It’s not often that the Board publishes tributes to past members. Sadly, but inevitably, we have to say good-bye to former and sometimes even, current members every year – all who left indelible marks on their offices, clients, communities, and profession. Real estate is above all, a people business.
In December 2020, we lost a very special, honorary member of our Board, one of the ‘founding fathers’ of what we know as the current, ‘modern’ incarnation of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board – renamed as such in 1979 – after already being in existence since 1921.
Reg Titus, 90 years young, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loved ones, many of whom also entered the profession and were or still are members of our Board. Our deepest sympathies to the entire family and a special thank you to Reg’s son, John, for helping us fill in the history gaps.
Reg’s influence on the Board and in Fraser Valley real estate – more specifically Surrey, North Delta, and Langley – is so broad, so lasting, and so respected, that it warrants shining a spotlight on to hopefully inspire and influence new, up-and-coming members.
If you wish to find a REALTOR® and industry leader to emulate, many of our ‘seasoned’ Fraser Valley members will tell you to look no further.
Reg is your man. He’s right up there, spoken of with the same reverence as John Armeneau; the namesake of our Board’s highest professional award.
A tremendously huge heart, for friend or foe
What is most inspiring is that Reg’s career and legacy were entirely self-made. He did it through hard work, integrity, unrivaled loyalty and respect towards his office staff, Realtor team and even his competitors, always with a big, beaming smile.
For members familiar with brokerage names such as Titus Realty, Realty World Titus and HomeLife Benchmark Titus, yes, Reg is THAT Titus.
Arvind Nair, Managing Broker RE/MAX Performance, North Delta, worked at Titus Realty almost 40 years ago before re-locating across the street. Upon hearing the sad news of Reg’s passing, he felt compelled to reach out to the Titus family to express condolences and gratitude on behalf of his entire office, “A lot of us in real estate in the Fraser Valley – Dwain Johnson, Don McDougall, Bill Parsons, me, and so many others – we’re all a product of Reg Titus and John Armeneau.
“At our office, we still try to teach our agents how they taught us to be.”
A high school dropout determined to succeed
As his son John tells it, Reg fell into the business almost by happenstance in the late 1950s. Reg’s father-in-law, John Schmid – John’s namesake – was a home builder and asked Reg to sit in on Open Houses for the new builds. At the time, Reg was a meat-cutter for Woodward’s “Food Floor”. Reg stopped going to school in Grade 9 and was a manager of a butcher shop by the age of 17. He became a Realtor in 1958 and started Titus Realty in 1960. Reg served as President of the FVREB – at the time, the Westminster County Real Estate Board – in 1966. He also served as the Chairman of the Real Estate Council of BC during his career.
Reg’s children John, Jim and Jane, son-in-law Barry Bock, daughter-in-law Leslie and granddaughter Rachel Bock, followed in Reg’s footsteps, each of them crafting long, successful real estate careers in no small part due to emulating the family patriarch. John says one of the many things that made his Dad so special was his passion for real estate and how he would do everything he could to help a fellow Realtor be successful. “Dad always told us, ‘You get out of it what you put into it.’ He truly respected the profession because it was one of the few industries at the time, that you could start a business with minimal investment, work hard and become successful. “
Jim Titus, the longest standing Realtor at Titus Realty, credits much of his success to his father’s influence. “He led with the principle that ‘you never worry about commission, just make sure your clients are happy and looked after and the commission will take care of itself’.”
“And that’s exactly what he did.” Jim further adds, “Dad always credited real estate for the really good life that he and Mom had; that we all had, but we all knew it was his work ethic, integrity and positive outlook.”
“Sell the sub-division first, houses will follow.”
Known for his gregarious laugh and glass-half-full, zest for life, Reg was not only a shrewd businessman, in many respects, he was ahead of his time. John describes just one of his father’s many creative, marketing concepts. “When Dad was selling homes in the new sub-division of Cedar Hills, to attract families, he brought in pony rides for kids. He knew, ‘Sell the sub-division first, houses will follow’.”
Reg opened and leased his first North Delta office in 1960; then built a brand new building a couple of blocks north of his original location and moved there in 1970. A list of his office managers in the 70’s are a veritable who’s who of Fraser Valley real estate – John Armeneau, Don Donson, and Don Shannon.
In the late 70’s, Reg was approached by Dougal Shewan, who years later became a John Armeneau award recipient, to embrace the concept of a real estate franchise. Armed with strong endorsement from none other than his friends and competitors across the street at RE/MAX – Arvind Nair recalls personally encouraging him to go the franchise route – Reg opened what would become the hugely successful Realty World Titus, and then eventually HomeLife Benchmark Titus in Surrey which his daughter Jane and granddaughter Rachel still own.
Other legendary members put Reg on the highest pedestal
John Woodward, a fellow Past President and FVREB Honorary Member served on the Board at the same time as Reg. It’s worth noting that only nine Realtors in the history of the Board have been awarded a lifetime or honorary membership and currently only four are still with us.
John and Reg were not only friends, colleagues, and Board members, they were two of the five visionary board leaders who personally pooled their money to buy the “Back 40” vacant land behind the current Board office – recognizing its future potential for the Board – happily (“pleased as punch,” John recalls) selling the land back to the Board for zero gain. “We all hoped that someday something good could come of that land, and thanks to Reg and our little group, it did.”
The property – 3.5 acres of prime, undeveloped land – has been conditionally sold and when the deal is finalized, the proceeds will go into an endowment fund, the Fraser Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation.
John simply says, “We have lost one of the pillars of our real estate community. Reg was such a joy to work with. He was very thoughtful and farsighted. One of the finest gentlemen of our industry. Always first class.
“We will all miss his wisdom and laughter. He has indeed left a lasting legacy in the development of the FVREB.”
A great fish tale that only cost Reg $100
In addition to work and family of course, Reg loved boating, and John has many memories of sitting and chatting with Reg on his boat moored at the dock on Salt Spring Island, where John has resided for the last 35 years.
One of John’s favourite stories sums up Reg’s character and approach to life perfectly. “We were on his boat on the Fraser River and almost as a lark, he threw out a line – never expecting to catch anything, we were too busy talking and laughing – but lo and behold, he got a hit and in the mad scramble for the net, Reg’s wallet slipped out of the back pocket of his shorts and it was gone!
“I said, ‘hope you didn’t have much money in there Reg,’ and he replied, ‘yes! A hundred dollars!’” John quips, “Probably worth $500 today! And do you know what Reg said? He shrugged, laughed and said, ‘easy come, easy go, there are more important things in life’, and immediately lightened the moment.”
Ian Macnaughton, another member of the ‘Fab Five’ and one of our few remaining Honorary Members, wrote an email to the Board when he received the news. In it he described that although he and Reg both served on the Board and “schemed with our colleagues to purchase the board office site”, most people would never have known that he and Reg directly competed with offices not far from each other.
“And yet we were friends. We went to the gym together, as couples we had dinner together, went to conferences, had fun, vacationed together in Bermuda. I was just looking at the pictures of that Bermuda vacation together only last week.
“Even as competitors, we primarily joked with each other, shared stories, were mischievous, and loved each other as I still do him. This is a loss of a dear friend.”
“Do unto others …”
If a measure of a person is how you are remembered, it is particularly impressive that in a profession known for striving to find the perfect balance between competitiveness and cooperation that Reg will be remembered, forever and ever, as the living epitome of real estate’s Golden Rule. What a legacy. And how fortunate were we as a Board, to have him as one of our own.
Per Reg’s family, a celebration of life will be held when it is safe. The Board will announce details when available. If you have any memories or stories from working with Reg, please share them on our Board Facebook page or on Twitter. We’d love to read them, as undoubtedly would his family.
Source: FVREB Communications