Real estate journey — public log

Learning real estate in public.

I'm a digital marketer and web architect based in Kamloops, BC, with no background in property. I'm working toward my BC real estate licence while studying the Interior market — and documenting every step in public.

Read the posts →Why I'm doing this
5Markets coveredKamloops, Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, Merritt
5Primary sourcesAIR, CMHC, Bank of Canada, StatCan, gov.bc.ca
30+Guides and updatesEvery figure dated and sourced

The honest answer

Why I'm entering real estate.

The short version: I build digital systems for a living. I've watched compounding work in technology — codebases that get more valuable as they grow, audiences that build on themselves, products that get stickier at scale. Real estate is the oldest version of that idea.

The longer version is that I'm 26, I've had a good run as a freelancer and consultant, and I've been diligent about saving — but I have nothing that generates income when I'm not working. That needs to change. Not out of fear, but out of design.

I chose to document this publicly because I couldn't find many accounts from people in BC's Interior market who were actually learning — not the retrospective success story, but the real-time process, licence exam prep and all.

“The goal isn't passive income. The goal is building something that compounds — in Kamloops and across BC's Interior.”

Not doing this

  • Flipping for quick profit
  • Speculating on Kelowna appreciation
  • Leveraging to the edge

Doing this

  • Cash-flowing rentals in the BC Interior, long hold
  • Getting licensed before buying
  • Checking every figure against a primary source

The writing

The journey, post by post.

Real estate topic hub →Newest first. Figures checked against primary sources.
031Kamloops Housing Market Sept 2026: Back to JanuaryKamloops sold 189 homes in September and the single-family benchmark fell to $659,100, back to January's level. What the AIR figures mean for local buyers.Oct 5, 2026 · 8 min030BC Rent Increase 2027: What the 2.2% Cap MeansBC set the 2027 rent cap at 2.2% on 27 August. The number is the easy part — the 30 September notice deadline is what actually costs BC landlords money.Sep 4, 2026 · 9 min029BC Home Flipping Tax: What Investors Pay in 2026The BC flipping tax is 20% inside a year, tapering to nothing at two years. Here's who it catches, the exemptions, and how it stacks with the federal rule.Aug 5, 2026 · 8 min028Do Secondary Suites Still Pay in the BC Interior?Suites are legal almost everywhere in BC, the $40,000 provincial incentive closed and the 2% federal loan never launched. How to underwrite one in 2026.Jul 31, 2026 · 9 min027How Much Is BC Property Transfer Tax for Investors?BC property transfer tax is $8,000 cash on a $500k Kamloops rental and can't go on the mortgage. How the brackets work, and why exemptions rarely apply.Jul 12, 2026 · 7 min026Buying BC Property in Wildfire Season: The Insurance TrapNear a wildfire, BC insurers stop writing new home policies, and no insurance means no mortgage. How a summer completion can sink a deal, and the fix.Jul 6, 2026 · 7 min025Cap Rate vs Cash-on-Cash Return for BC InvestorsCap rate and cash-on-cash return answer different questions. When to use each, and why a 4% cap rate in Kamloops loses money at a 4.30% mortgage rate.Jun 22, 2026 · 6 min024What a BC Interior Rental Costs Per MonthThe full monthly cost stack for a $550K Kamloops rental at a 4.30% mortgage: about $3,630 a month against $2,200 of rent, and the lines spreadsheets skip.Jun 16, 2026 · 8 min023Kamloops vs Merritt for Real Estate Investment in 2026Merritt is cheaper and can look better on paper, but its population shrank 1.2% between censuses while Kamloops grew 8.4%. How to weigh up the trade-off.Jun 12, 2026 · 7 min022How to Make an Offer on a BC Investment PropertyHow to make an offer on a BC investment property: subjects, deposits, firm offers, the 3-day cooling-off period, and what happens if a deal falls through.Jun 7, 2026 · 7 min021Kamloops Real Estate Market: June 2026 Check-InKamloops had 250 sales in May, up 7.3% on the year, with the single-family benchmark at $671,600 and fewer listings than 2025. What AIR's May data means.Jun 2, 2026 · 5 min020Kamloops: Buyer's or Seller's Market? (May 2026)With 217 sales against 1,313 listings in April, Kamloops sat at a 16.5% sales-to-active ratio: balanced. What AIR's data says for buyers and for sellers.May 27, 2026 · 6 min019Kelowna vs Kamloops: Which City Is Growing Faster?Kelowna grew 14% from 2016 to 2021 and Kamloops 10%, but by October 2025 Kelowna's vacancy was 6.4% to Kamloops's 1.2%. What growth means for investors.May 16, 2026 · 9 min018Strata vs Freehold in BC: A First-Time Investor's GuideStrata vs freehold in BC: what a $14,000 levy does to a $395,000 condo, how to read a depreciation report, and when a freehold duplex is the better buy.May 15, 2026 · 9 min017How to Get a Real Estate Licence in BC (2026 Costs)How to get a real estate licence in BC in 2026: UBC Sauder's $1,500 course, the $200 exam, BCFSA's $875 practice course and $1,500 licence, step by step.May 14, 2026 · 10 min016Kamloops Real Estate Market Snapshot: May 2026The Kamloops single-family benchmark sat at $664,400 in April, flat on the year, with 1,313 listings and 217 sales. What AIR's data means if you're buying.May 13, 2026 · 7 min015How Much Can I Borrow for a Rental Property in BC?How much you can borrow for a BC rental: the stress test, the 39%/44% debt limits and how lenders count rent, with worked examples on a $150,000 income.May 11, 2026 · 9 min014Questions to Ask a Realtor Before Buying a Rental in BC11 questions to ask a realtor before you buy a rental in BC: who they represent, what tenants really pay, permits, financing and the 3-day cooling-off.May 10, 2026 · 9 min013Free Data Sources for Kamloops Real Estate ResearchSix free sources for researching Kamloops real estate: what BC Assessment, AIR, Zolo, Rentals.ca, CMHC and the City each tell you, plus a simple tracker.May 9, 2026 · 8 min012How to Underwrite a Duplex: A Kamloops Worked ExampleA $569,000 Kamloops duplex looks like a 6.4% return. Underwritten line by line it's a 3.7% cap rate and loses $700 a month. Here's how to run the numbers.May 8, 2026 · 10 min011BC Interior Real Estate 101: What to Know Before You BuyFreehold vs strata, BC Assessment vs market value, transfer tax, tenancy rules and title insurance: five things to learn before you look at a BC listing.May 6, 2026 · 9 min010Why a Web Architect Is Learning to Underwrite DealsSoftware architecture and real estate investing run on the same ideas: leverage, compounding and front-loaded decisions. Why that logic points at Kamloops.May 5, 2026 · 7 min009The Mortgage Stress Test in 2026: A BC Investor's GuideAt a 4.22% contract rate you qualify at 6.22%, which cuts what a $150K income can borrow by about 18%. How BC investors can use the stress test as a tool.May 1, 2026 · 8 min008Kamloops Real Estate in 2026: What the Data Actually SaysKamloops single-family homes sat at a $675,400 benchmark in March 2026, 6% below the 2022 peak. What AIR, CMHC and the stress test say about investing.Apr 21, 2026 · 10 min007Best BC Interior City for Real Estate Investment in 2026Kamloops, Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton compared on AIR benchmark prices, CMHC vacancy and rents, and mortgage costs. How the four rank for investors.Apr 8, 2026 · 12 min006Kamloops vs Kelowna Real Estate 2026: An Investor's ViewKelowna's single-family benchmark is over $1M, Kamloops's about $661K, and Kelowna's vacancy is now five times higher. What that means for an investor.Mar 25, 2026 · 10 min005Why BC Interior CAP Rates Look Better Than They AreListing-sheet cap rates skip vacancy, management and capital reserves. A Kamloops fourplex shows a 5.95% headline turning into 3.5%, and what to check.Mar 18, 2026 · 9 min004Kamloops Rental Market 2026: Vacancy, Rents and DemandKamloops rental vacancy was 1.2% in CMHC's latest survey and a two-bedroom averaged $1,679. Rents, vacancy and demand in 2026, and what the data misses.Feb 19, 2026 · 9 min003Buy Your First Rental Like a Software DeploymentStaging, a written definition of done, rollback plans and monitoring: how software deployment habits make for a safer first rental purchase in Kamloops.Jan 8, 2026 · 7 min002Cash Flow vs Appreciation: Which Matters More?Cash flow vs appreciation isn't either-or. How to weigh both in a BC rental, with a three-number underwriting model and a hurdle rate to keep you honest.Feb 10, 2025 · 6 min001Why Invest in Kamloops? The BC Interior Real Estate CaseWhy invest in Kamloops and the Thompson-Okanagan: demographics, infrastructure, rental demand, and the specific conditions that would weaken the case.Sep 20, 2024 · 9 min

What I'm reading

The reading list.

01

The Millionaire Real Estate Investor

Gary Keller

Mental models for thinking at scale, before you have scale.

02

Real Estate Investing in Canada

Don R. Campbell

The Canadian market is its own beast. This is the starting point.

03

What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow

Frank Gallinelli

A practical grounding in underwriting cash flow, line by line.

Concepts I've studied

The curriculum.

  • CAP Rate
  • NOI
  • Cash-on-Cash Return
  • GDS / TDS
  • Debt Service Coverage
  • Stress Test
  • Strata vs Freehold
  • Depreciation Report
  • Title Insurance
  • PTT Exemptions
  • CMHC MLI Select
  • Property Transfer Tax
  • BC Assessment vs Market
  • BCFSA Rules

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