L to R: Sacha Brosseau (of Sotheby’s International Realty Canada), Zovig Terzian, Eddy Bittar and Dimitri Rougas (from Scotia Bank, sponsors of the event).
Sotheby’s International Realty Québec opens new office in the West Island
Sotheby’s International Realty has a new office in the West Island of Montreal. The company that moved into Canada in 2005 and has made its mark across the country in the past decade officially inaugurated its latest location in the West Island recently with a glamorous soirée.
Boasting just over 420 real estate agents in four provinces, Sotheby’s International Realty has been serving the West Island since it began operations in Montreal in late 2006. However, the new office, located in a key area of Pointe Claire, gives the company an official presence in the area.
“I’ve always wanted to put a footprint in the West Island,” says Sacha Brosseau, vice president of brokerage for Sotheby’s International Realty Canada. “It took two years to find the right location.”
That “right location” is in the heart of Montreal’s western suburbs, at 620 St. Jean Blvd., Pointe Claire, an area that many West Islanders would consider a locus of commercial activity. “We wanted proximity to highway 40, and we wanted a location that would easily be a 20-minute drive from any spot in the West Island,” he says.
Sotheby’s International Realty Québec has long had six dedicated real estate brokers serving the West Island, albeit from the company’s downtown-Montreal headquarters now located in the Golden Square Mile. They also live in the West Island and are familiar with the communities they work in, says Brosseau, a West Islander himself.
“I do not believe in the concept of ‘build it and they will come.’ People have to get comfortable with the brand first,” he says. “We’ve been transacting strongly in the West Island and have a good track record here.” In fact, the company’s distinctive blue lawn signs have become commonplace in the area.
Brosseau, a Sotheby’s International Realty broker before becoming a member of the company’s executive team, comes from a real estate family. His mother has been in the business for the past 30 years and is a broker with Sotheby’s International Realty Quebec.
The company does not recruit newly minted brokers. “Our brokers have to prove themselves,” Brosseau says. “They have to have a minimum of three years in the business, a strong reputation in their markets and have proven themselves with a track record of success. I don’t want to be the first brokerage agents see after completing their real estate studies. I want to be the brokerage they aspire to work for.”
He says that each Sotheby’s International Realty broker must work full-time. “In some companies, brokers work at other jobs to supplement their income. For our brokers, real estate is never a part-time job. They dedicate themselves to their profession and their clients.”
The company pursues the “quality before quantity” concept, says Brosseau. “We are one national franchise across the country, and as such are able to ensure the quality of the agents and brokers that proudly give out our signature blue card.”
Brosseau says it’s a common misconception in the public mind that Sotheby’s International Realty Québec exclusively lists luxury homes priced at a minimum of $1 million. “In fact, we list houses at all price points as long as the homes are exceptional,” he says.
The company now has enough history in Canada that brokers are seeing subsequent generations of buyers returning for services. “We’ve sold homes to Montrealers whose children are now buying homes through us,” Brosseau says.
The company’s international presence gives it an edge in an increasingly global market, he adds. In addition to having over 845 offices in 63 countries, it has created partnerships with such illustrious organizations as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, the New York Times, Boston Globe, Herald Tribute and, most recently, China-based real estate site Juwai.com.
The new West Island location may be local in Montreal but it opens up vast realms of possibilities to anyone who is in the real estate market. “I’m really proud of this,” says Brosseau.
