"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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Have a guest or topic idea? Drop it in the comments.

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

“I had the mayor standing in my unfinished basement because the city was blocking housing they said they wanted.”

In this episode of the Hard Truth Podcast, I sit down with Dan Illes, a real estate investor and developer with a background in civil engineering and urban planning, to break down the real challenges behind infill development, zoning, and municipal approvals in Ontario.

Dan shares how a three-year battle over parking and basement units led to a public city council presentation and ultimately triggered a city-wide zoning change. We discuss how municipalities say they support density, but quietly block projects through bylaws, delays, and conditions, and how investors can push back using policy, not emotion.

We dive into:
✅ Infill development and land severance strategies
✅ Navigating zoning, parking rules, and municipal resistance
✅ Why planning delays quietly destroy investor returns
✅ Entitlement-based flips vs. construction-heavy deals
✅ Duplex-to-fourplex conversion strategy
✅ Corner lot advantages and parking solutions
✅ Negotiating conditions of approval to save real money
…and much more.

If you're an investor in need of a reality check, this episode is a masterclass in winning with policy, not emotion.

🎧 Found value in this episode?
Like, comment, and share your biggest takeaway.
Have a guest or topic idea? Drop it in the comments.

Follow & Connect with Dan Illes:
Dan Illes on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/illes_invest/
Website - https://waterbillsolutions.com/
Dan Illes Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dan.illes
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@UCH5vB-IOwIhnQ8LhqPB9NCg

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

#HardTruthPodcast #CanadianRealEstate #CMHC #MLISelect #MultifamilyInvesting #RealEstateInvesting

“If CMHC wasn’t around, the multifamily construction side would have completely collapsed over the last couple of years.”

In this episode of the Hard Truth Podcast, I sit down with mortgage broker and multifamily financing expert Ehren Laycock of BLD Financial to break down the realities behind CMHC financing, MLI Select, commercial lending, and how the last 5 years have completely reshaped Canadian real estate.

From rapid growth during the 2020–2022 boom to today’s tougher underwriting, stricter policies, and rising vacancies, Ehren shares the unfiltered truth about what investors must understand before taking on leverage in today’s market.

We dive into:
✅ CMHC vs. MLI Select — leverage, premiums & real qualification rules
✅ How 2020–2022 cheap money created today’s financing challenges
✅ Why BRRRRs collapsed and investors got caught when rates spiked
✅ MLI Select risks: rental achievement, timelines & policy changes
✅ The hard truth about “full-time investors” vs. real, scalable real estate businesses
…and much more.

Ehren also breaks down the behind-the-scenes challenges with CMHC: timelines, underwriter changes, policy resets, rural vs. urban risk profiles, and how financing decisions are really made at the lender — not on Instagram.

Whether you’re a new investor, a mid-level builder scaling into 8–30 unit projects, or someone evaluating CMHC/multifamily strategies, this episode gives you the real, unfiltered breakdown of what’s happening in the market today.

🎧 Found value in this episode?
Like, comment, and share your biggest takeaway.
Have a guest or topic idea? Drop it in the comments.

Follow & Connect with Ehren Laycock:
Ehren Laycock on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/laycock22/
Ehren - 226-980-5048
BLD Financial Instagram - https://instagram.com/bldfinancial
BLD Financial Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BLDfinancial
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@bldfinancial

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

#HardTruthPodcast #CanadianRealEstate #CMHC #MLISelect #MultifamilyInvesting #RealEstateInvesting