REAL ESTATE Strategies with REMAX Hallmark

"Balance means broke." One line from a RE/MAX Hallmark event changed how Brandy Burns runs her business. 

Dan Salhany sits down with Brandy, a 16-year realtor and team leader serving Brockville and the St. Lawrence River communities. 

She shares how she grew from admin work in the legal world into a thriving team, why she hired help around her 12-listing limit, and how she balances real estate with owning a spa. 

Brandy also explains how Hallmark's referral network from Ottawa and the GTA expanded her reach, and why human connection still wins in the age of texting and AI. 

Listen For:

2:03 How did Brandy Burns go from legal office admin to a 16-year real estate career?

3:52 Why does "balance means broke" resonate with busy realtors?

7:19 How do you know when to build a real estate team?

14:07 How does giving back to the community grow a realtor's reputation?

16:49 Why does human connection still win in the age of texting and AI?

Connect with Brandy Burns, REALTOR®, SRES., SRS., RENE., ABR. | Dream to Reality Group, REMAX Hallmark®
Website | Facebook | Instagram 

Connect with Dan Salhany, Brokerage Manager | Leadership Member | REMAX Hallmark® Realty Group, Ottawa

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From paramedic to top producer in under four years, with no sphere and no real estate background. 

Dan Salhany sit down with Katherine Scott, a Kemptville-based agent whose production caught the attention of the brokerage's top peer-to-peer group. 

Katherine breaks down the real estate business strategies behind her rapid growth: a single Facebook post that turned into her first listing, a no-tiers service standard that includes cleaning and staging on every home, and a CRM habit that turned memory into referrals. 

She also shares how she protects family time with a hard 4 to 8 p.m. shutoff, why relationship-based selling resonates with downsizing boomers, and how open heart surgery reshaped her priorities. 

It's packed with real estate agent tips for anyone building a business from scratch in today's Canadian real estate market.

Listen For:

2:29 How can realtors start a real estate business with no sphere of influence?

12:22 Why should agents offer one standard of service on every listing?

18:32 What is the secret to building a successful real estate business fast?

23:47 What should new realtors do to grow their business in a tough market?

29:23 How did open heart surgery change this realtor's priorities?

Connect with Katherine Scott, Sales Representative | REMAX Hallmark® Realty Group, Ottawa
Website | Facebook | Email | Instagram

Connect with Dan Salhany, Brokerage Manager | Leadership Member | REMAX Hallmark® Realty Group, Ottawa

Website | Instagram | Email 

A slower market doesn't mean there's no business. It means the agents who stay disciplined get a bigger share of it. 

Johnder Perez sits down with Saeid Bokharaie, a REMAX Hall of Fame award winner, consistent 100% and Platinum Club producer, and one of the top performers in the brokerage's spring challenge. 

Saeid breaks down the real estate business strategies behind nearly two decades in the Toronto real estate market: daily role play and scripts, door knocking and farming, a CRM he works consistently, and a weekly coffee with someone from his sphere. 

He also shares his 9 to 7 schedule, why he tuned out the news, and how a 15 to 20 minute discovery session helps him guide buyers facing endless choice and sellers with unrealistic expectations. 

Listen For:

4:35 How much of a top producer's business comes from prospecting versus referrals?

10:33 Why does putting yourself first help you serve clients better?

16:18 How does daily role play change your conversion at the door?

21:32 When is it time for a solo agent to hire an assistant?

26:10 Should new agents get into real estate in a slower market?

Connect with Saeid Bokharaie, Real Estate Broker at REMAX Hallmark® LTD., Brokerage
Website | Email | LinkedIn | Instagram 
 

Connect with Johnder Perez, Director of Innovation & Business Development REMAX Hallmark®

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Email 

Your clients walk into open houses already armed with data, so what's left for a realtor to offer?

Daniel Salhany sits down with Jacob Floyd of the Floyd Team. 

Jacob is a second-generation realtor who has spent 14 years building a referral-driven business where over 90% of deals come from word of mouth. 

He explains how he overcame starting at 25 with a sphere that wasn't buying, why he still sends handwritten mail in the age of AI, and how he protects time for family and fitness through the busiest seasons. 

For agents looking for real estate business strategies that last, this conversation delivers practical agent tips on listening, preparation, and giving clients an informed market opinion, the kind of value that isn't a Google search away. 

It's a must-listen for Ontario realtors at every stage.

Listen For:

03:20 How did Jacob Floyd overcome starting out as a young, inexperienced agent?

11:39 How do top realtors balance family, fitness, and a demanding real estate business?

29:50 Why does a referral-based team still send handwritten mail in the age of AI?

35:37 What value can realtors offer clients that isn't a Google search away?

42:12 How can agents stop waiting for perfect and start failing forward?

Connect with Jacob Floyd, Sales Representative | REMAX Hallmark® Realty Group, Ottawa
 Website | Email | LinkedIn | Instagram | 613-889-5111

Connect with Dan Salhany, Brokerage Manager | Leadership Member | REMAX Hallmark® Realty Group, Ottawa

Website | Instagram | Email 

Three CEOs, three journeys, one brand at a turning point.

This episode takes you inside a live panel in Toronto. 

Steve Tabrizi moderates a candid conversation with Ken McLachlan, CEO of the REMAX Hallmark Group of Companies; Walter Schneider, co-founder of REMAX Integra and REMAX Europe; and Tamir Poleg, founder of Real and now CEO of Real REMAX Group. Weeks after the merger closed, the panel covers:

• what the combination means for agents
• why REMAX agents remain the most productive in the industry
• how AI will turn good agents into super agents
• whether Canadian real estate is heading into four to five more challenging years

If you want real estate business strategies and agent tips built for a shifting market, this is the conversation to hear.

Listen For:

5:22 Why Tamir Poleg Wanted to Acquire REMAX With Just 1,500 Agents

10:44 Walter Schneider on Why Realtors Are Losing the Personal Touch

18:58 Ken McLachlan's Rule: Build for Your Next 10 Transactions

24:33 Four to Five More Tough Years and Why That Is Your Opportunity

37:56 Will AI Replace Real Estate Agents? Tamir Poleg Answers

Connect with guests:

Tamir Poleg, Chairman and CEO, Real REMAX Group | Founder, The Real Brokerage

LinkedIn | Real | Instagram

Ken McLachlan, CEO | REMAX Hallmark Group of Companies

LinkedIn | Website | Instagram

Walter Schneider, Co-Founder of REMAX Integra | REMAX Europe | Member of the Order of Canada

LinkedIn | REMAX Europe

Connect with host: Steve Tabrizi, COO | REMAX Hallmark Group of Companies

LinkedIn | Website | Instagram

From concrete forming to corporate trainer to media mogul, Andrew Fogliato's path through the real estate industry is one of the most unexpected in the business. 

Johnder Perez sits down live at the Real Estate Connect conference with Andrew Fogliato, founder of Just Sell Homes and owner of Real Estate Magazine, to trace the journey that took him from frustrated homebuyer to one of the most influential voices in Canadian real estate. 

This conversation unpacks what truly drives agent success, how AI is reshaping marketing without replacing relationships, and why the best real estate strategies still come down to one thing: people. 

A must-listen for any realtor or broker owner looking to cut through the noise.

Listen For:

1:01 How did a history degree and family concrete business lead Andrew Fogliato to real estate?

7:31 What did early trial-and-error lead generation teach Andrew about building a real estate business?

12:54 How did Andrew go from RE/MAX corporate trainer to launching Just Sell Homes and acquiring Real Estate Magazine?

18:00 Is AI truly a game-changer for realtors, or just another elevation in how the job gets done?

21:04 What is Andrew Fogliato's single piece of advice for individual agents and broker owners right now?

Connect with Andrew Fogliato, Founder, Just Sell Homes | Owner, Real Estate Magazine

LinkedIn | Real Estate Magazine 

Connect with Johnder Perez, Director of Technology and Marketing for RE/MAX Hallmark®

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Email 

What separates a top-producing realtor from someone who just holds a license? According to Saïd Younes; RE/MAX Hallmark's spring sales challenge winner…the answer is deceptively simple: do the activity, every single day, without exception.

Johnder Perez is joined by Saïd Yunus, a four-year realtor whose background spans investment banking in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai, financial planning, and now award-winning real estate in the Toronto market. 

Saïd shares how treasury banking discipline, including 7 a.m. starts and relentless follow-through, translated directly into a real estate business that has more than doubled year over year since he started in January 2023. 

Canadian real estate agents at any stage will find practical inspiration and tactical takeaways in this episode.

Listen For:

:54 How did Saïd's background in investment banking shape his real estate discipline?
5:42 What strategies helped Saïd win the RE/MAX Hallmark Spring Sales Challenge?
9:10 Why do full-time focus and financial expertise give realtors a competitive edge?
13:19 How did Saïd double his real estate business two years in a row in a down market?
20:22 What advice does Saïd have for new and struggling realtors right now?

Connect with Saïd Younes, Realtor ®REMAX Hallmark® | Financial Planner-Manulife Securities Insurance Inc

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Website | Tiktok | Phone: 647-533-7073
 

Connect with Johnder Perez, Director of Technology and Marketing for RE/MAX Hallmark®

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Email 

The real estate industry is being reshaped from every angle…mergers, AI tools, shifting consumer habits, and knowing how to navigate it separates the agents who thrive from those who stall. 

Johnder Perez is joined by David Brown, a marketing veteran who spent over two decades building the RE/MAX brand at the corporate level in Canada before joining the Hallmark leadership team. 

From the Real-RE/MAX combination and what it actually means for agents on the ground, to the promise and pitfalls of AI in real estate marketing, David and Johnder unpack what it takes to build a standout business in 2026. 

The conversation lands on a timeless truth: authenticity, personalization, and genuine human connection are the real competitive edge… and the best technology should amplify those qualities, not replace them.

Listen For:

3:37 What led to the fantastic growth of the RE/MAX brand in Canada?
7:36 What does the REAL-RE/MAX combination mean for agents and broker owners?
17:39 How can real estate agents use AI without falling into the slop trap?
28:18 Why is AI an amplifier and not an equalizer for real estate agents?
30:21 What is the prescription for finishing 2026 strong in real estate? 

Connect with David Brown, Manager & REALTOR®, RE/MAX Hallmark® Simcoe County Leadership

LinkedIn 

Connect with Johnder Perez, Director of Technology and Marketing for RE/MAX Hallmark®

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Email 

In a shifting market, the agents still winning are the ones who never stopped doing the fundamental. 

Host Dan Salhany sits down with Marcus Noel, a Ottawa-based RE/MAX realtor whose business has grown consistently year over year, even as the broader Canadian real estate market softened. 

Marcus shares how he built his book of business from zero starting with his very first open house, to a referral-driven pipeline where 85% of his deals now come from past clients and their networks. 

From time blocking and office structure to the follow-up call that turned a Kijiji couch pickup into a closed deal, this episode is a masterclass in real estate business strategies, relationship-building, and the agent mindset that creates long-term success in any market.

Listen For:

1:40 How do successful Ottawa realtors push through slow periods and stay consistent when results aren't showing up?

4:22 What does a top producing realtor's daily schedule actually look like and why does morning structure matter so much?

6:15 How do you make follow up a habit that sticks and what role does real estate coaching play in building consistency?

8:46 What does it take to build a real estate business where 85% of your deals come from referrals and past clients?

18:45 How did one Ottawa realtor turn a casual conversation during a Kijiji furniture pickup into a closed real estate deal?

Connect with Marcus Noel, Sales Representative | RE/MAX Hallmark® Realty Group, Ottawa 

Website | Email | LinkedIn | Instagram | 613-864-6635

Connect with Dan Salhany, Brokerage Manager | Leadership Member | RE/MAX Hallmark® Realty Group, Ottawa

Website | Instagram | Email 

Building a top-producing real estate team isn't about ego, it's about designing a business that serves your life. 

Eric Skogland is joined by Mark Richards, leader of The Richards Group and ranked 12th highest-producing team in all of Canada in 2025. 

From running a painting company at 15 to losing his real estate license early in his career, Mark's journey is a masterclass in resilience, community-rooted strategy, and intentional growth. 

He and Eric dig into the mechanics of building a team with purpose; when to hire, what to look for, how collaboration beats competition, and why wealth in real estate comes from investing in it, not just selling it. 

A can't-miss episode for any agent thinking about what they really want from this business.

Listen For:

3:09 How did running a business before real estate shape who Mark Richards became as an agent?
18:26 What made Mark Richards leave his old brokerage and join the RE/MAX Hallmark family?
25:08 When does it actually make sense for a real estate agent to start building a team?
40:23 What is the drive-around strategy and how does it build instant client trust?
45:02 How has investing in real estate, not just selling it, built Mark's real wealth?

Connect with Mark Richards, Founder & Team Lead | The Richards Group | RE/MAX Hallmark®

Website | Email | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Eric Skogland, Manager | RE/MAX Hallmark® Leadership Team

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