To Sum it up, its a good idea if you can exceed the cost of capital (higher rate than your cost of debt) with what you earn on your heloc/debt you pull out and invest.The question is how much gains above is enough to substantiate the risk of your variable interest rate, well thats up to your personal investing criteria.

FidelFidel,When I saw your question I got interested as most Canadian investors are rather running away (or pausing) from investing in RE in Canada.But to help in your journey, here's what I can share mostly from either my personal experience or discussion with relevant professionals. 

This is from personal experience, the housing authority is the problem.

Hi James,I personally don't have enough experience to answer your question, but there is some helpful stuff in a similar discussion here: http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/1779...You will find related discussions to any forum discussion you are reading at the bottom of each forum discussion page, and they can often help you find posts that answer your question.  

If you personally are having trouble making a profitable deal, make a post and ask for suggestions.  

Where would somebody find such a person that even gave a care???? 

If you want to think about it as a math problem, it’s all about where you put your time to maximize returns while also factoring in what you enjoy doing.Picking the MarketI’m the kind of person who gets analysis paralysis.

That could be a PM or you can hire a person to work full time for you. 

Do you have a personal connection to either of those cities/markets?

You must have your personal finances in order before you invest.