• Helping small investment clients build wealth
• Opinion: On TRREB’s recent technology announcement
• A ‘SUITE’ strategy for pricing in a challenging market
• How Montreal’s Faiz Abhuani is helping create affordable housing
• Avison Young to acquire Montreal-based Devencore

Helping small investment clients build wealth

“If you’re looking to invest in real estate, where do you go?” This was the question Paul Poliszot asked some of his small investor clients. He was astonished that they responded by citing a small fraction of companies. “Obviously, there are big firms out there, like Cushman, that service large corporations or big investors on multimillion-dollar purchases. But there was nobody that was really servicing the smaller investor. And I was very surprised that maybe nobody thought the market was big enough,” says Poliszot.

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Opinion: On TRREB’s recent technology announcement

Blockchain is a “peer-to-peer” technology, meaning it’s intended to connect buyers directly with sellers. TRREB might survive the technology sea change by morphing its MLS into a Zillow-like service (Zillow announced it was converting to blockchain in September 2018) but where does that leave Realtors? What will be the Realtor’s role in this peer-to-peer service? Such a service will particularly impact insurance and especially mortgage agents who may find themselves without a purpose at all. Real estate lawyers may well be in a better position to exploit the benefits of blockchain than Realtors.

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A ‘SUITE’ strategy for pricing in a challenging market

Record-low housing inventory, stiff competition, rising prices and COVID-19 have left a disproportionate number of Canadian housing markets in strong seller’s territory, with real estate agents reporting multiple offers driving selling prices well over asking. Those wishing to attract even more attention and competition are doing so by listing properties well below market value.

This practice results in woefully misplaced homebuying hopes, wasted efforts and an artificially inflated list price to sale price ratio. Most importantly, it increases risk to public health and safety due to COVID-19.

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How Montreal’s Faiz Abhuani is helping create affordable housing

Faiz Abhuani, a broker with Royal LePage Heritage in Montreal, has worked in the community sector for years and is putting that experience and a love for real estate to work to affect positive social change. His brainchild, Brique par brique, is a non-profit organization that works with grassroots community organizations to develop housing for low-income tenants. It was formed in 2016, after Abhuani reached out to friends from college about his dream of providing community housing. 

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Avison Young to acquire Montreal-based Devencore

Avison Young has signed an agreement to combine its operations with Devencore’s operations in Montreal, creating one of the largest commercial real estate firms in the region. The combined business will operate under the Avison Young brand. The deal is expected to close at the end of March. The move brings together Devencore’s 70 real estate advisor and broker professionals with Avison Young’s 30 real estate professionals in Montreal, resulting in a 100-person team.

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