Leverage the Loophole: How Smart Alberta Investors Are Buying Apartment Buildings with 5% Down
You don’t need deep pockets to play the big game, just the right leverage. Welcome to the CMHC MLI Select Advantage. In Alberta, a quiet revolution is unfolding in real estate. Investors, not developers, not giant REITs, but everyday Albertans, are acquiring multi-family apartment buildings with just 5% down. How? By unlocking the powerful, underutilized financing tool that is CMHC MLI Select, a program designed to reward buildings that provide affordable, accessible, or energy-efficient rental housing. At Green Casa Property Management, we’ve helped investors go from owning one fourplex to managing 40+ doors. And MLI Select is the key that unlocked their growth. Let’s walk through how it works and why it’s changing the game for investors in Calgary and Edmonton. 💡 What is CMHC MLI Select and Why Does It Matter? The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) offers mortgage insurance that allows lenders to finance buildings with: But there’s a catch, or rather, a criterion. Your building must contribute to housing priorities in one of three areas: If your building scores 100 points in any one of these categories, you unlock the full benefits of MLI Select. 🔍 How the Points System Works Think of it like a report card. To get the best financing perks, your building needs to score 100+ points in one qualifying category: ✅ Affordability You’ll earn points based on how many units are below market rent and how long you keep them that way. ✅ Accessibility Points here are awarded for features like: ✅ Energy Efficiency If you’re improving an existing building’s energy usage by 40%+, or building to a high-efficiency standard, you’re golden.Add insulation, upgrade HVAC, install solar, and watch your score climb. 📊 Why It’s a Game-Changer for Investors Traditional commercial financing usually requires 25–35% down, which often puts larger buildings out of reach for small to mid-level investors. With MLI Select, that same investor can: That’s not just savings, it’s scale. 🏙️ Why Alberta is the Best Place for This Strategy Let’s be honest, this wouldn’t work as well in Toronto or Vancouver. But in Calgary and Edmonton, the stars are aligned: You’re not just investing in real estate, you’re aligning with market momentum. 🛠️ Green Casa’s Role: From Deal to Doors We don’t just manage your tenants, we help manage your vision. Here’s what we do for MLI Select investors: Whether you’re planning your first 6-plex or adding a 24-unit to your portfolio, we’re the team on your side. 💬 A Real Story: How Sam Turned Strategy Into Scale Sam, a 38-year-old investor from SE Calgary, owned a duplex and had always wanted to scale up but was held back by capital. With Green Casa’s help, he found a 16-unit building in Edmonton that was under-rented and energy-inefficient. We helped: Sam closed with 7.5% down and saw positive cash flow from month one. Today? He’s looking at a second property, and using refinanced equity from the first to fund it. 🚀 Final Thought: MLI Select Isn’t a Shortcut, It’s a Smarter Route You still need a strategy. You still need underwriting. And yes, you still need good tenants. But with CMHC MLI Select, the playing field is levelled for the ambitious investor who’s ready to move smart, not slow. You don’t need millions. You just need the right guidance. 📞 Ready to Explore Your MLI Select Options in Alberta? Green Casa Property Management can help you: Let’s build your next big move, together.