Last Updated on October 24, 2023 by Neil Sharma
This past weekend’s Investor Forum at the International Centre in Mississauga is being lauded for attracting serious players in the real estate industry.
“We had the opportunity to connect with other investors,” said Dalia Barsoum, president and principal broker of Streetwise Mortgages. “I found the quality of participants was good in the sense that a lot of people who came to the event were investors or very serious about getting into real estate. For us, we connected with fellow investors and still learned some great stuff on different topics related to various investment strategies.”
Barsoum gave a presentation on financing, imparting knowledge about how to navigate the changed lending landscape, as well as key strategies investors should consider to manage their borrowing power.
“Attendees basically walked away with key tips that would allow them to continue to grow and hedge against interest rate increases in a smart way,” added Barsoum.
There was also another event for real estate investors held on the same day, but it was more style than substance.
“I was at the other event last year and I had a great time,” said Barsoum, “but if you wanted to learn true practical strategies related to real estate investing, the Investor Forum is the place to go.”
Jeff Belanger, vice president of investor and client relations at HOS Financial, a rent-to-own company, gave a presentation at the Investor Forum and says he was swamped by interested investors by its conclusion.
“The best thing I could have done for my business was get up on that stage because when I left that stage—most people bring two people to their booth—I had six,” he said. “We had a lineup of people wanting to talk to us, and there were even other people listening behind them. I almost think I should have had my own room at the investor forum because I had 18 to 20 people in my booth at one point.”
Given that Belanger presented to a room full of real estate investors, he spoke at length about the benefits of rent-to-owns from a vendor standpoint.
“It helped to be a vendor because I could explain things to investors,” said Belanger. “My business really needs a lot of one-on-one interaction with investors, so my time was heavily spent explaining rent-to-own to people.”
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Neil Sharma is the Editor-In-Chief of Canadian Real Estate Wealth and Real Estate Professional. As a journalist, he has covered Canada’s housing market for the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, National Post, and other publications, specializing in everything from market trends to mortgage and investment advice. He can be reached at neil@crewmedia.ca.
