In 2018, eXp Canada had only 264 agents. Today, there are more than 1,000 agents in seven provinces, including Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
Deborah Pleiman has led Canadian operations since 2018 and is in charge of expansion and brokerage operations across the country, including compliance and risk management.
She has been in the real estate industry for more than 30 years and has deep experience from her early days as an agent on a large real estate team to owning multiple brokerages. She also has been a regional director as well as an international teacher and business coach.
We caught up with Pleiman to get more insight on what is happening with eXp Canada.
How many total agents are there in Canada and what percentage is eXp Realty?
There are currently 132,000 licensed agents with Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). As long as we continue to keep the reputation high, we’ll attract at a quick rate. Once Ontario agents are able to have Personal Real Estate Corporations we will definitely see more top agents joining, from Ontario.
(Note: A Personal Real Estate Corp is a legal entity created by an agent that is recognized by the real estate governing body for that province. The greatest reason for an agent to create a PREC is for tax savings.)
Do you have leaders in each province? And, where are they from?
Our well-known, highly respected brokers are all very experienced with working on multiple boards and working with highly productive agents. They are instrumental in helping all our agents achieve greater success.
Our brokers are local from each province – the individual provinces require an intense training program. Each broker has been chosen for their knowledge of the regulations within their province, their experience, and their successful experience guiding and working with agents. The brokers head up each province and are responsible for the direct supervision of all agents and staff, therefore leadership is definitely a key required quality.
Canada has more than 1,000 agents and is now in seven provinces. What’s next and how do you get there?
The easy answer is that we are all invested in the eXp culture and plan on doubling in size and expanding our market share with productive agents across Canada in all 10 provinces.
How is eXp Canada attracting agents? Is it via word-of-mouth?
Our culture is definitely about attracting (not recruiting). Agents are attracted to the eXp Realty model, which is fresh, exciting and offers ways to build a multi-streamed business and how to become truly successful. We choose great agents to be in business with, who align with our company’s culture and company vision. Our goal is to be the first choice for agents who want to align with other successful agents.
Please explain how you are creating culture at eXp Canada.
In Canada, all eXp agents have one critical component in common — we all align strongly with eXp’s core values. When I was named to this role, I asked Glenn (eXp founder Glenn Sanford) what were the key books that influenced him when starting eXp. He said his No. 1 book to read would be “Holacracy.” I read it, shared it with every agent of ours, and we have never looked back. This book is read by all our Canadian leadership, whether staff or agent leadership.
Can you explain more about how you are implementing Holacracy?
In 2019, while attending EXPCON in Las Vegas, about 100 of us from the eXp Canada team toured the Zappos head office (which is known for using a Holacracy style of management). Our goal was to see their culture in action. They are rocking it. This company uses the model of Holacracy to make decisions, to create an amazing culture and to deliver WOW experiences every day. In Canada, we use Holacracy to clearly state our work, our accountabilities, and our purposes.
Canada is a wee bit different in our organization of tasks. If an agent or staff feels that they have a solution to a challenge that we currently have or they want to take on a portion of an OKR (objectives and key results) that is slated for that quarter they will bring it to their team and sometimes we discuss the project further.
If we decide to move forward, typically that team member will become the lead and build a team to complete the project. Once the project is completed, they debrief and disband the team. These teams are ongoing; currently, we have teams who have researched agent’s health benefit plans, our choice of charities, agent and staff recognition, as well as agents who head up interest groups (i.e., Toronto’s Realtor Quest).
Is there a culture committee for eXp Canada?
Our Canadian Agent Advisory Council (CAAC) are huge keepers of Canada’s eXp Realty culture. For example, the agents on CAAC wanted extended medical offerings apart from what Canada offers for free. A team was formed and they searched out all the answers and choices for healthcare. They then created the full rollout of a healthcare plan for eXp Canada.
They also researched and formed teams to locate the best charities to align with. The charities chosen are: Lions Club, Make-A-Wish Foundation and World Housing (the parent company to New Door Ventures).
What kind of training are you offering new agents?
Currently, we have a mentorship program running and we are building a new agent training program. Our Canadian training courses are always offered inside the Canadian Auditorium (in eXp World) and all agents from anywhere in eXp are welcome to attend. In the next few months, we will be offering classes in French – our second official language of Canada!
What’s the real estate mood in Canada right now?
We are just entering the busiest time of the year. The real estate market continues to be really strong Canada-wide, with some dips in a few of the provinces. We have not seen the extreme ebb and flow of the U.S. market. In the major centers (i.e., Toronto, Vancouver) it isn’t uncommon to have multiple offers.
Any final words on eXp Canada?
In Canada, my key responsibility is to protect our culture, provide the vision for eXp in Canada, remove the blockers to our success and connect people where they need to be connected. Glenn created a real estate company of the future, with strong roots is succeeding through difficult times in real estate. He shared this vision with like-minded real estate agents and together we keep expanding that vision across Canada.
When everyone makes a difference and owns that opportunity using our core values as our North Star, our culture is created. This is a dream company. It’s the real estate company of the future.
