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Michelle Raymond (Raymond Realty) Two Decades of Heart-Centred Luxury Real Estate in Vancouver

Michelle Raymond is a second-generation REALTOR and a Vancouver original, raised inside the industry by parents who shaped her understanding of real estate long before she held a license. Her mother, Pamela Hooper, modeled confidence and presence in a male-dominated environment. Her father, Mark Raymond, taught her the discipline of door knocking and the value of genuine connection. Her stepfather Barry showed her how to bring ease, charm, and humanity into every room. Together, they gave her something no formal training could replicate — an instinct for people and an inheritance of integrity.

With over two decades at RE/MAX, Michelle has built a practice grounded in tradition, discernment, and care. She is known for representing beautifully curated, architecturally significant residences, and for approaching each home as a story that deserves to be understood before it is shared. Her clients trust her not only for her calm and decisive presence, but for her ability to guide them with clarity through complex, high-stakes decisions — knowing when to act, when to hold, and how to position a property with precision, particularly in shifting markets.

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At the heart of Michelle’s practice is a philosophy of stewardship. She collaborates closely with designers, architects, and trusted colleagues to ensure every home is marketed to the highest standard, paying homage to every professional whose work contributed to it. For buyers, her process begins before a single showing — a guided approach that invites clients to get clear on how they want to feel in a space, so that when they find what they are looking for, the decision is grounded in something deeper than square footage and price.

Her career has been shaped as much by community as by transactions. She has served as past president within a high-end entrepreneur’s community, hosted monthly real estate masterminds for two years, and been recognized in the Glowing Beyond 40 Over 40 campaign. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award — a milestone she describes as meaningful not for the recognition itself, but for everything it represented: the families served, the journey taken, and the people who believed in her along the way.

Michelle Raymond pairs heart-centered intuition with sophisticated strategy, and brings to every client relationship the same conviction that has defined her career from the beginning — that trust, built carefully and honored consistently, is the only foundation worth building on.

IN HER WORDS

“There was no single defining moment — I was raised inside of it. Some of my earliest memories are working the phones and playing secretary in my mother Pamela’s office. She was the only woman in an all-male environment, and she carried herself with a confidence that filled every room she walked into. She still does. To this day, she remains my closest confidant and right-hand partner — my clients and I all call her Mama Bear. My stepfather Barry brought a different energy entirely: he showed me how to connect, how to create experiences, and how to bring ease and charm into a room. Deals were done over a scotch and a handshake at Hy’s, and I was watching all of it.

On weekends, from around the age of ten, I would go door knocking with my father, Mark Raymond. We walked neighbourhoods together, talked to people on their front porches, and prepared flyers side by side. It never felt like work. It felt like connection. He went on to dominate the ultra-luxury real estate condo market in Yaletown and Coal Harbour, and his dedication, class, and firm negotiation skills left a mark on me that has never faded. Each of them shaped me differently — Barry with presence and charm, my mother with charisma and confidence, my father with discipline and work ethic. I was not just learning real estate. I was learning how to build something of my own while honouring a family legacy.

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FAITH OVER FEAR

In 2007, the market had shifted and nothing was selling. I had just gone through a breakup and moved into the suite above the garage at my father’s estate at Ivy Manor. He was worried about me, as any parent would be, and one day we ended up in a highly emotional exchange that had never really happened between us before. He wanted me to get a waitressing job — something stable. He was coming from fear. I was coming from frustration. I just needed him to have more faith, and he just needed me to make more money.

To keep the peace, I told him I would look at options. I did not.

I stayed focused. I kept showing up, talking to people, building my network, and building momentum quietly behind the scenes. By the end of that year, I was debt-free, had saved a down payment, and purchased my first home. That Christmas, I showed my father the bank statement — what had come in, what I had saved, and what I had built. The pride we both felt in that moment has stayed with me ever since.

The lesson was simple: trust your knowing. Faith over fear. Do not allow the noise, the opinions, or the state of the market to dictate your outcome. What matters most is belief in yourself and the willingness to keep going, even when it does not look like it is working.

RAYMOND REALTY

One of my first roles as a licensed REALTOR was lead generating for Peter Carleton, and it came naturally to me. With over 6,700 hours of cold calling experience, I was consistently bringing in a minimum of four new listings per month. It never felt like work. After some time, I began to question whether it was time to branch out on my own. I was twenty-two.

The answer arrived without warning. On a day off, my father asked if I would deliver calendars to his past clients. I knocked on a door in the same complex where Peter had a listing, had a lovely conversation with the woman who lived there, and encouraged her to reach out to my father. In the days that followed, I learned that Peter had also met with the same woman, and during that listing appointment she said: she does not work for you — she works with her dad. Not long after, Peter let me go. I came to understand that he knew it was time for me to step out on my own and was simply giving me the push I needed. Raymond Realty was born.

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BUILDING THE BRAND

Getting in front of the camera was the thing I resisted most for years. I knew it was what the business needed. I also knew it frightened me. That is the nature of entrepreneurship — you usually know exactly what you need to do to grow, and it is almost always the thing that scares you most. You know it is time when the discomfort of not doing it becomes greater than the discomfort of doing it.

Leaning into that discomfort became a turning point. It allowed me to grow, expand, and step more fully into my vision — and to honor my clients in a more elevated way. My brother Brent Raymond has always said: leap and the safety net will appear. He was right.

A chance introduction to designer Aleem Kassam and his partner Victor Kazakov opened an unexpected door — one that bridged the gap between real estate and the design community in ways that proved professionally transformative. The collaboration that followed brought new networks, shared projects, and a creative perspective that elevated how I approach the spaces and clients I represent.

THE PEOPLE WHO SHAPED THE PATH

When I started in real estate, I was the youngest in the office by twenty years — which meant I had forty mothers and fathers who believed in me, shared their knowledge, and cheered me on. Michelle Forsberg gave me my first opportunity as her licensed assistant. Rose Marra and Sandra Parsons followed, and I keep in touch with both to this day. Many people from the Tri Cities office became referral partners when I moved to Vancouver, and it was their trust that gave me my early success.

My constant confidante throughout this career has been Shelley Cunningham — a genuinely extraordinary person who has supported me from the beginning, evaluating properties alongside me, masterminding ideas, and caring for my business when I am away. More recently, Andrea Jauck, a dear friend and exceptional waterfront luxury specialist, has been a meaningful source of inspiration. She embodies a level of excellence that is even greater than she realizes.

I also look toward the humble giants of this industry — Gregg Baker, Karim Virani, Winston Chan, Brian Higgins, Faith Wilson, Nuvola Capitanio, Sid and Jacqueline Adler, Alfie Yang, Aleya Bhaloo, Sid Landbolt, and Nick Nikjou — each of whom has shaped how real estate is practiced and elevated in this city. I am grateful to share an industry with all of them.

Michelle Raymond & Jacqueline Adler at Life Commitment Gala.

THE LEGACY BEING BUILT

My work is rooted in both strategy and heart-centered intuition — understanding the data, the timing, and the market, while also recognizing how a home feels and who it is meant for. I represent homes at a high level, thoughtfully curating how they are experienced and positioned. For buyers, I create an experience that begins before they ever walk through a door — a simple guided process that invites clients to get clear on how they want to feel in a space, so that when they find what they are looking for, they are reminded of how powerful they are in creating what they most want.

Stepping onto the stage to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award was a humbling moment — not for the award itself, but for everything it represented: the journey, the families I have had the privilege of serving, and the unwavering support of those who believed in me along the way.

Legacy is not something I have thought much about. But if people said that I made them laugh, helped them see things differently, reminded them of the importance of faith, introduced them to remarkable people, gave them hope, showed them compassion, and helped them remember who they are — then I think I have fulfilled what I am called here to do. The greatest gift we can give another person is to see them in their highest light. It is in the being, not the doing. That is the work. That is all of it.”

[Professional photography Denise Lin Photography].

Author Profile

Helen Siwak, Collaborator: This story is created in collaboration between Helen Siwak and the featured subject. As the founder and publisher of Portfolio.YVR Business & Entrepreneurs Magazine, Helen works closely with entrepreneurs to share their paths of innovation, resilience, and growth. Each story in this series is co-developed through interviews and first-person insights, blending authentic voices with Helen’s editorial expertise to highlight the remarkable individuals shaping British Columbia’s business landscape.