Thursday, March 17, 2016

Nightmare Tenants

Lucky for us in Alberta we have a relatively easy eviction process. The biggest wait is getting into the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS) for a hearing date. If the landlord then files with the Queen's Bench that dispute is on the public record for all other landlords to find.

In other provinces it's not so easy. There are waiting periods before you can file and the process can take months. All the while your property is perhaps being damaged and rent not getting paid.

This professional tenant cost Ontario seniors an estimated $30,000 and probably a lot of grief and sleepless nights. She didn't pay rent or utilities for 6 months and changed the locks.  Apparently she's done this over and over again but because of privacy laws it's hard for landlords to discover. Read more



PHOTO COURTESY OF © Torstar News Service

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Why Alberta needs innovation now more than ever.

Alberta Oil Sands Investment Real Estate News®
Glenn Simon Inc., Suite 1217, 5328 Calgary Trail NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Tel 1-888-780-5940 Fax 1-888-276-4517
www.glennsimoninc.com   email: info@glennsimoninc.com

March 15th., 2016
Volume 20, Issue 5

Dear Friends and Partners,

Although the majority of news coming out of Alberta lately has been negative, and surely more is one the way, Alberta is never idle. There is substantial evolution taking place. Despite having a dose of ‘it’ll get worse before it can get better disease’, we have the downtown core growing and a tireless energy sector striving for innovation.

I was part of a small group that attended a bespoke economic presentation from the government of AB last week. The major takeaways were that we (Alberta) need to continue strategically diversifying (I say continue, because we’ve been diversifying for 20 years) our energy sector. Alberta is a great innovator but ideas need to be focused on a collective goal, not independently. The guiding target that was presented was to reduce oilsands water consumption by 50% before 2030. This idea has been discussed before, but I feel there is an urgency to work collectively on this goal.

Focused diversification within the energy sector and on a measurable target, makes sense. By reducing the amount of water used in extracting oil, we can decrease cost and further reduce environmental impact.

Until we make this change (and others) we remain increasingly vulnerable to low oil prices, political agendas and (for right or wrong) environmental critique. Jump to one idea here.

Prince Rupert Bungalow: 2 Legal suites, cash-flow central

Turbo charge your portfolio. Great, 2-unit bungalow, 7 minutes from downtown; a winner to add to any portfolio. 1952 built, meticulously maintained. Terrific access to local amenities in mature Prince Rupert. New furnace, electric panels and suite upgrades. This property has a legal 2 bd suite down and 3 bd on the main, plus over-sized single garage and pad. This property has a tried and true layout and is built to last. Purchase price includes reserve fund and small renos to make the property shine! This is a turn-key deal. Excellent access downtown and in the highly rent-able and desirable neighbourhood of Prince Rupert.

Comes complete with great tenants making this a totally turn-key property for you.  Prince Rupert is a mature neighbourhood that is convenient for tenants working downtown and attending NAIT. HUGE upside potential due to the great purchase price, strong economic fundamentals and the proximity of this property in relation to Edmonton's desirable growing core.

Purchase price: $385,000
Total Investment: $88,500
Your Estimated 5 Year Profit $54,760 Your pre-tax Total ROI is 62% or 12% per year

These 2 suites rent for top dollar and have everything arranged, including financing structure and incredible tenants. Your investment includes: impeccable tenant selection, financial analysis, professional inspection, insurance, financing set-up, legal fees, basic accounting, reserve fund, CMA, bi-annual statements, strategic market planning to ensure successful entry and exit, plus much more!


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How the West was done: Plummeting oil prices and political change cosier to stall Canada’s growth engine

By Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post Media, March 2nd, 2016

As painful as it is, there is much to be learned from Canada’s economic decline, such as: We are getting lots of what we (and many of our politicians) wished for and finally getting a clear picture of what Canada looks like without a strong oil sector.

Partly due to the oil price collapse, partly by the design of new governments in Alberta and Ottawa, oil no longer fuels the economic engine. Climate change policy has won the day and the oil sands’ industry has been kneecapped.

 Proposed bitumen pipelines have been gutted by organized campaigns and red tape. The West’s economic leadership has been quashed, and with that — for now — its political clout. THIS ARTICLE


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Rob Roach: Alberta’s identity is built on growth for good reason

By Rob Roach, Edmonton Journal, March 10th, 2016

When it comes to population growth, Alberta is an outlier.

Our GDP per capita is among the highest in the world, but our population growth rate is more in keeping with relatively poor places such as Ethiopia and Nigeria.

While the populations of wealthy countries like Japan and Germany are shrinking, Alberta’s average annual population growth between 2004-14 was over eight times greater than in the European Union and almost three times the rate in the United States.

 Alberta’s population has increased by 1.2 million people since 2000 — roughly equivalent to adding another Calgary or Edmonton to the province.  GRAB THIS STORY


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Why reducing water consumption is critical to Oil Sands competitiveness
Despite considerable progress, thermal oil sands producers desperately need to reduce water consumption. Are solvents the answer?


By Jesse Snyder, Alberta Oil, March 2nd., 2016

For the people who operate and manage steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) projects, oil is almost treated as a by-product to what is actually their primary concern: water. Indeed, SAGD operations are basically just “water facilities with an oil problem,” according to Darren Massey, a programs leader at GE’s Customer Innovation Centre, a Calgary-based facility where energy companies try to tackle the fundamental challenges inherent in developing heavy oil. “Water is really the main resource that you have to manage here,” he says. “The energy that you put in to generate that high-temperature steam accounts for a substantial portion of your total costs.” READ MORE HERE

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I appreciate all your calls and emails. I'm looking forward to helping you with your next step towards building real wealth.
Your success continues EVERYDAY, let me help you build for tomorrow.

“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.”  -Julie Andrews

Warm Regards,

Todd and Danielle Millar

Monday, March 14, 2016

Alberta Economy - In the news

Balancing Act: Inside the Alberta Governments New Deal on Energy - "Notley didn’t kill the province’s golden goose. Drilling rigs won’t be trundling next door to Saskatchewan or over the southern border to avoid a cash-grab royalty regime. The oil patch’s sigh of relief was heard across the prairies. The government’s election promise was to review if Albertans are getting their fair share of royalties, and it’s been decided that yes, they are.

The review panel said, “Overall, Alberta’s royalties are comparable with other jurisdictions,” and that the existing regime gives the province an “appropriate share of value.” Broadly, it was well-received by the industry. “[The] announcement has been the result of a fair and credible process, one Albertans can trust,” says Tim McMillan, president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP)." Read more

Still afloat in Alberta despite tighter competition - "While Alberta's contracting economy is not yet causing panic among some Edmonton general contractors, its effects are taking hold. Competition is heating up for smaller-scale projects and dollars are being squeezed in bids, according to some industry executives.

"We see margins right now that are so tight, it's hard for us to go any lower than that. We still have to pay the bills and pay our employees. It's tough," said Antoine Gruson, vice-president of sales and marketing for Synergy Projects." Read More

 IEA for the first time sees light at the end of oil’s ‘long, dark tunnel’ - “There are signs that prices might have bottomed out,” the Paris-based adviser to 29 countries said in its monthly market report on Friday. “For prices there may be light at the end of what has been a long, dark tunnel” as market forces are “working their magic and higher-cost producers are cutting output.” Read more

Wednesday, March 02, 2016

Have your say - Vision 2020


You can be part of a survey to determine the direction of Northlands site. Super website, lots of information and it's very exciting to see what possibilities are there for the 160 acre site. Make history here

Tuesday, March 01, 2016

Network

Alberta Oil Sands Investment Real Estate News®
Glenn Simon Inc., Suite 1217, 5328 Calgary Trail NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Tel 1-888-780-5940 Fax 1-888-276-4517
www.glennsimoninc.com   email: info@glennsimoninc.com


March 1st., 2016
Volume 20, Issue 4

Dear Friends and Partners,

What’s in a network? You may have heard it said that if you add up the net worth of your 5 closest friends and divide, you get an amount equal to your own net worth. Now, that applies to money. But I bet it also stretches into values…

Your 5 closest friends probably have similar values to you when it comes to raising kids, managing their money, health and lifestyle. This can be either a very good thing or a really bad thing - in general terms. I know some of my best friendships are with smart folks that I don’t always agree with, but with whose opinions I respect.

Lately I have been expanding my network; talking to different people, collaborating on ideas and getting exposed to new ways of thinking. I challenge you to do the same. Start with a local group, LinkedIn or an interest group that you’ve been keen to learn more about. See what this brings to you…

Prince Rupert Bungalow: 2 Legal suites, cash-flow central

Turbo charge your portfolio. Great, 2-unit bungalow, 7 minutes from downtown; a winner to add to any portfolio. 1952 built, meticulously maintained. Terrific access to local amenities in mature Prince Rupert. New furnace, electric panels and suite upgrades. This property has a legal 2 bd suite down and 3 bd on the main, plus over-sized single garage and pad. This property has a tried and true layout and is built to last. Purchase price includes reserve fund and small renos to make the property shine! This is a turn-key deal. Excellent access downtown and in the highly rent-able and desirable neighbourhood of Prince Rupert.

Comes complete with great tenants making this a totally turn-key property for you.  Prince Rupert is a mature neighbourhood that is convenient for tenants working downtown and attending NAIT. HUGE upside potential due to the great purchase price, strong economic fundamentals and the proximity of this property in relation to Edmonton's desirable growing core.

Purchase price: $385,000
Total Investment: $88,500
Your Estimated 5 Year Profit $54,760 Your pre-tax Total ROI is 62% or 12% per year

These 2 suites rent for top dollar and have everything arranged, including financing structure and incredible tenants. Your investment includes: impeccable tenant selection, financial analysis, professional inspection, insurance, financing set-up, legal fees, basic accounting, reserve fund, CMA, bi-annual statements, strategic market planning to ensure successful entry and exit, plus much more!

=========================

The world is on the cusp of a golden age for natural gas

By Jesse Snyder, Alberta Oil, February 16th, 2016

These are the factors that could quicken — or inhibit — the rise of "the fossil fuel of the future”

 “Natural gas is a fuel of the future,” wrote Daniel Yergin in his 2011 opus The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World. At the time, the notion that natural gas would eventually overtake coal – and even oil – as the most widely consumed fossil fuel in the world was not new. But it was just beginning to take on a new level of certainty. That same year the International Energy Agency (IEA) raised the question in its annual World Energy Outlook, which it called, “Are We Entering A Golden Age of Gas?” It predicted that by 2035 global natural supplies would need to grow by 1.8 trillion cubic meters per day from their current level in order to meet demand – a figure that is three times the current production of Russia. THIS ARTICLE


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Gary Lamphier: How much money has flowed out of Alberta to Ottawa? A lot.


By Gary Lamphier, Edmonton Journal, February 19th, 2016

If you’re still wondering why oil-rich Alberta doesn’t have a massive sovereign wealth fund like Norway, consider this.
Alberta is a province, not a country. Ergo, we don’t get to keep all the wealth we generate in this province. Not even close.

I realize this runs counter to the preferred narrative in Canada, where politicians and media types insist Alberta either “put all its eggs in one basket” by failing to diversify its economy (hello Christy Clark), or that Albertans “spent like drunken sailors” during boom times.

Sure, there’s some truth to those arguments. But the far bigger reason why Alberta isn’t rolling in filthy lucre is that we are part of a federation called Canada.  GRAB THIS STORY


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Kristina McLean: Memo from Alberta’s economic front lines


By Kristina McLean, Edmonton Journal, February 21st., 2016
I recently passed a milestone, not an achievement by any means, nonetheless it is one that stands out for me in my profession. I delivered my 200th layoff notice in less than six months.

As I sit and provide the “You are now unemployed” letter to this employee, a father and husband, a grown man whose eyes well with tears, I realize that he is suffering the consequences of the government’s lack of effort, the international oil and gas markets egotistical tactics and the now unrealistic Alberta dream.

This employee who has dedicated his career and life to what began as the oil and gas advantage, striving towards excellence in his work, has now been told in a mere five-minute meeting that his job is over. Feeling his efforts a waste and contributions a failure, this employee has to go home and deliver the same unsettling news to his wife and children.  READ MORE HERE


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I appreciate all your calls and emails. I'm looking forward to helping you with your next step towards building real wealth.
Your success continues EVERYDAY, let me help you build for tomorrow.

“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.”  - Hans Selye

Warm Regards,

Todd and Danielle Millar


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P.S. Stay ahead by checking out Danielle's daily blog at Edmonton Real Estate Investor for all your cutting edge market news and information.