BUSINESS PROFILE

tion, roads, and community engagement.”

Towards the end of his term on Vermillion Council in early 2015, Harp transitioned back to British Columbia and married his wife, a lawyer at Hamilton Duncan Law Corporation. Harp’s return to the Lower Mainland saw the rapid acceleration of his real estate career, starting with residential sales, including farms in the Abbotsford area. As his performance grew, Harp began recognizing his specialized skills in larger commercial development, industrial, townhome, and high-rise properties. He remarks, “As affordability issues took hold in BC, the market shifted where young families and immigrants could only afford condos and townhouses. My clients were large-scale developers that needed land to meet the demand. So, I began brokering land that would then be developed into large-scale housing projects, from townhomes to high rises.”

Today, Harp continues to benefit from his unique capabilities of understanding both real estate development and municipality needs. Continuing to foster new relationships in the industry, Harp sits on the Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association Board (DSBIA) and is also the Chair of the Nomination Committee. The DSBIA is an organization that builds partnerships for a future-ready, diverse, safe, and evolving downtown Surrey that is seen to be the place to invest, work, learn, live, and play. With the advent of the UBC campus, the long standing Simon Fraser University (SFU) campus, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) presence in downtown Surrey, Harp high-

In an ever evolving and competitive real estate land market, Harp has established himself as one of the top executors in the Fraser Valley. The patient, yet relentless focus he applies in his approach to any transaction is what has allowed him to deliver on some very complicated deals for Qualico.”

- Kevin Anderson VP, Qualico

lights, “The City of Surrey is delivering on its promise to attract investment, employment, and education. These are key to ensure that we can in fact ‘live and play’ in the region, and meet the needs of a growing community.”

In 2021, Harp was ranked #1 in Canada for Century 21, and #7 in the entire world. Not one to rest on his laurels, Harp sold eight high rise sites in the Fleetwood and City Centre area last year, with others soon to come. He was also the deal-maker behind all of Allure Venture’s land acquisitions and acts as the company’s primary acquisitions agent. Allure Venture’s CEO, Garry Sangha, elaborates, “In business, you are always seeking partners that understand your objectives and work creatively with you towards achievement. I have always found that Harp was quick to understand where we wanted to go with the business and found us real estate solutions and opportunities that were attractive and actionable. It is unusual to find professionals like Harp who are so committed to your success and able to deliver the differentiating factor. His drive and experience ensures consistently exceptional outcomes.”

Ultimately, Harp focuses on developing deep relationships with a limited number of clients, selectively inviting new partners into his portfolio every year. In fact, Harp’s growing team is currently serving a small group of exclusive clients, helping them make a massive impact by crafting growth strategies for the next decade and beyond. Taking into account every city’s Official Community Plan (OCP), Harp is able to pair municipal needs and land availability with developer interests and community opportunities. It’s because of this strategic and focused approach that all of Harp’s deals are transacted entirely off-market. According to Harp, “You don’t need to advertise it to the world if you can just bring the right people to the table and work out a deal.”

Harp’s relationships with his clients are not purely transactional, but have a longterm vision, based on trust that is earned over time. Harp’s client Todd Yuen, Industrial President of Beedie, has experienced firsthand the commitment to steer his clients in the right direction over multiple years, “Harp takes a lot of time to actually do his homework. When he brings you an opportunity he’s already researched all of the critical elements of the project and has applied a clear, unbiased and objective lens to his analysis. Harp doesn’t just try to find an angle to sell something to you. Instead, he makes his own determination as to whether or not the acquisition is worth pursuing and only then, does he bring it forward.”

Acting as a conduit for the Lower Mainland, Harp is currently expanding his network to the United States, Dubai, India, Hong Kong, and Singapore in order to showcase the opportunities in BC’s lucrative market. The Lower Mainland area, especially Surrey-Langley, is often overlooked internationally. However, accelerating immigration numbers and an increasingly constrained housing market is creating a huge gap in the region – a gap he intends to fill by developing relationships with the right people and even finding new, international partners to enter the market.

In business, you are always seeking partners that understand your objectives and work creatively with you towards achievement. I have always found that Harp was quick to understand where we wanted to go with the business and found us real estate solutions and opportunities that were attractive and actionable. It is unusual to find professionals like Harp who are so committed to your success and able to deliver the differentiating factor. His drive and experience ensures consistently exceptional outcomes.”

- Garry Sangha CEO, Allure Ventures

Harp takes a lot of time to actually do his homework. When he brings you an opportunity he’s already researched all of the critical elements of the project and has applied a clear, unbiased and objective lens to his analysis. Harp doesn’t just try to find an angle to sell something to you. Instead, he makes his own determination as to whether or not the acquisition is worth pursuing and only then, does he bring it forward.”

- Todd Yuen, Industrial President, Beedie

For 2023, Harp stresses the importance of investors having the right team, proper education, connections with trustworthy bankers, and consideration of information provided by cities. He suggests that having the right realtors helps investors navigate dynamic market trends, “There are always opportunities in the market. It’s all about uncovering what is best for each client. In 2023, the challenge is going to be interest rates and navigating the difficulties of accessing capital. However, the landscape is shifting from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market. Negotiations that once felt odd because of high demand will now be the norm, creating really favorable terms for buyers.”

Harp further reveals that although there may be downward pressure on pricing and the market, the drive to purchase more land is largely driven by each developer’s specific needs and deal terms. Large scale proj- ects coming online in 5, 10, or 20 years will continue to have persistent demand for land acquisition.

Looking to the future, Harp reaffirms his commitment to relationships above all else, “I never liked the idea of having a revolving door of low-value projects, and tense relationships with people who weren’t interested in mutual growth. I want everyone to win. I’m cultivating a garden, filled with the fruits of my work and relationships, where I can invite new partners in and find ways for everyone to succeed. I want to be known as the guy who brought billions of dollars of investments into the Lower Mainland and made his partners incredibly successful. That will feel like success to me. Having a small hand in