Sometimes it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond. Just ask Orvil Cairns.
On the cusp of celebrating his 40th anniversary as a sales agent in Portage la Prairie, Man., the town celebrated the 74-year-old’s venerated career in June with a comedy roast-style evening of friendly jabs and cherished memories.
Cairns is one of the most recognizable people in Portage La Prairie because of his jocular personality. Always one to strike up a friendly conversation, becoming a real estate broker was only natural. In fact, the two are intertwined.
“I credit my success to being out there,” says the Royal LePage Portage Realty broker. “I have a great social life and I know a lot of people. I’m in touch with them; if you’re out there, people see you and people want to talk about real estate all the time. Your buddies love to tell their buddies. You have to know a lot of people.”
Austin, MacGregor, Oakville, Sidney, St. Eustache and St. Laurent are also within the Portage La Prairie Real Estate Board’s boundaries, comprising no more than 30,000 residents.
Portage La Prairie itself has about 13,000 residents and has 20-some salespeople. Impressively, Cairns juggles around 100 client dossiers at a time. Asked how he has managed to garner such a high volume of work relative to the population, his answer is twofold.
“Product knowledge,” he says. “I sold one house here six times. I don’t know if anyone (else) can tell that story. Product knowledge and knowing the location, or (knowing) if there are any issues with the house, basement, wiring or plumbing. I was raised on a farm so I have a lot of knowledge about wiring and plumbing and anything structural with a building. When a client asks, you have to be able to give them an honest answer.
“The thing with a small community is it’s so much more personal,” he continues. “(If) you sell a house here in Portage, you’re going to run into that person 20 or 30 times a year, so if you did them wrong, you’re going to see them again.”
Cairns has lived in Portage La Prairie since 1963, first working for Coca-Cola and then selling cars, which he credits with imparting the fundamentals of sales. However, in addition to putting in 50 to 70 hour weeks in the realty business, Cairns says he has achieved success through what he calls the cornerstone of his business ethos: honesty.
“Tell them.” he says, “You know if there are issues with the house or the neighbourhood, so make sure they’re aware of it. Especially if they’re not from this town.”
And if a house needs repairs, not only will Cairns advise clients to reflect the costs in their offers; he’ll help them find economical repairmen.
While one would logically presume small towns have a dearth of customers, “I don’t know if there’s a shortage because there are always people looking,” says Cairns. “We have a lot of government employees in the community and farmers moving into the town. We get 50-something RCMP members here. Pilot instructors are always here. I get 15 to 20 deals a year out of that.
“And families growing up. There are people I sold houses to 20 years ago and now their kids are looking for homes,” he says. “It keeps us pretty busy.”
Smaller towns do come with some challenges, though. For starters, amenities are fewer and scarcer in variety. The same is true for housing type, but Cairns says that also makes closing deals expeditious.
“You get to a major city and you get so many areas that it makes it confusing for buyers to choose what area to live in,” says Cairns. “Portage has four or five schools. Does your kid want French immersion? What’s your budget? You have four different price ranges. It’s so much easier for a buyer to come here and make a choice. You buy a house in Portage in three or four days, but in a big city it would take you a long time.”
Cairns is unnerved by stormy clouds ahead, lamenting younger people’s difficulty entering the housing market – a trend he doesn’t believe will change.
“Affordability is an issue,” he says, adding the entry age for homeownership is increasing. “Younger families starting out will have to rent for a few years or have family help.”
Warren Neufeld, managing partner and co-owner of Royal LePage Portage Realty, has known Cairns for roughly 13 years but says his reputation precedes him because, “Orvil is regarded as one of the patriarchs,” of Portage La Prairie, he says.
“He dealt with young buyers when he was a young guy, he’s dealt with their children and grandchildren, in some cases, over the years,” says Neufeld. “He’s viewed as knowledgeable, informed and he has connections. Lots of people come to him for advice because he’s a straight shooter, but in a very good natured way.”
Neufeld also describes Cairns as a brand unto himself because, in spite of owning a number of franchises over the years, the one constant has been the Orvil Cairns brand. However, perhaps most impressive is Cairns’ longevity.
“The constant has been him,” says Neufeld. “Nine out of 10 people will know him or know of him and they’ll have heard a story about him. He’s one of those unofficial community leaders.
“It’s the analogy of the duck swimming on the pond. He makes it look easy but he’s 74-years-old. Not only has he had a 40-year career, but the later years have been some of the most productive of his life.”
Neil Sharma is a contributing writer for REM.
