Kaleb Streeter’s path to real estate was an unconventional one. He got his real estate license in 2016, but before that had been working in the corporate world—and wasn’t enjoying it.
Village Media Content Studio spoke to the Realtor® about how he got his start, the origin story of Streeter Team and why real estate has more in common with selling cars than you’d think.
How did you get your start in real estate?
I got my license on June 1, 2016. I was in the corporate world, but not enjoying it at all. One day I had a chance meeting with a local Realtor® and we hit it off. He said, “Hey, I think you’d be good in real estate, you should give it a shot.” At the time I was working in the city in corporate sales, and I worked on getting my license at the same time. After making the transition, I found some success instantly, having sold my first home in less than 3 weeks.
What was it about this line of work that appealed to you?
I was in car sales at 19 and I loved every minute of it. I did that from the age of 19 to 24 and was second in all of Canada for total sales. I loved that it was more than a transaction-based sale; it was service. When you think about it, you can’t really sell somebody a house, it’s more a question of ‘how can I be of service to you?’ Everyone can research cars online but what do they do when they want more information or to line up a test drive? I drew some parallels between car sales and real estate. You get to run your own business while serving people: it’s the perfect fit for me and my personality.
Working as a Realtor® is one thing, starting up your own company is another. What’s the origin story of Streeter Team?
Starting a company is hard to do because you kind of have to reinvent the wheel. At the beginning of my real estate career, I worked for a team, but near the end I had these desires to be an entrepreneur and to control the service from start to finish. I wanted to create something that showed my personality and with my own spin on it. Streeter Team started after an initial attempt of starting a team with a partner but ended in just eight months. The real growth happened when I went out completely independently and rebuilt our service offerings from the ground up.
Our slogan is “Rethink Real Estate”. We aim to be non-traditional, fun, edgy yet professional. We integrate technology into our business and use systems and processes to be more efficient in the office. That means agents can be out in the field showing homes and working with clients, while the back-end paperwork is being handled simultaneously, versus having to do everything by themselves. We have experts for every part of the process: photographers, editors, designers, sign installers, administrators, assistants, Realtors®, etc.
We have a burning desire to bring the real estate transaction into the 21st century. Real estate is not a one-man show anymore because the standard of service is so high now. High-quality photos, video tours, staging—all of that is no longer unique, it’s expected. It takes a team to sell a house.
How would you describe the staff on your team? What’s the overall vibe at the office?
Our company culture is pretty cool. The best way to describe it is it’s like a little family. It’s a very familial feeling. We’re close, we get along, we’re painfully selective about who comes on board. We’re small but mighty. The culture is that we support each other. The word “team” in our business name is there for a reason; if somebody needs something, we support each other with no strings attached or expectations, just as a family would.
What would you say sets you apart from other agencies out there?
Our Realtors® are all full-time, that’s a big one. It’s not a part-time job or a hobby for us, it’s a business. We’re well-oiled, we have processes and systems in place that we follow strictly so we can deliver a consistent service to every client. There are advantages to being full-time. For example, tonight I have an appointment at 8 pm, which was the only time the client was available. We’re flexible with our hours and this results in unlimited service for the client.
Your office is in a prime location, right in the heart of downtown Orillia. What other areas do you sell/work in?
We basically go from Coldwater on the west side to Lake Dalrymple on the east, middle of Oro and north up to Gravenhurst; that’s the circle we’re experts in. We are hyper-local, roughly a 30-km radius from Orillia. Essentially it covers Orillia, Oro-Medonte, Ramara and Severn.
Any unique service offerings we should mention?
I don’t know that anything is particularly unique, everything we do I’ve learned from coaches or other Realtors®. We benchmark what some of the top teams in the U.S. are doing too. The fact that we have a physical presence in town is nice. You can come into the office, meet with us in person and have a chai latte in the lounge. It’s an experience for our clients.
For more information, visit the Streeter Team or call 705-323-9212.