Do you think this ad is misleading?
Real Estate is a heavily regulated industry with many layers of protection for the consumer. The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB), The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), to The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) exist to protect you, me and everyone in between.
We’re all for pushing limits in all aspects of real estate marketing. We do it regularly and don’t always fall in-line with the rest of the crowd. What we don’t do is mislead or confuse the consumer. Then this ad from the largest real estate brand in the World shows up on Toronto streets.
Nobody outsells a Re/Max agent? Well, I don’t even have enough fingers and toes to count how many Re/Max Sales Reps and Brokers I personally outsell. But what does Agent mean? The public perceives the word Agent as an individual who sells Real Estate but the Real Estate & Business Brokers Act of 2002 defines Agent as the Brokerage. Meaning the entire office. But even if you’re referring to the individual brokerage, there are many brokerages (aka Agents) here in Toronto that outsell independent Re/Max offices. The disclaimer on the ad is so small that it’s impossible to read making this one of the most misleading advertisements we’ve ever seen.
Re/Max likely does sell the most real estate Globally and even Nationally but that is meaningless to you sitting there reading this in your house or condo in some awesome Toronto neighbourhood. In 2015, Real Estate is a hyper local game. The boutique brokerage has just as much reach as the behemoth brand. The playing field is level, folks. Don’t be mislead by big budget ad campaigns in any industry. Start your search locally and go with the Sales Rep or Broker that is all-in, in your community and digitally savvy.
Hire the Human not the Brokerage. What matters is WHO they are, what they STAND for, and HOW they do what they do, not the Brokerage they work for.
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