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Dave Nevins is the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of InterRent REIT, a large real estate company that has served much of the Canadian housing market for 45 years. He is also the former Vice President of Operations for CLV Group. Nevins has helped lead InterRent REIT to success by building its portfolio of properties to span more than 20 cities throughout Ontario and parts of Québec.
Today, we are hearing from the industry expert on how to be a more effective leader both within and outside of the real estate sector.
Q: Real estate is a very competitive market. How did you get where you are today?
Dave Nevins, InterRent REIT: I started with the company when I was in University working part-time as a rental agent. It didn’t take long to realize the potential of my part-time job turning into a career and the inevitable growth of the company, so once I graduated, I set my focus on a career here. Throughout the years, I worked my way up the ladder and eventually took an interest in operations. I was able to gain experience managing properties and eventually led teams across all regions.
Q: Looking back, what advice would you have given yourself when you were just starting off in the business?
Dave Nevins, InterRent REIT: My advice to a younger me when I was starting out would be to learn as much as possible. Read everything you can get your hands on, learn from other people, ask questions, be curious, present and absorb as much information as is afforded to you. I believe part of my success is due to the fact that I did this, but I would definitely encourage myself to engage in learning even more.
Q: It’s been said great leaders aren’t born, they are developed. In your opinion, what are some traits that leaders need to possess in order to be successful?
Dave Nevins, InterRent REIT: First and foremost, leaders need to be able to listen and take control of any situation presented to them. If someone comes to you with a problem, you need to show you have a good handle on the situation, so when others are panicked, you can set the tone and bring everyone down to a level where a solution can be made possible.
Q: Leaders also make mistakes. Tell our readers about a challenging situation and how you overcame it.
Dave Nevins, InterRent REIT: I always like to say that good leaders make more right decisions than wrong decisions, but when we do make poor choices, we learn from them. Moving into new markets outside of Ottawa has always been challenging. Entering a new city where no one knows our brand or who we are can be difficult. It takes time to build strong trust and relationships in new communities with residents, contractors, suppliers and members of the general community. Eventually, through sticking to our values as an organization, we’re able to build that trust, thrive, and grow with the communities we are a part of.
Q: A great leader cares about the success of their clients and will go the extra mile to make sure the client meets or exceeds their goals. How does this apply to the real estate industry?
Dave Nevins, InterRent REIT: The clients in our business are the residents. We go above and beyond by providing our residents with unmatched service, amenity spaces, resident events, upgraded facilities, 24-hour emergency services and more. We are constantly innovating and coming up with new ways to enhance the resident experience.
We are market leaders in real estate for this reason and we continue to uphold that reputation as we expand.
Q: What can we expect from InterRent in the future?
Dave Nevins, InterRent REIT: You can definitely expect growth. Recently, we have become more involved with development and we are looking forward to the potential that brings for us. We’re also looking into more technology at our sites to increase efficiency and benefit the environment as well.
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