My name is Steven Fudge, and I’m a realtor and property consultant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I’m mostly known for two things. I’m the real estate veteran who’s been guiding prospective purchasers & sellers through their real estate journeys for nearly 36 years. And I’m the guy who began his real estate career that day in 1989 when the Toronto real estate bubble burst.
The upside of starting a career when the trajectory of the product you sell is on a slippery slope down is that you don’t know the work to be any different. I never tasted the heady days of the mid-80s when real estate Yuppies rode the ride called conspicuous consumption. Credit cards were a new thing in the 1980s, and people loved them. Flipping houses was as fashionable as having brunch at Bemelmans. But it all stopped in 1989. Instead of champagne and caviar dreams, I ate saltines and watched Toronto property values decline by about 35% over a six-year period and then stagnate for another four. I call the 1990s The Lost Decade, which, once Y2K arrived, everyone conveniently forgot. Fast forward 25 years, and the 2+ decade sustained run up of real estate prices we thought would never end is clearly over, cresting in March 2022 and – if history repeats itself – is on the rinse and repeat cycle.
What does this mean? Two generations of Torontonians have never experienced a market correction of this magnitude. Of the approximately 70,000 realtors who are members of the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, only 3% have been working in the industry for 25 years or longer. This means that the pool of licensed property professionals who possess the knowledge, experience, and wisdom necessary to guide property owners through our current market conditions is quite select.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog about my early real estate career, how it coincided with the 1989 housing crash, and parallels that might be drawn between that time and the current real estate climate in Toronto: “When Dreams Of Domesticity Became Nightmares: A Recollection Of The 1989 Toronto Housing Market Crash.’
Just this month, I was invited to expand on that blog in an interview with May Warren, a Housing Reporter with the Toronto Star. What a treat it was to revisit that time in my life and discuss the obstacles I faced through the lens of a realtor with now three decades under his belt. The article was just published, and you can read it here!
Please click the headline –>
Toronto’s Painful ’90s Housing Crash Came With Neon Hair, Wild Raves And A Condo Collapse. At Least One Of Those Things Is Back
A big thank you to Housing Reporter May Warren and The Toronto Star for allowing me the opportunity to share my insights and discuss my passion for Canadian housing.
Here are several related blogs you may enjoy:
Toronto Real Estate Then & Now: The Lost Decade Of The 1990s
Turning A Blind Eye To The Real Costs Of Toronto Real Estate Investment Properties
Dear Urbaneer: What’s Going On With The Toronto Condo Market?
Dear Urbaneer: Has The Toronto Real Estate Market Gone SLO MO?
It’s A Different Toronto Real Estate Market, Folks!
What’s Trending In Toronto Real Estate?
Since 1989, I’ve steered my career through a real estate market crash and burn; survived a slow painful cross-country recession; completed an M.E.S. graduate degree from York University called ‘Planning Housing Environments’; executed the concept, sales & marketing of multiple new condo and vintage loft conversions; and guided hundreds of clients through the purchase and sale of hundreds of freehold and condominium dwellings across the original City of Toronto. From a gritty port industrial city into a glittering post-industrial global centre, I’ve navigated the ebbs and flows of a property market as a consistent Top Producer. And I remain as passionate about it today as when I started.
Please consider contacting me at 416-845-9905 or emailing me at Steve@urbaneer.com. It would be my pleasure to assist you.
We’d love to introduce you to our services.
Serving first-time Buyers, upsizers, downsizers, and individuals building their long-term property portfolios, our mandate is to help clients choose a property that will yield the highest future return on their investment while ensuring it best serves their practical needs and their dream of “Home” during their ownership.
Are you considering selling? We welcome providing you with a comprehensive assessment free of charge, which includes determining your Buyer profile, optimizing your return on investment, and tailoring the listing process to suit your specific circumstances. Check out How Urbaneer’s Custom Marketing Program Sold This Family-Friendly Home In Riverdale to learn more about what we do!
Consider letting Urbaneer guide you through your Buying or Selling process, without pressure or hassle.
We are here to help!
-The Urbaneer Team
Steven Fudge, Sales Representative
& The Innovative Urbaneer Team
Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage – (416) 322-800
– we’re here to earn your trust, then your business –
Celebrating Thirty-Five Years As A Top-Producing Toronto Realtor
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*Love Canadian Housing? Check out Steve’s University Student Mentorship site called Canadian Real Estate, Housing & Home which focuses on architecture, landscape, design, products, and real estate in Canada!