Friday, May 29, 2015

And here we go...


"Albertans are being set up for higher personal, corporate and resource taxes.

Despite what new premier Rachel Notley says, the province’s finances aren’t really that much worse than the Tory government said. For all the Tories’ faults (and there were many), they didn’t sugar-coat the state of Alberta’s revenue problems.

But by claiming, as Notley did following the first NDP cabinet meeting on Wednesday in Calgary, that “we are starting to find the challenges are a bit bigger than what may have been featured in the Prentice government’s campaign,” Notley is getting ready to abandon her own campaign promises not to raise taxes much, except on the richest Albertans.

If you promised not to raise taxes on 90 per cent of Albertans, but now that you’re safely elected you admit that was never realistic, how do you explain to voters that the 90-percent pledge can’t be kept? Why, of course, you blame the unpopular, outgoing government." JUMP

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

This and That May 2015

Meet Marg McCuaig-Boyd, Alberta's new energy minister - "Geography may have been the reason why McCuaig-Boyd was given the energy portfolio. It's no secret oil and gas is the predominant economic driver in the northern part of the province, followed by agriculture and forestry." Jump Here

Hopefully this turns out well and with  a new vision we can reduce the boom bust history of Alberta's oil and gas industry.

 
Study on foreign investors raises eyebrows -  "The study is providing the kind of closer look at international buyers that B.C.investors, in particular, continue to seek. Ostensibly, a similar study on the Vancouver and Toronto markets would help to end speculation about what if any real impact Chinese nationals are having on property prices in those cities."

Investors are always looking for safe places to park their funds. What might be a starter - middle class home for a U.K citizen is a nominal capital investment for overseas. Here

Inside dope on plans for Edmonton's first medical marijuana grow op - "Alberta Green Biotech was founded in 2013 by Noel Avila, a Filipino immigrant who is now a Canadian citizen. He and his brother, Leo, a software contractor, raised money from primarily Edmonton and Ottawa investors to pursue an application under Canada's Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations to become a licensed producer."

Medical marijuana is a new proposed to be billion dollar industry, if marijuana is ever legalized for personal use it will become a multi-billion dollar industry. Great way to get positioned as a approved retailer.  Jump here

Rental inventory tight as homebuyers wait - "With economic uncertainty weighing heavily on the thoughts of those in Alberta, rental inventories are under pressure as renters choose to stay put. Despite rising rents, many view buying in the current climate as a risk they’re not prepared to make." Here







Friday, May 22, 2015

Edmonton vs Paris Numbeo throw-down

Numbeo is such a great site to get lost in if you are interested in living in other countries or just curious about where your city ranks.

"Numbeo is a collection of Web pages containing numerical and other itemizable data about cities and countries, designed to enable anyone to contribute or modify content. Numbeo uses the wisdom of the crowd to obtain the most reliable information possible. Numbeo then provides you with a statistical analysis of the data collected.  In addition, Numbeo provides a variety of systematic research opportunities for its readers with its compilation of worldwide information."

Todd and I love Paris and wanted to see how Edmonton and Paris compare in a Numbeo city cost to live comparison.

"You would need around 4,337.32€ (5,918.67C$) in Paris to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with 5,100.00C$ in Edmonton (assuming you rent in both cities). This calculation uses our Consumer Prices Including Rent Index. This comparison assumes net earnings (after income tax)."

You can do any comparison you like but just because Bangalore is 70% cheaper than San Fransisco doesn't mean it's the next hot place to live.  So take the information and use it wisely.

See the full Edmonton vs Paris breakdown Here


Tuesday, May 19, 2015

The Behavioral Science Guys

There are so many great videos here. I was sent one as a link and ended up watching about 5 in a row.  I can see so many applications for the topics they cover. From your terrible teen to helping clients. Very interesting:



Sunday, May 17, 2015

New Game

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


May 17th., 2015
Volume 18, Issue 8

Dear Friends and Partners,

It’s been a wild week. The biggest change of course was the NDP’s surprising majority win and Rachel Notely becoming the Premier-elect. The second surprise was the massive snowfall after; a hell-freezing-over type of storm. Alas, this is a democratic win. The question on the minds of big oil, business owners and real estate investors is how will the new government effect business? Will royalties increase, taxes go up, rent control come into place…is the economy grinding to a halt? In reality we don’t yet know. I think that there is a good balance of opposition (Wild Rose and PC at 50%) to temper the direction. Fresh eyes can bring new ideas and progressive change, especially in environmental regulation, and if done right, without hurting the economy.

No matter what the diagnosis, we can manage and thrive as property owners and investors as we adjust to a ‘new game’. One thing is for sure, there will be bargains to be had if you have your buyers hat on; fear and uncertainty always offer a discount. Continuing to focus on quality property in areas with infrastructure in place or committed (read: already funded) such at hospitals, universities, LRT and select areas of the Arena District will fair well.

Strategies to hedge against a recession include reevaluating your portfolio and culling the dogs, CF bleeders or any hard to tenant/manage property. Use the next few months to renovate and sell any dead weight to mitigate negative CF and buffer up a CF fortress to weather a storm or at least inclement weather.

West Edmonton: Jasper Park Legal 4-Unit Cash-flow 

 

Turbo charge your portfolio. This legal 4-unit, 1962 built, RA-7 zoned property is located directly across from school and park in Jasper Park. Near Telus World of Science, Edmonton Zoo, NAIT, Hospital and fast access to downtown and on either the Yellowhead or Whitemud. This property has front entrances to the 4 X1 BD and a parking pad for six cars.

This property was purpose built and is in good condition. It is rare to find a legal 4-pled for this price. Investment capital includes $15K budget slated for further renovations to modernize and improve value and rent-ability. All suites have own laundry. This is a turn-key deal. Excellent access to downtown, transit and parks.

This property comes complete with great tenants making this a totally turn-key property for you. Jasper Place is a mature area that is a desirable for tenants working in the city or attending NAITS west-side campus. HUGE upside potential due to the RA-7 zoning of the building, great purchase price, strong economic fundamentals and the proximity of this property in relation to Edmonton's desirable growing core.

Purchase price: $449,000
Total Investment: $108,500
Your Estimated 5 Year Profit $60,697
Your pre-tax Total ROI is 56% or 11% per year


These 4 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!


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

Albertan’s wanted a broom, not a hammer and sickle

By Ezra Levant, Special to Financial Post, May 6th, 2015

Canada’s Left is jubilant that the NDP won a majority in Tuesday night’s Alberta election. Fair enough – no-one else has beaten the Progressive Conservatives in 44 years, let alone a fringe socialist party in Canada’s most conservative province. Perhaps the revolution was finally here!  It could be. Rachel Notley, the incoming premier, wears a Che Guevara wristwatch. One of her new MLAs, Rod Loyola, publicly praises Hugo Chavez, the late Venezuelan authoritarian. And Alberta’s new First Husband, Lou Arab, is an executive with the labour union, CUPE.

FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE

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

Calgary business groups say they look forward to working with NDP government

By Mario Toneguzzi, The Calgary Herald, May 6th, 2015

Calgary business groups say they are looking forward to working with the new majority NDP government in Alberta despite still having some concerns about the party’s platform.
Amber Ruddy, senior policy analyst with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the voters clearly spoke on Tuesday night and now there’s a real opportunity to have small business issues front and centre. 

READ MORE HERE

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

Assaf & Hyde: The next four years in Alberta don’t necessarily have to be bad for business

By Danny Assaf and Goldy Hyder, National Post, May 8th, 2015

Looking at the chaos in the world today, one could be forgiven for thinking revolutions only happen at the barrel of a gun. The beauty of our democracy is that we can revolt at the ballot box and that’s exactly what happened in Alberta on Tuesday.  Even with the most dramatic revolutions, however, there are things that must remain constant for any government: jobs and economic prosperity. All of us, of every political stripe, need to provide for our families and ensure opportunities for our children.

GRAB THIS STORY
 
 ===============

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.

“Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality."  - Nikos Kazantzakis

Warm Regards,

Todd and Danielle Millar


===SPECIAL NOTICE: NO CASH, BUT GOOD CREDIT? CALL US TODAY TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN OWN INVESTMENT PROPERTY===

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.

P.P.S. Don’t forget to visit our website and take advantage of the Resource Tools and product section including REIN's #1 real estate books and Quick Start home study sets at a discount. Get your copy of the Canadian Success Stories book and the 2011 Top Ten Investment Towns of Alberta and Ontario.





Monday, May 11, 2015

The sound of crickets...

I went to pick up my son the day after the landmark NDP victory in Alberta. I was bursting to talk to someone to say "What do you think?" except no one said anything. I heard more about the snow than I did about the election. Although there were a few 'Hell has frozen over' jokes.


We're all waiting to see what will happen. And that's all we can do is wait. In the meantime here are a few good links to check out:

The danger of financial ignorance - "While men outperformed women on the finance quiz, greater numbers of women responded that they “don’t know,” a result that held true all over the world. The upshot is that women, more conscious of their limitations, are more likely to be interested in financial-education programs" Here

Don't raise the minimum wage. Fine tune it - "Maybe a solution can be found to sharpen the minimum wage tool. In the Netherlands, the minimum wage increases with the worker’s age. A 15-year-old must be paid a minimum of €2.89 an hour ($3.92, up to 36 hours a week). When the worker turns 16, it rises to €3.32. It notches higher by increments of about €0.50 to €1.50 an hour until it peaks at €9.63 for a 23-year-old worker." Here

Stay tuned here on Alberta and the NDP election...

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Wealth Creation

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


April 14th., 2015
Volume 18, Issue 7

Dear Friends and Partners,

From time to time I post a thought from Steve Chandler’s Wealth Warrior group that I belong to.

Here is another about collaboration with your partners and yourself;

"If you're doing business with partners, you'll want to meet often on the central issue of wealth creation. Most people never meet on that subject. They meet about problems. Soon they become a group of problem-analyzers, instead of a group of wealth-creators.

Have this be the subject of a meeting:  

How does this adventure of ours expand, succeed, and get more creative? 

 And if you are in business alone, as so many people are today, don't forget your meetings!  Meet with yourself for the very same objectives that a team would meet for. Let your conscious mind and your subconscious mind get to know each other. Let the left side of the brain shake hands with the right. Harmonious convergence leads to wealth."  Sign up for his newsletter here

West Edmonton: Jasper Park Legal 4-Unit Cash-flow 

 

Turbo charge your portfolio. This legal 4-unit, 1962 built, RA-7 zoned property is located directly across from school and park in Jasper Park. Near Telus World of Science, Edmonton Zoo, NAIT, Hospital and fast access to downtown and on either the Yellowhead or Whitemud. This property has front entrances to the 4 X1 BD and a parking pad for six cars.

This property was purpose built and is in good condition. It is rare to find a legal 4-pled for this price. Investment capital includes $15K budget slated for further renovations to modernize and improve value and rent-ability. All suites have own laundry. This is a turn-key deal. Excellent access to downtown, transit and parks.

This property comes complete with great tenants making this a totally turn-key property for you. Jasper Place is a mature area that is a desirable for tenants working in the city or attending NAITS west-side campus. HUGE upside potential due to the RA-7 zoning of the building, great purchase price, strong economic fundamentals and the proximity of this property in relation to Edmonton's desirable growing core.

Purchase price: $449,000
Total Investment: $108,500
Your Estimated 5 Year Profit $60,697
Your pre-tax Total ROI is 56% or 11% per year


These 4 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!


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

There might be light at the bottom of the barrel

By Myke Thomas, Calgary Sun, April 4th, 2015

 Here’s what you do know: The low price of oil has taken Alberta’s roller-coaster economy on a downward spiral.
What you may not know is how did we get here and what happens going forward.

For some answers, here’s Todd Hirsch, chief economist at ATB Financial.

“The story of how we got here has been told repeatedly,” says Hirsch.

“The problem in 2014 and 2015 has been far too much global supply. OPEC has just finally said, ‘We’re not going to be the guardians of high prices anymore, we are no longer going to curtail our production in an attempt to keep oil prices high. We’re just going to turn on the spigots and produce as much as we can,’ and that of course has resulted in a global glut of oil accompanied with some weak demand globally.”  FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE

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

The biggest threat to our economy is fear

By Myke Thomas, The Calgary Sun, March 28th, 2015

Do not feed the fears — that was the bottom line message on Alberta’s economy, delivered by ATB economist Todd Hirsch to a gathering of residential construction executives last week.
“I think that when we’re dealing with an economy that’s moving into a rough patch, sometimes we are in danger of falling into this ‘already-living-in-a-recession mentality’ when a recession isn’t even a foregone conclusion,” said Hirsch.

“Some of us are already living in the worst of times, the worst-case scenarios that can possibly happen and very quickly that builds into our mentality and does nothing positive in terms of moving the economy forward.”  READ MORE HERE


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

Westjet Airlines says passenger demeaned growing despite Alberta’s sluggish economy

By Ross Marowits, Financial Post, April 6th, 2015

WestJet Airlines said Monday passenger demand keeps growing even as concerns mount about the impact on the Calgary-based carrier due to a sluggish Alberta economy following the recent collapse in oil prices. 
The airline said passenger traffic increased 1.5% in March from a year ago, as a record 1.7 million people flew on the Calgary-based airline and its regional subsidiary WestJet Encore.

However, WestJet’s capacity grew 4.8%, causing its load factor — or the amount of seats that are used — to fall by 2.7 points to 81.3%, from 84% in March 2014.   READ MORE HERE

 
 ===============

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.

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of majority, it is time to pause and reflect."  - Mark Twain

Warm Regards,

Todd and Danielle Millar

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

Are you earning enough to buy a house?

Here is an interactive map of the price of housing across Canada. You can click on the cities and see how much the average house is and what you would need to earn to purchase it.


Highest West Van - $1.7 million purchase price and  $320,000 income
Lowest Trois Rivieres - $160, 064 and $39,379 income

With a spread like this you can see why it's hard to generalize about the "Canadian Housing Market".

Take a look HERE

Monday, March 30, 2015

Invest in You

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


April 1st., 2015
Volume 18, Issue 6

Dear Friends and Partners,

I always find spring inspirational. Yeah, sure, maybe it is the seeds sprouting, warmer weather or the determined bits of green fighting through the slush. Whatever it is, it prompts me to redefine, renew and improve. I like to go through my systems and protocols to see what is working, what’s not and what can be improved upon. Constant learning is essential as is setting ‘fresh eyes’ upon your daily actions.

Whether you like Louis C.K.’s brand of humour or not, you can hear is honesty and frustration coming through in the jokes. But, forget him as a comedian for a second and read this article about what he did and the uncomfortable choices he made without certainty - that got him where he is today; that is a great story. It’s a spring story too. 

"Louis CK turned down $500,000 a year from Conan in the early 90s so he could go broke instead. Conan wanted to hire him as head writer of his show.  Every step of the way in the 20 years since he put a challenge in  front of himself that seemed impossible and it was until he passed it.  Now he’s the best comedian ever. One can argue with that but one can argue about anything.  He was offered the job of head writer at one of the hottest comedy shows in the world. He would’ve grown from that and be set for life." Read more here


West Edmonton: Jasper Park Legal 4-Unit Cash-flow

Turbo charge your portfolio. This legal 4-unit, 1962 built, RA-7 zoned property is located directly across from school and park in Jasper Park. Near Telus World of Science, Edmonton Zoo, NAIT, Hospital and fast access to downtown and on either the Yellowhead or Whitemud. This property has front entrances to the 4 X1 BD and a parking pad for six cars.

This property was purpose built and is in good condition. It is rare to find a legal 4-pled for this price. Investment capital includes $15K budget slated for further renovations to modernize and improve value and rent-ability. All suites have own laundry. This is a turn-key deal. Excellent access to downtown, transit and parks.

This property comes complete with great tenants making this a totally turn-key property for you. Jasper Place is a mature area that is a desirable for tenants working in the city or attending NAITS west-side campus. HUGE upside potential due to the RA-7 zoning of the building, great purchase price, strong economic fundamentals and the proximity of this property in relation to Edmonton's desirable growing core.

Purchase price: $449K
Total Investment: $108,500K
Your Estimated 5 Year Profit $60,697K.
Your pre-tax Total ROI is 56% or 11% per year


These 4 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!

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

What to do when Alberta’s housing boom turns to bust


By Gary Marr, Financial Post, March 23rd, 2015

The economic downturn in Alberta is nothing new to Ryan Griffiths. The technician who works for the Ford Motor Co. in Airdrie, just north of Calgary, gets paid piecemeal based on every job he does. When the economy started to slow in 2008, he had to figure out how to make ends meet.  “That’s the running joke around here: How did you get through it last time?” said Mr. Griffiths, 45.
The simple answer is: save enough money so you have a cushion when times are bad. Most planners suggest savings should cover  your living costs for three to six months. The worst answer is: to do what some people appear to be considering right now, panicking.  FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE

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

Under clouds of economic gloom, Alberta entrepreneurs defend turf

By Anwar Ali, The Globe and Mail, March 19th, 2015

In the face of negativity swirling around the economy, Albertan entrepreneurs are steadfastly defending their turf, albeit with a little dose of reality.
Economic predictions are getting worse as GDP growth steadily declines. The provincial government’s current 2015 growth forecast, 0.6 per cent, is well below the previous estimate. The Conference Board of Canada has even warned that Alberta may stagger into a recession this year, its ability to recover contingent on the oil industry.   READ MORE HERE

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

Nearly half of Alberta consumers say economy remains strong

By Mario Toneguzzi, Calgary Herald, March 6th, 2015

The latest ATB Consumer Economic Pulse survey found that 47 per cent of Albertans in late February saw the province’s economy as strong despite the uncertain climate with lower oil prices.
That’s up by two percentage points from the previous survey in early February.

But their thoughts about the future economic outlook are not as positive.  READ MORE HERE
 
 ===============

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.

“Positive thinking will let you use the ability which you have, and that is awesome."  - Zig Ziglar

Warm Regards,

Todd and Danielle Millar



===SPECIAL NOTICE: NO CASH, BUT GOOD CREDIT? CALL US TODAY TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN OWN INVESTMENT PROPERTY===

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.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Don't Panic Yet Alberta

  "If most people keep their jobs, they’ll be able to pay their mortgages. If you have a job and you want to sell, you’ll likely still choose to not sell over accepting an offer that represents a big hit to your equity.
If that happens, we’ll find a lot of listings remaining unsold, with corresponding big drops in sales stats, but relatively stable prices."

I think prices are going to go down for the next 18 months -24 months.  We may enter a down turn of 2 years, then up again in 2017 or 2018.

If you step back, it just seems to be that 5 to 7 year cycle. We may enter a down turn of 2 years, then up again in 2017 or 2018.

If you have a lot of equity and don't mind getting out then do so. I see a lot of listings where prices are strong.  Of course asking price and selling price can be two totally different things.

Read the entire excellent level headed article here

Monday, March 16, 2015

Detroit Reclaimed

Here are companies in Detroit truly making the best out of a bad situation. By reclaiming wood and glass from abandoned homes, they are keeping old forest wood out of landfills and producing beautiful products.

"Gary Zimnicki and Mark Wallace make guitars. Zimnicki also makes ukuleles and mandolins from old lumber that he says produces a richer sound. While most of his acoustic instruments use conventional wood, some buyers want an instrument made from a 100-year-old house, said Zimnicki, 57, whose home workshop is in Allen Park, a suburb.

“It’s a cool thing to be involved with preserving some of the past, part of our heritage,” said Zimnicki, showing a US$4,500 guitar made of wood from a house built in 1910. The top is made of Douglas fir from ceiling joists, rather than spruce. The back and sides are made from maple floorboards. " 


Read Full Article HERE

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Planting

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 14th., 2015
Volume 18, Issue 5

Dear Friends and Partners,

With the sudden burst of warm weather in Edmonton, it feels like spring is almost here. I took my youngest son to Home Depot last weekend to buy wood, seeds and soil for our new vegetable garden.

We also took some sprouting strawberry seeds and transferred them to little pots where we’ll grow them until we can ‘harden’ them and transplant outside after the threat of frost is gone.

This preparation to plant and the act of planting reminds me of quotes about planting a dollar, nurturing it to a business or an investment.

With that said are you ready for a little financial quiz? It’ll take you about 5 minutes and the results are insightful and fun to read:  Pro Profs Money Quiz


Central Edmonton: Allendale 5-Unit Cash-flow

This 5-unit, 1940 built mixed-use commercial multi-family property is located in the heart of Allendale . Near U.O.A., Strathcona School, Hospital and fast access to downtown and the Whitemud this is a terrific location boating many parks in a desirable, mature neighbourhood.

This property has front entrances to the main suites as follows; 1X 3BD, 2X 1BD, 2X Bachelor. This property was built as a dwelling and commercial units (2).

It has recently had Safe Housing upgrades as well as interior upgrades. This will become a turn-key deal. The property has a double car garage and driveway. Excellent access to downtown, transit and parks.

Comes complete with great tenants making this a totally turn-key property for you. Inglewood is a great mature area that is a desirable for tenants working in the city or attending Grant MacEwan. HUGE upside potential due to the quality of the building, great purchase price, strong economic fundamentals and the proximity of this property in relation to Edmonton's desirable growing core.

Purchase price: $635K
Total Investment: $139,925K.
Your Estimated 5 Year Profit $76,000K.
Your pre-tax Total ROI is 55% or 11% per year

These 5 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!

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

Oil Prices: Freaking investors out for 150 years and counting

By Tyler Crowe , Motley Fool, February 17th, 2015

The entire oil and gas industry has pretty much maneuvered from crisis to crisis since its inception.

Whenever I read or watch financial media coverage of oil prices lately, the image that comes to mind is a bunch of kids who just ate half their weight in candy, washed it down with a gallon of Red Bull, and then run around the playground at warp speed. They both move so fast and sporadically that is almost impossible to keep up with them. Here is just a small example of headlines that have been found at major financial media outlets in just the past week:
Citi: Oil Could Plunge to $20, and This Might Be ‘the End of OPEC’
OPEC sees oil prices exploding to $200 a barrel
Oil at $55 per barrel is here to stay
Gas prices may double by year’s end: Analyst

 FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE

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

Eklund’s Millions: Real Estate/Reality star visits Edmonton

By Laura Severs, Edmonton Journal, March 6th, 2015

EDMONTON - "It was a million-dollar moment for Edmonton’s burgeoning million-dollar home market.
Fredrik Eklund, New York City’s top agent for 2014 according to industry publication The Real Deal, was on hand to share his secrets for success with Edmonton’s real estate movers and shakers.

A sold-out crowd of 300 turned out at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald on Saturday, Feb. 28 to hear advice from the star of the hit reality real estate TV series Million Dollar Listing New York. They also showed up to find out how they could take Edmonton’s housing sector to the next level.

But the secret, said Eklund, is that there’s no silver bullet." 

“The unglamorous answer is to work harder than anyone else,” “The only thing you have is yourself; the more I’m me, the more successful I am.” Fredrik Eklund

READ MORE HERE

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

Edmonton Economy to see slight growth


By Dave Lazzarino, Edmonton Sun, March 3rd, 2015

Edmonton council heard Tuesday that the local economy may be more resilient than the province is making it sound.
The city's chief economist, John Rose, admitted that the provincial arithmetic that points to a $7 billion budget hole is sound, but it isn't the only number to consider.

"I wouldn't say (premier Prentice) is exaggerating their fiscal circumstances; they've got a major problem and they need to address it," said Rose. "Perhaps what might be pointed out in a little bit more positive way is that they've got a $6 billion contingency fund they're sitting on. What's happening with that?”

GRAB THIS STORY
 
 ===============

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.

“My philosophy is that if I have any money I invest it in new ventures and not have it sitting around."  - Richard Branson

Warm Regards,

Todd and Danielle Millar


===SPECIAL NOTICE: NO CASH, BUT GOOD CREDIT? CALL US TODAY TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN OWN INVESTMENT PROPERTY===

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.



Thursday, March 12, 2015

This and That March

Edmonton real estate market where is your downtown? 

The oil prices have everyone jumpy but as yet the market here is not showing significant moves either way. In our key areas houses are still being listed at values indicative of a strong market.

Listed but not sold.

We'll need to wait and see if what they are asking is actually what they get. 


“Our inventory is increasing, but we were very low and we expected it to do that in the spring,”
“Our sales are down a little, but we still do have sales. They’re not down as drastically as Calgary’s.” Realtor's Association of Edmonton President Geneva Tetreault  Read More

Something from across the pond

It's a great reminder of the Albertan/Canadian cost of living when you see what you can get overseas for the same amount of money as a house in Canada. Of course it works both ways if you look at Vancouver.
Investors from around the world have come to Vancouver to purchase properties to ensure their kids can get a high quality education. This is happening now in Scotland. 

"The average price of properties for Chinese buyers in the UK, skewed by London, is £770,000. But Mr Taylor says that spans "ultra-high-net-worth buyers who can spend tens and tens of millions, down to the buyer who starts looking at properties in the £100,000s" Read More

Friday, March 06, 2015

Rate ride and rate why

“Rates are so low now that investors should never be making an investment decision based on whether the BoC raises or lowers its rate,”"They need to pay attention to the reasons why it happens.

“Let the consumers obsess about the rate – strategic investors obsess about the why. It is always in the ‘why’ where strategic investment decisions are made.”

“Right now, the Bank of Canada is saying their economic metrics are showing stability and that they are happy with the impact of their last rate cut, happy with the lower Canadian dollar, happy with how that buffers the lower oil price while providing incentives to exporters,”
Don Campbell, a real estate investor, researcher, author and educator read full CREW article HERE

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

Oil Price History - So this has happened before?

"Whenever I read or watch financial media coverage of oil prices lately, the image that comes to mind is a bunch of kids who just ate half their weight in candy, washed it down with a gallon of Red Bull, and then run around the playground at warp speed. They both move so fast and sporadically that is almost impossible to keep up with them.
Here is just a small example of headlines that have been found at major financial media outlets in just the past week:
    •    Citi: Oil Could Plunge to $20, and This Might Be ‘the End of OPEC’
    •    OPEC sees oil prices exploding to $200 a barrel
    •    Oil at $55 per barrel is here to stay
    •    Gas prices may double by year’s end: Analyst
Popular Among Time Subscribers

What is absolutely mind-boggling about these statements is that these sorts of predictions are accompanied with the dumbest thing that anyone can say about commodities: This time it’s different.
No it’s not, and we have 150 years worth of oil price panics to prove it." Read More

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Rate Debate

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 3, 2015
Volume 18, Issue 4

Dear Friends and Partners,

If you want to buy a revenue producing investment property, expand your portfolio, build the foundation for wealth - this is a great time to do it! Edmonton's experiencing a dip in its ever-cyclical real estate market that invites you, begs you, to hunt out the good deals.

If you are buying correctly (refer to our earlier blogs on how to choose an investment property) then you will see opportunity, as well as fear, in the market. What you need to do is have your parameters set tight for a property that meets your investment goal, and pull the trigger.

Are you waiting for rates to go lower?   Don't.
Do listen to what Peter Kinch has to say about that. Watch here

Here is an excerpt from Fast Company about the importance of zagging while others zig:

Disruptive strategies begin with the courage to zag where others zig. 

If your competitors are all starting to turn left, you look right. It is actually not that hard to do. It takes no brilliant foresight. It does not require seeing what others don’t. It simply requires reading the herd. When your competitors all start running in one direction, you just need to ask, "What if I ran in a different direction?”  Read it here


Central Edmonton: Allendale 5-Unit Cashflow 

This 5-unit, 1940 built mixed-use commercial multi family property is located in the heart of Allendale . Near U.O.A., Strathcona School, Hospital and fast access to downtown and the Whitemud this is a terrific location boating many parks in a desirable, mature neighbourhood.
This property has front entrances to the main suites as follows; 1X 3BD, 2X 1BD, 2X Bachelor. This property was built as a dwelling and commercial units (2). It has recently had Safe Housing upgrades as well as interior upgrades. This will become a turn-key deal. The property has a double car garage and driveway. Excellent access to downtown, transit and parks.

Comes complete with great tenants making this a totally turn-key property for you. Inglewood is a great mature area that is a desirable for tenants working in the city or attending Grant MacEwan. HUGE upside potential due to the quality of the building, great purchase price, strong economic fundamentals and the proximity of this property in relation to Edmonton's desirable growing core.

Purchase price: $635K
Total Investment: $139,925K.
Your Estimated 5 Year Profit $76,000K.
Your pre-tax Total ROI is 55% or 11% per year

These 5 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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Lamphier: Alberta’s woes bring joy elsewhere
But TriWest says investors are moving in

By Gary Lamphier , Edmonton Journal, February 19th, 2015

 EDMONTON - Sometimes, Canada resembles a giant high school. Petty jealousies, parochial squabbling and ugly sniping often trumps any shared national interest.
For years, Alberta has led the nation in economic growth and job creation, generating wealth for the entire country. But too often, Alberta’s success has only stoked envy and resentment elsewhere.

Now that oil prices are down and Alberta’s economy is sputtering, there is barely disguised glee in other parts of Canada.

“Pardon my schadenfreude,” one West Coast newspaper columnist recently sniffed. “No one likes to see the job loss that the plummet in oil prices has caused in Alberta ... But the corrective effect it’s having on our neighbour’s hubris? I admit to my mean spiritedness.”
FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE
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Workers, still finding jobs in Alberta, labour force numbers show

By David Howell, Edmonton Journal, February 6th, 2015

 Workers are finding jobs in Alberta but the oil and gas industry is taking a hit, January employment numbers show.
Alberta added 13,700 jobs in January, most of them full-time, bringing gains over the past 12 months to 67,000 or 3.0 per cent.

That’s the fastest growth rate among all Canadian provinces, Statistics Canada reported Friday in its monthly labour force survey.

Alberta’s unemployment rate was 4.5 per cent in January, down by 0.2 percentage points from December. Nationally, unemployment decreased slightly to 6.6 per cent.

Edmonton’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.8 per cent but the city enjoyed a net gain of about 1,500 jobs, said John Rose, chief economist for the City of Edmonton. GET IT HERE

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Edmonton’s fast population growth to slow in 2015, city economist says.
Oil slump doesn’t mean people will stop moving here says, Rose

By David Howell and Andrea Sands , Edmonton Journal, February 11th, 2015

Edmonton has emerged from the latest Statistics Canada population snapshot as the second-fastest-growing city in Canada, behind only Calgary.
But the downturn in the economy means the rapid growth won’t continue into 2015, the city’s chief economist warns.

Between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014, the population of the Edmonton census metropolitan area grew 3.3 per cent to 1,328,290, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.

The Edmonton census metropolitan area includes Edmonton, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, Beaumont, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Morinville, Devon, Gibbons, Redwater, Calmar, Thorsby and several other communities.  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.

“Set your goals high and don’t stop until you get there."  - Bo Jackson

Warm Regards,

Todd and Danielle Millar


===SPECIAL NOTICE: NO CASH, BUT GOOD CREDIT? CALL US TODAY TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN OWN INVESTMENT PROPERTY===

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.





Thursday, February 26, 2015

Watch out for fraud

Alberta is a place of booms and busts. Wealth can be made and lost very quickly. For all the "overnight" success stories you hear there are dozens more tales of funds lost, misappropriated and outright stolen.

 From straw buying to title fraud there are many ways you can be taken. Take a look at Globe and Mail's Top 6 Real Estate Scams.

We've all heard of the Madoff ponzi scheme that took in billions of dollars. Did you know we have a possible Canadian one in courts now? Read about League Group and the $330 million of investors funds that they lost.

 Lastly,  Field of Dreams, the Albertan farmland project that lost billions.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Real Estate for the long term

We  recently moved to accomodate our desire for city living with a bit of a country life feel. We got a beautiful ravine front bungalow. My kids say it's country in the front, city in the back.
One of our neighbours owns three houses on the street. They are rented and used for storage as well. These are pretty expensive prime lots.  I imagine he bought these three houses kept them tenanted and paid down the mortgages over the last  25 years until he got mortgage free.
He now has a steady cash flow ( aside from taxes, insurance and repairs) and easily one million plus just for the lots....
If that isn't an excellent long term strategy I don't know what is!
You don't need 20+ houses you would do well with only one.
“We have always believed that real estate is a safe long-term play. The numbers don’t lie – since prices have begun to be tracked, they have increased,” “Of course we have seen short-term fluctuation with dips and corrections, but in the long term the arrow has always pointed up.” Don Campbell

Real estate is not day-trading - read more HERE

Friday, February 20, 2015

Tiny House Movement

In my neighbourhood all the old tiny war houses are being turn down and turned into gigantic single family homes, duplexes and triplexes.  I ofter marvel at the heating costs of such mega houses.

If you are on Facebook and aren't good at avoiding clickbait you have seen the exact opposite end of the spectrum.  Tiny houses. 900 sqft and down. Often built by the owner and using whatever he could find in a 100 meter radius (I jest). However tiny houses are amazing. They look cozy and often epitomize a Japanese aesthetic of style and functionality.

What takes me out of the tiny house market is a husband, two boys, a cat and a billiards table. 

Today you can see a 165 sqft one on beautiful Pender Island HERE


Friday, February 13, 2015

More Good News

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


February 14th., 2015
Volume 18, Issue 3

Dear Friends and Partners,

Not all the news stories are bad. I met my friend early Monday morning and he looked really tired. He said that he’d been volunteering (1 of 3 shifts) for The World's Longest Hockey Game. He’d spent from 2:AM-6:AM score-keeping.

That meant standing on the cold balcony watching the game at the house of Dr. Brent Saik's of Saiker's Acres hockey rink who has been hosting the event. He said it's amazing to take part.

You can see more here  and donate here.  Keep the good news coming. 

 Central Edmonton: Inglewood 4-Unit Cashflow


Turbo charge your portfolio. This 1977 built Side X Side Duplex with fully finished basement suites is located a few blocks from the old municipal airport, which is to be redeveloped into an urban living/green space. Inglewood offers easy access to Downtown, Grant MacEwan and Yellowhead Highway as well as many parks and schools to enjoy in this desirable, mature neighbourhood.



This property has front entrances to each side of the 2 X 3BD halves.  This property was built as a duplex and features 2 x 1BD (non-conforming) basement suites. Slated to renovate and modernize to improve value and rent-ability. This will become a turn-key deal. The property has a double car garage and driveway. Excellent access to downtown, transit and parks.

Comes complete with great tenants making this a totally turn-key property for you. Inglewood is a great mature area that is a desirable for tenants working in the city or attending Grant MacEwan. HUGE upside potential due to the quality of the building, great purchase price, strong economic fundamentals and the proximity of this property in relation to Edmonton's desirable growing core.

Purchase price: $679,000
Total Investment: $158,900
Your Estimated 5 Year Profit $96,725
Your Estimated pre-tax Total ROI is 60% or 12% per year


These 4 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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Short-term slowdown predicted

By Myke Thomas , Calgary Sun, January 17th, 2015

The sudden and precipitous drop in the price of oil has put a huge question mark over the Calgary housing market in 2015 and Calgarians are looking for answers.
The economists have answered with their thoughts below.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

CMHC predicted a housing market slowdown in the fall, before oil prices plunged, with expectations for total housing starts to decline 16% and net migration to slow by 17%, with an increase of 2% in MLS sales this year over last.  FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE
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Analysis: Job figures show oil price drop hasn’t sunk employment
Employers watch numbers for impact of declining spending on oil exploration


By Don Pitis, CBC News, February 6th, 2015

Oil companies across Canada have been slashing their budgets. In previous months, those cuts have not showed up in Canadian unemployment numbers, but today's job numbers offer a new window on the state of the U.S. and Canadian economies.
The numbers were a surprise to the upside, with Canada's economy adding 35,000 jobs during the month — much better than the 5,000 jobs that economists had been expecting.

Jobless figures give unemployed people an update on their prospects for finding work, but labour force statistics do a lot more than that.   GRAB THIS STORY

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Keep building during downturn Consulting Engineers of Alberta urge

By David Howell , Edmonton Journal, February 5th, 2015

Alberta’s economic woes have prompted the Consulting Engineers of Alberta to ask members to hold their 2015 rates for consulting services at 2014 levels, as part of a wider effort to encourage continued spending on infrastructure.

In December, the association recommended a 3.3-per-cent increase to 2015 contracts. But after a vigorous debate this week, board members voted unanimously to ask all firms to hold the line, CEA president Matt Brassard said Thursday.  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.

“If you’re going through hell, keep going!"  - Winston Churchill

Warm Regards,

Todd and Danielle Millar

===SPECIAL NOTICE: NO CASH, BUT GOOD CREDIT? CALL US TODAY TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN OWN INVESTMENT PROPERTY===

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



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