From Financial Planner to Luxury Real Estate Agent: Steve Haid Finds Success in Muskoka
Today, Steve Haid spends a sizable portion of his working hours creating virtual tours of luxurious Muskoka properties for clients worldwide. He spends his spare time the way many of his fellow Muskoka district neighbors spend – on the water or near it, enjoying nature and the cottage country lifestyle. It sounds like a dream come true, and for Steve, it is. To get to it, however, he had to make a couple of sharp turns in his life that eventually led him to become the go-to real estate agent for the Muskoka Lakes area.
The first sharp turn had Haid change his profession. "I was a financial planner for one of the major banks in Toronto for seven years," he says. "I was selling investment funds, mutual funds, stocks, bonds." At one point in his career, however, he started thinking that a real estate boom was brewing right there in front of him, and his current job wasn't letting him participate.
"When you work for the bank, you're a little restricted on what you can do. You're not working for yourself," Haid explains. "But I saw these massive condos start going up in the city, and I've always had a fondness for real estate, both in terms of investment and something I'd play a part in selling."
That's the point when Steve Haid decided to get his license and set sail on the waters of real estate as an agent. He worked in and around Toronto a lot, but he's always had his eye on Muskoka. A central part of Ontario's cottage country, Muskoka is a trendy spot for people from Toronto, but its appeal is much broader than that. Anyone from international celebrities to the wealthiest people in Canada loves to visit Muskoka, giving the district the nickname The Hamptons of the North.
Haid's been aware of Muskoka for most of his life, but it wasn't until he spent a couple of years working in real estate in Toronto that he decided to purchase a lake house on Lake Muskoka. "My house was built in 1896 – it'll turn 130 in a couple of years," he says. "It's a real Muskoka house – from Summer to Winter, we are actively engaged in all that Muskoka has to offer. Boating, swimming, hiking, festivals, concerts, fishing, sports, fine dining, and even in the winter, I walk on the ice with my dog when the lake freezes over. It's a lifestyle!"
It wasn't long before he decided to take the second sharp turn and move to Muskoka full-time. There were plenty of reasons to do it. For one, Haid didn't have to give up working with real estate in Toronto or anywhere else – he just switched his focus more on Muskoka. That proved rewarding as the district's real estate market is rife with incredible opportunities, and his connection to the city demonstrates well-selling waterfront properties.
