No matter whether you are looking at commercial or residential property, the deals that “pencil out” at OFFERING price are few and far between these days.  

To make this short and sweet investor “mind-like” agents are rare, in the residential sector, commercial is a different ballgame but for a regular local agent it’s rare to find one.

And a local resident is usually very helpful.

I created KBKG's Residential Cost Segregator software.

Quote from @Rafael Valdor: Quote from @Anthony Therrien-Bernard: Quote from @Rafael Valdor: hi fellow investors,I want to rent out my townhouse in Calgary, but haven't had much luck with it on Rentfaster and Zillow.Just a couple of tire kickers so far.I reached out to a few Realtors (just for tenant placement) and got crickets...So I'm going to reach out to PM's next, but I was reluctant to do it since all I hear are horror stories.Any suggestions for half decent PM's or realtors who specialize in residential leasing?

Finally… do not assume that “Your” real estate agent is working for your best interest… unless… BOTH of the following are satisfied… 1) the agent Signs a “Buyers Agent” contract where it is stated that YOUR interests comes firstAND… 2) the agent / your buyers agent has no affiliation with any other party nor has any financial interest in this transaction other than as stated in the docs… and has no association with any party in the transaction… other than as stated in the disc… you explain up front that any all buying agreements are not binding until after you have AT LEAST a Preliminary Good Faith Estimate/ HUD1/  enhanced financial disclosure… and that ALL parties/ entities and all fees are clearly disclosed.

If the deal is residential 1-4 units, I'd aim for 30-year fixed-rate debt. 

Mixed-use properties that integrate residential units, co-working spaces, and retail areas with sustainable design elements are particularly appealing.

Keep in mind that DSCR loans are how most investors have scaled. whether its residential DSCR or commercial DSCR at 5+ units. personally, i like them better. few reasons why:1. seasoning period is only like 10-30 days vs 60days going conventional2. seller max contributions DSCR is 3-6% where conventional its only 2% max3.

But the answer for everyone may differ.Here are the personal attributes I see in those able to achieve a higher than market ROI, enough higher to be able to “scale”.1- Knowledge of real estate principles, real estate law and real estate finance2- Minimum 3 -5 years full time, or near full time experience directly related to real estate investing3- Ability to utilize technology for increased efficiency, capacity, and accuracy4- Excellent hired legal counsel and excellent hired marketing help5- Established method(s) of obtaining consistently high QUALITY deal flow6- Ability to manage and choose people who are NOT employees: Attorneys, Appraisers, Mortgage Brokers, Real Estate Brokers, Title Companies, Surveyors, Marketing Specialists, Accountants, Contractors, Consultants, Property Managers7- A VERIFIABLE track record of success8- Ability to identify, analyze, and negotiate a deal that can be “worked” for “enhanced” ROI9- Some type of competitive advantage; for example for me it’s my ability to analyze and identify mortgage loans that are actually less risky than all other lenders believe (on the investing in debt side), and on the real property side it’s my ability to analyze”pull the trigger” with LESS information than other investors need,  combined with the ability to pay cash, or raise significant capital almost instantly as well as being able to obtain loans at the lowest prime customer bank rate with no recourse or personal liability.