JO I A JOIA Griffintown some money and walk away. We want to leave something behind for our kids.” While developing JOIA Griffintown, the company bought two smaller properties they intended to develop first in order to get their feet wet. More lots became available as they went, however, and Michael and Ronnie jumped on the opportunities as they presented themselves. They ended up building four projects at the same time, during which they bought a few more properties. Cons Properties’ aggressiveness has paid off. They are now proud to hold a diverse portfolio of commercial and residential real estate, including some highly acclaimed rental buildings under the JOIA banner. That list includes five properties in Montreal, one in St-Haycinthe, another in Laval, and one in Côte-Saint-Luc. According to Michael, all those properties are set apart by their luxuriousness. He believes there are very few rental buildings on the market that can compete with JOIA’s in that arena. “The aesthetics, the level of comfort, the quality – in our buildings, it’s all much nicer than what you’d normally find in a rental,” he says. Also, rentals don’t usually come with a lot of inclusions, but JOIA’s properties are the exception. The units themselves come with a lot of extras, and the buildings come with amenities such as coffee stations, car washes, doormen, and concierge desks. In Griffintown, they even have a running track on the roof, a rooftop patio that is heated year-round, and a communal vegetable garden. JOIA also tries to add value to their residents by working with vendors local to their properties. For example, in Griffintown, there’s a spa not far from the building and every tenant gets $50 off a massage. In other JOIA properties, residents are offered discounts on bagels, coffees, and bike rentals. And in every property, first-time residents are greeted by a welcome gift on their kitchen counter with a thankyou note. “Those are the sort of thing that we offer that other companies don’t,” Michael says. “It’s all about making the experience a little bit better for our residents. It’s about giving people a reason to stay.”
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