In this episode of the PowerHaus Podcast, Gabrielle Caine sits down with Debbie Balfour, a real estate investor, professional real estate investor coach, podcast host, digital news publisher, community builder, wife, mother, and lifelong teacher.

Debbie’s story is anything but linear. From helping classmates in grade nine math, to leaving university, working in banking, following her dream onto cruise ships, moving to England, building a 25-year career in IT, running a daycare so she could be home with her children, investing in real estate, losing her home in a fire, being laid off shortly after, and rebuilding her life and business through resilience and faith — Debbie’s journey is a powerful example of what it means to keep moving forward.

Today, Debbie helps real estate investors build credibility, visibility, and trust so they can create a pipeline of qualified investors who are ready to say yes to their next deal.

This conversation explores the real human side of entrepreneurship: pivoting when life changes, trusting yourself, learning through failure, rebuilding after loss, choosing your passion, and understanding why success is rarely “luck.”

Debbie also breaks down why real estate investors should not wait until they have a deal before building relationships with potential capital partners. Instead, she teaches investors how to build trust before they need funding, share their journey authentically, create visibility, and position themselves as credible operators long before the opportunity appears.

We also talk about Debbie’s son, Brandon Balfour, a successful men’s lifestyle content creator, and how Debbie’s philosophy of “try it, learn from it, and keep going” helped shape her children into entrepreneurs as well.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Debbie’s early love of teaching and helping others
• Why being good at something does not always mean it is your calling
• Leaving university and choosing a different path
• Working on cruise ships and following a dream before the internet made it easy
• Why success often looks like “luck” to people who did not see the work
• Building a 25-year career in IT without a computer science degree
• Motherhood, burnout, childcare, and building flexibility as an entrepreneur
• Pivoting from corporate work to real estate investing
• Buying investment properties in BC, Alberta, and Ontario
• Short-term rentals, co-living, and adapting when regulations change
• Losing her home in a fire and rebuilding after trauma
• Being laid off after 16 years and choosing not to go back
• Building a coaching business from lived experience
• Why real estate investors need credibility before they need capital
• How to build visibility and trust with future investors
• Why capital raising starts before the deal
• The power of podcasting, networking, writing, and community
• Why trying and failing is better than living with “what if”

Debbie’s message is clear: if something has been sitting in the back of your mind, start learning, start exploring, and start trying. As long as it will not cost you your home, your safety, or your life — try it.

Connect with Debbie Balfour:

Website:

www.debbiebalfour.ca

Email:

[email protected]

Facebook:

Debbie Balfour

LinkedIn:

Debbie Balfour

Free Training, Resources, Social Links & Booking:

www.debbiebalfour.ca

Brandon Balfour:

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@BrandonBalfour

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/brandonbalfourr/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@brandonbalfourr

Subscribe to the PowerHaus Podcast for real conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, leaders, and high performers who are building powerful lives on their own terms.

#PowerHausPodcast #DebbieBalfour #RealEstateInvesting #RealEstateInvestor #RealEstateCoach #CanadianRealEstate #WomenInRealEstate #InvestorCredibility #CapitalRaising #RaiseCapital #RealEstateEntrepreneur #BuildTrust #InvestorRelations #EntrepreneurMindset #FinancialFreedom #WealthBuilding #RealEstateEducation #CoLiving #ShortTermRentals #BusinessCoach #PersonalGrowth #Resilience #LiveYourPassion

Welcome to the PowerHaus Podcast.

2

I'm Gabrielle Caine, and this show

reveals what successful people

3

do differently so you can, too.

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We'll dig into the choices, habits,

and turning points behind the

5

results and leave you with one

practical step to use each week.

6

Welcome to the PowerHaus Podcast.

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My name is Gabrielle Caine.

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I'm here with my wonderful

guest, Debbie Balfour.

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I'm very excited to be

interviewing Debbie today.

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Hello, Debbie.

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Good morning.

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How are you?

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I'm wonderful, Gabrielle, and

thank you so much for having me.

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I really appreciate it.

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Thank you for being a guest.

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I'm really excited to dive in,

so let's, let's get this done.

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Uh, first, would you like to introduce

yourself and let us know what you do?

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Yes.

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Um, as, as mentioned, my

name is Debbie Balfour.

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I live in ... on the other side

of the country from Gabrielle.

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I am in Vancouver, just outside

Vancouver, British Columbia, and I am a

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real estate investor and a real estate

investing success coach, which means

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I help real estate investors, active

real estate investors, to build their

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credibility, build visibility, and

build trust so that they can build a

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pipeline of qualified investors who are

ready to say yes to their next deal.

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Oh, wow.

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That's a mouthful right there.

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You got a lot on the go.

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I love this.

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Did you always know you wanted to do that?

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No, not at all.

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Uh, I, I decided I wanted to do

coaching for real estate investors

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when I ... The minute I d- I learnt

how to invest in real estate.

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So I love teaching.

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Uh, I actually teach ... I'm a, I'm

Roman Catholic, and I teach what people

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call Sunday school or catechism, but

it actually happens in the evenings,

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and I teach right now grade four.

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But I've been teaching for 12

years, uh, th- to li- little

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ones on Catholic religion.

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Uh, in my ... When I was young,

in high school, I was the only kid

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allowed to walk around the class

because I was busy helping all of

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my peers instead of the teacher.

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They would go, "Debbie, could you help me?

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Debbie, could you help me?"

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So it, it's something I always

loved, teaching, helping

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others, sharing knowledge.

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As soon as I learn something new,

I wanna share it with others.

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So when I learnt about real

estate investing, I was like, "Why

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don't everybody know about this?

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I want to coach others on it."

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And I wanted to find the gap in

the market where other people

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are not doing a specific niche

that I could be of assistance in.

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So it started at a really young age.

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How old do you think you were

when you were walking around class

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and, and teaching other students?

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I was in grade nine, and in s- in

... Specifically, I remember it was math class

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in grade nine.

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So you're good at math.

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Yes.

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But, but funny enough,

I don't like numbers.

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Oh, my goodness.

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I've never heard somebody say that before.

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I don't like the detail.

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I don't like the detail.

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Just because you're good at

something does not mean you enjoy it.

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Mm.

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I got you.

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Yeah, you know what?

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I'd have to say I'm good at sales,

but it's not something I enjoy.

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Also, I'm not good with numbers, but

if you put a dollar sign in front of

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it, for some reason it makes sense.

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I know where your mind goes.

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Mm-hmm.

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I got you.

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Uh, so okay.

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So I love the start.

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So you're in grade nine.

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You discover this passion of teaching

fellow students and helping them

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along, which is totally amazing.

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Uh, so what- how does that launch the

trajectory of the path that you were

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on when you graduated high school?

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What happened once you graduated?

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Well, I, instead of realizing my

passion for teaching, I thought numbers.

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I'm good in numbers.

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I'm good in accounting.

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Uh, so like I did, in grade 11,

I was doing grade 13 accounting.

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And there again, I, I had, I, my, had

my cousin in my class, 'cause I'm,

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I'm now in grade, you know, doing

grade 13, and I'm helping him with his

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homework that he doesn't understand.

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And then all his friends come to his

house and he, he invites them over and

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says to them, "Oh, my cousin's here.

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Do you want help on your assignment?

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Come over."

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Oh my gosh, that's incredible.

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So you took it home too.

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That is so impressive.

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Yes.

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So but I didn't ... I, I went

to university to, for my BCom.

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I was gonna be a chartered accountant,

and then two years down the line

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I'm like, "I don't like this.

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This is not me."

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And I dropped out of university.

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So there was a student- What was the-

Here's a student that got scholarships.

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You know, I got scholarships

to Waterloo University.

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I got scholarship to Wilfrid Laurier.

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I didn't get to U of T, but

that's where I attended.

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And, uh, and I decided this was

not for me, and I dropped out.

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And at the time, I was working

part-time for the bank, so I just

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went full-time, uh, for the bank.

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Just, you know, went into

it full-time for a little.

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And again, I realized I

didn't like the, the politics.

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I didn't like the, you know, y-

if you're chummy with me, then

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I'm going to help promote you.

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That kind ... That was not me.

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So, uh- And I had this dream

of working on a cruise ship.

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Yes.

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Back, back then there

was no internet, right?

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So I don't know.

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It, I had this dream of working

on, on a cruise ship, and it was

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w- some- either that or I was...

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or being, you know, a

destination tour person.

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Mm-hmm.

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And suddenly, like, I kept thinking about

this, and I actually got a phone call.

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I don't know, I think I dow- I, I

requested, I saw in the newspaper

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back then a little ad about airli-

uh, cruise line addresses, and I think

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that's maybe where they got it from.

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Mm.

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And I reached out.

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I called them.

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I, I got it, but none

of the addresses worked.

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I heard nothing back from them.

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But then out of the blue, I got the

phone call from this company in Florida,

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uh, asking me if I was interested

in learning how to get onto cruise

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li- ships, and, and if I was, uh...

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and that they would promise me

that they would actually get me

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into interviews within a month.

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So it was only a month course, and

they would get me into interviews

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with specific cruise lines.

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But I would have to come down there, live

there for a month, take the course, and

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then, then I would be able to apply and

m- maybe go onto ships right from there.

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So I said, "Yes, I'm in."

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I'm in right now.

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You got me excited.

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I wanna do this.

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So yeah, I'm like, "Yeah, I'm in."

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And I, I paid for it.

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I s- set a time, I think, a few

months in, into the future where

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I was going to join their next

cohort, and I worked my butt off.

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I worked for the, I worked for the bank,

and then I went off to work to waitress.

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In the evenings and on the weekends,

and to get enough money to be able

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to have money to live, to pay for the

course, and to even further outside

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that one month in case I didn't

get on a cruise ship right away.

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But- You're really good at planning.

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I like where your head's at.

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You're so young, and yet you're like,

"Okay, so I need to make this much

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in order to live, and I need to..."

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Okay.

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I think a lot of people

can relate to that.

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Yeah.

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That's incredible.

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Okay.

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So how long did you have to

waitress for before you were able

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to move down there for a month?

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Three months.

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Three months I, I did it for.

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Yeah.

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Nice.

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Okay.

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I, so I've got my bank job, and

I've got my ... And, and then I

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have my, you know, the waitressing,

and the tips were great, especially

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when I did buffet on the weekends.

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So I used to come home with this,

you know, apron where, where you have

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all- where I'd have all my money,

my tips in, and I would ... It'd be,

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would be so heavy, especially after

the buffet, and I would, like, throw

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it out on the table, and my mom would

get so excited helping me count it.

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Aw.

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I love that.

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I can totally picture that happening.

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How exciting, the adrenaline

rush of how many bills I've got.

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Yeah.

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Yep.

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So- Yeah ... so then I went to

Florida, and I took the course.

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And, uh, I took it for, to be a purser,

which is the hotel front desk, and

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you do banking to ... You, you're,

you're exchanging foreign exchange.

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You're giving people money back.

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You're giving change.

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You're handling complaints,

that sort of stuff.

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So, so I took the course to be

a purser because it, it followed

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what I was just doing in the bank.

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And, uh, I got into ... I got interviewed

in my last week of the course with a

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few air- uh, a few cruise lines, and I

got into the one that I really wanted.

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And three days after I graduated, I was

on a plane to Barbados to meet that ship.

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Oh, man, I'm loving this story.

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I'm a little jealous.

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Wow, that is so exciting.

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So exciting.

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Yeah.

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So did you have to quit your jobs?

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Oh, yeah.

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But- Okay ... I got so

much flak from people.

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They thought I was crazy

giving up a, a solid job.

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Even my mom's friends were

like, "What is she doing?"

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The bank says to ... You know, the

bank was like, "Well, you could always

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come back here if it doesn't work out."

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So people were so negative about it,

thinking that I was going to fail.

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It was not going to happen.

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And then when I did do and I was on

ships, and then I came home after on my

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work break, and I'm talking to people,

do you know what I got, Gabrielle?

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What happened?

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They said to me, "Oh, you're so lucky."

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Oh, doesn't that just grind your gears?

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You worked two jobs.

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Ex- You, you, you went out on a limb.

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You took a chance.

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I took the ri- You went against all the

people who said, "That's not gonna work,"

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and then all of a sudden you're lucky?

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Doesn't that just- Exactly.

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Mm.

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That's the thing they say,

and we hear it all the time.

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When I tell people about y- I

have these investment properties,

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"Oh, you're so, you're so lucky."

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When, when you tell people about

your success they say, "Oh, you're

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so lucky," but they do not see

all the effort, all the work, and

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how you went against the grain.

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Because they're the same people,

like you said, that said to

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me, you know, "You're crazy.

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What are you doing?

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Why, why would you do this?"

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And I always knew that ... I was young,

number one, so my risk factor was low.

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I'm young.

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I've got many years to come.

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I didn't have ... I was living with my

parents, and my mom and dad were always

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there for me, so I always knew that if th-

this didn't work out, I could come home.

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I think that that's amazing, and I

love that you had gone after your

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dreams, and you didn't listen to all

the people with that negative talk.

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Continue with your story.

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I'm enthralled.

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if I was to write everything

I've done in my life on a CV,

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there wouldn't be enough pages.

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It would just be a book.

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So I w- worked on cruise ships for I think

it was about two years when I met a guy.

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He also worked on cruise ships.

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It was difficult for us to be on different

ships, so I decided to sacrifice 'cause

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he was a navigation officer, right?

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So he, he drove the ship.

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So I left and I came back home.

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At that time I was living in Toronto,

and, uh, I came back home and I decided,

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"Okay, I'm going to go back to school."

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Now I, I know that I love

the travel, the tourism.

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So I took travel and tourism, and

then I worked for a small airport

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in Oshawa, uh, called Skycraft.

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I think they're gone, way gone now.

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But I did everything.

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I did, like, security.

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I did check-in.

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I took the reservations.

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I walked them to the plane.

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So I would do that from early in the

morning for, from, like, 5:00 a.m.,

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uh, to 1:00 or something like that,

and then I did go back to the bank.

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I worked for the bank on the,

uh, on the evening, and I was

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doing this for a little while.

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So hard work is not something I'm, you

know, it, that I, it's foreign to me.

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So yeah.

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So I would work two jobs and, um, but it

was getting tiring, so I met ... One of

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the ladies that w- I worked with at the

airline, she moved to a hotel, and, uh,

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she said, "Debbie, you should do this.

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We're always, we're looking for people."

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And so I did apply and got in, and

I was working for the Delta Chelsea

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in, on Bloor and Bay, I think.

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So I, I worked there for a while,

and then I was like, "You know what?

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I miss ships.

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Because my boyfriend and I

by this time had broken up.

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So I decided I want to go back.

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And I got on the phone, and I said,

" I'm interested in coming back,"

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and three days later they called me

up and they said, uh, "Can you fly

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on the weekend to meet the ship?"

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So I told the hotel, I said, " I would

love to give you more notice, but I can't.

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They need me now, so I need to go."

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But yeah, and I flew out the next

time and went back on ships, and I met

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my husband on the, on cruise ships.

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He was the chief photographer on board.

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So how old are you at this point?

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I was 25 when I went back onto

ships, and then my husband and I

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decided to leave ships, because we

were transferred to different ones.

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It was difficult.

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Well, we decided to leave, and

at that time, uh, I could get a

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working holiday visa for England.

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But Sean was too old to get

that to come to Canada, so I

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picked up and moved to England.

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Oh, my goodness.

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You're living my dream.

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Debbie, i'm hooked.

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Tell me more.

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You're in England.

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So when, yeah, so when I went to England,

I initially w- did part-time work.

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So a lot of that was done

in the accounting field.

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So I, uh, so I, I did a lot of the,

of part-time contract sort of work.

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And then ... I wanted to

go into event planning.

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And here's a lesson learned

for me and for others.

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So I really wanted to go into

event planning because it was

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something that I did on the ships.

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So, uh, one of the roles that I played

on the ships were to, when groups

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came on board, when we had weddings on

board, when we had school trips, when

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we had any of those things, I would

arrange it once they were on board.

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I would work with the chefs

to plan out the menus.

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I would find where on

the ship to set it up.

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I would do all of that.

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So I really enjoyed that.

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So I thought, "This is something

I really wanna go into."

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So I went to an agency

to help me with that.

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Instead, they sent me to a

restaurant to be a manager.

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And I took it, right?

313

Which was, in, in hindsight, afterward, so

I was like, "This was not what I wanted.

314

I should have just waited and found what I

really wanted," which was event planning.

315

But they were like, "You

know, this would be great.

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This gives you that step.

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At least you've seen this side.

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You know how that part works."

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And I got convinced that

way to downgrade my dreams.

320

That only lasted, I think

I lasted there six months.

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I was like, "No, I'm not doing this.

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I don't wanna do this."

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So there was this, uh, this building

right near my home that I walked by

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all the time to go shopping, and it was

a travel agency, but it was the head

325

office So I would walk by and I would

say to my husband, "You know what?

326

I really would like to work there."

327

And so one day in the newspaper I saw it

came up that they were looking for someone

328

in the foreign exchange department.

329

And I was like, "I'm gonna apply for this.

330

I wanna, I wanna learn it.

331

Uh, this would be great."

332

It's six minutes walk from my home

instead of driving, you know, uh,

333

15 minutes in or more in traffic.

334

So I, um, I applied.

335

I went for the interview, and they were

like, "Well, you got the position, but

336

we have this other position that's even

better, that we think you're gonna get

337

bored with, with just being a clerk here.

338

So we have more of a managerial

position here that's working with

339

the systems, and we figure that...

340

So this person's just say,

announced they're retiring.

341

Would you like that?"

342

And I'm like, "Sure."

343

Now do we say you're lucky?

344

Six-minute walk,

managerial role, dream job.

345

Yes, I just wanted to get

out of the waitressing,

346

I was an assistant manager

for a fine dining restaurant.

347

Um.

348

Mm-hmm.

349

Yeah, no, this is fantastic.

350

I love the timing and, and

how that worked, right?

351

Yes.

352

I'm a strong believer that when you

follow your path, you w- whatever is

353

meant for you will never pass you by.

354

And even if you took a slight

little detour for six months,

355

maybe it was necessary in order for

you to be ready for that role and

356

to see it when it was available.

357

Because had you taken something else

instead of that restaurant role,

358

right, then maybe you wouldn't have

seen that opportunity at that time.

359

Exactly.

360

Yeah.

361

Because this leads me into

actually a 25-year career actually.

362

So I took the position, and it

was, at that time, they were

363

changing all their systems.

364

So I was responsible for all the people

using these systems, and made sure that

365

they're maintained, and reaching out

to vendors when things were broken.

366

But they were switching over many of

their computer systems, and I loved that.

367

So that's why they wanted me on

this, because I had told them in

368

the interview that when I worked

on ships, I was teaching myself

369

all these computer programs.

370

So I was working directly with the

IT team on doing user acceptance

371

testing, like testing it.

372

But they didn't even

have a software tester.

373

They, they would just write it and

give it to me, and I would test it to

374

say, "This doesn't work, this doesn't

work," functionally, but also I would

375

test it from, this doesn't work for us.

376

It doesn't make sense to

go here and then there.

377

So I did that for a year,

and then Y2K came along.

378

Mm.

379

Where systems were all being changed,

and w- in the company, they were looking

380

for a software tester So I went to my

boss and I said, "See this posting?

381

I would love it."

382

And he says, "You're bored, aren't you?"

383

So he totally got it, and he spoke to

the IT manager, and between the two

384

of them, I got transferred into IT to-

Mm ... to work on all the testing for

385

Y2K programs, uh, for th- that year.

386

And I ended up in IT.

387

That's how I got into IT.

388

No computer science degree.

389

That's incredible.

390

But I was in IT for 25 years after that.

391

Okay.

392

Yes, that was.

393

So what is it that you love about IT?

394

What made you gravitate in that

direction and pivot from where you were

395

at, and then take a different path?

396

I love solving problems, and I

love the fact in IT that you're

397

constantly doing new projects.

398

There's something new, there's

something new, there's something new.

399

I don't like doing the

same thing over and over.

400

I could never work in a factory.

401

You and I are so similar.

402

I can relate so much to you.

403

At that time, we decided that we

were going to move to Canada Where

404

I was going to come back home.

405

I was on a five and a half, five-year

trajectory anyways in England.

406

I didn't plan to stay there.

407

I just had to convince my husband to move.

408

So one day I brought home MLS

m- listings and said, "See this?

409

This is what we could get in Canada."

410

Hmm.

411

A home.

412

And it was, it was not in Toronto.

413

He had no desire to move to

Toronto, so it was in Vancouver.

414

You know, we had a, a baby by this

time, And he says, "Okay, let's do it."

415

So as we were getting close to

getting his permanent residence,

416

my workplace decided to move.

417

I was just outside of London, and they

were moving their, the head office

418

to Manchester, and I had no d- we

had no desire to move to Manchester.

419

So they were giving me a payout.

420

At the same time, I was

planning to leave anyways.

421

Excellent timing.

422

Yeah So you get this awesome payout,

you get the ticket out without,

423

you know, burning bridges or, or-

Mm-hmm ... having to make that decision.

424

You're like, "Okay, this is

what I want," and all the

425

pieces happen to fall in place.

426

Yep.

427

Yeah.

428

Okay, so you go through the process.

429

You come back to Canada, but

you go to the other side.

430

Yes.

431

You're on the, you're

on the west coast now.

432

Yeah, and I've been here now, 25 years

in June will be w- I'm here in BC.

433

And, I started with contract work in IT.

434

Did, worked full-time for a while,

and I was working for a startup when

435

I was working full-time, and they

were laying off around me like crazy.

436

Mm.

437

Right?

438

They, uh, people were losing their

jobs, so the writing was on the wall

439

that this company was going under.

440

Also, I was feeling guilty.

441

Why?

442

I was feeling hap- happy that I

still had my job, but guilty that

443

other people were losing their jobs.

444

And at the same time, my son

was around three years old, and

445

he was growing up without me.

446

He learned to ride a bicycle at daycare.

447

I didn't teach him.

448

I didn't know any of this.

449

And I was like, as a m-

first-time mom, I was like gutted.

450

Abs- I was like, "I can't believe this.

451

My child has learned

something without me."

452

I had to hear from the

daycare, you know, provider.

453

Then I thought, "He's growing up without

me, but also , I may lose my job soon."

454

So I went to school to study, uh, early

childhood education for fa- family

455

daycares, to run a family daycare.

456

Why?

457

Yeah, why, why, what made you decide that?

458

That's totally different from IT.

459

Talk about pivoting.

460

What happened?

461

It was so, it was something, it

was a way to be home with my child.

462

Oh, okay.

463

So I would run- I think a lot

of parents- ... my own business.

464

I would be able to be home with

him, and then I would, if I'm

465

doing things with him, I might as

well do it with other children.

466

And this is where the teaching came in.

467

I love to make crafts and to teach and

to help, so I quit my job and opened this

468

family daycare, and I had seven children

469

okay, so now you've

got seven kids at home.

470

Yes.

471

And you get to spend time with

your son, which is priceless.

472

Yes.

473

So many people can relate to that.

474

Which is great, but at the same time,

my work that I quit said, "Debbie,

475

we haven't been able to replace you.

476

There's no one that can do the

work the way you've done it.

477

Would you consider doing this

on a contract basis remotely?

478

We'll send you the work and you do it."

479

And I'm like, "Okay, well, as long as..."

480

I said, "I will, I will

need to set out times.

481

I can't take on everything.

482

I will tell you what I can

take, when I'm going to deliver

483

it by, and we work that way."

484

And they said, "Okay."

485

So I worked evenings after the kids went

home, and I worked weekends, and I was

486

even a preg- when I was giving birth to

my second child, I was supposed to be

487

on a call with someone that day working.

488

I just sat down at the computer to get...

489

when, when all the pain started,

and I called him from the, uh I

490

called the guy that I was supposed

to work with from the hospital bed

491

going, "I just gave birth to a baby.

492

So I won't be, I won't be able to meet

you today, but maybe in a few days."

493

In a few days.

494

Oh, good gosh.

495

You are in- I know I said it,

you're incredible, but dude.

496

They...

497

You gave birth and you're

like, "I'm sorry, I'm, I'm

498

a little preoccupied today."

499

"But I got something cooking."

500

You are unstoppable.

501

You are a force to be reckoned with.

502

Okay, so now you have two babies.

503

Yep.

504

Yeah.

505

And so, okay, hang on.

506

I'm just, I'm trying to

wrap my head around this.

507

So you have, you have your

son, who's probably about

508

four, maybe five at this time.

509

Uh, yeah.

510

He was, like, four and

a half by then, yeah.

511

There, there's a- Okay

512

like, a almost a five-year

gap between them.

513

Beautiful.

514

Okay, and then you give birth to your

second, but because you're working

515

from home and you're taking care of

other kids, did you decide to continue

516

doing the daycare thing as well?

517

Yeah, I still had, I had him,

I had, yeah, I had a baby.

518

I only closed the daycare for two

weeks, and then I, I reopened.

519

Because I wasn't getting maternity leave.

520

I wasn't getting paid from

the government because now I,

521

uh, because I had a business.

522

Which I don't think is

actually fair, right?

523

If you're employed, the government

will give you unemployment benefits

524

and, I think, for maternity leave.

525

But if you have your own

business, you don't get anything.

526

So I had to get back to,

like, work right away.

527

I had to open my daycare

right away and, like, so yeah.

528

So now I have two kids, daycare,

and I'm still doing the part-time

529

contracting to do as a software tester.

530

So I worked for TELUS for 16 years.

531

And what I loved about doing it, too,

is, be- with a big corporation, was

532

again, that fact that I got bored easily.

533

So I would change roles,

I would change projects.

534

I would, I went from being a software,

uh, you know, senior software quality

535

assurance analyst or something like that

it was called, to being a technology

536

an- uh, a technology architect, and then

I moved into being a risk management,

537

quality and risk manager, and then I moved

into being, doing process improvements,

538

which is the solving problems.

539

So I became, uh, a lean IT leader, so

ud- using the Toyota principles for

540

lean of impro- of process improvement.

541

We applied that to IT, and

I did that for a while.

542

And then I got back into, actually,

whenever I was in all the roles that I

543

was in, I would find improvements to do.

544

I would start writing documentation

where the documentation didn't exist,

545

and I would train up, show other

people how to do things better.

546

Right?

547

So this was, like, a natural progression.

548

And of course, as a pr- in the

process improvement role, I was

549

also part of change management, of

implementing changes of new processes.

550

You need to train others.

551

So I would be conducting training

group training virtually and then

552

also going from city to city.

553

Sometimes I went, I would fly

into Calgary and Edmonton and some

554

of these city, city to conduct

training to do with those processes.

555

So, uh, yeah.

556

I love that you're in your element and

you're still following your passion.

557

You're still following, um, training

and, and teaching people things.

558

Uh, something that I think a lot

of people not only can relate to

559

that, but how do you communicate

when you're working for someone else

560

and you say, "This is my passion.

561

This is what I wanna do."

562

Um, and then you get to

move or you get to elevate.

563

You get to train people.

564

You get to create processes.

565

Is this something that you

communicate to your superior to

566

say, "This is what I wanna do"?

567

Do they naturally just

notice your abilities?

568

How does that work?

569

No, it was me applying for roles,

me seeing opportunities that came

570

up and g- and thing, and being

able to say, "You know what?

571

I can do this."

572

So j- a lot of people look at the

requirements that jobs put out

573

and say, "Oh, I can't do that.

574

I can't do that.

575

I've never done that," and

they eliminate themselves.

576

Or they say, "I've n- I don't

have experience in this.

577

I don't have experience in this.

578

I won't even be considered for

that position, so I won't apply."

579

I'm the opposite.

580

I'm like, "Can I do this?

581

Is this something that

I feel that I can do?"

582

If I feel that I can do it, I go

for it, and I express that in my

583

interview, and I show that you have

cr- I have cross-functional skills,

584

and maybe it's not this specific

thing, but my cross-functional

585

skills makes that possible.

586

Mm-hmm.

587

'Cause people, it's about the attitude.

588

You can always learn something,

but if somebody's not trainable, if

589

somebody isn't self-initiated, then

you can't ch- you can't change that.

590

But you can train someone on whatever job

591

you're right, there are a lot of

people that get stuck thinking, "I

592

don't have those skills," or, "I

haven't done that specifically."

593

But if you change your mindset of,

"I am trainable, I am able to, you

594

know, take extra courses on the side

or hands-on learning," that kind

595

of thing, that's where you grow.

596

That's where you develop new skills,

and you get to get out of your comfort

597

zone and something bigger and better

and more in the direction of your goals.

598

Definitely.

599

And that's what I, as a coach,

say to my clients all the time.

600

When I see new real estate

investors and they say, "But

601

Debbie, I haven't done that before.

602

Debbie, I haven't done that before."

603

In real estate, I say, "Let's

look at your skills in your job.

604

Let's look at your skills at home.

605

Let's look at your volunteering skills."

606

You've got, you know, as maybe in

volunteering, you've got, like,

607

project management things d- do you do.

608

There's, there's different, there are all

these transferable skills that transfers

609

into real estate So understanding

what they're good at, what skills they

610

have, that's what they need to then

apply to what it is they want to do.

611

And, and then the rest is trainable.

612

But you can ... Like, what do

I need to learn, and then what

613

skills do I actually have?

614

And remember what I said about, at the

beginning about just because you're good

615

at something doesn't mean you enjoy it.

616

Mm-hmm.

617

So that's another part

I always tell people.

618

Just because you're good at something,

is that what you really want to do?

619

Like, now this is your opportunity

as an entrepreneur to choose

620

what you really want to do.

621

I don't believe in that concept that

people talk about where in, in, at work

622

they ask, "Well, what are your weaknesses?

623

Okay, let's work on that."

624

Uh-uh.

625

Your weaknesses will

always be your weaknesses.

626

It's, it's you.

627

You don't like it.

628

You don't, you're not good at it.

629

Why are we focusing on that?

630

Let's accentuate the things you're

really good at, and let's do that and

631

get somebody else to do your weaknesses.

632

Oh, yes.

633

I can hear the passion in your

voice when you're saying that.

634

And I love that you said that,

because we all suffer from that.

635

I'm gonna say there's so many people

out there that are like, "Oh, well,

636

I'm not good at numbers, and I ... But

I'm really good at sales, so now I

637

need to focus on math and math..."

638

But I'm like, my brain-

Hire the accountant.

639

Hire a bookkeeper.

640

Exactly.

641

Put the team around you to do

the things that you can't, and

642

do what you're passionate about.

643

Yeah.

644

Because as soon as you're doing

what you're passionate about,

645

you're no longer working.

646

Yes.

647

You're living your passion.

648

Yes.

649

Mm-hmm.

650

I love this.

651

Okay, so, uh, sorry.

652

We got off track for a second.

653

So you're, uh, doing IT.

654

Telus.

655

And you're- Yeah, so I was in IT

656

... when I first came back to Canada

from, from England, I worked for

657

Telus in a contract position.

658

But at that time, as a software

tester, they weren't hiring

659

people as full-time positions.

660

They were hiring project

from pro- to project.

661

So I couldn't live like that, so

then I went to this startup and

662

w- worked for them full time.

663

But what I did was I did go back

to Telus remember, I was working

664

for them part time, contracting.

665

Well, that company ended up getting

taken over, and then, They offered me-

666

Full-time, to work full-time for them.

667

And I was like, "You know what?"

668

Remember I said nobody was taking my kids?

669

Mm-hmm.

670

And I was, I was feeling burnt out.

671

I was losing, I was losing patience,

and when you're looking after kids,

672

you have to have a lot of patience.

673

So I know my boundaries, and

I'm like, "This is time to

674

not be doing this anymore."

675

I had forgotten how to

speak a adult language.

676

So are your kids in s- When you

made that decision, was it...

677

At first, was it a difficult decision?

678

Um, and two, were your kids

already in school at this point?

679

So I was able to stay working

from home W- w- when they offered

680

me that position because- Okay

681

the, the company that had taken

them over was remote, so I was able

682

to work from home for that year.

683

So, uh, yeah, my kids were still with me.

684

My mom had quit her job and helped

look after my, my little one.

685

But I was still home, and

that's what they said.

686

They said, "Debbie," like I was actually

planning to go to Telus and look for jobs,

687

and I let them know, and they go, "Stop.

688

Don't do that."

689

Right?

690

I actually went for an interview with

Telus, and they said, "Look, we'll

691

match the pay that Telus will give you.

692

We- but work for us.

693

You get to work from home.

694

We'll do whatever it takes to keep you."

695

Mm.

696

So I turned down the job at Telus,

and it was actually at that time

697

there was a lot, massive strikes.

698

There was a walkout.

699

So it wasn't the ideal situation anyways

going into Telus as a new employee.

700

So I said, "Okay, I will take it."

701

So I was able to manage my schedule.

702

I didn't have to work 9:00 to 5:00.

703

I could get things done in b- later

at night as long as I delivered.

704

Those kind of things w- was possible,

so they worked with me on it.

705

But it only lasted a year, but it was

long enough for my son to be o- the

706

little one to be old enough for me to

have to send him to a daycare then.

707

Okay.

708

So after, after I left, after I lost

that job because they, they w- went,

709

they closed up th- this division here

in Vancouver that they had bought

710

over, I, um, I went back to Telus.

711

I said, "You know what?

712

You tried to hire me a year

ago, and I turned you down.

713

I'm interested now."

714

I was hired in a week, Gabrielle.

715

Yes.

716

I'm, I'm, I'm so sorry, but I, I do have

to ask a burning question- Yeah ... 'cause

717

I feel like you're leaving me hanging.

718

Did you get to teach your

second son to ride a bike?

719

Yes.

720

Yes.

721

It was good because I was able to help

him, teach him, and, and be there also for

722

my, for my older one as he was growing up.

723

Like, I got to take him to kindergarten.

724

I, I got to meet the parents, like,

those kind of things that you miss out

725

on when you're a full-time person just

sending p- your kids to daycare, right?

726

Yeah, that resonates with me.

727

I'm so happy you got to do that.

728

Yeah.

729

That means the world to parents that,

you know, you get to teach them,

730

you get to witness those moments.

731

Yeah.

732

I love that.

733

Thank you.

734

'Cause I was ... I can't

forget that question.

735

I need to know.

736

Yeah.

737

Well, my little one, he ... My,

sorry, my older one, he broke my heart

738

when I had just moved back to Canada

and had to drop him off at daycare.

739

He was only ... He was two and a

half, and I was walk- I was taking

740

him into daycare, and he says,

"Mommy, you don't have to walk me in.

741

I'm just fine to walk in by myself.

742

Just open, just let me out

here and I will walk in."

743

I was like- Oh.

744

That is the nicest way to

say, "I don't need you."

745

I know.

746

This is also a compliment, because

that means that you did such a good job

747

raising him and making him feel strong

and independent in his own skin that

748

he was comfortable enough to do that.

749

Yes.

750

So kudos to you.

751

And- That's a huge compliment ... do

you know what, Gabrielle?

752

He is n- 26 years old right now,

and he is a famous YouTuber.

753

Well, content creator.

754

Really?

755

Yeah.

756

Oh.

757

Well, we're gonna have to

find out what channel that is.

758

Yes.

759

They're ... Most my

sons are entrepreneurs.

760

They don't live at home.

761

They moved out two years ago.

762

They live together.

763

One's a content creator, and the

other is an editor for YouTubers,

764

and they're living together,

so they're the best of friends,

765

although they're five years apart.

766

We're gonna have to get those

details at the end of the

767

interview so I can find out.

768

I need to check out that channel now.

769

Yeah.

770

So, so you went to, um ... You went back

to TELUS and said, "Okay, now the time

771

is right," and they take a week, they

hire you, and what are you doing now?

772

So I was hired on as a s- senior systems

quality assurance, uh, analyst there.

773

And then, uh, you know, that's where

I moved through all those other roles

774

that I mentioned that I received- Got it

775

that I, I took on.

776

Like, I became a, a business systems

analyst doing process improvements.

777

I taught Agile, which is

a methodology in software.

778

I ended up being in the, learning and

performance development department.

779

So I became the, like, a project manager

for a huge transformational project that

780

we were doing from a learning perspective.

781

So I built the learning-

782

after 16 years at Telus, I got laid

783

this happened two months after I

had just lost my house in a fire.

784

So we lost everything.

785

Oh.

786

So this is, this is the heartbreaking

thing is that you've dedicated your

787

life to growing and expanding and

pushing yourself out your comfort

788

zone and, um, learning all these new

skills and then saying, "Okay, well,

789

I need to adapt because, you know, I

have children and now I gotta do..."

790

But these things are still going to

happen that are out of your control.

791

Yep.

792

And you get laid off.

793

That's out of your control.

794

You're dedicated to a company

for 16 years and you get laid

795

off, and then your house fire?

796

Yeah.

797

My goodness.

798

So this happened, so they knew that I

had just lost my home in a fire, and like

799

corporations, they're, they're heartless.

800

They're, they are heartless.

801

They knew that I had just lo-

and still I got laid off, right?

802

Because I wasn't in a

strategic role at that time.

803

But three years before this happened,

I started investing in real estate.

804

I was 50, and 50 for me,

I, I have no problem.

805

I'm 57 right now, so age is not

a thing that I like wanna hide

806

my age or anything like that.

807

And I never worried about it,

but something happened when I was

808

50 from a financial perspective.

809

I looked at where I was and I

thought, "I have 15 years to work."

810

And the first part is like, oh my gosh,

when I looked at what I had, I had no

811

savings, and very little in, you know,

just some RSPs that I was putting away.

812

And so I looked at it and I thought,

"I'm gonna be poor when I retire, and

813

that's not the life I wanna live."

814

I love to travel.

815

Like, we travel, have a

big holiday every year.

816

I've always taken...

817

My kids were on fl- on flights from

like six months we were traveling.

818

So we, we always travel,

and that was the...

819

I wanted more of that when I retire.

820

And I'm like, "How can I achieve that?

821

I will be living in a trailer

park if I continue at this rate."

822

Because I spent all my money on

my kids, so there was no savings.

823

They went to public school for

elementary, but they went to private

824

school, to the Catholic school for,

f- when they were in high school.

825

Right?

826

They went to s- they had soccer, they

had hockey, they had, uh, martial arts,

827

they had skating, they had swimming.

828

And so that means that you

don't have any money left.

829

There's no savings sitting there.

830

So I thought, "I've gotta

do something about this."

831

And at the same time, I'm like,

"I still have 15 years to work.

832

I don't know if I can do this."

833

Right?

834

So I st- I've learnt about real estate

investing, loved it, thought, "Why

835

didn't anybody tell me about this before?

836

Why isn't this education part of,

a part of the school system so we

837

learn a financial education about

investing, about, uh, you know, what

838

we could do about credit scores,

about all those kind of things?"

839

And that was when I decided at that

time, yes, this is what I r- I love this.

840

This is what I really want to do.

841

But at the same time, I

want to teach other people.

842

And that's when that, that

coaching idea came to mind.

843

But I was just learning, right?

844

So I couldn't start coaching yet.

845

So I was like, "When I have

enough experience, I want

846

to be coaching on this."

847

Mm.

848

So, uh, so yeah, so three years before.

849

And, within that first year, I felt like I

had to catch up on all those years that I

850

hadn't known about real estate investing.

851

There was a financial partner on a

property in Barrie, and then I purchased

852

a fourplex in Calgary, brand new,

and that was in the middle of COVID.

853

I actually tenanted in April just

as, as lockdowns had just started.

854

Mm-hmm.

855

And then I purchased, later that

year, I purchased a condo in August.

856

I purchased a condo in Abbotsford, BC.

857

Did a BRRRR on it, rented it out.

858

That went great.

859

Uh, added a room to it.

860

That increased the, the value of, the

market value of the condo, but also

861

increased the, the rent on there.

862

And then I s- I was like,

"Oh, this went so great."

863

I did another one in the same, in the

same building from the same seller.

864

So I did that, and then,

865

What else did I...

866

So yeah.

867

So then I had the fourplex,

the Barrie, and the, yeah, the

868

two condos in, in Abbotsford.

869

And I also did some investing, private

lending, some passive investing in

870

equities, uh, all in, like, one year.

871

I was like...

872

That's a lot.

873

I was like, "I've got

to catch up on time."

874

And also, I've spent a

whole bunch of money.

875

I've had to put the coaching program

on three credit cards, and I was

876

like, "I'm making this back up."

877

So that's always my mindset, right?

878

You can see right through.

879

I have to do this.

880

I, and I, like, set my mind, and

I do it, and I jump in headfirst.

881

It's like I'm gonna figure it

out as I go, but I'm in there.

882

Do you, um, ever doubt yourself whenever

you're starting something new and you're

883

like, "I've never done this before.

884

Now I'm out of time because I'm not a

teenager living with my parents anymore"?

885

So did you ever doubt

yourself and think, "What if?"

886

No, because I've got this

track record of things I didn't

887

know how to do and that I did.

888

And I always, my biggest thing

is I prefer to try and fail-

889

Then have all the what ifs.

890

So if something comes to

mind, I want to try it.

891

Like I decide, oh, I wanna do Amazon FBA.

892

I tried to start the startup part

of it and like I don't like this.

893

I loved making gift baskets, so when

I had the daycare I decided that I

894

was gonna have a gift basket business,

but I didn't have time to market

895

it So I'm like, "Oh, forget that."

896

If it doesn't work out,

it doesn't work out.

897

It's a little bit of money and a little

bit of time, but I know, like, I tried it.

898

But what if it does, right?

899

Mm-hmm.

900

Now you know from experience how

much you like it and how much

901

you're willing to invest into it,

and if it's going to, produce the

902

results that you're looking for.

903

And if the answer is no, it's

like, okay, this is gonna be a

904

passion project, not a career.

905

So that's what I would say to everyone.

906

Like, as long as you're not having

to put, like, a huge output, you're

907

not, you're not gonna lose your

house as a, in, in, in thing.

908

Try it.

909

Some things cost no money to

try, or just little, so try it.

910

And that's why my kids are doing

what they are and passionate about

911

what they're doing too, because

it was the same thing I told them.

912

There's no risk.

913

Just try it.

914

It doesn't work out, it

doesn't work out, right?

915

But, but at least try it.

916

So it, that's always been my motto.

917

So try and fail.

918

We're gonna backtrack way back to

being a kid again, though, for this.

919

But th- this is where

I learnt about failure.

920

When I was a kid, I was

good in school, right?

921

I never failed at anything.

922

But when I went for my

driver's license, I failed Oh.

923

And that, I had never failed before

ever That must have been devastating.

924

Yeah.

925

And it took me two years to

go back for that license.

926

But that just, it, it's that fear,

like I'd never failed before.

927

And that's why we want to show our

kids from young that it's okay to

928

fail, as long as you learn from it.

929

Go and get back up.

930

When I raised my kids, they would

fall, and I was, as long as there was

931

no blood, I was like, "Oh, any blood?

932

Oh, brush off.

933

Up you go."

934

Even if there was blood, it

was just a scrape, "Oh, we'll

935

put a Band-Aid on that."

936

Right?

937

Yep.

938

But, um, but to just, just say that

as long it's not, it's not going to

939

lose you your home, it's not gonna

lose you your life, like try it.

940

What does it hurt?

941

I've tried a whole bunch of

little things in, in between.

942

But real estate stuck.

943

I then bought a, I bought a place in

Peachland, in the Okanagan here wh-

944

where because we were still in lockdowns

in, in COVID and I was like, uh, you

945

know, I kept saying, "In five years,

when I have enough money from real

946

estate, I will buy a vacation property."

947

And then one morning I got up

and go, "Debbie, are you stupid?"

948

This is, like, "Why are

you saying in five years?

949

This is what you do.

950

Why not make it, uh, your investment, buy

it, rent it, do short-term rentals, make

951

that one of your strategies, and then

you get to go there whenever you want?"

952

Mm-hmm.

953

Look at you thinking outside the box.

954

And then I manifested, then I

started thinking, "What, what

955

does this place would look like?"

956

And it was more the view.

957

I wanted like a, a beautiful

panoramic view of the Okanagan Lake.

958

So I started looking at properties, and

then my realtor took me to, like, I said,

959

"Can you check out this property for me?"

960

So she's...

961

It's, like, three hours away, so

I'm not going there to see it.

962

So she FaceTimes me, and I see the

view, and I'm like, "That's the view."

963

That's the view.

964

So, like, I, it, I'm telling

you, that was not a numbers...

965

That was definitely an

emotional decision on that one.

966

It was to be a, you know, possible

retirement home for my husband and I.

967

So, uh, and, and then I had a job at the

time, so it wasn't a problem if it was

968

vacant because We had enough income to

pay for that, and we had rental properties

969

that look, was looking after itself.

970

So I purchased that.

971

I did a big reno on it.

972

I spent 140K.

973

Made it really look nice

because it was ugly.

974

Ugly.

975

But that's what I like to do.

976

I like to turn ugly things into something

beautiful, so I made it this way.

977

And, you know, I have five-star reviews

on Airbnb for all, for this place.

978

Mm-hmm.

979

So...

980

And then I love the Okanagan, and

I decided the following year to

981

buy two more properties in the

Okanagan, and in, in Penticton.

982

And, uh, so I had...

983

So within those, like, three years, I

had bought, like, all of those places.

984

But I sold the one in Calgary because

I had bought it sight unseen and

985

I sold it sight unseen, 'cause I

realized something about myself.

986

I'm a control freak, if you couldn't

tell that from my conversation.

987

I could.

988

I might jump in headfirst,

but I am a control freak.

989

Mm.

990

So having that so far away from me was...

991

And we couldn't just pick up and

fly as we wanted because of all

992

the restrictions and, and I was

working full time doing this.

993

So I decided to sell the one, the

Calgary properties, and that's how

994

I bought the Penticton ones there.

995

Um, so, um, so yes, um, that's

how I built my portfolio.

996

And I, I've stopped now there because

after that, things have happened.

997

Like, in 2023, a lot of things

happened that changed the

998

trajectory, like, changed everything.

999

So I ha- lost my house in a fire

and we lost everything, um, in

00:52:02,783 --> 00:52:04,633

that, so I had to rebuild the home.

00:52:05,413 --> 00:52:07,053

Two months later, I lost a job.

00:52:07,673 --> 00:52:13,713

Then BC decided to put restrictions

on short-term rentals, that you

00:52:13,713 --> 00:52:17,333

couldn't invest in short- You

couldn't have short-term rentals if

00:52:17,463 --> 00:52:19,283

it wasn't your primary residence.

00:52:20,483 --> 00:52:25,243

And at the time too, I had run the numbers

on the Penticton properties, and even at,

00:52:25,663 --> 00:52:30,253

like at 5% interest rates, so remember

we were getting 2% in- interest rate.

00:52:30,513 --> 00:52:34,003

So I had added 3% on there

and thought I was being very

00:52:34,003 --> 00:52:37,833

conservative and saying 5%, on there.

00:52:38,783 --> 00:52:42,573

Everything, like I ran it for both long

term and short term, and it had worked.

00:52:43,863 --> 00:52:46,603

But then everything changed.

00:52:46,813 --> 00:52:48,903

Can't do short-term rentals anymore.

00:52:49,223 --> 00:52:52,893

The interest rates have gone up,

inflation has happened, everything's more

00:52:52,893 --> 00:52:58,633

expensive, and now that those properties

don't work for long-term rentals.

00:53:00,373 --> 00:53:00,703

Mm.

00:53:00,703 --> 00:53:03,663

So, m- especially not unfurnished.

00:53:03,933 --> 00:53:08,483

I decided, "Okay, Debbie, There are two,

there are a few exits you have here.

00:53:08,823 --> 00:53:14,003

While we, I still had a window where

BC had announced that we would be

00:53:14,003 --> 00:53:18,203

stopping the short-term rentals, I had

a window there to try different things.

00:53:18,203 --> 00:53:22,683

So I had the short-term rentals

running, and then I also decided

00:53:22,683 --> 00:53:24,923

to try to sell the property.

00:53:26,643 --> 00:53:29,773

And then the other one was

try to rent it out furnished.

00:53:30,363 --> 00:53:34,233

Well, selling didn't work because

the market has, had gone down.

00:53:34,523 --> 00:53:38,973

There were brand-new places

selling for the same prices, and

00:53:39,343 --> 00:53:43,123

then, you know, interest rates

and all these things happening.

00:53:43,303 --> 00:53:44,283

People weren't buying.

00:53:44,283 --> 00:53:47,103

People, people were no

longer looking to invest.

00:53:47,103 --> 00:53:47,903

They were too scared.

00:53:48,123 --> 00:53:50,653

So it, it slowed right down.

00:53:50,943 --> 00:53:54,323

So that wasn't, that didn't

have, that w- didn't pan out.

00:53:54,743 --> 00:53:57,453

And same thing with the furnished rental.

00:53:57,863 --> 00:54:01,753

People weren't looking for it

for long-term furnished rentals.

00:54:02,273 --> 00:54:04,183

So I thought, "I've got

to do something else."

00:54:04,563 --> 00:54:05,443

So I thought, "Okay."

00:54:05,633 --> 00:54:08,293

At the same time now I'm trying two ads.

00:54:08,453 --> 00:54:11,873

I've got long-term furnished,

and I decided co-living

00:54:13,879 --> 00:54:16,159

so co-living is renting out the rooms.

00:54:16,159 --> 00:54:17,449

It's like student rental.

00:54:17,799 --> 00:54:21,229

I could have students in there,

or I can have adults in there.

00:54:21,509 --> 00:54:23,529

It will be, they were long-term or...

00:54:23,809 --> 00:54:27,469

So the rules here in BC is 90-day

plus is considered long-term now.

00:54:27,529 --> 00:54:27,979

Hmm.

00:54:29,539 --> 00:54:32,899

So I put it up for 90-day

plus rentals for the room.

00:54:33,529 --> 00:54:34,509

Bring your suitcase.

00:54:34,539 --> 00:54:37,069

Because it's set up as an

Airbnb, so everything's there.

00:54:37,359 --> 00:54:38,929

They just have to bring their suitcase.

00:54:39,269 --> 00:54:45,709

And within, just posting it within the,

like, within the first 12 hours of posting

00:54:45,709 --> 00:54:50,069

it, I already had 10 inquiries on that.

00:54:50,179 --> 00:54:51,109

Wow.

00:54:51,529 --> 00:54:51,719

Yeah.

00:54:52,729 --> 00:54:56,499

And, uh, so I, I posted it in January.

00:54:56,759 --> 00:54:58,969

I had people moving in in February.

00:54:59,169 --> 00:55:04,119

I had one of the homes with three,

with three bedrooms full, and the other

00:55:04,119 --> 00:55:08,739

one, another bedroom filled within,

like, a month of, of doing that.

00:55:09,259 --> 00:55:11,189

So- Oh, that's

incredible ... so it's an...

00:55:11,549 --> 00:55:16,609

Co-living is an option for, and I realize

it's an option for affordable housing.

00:55:16,869 --> 00:55:19,729

Because why are these people,

why did this attract them?

00:55:20,119 --> 00:55:25,889

It's because they couldn't find a

one-bedroom condo for the price of

00:55:25,889 --> 00:55:30,069

what they're getting for the room,

and the room, it's not just the room.

00:55:30,069 --> 00:55:35,949

They get to, to, to share, you know, a

living room, a kitchen, the bathroom,

00:55:35,949 --> 00:55:37,289

so they're sharing those things.

00:55:37,629 --> 00:55:41,139

But I'm equipping it, them too,

so they're getting their sheets.

00:55:41,139 --> 00:55:42,399

They're get- they're getting their towels.

00:55:42,399 --> 00:55:43,009

They're getting...

00:55:43,259 --> 00:55:47,759

Like, it's small appliances, everything,

so they don't have to worry about now

00:55:47,759 --> 00:55:50,879

furnishing a one-bedroom apartment.

00:55:51,549 --> 00:55:51,849

Mm-hmm.

00:55:51,849 --> 00:55:54,269

So if they're o- if you're

okay with living with other

00:55:54,269 --> 00:55:57,229

people, then this is an option.

00:55:57,330 --> 00:56:01,150

And by doing this, now it's

higher than the furnished

00:56:01,150 --> 00:56:02,699

rental that I was trying to get.

00:56:03,430 --> 00:56:08,210

So I've had the, one of the ladies

00:56:08,210 --> 00:56:09,420

and she doesn't plan on leaving.

00:56:09,580 --> 00:56:10,340

She loves it.

00:56:10,480 --> 00:56:13,220

She says, "This is my home, Debbie,

and I'm gonna take care of it."

00:56:13,220 --> 00:56:14,780

So she's like the den mom.

00:56:15,150 --> 00:56:16,880

Like, she is on top of things.

00:56:16,880 --> 00:56:21,200

That place is, anytime anybody I wanna

show a room to, she never has to go,

00:56:21,410 --> 00:56:22,710

"Oh, I'm gonna run home and clean it."

00:56:22,950 --> 00:56:25,460

It's always perfect, right?

00:56:25,490 --> 00:56:28,860

So she just takes care of it

like it's her own home, and

00:56:28,860 --> 00:56:30,190

she says, "I love you, Debbie.

00:56:30,430 --> 00:56:33,650

You took a chance on me,

and you're s- you're like...

00:56:33,770 --> 00:56:38,950

I'm not gonna find another landlord like

you, so I'm going, I'm looking after

00:56:38,950 --> 00:56:40,260

your place and I'm going to help you."

00:56:41,030 --> 00:56:41,760

So yeah.

00:56:42,560 --> 00:56:43,390

I love that.

00:56:43,420 --> 00:56:43,480

Yeah.

00:56:43,480 --> 00:56:46,840

And that also speaks volumes about who

you are as a person and making sure that

00:56:46,840 --> 00:56:48,450

you take care of your tenants, right?

00:56:49,080 --> 00:56:52,770

And then you can, you can teach them from

experience and say, "Hey, this," whatever

00:56:52,770 --> 00:56:56,700

it is that you're going for, a long-term,

midterm, short-term student, whatever.

00:56:57,080 --> 00:57:01,270

You know, now you have all these

extra tools that you can add.

00:57:01,340 --> 00:57:01,610

Oh, yeah.

00:57:01,610 --> 00:57:02,510

It's that value add.

00:57:02,510 --> 00:57:03,690

I love this.

00:57:03,970 --> 00:57:06,880

So okay, so what year are we

in when you're doing this?

00:57:07,330 --> 00:57:09,300

00:57:09,300 --> 00:57:09,530

Mm-hmm.

00:57:09,800 --> 00:57:10,880

And, um, yeah.

00:57:10,880 --> 00:57:15,340

So the ... And at the same time,

Peachland was exempt from the BC

00:57:15,340 --> 00:57:19,660

rule, because it said any towns

that are under 10,000- Mm-hmm

00:57:19,930 --> 00:57:22,130

it, they could continue

the short-term rentals.

00:57:22,400 --> 00:57:26,500

Well, Peachland decided to put in their

own rules and make it 30-day plus.

00:57:27,290 --> 00:57:32,730

So I've had to change that to a 30-day

plus, and that's the, the home that,

00:57:32,730 --> 00:57:36,400

with a view that was go- is going,

you know, was our vacation home.

00:57:37,010 --> 00:57:43,320

But, um, so right now, Gabrielle, I

am ... Actually, I've had to, which

00:57:43,320 --> 00:57:45,290

hurts my heart, but I've, I'm over it.

00:57:46,110 --> 00:57:51,090

I'm thinking because that home has

been e- vacant, to be transparent,

00:57:51,090 --> 00:57:52,930

since the end of August.

00:57:53,990 --> 00:57:58,930

So I wasn't having a problem

filling it for a while there, but

00:57:58,970 --> 00:58:03,780

again, with c- cost of gas and all

these things have now affected it.

00:58:04,020 --> 00:58:07,470

So even the, the 30-day rental, I'm

not getting it, 'cause I used to

00:58:07,470 --> 00:58:12,280

get contractors, people traveling

that needed a place to stay.

00:58:12,280 --> 00:58:13,620

So I was okay there.

00:58:13,890 --> 00:58:17,700

But as of last August, the end

of last August, it's been empty.

00:58:17,730 --> 00:58:17,760

Mm-hmm.

00:58:18,220 --> 00:58:20,170

So I've put it up for sale.

00:58:21,154 --> 00:58:23,044

I, I don't know if I'm

going to get it sold.

00:58:23,574 --> 00:58:27,894

Uh, I have a property manager now that I'm

hiring because she's going to give me...

00:58:28,314 --> 00:58:33,454

I was, I was doing all the property

managing, self-property managing th- this

00:58:33,454 --> 00:58:38,874

by myself, but she's going to get into

a market of more tenants that I don't

00:58:38,874 --> 00:58:41,474

have access to, so I've have hired her.

00:58:42,174 --> 00:58:48,614

And, uh, if I'm giving my realtor

just, like, another two weeks to a

00:58:48,614 --> 00:58:53,464

month left to try to sell it, and if it

doesn't sell, it's coming back off the

00:58:53,464 --> 00:58:55,694

market and it's going long-term rental.

00:58:55,934 --> 00:58:58,034

But until then, I do have an Airbnb.

00:58:58,974 --> 00:59:02,394

From the middle of June all the way

to middle of September has been full.

00:59:02,394 --> 00:59:02,424

Mm-hmm.

00:59:03,224 --> 00:59:06,684

So the summer period I've got

people coming, and then I will

00:59:07,154 --> 00:59:12,434

turn it into a long-term rental,

uh From, from there for, for now.

00:59:12,774 --> 00:59:15,284

So it won't be a place

that we can go on vacation.

00:59:15,644 --> 00:59:17,544

So I was trying to hold out, hold out.

00:59:17,734 --> 00:59:23,204

But I'm sinking all of my personal money

that ... I no longer have a job, right?

00:59:23,774 --> 00:59:26,494

Because so, so that's what's

changed, too, that's hard.

00:59:26,494 --> 00:59:28,994

Because I, when I took that I

would say, "It's okay if it's

00:59:28,994 --> 00:59:30,544

vacant because I have a job."

00:59:30,544 --> 00:59:31,864

Well, I no longer have that job.

00:59:32,824 --> 00:59:33,064

Mm-hmm.

00:59:33,114 --> 00:59:37,004

And building a business takes a lot

of money and a lot of time before

00:59:37,004 --> 00:59:39,244

you actually start seeing clients.

00:59:40,204 --> 00:59:41,114

Absolutely.

00:59:41,114 --> 00:59:43,214

Yeah, you hit the nail

on the head over there.

00:59:43,244 --> 00:59:47,994

Uh, I, I think it's so important to

point out how you approached this.

00:59:47,994 --> 00:59:53,894

That at the beginning, there was emotion

put into purchasing this property because

00:59:53,894 --> 00:59:55,744

i- it's, it has the view that you want.

00:59:55,744 --> 00:59:58,334

It's the, you know, potentially

the place you're going to retire.

00:59:58,334 --> 01:00:02,454

But then, you know, it gets to a

point where, okay, wait a second.

01:00:02,454 --> 01:00:05,064

Sometimes you have to take a

look at the numbers in the past.

01:00:05,064 --> 01:00:05,124

Yeah.

01:00:05,124 --> 01:00:06,844

I can't lose my home over this.

01:00:07,084 --> 01:00:08,064

I've lost it once.

01:00:08,534 --> 01:00:11,224

I'm not losing it again.

01:00:11,584 --> 01:00:15,234

Oh, so do you find it hard to

remove the emotion from it and

01:00:15,234 --> 01:00:16,664

just say, "Okay, strictly business.

01:00:16,664 --> 01:00:17,884

This is something that has to happen"?

01:00:17,884 --> 01:00:18,384

Is that hard?

01:00:19,344 --> 01:00:20,964

Um, a day or two, that's it.

01:00:21,044 --> 01:00:23,454

I wallowed on it and then I was

like, "You know what, Debbie?"

01:00:23,454 --> 01:00:26,454

Like, my home, if I was

to lose my home, yeah.

01:00:27,004 --> 01:00:29,464

That's the most important

thing to c- to protect.

01:00:29,834 --> 01:00:32,564

And- Mm-hmm ... because I'm using

my line of credit on my home,

01:00:32,944 --> 01:00:36,154

and I can't keep paying that and

the mortgage and everything else.

01:00:36,154 --> 01:00:39,294

So, so it, it was like home or this.

01:00:39,524 --> 01:00:43,594

I can always buy another piece of land

or build something or ... In Peachland

01:00:43,814 --> 01:00:45,874

later, if that's what I wanted to do.

01:00:46,464 --> 01:00:47,264

Good for you.

01:00:48,054 --> 01:00:49,784

So then what happened after that?

01:00:49,834 --> 01:00:51,294

What did life throw your way after that?

01:00:51,324 --> 01:00:54,774

Oh, well, so when I lost the

job, that's where I decided

01:00:54,774 --> 01:01:00,304

So while I was in my job, so I

was doing real estate investing.

01:01:00,704 --> 01:01:07,114

And a few years down, about two years down

the line, there was a coach that reached

01:01:07,114 --> 01:01:11,854

out to me and said, "Debbie, I'd love you

to coach for us, for my, for my program."

01:01:12,884 --> 01:01:16,354

And before I was like ... I,

for myself, I was questioning.

01:01:16,724 --> 01:01:18,614

I'm like, "I'm not good

enough to coach as yet.

01:01:18,644 --> 01:01:20,804

I don't have enough ex-

experience to coach."

01:01:21,354 --> 01:01:27,054

But then when she reached out, at that

time I was actually taking a course by

01:01:27,054 --> 01:01:30,084

Bob Proctor called Thinking into Results.

01:01:31,104 --> 01:01:33,834

And within that first month,

it changed my mindset.

01:01:35,140 --> 01:01:39,570

on manifesting, on setting

goals, on opening your mind.

01:01:39,980 --> 01:01:45,550

And it's not something voodoo or anything

like that, but it just, I started to

01:01:45,550 --> 01:01:48,820

see opportunities where I didn't before.

01:01:49,010 --> 01:01:52,380

And it's not that it wasn't there, it's

because my mind wasn't open to it, 'cause

01:01:52,380 --> 01:01:54,310

I was setting those limiting beliefs.

01:01:54,690 --> 01:01:57,370

So when she reached out to

me, my first instinct was say,

01:01:57,530 --> 01:01:58,910

was to say, "I don't know.

01:01:58,910 --> 01:02:00,410

I don't have enough experience.

01:02:00,410 --> 01:02:01,140

I'm not good enough."

01:02:01,470 --> 01:02:04,910

And then right away I'm saying, "Hey,

if she thinks I'm good enough, if

01:02:04,910 --> 01:02:08,400

she's asking me, then, like, why not?"

01:02:09,150 --> 01:02:09,360

Right?

01:02:09,400 --> 01:02:13,850

And there's a reason why God has brought

this opportunity to me, and if I say no to

01:02:13,850 --> 01:02:16,370

it, I may be kicking myself in the foot.

01:02:16,800 --> 01:02:20,290

So I decided, I said,

"Okay, I'll go for it."

01:02:20,760 --> 01:02:21,970

'Cause I had ideas.

01:02:21,970 --> 01:02:27,280

I had, because of my training,

adult training, the, of how to

01:02:27,280 --> 01:02:31,700

train adults in my learning and

development, I could see pockets of

01:02:31,700 --> 01:02:33,920

where her training was missing things.

01:02:33,920 --> 01:02:38,400

I had ideas how we could do things

better, what we should include, how we

01:02:38,400 --> 01:02:40,690

should start things with foundational.

01:02:40,910 --> 01:02:44,280

So, and she, and I brought

that to the program, and my

01:02:44,280 --> 01:02:46,640

one-on-one clients loved me.

01:02:46,980 --> 01:02:51,850

They paid her, but they didn't

learn anything from her.

01:02:52,400 --> 01:02:54,520

Everything was from me, right?