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William Nelson has spent nearly five decades serving a small Ontario town. His story offers lessons in leadership, legacy, and what truly makes a brokerage last.
In 1979, Bill Nelson joined a small real estate office in Mount Forest, Ontario. Listings arrived once a week in a three-ring binder. Offers were often handwritten and only a page long. Buyers and sellers waited patiently for responses because there was no other option.
Nelson had been introduced to the business a few years earlier, when he purchased a rental building through Brian Padfield, a local broker and business owner. The two struck up a friendship that quickly turned into a partnership. By the time Nelson formally joined the firm, he was already deeply connected to the community and to the values that would define his career.
Eventually, he bought into the company and helped manage both the real estate office and a neighbouring insurance brokerage. He and his partner worked side by side for decades. “We never had a fight,” Nelson shares. “We didn’t always agree, but we respected each other enough to talk it through.”
The business evolved over time. In 1993, it joined the Coldwell Banker network as Coldwell Banker Padfield Realty and became what is now Coldwell Banker WIN Realty. Though the name changed, the approach never did. The office has remained rooted in the community, offering steady service across market cycles and generational changes.
Today, the brokerage is celebrating 50 years of continuous service. Nelson has been there for 46 of them, guiding clients through a business that has grown faster, more complex, and, in some ways, less personal.
“Real estate used to move slowly,” he reflects. “Now it moves so quickly. The challenge is not losing your sense of purpose along the way.”
Then and Now
When Bill Nelson began his career, real estate was a far simpler business. Deals were drafted on typewriters or by hand, often no more than a single page, and agreements were sealed with signatures and handshakes. The work depended on patience, persistence, and trust.
Communication moved at the speed of the postal service. Offers were delivered in person or by fax. Phones rang on desks, not in pockets. And when someone left the office for the day, they were truly unreachable.
“You couldn’t expect an answer right away,” Nelson remembers. “That was just how it worked. You had to wait.”
It was a slower time, but in many ways, a more patient one. Agents met their clients face-to-face. They knocked on doors, followed up in person, and often knew the families behind the front lawns.
Today, real estate moves at a very different pace. Messages arrive by the minute. Clients expect answers within the hour. Listings go live in real time, and the pressure to always be online has crept into every corner of the business.
Nelson resists that pull. He does not advertise his cell phone number. He does not receive work emails on his phone. “It is a tool,” he explains, “not a leash.”
Though the platforms and the pace have changed, his belief in balance has not. In a world of pings, prompts, and notifications, he still makes space for conversations that take time and for decisions that deserve it.
The Value of Experience
The speed of the business is not the only thing that has changed. So has its texture. The rise of new platforms, digital tools, and data-driven marketing has reshaped how properties are promoted and how deals are made.
Nelson pays close attention to those changes. He sees the value in automation and analytics, but believes tools are only as good as the hands that use them.
“These things are helpful,” he admits. “But they are not a replacement for judgment, or for relationships. Real estate is still about people. It always has been.”
What concerns him more than technology is motivation. He has watched the industry attract a growing number of part-time licensees and short-term career seekers. At Coldwell Banker WIN, he screens every new hire through a psychological assessment. The goal is to find individuals with a mindset rooted in service, not just sales.
“If someone is coming in for quick money, they are not the right fit,” he cautions. “I have made that mistake before. I don’t make it anymore.”
For Nelson, real estate is not about keeping up with the flashiest trends. It is about doing the work, building trust, and staying true to the fundamentals.
“Good agents still rise to the top,” he stresses. “They always will.”
Legacy in Motion
For all the deals closed, contracts negotiated, and economic cycles weathered, the moment that stands out most to Bill Nelson is not about a property. It is about a person.
Years ago, his son was living in Korea. When he and his wife made the decision to move back to Canada, Nelson kept the news a secret from his own wife for nearly a year. Quietly, he prepared a house for them and set up an office at the brokerage. To keep the surprise intact, he told his wife the home was being rented by an overseas couple.
The reveal came during a family gathering. “My son walked in wearing a custom T-shirt,” Nelson recalls. “My wife looked at him and said, ‘How long are you here for?’ He said, ‘Hopefully forever.’ That was one of the best moments of my life.”
Today, that son is one of Coldwell Banker WIN Realty’s top-performing agents and is preparing to take over the business in the coming years.
It is a story that says a great deal about Nelson. It reflects how he thinks, how he leads, and how seriously he takes responsibility for his family, for his agents, and for the people his brokerage serves. Real estate, for him, is not just a business. It is a long-term commitment built on trust, care, and continuity.
In a profession where agents come and go, and offices can feel interchangeable, Nelson’s story is a reminder that some brokerages still see clients as neighbours, and legacy as something worth planning for.
Wisdom Shared
Nelson has experienced both economic booms and historic downturns. He sold homes when mortgage rates hit nearly 22 percent. He kept his business stable through the financial crisis, through the housing frenzy of 2020, and through the regulatory shifts that followed.
He is not interested in chasing volume or playing to trends. He is interested in building something that will last.
“I’m not working for me anymore,” he points out. “I’m not even working for my kids. I’m working for my grandchildren. Their world is much more difficult than mine was, and I want to leave them something solid.”
His advice for young agents is simple.
Learn the history. Study the rules. Remember that you are representing people, not just properties. If you focus on doing the right thing, even when it is not the easy thing, you will build a reputation that stands.
What Lies Ahead
Nelson believes the industry is heading toward another period of adjustment. As baby boomers age, housing inventory will increase, but not always in places where buyers want to live. At the same time, he expects regulatory bodies will raise the bar for licensing and accountability.
“There are too many people with too little training,” he says. “We need to fix that.”
At Coldwell Banker WIN Realty, he continues to mentor his team, troubleshoot complex deals, and advocate for collaboration over competition. His approach is not flashy, but it works.
“In the end, this is a people business,” he reminds us. “You don’t need to be everywhere. You just need to be the one they trust.”
Bill Nelson is the Broker of Record at Coldwell Banker WIN Realty in Mount Forest, Ontario, with more than 46 years of experience in real estate and deep ties to his community. He holds multiple professional designations and has served in leadership roles across business, healthcare, housing, and civic organizations. Named Mount Forest’s Citizen of the Year in 2015, Bill is widely recognized for his integrity, commitment, and people-first approach. Under his leadership, Coldwell Banker WIN Realty was honoured with Mount Forest’s Corporate Citizen of the Year Award in 2022, the same year he was named Canadian Ambassador by Coldwell Banker Canada. In 2024, Bill was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of his significant contributions to the community.
