by Mark Sinnett
Author and real estate agent with Century 21 Heritage Group.
This article originally appeared in the February 2026 edition of Buzz Buzz Magazine
My father called yesterday from the foyer of his retirement home. He wanted me to drive him “home”. He has dementia, and his confusion becomes ever more pronounced. These days, his symptoms sit like gaudy furniture atop the sad, moody surface of his condition.
I think he’s embarrassed as well as lost. He knows something is going on, if not exactly what. And he’s grateful that he has someone to call. Even from here, a few miles away, I can sense his fearful darting glances, the unconvincing posture, the tremor in his hands.
I feel a responsibility to him, but love is much harder to locate. He’s not the man you want in the driver’s seat. But still, you act in his best interests. You soothe, you reassure, you show him again how to use the TV remote. It all feels quite straightforward.
But when the time came last year to sell his house, and paranoia (a common symptom) caused him to reach out to another agent for a second opinion, that agent (even after I’d asked them to back off; to respect his illness and my POA) gave Dad contact information for a lawyer, so that he might “explore his options”, one of which was to list his house with that agent’s team leader. It’s as reprehensible an episode as I can recall in my twenty years plying this weird trade.
Ethics — and this is the reason I’m here, why I wanted so much to write this piece — are so much more important than the cursory nod RECO makes in their direction (as if they’ve spied a vague acquaintance across the room at an office party). They must, and I can’t believe I have to say this, form the foundation of our industry. The potential for abuse is so high, the money at stake so significant, that the guard rails must be built tall enough and strong enough to properly contain that risk.
What will help enormously, I have come to understand, is a healthier approach, and more holistic culture, in our real estate offices.
I’m not naive. Brokerages are created to make money. Success is most often measured by counting sales. But real estate offices must also learn to prioritize what’s right, every bit as much as what’s profitable. Linas Kilius, broker at Century 21 Heritage Group Ltd. in Kingston, where I work, put it this way when he asked if I was interested in offering my thoughts here: “As brokerages grow, and become more and more disconnected from their agents, I feel it’s more important than ever that we don’t lose sight of these fundamentals.”
There are ways both grand and modest to keep that dual focus. The modern midtown office where I now work, with its excellent admin team (and superb coffee), has been an eye opener, demonstrating to me what is possible, rather than what is simply required. It’s with real pleasure (and pride) that I witness management and ownership work each day from the position that every agent is a valuable asset rather than replaceable inventory.
They understand that while the grizzled veteran has important experience to share, and a healthy pipeline to help keep the lights on, the freshly registered agent brings vigour and vital new approaches. Their well-being is equally critical to business longevity, and new real estate agents should be trained not just in best practices and legislative compliance, but also nurtured, listened to, and encouraged to develop their own style. Some will become industry leaders, but only so long as we don’t fixate on moulding them into the familiar old shapes.
The leadership team also recognizes that poor behaviour must not be tolerated. Some will be the result of inadequate training, or simple inexperience, even misunderstanding, and those can be corrected. But not everyone is well-suited to this business. A bad apple can soon taint the whole basket (or even sneak into an ill man’s new home with false promises).
Office doors, in my opinion, should be open rather than closed. Business intelligence should be shared, not hoarded. The secret sauce is made from transparency and generosity. Same with best practices: hand those out like spring water, so we might all be refreshed by good ideas.
Do the job for the right reasons, and do it the right way – with integrity and humility – is what I see Century 21 selling here in Kingston, not just real estate, and for the first time in a long while, I feel right at home.
Mark Sinnett has been a busy real estate agent in Kingston, Ontario for almost twenty years. He is also the author of several works of fiction, short stories and poetry. His novel, The Carnivore, won the Toronto Book Award in 2010.
Eryn Richardson
Managing Partner
Century 21 Heritage Group
📧 eryn.richardson@century21.ca
📞 905-960-7355