Elena Saradidis on why every client she works with refers six people

Elena Saradidis got into real estate at 22. At that age, most of her friends were not buying homes. The people who would trust a 22-year-old with a real estate transaction were few. So she started with renters.

Leases became the foundation of her business. Saradidis built a book of renter clients who eventually became first-time buyers, who then moved up, and who along the way, referred their friends. That early funnel, she says, is what set the trajectory for everything that followed.

Today, Saradidis leads the Elena Saradidis Group at Royal LePage in Toronto. In this episode of Built on Trust, she shares a specific number that defines her business model: every client she works with refers six people to her within six months to two years. That is not an aspiration. It is a metric she tracks.

The system behind that number is not complicated, but it is intentional. Saradidis says she always tells clients that she is busy and grateful to be busy, but never too busy for their friends, family, and connections. That simple statement, she says, is enough to plant the seed. The rest is about making sure clients remember her.

“People remember how you make them feel,” she says. “They don’t always remember the transaction. They’ll remember if it was difficult. They’ll remember if it was excellent. But they’re not going to remember that you showed them a million properties. They’re going to remember if you made something memorable.”

Personal touchpoints

Her approach to staying memorable is what she calls a “PR list for life.” Every past client stays on it permanently. There is no scheduled cadence. Instead, Saradidis sends things irregularly and without occasion. Her florist gets a list each week with names and a standard note: “Just because. Your favourite Realtor.” When she hears a client is having a baby, flowers and a onesie that reads “Looking for a new crib? Call my agent” show up at their door. Pet lovers in her database get branded dog bowls.

Events are a major component. Saradidis hosts a minimum of six per year, ranging from a large Mother’s Day gathering to holiday cookie decorating with kids to a fitness class she branded “Move With Us,” a pun she came up with during a yoga class when the instructor said “thank you for moving with us” at the end of the session. None of the events involve a real estate presentation.

“I’m not trying to be famous,” she says. “I don’t need to be famous. I’m happy selling real estate. I don’t want to be a content creator. It’s just a byproduct of selling real estate in this market.”

That content includes Property Play, a podcast Saradidis has produced for nearly two years. She films in person and says the intent was never to generate leads directly. It was to create another touchpoint so that when a client’s friend Googles her name, they find a real conversation rather than a sales pitch. She outsources all editing and posting because, as she puts it, her highest and best use is anything client-facing.

On the buyer side, Saradidis describes herself as the kind of agent who will tell clients not to buy something. She says she has walked into properties, closed the door, and told her clients they did not need to see it. That willingness to say no, she believes, is what builds the trust that generates referrals. Clients know that when she does say yes, she means it.

“If you’ve ever had a client or been a client who felt locked out of the market, this one’s worth your time,” she says of her approach. “I want you guys to be happy in wherever I place you, because then you’re more likely to refer me to your friends and family.”

Where the home inspection comes in

On home inspections, Saradidis takes a different angle from the other agents in the series. Rather than focusing on the pre-list strategy, she makes the case that every agent, regardless of experience, should attend home inspections in person. She says walking properties with inspectors taught her to recognize issues like knob-and-tube wiring and asbestos-wrapped pipes on her own, and that knowledge has become a competitive advantage during showings.

“No one needs to know where the kitchen is,” she says. “They have eyes, they can see it. But you being able to be like, I’ve walked through hundreds of homes with a professional that is trained to look through these homes, that is now a value add that you bring to your clients.”

She uses Carson Dunlop and says the company’s position as an industry leader is what makes the learning experience valuable. The inspectors are thorough, and the time spent walking a property with them translates directly into better service on every showing that follows.

Watch the full episode at realestatemagazine.ca/built-on-trust.