To succeed in real estate, you need a value-add
“In real estate college, I learned how not to get sued, not how to sell real estate,” jokes Ricky Rathore, “but that didn’t mean I couldn’t sell.”
Rathore (Human Resources Management, ‘11) started his career as a real estate agent at 18, and after nearly two decades in the industry, he’s established himself as the Founding Partner of Rathore Baig Professional Corporation (external link) and a Broker of Record at RE/MAX Metropolis Realty (external link) . Straddling both the legal and real estate side, he’s differentiated himself through his insight and value to clients.
“At the end of the day, it’s a sales job. The sales element I learned by watching my dad,” he explains. “Instead of being a sales agent, I took on a service mentality. Why should somebody sell with me? It’s more about the value I can provide.”
Rathore thinks his dad corralled him into real estate to keep him busy, but at 18, it wasn’t what he had in mind for his future as a lawyer. His dad supported him with his first two transactions, and it’s been repeats and referrals since then.
“My dad said to go get the license and help your family in the immediate time frame. Those initial transactions were in a pre-construction building downtown. Through his network, we were able to sell almost 40 units,” he says.
Rathore recalls the challenges of selling real estate to clients double and triple his age, but he also believes it offered an advantage over older agents. “I could run spreadsheets and analyses [other agents] wouldn’t, and one transaction led to another. Rathore achieved RE/MAX’s 100% Club (external link) , earning over $225,000 in commissions in his first year alone.
Early success in real estate didn’t take away from Rathore’s plans to get his degree and eventually go to law school. While studying at the Ted Rogers School of Management, he got involved with the Tri-Mentoring Program and the Ted Rogers Real Estate Association (external link) (formerly Real Estate Ryerson).
Rathore spent two years as President and Co-President of the Ted Rogers Real Estate Association and was part of early conversations around the launch of the Real Estate Management major at industry and university-wide events. Dr. Cynthia Holmes, the founding Chair of the program has since been appointed Dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management, effective June 1, 2023.
“I built relationships and figured out who I was at TRSM. I took what I learned in academia and have applied it practically,” says Rathore. “At the end of the day, the degree shows a prospective employer that I can commit to something and see it through.”
After completing his degree and securing his mortgage license, law school seemed like the natural next step. “If I became a lawyer, I would become like a Walmart,” he explains. “I can sell your property, finance your home and help you close it.”
Rathore currently has five employees at Rathore Baig and 275 agents at RE/MAX Metropolis Realty, where he trains and coaches them to support their clients. This comes after acting as the Founding Partner of Public Choice Realty (external link) , a brokerage he led for over four years. “Opening up a brokerage was supposed to be four or five partners, but we made so many connections, and Public Choice grew,” he says.
“Eventually, I stopped growing because people we hired were looking at me for support, whereas at RE/MAX, I provide the service that enables agents to deal with the buyers and sellers.”
“I joined RE/MAX at 18 because I didn’t have a name; I was afforded credibility I didn’t deserve, so there’s power in that franchise model,” he adds. “I’m never going to be in a situation where I’m not learning.”
Under his leadership, he’s taken Rathore Baig to be one of the top real estate law offices in the York Region and established RE/MAX Metropolis as one of the fastest-growing RE/MAX offices in Metro-West. From his vantage point, Rathore believes that the day-to-day minutiae bogs down most agents. “Nobody went to school because they want to write contracts for the rest of their life; most agents want to make a difference and offer financial stability,” he says.
With his focus set on growing Rathore Baig and RE/MAX Metropolis, Rathore is leaning into the legal value-add that differentiates his services. “In today’s dynamic marketplace, if you remove the layers, we help people buy, sell and transact real estate — the objective is to do it at the highest level.
“If they can go on ChatGPT to draw up an agreement, where is the value for the realtor? A good realtor transcends that and has the ability to service the client.”