Scott Benson: And these are 15 minutes. They're very short and sweet, super high tactical and it's meant to give you one huge takeaway and then we literally go through some questions and answers for another 10 minutes. Then we jump off and let you get back to your day. Okay. So I'm gonna roll because it's 203. So we've kind of waited long enough for the stragglers. Think about this now. Um, do the words we speak, do the thoughts we think and do the things we do matter? I'm going to say that one more time. Like actually think about this. Do the words we speak, do the thoughts we think, and do the word and do the things we do matter?
michelle champagne: Yes, 100%.
Scott Benson: 100% they do, right? And actually, if you think about it this way, did I not just sum up life? So life is the culmination of the words we speak, the thoughts we think, and the things we do. That's literally life. And so obviously, it's incredibly important.
Scott Benson: And so today, I'm actually going to talk about something that's more interesting to me than, you know, lead genen or how to convert on a listing or how to convert a an objection handling. Like we're actually going to dive into something that I think you will find very, very fascinating. All right. So I am always in the position of wanting to learn. I always want to grow. That's kind of like a default of mine. I always want to I jump on coaching calls as a a person who's um looking to learn from the group. And also I I listen to other people's teachings often. I would say daily uh if not every other day. And today I got an email and think about this now. The email says your past clients didn't leave you. You just went quiet.
michelle champagne: You're
Scott Benson: When I read that, I was like, "Oh, that one stings." Your past clients didn't leave you. You just went quiet. And I I know we have Ryan on the phone or on the call here today.
Scott Benson: He's probably the best at staying noisy. But think about that too as we dive into this topic because I think that it's something that I have to humbly say, "Right, I have to keep on, you know, touching base, etc., Okay, let's dive into this 15inute tactical presentation and then we will literally stop, get some questions and answers and then uh let you guys jump off the call. Um, whoever just jumped on missed the the big prelude to this, so hopefully someone else can catch them up. All right, so why is this market actually a massive opportunity for Ontario agents? This is my kind of opening dialogue. Let me start with something important. Every real estate market produces two kinds of agents. Agents who say the market is tough. So, I'm going to back you up for those that just jumped on. What we started with is do the words we say, do the thoughts we think, do the things we do, do they matter? And I'm here to make the case that they that is life.
Scott Benson: the the words we say, the thoughts we think, and the things we do on a daily basis make up our lives. So, I think it's the most important. Not that it's just important, but it's the most important. Okay. So, now let me start this again. Every real estate market produces two types of agents. An agent who says the market is tough and an agent who says this is where professionals get paid or some version of that. So, two types of agents. One is going to say, and by the way, I'm guilty of the first. Oh, this is a tough market. Oh, this is a horrible market. Oh, this is a hard market. And the other agent says, oh, this is where professionals get paid. This is where great agents stand out. This is where big agents make three-year runs because everyone else is fleeing the business. Do you see the difference in the words we say? So my challenge to you and this is the the major takeaway that you're going to see throughout this coaching today is to be the first a or to be the second agent who says this is where professionals get paid or some version of that.
Scott Benson: I'm going to prefer to say this is where great agents shine. We love these markets because this is where great agents shine. You Mr. Seller, you Mr. Buyer, you now see the difference between a weak and a strong agent. So we love these markets. What a different spin on the same market, right? Again, last time I'll say it, every real estate market produces two types of agents. An agent who says and and and just know if you if you said this in the last day, week, month, this market is a tough market. I've said it. I've said it in the last day, week, month, but I'm going to start saying this is where the strong agents thrive. I love these markets. This is where the great agents get paid. Okay? That's the words we speak. And by the way, I'm also thinking differently when I say that. Okay, let me jump in and try and break this down. History shows this is this is actual fact.
Scott Benson: History shows the second group always wins because the biggest paydays in real estate rarely happen in easy markets. They happen when conditions change and average agents disappear. Okay, this is in bold on my notes. Rarely do big paydays happen in easy markets.
Ryan Campbell: And he's gone. I'm sure he'll be back. Uh he's back.
Georgia Huntley: You're muted.
Scott Benson: Thumb thumbs up if you can hear me now. Sorry about that. So,
Ryan Campbell: We got you.
Georgia Huntley: You're good.
Scott Benson: remember when I said I'm not techie and I couldn't even answer I couldn't even reject a phone call while I was on uh on this call. All right, back into it. Okay, so um in Ontario, that's exactly what's happening right now. And those who stay positive right now will dominate the next three to five years. The market isn't dead. It is resetting. Like, hear that loud and clear. Our market is not dead right now. It is a resetting market.
Scott Benson: So, first let's look at what's actually happening. Ontario isn't experiencing a collapse, right? We all agree Ontario is not collapsing right now. It is experiencing a reset after one of the craziest housing booms in history. Now, notice that everything I'm telling you has a positive spin on it. I could give you the same information and make this a horrificly negative presentation. I'm going to say that one one more time. Ontario isn't experiencing a collapse. It's experiencing a reset after one of the craziest housing booms in history. Here are the facts. Okay. Ontario average home price around. What do you guys think? Ontario. So average average home price across Ontario detached.
Ryan Campbell: 600 your next
Scott Benson: Not bad. Who else got another guess?
Ryan Campbell: day the
Jeff Webber: 750.
Scott Benson: Wow. Okay. Bottle of wine for Jeff Weber. 749,400 as of late 2025. 749400 prices are down roughly. Hopefully you all know this 3 to 6% year-over-year.
Scott Benson: Okay, that's across the board. Different markets, different different metrics across the board. Prices are down 3 to 6% year-over-year. Active listings are up. So, there's more listings on the market by 57%. That's a significant number. months of inventory increased to about 5.1 months compared to the normal which is 3.1 months. So that might sound negative to you, but it actually means something important. For the first time in years, Ontario has a functional real estate market again. During 2020 to 2022, buyers had no chance. Homes sold in hours. Agents had almost no control. Basically, we could put a sign in the ground and get 10 people exclusively wanting that house before even going to MLS or marketing it. Now, we're back to negotiation, strategy, marketing, professional agents winning. The top agents are winning again. Whereas in 2020, the consumer um opinion was anybody can sell my house, anybody can get it done, anybody can get me 10 offers. That is not the consumer opinion right now.
Scott Benson: Just so you know, the big brands, the top producing agents, those people are winning in this market and they will win for the next 3 to 5 years because the market is being purged. All right, so buyers are returning. Another reason to be optimistic, demand hasn't disappeared. It's been waiting. Canada has massive pent-up housing demand because many buyers paused during rate hikes. But several things are changing. Mortgage rates have begun. What What are mortgage rates doing right now? Are they going up or are they going down? They're easing. They're easing. Mortgage rates are easing right now. They're coming down. Not dramatically, but they're they're coming down. Prices have moderated. We agree. Prices are are flatlining. They're flatlining lower than where where sellers want to be, but they're not jumping off a cliff. It's just lower than where the market wants to sell. That That's why it feels like they're dropping off a cliff. Like, if that house is listed for 1.5, it's actually worth 1.2.
Scott Benson: two. The market's not falling off a cliff. It's just stabilized at 1.2 and the seller doesn't want to get there. Same if it's a million dollar house. It's probably worth 800. Seller doesn't want to drop it to that. But we could all sell everything we had listed tomorrow in multiple offers if we got down to where the market was at because it is actually a stabilized market. The the the gap is the issue, right? Okay. So, because of this, housing analysts expect sales to start what in 2026 to 2028? What do you think? All the analysts, by the way, what do you think they're they're thinking right now about the housing market? Up or down through the next two years up. They're predicting it goes up because we have stabilized. Interest rates are declining. Interest rates are easing. We've stabilized price points. So, we expect the next two years to be good years for realtors. But here's the thing.
Scott Benson: Will you be the strong realtor that wins today? That's the key. Because when affordability improves even slightly, thousands of sideline buyers jump back in. Once a firsttime higher, first-time buyer enters the market, something powerful happens. You guys understand this as a step up program, right? So, the first time hire first-time home buyer buys the starter home. The starter home owner moves up into the move up home and the move up buyer turns into a luxury home buyer. That's that's actually this the step up program in real estate. That's how it works. So, who's been sidelined the most? first-time home buyers. So, they're actually stopping that strategy from going up and up and now it's about to re re um reignite. Not in a like like not in a catching fire kind of way, but like it's going to be a slow and steady climb. All right. More listings means more opportunities. Many agents think more listings means harder sales. And I think that there's agents on this call, myself included, we're a we're listing full or we have houses and it's like if I could just sell them, right?
Scott Benson: That's kind of the mentality around it. But remember this, more listings does not mean harder sales. Professionals know something different. Best agents know something different. More listings actually means more opportunities. Why is that? Because inventory means more sellers needing advice, more pricing strategy, more marketing required, more negotiations. So who wins in that space? Think about the weak agent. Okay? So, what's needed with lots of listings on the market or lots of listings in your arsenal? You need more sellers needing advice. You need more pricing strategy. You need more marketing. And you need more negotiations. Does the stronger agent win in that market or does the weaker agent win in that market? The answer, of course, is the stronger agent. So, this actually benefits the stronger agent. So, here's an important stat. Ontario listings surged dramatically. Inventory increased 45 to 50% above the long-term average and active listings reached the highest levels in more than a decade.
Scott Benson: In hot That's today, by the way. In hot markets, agents compete for very few listings. You agree with that? It's a factual statement. In hot markets, agents compete for very few listings. In balanced markets, agents who prospect and market can capture many listings. So, this is actually an environment where we should be listing heavy. We actually should have a good amount of listings coming. And we, by the way, if you're on our team and you're on this call, we are about to pour in to our major market centers with massive adver advertising first week of of April, second week of April. In in balanced markets, agents uh sorry, listing listings control the business. Okay? Like, just just know that listings control the business. So, this environment rewards agents who go get them. The biggest advantage is competition is leaving. So that's our biggest advantage. Every time the market shifts, a large percent of agents quit. They leave the business. They start Uber driving.
Scott Benson: Whatever they need to do to survive, and the stronger agents thrive. When sales slow, part-time agents disappear. Hobby agents leave. Inexperienced agents stop prospecting. But the number of homes in Ontario is still enormous. Millions of homes, millions of future transactions. So when weaker agents exit, the pie stays the same, but fewer people are eating it. That means more opportunity for the professionals who stay. The agent who keeps prospecting in this market are building massive future pipelines. And I would suggest the next two to three years for the agents that are doing the work now, they are going to thrive. And we are going to capture massive market share. The long-term reality in Ontario, I'm almost done, by the way, is now, let's zoom out for a moment. Ontario has powerful long-term drivers. Okay, you guys, you guys know that. What's some of our long-term drivers? You guys give me the answers. What's real estate's long-term drivers in Ontario? Major economic hub, right?
Scott Benson: Major economic hub. Toronto, Ottawa, Waterlue even has a good um economic hub. continuous household formation. If you guys remember one new term, maybe you haven't heard it before, maybe you have. Most mortgage brokers know this this term, household formation. Can you guys explain that to me? What is a household formation? When a new household is formed, that is a household formation. So, think about when a new household is formed. When somebody gets married, a new household is formed. When someone gets divorced, a new household is formed. When someone goes from university as a first-time home buyer, a new household is formed. When tenants leave uh each other and we're sharing a a house or a property, a new household is formed. That is household formation. So, two massive drivers in Ontario that are continually happening is we are an economic hub which drives all kind of stimulus, immigration, etc. Job relocations is another big one I haven't mentioned. and also household formation. Okay, those two things aren't going to disappear.
Scott Benson: Ontario is going to continually have those two things as their anchor. So, as housing demand isn't disappearing, we agree, right? Those two things aren't disappearing. Analysts expect strong household formation and pent-up demand to continue driving future home purchases. What we're experiencing today isn't the end of the market. It's the normalization of the market. That's actually what we're entering into is a normalization of the market. One thing that we're seeing, which I know you feel, is that we have 120,000 agents, but by 6 months from now, we won't. There's going to be the strong agents that are left collecting more market share. That's the transition. That's the normalization that's happening right now. Final message, here's the real takeaway. This isn't a bad market. This is simply a different market to what we've experienced in the past and specifically through COVID, but in the past, I would say last year is similar to this year, but prior to last year, different markets reward different agents. Easy markets reward lucky agents.
Scott Benson: That that's the truth. Like easy markets, someone fell out of bed and made $100,000 that year. But when the markets are strong or sorry when the when the agents that are stronger last through the normalization of this market the question is not is this market good. The question is will you position yourself to dominate when the market shifts up again? Because the agents who stay positive, keep prospecting, and keep building relationships right now are the ones who will own the next boom. Hear that. Please hear that. I'm going to read that. I'm going to read that to you again. The agents who stay positive, keep prospecting, and building relationships right now, those are the agents who own the next boom. It's a guarantee. All right? If you stay optimistic and consistent in a changing market, you won't just survive it. You'll probably look back in five years and say the market was where that sorry that market was where my career really took off. All right, that's my 15 minutes high high tactical.
Scott Benson: I'm going to lastly leave you with the first thing I said and then that's your takeaway. This will change your year. It will actually change your life. The words you think. Sorry, the words you say, the thoughts you think and the things you do. You may have also said that you may have al also heard the line your um your your thoughts, words or deeds. It's a short way of thinking of it. Your thoughts, words or deeds, they actually have the most I mean it's your entire life. Your thoughts, words, and deeds are your entire life. That has the impact on your business, on your family, on your relationships, on everything. So here's the actual takeaway. There's two types of agents in this market. the agent who says this market is tough, this is a hard market, this is a garbage market, this is a rough market, whatever the line is. And by the way, guilty. Or the agent who says, "This is where the strong agents win. This is where I am going to dominate and collect market share.
Scott Benson: This is where my client is going to see that they need us." And I'm going to say this to clients all over the place right now. I'm I'm literally going to say to them because what is the question that we get asked? Number one question. I'm actually gonna pause on this. What is the number one question we get asked as realtors?
Joshua Wall: How's the
Scott Benson: How's the market? Number one question we're going to get asked over and over and over again. How's the market? Your answer is not going to be the market's tough. I'm not going to lie to you, Mr. Mr. Seller. The market's tough right now. That is not going to be our answer. Anybody on this call is not going to be their answer. The answer is going to be actually this is a phenomenal market. This is a market where you're going to see that the strong agents win because you need better marketing. You need better negotiations. You need better um plan plans in place.
Scott Benson: So, actually, this is a market that I love because we thrive. I'm a strong agent and you've hired the right person. So, that's the market you're in right now. That's the answer. Okay. Opening it up for 10 minutes Q&A. Hit something really specific to your business if you want. We'll we'll talk about it and flush it out and then uh we'll jump
Joshua Wall: Okay. Lowhanging fruit, and I'm sorry to bring it up, but just again because you say it in such a great way, how are we helping people manage unrealistic price expectations? Both when it comes to like buying because people I find a lot of buyers are like, "Oh, well, I'm going to offer $100,000 less than list price, but also sellers wanting 100,000 more than list price." Like, it's just bananas out there right now. It's disheartening.
Scott Benson: Yeah. So I and I think that that's the that's the struggle I would say is the gap, right? The struggle is the gap. It's not actually getting an offer put in or getting your your seller an offer.
Scott Benson: It's the gap between their expectation and the expectation of the buyer. What I would say is I would continually encourage uh buyers to put in offers. So, I would not that's my answer. I would not diminish their enthusiasm. I would be like, "Yeah, this is a great market. Let's put it let's put in some offers. $100,000 under list price." I think great agents know, you know this too, Josh. I'm telling you what you already know. But once you get the negotiation going, right, great old oldtime agents, we always say sellers and buyers are liars. Sellers and buyers are liars. I'm only going to buy this house if I can get it for $100,000 under list price. Okay, great. Goes in one ear, out the other. Okay, sign here, sign here, sign here. Let's put in the offer for $500. It's listed for 750. Okay, great. They've come and and by the way, what does the seller say on the other side?
Scott Benson: I'm not going to take anything less than 725. 7. If you can't get me 725, just may as well just take it off the market right now. Okay. Yeah, Mr. Seller, thank you so much. I appreciate that. No problem. Here's your offer of 500, Mr. Seller. Oh, counter. I'm not taking anything less than 685. Oh, wow. You just went down. I'm not good at math, but what did you go down 50 grand right there from your absolute rock bottom and all of a sudden that buyer comes up to 550 and now the gap is getting smaller. So I would always enc en encourage the the written offer, the negotiation. You will win doing that all day long. And I think this is a good market for for buyers to go around and be particular. Right now it's a buyer market. We have to concede on that. So the seller doesn't have as much power, especially because they're at the wrong price. They want want some good coaching.
