“I didn’t know anyone in Canada, and leaving home wasn’t easy—but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made”.

In this alumni profile we hear from Land Economics and Real Estate Management graduate (2002) Andrew Harrild. Andrew now lives in Toronto, Canada and is Co-Founder, Broker at Condos.ca, Property.ca.

Tell us about your time at the University

I began my first year at university in 1998, choosing to study land economics mainly because my father was involved in property, and the programme seemed promising. 

Our first week included an ice-breaking field trip to Durham, which was a fantastic way to meet everyone. Our class was close-knit, and we all got along well.

Mr. Mowbray was one of our professors who stood out with his dry sense of humour, and habit of putting us on the spot in class.  I formed many close friendships during my four years at Paisley, many of which remain strong to this day.

Tell us about your experiences since leaving the University

After graduation, I felt a strong desire to work and live in North America. I travelled to Toronto for two weeks, during which I arranged several interviews and ultimately secured a position as an Investment Analyst at Colliers International.

After a few years in commercial real estate, I transitioned to the residential sector in 2007 and co-founded the real estate platforms Condos.ca and Property.ca. These websites provided users with top-quality information on the condo and property markets, growing to over 90 million annual page views and generating 30,000 monthly leads, which were managed by an in-house team of more than 300 licensed realtors.

In 2021, after over a decade of growth, we decided to sell. We enlisted a top M&A firm, and following a successful tender process, we sold the company to a Canadian private equity firm.

If you could offer one piece of advice or top tip to current students what would it be?

Don’t limit yourself, and don’t be afraid to take risks. The night before I left Scotland for Canada I didn’t sleep, I was filled with doubt, wondering, ‘What on earth am I doing?’ I didn’t know anyone in Canada, and leaving home wasn’t easy—but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Similarly, when we first launched Condos.ca, we faced years of hard work, stress, and financial challenges before it finally paid off. Taking risks becomes harder as you get older, so don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone at this stage of your life.

What drives you on

Being motivated is easy if you have passion for what you are doing.  At Condos.ca our goal was to add transparency to what until then was a highly opaque industry.   We truly believed we were making a difference so being driven was not an issue.  

However, I believe motivation evolves over time. It’s natural to be driven by financial success, and that drive never really disappears—but success takes many forms.

These days, I’m more focused on being a good father to my three boys and a supportive husband to my wife, Colleen. Staying fit is also a priority for me; it’s non-negotiable and the way I like to start every day.