Today, the word feels less like a badge of honour and more like a brand you’d whisper about at a cocktail party before someone asks, “Oh, are you one of those?”

A shared word with split reputations

Canada’s real estate professionals use the word Realtor by permission. It is not ours. The trademark is co-owned by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in the United States. CREA’s financial statements show no money changing hands through their joint company, Realtor Canada Inc., but the symbolic connection is undeniable.

And lately, that connection has been a problem.

Over the past two years, NAR has been mired in scandal, not the petty variety, but the kind that burns trust to the ground. Multiple U.S. class-action lawsuits have accused NAR of price-fixing and collusion around commission structures, culminating in a massive settlement that could reshape how real estate is practiced across America. 

While those legal battles play out, an even darker story has emerged: the sexual harassment and workplace abuse scandal that forced NAR president Kenny Parcell to resign in 2023.

When leadership fails

The New York Times investigation that broke the story read like something out of a corporate horror novel. Former employees described a culture of fear and silence, where senior executives faced repeated accusations of harassment and retaliation. Parcell allegedly sent explicit messages to subordinates, made unwanted advances, and fostered what insiders called a “boys’-club environment.” NAR apologized, launched internal reviews, and promised reform. But the damage was done. The organization built to uphold ethics could not even uphold its own.

For Canadian agents watching from across the border, the embarrassment is hard to ignore. The public does not parse the difference between CREA and NAR. To most consumers, a Realtor is a Realtor. When NAR sinks, the whole fleet lists with it.

When allies walk away

Redfin’s decision to cut ties with NAR in 2023 was a turning point. CEO Glenn Kelman had tried for years to reform the organization from within, pushing for transparency and modernization. Instead, he was met with resistance, outdated commission policies, and, as he said, “a pattern of alleged sexual harassment that betrayed the ideals the association was founded on.”

So Redfin left. Not quietly, not diplomatically, but with a statement that echoed across the industry: “Enough is enough.”

It was not just about money or antitrust risk. It was about integrity. If one of the largest, most visible brokerages in America could no longer stomach the association, what does that say about the health of the brand itself?

Control without independence is not freedom

Here in Canada, CREA controls the trademark rights to the word Realtor, but not the narrative. We carry a name that is not truly ours, tied to an organization in another country that keeps proving it cannot manage its own moral compass.

We do not pay dues to NAR, but we pay something harder to measure — reputational cost. Every time another headline breaks, Canadian agents brace for the fallout. Conversations with clients shift from home values to ethics. The word that once distinguished us now puts us on the defensive.

Who am I to say so?

I am a new agent. My licence cuts me if I turn around too fast. I have not worn off the corners or creased it into the soft parchment that comes with a dozen years in the field. I came into this industry through being an assistant in the aughts, then a real estate photographer in this decade. Three generations of my family have worked in real estate. My grandfather was a bit of a shark in the Lower Mainland, back when women did not do this job.

I debated getting my licence for a long time because, to be honest, this profession has baggage. Maybe it was getting licensed through the NAR lawsuit era, or maybe it was the public perception of what we do, but it gave me pause. 

I’m passionate about finding people homes, but I’m not passionate about the wince that sometimes comes with the word Realtor. You will not find Realtor in my branding, and I do not use it with clients. That is my choice. I am not asking every agent to redo their signs and billboards — that expense in this market!? But what I want to do is plant a seed.

It is time to build our own brand

The easy answer is to say “it is just a word.” But language matters. Words carry reputation, and reputation builds trust or erodes it. When the word Realtor drags behind it lawsuits, harassment scandals, and tone-deaf apologies, maybe it is time to ask if we still need it. The word Realtor ties us to NAR’s shenanigans, and if 2025 has taught us anything, it is that a strong Canadian identity is important.

Imagine rebranding the profession under a distinctly Canadian identity — one that does not require shared custody with an organization still trying to find its moral footing. A name that signals independence, modern ethics, and national pride. Something that says, “We represent our clients and our communities, not another country’s baggage.”

The word Realtor once stood for something bigger. But words can lose their meaning. Maybe the most professional thing we can do now is outgrow it.

After all, integrity is not trademarked. And maybe, finally, it’s time Canadians stopped renting their professional identity from the United States of America.

Lauren Towers

Lauren has lived in Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Mexico, Belize and Thailand—an eclectic résumé that includes time as a frustrated architectural photographer and a business English educator (really… the intellectual equivalent of a ski instructor). Now based in the South Okanagan, she channels her lifelong curiosity and eye for design into real estate, helping clients see the beauty and potential in every property. She loves alternative forms of housing, and even more, helping people with furry friends find the perfect place. Equal parts pragmatist and dreamer, she believes that finding the right home isn’t just a transaction—it’s an act of translation between space and soul.

The post OPINION: Does the word ‘Realtor’ still belong in Canada? appeared first on REM.

Connie Adair

Connie Adair is a contributing writer for REM.

The post How Realtors can leverage media coverage to build their brand appeared first on REM.

Web of Words

Web of Words is an award-winning creative marketing agency passionate about helping entrepreneurs use their voices, share their stories and grow their businesses. Specializing in copywriting, web design, branding and social media marketing, they’ve helped hundreds of small businesses expand their impact online and off. Find out more at webofwords.ca.

The post Brand yourself like a pro and achieve sustainable success as a real estate agent appeared first on REM.

Business-to-business advertising is targeted at the decision-makers of companies that buy real property for their operations. These people may hold positions as land planners, investment co-ordinators or leasehold managers. Advertising targeted at professionals, such as lawyers and accountants, can be used to build a referral network or engage your services for their practice. Trade advertising is targeted at builders, renovators or a peer referral network, to name a few examples. Consumer advertising generates leads and, hopefully, sales.

A sales promotion is a specific campaign to increase sales of a product. Sales promotions are designed to stimulate immediate sales, such as a sale at a local store or coupons. The strategy is to create an incentive that provides extra value to the prospect and compels them to act now.

Consumer sales promotions entice the public to buy or sell a home in the near term, especially if they haven’t decided yet on whether to move. Premiums and contests can provide some people with an incentive to act. Trade sales promotions are helpful to connect or reconnect with marketing influencers who can promote your business. Home and garden trade shows and referral commission bumps fit into this niche.

Public relations is a systematic campaign to distribute information through the media. Some examples are blogging, participation in the community and volunteering. Distinctive activities can be submitted to local media to bring attention to a cause célèbre or other major accomplishment. Publicity through media outlets reinforces the promotional message because it is coming from a reputable source.

Direct marketing communicates directly with your potential clients through telemarketing, direct mail and response ads on Facebook or Google. An online ad combined with a sales promotion incentive can be a wonderful starting point for generating leads. Experienced sales representatives can use their past contact list for direct marketing by email or text messaging.

In a slow market, a single sale from your list can make a world of difference. New agents can build lists through a promotion campaign designed to meet and greet people.

Internet promotion is the de facto standard for advertising. Some sales representatives are energized by the medium and some are terrified. Most agents get by with the help of a friendly website company or a tech-savvy family member. The DIYers drive change, which can be seen in the popularity of WordPress, Wix and Squarespace for real estate sites. The most successful sites try to have a conversation with their audience and their interests.

And finally, personal selling is just that. It’s sitting at the kitchen table or meeting in the office to discuss the pros and cons of trading real property. Live interaction with a prospect gives the agent an opportunity to customize the sales presentation. This component stems from the promotional plan and conversations should evolve from it. If your advertising is targeted at certain buyers, the personal sales presentation should centre on your knowledge of their issues.

TRES Labs

RealtyWebsites.ca is owned and operated by TRES Labs. We are dedicated to serving the real estate industry with innovative programming and website content. Through licensee training, research and customer feedback we have learned the Canadian real estate eco-system from the inside. By understanding the business this way we can innovate, which makes our products better, and that’s good for everyone.

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Nino Monaco, founder and creative director of Aooga Designs says, “The definition of brand identity pertains to the visual elements of a brand. I would suggest that image is a close cousin and to that end your voice and therefore interactions with your audience needs to be consistent with your brand. You do not want to build a brand identity which speaks one way about you and your business while your interactions with the real world are not consistent with that voice.”

Nino Monaco

Brand identity tells the audience the who, the what, the how and why. It should be the aim of any business to demonstrate that they are not just one voice of many but an authority in their chosen field.

There are more real estate agents out there than ever before. Thus, having a strong brand identity is even more important than ever. Developing a strong brand takes a carefully plotted out strategy and is not just some happy accident.

“Ultimately your consistent approach to your web and social media presence will garner an increase in credibility, audience growth and conversions. It is crucial to start as you mean to go on,” Monaco says.

A few common mistakes that businesses make with their brand identity:

• They “Frankenstein” their identity together with no understanding of how damaging such an approach is. “The idea of putting a Band-Aid on your brand identity is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreo cookies,” Monaco says.
• Businesses view their brand as a pretty design using personal favourite colours, rather than as what the images and words say to its audience, coupled with motivators to act. Congruency is key.
• They have not taken a client journey, nor have they done full audits of one or more competitors. This process is key, and not to be overlooked in the distilling of your brand voice.

Every business needs to understand who their audience is and what motivates them. They need to understand that conversions come when a strategy is put into place founded in building awareness, interest and desire.

“In caring and nurturing for my clients I have found that listening and having genuine empathy have propelled my working relationships forward. These are not mere projects but lifelong journeys which people have taken. It is very personal to them and when they allow you to be part of that journey, they have trusted you and this is a gift on many levels. Educating anyone without the trust component can come off as a mere lecture, or a hard sell,” Monaco says.

Nicole Attias

Nicole Attias is the owner of Prospect2Win. Prospect2Win is a sales-based company in Canada that is dedicated to helping businesses get in the door through cold calling and presentation training. Nicole facilitates workshops and webinars for real estate agents and various real estate boards. Contact – nicole@prospect2win.com

Stay tuned for my upcoming eBook, “Transform your sales approach – More than just a cold call.”

www.prospect2win.com/

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At its core, marketing hasn’t changed in thousands of years. If you have a business or service you want to promote, you need to find a place where people are congregating and project your message there where (hopefully) someone will hear you and be convinced that your service is right for them. What has changed over time is the medium. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, to name the big players, all have large communities that Realtors would benefit from spending some time in to spread their message. This message is, “you can trust me with your real estate transaction.” How you get that message heard is through developing a strong brand.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, a brand is a public image, reputation or identity conceived of as something to be marketed or promoted. For Realtors, that brand is you.

Pre-social media, a Realtor needed to have a few pieces of marketing material for a brand: a logo, some printed materials and the rest they would be able to portray through in-person communication. How they spoke on the phone, how they conducted themselves in an initial consult, how they dressed, their personality, all supported their brand identity and their positioning.

Social media provided the opportunity to publicly portray this brand identity for all to see. Early adopters have most likely had a much easier time since the pandemic started. Those who did not use social media over the past few years most likely had a much harder time over the pandemic as they faced a much steeper learning curve.

What would you say if a prospect told you they didn’t need a Realtor to list their house because “the market is so strong right now”? You would undoubtedly feel that there would be a missed opportunity for that prospect. Their lack of skills and expertise would result in a house sale but also could leave thousands of dollars on the table. There is no way that the DIY approach to real estate sales can be compared to one of a seasoned Realtor.

The same goes for Realtors that attempt to do all their digital branding and advertising alone. It can be done, but is it the most optimal way? What opportunities are being missed? Those who have decided to hire skilled digital marketers will sprint ahead while those who have not will struggle to keep up.

The speed at which Facebook/Instagram has evolved over the past five years can make one’s head spin and there are no signs of it slowing down. This evolution has added many great features (Reels, Lives, Stories, Guides) but it has also made it a more complex platform to navigate. Add on top of that Facebook Business Manager and its advertising rules and it’s no wonder many Realtors feel a little overwhelmed. Although it may seem impossible to just start diving in now or at least taking it more seriously, it is not impossible and the catch up can be quick with the adherence to a few guidelines.

1. Be honest with yourself

If design isn’t your area of expertise and you are more of a numbers person, hire someone who can help you with designing your brand appearance for social media. Branded templates and stories are now par for the course for any business posting on social and it’s best not to DIY something as important as your first impression if you know it’s not your strong suit. On the flip side, if you do have a good understanding of the look you are going for and how you want to be seen on social media but your attempts at launching a Facebook ad have resulted in it being rejected by Facebook, then it’s best to pursue the areas that naturally interest you and hire someone with proven skills in Facebook advertising.

Another good question to ask yourself is whether social media is something you want to learn more about and get involved with. The vast majority of us use it, but do you want to train to get better at it? And will you commit yourself to learn about it every month (because that’s how often things change)? If that’s something that you see yourself enjoying, there’s a world of helpful tutorials, podcasts and social media courses that will whip you into shape within a matter of weeks if you are committed. If that’s not the case, hiring a professional agency or a freelancer is probably going to save you a lot of stress and get you in a much better place.

2. Understand your brand positioning

A brand can create and stand for loyalty, trust and/or luxury, depending on how the brand is marketed, advertised and promoted. Defining your brand is like a journey of self-discovery. It can be difficult, time-consuming and uncomfortable. It requires, at the very least, that you answer the following questions to help determine your position:

• What are the benefits and features of your services?
• What do your customers and prospects already think of you?
• What qualities do you want them to associate with you?

What you post on social media needs to support your brand position which will, in turn, create the trust that will convince someone that they need your help with their real estate transaction.

3. Develop a brand strategy

This may sound complicated but it’s not with the right planning process in place. Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating your messages.

For example:

• How many times do you want to post on social media weekly?
• Where will you be posting (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or all of the above)?
• To whom? First-time buyers, young families, people downsizing or a bit of everything?
• What will you post? Testimonials, listings, real estate news, statistic, tips?

Creating a place where you can collect and organize this information such as a social media planning tool is highly recommended. There are many online tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer, Zoho, Planoly and Sprout Social that will help you organize, plan and post. Design tools such as Canva can support the creation of branded materials and are generally user friendly.

4. Advertising is a must

If you have managed to create a great-looking brand and you are consistently posting but you are still struggling to see any sort of meaningful interaction on your page, it may be because there is an important piece missing: ads. All social media platforms are businesses and they want you to pay to play. They do that by suppressing content from business pages (they say it’s so that their users aren’t spammed) but will help you show your content if you pay for it.

Don’t let this discourage you. The great thing about social media ads is that they come with much better data than any advertising of the past.

Think of the mail-outs Realtors have commonly relied on; how many of those went straight into the garbage? You will never know. Social advertising is superior because you can see link clicks, opens, engagements, reach and impressions. These all give you valuable insights into how people are perceiving your brand and how you can improve it. This is the area that most Realtors should hire someone to take care of. Advertising requires skill and experience to understand and adjust according to the analytics. If this is something that really interests you, go for it, but take a course or you will be frustrated with the experience and with the lack of help from Facebook.

5. Consistency is key

When it comes to brand building, you can never stop working on it. You can’t take a month off and expect that it won’t have a negative impact. Just like a workout, if you want to see results, you need to stick with it. If you plan on doing live videos, create a plan for a year, not just once or twice. Consistency is what will create brand “stickiness,” the memory that needs to form in order for people to associate your brand with a feeling or impression that lasts in their mind.

6. Rome wasn’t built in a day

Because of the speed at which Facebook happened and the many changes it has gone through in a short amount of time, there is often an impression that results happen quickly over social media. They don’t. Particularly for Realtors. Real estate transactions can sometimes take years to occur. Trust takes years to foster as does loyalty. There is much that needs to go in to nurture relationships that develop over social media. Often, Facebook and Instagram followers need to first be transferred into an email database (through lead generation ads) and then an email marketing plan needs to nurture these leads even further with regular contact.

Think of social media as a bustling marketplace. You can’t just walk up to someone you’ve hardly met and say, “Let me sell your house, I’m the best.” You need to strike up a conversation more than once and invite them for coffee (possibly more than once).

Social media is no different. Your brand needs to be experienced in several ways; softly at first with your regular posts, adding some insightful information (blogs are great for this), introducing yourself (video content works great) and getting them to like you with your personality. Then you ask for their number, which in this day and age is their email.

Realtors today have many great tools and mediums at their disposal to help build their brand and convince a prospect that they are the best option for them. Taking full advantage of these tools does require quite a bit of learning and in many areas, added skills. I may be biased but I do know that the work we put into marketing our Realtors demands that we constantly learn and train ourselves on new features that can be used to market brands online. We put in a lot of time to do this every day and I struggle to see how any Realtor can do this alone. My advice for any Realtor wanting to build or improve their digital brand is to not just learn a bit about the mediums that are available to them but to also hire someone with the expertise in areas that you may fall short. I wouldn’t know how to list a house, that’s what a Realtor is for. When it comes to digital marketing, hire a digital marketer because that’s what they are for.

Tatiana Rivers

Tatiana Rivers is the director of brand and client strategy at SocialEyes Communications, a digital marketing and business development agency in Toronto. Tatiana works closely with clients to develop their brand strategy, brand positioning and strategic execution.

socialeyescommunications.com/

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To be clear, your brand is not your logo, or your name or your tagline. Those things represent your brand on the surface. But your brand is something much more profound. It’s the feeling that people have about you, what you represent and why you are different.

Your personal brand statement should clearly articulate who you are, what you stand for and why you’re the best choice as a professional highly skilled agent.

For example: “Hi, I’m Ted. Over the past 14 years, I’ve completed over 1,000 successful real estate transactions, one at a time, with care and concern to create the best possible result for each individual client. That’s why I’m proud to say that almost all my business comes from repeats and referrals.”

My personal brand statement is designed to appeal to every different communication style.

Those who are analytical like the data about the number of transactions and years of service. “Drivers” like that I’m direct and straight to the point. “Expressives” and “amiables” both like how I talk about caring for my clients.

There’s also a subtle message behind mentioning that “almost all my business comes from repeats and referrals.” It makes everyone think to themselves, “He must be great, or how could that be true?”

That’s the subtle art of marketing – getting people to draw their own conclusion from a few simple words.

My brand statement is only 50 words, but it’s a powerful 50 words.

What about you? Are you able to clearly articulate why you’re the best choice as a professional real estate agent?

This is not about inventing boring taglines that mean nothing, such as “Call me for honesty, integrity and the best customer service!”

If you’re building your brand around over-used cliches, your brand is weak. Sorry if that stung a bit!

If you want a powerful brand, first learn how to actually be a better agent, and then be able to articulate why.

Ted Greenhough

After Ted Greenhough’s first year as a Realtor, he earned between $590,000-$865,000 every year for 12 consecutive years, all as an individual agent, without ever once making a cold call, reciting a canned script or doing any other “salesy” stuff. Now he runs Agent Skills, an online learning program for agents across North America.

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Why is branding necessary? Understand that your competitors aren’t sleeping either; they’ve seen what the market needs and have come up with creative ways to use it to their advantage. The best names support business success while the worst names help you fail!

Getting a name for your business isn’t the end of setting up your business; neither should it be done in isolation. So take the next step and build your brand.

To succeed in naming your real estate company you need to have a firm understanding of what works, what doesn’t and what you should steer clear of. For one, the brand name you choose for your company must be unique because if it isn’t you might risk confusing potential customers, and that’s bad for business.

Make sure it:

• Has an online presence. This will be in the form of an available (.com) domain and social media handles.
• Can be spelled and pronounced easily. No tongue-twister-business-name allowed. Don’t hurt your advertisement potential.
• Ensure it communicates the right emotions with your customers.
• And like singer Jon Bellion said: Just keep it simple and sweet.

If things get complicated, whether it’s with naming your business or branding in general, then the next thing to do would be to get help from trusted real estate business name generators, or brand experts. Because, just like you guessed, the competition is strong and demands that you respond quickly and accurately.

Then, test! Test! Test! The goal here is accuracy. You need to be certain that every decision you’ve made along the way would yield the kind of result you want. So test everything. Begin with your brand’s name, logo, tone and value. Understand what your customers think. Do they like it? Just by hearing its name, what do they expect from your brand? What areas do they think you should improve?

Getting feedback might be what saves you from making a disastrous mistake that could put your business at risk.

The success of your real estate venture hinges on its name, and the best way to secure this success is to make sure that your ideal name doesn’t violate any trademark law. Save your business from the stress of battling with damaging court orders.

Grant Polachek

Grant Polachek is the head of branding at Inc 500 company Squadhelp.com, the world’s #1 naming platform, with 25,000+ customers from early-stage start-ups across the globe to the largest corporations including Nestle, Philips, Hilton, Pepsi, and AutoNation.

The post What’s in a name? It’s the key to your brand appeared first on REM.

Many factors play a role in effective ads, but today we are going to talk specifically about creating effective audiences. Your audience is one of the most important elements of a successful lead generation strategy. Your ads may be beautifully designed and perfectly written, but if you are targeting the wrong audience, you will not see an adequate return on investment.

Here are four audiences you may want to start building:

Website page visitors:

By installing the Facebook pixel on your website, you will be able to target website visitors via Facebook/Instagram ads. Why is this important? People who have previously visited your website likely already know about you and/or are interested in your services and are therefore a warmer audience. For example, for a listing on your website, you can target people who have visited that specific page with further ads about that specific listing on social media. You can also target people who have visited your listings page with more of your listings in future.

Lookalike audiences:

A lookalike audience is a brilliant way to reach new individuals who are most similar to your best and warmest audience. When we create lookalike audiences, we are creating a custom audience that best mimics another audience. For example, if we create a lookalike audience of website visitors, we are then going to be targeting people who match the profile of those who have visited your website. The audience that your lookalike audience is going to be based off is your source audience. It holds the data that your lookalike audience will try to best mimic. Source audiences include:

• Client information – Your newsletter database (you can upload your database as an audience and then create a lookalike audience of your database).
• Website visitors – People who visit your website can be targeted via ads, but they are also a great source audience for a lookalike audience.
• Form submitters – Running a lead gen ad already? You can create a lookalike audience of people who have already previously submitted a form.
• Engagers – Your engaged audience are people who like, comment, share and are consuming your content on your page. You can create a lookalike audience of people who best match the audience that regularly engage with your content.

Lookalike audiences are extremely effective in target marketing, bringing down the cost per click and cost per action.

Interest-based:

Usually used for cold audiences and for those who are “brand unaware”, using interest-based audiences is a great technique to reach an untapped market and introduce yourself to those who may not know you or what you do, by targeting them based on their interests. The idea is to target people who are interested in services that you offer, or products (homes) that you are selling.

Some relevant interests may include:

• New home
• Residential home
• First-time home buyer
• Home building
• For sale by owner
• Real estate investing
• Real property
• Detached home
• Design and style
• Design inspiration

Facebook and Instagram will show your ads to people who are behaving in ways that express an interest in specific themes or topics that are relevant to you and your business.

Demographics:

Demographic targeting is used to reach an audience based on their age, geographic area, gender, parental status and marital status. This will help weed out people who are irrelevant to your offerings. For example, if you have a listing in Toronto, it may be a good strategy to target people within a specific age range and that live within a specific neighbourhood. If you are an area specialist, it may in fact be a great idea to target market that area based on geo-targeting (mass exposure in a neighbourhood – much like a bus stop ad or billboard, but instead it is delivered online!).

Ad strategy is extremely effective today, if done right. Spend some time building your audiences to ensure that you are being seen by the right people, which will lead to lower cost per clicks, and cost per conversions.

Marly Broudie

Marly Broudie is the founder and CEO of SocialEyes Communications, a digital marketing firm based in Toronto. She works with several top-producing agents helping them with their digital marketing – everything from their brand, to social presence, data base building and lead gen.

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