One big advantage of buying a residence over other investments is that owners can put down a fraction of the purchase price and borrow the rest, magnifying the amount of any increases they see.

Campbell, who expects strong returns on Edmonton property starting next year, suggests prospective buyers look at homes within 800 metres of new LRT stations as one factor that will lead to higher returns in the long run.

Property investors from outside Nova Scotia have already moved to ferret out opportunities in Halifax following announcement of that $25 billion shipbuilding contract, says one local expert, suggesting those buyers may claim a significant share of acquisitions in the next 12 to 18 months.

That interest is expected to steadily grow in the next year, with REIN head Don Campbell suggesting price growth will follow the same kind of trajectory and not the boom-bust of some Western markets coming to terms with their newfound economic wealth.

The Halifax area is on the cusp of a real estate renaissance that will see average rents and home prices begin a slow and long-lasting rise, real estate guru Don R. Campbell said Monday.

“It’s going to be a slow and healthy sort of increase in real estate values, and not the boom-and-bust sort of cycle that we’ve seen in some western communities in the past,” said Campbell, president of the Real Estate Investment Network of Vancouver.
 

The real-estate think-tank Real Estate Investment Network (REIN) also had its eye on Orillia in 2011, ranking the city as one of Ontario's top 10 towns in which to invest for 2011.

"Being in the top 60 places to live and the top 10 investment opportunities in Canada are selling points," Landry said.

The real-estate think-tank Real Estate Investment Network (REIN) also had its eye on Orillia in 2011, ranking the city as one of Ontario's top 10 towns in which to invest for 2011.

"Being in the top 60 places to live and the top 10 investment opportunities in Canada are selling points," Landry said.

Don Campbell, president of the Real Estate Investment Network, said the past year’s market has been a year of recovery as the market adjusted to the job and population slowdown of 2010.

“Any job and population changes aren’t reflected in the real estate market until 18 months after they occur. Confusing signals from the market numbers were expected and that is what we experienced,” he said

“Real estate investing is not for everyone,” says Vancouver-based Don Campbell, president of the Real Estate Investment Network.

“You cannot do it sitting in your basement in your pyjamas, like you can when you trade stocks. When you buy a property, immediately upon getting the key, you are running a business.”