We are in the process of purchasing a small multi-family building (8 units) just outside of Calgary and need to get an inspection done on the 2 buildings. Does anyone know of a good inspector that will do inspections on buildings that have boiler systems for heat? Anything you can provide...

Over the past few weeks, I have gotten tax increase notices from 3 cities in Alberta showing huge jumps in property taxes for the properties that we own. Some of the increases are as high as 50% to 100% (Edmonton taxes rose 100%). It strikes me that while the cities talk of mill rate and an...

I may have missed the "how to`s" for this subject on previous posts and was wondering how do you do a criminal record check? I contacted the Calgary Police Service and they told me that I can`t get a form for someone else to fill out (e.g. a prospective tenant) but rather the prospective tenant...

I just about got tripped up on this one so I thought I would let others know about it and also ask if anyone knows anything about the bylaw. I went to the City of Calgary website and downloaded the new bylaw that apparently takes effect on June 1, 2008 which deals with, among other things...

Thanks Guys!

Where can I find the "Property Intention Form" that Don has previously referred to? This is the one that helps us show that we are holding a property long-term so that we have a better chance of claiming it as a Capital Gain. I tried going into the "download" section and typing in "intention...

I echo the sentiments! We are BLESSED to live in such a prosperous province. Stelmach may have a lot to learn but I can`t imagine letting another political party mess with our prosperity (and even consider ridiculous ideas such as rent controls). I know some of my `knee-jerk-reacting` friends...

I have been using Manulife One but I may be moving to Scotia Bank.Manulife Pros: - no income verification - interest at prime - no cost to set it up (neither legal nor appraisal of house) Cons: - if you use the "no income verification" component, they only go to 65% LTV (I don`t know what the...

Thanks for the feedback folks! Garth, does Landlord 911 charge the $100 after the judgement has been received or are they (or can they be) part of the court process to get the judgement? I suppose that whatever Landlord 911 charges or whatever other costs are associated with the collection...

Has anyone had any experience in having a court judgement against a tenant and having that appear on their credit report? I was speaking with someone yesterday who said that, while we can`t directly affect a bad tenant`s credit score for not paying rent, etc., we can take the tenant to Alberta...

I currently use Manulife as they have a good HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit). I first heard about them from friends who put their mortgage with them. The friends told me that the mortgage and the bank account are one so that when you get a pay cheque, for example, it gets deposited into the...

Hi Bob (et. al.) You might want to dig a little deeper into the "6 months in Canada and 6 months south" idea. I have heard from sources that I trust that it is an incorrect assumption that we are okay to be 6 months in and 6 months out of the USA. Maybe it`s okay from an non-income point of...

I don`t have all of the answers but I am aware of a few things. You`ll want to be aware of some of the following (and more): - Taxation will be an issue. I`m not an accountant but I understand that whatever income you make in the USA is subject to US tax. And depending on how you are...

I recently had a discussion with a banker at the Alberta Treasury Branch as to why the principal on one of my mortgages had increased from one month to the next. Although she was less than confident with her answer and had to confirm with a senior colleague, she told me that ATB, unlike any...

Just a "heads up" for anyone thinking of renting to tenants in Airdrie. I was informed by the City of Airdrie that their bylaw REQUIRES that the property owner pay for water and sewer. This discussion with the City was on the heels of me getting a notice for payment after the tenant applied...