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Showing posts from January, 2018

No shortage of tenants for new industrial space

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MARK RENDELL Special to The Globe and Mail  Published November 28, 2017 Just east of Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, real estate company Bentall Kennedy is building its first speculative industrial project in the city in years. The 216,000-square-foot facility isn't scheduled to open until next summer, but with Montreal's industrial market undersupplied in the midst of an economic boom, potential tenants are already lining up to occupy the space. "We've had a lot of traction on it," said Roberto Giglio, vice-president of leasing for Bentall Kennedy's Quebec division. "This is one of these buildings that we feel is going to be leased even before we complete it."   Speculative building traditionally plays a far smaller part in Montreal's industrial real estate market than in cities such as Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary. But with the third quarter of 2017 seeing 15-year-low availability rates, and demand bo

Understanding cap rates and the direct capitalization approach

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By Ramona Ursu, REMonline.com Cap rate is the short form for capitalization rate. In real estate investing you will quickly learn that cap rate is one of the most commonly referenced metrics for investment consideration. It is a simple way to assess the financial performance of an investment, but as you’ll see in this article it does have limitations. A cap rate is calculated and defined as: For example, if a building produces $10,000 in net operating income and sells for $100,000, the cap rate can be calculated as 0.1. Cap rates are expressed as a percentage, so we would read this as 10 per cent. The simplicity of this calculation allows it to be quickly rearranged to solve for an unknown figure. In the example above, we know NOI and value, but if we only had NOI and cap rate we can just as easily determine value. The usefulness of this is apparent as you will not always have all three pieces of information. Because a cap rate can be calculated so quickly and easily,

Is your home or income property insured when it’s vacant?

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A recent Alberta court ruling is a jarring reminder to homeowners and landlords to ensure they are onside with the requirements of their property insurance policies, particularly those regarding vacancy. The ruling, which was released by the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench last month, concerned a man who in 2011 bought an income property in the town of Westlock, just north of Edmonton. Immediately after his purchase, he bought property insurance and rented out the home to a married couple. Several years later, the couple had marital problems and moved out one at a time, with the wife leaving first and the husband moving out of the home by July 13, 2015. The landlord took the unexpected departure as an opportunity to renovate, with a view to renting to new tenants in September, 2015. He then dropped off his camping trailer at the property, which he planned to stay in occasionally during the renovations, and began the work. On Aug. 22, however, these plans were upend

Quelle est votre tolérance au risque pour l’investissement immobilier ?

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Une lectrice demande : On me propose d’investir 100 000 $ dans un projet d’immeuble avec rendement de 10 % par an sur deux ans. Quel est le risque ? Est-ce légal ? Je ne connais pas la personne. J’ai peur de me faire avoir. Il va sans dire, 100 000 $, c’est beaucoup d’argent. Mais à première vue, le placement semble en valoir le coup. On promet à la dame qu’au terme de deux ans, elle se fera entièrement rembourser son capital investi, en plus des intérêts. On peut donc dire qu’elle empochera 10 % par année « garanti ». Mais la lectrice nous transmet une autre information importante : l’immeuble dont il est question sera acheté sans garantie légale. Autrement dit, si un éventuel vice caché devait survenir et entraver la rentabilité du projet, les nouveaux propriétaires de l’immeuble ne pourraient intenter aucun recours contre les anciens maîtres des lieux. Il va sans dire que le rendement n’est pas la seule variable à prendre en considération. Dans une telle proposition, q

Royal mount mega-mall promises highway footbridge

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In time to woo new Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, the developer of a proposed mega-mall is proposing a footbridge accessible to both pedestrians and cyclists, connecting the mall to the De la Savane Metro station. The controversial project would span 232,257 square metres, nestled at the junction of Highways 15 and 40, earning it the nickname Quinze40. TMR mega mall faces mounting opposition The mall's official name so far is Royalmount, named after the Town of Mount Royal, as it would fall within the municipality's limits. Though Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has said she will need to analyze the project before taking a position, Projet Montréal's Luc Ferrandez, the borough mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal, has been one of the mall's most vocal opponents. He has said the shopping centre would multiply traffic and pollution in the area, and that it would centralize business, hurting the local economy and mom-and-pop shops. Residents, merchants speak out ag