Investing in Canadian Real Estate

Warren Buffett often leans on one of his favourite quotes from ‘The Intelligent Investor’ which says that “investing is best when it is most businesslike.” So does this mean emotions are always bad when it comes to making investments in real estate?

Emotional investing can be calamitous. However, once you dig into it, emotions may have some positives when investing too.

Emotionally Charged Investment Decisions

Emotions tend to influence people to act less rationally. This would appear to be at odds with making sound, logical, investment decisions. We see it when home buyers keep on stretching beyond their means to bid on homes as they get caught up in the excitement and competition. We even see it when Canadian real estate investors fall in love with the concept marketing and branding of a pre-construction condo or luxury rental homes, and then vastly over pay, or can’t bring themselves to exit a failing investment when they should.

The reverse is what keeps many investors from making the better, more common sense investment decisions in less fancy property, which may actually be far more profitable.

Fear is one of the strongest emotions. It is also one of the most dangerous for an investor. Fear has been manufactured and managed many times to create substantial sell-offs at discounts when investors should have held. We’ve seen this in the stock market, oil, tech world, and real estate markets, and it looks as though that cycle may soon start again, if people fall for it.

When Emotional Investing Can Be Good

While some would argue that emotional investing can never be good, there are some factors which refute that.

For example, you could say emotional panicked sell-offs of an asset can create an amazing opportunity for those with the bullishness and courage to go against the market or act from a high level of wisdom. If no one invested emotionally then green and eco-friendly building never would have caught on.

Finding Balance

It is wise to be objective when choosing investments and predetermined timeline for selling and holding investments. However, this may follow an investor first emotionally by selecting a country, region or city to invest in, and the type of investment they are most interested in. It is then crucial to put personal bias aside and choose expert third party management that can execute and objectively manage real estate investments daily in order to maximize portfolio performance.

Richard Crenian

Investment Tips From Frobes Billionaire List

Forbes has released its new 2015 list of world billionaires, which details how the world’s wealthiest investors are doing this year and the valuable insights for individual Canadian investors desiring to follow in a similar path.

The Economy is Just Fine

While some enjoy debating the health of the national and global economy, the data from the new 2015 Forbes Billionaires list shows that the economy is operating fine for those that are willing to make it work for them.

Together the members of the list have seen their net worth grow close to one trillion dollars over the last year and nearly 300 new individuals achieved billionaire status this year as well.

Age is Not One of the Numbers to Dwell on

With 46 billionaires on the list under 40 years old, as well as aging veterans like Warren Buffett, age should not be considered a barrier for Canadians looking to increase their personal wealth. Age may be a motivating factor in demanding more from an investment portfolio or an added advantage for those getting started early and benefiting from compounding returns. It is clear from the list that age is not something that any Canadian investor should allow to hold them back.

The Power of Partnerships

It is incredible to see the vast majority of billionaires on the 2015 Forbes list are self-made, along with it are also two key takeaways Canadian investors shouldn’t overlook.

The first is the power of partnerships. Pick any name on the list and it is hard to see how they could have made it without others. Everyone on the list had help in creating, maintaining and growing their fortunes. This applies to Uber, Facebook, Berkshire Hathaway, Amazon, Alibaba and all of the other companies these billionaires have developed into modern day success stories. It also applies to the individual partnerships that investors have formed to invest together.

While it is great to see so many self-made billionaires, it may also be shocking to see that very few billionaires attained their wealth from inheritances. If so few heirs have managed to grow their inherited wealth, Canadian investors should give serious thought to how they will instill good financial principles amongst the next generation, as well as selecting secure investments that can be professionally managed on behalf of heirs.

Passive Income

From the multi-billion dollar valuations of tech companies to the personal investments of these billionaires, the one consistent theme is passive income. These titans of industry create passive income streams and invest heavily in assets that can produce them.

Real Estate

Whether its providing the initial capital to invest, serving as a main investment vehicle, or providing a safe haven for excess capital; real estate is perhaps the one consistent investment and asset that all of these successful individuals have in common.

Summary

It doesn’t matter your age or how you start your financial journey. As can be seen by the members of the Forbes Billionaire list, leveraging partnerships and acquiring passive income investments can build great wealth over the long term. By seeking out the investments and embodying these principles, more Canadians can experience greater progress toward their financial goals.

Richard Crenian