By Susan Doran
Christopher Invidiata says he didn’t set out to become one of the top real estate professionals in the world.
After a career in the fashion business – first designing gold jewellery and leather goods and later selling clothing to stores such as Holt Renfrew while representing high-end fashion manufacturers – in 1985 he decided to get into real estate so he could spend more time with his family.
“I was in a hotel room in Edmonton and my wife called and told me that my daughter had just picked herself up and started to take her first steps,” he says. “I thought, ‘I don’t want to miss this stuff. I want a career where I can stay home’.”
That thought spurred him into real estate, initially as a part-time agent. After about six months, he decided to make more of a commitment to the business – to really “go for it,” as he puts it. Although he likes to describe himself as the slow-but-steady tortoise rather than the speedy hare, go for it he did, with a vengeance. He says that he naturally gravitated to the top end of the market due to his work history with high-end retailers.
Invidiata is with Re/Max Aboutowne Realty in Oakville, Ont., a pretty community on the north shore of Lake Ontario that is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is consistently ranked as one of the richest cities in Canada. He heads up the top-selling Invidiata Team, which has been the No. 1 residential Re/Max team in Canada for more than a decade, as well as the company’s leading team worldwide both in 2007 and 2012. Specializing in luxury waterfront properties in Oakville, Burlington and Mississauga, the team’s sales volume was more than $350 million in 2012. The Invidiata Team includes 17 licensed sales reps and various support staff.
The team has also garnered membership in the exclusive Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate, a portal for luxury properties on the Internet, featuring a global network of more than 70,000 real estate professionals representing the top luxury real estate brokerages in the world. Invidiata is on the network’s board of regents and has received the Billionaire’s Club Award, given to agents who during their careers have surpassed $1 billion in sales volume. Yes, you read that right…over $1 billion in sales volume.
One of the Invidiata Team’s current listings is a $15-million estate in Mississauga, which is probably a record high price for the area, Invidiata says. The home is 14,000 square feet with tennis courts, a pool and a 16-car garage.
This type of property takes time to sell and requires a special kind of marketing.
“The process of how people feel when they buy is important,” says Invidiata. “If you create venues that give good client experiences, they will be more likely to be emotionally attached to their decision. You can’t expect people to buy if you’re simply opening the door for them. You must give them a unique sales experience and provide them with all the answers they want.”
His team takes showings to new heights – the ultimate real estate experience. We’re not just talking food and wine. The team has a Mercedes marketing truck to transport an event tent. Clients get the red carpet treatment (literally, as along with the tent the truck transports a red carpet to the event). The Invidiata Team also enlists various its marketing partners to attend events and showcase everything from luxury cars to jewellery and high fashion. “There may be a fashion show at the event, and different restaurants doing a tasting menu,” says Invidiata. The cost is shared by the marketing partners.
The Invidiata Team markets its listings worldwide including to mainland China, India, Saudi Arabia and Russia.
It targets its wealthy clientele as directly as possible, with specialized event marketing, trade shows around the world, referrals and membership in Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate.
The team also has the quarterly publication of the Invidiata Collection, a glossy luxury real estate magazine with a yearly distribution of close to 140,000 to high-end households through targeted inclusion in the Globe & Mail, direct mail and various other means. The magazine and its ability to attract advertisers/marketing partners such as Disney and Fairmont Hotels has been a boon in helping Invidiata partner with sought-after brands.
A popular public speaker and mentor to real estate professionals, Invidiata has been quoted as saying that to sell the types of exclusive properties his team does, it’s necessary to:
* have an active and detailed web presence;
* market effectively, targeting the right people (including CEOs, CFOs and entrepreneurs) and high-end neighbourhoods;
* Screen potential clients carefully, in order to ensure that they are serious and not simply curious to get a peek at a prestigious property.
Clearly Invidiata markets to the elite, but he is adamant that in real estate it is crucial that relationships take priority over money.
“The best agents have a heart for people,” he says. “Making buyers happy makes a good agent.”
Mandatory two-year articling for new Realtors is something else he strongly believes would help agents be the best they can be. Hair stylists have to work alongside an experienced stylist for something like 1,800 hours before they can work solo, he says. There is “something wrong” that a real estate salesperson can jump into the business without any mentoring at all, he says.
“The industry needs to mandate a law about this.”
His advice for new agents is to, “Learn from people with experience. Learn from your mistakes….and take as many courses as you can.”
As for Invidiata’s advice to himself 28 years ago – to find a career that allowed him to spend more time with his family – one has to wonder, considering how phenomenally successful he has become, whether over the years the real estate profession has allowed him the family time with his wife and two children that he desired. He says the answer is a resounding yes.
“I don’t work on Sundays. I’m home for dinner most nights. The secret is in the scheduling. I time-block all the personal stuff first and then block business around my personal life, not vice versa,” he says. “Having a great life experience with family is first and my vocation comes after.”
