Let The Journey Begin | A Dawn Journal

A Dawn Journal First Post

First Published Date: February 24, 2007

Hello and welcome all. If you are reading this page, this is my first entry on this page but this is not my first site.

I maintain Canada’s Personal Finance Website. Please do visit as it is a neat site with lots of articles and news feeds. You might ask, "why another site if you already have one?"

Good question. I always tried to make www.adawn.net a professional type of site and I was not able to express myself outside of a financial context. If you read the articles I posted, you will know what I am talking about.

But here, I am free to talk about anything and I don’t need to watch out for what I say. Don’t get me wrong. It does not mean I will be talking nonsense. You will get the same quality writing and useful information you have come to expect from A Dawn. That’s all for now. Thank you for reading.

Why Are Global Real Estate Investors Flocking To BRIC Countries?

Bric Real Estate

First Published Date: June 06, 2011

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the realestateexpedition.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on June 6,, 2011

The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries are the world’s largest emerging economies advancing into the next generation with fast and rapid growth momentum. These countries likely to overtake the US economy and would make up 22 percent of the global economy by 2015. However, the property markets in the BRIC countries are still within reach and expected to flourish in the next 10-15 years. The time may be just right for global real estate investors to make some money investing in these countries.

A recent The Knight Frank Global Cities Survey shows that BRIC cities will rise to the top of the list, pushing top western cities like Washington DC, Geneva, and San Francisco to the bottom. Some present-day world-class cities like Toronto and Vancouver fall out of the list entirely. New York and London remain on the top of the list; however, skyrocketed prices in these western cities will be beyond the reach of most investors.

The biggest winners to lead the upswing in global real estate market would be BRIC cities, especially Shanghai, Moscow, Mumbai, and Sao Paulo. Rapidly developing infrastructure to support industrialization, massive land area, abundant raw materials, and taking futuristic steps in the right direction are some of the reasons that would make accelerated growth possible in BRIC countries.

For example, Brazil is now at investment grade status, so investors will probably not be reluctant to pour money into its property market. China recently approved a property tax to tame its overheated real estate market.  These are some of the elements that show this is the time to realise the future potential of the BRIC real estate market. Global real estate investors are keeping watchful eyes on these BRIC cities, as property prices are still within reach and it makes sense to invest in these cities before prices start to skyrocket.

The share of BRIC countries in global GDP is rapidly rising, and so is its real estate market’s potential. As the entry barriers are easing, global real estate investors are slowly and surely moving into BRIC countries.

This Credit Card Sign-Up Trick Gets You More Bonus Points

How to Get More Credit Card Miles

First Published Date: July 2, 2016

If you are applying for rewards credit cards the traditional way, by calling the Credit Card Company or going on their website, you may be losing out big on additional bonus points or miles. Today, I will talk about how to maximize receiving points or miles when you apply for credit cards.

What you need to know is that there are 3rd party sites that are always offering better offers than credit card companies. To get the most out of your credit card applications, use these sites instead of the credit card companies’ own sites or call centers. Think of it like buying plane tickets. You are likely to get better deals from a 3rd party than the airlines selling tickets themselves.

Here is a real example to help me illustrate. The MBNA Best Western MasterCard was running a promotion recently with a sign-up bonus of 60,000 points. However, this promotion was only available through 3rd party websites. MBNA Canada’s own website was offering only 20,000 points. Even when customers called in to apply over the phone, their reps were unable to match the offer that existed on 3rd party sites.

Now the question is: how do you find these websites that offer better promotions? I will provide you with some sites here that are always offering various credit card deals and promotions such as additional miles, points, gift cards, and so on. These are:

Greedyrates.ca

Greatcanadianrebates.ca

However, don’t settle for anything until you do thorough research, as there can be better deals somewhere else. Here are some keywords you can use to search online – “Best credit card offers”, “credit card promotions”, etc.

A little research and effort can make a huge difference between travelling on points for free/paying very little or paying the ridiculous full cost. I choose not to pay and travel on points for free or at a ridiculous low cost.

20 Questions to Ask Before Buying A Condo

Condo Buyer’s Checklist/Points to Consider When Buying A Condo

First Published Date: Nov 5, 2011

Condo living can be rewarding with minimal headaches. However, it is not for everyone. Today, I am going to present some questions that should be answered and looked at to help you before making any condo buying decisions.

1. Know why you want a condo and if condo living is for you.
2. When you live in a condo, there are rules and regulations you have to live by. Ask yourself if
   you will be fine with these rules and regulations and giving up some freedom when compared to
   living in a house.
3. Condo living is associated with paying ongoing fees (maintenance fees). Make sure you
   understand how these fees work and if you will be paying these every month.
4. Is the location right for you? Is it close to those amenities that are important for you?
5. What types of facilities or amenities is the condo giving you? Is it too much or too little?   
   Beware of condos that offer too much. For example, there are some condos in Toronto with
   their own bus services to the station. However, I won’t live there because maintenance fees
   will be too high for the obvious reasons.
6. Does it come with a parking space and a locker or you need to pay for them additionally?
7. Are there any restrictions on occupants? Will you be able to rent out your unit?
8. How many pets are allowed?
9. Is the condominium price reasonable?
10. Are the monthly condo fees (maintenance fees) reasonable?
11. What the condo fees cover and what the fees don’t cover.
12. How old is the building?
13. Who is the builder and is this builder a reputable company or have they had bad records or  
     problems in the past?
14. Is the building in good shape and durable? Does it look attractive?
15. Does the building and surrounding area look clean, neat, and well maintained?
16. Is the condo corporation in good order and are there no legal claims or judgements?
17. How are the condo finances? It is well managed or is the condo board is wasting money?
18. What is the owner-occupied and renter-occupied units proportion?
19. Is the building energy efficient and is a functional fire protection system in place?
20. Will this purchase make you happy living in your unit so you don’t need to look for another condo after 6 months? How many years you are looking to stay in this building?

Finally Free Credit Score Comes to Canada

How to Check Your Credit Score for Free

First Published Date: July 9, 2016

Canadians have always had access to free credit reports, but not free credit scores. All that has changed recently – now you are able to know your credit score for free and there is no need to pay $24 each time.

Two online loan providers are giving free access to your credit score when you open an account with them. There is no catch, really. Your free account will show your credit score and better yet, you will have an updated credit score every three months for free as well.

These two providers are: www.borrowell.com and www.mogo.ca. I opened an account with Borrowell to try it out and I was surprised at the ease and simplicity of the whole process. Within 5 minutes I was able to view my score on-screen. To make things better, there are free online credit courses and free articles on how to improve your credit score also.

Keep in mind that the credit score you are provided for free is an Equinox credit score, which is a proprietary model of Equinox. This is different than FICO®, which is a proprietary model created by Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO).

It is a good idea to keep an eye on your credit score and since this is free it makes even more sense. One more thing, don’t worry about your score dropping when you check