As seen in Toronto Storeys
With 27 years in the industry, Robin Pope has seen it all — down markets, up markets and everything in between.
Pope was the No. 1 producing realtor at Brad J. Lamb Realty for a decade and then eventually went out on his own. As owner and Broker of Record at Pope Real Estate Limited, Brokerage, he says he makes sure to put his clients’ interests ahead of his own, even when it means talking them out of a sale that he would otherwise profit from.
In this interview he details how his positive outlook got him through Toronto’s downtrodden real estate market in the early ’90s, why real estate will never stop being a people business and why you probably need to buy now if you ever hope to afford property in Toronto.
How did you first get started in real estate?
I started when I was 23 back in 1990 when the market tanked and we were in a recession. People were upside down and property values had fallen by 50 per cent. There were people who’d lost the equity in their home. It wasn’t a really great time to be in real estate.
What attracted you to the industry?
Prior to getting into real estate, I considered going back to school for architecture, so I guess I was just interested in housing and real estate already. I kind of fell into it. I met someone and she was about my age. At the time I was living in Oakville, where I started my career, and she had just moved from London, Ontario. She suggested that I get my license and we work together as a team. The market was really hot at the time, so then I got my license, but then the market tanked and at the same time, she decided she didn’t want to be in real estate anymore. I was like, ‘Oh well, I guess I’ll do it on my own.’
I like the independence of running your own business and dealing with people. I like the challenge of helping people find a property or sell something. I like a challenge so at the end of the day, my skillset really lends itself to being a realtor…
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Originally published in Toronto Storeys on