In a landmark development set to redefine the landscape of Canadian real estate technology, Century 21 Canada officially unveiled its groundbreaking custom platform, Core21, at the close of September. Heralded as “the largest custom real estate platform build via contract in modern history,” this ambitious project represents a significant leap forward in empowering real estate professionals with cutting-edge digital tools.
The journey to Core21’s launch was meticulously planned and executed, spanning three years from its initial conceptualization to final deployment. Jack Miller, the esteemed CTO of Century 21 Canada and President and CTO of T3 Sixty, shed light on the monumental effort behind this initiative. Miller highlighted that while many real estate enterprises have invested in in-house development teams to craft bespoke websites, Core21 stands apart. Its creation was the direct result of an exhaustive 150-page Request for Proposal (RFP) – an unprecedented undertaking for the company – designed to identify and partner with a vendor capable of fully realizing Century 21’s visionary plans. This extensive RFP ensured that the chosen partner possessed not only the technical prowess but also a deep understanding of the unique demands of the real estate sector.
The development phase alone saw a staggering commitment of nearly 40,000 man-hours. This immense effort was a collaborative endeavor, drawing expertise from Real Estate Webmasters (REW), the selected vendor, as well as Century 21’s dedicated internal management, staff, and network of agents. These hours were diligently clocked in across various critical stages, including intensive planning, intricate development, rigorous testing, and comprehensive training programs, all contributing to the creation of a robust and user-friendly platform designed for maximum impact.
Jack Miller
Empowering Agents with Cutting-Edge Digital Tools
One of Core21’s most compelling value propositions for agents lies in its ability to centralize and enhance their digital presence and marketing efforts. Miller emphasized the significant financial relief and operational efficiency this platform brings. “Agents are spending upwards of $40 to $50 a month on property searches, saved searches, and client communications,” Miller noted. With Core21, Century 21 Canada has delivered “a brand new, best-in-class, SEO-optimized website where agents have full control.”
This level of autonomy is unprecedented, allowing agents to personalize their online footprint extensively. They can effortlessly add new pages to their sites, integrate and monitor their Google Analytics to track visitor behavior, implement Facebook pixel tracking for targeted advertising campaigns, and design customized marketing products specifically tailored for themselves and their teams. This comprehensive suite of tools ensures that every agent can build a powerful, individualized online brand, drive organic traffic, and effectively engage with potential clients without the recurring monthly expenses previously associated with disparate services.
Revolutionizing Client Relationship Management and Lead Conversion
Beyond individual websites, Core21 features an advanced, integrated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system that transforms how agents interact with and convert leads. This CRM provides agents with unparalleled insights into their clients’ property search histories, accessible from the very moment a client registers on their site. “Agents can see all of the history of things they’ve (clients) looked at. And that’s powerful,” Miller asserted.
The ability to trace a client’s browsing journey – understanding their preferences, the types of properties they’ve viewed, and their search criteria – offers agents a profound advantage. This data-driven approach allows for highly personalized follow-ups, enabling agents to present properties that truly align with client interests, thereby significantly increasing the likelihood of conversion. Miller further elaborated on the platform’s intelligent design: “If you’re sending traffic to your website and you’re getting a bunch of people registering on the site, you now have a much better ability to convert them to be clients. You get this really smart integration and lead management product that makes it easier for them to see all the inquiries and leads they’re getting for every new registration.”
This seamless integration eliminates the common frustrations faced by agents and brokers who often spend countless hours and substantial money each month “trying to figure out what the best products are and how they can use these products that may not work together.” With Core21, that fragmentation is a thing of the past. “We’ve done all of that for them, so they show up, turn it on and start using it out of the box,” Miller concluded, emphasizing the platform’s intuitive, ready-to-use nature.
Furthermore, Core21 offers full integration with G Suite, Google’s robust suite of productivity tools and software, ensuring that agents have all their essential business applications harmonized within one ecosystem, further streamlining their workflow and enhancing overall efficiency.
The Dynamic Marketing Center: A Creative Powerhouse
Chiyoko Kakino
Perhaps the biggest transformative element of the Core21 platform is its revolutionary marketing center. This central hub provides agents with access to customized, high-quality, and professional printable marketing materials, empowering them to make a powerful impact in the marketplace. Chiyoko Kakino, VP of Marketing at Century 21 Canada, underscored the critical need for such a resource, especially in the wake of the company’s recent comprehensive rebranding initiative.
“We had to change all our yard sign designs, our stationary, business cards, stand-up banners and office signage. Basically everything, every touch point that anybody would come into contact with the Century 21 brand, had to be redesigned because of the new brand identity,” Kakino explained. The rebranding presented a massive logistical challenge, requiring a complete overhaul of all agent-facing and public-facing collateral. Core21’s marketing center was designed to address this directly, providing a centralized, compliant, and up-to-date source for all marketing assets.
The unveiling of Core21’s marketing center was met with enthusiastic applause from over 700 delegates at the company’s recent convention. The reason for such excitement is clear: when agents post an MLS listing, “within 24 hours, they get this email that congratulates them on their new listing and provides a buffet of marketing materials that are already pre-done for them,” Kakino elaborated. “All they have to do is look over it and make sure it’s accurate, so they can get out there and start marketing.” This instantaneous generation of marketing assets significantly reduces the time and effort agents typically spend on creating promotional materials, allowing them to focus more on client engagement and closing deals.
Innovation in Marketing Strategies
This comprehensive “buffet” of marketing products is designed not only for efficiency but also to encourage Realtors to adopt innovative, “outside-the-box” thinking. “The first thing Realtors think of is creating a property sheet. But the marketing centre gets them to think outside the box,” Kakino pointed out. The platform pushes agents beyond traditional methods by suggesting both conventional and non-traditional avenues for marketing their listings, ensuring maximum exposure and engagement.
One of Core21’s most inventive features is the “social media brick.” This ingenious tool allows agents to leverage their clients’ extensive social media networks to amplify listing visibility. The salesperson provides this unique digital asset to the homeowner, who can then “use that social media brick on their social media channels, distributing their listing information to their followers.” This organic sharing mechanism taps into trusted networks, potentially generating high-quality leads. “And then hopefully, the agent might get a referral from a client’s follower,” Kakino added, illustrating the viral potential and referral-generating power of this feature.
The marketing center streamlines the creation of various materials, from feature sheets and postcards to door hangers and brochures. These can be designed and customized with just “a mouse click and drag,” making the process incredibly user-friendly. Furthermore, the platform integrates seamlessly with the company’s national partnership with UPS, allowing agents to order printed products and have them shipped directly to their location, “just like buying something on Amazon,” Kakino stated, highlighting the unparalleled convenience and efficiency this system provides.
Addressing Skepticism and Building Trust
Joel Ives
Despite its ambitious promise and revolutionary features, Century 21’s new platform, like any major transformative project, encountered its share of internal agent criticism during its extensive development phase. One of the most vocal, yet ultimately satisfied, voices belonged to Joel Ives, a broker/owner of Century 21 Colonial Realty in Charlottetown and one of the company’s longest-standing agents.
Ives’ connection to Century 21 runs deep; he was merely 10 years old when his now 76-year-old father commenced his career under the Century 21 banner. This generational loyalty speaks volumes about the Ives family’s unwavering commitment to the brand. However, the prolonged three-year development period for the website project led Ives to openly question whether the company would truly be able to deliver on such a bold and technologically advanced undertaking. His concerns were rooted in practical experience and a desire for immediate action.
“I expected it to be done a lot quicker and it seemed too good to be true. When somebody says you’re getting something new, you don’t want to wait 16 to 18 months. You want to move on it sooner,” Ives candidly expressed. He attributed some of this impatience to his role as a real estate professional: “But that’s partly because I sell real estate. I don’t design web platforms for 8,000 people.” This perspective highlights the natural tension between the rapid pace of sales and the meticulous, often time-consuming, process of large-scale software development.
Admittedly, Ives began to lose interest as the project progressed, even considering whether to defer adoption of the new platform or explore alternative solutions for his business needs. However, a significant turning point occurred after Ives and his dedicated team underwent comprehensive internal training sessions leading up to the platform’s full launch. These hands-on sessions provided the clarity and demonstration needed to showcase Core21’s immense capabilities.
The experience transformed his skepticism into genuine admiration. “I’m impressed with what’s there now, so I guess I have to eat a little crow,” he humorously admitted, acknowledging the platform’s successful realization of its promises. Ives’ journey from doubt to endorsement serves as a powerful testament to Core21’s eventual robustness and its capacity to meet, and even exceed, the high expectations of seasoned agents.
Sustained Support and A Vision for Agent Success
To ensure widespread adoption and maximize the benefits of Core21, Century 21 Canada has implemented a robust “concierge program.” This initiative is dedicated to providing personalized, one-on-one training and ongoing support to the company’s entire network of agents. The program is designed to guide agents through the learning curve, making the transition to the new platform as smooth and effective as possible.
A key aspect of this concierge service is the empowerment of administrative staff within Century 21 offices. These staff members are equipped to support agents as they navigate and master the new tools, offering readily available assistance. Crucially, the concierge staff have secure access to the salesperson’s accounts, enabling them to provide targeted and practical support precisely when and where it is needed, ensuring no agent is left behind in harnessing the power of Core21.
Chiyoko Kakino succinctly encapsulated the overarching mission of Core21 and Century 21 Canada’s commitment to its agents: “We are providing everything an agent needs to be successful in growing their business, from game-changing technology, to innovative lead generation tools, to a revitalized brand.” This statement encapsulates the holistic approach taken, integrating advanced technology with strategic business support and a refreshed brand identity to create a potent ecosystem for agent success.
The Future of Real Estate Technology in Canada
The launch of Core21 signifies more than just a new platform; it marks a strategic declaration by Century 21 Canada to lead the real estate industry through technological innovation. By offering a unified, powerful, and user-friendly system, the company is not only enhancing the daily operations of its agents but also setting new benchmarks for what a custom real estate platform can achieve. Core21 addresses critical pain points experienced by agents—from managing disparate digital tools and high subscription costs to the complexities of lead generation and effective marketing—by offering an integrated, cost-effective, and highly intuitive solution.
This initiative represents a significant investment in the future of Century 21 Canada and its agents. It underscores a commitment to continuous improvement, digital transformation, and fostering an environment where agents can truly thrive in a competitive market. As Core21 continues to be adopted across the network, its impact is expected to resonate throughout the Canadian real estate landscape, solidifying Century 21 Canada’s position at the forefront of innovation and agent empowerment. The platform stands as a testament to strategic vision, collaborative effort, and an unwavering focus on delivering unparalleled value to real estate professionals nationwide, ultimately aiming to help every agent “sell more homes faster.”