HOME & COTTAGE
A FOCUS ON PEOPLE BRINGS SUCCESS FOR STEVE YOSTON AND THE EXIT REALTY PEI TEAM You never know where life will take you or what will inspire you to change directions. Words by Crystal Smith Photos: Dan MacKinnon
F or Steve Yoston, it was a newspaper ad for an EXIT Realty event in Charlottetown. He had never considered a career in sales but attended the event to see what it was all about. “The presenter was Steve Morris, the founder and Chairman of EXIT Realty Corp. International. It ended up changing the direction of my life,” says Yoston. “I got my real estate license shortly after.” Having grown up on a tobacco farm in Launching, Yoston gained his first work experience in the fields but also on the water. “My grandfather fished lobsters out of the harbour. His operation was eventually taken over by my brother.
My father and my brother also grew cultured mussels from leases in Boughton River. My early working years were spent in tobacco fields, mussel leases and off the east coast of the Island helping out on fishing boats.” Yoston then attended Holland College, earning diplomas for lab field testing technician and construction technician. He worked in construction for a short time and continued fishing lobsters with his family. It was in 1999 that his father pointed out the newspaper ad that would lead him to Charlottetown and a career in real estate. In 2002, while celebrating the end of a successful lobster season, he met Carol O’Hanley. “She has been my partner in business and life ever since,” says Yoston.
During this period Yoston continued to develop his real estate business and, in 2015, he and Carol purchased their EXIT Realty franchise. “My takeaway from the initial event with Steve Morris was that anyone can change their life by changing their thoughts,” Yoston states. “Carol has a background in human services and always had a servant’s heart. The EXIT brand is a perfect fit for us. A lot of real estate companies focus on the numbers, EXIT focuses on the people. We find when we focus on the people the numbers take care of themselves.” Focusing on the people means providing all the support and training they need to grow and develop. “We are consistently training, not only on all aspects of real estate sales,
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