By Peter Squire
WinnipegREALTORS® is proud to announce Kourosh Doustshenas as its 2021 President.
“We are pleased to announce that one of our real estate industry’s leading advocates and practitioners will assume the role of President for 2021,” said Marina R. James, CEO of WinnipegREALTORS®. “Kourosh Doustshenas has dedicated many years of volunteer time serving on key committees such as Government and Stakeholder Relations in preparation for his appointment as our 2021 President. Leaders on our board, such as Kourosh, are actively involved at
a local, regional and national level ensuring that real estate practices, be it regulatory or policy based, support a sustainable real estate economy along with residential and commercial property ownership.”
“WinnipegREALTORS® finished 2020 with over 16,000 MLS® sales totalling $4.9 billion. In doing so, it reaffirmed its regional importance with rural MLS® areas showing exemplary growth contributing significantly to the record sales and dollar volume total,” James added.
“I am looking forward to applying my experience and industry insights to lead our real estate board in a year that ushers in a brand refresh that reflects the diversity and inclusion of our Members within our industry and the regional market we serve,” said Doustshenas. “2021 is also a year where we recognize the Real Estate News’s 40 years in operation. This industry publication continues to be an integral part of our foundation as the voice of real estate and supports our Members and their clients in marketing and showcasing MLS® listed properties.”
Doustshenas was licensed as a REALTOR® in 1991, after taking on the role of Salesperson for 3 years, he then progressed to become the Broker and Owner of his own real estate company, Expert Real Estate Services. While he focuses the majority of his time on residential real
estate sales, he also is active in commercial and rural real estate. Like Presidents that came before him, he has served a number of terms on the WinnipegREALTORS® Board of Directors and other important real estate committees, and now becomes the Board’s 118th President.
Chairing WinnipegREALTORS® Government and Stakeholder Relations Committee in 2014 and 2015 was pivotal to Doustshenas in carrying out his strong beliefs in democratic principles and the ability of Canadian citizens to get involved in making a difference in their community.
Doustshenas served on the Canadian Real Estate Association’s Political Action Committee network and, as a representative to MPs such as former MP Robert Falcon-Ouellette and current Winnipeg North MP Kevin Lamoureux, distinguished himself in this capacity. In October 2019, Doustshenas was presented with the industry’s top award — the Pierre Beauchamp Individual Advocacy Award. This award recognizes and honours volunteer initiatives and exceptional efforts advancing federal REALTOR® issues. He received it for advocating on home ownership issues that resulted in the federal government increasing the Home Buyers’ Plan individual withdrawal limits from $25,000 to $35,000 and allowing individuals going through a marital split to be eligible again for accessing this important first-time buyer program.
Doustshenas also received the Brian M. Collie Award in 2018 for his strong advocacy at the provincial level and presently serves on the Manitoba Real Estate Association’s Political Action Committee.
“2020 is a good example of how our industry worked closely with the provincial government and through the Manitoba Securities Commission to allow REALTORS® to use digital signatures in order to transact real estate in a safe manner,” said Doustshenas.
Doustshenas recognizes the importance of advocating for Members to create favourable real estate
conditions for Winnipeg and the extensive rural region WinnipegREALTORS® market area encompasses (e.g. Winkler/Morden MLS® area).
“I am focused on keeping WinnipegREALTORS® front and center in the growth and development of Winnipeg and the surrounding region,” said Doustshenas. “Our real estate industry is instrumental in providing Manitobans with options for homeownership that improve their lifestyle.”
Seeing Manitobans more engaged in the regional market than ever before was a real win for the
Manitoba economy. Based on a study by Altus Group Economic Consulting, MLS® home sales for
WinnipegREALTORS® market region translates to approximately $864 million in economic spin-off spending. It resulted in job creation as well.
Doustshenas’ first occasion to address Members and the public will be at WinnipegREALTORS® virtual Market Insights event on February 3 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. This free event is an opportunity for people to discuss the 2020 Market and the forecast for 2021 from both local and
national speakers.
A comprehensive recap and summary of MLS® activity during 2020 will be provided, as well as setting the stage for 2021. Don White, a leading commercial REALTOR® in Winnipeg and a former WinnipegREALTORS® Commercial Division Chair, will give an overview on commercial real estate and trends and development in 2021 and beyond. Keynote speaker from The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is senior economist Shaun Cathcart who will provide a national perspective on
2020 and participate in a fireside chat with Winnipeg-REALTORS® Vice-President of External Relations and Market Intelligence, Peter Squire.
Doustshenas is complemented by 10 other volunteer directors serving on the 2021 Board of Directors of WinnipegREALTORS®. These include Akash Bedi of RE/MAX EXECUTIVES REALTY is President-Elect, Val Werhun of Royal LePage Top Producers Real Estate is Treasurer, and Catherine Schellenberg of RE/MAX Professionals is Past-President. Directors at Large include Michael Froese of Royal LePage Prime Real Estate, Sam Matthews of Matthews Real Estate, Boris Mednikov of Vanguard Real Estate Ltd., Dan O’Brien of Royal LePage Dynamic Real Estate, Laura Ross of Century Bachman & Assoc., Daphne Shepherd of RE/MAX Encore Realty, and Cassandra Will of Century Bachman & Assoc.
Peter Squire is WinnipegREALTORS® Vice-President, External Relations & Market Intelligence.