Japa: My journey into Canadian real estate industry — Greg Ebube

Gregory Ebube is the CEO of GTA Homes Greg Ebube, an award-winning real estate entrepreneur, provides housing services to Canadians and new families relocating to Canada and those looking to invest in real estate abroad.

GTA Homes by Greg Ebube is a real estate company in Ontario, Canada, passionate about providing affordable housing solutions that exceed their client’s expectations. At GTA Homes, they believe a great home is a place to be comfortable, it is a place to grow up and have a great home, they see every home that they deliver as a crown of success, and so they go the extra mile to ensure that it fits the expectation of the new owner perfectly.

Greg Ebube is a member of the Canada Real Estate Association (CREA). He also belongs to the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB), the largest real estate board in North America. Greg Ebube has been recognized with several awards by Century 21 Leading Edge Realty Inc., including; Most Innovative Realtor, 2021, Pacesetter (Gold) Realtor, 2022 and Award of Excellence, 2023, amongst others.

Before his relocation to Canada, he worked as a Senior Flight Operations Officer with Aero Contractors. He’s experienced in all aspects of business and people management, operations, and sustainability.

Greg Ebube bagged his first degree, B.Sc in Statistics from Ambrose Alli University, and M.Sc in Transport Management and Planning from the University of Lagos.

Share your childhood experience and how it has inspired you till today?

My childhood was quite fun and interactive. I grew up with my grandparents in Asaba. They taught me early the importance of hard work and discipline. While helping out on the family farm, I would make out a little portion of land where I cultivated my own crops, which I would harvest and sell to make little money. From there I moved on to other businesses like fish farming etc. Later, I saved up some money to purchase a motorbike popularly known as Okada which I used for transportation business. I learnt early to be self-sufficient and to pursue my dreams. I believe the skills I learned from my childhood have helped shape my life positively to where I am today.

What led you into real estate and what have been your major achievements to date?

Real Estate has always been a part of me. My father owned lots of properties and after his death, the baton of leadership was on me as a senior male member of the family to oversee his properties. However, I went into real estate professionally in 2018. During the purchase of my first home in Canada, the process was very ambiguous and vague, there were lots of things I didn’t know and wasn’t communicated by the realtor, so I thought to myself you already have a real estate license, why not go into the business so I can educate people from my experience and make home buying a seamless experience for Canadians especially people from our African community. So that was how I started real estate professionally. My major achievement to date I would say is the joy I see in my clients when they collect the keys to their homes. For them, it’s like a dream come true being able to own their own homes in Canada. We have helped over a hundred families and still counting, making the entire process very transparent and easy.

Specifically, what segment of the market do you address?

I address every segment of the market. Resale and purchases of townhomes, detached, semi-detached condominiums etc. I also help clients who want pre-construction of any kind of home, land sales and purchases, commercial leases, as well as tenancy.

Is Canada the only market GTA Homes operates in?

No. Canada is not the only market. Recently, we expanded to the US market. And, the strategy for that is slightly different from Canada’s in the sense that we concentrate mainly on acquiring distressed or low-cost housing that can be rejuvenated. The idea is to build a steady cash flow while ploughing back capital. In the future, we may also consider investing in Nigeria’s real estate industry.

What are the challenges in your sector and how are you surmounting it?

A significant challenge is government regulation, especially in terms of interest rates and criteria to qualify for a home purchase. As regards interest rates unfortunately there’s little or nothing we’re able to do about that, however, I do offer professional advice to my clients on ways they can be in good standing to be able to qualify and still be able to purchase their dream homes regardless of prevailing interest rate. That is one of the ways we surmount some challenges while keeping in business. We do hope in the near future inflation rate will reduce so that interest rates can also come down.

How can people identify authentic real estate agents so they don’t fall victim of scammers?

We have a real estate board called TREB (Toronto Real Estate Board) which registers every real estate agent. If you’re unsure it’s safe to ask for the realtor’s ID go to the website and type in the number. If he is genuine all his information will come up. So I would advise that before transacting any business it is important to do the check, even if the realtor was recommended by someone you know.

How are you balancing work and family?

I make my own work schedule, that way I ensure time is dedicated to family as well. Having that flexibility balances my work and family lifestyle.

What is GTA Homes by Greg Ebube looking forward to do?

GTA Homes by Greg Ebube is looking forward to a Canada where foreigners can be allowed to buy homes without ambiguous rules and also where every family in Canada and the USA can own their own homes because at GTA Homes by Greg Ebube, we accompany our clients every step of the way.

Accompanying families through the stages of acquiring their dream homes, assisting new immigrants to find comfortable and affordable houses and guiding investors in making profitable real estate investments in North America has been fulfilling and rewarding. Families have positive experiences and are happy to work with us through their journey of home ownership because they derive value from the services we provide. This is what I always strive to achieve and I believe everyone in the real estate space should do the same.

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