There has been a noticeable shift in the way Canadians think about where they spend their money.
More people are checking where products are made, choosing Canadian brands, shopping at independent stores and supporting businesses that employ people in their own communities.
But when it comes to one of the largest financial transactions most of us will ever make, there is another question worth asking:
Who owns the real estate brokerage you are hiring?
Dan Plowman Team Realty Inc., Brokerage is a local Canadian real estate brokerage based in Oshawa, Ontario. We live here, work here and have built our business around serving homeowners and homebuyers throughout Durham Region and the surrounding communities.
When you choose a local Canadian-owned brokerage, you are not just choosing someone to put a sign on your lawn or open a door to a home. You are choosing where your business goes and what type of company you want to support.
Supporting Canadian Businesses Starts Close to Home
Small businesses are a major part of Canada's economy.
According to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 98.2% of employer businesses in Canada are small businesses.
Behind those numbers are Canadian entrepreneurs, employees, families and communities.
Choosing Canadian-owned and locally operated companies helps keep more business activity close to home. It supports local employment, local suppliers and businesses that have a direct investment in the communities they serve.
We tend to think about this when deciding where to shop, eat or hire a contractor.
Real estate should be part of that conversation too.
Real Estate Is Local. Your Brokerage Can Be Too.
Real estate may be marketed nationally, but buying and selling a home is extremely local.
What is happening in Oshawa can be different from Whitby.
Courtice and Bowmanville can behave differently from Ajax or Pickering.
Even two neighbourhoods within the same municipality can attract different buyers, achieve different sale prices and require completely different marketing strategies.
That is why local knowledge matters.
Our brokerage is based in Oshawa and focused on Durham Region and the communities surrounding it. The market we talk about with our clients is the same market we work in every day.
Our reputation is built here.
Our relationships are built here.
And when the local real estate market changes, it affects our business and our community too.
Why Does Canadian Ownership Matter?
Being Canadian-owned does not automatically make one brokerage better than another.
Experience still matters. Results matter. Marketing matters. Negotiation matters. The Realtor you choose matters.
But ownership is another factor Canadians can consider.
When you support a Canadian-owned real estate brokerage, you are choosing an organization whose business is rooted in Canada rather than simply choosing a Canadian office of a much larger international brand.
There is an important distinction there.
A brokerage can have a local office and local Realtors without the overall brand itself being Canadian-owned.
For consumers who are consciously trying to support Canadian companies, it is worth knowing the difference.
Did You Know? Some Familiar Real Estate Brands Have U.S. Roots
Real estate signs from major international franchises are so common in Canada that it is easy to assume they are Canadian companies.
Some are not.
RE/MAX was founded in Denver, Colorado, in 1973 and grew into an international real estate franchise. Individual RE/MAX brokerages can be independently owned and operated, including Canadian offices, but the RE/MAX brand itself originated in the United States.
Keller Williams is also American-founded. The company was established in Austin, Texas, in 1983 and operates internationally through independently owned and operated offices.
CENTURY 21 is different in Canada. While the global CENTURY 21 brand originated in the United States, CENTURY 21 Canada is Canadian-owned and operated. Its Canadian master franchise is held through Charlwood Pacific Group, a privately held Canadian company headquartered in Vancouver.
The point is not that working with an international franchise is wrong.
The point is that local office, Canadian-owned company and Canadian-owned brand do not necessarily mean the same thing.
If supporting Canadian businesses is important to you, it is worth asking.
A Real Estate Brokerage Built Here
Dan Plowman Team Realty Inc., Brokerage is not a branch of a large international real estate franchise.
We are a Canadian-owned independent real estate brokerage based right here in Durham Region.
That independence matters to us.
Our name is on the business.
Our decisions are made here.
Our success depends on the people and communities we serve.
We do not have to build our business around what works for thousands of franchise locations across North America. We can focus on what works for our clients and our local real estate market.
For someone selling a home in Oshawa, we can concentrate on what Oshawa buyers are responding to.
For someone moving to Whitby, Courtice, Bowmanville, Ajax or another Durham community, our advice is based on what is happening in those markets.
That is what local real estate should look like.
Supporting Local Has a Ripple Effect
Choosing a local brokerage can reach beyond the real estate transaction itself.
Real estate businesses work with photographers, videographers, sign companies, printers, tradespeople, lawyers, mortgage professionals, home inspectors, stagers and many other service providers.
They sponsor community events, support charities and employ local staff.
That means choosing a locally based company has the potential to create business for many other people within the same region.
That is one of the reasons supporting local matters.
A strong local economy is not created by one company. It is created when businesses and residents continually choose to work with one another.
Local Accountability Matters Too
There is another benefit to working with a brokerage that has built its name in the community: accountability.
We cannot separate our reputation from the work we do.
The homeowners we represent are our neighbours. Past clients live throughout the communities where we continue to do business. People see our signs, our team and our involvement throughout Durham Region.
For an independent local brokerage, reputation is not an abstract corporate measurement.
It is personal.
Every transaction contributes to the reputation we have spent years building.
That creates a strong incentive to get the details right.
You Have a Choice in Who You Support
Canadian consumers have more choices than ever.
When you need groceries, you can choose Canadian products.
When you need dinner, you can choose an independent local restaurant.
When you need work done around your home, you can choose a local tradesperson.
And when it comes time to make a real estate move, you can choose a local Canadian real estate brokerage.
That does not mean choosing a company simply because it is Canadian.
It means including Canadian ownership and local involvement among the things you consider alongside experience, reputation, marketing, negotiation and results.
For many Canadians, where their money goes matters more today than it did a few years ago.
We think it is reasonable for that conversation to include real estate.
Proudly Canadian. Proudly Local. Proudly Durham Region.
Dan Plowman Team Realty Inc., Brokerage was built here.
We are a local Canadian company serving homeowners, buyers and families throughout Oshawa, Whitby, Clarington, Courtice, Bowmanville, Ajax, Pickering and communities throughout Durham Region and beyond.
We believe there is value in knowing who you are doing business with, where that business is rooted and who benefits when that company succeeds.
The next time you see a real estate sign, you may want to look beyond the logo.
Ask who owns the brokerage.
Ask where the company is based.
Ask whether the decisions are made locally.
And if supporting Canadian businesses matters to you, make it one more factor in deciding who represents you when you buy or sell your home.
Thinking about making a move? Contact the Dan Plowman Team at 905-668-1511 to speak with a local Durham Region real estate team.
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