Jon Stojan
In real estate entrepreneurship, success is often a careful combination of innovation, resilience, and vision. These three pillars are the bedrock for those who dare to venture into this unpredictable industry. As such, it’s not merely about chasing properties – and profits – but understanding market inefficiencies, foreseeing opportunities, and crafting solutions that have far-reaching impacts.
In this context, Nathan Levinson, the founder of Royal York Property Management (RYPM), is a prime example of these principles. Having dropped out of university, Levinson charted his entrepreneurial journey from the backseat of his car. With an innate entrepreneurial flair and a keen knack for spotting opportunities and inefficiencies in the real estate market – including the concerning rate of tenant mistreatment – Levinson was determined to inspire a change.
Reflecting on these formative years, Levinson reveals that he used to work alongside his high school principal for two years. Back then, he undertook various responsibilities, including maintenance, rent collection, advertising, and showing properties.
“During this time, I witnessed and heard numerous horror stories from landlords and tenants. I realized just how important maintaining a positive relationship between these two parties is,” he says.
Those two years opened Levinson’s eyes even further, disclosing a bigger market gap than he’d imagined. And so, driven by a vision to not just bring meaningful change to the real estate industry from a business point of view but also by a desire to enhance tenant-landlord relationships, Levinson established Royal York Property Management, a name he says was inspired by a street sign he noticed during a cold call.
Speaking about what makes the support pillars of RYPM, Levinson shares one simple yet profound element: a passion for technology and innovation. This was particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. While other companies were fighting to stay afloat, RYPM, buoyed by Levinson’s strategic investments, continued to scale and grow.
This technological edge helped the company successfully navigate the crisis and enhanced the quality of services offered to tenants and landlords alike, further cementing Levinson’s and his team’s position in the property management landscape.
Speaking about the services and programs RYMP offers, Levinson shares that one of the major goals connects them all: facilitating a balanced ecosystem that caters to tenant and landlord needs—a unique perspective in an industry that’s often said to be biased toward property owners. However, Levinson believes that a bit of empathy toward tenants can go a long way in creating win-win situations for all parties involved.
Thanks to this vision and Levinson’s effort, while the real estate market struggled due to either a lack of leads or even increasing rates of tenant defaults, the Royal York Property Management team has enjoyed a different experience—all thanks to the company’s groundbreaking tenant placement strategies.
“Tenant placement is so much more than just filling vacancies. It’s about finding the perfect fit, matching the right tenants with ideal landlords,” he says. “This way, we have managed not just to ensure tenant satisfaction, but we’ve also minimized defaults and experienced an increase in leads.”
The secret as to why Royal York Property Management has been able to do this hides in its extensive database that relies on a sophisticated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. It includes an AI-driven match-making process that sifts through over 20,000 properties and detailed contracts for around 400,000 pre-qualified tenants, landlords, and maintenance technicians.
The system considers various criteria, such as property details and special demands. The AI component ensures a quicker and more exact match, aligning tenants’ needs and preferences with the best properties. Moreover, since the system’s rigorous process comprises thorough background checks, only the most reliable tenants are selected for RYPM clients’ properties, thus minimizing the chance of defaults.
“The system saves a lot of time on the landlord end since it can find them the ‘perfect’ tenant within a week or so on average,” Levinson adds.
RYPM’s commitment to preserving landlords’ needs and interests doesn’t end here. The company has one more ace up its sleeve—its dedicated, in-house, licensed technician team provides meticulous maintenance services. The team is available 24/7, ensuring immediate and top-notch maintenance, which covers a wide range of services, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical work, pest control, and more.
Looking back at his and his team’s journey, Levinson feels hopeful – and grateful – for the success Royal York Property Management has enjoyed so far.
His life’s path, from foster care and car backseat beginnings to becoming a veteran entrepreneur, was certainly winding. Still, he maintains that everything he has learned along the way—the good and the bad—has shaped him into who he is today: An ambitious, well-regarded, and resilient professional with a clear vision for the future and an unbridled interest in the advancements that the modern era has yet to bring to his industry.
His goal? To stay at the front of these advancements and raise the bar even higher for others.
As Levinson says, “My key to success has been marrying innovation with creativity and finding ways these two media can be translated into streamlined and efficient solutions for all parties involved. This way, you earn the trust of the community you serve and ensure your legacy will mean something for those that come next.”