OUR APPROACH

One agent working on their own has to wear a lot of hats. Marketing expert. Administrator. Photographer. Stager. And of course spending time meeting with their clients, showing properties, negotiating offers and ensuring that everything moves smoothly, satisfying conditions and getting to possession day! And in addition to all that, sometimes we have to be in two places at once because two clients need us! What’s the solution? Working together with a system to support each other and our clients!

Every one of our agents is responsible to you, our client. Any one of us can step in and assist you because we have chosen to be a Common Law Brokerage. This means that every agent on the team can help you with whatever you might need, if your own agent is temporarily unavailable. In a Designated Agency brokerage which is more typical of larger brokerages, coverage like this requires additional paperwork and is more challenging.

As a collaborative group, we have intentionally created systems to be there for each other’s clients even when we need to be somewhere else! While each of us takes the lead with our own clients, we also know that we can call on a team member to assist us with a showing or an inspection if necessary. This situation can happen frequently because we never know when a new listing is going to pop up for one of our buyers and getting them into that house quickly is vital … and yet agents also have appointments made in advance with other clients. That’s when we can call on a team member and both clients are well served! We have a system for how team members are compensated for participating in that client’s sale or purchase. It’s a system that works well for our agents and our clients tell us it works really well for them!

OUR CORE VALUES

Authenticity. Respect. Trust.

Starting with a dream is one thing. Sustaining it over the long haul is another. It takes real commitment to the reason you started your endeavour in the first place. Technology, systems and processes will evolve over time, but the foundation of a strong organization must be built to last.  Supporting everything we do are our core values of authenticity, respect and trust.  Real estate is a relationship business. Solid relationships begin with authenticity, and are fueled by respect, leading to a high level of trust over time.

Our Rules of the Game.

Our goal is that every client’s experience reflects these core values.  We achieve that through our Rules of the Game.  Created together by our group, these rules remind us daily of the way we want to live and work.  Every rule matters.  Together, they strengthen our relationships with each other and our clients, while reinforcing actions that align with our core values.

OUR GUARANTEE

Easy Exit Client Representation Agreements

Whether you’re buying or selling, choosing an agent to represent you is a big deal. Finding the right fit is critical! Sitting down and getting to know each other is a great first step in making sure you’ve got the right agent for you. But what if you change your mind? What if somewhere along the line you feel that we’re not the right “fit”? No worries! We give every client an Easy Exit Agreement which simply says that you can cancel your contract with us at any time and you’re free to work with another agent. All we ask is you communicate your expectations to us so we have the best opportunity to meet your needs. At the end of the day if you choose to part ways you’re free to do so with no strings (or fees!) attached.

Now you Can Buy Worry-Free!

Buying a property to make it your home is both a practical and an emotional decision. Our home buyer systems are geared to help you stay on track with your wants, needs and budget. We’re confident that we’ll help you make a great home buying choice that you’re happy with for years to come. However if in the first year** that you own your home, you decide that it’s just not the one for you, we’ll sell it for FREE*. Your happiness matters to us. It’s that simple!

*FREE relates to the listing portion of the commissions payable. A fee of 3.5% on the first $100,000 and 1.5% on the balance of the sales price would be offered by the seller to the Realtor representing the successful purchasers, paid out of proceeds at closing as per usual.

**First year means the request to list the home must come in writing from the purchasers within 12 months of the date that title transferred to them. This program excludes relocating for work, family changes or other life events.

OUR SYSTEMS

Everything we do is based on systems. There are hundreds of detailed steps involved in the purchase or sale of every property. To ensure that every step happens every time, and on time, we live by checklists.

• We have systems for how to handle a call or text coming into the office to ensure it’s responded to quickly – we literally set a timer for a team member to respond to get back to the caller. Buyers don’t want to wait and we don’t want them to!
• We have systems to ensure that our buyers and sellers and their agent stay on top of the latest changes in the market. Everything from sharing the latest Edmonton real estate statistics to letting you know the minute there is a new listing that might impact your real estate decisions.
• We have systems to stay in touch with our sellers to ensure they know when showings will happen and what the feedback was from those showings.
• We have systems to track the number of showings that have happened to make sure that there are always brochures at the property for buyers to take with them.
• We monitor results for every listing, for every sale and for our marketing.
• We have systems to ensure that everything your lawyer needs to complete your transaction is received completely and on time.

PLUS extended staff hours! 

When you call, text or email our office anytime between 9am-8pm weekdays or 10am-4pm weekends and holidays, you’ll be responded to by one of own office staff team members, not a paging service. Our staff knows who you are and can often help you with your question, or they can reach your agent quickly for you. Similarly, buyers and agents from other brokerages who want to view one of our sellers’ homes can call or text in and have that appointment made quickly and easily. They don’t like waiting for a response any more than you do! When a showing request comes in, it’s the top priority for our knowledgeable and helpful staff!

OUR CONNECTIONS

We are very proud to be a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^® , the home of the world’s market-leading independent residential brokerages in over 70 countries, with 565 firms and 130,000 sales associates producing over 1.1 million transactions valued at $372 billion annually. This by-invitation-only network is based on the unparalleled performance and trusted relationships that result in exceptional client experiences.

What does this mean for our clients? It means that we have been chosen to be a part of a world-wide networking community based on our quality of practice. We now have connections with exceptional real estate brokerages all over the world and we can refer our clients to those brokerages and their agents with absolute confidence. Moving to another city, another province, or even another county? Get in touch with us and we’ll connect you to a vetted, experienced agent wherever you’re headed. We’re local, and we’re also global.

Our story started with one question…
How could real estate be done better?

I’ve always had an interest in real estate, and a passion to run my own business. I knew my training as a CPA would give me the base I needed. I worked with fantastic people in my finance career but I always knew this wasn’t where I would stay. Going through a time when my husband’s health was pretty fragile caused me to really think about what I wanted, and to ask myself what I was waiting for! We’d been living in BC for a few years and when we decided to move back to be closer to family that was my opportunity window and I leaped through it.

Initially I got a lot of resistance from friends and family wondering why I was giving up a government job with a steady paycheque to move to a career that many viewed as less than professional, even a bit “questionable”. My response to them was always the same… How important is where they live to them? Have they ever moved? What was that experience like? All too often their experience was less than stellar.

So let me see if I get this straight … We all need homes. Buying and selling them is hugely important to our financial wellbeing and the homes we choose can make a significant impact on our lifestyle and the happiness of our family. They didn’t know enough about buying or selling to do it themselves confidently and safely. And the service they’d received from real estate agents to date didn’t meet their expectations. In short, they all told me that they needed the help of an agent but they hadn’t yet received the kind of service they were hoping for.

So, what if my goal was to do it better?

To raise the bar? To create the real estate experience they wanted but didn’t receive. Would they support the idea of me doing this “crazy thing” then? No one had a reason why I shouldn’t do go for it after that, and I’ve never looked back!

From humble beginnings in 1993 living with family to get the business off the ground to where we are today in our own independent brokerage with an amazing group of colleagues, real estate has been the adventure of a lifetime. Technology and legislation have changed over the years, but the one thing that has never changed is our heart for our clients and our intention to continue to raise the bar to create the memorable experience our clients both need and deserve.

Kathy Schmidt
REALTOR®, Broker Owner

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