Sandra Rinomato

Sandra Rinomato is a Canadian real estate broker and television personality based in Toronto, Ontario, known for her expertise in guiding first-time homebuyers, particularly women, through the property market. With more than 30 years of experience, Rinomato advanced to become the broker and owner of a boutique brokerage affiliated with Royal LePage Terrequity Realty, which prioritizes tailored client services in the Toronto real estate market. A CRB-certified real estate brokerage manager and experienced real estate agent, she was named Best Canadian Entrepreneur.

Rinomato began her television hosting career on HGTV Canada with the series "Property Virgins," which premiered and ran for 10 seasons, producing 130 episodes. In the show, she guided first-time homebuyers through the challenges of house hunting, emphasizing realistic expectations, budget constraints, and the realities of the real estate market. The program originated on HGTV Canada and expanded to HGTV in the United States in its second season. The show regularly drew in 11 million viewers per episode when it first aired on HGTV and HGTV Canada. Rinomato has spoken about the personal challenges she overcame on the road to that success; in an interview, she revealed that only a few years before the show launched, she underwent open heart surgery due to a heart defect, describing the operation as "pretty touch and go" and noting she suffered life-threatening complications, but she made a full recovery.

After her run on HGTV's "Property Virgins," Rinomato turned her attention to a new show, "Buy Herself," which focused on helping single women buy their first home and enter the real estate market. "Buy Herself" traced the experiences of single women buying their own homes. It aired on HGTV Canada and continues to be watched on Netflix. Rinomato said she was inspired to do the show because, while single women represent one-in-four buyers compared to single men at one-in-10, women buying property on their own is still considered an anomaly. The show reflected her broader commitment to female empowerment in real estate, a cause she has championed throughout her career.

Beyond television, Rinomato has established herself as an author and thought leader. Her first book, "Realty Check: Real Estate Secrets for First-Time Canadian Home Buyers," published by Wiley, offers practical advice on key aspects of purchasing a first home, including financing options, home inspections, condo buying strategies, selecting a reliable realtor, and navigating legal challenges such as mortgage fraud, with an emphasis on budgeting techniques and common pitfalls. She later released "Home Worthy: How to Buy Your Dream Home with Ease," published by FriesenPress, which combines real estate instruction with personal development insights tailored primarily for women—such as single, divorced, or widowed buyers—exploring their values, beliefs, and goals in property investment, and addressing how to overcome cultural conditioning, family resistance, and internal doubts to build equity and confidence.

Rinomato has built on her success to become a certified real estate broker manager and also spends time mentoring struggling real estate agents through coaching sessions, saying, "Coaching is extremely important to me, I love it and thrive on it." She has also served as a volunteer on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, contributing to organizational governance and community initiatives during her tenure as a director-at-large. A keynote speaker whose topics span real estate, reality TV, and women's empowerment, Rinomato brings decades of on-the-ground expertise and a compelling personal story to every stage she graces.