The Broker Breakdown

Affordability is a hot topic ending 2023 and continues to be a major talking point into the first quarter of 2024. From the auto industry to insurance, real estate, and grocery stores, we are seeing the affordability of everyday life diminish more and more.

Kim Pham returns this month and discusses some of the issues in her industry, Automotive, and branching out to other impacted industries her clients are facing.

With the hike in...

One of my favourite sayings as of late has been "evolve or be left behind" and I think that speaks true to many things we are seeing transpire across many industries over the past few years.

Real Estate has been one of those industries going through the rollercoaster of change over the past few years and we continue to see changes as we start 2024. Mortgage rates haven't really changed and we are inching closer to the...

2023 was a rollercoaster year for real estate across Canada and most of the world but with 2024 here, will we see the same thing continue into the New Year or will we see the complete opposite happen as interest rates look to cool off and more pressure from governments may lower the real estate market.

Donald Porter and his team Porter & Associates join me this month and help debunk some of the things we saw in 203 and what the...

The automotive industry has forever been changed since the pandemic years, some for the good and some for the bad. However, with our most listened guest returning, Doug Bricknell gives a market update on what we have seen since the start of 2023 and what we may see moving into 2024.

EVs have become more popular than ever, Hybrids have also become the talk of the town and Ford has been a leader in those areas since 2023. Doug shares...

Mortgage rates have been the talk of the town over the past few years and seems like it will continue into 2024. However, the cost of living is ever-increasing for many Canadians and we all really want to know, "When is the best time for me to purchase a home"?

Now the answer is never going to be the same for one person, but having an expert you can chat with and discuss your situation is always the best route to take. Da...

One of the biggest talking points across Canada and especially in Ontario this year has been the demand for new homes and where the land will come from to build these new homes.

In this episode, we have Steve Zahnd from Zahnd Realty joining us to talk about the struggles of building new homes from acquiring the land, building permits, increasing timelines, infrastructure, and many other topics involving building and selling homes.

It has been quite an eventful summer with interest rates across Canada continuing to be the talk of the town. Mortgage rates are rising, vehicle loan rates are rising and Canadians are getting closer and closer to the breaking point.

Affordability continues to be a significant concern for many individuals across Canada and the biggest question is "Where does this all stop?".

Alex Leite from Tried & True Mortgages is b...

Mergers & acquisitions happen in many industries, but recently we have seen this become a hot topic in the insurance industry. With this becoming an ever-growing tactic to help expand growth for a company, we wanted to make an episode reviewing some things from the broker and consumer sides you should look out for.

This is a perfect time to schedule a time to review your policy and start building a new relationship with your ne...

Customer service is a massive element of the insurance industry and most service industries worldwide. However, a lot has tested that trait over the last few years and we wanted to bring to light more about customer service and some realistic timelines our industry is facing.

From broker wait times to processing times from insurance companies, staffing has been the number one issue our industry is facing and with that issue, i...

Stumbling across a recent article on Canadian Underwriter got us thinking, will auto-claim payments change soon? During this episode, we discussed the pros and cons of what may change moving forward, including increasing cost and wait times on parts, rental car availability and prices, new and used vehicle availability, and more. With vehicles being written off more often now during the claim process, it is important for consumers ...

Building a new home is super exciting and with that excitement, sometimes consumers may forget that there is specific insurance that goes along with building or renovating your home. Builder's Risk insurance is vital to any ground-up construction or renovation project you may have. From liability coverage to building and material coverage, Builder's Risk insurance ensures you are adequately covered until the home can be ins...

The summer weather has been fantastic so far this year and boaters are loving these conditions we are seeing. Boat insurance and other watercraft are an enormous talking point during this time of year as more people are on the water, either fishing, jet skiing, water skiing, or just lounging on their pontoons. This week really focuses on the general coverages from an insurance standpoint, but also from a safety standpoint and what ...

The insurance renewal is such a crucial part of the insurance experience not only from the broker side but the consumer side as well. As a broker, there are processes in which we take to make sure renewals are reviewed for accuracy and possible changes we may have from the year prior. From the consumer side, it is always important to take a few minutes and review your documents and ask questions if you have any. Every broker will h...

Summer is off to a hot start in Canada. With these extreme temperatures and the lack of rain in many parts of the country, forest fires have had the perfect environment to grow and expand across multiple provinces. Last week we saw the smoke drifts in the southern parts of Ontario and many Americans also saw the impacts of the raging fires north of the border. We wanted to discuss the effects these fires have on insurance but more ...

The real estate market has been one of the most unstable markets during the last few years and 2023 has only brought more change to that equation. This week we wanted to do an update episode as we are halfway through 2023, to update listeners on what is going on in the home market for buyers and sellers and how the insurance market is also changing along with it. Same with Auto Insurance, Home Insurance is also going through many c...

Can you believe it, 2023 is already half over! A lot has already happened in 2023 but we wanted to make an update episode on the landscape of buying vehicles in Canada and how that has changed since the start of the year and what to look forward to going into the later parts of 2023. From coverages to new norms, consumers are having to deal with, 2023 has definitely been an exciting year and will only continue to evolve as we get c...

Can you believe it, we are already almost halfway through 2023 and there has been a lot of change so far in many industries, including insurance. Every consumer wants to know what is going on with their policies and the possible increases they are seeing and in this episode, we dive a little deeper into what we have seen since the start of 2023 and what we should be looking forward to as the years goes on and even going into 2024 a...

It has been a few months since we did our first episode on car thefts and with the recent announcements from the Ontario Government and many insurance companies in Ontario, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to release an updated video on car thefts in Ontario. Car thefts across Canada totaled over 1 billion dollars in 2022 and will continue to grow in 2023, with Toronto alone seeing over 9500 vehicles stolen in 2022. T...

To celebrate our 1 Year Anniversary since our first episode, we have Donald Porter on The Broker Breakdown to discuss the real estate market and his journey since his start. Mike was in sunny Florida during the recording so James & Donald talked all about Donald's journey since his start in real estate, things he had learned during that time and what makes a great customer experience, paired with how we need to treat employ...