Great Offices: A Blueprint for 40% Market Share

Bob Armstrong believes in the power of doing it yourself. That’s why he still goes to the bank. Picks up his own mail. Drops off‚ his dry cleaning. Some may think this isn’t the best possible use of Armstrong’s time. After all, he’s the Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Georgian Bay Realty, leading 44 agents in six offices across five Ontario towns in the southeast Georgian Bay area.

But who can argue with his approach when his Associates have 40.3-percent market share and the Midland community has voted RE/MAX Georgian Bay Realty the best realty company 14 years in a row?

“The real estate business is about looking people in the eye on a daily basis,” says Armstrong, who opened his first residential-only brokerage in Midland in 1982 and has since expanded to several nearby communities.  “We need to be real people with a tangible presence.”

Tiff‚any McGregor, an Associate who works out of the franchise’s Balm Beach office, agrees.

“We love living, working and playing in this region,” she says. “It fuels our passion for the area’s real estate and our focus on building strong, vibrant communities.”

Meeting and connecting with the members of the southeast Georgian Bay community – not just screen-to-screen or by phone, but in person – is a central value shared by all of Armstrong’s agents.

A big part of that community presence is in the brokerage’s 16-plus years of fundraising for Children’s Miracle Network, totaling approximately $225,000. Associates also have raised more than $40,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation with its annual Yard Sale for the Cure, a nationwide fundraiser each May. Locals come together for community yard sales, and the proceeds from the sale of their unwanted items benefit the foundation.

Additionally, each o†ffice is strategically located to maximize exposure to drive-by and pedestrian traffi†c.

“Whether it’s for an existing customer who drops in to say hello or the out-of-town prospects who drive the shoreline when they’re on the prowl for recreational properties, you have to be readily available,” says Peggy Worthen, who also works out of the Balm Beach o†ffice. “House hunters here typically have a ‘This is it!’ reaction to properties. And if they don’t get immediate answers, they move on to the next agent.”

The flagship offi†ce on Midland’s four-lane King Street – the main thoroughfare leading directly to downtown and the waterfront – is on a lot that fronts three regulation soccer pitches. Families swarm there in the spring, summer and fall. Construction on a 100-home subdivision right behind those fields will begin in the next few years, and Armstrong is looking forward to the additional exposure and sales.

The King Street office is also right across from a Tim Horton’s outlet – the ubiquitous coffee chain that has a powerful presence in Canada’s main cities, but absolutely rules in small towns as a community gathering spot.

“I will never have a coffee machine in the King Street office,” Armstrong says. “We all walk across the street to Timmy’s to stand in line and have a chat. You never know who you’ll run into or who you might meet for the first time.”

TRULY COMMITTED

RE/MAX Georgian Bay Realty Associates serve the Midland area, which includes the small communities of Midland, Penetanguishene, Elmvale, Balm Beach and Coldwater, as well as Tay, Tiny and Wyevale.

Local knowledge, community involvement and a reputation for strong customer service have all helped agents claim top market share in the area. Ask RE/MAX Georgian Bay Realty agents exactly why that is and they’ll say it comes down to what they do each and every day.

“We’re full-time real estate agents; this is how we earn our living,” McGregor says.”It’s not a hobby.”

While community involvement is key, McGregor is convinced she and her colleagues have earned their customers’ trust because they also exercise due diligence and tell the truth.

“Whether it’s a water-quality test, a question about the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) or whether a property can be rented due to bylaws or a land lease, I find the answer,” McGregor says.

Collectively, the six offices had 880 transaction ends in the Midland MLS by November 2013; five of the top 10 area agents, ranked by units sold, are with RE/MAX Georgian Bay Realty.

Every Thursday morning, RE/MAX Georgian Bay Realty agents meet at the North Simcoe Sports & Recreation Centre in Midland to share tips and exchange information. Then they pile into vehicles to tour the newest listings, and visit new developments to meet with staff‚ and get a real feel for the properties. Once a month, speakers are brought in to address specific topics such as legal updates and home insurance.

“I always learn something from the speakers – whether it’s about a change to an existing law or that a particular street is great for young families,” McGregor says. “And the weekly tours are so valuable. On three occasions, I’ve walked through a colleague’s listing, texted a buyer to say, ‘I’m standing in your new house right now!’ and later closed the deal.”

Although attendance isn’t mandatory, it’s obvious why more than half of the firm’s agents typically take part.

“You don’t really understand a new condo, subdivision or a resale home until you’ve walked through it yourself,” Armstrong says. “Photos and virtual tours are only a starting point.”

Kevin Ellis, a top producer who works out of the King Street office and celebrated his 17th anniversary with RE/MAX last May, agrees.

“We’re the hometown experts; it’s a foundation of the RE/MAX system,” he says. “You have to be able to answers clients’ questions about the whole community, not just local real estate.”

MUCH LOVED

Georgian Bay, a massive part of Lake Huron, offers 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) of shoreline and more than 30,000 islands, many of which are just a 15-minute boat ride from several of the brokerage’s locations.

Three of Armstrong’s offices sit just a few blocks from Georgian Bay and specialize in waterfront properties.

“The Midland area is the best-kept secret north of Barrie, because we’re on a larger body of water than Barrie’s Lake Simcoe,” Armstrong says. “We have more-affordable homes and the small-town atmosphere.”

Like so many of his agents, Armstrong has been listing and selling real estate in this area for decades, and now he’s working with his original clients’ children.

“I refuse to do business outside the Midland area, but I’m happy to accept and give referrals,” Armstrong says. “No matter how much research you do and regardless of the statistics and facts you gather, you will never know or understand an area as well as someone who has lived and worked there for years.”

MEET ‘THAT 777 GUY’ 

Kevin Ellis customizes each of his listings with a price ending in 777. It’s a strategy that has helped interested buyers remember him, even if they can’t quite remember his name. All they have to remember is 777, and everyone knows who they mean. Ellis is known as “that 777 guy.”

He’s RE/MAX Georgian Bay Realty’s best-selling agent 12 years running and one of the Top 100 RE/MAX agents in the RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Region, ranking No. 44 as of October.

“If you want the puck, go get it!” he says.

The RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement Award recipient lives and works by this philosophy, because hockey has been a major part of his life for more than three decades. When he started his Midland real estate business 21 years ago, he attended plenty of open houses and ran a lot of ads, but over time he figured out what really worked for him: hockey.

Ninety percent of his business is a result of who he knows and meets through hockey and other community activities, such as the local racquetball, hockey, soccer and baseball teams he sponsors, and through providing scholarships to high school students.

Ellis shows his appreciation in creative, meaningful ways for the more than 100 annual transaction ends he closes, which are largely a result of referrals from present and past clients. He’s given clients paint trays with RE/MAX logos on them, as well as paint cans filled with chocolate, wine or beer. And, on occasion, he’s offered tickets to a Toronto Maple Leafs game or movie passes.

“I tailor my gift baskets as much as I can,” Ellis says.

He’s also regularly inspired by the ideas presented on remax.ca, and never misses the RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada Region’s sales rally in January.

But, in the end, Ellis credits his community involvement, positive word-of-mouth referrals and meaningful interpersonal interactions as the cornerstones of his success.

“Just be nice to people,” he says. “Be approachable, be friendly and always do a good job – it’s really that simple.”