Claussen Walters & Associates Ltd

Tony Walters and his wife and business partner Barbara Claussen have changed the way real estate is perceived in Nova Scotia. The two run Claussen Walters & Associates Ltd., a real estate company with offices in Lunenburg, Bridgewater and Shelburne.

The partnership began in 1996 when Claussen visited Nova Scotia to brush up on her English. Claussen has been working as a real estate agent in East Berlin and needed to improve her English skills to work with Anglophone customers after the Berlin wall came down.

At the time, Walters was running a successful real estate agency in the south shore, and Claussen approached him for an apprenticeship.

“He didn’t have a spot for me, and he kept insisting he couldn’t give me a job, but I wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Claussen jokes. “Finally, I just showed up at his office and he gave me a position. The rest is history.”

Walters and Claussen were married within a year and Claussen moved to Nova Scotia in 1997. The two started Claussen Walters the same year with a total of four staff.

Claussen explains the company has always encouraged a cooperative approach among its employees, something that is unique in the real estate business.

“We have always had a really good working environment. We work in teams and have a lot of fun. We’re not competitive, so all our agents work together. We really take a team approach to business. There is truly no competition, we all work together.”

Claussen says when a client calls Claussen Walters to list a property, the company always sends three agents to the initial meeting.

“That way the client gets the combined experience of three staff members and we can pool our thoughts when it comes to pricing, staging and marketing. It’s also helpful to have several people up to speed on the listing.”

Claussen Walters has grown to include 13 agents and three support staff at its offices. The company’s distinctive turquoise signs can be seen punctuating lawns throughout the south shore and as far as St. Margaret’s Bay.

“Tony asked for a unique and interesting design,” Barbara laughs. “He wanted our sign to be appealing and tasteful, to reflect our overall company brand. We’ve actually had people come to the office asking to buy some signs so they could hang them on their walls.”

When it comes to the business, Claussen says the goal is to exceed customer expectations

“Our goal is to be as good as we can possibly be. We want to provide really good service and extensive knowledge of the market. We want to show clients the best way to sell a property.”

Claussen says many of their clients are coming to Nova Scotia from other parts of the world, particularly from western Canadian provinces, as well as from the UK and Europe. She adds while a lot of the company’s business is from newcomers, an equal amount is from people just looking to move houses, or those who are moving back home to the province.

The minute she arrived in Nova Scotia, Claussen was drawn to the South Shore. She says she had trouble deciding on the most beautiful place to live.

“Everywhere I went I found somewhere even more beautiful. I went to Mahone Bay, then I saw Rose Bay then I went to Kingsburg. Every time you turn a corner you see a new beautiful place. There is so much variety and beauty in the landscape here.”

The two settled on a historic home in Lunenburg, which Claussen restored extensively, even winning an award from the Town of Lunenburg for best home restoration. She has since lived in Kingsburg and now resides on farm outside Bridgewater.

“I have renovated seven houses. I feel that many places are losing their history in this province. Every town has a historic district and a different feel. Historic homes make the character of a place, so it’s important to take good care of them,” she says.

Claussen and Walters play an active role in preserving the Lunenburg area. Walters was helping to preserve Gaffe Point in Kingsburg as a park, and the couple has been instrumental in setting up a breakfast and lunch program at the Hebbville School near their home.

“In Hebbville, we knew there were kids from all walks of life in one school, and there were some kids whose parents were having trouble making ends meet,” Claussen explains. “We supported a program to provide healthy food for these kids and to change attitudes toward hungry children.”

In what little spare time they have Claussen and Walters take care of seven horses, three donkeys, five cats and four dogs on their 60 acre farm outside Bridgewater, most of them rescued animals.

Claussen is a self-professed animal nut. She went as far as to fly to Alberta to rescue 62 horses that were destined for slaughter because they were no longer needed to produce hormones for a menopause drug. She arranged for the horses to be shipped back to Nova Scotia in transport trucks and found homes for 60 of them. Her efforts generated national media attention that saved hundreds of horses from slaughter.

“I couldn’t believe these horses were just being disposed of. I had to do something, so I literally went out there and got as many horses as I could. I feel responsible for saving a good number of horses and helping draw attention to the issue,” she recounts.

Claussen says as long as people want to move to Nova Scotia, she will help them find their dream property. She believes the province will always be a draw for people looking for balance and beauty in their lives.

“Our clients tell us they think Nova Scotia is the most wonderful place. They like the province because it’s safe. You don’t have to worry about crime. It’s beautiful and the weather is as good as it can be for this part of the world. Most of all, there are wonderful people here, which are the most valuable thing we offer.”