April 2018

Issue #346

April 2018

How real estate changed everything for Louise Martinheira Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 42218523 - Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 2255B Queen St. E., #1178, Toronto ON M4E 1G3

Page 12

They don’t teach this in real estate school Page 3

Virtually sold: Advancements in staging software Page 8

A sales rep’s courageous journey across Canada Page 22

UP YOUR SOCIAL GAME! RE/MAX Social Prompt easily increases your client engagement on Facebook®!

Find out more at: BombBomb.com/REMAXSocial Powered by

Increase market presence, build relationships, and generate more leads while saving time! The complimentary RE/MAX Social Prompt tool allows you to automatically post valuable, pre-approved content to your Facebook® page!

At RE/MAX, we have an arsenal of tools available to help you advance your real estate career. Experience the power of RE/MAX, contact a local RE/MAX brokerage or visit remax.ca today!

Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated. This advertisement is not intended as an offer to sell, or the

solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for informational purposes only. If you own a franchise affiliated with another organization, this advertisement is not intended to offer a RE/MAX franchise or to solicit a change in your affiliation.

REMAX.CA

Not taught in real estate school

3 REM APRIL 2018

You are taught a lot in real estate school – how to close a transaction, industry practices and how to value a property, among other things. But sometimes the most valuable real estate lessons are learned outside of school. By Toby Welch

Y

ou are taught a lot in real estate school – how to close a transaction, industry practices and how to value a property, among other things.

But sometimes the most valuable real estate lessons are learned outside of school.

“One very important lesson I’ve learned outside of school is unlike selling widgets, no two transactions are alike,” says Mark Dalton, broker of Bow Valley Realty in Banff, Alta.

“Stay focused on the clients’ best interest by always performing duties and responsibilities professionally in order to help them achieve their goals and expectations.”

In most cases, schools know nothing about real estate, says Larry Matthews, president and broker of Hants Realty in Stewiacke, N.S. “At the core of every real estate transaction is the customers/clients buying and selling real estate. To me that is the most important part of the equation. I care about what is best for them and always have,” he says. “Real estate is owned by people. Quite often people who need to sell their property or buy another property are not in the best of circumstances.

There can be personal problems, financial problems, a death or any one of those knuckleballs life continually throws at us all. Real estate is about people in all kinds of different circumstances. No two circumstances are ever the same, just as the personalities are never the same. We are swamped with rules and regulations, forms and disclosures, courses and training.”

Matthews adds, “In 42 years, I do not once remember a course on caring and helping people

you do, set an example for other agents to follow, not one where you have to follow them. Make it your business to represent your vendors – they are the ones paying the commission, not the buyers. Like my late mother taught me, never forget who’s paying your commission. Buyers are like buses, there’s one every 20 minutes.”

Peter Fourlas

Cowboyd de La Boursodiere

Josée Legault

solve their problems. So that’s my most important lesson. Real estate is about helping people solve their problems. All the rest is bullshit.”

to your trusted peers. I know I don’t know everything and when I have an opportunity, I love asking questions about how other top producing agents continue to build and maintain their businesses.”

you’ve already prepared them for what to expect.”

Peter Fourlas, an agent with Royal LePage Realty in Regina, is a believer in constantly learning. “Continual education is paramount in an industry that is so dynamic. I am not talking about the stuff that our regulators

Kathy Amess, the broker of record and owner of Peak Professionals Realty in London, Ont. says you need to be in this business for the long haul, not just

Lynne Faucon, broker/ manager at Coldwell Banker First Ottawa Realty in Ottawa, has had her license for almost 40 years. “The most important lessons I have learned outside of real estate school are to be creative, have a sense of humour and the importance of integrity.

They may not naturally go hand-

“When a client is in awe of a property,

let them dream”

make us take to keep our licences active and current. I am talking about keeping your finger on the pulse of the market in North America through periodicals such as REM and Inman. There is a lot of opportunity here for (everyone from) top producers to new agents to pick up tips on how to improve and adapt their systems.”

to win an award. “Some Realtors think that being No. 1 for a month or winning some award defines your career as successful and that couldn’t be further from the truth. A real estate career takes time and effort to build and even more work to sustain.

Consistency in everything you do is the key.”

Fourlas continues, “That aside, there are thousands of sales books out there aimed at building and sustaining business.

Over the years, I have picked up on little nuggets here and there that have helped me improve my business. Lastly, always listen

Scott Hanton, a broker with the Weir Team at Keller Williams Advantage Realty in Toronto says, “For long-term success, truly understanding your clients’ needs and putting them first is paramount. Clients should never have to ask questions because

in-hand but in real estate, they are the perfect fit for a long and rewarding career.”

Cowboyd de La Boursodiere, owner of Les Immeubles Cowboyd Realties in Montreal and a member of The National Association of Realtors in the U.S., suggests avoiding school completely. “And stay away from meetings where agents tell you all about the market or start bellyaching and complaining. There will never be anybody there who you can sell anything to. Go out a lot, always carry business cards with you, talk to everybody and make yourself known. Whatever

Gord Leeson, an agent with Royal LePage Wildrose Real Estate in Olds, Alta. has found success by remembering to do two things: “Number one is to ask and the second is follow up.

Neither works by itself, but if you do the two together, you'll have a very successful career in real estate.”

Josée Legault, a broker at Via Capitale Innovation Real Estate Agency in Mont-Tremblant, Que., finds that she is still learning even after 22 years in real estate. She lists the following lessons that she has learned: “Every transaction is different and dealing with different individuals can make things turn different ways.

“The non-verbal understanding and psychological importance in a transaction is something that is a constant learning process.

“The Wow factor: do the extra mile, do more than what is expected, think outside the box and you create fidelity from a client.”

And finally, “When a client is in awe with a property, let them dream. Wait for when they come back both feet on the earth and ask you your opinion. Emotions can make the buyer act surprisingly and sometimes it’s better to wait and respect his dream period.” REM

4 REM APRIL 2018

Multiple Listings

By Jim Adair, REM Editor

Do you have news to share with Canada’s real estate community? Let REM know about it!

Email: jim@remonline.com

C

entury 21 Ultimate is now open in Edmonton.

Owner Andy Mahdavi was formerly in the construction industry and he says he wanted to use his knowledge of homes in a different way. Before opening for business, he recruited a group of 10 agents. He says he hopes to continue that momentum in the months to come – his goal for Century 21 Ultimate is to have 35 agents by the end of 2018.

This is the brand’s seventh office in Edmonton.

■ ■ ■

David Forster and Julien Polidoro have acquired Coldwell Banker Homefield Realty St. Marys.

The established southern Ontario

brokerage is in St. Marys, Ont. between London and Stratford.

Forster and Polidoro are sole owners of the brokerage, succeeding former owner Ron Morrison, who will remain with the company in a sales capacity. Forster and Polidoro were both veteran sales professionals with the firm before taking on their new ownership.

Forster has a decade of experience as general manager of his family’s hotel and restaurant business and has been both a commercial and residential rental property owner.

St. Marys native Julien Polidoro has an extensive depth of knowledge of markets throughout Perth County, the company says.

“Growth will be an important focus for us looking to the future,”

says Polidoro. “We’ll be actively seeking like-minded sales professionals who share our commitment to providing outstanding service.”

■ ■ ■

Daryl King and his team have joined Re/Max Hallmark Realty in Richmond Hill, Ont. King is a 31-year real estate industry veteran. His team of 43 registered agents, administrative staff and marketing personnel will join him at Re/Max Hallmark.

King formed one of the first teams in Canada more than 20 years ago.

Re/Max Hallmark and its group of companies has 17 offices across the GTA, York and Durham regions and Ottawa. The brokerage is led by broker of record Ken McLachlan, broker/owners Debra Bain and Steve Tabrizi, and broker of record and manager of Re/Max Hallmark York Group Barbara Brindle.

■ ■ ■

Rick Cowling has affiliated with the Coldwell Banker network, rebranding his established brokerage operation in Olds, Alta. formerly associated with an independent provincial brand. The

Daryl King (centre) and his team

company will operate as Coldwell Banker Vision Realty.

Cowling has diverse business interests in south-central Alberta, including ownership of a home building firm, Cowling Homes. He is an experienced real estate professional, specializing in the sale of residential, agricultural and commercial properties.

Ray Cavin is managing broker.

His business background includes more than 10 years of sales experience. He has also worked in the home building industry since 2014.

■ ■ ■

REM columnist Natalka Falcomer has been appointed EVP of corporate development at Chestnut Park Real Estate in Toronto.

Falcomer is an experienced lawyer and real estate manager and is the third lawyer to join the management team. “Natalka’s real estate knowledge along with her legal background supported by her easy-going personality will be a tremendous addition to our prestigious organization,” says Chestnut Park CEO Chris Kapches.

Falcomer was winner of the 2015-2016 Real Estate Institute of

Canada’s Education Award, the Bentall Kennedy Literary Award, the Patrick J Harvey Memorial Award and the 2017 QuadReal Literary Award. She is a REIC director (Toronto Chapter) and recently completed a successful legal call-in show on Rogers TV. ■ ■ ■

The Trilogy Team of Sotheby’s International Realty Canada recently expanded its team in Toronto, welcoming Sameer Ismail. He is ranked in the top one per cent of agents at the Toronto Real Estate Board.

His career in real estate started in 2009 at Chestnut Park Real Estate, followed by some time at Re/Max Hallmark Realty, where he was inducted to the Re/Max International Hall Of Fame for his outstanding sales results.

“Our client base was expanding into suburban, farm and recreation areas as our seller-clients were asking for a one-stop service offering.

The real estate business is all about building on relationships and Sameer was the ideal fit with the team to capitalize on our expanding markets,” say team founders Paul Maranger and Christian Vermast in a statement.

■ ■ ■

Andy Mahdavi

David Forster

Julien Polidoro

Natalka Falcomer

Rick Cowling

Ray Cavin

Sameer Ismail

Jackie Peifer

Jackie Peifer and her team have joined Re/Max Aboutowne Realty in Oakville, Ont. Their trading areas include Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Hamilton, Mississauga, Toronto and the surrounding areas.

Peifer has been a licensed, fulltime agent for nearly 30 years, starting as an individual and forming her team in 2004. She has ranked in the top one per cent nationally with Royal LePage for the last 10 years and is the recipient of multiple awards.

Peifer has known Claudia DiPaola, the owner of Re/Max Aboutowne for nearly 20 years and says she respects DiPaola’s professionalism, determination and drive to see all her agents succeed.

REM

6 REM APRIL 2018

Murder, suicide, ghosts…What must be disclosed?

W

e were all horrified to learn that a serial killer in Toronto was allegedly a landscaper who disposed of human body parts in planters at properties and may have buried remains in the gardens of homes he worked at. One of the owners said they would not sell their property because they still love their home. A key issue to me is, will the sellers have to disclose this gruesome discovery should they decide to sell their home in the future? Here are five lessons to remember when it comes to property stigmas.

1. Murders or suicides will affect a home’s value. Most appraisers will tell you that if a home has had a murder or suicide in it, it will likely affect the home’s market value, whether it occurred in the past year or even up to 20 years earlier. People still disclose what occurred many years ago when selling the old Paul Bernardo home in St. Catharines, Ont., even though the home where the murders took place was demolished and a new home built. Interestingly, it is also noted that stigmas such as these do not “travel”, meaning that it should not affect the other homes on the same street.

2. Does a murder or suicide in a home need to be disclosed by a seller? Although the law is evolving, sellers do not have to disclose whether there has been a murder or suicide on the property or adjoining property or whether

Cover photo: ELIJAH SHARK

closed? While most people would laugh at this, there was actually a case in New York in 1990 on this point. Helen Ackley claimed that her home in the town of Nyack, N.Y., was haunted. For a decade between 1977 and 1987 she was in the news off and on, describing paranormal incidents in her house including such things as the bed being shaken each morning by a poltergeist. Her notoriety was such that Reader’s Digest paid her $3,000 for an article, Our Haunted House on the Hudson, which was published in May 1977.

In 1990, she sold the home but did not mention anything to do with the paranormal to the buyer.

The buyer sued when he later found out. The judge found that since Ackley had spoken and even made money off claims her house was haunted, she should have disclosed it. This case occurred around the time of the movie Ghostbusters. One of the judges hearing the case said, “Who you gonna call” if you find out. In my opinion, this does not have to be disclosed.

5. How can a buyer protect themselves? In the Greater Toronto Area, we have more languages spoken and more cultures and communities than anywhere in the world. No matter what the law says, these kinds of stigmas are going to affect people. As such, buyers should Google the property address they are interested in to see if any murder, suicide or other stigma was reported. Visit the neighbours and ask about the house you are interested in and consider putting a clause right in the offer whereby the seller represents and

warrants that to the best of their knowledge, there has been no murder or suicide on the property.

Sellers must respond truthfully to this statement and can be sued later if they lie.

entury 21 Real Estate LLC, franchisor of the Century 21 brand, has unveiled a rebranding campaign that represents a complete overhaul of one of real estate’s most recognizable brands.

“Complacency and mediocrity have taken hold of the real estate industry, and consumers have become distrustful and indifferent toward real estate professionals,” says the company in a news release.

“That mindset is brought into sharp focus by a just-released Wakefield survey, commissioned by Century 21 Real Estate, in which 63 per cent of respondents thought buying a car would take longer than finding a real estate agent. When asked if planning a vacation would take longer than finding a real estate agent, 55 per cent said it would. And nearly 40 per cent thought selling their home would be worse than getting a root canal.”

The company says the new brand was developed “around the disconnect between the investment people make in buying or selling a home and the perceived value they receive from finding the right real estate agent who fits their needs.”

Cara Whitley, chief marketing officer for Century 21 Real Estate says, “This is just the beginning of the bold ambitions we have for chal- Century 21’s new logo. lenging existing conventions in real estate relationships and to progress the industry in ways that favour the consumer yet directly help our agents and brokers break through the clutter and noise and win in the markets they operate in.”

The new logo features a refreshed colour palette “that stays true to its iconic gold and black scheme” while also embracing new graphics, the REM company says.

C

Editor JIM ADAIR jim@remonline.com

President & CEO WILLIAM MOLLS web@remonline.com

Production Coordinator JUDY CUPSKEY production@remonline.com

Director, Sales & Marketing AMANDA ROCK amanda@remonline.com

Art Director LIZ MACKIN

REM is published 12 times a year. It is an independently owned and operated company and is not affiliated with any real estate association, board or company. REM is distributed across Canada by leading real estate boards and by direct delivery in selected areas. For subscription information, email distribution@remonline.com. Entire contents copyright 2018 REM. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The opinions expressed in REM are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Graphic Design SHAWN KELLY

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 Listing Service® are trademarks owned by CREA and identify the services rendered by members of CREA.

Questions or comments? info@remonline.com

REM

Century 21 unveils rebranding campaign

Publisher HEINO MOLLS heino@remonline.com

Brand Design SANDRA GOODER

Mark Weisleder is a partner, author and speaker at the law firm Real Estate Lawyers.ca LLP. mark@realestatelawyers.ca or call toll free at 1-888-876-5529.

2255B Queen Street East, Suite #1178 Toronto, ON M4E 1G3

Phone: 416.425.3504 www.remonline.com

REM complies fully with the CREA’s Trademark Policy (section 5.3.2.6.1).

ISSN 1201-1223

Printed by Metroland Media Group, Ltd. A certified FSC® Printer

By Mark Weisleder

a pedophile lives on the same street.

In an interesting case a few years ago in Bracebridge, Ont., buyers refused to move in when they learned that the neighbour across the street had been convicted of possessing child pornography.

The buyers sued the sellers for not disclosing this. In a preliminary motion, the sellers tried to have the case dismissed because there was no precedent for this to be disclosed. Judge Alexandra Hoy decided to let the case proceed and said, the “buyers’ claim is novel. It raises policy issues regarding the protection of children and the effect this may have on the re-integration of people convicted of certain crimes into society.”

The buyers later sold the property and did not move in and the case settled, so we do not know how a judge might have ruled. In my opinion, the garden pot body-part sellers would not have to disclose this when selling their home.

3. Does a real estate agent need to disclose a murder or a suicide if they know about it? A real estate agent needs to tell the truth if they are asked a question. They should thus discuss this issue with any seller and get explicit instructions, preferably from the seller’s lawyer, as to how they should respond to any inquiry about these subjects. Agents should remember that sellers who tell them not to disclose something that the seller knows will devalue their property should already be treated as suspicious.

4. What about a haunted house? Does this need to be dis-

This is home.

It’s a place called confidence.

It’s home because your clients feel positive and sure about the choice they’ve made. In partnering with you, they place their trust in your advice, counsel, and expertise to lead them there.

Our commitment is to always be there for you, and them, on this journey home.

pillartopost.com Each office independently owned and operated.

8 REM APRIL 2018

Virtually sold: Advancements in staging software Think of virtual staging as the computer software version of placing items in a dollhouse. You may never have played with dolls, but the concept is likely familiar. By Yvonne Dick

U

sing 3D software used for websites, cinematic projects and games, real estate professionals can now show clients a property in its best light.

Even if the home looks barren and is without furnishings, clients can view it staged. This creates a positive feeling about their prospective new home before they have even seen it.

Ajay Bhandari of Sona Visual real estate marketing in Calgary says, “Virtual staging is used sometimes in place of actually going and staging a home – especially when the people are still living in it. The benefit is that it reduces the cost and monthly rent of physical home staging items. Also, in places where a home is empty, it can discourage break-ins because someone may see the listing online and think that the house is lived in.”

Virtual staging and 3D photography have come a long way in a short time. In the 10 years that Bhandari has owned Sona Visual in Edmonton and Calgary, he says the past four years have been the greatest for technological advancement. Since the Matterport camera debuted, it is now possible to get a virtual showing of a house via a website. This is great for relocation clients and those short on time to imagine a home before making the trip to see it.

Think of virtual staging as the computer software version of placing items in a dollhouse. You may never have played with dolls, but the concept is likely familiar. The software provides options for you to add furnishings, wall colours and flooring. You can use photographs of your listing as the backdrop.

After you give the software the measurements, it can create a 3D model of the house you are selling.

The level of detail involved is up to the sales rep. You can use a company such as Sona Visual to arrange your 3D listing or do the work yourself by purchasing one of the many virtual staging software bundles available.

“Think of it as an added value

to your existing services,” says Bhandari, “It has been my experience that once they have it done, Realtors love it.”

Sales rep Mike Atkinson of Forest Hill Real Estate in downtown Toronto says the new technology has led to greater sales success. It also provides a unique experience for his clients.

“I will use a combination such as an aerial drone coming into the neighbourhood from overhead. It shows the nearby streets, rooftops, specific outlines of the property and the outside of the house, all in a one-minute video. From there, I might add in HD quality photos of the interior of the home and a virtual reality walk-through tour.”

Atkinson uses technology that provides prospective clients with a continuous loop (no clicking to advance the page). He also works with professional photographers and contracts a company to refine the results into a cohesive listing page.

If you feel handy, there are plenty of online tutorials and articles to help. The National Association of Realtors site has a

blog dedicated to home staging.

Many of the tips transfer to the digital realm with ease.

When viewing your 3D listing online, clients should be aware that furnishings are computer added. Do not add an incredible outdoor scene to the windows unless one actually exists. Should your client become interested in

the house, they will also see it in person without the added staging.

“It is about giving the client the most information possible,” says Atkinson, “They will notice things that are different or things which they were not expecting right away.”

Stay true to the home’s real colours and measurements.

Indicate that it is a model and minor details such as furnishings or exact colours may vary.

When you are helping place clients’ furniture into an existing model, the same rules apply. Try to select furnishings that match the specifications you are given. For instance, if they want to see a kingsized bed in the master bedroom,

A room before the virtual staging…..

your model bed must be king-sized.

Go with the client’s preferences, because they are envisioning their next home.

Sometimes clients may want to view a 3D home with different appliances than are currently in place. They may want other colours and flooring. Indulge them so that they have all the information possible to make an informed decision. They may know, for instance, that the appliances are not stainless steel – but be planning a near-future purchase.

The most effective way to sell something is to make sure that it fills a need. 3D virtual staging can help them envision that in a potential house and feel at home before they open the front door. …and after. (Photos: Sona Visual Real Estate Marketing)

REM

FULLY OUTSOURCE YOUR OFFICE PORTFOLIO Our network of ready-to-use office, co-working and meeting spaces offers our customers the opportunity to partly or fully outsource their office portfolio.

Benefit from one contract, simple reporting, a dedicated account manager and 24/7 customer service. With office amenities set up and ready to use, business-grade internet and telephony service, receptionist, kitchen and cleaning included, our network helps businesses to eliminate the burden of property management.

To find out more, call us on +1 844 241 5515, visit regus.ca/rem or download our app

WE ARE EXPANDING OUR NETWORK If you have space in your property, visit regus.com/landlords

IF YOU ARE A BROKER Call +1 469 206 5385 to receive 10% commission

10 REM APRIL 2018

4 creative ways to thank your past clients

By Sue Styles

W

hen you complete a transaction for a client, you want to ensure that your clients continue to think well of your services and remember the good times you had.

The No. 1 mistake I witness in both rookie and experienced agents is not using a proper client relationship management system. Your database is your gold mine and you are the one who fills it with treasure. Put the time in now and you will reap the rewards for the rest of your career. With your clients safely managed you can keep important dates scheduled, you can

mass email conveniently and you can purposefully make your calls without hesitation.

Choose and learn how to use a CRM. Here are four creative ways to stay in touch that offer value rather than a sales pitch.

Give your clients what they want!

1. Monthly magazine subscription. Setting up your past clients on a monthly enewsletter is fine – even expected. Keeping them on a quarterly snail mail campaign will appeal to some, but adopting a gift of actual value will thrill even the most cynical receiver. For a mere $35 per year you could “gift” clients with a beautiful home magazine or decorator’s publication; they will fondly appreciate the gesture and think of you every month.

2. Annual anniversary reminder. Years go by quickly, so an unexpected reminder of a happy event is always a welcome.

Whether you send a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of wine or dinner certificate, your clients will regard you as more than just a salesperson with that kind of attention.

I also like to add in a reminder to call past buyers at their four-year anniversary and have the conversation with them. “I know that studies show people feel like moving around every five years. If and when your family starts feeling that way, don’t hesitate to reach out!

And in the meantime, if you need any referrals for home updates or repairs I would be happy to send you my personal list of recommended providers….”

3.

Personalized moving boxes. When you gift your clients with some kind of keepsake, whether it’s a custom-made cutting board, a picture of their home or quality moving boxes stamped with your logo, there is no doubt that when they start to think about moving they will see something that reminds them of you!

4. Pay attention online. I like to promote what I call “attentive lead generating”. What would happen if you took the time to learn what was going on in the lives of your people? You could take the opportunities to meet them where their needs are and build a positive reputation.

For example, if someone loves their dogs, send them a link to the best dog parks in your city.

If you notice someone is under

the weather, send over a decorative tea mug, tea, throat lozenges and a note of caring.

Weddings, jobs and trips all provide opportunities to send blogs of information and small thoughtful gifts and it shows that you are thinking of them as more than just a commission cheque. The No. 1 need of people, they say, is to be “known”. Show your sphere that you want to know them better and you will never have to cold call again!

There are unlimited ways to show your network that you care – think up some and start reaching out.

Sue Styles has been in the real estate industry for more than a decade. She has managed a brokerage, teaches at the Calgary Real Estate Board and is a certified business coach, professional speaker and author. Her book, The Little Red Stick - What Gets Measured Gets Done reveals all the secrets of high producing agents. Email sue@maximizedresults.com or 403-805-7710.

REM

Letters to the Editor FINTRAC: The nemesis of our forest?

I’m writing this letter hoping that some people from FINTRAC can help me (and maybe other Realtors) understand why we are still filling forms and collecting private information from our clients.

It would be fantastic if they could give us their answers to the following: Is it effective and really necessary?

Although FINTRAC was created in October 2000, in my basic and homemade analysis I’m considering only the last decade (from January 2008 to December 2017).

During that period (only in Toronto and the GTA) 910,126 real estate transactions were reported. If you consider that every one of them involves two parties and both Realtors must fill about five pages of FINTRAC Forms each, that adds up for more than nine million pages. And that is only when buyer and seller are individuals. If

there are two couples involved, we have more than 18 million pages.

How much office space do you need to store 18 million pages?

How many trees are necessary to create those forms and how much does it cost? And that is only in Toronto and the GTA. How many more millions of pages (and money) are necessary for the rest of the transactions in Canada?

Looking on the internet (my only source of this basic search) I found that FINTRAC has 342 employees with an annual budget of about $60 million. (My apologies if this is not up to date).

What I could not find anywhere (even on its website) is how effective they are. How many real cases of money laundering have they discovered? How many of them could be legally proved and how much money was collected in fines (or retrieved from the “bad guys”) in the last decade?

I asked above about “collected money” because, based on a court ruling from May 2016, FINTRAC

is not able to collect the fines they applied.

Maybe this is a simplistic view and I don’t want to offend anybody by asking more “uncomfortable” questions but, I’m just wondering.... If one law created FINTRAC and then a court ruling does not allow them to collect the money, what’s the point of having FINTRAC? Why do forests have to be destroyed and thousands of rooms used as storage of millions of useless pages? How many improvements, for example, we could do to our public hospitals with a budget of $60 million per year (more than $1 billion since it was created)?

In February 2015, a ruling from the Supreme Court of Canada established that lawyers are not required to report the transactions of their clients under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act. Which means that huge cash real estate transactions are not reported (including FSBOs).

So, I’d like to ask FINTRAC: Why are we still forced to waste our time collecting private information from our normal working clients?

Why don’t you use your resources investigating only bank transactions where the real money is, instead of chasing those who are working honestly? Why aren’t you putting more effort into looking for laundered money rather that punishing those whose only sin was probably “not reporting”?

Having real and honest answers (not just the “politician version”) probably would help us to understand.

Something is telling me that I’m not the only one who would love to know.

Jorge Branca, Sales representative Century 21 Leading Edge Realty Toronto

Sometimes success is NOT making the sale In the real estate industry, it’s quite common to see recognition

being given for the most homes sold, highest productivity or even certain levels of commissions earned. For us, in our brokerage family, our culture is more about how many lives are impacted.

Recently a situation arose with one of our many amazing professionals, Kim Lindstrand.

Kim recognized potential issues with a property that could have caused grief and possible future expenses for our client had they proceeded with the purchase.

The transaction collapsed and our client was protected. This happens frequently, yet aside from those directly impacted, there is no award or formal recognition.

So, I just wanted to recognize Kim, and all our associates, who continually put our clients’ needs first and sometimes impact lives by NOT completing the sale!

Kelly Oster, Broker/co-owner MaxWell Real Estate Solutions Red Deer, Alta. REM

ADVERTISEMENT

Take the “Brutal Honesty� Test Dare to Confront the Demons that Endanger Your Wealth, Health, Relationships & Future as a Real Estate Agent Hi, Craig Proctor here. Over my own long and successful real estate career, I’ve found there’s no real way to hide from the truth. At many points in my business life, I’ve discovered that the best way forward - no, the ONLY way forward - is to take a good,

points and pushed me to invention. It also resulted in me earning millions of dollars each and every year as a real estate agent even though the vast majority of agents are just scraping by. What could you gain by forcing yourself to confront the reality of your own business life? Opportunity maybe? Wealth perhaps? A better life?

Take the Brutal Honesty Test below. There’s no scoring to be done here, numerically. But stop and think about which of these T

!

"#%

and reality check than it is a test. From it, you can see whether continuing in your real estate career on the path you presently walk – or &

' '

(

(

!

1) Are you frequently frustrated with the NET income yyou’re takingg home or the yyear-to-year y ggrowth of that income‌.and wonderingg whyy others apparently outearn you? o YES

o NO

2) Does the thought that “I’m working too hard for this income� OR “it should be ggettingg easier ggiven myy ‘time served’ and success servingg clients� OR “geez, g I’m ggettingg too old for this s@#*!� @ often pop into your mind? o YES

o NO

3) Do you still need to p g do Cold-Call Prospecting or other activities yyou find tiresome, that seem primitive p or that yyou find discouraging g g and demeaning, g to gget enough g appointments pp to hit your income targets? o YES

o NO

4) Do your Listing Presentations make you gg or ppeon feel like a beggar or ppunk kid on his first jjob interview – pplaintivelyy asking “choose me, choose me�? o YES

o NO

5) Do you find it difficult to control clients ((sellers and/or buyers) y ) and find yourself “jumping� to their

beck and call, afraid to let time ppass without qquicklyy responding?...and/or p g do yyou often find yyourself defendingg yyourself against g clients’ frustration, disappointment? o YES

o NO

6) Even given the current challenging market, does it seem to you that you should be doing better? o YES

o NO

7) Does “advertising� puzzle, disappoint or g y – yyou are anger you? ppushed to advertise, yyou see competitors p advertising, g yyou “model� others’ advertisingg or use ads shown to yyou byy trainers and coaches, yyet yyou can’t seem to make the moneyy yyou spend p on advertisingg ppayy off or yyou gget erratic, utterly unpredictable results? o YES

o NO

8) Have you been “searching g for answers� at seminars, in courses, from trainers and coaches, trying y g different ‘ideas’, but never seeingg much real, significant g change g in the difficultyy and/ or stress and/or inconsistent and unpredictable p ebb and flow of leads or income? o YES o NO 9) Have you chased the internet marketing and

more+better technology unicorns alongg with all the other agents‌been g swayed y byy all the emphasis p pput on it byy franchisors, trainers, etc. – but don’t actuallyy see it boostingg income? Are yyou frustrated byy “time suckâ€? of social media? Do you y wonder if yyou’re missingg out, makingg mistakes? Do yyou wonder how much attention yyou should really pay to all this? o YES

o NO

10) Are there agents you know who have done much better duringg the recent tough g market, and – despite p a near epidemic p of failed and starvingg agents g – seem to have maintained a steadyy or even ggrowingg level of success, who make yyou wonder “why them – but not me?� o YES

o NO

11) Is your real estate career a cause of frequent tension, conflict, stress or unhappiness in your personal or familyy life? p Has that been the case for some time? Do yyou often tell yyourself – or yyour familyy – “just j a few more months‌. as soon as the market turns around‌â€? – pointing p g to some horizon you never reach? o YES

o NO

12) If you are a successful veteran: has yyour success pproved a trapp rather than a pprovider of ppeace of mind, income stability and liberty? o YES

o NO

13) If you are relatively new: are yyou worried that developing p g a steadyy flow of ggood leads and creatingg enough g consistent income will take too longg to achieve?

Are yyou rackingg upp debt in pplace of income, digging gg g yyourself into a financial hole? Are yyou beingg told ((a)) it’s a numbers ggame, ((b)) be ppatient and ppersistent, do more, work harder? o YES

o NO

14) Based on your Income Certainty and the Quality of Your Business Life as an agent, if a close friend or family member who trusts your counsel asked if they should quit their $100,000 a year job to become a real estate agent like you, would you advise them to avoid a career as a real estate agent like the plague? o YES

o NO

Billionaire Agent and Millionaire Agent-Maker, Craig Proctor

As mentioned at the outset, there’s no numerical scoringg to be done here.

Whether yyou answered “Yes� to a few or all of these qquestions is a moot point. p Answeringg “Yes� to anyy of them ppoints to an opportunity ppp y for yyou to do better, earn more and live higher. g Allow me to show yyou how to turn your y “Yes’s� into “No’s� at myy upcoming p g Free Discoveryy Day. y When yyou attend, I ppromise yyou that yyou will never look at yyour real estate business the same again g as the tools and systems y I’ll share with yyou WILL ggive yyou the ppower to transform yyour real estate “job� j into a lucrative real estate “business� that will free yyou to live life on yyour own terms with wealth beyond y your y wildest dreams, the same wayy it has for tens of thousands of agents g worldwide, includingg right g here in Canada. Register now at www.CraigProctorSeminar.com

Learn How to Get Crazy-Rich at My Upcoming Free Craig Proctor Discovery Day More Mo re IInf nfor orma m tion or Regi gist ster er aat: t:

www.CraigProctorSeminar .co om

12 REM APRIL 2018

A happily-ever-after story

Sales rep Louise Martinheira was a single mom with four kids, little education and a series of dead-end jobs. Then she launched her real estate career. By Susan Doran

I

f you want proof that the past does not predict the future, meet Louise Martinheira.

Her maxim, “You can do it as long as you have the will,” has served her well on a trajectory that began in circumstances that would have overpowered many.

“We don’t talk about it much,” says Martinheira, “but mine was not an ideal childhood.

I had a rough start. Opportunities were not available to me as a child. So, I’ve created my own opportunities. Now I do all the things I dreamed about as a little girl.”

A sales rep with Century 21 Heritage Group in Bradford West Gwillimbury (in the Greater Toronto Area), she is knocking it out of the park career-wise, ranking among the top producers in her market. (A little trivia about the area – Bradford is the carrot capital of Ontario and even holds an annual Carrot Fest.

“Don’t ask,” jokes Martinheira.)

Raised by a single mother and single grandmother in lowincome housing, Martinheira entered adulthood “determined not to be poor.”

and are planning a trip to Europe for next year,” says Martinheira.

As a divorced single mother, she hopes her story will inspire other single parents to unapologetically pursue their career and life goals.

“I have heard so many times, ‘You can’t do that with four kids,’” she says. “Actually, you can!”

Business is flourishing and last year Martinheira met a man who she says shares her passion for accumulating new experiences.

“I am now secure and solid...I’m in a safe place and have a really great life. I carry so much gratitude.”

It has been a challenging journey.

After graduating high school, Martinheira took some marketing courses at a community college, although she did not complete the program. Despite working in multiple jobs in customer service, sales and entry-level administration, “the most I ever made then was $34,000 a year,” she says.

She has been earning “6+ figures” since entering the real estate field over seven years ago.

She is also in the process of forming a team, having taken on fledgling sales reps Leah Mills and Heather Little as protégées.

Along the way she opened a furniture business, which resulted in negative numbers on her tax returns. It tanked within a couple of years. Long story short, she wound up with “tremendous debt,” a failed marriage and four children, one of whom has albinism and is legally blind.

With their support, Martinheira finally has time to travel regularly with her four daughters – Cassandra, 22, Adriana, 15, Olivia, 13 and Gloria, 10 – checking off some experiences on the family bucket list.

“We swam with dolphins in Cozumel, went zip-lining on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, swam off a private island in Haiti,

She decided to pursue a career in real estate. On an application for a daycare subsidy around that time, she wrote that if she was not successful in real estate, “it will not be from lack of effort.”

Sure enough, things began to turn around once she got her sales licence in 2010. A relentlessly driven worker, she delivered flyers and door knocked “every single day,” often with her

children in tow.

“We’re a team, the girls and I,” she says.

A few months in, says Martinheira, “a girlfriend of mine saw me out in all weather and asked me to come see her and her husband about selling their house.” When Martinheira gave them her estimate of what the house could fetch, her friend’s husband said, “If you can get us that amount and I get to keep my hot tub, the listing is yours.”

They were her first clients.

(And the husband did nab the hot tub.)

From there, things snowballed.

Martinheira did open houses every weekend, often with at least one child along if the clients were open to that. Her gratitude for the support of her town and brokerage is clear.

“I didn’t have the education or the connections,” says Martinheira. “I just worked ridiculously hard. This beautiful town has been so supersupportive of me. I absolutely love what I do.”

Right off the bat she was named Rookie of the Year at her brokerage and also received a prestigious award for production.

After that the awards just kept on coming. At one point she was given business tips by an unlikely source – Gene Simmons of the rock band Kiss.

Martinheira met him backstage at a concert and after Simmons declared that her “last name sucked” and threw her business card on the floor, they had a chat.

“After that I dropped my last name from my logo,” says Martinheira, laughing.

She plugged away, exhausted, networking at community events and on the phone and social

Louise Martinheira (Photo: Elijah Shark)

media at all hours. “Facebook is my number one source of referrals,” she says, adding that Century 21 Canada has had her on stage providing social media advice to her peers.

She didn’t have a nanny.

Instead she turned to people she knew for help with childcare.

Her oldest daughter Cassandra stepped up as well, taking a year off before starting university to lend a hand around the house.

For many years Martinheira was working so much she spent little time with her children.

Nowadays she leads a more balanced life, with at least a couple of evenings a week set aside for time with the children.

“Career is wonderful but it’s

no good if that’s all you are,” is a key concept in her evolving world view, she says.

“I have worked incredibly hard to gain the respect of my community and peers, which at times has been challenging with children in tow,” Martinheira says. “I have a wonderful happily-ever-after story, where I built a business through 60- to 80-hour weeks, door knocking, community involvement and social media marketing. My daughters are all excellent students. I met the love of my life last year, have made amazing friends, live in a dream home and travel often.

“It was a long road getting here.” REM

14 REM APRIL 2018

Don’t fall flat on your Facebook page

By Debbie Hanlon

W

e all want to be liked, that’s just human nature. Getting people to like you really isn’t that hard. If you’re nice to them, act sensible when they’re around and generally just treat them like you’d want to be treated, people will like you. But what if people have never met you?

What if they don’t know how nice you are? What if they don’t even have a clue that you’re sensible?

How do you get them to like you, or more specifically, like your Facebook page? That’s one of the new problems I had to wrestle with when I re-entered the real estate world – how to best use social media to promote myself and attract business.

Six months ago, my business Facebook page was languishing in obscurity with less than 500 likes. It was covered with digital dust and cobwebs. The only thing missing was tumbleweeds blowing across it and a background of crickets chirping.

So how was I going to revive it and breathe life back into it? First, I did what I always do, I checked to see what the competition was doing. As I sort of suspected, their pages were filled with things about real estate: properties they had for sale and lease, properties they’d sold, shared stories from other sites about real estate and some even had the occasional industrythemed comic.

I searched further and looked at business pages from other salesdriven industries and found the pattern was much the same. It was as though they were using their Facebook page as an advertisement for themselves and their services.

And, while getting that message out there is essentially what any Facebook business page is, your

success or failure often comes down to how that message is presented. If a salesperson can’t make their page stand out, how are they going to make a client’s property stand out? That alone is reason enough to rethink how you’re doing your page if you fall into that category. If your page is neglected like mine was for months, or you haven’t started one yet, presentation is something you must keep at the forefront of your mind with every post you make.

When I rebooted my page, I started with the knowledge that real estate would be a small part of it. I hardly ever talk about real estate to this day on my Debbie Hanlon Real Estate page. What do you post about if not real estate?

Your page name has two parts, just like mine, your name and your profession, so if you’re not posting about your profession what’s left?

That’s right, you present yourself to the world.

As always in real estate, you’re not selling houses, you’re selling

you. All your posts should be positive. That presents you as a positive person. And just like you, some should be funny, some heartwrenching, some beautiful and some silly. You want them to “like” your posts because then you can go in and by just checking who liked, it shows the list with an “invite to like your page” button. Click, you’ve noticed they liked your post and you’re inviting them to like your page. That simple. Do they all like it? Of course not, but 100 per cent of those who click like do so because you hit that button that most people don’t know exists.

As we all know, before you can get someone’s business, first you must get their attention. All the real estate stuff just doesn’t do that. So, while people may like your page, to keep them coming back you must engage with them.

You can’t be just a salesperson showing pictures of houses and stories that people may simply not be interested in. Keep your posts positive and endearing and cap-

ture page likes from post likes.

There’s one other thing you have to do with your Facebook page to really kick in the likes and generate genuine engagement that does lead to business: you must run contests. In my next column, I’ll walk you through how to run them, how to engage with participants, how to drive entries up and how to get your Facebook page working for you for a whole lot less money than you’d expect. Until then, sell a lot of properties and like my page.

Debbie Hanlon is a real estate broker who has helped train hundreds of sales reps and brokered and managed a national real estate franchise.

She also founded an independent real estate firm. Currently she coaches sales reps all over the world. She is the CEO of All Knight Inc, a global educational mobile company, as well as a published children’s author and the creator of the national I’m No Bully Show. www.facebook.com/missdebREM bieandfriends

“You’ll never be alone in your real estate career.”

Costa Poulopoulos

President and Broker of Record

Be a better REALTOR®* Find out how at BetterREALTOR.me *The term REALTOR is a trademark of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).

Be Their

Your SRES® knowledge can work wonders for clients ages 50+.

Earning your Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®) designation is a super-savvy business move. Our 2-day course — available in the classroom or online — empowers you to meet the unique needs and expectations of clients ages 50+, the fastest growing market in real estate. Plus, you’ll gain exclusive access to custom marketing tools and a referral network of more than 15,000 REALTORS®.

Transform specialized expertise into a powerful opportunity.

Learn more at:

seniorsrealestate.com.

16 REM APRIL 2018

Legal issues: Vacation property pitfalls

By Natalka Falcomer

J

ust saying “cottage” elicits feelings of relaxation and conjures up images of a refuge from the hustle and bustle of everyday city life. As such, it’s no wonder that cottage goers, along with both provincial and federal governments, are making every effort to preserve this refuge. We encounter these efforts in the form of “scenic view” easements and access easements, as well as strict environmental bylaws and restrictions as to where and how large you can build your cottage or dock.

While such preservation of vistas and nature protect the environment associated with a cottage, it also complicates the buying and selling process. This article identifies a few of these complexities.

Easements: Easements and rights of way are deceptively com-

plex legal concepts and often the cause of litigation between neighbours. The point of most easements or rights of way is to ensure that adjacent properties are accessible or that views are protected.

Sometimes these easements are noted on title, while other times they’re granted by legislation or arise out of implication.

Often, when there’s nothing in writing or on title, neighbours will litigate over whether such access rights exist. As such, if your client intends on buying a cottage that needs access to its neighbouring property or if they want to protect a view, don’t assume these rights are protected. Confirm if these rights are registered on title. If not, your client may have unhappy neighbours or a lawsuit.

Unregistered hydro easements: Unregistered hydro easements can be highly problematic as they permit the hydro authorities to cut through your land and prohibit you from building on the hydro easement. What is more, case law and, in Ontario, HydroOne’s policy requires homeowners to be financially responsi-

ble for the maintenance of wires and poles found on or near their property. To complicate matters further, such hydro easements are not found on title. You must contact the appropriate hydro authority to determine such easements.

Waterfront improvements: Never operate under the assumption that the existing cottage or dock on a property is in line with bylaw mandates. Take, for example, a dock. In Ontario, the provincial Public Lands Act and federal Fisheries Act will apply if the construction of a dock impacts both the shoreline waters and fish habitat. This means that the construction of a dock may require not only municipal approval, but also federal and provincial approvals and permits. Ensure that these permits are in place before your client purchases any oasis.

Property insurance: Proximity to a fire hall can impact the rate charged for fire insurance. Typically, insurance companies focus on whether the structure is within five miles of a responding fire hall. In certain locales, insurers may not provide coverage given lack of ade-

quate fire protection. Get this information before an offer goes in.

Seasonal zoning: While your client may want to escape to the cottage year-round, it doesn’t mean that this is an option. Some rural residential properties are zoned “seasonal”, which means roadways are not maintained during the winter. Apart from no access during certain seasons, owners may also be on the hook to provide and pay for maintenance. What is more, seasonal zoning means that the municipality may not provide emergency services in the wintertime.

Water supply: If the water supply for the cottage is municipally provided, you’re in luck. Unlike most cottages that are supplied by well water, you don’t have to be concerned with potability. This is because there is no reliable potability certificate for well water, as well as water drawn from lakes or a cistern. What is more, wells supplying multiple properties may be subject to the Ontario Clean Water Act, and easements for pipes from neighbouring wells (if registered) may violate the Ontario Planning Act or a similar act in your

The top 7 challenges for real estate salespeople

By Alex Pilarski

O

ver the course of my 40 years of experience in real estate, I have seen many different challenges that real estate salespeople have had to face.

These challenges have either set back sales reps or forced them to quit. Here are the top seven challenges and how you can overcome them.

1. Not talking to enough prospective clients on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

Solution: Set up a daily minimum of numbers per day and create a set schedule each day to make it happen. I did 99 numbers a day

and would do this Monday to Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. For every 99 numbers, I got one great lead, and three leads led to one or two listings.

Note that you must not call people who are on the Do Not Call list. Most people are not, but we purchase the list from the CRTC and then avoid the names and numbers on that list.

2. Staying motivated to continue to prospect.

Solution: Activity drives motivation! No one wakes up and wants to make 100 calls. The success is the activity of making the calls, not the result. Focusing on results is demotivating!

3. Doing follow-ups and responding to inquires in a timely manner.

Solution: Create a binder (or

use a CRM system) that has dividers for each day of the year.

Place reminders in those dividers so you know when to follow up with prospects. Answer quickly to leads! If it is a general inquiry, you should respond as soon as possible.

Fifty per cent of all sales go to the first person who responds.

4. Over selling and doing more talking than necessary during presentations.

Solution:The key is to listen to your clients and ask questions before your presentation. Most salespeople just present and don’t ask enough or any questions.

5. Feeling forced to lower commission to compete with other salespeople.

Solution: Create a detailed marketing plan to show your difference and the value you bring to them. It

will contain all the marketing tactics you will use to achieve the highest selling price. This could include open houses, social media tactics, virtual tours and whichever tactics you intend to use. The key is to show how you will attract more prospective buyers. More showings, more buyers and more offers will lead to a higher selling price.

6. Spending the time to constantly improve your business.

Solution: Schedule time either on a daily, weekly or monthly basis to think and analyze your business.

Focus on day-to-day tasks and how you can refine them. The goal is to achieve better results with less time and cost.

7. Birds of a feather flock together!

Solution: Who are you hanging

province. As always, request applicable certificates and obtain warranties from the seller that the water supply is in accordance with all federal, provincial and local regulations.

Septic: Septic systems require approval by the municipality or the Ministry of Natural Resources. Ask the sellers for such documentation.

If your clients plan to make any additions to the cottage that affect the septic system, they are likely required to get additional approval to satisfy regulatory requirements.

As such, if they plan to rebuild and expand the cottage, ensure that such growth is permissible.

Natalka Falcomer is a lawyer, real estate sales agent and Certified Leasing Officer who has a passion to make the law accessible and affordable. She founded, hosted and coproduced a popular legal call-in show on Rogers TV, Toronto Speaks Legal Advice. She founded Groundworks (www.groundworksfirm.com), a firm specializing in commercial real estate law, and is the EVP of corporate development at Chestnut Park.

REM

around with? Who are the top producers in your office? If you want to be like them, you are in the right place. If not, you need to rethink your environment.

Once you overcome these seven challenges, I would like to congratulate you. There is only a small group of agents that can make it through all of them. You will be able to sustain a growing, consistent and repeatable business in a very competitive and great industry.

Alex Pilarski was introduced to the world of real estate in 1972. In 1985, he co-founded Re/Max Realtron with his brother Richard.

Together they have been awarded many top honours within the Re/Max system, including No. 1 Re/Max in the world in 2012 (most transactions), International Broker/Owners of the Year and the Prestigious Distinguished Service Award. He is also a certified mentor with Buffini and Company and Richard Robbins International. apilarski@remaxrealtron.com; Phone REM 905-944-8800 x302.

100% C A N A D I A N

BIGGER IS BETTER

Sutton Group Realty Services Ltd. warmly congratulates Blair Armstrong and his team at Sutton Group - Summit Realty Inc.* for their recent .* acquisition of Sutton Group - Signature Realty Inc.* “We extend open arms and a heartfelt welcome to the entire Streetsville Team as we grow together and reach even greater heights of success!

Now, two great locations to better serve our clients and Realtors®.”

- Blair Armstrong Broker of Record

We’re looking for innovators to join our family at Sutton! Visit sutton.com/join

*brokerage

CITYCENTRE 1100 Burnhamthorpe Rd W Mississauga, ON 905.897.9555

STREETSVILLE 33 Pearl Street Mississauga, ON 905.286.5888

18 REM APRIL 2018

Challenging clients: Love ‘em or leave ‘em?

By Ross Wilson

D

o you ever experience situations in which an obdurate client refuses to heed your advice? Maybe they unreasonably reject what you feel is a fair offer or insist on something that seems completely devoid of logic. You know in your gut that their course of action is wrong for them, but with all your experience, you’re unable to help them understand. And if you press too much, you might elicit a reaction you prefer to avoid; bigger divisive walls or worse, a boot fits figuratively against your butt as you’re impolitely encouraged to exit their home.

Humans are naturally emotional beings. And with major decisions involving large sums of money, they can certainly be volatile. You’ll undoubtedly meet people who are belligerent, arrogant, cantankerous, argumentative, sarcastic or narcissistic, as well as some who are really not nice. You seek qualified teachers from whom to learn business skills. So, why not endow yourself with the skills to handle such destructive emo-

tions and maintain inner peace and harmony?

Their negative feelings are a result of their issues – not yours.

Don’t make them your own.

Resist being embroiled in their personality issues because you’ll not change them. Learn to identify the behaviour in others that triggers a negative reactive emotion in you. And when this happens, step back, witness and acknowledge it, silently count to 10 and let it pass.

In one of the books by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D., Nonviolent Communication; A Language of Life. Create Your Life, Your Relationships and Your World in Harmony with Your Values, he teaches how to transform the thinking, moralistic judgments and language that keep you from enriching relationships, more easily resolving conflicts, asking for instead of demanding what you want, more easily understanding the true needs of others, strengthening personal and professional relationships and living to your fullest potential.

How would possessing these skills help your real estate practice? You’d be better equipped to avoid reacting (or suppressing) and instead, deal more calmly with any stimulus or conflict

that might arise in your professional and personal life. Your level of life success is directly related to and highly dependent upon your attitude, which in turn depends upon your happiness, peace of mind and self confidence. Learning new interpersonal relationship techniques can improve your life in general – and your business in particular.

Occasions may arise when a client reacts angrily to your attempts to dissuade them from a particular path. Why do they behave so? Anger is a derivative of fear. Why are they afraid?

What’s the source of their inner conflict? Do they not trust your advice? Do they object to the quality of your service? Is it a credibility issue? Are they disappointed? Do they have a hidden agenda that they guiltily perceive you may be inadvertently close to discovering? Have you missed a signal from them? Are they feeling overwhelmed?

Maybe they simply need reassurance that you know what you’re talking about and that they can trust you. Maybe they feel you’re just not hearing them or failing to sincerely understand their wants and needs.

Since many people lack the ability to articulate their feel-

ings, they might be deliberately suppressing their anger. Or they may be afraid to express themselves out of a fear of being judged. Life could be a whole lot easier if we were all mind-readers, but we’re not. However, if you’re equipped to read the signs, at least you might lessen the chance of being deceived, if not improve your level of service.

Sometimes a clarification of the common goal and the logical steps toward attaining it will be all that it takes to resolve the situation. Talk about it – and listen. Pay attention. You have the same objective; the sale of their home and/or the purchase of another. If you’re unable to resolve the problem, often they don’t move, and you don’t collect a commission.

The old adage, the customer is always right, went out the window with the stereotypical slick, cigar-smoking salesman who couldn’t care less about the customer’s needs. For a fast buck, they’d press anybody into anything. Whatever was right for the salesman was made right for anybody with a pulse.

Unfortunately, many of this breed still exist – maybe without the cigar. The fact is, though, the client is not always technically

right. To professionally serve them, when appropriate, it’s imperative to understand them, and if necessary, tactfully tell them they’re wrong.

Your client is always right, I suppose, in that they have the right to express their feelings, be it fear, anger, love, gratitude or whatever. But don’t try to convince them of their error before understanding the truth behind their behaviour. You certainly want to avoid a heated argument. You may be dealing with a powerful ego too, both theirs and yours. Ego gets us into trouble almost every time.

“The components of anxiety, stress, fear and anger do not exist independently of you in the world.

They simply do not exist in the physical world even though we talk about them as if they do.” – Wayne Dyer Ross Wilson is a retired real estate broker. He has extensive experience as a brokerage owner, manager, trainer and mentor. His book, The Happy Agent – Finding Harmony with a Thriving Realty Career and an Enriched Personal Life is available where print and ebooks are sold, including the TREB, BREB, RAHB and OMDREB stores. Visit www.realty-voice.com.

BUYERS E M O H S T E L T A H T H E F R E E A P P T D C O M PA R E H O M E S .

N R AT E , S C O R E A

IS THE ROOF IN GOOD CONDITION?

IS THE BASEMENT FREE OF WATER DAMAGE?

DO YOU LIKE THE NEIGHBOURHOOD?

With HomeScore, your clients can keep track of the homes they’ve seen through a unique rating system, compare favourites and add notes and photos!

Only from Visit HOMESCORE.AMERISPEC.CA to get started!

REM

Representing beautiful homes in every category.

Greatness is fueled by passion. At Engel & Völkers, our passion is to create an unforgettable experience that is discreetly tailored to each of our clients, wherever they are in their home journey. We invite you to drop in, browse and see what a future with Engel & Völkers might hold for you.

Engel & Völkers Canada 2 Bloor Street West, Suite 700 · Toronto · ON M4W 3RI · Phone +1 416-323-1100 evcanada.com · info@evcanada.com

©2018 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. This advertisement is not an offering of a franchise, and where required by law, an offering can only be made 14 days after delivery of the applicable franchise disclosure document.

20 REM APRIL 2018

M

uskoka-based real estate salesperson David Reid has assumed the role of president of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA).

“Real estate is changing.

OREA is committed to protecting the dream of home ownership for future generations and making sure our members are equipped for the modern real estate marketplace,” says Reid in a statement.

Active in the real estate profession for 14 years, he is coowner and sales rep at Enjoy Muskoka Realty in Muskoka.

He is a past-president of the Muskoka Haliburton Orillia – The Lakelands Association of Realtors and previously served as director of the association.

OREA represents 70,000 brokers and salespeople who are members of the 38 real estate boards throughout the province.

The Lakeland Association of Realtors recently contributed $10,000 to Habitat for Humanity Ontario Gateway North, which will impact the lives of families in both Orillia and South Almaguin.

As the official kick-off to the South Almaguin Adopt-a-Home project, Habitat for Humanity Ontario Gateway North broke

■ ■ ■

David Reid

ground in Emsdale last spring. The build site is at Station Road. Habitat will announce its partnership with a local family in the coming weeks.

The Lakelands contribution will go towards the Station Road build in addition to supporting From left Catharine Inniss; Crystal Henderson, executive director of The another Habitat build Lakelands Association of Realtors; Wendy Webb; Mike Taylor; Mike Stahls, pres- currently underway in REM ident; and Debbie Gilbert and Meghan Smith of Habitat for Humanity Ontario Orillia.

LSTAR to host Economic and Smart Technology Summit he London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR) is hosting ESMART: The Economic and Smart Technology Summit, showcasing economic trends, smart technology issues and disruptors impacting businesses, consumers and real estate markets. The event takes place on April 23 at the London Convention Centre.

Featured speakers include Stephen Bolton, president and CEO, and head coach of Libro Credit Union; Peter Gilbert, chief infrastructure officer of Fanshawe College; and Stefan Swanepoel, chairman and CEO, T3 Sixty.

“We’ve got an incredibly powerful lineup of keynote speakers and panels to address the changes that are happening in the global marketplace and the impact to the economy here locally and beyond,” says John Geha, EO of LSTAR. “We are very excited about engaging with the entire community – business leaders, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, elected officials – to create an open dialogue on how we can all collectively manage this rapid change.”

Expert panels and presenters will include representatives from London Hydro, EllisDon Construction, Lennar International, DancorConstruction, Doug Tarry Homes, St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation, CREA,

T

National Association of Realtors, Western University, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., SixFive, Western HealthSciences, South London Infiniti Nissan, Harrison Pensa and blueRover.

The association says that London, St. Thomas and surrounding communities in southwestern Ontario are geographically located in an evolving and changing regional economic engine.

ESMART focuses on factors that are impacting the economy, including Highway 401 and Highway 402, which connects Canada and the U.S., potential high-speed rail projects, and the uncertainty of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Smart technology is also making a huge impact, raising discussion on cybersecurity, legal jurisdiction and privacy concerns. It is starting to impact the business community by providing solutions to needs related to mental health management and housing, transportation and autonomous vehicles, and consolidation and interconnectivity of smart home products, such as audio systems, lighting and kitchen appliances. This will be discussed during ESMART. Individual tickets and tables of eight are available for purchase.

Those interested in attending are encouraged to visit Eventbrite and REM register for ESMART.

Gateway North.

RE/MAX Pioneers Recognized at R4 The idea of RE/MAX came to Dave Liniger in Denver 45 years ago.

The execution of that idea, however, was a collaborative effort of spirited entrepreneurs who believed in the vision of what RE/MAX could become.

Many extraordinary RE/MAX pioneers played critical roles in the early survival, eventual growth and continued success of the network. During the R4 Opening General Session, Liniger honocred four of them – Dennis Curtin, Frank Polzler, Walter Schneider, and Gail Liniger – with the inaugural Founders Award.

RE/MAX INTEGRA’s President & Chairman had this to say about the key to their success: “Give unconditionally. When you give, you get it back in spades.”

- Walter Schneider, President and Co-Founder, RE/MAX INTEGRA “Never give up. Keep selling.”

- Frank Polzler, Chairman and Co-Founder, RE/MAX INTEGRA Congratulations to our Founders on this award!

We are inspired by all that you do!

remaxintegra.com

Pictured L-R: Walter Schneider, Dave Liniger, Gail Liniger, Frank Polzler, Dennis Curtin

ADVERTISEMENT

Our New Problem: Too Many Real Estate Clients to Work With!

Canadian Real Estate Team Explains How their New

‌ and How they Now Give Over-the-Top Service While Still Having a Life and Earning More Than Ever Real success in any business means not only healthy earnings, but also time off to enjoy life. The fact is, however, that most Canadian real estate agents sacrifice their entire lifestyle in pursuit of success and, ironically, instead of gaining more freedom, they become slaves to their real estate business.

If you don’t have a real business system, you don’t really have a business at all. What you have instead is a “job�, and for many, it’s a really bad job: one that consumes your time, keeps you away from friends and family, and doesn’t pay enough.

Even though you work so hard, it’s just so random. Some days you win. Some days you lose.

The fact is that agents leave our industry in droves, not because they’re not great at working with clients, but rather because they don’t have enough clients to work with.

They don’t have enough leads, they don’t find enough time to properly follow up and thus convert their leads, they don’t know exactly why they win or lose a listing. Even though they work very hard, too much is left to chance. Trying to “do it all� without a clear understanding of what works and what doesn’t ultimately sows the seeds of failure for many.

A profitable and “real� business MUST be based on solid systems. In real estate, that means a system to generate leads, a system to convert those leads, and a system to convert qualified prospects into paying clients. Every successful business in the world, from McDonalds to Amazon to FedEx, is based on proven and duplicatable “systems�, and the agents who achieve mega

success in our industry have done so on the strength of solid, proven, efficient business systems.

As revealed in the profile of Brantford, Ontario agents Paul and Jody Tysoski on this page, and of multiple other agents you can read about at www.LearnFromTopAgents.com, creating a highly profitable real estate business is certainly possible, regardless of whether you’re a brand new agent or have been in real estate for

years, whether you’re a man or a woman, a solo agent or team, whether you live in the U.S. or Canada, and regardless of which franchise you’re with.

Each of the agents profiled credits the same real estate system as being responsible for their success: The Ultimate Real Estate Success System pioneered

by Canadian Real Estate Coach Craig Proctor.

Not only is Craig Proctor’s real estate system responsible for more Millionaire Agents than

any other coach or trainer, but Proctor was a highly successful AGENT himself for more than 20 years right here in Canada.

As you may know, he was twice named the #1 RE/MAX agent in the world and was in the top 10 for RE/MAX International for 15 years. In fact, for 6 years straight, no one listed or sold more homes in the Greater Toronto Area than Proctor did.

(Source: TREB Statistics). No one in Canada has sold more homes than Proctor has, and by sharing the system he used to achieve his own success, he’s been able to help over 30,000 agents worldwide to transform their real estate jobs into highly lucrative real estate businesses that don’t come at the expense of high lifestyle costs.

If you do not have a clear, detailed business system (key word, system) that you are using to move methodically to your goals‌a plan you could show a banker or investor or

new partner or key associate‌a plan you have reasoned, complete confidence in, then why wouldn’t you examine Proctor’s Ultimate Real Estate Success System – for free?

For a limited time, you can have a “sneak peek� at what your real estate business could look like by attending Proctor’s upcoming Free Discovery Day (visit www.LearnFromTopAgents.com for details). Yes, Craig Proctor will openly share with you how he became Canada’s top agent.

Learn from a real doer, not a talker. Craig will share “real Canadian real estate strategies� with you that actually work. No theory, ideas or motivational hype. At this 3 hour meeting Craig Proctor will spill the beans and share with you exactly what to do and what it takes to be a Super-Successful Real Estate agent in Canada.

For more information, visit: www.LearnFromTopAgents.com

Read More About Successful Canadian Agents Like Paula and Jody at www.LearnFromTopAgents.com

Jody & Paula Tysoski Platinum Living Realty Team

by Paula, Tysoski, Bran Br antf tfor ord d, ON ON “Prior to joining Craig Proctor’s coaching system, our business was ’okay’ at best.

I started Real Estate in 2007, had ’okay’ years and ‘not so okay’ years, but not at the level I wanted to be at. Jody was licensed, and we joined the Craig Proctor System after attending a SuperConference in 2013.

Things changed quickly.

We had struggled with what

most Realtors struggle with: cons co nsis iste tenc ncyy. The The llea eadd ge gene nera ratition on syst sy stem em C Cra raig ig ttau augh ghtt us eeffffec ectitive vely ly eliminates the inconsistency of

of business ‌ but that isn’t all.

causes a problem we are happy to have: too manyy clients to deal with. Fortunately, y, the system goes farther and teaches us how to: a) manage our activities to best serve our clients, b) build a team of leaders who share our core value of caring for our clients, and c) how to respectfully turn away aw ay peo peopl plee wh whoo do not not sha share re our core values, do not respect us and do not value our expertise.

It is very liberating to be able to say, ’Thanks, but no thanks’.

We love what we do and we care a great deal about our clients.

Following Craig’s system gives us a plan, so we can give our clients the best service possible.

This is not an easy business and we have the utmost respect for all Realtors who do it well.

No matter what the general

public may think, we know the real re alitity: y: R Rea eall Es Esta tate te is is ha hard rd wor workk andd it ccan an an be be ve very ry sstrtres essf sful ul navigating different economic times and advising people on making what is often the largest

lives. Meeting expectations and

Sutton Team Realty; those who work wo rk w witithh us inc inclu ludi ding ng Mor Mortg tgag agee Prof Pr ofes essi sion onal alss, Con C ontrtrac acto tors rs, Inspectors, Lawyers, and more.

All have families who need us to be good at what we do. These are the key things that motivate us.

We invest in our business with a

“The lead generation system Craig taught us effectively eliminates the inconsistency of leads and provides a steady flow of business.� hellpiing clilients t reachh theiri goals, l without exception, is priority. At the same time we value being able to enjoy our lives and spend time with our family without worrying about our business falling apart. Now we can do that.

In addition to clients, we are responsible for those on our team: Desiree (our wonderful administrator - we have a responsibility to her and her young family); our brokerage

solilidd plan l tto be tthhe bbestt we can be. b Craig cares about our success the same way we care about our clients, our team and our family.

If you believe you can do better in Real Estate, you are right.

Invest in yourself and have faith in the systtem. F Feell free tto callll me at 519-761-3737 or email me at Paula@Tysoski.com if you have questions about the Craig Proctor System. I’m happy to give back and share my experiences.

MILLIONAIRE AGENT-MAKER DISCOVERY DAY: Responsible for the Biggest Success Stories in the Industry

www.LearnFromTopAgents.com

22 REM APRIL 2018

Surrey sales rep bikes across Canada Sales rep Chuck Magnus crossed nine provinces, five time zones and dipped his toes in two oceans in 18 days to raise funds for kids with cancer. By Don Procter

S

urrey sales rep Chuck Magnus thought his days riding a bicycle ended when he was a kid with a paper route, but after watching girls, boys, women and men cross the finish line of a bicycle race from Vancouver to Whistler in 2011, he was inspired to take to the saddle again.

“I came home that next weekend with a bike, a jersey, shorts, shoes and socks and walked into my home and my family said, ‘Dad, what are you doing?’

“I knew then that I was going to do something for kids with cancer, I just didn’t know what,” says Magnus, 61, who raised $72,000 for cancer research after completing a cross-Canada run with 31 other cyclists in the 2017 Sears National Kids Cancer Ride last September.

Magnus was motivated by his daughter Kristen, who had been fighting a battle with cancer that she has since won.

A Realtor for 27 years, who specializes in foreclosures at Re/Max Little Oak Realty, Magnus and his fellow riders crossed nine provinces, five time zones and dipped their toes in two oceans in 18 days. The trip began in White Rock, B.C., and finished at Peggy’s Cove, N.S. last September. The crew cycled a fast pace of 30 km/h up to 200 km a day and spent some time daily in a vehicle shuttle “because you can’t get across Canada on a bike in 18 days.”

They commenced the ride when B.C.’s forest fires were national news. Detours were common through the province.

“We’d ride up a road that looked foggy and we thought it was going to rain but actually it was just thick smoke from the forest fires.”

Ironically, it wasn’t the mountain roads Magnus found most arduous, but the open prairies where winds “drained so much out of each rider.” About 20 km west of Winnipeg, holding to a 30 km/h pace and battered by headwinds, Magus’s right leg gave out.

Advised by medical personnel to take a day off riding, Magnus says his Facebook post about the event resulted in some interesting responses. A Grade 9 school teacher in Port Alberni, B.C., posted that the Realtor was the subject of his upcoming class on leadership and worthy role models. “Go easy on yourself, you are such an inspiration to the world,” he told Magnus.

The cyclists ranged in age from about 30 to nearly 70 – the eldest being a woman who had won her own battle with cancer. On big hills when she was nearly exhausted, others would help with “a hand on her back” pushing her forward.

“It was a team effort – there is nothing in this ride that was all about Chuck or Jill or any other individual,” says Magnus.

Each rider was equipped with a GPS downloaded with a daily route. The crew was followed by a medic and a motor home for emergencies. At night they slept in bunk beds in a semi-trailer transport that followed them.

Each rider paid their own way.

Magnus says the cyclists received warm welcomes in cities and towns, big and small, thanks in part to social media. On Facebook he had close to 400 followers. At a stop at a suburban retail mall in Toronto, he was surprised by the size of the welcoming crowd. One woman requested a photo with him.

“I had never been to Toronto and yet people knew who I was.”

In a high school in Moncton, he met student Becca Schofield, a teen with terminal brain cancer who had gained international recognition through her social media campaign suggesting that people spread acts of kindness.

Magnus has many fond memories of the trip and visits with young children like Becca rank as unforgettable. The ride included 10 stops at children’s hospitals – one in which a terminally ill boy with numerous head scars from surgical operations beamed when he met Magnus.

Chuck Magnus

“You and I stub our toe and we hurt, we get a cold and we’re down. When you see these kids, you realize we really have nothing to complain about.”

Magnus trained for the big ride by cycling 3,400 km over the preceding nine months.

Since 2011 when he first got back into riding, he completed the annual 230-km Ride

to Conquer Cancer from Vancouver to Seattle five times, raising $50,000 to $60,000.

Magnus has received plenty of recognition for his achievements – and not just from his family and friends. The House of Commons of Canada called to congratulate him on completing the crossCanada journey and CREA has nominated him for the Canadian

Realtors Care Award 2018 – an honor for Realtors who do outstanding work in their communities. The nomination comes off another he garnered from Re/Max “in recognition of service above self.”

The awards “are humbling” and serve to “strengthen my passion to share from my heart,” says Magnus, adding he couldn’t have done the Canadian journey without all the people who supported his endeavour.

“I can say that my career in real estate last year was not the best year I have had but I can tell you it was my best year ever…just for the emotion and what we riders did for those children.”

Magnus says he will have another go at the cross-country ride in 2019. “I’m probably more scared about making that commitment because I know what it involves. I know it is going to hurt and there will be struggles but those pains and struggles are nothing compared to what a child suffers when they are fighting cancer.

The doctors, the nurses…gave back so much to all the Kristens across Canada…It has been my turn to give back and I am going to continue giving back.” REM

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR 2017 AWARD WINNERS! remax.ca

Beverly Jones RE/MAX Professionals Inc. Toronto

Parveen Arora Dawna Borg RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. RE/MAX Premier Inc. Brampton Vaughan

Sarah Logue RE/MAX Escarpment Team Logue Realty | Burlington

Cindy Cody RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. Kitchener

Hans Dhingra RE/MAX Crossroads Realty Inc. Toronto

Lindsay McLaren Robert Nardi RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. RE/MAX Premier Inc. Milton Toronto

Faisal Susiwala RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. Cambridge

Kevin Ellis Max Harris RE/MAX Georgian Bay Realty Ltd. RE/MAX Realty Services Inc. Midland Brampton

Reinhold Schickedanz RE/MAX All-Stars Realty Inc. Stouffville

Al Spizzirri RE/MAX West Realty Inc. Bolton

Len Howell Brian Kondo RE/MAX Realty Enterprises Inc. RE/MAX Hallmark First Group Mississauga Realty Ltd. | Ajax

Monica Thapar Plus-City Team Inc. Toronto

William Wallace RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. Toronto

Steven Kuula RE/MAX Crown Realty (1989) Inc. Sudbury

Alaa Yousif RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc. Mississauga

2017 AWARD WINNERS 1

2

3

4

TOP 10

Frank Leo RE/MAX West Realty Inc. Toronto

Bijan Barati RE/MAX Realtron Bijan Barati Real Estate Toronto

5

6

Harvey Dong RE/MAX Imperial Realty Inc. Markham

1

Alaa Yousif RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc. Mississauga

INDIVIDUAL BY COMMISSION

ONTARIO

2017

8

7

Peter Hogeterp RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc. Stoney Creek

Bill Thom RE/MAX Realtron Bill Thom Group Realty Inc. Toronto

2

Vesna Kolenc RE/MAX Premier Inc. Woodbridge

9

Faisal Susiwala RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. Cambridge

10

Gary Betts RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc. Mississauga

Adam Schickedanz RE/MAX All-Stars Realty Inc. Stouffville

3

4

TOP 10

Kris Fournier RE/MAX Charlottetown Realty Charlottetown

Sarah Justason RE/MAX East Coast Elite Realty Fredericton

5

6

Rebecca Steeves RE/MAX Group Four Realty Ltd. Fredericton

Colin Crowell RE/MAX Banner Real Estate Middleton

INDIVIDUAL BY COMMISSION

ATLANTIC CANADA

2017

7

Justin Spurrell RE/MAX United Inc. Mount Pearl

8

Brian Hayden RE/MAX Hartford Realty Woodstock

Pam DeCourcey RE/MAX Professionals Saint John Inc. Saint John 9

Stefan Cormier RE/MAX Professionals Saint John Inc. Saint John

Nassim Klayme RE/MAX Nova Dartmouth

10

Kevin Gallant RE/MAX Harbourside Realty Ltd. Summerside

remax.ca

1

2

3

4

TOP 10 TEAM Barry Cohen RE/MAX Realtron Barry Cohen Homes Inc. Toronto

Drew Woolcott RE/MAX Escarpment Woolcott Realty Inc. Dundas

5

6

Cynthia Avis RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp.

Oakville

1

Steve Bailey RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. Cambridge

BY COMBINED COMMISSION

ONTARIO

2017

7

8

Mark Richards RE/MAX Hallmark Richards Group Realty Ltd. Toronto

Bella Lee RE/MAX Hallmark Bella Lee Group Realty Toronto

2

Robert Golfi RE/MAX Escarpment Golfi Realty Inc. Hamilton 9

Christopher Invidiata RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp.

Oakville

10

David Batori RE/MAX Hallmark Batori Group Inc. Toronto

Troy Schmidt RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. Waterloo

3

4

TOP 10 TEAM Roger LeBlanc RE/MAX Avante Moncton

Robert Moore RE/MAX Realty Specialists Ltd. St. John’s

5

6

Carol Anstey RE/MAX Realty Professionals Ltd. Deer Lake

Jeff Kitchen RE/MAX Professionals Saint John Inc. Saint John

BY COMBINED COMMISSION

ATLANTIC CANADA

2017

7

Gilbert Smith RE/MAX Realty Specialists Ltd. St. John’s

8

Olga Hitchen RE/MAX United Inc. Mount Pearl

Jim Burton RE/MAX Infinity Realty Inc. Conception Bay South

9

Lisa MacIntosh RE/MAX East Coast Elite Realty Fredericton

Thomas Bagogloo RE/MAX Nova Halifax

10

Andy Sawler RE/MAX Nova Dartmouth

2017 AWARD WINNERS Lino Arci RE/MAX Hallmark Lino Arci Group Realty | Vaughan

Mark Arnstein RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. Toronto

Parveen Arora RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. Brampton

David Bailey RE/MAX West Realty Inc. Toronto

Eli Bakhtiari RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Toronto

Ghazal Baniasadi RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. Toronto

Bijan Barati RE/MAX Realtron Bijan Barati Real Estate | Toronto

Mani Batoo David Batori Patricia Begley Leslie Benczik Gary Betts RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. RE/MAX Hallmark Batori Group Inc. RE/MAX Rouge River Realty Ltd. RE/MAX All-Stars Benczik Team RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc. Mississauga Toronto Oshawa Realty | Markham Mississauga

Harbinder Brar RE/MAX Realty Services Inc. Brampton

Fatima Bregman RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. Toronto

Jai Brijpaul RE/MAX West Realty Inc. Toronto

Craig Butcher RE/MAX Chay Realty Inc. Tottenham

Tim Campbell RE/MAX Preferred Realty Ltd. Windsor

Holly Cascanette Claudio Cerrito RE/MAX Parry Sound-Muskoka RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. Realty Ltd. | Parry Sound Toronto

Christopher Bibby Brad Bondy RE/MAX Hallmark Bibby Group RE/MAX Preferred Realty Ltd. Realty | Toronto Amherstburg

Cynthia Avis Audrey Azad Steve Bailey RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp. RE/MAX Hallmark Audrey Azad RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. Oakville Group Realty Ltd. | Toronto Cambridge

Ken Chan RE/MAX Realtron Ken Chan Realty Inc. | Markham

Tony Chan Kafeel Chaudhry RE/MAX Realtron TNS Realty Inc. RE/MAX Active Realty Inc. Markham Mississauga

Anne Chilton RE/MAX Chay Realty The Chilton Team | Barrie

Mary Cifuentes RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Toronto

Cindy Cody RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. Kitchener

Barry Cohen RE/MAX Realtron Barry Cohen Homes Inc. | Toronto

Randy Cohen RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Toronto

Andrew Conti RE/MAX West Realty Inc. Kleinburg

Victoria Dann RE/MAX Hallmark First Group Realty Ltd. | Pickering

Terence Davids RE/MAX Niagara Realty Ltd. St. Catharines

Jamie Dempster RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. Toronto

Becky Deutschmann RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. Waterloo

John DiRenzo RE/MAX Centre City Realty Inc. St. Thomas

Harvey Dong RE/MAX Imperial Realty Inc. Markham

Judy Dong RE/MAX Realtron Judy Dong Realty | Toronto

Richard Duggal RE/MAX Premier Inc. Toronto

Arta Dawkins RE/MAX Professionals Inc. Toronto

Kevin Ellis Lisa Fayle Robert Francis Rod Frank RE/MAX Georgian Bay Realty Ltd. RE/MAX Rouge River Realty Ltd. RE/MAX Hallmark Francis Group RE/MAX Escarpment Frank Midland Whitby Realty | Toronto Realty | Hamilton

Michelle Fraser Riaz Ghani RE/MAX Hallmark Fraser Group RE/MAX Active Realty Inc. Realty | Toronto Mississauga

remax.ca

Douglas Gillis Harry Goel RE/MAX Four Seasons Doug Gillis RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc. & Associates Realty | Collingwood Mississauga

Robert Golfi RE/MAX Escarpment Golfi Realty Inc. | Hamilton

Jerry Gould Angela Goulet RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. RE/MAX Preferred Realty Ltd. Orangeville Windsor

Bryan Grant RE/MAX Garden City Bryan Grant Realty | St. Catharines

Jeff Jaffari RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. Toronto

Peyvand Jalali Moghadam RE/MAX Realtron Commercial Realty Corp. | Thornhill

Sue M.S. Jin RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Toronto

Jerry Hendriks Chuck Hogeterp Peter Hogeterp Sammy Hui Stuart Hyman RE/MAX Garden City Realty Inc. RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc. RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc. RE/MAX Realtron United Realty RE/MAX Ultimate Realty Inc. St. Catharines Stoney Creek Stoney Creek Inc. | Richmond Hill Toronto

Christopher Invidiata RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp. | Oakville

Tony Johal RE/MAX Inspired Living Realty Breslau

Jeff Johnson RE/MAX Professionals Inc. Toronto

Beverly Jones RE/MAX Professionals Inc. Toronto

Wayne Kahn RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Toronto

Waseem Khan RE/MAX Realty One Inc. Mississauga

Shahid Khawaja Daryl King RE/MAX Performance Realty Inc. RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. Mississauga Richmond Hill

Vesna Kolenc RE/MAX Premier Inc. Woodbridge

Peter Kwan RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Markham

Bella Lee RE/MAX Hallmark Bella Lee Group Realty | Toronto

Frank Leo RE/MAX West Realty Inc. Toronto

Kevin Lin RE/MAX KL Homes Realty Richmond Hill

Lenard Lind RE/MAX Hallmark Lind Group Realty Ltd. | Aurora

Sarah Logue RE/MAX Escarpment Team Logue Realty | Burlington

Bashar Mahfooth RE/MAX Realty One Inc. Mississauga

Dianna Mandzuk RE/MAX Jazz Inc. Oshawa

Shannon McCaffrey RE/MAX Finest The McCaffrey Team Realty | Napanee

Paul McDonald RE/MAX Hallmark York Group Realty Ltd. | Aurora

Dennis Mehravar RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. Kitchener

Frank Merigliano RE/MAX Premier Inc. Toronto

Jim Mo Robert Moore RE/MAX Realtron Jim Mo Realty RE/MAX Realty Specialists Ltd. Toronto St. John’s

Marg Morren Robert Nardi RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc. RE/MAX Premier Inc. Burlington Toronto

Nick Oppedisano RE/MAX Premier Inc. Vaughan

Paul Oulahen RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Toronto

Robert Pettigrew RE/MAX Professionals Inc. Toronto

Isabel Pinheiro Frank Polsinello RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. RE/MAX Realtron Polsinello Cambridge Realty | Newmarket

Tony Pulla RE/MAX Lakeshore Realty Inc. Cobourg

Sunny Purewal RE/MAX Realty Services Inc. Brampton

Peter Papousek Manjit Pawar Michelle Peng RE/MAX Realty Enterprises Inc. RE/MAX Dynasty Hospitality Inc. RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Mississauga Brampton Markham

Jason Pilon RE/MAX Hallmark Pilon Group Realty | Ottawa

Robert Mair RE/MAX Realty Services Inc. Brampton

2017 AWARD WINNERS Rocco Racioppo RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Newmarket

Geeta Rajpal RE/MAX Realtron Team Rajpal Realty | Markham

Joe Saraceni RE/MAX West Signature Realty Inc. | Toronto

Tav Schembri Adam Schickedanz RE/MAX Specialists Tavsells Inc. RE/MAX All-Stars Realty Inc. Caledon Stouffville

Sacha Singh RE/MAX West D&S Group Toronto

Harry Siu RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Markham

Angelo Toscano RE/MAX Absolute TW Realty Orleans

James Turner Joy Verde RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc. RE/MAX Hallmark Joy Verde Burlington Group Realty | Toronto

David Vu RE/MAX Ultimate Realty Inc. Toronto

Alison Walsh Alexander Wilson RE/MAX Escarpment Walsh And RE/MAX Condos Plus Corp.

Volk Group Realty Inc. | Burlington Toronto

Alaa Yousif RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc. Mississauga

Jason Yu RE/MAX Partners Realty Inc. Richmond Hill

Victoria Zhang RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Richmond Hill

Wendy Zheng RE/MAX Central Realty Richmond Hill

No Photo Provided: Julie Seo, RE/MAX Ultimate Realty Inc., Toronto Christine Yang, RE/MAX Excel Realty Ltd., Markham

Mark Richards RE/MAX Hallmark Richards Group Realty Ltd. | Toronto

Mary Roy RE/MAX Hallmark First Group Realty Ltd. | Ajax

Reinhold Schickedanz RE/MAX All-Stars Realty Inc. Stouffville

Sandy Smallbone David Haim Soberano RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc. RE/MAX Realtron David Burlington Soberano Group | Toronto

Sue Zhang RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Richmond Hill

Mark Ruttan RE/MAX Of Wasaga Beach Inc. Wasaga Beach

Rob Sanderson RE/MAX Advantage Sanderson Realty Brokerage | Arva

Troy Schmidt RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. Waterloo

Anurag Sharma RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. Kitchener

Nancy Shea Mimi Shew RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp. RE/MAX Goldenway Realty Inc., Oakville Richmond Hill

Al Sinclair RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. Toronto

Faisal Susiwala RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. Cambridge

Ruby Thambiah RE/MAX Realty Services Inc. Brampton

Monica Thapar RE/MAX Plus-City Team Inc. Toronto

Bill Thom RE/MAX Realtron Bill Thom Group Realty Inc. | Toronto

Goran Todorovic RE/MAX Preferred Realty Ltd. Windsor

Drew Woolcott RE/MAX Escarpment Woolcott Realty Inc. | Dundas

Mary Wylde Mark Xiao RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Guelph Richmond Hill

Mustafa Zia RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. Mississauga

remax.ca

2017 AWARD WINNERS 1

2

Mustafa Zia RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. Mississauga 7

Curtis Goddard RE/MAX Chay Realty Inc. Barrie 8

3

4

TOP 30 UNDER 30

Qiang (Jackie) Xu RE/MAX Central Realty Richmond Hill 9

5

6

Shawn Hinchey RE/MAX Jazz Inc. Oshawa

Nick Goomber RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. Mississauga

Konnie Wang RE/MAX Goldenway Realty Inc. Richmond Hill

10

11

12

13

14

Ali Toroghi RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd. Toronto

Kelsey Geer RE/MAX All-Stars Realty Inc. Uxbridge

Farhad Payman RE/MAX Infinite Inc. Richmond Hill

Jeff Knapp RE/MAX North Country Realty Inc. Gravenhurst

Heather Beauchesne RE/MAX Chay Realty Inc. Barrie

Sunny Gawri RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. Mississauga

Brittany Brown RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd. Ottawa

Emily Rawson RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. Fergus

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

Brad Barfoot RE/MAX Grey Bruce Realty Inc. Owen Sound

Heather Luppino RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc. Hamilton

Vince Gratta RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc. Hamilton

Manveer Dhindsa RE/MAX Realty Services Inc. Brampton

Zach Bayley-Hay RE/MAX Chay Realty Inc. Barrie

Elie Nassour RE/MAX Chay Realty Inc. Alliston

Wen Sun RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Toronto

Drew MacIntosh RE/MAX Orillia Realty (1996) Ltd. Orillia

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Adam Moniz RE/MAX Realty Enterprises Inc. Mississauga

Lucas Schickedanz RE/MAX All-Stars Realty Inc. Stouffville

Shannon Sullivan RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc. Burlington

Kenny Tabassum RE/MAX Performance Realty Inc. Mississauga

Katie Kertesz RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. Cambridge

Trevor Clark RE/MAX Core Realty Inc. Ottawa

Qitao (Mike) Jiang RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. Richmond Hill

Raymond Hau RE/MAX Excel Realty Ltd. Markham

TOP

TOP 3

ICI BY COMMISSION

ONTARIO

2017

Manjit Pawar RE/MAX Dynasty Hospitality Inc. Brampton

No Photo Provided: Christine Yang, RE/MAX Excel Realty Ltd., Markham (Top 3 ICI by Commission – Ontario) Julie Seo, RE/MAX Ultimate Realty Inc., Toronto (Top 3 ICI by Commission – Ontario)

ICI BY COMMISSION

ATLANTIC CANADA

2017

Craig Snow RE/MAX Nova Dartmouth

remax.ca

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2017 TOP ACHIEVERS! AS AWARDED IN LAS VEGAS, FEBRUARY 25, 2018.

TOP PRODUCERS: COMMERCIAL

TOP PRODUCERS: RESIDENTIAL

Top Individual Western Canada EDITH CHAN RE/MAX Masters Realty West Vancouver, BC #10 Worldwide Residential + Commercial #5 Canada Residential

Top Team Western Canada JUSTIN HAVRE & ASSOCIATES Team Leader: Justin Havre RE/MAX First Calgary, AB #7 Canada Residential

Top Individual Western Canada & Alberta BRYAN LOGEL RE/MAX Real Estate (Central) Calgary, AB

Top Individual British Columbia RONNI LISTER RE/MAX Ocean Pacific Realty Courtenay, BC

Top Team Saskatchewan TEAM JOYCE TOURNEY Team Leader: Joyce Tourney RE/MAX Crown Real Estate - North Regina, SK

Top Team Manitoba THE UNGER TEAM Team Leader: Keith Unger RE/MAX Performance Realty Steinbach, MB

Top Individual Western Canada KEVIN LI RE/MAX Metro Realty Vancouver, BC #4 Worldwide Residential + Commercial #1 Worldwide Commercial #1 in Canada Commercial

Top Team Western Canada EXCELLENCE COMMERCIAL TEAM Team Leader: Sam Narayan RE/MAX Excellence Edmonton, AB #1 Worldwide Commercial #1 Canada Commercial

Top Individual Saskatchewan ADAM SCHMALZ RE/MAX P.A. Realty Prince Albert, SK

Top Individual Manitoba KEVIN MOIST RE/MAX Performance Realty Winnipeg, MB

Top Team Western Canada & Alberta JUSTIN HAVRE & ASSOCIATES Team Leader: Justin Havre RE/MAX First Calgary, AB

Top Team British Columbia LAYZELL DREGER WALTON AND ASSOCIATES Team Leader: Dustin Layzell RE/MAX of Nanaimo Nanaimo, BC

Top Office Western Canada & Alberta RE/MAX REAL ESTATE (CENTRAL) Calgary, AB Broker Owner: Pat Hare Metro Market #1 Single Office Worldwide

Top Office British Columbia RE/MAX KELOWNA Broker Owners: Jerry Redman, Peter Kirk, Cliff Shillington (photo) Kelowna, BC

Top Office Saskatchewan RE/MAX SASKATOON (EAST) Broker Owner: Larry Stewart RE/MAX Saskatoon (East) Saskatoon, SK

Top Office Manitoba RE/MAX PERFORMANCE REALTY Broker Owners: Tom Fulton (photo), Eric Joseph Winnipeg, MB

Largest Net Gain in Associates – Small Market – Canada RE/MAX 100 100 Mile House, BC

Largest Single Office Western Canada & Canada & Worldwide RE/MAX REAL ESTATE (CENTRAL) Calgary, AB

TOP TRANSACTIONS AWARDS

SALES VOLUME: OFFICE

OFFICE SIZE

Top Single Office PAT HARE #1 in Canada RE/MAX Real Estate (Central) Calgary, AB

Top Multi-Office DEBORAH UPTON (PHOTO), KEVIN LI #1 Worldwide #1 in Canada RE/MAX Crest Realty Vancouver, BC

Top Office Small Market Western Canada & Canada RE/MAX OCEAN PACIFIC REALTY Comox, BC Broker Owner: Dave Procter

OTHER DISTINGUISHED AWARDS

Robert H. Cherot Award ELTON ASH RE/MAX of Western Canada Kelowna, BC

Broker Owner of the Year Low Density Western Canada DAVID JUREK, MARC STICKLE RE/MAX 100 100 Mile House, BC

Special Services Award CLIFF IVERSON RE/MAX Crown Real Estate – North Regina, SK

Spirit of the West BRYAN FURMAN RE/MAX Results Realty Port Coquitlam, BC

TOP 5 CONTRIBUTING OFFICES IN WESTERN CANADA

RE/MAX of Western Canada is the largest contributing RE/MAX region in North America for the 12th consecutive year.

RE/MAX affiliates in Western Canada contributed over $2.3 million, collectively resulting in more than $4.7 million for children’s hospitals across Canada!

Broker Owner of the Year Broker Owner of the Year Single Office Multi Office Western Canada Western Canada & Canada & Canada PAUL BLAIS (PHOTO), RICK CAMPOS, JOHN MATTIELLO, CLIFF STEVENSON MARCEL TESSIER RE/MAX First RE/MAX Elite Calgary, AB Edmonton, AB & Sherwood Park, AB

Spirit of the West SARAH LEIB RE/MAX River City Edmonton, AB

Manager of the Year CLARK COYSTON RE/MAX LifeStyles Realty Maple Ridge, BC & Langley, BC

Community Care Office RE/MAX CENTRE CITY REALTY Prince George, BC

Administrator of the Year JODI HILL RE/MAX of Duncan, Duncan, BC

Administrator of the Year JESSICA KAVANAGH RE/MAX Excellence, Edmonton, AB

Community Care Individual CRAIG PILGRIM RE/MAX Elite Edmonton, AB

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

RE/MAX First

RE/MAX of Nanaimo

RE/MAX River City

RE/MAX Kelowna

RE/MAX Real Estate (Central)

RE/MAX of Naniamo Nanaimo, BC

RE/MAX First Calgary, AB

RE/MAX River City Edmonton, AB

RE/MAX Crown Real Estate Regina, SK

RE/MAX Executive Realty Winnipeg, MB

#1 - JUDY GRAY RE/MAX Mid-Island Realty Port Alberni, BC

#2 - SARA KALKE RE/MAX River City Edmonton, AB

#3 - LINDA VAN DEN BROEK RE/MAX Executives Realty Winnipeg, MB

#4 - JUSTIN HAVRE RE/MAX First Calgary, AB

#5 - ANITA PAINTER RE/MAX Check Realty Campbell River, BC

Calgary, AB

Nanaimo, BC

Edmonton, AB

Kelowna, BC

Calgary, AB

TOP CONTRIBUTING OFFICES BY FOUNDATION

TOP CONTRIBUTING AFFILIATES

For the complete list of winners, please visit the remax.ca media newsroom.

YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION IS WHAT MAKES RE/MAX #1 IN CANADA! SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS: TAKE YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL! Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated. This advertisement is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for informational purposes only. If you own a franchise affiliated with another organization, this advertisement is not intended to offer a RE/MAX franchise or to solicit a change in your affiliation.

remax.ca

34 REM APRIL 2018

DR. LANDLORD

Where does cap rate come from?

There are two common ways for buyers and sellers to establish CR. Sometimes both are applied.

By Chris Seepe hen I first started learning about investment properties, I struggled with what no one seemed to be able to explain to my satisfaction – how do buyers, sellers and the marketplace determine what the cap rate (CR) should be?

CR is best viewed from the buyer’s perspective. Simplistically, it represents what rate of return the buyer can reasonably expect to receive, based on the property’s net operating income (NOI).

The buyer always wants the highest CR possible. Seven per cent is a significantly better return for a buyer than five per cent.

Conversely, the seller always wants to give the buyer the lowest CR because the more return the buyer gets, the less return from the sale price the seller receives.

There are two common ways for buyers and sellers to establish CR. Sometimes both are applied.

W

The first and most common way is to compare the CRs of comparable types of properties that have recently sold in the area.

However, that requires access to income and expense information from a representative sampling of investment properties within a defined geographic area. Such information is not often available, even to Realtors.

But that still doesn’t answer the root question. What is the driving force that establishes CR? The second way is causal, but many investors and real estate professionals don’t think directly in those terms. Even though CR is based solely on NOI, in order to be useful, CR still needs to consider your cost of borrowing money and your expectation of what you should get back from the investment risk you took.

For example, government bonds are generally considered to be among the lowest-risk financial investments one can make.

Government bond repayment is guaranteed, so the low risk commands a low rate of return via the interest paid. Compare bonds to the return and respective risk of other investment vehicles such as stocks, term deposits or starting

Industrial, Commercial & Investment I vanhoé Cambridge recently appointed Nathalie Palladitcheff as president of Ivanhoé Cambridge and Alfonso Graceffa as head of business units.

Both will report to Daniel Fournier, chairman and CEO of Ivanhoé Cambridge.

“Nathalie has made a significant contribution to the transformation of Ivanhoé Cambridge,” says Fournier. “As president of Otéra Capital since 2012, Alfonso was instrumental in delivering strong results year after year, all while refo-

cusing the company’s activities with strong governance rules and business practices. Together, they will play a strong part in developing the talent we need and in executing on the business priorities we have identified to meet the returns expected by our shareholders.”

Palladitcheff has more than 25 years of experience in finance and real estate. She joined Ivanhoé Cambridge in April 2015 as EVP and CFO. She has also been responsible for financing and strategic planning, in addition to heading

your own company. If the return on investment for real estate was the same as that for bonds, why would anyone ever invest in real estate?

So, how much more return above the bond rate would be satisfactory for taking on the added risk of investing in real estate and managing it? The answer appears to be 3.5 to four per cent above the 10-year Government of Canada bond yield. Since most real estate is purchased using leveraged money (other people’s money), this spread in CR that defines return on investment should also include the cost of borrowing money.

The single greatest factor affecting mortgage rates is … you guessed it … bond yield. While the financial relationship between mortgage rates and bonds isn’t direct, the average spread in a stable market (versus the 2009 worldwide economic collapse for example) seems to be perhaps 120 basis points, or 1.2 per cent.

CR and mortgage rates are influenced by market attitudes, investor demands, inventory availability, competing investment vehicles and other factors. CR is therefore more or less “relative” to

interest rates, not an “absolute” value determined by some institution like the Bank of Canada. The rate of return on investment moves up and down more or less with the bond rate, and the bond rate moves with the Bank of Canada lending rate, although there is often a lag between them.

The above is an over-simplification but you need to start at a baseline understanding and then refine your knowledge as you better understand all the influences that are in play.

Downward pressure on CR is also influenced by the high demand and low supply of investment property inventory. Buyers may be willing to accept a lower net profit (cash flow) and pay more to the seller to purchase a rental property than they might offer for other types of investment properties that are more readily available.

Some simple arithmetic will demonstrate the enormous impact that a small change in CR can have. Purchase price = NOI / CR. A property generates a “true” $50,000 NOI. The buyer’s desired CR is six per cent so the buyer’s offered price is about $834,000.

However, the seller may only offer a five per cent CR, therefore ask-

the company’s IT and Human Resources departments.

Graceffa will remain president and CEO of Otéra Capital. The company says he has implemented a growth strategy that led to significant value-creation over the years, which enabled Otéra Capital to outperform its index.

Ivanhoé Cambridge develops and invests in real estate properties, projects and companies. Through subsidiaries and partnerships, the company holds interests in more than 1,000 buildings, primarily in the residential, office, retail and logistics real estate sectors. The company held more than $60 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2017.

It is a real estate subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.

dent and practice lead for its industrial and logistics platform in the Greater Toronto Area. He will be responsible for the continued growth and innovation of JLL Canada’s industrial platform in the GTA and will also provide support and leadership to JLL’s Toronto West Industrial Team, the company says. He will be in charge of strategic planning, execution and create value for occupiers, owners and investors.

ing $1 million. The one per cent difference in CR resulted in a $166,000 (16.6 per cent) difference in property value.

Or the interest rate may have risen one per cent, which means the buyer needs a higher return (higher CR) to finance that increase. Without the increased CR, there isn’t enough NOI to pay the increased borrowing costs, assuming most buyers leverage their real estate purchases.

In both cases, absolutely nothing else changed about the property except the driving factor behind the CR. There are large real estate companies that publish quarterly and annual reports on CRs for all types of properties within major geographic areas. They’re readily available on the internet.

Chris Seepe is a published writer and author, “landlording” course instructor, president of the Landlords Association of Durham and a commercial real estate broker of record at Aztech Realty in Toronto, specializing in income-generating and multi-residential investment properties. (416) 525-1558 Email cseepe@aztechrealty.com; website: www.drlandlord.ca REM

Denda has 15 years of corporate real estate experience in representing some of Canada’s largest occupiers and owners in leasing, acquisition, disposition and development capacities, the company says. Prior to joining JLL, he was senior vice president at Cushman & Wakefield, and amassed a record of client service totaling more than 22 million square feet and $1.45 billion in REM transaction value.

■ ■ ■

JLL Canada has appointed Chris Denda the senior vice presi- Nathalie Palladitcheff

Alfonso Graceffa

Chris Denda

REM APRIL 2018 35

A village of windmill homes The iconic Dutch structure functions as much more than a wind-generated water pump. It’s the place some families call home.

Story and photos by Diane Slawych

I

f there’s one building type that defines Holland more than any other, it’s the windmill. But for Peter Paul Klapwijk, the iconic Dutch structure functions as much more than a windgenerated water pump. It’s the place he and his family call home.

How exactly does one get to live in a windmill, you may wonder? “I fell in love with a daughter of one of the millers and started as a miller’s student,” Klapwijk says.

When his wife’s parents retired and moved elsewhere a few years ago, they took up residence in the centuries-old structure and have quickly adjusted to their new and unconventional way of life.

What makes this story even more unusual is that their windmill home is in Kinderdijk, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Much of Holland, which lies below sea level, is prone to flooding and Kinderdijk is notable because it contains all the typical features associated with the technology of water management – dykes, sluices, reservoirs, pumping stations, administrative buildings and a series of well-preserved windmills.

Tourists, meanwhile, are fascinated by the fact this is the only place in the world where you can see so many windmills so close together. At one time there were more than 150 mills in the Alblasserwaard and Vijfheerenlanden area. Today 23 remain, which is still a large number in such close proximity.

The world heritage site contains 19 of these mills, most of them dating from the mid-18th century. By the late 1940s they were no longer in use, but all 19 are still maintained in operating condition and function as fallback mills in case of modern equipment failure.

Klapwijk isn’t the only one living in a windmill. Fifteen of the other mills are also inhabited.

“Our main requirement to live in a windmill is it has to be volun-

tary. In the old days you had to be a miller to live in a windmill,” he says. There are some responsibilities involved. When there’s a wind, they set the sails in motion.

“That keeps it lubricated and it’s better for maintenance if it works

Peter Paul Klapwijk Visitors to Kinderdijk can walk or cycle along a path between the 19 windmills that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The living room with alcove bed, preserved from the 1950s, in one of the windmills that can be visited at Kinderdijk.

every now and then,” Klapwijk says.

His windmill home occupies three floors and includes five bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and spacious kitchen. Klapwijk, who has previously lived in more traditional housing in England and in nearby Rotterdam, says living in a windmill is a completely different experience. “Here, we

are surrounded by nature. In a regular house you’re surrounded by other people living in a house.”

In this tranquil landscape, the only way to travel between the windmills is by foot or bicycle.

Not much traffic, noise or pollution here.

Most of the mills are so-called bonnet mills, in which only the top section revolves with the

wind. Built from brick or wood, they have large sails that come within 30 cm of the ground, which poses some safety issues.

Children are taught early on to be extra cautious when the sails are in motion.

In his free time, Klapwijk enjoys gardening, playing football with his sons and bird watching. “This area is full of birds, rare birds. We also have the biggest colony of purple herons in the Netherlands,” he says. Kinderdijk is a small community and Klapwijk often chats with the other millers. “We talk mainly about the weather and the wind.”

To give visitors a chance to learn more, two windmills have been converted into museums.

At the Museum Windmill Nederwaard, which preserves its interior from the 1950s before the last inhabitant left, you can see the original living room and the alcove bed and climb up three floors to get

a view of the surrounding landscape. A miller attired in blue overalls and clogs will answer any questions. In the Blokweer Museum Windmill, the interior was renovated in 2013 to make the working parts of the mill visible behind a glass screen.

Other features of the windmill homes include low doorways (reflecting the fact that people were shorter in centuries past); socalled closet beds, with doors that can be closed to keep you warm when it’s cold outside; the smoke attic where fish would be smoked, turning the walls black; and the grease attic, where most of the mechanism of the windmills resides.

A visit to Kinderdijk is a multi-faceted experience, offering a chance to learn more about the history of windmills, enjoy nature in a world heritage site, as well as get a glimpse of what it’s like to live in a very unconventional home. REM

36 REM APRIL 2018

What is a pro forma?

By Sean Tait

C

ore to analysing a real estate investment is consideration of the pro forma income statement, often simply called a pro forma. A pro forma summarizes the key financial figures of an income producing building (or forecasts the anticipated revenue and expenses of a proposed building).

On a pro forma you’ll find a summary of the pertinent financial figures that an investor needs to consider. At the top of a pro forma is a section that lists and totals the income that a building produces. Below that is a section that lists and totals the expenses that a building incurs during its operation. Finally, below that is

summary line listing the “pro forma net operation income” or NOI (NOI = total revenue less total expenses).

At it simplest, you can value a revenue-generating building based on this NOI figure. Simply take NOI and divide it by a capitalization rate (NOI / Cap Rate = Value). I’ll discuss this method of valuation in greater deal in a separate article, because although this is one way to value a building, it is not always the best method.

You may or may not be familiar with a traditional income statement, which is one of the basic financial statements that you would receive from an accountant for any business. A pro forma income statement has some notable differences, however, that need to be recognized.

When a building is presented for sale, an investor will typically receive a pro forma income statement from the listing agent. This pro forma is colloquially known

Toronto building recognized for health and well-being

M

enkes Developments’ 25 York St. in Toronto is the first office building in Canada to receive Fitwel certification.

“We view Fitwel as a great initiative to allow us to engage with our tenants in new ways, and as a way to measure our performance in promoting health and well-being at our properties,” says Jon Douglas, director of sustainability at Menkes. “We want to create opportunities for our occupants to live their healthiest lives by making this goal convenient and actionable to them, and Fitwel is a practical program to support Menkes in delivering on this objective.”

Created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the General Services Administration, Fitwel aims to bring a culture of health and wellness within both private and public-sector office and residential properties. The Center for Active Design is the licensed oper-

as the “brokers pro forma” and needs to be approached with caution. Not all agents can produce this type of statement, let alone critically evaluate one.

One of the quirks of the Canadian real estate industry is that broker pro forma is often just an abstraction of the actual financial performance of a building.

The broker pro forma will inevitably paint the building in the best possible light. For example, while certain line items simply are what they are (realty taxes and utilities for example), others are open to interpretation.

Insurance, repairs and maintenance, staffing and management are just some of the line items that are sometimes adjusted on a broker pro forma to reflect a lower cost than what is actually being incurred in the building.

While this seems bizarre, there is a rationale from the seller’s perspective for this. While the current owner may run the building “rich” with high staffing “AAA” office tower sits on 1.8 acres and offers 30,000 sq. ft. of retail space on the ground level, along with 30 storeys of more than 780,000 sq. ft. of office space.

Menkes also offers a range of services and programs to promote wellness separate from the certification, such as on-site flu shot clinics. The Menkes Healthy Spaces program, a three-year well-being initiative, focuses on encouraging Menkes commercial office occupants to partake in healthier lifestyle choices through targeting four main areas – eating well, being active, maintaining health and engaging the mind. REM

ator of Fitwel.

A Fitwel scorecard includes more than 55 evidence-based design and operational strategies that enhance building environments by requiring a standard of excellence in seven health impact categories, the company says.

These include healthy food options, occupant safety, physical activity, well-being, social equity, morbidity and absenteeism and community health.

In addition to achieving Fitwel certification, 25 York St. has aligned itself with the BOMA BEST certification system – a strategic Canadian partner to Fitwel.

Completed in 2010, the building is a partnership between Menkes and the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan. It is home to The office building at 25 York St. in Toronto Telus. The Class has achieved Fitwel certification.

costs, market leading advertising and promotion and an expensive repair and maintenance program, the buyer may intend to run the building “lean” when they step in to the owner’s shoes. Therefore, the listing broker presents the building with the bare minimum of expenses and the maximum possible revenue.

It’s up to the buyer to take the broker pro forma and adjust it line by line to numbers that they feel are reflective of how they plan to run the building and produce their own pro forma. For example, the broker’s pro forma may list repair and maintenance at $500 per unit per year. You as a buyer may budget $700 per unit per year. On a 20-unit building, this means you will have adjusted the broker’s pro forma NOI down by $4,000 (($700 - $500) X 20 = $4,000). In reducing the building’s NOI, you will have reduced the building’s value to you and the price you would willingly pay for it.

Ultimately, a pro forma is a projection – an attempt to look at a building in an abstract way through the lens of numbers.

Every investor and seller will have a different opinion on the “real” figure that should be used for each line item that in sum produce an NOI. It’s because of this that no two investors are likely to have the same conclusion on what a property is worth, and why there is inevitably a negotiation between buyer and seller when determining a sale price.

Every buyer will come to a deal with a different operational model, cost structure and strategy.

It’s important to understand these nuances because they will directly influence how you approach a pro forma and how to negotiate your deal.

Sean Tait is a senior sales associate with Lennard Commercial Realty’s Multi-Family Investments Team in Toronto. Together, his team has completed over half a billion dollars’ worth of commercial transactions. Email stait@lennard.com or REM phone 416-732-1701.

Oakville brokerage hands out $35,000 to lucky contest winners

A

lucky couple recently collected a $25,000 grand prize in a contest held by Sutton Group -Quantum Realty in Oakville, Ont. Broker of record Tina Gardin drew the names of the winners, Lucy Anh Tuyet Le and Shara Hap. There were also four recipients of $2,500 each in every quarter in 2017.

The grand prize-winning couple are both first-time homebuyers.

They were entered into the draw when they purchased a home with the expertise of sales rep Tessa Rojas.

“I’m very happy for my clients,” says Rojas. “The money will definitely go a long way towards helping them with their finances.”

Winner Anh Tuyet Le says, “We shared some of the money with our family and the rest is going into savings and a rainy-day fund.

We might do a vacation, but we’re definitely spending the money as if it’s our own hard-earned money.”

The contest was open to any client who bought or sold a property with the office in 2017 and who met certain terms and conditions. The contest excluded estate sales, corporations, commercial sales and leases. Last year the brokerage gave away a new Fiat in a similar From left: Sales rep Tessa Rojas, prizewindraw for its 2016 ners Lucy Anh Tuyet Le and Shara Hap clients.

REM and broker of record Tina Gardin.

REM APRIL 2018 37

The Workspace Revolution is Coming The following is paid, promotional content.

In recent years, disruptive forces have transformed how we think about entire industries.

Spotify with music. Uber or Lyft with transport. Netflix with television programmes and films.

Technology has changed the way that we think about things that we used to take for granted.

Slowly but surely the way in which we think about offices, and how we work, and productivity, has been changing too. We are now approaching a tipping point – and the results of this will transform the working experience for millions of people. For smart businesses, this is a revolution that will create competitive advantage, cut costs and help attract and retain talent.

What has got us to this point?

First, the rapid acceleration of technology has changed what’s possible. Within two years, 80 per cent of the world’s population will own a smartphone. The cloud has grown exponentially. Put simply, it’s now increasingly easy for a person to plug in and work from anywhere.

Second, workers are aware of this – particularly those digital native millennials who have grown up with this technology and whose expectations are less shackled by what was possible before. They know they can work anywhere, and they know that throughout their careers they will be expected to work hard. This means that they appreciate flexibility. Why should they commute for two hours each day? They want to work for a business within which they can experience the benefits of a collaborative community, without wasting hours of their day.

Third, businesses are increasingly aware of this and they know that a smart strategy on flexible working can help them to secure the best talent. That’s an advantage in a competitive world. But what businesses also increasingly understand are the financial and strategic advantages a flexible workspace strategy brings. A flexible workspace approach cuts real estate costs and allows businesses to concentrate on their core business, rather than being forced into also becoming a real estate business.

With the right partner, this workspace revolution will bring benefits to smart businesses of all sizes. For start-ups the benefits are

immediate. An entrepreneur wants to focus on growing their business, not spending time and money on real estate leases. But they can’t compromise on those things that are expected of every professional business – best-inclass IT, security, telecommunications capabilities. Even as a fledgling business they want to have a base where they can bring employees, potential customers and partners for meetings without letting down their brand.

The benefits to larger busi-

nesses are also now increasingly recognised – and in fact many of the world’s most innovative business success stories have a dedicated flexible workspace strategy.

Of course, large corporations have a requirement for a large, dedicated HQ, but by complementing this with a flexible workspace partner they can drive real benefits to their business. A business can move people into a new market quickly and take them out again when required. They can put their people close to their sup-

pliers. They can do all of this without committing to long leases and expensive relocation costs.

Employee wellbeing and personal satisfaction will increase, and in today’s battle for top talent that means a huge amount. Fewer hours spent commuting, greater independence and flexibility means more productive workers.

In fact, employees are likely to become more creative – driving more innovations for your business. Why? Because one of the enemies of corporate innovation

With a range of office formats, as well as growing mobile, virtual office, and workplace recovery businesses, Regus is the world’s largest provider of flexible workspaces. Customers include successful entrepreneurs, individuals and multibillion-dollar corporations. To find out more, visit regus.ca/rem

is groupthink. Having all of your people under one roof, having the same conversations with the same people day after day might be stifling the potential of them generating original ideas. Putting them into a collaborative space with like-minded businesses and people can help free up their thinking. Happy, more creative employees can only be good for a business.

A ‘one-size fits all’ approach wouldn’t work for any aspect of a successful large business. For too long, however, this is exactly the approach most businesses have taken for their offices. This has happened because most people didn’t see any alternative. Just as a decade ago there was no alternative to CDs. Then Spotify came along.

The workspace revolution is coming. Smart businesses are planning for it now.

38 REM APRIL 2018

Will B.C. measures come to other markets?

While these changes have been designed to address the Vancouver area’s unique supply and demand issues, industry watchers believe some of the measures can – and will – trickle down to other Canadian housing markets. Here’s a look at what could be coming.

By Penelope Graham

T

he provincial British Columbia government has earned a bit of a reputation for being a real estate industry disruptor, subjecting the Metro Vancouver region to several new regulations unprecedented in other markets. In late February, another round of housing rules was brought forth in the provincial budget, including the expansion of the foreign buyers tax and a slew of new ownership disclosure rules.

While these changes have been designed to address the Vancouver area’s unique supply and demand issues, industry watchers believe some of the measures can – and will – trickle down to other Canadian housing markets. Here’s a look at what could be coming.

An expanded foreign buyers tax Under the new budget, the 15per-cent foreign buyers tax, originally introduced in May 2016 in the Metro Vancouver region, will be upped to 20 per cent. The affected geographic area has also been expanded to include the Fraser Valley, central Okanagan and Southern Vancouver Island.

The tax has been controversial since its implementation; affordable housing advocates applauded

the action, while critics said it failed to address the real issues behind speculative pricing. At worst, they said, the tax was blatantly racist for disproportionately targeting buyers of Chinese origin.

Originally, it didn’t seem likely the measure would be picked up in other markets. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne told reporters at an October 2016 press conference that the province would not “go down the road that British Columbia has gone down.

“I’m not interested in doing something that would have an unintended consequence in Ontario – something that was designed for a totally different market,” she said, adding that while housing proposals would come in the “not too distant future”, that they would be directed at the firsttime-buyer contingent.

Her stance took an abrupt about-face, however, when a similar tax was rolled out within the Fair Housing Plan (FHP) in April 2017. Called the Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST), the new levy also commanded 15 per cent of the total value of home purchases made by out-of-country buyers in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region.

This expanded measure is despite recent data from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

AVI ROSEN

FRI. SCMF. AMB

Real Estate Broker (Nearly 50 Years) • Paralegal Direct: (416) 818-6130 • www.rosen.ca Legal Focus on the Real Estate Industry

An analyst with decades of experience and know-how in the Real Estate Industry • BREACH OF BUYERS REPRESENTATION AGREEMENT • LANDLORD/TENANT DISPUTES • RECO AND TREB COMPLAINTS, REPLY LETTERS, APPEALS AND REPRESENTATION BEFORE THE BOARD • OWNER CONFLICTS WITH NEIGHBOURS OR BOARD OF DIRECTORS • SMALL CLAIMS COURT

(CMHC) and Statistics Canada, which found foreign buyers accounted for 3.4 per cent of real estate purchases in Toronto, and 4.8 per cent in Vancouver – lower than what was perceived by the public.

However, there has been evidence of an uptick in foreign inter-

honour system to collect its home use data. The city extended the declaration deadline to March 5, after thousands of residents failed to report by the original February cut-off.

It’s important that agents working with real estate investors ensure their clients are aware of

There has been evidence of an uptick in foreign interest in markets that do not have a foreign buyers tax, such as Montreal. est in markets that do not have a such a tax. In Montreal, demand in the luxury homes segment is up 20 per cent, and the island just experienced its best January in eight years, at 13-per-cent year-over-year growth. While Quebec does not currently have legislation in place to implement a foreign buyers tax, it says it is monitoring the sale of property to and by foreign purchasers by tracking the locations of their principal residences. And, while the Ontario government hasn’t alluded to any new changes in the pipeline, agents are wise to keep an eye on this development when facilitating out-of-country purchases.

A vacant homes tax The FHP also empowered the City of Toronto to implement an empty homes tax, a move that would also follow in Vancouver’s footsteps. While it’s unclear whether that will come to fruition – city council conducted public consultations last summer – it’s estimated the tax could return 15,000 to 28,000 currently vacant homes back to rental stock. Vancouver, which is in the process of rolling out the tax for the first time, is relying on the

the usage requirements that could potentially come to their local markets, as rental properties are exempt if they’re inhabited a minimum of six months per year.

A tax on real estate speculators Industry analysts have long argued that a combination of domestic and foreign speculative activity is truly to blame for unsustainable price growth in Canada’s largest markets. The B.C. government is responding with a new tax on owners of British Columbia real estate who do not pay income tax to the province. While designed to weed out vacant investment properties or “satellite families” – those who dwell in the province while the breadwinner earns their income and pays their taxes elsewhere – the immediate response has been that the tax is most painful for out-of-province vacation home owners, who now face thousands in additional property taxes per year.

Given the resulting backlash, it remains to be seen whether this new tax will remain in its current iteration.

However, another measure that targets buyers who purchase

real estate via blind trust coincides with plans at the federal level to crack down on tax avoidance.

While British Columbia will now identify trust buyers in a public land registry, the federal government echoed these sentiments in its own budget, with stricter reporting requirements referred to as “beneficial ownership information”. This will help “authorities to effectively counter aggressive tax avoidance, tax evasion, money laundering and other criminal activities perpetrated through the misuse of corporate vehicles,” it says. The new requirements will come into effect in 2021 and will also crack down on “tracking arrangements”, which allow real estate owners to defer the profits they’ve earned on their properties.

New disclosure for assignment sales Those who dodge taxes made on capital gains from paper-flipping pre-construction condos are in a wake-up call, as B.C. will now require developers to collect and report the identities of those who sell and purchase units on assignment prior to closing. This information has been closely guarded by developers in the past but could now reveal how many times a unit changes hands before it’s completed and registered, and how many investors profited. Pending its success on the west coast, this will likely be a popular measure among policymakers in other provinces as well, given the perceived extent of speculation in the Greater Golden Horseshoe markets.

Penelope Graham is the managing editor of Zoocasa.com, a “leading real estate resource that combines online search tools and a full-service brokerage to empower Canadians to buy or sell their homes faster, easier and more successfully.” Home buyers can browse real estate listings by region or home type, such as houses REM for sale in Toronto.

REM APRIL 2018 39

Ken Yeung top Century 21 producer in the world for second year Century 21 Canada maintains a strong presence in the 2017 Global 21 Rankings, accounting for 12 of the Top 21 offices in the world as well as the top producer in the world. These annual awards recognize the top 21 Century 21 companies, offices, teams and producers by sales production in the Century 21 System worldwide.

“Canada’s real estate market has made headlines around the world, and these results show that the country punches above its weight,” says Martin Charlwood, vice chairman and CEO of Century 21 Canada. “We make up fewer than 10 per cent of the Century 21 agents in the world yet dominate the global rankings.”

Toronto sales rep Ken Yeung of Century 21 Leading Edge Realty in Markham, Ont. earned the title of No. 1 Century 21 producer in the world by units and gross closed commissions. Yeung’s business is mostly in Toronto’s downtown core, focusing on condos. This is his second year in this spot for units, and first for gross closed commissions. It is the fourth consecutive year that Canada has achieved the No. 1 spot for top producer by units sold.

Ranking #6 worldwide for production was Fan Yang of Century 21 Platinum Realty in Edmonton.

Mark Li of Century 21 Leading Edge Realty took the #9 spot, while Michele Denniston of Century 21 Heritage Group in Richmond Hill, Ont. was 14th and Sam Elgohary at Century 21 Leading Edge Realty ranked 15th.

The Century 21 Coastal Realty office in Surrey, B.C. ranked in second place worldwide. The Goodale Miller Team at Century 21 Miller Real Estate in Oakville, Ont. placed second in the team category. Century 21 Leading Edge Realty claimed top-level rankings

in every category: #5 overall company; #1, #9, #15 top sales representatives by production; #6 for highest team production; #3, #17 and #19 for office production.

The statistics are gathered and released by Century 21 International. The awards are given to the top 21 companies, offices, teams and sales associates of the Century 21 System based on the 2017 calendar year production.

Edith Chan top sales rep at Re/Max of Western Canada Re/Max of Western Canada regional EVP Elton Ash announced the company’s top affiliates recently at the annual Western Canada Awards Celebration in Las Vegas.

Top 5 Individuals - Residential 1. Edith Chan, Re/Max Masters Realty, West Vancouver, B.C. 2. Manpreet Gill, Re/Max Westcoast, Richmond, B.C. 3. Victor Kwan, Re/Max Select Properties, Vancouver 4. Derek Gillette, Re/Max of Nanaimo, Nanaimo, B.C. 5. David Pellettier, Re/Max Real Estate (Central), Calgary Top 5 Teams - Residential 1. Justin Havre & Associates, Re/Max First, Calgary (Justin Havre, team leader) 2. Fraser Elliott Group, Re/Max Progroup Realty, Delta, B.C. (Fraser Elliott, team leader) 3. Layzell Dreger Walton and Associates, Re/Max of Nanaimo, Nanaimo, B.C. (Dustin Layzell, team leader) 4. Antalek Team, Re/Max LifeStyles Realty, Maple Ridge, B.C. (Ron Antalek, team leader) 5. Zwick Chimes Real Estate Group, Re/Max Crest Realty (South Granville), Vancouver (Rob Zwick, team leader) Top 5 Individuals - Commercial 1. Kevin Li, Re/Max Metro Realty, Vancouver

2. Dallas Ellerby, Re/Max First, Calgary 3. Ted Cawkwell, Re/Max Saskatoon (Downtown), Saskatoon 4. Gary Basi, Re/Max Commercial Advantage, Vancouver 5. Mark Thiessen, Re/Max Professionals, Winnipeg Top 5 Teams - Commercial 1. Excellence Commercial Team, Re/Max Excellence, Edmonton (Sam Narayan, team leader) 2. Commercial Capital Group, Re/Max Commercial Capital, Edmonton (Scott Hughes, team leader) 3. The Peter Hall Team, Re/Max Central, Burnaby, B.C. (Peter Hall, team leader) 4. Team Joyce Tourney, Re/Max Crown Real Estate North, Regina (Scott Predenchuk, team leader) 5. Commercial One, Re/Max Medalta Real Estate, Medicine Hat, Alta. (Denise Thiessen, team leader) Other awards Robert H. Cherot - Elton Ash, Re/Max of Western Canada, Kelowna, B.C. Manager of the Year - Clark Coyston, Re/Max LifeStyles Realty, Langley, B.C. Administrator of the Year - Jodi Hill, Re/Max of Duncan, Duncan, B.C. Administrator of the Year Jessica Kavanagh, Re/Max Excellence, Edmonton Spirit of the West - Bryan Furman, Re/Max Results Realty,

Port Coquitlam, B.C. and Sarah Leib, Re/Max River City, Edmonton Special Services - Cliff Iverson, Re/Max Crown Real Estate North, Regina Community Care - Re/Max Centre City Realty, Prince George, B.C. Community Care - Craig Pilgrim, Re/Max Elite, Edmonton

Coldwell Banker Canada honours Bob Buttar Bob Buttar, broker/owner of Coldwell Banker Haida Realty of Leduc, Alta., is the recipient of the 2017 Canadian Ambassador Award. The award is the most prestigious individual honour awarded by Coldwell Banker Canada and is presented annually to the person who best represents the Coldwell Banker values and beliefs in Canada.

A past president and life member of the Edmonton Real Estate

Ken Yeung

Board, Buttar has a 40-year history of leading a quality business operation, renowned for its outstanding community service efforts, the company says. During Canada’s 150th anniversary last year, the brokerage held its 20th annual “Celebrate Canada” campaign.

Volunteers planted 12,000 Canadian flags on front lawns throughout the city on Canada Day and donated more than 12,000 pounds of food to the local food bank.

Other community activities under Buttar’s leadership include the sponsorship of two local hockey teams and a charity ride for Kids with Cancer. At this event, Buttar rode his own motorcycle to raise funds for cancer research. He has consistently been recognized as one of the event’s top fundraisers and has personally raised $30,000 in the past three years.

Coldwell Banker Haida Realty was named the city of Leduc’s REM Business of the Year.

Edith Chan

Bob Buttar

Ontario Collective launches regional MLS

T

he Ontario Collective, a group of 12 real estate boards and associations in Ontario, successfully launched the second phase of an enhanced regional MLS system and planned to complete the roll-out this month.

“We just marked our first anniversary as a collective and I am thrilled at what we’ve achieved,” says Cathy Polan, chair of the Ontario Collective Board of Governors. “After the first phase launch in October, we are extremely proud of where we stand today on this journey. All is going quite well with the Matrix platform, which provides better access to data and best-in-class tools to support Realtor members.”

Created by CoreLogic, Matrix is an MLS platform used by other real estate boards and associations in Ontario and 670,000 MLS users across North America. It will be the common data platform for more than 5,000 Realtor members in the collective once the final phase is completed.

The collective includes Bancroft and Area Association of Realtors, Kawartha Lakes Real Estate Association, London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors, North Bay Real Estate Board, Northumberland Hills Association of Realtors, Peterborough and The Kawarthas Association of Realtors, Quinte & District Association of Realtors, Realtors Association of Grey Bruce Owen Sound, Southern Georgian Bay Association of Realtors, The Lakelands Association of Realtors, Tillsonburg District Real Estate Board and Woodstock-Ingersoll and District Real Estate Board. REM

40 REM APRIL 2018

Realtor dictionary (multiple choice definitions)

By Dan St. Yves ey, if you’re a long-time Realtor, this column may not interest you at all. You’ve long since earned your stripes in the trenches and you know what you’re talking about when you step into almost any given situation.

If, however, you’re relatively new, perhaps you are still trying to wade through all the confusing jargon in the industry and don’t want to step into a minefield where your uncertainty could trigger dire consequences for yourself or your client(s).

In the spirit of trying to be helpful while being funny in this space, I hereby offer up a Realtor

H

Dictionary, and in the further spirit of continuing education, I’m adding in multiple choice options, just like your real estate exam!

Please, thank me later. For now, focus, and concentrate on picking the CORRECT definitions.

Appraised Value: a) a home’s fair market value, based on an appraiser’s knowledge. b) a whopper of an over-valuation if your clients are about to put in an offer on said property. c) a misspelling of braised.

Assessed Value: a) a tax-assessed value of a property, somewhat more arbitrary than an appraised value. b) a value that can be higher or lower than the actual value one might expect from a sale, often

vastly so, depending either way if you are a seller or a buyer. c) a bureaucratic evaluation of value based on a spun wheel of randomized numbers, darts thrown at a board filled with more randomized numbers, or the winning pick from a game of Eenie Meenie Miny Moe. Broker: a) could mean the head of your agency, as agents work for brokers – or it could mean a mortgage broker. Or in Quebec it could be a salesperson. b) could be anyone who helps “broker” a deal, as that is a vernacular for the process. c) what many new Realtors are after their first year in the business, compared to where they started.

Clear Title: a) a title on a home free of

encumbrances, such as liens or other legal questions regarding ownership. b) a sporting match where participants have to leap over legal documents. c) any title printed on microfiche or Saran Wrap.

Commission: a) compensation for work performed in your duties as a Realtor, pre-negotiated ahead in almost every case. b) compensation for work performed in your duties as a Realtor, pre-negotiated at the last minute when clients balk. c) the Holy Grail.

First Mortgage: a) exactly as it would appear, the first mortgage in priority against a property. b) something that The First

Program your inner GPS to avoid painful hazards

By Dan LeFave re you wondering why you’re not living the life of your dreams when that’s the reason why you started your business in the first place?

Few of us have a plan for our life.

Most of us are passive spectators, watching our lives unfold one day at a time. Others unconsciously follow someone else’s agenda, unaware their life has been hijacked by their career.

The process of getting from where you are to where you want to be is like using a GPS. Let me explain.

Think of your mind like a GPS system. With every picture you visualize, you’re re-confirming the destination that you want to get to.

Every time you express a preference

A

for something, you are projecting an intention.

For the GPS to take you where you want to go, it simply needs to know your current location and where you want to go.

The GPS calculates where you are from the signals it receives from satellites and calculates your exact position. When you key in your destination, the GPS plots the best route for you. All you have to do is follow the directions.

Success in life and in business works the same way. Just decide where you want to go by clarifying your vision, lock in the destination through goal-setting, affirmations and visualization, and start moving in the right direction. Your inner GPS will keep revealing your route as you continue to move forward towards your goal.

Once you clarify and remain focused on your vision, the exact steps will keep appearing along the

way. When you are clear about what you want and keep your mind constantly focused on it, the “how” will keep showing up, many times just when you need it and not a moment earlier.

Unfortunately, most of this information and your thoughts are non-productive, random, contradictory and definitely not intentional. It just happens without your conscious awareness. There’s a part of our mind that’s speaking (the conscious mind) and there’s a part of our mind that’s listening (the subconscious) and reacting.

“Until we make the conscious unconscious, it will direct our life and we will call it fate,” said Carl Jung.

What’s worse, we constantly send out negative requests to the world and to our subconscious mind through our thoughts every time we criticize ourselves, blame, complain and focus on the

lack of things in our lives.

Worrying is one of the easiest ways we set negative goals. We are essentially creating negative images in our mind of what we don’t want. The pain associated with the negative feelings that result from not getting what we want should be sufficient warning signal that we’re off track, but it doesn’t seem to be enough.

Even just talking about the way things are (our reality) creates more of the same in our future. When we think about and voice our opinions about our current circumstances, whether good or bad, it’s prescribing the future, rather than simply describing the present.

The key to programming your GPS accurately is to ask for what you want, not for what you don’t want.

Every day you send out requests through the thoughts you think to your subconscious mind and to the world. Everything you listen to, read

Family doesn’t have on their first, second or third homes. c) the only one you were aware of before a sale, but hardly the only one after the lawyer searches the title on closing day.

Default: a) a failure to ensure that payment is made on a mortgage on the prescribed date. b) sometimes, when one spouse assumes a payment is made, it is default of de other one who did not pay it on time. c) Option B was bad enough, I don’t think I have another bad pun worse than that one.

Humour columnist and author Dan St. Yves was licensed with Royal LePage Kelowna for 11 years.

Check out his website at www.nonsenseandstuff.com, or contact him at danst.yves@hotmail.com.

REM about, talk about, think about and give your attention to is feeding information to your inner GPS. This includes the radio stations you listen to, the TV shows you watch, the emails you answer, the websites you visit, the magazines and books you read and the audiobooks you listen to. Literally, everything that you’re listening to and watching all day long.

The best way to get control over your inner GPS and stop working insanely long hours and organize your life so that you’re not missing important family moments is to create a plan for achieving your goals.

To make this easy, you can access my step-by-step lifestyle planner and get control of your inner GPS. http://www.danlefave. com/lifestyleplan Dan LeFave is the “Prepare for anything” coach, author, speaker, habit-changer and the creator of the online program Waking Up Productive - 12 Strategic Ways to Multiply Your Productivity While Working Fewer Hours. He says, “The thoughts you habitually think have the tendency to actualize themselves in physical condiREM tions.” www.danlefave.com

REM APRIL 2018 41

Reputation is everything‌Or is it?

By Sandie Orlando

R

eal estate agents, like other professional service providers, understand that the recipe for success depends on the three Rs: Reputation, Referrals and Relevance. Your reputation is critical and leads to strong referrals if your service and approach are relevant to what the client needs.

But are reputation, referrals and relevance enough?

As a move coach, I have the opportunity to work directly with clients as they make decisions about selecting other service professionals to help with their move.

Having an inside perspective on the process illuminates another factor that counts heavily in their

choice – aligned values.

Let’s take an inside look at how one client in Forest Hill in Toronto made their decisions about selecting a moving company, contents sale manager and their real estate agent.

In the case of the moving companies, several were capable of moving their furniture and goods from one place to the next and they had an abundance of positive testimonials from happy customers. The short list included one that had been in business for more than 80 years, another that had been around for well under 10 years. Both sent an agent to the client’s home before providing an estimate and spoke to the client about how their company would handle the move. The younger company’s estimate was about 13 per cent higher, but ultimately won the contract. Why? The client’s decision came down to what was more meaning-

ful for them. In this case, the fresh approach to customer service, transparent pricing policy, environmental stance, up front discussion about how their employees are treated and motivated, openness about what they will deliver and how they would handle any problems, were all more important than 80 years of experience and a lower price.

Moving day proved that decision to be an excellent one. Not only did the crew handle the move carefully and professionally, but they demonstrated customer care well beyond their promises. They detected a gas leak that averted a potential disaster for the client – something that could easily have been ignored without the proper training and concern for doing the right thing. This was an especially selfless act because the extra time it took to ensure everyone’s safety meant spoiling any chance of the movers achieving their own time

The new Facebook algorithm

By Mark Brodsky

E

arlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook was making some changes to the content shown to users. According to his Facebook post, “I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions‌As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands and media.â€?

Naturally, this caused some negative reactions from businesses, brands and media about the effects of fewer people seeing their posts.

However, if you’ve had a Facebook Business page for any length of time, you’ve likely noticed that the number of people

seeing your posts has been dwindling.

It does highlight the fact that if you want to have any impact on Facebook, you’re going to have to invest money in advertising.

The great thing about Facebook advertising is how targeted you can get; as specific as the first three digits of a postal code and you can narrow the demographic from there. You can create different audiences to market to people with specific interests, you can exclude people with certain interests or job titles (so your ad isn’t being viewed by the competition) and the list goes on.

Your spend per ad can be as little as $25 to reach 1,000 people or more. Even if you’re ready to spend $100, if you find you’re not reaching the right people at first, you can pause the ad, tweak it and start again.

Facebook also has a tool called Lead Ads, which has mostly flown

under the radar. The benefit of a Lead Ad is you target the ad to a specific audience and when someone clicks the button to “learn more�, a form pops up with their information pre-filled, with whatever you’ve set up. You can request a full name, phone number and address. While fewer people will do this than click “like� on a post, those who do are much more qualified prospects.

While it’s still important to be posting quality content and growing your list of followers, Facebook advertising is a must if you want to increase your reach and have a more powerful, business building impact.

Mark Brodsky has been working with Realtors since 2008, producing monthly newsletters and social media management. Email mark@mbdigitalcommunications.com. Website: www.mbdigitalcommunications.com REM

bonus. My client was understandably thrilled with his choice.

In the case of the contents sale manager, the criteria for making a selection came down to good, oldfashioned values. Clearing the contents of a family home more than 25 years in the making sometimes requires more than online marketing and a promise to just “get rid of everything�. There are too many memories associated with items that simply won’t fit into their new chapter. In spite of a growing number of online options and referrals for competent managers, the client selected a family company that had built its business through word of mouth.

They had earned their reputation and referrals by listening to the stories of their clients and delivering what they valued most – care and respect for their possessions and their homes while conveying confidence in their ability to maximize sales revenue. It was a big success and their home was left cleaned

and ready for the new owners to take possession.

Further up the food chain in this story was the client’s choice of real estate agents. In this case, there was an interesting dynamic at work. As a person who never took his considerable success for granted and always felt that gratitude was an essential value in his life, he selected a highly reputable agent he knew he could trust, and who also shared and expressed the same strong set of values.

All the service professional choices this client made came down to something that runs much deeper than the things associated with reputation, a strong referral and a relevant service offering. It came down to values that resonated in alignment with the client’s own.

Sandie Orlando is a professional organizer and move coach. Visit OrganizedMoves.ca REM

WELCOME TO OUR NEW AFFILIATE IN OLDS, ALBERTA!

Rick Cowling

Ray Cavin

COLDWELL BANKER VISION REALTY &ROGZHOO %DQNHU &DQDGD LV SOHDVHG WR ZHOFRPH RXU QHZ DIĆ“ OLDWH Coldwell Banker Vision Realty LQ 2OGV $OEHUWD 2ZQHU 5LFN &RZOLQJ KDV DIĆ“ OLDWHG ZLWK WKH Coldwell BankerÂŽ JOREDO QHWZRUN RI SURIHVVLRQDOV ZRUOGZLGH UHEUDQGLQJ DQ HVWDEOLVKHG EURNHUDJH IRUPHUO\ DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK &,5 5HDOW\ 5D\ &DYLQ LV WKH RSHUDWLRQĹ?V 0DQDJLQJ %URNHU

THE POWER OF BLUE k &ROGZHOO %DQNHU //& $OO ULJKWV UHVHUYHG (DFK RIĆ“ FH LV LQGHSHQGHQWO\ RZQHG DQG RSHUDWHG &ROGZHOO %DQNHU DQG WKH &ROGZHOO %DQNHU ORJR DUH UHJLVWHUHG VHUYLFH PDUNV RZQHG E\ &ROGZHOO %DQNHU //&

42 REM APRIL 2018

An Amerindian home in Cuba Of the estimated 500,000 Tainos who lived in Cuba before the Spaniards arrived, only about 5,000 remain today, though hundreds of thousands likely have Indigenous roots.

Story and photos by Diane Slawych

C

ontrary to popular belief, the Indigenous people of Cuba didn’t entirely die off after the Spaniards colonized the island. Tainos, who were the last Amerindian group to settle on the island, can still be found in Cuba’s eastern provinces, though the chances of meeting them is slim.

But thanks to historical documents and archaeological finds in the last few decades we know how they lived many hundreds of years ago. About six km from the resort area of Guardalavaca is Aldea Taina, an authentic reconstruction of a Taino village.

Laid out on an open grassy area, it features recreated versions of their large, circular thatched dwellings, as well as a small plot of cultivated land, tropical fruit trees and life-sized models of Taino at work and play.

The Taino, who began arriving in Cuba in AD 1250 from Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, were a mostly peaceful people skilled at pottery and boat building. They cultivated food including manioc and yucca, which is still grown on the island today. Their language included words such as hurikan (hurricane), hamaka (hammock) and kanowa (canoe) that have passed into English, Spanish and other European languages. Even Cuba’s reputation for producing quality cigars can be traced back to the Taino, who grew and smoked

tobacco as part of their rituals.

The ingenious Tainos also used materials found in nature to make their huts or “bohios.” “You see over there?” said the guide, pointing to a towering Royal Palm tree not far where we were standing.

“Those dried bits that fall off from the trunk near where the berries are? That’s what they used to construct the house and the roof is made from the leaves.”

Not all the Taino bohios were intended for habitation. One of them, like the first that we enter, would’ve been reserved for use only by certain tribe members including the chief or cacique.

Inside, on the dirt ground is a decorated idol representing life and death. Nearby are models of a group of Taino men seated in a circle. This is where they would have performed rituals that included inhaling cigar smoke through their nostrils to produce hallucinations that put them in touch with the spirit world.

When they finished the ceremony, one of the men would blow into a conch shell, signaling they were ready to inform the rest of the community of the visions they received from the gods. This was followed by a dance, like the one that is replicated in the courtyard here. (Live performances usually take place here daily as well).

Another hut, similar in size and construction, is where the Tainos

A reconstructed Taino village near Guardalavaca, Cuba includes life-size models of Amerindian dancers.

The interior of one of the recreated Taino huts.

The reconstructed Taino village is near Guardalavaca, Cuba.

would have lived – a large communal space with hammocks where they would have slept.

Elsewhere on the site is a display of how cassava was prepared and then made into bread (you can sample a piece at the restaurant here); some replicas of carved “zemis” (sculptural objects which housed a spirit); and another hut that functioned as a clinic where a shaman would wave plants and

shake rattles over a patient to get in contact with the god of health and determine the nature of a person’s ailment.

Of the estimated 500,000 Tainos who lived on the island before the Spaniards arrived, only about 5,000 remain today, though hundreds of thousands likely have Indigenous roots.

The location of Aldea Taina is fitting, as more Indigenous remains

have been found in this area than any other part of Cuba.

Across the street at the Museo Chorro de Maita, you can see some of those remains – 108 Taino skeletons dating back to the 15th century, which were uncovered in 1986. In glass cabinets along the walls are dozens of artifacts that were found in the graves including ceramic jewellery, shells, spatulas to induce vomiting during purification ceremonies and fragments of earthenware pots.

New and amazing finds continue. About two decades ago, Canadian archaeologist David Pendergast and his Cuban counterparts stumbled on a group of posts at an underwater site at Los Buchillones in the central province of Ciego de Avila. It turned out to be the first almost perfectly preserved Taino house ever found and estimated to be about 400 to 700-years-old. Who knows what more will be revealed and learned in the years to come?

REM

REM APRIL 2018 43

Firm offers social media training classes

New Royal LePage solution converts online leads Royal LePage has launched a lead management solution for its agents, which the company says marries best practices in lead conversion with technology to automate the activities agents must do to convert online leads into clients.

“Immediate response and nurturing are essential to converting online leads – homebuyers who are typically much earlier in the sales cycle,” says Kelly McCain, director, business services for Royal LePage. “We know that most online leads don’t convert until the fifth contact attempt or more, however, industry statistics show that agents manage only 1.5 contact attempts. That is, of the 52 per cent of online leads that are ever responded to.”

McCain says the Smart Leads solution is designed to exponentially improve lead conversion by “distributing the right leads, to the right agents, at the right time.”

Leads are distributed according to keywords an individual brokerage sets, based on price, location, property characteristics and any other criteria.

The lead opportunity is texted and emailed to qualified agents with a set time to respond, as determined by the brokerage. Within that window, the agent can accept or decline the lead, after which it will be offered to the next agent in the queue.

Each accepted lead is added as a new contact into the agent’s Smart Studio CRM. Smart Leads dovetails with Royal LePage’s proprietary CRM to apply a best-practice action plan to convert online leads, the company says. Agents are automatically prompted with

Resource Multimedia, a Waterdown, Ont.-based social media management and content development company, is offering social media training classes tailored to real estate professionals and others in the industry. The multi-level courses will take participants from creation of business pages through to professional development and use of specific social media platforms, the company says.

The first set of courses will focus on Instagram, says the company in a news release. It says sales reps and brokers should “harness this free tool and learn about how to develop a brand on such a visual platform.”

Resource Multimedia coowner Shannon Mastaler says, “Instagram is still relatively new to many real estate professionals, but it can be incredibly valuable to gaining new clients, increasing traffic flow at open houses and increasing awareness overall.”

The courses are designed as a package that provide attendees with “everything they need from the basics of how to set up their account, to developing a personal brand, when to post and how to use external applications,” the company says. For information: www.resourcemultimedia.com/reso urce-boutique

Lone Wolf, TREB partner on transaction management system Lone Wolf Technologies has partnered with the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) to provide the board’s 52,000+ MLS system users with the transaction management solution TransactionDesk.

It includes tools for electronic

forms (InstanetForms), eSignature (Authentisign), document management (DocBox), MLS system integration and compliance review. In 2017, Lone Wolf says TransactionDesk users generated 5.5 million transactions, 31 million forms and more than 12.8 million signing packages.

Patrick Arkeveld, CEO of Lone Wolf, says TREB members will also have access to the company’s Listing Upload and MLS integration features, as well as broker compliance and file review tools as an upgrade. “TransactionDesk will save TREB members an incredible amount of time and ensure compliance with every deal, efficiencies that will elevate the experience for everyone involved in a real estate transaction,” he says.

The partnership, which will launch in late spring, also includes integration with TREB’s MLS system provided by Stratus Data Systems, and the ability to link to property assessment and land registry databases. These integrations, along with pre-programmed electronic form integration from both TREB and the Ontario Real Estate Association, will eliminate the need for duplicate data entry in multiple systems, “helping members accelerate essential tasks in their transaction workflow, like adding listings and filling out forms,” the company says.

■ ■ ■

Lone Wolf also recently announced the appointment of Tom Benson as chief sales officer.

Benson has sales and operational experience from technology companies such as Intuit and Dell.

While at Dell, Benson launched the Dell Oklahoma City campus and was part of the leadership team that supported the growth of 200 team members to 2,000. He also led teams whose annual revenues ranged as high as $600 million.

At Lone Wolf, Benson will spearhead a sales division focused on expanding the company’s footprint in the U.S market. REM Resource Multimedia owners Paula Henriques and Shannon Mastaler and their team offer social media management, content and marketing services.

GET

AT HOME

GET 12 ISSUES VISI VI ISI S T REMONLINE.COM/HOME-SUBSCRIPTION/ SIT

*plus applicable sales tax

What’s

follow-up activities, scripts and drip campaigns for each lead they accept.

44 REM APRIL 2018

ner relationships. Committee members Ally Keith, Manson Kelly, Brent Oleksy, Nancy Stuart, Teresa Lawrence, Leslie Hatfield, Sarah Ball, John Guliker, Sam Oyemala, Brett Johnson and Rebecca Munro say the event’s record-breaking year is due to their supportive community, sponsors and volunteers. This annual event has raised more than $760,000 since inception.

Good Works T

he mother-daughter realty team of Sandy Bodnar and Rayissa Palmer of Sutton Group - Old Mill Realty in Toronto collected more than 100 pairs of gently used shoes in the 22nd annual Ron White Shoe Drive recently. Donations of men’s and women’s shoes are distributed to charitable organizations in the GTA including the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Foundation’s Gifts of Light, the New Circles Glow clothing program and Dress for Success. Since 1996, this drive has collected 40,000 pairs of shoes for those in need.

“The shoes go to various charities, including helping women who are re-entering the workforce and need professional attire,” says Palmer. “Growing up,

we supported clothing drives and women’s shelters and Sandy volunteered for years at a women’s shelter in Toronto…. Life can be tough and you never know when you are going to be up or down. If we can help even one person who happens to be down at this moment with some of the shoes that we collected, it makes it all worthwhile.”

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage South Country Real Estate raised more than $70,000 at its 20th annual Royal Gala, held late last year in Lethbridge, Alta. All funds raised support a local women’s shelter, YWCA Lethbridge & District Harbour House, a 30-bed crisis unit for women and children who are escaping abusive intimate part-

Right At Home Realty co-founder Howard Drukarsh recently presented Ene Underwood, CEO of Habitat for Humanity GTA, with a cheque for $77,600. The funds were collected by Right At Home Realty agents in 2017.

Rayissa Palmer, left, and Sandy Bodnar collect shoes for the Ron White Shoe Drive.

■ ■ ■

Sutton Group - First Choice Realty in Stratford, Ont. recently supported two local events that warmed people’s spirits on cold winter days. First was Stratford Winterfest, a family-friendly event featuring ice block forts, a petting zoo, a bouncy castle playground, an ice sculpture competition and high-performance snowmobile stunts. The other was the Heartburn Day - Chili Cook-Off in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Sales rep Stephanie Theodoropoulos says, “Businesses, restaurants and service clubs all come together to see who can make the best chili. Hundreds of locals come out to taste and vote for the best while they shop the

From left: Clare MacIntosh, Stephanie Theodoropoulos and Danny Hunter from Sutton Group - First Choice Realty in Stratford, Ont.

Keith Bradbury and his wife Brenda Snow present a cheque to representatives of Daffodil Place.

(Photo: Canadian Cancer Society)

silent auction table, listen to live music and chat with friends.

Sutton Group - First Choice Realty is a major sponsor of the event and we volunteer selling tickets and taking donations at the door. The event raised over $30,000.”

In 2017, the office raised $6,102 for the Stratford Perth Hospice Project through a silent auction, dinner and an office contribution.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage Plus in SaintJerome, Que. raised $2,100 at its inaugural bowling night in support of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. The sold-out event welcomed Royal LePage sales reps, business partners and clients for an evening of bowling and prizes.

“We had a great time and received a lot of positive feedback,” says organizing committee member Christiane Lavoie. “We’re very proud of our first event held in support of our local women’s shelter and we’re certain this will become an annual tradition.” The money raised was directed to La Maison D’Ariane.

■ ■ ■

Bowling Night for Shelter committee members Karine Gosselin, Alain Aubry, Christiane Lavoie, Carole Bourassa and Guy Richard announce Gabrielle St-Jean (centre in stripes) as winner of one of the evening’s prizes at the Royal LePage Plus fundraiser.

Royal LePage sales representatives Joann Laflamme and Linda Murphy get ready to enter the ski race while cheered on by Royal LePage Shelter Foundation executive director Shanan Spencer-Brown.

Keith Bradbury, broker/owner at Re/Max United in Mount Pearl, Nfld., together with his wife Brenda Snow, recently organized and hosted a fundraiser at their home in support of the Canadian Cancer Society’s Daffodil Place.

The Buy a Night event raised $120,000 for the 24-room facility, which provides affordable accommodations for people with cancer and their caregivers who must travel to St. John’s for cancer treatment. Daffodil Place seeks to further ease the financial and emotional burden of cancer diagnosis by also providing hot meals and snacks, transportation to and from appointments, evening entertainment and emotional and practical support.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage Locations North in Collingwood, Ont. hosted its 33rd Annual Ski & Snowshoe Day at Craigleith Ski Club recently.

The event raised $22,000 for two local charities. Conditions were perfect for the 200 attendees who enjoyed a day of outdoor fun, gourmet lunch and après ski socializing. Funds raised support Hospice Continued on page 45

Royal LePage South County Real Estate Royal Gala committee members and supporters celebrate the event’s record-breaking year.

Gino Quilico and his musicians on stage in Westmount, in a concert sponsored by Re/Max Action.

REM APRIL 2018 45

5 ways to attract (and keep) great staff

By Mark Gordon

A

ccording to one Gallup poll, 50 per cent of employees leave their job because of their bosses. Other studies have shown that employees leave for several other reasons such as opportunity, better pay or more responsibility. Regardless, attracting and retaining quality staff is not only good for the bottom line, it’s good for customer service. So here are five ways to best attract and retain great staff.

Be a coach, not a dictator. We all know being a manager or owner is not an elected position. Maybe that’s why so many managers are prone to bark orders and rely on negative reinforcement. Instead, become a coach. Team coaches are still the boss, but understand that like athletes, staff need to be instructed, encouraged, praised, appreciated and when necessary, disciplined. The key is to prioritize your energy towards the positive tasks first.

Be flexible – to a point.

Regardless of what some bosses think, employees do not live to

work. They have lives outside of the company. A sick parent, a dentist appointment or a child’s class field trip can all conflict with a preset work schedule. Setting policies that give freedom within established boundaries can reduce stress and allow staff to better focus on their jobs when at the office.

An employee who is not sure what they are allowed to say will always say no.

Understand the job.

Managers often have a hard time understanding what employees go through on a daily basis, especially if it’s a job they’ve never held themselves. Being yelled at by customers, meeting tight deadlines, hard physical labour – these can all impact mood and productivity.

Understanding how daily tasks can affect staff well-being will result in more empathetic and thoughtful bosses.

Good Works Continued from page 44

Georgian Triangle and an emergency women’s shelter, My Friend’s House, via the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.

■ ■ ■

Be a problem solver.

Managers need to understand that they and their staff are all on the same team. And anyone who feels part of a team naturally wants to contribute more. Helping staff solve work-related problems not only reduces down time, it can present opportunities for ineffective processes and procedures to be updated.

Empower others. An employee who is not sure what they are allowed to say will always say no.

This can result in angry customers, lost sales or missed opportunities.

Staff that are empowered to make decisions within a framework of guidelines will usually make the right ones. Empowerment will also lead to pride and ownership of their positions – two traits that employees will likely not want to give up.

Marc Gordon is a recognized marketing expert, speaker and strategist. His articles appear in over 200 publications worldwide. Visit marcgordon.ca or his online show at marctv.net for more business tips.

Re/Max Action in Westmount recently was a major sponsor of a fundraising concert featuring world-renowned baritone Gino Quilico in Westmount’s iconic Victoria Hall. Serata d’Amore (Famous Love Songs) was presented to a capacity audience by The Rotary Club of Westmount, to raise funds for its Kenya Safe Water Project and other community service initiatives.

The project reduces illness and death caused by water-borne illness by providing people with a sustainable method of creating safe drinking water.

“Three of our Realtors are Rotarians,” says Patricia Ciancotti, broker/owner of Re/Max Action, “and we’re proud to have helped The Rotary Club of Westmount raise over $9,000 in support of their service initiatives.”

■ ■ ■

Engel & Völkers was an official sponsor of 24h BLUEMTN, a ski relay challenge supporting Special Olympics Ontario and the Collingwood General & Marine

Hospital Foundation.

The Engel & Völkers relay team had 11 skiers, with each person skiing for one hour. The team placed in the top 10 and completed 229 runs.

In addition to sponsoring, Engel & Völkers raised $11,000 for participating charities. Max Hahne, license partner at Engel & Völkers Collingwood Muskoka personally donated $5,000, with an additional $6,000 donated by: Derek Li, license partner, Engel & Völkers Richmond Hill; Ben Corbier, Engel & Völkers Pickering Ajax; Ron Amendola, Engel & Völkers Toronto Uptown; Anita Springate-Renaud, Engel & Völkers Toronto Central; Carmela D’Amico and Peter Fischer, Engel & Völkers Niagara; Scott Russell, Jo-Anne Copeland and Richard Rutkowski, Engel & Völkers Oakville; and Jeremy Brooks, license partner, Engel & Völkers Barrie.

The relay began with an opening ceremony, followed by the 24hour fun and friendly fundraising race with 700 participants skiing on a reserved Blue Mountain run.

The event brought in approximately 15,000 people from across the Greater Toronto Area including Canadian downhill skiing Olympian Ryan Stemmle.

REM

REM

What’s a video worth?

By Adam Dumond f a picture is worth 1,000 words, what’s a video worth?

Why do corporations like Budweiser spend $5 million on a 30-second Super Bowl ad?

For one, it puts their company in front of millions of people. A video can also invoke an emotion faster than any other type of ad.

I

Video has the best “lasting effect” (people will remember it) over every other type of marketing.

Budweiser knows this and hopes the next time you’re in the beer store or at a bar, your subconscious will take over, activate your emotional response and buy.

It doesn’t stop there for the Budweiser Super Bowl commercial. People will talk about all the ads in the following weeks. The ads will appear on morning talk shows, YouTube and Facebook.

People will discuss which ad was the best. This trickle-down effect magnifies the brand 10-fold.

Advertisers work all year to get this “word-of-mouth” or “viral”

effect. The cost of $5 million for a 30-second ad can turn into $50 million of exposure value.

More than half of all product purchasing is due to word of mouth, according to entrepreneur.com. This shouldn’t be a surprise to real estate professionals.

The tough part is getting the “word of mouth” to happen for you and your business.

First things first. Do you use videos for real estate? If so, great, you are among the less than 10 per cent of real estate salespeople who use video. Remember that more than 73 per cent of sellers are more likely to use a salesperson who uses video marketing.

Place your videos on YouTube and your Business Facebook and Instagram pages.

Videos of listings are the most common, but there are many other opportunities to get your videos out there. Consider doing a market report for your area. This kind of video should be statistical, with relevant information regarding your market. You can also do an “explainer video”, which explains something new or complicated to the viewer. An example would be the new mortgage rules.

Get a mortgage broker you trust with you on camera. Make sure to explain in simple, easy-to-

understand terms. Or do one about insulating an attic, with a local renovation contractor.

A great video is one that shows your character and personality.

Team videos, a year in review video or a charity video will all show the viewer who you are. Videos like these will surely create more awareness for your business and who knows, maybe one will go viral.

Happy video making.

By the way, a 60-second video is worth 1.8 million words.

Adam Dumond is a sales representative with Royal LePage Key Realty in Sarnia, Ont. REM

46 REM APRIL 2018

THE PUBLISHER’S PAGE

By Heino Molls or all the good people who follow this column and enjoy reading it (and I mean both of you), I would like to clarify that my retirement will officially be in June. This being the April issue, I have three columns left to write. I have been thinking that if I have anything important to write about or get off my chest, I should do it now. So here goes.

First off, I am often teased about how many words I use. I admit it. I have never met a short paragraph in my life. My dear friend and REM’s former marketing director, Dennis Rock, once said, “Heino doesn’t just send you an email, he’ll write you an opuscule.� Dennis is now retired and living the Life of Riley. I miss his humour around the office.

If I was to try to be succinct and

MARKETPLACE

F

Retirement in three columns sum up my thoughts about the Canadian real estate community in as few words as possible, I would simply say this: It is in good shape.

It is in good shape for one simple reason: integrity. It’s all in the numbers.

How many agents are licensed to sell real estate in Canada? A reasonable guess would be between 150,000 to 170,000 people. Not all in that number are active, nor are they all members of CREA, but most are. All the licensing in the country is under the jurisdiction of 10 provinces. That is not an unwieldy group of regulators.

Some alleged experts say there are about a dozen large real estate companies in the country, depending on your definition of large. I think it’s about 15. Most real estate transactions in this country are done by those companies. That means there is no monopoly on real estate transactions in Canada by anybody. There are a reasonable number of companies to license and regulate. That makes it simpler to manage and to make sure that all adhere to rules of etiquette, operate ethically and conduct their

business under the law of the land.

There are of course, thousands of independent real estate companies and brokers who are also ethical and honest. And there are outliers – cheaters and scoundrels in this business. Show me any business that is squeaky clean. There aren’t any. Even the Government of Canada and your local police department messes up and has

have to admire or at the very least, acknowledge that when someone is caught doing unethical business in the real estate community, it is put right out front in the press with no one in the industry trying to cover it up. This business takes the shame of one of its own and holds it right up in front of everybody as an example that all will be done to eradicate that behaviour.

We are getting better all the time at catching the cheaters and the bad guys. I believe the real estate business in Canada leads the way. scam artists in its midst.

We are getting better all the time at catching the cheaters and bad guys. I believe the real estate business in Canada leads the way.

There are a lot of stories about bad people in this business and there will be more in the future. You

At the end of the day the real estate industry in Canada compares well in terms of integrity to any industry you care to name. One of the reasons for that is that with over a dozen large companies doing most of the business, there is a strict adherence to integrity and honesty.

Not one of these companies wants to be painted with the brush of dishonesty and they will do all they can internally to prevent it. They police themselves and there are enough in the community to police each other, unlike a police department or a government agency like the CRA that polices themselves without a competitor.

The associations within organized real estate in Canada all answer to the people who pay their fees. None of them are closed shops. Anybody in this business who wants to be involved in the administration and ethics of their association on any level can do so.

Anybody who is a member of CREA can be the president of the whole shebang. As long as you don’t cheat.

If I was the boss of it all I would run a public campaign to tell the country about the honesty and integrity that this industry thrives on. I am retiring in June however, so I will simply ask you to do it.

Heino Molls is publisher of REM. Email heino@remonline.com.

OPENING YOUR OWN OFFICE WITH US, HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER! Follow the lead of London, Niagara Falls, Niagara On The Lake, Belleville, Sauble Beach, Listowel, Fonthill, Hanover, Port Rowan, and the Peak Real Estate Network.

Visit:

www.peakrealestate.com

Promoting Professionalism and Competency in the Home Inspection Industry Find your inspector now at

www.phpic.ca

PARK YOUR REAL ESTATE LICENSE Call (905) 771 - 9569 w cronerealty.com

realtywebsites.ca Show all listings from your real estate board. $4.95/mo.

REM

Afraid of technology?

Tired of technology?

Do what thousands of successful agents have done and join...

The Agent Inner Circle

n

le

In

Learn Proven Real Estate Success Secrets From Our Community Of Top Agents… For FREE…

E G N

T

The secret to success is good old fashioned processes, keeping in touch with your sphere of influence, keeping your skills sharp and learning from others.

A

The secret to success isn’t jumping on the latest fad or finding a magic button to push.

er

c r Ci

www.AgentInnerCircle.com/REM Are you a new agent to the business? Try our proven 3-Steps Ultimate Real Estate Success System

www.3-steps.com/REM and jump-start your career!

“The 3 Strategies In this Special Report Turned My Real Estate Practice Into A Commission-Generating Machine...”

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME WITH THE NEW REALTOR.CA BLOG Living Room is filled with useful and entertaining posts about everything in and around the home.

Through our daily blog and social posts, REALTORS® are giving Canadians even more opportunities to connect and build lifelong relationships.

Need a reason to reach out to prospects and clients? Stay in touch by sharing your favourite posts.

Start sharing today: REALTOR.ca/TrendsInsights @REALTORdotca

@REALTORdotca

@REALTORdotca

@REALTORdotca