Friday, July 29, 2011

New Condo Development in Kingston. Plans and Prices for Anna Lane are Available.

Pricing and floor plans / layouts have been revealed for Kingston's newest condominium development downtown. Located on Queen Street, "Anna Lane" is aiming to provide affordable living for Kingstonians who want an urban lifestyle.


The suites will be brand new, which is definitely a plus for those who do not want to do much maintenance or any renovations, but it looks like prices are not as low as many had originally expected. Ranging from $141,000 to $315,000, plus parking and taxes, there is a wide range of opportunities. In addition, units range in size from small bachelor apartments to relatively large 3 bedroom units.


For your information, I have attached a list of the unit prices below:





Personally, I might consider owning one to rent out to students in the area, but at about $300,000 for a 2 bedroom unit, they might only be practical to live in in order to cover the mortgage payments and taxes.


For those who want additional information, just send me an e-mail and I will gladly give you more information and tell you how you might proceed.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

German Real Estate for Canadians: Dundee International REIT

For investors looking for extra diversification in their equity or real estate portfolios, Dundee International REIT will begin trading on public markets in Canada very soon. In an initial public offering made available via select banking houses, the company recently raised $410 million dollars that it will use to buy up office space throughout Germany that is currently leased mostly by Germany's largest postal carrier, Deutsche Post AG.



The yield on units of Dundee International REIT are expected to be in the neighbourhood of 8 percent, very respectable in today's low-rate environment. Also, Germany's economic and monetary climate is much healthier than many other regions of the world. With a European debt crisis, and much of the continent's banks and investors unwilling to expand their holdings, Canadian investors have found a great opportunity to gain valuable pieces of European / German real-estate at a reasonable price.
Happy Investing : )

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

What is the Most Affordable Place to Live in Canada? What is the Most Expensive Place to Live?

Thinking about finding an affordable place to live? For the second year in a row Mercer consulting has labelled Ottawa the cheapest of Canada's five largest cities to live in.

"The company, which annually ranks more than 200 metropolitan centres worldwide based on their affordability for visitors, said rent prices remain reasonable in the nation’s capital, while the price of transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment have also remained lower than in other parts of the country."

"Toronto led as the most expensive Canadian city. The city jumped 17 spots on the Mercer study, when compared to last year, bypassing Vancouver, which has held the title of most-expensive Canadian city for years."

But what is the most expensive city in the world to live in?

"The firm said the most expensive city on the planet in 2011 is Luanda, Angola."

What is the cheapest city in the world to live in? Karachi, Pakistan. 

"London was ranked 18th, while New York, Los Angeles and Chicago were ranked 32nd, 77th and 108th respectively."

Excerpts are from the Ottawa Citizen.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Canadian Home Prices May Soon Peak. Statistics Canada Reveals Healthy Gains in Home Prices.

"Thursday was the Statistics Canada New Housing Price Index, which averages the prices of new homes across the country. It rose 0.4 per cent in May over April, buoyed by the country's highest monthly increase in Regina, at 1.7 per cent. This was followed by 1 per cent in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ont., and 0.9 per cent in Toronto and Oshawa, Ont. The notable increase in Regina comes as the cost of land, building materials and labour continues to rise in that city. Meanwhile, developers in the Ontario cities that saw prices rise cited market competition as the driving factor."

"When comparing last May to the same month in 2010, Windsor and Victoria led the cities where prices dropped, with new homes costing an average of 4.4 per cent and 1.7 per cent less than a year ago, respectively. On a year-to-year basis, the national index rose 1.9 per cent, with the largest gains in St. John's (4.7 per cent), Toronto and Oshawa (4.3 per cent each)."

Source: CTV NEWS