Wednesday, June 22, 2011

I Believe...

I remember after spending high school in Hamilton all I wanted to do was get out of there.
Dirty steel town...
Recently I've changed my perspective and that's what its all about!
I've never been more optimistic about the opportunities today in Hamilton and today's news flash is about believing in that tremendous potential, enjoy.
http://www.thespec.com/opinion/article/551226--we-must-believe-in-hamilton-again

And by the way if you are interested in investing in some tremendous cash flowing investment properties contact me today: ed@cfiproperties.ca

Monday, June 20, 2011

I'm tellin ya its not too late...


I keep saying its not too late to invest in Hamilton in fact its just getting started! 
NOW... a guy named Mr. Hamilton and this other guy Don (REIN) Campbell tell me its too late for me !!??

OK so I've been told, now what?
Well its not too late for YOU, so take some action. Watch the video and then come talk to me, even though its too late for me I do have plenty of info and lots of deals to send your way in the #1 city to invest in Ontario - HAMILTON!!
Contact me now I have deals waiting.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Who do you depend on for your retirement???

Hi Everyone,
Todays post is just a quick note and a link to a video of  one of the first people to give me a Financial Education - Robert Kyosaki.


There are 3 basic types of education: Academic Education (school), practical education (hands on experience), and Financial Education. Mr. Kyosaki is a passionate advocate of  'financial education'. He stresses that we must learn how to secure our own financial future and not depend on 'the government' or an employer pension to secure that future.

Some of my associates have accused me of being harsh in my statements (you know who you are) but I've got nothing on this guy...
Enjoy the video:


If you want to secure your own financial future by investing in Cash Flowing Investments - thats right - Real Estate - in Hamilton Ontario rated by REIN and Cutting Edge Research as the #1 place to invest in Ontario then contact me to find out how.
ed@cfiproperties.ca

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

OK this is a good time/place... but isn't it TOO LATE :-o ??

Yes its been a while... on my last post I wrote about: Is this a good time to buy?
Many of you that know me have heard my tongue in cheek remarks that its TOO LATE!
Let me explain, approximately 8 months ago I was at a networking meeting for Hamilton investors. At that time Hamilton was rated by Cutting Edge Research as the #2 spot in Ontario to invest in Real Estate which made myself and other established Hamilton investors somewhat satisfied. Basically this info confirmed my own research and experience.

But isn't it too late to buy in Hamilton?
Wow! That was a zinger of a question that I received from another investor at that meeting. I was floored. That told me several things: first this person was thinking like a speculator, they wanted to get in while the prices were (supposedly) low and sell in a year or 2 as they appreciated rapidly, and second they hadn't done their own research and likely hadn't read any of the ongoing research. I tried to explain that it was not so much 'timing the market' as it was Time in the Market. Hopefully I got my point across.

Ya but what about now - its too late now, isn't it?
OK now I'm being facetious, why? Because now Hamilton is rated as the #1 place in Ontario to invest, for many reasons that I won't elaborate on. Primarily due to the economic growth, proactive planning by their Economic Development Office, and infrastructure implementation.

Listen to this: Everybody wants the best deal, at the best time, in the best place... 
I know because I'm one of them and anybody that works with me can tell you how cranky I get when things don't go right!
Instead of looking for perfection try to keep progressing by investing in areas with strong economic fundamentals, in neighbourhoods you are comfortable with, and make sure your deals have sufficient cashflow and reserves to carry through.

Are you on Facebook - Yes?
Then please go to CFI Properties and 'like' the page. Thanks!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

When is the best time to invest in Real Estate?

Is this a good time to buy?
This is probly the most common question I get when people find out I am an active Real Estate investor.
My answer varies but usually its something to the effect of: anytime is a good time, it depends on the deal and the area and what research you've done.
Well you know what the next question is right? What's a good area, is this a good deal etc. etc. All good questions but there is no one answer. Usually the biggest factor for the average person to consider is whether the property is for personal use (residence) or for an investment. Personal use is obviously a combination of lifestyle choice and income based affordability. For an investment many more factors come into play - I won't go into detail.

But what about interest rates, they're going up aren't they?
Well I don't have a crystal ball but I can make calculated assumptions based on the relevant advice of experts and our national and global economy + events.
Here is what expert Peter Kinch had to say recently.
He is Canada's foremost mortgage broker and frequently asked to speak on national television to give his analysis, enjoy! (if the link does not work, copy and paste into your browser)

http://www.youtube.com/user/PeterKinch?feature=mhum

Monday, February 28, 2011

Infrastructure and how it relates to... everything!

If you've been following any current events the past few weeks you can't help but hear what is ongoing in Egypt & Libya. Without going into the minutiae of the current failing government administrations suffice to say there has been a breakdown of the Infrastructure.
What happens first?
The first part of the infrastructure that crumbles is the rule of law. The military and civilian police forces become fractured and ineffective. As a result of a non unified ruling body petty crime erupts in isolated incidents and worsens as the infrastructure implodes further.
How does this apply to us?
A breakdown of infrastructure can happen in any organization of two or more people who work together as a team. Think of a marriage breakup where children are involved. This is a sad and tragic example of a family not having a unity base of support to draw from. Think of a work or sports situation where leadership in a certain area is challenged or somehow becomes ineffective. The truth is a strong infrastructure in an integral part of all of our lives.
Your own Real Estate Portfolio must have a Strong Infrastructure
Not surprisingly your Real Estate Portfolio must operate with a strong teamwork infrastructure. The infrastructure must be structured and maintained vigilantly to keep its integrity. Two of my fellow investors, friends, and fellow bloggers Neil Uttamsingh http://www.firstrentalproperty.com and Joey Ragona http://engagedinvestor.ca/ are examples of investors that have built up an infrastructure to support their business. They also share those steps and the many lessons learned along the way.
I have also seen where certain investors have not built a solid infrastructure to support their portfolio. Then we see what happens similarly to the current events in Egypt and Libya.
However the market acts much more swiftly and decisively and a portfolio can quickly become a row of dominoes falling into foreclosure.
Whether you are building your own portfolio or investing with another experienced investor ensure you or they have built a strong infrastructure based on prudent financing and professional affiliates to mention a few important points.
Contact us at www.cfiproperties.ca and don't be afraid to ask us about our infrastructure because as we now know it matters a lot!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Your perception is Your Reality

Perception = Reality
Do I need to say more? The truth is even though we may be aware of it our perception of everything in life creates our ultimate belief in how we view things.
Here is a very vivid example: approximately 3 years ago I met my good friend Todor Yordanov of Proact Investments www.proactinvestments.com who had begun investing in Hamilton. He and I were both relatively new investors with one or two properties. He was describing to me his most recent property aquisition in Hamilton. Now this was a place I definitely wanted to stay away from. I had a perception of Hamilton as a dirty steel town with a tough tenant profile.
Cashflow? no way!
When Todor rolled off the numbers on his property I immediately thought this won't cashflow. I went home and plugged the rent numbers into the average price of townhomes in that area and was surprised to see that yes it did cashflow just as Todor had described it. I wouldn't believe it because my negative perception  of Hamilton had influenced my beliefs. Todor gave me the name of a very knowledgeable realtor with whom he was working, Gary Vandervelde. I phoned Gary the next day and he was good enough to spend the next 30 minutes on the phone with me asking me about my investment goals and describing his experiences growing up in Hamilton as well as working as a builder and subsequently as a realtor.
The following week Gary showed me several townhomes in the same area as Todor had purchased his and 1 week later I had an accepted offer in the same complex as Todor was invested in!
Hamilton Rocks!!
Almost 3 years later I still own that townhouse and 6 additional townhouses and 1 duplex. That property has an A+ tenant and in the last quarter my investor and I split a very nice cashflow payment well in excess of $1500. Hamilton is rated by the Real Estate Investment Network (REIN) as #2 of the top 10 investment towns in Ontario. Hamilton survived the recent recessionary downturn with barely a bump in the road, 4 to 5% increases in values and less than 3.5% vacancy rate.
Here is the real lesson:
Before I actually fully commited to focusing on Hamilton as an investment area I spent some time researching the city as I was trained to do by REIN. Everywhere I looked I saw the types of fundamentals at work that indicate a strong future. Things such as job growth & demand, a strong and proactive Economic Developement office, transportation expansion, areas of gentrification, and a solid plan for the future in cutting edge technologies.
My perception had changed and I had proven myself wrong.
Oddly enough many other investors are seeing the same as Todor and I. Many are also investing in Hamilton and if you would like to learn more about them, or mine and Todor's strategy please contact me and I will help you with further information and put you in touch with any other of these investors and their related professionals.