Philip Kocev
Broker Owner, Skybound Realty, Brokerage

Philip Kocev was born into real estate. With a Realtor mother and property-investor father, this York University graduate and arts enthusiast worked his way up the corporate ladder before returning back to his real estate roots. Philip is the Broker Owner of Skybound Realty, a brokerage he co-founded in August 2025 with fellow industry professionals united by innovation, integrity, and passion.
Previously, Philip served as a senior leader and Broker/Managing Partner at one of Toronto’s largest real estate brokerages, where he helped grow teams, expand offices, and mentor REALTORS®. A savvy, Toronto-born property investor and city enthusiast, Philip’s 20+ years in real estate make him a trusted resource to sales representatives, brokers, clients, and colleagues.
Philip began his professional career the summer before starting at York University. After receiving the McDonnell Douglas Foundation Scholarship (1997), he joined their Human Resources department and switched his major from Arts to Business Administration. He graduated with Honours in Human Resources Management and earned the CHRL designation from the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA).
Over the next 12 years, Philip advanced through roles overseeing HR and facilities, gaining local and global experience across all functional areas, including mergers, acquisitions, and organizational restructuring. His final role before moving into real estate full-time was with Deloitte in the HR Transformation practice, where international client work exposed him to forward-thinking initiatives in process and organizational design and the implementation of centralized HR services.
In 2009, Philip was invited to help launch a new Toronto office for one of the city’s largest real estate brokerages. While assisting in the start-up, he focused on client sales, quickly becoming a top-10 REALTOR® at the brokerage and building his own team. As the branch grew, he was asked to expand operations and open a second Toronto office—an opportunity that brought him back to leadership, consulting, and HR.
As his leadership responsibilities increased, Philip stepped back from direct client sales. His former team evolved into the Beacon Real Estate Team, where members operate as individual contributors with shared resources and support. During his tenure in brokerage leadership, Philip oversaw two Toronto offices and more than 230 REALTORS®, combining his HR and corporate background with his passion for mentorship and industry advocacy. He has championed legislative and regulatory changes that elevate client value and the profession’s credibility.
An active property investor, Philip understands the personal significance of buying and selling a home. He keeps close to market trends, invests personally, and provides leadership that helps REALTORS® deliver exceptional service—now under the Skybound Realty banner, where he’s focused on building a modern, collaborative brokerage that empowers REALTORS® to reach new heights.
Outside of real estate, Philip loves to travel with his partner, Andrew, and has a deep passion for the arts. He holds a performance certificate in Speech and Drama from Trinity College London and has worked across theatre and film disciplines, including lighting, sound, acting, writing, publicity, front of house, editing, camera operation, stage management, and directing. Deeply committed to philanthropy, Philip supports the Bill 7 Educational Award Scholarship and the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival, and previously served as Treasurer of the Broadview Danforth BIA. He also continues to advocate for Missing Middle housing and community-focused city building.
Philip Kocev can be contacted at philip.kocev@gmail.com
MEDIA MENTIONS
- 2023.04.11 CBC Toronto News at 6 CEBA Survey
- 2023.04.11 CBC News Struggling Toronto businesses need more time to repay federal pandemic loans, association says
- 2021.11.04 NOW Toronto Last dash to Danforth Village
- 2021.10.28 CTV News Study supports blind bidding on real estate, but one realtor argues transparency better for homebuyers
- 2021.10.25 CityTV Breakfast Television Business capacity limits have been lifted (live)
- 2021.10.18 TRNTO Little Italy laneway home sells for record-setting price
- 2021.10.16 NOW Toronto area real estate agents caught illegally steering customers
- 2021.10.03 CBC News What an end to blind bidding for real estate could look like
- 2021.09.11 NOW Toronto Election 2021: Where the parties stand on housing, rent and mortgages
- 2021.08.28 NOW Toronto Election 2021: Liberal plan to ban blind bidding divides real estate industry
- 2021.08.26 Real Estate Magazine OREA, TRREB oppose Liberal Party’s blind bidding ban proposal
- 2021.08.26 The Star Liberal plan to ban blind bidding for homes ignites real estate skirmish
- 2021.08.26 The Morning Show 640, Greg Brady Liberals say banning blind bidding will help housing affordability (live)
- 2021.07.28 CBC News Toronto agreed to buy a home to save a 250-year-old tree. Now, the seller wants a higher price
- 2021.07.22 Real Estate Magazine Pushing for more transparency in real estate bidding
- 2021.07.08 The Morning Show 640, Greg Brady New survey finds realtors and consumers want more transparency in offer process (live)
- 2021.05.15 CBC Toronto GTA brokers, buyers call for more transparency in real estate bidding process
- 2021.04.24 NOW Toronto Toronto real estate experts call for an end to blind bidding and deception
- 2021.04.23 NOW Toronto Podcast Affordable Housing in Toronto Real Estate Should Not Come At the Expense of the Environment
- 2021.04.22 NOW Toronto article Affordable housing in Toronto real estate should not come at the expense of the environment
- 2021.03.24 CTV News Toronto, Austin Delaney
- 2021.02.05 The Star Toronto builder says fees, permits deter middle-income housing projects
- 2021.01.30 NOW Toronto How to fix Toronto real estate’s missing middle problem
- 2021.01.29 NOW Toronto Podcast – Toronto Real Estate Has a Missing Middle
- 2021.01.25 The Morning Show 640, Mike Stafford Missing Middle (live starts at 10:00)
- 2021.01.23 CBC News How the reno boom could help fill in the ‘missing middle’ in Toronto’s housing stock
- 2021.01.22 CBC News Toronto Construction boom to help fill the Missing Middle
- 2021.01.20 The Star East-end Toronto pilot project will help fill ‘missing middle’ gap in affordable housing
- 2020.01.19 City of Toronto Planning and Housing Committee deposition (starts at 1:10:00)
- 2020.12.11 The Morning Show 640, Mike Stafford Broadview-Danforth BIA business owners take a stand against lockdown restrictions (live)
- 2020.11.13 CTV News Toronto, Austin Delaney
- 2020.10.14 Real Estate Magazine Sutton City joins iPro Realty on Toronto’s Danforth
- 2020.09.11 CityTV Breakfast Television Real estate hot spots outside Toronto (live)
- 2020.07.02 CityTV Breakfast Television Buyer trends point to a more positive post-COVID landscape (live)
- 2020.06.24 CTV News Channel National, Toronto enters stage 2 of reopening Marcia MacMillan (live)
- 2020.06.04 Media Conference Small businesses won’t survive without immediate action hosted by Councillor Paula Fletcher & NDP MPP Peter Tabuns
- 2020.05.15 NDP Media Conference Small business owners call for commercial rent relief, moratorium on evictions hosted by Andrea Horwath
- 2020.05.12 CityNews Toronto, Mark McAllister Survey says small businesses are struggling to pay rent
- 2020.05.12 Media Conference Changes to CECRA Needed to Save Small Businesses – Survey Results hosted by Councillor Paula Fletcher & NDP MPP Peter Tabuns
- 2020.05.08 CP24 Dayside (live TV interview)
- 2020.05.01 CTV News Toronto, Austin Delaney
- 2020.04.22 CTV News Channel National, Toronto small business at risk Todd van der Heyden (live)
- 2020.04.22 Media Conference Toronto Small Business COVID-19 Impact Survey Results hosted by Councillor Paula Fletcher & NDP MPP Peter Tabuns
- 2020.04.15 CTV News Toronto, Austin Delaney
- 2020.04.15 Toronto Star Small businesses ask for rent relief as pandemic closures continue
- 2020.04.15 Toronto.com East Toronto small businesses call for rent subsidy amid coronavirus crisis
- 2020.04.15 Media Conference Save Small Business hosted by Councillor Paula Fletcher & NDP MPP Peter Tabuns
- 2020.04.12 NOW Magazine 85 per cent of Canadian tenants paid April rent
- 2020.04.07 Newstalk 1010 Moore in the Morning (live radio interview)
- 2020.04.06 Toronto Star ‘I’m talking about hitting the pause button’: Small business landlords and tenants say they need rent relief
- 2020.04.01 CityNews Toronto
- 2020.03.31 Newstalk 1010 The Rush (live radio interview)
- 2020.03.30 NOW Magazine Small landlords respond to rent strike calls: “Freeze everything”
- 2020.03.26 CP24 Dayside (live TV interview)
- 2020.03.25 CBC News ‘Starting to panic’: Landlords fear they won’t be helped if tenants don’t pay rent amid COVID-19
- 2019.07.22 BlogTO Only In Toronto podcast
- 2019.07.22 News Radio 640 Toronto The Morning Show (live radio interview)
- 2019.07.21 CP24 News
- 2019.07.19 Toronto Star A healing Danforth looks back, one year after the unimaginable
- 2019.07.17 Newstalk 1010 (live radio interview)
- 2019.04.15 Toronto Sun Growing up vertically
- 2019.04.22 Toronto Sun Downsizing to the city
- 2017.08.29 Real Estate Magazine Wrong take on multiple representation