The Real Estate Bridge: How This Team Helps Canadians Invest In U.S Real Estate 

The Real Estate Bridge is a world renowned international real estate firm with over a decade of experience in both the Canadian and U.S markets. Their firm was created to fill the need for a high integrity, trustworthy source for Canadians to buy and finance real estate in the United States, something that was previously thought to be impossible, tedious and difficult work.

I had the privilege of interviewing Samantha McGuinness and asked, “What was the inspiration behind The Real Estate Bridge? How did it all begin?” Samantha said, “In 2010, we came to South Florida to purchase an investment property for the first time. The weather, favorable tax rates, lower price points, and ‘landlord friendly’ component that yielded high rental rates were very attractive to us. However, it was tricky to get favorable financing terms and to find realtors who we could trust and understand what we needed, which came to be a huge challenge. As a result, we built what we wished existed for us when we started buying U.S real estate: high integrity, an all-encompassing real estate firm for Canadians to easily purchase real estate in the US.” Samantha found a problem in the market and saw an immense need for someone to fix it, needless to say, The Real Estate Bridge was born.

The day-to-day in the real estate industry moves fast, with that being said, having the perfect team behind you as well as clients would be easy to work with and fun are always a plus! I asked, what type of client do you typically work with and why? Samantha responded; “We are investors ourselves, and as a result, we predominantly work with business owners and investors, and those buying vacation homes because we understand their unique needs and challenges. The majority of our clients have equity in existing real estate, so we often help them sell or refinance in Canada to deploy those funds into US cash flow, short-term residential rental properties, or vacation homes. Additionally, we help many of our clients with their commercial real estate needs, from purchasing retail stores, land, pre-construction, to multifamily properties.

With a lot of other companies probably offering similar services, what do you think sets The Real Estate Bridge apart from the competition? Integrity and hard work are everything to us! We come from humble beginnings and we have very high standards for ourselves — we truly care about our clients, and we’re grateful for every opportunity. As a result, we approach each client and each project in a results-oriented, high-quality manner, as if it were our very first deal. Reputation is extremely important and we’re proud to say that almost all of our business is referral-based. Given the fact that we are experienced in both the Canadian and US markets, we truly understand the needs of our fellow Canadians when it comes to buying real estate in the US. Additionally, we incorporate helping to secure both the property and the financing for our clients, which sets us apart. By providing such an effective reliable solution, The Real Estate Bridge has been able to excel in leaps and bounds since its inception setting itself apart from anything the real estate market has ever seen before!

The path to being an entrepreneur is never easy, but with great struggle comes great reward, I had the chance to ask Samantha a little more about the roots of her journey. “You had mentioned earlier the company had initially come from “humble beginnings“. Was it easy to grow the company to the level it’s at today? What have you learned since it all began that shaped the path you ended up taking to get to where you are today?” Samantha responded, “Nothing great comes easy, and it certainly hasn’t been an easy feat for us. We have had to leave a lot behind, relocate and go all in to make this work and to be able to provide the level of quality service required to make this business operate to our standards. We believe in having an obedient rather than sacrificial perspective, and we know that the challenges are a part of fulfilling the vision that we are here to execute.” It’s these characteristics that separate the winners from the losers, the ones that manage to see it through till the end will usually be successful eventually, the path is never easy along the way, if it was, everyone would do it!

Samantha says, “The most important thing for people to know is that challenges yield opportunities and that growing through difficulties is how greatness is born. Our team knows to expect and appreciate complications when they come up. We are problem solvers, and our entire business was created by being presented with a problem and creating the solution. Now we get the opportunity to help others as a result.”

Without a doubt, the past two years have been crazy, I got the chance to ask Samantha what she thought about the future of her company. “Moving forward into the new year for 2022, has anything about the past year shaped the way you and the business operate?” Samantha says, “Absolutely. With Ontario, Quebec, and BC real estate prices increasing over 25% this year, many buyers are being priced out and are sitting on the sidelines. Additionally, the stable rental prices, combined with strict policies for landlords, and high taxes in Ontario make it tough for some to justify investing in the Canadian real estate market. Additionally, inflation is eating up funds that aren’t appreciated. We believe that many of our commercial and residential buyers in Canada will be looking to invest elsewhere, and we’re looking forward to being their bridge between Canadians and US real estate.” This combination of factors is leading to an exceptionally competitive market for home buyers which furthermore increases the need for companies like The Real Estate Bridge!

Well, that was incredible Samantha! If you’d like to know more about The Real Estate Bridge or its CEO Samantha McGuinness, you can reach out below:

You can find me @iexceed and @therealestatebridge on IG. Our website is www.therealestatebridge.com