Burnaby North

Russell Dela Cruz used to sell cars and didn’t consider working in real estate until he moved to the Vancouver area. But hard work was part of growing up; being part of a family of six that immigrated to Canada from the Philippines, he started working at age 14. That instilled him with responsibility and commitment that he brings to clients every day now that he’s an agent.

His sense of service and devotion means that clients are quite grateful for his help. “I end up being invited over to family gatherings after, or just seeing their life changes. I make the whole experience easy for them and try to take away as much of the stress as possible,” he says. And it’s not just about the sale for Russel. He makes sure to follow up with clients, too. For instance, Homeseekers in Burnaby often say, “they are happy and even tell more stuff that I didn’t know about before, or how the community is changing or evolving,” explains Russell.

Family and community play a powerful role in Russell’s approach. Once, when helping a family with the sudden need to sell their elderly parents’ home, he was able to secure a sale in just four days. That’s despite the fact that the children had to fly back home and the family had an unsatisfying experience with their previous agent. But at the end of day, not only did Russell sell the home, “I was also able to give them the contacts and tradespeople that they needed from preparing the home for sale to the closing of the transaction,” he says.

It makes sense that Russell works so much in and around Burnaby; it’s one his favourite areas, after all. Instead of being focused on money or trends, he boils down his real estate philosophy to this: “Just do what is best for your client and seek a win-win situation.”