Ladies and gentlemen welcome back to another SLG meetup today. I have the absolute pleasure to go live with a good friend and a very successful real estate broker. His name is Steve Bailey and he is the managing partner of the agency. He's based in Ontario, Canada and they are taking over everywhere with over 1.5 billion worth of real estate sold and over 3000 properties sold in his career of over 17 years.
I mean, all I have to say is I want to see and learn what he has done over all these years to achieve such successful career. He has been awarded with the chairman award by becoming the top 5% nationwide and I'm super thrilled to have him here today to tell us all about his techniques and everything that he's done to get to where he is today. So thank you all for being here. I'm super excited about it.
So let me just invite him here. There you go. Morning. Not too much.
I'll roll you. That's it. We have a beautiful day here in Miami. What about you?
You know what? We've been blessed with some incredible weather in Ontario. It is beautiful. It's the season that is in between and we don't usually get.
I mean, but fall is definitely here and people are still a golfing, having fun, doing their thing. So we got some fantastic weather in Ontario. Well, now is the moment to enjoy. It's good.
Do you golf as well? Do you golf? I do. I do.
Yeah. I'm out tomorrow. Actually, I'd love to be out today, but this was definitely more important. Oh, wow.
I appreciate it. After that, you can go and go for a little bit. What are some activities that people use to do? They tend to do over there.
You know what I mean? We're big. I mean, obviously, Ontario, we're I mean, it's vast. We have lots of lots of trails, lots of nature.
So I mean, definitely this province is notorious for its lakes, for its scenery, for its wilderness. So whether you're out on a lake, boating, kayaking, whether you're hiking through Algonquin National Park, whether you're golfing, whether you're water skiing, whatever you need to do, Ontario's got it all. You're touching all the activities I love. You're going to see me sometimes.
I'm getting more and more into trail running and I've seen some of the trails that you have, you know, they're spectacular. So definitely I'll make my way there. And this time of year is perfect for it. Really, really nice.
Well, first of all, over 1.5 million salt worth of real estate, 17 plus years in real estate, you've sold over 3000 properties. I mean, you have such a successful career that all I have to say is congratulations. Thank you very much. Thank you so much.
It's been a whirlwind 17 years. That's for sure. And obviously the agency they've been taking over, not just nationally, but internationally. And the DNA that the company has is so tremendous.
I mean, I'm blessed to have good friendships with the agency. I mean, everybody that is part of that company and community is spectacular. So I don't really, but people like yourself are taking over and helping this brand keep on growing. So how long have you been with the agency?
So just going on three years now, I mean, we're just coming up to our new year mark and just did our grand opening in Ontario. So it's a super exciting time for us with the agency and going that brand throughout Ontario as well. Is that the rule number three of St. Hungary that has a new, so the line of growing?
You know what it is, honestly, I mean, it's a huge core of this company. And it is, I mean, every day you got to stay hungry and look for new opportunities, ideas, look for ways to expand. And for us, I'm myself and Kat. I mean, it's about growing this brand throughout Ontario and helping sort of the Eastern Seaboard grow this brand.
As it started in the West, but we're definitely coming on strong in the East. So what are some of the, we will get more into the real estate aspect of it, but we just talk about staying hungry, right? Like some of that has done so much over the years. You might get a little bit bored or I'm not in already.
How do you stay hungry? You know, I think it comes down to a few key things. I think, you know, every day when you wake up, you've got to have, you've got to have a plan. You've got to have a clear head.
You've got to know what you're up to that day. You know, it doesn't matter whether you call it mindset, whatever you need to do in the morning to do in the morning to do it. You know, whatever you need to do in the morning to reset yourself and get ready for that day, whether you need to go on a hike, whether you need to do a huge hike, whether you need to meditate for a bit. But for me staying hungry is about a routine.
And, you know, if you keep that routine going, I mean, you're right. Some days you're like, you know what, I don't want to do this today. Like screw it. I can't be bothered.
But we all have those days, right? I mean, that's just part of life. But knowing that we're able to now, especially being with the agency, to be able to grow this brand and to be able to promote this brand and do well by opening other locations and stuff and bringing on key people, it does. You wake up motivated.
You really do. And listening to our CEO, Mo or other managing partners across the global network. You realize that it's a special group of people and we're there to support and drive each other and make each other better. So it really starts with the morning.
I think that you're right. You know, you're on your morning. You are on the day. So that's how it works.
And in regards to the marketing, right? Because you are very big a marketing. You have a huge following. Also, the brand itself has great recognition by doing really good marketing.
So is that one of the elements that helps help you maintain that peak performance? Yeah. I think when you talk about marketing and, you know, since I've gone in the business, obviously in the last 17 years, marketing has totally changed, right? We've gone from heavy, heavy, heavy print and newspaper to light on that, but having on the digital side, I mean, like what we're doing today, and you need to be top of mind.
I think you got to look at it like, you know, Pepsi and Coke. The reason they advertise so much is because they want to be top of mind. And the same thing with real estate. There's a lot of real estate agents.
There's lots of people who can do their job. But how do you stay top of mind every day in front of your followers, in front of new people? So we're always trying to push the boundaries of where we want to be, how we're advertising. I mean, we look for sexy and funny cheeky ways to do stuff.
And that's the agency, right? That's the fun part about it. Right? I mean, everyone loves real estate.
That's right. And it is. And I mean, it's our one rule. I mean, it's on the board right next to you right now.
But you know, it is. And I, you know, you also have to have fun doing it, right? You can't be serious all day. There has to be enough of fun and enjoyment and putting your product out there and putting your brand out there, whether you're self marketing or your marketing or your brand at the same time.
But it's tricky to stay on top of it every day. It really is. There's a lot of failures, right? It looks like everything does well and everything is going to blow up.
But the reality is, is there's lots of trial and error in this business. And anyone that's been in it for a long time understands that. So with all these years in real estate, what's been one of your biggest failures? And what do you learn?
You know what I think when times get tough. So when you go through tough times, whether it be personal, whether it be business, it's trying to keep your foot on the accelerator as hard as you can. So I think one of the toughest things is, you know, when we were transitioning to the agency, when I have transition brokerage in the past, it's hard. One of the biggest things is when you do those and when you go through those times, those are the times where you need to push even harder.
And sometimes when you're caught up and stuff, you're caught up in the move or rebranding or trying to do stuff. You really realize that when you look back six months or you look back three months, you go, man, I should have just pushed harder. So I should have just kept going and going and going, but harder. But sometimes you lose a bit of focus, right?
When you're trying to do other things, you take the back burner on stuff. Like when we open offices, when you know, Kat and I go in another office, I've still got to keep my real estate business intact. And some days it's hard to do that. So now you don't push hard enough.
So it is very, very tough sometimes. And there's only something hours in the day. That's true, right? So about delegation, because obviously you're not just selling real estate, you're building a business, you're opening offices, you're recruiting agents.
So what's your day looking like? Like how much does Steve focus on selling real estate versus growing the business? I would say it's day to day. I mean, I'll roll.
Honestly, there's days where I know that I have to be at an office. I've got to talk to three or four of our agents. I've got a lunch to go to. We've got stuff going on, but we are regardless of my real estate business, which obviously, like any real estate business goes like this.
I mean, it's not linear. There's days that are crazy, crazy, busy. And then there's another week where you're slow. But regardless, I mean, real estate side, Kat and I are always everyday looking for growth.
So it may be a conversation you have with an agent, maybe someone that calls in, it may be an opportunity, it may be an area that we didn't know we wanted to expand into. And all of a sudden we find this tremendous people person or group of people that want to do something with us. So my brain is always in that mode of growth. But you've got to be careful, obviously, when you've got clients, when you're dealing with the luxury world in the luxury space, people still want your time.
They want your focus when you've got their property listed or when you're going out there showing them, showing them the luxury properties as well. So it is, there is a juggle. Some days it's 50, 50, some days it's 90, 10. But I think it's more about the whole.
It's about how you're going to spend your week or your month and look at that way. I see that. Now, in regards to branding, right? Because you're very good at it.
You obviously have been doing tremendous work on your personal brand and also on the business side of it by growing the agency's brand and all these different offices that you're expanding towards. So a lot of people, they don't put so much effort on the personal brand. So how important it is, like if you have to choose, would you do both focus more on your personal or work on the business? So when you say business, you're talking about sort of the brokerage side of it.
The brokerage side, like you're your business brand. So I think this is something that's extremely unique with the agency. I mean, I came from another brand and I would always promote myself. It was always Steve Bailey.
It was the Bailey team. It was this. It was that. That's what we always really pushed when we were with people.
The flip side of it now is being with the agency for almost three years. You sort of turn that upside down a bit. And because you've got such a powerful brand on the marketing side and that is really forward thinking first to market with stuff, it's very, very easy now to adapt to my personal brand with the agency and they sort of fit hand in hand versus me just beating my chest all the time talking about me. I can actually talk about how amazing the agency is and what we've got coming.
What is our growth? What we're doing? And I mean, it's a cool brand. So it marries very, very well.
So that's been a big flip for me because I would go in there to be 99% me and then 5% of the brand where now I can honestly say it's probably closer to a 50 50. Right. Our brand is strong, but we do have a strong backing as well now in terms of the actual overall brand. Right.
And I think it's because it's also like melting well with the money. It does. It goes hand in hand. No, absolutely.
You support the brand. The brand supports you. You kind of work together. You got it.
Got you. So tell us about real estate. So the properties that you work on. So what's so useful.
You've got to do that. I think that when you look at on a national scale, if you take the whole US and Canada and you look at Ontario and specifically, let's dial into Toronto proper, which is some of the most expensive real estate, the side of Vancouver. Our province is uniquely different because we have downtown Toronto, which is the most expensive, but then our office in Muscoco, which is basically lifestyle is the rich and famous in the summer. I mean, it is you could do a reality show in Muscoco and the summer with celebrities and everything that come.
And those properties are on another level in terms of design and bringing in like we talked about going on hikes and going on stuff in Ontario. Like that is Ontario. When you talk about beautiful scenery, the three lakes in Muscoco are that is it. That's the pinnacle as far as I'm concerned of how beautiful Ontario is and how you can take super luxury real estate and blend it into a gorgeous landscape.
I mean, you've got a great backdrop to start with. Let's face it. Yeah, exactly. That's the uniqueness.
And then we've also got our Waterloo office is, you know, we've got an average price point in one of the region, just under $1 million. So when you talk about affordability, we've also got that side of it where if you do want to get out of the city out of the core and more of an urban lifestyle, we have it and you can do it and not have to spend an absolute fortune. But there's lots of luxury real estate out in different areas, right? It's not necessarily such a price point, but more of an experience of what you're doing in that marketplace.
So Ontario is just so unique. It's so vast, obviously, and it's got, I firmly believe it's got something for everybody. It depends on what you're looking for. I'm excited.
I'm excited to see the growth in that area because it's beautiful and I love nature. So obviously for those that are, as you said, very keen towards nature and what he has to offer definitely a place to be. But obviously for this type of property, especially the more high end, what's your go to marketing? So we're always trying to, I mean, we're trying to push the envelope obvious with how can we market, how can we set ourselves apart?
And we are on a discussion groups talking to videographers around the nation. What can we do? What's the next thing? How is this going to evolve?
I mean, everyone can put a drone up in the air today. Everyone can do a video. I think it's really how you integrate all of that digital marketing with yourself as the agent, right? So there is agents that do a very, very good job of bringing themselves along with their product.
We've all got agents that we follow that we go, oh, they've got another house coming up. This is going to be really cool. They're going to give me a bit of an intro. I'm going to see some stuff.
What we don't ever want to do is do the same thing over and over again. So we're always looking for different ways to do things. So I say the biggest key to our success is we can go to a $10 million cottage on like Joe Muscoca and we can do this amazing video depending on the style of the property. But then we can also come, let's say, to Waterloo Region, go to a $5 million house here and still push the envelope on the marketing side, but the video is going totally different.
And I think what we're trying to do is tailor all of our efforts to the style and type of property it is instead of just doing a blanket shoot all the time where we do highly the same things over and over again. And that's where I think that's when you talk about luxury, it's an impersonal touch, right? It's being able to tailor your product to the type of product you're going into and also the mind. You just mentioned about luxury.
I'm glad you did because I always ask that question. Like luxury, it's so different for everybody, right? What is it? Luxury for us is, I mean, let's go back to, you know, it's about tailoring a product and a service through all price points as far as I'm concerned.
So, you know, we don't have $45 million mansions overlooking, you know, the Pacific Ocean, like they do in Malibu. Like we don't have it. We don't have that real estate. We don't have a $10 million cottage or $18 million cottage in Muscoca that is stunning.
We've got a 100 acre parcel down in Waterloo region here that may only be $4.5 million, but it's got this beautiful home on it. So we're always trying to tailor the brand and what we do so we can frame luxury at any price point. Right? I've seen I see stunning properties.
They're a million dollars every week that people are just have done such an incredible and amazing job and they pour their heart and soul into them that they are a luxury property in that price point. Right? We, you can go to downtown Toronto and you can get a condo in downtown Toronto for a million five that would look incredible, but you can also go for a million five that doesn't look very good. So, luxury to me is look at your price point, look at your where your mediums are, your averages are in your marketplace and tailor your product to meet that luxury group.
And everything is different. Every luxury and every price point is very, very different, but it's a service. I agree. The service.
You're right. No, that's good. That's good. You know, we hear so many different answers to it.
I was curious to hear from you and it makes that all sense. Now, in regards to big takeaways, you know, obviously you've learned a lot in all these 17 years plus in real estate. What's been something that you will say, wow, this is something that definitely has helped me. I think understanding in this business that it is not all roses, like, you know, the pandemics been great for real estate.
Let's face it. People have made tremendous wealth during the pandemic. But unfortunately, that's over now. We're not there anymore.
We're on the backside of a roller coaster and as much as everyone's freaking out, it's opportunity. And I think during the 17 years I've been in it, whether it was an away on nine crash in the States that caused the market to implode. Remember, the market comes back. So in every market in every, in every market that changes like we're in now rates are, you know, close to 7% in the States and now we're getting close to 6% in Canada.
It is it's the people that are going to dig deep and go back to basics and really look at what they've learned over whether you've been in the business for five years, 10 years, 17 years, 30 years, you always want to look back on what you've done through hard times. Are we pushing or advertising? Are we doing the right things? If the market slow, the people that really take advantage of that marketplace for opportunities, whether it be opportunities for your buyers and sellers or opportunity to further your brand, whether it be your personal brand or your business or together and really push hard, right?
Do not take your foot off the accelerator in times like this. There's no time here to relax and say, well, you know, we're going to come through this in three, four months in a year. It doesn't matter. There is money to be made for buyers, sellers, agents in any market and markets like this, the strong do survive on a strong push forward harder than those that are just going to sit back and look back at the last two years ago.
Yeah, I mean, it should go to money in those two years, but wow, now things are changed. You've got to really dig deep and back to basics, right? You've got to really get back to your core focus and get back to a major successful in the times that worked incredible. Hey, I feel pumped.
Let's go. I just told you, you know, whenever I feel like I know what's going on now, but that's true. I think it goes back down to the same thing that we talked about at the beginning, staying hungry, right? So people need to make sure that that hunger remains active because otherwise the moment that you sit, like you could not log your gas on the accelerator, you're done.
Because there's going to be a lot of competition that is going to be ready and prepare for whatever next stage is going to be a real estate. So for you, you said it right. It's about staying hungry. It's about continuously working and taking those opportunities because the market doesn't matter what happens.
There's always going to be buyers and sellers. So just need to position yourself for that. That's wonderful Steve. So that was really nice.
Thank you. I appreciate it. Now you can go. You know what I might this afternoon.
You know what it's like. I said, I hope everything is obviously you're talking about Miami, but I mean the rest of Florida, let's face it. We've been just been absolutely devastated on the Gulf Coast. And we do have a managing partner and global partner that has an office in Naples.
And I mean their office has been devastated. So it's great that certain areas, we have a home in Sarasota, Sarasota was spared, but the rebuild process and what they're going through on the south side of the Gulf is just incredible right now. So let's hope they can get back to business and you talk about opportunities. We talk about real estate, even though the biggest one of the biggest disasters hit Florida, they're going to come out of this amazing.
They're going to be stronger. They're going to pivot. They're going to turn and they're going to refocus and it'll be a good success story for a lot of people that are able to take advantage that marketplace. So it's all about how you reframe your mindset and obviously we're here as a community to help each other and talk about the right mindset right there.
So we're here to help. And obviously I appreciate your time. That was a very nice conversation and great points. So for those watching either now or later, I appreciate it also as well.
And make sure to follow Steve, follow my daily. And you know, be sure you best of luck Steve. Thanks, Alvaro. Thank you so much.
Have a great day. Take care. You as well. Bye bye.
And thanks again for everybody tuning in today. We hope you enjoyed it. And remember, embrace it's beautiful success in life. My name is Alvaro and I'll see you next time.