Secrets of the Canadian Real Estate Cycle: An Investor's Guide

by Don R. Campbell, Kieran Trass, Greg Head

Canadian real estate investors often hear about real estate cycles, yet very few people can describe what they are and how to actually use them to one's advantage. The Canadian Investor's Guide to Secrets of the Real Estate Cycle will show Canadian investors the ins and outs of the various phases of the real estate cycle, such as boom, slump and recovery, in order to equip them with the knowledge to make practical and informed decisions about their portfolios. Written by Canada's top-selling real estate investor and author Don Campbell and Kieran Trass, a leading expert on real estate cycles, the book will drill down into the various causes that affect real estate trends, such as local and global economics, population migration, employment levels, affordability of rental housing, real estate listings and other factors, to provide a scientific basis for assessing current trends and where those trends are heading. Complete with charts, checklists, and real-life stories, The Canadian Investor's Guide to Secrets of the Real Estate Cycle will be an indispensable guide for all investors.

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 2011

Reviews

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only skimmed this book because I figured out quickly it wasn't for me. I think the Key Driver Scorecard is the most valuable tool from this book: https://imgur.com/uxGpe5U

From my skim of the book, the concept is fairly sound, but also pretty basic.
* The market ebbs and flows
* Don't let emotions get in the way (greed and fear being the main 2)
* Look for hard stats/facts, the "key drivers", to tell you which way the market is headed
* Plan your investment strategies from there

This book is for investors who have entire portfolios of real estate investments and need to learn about the bigger picture so they can make better strategic moves to optimize their portfolio. I might be in a position to invest in real estate and I need to learn how to evaluate the quality of my first potential single investment. I was looking for nitty gritty calculations to help me with this evaluation.

A lot of the same terms ("strategic real estate investor") and concepts are repeated over and over again, like they are trying to sell you on an idea (that maybe couldn't stand on its own?) or get you to buy into their model of thinking. I can see how that might be annoying or off-putting.

I'm primarily interested in the Toronto market so here are my detailed notes on that, including examples of how to use the Key Driver Scorecard: https://imgur.com/a/rO7d3RB

[Richard Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely a game changer for beginners looking to seriously consider real estate as a life long investment vehicle. An introduction to strategies and tactics that investors would imploy are introducted, and there's a good use of accompanying examples and personal stories appropiately highlighting featured key drivers. The most notable aspect of this book is the constant application and re-inforcement of the real estate cycle in all aspects of your decision making. A highly recommended read for anyone interested in Canadian real estate.