Buying or selling in London, Ontario, isn't a knowledge problem anymore — it's an emotion problem. Recent survey data shows nearly half of home buyers followed their heart over their head, and most later wish they hadn't. Information is everywhere. What's rare is someone in your corner who can tell you what actually matters for your situation, before emotion makes the decision for you.
When you think about real estate in London, Ontario, what's really on your mind? The market? Interest rates? Whether now is the right time to buy or sell?
In one of the most useful financial books ever written, The Richest Man in Babylon, George Clason makes a distinction worth sitting with: there are two kinds of study. The things we've learned and already know, and the training that teaches us how to find out what we don't know. I re-read that book every year, and every year it reminds me of the same thing — a lot of smart people still make costly financial decisions.
Educated or Wise?
Plenty of well-educated people buy or sell real estate without knowing what they don't know. As Ryan Holiday put it: "A degree on a wall means you're educated, much as shoes on your feet mean you're walking. It's a start, but hardly enough."
Picture someone with a sore stomach who walks into their doctor's office and announces that Dr. Google already diagnosed the problem. A good physician doesn't roll their eyes — they ask questions, dig into the actual cause, and treat that.
Real estate works the same way. Reasonable, intelligent people listen to a neighbour, read an article titled "How to Save Thousands When Buying Real Estate," binge a few reality shows, and walk away feeling ready to handle one of the largest financial decisions of their life. As Joe Rogan put it: "We live in a world today where it's never been easier to be full of shit."
Sellers — and the agents representing them — love buyers who've talked themselves into this. It's how people overpay for a home while bragging they got a deal, or find out after closing that there's a structural issue or a neighbourhood problem nobody mentioned.
There's no Dr. Google for real estate. But there is an entire population of people who've bought or sold a home exactly once, all fully convinced they now understand the process.
It's Not the Numbers — It's the Emotions
You'd think money drives these decisions. Sometimes it does. But a 2026 survey from Clever Real Estate and Best Interest Financial found that 44% of recent home buyers admit they followed their heart over their head — and 41% later wished they'd been more rational. Over a third said their emotions caused them to act against their own better judgment.
That's the real risk in a real estate transaction: not a lack of information, but a decision made under emotional pressure, dressed up as a well-researched choice.
Where a Strategist Actually Earns Their Keep
This is the part self-guided research can't replace. It's not about knowing more than you — it's about slowing the process down at the exact moment emotion is about to make the call, and asking the questions that protect you: Is this the right home, or the right feeling? Is this price fair, or does it just feel urgent because someone else is looking at it too?
If you're weighing a move in London, Ontario — buying, selling, or just trying to figure out if now's the time — let's talk before a decision gets made for you by adrenaline instead of judgment. Contact me directly, and we'll walk through what actually applies to your situation.
(George Clason, "The Richest Man in Babylon" — a classic worth owning; available at most booksellers.)
Also find me at tylacroix.com and Totally Preachless
