investing: LakeView Condos in Barrie- Investing in Barrie's Downtown - 11/02/11 04:56 AM
Well all the buzz lately for Barrie Ontario real estate investors has finally been on the downtown core and its revitalization plans. It all started about a year ago with Roger Brooks coming into town and laying out the road map for downtown Barrie's future growth.

That started the ball rolling and the City of Barrie can finally claim that "things are happening" downtown with the launch of the new Mady Development project at the corner of Mulcaster and Collier. The LakeView Condo sales center opened last week and drew crowds and line-ups very much like other hot condo markets. Prices starting at $159,900 … (1 comments)

investing: Learn all about Real Estate Investing - start with the Basics - 03/26/11 03:09 AM
Interested in Real estate Investing....start with the CMHC Housing reports
The first quarter ( Q1) for 2011 Housing Report from CMHC is out. If you want to learn everything there is to know on real estate and home buying and selling, start with the free CMHC publications. It goes without saying then that those of us billing our selves as "real estate experts" and real estate investors should make these reports a regular staple on our reading lists.  My view on the CMHC Housing Now Reports is that they should be considered as the BIBLE for those of us involved in … (1 comments)

investing: Financing Rules to affect Real Estate Investors in Barrie and Orillia. - 01/18/11 02:11 AM
Real Estate Investors can take heed with the new mortgage lending rules recently announced by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. In a nutshell ( no need to write a long commentary on something simple), creating tighter lending rules will create an increase in renters for the greater Simcoe County including Barrie and Orillia. An increase in renters is a good thing for those interested in investing in real estate outside of the usual RRSP format. ( Unless of course you want to use your RRSP as a 2nd mortgage and use that for investment real estate....well that is another story....)
These rules … (0 comments)

investing: Good News for Real Estate Investors- Barrie Begins to Re- Brand - 01/15/11 08:14 AM
Real Estate Investors can take heed in the fact that Barrie is serious about transforming the heart of downtown Barrie. Roger Brooks, the guru of downtown revitalizations, was in town again thanks to the BIA to discuss how to "re-brand" Barrie. It seems "Ontario's Premier Waterfront" just doesn't cut it anymore according to Roger. He clearly let all know that a premier waterfront can be found anywhere ...especially in Ontario. Barrie needs to re-brand itself with something unique that sets it apart from the other hundred towns in Ontario.  For those considering investing in Barrie, these kinds of initiatives are very … (0 comments)

investing: Barrie, Orillia Confirmed to get Majority of Central Ontario’s Growth - 11/05/10 09:23 AM
The province of Ontario has made an amendment to the Simcoe Area Vision report which included certainty and clarity to growth occurring in Barrie, Orillia, Midland and Collingwood areas. This bodes well for those considering investing in real estate here. Although most growth will be allocated to Barrie, mention was given to the other central Ontario towns.
Richard Forward, Barrie's Infrastructure and Development General Manager, noted the economic importance of the Lake Simcoe region was evident in the revised report.
Although no mention was given to increasing the actual population, this report highlights the government's intention to focus infrastructure money to … (0 comments)

investing: Lakehead in Orillia Gets One Million from Simcoe County - 05/05/10 12:31 PM
Lakehead got a million dollar shot in the arm last month from the County of Simcoe.
Construction has begun on the first phase of Lakeheads Campus just west of Hwy 11 in Orillia. The school will be the County's first platinum LEEDS campus. Lakeheads focus on conserving and utilizing energy so as not to waste any natural resources is proof that it is committed to bettering Simcoe County.
As well as Simcoe County's commitment, the City of Orillia has committed 10 million dollars to the project. Half is contributed in land, the other half in cash.
Lakehead certainly has the support … (0 comments)

investing: New Investment Rules in Canada will Discourage First Time Buyers - 05/02/10 10:55 PM
The recent move the Canadian Government did by increasing the down payment required for investment property will have wide ranging affects and is for the most part, viewed negatively by real estate pundits. But I am neutral on it. That may be because I am a "glass half full kinda guy".
On April 19 2010 the new rules were implemented.  A real estate investor is now required to come up with a minimum 20% down to purchase an investment property.  What this will create is 2 different scenarios.
One is good and one is bad.  
I say this because as … (0 comments)

investing: 5 Questions to Ask Before Investing in Real Estate - 10/23/08 01:29 AM
These Questions will help clarify your first steps to investing.
What a time to be in real estate! Some areas up, some areas down. What is an investor supposed to do?. Yes I know many agents will say its tough out there but I am a "cup half full kinda guy" and I see nothing but opportunity out there. Here are 5 things you should ask yourself (and your agent) before buying an investment property in this market.
•1-      Where are we in the Real Estate Cycle? It is good to talk to an expert to find out what the market … (0 comments)

investing: Buying Investment Real Estate in Barrie & Orillia- Strategy #1 - 10/02/08 03:38 AM
The Numbers
When it comes to the analysis of numbers many people have gotten rich. And I don't mean from real estate. I mean that spreadsheet programs and number crunching analysis gets too much attention from real estate scam artists. And I am mainly referring to costly real estate programs where complex spreadsheets, bar graphs and pie charts display income, expenses, and loan payments  in a myriad of ways.  There is a great epitaph that works here "Bull** baffles brains". For small multi-family or commercial projects ( under 1 million) the following example will be all that you will need to … (0 comments)

investing: Just Reminder...We Invest in our local Barrie and Orillia real estate - 08/08/08 10:48 AM
Invest now in real estate....or forever hold your peace.!
Just a reminder of what we do...as I have had recent discussions ....
Mana Investments and its affiliate, Mana Real Estate help others understand investment real estate by simply doing it. We do it through;  joint ventures;  utilizing RRSP's as a 2nd mortgage on investment property; or through other partnership arrangements ( the team approach).  As well, this blog is designed to inform, educate, and enlighten anyone who wishes to further themselves by investing in real estate. The information here on investing strategies is free for all to learn and apply. Our focus … (0 comments)

investing: CMHC changes its strategy for Real Estate Investing - 07/10/08 01:34 PM
New CMHC changes could spell end of Speculative Real Estate Investments
As of October 15th 2008 CMHC announced it will no longer be offering insurance on 100% financed investment property purchases. Gee I wonder why? Do they foresee more of a credit crunch coming? Or was this product under used and therefore there is no need to offer it anymore? I tend to think that they are preparing for an increased slowdown and want to prevent anymore erosion in the credit downfall.  In other words without causing any panic, they think the Canadian foreclosure market will increase and they want to … (1 comments)

investing: The Bright side of Inflation - 06/19/08 01:17 PM
My cup is half full viewpoint...
With all the recent talk of the BOC holding interest rates steady, and more importantly the insinuations that inflation is creeping into our economy, I couldn't help but think of how that will affect real estate, and especially what this blog is about, investment properties.
Inflation is not all bad. Yes interest rates "may" go up. Yes our utility bills ( not to mention gas...) will go up. But here is my optimistic side kicking in again. Inflation slows down first time buyers from purchasing new homes. Which affects vacancy rates ( they go down … (2 comments)

investing: Vancouver prices..can they last? - 02/29/08 09:09 PM
How can Vancouver maintain these prices...
The last article I read on Vancouver was that housing affordability was now at 63%. That means 63% of the average persons income now goes to pay for a home. And according to my notes, its been like that in Vancouver for almost 1.5 years now. Any normal person with a shred of intelligence can tell you that it is impossible to live and afford to buy housing when its at 63%. This statistic clearly indicates a bubble. So why hasn't it burst yet? What the heck is keeping it afloat for so long? Perhaps I'm missing something?
Well here … (0 comments)

investing: Real Estate Investors still not satisfied by capital gains tax law - 02/27/08 09:03 PM
Disappointing Budget for real estate investors
The recent budget presented by the Tory government was a disappointment for small real estate investors who use real estate holdings as a way to build a retirement fund. The expected elimination of the capital gains tax when re-investing back into real estate did not come into fruition as Minister Jim Flaherty alluded to in his election promises.
That means for us investors, if we sell one of our investment properties and realize a capital gains on the profit, we will be taxed even if we use those profits to re-invest. This is certainly a deterrent to … (1 comments)

investing: Will Barrie and Orillia be affected by the sub prime mess in the US? - 02/21/08 08:48 PM
The Sub-Prime and Canada
Canada's sub prime mortgage market is between 3-5%. That means that 3-5% of all mortgage loans on homes are subprime. In the US, the subprime is 25-27% of all mortgages. There is no "sub prime mess" in Canada. Our mortgage laws are different. They prevent subprime originating mortgages from ballooning past 5%. Thus limiting the overall mortgage debt carried by our banks to a minimum. For the first time in my life ( yes I'm pushing 50) the old adage where "when the US sneezes, Canada catches a cold" is now reversed. The US has a cold and … (0 comments)

investing: Real estate history repeating itself in Orillia - 02/20/08 07:48 PM
History is repeating itself in Orillia
I always knew that Barrie and Orillia were on the move in an economic sense. Who from Toronto has not driven through there on the way to the Muskoka's and not noticed all the change over the last 20 years? Once Barrie moved across Hwy 400 about 20 years ago and began building new homes, that is when the real change occurred. That is when Barrie began to really grow.
Now lets move up 10 minutes to Orillia. 5 years ago they moved across Hwy 11. Now the new University is coming to town. The new Wal-Mart … (0 comments)

investing: Re-Finance guidelines - 02/19/08 01:24 AM
Re-finance options
Here is a plain, easy to read and understand guideline on refinancing your existing mortgage. Although many people normally would not consider doing it (get your mortgage and keep same terms till you sell...), it makes sense for some in a falling interest rate environment.  Whether you are an investor or residential home owner, these guidelines make sense, when compared to the penalties involved. 
 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23135212/
 
MANA REAL ESTATE GROUP
Your Full Service Real Estate Team . We do investments, property managing and for sale by owner ( fsbo) real estate in the  Barrie, Orillia, Midland-Penetang, areas. Also Collingwood, Innisfil, Wasaga Beach, Alliston, Owen … (0 comments)

investing: Wholesale Real Estate Transactions - 02/18/08 09:00 PM
Assignment or Wholesale Real Estate
We just completed an assignment on 170 Nottawasaga St in Orillia. Assignments are great ways to "be" in the real estate business without having your license. Simply put, you put under contract under valued real estate properties. It's like you become a wholesaler. You buy low, then sell with a small assignment fee attached. You do this by sourcing out good valued properties, complete a purchase and sale agreement, and hopefully before you waive conditions, you "assign" the contract to another investor. This can be tricky as in this case we waived conditions without securing an … (0 comments)

investing: Real Estate Investing Fundementals - 02/15/08 07:50 PM
Micro Economics
There is a great article in the Orillia Today Friday February 15 2008. On Page 15 there is a piece on Georgian College trying to raise funds to accommodate the growth in the region. The part that I found interesting for real estate investors is the statistic that states "Since 2004 Georgian has the second highest growth in college enrollment percentage wise among the 24 colleges in Ontario".  What does this tells us? Well the students have to be coming from somewhere. Although Georgian College does have a strong automotive education department which draws students from beyond the local region, … (1 comments)

investing: How Real Estate Changes - 02/15/08 01:19 AM
Real Estate and Change
I have come to the realization after 20 years of real estate dealings that although history repeats itself, real estate does not.  Yes we have bubbles and crashes, but each one has a unique characteristic that is unlike the past bubbles. This leads me to comment on what can a real state professional rely on n making sound investments? Well I will but my money on the fundamentals of the economy. And I am referring to both macro and micro economies on determining real estate growth. My company chose to invest in Barrie and Orillia Ontario for these … (0 comments)