Meet Karina Eskandary a licensed real estate agent for in Toronto for the past 9 years. Karina is a mother of two, the founder of the Eskandary Real Estate team. She believes that she is here to redefine the industry standards. Karina entered the industry selling pre-construction as the builders representative, and made the transition into independent salesperson shortly after.

We are thankful for her time for this exclusive interview for our readers.

Tell us about your education.
I went to Mcmaster university and graduated with a biochemistry degree.
Nothing to do with real estate I know, but at the time I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian! (until I realized im super allergic to cats + other animals. haha)

What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into the real estate industry?
My husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) had started flipping some houses and I realized I was really interested in the process and more-so the sale aspect of the transaction. I signed up pretty spontaneously for the courses one night and have never looked back. I always loved working with people and the service/sales industry was something I was passionate about.

When did you officially launch your company?
I started the team at Eskandary Real Estate in October 2021. It started with just myself and one employee, and grew to a team of 5 fairly quickly! I have 3 amazing agents on my team as well as a business development/client care manager.

What has been the biggest roadblock during your journey starting your own company? What has been your biggest learning?
The biggest roadblock has been the mental aspect of feeling the responsibility to my team to provide for them in a market that is slow. I really want to make sure they are happy and busy! The biggest learning curve has been implementing our own internal systems and the back end organization, as things happened so quickly. We are constantly working on improving it!

What geographic areas and types of properties do you handle?
We work in the GTA with a big concentration of it in the city core. We are also VIP agents on pre-construction sites and projects so a big aspect of our business is focused on the investor pool.

What sets your company apart from others?
For our sellers, we take marketing to another level. I believe getting top dollar for our clients means gaining maximum exposure, and so we create a custom marketing campaign for each listing to ensure we are targeting the right buyers for the property who will see the value. For our buyers, my team and I bend over backwards to ensure the best deal is negotiated, and our speed to the market is second to none. We will not sell a product we don’t believe in, and this is to ensure our buyers will have a great investment for the years to come. For our investor, as mentioned earlier, pre construction is a big part of my business and being a part of the brokerage at Union Capital Realty, we have access to units before the general public which is extremely lucrative for our clients.

What are the pros and cons of being a female working in this industry?
I can’t comment on the exact split of female to male agents on the Toronto Real Estate Board, but I see many women in this industry thriving which is amazing.
That being said, there are still lingering pressures and stereotypes I believe we as female agents face, but those fade as you continue to present yourself with professionalism and knowledge. The con for me as a busy agent has been the pressures of being a mom and the balance of my family time.

Give us a brief overview of the real-estate market in Toronto right now.
Mortgage rates are on the rise in 2022, number of listings are up, sales are down drastically as is pricing month over month. But, I don’t think anything fundamentally changed in the market. We have too many people and not enough housing. Population growth in the next 10 years is looking to explode.
I think the bottoming out of the market will happen when the rate increase comes to an end and barring unforeseen economic problems, I see the market stabilizing and most likely pricing start to increase again.

When do you think is the best time to buy a property?
The best time to buy is when you have a down payment, are qualified for a mortgage, secure with your job and employment income and you find a home that checks off all your requirements. Many buyers are already getting into the real estate market later in life. Therefore, your timeframe to pay off your home gets tighter based on a 25 year amortized mortgage.

What percentage of your clients are buyers vs. sellers?
I like to keep it at a 50/50 split. WIth my systems in place, admin and team members, we can effectively service both buyers and seller clients.

How do you see the real-estate market in 2023?
Stable. I believe inflation should be under control by that time and mortgage rates stabilized. I don’t see record breaking price growth like we saw in Q1 2022, but the market will adjust and we will be in the new normal with average price increases.

Tell us about your team? What qualities do you look for when hiring a new member?
My team members are the best of the best! I love them with all my heart. I look for someone who is an extension of me. My values, knowledge, work ethic, professionalism and integrity. With these traits, I have a comfort knowing my team members will provide the exact same level of customer experience that is expected from Eskandary Real Estate.

What is the approach followed by you in order to ensure optimal client satisfaction through your services?
I always keep lines of communication open with my clients throughout the entire process. We want them to leave the transaction happy, and will adjust or do whatever needs to be done in order to ensure that is the result.

How long will it take millennials to save a down payment for a home?
Everyone is different, so it is a little hard to answer that question. I am going to put average salary wages aside, as I believe many Millennials that I know are
creative and I believe it wont take them very long to save for a downpayment if they are prudent with their savings. Growing up in the technological boom, I’m a big believer that many are entrepreneurial. Their ability to adapt to technology changes provides a recipe for strong potential income earners and future homeowners.

What are some of your achievements?
My biggest achievement is my children, but in terms of work, I am honored to say at 32 years old I am in the top 1% of the Toronto Real Estate board, which is very humbling as we have over 70k licensed agents under that board. I have also been the number 1 producing agent for my brokerage 3 years in a row (hopefully will make it 4!)

What is your motto in life?
Do it with passion, or not at all.

What are some of your favorite interests and hobbies that you enjoy?
I love exercise and try to incorporate that into my life daily.

What does the future look like for you, both professionally and personally?
On the professional side with the competitive market we are in, there will be continuous growth and improvement in my systems and all aspects of my business. I’m also expanding on ideas that have been incubating and now coming to fruition that will provide multiple income streams. Pretty excited about this and will have to stay tuned. I strongly believe you need to have a balance with work and family life or you won’t have a personal outlook that is favorable. It’s important to find joy in the smallest things, and I believe that is what makes up a happy person. I have a loving husband, and two very young beautiful boys that will need their mother for the next 15-20 years. Spending quality time with them is the future for me on the personal side of things. May sound boring to some, but I would not change a thing.

Your message for our readers, especially the ones looking to become homeowners soon.
Being a homeowner requires sacrifice and hard work. It is not easy. But, home ownership will propel you financially in ways which will help with your future and families future. Keep this goal in mind!

Your message for us at TOPS (TorontoPages) magazine.
I think it’s incredible what you guys are doing, and I believe those of us in this industry need to lift each other up versus bashing everyone down. Publications like this help shine the light on leaders who are looking to make a difference!