New Year in Real Estate: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Barry C. McGuire
top 60 property law blog medal

A (GREAT!) Year in Review and Some New Plans.

Well, 2017 is done and dusted. We can’t look back without being pleased, but it wouldn’t be a year in review without some thoughts about what’s happening in 2018 with our corner of the real estate world.

My website, Investorlawyer.ca/BarryMcGuire.ca, continues to grow, both in content and traffic. We’re at 202 posts, including 109 podcasts and 26 videos! Our blog ranked #22 in the Top 60 Property Law Blogs and Websites for Real Estate Pros. Not just for Edmonton or Alberta or Canada—worldwide. I absolutely love the creative side of blogging and my website, so I am very happy that more and more people are finding it of value.

In 2017, word was getting out about Creative Real Estate Investment:

  • Our Agreement for Sale Focus Workshop in BC was a big success. Agreements for Sale are becoming more mainstream across Canada.
  • In March, we were invited to speak at Edna Keep’s Prairie Real Estate Forum event in Regina. That was a lot of fun, met a whole bunch of new folks and discovered that Saskatchewan knows all about and is used to using Agreements for Sale. Who knew?
  • We launched an exclusive Real Estate Investment Newsletter for people interested in Creative Strategies

In 2018, there are some major issues on the horizon with a changing landscape for real estate in Canada. But folks, that’s the way it is every year, there are always challenges. As always, despite worldwide doom and gloom, I remain positive and forward-looking.

Stay tuned for my commentary and insight into these emerging issues in 2018:

  • New marijuana laws will be tricky, especially for investment real estate
  • Interest rates are on the way up, making borrowing more expensive
  • Mortgage qualification rules have changed, tightening the market for lending

We’ve also got some exciting new real estate investment initiatives in the works!

  • Donna and I are developing a brand-new Rapid Cash Focus Workshop with our first event kicking off on April 7 & 8, 2018. We’re also offering a 6-month coaching program, which we haven’t done for a few years, and I’m beyond excited at the upgrades and improvements. We’ll be announcing more details on the blog and social media, so stay tuned. Or sign up for our newsletter to get info delivered right to your inbox!
  • REIN Life Magazine has asked me to be a regular columnist. This publication is a great source of info, analysis, and advice about Canadian real estate.

But life shouldn’t be all work and no play.

This year my hockey team won a bronze medal at the 55+ Alberta Games in Calgary. I continue to play hockey twice a week with the Vintage 55 group here in Edmonton. We now have over 300 players in four different age groups. The oldest group has 10 guys who are 85 years and over! Great guys, we support four charities and do lots of things together.

We all know it, but it’s worth saying, your health is everything—so do what you can to stay healthy.

35 pounds of grapes from my backyard vine was a record harvest and, man, that grape jelly is delicious! And, speaking of preserves, Donna and I are experimenting with our first sugarless jams. The raspberry, which is my all-time favourite, is almost there in terms of replicating the standard recipe.

My personal New Year’s resolution is to find more win/win solutions, helping all my clients and students address their legal issues with real estate. It’s going to be a great 2018!