We start giggling when Tony Joe jokes that he’s becoming the new Eric Charman.
The quip is more tribute for Charman than gentle mocking. Gavel in hand, the late Realtor and impresario was renowned for leading fundraising efforts as auctioneer-to-the-moneyed. Charman was the go-to guy for emceeing, hosting and for his considerable crowd-pleasing philanthropy.
Joe has assumed that mantle. “But I don’t do the Charman guilt,” he laughs.
Comparison to Charman is apt, though Joe’s enormous involvement volunteering for local groups, sitting on boards and wrangling a microphone is done with some under-the-radar humility.
The 56-year-old father of two young teens has worked for 34 years selling homes in his hometown of Victoria. And he’s sold a ton of them, in the range of 3,100. He owns a brokerage, Prime Real Estate Team, under the RE/MAX brand. His wife, Susan, works alongside him.
But their dinner-table conversation might be less about conveyance and more about community.
A snapshot of Joe’s numerous engagements run from the Victoria Real Estate Board (VREB) and the Chinese Community Association to the Victoria Symphony, Victoria Hospice, Anawim House, the Dragon Boat Festival and, recently, the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.
As Joe points out, “Being seen in the community means one doesn’t need to be on bus benches or the sides of buses.”
Douglas: What made you want to get involved with so many community organizations?
Tony Joe: My mother was very much community minded and that came from her mother. And a lot of that had to do with living in China through the [1937-1945 Sino-Japanese] War. At the time she sought the help of the nuns. They were a Catholic family and they relied on the community and I saw that as a kid. Fast forward to my business life. People always said you should join, say, Rotary because it’s good for business. I’m glad that I didn’t at the time because I think had I done that early it would have been for the wrong reasons.
Douglas: Should Realtors take the lead in getting involved in the community?
Tony Joe: For Realtors it’s as much selling the community as it is selling houses. I tell Realtors all the time it disturbs me that there aren’t more of us involved in service organizations. It bothers me that Realtors tend to lean more towards social media as opposed to rolling up our sleeves and serving meals and raising money.
Douglas: How do you inspire others to get involved in the community?
Tony Joe: It’s tough because, from a real-estate-industry standpoint, there’s always the desire for that instant what-can-I-do-that-will-get-me-a-sale-now? And community work is the opposite because none of it is instant. It is building a foundation for relationships that may take a year or two or five years to pay off.
Douglas: Your scope of volunteering has covered a lot of ground. What are you most proud of in terms of your community involvement?
Tony Joe: I don’t think I’m done yet. I know I’ve got more. I just think it’s important — and I tell this to Realtors all the time — that we should use our connections and our skills and our knowledge and put it in other places that have a value.
Douglas: How has selling real estate changed in your 34 years in the biz?
Tony Joe: Technology. Things happen quicker now. I was around when fax machines were new and you still had to run around with paper and wet ink. There were countless late nights driving from Sooke to Sidney. Today people sign documents electronically. You can be having Easter dinner with your family while sending an offer off.
Douglas: How has social media influenced selling real estate?
Tony Joe: It’s a valuable tool. You get engagement, you get inquiries, you can convert leads and all that. The issue I have for younger Realtors is a lot of them rely solely on their social media and sometimes they forget about the importance of face-to-face. They would rather have conversations online.
Douglas: I asked you in 2011 whether the real estate bubble was about to burst in Victoria. It never did. Why?
Tony Joe: I often ask the question if I’m in a room, “How many people are born and raised Victorians that never left?” The number of hands that go up are maybe five per cent. Which means the rest of the people have come from somewhere else. Victoria’s a pretty nice choice. You’ve got the lifestyle. Victoria can never stop being a destination place and we’re also not an industry town.
Douglas: Vancouver saw a big wave of real estate interest from Asia. Why did that trend not materialize here?
Tony Joe: Victoria’s really too small. We don’t have the amenities, we don’t have the shopping. What we did have, though, is new Canadians who made their move to Vancouver or Toronto, got their permanent residence and became Canadian citizens. Then maybe they want to send their kids to Glenlyon Norfolk School and they buy property in Victoria and the kids go to school. What happens a lot is the neighbours go, “Oh, that is a foreign buyer.”
Douglas: What would you like people to know about Tony Joe?
Tony Joe: Am I the person that they see when I’m emceeing or auctioneering? If you’re doing things just for business I think it’s evident. Whereas to me, I value this community. I’m from here. It means a lot to me. Anything that I can do I should do to make this a better place.
Photo of Tony Joe emceeing the Victoria Symphony’s Spectacular Spring Gala provided by the Victoria Symphony.
