The Truth About Real Estate Investing... For Canadians

 ✅ Understand why investors are shifting to U.S. markets ✅ Learn how to raise capital and structure bigger deals ✅ Hear what it takes to put 5,000 investors in a room with A-listers Ever wonder what it takes to build Canada’s biggest investing conference? My old friend Seth Ferguson, returns to the show, after losing all his rental properties to a nasty divorce along with his golf clubs, he started the Multifamily Conference in Covid in 2022 which was excellent, 2023 was headlined by Grant Cardone & Alex Rodriguez, 2024 Wolf of Wall Street Jordan Belfort and Robert Harjevic.  Today, Seth takes us behind the scenes of how he scaled from a couple hundred person real estate event into a 5,000-attendee juggernaut, easily Canada’s largest Business & Investment event. With speakers like Kevin O’Leary, A-Rod, Dragons Dens: Michelle Romanow, and Manjit Minhas, and still another major speaker yet to be announced. Powerhouse is an apt name for the event.  Same for the budget! We dive into marketing, event growt

It’s not all bad

From RCMP to Developing 66 and 20 Unit Apartment Buildings: Marc Amyot's Journey of Strategic Development Strategic Partnerships Matter: How mentorship from industry experts transformed Marc's real estate investing approach Location, Location, Innovation: Marc reveals how strategic site selection, zoning knowledge, and maximizing land use can turn a $640,000 property into a $7 million development project Breaking Down the Numbers: Inside two projects - a 66-unit and 20-unit apartment development, revealing the power of creative financing and value engineering Dive into the fascinating world of real estate development with Marc Amyot, a former RCMP officer who's transforming Ottawa's landscape one project at a time. Learn how strategic partnerships, creative financing, and a keen eye for opportunity can turn modest investments into multi-million dollar developments. Discover the insider secrets of navigating complex real estate projects, from sourcing materials to maximizing land use, in this eye-opening con

On to this week’s show!  This week we have an amazing guest who’s been on a bumpy path. I’ve known Ryan Carr for quite some time but when I attended Truth Your Talent’s Awards Gala, the coach who had the most award winners and thank yous was Ryan hence I invited Ryan Carr onto the show which he gracefully accepted. From household $400k income, Corporate Burnout to 200 door real estate portfolio and more importantly Financial Freedom: Ryan Carr's Remarkable Journey What happens when a high-powered sales executive suffers a stress-induced heart attack at 38? For Ryan Carr, it was the wake-up call that transformed his life. In this raw and inspiring conversation, Ryan opens up about how he and his wife Shefali went from making nearly $400,000 a year to building a 200-door real estate portfolio, all while prioritizing health, family, and helping others achieve financial independence. Hear how Ryan overcame personal health challenges, navigated massive investment setbacks including a $700,000 prom note write off,

On to this week’s guest! I’m thrilled to introduce Wei Ting, an unstoppable entrepreneur, speaker, and innovator reshaping the rental landscape in Ontario with plans to expand across Canada. After losing over $35K to non-paying tenants and spending countless hours navigating Ontario’s complex rental compliance laws, Wei Ting decided enough was enough. She co-founded Openroom, a bold step toward building a transparent and connected rental ecosystem for landlords and tenants alike. And if that wasn’t enough, she’s also a 24/7 on-call mom to two little ones under two years old. Wei Ting describes parenthood as her most demanding role yet, with expertise in patience, roadmap planning, and improvisation.  Did we mention the co-founder of Openroom is her husband?  Mixing personal AND Business

On to this week’s guest, Kevin Costain is the poster boy for reform being needed in Ontario and he’s doing something about it as the new Chair of SOLO: Small Ownership Landlords of Ontario.  He’s fighting for the small everyday investor like I do. He is the author of the book “Rent To Ruin” where he documents his ordeal with his tormentor: the tenant living in Kevin’s house. It is an all too common story where an everyday homeowner has a life change, makes what used to be a financially pragmatic decision to rent out his house to Barry instead of selling it. What proceeded to happen is easily among the worst I’ve ever heard and that is not hyperbole. For a sneak peak, I fed the transcript of this interview to Chatgpt and asked what crimes the tenant could have been charged with.  Here’s the list: Arson Vandalism/theft Fraud Criminal harassment Illegal drug cultivation   Kevin walking through his burnt out house with the CBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UwYXLdfeD4 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/group

On to this week’s show! We have my old friend Quentin D’Souza returning to the show at my request as I need a trustworthy real estate expert to share with you the listener about the multi family market who’s not going to sugar coat how tough the last few years have been and what and where the opportunity is going forward. Quentin is going to share his journey, how he does hard things and involves his family to lead his best, most successful life possible. Quentin is founder, Chief Education Officer of Durham Real Estate Investors, a private membership group of many excellent real estate investors and professionals.  If you’re in the GTA area, make sure to check out a Durham REI event, they meet monthly in Whtiby and you can learn more about them at https://durhamrei.com/ Quentin has authored several books I highly recommend on the BRRRR strategy, finding deals, scaling up, filling vacancies, property management. You can search Quentin D’Souza on Amazon or go to his website quentindsouza.com Needless to say, p

On to this week’s guest! Again, Hart is a friend, I refer him clients all the time for tenant location services.  This may sound like a paid endorsement and full disclosure, Hart Pays me nothing. We receive zero compensation for me having Hart on this show and sending him referrals.  It’s too bad we’re selling the rest of our Ontario portfolio in the near future so I could have asked him for favours but no. Nothing LOL. Which I don’t mind so my judgement is not clouded. We get a long because we’re both on a mission to help Canadians get a head in life without taking away too much time from their lives and families by streamlining their investments. Let them sleep at night and we both volunteer for non-profits that support landlords. Hart’s company Rent Panda is an expert on rentals providing both property management and tenant location services while also using the same tools we recommend like SingleKey and Front Lobby.  Any Ontario landlord not using them is exposing themselves to unnecessary risk. Risks tha

Cory is a 20 year investor who's been through rough times back in the financial crisis, from Toronto he was investing on the wrong side of the tracks in London, Ontario, sleeping inside the renovation project as he didn’t have funds for trades and to cut down on his commute from Toronto. Fast forward to today, Cory’s been a full time investor for 2.5 years specializing in BRRRR investments, suiting basements, garden suites and an office to residential conversion that’s gone anything but smoothly. Cory funds his projects with silent, passive joint venture partners, and when there’s no cash flow… I’ll let Cory explain what he does. Cory’s story is quite a journey of survival in terrible and good and difficult times.  Anyone new or old to real estate investing will have lessons to learn.  If you’re one of the good guys in real estate, you’ll appreciate how a good guy like Cory can thrive in an industry swimming with Sharks.   Website: www.coryfroc.com Instagram: @coryfrocinvestments and @coryfroc on Facebook   P

Please welcome co-founder of Addy Stephen Jagger, I’m excited to have him, if you haven’t heard of Addy before, it’ll blow your mind.  If you have, the advancements in deal offerings, technology will surprise you along with one of their investment vendors who went belly up. Oh yeah, this is the truth about real estate investing show so when deals go sideways, I’m going to ask about them, Stephen, kudos to him does not avoid my questions and better yet they’d already publicly addressed them.   https://addyinvest.ca/2024/07/19/strengthening-our-due-diligence-lessons-learned-and-steps-forward/   Or as the saying goes, a ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure.  If they’d asked me for a reference check, they could have probably saved a bunch of headaches.   To connect with Stephen: Twitter: @sjagger Email: Stephen@addyinvest.com Website: www.addyinvest.com   Please enjoy the show!

In this episode, we sit down with Christine Traynor, from Victoria, BC, a seasoned real estate professional who has navigated the industry from multiple angles.  She started as a paralegal in mortgage enforcement/foreclosures, became an appraiser in 2002, worked in for a high end real estate developer then buying a real estate appraisal firm, buying two more with creative financing and in 2024, sold those businesses for a seven figure exit. What’s now keeping Christine busy is her current ventures as an Edmonton, Alberta real estate developer, multifamily investor, Christine shares a wealth of knowledge and insights that are sure to inspire. For those looking to raise capital, specifically registered funds like RRSP’s and TFSA’s, Christine is involved with a Mutual Fund Trust as part of a 94 unit build so you’ll want to hear about that. Christine shares how and why she chose not to invest in local, tenant friendly, unaffordable Victoria, BC for landlord friendly Edmonton which is something pretty much every B

Now for those of you with deeper pockets and want to be developers closer to home, we have my old friend Pierre Paul Turgeon returning to the show.  A former industry insider as an underwriter at the CMHC, active investor, and real estate expert in the apartment building space, who has analyzed 100s of large, lucrative multifamily investment deals all over Canada. As a good Canadian, Pierre Paul wants to help build more housing and believes it is developers in Canada who have the greatest potential for success and he’s here to share about the latest Federal programs for developers no one is talking about. I’d never heard about these programs so if you’re a developer, builder or plan to be, you’ll have to give this episode a listen.  Developers are who the federal government wants to support because they build housing we so desperately need. Landlords? Not so much.  To connect with Pierre Paul, email him at  ppturgeon@maoki.ca Or his website www.multifamilyinvestingcanada.com where he offers free resources and

This week we have an everyday, blue collar Canadian, 33 year old Shayne from Montreal who just bought his first investment property and he has executed a BRRRR in suburban Memphis, Tennessee. The ARV is substantially higher than projected, rent came in almost 10% higher. Shayne is the youngest client of mine by far for years and years so I’m of course excited to have been part of Shayne’s journey to become a successful investor and mentor him in scaling up to not just have a large portfolio but for financial peace of mind. This is his story, if you enjoy the show, please share this episode with your fellow Canadians who want to invest in real estate, especially those who can’t afford to get into the Canadian market or want diversification.  Please enjoy the show.

Today’s guest is Dr. Wing Lim, a true renaissance man - a dedicated medical professional and serial entrepreneur who has built an impressive portfolio of healthcare facilities and senior living communities. For over 30 years, he has balanced a thriving family medicine practice with innovative real estate ventures. Dr. Lim's impact extends far beyond the medical field. He has spearheaded the creation of the state-of-the-art Synergy Wellness Center and the award-winning Esther Gardens senior residence, providing invaluable resources and care to thousands. Beyond his professional accomplishments, he is committed to empowering the next generation through his Physician Empowerment podcast. Link: https://www.physempowerment.ca/  Join us as we dive into Dr. Lim's remarkable journey - from the challenges of running a medical practice to the triumphs of building a real estate and senior living empire. His story is a testament to the power of vision, perseverance, and a relentless drive to create positive change. Cana

Today’s guest is my good friend and past client, Adam Johnson, CPA, CA, CBV, CFA—who, at the time, was my youngest client and didn’t have as many letters behind his name. Adam’s not your average CPA. He’s also a Chartered Business Valuator CBV and Chartered Financial Analyst CFA, making him one of less than 100 people in Canada with all three designations. He even ranked #1 in the country on his CBV exam. But what really sets him apart is his hands-on experience with one of Canada’s biggest investment banks, where he analyzed stocks and worked directly with equity traders which prepared him nicely for a long-time career in business valuations. Now, Adam’s expanded his investing to the U.S. after Ontario deals no longer made sense, and he’s the founder of Synthesis Valuations, providing top-tier valuation reports for everything from mergers to shareholder disputes.  Note we recorded this episode before the most recent hurricanes Helen and Milton devastated Florida the deadliest since Katrina in 2005, each with

We have the co-founder of Trust Your Talent, Tim Tsai returning to the show after a two year hiatus from the show. Tim’s members include 150 who have achieved some level of financial freedom, including the first level which is to have one’s monthly expenses covered by the cash flow from their investments. That’s a lot of people Tim and co-founder Rey have directly coached and mentored but he’s not alone as past guests of this show Vince Lee and Brooke Shang are past members and now coaches of Tim and Rey’s group. Tim is back this week to share what has worked for his own portfolio including what has not worked, when he saw red flags and was able to avoid damage unlike the many who have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in private lending in small towns, high leveraged, too much, too fast, too complicated investments.  However Tim’s members have survived and thrived over these same times and I can’t wait to meet the dozens of award members at Tim’s InvestED gala. About Tim: After retiring himself at the a

On to this week’s show, a topic I’m a big fan of, avoiding long-term rentals in tenant friendly provinces like Ontario hence we have Spencer and Ashley Giles back for round 2. If you didn’t already know, vacation rentals are a business, 24-7 for some like Airbnb managers like Spencer and Ashley Giles who are back to share more, dig deeper into the strategy including operating and owning in the USA.    Their management portfolio is 50 properties at time of recording spread across much of Ontario and Up State New York so they have a lot of diverse experience to share.   To follow Spencer and Ashley Giles, their website is https://spencerandashley.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/spencerandashley/ on Instagram.   Please enjoy the show!  

Our guest Meghan Hubner is a real estate business consultant who helps investors run their portfolios like a business. After a 12-year career in medical and pharmaceutical sales, Meghan transitioned to entrepreneurship, using her degree in entrepreneurship to work with various businesses. About 4 years ago, she started focusing on real estate investors, helping them with accounting, finance, operations, and building systems to stabilize and grow their businesses. Meghan is also an experienced real estate investor herself, having built a portfolio in British Columbia, and a cohost of the Real Estate Reliance Summit along with fellow dynamic investors: Elizabeth Kelly and Victoria Cluney.   For information and to register go to https://realestateresilience.ca/ but don’t delay, the all virtual conference is Saturday and Sunday Sept 28th and 29th.  Cherry and I are proud speakers and SHARE and I are proud to be sponsoring quality educational content providers at affordable prices by Elizabeth, Victoria and this

On to this week’s guest! Award-Winning Real Estate Investor, Coach, Speaker, Educator & Proud Entrepreneur, my old friend Elizabeth Kelly who tells it like it is.  Elizabeth shares about her wins and losses in real estate.  She’s been an active leader in the community for nearly 20 years and is here to tell us about how we Canadian real estate investors can be resilient, what she sees for our collective futures in real estate and she’s hosting the 3rd annual Real Estate Resilience Business Edition of the summit on September 28-29th.   Myself and SHARE are proud sponsors of the summit. I will be joining an expert panel on USA investing with friend of the show Glen Sutherland.  My wife, the lovely Cherry Chan will be a speaker as well and I’m super excited for the other speakers as well. On today’s show Elizabeth shares her personal journey from mega real estate investor to entrepreneurship adjacent to real estate, the challenges of affordability for investing in local markets even after learning the hard w

Mike Beer is is an owner of a real state investment company Mike Beer Investments. They have developed an investing system that has been working for well over a decade and invest in apartment buildings in Canada. His mission is to enable each of his investors to provide their families with the financial future they truly deserve. In the past he was a professional ski instructor and scuba divemaster. Now he focuses on coaching for charity, ice water plunges, health, and loves personal self development. Website to contact: https://www.mikebeer.ca/