Get to know your Board of Directors! In this week’s Board Buzz video, President Darin Germyn spends a minute chatting with President-Elect Chris Shields, chair of the Board’s Finance committee.
Want to learn a bit more about Chris? We did! Scroll down to learn some of the secrets to his success.
About being a REALTOR®…
1. How did you begin your career as a REALTOR®?
We were selling our townhouse in Cloverdale and buying a newly built detached home. We interviewed 3 agents and ultimately hired a Listing Agent. We were stubborn on our price and not very good at taking our Agent’s advice, so it took us three months longer to sell our place than it should have. We finally received an offer on our home, but the negotiations came to a halt. I picked up the phone and called the Buyer’s Agent (I would not be happy if my clients did that to me!) and negotiated further and we sold our townhouse. At the time, I was in a job that I was not happy with and decided I could do better in real estate. I was so motivated to get out of my job at that time, I plowed through the material and got my license in six weeks.
2. What has been your most memorable experience in your time as a real estate agent?
Early on in my career, I met a couple at an Open House, they said, “Well, it was nice to meet you Chris, nice place, we are going to go home and have a Margarita and think about it.” About eight weeks later, I was in a line up at the border, waiting to cross, when my phone rang. The caller said, “Hi Chris, this is Steve, you probably don’t remember us, but we came through your open house a while back.” I said “Yes, you were going to go home and have a Margarita and think about it.” We both laughed and set up a time to get together. I have helped he and his wife with several real estate transactions over the years, we became very good friends and have gone on vacations together since. Meeting great people in this business is serendipitous; it’s a bonus when you become really good friends with people you meet along the course of doing business.
3. What key piece of advice can you give to Realtors to stay successful in a changing marketplace?
Get back to basics. Use a CRM and reach out to everyone in your database, stay in touch. It is the relationships that we build that keep us in business. Never give up, keep working hard. This business gets a lot easier later on if you are good at planting the seeds early. Always come from a place of gratitude. Being grateful makes more room in your life for more great things to follow.
4. What’s the one thing you wish you knew before you became a Realtor?
Budgeting and money management. The roller-coaster of income offset with steady flow of expenses can be challenging to manage. Don’t learn this the hard way.
Just for fun…
5. As a child, I dreamt I would become …
The Minister of Social Services
6. I grew up in…
Hamilton, Ontario
7. My favourite thing to do each day…
Go to Tim Hortons and have my coffee (medium with 1.5 cream)
8. The best piece of advice I’ve been given was…
Put all of my buyers on an Exclusive Buyer Agency Contract. (Thank you Jim McCaughan!)
9. People would be surprised to learn that…
I am an avid scuba diver
10. I am really inspired by…
My partner Rob. He is the most considerate person I have ever met. He has incredible drive and dedication to whatever he sets his mind to.
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions Chris, we look forward to your year as president!