1. TREB appeals tribunal ruling
Page 3
For new agents:The first
100 days
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Top 10 reasons why
salespeople fail
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Issue #325 July 2016
CanadaPostPublicationsMailAgreementNo.42218523-ReturnundeliverableCanadianaddressesto2255BQueenSt.E.,#1178,TorontoONM4E1G3CanadaPostPublicationsMailAgreementNo.42218523-ReturnundeliverableCanadianaddressesto2255BQueenSt.E.,#1178,TorontoONM4E1G3
Sahil Jaggi
'Smart, innovative and
ahead of the game'
Page 22
CanadaPostPublicationsMailAgreementNo.42218523-ReturnundeliverableCanadianaddressesto2255BQueenSt.E.,#1178,TorontoONM4E1G3CanadaPostPublicationsMailAgreementNo.42218523-ReturnundeliverableCanadianaddressesto2255BQueenSt.E.,#1178,TorontoONM4E1G3

2. 22 REM JULY 2016
Sahil Jaggi: ‘Don’t be afraid to hustle’
At 30, sales rep Sahil Jaggi is winning sales awards and managing his $6 million personal
real estate portfolio. By Susan Doran
It’s safe to say that virtually
all real estate sales reps are
up to speed on the importance
of location. But Sahil Jaggi is
downright obsessive about it – so
much so that it’s not unusual
for him to drive around various
neighbourhoods in the middle of
the night, scrutinizing everything
from access to public transit to
the amount of development
taking place, proximity to
waterfront and even the makes
of cars parked in driveways. He
says that the latter gives you an
idea of what sort of people live in
the neighbourhood.
“Everything matters. My
search process is really detail
oriented. I dig deep. I do
extensive research,” says Jaggi,
who’s with Re/Max Realtron
Realty in Toronto and last year
started up Mink Homes, a home
building company specializing in
investment properties and the
construction of contemporary
homes.
“I’m pretty much doing the
entire real estate solution. I do
buying and renting and selling
and building,” he says. “Even
with a small condominium, I
believe it’s important to learn
the product inside out.”
Jaggi’s thoroughness and
resourcefulness are working
for him. Barely 30, he’s only
had his real estate licence for a
couple of years and almost never
pays for advertising. (“It’s not
my style,” he says). Yet he has
consistentlyreceivedincreasingly
prestigious Re/Max performance
awards, largely thanks to an
overabundance of foreign and
local contacts gained through his
investment experience (not to
mention referrals via his sister in
Singapore).
“People see me as a
successful investor,” he says.
“In the last six years I have
built a personal real estate
portfolio of over $6 million...
and growing. I own about seven
investment properties as personal
investments and joint ventures
with investment clients.”
He says many investors are
looking to buy houses that they
can rent out for income purposes
and eventually a “solid wealth
building return.” Among his top
tips to these buyers is to always
have solid cash flow estimates
around payments versus rental
income, and to make sure there’s
enough in the bank to cover
the mortgage for at least three
months in case the rental income
dries up for some unforeseen
reason.
“It’s a great thing to be an
investor yourself, as clients
see me as an expert and not a
salesperson,” he says.
“Be proactive and connect
with successful Realtors and
investors internationally, for
instance, in China,” he advises.
“You can’t ignore investors
coming into Canada.”
Jaggi has been featured in
several magazines, has spoken
at investors’ forums and is often
a guest lecturer at a school of
business affiliated with Toronto’s
York University.
An economics and business
graduate, he’d previously been
an investment banker on Wall
Street. (“I hated it,” he says). He
soon went in search of a career
that was a better fit with his
entrepreneurial disposition.
“Don’t be scared to pursue
something you are passionate
about instead of being stuck in
the 9 to 5,” he advises.
Not knowing what else to
do, he moved home to Toronto.
Having travelled widely, he
regards the city as one of the best
in the world for investment.
He purchased an older run-
down bungalow on a large lot,
renovated it, moved into the
basement and rented out the top
floor. Soon he was buying more
houses with the help of investors
he talked into joining him. His
strategy then and now involves
hand picking properties in areas
of high growth potential (that
haven’t reached the saturation
point), where appreciation levels
are expected to be significantly
above market norms.
Getting his real estate license
seemed a no-brainer under the
circumstances. Besides providing
added credibility and allowing
Jaggi to be his own sales rep
and to service the real estate
needs of other investors, it has
facilitated networking and given
him access to “tools and cutting
edge information,” he says.
Not content to simply target
promising neighbourhoods for
his clients – the majority of
whom are looking for investment
properties – Jaggi takes the time
to narrow choices down to a
particular street or even a specific
house, whether that house is for
sale or not.
“Don’t be afraid to hustle,” is
one of his mantras.
In a booming market like
Toronto’s, “you have to be smart,
innovative and ahead of the
game,” Jaggi says.
To that end, he does not wait
for listings to pop up or come
to him but instead goes out and
finds them. Not only does that
mean he double ends the deal,
it also eliminates bidding wars,
which is currently the “biggest
problem in Toronto real estate,”
he says.
“Once I narrow things down
to the street I want, I will door
knock, write letters and cold call,
contacting every homeowner on
that street for my buyer – or for
myself, if I want an investment
property there,” he says.
He’s aware that many agents
think cold calling is “old
fashioned.” But he’s found it to
be one of the most effective ways
to prospect.
Don’t try to get around it by
sending your assistants out to
cold call for you, he cautions.
If you do, your success rates
will plummet, he’s discovered.
Presentation and attitude are
everything.
Start a conversation. Don’t
look at cold calling as hard-core
sales, instead view it as offering
potential clients something they
would appreciate, he advises.
“Not many people will say
no when you ask if they’d like
to see what their house is worth
on paper,” says Jaggi. “There are
a lot of neighbourhoods with
older people who have been
there 40 or 50 years,” and they
often appreciate being given
help finding out what their
home is worth in the current
market. “When they bought the
house 40 years ago for $80,000
and you tell them it’s now worth
$1 million,” they are stunned,
he says.
The growth is far from over,
in his opinion.
“Toronto is still greatly
undervalued compared to other
hubs.” REM
Sahil Jaggi (Photo: Marko Shark)