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

Key takeaways for office conversions to apartments

Derek Lobo Residential Government National Jul. 21 2022
Earlier this year, we ran a two-day online event on the conversion of offices to rental apartments. We had a range of speakers, from Canada and the U.S., including developers, architects and municipal government representatives. The presentations were fascinating and

Condo and home builder development uncertainty?

Derek Lobo Residential Market Trends National Jul. 13 2022
A challenged condo or home development project warrants that the developer investigate rental development as an alternative exit. There’s been a disruption in the marketplace with the rapid rise in interest rates that we’ve seen to date, with more in

Ontario guideline rent increase 6.2 per cent for 2023?

Derek Lobo Residential Market Trends Ontario Jun. 27 2022
Will we see an Ontario guideline rent increase of 6.2 per cent for 2023? We should, but it won’t happen. The annual guideline is well below the pace of inflation and owners and property managers shouldn’t expect any relief coming

Lights Out! Landlords face a larger challenge today

Derek Lobo Residential Natural Disasters National Jun. 15 2022
The recent power outages created by a weather disturbance passing through Ontario were a good lesson for apartment landlords in terms of disaster preparedness and disaster recovery. Some of our clients in the Ottawa area had the power supply to

Real estate developers live longer lives

Derek Lobo Residential Executives National May. 19 2022
After having conversations with hundreds of real estate developers, and non-developers, and comparing their thinking, attitudes and courage, I am confidently making this statement: “Real estate developers live longer than most people.” People typically think living longer depends mostly on

Multi-generational families need asset and property managers

Derek Lobo Residential Property Management National Feb. 17 2022
For multi-generational families owning apartment properties, there can be many difficulties, competing factors and points of view brought to the table when it comes to management of property. At this point, for most portfolios built in the 1950s and ’60s,

Art of the flip: Converting office buildings to apartments

Derek Lobo Residential Market Trends National Feb. 9 2022
The far-reaching effects and opportunities of the pandemic are countless, and doubtless you have probably educated yourself on the ones that are relevant to you.  In this article, I’d like to highlight one which we think is a major opportunity

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

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