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The progressive nature of the Town of Shediac
In our 35 years of consulting and brokerage, we have never been retained by a municipality. We have completed over 700 feasibility studies in Canada and our clients are typically apartment developers, hotel developers, shopping entre owners or office owners who are...
Where to look for land
Where to Look for Land Land acquisition is a multi-year undertaking. It requires time and research to find suitable land, navigate municipal requirements, assemble a team of professionals, structure a deal, begin due diligence, get the required approvals, close, get...
Multigenerational families need asset & property managers
For multigenerational families owning apartment properties, there can be many difficulties, competing factors and points of view brought to the table when it comes to management of property. At this point, for most portfolios built in the 50s and 60s, generation one...
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...
Better Housing Builds Better Canadians
My family moved to Canada in 1966 when I was eight years old. My Dad was 45, Mom was 39, and I was the oldest of five children at the time. My parents found us a good quality, affordable three-bedroom rental townhome – 21 Potsdam Road in North York, Unit 43 – and we...