Move Smartly: The Podcast

Today, Move Smartly co-host John Pasalis chats with Move Smartly editor and Realosophy business partner Urmi Desai about her departure from the firm and the Move Smartly show.

A lot has changed since John and Urmi began working on a new type of pro-consumer data-focussed real estate brokerage and communications channel back over 15 years ago.

We look back on the experiences of building a real estate business, why Urmi's policy background has allowed her to take on various challenges in the public, private and now, the non-profit sector and her thoughts on Canada's housing affordability crisis.

Follow John x-twitter: https://x.com/JohnPasalis, Instagram @john.pasalis or email: [email protected]

Follow the show on x-twitter: @MoveSmartly, Instagram @move.smartly, or email: [email protected]

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!

Each month, show co-host John Pasalis presents his latest data and top stories on Toronto area real estate in conversation with fellow Realosophy agents, Peter Karlos and Davin McMahon, and our Move Smartly mortgage expert, David Larock - and you, our viewers, who join the conversation in our live chat hosted by Move Smartly Editor Urmi Desai to make this is one of our liveliest segments!

This week, John and his team discuss conditions in a market - how are individual buyers and sellers navigating house and condo price drops? Dave Larock, our mortgage expert, explains how the latest in US and Canadian news will impact our rates. As usual our engaged viewers and listeners have plenty of consumer questions about what's next for their real estate moves, mortgage rates and more.

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:

John's latest monthly Toronto area real estate market report on MoveSmartly.com: https://www.movesmartly.com/reports

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

Why Canada Only Builds Micro Condos — And What We Can Do About It: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0iE_2nMNY8&ab

Contact Us

John Pasalis, President and Broker, Realosophy Realty, Toronto | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @JohnPasalis

David Larock, Mortgage Broker and Analyst and Realtor | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @Dave_at_IMP

Urmi Desai, Editor, Move Smartly | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @MoveSmartly

About This Show

The Move Smartly show is co-hosted by Urmi Desai, Editor of Move Smartly, and 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!

We're back from our summer hiatus - and back to work! Move Smartly Editor and Host, Urmi, once again speaks to John and Steve on what is going on in the data and on the ground in Toronto and Vancouver. This month, more sales but some surprising price drops continuing not only in condos but house sector. Plus, how will interest rates, economic uncertainty and headlines about a condo market collapse play into consumer sentiment? And, an Ontario real estate brokerage scandal puts (another) black eye on the industry.

Contact Us

Follow Steve on X-Twitter @SteveSaretsky; Email at: [email protected]

Follow John on X-Twitter @JohnPasalis; Email at: [email protected]

Follow Urmi on X-Twitter @MoveSmartly; Email at: [email protected]

About This Roundtable Series

Each month, Move Smartly.com editor, Urmi Desai, talks to John Pasalis, Housing Analyst, Broker and President of Realosophy Realty in Toronto, and Steve Saretsky, Housing Analyst and Realtor at the Oakwin Realty Group at Oakwin Realty in Vancouver about the latest data and on-the-ground insights in Canada's biggest residential RE markets. (Thanks to Jesse Bains, now at Linked In News, for kicking off this series at Yahoo Finance originally!)

About This Show

The Move Smartly show is co-hosted by Urmi Desai, Editor of Move Smartly, and 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!

Each month, show co-host John Pasalis presents his latest data and top stories on Toronto area real estate in conversation with fellow Realosophy agents, Anastasia Spozito and Davin McMahon, and our Move Smartly mortgage expert, David Larock - and you, our viewers, who join the conversation in our live chat hosted by Move Smartly Editor Urmi Desai to make this is one of our liveliest segments!

This week, John and his team discuss conditions in a market that sees some buyers motivated as prices drop — but how will sellers respond? Dave Larock, our mortgage expert, explains how the latest in US and Canadian news will impact our rates. As usual our engaged viewers and listeners have plenty of consumer questions about what's next for their real estate moves, mortgage rates and more.

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:

John's latest monthly Toronto area real estate market report on MoveSmartly.com: https://www.movesmartly.com/reports

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: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @JohnPasalis

David Larock, Mortgage Broker and Analyst and Realtor | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @Dave_at_IMP

Urmi Desai, Editor, Move Smartly | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @MoveSmartly

About This Show

The Move Smartly show is co-hosted by Urmi Desai, Editor of Move Smartly, and 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

Move Smartly Editor and Host, Urmi, once again speaks to John and Steve on what is going on in the data and on the ground in Toronto and Vancouver. This month, some surprising signs of more activity with an uptick in sales in both markets, while prices remain under pressure. Plus, what influences home buyers more — interest rate news or Canada-US trade uncertainty? And BC tries to get new construction going with a change to development charges — will it work?

Contact Us

Follow Steve on X-Twitter @SteveSaretsky; Email at: [email protected]

Follow John on X-Twitter @JohnPasalis; Email at: [email protected]

Follow Urmi on X-Twitter @MoveSmartly; Email at: [email protected]

About This Roundtable Series

Each month, Move Smartly.com editor, Urmi Desai, talks to John Pasalis, Housing Analyst, Broker and President of Realosophy Realty in Toronto, and Steve Saretsky, Housing Analyst and Realtor at the Oakwin Realty Group at Oakwin Realty in Vancouver about the latest data and on-the-ground insights in Canada's biggest residential RE markets. (Thanks to Jesse Bains, now at Linked In News, for kicking off this series at Yahoo Finance originally!)

About This Show

The Move Smartly show is co-hosted by Urmi Desai, Editor of Move Smartly, and 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'm joined by Robert Kavcic, Senior Economist at BMO, to unpack the real state of Canada's economy amid growing public uncertainty.

Despite rising interest rates, global trade tensions, and fears of a looming recession, Canadians are still spending, stock markets are climbing, and unemployment is rising more slowly than expected. So—are we in trouble, or are fears overblown?

We explore the economic crosscurrents shaping 2025, from trade negotiations and tariff threats to what's really driving up mortgage rates. We also dive into Canada's housing market, where psychology has shifted, construction is stalling, and many are wondering whether the market has found its bottom—or if more pain is ahead.

Contact Us John Pasalis, President and Broker, Realosophy Realty, Toronto | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @JohnPasalis Urmi Desai, Editor, Move Smartly | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @MoveSmartly About This Show The Move Smartly show is co-hosted by Urmi Desai, Editor of Move Smartly, and 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!

Today, Move Smartly editor Urmi Desai discusses a key hot topic in Canadian real estate with co-host John Pasalis of Realosophy Realty in Toronto.

In the last few years, we have been told by experts and advocates that removing all barriers to supply — including taxes, zoning and other government regulations — is the key to restoring housing affordability as builders will build, build, build enough homes to restore supply and demand balance — resulting in falling prices. But now that home prices and rents are finally falling in Ontario and BC, housing starts have come to a standstill. Why do we believe developers would keep building amidst falling prices?

Follow John x-twitter: https://x.com/JohnPasalis, Instagram @john.pasalis or email: [email protected]

Follow the show on x-twitter: @MoveSmartly, Instagram @move.smartly, or email: [email protected]

About This Show

The Move Smartly show is co-hosted by Urmi Desai, Editor of Move Smartly, and 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!

Toronto has become a global poster child for the micro-condo — tiny units designed not for families, but for investors. We're told that's just how the system works: developers need investors to pre-buy units years before anything gets built, because regular buyers won't take that kind of risk. But is that really true? Or is it a choice we've made — one that's locked us into building housing that doesn't actually serve the people who need it? In this episode, John and Urmi speak with Pouyan Safapour, President of Devron Developments, who argues that Canada's pre-construction financing model is at the root of the problem. While cities like New York, Berlin, and London build first and sell later, Canada relies heavily on speculative investor capital — and ends up building the wrong kind of supply. They unpack how our current system works, why it's failing, and what it would take to shift toward a model that puts end-users — not speculators — at the centre of condo development.

Contact Us

John Pasalis, President and Broker, Realosophy Realty, Toronto | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @JohnPasalis

David Larock, Mortgage Broker and Analyst and Realtor | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @Dave_at_IMP

Urmi Desai, Editor, Move Smartly | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @MoveSmartly

About This Show

The Move Smartly show is co-hosted by Urmi Desai, Editor of Move Smartly, and 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!

Each month, show co-host John Pasalis presents his latest data and top stories on Toronto area real estate in conversation with fellow Realosophy agents, Gus Papaioannou, and our Move Smartly mortgage expert, David Larock - and you, our viewers, who join the conversation in our live chat hosted by Move Smartly Editor Urmi Desai to make this is one of our liveliest segments!

This week, John and his team discuss conditions in a market that has not been that familiar to the Toronto area for some time - as more homes hit the market for sale, and fewer buyers are confident to jump in, which segments of the market are most vulnerable to price drops? And how will the US Trump Administration's "Big Beautiful Bill" affect Canada's housing market? As usual our engaged viewers and listeners have plenty of consumer questions about what's next for their real estate moves, mortgage rates and more.

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:

Sign up for John's 30 Minute Info Session - The Smart Way to Upsize In an Uncertain Market: https://www.movesmartly.com/buying_selling_signup

John's latest monthly Toronto area real estate market report on MoveSmartly.com: https://www.movesmartly.com/reports

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: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @JohnPasalis

David Larock, Mortgage Broker and Analyst and Realtor | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @Dave_at_IMP

Urmi Desai, Editor, Move Smartly | Email: [email protected] | X-Twitter: @MoveSmartly

About This Show

The Move Smartly show is co-hosted by Urmi Desai, Editor of Move Smartly, and 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!

Move Smartly Editor and Host, Urmi, once again speaks to John and Steve on what is going on in the data and on the ground in Toronto and Vancouver. We heard how historic low sales continue to play out on the ground. Plus, are trade blues the only thing worrying Canadians about the economy? And why as our national housing agency giving up on housing affordability - and why can't supply be a solution?

Contact Us

Follow Steve on X-Twitter @SteveSaretsky; Email at: [email protected]

Follow John on X-Twitter @JohnPasalis; Email at: [email protected]

Follow Urmi on X-Twitter @MoveSmartly; Email at: [email protected]

About This Roundtable Series

Each month, Move Smartly.com editor, Urmi Desai, talks to John Pasalis, Housing Analyst, Broker and President of Realosophy Realty in Toronto, and Steve Saretsky, Housing Analyst and Realtor at the Oakwin Realty Group at Oakwin Realty in Vancouver about the latest data and on-the-ground insights in Canada's biggest residential RE markets. (Thanks to Jesse Bains, now at Linked In News, for kicking off this series at Yahoo Finance originally!)

About This Show

The Move Smartly show is co-hosted by Urmi Desai, Editor of Move Smartly, and 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!