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Selling and living the Okanagan life

91ƵEnable prosperity91Ƶ is the goal at Century 21 Assurance Realty
29236584_web1_20220525-BLVD-OkanaganLife-Business_1

- Words by Angela Cowan Photography by Don Denton

This March, Anna and Max Carbone celebrated a successful five years since they acquired in Kelowna, having grown the company from 60 to more than 90 high-performing realtors and gaining the distinction of being named Century 21 Canada91Ƶs number two overall rated brokerage in the country.

The pair both love the Okanagan, and researched for five years to find a business to bring them here91Ƶa place where they could help people succeed and prosper in all aspects of their lives.

91ƵWe feel that the Okanagan is the best place in the country to live and work,91Ƶ says Max, explaining why he and Anna moved here from Toronto. 91ƵThe people are friendly, it91Ƶs more relaxed, it has a more enjoyable pace of life, but also has a thriving entrepreneurial culture.91Ƶ

Both had experience in real estate prior to moving to the Okanagan. Anna came to the table with a long and successful career in sales and senior management positions in media companies, including CHUM Television, CTV and Bell Media, and grew up in a family of entrepreneurs and property investors. And Max had worked in commercial real estate in the GTA, facilitating multi-million-dollar deals, and had also established his own strategic planning firm, which worked with many of Canada91Ƶs leading real estate firms, corporations, entrepreneurs, not-for-profits and more.

Taking on Century 21 made sense, but it was also an opportunity for the pair to turn their efforts to something more personalized.

91ƵWe thought it would be nice to help people prosper, and not just businesses,91Ƶ says Max. 91ƵWe enjoy helping new realtors to get going and be successful, as well as helping experienced realtors improve their careers while having time to enjoy the amazing Okanagan lifestyle.91Ƶ

In addition to personalized high-performance strategic coaching, another impactful aspect of the brokerage is Elevate 21, a comprehensive in-house marketing service provided to every real estate agent, ensuring that each listing has the same high level of photography, social media exposure, signage, professional website and more91Ƶand all for a lower cost and higher value than if the agents had to do all the work themselves.

91ƵWe have exceptional photographers and a terrific marketing team. We do all of the photography and high-quality virtual tours. We support the property marketing for our realtors,91Ƶ explains Anna. 91ƵThis saves realtors an incredible amount of time, which they91Ƶre able to then spend with their clients, or with their families enjoying life in the Okanagan.91Ƶ

Elevate 21 is also what helped attract Dean Desrosiers to the company. After being in the real estate business since 2008, Dean has recently signed on as a partner with Max and Anna after working as an associate broker for several years. Dean, an accredited real estate coach, is passionate about working with and helping people on a very personal level, whether that91Ƶs the agents he91Ƶs working with, or their clients.

91ƵReal estate is one of those professions where you can work 12 hours a day very easily and still not have success, and it can wear you down,91Ƶ he says. 91ƵWith Elevate 21, we deliver a win-win, where the agent can sign up a client and we91Ƶll work together to help the realtor look great with that client.91Ƶ

Moving into the partner position, Dean91Ƶs shifted to a more behind-the-scenes role in supporting agents.

91ƵIt91Ƶs super important that agents know that they have somebody behind them who understands what can go right and what can go wrong,91Ƶ he says, adding that Century 21 in Kelowna has an incredibly (and unusually) high ratio of brokers to agents. With three brokers and five senior managers ready to support the cast of agents, someone is always available.

91ƵAn agent might need to talk to one of us for two or three minutes, and it91Ƶs not a lot of time, but it makes a difference,91Ƶ says Dean. 91ƵThey might need someone with experience to bounce an idea off of, and we always want them to feel and know that they can call us anytime.91Ƶ

91ƵDean is also a licensed coach and he91Ƶs a really solid member of the leadership team to help the younger and inexperienced members evolve,91Ƶ says Anna. 91ƵIt can be pretty daunting, graduating from your real estate course and not knowing where to start.91Ƶ

Max pioneered a proven purpose-based coaching program that 91Ƶhelps realtors and entrepreneurs determine their life purpose, values and goals,91Ƶ he explains. 91ƵIt91Ƶs a very powerful approach, as it91Ƶs based on helping them create and execute a plan that91Ƶs in line with their personal and career aspirations.91Ƶ

Anna says, 91ƵThe people who are attracted to living in the Okanagan are here for very deliberate reasons, so our brokerage91Ƶs ability to lighten up realtors91Ƶ workloads helps them align with their life values.91Ƶ

Max adds, 91ƵOur company philosophy is to 91Ƶenable prosperity,91Ƶ both financial and in personal wellbeing.91Ƶ

That approach has resulted in a win-win for staff, realtors and their clients.

91ƵHonestly, I think we have the best agents in the Okanagan at our brokerage,91Ƶ says Dean, 91Ƶdown to every last one of them.91Ƶ

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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