The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author.
With nearly two decades immersed in the real estate sector, one overarching truth has consistently revealed itself: the industry has long served as a testing ground for flashy technological innovations. Most of these novel tools prove to be entirely unwanted, and even when they manage to capture initial interest, they are frequently abandoned because they fail to deliver on the elusive promise of driving business growth.
To uncover which technologies genuinely succeed in putting dollars back into the pockets of brokers and agents, industry veteran Natalka Falcomer recently sat down with Evan Shandler, Chief Operating Officer of Sotheby’s International Realty Canada. Having joined the company in 2009, Shandler has witnessed operations evolve across the board—transitioning from traditional fax machines and scattered email attachments to sophisticated, cloud-based platforms that allow managers and support teams to track the lifecycle of a real estate transaction in real time.
Their extensive conversation reaffirmed a fundamental principle that experienced brokerage operators understand all too well, yet technology vendors frequently overlook. The most valuable technology is rarely the flashiest option on the market. Instead, it is infrastructure that seamlessly removes tedious tasks, guarantees regulatory compliance, catches potential problems early in the pipeline, or grants agents more precious hours to spend directly with clients. Everything else, as Shandler points out, remains little more than a distracting novelty.
The Evolution of Brokerage Operations and Technology
Reflecting on how systems have matured over the past fifteen years, Falcomer opened their discussion by asking what agents typically demand from a platform compared to what genuinely alters their productivity, brand loyalty, or overall client experience.
Shandler acknowledged that the industry exists squarely in the age of shiny objects, constantly bombarded by applications and platforms claiming to solve every operational challenge imaginable, alongside hyper-niche alternatives that capture temporary attention. However, he emphasized that real estate remains fundamentally a relationship-driven business. While technology can streamline day-to-day minutiae, paperwork, and document management, true value lies exclusively in tools that free agents to cultivate relationships—whether with home buyers and sellers or with invaluable support staff in the back office.
Delving into practical terms, Shandler highlighted the profound operational shift brought about by modern transaction management platforms like SkySlope. The versioning capabilities available in such software provide extraordinary value by capturing a complete, chronological record of a deal’s evolution. A transaction that begins as a listing retains its entire history—including price adjustments and associated documentation—housed neatly within a single centralized location.
Prior to these platforms, even as standalone fax machines began fading out of relevance, offices were inundated with tangled email chains carrying multiple disparate attachments. Tracking the progression of a deal was needlessly complicated by the sheer volume of fragmented, one-to-one communication. Consolidating all vital information onto a unified platform dramatically streamlined correspondence.
Furthermore, the collaborative capabilities embedded within modern systems offer immense utility for brokerage leadership. Managers can review paperwork in real time, highlight specific clauses within a contract, and instantly notify team members regarding missing signatures or pending items. Similarly, conveyance staff can easily leave comments on documents or flag amendments for management review when additional information is required. That level of fluid, transparent collaboration was exceedingly difficult to achieve during the era of isolated emails and manual faxes.
For a broker of record overseeing a large-scale operation, personally reviewing every single transaction is neither feasible nor realistic. Highly experienced, detail-oriented conveyancers and deal secretaries rely on these platforms to catch discrepancies and resolve issues long before they materialize into liabilities. Given that the liability for brokerage managers remains exceptionally high, Shandler noted that without the robust information-handling capabilities of modern software, operating at scale would be nearly impossible.
The Unsung Heroes and Operational Essentials
When examining the operational supports that genuinely move the needle within a national brokerage, Shandler pointed toward the less visible, unglamorous pillars of the organization. The people working quietly behind the scenes rarely receive the public accolades they deserve. At Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, substantial time, energy, and resources are dedicated to fortifying the deals department, the listings department, and rigorous regulatory compliance—particularly concerning anti-money laundering frameworks like FINTRAC. These critical functions rarely generate flashy industry headlines, yet they form the bedrock of a secure business.
Everything within a successful brokerage ultimately starts with exceptional leadership. According to Shandler, maintaining a stellar team of managers allows an organization to conquer virtually any market condition. Agents must also recognize the immense value these managers provide as they navigate and level up their careers.
Naturally, friction can occasionally arise. Implementing strict adherence to FINTRAC protocols, or having a finance department rigorously verify the origin and ownership of an incoming deposit, can sometimes feel jarring to busy agents. Yet, viewed through a broader lens, these rigorous checks and balances ensure that the entire machine operates smoothly and securely.
Moreover, the financial strength and expertise of an enterprise matter far more than many industry participants estimate. When accounting practices falter or become disorganized, businesses can experience severe distress very quickly.
Assessing New Tools and Overcoming CRM Hurdles
Introducing new tools, processes, or systems into a brokerage requires a disciplined evaluation framework to ensure they genuinely assist agents rather than compounding administrative burdens and adding noise. Shandler outlined a strict three-prong criteria for vetting any prospective technology. First, it must save time—a non-negotiable prerequisite. Second, it must deliver clear, measurable value for the financial investment required. Above all, it must actively reduce friction in an agent’s day-to-day routine. Because agents are constantly targeted by tech vendors selling high-premium products, vetting is essential.
Seamless integration with broader workflows and existing essential technology is equally critical. Even the most promising software can introduce debilitating roadblocks if it disrupts established operational workflows. Consequently, leadership must continuously follow up after a launch, monitoring adoption rates and evaluating actual day-to-day use cases.
Customer Relationship Management systems represent a classic illustration of these integration challenges. Brokerages are perpetually approached by tech companies promising advanced automation, yet widespread adoption remains notoriously difficult. Shandler expressed optimism regarding the impending revolution artificial intelligence will bring to CRMs and the wider real estate sector, but he emphasized the deeply personal nature of these tools.
Agents who have built successful careers over many years have already established personal preferences and specific workflows for managing client relationships. Imposing a single, standardized CRM across a large, diverse group of agents is exceptionally difficult because brokerages want to avoid dictating how professionals run their independent businesses. Working methods vary wildly; an agent closing three high-value luxury transactions a year through months of meticulous curation operates in an entirely different universe from a high-volume condo or subdivision specialist. Because agents are diverse, a one-size-fits-all approach inevitably fails.
Navigating Margins, Productivity, and Future Horizons
As brokerage profit margins face increasing pressure and agent expectations continue to climb, franchisees and operators must carefully deliberate where to focus their time and capital over the coming three to five years. Shandler identified several key operational levers, beginning with agent productivity. If an agent currently closing six deals annually possesses the capacity to improve, leadership aims to help bridge that output toward twelve transactions.
Another vital lever is the average sale price. When a high-caliber agent joins a luxury-focused brand like Sotheby’s, they often aim to transition into higher price brackets, thereby increasing their total sales volume organically. While commission rates face ongoing downward pressure, Shandler maintains that when clients receive a superior experience and a premier product, the service naturally commands a commensurate premium.
Curating brokerage rosters carefully is another vital responsibility for operators. Ensuring the right people are serving the right markets at appropriate price points is essential. As market competition prompts less dedicated participants to exit the profession, agents who demonstrate unwavering commitment through elevated branding, superior marketing, and robust professional networks will achieve sustained success. Ultimately, agent productivity dictates overall success, and agents must actively leverage the institutional strengths of their brokerage, operating under a shared goal that makes the collaborative model function effectively.
Looking toward the horizon five years into the future, Shandler anticipates that while technology and artificial intelligence will profoundly transform the industry, personal relationships among agents, brokers, and clients will remain the immutable foundation of the real estate business. Pointing to structural differences across borders, he noted that while public data availability in the United States is remarkably expansive, Canada’s market remains heavily guarded, suggesting that true data transparency may remain a longer-term objective.
The broader question facing the industry is whether consolidation will persist. As individual agents are steadily absorbed into massive corporate entities, valid concerns linger regarding whether professionals retain the freedom to express their unique identities within overarching brand umbrellas. This dynamic could potentially spark a wave of industry fragmentation, paving the way for smaller, agile boutique brokerages to emerge. Furthermore, younger generations entering the workforce tend to be more brand-agnostic, bringing a deeply personal and personable sensibility to the profession.
Strategic Takeaways for Brokerage Operators
For industry leaders digesting these insights, the reality of effective brokerage technology centers squarely on technical, compliance-heavy foundations. Managing agreements of purchase and sale, overseeing earnest money deposits, and maintaining immaculate financial records to give managers clear visibility are not traditionally exciting pitches used to recruit sales agents. However, professionals working within an organization certainly notice the difference when these infrastructure systems function flawlessly—and they feel the friction immediately when they fail.
Evaluating winning technologies requires asking fundamental questions: Does the tool genuinely save time? Does it lower operational costs? Does it reduce risk and daily friction? Will agents continue utilizing the software long after the initial launch presentation concludes? If the answers remain ambiguous, operators must carefully consider whether they are simply purchasing a superficial feature or actually solving a meaningful operational problem.
While forecasting the exact future of real estate remains challenging, industry leaders overwhelmingly agree that an agentless future is not on the horizon. Instead, the coming years will likely feature fewer casual, part-time participants, a stronger core of dedicated professionals, more accessible market data, and agents whose personal brands transcend individual platforms.
Corporate brokerage brands will continue to matter, but they must continuously earn agent loyalty through competent management, reliable infrastructure, and clear pathways to enhanced productivity. Despite the constant hum of artificial intelligence innovations and shifting market cycles, the fundamental DNA of the real estate brokerage business remains unchanged.