It’s easy to fall into the trap of reading headline after headline about how the Metro Vancouver real estate market is in shambles. I am no stranger to that myself. But it is important to remember that real estate success isn’t just measured by reports, sales stats and metrics. It’s also about the on-the-ground experience of agents working every day with Homeseekers. And from my interactions with our agent partners, I can say that for those agents spending the time in the trenches, the experience is quite different.
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Our 2025 breakthrough wasn’t accidental. It came from disciplined momentum, values-first leadership, and the belief that real growth doesn’t shout – it compounds.
Morgan Browne
CEO and Co-Founder of Oakwyn Realty
Learning from success in the face of adversity.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking to some agents from Dexter Realty and Oakwyn Realty about their successes in the market. And I think we can learn a lot from how they’ve been handling it and their mindsets.
Oakwyn grew sales volume by 15% year over year, closing $8.032 billion in real estate in 2025. That’s despite the lowest annual sales seen in two decades in Greater Vancouver. How is that possible?
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At the highest levels of performance, progress is never accidental. It’s intentional, measured and supported by the right systems.
Arlene Chiang
President and Co-Founder of Oakwyn Realty
“Our 2025 breakthrough wasn’t accidental. It came from disciplined momentum, values-first leadership, and the belief that real growth doesn’t shout – it compounds,” says Morgan Browne, Oakwyn’s CEO and Co-Founder. “Our Realtors embraced a 1% shift in mindset, creating the momentum that defines success in real estate.”
During hot, fast markets – like we’ve seen during Vancouver’s recent past – it can be easy to assume real estate success comes from volume alone. In other words, that more deals mean more success. But that’s not a mindset that carries agents through slower markets. For those kinds of markets, a shift in assumptions is required.
“More inventory, adjusted pricing and discerning buyers create a skill market, not a speed market. Success won’t come from rushing – it will come from expertise, guidance and confident leadership,” says Arlene Chiang, Oakwyn’s President and Co-Founder. “Those who educate, strategize and act decisively will dominate the next cycle.”
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January sales numbers don’t make a year, and the first month is typically slower to start.
Kevin Skipworth
Dexter Realty
Now is the time to take stock of what you excel at as an agent and make it your focus. Do you stand out at negotiations? Make that the central aspect of your marketing strategy and branding. Are you an adept listing hunter, able to find diamonds in the rough? Show off to potential clients the kinds of properties you can muster up almost like magic. Whatever your strengths, this market demands you hone them and double-down on what makes you unique.
“Sometimes the numbers do not tell the whole story. The feeling on the ground from agents is that buyers are more engaged than we saw last year,” says Kevin Skipworth, Managing Broker/Partner at Dexter Realty. “In many cases, buyers are citing better purchasing power so far this year.”
As an agent, that “on-the-ground feeling” is where you step in with your strengths and expertise, which is something no amount of stats and reporting can replace.
Remember to breathe – and get back to basics.
Because this market presents unfamiliar conditions to many agents, it’s important to remember to pause and reflect when you can. “At the highest levels of performance, progress is never accidental. It’s intentional, measured and supported by the right systems,” says Chiang.
Plus, keep in mind we are only one month into an entirely new year. “January sales numbers don’t make a year, and the first month is typically slower to start,” Skipworth says. He also adds that looking at the nuances matters.
“Activity in the market has increased at open houses and with homes getting more buyers viewing them,” he says. “Marketing continues to be a critical component of that, which is why Dexter partners with REW to ensure our listings are featured and our agents get the opportunity to create as much exposure as possible.”
At REW, my colleagues and I have been hard at work developing products and services that give agents an array of tools they can harness for success. Marquee listings get 15 times more views on average than ordinary listings, for example. And One Members using Apex get an average of seven times more clicks than One Member profiles without Apex. In fact, 82% of top-earning agents are One Members.
In the upcoming year, we’re planning to focus even more on the basics – not despite market conditions, but because of them. Our 2026 plans include even more marketing, expansion and investments in tools that will help agents like you find success, no matter what the headlines say.
