Halifax’s Queer Realtor feeling right at home

It was a long journey to get to real estate, but Charlie Johnson has finally established himself as a safe haven for those looking for a home.

Halifax’s Queer REALTOR® focuses on offering safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory services through his work with Royal LePage Atlantic.

Johnson is transgender and wants to ensure other LGBTQIA2S+ community members can feel confident with him as he helps them find the property of their dreams.

“I’ve always wanted to do this. My grandfather and I would drive around and look at houses for sale when I was younger, and it always seemed like a great career,” said Johnson.

“I always wanted to be an entrepreneur and loved the idea of being my own boss. I wanted to have that creativity and freedom to market myself how I wished. I knew that at 18, but wanted to try other things first.”

Johnson was a professional musician, ranking in the top 100 songs on CBC Searchlight two years in a row, and also worked as a cook, appearing on MasterChef Canada.

“I realized, though, that I wasn’t going to be a rock star or open a restaurant. I made a deal with myself early in life – if I hadn’t made it in music by 25, I was going to head into real estate as I’d planned,” he said.

“The days in restaurants were too long, and I got engaged recently. I realized I wanted to settle down, and that being a musician on the road or working nights in a kitchen wasn’t going to provide me with the life I wanted. ”

Johnson then moved into real estate and began to live out the career he’d been thinking of since he was 18.

“I wanted to use this as a platform for inclusive, safe and non-discriminatory services. I came out as trans in the last two years. I was a lesbian prior, and I noticed there was a lack of options for queer people in the industry,” he said.

“With me, people don’t need to explain themselves. Gay people would never get a question like ‘are you two brothers or roommates?’ with a queer realtor. It’s just easy to work with a queer realtor if you’re LGBTQIA2S+, and I’m here and available to help.”

Johnson knew the support was needed, but still didn’t know how impactful marketing as a queer realtor would be.

“It opened up a lot of doors. When people see me, they realize maybe they can look into the next step for themselves, and get a new home,” he said.

Johnson says that many queer people often don’t purchase homes until later in life.                      

“Marginalized people tend to have more challenges when it comes to making large investments like purchasing a home. I want queer people to have a home where they can feel safe and build a family. I’m here to keep them comfortable through the whole process.”

Johnson has seen a huge amount of support from the queer community in N.S. and spends time trying to help the community through his work on the board of directors for the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project. He says some queer people prefer to use services from someone within the LGBTQIA2S+ community.

“When you’re queer and seeking professional services, you want to feel connected to someone and feel safe. You don’t want to have to explain who you are or how you identify,” said Johnson.

“When I was transitioning, I wasn’t getting the results from hormone therapy that I wanted at that point. I was self-conscious and wanted a gender-affirming haircut. But my experience was so uncomfortable when I went to a barbershop filled with cis-gender men with beards. I had to explain what I needed, and I felt awkward because I was asking for something that the barber didn’t understand.”

Johnson wants to make sure that every step of the way – from himself to the contractors, mortgage brokers and inspectors that he deals with – queer people who use his services can feel confident that they won’t face judgement or discrimination.

“I know who and what my clients will be exposed to the entire way through the process. I know as a queer and trans individual, I want people in the LGBTQIA2S+ community to know I’m here to help, and they can feel safe with me,” said Johnson.

“I just want people to know when they come to me, they can be who they are. We can stand together and support each other and other queer businesses. We can help each other grow, and I’ll always be able to offer services and keep people feeling safe and comfortable.”