From the Business section of the Montreal Gazette, September 28, 2011:

MAKING A SWITCH FROM SAILBOATS TO HOME SALES

In the 1970s John Deakin became involved in the sailboat business by founding a company called Canada Yacht Services. At the time he never imagined himself working in real estate.

But after the sailboat business took a turn for the worse, Deakin closed his company in 1977. While his company may not have survived, his entrepreneurial spirit sure did.

Deakin decided to sell a building that he bought at 20 years old and use that money to purchase a waterfront estate in Pointe Claire, which he then cut up and sold.

"Doing that got me interested in real estate, so I registered to get my licence," Deakin said.

"I joined A.E. Lepage in 1980 and I was their top salesman in the West Island until 1983."

After working for A.E. Lepage, the Pointe Claire native bought a RE/MAX franchise in Town of Mount Royal.

"I liked the idea of being a broker and owning my own place," he said. "When I was with Lepage my commission was 50 per cent of whatever I made, but by owning my own franchise I kept 100 per cent."

But Deakin quickly realized that the new undertaking wasn't for him.

"There were two things I didn't really like: one was working in TMR and the other was having to fill the management role myself," he said.

"But I kept it going until 1986, at which time I decided to come back to Pointe Claire."

And so 25 years ago, he founded Deakin Realty on Lakeshore. The company has since become a successful family business with four brokers including Deakin's wife, Nancy.

"Nancy, my wife of almost 37 years, has worked with me since the boat business," Deakin said. "She is my partner in life as well as business and she joined Deakin Realty in 1987 as a full time agent and broker."

The team also consists of the couple's son, Jay, who joined the firm 10 years ago, and Nancy's brother, Brian Kemp.

"We all grew up in Pointe Claire, so it's lovely to be able to have our place of business here," Deakin said. "Our philosophy is we simply tell people the truth, whether it helps us to sell a property or not; knowledge and honesty are the keys to success in any business."

One advantage of having a small, tight-knit team is that personal service is always delivered to clients directly from one of the brokers and not through an assistant, he added.

Deakin Realty's business consists of 70 per cent residential, 20 per cent commercial and 10 per cent rental properties.

They are focused largely in the West Island, including a huge number of waterfront properties.

"I started in residential but I probably should have gone into commercial 20 years ago," Deakin said. "Mostly because that's a Monday to Friday business, whereas residential real estate can be 18 hours a day, seven days a week; I've even sold houses on Christmas Day."

But working with people is the most rewarding part of the job, he continued.

"Clients are always so gracious in thanking you," Deakin said. "A big part of our job is psychology; people get hugely stressed when purchasing homes because it's such a large transaction.

"You have to keep people calm and rational. It takes a lot to keep clients focused and not caught up with minor details."

It's a huge responsibility to take on, but one he wouldn't trade, he added.

"You get to be a part of something very special," Deakin said.

"Helping people find homes to live in and build families in."

But at 59 years old, Deakin says he's looking to lessen the load at this point.

"I'll never fully retire, I'll just do things differently," he said. "My son has started to take on more and more clients now and I'm sure that trend will continue; at this point Jay and Nancy do more work individually than I do."

Luckily, Deakin says his son is a natural when it comes to the family business.

"Jay is fantastic, he's a huge asset to our company," he said. "I think he took the best qualities from both Nancy and I; When you watch him work, it's evident that he's just born to do this."

Deakin Realty recently underwent a rebranding of the company and made a large investment in their website and online marketing.

"This is where the business is going so we decided it was time to modernize and make the most of the technology that is available to us by offering clients professional photos, floor plans and a convenient way of shopping," Deakin said.

For more information visit deakinrealty.ca or call 514-695-2575.