Vancouver Real Estate Podcast

Hosted by Adam and Matt Scalena

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About the show

Vancouver's premier real estate podcast. Your source for buying, selling, or investing in the Vancouver Real Estate Market with two of Vancouver's top realtors, Adam and Matt Scalena.

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60 recent

1 hr 3 min

VREP #519 | How to Spot a Bad Strata Before You Buy with James Milne and Brent Anderson

Your home may be your biggest investment, but is it also your biggest risk? This week, James Milne and Brent Anderson, Business Development Directors at FirstService Residential, sit down with Adam & Matt to pull back the curtain on strata life in BC. From dysfunctional councils and deferred maintenance to the document red flags most buyers walk right past, this conversation is essential listening for anyone who owns or is shopping in the Lower Mainland. Why does Vancouver pay some of the lowest maintenance fees in North America, and is that actually bad news? What free online search should you run before lifting subjects? And what does a well run building look like from the inside? Don't miss this one!

1 hr 3 min

VREP #518 | Escaping the Vancouver Housing Trap with Chuck Marohn

What if the very thing that makes your home a winning investment is also the thing that puts our city beyond reach for the people who live & work here? Chuck Marohn, the Strong Towns founder and co-author of Escaping the Housing Trap, sits down with Adam & Matt this week to explain where we have gone wrong in North American housing: how shelter has become a financial asset, why prices are never allowed to fall, and why this approach can't deliver truly healthy, thriving cities. Do the ways we finance new construction fundamentally have to shift? Are Vancouver's tower-and-podium projects and master-planned communities deepening the problem they were meant to solve? And is the way forward smaller, slower, and built block by block? An outsider's take on Vancouver!

59 min

VREP #517 | Why Vancouver Real Estate Feels More like 1998 than 2008 with Wendy Waters

Forget 2008. Real estate research analyst Wendy Waters sits down with Adam & Matt to argue that today's Vancouver real estate market has far more in common with the late 1990s, a long, quiet stretch where prices barely moved, governments rebalanced their books, and global uncertainty hung over every decision. From flight-to-quality buyers to the wave of young Canadians still living at home, the conversation reframes what listeners should actually expect from the next several years. Is the era of housing as a wealth generator finally winding down? Why does this downturn refuse to follow the usual cycle playbook? And could this slump actually be setting up something healthier on the other side? Don't miss this one.

1 hr 3 min

VREP #516 | Inside BC's Slow-Motion Economic Crisis with David Williams

After five straight credit downgrades and a record deficit, BC is at a turning point. David Williams, VP of Policy at the Business Council of British Columbia, sits down with Adam & Matt to unpack how the province went from fiscal powerhouse to cautionary tale in just half a decade. From the end of four mega projects to a ballooning public sector and outmigration not seen since the 1990s, the conversation cuts to the heart of what's really happening behind the numbers. Are tax hikes and public sector layoffs now inevitable? Why is Canada projected to be the slowest growing economy in the OECD for a generation? And what does the mortgage squeeze mean for Vancouver real estate? Don't miss this one!

52 min

VREP #515 | Granville Street Will Decide Downtown Vancouver's Fate with Jane Talbot

Three province-purchased SROs, a 39-day FIFA pedestrian takeover, and a long-promised revival have put Granville Street at the centre of the fight for downtown Vancouver's future. Jane Talbot, President and CEO of Downtown Van, sits down with Adam & Matt to unpack where the Granville Plan stands, why this summer could be a turning point for the entire 90-block core, and how the entertainment district's struggles ripple through every corner of the city. Will the three SROs finally be relocated? Can FIFA revive Granville Street for good? And what should Vancouverites expect when Georgia to Davie closes to cars next month for the FIFA? Don't miss this one!

59 min

VREP #514 | Why Some Vancouver Neighbourhoods are Surging (and Others are Stalling) with Professor Markus Moos

Some Vancouver neighbourhoods are filling up with the next generation, while others are aging in place. Markus Moos, professor at the University of Waterloo's School of Planning, sits down with Adam & Matt to unpack what's driving the divergence, from the rise of 'forever young' districts to the knowledge economy concentrating at the centre and families getting priced out to the edges. Why do certain pockets surge with younger buyers and renters as comparable streets stagnate? Why is Canada still defaulting to 'tall and sprawl' while the rest of the world embraced missing middle long ago? And is the urban core quietly segregating Canadians by generation without anyone noticing? Don't miss this one!

59 min

VREP #513 | Canada's Economy Is Quietly Falling Apart and Nobody's Talking About It with Brendan LaCerda

Something feels off about Canada's economy, even if the headlines won't say it. Moody's Analytics economist Brendan LaCerda sits down with Adam & Matt to cut through the noise and explain why the country is stuck in a state of economic limbo, with growth grinding to a halt while businesses freeze in place. From the looming USMCA renegotiation to the surprising downside of high oil prices, Brendan offers an outsider's data-driven perspective on where Canada is really headed and what it means for Vancouver real estate. Why is a US economist so concerned about what's happening up north? Could AI quietly reshape the Canadian economy faster than anyone expects? And is Vancouver's next housing boom realistically off the table? Don't miss this essential check-in on the Canadian economy.

1 hr 4 min

VREP #512 | The Quiet Rewrite Of Vancouver's Future With Josh White

Vancouver is quietly being redrawn, and most people haven't noticed yet. The City of Vancouver's General Manager of Planning and Urban Design, Josh White, sits down with Adam & Matt this week to unveil what the next version of this city will actually look like. From the new Official Development Plan, the Broadway Plan's slow rollout & the Villages program reshaping neighbourhoods to revamping the PNE, Jericho & Northeast False Creek, Vancouver is set to transform. Where will the next wave of growth actually land? Which neighbourhoods are about to change the most? And what does a bigger, denser Vancouver mean for the people who live here? Don't miss this one with the man in charge!

42 min

VREP #511 | Has Vancouver Real Estate Found Its Floor With RBC's Robert Hogue

Has Vancouver real estate finally found its floor or are more declines still ahead? RBC's Assistant Chief Economist Robert Hogue sits down with Adam & Matt this week to break down the latest data from across Canada and zero in on what's really driving the sluggish Vancouver market. From the widening gap between major cities to mortgage renewal stress and a looming supply crunch, this conversation cuts through the noise with clear-eyed analysis. How close is Vancouver actually to turning the corner? Is the Bank of Canada really done cutting rates this cycle? And what does Robert see for the market heading into 2027 and beyond? Don't miss this one!

1 hr 7 min

REPOST: VREP #227 | 11 Towers and 6,000 New Homes Near Burrard Bridge with Khelsilem Tl'aḵwasik̓a̱n

*Disclaimer: This episode was originally recorded and aired June 2020*The City of Vancouver is a notoriously difficult place to build homes, with crippling debates occurring at any attempt to add housing. So, it may surprise you to hear that ground is being broken soon for 11 towers - with the tallest being 57 stories! – at the base of the west side of the Burrard Bridge. Wait…in Vancouver? Not exactly. Squamish Nation Councillor and Spokesperson Khelsilem sits down with Adam and Matt to detail the Sen̓áḵw Development, a Squamish Nation/Westbank master planned community that will redefine the Vancouver skyline. Tune in for a fascinating conversation about development & jurisdiction, density & forward-thinking design as well as reconciliation & the rise of a new development company with far reaching goals. Not to be missed!