Natalie Cloutier is a French-Canadian real estate investor who, alongside her husband, has spent over a decade building a successful build-to-rent business in Canada. With a background in architectural technology, Natalie began her journey by constructing her first home at the age of 19 using a sweat-equity loan, transforming a family “secret” into a powerful investment model. Today, she and her husband have built 53 units from the ground up, acquired and renovated four additional properties, and automated their business to support long-term growth. Her approach centers on risk-aware development, ADU maximization, and creative strategies to unlock housing value. She is also the author of The Build to Rent Strategy and co-founder of The New Build Couple.
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Key Takeaways
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Why building your own home with sweat equity can kickstart your investing journey
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The build-rent-refinance-repeat model Natalie uses instead of traditional BRRRR
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How legislation like Bill 23 unlocked value via ADUs
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The risks to watch for when analyzing land deals
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Why burnout forced her to scale—and how hiring a team changed her business
Topics
From Architecture School to First Build
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How Natalie and her husband started by building their own house at 19
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The sweat-equity loan that replaced a traditional down payment
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Living through construction while house-hacking their basement unit
Scaling with Confidence
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Transitioning from guided help to self-led builds
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Building nights and weekends while working 40-hour weeks
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How an employee learned their model and replicated it himself
Why Build-to-Rent Made Sense
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Existing properties in Ontario didn’t pencil out
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Build-to-rent as a better alternative to BRRRR for their market
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The shift from slow beginnings to full-time real estate
Shifting Strategies Through Market Changes
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The effects of COVID, inflation, and interest rates
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Navigating legislative battles with municipalities
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Taking a break to reassess in the face of red tape
Due Diligence in Development
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Natalie’s master checklist before buying land
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Zoning, sewer, easements, internet access, and environmental tests
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The consequences of skipping steps (like a $30k surprise for internet)
How ADUs Became a Game Changer
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Leveraging Ontario’s Bill 23 to turn a duplex into a triplex
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Avoiding six-figure development fees by using ADU classifications
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Applying the ADU model to create sixplexes with cost savings
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Round of Insights
Failure that set Natalie up for success: Burning out from doing too much herself, led to hiring a team and building better systems.
Digital or mobile resource: Buildium, for managing tenant communication and operations, even with just a few units.
Book recommendation: Secrets of the Canadian Real Estate Cycle by Don Campbell, great for understanding market timing and cycles.
Daily habit: Running or walking: movement helps her reset and stay grounded.
#1 insight for real estate investors: Do your due diligence. This is not a risk-free strategy, so run the numbers and know what you’re getting into.
Favorite restaurant in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec: Socal Kitchen.
Next Steps
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Connect with Natalie at thenewbuildcouple.com
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Follow her on Instagram to see project videos and updates
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Grab a copy of her book: The Build to Rent Strategy
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