Michael Betsalel, Executive Vice President at JLL, returns in this episode. He was previously on the show to talk about the impressive volume of 2018 Ontario apartment sales, and today will get into the 2019 numbers. He, Adam, and Aaron will also discuss what the sale market looks like during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Ontario’s apartment investment numbers grew even more in 2019, so Michael tells us about some of the major players before getting into how investment looks with COVID-19 affecting everyone’s lives. He talks about JLL’s strategy during the pandemic and what certain asset classes will look like when the world goes back to normal.

Topics covered include:

• The incredible year that was 2019.
• Giant deals that inflated the volumes of both 2018 and 2019.
• New entrants to the Ontario market and how Michael has managed them.
• The increasing amount of capital that is required to get into the market.
• Michael’s view on cap rates during this crisis.
• Paying tenants to leave their rental units.
• Transactions that Michael was the proudest of in 2019.
• Staying connected with your clients during this crisis.
• Special clauses in purchase contracts that are starting to appear.
• Why multifamily investments can become even more attractive because of COVID-19.
• Different opinions on the market outlook that Michael has heard.
• What’s going on with listings that JLL had planned to bring to market soon.
• Rent deferrals and how government assistance will influence them.
• Opportunity risk in various asset classes during this time. 

More about our guest:

Michael Betsalel specializes in helping institutions, REITs and private investors to acquire and dispose of multi-family real estate investments. Michael accelerates his clients’ success by sharing market insight to create knowledge driven solutions. He has an unfettered dedication to achieving high results for his clients. His strong financial acumen and communication skills have helped Michael become the clear choice for selling multi-family assets in the GTA and throughout Eastern Canada. Michael has built a unique network of local, national and international investors, enabling him to provide his clients with geographic investment flexibility. Michael has been involved in the sale of more than $800 million in commercial real estate transactions, and continues to set new value benchmarks.