Twenty-five years on the job is definitely something to celebrate.
REALTORS® and brothers Patrick and Michael Ireland—known to everyone as Pat and Mike—are certainly ready to. They’ve worked for Coldwell Banker Neumann Real Estate Brokerage, serving the Guelph community and beyond, since 1998.
To mark this important occasion, Village Media sat down with Pat to talk about some of the changes the brothers have witnessed over the last 25 years, standout moments in their careers and the importance of carrying on their family name in the city.
VM: Congratulations to you both on celebrating 25 years in real estate! How does it feel to hit this incredible milestone?
PI: We are incredibly proud, but more so we are extremely grateful. This is not a business where everybody who joins can make it 25 years. Without our Guelph roots, family and supportive social networks, we wouldn’t have lasted this long.
VM: What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in Guelph real estate since 1998?
PI: In 1998, not everybody was using email, few had home computers, almost nobody had a cell phone. Business was done by landlines when customers were home and there was lots of driving to meet in person and to deliver documents.
Today’s technology has totally changed the way in which we interact with our customers. Less driving is for the better, but less face-to-face is the resulting detriment.
VM: Do any moments in particular stand out to you?
PI: I remember being in someone’s house on September 12th, 2001. Our conversation about that family moving seemed to be insignificant in comparison to what happened in NYC the day before.
The US market crash in 2008 was a scary unknown for a brief while and then as usual, Guelph bounced back quicker than most.
VM: Technology has certainly offered buyers, sellers and agents a host of new tools since the two of you started out. What are your thoughts on the technological changes that are now standard in the industry?
PI: Tech has made us WAY more efficient. It is way more convenient for our customers as well.
VM: What has it been like as brothers to work together in the same profession for all these years?
PI: We started on the same day in 1998. Been a solid team ever since. Our moniker of Ireland and Ireland was shortened by most of our fellow REALTORS® to just “the Irelands”.
Real estate agents and customers alike couldn’t (some still can’t) tell us apart as individuals, they just wanted to speak to one of “the Irelands”. And for the umpteenth time... NO, WE ARE NOT TWINS! Mike is 2 years older.
VM: What would you say you enjoy most about your job? What are some of the highlights? And what are you looking forward to in the years to come?
PI: The most enjoyable part of our business is working with repeat customers and their families.
There is nothing more rewarding than getting a call from a young adult who says, my mom or my dad told me to call you. We just love that, and we look forward to doing business with more Guelph generations in the years to come. We deal with plenty of customers who were introduced to us by their parents, but no grandkids yet—maybe that is the next chapter.
VM: Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
PI: Our grandfather, father and uncle established the Ireland name in Guelph businesses and trades decades ago. Our dad always reminded us to make sure we upheld the family name in the city where we have been established for over 100 years. It is always top of mind for us.
For more information, visit the Coldwell Banker Neumann Real Estate Brokerage online at cbn.on.ca or on Instagram. Follow Pat and Mike Ireland online or on Facebook; you can also reach them by phone at 519-821-3600.