July Newsletter

by Taylor King

Forgive my cynicism. Don’t get me wrong, there is still interesting and funny content to be found on social media. My Instagram algorithm is all pickleball and drums and the occasional inappropriate joke. And occasionally there’s some good thought-provoking stuff too. I follow a guy named Joseph Fasano who shares his quotes and poems. Quoth Joseph:

“Never let the World defeat you in that most tragic of ways: by making you cynical and making you think your cynicism is wisdom.”

Am I in danger of meeting this tragic defeat? I’m not a cynic; I’m more typically an optimist. But I have become very much cynical when it comes to social media and AI.

Part of it comes from being in an industry that is obsessed with it. Influencer agents talking about their “Claude Code” and all of the things it can do for you. Many cite examples of how they turned their AI agent loose on their database and it magically generated a hot lead for a luxury home. I wonder how many unsubscribes that one lead cost? I wonder if they converted that lead? I wonder if they’re all full of shit?

I saw a video by an agent where he gloated about the AI avatar he’d created, and he confessed that all of the “hyperlocal” video content he had published in the last 12 months had been completely AI generated. All of the engagement in the comments was done by an AI agent as well. If it identifies a “lead” it sends AI generated messages to “engage” the client. And if that client makes it through the AI gatekeepers, the agent may just give them a call. Do people want this?

All of this is supposed to make us more money I guess. But when will people tire of talking to a computer? I know I already have. I don’t want to chat with a chatbot. I don’t want to watch an AI generated video or read an AI generated article. And almost EVERYTHING on the internet is fake now.

My “database” is YOU. If you’re reading this, you’re part of my database. You are a friend or client or colleague. You are a real person. I could definitely do a better job of keeping in touch but I just refuse to insult or abuse you with slop. People tell me they love reading my newsletter… because it’s real. It’s me. Business coaches are telling people like me to pump out ai-generated newsletters and blogs, in order to get indexed and increase engagement and generate leads. “Scaling your business” they call it. I call it an insult.

I saw a post on Instagram last week where a business coach was offering her “prompt pack” to make your ai generated content sound more human. Just comment “human” and she’ll send you a DM. The post is ai generated. The replies are ai generated. Her ai prompts are ai generated. Hell, she probably isn’t a real person, just an AI agent someone is using to build a database of suckers to sell shit to.

The comment section:

HUMAN

… And so on. Is this how business is done now? Do people really trust this?

AI content creation has been a boon to charlatans and frauds and con artists. I received a spam email recently from a particular charlatan in my industry (who I won’t name) inviting me to his AI online mastermind where he will reveal the secrets of how TOP AGENTS IN YOUR AREA are getting themselves recommended by chatbots. DON’T GET LEFT BEHIND The email was AI generated, the content of the “mastermind” will be ai generated. Replies to any inquiries will be AI generated. And this charlatan will just cash checks on his boat while his subscriber list and downline continue to expand. Maybe it seems worse to me because I’m in an industry where thousands of hungry self employed agents are always looking for ways to find more business, and who likely respond more reliably to come-ons and get rich quick schemes. A sucker licensed every minute, as PT Barnum might say.

By the way, please don’t ask your AI chatbot for agent recommendations. Or for recommendations of any professionals. It’s not going to recommend the best person, it’s going to recommend the most visible person, the most indexed person. Ask someone you trust. A real person who’s opinion you value. Ask me.

One more rant and then I’ll drop this topic for a few months. Do you use WhatsApp? Did you get this message?

Did it bother you as much as it bothered me? It’s bad enough that they’re farming our messages for data and training their AI. Now they want to write my messages for me? We will soon reach a point where we won’t be able to trust that we’re talking to the actual person or to AI. We’re probably already there.

If you’re texting with me, it’s really me. I promise. I refuse to outsource my thinking.

For my own little boycott, I will refuse to engage with fake content. At least when I can recognize it. I hope people join me. I believe people still value real human connection and authenticity. I do. At some point when it’s all fake I may just not engage at all. That wouldn’t be the worst thing. I’m almost there already.

Maybe I’ll learn that Joseph Fasano isn’t even a real person, but a AI agent programmed to harvest data from luddites like me. Wouldn’t that be ironic?

Maybe this newsletter is actually AI generated and I’ve just vibe coded a really sophisticated prompt to make it sound like me. For a copy of my prompt, reply "“AGENT”

just kidding.

Forgive my cynicism.

I’ll leave you with some optimism because at my core, I’m an optimist. I believe this won’t last. AI isn’t going away, and it has many useful applications, but I believe that, like me, people will quickly tire of AI generated content and become increasingly skeptical and cynical about what they see on a screen. The value of real live human experiences will increase. Real art and creative expression. Businesses where a human calls you back.

I believe it’s already happening.

What About the Market?

Market updates have been pretty predictable for most of 2026. Some variation of “there are 2 markets… condos are a buyer’s market but detached remains strong”. I’ve made similar observations.

But there are cracks showing. It has only just begun in Calgary but it’s fully realized in Airdrie where I live. Things changed quite suddenly, and I don’t believe it’s just seasonal summer doldrums. The market is getting flooded with detached inventory. Particularly in the “move up” range of 600-800k. A correction appears to be underway.

In Airdrie as I’m typing this, there are 178 active and pending detached listings in this price range, with more added every day. They’ve been on the market for 64 days on average. In the last 30 days, only 34 such homes have sold. That’s 6 months of supply… big time buyer’s market. Buyers have options and leverage. I’m experiencing this myself right now as a seller, as I negotiate the sale of my own home.

Not helping matters for sellers is the fact that more than 20% of these listings are new spec homes, with builders hammering out tons more across multiple new developments. The resale seller is competing with the hungry builder.

In Calgary it’s not as apparent. There are 1315 active and pending houses in this price range today, with 408 sold in the last 30 days. That’s 3.2 months supply. A balanced market, but edging towards buyer’s market territory. And of course the picture changes dramatically depending on which part of the city you’re looking at. Communities matter. Your mileage may vary. Consult a professional.

This remains true though: exceptional homes with good prices will still sell quickly. That hasn’t changed.

Carney is promising pipelines and increased oil production. Can he deliver? Could that spark a boom in Alberta and send us back into seller’s markets? Maybe. That will be great for homeowners but bad for buyers. If that pans out, buyers are currently looking at an excellent opportunity.

Full market report here.

I made this reel to summarize.

Featured (pocket) Listing

Ogden

239 Lynnover Place SE

1973 Bungalow sides a park in a cul de sac

Easily Suitable with separate rear entrance

2 of the original 3 bedrooms and the main bath were merged to create 1 big 5pc hotel-like master suite with a 3 way fireplace. No other main bath upstairs

Unfinished basement has 3pc bathroom

HWT and furnace replaced in 2014. Roof and upstairs windows in 2015

Cute yard with tall fence

Oversized heated single garage with 220v plug plus carport plus long driveway plus ample street parking

Vacant, move-in ready, needs nothing. Main floor layout will not work for a family but pensioners will love it, or it will be a straightforward project for someone who wants to convert it back. At this price, there’s plenty of upside.

Amazing location. Just a few steps to the river pathway, 5 minutes to downtown. Would make a great retirement house as is, a family home with some renovations, or a lucrative flip project or suited revenue property, with the expensive parts already done.

$525000

Ask me for more info or pics.

In Search Of:

I have buyers looking for homes fitting these descriptions. Do you know of something like this coming up soon?

Lakefront in Chestermere with 4+ bedrooms and lots of parking
Acreage in Red Deer or Clearwater or Mountain View County with lots of privacy, under 700k FOUND
Acreages under a million in Rocky View county
Bungalow or bilevel in Marlborough park in excellent condition with great character up to 600k

Book Review

In keeping with the nautical theme… My stepdad has been trying to get me to read this one for years and I finally got to it. Wish I hadn’t waited so long. This book was written nearly 200 years ago and chronicles the author’s 2 years as a hand on a merchant brig, sailing from Boston to California and back. It’s a classic, and it’s a fascinating look at a way of life that no longer exists. Get yourself a copy and read it. You’ll feel like you were there.

“AND MOREOVER, HE CALLED ME BROWN!”