Real Stories In Real Estate podcast

#020 RSIRE Buying A House In Rough Shape

KAELEIGH NADEAU is a Durham-based designer and renovator that found a great 2nd investment property.

The house was cute, but it was currently tenanted and was dirty, which make it harder to see the potential. She did a walk through and as a designer, could see what she wanted opened up, and what was to be closed off.

Were there horrors lurking behind the walls? Yep, wiring, etc. but she deal...

#019 RSIRE Using Equity To Buy A Rental Properties

CRISTIN TEDFORD is a Durham-based realtor that decided to advantage of the equity in her family home to purchase another property, to eventually help her kids have a place to live.

Was it easy, was it a hands-off investment? No, but there is no other single investment vehicle that gives you the control and flexibility that real estate offers.

Did she have problems with tenants? YES...

#018 RSIRE Buying A Property & Renting To Students

TANJA COUGHLAN is a homeowner that wanted to purchase a new build and either rent it out or sell it, after the 2-3 years it would take to build the subdivision. They had been thinking of purchasing another property for some time, and  put a small deposit on it initially, then the balance of $20,000 and waited for it to be completed.

When offering rental properties, one of the t...

#017 RSIRE Construction Financing a Major Renovation

KIRSTEN MCGOEY is a Durham-based photographer that specializes in commercial and corporate photography. She and her husband moved from Toronto to the Durham area, and bought a very small 820 sqft bungalow. It had 2 bedrooms and kitchen/bath on the main floor, but wanted to put on some additions, and it was not suitable for her family of 5.

Unlike accessing an LOC to fund this ven...

#016 RSIRE The Smith Manoeuvre

ROBINSON SMITH operates Smith Consulting Group Ltd, out of Sidney, B.C, on Vancouver Island. Robinson joined his father, Fraser, at Smith Consulting Group Ltd. back in early 2006 when he returned to Canada from Asia in order to be closer to family (his mother missed him…) and began to take over the family business. 

Robinson has since been advising hundreds of families on the implementation of The Smi...

#015 RSIRE Selling Your Home And Renting Instead

Samuel Springer is a Durham Ontario-based insurance professional, that truly enjoys his work. And although he was a homeowner, BEING a homeowner doesn’t bring him joy.

After a few issues and some leaks, Samuel and his wife decided to sell their condo and rent a property instead.

One of the ‘pros’ is, when something goes wrong, you pick up the phone and someone else takes care of it. ...

#014 RSIRE Owning 3 Properties At 28 Years Old

Michael Durham is a Durham Ontario-based landscaper, that truly enjoys his work. It brings job satisfaction, joy at helping customers enjoy THEIR properties even more, and a salary.

While this is great, Michael always had an eye to the future, and retirement. Perhaps Michael didn’t want to depend on the Canada Pension Plan and RRSPs, so he started investing in real estate.

For Michael,...

#013 RSIRE Buying A New Build From a Builder

Tanya Sanza and her husband wanted to upsize, and spotted a new subdivision near where they lived. They were currently in a 1000 SQF home, and wanted something a little bigger. This was going to be their 2nd new build that they purchased.

While some buyers of new builds are distracted by the nice finishes and sweeping staircases, Tonya has developed a refined eye as a real estate agent, ...

#012 RSIRE Aging In Place

Deborah Schroeder and her mom lived in 2 different cities - Deborah downtown Toronto, and her mom in Ottawa. Her mom wanted to downsize, but didn’t necessarily live alone and wasn’t sure if she wanted to see her house. Deborah loved her condo, but wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep it.

They decided to move in together, but in Whitby, so that Deborah could continue to work in Toronto. They looked at a few pl...

#011 RSIRE Buying a Home With Unique Heating

Jackie Schagen and her husband wanted to buy a house, and were more adventurous than typical buyers. They wanted to see EVERYTHING, no matter what the issue was that other buyers pushed back on.

One of the houses they saw had no ducts, and baseboard heating! Many stories have been told about the cost of baseboard heating, and with no ducts you can’t have central air. Jackie and her hubby...

#010 RSIRE Refinancing for Renovations or Debt Consolidation

Alex Wilkins and his wife decided that they equity in their home was not being put to good use.

Alex had decided to set up his own business, and needed start up capital to ensure a smooth start. They were surprised how much equity was in the the home, and they had to decide how much they actually needed and whether they could use funds for other purposes. As Alex and Deni...

#009 RSIRE The Adventure Of A Major Renovation

Cindy Sgroi and her husband bought an old home in Whitby and loved the lot, but decided to build an addition and a garage. It started as a big project and got even bigger!

They went from a 1000 sq ft bungalow to a 2500 sq ft home with a 4 car garage. They love the character the ‘new’ house has, and they enjoy it more than they would have had they torn the old one down and rebuilt.

Cind...

#008 RSIRE Operating A Business In Your Home

Mandy Dorego left the dental hygiene world, but was training people in her own time, and decided to pursue her passion for health and wellness, while being a trainer full time.

She decided to renovate her basement, add all the necessary equipment to have different workout stations. She and her husband decided early on that Mandy would not rent space, or take on a second mortgage to buy a...

#007 RSIRE Buying A First Home Outside The City

There are so many decisions to factor in when buying a house - how much is the downpayment, is it in a good school area, restaurants, walkability, distance to work, pressure from family and friends…how does this play out in reality?

Sometimes buying a house doesn’t factor in to our day to day decisions. We’re too busy planning weddings, enjoying life that when we try to think about bu...

#006 RSIRE Buying A House on the 2017 Bubble

There are so many decisions to factor in when buying a house - how much is the downpayment, is it in a good school area, restaurants, walkability, distance to work, pressure from family and friends…how does this play out in reality?

Sometimes we are SO eager to get a house, perhaps our first house, that these factors collide to add additional pressure for likely one of the biggest purcha...

What kind of lifestyle would you choose if you could? Would you still work a 9-5? Real estate investing can give you the life of your dreams, giving you the freedom to do other things while making money passively.

Gary Hibbert had consolidated his credit cards three times on his home mortgage before deciding enough was enough, while working a full time job, where someone ELSE controlled his advancement. A co-worker discouraged him ...

Many of us want to own a home at some point, but bruised or imperfect credit can prevent us from borrowing with our preferred lender.  Maybe a job loss, a repossessed vehicle, a cancelled credit card, late payments, divorce, all of these can contribute to lower credit scores.

The major financial institutions are referred to as “A” lenders. What do you do if you have a down payment, want to buy a home but have imperfect credit and y...

Many of us want to own a home at some point. Some of us move out of our family homes at the first opportunity and rent our first place as soon as possible, while others stay with our families as long as we can to save up the down payment.

Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse graduated from university and got a job with an above-average salary, which in her own words is rare, but also had a student loan. She wanted to buy a property but didn't...

One of the tips that first time home buyers can leverage, is either adding an income-producing apartment in the basement, or buying one with an existing apartment.

If you put one in later, you control the look and feel of the apartment, as well as the tenants. If you buy one with existing tenants can be beneficial and challenging.

Natasha Laframboise was prepared for this challenge when buying a home. She tells us the unique challe...