Art of the flip: Converting office buildings to apartments

The far-reaching effects and opportunities of the pandemic are countless, and doubtless you have probably educated yourself on the ones that are relevant to you. In this article, I’d like to highlight one which we think is a major opportunity globally for apartment...

Blockchain and the future of commercial real estate

You’ve heard us mention blockchain in Derek’s most recent Quarterly Apartment Download, but why do we think blockchain will affect the future of real estate? How does it work? At its most basic level/[to break it down], blockchain is a method of storing data. The data...

Perspectives and Frustrations of Apartment Development

Residents fall in love with their communities. They love the parks, the memories, and the housing they have. Though developers built these communities, they are often not included as part of those communities. Their initial vision of what could be is discounted,...

Renters Often Pay Higher Municipal Taxes than Homeowners

Derek Lobo was recently interviewed by Steve Paikin on TVO’s The Agenda about a little-known disparity between municipal taxes charged to homeowners and residential tenants in Ontario. It’s widely believed that only property owners pay property tax but it’s actually...

A Family Affair

Let’s face it, managing a multi-unit dwelling is anything but simple, especially when it’s jointly owned with family (or others). Over the last 50 years, real estate has helped create significant wealth for what are now second and third-generation families and...