Category Archives for "Ideas"

Here’s an article I wrote some time ago. In it, I was trying to understand why someone might pay $171,000 more for an urban townhouse, which was essentially the same as a suburban, much less expensive one, except closer into town. Was it a rational economic choice? Here’s what I concluded… then. Today, in an […]

A client of mine asks, “Hi Bruce, what are your thoughts on real estate and the economy over the next 12-24 months?” Here’s what I answered: No one really knows what will happen, but in my view, there will be many opportunities for people with cash. I suspect several trillion dollars of real estate in […]

Purrdy Paws Mobile Grooming Spa founder Jayme Montero started with nothing. A teen mom, she had a “crazy” idea—to start a cat grooming mobile service when almost no one thought it would work—not her banker, her friends, no one. Her plan was to somehow finance and acquire a Mercedes Sprinter cargo van (which is tall […]

[Try answering these 40 Sens trivia questions yourself, then check your answers against Prof Bruce’s, https://profbruce.tumblr.com/post/161398856579/answers-to-ottawa-senators-trivia] Q1 Which of the following are not founders of the modern era Ottawa Senators? Randy Sexton Bruce Firestone King Clancy Cyril Leeder Answer: Q2 When did the modern era Senators start playing again in the NHL? 1927 1987 1992 1995 […]

Or what to do with underused parking lots and golf courses… OK, I’ll admit it. I am a bad (actually terrible) golfer and a not much better driver (of cars, that is). These days golf is a sport in decline (even before Covid-19 cratered much of the planet’s economy), which has triggered questions like: What […]

Traveling without moving, a new approach to downsizing Most realtors tell a person who is thinking of, say, downsizing, to list and sell their larger home and buy something smaller and presumably cheaper. This kind of talk is a bit self-serving because, if the client follows this piece of advice, the realtor gets another listing […]

Teach your children the power of positive and negative numbers by playing a terrific game called “Bananas” with them. It’s a free utility brought to you by Prof Bruce and his five kids and (so far) three grandchildren… Drive everyone “bananas!” Play full screen A girl named Pinky, who by the way is a math […]

Over 2,000 have signed up for this free webinar on March 24 at 7 pm ET: How to protect yourself, your biz, your real estate investments as well as clients, employees, suppliers, guests, residents, tenants… in a time of Covid-19 Listen as 20-experts give their views and take questions… Register now, https://www.covidcrisisplan.com/brucefirestone Prof Bruce is […]

I usually don’t really like rent-to-own (R2O) models either from an investor’s POV (point of view) or from a client’s POV. From a client’s POV, it’s an expensive way to buy property; they have to pay all of the costs of the property including mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance (tenant and landlord insurance), all repairs/maintenance, […]

[Excerpt from soon-to-be-published Gadgets and Gizmos, Bruce M Firestone, 2020] How could you give workers in the fast food industry a living wage? The only way (sustainably) is to make them more productive. Here is my thought about this: Turn your existing biz processes inside out. If I owned a fast food business, I would […]

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 […]

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 […]