Meet Lisa Bednarski, Broker

Year Licensed: December 2017
Joined The BREL Team: 2017

Designations: Master Certified Negotiation Expert; Accredited Seniors' Agent; Accredited Buyer Representative; Accredited Seller Representative
Languages: English

Lives: Roncesvalles (Formerly: Casa Loma; Yonge/Eglinton)

Fun Fact: My university degree is actually in Journalism and all the things that made me pursue that degree and a career in public relations also serve me well in real estate.

My Life Before Real Estate

This is a second career for me after 25 years in marketing communications, primarily in global public relations firms. The communications and client services skills were very transferrable and I haven’t looked back.

What I Love About Being a REALTOR

Hands down, the strategy!!! I love figuring out what makes my clients tick – as individuals and/or as couples — and how they need to receive information from me to best help them. On the buy side, what approach do we need to take to get my clients what they want? What homes should we be looking at? What’s our offer strategy? How can we get the upper hand in a competitive situation? And on the sale side, how do we stand out from the pack? What is the optimal pricing and marketing strategy to get us sold for the highest amount, in the quickest amount of time and with the least amount of stress? In my previous career I focused on strategy and I get to flex that muscle every single day in this one too.

Why I Love Helping Buyers

I often joke that working with buyers is how I redeem my soul after a quarter century in marketing communications selling soap and toothpaste. When you work with buyers you are truly making a difference in their life — whether it’s buying their first condo (and the feeling of adulthood and independence that comes with it) or the first home a couple will bring their new baby home to, or a family looking to upsize (and downsize), working with buyers just *feels* so good.

Favourite Buyer Story

I was working with a young couple with two pre-school children looking to buy their first home. Two things about this buy make it a great story. Their number one criteria was school district however their budget made homes in those areas (almost) unattainable. After a few heartbreaks we finally found a home that worked for them and seemed like it might be attainable within budget. Unfortunately, it had the same offer night as another home they liked (that we thought was worth a bit less but, because of that, we felt like it might have more bidders, driving up the price) so we made the strategic decision to offer on the first one. We were right. The second house got seven offers, and the one they bid on only had two! Better yet, they paid less than the buyers of house #2. That felt great. But the best part? They were waiting for me at the BREL office while I presented their offer and, when I came back and told them they won, they burst into tears and hugged me. That never happened to me in marketing communications.

Why I Love Helping Sellers

There are a lot of reasons people decide to sell their homes, some happy, some sad and some bittersweet. But it’s always about a new chapter in life and, with that, comes a lot of stress. My favourite thing about helping sellers is taking a lot of that stress off their plate, because we have the systems, tools and people in place that get the job done in the best way for them.

My Life Outside of Real Estate

I have a lot of passions. Baseball (part of my obsession with strategy), cooking new recipes inspired from watching more cooking shows than I care to admit, travel, walking my dog in the morning in High Park or along the Lakeshore Waterfront Trail, visiting my amazing nieces and singing Springsteen favourites (loudly) in the shower. I also follow current events and politics a great deal although I consider that more of a vice than a passion.

You’ll Enjoy Working with Me If…

…you like your communications clear and straight forward coupled with a hint of humour. I’m also punctual and hyper-organized and my clients tend to appreciate that.

Related: Read more about Lisa Bednarski here.  

Favourite Neighbourhoods

 

What I'm Really Like

Sales Stats

* Total transactions since becoming a licensed real estate professional
** Based on sales where I represented the Seller in 2023

# of Transactions *

150

Average Days on Market **

14

% Asking Price **

104.8%

Condos

43%

Houses

53%

Lofts

4%

Represented The Buyer

53%

Represented The Seller

47%

Client Reviews

Read My Reviews
Lisa Bednarski is everything one could ask for in an agent, and I enthusiastically recommend her. She is professional, personable, reliable, and well prepared. She is not only market savvy, she is people savvy too. Whether she was pitching herself as a selling agent to us or showing our house to prospective buyers, she knew when to provide information, when to be available for questions, and most importantly, when to back off and give buyers time and space to come to a decision on their own. Always approachable and responsive, Lisa helped us through every step of our selling journey. From an initial assessment of the house’s market valuation and requirements for sale, right through to suggestions on how to choose a lawyer for the closing, Lisa was available to us. I cannot praise the marketing team at BREL enough. We knew our Toronto house was special and had some good qualities, including character, an excellent location and a large footprint on a large lot. However, the team's photos and descriptions focused on the home's very best and unique features. Overnight, our “pretty good’ house became an “absolutely fabulous” one! It was presented as a must see, if not a must buy. The interest for the three open houses, during which Lisa was forced to battle through a covid diagnosis, was phenomenal. If the true measure of an agent's value is found in results, then Lisa did not disappoint in this regard either. Bottom line … our house sold in five days, condition free, at 10% over asking!!! Could one ask for anything more?

- Jennifer B.

I've worked with the BREL team twice over the past 2.5 years and have nothing but positive things to say about it. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with Lisa Bednarski as my agent and she is one of the best out there. Toronto has a lot of agents, but she is one you need in your life! She is diligent, invested, knowledgable, and trustworthy. I was a first time purchaser that was purchasing while still living internationally and she made the process seamless and also went above and beyond and helped me navigate a real estate market & country that was new to me. When I made the decision to sell my Toronto condo, Lisa was one of the first people I called. I've always felt confident in her and the advice she has given me and trusted her experience. Being a first time seller, Lisa provided me with plenty of resources to understand the process and provided open and honest advice about strategy that resulted in a very successful transaction for me that exceeded my expectations. Selling with BREL has been an amazing experience. I utilized their staging services and Kiel has been a delight to work with. Beyond that, he does amazing work and can truly transform any space to ensure that potential buyers fall in love with your home. It was truly stunning to see what he had done with my unit and that was reflected by the number of offers I received. Beyond the above, Lisa, Kiel and team are all just amazing people that are truly enjoyable to get to know. They care about their clients and ensuring that their clients are not only getting their desired outcome, but an outcome that exceeds that. Buying & selling can be a stressful process, but utilizing the BREL team will make it an enjoyable one.

- Victoria D.

Oh no market is changing. . everyone run and hide under their covers! BS.. with the right broker and mindset there's always opportunity when others only see adversity. That about sums up my experience with Lisa. This was the 3rd time we work with the BREL team (2nd with Lisa) and my experience gets better every time. Lisa in particular is someone that can be honest, upfront and direct when needed. She acts as a true advisor and doesn't look to just please me as a client. I would definitly recommend Lisa and the BREL team for any real estate transactions whether its your first or 15th.

- Denis P.