Resources for investing in Canada

[Shrey A.]

I have been trying to get started in investing in RE in Canada. I want to go over all the info I have and see if people have suggestions on what else might be available or what I can do to make better decisions. There are multiple issues -

1. 1. The price to rent ratio is super high almost across the country. Makes the 1-2% rule almost useless.
2. 2. The price point is much higher if you want to get in as a new investor into just rental property investment.
3. 3. The law forces investors to put 20% down. So a 400k property means I have to tie down 80k minimum. Which reduces Cap rate.
4. 4. Communities have very tight short term rental restrictions, making it very difficult to find properties, and then if tomorrow the zoning changes, you might go from positive cashflow to nothing, since the laws on short-term rentals are so volatile and different across the country.
5. 5. In bigger cities, almost all investors have a negative cap rate.
6. 6. The resources/websites/services are not mature enough to get information as easily as in the States.

I couldn't find a section on BP that is dedicated to Canada and a lot of resources and discussions are specific to the States. Here is what I've found up until now -

1. 1. Realtor.ca is the only website that lets me calculate numbers along with the listing. So I prefer that.
2. 2. Rentometer.com works only in limited ways for giving info on rents. RentFaster.ca is a better resource, unless you want to scour through craigslist.
3. 3. AirDNA gives good data in Canada as well for short term rentals, so that's good.
4. 4. Each city has a different zoning for short-term rentals.
5. 5. Short term rentals seem to be the only way to have a positive cashflow after keeping aside money for repairs, CapEx, vacancy, etc. and still have a decent CoC return.

What do people here think? What can I do to get more information on the Canadian markets? Or what should be my next step? I've mostly looked at all the major places - Victoria, Kelowna, Banff, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto (and nearby areas), Halifax even. Anyone with experience investing in Canada who can share stories/tips?