All Blog Posts
Why Real Estate is an Excellent Career Opportunity For Women
By Araceli Hernandez
I always get asked why real estate is a good investment and career move for women. Apart from the sound fiscal reasons, which I will mention later in this blog, there are some behavioural and biological reasons. Women live longer than men, smoke less, and are regarded by insurance companies as risk-averse. This is why …
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The Secret of becoming a successful investor
By Araceli Hernandez
We are all looking for the secret, the knowledge on how to become a successful real estate investor. There is no silver bullet answer as everybody has their recipe for success. Still, in today’s blog, I would like to give some anecdotal narratives about a successful career in real estate investment. I would like to …
Four Key Elements Of Real Estate Investing
By Araceli Hernandez
Welcome to the blog, where today, I will give some advice on navigating the real estate maze. It sounds challenging, but following these four steps will help focus your mind and make things clearer. I started investing in real estate after my divorce. With very little savings and lots of debt, I needed a career …
Potential Risks Involved With Real Estate Investing
By Araceli Hernandez
As with everything in life, there is risk involved. When you invest capital into any project, you can lose or profit from it. However, the biggest risk a person can take is to do nothing and to run with it makes you feel alive. The way I have always looked upon risk is that If …
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Why become a real estate investor?
By Araceli Hernandez
One of the main reasons people invest in real estate is to achieve financial freedom. So what does it mean to achieve financial independence? Simply put, financial independence means that all your sources of passive income will be equal to or higher than your lifestyle costs. Check out my Youtube video, outlining how to calculate …
Superpowers of Real Estate Investors
By Araceli Hernandez
So what are your superpowers? I like the word. I watched a movie where Spider-Man, asks Batman, what is your superpower? And he answers, “I am rich”. That is the superpower I would like to have. Superpowers are another name for skills. So what types of skills do you need to become a successful real …
Real Estate Investor Mindset
By Araceli Hernandez
In today’s blog, I would like to talk about the mindsets you will require for real estate investment. There are two primary types of mindsets, fixed and positive. One leads to growth while the other is risk-averse and more conservative in outlook. I had a traditional upbringing where my family encouraged me to find a …
Is Real Estate Investing a business?
By Araceli Hernandez
We spoke about mindsets in our last blog, and you must retain a business mind when trading in real estate as it saves you a lot of hassle, time and money, and let’s face it, we are all investing for financial gain. In today’s blog, I would like to talk about the business end of …
How Important Is Your Financial Health?
By Araceli Hernandez
In my opinion, when it comes to real estate investing, financial Heath is directly linked to physical health. Many people don’t like to talk about their financial health, but it’s essential to consider when investing in real estate. Take some time to review your financial health, diagnose it and put it under stress testing so …
The Importance of A Good Credit Score In Real Estate
By Araceli Hernandez
On today’s blog I would like to talk about the importance of a good credit rating or score when investing in Real Estate. The importance of a good credit rating will have an impact on real estate investing portfolios. There are two terms, your credit score and your credit report and many people think they …
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What is the difference between revolving and fixed debt
By Araceli Hernandez
I would like to chat about debt in today’s blog, both fixed and revolving debt. This issue is an essential factor in real estate investment due to the amount of debt in the market. Financial institutions are keen to lend, especially to students and young people, with easy access to credit cards and student loans. …
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8 Steps to Evaluate Your Financial Health
By Araceli Hernandez
In today’s blog, I would like to talk to you about the importance of checking your financial health when investing in real estate. Like a health check with your doctor, a financial health check alert you to any potential problems or issues that could seriously damage your life. As a real estate investor myself, I …
How can young people afford to purchase a home?
By Araceli Hernandez
To help parents who are concerned that their children won’t have enough money to buy a home, we’ll address an issue I’ve been asked at least a dozen times in the last year. Now, let’s get down to the business at hand. Hello, I am pleased to see you again. There are many of my …
How much is enough?
By Araceli Hernandez
Knowing how much money would be enough to live a great life and also invest to secure your future is extremely important. But the truth is that no one really knows all this information, at least not right off the bat. It takes lots of trial and error to narrow down just how much money …
How to Invest in Real Estate with OPM (Other People’s Money)
By Araceli Hernandez
How can you really invest in property with other people’s money? It sounds like a gimmick, but it’s quite real, and from my many years of experience within the real estate sector, I will tell you how it is done. This blog will examine the methods required to buy investment properties, how they can be …
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Should I invest in RRSP or Real Estate?
By Araceli Hernandez
Today’s blog will examine the difference between RRSPs and Real Estate and which one is better. We will also explain asset classes, investment growth and the investment possibilities.RRSP stands for Registered Retirement Savings Plan. In the US, they are known as the IRA. They hold investments that help reduce taxable income and grow tax-deferred. Real …
Where can you find funds to start buying Real Estate?
By Araceli Hernandez
Hello, readers. Today are exploring the options available to find a source of finance to secure a real estate investment property. Finding that finance is the first step for many people, and today we will talk about some of the ways to locate it. 1. Your personal funds and savings. Ways to raise personal finance …
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How to leverage Real Estate
By Araceli Hernandez
Welcome to the blog. Today we focus on what is and how to use leverage in Real Estate. When I was small, my Dad, a mechanic, showed me how to change a punctured tire on a car. I could not do it myself as I was not strong enough, so to ensure I would always …
How to project organize in real estate
By Araceli Hernandez
Today, we will talk about project management when repairing and working with real estate. As a project manager myself, I understand the importance of organization, and I will share the tips I picked up on-site with you. If you are a novice to project management, I would suggest you pay close attention to this advice …
What is a VTB (Vendor Take Back)
By Araceli Hernandez
Hello and welcome to the blog. Today, we will discuss an uncommon transaction type in real estate called a Vendor Take Back or VTB. It is an unusual way to raise funds, but if you find a seller willing to accept a VTB, it can work out very well in some instances. So what exactly …
When to use private lenders
By Araceli Hernandez
Hello, and welcome to the blog. Let’s look at the three types of lenders in the market and define how they operate. We will discuss when to use private lenders, who they are, and why we need them in real estate investing. An A Lender is your traditional bank. High street banks require your credit …
Real Estate. One of the best ways to protect against inflation
By Araceli Hernandez
In today’s blog, we will talk about the advantages of owning real estate. One of the main benefits of real estate is that it keeps up with inflation at its highest rate in over 20 years. In 2000, it was at 1.99%; today, it has risen to 4.7%. Inflation impacts your purchasing power, and we …
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Renting vs Owning
By Araceli Hernandez
Today’s blog will discuss the differences between renting and owning property. The rent payment and mortgage repayment costs can be similar depending on where you live and when you took out the mortgage. In the Greater Toronto Area, rents have been steadily increasing with property prices. When comparing the two, we must also consider individual …
An Active or Passive Investor
By Araceli Hernandez
Welcome to the blog. Today we will examine the difference between an active and passive real estate investor. Both are popular ways of investing, but each has its specific advantages—the deciding factor determining whether to be an active or passive investor is time and individual circumstances. An active investor will require much more time to …
Types of Real Estate
By Araceli Hernandez
Welcome to the blog. Today we will discuss the four types of real estate available on the investment market. Real estate investors can choose from four properties: residential, commercial, industrial and land. So let’s take a look at each one. 1. Residential. This sector is made of single and multi-family homes. These homes can cover …
Steps On How To Flip A Property
By Araceli Hernandez
On today’s blog we will talk about what a fix and flip property is and the step you need to take to achieve this. A fix and flip is to identify the property, purchase it, perform all the renovations or repairs, and then resell it for a profit. On today’s blog we will talk about …
How Energy Affects Your Real Estate Business
By Araceli Hernandez
Hello, and happy Friday. It is Friday where I am here on this side of the world. Today is all about how energy affects your real estate investing. Not only your business but your life in general. If you’re starting a real estate investing business, your energy needs to be positive. It needs to change; …
Other Real Estate Strategies
By Araceli Hernandez
Today we’ll discuss other strategies besides fix and flip that you will run into as you progress in your real estate investing career. So, let’s chat about a few of them and see how they may fit into your strategies. Today, I want to talk to you about three strategies that may suit your plans. …
What is the rule of 1%
By Araceli Hernandez
Today we’ll be talking about the rule of 1% and how to use it. We use the rule of 1% mostly to do a quick analysis for a rental property to determine if it will be for a buy and hold. I conduct this analysis for all the properties I consider buying as it always …
Free Money for Real Estate Investors
By Araceli Hernandez
Today, we discuss free money for real estate investors. Yes, I’m not kidding. Yes, friends, you heard it, right. Free money, free money for real estate investors. And so, how can we do that? Well, let me tell you how. I will show you the government grants you can avail of as a real estate …
How To Calculate Maximum Allowable Offer (MAO) For Fix And Flips
By Araceli Hernandez
Today I’m going to show you how to calculate the maximum amount to pay when you’re doing a flip to be safe and make a healthy profit. Once you have identified a suitable property to fix and flip, there are a few things that you will need to know. Is it priced correctly, in the …
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Your Dream Real Estate Investing Team
By Araceli Hernandez
Today’s blog will discuss the people and skills required to make up your real estate investment team. A dream team can make or break a real estate investment from corporate to trade, so you must select the right people. With many years of experience dealing with people in the trade, I will share my thoughts …
How To Find Properties Remotely
By Araceli Hernandez
In today’s blog, we will discuss the pros and cons of purchasing properties online. There are many sales opportunities online, and real estate is one of them. The popularity of online real estate and buying a property remotely is growing. Clients can now complete signings and contracts remotely, and a great resource of research information …
Finding The Right Realtor
By Araceli Hernandez
In today’s blog, we will discuss one of the professionals you need in your team. One of the most important, as you will be interacting with them most the realtor. As a real estate investor, one of the best allies and friends that you can have is a realtor. When I started my career as …
Micro-Flipping Is Not For Beginners
By Araceli Hernandez
Today we’re going to discuss real estate wholesaling, also known as micro-flipping and who this strategy best suits. Let’s get started. So today, we’ll talk about wholesaling, also called micro flipping. Let’s define the concept, as I feel it’s sometimes misunderstood. Many call it micro-flipping because you need to find a discounted property under market …
DIY or Outsourcing
By Araceli Hernandez
In today’s blog, we will discuss the options for real estate investors regarding outsourcing and DIY repair work. To reduce costs and increase profits, it is always advisable that you do as much work as you can, but that would all depend on your personal skills, experience and expertise. Other factors influencing a decision to …
Working With Lawyers
By Araceli Hernandez
In Today’s blog, we will talk about lawyers and their role in real estate. This person will be a key part of your real estate dream team, so you must choose the right one for you. They are vital to the smooth transaction of sales from the opening to the closing of property contracts. I …
Working with Contractors
By Araceli Hernandez
The subject of today’s blog is an essential part of your real estate investing business, your contractor. You are doomed without a good, professional contractor on your team; this is how important they are to your business, especially when working on fix and flip projects. Any fix and flip success depend on the speed at …
Find where to Invest
By Araceli Hernandez
Hello, today is all about finding the right location where you’re going to invest. If you’re a new investor, this is for you as I believe that one of the most significant decisions a real estate investor needs to consider is to select the right location to invest in. You can change many things, like …
How to find the right Property Manager
By Araceli Hernandez
In today’s blog, we will discuss the important role of a property manager and how they can benefit your real estate investment business. On this blog, we tend to focus on fix and flip properties or buy and hold properties which can be rented over time. Depending on your investment strategy, location and time requirements, …
Why it is vital to have an Accountant in Real Estate
By Araceli Hernandez
In today’s blog, we will be talking about accountants and how important they are in your real estate investing business. In my role as a wealth advisor, I have seen many people who are successful real estate investors but fail to take care of the administration and accounts that go along with it. Many people …
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Factors that determine Neighborhood-Class
By Araceli Hernandez
This blog will discuss the factors determining a particular area’s class rating. You will see that the regions are classified from A to D. and A doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better, or D doesn’t mean it’s worse. When I started buying property, people asked me if I would buy in A, B or C categories, …
13 Things to consider when selecting a Location
By Araceli Hernandez
In today’s blog, we will examine thirteen things you should consider when choosing a location to invest in. We will discuss seven today and in the next blog we will cover the remaining six. If you are living in an expensive area, you will have higher costs to consider along with cashflow issues. However, if …
Real Estate and Entrepreneurship
By Araceli Hernandez
Welcome to the blog. Today we will talk about real estate and its link to Entrepreneurship. Being an entrepreneur takes a specific type of person with a particular mindset and set of skills. It takes time, personal development, and training to become good at it; just like any other skill, it takes practice. The skills …
Time Management
By Araceli Hernandez
Hello, and welcome to the blog. Today we will discuss time management when refurbishing a real estate investment property. I come from a background of working for many years in project management in the corporate sector. During that time, I learned how important time management is for any project. When I started my real estate …
Class A Neighborhoods
By Araceli Hernandez
What are class A neighborhoods, and how do we define them? In today’s blog, we will look at the characteristics of Class A neighborhoods and the type of properties you can expect to find in them. We will also discuss the pros and cons of these neighborhoods and what to expect from them. Class A …
Class B Neighborhoods
By Araceli Hernandez
Welcome back to the blog. Last time we looked at Class A neighborhoods and their specific characteristics. Today we are going to define Class B neighborhoods and outline the pros and cons associated with real estate investment within this classification. Class B neighborhoods, are typically known as areas that can easily transition to class A. …
Class C Neighborhoods
By Araceli Hernandez
In our previous blogs, we discussed the definitions of class A and B neighborhoods today, we will focus on class C. Next time we will look at class D. What defines a class C property? This classification is one of the most popular due to its flexibility and varying characteristics. Class C real estate is …
Class D Neighborhoods
By Araceli Hernandez
Today is the final blog in our series, looking at neighborhood classifications. In previous blogs, we looked at A, B and C; today, we will examine class D. Many investors tend to avoid Class D neighborhoods for a good reason. This class has many issues and few positive aspects, making it a financial risk compared …
Things to do to ensure your project is a success
By Araceli Hernandez
One of the first things you find out about taking on a real estate project is that things only sometimes go to plan because you will meet unforeseen problems and challenges along the way. Every project is different, with its own challenges to solve and diverse people to manage as you progress. There are no …
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What determines the level of repair in a property
By Araceli Hernandez
Welcome to the blog. Today we will talk about repairs to your real estate flip projects. How do you identify them and determine their cost and the category of work they belong to? I identify and list repair projects into three categories, small, medium and large. This helps me to determine costs and what to …
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How to streamline your Real Estate business
By Araceli Hernandez
In today’s blog, we will discuss the administration aspect of your real estate business. Some of you will be up and running and understand how much time is required to stay on top of all the invoices, receipts, payments, and costs associated with managing a real estate project. This side of the business is not …
How to develop a template to estimate repairs
By Araceli Hernandez
Today we’ll discuss templates that may help make your life easier as you go along and determine the work you need to do in your project. One of the things that I’m going to encourage you to do along the way as you start to manage different projects; is that you start generating a template. …
How to develop a template to estimate repairs
By Araceli Hernandez
Today we’ll discuss templates that may help make your life easier as you go along and determine the work you need to do in your project. One of the things that I’m going to encourage you to do along the way as you start to manage different projects; is that you start generating a template. …
Things to do to ensure your project is a success
By Araceli Hernandez
One of the first things you find out about taking on a real estate project is that things only sometimes go to plan because you will meet unforeseen problems and challenges along the way. Every project is different, with its own challenges to solve and diverse people to manage as you progress. There are no …
Things to do to ensure your project is a success Read More »
What determines the level of repair in a property
By Araceli Hernandez
Welcome to the blog. Today we will talk about repairs to your real estate flip projects. How do you identify them and determine their cost and the category of work they belong to? I identify and list repair projects into three categories, small, medium and large. This helps me to determine costs and what to …
What determines the level of repair in a property Read More »
How to streamline your Real Estate business
By Araceli Hernandez
In today’s blog, we will discuss the administration aspect of your real estate business. Some of you will be up and running and understand how much time is required to stay on top of all the invoices, receipts, payments, and costs associated with managing a real estate project. This side of the business is not …