Hi everyone,

I’m based in the Toronto, Canada area and am exploring a move to the U.S., most likely Texas or Florida, through an E-2 investor visa.

A little about my background:

• I’ve been a licensed Realtor in Ontario for about 10 years and have experience with residential real estate and rental properties.
• I’m also a licensed G2 Gas Technician in Ontario and own a small HVAC company here.
• My experience has made me particularly interested in businesses connected to real estate, property operations, maintenance, and HVAC rather than buying a completely unrelated business just for immigration purposes.

I’m currently researching three possible business models:

1. Property Management

I’m interested in residential and small commercial property management, potentially serving individual investors, out-of-state owners, small multifamily properties, etc.

Long term, I could see the company expanding beyond traditional management and coordinating maintenance and other property services.

2. HVAC Company

This is obviously closely related to my existing background.

The challenge is licensing. My Ontario G2 licence does not automatically allow me to perform or contract HVAC work in Texas or Florida, so I’m researching whether I could initially own and operate the business while employing/partnering with the appropriately licensed person or using licensed subcontractors where legally permitted.

Eventually, I would like to obtain whatever state/local licensing I personally qualify for.

3. Commercial Facility Maintenance / Property Services

This is the model I’m particularly interested in learning more about.

The idea would be a B2B company providing or coordinating services for commercial properties such as:

• Preventive property inspections
• General maintenance and minor repairs
• Turnover/make-ready services
• Pressure washing
• Janitorial/cleaning
• Landscaping coordination
• Lighting/basic maintenance
• Vendor coordination
• Emergency maintenance response
• HVAC coordination through properly licensed contractors
• Eventually adding additional in-house trades as the company grows

The target customers could include property managers, commercial landlords, HOAs, retail plazas, offices, warehouses, multifamily operators, and real estate investors.

I’m not looking for the easiest business to qualify for an E-2. I’m trying to identify a business that makes economic sense independently of the visa and that I could realistically scale over the next 5–10 years.

I’d especially appreciate hearing from people operating in DFW/Houston or Tampa/Orlando.

For those with experience in these industries:

Which of these models has the strongest opportunity for a new operator?

I’d also be interested in hearing about startup costs, licensing/regulatory obstacles, margins, staffing challenges, how difficult it is to win the first commercial accounts, and whether you would start from scratch or acquire an existing small company.

I’m open to buying an existing operation as well as starting from zero.

Any firsthand experience—especially from property managers, HVAC contractors, commercial maintenance companies, landlords, or investors in Texas or Florida—would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!