Real Estate

TorontoRealtyBlog Every fall, we publish a magazine called Real Estate INSIGHTS, or simply what we call “Insights” for short. This is mailed to all of our clients and published on the Toronto Realty Group website. In August, I shared an article called “Navigating Multiple Representation” by Matthew Morrison, Up next, a very lengthy article on the history of […]

TorontoRealtyBlog I don’t know much about sunflowers, but I’m guessing that August is “prime sunflower season.” I won’t lie, folks; I often have no idea what feature photo I’m going to use for a given blog post. Every so often, I’ll just search a word and see what comes up.  And when I searched “August,” hot-diggity-damn […]

TorontoRealtyBlog September. Labour Day. Where do we begin? Let me crack my knuckles, take a sip of my coffee, and lay my fingers on the “home row” of the keyboard. What do you think, folks?  Shall we dive right in, or do we need to dip our toes into the water first, submerge the ankles, […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Raise your hand if you know the difference between a “foreclosure” and a “power of sale.” For the record, my palm is open and my hand is aligned with my body, but my elbow is bent and my hand remains about shoulder-height… Do I know the difference? Yes.  More or less. But do I […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Remember 2017? I will admit, the last few years have seemed to blur together, but if I think hard enough about individual aspects of my life – job, relationship, family, etc., I can probably distinguish between that year and the ones that preceded and followed. One thing I most certainly do remember from 2017 was that […]

TorontoRealtyBlog For the seven-thousand-nine-hundred-forty-first time, I offer you the following: “You can make numbers say anything you want.” It’s something I’ve said here on TRB over and over, enough times that you might actually be tired of an introduction to today’s post that you swear you’ve read before at least once. The saying or adage basically […]

TorontoRealtyBlog There’s a small town out west where the population is absolutely exploding! In one year, they saw a 300% increase in the overall population, which is astounding. You might say this level of growth is unsustainable.  You might say that the existing infrastructure can’t support the increase in residents. But what if I told you […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Define “Plan B” for me, if you can. And no jokes about the emergency contraceptive pill, okay?  We’re going to keep it clean here today! Theoretically, a Plan-B should represent a contingency plan or a backup plan that’s implemented if and when the initial plan fails.  That initial plan should represent the most desired course […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Here’s a story that offers a microcosm of the 2025 real estate market thus far, but a story that by year’s end might provide answers to some of the largest questions as we look back and reflect. Three months ago, I listed a small, 1-bedroom condo in King West for $499,900. We were priced […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Have you ever taken your children to the Berczy Park Dog Fountain? I suppose the question could have been, “Have you ever taken your dog to the Dog Fountain,” but I think the kids have a lot more fun than the dogs.  I honestly don’t know if this fountain was intended to attract dogs and […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Did I mention that I have family in London, England? Here’s a funny story for which the parallel is somewhat apt… Back in 2016, one of the major international stories was Brexit.  Prime Minister David Cameron announced that a referendum would be held on June 23rd that year to determine if, in fact, the United […]

TorontoRealtyBlog I got married over Canada Day long weekend in 2013. I had my bachelor party over the Victoria Day long weekend, five weeks earlier. A friend of mine said, “Hey Dave, thanks for running half of my summer!” Fair comment, or no? We’re halfway through 2025, if you can believe it.  It seems like just […]

TorontoRealtyBlog People do crazy things, right? I mean, I just started watching the fifth season of “You” on Netflix even though that show totally sucks, and I said I wouldn’t watch the fourth season after I hated the third season. Don’t tell me how it ends. But also, don’t tell me that the ending sucks, since […]

TorontoRealtyBlog You’ve heard this one from me many times before, but I am convinced that over the last decade, there have been no two greater topics of discussion in Toronto than the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto real estate market. These two things have a lot in common, however. They’re both infuriating.  They’re both […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Am I a nerd? Be honest.  I can handle it. At worst, I plainly am a nerd.  At best, I’m simply a guy with nerd-like tendencies. But let me ask you this: what makes me more of a nerd? (a) The fact that I have every G.I. Joe action figure minted from 1982 through […]

TorontoRealtyBlog “Aaaand…..they’re off!” Horse-racing fans will know these are the three most exciting words in the sport, although “….at the line” can be just as exciting. I’m no horse racing fan, but it was wild to see Journalism come from way behind to win the Preakness over the weekend, running at what looked like a speed […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Stop me if you’ve heard this bit before, but have you ever considered why a “placebo” is effective? A placebo is a fake treatment for sickness, illness, or other ailment whereby a pill is given to the affected individual, however, that pill is not medicinal.  It’s sugar or saline and it’s designed to look like a […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Is it the wolf in sheep’s clothing? Or is this a case of the sheep in wolf’s clothing? Maybe I lost you in the analogy. Maybe you just want me to get to the TRREB stats already. Maybe you wish I would stop writing each individual sentence on a new line. But however you […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Whether you want to frame this as something your children tried to pull last week, or something you did when you were younger, I’m sure we’ve all been here… Recall the time you told your parents about your “friend” who did something bad, or for whose actions you needed advice, except all along, it […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Here’s a story for you… I have a rental listing on the market for $9,000 per month. It’s in the “luxury” category, and with that, if I may be so bold, comes an extra layer of choosiness on the part of the landlord. I mean, every landlord out there is choosy, as they should be.  We’ve […]

I feel like I’ve done this one before. To be honest, this happens to me quite often.  As we approach the 18-year anniversary of Toronto Realty Blog, it comes as no surprise that I often have an idea for something, only to find that I wrote it several years ago. Last month, I wrote an […]

Alright, let me set the scene here folks, because things are moving quickly… It’s currently 1:45pm on Tuesday afternoon and I’ve received not one, not two, but three phone calls on my condominium listings. Who says the condo market is slow, right? The first agent said, “Hey, I’m showing four units in the building and I’ve mixed up […]

Does anybody want to talk about tariffs? How about Donald Trump?  How about the DOW Jones? Seriously, who in the world wants to read a real estate blog when we have financial Armageddon being played in a 24-hour rotation on every news channel? Well, I suppose that’s why have Netflix as a healthy distraction. And […]

I will admit that when I first chose the photo for today’s blog post, it was a picture of a hornet’s nest. I was going to play off the theme, kicking over the hornet’s nest, but I figured people would have no idea what the photo referenced.  Not only that, it looked ugly as hell. But […]

Sometimes I have absolutely nothing to write about on TRB.  I still find a way, but there are times when my queue is simply empty. Then other times, I have so much to say that my queue contains topics that need to be explored for fear of them growing stale! In fact, most two-part blog […]

Fads come and go.  So too do talking points and topics of discussion. If you regularly consume news and media, you’ll notice that the “hot-button issues” eventually fade away and that mass hysteria can turn to calm. Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of these hot-button topics, issues, and buzz-words come and go in the […]

The definition of “qualification” is highly subjective, is it not? How does one qualify for something? In theory, a pre-determined set of criteria would exist, and if the individual meets this criteria, then he or she “qualifies.” But who makes up those criteria? And who could deem that criteria to be “unfair,” and why? Over the last several years, […]

TorontoRealtyBlog Here’s a fun story! I purchased a vintage hockey card last month and I think it was a win. It’s really tough to tell in this asset class since the “value” is hard to define. But just to throw some example numbers out there, let me explain… Let’s say that I was offered this […]

“If a tree falls in the woods, and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” I think the answer is “Yes, but…” Then you can fill in the rest. It’s sort of like asking, “If it’s your birthday, and you bought yourself a cake, but you have no friends, and you’re […]

Let me start today’s blog post with a rather childish example.  For a change… Remember when you were younger and you met a girl who you really liked? You hit it off.  You had a great time. You immediately felt some chemistry and you were pretty sure that she felt the same way. You asked […]

What’s the difference between fraud and a bright idea? Seriously.  I’m asking for a friend… One might argue that the line between love and hate, right and wrong, and insanity versus normalcy is very thin, and often subjective, and in the case of the financial markets and the lending world, we’ve seen some interesting examples of […]

Raise your hand if you knew that Collective Soul was a Christian rock band? For the record: my hand remains at my side. Do you remember when you first heard this album in 1995? Collective Soul’s second album, appropriately named “Collective Soul,” gave us a ridiculous number of hits: “Gel”“December”“Where The River Flows”“The World I Know” Each […]

I can’t believe we’re talking about this again. Apologies to those who were looking for something innovative this morning, but right now, I feel like a Hollywood studio… Remember when Batman came out in 1989? Starring Michael Keaton as the most unlikely Batman ever, and Jack Nicholson as The Joker, the film represents the “start” of the […]

First and foremost: I recognize the irony or as some of you will suggest, the downright hypocrisy of me compiling a list of people from whom you shouldn’t solicit real estate advice, given that I provide real estate advice for a living! But hopefully many of you will realize that today’s post is supposed to […]

Last week, I went to breakfast with my good friend and economist, Ben Rabidoux, and some folks from the United States East Coast to chat about real estate. We covered a lot of ground! I always love getting different perspectives on our real estate market, the Canadian economy, the world’s economy, or just chatting about business […]

Perhaps this is part of a much larger conversation. Perhaps delving into immigration as a lead-up to a discussion about taxation in real estate is far too existential in nature. But maybe, just maybe, it’s the perfect introduction to today’s topic. You decide. So let me ask you, and there’s no need to answer outside of […]

Well, that was certainly an interesting month, wasn’t it? Raise your hand if you turned the page from 2024 to 2025 and simply expected life, as we knew it, would continue. For the record, my hand is raised… On January 1st, we just expected to continue along our merry way from 2024 into 2025, with […]

I’ve been in the same fantasy football pool since 2002. Almost a quarter-century, it’s crazy!  And while most football pools see guys come and go, ours has been with the same guys since we started. Actually, that’s not exactly true. The first guy left in 2016 after he moved overseas and couldn’t keep up with […]

Two stats posts in the same week? Egad! Not only that, the January TRREB stats will likely be released on Monday or Tuesday, which means yet another stats post toward the end of next week too. I guess we need Monday’s post to be something fun and light, just to create the balance? “Fun and light.”  Huh.  […]

Well, gosh, folks, if I knew talking politics here on TRB was going to get you to click “reply” in the comments section with such passion, maybe I would just start every post with a political dig or two? Nah. I was actually going to try to comment less on politics in 2025, but it seems Thursday’s […]

I swear, if I hear the words “Trump tariffs” again, I’m going to throw something. Call me naive or tell me my head is in the sand, but is it really that newsworthy?  Do we really need to see this atop every single news feed, every day, in perpetuity? “David, of course it is!  The world is […]

It’s often fun to look at artist’s renderings of new condominiums, isn’t it? And I’m not just referring to the renderings of the buildings themselves, but rather the amenities too. Just consider the liberties that an artist could take while drawing a lifestyle! Whether it’s the renderings in print, like a glossy advertising booklet, or the renderings online via the […]

I was trying to explain the concept of negative temperatures to my daughter the other day. She’s 8-years-old.  I thought she would understand. -2 is colder than -1. -2 is less than zero. “How could something be less than zero?” my daughter asked. I suppose that’s a fair question.  We teach that “zero is nothing,” so if […]

Soooo……how have you been? I know, it’s been a while since we last met. Me?  How am I? Well, that’s rather kind of you to ask… As I sit here on January 1st, 2025, cracking my knuckles and preparing to hit the keys several thousand times, I can’t help but ponder what it means for one […]

Five days before Christmas and I’m still writing? Wait……but you’re still reading! I’d like to thank all the daily TRB readers for their continued support, readership, and contributions in the comments section over the last year, including, but most certainly not limited to: Appraiser, Derek, Ace Goodheart, Graham (of multiple monikers), Vancouver Keith, Nobody, Anwar, Libertarian, Quiet Bard, […]

Let’s start today’s discussion with an analogy, shall we? I know, I know…..this is so unlike me… Do you remember being back in grade seven and thinking that girl was really pretty, even though none of the other guys did? You saw something; but only you.  And you knew just how much prettier she was going to be one […]

It snowed on Wednesday morning. In fact, depending on where you are, if you’re in the GTA, it might still be snowing as you read this. Be honest: you had mixed feelings about it, didn’t you? On the one hand, you’re starting to feel the warmth, joy, and nostalgia that often accompanies the month of […]

As with last week’s two-part blog series on Monday and Thursday where I interviewed economist, Ben Rabidoux, this interview will also be part of my Last Honest Realtor podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Oh, and YouTube.  You can’t forget YouTube.  I mean, where else can you go to […]

In Part 2 of this engaging series on The Last Honest Realtor podcast, David Fleming continues his in-depth conversation with renowned economist and industry expert Ben Rabidoux. Building on the insights shared in Part 1, David and Ben tackle pressing issues shaping the Canadian real estate market today and in the future, including: The condo […]

Join David Fleming on The Last Honest Realtor podcast as he sits down with renowned economist and industry expert Ben Rabidoux for a deep dive into the Toronto real estate market and beyond. In this engaging two-part series, David and Ben discuss: The fascinating dynamics of Toronto’s housing market over the past 15 years. The […]

I was in a bit of a silly mood yesterday and I proposed something to my team: I wanted to change occupations. No, I wasn’t actually suggesting that I leave the real estate industry, since I signed a lifetime contract with the Devil many years ago, but rather I was kidding around about the concept […]

Progress! Theoretically, it’s present in every industry, in every business, and in the lives of every worker-bee in their pursuit of professional glory. But in reality, there are many times when we feel “stuck in the mud,” and real estate is no exception. Through eighteen years and several thousand blog posts, I have lamented all […]

The real estate agents reading this blog might relate to the following story, so here goes… The phone rings one day and there’s a voice on the other end of the line with an underlying tone or attitude that can be at opposite ends. Sometimes, it’s sheepish and nervous. Other times, it’s brimming with bravado […]

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. You’ve all heard that one before, right?  Perhaps in different contexts and for different dramatic purposes, but we’ve all been given this proverb at one point in our lives, personally or professionally. When it comes to the real estate market, I often apply that […]

First off: it’s not what you think. It’s not your home, as in you’re the owner.  But that doesn’t make the following story any less loathsome nor does it make the offending participants any less detestable. Back in 2023, we started to hear a lot about fraudsters selling homes that didn’t belong to them. To be honest, I […]

Don’t ask me how I found this because I honestly can’t remember. For some reason, I was searching listings in this area (which shall remain nameless so I can claim that I never identified the address), and I saw the outside of the house and thought, “Huh, that’s not a bad price.” Little did I […]

He must be thinking, “I can’t believe this actually worked.” All credit is due to Bank of Canada governor, Tiff Macklem, but really?  Really? Maybe he actually did think it would work. But work this well?  I can’t imagine he had that kind of foresight, let alone confidence… I’m speaking, of course, about inflation. Last week, during one […]

A funny thing happened last week. Wait…..do I mean “funny” like a Sebastian Maniscalo clip that finds its way onto your YouTube landing page? No, not like that. I guess I mean “funny” like odd or interesting. “A funny thing happened the other day,” says somebody out of an early-20th century novel, perhaps. But I mean “funny” […]

Continuing the theme from two weeks ago, I’d like to offer yet another “guest blog” from one of my team members. As mentioned prior, we publish our annual INSIGHTS magazine every fall, and each member of our team authors an article on a topic of their choice. Matthew had a very memorable experience earlier this year which […]

Be honest: it’s kinda nice to be back in the office today, isn’t it? I mean, the time off was great and all.  But there was just a bit too much family time, right? If we could collect one dollar from everybody in this city who lamented spending time with their in-laws over the weekend, we could […]

Are you familiar with the stories that begin with, “This guy that I know….”? Depending on the tone, and of course, whether the storyteller pauses and clears his throat before checking himself and offering, “…this guy I know…,” this story could be about the storyteller him or herself. But sometimes, it’s just easier to say, “Mom, […]

“Too excessive to be credible.” That’s what Shakespeare was trying to convey with this classic line from Hamlet. Actually, the original line in the play was “The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” and it’s been misquoted over the years as “Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.” But when used in urban slang, people […]

Do you delete your emails? I mean, once you’ve responded to them, or if you find there’s no need for them anymore? I don’t.  Never have. I keep them all, and I while I sent a total of 21,992 emails in 2023, I can honestly tell you that I have access to all my sent/received emails […]

If you’re like me, you’re 5’11 and named Dave. No, wait, that’s not right. If you’re like me, you’re many things, some cool, most not. If you’re like me, you get giddy over statistics, you live for data, charts, graphs, numbers, and any facts and evidence that you can use to answer questions that you, yourself, […]

I have a favour and it’s important. Be honest with me, just for a moment, and answer this critical query: Do you like to smell the inside of a brand-new book? It’s rhetorical, I know.  Because everybody likes to open up a magazine, hear the crack of the spine, and take a deep inhale of the […]

Do you like stories? Most people would say that I do. Well, to be more specific, most people would say that I like telling stories but not necessarily listening to them. Meh. Forget those people! Completely unrelated here…..but would you mind if I started today’s blog post with two stories? Excellent, thank you…   Make Money; Have No […]

The problem is that rental housing in Toronto is expensive. There. I’ve answered the difficult question. Can we leave now, or do I need to write another 3,000 words? Well, the problem at the very least stems from the fact that housing in Toronto is expensive, as pretty much every problem in our housing market does. But while […]

What time is it? I dunno.  Have a look at your watch. Oh, I see.  It’s time to ruffle some feathers. We’re one week into the fall market and I’m already frustrated. I’m not frustrated with my team.  I’m not frustrated with my clients.  I’m not frustrated with the market; be it sales, inventory, or prices. […]

I used to describe myself as “anti-developer.” Not anti-develompent, but rather anti-developer. I have a long history, both on Toronto Realty Blog, and in practice, complaining about condominium developers in the province of Ontario and how they operate. It started essentially when I started my career; as soon as I saw how the deck is […]

As I constantly complain to my wife, “There’s no time!  Time is fleeting!” So let’s spare the small talk and get right back into it, shall we?   4) What will sales volume look like, compared to the spring, and how will 2024 finish up? If a tree falls in the woods and there’s nobody […]

So, how was it? Was it everything that you expected and more? Did you accomplish everything on your checklist?  Did you manage to do even more than you had anticipated? I’m speaking, of course, about your summer, now that it’s over.  And while some people might fight me on the “over” part, I just think it’s time […]

Great news: my 4-year-old son is really, really into G.I. Joe. Now, it might have something to do with the fact that I named him “Duke” after the leader of the Joes, and it might have something to do with the fact that I’ve scattered vintage G.I. Joe action figures and vehicles all around the house, […]

I had a really tough time coming up with a title for today’s blog. Saying what I really wanted to say would have been a mouthful.  Well, the title already is a bit of a mouthful, so let me say it would been even longer had I said everything I wanted to. Case in point: Condos […]

Why did I choose that photo for today’s blog? The question isn’t rhetorical.  I honestly don’t know. I typed “math blackboard” into my search and after seeing some unspectacular photos, the one with the sheep popped up. Then I wondered if this was a sign?  Or could it be?  Am I calling all condo investors sheep?  […]

You know that I don’t like using summer market statistics to help explain the market, right? Never have.  Never will. And yet for some reason, I feel compelled to continue the theme of posting a “TRREB Stats” blog every single month, even in July and August. Perhaps it’s OCD.  Perhaps it’s continuity.  Or perhaps there’s […]

I wasn’t actually in the market for another investment condo. I mean, I’m always looking for opportunities.  I’m always keeping an open mind. But this wasn’t something that I set out to do.  I didn’t start the month of July with, “Purchase investment property” atop my to-do list. As I wrote in the first part […]

Nobody wanted to warn me, eh? No head’s up? I mean, I suppose it’s my fault.  I’ve apparently been living under a rock for the last fifteen years.  That, and it turns out that I’m incredibly naive. I should have seen this coming but for some reason, I decided that my glass would be half-full […]

I was laying on my daughter’s bed the other night, as she found reason after reason for me to stay, talk, and avoid her having to go to sleep, and the topic of the “chicken and the egg” came up. I thought it would be a nice little riddle to tire her out. “Which came […]

Soooo, how was your weekend? Me?  Well, was into my third rye-and-gingerale on Saturday night, while watching fifteen minutes of six different 1990’s action films that I have seen thirty times each, when I received a phone call to learn that my offer to purchase an investment condo had been accepted. The phone call wasn’t sobering.  […]

How old is your oldest friend? You know what I mean; not this person’s age, but rather for how many years have you known your oldest friend? Or another way of putting it: how old were you when you first met that friend? Perhaps mine comes with an asterisk, since technically my friend Jeff is my […]

I’m really not sure where to go with this post. Is it possible that the market can “turn on a dime?” And if so, would you believe that my recent stories provide greater insights into the current rental market than the data from the previous three months? The rental market has been sluggish all year, […]

Remember when a reader asked, earlier this year, if we had seen the death of the “Friday Rant” blog feature here on Toronto Realty Blog? I had honestly never considered that until a reader posted, and yet I am, looking for a dance partner, but with no place to dance… The “Monday Morning Quarterback” feature […]

Do you want to accompany me on a walk down memory lane? Not so much in terms of my memories and experiences, but rather conversations and explanations that we had many, many years ago about the utterly ridiculous system of “occupancy” that occurs in the pre-construction world. Many of you understand and many of you have no […]

June was an absolute slog.  I’ll be the first to admit that. And if you had asked me coming into today how I feel the GTA average home price for the month of June would fare, I would have suggested that it would decline significantly. It’s amazing to witness how quickly the market can change, and […]

I’ve never been much of a card player. This might come as a surprise to you (that was sarcasm) but I simply don’t have the patience for it. A while back, my friend Aimee told me, “I’ve been crushing it lately in online poker.  I think I’m going to make this a career!” I told her […]

Here’s a topic that I don’t think we’ve ever explored before! Then again, perhaps the reason why we’ve never explored it is because we’ve never needed to? Sure, people sell their parents’ houses all the time!  But to the extent that we’re experiencing today compared to, say, when I started this blog in 2007? No […]

Text Text       You might disagree with your siblings, or worse. Sometimes, we know when this is coming.  Other times, we don’t. The most difficult familial situation I ever dealt with was for the sale of an estate about ten years ago where there were four children and none of them spoke. To complicate matters, […]

Can a book go out of date? I would certainly think there are examples. Surely an old medical textbook could be out of date due to advances in the medical world that take place each and every day. But what a work of fiction?  How about something like, say, George Orwell’s 1984? Published in 1949, […]

Are you familiar with the laws of supply and demand? I’m sure you are. At least you’re familiar with the theory.  But in practice, it doesn’t always work out the way that it should Case in point: I made note of this in last month’s look at the May TRREB figures, whereby the sales-to-new-listings ratio of […]

I was browsing MLS today, looking at new listings in the downtown core, and something really jumped out at me: an 850 square foot condo priced at $1,450,000. But this wasn’t at The Four Seasons Private Residences, nor was it in the Ritz Carlton. This was in Corktown, and the unit was priced at $1,706 per square […]

Hang on a second – I’m getting an email. And a text message. Two text messages, in fact.  Now three.  Now four.  Now another email.  And another. What just happened?  Is the world on fire? Nope. We just saw the first interest rate cut by the Bank of Canada in four years. And while I, […]

  I’m not sure if it was in the 2023 year-end blog post, or in the first post of 2024, but at some point, I mentioned that I was going to be adding a podcast to the resume this year, and one of the readers had a great line: “Perfect.  Just what we need.  Another real […]

Are there any other nerds out there? Wait, I mean are there any other nerds like me out there, and of my generation? Did any of you play the computer game Command & Conquer in the 1990’s? Admit it: at least one of you smiled.  You remembered.  And now, for some reason, you feel compelled to […]

Part of me wishes that I could come up with a more “Google-friendly” title for today’s blog post so that Torontonians, Ontarians, or all Canadians could be forewarned about the perils of rental contracts. Then again, if this were more Google-friendly, it would just mean that I receive 35 emails from people saying, “Can you please […]

Do you think The Rembrandts formed in 1989 with the life-long goal of writing a song that would be used as the theme for a hit American sitcom? Or is it possible that, despite the fame and royalties that come with the honour, perhaps these bands would almost prefer not to be type-casted for the rest of their […]

How is this “only two blogs per week” thing going for you? Notice any difference? I most certainly do! I started Toronto Realty Blog in 2007 and I wrote blogs on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.  I don’t know what happened to Thursday, to be honest.  It’s been a long time, but I think I typically put […]

I had a wonderful Mother’s Day, thanks for asking! But it’s not about me, of course.  It’s about my lovely wife, Jenna, and my mother, Carole, aka “Moonbeam” or “Earth Mother” here on TRB.  I’m not sure what moniker she uses these days, but I believe when I started the blog back in 2007, she was […]

My memory isn’t what it used to be. I could swear up and down that I’ve done this opening before, but I scoured the TRB archives and there’s no mention of Evie, Troy, or Buzz… In any event… …do you remember “Out Of This World?” It was an NBC sitcom which ran from 1987 through […]

When I was a kid, damn did I ever want a two-headed coin! They looked so cool in movies and television shows. Plus, I figured I could win a lot of bets with one! Props to anybody with a crazy memory like mine who can remember a store at Bathurst & Eglinton called “Bowzer’s Den Of Magic.”  […]

I told my son this morning, “Sharing is caring.” I can’t believe I said that. Honestly, I don’t even know where it came from! Buried six layers deep in my mind, like something out of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Inception, was that line that I believe I heard my friend Jeff tell his son a decade ago, while I […]

I remember the first time one of my elders turned toward me and remarked, “You know……we were all young, once.” My response was, “Thanks, old lady,” but fortunately that only resonated in my mind, and in practice, I simply forced a smile. But the irony is: that experience is eventually going to come full circle. I remember […]

I suppose I spoiled the ending, didn’t I? The rental market is no longer “tough,” I said. But maybe it depends on who you ask, what you read, and where? “Weak Condo Market In Downtown Toronto Leads To Dip In Rental Rates, Increased Vacancy”Globe & MailFebruary 7th, 2024 That headline definitely jives with what I […]

I have never, not once, dove head-first into a pool. But that tracks, right? Considering I felt the need to specify head-first when I mentioned “diving,” it just goes to show you how unfamiliar I am with this past time. I guess I just never saw the point?  Is there something exhilarating about going in head-first instead […]

Have you heard of Takashi Murakami? I haven’t. And I don’t expect that 99.9% of Torontonians have either. I remember writing about the King Toronto project several years ago and cynically suggesting that 99.9% of Torontonians had never heard of Bjarke Ingels, and that there was no reason why people should be paying $2,000 per square […]

Here’s something that I will happily divulge, at the risk of people who are too sensitive or unrealistic attempting to paint this as inappropriate… The TRG Team meets every Monday at 9:30am for our weekly meeting, and among the various topics of discussion are the “offer nights” that typically take place on Monday or Tuesday. As […]

You know that saying about the slow car-wreck? You just can’t look away. Can you? Then sometimes, you almost anticipate the car-wreck, and morbidly (if this is an analogy…) prepare yourself for the spectacle. That’s how I’ve felt about the 2024 national budget for the last few weeks, and while the budget won’t be released until April […]

Are you reading your very first blog post here on Toronto Realty Blog?  Or are you a ten-year veteran? Those who know me – at least, through TRB, are fully aware of my thoughts on pre-construction condos, the pre-construction condo industry, and the way that pre-construction condos are sold and eventually built. But for those that […]

What were you doing in February of 2014? No.  Seriously.  I’m asking. A friend of mine told me this week, “You seem really caught up on age lately.” I asked him to define “lately” and he paused, pondered, and said, “I mean, maybe the last couple of years, now that I think about it.” Damn.  It’s true […]

Did you ever watch The Americans? I did.  All of it. It was one of those series that I watched the first few seasons of, then stopped, but then came back to years later.  I finished the last season at some point in 2023 and, while I had many, many questions about the show, the […]

I was having a conversation with a prospective seller on Sunday who was one of those “all real estate agents are the same” types. Sometimes, I feel like I would have to spend six hours with a person to properly, accurately, and fully convey my value to them. Other times, I could do it in […]

Was it Morgan Freeman? The voice. The one that you heard in your head. In lieu of Ken Burns or David Attenborough, I don’t know how you might narrate a voice in your head, but personally, Morgan Freeman is my go-to. Of course, the narration you hear in your head might differ depending on the subject […]

Did you hear about that NCAA swimmer who won gold in his race, in record time, but was disqualified? Tough one to swallow here. He wasn’t disqualified because of performance-enhancing drugs, nor did he wear flippers in the pool. His crime? Celebrating too early. True story, and I’m not embellishing here.  There’s no technicality on […]

David Fleming is the author of Toronto Realty Blog, founded in 2007. He combined his passion for writing and real estate to create a space for honest information and two-way communication in a complex and dynamic market. David is a licensed Broker and the Broker of Record for Bosley – Toronto Realty Group

Thanks for the shout out David! It’s ironic your mom calls me the den mom as I am often referred to as the secondary mom to my daughter’s friends as they are always over at our place. Although I’m not a teacher, I did lunch monitor at my daughter’s school when she was younger, watching […]

I love my mother. Have I ever told you that? My mom, just like your mom, is amazing.  She’s a lot of things. But one thing she isn’t: a Trudeau fan. She’s the one who broke the news to me this week that January’s inflation data came in at a “surprising” 2.9%.  Yes, although I […]

You’ve already heard how I feel that the January TRREB stats don’t support what’s happening out there in the market, right? And some of you are tired of that already? I know, I know. You don’t want to hear about our recent east-side sale that fetched $200,000 more than it was listed at with another agent […]

Better late than never here, I suppose? This is a quarterly feature here on the Toronto Realty Blog and I’m having trouble believing that the last time we worked through these numbers, the summer had ended and it was just after Labour Day. Now here we are in the thick of winter. Then again, this doesn’t really feel […]

Whatever happened to the hype man? I mean, I know that some occupations unfortunately go out of style. I still use a travel agent, by the way.  So don’t add that one to the list. But while the telegraphist, pinsetter, elevator operator, and town crier may have gone the way of the dodo bird, I think there’s always going […]

Tell me that you hate the title of today’s blog and I won’t fault you for that. You have your viewpoint and I have mine. For what it’s worth, and in the spirit of brutal honesty, the original title was, “February TRREB Stats: Swallowing My Pride.” I wrote a large portion of today’s blog with that […]

A younger agent in my office told me the other day, “You need to start your Instagram videos with a hook.” I then put on my cozy slippers, unfolded my bifocals, put my newspaper aside, took a sip of my prune juice, and said, “Tell me more….” Apparently, people have short attention spans in today’s world. Go […]

Since we last spoke on Monday, are there any other things on your real estate mind?  Any new developments? It’s only been a few days but already, I feel as though this January real estate market is going to be very slow. Very few listings have come onto the market, but more importantly, the pattern of […]

My wife and I have a very good and very well-understood and agreed-upon division of labour in our household. I hope your mind doesn’t automatically go to “pink jobs” and “blue jobs” when you hear this, or that you assume I’m running my family like a quaint 1950’s household. Yes, I’m the one who takes […]

Here we go again… It’s the inevitable year-end sign-off that I both dread and look forward to so much. I’d like to thank all the daily TRB readers for their continued support, readership, and contributions in the comments section over the last year, including, but most certainly not limited to: Ace Goodheart, Appraiser, Derek, Marina, […]

I rarely work on leases on behalf of tenants anymore. It’s not that I’m pro-landlord or anything, although if we got into a discussion about who has it worse, tenants or landlords, I would side with the latter. It’s that people don’t come to me for representation in their lease search.  I also don’t solicit the business […]

I’ve been hearing about “the market crash” since before I even started to sell real estate back in 2004, but if there’s been one consistent theme throughout my two decades in the industry, it’s that people have a fixation with  this idea of a major collapse. We’ve heard the term “bubble” almost as often as […]

I figured that I would start today with an analogy, as I often do, but I can’t decide on which one to use. Is this the classic case of trying to sell a $20-bill for $25? Or is this the case of forcing bar patrons to line up outside a nightclub when the club inside is […]

Do I bother starting with the obligatory, “I’ll try to make this post shorter this time around?” Nah. We all know how that goes. But it’s not for lack of effort on my part!  It’s just really, really hard to describe an entire year’s blog posts or an entire year’s real estate stories in a […]

On Wednesday, I took a look at the pre-construction condominium market in Toronto and how prices and those sweet builder “incentives” look this fall. Today, I want to continue the pre-con theme and present you with a story that I’ve been holding on to for about a month now. This has been in my queue […]

Here’s a new one: why don’t we “blame” the current housing prices on the natural forces of supply and demand in a free market? Meh. What fun would that be? We need a scapegoat!  A so-called boogeyman. In fact, we’ve always needed one… It’s been eight years – June 10th, 2015, to be exact, since I […]

What’s that saying about the finish and the journey? I suppose there are many. “There is no finish line, so enjoy the journey.” That’s a nice one and it’s got a very wide application. “It’s good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” I like […]

Geez, what happened to “More MLS Musings?” Perhaps I got carried away this year actually writing about real estate! I offered this feature eight times in 2020, seven times in 2021, only four times in 2022, and much to my amazement, only twice in 2023! Those of you who like the stats-heavy posts are happy to hear that, […]

I made a very important decision before writing today’s blog. Rarely do I actually plan what I write, you know.  I just sit down and start typing as I feel that’s where the most honest and transparent posts come from. But today, I broke that rule. Today, I came into this blog post with a goal: […]

I know I don’t actually write blogs on a retro typewriter like the one in the photo above, but I really, really liked that picture… I do wear glasses when I write, however. I also keep a pinecone nearby at all times. So that photo is kinda accurate. In this space last year, I penned over 5,000 words about […]