Long-time Century 21 sales associate Mohammed Ashraf is opening his own franchise in Pickering, Ont. Century 21 Kingdom is now open on Kingston Road.
Ashraf has been with the brand for 18 years – four in Alberta, then 14 in the Greater Toronto Area. He recently obtained his broker license. Before he was in real estate, Ashraf was in the banking industry.
“I was ready to take the next step in my career,” he says. “Throughout my life, I’ve developed the skills to manage and inspire others. When you add that to my background in real estate, I know I can be a successful franchise owner.”
Ashraf left Century 21 two years ago, just to see how other real estate offices and franchises worked, the company says. When it was time to open his own, he knew he wanted to return to C21, he says.
Century 21 Canada EVP Brian Rushton says, “We love it when our agents stay with us to become franchisees. In this case, Mohamed even looked elsewhere, but realized that we can help him grow better than any other brand.”
Ashraf hopes to have 20 to 25 agents by summer. By the end of the year, he hopes to grow to 40-50 agents, the company says.
