I have posted this on the Buyers Forum, but wondered if anybody here can help with the investment side of the questions.

Many thanks

We are currently going through the process of applying to emmigrate to Canada. We are coming out as Investors so the application is not so detailed.

However there may be some time between applying and actually moving.

With this in mind we are considering the option of buying a 'small' property or apartment in Toronto and then renting it out. It gives us a base when we decide to come over and keeps a foothold in the market. It is likely that we would keep the property even after moving over as an investment.

Can anybody please provide the following:

1. Details of a broker that could help us
2. Fundings - how does this work, can we raise money against the property in Canada? If so what percentage of the cost.
3. What is the market like for rented property - is there much demand to rent rather than buy.

This all ties into another query I have regarding the market for investment landlords in Canada. For the last ten years we have owned property in the UK which we have rented out - we built this upto 50 properties. If we wanted to do a similar thing in Canada, how much bank support do you get, is there much margin in this kind of business?

Any feedback or contacts for taking these discussions forwards would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Rob Gilchrist
robert@gilchrist-homes.co.uk