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Ongoing Updates of Exciting New Construction Projects & Articles Written by the Volition Team

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Danforth Project – Video Update and 5 Things We Learned So far
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Danforth Project – Video Update and 5 Things We Learned So far

Danforth Project - Video Update and 5 Things We Learned So Far   It has been awhile since the last update and there is lots of progress to share! Here is the video update after the mechanical work for framing, HVAC, plumbing, insulation, and electrical rough-ins are complete:       We always learn something new on projects, so here is a list of five things we have learned so far:   Plan your electrical, CAT6, and entertainment connectivity - then add a few extra! Give thought to how you (or your tenants) will arrange the sofa relative to the...
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What to Look For When House-Hunting for Your First Property
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What to Look For When House-Hunting for Your First Property

What to Look For When House-Hunting for Your First Property Just because it’s your first property doesn’t mean that you can't think of it as an investment!  So, you've just toured “the one” and can already picture yourself living there.  The upcoming offer date is scheduled in your calendar.  Given your budget and the market conditions, your Realtor agrees that you have a good shot at getting into the market with this property. Not so fast. We have a wild proposition: Just because it’s your first property doesn’t mean that you can't think of it as an investment!  Read on...
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Top Trends That Renters Are Looking for During Covid
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Top Trends That Renters Are Looking for During Covid

Top Trends That Renters Are Looking for During Covid Many office professionals will be spending more time at home than ever before.   Covid has changed the real estate landscape, perhaps forever.  While we are trying to get back to normal (whatever normal is), certain trends have shifted.  “Work From Home” has become a part of our lifestyle, with big implications for homeowners and renters alike.  Even with a return to the office, many companies are reducing their office footprint, moving permanently to touch-down stations, and offering 2-3 day a week WFH arrangements, which means that many office professionals will be...
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Targeted Renovations to Improve Rent and Attract an A+ Tenant Profile
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Targeted Renovations to Improve Rent and Attract an A+ Tenant Profile

Targeted Renovations to Improve Rent and Attract an A+ Tenant Profile Upon a recent tenant turnover, one of Volition's own wanted to take the opportunity to upgrade their unit to improve rents and attract an A+ tenant profile! Before renovations: Rent: $1,700 Tenant profile: B+ No laundry in the unit Tiles in the bathroom and kitchen General wear and tear After renovations: Rent: $1,825 Tenant profile: A+ Young professional couple; 1 working in tech, other graduating from UT Radiology Program; both have great credit and good income and savings. Added ensuite laundry to kitchen Upgraded the bathroom and kitchen flooring...
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Danforth Project – Laneway Suite Part 2: Preliminary Design
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Danforth Project – Laneway Suite Part 2: Preliminary Design

Danforth Project - Laneway Suite Part 2: Preliminary Design Overview: Project Phases and Timelines Welcome back to part 2 of the Danforth laneway suite blog series! As you may have heard from our Meetup with Lanescape, there are long lead times to build laneway suites and to conduct construction in general. They have a great blog for anyone currently in or contemplating a construction project: The Pandemic & Your Project: The Facts There are three major phases for laneway suites as outlined below: preliminary design, design & approvals, and construction management. Project timelines are continually subject to change, but our...
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Toronto Legal Luxury Triplex Conversion – Real Life Example!
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Toronto Legal Luxury Triplex Conversion – Real Life Example!

Toronto Legal Luxury Triplex Conversion - Real Life Example! It’s a lot harder to find a cashflowing property in Toronto… but it is very much possible if you’re looking at real estate through the right lens. One of the things that we hear over and over is: Isn’t Toronto too expensive?  Isn't Toronto too risky? There aren’t any good investment properties in Toronto. To those people, we reply “It’s just because you aren’t working with the right Investor Realtor”.   We get it.  Investing in Toronto is tough.  It’s a lot harder to invest in Toronto than it is to invest...
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15 Things to Know Before You Buy Your First Rental Property
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15 Things to Know Before You Buy Your First Rental Property

15 Things to Know Before You Buy Your First Rental Property Investing in real estate is not really "investing" as much as it is buying and running a business. “More millionaires are made through real estate than anything else”.  Quotes like this make real estate investing sound easy, don’t they?  The reality is much different.  Investing in real estate is not really "investing" as much as it is buying and running a business.  Read on for the 15 tips that inspired our HGTV.ca article.  1. Buy in a City with a Future, not a Past You need to understand the...
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Danforth Project – Laneway Suite Part 1: Overview, Eligibility and Considerations
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Danforth Project – Laneway Suite Part 1: Overview, Eligibility and Considerations

Danforth Project - Laneway Suite Part 1 Overview, Eligibility and Considerations Overview I am a laneway suite enthusiast and have been following the City of Toronto program since the 2019 launch, and we were eager to explore the possibility of a laneway suite in our own backyard. Laneway suites are a unique solution to Toronto’s high real estate prices and a creative way to add gentle housing density and expand housing options in the city. They are secondary dwellings constructed on residential lots that abut a publicly designated laneway, and offer tremendous flexibility from rentals to work from home spaces...
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How to Make an Extra $50k When Selling Your Home
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How to Make an Extra $50k When Selling Your Home

How to Make an Extra $50k When Selling Your Home Volition was featured on HGTV.ca to share strategies for getting top dollar for your home – you can check it out here. As usual, we have more to say. Read on for the extended version! To get top dollar for your home, you need to be strategic.  We’re going to go beyond the “regular” advice (i.e. staging, remodelled kitchens, curb appeal, etc.) and challenge some of the preconceived assumptions around getting top dollar for your home.  Any run-of-the-mill Realtor can throw something up on MLS and hope for the best…...
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Danforth Project – Basement Walkthrough
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Danforth Project – Basement Walkthrough

We are back with the second installment of the pre-reno walkthrough at the Danforth project! We are considering options for our basement, which include: Leave unfinished, but move the mechanicals and electrical panel Finish as a recreation room plus den, extra bedroom and bathroom Finish as a legal secondary suite We initially planned to leave the basement alone, but we realized that installing a new furnace and hot water tank (and removing the existing boiler and rads) present an opportunity to move the mechanicals, and plan future room layouts so the mechanical engineer can plan HVAC systems accordingly. We worked...
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Expert Tips That Will Help You Become a Homeowner Before 40
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Expert Tips That Will Help You Become a Homeowner Before 40

Expert Tips That Will Help You Become a Homeowner Before 40 Accelerate your journey to homeownership. Volition was featured on HGTV.ca to share our top tips for becoming a homeowner before 40 - you can check it out here. As usual, we have more to say. Read on for the extended version! We are going to steer clear of the typical stuff you often hear like start saving early, live frugally, don’t spend more when you get a raise, don’t order that avocado toast, etc. We want to broaden your thinking – especially because the traditional methods of getting into...
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Getting your Maximum Mortgage Qualification
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Getting your Maximum Mortgage Qualification

Getting your Maximum Mortgage Qualification You need to be as strategic about your mortgage as your real estate. Here's how. To grow your real estate portfolio, you need to be able to qualify for as much financing as possible.  To get your maximum mortgage qualification, you need to work with an investor-focussed Mortgage Broker.  Most people think about their real estate as a portfolio, for good reason.  But they overlook the fact that they need to be thinking about their MORTGAGES as a portfolio as well.  This means that you need to be AS STRATEGIC about your mortgages as your...
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10 Things You Should Know About Building Your Own Laneway Suite
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10 Things You Should Know About Building Your Own Laneway Suite

10 Things You Should Know About Building Your Own Laneway Suite Volition was featured on HGTV.ca to share top tips for building a laneway suite - you can check it out here. In true Volition fashion, the original was WAY over the max character count, so we've posted it below. Read on for the FULL version! Laneway houses are a unique solution to Toronto’s high real estate prices and creative way to add gentle housing density and expand housing options in the city. They are secondary dwellings constructed on residential lots that abut a publicly designated laneway, and offer tremendous...
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How To Get The Highest Appraisal Value
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How To Get The Highest Appraisal Value

How To Get The Highest Appraisal Value Doing just 10% more will make all the difference. Appraisals are possibly one of the most important aspects of real estate investing, particularly when trying to scale or grow your portfolio using the Volition “Multiplier Effect”.  They don’t happen often, but when they do, It’s critical that you give them the time and due diligence they deserve.  An appraisal can literally make or break your business model. When are appraisals important?  Obviously, you’ll need an appraisal when you are acquiring a new property.  Most of us who have bought a property have gone...
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Danforth Project: Pre-Reno Walkthrough
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Danforth Project: Pre-Reno Walkthrough

Welcome to Volition’s new blog series on construction projects! I’m Florence (but everybody calls me Flo), the Strategic Initiatives Manager at Volition. I started attending Volition meetups in 2016, and the education and community here enabled me to grow my portfolio from a one-bedroom condo in 2013 to eight doors including legal triplexes in Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy in downtown Toronto. I became such an advocate for Volition’s mission to help investors build wealth and achieve financial independence that I crossed over from the corporate world to join Volition and help grow the business. Having been through several renovations including...
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RISE Podcast: Investing in the Toronto Market with Ming Lim
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RISE Podcast: Investing in the Toronto Market with Ming Lim

Volition's very own Ming Lim was featured on the RISE Real Estate Investing Podcast! Ming is a passionate educator with 20 years of real estate investment experience in Toronto, the GTA, and Southwestern Ontario. He purchased his first investment property in 2001 and has been hooked ever since! Ming is both the Head of Advisory and Construction at Volition Properties where he mentors and guides new and experienced investors who are interested in purchasing and developing real estate in the Toronto market. Ming’s background in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo along with his construction experience give him a...
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Purchased: Turnkey Toronto Investment Property
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Purchased: Turnkey Toronto Investment Property

Congratulations to our client on their first investment property! Here are three reasons why this property is a great investment: Location, location, location - mere steps to the subway. Outdoor space - especially important during COVID, this sets the units apart from other rentals on the market. Three separate turnkey units - ready, set, rent! Looking to start or improve your investment journey? We can help you too, get in touch! info@volitionprop.com 1-833-416-BRRR (2777)    
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Why You Should Use an Investor-Focused Realtor, Even for Your Primary Residence
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Why You Should Use an Investor-Focused Realtor, Even for Your Primary Residence

We may be biased, but we believe investor agents make the best “normal” agents. Here are some questions we can help you answer when you make what is likely THE BIGGEST PURCHASE OF YOUR LIFE! Does this property hold to long term appreciation fundamentals? Does it require construction? How much are those things going to cost? Can I have a secondary suite to help with cash flow? How much are rents? What tenant profiles will I get? How can my primary residence help me qualify for investment properties in the future? HELOC? Secondary suites? Looking for your next home? We...
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Investing in Toronto Preconstruction Condos 101
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Investing in Toronto Preconstruction Condos 101

Investing in Toronto Preconstruction Condos 101. What should I invest in? Houses vs. Resale Condos vs. Preconstruction Condos. Preconstruction condos have their place in real estate investing.  If you've worked with the Volition team, or if you've attended our meetups, you'll know that we preach that freehold (i.e. land) is generally the best investment.  But land comes as a price… both in terms of monetary perspective and from a time/energy perspective. Condos are easy.  You buy a condo, and if it's in a half-decent location, it's easy to rent it out, and it's easy to manage it.  The building itself...
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Capital Gains for Investment Properties
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Capital Gains for Investment Properties

Capital Gains Simply put, capital gains occur when a property is sold for more than what it was purchased for.  A property that was purchased for $1M and sold for $1.2M will have $200k capital gains.  Only 50% of the capital gains is subject to tax, meaning only $100k is taxable.  This amount will be added to the owner's taxable income for that year.  For all intents and purposes, this generally means that almost the entire $100k will be taxed at the marginal tax rate, which we can generally estimate at 50%. So if you were to sell a property...
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Why Invest In Toronto?
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Why Invest In Toronto?

Why Invest In Toronto? We get this question all the time! With prices high and competition fierce, why do investors still pour money in to the Toronto market? It doesn’t take skill to buy a property – if you’ve got the money, you can make a purchase; but what separates your average person from a sophisticated investor is being able to mitigate your investment risks.   What are the major risk factors? 1) Tenant Risk – the risk of having bad tenants 2) Market Risk – the exposure your invest has to market changes 3) Property Risk – the risk...
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