Landlord by Design Blog
I started this blog as a form of therapy, a way to share ideas about ways to invest in real estate and manage your real estate investments.
I have found most of what is written online about real estate investing and property management is written with a slant to sell a service, course or investment. I wanted to be contrarian to that.
It is an interactive space with all my readers and followers. Some days I will just write a story based on one of my, or a reader’s experience. I welcome and appreciate all the stories from folks like you. Sharing ideas, solutions and advice has helped thousands of readers over the years.
If you are expecting perfectly edited corporate style blog posts with an agenda to sell you something, please leave this page (other than a link to buy one of our books).
If you want interesting helpful stories that tell the truth about the often chaotic world of real estate investing and property management, then enjoy the read.
HMO Mortgages – What Makes Them Different?
HMO Mortgages, what makes them different?
Keep It Simple Real Estate Investing – Podcast
If your goal is simply to retire financially independent, one straightforward approach is to purchase a duplex or two and over time pay them off. When I began investing in real estate, I noticed a lot of industry hype, there was always someone promoting a property, a...
Happy Holidays to You & Yours
Happy Holidays to You & Yours. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all our readers in 2025. Keep the comments and stories coming. The real estate journey can be full of ups and downs, and sure you can't talk about the struggles to everyone (especially at...
RHPNS 2025 Residential Tenancies Forum
Hey Landlords & property managers. This is not a usual post, but wanted to spread the word about this upcoming forum, presented by Residential Housing Providers Nova Scotia & Yardi Navigating the Residential Tenancies Act:Strategies for Empowered Property...
WOW! Huge Changes With Residential Tenancy April 30th
WOW! Huge Changes With Residential Tenancy April 30th Well after lots of talk, reports consulatation it looks like the changes to make the Nova Scotia residential tenancy guidlines more in line with what is happening coast to coast, are going to start on April 30. As...
Essential Legal Resources for Tenants & Landlords
A hot topic in our area comes down to two things. Landlords & tenants need to know the residential tenancy act plus understand their legal property rights. Dalhousie legal aid provides a great resource. Dalhousie Legal aid just updated their Tenants Rights Guide...
Free Rental Housing Conference October 16, 2024
Free Rental Housing Conference October 16, 2024 Hey landlords and property managers. I am connected with the AAOA (American Apartment Owners Association). They are hosting a huge conference on October 16th in California. Lots of great content that is relevant across...
Big Changes To Nova Scotia Residential Tenancy
Coles Notes On Proposed Changes To Nova Scotia Residential Tenancy Act 2024 Happy Friday, I have had a lot of people reach out about todays announcement about possible changes coming to the NS residential tenancy act.So, I decided to make a quick post and easy...
20 Best Canadian Landlord Blogs and Websites
When it comes to real estate investing there is no shortage of blogs and websites to help you. I started a blog as a form of therapy for what I was going through on the property management side of the business. I found it hard to find many stories about this...
Rent Cap Gets Extended & Increased To 5%
Hey Landlords, Landlords in Nova Scotia received some news that will work well for both tenants and landlords. The rent cap has been extended to the end of 2025, it has been increased from 2.5% - 5% per year. New leases will be signed at market rent. Lots of news...
Why invest in student housing?
Why invest in student housing? I wrote this piece for the AAOA (American Apartment Owners Association). If you are not familiar with them make sure to check them out HERE They had asked me to write a short article about student housing. This is something that is near...
Midwest Book Review by Clint Travis
Hey landlords, Midwest Book Reviews is highly revered in the library and academic spaces. I am excited to get a recommendation from them. Enjoy the read. Landlord by Design 2Michael P. CurrieBeachrock Publishingwww.landlordbydesign.com9780995303706, $16.99, PB,...
What if the HRM Landlord Registry is a Great Idea?
Hey Landlords, I wanted to write a follow up piece to my post - Landlord Registry – More Red Tape Solves Housing Crisis Since that article I had the privilege over the past few weeks to discuss the pros and cons of the proposed registry (R400) and changes to the M200...
Landlord Registry – More Red Tape Solves Housing Crisis
Hey landlords, I can see the headlines now: "More red tape solves housing crisis" or "Halifax City Council regulates its way to a world class solution to affordable housing" maybe even "Landlord registry makes housing affordable." I often wonder if expensive rules...
For My Local Peeps Lets Hang Out December 8, 2022
DO YOU OWN RENTAL PROPERTIES OR HAVE YOU CONSIDERED BUYING A RENTAL PROPERTY? Join us on December 8th, 2022 from 7 pm - 9 pm for a Property Management panel discussion covering both long and short-term rentals with Jenna Ross, Owner of Happy Place Property Management,...
KIRKUS REVIEW OF LANDLORD BY DESIGN 2
Special thanks to Kirkus for doing a review of my latest book. Landlord by Design 2 - Moves to Make and Paths to Take for Real Estate Investing Success. For those unfamiliar with this prestigious review company, here is an excerpt from Wikipedia: Kirkus Reviews is an...
Be Careful If You Are In A Relationship
Are you a person in a relationship that plans to invest in real estate? If you’re in a relationship, I want to give you a little advice, this doesn’t just apply to real estate investing. You both need to know what you want out of the relationship, the business, the...
The Housing Price Crash That Never Happened In Halifax
Is anyone else in a boring stable market like Halifax that just went on a wild ride, but in reality not much will change other than houses won't be listed for 500K over what they should be, just inline with what they are actually worth. I will make a disclaimer, that...
How I Got 80% of My Heat Pumps For Free
Hey Landlords, I wanted to share my amazing experience with the Efficiency Nova Scotia Program for Multi-Family Affordable Housing. I can only speak to the Nova Scotia program, however, I would recommend searching for energy efficiency upgrades in whatever province or...
Real-Estate Expert’s Guide For Finding A Good Property Manager
Hey Landlords, A great property manager can make or break your real estate portfolio. Let's face it, real estate is a great way to build wealth, but can also be extremely challenging when it comes to building maintenance and tenants. This is a guest post written by...