may 2014
DESCRIPTION
May issue of REM for 2014TRANSCRIPT
Kaila Klassen cooks for top prize on MasterChef Canada Page 10
9 things FSBO companies don’t want consumers to knowPage 20
Saskatchewan tries Rate Your RealtorPage 3
Issue #299 May 2014
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MaggieTessier
shares her success Page 8
Once again REAL TRENDS demonstrates that RE/MAX has the
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BRAVO!
he Association ofSaskatchewan Realtors(ASR) is moving forward
with a Rate-Your-Realtor system.The recommendation to adopt
the controversial system was pre-sented by a task force put in placeto study the feasibility of such aproject in Saskatchewan, whileevaluating its benefits and disad-vantages to the membership. Thetask force included many experi-enced Realtors, both on the boardof the ASR and from the generalmembership throughout theprovince, says the association.
“The task force’s work wasparticularly important to theRealtors, as a similar process hap-pened at the national level in2013 (and) was not successful,”says Bill Madder, CEO of theASR. “However, in the monthsfollowing the defeat of the projecton the national scene, many mem-bers in Saskatchewan expressed adesire to look into it further. Boththe Advisory Council and Boardof Directors thought it prudent toallow a task force to investigate itfurther.”
The ASR has given its stamp
of approval for a Real Satisfied sys-tem. The company is based inAustralia with representatives inCalifornia.
“After several presentationsand system evaluations, it wasclear that this was a system thatwould suit our industry well,” saysLou Doderai, past-president of theASR and chair of the task force.“Not only can our members decidethemselves if they wish to partici-pate or not, but if they do, theycan chose to control variousaspects of their profile, such asmaking comments public to con-
necting to other social mediasites.”
The ASR says one of the mostsignificant aspects of an associa-tion-approved site is finding a sys-tem where comments and ratingsreceived are guaranteed to comefrom clients and not just any per-son navigating the Internet whowould like to comment.
“This adds a tremendousamount of validity and strength tosuch a system, which is a benefit toour members but also to the publicand the industry,” says Doderai.
The ASR plans to work out
the technical details and form acommunications strategy beforelaunching it to its members first,then to the public. The system isof no additional cost to membersand those who wish to upgrade toa more robust account can do so ata minimal expense, says the associ-ation.
“We look forward to pavingthe way for other provinces,” saysMadder. “This is a smart move forthe industry and we hopeSaskatchewan will be a positiveexample for the rest of the country.” REM
REM MAY 2014 3
T
ndustry and marketresearch companyIBISWorld says the
Canadian real estate salesand brokerage industry willperform strongly over thenext five years to 2019, but itwill “continue to face com-petition from lower-pricedonline real estate brokerageand listing websites that willslowly erode average industrycommissions and profit mar-gins.”
IBISWorld industry ana-lyst Stephen Morea says rev-enue for the real estate salesand brokerage industry isexpected to increase at athree-per-cent average annu-al rate over the five years toabout $12.1 billion.
The company says funda-mentals will remain strong.Steady demand in residentialand commercial markets andrestrained but expandingnew real estate supply willspur increases in industrysales volumes and commis-sions. New market entrantswill also expand the indus-try’s capacity and furtherboost industry revenue, saysthe company. REM
Saskatchewan tries Rate Your Realtor
Outlook positiveto 2019I
he real estate professionhas a bright futuredespite the fact con-
sumers can find more informationthan ever about the housing mar-ket on their own, says TomWright, the outgoingpresident/CEO of the Real EstateCouncil of Ontario (RECO).
Wright is retiring at the end ofJune after almost 17 years atRECO, the last 12 as president/CEO.
Real estate agents will play anincreasingly valuable role by help-
ing clients navigate through thevast amount of information that isout there, he says. He says the realestate market is unique and “therewill be the need for someone toassist in getting involved in thatkind of transaction.”
He adds that real estate agents“are in many ways the last trueentrepreneurs out there. They’vegot to be creative and they work
so hard. Anyone who thinksthey’re going to work 9 to 5 andbe a success, it’s simply not thereality.”
Wright, who has been atRECO for almost its entire exis-tence, says the organization hasgrown and changed substantiallyover the years and has increasedconsumer awareness, “which isnot necessarily the case in everyorganization.”
Some of the changes along theway include developing a code ofethics, mandatory continuing
education, mandatory errors andomissions insurance, consumerdeposit protection and commis-sion protection.
Such measures as a code ofethics and insurance create afoundation of trust about theindustry and “provides the abilityfor consumers to feel they canwork with a real estate profession-al and do so with confidence.
Trust is the essential part of anyprofessional relationship.”
The regulator’s role as a sourceof neutral real estate informationprovides comfort to consumers“because the consumer sees thatRECO’s just there to provideinformation. We’re not sellinganything. It makes a difference.”
Wright says after the new realestate act was introduced in 2006,RECO took the approach that“good consumer protection can beachieved through having knowl-edgeable practitioners.”
He notes that in recent yearsRECO has introduced a newonline continuing education pro-gram while reducing the overallmandatory requirements. “Peoplenow have more choice in terms ofwhat they feel they need in termsof continuing education. As a reg-ulator we saw that as a significantstep.”
Wright says miscommunica-tion is at the heart of many com-plaints that RECO receives aboutagents.
But for the most part, he saysthe industry has made great stridesin the way it is viewed by the pub-lic. For example, surveys find asubstantial majority of people saythey would use a real estate agentagain. And he notes RECO is well
perceived by agents as indicatedby the last registrant satisfactionsurvey in fall 2013.
Wright denies a suggestionthat some agents who have beenthe source of complaints mighthold the view that RECO is out toget them. “We’re not in to playgotcha. We’ve got a job to do andwe’re required to do it. Unless wedo it properly, that trust factor isnot going to be there.”
A recruitment process isunderway to find a replacementfor Wright, who plans to travel,read and spend more time at thecottage after he retires.
“My time at RECO has beenan absolute pleasure,” he says,adding, “There’s a saying ‘the timeto leave is when they don’t wantyou to.’ It was the right time forboth myself and the organiza-tion.” REM
Tom Wright retires as RECO CEOHe says miscommunication is at the heart of many complaints that RECO receives aboutagents. By Danny Kucharsky
T
Tom Wright
Wright says RECO is not“out to get” some agents.
4 REM MAY 2014
Alfredo Aiello Massimo Aiello Robert Ning Colin Bradford Michael LaPrairie
Sharon Shortt and Randy Kerr Rene Girard
Todd Shyiak Brian Guerriero
Lisa Weber and James Turner
Eric Axiak, left, and Scott GilmourJohn Lusink, left, and
Gabriel Bianchi
Multiple ListingsDo you have news to share with Canada’s real estate community?Let REM know about it! Email: [email protected]
By Jim Adair, REM Editor
■ ■ ■
Marjan Mazaheri and DouglasSoo, owners of Coldwell BankerCity Centre in Vancouver, recent-ly changed their company name toColdwell Banker Prestige Realtyand opened a new office in DeepCove.
The office is now home to salesrep Patricia Houlihan and heraward-winning team.
She has consistently been oneof the top sales reps for MacDonaldRealty and has been an MLSMedallion Club qualifier, repre-senting the top 10 per cent ofGreater Vancouver Realtors, everyyear since 2005. A third-genera-tion real estate professional, shehas a law degree and has made fre-quent appearances in local media.
■ ■ ■
Re/Max Premier in Vaughan,Ont. recently acquired Re/Max2000 Realty to complement thecompany’s four current locations.John Lusink has been appointedgeneral manager to oversee allmanagement operations.
Broker/owner Gabriel Bianchi
ric Axiak, broker/owner ofRealty Executives First,and Scott Gilmour, bro-
ker/owner of Realty ExecutivesPlus, recently joined forces, creat-ing a company of 88 sales reps andadmin staff with seven locationsfrom Niagara to the Ottawa Valleyin Ontario. It will operate underthe Realty Executives Plus banner.
“We were running two differentcompanies in very similar tradingareas,” says Gilmour. “By doing this,we’ve now added the opportunityfor our executives to be able to ser-vice their clients in other commu-nities that they weren’t able to do asefficiently before. The salespeoplewere excited. Everything now isrunning as one company and ourplan down the road is to add morelocations through further mergersand acquisitions,” he says. “We willlook for communities where wedon’t have offices and we will lookat either acquiring or bringingsomebody under our umbrella withan existing location.”
The brokerage now has officesin Niagara Falls, Guelph, Oakville,Mississauga, Etobicoke, Pickeringand the Ottawa Valley.
E
agencies in Quebec, is joining ViaCapitale. The brokerage, createdand headed by Michel Bouchard,is based in Kirkland and employsmore than 20 brokers. It will beknown as Via Capitale Signature.
Denis Joanis, acting generalmanager of Via Capitale, says,“This agreement results fromstrategic thinking and shared val-ues. Both companies strive to bemore human, professional andinnovative....Michel’s high profileand his agency’s unique position-ing in the western part of Montrealwill certainly help speed ourgrowth in this area and beyond.”
■ ■ ■
Alfredo Aiello and MassimoAiello have joined the RoyalLePage Network. Their brokeragewill operate as Royal LePagePremium One Realty.
Massimo, who is the company’sbroker of record, began his realestate career in 1996. He first soldwith a small brokerage. In 2004 heopened his own brokerage and in2007 opened and operated a fran-chised brokerage.
says, “We’re confident the newchanges will support our ongoingcommitment to business growth,high-level service to our team andexpanded choice for their clientsin Vaughan and the surroundingmarkets.”
Re/Max acquired Re/MaxExcellence in Vaughan four yearsago. With the new offices, thebrokerage’s sales force expands toabout 400 sales reps and supportstaff.
Lusink has been in the industryfor 26 years. Throughout his career,he has served in a variety of posi-tions in both commercial and resi-dential real estate. He currentlysits on the TREB Board ofDirectors and has served on theReal Estate Council of Ontario’sDiscipline and Appeals Committeefor the past five years. He has heldCCIM membership since 2004 andrecently became one of the newestCanadian SRS (Seller Represen-tative Specialist) instructors.
■ ■ ■
Signature Immobilière inMontreal’s West Island, one of thelargest independent real estate
Alfredo is a real estate veteranwho has been active in the indus-try since 1975. He acts as the bro-kerage’s manager. The brokerage’steam of 38 sales professionals ser-vice Vaughan, Toronto, King City,Brampton, Mississauga and thesurrounding GTA.
■ ■ ■
Robert Ning, a 31-year realestate industry veteran, has beennamed manager of the Royal PacificRealty Group’s Tri-Cities office inVancouver. He will be responsible
Continued on page 6
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Multiple ListingsContinued from page 4
6 REM MAY 2014
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REALTOR® and REALTORS® are trademarks controlled in Canada by The Canadian Real Estate Association(CREA) and identify licensed real estate practitioners who are members of CREA. MLS® and Multiple ListingService® are trademarks owned by CREA and identify the services rendered by members of CREA.
REM is published 12 times a year. It is an independently owned and operated company and is not affiliated with anyreal estate association, board or company. REM is distributed across Canada by leading real estate boards and by directdelivery in selected areas. For subscription information, email [email protected]. Entire contents copyright2014 REM. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is pro-hibited. The opinions expressed in REM are not necessarily those of the publisher.
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for the office’s day-to-day operationsand business growth.
Ning served as manager ofRoyal Pacific Realty Group’sOakridge office from 1996 to 2007.Most recently he was a sales rep,where his focus was on providingservices to clients worldwide whowere buying and selling propertiesin the Metro Vancouver area.
“Robert Ning is a very experi-enced manager and real estate pro-fessional who brings significantmanagement experience andknowledge of the Tri-Cities area,”says Andrew Peck, vice-presidentand general manager, Royal PacificRealty Group.
■ ■ ■
Colin Bradford has joined theKeller Williams Referred Realtyteam in the Toronto - Don MillsMarket Centre.
“Colin has been licensed forfive years and he quickly rose tobecome one of the top agents atRoyal LePage Signature,” saysBalan Manian, team leader atKeller Williams Referred Realty.The brokerage opened in 2004 andhas grown by over 25 per cent inthe past year, sharing just under$300,000 in profit with its agents.It currently has 230 sales reps.
■ ■ ■
Century 21 In Town Realtymerged with Century 21 NewTrends Realty in Vancouver tooffer localized real estate knowl-edge over a greater geographicarea.
“Combining two amazingteams is a powerful way to provideclients with highly specialized ser-vice in new areas,” says MichaelLaPrairie, owner of Century 21 InTown Realty. The brokerage willcontinue operating under the InTown Realty banner. The twooffices bring together sales repswith experience in markets span-ning the Greater Vancouver Areato Coquitlam.
■ ■ ■
Sharon Shortt and RandyKerr, franchisees of Exit RealtyGroup in Belleville, Ont. recentlyopened their third real estate officein Marmora. The success of theirfirst office in Belleville spurred thedemand for a second office inTrenton, approximately 20 kmfrom their main office. The newestaddition allows them to continuewith their growth strategy. Shorttis a past-president of the Quinteand District Real Estate Board andKerr is a 30-year-plus real estateveteran who has extensive residen-tial, commercial and real estatefranchising experience.
■ ■ ■
The Mark Imhoff Group hasjoined Coldwell Banker SleggRealty in Vancouver. Imhoff, withhis team of Kyle Kerr and VictoriaCao, is based at the new James Baylocation of the brokerage. He hasmore than 20 years of experiencemarketing, developing and build-ing Victoria homes. His extensivebackground in real estate market-ing, construction, design and citybylaws has helped him become aleading sales rep in his market, thecompany says.
■ ■ ■
Rene Girard has joinedColdwell Banker Canada as direc-tor of franchise development,Western Canada. He is responsiblefor analyzing markets and identify-ing growth opportunities, assistingwith mergers and acquisitions,working with existing affiliates ontheir own individual growth, suc-cession planning and fielding allfranchising inquiries in WesternCanada.
Girard has an extensive rangeof experience that includes posi-tions as director of sales as well asmanagement roles for major finan-cial institutions, a securities compa-ny and subsidiaries of other nation-al real estate brands, says the com-pany. He is based in B.C., where herecently relocated from Alberta.
“This newly created positionon our Canadian team is furtherevidence of Coldwell Banker’scommitment to growth in WesternCanada,” says Andy Puthon, pres-ident of Coldwell Banker Canada.
■ ■ ■
Todd Shyiak has been appoint-ed director of operations at Century21 Canada. Shyiak will expand onhis previous role of director of oper-ations, Western Canada at thecompany and will use this experi-ence to develop areas of franchisesales and operations nationwide,the company says.
“Todd’s experience on both therecruiting and broker servicesfronts has already made an impactin the west,” says Brian Rushton,executive vice-president. “Hisbackground and understanding ofthe challenges facing brokers giveshim an advantage when support-ing our system’s members.”
Shyiak is a former vice-presi-dent of business development for abroker services company. He alsowas the Canadian regional manag-er of sales for Interealty.
■ ■ ■
James Turner and Lisa Weber,the real estate sales team of TurnerWeber, has joined the KellerWilliams Edge Market Centre inBurlington, Ont.
“Our team has gone to greatlengths to surround ourselves withexperts in every field related to thehousing industry. Our long-stand-ing relationships with builders,lenders, title companies, closingattorneys, home inspectors, con-tractors, stagers and decoratorsensure we are able to close thetransactions that best suit yourlifestyle and investment needs,”the team says in a news release.
The Burlington MarketCentre, under team leader DonnaBeach, opened in May 2012 andhas grown to 90 associates.
■ ■ ■
Enjoy Muskoka Realty, with
locations in Gravenhurst andBracebridge, Ont. has joined theAventure Realty Network.“Broker/owners Brian Guerrieroand David Reid and a staff of over20 sales reps bring a premier cus-tomer service philosophy to themarket through a team and tech-
nology orientation,” says AventureRealty president Bernie Vogt. “Asthe largest independent in themarket, Enjoy Muskoka Realtyexpands the reach of Aventures’member companies in one of themost significant recreational areasin Canada. REM
he Toronto Real EstateBoard (TREB) is appeal-ing to the Supreme Court
of Canada in its ongoing disputewith the Competition Bureau.
In a statement, TREB says ithas filed an application to theSupreme Court for leave toappeal the Feb. 3, 2014 decisionof the Federal Court of Appealthat would send the case back tothe Competition Tribunal.
“The Commissioner ofCompetition is persisting in itsefforts to erode the personal pri-vacy and contractual safeguardsafforded by the MLS system,” saysthe board in a statement. “TREBwill continue to work to protectthe personal information entrust-ed to it and its members by thegeneral public, while it strivesalways to do what it can to ensurea highly competitive environ-ment for real estate professionalsin the GTA.”
In the Federal Court ofAppeal ruling in February, thecourt allowed an appeal of anApril 2013 decision that dis-missed the bureau’s complaintagainst TREB.
“The application was basedon the commissioner’s allegationthat a certain rule adopted by theboard is anti-competitive becauseit substantially lessens competi-tion among Realtors in the
Greater Toronto Area who aremembers of the board,” said theFederal Court of Appeal’sReasons for Judgment, written byJustice J. A. Sharlow. “The tri-bunal dismissed the applicationwithout considering the merits,”on the basis that subsection 79(1)of the Competition Act doesn’tapply to the board because it doesnot compete with its members.
The appeal court said the tri-bunal erred in its interpretation ofthe law. “I would allow the appealand refer the commissioner’sapplication back to the tribunalfor determination on the merits,”wrote Justice Sharlow.
The board “disputes many fac-tual and legal aspects of the com-missioner’s application, but thetribunal did not resolve any ofthose disputes because it dismissedthe application solely on a ques-tion of law,” said the ruling.
The Competition Bureauoriginally filed its case in 2011and it was heard in late 2012. Thedecision was released in April2013.
The bureau’s applicationbefore the tribunal requested thatTREB eliminate rules that itclaimed “denied real estate agentsthe ability to introduce innova-tive Internet-based real estatebrokerage services, such as VirtualOffice Websites.” REM
TREB appeals toSupreme Court inCompetition Bureau case
T
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Maggie Tessier shares her successExit Realty’s top-grossing sales leader in North America, Maggie Tessier says the joy of her job is sharing her success with others. By Kelly Putter
8 REM MAY 2014
When you tally the numbers in Maggie Tessier’s career
you’d be foolish to say the figures aren’t impressive. But the irony is it’s never been primarily about being a top-performing real estate professional for this Sudbury native.
Tessier is a fitting example of someone who gets a big kick out of helping people. While that can sound lame and cliché, it’s her passion for people that has driven her to be the success she is today. Simply put, she’s into helping others in a big way.
“I love what I do, that’s a definite,” says Tessier from her Exit Realty office in Embrun, Ont., a largely French-speaking bedroom community of about 8,700 some 25 minutes outside of Ottawa. “I get excited by my work.”
Helping others now extends to mentoring and coaching other real estate agents. She has counselled many sales reps across the country, who after hearing of her success, call her looking for advice or direction. She even assists non-agents when they
come to her puzzled by questions about career development, marketing or hiring staff.
“That’s where the joy is – it’s about sharing all of this with other people,” says Tessier, who loves taking people under her wing and sharing her business acumen. “I want to be a blessing to the people around me. I think my purpose is about giving back.”
The mother of three launched her real estate career against the advice of many naysayers in 1997 after a divorce. She would soon find Exit Realty, a company whose hands-on, supportive philosophy was simpatico with hers. In 1999 she was asked to open an Exit office in Cornwall, Ont., driving the hour commute back and forth from her home in Hawkesbury. But it wasn’t long before she decided a move to Ottawa was the only hope for her youngest son, who needed more intensive help with a learning disability.
Joining Exit Realty in Ottawa in 2001, Tessier was put to the test. The big city daunted
her small-town sensibility. Understanding north from south or east from west was problematic at first and she had no real contacts. Essentially, she was a fish out of water. So she took every course imaginable, hired a graphic designer and set about branding her practice. In the end, she became known as the agent with the orange VW beetle that hollered the simple word “Results” on the side.
She farmed one geographic area, handing out flyers, doing other agents’ open houses, booking previews and visiting builders to learn about their model homes. Her hard work and untiring dedication paid off. In her first year she sold more than 50 homes. Tessier’s daughter Julie joined the family business in 2003, a year before Tessier opened her second Exit office in Orleans. She is planning to open a third office this summer on Merivale at Hunt Club in Ottawa.
With Exit Realty, Tessier has sold over 2,000 properties and taken on nearly 2,300 listings
in the last 10 years. With a sales volume of almost $450-million in the past decade and a gross commission of over $10-million, Tessier can sit back a little. Today, she takes Friday nights and weekends off, though she still puts in 55 hours a week.
Tessier’s achievements were lauded recently at Exit’s annual convention, held this year in Washington, D.C. Tessier earned the company’s all-around sales champion honours known as the Tri-Real-A-Thon Award. Tessier also took home the awards for top grossing sales in North America and the top listings taken in North America. She was also the recipient of the Million Dollar Circle Designation Award, Platinum Sales Award and Double Diamond Award recognizing more than 2,000 cumulative sales transaction ends.
One of the secrets to her success is putting good, solid people and systems in place.
“You’ve got to give people the tools and the training to do their job,” she says. “I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t have good people around me. I sometimes think the administrators and secretaries are the ones who should be getting the praise. For me, it’s very important that they know I truly value them.”
Sales reps also need to know their product inside out to be successful. In addition, they need to consider their core values and their brand – what sets them apart from the next agent. Tessier says it’s important to let people know you’re a real estate agent, so shout it from the rooftops if you have to (or paint your car orange). Use your sphere of influence – the core area of people, groups, associations, businesses, schools – that you deal with on
a regular basis and really work it. Farm a geographic area and learn all you can about it. Ask for referrals and have a strong database. Implement systems that help you stay organized and on top of things.
“Things will begin to mushroom into different areas. But you have let people know you’re in business. You can’t be a top secret agent.”
Tessier’s need for helping others extends beyond Canada and she has volunteered her time in Kenya doing cleaning and sterilization work for dentists at a mobile medical camp. Her experience led her to meet up with two young boys and a girl, all of whom she now assists by helping pay for their education.
Tessier and her husband Guy Bianchi, a kitchen and bathroom cabinet manufacturer, are avid adventure travellers who enjoy roughing it with the locals in exotic locales and lesser-travelled parts of the world. They’ve been to Vietnam, Egypt and Cambodia. The pair is planning a trip to China this fall.
In the meantime, Tessier is the extremely proud grandmother of six grandchildren (a seventh is on the way) and she enjoys nothing better than babysitting, attending their soccer matches or watching them perform in a music recital.
“Right now I’m having so much fun with my grandkids,” she says. “We all go to church on Sundays and then they come out of Sunday school and we go out for breakfast. My little grandson had his last ski lesson and they had a little parade and to see him coming down on his skis in the parade – well, there’s nothing better than that.” REM
Maggie Tessier (Photo by Ryan Parent)
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Sales rep Kaila Klassen cooks for top prizeBy Connie Adair
10 REM MAY 2014
When Kaila Klassen wants something, she doesn’t
hesitate. She jumps right in. That’s how she ended up in real estate and as a top contestant on the popular culinary competition, MasterChef Canada.
The reality series pits amateur cooks against one another for a $100,000 prize and the title of MasterChef Canada.
A “huge food fan” and a fan of the American version of MasterChef, Klassen was watching an episode when she saw an ad for contestant auditions. “I thought, wouldn’t it be funny if I could get on the show?” she says. “I made a quirky video.” She included some of her pet peeves, such as “people who can’t sear scallops, poach an egg, cook a steak and people who don’t want to get dirty in the kitchen. The video was fun.”
The producers must have thought so too – 11 hours after she hit the send button, they invited her to Vancouver for an audition.
The sales rep, who works with Re/Max Kelowna, had
two days to get to Vancouver with an audition dish in hand. She practiced her dish several times, and then flew with her ingredients from her home in West Kelowna, B.C. A hotel room with a kitchenette proved to be a challenge to find – she ended up with a dinky room that had one burner, one pot and a couple of utensils. She got up at 3 am on audition day and rose to the challenge, making braised short rib, bone marrow mashed potatoes and bourbon and honey-glazed carrots with a red wine reduction. She took the food to the audition and although the producers sampled it immediately, they didn’t let on if she was in the running.
“Three days later, they called and said they were impressed. They invited me to come to Toronto to be in the top 50,” she says.
She had two weeks to get her real estate business in order for her extended leave. She says she has her managing broker, Deborah Moore to thank. “Deborah did such a good job that I came back to more clients than I left with,” Klassen says. “I told Deborah if
she couldn’t help me I wouldn’t go on the show.”
Moore agreed to help. Klassen worked every day to prepare for her absence, contacting clients and introducing them to Moore. She also prepared detailed information about each client so Moore would know where each stood.
Feedback from clients was positive – each saying that they knew Klassen would leave them in the hands of a trustworthy replacement. She says many of her clients wouldn’t normally watch the show but have tuned in to cheer her on.
Klassen has been cooking since she moved to Vancouver when she was 17-years-old. She enjoyed dining out but soon realized she wouldn’t be able to make her mortgage payments if she continued her expensive foodie habit. She decided to try creating the dishes at home.
“I fell in love (with cooking). I had a knack for it,” she says.
As for a career, she was unsure about what to do, working in the restaurant field while she decided. One
restaurant guest was a real estate teacher who urged her to enter the industry. “He said I was personable and had good customer service,” she says.
“I took my license at the same time as I worked in the restaurant,” she says. Then she moved to Kelowna to be closer to her family in Penticton. The only brokerage she went to was Re/Max Kelowna. “I said to Deborah, I have no experience but will work hard at the job to be successful. Take a chance with me.”
Moore’s gamble paid off. Klassen has been in the 100-per-cent Club for three years in a row and she received the Rising Star Award two years ago. This is her fifth year in real estate.
Being a sales rep has helped her on the show. She knows how to deal with pressure and people’s doubts. “I started young and people doubted me,” she says. Learning how to deal with those doubts helped in the competition. “I’m also good under pressure.”
The most challenging part about being on the show was “diving into it 100 per cent. We had to eat, breathe and
sleep the show. We had to give up everything. We couldn’t even talk to family,” she says. Contestants got one 10-minute phone call a week. All conversations during and after the season’s completion were kept under tight wraps.
“It’s difficult to keep the results a secret, but it’s so much more enjoyable for my family and friends if they don’t know,” she says.
Klassen says she went into the competition jaded, thinking she was there only to win, not to make friends. “I was wrong. I walked away with friends,” she says. “The drama and heated conversations don’t change what we have in common – the love of food that brought us together.”
Klassen loved the television process so much that she is open to more work in television. “I’ll see if anything comes my way,” she says.
MasterChef Canada airs Mondays at 8 pm ET, 7 pm CT on CTV and CTV GO. Visit CTV.ca/MasterChefCanada for local broadcast times and to watch past episodes and bonus coverage. REM
Kaila Klassen wins an elimination challenge on Master Chef Canada. Kaila Klassen
ere’s a savvy idea for high-ly successful sales reps:hire a full-time driver.
Now hold that thought andread on.
I have interviewed many topsales reps for REM and I always askthem to offer up a few of the secretsto their success. Generally I get thekind of answers you’d expect,advice such as:
• Build relationships and makesure the client always comes first.
• Brand yourself and marketlike mad.
• Learn from the top producersand keep upgrading your training.
• Work tremendously hard butalso take time for yourself so as notto burn out.
A decade ago when REM firstasked me to interview mega agentSam McDadi (then with Re/Max,heading up a team that was consis-tently among the top for the orga-nization nationally and world-wide), he said all those things.
He said them all again recentlywhen I interviewed him for thisarticle as well, now that he haslaunched Sam McDadi Real Estate,his own independent brokerage inMississauga, Ont., which opened in2012.
McDadi is confident, knows hisbusiness inside out and talks a mile
study into the behaviour ofOntario’s homeowners,released by the Real Estate
Council of Ontario (RECO), saysthe heart overrules the head when itcomes to purchasing a home.
While more than 90 per centrank price (96 per cent), functionalfit (95 per cent), structural integrity(91 per cent) and neighbourhoodquality (91 per cent) as the top fac-tors when purchasing a home, 51per cent admit to having been influ-enced by emotion when buyingtheir home. This jumps to 64 percent of owners aged 18-34.
“Despite the fact that Ontariansare fairly home smart, we’re seeingmore and more people – especially
younger home buyers – gettingswept up in the frenzied market,making emotional decisions theycould later regret,” says Joe Richer,registrar of RECO. “This is why weare launching Be Home Smart – apublic education campaign toremind Ontarians of the tools,resources and protection availableto help them make smart homebuying and selling decisions.”
The study, hosted on the AngusReid Forum for RECO, revealedthat while just 15 per cent reportgoing over budget and bidding overasking price to secure their dreamhome, the figure jumps to 25 percent of homeowners 18-34. RECOsays first-time homeowners are also
more at risk for costly surprises dueto a lack of experience, especiallywhen it comes to closing costs.While 43 per cent of homeownersfound closing costs higher thanexpected, this rose to more thanhalf (54 per cent) of those aged 18-34.
“Working with a registered realestate professional will help youunderstand your rights and preparefor the real costs of home buying,”said Richer. “It’s all about beinghome smart versus acting with yourheart – a message that’s particularlyimportant for younger buyers whomay feel increased pressure tooverextend themselves financiallyto find their dream home.”
The study also found that:• Nearly three-quarters of
women surveyed would ask theirreal estate professional for advice,compared to 63 per cent of men sur-veyed;
• 37 per cent of men surveyedwould rely on their own researchand gut instinct in making theirdecision, whereas only 27 per centof women surveyed would do so;
• Men surveyed are significantlymore likely than women surveyed tooffer below the asking price to leaveroom for negotiation (67 per centversus 54 per cent).
• Women surveyed (36 percent) are significantly more likely
than men surveyed (27 per cent) tooffer the asking price.
• Nearly half of Ontarian home-owners (44 per cent) would act fastand put in an offer if they were wor-ried that their dream home wouldattract multiple offers;
• Eleven per cent of those in theGTA were likely to offer above theasking price compared to only fiveper cent of those in the rest of theprovince. And 66 per cent ofOntarian homeowners outside ofthe GTA were more likely to offerbelow the asking price and leaveroom for negotiations compared toonly 53 per cent of those in theGTA. REM
12 REM MAY 2014
H
AOntario buyers use their hearts, not their heads
The client comes first, says Sam McDadiMcDadi estimates he has sold more than $2.5 billion in real estate and helped over7,000 families and friends in his 25-year career. By Susan Doran
a minute. As I interview him, hiswords seem so honed and practisedthat I begin to wonder if he hasbeen media trained. It would makesense – he’s been interviewed aboutreal estate for various newspapersand on television and radio, haswritten a couple of self-publishedbooks about real estate and he lec-tures regularly at real estate offices,conferences and investmentforums.
Now here’s the thing...some-times when people have done a lotof interviews and public speaking,they tend to boil their story downto a kind of edited, press-releaseversion, making eliciting informa-tion with more of a human interestangle a bit of a challenge. So whileMcDadi is gunning through hishugely impressive numbers –including the fact that in 2013 heand Team McDadi sold more than600 homes and over $400 millionin real estate, eclipsing the previousrecord they had set for the TorontoReal Estate Board in 2012 by awhopping 33 per cent – I ammulling over how to get him toopen up about, say, his scariestmoment in real estate or what itwas like coming here fromLebanon as a toddler.
When McDadi informs me thathe has a full-time driver, I perk up.Here’s something new, something
no other sales rep has ever men-tioned to me during an interview.And what’s more, it seems to be amost efficient means of enhancingtime management for those whocan afford it.
“It allows me to be effective inthe car – my productivity has shotthrough the roof,” McDadi says.“It’s really convenient and also Ican take clients wherever; I don’thave to worry about parking...Ihighly recommend it from both asafety and productivity aspect toany sales rep who gets to a certainlevel.”
This doesn’t provide a greatdeal of insight into McDadi’s per-sonality, except to point out that heis driven (in more ways than one)and a workaholic – traits that hefreely acknowledges. What it doesshow is that he knows how to thinkoutside the box and work smart,illustrating how he has managed toclimb to the very top of the realestate business.
“I always try to be an innova-tor,” he says.
McDadi’s well-publicized auc-tioning off of a multi-million dollarMississauga mansion in January2013 is another example of hisinnovativeness. The house hadbeen on the market for a few yearswith another salesperson. WhenMcDadi took over, he engaged an
auction house and sold the man-sion that way.
“This is done a lot in places likeAustralia, but not here,” he says. “Itgarnered a lot of internationalattention. We got fantastic feed-back.”
When McDadi does describehis early days in real estate, it turnsout that reassuringly, they werepretty much like everyone else’s.
“I had tough times when moneywas scarce,” he says. He remembersshowing one client more than 100houses, and then she decided tomove to the United States and pur-chase a property there. Many of hisearly deals fell through, but he per-severed.
“Don’t give up too early is animportant message,” he says.
So is “take care of yourclients,” he advises, noting thathe has handled at least 30 trans-actions with one long-time clientand that the number of referralsthrough that one client alone hasbeen incredible.
McDadi estimates he has soldmore than $2.5 billion in real estateand helped over 7,000 families andfriends in his 25-year career.Despite his high profile and the factthat he is among a select group ofagents in the Greater Toronto Area(GTA) certified as an internationalluxury home marketing specialist,
and is also one of the bigger printadvertisers in the GTA, he stressesthat Team McDadi’s mottoremains, “No house too big or toosmall.”
In touch with the expandingglobal market, McDadi has built adiverse multi-cultural team of over20 experienced sales reps, togetherspeaking more than 25 languages.Others on staff include photogra-phers, graphic designers, a socialmedia expert, an inspector and afull-time home stager with access toMcDadi’s 6,000 square feet of furni-ture inventory.
“Our business model is suchthat we want to keep everything inhouse,” McDadi says.
He cites hiring “the right peo-ple” as initially having been a sig-nificant challenge.
“You are only as good as yourpeople,” and it took a while to findthe right ones, McDadi says. “It wasa process.” Now his team is “like afamily,” he says.
“My team has grown, devel-oped and diversified. But one thinghas remained constant – remark-able customer service and satisfac-tion.” REM
Sam McDadi
Our way of saying Thank You for your referrals.
Spirit of Excellence Trip
Congratulations to all 2013 Top Performers who will be joining us in Bermuda. This year’s qualifiers will have the opportunity to enjoy an unforgettable Baltic Cruise, with ports of call in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg and Helsinki.
Hope to see you there!
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Visit us at serviceplusrewards.com
h crap! I just downloadedthe latest FINTRACmaterial from the mother
ship CREA and now my weekendis pretty much ruined. (There wasa temporary reprieve when my wiferushed in to tell me there was adead deer under our deck. Mmmm,aged venison for dinner!)
Because I have been publiclyvocal in my critique of the infor-mation gathering forced onRealtors in pursuit of money laun-derers and terrorists, I figure theFINTRAC Compliance Auditorsare revving up their blackSuburbans and heading for myoffice the moment the downloadregisters on the CRAY super com-puter of the Canadian version ofthe NSA. Or maybe CSIS just sub-scribes to WikiLeaks.
By the way, the new manual is82 pages plus another 26 pages ofFrequently Asked Questions(FAQs). One FAQ that begs to beadded is WTF. In addition, thenew identity record is now fourpages with extra questions regard-ing client risk and the purpose ofthe business relationship. Thereare consent forms and templateletters (of course I read the wholedamn thing, I’m Canadian!) andsomething intriguing called “sam-ple clusters”. Inside the sampleclusters are “cluster names” and“cluster features”.
The “cluster” that comes tomind, made popular by the mili-tary, does not appear.
One of the new ComplianceRegime pages instructs me to sta-ple it to the manual. What if I useduct tape? Am I non-compliant?And what happens to the old man-ual, gathering dust since its cre-ation in 2008? Should I shred it toavoid it falling into terrorist hands?What if the dust reacts to theshredding in a combustible dustexplosion?
And wait until you read the
14 REM MAY 2014
O
Independently Owned and Operated. ®/™ trademarks owned by Century 21 Real Estate LLC used under license or authorized sub-license. © 2014 Century 21 Canada Limited Partnership
Proudly Announces
the Appointment of
C. Brian RushtonEXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Todd ShyiakNATIONAL DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Shyiak will expand on his role of director of operations, Western Canada and will use this
experience to develop areas of franchise growth and management. He has an extensive
background in the industry, both as a successful REALTOR® and in executive roles with vendors to real estate boards and brokers. Shyiak also has
in-depth knowledge of real estate recruiting and retention practices.
METES & BOUNDS
By Marty Douglas
Reviewing theFINTRACupdatecover letter from CREA on theRealtor Action Network.Apparently more than two yearswere spent lobbying FINTRAC,“substantively and significantly(reducing) the administrative andrecord creation burden of these newrequirements on Realtor members.”
Quite frankly that is semanticsleight of hand. The new ID formsare longer and require more docu-mentation. There are newanswers to old questions and thelatest manual won’t fit in the oldbinder, suggesting a blip in three-ring binder sales to accommodatethe new material. Did I mention82 pages, the FAQs plus the sug-gested add-ins within the 10appendices?
Hate to think what the firstblush proposal looked like.
Especially when I tripped overthe Risk Mitigation, TrainingProgram and Review Processpages. The latter requires a reviewof our regime every two years by aninternal or external auditor. But ifwe don’t have an auditor, we cando a “self-review”. My concernhere is two-fold. Primary – ofcourse we have an external auditor.What real estate company with atrust account does not? Can westill self-review?
Secondarily – isn’t a self-reviewsort of like letting Mayor Ford holdyour beer while you roll a joint?The rules for self-review require“an individual who is independentof the brokerages’ reporting, recordkeeping and compliance monitor-ing functions.”
The only person I can think ofmeeting those qualifications mightbe the janitor.
Then there’s the training andongoing education program –mandatory, of course, supported byCREA’s online, five-moduleMoney Laundering 101. It’s avail-able through RealtorLink, accessi-ble to all CREA members. Theirony is that all staff, includingadministrative, unlicensed staff isrequired to take training. Guesswhat? Our admin staff is unableto access RealtorLink because they
aren’t members. I could lend themmy password but apparently that’sfrowned upon.
When I got to the trainingrecord keeping form and glanced atthe bottom section labelled,“Names of those attending” myparanoia did a back flip, imaginingthe reverse demand, “Names ofthose NOT attending.” Surely it’snot a stretch to imagine the orga-nization that suggests we report as“suspicious” someone who refusesto provide identification, that theymight soon be requesting names ofthose failing to attend trainingclasses. But then that’s just me.
And there’s the new risk re-assessment spread sheet, one I’mexpected to create with mandatorycolumn headings and then com-plete at least every two years or astransactions occur. Thoughtfully,apparently software developershave had a heads-up on thisrequirement because Lone Wolf, inadvance of the new regime’s publi-cation, advertised in last month’sissue of REM they are FINTRACcompliant and fully integrated.FINTRAC promises to be patientwhile these software solutions areimplemented.
Finally, because I sense a cer-tain ennui as you tire of this out-burst, I’d expect an organizationthat spent two years in negotiationto have proofread the materialbefore dispatching it to thecolonies.
On page 24 there are two glar-ing mistakes. I’d tell you what theyare but then you wouldn’t have toread the manual.
Contact Marty Douglas by emailat [email protected] .Follow or connect with Marty onTwitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Heis a managing broker for Re/MaxOcean Pacific Realty in Comox andCourtenay, B.C. He is a past chair ofthe Real Estate Errors and OmissionsInsurance Corporation of B.C., theReal Estate Council of B.C., theB.C. Real Estate Association and theVancouver Island Real Estate Board.
REM
The trademark WEBForms® is owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identifies the web based real estate forms services provided to members of CREA.*Current legislation prevents the use of digital signatures in some provinces.
May 7-8 | Toronto Congress Centre | #realtorquest
Connect with us at REALTOR® QuestGet your CREA technology “check-ups” at booth 215 (next to TREB).
WEBForms® and its eSignature capabilities*
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aybe you haven’t heardof Huntsman Springs orDriggs, Idaho yet – but
you will. Although the resortalready has an award-winning golfcourse in place, development hasjust begun. The Huntsman family,owners of Huntsman Springs,believe the area will become a four-season vacation destination torival spots like nearby JacksonHole, Wy., Deer Valley and ParkCity in Utah and other well-known but over-developed skiregions. Now is the time for realestate investors to get in on theground floor and for real estate pro-fessionals, a referral fee of six percent is on the table.
Recently Huntsman Springspicked up the tab so REM couldvisit the area and find out whyCanadians would be interested invisiting the Teton Valley, whereDriggs (population 1,627) andHuntsman Springs is situated.There are direct flights from 12major U.S. cities to Jackson Hole.From there it’s a 45-minute driveover the spectacular Teton Pass toDriggs.
Huntsman Springs was found-ed by Jon and Karen Huntsman.Jon is chairman and founder ofHuntsman Corporation, whichwas the world’s largest privatelyheld chemical company with morethan $12 billion in annual rev-enues before going public in 2005.
Huntsman has been named toForbes Magazine’s list of America’swealthiest people. He says early inhis career he spent a lot of time inthe European Alps in Germanyand Switzerland, and that “TetonValley is almost an exact duplicateof those beautiful European Alps,”according to an article in ExecutiveGolfer magazine. His inspirationwas to build a community with thenatural beauty and amenities ofthe Alps, but the small-town ambi-ence of Driggs.
“I hope that the characteristicsof Driggs never change” despitethe development boom that’s com-ing, says Huntsman. “It may beamong the last great Americansmall towns. I would not like tosee Driggs develop into an Aspenor Park City. We truly love every-
16 REM MAY 2014
M
The next great year-round destinationHuntsman Springs in Idaho offers a spectacular nature adventure year-round, in a small Western U.S. town. By Jim Adair
thing about Driggs as it is and hopethat it stays small and clean and asafe place to live and spend timewith the family.”
In 1995, the Huntsmansfounded the Huntsman CancerInstitute at the University of Utah.Dedicated to finding a cure forcancer, it features leading-edgeresearch laboratories and a state-of-the-art hospital treating cancerpatients. All profits fromHuntsman Springs are donated tothe institute.
We were there during thesnowy winter, when the options fordownhill and cross-country skiing
are unlimited. In the summer, thearea is a gorgeous natural settingwith miles of wilderness trails forhiking and mountain biking.Visitors can also enjoy fishing,horseback riding and mountainclimbing, with a focus on family-friendly activities.
A number of special events areheld throughout the year, includ-ing an annual Fourth of July cele-bration featuring fireworks, con-certs and food vendors. Last yearthe event brought 30,000 peopleto Driggs.
The world-famous YellowstoneNational Park is about an houraway. But for golfers, the big attrac-tion is the course designed by golfarchitect David McLay Kidd. Itwas named among the 2014 BestResidential Golf Courses by GolfWeek, one of the top 100 coursesby Links Magazine, and Best of the
Best by Robb Report.“We have never built a course
with so much risk-reward, ‘do ordie’ and go-for-broke hole afterhole, yet it is fair and playable,”says Kidd.
Beside the golf course is a 500-acre wildlife refuge with a two-mileboardwalk, which only residentsand golf course members and theirguest can access. It includes sevenlakes that are stocked with rain-bow and cutthroat trout and havesolar-powered aerators to sustainthe fish population.
Members and guests take a flyfishing lesson at no charge and aretaught the basics of fly casting andlanding. The lakes can be fishedfrom access points along the board-walk and are designated for fly fish-ing and catch-and-release only.Huntsman Springs also offers guid-ed fly-fishing trips on the nearby
Teton and Snake Rivers.The golf course is the heart of
the master plan of the community.There are four Mountain ViewLodge Homes models currentlyavailable, starting at $1.69 million(US) for 3,400 to 5,400 square feetof living space. Designed in aRocky Mountain rustic style, thehomes can be purchased fully fur-nished. They feature natural tim-ber and stone and moss rock on theexterior. Inside, the homes havevaulted ceilings and large open liv-ing spaces. There are windowseverywhere to take advantage ofthe views of the golf course and themountain ranges beyond. High-quality finishes include travertinemarble and white oak cabinetry.
There are also building lotsavailable, some with excellent golfcourse views and all of them withmountain vistas. The lots start at$250,000.
Park Homes are also offered,which will range from 2,450 to2,750 square feet and include two-car garages. They also come fullyfurnished and are priced from$749,000 to $769,000.
Still pending approval from thelocal municipality is a plannedgroup of town homes called CityWalk at a lower price point. Theywill feature front porches and rearalley entry.
The next phase in the project isthe development of HuntsmanVillage, including the new 102-room five-star Huntsman Lodge.The lodge is focused around a win-ter ice rink that becomes a foun-tain in summer and will be situatedso the expansive lobby looks outover the rink to the majesticGrand Teton Mountain. Lodge vil-las will include individual outdoorfire pits and hot tubs, with eachunit overlooking the golf course.
For all of the HuntsmanSprings real estate offerings, rentalprograms are available.
Any real estate professionalwho refers a client who buys aproperty will receive a six-per-centreferral fee.
A new Discovery Package – adiscounted three-day, two-nightstay that includes accommodationsin a Mountain View Lodge home,reduced greens fees, access to theWellness Center, fly fishing andmore is now being offered at $359per night (based on two people,two-night minimum). Guests willalso receive a tour of HuntsmanSprings real estate. For informa-tion, call 208-354-9660 or emailsales rep Julie Bryan [email protected].
For more information:www.huntsmansprings.com.
REM
The Mountain View Lodge homes overlook the award-winning golfcourse.
The two-mile boardwalk meanders through a 500-acre protected areathat’s home to moose, deer and other wildlife.
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ACHIEVING SUCCESSANOTHER
NEW LOCATION
rankly, I’m sick of seeingnewspaper headlines aboutreal estate bubbles.
An adjustment in the market-place might be welcome in manylarge cities like Vancouver,Calgary, Saskatoon and here inToronto. A close friend of mine, abuilder in Toronto and in theUSA, often talks about sustainabil-ity. “How can we keep buildingwith no end in sight?” he said tome the other day over dinner. He’sconcerned that he and otherbuilders may be overbuilding –that soon there may not be enoughbuyers in the population to absorbthe number of houses and condo-miniums being built.
Look at the number of immi-grants that settle in major cities.They have the money to buy ahome. In many of their homecountries, real estate is not afford-able.
As an example, a 500-sq.-ftapartment on the outskirts of Paris,France, recently sold for over $1million (US)! And yes, I knowhere in Toronto, we’re slowlyreaching that point. A 450-sq.-ft.condo in upscale Yorkville, here inToronto, came on to the market at$580,000.
Where am I going with thiscolumn? Well, as long as we havethe kind of free economy thatwe’ve enjoyed since 2001, we willcontinue to be able to sustain thisgrowth. But what the various levelsof government have to get theirheads around is that we needaffordable housing for those whodon’t have a great abundance ofcash to invest. That’s a topic for afuture column.
Where do you, the sales rep or
18 REM MAY 2014
F
Where’s thebubble?AS I SEE IT FROM MY DESK
By Stan Albert
broker, fit into this equation? For starters, how many of you
have contacted an immigrationlawyer or facility to introduce your-self and put them on your VIP list?(Look up the article I wrote aboutthat on remonline.com)
Recently I interviewed severalprospects who may be interested inmaking a change to their brand.Two of these young agents hadsimilar stories about their own suc-cesses. They both came to Canadaas young boys. Their parents werevery poor and they lived in adverseconditions. One of the families wasone of the first “boat people”admitted to the country and theother was from a country that wasterrorized by rebels revoltingagainst the government.
Each of these men told metheir own heart-rending storiesand how they struggled to achievesuccess. They both were in contactwith lawyers who specialized indealing with their fellow country-men. They helped them to findjobs and affordable rentals untilthey earned enough money for adown payment on a starter home.That first purchase may have beentight quarters, but in comparisonto their home country, it was apalace.
The two young men now dealwith buyers and sellers of all racesand cultures.
Hard work and a dream of abetter life is what sustains them.
Are they concerned about thedoomsday headlines? What do youthink?
This world is a better placebecause of young entrepreneurslike these two gentlemen. Theyshow all of us that if there is a will,there is a way.
I’ve been through at least threerecessions over many years andsometimes it takes stories like theseto show us that we have to havefaith and that hard work neverhurt anyone.
Stan Albert, broker/manager,ABR, ASA at Re/Max Crossroads’iRealty office in Toronto can bereached for consultation [email protected]. Stan is now cel-ebrating his 44th year as an active realestate professional. REM
A Little Mistake that Cost this Real Estate Agent$767,463.38 in GCI (and almost his family)
Rudy Kusumawww.TeamNuVision.net
My name is Rudy Kusuma, and while I’ve worked hard to get to my current level of success, hard work didn’t always translate into the kind of life I yearned for. I may have achieved a level of financial suc-cess, but what it took from me and my fam-ily in terms of time was, quite frankly, unforgive-able. It was only when I decided to investigate, and then to embrace, Craig Proctor’s Quan-tum Leap System that my entire life turned around. Let me give you some specifics:
Before Learning Craig’s System
▪ I worked 7 days a week earning over $250k in annual GCI.
▪ I have 2 boys and a wife that I rarely got to spend time with because I was working 24/7.
▪ One of my boys is 3-1/2 and the other a year old. Because I was never home, and my wife was working a 9-5 job out of the house, we decided to send our youngest to live with my in-laws
in Indonesia so they could take care of him and give him the time we were unable to ourselves.
▪ I weighed 210 lbs - overweight because I had to eat fast food almost dai ly whi le
showing homes (and had no time for exercise).
After Implementing Craig’s System▪ I no longer work 7 days a week and am able to spend all day Sunday with my family – my “whole” family given that our youngest son is now back living with us.
▪ My wife was able to quit her 9 to 5 JOB and joined my business as my partner (she’s the most awesome ISA).
▪ In the last 12 months, I generated $1,017,463.38 in GCI and my (very achieveable) goal is $3 Million in GCI in the next 12 months.
▪ In fact, I recently received LA Magazine’s Prestigious Five Star Home Professional Award which puts me in the top 2% of LA REALTORS®.
▪ Now, I weigh 170 lbs and have been keeping this healthy lifestyle since January 2013. I eat healthy (no more junk food) and exercise at least 3 times a week.
I just wanted to share with you how completely this system has totally transformed my life. I can totally see now how I can develop a real estate BUSINESS that provides more money, time and freedom for my family.
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They charge upfront (inmost cases thousands).Agents don’t.
When it comes down to it, list-ing with an agent shouldn’t costyou a cent. I know you probablyread that a few times. Agents don’tcharge upfront, we only chargewhen results are provided. Thisgives you an advantage in morethan one way. On the other hand Ihave heard of individuals payingupwards of $2,000 upfront just for asign and a spot on a website, onlyto end up having their house listedand sold by an agent.
2. They aren’t held to anycode of ethics.
Real estate agents acrossCanada are held to a strict code ofethics by CREA. They take the lia-bility if something goes wrong.They are also held to higher stan-dards in advertising and they haveduties to you as a client.
3. Just because you’re a realestate professional does not meanyou’re rich or overpaid.
This has been the fuel for manyslanderous ad campaigns releasedby popular for sale by owner web-
20 REM MAY 2014
By Wes Hoover
1.
9 things FSBO companies don’twant consumers to knowsites over the years. The truth ofthe matter is, if it was that easy andthey got paid a “small fortune” tosell a house, everyone would getinto the business. Selling homes ishard work. Agents often findthemselves working for free andhoping to receive a commission.
Consider this situation: Abuyer has his agent show him 30houses over the course a month.The agent spends hours of his timeto assist the buyer. The buyerdecides not to buy. The agent hasworked for free and lost money onexpenses. This is a common situa-tion.
4. They can’t put your homeon the MLS system.
This system was built byRealtors for Realtors. No one isallowed to list a property on itunless they have a license to tradein real estate. These websites willjust refer you to an agent (howironic), often one from the otherside of the country, to put yourhome on the MLS and nothingelse. In most cases the listing won’teven be on your local MLS board,making it sometimes hard to find.
5. They actually petitionagents to sell their houses.
After years of bashing the pro-fession, certain for sale by ownerwebsites are now calling on agents
to come to their rescue, so they cantake credit for selling homes. Tellme another business model whereyou ask your competition to do thework for you. This is really anadmission of one thing – seriousbuyers go to an agent. Why?Because it will cost you nothing tobuy through an agent.
6. They don’t have a realestate license.
This is something a lot of peo-ple do not realize. These so called“private sale” websites are just that.They are not licensed to trade inreal estate or to give you real estateadvice. They can’t even advise youon how to price your propertybecause doing this would fall underan agency relationship and wouldbe considered trading in real estate.That requires a license. Theseparameters are set in place to pro-tect you, the consumer.
7. You pay them so you can doall the work.
Since these companies are notlicensed to trade in real estate theyare not permitted to represent youin a real estate transaction. Thismeans they can’t answer buyerinquiries for you, show your home,host open houses, handle paperwork, mediate negotiations, adviseyou on market conditions…andthe list goes on and on.
8. Privates sales carry a stigmaand uncertainties that make buy-ers uncomfortable.
Ever gone to view a private saleas a buyer? Then you know it canbe extremely uncomfortable andlimiting to view someone’s housewith them in it. It can be evenmore uncomfortable to negotiatewith them. On top of all this, pri-vate sales beg the question, whydidn’t they use an agent? Is theresomething wrong with the house?If they are trying to cut costs now,did they cut costs/corners withrepairs?
9. Agents don’t hate for saleby owners.
These companies would haveyou believe that agents thinkFSBOs are ignorant. This isn’tthe case. We get why you wouldwant to go this route. It can be
done, but just because you cando something doesn’t mean youshould. Like many DIY projectsyou are putting yourself at risk.In this case you are taking a riskwith the biggest investment ofyour life. It will not be an easyprocess.
In the end, in today’s buyers’markets you need an agent whowill work tirelessly for you to getyour home noticed above thethousands of others on the mar-ket. Just remember that limitedservice will always equal limitedresults and if it seems too good tobe true, it is more times than not.
Wes Hoover is a sales rep with Moncton Area Homes Team, HomeLife Premier PropertyGroup. 506-962-2522; [email protected]; website buywith-wes.com. REM
To strike back against theFSBO companies’ negativeadvertising that bashes realestate agents, Wes Hoover
offers this list for your clients.
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©2014 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.
Our history shapes our future.
The Engel & Völkers history is like no other. We were founded in Hamburg in 1977 as a boutique agency specializing in real estate market expertise and concierge service. Our high standards of quality gave us our early successes and our commitment to quality helped us grow.
Today, we are an international brand with a network of brokerages located in select markets throughout the world. As we grow, our history of quality continues to shape our future. Wherever you find beautiful properties, premium service, and extraordinary living, you will find Engel & Völkers, the world leader in luxury real estate.
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22 REM MAY 2014
oss Cooper is working tomake his communitybetter now and in the
future.Cooper, who has been a real
estate agent since 1993, is presi-dent of the Powell RiverCommunity Foundation inPowell River, B.C., which was setup in 2001 by his late father,Graeme, and former Ontariopolitician Charlie Tatham. Itsgoal is to build a legacy fund, withinterest from donations benefit-ting non-profit organizations nowand the principal remaininguntouched as a source of interestto be used in the future.
Since its inception, the foun-dation has given out 80 grants toa wide cross-section of non-profitorganizations, including thePowell River Therapeutic RidingSociety, the historical society, aseniors’ home and an academy ofmusic.
The foundation’s total fundsof $830,000 are currently enjoy-
Town’s foundation a source of pride for sales repBy Connie Adair
ing an 8.6-per-cent return.Although Cooper worked as a
banker for more than a decade,the healthy returns are the resultof the Powell River CommunityFoundation mirroring whatVancouver Foundation does interms of trading policies, he says.
However, “hard work makesluck,” he says. The foundationrecently received large donationsfrom two Powell River donors –the late Gwen Locke and ananonymous donor. He attributesthose donations to the hard workof the foundation’s 11 boardmembers.
The foundation’s next goal: toreach $3-million by Dec. 31,2015. The goal was set by theboard and is realistic, he says. Thecommunity of 20,000 values vol-unteerism and comes togetherwhen the need arises. PowellRiver recently raised $1-milionfor a CAT scan machine. “I’mproud of that,” says Cooper.
A background in real estate
and its many required skills(thinking outside the box, perse-verance, being goal oriented,being organized and having theability to develop personal rela-tionships, for example) areinvaluable to his foundationwork, he says.
Cooper was a banker for 13years, working in the lendingdepartment, but you know you’recut out for real estate when yougo to the library and read the RealEstate Act even though you’re inanother line of work. Cooper hadfriends and customers who wereagents and also visited real estateoffices regularly to do presenta-tions about mortgages. “I wasintrigued with the real estatebusiness since I first started bank-ing,” he says.
Banking had him moving todifferent communities through-out British Columbia, but he fellin love with Powell River andthings changed. His kids neededsecurity and with a family back-
ground (his grandfather was amill manager in Powell River inthe late 1940s) he quit bankingand made a “quality of life” move.
Sitting in his corner office andlooking out at the islands, he saysit was the right move. “There areincredible views. It’s nice andsunny, safe and secure.”
Selling real estate is a mixedbag. “I could be selling a $12,000mobile home in the morning and
a $600,000 commercial propertyby the end of the day. It’s thediversification that makes it fun.”
Cooper has served as presi-dent of the real estate board andis now vice-president. He has alsobeen president of the local RotaryClub. He has been involved withthe foundation since its incep-tion, helping out with the mar-keting side.
The foundation is busyreviewing grant applications forthe $8,000 available this grantingperiod and is working on afundraising event to be held inSeptember. The website and mar-keting materials are beingredesigned to increase awarenessabout the foundation in the com-munity.
The foundation has big plansand its motto, For Good Forever,sums it up.
For more information, visitwww.prcommunityfoundation.com REM
R
Ross Cooper
Is your referral pool feeling more like a puddle?An ABR® designation can help you weather any market.
The market is always changing. A great way to increase your opportunities and your referral pool in any market is through education. Becoming skilled at buyer representation will help you change the way you do business and cater to
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issues and trends, and exclusive resources to share with your clients and give you even more of a competitive edge.
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can choose from over 16 elective courses based on your business goals and market trends.
Get the advantage you’ve been looking for. Visit rebac.net to learn more.
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24 REM MAY 2014
By J.F. Ratthé
Walter L. K. Lui, FRI, CPM®, CRESBroker/Manager, Century 21 Leading Edge Realty Inc. BrokerageREIC Toronto Chapter President
FRI - Fellow of the Real Estate Institute
d i i @ i i1-800-542-7324 416-695-9000 [email protected] www.reic.ca
The FRI designation was a natural choice for me to ensure distinction The
for my personal career. This noted designation is a symbol of respect,
trust and integrity that clients and colleagues appreciate. Achieving
the FRI has helped further my career and increase my business. It’s
my competitive advantage.
remember at the beginningof my career when I wasinterviewing brokerages, one
of the brokers told me I should getinto new home construction rightaway. He said it was a great way toget business and buyers. AlthoughI was ready and willing to try any-thing at this time, one of my fearswas that since I was just startingout in real estate, having to learnthe ABC’s of new developmentsjust seemed too overwhelming atthe time.
I’m sure you know the saying,“If I knew then what I know now.”
Get business with new home constructionI ended up doing new condo devel-opments about a year after I start-ed. And boy, did it ever help withmy business! But I realize now thatit would have been much easier tostart learning everything aboutnew construction as soon as I gotmy license, or before if possible.
Even today, a majority of expe-rienced agents prefer to stay awayfrom new construction. Thatmakes it a great opportunity fornew agents looking to become suc-cessful. There are three main rea-sons why sales reps stay clear of thisall-too-important industry:
1) They simply don’t knowenough (or anything) about theproduct and the process. Builderswill be happy to work with you inexplaining how they work, whatthey look for in an agent and whatproducts they have. Research theircompany through their website.
2) They want to get paid theircommission sooner than six to 12months down the road.
This is something most newagents are afraid of as well. Ask thebuilder/developer if they would
advance a portion of the commis-sion once the offer to purchase isfree and clear of all conditions.
The potential to get leads forsellers and buyers from their listinghas more positives than negatives.Plus you have a great-looking newhome/condo to showcase.
3) They don’t want to limittheir clientele and potential com-missions.
I don’t believe you are limitingyour clientele by working with newconstruction. This does not haveto be your only source of income. Itcan become your secondary niche.If you have a neighbourhood as aniche market and developers startbuilding there, you get access to
more inventory. If you are thinking of getting
into new home sales, create a rela-tionship with a home/condobuilder right away. Start byexplaining to them that althoughyou are new, you are also eager tolearn and sell their products. Ask ifyou could meet with them to learnhow they work (builders anddevelopers have their own specificprocesses and documents) and howyou could start selling their prod-ucts. Learn as much as you canabout where they build, what theybuild and the unique qualities usedin their building process.
I had no problem selling newconstruction. I learned early on
that the key to getting leads was tohave listings. And what better wayto get buyers and sellers than withnew construction? People arealways looking to buy new. Andget this: once they buy a new homefrom you, they will need someoneto sell their current home. Boom,you now have two transactions.
One last bit of advice: Ask ifyou could start with one listing andprove yourself. Or see if you couldco-list one of their homes with amore experienced agent. Whileyou learn the trade, make sure youfamiliarize yourself as much as pos-sible about flooring, plumbing,floor plans, insulation, roofing,construction schedules and allother facets of new home sales.
JF Ratthe is the sales & marketingmanager at Karwood, the largest realestate development company inNewfoundland. He is the author oftwo books and founder of the realestate training program “7 Steps toReal Estate Success for NewAgents”. Email [email protected].
REM
I
A majority of experienced agentsprefer to stay away from newconstruction. That makes it a
great opportunity for new agentslooking to become successful.
& YOU Wednesday, May 21st, 2014
Mississauga Convention Centre75 Derry Road West, Mississauga, ON, L5W 1G3
www.BestAgent.caComplimentary Event
Date
Venue
Register
GuestRegistration
Each o� ce is independently owned and operated.
“ Staying Out Of Trouble in 2014” Mark Weisleder
“ The Condo Market in the GTA” Shaun Hildebrand
“ Where to get business now” Panel hosted by Valerie Garcia
Learn what’s happening in the market and how RE/MAX is generating business for you! Come out and network with the best!
he Polar Vortex sent a shiv-er across the entire countrythis year, but now that the
snow has melted it’s the perfecttime to identify necessary post-winter home repairs. If you experi-enced a brutal winter this year,chances are many things aroundthe house need repairing. Some ofthe most common issues home-owners have are damaged guttersand shingles, worn out heating sys-tems and distressed driveways.Now that the grass is finally greenit’s time to get to work!
The winter storms this yearbrought record levels of heavysnowfall, which likely led to bentor broken gutters and spouts cov-ered in debris. Fall leaves, ice andsnow can weigh down gutters,causing them to separate from theroof. They can also rip away fromthe house, possibly damaging theside of your home.
During the winter, you shouldkeep an eye out for ice dams andfrozen gutters. This is commonafter snowstorms when snowmelts and reforms as ice near theedge of the roof, preventingdrainage in the gutters. The waterwill often seep beneath the roof,causing leaks and more damage tothe interior of your home.Depending on what your roof ismade of, look for loose shingles ormetal. If you have a chimney, sky-light or dormer, inspect those forcracks as well.
The process required to plowand salt your driveway throughoutthe winter is necessary, but alsodamaging to your driveway.Shoveling, snow plows and saltused to melt the ice can eat away atyour driveway and sidewalks. Afterlots of snowfall, the concretearound your home tends to retainwater and begin to crack. Once it’swarm out, you should seal thosecracks by power-washing the con-crete and re-sealing it.
Sealing your driveway is bothsimple and economical if appliedcorrectly. First you must cure the
26 REM MAY 2014
By Jay Gregg
T
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Post-winterhomerepairsconcrete by removing loose debrissuch as mud, dirt and leaves. Use apressure washer to remove oil orgrease stains and then allow theconcrete to dry. You should allowthe driveway to cure for 20 to 30days before applying a sealer. Don’tapply water-based siloxane sealersuntil the concrete has dried for atleast 24 hours. Remember, wateron the driveway will dilute thesealer, which will limit the amountof sealer getting into the concrete.Once it is ready, you can apply thesealer by spraying it, rolling it on orbrushing it onto your driveway.Once the sealer cures, it becomesbonded to the driveway and willprovide protection for years.
The recent freezing tempera-tures have also likely pushed yourhome furnace to keep the homewarm during the storms. Thebiggest culprit in a heating systembreakdown is a dirty filter. As thedirt accumulates, air cannot pass,or worse, the system can overheat.Dirty air filters also cause poor airquality in your home, which canaffect everyone, including pets.When an air filter is clogged, moreenergy is being used, causing yourenergy bill to skyrocket as well.Replacing your furnace filter is aneasy and inexpensive step to takein order to save money, extend thelife of your system and improveyour indoor air quality.
Determining these post winterissues could be stressful, so callingon a professional home inspectorafter dealing with such a dreadfulwinter could take a huge weight offa homeowner’s shoulders. Havingthese damages repaired will beauti-fy the exterior of your home just intime for the warmer weather.
Jay Gregg is Pillar To Post’s direc-tor of marketing as well as a certifiedhome inspector based in Orangeville,Ont. Founded in 1994, Pillar To Postis now the largest home inspectioncompany in North America with over400 franchisees. www.pillartopost-franchise.com. REM
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Here at HUNTSMAN SPRINGS, children (and their parents) marvel at the many kinds of life flourishing in their backyard. From cutthroat trout to soaring eagles to the skittish grey tail fox – all are preserved in this unique family vacation community. Filling out the picture is a thrilling David McLay Kidd golf course, Wellness Center, and the finest fly fishing in the West. If you are game for discovering an unspoiled family retreat under the Teton Mountains, come out and we’ll show you around. CALL 307.699.0205 AND FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN DISCOVER HUNTSMAN SPRINGS FOR YOURSELF.
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hs_ad_wonders_REM_041014.indd 1 4/10/14 10:32 AM
’m going to throw a word atyou and I want you to noteyour first reaction to it, okay?
All right, here we go... change.If you felt apprehension, ner-
vousness or even fear at that word,you’re not alone. Change is some-thing that most people are uncom-fortable with and would do almostanything to avoid. Our psyche hasbeen hammered with wisdom stat-ing the negative aspect of changein the “better the devil you knowthan the devil you don’t” style. Notsurprisingly then, a lot of peopleput up with things they don’t have
28 REM MAY 2014
STOP SELLINGHOUSES & STARTMAKING MONEY
By Debbie Hanlon
I
It’s never too late to be the early birdto and continually sell themselvesshort rather than make changesthat would have a positive effecton their lives.
If you’re one of those peoplewho are afraid of change, I’mafraid I have some bad news foryou. The world changes faster andfaster every year. Most of thesechanges are driven by technology,which allows change to happen ata speed never before experienced.How fast are these changes hap-pening?
Well, in three short yearsFacebook went from having 350million users to over one billion.Three years ago 75 million peoplehad a Twitter account – today thatnumber is close to 900 million.
Here are some more changestats that will blow your mind:100 hours of video is uploaded toYouTube every single minute ofevery single day and its contentID system scans 250 years ofvideos every day. Two new usersjoin Facebook every second. More
than 82 billion apps will be down-loaded this year and 200 trilliontext messages are sent every day.It’s almost too much, too fast, toocrazy, to wild to believe, but it isexactly what is happening. It’stime to stop fearing change andstart to embrace it. It is not goingaway.
So what does that have to dowith being a real estate agent?Everything. I had a successfulcareer in real estate as an agent andthen as a broker. My firm was No.1 and I was No. 1 in sales in all ofCanada. Then I ran for publicoffice and because of the demandsthat put on me, I put real estateaside for a while. Then I retiredfrom that and decided to get backinto the business that had been sogood to me for so many years.
To go from elected official tobroker/agent of my own solo firmwas a huge change to make. Gonewere the guaranteed salary, theinsurance, travel and other perks.In their place was the uncertainty
that every real estate agent is alltoo familiar with.
Was I scared? Oh yes. I wasplenty scared until I realized a veryreal truth in all of this. You see, Ihad started fresh in real estatesome 20 years before as a singlemother on welfare with three chil-dren to take care of. Back then Ididn’t have a clue what I was get-ting into and, thankfully, over theyears I’d managed to scrape a fewclues together about the best wayto do real estate. I’d developed aseries of systems that had made mylife a lot easier. I’d already beenthrough the learning curve.
That means I was doing some-thing we’ve all probably said wewould like to do at one time oranother…I was starting over withknowledge. Who hasn’t said orthought, “If I could be that ageagain with what I know now….”Well, that’s kind of what I get to dowith the reboot of my career.
You can do the same thing. Youcan reboot your career. It doesn’t
matter how long you’ve beendoing this. Right now is the perfecttime to make some changes. Rightnow. Not tomorrow, not nextweek, but right now, this veryminute. Do it. Write down achange you’re going to make andyou will have begun to make thatchange. It could be getting up ear-lier, reconnecting with someone,sending an email you’ve beenavoiding, anything. Make thechange. In the minute it takes towrite it down, 100 new hours ofvideo will be uploaded to YouTubeand you’ll have taken one giantstep in a new direction.
Debbie Hanlon is the founder ofHanlon Realty and CEO of AllKnight Inc. She is a three-time top 50CEO winner and was named one ofthe top 100 female entrepreneurs inCanada. She is currently an electedcity official in St. John’s, Nfld. and isavailable for motivational and trainingseminars. Email [email protected]
REM
Welcome the Spring Marketwith Prudential
When you join Prudential Real Estate, you’realigning yourself with a network of professionalswho are dedicated, driven, and serious aboutgrowing their real estate businesses. Just like you.
Prudential.ca
Real Estate brokerage services are offered through the independently owned and operated network of broker member franchisees of BRPS Pebble BranchCo. Inc., Prudential, Prudential Logo and the Rock are registered service marks of The Prudential Insurance Company of America and are used herein under license, with no other affiliation with Prudential. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Royal LePage offers you the industry-leading training you need to be more productive and competitive in today’s market.Realize your potential.Choose Royal LePage.
royallepage.ca/joinus
BE THE BESTBY LEARNING FROM
THE BEST
This is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, including a solicitation of any sales representatives or broker that is currently under contract. ©2014 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Limited. All rights reserved. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited.
Royal LePage offers you the industry-leading training you need to be more productive and competitive in today’s market.Realize your potential.Choose Royal LePage.
royallepage.ca/joinus
BE THE BESTBY LEARNING FROM
THE BEST
This is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, including a solicitation of any sales representatives or broker that is currently under contract. ©2014 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Limited. All rights reserved. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited.
32 REM MAY 2014
Century 21Century 21 Percy Fulton is the
No. 1 Century 21 office interna-tionally, based on sales productionin 2013. This is the office’s thirdconsecutive year receiving the pres-tigious international award.
The office has ranked No. 1 inCanada since 1990, helping morethan 2,000 families achieve theirreal estate goals every year in theToronto and Durham areas. Theoffice offers ongoing education forsales reps, including hands-ontraining seminars, as well as exten-sive marketing and administrativesupport.
Clare Fulton, broker ofrecord and owner of the broker-age, was honoured on stage atthe Century 21 GlobalConference in Las Vegas in frontof thousands of internationalCentury 21 System members.
The brokerage was founded in1977 by Clare Fulton’s father,Percy Fulton. Clare took overownership of the company in1988. It has 225 sales reps.
The Century 21 GoodaleMiller Team in Oakville is the No.1 Century 21 team internationallybased on 2013 sales production.The team has ranked No. 1 inCanada for the last 11 years.
The 14-member team servesfine homes and estates clients.They offer in-house marketing, aswell as an administrative and webteam, a home stager, a professionalphotographer, a videographer anda floor plan technician.
Team members Don Goodaleand Brad Miller were honouredat the global conference.
Coldwell BankerVancouver’s Tina Mak is the
winner of the global ColdwellBanker network’s CanadianAmbassador Award for 2013.
“This award represents the cul-mination of what has been anextraordinary year for Tina Makand the contribution she has madeto the Coldwell Banker global net-work,” says Andy Puthon, presi-dent of Coldwell Banker CanadaOperations.
A 21-year industry veteran andan associate broker at ColdwellBanker Westburn Realty inVancouver, Mak is a frequentspeaker in Canada and the U.S.She was featured at the GenBlueExperience in 2013, the ColdwellBanker brand’s international eventat the Lincoln Centre in New YorkCity. She was installed as nationalchair of AREAA Canada inFebruary of 2013 and went on to co-chair the Investment AlternativeConference in Vancouver.
“Tina’s undeniable expertise inthe Chinese relocation market hasearned her a role as our globalbrand’s spokesperson and ‘go-to’resource for trends on the Asianhomebuyer and bridging the gapbetween East and West,” saysPuthon.
“A shrinking world driven bytechnological advancement is
Charlebois was featured in aREM cover story in January 2013.His company has offices inRockland and Embrun and has 32sales reps, after recently acquiringthe Riveria 2000 brokerage. “Thisacquisition will increase sales, ourgeographic reach and brand aware-ness,” he says.
VIREB Realtor of theYear
Susan McGougan was recentlynamed the Vancouver Island RealEstate Board (VIREB) Realtor ofthe Year. The award is presented toan individual whose dedication toexcellence has had a profoundinfluence on the professionalimage of VIREB Realtors and whoexemplifies characteristics such asleadership, industry stakeholderparticipation and active communi-ty involvement.
McGougan has been a Realtorsince 1990. Over the years she hasreceived numerous professionaldesignations, including an RIBCand CRES designation from theReal Estate Institute of B.C. She isa past-president of the board andserved as a director for the BritishColumbia Real Estate Association.
Continued on page 34
Coldwell Banker Canada president Andy Puthon,left, presents the Canadian Ambassador Award toTina Mak along with Paul Prade, president ofColdwell Banker Westburn Realty in Vancouver.
Justin Tazi (centre) with Liv Real Estate broker/ownerSheldon Johnston and Sara MacLennan, marketing director.
Dwayne Hayes Bill Bhamra
Royal LePage Estate Realty in Toronto won the Shelter Award for Office of the Yearin Ontario. Nathan Mol
From left: Matthew Gilmore, manager with awardsponsor Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.Atlantic Market Analysis Centre, Roy Milley andGary Mailman, NSAR’s immediate past-president.
changing the way we do businessand changing the face of the indus-try,” says Mak. “While that pre-sents formidable challenges, it alsocreates unprecedented opportunityto build bridges and create a betterunderstanding between people andcultures. Throughout my careerthat is what I have tried to do.That’s not only good citizenship;it’s good business.”
Realtor Magazine’s 30Under 30
For more than a decade,Realtor Magazine, the officialmember publication of theNational Association of Realtors,has honored some of the industry’sbrightest rising stars each year withits 30 Under 30 program. As thetitle suggests, 30 Realtors under theage of 30 are selected based on stel-lar sales, business acumen, associa-tion and community involvementand other criteria.
Ian Charlebois, 27, broker-owner of Re/Max Citywide Realtyin Ottawa, was recently the firstnon-U.S. Realtor named to thelist, a goal he set for himself twoyears prior.
“I was ecstatic,” Charleboissays. “Any time you get recognizedby NAR, it’s quite an honour.”
34 REM MAY 2014
Currently, she is vice-chair on theReal Estate Council of BritishColumbia.
McGougan is a 10-time mem-ber of the Re/Max International100% club and has been inductedto the Re/Max Hall of Fame. She’salso a supporter of many causes inthe community, including MSSociety, Heart and StrokeFoundation, B.C. Cancer Societyand the Children’s MiracleNetwork.
NSAR RealtorVolunteer of the Year
Broker Roy Milley has beennamed 2014 Realtor Volunteer ofthe Year by the Nova ScotiaAssociation of Realtors (NSAR).Milley has been acknowledged forhis dedication to the real estateindustry and his community ofSydney, Cape Breton.
“Roy’s involvement and contri-butions to the people of Sydneyand those in the real estate industryare unquestioned,” says RealtorGordon Burns, who nominatedMilley for the award. “You canalways count on Roy’s positive atti-tude to carry over to those aroundhim, resulting in positive and ethi-cal outcomes.”
Milley has been in the industryfor more than 30 years and ownsand operates Marquis Realty inSydney, Cape Breton. In his com-munity he has spearheaded a num-ber of special projects. He was oneof eight people who helped raise $8million for the cancer clinic at theCape Breton Regional Hospital in2010.
“Roy represents the true spiritof how we can all work together toimprove the real estate industryand the communities around us,”says Gary Mailman, NSAR past-president.
ARR Realtor of the YearMonths after serving as 2013
president of the Association ofRegina Realtors (ARR), StacySvendsen of Realty ExecutivesRegina has been named 2013ARR Realtor of the Year.Sponsored by Canada Mortgageand Housing Corp., the award rec-ognizes an ARR member who hasdemonstrated outstanding leader-ship and dedication to both thereal estate industry and the com-munity at large.
“No one is more deserving ofthis honour than Stacy,” says ARRpresident Basil Pappas, who benefit-ted from Svendsen’s mentoring inthe year leading up to his presiden-cy.
“Not only has she madetremendous contributions as ateacher and leader among ourmembership, she has also given ofher time to countless causes in ourcommunity.”
Born in Nova Scotia to anRCMP family often on the move,Svendsen has called Regina homesince 1992. She got her real estatelicense that same year and beganteaching the ARR’s new memberclass just two years later. She alsofinds time to raise funds for severallocal charities.
NBREA DaveHawkins Award
The New Brunswick RealEstate Association (NBREA)bestowed this year’s Dave HawkinsAward on Dwayne Hayes, aMoncton Realtor with over 15years of experience. The award ispresented annually to an individ-ual who has made an outstandingcontribution to the real estateindustry in New Brunswick.
“Dwayne has a tremendouspassion for the industry,” saysNBREA president Kari McBride.“He has been a great advocator forreal estate in New Brunswick andhis professional resume andachievements only highlight that.”
Hayes has been involved inorganized real estate at the grassroots, provincial and national lev-els. Part of his involvement includ-ed serving as president of theNBREA Board of Directors forfour years, serving on CREA’sTechnology Council and beingpart of the Board of Directors forGreater Moncton Realtors duGrand Moncton.
He also coaches minor hockeyin Moncton, is an accomplishedinstructor and presenter, and isalways volunteering his time withcommunity projects through hiscompany and local board, says theassociation.
REBGV ProfessionalExcellence Award
Eileen Smith is this year’srecipient of the Real Estate Boardof Greater Vancouver’s (REBGV)Professional Excellence Award.Smith became a Realtor 49 yearsago. In that time, she founded two
real estate offices on the NorthShore and developed a reputationfor integrity, honesty and profes-sionalism.
“Eileen became a Realtor in1966 when there were very fewwomen in the business,” saysSandra Wyant, REBGV president.“She instilled strong ethical andprofessional values in the realestate offices she founded andbecame known as a mentor andleader to many.”
Smith’s commitment to profes-sionalism is evident through herinvolvement with several profes-sional bodies. She served as chairof the Errors and OmissionsInsurance Corp. and volunteeredas a director of the Real EstateCouncil of B.C., the Real EstateFoundation and the Real EstateBoard of Greater Vancouver.
The REBGV recently hon-oured Brad Leslie and Laura-LeahShaw as this year’s recipients of theRealtors Care Award. The awardsare presented annually to Realtorsin Greater Vancouver who supporttheir communities throughfundraising or volunteer activities.
Leslie, of Re/Max Real EstateServices in Vancouver, foundedYoung Men’s Adventure Weekendmany years ago for boys and teensgrowing up without strong malerole models in their lives. He hasremained closely involved with thegroup as an event co-ordinator,advisor and mentor. The programexpanded to California where heserved as the event consultant.
And the honours go to...Continued from page 32
Today Leslie speaks with groupswishing to produce similar eventsand with parents who need advice.
Laura-Leah Shaw, of Re/MaxCrest Realty in Vancouver, regu-larly collects food for people livingon the Downtown Eastside anddirects furniture donations to sup-portive housing initiatives. She isalso a long-time volunteer of theRealtors Care Blanket Drive.
Liv Real EstateEdmonton-based Liv Real
Estate says it is taking a new spinon performance measurements.The firm is rewarding customerservice and not sales, honouringthose employees who demon-strate exceptional customer ser-vice, leadership and communityinvolvement.
Five different types of awardswere handed out to 10 employeesfor their work in 2013. The awardsincluded customer service awardsfor those who have received cus-tomer satisfaction ratings abovethe national average; top customerservice awards for the threeemployees who had the best cus-tomer satisfaction ratings; afounder award for the person whobest demonstrated and promotedthe company’s brand valuesthroughout the year; a leadershipaward for the person who demon-strated leadership through commu-nity involvement, continuing edu-cation and mentorship; and a peer-nominated team builder award.
The award winners are Bill
Bhamra (Team Builder Award,Top Customer Service Award andService Excellence), Nathan Mol(Leadership, Service Excellence)and Justin Tazi (Founder’s Award).
“Our awards program sets usapart from others in the industry,”says Sheldon Johnston, broker andowner, Liv Real Estate. “We focuson the customer experience becauseif you do an excellent job, yourclients will come back, and theywill recommend you to others. Ouragents all understand that the cus-tomer is our No. 1 and we rewardthose who go the extra mile.”
Royal LePage ShelterFoundation
Royal LePage Estate Realty inToronto was recognized recentlyat the annual celebration forRoyal LePage real estate agents inOntario for its contribution tothe Royal LePage ShelterFoundation. One hundred percent of the funds raised by RoyalLePage Estate Realty are donatedto the Red Door Family Shelterand the Scarborough Women’sCentre.
Jennifer and Keith Burton, bro-ker owners of Royal LePage EstateRealty and their team received theShelter Award for Office of theYear in Ontario.
“We’re so privileged to be rec-ognized for the work we do to sup-port community services where wework and live; to help put domes-tic abuse out of commission,” saysJennifer Burton. REM
Ian Charlebois Susan McGougan
Stacy Svendsen Eileen Smith
Brad Leslie
Laura-Leah Shaw
AR
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TOG
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For detailed agenda and ticket information call 1.800.298.9587, visit RichardRobbins.com or “like” us on Facebook.com/Offi cialRichardRobbins.
Canada’s most innovative and fast-pacedreal estate conference is coming.
J U N E 2 & 3 , 2014 | VA N CO U V E R , BCD EC E M B E R 1 & 2 , 2014 | TO RO N TO, O N
36 REM MAY 2014
By Eddy Boudiwan and George Hill
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Investing in multi-family buildingshas the basis for greater returns.Although an owner-occupiedproperty can appreciate, it is affect-ed significantly more by supply andother economic factors than a ten-ant-occupied property.
Simply stated, the value of atenant-occupied property has adirect correlation between theincome it creates and the value ofthe asset itself, beyond the value ofthe building and land.
Every tenant-occupied proper-ty should be treated strictly as abusiness, relying on fundamentalsof analysis and due diligence,rather than subjective emotions.The key metrics analyzed are thenet operating income (NOI) andthe cap rate (based on the area).
NOI is the income produced bya property after all expenses areremoved, before the mortgage pay-ment. Cap rate is defined as thepercentage return of a cash pur-chase on the property. Other fun-damentals affect cap rate, such assales in the immediate area, condi-tion of the property and othermacro and micro economics. It is
very important to be in tune withthe cap rate in the submarketwhere you decide to buy. We liketo invest in upcoming areas thatshow solid, sustainable GDP, joband population growth.
To better define the function ofthe cap rate, let’s consider a sce-nario in which we purchase aninvestment property that generatesan annual NOI of $10,000 and thepurchase price for this property was$100,000 cash. Based on purchaseprice, you are receiving a 10-per-cent return or cap rate (value ofproperty = NOI/cap rate).
Here is where NOI accelerationstrategies play a huge part. Keep inmind that increasing NOI, eitherby increasing revenue or decreasingexpenses, will directly increase thevalue of the investment.
1. Buy the right property: Forevery $1,000 understated by sellerNOI, an overpayment of $10,000will occur for the property. Caprate assumed is 10 per cent to stayin line with the example above.Often omitted are items such aswater heater rentals, snow/land-
scaping and laundry lease. Validateall expenses carefully.
2. Invoke strategies to increaserents, while keeping vacancy low.Efficient renovations, propertyfacelifts and amenities for tenantscan play a huge role in raising thetenant profile, thus increasingrents.
3. Reduce expenses, while stillmanaging the quality of the prop-erty. Sub-metering for hydro andwater, along with using energy-effi-ciency strategies are some of thebest ways to reduce expenses andincrease NOI. Also, look foropportunities to save on realtytaxes by asking for a re-assessment.
For example: We bought anunderperforming, mismanagedfour-plex, where hydro costs werepaid for by the landlord. Weinvested $5,000 to sub-meter theproperty and upon tenant turnoverwe charged base rent plus hydro.The hydro expense was more than$3,700/year. The NOI increased by$3,000, increasing the value of theasset by a whopping $40,000!
4. Fix expenses so you know
what to expect and to ensure youare paying fairly in the market forservices and products. Havingfixed contracts with property man-agement, snow removal and land-scaping companies and utilitiescan prevent anomalies in chargesand ensure a constant NOI.
We suggest holding propertiesfor between five to 10 years, whilenormalizing, creating efficienciesand increasing the NOI. Thisresults in wealth creation viaincreases in equity and increasedcash flow. Invoke a good exit strat-egy to capitalize on the NOI cre-ation that fits with your mortgageterms.
Real Estate Rangers is a realestate investment team that locates,operates and maintains properties forinvestors. Eddy Boudiwan([email protected]) andGeorge Hill ([email protected]) are the co-founders ofthe company. They have partneredwith Taft Forward Management astheir acquisition arm. www.realestat-erangers.ca. REM
e have often been askedhow we select ourinvestment properties
and why we favour multi-familybuildings.
The residential market is ourkey area of focus, which is dividedinto owner and tenant occupied.As we delve into real estate for thepurpose of investing, we arefocused on tenant-occupied prop-erties, rather than owner-occupiedhomes, as we firmly believe that it
W
38 REM MAY 2014
By Azizali Kanjee
hings are looking goodfor Canada’s commercialreal estate market. CBRE
Canada is calling for a “steady and stable” 2014 whilePricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)assigned an average overall rat-ing of “modestly good” toCanada’s nine largest commer-cial real estate markets. Forecastsvary depending on the asset class– office, retail, industrial, invest-ment and multi-housing – andmarket, but as a whole Canadaremains “on the radar for newcapital investment” thanks to “alack of volatility in theCanadian economy coupled withsteady job growth” according toCBRE.
Retail and office space in par-ticular are predicted to do verywell in 2014, keeping in line
with the growing trend of“urbanization.” In Toronto, forexample, we’re seeing a renewedinterest in the urban core fromresidents who want to eliminatecommuting costs and take partin a live/work/play environment.
“The growing attractivenessto investors of developmentsthat respond to this desire leadsthe outlook for 2014,” says PwC.
Retail giants Home Depotand Walmart are responding bylooking for opportunities wherethey can build up, rather thanout. To add to the “retail explo-sion”, mixed-use office and
Ontario programhelps commercialproperty ownerscondo developments with blocksof stores and restaurants at thebase are gaining steam. Thesecity dwelling shoppers won’thave far to go for work, althoughtheir work spaces are expected toshrink as employers strive to cutcosts in new towers that haveemerged from Toronto’s buildingboom.
But with retail and office con-struction in Toronto on the riseand demand for space high, largeblocks of available space arescarce – a good problem for anycity to have. Other cities inOntario are also benefiting frominvestor demand. CBRE’s seniorvice-president and managingdirector John Haire says, “Froman investment point of view, theRegion of Durham has become anunexpected hot spot for manufac-turing and the inevitable retailand residential growth that is sureto follow.” Vaughan and
Mississauga are also expected tocontinue performing well, thanksto the available industrial spaceand pro-business mentality.
All of this said, I think it’ssafe to say that Canada’s com-mercial real estate market isthriving and investors will con-tinue to keep their eyes onCanada. Owners of commercialreal estate take note, but notbefore taking steps to certify yoursite.
The Government of Ontariorecently launched theInvestment Ready: Certified SiteProgram, which provides finan-
cial and international marketingsupport for commercial property.Owners can receive up to 50 percent of their eligible expensesback per site, with a maximumreimbursement of $25,000 persite. Investment-ready sites alsobenefit from an internationalmarketing campaign aimed atthe site selection community, a profile on www.InvestInOntario.com and promotion atkey global real estate, site selec-tion and investment attractionevents.
A property with anInvestment Ready: Certified Sitedesignation is attractive toinvestors and site selectorsbecause it provides importantbackground information on asite’s availability, utilities, trans-portation access and environ-mental record; it encouragesfaster site selection decisions andcan help greenfield or expansion
projects get started.With the commercial real
estate market on a roll and a pro-gram like this available, it seemslike an opportune time for com-mercial real estate owners.
For more information on theInvestment Ready: Certified SiteProgram, visit www.ontario.ca/cer-tifiedsite.
Azizali Kanjee is broker of recordwith Inprobus Realty CorporationBrokerage in Oakville, Ont. andchair of the Ontario CommercialCommittee at the Ontario Real EstateAssociation. REM
T
The Government of Ontario recentlylaunched the Investment Ready:
Certified Site Program, which providesfinancial and international marketing
support for commercial property.
1-800-387-6058www.realtyreport.org
Real Estate Marketing Solutions
facebook.com/realtyreport Follow us @rrnewsletter
For details and pricing information contact:Vivian Giraldi1-800-387-6058 ext. 246 [email protected]
Lorraine Rodgers1-800-387-6058 ext. 227 [email protected]
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It’s what you say and how you say it
By Peter Sardeli
furniture, cars, jewelry or evenfind love? Go on line, it’s allthere and available with just asingle click!
So why are these antiquatedprospecting methods still beingencouraged? Is it because own-ers, managers and sales coachesare all old-fashioned and don’tunderstand how to use the webproperly? Or, is it because theystill work and always will?
Direct mail marketing andthe other contact methods gen-erate leads, but it’s what you sayand how you say it that gets youthe business.
There’s nothing like selling,in the moment, capturing yourprospect’s full attention and hav-ing them agree to work with you.It’s always best to do your sellingface-to-face where you can see aperson’s facial expressions, readtheir body language and com-bine it with the tonality in theirvoice to determine if they arebuying into what you are selling.When the customer is buying in,
it makes this business a pleasureto be working in.
As a real estate agent, you arethe product. You are selling your-self, especially when it comes tolisting someone’s property. Asyou are well aware, not all realestate companies and not allsales reps are the same. Mostconsumers know this and that’swhy they generally interview acouple of agents from differentcompanies. They are searchingfor someone they believe is “pro-fessional” and can sell theirproperty. So your appearance,your timeliness, your presenta-tion and how you connect withpotential sellers are all impor-tant, but there is nothing moreimportant than the words youuse to sell yourself. This is themain reason why you win or loselistings, so working on perfectingwhat you say and how you say itis everything.
Ever wonder why someagents list and sell more proper-ties than others? These sales reps
have figured out what sellerswant to know and what to say toget listings. The really good oneshave not only learned the lan-guage, they have also masteredthe complete gambit of commu-nication skills required to win.
A good friend of mine who isa top-producing sales rep in theVancouver area once said, “Yourpresentation is worth $7,500(the average commissionreceived for one side of a trans-action), so it better be good.”Here is the best part of what hesaid: “Most sales reps’ presenta-tions are not good. They areweak with most of the presenta-tion focusing on pricing and jus-tifying their findings rather thanfocusing on selling techniquesthat can differentiate them fromtheir competition.”
So the next time you’re won-dering why you didn’t get a list-ing you were hoping to get, it’sprobably not because anothersales rep did it for “a cheapercommission” or any other excuse
you use. It’s probably because youdidn’t learn the right things tosay and how to sell it. Let’s notforget, sellers are paying agents alot of money for professional rep-resentation, so take the time tolearn and master your craft.
Organized real estate deservesto have the very best membersworking within the system. Thereare many great mentors, managersand real estate coaches out there.Don’t you think you should seekthem out and learn the language,master the skill and possibly thesystems they use so you too can bea great agent?
Peter Sardelis is a broker atCentury 21 Capital Realty inOttawa. For 27 years he hasmade a career of working to exceedthe expectations of his clients. Hehas a tremendous work ethic, adeep sense of fairness and a limitlesscommitment to doing what is bestfor the real estate industry. Email:peter.sardel [email protected].
REM
n this fast moving, techno-logically changing genera-tion, when all kinds of
information is easily posted,found and researched on theInternet, why are some sales repsstill using old-fashioned methodsto generate business? I’m refer-ring to cold calling, door knock-ing, direct marketing (flyers),snail mail advertising and forsome, open houses and seminars.
These types of client contactshave been preached by companyowners and sales managers foryears, almost as if it’s the path tothe holy grail of selling success.Surely they must know that theWorld Wide Web is the futurefor selling anything. Want to buy
I
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42 REM MAY 2014
uring the past couple ofyears the term “collateralmortgage” has gained a
bit of a negative reputation, espe-cially since TV shows like CBC’sMarketplace have taken notice.Marketplace felt it was worthdoing a segment about collateralmortgages because the lendersoffering this product weren’t dis-closing the downside of this typeof mortgage.
Collateral mortgages aredesigned to allow more flexibilityin repayment terms and productssecured by a residential property.Under the cap, or global limit, aborrower can have a regular mort-gage, line of credit, a credit cardand multiples of each of these prod-ucts. When used for this purpose,collateral mortgages are excellentproducts that enable homeownersto attain cheaper interest, accesshigher limits and take advantage ofsplitting mortgages.
Collateral mortgages havebeen making news lately notbecause of these positives, howev-er, but due to the negative ways
lenders have been using them.When a regular conventional five-year mortgage (or any other term)comes due, or is up for renewal, theborrower can “switch” their mort-gage to another lender at no cost.This type of mortgage is registeredagainst the title of the propertywith the amortization outlined, soanother lender simply pays out theother mortgage and continues onwith the same amortization andbalance as the previous lender hadin place.
Under a collateral mortgagehowever, when the mortgagecomes up for renewal, it wouldactually have to be dischargedbefore another lender could takeover the mortgage. This means alawyer must discharge one mort-gage and register a new one, whichcan result in fees ranging from$500 to $1,000. Not only would itbe subject to legal fees, but allsecured debt would have to be paidout with the mortgage, includingsecured credit cards and lines ofcredit.
Technically, this is considered arefinance and, according to thenew federal guidelines, refinancesare limited to 80 per cent of theproperty’s value. So, if the total
amount being borrowed is greaterthan 80 per cent of the property’svalue, it may be impossible toswitch to another lender untileither the debt is paid down or thehome value increases. Somelenders have been using this as aretention tool, meaning that theyplace all of their clients in collater-al mortgages knowing that, at theend of their term, it will cost thema significant sum to switch theirmortgage to another lender – if it’seven possible to switch given theloan-to-value restrictions. This iswhy collateral mortgages havegained a bad reputation. Clientsweren’t being notified that theycouldn’t simply switch their mort-gage to a new lender upon renewal.
In order to attain a full objec-tive understanding of whether thistype of mortgage is right for yourclient, be sure to consult an inde-pendent mortgage agent who hasaccess to both collateral and stan-dard mortgages.
Brian Mill, B.A., is a licensedmortgage agent with NeighbourhoodDominion Lending Centres in OwenSound, Ontario. 519-379-3003;b r i a n m i l l @ n d l c . c a ;www.brianmill.ca. REM
By Brian Mill
n a decision in Alberta, ahusband and wife, the own-ers of a condominium unit,
required a live-in caregiver. Onewas blind and the other sufferedfrom dementia.
After the caregiver was hired,the condominium corporationbrought an application for a decla-ration that the owners were in vio-lation of a bylaw. It states that thatunits are “occupied or intended tobe occupied as a residence by onefamily alone…and in which noroomers or boarders are allowed.”
Fortunately, the court took areasonable and practical result inthis case. The fact that a live-incaregiver was required to provideassistance did not mean that theunit was used other than as a sin-gle-family dwelling or for residen-tial use. It would be unreasonableto include as “roomers” a live-incaregiver required for necessarycare. One has to question whomade the decision on behalf of thecondominium to bring such a typeof application.
(Condominium Plan No.9910225 v Davis, 2013 ABQB 49)
■ ■ ■
A condominium corporationacts through its board of directors.In an Ontario case, a representa-tive of a corporation’s propertymanager entered into a contractfor natural gas “without authority”.
The directors discussed thiscontract as early as 2009 at a boardmeeting. However, the board didnot bring an application to declarethe contract invalid untilSeptember 2012. The OntarioCourt held that action barred bythe Limitations Act (two years). Aclaim begins to run when damageis discovered. The board of direc-
LEGAL ISSUES
By Donald H. Lapowich
Caregivers arenot ‘roomers’
tors was aware by 2009, when dis-cussing this contract, that it wasnot authorized. It obtained advicefrom legal counsel and the proper-ty manager in 2009.
The fact that the energy suppli-er did not respond to the board andits allegations did not postpone thelimitation period, so by 2012 thecondominium corporation’s claimwas statue barred and dismissed.(York Condominium CorporationNo. 62 v. Superior EnergyManagement Gas L.P., 2013ONCA 789)
■ ■ ■
In a different case, a developerintended to subdivide land inEdmonton into various lots andsell them. There were two individ-ual buyers who entered into anAgreement of Purchase and Sale aswell as a corporate builder, whichwas to buy 14 lots.
The agreement indicated thatthe subdivision plan had to be reg-istered and that building permitsmust be obtained by a “conditiondate”, failing which if the vendor(developer) did not waive the con-dition (and made reasonableefforts to satisfy it) the conditionwould be terminated.
The vendor maintained thathe failed to obtain the subdivisionregistration and that the contractswere at an end. However, both thebuilder and the individual pur-chasers sued the vendor and thecourt ordered damages awarded.
This case defined the requiredreasonable efforts that had to beshown by the vendor. Here the ven-dor could not meet that test as hedid not become involved in prudentand moderate action with sustaineddiligence to achieve the condition.In addition, the vendor’s agentexercised no diligence at all and thedeveloper assumed a passive role.This being the case, damages wereawarded to the purchasers.(1092369 Alberta Ltd. v. JobenInvestments Ltd., 2013 ABQB 310)
Full cases can be read atwww.canlii.org. Donald Lapowich,Q.C. is a partner at the law firm ofKoskie, Minsky in Toronto, where hepractices civil litigation, with a particu-lar emphasis on real estate litigationand mediation, acting for builders, realestate agents and lawyers. REM
I
D
Pros and consof collateralmortgages
itle insurance companyFCT says in 2013, itsunderwriters noticed a
trend towards a greater number ofsuspicious real estate transactionsat a lower dollar value.
In comparison to past years,for both residential and commer-cial real estate transactions, theamount of mortgage fundingsought in transactions flagged assuspicious is getting smaller, thecompany says, but at the sametime the incidences are more fre-quent. It says in 2008, theamount of mortgage fundingsought in a flagged residentialtransaction was $600,000 onaverage. By 2013 the average hasdropped to $360,000 – a 40-per-
cent drop in mortgage money. “In 2009 we were flagging sus-
picious residential frauds aboutonce a week. That average hasincreased to almost twice a weekfive years later,” says Eric Haslett,VP and chief underwriter at FCT.“The value of these transactionsis dropping as well. I think fraud-sters may be trying to slip smallertransactions by us as they maybelieve that a higher value mort-gage may be subject to greaterscrutiny.”
FCT started reporting its inci-dents of suspected commercialfrauds in 2012, in an effort to alertowners, lenders and their legaladvisors about the growing inci-dents of commercial fraud. The
average fora potentialloss to ac o m m e r -cial lenderwas $3.5million in2012, butone yearlater it hasdropped tojust over a$1 millionpotent ia lloss, the company says.
Haslett says transactions wherereal estate fraud is suspected by theunderwriters constitute less thanone per cent of FCT’s overall business. REM
Frauds aimed at lower dollar value, says FCT
Eric Haslett
T
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44 REM MAY 2014
By Amanda Ross
ecruitment and retentionare critical if a real estatebrokerage is to survive.
Having a great reputation in yourcommunity is also extremelyimportant, especially in today’shighly competitive world.
When an agent from anotherbrokerage is considering a move,you want to be the only optionthey consider. This doesn’t meanyou must have super commissionoptions or some fancy marketingtactic or know everything underthe sun. The top three thingsagents want in a brokerage aregreat broker support, awesomeadmin staff and savvy training.
Don’t get me wrong, there areother things that matter, but theystart at number four on the list (andfor some agents different items willbe in the top three). So also con-sider having really good technolo-gy, a nice-looking office in a goodarea and a well thought-out websitethat generates business.
Let’s take a closer look at thetop three things:
1. Serious broker support –Agents, especially new ones, needyou to be there for them. They
3 essentials for growing your brokerageneed to really believe (because it’strue) that you have their back.When they’re in a tough situation,they need to know they can counton you.
That means you need to be pre-sent – in the office at least a fewtimes each week (if not every day).You must answer your phone whenthey call or get back to themquickly to help them through a sit-uation. You must take care ofthings yourself.
Every time the agent doesn’tsee you in the office is another daythat they question their choice.
Every time you fail to call themback is another missed opportunityto build that relationship with yourmost important asset.
Every time you pass the buck toanother person (staff member ormanager) is another momentwhen that agent feels unimportantand unneeded.
Every time you’re awesome isanother time they’re telling otheragents or friends who are consider-ing a real estate career how greatyou are. Solid support is one of theeasiest ways to build your reputa-tion and brand in the real estatecommunity. Recruiting new andproductive agents is the key to yourbusiness. Don’t miss out by forget-ting your top priority.
2. Top-of-the-line admin staff –When an agent walks in or calls
your brokerage, are they impressedwith the level of professionalismand guidance they receive?
Agents deal with your staffmore than anyone else in this busi-ness. Don’t ignore the value theybring to your brand. Your full-timestaff members are a tremendousreflection on you and your broker-age. A poorly managed team canbring down the entire company.The right people in the right placegive agents a feeling of security andan added layer of trust that theypicked the best brokerage to growtheir business.
Part-time staff members areoften over-looked, yet they workwith your agents and other agentsin the community on some of thebusiest days of the week in ourbusiness. Make sure they are just asgood as your full-time people.
3. Training, training and train-ing – No matter how long some-one has been in this business, thereis always something to learn. Newagents are in desperate need ofyour direction and know-how.Build a solid program that coverseverything; buyers, sellers, generat-ing leads, goal setting, contracts,marketing plans and more.
Don’t only offer great “newbie”training. Build some amazing train-ing for the agents who have beenin the business for a few years.Maybe even start a monthly top-
producer genius group where ahandful of like-minded agentsshare their own trials and tribula-tions. I know some agents will behesitant to share, but you’ll be sur-prised at how many would love thisand be open to helping othersgrow. No egos allowed!
Every agent who attends yourtraining and knowledge-sharingsessions should feel like theywalked away with something wonderful.
You don’t need to have all theknowledge. There are some topicsthat you just won’t know about, sowhy not bring in the right personwho does know? Have a trainingsession with legal experts, invest-ment planners, senior specialists,video marketing gurus, social net-working, financial advisors andmore. Help agents plan for thefuture – care about them!
There are so many ways tobuild a stronger brokerage. Alwaysremember that flash without fol-low-through is going to get younowhere – fast.
People don’t like to feel duped,so if you say your brokerage pro-vides weekly training, do it. If you
say that you call everyone backwithin one hour, do it. If you sayyou only hire the best staff, do it.
Work to be your very best andthe very best will follow.
Amanda Ross is the owner andCES (Creator, Educator, andStrategist) of RealtyBoost(www.RealtyBoost.ca), where shehelps brokerages and sales reps buildstrong brands, smart strategies andmore knowledge that brings value totheir clients. Follow Amanda onTwitter, @ImAmandaR or @realty-boostca. REM
Part-time staff members are oftenover-looked, yet they work with
your agents and other agents in thecommunity on some of the busiestdays of the week in our business.Make sure they are just as good as
your full-time people.
R
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46 REM MAY 2014
Good WorksGood Worksor the first time, London,Ont. will host a HockeyHelps the Homeless tour-
nament in support of local chari-ties that provide food, shelter andother services to the city’s home-less. On May 10 hockey enthusi-asts have the opportunity to playalongside NHL greats or currentWomen’s Team Canada Olympicgold medal winners. The memo-rable day will feature three gameswith two professional players oneach team, a fully equipped lockerroom, breakfast and lunch, a din-ner reception, a keepsake, a pro-
stitched jersey, a gift and more.Warren Shantz, a broker at
Sutton Group – Preferred Realty,says, “This is the first time it hasbeen held outside of an NHL cityso it’s a unique opportunity forlocal enthusiasts and charities. Theorganizations that will benefit inLondon are the Unity Project,Merrymount and YouthOpportunities Unlimited.”
Shantz says each participantmust raise at least $350 throughsponsors in addition to a $150entry fee. Gerry Weir, broker ofrecord at Sutton Group Preferred
Realty, is sponsoring a team by pay-ing $1,800 to cover the registrationfees for all 12 players including thegoalie.
Organizers are hoping to form12 men’s teams and six women’steams.
■ ■ ■
Royal LePage Burloak RealEstate Services, long-time donorsto Halton Women’s Place via theRoyal LePage Shelter Foundation,recently lent its support to helpmake the 20th annual gala forHalton Women’s Place a success.Broker/owner JoAnn Jusdanisserved as gala committee chair forthe event and sales rep GregKuchma was the exclusive galasponsor. Guests were treated to anevening of “Vintage Vegas”themed festivities. Royal LePagepresident and CEO Phil Soperserved as emcee for the evening.
■ ■ ■
Recently Sutton Group -Premier Realty in Ottawa pre-sented $7,600 to the Universityof Ottawa Heart Institute. Todate, the team at Sutton officesin Ottawa have donated morethan $40,000 to the institute tohelp fund cutting-edge treat-ment, rehabilitation andresearch.
Donald Abraham, owner/manager of Sutton Group -Premier Realty and his wife AlanaAbraham, executive director,approached their sales team andasked if they would participate bydonating a portion of each realestate transaction they completedthroughout the year.
Broker of record WayneGordon and broker WendyJacques were recently presentedwith the Realtor at Heart Awardby Dr. Robert Roberts, presidentand CEO of the University ofOttawa Heart Institute, for theiroutstanding contributions.
■ ■ ■
Attendees at the CatwalkTime Machine event inBelleville, Ont. experienced anevening of fashion through thedecades. The fundraising event,hosted by Royal LePageProAlliance, brought in localcelebrities and radio personalitiesto model 100 years of fashionduring an interactive live auctionat the Empire Theatre. Musicalguests and celebrity imperson-ators (Marilyn Monroe, Elvis andMarlene Dietrich) kept thecrowd enthused.
The event raised $20,633 forthe Royal LePage ShelterFoundation, which will fund thenearly completed second stagehousing project at Three Oaks. Italso operates an emergency shel-ter and provides other servicesfor women and children fleeingdomestic violence in the Quintearea. REM
F
As part of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation program, RoyalLePage ProAlliance in Belleville, Ont. recently presentedKingston Interval House with $4,365. Sales reps at the broker-age donated a portion of their commissions in 2013 to the foun-dation. From left: Connie Carson, Royal LePage ProAlliance;Joanne Franke and Pam Havery of Kingston Interval House;and Sylvie DesHaies, Royal LePage ProAlliance, Kingston.
Warren Shantz
Donald Abraham
Family Day, B.C.’s new statutory holiday, was busy for thesales reps of Coldwell Banker Okanagan Realty inPenticton, B.C. The corporate sponsor for Family Day atthe Community Centre, they treated 600 people to freeburgers, hot dogs and hot chocolate. As an extra touch forthese families, the agents gave out toques to people lined upfor their lunch.
Enjoying the Halton Women’s Place gala, seatedfrom left: Patricia Rende, Lynda Burton andMelanie Yach. Standing: Karen Henrikso, JanetArrowsmith, JoAnn Jusdanis (gala committeechair), Phil Soper (president and CEO, RoyalLePage) and Salma Ali.
Presenting a cheque tallying proceeds from the CatwalkTime Machine are Royal LePage ProAlliance broker/ownerMark Rashotte, sales rep and Three Oaks director ConnieCarson, Jody Brooker of Quinte Broadcasting and sales repJohn-Ross Parks.
Wayne Gordon and Wendy Jacques accept theirawards from Dr. Robert Roberts.
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he fact that collectivelywe watch more than sixbillion hours of YouTube
video every month proves thatvideo has achieved rock star status.And now you can be the rock starof your email marketing campaignsby making the switch from tiredtext to vivid video withBombBomb.
BombBomb offers a platformthat embeds videos in your emailsthat your customers can play with-out having to click through to aYouTube link.
This new email marketingtrend has exploded on to the realestate marketing scene over thelast year and for good reason: itprovides the missing personal con-nection that modern conve-niences, like email, lack. It is help-ing, in a very natural way, to renew
the sales rep-customer relation-ship…at the click of an iPhonecamera button.
“Because real estate is a rela-tionship- and referral-based busi-ness, the ability we give you to ‘bethere in person when you can’t bethere in person’ is key,” says EthanBeute, BombBomb’s chief market-ing officer.
The platform can be used inseveral ways, including sending apersonalized message to a singleclient in a lead follow-up or thankyou note, or in bulk for lead nur-turing, real-estate processes, edu-cation, event and open houseinvites, referral requests, client tes-timonials and holiday/specialoccasion messages.
Instead of investing your $25 amonth budget in an email market-ing company that sends outcanned emails to bore your cus-tomers with, invest it withBombBomb and give your clientsthe personal touch. Creating anemail marketing campaign withthem is easier than text-basedalternatives. All you have to do isturn on your iPhone camera and
do what (sales reps) do best: chat.These video-laced emails can thenbe sent directly from your smart-phone or your computer.
In addition to sending videoemails, you can also track theirsuccess by using BombBomb’s ana-lytics tools to measure open andplay rates. This will help you fine-tune your messages in the futureand drive your email-marketingcampaign engagement rates.
For those of us who havealready toyed around with emailmarketing, BombBomb alsoempowers you to do A/B testingand drip campaigns. The companyoffers a 14-day free trial so give it awhirl, but if you’re a broker, askabout group pricing and top-leveladministration tools.
Robin Wilding is the creativemind behind Real Estate WebsitesCanada. She says: “The company’ssuccess is highly attributable to creat-ing low-cost branded websites thathighlight the personality of each indi-vidual agent. You’re unique; yourwebsite should be too.” http://real-estate-websites.ca/ REM
48 REM MAY 2014
By Robin Wilding
hen you’re trying tochange the world, theysay it’s a good idea to
start small.That’s what a handful of
Toronto environmentalists didrecently when they set out toplan, design and produce a greenmap of their community, whichhighlights a wide range of ecoitems from environmentallyfriendly homes to businesses andtopography.
“Until we did this map, we did-n’t really see our ward as a whole asgreen,” says Mariko Uda, one ofthe five residents who helpedspearhead the project. “It’s so pow-erful to have this visualization in
Documenting a community’s green evolution
GREEN REAL ESTATE
By Elden Freeman
the form of a map. The map defi-nitely encourages a green atmos-phere and fosters interest, a feelingthat one is part of a communityand positive change. Working onthis map we learned so much aboutour community.”
Organizers discovered theirward has plenty of green cloutowing to the dozens of houseswith solar panels and solar hotwater heaters, multiple communi-ty gardens and an orchard, thecity’s first subway bike shelter,and Artscape Wychwood Barns, aLEED certified building thathouses community organizationsand events such as The Stop’sFarmers’ Market.
The ward is also where you canfind various businesses offeringeco-friendly products and thosethat operate with a view to sustain-ability.
“The map was created to docu-ment and celebrate Ward 21 as one
of the greenest wards in the City ofToronto,” says Uda, “and to findout what we’re missing or wantmore of in our community, to raiseawareness of the unique naturalfeatures of our ward and to informnewcomers as well as long-timeresidents about the green featuresof the ward.”
The idea for the map projectevolved from a community envi-ronmental group known asGreen Neighbours 21. Five localresidents in this group decided touse their knowledge and skills incity planning, cartography andenvironmental sustainability todesign the map. While the Cityof Toronto does have green mapsthat highlight various eco fea-tures and green tourism attribut-es, this is believed to be the first
ward-based map of its kind.“We thought that doing a
ward-based map would be a small-er scale that people can feel theyare more a part of and they can dosomething to improve the city,”Uda says.
As a civil engineering grad stu-dent, Uda feels some urgencywhen it comes to environmentalconcerns. Her dissertation isexploring how to make neighbour-hoods more resilient and sustain-able to future risks.
The map is not a done deal,though, as organizers recognizethat their ward is constantlyevolving. A blank space in thecorner of the map asks people forinput in an effort to create a con-versation about what they’d liketo see in the community.
To view the map online or todownload a copy, visitwww.gn2l.ca.
The beauty of efforts such asthe Ward 21 green map is that itfosters a promotion of eco initia-tives within a community, settingup a welcoming green frameworkthat spurs the growth of otherenvironmental projects, ideasand plans. Next thing you know,residents and businesses thatshare a green sensibility are mov-ing to the neighbourhood to bewith other likeminded environ-mentalists.
The National Association ofGreen Agents and Brokers(NAGAB) provide a Greenbrokerand Greenagent certification programto sales reps and brokers acrossCanada. To get more information orto sign up for a course, visitwww.nagab.org. Elden FreemanM.E.S., AGB, broker is the founderand executive director of the non-prof-it organization. 1-877-524-9494Email [email protected]. REM
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12
CanAmera Realty [8.F.8]
Detailed Recruiter Agent Value ReportClose Date From January 01, 20XX To December 31, 20XX
Sorting By: Agent Name
Agent # Agent NameReal Estate
Ends ValueTitle Company
Ends ValueMortgage Company
Ends ValueTotal
Ends Value
Recruiter: BAKRO Baker, RobertBAKRO Baker, Robert 14.0 42,039 10.0 3,0001.0 300 26.0 45,339
Existing RecruitsALLDA Allen, David 3.0 24,047 1.0 6501.0 300 6.5 24,997ASHBI Ashford, Bill 8.5 23,424 6.0 1,8501.0 300 16.5 25,574BONHO Bond, Howard 9.4 33,483 7.0 2,6201.0 300 19.8 36,403CLALA Clark, Larry 10.0 39,759 9.0 2,6000.0 150 20.5 42,509DRETR Drew, Trevor 10.2 36,229 9.0 2,5500.0 0 19.7 38,779
Totals:# of Recruits: 5 41.1 156,942 32.0 10,2703.0 1,050 83.0 168,262
Totals:Total Recruited: 5 55.1 198,982 42.0 13,2704.0 1,350 109.0 213,602
Recruiter: COLLA Colt, LawrenceCOLLA Colt, Lawrence 5.0 17,729 4.0 1,3500.0 0 10.0 19,079
Existing RecruitsDAN Gibson, Dan 10.6 11,279 8.0 2,1802.0 600 21.2 14,059MAB Hammond, Matthew 8.5 11,179 8.0 2,2001.0 300 17.5 13,679MACJE Macmillan, Jeff 12.5 33,148 11.0 3,2501.0 300 25.0 36,698MOSMO Moser, Molly 2.5 14,585 2.0 7251.0 300 6.0 15,610
Totals:# of Recruits: 4 34.1 70,193 29.0 8,3555.0 1,500 69.7 80,048
Totals:Total Recruited: 4 39.1 87,922 33.0 9,7055.0 1,500 79.7 99,127
Recruiter: CRACI Crawford, CindyCRACI Crawford, Cindy 24.5 61,452 20.0 5,8502.0 600 47.0 67,902
New RecruitsSCOTY Scott, Tyler 6.0 29,372 4.0 9501.0 300 11.0 30,622
Totals:# of Recruits: 1 6.0 29,372 4.0 9501.0 300 11.0 30,622
Existing RecruitsGAZAL Gaze, Al 5.5 16,633 5.0 1,4001.0 300 11.5 18,333GRURA Grummett, Ralph 11.2 29,456 9.0 2,6501.0 300 21.2 32,406HILKE Hilsen, Kelly 15.0 8,426 15.0 4,1501.0 300 31.0 12,876
Totals:# of Recruits: 3 31.7 54,516 29.0 8,2003.0 900 63.7 63,616
Totals:Total Recruited: 4 62.2 145,341 53.0 15,0006.0 1,800 121.7 162,141
Report Totals: 156.5 432,246 128.0 37,97515.0 4,650 310.5 474,871
Selected OptionsStatuses:
Closed
Fees:ADMIN FEE BROKER FEE CMN E&O FEEFRANCH 4% PROPM SPLIT FEE
Chargeable Items:ADVERTISING - BROKERAGE (AD) BOARD DUES & FEES (BD) CREDIT (RC)DESK FEE (DF) E & O INSURANCE (EO) FRANCHISE INTERNATIONAL DUES (RI)
Prepared by: Bailey WestwoodAugust 21, 20XX, 11:49:36 AM
Lone Wolf Software [8.F.8]brokerWOLF (Version XX.07.04) Page: 1 of 1
HOW VALUABLE IS AN AGENT ACROSS YOUR WHOLE BUSINESS?Seeing what an agent generates across your entire operation, not just the Real Estate component, offers you insights into the true value of each agent. Each part of your operation generates revenue and understanding how each agent uses those parts is important. Look at the recruiter version and it will track the recruiter contribution along with his/her recruits.
Real Numbers… Real Insights
Who is your biggest brand advocate?
Which agents are utilizing your preferred business contacts... it becomes very clear
4
CanAmera Realty [2.P.5.3]
Sources Of Business Summary Report - All Offices Based Upon Closed Date
From January 01, 20XX To July 31, 20XX
Seller Buyer TotalsCD Description # Value % # Value % # Value %A NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING 1.00 11,250 2.6 1.00 14,040 3.4 2.00 25,290 3.0B FOR SALE SIGN 2.00 17,310 3.9 2.00 22,620 5.5 4.00 39,930 4.7C REPEAT BUSINESS 5.00 58,140 13.2 1.00 22,500 5.5 6.00 80,640 9.5D PERSONAL LEAD 3.00 41,300 9.4 2.00 25,560 6.3 5.00 66,860 7.9E OTHER BROKER-LEAD/REF 0.00 0 0.0 2.00 18,120 4.4 2.00 18,120 2.1F OFFICE WALK IN 1.00 10,620 2.4 2.00 24,120 5.9 3.00 34,740 4.1G RELOCATION 1.00 14,040 3.2 3.00 43,170 10.6 4.00 57,210 6.7H BILLBOARD ADVERTISING 1.00 10,350 2.4 2.00 24,750 6.1 3.00 35,100 4.1I BUS BENCH 2.00 25,620 5.8 2.00 23,100 5.7 4.00 48,720 5.7J DIRECT MAIL 0.00 0 0.0 2.00 32,220 7.9 2.00 32,220 3.8K DRIP MARKETING CAMPAIGN 3.00 44,817 10.2 1.00 13,020 3.2 4.00 57,837 6.8L COLD CALL 3.00 28,245 6.4 4.00 50,775 12.4 7.00 79,020 9.3M OPEN HOUSE 1.00 13,950 3.2 1.00 10,350 2.5 2.00 24,300 2.9S AGENT WEBSITE 2.00 33,420 7.6 0.00 0 0.0 2.00 33,420 3.9T SOCIAL MEDIA 2.00 38,190 8.7 1.00 13,770 3.4 3.00 51,960 6.1W OFFICE WEBSITE 7.00 92,640 21.1 5.00 70,707 17.3 12.00 163,347 19.2
34.00 439,892 100.1 31.00 408,822 100.1 65.00 848,714 99.8
Prepared by: Bailey WestwoodAugust 09, 20XX, 09:24:22 AM
Lone Wolf Software [2.P.5.3]brokerWOLF (Version XX.07.04) Page: 1 of 1
WHERE SHOULD YOU SPEND TO GENERATE MORE LEADS?Knowing where leads have come from, is half the battle. The other half is knowing what they turned into! Generate this report, by office or by agent, to see the source of business for all your transactions and the related dollar value. Never wonder again!
Real Numbers… Real Insights
Invest in these toolsShow your agents the importance of being
remembered
10
CanAmera Realty [8.F.2.2]
Net Worth Executive SummaryFrom January 01, 20XX To September 30, 20XX
Works Commission Expense Gross Expenses Net ToAgent # Agent At Home Deductions Earnings Earnings Allocated Office Agent%
Office: 002 - South Office011 Gray, Teresa N 35,195.98 13,576.35 48,772.33 8,317.18 40,455.14 29.70%009 Wallace, Jonathan N 43,037.62 4,915.00 47,952.62 9,056.07 38,896.54 28.55%004 Murphy, Joanne N 29,622.81 5,356.45 34,979.26 7,639.81 27,339.44 20.07%010 Bower, James N 2,896.32 20,199.47 23,095.79 6,969.63 16,126.15 11.83%008 Fernendes, Jeremy N 16,841.40 2,850.00 19,691.40 7,637.97 12,053.42 8.84%013 Ian, Janis N 9,886.28 5,825.00 15,711.28 7,447.68 8,263.59 6.06%017 Edson, Carleen N 2,338.16 3,204.67 5,542.83 7,080.02 -1,537.19 -1.12%015 Feth, Ashley N 3,626.37 2,222.50 5,848.87 7,503.72 -1,654.85 -1.21%014 Ryan, Chelsey N 2,152.50 1,035.00 3,187.50 6,918.76 -3,731.26 -2.73%
Office 002 - South Office Totals: 145,597.44 59,184.44 204,781.88 68,570.88 136,210.99 100.00%
Report Totals: 145,597.44 59,184.44 204,781.88 68,570.88 136,210.99 100.00%
Commission Deductions Included$47,248.24
Commission Split Fee $98,349.20
Expense Earnings IncludedAdvance (77)ADVERT FEE (20)ADVERT. - OTHER (24)BOARD ANNUAL DUES (13)BOARD DUES & FEES (10)BUSINESS CARDS (07)CELLULAR PHONE (02)COURIER (08)DESK FEE (45)E & O INSURANCE (35)
FAX CHARGES (14)INTERNET (98)LAWN MAINTENANCE (99)LONG DISTANCE (01)MLS CATALOGUES (11)PAGER COSTS (04)PHOTOCOPIES (05)SIGNS (15)SOCIAL CLUB (09)STATIONERY SUPPLIES (06)WEBSITE (97)
Prepared by: Bailey WestwoodOctober 31, 20XX, 11:28:47 AM
Lone Wolf Software [8.F.2]brokerWOLF (Version XX.08.05) Page: 1 of 1
AGENT PROFITABILITY, CAN I REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT?Absolutely! The Net Worth Executive Summary ranks your agents and gives you a true perspective on what each agent brings to your office. Don’t be surprised when that top agent actually costs you money because of the split you’ve given them and the expenses you incur for them. Have the knowledge to make the tough conversations easier so you can build your business to be more profitable.
Real Numbers… Real Insights
Your most profitable agents might surprise you Below here are agents
that cost you money
11
CanAmera Realty [8.F.2]
Net Worth Report For Agent #210 - Beams, Maryanne Office: North OfficeFrom January 01, 20XX To October 31, 20XX
Various Fees - Various Chrageable Items
Gross Commissions Earned 44,640.00
Earnings From Transactions4% Deduction 1,992.00
Split Fee 9,963.00
Total Fees Received: 11,955.00
Earnings From Expenses45 Desk Fee 10,200.00
50 Franchise Fee 2,009.00
52 Management Fee 4,500.00
Total Expenses Recovered: 16,709.00
Gross Earnings To Office: 28,664.00
Expense Totals Allocated# of Agents on Staff (Code A): 15.87
Gross Office Commissions (Code V): $202,941.00
62101 RENT & OCC. - RENT EXPENSE 75,000.00 A 4,724.72
62103 RENT & OCC. - UTILITIES 834.96 A 52.60
62104 RENT & OCC. - REPAIRS & MAINT. 1,492.96 A 94.05
64101 SELLING - MLS FEES 4,072.10 A 256.53
64102 SELLING - SIGNS 3,687.50 A 232.30
65102 ADVERTISING - OTHER MEDIUM 7,194.50 V 1,582.54
65103 ADVERTISING - YELLOW PAGES 276.08 A 17.39
70102 LABOR EXP. - SALARIES 26,916.55 V 5,921.64
75102 OFFICE EXP. - OFFICE SUPPLIES 12,086.82 A 761.42
75104 OFFICE EXP. - POSTAGE 28.53 A 1.80
75105 OFFICE EXP. - COURIER SERVICE 80.24 A 5.05
75112 OFFICE EXP. - PHOTOCOPIES 315.42 A 19.87
72103 COMMUN. EXP. - PAGERS 980.00 A 61.74
72104 COMMUN. EXP. - CELLULAR 1,051.85 A 66.26
69101 FRANCHISE COSTS - PARTICIPATION 2,856.00 A 179.92
64199 SELLING - MISC. 187.14 A 11.79
72199 COMMUN. EXP. - MISC. 482.44 A 30.39
75199 OFFICE EXP. - MISC. 152.16 A 9.59
Total Allocated Expenses: 14,029.60
Net Earned By Office: 14,634.40
Prepared by: Bailey WestwoodOctober 31, 20XX, 02:34 PM
Lone Wolf Software brokerWOLF (Version XX.02.13) Page: 1 of 1
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REM Ad April 2014.indd 1 2014-04-15 5:23 PM
50 REM MAY 2014
he Realtors Associationof Edmonton launched anew community informa-
tion website, YEGisHome.ca,which contains information aboutevery community in Edmonton,more than 90,000 businesses andpublic places, ticketed events andlocal news. It also contains all thehomes and properties currentlyavailable for sale on the EdmontonMLS system.
“Realtors collect a vast amountof information about the housingstock in Edmonton through theprocess of listing homes for sale.Over 90 per cent of resale transac-tions are captured by the localMLS system,” says the associationin a news release. “This aggregateddata is shared with municipal offi-cials to help determine tax ratesand with appraisers, homebuildersand financial institutions to enablethem to make important decisionsabout the economy and how toserve their clients.
“The housing data is collectedand paid for by the members of theRealtors Association of Edmontonthrough membership and listingfees. As a private database, it can-not be shared openly in the waythat government and municipaldata must be shared. Therefore,only the Realtors could build awebsite that features all the MLSSystem data as part of a communi-ty profile and information web-site,” says the association.
“With a long history, stablemembership base, skilled staff anda history of community involve-ment, the Realtors Association iswell positioned to develop, operateand maintain YEGisHome.ca,”says Greg Steele, president of theassociation.
YEGisHome.ca will be expand-ed to provide additional communi-ty data and be extended to includemore communities in the localmarket area. “We are actively look-ing for community partners to helpus grow the website,” says Steele.
■ ■ ■
Beth Crosbie is the president of
the Canadian Real EstateAssociation for 2014. A sales repwith Coldwell Banker ProCo in St.John’s, she previously served aspresident-elect and vice-presidentand was an Atlantic RegionalDirector for three terms. After acareer in design and post-sec-ondary teaching, Crosbie joinedthe real estate industry in 1998.
■ ■ ■
Jake Moldowan has been elect-ed 2014-2015 president of theBritish Columbia Real EstateAssociation (BCREA).
Moldowan is president ofRe/Max Jake Moldowan Realtyand Versatile Development Groupin Richmond. He was president ofthe Real Estate Board of GreaterVancouver in 2010-2011.
Joining him as officers of theassociation are president-elect K.
Scott Russell of Sutton Group -Seafair Realty in Richmond, past-president Jennifer Lynch of CoastRealty Group on Gabriola Islandand CEO Robert Laing.
New director Deanna Horn(Langley) and returning directorsClaudia Holland (Quesnel), JamesPalanio (Penticton), DickPemberton (Kamloops), RosarioSetticasi (North Vancouver) andJim Stewart (Nanaimo) round outthe Realtor directors. The associa-tion also has two public directors,Donna Bridgeman and SharonBryan.
■ ■ ■
London-based real estate bro-ker Costa Poulopoulos hasassumed the role of president of theOntario Real Estate Association.Active in the real estate professionfor 26 years, Poulopoulos is brokerof record with Realty ExecutivesElite. He is a former president ofthe London St. ThomasAssociation of Realtors (LSTAR).Poulopoulos is the third OREApresident to hail from London.LSTAR member Rose Lerouxheaded up the provincial associa-tion in 1995 and LSTAR past-president Gerry Weir served asOREA president in 2008.
Patricia Verge of Ottawa will
serve as president-elect. OREAdirectors-at-large are: Ray Ferris ofPort Rowan; Tom Lebour ofMississauga and Richard Leroux ofTimmins. John Filipetti of SaultSte. Marie will continue to serve ascommercial director and GerryWeir of London will continue onas the director representing theprovincial association to CREA.
Dianne Usher of Toronto hasbeen appointed substantial mem-bership director. Phil Dornerremains on the board as past-presi-dent. Provincial directors repre-senting different geographic areasare: Eastern Ontario, LindaMcCallum; Central Ontario,Maureen O’Neill and EttoreCardarelli; Northern Ontario,Diane Erickson; SouthernOntario, John Oddi; NortheasternOntario, David Reid; and WesternOntario, Anna Vozza.
■ ■ ■
Sheila Henry was recentlyacclaimed to the position of boardpresident by the Saint John RealEstate Board. She just completed atwo-year term as vice-president ofthe board and has served as a direc-tor since 2009. She served as direc-tor for the New Brunswick RealEstate Association and as a boardmember for the Real Estate
Insurance Alliance.Henry has been a Realtor for
nearly 25 years and holds a realestate manager’s license. She is anactive community volunteer, serv-ing as the organizer for theCanadian Cancer Society’sDaffodil Day fundraising campaignfor the last several years.
■ ■ ■
The Okanagan Mainline RealEstate Board (OMREB) will be ledby new president Darcy Griffiths ofVernon for the 2014-2015 term.She was recently installed alongwith 11 directors representing theCentral Okanagan, NorthOkanagan and Shuswap. Griffithsreplaces outgoing president KarenSingbeil of Sicamous, who stays onas past-president.
Griffiths has been licensed for23 years and has sold real estate inVernon since 2001. She has taughttwo units of the ResidentialTrading Services Applied PracticeCourse for four years and is a newCPE instructor for BCREA.
Timothy Evans of Kelowna wasinstalled as the vice-president.Other members of the Board ofDirectors for 2014-2015: JamieBlair, West Kelowna; KentJorgenson, Kelowna; ChristopherMiller, Kelowna; Tanis Read,
T
Beth Crosbie Jake Moldowan Costa Poulopoulos Sheila Henry Darcy Griffiths
Timothy Evans
OREA members posewith MPP Todd Smithafter the introduction ofthe act. From left:Johnmark Roberts, CraigHomewood, Robert“Bob” Stanley, TomLebour, Smith, NitaKang, Don Kottick,Andrew Wells and RonAbraham.
REM MAY 2014 51
Kelowna; Maggie Garvey, Vernon;Don Gilowski, Vernon; Rob Shaw,Vernon; Doug Hubscher, SalmonArm; and Steve Lewis, SalmonArm.
■ ■ ■
Kari McBride of Frederictonhas been elected president of theNew Brunswick Real EstateAssociation (NBREA). She hasbeen an award-winning Realtor for10 years and has demonstratedstrong communication and leader-ship skills, the association says. Sheexcels in training and motivatingher colleagues through fresh, inno-vative ideas, says the association.
The other members of theBoard of Directors are: 1st vice-president Robert Stewart ofCampbellton; 2nd vice-presidentLinda Vautour of Miramichi; secre-tary-treasurer Gordon Breau ofSaint John; past-president PaulBurns of Moncton; and directorsDiana Otteson of Fredericton,Ricky Cormier of Moncton andSheila Henry of Saint John. Thegovernment appointees to theboard are Erin Hardy and AndrewMcLeod of Fredericton.
■ ■ ■
The new president of the RealEstate Board of Greater
Vancouver (REBGV) is RayHarris of Re/Max Sabre RealtyGroup. He replaces outgoing pres-ident Sandra Wyant.
“It’s an honour to serve aspresident of the board in its 95thyear and to continue its commit-ment to protecting property own-ers, ensuring economic vitality,preserving our environment andbuilding better communities,”Harris said.
Harris has been involved inthe real estate profession for morethan 29 years. He received theMLS Lifetime Membershipachievement award and haschaired the GovernanceCommittee and Burnaby/NewWest/Tri-Cities area of theREBGV. His volunteer back-ground also includes time as anarea governor for ToastmastersInternational.
Supporting the president willbe president-elect Darcy McLeodof Re/Max Results Realty andvice-president Dan Morrison ofRe/Max Crest Realty. The othermembers of the 2014 Board ofDirectors are past-presidentWyant of Re/Max LifestylesRealty; David Angel, Team 3000Realty; Gerrit Focker, RoyalPacific Riverside Realty; DannyGerbrandt, Royal LePage -
Brookside Realty; Wendy Hunter,Sutton Group - West Coast;Michael Mitsiadis, Royal PacificRealty (Kingsway); Phil Moore,Re/Max Central; Heidi Neff,Sutton Group - West CoastRealty; Jill Oudil, ColdwellBanker Westburn Realty;Sheldon Scott, Colliers MacaulayNicolls; Stan Shawn, RoyalPacific Realty; Ashley Smith,Royal LePage City Centre; andDeborah Spicer, Sutton Group -West Coast Realty.
■ ■ ■
The Ontario Real EstateAssociation (OREA) is applaud-ing the introduction of newprovincial legislation that it sayswill bring fairness to the tax treat-ment of Ontario Realtors.
Introduced by Prince Edward -Hastings MPP Todd Smith, theTax Fairness for Realtors Act, 2014will allow real estate salespeople toform personal corporations. TheReal Estate and Business BrokersAct, 2002 (REBBA), prevents realestate salespeople from operatingtheir business through a personalreal estate corporation.
“This is fantastic news for realestate professionals,” says CostaPoulopoulos, president of OREA.“Most professions in Ontario can
form personal corporations. This isan important step towards treatingOntario Realtors fairly.”
Other regulated professions inOntario, including charteredaccountants, lawyers, health pro-fessionals, social workers, mortgagebrokers, insurance agents, archi-tects and engineers, can all formpersonal corporations. Since 2008,British Columbia, Quebec,Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Albertaand Nova Scotia have moved toallow real estate salespeople toincorporate.
■ ■ ■
K i t c h e n e r - W a t e r l o oAssociation of Realtors (KWAR)president Lynn Bebenek recentlypresented The Food Bank ofWaterloo Region executive direc-tor Wendi Campbell with acheque for $5,130.
“With one in 20 individualshungry, The Food Bank ofWaterloo Region provides animportant service to our communi-ty,” says Bebenek. There has been afive-per-cent increase in the needfor food assistance since 2011, and47 per cent of households request-ing this help are families with chil-dren, says KWAR.
Since 1993, the association hasdonated more than $500,000 to
support local charities.
■ ■ ■
The Alberta Real EstateFoundation (AREF) is partneringwith the Alberta Emerald Awardsto sponsor the Shared FootprintsAward to celebrate excellence inland use.
The award recognizes excel-lence in Integrated LandManagement (ILM), a strategic,planned approach to managingand reducing the human-causedfootprint on public and/or privateland. It was created in 2009 inpartnership with AlbertaSustainable Resource andDevelopment.
“With the reputation and suc-cess of the Emerald Awards inAlberta, it made sense for us towork together to make a uniquecategory that celebrates great sto-ries in sustainable land use inAlberta,” says Gary Willson,AREF’s chair.
Nominees must meet the stan-dards of the Emerald Awards,address the Shared FootprintsAward criteria plus demonstratehow their efforts support the prin-ciples of ILM. The 23rd annualAlberta Emerald Awards will takeplace on June 5 in Calgary.
REM
Kari McBride
Ray HarrisTom Peddigrew, left, broker of Magic Realty, recentlycelebrated his 50th anniversary as a member of theSarnia-Lambton Real Estate Board. Board presidentDon Guerette presented Peddigrew with an honorarymembership in the board.
Lynn Bebenek, left, presents the cheque to Wendi Campbell.
YEGisHome.ca is “providedas a gift to the community”says the RealtorsAssociation of Edmonton.
52 REM MAY 2014
�
Coming June 2014: Our Special 25th Anniversary Issue
We are excited to announce that in June 2014, REM will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special issue that recognizes the people and events that have shaped the real estate industry over the past 25 years, and look ahead to see what’s coming in the next quarter century.
If you are interested in being a part of this special anniversary issue, contact us today at [email protected] or give us a call: 416-425-3504 ext 1.
onald Trump is as hard toremove from the publicconsciousness as a
Kardashian sister from in front of aTV camera. Despite the occasionalcontroversy and an often causticopinion, he continues to prosperand even now remains a topic ofspeculative conversation: Will herun for governor? Will he run forpresident? Will the sedated opos-sum on his head ever break freeand run back to the woods?
Regardless of your own opin-ion, the real estate magnatearguably remains a role model foraspiring business leaders and manywould-be real estate investors.
Are you like “The Donald”?Have you ever found yourselfstretching your salary from paydayto payday, or more realisticallyfrom payday to day-after? Have youdined on caviar more often thannot or have you seen more KraftDinner than a roadie for TheBarenaked Ladies?
If you answered “yes” to thesecond choices, you may be sur-prised to find out that you areNOT Donald Trump. Take thissimple quiz and find out just to besure. You will need a #2 pencil;
By Dan St. Yves
You may not beDonald Trump
D
approximately 2.5 minutes of freetime, and please, no skippingahead. Ready? Begin:
1) Your bank account is aprime indicator of whether youare Donald Trump, or not. Haveany of the following scenariosever happened to you?
a) Bringing up your Equifax filecauses power outages in severalprovinces and most of the WesternSeaboard.
b) The formerly friendly bankmanager who once welcomed yourline of credit with open arms hascornered you today at the ATM,accompanied by several burly indi-viduals. Your first thought is thatthey may not be there to invite youto afternoon tea.
c) “High-risk return” for youmeans playing credit-card roulettein the checkout line. How manycards will you need to try todaybefore one finally gets approved?
2) “The Donald” lives a lavishlifestyle, surrounded by opulenceand the finest things that moneycan buy. You may not be DonaldTrump if:
a. The “limo and driver” youtake to work is really just your sis-ter on the front seat of a bicyclebuilt for two.
b. Your family pet is a handpuppet.
c. You can’t afford the stylishhair creation that all the other bil-lionaires are sporting.
3) Mr. Trump has amassed thegreatest part of his fortunethrough real estate holdings.What have you achieved in yourinvestment portfolio?
a. The world’s largest collectionof Roll-Up-The-Rim freebies.
b. So much debt that even“Bobbe Barker” has a second mort-gage on his little doghouse.
c. The most incredible homeyou’ve ever seen. And when youturn it upside down and shake it,magical little flakes of snow falldown.
4) Being Donald Trump isabout more than just the money –it’s the way he carries himself, thecompany he keeps, and the mem-orable phrases he comes up with.You are definitely not DonaldTrump if:
a. You aren’t paying $13 mil-lion a month in alimony.
b. Your “Trump Tower” previ-ously had four wheels and a hitch.And a CB radio tower.
c. Every time the waitress inDenny’s comes to check on you,you say, “You’re fired” and contin-ue to find it highly amusing.
Humour columnist and authorDan St. Yves was licensed with RoyalLePage Kelowna for 11 years. Checkout his website at www.nonsenseand-stuff.com, or contact him [email protected]. REM
Good starts lead to good businesshen it comes to set-ting up a new busi-ness, Robert Gold says
that well begun is only half done.A partner in Bennett Gold LLP,Chartered Accountants inToronto, the lecturer, author andhost of a popular podcast forentrepreneurs called theBusinessCast (www.business-cast.ca) has seven tips to help getyour new business get off to agood start.
1. Love what you do: Makesure it’s something you’re passion-ate about and can connect withemotionally.
2. Set up a personal advisoryboard: You’ll need some arms-length but reliable soundingboards for your ideas, even if youhave a partner or two. Choosefour to six people whose opin-ions you respect and meet withthem as a group every month ortwo.
3. Have some capital of yourown to invest.
4. Know what you need:Prepare a careful, realistic budgetand plan for contingencies. Findout what things cost and knowwhere the money will go eachmonth. Revisit your budget regu-
larly throughout the first year.5. Cultivate a solid relation-
ship with the bank. 6. Don’t fear the professionals:
Your lawyer and accountant workfor you, so get one of each.
7. Stay balanced: Passion foryour business is a must, but don’tlet it become everything. Maketime for family and have enoughoutside interests, activities andinvolvements to keep your lifebalanced, healthy and happy.
Provided by the Institute ofChartered Accountants of Ontario.
REM
W
We are pleased to announce thateffective April 10, 2014 Alfredo Aielloand Massimo Aiello, have chosen tojoin the Royal LePage Network.The brokerage will operate as Royal LePage Premium One Realty.
Massimo, who is the company’sBroker of Record, began his realestate career in 1996. He first soldwith a small brokerage. In 2004 heopened his own brokerage, and in2007 purchased and operated afranchised real estate office.
Alfredo is a real estate veteran whohas been active in the industrysince 1975. He acts as the brokerage’s manager.
Royal LePage Premium One Realty’steam of 38 sales professionals service Vaughan, Toronto, King City,Brampton, Mississauga, and the surrounding GTA.
Massimo, Alfredo and their team can be reached at:960 Edgeley Blvd., Unit 3 Vaughan, Ontario L4K 4V4 Phone: 416-410-9111Fax: 905-532-0355 Toll Free: [email protected] [email protected]
Please join us in welcomingMassimo, Alfredo, and everyone atRoyal LePage Premium One Realtyto Royal LePage.
Royal LePage Premium One Realty, BrokerageVaughan, Ontario
Alfredo Aiello
MassimoAiello
†Royal LePage is a trademark used under license.
†
REM MAY 2014 53
simple sheet of paper youcan download right nowwill make your sign calls
easier. It can be used for Internetleads, open house notes and all adcalls – anything you should be fol-lowing up on. It’s a free templatethat you can save and change. Italready has the basic sections youneed. It covers qualifying ques-tions, saves the contact info, hasthe buyer and seller questionnaireand includes a simple follow-upplan.
When I was new to the busi-
Listing sign calls - scripts and follow up
By Dan Wood
ness I was fortunate to get coldleads calling me right away(Internet leads). It was both amaz-ing and a total disaster at the sametime. I’d have scrap paper withrandom notes written all over theplace. Many sheets had the notesfrom multiple calls. I would scrib-ble outlines to group the notes. I’msure you can relate.
I also didn’t have a database…so follow up was 100 per cent bymemory (not a good thing). So Ithought investing in a properCRM (contact management sys-tem) would be the fix. The prob-lem was I’d still be answering callswhen I wasn’t at a computer orlogged in... so most of the time Iwas back to using paper.
Having a real database isimportant. I’m not saying thisreplaces it... but it is a structuredway to have the first conversation.Hand the sheet off to your adminor add them to the database after.On the call you need to be “in theconversation” and basic pen and
paper will always win the race formost agents.
I pre-typed this questionnaireand had it broken down into themain sections. I printed off photo-copies – left some in the car, someat home and some at the office.You can start using this today.
Ever notice when you getinbound calls you’re not expectingit? You’re doing something else andnot prepared for the call. This“lead capture” sheet will quicklyget you back in the game.
The buyer/seller starts the con-versation, but you control it by ask-ing questions (the scripts). Whenthe questions are laid out in frontof you it’s easy, especially when youare just filling in the blanks.
I always started with the buyersection first because it’s easier toget people talking (dreaming).During that part I’d listen forappropriate timing to ask the qual-ifying questions (when they wantto move, are they working with areal estate agent, are they
financed)? If they were selling, youhave a place for that too, alongwith all the questions needed.
No sign call is ever the same, soyou need to have a real conversa-tion and not sound like a nervousrobot. Using a lead capture sheetallows you to organically makenotes as the conversation is takingplace.
Have you ever noticed thatconversations flow back and forthfrom buying to qualifying to sellingand you only get little parts hereand there? It’s not like you can say,“Look man, I’m not done the buyerscript so we can’t move on.”
No, you take what you get andbring them back if you can. Leadsheets are great for that. You soundprofessional, it keeps you on trackand it forces you to ask the hardquestions you might otherwiseskip, such as are they financed anddo they have an agent. You don’twant to scare them off, right?
Go ahead and download a copyby using the QR code. Or visit
www.remonline.com/listing-sign-calls-scripts-follow. Leave com-ments to tell me what you thinkabout it.
There is also a video on thehome page at remonline. It showsyou how to use this simple system.It also has a cool follow-up trick forthose of you who don’t have adatabase (and those who do, butdon’t use it).
Dan Wood is withBrokeragenation.com, training andrecruiting company for brokerageslooking to grow. He also works withRichard Robbins International (RRi).For coaching, guest speaking andevents call RRi toll free: 1-800-298-9587. REM
A
54 REM MAY 2014
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Re/Max GlobalProperty Search Tool
Re/Max International haslaunched a new global propertysearch tool that allows visitors tosee exactly how much home theycan afford in their native currencyin 80 countries around the world.
“No matter if they live inAustralia or Spain, Canada, SouthAfrica or Costa Rica, buyers canfind properties anywhere in theworld that meet their wish list andtheir specific budget,” says LarryOberly, vice-president, Re/MaxGlobal Franchise and BusinessSolutions. “The tool allows con-sumers to discover in an instantwhere the best deals are and howthey can stretch their dollars,pesos, euros or other currency toget the home of their dreams.”
Real EstateTechnologyReal EstateTechnology
The Global Property Searchtool is in the top dropdown menuof the “Property Search” tab onwww.global.remax.com, as well asat the bottom of the home page.Visitors can search listings in 80countries, in more than 40 lan-guages and currencies.
Teranet introducesViMO
Teranet recently introducedthe Virtual Mobile Office Solution(ViMO) for sales reps in Ontario.
“It’s a sales and marketing sup-port tool that enhances your per-sonal brand by allowing you to usemobile technology to provide abetter client experience whenface-to-face with your prospectsand clients,” the company says.
ViMO helps real estate sales
professionals manage clients anddeals, demonstrate unique markettrends on properties and neigh-bourhoods, show neighbourhoodinformation including schools,demographics and points of inter-est; and create, send and sign elec-tronic forms.
“By enhancing your relation-ship with mobile information andcommunication, you will helpclients become more engagedthroughout the transaction andfulfilled by the outcome,” saysTeranet. The product was recentlyrolled out at a series of launch par-ties across Ontario.
Teranet owns and operatesOntario’s Electronic LandRegistration System.
For information: www.myvi-mo.ca.
Jumptools reportsincreased demand formobile websites
Recent changes in Googlerankings have impacted demandfor real estate professionals’ mobileweb presence, says Jumptools pres-ident Jon MacCall.
Last year Google announcedchanges to its search engine opti-mization (SEO) ranking algorithmthat increases the importance ofproviding a mobile version of web-sites.
“The bottom line is that web-sites without a mobile version willsee a decline in their Google rank-ing over time,” says MacCall.“Google is interested in presentingthe most relevant and highest-quality content in search resultsbut they also recognize that anincreasing number of users are orig-inating their search from non-desktop devices like mobiles andtablets.”
MacCall says there has been a
steady increase in demand formobile versions of agent websitesyear over year since Jumptoolslaunched its website builder in2010. Jumptools was one of thefirst companies to integrate withCREA’s Data Distribution Facility(DDF) in 2013. Mobile-friendlywebsites are free with everyJumptools subscription, the com-pany says.
For information: www.jump-tools.com.
Drawbotics offersweb marketing, analytical data
Drawbotics, a Belgian start-up,says it wants to “democratize theuse of new technologies in realestate.” It has developed an e-com-merce platform specialized in mak-ing marketing tools for the realestate market.
“The objective of the project isto spread the use of new technolo-gies in this sector through a user-friendly interface and an offer ofaccessible high value-added ser-vices,” says the company in a newsrelease. “The goal is to improveexisting e-marketing techniques ofreal estate agents and in this wayredefine the customer experienceof their prospects.”
It says real estate agents oftenlimit themselves to a few picturesas well as a short description toadvertise a property. “With theincreasing competition and thedevelopment of new technologies,it is becoming crucial for real estateactors to use new visual promo-tional material that is more lucidand interactive, in order to attractnew prospects,” says Drawbotics.“Our solution consists of creatingan interactive web platform…thisincludes 2D/3D interactive floorplans, digital restyling, videos,
panoramas and photo editing. Ourclients will also have the possibili-ty to modify their orders and adaptthem through an interactive cor-rection-interface.”
The company also providesanalytical data that allows agentsto target their prospects by measur-ing the visibility of their propertieson the web. Through a monthlysubscription, clients can track theirreal estate platforms, websites andsocial media, the company says.
For information: www.draw-botics.com
Rob Overman namedchief technology officer at Lone Wolf
Rob Overman is the newchief technology officer at LoneWolf Real Estate Technologies.He brings more than 15 years ofexperience in the real estatetechnology space including soft-ware development, team man-agement, product development,public records data services, list-ing data aggregation and mobileapplication platforms.
“Our growth over the lastseveral years made this the righttime to bring Rob on to theteam. With nearly 10,000 realestate offices using Lone Wolfsoftware across North America,his experience in the industry,knowledge of real estate softwareand his vision for future growthaligns with ours,” says LorneWallace, CEO of Lone Wolf.“Adding a CTO of Rob’s calibrereinforces our commitment toinvesting in our software solu-tions and the technology infra-structure of our brokerageclients.” REM
Recentchanges in
Google rankings have
impacteddemand forreal estate
professionals’mobile webpresence
REM MAY 2014 55
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Online Real EstateLeadership MBAprogram offered
The Sandermoen School ofBusiness at the University ofFredericton (UFred) says it haslaunched Canada’s first specialtytrack in Real Estate Leadership forits fully online MBA andExecutive MBA (EMBA) pro-grams. Developed in collaborationwith the Real Estate Institute ofCanada (REIC), the online pro-gram answers a need by leaders oforganizations in the real estateindustry for more specialized andconvenient access to graduatelevel education, says the school.
“An industry of this magni-tude, subject as it is to the influ-ence of substantial swings in aregion’s economic and politicalinfluences, needs leaders with thevision and ever-developing compe-tence to guide their organizationsthrough these potentially turbu-lent waters, towards a greater andmore robust performance,” says theschool in a news release.
Commencing in June 2014,with several additional start datesper year, the programs will covertopics from corporate managementessentials such as accounting,finance and operations, to adetailed examination of leadershipwithin a network of complex orga-nizational relationships, finishingwith a series of specialty trackcourses and an Integration Projectfocused on building real estateleadership competence, says theschool.
Tuition fees are $19,000 for theMBA and $24,500 for the EMBA.Each program will include 13 fullyonline courses, each completed ina fixed-agenda format, with one“live” faculty led webinar a week,plus a capstone 14-weekIntegration Seminar. MBA courses
What’s
New
What’s
New
are 11 weeks long, while EMBAcourses are seven weeks in dura-tion. For information:www.ufred.ca/sandermoen.
‘Quick and painless’bookkeeping softwarefor agents
Sales rep Steve Penner saysthat not surprisingly, most realestate agents struggle with or dis-like bookkeeping. “It takes valu-able time from sales, it is not some-thing most agents are trained to doand most salespeople are not‘paper’ people. To make thingseven more challenging is the factthat there are next to no book-keeping programs specificallydesigned for the needs of the realestate agent,” says Penner.
He decided to put his account-ing background to work and hasproduced “quick and painless”bookkeeping programs for agents,which are now available atwww.moneyledgers.com.
He says that judging from thetestimonials and feedback, agentslove the ledger-style bookkeepingprograms.
“Setup time is minimal. Agentsonly need to make a quick one-lineentry. The program automatically
calculates any splits between per-sonal and business (such as autoexpenses); calculates input taxesfor easy reporting and produces anincome and expense statement fortax time,” he says. “It is simple,quick and convenient. No book-keeping or accounting knowledgeis needed.”
The recently released Pro ver-sion works on both PC and Macand Penner says there are free appsfor smartphones and tablets.“Agents can take a picture of areceipt, which then automaticallyattaches itself to the bookkeepingentry,” he says. “Doing bookkeep-ing entries on smartphones andtablets is a huge benefit for thehighly mobile real estate agent.”
Agents are invited to down-load a 30-day free trial fromwww.moneyledgers.com.
Re/Max Quebec selectsWall2Wall Mediafor websites
Wall2Wall Media is expandingits multi-year relationship withRe/Max Quebec.
The company offers numeroustools including customized websitedesigns, SEO and SEM services,map-based property searches,email campaigns, drip marketingprograms, lead generation tools,multimedia and social media toolsand document storage and contentmanagement systems. It also inte-grates a daily real estate listing feedsynchronization, providing a turn-key solution for real estate profes-sionals.
Re/Max Quebec is the first net-work to adopt the platform inQuebec. It will offer theBlueroof360 solution to its 135offices and 3,300 brokers through-out the province. For information:www.blueroof360.ca. REMSteve Penner
56 REM MAY 2014
By Matthew Collis
eal estate is all about rela-tionships. How well youbuild, grow and maintain
them greatly impacts your successin the industry, particularly as itpertains to referrals and repeatbusiness. Using your real estatecontact management software,here are four creative ways to keepin touch with past clients that sup-plement conventional forms ofstaying in contact such as face-to-face meetings, phone calls, emailand direct mail.
I recommend you take a multi-channel approach to communica-tions and make sure you’re reach-ing out in various ways. MorrisReal Estate Marketing Group ofToronto recommends you stay incontact with the homeowners in
4 ways to connect with past clientsyour community 17 times per year,so try to “touch” those people usinga variety of methods.
1. Leverage the power ofevents: Events such as homeexpert seminars, client apprecia-tion parties, pumpkin giveaways,Christmas wine and cheese partiesand Victoria Day fireworks parties(I’m sure you can think of somemore), are all great ways to keep intouch. You can also sponsor a com-munity event, which is fantasticfor networking with those in yourcommunity and getting your nameout there.
Home expert seminars can betremendously effective for keepingin touch and getting new realestate leads. This is an event whereyou invite another professional,such as an interior designer, tocome and speak to your clients andprovide them with tips and advice.Most professionals will agree to dothis because it’s a great opportunityfor them to get new leads. Andyou’ll likely get some new clientsthrough the friends and familymembers your clients will bring to
the event with them. Hosting these events doesn’t
take too much time and effort. Youcan plan, schedule and send outinvitations easily with good realestate contact management soft-ware.
2. Send cards at unexpectedtimes: A happy birthday or happyhome purchase anniversary card isusually unexpected; much appreci-ated and is something you can doto stay “top of mind” and memo-rable with your past clients. Justremember to ask your clients fortheir birth date at some point andrecord it in your system, which willthen automatically remind youwhen the time comes.
It’s also a good idea to send acard on smaller holidays, such asValentine’s Day or Thanksgiving,when your clients aren’t gettingbombarded with cards from everyother business and professionalthey’ve dealt with (thinkChristmas).
Cards are great because they’reoften pinned to a fridge or bulletinboard, which means that every
time your clients walk into theirkitchen or office, they’ll think ofyou.
3. Treat your A-List forlunch: Treat your best clients (yourA-List) for lunch every now andthen. Although this may seemcostly, think about the value ofdoing this from a relationship-building standpoint. People willremember you, use your servicestime and again and refer you totheir friends and family. This willmore than pay for all the lunchesyou’ve treated your A-list to overthe years – it’s well worth it.
4. Get personal: Be sure torecord interests, hobbies and lifeevents of your clients in your sys-tem. So when Bobby’s hockey tour-nament is over, you can fire off anemail to your client asking how itwent. Or when your client’s fathergoes for his surgery, you can sendflowers afterwards. This type ofrelationship-building is so impor-tant because it shows you careabout your clients, above andbeyond simply caring for their realestate needs. It’s a great way to con-
nect with people on a personallevel and leave a lasting impression.
It’s not hard to get this type ofpersonal information from yourclients. Many times all it takes is a“How was your weekend?” or“Anything exciting planned forthis week?”
These ideas will help you stayin touch with past clients and buildthat coveted, referrals-based busi-ness. Staying in touch doesn’t haveto be hard and the benefits you’llreap are tremendous.
Matthew Collis is part of the salesand marketing team at IXACTContact Solutions Inc., a real estateCRM firm. He works with agents tohelp them achieve their real estate goalsthrough effective contact managementand relationship marketing. IXACTContact is a web-based real estate con-tact management and marketing sys-tem that helps agents better manageand grow their business. The systemincludes powerful email marketingcapabilities and a professionallydesigned and written monthly e-newsletter. REM
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BARBARA BELL-OLSEN
REM MAY 2014 57
Course teaches how to hone negotiation skillsBy Connie Adair
that has Canadian content. Theprogram teaches superior negotia-tion skills that will allow you toclose more deals, create betteroutcomes for your clients, winmore listings and earn morerepeat and referral business, shesays. The program also includesresearch from the Real EstateNegotiation Institute (RENI), anorganization that has been offer-ing the CNE designation since2006 and has more than 28,000graduates in North America.
The coaching program teach-es collaborative win-win negotia-tions, but agents will also learnhow to deal with aggressive nego-tiators. Participants learn how toget better outcomes, better reten-tion and a better process forclients. Learning segments areinterspersed with interactivegroup work so that when agentscomplete the course, they’ll beable to put what they’ve learnedinto practice.
It’s not a one-size fits all system,but is customized to the individual.“We qualify our clients to ensurethat they have the commitment,determination, resilience andopen-mindedness to learn and dowhat is required to become a topproducer in real estate,” says thecompany’s website, which includesa test to see if the coaching pro-gram is for you.
Toronto-raised Cumming was21-years-old when she started hercareer, selling real estate in TheKingsway area. Real estate “lookedlike fun. It went well really fast. It’seasy to like something you’re goodat.” She sold more than 25 units inher first year.
Cumming juggled raising adaughter with Type 1 diabetes withher real estate career. “When I waswith clients, I felt guilty because Iwasn’t with my daughter. When Iwas with my daughter, I felt guilty Iwasn’t with my clients,” says thesingle mother.
She continued to sell realestate until about seven years ago,when she decided to try somethingnew. She holds the Adler CertifiedProfessional Coach designationthrough Adler International andearned the Professional CertifiedCoach designation in 2011through the InternationalCoaching Federation.
“I like it and am good at it. Itook it on full time,” saysCumming, who moved toWhistler in 2008 because she has“always liked the wilderness.”
She works from a “significanthome office” she shares with acouple of staff and travels about1.5 weeks a month, teachingeither negotiation or sales coursesor speaking at conferences acrossthe country. She also travels tosee her team of coaches. She hasthree coaches with three more intraining, who offer one-on-onebusiness coaching. Travelling toseminars also gives her a chance
to visit her daughter, who is insecond year at DalhousieUniversity.
The Certified NegotiationExpert coaching program will soonbe held in Toronto, Calgary,Edmonton and other cities in thefall.
For more information, visitwww.thenatureofrealestate.com
REM
Suze Cumming
foforrr EEExcxxcxxceeeelllll enennenccccceeeCCanaaanaaddaaa’’ss LLaarrgest geest RReaeeall EstateEsttatateatee CCC eeonfeonnferrrenenncce & Tee & Trraadde Shoe SShooww
EExxhhhiibbbiittoorr && SSppoonnssoorrsshhhiipp niittiieess aarree ssttiillllll aavvaaiilllaabbblllee nooww!!EEEEExhhhiibbbitttoor &&&&&& Spppponssorsshhipp unnitiees are sttt ll aavailllabbbllle now!!&& S&&& SppoSpppppoonnsnnsooroo sshss ipipphiipp ooppppoorrttuunn ee. BBooookk nnpppp ooppppppoorrrrttuunnnit ee. BBBBooooookk nn441166.44443.8813366 ||| www.realtor uest.ca ||| realltorqquest@@@tre net.com441166.4444433.8813366 ||| wwww.rea ca || realltttorqquesstt@@tt omm444433344333.888113.8813336613666 || || wwwwwwwwwwww altorquest.ca [email protected] trebbbbnettt.co
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May 7 - 8, 2014 | Toronto Congress Centre | #realtorquest
volve with the times lestyou become extinct. Forreal estate sales reps, that
means honing your all-importantnegotiation skills.
Buyers and sellers used to relyon agents for real estate informa-tion, but that’s no longer thecase. Information is everywhere.What buyers and sellers want,according to a NationalAssociation of Realtors study, is asales rep with top negotiationskills, says Suze Cumming, presi-dent of The Nature of RealEstate, which offers the CertifiedNegotiation Expert (CNE) desig-nation to Canadian real estateprofessionals.
Over the past year, 650 realestate agents have earned theirCNE designation in Canada, saysCumming, who owns theCanadian rights and teaches thetwo-day coaching program acrossthe country.
Now agents can take a course
E
58 REM MAY 2014
THE PUBLISHER’SPAGE
By Heino Molls
he real estate business isriding a wave of changethese days. I am not a real
estate agent – I have never soldproperty. I have, however, spent35 years watching the real estatebusiness in Canada. In all thoseyears I have seen the number ofpeople in the business grow fromabout 30,000 to more than100,000.
I met a lot of people whenthey first got into real estate whoare now wise veterans of theindustry. I also met many whocame to work in this business andthen left it quickly. I have seenthe elation of success as well asthe anguish of failure first hand.Both sides are extraordinary towitness.
I have known some rich peo-ple who got into this industry andwere eaten up by it. A lot of themwere able to take the financial hitbut most would never recoverfrom the emotional damage theyendured. I have also seen manycome to the business penniless,borrowing money for the courses,sleeping on friend’s couches whilethey started looking for sales andthen becoming millionaires liter-ally overnight. These are the peo-ple that we envy and try to emu-late. The vast majority of realestate brokers and salespeoplethat I know have found theirniche. They are steady Eddies andEdies who enjoy their work, makean okay living (and some not-so-okay a living) and still enjoy theirwork.
The measure of a good realestate agent is not the incomethey make but the way they oper-ate. I have learned after all thistime that integrity is the founda-tion of happiness in any job orwalk of life, most certainly in realestate. I wish I understood it bet-ter when I was a younger man. I
Observing changein the real estate professionbelieve you know it too. I wish foryou that you understand it too.
I am watching the businesstoday with trepidation. I knowthat organized real estate beganin some parts of Canada morethan 100 years ago and as I lookthrough the records of the past,it seems to me this really becamea significant industry when thefirst group of agents organizedco-operatively as a sharing orga-nization.
Back then, one of the primaryreasons real estate agents got orga-nized was to set a common rate ofcommission. The people in thebusiness talked and wrote aboutthe importance of real estateagents maintaining a standardrate of commission so that nomember of this group wouldundercut the others. That way theintegrity of the work and serviceto customers would be held to thehighest standard possible. If theservice was to falter by any mem-ber, they would be asked to leavethe organization.
That has changed signifi-cantly.
Another significant change isnot so much the robust growth inthe number of people in theindustry but the one major glitchin that growth that I saw duringthe 1990s. The number of mem-bers in organized real estate fell inthat decade from about 100,000to about 60,000. Almost half weregone, seemingly in just a matter ofmonths.
I heard a lot of theories aboutthe circumstances of that decade.There were certainly wild fluctua-tions in the world economy inthose days. Real estate activity fellconsiderably. What is not men-tioned, however, is that higherstandards were also implementedfor education courses for realestate licensing and greater finan-cial commitments were requiredfor people entering the business.In my opinion this was a primaryreason why the number ofRealtors in the country fell so sud-denly. Some people suggest the
commitment to maintaining areal estate license both financiallyand professionally resulted in theloss of a lot of part-time real estateagents in the 1990s.
There are suggestions todaythat new and higher standards forreal estate licensing should beintroduced like they were in the’90s, to discourage those who wishto enter the business with lesscommitment to do the job, andinstil a greater integrity to thosewho work in the industry. I amnot sure. I think it may be a dis-cussion worth having.
Yogi Berra once said, “You canobserve a lot of things just bywatching.” I am not sure I am assmart or as profound as Yogi, but Iknow what he meant.
Heino Molls is publisher of REM. Email [email protected].
REM
T
Trade Showsand ConferencesTrade Showsand Conferences
For complete listings, visit www.remonline.comTo add a listing to this calendar, email [email protected]
Aventure Realty NetworkNational MeetingMay 6 – 8CalgaryBernie Vogt – [email protected]
Toronto Real Estate BoardRealtor QuestMay 7 – 8Toronto Congress CentreTorontoStella Guo – [email protected]
Windsor-Essex CountyAssociation of Realtors RealtorTrade ShowWednesday, May 14Ciociaro Club of Windsorwww.windsorrealestate.com/tradeshow/
65th FIABCI World CongressMay 17 – 22Luxembourgwww.fiabci65.com
Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo Realtor XPOThursday, May 22Bingemans Conference Centre,Kitchenerwww.kwar.ca/XPO/
Compiled with the assistance of Bob Campbell at ColourTech Marketing,www.colourtech.com
Property Brothers casting in GTAo you have clients in theGTA who have a housethat needs a makeover to
boost the list price and speed thesale? Do you want to turn yourclients’ disappointing experienceinto one that’s fun and unique?Suggest they try out to appear onthe reality television series, Buyingand Selling with The PropertyBrothers.
Brothers Jonathan and DrewScott help homeowners move upthe property ladder. Jonathancompletes renovations for a suc-cessful sale and sales rep Drewoversees the selling and buyingprocess.
The show is looking for 13families who have detachedhomes in need of a light cosmet-ic makeover and staging to takeit from drab to fab. Filming willtake place this May to October,with each makeover taking threeweeks. Homeowners must beavailable for seven staggereddays of filming and have a mini-
mum $10,000 budget.By recommending homeown-
ers, you do not give them up asclients. Although Drew Scotttakes the homeowners on housetours on the show, he will not beinvolved with the actual purchaseand sale. Agents do not give uptheir clients or commissions andare also not required to appear oncamera.
Detached homes with drive-ways are preferred (no condosplease). The show provides amobile storage container on thedriveway so houses can be declut-tered. Containers are stored offsite for 30 days and staging is leftin place for 30 days followingfilming.
The house must be off the mar-ket during the renovation period,which only makes sense becauseno one wants to buy a propertymid-renovation, says associate pro-ducer Amy Blythe.
If your clients are interested,suggest they visit the website
(www.buyingandsellingtv.com)and fill out the application. If youcan recommend someone with aninteresting story, all the better.There is no age limit. Families, inall their different forms, are pre-ferred.
The application will bereviewed and if accepted, home-owners will be called for a Skypeaudition. Those who make it past aseries of approvals will then do apersonal audition at their house.They will be asked a series of ques-tions and to explain what theythink is preventing the sale of theirhome.
Following network approval,the homeowner will be contactedand a filming time will be sched-uled.
“It takes three weeks fromwhen we smash the first wall to thereveal. Homeowners only need tobe available for seven staggereddays,” says Blythe. “It’s a uniqueexperience and we have a greatsuccess rate.” REM
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