Co-op Corner: Harvey Kalles Real Estate

My co-op placement this year has been at Harvey Kalles Real Estate, located at the intersection of Avenue and Wilson. So far, my co-op experience has been excellent. Some of the tasks I have regularly worked on in the co-op program are varied. During the first few sessions as I was just getting started, my dad, the facilitator of my co-op program, went through all the departments within the organization so he could give me an overview of each unit and what they do daily. As the weeks progressed, I started doing more advanced tasks. For example, I shadowed a sales agent when they had an open house. Throughout the open house, I learned negotiation strategies and how to sell something optimally. Something I look forward to within the co-op process is continuously enhancing my understanding of the real estate market because sometimes I will be sitting in on meetings or phone calls and not fully grasp a lot of the terminology (for example, As-is, Buyer's agent/listing agent, Closing, Closing cost, Days on the market - DOM - Due diligence, Escrow holder.) Something I enjoy about my placement is the unique opportunity to work with family members. With everyone having busy lives, sometimes seeing your family is hard. Since I am doing my co-op program in a family business, it has given me the unique opportunity to see family.

While I appreciate my co-op program, I value it also because it is a testing ground. If I were not enjoying it, I would be able to identify that now, preventing me from committing to specific universities and prerequisites only to discover later that it's not my true passion. I feel like I’ve learned so many valuable skills throughout the program. First is being able to interact and have real-life conversations with people my senior, which is a valuable skill not only in the real estate world but in your day-to-day life. Another thing I learned is reliability and responsibility because, within the workplace, you are always expected to be on time and presentable. Participating in the program has been great so far, and I have gained respect from other co-workers, which I hope to keep developing, resulting in having long-lasting and enduring relationships with every one of them. 

Throughout these past few months, recognizing that real estate doesn't operate on an hourly wage system but relies solely on commission from house sales has been a powerful incentive for me to intensify my efforts in school. This understanding fuels my motivation to work harder, knowing that my dedication to education and skill development now will directly shape my success toward being exemplary in the field of real estate.