Phil Golfi - Expanding an Empire One Home at a time

As I walked up the front porch of the Golfi real estate office in Burlington, I found it fitting that the office occupied what was once a family home.

As I waited for Phil Golfi to arrive, I took in the interiors. Black and gold accents, paired with plush chairs, gave the space an understated elegance. Phil Golfi walked in with a smile and I immediately knew our conversation would be an interesting one.

What began with his father, Rob Golfi, more than three decades ago has grown into one of Canada's most recognized real estate teams.

The Golfi Team has generated more than $2.4 billion in sales volume between 2020-2025 and has earned recognition as one of the top RE/MAX teams in the world, reaching as high as No. 2 globally.  

Behind every successful family business comes a second generation tasked with writing its own chapter. That’s where Phil Golfi comes in.

Growing up in Grimsby, Ontario, real estate was simply part of everyday life. Phil is the third of four children, with two older brothers and a younger sister. Today, the family remains close, with his brothers also working within the Golfi organization across different markets throughout the region.

But long before the company became the powerhouse it is today, Phil watched his father navigate the uncertainty that comes with building a business from scratch.

"My dad's always been a serial entrepreneur," Phil said. "He was into beauty supply, he had a landscaping business, a business magazine, multi-level marketing. He literally tried everything. At the time he had four kids at home and was just trying to make a living and make ends meet."

Phil’s father, Rob Golfi, entered the industry in the early 1990s, bringing with him an entrepreneurial mindset that would ultimately transform a one-man operation into one of the highest-performing RE/MAX teams in the world. He had a knack for connecting with people, a quality Phil seemed to have inherited.

Looking back, Phil doesn't remember a single defining moment when he decided he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. Instead, it happened gradually.

"People always ask me why I decided to get into real estate," Phil said. "Growing up, you don't realize how much of a sponge you are. Just being around my dad and watching him build his business, you retain so much information without even realizing it."

Still, real estate wasn't the immediate plan.

After graduating high school, Phil enrolled in an international business program, wanting to develop a broader understanding of business before deciding where his career would take him.

Following university, Phil accepted a position in the mortgage industry, believing it would provide valuable experience before deciding on his next step. While it gave him his first taste of a professional environment, he quickly realized something was missing.

"I got into the mortgage world first," Phil said. "I didn't like it at all. It wasn't my style."

Real estate, however, was. At just 23 years old, Phil earned his real estate licence and officially joined the family business.

"I got into real estate still living in my parents' basement and walking into multimillion-dollar homes with leaders and performers of high companies, advising them what to do,” Phil said.

It's a sentence that says a lot about how Phil felt when he started. Many young professionals spend years trying to find confidence in the early part of their career, and Phil was no different.  

"There was this mental hurdle. You have to begin believing in yourself and trusting that you can do this,” Phil said. “The funny thing is, I think I have more imposter syndrome now when I look back on my younger self than I actually did then. I was just so young and naive that I wasn't afraid to make a mistake."

One assumption people often make is that growing up in a successful family business automatically comes with a built-in advantage. It can, but not in the way you think.

"When I started, I had no past clients. I had no sphere,” Phil said. “My database was zero."

Rather than stepping into an established book of business, he was given something much more challenging – a market that still needed to be built.

At the time, the Golfi team wanted to expand further into Niagara. His father invested heavily in marketing and advertising throughout the region, while Phil focused on building relationships one client at a time.

"I kind of just took it on," Phil said. "The goal was to gain market share, develop market centres and become a trusted name in Niagara."

That experience would ultimately become the blueprint for what came next.

Although the Golfi team had been serving clients in Burlington for years, Phil believed opening a permanent office and becoming part of the community would create a stronger connection with the city.

"We've always been in Burlington," Phil said. "But it's important to be ingrained in the community and be a part of the community in the way that we are now."

As it turned out, his personal life and professional ambitions aligned almost perfectly.

"I'd always loved Burlington," Phil said. "The downtown, the culture, the lifestyle… it just suited me."

In 2023, Phil made the move from Grimsby to Burlington. Almost simultaneously, the Golfi real estate office on Brant Street opened its doors.

"It just kind of intertwined," Phil explained. "I wanted to move to Burlington, and at the same time we were opening the office. Everything came together."

Today, the Burlington office serves as one of five Golfi locations stretching across Southern Ontario. For Phil, however, the move represented more than business expansion. It was an opportunity to invest in a community he genuinely wanted to be part of.

"Burlington's home," Phil shared. "The people are incredible, and it's a great playground for what I do. The Burlington market is definitely a high-net-worth market. It's a highly desirable community. I've always called it a blue-chip stock."

While every city develops its own identity, Burlington's appeal extends well beyond its real estate values. Phil believes the combination of location, lifestyle and community is what continues to attract people from across the region.

"The location is amazing," Phil said. "You're surrounded by the 400-series highways, transit, a beautiful waterfront and a great downtown. It doesn't feel overwhelming like Toronto or Mississauga, but it still has that small-town feel."

He points to neighbourhoods like Roseland, Shoreacres and Central Burlington as some of the city's most desirable, while acknowledging that Burlington continues to evolve.

"I'm very pro-development so I like to see the new buildings come in," Phil explained. "In a traditional downtown, you'll have lawyers' offices, doctors' offices and clinics, which are all important. But that alone doesn't create vibrancy. You need coffee shops, bakeries, restaurants and places where people actually want to spend their time."

That appreciation for community extends into his work. Staying informed about future developments and municipal planning is something Phil considers important.

"We attend annual and development meetings because it's important to understand what's happening," Phil shared. "People trust us to know what's coming and how it might affect their decisions."

Throughout our conversation, one word surfaced repeatedly: trust.

When I asked Phil what he hopes clients take away after working with him, his answer wasn't about closing deals or setting records.

"I want people to know that I'm highly knowledgeable and very professional," Phil said. "We have a fiduciary duty to represent our clients in their best interest. That's my number one goal."

Phil said he has a burning desire to win. As Phil says, “every win, is a win for my clients.”

"Being recognized as a trusted real estate professional that people continue to come back to," Phil said. "Being somebody who continues to get referred, that's what's most important to me."

Considering the success surrounding the Golfi organization, it's a grounded answer.

Over the years, the company has grown into one of Canada's most recognized real estate brands, with offices across Burlington, Hamilton, Grimsby, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland. Yet despite that scale, Phil believes one of the organization's greatest strengths has remained its culture.

Working alongside family is something he's often asked about.

"Everyone always asks me what it's like," Phil said. "It's great. My dad is very good at removing himself from the leadership position and bringing everybody into the conversation. That's really what makes us tick."

Rather than leading through hierarchy, Rob Golfi built the organization around collaboration.

"You see some leaders where it's, 'I'm the boss, and this is how we're doing it,'" Phil said. "My dad has always had a community aspect to how he makes decisions and how he wants the company to grow."

When asked what advice he would give someone starting a business today Phil said, “One of the hardest parts about starting a business is understanding the idea of 'walk, don't run.'"

Phil believes entrepreneurs often make the mistake of growing too quickly without first building the systems needed to support that growth.

"Our onboarding process is a good example. When someone joins our team, it's step one, step two, step three, step four. Every single person goes through the exact same process,” Phil explained. "If you're continuing to make things up every single time, it becomes difficult to build. Having those processes already in place allows you to grow much more effectively."

While Phil genuinely enjoys the fast pace of real estate, he admits the profession comes with sacrifices. Buying and selling homes doesn't fit neatly into a nine-to-five schedule, and clients' needs don't stop simply because the workday ends.

"It's something we definitely struggle with," Phil admitted. "We're on 24/7. Whether you're on vacation or trying to have personal time, this job is extremely demanding. We always say the best ability is availability."

Staying busy has become part of who Phil is.

"I find comfort in being busy," Phil said. "When I'm not busy, I actually get a little anxious."

Fortunately, it's a lifestyle his fiancé understands well. The two met through the industry, where she previously worked in real estate before transitioning into insurance. With a father who is also a builder, she already understood the demands and unpredictability of the business.

"There are no two days that are the same. The hours are busy, but we also have full autonomy over our schedules,” Phil said “That's something I love about the job."

When work does slow down, Phil enjoys spending as much time outdoors as possible. Fitness, golf and travel are among his favourite ways to recharge, and whenever his schedule allows, he and his fiancé head south to Florida or travel overseas to Europe and the Caribbean.

In terms of golf, it has become more than just a hobby for Phil.

As a member of the Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ancaster, Phil appreciates both the history of the course and the friendships that come with the game.

"It's an incredible place," Phil said. "The history is amazing. The hospitality is first class, and it's just a great experience every time you're there. Actually, Golf Digest just ranked them as the fourth best golf course in Canada.”

One of the other things that Phil is passionate about is housing affordability. He believes overpriced homes are connected to the rise in the cost of living. Everything from groceries, to gas and tax have made other things more expensive.

"I would say the cost of living has gotten out of control. It’s hard to save in today's climate and economy,” Phil said. “But there are still people who are extremely disciplined, where if home ownership is a priority, it is still achievable. It takes an extremely and financially disciplined person to be able to achieve it.

Phil also shared that, “the Bank of Mum and Dad is very prevalent. Almost every single person I've worked with, in terms of a first-time homebuyer, has had assistance from parents, like 95% of them.”

Phil also believes that home ownership is going to dramatically change.

“I think we're drifting toward more of a rental environment, in comparison to what we were before,” Phil shared. “I think there's a lot of people that are completely okay with that. Lots of people will choose to be lifelong renters.”

Yet Phil remains optimistic on the chances for people to buy homes.

"I think people would be surprised by the options available," Phil explained. “In terms of generating your first-time home buyers savings account, or using your RRSPs and using your TFSA, things of that nature that can go toward your down payment.”

Phil’s advice for getting into the buyer’s market is simple.

"I always talk about building your circle of trust," Phil said. "Whether it's a realtor, mortgage professional, lawyer, home inspector or builder, surround yourself with people who can guide you. The earlier you start those conversations, the better. Home ownership is a great wealth builder. It forces you to be disciplined financially.”

As a realtor, Phil Golfi is focused on building relationships, earning trust and continuing to grow something that began more than thirty years ago. Expanding the legacy begun by his father. Because in the end, real estate has never been only about houses. It's about the people who call them home. ||

PS. The Little Things

1. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Let my two dogs outside.

2. What is your favorite thing to wear? Gym clothes.

3. If you could pick one word to describe you what would it be? Optimistic. 4. What’s your favorite genre of music ? EDM right now.

5. Everyday is better with: Coffee and a slow morning.