Why Work with a Team

There’s a lot that goes into selling a home – more than any solo agent could possibly do effectively.

Staging & Design

When a home is professionally cleaned, staged and showcased at its best, it sells faster and for more money – often tens of thousands of dollars more than the unstaged competition. 

We believe so strongly in the value of staging that we own our very own staging company, UPstaging–with full-time employees, a carefully curated collection of furniture and accessories and a dedicated warehouse and moving truck. Our staging and design services are exclusive to BREL clients. 

Our team can use your current furniture and style as the canvas, or completely reimagine your space to make it show its absolute best. Included in our services:

• Staging consultation with a detailed room-by-room analysis and prep plan for the Seller
• Access to our trusted Trusted Partner home professionals – handymen, painters, carpet cleaners, plumbers, electricians, gardeners, and many more 
• Help to coordinate and wrangle tradespeople
• Professional cleaning 
• Staging of your home, including furniture and accessories
• De-staging after the sale

Marketing

What sets BREL apart from other REALTORS is our marketing acumen – and in a shifting market, getting your home seen by the right people, in the right places, is more important than ever. 

When I list a home for sale, I work closely with our in-house marketing team to strategically identify the target buyers and customize our marketing tactics accordingly. Our listing marketing plan always includes:

1. Stunning HDR digital photography
2. Interactive 3-D walk-through tours
3. Floor plans
4. MLS listing (written by a professional copywriter)
5. Prominent listing on the BREL website (visited by 90,000+ people every month)
6. Immersive online home tour experiences
7. Digital exposure on all the important real estate search websites, including: realtor.ca, Zillow, Point2Homes, The Real Estate Book, REW, Homefinder, Zoocasa, Zolo and more than 12,000 agent and brokerage websites.
8. Exposure to international buyers via listings on more than 130 international real estate portals in 70 countries on 6 continents.
9. Facebook and Instagram posts 
10. Targeted, paid ads on Facebook and Instagram
11. YouTube and Facebook videos
12. Email marketing campaigns to potential buyers, top agents and brokerages

When it makes sense, we might also include:

1. Public open houses
2. Agent open houses
3. High-quality feature sheets or booklets 
4. Direct marketing postcards in your neighbourhood
5. Scripted video tours
6. TikTok or other social media videos/posts
7. Drone photography and/or video
8. Unique marketing as needed–e.g. coordinating with community events

Pricing & Negotiation

In a cooler market, getting the listing price and strategy right is critical to getting buyers’ attention…and once they’re interested and make an offer, it becomes all about negotiation skills and strategy.  

You can count on me to:

• Get a solid understanding of your goals and priorities
• Value your home using multiple data points and methods (it’s both an art and a science)
• Recommend a pricing strategy to bring in the highest possible price (and ensure it’s aligned with the current market realities and expectations)
• Obsessively keep on top of what’s happening in the market and how buyers are feeling
• Perform an ongoing competitive review of activity in your neighbourhood – what’s selling, what’s not selling, and why
• Recommend pivots to strategy and/or price if necessary
• Always negotiate in your best interests

As a Certified Negotiation Expert, I’m focused on finding the win/win sweet spot for my clients. 

Easy Showings

Homes sell faster when it’s easy for potential buyers to tour them. That’s why we:

• Have a BREL-branded lockbox onsite at each property
• Send detailed Showing Notes to every agent who books an appointment. The Showing Notes are intended to help the buyer’s agent show the property to their client; they highlight what we love about the home, renovations and upgrades, utility costs and taxes, nearby school information, parks, neighbourhood shops and amenities, etc. It’s almost like we’re at the showing with them!
• Recommend flexible showing timeframes, ideally, 9 am to 9 pm, every day.
• Plan for buyers who don’t already have an agent. Our extensive marketing reach means we often attract buyers who aren’t already working with a REALTOR. Because we believe buyers and sellers should each have their own independent representation, we assign a second BREL agent to your property – one who is familiar with the home, but independent of the BREL listing agent – to show the home to unrepresented buyers.

Commission

We offer two commission plans that differ based on what’s included.  

With our Gold Plan (5%), we pay for professional staging, cleaning, a pre-listing home inspection or status certificate, professional photography, floor plans, 3-D interactive tours, comprehensive online and offline marketing campaigns and more. Most of our sellers choose the Gold Plan. 

Our Silver Plan (4.5%) includes the same level of marketing and strategy as the Gold Plan, but doesn’t include our home preparation and staging services. Our Silver plan often makes sense for owners selling tenanted properties or homes that don’t require staging. 

Our Guarantees

We set high standards for ourselves and expect to be held accountable for delivering what we promise. While we can’t control what’s happening in the market, we can guarantee the service and communication you can expect when you work with BREL.

• The “You Want Us, You Got Us” Guarantee. We’re serious about being responsive, available and easy to communicate with. If we don’t return your message or call within 12 hours, we’ll donate $20 to a charity of your choice. 
• The ‘You’ll Know What We Know” Guarantee There’s nothing worse than not knowing what’s happening. We’re committed to providing a weekly huddle call or meeting and a formal update on showings, feedback, marketing activity and competition. And if we don’t deliver? We’ll deduct $500 from your commission.
• The “Happy Seller” Guarantee: We won’t hold you hostage to a piece of paper. If there’s ever a problem while we’re working together, we’ll do everything we can to fix it. If we can’t, then we’ll release you from your contract. If you aren’t happy, then neither are we. 

About Me

My Life before real estate: I immigrated to Canada from Poland in the early 80’s, and lived in Hamilton and Mississauga before moving to Toronto. I was good at sports and went on to get an honours degree in physical education. I had my twin daughters and spent time as a mom, while my husband toured as a professional musician. I went back to work as a personal trainer and taught fitness classes to pregnant women and new moms. After investing in some real estate it made sense to get my real estate licence and the rest is history.

What I love about being a REALTOR: Building relationships with people is the most rewarding part of the job. Every client’s needs and desires are so unique and aiding them in achieving those is so satisfying.

Why I love helping Sellers: I love the home preparation stage. Sellers are often surprised by the transformation that their homes undergo, and often wonder if they really want to sell once they see the finished product! Providing guidance and honesty about the challenges of selling a home makes for a much smoother transition.

Favourite Seller story: When time is of the essence and a client is facing difficulties it becomes more than the sale of a home, it becomes a mission and it’s impossible not to get emotionally involved. When that sale goes as smoothly as possible, in an uncertain market, the reward of knowing that you helped someone get through a difficult time, and alleviated stress that would have added to the chaos, is very long-lasting. The icing on the cake was when one of our teammates was able to equally successfully assist the same sellers with a purchase in another city.

My Life outside of real estate: First and foremost I am a mom and I am a wife. I love to experience new foods, cultures and music. Whether that is through travel or trying new things at home I love experiencing growth through new sensations.

You’ll enjoy working with me if… I have personally purchased numerous properties and so I know intimately, from experience, the many challenges that a buyer can face. I am extremely empathetic and always put my client’s needs first and foremost. I am not pushy and will take as much time as a client needs to be comfortable with their purchasing decision.

Peer Reviews

From Halina – If you want a warrior who’ll fight in your corner, Halina is the person you’d want on your side. Super smart, charming and a tough negotiator, Halina has all the skills to handle anything that’s thrown at her. There is a reason she’s one of the most successful agents on the team. And she’s just lovely too!

From Jenny – Years ago the team coined the phrase #beHalina and it’s stuck ever since. We’re constantly trying to emulate her results, and what she is able to bring to the table with clients. She is extremely likeable. People are drawn to her casual, fun and friendly nature but there is a reason no one on the team wants to be on the other side of the negotiation table with her — she’s also tough, smart and won’t back down — and this pays off in spades for her clients.

From Shannon – I’d hire Halina as my realtor, hands down! She is extremely smart, well spoken and patient with her clients. She has an in-depth knowledge of the market and makes the buying and selling process easy for her clients to understand. She is quick to respond (even when she is on vacation!) and is super empathetic to her clients situations and needs.

From Mel & Brendan – Halina is such a role model, she spawned her very own hashtag at BREL: #BeHalina. Yes, she is a total pro. And you just KNOW you can trust her. But she’s also an onion: just when you think you’ve figured her out, she surprises you with something you DON’T know about her.

Like she used to be a fitness instructor. And she makes olive oil. Like, really makes olive oil…in Italy, every year. (You should probably buy some). And she speaks Polish (and some Italian of course!) She’s also a mother to twins, manages a portfolio of investment properties…who knows what else?

All we know is that we couldn’t be prouder to have Halina representing BREL. #BeHalina

From Kiel – To know Halina is to love Halina. In addition to being an incredible agent, she manages to do it with a style and sophistication that is enviable. Her great style spills over into the homes she lists and our collaboration on transforming them makes me better at what I do. Her work ethic is second to none, and her attention to detail impeccable. Perfectionism isn’t a bad thing in this industry, especially when it’s balanced with kindness, and one cannot overlook Halina’s. Whether she is showing up to pitch a hand, bringing treats for the team on hard day, or making everyone smile with her quick wit, Halina really cares about the happiness of those around her. Our unofficial team slogan is ‘Be Halina’ and that should tell you everything you need to know about her. While I may never be her, I’m better because I try.