Big City Broker is a Canadian reality television series produced by JV Productions which follows Toronto real estate broker Brad J. Lamb and focuses on the angst and joy, the dramas and intrigue that make up Brad's world of property sales and development.
The series originally premiered in Canada on HGTV on 7 February, 2007. There are 26 half-hour episodes in two seasons.
Big City Broker premiered in South Africa on DStv's The Home Channel on Saturday 17 May 2008, at 07h30. There are 13 episodes in the first season.
Repeats
Saturdays: 13h30
Sundays: 10h30, 18h30
Synopsis
While other real estate shows tell you how to buy or sell a home, nobody's focused on what it takes to be the dealmaker; and, nowhere is the deal-making more intense than in urban development and real estate.
Brad J. Lamb is a Big City Broker and the leader of the action on this fly-on-the-wall docu-soap series.
Each episode, we explore the inner workings of his thriving realty sales and development company – one of the most successful private real estate groups in North America.
Join this fiery condo expert and his team, wheeling and dealing their way through big city real estate life. Venture behind-the-scenes into a world that's rarely seen and travel beyond the model suite with an all-star cast of characters.
Watch Brad go head-to-head with city councilors, lawyers, architects, planners and rival realtors. Witness the work that goes into making his clients' dreams and investments a reality. And catch true entrepreneurs at work, as Brad and his team expose what it takes to get the deal done.
It's a whole new perspective on how a city's skyline is created.
Big City Broker focuses on the angst and joy, the dramas and intrigue that make up Brad's world of property sales and development.
Who knew that buildings could be so sexy?
Episodes
Episode 1: Dysfunctional Family
An introduction to Brad, his team of sales experts and this dog-eat-dog industry – where the stakes are massive and the rewards even bigger. The stage is set to discover if they’ve got what it takes to buy, sell and build a property empire.
Episode 2: Before You Invest, Investigate
Brad takes some of his top sales reps to the nation’s capital to run a grand opening.
Meanwhile, top seller Robin gets a call from a return client looking to sell an upscale loft space, and Nicole takes a young female buyer under her wing, as they search for the perfect “first home” investment.
Episode 3: Launch Duty
Brad and his team prepare to launch Toronto’s hot “550” hotel and condo project for a top developer. But when marketing materials fail to go out on time, Brad worries that the launch could be a failure – jeopardizing both his successful track record and his reputation as a salesman.
Episode 4: You Want the Good News or Bad?
A townhouse construction site encounters multiple problems with zoning leaving Brad and his agent Nicole to deal with the consequences and some unhappy purchasers.
And, when sales at a downtown loft site slow down, Brad’s faced with a tough decision: swallow his pride and stay on the project, or lose half-a-million dollars by quitting.
Episode 5: Live to Work? Work to Live?
Brad juggles the expansion of the business with his personal life, as he and his girlfriend Catriona get ready to move out of his million-dollar condo and into a spectacular new penthouse.
Meanwhile, sales rep Craig Emond is finally about to move out of the shoebox condo he’s been sharing with his wife Susan and into a 2500-square-foot, one-of-a-kind apartment.
Episode 6: Suburban Cowboy
Brad gets an offer to sell townhomes to small town retirees that promises to be too lucrative to pass up. And sales representative and decorator Grant Algar creates a model suite for a fresh urban loft project with one goal in mind: to appeal to a select target audience of young, urban professionals.
Episode 7: A Pilgim's Progress
When a neophyte developer begins to encounter resistance from fellow neighbours and the city planning department, Brad must do his best to keep the developer's spirits afloat. After all, to be a pioneer, sometimes you have to take a few arrows in the back.
(Note: Episode features Singer/Songwriter Owen Pallett, of Final Fantasy)
Episode 8: The Zen of Office Management
Brad deals with in-house fighting at the office and struggles with his role as head of human resources.
Episode 9: The Ripple Effect
Brad strives to make the city better by participating in the creation of beautiful buildings and projects that promote thriving neighbourhoods. Sure, in the process Brad and the developers profit from this altruism, but to Brad, profit isn’t a dirty word.
Episode 10: Sales Doctor
When a developer asks Brad to turn a struggling project around, he must prove he’s got the skills and the mindset that are compatible to a competitive market.
Meanwhile, busy sales agent Scott Shallow struggles to sell investment projects to buyers without proper tools like floor plans and renderings.
Episode 11: It's Lonely at the Tip Top
Brad struggles to manage professional commitments, media requests and renovations on his million-dollar penthouse – not to mention his sanity.
Meanwhile sales rep Robin Pope gets a taste of life at the top of the real estate food chain; and agent Nick Whittington adjusts to an office move, a new desk and a more competitive working environment at the head office.
Episode 12: Real Estate's a Trip
Brad and his development partners take a trip to St. Kitts to show their architects the island, and to inspire their plans for a hotel project.
Meanwhile, sales agent Nicole Van Stone realises the downfall of taking time off work and spending time at the cottage, when her sales for the month suffer and she’s got to quickly make up for lost time.
Episode 13: Brad Speaks
Brad holds a real estate seminar for an audience of 400 people, to educate potential clients about his city’s condo market, and generate sales for the office.
Meanwhile, agent Craig Emond instructs a handsome stuntman in both the risk and the security of investing in pre-construction units; and agent Linda Velli shows a young lawyer the types of properties available for a first-time buyer.