Paper Shredding Event Leads to New Business Opportunities for REALTOR® in New Brunswick

Who among us doesn’t have boxes full of old tax returns, credit card bills bank statements or university papers?

A cluttered space can feel overwhelming and chaotic, whereas decluttering can bring a reduction in stress and anxiety. Properly disposing of old papers and files can also protect against identity theft. As a general rule, personal tax documents should be stored for about six years. 

Judy Mitchell, a salesperson and REALTOR® with RE/MAX Professional in Saint John, New Brunswick, knows a thing or two about how much stuff people tend to accumulate. She and her husband, Terry, used to own a franchise of a company called Downsizing Diva.

“People will brag about the boxes they have, that they have taxes going back to when they were 18,” she says. “That’s a long time ago. Plus, your house smells like mould. People just hang onto stuff because it’s a pain to get rid of it. If you had an opportunity to get rid of a box or two a year you would probably do that.”

So, an opportunity presented itself. She could help her neighbours in Saint John declutter their lives while also market herself as a local REALTOR®, complementing other types of promotion that she does.

Every October for the past six years, Mitchell and volunteers hold an Annual Shred Event in the parking lot of Loch Lomond Villa, the largest nursing home in New Brunswick and where Mitchell’s husband used to work as a facility manager. 

They rent a truck for shredding papers and pylons are set up to direct people when they drive into the parking lot. This past October they thought they’d only need one truck, but the event was so well-attended they ended up using three. 

Everything that’s shredded gets recycled. A family affair, Mitchell’s parents pitch in their time to help the event run smoothly.

Donations are made to the Alzheimer Society, who supply volunteers. At the last event Mitchell was able to donate more than $5,000. She greets everyone who drives in, asks them if they want to donate to the Alzheimer Society, gives them a card if they want to donate later, and gives them a contact number for her office to be notified about the next year’s event.

Discussions during this community event often segue into discussions about real estate. There’s a sign that goes up promoting the event six weeks beforehand, one third of which promotes Mitchell Realty. 

People will leave their information behind so Mitchell can let them know when the next event is. No one gets inundated with newsletters or sales brochures, which helps people not feel pressured by sales tactics. Mitchell says she gets two or three clients per year that come directly from the shred event. 

“I kept going into houses that I was looking at listing, and people would have stacks and stacks of boxes of paper,” she says. “And it was an overwhelming thing for people.” Especially those who might be downsizing by selling the family home and moving into an apartment, she says. 

“By helping them get rid of it, it frees them up to move forward and start getting ready to sell the house,” she adds. “And it ends up being not just the seniors or the sellers. We get at least one or two lawyers who are retiring, or a physio office that's retiring, and these [people] would all have to pay to have a shred truck come in.”

“Instead they go to my event. They'll rent cube vans, fill them, and come to the shred event, donate to the event, and we then, in part, donate to the Alzheimer's Society.”

By helping them get rid of it, it frees them up to move forward and start getting ready to sell the house."

Judy Mitchell, RE/MAX Professional

Mitchell says people will start calling her office in March or April asking for the date. They’ll plan around it and spend their summers getting boxes ready.

It's proven to be a great way to build her brand in the community as a local REALTOR®.

“Now that we’ve been doing it for six years, people know that it’s my thing, and it works really well because people will literally reach out,” Mitchell says. “And a lot of times people are working with other agents, but it doesn't matter to me. If they donate, and the Alzheimer Society gets a little more money, then great. I'm there to do it, regardless of who the person is. It's sometimes other agents that show up. But I'm okay with that. People know it's my thing.”

“My parents tell me, ‘You know you will never be allowed to stop this,’ ” she says. “And I am okay with that.” 

Photos in this article provided by Mitchell Realty.