Move Smartly: The Podcast

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 interest rates, combined with ongoing geopolitical risks, are giving buyers plenty of justification to wait. Even those who are financially capable of purchasing are choosing patience, contributing to markets that feel stuck rather than competitive. We also take a closer look at the federal government's HST cut on new housing and what it actually means in practice. While the policy may support new housing starts at the margins, its more immediate impact could be on developers holding completed but unsold units. The change makes it easier for builders to sell these units to institutional investors at discounted prices, or to rent them out without triggering the same tax consequences they would have faced before. Overall, the discussion highlights a market that isn't just slow, but structurally constrained, where policy changes may ease pressure for developers without necessarily improving affordability or bringing buyers back into the market in the near term.

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 Curtner Urban Leadership Program with ULI Toronto, to unpack the housing crisis as a system — not a soundbite. Gregg walks us through what a Chief Planner actually controls, what he tried to change from the inside with initiatives like EHON, and why blaming any single actor misses the bigger picture. We dig into the real barriers — regulatory, economic, and political — that make it so hard to build the kinds of housing Toronto needs. And we tackle the harder questions: in an era of cautious incrementalism, have we lost the appetite for the kind of transformative planning that shaped the great cities of the world? Follow John x-twitter: https://x.com/JohnPasalis, Instagram @john.pasalis or email: [email protected] Follow the show on x-twitter: @MoveSmartly, Instagram @move.smartly About This Show The Move Smartly show is hosted by John Pasalis, President and Broker of Realosophy Realty. MoveSmartly.com and its media channels on YouTube and various podcast platforms are powered by Realosophy Realty in Toronto, Canada. You can also watch this episode on our MoveSmartly YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/movesmartly If you enjoy our show and find it useful, please like, subscribe, share, review and comment on whatever platform you are watching or listening to us from - we appreciate your support!

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 think about these types of offers in a slower market. We also explore how AI is beginning to reshape the real estate industry and what agents should be doing now to stay competitive as things evolve. On the buyer side, we discuss how to approach timing in a market where some homes sit while others attract multiple offers, and whether buyers are finally regaining the ability to include conditions like financing and home inspections—even in competitive situations—and how to know when you can get away with it. Follow John x-twitter: https://x.com/JohnPasalis, Instagram @john.pasalis or email: [email protected] Follow the show on x-twitter: @MoveSmartly, Instagram @move.smartly About This Show The Move Smartly show is hosted by John Pasalis, President and Broker of Realosophy Realty. MoveSmartly.com and its media channels on YouTube and various podcast platforms are powered by Realosophy Realty in Toronto, Canada. You can also watch this episode on our MoveSmartly YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/movesmartly If you enjoy our show and find it useful, please like, subscribe, share, review and comment on whatever platform you are watching or listening to us from - we appreciate your support!

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 building industry since 1991 and has never seen conditions this bad. Lyall walks us through the forces behind the collapse — from development charges that have ballooned tenfold in a decade to an approvals process that stretches 90-day timelines past 600 days — and lays out the policy reforms RESCON believes are needed to restart the housing pipeline. We dig into the new GST cut for first-time buyers, the case for rolling back development charges, and what Canada can learn from Germany's approach to building. Follow John x-twitter: https://x.com/JohnPasalis, Instagram @john.pasalis or email: [email protected] Follow the show on x-twitter: @MoveSmartly, Instagram @move.smartly About This Show The Move Smartly show is hosted by John Pasalis, President and Broker of Realosophy Realty. MoveSmartly.com and its media channels on YouTube and various podcast platforms are powered by Realosophy Realty in Toronto, Canada. You can also watch this episode on our MoveSmartly YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/movesmartly If you enjoy our show and find it useful, please like, subscribe, share, review and comment on whatever platform you are watching or listening to us from - we appreciate your support!

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 the same time, activity isn't uniform across the city. Some segments are picking up while others remain fairly soft, highlighting how uneven the market has become. We also discuss the outlook for interest rates. With global uncertainty increasing and long-term bond yields moving higher, borrowing costs may start trending up again - a shift that could influence buyer confidence and housing demand in the months ahead. Set-up a meeting with John Pasalis and his agents at Realosophy to discuss your own real estate questions privately: https://www.movesmartly.com/meetjohn Sign up for our email list to be alerted to the next online market update to join our YouTube session live chat and ask your own Qs: https://www.movesmartly.com/monthly-public-webinar We hope you enjoyed this month's update and found it valuable. Thanks for tuning in - we'll see you next month!