Move Smartly: The Podcast

Hosted by Move Smartly

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

The Move Smartly podcast invites you into data-driven conversations about issues impacting residential real estate in Toronto, across Canada and beyond. Join broker John Pasalis and other experts as we unpack real estate through a variety of timely market updates, lively discussions and insightful interviews. Here to help you make more informed decisions, whether you are a home buyer, seller, owner or renter, and as a resident and voter — because real estate impacts all of us. New episodes on Fridays. Look for our monthly Real Estate Roundtable with Steve Saretsky (The Loonie Hour Podcast) and Ben Rabidoux (Edge Realty Analytics).

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60 recent

October 16, 202650 min

GTA Housing Market: Better Deals, New Strategies & Mortgage Rates

In this month's live, we took a closer look at the latest GTA housing market stats and trends, along with our new First-Time Homebuyer Report , exploring where buyers can find homes under $1M in great school districts and how MoveSmartly.com can help make that search easier. We also caught up with Davin and Gus from our team to hear what they're seeing on the ground this fall, what buyers and sellers should keep in mind, and why multiple offers don't always mean paying well over asking. Mortgage expert David Larock joined us to break down the latest U.S. inflation numbers and what they could mean for the Bank of Canada and mortgage rates here at home. Set-up a meeting with John Pasalis and his agents at Move Smartly to discuss your own real estate questions privately : https://www. movesmartly.com/meetjohn Read our full report on the top GTA neighbourhoods for first-time buyers looking for great schools and homes under $1M: https://insights.movesmartly. com/first-time-buyer- neighbourhoods-great-schools 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!

October 9, 202652 min

Home Prices Aren't Bouncing Back This Fall. Here's Why.

Steve Saretsky and David Larock join this month's roundtable on the housing markets in Toronto and Vancouver. The fall market stalled in September, and the panel explains why a big rebound looks unlikely before year end. Rates are also moving the wrong way for buyers. Even with the Bank of Canada on hold, fixed mortgage rates are rising. David explains what's driving that and what it means for borrowers. Finally, will Canada let foreign buyers back in? With the federal ban set to expire, Ottawa is considering allowing foreigners to buy new homes. The panel debates whether that would help clear unsold condos or bring back the speculation that created the glut.

October 2, 202645 min

Cheap Mortgages Aren't Coming Back: What That Means for House and Condo Prices

For more than a decade, Canadians borrowed on the assumption that interest rates would always come back down. BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic says that assumption no longer holds. In this episode, Robert explains why BMO believes the era of low real interest rates is officially over. He sees it as a long-term shift, not a temporary spike that the next rate-cutting cycle will undo. We discuss what that means for housing, especially in the GTA. Robert sees the market splitting in two. Larger ground-oriented homes are firming, while the small condo market remains saturated and investors have largely walked away. He says he can see house prices levelling off while condo prices continue to trend down. We close with the AI-driven stock market boom, which Robert places in the "seventh inning stretch" of a classic asset bubble, and what happens when it ends. Robert Kavcic is Director and Senior Economist at BMO Capital Markets. His research is available at economics.bmo.com.

September 25, 202638 min

How Will You Know When the Market Hits Bottom? And What to Do With a Rental That Loses $900 a Month

Every month, John Pasalis and Davin McMahon take real situations from real people and work through them on air. This month, four of them come back to the same question from different directions: what do you do when you think prices haven't finished falling? A buyer who has been waiting since last year wants to know what a bottom actually looks like in the data, before it's obvious to everyone. A couple in Etobicoke has been on the market since May, cut their price twice, and can't get an offer. A pair of empty nesters with no mortgage are wondering whether to sell, rent for a few years, and buy back in. And a small landlord is $900 a month out of pocket on a condo with a tenant who isn't going anywhere. Then a fifth situation, which is about what a slow market does to the people selling houses rather than the houses themselves. Two first-time buyers with a hard $800,000 ceiling keep getting shown listings $75,000 to $100,000 above it, on the theory that those sellers are desperate.

September 18, 202631 min

How Seniors Are Losing Their Homes to Mortgages They Didn't Understand

Two people knocked on Mr. Bouchard's door. He didn't invite them. They got him to sign documents he says he didn't understand, and left without giving him copies. Then they registered a charge against his house for $30,999.85. Money started leaving his bank account every month. Years later, a notice of sale arrived. To keep his home, he was told to pay $80,711.29. That's a real case, decided this year by the Ontario Superior Court. And according to my guest, it's one of dozens involving the same companies, the same people, and in some cases the same lawyers. David Sterns is a partner at Sotos Class Actions. He's acting without fee, alongside lawyers from the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, in a case that alleges a pattern of fraudulent and unconscionable mortgages registered against the homes of older Ontarians. We go through how it works, step by step. Who knocks first, who comes back promising to fix it, where the money actually goes, and how a charge ends up on title without the owner knowing. If you own your home, the last part of this conversation is the practical one. What to look for, how to check what's registered against your property, and who to call if you find something you can't explain.

September 11, 202653 min

📉 GTA Home Buyers Hit Pause — Plus, A Big Announcement

In this week's live, we covered the latest GTA market stats and discussed our latest company announcement as we officially begin a new chapter as Move Smartly . We also looked at our newly published report on the Top 10 Toronto Airbnb Condos where short-term rentals dominate. Move Smartly agents Gus and Davin shared their insights on what they're seeing on the ground and where they think the market is headed. Mortgage expert David Larock shared his take on the Bank of Canada's latest announcement, including its more hawkish tone and the growing expectation that interest rates could rise. Set-up a meeting with John Pasalis and his agents at Move Smartly 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!

September 4, 202646 min

Home Prices Have Fallen. So Why Aren't Buyers Coming Back? | Real Estate Roundtable

This month on the Real Estate Roundtable, I'm joined by Vancouver realtor Steve Saretsky and Toronto mortgage broker David Larock to unpack the latest trends shaping Canada's housing market and economy. We start with a key question: if home prices have fallen significantly from their peak, why do sales remain so weak? While many economists argue that housing has become much more affordable, higher mortgage rates mean the monthly cost of owning hasn't fallen nearly as much as prices suggest. We discuss whether affordability has really improved enough to bring buyers back. We also look at why long-term interest rates are rising around the world, what that could mean for Canadian mortgage rates, and how the ongoing trade war and economic uncertainty could impact Canada's housing market in the months ahead.

August 14, 202632 min

When Will GTA House Prices Bottom Out? What's Really Happening In The Market?

In this month's live, we discussed the latest GTA market stats and asked the big question: when will house prices finally bottom out? We also looked at the rental market, where increased selection is giving tenants more choice and more reasonable prices. Mortgage expert David Larock shared his latest insights on where interest rates could be headed, as inflation cools, jobs rise, and Canada's latest GDP numbers point to a stronger economic picture. Set-up a meeting with John Pasalis and his agents at MoveSmartly 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!

August 7, 202645 min

Has Canada's Housing Market Hit Bottom? Why Mortgage Rates in Canada and the U.S. Are Heading in Opposite Directions

Has Canada's housing market finally found a bottom—or is there still further to fall? This month on the Real Estate Roundtable, I'm joined by Vancouver realtor Steve Saretsky and Toronto mortgage broker David Larock to discuss whether the correction in Canadian real estate is nearing its end, or whether home prices still have further to adjust before a sustained recovery begins. We also break down the latest economic data and what it means for interest rates. While inflation in Canada continues to trend lower, stronger-than-expected GDP growth suggests the Bank of Canada is unlikely to cut interest rates anytime soon. We discuss why the Bank appears to be on hold and what that means for borrowers and housing demand. Finally, we examine an increasingly important divergence between Canada and the United States. Long-term bond yields in the U.S. have been climbing sharply, pushing borrowing costs higher, while Canadian long-term yields have remained relatively stable. Why are the two countries moving in different directions, and what does this mean for fixed mortgage rates and the outlook for Canada's housing market? All that and more in this month's Real Estate Roundtable covering housing, interest rates, and the economic forces shaping the Canadian real estate market.

July 31, 202644 min

I Walked Away From My Condo Deposit — Can the Builder Still Sue Me?

The Situation is our monthly segment where John and Davin work through real estate situations sent in by real people — the messy, high-stakes decisions that don't have a clean answer in a market like this one. This month: A Toronto investor walked away from her pre-construction condo when she couldn't close, forfeited her deposit, and assumed that was the end of it. Now she's reading about builders suing buyers for the shortfall when the unit resells for less. John and Davin get into what she's actually exposed to, how long a builder has to come after her, and whether there's anything she can do now that doesn't make things worse. Then: a tenant has had her rent raised by the maximum every year for four years, while rents around her have been falling. Her landlord just sent another increase and a new lease to sign. How should she open that conversation, what leverage does she actually have, and can asking backfire? Plus: should you buy your next home before selling your current one, and why a neighbourhood can show 2.6 months of inventory when homes are selling in 24 days. Have a situation of your own? Send it to us and we'll take it on in a future episode.