Re/Max will be back in the Squamish real estate game soon as the Windermere brand disappears.
The owners of Sea to Sky Real Estate this week announced a merger with Re/Max of Whistler to create a new, larger company called Re/Max Sea to Sky Real Estate.
Ann Chiasson, president of Sea to Sky Real Estate in Whistler and Squamish, said the move will give local agents and their customers access to an easily recognizable brand, as well as the training, referrals and recognition of the Re/Max name, which boasts 95,000 agents worldwide.
"It's just kind of a re-brand and a re-boot," Chiasson said. "It's good for everybody to jump into a company that has 95,000 associates. It comes with a bevy of training and referrals."
The merger came about as a result of the sale of Re/Max of Whistler by the company's owner, Michael d'Artois. Mike Wintemute, general manager of Sea to Sky Real Estate, said d'Artois "had been thinking about selling for some time, and the match works very well."
Wintemute said the name "Windermere" will be phased out in the coming months. Seattle-based Windermere Real Estate is a prominent name in the Pacific Northwest, but with only two offices in B.C. doesn't offer the same wide-ranging brand recognition as does Re/Max, he said.
"The market that Re/Max has, with the balloon and such, is a very well recognized brand," he said. "If you're going to have franchise brand, it's the No. 1 brand in the world today. So that is clearly a benefit.
"It's [Windermere] not an easy brand to let go of because it certainly is the No. 1 brand in the Pacific Northwest."
In a statement, Chiasson said the move creates a company "that is fast approaching a 50 per cent market share in Whistler." The Squamish Sea to Sky office, meanwhile, commands 60 per cent of the Squamish market, she claimed.
"I bought the Squamish [Re/Max] office five years ago," Chiasson said. "We couldn't operate as Re/Max at that time because of the consistency in our marketing. Now we can have consistency as Re/Max."
Wintemute said the Sea to Sky Real Estate office has "28 or 29" agents in Whistler while Re/Max of Whistler has 12. The Squamish Sea to Sky Real Estate office has 17, he said.
