Happy New Year, and welcome back to the Urbaneer.com Blog — where we dish out smart, engaging takes on housing, design, and culture in Toronto (because real estate is never just about real estate).
Like most people, we greet a new year with equal parts optimism, curiosity, and cautious side-eye. After all, the past year gave Toronto’s real estate market plenty of plot twists — deflation, unpredictability, and enough surprises to keep even seasoned pros on their toes. Now we’re officially turning the page and stepping into a brand-new chapter. So what’s next for the market? Tune in to our blog to find out! We’ll be experiencing it up close and personal from our favourite vantage point – the real estate trenches!
Before revving the engines and charging into the new year, we like to pause, reflect, and fine-tune how we run a business we genuinely love. When you work in the shelter industry — and your clients are looking for clear-headed guidance on real estate tailored to their very specific lives — let’s just say there’s never a shortage of moving parts. Fortunately, experience counts. With more than three decades under our belts, we look back at what’s been, stay sharp in the present, and map out innovative, steady paths to help our clients get where they’re going next.
That’s the Urbaneer way.
And in the spirit of thoughtful reflection — and to properly kick off the first month of 2025 — we’re sharing our annual roundup of the Top 5 Most Popular Urbaneer Posts from the past year. These reader favourites cover everything from housing legislation to budget-savvy tips for prepping your home for sale, all seasoned with personal insights, hard-earned expertise, and reflections from a career that’s now 35 years (and counting). Keep in mind, they were our most read posts that were written in 2025 – not our most read posts for the year overall.
1. Toronto’s Own ‘Tiny Town’ On The Horizon
This was our 2025 April Fools post, a series which always tends to do well. We love cooking up a story based on media headlines and ending with a ‘gotcha!’ moment!
2. The Brand New Oakwood Station On Toronto’s Eglinton LRT Line
This post received a lot of views, likely due to the collective disappointment Torontonians feel about the Eglinton LRT, which is so long overdue.
The Brand New Oakwood Station On Toronto’s Eglinton LRT Line
3. Dear Urbaneer: How Do Purpose-Built Rentals Affect Toronto Property Investors?
The popularity of this post is a no-brainer; anyone who purchased a new condo as an investment is paying attention to the purpose-built rental market, which will be attempting to steer prospective tenants their way by offering community-centric amenities and lifestyle programs to retain tenants.
Dear Urbaneer: How Do Purpose-Built Rentals Affect Toronto Property Investors?
4. Dear Urbaneer: Are Wood-Burning Fireplaces Still Permitted in Toronto? What Other Options Are There?
As realtors, we can say that this is one of those subjects that is much more on the minds of Torontonians than one realizes – until it becomes a Dear Urbaneer!
Dear Urbaneer: Are Wood-Burning Fireplaces Still Permitted in Toronto? What Other Options Are There?
5. Dear Urbaneer: What about Buying A Property That’s An Assignment Sale
When the Bank of Canada started increasing interest rates in March 2022 to bring down inflation, the first cracks in the market appeared in the New Homes market, particularly in the condominium sector, as investors for preconstruction units evaporated.
Dear Urbaneer: What About Buying A Property That’s An Assignment Sale?
…And that rounds out the Top 5!
Can I take a moment to confess to you that I LOVE what I do?
Ever since I was seven years old I knew my future was in housing and helping others. And now, in my 50s, I’m so grateful for our amazing existing clients, and to welcome new ones too! Along with advising, supporting and gently steering Buyers and Sellers, my team and I are here to explore, question, and educate – which is why our blog explores current events, the evolving housing ecosystem, and competing interests as they shape market dynamics.
As the Toronto real estate market continues its very slow recovery, I hope you follow our Urbaneer Blog. We’re committed to providing relevant information and poignant insight from a foundation of experience – like this post entitled ‘Let’s Talk About The State Of The Toronto Condo Market’ – and exploring the concerns weighing heaviest on the minds of property Buyers & Sellers (‘Toronto Real Estate Reality Check: From Frenzy To Fatigue And The Hangover Of FOMO‘).
As we like to say –> We’re here to earn your trust, then your business.
Sincerely,
~ Steve & The Urbaneer Team
We are so grateful to be part of the Toronto real estate industry! Thank you for your continued trust and business!
The Urbaneer team makes it our mission to guide you from your first to final purchase, plus any property in between. Along with educating, advising, and gently steering you, our mandate is to identify the best locations and properties within your budget and recommend the appropriate dwellings that offer the best opportunities, whether as a personal residence or part of your investment portfolio.
Would you be interested in selling? At Urbaneer.com, we take great pride in offering you our insight and guidance to make your property as ‘sellable’ as possible. Offering a comprehensive sales and marketing program, including print ads, direct mail flyers, and a multi-faceted social media program, we also offer a design service, access to contractors, and a warehouse of home furnishings available as part of our competitive listing commission. We are your one-stop real estate boutique, pulling out all the stops to enhance your property and get top dollar.
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 people building their long-term property portfolios, our mandate is to help clients choose the property that will deliver the highest future return on their investment while ensuring it best serves their practical needs and their dream of “Home” during their ownership.
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
*Did you know we were recently listed as one of The Top 60 Best Toronto Blogs & Websites? And we earned the #5 spot on Feedspot’s Top 30 Toronto Real Estate Blogs & Websites’ List!
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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!