(Erin Knight, Christan Bosley and Curt Knight/Bosley Real Estate)

 

After nearly a century in business, Bosley Real Estate is still hungry for growth, expanding in Southwestern Ontario by acquiring independent brokerage TrilliumWest. 

The move brings roughly 100 agents to Bosley Real Estate, adding to its roster of 260 existing agents under its banner.

Headquartered in Toronto, Bosley Real Estate was founded in 1928. President and broker of record Christan Bosley is the fourth generation to lead the brokerage. 

“We’re the oldest independent, coming up on 98 years, and with that comes a lot of traditional thought,” Bosley said in an interview with Real Estate Magazine. “The benefit of having outside people come in and challenge what we’re doing and how we’re doing it is incredible.”

 

“Our Realtors were asking for more”

 

TrilliumWest broker of record Curt Knight told Real Estate Magazine the two brokerages have a longstanding relationship as members of the global network called Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. 

“Anytime we had clients we needed to send to the GTA, we would reach out to Bosely, and vice versa,” said Knight, who works alongside his wife and broker/manager Erin Knight. 

TrilliumWest was founded in 2014 and has offices in Guelph and Kitchener. 

Knight said the brokerage had seen substantial growth in the region, and agents were asking for more services. 

Given Bosley’s rich history, that brokerage has built-in systems that would benefit TrilliumWest’s team, he said, noting Bosley’s in-house legal counsel, admin support and accounting services.

“Being an independent brokerage, we don’t have the cut-and-paste manual that some of the big franchise models have, so for us to try and build some of these services from the ground up was going to be a significant undertaking,” said Knight. “We started to have  conversations with some of the other brokerages like Bosley about how they were doing things, and we were like, ‘Well, this makes sense that we combine forces.’”

 

A balance of traditional and new approaches

 

Knight said TrilliumWest brings value to Bosley in the form of more modern marketing practices.

“With Bosley, there’s a lot of history there, but you can become a little stale, and I think that’s what they’re really liking about our branding is it’s more fresh and cutting edge,” he said, noting TrilliumWest has an in-house marketing team with a videographer and graphic designer.

He said TrilliumWest hopes to integrate some of its best-performing marketing tactics into the Bosley system, such as the neighbourhood posters it gives out for free.

 

The business case for consolidating in today’s market

 

Knight said it’s common to see more consolidation of independent brokerages when the market is more challenging, which played into TrilliumWest’s decision. 

“Combining two of the larger independent brokerages in the province gives us a lot more power to keep market share against some of the bigger franchises and big national brands,” he said. 

The merger is expected to be complete next year, said Knight. The brands are currently operating side-by-side through the transition period. 

“That way we can give Bosley a head start on getting some brand recognition in our local area,” he said. 

 

Cultural alignment is the key 

 

Christan Bosley said that connecting with a like-minded brokerage is rare. 

“Finding another brokerage that shared our independent spirit, client-first mindset and commitment to doing real estate the right way was no easy task,” she said. “TrilliumWest stood out as a perfect match – innovative, local, community-driven, and deeply aligned with the Bosley ethos. Together, we’re building something truly special.”

The acquisition gives Bosley a presence across Toronto, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge and surrounding regions.

Starting with Bosley’s great-grandfather, William H. Bosley, the family has been described as synonymous with Toronto real estate. In addition to a steadfast business, the Bosleys are known for holding many leadership appointments over the years, including with Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB), Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) and the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).