Every empire has humble beginnings.
For many real estate investors in Alberta, it doesn’t start with a trust fund or a development loan. It starts with one mortgage… one rental… one tenant.
At Green Casa Property Management, we’ve supported investors who began exactly this way, building portfolios one property at a time, scaling from side hustles to full-scale businesses.
This is the story of Jason, a Calgary native who turned one property into a 52-unit multi-family empire. His journey mirrors what’s possible for anyone willing to learn, act, and scale with intention.
🔹 Phase 1: The First Rental, Starting Small, Thinking Big
📍 Calgary | Year: 2015
Jason was 32, working full-time in oil and gas, and unsure what to do with his first home when he moved in with his partner. Instead of selling it, he rented out a quiet bungalow in the city’s southeast. Suddenly, he became a landlord.
- First Tenant: Found on Kijiji. Rent was $1,350/month.
- Big Surprise: Tenants don’t call when things go right. They call at midnight when the furnace dies.
- Big Win: His mortgage was covered, and he had his first taste of cash flow.
💡 Lesson: Real estate isn’t passive, but it’s powerful. Jason realized that one property could grow into more if managed right.
🔹 Phase 2: The Duplex Play, House Hacking + Hustling
📍 Bonnie Doon, Edmonton | Year: 2017
Using built-up equity and a solid credit score, Jason bought a legal duplex in a walkable neighborhood in Edmonton. He moved into one side and rented out the other, a classic “house hack.”
- Monthly Rent (other side): $1,450
- Jason’s Housing Cost: Close to zero
- System Used: Google Sheets + text-message reminders
With two tenants, Jason started to feel the growing pains: lease management, repairs, and rent collection. But the returns were real.
✅ Milestone: He learned how to screen tenants, set expectations, and track income like a business.
🔹 Phase 3: Fourplex Ownership – A Real Portfolio Begins
📍 Calgary | Year: 2019
Confident and ready to scale, Jason acquired a fourplex, his first real step into multi-family. That’s when he hired Green Casa.
- Rent per unit: $1,200 average
- Total income: ~$4,800/month
- Expenses: ~$2,500/month, including property management
Jason now had to think about things like vacancy rates, preventative maintenance, and landlord-tenant laws. His time was shrinking. That’s where Green Casa stepped in, taking over leasing, tenant relations, and routine maintenance so Jason could focus on strategy.
🧠 Shift in Thinking: He stopped treating real estate as a side hustle and started treating it like an asset class.
🔹 Phase 4: The 20-Unit Leap, Systems Over Sweat Equity
📍 Westmount, Edmonton | Year: 2021
After a couple of refinances and with a joint venture partner on board, Jason purchased a 20-unit apartment building. The stakes were higher, and so were the expectations.
- Price: $2.9M
- Cap Rate: 7.5%
- Gross Income: $22,000/month
- Managed By: Green Casa
This wasn’t landlording anymore. It was asset management. Jason now had a bookkeeper, a maintenance crew, and a property management company. Every dollar in rent had to be tracked. Every unit turn was budgeted. Every decision affected his NOI and valuation.
📈 Focus: Renovation ROI, rent optimization, tenant retention.
🔹 Phase 5: 52 Doors and Counting From Landlord to Leader
📍 Edmonton & Calgary | Year: Today
Today, Jason owns 3 buildings totaling 52 units. He doesn’t do showings. He doesn’t collect rent. He doesn’t deal with late-night calls.
- He checks reports.
- He evaluates acquisitions.
- He works on the business, not in it.
🔑 Why It Works: He scaled smart, delegated early, and partnered with experts like Green Casa who know the Alberta market inside out.
🎯 Final Thoughts: One Door at a Time Isn’t Just a Strategy, It’s a Philosophy
You don’t need to start big. But you do need to start smart.
With Alberta’s landlord-friendly laws, no rent caps, and strong cap rates, this province is one of the best places in Canada to grow a real estate portfolio, if you have the right plan and the right partners.
Whether you’re renting out a basement suite or acquiring a 30-unit building, Green Casa Property Management is here to help you scale without stress.
👣 Start where you are. Grow with purpose. And let us walk with you one door at a time.
