The snow is falling, the kids (or grand-kids) are excited for the holidays, and it's a time for all of us to reflect. We begin to look back on the year behind us and we recognize our achievements, we celebrate our successes, and we cherish the memories of the good times and reflect on those not so good. The challenges in our lives are what eventually help us to grow stronger and wiser. We must then look forward, and make decisions about what we want to stay the same, and what we want to change.

Change… The very sound of the word can be daunting to many of us. But why is that so? What is it about change that we fear?

To explore this, we thought we might share some stories with you about some of the changes we've been going through as a company, as a team... and the challenges we've faced in trying to manage those changes.

2017 was a year full of changes for Team Broady.

·We added 2 new members to our sales team

·We implemented better operational protocols to improve service

·We invested in and adopted some new technology.

·We also had to adapt to a

Not to mention, we run a team made up of very different personalities, each at very different stages of their lives. Managing these changes alone are challenging enough!

Libby, the team matriarch and founder, is a very active senior who is slowly transitioning into semi-retirement so that she can take more time to work on her golf swing, ski the slopes, play bridge and travel with friends. She enjoys fitness classes at her local gym and spending time with her 4 adult children and 7 grandchildren. She thoroughly enjoys working with her age group and all of her past clients and friends, and is consistently sought out by a growing number of clients who rely on her unique skill-set and experience working with seniors.

Sean recently celebrated his 17th year in the business. He had his busiest year to date but still managed to trek through Iceland for a week to raise funds for the West Island Woman’s Shelter (along with his fiancée Kim and brother Mark) and has carved out a bit of niche for himself working with a variety of clients looking to acquire properties for new construction or renovation as well as beginning a new working relationship Kim.

Kim, joined the team in mid-2016 and has become a great compliment to Sean’s skill set. Kim also enjoyed a very successful year with us and has developed a strong client base working with both buyers, sellers and her recent niche in selling multi-unit revenue properties.

Catherine recently celebrated her 10th year in the business. She also had one of her busiest years in real estate and on top of that she also gave birth to her first child in May!! Her husband Nick Pedriks, an experienced real estate broker who has worked in our office for many years has been covering for her while she's been off on maternity leave. He’s done a wonderful job of learning the unique dynamics of working within the Broady Team and taking great care of our valued clients. Catherine is now easing back into work as her phone never seems to stop ringing with clients looking for her to help them with their real estate needs.

Mark never seems to have time to take a breath unless he happens to be at his daily yoga class. With 3 young kids at home between the ages of 4 and 9 and a thriving business to attend to with his assistant and team-mate Desiree, he seems to accomplish a mind-boggling amount on both the business and family fronts. Mark makes natural connections with other young families like his as he truly understands what you're all going through!

Our newest team member, Desiree, has been a welcome addition to the group, bringing with her a wealth of experience and technical know-how form her past career at Apple, She’s had amazing success working in the downtown condo market where she currently lives, and not surprisingly finds a strong affinity with the Millennial crowd.

Now… in an effort to accommodate all these constant changes and differing lifestyles, we have found success in organizing the business in a way that allows everyone to play to their strengths. Listing specialists, buyer specialists, marketing managers, professional photographers, graphic designers, a dedicated administrative team and technology experts, have all come to together as a dynamic unit to make sure that providing a superior client experience remains at the forefront of our company’s culture.

Our commitment to our clients means that we need to be able to offer them the latest and greatest tools at our disposal, especially if it means it well help us to market their home more effectively, attract the right kind of buyer, or help them to find the home of their dreams.

That is why we invest. We invest in new training for our team on an ongoing basis, we

·The West Island Women’s Shelter and the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation

·The Alzheimer Society of Montreal (A Night to Remember)

·Proud sponsors of local pools within the Association of Lakeshore Pools (ALPS)

Our passion lies in finding creative ways to manage change that won't disrupt our core values and the real meaning behind our work - which is to deliver an amazing experience to our clients and help make our community a better place to live.

As important as these changes are, and as much as we like to stay "cutting edge"... we understand that our business, our community, and our role in it - will never be all about “tech”. This a business built on relationships.

Relationships are not easy to build. You can't do it with click-funnels or V-R goggles. You can't do it with an i-Phone app or an Instagram page. Relationships are built on trust. They're built on accountability and a proven track record. They're built on reputation and reliability. They're built seizing every opportunity to go above and beyond. No technology can replace that.

So as much effort that we put into researching and training ourselves on new technology, we also spend focusing on what that technology serves. It serves our relationships and the value we bring to them. Real estate requires boots on the ground to offer advice and guidance on neighbourhoods, schools, community and all of those things that matter to people buying a home. Without that, the technology is useless.

So here's to looking back on 2017... as we look forward to next year, and all the amazing Changes that will come with it!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year- from our family to yours!