By Connie Adair
Sandra Rinomato has multi-tasking down to a fine art.
The former host of Property Virgins is launching a new HGTV show, Buy Herself. She has opened her own full-service brokerage, Sandra Rinomato Realty. She coaches and does as much charity work as she can fit into her schedule, which is hectic to say the least.
The popular television personality (Property Virgins was consistently HGTV’s No. 1 show with much of its success attributed to Rinomato’s hosting abilities and her no-nonsense approach to real estate) begins her work day around 6 am, when she checks emails and then heads out to the set. During make-up and wardrobe, she takes phone calls. Once she’s on set, she focuses on her single female client, helping the woman navigate the home-buying experience. During lunch hour, she squeezes in more emails and phone calls. At 7 pm she’s home to tend to her family and then she puts in several more hours on the computer until lights out at 11 pm. This scenario plays out five days a week, with this season’s filming of Buy Herself wrapping at the end of May.
After 130 episodes of the wildly successful Property Virgins, Rinomato says she wanted to try something different. She came up with the idea for Buy Herself.
She says she had a single aunt who worked with the airlines some years ago. “When she was in Hawaii, she wanted to buy a condo but she couldn’t get a mortgage because she didn’t have a husband to co-sign the loan. I remember hearing that story and wondering why her brother could buy one and she couldn’t,” says Rinomato.
Times have changed, with four in 10 single women owning a home, while only one in 10 single men are homeowners, she says. “Women are not waiting to be hooked up before becoming homeowners. The security used to be going from dad’s arms to husband’s arms. Now that security comes from home ownership.”
However, taking the plunge isn’t something all women feel comfortable doing, especially immigrants. One woman who is of Indian background, in her 30s and living with her parents, heard about the show. She wanted to buy her own home but “didn’t want to step outside the box and make ripples in the family. The family was supportive but she was held back by her own guilt,” Rinomato says. “It was great that I could help her. If there hadn’t been a series, she wouldn’t have (bought).”
Rinomato can relate. Her Italian background places much emphasis on a woman being a wife and mother. “Many immigrant women don’t feel home ownership is their right,” she says.
As she did on Property Virgins, Rinomato strives to educate viewers about the buying process and stresses why people shouldn’t buy without representation. “Realtors learn and continue to learn. I’ve been in business for 15 years and I’m still learning. How does the ‘average Joe’ think they’re going to do it (without an agent)?”
Both shows strive to educate and entertain, and viewers are not limited to women, or first-time buyers. One of her biggest Property Virgins fans is Del from Vancouver, she says. “He’s a 98-year-old Second World War veteran. Del watches every day.” Children also find her appealing. “One four-year-old girl watches with her mother. It’s fascinating,” she says.
Rinomato also has her share of Realtor fans. A story written about Rinomato by REM columnist Stan Albert consistently achieves a high number of hits at www.remonline.com.
If being a celebrity and a Realtor isn’t enough, Rinomato opened her own brokerage last summer, choosing a Bloor Street location near High Park in Toronto. The location, between two subway stops, caters to her clients, many of whom don’t own cars. She grew up in nearby Etobicoke. “I used to play in High Park. The area has unique and interesting independently owned shops and the architecture is diverse.”
She had thought about opening a brokerage for several years, but a number of reasons made the timing right. She was paying almost six figures for team fees and she wanted to expand.
It was a paradigm shift, she says, from working out of a boutique broker to having her own company. Sandra Rinomato Realty has a team of three plus one independent agent, and is looking to open a new office in downtown Toronto.
Rinomato is also continuing her charity work. She has raised $30,000 for breast cancer research, and $40,000 for Toronto General Hospital, and she has donated time to the Ontario Lung Association and other charities. In April she will participate in a CN Tower climb benefitting the World Wildlife Fund and on May 31, she’ll MC the Arthritis Research Foundation’s Kick Up Your Heels event.
“Charity work is something I feel everyone should do. Saying you’re too busy is not an excuse. There are so many needy people and animals. I do what I can, when I can,” she says, tackling all of her tasks with the energy and bubbly personality her fans have come to expect.
Days are full for Rinomato, but not too busy to work out and to spend time with her family.
“Anyone who is licensed and working realizes how taxing a real estate career is. It’s a customer service job and dealing with people can be exhausting. Even when you’re not with clients, you’re networking, marketing, doing accounting. The key is to keep balanced, to rejuvenate your soul. You’re no good to anyone if you’re burned out,” she says.
“Don’t be afraid to turn off your cell phone. Train your clients that on Sundays you won’t respond unless it’s been predetermined. Give your best and all, but treat yourself well.”
Buy Herself can be seen Mondays at 10 pm on HGTV Canada. To watch full episodes, visit www.hgtv.ca.
Rinomato is looking for experienced independent agents to join her brokerage. Contact her at 416-565-3001 or [email protected].
Photos by Darren Goldstein/DSG Photo
