History of Royal LePage
The early years
1913 – Albert LePage founds A.E. LePage, and is the first real estate agent in Canada to make a full-time business of selling homes. His staunch belief in personal service and commitment to innovation will transform the way real estate is sold.
1920 – Albert LePage helps establish the Toronto Real Estate Board to set professional standards in the industry.
1922 – Albert LePage helps found the Ontario Real Estate Association to organize real estate activities across the province, promote higher industry standards, protect the public from unscrupulous salespeople, and preserve property rights.
1940 – Albert LePage creates one of Toronto's first subdivisions, dividing Lady Eaton's Ardwold Gate Estate (near Toronto's historic Casa Loma) into 30 lots.
1953 – Albert LePage retires, selling 80% of the company to his nephew, Jim Collett, and to his colleagues Brian McGee and Ron Sanderson.
Growth and expansion
1957 – President Gordon Gray orchestrates one of the most complex real estate deals to date, assembling land for the construction of the $125 million Toronto Dominion Centre. Buoyed by its success, A.E. LePage expands strongly into commercial real estate (operating today as Cushman & Wakefield LePage).
1964 – A.E. LePage offers a new service to help companies across Canada with employee relocations. (The service now operates under Brookfield Global Relocation Services.)
The 1970s – A.E. LePage becomes a national real estate company, acquiring smaller companies across Canada and adding new services. It launches its first national advertising program, the Carriage Trade luxury properties program, the Town and Country Catalogue, and the quarterly Survey of Canadian House Prices. The company enters the United States marketplace with the acquisition of 20% of Coldwell Banker.
1984 – A.E. LePage merges with the real estate arm of Royal Trust to form Royal LePage, making it the largest real estate brokerage company in the country.
1987 – Royal LePage becomes a publicly traded company with the majority owner, Trilon Financial Corporation, holding 54% of the stock.
1994 – Royal LePage offers a franchise system, and rapidly grows its network by attracting leading independent brokerages and those from competing brands, including Johnston & Daniel.
1995 – Royal LePage launches www.royallepage.ca, "Canada's Real Estate Portal," which is one of the most popular Canadian real estate sites.
1997 – Royal LePage further expands its network across Canada by acquiring Realty World Services, a national network of over 2,500 agents and REALTORS ®.
1998 – Royal LePage launches the Shelter Foundation, providing financial support to local shelters and supporting education on violence prevention.
1999 – Royal LePage becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Brascan Corporation.
2003 – The Royal LePage Franchise Services Fund is listed on the TSE. Royal LePage acquires Groupe Trans-Action, a Quebec realty firm with over 80 offices.
2006 – Our network climbs to over 12,000 agents and REALTORS®. Many franchisees and agents join the network throughout the year.
2007 – The Royal LePage network surpasses 13,000 real estate agents. Our brand, product offerings and training vehicles are attracting new offices and agents in record numbers.
2008 – Royal LePage celebrates 95 years since founder Albert LePage started a business on the guiding principles of customer service and innovation. Today, Royal LePage is leader in Canadian real estate.
To learn more, visit Albert LePage.