How to Find Real Estate Investing News

By Rachel Burke

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

This powerful quote from Benjamin Franklin perfectly explains how everyone should approach situations involving capital investment to further their financial gain. Every investment opportunity comes with a certain degree of risk — from hard assets to growth stocks to Bitcoin — and investors and speculators alike need to be as informed as possible before committing any hard-earned money. Things are no different when it comes to investing in real estate. In fact, the stakes are generally much higher when buying property. 

Unlike other investment opportunities, where consumers and companies can choose to purchase an amount depending on the current availability of resources, buying a property requires a much larger financial commitment. The additional responsibilities of leveraging finances from another party (your mortgage lender) and paying recurring fees increase the stakes. That’s why professional guidance and up-to-date market intel are so critical to making a successful real estate investment. 

Most residential and commercial property purchases occur with the assistance of agents and brokers to ensure that the process goes smoothly. But consumer education on the latest real estate trends and developments is often lacking. So if you’re looking to improve your industry education, here’s everything you need to know about finding real estate investing news.

Informed real estate investing in Canada

Before you can learn where to find your real estate investing news in Canada, you need to know about the different kinds of investments available. Most consumers think investment in property means buying a house, condo, or building — but there are many more options. Below are some of the most popular methods of real estate investing:

1. First-time and traditional home buying: This occurs when first time buyers or more experienced parties decide to purchase a piece of property to live in. While not purely done for investment purposes, homeowners do realize a host of financial benefits when they purchase a piece of property.

2. House flipping: Some people make additional income by purchasing older homes, repairing them, and selling them for a profit. Others simply purchase a home in a rising market and hold until they can sell at a higher price. These strategies occur over differing timelines but are generally short-to-medium-term investments.

3. Rental properties: Real estate groups and well-off buyers often buy a second home and rent it out to tenants to derive rental income. This generally involves the management of the home or unit to ensure that tenants are safe, respectful, and paying their rent on time.

4. Real estate investing trust: Unlike the first three methods, which involve purchasing an individual home, consumers can also invest in trusts, groups, and funds that deal exclusively in real estate. Similar to buying stocks, mutual funds and ETFs, these real estate investments don’t offer actual full ownership of a property but can provide financial gain.

Top real estate investing news sources

Depending on your needs, risk tolerance, and financial position, any options mentioned above can help you get into the real estate market. But to make the best real estate investment choice for you, there’s a considerable amount of research that needs accomplishing. Here are some of the best resources available for the latest news on real estate investing in Canada. 

Real estate associations

From the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) to other provincial Realtor groups — like OREA in Ontario — many certified organizations provide insight at the national and regional levels. As the largest trade association in Canada for a single industry, CREA performs various functions that help make real estate investment easier for consumers. This includes tech platforms like REALTOR® in addition to providing industry news, statistics, analysis, and insights. 

Traditional investor news outlets

Retail investors and consumers can turn to several resources for the latest news surrounding finance and investing. Given that real estate is such a major component of the Canadian economy, it’s natural that many print, media, and online outlets provide information on the current state of real estate across the country. Here are a few of the best places to go for the latest developments in Canadian real estate: 

• The Globe and Mail 
• Forbes
• MoneySense
• Financial Post
• BNN Bloomberg
• Yahoo! Finance

Provincial and federal government sites

Government websites and portals provide supplementary information regarding federal, provincial, and other demographic information on the housing market. Since these bodies both regulate the markets to different extents, they need accurate, real-time data to inform their policy decisions. This requires them to collect and present information that can be accessed readily by potential investors. 

Real estate firms and industry analysts

In addition to the traditional investment analytics sources mentioned above, plenty of real estate firms, brokerages, and third-party companies provide great intel on the current state of housing across the country. Particularly with the emergence of tech-enabled online brokerages, access to timely and insightful news on the industry is right at your fingertips.

Why you need to stay informed: Guelph homes for sale

If you still need convincing about the importance of real estate investing news, the skyrocketing home prices in Guelph, Ontario, should do the trick. Just an hour west of Toronto, this area is primarily known as a university and agricultural town. On the surface, there isn’t anything particularly remarkable about the city. 

However, over the last few years, and especially during the pandemic, Guelph has become one of the hottest real estate markets in the entire country. Over the last year, the average selling price for Guelph homes for sale has increased by over $100,000, not to mention the high compound annual growth rate it was already experiencing. 

For those buyers constantly monitoring real estate investing news sources, emerging markets like Guelph won’t come as much of a surprise. That’s why research is so crucial to successful real estate investment. If you’re looking to get a home in one of Canada’s more popular areas, be sure to check out the latest news from a variety of different sources!