My wife and I bought a triplex in Moncton three years ago in a rent-to-own deal, and the tenant who was supposed to buy it has bailed on the deal. That would normally be a good thing (because we get to keep his down payment and "credits"), but we've never seen the property and have just been...

Hi folks, I'm planning to sell my Moncton triplex and am looking for a realtor who has experience with multi-res and the downtown area of the city. Can anyone recommend a good realtor? Moe

I have a triplex in New Brunswick that was set up as a rent-to-own deal almost three years ago. The tenant-buyer is now in a bit of financial trouble and is looking to me for guidance as to where he should turn. The tenant-buyer has been collecting the rents from 2 of the 3 units, and living...

Hi folks, We own a duplex in Halifax but live in Ottawa. We tried using family in Halifax to manage the duplex, but that's not working out. Can anyone recommend a property manager in Halifax who they've had a good experience with? Many thanks, Moe

Hi folks, We own several rental properties in Ottawa, and sometimes when tenants leave at the end of their lease the unit is dirty or has nicks in the walls, etc. (typical wear-and-tear). This means we have to pay for cleaning and sometimes for small repairs to the unit. In Ontario it's...

Hi folks, My wife and I have an opportunity to buy a triplex in Moncton, but we're not familiar with the areas of that city. The triplex is near the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre, near the corner of Mountain Road and John Street. I've looked at the area on Google Maps...

Hi folks, My wife and I own three long-term-hold properties in Ottawa, and we're looking at getting into rent-to-own (RTO) deals. We've talked to experienced RTO investors, as well as RTO companies, and we've decided that the best fit for our strategy is properties that are in mid-sized...

Hi folks, My wife and I recently had a blockage in one of our rental units. The toilet and the shower drain (the bathroom is in the basement) backed up. There was a lot of water, and some residue that looked like sand. A plumber (who we trust) found tree roots when he put a snake down the...

Hi folks, We have a couple of units coming up for rent, and in the past we`ve had success posting our ads on free classified ads sites (specifically, Craigslist and Kijiji). The only drawback to these sites is the time it takes to post ads. I`m wondering if anyone uses software or a paid...

Hi folks, We have a tenant who wants to break their annual lease, which ends on August 31st, 2010. They have given us two months` notice. I feel dumb asking this, but here goes anyway: are we (legally) able to tell them that they signed a one-year lease, and that they have to find a...

Hi folks, Five months ago, my wife and I made an unusual arrangement in order to find tenants for one of our units. Long story short: we were trying to find tenants at one of the worst times of the year, and settled on three young guys who had good references but terrible credit (I know -...

Hi folks, My wife and I have had our conditional offer accepted on a side-by-side duplex in downtown Ottawa, and I`m really conflicted on whether or not we should proceed. Here are the numbers on the property: Offer price: $419k Gross annual rents: $48k Property Tax: $2,362 Utilities: $4,920...

Hi folks, My wife and I live and invest in Ottawa, and are looking to expand our horizons into Orillia. Can anyone recommend a realtor there who has experience with investment properties and is familiar with REIN`s approach to RE investing? Many thanks, Moe

Sorry in advance for the newbie question. My wife and I had our conditional offer accepted on a triplex that is zoned mixed-use. The seller is willing to do a VTB for 15%, and we`ll put down the remaining 10% needed for the down payment. Will be have to buy mortgage insurance? (I know that...

I`ve been hearing a lot about rent-to-own deals lately, and regularly receive those hilarious emails from Home Owner Soon (whoever writes those has personality to burn). My wife and I are following a strategy of buying duplexes in a good part of our city, with the intention of renting and...

My wife and I recently bought a vacant duplex in Ottawa and have listed it on Kijiji and Craigslist for the past two weeks. We`ve been surprised by the lack of response to the ad (we`re getting quite a few views of the ad, but relatively few inquiries), and are hoping some of you can critique...

Hi folks - my wife and I just bought a duplex in downtown Ottawa (our second investment property) and will be having the tar-and-gravel roof repaired. We`ve received a couple of quotes for this work, the best one being $9,500. While I understand that the cost of reno work varies by city, I`m...

I`ve seen recommendations on this forum for a few tenant-screening companies (e.g. RentCheckCorp.com, TenCheck) and checked out the fees for each. There seems to be a big difference in the price that each of these companies charges for their services. RentCheckCorp.com charges $50 per search...

My wife and I are looking for the most cost-effective (i.e. cheap) appliances for our first rental. We`re looking for a brand/model that has the best durability for the price. Can anyone suggest a good make of washer/dryer, fridge, and/or stove? Thanks a lot, Moe P.S. The unit we`re...

We just placed an ad for a tenant for our first investment property, and I`m wondering if anyone has suggestions for things we absolutely must do to screen applicants. I find that when people reply to the Kijiji/Craigslist ad, they usually just say something like "I`d like to see the apartment...