Meet the Agent: Mark Pedlar, RE/MAX Bluewater Realty Inc

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

THE INSIGHTS

Where did you grow up?

Grand Bend, Ontario.

What neighbourhood do you live in now?

Grand Bend, Ontario.

What made you want to become a real estate agent?

My father was a REALTOR® and I use to work in the office answering phones as a teenager and thought it was an exciting career, helping people find a place they can call their own -- whether that's a vacation property or primary home!

What’s the biggest challenge you see facing the market today?

Increased interest rates and inflation in general are limiting the amount of disposable income buyers have for a secondary property, which is a large segment of our overall market in Grand Bend.

READ: Meet the Agent: Angelique Hansen, Engel & Völkers Regina

What’s the single best advice you have for sellers? 

Setting the right price for your property and having a strong marketing strategy are key to the market.

What’s the single best advice you have for buyers?

Prioritize a few must-have options when looking for a home, but don’t expect to get your entire wishlist in a small market. Little changes to make a new home your own can always be done after purchase, but location is hard to change.

What’s the best thing a realtor can invest in for their brand (a bus bench ad, a solid Instagram strategy, etc.)?

Invest in your community or farming area, donate your time back and sponsor local projects. People will connect with you and your brand on a more personal level as a result.

Who do you look up to in the industry and why? 

My father has always been my mentor and having the opportunity to learn from him while working together as a team has taught me a lot about the industry.

READ: Meet the Agent: John Genereaux, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada

Is there anything you wish people knew or understood about realtors that you think they’re constantly getting wrong? 

I wish people realized we don’t work on a typical salary and that all REALTORS® are not same (nor do we all have the same knowledge). Every REALTOR® has their our own skill set and knowledge to help clients with the transaction and our time commitment to our clients means that we are investing in their journey to find the right property.

Tell us about your favourite (or most memorable) sale.

Every home sale is unique but the first lakefront property I ever sold was my most memorable. It was a really nice place sold to nice people who were using it as their cottage. They didn’t say it at the time, but they knew I was fresh into the business and they still went through the process of finding a new home with me. We have talked several times since and they made sure to get my opinion when it came time for their daughter to find a home outside of my trading area. I helped them find an agent that would help their daughter just as I had helped them.

What are the three words you hope your clients use to describe you?

Honest. Reliable. Passionate.

What’s your favourite thing to do outside of selling houses?

Time away on vacation. It seems when you're busy with work you're always working, but getting away is a nice way to wind down and spend time away from the business with your family.

This interview may have been edited for both length and clarity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of STOREYS.