This is another in a regular series on information for advisors intended to help them better understand their clients and possibly open up new niche markets to them.

It is based on data gleaned from the RTS consumer survey conducted by BBM Canada, a Toronto-based not-for-profit, industry-owned and -run broadcast audience research organization. BBM Canada conducts the bi-annual RTS survey with a sample size of more than 60,000 respondents, providing detailed insight into the consumer preferences of Canadians across a spectrum of industries including financial, banking and e-commerce. Today’s “factoid” is taken from the most current (fall 2003/spring 2004) BBM RTS release.

Men are more likely than women to invest in real estate.

According to a recent RTS survey, 841,000 Canadians, or 3%, have real estate properties as an investment.

31% of real estate investors are 45-54 years old. That’s almost 2 times the national average.

Males (55%) are more likely than female (45%) to invest on real estate.

22% of the real estate investors are retired people; 21% are upper management professionals.

The average personal yearly income of those who invest in real estate is $47,000, 57% higher than the national average.

The average value of personal savings and investments for the real estate investors is $218,000. That’s 3.6 times higher than the national average.

46% of the real estate investors use full service investment brokers (2.5 times the national average). 17% use credit unions; 14% use insurance companies (1.7 the national averages); 12% use discount brokers (four times the national average).

15% have changed the institution most often used for investment purposes. That’s 2.9 times the national averages.

Real estate investors have several insurances: 93% have home insurance (1.5 times the national average); compared to the national averages, they have two times more travel insurance, 1.8 times more credit card balance insurance and 1.5 times more health disabilities insurance.

Their properties ownership is similar to the national average: 75% own their home and 10% own a cottage.