What a night! 🎉

Thank you to every client who joined us for our little holiday shindig! It was the perfect way to wrap up a great 2025 year! (And thanks also for those who couldn’t make it this year.)🎄

Seeing so many of you choose to hang out with your Realtor on a Monday night is truly a testament to the community we’ve built!

A massive thank you to our valued partners and friends for their support and incredible expertise: Hugo Dos Reis, Kenneth Tung, Adam D. Brander, Andy Tran, Yatin Chadha, Feisal Remtulla, Karim Mamdani, Alvin Wong, and Daniel Zimberoff. Special additional thanks to Patrick Ross and Austin Yeh for sharing their valuable insights!

❤️ And thank you to our sponsors for the wonderful prizes that added to the celebration: Vinay (Monkey Loaf), Betty (Pie, Cookies, Gift Card), Shafin ($50 to Crock-a-doodle), and Hugo (Gift Basket)!

Cheers to a wonderful community and a successful year! We are so grateful for your support and can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2026!

Matt here! I just wanted to say, we're a long way from our very first Meetup in Jan 2016! (Some of you OGs here were actually there for our inaugural Meetup session! 😘. You know who you are!)And a long way from Ming and my initial Meetup brainstorming session in Nov 2015 over... bubble tea I want to say?! 😂😂😂

I remember Ming posed the question, "What are we trying to create? And what is our measure of success?"

I remember the answers to those questions. We wanted to create a community and safe space for people interested in real estate to learn REAL and DEEP content, past the crap and fluff that was out there (nowadays, there is exponentially MORE crap out there than there was 11 years ago). And we wanted to create a community where investors were helping other investors, sharing experiences, best practices, building friendships, supporting each other - even WITHOUT us being the ones to engage and drive it.So THANK YOU to everyone here for helping me and Ming and the rest of the Volition team reach OUR goals! 🥳🥳🥳

Homes sales drop by 48% while we won a highest award for sales that our brokerage has. What gives?

Grateful today — for our clients, our community, our team and everyone who makes this work meaningful. Thanks to those who came out to our last Meetup (and chose us over the Blue Jay's Game 4!) — we love seeing this community show up and share ideas. Wishing you a warm Thanksgiving surrounded by good food and good company. 🍁

Everyone says buying beats renting — but is that really true? Matt and Ming unpack the hidden costs, opportunity costs, and lifestyle factors that actually tip the scales when you’re deciding on your primary home. They dive into the numbers, the tradeoffs, and what to consider when it might finally be time to buy — because the best choice isn’t about what others are doing, it’s about what works for you.

Big thanks to everyone who came out to our Street Smart Tour with Wilson last week 🙌 It was a great evening walking through a triplex in East York and diving into what makes these kinds of properties work for both investors and house hackers.

We’d love to host more of these tours — if you’re interested in joining the next one, drop us a message!

Join Alykhan and Ming from Volition Properties as they dive into the latest real estate trends and the impact of the Bank of Canada's rate cut today (Sept 17, 2025). Don't miss out!

Thanks for a fantastic night at our Ask Us Anything + Summer Social! Shoutout to everyone who came out to grill us, network, and share laughs, and of course, to Ming & Matt for the wisdom bombs.

Cancer has touched too many lives we care about. Help us turn our steps into support. Donate to the Canadian Cancer Society @cancersociety today and help us hit our goal! Thanks for being part of this with us.

💛 THANK YOU for stepping up with us! 💛
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Together, we raised $1,190 for the @cancersociety and crushed our 1 million steps goal as a team! Every dollar and every step brought us closer to supporting people and families impacted by cancer. We’re so grateful for your generosity—you helped turn movement into meaningful impact. Let’s keep moving forward — together.

Meet the Experts Who Will Transform the Way You Invest

Our lineup of renowned speakers brings real-world experience and proven strategies to help you navigate and thrive in today’s real estate market.
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Ming Lim & Andrei Angelkovski – Realtors
Discover the economic fundamentals of Toronto and surrounding regions. Ming and Andrei will bust myths about bad tenants and profitability while showcasing why Toronto remains a goldmine for savvy investors.
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Mike Clark – Lawyer
Uncover the hidden risks in real estate deals. From city searches to legal properties, Mike’s “Tales from the Trenches” will show you how to mitigate risks and make smarter investments.
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Hugo Dos Reis – Mortgage Broker
Stay ahead of the curve with Hugo’s insights on leveraging new mortgage rules and options to finance your next big deal.
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Adam Brander – Laneway & Garden Suite Specialist
Turn every Toronto property into a development opportunity. Adam will show you how to capitalize on new zoning laws for laneway and garden suites.
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Cherry Chan – Real Estate Accountant
Simplify complex tax laws with Cherry’s expert guidance on maximizing profits and staying compliant with ever-changing regulations.

Get inspired by these powerful success stories that prove real estate remains one of the best wealth-building tools:

Will Burgess: Retired at 39 through real estate. Learn how he uses the BRRR method with multifamily properties and avoid costly mistakes.

Jayden Haywood: Unlock the secrets of MLI Select Financing for larger multifamily investments.
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Dan Zimberhoff: Transform bungalows into goldmines by converting a 4-plex into separate units for resale.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who attended, spoke, and contributed to making the 2025 Real Estate Masterclass an unforgettable experience! From expert insights to powerful networking and game-changing strategies, we loved seeing our real estate community come together to learn, grow, and take action.

https://www.homenetwork.ca/real-estate-2025-predictions/

Ming Lim (Toronto, ON)
Head of Realty Broker
Volition Properties

The Toronto real estate market is gearing up for significant activity in spring 2025. After two years of pent-up demand due to elevated interest rates, buyers are returning as rates begin to ease.

However, the recovery will differ across market segments. Starter homes under $1.5 million are projected to see the highest levels of activity. These buyers, highly sensitive to interest rate shifts, are expected to drive increased competition, bidding wars and ultimately higher prices. Mid-tier homes priced between $1.5 and $2.5 million will recover more gradually, while the luxury market above $2.5 million is likely to remain sluggish through 2025.

In contrast, smaller towns like Hamilton and Oshawa, which saw demand surge during the pandemic due to Toronto’s overflow, may experience slower rebounds. With Toronto prices now more accessible, buyers are refocusing their attention on the city.

The condo market continues to face headwinds. Low absorption rates – indicating slow sales relative to supply – are keeping resale prices under pressure. With more pre-construction units coming online in 2025, inventory will increase further, exacerbating the issue. The new condo sales market remains frozen, with sales down 91 per cent from the 10-year average, and a rebound is unlikely until the resale market strengthens.

For first-time buyers, though, this presents an opportunity to enter the market affordably, without the stress of bidding wars or rushed decisions.

A significant portion of Volition Properties’ client base consists of real estate investors, giving the firm unparalleled insight into the multifamily investment property market. Spring 2025 will present a compelling opportunity for investors.

Historically, the investment market lags behind the single-family home sector, and as home prices trend upward, multifamily properties are expected to follow suit. Lower HELOC (home equity line of credit) rates will allow investors to tap into equity more affordably, while decreasing mortgage rates enhance cash flow potential for new acquisitions, both of which will drive further demand for investment properties. Activity among sophisticated investors is already on the rise, with many seeking to capitalize on “great deals” ahead of the curve. We anticipate this trend will gain momentum throughout 2025, offering proactive investors a narrow but promising window to secure prime opportunities.

“After two years of pent-up demand  to elevated interest rates, buyers are returning as rates begin to ease. However, the recovery will differ across market segments.”

Matthew Lee (Toronto, ON)
Founder and Managing Partner
Volition Properties

Toronto’s real estate market has become a challenging landscape for first-time buyers seeking more than a tiny condo. Developers have been significantly reducing unit sizes, making them impractical for many homeowners. While investors bought them in vast quantities and leased them to young professionals, these small units are now stagnating on the market. Quite simply, they fail to meet the needs of today’s buyers who are planning ahead and considering starting families. Instead, many first-time buyers are now looking beyond the traditional “shoebox condo” and seeking properties that offer more space, versatility and long-term value, which typically meant they had to look outside Toronto.

Volition Properties offers a compelling alternative: duplexes and triplexes that let buyers stay in Toronto and invest wisely. Recent changes to CMHC mortgage rules, effective December 15, 2024, allow first-time buyers to put down less than 20 per cent on homes up to $1.5 million, with extended 30-year amortizations. This makes small multifamily properties in downtown Toronto comparable to condos in terms of down payment and carrying costs. By living in one unit and renting out the others, buyers can significantly offset their mortgage payments.

For example, a $600k condo would require $138k down and cost $3,350 monthly to carry, while a $1.3M triplex would require $153k down and cost about $3,400 monthly after renting out two units. Duplexes and triplexes are reshaping what a first home can be. Instead of starting with a condo, young buyers can have more space, generate rental income and own a property with superior appreciation potential by opting for a multi-unit property. Not only does this provide a place to call home, but it also introduces them to real estate investing, positioning them for greater financial success.

For instance, back in 2019, a young couple bought a triplex through us, and they were able to leverage the equity growth and increasing rents to purchase a second investment property within three years.

For over a decade, Volition Properties has helped hundreds of clients leverage this approach to grow their portfolios, and with new CMHC rules, this trend is set to accelerate into 2025 and beyond.

Think pre-construction condos are a surefire path to wealth? Think again! Join us as we reveal four critical reasons to avoid condo investments in Toronto. 💡 What You’ll Learn: The risks of relying on market timing. Why condos appreciate slower than homes. The reality of cash flow negativity. How realtor incentives can mislead you. Watch now to learn the truth and make informed investment choices!