The Canadian Real Estate Investor

Nick sits down with Josh Findlay, co-founder of BLD Financial, for a tactical deep-dive on financing Canadian real estate deals in today's market. They break down CMHC MLI Select (how the points work, why 95% isn't always 95%), compare CMHC construction financing vs. private-then-takeout strategies, and explore where bridge debt fits in. Josh explains why Edmonton remains one of the strongest MLI Select markets, the realities of underwriting in an elevated bond environment, and why young investors are racing to acquire assets. Practical advice for anyone scaling from small multifamily into mid-market development.
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The most common question in Canadian real estate investing has one real answer: capital is everywhere... you just need to know where to look. Nick and Dan walk through 14 distinct capital sources, from conventional A-lenders, B-lenders, and credit unions to HELOCs, BRRRR, private lenders and MICs, mezzanine debt, joint ventures, VTBs, CMHC MLI Select, Build Canada Homes, and family/network capital. Every source gets honest pros and cons. A reference episode, bookmark it and come back to the segments that apply to your next deal.
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CMHC's 2026 Mortgage Consumer Survey is out, and Dan and I dig into what the numbers actually say about Canadian homeownership right now.
The headlines: 35% of renewers felt financial pressure with payments up $375/month, but default concern dropped from 53% to 39%. 28% of first-time buyers needed a co-signer (54% leaned on parents). 23% got a down payment gift, median $30K. First-time buyers rented 7.6 years before buying. And 16% of researchers are now using AI in their mortgage journey.
The through line: stress isn't collapse, but adaptation isn't health. The Bank of Mom and Dad is now mortgage infrastructure, the path to homeownership is an endurance sport, and the trust layer in mortgage advice is fragmenting fast.
Canadian housing is stressed, adapting, and quietly being reshaped by family balance sheets and AI all at once.
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Nick and Dan break down the one line in the Spring Economic Update that actually matters: Ottawa wants private insurers to cover 5–8 unit buildings, with more flexibility for triplexes and fourplexes. Plus $7B accelerated for the Apartment Construction Loan Program.The backdrop has flipped — population growth went from 3.2% to -0.2%, rental starts hit 5x the historical average, and asking rents are down ~9% since late 2024.The core idea: Housing supply doesn't get built when politicians tweet. It gets built when a lender says yes. Legal density is permission, not a home. Policy can reduce friction but cannot repeal math.The next phase isn't rate shock — it's financing, absorption, and project viability.
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A deep dive into 10 Canadian secondary markets worth serious investor attention in 2026. With Toronto condo sales at a 35-year low and Vancouver projects struggling to hit presale thresholds, capital is flowing into cities where the fundamentals actually pencil.

The episode covers Moncton (2.9% population growth, $386K avg price), Halifax (#1 nationally for investor interest, lowest office vacancy in Canada), Quebec City (13% YoY price growth), Ottawa (Ontario's highest industrial rents at $17.33/sq ft, 130K+ federal employees), Hamilton ($2.3B in building permits, LRT in final phases), Kitchener-Waterloo (200K+ tech workers, 46% job growth), Winnipeg (6% multifamily cap rates), Regina (2.9 months of supply, $343K benchmark), Saskatoon (100%+ construction growth, HQ to Nutrien and Cameco), Edmonton (most affordable of Canada's six largest cities), Victoria ($3.15B tech sector), and Kelowna (contrarian buyer's market play).Each market analyzed for population, employers, housing prices, rental data, and the investor thesis.
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