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 need to move face a much thinner pool of buyers.

At the same time, power of sales are becoming more common as mortgage payments reset and household finances tighten. More owners are falling behind, and with demand already weak, distressed sellers have less ability to quietly exit the market. That pushes more forced listings onto the MLS and adds downward pressure on prices.

We also discuss the fallout from the Department of Justice's criminal charges against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and the growing uncertainty around the Fed's independence. These political shocks matter for Canada. If confidence in the U.S. central bank weakens, it can lead to higher bond yields, more volatile currencies, and ultimately higher mortgage rates, adding another headwind for housing.

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

Today's show links:

Dave Larock's latest weekly blog post on mortgage rates on MoveSmartly.com: https://www.movesmartly.com/articles/author/david-larock

Contact Us:

John Pasalis, President and Broker, Realosophy Realty, Toronto | Email: askjohn@movesmartly.com | X-Twitter: @JohnPasalis

David Larock, Mortgage Broker and Analyst and Realtor | Email: dave@morplan.ca | X-Twitter: @Dave_at_IMP

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 and every episode on our MoveSmartly YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/movesmartly

If you enjoy our show and find it useful, please subscribe and leave us a positive rating on whatever platform you are watching or listening to us from — thank you!!

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 today, how much impact foreign buyers actually have on housing demand, and whether lifting the ban would meaningfully change prices or investor behaviour.

From there, we turn to mortgages — and why fixed mortgage rates may trend up rather than down in 2026, despite widespread expectations of easing. We discuss bond yields, inflation risks, and how lenders are pricing uncertainty into rates. We also look at what this means for buyers on the sidelines, households renewing this year, and investor sentiment heading into the spring market.

We wrap up by sharing the key indicators we're watching in the months ahead and how they may shape the direction of Canada's housing market through 2026.

Contact & Follow

Follow John Pasalis on X/Twitter: @JohnPasalis | Email: askjohn@movesmartly.com
Follow Steve Saretsky on X/Twitter: @SteveSaretsky | Email: steve@stevesaretsky.com
Follow David Larock on X/Twitter: @Dave_at_IMP | Email: dave@moreplan.ca

Watch this episode on the Move Smartly YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/movesmartly

If you enjoy the show and find it useful, please like, subscribe, share, review, and comment — your support helps us reach more listeners.

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 unpack what he's seeing inside his practice today: who's struggling, what's driving the rise in consumer proposals and bankruptcies, and how closely those trends are connected to housing costs, mortgage renewals and rising debt loads. We discuss the growing role of HELOCs, the psychology of debt in a real-estate-obsessed culture, and whether insolvency trends could signal more forced home sales and pressure on the housing market in 2025.

This is an important conversation for anyone following the housing market, the growing financial strain facing Canadian families, and the economic risks building beneath the headlines.

Follow John x-twitter: https://x.com/JohnPasalis, Instagram @john.pasalis or email: askjohn@movesmartly.com

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!

John Pasalis presents his latest data and top stories on Toronto area real estate in conversation with fellow Realosophy agents Gus Papaioannou and Davin McMahon and our Move Smartly mortgage expert, David Larock - and you, our viewers, who join the discussion in our live chat!!

This week on our live show, John and the team break down what could be coming in 2026 - including the possibility of interest rates rising again. So the big question is: Will higher rates finally push those buyers who've been sitting on the sidelines to make a move? We're already seeing early signs that some are starting to jump back in before affordability shifts again.

Dave Larock, our mortgage expert, provides a breakdown of November's big job gain and why that headline might be more hype than reality. Dave believes rates will hold steady in the short term, but he's predicting rate cuts coming in 2026.

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

Today's show links:

Dave Larock's latest weekly blog post on mortgage rates on MoveSmartly.com: https://www.movesmartly.com/articles/author/david-larock

Contact Us:

John Pasalis, President and Broker, Realosophy Realty, Toronto | Email: askjohn@movesmartly.com | X-Twitter: @JohnPasalis

David Larock, Mortgage Broker and Analyst and Realtor | Email: dave@morplan.ca | X-Twitter: @Dave_at_IMP

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 and every episode on our MoveSmartly YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/movesmartly

If you enjoy our show and find it useful, please subscribe and leave us a positive rating on whatever platform you are watching or listening to us from — thank you!!

This month's real estate roundtable brings together John Pasalis, Steve Saretsky, and mortgage broker David Larock for a deep dive into where the housing market is heading next. We start by looking at the surprising end to 2025, with home sales in the GTA on track to finish the year at a 25-year low. We break down what's driving the slowdown and how buyers and sellers are responding on the ground.

From there, we discuss the diverging outlooks for the Bank of Canada's next move. Some economists still see more cuts ahead, while one major Canadian bank is now forecasting a rate hike in 2026 — a scenario few thought possible just months ago. We explore what that would mean for borrowers, mortgage renewals, and price expectations.

We wrap up the conversation by sharing our forecasts for the housing market in 2026, the indicators we're watching most closely, and whether we believe next year will mark a turning point or another chapter in a difficult market.

Contact Us

Follow John on X-Twitter @JohnPasalis; Email at: askjohn@movesmartly.com

Follow Steve on X-Twitter @SteveSaretsky; Email at: steve@stevesaretsky.com

Follow David on X-Twitter @Dave_at_IMP; Email at dave@moreplan.ca

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 of The Situation, John and Davin dive into two real-world housing challenges that many listeners might recognize.

First, Maya writes in with a creative idea to tackle affordability and support family: she and her brother are considering buying a three-unit home together so they can each have their own space while bringing their mom closer as she looks to downsize from a large suburban house. It sounds practical — but what are the financial, legal, and personal considerations families should think through before taking on co-ownership?

Then, Steve from Kitchener shares a puzzling trend: while most 600 sq ft condos in his market are selling for $350K to $400K, four units in a brand-new building suddenly sold for between $575K and $650K — all significantly above the going rate. What could possibly explain such a dramatic jump in price? And what might it signal for buyers and investors watching this market?

Follow John x-twitter: https://x.com/JohnPasalis, Instagram @john.pasalis or email: askjohn@movesmartly.com

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, I talk with Jeremiah Shamess about the major shift happening in Toronto's land and development market. Jeremiah explains how land values peaked in 2022 and are now down as much as 60 percent because the pre-construction condo market has stalled and very few developers are buying. Most of the buyers still active are focused on purpose-built rental, and he says about two-thirds of the land for sale right now is power of sale, reflecting real distress among owners who bought at the peak.

We also discuss how investor demand reshaped the condo market. Ten years ago, about half of pre-con buyers were end users, but as investors took over, developers shifted to producing micro units instead of livable homes for families.

Jeremiah believes we are entering a new era, where rental housing will dominate new construction rather than owner-occupied condos.

Follow John x-twitter: https://x.com/JohnPasalis, Instagram @john.pasalis or email: askjohn@movesmartly.com

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 Move Smartly Live Market Update, John Pasalis breaks down the latest housing trends and what's really driving today's price declines across the GTA. John walks through the three key forces pushing prices lower and how buyers are responding—becoming far more opportunistic, lowballing aggressively, and hunting for value in a cooling market.

John is joined by mortgage broker David Larock, who shares the latest economic indicators influencing borrowing costs, what's happening behind the scenes at the Bank of Canada, and his outlook for interest rates over the months ahead.

A data-driven look at where the market stands today—and where it may be heading next.

Follow John x-twitter: https://x.com/JohnPasalis, Instagram @john.pasalis or email: askjohn@movesmartly.com

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!