All Forum Posts by: Sarah Larbi

Jon S. I would screen them briefly over the phone first and then if you feel good about your conversation and the prospects you can then schedule an hour showing where you have one prospect scheduled every 10 minutes at least that way you are there once for a bunch of showings so you are not wasting as much time.

Hi @DIANE LEE and welcome to BP. Anything is possible when you put your mind to it. Canadian house prices are more than some US markets but there are different strategies you can use to start investing in Real Estate. Are you looking to flip, buy and hold, wholesale ...? I would suggest you start listening to the podcasts and webinars as well as read the forums. There are many other Canadians on this site that are very successful. Don't rush into anything until you at least get a decent understanding of investing and what type you want to do. While you are learning save as much as you can so when you know how to find a deal and analyze it you will be able to jump on it.

Good luck!

Kool K. Though it is good to be organized I do think that most prospects would not be comfortable giving you all this info without seeing the place or at least knowing where it is. The reason I say this is that you do hear of scammers and I would imagine that without speaking to the landlord and/or seeing the place that may be a red flag for a renter. I do like your pre screening idea but what if you spoke to them and asked them some questions first to feel them out. I don't think you need all the info you put there for the pre-screen until they actually apply then you can ensure to do the rest once they are interested in the place. For me I pre screen briefly over the phone with 5-6 questions and if their answers meet criteria, I'll set up a showing for them. Maybe you can try that first and show them you are not a scammer looking to steal their money and give them a bit more to go off of. Just my 2 cents Good luck!

@Tracy-Ann Stephenson dbarsoum at streetwisemortgages.com

Tracy-Ann Stephenson Hi Tracey and welcome! This is a great networking site. Claude Boiron is a great resource he can definitely help you. Also I personally use a mortgage broker who I would defiantly recommend her name is Dalia Barsoum. My investments are all in Brantford, but like it was mentioned above you may want to focus on only one market at a time and really become that local expert.

@Rekha Nathoo Welcome to BP. You will get some great advice and insights on this site. Just keep in mind it doesn't all apply to Canada. Most tenants are good, use this site to learn how to screen them well so you don't get stuck with the bad ones.

There are many different ways you can invest in RE, buy and hold, flips, BRRR, REITs etc study them and figure out which one best suits you as these can vary based on time, money, experience, etc

There are still good deals to be found, just not sure there is much cashflow left in Toronto. Personally I stay away from Toronto being a landlord I can make money in the city so I buy an hour away. Again that is if you plan on going into the buy and hold route.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need any help!

@Cailyn Aune lol I can't bake it's store bought 

@Cailyn Aune I usually post an add saying "looking for our next great tenants who would like a 3-4 bedroom home, must have good references, income, be able to afford at least $x per month excluding utilities etc" then I get a ton of responses and then I narrow it down to one or two families over a few weeks of vetting and pick the ones that can meet criteria and afford the rent I am looking for. Then when I find a house I like (which would match their criteria too) I buy it and they start renting it. So far all of them are still in those homes. And because I selected the criteria I know I could rerent these properties very easily to another tenant if needed. 

@Igor Tomic I have SFH,the tenants pay all utilities. 1% is very hard to get, maybe in Windsor or Thunder Bay but near the GTA it is difficult unless it's a multiplex

@Glenn Banks ok can you tell me more about it? Where is Costa Rica is it?