TOS of Real Estate with GoodStory

Jen Alvarenga was 18 years old when she left Honduras for Ottawa with a plan - get an education, go back home and work for the family business. That was over two decades ago and well, she's still here and she's shaping her adopted city with as much love and care as if she were born and raised in it.

Jen is the co-founder of GoodStory, a real estate team in Ottawa that has quietly become one of the most trusted in the city - not by chasing sales, but by helping people through every single step of their real estate journey, even if that means telling them it's not the right time to buy or sell. They offer the kind of advice that doesn't so much make them money that day, but it definitely makes them your agent and confidante for life.

On this week's episode Nadine sits down with Jen to talk about everything from acting as her father's translator during government tenders in Honduras at just 12 years old, to fearing having to leave Canada after missing the fine print on her immigration paperwork. She shares how she built GoodStory alongside her partner and husband, Leo, what Copenhagen can teach Ottawa about joy, and all about her beloved mentor who recently passed away - the one who looked at her skepticism about this industry and said, "You could be the light in the dark space."

Though we talk a lot about real estate, this conversation is actually about what it looks like to build something from scratch in a place that wasn't supposed to be home. It's about the fire you inherit from parents who started with nothing, and what can happen when you start to see your city from a lens that takes into account walkability, community design and emotional architecture.

Grab a coffee — from somewhere local — and settle in. This one is truly a good story.

@the_otherside_pod

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome to the other side pod. I'm Needine. We're not experts. We're just humans having a human experience we think we can learn from, or relate to, or laugh at, or cry over. So hit download, dive in, and hear how folks found themselves on the other side. Okay, not like the ultimate top favorite, because sometimes it's hard to decide, but one of your favorite places you've ever visited on either vacation or with work.

SPEAKER_04 0:50

Wow, that's a hard one. But I was in Copenhagen last year.

unknown 0:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 0:54

And I loved it. Like the way of life there is just so beautiful, and everyone seems so happy. Um that it was just very hard to not put it up there in my top places that I visited.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Good one. I haven't been, but I really want to go. And I, you know what I really want to do there? I just want to watch the women and the men. They dress so well.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

They really do. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Oh my gosh. I want to go there with an unlimited amount of money.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

Yes. It's needed.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

Yes. Yeah. I'm gonna leave David at home. He's not invited to Copenhagen.

SPEAKER_04 1:32

But you'll bring his allowance, you'll bring his portion of what he would spend.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Yes, and I want to buy his wardrobe there as well. Oh my god, Jen, can we do it?

SPEAKER_04 1:41

Oh my god. I I I've been saying I think we should put together a group of people that go to Denmark together. It just the way they do city building is really special. And I think we could we could really get a lot of uh tips and tricks and stuff like that. Because you know, you uh we were at um Tivoli, which is like, I don't know if I'm pronouncing it properly, but it's like the roller coasters and a theme park, right? And it's one of the oldest in the world, and uh you see all these women really nicely dressed in their jeans, nice shoes, their glasses, their hair like perfect with a ponytail. And I'm like, they're lining up to go on these crazy roller coasters. I'm like, how are they gonna do that? Like, and they're person, right? But it just they they they have it set up. Like they go in, there's a little cubby at the end, so they go past the roller coaster. So they get in the roller coaster, out they go, put all their belongings, and then they go back and they're sitting off pretty. And it's just like, wow, like so elegant, you know? And it's very basic. There's no, you don't see a lot of brands like say Gucci, Louis Vuitton, like you don't see a lot of that, but you can see that they're just you know, there's a there's a pride in in looking, you know, and feeling really good, and like well-made pieces.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

I'm all for I don't love having a a label across uh any of my clothes, actually. Like, and sometimes when I buy something, like there's a brand that I like in Newfoundland. Um, there's this woman who makes clothes there, and it's Sulee, and she has a little tiny tag, and I always get them to cut it off. Not because I don't want to support, I love what she makes and and it's it's very good quality. I just I don't want any names on anything. I don't know, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:25

And I think there's something to that, you know, that the quality speaks for itself, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:30

Totally. Someone's gonna ask you where you got it because it's like you can tell when something's well made and it's not like overdone. Okay, here's the other thing I'm taking from this. Uh I could talk to you about clothes forever. That's my favorite thing. Um I'm always like sometimes I'm like, oh, I want to wear this, but if I was going to a theme park or something, I'd be like, oh, what if I get grease on it? You know, like those kind of things. And I just think we have to toss it out the window because uh, you know, we're here for a short time, not a long time. Like, who sings that? Anyway, I just like so when I buy something new, I often will put it on like within days, if not immediately. I'm like, I just wanna wear these shoes out immediately and get a scuff mark on it or two because that's what they're for, you know?

SPEAKER_04 4:14

Yeah, and there's beauty to that, you know. Like I look at the century businesses in in Europe that, you know, have been around for like like over a century, you know, like and I meant to say decades, sorry, but you know, you see how their stuff still is relevant and and how people, you know, continue shopping there and not for themselves because they already have it, but they gift whatever they bought. You know, I've had conversations with people and they're like, oh, are they good? And they're like, everyone in my family has one. I'm buying this as a gift. I've had one for years, and it's just like, wow, you know, like we've we've become so disposable here that everything's like, oh, if it breaks, I buy it again. Well, no, let's take care of it and you know, not be obsessive about it. But it's okay for it had for it to have like that patina, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:02

Yes, absolutely. Um, I also can't wait to dive into what you do because I love how you described what you like about Denmark and how it's set up. Um, so yeah, tell us who you are.

SPEAKER_04 5:15

My name is Jennifer Alvarenga, and I'm the co-founder of Good Story. We're a real estate team here in Ottawa that focuses on delivering remarkable experiences for our clients. And that doesn't mean that they buy a home with us and have a great experience only, but we try to stick along um through their journey in real estate because we believe real estate can really propel people forward. So, you know, we have clients that have worked with us one time, two, three, four, eight, twelve. The number is so high that some people think it's not real.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

You're like, who's buying 12 houses? But yeah, um, I met you for a hot second. I was like, I want to do everything with Jen. So I can see it. Thank you. So when you look at how Denmark is built up versus like how Ottawa is, like what like through your eye, explain to me what we can take from that. I love that. I love that lens.

SPEAKER_04 6:08

Yeah, I think it's it's not that we did things wrong because at the end of the day, they started their cities when there were no cars, right? So, you know, their streets are tighter, you know, um, there everything's more clustered, uh, which a lot of people don't like in North America because they feel like, oh, I want my space, I want to not see my neighbor through their window. I, you know, like we have this idea of like the more the better. Um, but I think that that creates for a very lonely society too, right? And you know, when it comes to selling and buying real estate, there's a lot of psychology that goes into that and a lot of feelings, right? Especially in residential real estate. And I think that if we built our cities with a little bit more intention and putting in the forefront of the decision making, the feelings of joy and what people feel when they experience those spaces and those neighborhoods and those communities, I think that you know, everyone would be happier, our local businesses would be thriving more, you know. Um, there's a reason why businesses over there last decades, and it's the fact that people walk everywhere, and that is something that gives joy, not because you're meeting people and there's community, but also you're keeping more active and in motion, right? So you know it, right? Like when you move that you become healthier, no, even if it's just steps per day, right? Like I'm terrible at it because I'm always in my car running around from one place to another. But I do see the the beauty and and and how you feel better when you get exercise. And when it's not like, oh, I'm going to the gym, it's it's a different kind of exercise. And even your mind gets a little bit of uh of a workout there, you know, just walking and seeing the beauty in our city. And, you know, with everything happening in the world, we're so lucky to be able to get out of our house and houses and go for a walk.

SPEAKER_01 8:05

Yeah, you know, it's such a good point. I met a friend last night for dinner and he was going to a birthday party after, and I'm like, Oh, do you want to drive there? And he's like, No, I actually really want to walk. I'm like, Oh yeah, he he's someone who always uses the O train and he's always well, and I'm like, right, I need to take that or be, oh my gosh, I'm gonna edit this. Perry Manipause Jen, I cannot find my words. I want to be inspired by him or motivated by him. I love to move, and I do actually love walking, but I can easily make an excuse, especially as we were talking when it's mid-March and it's still snowing. And I'm like, you know what? I just want to get from here to there as quick as possible. But like, am I in a better mood when I do that? No, I'm in a better mood when I get outside and walk somewhere. Um, and the other part of that is I what I love about cities in Europe, and I don't know if it's it's not all of them, obviously, but a lot of them. What do you call those big public spaces? Um Plaza. Thank you. Uh mom and I, we went to Spain together a few years ago and we sat in a plaza. We had nothing to do one day, and it was like late in the afternoon, and we just kind of sat and watched. And it was, you could just tell all these families coming out from all of these buildings that surrounded it. And they were it was such a community vibe. And I looked at her and I was like, maybe I would have had kids here. Like, I don't know that I wouldn't have. Interesting. But it looked more inviting to have children in a place like that. I'm like, it just looks more like a community affair instead of an isolating experience. And I I I understand that it doesn't have to be isolated, and there's a lot of really good community in North America when you have kids and there's a lot of these groups and things set up for new mothers and fathers and people, but I don't know, there was something there that I'm like, maybe I would have done it here. It just seems I don't know, not easier, but more engaged, more connected.

SPEAKER_04 9:59

Yeah, and and you know what? I think that if if our if our like if we're not there yet as a city, we can create it within our own spaces, right? Like we we built uh uh and we did an instel here in Ottawa, and in the front we decided to put these like um what are they called? These the Canadian chairs, you know what I'm talking about, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:20

Oh uh Adirondacks? Adirands?

SPEAKER_04 10:22

Yes, Adirondacks, and we put them around in the front. So our front yard is pretty much a little community hub. And you know, in the summer, people just stop by and they chat, and you know, the kids are in their scooters and stuff like that. We've become big on backyards because they're private versus being at the front where you could chat with people and you know learn things and you know experience joy through others if you're not having a good day and stuff like that. And so I I think it's something that it's a mindset that we have to change, and we've been working on it as we've gotten inspired by others.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

It's um I grew up in Newfoundland, as I'm sure you if you've ever heard anything about me. My one of my friends is like, no one talks about Newfoundland as much as you. I'm like, I can't help myself. But anyway, I grew up in Newfoundland and my childhood home has a big veranda on the front of it, and that's where we always sat. We had a backyard, we just hardly used it. And I think I this is the first time I'm realizing why, because you see your neighbors, we were always out there gathered, chatting, and then you know, people would come visit and and yeah, we just like put more chairs out on that front veranda because it fit a lot. And then in the nights in the summer, I can just see my parents out there having whatever drink or a cup of tea or whatever in the world. And it just makes me feel so at home, so like safe and grounded. And so I've always said to David, like, I want to find somewhere with yeah, that front area space, like a front veranda where I can just sit and see my neighbors. Um, and I used to have that actually in a place that you're selling. I noticed yesterday a place on Villa. I used to live on Villa. Yeah. When I met David, he lived on Villa and I moved in with him. And there was a little front step. And my dog at the time was he was only like three or four, uh maybe he was four or five when I moved in. But he was such a good dog. Like he never went on the street. He he wouldn't leave my side, no matter if a dog walked by. Um, so Parker and I would sit out there in an Adirondack here that my father-in-law made. I mean, so sweet. And that's where I had my coffee every morning because I wanted to see my neighbor walking by. It's the only way we get to know each other, you know?

SPEAKER_04 12:27

Yeah, and that's a beautiful street. It's like you're in a central area, easy commute anywhere, you know. Uh, you have nature around you, right? Like so it's really nice.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

I saw how you told the story of that couple selling their house on Villa, and you said it's like if you want a cottage, but you also want to live in the city, and it's so true because you have like the canal running in the backyard. Yeah, it's a gorgeous street. I'm sure by the time this comes out, that place will be sold.

SPEAKER_04 12:55

But in case it's not, I think it came up because it was a testimonial video.

SPEAKER_01 13:01

Oh, it's not for sale, got it.

SPEAKER_04 13:03

It's not for sale. We sold it and we used that to sell it, like just said it's a college within the city, but um, but they sold it, and that was their story, sharing their experience with the team.

SPEAKER_01 13:15

To real estate. Tell me how you got into this.

SPEAKER_04 13:19

Yeah, so I came here as an international student, and my goal was to go back home and work for the family. Uh, the family being my parents. My parents started from very little and they worked their way up um through their business in um telecom. Uh my dad studied in Brazil and brought pretty much knowledge that no one else had in the country. And I helped him. He studied in Brazil and he came back to Honduras. So Brazil was years ahead in Telecom, and Honduras was just kind of getting there. So, you know, he was hired and and so forth. And eventually, like, there was just so much corruption that he said, you know what, I'm opening my own company, you can hire me. And he pretty much became hired by the company as a company instead of as an individual. And uh, and then that created opportunities, and you know, um, he grew through that and put the money. My mom used to run everything, and then my dad obviously had the knowledge and all that. Um, so they complimented each other really well, which is funny because Leo and I, my husband, compliment each other really well. We're like business partners and life partners as well. But um, but then they got into real estate with the proceeds of their careers, right? And when I was like 10, 12 years old, like they're starting investing and you know, things were getting better for them. They never really made us feel like we were better off, which I think like, oh, why would you never? I used to think we were so poor, you know, because they would only talk about mortgages in the table. And, you know, it makes sense now because as a business owner, you have so many responsibilities, liabilities, and and all this. And and you're like, I gotta make that payment, I gotta make that loan, I gotta make that mortgage payment, you know? So that's all I heard in my head. We were always like, you know, underwater. But uh, but I think it it created uh fire in me and it made me very um hardworking and gave me that work ethic that they had. Uh so when I came here, I uh I really wanted to buy a car because I was freezing, you know. I hadn't embraced the winter, I didn't want to bribe the white and red limbo. And uh and so I I said to my dad, you know, like maybe I can, you know, get get a car, get a loan to get a car. And so instead of getting a car, I said, maybe I should buy a place. And to be honest, it was more because it wasn't because I wanted a place more than a than a car. It was more like, oh, I know my dad, I know that cars depreciate, I know how he thinks. He's very long-term, right? And I said, What if I buy a place instead? And he's like, Oh, smart, you know? So I did that and I got into real estate. I got a place I shouldn't have. It had baseboard heating. I'm from Honduras, so not a good combination, but it taught me a lot. Um, it was home for a while, and eventually I got into new construction condos. I bought one, did really well with the proceeds of that, bought another one. Then my brother came along. We started buying, you know, uh real estate together and then got into our first multi-unit in the GLIB. We did really good with that one. So, you know, it's it's those baby steps that you need to take to get ahead, right? Um, and and luckily we had amazing mentors. I had an incredible mortgage broker that you, you know, like really believed in us and you know, helped us with the lenders to get funding. Um, and and and she's like, they won't lose this place, I promise, you know, and you know, we worked really hard and and and um tried to make it work with whatever we had. We I had a real estate um mentor as well, I had a lawyer mentor as well. And I I've just been very lucky with uh people, I think. And, you know, with my mentor, um, the real estate agent, I met him for dinner and you know, sadly he passed this weekend, but it it's so timely for me to talk about him. Yeah, because he was just like um a firecracker. And he's like, just get your license. I came and worked in his office to help him kind of get more structured and stuff. Uh, every realtor needs that when they get busy, just people that help them, you know, keep things moving and in the right direction and with less chaos because there's so many moving parts. But uh, but he said, to just become an agent, like you'd be so good at it. And I just thought it's such an industry that has such a bad reputation. I just don't want to be in there. But then he made it seem like Jen, you could be the difference, you could be the light in the dark space, you know, and that changed that perspective in my head. And I'm like, okay, let's do this, you know.

SPEAKER_01 18:04

What's the bad rap in real estate?

SPEAKER_04 18:07

You know, that you know, we're very commission-driven as an industry, that, you know, it doesn't matter what clients buy, like it's just as long as we get a sale, you know, like that kind of reputation that follows us has been really hard to break through. And it's taken a lot of time. Like, I would say that we're lucky as a team now to be positioned differently. Uh, we've created enough good stories that, you know, people send us business, and some people will say, you know, like, you have to call them. Like, it's not a matter of like call them. You have to call them. And it's just so nice, you know, because you know, past clients or friends really want their friends and their people to have a good experience and to be able to use real estate as a tool to get ahead. Because it can be more than just a home if you do it right. And you make your money in the purchase, you make your money in the buy. So that's when your journey typically starts as a person. You buy first, right? Um, and if you do it right, you can really get ahead with it.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

So, your first purchase, you okay, you came here to go to school. What did you study?

SPEAKER_04 19:15

I so I struggled in university. I was in university for more years than I should have, and I didn't finish. I then moved to Algonquin and I studied business entrepreneurship. Uh, I had fantastic teachers there too. Like, maybe because I was a little bit more mature, so I connected with them a little bit more. Uh, I'm still friends with uh a few of them. And then um, and then I did marketing after again. I had to go back to university in order to remain in Canada legally. And that's when my team came up. Like, like that's when we started forming a team because my husband had to step in as a realtor. At the same time, he was starting a food truck. Uh, and then we have Shadi, who's you know, another agent in our team. He's fantastic. And he was just helping us with marketing and backend stuff. And uh now he's an incredible agent. But like I had to go back to university, they had to take over. And the only thing I was doing was showing houses when they couldn't and I had to, and I had the time, and when I uh and I negotiated deals. So I sometimes would be in class and stepping out and calling and you know, dealing with agents and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

But you like read after you got your real estate license and started a company and started Good Story, you had to go back into university.

SPEAKER_04 20:32

So I had to, I was Gen V agent as of 2011. When you finish university or college, they give you two to three years to do a career. And with that career, if it's applicable, you're able to get your PR, your permanent residency, to remain in Canada. I did real estate as a real estate agent, which was applicable, but you had to be employed and salaried. I was self-employed and commissioned, so I didn't read the fine print, and when I went to apply, I didn't have enough points. So the only thing I could do was go back home or remain here, and the only way was as a student. I couldn't get a work visa, I couldn't do anything. And I was dating Leo by then, so that's the reason I wanted to stay. So I went back to university. I said, Well, if you go back to university, you're able to work part-time legally, and then I'll get another career. And they had to step in. So they stepped in. We slapped a name on our team, it was the real estate in co. So we went from being Gen D agent to real estate in co because it was a work that a word I had trademarked in 2012. Because people were like, What are you doing? I was in school and in business, and I was always with real estate books. So I'm like, Oh, I eventually I started saying I'm real estating. And then they would say to me, Oh, what are you up to? You should you're real estating? And I'm like, Oh, this word is, you know, kicking in. So I trademarked it and and We were a real estate in co, but during COVID, the name was really hard to pronounce. Google didn't like us because it was a made-up word. During COVID, when we were dealing with multiple offers, a lot of people would put dot com to send us an offer. And we would never get it because we didn't own that domain. We don't we own the dot co. And the guy wanting to sell us the dot com wanted an arm and a leg. We're like, that's crazy. You know, we don't even love the name that much. So we hired a team. I don't know if you know them, they're Godspeed, Thomas Cumberbatch here in Ottawa, and they do fantastic work. And talk about referrals. Someone that had worked with them said to me, You can't afford not to work with them.

SPEAKER_01 22:43

Whoa.

SPEAKER_04 22:44

Right? Talk about a referral. Godspeed? Yeah, Godspeed. They're on Bank Street. And you know, um, Thomas is fantastic. We sat down, he interviewed us, he interviewed a bunch of our clients. We did one round of uh proposal names, like that was our first step to figure out our name. And when we were sitting there, we we looked at the names he gave us and they were good, but they weren't like, uh, they they speak to us, right? And then he's like, guys, I have your name. Your name is good story. It's the common denominator of every conversation I had with your clients. And we were like, Yes. And we couldn't believe that the domain.ca was available. Like it was just like it was God sent, you know? And uh, so that's when we became good story. And, you know, our our our our goal is just to, you know, um transform the way people see our industry and you know, journey through real estate one story at a time.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

So, from all of that, how did you end up getting your permanent residency? What step? Did were they like, yes, you've met it so much?

SPEAKER_04 23:56

So I had more points after my second career and was as as of after my second program, but I also was pregnant at that point. I had already gotten married, like so it was it was uh it was uh through Leo as sponsorship, it was the fastest way. Uh, but I I uh you know it it took me through a roller coaster. I don't think I've gotten as stressed ever as I did during that period of time.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

Because you've been over here in Canada, in Ottawa, you've set up a life, you've started a company, you're so busy, you've got people hired to work, and then it's like, well, you need to actually like read the fine point because maybe you need to go back to Honduras. That is terrifying. You know, not pleasant to go back home, but because you and you'd met someone, like you really did start your life here. I yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:47

I was I I by then I was more from here than from back home. Like when I went back home, I would say, Oh, I'm heading home in two days, you know, like returning to Canada. So it's really interesting how you lay roots without sometimes even realizing. And funny enough, um, when I was doing my second program, I got called in to CBSA, like the Border Services Patrol officer. And I was like, Oh God, I'm getting deported for sure. And um the officer sat me down and he had all my life there. He had my CV, like my LinkedIn, my website, my grades. He had everything printed, and I'm like, oh, for sure I'm getting deported. And um, and I just thought maybe I've extended my time here, you know. And he said, you know, Jen, I'm calling you in because typically I would go and look for you at your office, you know, and surprise you. But you're the type of people we want in Canada. So I just want to remind you to keep up your grades. And the reason you're allowed to be here is your schooling, so don't neglect that for the other stuff. And I was like, oh my God, I was not expecting him to say that to me. But I was like almost tearing up and everything. And he's like, I know you employ people, I know that you're doing something phenomenal. Just keep up your grades. Yeah. God. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

So, okay, first year as a real estate agent, how was that?

SPEAKER_04 26:15

Oh, it was so hard. It was so hard. I had this uh mentor, Sal, and um and he was so good to me, you know. God bless his soul. Like he he really mentored me. And what I loved about real estate through him and what made me register, because I had done my courses because I was investing in real estate since 2005. In 2009, I started doing my courses because my mom's like, just do your courses. I kept complaining about realtors not calling me back, and I was frustrated. She's like, just do your courses, and you depend less on them, right? And my parents are very solution-oriented. They have a problem, they'll figure it out, you know. So she said that to me. I started my courses, and then I I pretty much could register once I finished anytime. And he was the one that convinced me to register, not because he pushed me to do it, but because of how he took care of his clients, you know. Um, and they're doing a celebration of life for him probably in the coming week or so. And I that place will probably be packed because he was just so good to his clients. Like, clients would sign without uh looking at the contract. And I'm like, uh, do you want to read that? Like, let's cross the T, you know, like, and and there was so much trust for him. And and that was really special to see because in my head, it was different. Like people were always looking out for themselves, even with their own advisor, right? So to see how he had these relationships with people and how they've worked with him plenty of times as well. Uh, he's helped a lot of people grow through real estate. It was just really special to see. And I'm like, okay, I can be the difference too, you know.

SPEAKER_01 27:56

How did you meet him?

SPEAKER_04 27:58

I met him through my mortgage broker. She invited us for dinner uh together. We went out for dinner and she said to him, You should hire her. Because I wasn't taking a lot of classes that semester, uh, and and I was, you know, not that busy, and she said, You should hire him. Like, send me your CV. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:17

And okay, when you bought your first place, where was it?

SPEAKER_04 28:21

It was near Billings Bridge, close to Carleton University.

SPEAKER_01 28:25

You said it was a mistake because it's baseboard heating, and I know how expensive that is because in Newfoundland there's a lot of baseboard heating. And is that is that where you learn that lesson? You're like, holy shit, yeah, right. The heating does.

SPEAKER_04 28:37

Yeah, yeah. And so I mean just a lesson of listening, right? Listen and ask questions, be curious. Where's your client from? What do they like to do? What's the best place that's gonna make them feel good and elevate their life, right?

SPEAKER_01 28:50

Instead of just like, oh, Jen, this is her budget. She's willing to live anywhere in the city because she's not that familiar with it. She's been in school and like had a small, I don't know, maybe footprint in the city. Let's throw her here. And then you get there and you don't like it. So you're like, I want to do something different.

SPEAKER_04 29:05

Yeah. Jen. I started enjoying Canada when I moved downtown and I went to university at Carleton because that was more um vibrant, and my culture is very vibrant, right?

SPEAKER_01 29:17

Like okay. How many places have you bought and sold? You, Jen, not like for clients. I want to know how many you Jen.

SPEAKER_04 29:31

Okay. So I've lived since I've been born in 16 places. Just to give you an idea. And I've only lived in two houses in Honduras. So uh I've moved around. Um, Leo and I started investing together as well. Um, and and bought lots because he's really into development. Like we're really passionate about, you know, kind of targeting that missing middle that we have in our city. Um, and so we've bought lots that we have homes that we rent out. Um and um, and eventually we want to build stuff that, you know, kind of addresses that gap that we're seeing in the city.

SPEAKER_01 30:13

Like, what? What do you want to build? I'm so I'm so intrigued by you and your brain. I'm like, you've bought lots. Like, I don't, I do not think like this. This is amazing.

SPEAKER_04 30:24

But you know what? My dad was really poor. My my grandpa my grandfather was a Coca-Cola driver. So I we laughed because I used to take Coca-Cola in my baby bottles, you know? You didn't know. Uh, yeah, not good for my health. But um but he was a Coca-Cola driver, and being a Coca-Cola employee was really good in the sense that there were opportunities and opportunities for your children. My dad got a scholarship since he was in school because he was such a brilliant kid. Um, and and my grandfather used that money to lend it out and make money from it, right? And then when my dad went got a scholarship to go to Brazil to study, um, you know, he had a scholarship from the Coca-Cola Company. And so these things allowed him to get a better education, which allowed him to give us a life different than the one he had, right? Like he didn't even want to go to his graduation because he didn't have clothing and his shoes were ripped, right? Like poor. Um so so we didn't have, we didn't go through that, right? And it's just beautiful to see how every generation is improving itself. And um for us, if it weren't for real estate, I wouldn't be talking to you right now.

SPEAKER_01 31:43

And you saw you saw that industry, I suppose, sitting at the kitchen table with your mom and dad, right? Because they've invested in Honduras and it okay. But when you came here, you thought, I'm gonna come here, get my education, and go back home and work with my mom and dad, or for my mom and dad.

SPEAKER_04 32:00

Yeah. Because they so I started working for my parents when I was 12. My dad and my mom were participating in tenders for the government to do projects, but my parents don't speak English. So I was the translator, my brother was the translator, you know. And when you're doing tenders, it's very delicate back home because you know, like it's such a poor country that someone will say, Hey, give me the number and I'll pay you X amount. And then with that number, they beat you, right? So my dad needed people that he could trust, and that was myself and my brother. So we were like a group of maybe six, my parents, maybe two employees, and my brother and I. And we would take turns to go sleep. He'd be like, Okay, you can sleep up until 3 a.m. at 3 a.m. I need you back, you know, because we were in tender period, right? And uh and Siemens, which is a big uh company, partner up with my parents to do a project that pretty much connected uh Honduras, Belize, and Guatemala with the internet, with the fiber optic. That was a big project. Like it wouldn't, it really helped them, you know, get ahead. Uh and it needed a lot of confidentiality, right? Like a company like Siemens is trusting you to be their partner, right? So, anyways, they got it. Uh, it was a it was a long period, a lot of work. My dad was traveling all the time, but you know, that's when I first got my laptop. I was 12. And it wasn't because I was the coolest kid in the block, it was because I became my dad's assistant.

SPEAKER_01 33:39

This like set you on fire from a very early age in a really great way. Like this like drive that like almost comes from your DNA, really. Like, I can see it in you, I can feel it across the screen.

SPEAKER_04 33:53

No, I didn't realize it though. I resented it a lot when I was that age because I saw my friends going to the country club to play tennis because I went to a private school. My parents made a sacrifice to put us in a really good school because my dad believes a lot in education, right? So I went to a private school and my friends were different, you know, they were they came from money or generational money, and they had the weekends to go to the pool, go to play golf. One of them was an excellent golfer. I always joke when I'm golfing here because I'm terrible at it. I'm like, oh, I wish I would have gone with her and not race the go-karts instead of watching, right? Because the few times I did go, I would go race the golf cards with my other friends.

SPEAKER_01 34:39

You're amazing. Okay, back to the lots. What are you building on a lot? Tell me what what is what you have this idea for how the city can be. Can I, is it super secret, or can you tell me one idea? And again, if you're like no.

SPEAKER_04 34:55

It's not super secretive, but um there's a few ideas that we've been floating around and stuff like that and in the gap we're seeing, but it's so right, it's it's it's um it's within multi-units, right? Having people um like if you go to Europe, you see a lot of six-unit buildings that you're just walking through them, commercial at the bottom, right? And then you have people living upstairs, right? Like I think, you know, we have this way of thinking in our city that it's not in my backyard, right? I don't mind the city becoming better and more connected, but you're not building a big building behind me, right? Um, and and I think there's ways of doing things in a way that they still fit the fabric of the neighborhood. Um, so that's always the challenge because the math doesn't math uh many times. So when we're taking on a project, you know, it's it's such a balancing act of you know, building what you want to build, being building with the quality you want to build, and also um making the math work, right? We rebuilt the house in Westboro. Um, I'll send it to you so you can see it, but it's five ladders sir. And we spent, we were supposed to spend uh $200,000 renovating it, and we ended up spending almost $250. And, you know, one of the biggest things with us is that we'll never deviate from what we believe in, and we would never sell something that we couldn't stand behind, you know. Our name says good. I cannot sell you a bad home. You know what I mean? So um, you know, we we rebuilt it, spent a lot more than we were planning or should have. But, you know, we got a letter from the owner the other day because he opened a bunch of mail by mistake and he's like, I'm sorry, I was opening the mail frantically and I opened yours. Uh, by the way, still loving the home. And for us, that's like, oh, we love it, you know, like, and and we try to make, you know, our listings from other clients to create that feeling when people are buying them, because that's what's gonna make someone want to pay them more, which will put our sellers ahead, but also will give that buyer a better home, right?

SPEAKER_01 37:13

So is it like right now, there's always like what, a buyer or a seller's market? What is it right now in Ottawa?

SPEAKER_04 37:20

I would say it's micro markets right now. So there's markets that are very sellers, uh, sellers market. Um, and then there's other neighborhoods that, you know, it's taking more time. It you could say it's more balanced. Uh, and then there's obviously the condo market that is a buyer's market.

SPEAKER_01 37:37

Right. What is happening with Zibi? Like, oh I walk by it a lot, and I'm like, this could be when I hear you explain what you want and what you see for the city, I'm like, Zibi could be that, and I don't know why it's like stalled on itself. And that's what it, that's what it seems. I could, I don't know the insides of it, so I could be seeing the wrong thing, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 38:01

City is such an interesting and special project because it took a lot to build that. I will tell you, like, I I can't even imagine as and and we build at a smaller scale, right? But I can't even imagine having to deal with three levels of government to put something together, you know. Like, um, but I think Zibi will come to life the way it should once the stadium is there. That's gonna be a special area. I think Hindenburg will, you know, be so much um fun than what it is already. Uh, same with Preston, like the library is gonna get finished soon, right? Like, but I think it's um it's a shift in mindset from us as the people of Ottawa that we need to come out and support these places because why are these people spending and investing so much? Why are our governments spending so many billions and creating all these spaces and we're not going to them, right?

SPEAKER_01 39:02

Because it's gorgeous. And the and the commercial space underneath. I'm like, I just want to have a business so I can put it there. This is beautiful and right on the water, and then with Blues Fest in the summer and the War Museum, I'm like, this is a gorgeous area. I'm so confused why it's not uh like why there's not a waiting list to either go in there as a commercial business or go in there as um a homeowner or uh you know someone who wants to gosh.

SPEAKER_04 39:29

I'm excited for it to get to that point because that's the way it should be, right? But it it needs us, it needs us, and I was having a dilemma, not a dilemma, uh debate with someone the other day on Instagram because I posted about this, you know, cobbler that he is closing his doors, you know, like he was pretty much asked to sign a five-year lease, and he's like, Jen, I wanted to retire in two, so you know, I'm closing up and I'm like, oh, my heart broke. I'm like, you're the best in town. Who am I gonna go to now? You know, and but what broke my heart really was the fact that he was feeling that way, you know, instead of passing it on to someone else and feeling like wow, all this work I did, now I get to give it to someone else. And you know, I this is my chapter, this is where my chapter closes, and it's someone else's now. But no, he closed his entire book, you know what I mean? His entire life that he and when I posted about it, I was reading a bunch of messages from people I didn't even know on LinkedIn and stuff about oh my god, like he used to be on Westboro and he used to be so friendly, and he would always wave hello to me and my children when I was going by to drop them off at school. And you know, all these comments were like, Oh, like, come on, people, like we gotta show up for these people, you know, and and and you've had a look like a local business, right? Like you you depend on the people, and and and sometimes we don't realize how our hard-earned money should go to people that really value that hard-earned money, right? We just spend without thinking sometimes, and and it's not purposeful, it's not intentional.

SPEAKER_01 41:13

It's why it infuriates me when I see a million Amazon packages on a doorstep. I get it, it's easy, uh-huh. And maybe you've broken your leg or you're or you're not able-bodied and you can't go out and get it, and no judgment. But you know what I'm judging? The people that you could literally walk down the street and go to that local home hardware and pick up whatever in the world garbage bags, uh uh, I don't know. Oh my god, my name is Nails.

SPEAKER_04 41:39

I know, I know, I know what you mean though.

SPEAKER_01 41:41

Like garbage bags, nails, um, your water holes. Like, go outside and interact with a human and buy something from someone that's paying the rent to be on that street that makes it more lively. Like, stop ordering your shit from Amazon. I cannot eat infuriates me, infuriates me. Um anyway, I could go on about that forever because I do remember like having a brick and mortar and uh it's it's everyone that you interact with, they just become a part of your the tapestry of your life, of the city. It it you just feel more connected. And I didn't necessarily have to know your name, but I could tell you who worked at the bridgehead next door because I was over there all the time. I would be across the street shopping at Victois, I'd go get my flowers at Bloomin' or Bloomfield's, and it's like all those little interactions, and they make such a difference because every dollar you put there enables them to stay open. And then I'd even get to know the people that would walk by to get their coffee that maybe never came into my studio because they didn't want to spin, but that's okay. But they would wave and all those tables up front. And anyway, I know we use the weather, and the weather is a deterrent from being outside and shopping and walking there. I get that, but you know what? In Ottawa, sure, we have really cold weather for a few months, but for most of the year, it's it's pretty easy to be outside. Just go out and see people and stop ordering your coffee beans from Amazon. Jesus.

SPEAKER_04 43:09

Yeah, and and you know, like the they they say that the new epidemic, I think is the word, is loneliness. Right? But like I was yesterday at Little Victories, and by mistake, who I was meeting went to the other Little Victories on Queen, and I wasn't the one in the gleam. And I didn't really realize she was late because um I was chatting with someone that I just bumped into there, and she was with her son, and you know, she was just saying, like, oh, I just love coming here. It makes me feel like I'm in Montreal, and you know, and and and we were talking about that same thing, you know, that sense of community. And but she was saying Ottawa is so much more family friendly. It's such a better place to raise a family, right? And you know, we rate really high in quality of life, but we could be a part of making This quality of life even better, right? Like when I first came here, I thought, oh my God, this city shuts down at six. What is this? You know, like, and I used to think this city is boring. But now I realize that the boring one was me, you know? Like I wasn't getting out there enough. I wasn't going to the right places. I wasn't cycling to this beautiful sunset that you can watch from like different places in Ottawa, right? Like it's like the world is your oyster. Like, you know, Ottawa is out there ready for us. We just have to put that effort. Like, have you been to the river house uh near Rockliffe? The NCC?

SPEAKER_01 44:43

Uh is it one of the what do you call it? Like it's like a restaurant, but they're all their name something.

SPEAKER_04 44:49

It's I don't know. It's like it's like a big structure. It used to be like a boathouse. I think it's called the river house, but um, it has this like pool within the river.

SPEAKER_01 45:01

No, yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_04 45:02

I'm gonna take you in the summer.

SPEAKER_01 45:04

Yeah, I think I've seen it and you swim there, right? Like people are swimming there. Yes, I've seen it on social media. I have not been there.

SPEAKER_04 45:12

It's so cool, it's so cool, and you bring your food and your snacks and like a picnic style, you know. You know, so it's like we need and and it takes time, you know. I bring my girls, and I coming with the girls is like you add an extra hour to it, right? But but it's just like they they get so much joy out, joy out of it, and and I want them to feel like they don't need to leave the city to have fun, right? Yes, it's nice to go out and explore a different country and all that, but you don't, it's not because you need to, it's because you want to, right? Like Ottawa has so much to offer, and I think we need to just change that chip in our heads, right?

SPEAKER_01 45:51

I totally agree. I thought I was gonna move here and and find it boring as well. And I mean, jokes on me. I stayed. I I was the same as you. I was like, Oh, I'm gonna go back home to Newfoundland, but I just fell in love and I remember being like, Oh, there's beaches. Like, I I get it. Maybe sometimes you won't go into the water to paint on the on the testing that day. But like, I just remember like there's people out barbecuing, like on these beaches, but like it's so beautiful. It makes me feel like I'm somewhere else. And you're so right. If you don't hop on your bike or walk over there and see it, you don't even know it's there. And then you're missing that connection with people, even if you don't know them, even if you don't even talk to them, just sitting around other humans, I think fills our our souls up. Like when you think of Paris and all those people sitting outside reading, and and I don't know if you've gone, but like when I've gone, I I sit outside too, and I'm I'm either chatting with whoever's with me, or there's like I brought a book or something. And it's not because I'm meeting all of these Parisians, I don't even speak the same language. I just feel like I'm a part of something. I'm not so alone in this world, which is also why I wanted to start a podcast because I'm like, we are a part of something bigger, and yeah, I'm not in real estate and I don't see the world like you do, but I'm a part of it, and like I want to see it through your eyes for a little bit, and I want other people to hear it and hear how you see it. Cause I just, yeah, I think we are such a lonely um population. We're such a lonely little world right now. And like I hope that switches. I hope people start to go back to when they walk down to the cobbler and like get their shoes fixed and grab a coffee on the way and say hello. I was at um my friend Kim. We have a shared friend Kim and there was this networking thing. I'm I'm obsessed. And like the kindest, most generous human. But anyway, uh, and I met Kim through my business. Like, I wouldn't have known her. Anyway, all that to say. Um, she was like, Do you want to go to this networking thing? And I'm like, No, because I I do, I want to meet other people, but I can also get very like stuck in my head and I'm trying to be more flexible this year. And she was like, I got you a ticket, you're coming. I'm like, God bless you. And because of that, I sat at this dinner table across from the sky, and I'm like, I know you. And he he's actually in real estate putting up. And I'm like, I know you. And he's like, I know, you look very familiar. And I'm like, I didn't buy a property from you or rent because I was thinking, like, did I did I look at a location for my business from him? And then I'm like, wait a minute, did you go to wheelhouse? And he was like, Yes, but like forever ago. I'm like, I remember you. And anyway, so we got to chatting and he went like what right when we opened our doors, and he's like, How do you remember that? It was like 11 years ago. And I'm like, Mitch, every single person that walked in that door meant everything to me because you let my dreams come true. Like you gifted me a beautiful experience that like 16-year-old Nadine dreamt about, and I'll never forget you. Like all of those faces. I may not remember your name, but I I remember these faces. And some of them now I see out and about in different, you know, they're they've we've all changed. It's been 12 years or whatever now, but it's so nice to have those connections with them still. And it I just feel I don't know, like you're not so alone in this.

SPEAKER_04 49:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:01

Um, okay, good story. I love the name, it's so beautiful. Good story is a real estate company.

SPEAKER_04 49:09

Yeah, we're a team within Remax Hallmark.

SPEAKER_01 49:12

Okay. How many people have a lot of people think we we're six?

SPEAKER_04 49:16

Okay, six agents and two staff. Six or seven, seven.

SPEAKER_01 49:20

And sorry, I cut you with me.

SPEAKER_04 49:21

A lot of people think what a lot of people think that we are a brokerage, but we actually aren't. Like we are um pretty much powered by the biggest brokerage in Remax in the world, and they're such an amazing support. Like, we wouldn't be able to do the business the way we do it if they didn't have such a good handle on everything else, so we don't have to worry about it, right?

SPEAKER_01 49:43

Okay, so so you started a good company, it's your baby with your husband, or or it's like yours. With my husband, yeah. Okay. How did you find the right people? Because you have a real ethos, like you have real values, a real mission of what you want to do. How do you make sure the team fits that?

SPEAKER_04 50:02

Yeah, that that's not easy. I'll tell you something. Um, someone in my team was saying the other day, because we went on a retreat to Montre en Blanc together, and um, and we were just chatting, and he said something like, I think it's this is the best rear rear reiteration of a team that we've had. So it's like we we've you you know, we've gone through certain people that come, go, et cetera. We don't have that much turnover with agents, to be honest. We're very cautious of who we bring. I need to make sure, and everyone in my team needs to make sure that whoever is coming in as an agent to our team is able to be honest with that client and say, I don't think you should buy this house. You know, even if they love it.

SPEAKER_01 50:49

Wait a minute. When would you say, Nadine, I don't think you should buy this house?

SPEAKER_04 50:56

I don't think this house will appreciate. I think if you buy this house for what it's going for and what, you know, there's a multiple offer, you're gonna be stuck here for 10, 15 years. And a lot of things can happen in 10, 15 years. Or if there's like, you know, something wrong with the home and they're like, oh, I can fix it, it's gonna be, you know, you're like, no, this is gonna be a $50,000 money fit, you know? Like, so you have my like agents in my team will never lose their integrity for a sale, you know, and and I'm big on integrity. I think integrity is something that you either have or you don't. It's not like, oh, I have integrity when it comes to this part of my life, but not in this, like, no, it doesn't work that way. You you either have it or you don't, right? Um, and everyone in my team is super high integrity, which is really hard to find. People ask, oh, are you hiring? And you know, right now we actually need two more agents, but we're not necessarily out there trying to hire anyone. We want to hire the right people with the right work ethic, uh, passion for what they do, because this is not an easy career. Uh, it's very sacrificing. You can ask all the spouses of our agents, you know, like you get calls, you're dealing with offers. Guess what? You have to, right? Like, you gotta step out from dinner and be like, uh, I'm dealing with an offer. And and you know, like we've learned through time to have a little bit of boundaries with within our career, and because it's so in you know, so meshed together. But when it comes to an offer, like me not answering might make someone lose an offer, right? So when it comes to an offer, you have to be on all the time. And and and that's not easy.

SPEAKER_01 52:42

Can you ever actually take a vacation?

SPEAKER_04 52:45

We do now. Uh, when I used to take vacations when I was a solo agent, it was so funny because Pnaden, to this day, every time I go on holidays, I get a call of someone that wants to sell a house or or do something. Of course you do. And I'm like, uh, you know, if things are slow, I just have to go on holiday pretty much. But now I have an awesome team, and and we do uh we try to do events every year to put our community together. Most of our clients are referred, so they know each other and they're very similar. A lot of our clients are very similar in how they appreciate quality, how they value experiences and and you know, the way they're living life, right? And um, so we do events and they get to know each other. The people that have referred each other already know each other. We have my favorite one is a photo shoot we've been doing for a couple of years now during the holidays, and it's a portrait of their family, and we have a full day of just photo shoot for and families come in and take their photos. We have charcuterie, food, etc., and music, and it's such a fun time. And you know, like everyone gets to know each other and make new friends within our community, right? So it's um, I think I lost my train of thought of what I was saying, but what I was trying to say is just everyone gets along so well too, right?

SPEAKER_01 54:10

Now, when you can take a vacation, you have a team in place to help you, so you don't have to sit, yeah. I okay. Because it it does seem like a very consuming job. Like uh when we were younger, when we were like in our 20s, my best friend dated a real estate agent. And yeah, I remember her being like, This is it's tough as the partner of this person. Like it's it, I don't think he ever turned off, but I get it. He was young, he was like, I'm not gonna miss an opportunity. Like everything I don't answer is is an opportunity lost to me. And I'm like, right, you have to have that drive, I think, to go into that career.

SPEAKER_04 54:45

Yeah, and for Leo and I, because we're both in it, I dragged him into it, it's uh a little bit easier. And and and you know, I take the the lead at home sometimes, and he takes the lead at the office if if if we need to split, right? Um, if I child is sick at home, okay, I'll take on all that, right? Like if I worked a different job, he wouldn't be able to take my slack, right? So it it has benefits and and and weaknesses, I guess, uh being in the same industry. But you know, um, because clients know our our agents, they're okay. And they they sometimes certain um like sometimes certain clients of mine will even continue working with Shiny. So I maybe I was pregnant, they started working with Shadi uh or or with Tony, you know, and and then they keep on working. For us, it's it's so collaborative, and we just want the best for the client. If I'm not the best agent for that person, or if that person now feels better with Shadi or whatnot, like, or their relationship just grew more because now I'm at a different stage or whatnot, like that's okay. You know, like we we we just want to make sure that our clients are taken care of and that they feel good and they know we have their back.

SPEAKER_01 56:04

What is your favorite part of your job?

SPEAKER_04 56:08

The people we get to work with amazing people from different paths of life, and and and just adding value to them is just very special, you know?

SPEAKER_01 56:21

What's your least favorite?

SPEAKER_04 56:24

Ooh, I think my least favorite is just the roller coaster, right? It's it's such a roller coaster, and like you're super busy, you can't keep up. And then there's times where it's really slow. And you know, 2023 was a really slow year for us. We knew it wasn't a good year for our clients to sell, even though they a lot of them were like desperate to sell. They're like, oh my God, this, I can't keep up with the interest rates, right? But we knew that that wasn't gonna stay up there forever, right? Like real estate, just like the interest rates are cyclical, and you know, them selling then meant leaving money on the table. So we went through the motions, we got their homes ready, we invested in all the marketing and we had it ready to go if they were at a point where they're like, let's get this on, like we need to sell this house. But we were hoping that they would stretch that sale process, and many did, and they did really well by sell um by selling later. And that's something that you know it's so hard to say to someone when you're self-employed, hey, don't sell this year, let's wait for next year, you know? That means I'm gonna be spending money and getting your house ready, but I'm I'm not making any money until you sell, right? So again, it comes back to it's it's a 2023 was a test on our values, and that's how I said to the team, we're gonna be tested this year because you know, it's gonna be a hard year. We even sold one of our properties. Uh, I told Leo, I think we need to sell a property to float us through this year, and and it did. It floated us through that year. Um, we never, you know, one of the beauties about being an investor before a realtor is that you have something that backs you up. You see, I don't need you to buy that house to feed my family and be okay, you know, like I have real estate that supports me, um, and I'll be okay, even if you don't buy that house. You know what I mean? Versus when you're very desperate to make a sale and you're just about to sell, I think people feel it, and that pushes people away from agents, right? Versus when you become an advisor and you give them the advice they need to hear, not the one you want to say or benefits you, people are like, wow, she advised me not to sell. Like, what kind of an agent are you? Or wow, he told me, why don't you keep this house and we buy the other one with the equity and you rent this one out? Like, it's like, what kind of agent are you? Right. But it's an agent that wants to be your agent for life, wants to see you grow through real estate, you know, like wants to make sure that when you look back on your journey in real estate, you're like, wow, look at where I am now, look at where real estate put me, right? And and and I think that as agents, our entire industry needs to really get to know and be very confident of the offering that we offer. Because if we do really good at offering advice and getting to know our clients and listening and you know, measuring their tolerance to risk, you can really set that person up for a really good life, right? Where they can pay their kids education, take many holidays, build their dream home, like uh retire sooner. Like it's not just numbers, right? It's what does getting a little bit more for that house get you in in terms of life, right? What does buying that house for a little bit less than what you know they're asking could get you, right? So, you know, you you you have a lot of responsibility in your hands as agents, and we're very conscious of that, and we're we feel honored to help our clients through those journeys.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:14

So beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:15

So um, does your brother still work with you?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:19

My brother manages our family real estate, um, and he's a mortgage broker, actually. So we work here and there together. Yeah, but uh, but honestly, we work with uh other banks too. Uh what I love about Adolfo, he's my brother, is that he's very honest. And he'll be the first one to say, you know what, just go see this person at the bank because they'll give you the best option. Even though it means that for him, that's not business, right? Um, he's really good at setting people up before they can afford. Okay, this is what we're gonna do. We gotta make sure we pay these things on time and get your credit up and all these. So then when he presents it to the bank when they're ready and they've saved that down payment, they're they're they're like beautiful in paper as well, right? So um, and and because he has that investor lens, he's also able to advise accordingly with that too. So, no, he he's really good. And and it's so funny because uh our own real estate transactions, uh, when we're funding something or whatnot, he'll advise us and tell us go to that bank. Like it's crazy, you know. Like, what you know, like, but yeah, he's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:30

Best for each other. What do your parents think of this?

SPEAKER_04 1:01:34

Oh, I think they're really proud, you know. Like my dad was really hard with us growing up, and he he just thinks like it paid off to be hard with you guys, you know. Sometimes I'm like, you could have been less hard, but um swimming with my friends.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:50

I could have gone and played tennis with my friends and swimming, but you didn't have to get me up at 3 a.m. But he's like, Yeah, I did look at you now, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:57

Yeah, you know, and and and it's hard, right? Like, obviously, life, everything is a trade-off. I missed out on things, but I wouldn't be here without those things. So, you know, I'm really grateful.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:09

Um, okay, a couple more questions before I let you go back to work. Um there anything when you look back between Jen just first coming here for studying for school and now that has most surprised you about yourself?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:25

Uh I think I think I've changed a lot as a human, like not in my core, but you know what I value in life and and just you know, I value more experiences now. Um I I think that we're so powerful and the mind is so strong. So when I had my daughter, I'm going so far to get to my answer, but um, when I had my first daughter, uh a client of ours had said, you guys, the level of service you offer is incredible. Like you should be in high-end. And when I had my daughter, I knew that my time was very limited if I wanted to spend time with her and all that. And and I said, Okay, we're gonna take this advice and try to get more into high-end. And I'm not from here. I had lost a um a high-end listing earlier in my career, like 2013, to an agent that does mainly high-end. Um, because I didn't have enough experience, I wasn't from here, uh, I didn't have enough years in the business. They felt my network wasn't big enough. And to this day, that person refers me business. So they regret it not going with us. And that experience and having my daughter made me realize, you know, people, we live in such a noisy world, right? There's a lot of agents, there's a lot of everything nowadays, right? Any career you're in, there's many. It's really hard to send out. But people are there hoping that you exist as well, right? Um, and I put myself out there and I work on a plan on trying to, you know, get higher-end properties just to be able to work with less people that year uh and spend more time with my daughter. And we we got to the point where people thought we were only doing high-end because we accomplished getting into that high-end market. Um, and and that's when we knew we needed to rename ourselves and we needed help. And that's when we approached Godspeed to help us and we became good story because we were real estate in co and we had a little sister company called Lifestyle Homes Ottawa, which only did high-end. And it highlighted um the lifestyle that that home offered, right? And to be honest, every part of our journey has taught us something because that experience really shaped how we position homes, no matter what price point they're in. They're more than four walls and a roof. They offer a certain lifestyle, a certain walkability, a certain, you know, uh amenity, right? And and you have to use all that to help people realize, oh, this is the home I should be buying, right? So I think that was probably something that I was like, wow, I can't believe I was able to because I felt so bumped when I lost that listing. It was one of my best friends that had designed it, and they ended up going with someone else. And, you know, my friend is a designer and he had done such a great job. It had gotten a lot of accolades and awards because it was such a cool kitchen. And when they listed it, they didn't even mention his name. And I'm like, oh my god, like he's an you know, up and coming designer, like he's gonna be the best in the city, and he's incredible. Like he's doing so well now. But like I was just so bummed out that I lost that listing, that I couldn't help them sell it, that you know, the way they sold. They left money on the table, didn't give any praise to my friend who could have helped them sell it better because you know this was not just a home that was renovated by the owner and it ended up being cool. It's like it had a lot of thought into it and all this. And when we list a property that has been renovated or done by a designer or a firm or an architect, we want to bring that up in the marketing so that we can create even more value, right? Uh, and it's a win-win because it's different when I talk about you than when you talk about yourself, right? Oh, I'm an architect, I built this home. I, you know, like, no, this architect is one of the best in the city. They did this home with, you know, two passive standards, nothing like it. You know, the furnace is this small, like uh all these features that make the home special and make someone want to be like, I want that home to be mine, right? So, anyways, I learned a lot through that loss. Uh, but I think it also put a fire in my butt. I went to Harvard to take negotiations because I never wanted to lose a listing without me doing the best, right? That I could. And I never wanted to lose out on a purchase for a client because I wasn't the best uh that I could be. So we always take negotiation courses uh as a team and all that. Like I really push my team to do them as well because I think it's one of the biggest things that we add as value to consumers, and they don't see that until it's in action and until you're at the end trying to secure, trying to sell that house, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:40

Because buying a house is so it's like you're so vulnerable, especially when you really want it and you want to live there and you've built the story around your life in that place. And and especially for like we came from Villa to Hindenburg, and I remember David's like, I just want to walk for coffee. Like, I I want to have a place where it's local and we go and like we recognize the people there, we recognize the people that work there. I just want to be, and it was him that pushed us to move to this area. He's like, I want to have a sense of belonging more than we did over there, which and that was a beautiful street for different reasons. And I'm like, right. And so if I think of like, if I mean he had already knew what he wanted, but if I had your voice in my head to be like, here's the story about why you live here. Um, and then to think about building that up and and wanting it so bad, and then losing it in the negotiation because the person wasn't really sure of how to make sure yeah, we got the home, or or even set us up to say, like, other people want this. It you know, like just to temper your expectations too, because it's so you feel like I know, I know you'll find the right place to live. I I have a I that's just how I think the world works. Like we're meant to get where we're gonna get, but it's like you really do build up that dream, and then to lose it, it's so hard. It's so hard.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:58

Yes. Um, that's why COVID was really hard for that reason, right? Because prices were houses were going for numbers that you know, people are stuck in those houses if they don't sell it at a loss, right? And we always wanted to make sure we positioned our clients uh very strategically, and and you know, we always we always try to do inspections beforehand. So we would go in, they liked it, we would bring in our inspector, do the inspection, and then put an offer unconditional. But at least you weren't going in risking all, right? Like, oh Frank, there's a big problem with the foundation here. Are you willing to take that on? Or, you know, then you gotta walk away, right? But at least you I um I'm very uh and because I have designer friends, I become worse, but I'm always looking at the bad things in a house. And clients say, Do you really want to sell me a house? You keep pointing the bad. I'm like, and I joke, and Leo hates face. He's like, here comes Jen with her analogy, you know. I said, My husband's not perfect, and I'm married to him. I want you to look at the house and with these imperfections, be okay getting it, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:10:05

So fall in love with it because there's always gonna be trade-offs. Always.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:09

Always, and even when you're building.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:11

I can't wait to tell you the house I want. I'm gonna write them a letter. Does that work? Because I want to write this house a letter. It's not for sale, but I'm gonna write them a letter. Um, and I'm gonna tell you which one so you can go scatter for me. Um, okay, one more question. So the people that bought during COVID, it was in like all the prices were inflated, right? Okay. Has enough time passed that it will even out if they sell now or no? Is it still will they never recuperate?

SPEAKER_04 1:10:41

It depends what they paid for. It depends what they paid for, it depends what kind of home it is. Um, you see, real estate and anything you buy really, right, is supply and demand. Right? Yeah so if you paid, say, 800,000 for a house, right? But then there was people that had bought the house for 300,000, 400,000, the time comes for them to sell it, and they sell it at 700,000. Now your comparable is at 700,000. And guess what? There's 20 others that could sell at that price too. So why would someone come and pay 800 or more when there's other options?

SPEAKER_01 1:11:25

Because at COVID, there weren't that many options.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:28

Correct. So people that are in that spot where their house is exactly the same as another 10, 20, 30, 40 in a development, it'd be really hard to justify for someone to pay you what you paid for, right? Um, and it's case by case, of course. Now, if you're in a house that is very unique, very different, you know. Um, in Hindenburg, for example, you know, typically no two houses are the same, right? Uh or identical. You could do the kitchen very, you know, in a spectacular way that will help you bring the value up. Um, I love buying homes that need work. And I love when my clients are open for homes that need work because you can buy it at a better price. You can do a project, and this is where it's so special the way we are doing our journeys with our clients. We stay around and we stick around from the moment they buy to the moment that they don't want us anymore, you know, like they're retiring or whatnot, and they don't want to own a house, they want to travel the world, whatever it is. But in between, there's a lot of things that have to do with real estate, renovations, uh, changing things, capital expenditures, etc. And we want our clients to know that we're here along the way because because we're so invested into what we do, because we do it ourselves, we have contacts, we know what needs to be done for you to bring, like if you're doing a reno, let's just not make uh let's not just renovate a kitchen just to for renovating it. Let's renovate it well so that when you're selling it, you get more for it, but also you get more enjoyment when you live in it, right? So before we used to do that only for our sellers to try to get them to sell better, sell faster, and sell in a less stressful manner. Now we help our buyers when they're buying. Let's make this home something you love. And then when you're selling, it's already done and you've enjoyed it. Now you've gotten the benefit of the enjoyment through the time you've been in it and the benefit of force appreciating it and getting more money for it when you're selling.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:37

So if I want to sell my house, David, don't worry, I'm not selling our house. But if I wanted to and I want to work with you, how does that how does that work? What do you do?

SPEAKER_04 1:13:47

So typically we have a discovery meeting and I get to know you and I ask a lot of things. You're gonna think I'm very nosy. Uh, but I'm asking the things to really learn and see. If one, do we really need to sell this house? Uh, is there an option for you to keep it and buy something else? Um, and then and then we'll chat about what it is that you're looking for. Once I know everything, it's like you know, big picture, you know, risk tolerance, you know what the life of that person is like. Uh, you're able to advise them better. And, you know, we've been able to help clients, which is crazy, buy homes that they've never stepped foot on. Right? And they're expensive homes too, sometimes. And it the first time I did it was so nerve-wracking. But then I realized I get to know my clients so well. And we ask so many questions, and you know, uh, you're almost part of their brain, almost to an extent, right? When it comes to that. And um, we work with a lot of busy people, you know, busy business owners, CEOs, et cetera, government people that are really busy, and they just don't even have time to even think of like, I want to make this move, but I just don't even know where to start because I don't have the time um to get started, right? And we'll go see the houses for them, we'll narrow them down, bring them to the ones they have to. And there's been times that clients have bought without looking at them.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:11

Right. So it starts with you getting to know us really well, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:15:16

Um, yeah, and establishing trust.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:19

You got that, buddy. Don't worry. I see you. Um, how's Jen doing?

SPEAKER_04 1:15:26

Jen's doing good. If you would have asked me this a couple of months ago, I would have said, like, oh, I would have probably cried here. But uh, I'm doing good. I uh started eating really healthy. Um, I learned that I was sensitive to eggs and dairy, which is what I started my day with every day of my life. So I'm not eating those and I'm feeling so much better. Um it's so important how we have to take care of ourselves. And as someone that is so giving, and many of us are, you always put everyone first, right? And you know, with my gym, for example, a client wants to meet. I'm like, can you meet next week? No, can we meet this week, please, Jen? I'm like, okay, there goes the gym, right? So again, it's like trying to set a little bit of boundaries for for your own health because you can only be as good as you are to others, right? And if you're not at your best, you're not gonna be your best for them either. So I'm feeling good. I'm feeling a lot of energy. Um, I'm having I'm taking iron pills to bring my iron up. So my energy levels are much higher. I don't know if you would have felt um the same energy from me the day you met me, if it weren't because I've like taken steps to take care of myself.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:40

Thank you so much for taking time to chat and telling me all the things about real estate and seeing the world through your eyes is uh it's just it's just a really lovely experience. I just love you. It's gonna be okay. We have to have coffee and dinner and all the things and go shopping and and and and go to Denmark. Yes, please. Oh my god, organize that trip. Maybe I'll come as your like podcaster that will document the whole thing of no, you'll be on the show. And then we bring him back to Ottawa. You're like, she's supposed to be working, and where is she? And like I'm just sitting in a cafe drinking wine in in my new Danish clothing attire.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:19

You're like, you're you'll be in the roller coaster.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:24

All right, have a beautiful day, and I hope to see you very soon. And thank you, thank you, thank you. You're a real treasure. The city is very lucky to have you.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:34

Thank you. I feel lucky to be in this city. I really do. Thank you.