Faratro thrives on operating and growing businesses, as well as mentoring other brokers. Over the course of a 35-year career in real estate as a developer, commercial broker and owner of a real estate portfolio, Faratro has led several industry-centred businesses including SVN Montreal Commercial, the Montreal subsidiary of the U.S.-based brand with over 200 offices and an extensive network.

Faratro describes Quebec as a unique market that supports the luxury sector, with few competitors in the space and plenty of room to grow. He launched The Agency Montreal in February 2022. “It was a natural next [step], having a top luxury residential brand in the city. It’s very exciting.”

The Agency Montreal is fully equipped to service the province’s bilingual market, having dedicated several months to developing French translations for all documents and presentations, as well as for the company’s extensive internal CRM system.

The Agency is dedicated to maintaining its boutique concept, where the goal is to have a highly skilled team that fits both the brand and culture, rather than hire hundreds of agents. The company has a zero tolerance policy for individuals who are not team players and is very selective with those brought into the fold. “We like to have fun, we’re like a family. Our culture is collaborative; people help each other.”

Finding the right people is the key to ensuring a unified team that will support The Agency’s plan to be present in many different markets without diluting the quality of its employee base. Faratro is determined to take the time required to achieve this goal, “I’m in this for the long haul; this is not a sprint.”

“[We’re] making sure that the client is served 200% from A to Z. On the seller’s side, it’s how to go to market, how to go the extra mile on the marketing services. On the buyer’s side, it’s about giving the white glove treatment, rolling out the red carpet, taking care of the client, advising them properly.”

Faratro is proud of The Agency’s commitment to putting the client first: thoroughly assessing every opportunity before making a winning choice. Not only does the client benefit from a more thoughtful approach; agents also reap the rewards, increasing the potential for future transactions and referrals. “I think in general, brokers have lost sight of the client experience and the client service. […] We’re in this business to build long-term relationships. It’s very difficult to build loyalty […] but it’s much less costly to keep an existing customer than to find a new one.”  

With an extensive marketing team in L.A. and an in-house team in Montreal, The Agency sets itself apart with a comprehensive array of services designed to showcase properties on a whole new level. Its world‑class creative division delivers plans that incorporate new and traditional media, emergent technologies, and leading-edge strategy using in-depth understanding of consumer behaviour, visual storytelling and experiential marketing.

“We do marketing in a different way. We don’t just post houses for sale, it’s more of a lifestyle; a younger sort of look—fresher. We’re disrupters, we go into markets and we disrupt them because that’s in our DNA. Those are all things that caught my attention and I found interesting and different. Things that made me decide to get into this new venture.”

It’s an exciting time for The Agency, with a flagship location being built in Westmount, newly opened offices in Seattle and Amsterdam and the recently announced acquisition of a New York brokerage and technology firm, Triplemint. Of the current growth across North America and Europe, Faratro hints that there is more to come, “The brand is really expanding, big time.”