John Pasalis Profile picture
Sep 3, 2020 5 tweets 2 min read Read on X
The sales data in the GTA last month represents a delayed spring market, and prices are skewed up by more low-rise home sales but it doesn't change the fact that this is the exact opposite trend that was predicted by most economists including CMHC ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/august-gr…
So far, the only forecast I'm aware of that is even remotely close to being accurate is from @TD_Economics . They were mocked for predicting at the height of the pandemic that GTA prices would end the year up 8%, they are currently up 13% torontostoreys.com/toronto-home-p…
And to be clear, I did not predict the market would be booming during a pandemic and have no idea how long this will last. My point is that overconfidence is a behavioural bias often associated with bulls - but bears are just as vulnerable to this bias.
In April, every housing bear was absolutely certain that prices would crash because of record unemployment and a surge in mortgage deferrals. It was "obvious" prices would crash and to suggest otherwise meant you were clearly "self-interested" and providing biased analysis.
It is interesting how the things that seemed obvious one month are not so obvious three months later. Will prices fall one day, of course. Will they fall by the end of this year? I wouldn't hold your breath!

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More from @JohnPasalis

Feb 24
A lot of people in Toronto’s real estate industry knew the pre-con condo market was a bubble

So why did so few speak up? 🧵
Recently, housing commentator @DanielFoch described the pre-con market as something resembling a Ponzi dynamic

Structurally dependent on rising prices.

But this line stood out:

“Who’s going to be the guy at the party who says maybe we should sober up? Total buzz kill.” 2/
That line isn’t really about condos

It’s about the incentives that drive markets

When prices are rising and profits feel easy very few people want to disrupt the momentum

These dynamics aren’t unique to Toronto 3/
Read 5 tweets
Nov 28, 2025
I believe there is a new form of market manipulation quietly emerging in Canada’s new construction condo market

A lot of condos completing today were sold years ago at peak prices, and many of them are not worth what buyers paid. 1/
Imagine buying a pre-construction unit for $650K that is only worth $550K today

Until recently, banks usually looked the other way and appraised at the original price to help buyers close. 2/
But what happens when the gap becomes too big to ignore?

What happens when a $650K purchase is really worth $400K?

Someone reached out last week about a project in the Kitchener area facing exactly this problem. 3/
Read 14 tweets
Oct 24, 2025
Doug Ford’s government is proposing one of the most radical changes to rent control Ontario has ever seen

It’s a disaster for tenants 1/ Image
Right now, tenants have what’s called security of tenure

As long as they follow the lease and the law, they can stay after the first year on a month-to-month basis. 2/
Under Ford’s proposed changes, that could disappear

Landlords could end a lease after a year and decide who stays, who goes, and how much to charge next 3/
Read 10 tweets
Oct 1, 2025
We’re starting to see clear signs of financial stress emerging across the GTA housing market.

And the data on Power of Sale (POS) listings shows exactly where that stress is hitting hardest. 🧵 Image
Mortgage arrears have been climbing, now above 0.4% at many major banks and as high as 6% at some private lenders.

These rising arrears are showing up in the resale market as more forced sales hit the MLS, adding to already high inventory levels. 2/
The highest shares of Power of Sale listings are in the same areas that saw the biggest pandemic boom

When buyers rushed from Toronto to the suburbs and exurbs, those are now the regions feeling the pain.3/
Read 10 tweets
Apr 22, 2025
"Poilievre has threatened to pull federal funding from universities over their alleged ideological slant"

You can’t claim to support freedom of thought and speech while punishing ideas you don’t like by defunding universities.

These are crazy times 1/
Do I agree with every idea that comes out of universities? Of course not

But as a society, we either defend freedom of expression - including speech that challenges or discomforts us

Or we let the state decide which ideas are acceptable 2/
It’s remarkable to watch Republicans in the U.S. and Conservatives in Canada embrace the second option: censorship

And it’s especially telling with Poilievre, who’s made it clear that his views on this issue closely align with Trump’s 3/
Read 5 tweets
Nov 20, 2024
Pre-construction condo sales are falling off a cliff and will likely remain near historic lows for quite some time.

As housing experts scramble to explain why pre-construction condo sales have crashed and what needs to be done to drive more sales 🧵⤵️ Image
They have zeroed in on one thing

The taxes and fees levied on new home sales and developers are now the reason nobody can afford to buy a new condo, according to this clamour.

And there is some truth to that 2/
Municipalities eager to take advantage of the housing boom have significantly increased development charges

While federal & provincial governments have not adjusted the GST/HST rebate despite surging home prices.

Every level of government should lower taxes on new housing 3/
Read 13 tweets

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