Move Smartly: The Podcast

This month on the Real Estate Roundtable, I'm joined by Vancouver realtor Steve Saretsky and Toronto mortgage broker David Larock to break down the latest developments in Canada's housing market. We discuss why housing markets in Toronto and Vancouver remain sluggish despite a modest improvement in market balance. New listings have been falling for several months, helping reduce excess inventory,...

Over a century ago, Toronto banned apartment buildings from most residential streets — while European cities like Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam were building them as the default fabric of urban life. That decision shaped the city we live in today: a landscape of single-family houses and condo towers with almost nothing in between. In 2019, Globe and Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic co-edited...

Canada's economy is showing increasing signs of strain, with weakening economic data pointing toward a technical recession—and this month's Real Estate Roundtable unpacks what that could mean for the housing market in the months and years ahead. Joining me are Vancouver realtor Steve Saretsky and Toronto mortgage broker David Larock as we discuss how slowing economic growth, rising unemployment, a...

Housing debates today are dominated by one idea: if we just build more homes, prices will fall. But what if that story is incomplete? In this episode, I sit down with Mike Fellman to unpack his report Fixing Housing Means Fixing Finance and explore why housing affordability is as much a finance problem as it is a supply problem. We break down the limits of traditional economic thinking, why upzoni...

In this episode, John sits down with Ben Rabidoux of Edge Realty Analytics for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of Canada's economy and housing market. They start with the macro picture — an economy where headline GDP growth masks a struggling private sector, full-time job losses are at their steepest since the pandemic, and an oil-price-driven inflation shock is forcing the Bank of Canada...

In today's live, we're breaking down Toronto's two-sided housing market — where condos and suburban homes are struggling, but some central Toronto neighbourhoods are still seeing fierce bidding wars. We also answered viewer questions and discussed what buyers and sellers need to know right now.     We also chatted about Canada's latest job losses, what a weakening labour market could mean for the...

This month's roundtable digs into a shifting housing market narrative—one where the spotlight is quietly moving away from pre-construction condos and toward a surge in multiplex development across Canada. Fueled by highly leveraged, government-backed financing through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation programs like MLI Select, multiplex projects are emerging as the new "pre-con"—offering att...

This episode dives into some of the biggest questions buyers and sellers are asking right now—from whether it makes sense to jump into pre-construction with the new HST rebate, to the growing debate over whether that policy is really helping buyers or quietly supporting builders. We unpack the risks of trying to time the market in an uncertain economic environment, and how to think about pricing,...

Toronto's approach to multiplex housing has evolved quickly—from the initial legalization of fourplexes to allowing six units in some areas, along with key changes to development charges, zoning rules, and approvals. In this episode, we're joined by planner Sean Galbraith to break down what's changed, what's working, and how these policies are playing out on the ground. We discuss the practical im...

In today's live, we unpack why the market is still slower than the headlines suggest and what the HST rebate means for buyers right now. We dig into the HST rebate on new homes and what it actually means for buyers, how it's structured, who's likely to benefit, and why the impact on pricing isn't as straightforward as it sounds. We also look at what it signals for new construction and some key ris...

Toronto and Vancouver's housing markets remain notably weak this month, with both cities continuing to see subdued sales and hesitant buyer activity. What stands out isn't just the slowdown itself, but how comfortable many buyers seem staying on the sidelines. In this month's Real Estate Roundtable, John Pasalis, Steve Saretsky, and David Larock unpack the factors reinforcing that caution. Rising...

Housing economists say we need more supply. Politicians blame city planners. YIMBYs want less regulation. But the cities we admire most — Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam — weren't built by getting out of the way. They were built by bold, intentional planning. So what's actually going on? In this conversation, we sit down with Gregg Lintern, former Chief Planner of the City of Toronto and Dean of the C...

In this episode, we tackle a few timely questions from listeners trying to make sense of today's housing market. We start with a seller who received a strong offer from buyers willing to purchase without conditions—but with a long closing because they still need to sell their own home. We unpack the real risk in that scenario: what happens if the buyers can't sell in time, and how sellers should t...

Ontario's residential construction sector is facing its worst crisis in decades. Pre-construction condo sales have plummeted 89%, single-family home sales are down 71%, and half the municipalities in the GTA and Golden Horseshoe are failing on housing. In this episode, we sit down with Richard Lyall, president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON), who has represented the bui...

In this month's YouTube Live, we're unpacking some interesting shifts happening in the Toronto real estate market. While the overall market remains relatively slow, some Toronto neighbourhoods are seeing noticeably stronger competition. In these pockets, well-priced homes are attracting multiple buyers - a reminder that even in a quieter market, demand can still concentrate in certain areas. At th...

Toronto and Vancouver's housing markets are off to a very slow start in 2026. Sales activity in both cities has come in well below last year's levels as buyers remain cautious amid broader economic uncertainty. In this month's Real Estate Roundtable, John Pasalis, Steve Saretsky, and David Larock discuss what's keeping buyers on the sidelines and what it might take for confidence to return. One of...

Housing affordability is usually framed as a supply problem or a price problem. But recent academic research suggests something deeper may be happening. The research finds that when young people begin to believe homeownership is permanently out of reach, their financial behaviour shifts in meaningful ways. Renters who feel shut out are more likely to consume more relative to their wealth, reduce w...

In this episode of The Situation, John and Peter dive into buying strategy for first-time buyers and how real estate commissions really work.   Our first question comes from a first-time buyer wondering whether it's smarter to buy a condo as a stepping stone or stretch for a small house under $1M. John and Peter discuss the pros and cons of each approach and what works best in today's market. Anot...

In this month's live update, we break down the latest stats on low-rise homes and condos and what they're really telling us about today's market.  Our team shares what we're seeing on the ground - tight inventory, declining listing quality, rising power of sales activity, and a mix of sellers who've adjusted to current conditions and others still holding onto unrealistic price expectations. We unp...

This month's real estate roundtable brings together John Pasalis, Steve Saretsky, and mortgage broker David Larock to break down the latest developments shaping Canada's housing market in early 2026.   We begin with the slow start to the year in both Vancouver and Toronto, where home sales are down more than 20% compared to last year. With buyers holding back and inventory building, prices have al...

What happens when a government openly acknowledges that its tax system is favouring landlords over ordinary households — and then actually changes it? In this episode, John Pasalis breaks down new research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on the UK's post-2016 tax reforms aimed at curbing buy-to-let investor demand. The findings suggest these policies meaningfully shifted the housing market: fe...

In this episode, we break down three real housing dilemmas that many households are facing in today's uncertain market. We start with a common challenge for homeowners looking to move up: how to upsize when you need to sell your current home and buy another at the same time. With slower sales, uncertain prices, and the risk of being forced into a short-term rental, we walk through how families can...

In this month's live update, we explain why 2026 is likely to be a tougher year for housing before conditions start to improve. Sales remain near multi-decade lows as trade tensions, slowing growth, and rising geopolitical risks weigh heavily on consumer confidence. When activity stays this weak, the market becomes more fragile. Sellers who can wait are choosing to hold back, while households that...

This month's real estate roundtable brings together  John Pasalis ,  Steve Saretsky , and mortgage broker  David Larock  for a timely discussion on the latest developments shaping Canada's housing market as we head into 2026. We begin with the federal government's recent signal that it may  reverse the foreign buyer ban in 2027 . We break down what this announcement really means for the market tod...

This week on Move Smartly, I'm joined by Doug Hoyes, Licensed Insolvency Trustee and co-founder of Hoyes, Michalos & Associates, one of the most experienced consumer debt relief firms in Canada. Doug works on the front lines with households facing financial distress, giving him a real-time look into what's happening beneath the surface of the economy — long before it shows up in official data. We...