As many of you know, some of the world’s best consumer products are descendants of military and law enforcement developed technologies. A few which come to mind are GPS, microwaves, duct tape, the internet, canned food, diving watches, and for all you fashion buffs, aviator …
How to Renovate a Beat-Up Rental Property
2017 has been a year of renovations for our rental properties. We’ve acquired two new units and renovated five. And we’ve had tenant turnover like never before. In all but one of our suites, our tenants have changed. But that kind of turnover creates the …
How to Renovate Your Rental Property for Max ROI
As a landlord managing several investment properties, I’ve always advocated for, when needed, renovating your rental property with high-end finishings. What I mean by that is where there are laminate countertops, replace with granite. Linoleum in a bathroom, replace with tile, and where there are …
A Valuable Lesson on Home Inspections
A mixture of rain and hail was pelting the ground as Calgary was hit with the worst summer storm I’ve ever seen. It had been raining hard for a week, and this storm was the climax of it all. Thankfully, the family and I planned …
How to Avoid the Tenant from Hell
Ah, the tenant selection process… it’s where you are made or played as a landlord. Almost your entire success as a landlord hinges upon selecting the right tenant for your rental property. I just went through the process again this July for one of my …
The One Thing Every Great Office Needs
Your office space… It needs to be perfect, for you. It should inspire and be a place you enjoy going to. It should empower. The sunlight that comes in through the window, the pictures on the wall, it all matters. You need to customize your …
Why Tenants Should Live Better than Landlords
Ask the kitchen staff of a fine restaurant who eats better, them or the patrons… same goes for car dealers; often the clients drive better cars than the sales staff. Hotels too – guests sleep in nicer suites than the workers live. At the end …
Landlord Etiquette – How to Build Rapport with Tenants
A tenant is a landlord’s business partner, and they should be treated accordingly. This means they should be shown respect, but also held accountable. Essentially, they are watching over one of your most expensive assets – therefor it is imperative your relationship with them is …
Soccer Moms Buying Used Clothes, Shoes and More via Facebook
We can do it better as a collective… screw ‘the man!’ That’s the message from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and tech startup founders for the last five years. And the gargantuan sharing economy (led by Uber, Lyft, Airbnb and many more) has awoken the populous, which …
Property Managers Take Landlords’ Money and Provide No Value
Thinking about hiring a property manager for your rental property? I have a comparable idea: Take 10% of your rental income and light it on fire… Unless you live in a different city than your rental property, or you’re just so busy you can’t take …