The second day of eXpcon Canada, being held in Toronto May 8-10, was packed full of events. It kicked off with the first of two general sessions and then afternoon of breakouts. Here are some of the highlights.
Glenn, himself a proud Canadian, acknowledged Canada’s growth over the past year, surging at more than 6,700 agents.
“Real estate is a business that we own, but then quickly learn that it’s a business that owns us. When we aren’t actively working in our business, we don’t have one,” he said, emphasizing the next milestone he wants to reach is 10,000 agents throughout Canada.
Glenn Sanford Unveils Executive Team and Leadership in Canada
Glenn then introduced promotions and new additions to the eXp Realty executive team and Canadian leadership.
Leo Pareja was announced as CEO; Wendy Forsythe as CMO; Renée Kaspar as CHRO (Chief Human Resources Officer); and Nadia Habib as SVP eXp Realty Canada.
“I want to share a personal milestone and a pivotal moment for eXp Realty. After a remarkable journey of growth and innovation, you know that I have decided to step down as CEO,” said Glenn. “This decision comes with a profound sense of pride in all we have accomplished together and a bright outlook for the future of our company. It is with great confidence and excitement that I have passed the reins to Leo Pareja, a visionary leader who has been instrumental in shaping the real estate industry,” he said.
“Real estate marketing is different than how you do marketing within any other vertical,” said Wendy. “I’m most excited to step into my new role as CMO because I have an agent lens – growing agent personal brands and growing eXp brands. It’s a win-win.”
Leo Pareja Unveils Plenty of Announcements as General Session Opens
Following an introduction by eXp Realty agents Dimitrios Kalogeropoulos from Ontario and France Mantas from Quebec, who served as emcees, eXp Realty CEO Leo Pareja took the stage to share news and insights about eXp Realty Canada.
“Coming into the CEO of eXp Realty role was like coming home. I’m as agent-focused as I ever was. And can’t wait to continue to innovate and expand this agent-centric brokerage further,” Leo said.
He also made announcements about appointments, partnerships and launches, including:
- A partnership with BMO, will benefit agents with referral compensation and benefits for clients. (Read more here.)
- Winning Buyers, an OnDemand Training, was created to address the ever-changing environment following the NAR settlement.
- Kickstart, a live, weekly interactive training designed to increase production through accountability.
- FastCap, eXp’s new productivity bootcamp for emerging agents.
- eXp Elevate Coaching Division, a premium platform led by eXp agents to drive the business growth of eXp Realty agents. (Read more here.)
- Land and ranch division; sports and entertainment division; and a new green initiative focusing on sustainable and environmentally friendly real estate.
“To all our eXp Canada agents, I am thrilled to be here with you today,” said Leo. “Canada is a crucial market for us, and your hard work and commitment have been key to our success. As we look ahead, I am excited about further strengthening our presence here and continuing to support each of you in achieving even greater success.”
CGO Michael Valdes Thanks John Tsai for His Service
Chief Growth Officer Michael Valdes invited eXp agent John Tsai onto the stage and expressed gratitude for his dedicated service as President of eXp Realty Canada for the past 18 months. John stepped down from this role to concentrate on leading his Vancouver-based team, the Align Group, and prioritizing time with his family.
“One of my biggest challenges is retention. But what I’ve learned is that value keeps people. Progress is perfection. Not the other way around,” said John.
“When I met Glenn Sanford in person, it sealed the deal for me. I quickly learned afterward that people don’t join brokerages. People join people. And I’m here forever,” he added.
eXp Canada Leadership Team Takes the Stage
Members of the eXp Canada leadership team came up next, including Senior Vice President of Growth, Nadia Habib; VP of Growth Donna Dalonzo; VP of Brokerage Operations, Nathalie Goodyer and Senior Director of Integrated Communications, Noor Marzook.
The talk ranged from achievements from this past year that exemplify eXp Canada’s growth to challenges in the current market and how to adapt and ensure continued growth and success for eXp Realty in Canada. Here are some of the highlights.
- Announcement of the newly appointed National Canadian Agent Advisory Committee. (Read more here.)
- A review of the Canadian Commercial Agent Advisory Group’s inception, which will foster innovation, advocate for members, and provide support to commercial agents.
“We’ve witnessed an incredible surge of growth in Canada throughout the past year,” said Nadia. “What once was a revenue share model has evolved into a paradigm of excellence within the industry. We are the best and strongest in the business. We are agile and ready to pivot swiftly to any challenge or opportunity.”
Ontario Panel Provides Overview of Industry in the Province
As is tradition, the host province provides an interesting and informative overview of the real estate landscape. eXp Realty CMO Wendy Forsythe moderated an insightful panel about Ontario with eXp agents Sarah Arseneault, Gurpreet Thind, John Walkinshaw and LaTrice Williams.
Topics discussed include the evolution of the real estate market in Ontario and how recent provincial trends have influenced their business operations and strategies.
“I love eXp because it’s inclusive,” said LaTrice Williams. “I wasn’t focused on agent attraction when I first started. More recently, I’ve seen the value. Realtors curious about joining the team now ask why, and the conversations have become much easier because of the obvious value. Which has made it easier to attract more agents.”
eXp State of the Union Address By Leo Pareja and Michael Valdes
Leo Pareja, Michael Valdes and Wendy Forsythe returned to the stage to deliver the eXp State of the Union address. The session was filled with vital insights into eXp Realty’s successes, challenges, and opportunities ahead. The three executives then took questions from the audience in a live Q&A.
“eXp 2.0 is purely by design,” said Leo. “It’s a bottoms-up company that experiences consistent hypergrowth. We’re the fastest, most scalable, largest monolithic brokerage on the planet by agents and transactions.”
Falesha Raquel: “Everyone Has a Why”
Toronto’s Falesha Raquel is a top-performing agent at eXp Realty and a beacon of inspiration. She shared her insights on why finding your ‘why’ is crucial to success in both life and business. Her talk, ‘Everyone Has a Why,’ was enlightening and motivating.
Multimillionaire John Lee Made His First Million at 27 Years Old
The keynote speaker for the first general session was John Lee, a multimillionaire who earned his first million at age 27 through real estate investing. He’s been featured in Forbes, SUCCESS, and Entrepreneur magazines and has over 6 million followers on social media. Now, he teaches people how to create wealth through building businesses, using social media, and investing.
“Using tools such as automation and AI is a sure way to grow your online presence, which grows your community,” he said. “Growing your community is a natural referral model. Growing your community by creating content creates trust. And nowadays, it’s all about getting them a result in advance to earn credibility.”
Ibrahim Hussein: “The Importance of Being Intentional”
Ibrahim Hussein, team lead of the top-producing Affinity Real Estate Group, provided insight into the power of deliberate actions and clear intentions. He shared why ‘The Importance of Being Intentional’ is crucial in our industry and how it can lead to profound success.
“If you want to be a leader, you need to focus on your process. Because profit is in your process which gives you progress,” he said.
Awards Presented for Top Agents and Tops Teams
The session closed with Leo Pareja, Michael Valdes, and Chief Operating Officer Patrick O’Neill presenting awards to the eXp Realty Canada agents for their outstanding production numbers in 2023.
Top Agents by Units:
- Mark Verzyl (Alberta) with 141 units
- Shannon Runcie (Saskatchewan) with 108 units
- Pauline Sunderland (Saskatchewan) with 101 units
Top Agents by Volume:
- Gary Geng (British Columbia) with over $115 million
- Mark Verzyl (Alberta) with $57.5 million
- Rachel Vanderveen (Alberta) with $57.3 million
Top Teams by Volume:
- Justin Havre Team (Alberta), led by Justin Havre, with $571 million
- Katrina & The Team (British Columbia), led by Kristina Amurao, with nearly $262 million
- Affinity Real Estate (Ontario), led by Ibrahim Hussein, with $243 million
Top Teams by Units:
- Justin Havre Team with 1,176 units
- Atkinson Team (Alberta) with 550 units
- Katrina & The Team (British Columbia) with 311 units
“This award is a testament to hard work, but I am only a small piece of my team,” Justin said. “This award goes out to my team, my staff, the night workers and the spouses of all of those people who help push the needle forward.”
Day Concludes With Breakouts and Evening Reception
The afternoon was filled with breakouts. Nine one-hour sessions were offered, covering topics ranging from mastering social media leads to running a team profitably.
To wrap up the day, all ticket holders were invited to attend the “Evening in the 6ix: An eXp Realty Celebration” reception, featuring food, beverages, and entertainment.
