All Forum Posts by: Melissa Vass Scott

Use HouseSigma, it's a great app for your phone that can allow you to look things up quickly.  You won't necessarily have access to all the stats that you need to make an informed decision to purchase however it's great if you are out and driving around and see something.

Best bet is to establish a relationship with a realtor that understands your long term objectives, we can give you everything as we have access to the Ontario MLS database as well as land titles.

If you have a property in the South Western Ontario area now is the time to capitalize on property appreciation to either sell or pull money out and invest in a rental property in another province or purchase an Airbnb property in Ontario. I have had a lot of clients this past year either sell their property or refinance to increase their investment portfolio.  During Covid Airbnb's did very well in the Niagara Region as well as in Lake Erie with solid cap rates.  We have seen a significant interest increase in both these areas and it is still affordable. 

In Hamilton, Kitchener and Waterloo (KW) we are seeing price increases weekly at this point.  It is 100% a Sellers Market, for example from last week to this week we have seen an average sale price increase of:  Hamilton $23,868.00 • Burlington $87,453.00 • Haldimand $87,586.00

CMHC is predicting an overall increase of 10% this year and Bank of Canada (BoC) has held their interest rates as of this last week.  This will incentivize first time home buyers this year which of course continues to drive up prices. 

@Mehdi Motevalibashi You bring up all the issues I have been discussing with clients as well.  To get anything in Hamilton for under 500k now is next to impossible.  We are definitely feeling the effects of the mass exodus of Toronto since Covid.  What I wonder is with all this working from home does that make St. Catharines a real possibility for increased value over the next few years.  They have already seen a jump in property values but will it jump significantly again.

I haven't done a deal in St. Catharines yet either, I like the cost of property there though, lower crime rates as well.  Right now I see more potential in Hamilton for bigger growth, with all the building that is happening plus the waterfront development, that changes things signficantly.

Hey all,

I am curious to hear your thoughts on Hamilton vs St Catharines, or both; cash flow, quality of tenants, overall increased value of the property over the next 5 years.

Where do you see the market heading in these two cities and do you favour one over the other?

Currently located in Hamilton but looking at getting some buy and holds, what is the Windsor market like for single family rentals?  What areas cash flow the best for quality tenants?

I fully agree with Roy.  When you are purchasing a property the seller pays the commission, therefore you have full benefit of the expertise and the insurance of the agent to protect your interests.  More importantly you will get all the information required of that property to put forth a solid offer.  Unless you know the area well, I would always use an agent.  

I have bought and sold personally throughout my career, and I have bought and sold with an agent (past, as I finally got licensed).

I’m in Hamilton and would love to meet up as well!

I would love to do a group chat if anyone else is interested. Brainstorm, exchange ideas or even a JV.

I agree to what James said.  I’m a long time investor and there are always properties coming up.  As a real estate agent I pay close attention to DOM and listings that have been cancelled.  Quite often a property will have a stigma attached to it for no reason, just length of time on market.