Diane Priest, Broker
I was born and raised in Toronto. I spent my early childhood growing up in North York. I moved to Newmarket in 1998. Moved back to The Toronto Beaches for 15 years and then returned to Newmarket in 2007 to take care of my aging parents. I was adopted as an infant as my adoptive mother had health issues and could not have any more children. I have an older brother (my adoptive family). I have in recent years reconnected with my birth mother and father and their respective families! Very exciting as I now have three half-sisters and one-half brother. We are getting to know each other more and more as time goes on. I am blessed!
As long as I can remember, I have had a passion and love for Real Estate, decorating, and design. As a small child, I would constantly rearrange and redesign my bedroom, move the furniture around the rest of the house. It wasn't uncommon for my parents to come home after a shopping trip and find the living room rearranged completely. Today my friends and family will call on me for decorating and renovating advice. I absolutely love it!
My career began in the Telecommunications Industry. Rogers Television. This was certainly a very exciting time in technological advancements. I assisted with the launch of the very first Pay-TV Channel. The first cellular network and The Internet. This fast-paced and dynamic environment was an incredible opportunity and training ground for all the skills I have acquired to date. I fulfilled roles such as National Sales Trainer, Client Care Services & Marketing Manager, and various sales roles over the years.
After nearly a decade with Rogers, I launched my own Consulting Company. I helped companies create and build call centers and developed their training and education materials for both customers and internal employees. I also assisted in the launch of new companies in Canada such as Star Choice Television (now Shaw). As well as LincSat (now Xplornet Satellite). I even owned a small retail store for a few years.
After my divorce, I decided to leave the corporate world. I had always had an interest in renovating homes and took the plunge to invest in a fixer-upper.
Renovating and solving design dilemmas came very naturally to me. Not to mention it was very therapeutic. There was this incredible feeling that would come over me that I can't explain. It just felt so right.
With my background in Design, I was able to draft plans and obtain the proper permits to ensure everything was done properly and to code.
There was a risk and I was fearful of losing all the money I had saved to date. But this did not stop me. I was committed, determined, and driven to make it happen.
Five months later-my first flip was a success. I began to reinvest and continued this model and strategy of improving homes for resale for many years to follow. I have learned many tricks and tips along the way to get the most for your investment as well as what not to do.
I used a local top producing agent. I trusted this person unconditionally and never questioned their advice or guidance. I used them for many transactions for years. Unfortunately after one of my last properties- the advice they gave me almost resulted in me losing all of my savings and profit to date. I would have gone bankrupt if I had followed the advice that this agent had given me.
I knew at this moment that this was my purpose, my calling. There was a lack of education, honest and ethical guidance in the Real Estate Industry. Within 6 months of this incident, I was a licensed Realtor and have never looked back!
At the height of my early career in Real Estate, my mother was diagnosed with Ahlzymers. My knowledge broadened by helping my parents find caregivers in the home as well as local community support for families. Taking care of our aging parents/seniors in our community and juggling our children's lives can all be very overwhelming. I sought out higher education, skills, and have obtained specialized accreditations for working with seniors in transitions of various types.
I love animals, all of them! I love nature, being close to water, cottaging, water activities, boating, and swimming are among my favorites. I spend my downtime reading, helping others, entertaining friends and family at the cottage. I love food and good wine. Mostly, I love creating memories with those I care about.
I am fortunate to share this passion for helping others in Real Estate with my partner in love and work. We share the same values, ethics, and similar experiences. We complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. We go above and beyond to protect our clients' best interests at all times. We have both personally bought multiple homes and recreational properties. We have helped many seamlessly over the years find that perfect home to ensure that financial goals and personal desires are met. After all, Selling or Buying a Home is usually one's largest financial transaction and investment a person will make in their lifetime.
We absolutely love what we do and we are here to help our clients every step of the way!
Carlo DeNuzzo, Sales Representative
I grew up in downtown Toronto with my three brothers and twin sister. We are a very close Italian/French family. My father is from Puglia, Italy and my mother was born in Toulouse, France. They met during the war and didn't speak a word of the other's language. Now that's a love story! I have not only been blessed with a large, loving, passionate family- but also I am lucky to be Trilingual in French, Italian, and English.
I have four amazing children. They are all young adults now in their 20's. Two daughters and two sons. I am very proud of them all. They are busy building their lives and careers so any time I can spend with them is a blessing.
I have resided in Newmarket now for about fifteen years. I originally built a custom 5,000 square foot home in Queensville prior. What an experience (and headache). I was the General Contractor and was able to acquire important knowledge about homes and acquiring vacant land that has helped many of my clients' decisions in Real Estate over the years.
My career started in the corporate world with IBM in sales, marketing, and client services. I also had the opportunity to work for American Express. Another amazing company that taught me many skills in business management, accounting, and collections. My university education in business management has helped me successfully build my business relationships over my career.
Something was missing though. As much as I enjoyed the corporate world- it felt like I was missing something in my life. I have always had a love for Real Estate, Investment Opportunities, and The Stock Market. World and Local economics is a passion of mine and I follow it closely daily. What effects world economies will affect our local communities. Which will touch us all in some form or way.
After my custom home build, I knew I would venture out and become a licensed Realtor. Since 2008 I have enjoyed helping investors, families, first-time buyers and people downsizing find the right property for them.
With my background in business, world economics, sales, and marketing, I bring to the team some important analytical skillsets to assist our clients in projecting markets, planning the timing of a sale or purchase, and assisting them in financial budgeting and goal setting.
My multilingualism opens opportunities with other communities and cultures both locally and internationally. This has led me to evolve my Real Estate Certifications to an International level. Opening up a larger and broader buyer base by being able to communicate effectively and market all over the world. I am a member of The National Association of Realtors and Certified International Property Specialist among other accreditations. The benefit of these is our team can network our client's homes anywhere in the world. I have even helped individuals move from overseas and purchase properties locally.
My personal interests include renovating, building, world economies, investing, stock markets, cottaging, traveling, spending quality time with my partner Diane, children, mom, and my family. Dining with friends and spending time at the cottage. There always seems to be another project to complete at the cottage. I enjoy it immensely.
Best of all we help many individuals successfully buy and sell homes. Diane and my skills seem to compliment each other. It is a great blend to help our clients meet their goals successfully. We are here to help them every step of the way.
Amelia Emmerson, Sales Representative
I was born in Oshawa and am the youngest of five children. My parent’s emigrated to Canada with my siblings in the early seventies and I am the only Emmerson sibling born in Canada. I was raised in a small town in Durham for most of my childhood growing up in the arena figure skating and watching my siblings play hockey. When I was eleven years old we moved to Newmarket so my older siblings would be closer for commuting to college. I lived in Newmarket until I purchased my first house, a new build, at the age of twenty-three in Keswick. We spent seven years there and then moved a little further south to Queensville. A number of years and some life changes later, took me even further south to Markham where I have now lived for the last eight years.
I have two beautiful children, a daughter and son who are both in their early 20’s. They are both busy with work and school and becoming more and more independent and self-sufficient. This leaves me entering and navigating a new stage of life as an empty nester.
Having owned and operated a custom cabinetry/flooring and staircase company with my husband in the past, I have a great deal of knowledge around renovations and upgrading homes. I have always had a passion for decorating and real estate, so in 2007 I decided to get my real estate licence. I have had the honour of working with a variety of clients throughout my career from first time homebuyers to repeat clients all over the GTA.
In my spare time I enjoy reading, hiking, playing tennis and travelling. I love the warm weather and one day would like to live near the water, preferably somewhere hot!
I am an honest, dedicated and ethical person who believes in quality customer service. I have a personal approach and work with clients to find the perfect fit for them on their time line. I believe in assisting them to make an educated well-informed decision that they are happy with! I look forward to having the opportunity to working with you in the future.
Jonathan Xu, Marketing Assistant & Team Administrator
We are excited to welcome Jonathan as the newest member of The Dream Building Team!
Jonathan is fulfilling a very important role as our Marketing Assistant/Team Administrator.
Jonathan is passionate about people. He is dedicated to ensuring our clients' properties are marketed professionally. He illustrates a true love for Real Estate and Marketing by his dedication and creativity.
He brings some savvy technical skills to the team that ensures that our clients' properties are showcased extensively and exposed to the masses across multiple platforms.
Jonathan prioritizes his focus on managing our website, launching and managing Social Media campaigns, managing our customer relations systems, and oversees our marketing systems.
Jonathan's entrepreneurial spirit continues to shine as he has started multiple online businesses and has advertised successfully on social media and web-based platforms. He has created branded websites, connected with customers, and structured sales funnels. His background in technical retail sales, marketing, sales complemented with his helpful, genuine nature enables him to build excellent relationships with clients.
Jonathan continues to build his skill sets by taking an Interior Design program at Ryerson University. He will continue to pursue his passion for the real estate industry as he builds his knowledge.
Besides real estate, Jonathan has a huge passion for art. He started drawing at a young age and has now progressed into an experienced artist. Jonathan runs a successful social media platform to showcase his artistic talents. He also enjoys physical exercise, swimming, and his pet labrador retriever.
Jonathan is starting a new chapter in his life by joining The Dream Building Team. He is determined to help The Team in assisting their clients in the process of successfully selling or buying properties in order to meet the client's goals. Jonathan is also bi-lingual as he studied Mandarin during his elementary school years.
We are very excited to have Jonathan on board!
Real Estate Websites by Web4Realty
https://web4realty.com/