Don Goodale

What is your Mission Statement?

“I don’t take trust lightly or for granted, and work hard to earn it with every person I meet.”

How long have you been in the Real Estate Industry?

I’ve been in the business for over 20 years working at Century 21 Miller Real Estate Ltd, Brokerage. I also have extensive training in sales and marketing with a background in the auto industry. After selling cars for over 20 years I decided it was time to put that experience to use in the Real Estate industry.

Why Real Estate?

I’ve always had a passion for Real Estate and the choice was clear to me at the time, I had the skills and the drive to pursue a new career. There were two driving forces behind my decision to move over to Real Estate, one was Bill Miller, Broker/Owner of Century 21 Miller the other was Clare MacLean, a seasoned Real Estate Agent at Century 21 Miller.

Bill was a long-time friend and opened the door for me when I decided to move into the Real Estate world. He has fully supported me ever since. Clare was a real mentor to me when I started and taught me the value of human contact, relationship building and the power of something as simple as a written note in the mail.

What is your life philosophy?

It’s simple, people like to do business with people they trust and like. I believe in building long - term relationships, built on trust and strive to do the best for people at any given time. I always approach every situation with honesty, integrity and sincerity.

For me there are three basic rules: Never treat clients as objects; never get too serious; and always keep a sense of humour.

You’ve been in the industry for over 20 years what is your greatest struggle?

The Real Estate business is 24/7, 365 days a year and is very time consuming so you tend to internalize the wants, needs and desires of clients. Ultimately this means I am very involved and have become very close with many clients.

So what do you like the most about the industry?

It’s a people business and I thrive on meeting new people and learning from them. I don’t take trust lightly, or for granted, and work hard to earn that with every new person I meet. Usually this is a long-term relationship and I find it very rewarding to see the growth of our clients’ families as we help them through their changing Real Estate needs.

Every day is literally a new day in Real Estate, you never know what you’ll be doing, where you will go or who you will meet up with.

You were once independent and now work with a team, what’s the greatest benefit of that?

We have a great cohesive team effort here with lots of trust, and we have fun along the way! Our team has many years of experience and expertise and we draw on that whenever we can, ultimately ensuring our clients receive the service they deserve for their Real Estate Marketing.

The team makes me better at what I do. With a team we have a built-in network for referrals of properties, potential buyers and sellers that we would not otherwise have. Through the collective time and energy of an entire team we are able to give 100% attention to each client's needs.

There’s also a great mesh between myself and Brad Miller, as we both bring our individual strengths and experience to the table.

We also have a great network of “suppliers” in our builders, developers, photographers, floor planning people, and always work with people that have the same philosophy and ethics as our team.

You have a long-standing family history in Oakville spanning over 100 years?

Our family has a long-time connection to the history of Oakville, and I’m proud that. It’s important to me to remember that history and I’m committed to being a part of, and giving back to the community I grew up in. I was born and raised in Oakville and I want to know that I can hold my head high when I walk down the street.

I am keenly aware of the value of networking and partnerships, and have developed strong ties within the community. As a lifelong resident of Oakville I have a large network of friends and family in the area.

It’s really interesting to me to drive by the Ford Plant and know that it used to be farmland that was leased by my grandfather. My grandmother used to work at the old Post Office that was on Navy Street and there used to be a Basket Factory at Cross and Trafalgar that is long gone.

To me, that’s what Oakville is all about, its history, and if I can give some of that history to our clients then I am a happy man.