Hello from Montreal. I invest in property and currently spend most of my research time on detached homes, transaction costs, and the gap between advertised and completed prices. I’m trying to decide what to use as my baseline before building any investment models. I joined because I’d rather compare methods across markets than stay in a Montreal-only bubble. For those following Canada, would you start with the local board, a market-data thread, or something else?
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Montreal newcomer looking for a sensible starting point on market data
- Thread starter FriendlyLens
- Start date
Before choosing a baseline, pin down whether the model is for an immediate rental, a renovation project or a broader comparison. That will stop a general Montreal chart from answering the wrong question.
The local board’s figures are a sensible orientation point, provided you check the period, property mix and whether each number represents listings or completed transactions. Then use the mortgage and first-purchase discussions to add the costs omitted from the headline data. I would compare research methods from other markets, but keep the actual price, financing, renovation and property-management assumptions local.
The local board’s figures are a sensible orientation point, provided you check the period, property mix and whether each number represents listings or completed transactions. Then use the mortgage and first-purchase discussions to add the costs omitted from the headline data. I would compare research methods from other markets, but keep the actual price, financing, renovation and property-management assumptions local.
What decision is the model meant to support: buying a detached home to rent immediately, renovating one, or comparing it with other property types? The useful data can change with the question. I’d also separate one-time transaction and renovation costs from recurring financing, maintenance, and management assumptions.
I’d be cautious about using cross-market comparisons too early. Even within Canada, a neat comparison can hide differences in transaction process, financing assumptions, local demand, and what is included in a reported property category. Compare the method across markets, certainly, but build the Montreal case from Montreal inputs before drawing conclusions from another city.
One practical approach is to save advertised examples as you see them, then update the same entries when a reliable completed price becomes available. Record property type, condition, location, dates, and any obvious renovation issue instead of tracking only two prices. A small consistent sample is more useful for learning than a large mixed list.
light_meadow
First-time buyer
Also add two non-price reading lists: renovation and property management. A detached home that looks attractive on purchase price can produce a very different result once you model the work required and how it will be managed. For legal and transaction questions, use forum checklists to identify what to ask, then confirm the Montreal and Quebec details with the appropriate local professional.
That’s a good distinction from Leo and KatarinaFromToronto: define the purchase case first, then choose the data. I’d build three versions of the model—current condition, renovation, and a less favourable financing or cost scenario. That should reveal which missing facts actually matter, and it gives you focused questions for the mortgage, renovation, management, and legal threads.