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October 30, 2026
Bank of Canada Raises Rates: Confidence, Not Rates, Moves the Market
Rates up a quarter point, the first hike since 2023. Jim's take: confidence, not rates, is what moves the market.
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October 30, 2026
Coffee in the Hood, Episode 2: Balzac's in the Distillery District
Balzac's founder started with a coffee cart at Ontario Place in 1993. Jim Emilson tastes the maple latte and looks at condo prices near the Distillery District cafe.
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October 24, 2026
Buying Pre-Construction: The Honest Pros and Cons
People ask me about buying pre-construction all the time. A new condo or house, bought from the builder's plans, years before it's built. There are real advantages, and I'll give them to you straight. But the risks are real too, and the sales centre is not going to walk you through those.
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October 23, 2026
Coffee in the Hood, Episode 1: Jet Fuel Coffee in Cabbagetown
Jim Emilson starts Coffee in the Hood at Jet Fuel Coffee in Cabbagetown: the hard-loft conversions nearby, and what it costs to live in the neighbourhood.
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October 16, 2026
Renovating Before You Sell? Most Renovations Do Not Pay
Kitchens and washrooms feel obvious. Smaller fixes pay. The tool that sorts them.
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October 14, 2026
Big Money Is Buying Toronto's Unsold Condos: Good News and Bad News
The good news for prices, and the bad news for owners in those buildings.
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October 7, 2026
Real Estate Is Not a Sales Job
Advise and protect first. Market second. Selling is not the job.
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September 22, 2026
Sued by His Own Buyers: When Honest Feedback Backfires
Truth is stranger than fiction: honest feedback, offended sellers, and a lawsuit.
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September 20, 2026
Well Presented Online, Still Not Selling? Listen to the Market
Beautifully presented, overpriced, relisted higher. The market had already spoken.
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September 15, 2026
The Renovation Trend Trap: Gray Everything and Resale Value
Gray everything seemed cool for five minutes. Now it dates houses into unsellable territory.
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September 10, 2026
Why Young Toronto Buyers Can't Win: Boomers vs Gen Z
Boomers made off like bandits. Young buyers hold the one asset boomers would trade for.
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September 5, 2026
The Agent Who Prices Below What You Want to Hear
The low valuation is usually the honest one. Bet on the agent with courage.
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July 14, 2026
The Better Way to Judge a Realtor
Talked out of a bad buy in 2020. The better metric for a realtor.
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May 16, 2026
Jesta Is Buying Unsold Condos: Why Jim Says That Is Good News
Jesta, High Art Capital, and why institutional money buying unsold condos is good news.
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April 30, 2026
The House Key Went Missing: Check the Lockbox First
An open lockbox flap, a missing key scare, and a rekey that was never needed.
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February 12, 2026
Yorkville Condos in the $500s: A Tale of Two Markets
Yorkville condos from the $800s to the $500s, and what it means on both sides.
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January 21, 2026
The Rental Trap in New Toronto Rental Buildings
How free-rent deals in new rental buildings turn expensive in year two.
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December 12, 2025
My Worst Mistake in Real Estate
A missed deadline, a family at risk of losing their home, and what accountability looks like.
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November 29, 2025
Sellers, Do Not Stay Home During Showings
The seller stayed home. The buyers stayed away. The house sat.
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August 26, 2025
Cottage Owners Beware: The Abandoned Property Scam
Squatters in the family cottage, a fake rental story, and the habit that stops it.
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May 16, 2025
Condo Buyers: You Probably Do Not Need That Balcony
Everyone wants a balcony. Almost no one uses it. Choose the floor plan instead.
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March 30, 2025
Pre-Construction Buyers Are Failing to Close: The Perfect Storm
20 to 30 percent cannot close. Rates, appraisals, lost deposits.
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March 28, 2025
When the Condo Market Swings Back: Supply, Demand, and 2027 to 2030
Why Jim thinks the condo supply gap, not rates, decides what happens after 2027.
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March 13, 2025
Tenanted Condos: Only One in Five Sold in 2024
Tenanted units, investor sellers, and the end-user buyers now driving the market.
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July 25, 2024
The Morning Jim Almost Petted a Coyote
A friendly-looking dog by the lake turned out to be a coyote.
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February 13, 2024
Offended by Lowball Offers? Then You Make Them Too
Offended by lowballs as a seller, offering them as a buyer. Perspective, both ways.
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February 11, 2024
Should Buyers Open the Fridge and Cupboards at a Showing?
Fridge and cupboards, yes or no? And the one place Jim says never to open.
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January 31, 2024
85 Offers on a Mississauga Listing
A $750,000 listing, 85 offers, and a bidding war that came down to down payments. What the signals say.
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January 24, 2024
Hire Rude and Brash, or Professional and Polite?
Bulldozing does not win. Cooperation gets both sides more.
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October 26, 2023
Loyal to Your Bank? The Bank Is Not Loyal to You
A deathbed fight for access to investments, and why bank loyalty is one-way.
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August 16, 2023
Can You Walk Away After Your Offer Is Accepted?
Cold feet after acceptance. The deposit, the damages, and why offers are serious.
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August 2, 2023
Pre-Construction or Resale? Jim Argues for Resale
$1,549 pre-con versus $900 to $1,000 resale. Jim argues for resale.
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July 24, 2023
The Craziest Advice Jim Ever Heard in Sales Training
Never answer your phone, they said. Judge a realtor by the callback instead.
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July 11, 2023
Offer Date or Offers Anytime? Show Me the Data
Two strategies, both failing. The data test for an offer date.
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July 5, 2023
Agent or Professional? The Difference Is Hard Truths
Flattery versus math. Pick the agent who tells hard truths.
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June 30, 2023
Fixer-Upper, Charming, Good Bones: What MLS Words Really Mean
A walk through euphemism house: wallpaper, mold, and a ceiling that might fall.
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June 8, 2023
Do Not Start Looking Before You Sell
Look first, fall hard, compare everything to the one you cannot have. Bank first.
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May 19, 2023
Two Showing Rules Sellers Cannot Break
Accommodate every showing. Never be home. Two rules, no exceptions.
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May 15, 2023
What Not to Do When Viewing Properties
Shoes off, manners on, and no trash talk. The sellers may be listening.