When a real estate agent decides to sell his own home — in a down market, by deliberate choice — that’s not just personal news. It’s a masterclass in strategic thinking that every Toronto homeowner should understand.

Michael Prior, founder of The Prior Group at Revel Realty, isn’t selling because he has to. He’s selling because the math, right now, works in his favour — and he wants Toronto homeowners to understand why the same logic might apply to them. Prior specializes in Toronto’s west end, and this move reflects the same analysis he brings to every client conversation.

“It’s always a good time to buy and always a good time to sell,” Prior says, borrowing the industry cliché — then immediately dismantling it. “The truth is, it depends on who you are and what your situation is.” It’s this kind of honest, client-first thinking that defines how The Prior Group works with buyers and sellers across Toronto.

The counterintuitive case for moving in a down market

Most Toronto homeowners look at a softened market and decide to wait. Prior made the opposite call. With years of experience advising clients on west-end real estate, he saw something that most people miss: when values fall across the board, the gap between what you’re selling and what you’re buying narrows — and that differential is where the real opportunity lives.

“The house that we bought four years ago at the height of the market, I would not have been able to afford. And the house that we bought now just cleared into our price point.”

— Michael Prior, The Prior Group at Revel Realty

The logic is precise: if the market has declined by 10% since Prior purchased his home, he receives 10% less than peak value on his sale — but the property he’s moving into has also dropped by a comparable percentage. On a higher-priced upgrade property, that 10% decline represents a larger absolute dollar saving. The differential between buy and sell price shrinks. The upgrade effectively becomes cheaper.

Personal circumstances are always part of the picture

Prior is candid that market strategy alone doesn’t drive a move. “There’s always personal situations,” he acknowledges, “and these are the biggest ones that play into why you should or shouldn’t sell your house.” The Prior Group’s approach to advising clients in Little Italy and across Toronto’s west end starts with exactly this conversation — understanding the full picture before ever discussing price or timing.

For Prior personally, the strategic and personal factors aligned. That convergence — when your life circumstances and the market logic point in the same direction — is often when the best moves happen. Having guided clients through multiple market cycles in this neighbourhood, he recognises that pattern and helps clients see it in their own situations.

What “my house is worth less than I paid” actually means

Perhaps the most valuable insight in Prior’s analysis is his reframing of the common homeowner lament. “A lot of people say, ‘Well, I bought my house for XYZ, and now it’s worth a lot less,'” he explains. “Yes, but there’s more to the situation. Where are you moving to? What are you going to do? And where’s the market going?”

This is the difference between a transactional real estate agent and a strategic advisor. Agents who truly serve their clients don’t just tell you what your home is worth today — they model the full move: what you net, what you spend, what the carrying costs look like, and where values are likely to go. Prior and his team at The Prior Group offer exactly this kind of analysis, sitting down with clients to build a complete picture of what a move means for their family’s financial position.

Little Italy market focus, backed by local experience

The Prior Group’s focus on Little Italy and the broader College Street corridor means Michael Prior and his team work this market consistently — not as an occasional stop on a city-wide roster, but as a primary area of practice. That concentration builds the kind of local knowledge that shapes better advice: understanding the buyer profile, the inventory rhythms, and how prices in this pocket of the west end move relative to the broader Toronto market.

For homeowners in this neighbourhood weighing whether to make a move, Prior’s message is consistent: the timing question isn’t universal. It’s personal. And the only way to answer it accurately is with a granular analysis of your specific situation.