Podcast Episode 126: “Trapped in a Permit Maze.” This Tale from the Trenches is the second in our ongoing mini-series on permits for real estate. You know, those sometimes-nasty bits of paper that towns, cities, counties, and other municipalities require before you can do certain types of work on a property. From my perspective as … Continue reading Rules and Regulations for Secondary Suite Permits Getting Stricter

Tales from the Trenches

Rules and Regulations for Secondary Suite Permits Getting Stricter

Podcast Episode 125: “Hot Tub Trials and Tribulations.”This episode of Tales from the Trenches is shocking! A client had retained my legal services to help with purchasing her dream home in Edmonton, Alberta. The seller provided a brand-new real property report (RPR) to my client, who in turn sent the RPR to me for review. … Continue reading You Can’t Fight City Hall on Real Property Reports and Compliance

You Can’t Fight City Hall on Real Property Reports and Compliance

Podcast Episode 124: “Non-Resident Taxes Part II.” Like all things tax related, non-resident tax is complicated when it comes to buying and selling real estate in Canada. In February, 2016, I posted a lengthy blog on non-resident tax and how it can affect buyers, sellers, and realtors. Lots of liability and dangerous situations here, folks, … Continue reading Negotiating Tax on Real Estate Deals when the Seller Is not a Resident of Canada. 

Negotiating Tax on Real Estate Deals when the Seller Is not a Resident of Canada.

Podcast Episode 123: “Creative Real Estate Investors Panel.” Special one-hour dive into the trenches of Creative Real Estate in Canada… and Africa! Barry has gathered a panel of experts, veritable rockstars of Creative Strategies, to share their experiences and answer questions from the audience.  The essence of Creative Real Estate Investing is knowing strategies and … Continue reading Panelists Share Experiences with Creative Real Estate Investing – plus Q & A 

Panelists Share Experiences with Creative Real Estate Investing – plus Q & A

Podcast Episode 122: “Water Is Coming”: Climate Change Preparedness for Homeowners and Real Estate Investors. Damaging floods are on the rise, whether as sewer backups, swollen rivers and lakes, rising ocean levels, or overland flooding. As a result, water related insurance claims have been rising, triggering changes to policies and premiums. If you own property—and … Continue reading Protect Property Against Flooding 

Protect Property Against Flooding

Podcast Episode 121: “Subdivision Nightmare.” Across Canada, there is an ongoing discussion about the lack of affordable housing. In some areas, developers won’t build rentals because building condos is more lucrative, because there are rent controls, or perhaps a combination of both situations. Some Canadians are completely priced out of the housing market—especially in the … Continue reading Subdividing Property to Increase Density Can Raise Issues with Mortgages on Titles 

Subdividing Property to Increase Density Can Raise Issues with Mortgages on Titles

Podcast Episode 120: “Property Management Nightmare.” I got an email recently from an unhappy investor about problems with his property manager in Edmonton. Real estate investing is all about relationships, and you need to be able to rely on the people in your team. Property managers are supposed to find tenants, collect rent, and deal … Continue reading How to Work with a Property Manager 

How to Work with a Property Manager

Podcast Episode 119: “A Deal That Went Bad and the Lessons Learned.” This edition of the Tales from the Trenches podcast features special guest Arden Dalik, a senior advisor in the Calgary office of Global Governance Advisors. Her Tale concerns a real estate investment project in Alberta presented to the REIN Group by a REIN … Continue reading How to Avoid Bad Real Estate Deals 

How to Avoid Bad Real Estate Deals

Podcast Episode 118: “Big Changes To The Standard AREA Contract.” September 2016 (with mild tweaks in July of 2017) brought numerous and meaningful changes to the existing 2014 residential purchase documentation approved by the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA). These changes affected both the Residential Purchase Contract used for all homes and houses and the … Continue reading Get to Know the Real Estate Purchase Contract in Alberta 

Get to Know the Real Estate Purchase Contract in Alberta

Podcast Episode 117. Real estate can cause all kinds of problems when a family member passes away. This Tale is about what happened when someone inherited a piece of property and almost went into foreclosure with it. 

Inheriting Property Isn’t as Simple as it Seems

Podcast Episode 116. In August 2017, a buyer walked away from a real estate deal in BC and was sued by the seller when the house later sold for 28% less. Not only did the buyer lose his deposit, he was also on the hook for the difference in the sale price! Furthermore, the buyer was responsible for associated costs to the seller, adding to his loss. 

Walk Away From a Real Estate Deal at Your Own Peril!

Podcast Episode 115. In a hot real estate market, flipping properties by assigning your interest in the purchase can be lucrative. Just make sure to do it legally because the CRA is cracking down on so-called "shadow flipping" and undeclared income! 

Avoid Jail-time and Make Money: Assigning Offers to Purchase Real Estate in Canada

Podcast Episode 114. When real estate deals with friends and family go bad, you almost never recover your position. Because, what are you going to do, sue your friend or your brother? It’s often very easy to get into deals with friends and family because you know and trust each other. Actually, with friends and family, you have to do more diligence than you would with third parties just to ensure you are doing enough! 

Investing with Those Closest to Us Is Fraught with Peril

Podcast Episode 113. "Flipping" is when an investor gets control of a property by signing a purchase contract, but rapidly sells it to someone else for a profit. It is risky business, which a client of mine discovered the hard way... 

Flipping Properties is Risky. Here’s Why!

Podcast Episode 112. Insurance adjusters are hired by insurance companies to make sure that any claim is covered by the claimant’s insurance policy. The reality is that the most successful insurance adjusters are those who produce the best results for their clients, the insurance companies. By best results, I mean the smallest dollar claims. 

If Disaster Strikes, Will Your Property Insurance Coverage be Enough?

Podcast featuring real estate investment stories from the desk of veteran Canadian lawyer Barry McGuire.