Trish Bongard Godfrey
Sales Representative
I am a native Torontonian and an award-winning real estate professional, working in real estate sales since January 2010. I am energetic and enthusiastic, and I love my work.
I am committed to meeting my client’s needs and passionate about getting them the best results. Serving people in real estate meets my natural desire to advocate and help individuals and families achieve their goals and protect their interests. I have an extensive background in client care and stewardship, as well as sales and negotiations. I have a love of design and a keen interest in home construction techniques. I have coordinated several home renovation projects – acting as a general contractor - and studied architectural technology.
Contact Information:
Phone: 416.577.2033
Email: trish.bongard@sothebysrealty.ca
Website: TrishBongard.com
More about Trish
Before choosing real estate, my professional career and experience spanned several areas – first, in sales and marketing financial products. I worked as a financial consultant with Merrill Lynch Canada which selected me to study in their international sales training program in New York. I also worked in communications roles with financial service companies, including Templeton Mutual Funds.
Later I translated that client-care and sales training experience into a successful 20-year management and consulting career in the not-for-profit sector.
I held senior management roles at Second Harvest, World University Services of Canada (WUSC) and The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, and led numerous successful fundraising campaigns, including the annual United Way campaign for the UofT (one of the largest corporate campaigns in the city); The Canadian Institute for International Affairs; and the Council for Canadian Unity on behalf of the federalist efforts in the 1995 Quebec referendum. I bid on and won contracts to deliver fundraising feasibility studies for three Ontario post-secondary institutions, including RMC, Carleton University and UofT. During a three-year break from this sector, I managed investor relations for two publicly-traded junior exploration companies.
I credit my customer service attitude and early skills to my parents (for providing only a small weekly allowance) and early working days earning my way as an inventory clerk, dishwasher, professional ski patroller, ski lift operator, tree planter, sailing instructor, yacht delivery crew and luxury yacht crew/hostess, especially for too numerous food and beverage and retail clothing sales jobs.
In sports, I competed three times internationally in the Albacore dinghy class. I am an avid open-water swimmer and still like to ski. I am a mom to my adult son, Ian. I was married to the late John Godfrey. John's varied career – including as a politician and Federal Cabinet Minister through five elections over 15 years – added a rich dimension to my life.
Testimonials about Trish
“We feel incredibly fortunate to have Trish as our real estate agent in Toronto. Her knowledge of the market and negotiating savvy are equally matched by her honest assessments and her commitment to her clients. We never doubted that Trish has our best interests at heart, and she is always willing to do more work to get the best outcome. Anyone interested in buying or renting in the city would be lucky to have Trish as their agent.”
- Kristyn and James, Repeat Clients, Regal Heights and Humewood Cedarvale
“So grateful for Trish Bongard Godfrey. Trish managed to sell our house during one of Toronto's most difficult selling periods, for more than we were asking. While she made it look easy, she accomplished this sale by expert timing, great advice, fantastic staging, and her extensive network within the real estate market. What's more, Trish's patient guidance made the entire process amazingly easy. When we asked two trusted friends (who didn't know each other) who they would recommend to help us sell our home, they both, independently of the other, recommended Trish. And now I'm delighted to also recommend Trish!”
- Pat P., Toronto Home Seller
“When I decided to sell my first home earlier this year, I didn't know much about the whole process. What I did know is that I needed to find the right agent for me. I met with a couple of realtors but after meeting Trish I knew my search was over right there. Talking with her was comfortable and very obvious that I was dealing with someone extremely experienced. She answered any questions I had in a way that made it very easy to understand. When presented with her marketing strategy, I was blown away. I didn't think selling a house could be so involved. Needless to say the house didn't last over a weekend on the market. The open house was a huge success with plenty of traffic. We got offers the second day for above asking. During the negotiation stage is when I saw her passion for the job really shine. I am so grateful to have found an agent like her that always had time to talk and made the whole process a pleasurable one. If I sell again, I know who I'll be calling upon.”
- Hernani E., Corso Italia Home Seller
“Trish is exceptional at supporting and guiding you through the process of selling your home. She’s hands on, incredibly helpful and resourceful at presenting your home to sell, and knows the market. Cannot say enough about how successful a process this was - from the time we listed to the time we sold it was about 45 days. Don’t even think twice - engage Trish for a superior experience.”
- Cathy S., Etobicoke Home Seller
"We were very pleased with the service and hard work that Trish provided us in selling our property. She proved to be an excellent communicator and went well above and beyond what we were expecting from a realtor to get through the various problems. In addition to her superior knowledge, skills, and efficiency, she has also demonstrated a high degree of integrity. We definitely recommend Trish as a realtor to anyone."
- David K., Oakwood-Vaughan Home Seller
“Trish Bongard Godfrey has in the past decade helped my family to find a house, then a condo, to buy. Both times she scoured the market thoroughly using the criteria we gave her and both times the result was excellent. She navigated us through the highly competitive buying process effectively and made sure we got what we wanted at a manageable price. Trish sold our house in Bloor West village and the result of our selecting her was spectacular. She demonstrated an extraordinary ability to judge the market and, sometimes against our inclinations, she oversaw home improvements that paid off spectacularly.
In preparation for the sale, we vacated our house and allowed her and her staff to make significant improvements to key parts of the house, notably the kitchen, and to correct minor imperfections, that she, not Ann or I, judged to be necessary. The result was many offers above the asking price and a final result that has made us exceedingly satisfied.”
- Micheal and Ann, Bloor West Village, Repeat Clients
"Trish is a great person to work with! She's really enthusiastic, super responsive and goes the extra mile to get you the house. When I had questions, she not only got back to me right away, but she knew the answers. She is so knowledgeable about the market and could speak to many aspects about each house - the architecture, the design, possibilities for renovations and even the problems and potential hazards of each property. I highly recommend Trish."
- Kathy W., Oakwood-Vaughan, Repeat Buyer
“Trish is the most thorough real estate agent you could possibly work with. Her experience and knowledge of the Toronto market sets her apart. She is great at communicating quickly and is very pro active in finding properties that fit what you’re looking for. Trish saved us from buying a house that would have been a mistake because she was able to tell that some of the construction done poorly (something we never would have noticed). Trish did a great job of helping us figure out what we should be looking for and what would be a good investment as well as a great home to live in. We couldn’t recommend her highly enough. She has found homes for multiple family members and will continue to be our family’s real estate agent going forward.”
- Kate and Blake, Rosedale, Toronto Buyers
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