Monthly Archives: July 2017

If you’ve ever wondered why bureaucracies produce the inane rules they do, why committees can never be depended on to solve any problem, and why in the field I’m primarily involved with (real estate development) cities and towns suck as badly as they do, read what  James E Wilson wrote in his 1991 masterpiece, Bureaucracy: […]

Well that is asking a lot. But my friend Dr Gillian Espie and her loyal firebrand 2ic (second in command) Ms Siobhan (this is an Irish spelling and it’s pronounced Shevaun) Little sure are trying, helped along by dental practice design experts, Henry Schein Canada. Here they are putting the final touches on their new location […]

And: Value Proposition of a Commercial REALTOR  And: Why Use Mortgage Brokers?  I work in the Real Estate Brokerage industry and I am amazed at how poorly most of the industry is at explaining their value proposition. The FSBO (For Sale by Owner) market is growing and REALTORS in Canada and the US are losing […]

Here’s a program I designed to create an edible forest in our town via its realtor community.  This is my outline: 1. realtors, instead of giving gift baskets or bottles of wine for every home sold, would give fruit trees 2. this will help create a significant tree canopy (shade, beauty, wind protection) over the […]

Simon asks Prof Bruce, “What’s the difference between ‘Assessed Value and Phased-In Value’?” My answer— So let’s say that you own a property, Simon, that you bought in 2015 for $400,000. MPAC (Ontario’s Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) comes along in 2017 and says,  “Hey Simon, good news! Your property is now worth[1] $700,000, you savvy investor, […]

I asked myself, “What could you do, cost effectively, to animate (reanimate actually) Ottawa’s CTC, Canadian Tire Centre’s parking lot?” The existing one. Hmm, let me see. -you have a 7,000 vehicle parking lot -empty most of the time. I know! How about building a series of pop-up stores for rent? Remember “Field of Dreams?” […]

Sure you do. We all want more clients. Want a better job? How about better marks at school? So how to do that? Well, this anecdote isn’t for everyone but here’s what one guy I know does– A friend of mine (he’s like a new age shaman or something) runs a mini storage business (how […]

Waterbridge Media and Bruce Firestone created ten short videos about Prof Bruce real estate investment and business coaching… here’re parts 6 to 10 in the series: part 6 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm-uXjuDce8?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304] part 7 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcYszQzDmB0?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304] part 8 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqr0fBLCcT4?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304] part 9 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYKdrf8BdiQ?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304] part 10 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTGQZUrPJgI?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304] Full playlist on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd3QdcBlEm9_3tN2YJVgDc3uIE-FIFM0g Bruce M Firestone, B Eng […]

Here’s a story on how to really sell via a process of discovering hidden needs and opportunities by getting close to your customer/client. One of my young salespeople when I was with the Ottawa Senators started his first day on the job by opening the Yellow Pages (in a land before Google). All his colleagues […]

Waterbridge Media and Bruce Firestone created ten short videos about Prof Bruce real estate investment and business coaching… here’re the first five in the series: part 1 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuAVFkAYMtM?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304] part 2 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeaXWl0pOCs?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304] part 3 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibdw9d6zBv8?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304] part 4 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTPoOTmIg-s?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304] part 5 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sL4PB__TJY?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=540&h=304] Full playlist on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd3QdcBlEm9_3tN2YJVgDc3uIE-FIFM0g Bruce M Firestone, B Eng […]

I think people will be doomed to live out their lives as rental serfs if they never get to purchase a home, which has now become unaffordable in many of the most desirable markets around the world.  But for landlords, this is good news. The following RBC article points out why landlords are likely to never […]

OK, which streetscape looks and feels better? a) walking alongside this parking garage in Ottawa’s Byward Market area or b) walking nearby to shops like these as folks get ready for Canada Day 150? If you chose b, you get a civic award for good citizenry. Not only is it a more lively streetscape, it’s […]