From the runway to real estate, a former supermodel and actress decided to change careers at 50 and has now settled into a more rural life in Collingwood.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood we spoke with Monika Schnarre, 51, real estate agent and former supermodel/actor.
Q: For how long have you lived in Collingwood?
A: I moved here when my son started junior kindergarten, so about five years ago.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I’m from Scarborough, Ont. I moved to New York when I was 14, then to Los Angeles when I was 19.
I was a model and actor.
Now, I’m a real estate agent.
Q: What projects would people recognize you from?
A: For the most part, in Canada, people remember me from my modelling career, because I won a contest in Canada called (Ford) Supermodel of the World, which is a bit embarrassing.
In the U.S., people know me more from the soap opera I did: The Bold and the Beautiful. I also did some sci-fi and lots of different movies. How I get recognized depends on what genre people are watching. (laughs)
Q: Why did you decide to make the move to Collingwood five years ago?
A: I was still working, but I wanted more of a rural setting to raise my son. (I wanted) more of a country lifestyle with less congestion and better parking. (laughs)
My ex-husband’s mom lives in Collingwood. I sort of started falling in love with Collingwood when we were dating. I thought it would be a nice place to raise a child.
When we had him, we were living in Muskoka. I thought when he started school, we should move to Collingwood, so we did.
Q: What made you want to make a career switch to real estate?
A: I’ve always loved real estate. I’ve been privately flipping homes my whole life, from Vancouver to Toronto. That’s how I’ve supplemented my acting income.
Over the pandemic, I thought, why don’t I just get (my licence)? It made a lot of sense.
I love the idea of affecting someone’s life in a very tangible and positive way.
The real estate agent I met when I bought my first house – she changed my whole life. Where you live really affects every part of your life, like who you meet, who your friends are, your lifestyle. I love helping people and helping someone find their dream home.
Q: How did you get your foot in the door?
A: Engel & Völkers approached me during the pandemic and asked me if I’d ever considered getting my licence. I knew of the company because my ex-husband had worked with them.
I’d always thought about it and I speak German so that was appealing to them as they had foreign buyers. I said yes, and went back to college at 50. Why not?
Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of work you’d like to talk about?
A: My son and I are really active. He’s big into snowboarding and skiing. I hike almost every day up Blue Mountain as my own personal Stairmaster.
We love paddleboarding, kayaking – we’re up for any adventure. That’s one of the things about Collingwood, there’s so much to do.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like people in Collingwood to know about you?
A: Don’t be afraid to say hi! It’s a lovely, warm and welcoming place here. I’m open to meeting new people.
For our feature People of Collingwood, we’ll be speaking with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way, letting them tell their own stories in their own words. This feature will run on CollingwoodToday every weekend. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected].
