A.E. LePage Canada’s first full-time real estate agent
Albert Edward (Eddie) LePage: A Pioneer in Canadian Real Estate
On my walk through Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, I came across the grave of Albert Edward “Eddie” LePage, a visionary who forever changed the way homes are bought and sold in Canada.
In 1913, Eddie founded what would become A.E. LePage, Canada’s first national real estate company — and today, known across the country as Royal LePage.
At just 26 years old, Eddie made history by becoming the first person in Canada to turn real estate into a full-time profession. But he didn’t stop there. He revolutionized the industry with innovations we now consider standard practice:
-
He actively followed up with clients
-
He drove buyers from house to house by car
-
He advertised homes in Toronto newspapers
Each of these ideas was groundbreaking at the time —
Albert Edward LePage passed away in Toronto on June 14, 1968, at the age of 81.
1887-1968
Royal LePage Trivia:
- A.E. LePage sold his first family home for $6,500 on Thorold Avenue in Toronto.
- A.E. LePage renamed Keele Street in High Park to Parkside Drive when he was having difficulty selling lots. He also renamed Conduit in the east end of Toronto to Glenlake. Houses started selling instantly after the name change.
- In 1929, LePage built a five-room bungalow in one day and sold it by the end of the day. What started as a joke became a successful challenge.
- Lucy Maud Montgomery mentions A.E. LePage in volume four of The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery.
