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Take Your Kid To Work Day is incredible when you’re younger. You get to see your parents in a whole new light, watch them interact with their co-workers, and for a lot of us it only reinforced the idea of “I want to be just like them when I grow up.”
Working in real estate can often be a family industry, and these mother-daughter teams of REALTORS® from across Canada have shown the impact of women working together to empower each other, learn from each other, and carry on a family legacy.
The Matchett Group in Miramichi, New Brunswick
Lori Matchett, along with her daughters Kirsten Lannan-McLeod and Sydney Matchett, run the award-winning Matchett Group in Miramichi, New Brunswick. Kirsten and Sydney grew up watching their mom work in real estate, and eventually their paths led them together as a team. Lori and Sydney were already REALTORS® with Allied Realty Ltd, so when Kirsten became a licensed real estate agent in 2022, the trio decided to make the leap.
The Mother Daughter Team in Stoney Creek, Ontario
Margaret Berlo and her daughter Sarah Chambers make up the dynamic duo of The Mother Daughter Team in Stoney Creek, Ontario. For Margaret, going into real estate was based on personal experiences. When she was a single mom of two kids, she said she purchased her first home without anyone to support or guide her. The experience made her strive to be that guide for someone else, making sure she showed the care and dedication to her clients that she had needed before.
“We pride ourselves on how important it is to treat clients with respect, honesty, and loyalty,” Margaret told us. “We do make them feel ‘at home’ with a brand of mother and daughter. Sarah has been involved in my day-to-day since I started my career in 2007, and she was 12 at the time. She would actually come along to see clients and felt that family connection with me.”
It wasn’t until 2017, 10 years into Margaret’s career, that her daughter decided she wanted to begin a career in real estate as well. Initially on track to get a degree in architecture so she could find her own path, it was the draw of being her own boss that turned Sarah to the family business.
“I had seen my mother do so well within this career for 10-plus years and she was always humble and grateful,” Sarah told us. “Everything I’ve learned, I have [my mom] to thank. There has been a tremendous amount of support and guidance that I will forever be grateful for.”
Though both Margaret and Sarah admitted the idea of working together as mother and daughter caused them to pause at first, they’ve developed a great working relationship and wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I am proud and grateful to see her thrive each and every day in this competitive and challenging career, especially as a young woman,” Margaret told us. “Being a woman in this industry has changed over the 17 years I’ve been a REALTOR®. I am thankful to see more and more women in this industry.”
“My mother’s ringtone for me is ‘Girl on Fire’ by Alicia Keys,” Sarah shared. “If that doesn’t speak volumes, I don’t know what does. It’s so amazing to have the support from my mother in this career. As I get older I realize how many hurdles women have to go through, and to be part of a strong and resilient team that focuses on female leadership is so rewarding.”
“[We thought] why not team up and create something unique and powerful?” Sydney told us. “We hope when our clients or potential clients see the [family] name, they think of honesty, integrity, ethics and a family looking to take care of theirs.”
“All three of us sat down and decided that building a group together could really be something great,” Kirsten explained. “We knew we’d have the support and knowledge needed to create something amazing.”
As a mom, Lori finds working with her daughters “so rewarding,” while her daughters consider working with their mom “a blessing.” But having been in the industry for years, Lori said she has also seen a larger change when it comes to women working in real estate.
“Confidence,” she explains. “A lot of women were hesitant to take that leap of faith [to become a REALTOR®]. My generation has really taught their daughters to be confident. I’m seeing more and more women in their 20s and 30s with the confidence to dominate the industry. I love it!”
Lynne Venner and Tracey Cruz in Whistler, British Columbia
Lynne Venner and her daughter Tracey Cruz have been working together in real estate since 1996. They both followed similar career paths, working as nurses before transitioning into their careers as real estate agents. It’s been almost 30 years of teamwork and collaboration for this mother-daughter duo, but their love of real estate started long before they started working together.
“I would ask my mom to take me out to open houses when I was a young teenager and I would draw house plans as one of my hobbies,” Lynne said. “I was more interested in the buildings, the floor plans and the decorating.”
A career in real estate was always in the back of her mind, but Lynne knew the dedication and time it would require didn’t work with her family schedule while her four kids were in school. When Lynne did start her career as a REALTOR®, Tracey came to work with her mom part time as a licensed real estate assistant. As things got busier, Tracey eventually earned her real estate license and built what’s now known as Whistler’s “Dynamic Duo.” Coming from a nursing background, just like her mom, helping people was at the core of Tracey’s mission.
“This is another avenue that I can do that,” she told us. “I enjoy getting to know people, understanding their needs and helping them find the perfect property to buy or helping prepare their homes for sale.”
Now, after 26 years in business together, Lynne and Tracy are still going strong—their motto is “the sky’s the limit.” Working together has also meant closer family ties, which is something they both consider a luxury.
“I loved having the opportunity to work with Tracey as my partner, it wouldn’t have been so much fun and fulfilling if I didn’t have her by my side,” Lynne said. “I was the lucky mom who worked with my daughter while she was lucky to have three beautiful sons while working with me. When she was pregnant with her babies, she had the luxury of being able to be home taking care of them, knowing I would be there taking care of business. I had the luxury of having my grandsons grow up in our office and be part of our real estate family.
As for how it feels to be part of a strong women-led team, Tracey was very clear.
“I love it,” she shared. “Being the mother of three incredible boys I need the female interaction. It’s so empowering being able to work with my mom and be a very successful team over the last 28 years! We have had so much fun, built so many amazing relationships, travelled, and all the while maintained an incredibly close relationship. We each have something to bring to the business.”
For REALTORS®, it’s about more than home, they help foster connections. These mother-daughter teams showcase the power of working together, and how that translates into exceptional service for their clients.
