One of Calgary’s top-producing realtors, Justin Havre, and his team are leaving the Re/Max Canada brand to join forces with eXp Realty, the world’s largest independent real estate company.

Havre is one of the most prominent realtors in Calgary with a team consisting of 60 agents and 18 staff.

Wild, record-breaking success

His team has been beyond successful for years, selling almost 9,000 homes in Calgary since 2016. For five consecutive years, they were named Re/Max’s #1 Large Team in Canada in Closed Transactions. The Justin Havre team is set to leave Re/Max First with a staggering $4 billion in sales volume in Calgary and surrounding areas.

A different business model

“Obviously as a business operator, you have to constantly sit there and study all the different models, and I think it’s important to pay attention to how the world is evolving,” says Havre in an exclusive interview with REM.

“We’ve seen the likes of Netflix come, and obviously that changed how we watch videos. Airbnb. Uber. All of these technology companies have come in to not necessarily disrupt, but enhance, the traditional business models.

“eXp has been around since 2009, so it’s not a new company by any means but it’s definitely gaining a lot of traction now when people actually take the time to understand the business model. It’s a cloud-based real estate brokerage which allows us as agents to have better technologies at our fingertips, which also can help us with a lot of aspects of running the business behind the scenes and in creating a great client experience.”

eXp Realty has a network of 89,000 agents worldwide.

“It’s been incredible to watch him grow under the Re/Max umbrella”

Havre has been a realtor for 18 years. The first nine years (2005 to 2014) were with CIR, and in 2014 he moved to Re/Max First.

“We are absolutely elated to extend a warm welcome to Justin and his exceptional team,” says Glenn Sanford, founder and CEO of eXp Realty.

“This collaboration unites their well-deserved reputation for excellence with eXp’s unwavering commitment to innovation and fostering a unique, agent-centric environment. This marks a significant milestone for eXp Realty as we forge ahead with our growth in Canada and we look forward to welcoming Justin and his team to eXp Realty and watch them thrive in an ecosystem tailor-made for their entrepreneurial ambitions.”

In a statement, Christopher Alexander, president of Re/Max Canada, comments, “Real estate is a mobile industry, and much like the homebuyers and sellers we serve, we sometimes see agents move between brands in search of new opportunities and a place to call ‘home.’

To that end, we’d like to thank Justin Havre for his contributions to the brand through the years. It’s been incredible to watch him grow under the Re/Max umbrella, and we wish him success on his path forward.”

“It’s tough to say goodbye to such extraordinary colleagues and friends”

As part of the move, Havre’s office – in place since January 1, 2010 – has been rebranded to Justin Havre Real Estate Team from Justin Havre and Associates.

“Our decision to join eXp Realty is rooted in our commitment to excel in real estate. Our primary goal is to empower agents, relieve them of their financial burdens and set them on an entrepreneurial path to success,” says Havre, noting that “it’s tough to say goodbye to such extraordinary colleagues and friends at Re/Max.”

He continues, “We had a lot of help along the way to becoming best-in-class in Canada for Re/Max and want to thank broker-owners Rick Campos and Cliff Stevenson (of Re/Max First), and so many others, for their guidance, mentorship and support as we begin the next chapter in our team’s evolution.”

Huge growth opportunities

Havre says his real estate team started really growing in 2012-2013 when he went from five agents to 28 agents in a single month.

“It was more or less just me learning the team business model a little bit better and over time … you always look at how you can enhance the business whether it comes from systems, branding, lead generation and how you can support the agents – because at the end of the day, we all want to create that five-star client experience whether you’re a buyer, seller or investor,” he mentions.

“It’s been a bit of an obsession of mine for many years and obviously marketing is a big aspect of that. When I got into the business in 2005 I never even thought about building a team.”

Havre sees continued growth for his team and that this move will provide the opportunity to leverage eXp, which allows and supports the companies to grow, “because in essence we become partners with the brokerage.”

“When I look at the traditional models, they’re under a lot of pressure right now from the so-called disruptors like eXp because they struggle to compete with providing the tools and the technologies at a value that these cloud-based brokerages can. That is a challenge for that traditional model,” he mentions. “Now, eXp has taken it a step further where they are sharing part of the revenue the company generates to reward the agents participating in helping the brokerage grow.”

Havre says the move will open the door for many other opportunities for both his team and business to grow.

“I wouldn’t be making a move like this if I didn’t think it was going to move our business forward,” says Havre.

“All kinds of models have come along and been the hot topic and the disruptor … It’s all good”

Stevenson, owner of Re/Max First and a former Chair of the Canadian Real Estate Association, says the brokerage wishes Havre and his team all the best.

“There was a really good dialogue leading up to the departure and we’ve loved having him in our office for the last nine years,” he says. “That’s about all there is to say … We’ll be cheering for him from afar for sure.”

When asked what impact this would have on Re/Max First, Stevenson replies, “Oh we’re just fine. No issues for us at all. We’re good. We’ve got lots of opportunities here on the horizon. And we’re not concerned about the impact on our brokerage.”

Stevenson mentions in the 1970s, the Re/Max brand was the disruptor in the real estate business, coming in with a model that was very different than anybody else.

“Since 1970, all kinds of models have come along and been the hot topic and the disruptor … It’s all good. There’s so much room for these models in our industry. There’s a good fit for anybody that has a certain way of working that works for them,” he says.

“Whether it’s working remotely or working inside an office, or both, hybrid, the good news about this is, much like the choices for consumers, there is selection for agents in this industry. And that’s a good thing.”