Meet Samantha Tecce, realtor in Quebec with Remax who started in the business just a few years ago and is thriving for her loyalty, commitment and values. Coming from strong Italian roots, out of twelve male cousins she is the only girl in the family. That played a very big role in her upbringing staying that “I had a lot to prove and work harder to show that I was just as capable”. Like frank Sinatra says “I did it my way”, she recalls. her story is inspiring, leading with love and determination always.

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Tell our readers about yourself.

To give you some background, I come from a really big and traditional Italian family. I have twelve male cousins and I’m the youngest and only girl in the family. The traditional way for most Italian family’s, is to go to school, get a degree, find a husband and have children. Being the only girl in the family, there were a lot of expectations. Everyone had their own plans for me but it wasn’t what I wanted and where I saw my life going. I have been with my boyfriend for over 10 years but we are not married and we live together so you can imagine the way it plays in such a family as mine. It was hard at first for them to understand but in the end they accepted my decisions and the way I wanted my life to be. That being said, I graduated in Human Relations from Concordia University after which I knew that I loved it. So I told myself that I would either put on a work hat and go into the construction industry or real estate. 

What made you decide to take the path of real estate?

My sister in law, who is a mortgage broker, and I would talk about real estate non-stop at every occasion we had. My family told me that this field would be a big risk but I just couldn’t help myself, I just did my thing.  I officially got my license 2 years ago but while I was doing my course to become a real estate agent, I was following along with an experienced agent and learning the tricks of the trade while I was completing the course. That year helped me a lot to better understand the industry and get my feet wet before I started as an official realtor. 

My family owns a construction company for over 30 years now.  My client’s and I benefit from this expertise mutually. For example, If my client is looking to buy a home that requires some touch ups or some work to be done and they have a budget, I always introduce them to a contractor and who then helps them out and makes their dream home come true all while staying within their budget. The best part is they also get a discount and a lot of the times they also get cost price on all the material. This also applies of the client just wants to add value to their property by just revamping it. 

The value I provide my clients is considerable. When you look at the bigger picture, it all fit’s perfectly. I really love what I do and I don’t regret my decision to go for it. My family always instilled in me the concept of working hard. We never had to, but at 13 years old we were brought to work to see for ourselves what life is like. From that, I was a general manager of a big Tim Hortons for 10 years , managing the entire business form the financial to the scheduling all while going to university full time. I knew I loved dealing with people and selling things at the same time which is why I love real estate so much. I love that relationship that you have with a client from the first house visit to the last moment you hand them the keys. It couldn’t make me happier being the person that makes that happen for them.

Why did you choose to go with Remax as a brokerage firm?

When I was still getting my licence, I was learning the trade from Mark Harroch. He was with Remax Action and really liked the fact that they were like a big family and me being very family oriented, it was a perfect fit. The way they treated me when I wasn’t even a broker solidified that they where the kind of people I wanted to surround myself and grow with. For me actions speak louder than words and while going to school I had a lot of agencies who wanted to meet me but I wasn’t interested because like I said, from the day I walked in there it was pure fit in every single way. They allowed me to be my own individual and that’s important because I am very independent but also be a part of a team and always have someone to help if I need it. It’s the best of both worlds.

After I got my licence, we sat down together and agreed that I would be part of the team but I was also independent as a real estate broker. I’m also not the type of person that would go somewhere for a year and two because it’s easier or cheaper at cost value and then change. I love building long lasting relationships and that goes in every area of my life. I also knew this was a brokerage firm where I can grow my clientele for many years to come.

Has the market been good to you and where do you recommend people invest their money at the moment?

It has been an amazing two years due to Covid. Low interest rates have impacted the market greatly in the sense that borrowing money to either buy or renovate pushed people more than ever to action but also impacted the price of properties at a global scale and of course has impacted the amount of transactions we complete. I have a lot of client’s who started of with a condo, and due to Covid are now working form home. The push by the government to tele-working combined with low interest rates has pushed people to buy bigger properties and some to even move away form the big cities. Investments are at an all time high. 

To answer your question, it all depends on the needs of the client. If they are looking for a pure investment I would always recommend downtown, Lasalle. Some investors don’t mind dealing with students so they invest heavily into the Plateau because that where the majority of them live. Some client’s don’t want that and would rather deal with family’s so I would lead them more towards a Duplex or Muti-residential depending on the budget of course.

It really depends on the client and what they want or don’t want but there is no one answer fits all. We even have people who buy homes to rent them out but those are found in particular areas like Westmount, and it’s not as easy as condo’s or duplex’s because of the price range and the  finding the type of person who would go for renting a home instead of buying one is much scarcer.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 to 10 years?

In the next five years, I see myself growing my network of clients both buyers and sellers and my business. I also see myself growing a team where I would hire an assistant to help me keep grow the business so that in the end I can open my own brokerage firm and build a team under my umbrella.

I want to be able to service as much as possible with my future team and keep building from and start selling in the South Shore and maybe further. The south shore is expanding at a very fast pace, so by the time I start building this team, there will be plenty of new opportunities to around. I live int he south shore so I already have clients looking int the area.

The sky is the limit.

What does success represent for you?

Success to me is enjoying what you do. It is doing something that brings you a reward other than money. Everyone is different but for me, the reward I get if the successful transaction and knowing that my clients are satisfied and got exactly what they wanted. For me that is success at its best. This might sound cliche, but I had someone tell em a long time ago “your first 100 dollars, always keep it with you”. I still have the same 100$ bill in my wallet.  Thats success; to see myself grow every year and enjoy the journey because that’s all that life is about, a big journey.

How do you manage your personal and professional life?

Real estate is not a 9-5 job so their are times where I just have to put in the hours beaus Amy clients need me.  I am very much hands on with my clients and I ry and give the best service possible so I don’t turn off my phone and try my best to give them all that I have. My clients are very important to me and for the time being I put all my energy into them. They have also became accustomed to me always being there to a point that if I don’t answer they are worried for me.

My boyfriend does renovations, she works pretty much the same hours as me and that just fits perfectly. We are both very concentrated on our crafts and spend quality time with each other and family when we can. We found a balance within ourselves and it works out perfectly.  I also live next to my family, we found a land in the South shore and decided to build three homes next to each other. We are always connected yet we still work hard. Thats my brother, my parents and me along side my boyfriend. I also make it a point to see my niece as often as possible and because she lives next door it all works out once again perfectly.

Family is everything.

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Follow Samantha on Instagram @SamanthaTecce.RealEstate