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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: What would your recommended REIT asset allocation be for a growth-oriented 33 year old who does not own a house? Currently own some Chartwell in a margin account. Would CAR.UN be your next choice? Is it advisable to own REITs in non-tax advantaged accounts?
Much appreciated
Read Answer Asked by Ryan on October 30, 2017
Q: In what order would you rank these residential reits for a long term hold (5 plus years)? Would you agree that you should have one or two as part of a core holding in a portfolio? Thank you .
Read Answer Asked by Albert on October 26, 2017
Q: You expressed a little concern on Tuesday with reits that had little or no exposure to retail space. Could you suggest a few top picks that avoid retail?
Read Answer Asked by Valdis on October 25, 2017
Q: Hi 5i team, I'm looking to add one more name in the real estate sector. I currently have BTB Reit, Artis Reit and the etf XRE. Could you please suggest a few ideas. What are your favourite reits at this time and would you replace any of my current holdings? Thanks. Mario.
Read Answer Asked by Mario on September 20, 2017
Q: In these times of rising interest rates, I am wondering if it is better to own rate reset prefs or perpetuals? Also are all REITs better on the back burner for now, or are there some that still look attractive?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by steve on September 13, 2017
Q: Hello 5i Team

I have equal dollar amounts in Boardwalk REIT (BEI.UN) and Northview Apartment REIT (NVU.UN). The REITs are held in a taxable account.

After release of the 2nd quarter results last week and the resulting change in share prices, I am down 5 % in Boardwalk and up about 1 % in Northview (after a long 2.5 years).

Should I sell my Northview and invest in Boardwalk for the long term or invest in Killam / Canadian Apartment to diversify my apartment REIT holdings from a apartment location strategy (i.e. Boardwalk is concentrated in Alberta, versus Killam is more eastern Canada and Canadian Apartment is more Ontario focused).

Thanks again for the great service.
Read Answer Asked by Stephen on August 14, 2017
Q: Further to my Aug 2 question, I did consider XRE but RIT seems the better choice as it has superior returns for all time periods, admittedly at more than double the MER. In case I decide that increasing my company count is OK would you please recommend your top 5 choices for direct company investment.
Read Answer Asked by Ross on August 08, 2017
Q: My real estate exposure consists of CAR.UN. To increase diversity I am considering selling CAR and buying RIT. The MER is on the high side but the short and long term performance, relative to other REIT ETFs or mutual funds, seems justified. Volatility is also relatively low. What is your opinion on my plan and on RIT as a long term hold? Are there any other mutual Funds or ETFs I should consider. The percentage of my portfolio devoted to REITs is not high enough to obtain the diversity I seek by direct investments. I also do not wish to increase my security count by 3 or 4.
Read Answer Asked by Ross on August 02, 2017
Q: Hi

I am looking to move some of my retirement account into things that I consider hard assets (Real Estate, Railways and Utilities etc.). I am looking for 3 REITS that have strong real estate holdings with the least amount of leverage. 2 residential and one commercial. What is your recommendation /
Read Answer Asked by Ron on July 26, 2017
Q: Morning,

Would like to know if the dividend from Cominar is currently safe and your view on the stock on an income based portfolio? Would Slate Office REIT be a good replacement if Cominar is deemed too risky?

Thanks!
Read Answer Asked by Richard on June 19, 2017
Q: Can you rank the stocks best to worst in your opinion. These are the stock s that are in my real estate sector which is 3% of my current portfolio. Would you add, swap or remove any of them? My portfolio holdings/thoughts are very similar to your BE Portfolio as I am a middle aged investor.
Read Answer Asked by Terry on May 17, 2017
Q: I would like to reduce the number of REITs in my portfolio but strike a nice balance in industrial, residential, commercial and perhaps care homes. My present holdings include CUF.UN, AP.UN, CAR.UN, GRT.UN, AAR.UN and SRU.UN. Which of these would you eliminate and what might you add?
Read Answer Asked by Lloyd on March 27, 2017
Q: My investment advisor has suggested that I sell Crombie due to uncertainty regarding Sobeys, Crombie's principal tenant. Do you share this concern?

He suggested True North as a replacement. What is your opinion?

I would replace Crombie with office and/or residential REITs.

With respect to office, I have enough Artis AX.UN, but could add to H&R HR.UN or buy another which you would recommend. Suggestions?

With respect to residential, I have plenty of Canadian Apartments CAR.UN but would buy another recommendation. Suggestions?
Read Answer Asked by Carl on March 21, 2017
Q: How would you suggest incorporating non-equity investments into diversifying a portfolio? For example, if an investor owned an office building:

a) Would this satisfy the "REIT" sector component of the portfolio?
b) Should the investor diversify within the REIT sector, and aim to also own a residential REIT, such as CAR.un?
c) Should the income-producing real estate asset be considered a "bond-proxy", thus not affecting the equity sector allocation?
d) Other?

Thanks in advance!
Read Answer Asked by Jonathan on January 03, 2017
Q: We all know that interest rates will be going up, and these guests on BNN poo poo reits as an investment, and than try to explain how there picks down 60 & 70 % may eventually come back for there investors if they wait long enough. The way i see it, if a reit has good management they will do well going forward. In Canada, Car.un, they are full, in the USA the ones are around 95% full. More and more people in the future will be forced to live in an apartment, with poor wage growth, more expenses, they will never qualify for a mortgage. What do you think, am i not seeing the real picture here, high quality Reits should be held even a rising rate time?
Read Answer Asked by eugene on December 22, 2016
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