We’re back with another Team Broady story! This week we’re sitting down with Desiree Ofter, who joined our sales team in 2017. Let’s take a look at how she got started in the real estate industry.

When I was younger, I never pictured myself working in real estate. My dream was to be a singer and perform on stage. I loved singing along to Whitney Houston and performing at my pool’s talent show every summer. I’ve always been very outgoing and I’m comfortable being in front of a crowd. However, I don’t have a very good voice! When it came time for me to apply to university, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. I got into John Molson School of Business at Concordia and psychology at McGill. I ended up going to John Molson with a major in marketing. 

Looking back, it’s funny how both psychology and business are an important part of being a successful real estate broker. Being able to effectively market myself and a property, as well as understanding the psychology and motivations of my clients has been a huge asset for me in this business. Once I graduated from university, I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. My mom was working in real estate and suggested I get my license. I went ahead with real estate school during the day while working a part-time job at Apple on nights and weekends. Once I passed my exams, I juggled working both as a realtor and at Apple for several months. That year was really tough!

Finally after several months, I took the plunge into becoming a full-time real estate broker. I had just purchased my condo in Griffintown with my future husband. Being solely on commission was scary at the time and I wondered if I would be able to pay my bills. However, I really enjoyed my new career, and I worked hard at generating new business. My mom was a great guide and teacher and we loved working together. 

A couple years later, my mom called and told me that she heard Team Broady was looking to add another realtor to their team. She encouraged me to reach out and see if it would be a good fit. Four years later, I think it was! I began by working mostly with buyers and have since transitioned to now working with both buyers and sellers. I’m really excited to be more involved with the listing side of the business. I love meeting new people and that every day at work is so different. 

This past year-and-a-half has definitely been different! As an industry that serves the public, we’ve had to adapt to Zoom meetings and masked visits. Sellers were scared to have buyers in their homes and buyers were competing with crazy multiple offers on every house on the market. To top it all off, I was pregnant with my first baby. I still loved working every day and I worked right up until one week before my baby was born. I had my son in the fall of 2020. When I went back to work in April, I wasn’t sure how I would be able to handle it all. Working, taking care of a six month old, nursing (a full time job in itself) and maybe sometimes a little sleep? I’m really proud of how I’ve managed to juggle it all. Since returning to work, I’ve already sold 15 homes! I could not do it without the support of my team and my family. I am so grateful to do what I do every day. 

Be sure to look out for the final part in our four part series, when we share our last “origin story” from Mark Broady. In the meantime if you need help with anything real estate related in the West Island, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 514-613-2988 or email info@teambroady.ca