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“Every Canadian deserves the right to own a home”

- Rishard Rameez, CEO of Zown

Rishard Rameez delivering a speech about Zown's mission.

How Zown Started

When I was 27, I achieved my dream of owning a house. However, it quickly turned into a financial nightmare. I had to save for years and take loans from my family to secure a mortgage, but I found myself struggling with monthly payments. The joy of my new home was overshadowed by the relentless demands of startup life and a suffocating mortgage. Just seven months after buying my home in 2021, I had to sell it. The process was frustrating - from a deal that fell through to marketing efforts that didn't make a difference.

The worst part was the standard 5% commission fee that took $60,000 from me. This fee was split between buying and selling agents and used up half of my down payment. I was devastated. I vented on Reddit and found out that my story resonated with over a million people. It was clear that many people struggled with exorbitant real estate fees.

This experience inspired us to create Zown - a fresh take on real estate that cuts out the hefty commission fees. Zown makes the home-buying and selling experience more empowering and cost-effective.

Reddit To Reality

Arrow showing Zown's transition from Reddit to reality.

This experience, which we shared on Reddit, resonated with millions and made us realize the widespread nature of this issue, and it got us thinking: What if there was an alternative?

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Screenshot of a Reddit post discussing high real estate agent fees in Toronto, highlighting that agents earn nearly 5% of a house's value in commissions.