Elli in front of a luxury Toronto home
As in many other aspects of life, when it comes to selling real estate, the sexes have their individual strengths. Female agents have the upper hand in first showings, too, given that a wife typically does the legwork, calling the husband in if she likes the house. (...) Elli Davis is Royal LePage's No. 1 agent in Toronto and is consistently among the company's top four in Canada. Ms. Davis's first sale was a $140,000 one-bedroom luxury condo at Granite Place, a condo at Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue. She admits the excitement of that first sale is still just as strong with every subsequent sale she has made over the past 25 years.
While at one time she had 70 listings on her plate, Ms. Davis is now more comfortable with 10 to 20 on the go at any one time and has six people handling administration.
"Some people try to manipulate and push you," say Ms. Davis, 56. "They say, 'List my house for $1-million' when I know the house is worth $750,000. Do you have the strength to say no and walk out the door and feel good about it? Some agents are too easily manipulated because they just want the business, and then they spend months and time and energy and not be successful. I've learned to say, 'See you later.' "
Despite her former wacky hours, Ms. Davis now spends mornings working from her Forest Hill home and afternoons at the office, meeting clients, or visiting open houses. She reserves evenings for networking or quiet time with her husband, their grandchildren and friends -- many of whom are former clients. The best part of her job is the people, she says, and she has learned so many life lessons along the way.
