presented the 2022 federal budget on April 7th and described it as “a plan that will help build a Canada where nobody gets left behind”. ” This is the…

Hello, Real Estate Investors in Hamilton, Ontario! I shared an article on my Facebook and Instagram last week from the CBC about Epic Alliance’s collapse. Here’s the link to the article: Real estate company collapses, 500 homes affected, $10M from investors across Canada missing. If you’re unfamiliar with the story from the article: Founders of…

Hello, Real Estate Investors in Hamilton, Ontario! I get questions from folks on social media from time to time… the most recent, about hiring a property manager, which we’ll get into shortly. I don’t mind them; I feel this is one way to give back to the community that means so much to me, and…

Hello, Real Estate Investors in Hamilton, Ontario! Have you noticed that everyone’s watching real estate prices like a hawk? And who can blame anyone concerned? You must have already seen the stats I shared in my previous article. Here’s the link to the article in case you missed it. I read a story of a…

Hello, Hamilton Real Estate Investor! Have you seen these stats? Before we analyze these numbers, permit me to digress a little. If you’ve been following me for some time, you’ll know that I can be very frugal 😏  Part of it is that I look for a return on every dollar I spend; so many…

Greetings to everyone who invests in Hamilton, Ontario real estate! Our local newspaper, The Hamilton Spectator, did an article (behind a paywall) on home prices 10 years ago, versus today which inspired today’s blog post and made me wonder, “What did we pay for houses 10 years ago?” Here are three key points I took…

February 18, 2022, by Ian McGugan Canadian home prices have been climbing for two decades, but the past two years have broken all records. The problem comes when the tsunami of demand unleashed by rapid population growth and low rates smashes into a supply of homes that isn’t growing nearly as quickly as it should. …

February 02, 2022, Press Releases The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 718 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area in January 2022. Real estate sales in Hamilton-Burlington were down by 11% month over month and also decreased by 13.5% compared to January 2021. The average price for residential properties was $1,058,756,…

January 24, 2022, by The Editorial Board According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, the cost of a typical Canadian home hit $811,700 in December, up an astounding 26.6% from a year earlier. That was the biggest increase yet in a two-year pandemic housing price boom, and it also far exceeds the pace of price…

January 17, 2022, by Jessy Bains The Canadian Real Estate Association says real estate prices were up 26.6% nationally year over year in December, 2.5% month over month. Sales were down 9.9% year over year and basically flat month-over-month. The number of newly listed homes fell 3.2% month over month. The sales-to-new-listings ratio tightened to…

February 15, 2021, by Vikram Barhat, May 25, 2021, by Daniel Wong Core Development Group Ltd., a Toronto condo developer is buying hundreds of detached houses in Ontario, with the plan of renting them and profiting on the housing crisis ripping across the country. They are targeting eight mid-sized cities in Ontario, and this year…

May 18, 2021, by Diana Olick, May 14, 2021, by Brent Jang The U.S. Census reported that Single-family housing starts dropped more than 13% in April compared with March, the sharpest decrease since last April, when the pandemic shut down the economy.  â€œI have to blame the difficulty in procuring lumber and other products, along…

April 28, 2021, by Kerry Gold New data released by the Canadian Housing Statistics Program show that one in five City of Vancouver property owners own more than one property, with similar levels in Toronto.  20% of homeowners in the City of Vancouver own more than one property. For the wider Census Metropolitan Area, the…

March 15, 2021, by Dr. Sherry Cooper Statistics Canada released the February 2021 Labour Force Survey showing much stronger-than-expected job growth.  Employment rose by 259,200 (1.4%) in February, after falling by 266,000 in the prior two months, nearly reversing the effects of the second pandemic wave. The jobless rate fell a whopping 1.2 percentage points…

April 8, 2021, by Jordan Press, Canadian Press. The federal banking regulator is proposing increased requirements to the stress test facing homebuyers with uninsured mortgages as it looks ahead to a return to pre-pandemic financial conditions with higher interest rates. The proposal from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions would set the qualifying…

March 24, 2021, by Sean MacKay RBC Senior Economist Robert Hogue, wrote in a commentary that in the past six months the benchmark price of a Canadian single-family home has risen by $100,000. That’s a 15 percent increase in value in only half a year’s time, which ranks as the sharpest increase to the national…

March 24, 2021, by Grant Alexander Wilson According to the latest Statistics Canada data, the year-over-year inflation rate was 0.7%. Some experts are suggesting that inflation is currently underestimated. Demand for essential goods and services is high, as their prices are tracking above average. The current “basket of goods” in Canada’s consumer price index —…

March 19, 2021, by Daniel Johanis In today’s competitive mortgage market, low interest rates are advertised across the board, but while many lenders offer rock-bottom rates, it is imperative to review all of the terms and conditions in a mortgage contract before signing the dotted line. Sometimes the difference between lender A’s and lender B’s…

April 06, 2021, Press Releases The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 2,074 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area in March 2021. Real estate sales in Hamilton-Burlington were up 63% since last month and up 73.1% since March of last year. New listings were up 65% since last month and up…

March 12, 2021, by Shelly Hagan Canada’s labor market roared back to life in February after authorities began lifting lockdowns, a striking sign of the nation’s economic resilience to the second wave of the pandemic. According to a Statistics Canada report, the economy added 259,200 jobs in February, well ahead of expectations for a 75,000…

March 19, 2021, by Taylor Pipe At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people thought that the housing market would cool down. However, the coronavirus pandemic has done the exact opposite and caused house prices to soar amidst a lack of homes for sale. The pandemic has changed the landscape of real estate in…

March 05, 2021, by Sean MacKay In a research note published, Central 1 Credit Union Economist Edgard Navarrete wrote that Toronto’s average selling price remained above $1 million for the second month in a row in February. With interest rates expected to stay low for the foreseeable future and new listings struggling to keep pace…

February 12, 2021, by Neil Sharma Deposit Rocket, a nascent GTA-based company that operates countrywide, has stepped in as an alternative to conventional cash deposits and certified cheques, which risk delaying an offer on a home until it’s too late. The CEO of Deposit Rocker, Don Miller, said that the company allows the buyer to…

February 10, 2021, by Neil Sharma Altus Group estimates a 10-20% decline in the demand for downtown office space in Canada which could result in the extensive redevelopment of existing buildings for decidedly different purposes. “What you’ll see is potential for the repurposing of these buildings, where owners go for rezoning and some redevelopment into…

February 11, 2021, by Neil Sharma Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced a work permit, valid for a three-year term, for Hong Kong residents who obtained post-secondary diplomas in Canada within the last five years.  Additionally, the IRCC will ease entry restrictions, with the eventual goal of permanent residency, for Hong Kong residents who have…

February 08, 2021, by Neil Sharma According to nesto, an online mortgage brokerage, the appetite for homeownership in Canada has been strong to start the year thanks in large part to low interest rates. A report from the firm showed that 60% of the brokerage’s users intended to purchase a new home last month, increasing…

February 04, 2021, by Sean MacKay According to the National Bank of Canada’s Housing Affordability Monitor, it currently takes a household earning the country’s median income 60 months — or five years — at a savings rate of 10% to reach even the minimum downpayment on a typical Canadian home. What makes the current situation…

February 02, 2021, Press Releases The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 825 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area in January 2021. Real estate sales in Hamilton-Burlington were down 9.6% over last month, but up 6.9% over January of last year. The average price for residential properties was $787,840, which was…

January 26, 2021, by The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Canada’s housing authority says retail, construction and services workers were the most common deferrers of mortgage payments in the first few months of the COVID-19  pandemic. CMHC says the high numbers of deferrals correlated with data showing the retail, construction and service industries were hit with…

January 20, 2021, by Shelly Hagan The Bank of Canada is adopting a positive tone on the outlook for the nation’s economy, choosing to look past a weak start to 2021 as vaccine efforts accelerate. Policy makers led by Governor Tiff Macklem said the economy remains on a two-year timeline to fully repair damage from…

January 25, 2021, by Insauga News Reflecting the current housing market, rental prices in Hamilton have never been higher ($1,500 on average) and the market is extremely competitive.  Finding good tenants is hard enough so most landlords who would rather not rent to pet owners include “no pet” clauses in their rental agreements to protect…

January 22, 2021, by Sean MacKay As the pandemic sent home buyers flocking to suburban areas across Canada, home builders responded by boosting the construction of detached homes. According to a new analysis from BMO Economist Priscilla Thiagamoorthy, this detached home building surge sent the average number of housing starts recorded in 2020 to a…

January 21, 2021, by Jessy Bains Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) says house prices could fall 47.9% peak-to-trough with an unemployment rate of 25% in its worst case scenario. CMHC says without government intervention, its solvency and capitalization would be in question. Even with help, the agency says prices would fall 31.8% and the…

January 15, 2020, by Mira Miller According to the report on Canada’s population estimates, Toronto saw a record loss of 50,375 people between July 1, 2019, and July 1, 2020, as a result of more people moving out of the city to other regions rather than moving in.  “The desire to live outside the largest…

December 29, 2020, by Shelly Hagan According to the weekly telephone polling by Nanos Research, Canadians are the most confident in more than three years that real estate prices will continue to rise, a positive signal for the recovery.  49.2% of respondents, see home prices climbing over the next six months, the highest share since…

December 21, 2020, by CBC News Hamilton city council has approved a $484.4 million gross capital budget for 2021, with an emphasis on transit, roads, bridges, sidewalks and traffic. The city release says the budget will also focus on affordable housing, the west harbour waterfront and the development of a business park near the airport.…

January 08, 2021, by Jessy Bains According to Statistics Canada, new COVID-19 lockdowns in the face of rising cases have broken Canada’s streak of employment gains, with a loss of 63,000 jobs in December. In December, 1.1 million Canadians worked fewer hours or were out of work — compared to 5.5. million in April. Over…

December 23, 2020, by The Canadian Press RBC analyst Paul Quinn said in a report that the prices for lumber and wood panels are up due to strong housing markets and limited capacity to increase North American production. Kevin Lee, CEO of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association, says the price volatility and shortage of supply…

December 01, 2020, by The Canadian Press Statistics Canada said the economy grew at a record annualized pace of 40.5% in the third quarter of 2020 as businesses came out of COVID-19 lockdowns. The previous record for quarterly growth in real gross domestic product was 13.2% in the first quarter of 1965, the agency said.…

January 05, 2021, Press Releases The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 913 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area in December 2020. Real estate sales in Hamilton-Burlington were down 25.95% over last month, but up 41.6% over December of last year. The average price for residential properties was $729,853, which was…

December 29, 2020, by The Canadian Press Consultants at the international consulting firm, BTY Group says it predicts construction costs will rise 3% to 5% in 2021 for Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec, with lower spending levels in Alberta and Manitoba amid new restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic. BTY estimates that construction costs in Saskatchewan…

December 4, 2020, by The Canadian Press OTTAWA – Canada’s working mothers saw their jobs gains stall in November after months of growth, and those who are working are seeing greater strains on their working hours to care for their children, Statistics Canada says. Elizabeth Dhuey, an associate professor of economics at the University of…

December 7, 2020, by Michelle McNally Health Canada is expected to approve the use of the Pfizer vaccine in a matter of days.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will receive 249,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine before the end of the year. Three other potential vaccine candidates are also under consideration for approval,…

December 07, 2020, by Ross Lord Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal Lepage, says home prices are up about 10% this year — double the long-term average and the coronavirus pandemic is part of the reason. To the end of September, year-over-year home prices in recreational property markets soared, driven by “Canadians’ ability to…

December 04, 2020, by The Canadian Press Staff TORONTO — HSBC says it will offer rates below one per cent for some mortgages, which rate comparison website RateSpy.com says is a record low for Canada. The bank is advertising a 0.99 per cent rate on its website for new five-year variable closed term mortgages, with…

November 26, 2020, by Sean MacKay According to data published by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), housing starts for single-detached homes and semi-detached homes rose 14.2% and 29.4%, respectively, last month.  TD Economist Rishi Sondhi said that the strong performance suggests that home builders are “reacting to the outperformance in detached home sales…

December 02, 2020, Press Releases The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,233 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area in November 2020. Real estate sales in Hamilton-Burlington were down 24.12 % over last month, but up 17 % over November of last year. The average price for residential properties was $722,317,…

November 23, 2020, by Shelly Hagan Deputy Governor Toni Gravelle said in remarks via video conference to the Autorite des marches financiers that the signs of overwhelming financial strain are few, the risk of a wave of consumer defaults seems low and almost all of the households with expired debt deferrals have resumed repayments. He…

November 19, 2020, by Pamela Heaven A new report by the Institute of International Finance reveals that Canada saw the biggest jump in non-financial sector debt this year, beating Japan, the U.S. and the U.K. Overall, global debt has soared by over $15 trillion between January and September of this year, hitting a new record…

November 17, 2020, by Matthew Van Dongen The city will explore whether it can force landlords to test for radon in basement apartments after a study found dangerous levels of the cancer-causing gas in one in every seven Hamilton homes tested. The survey of nearly 300 homes has already triggered “radon mitigation” requirements for new…

November 10, 2020, by Don Mitchell Hamilton will now be one of Canada’s 14 FTZs and Ontario’s third port of entry for commercial merchandise, both domestic and foreign, reducing duties, tariffs and taxes on foreign imports and exports. Canada’s minister of economic development says Hamilton’s new designation as an official Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) point…

November 02, 2020, by Shelly Hagan Every week, Nanos Research surveys 250 Canadians for their views on personal finances, job security and their outlook for the economy and real estate prices.  The telephone polling showed confidence in the Canadian housing market continues to boom, even as officials grapple with a resurgence of Covid-19 that’s slowing…

November 06, 2020, by Michelle McNally On October 30th, Canada’s government revealed its three-year plan to welcome 1.2 million immigrants to the country between 2021 and 2023. If the targets are met, the immigration boost will compensate for 2020’s drastically reduced numbers that came as a result of application and travel constraints caused by the…

November 03, 2020, by Canadian Press RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust’s veteran CEO said that the demand for space in prime office towers and shopping malls has plunged because the pandemic suddenly turned them into places that customers and tenants “don’t even want to go to.” “Unfortunately … everything that was accepted wisdom in the…

October 30, 2020, by Shelly Hagan and Erik Hertzberg Canada’s economy recorded what is likely its last strong months of growth in August and September, as the country braces for an end-of-year slowdown. Gross domestic product expanded 1.2 per cent in August, Statistics Canada said Friday in Ottawa. The agency also released a preliminary estimate…

October 27, 2020, by Nick Boisvert Khaleel Seivwright, a 28-year-old carpenter from Scarborough is building insulated, mobile shelters for homeless people this winter. The walls of the small wooden structures are lined with a thick layer of fibreglass insulation and have a door, a small casement window and spinning caster wheels at each corner of…

October 24, 2020, by Teviah Moro The city hopes to sell a public works yard on 125 Barton St. W. along with empty parcels on Burlington Street East and an old yard in Flamborough. The 125 Barton site — which includes a sprawling warehouse between Caroline and Bay — is home to public works’ facilities…

October 27, 2020, Anja Kundacina Prime minister Justin Trudeau announced $500 million to build affordable homes across Canada as part of a Rapid Housing Initiative, and Toronto is getting 40.67% of it. The goal will be to create 3,000 housing units across the country, and that the money is being given to areas with the…

November 3, 2020, Press Releases The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,615 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area in October 2020.  Real estate sales in Hamilton-Burlington were down 7.6% over last month and up 23.7% over October of last year. The average price for residential properties was $721,523, which was…

October 28, 2020, by Pete Evans The Bank of Canada says it has no plans to change its benchmark interest rate until inflation gets back to 2% and stays there, something it says isn’t likely to happen until 2023. The central bank said it has decided to keep its benchmark interest rate steady at 0.25%. …

October 24, 2020, by Radheyan Simonpillai The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) wants the provincial government to give home buyers a six-month holiday from the Ontario and Toronto Land Transfer Tax (LTT), along with other incentives it argues will stimulate Ontario’s economy during the COVID-19 crisis. “In the last economic downturn we had it was…

October 23, 2020, by Joey Coleman Hamilton City Hall is hopeful the provincial and federal governments will continue providing record levels of financial support to municipalities for transit, public health, and COVID costs to address budgetary pressures resulting from the pandemic. Based upon this presumption, City staff state the starting figure for the 2021 municipal…

October 14, 2020, by Ainsley Smith The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) announced new electricity prices for households and small businesses, which will become effective November 1, under the Regulated Price Plan (RPP). This means Ontario residents will have pricier electric bills, as fixed pricing is coming to an end. At the beginning of November, customers…

October 19, 2020, by Robin MacLennan Construction is underway on Ontario’s largest renewable natural gas facility – a project that showcases Ontario’s innovative energy sector while creating jobs in Niagara. The $42 million Niagara Falls Renewable Natural Gas plant will generate enough clean renewable energy from landfill waste to heat 8,750 homes across the country…

October 14, 2020, by Stephanie Hughes While the rate of mortgage deferrals in Canada remains in the double-digits, it has been on the decline in recent months, blunting concern of a looming ‘debt deferral cliff’. Data collected by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and made available to Yahoo Finance Canada show that deferrals…

October 13, 2020, by Ken Mann The city of Hamilton has officially surpassed $1 billion worth of construction activity for 2020, thanks to alternative service delivery options during the COVID-19 pandemic, including online building permits and virtual meetings with development applicants. Through Sept. 30, residential building activity accounts for almost 70 percent of this year’s…

September 30, 2020, by Sean MacKay Toronto and Vancouver, Canada’s most expensive rental markets, have seen the largest declines in monthly rent since the pandemic began impacting the market in March. In a note published by Capital Economics, firm economist Stephen Brown wrote that lower wage earners have been adversely affected by job losses since…

September 30, 2020, by Colin McClelland A Canadian real estate agency, Properly.ca is betting on artificial intelligence to alleviate the stress of buying a new home before selling an existing one. Properly uses computer models and market analysis to determine equity values, which can be combined with mortgage offers from Canada’s large five banks including…

September 15, 2020, by Kevin Orland Three of Canada’s six biggest banks said they expect most borrowers who took advantage of pandemic-related deferral programs to resume payments, countering fears of a sharp increase in impaired loans. Chief Executive Officer Brian Porter said in the statement that Scotiabank now has $39 billion (US$30 billion) of deferral…

September 25, 2020, by Samantha Craggs The city of Hamilton is looking at the possibility of modular homes, which are homes made in a factory, transported and rebuilt on site as a solution to Hamilton’s affordable housing crunch. Coun. Chad Collins (Ward 5, Centennial) says It’s a concept that’s worked in Vancouver and Toronto recently…

September 14, 2020, by Sean MacKay Researchers from Ryerson University’s Centre for Urban Research (CUR) say that the trend of Millennials taking advantage of the low mortgage rates due to the pandemic’s economic impact to buy single-family suburban homes in the outer areas of the City of Toronto and surrounding GTA is weakening the condo…

September 23, 2020, by Special to Ontario Construction News The Canada Housing and Mortgage Corp. has been criticized for the slow turnaround time on some of its national housing strategy programs, including by smaller housing providers who have complained about the reams of paperwork needed to access them. Some of that is unavoidable, said CMHC…

September 09, 2020, by Tracy Hanes A strategic alliance has been forged between the city, City Housing Hamilton (CHH) and Roxborough Park Inc. (RPI), a partnership of Urbancore Developments, Carriage Gate Homes and the Effort Group, to create a game-changing project in Hamilton. This project will transform 13 acres in the city’s east end into…

September 11, 2020 by Dan Taekema While Metrolinx says it plans to begin demolishing 21 vacant properties along Hamilton’s former LRT route “for safety’s sake”, advocates and tenants say vacant buildings should be turned into affordable housing. For its part, Metrolinx says the demolition is necessary given the “precarious state of the buildings” and the…

September 24, 2020 by Mark Buckshon For the next six months, the federal government is planning to spend $1 billion to provide shelters to the community so no one becomes homeless amid the pandemic. According to Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen, the program will only take applications for projects to quickly build or buy units…

September 15, 2020 by Sean MacKay According to Canadian Real Estate Association Senior Economist Shaun Cathcart, it looks like the sales activity in September will not match the blistering pace seen in July and August, both record-breaking months for transactions. “Despite some record monthly highs and lows this year, with eight months now in the…

September 12, 2020 by Jordan Press In order to help the cities provide affordable housing, the Federal officials are finalizing the details of a program to help the cities in buying properties that were left vacant due to the pandemic. To avoid people from falling into homelessness heading into the winter with temporary shelter measures…

August 20, 2020 by Sean MacKay According to the most recent analysis on Toronto home sales, RBC Senior Economist Robert Hogue wrote that strong low-rise home sales in the city’s 905 suburban area “supports the notion the pandemic is driving more buyers to the suburbs.” Suburban areas of the GTA have recovered much faster than…

August 28, 2020 by Don Mitchell Rental prices in Hamilton, Ontario are going up amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent data from rentals.ca says the average cost of a dwelling in Hamilton continued to rise year over year, with a single bedroom unit hitting $1,489 per month in July while the average two-bedroom cost $2,170. The…

September 9, 2020 by Amazon Canada An announcement was made by Amazon.com that they are planning to open two new fulfillment centres in Hamilton, Ontario and Ajax, Ontario creating more than 2,500 new full-time jobs in 2021. More than 1,500 employees will be working with the Amazon robotics to pick, pack and ship small items…

September 3, 2020 by Andrew Button There were reports that the biggest housing markets in Canada have been doing surprisingly well since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But before you get to excited, you should be aware that not everybody agrees with these forecasts. Ever since the pandemic began, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)…

September 3, 2020 by Ontario Construction News Staff Writer There are delays and price increases for residential builders and renovators because of the lumber shortage cause by COVID-19 according to the Ontario Home Builders Association (OHBA). “There is an overwhelming demand for lumber due to strong continued sales in both Ontario and in the United…

September 2, 2020 by Press Releases 1,272 sales of residential properties has been reported by REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) within the RAHB market area were processed through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in August 2020. New listings are down 16.1 per cent over July 2020 and up 7.3 per cent over last August.…

August 25, 2020 by Ontario Construction News Staff Writer Experts’ thoughts are divided whether real estate will continue to boom or not for the next season after Canada’s housing market shattered records in July despite the economic uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic left people wishing for more space and amenities when they were…

Aug 25, 2020 by Sean MacKay There has been a staggering decline in new arrivals to Canada because of the pandemic going on. According to Senior Economist Andrew Agopsowicz’s research note from RBC, the visa applications had also fallen 80 percent during this period showing that “the slowdown could be lengthy.” The longer term impact…

August 27, 2020 by Ontario Construction News An announcement was made by Amazon that they are planning to build a new delivery station in Cambridge as part of their integral distribution chain. “I am delighted by Amazon’s decision, and confident that our community will be a great fit for the company,” said Cambridge Mayor Kathryn…

Aug 18, 2020 by Pamela Heaven According to BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic, during the pandemic recession, the performance of the housing market has been surprising. Based on the data that was shown last August 17, 2020, Canada’s housing market surged in sales at 26% beating the records in July. “In fact, this has shaped…

Starting out in real estate is daunting.  There are legal contracts, large sums of money being negotiated, mortgages, and plenty of emotion throughout the whole process. Hearing how seasoned investors started out is helpful in many ways.  You can learn from their mistakes. You get to see their emotional process in the beginning. And you…

August 5, 2020 By Ontario Construction News Staff Writer To support the homeless in Niagara Region, the Ontario government is investing $2.2 million to give them housing and support services. “Communities across the province are facing housing challenges, which have been heightened by COVID-19. Our government is proud to be working to ensure that every…

Aug 5, 2020 by Press Releases Compared to July last year, the sales for this year went up to 27.8 percent and 23.7 percent over last month. New listings are up 15.5 per cent over June 2020 and up 8.8 per cent over last July. The number of active listings for the month was down…

James Maggs is the team lead of the iWin Real Estate Team and has been an investor in many different strategies since 2009.  One of those strategies being Student Rental investing! ______ With September rapidly approaching, we thought it would be a good idea to touch on what we are seeing with the Student Rental…

Jul 3, 2020 by Press Releases, Uncategorized As RAHB market area moves into stage 2 of reopening, the average sale price for single family properties within the entire RAHB market increased by 13.7 percent and its number of sales decreased by 0.2 percent compared to June 2019. RAHB market area also recorded an increase of…

Jul 29, 2020 By Sean MacKay Canada’s economic recovery from the pandemic supported by Canada’s housing market according to the recent report from TD. With the support of the encouraging momentum of the labour market and government support programs like CERB and CEWS, Canada’s economic recovery has been “most notable” in the housing and consumer…

What was the first real estate investment that you were ever introduced to? For many of you, it was pre-construction condominiums. The premise is to buy before construction finishes and competition bids up the price.  Not a bad strategy, if you know what you’re doing. Like every other investment strategy available, many have been burned…

July 22, 2020 10:00 A.M. | Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing To provide Ontario the stability to rental market, the government created legislative changes, which are included in the Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act, to increase fines for unlawful evictions and reinforcing the necessity for landlords to explore repayment agreements before considering…

July 20, 2020 By Ontario Construction News Staff Writer On July 15, it was confirmed that a new highway 7 will be built to connect Guelph and Kitchener by the provincial government. “We heard loud and clear that a new Highway 7 has long been a top priority for local residents, therefore today’s commitment is…

All hail the Duplex Queen! 😉 Tammy DiTomaso, one of the lead real estate salespeople and investor coaches on the iWIN Real Estate team, helped her clients through 20 duplex conversions in 2019. She’s lovingly been dubbed the “Duplex Queen.” If you want real time data and info on duplex conversions as a real estate…

July 21, 2020 by Shelly Hagan After all the losses retailers had in March and April, Canadian retail sales have rebounded sharply making up almost all of their pandemic losses, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday. Canadian consumers are emerging from nationwide lockdowns with pent up demand and keen to spend according to the report. Policy makers…

July 20, 2020 by Ainsley Smith As realtors prepare to continue holding open houses, the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) has released recommended guidelines in accordance to Ontario government’s framework as precautionary measures for the safety and health of the agents, their clients and the public. Realtors are still encouraged to continue conducting remote services,…

July 15, 2020 The Canadian economy is beginning to recover as it re-opens from the shutdowns expected to restrain the infection spread. With economic activity in the second quarter estimated to have been 15 percent underneath its level toward the end of 2019, this is the most profound decrease in monetary action since the Great…

Jul 09, 2020 : Pamela Heaven Taken from Posthaste: Slowing population growth will drag Canada’s housing market down for almost two years Canadian home price growth will slow in the second half of this year and gently decrease through the following year. This is the prediction from a new study done by TD Economics. Before…

Coming out of the COVID cooldown, markets are seeing more activity and higher prices all around.  There were some restrictions placed on homebuyers that took effect July 1st, so we’ll have to wait until August to see what July’s trends look like. But so far, Canadians are still fairly confident that buying real estate is…

JULY 1, 2020 : By JOHN LORINC The motivation of LGA principal Janna Levitt, whose firm designed Stackt Market, a shipping container complex in downtown Toronto, was to build the small building, small prefab arts and recreation facility situated in the middle of an Etobicoke park, without overrunning the busy park with construction equipment. The…

June 25, 2020 : By Vanmala Subramaniam As of May 2020, the national home sales went as high as 57 percent from its previous month and the number of the newly listed properties went up to 69 percent according to the data of Canadian Real Estate Association. But CREA said “housing activity” (which includes both…

Hello Hamilton Real Estate Investor! While negotiating with another agent yesterday, he pushed me for a decision on some repairs needed on a property I had listed on my client’s property.  My response was “it’s pretty hard to make a decision without quantifying the repairs.” My point is numbers drive decisions so lets have a…

Hello Real Estate Investor!! I hope you had a great summer!  My wife and I just returned from a week in Vancouver and had an excellent time.  We can see why Vancouver is consistently the most livable city in Canada with the city nestled in between ocean and mountains and rainforests and underrated beaches. Outdoor…

We’ve been on quite a run lately!! Real Estate Agent of the Year 2017 by Canadian Real Estate Magazine, THREE members of the Mr Hamilton Team family were awarded as one of the Top Players for 2017…

In my opinion, sellers are looking to capture the gains in their homes thinking we may have peaked and the foreign buyer tax and new budget is the catalyst for home owners to take action.

Thank you Hamilton Real Estate Investors!! This past weekend was the Investor Forum hosted by the Canadian Real Estate Wealth Magazine and what a great week

New Chinese money rules threaten tide of foreign buyers in Canada

I am pleased to announce our client Charles Wah AND our Mr Hamilton Team member Erika Spencer is a finalist for the Top Investor 2017 Awards

The average property in Hamilton went up almost $118,000 in just three years.
The average property price went up on average $3,300/ month

According to the CMHC: “For every 1 per cent increase in Toronto-area home prices, Hamilton sees a 1.4 per cent increase.”

“That marks the biggest increase since the survey began in 2011. And it’s a vast increase over 2015, when there were 195 new downtown jobs.”

One of my favourite authors Brian Tracy said “There are goals and all else is commentary.” On Jan 28th I will be teaching how I plan to achieve my goals

A few weeks ago, I was asked to be the guest co-host on Rogers TV on the Everyday Investor with Rav Toor Show.

Most of your questions are highly dependent on the specifics of a given parcel but I’ve given you some general ideas to think about. As mentioned in my presentation, this is just the tip of the iceberg for development. See below

“The Hamilton Economic Development Office is now pleased to share the news that a brand new interactive zoning tool is available for investors and brokers/realtors.”

Hello Everyone Real Estate Investing in Hamilton Ontario!! I hope you all had a great weekend!!  We kicked off the weekend with a jam packed Mr. Hamilton’s Inner Circle Meeting on Saturday morning with some amazing guest speakers!! Hamilton real estate land developer, client, and friend Charles Wah stayed up all Friday night to make…

This may be an oversight or unintended consequence, from what I’m hearing from mortgage insider friends, one of the rules changes applies to INSURED mortgages and most investors think, well I put 20% down…

Our Finance Minister made some important announcements that indirectly affect us Hamilton Real Estate investors so I figured I’d share my thoughts on the subject.

A third-quarter report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) on Wednesday said overvaluation in Hamilton was similar to that of Toronto’s property market.

This past Saturday was our monthly Mr. Hamilton’s Inner Circle meeting and thank you to the almost 50 people who took time out of their busy schedules to advance their learning about Hamilton real estate investing.

Hola from Jaco (Beach), Costa Rica My colleague and friend Carlo are on the Air Canada Rouge plane back to Toronto after 11 days of fun, relaxing, good food, lots of surfing, laughs and getting back to Pura Vida (Pure Life or it’s a way of life. It is a perspective to life that evokes…

Hola Everyone with real estate investments in Hamilton, Ontario!! I’m writing to you from a surfing vacation in Jaco, Costa Rica.  It’s quite beautiful here. The people are super nice, the beach is OK, but the waves are great for surfing, I’m told. The cost of living is quite low, and I could definitely see…

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen Hamilton Real Estate Investors!!   I hope you all had a great weekend! I know we did along with 700 other attendees of the Real Estate Investment Networks annual ACRE/SOS weekend event.  It was a busy weekend and it was so great to catch up and network with many investors.  A…

No change to capital gains tax and a new HSR bus terminal within 800 meters of my son’s new house

“Do the thing you fear, and continue to do so. This is the quickest and surest way of all victory over fear.” — Dale Carnegie

“Amid a rout in global steel markets, the port that serves Canada’s steel town has found a new focus: food.”

New federal mortgage rules requiring higher down payment for homes priced over $500,000 take effect Feb 15

Hamilton is the only housing market at risk of overheating, according a new CMHC report

One thing I think we can all agree on is people enjoy good food and one thing that makes Hamilton stand out is it’s booming food scene

For the most part, Metrolinks will be in charge of Hamilton’s future LRT. #Hamiltonrealestateinvesting

Forbes says only 8% of people achieve their new year’s resolution

When reflecting on 2015, I decided to text my Ex and Hamilton Real Estate to again Outperform other Markets

Different strategies yield different cash flow and appreciation. Which is better?

This is Hamilton’s the fifth time in the past six years the city has topped the $1-billion permit mark. The future of investment in Hamilton Real Estate

Just a quick note to say thank you for being part of an amazing 2015 that includes:

Hello Everyone with Hamilton Real Estate Investments!! What great weather we are having! I’m so grateful it’s still warm and sunny out as we installed our Christmas lights on the house this past weekend. I’m already deathly afraid of heights so no way I’m getting on an icy, snow covered roof, I’ll gladly pay someone else…

Hello Everyone Investing in Hamilton Real Estate!! Many investors are solely focused on the economic fundamentals, stats, employment figures, cap rates, vacancy rate etc… That’s fine and all, however the truly sophisticated investors have an intimate understanding of their target neighbourhoods and city. To obtain that understanding, you have to know walkability and the area…

Hello everyone investing in Real Estate in Hamilton Ontario!! Christmas Basket Brigade is coming!! Save the date!! The morning of December 19th!!!! We’re still ironing out details. We’re on the look out for a location as we need a new bigger space since we’re helping so many families, thanks to the generosity of our donors and volunteers!…

Hello Hamilton Real Estate Investors!! A couple weeks ago, James Maggs and I (Erwin) were guests of the Everyday Investors show with my old friend Rav Toor. Rav is a very interesting guy. A long time REIN member, Real Estate Broker, a minister, and he sold all his investment properties and his home so he…

Hello Everyone Investing in Real Estate in Hamilton Ontario!! Too bad about the Blue Jays falling to the excellent team of KC Royals. They beat us in every aspect of the game and I won’t be surprised if they win the World Series. Cherry, Bruce and I were lucky enough to attend game 4 of the Championship…

Hello Everyone Investing in Real Estate in Hamilton, Ontario!! Wow! A huge Blue Jays win and a Liberal majority government.  My wife and I did vote last night (we hired a babysitter to do so and drove! How’s that for civic duty? ;)). I do follow a bit of politics, but I don’t like to…

Hello Everyone Investing in Hamilton Real Estate! Did you hear the latest?! The New Housing Price Index (NHPI) rose 0.3% in August, largely a result of higher new home prices in Ontario. The census metropolitan area (CMA) of Hamilton recorded the largest price increase in August, up 0.8%. Builders cited market conditions as the primary reason for…

Hello Everyone Investing in Hamilton Real Estate!! Great news! We exceeded our fundraising target of $12,000 to provide 150+ families in need with a Thanksgiving dinner this Saturday, Oct 10th, at Melrose United Church at 85 Stanley Ave, Hamilton, ON. This all started when I was donating, packing and delivering Thanksgiving dinners in Brampton for the…

Hello Everyone with Real Estate Investments in Hamilton Ontario!! Every real estate investor needs a power team of professionals to execute on a successful investment.  This past summer, our novice clients Alice and George did exactly that when they hired us, the Mr. Hamilton Team, to coach them on the acquisition of their first investment…

Hello Real Estate Investors in Hamilton Ontario!! As back to school is upon us, I [Erwin] dream about the days our kids go to University, Cherry and I take off for our own vacation, and I’m satisfied in knowing we’ve done everything we could to help them get there. I’ve personally decided that my daughter…