After two decades of working in corporate sales in Toronto, I moved to Muskoka with my family for a change of scenery and pace. Leaving behind the corporate world, I took a few years off to be with my daughter and fully enjoyed my new lifestyle amidst the stunning parks and lakes that our new environment offered. Eventually, I decided to re-enter the workforce and, knowing that I was built for sales, got my real estate license and dove into the world of cottage country real estate.
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Building Clientele and Strategies for Success
I was like a dog with a bone when I first started: very focused and determined. Fortunately, I had a lot of carry-over skills from my previous career that I could leverage, such as time management and self-discipline, but still, it was a new industry with its own set of challenges and opportunities. I began using a multifaceted approach to build clientele by creating valuable social media posts, using Google marketing, printing flyers, and talking with my circle of influence. I’d even make an effort to talk to everyone in the neighbourhood while walking my dog.
- Read: For Agents, By Agents: How to Leverage AI and ChatGPT to Build a Successful Real Estate Business
I learned the importance of nurturing relationships early on and I now make a plan to call 20-25 people a day. Those aren’t just random numbers; they represent prospective buyers and contacts I’m actively engaging with, offering updates on new properties and maintaining our connection. This is part of my belief that in real estate, your brand is yourself, and you need to actively promote yourself and the value that you offer as an individual.
A Breakdown of Cottage Country Real Estate
There are different kinds of buyers here than in some other markets. There’s the local market, the waterfront market – which can range from small to luxury purchases – and then the cash-buyer market. There’s still a high demand for waterfront properties, but there are some people who maybe weren’t prepared for what it takes to have an Airbnb or investment property and now want to sell and are having a hard time letting go at today’s market value so that can be challenging.
The waterfront market requires a bit more due diligence as an agent because there are so many things to consider. Take, for instance, the allure of a waterfront property—it may seem idyllic until you discover a dam blocking access from your boat to the lake. Dealing with waterfront real estate means grappling with issues like shore allowance ownership and properties accessible only by road allowances, not to mention the unique topography and amenities. Without local knowledge, many of these aspects could easily be overlooked or just completely unknown.
My Advice for New Agents in Cottage Country: Invest in Yourself
My biggest question when I started was “What do I do first?” so I hired a coach and they helped me prioritize what I needed to do to get my business up and running. If someone is brand new to sales and to real estate, I think it’s really helpful to be part of ongoing training so that you can get suggestions on how to move forward. You want to make sure you’re spending time in the right areas.
Cottage country is essentially the same as any other real estate market: if you want to be successful you have to be dedicated to it. Even though cottage country is smaller, there’s still competition here in terms of agents, and I’m able to be in the top percentage of agents because I’ve put a lot of energy into it. It didn’t just happen overnight and you need a real skill set for it.
People don’t realize that working in real estate is not just about sales, you also have to have a legal mindset, you have to be personable and communicative, and you’ve got to be good at rolling with the punches. A good real estate agent has a lot of skills and continually self-evaluates to improve whatever is lacking. The most successful people here have a growth mindset and will always look for ways to improve themselves.
