In this episode of The Last Honest Realtor, David Fleming exposes the costly cycle of builder homes hitting Toronto’s market at fantasy prices—again and again. Every new build, the same result: a sky-high listing, a string of failed agents, and a year spent chasing buyers who never come.
From the scorpion-and-frog parable to brutal, fact-driven case studies, David breaks down why builders stubbornly ignore local tastes, overvalue irrelevant features, and sabotage their own sales—all while the neighbourhood looks on in disbelief.
In This Episode:
- Why every new builder home in Toronto launches at 20% over market value—and stays there
- The critical mistakes out-of-area builders make when they ignore the local buyer
- How hiring the wrong agent costs sellers time, money, and brand reputation
- The features nobody wants: pools, basement apartments, and gaudy finishes that drive buyers away
- Why serial price drops and relistings destroy buyer trust and erode value
- What actually works: understanding neighbourhood demand, staging, and fit-for-market design
- The economics of ego: how builders talk themselves out of a deal, every single time
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro: Why every new builder home is overpriced, every single time
01:22 – The scorpion and the builder: a parable for Toronto real estate
05:10 – Out-of-area builders: repeating the same mistakes
10:45 – What buyers actually want (and what they’ll never pay for)
19:04 – The price drop dance: relistings, terminated agents, and wasted months
25:25 – Reputation, brand, and the agent that actually gets it sold
32:15 – Closing thoughts: adapt, or stay stuck on the market
Subscribe, comment, and share this episode with anyone convinced that “their” new build is the one exception.
