In the early days of real estate, growth was synonymous with success.  Times have changed, and we now find ourselves in a struggling economy amidst a highly competitive environment. Gone are the days when growth at any cost served as a successful strategy. In today’s world, it’s not as important to be the biggest, it’s more critical to be the best.

Whether you are part of a large, international brand or a brokerage in a single state, we are all forced to think about strategic growth and understand when and how quickly to grow our business.  The key elements of strategic growth include working with others who share your vision and values to build a strong core business, establishing key learnings and implementing best practices.  When your business has achieved a strong foothold, it’s then time to explore new opportunities with strategic partners and identify additional thought leaders to expand your team and support your mission.

Today, I’m pleased to make a very strategic growth announcement on behalf of Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate. Our brand is celebrating its first expansion outside of the U.S. and will now be represented in Canada.

For me, it’s particularly exciting because it takes the brand into my home country.  Selecting Canada as our first step into global expansion was a decision based on identifying the right partners who share our core values, our commitment to service and innovation, and our vision for strategic growth.  Canada’s robust housing market and geographic proximity helped make this an ideal move, and this is an exciting step for us as a brand and for our new partners at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Canada.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Canada will be led by Rob Vanden Broek and Nelson Goulart, who also own the brand’s first Canadian brokerage affiliate.  Their existing brokerage will now operate as Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Signature Service, with two offices and 90 agents serving the greater Toronto area. We look forward to this exciting chapter for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, now more than 7,000 agents strong in the U.S. and Canada!