Courtesy of Greig Pedler of Bob Pedler Real Estate Limited
Lions have been roaring in front of Windsor-Essex County homes for 50 years now ever since an innovative young Realtor invited his community at large to “Put a Lion on Your Lawn.”
Bob Pedler’s slogan continues to be a winner, fulfilling its goal of attracting the attention of homebuyers and sellers seeking a real estate brokerage with proven dependability and staying power.
Today, Bob Pedler Real Estate Limited, Brokerage has a team of 30 sales representatives and is led by Bob’s sons. Greig is Broker of Record and Dave is assistant manager.
“Dad is 89 years old now. He still comes to the office every day,” Greig says.
Determined to build a solid career that would become a lasting legacy, Bob looked to the Pedler family coat of arms for logo inspiration. He connected immediately with the proud golden lion standing tall and strong.
As homeowners increasingly invited his team to hammer in sales signs bearing Pedler lions, Bob dreamed up other ways for his neighbours to engage, including bringing a live 650-pound lion into a movie theatre lobby and floating a 20’ inflatable lion in Windsor’s Santa Claus parade.
Through the years, the lion’s image has been updated and modernized to fit the changing times. That forward-thinking adaptability sums up the way Bob Pedler Real Estate does business.
“We must always be contemporary. We’ve got a good history, but you can’t always rely on your past successes to assure people you are the right Realtor for them,” Greig says.
With their roots deep in the South Windsor area and always moving forward, Bob Pedler Real Estate is proud to be representing their latest developer, handling the sales and marketing for SoHo Condos, located just north of Cabana on Howard. The location is second to none right in the heart of South Windsor, where it all started for Bob. The building will have a mix of 54 residential suites and 7,000 square feet of retail/office space available for purchase with occupancy in the fall of 2021.
Now, on the company’s golden anniversary, the founder recalls first learning the ropes working for a homebuilder and then a real estate company. Selling thousands of homes in just a few years, Bob earned the nickname, Mr. South Windsor.
Respecting Bob Pedler’s reputation as Mr. South Windsor for his impressive home sales, The developer asked Bob in the 1990s if Bob Pedler Real Estate would be the Realtor for Southwood Lakes, a new residential development in South Windsor. “The Developer put our dad’s image on the promotional signage,” Greig Pedler remembers. “We are honoured to have handled sales for Southwood Lakes.”
When he set up his own brokerage in 1969, Bob’s reputation drew eight sales representatives at the outset. “We could see the future of Windsor growing,” Bob says.
A surge of people flowing into the area to begin newly created manufacturing jobs was good news for home sellers and challenging for home seekers. The Pedler People worked hard to finalize the best deals for their clients.
Windsor-Essex County has weathered numerous boom-and-bust cycles since then. “It was especially hard for everyone in early 1980s, when mortgage interest rates approached 20 per cent and homes weren’t selling,” Bob notes. “Like our community, Bob Pedler Real Estate persevered. Whenever the economy is down, we keep going and find different ways to sell in order to help the people who need us.”
“When our dad started selling real estate, a new home averaged 900 square feet. Today, people want much larger homes ranging from 1,200 to over 3,500 square feet,” Dave observes.
The price tag for the average local home has also risen dramatically, from $21,925 in 1969 to $335,559 currently.
“Many homes are selling above the list price, especially those under $400,000. The bidding process can get blown out of proportion, which makes it really difficult for people who want to buy but continue to be outbid,” he says. In this real estate climate, “it takes a lot of patience on the parts of the Buyer and the Realtor.”
With ready access to real estate tips on the web, TV and bookshelves, “today’s homebuyers are well-educated. They know what is going on in their neighbourhoods and what the top trends are. They expect more from their Realtor,” Greig says.
“Experience and knowledge are the two key elements required in Realtors,” he notes.
The Pedler brothers, who have each had their real estate licences for more than 40 years, help guide sales representatives.
As a team, the Pedler People “work well together. The size of our company allows us to do that,” says Greig.
Everyone’s input is valued. “We learn from each other and help one another out.”
“We have young people who have just started here and are already successful,” Dave says. “Other team members have been here 25 to 45 years – this is the only place they’ve worked. Katherine Roth came to us right out of university in 1974. Paul Renaud joined us in 1979.”
Adds Bob: “We’re very proud of them all.”
He was touched when retired and former team members came to wish the founder well at his recent birthday party.
Many other important relationships have endured, including with the multiple generations of families the Pedler People have served.
“We thank the clients, developers and contractors we’ve been privileged to work with for helping us achieve 50 years,” Bob says. “Our company is here because of them.”
For more information, call 519-966-3750 or visit 280 Edinborough St., Windsor or pedlerrealestate.ca.
Involved Citizen
Bob Pedler has held many titles during his career.
- He is a recipient of the Government of Ontario Bicentennial Medal for outstanding community service, he received the 1986 Ontario Solicitor General Award for Crime Prevention, was elected President of The Windsor Essex County Real Estate Board for 1974 and 1978, President of The Ontario Real Estate Association in 1982 and President of The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) in 1987.
- He has acted as CREA’s appointee, holding the private sector seat on The Canadian Delegation to the United Nations Commission on Human Settlements.
- In October 1988 he was elected President of The Canadian Chapter of The International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI/CANADA).
- Current Honorary Fundraising Chair — Streetcar No. 351 Windsor.
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Bob Pedler Real Estate Limited, Brokerage.
