Monthly Archives: December 2019

The story of Tamworth, a small town in Ontario “Animation” is a term I use to describe ways of adding new revenue streams to an existing property. For example, clients of mine are adding storage sheds, backyard workshops, basement apartments, backyard coach houses, play areas (things like outdoor ping pong tables), private patio areas, outdoor […]

[Another GaVinci Report by Corey Oliver] Pivot – in the business world it means to shift. To move to Plan B when Plan A isn’t working. It’s the art of recognizing change in a market or industry before the impact of those changes can damage a business or organization. The challenge is recognizing WHEN to […]

Substantial completion (aka, substantial performance) in real estate is usually defined this way: When approximately 97% of work outlined in a construction contract is done. This milepost is crucial in this industry for a number of reasons: a) so, a contractor can get paid out without having absolutely everything done, b) so, an owner can […]

This Xmas I am into handmade Christmas gifts as opposed to store-bought ones. So, here’s a story I wrote and recorded then uploaded to YouTube for my two grandsons. It’s called Sammy Came Back. It’s set in a town called Wretched and it’s about a cat locked out by a forgetful husband in subzero weather […]

(Excerpt from Don’t Back Down, the real story of the founding of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and why big leagues matter) The most profitable businesses are either illegal (like drugs) or government-owned like property taxes, alcohol distribution (at least in Ontario and Quebec), utilities and lotteries (plus drugs, if you count legalization of cannabis in […]

A client of mine, a top notch property manager (and, no, that’s not an oxymoron) who manages nearly a 1,000-doors wrote to me saying, “Some realtors who have helped their clients buy investment properties are reluctant to refer them to us even though we are probably the best property managers in our area. Why? Because […]

As someone who has tackled hundreds if not thousands of projects, I know the difference. It’s why now as a real estate investment and business coach, I preach using biz models instead of doing “projects.” In my day, I created over 1,200 home sites in multiple subdivisions, dozens of office buildings and shopping plazas, started […]

This is the wrong questions to ask. Why? Because every entrepreneur knows how to pull endless rabbits out of his or her hat. So, what is the right question to ask? How do we turn a cost center into a profit center? This is what we did at Dunrobin Lake. We got permission from MNR […]

Yeah, right. In an alternate universe, maybe, but in Ontario, land of the RTA, residential tenancy act, it’s hard for landlords to acquire vacant possession. On behalf of a coaching client, I recently reached out to Brian Dagenais, founder of Dagenais Properties, and an expert property manager, for his advice on this subject. Here’s the […]

City of Ottawa Official Plan Poll Results and Analysis by Bruce M Firestone, PhD Decisions by municipal government can be even more important to individual residents than those made by higher levels—provincial, state or federal agencies. Noted urbanist Jane Jacobs called this the “subsidiarity” principal by which she meant that the closer government is to […]