Our Mission: To have a positive impact on the lives of our Clients, Tenants and the communities that we serve, by providing high-quality housing and a positive Landlord and Tenant experience.
Our Values: Professionalism, responsiveness, positivity, optimism, empathy, integrity, attention to detail, progressive mindset, constant improvement.
the story of east vista home services
A message from Jeff Chebott, President
First of all, I love real estate investing. For me, it all started after reading the Rich Dad, Poor Dad books. Up until that point, most of my investments were in Mutual Funds, but those books really opened my eyes to the wealth-building potential of real estate. Unlike Mutual Funds, real estate is something that you can see and touch, and it’s an investment that’s relatively easy to understand.
how i got started
When I first started investing in Real Estate, I really had no experience. I had read a number of books and decided to jump right in and do it. My wife and I bought our first rental property in 2009 and I was terrified as the Closing Date approached. I remember waking up the morning of the Closing and thought “What are we doing…this is crazy”. We put $32,000 down from a Line of Credit, to buy a 3-bedroom, Semi-Detached property in Oshawa for $160,000. It was a big deal for us at the time…now I wish we had bought 10 of them!
From that point, it was really a trial-and-error process. We grew our portfolio over the coming years and had our share of ups and downs. From renovations to wrecked properties, from bad Tenants to foundation leaks and a house fire, it seems like we’ve been through it all.
Sure, dealing with problems and adversity are a part of being a real estate investor, but I could have avoided many of the ‘downs’ if I had had someone with experience to guide me. The difficult part was actually finding someone that had been in my shoes. In the beginning, I was working with a Realtor and mortgage lender, but they had very little experience in dealing with investors. Renovating and maintaining the property fell on me to figure out. I would call this a “fragmented” approach to investing, in that you’re dealing with a separate person for each aspect of the transaction, while trying to build a network from scratch. The main drawback with this type of approach, is that each person only looks at what is relevant to them. What I needed was an advisor that understood and had experience with all elements of real estate investing.
lessons learned along the way
Over the years, I’ve also learned some important lessons from working with Tenants. The most important being that the Landlord/Tenant relationship does not need to be one of conflict and animosity, but can and should be one of mutual benefit and respect. Sure, I’ve had a couple of bad experiences, but for the most part, I’ve had the pleasure of renting properties to some truly amazing people.
Another lesson is that there is a lot of emotion tied to Housing and it plays such an important part in all of our lives. We, as Landlords, have such an opportunity and obligation to provide a positive environment and experience to our Tenants, as it really does have a ripple-effect into the communities that we serve.
When I formed East Vista Management, I wanted to create a company that would offer the type of guidance and support that I had so desperately needed in the early stages of my real estate venture. The company is also built on the philosophies that I had developed over the years of buying, renovating and managing properties.
What does this mean to you?
I strongly believe in the power of real estate as a means of building personal wealth, and I want to make it easy for our Clients to harness this power and improve their financial well-being. To achieve this goal, I’ve assembled a great Team, with a specialist focusing on each key element of the business. This focused and specialized approach enables us to provide an exceptional level of service, while fostering a positive Landlord and Tenant experience.
It takes a very special team to create a legacy of excellence and that’s what East Vista Home Services has developed. What distinguishes us is our multidisciplinary group of technically skilled and client-centred individuals who have integrated their talents to take on project challenges with innovative solutions.
Jeff Chebott
I oversee New Business and the day-to-day Operations, while working to build a great team to serve our Clients and Tenants. A bit about me... : Health and Fitness is such an important part of my life. I quit smoking in 2002, then started Running in 2003 (if you can call it Running, as I could barely run 100m when I first started!). I gradually worked my way up to running my first Half-Marathon in 2008 and have since ran 3 Marathons and countless Half-marathons, 10K’s and Triathlons. I’ve slowed down a bit in recent years, but I started doing Crossfit about 2 years ago and really enjoy it. My wife and I have 3 amazing Daughters and they all have helped out with the business at some point, whether it be cutting grass, cleaning houses or painting.
Kim Chebott
I oversee our Tenant Services Team, who are responsible for managing Tenant maintenance requests and Inspections. I’m also responsible for developing East Vista Home Services, which is our Contracting Division, focusing on repairs, maintenance and small-scale renovations for the properties that we manage. A bit about me... : I’m a Health enthusiast who loves Running, Biking and Crossfit. I’m an HCA Registered Health Coach, Certified Primal Health Coach, Certified Personal Training Specialist and a Certified Healthy Eating and Weight Loss Coach. I joined the East Vista Management Team in August 2020, after 25 years in the B2B Office Supply business and it’s been a refreshing change. I’m the proud Mother of 3 Daughters, ages 21, 18 and 15.
Leigh Lothian
I ensure that Tenant and Client requests are addressed in a professional and timely manner, in order to keep the properties in tip top shape. I take great pride in ensuring that the properties managed by East Vista Home Services are well maintained and functioning in a way that satisfies both our Client's and our Tenant’s expectations. A bit about me... : have been an avid horse back rider since the age of 8. I used to show very competitively, even travelling to Florida during the winter to allow for year long showing! While I no longer show I now coach riding to the new up and comers of the sport! I am a farm girl at heart and love spending as much time outside as possible with my husband and our 2 children.
Louella Pereira
I manage client billings, ensuring all invoices are processed in a timely manner and reflect accurate pricing. I also communicate the results of inspections performed on the properties managed by East Vista Management Inc. to clients. A bit about me... : I’m a fun-loving, care-free mum of two. I have a beautiful teenage daughter and a cute, furry, four-legged son. I love playing squash and enjoy an active lifestyle. I am a CPA, CGA and after a long and fulfilling corporate career as an accountant, I joined East Vista Property Management. Being part of East Vista has been great as it allows me a fantastic work life balance.
Jaime Widawski
I inspect properties for East Vista Property Management to ensure they are maintained, functioning, and safe for the tenants. I inspect the properties as if they were my own and use the preventative maintenance inspection checklists to provide a very thorough service for the Clients and Tenants. A bit about me... : I am a father of two and grandfather of four and currently reside with my partner in the Durham region. These days I enjoy staying active through golf, gardening, home improvements, fishing, hunting and hiking with my partner and dog. I am an avid sports fan being active in baseball, hockey and squash for many years but now enjoy watching just about any type of event either in person or on TV. I spend many weekends at our property up north enjoying nature, the scenery and relaxing with friends and family.
Joe Smith
I conduct the Showings for the properties that have available for Rent. I also facilitate the Application process and consult with Clients on final Tenant selection. A bit about me... : I’m originally from the Owen Sound area, where my Husband and I grew up. This is my second time living in the Durham Region, as we travelled with my Husband's job, taking us from Owen Sound to Durham Region then to the Sarnia and then back to the Owen Sound area, where we retired. My husband's illness brought us back to Durham Region in 2016 and I’ve been working with East Vista Management since 2017. My previous career was in Banking with TD. Over my 30+ year career, I held most jobs at the Branch-level at some point. I guess you could say that working with the public is in my blood and I've thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people over the past two and a half years.
Ian Calman
I inspect properties for East Vista Property Management to ensure they are maintained, functioning, and safe for the tenants. I inspect the properties as if they were my own and use the preventative maintenance inspection checklists to provide a very thorough service for the Clients and Tenants. A bit about me... : I am originally from Scarborough, but I have lived in the Port Perry area for the last 20 years. I enjoy life out of the big city where I’ve lived on Lake Scugog and presently in my home on the Green Belt. Most of my time has been spent in a hockey arena, where I played into my forties, before moving on to coaching my son’s teams. I have a passion for home renovations and always have a project or two on the go.
