Barney Johnson, broker/owner of Re/Max Crossroads Realty, says, “That's me with the beige cap and shades near the helm at the back of the 63-foot racing yacht Spirit of Isis, which placed first in all seven races at this spring’s Antigua Sailing Week. He says sailboat racing helps keep him refreshed for his real estate career.

Re/Max Crossroads Realty celebrated its 30th anniversary recently with a gala party in Markham, Ont.

“I chose the name ‘Crossroads’ for my franchise because my main office is located at the crossroads of Richmond Hill, Markham, North York and Scarborough,” says Barney Johnson, broker/owner of Re/Max Crossroads Realty. “Rather than have numerous branch offices I choose to have one large mega office to serve these four thriving communities. It is now the second largest Re/Max office out of more than 7,000 Re/Max International offices worldwide.”

Johnson opened an iRealty paperless office in north Toronto just over a year ago. It has more than 30 agents and plans to add more. “I now also have purchased a Dominion Lending Centre mortgage franchise — first heard of them by reading REM — and it is doing well,” Johnson says. “At the gala I was asked how I survived over the years and the key to my success. It was simple. I recruited agents that were: 1. Honest and ethical. 2. Friendly and co-operative. 3. Who completed a minimum of one transaction per month. After that I let a law of the universe take over – ‘Likes attract likes’.”  

Johnson told everyone at the gala that “if you do not want to be a victim of burn out, you should remember that real estate is your career and not your life. Having other passions like having my advanced scuba diving certificate and sailboat racing and cruising in the Caribbean for the past 20+ years helps keep me refreshed.”