Today, the Ottawa Real Estate Board’s (OREB) board of directors announced that Nicole Christy will assume the permanent position of CEO on June 1, 2024.

Christy came from the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR) as vice-president, corporate governance and leadership development. She joined LSTAR in 2021.

“Nicole’s experience with organized real estate and her connections to the Ottawa community make her the premier choice for CEO of the only local association dedicated to empowering Ottawa realtors to be community builders,” says OREB president Curtis Fillier.

“She’ll have the full confidence and support of OREB’s board of directors as she begins to tackle a list of exciting priorities.”

Christy brings several years of experience in housing policy and providing government relations support to Canada’s leading national associations, including the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Canadian Home Builders’ Association.

Christy succeeds Janice Myers who left OREB at the end of 2023 after 10 years to become CREA’s CEO.

 

Looks forward to bringing members ‘new tools and services (to) elevate their practice and the value they offer clients’

 

“It’s a pivotal time in a rapidly evolving industry, but our mission remains steadfast: for OREB and its realtor members to be respected as the leading authority on real estate matters,” says Christy.

“I know I’m joining an exceptional team and I look forward to working with everyone to bring our members new tools and services that will elevate their practice and the value they offer to clients — including new technologies that facilitate barrier-free access to province-wide listing and property data.”

 

Photo source: OREB.ca

 

A big thank you to Tamara and Shannon Stone. After our original March feature fell through, the Stone Sisters — who we were going to feature later in the year — agreed to move up their interview and accommodate us at the last minute. That’s why our March feature and Backstage Pass Q&A for March is coming in early April. 

Ultimately, the story of the Stone Sisters in Kelowna is the story of innovation, adaption, trust in family and relentless focus. Tamara and Shannon Stone have turned their business into a Kelowna household name built on the power of relationships. 

Let’s dive into their story.

 

The early days — laying the foundation

 

“29 years. I got my license in 1995,” Tamara reminisced about her start in the industry. Both her mom and dad were already successful realtors. They didn’t want Tamara riding their coattails, so they made her a deal. She could shadow them for six months and then she was on her own.

She started shadowing them and doing what they told her for six months. It went by so fast that she didn’t even realize that six months had already passed. “I showed up as I had for the prior six months, dressed in my business suit, and I said, ‘Okay, so what are we doing today?’ and my dad said, ‘Your mom and I are going golfing. I don’t know what you’re doing but you’re on your own.’ I had no idea what to do. It took me five months to get a deal and I was literally starving.”

She started doing open houses every single weekend. “I would do two on Saturday, two on Sunday. And I did that every weekend, with the odd exception, for two to three years because that’s how you met people.” 

Between her network and open houses, she started to build a nice business for herself. For the first 10 years of her career, Tamara built a business on her own, separate from her parents. That’s when, in 2005, her sister Shannon decided to get licensed.

 

Trial-by-fire

 

Tamara made Shannon the same deal she got from her parents: get trained for six months and then you’re on your own. She’d learn the ins and outs of the business. After the six months though, Tamara wanted to take the month of August off, thinking she could leave her sister in charge of her business during one of the slowest sales months of the year.

As the old cliche goes, “If you want to get busy, book a vacation.” That month, with Tamara gone, Shannon did almost 40 transactions — more than one a day. There was no question that Shannon’s ability to handle a month like that after only six months in the business meant she’d be an invaluable asset.

So, they took a Tamara-led “Stone Team” and formed the “Stone Sisters.”

 

Adapt to thrive

 

From even the early days, the pair has focused on leading when changes are happening.

“The big thing I did when I started that was revolutionary and wild was get a website. It was the first real estate website in town and it was shocking to many, and cutting edge. We still own the original domain name, too,” recalls Tamara. 

With a renewed energy for the business, the sisters continued innovating and adapting. Shannon’s marketing background brought a lot of ideas to both marketing and client engagement.

Spend time talking to the Stone Sisters about the evolution of their business, and you realize quickly they’re proactive about change. They’re looking ahead to see what challenges are coming and they’re getting ready.

 

See change coming, come up with a plan, execute with purpose

 

In British Columbia, you’re no longer allowed to double-end a transaction, a change that was hinted at for a couple of years before it came into effect. If implemented, they realized this would have a massive impact on running a team where you often have a buyer’s agent sell the team’s listings.

They looked at what that might mean and they came up with a plan. Shannon got her broker’s license. When the change happened, they completely shifted their entire model, going from being the Stone Sisters at Re/Max Kelowna to forming their own sub-brokerage, Re/Max Kelowna Stone Sisters. 

Now, instead of a traditional team model, Shannon and Tamara run the brokerage and the agents run their own business, with the Stone Sisters providing services and coaching along the way. This way, they act as the designated agents for their clients.

The sisters were able to completely shift the model and not miss a beat. They don’t sit back and complain when change is coming — instead, they see it coming, come up with a plan and execute with purpose. 

 

Marketing that works

 

Shannon had a background in marketing when she joined and, with that, brought fresh ideas and promotional efforts. With Tamara’s experience and her sister’s background, they came up with regular ideas that brought real business. Things that few others were doing.

For example, in Kelowna, where many properties are sold to people from out of town, the team tracks not only the percentage of properties sold to out-of-town buyers but also where they came from. This informs their next steps when it comes to marketing.

This tactic worked well during a big Alberta oil boom when the pair noticed a lot of business coming from buyers in Fort McMurray. They had some connections there and set up a learning seminar about buying property in the Okanagan. 

They flew into Edmonton, got this little rental car and made the drive up to Fort McMurray. A client that worked up there told them, “Don’t show up in your white suits and be fancy to people. Jeans, beer and pizza.” 

So, they rented the back room of a Boston Pizza, bought pizza, wings and beer for everyone, and started promoting the Okanagan. Little did they know, due to the big boom and undersupply of housing in Fort McMurray, there weren’t even hotel rooms available. They had to make the drive back to Edmonton at 3:00 am.

But it was worth it. The sisters sold a tonne of properties to people there until the downturn in the oil industry.

Today, they go to cities like Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto because that’s where a lot of their buyers come from. They do group seminars and 1:1 consults with potential clients to promote their book on the Okanagan. 

Social media advertising plays a big role in making trips to cities where they don’t have brand recognition a success. The sisters invest in it and see a great return. In a market where almost 50 per cent of buyers come from out of town, the Stone Sisters regularly see over 70 per cent of their buyers come from elsewhere — a testament to the success of their marketing strategies. 

 

What you measure, grows

 

Nothing happens by accident at the Stone Sisters. Much like tracking where buyers come from, the team tracks everything in their business. They look at where leads originate to evaluate the success of each marketing channel they try, and then what percentage turn into clients. They monitor the volume of phone calls, emails, social media messages and every other way that people reach out to the team.

Aside from the volume and nature of inquiries, the number of showings, traffic to and time on the website, social engagement and everything else that helps inform their marketing and get a pulse of what’s happening is tracked.

And no fancy dashboards needed — the team tracks it all across simple Excel spreadsheets. They can tell you at any time exactly what’s happening in their business and where the trends are going.

At the volume of deals the Stone Sisters are doing (300+ annually), their business metrics can say a lot about the greater Kelowna real estate market trends as well. 

 

The white suits

 

Since my earliest days in real estate, I’ve known the Stone Sisters. They were presenting at a conference on negotiation the first time I saw them. At that conference and to this day, they often stand out by wearing white suits. In fact, their entire team wears all white — it’s their uniform.

I asked them about this because they do stand out when you meet them. It went back to a Re/Max conference they attended in Las Vegas. There were so many agents there, they wanted to find a way to stand out from the crowd. A way to make them more memorable.

The sisters went with white suits. Now, the entire team does and it’s become a signature look. If anyone on the team, and now at their sub-brokerage, goes out in the community for their business, they wear white. This has become an integral part of their branding. 

 

The ‘Buyer Book’

 

Early on, Tamara and Shannon created what they call the “Buyer Book” for their business. When they got leads, they’d print out the email, hole punch it and put it into a binder. Any time things were either quiet or they had some downtime, they’d open up the binder to where they left off and “shake the tree.” 

The sisters would call everyone in the book. When they finished, they’d start over, back at the beginning. They made handwritten notes to send by snail mail to people they had good conversations with, a practice they still do to this day. There were people in that book for 3-5 years before they ended up doing a deal with the Stone Sisters — a testament to their consistency.

Today, the team follows a very similar practice, leveraging Follow Up Boss as their CRM. With organic buyer leads coming in, they convert them at a rate of 23.5 per cent. (During our interview, without having asked them ahead of time to be ready with anything, they had all the data at their fingertips. Like I said, they track and monitor their numbers.)

The most impressive stat? They convert 94 per cent of the website contact forms for a home evaluation to in-person appointments. As of our interview on March 20, 2024, the team had received 78 home evaluation requests and had done 74 in-person appointments as a result. 

That’s how strongly they’re seen as experts. Tamara mentioned that early on in her career they tried a series of TV commercials. “They were light and fluffy, like Cinderella, the Stone Sisters. It wasn’t us doing it; it was someone else’s perception of us. It gave the impression of, ‘It’s so cute they dress the same.’ Now, we have a much more serious reputation.” 

 

A little bit ‘hardass’

 

The sisters admit they’re known for being a little bit “hardass” at times, as they put it. They’re serious about the business and they get the job done. They’re not afraid to tell their clients what they don’t want to hear, and they won’t take a listing if the client is unrealistic about the price.

This brand they’ve built since 1995 is a huge factor in their conversation rates. On top of that, they work the phones, send out automated emails and encourage everyone at their brokerage to make as many phone calls as possible.

They find that even young people, who are often derided for not wanting to be on the phone, regularly have great phone conversations with their team. And when things get slow or quiet for a time? Everyone is encouraged to “shake the tree” as they do with the Buyer Book but with people in their Follow Up Boss database.

 

Systemized success

 

Like our previous monthly features this year, Mark Faris and Alex Wilson, it’s no surprise after talking to them why the Stone Sisters are so successful. They’ve built the systems, they follow them and they keep their agents accountable. 

The sisters are looking ahead at what’s coming and getting ready to adapt. They’re closely watching the commission lawsuits with NAR in the U.S. and Canadian equivalents. Despite verdicts likely being a ways out, they’re ready in case of changes. 

No matter what happens, one thing is certain: they won’t be caught unprepared. 

 

On November 28, Ken Dekker, Ottawa Real Estate Board president, announced to members the departure of CEO Janice Myers. The announcement states she is moving on as the new CEO of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), effective January 2, 2024.

Dekker continues, “If you have had the privilege of meeting Janice, you’ll be sad to see her go. I know I am. It’s a great consolation to know, though, that she won’t be far.”

A release from CREA announced today that Myers has accepted the role of CEO. Larry Cerqua, CREA chair, comments:

“We are delighted to welcome Janice as our new CEO, after an extensive search process. Janice is a dynamic, values-driven leader with a diverse background of experiences and an excellent track record of delivery in real estate board and association leadership. CREA’s board of directors believes she is a great fit for the organization, with the right combination of skills and experience to lead it through its next phases.”

Myers brings over 20 years of experience in leadership of real estate boards, having started in 2001 as executive director of the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board. Throughout her career, she’s dedicated over 25 years to the not-for-profit sector.

“As the new CEO, I am proud to build on recent successes, ensuring CREA remains at the forefront of promoting a resilient and transparent real estate ecosystem, fostering trust among stakeholders, and contributing to the sustainable growth of the Canadian real estate markets,” states Myers. “Together, we will strive to create a future where housing is a fundamental human right, the interests of our members are protected, the needs of home buyers, sellers, and businesses are met with integrity, and the Canadian real estate industry continues to thrive.”

CREA’s release also notes that Myers’ influence goes beyond her executive roles, as she was recognized as one of the 50 influential women leaders in Canada in 2019 by the Real Estate Professional magazine. As well, her current role as vice chair of World Animal Protection Canada shows her dedication to broader causes.

Myers will replace interim CEO Debra Cowan, who will return to the CFO position. Michael Bourque stepped down as CEO this fall, after over five years in the position.

 

Karen Yolevski, COO of Royal LePage Real Estate Service Ltd. (the company’s corporate brokerage), was recognized on Storeys’ list of 2023’s most influential people in Ontario real estate.

 

Significant change-makers

 

This year’s list recognizes 20 people, organizations and associations changing the province’s industry. They’ve all significantly impacted the market through changing economic conditions. Other notable names include Toronto mayor Olivia Chow and Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem.

Last year’s list recognized those with the most significant impact on the industry and included Royal LePage president and CEO, Phil Soper.

 

A true leader, visionary and expert

 

Yolevski joined Royal LePage in 2021 and ever since has made invaluable contributions to both the company and the industry. Along with guiding the leadership teams at Royal LePage’s corporate brokerage locations, she offers expertise and market analysis as a spokesperson for the brand by regularly appearing in major Canadian national and regional news outlets.

Storeys recognized the COO for how she successfully guides her brokerage through turbulent market conditions, along with her strategic vision for the company that embraces innovative technology to boost productivity of both the brokerage and agents.

 

“Proud to keep Canadians informed and advocate for accessible housing options”

 

“It is a true honour to be recognized by Storeys alongside so many influential and accomplished professionals in the industry,” says Yolevski. “Considering the current economic climate, it has never been more important for policymakers, real estate industry leaders, developers and consumers to work together to find viable solutions to Ontario’s ongoing housing affordability and supply crisis.

I am proud to be part of Royal LePage’s efforts to keep Canadians informed, and to advocate for accessible housing options for all.”

 

Doug was sick to his stomach. The agents on his team weren’t selling like he knew they could, and the unstable market was making his own sales wobbly. Since he shelled out a significant amount of resources to help the team with marketing, social media and admin assistance, he needed them to step up. 

He set up meetings with each one. He’d review their performance and coach them on getting more from their efforts. “That’ll do it,” he said to himself. 

Kaylen walks in, sits down and smiles. Doug takes a deep breath and launches into his best coaching speech. “Be consistent,” he reminds him. “You’ve got this,” he affirms. “Why do you think you’re not doing what you know you are capable of putting out there?”

Kaylen nods, agrees and provides legitimate-sounding reasons. “You see,” he says, “It’s the market. My kids are off for the summer.” And his parents rented a villa in Italy, and how was he going to miss that? 

Kaylen promises to do better. Doug nods, tries to reinforce again the habits that would help Kaylen’s business do better and ends the meeting. 

 

What went wrong? 

 

Everything is wrong here. Doug is trying to be nice. If you ever need people to step up and do something, you’re going to hit a situation where the performance isn’t there — and you’re going to have to say something. 

The problem is most people hate conflict. They’ll have the conversation but avoid anything that might make them sound harsh, demanding, etc. They need these people, so they stick to nice and take the (often well-intended but false) reassurances that behaviour will change, and nothing will happen. 

 

The difference between being nice and being kind

 

Luckily, the solution is not to get angry, holler your brains out, or fire everyone. 

If you’re finding that nothing is coming from your conversations, you need to switch from being nice to being kind.

Nice is enabling. 

Nice kills all businesses. Being nice makes you feel resentful, frustrated and hostile. Being nice also creates confusion because, without boundaries, your people don’t know whether they’ve really done anything wrong. They will continue as is until there is a clear indication that their behaviour is unacceptable. 

People know when they’ve screwed up. They’re aware of when they’re underperforming. They likely roll around all night worrying about it. But humans don’t like to feel shame, and we want to get rid of it as quickly as possible. 

So, while they feel shame in the conversation with you about their lack of production or inconsistent behaviour, as soon as you say, “Okay, just do better,” all of that shame goes away because now the conversation is over, they said things that sounded good, and they pat themselves on the back for a job well done. 

And then go right back to the inconsistencies, avoidance behaviours or whatever else is dragging their businesses into oblivion. 

Kindness is clarity. 

Being kind is saying all the things you have to say, but with one major difference: you articulate boundaries and explain consequences. Kindness will require you to stick to your guns and take action if the boundaries are violated, but there is an unequivocal understanding of what is required. There is no confusion in kindness. Just like when we were kids, we need rules to feel safe and in control. 

Kindness is also demanding an actual commitment. We can dupe ourselves into believing we’re committed by saying things like, “I want to…I need to…. I should…. I’m trying to…“ and yet all of these phrases — every single one — do not fire the part of our brain that actually commits to action. Thinking that way feels like a commitment, and that’s why we do it. We don’t want to believe we’re untrustworthy or can’t be counted on. 

 

The formula for commitment 

 

The only way to truly be committed, behaviourally and neuro-scientifically, is to say, “I am doing (thing) now” or whenever — but you put it in your calendar. It is only when you give your task a time and space in your calendar that your brain actually fires properly, leading to you completing the task. The language is specific and important; otherwise, your brain stays quiet, listening to its own version of pan flute hold music. 

The formula for commitment is simple: I am doing (task) (time). 

Commitment or cowardice shows up on the calendar. You’ll know if you’re living up to your commitments if you can look back and actually see them as time chunks in your calendar. 

 

How to switch from nice to kind 

 

The next time you waffle in a conversation when you really need someone to step up, take a deep breath and be kind — but be clear. 

1. Spell out precisely what you want, what you expect, and by when. Set boundaries. Explain potential consequences if those are appropriate. They don’t have to be harsh, but they have to exist. 
2. Have them repeat back to you what is expected of them. 
3. Discuss what could potentially get in the way of them completing their work. Get ahead of it. Set strategies and contingencies. Plan ahead. 
4. Have them set out their own game plan for getting the work done. 
5. Get out their calendar and insert actual times that they will do what needs to be done. Assign specific tasks to each time chunk; otherwise, you run the risk of them getting distracted by a thousand other things they could be doing. 
6. Set the next conversation date and time, and be specific about what you want to see from them. 

Nice enables people to roll in their own discomfort, shame and fear. By being kind, you help them bring control back into their world, which breeds confidence, action and the level of performance that makes everyone proud. 

 

Most agents want to get down to the money. They look for teams offering the highest split percentage, factoring in culture, service and value exchange last. But if it were just about splits, why choose a team, anyway? 

We need support. The more successful we become, the more obvious it is that we can’t get it all done on our own. Agents are spread so thin between prospecting, lead conversion, admin and operations that training and mentorship feel like luxuries they don’t have time for. But, entering a team space from the perspective of an underwater solo agent is counterproductive.

This is why we need to shift our paradigm into value before compensation. The first mistake in dysfunctional team cultures is operating from a belief that smaller splits equate to less profit. 

As a high-performance business expert, I’ve supported the growth and development of countless top one percent national teams in building ecosystems that thrive on leverage, strategic compensation structures and empowered leadership. I spoke with some of Canada’s top-performing team leaders at the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board’s (TRREB) Realtor Quest to spill their best tips for successful teams. 

 

Leverage vs. compensation structures

 

Leading The Heddle Group, a high-performance team of five sales representatives to 200 to 300 unit sales per year, Mike Heddle insists that compensation structures need to be complicated. He urges agents and leaders to have a necessary conversation around net versus gross income. 

“You can have great gross sales, and at the same time, your net could be upside down.” 

Data-driven teams that implement efficient systems protect your net income. To get there, panellists unanimously agree that 50/50 splits are unsustainable. Value creates more value. If the team covers the costs of administration, training and mentorship and gets agents on booked appointments with converted leads, the compensation structure will reflect that. 

It comes down to systems that save you time and money in the long run. The value of collaborative environments relieves agents of tedious tasks and keeps them on the sales field doing more of what they love, which translates into higher sales volume overall. 

Without time-saving support and guidance on investing in systems, higher splits can’t support your growth. If you were sinking as a solo agent, the same dynamic will persist. High profits are the result of momentum from sales, skills mastery and building inspiring relationships, so conversations around compensation need to centre on how the team facilitates production growth. 

 

Leaders empower more leaders 

 

The essence of every high-performance team stems from conscious leadership. The overall consensus amongst every leader on the panel is this: it’s not about us; it’s about them. Brad Miller, team lead of Goodale Miller Team — a niche luxury business in Oakville, Ont. and Century 21’s number one team globally — emphasizes caring for people first. His leadership philosophy centres on the value of mentorship and personal connection. He encourages leaders to support their teams by understanding their capacity for achievement year to year. Are you attuned to what is going on in their lives?

 

 

Chuck and Melissa Charlton are life-first leaders, too. They believe inspiring leadership in others stems from being interested in them as people first. You have to support your team in life before business because, more often than not, a chaotic life is the precursor to derailed business. “If you can solve the life part, business just happens.”

It’s a pattern with leaders running healthy, thriving teams. 

Named one of the “100 Most Influential in Real Estate” by Inman, Amy Youngren has led the North Group to rank in the Top .01 per cent in Canada by TRREB. She states that empowering leaders within a team starts by knowing the difference between their goals and yours. Her approach to steering her team to exceptional results is focusing on each member’s goals and targets and determining how the North Group will help them achieve it. 

 

The bottom line

 

Why do these practices work? I’ve seen this magic flourish with thousands of top one per cent agents, team leaders and brokerages, and I believe it’s because it keeps people happy. We’re on an adventure to live our best lives, and the happier, more supported individuals are, the better they perform. 

We receive the energy we give — and Canada’s top-producing team leaders share this approach to conscious leadership: agents need to be supported in education, expert-level training, data-driven systems and most importantly, community. High production follows empowered leadership.