Hello all,
I am a real estate investor who has
been investing primarily in GTA multi-family over the last decade.
Recently, with inflation skyrocketing and mortgage rates bringing
correction to the over-valued GTA market, I started to look elsewhere.
It
occurred to me that smaller cities that aren't subject to such hard
land speculation and coupled with every-growing demand (e.g GTA, GVA),
hold their values pretty stable throughout RE cycles - or at least don't
get hit with such violent volatility. Additionally, the mark up to
market that real estate promises is difficult with Ontario's tenant
friendly laws, but students turn over every year - allowing for a MUTM
yearly, an effective inflation hedge.
I
have found a great newly built student rental that is fully rented and
cash flows exceptionally well. The cap rate is above market, yielding
6.35%. This will only grow as rent's rise in the next couple of years.
Rates will start to drop in Q1 2023 and a variable rate mortgage will
provide increasing cash flows throughout the coming months after which
we will lock-in a fixed rate (See further comments below).
At
the moment I am looking for 3 or 4 other investors who would like to
come in with me on a joint venture deal (JV) and purchase the property
for a buy-and-hold strategy. I can do the management since I have
experience in this field and we will self-manage the property, yielding a
higher return for all of us.
Please
see the aforementioned listing below and my investment thesis on the
property. If you have any questions or would like to see my full
valuation / proforma model, feel free to send me a private message and
we can dive into the numbers a bit deeper.
https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/24671476/271-macdonnell-street-kingston
Executive Summary:
Opportunity
to invest alongside 3 or 4 other investors in an inflation-hedged
student rental property in Kingston, ON, home to Queen's University
which allows for a mark-up to market every year thanks to student
turnover. The property is very close to Queen's and offers parent
guaranteed leases, commercial flooring, steel roof, brand new build with
a well designed kitchen and deck, a washroom on every floor, all
appliances, and much more. The property is eco-friendly 100% electric,
helping to reduce the carbon footprint.
The
yield is above market for student rentals, and a much higher yield than
over-speculated Toronto or Vancouver markets (with impending
corrections). Tenants pay utilities and hydro, leaving taxes, insurance,
maintenance (low since it's a brand new build) and CapEx reserve.
Market
rate will start dropping mid- to end-Q3 2023 - we get a variable now
wait until rates drop and refi into a fixed mortgage to increase overall
cashflow along with the rental growth because of MUTM.
Cap
rate compression from holding in the mid- to trough-cycle period until
the rise will result in ~$500k appreciation at the end of the hold
period.
Key Terms / Assumptions:
Purchase Price:
$1.4M - currently listed at $1.45 with a $50k reduction - dropping
sales and higher rates can push the seller to negotiate - will start
negotiations at $1.3M and top out at $1.4M
Down payment:
30% LTV recommended by previous mortgage broker conversations - $420k -
split amongst 5 investors is $84k each. Early talks with the agent
indicated the seller will consider a VTB. (This VTB can also bring down
the price down to $999k so one of us can register as primary residence
and pay 5% down - not my preferred strategy)
Gross Income: $111k in NN rents - students pay utilities and hydro. This will grow at much higher rates than in previous years.
Operating Expenditures:
Property maintenance will be super low (5% of gross) since the build is
brand new, insurance, property taxes = $20k | property will be
self-managed by the partners, or, include a 8% (Kingston comp) of gross
PM fee. Including a capital reserve, this is ~$30k.
Net Operating Income: $80k/p.a. or $89k/p.a. self-managed.
Cap Rate / Yield:
5.7% or 6.35% self-managed - compared to a 4.5% cap for student housing
in Kingston. The yield will only grow as higher than expected rental
income growth rates prevail in the upcoming years.
Market Analysis
Short-term Outlook
Rates - A growing concern for most investors at the moment. The SOFR curves are estimated to hit local maxima during Q1 2023.
Goldman Sachs and other large institutions rely on these projections
for the future as they have proved to be quite accurate. Rates will top
out early next year, and will continue to drop as inflation is put under
control. Large corrections in metropolitans such as Toronto and
Vancouver will help to stabilize the market - leaving Kingston mostly
unscathed. We can lock in at a variable now, still produce great cash
flow, and then wait as BoC drops rates and we end up with larger CF's in
the upcoming quarters. Once the rates and inflation storms have calmed,
we will lock into a fixed rate.
Long-term Outlook
Cap Rate Compression
- as rates fall and supply of new student housing will be limited, our
cap rate will compress. Currently, the property is listed at 6.35% cap
and this indicates they have already priced it post-correction (near the
trough of the cycle). To be conservative, I'm expecting a 4.5% exit cap
which represents a $580k increase just by riding out the cycle.
Demand - Queen's Enrollment Growth
- Applications to Queen’s for 2022-23 remain strong with over 54,000
applications to undergraduate programs, representing year-over-year total growth of 7%.
The Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) reports that
first-year direct-entry applications to Ontario universities for
2022-2023, from applicants in Ontario, have increased by 8.5 % as of
February 9, 2022, compared to the same time last year. Queen’s has out
performed the sector in this category with 13% growth. This
year-over-year performance builds on a positive five-year trend: during
this time, applications to Queen’s have grown by 48%, while the sector
has seen a 16% increase.
Demand - Post-secondary Demand - an increasing amount of individuals are seeking secondary education
than ever before. This trend will continue in the future as we get a
more skilled/educated work force and Queen's remains the oldest
degree-granting institutions which carries a pedigree unrivaled by other
universities. International applicants are also seeing Canada as a
viable option experiencing a 79% growth in international students from 2015-2020, a 12.4% growth year-on-year.
Supply
- After the larger condominiums were built along Princess St., not much
more supply has been added to the pipeline. Especially after the 2-year
rise of costs (Steel, concrete, lumber), most developers have paused or
abandoned some of their projects that were in the rezoning stages.
Active listings are down of existing inventory and will continue to lag
demand from the pause in construction starts. Even when construction
resumes, the lag to get it on to market will mean that our resale (after
hold period) will be selling on the upswing of the cycle and will be a
seller's market.
Strong Lease Guarantees - Parents of students are the most educated and highest earners in Canada.
Nearly 50% are making $125K p.a while the Canadian household income
average is around 90K gross (non-seniors). Parents guarantee the leases,
and since most students live away from home, this is a
non-discretionary spend on education and therefore elicits a inelastic
demand (will pay for higher rents).
City's Credit Rating
- On Oct. 18, 2021, Standard and Poor's reaffirmed the City's credit
rating of AA with a stable outlook. Kingston has excellent ability to
borrow money or issue debentures, an important monetary policy function
of the local governments.
Articles
https://perspective.ca/kingston-best-places-invest-canada/ https://www.canadianrealestatemagazine.ca/news/top-investor-edition-why-kingston-is-drawing-investors-and-developers-from-ontarios-big-cities-335200.aspx https://globalnews.ca/news/8604856/kingston-ont-highest-housing-price-increase-canada-2021/ https://www.thewhig.com/news/local-news/kingston-house-prices-increase-at-torrid-pace https://blog.remax.ca/kingston-housing-market/