So throughout the year, Matt and I will call each other from time to time just to have a little rant about something that's happened in our industry. A sound board if you will, or simply something that's just frustrated us and we need to have a 5-10 minute vent to get it out of our system and move on with our day.

We decided to go over some of our best rants of the years, things we've noticed in our respective industries, just for a different kind of podcast to end 2025!!

Happy holidays to each and every one of you, thank you for listening in 2025, and we will see you guys in 2026!

Sincerely, 

Jason

Is this the year that the housing market breaks?

Most homeowners who purchased their home in 2021 is up for renewal in 2026. In 2021, you could get an interest rate of 1.5%-2% on your mortgage, and today those same homeowners will be getting roughly 4-4.5% on their renewal. 


That will make a significant increase in their monthly mortgage payments. 

There is some prediction that with roughly 60% of all mortgages in Canada up for renewal in 2026, there's a significant number of homeowners who will not be able to handle the increase in their payments, which will then cause them to sell their home in 2026 or 2027. This will flood the real estate market with the supply (number of homes for sale) it needs and because of the significant increase in options for homebuyers, will drive down home prices across Canada. 

Andrew Hutchison and I look at what's coming over the next year, year and a half in the housing market, and go over different options you have for your mortgage renewals. As well as tips you can use to get yourself the best mortgage rate possible. 

Jason Paul
902-220-7357
[email protected]
@jasonpaulhalifaxrealtor

Andrew Hutchison
902-240-7212
[email protected]

John Picco is a licensed Realtor, multiple ICON Winner at EXP Realty, and runs one of the largest, if not the largest, real estate team on the east coast of Canada out of St John's Newfoundland.

That Real Estate Team is a team of 14 Realtors and 1 Administrator that has sold over 300 units in 2025, and twice finishing in the top 10 team sales in all of EXP Canada.

John shares his story of a real estate career that spans over 16 years, and going from brokerage to brokerage trying to find the right fit for him and what he's passionate about, helping others grow sucessful businesses in real estate.

Insights into how his philosophy of high level coaching, accountability, mentorship, and proper systems in place has helped Realtors on his team transform their real estate businesses today.

Please welcome, John Picco. 

Jason Paul
902-220-7357
[email protected]
@jasonpaulhalifaxrealtor

John Picco
[email protected]

Rob Brown is back on the Halifax Real Estate Podcast to talk about how coaching and mentorship has helped him grow his real estate business over the years. Highlighting 2024 as a big year when he hired a coach who helped him go from 48 transactions in 2023 to 75 transactions in 2024. That was the year his coach helped his mindset shift from a Realtor to business owner, which helped him scale as a solo Realtor to starting the Go Fredericton real estate team with 5 full time Realtors and a full time administrator, all in 2024!

As a coach and mentor himself, Rob shares his insights into helping high producing Realtors grow their businesses as well.

Jason Paul
902-220-7357
[email protected]
@jasonpaulhalifaxrealtor 

Rob Brown
506-471-4526
[email protected]

A lot has happened in Halifax's real estate market in 2025.. The number of homes for sale almost doubled, days on market for listings increased, you're seeing more and more price reductions from listing sitting on the market, and homebuyers are realizing that they hvae negotiating power in the current real estate market.

And yet, Halifax home prices remain at all time highs!

So what does it all mean for 2026?

Well in 2026 we have a signficant number of mortgages up for renewal. These homes were typically purchased in 2021, and at that time these mortgages were locked into 5 year fixed rate mortgages at 1.5 to 2% interest rates. When the renewal comes up in 2026, all of these mortgages will be in and around the 4% interest rate mark.

How will that affect homeowners monthly income? Will it cause a strain and make them have to sell their home to downsize? Halifax could see a number of homes come to market that need to be sold to help the homeowners stay above water.

Also happening in 2026, Halifax will have the most completed apartment units since the 1970s, that's right. You're going to be getting a significant number of new apartments that need to be leased.

So with this happening, will the rush of new supply and options for homeowners, downsizers, and renters cool the demand on the Halifax real estate market? Will this make home prices soften? And what about the current trends we're seeing in Halifax real estate with days on market up, inventory (number of homes for sale) up, and homebuyers understanding that they have leverage to negotiate.

Matt Legatto is back on the Halifax Real Estate Podcast to help me break it down!
Jason Paul
902-220-7357
[email protected] @jasonpaulhalifaxrealtor

Matt Legatto
902-240-3304
[email protected]

Record high home prices in 2025, Halifax almost doubled the amount of homes for sale in 2025, days on market up, days on market down, more and more listings are seeing price reductions because of market stagnation, buyers are negotiating hard again on purchases, and actually getting most of what they're asking for!!

How did all of these market factors affect our respective real estate businesses in 2025? What trends did we see amongst our sellers, amongst our buyers, and amongst our investors?

Icon award winning Realtor Richard Payne is back on the Halifax Real Estate Podcast for our annual market review, where we break down everything we saw and experienced in Halifax's real estate market in 2025.

As well as our predictions for Halifax's real estate market in 2026!

Jason Paul
902-220-7357
[email protected]
@jasonpaulhalifaxrealtor

Richard Payne
902-489-1804
[email protected]
@halifaxhomesandlifestyles

Rob Brown is a top producing realtor at EXP Realty of Canada, a soon to be announced 5-time winner of EXP Realty's coveted ICON Award, which only 1-2% of Realtors at EXP Realty win world-wide.

Rob runs the Go Fredericton real estate team, based out of Fredericton Newbrunswick, which has 5 Realtors (including Rob), and a full time administrator.

Rob is also a coach/mentor to other Realtors looking to grow their business in the industry. 

Highlights 
1.) Going from a six-figure job in car sales to Rob's first year in real estate where he earned $37,000.00
2.) The three aha's Rob was told early on in his real estate career that became fundamental in building the business he has today.
3.) The one thing Rob did that changed his basis from 45 deals a year to 75 deals a year.
4.) The things in real estate that Rob focuses on that helps him consistently sell over 40 houses a year.

And so much more!

Jason Paul
902-220-7357
[email protected] 
@jasonpaulhalifaxrealtor

Rob Brown
506-471-4526
[email protected]
@robbrown_yourrealtor

Did you like the impact the Federal Government's Housing Accelerator Fund had on Halifax's downtown core and peninsula? By radically updating zoning requirments around Halifax's city centre, the Housing Accelerator Fund allowed the city and investors to tackle Halifax's housing crisis head on, by building more units!

So what's Halifax Regional Municipalities second act to tackle the housing crisis? 

The Suburban Plan!


The Suburban Plan looks to have similar zoning requirments in the suburban areas of Halifax, think of Lower Sackville, Fall River, Hammonds Plains, East Hants, etc! This will allow significant density, and amenities, to grow in the Suburban areas of Halifax so that the suburbs can thrive as well. 

Halifax Regional Municipality submitted its 1900 page report on the Suburban Plan to the province of Nova Scotia for review and approval, and the province actually rejected it, stating that the Suburban Plan doesn't go FAR ENOUGH with its goals of development and density. So Halifax is currently editing the plan and the hope is that it is submitted in early 2026 with approval by the province in the spring. 

Kevin Riles from Sightlines Planning + Approvals is here to break down what the Suburban Plan is, what Halifax's intentions are, and the growth Halifax is expected to see over the next 25 years!

Jason Paul
902-220-7357
[email protected]

Kevin Riles
902-403-7847
[email protected]

OSFI (The office of superintendent of Financial Institutions) has told all lenders that they are to change the way that they use rental income to qualify purchasers of real estate in Canada. Essentially, OSFI has told Canadian real estate investors in Canada that they can no longer use rental income to qualify these purchases. It has to be off the strength of their income from their job.

Why?

 As rents start to come down across Canada, income properties are starting to become less and less cashflow positive assets, thus becoming more a risk to both the owner of the asset and the banks that hold the debt of those assets. So to mitigate this risk of foreclosures, OSFI has advised the banks to watch out for rental incomes in investment properties.

Matt Legatto is back on the podcast to help break down things you can do to help navigate this new rule change!

Jason Paul
902-220-7357
[email protected] 
@jasonpaulhalifaxrealtor2467⁩ 

Matt Legatto
902-240-3304
[email protected]

It's my pleasure to introduce you to Sidney Doucette. Sidney is a local real estate investor here in Nova Scotia, and he got into real estate investing for the soul purpose of being able to retire his father. Over the last 5 and a half years Sidney and his father have scaled their real estate portfolio up to 41 units, including the 20 unit building they just purchased in Digby Nova Scotia. Sidneys full time job is in digitial banking helping other real estate investors across North America accomplish their real estate goals. Sidney has been a presenter at Bigger Pockets conferences across North America and is looking to help other people accomplish their real estate goals.

Highlights of today's episode

The metric Sidney uses on all of his properties, and if the property doesn't meet the metric, he doesn't buy it.
Accomplishing the goal of retiring his father
The challenges of scaling a real estate portfolio to 41 units in Nova Scotia
The moment that everything he had heard, listened, to, and been told about real estate investing became real.

And so much more!

Jason Paul
902-220-7357 j
[email protected]
@jasonpaulhalifaxrealtor

Sidney Doucette
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidneydoucette/