Boldness and Strength
I am borrowing freely from our family coat of arms motto, Audacter et Strenue which comes from the seat of the Pollock Clan in Glasgow Scotland. The motto speaks of an age old code of honour, and strength of character to aspire to. My father’s roots trace back to Glasgow, and a close association with the Pollock clan.
Of course back in medieval Scotland, Audacter et Strenue referred to a code of honour in battle for King & Country. On 30 November 1703, Sir Robert Pollock-of-that-Ilk was knighted and made Baronet of Nova Scotia by Queen Anne for his services to the crown, with a "recital of the antiquity and flourishing condition of the ancient family of Pollock-of that-Ilk, for 600 years".
The copper coat of arms plaque passed down to me through several generations bears an original version of Pollock Coat of Arms, and a notation “Sir Robert Pollock of that Ilk Baronet of Nova Scotia 1703,” harkening to a time when service to the crown was rewarded with land and title in feudal Britain. The boar stuck with the arrow serves as a reminder that you don’t quit, even if badly wounded. My favorite phrase in this older coat of arms is ‘Strike Boldly,” something I don’t see in modern versions.
In the early 1950’s my father was contacted by officials in Glasgow indicating he was an heir to the Pollock Castle, a 
fine example of Scottish Baronial Architecture. At that time the castle had been abandoned since the late 1940’s and had fallen both into major disrepair and substantial back taxes, something my father was not prepared to deal with, living in Canada. So the castle was torn down and the rock walls, marble and wood dispersed and the lands sold. For the first time in eight centuries the lands of Upper Pollock were no longer Pollock hands. Well, at least I got the plaque and the stories of chivalry!
As a realtor I aspire to the spirit of that code of honour in several ways. My approach to real estate service must be bold and continually refined; marketing must be decisive, accurate, crisp and aesthetic. I act on implementing the latest trends and technologies for exposing the home to the marketplace. Often the toughest and most stressful part of the real estate experience for a buyer or seller is the contract negotiation period.
It falls upon me to have strength of character, point out all of my client’s options and be the ‘calm in the storm,’ helping my clients keep their wits about them, pursue the best strategy and keep them focused on the big picture.
A Passion for Real Estate
As a young boy I had no castles to explore, but I did have access to the next best thing growing up in Kitchener Ontario, large old Victorian houses. With their grand curved Queen Anne porches, multi-level turrets and ornamentation, these houses spoke of just how important a house can be to the fabric of our lives and society.
Rooms for every occasion and use such as the parlour, library and formal dining rooms spoke of the importance of hosting family and guests, and maintaining tradition. Of course I would sneak away to explore all the rooms, hidden passageways and secret closets. The effect on me was permanent, I have a passion for homes and the lifestyles they offer, the stories they tell about the people who lived there. When I see a house today I get an instant sense of a home’s highest and best use, and how close a home comes to achieving that. I tend to notice many details that others don’t. That unique perspective allows me to market a home to the people the home would naturally attract, not just emphasizing size and details but more importantly the lifestyle opportunity the home will create for the its next family members. My buyers benefit by my noticing everything good and bad about a home, and how I would remodel if necessary. That passion also finds me present at all home inspections for my buyers, as a second set of eyes.