Sync or Swim: The Multifamily Growth Show Rentsync

What role does purpose-built rental housing play in our housing solution? Today’s guest passionately believes that it’s going to play a big part and that we need to recognize, prioritize, and support that both as a society and as policy-makers. Tony Irwin is the President and CEO of The Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO). Tuning in, you’ll hear his thoughts on the necessity of taking immediate action to promote purpose-built construction, the impact of population growth and immigration, and how affordability issues are impacting the rental landscape today. We touch on obstacles to building purpose-built rentals, renters’ stigma, and the positive evolution of the rental housing industry. Hear Tony’s take on the true root of the affordability challenge, barriers faced by smaller rental operators, and what he recommends for the next housing bill. Tune in today to hear all this and more!
 
Key Points From This Episode:
Introducing Tony Irwin, President and CEO of FRPO. How the Purpose-Built Rental Report came together. An overview of the current state of Purpose-Built Rentals in the GTA. Why it is necessary to take immediate action to incentivize more purpose-built construction. The impact of population growth and immigration. How affordability issues are impacting the rental landscape.  Challenges to building purpose-built rentals. The stigma attached to renters versus owners. Obstacles posed by parking laws. How FRPO is approaching pending policy changes. Why the evolution of the rental housing industry is a positive thing. What the affordability challenge in the rental housing market can truly be attributed to. Challenges faced by smaller rental operators. Tony’s recommendation to boost density for the next housing bill. The importance of getting more people to do skills training.  
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Tony Irwin on LinkedIn Tony Irwin on Twitter FRPO BILD Urbanation  Finnegan Marshall Purpose-Built Rental Report Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 Rentsync Sync or Swim Podcast Sync or Swim Email  

ChatGPT and other forms of AI are really making airwaves, and in today's episode, we unpack how this relates to the rental housing industry. Joining us for this conversation are market research and advertising expert Adhiraj Brar and digital marketer Miguel Vasquez, both from Mainstreet Equity, a leading Canadian real estate and property management company. They’re here to shed light on how you can integrate AI and ChatGPT into your marketing strategies and use it to reduce your workload. Tuning in you’ll hear more about what ChatGPT is, how it functions, and some of the ways that it is helping property managers, landlords, and marketers in the rental housing industry. You’ll also learn how it has been used to create the National Demand Report by Rentsync before we hear about some of the helpful things this evolving technology will soon be able to do. Apart from talking about its many valuable use cases, our guests also share a word of warning to users of these tools and talk about some of the errors they have noticed while working with them. To find out more about how to make the most of AI and ChatGPT, tune in today!
 
Key Points From This Episode:
An introduction to our guests and their roles at Mainstreet Equity. What ChatGPT is and how it functions.  What led Adhiraj and Miguel to explore how AI and ChatGPT can help in the workplace.  Some of the ways that ChatGPT is helping property managers, landlords, and marketers in the rental housing industry.  How ChatGPT was used to create the National Demand Report by Rentsync. Some of the helpful things this evolving technology will soon be able to do.   Errors our guests have noticed while working with ChatGPT, including “hallucinations." Thoughts on ChatGPT Pro versus the free version.  How ChatGPT can be helpful for employees when English isn't their first language.   Advice to new users of ChatGPT and other AI tools.  Use cases of AI technology that the Mainstreet Equity team is excited to try.   Where people can find out more about what's going on in the world of AI.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Adhiraj Brar Miguel Vasquez Mainstreet Equity ChatGPT  Rentsync's Demand Report Rentsync Sync or Swim Podcast Sync or Swim Email

Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts, Apple, Google Podcasts, or Spotify.

What would it look like if we completely eliminated the private sector from our rental housing industry and replaced them solely with social housing, like the prefabricated panel buildings  (also known as panelkis) of Bulgaria’s Communist era? On this week’s episode of the Sync or  Swim Podcast, we focus on the Canadian rental housing industry. Our guest today is Peter  Shawn Taylor, the Senior Features Editor at the C2C Journal. He’s here today to discuss his most recent article, titled, ‘Marxism Won’t Solve Canada’s Rental Housing Crisis — Despite  What Ottawa Thinks,’ a piece that grabbed the attention of many players in the Canadian rental housing industry. We dive into an engaging discussion with Peter and gain his insights into the current rental housing crisis being faced in Canada. He talks us through the newly formed  Canadian Federal Housing Advocate role, what the financialization of housing means, and different tensions surrounding the root cause and the solution to the housing crisis. If you’re interested in learning more about what’s happening in the rental housing industry and how the crisis is being navigated, this episode is for you. You can also follow the link to read Peter’s article in the C2C Journal. Don’t miss out, tune in now! 
Key Points From This Episode:  
Who is Peter Shawn Taylor and what led him to write this compelling article.  What the Canadian Federal Housing Advocate, Marie-Josée Houle, and her office have been  tasked with.  Financialization of Housing; what this means, according to Peter.  Peter’s belief on the root cause of the rental housing crisis in Canada.  His “solution” to the housing crisis.  How the recommendations could essentially eliminate the private sector from participating in the rental housing market.  We discuss Andrey Pavlov and why social housing isn’t the solution for Canada.  Why REITs and other private investors offer better housing options versus Mom and Pop run operations.   What role the government should play in addressing the current rental housing crisis.  A look at other countries and the solutions they’ve implemented; could they work for  Canada?  Where listeners can keep up-to-date on what’s happening in Ottawa.   
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:  
Peter Taylor on LinkedIn  C2C Journal  Peter’s Article  The Financialization of Housing in Canada: Project Summary Report  The Uneven Racialized Impacts of Financialization  National Housing Council  Rentsync  Sync or Swim Podcast 


If you liked this episode, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe or follow Sync or Swim wherever you get your podcasts, Apple, Google Podcasts, or Spotify.

Building a successful brand requires deliberate strategizing and careful planning. The same can be said of making an impact in the affordable housing industry. Through his company, VIDA, today’s guest, Ron Lovett, is taking giant leaps in providing quality, affordable housing for those in need whilst his company’s brand is fast becoming a community favourite. Ron made the unlikely transition from securities to rental housing, failing many times along the way and using those lessons learned to forge a powerful business model of undeniable longevity. VIDA innovated four pillars which they use as guidelines to revolutionize affordable communities, and Ron explains why he is not fazed by inflation, why he’s chosen to double down on upskilling the community, how he makes the gig economy work for his business, and the unconventional methods VIDA uses to grow its brand. To find out how centralization and decentralization can be used in harmony, and why company culture is the only thing that matters, tune in now! 
 
Key Points From This Episode:
Today’s guest is Ron Lovett, Founder and CCO at VIDA. Ron’s background and his journey to founding VIDA. How he went from securities to rental housing.  Why he’s always thought of his real estate ventures as global issues.  How VIDA’s four pillars help it to achieve its goal of revolutionizing affordable communities. The way Ron’s company has fought inflation and how it has adjusted its model to do so. Why he’s doubling down on upskilling the community and using them for community jobs.  How he navigates safety and compliance by slightly adjusting the gig economy model.  The way residents respond to VIDA’s acquisition of their buildings.  What the company is doing to grow its brand, outside of conventional marketing methods.  How Ron and VIDA are making use of both centralization and decentralization.  What he learned about the rental industry in 2022, albeit as a newbie.   What Ron is most excited about in 2023.   
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Ron Lovett on LinkedIn VIDA Rentsync Sync or Swim Podcast Sync or Swim Email  
If you liked this episode, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe or follow Sync or Swim wherever you get your podcasts, Apple, Google Podcasts, or Spotify.

“It's been in the DNA of the company from the beginning. That idea of doing extraordinary buildings has, and is, and will be what the practice does.” — Robert Macdougall
With rental prices increasing year on year, we’re noticing that renters are looking not only for a nice place to live but for modern amenities to help justify the steep prices that they’re paying to live in major markets and downtown cores. One of the ways Westbank Living approaches this market is with smart buildings. Joining us to discuss this and the other ways that Westbank installs modern amenities in its real estate developments, is Robert Macdougall, Senior Vice President at Westbank Living. He sheds light on some of the exciting developments that the company is working on in the purpose-built market in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Seattle, Tokyo, and San Jose, and explains what inspired Westbank to embrace architecture and create hubs in these areas. Tune in today to find out more about the benefits of utilizing smart features, Robert’s advice to anyone exploring them, and some of the services and partnerships the company is implementing to generate additional income. 


Key Points From This Episode: 
An introduction to Robert Macdougall and his role at Westbank Living. Insight into some exciting developments in the purpose-built market in Seattle and Toronto. What inspired Westbank to embrace architecture and create hubs in these areas. What Robert gained from the National Multifamily Housing Council's OPTECH conference. The benefits of smart features and how Westbank has been approaching this trend. Advice to any developers that are exploring smart features.  Insight into the due diligence done when exploring the scalability of smart features. How Westbank decides what needs to be modernized to help increase the value of the asset. The type of services and partnerships Westbank is implementing in 2023 to generate additional income. 
If you liked this episode, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe or follow Sync or Swim wherever you get your podcasts, Apple, Google Podcasts, or Spotify.

“The industry can expect to have real-time analytics and real-time insights as to what's happening in the rental market across the country. And to me, this was a massive knowledge gap in the industry.” — Shaun Hildebrand
Access to real-time rental market data has always been a challenge in Canada. Luckily, today’s guests are here to share a solution to this problem! We are joined by Max Steinman (CEO at Rentsync) and Shaun Hildebrand (President at Urbanation) to discuss how they are joining forces to develop the most comprehensive market data platform for the rental housing industry in Canada. This exciting partnership will bring together Rentsync’s wealth of multifamily rental listings data, Urbanation’s industry-leading data platform for new purpose-built rental projects and condominium rentals, and decades of analytical expertise. Tuning in, you’ll find out how this new venture will create broader knowledge and expertise regarding what is happening in the rental market across the country. You’ll also gain some insight into rental demand in Canada as we unpack the unprecedented rent surges we saw in 2022, and Shaun and Max share their advice for how property owners, developers, and marketers can prepare for a short-term pause in the rental market as we head into 2023, plus so much more! To learn more about unlocking intelligent real estate data across Canada, don’t miss today’s episode of Sync or Swim!



Key points from this episode:
A look at Urbanation and their focus on the high-rise apartment market. Announcing the exciting new partnership between Rentsync and Urbanation! The kinds of reporting that clients and subscribers can expect from this partnership. An overview of the timeline for the rollout of this partnership and the new platform. Shaun shares his high-level take on the 2022 leasing season. Reflecting on the sustainability of these unprecedented rent increases. Factors that are contributing to rent increases across Canada. Why new construction of purpose-built rentals has dropped off. The impact of a recession on the rental market and what to expect going into 2023. How marketers can prepare for a short-term pause in the rental market. Economic advice for property owners and developers over the next few months. Where to access the November Rent Report and what you can learn from it. If you liked this episode, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe or follow Sync or Swim wherever you get your podcasts, Apple, Google Podcasts, or Spotify.