“The challenges and learning opportunities that the mortgage world might give me seemed quite appealing.”
So much so that Gurpreet S. Dhillon, independent owner-operator of one of Canada’s most successful Centum franchises, left a successful career in the telecom business to try his luck at the property game. To call him a winner would be an understatement. After serving his apprenticeship under others, he was convinced he had found his life’s calling. “Once I learned the business,” he reflects, “I decided that this is what I wanted to do for the long term. Helping families achieve their real estate goals was satisfying on so many levels.”
Maybe that’s because the deeply invested Dhillon offers them services on so many levels. To hear the Kanata-based expert explain his approach is to realize that he is a critical source of knowledge in the realms of real estate, finance, and life planning. “I spend serious time with my clients,” he announces proudly. “That is the most important and meaningful thing I can do. This applies to seasoned investors as well as single homeowners.”
First-time buyers are particularly grateful for his expertise. Property ownership is a complicated enterprise for anyone, let alone novices. “I have always believed that first-time homebuyers need special attention throughout the mortgage process,” Dhillon explains. “The most important thing I try to encourage them to think about is the total home ownership costs, not just their current mortgage payments. This gets them to think about maintenance, future renovations, budgeting, and an understanding of how their finances will change after ownership.”
That kind of advice is especially important in today’s volatile financial landscape. The key to successfully negotiating it, the ever-informed Dhillon maintains, is a firm understanding of one’s tolerance for financial risk.
The sage Dhillon advocates, “you understand the need for continued savings for rainy days or changes in life plans. You understand your need for shorter or longer-term stability. These details help me to advise on the kind of mortgage product or strategy that may be helpful to a client’s situation or preference and to narrow appropriate lending products and services accordingly.”
This year, Dhillon marks a full decade as a Centum Mortgage Masters franchisee. It’s a notable achievement, particularly in an ever-fluid and notoriously competitive industry. “It’s a humbling milestone, to be honest,” he admits. “It shows that I have been blessed with people’s trust. The diehard support of my clients, as well as my partners, continues to fuel me to work my hardest. That has been my motto from day one.”
“Ten years ago,” he continues, “we were solely a family-operated boutique consisting of myself, my father, and my brother. Today, we are eight agents and growing, with representatives in Ottawa and the GTA able to provide services in English, French, Punjabi, Hindi, Arabic, and Farsi. But we haven’t abandoned our ‘family feel’ roots.”
“In the future, I see us growing into an even bigger team,” he speculates, “offering an even greater level of service to our clients but never leaving our commitment to customer-focused care and expert advice.”
