How to Invest in Private Real Estate Investment Vehicles Webinar

Rewatch a 20-min conversation about getting started in passive real estate investing and how you can take the step into building your portfolio. Luan Ha, CEO of Fundscraper, and other experts on our team will be discussing how to successfully invest in private real estate investment vehicles along with a Q+A session to answer any questions you may have.

Grab a coffee and join the conversation to put forward any questions or challenges you have.

Play Video

The contents hereof are for educational, informational and illustrative purposes only and may change in the future. Copyright in such content is owned by Fundscraper Capital Inc. (“FCI”) and no user may sell, republish, modify, or distribute all or any part thereof without written permission. The views expressed by any speaker, author or participant, are their personal views and not those of FCI, an Exempt Market Dealer, registered with the Ontario Securities Commission (and equivalent regulators across other Canadian jurisdictions), or its affiliates. Any content is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Nothing in any presentation shall be construed as a recommendation or offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. The information presented may consist of investment opportunities that include projections and forecasts based upon information, including forward-looking assumptions and estimates. There can be no assurance or guarantee whatsoever that this information is accurate, complete or fair and any projections and forecasts  will be achieved. Historical performance is not necessarily indicative or a guarantee of future results and investments may be illiquid. You should refer to the offering documents contained within each investment opportunity for full details including risks relating to such opportunities. All securities involve speculation and a degree of risk and could result in partial or total loss of your investment. In addition, you should consult with your investment advisor and other professionals, including legal and tax, before making any investment. FCI may be a “related” issuer (as such term is defined in National Instrument 33-105—Underwriting Conflicts) of a party offering securities mentioned in this presentation and in some cases may receive a referral fee or other compensation therefrom.

How to Invest in Real Estate

The wealthiest investors all have one thing in common: They invest in real estate. You can do it, too, even if you can’t afford a down payment. Read our latest article to learn how to invest like the 1%.

Think you can’t afford a real estate investment? Think again. Worried now isn’t the right time to add another property to your portfolio? It is possible, and we’ve got you.

Even if the extent of your financial experience is a high-yield savings account, you can—and should!—diversify your portfolio with real estate. Fundscraper will teach you how to invest in real estate like the 1% does. If you’re wondering how to invest in real estate, Canada is an excellent real estate market for both seasoned investors and newbies alike.

How to Invest in Real Estate

Here’s Why You Should be Investing in Real Estate

Most of us never get a chance to participate directly in a major real estate project — usually grabbed up by big players, like private equity firms, banks, insurance companies, pension funds, and government institutions.

We are mostly left to public mutual funds, real estate investment trusts (REITs), exchange traded funds (ETFs), and the like. Most people don’t think they have the means or personal finance to buy an investment property, a rental property, an office building, or a single-family home as an investment, but they very well might.

The bottom line isn’t necessarily where you think it is.

Every investor’s goal should be to build a more perfect portfolio designed for maximum rewards and minimum risk.

Consider the experience of and the lessons to be learned from the Yale University Endowment, which is one of the best performing investment portfolios in North America, having a current value in the range of $30 billion. The fund is known for its “20% rule” which recommends at least 20% be invested directly in private markets, such as real estate.

This invariably translates into significantly higher returns over time for real estate investors over those who employ a more traditional allocation based in public markets. One can only conclude that it makes sense to piggyback onto a tried and true paradigm of real estate investing established by the major players.

If you’re new to real estate investing, the idea of adding such a large asset to your portfolio may seem intimidating. But it’s easier and more attainable than you might think.

Is Investing in Real Estate a Good Decision?

Too often, the traditional portfolio mix fails to achieve optimum performance because of the under-representation of direct real estate investing. Our thesis is simple: You’ll likely be more successful if you put more emphasis on solid direct real estate investing, while at the same time maintaining a high degree of safety.

Being risk averse is a good thing. We’re risk averse, too! Most people are naturally risk averse. We’re drawn to what we know and hesitant of what we don’t know.

The average person knows more about traditional investments like stocks and bonds, so that’s where they put most of their money. But the investment environment, especially in the stock market and bond market, can be volatile.

If you’re risk-averse, you should know that limiting your investments to only the public markets is one of the biggest investing risks of all.

The Modern Day Playbook For Super Successful Investing

How can a smart, modern investor get in on the real estate investing action, especially since going on your own may require prohibitive amounts of capital? Most people do not have the requisite knowledge or expertise to invest in real estate on their own.

Why Investing in Real Estate isn’t just for the Wealthy Anymore

An investment property probably conjures images of the wealthy 1%, but we help make that dream accessible to many. Investing limited only to public markets risks the chance of devastation if the “bubble” precipitously bursts based on factors beyond our control, such as environmental disasters, inflation, or fluctuating interest rates.

How to Invest in Real Estate

Common sense tells us to spread our money out into a diversity of pots, hoping the ups and downs will balance out and we will enjoy a somewhat stable, if unspectacular, return on our investments. As such, to grow and build wealth, it’s a good idea to put a bigger emphasis on real estate investing.

You can add real estate to your portfolio without actually needing to buy a home, or even buy a property.

How to Invest in Real Estate Like a Pro: What You Need to Know

Direct real estate investing fluctuates quite distinctly from other conventional asset groups like stocks and bonds. For instance, real estate is tangible and is what lawyers call an “immovable.” It’s not a substitute that should take the place of other assets in your portfolio, but rather an asset group all its own.

Unlike stocks and bonds, real estate trades privately based on local factors such as location, supply, demand, and investment lifespan. It is often scarce, particularly in growing areas, which translates to a history of appreciating value. In your portfolio, real estate investing is a channel to investments backed by real hard assets providing a regular income stream and long term growth coupled with the benefits of diversification.

You can enjoy superior performance and diversity at the same time. This is especially true if you’re maintaining and growing the value of your retirement portfolio. Smart real estate investing can only enhance the prospect of enjoying the benefits of things like reasonable leverage (typically as much as 4 or 5 times) and the miracle of compound interest over an extended period of time.

Your investment portfolio can enjoy superior performance and diversity at the same time. You don’t even need to be a landlord or property manager!

Meaningful real estate investing is essential for a well-rounded and successful investment package, and the benefits go well beyond diversification. The most obvious benefit of real estate investment is the financial one.

Real estate earns attractive monthly returns and can provide a regular fixed income stream over a set time frame. Speaking of tangibility, that’s another benefit: Real estate is a hard permanent asset that can be easily securitized. It has value, and you can calculate that value at any given moment.

Take advantage of having solid real estate investing as a meaningful part of your portfolio. It’s a self-evident way to enjoy reasonable returns and balance out the vagaries and unpredictable fluctuations in public securities markets, both domestic and international. It’ll pay off in the long term while maintaining a high degree of safety.

Other benefits of real estate investment to note include:

  • The ability to take advantage of leverage
  • Tax deductions
  • A chance to create added value
  • An increased voice in the management of the asset

Now that you know more about how to invest in real estate in Ontario, Fundscraper is here to answer any further questions you have about how to invest in commercial real estate, real estate development, and more. It’s time you start earning passive rental income. Contact us today to get started.

Start Investing in Real Estate Backed Investments Today

Explore the investments available on Fundscraper.

How to Invest TFSA

Private real estate investment is too often overlooked in an investment world dominated by hedge funds, ETFs, Principal Protected Products, publicly traded shares, and bonds. If you think private real estate investing is only for the wealthy or experienced, think again. Many people don’t realize they can invest their tax free savings account (TFSA) dollars in private real estate. 

Key Points

  • Many people don’t realize they can invest their TFSA in private real estate. We put together a guide to walk you through the process and show you how to invest with a TFSA.
  • Private real estate investing is for everyone, especially because you can use your TFSA to invest and you don’t pay taxes on your profit!
  • Investing your TFSA in private mortgages is easy! Nevertheless, it’s important to have your advisor orchestrate the process on your behalf, as there are moving pieces that have to be coordinated.

What Is Investing with a TFSA?

Private real estate investing is for everyone, especially because you can use your TFSA to invest and you don’t pay taxes on your profit! In fact, TFSA investing is an affordable, approachable way to get started. Not sure how to invest with TFSA or what that means? We’ll explain.

How to Invest with TFSA

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): Investing with a TFSA

The majority of Canadians hold their retirement savings in registered accounts at major financial institutions. When folks open a TFSA they normally invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange traded funds, and other public securities that trade on public stock exchanges. Many people believe that is all they can invest in through their TFSAs. But stocks, exchange traded funds, and the like only scratch the surface of what’s possible.

Most people don’t realize they can invest in private mortgage investment entities like mortgage investment corporations (MICs) and mortgage trusts, as well as mortgages directly, with their TFSAs. If you’re interested in doing this, we can help.

Not everyone knows how to invest TFSA funds. Interested in investing through TFSA? Fundscraper can help.

Investing with a TFSA in Mortgages

If you’re interested in investing with TFSA in private mortgages, whether directly or through a mortgage investment entity like a MIC or mortgage trust, the first thing you should do is seek expert advice if you have little experience in the private mortgage markets. The process of direct investing TFSA is not difficult, but if you’ve never done it before, you’ll need an expert to walk you through your due diligence. That’s what we’re here for!

Do you qualify? Find out your investor eligibility here.

Your advisor should be a registered mortgage broker or an exempt market dealer focused on mortgages. At Fundscraper, we’re both. We begin by asking about your investing experience, investment portfolio to date, risk appetite, expectations, current needs, and future needs. This is called a suitability assessment, and it helps us determine whether private real estate is an appropriate investment for you at this juncture of your life. If yes, the next step is identifying a mortgage investment product that would be suitable for you.

Investing Through a TFSA in Commercial Properties

Your tax-free savings account is very flexible. First, determine your TFSA contribution limit. This is very important and easy to do. It’s important because you cannot invest more than the limit CRA imposes on your TFSA account. It is easy to find out what your maximum contribution limit is by going to your “MYCRA” account. You’ll find out there how much available room you have to invest in a TFSA in any calendar year. Unused amounts from previous years are carried over!

Once you know how much you can invest, you’ll need to know what investments qualify for your TFSA account. CRA provides a handy schedule of qualified investments for all registered accounts, including TFSAs, here: Qualified Investments for Registered Accounts. In this schedule, you’ll find that in addition to stocks and bonds, there are other types of investments such as mutual fund trusts and corporations, and special investment vehicles like MICs. If you want to hold a mortgage in your TFSA, you’ll see that certain “debt obligations” also qualify for your TFSA. You cannot hold property directly in your TFSA.

After you make contributions to a TFSA, the investment income that accumulates may be withdrawn by you tax free.

How to Invest with a TFSA Through a Private Limited Partnership

There are two ways to make an investment through your TFSA account.

If this is your first time, you will do the following:

  1. Visit a bank, trust company, or credit union and ask to open a “self directed” TFSA account.
  2. Once the account is open, deposit the amount of money you wish to invest into the account.
  3. Next, you have to instruct the account what to buy. To do this, the financial institution will provide you with a “payment direction” that tells the financial institution, on behalf of the TFSA account held by the financial institution, what security to buy.
  4. The financial institution will then purchase the security on behalf of the account pursuant to your instruction.

You may already have a TFSA account at a big bank. If you do, that account is likely capitalized with big bank sponsored products like big bank mutual funds and ETF. Once we have found something that is suitable for you, and you know precisely how much you need to make your investment, you will need to contact your big bank account manager. If you want to use what’s there to fund your private mortgage or investment fund investment, you have to take the following few steps. We’ll help you with this process as much or as little as you need:

  1. Fund your investment. Instruct a big bank account manager to liquidate a fraction of your TFSA holdings to the cash amount you need to make your new investment.
  2. Open a self-directed TFSA. Ask your financial institution (any Canadian chartered bank or trust company) to do this. If you are purchasing a private investment fund or shares of a mortgage investment company, those issuers will have registered account “service providers” who will help you open your new TFSA self-directed investing account.
  3. Transfer your liquidated funds to your new account. You’ll complete a “transfer instruction” whereby your new financial institution will request that your current big bank TFSA institution to transfer the liquidated funds to your new self-directed TFSA account.
  4. Wait for the funds to transfer. The transfer can take up to four weeks. In order to maintain TFSA eligibility, funds must move directly from one TFSA account to another. You cannot withdraw the funds yourself, take them to your financial institution, and deposit them. DO NOT WITHDRAW YOUR MONEY. TRANSFER ONLY.
  5. Invest your TFSA into private real estate. Once the funds arrive in your self-directed TFSA account, as above, you will issue a payment instruction to tell the self-directed TFSA account to fund your investment in the private mortgage investment entity. The financial institution has a standard form of payment direction that it will provide to you.
    The investment income that accumulates in your TFSA may be withdrawn by you tax free!

Investing your TFSA in private mortgages is easy! Nevertheless, it’s important to have your advisor orchestrate the process on your behalf, as there are moving pieces

Summing Up How to Invest with a TFSA

Your registered investment account savings are your nest egg. Be careful with how you employ and invest these funds. Not everyone knows how to invest TFSA funds. Work closely with reputable dealers to first determine whether investing in private mortgage securities is suitable for you and, if so, what the best private mortgage investment products are for you at the time you want to make the investment.

Start Investing in Real Estate Backed Investments Today

Explore the investments available on Fundscraper.

Fundscraper is currently only available to existing clients.

If you have any questions, email info@fundscraper.com and one of our team members will direct your inquiry.

GET YOUR FREE DIGITAL COPY

The Modern Investor's Playbook
to Super Successful Investing

Become a master of real estate investing! This playbook has inside industry knowledge that you can use to help generate passive income! Discover tactics used by the savviest investors, how to diversify, maximize your returns and avoid mistakes. It’s everything you need to know to invest like a pro.

Start investing with Fundscraper today.