What went down at the TL Insider x Canadian Business Fireside Chat with Peter Politis, CEO, Greybrook Realty Partners

Recently, Peter Politis, CEO of Greybrook Realty Partners, joined Ken Hunt, president and publisher at St. Joseph Communications, for a discussion on the future of Toronto’s real estate market.

With over a decade of experience as a private equity professional in structuring, financing and managing investments, Politis oversees the strategic growth of Greybrook Realty Partners, a leading Toronto-based private equity firm. He plays a critical role in Greybrook’s growing investment portfolio of more than 85 developments in Canada and the U.S.

During their discussion, Politis recounted how as the son of Greek immigrants, real estate development and investment was a major part of his upbringing. In addition to being pharmacists, both of Politis’s parents had side hustles as real estate agents. Real estate has always been an interest from an early age—that and playing for the Blue Jays. With the latter becoming a less likely prospect as time passed, Politis embraced the real estate world with a guiding philosophy of “it’s not work if you enjoy doing it every day.”

The Toronto region sits in a unique position from a real estate investment standpoint, giving the city plenty of runway for long-term sustainable growth. On one hand, Toronto consistently ranks as one of the most desirable and livable cities in the world, spurring lots of immigration and a surge in housing development. On the other, complex and restrictive land policies are compounding the region’s already tightening housing supply.

Increasingly, developers and investors have to anticipate how would-be homebuyers and condo-dwellers will want to use increasingly smaller living spaces downtown, and how changing expectations around amenities, including access to green space and transit, will affect how a property is built.

Politis shared his advice for smaller investors seeking to plant a flag in the Toronto region: don’t sit on the sidelines waiting for the perfect investment property to come along. Get into the market as soon as possible by investing in a property that may be outside your preferred location, as being an active investor with more time in the market will grant you far more flexibility down the line.

During the Q&A session, Politis told TL Insiders about which up-and-coming neighbourhoods are offering promising opportunities, how alleviating congestion by building more transit is critical to the city’s sustainable growth, the impact of interest rates on real estate investments, and how Toronto’s zoning policies are affecting property development.

Learn more about Greybrook Realty Partners and their portfolio of real estate development projects.