Kori Marin

For high-energy real estate entrepreneur and creative force Kori Marin, a well-lived life has always meant going all in.

That philosophy was instilled in her early. As a young girl, Kori trained as a ballerina, learning at an unusually early age the discipline, resilience and follow-through required to commit 100 percent to something. It is a mindset that has stayed with her throughout her life, whether she is building a business, creating a brand, training physically, travelling the world or pursuing a new idea.

Creativity was equally formative.

Kori studied theatre at Dalhousie University, performed in productions including Shakespeare by the Sea, and appeared in numerous television commercials. Those years gave her an appreciation for performance, storytelling, communication and the emotional connection between an audience and an idea skills that, perhaps unexpectedly, became an important part of how she eventually approached real estate, marketing and brand building.

Fitness was another early passion. After graduating from university, Kori became one of Toronto’s top fitness instructors, bringing the same energy, discipline and ability to motivate others that defined her years in dance and theatre. What began as a serious pursuit in her twenties has remained a constant throughout her life; today, she continues to test herself physically by competing in HYROX fitness races.

At the same time, Kori had always been fascinated by real estate. She began investing at a relatively young age and developed an early appreciation for the relationship between property, design, neighbourhoods, investment and the way people choose to live.

Her professional career, however, initially took her into the corporate world.

Over seven successful years in sales and account management, Kori ultimately managed a portfolio worth more than $70 million, working with some of North America’s largest retailers, including Target, CVS, Walgreens and Shoppers Drug Mart. The experience developed another side of her skill set: strategic thinking, negotiation, organization, analytics and the ability to manage complex relationships at a very high level.

Eventually, her entrepreneurial instincts and longstanding passion for property pulled her toward real estate full time.

And when Kori commits to something, she commits completely.

She quickly established herself as a successful Toronto Realtor, earning both Rookie of the Year and President’s Sales awards early in her career. But success within the traditional real estate model also exposed her to its limitations.

Kori believed sophisticated Toronto buyers and sellers deserved something more considered than the conventional one-agent, one-size-fits-all approach.

Real estate could be more collaborative. More creative. More design-conscious. More strategic. More personal.

And considerably more fun.

That belief ultimately led her to co-found Fox Marin Associates in 2018, an independent boutique brokerage in Toronto built around a very different idea of what the real estate experience could look and feel like.

Today, Kori is Broker, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Fox Marin, and much of the personality people associate with the brand has her fingerprints all over it.

As Fox Marin’s creative lead and brand voice, she shapes the brokerage’s aesthetic, marketing, storytelling, content and client experience. Her background in theatre, business, real estate and design has created a distinctive point of view: sophisticated without being stuffy, polished without feeling corporate and always willing to challenge the conventions of traditional real estate.

While Kori remains selectively involved in advising clients, her role today is increasingly focused on the bigger picture, developing the Fox Marin brand, creating meaningful content, mentoring the team and continually reimagining how a modern independent brokerage can provide a genuinely white-glove experience.

Since its founding, Fox Marin has represented more than 1,000 real estate transactions and over $700 million in sales, while earning 550+ five-star Google reviews. The brokerage has grown around the same principle that originally inspired Kori to help create it: surround clients with a talented team of specialists rather than expecting one individual Realtor to be everything to everyone.
Kori’s curiosity extends well beyond the brokerage.

She co-hosts The Toronto Real Estate Podcast, co-authored What They Don’t Teach You in Real Estate School, served as a judge for the Rotman School of Management Marketing Case Studies, and has pursued continuing education in Negotiation Mastery at Harvard University and in Digital Marketing at BrainStation. As Fox Marin’s creative voice, she also plays a central role in a growing social and digital community of more than 30,000 followers and subscribers.
And then there is life outside real estate.

True to form, Kori doesn’t approach that casually either.

She is passionate about fitness, health, design, travel, and continually testing her capabilities. Her adventures have included trekking Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit, going on safari in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, and visiting the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Closer to home, one of her favourite companions is Draper, the family’s Rhodesian Ridgeback, who is very much part of the Fox Marin extended family and a regular fixture on hikes, country escapes and everyday adventures.

Whether she is building a company, shaping a brand, training for her next physical challenge, exploring another corner of the world or heading out with Draper, the philosophy remains remarkably consistent.

Bring the energy. Do the work. Follow through. Go all in.