Relatable Real Estate: Coldwell Banker Beaver Realty

Meet Tristan Squire-Smith & Johnny Hewerdine, the co-owner’s of Coldwell Banker Beaver Realty! Located at 992 Dundas Street, this brokerage wants to lighten up the world of real estate. Both have worked at real estate brokerages in the past, but found the culture norm a bit too "stifling.” So, Squire-Smith and Hewerdine opened their own brokerage in June of 2023. “We don't want to be like them, and it made it very difficult for us to operate. So having our own brokerage now, we can operate how we like,” Hewerdine says. Adding on to that, Squire-Smith says that they value the ability to be creative and independent, "especially with our advertising.”

Prior to opening Beaver Realty, Squire-Smith and Hewerdine made waves in London and beyond with their eye-catching advertisements; the most famous one featuring a photo of the two in high school with their slogan, “You could do worse.” On their advertising, Squire-Smith says “We've adopted a very self-deprecating sense of humor with our billboards, it's sort of like making a comment about the industries. We are not number one. I don't know how many number ones there are in the city. It's just none of them are us.” Their goal with their advertisements, including their mascot, Harrison the Beaver, is to make the idea of real estate a lot more approachable, especially for younger people looking to buy their first home.

Both Squire-Smith and Hewerdine are both born and raised Londoners, so they keep their community close to their heart. Growing up, Hewerdine was “obsessed” with the homes in Old South, and says that he feels more at home selling homes than anything else. “I'm obsessed with the homes here as well, and then helping people buy and sell and achieve their life goals. It's an awesome, full circle moment,” he says. The pair chose to start their brokerage here in Old East Village, as they saw the area had a lot of potential and was under serviced. In fact, they’re so committed to OEV, that they own the building their office is located in - and have no intention of leaving anytime soon. “We're here preaching the values of owning real estate. Why would we rent?” Squire-Smith says. “We want to get embedded in the community and in the business community, we genuinely want to be first to mind when anyone's thinking of buying or selling or renting in Old East Village.”

So what’s next for Beaver Realty? They say they’re fully committed and want to be a part of everything they can in the village. Currently, they’re in the process of renovating the upstairs of their building, turning it into a lounge and community space. “Come in, sit down, have a coffee, just chat, watch TV,” Squire-Smith says. “We're gonna have a full kitchen, total lounge upstairs. That's going to be available to people in the community, if they want to have team meetings, charity events. We want our office to be a third space in the community, regardless of real estate.”

Coldwell Banker Beaver Realty is open by appointment or any time you see their beaver sign out front!

📍 992 Dundas Street 

☎️ (519) 319-0224 

🌐 https://coldwellbanker.ca/directory/offices/beaver-realty