a day ago
Parker: Calgary realtor Sam Corea awarded highest honour in Re/Max global network
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Some Calgarians recognize Sam Corea as the smiling face on a billboard, thousands know him as the energetic realtor who sold their house for them or helped buy a new one, but Re/Max recently recognized Corea with the highest career honour in its global network.
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Corea is the first Calgarian to receive the Paramount of Excellence Award, and one of only 17 Canadians since the award was created.
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The award caps a more than 30-year career defined by industry leadership, community involvement and consistent national and global success. It represents a huge appreciation for the Calgary realtor, but it's not the first — in 2010 he was ranked the No. 1 Re/Max agent in Canada, and ranked No. 2 in the world that same year.
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It is a big 'well done,' considering the company has 147,000 agents working out of 6,800 offices in almost 100 countries worldwide.
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In 2016, Corea was awarded its Luminary of Distinction. To qualify, an agent must have earned $20 million in individual commissions over a career of at least 20 years with the network. It is a remarkable achievement, as housing prices were far less than they are today, and did not compare with houses in the Toronto and Vancouver markets.
Corea's newest award reflects his current status with the company — $30 million in personal sales in over 30 years with the company.
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Re/Max was founded in Denver in 1973 and opened its first international office in Calgary in 1977. Four years later it had 30 franchise offices across Canada.
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Corea was born into an Italian immigrant family in which he says the culture was to work. He was able to buy a home by the time he was 21, and the residential agent persuaded the young man with lots of hustle to join him selling real estate. Corea worked hard, learned a lot, and seven years later had the confidence start his own company.
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One of the things he learned was the importance of quality and effective marketing. From the outset, he advertised heavily in newspapers, has been a regular advertiser with — and written articles for — Business in Calgary magazine, uses direct mail and social media. But he also spends a lot of time with his clients, keeping them informed, and through the years has been able to do repeat business — he is proud to serve generations of the same families.
