In this episode of The Pre-Con Recon Podcast, Justin Frenette sits down with Daniela Tirone, Marketing & Communications Lead at CountryWide Homes, to discuss what it takes to build a strong real estate brand in today's increasingly uncertain market.

The conversation moves beyond traditional real estate marketing and into the relationship between marketing, sales, customer experience, reputation, and trust. Daniela explains why marketing and sales need to operate as one team, why copy can be more important than visuals, and how builders can balance aspiration with the facts buyers need to make a major purchasing decision.

A major theme throughout the episode is that every customer interaction is a brand interaction. From the first website visit to a sales-office experience, design appointment, negative review, or post-purchase service issue, each touchpoint can either strengthen or damage a builder's reputation.

Daniela also discusses how buyer behaviour is changing, particularly with move-in-ready homes, signage, organic social media, and AI becoming part of the research process. Her advice for builders going into 2026 is straightforward: be transparent, educate buyers, and make it clear why you're the right choice.

Connect with Daniela Tirone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielatirone/
CountryWide Homes: https://countrywidehomes.ca/
CountryWide Homes' Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/countrywidehomesca/
Connect with Justin Frenette: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinfrenette

Brought to you by Him & Her, a design agency that moves quickly and makes things matter. Learn more at https://himandher.ca/

Learn more about Pre-Con Recon at https://www.preconrecon.com/

In this episode of The Pre-Con Recon Podcast, Justin sits down with Devynn Tavares, Operational Leader at The Cora Group, to discuss how her early customer-service experience shaped the way she approaches people and operations today, and why some of her biggest career opportunities came from leaders who trusted her before she had the traditional credentials or title to justify that trust.

A major theme of the conversation is human connection. Devynn argues that whether you're managing a home or an office building, people ultimately want to feel heard and treated like humans, not products or revenue. She believes the industry's increasing reliance on remote communication has weakened some of those relationships, and that companies risk losing talent and tenant loyalty when they lose the human element.

She also explains her approach to entering a new leadership role: rather than immediately imposing changes, she spent her first two weeks meeting individually with everyone in the organization. Those conversations helped her identify where responsibilities had become unclear as the company grew. From there, she rebuilt roles around accountability, ownership and clarity.

For Devynn, great operations ultimately come down to two words: freedom and trust. When employees know what they own and have the freedom to make decisions, accountability becomes empowering rather than intimidating.

Looking ahead, Devynn believes the future of commercial real estate will require companies to rethink the balance between remote work, office culture, and human interaction. Her larger personal mission is to help people feel confident walking into rooms where they don't think they belong and to help make the workplace stronger, clearer and more human.

Connect with Devynn Tavares:
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/devynntavares
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devynntavares/
Email: devynn@coragroup.com
The Cora Group: https://coragroup.com/
The Cora Group Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecoragroup/
Connect with Justin Frenette: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinfrenette

Brought to you by Him & Her, a design agency that moves quickly and makes things matter. Learn more at https://himandher.ca/

Learn more about Pre-Con Recon at https://www.preconrecon.com/

In this episode of The Pre-Con Recon Podcast, Justin Frenette sits down with Stephanie Lane, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Geranium, to discuss what it really takes to build enduring communities and enduring brands. With more than 20 years in the industry, Stephanie shares how an unexpected opportunity launched her career, why hospitality shaped her leadership style, and how collaboration across departments leads to better developments.

The conversation explores how today's challenging market is forcing developers to rethink sales, marketing, websites, AI adoption, and customer experience. Stephanie also shares lessons from leading Geranium's corporate rebrand, winning a national marketing award, mentoring future leaders, and why doing the right thing—even when no one sees it—is ultimately what builds lasting trust.

Connect with Stephanie Lane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanielane/
Geranium: https://www.geranium.com/
Geranium's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geraniumhomes
Connect with Justin Frenette: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinfrenette

Brought to you by Him & Her, a design agency that moves quickly and makes things matter. Learn more at https://himandher.ca/

Learn more about Pre-Con Recon at https://www.preconrecon.com/

In this episode of The Pre-Con Recon Podcast, Justin Frenette speaks with Brian DosRamos, President of Ever After Homes, a third-generation builder based in Burlington, Ontario. Brian shares the journey of growing up in a construction family and how those early experiences shaped his philosophy toward craftsmanship, responsibility, and the deeper meaning of building homes for families.

Throughout the conversation, Brian explains how Ever After Homes evolved from spec builds and early development projects into a refined custom home design-build practice. He discusses the importance of transparency with clients, building strong relationships, and designing homes that truly reflect how people live. For Brian, the process of building isn’t just about delivering a product — it’s about creating spaces where families grow, memories are made, and generations stay connected.

The discussion also explores the future of the company as Brian and his team begin laying the groundwork for development projects that focus on thoughtful community planning and environmentally responsible construction. With insights into the realities of custom home building, client relationships, and long-term industry vision, this episode offers a compelling look at what it means to build homes that genuinely matter.

Connect with Brian DosRamos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-dosramos-b01ab1bb/
Ever After Homes: https://everafterhomes.ca/
Ever After Homes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ever.after.homes/
Connect with Justin Frenette: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinfrenette

Brought to you by Him & Her, a design agency that moves quickly and makes things matter. Learn more at https://himandher.ca/

Learn more about Pre-Con Recon at https://www.preconrecon.com/

In this episode of Pre-Con Recon, Justin Frenette speaks with Warren Saunders, Sales and Marketing Manager at Cardel Homes. Warren shares his journey through the homebuilding industry, from architectural design to sales leadership, and explains how those experiences shaped the way he approaches branding, technology, and customer experience in real estate.

The conversation explores how buyer behavior has changed in the past decade. Today’s homebuyers often complete most of their research online before visiting a sales centre. Warren explains why developers must adapt by simplifying the buying process, clearly communicating value and pricing, and ensuring their marketing and sales experiences align with how buyers actually make decisions.

Warren also discusses the launch of Cardel’s multifamily division and the strategy behind building a brand focused on clarity, trust, and simplicity. He shares why transparency builds stronger relationships with buyers, why technology should support the customer journey rather than complicate it, and why the most successful sales teams focus equally on service and sales.

Connect with Warren Saunders: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warren-saunders-salesdirector/
Cardel Homes: https://www.cardelhomes.com/
Cardel Homes Alberta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cardelhomesyyc/?hl=en
Connect with Justin Frenette: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinfrenette

Brought to you by Him & Her, a design agency that moves quickly and makes things matter. Learn more at https://himandher.ca/

Learn more about Pre-Con Recon at https://www.preconrecon.com/

In this episode of the Pre-Con Recon Podcast, Justin Frenette sits down with Rachel Galway, Sales & Marketing Manager at DBS Developments and one of the most experienced boots-on-the-ground professionals in Canadian pre-construction real estate.

With nearly 16 years in the industry and close to 7,000 homes sold, Rachel offers an unfiltered look at what it actually takes to survive and stay relevant in today’s pre-con market. From the shift away from frenzy-driven sales to a more thoughtful, lifestyle-led approach, she breaks down why storytelling matters more than hard closes, how floor plans and livability were overlooked during the boom, and why reputation and purchaser experience have become the real currency of success.

The conversation explores how experience, adaptability, and long-term thinking are now essential in a more disciplined market. Rachel shares hard-earned insights on mentorship, decision-making, and what separates resilient operators from those who relied on momentum alone, offering practical perspective for developers, brokers, and marketers navigating pre-con today.

In this episode of the Pre-Con Recon Podcast, Justin Frenette sits down with Ryan Funt, VP of Marketing at Fitzrovia, to unpack how brand, storytelling, and operations intersect to create lasting value in the pre-construction and rental housing market.

Ryan shares how a background in operations shaped his marketing philosophy—bridging creativity with execution—and why every brand decision must start with the end user experience in mind. The conversation dives into how hospitality principles can elevate residential development, the shift toward lifestyle-driven branding, and what it takes to deliver consistency across every customer touchpoint.

From the evolution of rental marketing to the growing role of technology, data, and AI, Ryan offers a practical look at how developers can adapt to a new era of resident expectations, transparency, and brand accountability.

In this episode of the Pre-Con Recon Podcast, Justin Frenette speaks with Tim Ng, founder and CEO of Blackline and ADHOC Studio. Tim shares how his early exposure to real estate inspired a lifelong mission to bring technology and innovation to the industry.

Together, Justin and Tim explore the lessons learned from scaling two companies, breaking into new markets like Miami, and navigating the differences between condo sales and purpose-built rentals. Tim also highlights what’s working in today’s sales and marketing playbooks, how AI is set to unlock predictive insights, and why brand, reputation, and personalization have become essential for developers to succeed in today’s buyer-first market.