I was all set to write a “Part II” of sorts today, but it’s not exactly the same thing…
Recall that, last week, I wrote the following:
“How Are Developers Selling Pre-Construction In 2026?”
This was a fantastic look at how one particular developer is trying to sell pre-construction condos in a market climate where nobody is buying them.
In case you missed the post, I’ll summarize by saying that they were trying to sell “exclusivity.”
Using adjectives like “bespoke” to describe the development, calling it a “residence, not a commodity.”
“Discretion” was used, as was “privacy.”
It was referred to as a “refined ownership experience,” and it was being offered to a “very specific buyer.”
Marketing was being done through “private briefings” with a “more selective broker strategy.”
You get the picture, right?
Now, this is a luxury development, so the strategy is going to differ from other projects, whether the difference is geography, price point, or building size and scale.
It makes me wonder:
How are other projects being sold? What’s the style of marketing? What’s the message? Who is the target buyer? What is the strategy?
Over the last little while, I’ve been receiving email blasts for a new development in Whitby.
The marketing and messaging here could not possibly be any more different from the luxury development in Forest Hill called “One Thelma” that I wrote about last week.
In every way, shape, and form, the messaging for this Whitby condominium is different.
Here’s the first advertisement:
They go right for the jugular: commission.
This doesn’t target the high-end, luxury real estate broker with a discerning clientele who values privacy and discretion, like One Thelma.
No.
This targets the real estate agent who values a 6% commission.
For reference, a “typical” commission is 2.5%.
This message is essentially saying, “We will pay you more than double your normal compensation to sell one of our units.”
Not only that, it says that the commission is paid within 30 days.
How could this be doing anything but targeting agents who put their own needs before those of their clients?
If this were really about the clients, the email campaign and the marketing strategy would tout the benefits of the location, condominium, pricing, and investment potential.
But it doesn’t.
Especially when you look at the next section:
Ah, right!
A rare commission opportunity.
Could they make this any more overt?
The first section talked about the 6% commission and payment within 30 days.
But now, they’re making sure you see this opportunity!
Here’s more from the email campaign, which, at the very least, got my name right…
Alright, okay. So they’re talking about our “clients” now.
The clients “deserve to hear about it,” and first, of course.
They just had to throw in “limited time,” however. Those two words always rub people the wrong way. Er, I mean the smart people.
They talk about the move-in ready suites, how they’re priced, how they’re valued, and note that they can be occupied right away.
But then, it’s back to Matthew McConaughey in The Wolf Of Wall Street, specifically the scene where he’s having lunch with Leonardo DiCaprio, aka Jordan Belfort.
I don’t have to specify what he says, right?
We all remember, right?
The ad above feels like it was written by this character!
It’s even bolded!
…up to 6% commission.
…paid in 30 days.
Then they drive home the point: “No waiting 12-18 months. No construction delays.”
But this is just about the grossest thing I can imagine:
A commission cheque in your hands.
Who is this targeting?
A cynic is going to say “all real estate agents,” but I’m being serious. Who came up with this campaign? Who decided that the best way to sell their remaining ten units was to market towards agents who need to visualize a cheque in their hands?
This reeks of 2021 when every shooter girl and bartender in Toronto got their real estate licence and sold pre-construction condos for $1,700 per square foot.
But wait, there’s more!
The marketing campaign tells the agent how to sell the project (and the accompanying 6% commission, paid in 30 days) to their own clients:
Forget the math, just for a moment, since I’m convinced that the real estate agents who aspire to sell this project aren’t experts in calculus of infinitesimals.
But look at this:
…”a powerful selling point that most buyers don’t know about until their agent tells them.”
I’m getting more movie vibes.
I’m picturing Tom Cruise with a leather vest, headset, and man-bun before the man-bun craze even began.
I’m thinking about Frank “T.J.” Mackey:
Does anybody else see it?
When I hear a developer tell me how to sell a project to my own clients, I feel like I’m listening to somebody up on stage, giving me the “ick.”
Now, even when we see a part of the email marketing campaign that does tout the benefits of the project, it still includes the benefits to the agent:
I count ten benefits there, if you could call them that.
But then I see two more benefits, and they’re in BOLD.
6% commission. Paid in 30 days.
That’s the whole point of this campaign, even if they try to make it sound like this is about the project, the location, and the condo itself.
Because the next piece is just more of the same:
I feel icky.
“The story that sells itself to your clients.”
Am I overstating this here, or do you feel it too? Doesn’t this feel slimy?
This is a developer telling agents, who chase 6% commission, paid in 30 days, how to “tell a story to their clients.”
You can’t make this up. It’s like something out of a movie.
Maybe this movie:
All that’s missing is Ben Affleck saying, “The rip on Farrowtech is now two dollars per share.”
Because the commission window is soon going to close permanently.
Well, folks, this isn’t how every new condominium development is being sold and marketed, but even if it’s the only one, it’s one too many.
History has a way of repeating itself, and these feel like tactics that were used when the market was red-hot in the mid-2000’s.
What does it say about the development industry that some developers are going back to the well for age-old tactics in 2026?
