Topic: How To Invest

Investor Toolkit: How to improve your profits in Canadian real estate investing

Every Wednesday, we publish our “Investor Toolkit” series on TSI Network. Whether you’re a new or experienced investor, these weekly updates are designed to give you specific advice on successful investing, including Canadian real estate investing. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a fundamental tip and shows you how you can put it into practice right away.

Tip of the week: “Buy a house that suits your needs, and let Canadian real estate investing profits take care of themselves.”

A house is the biggest investment and consumer purchase most of us ever make. The house itself is the consumer purchase; the land underneath is the investment. Your house depreciates as surely as your car, but more slowly. Eventually, a house reaches the end of its economic life. But the land it sits on is as functional as ever.

  • Growth in nearby job and leisure opportunities raises land demand. That pushes up land values. But land supply can increase too, from rezoning of industrial or agricultural land to residential use, or from cuts in minimum lot sizes.
  • Tax pluses. Home owners get a tax-free, rent-free benefit of having a place to live. Profits on sale are also tax-free.

How Successful Investors Get RICH

Learn everything you need to know in 'The Canadian Guide on How to Invest in Stocks Successfully' for FREE from The Successful Investor.

How to Invest In Stocks Guide: Find 10 factors that make your investments safer and stronger.

 I consent to receiving information from The Successful Investor via email. I understand I can unsubscribe from these updates at any time.

  • For maximum capital gain, buy a small house on a big lot in an improving area. It may sell for little more than land value. Years later, you may be able to demolish the house and divide the land into several building lots.
  • Another thing to consider is the quality of nearby schools, even if you don’t have children. Properties near good schools tend to have higher values, and attract a wider range of buyers when it’s time to sell.
  • For maximum investment safety, buy the most common house in your area — a two-story four-bedroom, say, or a three-bedroom bungalow. It’s ordinarily easiest to sell.
  • For maximum enjoyment, buy a home that’s a little bigger and nicer than your family will need in the next, say, 10 years. Chances are you won’t regret it.

Our investment advice: You should be wary of buying (or holding on to) bargain-priced homes. They can turn out like stocks that seem too good to be true. Well-informed homeowners may be eager to sell due to subtle changes going on nearby. Before you buy a house, walk through the neighbourhood and take a skeptical look at the people you see.

Next Wednesday, December 8, 2010, Investor Toolkit will look at how you can profit from companies with multiple share classes.

If you’d like me to personally apply my time-tested approach to your investments, you should consider becoming a client of my Successful Investor Wealth Management service. Click here to learn more.

Comments

Tell Us What YOU Think

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Please be respectful with your comments and help us keep this an area that everyone can enjoy. If you believe a comment is abusive or otherwise violates our Terms of Use, please click here to report it to the administrator.