Real Estate Investor Q&A: Garden Suites, Ontario Real Estate, Exit Plans & More

Investor Q&A: Garden Suites, Ontario Real Estate, Exit Plans & More Today's episode of the Canadian Real Estate Investing Morning Show is a full investor Q&A. Wayne and Gabby answer questions live from Canadian real estate investors about: How to eventually exit a real estate portfolio Capital gains and tax planning When to use a financial planner Ontario real estate investing Variable vs fixed mortgage rates Corporations and rental properties Saskatchewan real estate Garage door replacement costs Assignment deals Edmonton garden suites And how investors can use education to recognize opportunities faster The biggest theme throughout today's show is simple: Ask better questions, get better information, and keep moving forward. What Does an Exit Plan From Real Estate Look Like? Craig asks: What is a realistic exit plan when you're done investing in real estate? Or are you ever actually done? Wayne's answer depends heavily on what the investor wants next. Some investors may want to: Sell everything Convert the portfolio into cash Move into lower-maintenance investments Create retirement income Keep real estate but simplify Hand assets down to family Continue holding for cash flow If the plan is to fully liquidate, Wayne recommends building the plan with the right professionals before selling. That could include: An investor-focused accountant A qualified financial planner A wealth-planning professional A real estate coach who understands long-term portfolio planning The key is knowing what the money is supposed to do after the properties are sold. Don't Forget the Tax Bill Wayne emphasizes that investors should not assume every dollar from a property sale becomes spendable cash. There may be: Capital gains tax Capital cost allowance recapture Legal fees Realtor commissions Mortgage discharge costs Other closing costs If you sell several properties at once, those tax implications can become significant. Talk to an investor-focused accountant before liquidating so you know what your actual net proceeds will be. Selling Is Easy. Planning What Happens Next Is Harder. The mechanics of selling real estate are relatively straightforward. Hire the appropriate broker or realtor. List the properties. Sell them. The harder part is deciding what happens to the capital afterward. If somebody sells a portfolio and ends up with several million dollars, they need to know whether that money is intended to: Grow. Generate income. Preserve wealth. Fund retirement. Support family. Or move into another investment vehicle. The answer should be based on the investor's goals, not a generic product recommendation. Be Careful Who You Take Financial Advice From Wayne also warns investors to be cautious with titles like: "Wealth planner." "Investment strategist." "Financial expert." A title does not automatically mean somebody has real experience. Make sure the person has actual qualifications and understands what you are trying to accomplish. The goal should be building the right plan, not simply moving your money into whatever product that person happens to sell. Kyla and Fabian Complete Their First Assignment Deal Kyla shares a big win during the live show. She and Fabian recently completed their first wholesale assignment. The deal came through a lead-generation system they originally built to find properties for their own fix-and-flip business. Normally they would have purchased the property, renovated it, and sold it. Instead, they recognized a different opportunity. They assigned the contract to another investor for: $10,000. No renovation. No construction risk. No holding costs. No resale risk. Just fast cash. Wayne explains that this is exactly what happens when investors understand multiple strategies. As Barry McGuire says: "If you understand the strategies, you recognize the opportunities." Pivoting vs Giving Up Wayne also talks about why he generally dislikes the word "pivot." Too often, people use "pivot" to describe quitting when something gets difficult. They start moving toward one goal. Hit resistance. Then change direction. Hit resistance again. Change direction again. Eventually they never reach any destination. That is different from recognizing a genuinely better path. Kyla and Fabian were not abandoning their business. They recognized that assigning the contract produced a faster, easier return with less risk. That is not quitting. That is making a better business decision. Garage Door Replacement Costs A live viewer asks about the rough cost of replacing a garage door. Wayne estimates approximately: Single garage door supplied and installed: $2,000–$2,700 plus applicable tax Insulated double garage door supplied and installed: Approximately $2,700–$3,500 plus applicable tax Labour-only costs may vary significantly by contractor and location. These are rough estimates and should be confirmed locally. Would Wayne Invest in Ontario? Another listener asks: What do you think about Ontario real estate? Would you invest there? Wayne's short answer: He has researched it. But he does not personally want to operate a rental-property business there. The biggest issue is not necessarily the individual property. It is the regulatory environment. One of Wayne's core investment fundamentals is investing in a jurisdiction that supports the operation of the business. If the landlord and tenant laws create too much operational risk, that can be enough for Wayne to move on. Real Estate Is a Business Wayne explains the distinction again: He is not simply buying an asset and hoping it goes up in value. He is operating a rental business inside that asset. That means the laws governing the business matter. If the province limits: Rent increases Lease termination Enforcement Non-payment remedies Control over the asset Then that becomes a major part of the investment risk. Ontario Real Estate Is in an "Ice Age" Wayne describes much of Ontario's real estate market as being in an "ice age" right now. That does not mean every market in Ontario is identical. It means affordability has become severely disconnected from property values in many areas. After the pandemic, very low borrowing costs and pent-up demand caused prices to accelerate rapidly. Prices then moved beyond what many households could realistically afford. Now the market needs time to rebalance. Wayne believes the long-term opportunity may return, but affordability, borrowing costs and income all need to move back into a healthier relationship. Garden Suites Explained Another listener asks: How do garden suites work? A garden suite is an additional residential unit built on the same property as an existing house. It can be: Ground-level Above a garage A garage suite A duplex-style garden suite Multiple units, where municipal rules allow The exact rules depend on the municipality. Edmonton's Garden Suite Opportunity Wayne explains that Edmonton currently offers a very unusual opportunity because recent zoning changes allow multiple garden-suite units on certain lots. This allows investors to do something that is not currently possible in the same way in most Canadian cities. Instead of simply building one small backyard suite, investors may be able to create: Duplex garden suites Multiple ground-level suites Multi-unit garage suites Four-plex garden suites Wayne and his team recently completed their first four-plex garden-suite project. Why Wayne Built Edmonton Garden Suites Wayne explains that he began developing this strategy when he saw traditional investment opportunities becoming harder to find. He spent approximately two years working through: Design Zoning Permits Construction Builder selection Cost control Financing Appraisal strategy Rental projections The result became Edmonton Garden Suites. Four-Plex Garden Suites Wayne says the multi-unit model is where the investment economics become substantially more attractive. Rather than building one unit in the backyard, multiple units create much more rental income. Wayne says certain projects may be able to create approximately: $250,000 in equity upon completion with some projects potentially creating even more. He also discusses potential cash flow of more than: $1,500 per month when the right property, development model and financing are used. These results are project-specific and depend heavily on acquisition cost, construction cost, financing, appraisal, rents and execution. Edmonton Garden Suites Is a Limited Window Wayne believes this opportunity exists because of current City of Edmonton zoning rules. Those rules can change. If the city changes the rules in the future, the strategy may no longer be available in its current form. That is why Wayne sees the current period as a window of opportunity. For more information: www.edmontongardensuites.com Should Rental Properties Be Owned in a Corporation? A listener asks: How many rental properties should you own before creating a corporation? Wayne's answer: Zero. For passive rental properties, Wayne generally prefers personal ownership or joint ventures using personal ownership where possible. His view is that corporate ownership often creates less favourable tax treatment for passive rental income. He says corporate ownership can become relevant when an investor can no longer qualify personally or when the structure is required for another reason. Before making any ownership decision, investors should speak with a qualified accountant and lawyer about their specific situation. Variable or Fixed Rates? A listener asks whether they should move out of variable-rate mortgages. Wayne explains that he personally remains in variable mortgages. He does not present that as a recommendation for everyone. The correct financing decision depends on: Risk tolerance Cash flow Portfolio structure Time horizon Future purchases Mortgage terms Personal financial situation Tomorrow's Morning Show will feature investor-focused mortgage broker Keaton Kirkwood to discuss rising fixed rates and how investors can prepare their portfolios. What About Saskatchewan? Wayne says he likes Saskatchewan. He believes Regina and Saskatoon can offer strong real estate and rental fundamentals. But if he compared Saskatchewan with Alberta today, he would still choose Alberta. His reasoning is simple: If two markets are relatively close in quality, Wayne prefers investing in the market that currently produces the strongest overall result. He will continue investing there until that changes. Then he will move to the next market. Tomorrow: Rising Interest Rates Tomorrow's Morning Show will feature: Keaton Kirkwood of Kirkwood & Brennan Mortgage Group The conversation will focus on rising fixed mortgage rates and what real estate investors can do to: Protect cash flow Prepare for renewals Structure financing Continue buying Avoid letting higher borrowing costs derail the long-term plan REI Masters Mentorship Work directly with Wayne and Gabby on acquisitions, financing, market selection, joint ventures, wholesaling, property management, garden suites and building a profitable Canadian real estate portfolio. www.reimasters.ca Edmonton Garden Suites Learn more about Wayne's multi-unit Edmonton garden suite strategy: www.edmontongardensuites.com The 5% Rule™ Learn Wayne Hillier's rental-property cash-flow framework. Search The 5% Rule by Wayne Hillier on Amazon. Watch the Morning Show Join Wayne and Gabby every weekday morning at 7:00 AM Mountain Time on YouTube. Follow Wayne Hillier – Real Estate Investing Coach on YouTube. Questions: [email protected] Upcoming Event REI Masters Annual Retreat Edmonton, Alberta October 17–18, 2026 www.reimasters.ca Sponsors Calvin Realty – Edmonton Investor-Focused Realtor Team www.calvinrealty.ca Finngo Bookkeeping & Tax Specialized bookkeeping and tax services for Canadian real estate investors. www.finngo.com/rei Kirkwood & Brennan Mortgage Group Investor-focused mortgage planning for Canadian real estate investors. www.kbmortgages.ca [email protected]