Why Lease?

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business or turn a hobby into something more. Or have aspirations for a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, a lease offers the flexibility to live how you want, where you want, and for how long you need. Flexibility is the key component of a leased living.

Invest for your future.

A lease does not require the downpayment, credit, or commitment of a 25 year loan. So many investment opportunities exist in the economy today that can generate a yield vastly beyond a property. Image a typical downpayment directed instead into tech, or even a growing dividend portfolio and what that can do for personal finances?

Transaction costs?

Hard earned equity, lots of work and sweat, yet the transaction costs eat up many months of payments in an instant. A typical real estate transaction will cost 5% of the value of a home, plus the inconvenience of finding a buyer, legal work, taxes and fees. The transaction cost accumulated pays for a lengthy lease just in avoiding the sales commissions.

Repairs, special assessment, the dreaded HOA?

Is it a hassle to sit on a condo board to steward your shared investment in a property. Need a new roof? Negotiate with the roofing contractor and convince the board to select one type of shingle over another. Impose special assessments on the neighbours to raise funds if cash is short. Expose your insurance rating and future premium to others in the same building that don’t act as responsibly as you’d like, this is condo living today. Economy cools off, values drop, economy heats up, well, you can’t capitalize until you sell. Maybe time to lease instead?