Welcome to Meet the Agent, an ongoing series profiling real estate agents from across Canada. With more than 150,000 agents, brokers, and salespeople working in 75 different boards and associations across the country, we thought it was about time they had a place to properly introduce themselves.
If you or someone you know deserves the same chance, email agents@storeys.com to apply.
THE DETAILS
Name: Justin Bregman
Areas of Focus: Toronto, York, Durham, Simcoe, Halton, and Peel
Personal Channels: Instagram | Website | Brokerage Website
Years if Experience: 11
THE INSIGHTS
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Vaughan, Ontario.
Where do you live now? And what neighbourhood (in Canada, or worldwide) would you love to live in (that isn’t your own)?
I live in Toronto in a neighbourhood called Bedford Park. I would love to live one day in Forest Hill.
How did you end up becoming a real estate agent?
I always wanted to be a real estate agent. I went to university and while I was there, I was studying to get my real estate licence. I got my real estate licence when I was 21. I was working in sport broadcasting and helping many professional athletes and colleagues in the sport broadcasting world get rental properties before becoming a full-time realtor when I was 25.
In a few sentences, describe what a typical “day in the life” looks like for you.
A day in the life of Justin Bregman as a realtor is what I call organized chaos. I never expected the job to be like this, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. I love what I do every day, and I love that every day is so different. A typical day is me getting up early and maybe going for a workout, going into the office to prospect, going out on showings with clients, prepping new listings to come to the markets, or working on offers sometimes way past midnight before resetting for the next day.
What’s the single best advice you have for sellers?
My best advice for sellers is do not overprice your home. There are many different pricing strategies to get your home sold for the highest amount of money, but pricing it too high is not the best way. Make sure to have a realtor working with you that knows the ins and outs of the market and is really in tune with world events, interest rate changes, and new comparable sales in the area. And make sure to price the property in line with market trends to get the absolute most amount of money for your home.
What’s the single best advice you have for buyers?
My best advice for buyers is to work with an agent that is extremely knowledgeable about the neighbourhood, the market, and negotiating on your behalf. There are so many things that go into buying a property and determining value, whether it's the neighbourhood, school district, the size of the lot, the size of the home, etc. Make sure that you're working with a realtor that can guide you through every part of the process and make sure that you can get the best deal and the best offer in comparison to the market value.
What made you choose to work for your current brokerage?
I currently work at RARE Real Estate and what made me choose RARE was the opportunities and platform that allows me to grow as a leader in the industry. This brokerage has an incredible staff and incredible support system, and it allows me as an agent to not only excel in my business, but allows everybody that works under me on my team to excel in theirs as well.
Is there anyone you recommend people should be paying attention to right now?
The people that are making the biggest waves in the industry are people that are honest, extremely hard-working, and delivering product knowledge and competitive advantages over any other realtors. A big part of this nowadays is social media as well as many other marketing initiatives to get your property seen and get it sold for top dollar.
What is one professional goal you have for the next year? What’s one that you have for the next 10 years?
My goal for this year is to continue to grow not only my success, but the success of my team. Over the course of the next 10 years my goal is to be the top listing agent in all of Toronto while managing a team and watching all of my hard work take effect with respect to the agents that work under me. I want to watch them grow and benefit and have a complete and successful partnership between myself and my team here in Toronto.
Tell us about your favourite (or most memorable) sale, and why it stands out to you.
103 Burncrest Drive is an amazing success story. I was listing on this property for just under two weeks and I had set the expectation with my clients that this property is not worth any more than $2.15 million. After the extensive marketing campaign, I was proud to present an offer to my clients for just over $2.2 million. It was a record-breaking price for the location and yet the clients refused to take this price as they wanted $2.3M. They took the listing off the market and relisted three months later with another agent, trying to get $2.3 million. I then represented the buyer and bought this home for $2.1 million! So my former clients took $2.1 million instead of the $2.2 million, still paying me a commission as the buyer’s agent. This is a great success for my buyer clients and a great lesson into understanding why it's so important to be working with a realtor that understands the value of a home. I had brought them an incredible record-breaking price for the home that they never took.
What are the three words you hope your clients use to describe you?
Three words that I hope my clients use to describe me are honest, loyal and dedicated. I am an extremely hard-working individual that goes above and beyond and will do whatever it takes to reach my clients’ goals.
