The star of the show Numbers 1 at the Casa chain, Christine Girouard, will never again be able to practice the profession of real estate broker in Quebec. Her license has just been revoked forever due to the bogus purchase promise scheme she had put in place to create overbidding.
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“A permanent revocation of the respondent’s real estate broker’s license is necessary since it is the only sanction that can adequately protect the public,” we can read in a decision of the Self-Regulation of Real Estate Brokerage of Quebec (OACIQ) which dates from the end of November.
Permanent disbarment is very difficult to obtain, and Mme Girouard was initially sentenced to a 15-year suspension and a $50,000 fine for orchestrating a bogus bid scheme.
Facebook Christine Girouard
The former real estate broker was then called before the disciplinary committee of her profession, and the lawyers of both parties then agreed on a more severe sanction.
“The Committee is of the opinion that the respondent does not have the qualities required to work in the field of real estate brokerage (…). The respondent is a dishonest broker who profoundly lacks probity,” we read in the decision.
The stratagem
Christine Girouard admitted that she repeatedly used a stratagem of bogus offers intended to create an illusion of competition between buyers.
In addition to having implemented this fraudulent scheme, the aim of which was to encourage an increase in the offers submitted, Mme Girouard would also have used lies, a practice prohibited by the Real Estate Brokerage Act.
On at least one occasion, the ex-broker allegedly lied to clients to cover up the fact that she had fallen asleep during a negotiation. Rather than admit her fault, she encouraged her clients to increase their offer by $7,500 by making them believe that the sellers wanted more money.
In another transaction, Mme Girouard also allegedly tried to have the legal guarantee of quality excluded after the acceptance of a promise to purchase and threatened the buyers’ broker that his client would not sign the deed of sale if this legal guarantee was not excluded.
On her Facebook page, Christine Girouard always presents herself as a “coach of successful real estate brokers”. Her website, on which she offers real estate training, is still online.
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