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The Apartment Building Expert
Derek Lobo Founder and CEO , SVN Rock Advisors Inc.

Perspectives and frustrations of apartment development

Derek Lobo Residential Development National Jan. 31 2022
Residents fall in love with their communities. They love the parks, the memories, and the housing they have. Though developers built these communities, they are often not included as part of those communities. Their initial vision of what could be

Renters often pay higher municipal taxes than homeowners

Derek Lobo Residential Taxes Ontario Dec. 16 2021
I was recently interviewed by Steve Paikin on TVO’s The Agenda about a little-known disparity between municipal taxes charged to homeowners and residential tenants in Ontario. It’s widely believed that only property owners pay property tax but it’s actually not

Forward sales of multiresidential properties: A win-win

Derek Lobo Residential Buying and Selling National Nov. 29 2021
Over the years, we have worked with countless apartment developers across Canada. Developers who know they can get the highest price by working hard on their marketing lease-up to get a fully stabilized building charging top rents, leading to an

‘Wall of money’ should pivot to apartment investments

Derek Lobo Residential Investors Sep. 23 2021
Personally, I have been through 17 recessions throughout my work moving around North America and I have always found that apartments have done better than other assets in a downturned economy. We’ve seen that apartments have been recession-proof and to

O’Toole, Singh, Trudeau miss the mark on affordable housing

Derek Lobo Residential Affordable Housing National Sep. 8 2021
It’s not more government involvement, it’s less. Each of the three main candidates vying for prime minister in the next election have highlighted this: Canada needs more affordable housing. Each one has different ideas as to how to address this

Immigration, housing and the private development industry

Derek Lobo Residential Market Trends National Aug. 19 2021
My parents moved to Canada with five children in 1966, when I was just eight years old. We found a decent three-bedroom rental accommodation that got our family started in this new country. In the 20-year period around 1966, 500,000

When real estate is a family affair (and sometimes, a family feud)

Derek Lobo Commercial Property Management National Jul. 21 2021
Wow, the recent news surrounding the Libfeld v. Libfeld dispute is getting a lot of attention! This raises the profile of intergenerational real estate to a new level, as internal matters do not often make their way to a public

Why women make great commercial real estate brokers

Derek Lobo Commercial Market Trends National Jun. 23 2021
Commercial real estate, like some other fields in business, has been historically male-dominated, but that statistic is changing and for good reasons. When you thought of a commercial real estate brokerage 30 years ago, most likely a certain image came

Perspectives on multi-generational family-owned real estate

Derek Lobo Residential Brokers National Jun. 9 2021
Having served families in the commercial real estate industry for the last 25 years, we have come to understand that there are some strong trends and commonalities between families, despite their individuality. When it comes to large, family-owned commercial real

Anatomy of an apartment market downturn

Derek Lobo Residential Market Trends National May. 1 2020
During an economic downturn it is crucial for owners and developers of purpose-built rental product to consider the intricacies of our industry and the multivariate nature of rental demand: Buildings exist within communities, and every community experiences the effects of

A record transaction, a $1M gift and a funeral for a friend

Derek Lobo Residential Real Estate Companies Ontario Feb. 21 2020
Between 1965 and 1975, Sam Katz and Ewald Bierbaum built the Cherryhill apartment community in London, Ont., that was owned until 2011 by the Katz family. I have completed a number of commercial real estate transactions over the last 15

Managing risk while developing real estate

Derek Lobo Residential Development National Sep. 9 2019
Real estate development is a great way to make a lot of money if it’s done right. Investors in commercial and residential real estate will beat a path to any door offering a building or development that meets a pent-up

The battle between wood and concrete construction

Derek Lobo Residential Development National Aug. 26 2019
New construction techniques promise changes to the development industry, but materials interests should not be afraid. When it comes to building mid-rise, multi-family residential buildings, there’s a new kid in town. Wood-frame construction is already shaking up the development industry, prompting

Achieving the right ‘unit mix’ for apartment developments

Derek Lobo Residential Development National Jul. 9 2019
The unit mix by size and type should be based on the results of a market feasibility study. Unit types most often range from studio apartments through to two- and three-bedroom units with two baths; some include extras, such as sunrooms,

An enlightening chat with Minto visionary Alan Greenberg

Derek Lobo Residential CEOs National Jun. 24 2019
Alan Greenberg is a giant in the multi-residential development industry and a true visionary. I had the honour of interviewing him at Carmo Companies’ Canada-U.S. Real Estate Meeting at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Toronto on Tuesday, June 11. Alan

Canada’s 40 most expensive apartment building transactions

Derek Lobo Residential Market Trends National May. 6 2019
It’s been a long time coming, but the Canadian purpose-built rental apartment industry is undergoing a renaissance. Demographic changes, the easing of regulations and limited supply are combining to make purpose-built rental apartments one of the best-performing sectors of the

The surprising challenges of investing in U.S. real estate

Derek Lobo Residential Strategy National Apr. 9 2019
Real estate is one of the most sought-after investment vehicles. Whether it’s commercial, industrial, or multi-family residential, these investments offer considerable passive income and appreciation. The United States, being the largest economy of the world, where investments are traditionally among

When is the right time for apartment building disposition?

Derek Lobo Residential Transactions National Feb. 28 2019
The answer to the question of what the best time is for apartment building disposition is one of those that changes depending on who asks. From the numerous calls building owners receive from multi-family brokerage firms, the best time to

Canadian apartment developers look to U.S. for future of amenities

Derek Lobo Residential Apartments National Feb. 1 2019
America offers lessons on how developers can attract and keep prospective residents while increasing income. As the Canadian purpose-built rental apartment industry grows, apartment developers are under increasing pressure to innovate. Rents may be rising, and vacancies may be dropping,

Five new construction apartment rental pricing strategies

Derek Lobo Residential Rentals National Dec. 31 2018
When can an apartment building be like an airplane? When you set prices to fill the available spots. Dynamic pricing is increasingly used to achieve the optimum sales at any given time. Airlines have been selling seats in this fashion

Understanding cap rates in the apartment sector

Derek Lobo Commercial Development National Feb. 16 2016
Capitalization rates, or cap rates, are a way of estimating the general rate of return of an apartment building by buyers or sellers. The cap rate for an apartment transaction is calculated by dividing a building’s net operating income or

Condominiums incubating next rental apartment boom

Derek Lobo Residential Market Trends National Jan. 20 2016
In Canada, especially in heated real estate markets such as Vancouver and Toronto, pundits are looking at the rush of condominium construction and wondering if this will be bad for the real estate market. Thus far, however, the condominium market has

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