Podcast: Canadian Versus U.S. Real Estate

Is running a real estate business in Canada really that much different? Well, yes and no. On today’s show, Canadian broker Courtney Atkinson discusses what’s different and what’s similar when it comes to real estate in the land of the maple. Courtney covers settlement, commissions, clients, and more. Plus, he shares the strategies he’s leveraged to keep business booming in a slow market – strategies you can use when sales start to stall.

Listen to today’s show and learn:

Courtney’s brief bio [3:02]
Courtney’s GCI and profit figures [5:35]
Tax differences between Canada and the US [8:20]
What a college education gets you [14:56]
Where most people find listings in Canada [20:49]
Why getting a home loan is harder in Canada than in the US [23:31]
How to operate effectively in a slow market [27:00]
The foreclosure process in Canada [29:07]
The settlement process in Canada [37:23]
Canada’s commissions [38:25]
How Courtney handles low co-op commissions [40:37]
How running a Canadian real estate office is different [45:58]
Cold-calling laws in Canada [49:32]
How to break through your goals.
Plus so much more.

Courtney Atkinson

Courtney Atkinson went to Mount Allison University where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in English and History. During that time, Courtney was also a Captain of the Mount Allison Football team where he played Centre on the offensive line. From there, Courtney started his career in customer service with a Ford dealership where he worked for two years before deciding he wanted to go to do an MBA.

In 2001, Courtney moved to Saskatoon to go to the University of Saskatchewan where he completed his Masters in Business Administration specializing in Marketing and Finance. While there, Courtney was the VP Finance of the Graduate Students’ Association. Part time he worked as a Small Business Banking Advisor with CIBC.

In 2003, Courtney moved to Lethbridge. He began working at the University of Lethbridge as a Manager in the Registrar’s Office. He was later offered a position as a Manager in Human Resources where he created the Office of Faculty Recruitment. There he found himself in the position of helping new Faculty and Staff find homes and community in Lethbridge.

Eventually, Courtney decided to pursue a career in Real Estate. This helped him combine his customer service background, his business education, and his desire to see more direct outcomes in his client relationships.

When Courtney began his career in real estate, he started as a Buyer Specialist. By his second year in real estate, Courtney had become one of the top agents in Lethbridge. It was time to form his own team. He immediately hired a Buyer Specialist and Office Administrator to support his Client’s needs. Since then, Courtney has hired a number of key people as the business has grown.

Today, they are an independent brokerage with 25 Team members all working towards their BIG vision of serving over 1,000 families in a single year! Their mission statement is “We are community builders” and they live that in everything we do, from their team meetings, to their training, to how they care for their clients and their neighbors. They are so fortunate they feel a great obligation to give back.

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