EDMONTON - Edmonton is the second-best market in the country to invest in housing, says real estate analyst Don Campbell.

“Population growth is strong, job growth is strong and things are supporting this market quite nicely, said Campbell, founding partner of the Real Estate Investment Network, a business that provides resources and information on real estate to members.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to be another ‘07 where it just got into pure frenzy, but I think you’ll see late this year and early 2014 — which is a year behind Calgary as always — that the market will really start to push up.”

Home-buying demand will start taking off late this year while prices will begin rising next spring, Campbell says.

He bases that prediction on a formula where demand and prices come about 18 months after increased rents, which in turn follow decreased vacancies, increased demand for rental housing and growing population. All of those are triggered...

When you’re shopping for a new home, you want to find a property that has
all the features and characteristics you want. A large deck surrounded by
picturesque landscaping ... a beautiful kitchen with gleaming marble
countertops... a cozy finished basement with fireplace....

You should look for the ideal home. You deserve it! But some home buyers
make the mistake of becoming fixated on finding the "perfect" property, and
passing too quickly on those homes that don't quite measure up.

Why is that a mistake? Because some of those less-than-perfect properties
have the potential of becoming your next dream home.

First of all, a home that is lacking some desirable features, such as a
finished basement, will probably cost less. Those savings may be more than
enough to cover any needed upgrade or renovation.

Secondly, if you look at a home in terms of its potential, rather than the
features it happens to have now, there will be more properties available on
the market...

I found a great article by James Kobzeff in regards to real estate investments and 5 very important questions to have answered when you are looking to invest.  

February 2, 2013 By James Kobzeff

A real estate investment analysis routinely gives real estate investors a basis for setting rent schedules, estimating income and operating expenses, as well providing the investor with a detailed description of a rental income property’s physical layout and marketplace position.

So it seemed like a good idea to take a closer look at what a real estate investment analysis should address and answer so less-experienced real estate investors engaged in real estate investing would have a better understanding of what to look for before they make an investment.

The list is not exhaustive, but it does touch upon the most crucial issues real state investors typically examine before making an investment.

1. How the Property Compares to the Market...

I found a very interesting article in the REIN newsletter and I thought I would share it with you. 

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PROTECT YOUR MORTGAGE APPROVAL TIP 1 Don’t deposit cash into your bank accounts. Lenders need to source your money and cash is not really traceable. Small, explainable deposits are fine, but getting $10,000 from your parents as a gift in cash is not. Discuss the proper way to track your assets with your mortgage broker.

PROTECT YOUR MORTGAGE APPROVAL TIP 2 Don’t make any large purchases like a new car or a bunch of new furniture. New debt comes with it, including new monthly obligations. New obligations create new qualifications. People with new debt have higher ratios…higher ratios make for riskier loans…and sometimes qualified borrowers are no longer qualifying. This is also true about Buy Now Pay Later programs, even if you don't need to make a payment for a year, the bank still calculates a payment equal to 3% of balance, eg. $4000 appliance package = $120/mth payment

PROTECT YOUR MORTGAGE APPROVAL TIP 3 Don’t co-sign other loans for anyone. When you co-sign,...