From left: Arius Iri, Christopher Samdeo and Joe Carter
By Jim Adair
A splashy private reception in the penthouse at the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Toronto, with an appearance by World Series baseball hero Joe Carter, launched the country’s newest real estate brokerage, Canada Realty Inc.
The new firm is owned by president and CEO Christopher Samdeo and broker of record Arius Iri. Initially they hope to attract 25 sales reps as they launch the firm in downtown Toronto, offering both residential and commercial services.
“We have a big vision but we’re going to start small,” says Samdeo, adding that he “wants my agents to feel they can grow from the residential side to the commercial side. We’ll give them opportunities to learn the commercial business.”
The firm will offer 100-per-cent commissions.
Samdeo’s background is in marketing and promotions, and for the launch of Canada Realty he showcased some of the relationships he has built. As a video of Samdeo chatting with actor Charlie Sheen played during the reception, other guests attending included Michael Tait of WN Pharmaceuticals, Andrew Hamblin of AirSprint Private Aviation, a private aircraft provider and lawyer Larry Ellis of Cassel Brock.
“It speaks volumes if you have a great network of friends,” says Samdeo.
“For me, real estate is always something I wanted to do. I grew up in the Jane and Finch area in Toronto. I was on my own from when I was 16-years-old and I vowed then that I would always have a place to live. I think that’s where the passion for real estate came from,” he says.
Broker of record Iri bought his first condo when he was 22, obtained his real estate license at 25 and became a broker at 28. He’s been working in the industry for eight years. He says he believes the company can expand across the country within five years.
“We think we can bring a fresh face and a fresh image to real estate that will make Canada Realty a household name,” he says.
At the event, Samdeo used his contacts to create a great signing bonus for the first three sales reps to join the company – a trip to New York City on one of AirSprint’s private jets for a stay at the Trump Tower in New York.
“We have a lot of fun,” he says. “We don’t do a project where we don’t have fun.
“For the Joe Carter Classic Golf Tournament, I handled a lot of promotions, bringing on great sponsors and partners. I thought Joe represented success. I wanted to model the company on integrity and honesty, drive and passion – something with those components that reflected success. I thought Joe would be a great person for that brand.”
Carter says he is pleased to work as a spokesperson for Canada Realty. “I don’t just lend my name out to anybody,” he says. “In the last three or four years, we have done some pretty good deals with Webber Naturals, Blackberry and the TD Bank. It’s about loyalty and not just chasing the money. It’s making a name for yourself and being out there in the community and giving back to the community.”
A little known fact is that Carter and his wife Diane are both Realtors. “I just use my license for referrals,” Carter says. “Diana is an interior designer. She likes to find old houses and fix them up. Two years ago we built one of the first LEED certified green homes in Kansas City. She’s very talented.”
Carter says he loves coming back to Toronto. For the game in 1993 when he hit the home run that won the World Series for the Blue Jays, Carter says: “Everyone tells me where they were, what they were doing at that time. Christopher is amazed that I still get a standing ovation when I go to a Raptors basketball game….all because I hit this little white thing out of the stadium to help us win the World Series.”
Of this year’s Blue Jays team, Carter says: “This could be the year they make a lot of noise. If they can get that chemistry that we had in 1992 and 1993 – we all had one goal, one focus – not to just get to the World Series but to win a World Series – I think they have a great chance.”
