We Love What We Do

“I first met Bruce six years ago when I needed a real estate agent to purchase my first home in Wasaga Beach. Bruce proved to be an agent who took the time to get to know his clients and choose houses that would suit their needs to view. Every house that Bruce showed me, it was if he was looking at the house for him and his family as he pointed out the pros and cons of the houses. He wasn’t there just for the sale. Since my first purchase I have made a few more with Bruce always by my side. A trait of Bruce’s that I admire and deeply respect is his sincerity which created a trust factor critical for each and every step made purchasing a home. I could not imagine working with a better agent then Bruce, and recommend him to everyone who needs a real estate agent. I know myself and probably everyone who has ever dealt with Bruce would definitely put him at the top of the “Most Preferred Agent” list. In closing, I can say I truly found my Real Estate Agent for Life!!!”

“We want to thank you both for working with us to help get our house sold so quickly and for a fair price.  We had done our best to de-clutter and now know the difference between de-cluttering and staging. Mary, your sense of colour and flow is exceptional and it was a joy working with you. I have to admit that the initial checklist was a bit overwhelming, but you had warned us of that and you really worked with our comfort level to help us choose what we could handle without feeling that we needed to do “everything” that was on the list. I am sure that your staging played a major part in getting our home sold so quickly.  Bruce, we have worked with a few Realtors in the past, and none of them came close to offering all the services that you provided. Your pictures of Mary’s work with our home were breathtaking and we will always remember our house as seen through your lens. Your negotiation strategies were bang on and it was such a pleasure to work with someone whom we could feel had his finger on the real estate pulse of the community.  Both of you have such palpable integrity and compassion that it was invigorating for us to get this house ready for you to sell. You never pushed or demanded anything and yet we felt highly motivated to follow any suggestions you offered. Thank you both for such an enjoyable experience. We have been telling all our friends about your great service and we feel very fortunate to have had you on our team. You two are incomparable.”

“We have been extremely pleased that we chose you Bruce as our Realtor, after being referred by our friends. Your professionalism, enthusiasm and congenial personality certainly helped make the listing and selling of our home a comfortable and less stressful experience. You always made yourself available and kept us informed along the way. Mary, your expertise and pleasant nature made the staging process “fun.” You worked very hard and the end results showed. It was a learning experience for me as you de-cluttered, rearranged furniture, changed pictures, etc. Together you make a GREAT team and at any opportunity we will refer your services to friends and relatives. We wish you much success in the future.”

“When we were discussing the idea of purchasing a cottage for our family, my husband happened to stumble upon Bruce by chance.  My husband had numerous questions for Bruce regarding cottages, the area and so on.   I was wondering if perhaps all our questions were being a bother, but Bruce was always very happy to answer them and provided us with a lot of information so that we could make the best choice.  Bruce helped us find the perfect cottage, that our family has enjoyed for the last few years.  We have since purchased our second investment property with Bruce, so not only do we consider Bruce our go-to agent who we don’t hesitate to recommend to family and friends, we also consider him a friend.”

“The easiest place to start is always the beginning and I will begin by asking that you forgive the length of this review. We first met Bruce last year when we interviewed 6 real estate agents to list our house for sale. Bruce definitely matched us the best but unfortunately a friendship had to be honoured so we went with another agent. No need to get into that suffice to say the listing expired. When it did I called Bruce and told him our plans of what we wanted to do to get the house ready to re-list and that we would be calling him shortly. Three weeks later we called and asked that he bring all pertinent paper work to sign us up. Once all was said and done we met Mary. We have all used the expression “There’s something about Mary” but never has it been more apt than when speaking about Mary Johnson – there is definitely something about this Mary.  She projects such a quiet, calming aura that you have no choice but to just relax and feel good in her presence. Do not mistake this and think she is an easy sway to your ideas.  Behind that quiet is a will of steel and such strength and belief in her vision for how your home should be “staged” but projected in such a way that you bend to her will without feeling like you have capitulated in any way.  I have put “staged” in quotations because in no way when Mary is finished does your home look or feel like it is staged – it will feel very warm, welcoming and inviting while everything is in its place and looking like it has been there forever because that is where it belonged – even if it isn’t yours but a piece from the Johnson’s home. That feeling that Mary can create is true magick. I have said that Bruce was a great match for us and I would like to clarify why.  He has such an outgoing and positive personality, he is fun, likes to laugh and truly makes you feel welcome in all aspects.  He matched us to a “T”.  When you look past all the exterior qualities that is when you really notice that being a real estate agent is not only his job but his passion and you can tell easily that he truly enjoys what he does. Bruce also has a very creative side to him that is very evident in the pictures that he takes of your home before it is listed. I am not talking about a couple pictures but a complete photo shoot and over 50 photos. As a seller you really don’t appreciate that but as a buyer you do but I will get into that more in the next chapter. Thanks to Bruce’s photos, Mary’s creativity and yes our sweat, our home sold conditionally in 10 hours and was sold firm in just 4 days. If that is not a testament I don’t know what would be. As a buyer things are a little different and you notice a lot of little things that are really very important. We spent a lot of time on Realtor.ca looking for our next home. Most listings had maybe 5 or 6 pictures if we were lucky and not very good ones at that. I found that to be very frustrating and “Where are the pictures of the kitchen and bathrooms?” became a mantra over the next few weeks. Bruce’s patience during our “let’s go see this one” stage was unlimited. His composure as well as his (no polite way to say this) cajones when dealing with a potential private sale were worthy of the standing “O”. Yes we did finally find our next home and are looking forward to moving in July. This is not the end as we know we will be selling and buying a few more houses but I do know that when all is said and done it will end with us living “happily ever after” and yes Bruce and Mary will be with us for every one of them. True magick is found in ones enjoyment of their life in all aspects and Bruce and Mary are truly a magickal team.”

“We feel so lucky to have had the pleasure of working with Bruce to buy our forever home and to sell our starter home of fourteen plus years. The great part about working with Bruce to sell your house is that you get an added bonus; Mary. What a phenomenal team they are. Mary’s vision of how to paint, arrange your furniture and stage your home to attract a wide variety of potential buyers and Bruce’s expert knowledge of the real estate market and fantastic photography skills create “the whole package.” We listened to their recommendations (well, most of them,) made the changes to our house and it sold in less than a week. Our new home purchase with Bruce was equally enjoyable. He knew when to tell us that the house we saw on MLS was not the right one. He entertained our numerous visits to other houses; never pressuring us to place an offer. In fact, Bruce would often tell us to keep looking and the right house would come along. Well, it did and we love it! Bruce’s knowledge of Wasaga Beach stems from his lengthy residency here which allows him to help clients make informed decisions on the largest purchase of their lives; their home. If you’re buying a house make sure you use Bruce Johnson to ensure you buy a home, not just a house. Bruce and Mary we would just like to thank you for all of your patience with us during this massive transition in our lives. Your knowledge and understanding will be cherished and remembered forever. Together you really are the whole package.

“To begin, my Mother’s condo at Sunset Point in Collingwood was up for sale with another agency, for over a year….I decided to search for another agent. So when I put in my order of the kind of person I was looking for, the answer was “I know just the person, Mr. Bruce Johnson,” and the journey began. Within 1 week the condo was staged by Mary and sold by Bruce. The best husband-wife team I ever met. They complement one another beautifully. At this point the search was on for a home. We needed 2 homes in 1. I wanted to stay in the area both my mother and I had come to enjoy, on a bus route, near a hospital, and so on…. Well there’s a saying that goes ‘What’s for you, won’t go by you’ and as fate should have it we found the perfect home through Bruce. There were a few hair-raising moments during the closing, and once again Bruce handle things like a pro. Bruce and Mary were so easy to like and admire. They are truly beautiful people and I would recommend them to everyone. This was my first experience with buying and selling of homes, and it was the last for my mother, who has had many experiences buying and selling. Well, I’ll conclude with, if your lucky enough to have Mary and Bruce Johnson working for you…you’re in great hands.”

Bruce Johnson is an excellent realtor. He puts a great deal of time and attention into every aspect of real estate. He listened to our wants and our needs and made them a reality with the sale and purchase of our homes. With Bruce we didn’t just feel like clients we felt like family. Bruce Johnson truly cares. We would not use anyone else!

“Mary, We wanted to send a note to thank you for your help in staging our house for sale. We were amazed at the amount of time that you spent with us, making sure everything was just right. Once you were finished, our house looked so beautiful that we almost didn’t want to move! Our house had a bit of an odd layout and you were able to make it work through staging. Also, we do not have high-end furnishings or beautiful objects d’art, but somehow you managed to make our own stuff work and our house showed elegantly and stylishly. Throughout all of this, we felt that you were truly there to help and guide us and never once to judge or command. Your staging checklist was well laid out and easy to follow. It really took the guesswork out of what to do to get our home ready for sale. We truly feel that your insight and staging talents contributed greatly to our receiving a full asking price offer within the first week that our house was listed for sale! I attribute much of our success to following the checklist. Bruce’s negotiating skills may have also played a small part – haha 🙂 We were thrilled with the way the house turned out and of course that it sold so quickly for full price – what a great feeling. The staging made a huge difference both in the photos and the way the house looked for showings. We have been telling everyone we know about you and Bruce and what you have done for us. We really enjoyed working with you Mary, and were very impressed by your vision and ability to pull everything together. The only question that remains is: will you help us make our new house look as beautiful?”

“We were so lucky to have Bruce when we bought our first home. He worked hard to find us the perfect one and fought even harder on our behalf to clinch the deal. We can truly say he will not only be our realtor for life, but a dear friend as well. We gave Bruce’s name to my parents as well and now they love him too (my mother a little too much….)!  Thanks Bruce!”

“Mary is a true professional in the art of staging. She has a great deal of passion for staging and it clearly shows in her work. We lived in a fairly modern and updated home and already did a lot of de-cluttering before Mary showed up. We did not think much more could be done but WOW were we wrong. Mary provided us with a very detailed checklist outlining everything that needed to be done on a room-by-room basis. Every room required changes and most of these changes were small things that made an enormous improvement to the overall look and feel of the house. We can say with a great deal of confidence that our property sold faster and for more money because of Mary’s work. I would recommend Mary to anyone and everyone trying to sell their home.”

“Bruce, We want to express how pleased we are with our new acquisition. We could not have done it without you’re commitment to our dream and your positive attitude that you would find just the right property for us. It has been a pleasure working with you. You listened to our needs and desires. Your integrity and principles found us the right match. You were always available and worked within our time constraints. The moment we stepped foot on the property we knew you had found it for us. Thank you for all your efforts, it truly made us feel wonderful and very lucky we met you. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how special we felt when you and your family showed up at the property to give us the key. It made us feel like family. Again thank you for such a rewarding experience.”

“In the past 10 years my wife and I have been assisted by Bruce in the buying and selling of 3 homes for a total of six transactions with him. In each instance he caused the stress level to be significantly lower than it should have been. He is incredibly intelligent with regards to the real estate business in general, and phenomenally knowledgeable about the Georgian Bay areas properties. He was always available to us, and provided needed insight and feedback throughout each process. He even offers follow-up care. The only problem in dealing with Bruce is that he will ruin your experience with other agents. Recently my mother moved from Niagara to Barrie utilizing two agents, one there and one here. My expectations of what they could do were so high (due to my dealings with Bruce) that I was very disappointed. Oh, they did the usual stuff like put ads in the paper and arranged showings, but that was it. They didn’t offer meaningful input, and most noticeably missing was following up after the transaction to make sure she was happy. It is the small things that make differences in one’ s life. Bruce, you look after ALL the small things that your clients shouldn’t worry about. That is what makes you our agent for life!”