They are right. Between running the business, managing agents, dealing with compliance, and staying visible in their market, recruiting usually slips to the bottom of the list. Then production slows, agents leave and the panic sets in.

Most brokerages do not have a recruiting problem. They have a system problem.

The cost of doing it manually

The traditional way of attracting agents worked ten years ago. A few social media posts, referrals and some phone calls. Today, that is not enough. Agents are flooded with offers and “we’re hiring” messages. Everyone is chasing the same people off the same list.

If your process is inconsistent or generic, you get ignored. That means hours spent reaching out with little to show for it. Every hour spent chasing cold leads is an hour not spent leading your current team or growing your business. Over a year, that time loss can easily equal tens of thousands of dollars.

What automation really means

Automation is not a robot doing your job. It is a system that helps you stay in front of hundreds of agents while sounding personal. It makes sure no one slips through the cracks.

Here is what it can look like:

• Each day, the system identifies active agents based on recent sales data.
• Personalized messages go out that sound like you wrote them.
• When someone responds, you get notified to take over the conversation.

That is it. You only step in when it matters. The system handles the outreach, timing and follow-up. It runs quietly in the background, building relationships for you.

Recruiting as a profit center

Many brokers think of recruiting as a cost. The truth is, it should be one of your biggest profit drivers.

Let’s say one producing agent brings in $10,000 to $20,000 annually for the brokerage. If your recruiting system brings in three or four solid agents each year, that is an extra $30,000 to $80,000 in profit. That return compounds over time as each new agent keeps producing.

Once the system is built, the cost stays fixed, but the results multiply. Every new agent adds to your bottom line without adding to your workload.

Data gives you the edge

The best brokerages no longer guess who to approach. They use real sales data to identify who is active, who is slowing down and who might be open to a conversation.

By pulling transaction history, recent listings and office movements, you can target agents with precision. Instead of sending the same message to everyone, you send relevant, timely communication that feels authentic.

When an agent sees personalized data and a note that speaks directly to what they are doing, they pay attention. That is the kind of outreach that starts real conversations.  Its about disrupting their pattern through a multi-channel approach, so you become a household name to the agent.

From reactive to predictable

Most brokerages recruit only when they feel the pain of having too few agents. That reactive cycle creates stress and inconsistency. Automation breaks that pattern.

It turns recruiting into a steady, predictable process. The system keeps running whether you are in meetings, on vacation, or closing deals. It fills your calendar with interested agents so that every conversation starts warm.

The goal is not to remove the human touch. It is to make sure your time is spent only on high-value interactions. You still build relationships and conduct interviews, but you start with people who already want to talk to you.

That is how you grow without burning out.

Why this matters now

Margins are tighter. Competition is fierce. Many brokerages are already using automation in marketing, lead generation and transaction management. Recruiting should be no different.

An agent attraction system that runs daily is not a luxury anymore. It is how modern brokerages survive market cycles and maintain growth.

If you are still doing recruiting off the side of your desk, you are leaving money on the table. The goal is not to work harder. It is to work smarter, using technology to extend your reach and consistency.

Automation gives you freedom. It lets you focus on leadership, retention and profitability while your recruiting engine quietly builds your next wave of producers.

The bottom line

Growth in real estate is not random. It is built on systems. Brokerages that treat recruiting like a repeatable process will always outperform those that rely on luck or timing.

The brokers who win in the next five years will not be the ones shouting the loudest. They will be the ones who built systems that run even when they are not looking. These systems, run consistently, have a compound effect over a quarter.

Automation does not replace relationships. It amplifies them. It keeps your name in front of the right people until they are ready to move.

If you want predictable growth and a stronger bottom line, start by fixing how you recruit. The right system will pay for itself many times over.

Ghaz Syed

Ghaz Syed is the founder of AGENTC, a boutique recruitment firm that helps brokerages and tech-driven companies build teams that scale. He’s been recruiting since 2008 and built his career by challenging the way hiring is traditionally done.

A connector by nature, Ghaz blends data, automation, and human intuition to turn recruiting into a predictable growth system. He’s also a father of three, a believer in structure and faith, and someone who’d rather build legacies than follow trends.

The post How brokerages can use automation to take the pain out of recruitment appeared first on REM.

The post Inside the quiet tech revolution: Changing how real estate closings happen in Canada appeared first on REM.

Data from SingleKey shows that around 15 per cent of tenant applications contain falsified documents, a climbing figure as renters struggle with affordability and job insecurity. For Realtors, it’s a business risk that can leave clients and agents facing unpaid rent, legal costs, and property damage that can total tens of thousands of dollars.

Why are rental scams on the rise

Fraudulent documents from fake credit reports, to proof of income, and even fake driver’s licences are common rental scams in Canada, and have become an increasing problem in recent years.

The typical signs of a fraudulent document include:

• Formatting errors from irregular font use to spacing and alignment inconsistencies
• Account summaries not matching account overviews
• Whole numbers after taxes 
• Employer contact info that doesn’t trace to a real company

But now, with AI, these scams are going unnoticed. What used to be a crude Photoshop job has become a sophisticated, fast-moving scam that is easier than ever to execute. Free online templates and AI tools make it easy to generate convincing pay stubs, employment letters and bank statements in seconds. Logos look authentic. Tax deductions appear accurate. Even bank deposits can be simulated with AI tools.

It’s become increasingly difficult for Realtors to spot these fakes with the naked eye, especially when dealing with time-sensitive leases or multiple applications.

An example of a fake paystub. Clues to detect its inauthenticity include fuzzy fonts and an outdated company name for the employer.

The cost of scams for Realtors

Realtors understand the cost of rental scams goes far beyond lost income. It’s months of legal headaches, unpaid rent and the uphill battle of removing a problematic tenant. Once a risky tenant is in, recovering the unit (and the funds) becomes a long, time-consuming and uncertain process.

Beyond income loss, rental scams can be damaging to a Realtor’s reputation. Realtors are market experts, and investors put their trust in Realtors’ judgment when it comes to rental screening. Persistent scams, the toll on mental health, and the headache of the ordeal can cost a Realtor the investor’s trust, and ultimately, their reputation. Realtors need tools that even the playing field and use AI to their advantage. 

AI didn’t create rental scams — it exposed the gap 

AI hasn’t created a new rental scam problem; it’s just exposed an existing one more clearly.

Rental scams persist because Canada’s rental market lacks the standardization and safeguards that protect other major investments. You wouldn’t buy a car or home without insurance; renting should come with its own layer of protection. 

That’s where trust infrastructure comes in. A set of tools and processes that build accountability, increase transparency, and reduce risk for landlords and Realtors alike. And now, it includes AI. 

While AI has made it easier to create fake documents, it’s also being used to detect them, flagging mismatched fonts, suspicious file metadata, irregular pay cycles and other red flags that even experienced agents might miss.

How to put trust infrastructure into practice

AI may have exposed the gaps in rental screening, but it can also help close them. To stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated scams, Realtors must evolve their screening processes, adopt safeguards and leverage AI to build what the industry needs most: trust infrastructure.

This means combining smart tools with consistent, repeatable practices that reduce risk for clients and put trust back into the landlord-tenant relationship.

A few of these practices include: 

• Complete background checks with verified digital channels – Whenever possible, request income verification on platforms connected to Equifax and TransUnion to create a full picture of the potential tenant. 
• AI-powered documentation and income verification – Use AI as the first line of defence, tracking easy-to-hide edits such as mismatched fonts, layout inconsistency and covered information before it reaches you. 
• Pre-screen risk scoring – Leverage AI to support with the initial assessment of tenant documents, from credit scores, pay stubs and existing debts, to empower decision makers to move quicker and weed out high-risk applicants.
• Regular audits of screening outcomes – Technology paired with Realtors’ market expertise creates efficient and knowledgeable systems. Realtors should take the time to review current systems for bias or false positives, to continuously find ways to leverage AI in a way that works best for them.

The bottom line

Fraudulent applications aren’t going away. They’re part of a broader affordability crunch reshaping the rental market and unveiling the cracks in the current process.

Sharp eyes are no longer enough; the rental market needs systems that create accountability and transparency. At SingleKey, we’ve seen these systems in action firsthand: tenants know their information will be verified, and landlords know their income is protected.

When Realtors combine digital verification tools with automated rent collection and rent guarantee, they are not just screening tenants; they are also protecting income and increasing confidence across the board.

Viler Lika

Viler Lika is the founder and CEO of SingleKey, a leading rental risk intelligence platform that helps landlords, property managers, and Realtors verify tenants and protect rental income. Viler holds an MBA and a computer engineering degree, and he has a background in lending and consumer credit risk at Capital One and TD Bank. Viler is now focused on bringing a fairer, data-driven, transparent and more accountable leasing experience to landlords and Realtors to make renting stress-free.

The post AI scams are a growing threat to landlords – here’s how to protect your clients appeared first on REM.

John DiMichele, CEO of TRREB and PropTx Innovations Inc., confirmed in an email to Real Estate Magazine that the TRREB leadership team has appointed a new interim board, replacing the previous board. 

“This transition will ensure PropTx’s governance structure is optimally positioned for our next strategic planning cycle and better aligned with emerging technologies, user needs, and our long-term vision to support our mission,” said DiMichele.

Members of the new board are Agostino Monteleone, Daniel Steinfeld, Frank Farhangi, Colby Bayne, Anna Michaelidis and Paul Helps. 

Former board members, as recently as the spring, included Paul Baron as chair, and directors Jennifer Pearce, Mathieu Glaude, Irene Zaguskin and Paula Morrison.

“This initiative is designed to support long-term planning and ensure the continued delivery of the innovative products and services our users rely on,” said DiMichele.

A permanent board will be appointed as part of the next phase of organizational planning, added DiMichele.

Kevin Crigger, associate CEO of TRREB, is the president of PropTx. He assumed both roles last fall.

PropTx continues to operate as usual. It provides service to nearly 90,000 Realtors across Ontario.

Editor’s note: This story was revised on the morning of Oct. 14 with the names of the former directors.

Courtney Zwicker

Courtney Zwicker is a digital reporter and associate editor for REM. Based in Atlantic Canada, she has over a decade of experience covering daily business news.

The post TRREB replaces PropTx board; plans for governance review appeared first on REM.

In Manhattan, a brokerage lost over $1 million. An agent clicked on an email with a malicious link, which allowed the criminals to gain access to their email account. The criminals then monitored past and current emails, learning when a large commercial closing was to occur and with whom. Using the compromised account, they diverted the transfer of funds to accounts they controlled.

Clients are also targets. Criminals pay attention to sales, using the public nature of the web and savvy intelligence gathering (called open source intelligence). They can learn when a closing is going to occur and create an email that appears like it’s coming from the title company with fraudulent wire transfer instructions. 

Some research has shown that as many as half of real estate transactions show signs of potential wire and transfer fraud, and half of real estate professionals encountered seller impersonation fraud attempts. One in two.

What is the fix? Or rather, how can I protect myself and my clients better?

What you can do

Education can apply to both the professional and the client. As a professional, spend time with your client and lay out exactly how and with whom monetary transfers will be conducted. Implement a protocol on the day of the transfer, where you are with them every step of the way, or at least provide a trusted alternative. Confirm all the details of the transfer verbally before pressing send. 

Where possible, use secure portals to send wire transfers, and not through email. Implement controls, such as validating identities, and even have two people verify all transactions.

For professionals, learning to identify phishing scams is a must. There are many videos on the internet with tips and tricks on how to spot a scam. 

All of this training emphasizes the importance of being vigilant when encountering requests to click or download a link in a financial context. An example of this could be an email from your manager stating that escrow account transfer details have changed. In cases like this, use a different form of communication, like a phone call, to confirm the request.

What about deepfakes?

Criminals are using AI tools to create “deepfakes.” This technology can be used to generate realistic audio or video of people while on a remote call.

In Florida, a title company avoided being scammed when it asked a prospective buyer on a video call to raise its hand. It couldn’t do so, which confirmed their suspicions that the call was a deepfake.

Using alternate channels to communicate and verifying identities using requests that non-humans would struggle with are some simple ways to detect these tactics. 

Two-factor authentication should be enabled on all accounts, including email. Email uses various factors to detect if you are the one signing into your own account. If these checks fail partially, then a code will be sent to your phone or authenticator to confirm the login.

Lastly, assume the worst is going to happen and plan for it. This could mean checking your insurance coverage, whose policies often don’t cover wire fraud losses. In cybersecurity, there is a mantra that it is not if you will be hit, but when. Ensure that you have commercial crime or cyber liability insurance and that it includes wire fraud coverage. 

Also, spend some time planning your behavior when this does happen. What are the specific steps you will take when you learn that criminals are involved in your business and deals? Who will you alert first, and then next? This will no doubt involve company management, financial institutions, and law enforcement. 

If you are able to, reach out to a cyber professional to assist your brokerage. They can provide some tips on implementing secure strategies. They can also help run awareness training and assist with creating an incident response plan, which is the actions to take when you encounter fraud or any other cyber incident.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the steps involved with staying protected. But peace of mind doesn’t have to take days of work and break the budget. By spending a little time beforehand, you and the people you work with can dramatically reduce the threat of fraud.

Ryan Thompson

Ryan Thompson is a cybersecurity professional with over five years of experience. Specializing in awareness and offensive security, he has worked with governments, big companies and charities. He hopes to engage with small businesses to ready them against cyber threats.

The post The role Realtors can play in preventing wire fraud appeared first on REM.

That piece drew plenty of opinions—some folks thought I was off my rocker, others nodded along and even added fuel to the fire about what the next five to 10 years might look like for organized real estate.

This isn’t part two of that article. I’m not here to make more predictions today. Instead, I want to show you how you can start using AI right now so you don’t get left behind.

Because let’s be real: it’s not about robots taking over. It’s about buyers and sellers expecting you, their agent, to already be fluent in AI.

So, where do we start?

Prompt engineering

AI is only as good as the instructions you give it. If your prompt is short, vague, or lacking context, you’ll get an answer that reflects exactly that: short, vague, and not very useful.

Let me give you an example.

A few weeks ago, I jumped into my first NFL Fantasy Football draft. Now, I’ve been watching football for over 40 years, but outside of my team, the Green Bay Packers, I didn’t know much about other players from other teams.

Five years ago, I’d have been buried in magazines and Google searches. But this year, I had Carl, my AI assistant.

I gave Carl a detailed prompt: Who he was, the context of the draft, where to pull player data from, what my goals were, and how I wanted the info delivered. 

The result? A detailed breakdown of first and second choices, draft timing, and a winning game plan.

Meanwhile, a buddy of mine tried ChatGPT with no strategy. He got frustrated, he wound up with the wrong info, bad picks, and suggestions he’d never consider. 

Why? 

Because he didn’t give the AI a proper prompt.

Here’s the 5-step framework I use every time:

1. Assign the role – Tell the AI who it is.
2. Context – Explain why you’re doing this.
3. Direct command – Spell out what you want.
4. Format the output – Define how you want the info back.
5. Clarity – Let the AI ask follow-ups if needed.

Stick to this framework and your AI results will change overnight.

Marketing on steroids

Years ago, Gary Vaynerchuk released an eBook on how to create 64 pieces of content from one idea or piece of pillar content.

At the time, Vaynerchuk was building a media company and had many videographers, video editors, and social media specialists on the payroll. 

So, of course, it was easy to take one piece of content and turn it into 64 pieces when you have a team working for you.

With the speed of AI today, you could be deploying the same content model that Vaynerchuk still does to this day.

You can use your AI assistant to help you build the pillar content. You want to shoot a video, but not sure what to say?

Use the prompt framework to get your AI assistant to write the video script for you. 

Shoot the video. Then ask your assistant to help you break it down into 30 different pieces or ideas you can post to multiple platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, etc.

You don’t need a media army anymore. With AI moving as fast as it is today, you can pull off the same strategy solo.

Here’s the play:

1. Create a piece of pillar content—a blog post, podcast, or long-form video.
2. Use AI to break it down into 20–30 smaller pieces across multiple platforms.

For example:

• Use Opus Clips to spin out five to 10 short videos for IG, TikTok, and YouTube.
• Create memes that drive traffic back to your Reel.
• Write a blog post embedding your video.
• Have AI write captions for each platform.
• Draft LinkedIn, Facebook, and X posts from the same source.

Boom—right there, you could have upwards of 20 pieces of content that you could produce off of one video. 

Systems, systems and more systems

In my coaching business, when I ask an agent what they want to get out of the experience, one of the most common answers is: learning systems. 

Let’s be clear, though, a system can be an automation, but it isn’t an absolute. What I mean by that is a checklist can be a system. You are not automating the checklist; you or someone else is still required to do the work.

Automating tasks and using AI to help build the content for those automations are where a lot of my clients are crushing it.

For example, do you have a seller drip campaign set up to stay in contact with your clients over the course of 60, 90, or even 120 days?

Well, you could have one if you had the right software. Look to the CRM you are using and see if it has that capability; that’s step one.

Step two is working with your AI assistant to understand the seller’s journey and then setting out to build the email content around that journey. Once you have the content created, you put it into the software and space it out accordingly.

Another system that AI can help you with is marketing. Your AI assistant can build out a content calendar for you based on the ideas that you have for marketing and branding yourself online.

Keep in mind, though, that you will still have to do some of the work; if you are leveraging a program like HeyGen it will be easier for you than others who aren’t.

Put a content calendar together that includes your video scripts. Take the scripts and upload them to HeyGen, and create your own realistic-looking avatar-style videos.

If you use that program right, you could wind up producing more video content than all of your competition combined, similar to what @jaxwithjosh has done on Instagram for his city of Jacksonville. He has essentially branded himself as the digital mayor of that city.

How can I get started right now

So here’s the takeaway:

• Use the five-step prompt framework every time you talk to AI.
• Leverage AI to multiply your marketing output without multiplying your workload.
• Build systems—big or small—that keep your business organized and scalable.

AI isn’t replacing you (yet). 

But the agents who adopt it will replace the ones who don’t.

Kelley Skar

I am a second generation REALTOR®, SUCCESS Certified real estate coach, a real estate trainer with a proven track record as well as an international speaker (which means I’ve spoken all over Canada and the US).
I knew early on in life that I was going to be an educator; I started with University thinking I was going to be a high school teacher. Life took me in another direction. However, my passion for learning and educating has never left. I am a student of history, business and of life. My passion lies in high-level discussions around business strategies and helping agents & brokers build a bigger, better, and highly profitable real estate business.
I have been married to my beautiful wife for over 16 years, and we have smart, athletic and articulate 14-year-old twins. We enjoy hiking through the Okanagan together, spending time at the beach and on the lake as well as traveling the continent and hopefully at some point, the globe. I love to play golf, work out in the gym, hang out with my friends, and am a huge Green Bay Packers football fan.

The post How agents can start making AI work for their business – today appeared first on REM.

This was shocking to me. With a majority market share in most of its core business areas and nearly the largest market capitalization in the world, Microsoft is a 50-year-old dominant force in the industry. How is it that they could be acting like a start-up?

To hear my colleague tell it, the environment has completely shifted with increased pressure to innovate, compete with emerging companies, and adopt new technologies at a rate not seen in years.

The lesson: If even Microsoft is doing it, the rest of us – in the real estate sector and far beyond – need to be both paying attention and ready for anything.

Change is part of the journey

Lately, I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time listening to Acquired, a podcast focused on the origins and evolution of some of the world’s greatest companies. On a completely different scale, I’ve interviewed dozens of owners of small and medium-sized businesses for my own podcast. There is no denying the fact that lasting companies fundamentally change over time. Their value proposition evolves based on external forces, consumer demand, shareholder expectations, and competitive pressures.

Every Realtor and broker across Canada is a small business owner, and – like with Microsoft – now is a perfect time for each of them to get into startup mode. What is your value proposition today, and, more importantly, what will your value proposition be tomorrow?

When I’ve written articles that challenged the status quo of the real estate sector in the past, inevitably, someone would comment that people have been “crying wolf” for years and yet here we still are. So, let me be clear: I’m not suggesting that Realtors will be replaced by some new technology. In fact, I don’t think anything of the sort. I believe it is our resilience and ability to adapt to the evolving business environment over the past 100 years that will serve us as things continue to change.

This adaptation isn’t always self-motivated. Sometimes it’s resisted at first and simply becomes inevitable over time. Resistance isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing – it’s just a reality. And that goes for most industries and businesses. Sometimes being an early adopter has saved a company or provided them with exponential growth. Sometimes, resisting and delaying the inevitable (while learning from others’ early forays and mistakes) has been equally beneficial.

So, whether you’re a Realtor, own a brokerage, or are in a leadership position in organized real estate, let’s not focus on the myriad changes that are potentially forcing us to adapt, but instead focus on our direct value proposition to our client base.

Looking back, and ahead

Consider for a moment the value proposition of the Realtor at a time before the internet, when the catalogue was the go-to resource for listings. For those in the sector then, you remember it well. For those who weren’t, I’m sure you can easily picture it. 

To see listings – and not just the ones found in a “scroll” through the real estate section in the local paper – clients had to sit across a desk from a Realtor. As such, the catalogues were protected at all costs. A client might leave with photocopies of their favorite listings, but, in some cases, information would be redacted from them. 

There were no professional photos or virtual tours. The exposure to the property happened during the showing. 

There were no FINTRAC compliance requirements and, famously, the contracts were only one, two, or three pages, depending on who you ask (but be sure to ask; anybody in the industry at that point loves to talk about this).

Today, clients know more about a property of interest before seeing it than ever before. They can do virtual walk-throughs and see more information than the catalogues ever had. And that’s not to mention the ancillary information on the internet, not curated by the MLS System. The information is nearly open, available on many different portals in many different forms. 

What’s more, the regulatory environment has become far more robust. Consumer protection by way of anti-money laundering requirements, privacy legislation, licensing and regulatory compliance, and board and association rules are now woven into the fabric of real estate sector business. 

The question is: How are we reacting to all this? Have we accepted this as a changed value proposition or are we just generally annoyed that the contracts are longer and the data is no longer exclusive? Whether accepted or not, I think most recognize that a Realtor’s value has evolved based on the changing world around us.

Regulation as a value-add

I have written before about Realtors and regulation, and continue to believe that there is more opportunity for us to embrace the fact that we are regulated as part of the value proposition. No, we don’t need to get excited every time there’s a new rule or compliance requirement, but with the world changing around us and our clients so quickly, being regulated can help build lasting consumer trust.

As for the value of the data, we need to be ready for a world where the current ecosystem becomes diluted as tens of thousands of Realtors leverage AI systems to assist with data analysis, dispersing data broadly across learning models. Again, this isn’t good or bad – it’s just real, and the value proposition will change as a result. 

Focus will need to be put on ensuring that Realtors’ contribution to this broader data ecosystem continues to be recognized and rewarded. Equally, value will be placed on discovering and exploiting other sources of data by digitizing all aspects of the process and streamlining the consumer experience.

Of course, that’s just the change we can see coming. The value proposition for all of us will continue to evolve in the coming years. It’s up to us as business owners and leaders to contemplate what value we’ll bring to the ecosystem and how we’ll positively move toward that role. 

There will be a struggle between the innovators and the resistors, but there always is. This conflict isn’t unhealthy. It just challenges us to better hone and articulate our vision of what that value proposition is going to look like.

Trevor Koot

As a former managing broker and realtor, Trevor Koot’s nearly two decades in organized real estate gives him hands-on expertise in understanding the profession’s needs. Before stepping in as CEO at the BC Real Estate Association, he served as CEO of Kamloops and District Real Estate Association for four years and Kootenay Association of Realtors for three before successfully merging the two into the Association of Interior Realtors. Trevor’s leadership in the real estate sector began long before his CEO career when he was Chair of the Saskatchewan Real Estate Commission for five years. He played a key role in redrafting provincial real estate regulations during his tenure. Trevor also served two years as Chair of the Governance Committee at the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials.

He holds multiple degrees, from a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a minor in Mathematics through the University of Saskatchewan to a Master of Business Administration degree through Royal Roads University. Trevor is adding to his extensive education through his current pursuit of completing a Master of Laws degree at York University. His daughter, Abby, attends the University of Victoria while he and his wife, Jill, live in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

The post Welcome to startup mode: Why Realtors need to rethink their value proposition appeared first on REM.

The recently launched Max Engage program rewards agents with points for completing brand-aligned activities, from social media challenges and listing best practices to training tool engagement.

“The tool is designed to help agents invest in their business alongside the brand and reward them for doing so,” says Melissa Clemance, VP of marketing and communications for Re/Max Canada. “Similar to a Marriott Bonvoy or Starbucks rewards program, the more you engage in certain activities, the more points you gain.”

She explains how it comes full circle: Agents perform certain activities, get points for them and, using campaigns within the brand’s portals and tools, spend those points instead of money on things to advance their listings, like one-on-one training, photo shoots, discounts on events and education and soon, marketing services.

A twofold approach

The program’s goal, Clemance says, is business building, with the driver being both engagement and education.

“(It’s about) encouraging the business-building activities we know agents need to be doing and to help continue to champion the professionalism (they) exemplify,” she explains, first and foremost by encouraging them to “get louder” on social, since consumer behavior is leaning more towards it. 

“They’re looking up agents’ profiles … Gen Z especially is going more to TikTok than Google.”

Then, the brand is seeking ways to educate its agents about doing the “right” things across social, as she says not everyone is in the online world.

Clemence explains, “We want to encourage more agents we know are doing business in the markets to put themselves out there more for the consumer — to champion more professionalism across the industry.”

The gamification of real estate

The move uses gamification and perks to retain top talent and boost agent performance, strategies typically relied on by consumer brands that Clemance admits are relatively new territory in the real estate space. To her team’s knowledge, Re/Max is the first franchisor to launch something of this nature.

She believes the psychology behind the program — shown through reward for effort, bragging rights and leaderboards — applies to both consumers and business owners alike.

“Agents are competitive and they love accolades … leaderboards, badges and ‘bragability’ create a culture within Re/Max we want to continue to foster.” 

The flip side

While some agents are intrigued, others remain unconvinced.

Coldwell Banker Canada agent Stephanie Mols questions the effectiveness of loyalty programs in a business built on relationships, training and real-world experience.

While she’s not against engagement tools in principle and recognizes their potential business-building value and access to marketing benefit, Mols questions whether they address the real needs of new or struggling agents.

Essentially, she doesn’t feel they effectively teach agents what they need to know about client care. “I would never consider (them) a priority to be a successful Realtor is really what it comes down to,” she explains.

Mols recalls, more than once, watching colleagues leave for brands offering perks-based programs, only to return months later. “Literally, 90% of them came back,” she says.

For her, meaningful retention and business growth prioritize the people, not a tool, to gain presence, starting with support, not structure.

“When we come out of school, we don’t know how to write an APS. We don’t know how to close a deal. We don’t know anything, really! If I hadn’t had mentorship and support at all times (when) I started out, I would’ve been totally lost,” she admits.

Mols says brokerages need to free up agents’ time so they can do what they’re meant to: buy and sell real estate, without distraction. And doing that, she stresses, requires a lot of education.

“Everything is about support, mentorship and one-on-one training, help whenever you need it. I see with a lot of other brokerages that it’s just not there,” she explains, adding that she gets many calls from agents who have nobody else to turn to.

Mols also sees most digital rewards platforms as too impersonal. “I value non-structured acknowledgement directly from my brokerage,” she says. “We have regular personal contact with our broker of record. We go for lunches. I appreciate that personal support over anything else.”

A tool, not a replacement

Clemance acknowledges the concern but stresses that Max Engage is structured to reward, not replace, core agent development, mentorship and traditional brokerage support.

She says it rewards activities in a way that will eventually become more seamless. In other words, “As agents conduct certain transaction counts or reach certain award levels, they’ll naturally get points rather than taking time out of their day to earn them.”

And, aside from the social media focus, she notes different reasons the tool may pull people in, with things like awards, accolades and training being other motivators to engage. 

With plans to evolve Max Engage into a customizable tool that brokerages can tailor to their offices based on things like local market or team needs, Clemance feels the future of agent engagement is hybrid: digital support systems that reinforce and scale personalized brokerage culture.

“That’s really where the engagement comes from,” she notes, “As different markets, different brokers embrace the tools and technology. That’s where we’ll see the uptick.”

The consensus so far

Early signals show growing interest in the app. Clemance says Re/Max Trailblazers — a select group of agents testing the program — have contributed ideas that shaped the rollout. Future updates will add multilingual support, local brokerage incentives and integration with upcoming tools like marketing-as-a-service.

Differences aside, both Clemance and Mols agree on one point: the best tools are those that actually help agents do better work. Whether that’s lunch with a broker or an app leaderboard, the message is clear: brokerages need to meet agents where they are. And for some, a reward for showing up can’t hurt.

Emma Caplan-Fisher

Emma Caplan-Fisher is an editor and writer for REM. She has over a decade of experience in various content types and topics, including real estate, housing, business, tech, and home & design. Emma’s work has also been featured in Cottage Life, the Vancouver Real Estate Podcast, the Chicago Tribune, Narcity Media, Healthline, and others. She holds a Certificate in Editing from Simon Fraser University.

The post Is engagement the new retention strategy? Re/Max bets on loyalty program to keep agents invested appeared first on REM.

“Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions people make, and status certificates can feel like a black box,” said Robert Saunders, CEO of Toronto-based Ownright. “Too often, buyers are simply told, ‘you’re good to go’ without knowing why. We’ve opened that box and built something digital, readable, and designed for real people.”

In cities like Toronto and Vancouver, more than half of occupied dwellings are condominiums. The status certificate is a legal requirement for any condo transaction in Ontario. 

Despite its importance, the process has traditionally involved dense legal documents or vague verbal summaries.

How the new tech can help

Ownright’s new digital review breaks the certificate into six clearly defined sections: general property and building information; building rules, restrictions and bylaws; common expenses including monthly condo fees and potential special assessments; financial health of the condo corporation; insurance coverage; and the legal status of the corporation, such as ongoing lawsuits or compliance issues.

Each section is written in plain language and includes added context and tips. The full review is delivered securely through Ownright’s client portal.

The goal, according to the company, is to help buyers make more informed decisions with clearer information.

The tool is currently only available in Ontario, however, the company has plans to expand to other provinces shortly, it says.

A tool for professionals, too

This new feature is also intended to benefit real estate professionals, mortgage advisors, and legal teams by streamlining communication and reducing misunderstandings in the transaction process.

When buyers understand the risks and obligations outlined in a status certificate, “they are more confident, more efficient, and more prepared to close,” says Ownright.

The new digital review is the latest addition to Ownright’s end-to-end digital platform, which already includes legal quotes, document intake, and signing. The company says this brings it closer to its goal of fully digitizing the real estate legal process.

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Following an extensive review of potential providers, Propra was selected for its “modern, intuitive technology and deep understanding of the operational and regulatory requirements unique to Canadian property managers,” says Century 21. 

“Propra stood out as a forward-thinking partner with a proven ability to meet the complex needs of property managers in Canada,” said Todd Shyiak, executive vice president of Century 21 Canada.

“Their platform aligns with our vision to support our offices with tools that are powerful and easy to adopt and scale.”

As part of the agreement, Century 21 Canada offices will receive exclusive pricing. Offices using third-party rent collection tools may also realize cost savings through Propra’s integrated rent collection features.

The partnership will roll out over the coming months.

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