Neil You can ask questions about the credit report. This usually happens if they are applying for bankruptcy or have gone bankrupt. These types of folks are not necessarily bad tenants. They have just gotten into trouble and now have to dig themselves out. However, you will need to look into...

Godfried, I appreciate you involving me in this discussion. It is interesting to see successful people`s investment approaches and it is food for thought. Being less then right wing and from Ontario it is sometimes difficult to get my posts responded to on this board. I checked out your...

Thank you for your advise on investing in mortgages. I appreciate your insights and experiences. I am wondering if the mortgage products Godfried and Harry mention are mortgage syndicates where you put your money into a pool of funds and trust management will act in your best interests. I agree...

Hamilton is more diverse then just steel and as previous posters indicate has a good long term future. Listing prices have not come down much but motivated sellers are entertaining offers significantly lower then list price. If you find the right property go for it but negotiate hard for the...

Godfried, Interesting post. Like you I have investments in the stock market and have become disillusioned with CEOs and the market. The key point I got out of Gordon Pape`s answer is we need to be in survival mode. I have passed through the phases you mentioned and am now looking to keep my...

Heather touched on some of the major points. I am a REIN member and a mortgage agent with Cirrius Finance in the Hamilton area. With access to all A lenders, B lenders and unlimited private financing we can put most any deal together. Some of the other brokers come to us for the non straight...

The way my Ontario lawyer phrases it is the tenant is responsible for lost rent & utilities but the landlord must mitigate their damages by finding a tenant as soon as possible. The tenant is also responsible for the costs of finding the tenant. Therefore you can legally claim advertising...

Can Rent To Own be used as a strategy for accumulating properties such as finding someone wanting to buy, back who can not get approved for a mortgage and investing in a property for them or should Rent To Own only be considered a selling strategy for a property you have owned for a number of years.

I use Karen Felice of Cirrius Realty Inc. She knows the Hamilton area well and knows how to work with investors. Tell her what kind or property you want and she knows where to find them. For example: - What townhouse complexes are best. Ones that don`t have a police presence or she will...

QUOTE (vascris @ Jan 12 2009, 11:46 AM) Hi, Are you working full time for the brokerage ? I working for myself as a manufacturers rep. That has slowly been winding down so I plan to go at the mortgage brokering side full time. Good luck with the course. I am sure you will do fine.

I have gotten into the business this month. The online course mentioned at Seneca College is not that difficult but you are required to pass the final exam. The online course cost $289 and the class room course is $229 with an additional charge of $183 for text book and financial calculator...

Neil, The general rule is you put all adults on the lease. In this case I am not sure Ontario Works will pay the rent. They may only pay a portion. Ontario Works will pay on time what they say they will. To get the checks sent directly to you, the tenant has to agree to and direct Ontario Works...

I used gottarent.com. Suppose next time will use Kiiji. Lawn signs brought in a lot of calls but they were the wrong type of calls. Also tried putting up flyers in the hospitals and got minimal calls. The Spectator was expensive but did not bring in much. Regards, Ramon Forgiel

Neil, I have rented to someone from Ontario Works and I did not need to fill in an "intent to rent form". In fact I did not need to fill anything out but just went by the normal application and lease procedure. It is up to the individual to fill out the proper forms and submit them to the case...

Thank you JohnS for your replies. They make perfect sense to me. Keep up the good work. This crisis is of Harper`s own making. Nobody forced him to introduce this policy. He did it out of mean spiritness. You live by the sword and you know the rest. Harper has only been in power for a couple...

I watched Warren Buffet on Charlie Rose 3-4 weeks ago when the government was backstopping AIG and the other institutions. He was saying these things about unemployment but overall was positive over the long term for the American economy and agreeing with supporting the financial institutions...

I pay anywhere from $600-$750 for the winter for a double driveway in Kitchener. This is to do it once and then come back after the snow plow has come through. Prices have gone up substantially from last year as the companies are basing their calculations on the number of times they had to go...

Bill This is a tough one as it brings up a lot of issues. I would talk to your lawyer - does this violate any of the condo rules to the extent you can evict. Talk to your insurance agent - If something happens to one of the kids will your policy cover what they can not. They may have some...

Ed, I have used open houses and they have been successful. This was in the summer however. Around now is a little more difficult. You are getting people in a tight spot - transferees or recent divorces. They can be good tenants but it is pot luck. I have gotten desperate and chased potentials...

We will get back to $85 oil with wide volatility based on supply and demand when the economy recovers. The big spike in oil prices was driven by the difficulty in meeting demand especially when China and India were going full bore. The key parameter you need to look at is how China is using...