I spent some time with Candace Sherwood while she was setting up for an Open House. It is obvious she loves what she does and that she has a deep respect for her clients. As I watched her work, I couldn't imagine her doing anything else - being a Realtor seems like such a natural fit. If you need help selling or buying a home, contact Candace Sherwood !!
Number of years in business: 5
Briefly describe your business and why you do what you do:
As a Realtor focussed on residential properties, I help families and individuals achieve their real estate goals, whether it be purchasing a first home, selling and moving to a bigger house, downsizing or relocating.
Being a Realtor is a great combination of things I love: Spending time with great people, problem solving, negotiating, houses, décor and design, and running the roads with the music blaring! I feel like I have a real connection to community as a result of my work, which is also important to me.
1. Looking back on your life, were there certain events or people that helped push you to follow your current path? Describe one of these key turning points along with any fears or challenges that may have held you back from pursuing your passion.
I come from a family of Realtors, so that definitely influenced my choice. I grew up in New Brunswick in a home where real estate was often dinner conversation with my parents and grandparents, so I’ve always had a good understanding of what to expect out of a career in real estate. I moved to Ottawa in the early 90s to go to school and stayed, starting a career in human resource management. After several years, I knew I didn’t love what I was doing. I had been lucky enough to have a secure job that paid well, so it was terrifying to think about leaving it to start something totally new and without any security or guarantees at all. One day though, after a particularly discouraging week at work, it just clicked. I knew it was the right time to leave my job to start in real estate. I made a plan and left my job a year later, with my real estate license in hand.
2. How and when did you know you were pursuing the “right” career?
Real estate has felt right from day 1. It has never felt like ‘a job’. It was so exciting to work with my first clients, and I still feel that way when I start working with new clients. Every day is different, and that really works for me!
3. What has been your biggest failure and how did you change as a result?
I think the biggest mistake I’ve made is investing my time in activities that didn’t promote or grow my business. I’ve had to learn how to better invest my time, so that time spent working now generally leads to income!
4. How do you define success?
Success for me is a combination of things. It’s about feeling good at the end of the week that I have helped people make good decisions about buying and selling real estate, and still had time to tuck my son into bed most nights! Of course, it’s in part about income, but I find that if I focus on doing a good job for my clients and being a good community member, the income follows through repeat business and referrals.
5. Based on your experience, what advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to be more confident. Believe in yourself, trust your intuition, and just do what you love.