December 2011

Issue #270

December 2011

Cycling from Florida to Ontario Jarrod Davis’ gruelling lesson on reaching your goals Page 16

Quebec boards threaten to pull out of CREA Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 42218523 - Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 2255B Queen St. E., #1178, Toronto ON M4E 1G3

Page 3

CREA, Realtysellers both get standing at Competition Tribunal hearing Page 8

No limits for 20-year-old sales rep Page 20

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REM DECEMBER 2011 3

Quebec boards threaten to pull out of CREA

By Danny Kucharsky

A

Quebec real estate board says it will pull out of the Canadian Real Estate Association unless CREA makes major changes, and says other equally disgruntled boards in the province are ready to follow its lead.

“We feel we pay way too much for not much in return,” says Lise Desrochers, general manager of the 248-member Chambre immobilière de la Haute-Yamaska in Granby.

Desrochers cites several reasons for the desire to leave, including a lack of services, technology “that is often deficient,” high fees and “increases that are really unjustified and demands that are not listened to.”

She says that data on Realtor.ca is not well-enough protected, which easily allows nonmembers to make use of the service. “We’re paying for things we think we can easily obtain here in Quebec through the use of

Centris,” she says of Centris.ca, the Quebec online listings site that is part of the Fédération des chambres immobilières du Québec (Quebec Federation of Real Estate Boards). The federation oversees Quebec’s 12 real estate boards.

In a letter sent to CREA Oct. 11, the Haute-Yamaska board outlined its concerns and advised CREA that it will leave Dec. 31, 2012. The advance notice would give the board the time to make alternate arrangements, Desrochers says, and not leave it in the lurch.

Two days after the letter was sent, CREA requested a meeting with the Haute-Yamaska board, which was scheduled for midNovember.

Desrochers says the possibility of bowing out of CREA has been the topic of several meetings with the other real estate boards in Quebec. “There are boards that are very much in agreement, but it

always takes one to get the ball rolling. And we’re the ones that decided to do it.”

While some boards fully support the Haute-Yamaska board’s move, Desrochers says some Quebec boards are afraid of the risks stemming from a CREA departure and the comments that would ensue if they took that step.

Members of the HauteYamaska board were consulted last year about their involvement in CREA. “The members all asked, ‘What does CREA do for us, aside from asking us to go to meetings?’

Organizing meetings or conventions all the time won’t change things.”

Desrochers says members are not getting enough services for the money they pay to CREA. “They pay, pay, pay, but don’t see much.” According to Desrochers, boards outside Quebec are also complaining about CREA, “saying it’s expensive for what it gives back.”

SRAR EO Harry Janzen dies in Saskatoon

arry Janzen, EO of the Saskatchewan Region Association Realtors, died at his home Nov. 9 of pancreatic cancer. He was 58.

Born in Saskatoon, Mr. Janzen entered the real estate industry in 1978. He was a top-selling agent, an owner and a recruiter/trainer at various times in his career, and was broker/manager of Century 21 Dome in Saskatoon. He also served in several director positions and as president of the Saskatoon Real Estate Board.

His obituary says, “He loved his job of service and care and was as excited for the success of others

H

as he was for his own successes and inspired others to be the very best they could be. He believed in continuous improvement and strived to research the very newest and best approaches for improving the services real estate (professionals) can offer to the public.”

In an online book of condolences, Steve Funkner of North Battleford, Sask., wrote, “Harry was a big man with a big heart. I had the chance to work with him at Century 21 when I worked with Leah Brisdon & Associates, and he always seemed to have time to stop and listen to people even when he was busy. Harry leaves a huge void in the Saskatoon real estate landscape and he will be missed. My condolences to his family and my prayers are with you at this time.

The world is a little dimmer and heaven is a little brighter now that he is gone.”

Gary Emde of Saskatoon wrote: “I have seen Harry’s incredible drive and determination while serving on SRAR with his guidance. He put his best into everything, and he wore his heart on his sleeve.

Harry’s vision and his efforts to enhance our business have not gone unnoticed, and he will always be remembered for his commitment to his passion of real estate.”

Harry Howard Janzen is survived by his wife Marian Janzen; the mother of his children, Therese Janzen; his son Rod (Cora) Janzen, his daughters, Julie (Dave) Hiebert, and Sheri (Jeff) Henderson and eight grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Palliative Care Unit at St. Paul’s Hospital, 1702 20th St. W., Saskatoon, SK S7M 0Z9. REM

She is also critical of “unjustified” dues increases in recent years and says more such increases are on the way. “It’s a bit of a shock,” she says of dues that “have increased enormously” in the last several years.

The Haute-Yamaska board does not want to have to increase dues to its members, given all the other fees they have to pay, she says.

In a recent interview with REM, CREA president Gary Morse said CREA has “had discussions with pretty much all of the boards in Quebec over the last two to three months in order to satisfy questions and concerns.” He expressed certainty the improved communication had satisfied some of their concerns.

Morse added: “I can understand if there are people out there who maybe question the value they are getting from CREA, because CREA has never been in a position to be able to communi-

cate its value proposition directly to the members on the street.

And if I never heard from my national association, I might wonder what they do and what I’m paying for. It’s a fair complaint when people say, “What does my national association do?” That’s something we need to address and we are addressing it.”

Desrochers says the decision to leave CREA “is pretty well made at the moment” and that it “would take a big reversal” to stay. “We have until the end of December 2012 to change our mind. It would depend on the goodwill of others.”

But, she warns CREA: “If you don’t act, we’re leaving.”

She says the Quebec Federation of Real Estate Boards and Centris respond to the HauteYamaska board’s needs and would easily take CREA’s place should her board carry out its threat.

“They won’t let us fall by the wayside. We’re not worried about what happens.” REM

Brampton broker’s license revoked over land deals

A

Brampton, Ont. real estate broker who misled four Woodstock area landowners by obtaining separate purchasing agreements for the same property from two different developers can no longer trade in real estate in Ontario, the License Appeal Tribunal (LAT) has ruled.

The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) issued a proposal to revoke the registration of Gordon Simpson, 76, as well as his brokerage Diversified Development Realty. Simpson had appealed the proposal. In its decision released Nov. 7, 2011, LAT upheld the proposals to revoke the registration of Simpson and his brokerage.

RECO argued that Simpson had not represented the best

interests of his clients and his pattern of unethical behaviour suggested there were reasonable grounds for belief that he would not, in the future, conduct business in accordance with the law and with honesty and integrity.

In her decision, LAT vicechair Jane Weary said that Simpson had proven himself “ungovernable”. She also noted the “horrendous experiences suffered by his consumer clients” as well as the original buyer of the property.

In a news release, RECO says LAT was told that Simpson was representing both the buyers and sellers in relation to four large tracts of farmland near the city of Woodstock. After facilitating an Continued on page 6

4 REM DECEMBER 2011

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 egend Real Estate Group, with offices in Vancouver and Richmond, B.C., has joined the Coldwell Banker franchise network. It will operate as Coldwell Banker Legend Real Estate Group, with 85 full-time sales reps.

Broker/owner Gina Lin says, “A large portion of our company’s business is devoted to working with Asian buyers, including buyers from off shore. Coldwell Banker has a powerful global presence and can open many new doors for us on the international scene.”

Lin says, “Our area is Canada’s hottest housing market, and with good reason. It has universal appeal, whether it’s from Canada’s aging baby boomer population moving to our milder climate or to Asian buyers looking to relocate to Canada’s west coast. Our market offers amenities to suit any demographic group or ethnic origin.”

John Geha, president of Coldwell Banker Canada, says, “The current group of Chinese homebuyers in Vancouver is the third ‘wave’ from Asia since 1990, following Taiwanese and Hong

L

Kong immigration. People from mainland China are the ‘new’ Chinese immigrants. If you look at the cost per square foot in Canadian cities, even in our most expensive market of Vancouver, it’s a bargain here compared to Chinese markets. In Beijing, a buyer could easily pay over $1,000/sq. ft. for housing. That price would be very top end in Vancouver, for the best you can get.”

■ ■ ■

Century 21 Multi-Services Inc. has expanded its operations with a new satellite office in Aylmer, Que. “The population in Aylmer is expanding, making this a perfect time to open a new office in the area,” says Gilbert Brisson, owner of Century 21 Multi-Services. “My main goal is to recruit five new real estate professionals to help our clients with their real estate needs.”

Century 21 Multi-Services is serving all residents in the greater Outaouais region, from Portagedu-Fort to Maniwaki, and through Gatineau including Pontiac.

■ ■ ■

Veteran sales rep Jim Fannon of St. Catharines, Ont. has joined Coldwell Banker Momentum Realty Brokerage and broker Peggy

Rose. He also joins his brother Bill Fannon at the brokerage. “We form Team Niagara and sell from Fort Erie to Grimsby and all parts in between in the Greater Niagara Region,” says Jim Fannon. He was formerly with Re/Max Garden City Realty for almost 20 years.

■ ■ ■

Corinne Lyall and Jan Lyall, owners of Royal LePage Benchmark, have acquired Royal LePage Ram Realty in Calgary.

Dave Burns, former owner of Royal LePage Ram Realty, will remain with the brokerage.

The expansion adds 25 salespeople to the Royal LePage Benchmark team, bringing the combined sales force to more than 80 Realtors.

■ ■ ■

Saint Lambert, Que. real estate professional Steven Souaid recently bought a 100-year-old home for the main location for his new company, Century 21 Alliance.

Located at 384 Avenue Victoria, Century 21 Alliance is now serving the residents of the South Shore of Montreal as well as the downtown core.

“I grew up in Saint Lambert and have a great affection for the community,” says Souaid. “Our new office offers brokers and sales

representatives a work environment that represents the ambiance of this vibrant community.”

He has nearly 10 years of experience in the real estate industry.

■ ■ ■

Local real estate professionals joined forces to open the latest real estate company in Rimouski, Que., Century 21 L’Équipe.

With both controlling a large share of the area’s real estate market, new owners Julien Brisson and Jonathan Castonguay decided to pool their resources and open Century 21 L’Équiper. Located at 162 rue Saint-Germain Ouest, it is now assisting residents in the Lower St. Lawrence region with their real estate needs.

■ ■ ■

Dierdre Mullen has been appointed manager of Coldwell Banker R.M.R. Real Estate’s head office in Whitby, Ont. “Mullen is a consummate specialist in residential real estate who has been affiliated with Coldwell Banker R.M.R. for eight years,” says president and broker of record Rafael Roberto.

“During that time, she has demonstrated the highest professional standards and a dedication to satisfying the needs of her clients by providing them with

the highest level of support available.”

Mullen has earned her broker’s license, as well as the International Sterling Society Award and the Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR) and Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designations.

She is the current president of the Durham Region Association of Realtors.

Coldwell Banker R.M.R. Real Estate was established in 1976 and has over 150 sales reps and employees in 10 offices.

■ ■ ■

Kawartha Realty of Coboconk and the Kawarthas in Ontario is the newest member of the Aventure Realty Network. Gail McCormack, broker/owner, and a strong team bring a history of success and market strength to Aventure, the company says. The brokerage services the recreational and residential market throughout the Kawarthas.

■ ■ ■

A Toronto real estate broker who was sentenced in August to more than four years in jail for his part in a marijuana grow operation has had his registration revoked by the registrar of the Real Estate Continued on page 6

Gilbert Brisson

Steven Souaid

Corinne Lyall and Jan Lyall

Jonathan Castonguay, left, and Julien Brisson of Century 21 L’Équipe.

6 REM DECEMBER 2011

Continued from page 4

Council of Ontario (RECO).

The registrar sought to revoke Jiancheng (John) Huang’s registration on July 21 on the grounds of his involvement in drug trafficking and his conspiracy with others to carry out criminal activity.

Huang initially appealed the registrar’s decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal but withdrew his appeal on Oct. 31.

Huang is no longer permitted to act as a real estate broker or otherwise trade in real estate in Ontario. He was one of 12 people charged in 2009 following a police investigation in the Belleville area that turned up $22 million in marijuana, says RECO. During his trial, the prosecution alleged that Huang used his position in real estate to aid the establishment of a criminal enterprise.

Several Belleville homes were purchased and transformed into marijuana grow-ops, RECO says.

Huang was convicted of conspiracy to commit a criminal offence, production of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking. He has appealed his criminal convictions.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage has launched a new mobile website developed for Android, iPhone and BlackBerry mobile devices. With a user-friendly, app-like feel, the site will provide information on Royal LePage listings across Canada, as well as a wide range of neighbourhood information, the company says.

“To help prospective buyers make informed decisions, our new mobile site allows users to gain extra insights from the seller about their home and comments from the agent about the neighbourhood,” says Phil Soper, president and chief executive, Royal LePage.

“While it will take some time to get the seller and agent comments

Cover photo: RYAN PARENT

populated, we have many advanced features to serve as the backbone for the mobile site.”

In what Royal LePage has coined “Neighbourhood Navigator,” seller and agent comments will combine with neighbourhood “walkability scores” and consumer rankings of nearby businesses to provide insights for users.

In addition to cross-Canada property searching, the mobile website takes advantage of a user’s GPS location to locate nearby open houses and neighbourhood amenities including schools, banks, grocery stores, restaurants and cafes.

The site also offers users the ability to contact the listing agent or find a nearby Royal LePage office.

Two examples of cities that have been pre-populating or piloting the seller and agent comments are Kelowna, B.C. and Gatineau, Que. Listings that feature seller or agent comments appear as “Info Plus” listings.

■ ■ ■

Century 21 Canada is rolling out a revamped and updated Management Academy. Taking place in Toronto from Dec. 12 to 16, the course will be delivered by Chris Leader, a Canadian business development trainer who started his real estate career with Century 21 over 30 years ago.

The Canadian Management Academy is “five intensive days of the most current, relevant and engaging material to help Century 21 brokers proactively and profitably run their businesses and get a leg up on the competition,” the company says.

The course addresses the seven fundamentals of real estate office management: sales management, recruiting, business planning, training, upgrading, leadership and motivation.

Century 21 Canada also recently launched ClientConnect, a new prospecting and contact management system. Contained

Publisher HEINO MOLLS email: heino@remonline.com Director, Sales & Marketing DENNIS ROCK email: dennis@remonline.com Manager, French Edition MICHEL CHEVALIER michel@remenligne.com Digital Media Manager WILLIAM MOLLS web@remonline.com Brand Design SANDRA GOODER

within the Century 21 OnlineOffice, ClientConnect allows system members to • synchronize with mobile devices • import data from any source – including Facebook • mail merge letters, labels and envelopes • create automatic marketing drip campaigns • create automatic lead management and follow-up • access a marketing content library with hundreds of pieces of content • manage real estate activity • create and manage dynamic groups • use powerful calendar and mobile device connectivity • record client communication history “The great thing about this system is that our members will be able to communicate with their clients and contacts much more efficiently,” says Don Lawby.

“And with the synchronizations available, one contact change from your phone will automatically update ClientConnect.”

executive vice-president, U.S. and international regional development.

The site includes a news feed and a rotating spotlight on a specific country or region, offering visitors insight into that market and any new developments. REM

Royal LePage’s new mobile website Gail McCormack

■ ■ ■

Re/Max LLC has launched a new website, global.remax.com, that it calls “the first truly global resource for consumers, with hundreds of thousands of home listings in countries around the world.”

The site has customized search tools that allow buyers to search for properties in 30 languages, translate currencies and find the latest international real estate news. The site has listings from Brazil, France, Italy, India, Portugal, the United States, Canada, Italy and New Zealand – a total of more than 60 countries and territories around the world.

“We make our customers our priority and they told us they needed a comprehensive resource for international properties,” said William E. Soteroff, Re/Max

Editor in Chief JIM ADAIR email: jim@remonline.com Distribution & Production MILA PURCELL distribution@remonline.com

Dierdre Mullen

Brampton broker’s license Continued from page 4

agreement of sale between the property owners and a developer, various clients were misled into entering into a deal with a new developer. As a result, the seller clients ended up in litigation for selling their properties to two separate developers.

RECO’s legal counsel Robert Maxwell also provided evidence of Simpson’s refusal to comply with his obligation to co-operate with the regulator during an investigation. RECO also presented evidence related to

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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 2011 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.

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REALTOR® and REALTORS® are trademarks controlled in Canada by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify licensed real estate practitioners who are members of CREA. MLS® and Multiple Listing Service® are trademarks owned by CREA and identify the services rendered by members of CREA.

Simpson’s attempt to obtain commissions improperly by bypassing his brokerage at the time, in contravention of REBBA 2002.

“The uncontested evidence presented overwhelmingly demonstrates ongoing and repeated failures of the applicants (Simpson and Diversified Development Realty) to abide by the regulatory requirements,” LAT ruled. To view a copy of the LAT decision, visit RECO’s website at www.reco.on.ca. REM

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8 REM DECEMBER 2011

CREA, Realtysellers both get standing at hearing C

REA and Realtysellers Real Estate have both been granted leave to intervene in the Competition Tribunal proceedings between the Competition Bureau and the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB).

Earlier this year, Commissioner of Competition Melanie Aitken filed an application alleging that TREB’s MLS restrictions and its proposed virtual office website (VOW) policies are anti-competitive.

Madam Justice Sandra J. Simpson ruled that both CREA and Realtysellers bring unique perspectives to the case, but both will be limited to addressing specific topics.

Lawrence Dale, president of Realtysellers, told REM: “The tribunal recognized that Realtysellers is the leading brokerage in this area and has a distinct perspective in these matters. We were granted intervention on essentially the terms we requested. This issue affects us and the tribunal acknowledged we were entitled to a seat at the table.”

Justice Simpson wrote in her ruling: “In my view, although it is a new company which, for the moment, operates on the ‘sell’ side of the business of operating a real estate brokerage, RS (Realtysellers) has a distinct perspective and is directly affected by TREB’s MLS Restrictions, including the Proposed VOW Rules…RS is the only broker which has indicated to the Tribunal that is has such plans.”

TREB opposed Realtyseller’s application for intervenor status, and did not comment on the Tribunal’s decision to include the firm in the proceedings.

The court ruled that “the Tribunal will hear evidence about RS’s view of how it will operate a virtual office over the current Internet and of the difficulties caused by the MLS Restrictions.”

The court rejected Realtysellers’ request to address privacy issues, stating that “this is the one topic proposed by RS on which it does not bring a unique perspective.”

“There is a further caveat,” wrote Justice Simpson. “Because

of the lengthy litigation history and the current lawsuits between RS’ senior executives and TREB in which damages totaling more than half a billion dollars are claimed, counsel for RS undertook not to call Lawrence Dale as a witness on the RS topics. In my view, testimony from Fraser Beach should also be excluded and I have decided that he is also prohibited from testifying on the RS topics.”

Beach was at the centre of a previous court battle between TREB and Realtysellers, when the broker was denied access to the MLS system for making MLS information available to a third party.

Although Dale and Fraser will not testify as part of the Realtysellers topics, the Competition Bureau may call both of them to testify at the hearing.

In a news release, CREA president Gary Morse says, “We are pleased that the Tribunal is willing to hear our position in this matter and look forward to contributing to the Tribunal on important issues that will affect

not only TREB and its members, but will also have broader implications for other boards and associations.”

CREA may address the development, use and competitive impact of Internet data-sharing vehicles in Canada other than VOWs. It can discuss the appropriate terms of use, policies and rules that would be in place for these vehicles; and it may talk about the impact of the proposed remedies on CREA and its members, including on the MLS and Realtor trademarks.

The court ruled that CREA will not be allowed to discuss VOWs because the case is specifically about TREB’s proposed VOW policy. CREA was also turned down in its request to address the “appropriate definition of the market and geographic markets”.

CREA had also asked that it be allowed to intervene on the basis that it will not be liable for costs and will not seek costs, but that request was refused. Justice Simpson wrote, “While I have no doubt that CREA will behave

responsibly and abide by the terms on which its intervention has been allowed, I do not want to fetter the discretion of the panel hearing this matter to make an adverse cost award should unforeseen circumstances develop.”

In a news release, TREB said it supported CREA’s application for intervenor status and was “disappointed and surprised by the commissioner’s attempts to have CREA barred from participating in the proceedings.”

“We believe the Tribunal has made the right decision,” says TREB president Richard Silver in the release. “The commissioner wants to impose changes that could adversely impact the privacy rights of all Canadians and the entire Canadian real estate market by forcing private consumer information to be made available on the Internet. As a national association, CREA’s participation in the hearings before the Tribunal is vital to a proper hearing of the matter.”

The hearing is not expected to start for several months. It will take place in Toronto. REM

Don Kottick named president of Right at Home

By Melanie Epp

R

ight at Home Realty’s new president, Don Kottick, has spent his entire career in the real estate industry. Along the way, he has acquired an impressive set of skills – a unique blend of technology, marketing and real estate expertise – making him the perfect choice for a growing company with a groundbreaking business model.

Kottick says, “When I learned about (Right at Home), I was very, very impressed. It’s one of the best kept secrets in the market right now.”

The founders, Arthur Bartram, Howard Drukarsh and Ron Peddicord, created Right at Home Realty seven years ago and the company has grown to include more than 2,000 sales reps. Bartram, the former presi-

dent, will remain actively involved in the company as a member of the Board of Directors and strategic advisor.

“This year alone, they’re slated to transact close to 10,000 transactions, which is really unheard of – not only at the Toronto Real Estate Board, but also in Canada – for an independently owned company,” says Kottick. “They’ve grown to be the largest independently owned brokerage in Canada.”

Kottick attributes their success to their business model – a model that empowers agents by allowing them to control their own commissions.

“The agents get 100 per cent of the commissions,” says Kottick. “The company takes a monthly fee and a transaction fee, but the agents have the abil-

ity to control their business, so it’s really an empowerment model.”

Kottick says, “I feel Right at Home Realty is positioned to impact the industry similarly to what Re/Max did in the ‘90s.”

Kottick says that there are a number of things that position the company well. The Board of Directors, who Kottick calls “an impressive group,” guides the company. It is also well funded; successful business executives sit on the board and invest in the company. “They’re very leadingedge,” says Kottick. “Very futureminded in terms of where they want the company to go.” It has a great training program, which is constantly being updated and enhanced, and is well positioned in terms of technology and social media, he says.

Kottick began his real estate career with Johnston and Daniel Real Estate in Toronto before Royal LePage acquired the company. After seeing some of the things he was working on, he was invited to be director of new products and services at Royal LePage’s head office. During his time there, Kottick developed many of the key strategic partnerships and ran the team that launched the company’s first Internet and intranet sites. Kottick also did a one-year stint with the Toronto Real Estate Board as president of technology and business development. This was at a time when the board was thinking about changing from a non-profit model to a profit model, he says. For a number of reasons, the board changed its direction and remained nonprofit.

Don Kottick

In 2000, Kottick became general manager for a company called Commercial Real Estate Exchange (CREX), a joint venture between Royal LePage Commercial, CB Richard Ellis, J.J. Barnicke Limited and Colliers International.

Continued on page 20

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By Robert J. Morrow

I

n recent weeks there has been discussion on several boards about whether to include square footage as a mandatory field on MLS listings.

There are lots of reasons why boards would want it included; there are lots of reasons why our clients would want to see it; and there are lots of reasons why sales reps feel they should have the choice to include it or not.

But perhaps the most interesting point was raised by a homeowner who had failed to sell privately and was now contemplating going with a Realtor. His sales rep had advertised online that he would put houses on the MLS for $199. The sales rep contacted the seller when he learned he was using a well-known private sale franchise. This particular franchise did not offer local MLS listings as a service but the homeowner was savvy enough to know he had to be on the MLS to get maximum exposure.

He signed up with the legitimate real estate salesperson and was shown his listing promptly on realtor.ca. All was well with the world – until the seller noticed that no local agents were viewing his home with their buyers. This was strange, because he had been told by friends in the business that if he included the term “will offer buyer agents 2.5 per cent” on his listing, the local agents wouldn’t have a problem bringing their buyers in to view his home, despite it being a private sale.

So why weren’t they coming?

I explained to him that his listing was, indeed, active on realtor.ca. But the agent he had signed on with via a website was actually located in Ottawa and was a member of that regional board.

Therefore, all the 2,200+ agents in our area (Hamilton/Burlington) didn’t see it in our daily listing notifications. “We aren’t part of the Ottawa board, and even if we were, we wouldn’t go looking at Ottawa sites for Hamilton listings,” I told him.

The seller was flabbergasted.

What a waste of money!

This seller is an avid reader of online blogs, magazines and ezines and followed general real estate trends regularly. He read the blog from the local board about making square footage mandatory and had an epiphany: If agents are required to physically measure square footage, wouldn’t that eliminate an out-of-town agent from listing a house? He would have to physically come here or at least hire someone to come out and measure the house. The cost of doing that would make it unlikely he’d make any money.

By making square footage a mandatory field on listings, it virtually ensures that only local brokerages are involved in placing local listings on the local board’s MLS system. It still gets on realtor.ca but this would ensure that local agents would see the listings – even if they were private seller/MLS combo listings.

Many boards across the country make square footage mandatory.

But some still don’t. Perhaps this is an angle that should be considered along with all the other political aspects.

Robert J. Morrow is former marketing executive, corporate publisher, newspaper editor, and tae-kwon do instructor. He is currently editor of www.HamiltonHomeReview.com, and a sales rep with Chase Realty in Ancaster Ont. REM

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12 REM DECEMBER 2011

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Celebrating 60 years in real estate R

eal estate pioneer Lorne L. Smith celebrated 60 years in the industry in November. His career started in 1951 at the Peterborough office of insurance and realty broker Stan Darling.

After the war, in which he served as an officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force flying on missions based out of India and Southeast Asia, Smith settled in Peterborough where he married Ruthe Morgan. They had three children, Cheryl, Karen and Scott.

Smith opened his own brokerage, Lorne L. Smith Realty, which over the next 40 years was a significant player on the local real estate scene with as many as of 28 salespeople and offices in Bancroft, Trenton and on Highway 28. Head office was a little house on Aylmer Street, which was rebuilt to hold the growing staff.

One of the founders of the Peterborough Real Estate Board, Smith served as a director for 15 years, secretary-treasurer for six years and president in 1958. As a director of the Ontario Real Estate Association he implemented the first real estate courses at Fleming, Loyalist and

Durham community colleges, which have evolved to the present day CEU courses. In 1960 Smith received his Fellow of the Real Estate Institute, one of the first brokers in Ontario to earn this professional designation.

Helen (Zakos) Drury joined the firm as an assistant in 1964, later getting her broker’s license.

She is still working in partnership with Smith 47 years later.

When he closed his office in 1993 the Smith-Drury team survived and still work together at the Peterborough office of Re/Max Eastern Realty. (Zakos) Drury says Smith is her mentor and best friend and always there to help anyone who needs it.

REM

Lorne Smith

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Flying Officer (retired) Lorne Smith takes the salute as reviewing officer at the Peterborough Cenotaph on Nov. 11, 2009.

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14 REM DECEMBER 2011

LEGAL ISSUES

Lack of advice is no defence

By Donald H. Lapowich

ees on cheques from the broker to herself. This led to misappropriation over a number of years of over $400,000.

The banking documents applicable to the brokerage

T

he plaintiffs in a recent case owned a number of residential properties in Ontario.

They rented one of the houses to a woman whose son used special equipment to turn marijuana into cannabis resin. In the process, the son caused an explosion and fire that destroyed the premises.

The landlords (plaintiffs) claimed under their householder insurance policy, but the claim was denied based on the Marijuana Exclusion in the policy.

The higher courts upheld the dismissal of the landlord’s action against the insurance company based on the exclusion, stating that the clause was absolute.

(Pietrangelo v. Gore Mutual Insurance Company, 2011) ■ ■ ■

In another recent case, a mortgagee sought to recover from the owner/mortgagor the deficiency owing on the mortgage after the sale of some cottage lots. The owner/mortgagor was not successful in raising a lack of independent legal advice as defence. The court ruled that the owner/mortgagor had ample time to engage a lawyer for such advice and chose not to do so.

It appears more often than not that courts are evaluating not only the position, knowledge and fairness of the commercial transaction, but also the opportunities “available” for a party to educate him/herself. Failure to do so is no longer an automatic excuse to overturn the transaction (mortgage deal). (Batdorf v. MacLean, 2010) ■ ■ ■

A bookkeeper worked for the real estate brokerage for many years and was a trusted employee. The bookkeeper, over the years, changed the name of pay-

The court ruled that the owner/ mortgagor had ample time to engage a lawyer for such advice and chose not to do so. required its two principals to sign all cheques. The bookkeeper had only one principal sign a cheque, then changed the payee to herself and deposited the cheque in her own account.

The brokerage sued its bank for its losses, since the bank accepted the cheque with only one principal signature. The bank’s defence was that its financial service agreement with the brokerage stated that the broker had to report errors within 30 days of its monthly statement.

Otherwise, the bank had no liability.

The court upheld the agreement. Only cheques pointed out by the broker within 30 days of receipt of a bank statement were subject to bank indemnification.

(Manor Windsor v. Bank of Nova Scotia, 2011) Donald Lapowich, Q.C. is a partner at the law firm of Koskie, Minsky in Toronto, where he practices civil litigation, with a particular emphasis on real estate litigation and mediation, acting for builders, real estate agents and lawyers.

REM

16 REM DECEMBER 2011

Reaching your goals one step at a time

Real estate coach’s journey proves that “anyone can do anything they set their minds to.

Don’t buy into limiting beliefs that you can’t reach your goals.” By Connie Adair It was never as bad as I expected it would be,” he says.

That’s not to say he didn’t have challenges. The second to last day was the toughest, he says. “I was riding across the top of New York. It was cold and rainy and the wind was in my face. I didn’t go faster than 11 miles an hour.

I couldn’t feel my toes and my fingers were frozen. But in hindsight, it was not as bad as I thought it was.”

He was met at the Canadian border by Marcel Carriere, a broker at the Ottawa office. Carriere accompanied him to Ottawa.

They arrived on Oct. 20.

Davis rode an average of 80 miles a day, for a total of about 1,800 miles.

R

Jarrod Davis (Photo by Ryan Parent)

iding a bicycle from Sebring, Fla. to Ottawa might seem a daunting and even impossible task for most people, but not for Jarrod Davis. The real estate coach practices what he preaches. Breaking large goals into more manageable increments can make them easier to achieve, he says.

“Anyone could do one day of what I did.”

His mission was to teach agents the power of choice in reaching their goals a step at a time, and the importance of living each day with purpose. “Otherwise you go through life on autopilot.

Making choices is not passive,” Davis says.

During his ride, he told agents, “Anyone can do anything they set their minds to. Don’t buy into limiting beliefs that you can’t reach your goals.” He says he found a lot of similarities between tackling a ride and working in real estate.

Some agents talk about a goal of making $120,000 or $130,000, yet have no concept of how to do it. By determining the tasks that need to be done each day to achieve the end goal, it becomes less daunting, he says.

Davis, who joined Keller Williams Solid Rock Realty in Ottawa about five years ago as a team leader and coach, took the ride one day at a time and then repeated the task 22 days in a row. In addition to offering inspiring talks to agents, he raised $3,100 for the charity KW Cares through sponsorships and t-shirt sales.

On his first day, Sept. 25, he rode 87 miles. Getting back on the bike on day two was tough. “It was a painful choice, but it was my choice to get up and do it again.

It was not comfortable but I was prepared to be uncomfortable. When you’re uncomfortable, you grow.

The idea for the journey all started earlier this year, when Davis weighed 250 pounds.

“My goal to lose weight really began in January,” says Davis, who vowed to lose 50 pounds. If he met his goal, he promised himself that he would ride from Florida to Ontario. The problem was, he made his statement publicly on the Internet, he jokes. “Sometimes Facebook is not your friend.”

When he lost 50 pounds (he met his goal by June), he posted a picture but had forgotten about the ride.

His Facebook friends didn’t waste any time reminding him about what he said.

Davis talked with his real estate coach, Terrie Foster of the MAPS coaching program. “Terrie said that if I was going to prepare and go through it, that I had to make it about other people,” Davis says, who lined up talks and fund-raising opportunities.

What Davis realized in hindsight was that his real estate coach suggested

Davis arrives at the Keller Williams office in Ottawa with broker Marcel Carriere, who accompanied him from the border.

the talks for accountability reasons. If he had to teach, he had to get up and ride his bike. “I didn’t think of it at the time, but my coach is smart,” Davis says.

Next Davis decided on a five-week training period, and began to search for a fitness coach. All of the coaches told him five weeks wasn’t long enough.

Davis hired Matt Schult, who specializes in training people for triathlons. He was the only fitness coach who simply said, “You have a lot to do in five weeks.” He never said that it couldn’t be done, Davis says.

Davis was also buoyed by a conversation with a 69-yearold man who did a similar ride and encouraged him to go for it. “Everyone told him he was too old, but he did it. He told me that I’d get in better shape as I went along,” Davis says. “I never had the attitude that I couldn’t do it.

I got stronger every day.”

Would he do it again?

“Absolutely,” he says. “My wife (Michelle Davis) enjoyed it and my son had a blast.”

Michelle and two-year-old Connor travelled in an RV, driving each day to Davis’ destination and awaiting his arrival. “It was great family time,” Davis says.

He encourages agents to forget about their own and

other’s limiting beliefs and to make positive choices.

“Agents lose track of their goals. Always think of beginning with the end in mind. I never believed I couldn’t make it to Ottawa.

The choice is up to you, and your choice can change your life.”

Davis has been in real estate for 12 years, first

Davis has trained lions for magicians and opened an exotic animal rescue.

getting his licence and buying and renovating properties as an investment. With a degree in animal science, he also trained lions for MGM and for magicians Siegfried and Roy. When the animals needed a refuge, he started a non-profit exotic animal rescue (www.tailsofthewild. org) in Florida in 2001.

“Tigers bite, but agents talk back. I’m not sure which is worse,” says Davis, who has also owned a brokerage. He no longer sells real estate but works as a real estate business coach with Keller Williams in Ottawa and is broker of record for a Keller Williams office in Florida. REM

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Real Estate Brokerage in Burlington, Ont. recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Founded by Carolyne Lederer in 1991 as a then-unique business concept in Brampton, the company operated as a boutique-style operation and was one of the first to implement the Internet to market homes locally and abroad.

Lederer continued her 24 per cent market share of all home sales east of Hwy. 410, above the $250,000 price range, which she had developed during her tenure at Royal LePage. She was the company’s No. 1 sales representative for all of the region then called Western Ontario (the areas from London to Ottawa, from the west side of Yonge Street in Toronto to Burlington in the far west, and all points within that circle of business area). Working alone, with no team, she says she typically wrote in excess of $14 million in annual sales.

“Some colleagues warned me I wouldn’t last six months,” she says.

“Didn’t I know we were in a recession in 1991?”

Lederer lived in Brampton for nearly 30 years and although she says she was always somewhat of a loner, she developed a base clientele over the years who repeatedly did business with her and sent her their friends, relatives and neighbours. She still services clients personally, working on her own, with back-up administration people offsite.

“I became known as ‘That Girl Real Estate’ eventually,” she says.

“No one seemed to be able to spell my name right, and often referred to me as that girl…saying, ‘Let’s Call That Girl’ you know, the one with the hot pink and teal signs with the gold star in the corner.”

She purchased the URL for www.ThatGirlRealEstate.com, deciding she might as well use the name for marketing purposes.

In 1998 she went online with

her residential real estate home site at www.Carolyne.com, and started writing consumer education articles. She says the articles are read both by consumers and colleagues from all over the world, and she receives requests regularly for reprint rights so that others, even in the U.S., can send them to their own clients.

Lederer says she built her business on referrals, relocations she personally developed with major corporations and using residential farming concepts that she has shared in online forums both in Canada and the US. She proudly says that on her next birthday she will be 70 years old, having spent the last 30 years in real estate.

Lederer is the resident Gourmet Cooking for Real Estate Professionals contributing writer at REM. REM

Carolyne Lederer

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20 REM DECEMBER 2011

“There’s no limitation to what I can do” Just 20-years-old, sales rep Andrew Mizzoni has already launched a real estate career, raised millions of dollars for charity and survived cancer as a child. By Connie Adair

A

ndrew Mizzoni is no ordinary 20-year-old. He has raised more than $400,000 for pediatric cancer research at the Hospital for Sick Children, was the Ontario Community Newspapers Association’s Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year in 2005 and was one of Today’s Parent magazine’s Our Heroes winners in 2006. And he has a year under his real estate belt.

Mizzoni, a sales rep with HomeLife Metropark in Vaughan, Ont. was born Oct. 14, 1991 in Toronto. He lived what he calls

an “average childhood” until he was nine, when he was diagnosed with cancer.

“My parents noticed a bump under my left eye. They took me from doctor to doctor and specialist to specialist, then finally to Sick Kids Hospital. They did a CT scan and some tests and later that same night, my oncologist told us the news,” says Mizzoni.

Mizzoni was admitted that night and began nine months of chemotherapy followed by five weeks of radiation. After about 10 months, he was in remission, but that was not to last. A few months

Andrew Mizzoni is following in the footsteps of his uncle, Danny Mizzoni, and his great, great uncle, James Mizzoni.

later, a follow-up scan showed the cancer was back. Five additional months of chemo was not enough, and he underwent surgery to remove the tumor. Surgery included removing his left eyeball and eye lid.

Despite the struggle, Mizzoni says in a way it was a “blessing to receive (cancer) as a child.

Children don’t pay attention to statistics. I played with friends and went to school. I had a positive state of mind.”

He was partially schooled at the hospital during treatment but whenever possible continued to participate in sports. Twenty-four hours after surgery he went home.

Two weeks after that, he played his first basketball game. A month after that, he was back in goal with his ice hockey team.

“Sports were a motivation to do what I had to do,” says Mizzoni.

“It was challenging to compensate with one eye at first. For sports, I worked with a myriad of great coaches who enabled me to compensate and learn several tricks to make my life easier. It was very similar to the rest of life’s activities.”

Mizzoni went on to attend high school at Holy Cross in Woodbridge, where he graduated on the honour roll. Next, he was off to Seneca College for business administration and entrepreneurship. However a year and a half into the course, he felt unfulfilled.

Don Kottick Continued from page 8

Together, their goal was to create a national MLS for commercial properties. The joint venture didn’t last, as the four competitors could not see eye-to-eye.

Kottick returned to Royal LePage, did a little consulting and then went to work for the Trader classified, the largest classified publisher in the world. Later he went to work for an HR consulting firm that sold real estate related products out of Florida for three years.

In 2008, Kottick returned to Royal LePage to manage a brokerage for the Royal LePage Johnston and Daniel Division.

Kottick has thought about leaving the industry a couple of times, just for a change of pace, but something has always happened to make him stay. In the 1990s, for example, the Internet was born and that influenced Kottick’s decision to remain where he was. “I saw the opportunity that the Internet

and real estate presented – where the future would go – and I just got totally hooked in it and that became my passion, so I didn’t leave.”

For now, he has no plans to work in any other field. “I love this industry. It’s a great field.

It’s a fascinating field. It’s continually evolving, it’s always fluid and it’s always changing.

It’s not something that ever gets boring. So I’ll probably do this for the rest of my life.” REM

Andrew Mizzoni (Photo by Tom Bartsiokas)

He decided he wanted to sell real estate, following in the footsteps of his uncle, Danny Mizzoni, a broker with HomeLife Metropark Realty and his great, great uncle, James Mizzoni, who was president of the Toronto Real Estate Board in 1976.

The young Mizzoni got his licence at the age of 18, and is finishing up his studies at Seneca part-time.

He sells residential real estate (his first sale was a relative’s condo) and is getting his feet wet in the world of commercial real estate. “It’s a wonderful experience taking the sale from point A to B,” he says. “So far my real estate career has progressed down the road of condominium sales and I am regarded as a condo specialist with double digit condo deals this year worth over $3mllion. This is something I love dealing with because I (work) with young people and investors who are as motivated as I am.”

He says young clients seek him out, preferring to work with someone their own age, but that he’s also a popular choice of buyers three times his age. “I’ve always had a positive outlook on my life and a strong faith, which is what I try to forward to others. I know my clients appreciate that trait as well as my enthusiasm.”

Despite his success and achievements, Mizzoni says his most proud moment was when he raised more than $30,000 at a dinner dance fundraiser just follow-

ing his cancer diagnosis. “That fundraiser has continued over the years,” he says.

Every year, the energetic Mizzoni also hosts The Andrew Mizzoni Charity Golf Classic, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary. “At the last golf tournament, a doctor told me they took funds from the first tournament and started a research project. It showed hope and they were able to get additional government funding. My efforts have resulted in tens of millions in government funds,” he says.

For Mizzoni, it’s all about raising money for the Andrew Mizzoni Cancer Research Fund for Rhabdomyoscarcoma. “A portion of every deal I do goes to Sick Kids and I send the client a card to let them know I donated in their name,” he says. “My priority is making money to give to the hospital.”

Mizzoni plans to “grow and move on to bigger and better things” where real estate is concerned, currently putting together a team of young individuals interested in investing in real estate.

He’s also looking at the restaurant business. “My parents own a Tim Horton’s franchise. I’ve taken that expertise and want to venture into different avenues of business,” Mizzoni says.

“There’s no limitation to what I can do. I have my past to thank for that. Whatever I want to do I can do, and will do on a worldwide scale.” REM

22 REM DECEMBER 2011

METES & BOUNDS

By Marty Douglas

A

ldous Huxley wrote Brave New World in the 1930s. It is a fiction about society in the future, where children are raised in hatcheries and societal dogma is ingrained by sleep learning. George Orwell, a decade later, began writing 1984, eventually published in 1949. It too imagined a future society, one of mind control and thought police.

In 2010, your national association, CREA, began writing the scripts of four scenarios for the future of organized real estate (ORE). (I wonder if anyone has defined or discovered “disorganized real estate”.) In a program named Exploring Possible Futures for ORE

The future of organized real estate in Canada, invited participants – there have been hundreds across Canada – were asked about the role of the Realtor in five to 10 years and the implications for organized real estate – given future consumer expectations.

Yikes.

So let me get this straight. You want me to put myself in the head of a consumer in the future, describe the role of the contemporary Realtor and then extrapolate the opportunities and threats to organized real estate? And I volunteered for this?

The process was facilitated expertly and the material included video presentations by systems gurus, futurists and actors, who with great skill and empathy painted the picture of reality in their “brave new world”, how they got there, who they blamed or gave credit.

The four scenarios were titled Treading Water, Quantum Leap, Coup and RealtorSaurus and time travelling future Realtors commented on what had brought them

to their future reality. Everything presented was not only plausible; in several scenarios we are experiencing their root causes today.

My personal bias in future planning is always the same. It doesn’t stop me from playing the game but it is simply a caveat.

Recognize we are planning the future for folks who are not yet in the industry and in order to get there, we will need the approval of our members, half of whom likely won’t be in the business in five years. Which way do you think they might vote on perceived change or threatened expense?

Like the current Euro crisis the pain of the change required in the future will be felt by current players for the next decade or longer, likely leaving the culprits – those who got us here – unscathed. Seems to me that bitch is at the heart of the Occupy demonstrations worldwide.

Like most Realtor sessions, the add-on value was in the networking and the casual asides from participants. Between sandwich bites

in a working lunch, one leader offered the main concern for organized real estate – will Quebec stay in CREA? (Who knew there was a problem?) If this is a real threat, perhaps there are consequences for franchises and national brands.

Most franchise agreements require membership in organized real estate. If Re/Max, Sutton and fellow big five members can’t keep their members in organized real estate, what does that say for the strength of the franchise agreement period? If Quebec leaves CREA, will the Big Five resurrect their scenario of uniting for data distribution?

But I digress. Here’s my cut to the chase, grass roots initiatives beginning with office managers but requiring the support of members who are or will be career oriented.

Cull the unproductive, recognizing that funding formulas must become user-pay.

Seek and support a third-party rating authority for Realtors.

Introduce mandatory mentoring/apprenticeship by incentive.

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Move towards a single license.

Why not de-regulation?

Consider the frequent horror stories from the Internet of people who are defrauded of everything from rent deposits to life savings – that’s unregulated real estate.

Sometime in the future when you are bitching about your board or association, a provincial or national body or licensing regulators, remind yourself that the world is run by those who show up.

Did you show up? Do you respect those who did? Did you even know about the meeting? Did you vote?

And take a gulp of Draper Kauffman’s medicine: “Those who do not create the future they want must endure the future they get.”

You can find Marty Douglas on Twitter - 41yrsrealestate – Facebook and LinkedIn. He is a managing broker for Coast Realty Group, with offices on Vancouver Island, the Discovery and Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast of B.C. mdouglas@coastrealty.com REM

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24 REM DECEMBER 2011

THE DIGITAL BROKER

By George O’Neill

T

here certainly has been a lot of press coverage about proposed changes in the organized real estate industry, with promoters promising increased competition, improved service alignment with consumer wants and reduced fees. Individuals and companies making the most noise potentially have the most to gain and certain government bureaucrats seem to be looking to make a name for themselves. But this does not mean established brokerages are dead in the water. They can respond, and flourish.

I do not blame anyone for try-

Industry changes offer opportunity ing to advance their personal career or create a new business, since getting ahead is part of the beauty of capitalism, but I do believe it is important to put the proposed changes in perspective and not overreact, given how all of this will most likely unfold. After all, the real estate industry in the U.S. has already addressed similar changes and the vast majority of transactions there continue to be brokered through real estate agencies. Case in point: reported just this summer by the Wall Street Journal, the founder of the ForSaleByOwner.com business in the U.S. sold his Manhattan apartment through a broker and not through a FSBO site – not even his own. Furthermore, wherever there is change, there is opportunity, and not only for the new entrants but also for existing brokerages. The question is, do the brokerages have the will and capacity to change?

A business principle as true today as it was when I first started working states, and I will para-

In Memory of Devinder Kumar September 14, 1973 – November 10, 2011

Devinder Kumar passed away on November 10, 2011 much too soon at the age of 38 after a sudden tragedy. It is with great sadness that we suffer the loss of a remarkable human being. Devinder was a consummate real estate professional with RE/MAX Legacy Realty Inc., in Mississauga. A highly respected individual, not only within the RE/MAX network, but within the industry and community at large.

Devinder is survived by a loving wife and two young daughters.

In light of this devastating news, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada Inc. has had the opportunity to make a donation to “The Devinder Kumar Trust Fund” with all proceeds going directly to his family. If you would like to make a donation you may do so directly at any TD Bank Location.

Transit Number 01842, Account Number 5259280 Devinder’s memory will remain in our hearts and thoughts.

ONTARIO-ATLANTIC INC.

phrase: “Consumers always get what they want, but they may not necessarily know what they want.”

For example, it took Steve Jobs and the creative folks at Apple to conceive and build the iPod. Consumers did not ask to be able to carry around their entire music libraries in their pockets, but once consumers realized they could, they were hooked. Existing music device suppliers were late to respond with better products so now Apple enjoys the lion’s share of this segment. So in real estate, if some consumers are willing to take on certain tasks themselves and pay for the ones they either can not, or do not wish to do, then that is what will happen, no matter what the industry tries to do to resist change. The Change Train has left the station and you are either on board or you may be left behind.

But before panicking, let’s put this in perspective. Some new offerings will fall far from the mark, but others will find an audience, again using the experience in the U.S. as a benchmark. For example, consumers want to know the previous sold price ranges for comparable properties, and I believe once the logistics around privacy are worked out they will get enough information to satisfy this requirement. Zoocasa is already taking a stab at this with Zoopraisal, and at my brokerage we have had our neighbourhood sales trends site www.Realti.ca live for two years now.

Some consumers would like reduced fees, but they do not necessarily realize this has to come with reduced or changed service, as there are few free lunches in life.

For a while, discount entrants will claim to offer full, or close to full service, for reduced fees, but many of those businesses will either close or be forced to raise their prices.

Just look at Redfin, and recently ZipRealty, as examples of brokerages that initially offered rebates but have since reduced them at Redfin and eliminated them at ZipRealty. Companies can only buy market share for so long before shareholders demand a return on their investment. Redfin was really brash at their launch, criticizing the established real estate industry, similar to attitudes we are now see-

ing in Canada by some of the promoters trying to enter the market.

Although this approach may resonate with a certain number of consumers, the vast majority just want quality service for a fair price.

Glenn Kelmen, CEO of Redfin, has publicly admitted that today they act differently. Redfin uses technology extensively to change the process that consumers follow to buy real estate, and they have certainly been successful in growing their business. But, at some point their financial backers will want to monetize their investment through an initial public offering or a buy-out, and I believe the most logical buyer will be an established brokerage who wishes to improve their technological capabilities.

business when it was hit hard in 2008, not only by the market meltdown but also from years of lost customer focus. He steered Starbucks back on track through the use of new technology, improved business processes and a keen focus on the customer. I believe real estate brokerages can learn from this.

Technology today can be applied in ways to improve selling and marketing that just a few years ago was not possible. Studies have shown consumers want at least three things when they go to a real estate website: listings, and all of them; market data so they can try to determine if it is a good time to buy or sell and to help them approximate the value of their property; and information about

I believe it is important to put the proposed changes in perspective and not overreact, given how all of this will most likely unfold.

Leading the charge for many of the industry changes are FSBO sites and lobbyists, who got exactly what they did not want with opening of the MLS to unbundled services last year – more competition from licensed brokerages who were now free to also offer unbundled listing services. Then, in an aboutface, some of those same FSBO sites scrambled to develop partnerships with brokers willing to work in this slice of the market. This is and will continue to be a slice of the market no larger than 10 to 15 per cent, in my opinion. Those are the same sites that heavily promote the fear of using brokers to get the consumers’ business and now they are trying to partner with brokers they had previously criticized.

So what is the established real estate industry to do? Well, as I sit in a Toronto Starbucks writing this article, I am reminded of how Starbucks’ founder Howard Shultz went back to basics to realign the

the communities they are considering. Brokerages, real estate boards and associations all need to look at the changes not as threats, but rather they should focus on the opportunities. Social media, digital marketing and organizing as professional services firms are the winning tools of the future. Moving upstream and improving professionalism is the ticket to success.

What do you think? I welcome your feedback.

George O’Neill is CEO and broker of record at O’Neill Real Estate Limited in Toronto. He is founder of remarkto, the largest Ontario real estate marketing discussion group, and he is a sought-after speaker and real estate management consultant helping brokerages operate as professional services firms.

See www.ONeillRealEstate.ca and www.remarkto.ca for additional information.George@ONeillReal Estate.ca; Phone 416-946-1300.

REM

26 REM DECEMBER 2011

senior VP operations, Erika Gileo.

“She is intuitive, diplomatic, compassionate and kind; yet she is strong and driven when necessary.

She is a master at multi-tasking and is the calm when there’s a storm.

She is loved by everyone who meets or knows her and she is genuinely interested in them.” REM

E

xit Realty Corp.

International recently announced the winners of its three top awards in Canada for the most recent production year.

Philip Duplisea and David Sawler, franchisees of Exit Realty Advantage in Fredericton, are Exit’s Canadian Brokers of the Year. Maggie Tessie, broker and franchisee of EXIT Realty Matrix in Embrown, Ont. is Exit’s No. 1 agent in Canada for gross commissions, ends sold, listings taken and sponsoring. Lois McCormack, sales associate with Exit Realty New View in Miramichi, N.B., is Exit’s Canadian Rookie of the Year.

Exit recently hosted its annual international convention in Nashville. Featured speakers at this year’s event included Richard Flint, Stephan Swanepoel and Aaron Ralston, along with dozens of session and seminar leaders.

“Our Canadian attendance turnout represented over 25 per cent of our associates,” says Ed Martens, senior VP, franchise sales – Canada. “This level of participation is unheard of in other organizations and speaks to the strength and culture of our group.”

■ ■ ■

Century 21 Diamond Realty in

A

m

Philip Duplisea

Humboldt, Sask, was named a Marketing Award Finalist for the ABEX Awards, awarded annually by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce to honour outstanding achievements in business excellence.

With over 10 years of combined real estate experience, Dan and Cheryl Torwalt purchased the Century 21 franchise for Humboldt in December 2008.

They represent their buyers and sellers for residential, farm/ranch, commercial and condominium sales in Humboldt and area. The Chamber of Commerce says marketing and promotion has been key to their success with radio, television, websites, blogging, Facebook, newspaper and lawn signage.

David Sawler

Maggie Tessier

■ ■ ■

Christina Luis, senior corporate administrator of Exit Realty Corp.

International, was named a finalist in the Employee of the Year category in the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

The awards honour women executives, entrepreneurs and the companies they run worldwide.

“Christina is like the spice in a dish; not always visible but without it, flavourless,” says Exit Realty’s

y & Vi v i a

Lois McCormack

Mortgage Business C entum Financial Group has brought on mortgage expert Pamela Allen as the new manager of operations.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Allen will help build stronger relationships with lenders. She will also be investigating ways to improve existing operation systems and processes.

“I have seen many changes in the mortgage broker and loan origination industry. Early on, consumers paid the mortgage brokers a fee to help them place their mortgage, and from my perspective most consumers are not aware that this has changed,” says Mary Carey Allen.

She is also tasked with implementing a coaching and accountability program for Centum. The program is Pamela Allen designed to

empower brokers and sales reps to generate leads.

“We as an industry need to do a better job at educating the consumers as to the options and expertise they can receive from a mortgage professional,” she says.

“It’s like having your very own personal shopper for the largest purchase of your lifetime for free.”

Prior to joining Centum, Allen was manager of administration and advancing at Firstline Mortgages. She started her career in mortgages in 1989 with Household Trust Company.

■ ■ ■

Mary Carey, owner of Verico Personal Choice in Hamilton has won the Hamilton Spectator’s Readers Choice Platinum Award.

This is the fourth time that Carey has been recognized in the awards.

They are based on a nomination and voting system.

Carey says she does not take this award lightly and sees it as validation of her 24 years in the mortgage industry and 14 years as principal broker/owner of REM Verico Personal Choice.

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28 REM DECEMBER 2011

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W

hen we think back to the initial years of the advancement of technology, we were excited about carrying around a cell phone that weighed as much as a turkey. We were equally excited when the real estate boards started to use computers to handle MLS listings. And oh my! What a treat to have our messaging move from a buzzer or voice-activated message to digital on our pagers.

We’re now experiencing more electronic gadgetry than ever before. It changes almost every 90-120 days, even for some fossils like me (I’ve ordered the new iPhone to keep abreast of everything that’s going on). It is of note that electronic signatures are accepted in the USA and it is felt that the same will happen here in the near future.

Google and YouTube have advanced technologies that enhance our abilities to communicate to millions and millions of pairs of eyes. Recently at our brokerage, a million-dollar-plus listing was leased at $5,000/month to a CEO of a new firm from Oslo, Norway, who saw it on YouTube or Facebook.

I was musing about this last article for REM for 2011 and I read All Part of the Job by Tom Brady, from an article in the New York Times. Brady’s column really nailed down what’s happening in all industries and all forms of commerce, including our own.

Brady talks about “mundane

jobs spread amongst us” and says that “performing small services for one another was even an act of civility.” He says, “Those days are over. The robots are in charge now….”

But, here’s the kicker: As agents, we still must advance our learning with the times. And the times are moving faster than ever.

Over the years, I’ve always been fascinated with all the ins and outs of our industry. I recall several years back, in 1997, I warned that agents who do not keep up with technology would be left behind.

Most of the new recruits coming into our offices are near the median age group of 28.5 years. They are all very computer savvy. Our office keeps up with what’s available and offers it up to our agents to help them better serve their community.

The real estate boards are achieving higher standards of service than ever before in my four decades in the business.

Look, this doesn’t mean that we still don’t have to do the grunt work needed to communicate. We have to merge our daily activities with technology more than ever before.

We all need to be on top of our game. Carpe Diem!

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Heino Molls and to my long-suffering editor, Jim Adair, for putting up with my last minute articles. I’d like to thank you, my readers, who take the time to write in your comments, good, bad or indifferent. It is indeed rewarding to the guy who writes As I see it from my desk. I hope to continue writing for many years to come because it’s a fun thing to do and gives me a chance to vent at times, or just talk to you from “My Desk….”

Stan Albert, broker/manager, ABR, ASA at Re/Max Premier in Vaughan, Ont. can be reached for consultation at stanalb@rogers.com.

Stan is now celebrating 40 years as an active real estate professional.

REM

A

s part of EXIT’s strategic plan to own the next decade it is with great pleasure that EXIT Realty Corp.

International announces that the Region of Alberta has been sold to Anne Squires, EXIT’s multiple award winning franchisee.

Included in her many awards, Anne is the 2011 Broker Owner of the Year for EXIT Realty in Canada, Broker Owner of the Year for EXIT for North America (2009) and the owner of the

Largest Grossing (Multiple) Offices in North America (2011). She is known for her unbridled energy, creative finesse and value driven business development. A true people person, Anne brings precisely the presence of integrity and credibility necessary to generate the highest possible level of success throughout the Province. EXIT is proud to have Anne bring her dynamic formula for success to one of the country’s most exciting provinces.

Anne and head office are both thrilled about

having a new dedicated presence to build and stabilize the province for EXIT. As the Regional Owner, Anne’s vision will unfold in the selling of franchises to the best possible candidates for brokerage ownership and in stabilization through reinforcement of teaching, training and coaching of franchisees and agents.

Anne is the new quarterback for Alberta and with the team of EXIT franchisees already in place and the new growth she will inspire, the Province will have an unbeatable winning team.

Franchise opportunities available!

Call now for an information package or presentation!

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Toll free number: 855 576-6667

www.exitrealty.com/alberta

11/18/2011 9:56:38 AM

30 REM DECEMBER 2011

The source of our finest moments “Passion, it lies in all of us…it is the source of our finest moments.” – Buffy The Vampire Slayer (abridged)

By Amanda Ross

W

e’ve all been there; waking up in the middle of the night worrying about contracts, money issues, where the next lead is going to come from, whether or not your clients are happy with your performance, how you’re going to buy your daughter that dance costume and so many other worries that float through our sleepy heads.

Then the sun nudges us to rise for the day. Its shine warms us like a cosy blanket; reminding us that life is fantastic and a new day will always bring new light to old problems.

Yes, being a Realtor can be a

tough road; it comes with anxiety about being completely responsible for your own success; it’s often utterly lonely and can come with intense feelings of stress.

But, more importantly, it can also be the most exciting and amazing life to live in the world.

The thrill of managing your own time, working with interesting and dynamic people, knowing that your brokerage and colleagues have your back and believe in you, feeling like you’re part of something wonderful and helping people make informed and smart decisions that will affect the rest of their lives.

Is there a secret to success in this business? Yes. There are many of us who know what it is; we feel it pulsing through our veins every day. It may be as small as a seed at first,

but it can grow into the biggest and most beautiful tree.

It’s the reason we get up in the morning and make those weekly calls, get out there and pound the pavement by knocking on doors, spend hundreds of dollars on advertising, work hours that most people think are ludicrous and deal with extremely different personalities to achieve a positive end goal.

Passion is the secret; the desire and determination to succeed. It may stem from your goals to live an entrepreneurial lifestyle, or from wanting to see each baseball game your children play, or to prove something to someone who said you couldn’t do it, or perhaps other personal reasons.

Passionate people make things happen; they are the ones who others look to when in need, they are unbridled and fearless.

They believe in what they do and protect it with ferocity.

I know Realtors who are so passionate about what they do and how they truly add value to their clients that they would fight a war to defend it. They tingle in delight when they are tested by those who think this is an “easy” life and are ready to debate that claim at the drop of a dime. If it was so easy, the whole population would be in real estate.

We wear our passion for this industry proudly, like a badge of honour, because we know that being a professional Realtor is an essential part of the process of buying and selling people’s dreams and futures.

This business isn’t for the weak of heart. It’s built for a truly extraordinary personality type; one who welcomes the daily grind, is thrilled when pre-

sented with a tough negotiator, arms themselves with new skills and knowledge to protect their clients and knows the true meaning of getting back on their feet after a critical blow.

Don’t ask yourself if you are ready to be part of this business; instead ask…is this business ready for your passion?

I’d love to hear your feelings on what makes you passionate about being a Realtor. Drop me a line!

Amanda Ross is the broker-manager of Sutton Group Quantum Realty (www.SuttonQuantum.com) with locations in Oakville and Mississauga, Ont. She is also the owner of www.RealtyBoost.ca, an online social networking website for the Canadian real estate industry.

Follow Amanda on Twitter, @AmandaMaeRoss and/or @SuttonQuantum. REM

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Visit www.reic.ca or call us at 1-800-542-7342

32 REM DECEMBER 2011

Suddenly the age of majority is 65

By Julie Wilson

T

he first of the 400,000 babies born each year since 1946 turned 65 in 2011. Bottom line, seniors have become a niche market in the real estate industry.

Many real estate sales reps and brokerages are structuring their businesses to specialize in the needs of seniors, offering integrated real estate, transition and estate services for these demographics.

Most seniors are in control of making decisions of when and where to move, but there are others who need a more comprehensive approach due to declining health, mobility issues or because they live too far away to get help from other family members.

Those choosing to specialize in

working with seniors need to keep in mind the challenges, fears and emotions seniors might experience at this stage. Special training is helpful to understand how their real estate needs are different.

Realtors need to connect with like-minded professionals such as discharge hospital personnel, retirement home directors and financial planners (and even funeral home directors) to meet aging clients’ needs.

An important characteristic of a Realtor who enjoys working with seniors is patience and the ability to handle conflict that can arise within the family. Most importantly, make sure to ask the pertinent question, who actually is the client and who has signing authority?

Building trust with the client is a must. At the discretion of your client, inclusion of family is also important. Respect your elders – when in sound mind and body, they are quite capable of making a smart lifestyle choice.

They’ll need you to offer refer-

rals, resources, advice, patience and guidance throughout the buying and selling process. Specially trained Realtors have learned how to analyze and assist in the many scenarios that can arise in living these later years.

There are a variety of courses available to Realtors such as Accredited Senior Agent (ASA), Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) and Certified Relocation and Transition Specialist (CRTS), to name a few. I have taken them all and I have learned something valuable for my business growth from each one.

Manson Slik, real estate broker/partner of Gordon’s Estate Services and CRTS course instructor, says, “Dealing almost exclusively with senior clients like we do in our firm is both fulfilling and challenging. Many of the clients we deal with are first-time home sellers who purchased their home in the 1960s when things were pretty uncomplicated. Today you have to walk them through agency, MLS, disclosure forms, FINTRAC,

staging, insurance issues, home inspections and WETT inspections.”

Silk says the key is confronting all of these things on the front end of the listing so their expectations are fully set for what is to come and so you have the best chance of building a firm sale for them. “If you are an 87-year-old widow and accept an offer on your home, only to have the offer renegotiated or fall apart due to a home inspection or some other event that could have been prevented by taking care of it in advance, it makes for a confusing and upsetting first-time/ last-time home-selling experience,” he says.

In my experience, I find the biggest hurdles for most of my clients are the fear that they are making the right move, what to do with all their stuff and where to go next. Asking questions, investigating and planning are where it all starts. I feel there is a need for education to help seniors through the mounds of paperwork, housing choices and legalities of real estate.

I wrote a book called Beyond the Sold Sign. A Canadian real estate planning guide for seniors. This workbook/planning guide offers everyone including other professionals, family members and caregivers a tool to use when helping their clients with the planning and selling process. Various chapters discuss the importance of financial and estate planning, tax implications, downsizing, letting go of many years of personal attachment, as well as the home preparation and the selling process.

It includes a personal and financial record-keeping diary to keep private information in one place.

Julie Wilson, ASA, SRES, is a sales rep, author and Brighton branch manager at Gordon’s Estate Services in Brighton, Ont. She began her real estate career in 1985. Phone 613475-4464. For more information about her book, visit www.beyondthesoldsign.ca. For multiple copies call 1-855-803-2220.

REM

34 REM DECEMBER 2011

BUSINESS CONSULTANT POSITION Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker® organization (www.coldwellbanker.com) has been a premier full-service real estate provider. The Coldwell Banker system is a leader in the industry with approximately 3,200 residential real estate offices and more than 86,000 sales professionals in 49 countries and territories. Coldwell Banker Canada Operations ULC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services.

JOB SUMMARY: We are currently looking for a Business Consultant to work in our Burlington, Ontario national headquarters. The position’s main objective is to ensure a strong working partnership between local Coldwell Banker affiliates and Coldwell Banker Canada corporate, as well as brand headquarters in New Jersey. The Business Consultant will focus on retaining existing brokers; working with brokers/ managers to develop strategies to sides of business and increase overall profitability and assist individual company and corporate objectives.

RESPONSIBILITIES: • Successfully facilitate transitions of assigned Brokers and Managers in Canadian markets • Resource management to understand customized business needs.

• Ensure franchisees are fully leveraging spoken offerings in the areas of business fundamentals, training and development, marketing and operations.

• Assist member brokers in developing business plans and setting transaction targets and objectives.

• Set goals, manage activities, monitor results and provide feedback to brokers through broker counsel.

• Working with the Canadian Operations President and Franchise Sales Team to broker candidates for mergers and acquisitions program and

facilitate M&A process to completion.

• Improve broker transaction reporting and ensure member broker compliance with the franchise agreement.

• Assist in training of Business Consultants and demonstrated ability to mentor others.

QUALIFICATIONS: • Must have Real Estate Operations/Sales Management experience.

• The ability to set goals, targets and objectives and to manage and measure results.

• Demonstrated client focused capabilities • Strong communication skills (written and verbal).

• Superior presentation skills.

• Willingness and ability to travel across Canada 60-75% travel will be required • Strong organizational skills.

• Ability to develop and deliver mini-seminars.

• Advanced computer skills.

• Tech-Savvy with demonstrated ability to use Social Media.

• Ideal candidate will reside within commuting distance of Burlington, Ontario.

Realogy Corporation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity in its hiring and business practices. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

Qualified applicants should submit their resume online at www.realogy.com/careers. Click on the link for external candidates and type IRC28422 in the keyword search.

T

he Quebec Federation of Real Estate Boards (QFREB) has launched a new tool that allows consumers to assess other consumers’ level of satisfaction with the services provided by a real estate broker.

The Quality Service Certification is a certification offered to real estate brokers relating to customer service best practices in the real estate industry.

QSC certified brokers must present their clients with a written Quality Service Guarantee. This guarantee describes all of the services that the real estate broker commits to providing throughout the real estate transaction.

To measure clients’ level of satisfaction with a real estate broker, after the closing of a transaction, an independent research firm sends a survey to selling and buying clients. To keep their QSC certification, brokers must maintain their Customer Satisfaction Rating at a “Satisfied” level of at least 3.75 out of 5. Consumers can view certified real estate brokers’ Customer Satisfaction Ratings and can consult the quality of their customer service by visiting www.certificationqsc.ca.

“So far, more than 8,700 surveys have been sent to the buying and selling clients of QSC certified brokers,” says Claude Charron, president of the QFREB Board of Directors. “Among the 2,955 surveys returned, no less than 95.8 per cent of buyers and 96.1 per cent of sellers stated they were satisfied or very satisfied with the service they received from their QSC certified broker.”

A total of 1,319 real estate brokers across Quebec are now Quality Service Certified, including more than 700 in Greater Montreal, says the federation.

■ ■ ■

Three western Ontario real estate boards have signed an agreement paving the way towards a total integration of their MLS

System databases. The agreement is between the WoodstockIngersoll & District Real Estate Board (WDREB), the Tillsonburg District Real Estate Board (TDREB) and the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR).

“LSTAR and TDREB integrated our MLS System databases last February,” says Dave Bellaire, president of TDREB, “and the same rationale that drove that integration has now prompted WIDREB to partner with us.” WIDREB’s data was integrated with that of LSTAR and TDREB as of last month.

“It only makes sense,” says Lori Goldhawk, WIDREB president.

“Our three associations have overlapping jurisdictions, which makes searches very cumbersome. Data integration will streamline the process considerably. No more having to log in and log out of three different systems to look for a property that could be listed by any one of our associations.” She adds, “A further advantage to the integration is that our Touchbase system and that of LSTAR and TDREB will be virtually seamless.”

As a result of the system database integration, WIDREB will join TDREB and LSTAR as a partner in the Connect Project, a joint venture of LSTAR, the Toronto Real Estate Board, the Realtors Association of HamiltonBurlington and the Ottawa Real Estate Board. “Connect offers members of participating boards the ability to search and view each other’s active listings and recent sales history without the complexities of actual data exchange,” says Barb Whitney, president-elect of LSTAR. “It is both our hope and our objective that all Ontario boards will soon be Connect Partners.

■ ■ ■

They built a house in 3 min., 7 sec. in the centre of Downtown Oakville. While dancing.

“They” were a 40-person flash mob that broke out in Oakville’s Towne Square. Dancing participants – Realtors and staff from the Oakville, Milton and District Real Estate Board (OMDREB) – carried pieces of a shed and put it together to catchy home-themed music, while a delighted crowd of almost 200 watched, videoed and snapped photos.

It was all in support of Habitat for Humanity Halton. The shelter-based local organization became OMDREB’s Charity of Choice last year and was the focus of board fundraising during the 2010 President’s Charity of Choice Gala.

The idea came from OMDREB member Sandra Gilraine, who raised it in a meeting and found herself organizing the event. “We ran with the idea and rehearsed a very intricate dance routine for a couple of months,” she says.

“Thanks to terrific choreography put together for us by two amazing young dance students from The Turning Pointe Dance Studio, the end result was terrific, fun and helped support a great cause.”

■ ■ ■

The Appraisal Institute of Canada (AIC) has appointed Keith Lancastle as its chief executive officer.

Lancastle has more than 25 years of experience in the not-forprofit sector, working on behalf of a variety of professions and industries. He most recently led the Forest Products Sector Council (FPSC) as its first executive director, where he was responsible for providing overall strategic management and leadership contributing to the development, establishment and funding of panCanadian projects and initiatives.

He spent six years as the first executive director of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF), and represented the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance – a federation of agricultural exporters – in Geneva and in Canada during the final stages of the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations.

For a number of years he also had a consulting practice, working with national non-profit organizations, including national sector councils.

■ ■ ■

Edmonton-based Brian Finley,

REM DECEMBER 2011 35

a certified instructor for the Alberta Real Estate Association and the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC), was recently inducted into the REBAC Hall of Fame at the National Association of Realtors conference in Anaheim, Calif.

Finley, of Buyer Agent Brian & Company, was nominated by his fellow REBAC members and then selected by an independent panel of real estate industry leaders.

Finley started his real estate career in 1987 when he was licensed in West Virginia and Massachusetts before coming to Canada in 2000. His focus on buyers began early in his career when he was one of a number of agents who worked in single-agency offices in Massachusetts. They formed the Massachusetts Association of Buyer Agents and worked to have legislation put in place to require signed disclosure of agency for buyers and sellers.

REBAC is the world’s largest organization of real estate professionals concentrating on buyer representation. Members who meet all requirements are awarded the ABR (Accredited Buyer’s Representative) and/or ABRMSM (Accredited Buyer’s Representative Manager) designations.

■ ■ ■

The Saint John Real Estate Board recently donated new hardware and three new flags to fly on the Jervis Bay Ross Memorial Park’s flag poles. The park is the only green space on the east side of Saint John. More importantly, it

serves as an important reminder of the contributions made to the war

by New Brunswickers. It is also a monument to the HMS Jervis Bay, which sank 71 years ago.

An Australian ship, it was particularly important to Saint John because in 1940 the Saint John Drydock refitted the ship for war service. Her captain and crew became well known to Saint Johners. But before the refit was complete, duty called. The Jervis Bay, escorting a convoy across the Atlantic, bravely challenged an attacking German raider in midocean. She took a “suicide” stance, allowing most of the 38 ships in the convoy to escape during the brief battle. The Jervis Bay was hopelessly outgunned, but battled the Nazi raider as she continued to sink in flames following an explosion. Sixty-six men were rescued. The captain of the HMS Jervis Bay, who went down with his ship, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery.

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The Georgian Triangle Association of Realtors held its Technology & Trades Show recently, and raised more than $5,700 to be shared among local charities My Friends House, Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce, Southern Georgian Bay Habitat for Humanity, Collingwood General & Marine Hospital, Meaford General Hospital, United Way of Southern Georgian Bay and United Way of Bruce Grey.

The Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) announced the selection of Wayne McAlister as chair of council and Bill Buterman as chair elect.

McAlister is an associate broker with Re/Max Landan Real Estate in Calgary. He entered the real estate industry in 1978 and went on to become president of the Calgary Real Estate Board in 1995 and president of the Calgary Real Estate Board Charitable

Foundation in 2004. In 2005 he received the board’s T.W.H. Saunders Award for dedication to the real estate industry and the community.

Buterman is a founding partner of Axcess Capital Advisors and mortgage broker with Axcess Capital Partners in Calgary. He represents industry professionals who are not members of the Alberta Real Estate Association. Buterman has been

The Vancouver Island Real Estate Board recently donated $2,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Vancouver Island. From left: Jennifer Merilees and Jim Stewart, VIREB; Sarah Bramley, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Vancouver Island; and Brian McCullough, Coast Realty Group Nanaimo.

The OMDREB flash mob in downtown Oakville.

Signing the MLS system integration agreement, seated from left: Lori Goldhawk WIDREB president; Dave Bellaire, president of TDREB; and Barb Whitney, president-elect of LSTAR. Standing behind them are their respective EOs, from left: Nichole Bowman, Linda Van Hooren and Betty Doré.

■ ■ ■

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The Saint John Real Estate Board donated new hardware and flags for the Jervis Bay Ross Memorial Park.

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36 REM DECEMBER 2011

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New Zoocasa now offers online home price estimates Real estate search site Zoocasa recently launched Zoopraisal, which allows Canadians, for the first time, to get online home price estimates online, and at no charge.

“The launch of Zoopraisals addresses one of our most requested features,” says Butch Langlois, president of Zoocasa. “Knowing the current price of your home is the kick-off point for many Canadians as they consider making their next move.”

The service is provided through a licensing agreement with Centract Settlement Services. “Centract possesses one of the largest national databases of residential real estate prices and information in Canada,” says Rob Soja, vice-president of business development at Centract. “We’re really excited to be working with Zoocasa to provide home price estimates to Canadian consumers nationally.”

The Zoopraisal report includes an indication of a home’s price that is powered by Centract and based on like properties in their neighbourhood. It also provides additional content from the Zoocasa database and its content partnerships, including detailed neighbourhood demographics.

Langlois says: “Consumers are spending an average of 11 months in their home search process, predominantly online, and Zoocasa wants to support these consumers and allow them to conveniently connect with real estate professionals across the entire process including Realtors, mortgage lenders or other such experts.”

To see and use the Zoopraisal: www.zoocasa.com/zoopraisal.

Instanet Solutions lands Centris forms contract Instanet Solutions, an online forms provider for MLS associations and real estate boards, was recently awarded the Centris contract for online forms. Centris provides technology services to 15,000 real estate brokers in Quebec.

Eric Charbonneau, Centris’ CEO, says, “We look forward to delivering this innovative platform to our brokers in both French and English.”

Instanet supports more than 400,000 licensed users with their suite of services.

“Building a multi-lingual platform for forms is just one example of the partnership we build with our MLS and association clients,” says Steve Mapes, VP of sales and marketing for Instanet.

Instanet Solutions is based in London, Ont. and began delivering residential real estate technology in 1992.

The Accredited Senior Agent.

CEO and founder of the program, Barry Lebow, will remain actively involved in growing the media presence and public awareness of the program. “It was time to expand and stop the program from being controlled by one person. It needs new talent, new dynamics and a succession. I’m thrilled to be able to hand the ASA over to someone as skilled, dedicated and highly respected as Chris Newell,” Lebow says. For information: www.TheSeniorAgent.com.

Debbie Hanlon writes children’s book on bullying She’s the former No. 1 real estate agent in Canada, a threetime top 50 CEO and top 100 female entrepreneur winner, an elected city councillor in St.

Point2 signs syndication deal with Exit Realty Point2 recently announced a multi-year agreement with Exit Realty Corp. International to power automated real property listing syndication for Exit Realty’s agents and brokers across Point2’s network of more than 70 consumer real estate websites and search engines in North America.

“Exit Realty prides itself on being highly selective with its partnerships and product offerings,” says Amy Youngren, manager of ancillary services, Exit Realty Corp. International.

“Point2’s unique solution set enables us to satisfy important needs for our associates in the areas of online branding and advertising, lead generation and property management, a natural and increasingly more compelling service expansion area for Realtors.

New leadership For Accredited Senior Agent Program The ongoing operations of The Accredited Senior Agent Program (ASA) will be taken over by Chris Newell, long-time instructor of the courses and currently president of

The cover of Debbie Hanlon’s new book.

John’s, Nfld. and a REM columnist. Now Debbie Hanlon has added one more title to her resume: children’s book author.

Breakwater Books has published The Adventures of Gus and Isaac: Backyard Bullies. It is the first is a series of books involving the main characters Gus, a seagull that is afraid of heights, and Isaac the bob-tailed cat.

“Each book will tackle an issue that kids face today in the real world and hopefully give their parents and them guidance on how to deal with those issues,” Hanlon says. The first book deals with bullying, which Hanlon thinks everyone has been subjected to on some level. “Bullying doesn’t just happen on the playground,” she says.

“It happens in the boardroom, in the workplace and even in the home.”

It was Hanlon’s own experiContinued on page 38

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38 REM DECEMBER 2011

New songs for winter

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By Dan St. Yves

T

his has nothing to do with my topic for this month’s column, but imagine just how much Engelbert Humperdinck’s elementary school teacher must have hated doing role call every day. (Humperdinck?

Humperdinck? Oh, for Pete’s sake…class dismissed!)

Back in the days of classic crooners like Engelbert and Dean Martin, artists would glamorize winter with songs like Winter World Of Love, or It’s A Marshmallow World. Politically correct decades ahead of our current modern civilization, those singles weren’t quite Christmas songs, rather more of a statement on the overall feeling of the winter season.

Romanticizing the season

What’s New Continued from page36

ence with being bullied, both as a child and as a businesswoman, which led her to tackle the issue, she says.

The Adventures of Gus and Isaac: Backyard Bullies is available in bookstores and can be ordered online at www.gusandisaac.com and www.breakwaterbooks.com.

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Home warranty eliminates ‘money pit’ fears A new Canadian home warranty softens the blow for buyers of resale homes by covering firstyear expenses on major home systems and appliances, and even certain structural repairs. Similar to popular Certified Pre-Owned Automobile programs, the Certified Pre-Owned Home Warranty gives protection and peace of mind to home buyers that choose to buy a resale home over a new one, the company

aside, anyone who has had to shovel their 300-yard driveway for the third time on the same day may not be humming quite such a cheerful tune.

In the spirit of capturing a more accurate depiction of the Canadian winter season, here’s a few title suggestions for some new songs (to sing in a nice warm hot tub), when the mercury hits -47 F. My apologies in advance.

Some of these admittedly might be ripped off from actual popular song titles, but for many others you’ll need to come up with your own melodies. Say, doesn’t the iPhone have a piano app?

Here we go: House Of The Rising Snow Drifts We’re Selling The Shovel - We Bought A Condo, Condo, Condo I’d Gladly Trade My Trendy Red Mittens (For A Leopard-Print Speedo In Mexico) There’s Just About Enough Snow Coming Down (To Bury That Goofy Couple From The Canadian Tire

says. Covered items include central heating/air conditioning systems, electrical and plumbing systems, most major appliances, as well as limited coverage on roofs, siding and foundations.

Before being listed for sale, an approved home inspector performs an inspection on the resale home to detect any problems with appliances, systems and structure.

After properly correcting any existing defects, the property is then re-inspected and designated a Certified Pre-Owned Home.

“It’s unrealistic financially for any homeowner to buy an extended warranty on each appliance and home system,” says Gilbert Carlson, president of UNIRISC. “But for about $1 per day, a seller purchases the Certified Pre-Owned Home Warranty, which gives the home buyer repair or replacement costs on all covered appliances, systems and structures that break down during the first year.” For information: www.unirisc.ca. REM

Commercials) Dude, Where’s My Car (In That Snowbank, In That Snowbank) Walk This Way (Snowshoes Or Skis Needed Today) The Reluctant St. Bernard Blues (No Way, Too Much Snow Even For Me) Ice Ice Baby (The Highway Skating Rink Song) Itsy-Bitsy Teenie-Weenie YellowPolka-Dot Snowmobile Suit Save A Horse, Ride A Snowman The Green Green Grass Of Home (Is Buried Under Three Feet Of Snow) It Sure Don’t Feel Like Summer (With My Eyelids Frozen Shut) Shiver Me Timbers (I Think Me Marrow’s Froze…)

Jack Frost’s Nippin’ At My Nose (Like A Rabid Great White Shark) The Hot Rum Toddie Boogie (Grandma’s Rosy Cheeks) Is It Cold In Here? (Or Is My New Roommate An Iceberg?)

Big Cool Daddy’s Shoulda-PaidThe-Heating-Bill Shuffle Toboggan Road You Don’t Know Me (Under All These Layers Of Flannel Clothes) Frostbite (Puts A Damper On Our Cross-Country Ski Trip) I Don’t Care If It Is A Work Day (I Ain’t Leavin’ This Warm Bed) Summer In The City (Winter In Waikiki) Man, I Feel Like A Parka Gotta Dance (I Can’t Feel My Toes Anymore) Prop Me Up Beside The JukeBox (Until I Thaw) No More Scrapin’ My Windshield (I’m Gonna Build Me A Garage) Hit Me Baby One More Time (The Snowball Challenge Song) Slippin’ & Slidin’ (The Automobile Insurance Company Profit Song) Hey, however you tend to view winter personally, have a safe and warm season everyone! Best wishes, and see you in the new year.

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 ThatDanGuy@shaw.ca. REM

REALTORS® are SOLD on the Canadian Museum for Human Rights A Message from the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (Friends): REALTORS® are active supporters of human rights. Everyday, you are engaged in your communities, connecting with people from all walks of life. You advocate for their right to safe and secure housing and shelter options. You raise awareness of their challenges, poor housing conditions and homelessness. And to date, you have contributed an impressive $1.5 million to Friends.

of youth from across Canada as part of an annual student travel program.

The CMHR is an important symbol of Canada’s continuing efforts and leadership in promoting human rights globally. For more information about the CMHR please visit: museumforhumanrights.ca We thank REM for giving us this opportunity to celebrate the gifts received from REALTORS®. Below are two personal stories that we hope will inspire you to join the REALTORS® fundraising campaign.

Through your leadership and participation, change happens – and that is the vision of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) will become an international hub for human rights learning and dialogue. 250,000 visitors from around the world are expected to visit annually along with thousands

Friends is the fundraising organization for the CMHR. For more information on Friends, please contact Kelly McArthur, Development Officer at 1(866) 828-9209 or kmcarthur@friendsofcmhr.com.

Robert Laing’s Story

Deborah Goodfellow’s Story

Chief Executive Officer of the British Columbia Real Estate Association

Broker, Goodfellow & Goodfellow Real Estate

“I was very lucky to be born in a family where the issue of human rights was a topic for intellectual discussion,” said Laing. “But it was something I’d never really considered until I came out as a gay man. That is when human rights really became personal to me.”

Laing underlined his life-long commitment to upholding human rights with a personal gift of $10,000 to Friends. “Real estate has been great to me. It’s given me the ability to make donations like this. I strongly believe that whatever your resources are, you can choose to support projects like the CMHR.” When asked how can REALTORS® make a difference? Laing said, “REALTORS® are, by their nature, incredibly generous and engaged in their communities. It’s not about selling houses. It’s about their support for communities and our way of life here in Canada.” * To read the full interview with Robert, please visit beginswithyou.net

The following Boards have generously donated to Friends: Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS® Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board Kingston and Area Real Estate Association Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS®

The real estate industry is all about PEOPLE and COMMUNITY and CARING. I am proud to be a part of that rich mosaic where we all matter. And beyond that, it is about paying our BLESSINGS forward.

Toronto Real Estate Board

I have a daughter. I cannot imagine one of her limbs being blown off by a land mine, her right to an education being denied, seeing her being abused and marginalized because she is a woman, or bullied by a classmate who doesn’t know better because hatred and intolerance was learned at home. And so, I pledged $25,000 to Friends with payments of $5,000 per year.

Victoria Real Estate Board

I see the CMHR as the perfect vehicle to drive home the message of HOPE for all humankind. It will educate students, the future custodians of our world, the leaders who can and will effect positive change. They will build on a foundation that has human dignity and human rights firmly entrenched within its structure. It will aid in rooting out human injustice, making those responsible, also accountable to us and our world.

I don’t miss my $5,000 per year. I know that I just have to sell an extra house or two, and I am grateful that I have been given that opportunity. My husband and I see our gift as an investment in our daughter’s future and that of our world. We have thrown our pebble in the pond. After all... I am a REALTOR® and REALTORS Care®.

Vancouver Island Real Estate Association

Windsor-Essex County Real Estate Board WinnipegREALTORS® Association

Thank you REALTORS®!

Make a tax-deductible donation to Friends

1(866) 828-9209 beginswithyou.net

* To read the full version written by Deborah, please visit beginswithyou.net

“If every REALTOR® across Canada made a $100 tax-deductible donation to Friends, REALTORS® could easily surpass our goal of $2 million to support the capital campaign and join in Canada’s efforts to promote peace and tolerance. To donate, visit beginswithyou.net.”

Sheldon Zamick, Chair of the REALTORS® Fundraising Campaign

40 REM DECEMBER 2011

Good Works R

oyal LePage Coast Capital Realty in Victoria held its seventh annual Shelter Foundation Golf Party recently, with more than 80 golfers raising $17,681 for the foundation.

Over seven years of hosting this event, Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty has raised more than $100,000 for the foundation.

The Golf Party featured 18 holes of golf, followed by a fun evening that featured dinner and lots of giveaways, auction items and raffles.

Among the highlights was the auctioning of a signed Oakland Athletics baseball jersey donated

by Victoria native Rich Harden and his family.

■ ■ ■

Recently in London, Ont. nine brave Realtors and staff from Century 21 First Canadian rappelled down the tallest office building in the city to raise money for Easter Seals. The team garnered the top spot for team fundraising at $22,716.

Vito Campanale, broker of record for the office, says, “I couldn’t be more proud of our team. I know that we have great people in our office but the fact that they literally put themselves out there to raise so much money for such a great cause is humbling.

I don’t think that I could rappel down a 26-storey building so I’m happy that there are people in our organization that could and did.”

Century 21 First Canadian Corp. was also a corporate sponsor for The Drop Zone.

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Again this year, the Friends of the Village of Rockcliffe Park Foundation organized Dining with the Ambassadors in one of Canada’s most affluent and beautiful heritage neighbourhoods and home to the official residences of diplomats from around the world.

This unique gala supports community facilities, environmental conservation and preservation of the heritage nature of Rockcliffe Park.

Alana Abraham, executive director and part owner of Sutton Group - Premier Realty in Ottawa helped to organize the event and set up the community centre where guests enjoyed a cocktail reception, courtesy of the main sponsor, sales rep Chris Lacharity.

Abraham says: “This April’s event raised a record $25,000, which surpasses the $20,000 raised in 2010. It was a very memorable evening of excellent company and outstanding cuisine all for a worthy cause.”

The reception was an opportunity to mingle and to be officially introduced to several ambassadors and high commissioners, who later received guests for dinner at their residences.

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Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty has presented the Kitchener and Waterloo fire departments with new teaching equipment, giving them the ability to conduct realistic fire safety lessons using LED-driven digital flames, electronic sensors, laser extinguishers and simulated smoke.

Funded by the 8th edition of the Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty Street Map and Service Guide, the high-tech props have been installed in the refurbished Fire Safety Education Van. The van was originally donated by the brokerage in 1995. The new props allow fire prevention officers to simulate a full-scale kitchen emergency and an industrial/workplace electrical fire. Using a laser training extinguisher, trainees learn how to effectively douse digital flames that extinguish, grow or rekindle in response to the trainee’s actions, putting the fire out only when proper extinguisher technique is used. A working smoke detector and interactive 911 telephone prop complete the realistic scenario.

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Michael Lepore of Royal

LePage Westside in Vancouver has set a personal goal to raise $50,000 for Nova Transition House/ CHIMO. Nova House provides safe shelter, information, emotional support, assistance, education and advocacy for women and children fleeing violence at home.

approached the Frank office in Peterborough and helped sales rep Susan Bowie and other volunteers to organize another run, raising close to $2,500.

About 150 people took part in Whitby and about 100 people walked or ran in Peterborough.

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The Realtors at Sutton Group Seafair Realty recently took part for the 17th time in the Steveston Salmon Festival. More than 50 Realtors from the Richmond and Delta, B.C. offices along with their families and friends volunteered to grill and serve 1,200 pounds of salmon for hungry visitors. They sold every piece of salmon available. Their food sales raised $30,000 for children’s and seniors’ programs at the Steveston Community Centre. In total, over the past 17 years, Sutton Group Seafair Realty has collected an amazing $250,000 for the Steveston Community Society.

Jim Hinchcliffe, a sales rep at Sutton Group - Seafair Realty in Richmond, has been instrumental in organizing the event since Sutton’s participation began in 1994. Each Canada Day, the Steveston Salmon Festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors.

Sutton sales reps fire up the barbeques at around 11 am and keep grilling into the early evening.

Sutton offices in the Calgary region once again joined forces to raise awareness and funds for a good cause. The Third Annual Charity Classic garnered $7,200 for Horizon Housing Society, an organization that provides affordable, integrated and supported homes to more than 700 individuals. The event attracted 63 golfers, numerous prize donations and sponsorships for each hole.

David Lem, broker at Sutton Partners Realty Group and one of the founding organizers of the tournament, says, “I feel that just as important as writing a cheque to a worthwhile cause is giving of one’s time and effort to promote the awareness of a cause.”

The tournament was organized and hosted by members of Sutton Group – Canwest and Sutton Partners Realty Group.

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The Realtors of Royal LePage County Realty in Athabasca, Alta. recently donated $4,815 to the Athabasca and Area Prevention of Relationship Abuse Action Committee (PRAAC). The funds were raised $50 at a time, as County Realty sales reps amassed the grand total by donating a portion of each home sale commission to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.

The funds will be used to help PRAAC produce a wide range of items including abuse awareness materials, emergency taxi rides and an outreach ad listing a confidential helpline number.

Ralph Shaw, owner of Century 21 Explorer Realty in Ottawa, rappelled down an 18-storey building recently to raise funds for Easters Seals Kids to Camp.

He came down the north tower of the Delta Ottawa Hotel and Suites, raising about $2,500.

Ottawa’s Easter Seals Drop Zone raised $127,673, surpassing the goal of $125,000. All proceeds from the event went towards helping Ontario’s families of kids with physical disabilities, including sending kids to a fully accessible Easter Seals summer camp.

Shaw says the biggest rush of the event was the moment he went over the ledge of the building. “There’s a second where you wonder if the harness is going to catch you, but of course it does,” he says.

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■ ■ ■

Sales reps and staff at Royal LePage Frank Real Estate have been raising money for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation with a series of walk/running events. Sales rep Kathy Beattie organized the first event in Whitby, Ont., which raised more than $3,000. She then

Royal LePage Realtors from the Bayview, St. Clair and Yonge Street offices in Toronto were recognized for contributing more than $280,000 to Interval House over the past seven years at the shelter’s annual open house. A plaque, which featured a unique

■ ■ ■

doll made by the children at Interval House, was presented to each office as well as to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation ■ ■ ■

Benjamin Werbski, a sales rep at Sutton Group - West Coast Realty in Duncan, B.C. recently brought five-time Juno award winner Liona Boyd to perform concerts in Courtenay, Victoria, Salt Spring Island, Chemainus and Sidney. Since developing a neurological and muscular disorder that occasionally afflicts guitarists and pianists, Boyd has rarely toured since 2003. Werbski, a longtime friend of Boyd’s, says, “We have talked about doing a tour for a number of years but since she was diagnosed with Task Specific Focal Dystonia in 2003, it was difficult to do.”

A portion of the proceeds from the tour were donated to the Thomas P. Jasinski Scholarship fund for business students. Thomas died in a car accident in 2009 and was Werbski’s great-nephew.

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Royal LePage Patrimoine in Repentigny, Que. recently hosted its first fundraiser for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation with a highly successful casino night, raising $8,474. Half of the money went to la Fondation MarieVincent and the other half was donated to a local Repentigny shelter, Regard en Elle.

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Jeff Borg of Royal LePage Meadowtowne in Mississauga held his 13th Annual Pumpkin giveaway recently. Borg hosts this event every year for families in his community, where he gives away pumpkins, horsewagon rides, pony rides, temporary tattoos, balloons, loot bags and hot dogs, in exchange for a small donation.

This year he donated the proceeds to Interim House through the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. He raised $1,845.

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The Coldwell Banker RMR Charity Golf Tournament recently raised $3,948 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Durham and the Kawartha Lakes Chapters. This

REM DECEMBER 2011 41

brings the total raised by the tournament over the last three years to nearly $13,000.

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Recently Royal LePage Atlantic Homestead of St. John’s, Nfld. organized the Chip for Charity Golf Tournament in support of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. Over 150 golfers participated in a round of golf, a barbecue steak dinner and a silent auction.

The event raised over $15,000 for the Iris Kirby Women’s Shelter REM in St. John’s.

The brave Drop Zone group from Century 21 First Canadian, from left: Shari Fulmer, Maureen O’Halloran, Judy Wilding, Trevor Tyson, Heather Arnott, Jim Chambers, Phil Stables, Dan Gdanski and Kathy Amess.

From left: Kitchener fire chief Tim Beckett; Peter Benninger, president/broker of record, Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty and Waterloo fire chief Lyle Quan.

At the Royal LePage Patrimoine Casino Night, from left: Yvon StAmant and Heina Saettone, broker/managers at Royal LePage Patrimoine; and Brigitte Renaud and Gilles Morin, from corporate sponsors Caisse Desjardins

Above: Michael Lepore of Royal LePage Westside with Nancy Nguyen, Nova Transition House coordinator.

Macdonald Realty in Kelowna recently donated $2,400 to the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Program, which has helped more than over 700 kids in the Kelowna area. The money was raised at the brokerage’s golf tournament. From left, Pardeep Padda and Keith Gosselin of Canadian Tire and Ray Trudeau and Donna Easton from Macdonald Realty.

Royal LePage County Realty sales reps make their donation. From left: Pamela Ergang, Betty Kanuga, Debbie Hammond (co-chair of PRAAC), RaDell BennettChrusch, TamaraYurchak, Trevor Yurchak (broker/owner), Dwight Chernish, Shahira Bury and Brian Rabin.

Realtors at Sutton Group - Seafair Realty recently took part for the 17th time in the Steveston Salmon Festival.

Sales reps from Royal LePage Frank Real Estate in Peterborough, Ont. present a cheque to support the Crossroads shelter.

Ralph Shaw wore his gold jacket when he rappelled down the 18storey Delta Ottawa Hotel and Suites.

At Interval House, from left: Craig Homewood, branch manager, Royal LePage Bayview; Patrice Gale, sales rep at the Yonge Street branch; Brian Elder, sales rep at the St. Clair branch; Lesley Akrill, director of Interval House; and Shanan SpencerBrown, executive director of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.

Sutton Group – Premier Realty in Ottawa helped organize and sponsor the Dining with the Ambassadors event.

Century 21 In Town Realty in Vancouver has raised over $10,400 this year to send kids with disabilities to an Easter Seals camp in B.C. On October 22, the team at the brokerage gave away six boxes of pumpkins and raised $1,243.

At the Third Annual Charity Classic in Calgary, from left: Sutton organizers Bob Metcalf, David Stonehouse, Janis Risi, Kim O’Brien (executive director, Horizon Housing Society), Wayne Thrush and David Lem.

42 REM DECEMBER 2011

THE PUBLISHER’S PAGE

By Heino Molls

I

MARKETPLACE

am writing a Christmas story about two friends this month, Richard and Ruth Kneider.

Years ago, Richard was part of the management team at the old El Mocambo nightclub and the Ports of Call Tavern in Toronto. Ruth used to waitress at another bar that Richard managed back in the day.

Today they live in the Stratford area and work tirelessly for their community.

Richard and Ruth make an annual trip to Russia at Christmas time. Neither of them have any prior connection to Russia. No family background, no business connection, in fact, they don’t even speak Russian. It just happened that one day they heard about the plight of orphans in Russia and decided to try and help.

The number of children who have been orphaned or left on their own is overwhelming. Some make their home on the streets and in

Christmas 2011 abandoned buildings. Some huddle in dark orphanages that are jammed to the rafters. All are miserably poor. The social net and welfare system that we have in Canada does not exist in Russia.

To give any significant amount of money to orphans creates restrictive bureaucracy and causes a rampant system of corruption to kick in. The result of all that means little money actually reaches the children. Trying to help can be daunting and frustrating.

Richard and Ruth travel to a number of Russian cities every Christmas and simply take as many orphans as they are able, out for a lunch or a meal. When possible, they take them out for a happy meal at McDonald’s.

Some people who first hear about what Ruth and Richard are doing dismiss the idea of taking a kid to McDonald’s or any place like that. They tsk tsk and declare that it’s of no value to a child’s nutrition.

They miss the whole point.

These young children are the poorest of the poor. A trip to McDonald’s is the stuff of dreams for these kids. Many will never get a chance to go there again in their lifetime. Many of the children return from their trip to McDonald’s with the wrappers and cups as keepsakes to look at again and again to remember the day. On

that one day they are made to feel special and given hope that better things can happen to them too.

This simple gesture can have a meaningful effect.

The cost for a happy meal in Russia is the same as it is here, around five bucks. For these orphans, it might as well be five million. It’s just a different world over there. In Russia, McDonald’s is for rich people only.

I have watched Richard and Ruth embark on this trip every year and I wish them a safe journey and a Merry Christmas. They deserve it as much as anyone I know. It seems to me that the greatest Christmas of all always come down to a simple a gesture or gift that costs very little and yet means a great deal.

You may want to help by buying a meal for one child by sending Richard and Ruth five dollars. I caution you; never put money in the mail. It isn’t safe. And for five bucks it’s just not possible to send a receipt. You won’t get a call and you won’t get any acknowledgement. You won’t even have the gratification of knowing your five bucks got through.

With all that said, if you are willing to take the risk to put a five dollar bill in an envelope wrapped in a sheet of paper and mail it to them at the address below and it gets through, I guarantee it will get

used to buy a child a Christmas meal in Russia. I don’t think there is any doubt that it would take a real leap of faith to do that but that is what Christmas is all about: faith.

We are called on so much. From the tragedy now raging in the Horn of Africa to the homeless souls on our streets, if we all help just a little

where ever we can, I have faith that we can solve a lot.

Richard and Ruth Kneider can be reached at RR #5, Stratford, ON N5A 6S6; 519-393-5537.

Heino Molls is publisher of REM. Email heino@remonline.com.

REM

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Compiled with the assistance of Bob Campbell at Colour Tech Marketing, www.colourtech.com

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I would like to take this

As we reach the end of 2011, opportunity to thank

the Canadian Real Estate Boards/Associations with which I have had the pleasure of working with this year. Your support, friendship and professionalism have made my first full year as National Account Manager with Supra most enjoyable. I look forward to our continuing working relationship in 2012. To the new Boards/Associations joining Supra in 2012, I look forward to working with you and your membership in establishing a true wireless lock box system. Happy Holiday!

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