"The market isn’t crashing — it’s correcting. And the best opportunities don’t feel good while you’re buying them."

In this episode of the Hard Truth Podcast, I sit down with Mica Sadler, a real estate investor, former tech executive, and co-founder of the Real Estate Collective, to unpack 20 years of real estate cycles, from BRRRRing student rentals before YouTube, to navigating today’s volatile market with conviction.

Mica shares how he started buying student rentals in Kitchener-Waterloo in his early 20s, cash-flowing properties long before the term “house hacking” was popular, and how the 2008 crash pushed him into tech roles at BlackBerry and a company that later IPO’d. We talk about why he ultimately returned to real estate with a mission to raise professionalism, integrity, and collaboration across the industry.

We cover:
✅ BRRRR strategies before they had a name
✅ Student rentals, house hacking, and early cash flow plays
✅ Lessons from 2008 that still matter today
✅ Why today’s market is a correction, not a crash
✅ Where real opportunities exist including condos, cottages, and long term plays
✅ How AI is eliminating busy work but not replacing sales
✅ The Real Estate Collective and Development Day
✅ Why collaboration beats competition in real estate
…and much more.

If you’re an investor, realtor, or entrepreneur trying to cut through the noise and build something sustainable for the next 10 to 20 years, this episode delivers the hard truth.

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3rd Annual Development Day 2026 - https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/3rd-annual-development-day-2026-tickets-1976499295599

Follow & Connect with Mica Sadler:
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstateCollective-e4i/
Mica Sadler on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mica_sadler/?hl=en
Mica Sadler on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mica-sadler-3679b426/
Sadler Realty on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Sadlerrealestategroup
The Real Estate Collective on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/_therealestatecollective/?hl=en
The Real Estate Collective Website - https://thecollectiverealestate.ca/
Website - https://sadlerrealty.ca/

Follow & Connect with me on Social Media:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/therealkyleford
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/people/Kyle-Ford-Invest/61556960051291/
Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kyleford576
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPlhb05ieTA8yAugwmTT4Og

#HardTruth #CanadianRealEstate