A real estate broker is the professional who represents you when you buy or sell a home — pricing the property, marketing the listing, finding qualified buyers, and negotiating the deal through to closing. Because a broker's value is intensely local, the right one knows your specific sector: its price tiers, its inventory, and what actually closes there. Payotte lists a single verified broker per sector across Canada, selected on objective, public criteria rather than on advertising spend — so the name you see is the one the data supports, not the one who paid the most.
Top-rated verified real estate brokers in Canada
The highest-scoring verified real estate brokers across all sectors — each with a full verified profile.
- 1 The Golfi Team (Rob Golfi) East Hamilton, Hamilton 99
- 2 Ron Neal Victoria, Victoria 98
- 3 Sharon Soltanian North York, Toronto 97
- 4 Leslie Brlec Etobicoke, Toronto 97
- 5 Wins Lai Downtown Core, Toronto 96
- 6 Terry Paranych Real Estate Group West Edmonton, Edmonton 96
- 7 Asif Shahzad (CENTURY 21 Green Realty Inc., Brokerage) Cooksville–Central Mississauga, Mississauga 96
- 8 Sam McDadi City Centre, Mississauga 95
- 9 Erin Willman St. Albert Area, Edmonton 94
- 10 Anurag Sharma Kitchener, Kitchener 94
- 11 Goran Todorovic Windsor, Windsor 94
- 12 Angelo Toscano Orleans–Gloucester, Ottawa 93
Find your verified real estate broker by city
Quebec
Ontario
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
Nova Scotia
Saskatchewan
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
What a real estate broker does
In a typical transaction, a real estate broker carries the file from first valuation to final signature:
- Prices the property using comparable sales and current local inventory
- Markets the listing and screens for genuinely qualified buyers
- Drafts, presents and negotiates offers and counter-offers
- Manages conditions (financing, inspection) and deadlines
- Coordinates with the mortgage broker, inspector and notary/lawyer to closing
How to choose a real estate broker
Choosing a broker is mostly about verifying substance over self-promotion. Before you sign a brokerage agreement, confirm:
Read our full guide — How to choose a verified real estate broker →Provincial regulators
A genuine real estate broker holds an active licence with the regulator in their province. Confirm any licence on the regulator’s public register before you commit.
| Province | Regulator |
|---|---|
| Quebec | OACIQ |
| Ontario | RECO |
| Alberta | RECA |
| British Columbia | BCFSA |
| Manitoba | MREA |
| Nova Scotia | NSREC |
| Saskatchewan | SREC |
| New Brunswick | — |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Service NL |
| Prince Edward Island | Insurance and Real Estate (PEI) |
How Payotte scores every real estate broker
Payotte ranks each real estate broker out of 100 on five objective, verifiable criteria — never on advertising spend. Only the single highest-scoring verified professional is published per sector.
- 35 pts — Google reviews — rating and review volume
- 30 pts — Experience in years
- 15 pts — Active provincial licence
- 15 pts — Local presence in the sector
- 5 pts — Bonus — media, awards, video
Green (70+) is published normally, yellow (50–69) is published with an explanation, and below 50 the sector is left empty rather than recommend an unverified profile.
Real Estate Brokers verified on Payotte
Payotte currently lists 143 verified real estate brokers across 143 sectors in 70 cities — 109 rated green and 34 yellow. Coverage expands as new sectors are verified.
Frequently asked questions
What does a real estate broker actually do?
A real estate broker represents a buyer or seller: they price the property, market it, find and qualify counterparties, negotiate the offer, and manage conditions and deadlines through to closing. Their core value is local market knowledge and negotiation.
How do I verify a broker is licensed?
Every Canadian broker must hold an active licence with their provincial regulator (for example OACIQ in Quebec, RECO in Ontario, RECA in Alberta, BCFSA in British Columbia). You can confirm any licence directly on the regulator’s public register.
How does Payotte choose the best broker for a sector?
Payotte scores brokers out of 100 on five objective criteria — Google reviews, experience, active licence, local presence and a small bonus — and publishes the single highest-scoring verified broker per sector. No placement can be purchased.
Is Payotte free, and do brokers pay to be listed?
Yes, it is free for the public, and no — brokers cannot pay to appear or to rank higher. Payotte is ad-free and commission-free; rankings come only from verifiable public data.
Why one broker per sector instead of a long list?
A long directory pushes the work of comparing and vetting back onto you. Payotte does that work and publishes one verified reference per sector, so you start from a vetted name rather than a list to sort.