Sutton Group Realty has added another six realty offices in Canada despite persistently slow housing sales conditions.  

Canada's housing sales market is “beyond slow” and amid one of the worst-ever periods, said Ross McCredie, CEO of Sutton Group, in a recent interview.

These conditions, perhaps surprisingly, provide the ideal time for his real estate organization to expand, he told RENX Homes.  

Sutton Group, initially launched in the early 1980s, has added the following offices over the last six months: Sutton Sarbat, Surrey; Sutton West Vancouver; Sutton Centre, Kelowna; Sutton GO, Gatineau-Ottawa; Sutton Quebec City; and Sutton Group First Choice, Stratford, Ontario. 

The company now has roughly 6,000 realtors in Canada. Vancouver-based McCredie Investments acquired Sutton Group in 2023. 

The way to grow a real estate business, at least for Sutton, is not through aggressive recruiting, McCredie said. "I joke around that it's probably one of the most dangerous careers you can enter into because you know 90 per cent of all realtors don't make it."

Strong realtors succeed within downturns

"What we do now is, we find the right person, starting usually with a managing broker, or sometimes a high-producing… well-respected realtor in a given market that really understands what our offering is, and then we centre everything around that individual," he said. "Then they help build the team in that marketplace."

Business is clearly slower currently, he said, but strong realtors find ways to build their own book of business in times like these. “That's when they're doing a lot more outreach. That's where they're solving problems for clients," he said. 

National real estate had been booming for up to 25 years until its current era of troubles took hold, he said. “Growing a real estate brand (is) really difficult in a really strong market," he said.

When the going is good, realtors tend to avoid switching brands or disrupting their businesses, he explained. "They don't want to look at different alternatives. They're making good money as they are."

A slow market is a good time for creativity, for change and for trying new things. 

Sutton’s recent expansion follows a period of growth in 2025. Last February, it announced franchise partners in Surrey and New Westminster, and a dedicated hub for B.C. In October, Sutton opened new offices in Calgary and Kelowna.

Housing sales slow, but improving: CREA

National home sales, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association, are improving modestly of late. Sales edged up 0.5 per cent month-over-month in June. That built on a 5.5 per cent jump in May, and a 0.9 per cent increase in April. 

The number of newly listed properties dropped by 1.3 per cent month-over-month, and the MLS Home Price Index was down 3.6 per cent after staying about the same in June compared to May. 

“The last couple of months have seen the return of more certainty around both interest rates and home values, along with an increasing number of buyers in the market,” said Garry Bhaura, CREA chair in a release with the data. “We may see a brief pause in that trend as Canadians enjoy their summer, but the stage is set for a busier fall market."

Market now requires full-service brokerages

McCredie said the days of a realtor providing just basic transactional services are gone. "I think they're going to be replaced by very skilled, high-producing, well-qualified real estate agents that are acting in the best interests of their clients," he said. "We have to do way more than just listing and selling or buying homes. We have got to go way deeper."

Much of that service will pivot around providing more data in detail for Canadians to understand the market and their assets better, he said.

Challenges do continue to dog today's market, McCredie added, with economy and lack of investment being top issues.

He said there appears to be more money flowing out of Canada than into it. More investment and more private sector jobs will help boost home-buying, he said. 

However, marriage, divorce and death happen no matter the economic conditions. There are always property deals taking place, he added. 

"I'm still bullish on Canada," he said, noting his family splits their time between Vancouver and Whistler. "The Sea to Sky Corridor has some of the best real estate in the world. I think it's one of the most beautiful places in the world."

People will always want to buy homes in places like this, he said.