Bernie Winter, ACCI, FCCI began her career in the condominium industry in 1975 working part time during the summer months while a student at SAIT (Studies included Architectural Drafting and Chemical Technology). As allergies prevented her from advancing as an Architectural draftsperson or a Chemical Technologist Bernie remained employed in the condominium business and developed experience in many areas, from managing condominium buildings as the on site manager, to administrator, to senior property manager. She has worked for a developer of condominium sites, has owned and lived in condominiums since her divorce in 1987, and sold condominiums as a licensed Realtor from 1986 to 1994.
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ABOUT Condo-Check
& Bernie Winter
In 1994 Bernie gave up her real estate license and bought into a non real estate related business and lost everything, her home, her car, her financial means. She found herself delivering papers between midnight and 4 am for a grand total of $300 per month. This year she also overcame a bout with cancer. In the spring of 1995 Bernie received a call from a developer looking to hire someone to assist him in converting a building. Being totally in need of a career she said “YES” to his question of being available. Being broke she asked for an advance and when he said “no problem, what is the name of your company?” off the top of her head she said “Condominium Support Services”… as she did not have a company, but this name seemed to fit the need.
With the income from that project Bernie rented a table at the Condo Expo and connected with more clients and the rest is history…
Condominium Support Services Inc. developed a number of services designed to support the condominium industry in all aspects, developers, lawyers, property managers, real estate sales people, lenders, condo boards and individual owners. Services now include Bylaw revisions, Reserve Fund Studies and Reserve Fund Plans, consulting, and the original condo-check document review service. The Condo-Check document review service was born out of Bernie’s awareness that people buy into condominium properties unaware of the magnitude of their investment into a legal corporation and underestimating the risks involved when the corporation is not operating effectively.
Too often while employed as a manager Bernie found
herself foreclosing on owners who simply could not afford the assessments
levied – often for capital work being required, and board members
not understanding the magnitude of the responsibility they have in making
decisions that keep the individual unit owner's investment in the project
intact. The condo-check review summary provides details, in plain language,
presenting the facts of the corporation that impact the owner living in
a condominium home.
In 2002 Bernie changed the company name to Condo-Check / Condominium Support
Services Inc. and began offering franchise opportunities. She incorporated
Bernie Winter Seminars Inc. and continues to write and present condominium
educational seminars that are approved by RECA.
In October of 2002 Bernie was given the Woman of Vision
award by the Global Network for entrepreneurship for having created the
Condo-Check document review service, the first of it’s kind in Canada.
Bernie offers customized condominium and training for boards, developers,
property managers and owners, and Health and Wellness seminars for corporations,
individuals and the general public. See her Wellness
weblog and Betty's Condo Owners' Club for further details.
