Accurate Appraisals Inc. celebrates 20 year anniversary

Written By KIRA WRONSKA DORWARD

Realty and appraisal power couple Karin Heidolph-Bremner, broker and owner, and Thomas Bremner, broker of record, were thrilled to celebrate their 20 years of business in the Caledon community with an open house on Dec. 19 at their office in Inglewood. Accurate (Peel) Appraisals Inc. and its sister company Heritage Caledon Realty have been staple institutions in the Caledon community since the couple first opened their (multiple sets of) doors on Dec. 28, 1998. Now with three office locations in Caledon, Burlington, and Toronto, these two tycoons would like to take a step back to thank the community that first supported their foray into appraising and residential, commercial, and industrial real estate. “Twenty years and twenty people,” Heidolph-Bremner sums up of her partnership with her husband, who's company was presented with the outstanding professional service award in 2016 by the Caledon Chamber of Commerce.

A bountiful array of festive food and drink was set out for all current and prospective clients, while the splendidly designed and decorated office gave an air of both confidence and a welcoming warmth that was embodied by the staff themselves, some of whom are either working students or recent graduates. Heidolph-Bremner emphasized her companies' commitment to hiring students, and especially women, in the local area who are seeking a career in this very competitive field, and giving them the requisite experience needed for this tough business, a highly admirable policy in the current economic climate which tends to dismiss youth. In addition to giving back to the community in this way, the Heidolph-Bremner Scholarship was created in memory of both the founders' mothers with the aim of promoting young women in their careers through education.

“We assist in legal situations- as an example matrimonial or estate settlements so these legal settlements can be resolved. We focus mostly on appraisal work because it is so time consuming.” Becoming an appraiser requires an undergraduate degree and five to seven years of a post-graduate degree, of which one is only offered currently in Canada at UBC. Once finished their education, an incumbent appraiser must become a CRA (a Canadian Residential Appraiser) or an AACI (an Accredited Appraiser of Commercial and Industrial). With an attrition rate of 80%, that means in all of Canada, there are only 5500 members of the Appraisal Institute of Canada, “which is why you've never heard of these mysterious people,” Heidolph-Bremner, who was also awarded the 2016 business woman of the year award by the Caledon Chamber of Commerce, says with a laugh.

On challenges in the coming year, Heidolph-Bremner is candid: “We're in a very challenging real estate market currently, where various things are at play. The first is increasing interest rates and increased indebtedness and household debt. So, with that in mind, it will be very important to have appraisals on properties in order for clients to mitigate risks when forwarding funds or settling legal disputes.” Hope is not lost, however, with Accurate Appraisals and Heritage Caledon Reality on the case. “We believe we can assist in this matter with 20 years of experience and a large variety of expertise. Our service area covers the GTA and the North. Our commitment is to continue to employ young university graduates and offer support and direction for those who want to take a career. We want to thank our clients for their ongoing support.”