Our History
Macdonald Realty was established in 1944 by John Macdonald and Al Steel as a boutique residential brokerage firm specializing in properties on Vancouver’s West Side. The company’s modern era began in 1990, under the leadership of Lynn Hsu and a new management team, who were dedicated to creating an integrated real estate organization.
The timing coincided with Vancouver’s emergence onto the international stage. In a few short years the city went from “undiscovered jewel” to “international hotspot”, perched strategically on the Pacific Rim and attracting visitors, celebrities, and investors from around the world.
During the nineties, Macdonald Realty expanded throughout British Columbia through a series of mergers, acquisitions, and strategic affiliations.
Building on our established strength and experience in residential sales, the company has expanded its business interests to include commercial sales and leasing, property management, strata management, development and project management, project marketing and mortgage brokering and lending. Through our network of offices, Macdonald Realty is committed to providing the best real estate services in British Columbia.
In 2015, Macdonald Realty opened an office in Shanghai at the junction of the Jing’an and Xu’hui district and launched a Chinese website macrealty.cn, which was the first and only Canada-focused real estate website behind the Great Firewall.
Our Management
Lynn Hsu
CEO, Macdonald Real Estate Group
Lynn Hsu, CEO of the Macdonald Real Estate Group, started her real estate career in 1985. From 1987 through 1989, Lynn was the #1 salesperson for Western Canada at a large, national real estate firm, ranking in the top 3 for all of Canada for combined residential/commercial real estate sales during those years. In 1990, Lynn bought Macdonald Realty, then only a single office in Vancouver’s Westside.
Since that time she has expanded the company to 20 offices throughout British Columbia, with nearly 1,000 staff and sales associates. Under the Macdonald Real Estate Group umbrella, she has built the operation into Western Canada’s largest fully integrated real estate organization providing services including residential sales, commercial sales and leasing, land assembly, property and strata management, project marketing sales for new strata developments, and mortgage financing.
Over her career, Lynn has been honoured many times for her achievements. These include:
- Best Multi-Family Low Rise Development, Georgie Awards, 2017
- The Most Powerful in Residential Real Estate – 2017 (Swanepoel Power 200) – Rank # 104
- The Most Powerful in Residential Real Estate – 2016 (Swanepoel Power 200) – Rank # 105
- The Top 20 Women Leaders in Residential Real Estate – 2016 (Swanepoel Power 200)
- BC Business 50 Most Influential Women in BC – 2015 (BC Business)
- The Largest Company Owned by a Woman in BC — 2008 to 2015 (Business in Vancouver)
- Global Alliance Award for Most Outgoing Cross Border Referral – 2012 to 2015 (LeadingRE)
- Person of the Year in Chinese-Canadian Business Award – 2007
- Canadian Business Top 100 Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award – 2006 – Rank # 8
- Canadian Business Top 100 Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award – 2004 – Rank # 11
- The largest brokerage company in Western Canada – 2009 (Real Trends)
- Taiwanese Canadian Entrepreneur Award
- Overseas Chinese Achievement Award
- 40 Under 40 Achievement Award for Entrepreneurs in BC
Dan Scarrow
President, Macdonald Real Estate Group
Dan Scarrow is President of Macdonald Real Estate Group, the parent company of Macdonald Realty, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Founded in Vancouver in 1944, Macdonald Realty has grown to become BC’s largest full-service corporately owned real estate company, with over 20 corporate offices, 1,000+ agents and staff in the province, and nearly $10 billion in annual sales.
In addition to residential sales, Macdonald Commercial has over 40 dedicated commercial agents with a head office on Burrard St. and a new Fraser Valley office in South Surrey, and Macdonald Property Management currently manages over $3 billion in BC property.
From 2014 – 2018, Dan lived in Shanghai, China, opening and running Macdonald’s office there (branded the Canadian Real Estate Investment Centre). To this day, Macdonald is the only Canadian real estate brokerage with a physical corporate office in mainland China.
Prior to that, Dan was both a successful residential and commercial agent, selling over $50 million in his first year in sales and earning an Award of Excellence or Sales Achievement Award in each of the following 4 years.
Dan has a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Queen’s University and is fluent in Chinese (Mandarin).
Tony Letvinchuk
Managing Director, Macdonald Commercial Real Estate Services Ltd.
Tony Letvinchuk, Managing Director, Macdonald Commercial Real Estate Services Ltd. “Macdonald Commercial” (a Macdonald Real Estate Group company) has over 30 years’ experience operating commercial real estate companies in Metro Vancouver. He is familiar with all facets of managing, leasing, selling and financing income producing properties, comprising all asset classes, and development sites in British Columbia. Prior to joining Macdonald Commercial in 1998, Tony was Vice President of a prominent downtown Vancouver based commercial real estate brokerage firm, where he enjoyed a 17 year career in the 1980”s and 1990’s. Tony is the licensed with the Real Estate Council of BC to oversee the operation of Macdonald Commercial for all its commercial real estate services offerings to the public including sales & leasing, property management and strata management.
Tony leads Macdonald Commercial’s team of more than 40 accomplished associates selling and leasing income properties in Metro Vancouver and throughout British Columbia; including the sale and assembly of land for commercial and residential development. He is very familiar with both local, and international, investor requirements; having worked directly with clients from Asia throughout his career involving the sale, management, and financing of their properties.
Graduating from the University of British Columbia in 1981 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, Tony also received a Diploma in Urban Land Economics from UBC in 1983. He has been active in the community, previously serving as President of Commerce Undergraduate Society (CUS), UBC; President of UBC Commerce Alumni Association; Director of Arthritis Society of BC and Yukon Division; and he is recipient of the Blythe Eagles Volunteer Award from UBC Alumni Association. Tony is currently a Director of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, a non-profit organization, dedicated to revitalizing and rejuvenating Vancouver’s historic Chinatown and honouring a culture and community established in Vancouver over 100 years ago.
Tony is a member of the Real Estate Institute of BC (holding the RI professional designation); National Association of Industrial Office Properties (NAIOP); International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC); former REIBC Representative on the Real Estate Council of BC’s Property Management Advisory Group; as well as past Director of Urban Development Institute (UDI) Pacific Region. Macdonald Commercial is British Columbia’s affiliate of Corfac International, an alliance of more than 50 international commercial Brokerages, and Tony is one of its Canadian Directors.