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Building Multi-Family From The Ground Up to Rental Success

by | Jan 16, 2026 | Podcast, Real Estate, Real Estate Investing | 0 comments

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In this episode of Where Should I Invest, Sarah Larbi sits down with Natalie Cloutier, a real estate developer, author, and builder who has carved out a unique niche in the Canadian investing landscape: Build to Rent.

Starting with $0 at just 19 years old, Natalie and her husband built their first home using an auto-construction loan and that single decision launched a long-term strategy now responsible for multiple duplexes, fourplexes, and sixplexes.
Natalie breaks down the real numbers, the risks, the rewards, and the mindset behind creating cash-flowing rentals from the ground up. She also shares the truth about Bill 23, the municipal pushback that followed, and the often-overlooked challenges developers face behind the scenes.

If you’ve ever wondered how to build new multifamily housing or whether Build-to-Rent can actually work in today’s market, this episode delivers the clarity you’ve been missing.

What You’ll Learn
  • How Natalie’s “Build to Rent” strategy works from land acquisition to refinance
  • The financing structure needed to build rentals with minimal money left in the deal
  • How Bill 23 created unexpected chaos for builders
  • Why municipalities can make or break your development timeline
  • The biggest mistakes investors make when expanding into construction
  • How Natalie handles permitting, design, and working with new city staff
  • Why choosing the right JV partner matters more than the deal
  • How she used rebates, credit hacks, and marketplace finds to finish units affordably
  • What inspired her new book The Build to Rent Strategy
  • Why cash flow matters more than unit count
  • When to step back from development (and why mental fatigue is real)
  • How to start with nothing and still build long-term wealth
Natalie Cloutier is a real estate investor and developer specializing in the Build-to-Rent model, constructing duplexes, fourplexes, and sixplexes across Ontario. With a background in architectural technology, Natalie handles permitting, design, and construction management, while her JV partners handle financing and tenant placement. She is the author of The Build to Rent Strategy, a transparent, numbers-focused guide for aspiring builders and investors.

Listen now at https://sarahlarbi.com/podcast-home/

Contact Natalie Cloutier here:
Website: https://www.thenewbuildcouple.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewbuildcouple
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenewbuildcouple
Book: The Build to Rent Strategy (available via her website)

This episode has been brought to you in part by:
Ryan DeLaurentis, Flip Savvy – https://flipsavvy.ca/
Ryan Carson, Carson Law – https://www.carsonlaw.ca/ or email ryan@carsonlaw.ca
James Lloyd, US Properties https://www.usproperties.ca/ or email james@usproperties.ca
Matt Pickering, National Bank matthew.pickering@nbc.ca
Mid-Term Rentals – https://midtermrentalproperties.com/
Inspire Beach Resort – https://inspirebeachresort.com/

Do you need help or ideas for your own real estate investing business? Reach out and let us support your journey www.sarahlarbi.com or email sarah@sarahlarbi.com

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