February 2013

Issue #284

February 2013

Betty Fitzpatrick

Queen of the Miramichi

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1.25 million tonnes of radioactive waste Page 3

Make your listing photo stand out Page 30

51 more lessons my broker taught me Page 34

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REM FEBRUARY 2013 3

1.25 million tonnes of radioactive waste

As trucks begin to remove the tainted soil from Port Hope, local Realtors must deal with reduced property values and the government’s compensation program. By Brian Slemming

P

ort Hope is as close as you can get to how a small Ontario town looked when Queen Victoria ruled the waves. It has been described by historical architects as having the “best preserved 19th-century streetscape” in Ontario. It has a population of almost 17,000 and is approximately 100 km east of Toronto.

It markets itself as a weekend get-away destination with its famous Capital Theatre and a fine selection of restaurants, antique stores and B&Bs. While a small new subdivision is being developed on the west side of the town, the bulk of the properties are large heritagetype homes built around the turn of the century. In almost every respect Port Hope is a desirable area in which to settle. Apartment dwellers in the Greater Toronto Area looking for individual homes with a private garden should be heading to Port Hope to find their residential dream home.

Realtors should be deluged with potential buyers. But, the town has a big problem. A problem that impacts the area’s real estate industry and will not go away. It began in 1932, when Eldorado Gold Mine opened a radium refining facility in town.

Radioactive residue from the processing was stored not just on the refining site, but at a variety of sites in and around the town.

Worse, many sites became contaminated from accidents and spills, but no record of these radioactive waste dispersals were kept. Eighty years later, most of the disposal areas, officially designated as “low-level radioactive waste” have been identified. The residue remains scattered through residential neighbourhoods.

In 2011 Dr. Helen Caldicott came to town. She is an internationally recognized antinuclear activist and author whose controversial statements were seized on by most media outlets. On that visit, Caldicott

guaranteed headlines by advising residents to evacuate the town because “that radioactive waste will leak into the water for the rest of time”. The displaced residents, according to Caldicott, should then “sue the federal government.”

David Turck, a Port Hope councillor and sales rep with Royal LePage Pro Alliance Realty said, following Caldicott’s warnings, “This is not the first time we have had dealings with Dr. Caldicott. The fact is, low-level active waste is being responsibly handled.”

The furor set back the town’s real estate market and a variety of local Realtors detailed for REM a litany of sales difficulties.

But there was a plan to tackle the problem.

The federal government established the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) to resolve the situation. To no one’s surprise, PHAI is not clearing the town of residents, but it is clearing the town of a lot of contaminated soil. What’s a lot? Try one and a-quarter million tonnes.

When digging begins, the forecast from PHAI is that 409 trucks a day will be at work throughout the small town.

The fleet of trucks will take away contaminated soil and replace it with new clean dirt.

The contaminated soil is being moved to a prepared site that was once a scrap metal business on the north-eastern side of the town.

The historic accumulation of radiated waste and the subsequent clean-up is once again causing upheaval in the local real estate market. The problem has been recognized by the PHAI and a “Property Value Protection Program” (PVP) has been devised.

Councillor/Realtor Turck described the program’s basics: “When a potential client asks me for a valuation I look at what the true value would be if the clean-up was not going on. I look at comparable properties in the municipality and in Cobourg. (a neighbouring community six miles west of Port Hope).

That is the value I give. I then must explain the federal government’s compensation program. Under the PVP, vendors who must reduce their asking price because of the clean-up can file an appeal to the PHAI for compensation for any losses sustained by lowered prices.”

Turck says: “If the property is in a designated area or on a truck route we can ask for a resale appraisal. The appraiser can be selected by the vendor.

After the appraisal, a price point is established at which the appraiser believes the property will sell. Then the Realtor can start to market the property at that price-point. If, after four weeks, the property has not sold, the price can be reduced by five per cent. The vendor cannot accept an offer for lower than 10 per cent during that period.”

That process repeats every four weeks until the property is sold. Provided the conditions have been adhered to, when the property is sold at a lower price, the PHAI makes a settlement with the vendor.

“If a property was listed at $250,000 and it eventually sold for $130,000, my commission would be on the final selling price and would not include any portion of the PHAI settlement.” Turck has mixed feelings about the program.

“It provides some guarantees

for the vendor and it certainly requires additional work for both the vendor and for the Realtor. The Realtor, however, is not properly compensated for that extra work and earns commission on a lower amount.”

Tony Dekeyser of Century 21 All-Pro Realty, president of Cobourg Port Hope Real Estate Board, says: “I know some (Realtors) want some compensation for the losses in revenue and in recognition of the extra work, but I believe that is beyond our control. It is the federal government who makes the rules.”

Prices in Port Hope are about $30,000 to $40,000 lower than those in neighbouring Cobourg for similar properties.

What frightens the industry is that the worst may not yet have happened. Those 400 trucks filled with radioactive waste have not started their journeys around town. Special routes have been designated that keep the truck traffic out of the town centre, but people in many residential areas will have to get used to the sight of tightly sealed trucks filled with radioactive material passing by their front door. When that happens prices may go into free fall. A local paper suggested that when the trucks move it may be hard to give property away.

Local agents say that’s not likely to happen, but many are bracing for a harder task in listing and selling Port Hope properties.

For a small town that got good news in 1932 there’s been a lot of bad news since, and it doesn’t look to get much better in the immediate future. REM

4 REM FEBRUARY 2013

Mark Lindsey has joined Coldwell Banker Canada as regional vice-president, franchise sales, based at the company’s Canadian headquarters in Burlington, Ont. Lindsay has “close to 20 years experience in franchise development and a strong familiarity with the economic and demographic characteristics of all our regional markets,” says John Geha, Coldwell Banker Canada president. “He has gained experience in all aspects of franchising in Canada from prospecting, qualifying, setup and ongoing support.”

Multiple Listings

By Jim Adair, REM Editor Do you have news to share with Canada’s real estate community?

Let REM know about it! Email: jim@remonline.com

C

oldwell Banker R.M.R. Real Estate has opened a new office in Cobourg, Ont. Veteran broker Jim Houston is the office manager of 10 Realtors and employees. A lifelong native of Cobourg, Houston has served the area for more than 46 years in all phases of real estate. He is an Accredited Land Consultant and former broker/ owner of his own brokerage and has been involved in various levels of organized real estate.

“The expansion of our Cobourg location complements the market coverage provided by our surrounding offices in Durham Region and the Kawarthas,” says Ralph Roberto, president and broker of record of Coldwell Banker R.M.R. Real Estate. “We’re building an office that will complement the unique character and quaint lifestyle of the community.”

The company also announced that Pam Palmer has been appointed assistant manager of the

head office in Whitby. Palmer, who has been affiliated with Coldwell Banker R.M.R. for seven years, has extensive experience in residential real estate and in commercial sales and leasing. During the last three years she has co-ordinated the company’s Bootcamp Program for new Realtors and assisted Deborah Glover with marketing, managing and training programs for the company.

The brokerage was established in 1976 and now has more than 150 salespeople and employees in 10 offices.

■ ■ ■

Re/Max Premier in Vaughan, Ont. increased its sales force by 40 Realtors recently as professionals from the former Home at Ease Realty joined its ranks.

“The changing real estate climate played a role in our decision,” says former Home at Ease broker/owner Jerry Celenza.

“With markets moderating and a

more competitive climate emerging, we wanted to be well-positioned to provide our customers with the greatest advantages.”

Gabriel Bianchi, broker/owner of Re/Max Premier, says, “Expanding our team will enable us to become a greater force in our local market, and we embrace the opportunity to do so, especially in light of the remarkable growth evident in both our local market and the overall region in recent years.”

Vaughan’s population increased 20.7 per cent during the latest census period (2006 to 2011), well above the regional population growth rate for York at 15.7 per cent. In contrast, the Toronto CMA, which encompasses the majority of the Greater Toronto Area, saw its population rise by a more moderate 9.2 per cent.

■ ■ ■

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Canada (BHGREC) announced that Tiago Antonio Pereira has joined the company in a newly created role, director of franchise sales. Pereira will be responsible for developing the national marketing strategy for sales, providing national franchise sales support and co-ordination of all franchise sales operations across Canada.

Pereira has more than 12 years of sales and franchise growth expe-

■ ■ ■ ROUGE RIVER REALTY LTD., BROKERAGE I N D E P E N D E N T LY O W N E D A N D O P E R AT E D

#FN=FLGJQ G> "GE=K

rience. He comes to BHGREC from New Jersey-based Realogy Corp., where he was responsible for implementing master franchisees in Canada, the United States and Latin America. Pereira has been the recipient of many “team player” awards and earlier this year was named Realogy’s Salesperson of the Year for 2011, the company says.

■ ■ ■

Andrew McLaughlin has joined Right At Home as vicepresident, accounting and administration. He has more than 20 years’ experience as a chartered accountant and has a master’s degree in accounting. He previously held the positions of VP copyright and royalties administration at Ole Media Management, AVP merchandising and marketing finance at Sears Canada, finance manager at Coca-Cola Enterprises, finance manager at Shopper’s Drug Mart and senior accountant at Ernst & Young.

■ ■ ■

An established London, Ont. team known as The Power of 3 has joined the Coldwell Banker network. Owners Pat Pope, Drew Johnson and Lorna Anderson have named their company Coldwell Banker Power Realty.

In a joint statement, the owners said: “We feel very positive about the future of the London real Continued on page 6

JANUARY 2013 CIRCUL ATION 72,0 0 0 Listings active as of publication date December 27, 2012. Not intended to solicit buyers/sellers currently under contract with a brokerage. Salespeople and Brokers were RE/MAX Rouge River Realty Ltd. RECO registrants on publication day.

Pam Palmer

Tiago Antonio Pereira

Lorna Anderson, Drew Johnson and Pat Pope

Re/Max Rouge River’s new Inventory of Homes Magazine.

Gurinder Sandhu

Coldwell Banker R.M.R. Real Estate has opened a new office in Cobourg, Ont.

Gabriel Bianchi (left) and Jerry Celenza

Steve Murray

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6 REM FEBRUARY 2013

Continued from page 4

estate market and our role in helping it move forward…We have a variety of housing options here and amenities that reflect our rich balance of economic growth, recreation and heritage. Our community has much to offer, including a world-class university and access to major transportation arteries.”

The firm will continue to operate out of its premises at 1930 Hyde Park Rd. in London.

■ ■ ■

Re/Max has partnered with international industry expert Steve Murray, president of Real Trends, to develop an exclusive mergers and acquisition program for its broker/owners in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces.

Response to the comprehensive one-year program has been exceptionally strong, with the fullday introductory session held in December filled to capacity and concurrently simulcast to those who could not attend in person, says Re/Max Ontario – Atlantic Canada.

“Changing market conditions are expected to create an ideal climate for franchise expansion through mergers and acquisitions,” says Gurinder Sandhu, executive vice-president and regional director. “Under Steve’s guidance and direction, Re/Max brokers will receive critical insight and expertise designed to help them execute a targeted growth strategy.

Overall, the program will ideally position brokers to capitalize on emerging compatible growth opportunities within the marketplace, ultimately leading to increased reach and market share for Re/Max franchises throughout the region.”

Realty, is one of three men charged with operating a marijuana grow operation and possession of weapons. The Barrie Examiner reports that Cadeau was released on $25,000 bail and has a court date on Jan. 28. The Examiner says police raided an industrial unit next door to the Flat Fee Realty offices. It was being renovated into a marijuana grow house, the Crown alleges. It is also alleged that a loaded shotgun was found under a bed at Cadeau’s home, says the Examiner.

■ ■ ■

Re/Max Rouge River Realty

Orange Square Realty officially opened its headquarters on 101 Duncan Mill Rd. in Toronto on Dec. 18. About 60 people attended including Realtors, real-estate related vendors and media. Above, Eva Liu, broker and vice-president, cuts the ribbon being held by Israel Shapiro, broker, left and Michel Friedman, broker of record, right.

Ron Antalek of Re/Max Lifestyles Realty in Maple Ridge, B.C. was recently awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

The medals celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne. Antalek also received the 2012 B.C. Community Achievement Award. Antalek receives the award from Randy Kamp, MP for Pitt Meadows–Maple Ridge–Mission.

■ ■ ■

Barrie, Ont. real estate broker Aron Cadeau, owner of Flat Fee

Cover photo: SABRINA MONTEITH

recently launched its Inventory of Homes Magazine, which will be distributed by mail to over 70,000 homes throughout Toronto and Durham Region. The complimentary magazine will be published and distributed monthly to provide a complete, full-colour collection of the brokerage’s residential and commercial properties available for sale, the brokerage says.

Re/Max Rouge River Realty was established in 1987 by David and Dolores Pearce. It is still family owned and operated, with 165 salespeople at four full-service offices in Toronto, Pickering, Ajax and Whitby. REM

Publisher HEINO MOLLS email: heino@remonline.com

Editor in Chief JIM ADAIR email: jim@remonline.com

Director, Sales & Marketing DENNIS ROCK email: dennis@remonline.com

Distribution & Production MILA PURCELL distribution@remonline.com

Manager, French Edition MICHEL CHEVALIER michel@remenligne.com

Art Director LIZ MACKIN

Digital Media Manager WILLIAM MOLLS web@remonline.com

Graphic Design SHAWN KELLY Brand Design SANDRA GOODER

OREA renews call for grow-op registry N

inety-six per cent of Ottawa residents agree they want to know if the home they’re planning on purchasing was formerly used as a marijuana grow-op (MGO) or clandestine drug lab, according to a study by Ipsos Reid for the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA).

The poll found that almost one in four (24 per cent) of Ottawans report seeing or knowing of homes in their neighbourhood that have been used as MGOs or drug labs.

“The prevalence of these homes in Ottawa is quite frankly, alarming,” says Pat Verge, an Ottawa-area Realtor and member of OREA’s Board of Directors. “Homes used as grow ops and/or clandestine labs pose significant health and safety risks to individuals, families and communities all over the province.”

Locally, the City of Ottawa approved a recent bylaw regarding the prohibition, inspection and remediation of former marijuana grow-ops. The bylaw mandates the registration of work orders on the title of a property used as a former grow op. The bylaw would allow home buyers to find out if the property was a former MGO by doing a title search before they complete the purchase.

Verge says: “Eighty eight per cent of Ontarians support the creation of a province-wide registry of former MGOs and clandestine labs. As consumers they have the right to know anything and everything about the home that they are planning on purchasing – especially when not knowing could put themselves and their family at serious risk.”

Exposure to mould and toxins associated with MGOs and clandestine drug labs can cause serious health problems, including allergic (immunological) reactions, toxic effects and infection. Toronto Public Health says that MGOs are distinct from typical types of premises contaminated with mould in that they have been used for criminal activities that may have resulted in the creation of environmental hazards, as well as electrical and structural hazards. The potential presence of known hazardous, toxic and flammable substances associated with clandestine labs presents an immediate and continuing risk to anyone exposed to REM these substances, says Toronto Public Health.

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Phone: 416.425.3504 www.remonline.com www.remenligne.com REM complies fully with the Canadian Real Estate Association's Rules for Trademarks (CREA Rule 16.5.3.1) 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. 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 2013 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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8 REM FEBRUARY 2013

Betty Fitzpatrick: Queen of the Miramichi The Fredericton Realtor is an avid salmon fishing aficionado, a licensed trapper, an instructor in hunting and firearms safety and a tireless conservation advocate.

By Dennis McCloskey the early 1970s was affiliated with a realty firm until they “upped the lease.” She and three other Realtors “joined forces” for about seven years. When two retired, Fitzpatrick worked on her own out of her home. She is now affiliated with Century 21 All Seasons Realty of Woodstock, N.B., selling residential and recreational properties and some commercial.

Described by colleagues as a “leader in her field” and an “open, friendly spirit of high energy” Fitzpatrick has served in numerous local, provincial, national and international executive positions in her profession. She is also known throughout the province for her many and varied extra-cur-

“It’s all about keeping up with the changes and the market and constantly marketing yourself. What you learn today you will carry with you for the rest of your life.” ately known by several unofficial titles, including “Queen of the Miramichi.”

Married to husband Jack since 1948 and a Realtor for 41 years, this mother of five, grandmother of 12 and great-grandmother of three was taught by her father at an early age to hunt and fish near her birthplace of Chatham (now called Miramichi). She grew up and worked as a paralegal in Chatham before moving to Fredericton in 1968, bringing with her a love of the great outdoors, in general, and salmon fly fishing in particular.

She formed her own company, Betty Fitzpatrick Realty Co. and in

ricular activities. She is a licensed trapper (mostly muskrat); a deer and partridge hunter; a registered guide; part owner of a camp on the Cairns River; instructor in hunting and firearm safety courses; and she holds memberships in many other associations, including Ducks Unlimited, Ruffed Grouse Society, Woodmen’s Society, Rotary, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, IODE and Atlantic Salmon Museum.

The inveterate outdoors person, a.k.a. “the Face of the Miramichi,” has heard the facetious advice that “if fishing is interfering with your business, give up

your business.” She has no intention of ever doing that.

“I will quit when they fire me,” says the veteran Realtor, who says her age is “a number and it is unlisted.” She is quick to add that her family comes first. “They are my No. 1 priority and most important in my life. Everything else is secondary. ” Fitzpatrick’s other “family” includes the 500 friends, colleagues, clients and sportspeople who attended a $100-a-plate dinner that honoured her last fall. The occasion was the 17th annual Miramichi Salmon Association (MSA) Conservation Dinner and Grand Auction, which raised $65,000 for the MSA. Immediate family members were also present.

Fitzpatrick is a long-time member of the 60-year-old MSA river conservation association and she works tirelessly in its goals to preserve and enhance the wild Atlantic salmon and protect the habitat of the Miramichi watershed.

One of the 500 who attended the event that honoured Fitzpatrick for her role in “serving as a fine steward of the Miramichi River” was Wendy Hallihan, president of the Fredericton Real Estate Board. Hallihan told REM that Fitzpatrick – a former Fredericton Realtor of the Year – was honoured for the passion she has for the Miramichi. “We are very proud of Betty and all of her achievements,” Hallihan said following the conservation banquet. “Throughout the evening we all felt the love that was showered on her, especially by her family who are a huge part of her life.”

Hallihan says the evening’s honoured guest also entertained the audience by singing, playing the harmonica and regaling them with a few of her “pranks and props.” (When Fitzpatrick goes to a fishing camp, she often brings along a “tickle trunk” that’s filled with such gimmicks as a fake arm and hand that can be strategically

placed throughout the camp, rubber eggs and a set of fake false teeth that adds to the conviviality of the occasion.)

An avid traveler with her husband, Fitzpatrick has fished in Alaska, Finland, Turks & Caicos and Port Alberni, B.C. to name a few of her favourite fishing spots.

stantly marketing yourself. What you learn today you will carry with you for the rest of your life.”

Her second piece of advice is to be ethical. “Follow the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And her real estate watchword? “Everything sells. Just wait.”

And she has travelled to such countries as Italy, Spain and Singapore as a director of FIABCI, the Paris-based International Real Estate Federation.

“There is no remuneration in belonging to professional associations but the networking is priceless,” says Fitzpatrick. Her advice to her fellow Realtors is to “constantly educate yourself.” The veteran Realtor adds: “I have seen so many changes in the past 40 years; there’s always something new to learn. It’s all about keeping up with the changes and the market and con-

Fitzpatrick would agree that fishing is extremely time consuming and she might add that’s the whole point! She speaks clearly of the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between work and leisure, and then notes with a wry smile that “cell phones don’t work in the woods.” One gets a further indication of her love of the great outdoors when she is asked how often she gets to go salmon fishing during the AprilOctober season. “Not often enough,” she replies with typical good humour. REM

PHOTO: SABRINA MONTEITH

N

ew Brunswick’s Miramichi River is known as “the mother of all salmon rivers” because it is home to the largest runs of Atlantic salmon in the world. Located in the east-central part of the province, the river meanders 250 km through onequarter of the province’s territory and drains into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. About half of the sport catch of Atlantic salmon in North America is landed on the river and its tributaries.

Atlantic salmon is known as “the king of game fish” and in this eastern Canadian province, Betty Fitzpatrick – Fredericton Realtor, salmon fishing aficionado and conservation advocate – is affection-

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Years ago, when our industry was managed by the provincial ministry, I was broker of record of my own company and I contemplated starting my own real estate for sale by owner (FSBO) website.

I quickly realized when developing my marketing strategies for that website that I may be in conflict with real estate rules and regulations, so I decided not to go ahead with the site. Years later, with popularity of the Internet, FSBO websites thrive. They are cheered by the public, they win professional marketing awards, they win provincial business awards, they sell franchises and in the latest marketing gimmick, they “associate” themselves with Realtors who “help” put properties on MLS. I have examined a couple of popular websites that market in Ontario, I also looked at the “association” they have with “real” Realtors. And as a Realtor, I find some of the things they say and do unsettling.

Consider this: Instead of this huge website offering the help of a Realtor, think the other way – A Realtor hiring a FSBO website company to assist the Realtor to get business. That makes the FSBO company an unlicensed assistant, does it not?

So, if the FSBO website is acting as an unlicensed assistant, procuring listings for a Realtor to put on MLS, how can this be allowed?

Here are some issues and concerns that I found on some FSBO websites.

Site “A”: 1. When a property is sold privately, the company puts a sold sign on the property, giving the impression that they sold the property and not the seller privately, thus misleading the public to think that they are a real estate company.

2. The website states that Realtors charge “usually five per

cent or six per cent commissions” and says, “Paying five per cent or six per cent of the sale price is traditional for real estate agents.” I held senior positions in several real estate companies in the GTA and had access to thousands of listing agreements, and I can tell you, this is not the case. Again, the site is misleading the public and scaring them off Realtors.

3. They claim on the site that they “Teach people how to sell their home” and that they are “local experts”. What credentials and education do they have to make these claims?

4. Quote from a website: “If saving money makes you sick to your stomach, we’d recommend an agent.” This is slanderous and is not tolerated in our profession, but apparently it is okay when you are dealing in real estate without a license. By the way, this company is now proud to claim that they are “associated” with “agents”.

5. As part of their assistance they state: “Sellers will price their home similar to others…” This will be done (I am assuming) with the assistance of their “experts”.

Clearly a badly executed C.M.A (no “solds” to compare) done by non-professional, unauthorized people.

6. “We can help you get on realtor.ca”. It’s clear to me that this is solicitation to list properties to sell – not allowed by non-licensed individuals or companies.

7. The site uses expressions like “relisting costs” and “sale consultation”, giving the public the impression they are dealing with a “legitimate” licensed Realtor.

Site “B”: 1. The site claims they offer “ALL the tools and professional assistance you need to sell your home.” Really? Do they even know what all the tools are?

Do they know the difference between professional assistance, which is based on a lot of education, and amateur limited knowledge and limited resources from non-licensed help?

2. They will (according to

them) also provide: Ongoing support to take you through the sales process.” They will also provide “the complete set of tools to determine the right price.”

3. They claim they have 235 “sales representatives”. Are any of them licensed? Are any of them authorized and educated to help determine the right price (market value)? Is the public not being misled when they see “sales representative” beside a name, giving the impression they are dealing with a Realtor?

4. In a paragraph titled “Why choose us”, this website is bragging that so many thousands of homes are “sold through us”. Is this not trading in real estate without a license? What if a licensed Realtor put out a statement like that if his license expired for just one day? How long before the provincial regulator issues a warning to this person about the consequences of dealing in real estate without a license?

5. A mention is made to an “association” with a “real” Realtor and that for an extra fee, your listing will appear on MLS. I have gone on this website asking for information about selling my house with the “help” of a Realtor.

I found out the Realtor is in Ottawa (I live in the GTA). I did not take it any further.

Will that Realtor come to Toronto to meet sellers and “I.D” them? View the house? Measure the house? Ask the sellers pertinent questions? Check for visible deficiencies?

My guess is no.

Is this the spirit and the intent of the due diligence laws and of provincial regulations in regards to listing a property? Am I missing something here? Have the rules changed?

Or does our real estate license not mean anything anymore to our licensing authorities?

Is the public only being protected from us (licensed Realtors)?

If you are not licensed, are you free to make the claims above? Help me out here!

Michel Friedman Broker of Record Orange Square Realty Toronto Continued on page 12

Touchbase

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150 MILLION MESSAGES SENT ACROSS CANADA!

Touchbase has sent its 150,000,000th message.

Thank you to all our valued clients for your trust in

the all-important responsibility of handling your communications.

British Columbia Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver BC Northern Real Estate board Chilliwack & District Real Estate Board Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board Vancouver Island Real Estate Board Victoria Real Estate Board Fraser Valley Real Estate Board Alberta Calgary Real Estate Board REALTORS® Association of Edmonton Grande Prairie Real Estate Board Lethbridge Real Estate Association Central Alberta REALTORS® Association

Ontario Québec Chambre Toronto Real Estate Board Brampton Real Estate Board Chambre Chambre Durham Region Association of REALTORS® London St-Thomas Association of REALTORS® Chambre Niagara Association of REALTORS® Chambre Chambre Windsor-Essex County Real Estate Board Bancroft District Real Estate Board Chambre Chambre Quinte & District Association of REALTORS® Tillsonburg District Real Estate Board Chambre Chambre Woodstock-Ingersoll & District Real Estate Board Sarnia Lambton Real Estate Board Chambre Kingston & Area Real Estate Association Northumberland Hills Association of REALTORS® Peterborough and the Kawarthas Association of REALTORS® North Bay Real Estate Board Chatham-Kent Real Estate Board Timmins Real Estate Board Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Board Inc. Sudbury Real Estate Board

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12 REM FEBRUARY 2013

METES & BOUNDS

By Marty Douglas

T

here’s a book – really Marty? You just discovered books? – a slim volume possibly out of print, called The Max Strategy - How a businessman got stuck at an airport and learned to make his career take off by Dale Dauten. The synopsis, in which the businessman is shown the error of his ways by a complete stranger, is timeless. In fact, if you read it you’ll likely say, “I know all that!”

So how come you’re not rich and writing books like The Wealthy Barber or appearing on Dragon’s Den? It’s okay, most of us “know the secret”, we just don’t implement it. The overlying concept of The Max Strategy is that concentrating on goals and imitation leads to failure nine times out of 10.

“Studying novels doesn’t make you a novelist and studying success won’t make you successful.”

Letters to the Editor Continued from page 10

Mandatory ethics courses Re: Do we need mandatory ethics courses by Stan Albert, REM December 2012: In his article Stan Albert comments on “the growing lack of ethics in our profession” and the need for a mandatory ethics course for real estate practitioners.

Professional ethics are a core part of the Real Estate Institute of Canada’s (REIC) values. Our programs and courses have been advancing professionalism and providing a national standard of business ethics in the real estate industry since 1955.

Our Ethics and Business Practice course (REIC 2600) is our most popular course. Students rave about the course content, the case

Try innovation, not imitation Whoa!

It gets more interesting. Try innovation rather than imitation, Max advises, and you will double your chances to succeed – but that’s still only 20 per cent. To achieve success the key is to stop being ordinary – right now – and begin to experiment, to be different and to become open to experimentation daily. “People hate to change, but they love to experiment.”

Although I fly frequently, my run-in with a success story happened at our local government liquor store. Which I also visit frequently. On Christmas Eve, I nip in – get it? Nip? – oh well – and my favourite clerk, helping me find the right wine, mentions her uncle, Don Wensley, is in the store.

Don helped introduce MLS to the Comox Valley in the 1960s with Block Brothers Realty and went on to build his success in the early years of Whistler, B.C. But today he’s just another of the Christmas spirit shoppers and quite happy to stop and share his opinions – he has many – to which, he points out, he is entitled.

With our common ground of real estate, me 43 years next month, Don 48 years when he “retired” 10 years ago, it didn’t take scenarios that are discussed and our engaging instructors. This course assists the real estate practitioner to develop and refine their decision-making skills from an ethical standpoint. Using factual and hypothetical case studies and group discussions, students study various real estate ethical codes to acquire the tools and strategies to maintain strict ethical standards.

Since January 2011, over 500 students have successfully completed REIC 2600. RECO has designated REIC as a pre-approved education provider in Ontario.

The ethics course is mandatory for each of our designation programs. The emphasis on ethics and high business standards help members differentiate themselves from their competitors. Our designees are also governed by the institute’s Code of Professional Standards.

The Fellow of the Real Estate

long for the conversation to switch to our common expertise.

With the shoppers swirling around us at the store entrance, we caught up for nearly half an hour – who is still alive, who is broke and who is still in the business. That half hour is not going to change my life but it is going to give me a column, a sales meeting and half a dozen entries in my red book of quotes.

“Today, I couldn’t tell you the value of any house in the Comox Valley but I will tell you this – in six months it’s going to be lower.”

Ouch! But then as I write this column, two weeks later, I’m looking at the cover of the first issue of 2013 of Maclean’s magazine with a down arrow piercing the heart of a home with the withering headline, Inside the great real estate crash of 2013.

Asked his opinion on why salespeople fail, Don offers: “Salespeople aren’t making calls, they aren’t prospecting because they want to be liked, they don’t want people to say ‘no’. And that means they aren’t talking to people that might say ‘yes!’”

And echoing the need for work ethic and differentiation: “Whatever job you have to do, do it better than anyone ever expected.”

Institute (FRI) designation is REIC’s senior credential and is the gold standard for professionals in real estate sales and leasing. With education that exceeds licensing requirements, FRI designated members are acknowledged as real estate practitioners with a high level of expertise and knowledge and a commitment to professional development and strong business ethics.

REIC recognizes that to be a professional, one must have ethical underpinnings. As a membership organization, we are proud to be doing our part in advancing the professional status of real estate practitioners in Canada and enhancing consumer protection.

Maura McLaren, CAE Executive director & CEO Real Estate Institute of Canada REM Toronto

Did he have a listing conversation to share? You bet! Here’s the opening pitch to a homeowner: “In a few minutes we’re going to find out three things – one is that you are going to list your house with me. Two – I might decide to say ‘no’ to listing your home. Three – we may find out you’re crazy. Now, what do you think your home is worth? (If they state a much higher price than you know it’s worth, shout, “You’re crazy! Is your wife embarrassed by your condition?”

Subtle? Don is not subtle.

Consider: “There are lots of Realtors in town who will list your home, but damn few of them that can sell it.” Not a new slogan but then there is a certain timelessness to many exhortations. Not sure about that?

If books or columns are too analogue, not digital enough for you, have a look at the

U.S. Marines website at www.marines.com and see how easily their mottos support a foundation of success in your career.

“Semper Fi” – always faithful.

“Lead by example.” “The few, the proud.”

Last thought from Michael Vickers: “They’ll never talk about you if just do the things you are supposed to do.”

Contact Marty Douglas by email at mgdouglas247@gmail.com .

Follow or connect with Marty on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. He is a managing broker for Re/Max Ocean Pacific Realty in Comox and Courtenay, B.C. He is a past chair of the Real Estate Errors and Omissions Insurance Corporation of B.C., the Real Estate Council of B.C., the B.C. Real Estate Association and the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board.

REM

OBITUARY:

Sherry Belcourt – Darby

S

herry Belcourt-Darby, broker/owner of Coldwell Banker Panda Realty in Edmonton, died on Dec. 18 after a courageous battle with a long illness. Her husband and partner Tom Darby was at her side.

“There are few brokers in our network who did not know and admire Sherry,” says John Geha, president of Coldwell Banker Canada. “Over the years, first with Canada Trust, and later Coldwell Banker, Sherry earned countless company and industry awards, including president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board, president of the Edmonton Realtor Charitable Foundation and ultimately culminating in her role as president of the Alberta Real Estate Association.

One of the first Canadian graduates of Coldwell Banker University, Sherry was an inspiring advocate for professional development in our industry. As an accredited instructor for both CREA and her provincial association, Sherry educated thousands of Realtors throughout her career.”

Geha says: “Despite her many professional accolades, her friends at Coldwell Banker will most remember her kind and giving nature, and how when she greeted you, she took your hand in both of hers and gave it a warm squeeze accompanied by her trademark smile. She was one of our brand’s greatest supporters, and I believe that she and Tom never missed a company conference in more than 20 years until illness overtook her. We’ll all remember how our ‘Canadian songbird’ graced many of our events with her beautiful voice. She will be sorely missed by all of us who knew her.”

Messages of condolences can be sent to Tom and Sherry’s family and staff at Coldwell Banker Panda Realty at tom-darby@coldwellbanker.ca. REM

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14 REM FEBRUARY 2013

Condominium rulings

Setting

THE STANDARD!

LEGAL ISSUES

®

trate the issue and could ask for a court order. It found that the owners of the units ignored notices and opportunities to comply and could not ask the court for “equitable remedy” (coming to court without clean hands). (Toronto Common Element Condominium Corporation No. 1508 v. William Stasyna, 2012 ONSC 1504) I I I

By Donald H. Lapowich

T

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hose who do not follow the rules of their condominium may face costly consequences.

C purchased a unit that she rented out. She brought an application against the condo corporation to vacate a lien the corporation had placed on her unit for the costs of water damage. The corporation sought a compliance order from the owner and tenant.

The court ordered C to remove internal locks that were not in compliance with the rules. The court also ordered C not to use the unit as a rooming/boarding house, instead of for single-family use. It awarded the condominium corporation costs of more than $40,000 and appeals right up to the Supreme Court of Canada were dismissed. (Chan v. Toronto Standard Condominium Corporation No. 1834, 2011 ONSC 108) I I I

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In another case, the owners of units in a condominium made some landscaping alterations on common elements adjacent to their parcels. After several previous requests, the condo corporation gave them one year to remove the alterations. When the owners did not comply, the board voted on the matter, and although more than 50 per cent of the owners present voted to allow the alterations, the requirement was 66.6 per cent to carry the vote.

The court granted the application for compliance and removal of the unauthorized alterations to the common elements. The court found that the condo corporation did not have to mediate or arbi-

After a condominium project suffered several serious problems in construction, the developer and the condominium lender were sued by the condo corporation and the unit holders. On a motion for partial summary judgment, the court agreed that the construction lender owed no duty of care whatsoever to purchasers of units in the condominium or to the condominium corporation itself. The Commitment Letter to provide financing was a private contract and did not accrue or provide benefits to third-party beneficiaries.

(Condominium Corporation No. 0321365 v MCAP Financial Corporation, 2012 ABCA 26) I I I

The City of Guelph, Ont. city served a Notice of Violation under its bylaw, requiring the owner of a pool to make sure the pool pump circulated the water and that the water was chlorinated. The enforcement officer entered the owner’s backyard while the owner was out of the country, and had the water drained from pool.

The court held that the swimming pool was not a dwelling, so no warrant was needed to enter the property, nor was the consent of the owner required. The case was upheld by the Court of Appeal.

(Davis v. Guelph [City], 2011 ONCA 761) Complete court decisions are available at www.canlii.org.

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

92%

91%

89%

is the #1 Brand Top Agents Joining

Jeff Jaffari Visions Realty Inc. 416-321-2228 Former Brand: Coldwell Banker “We felt strongly that our move to RE/MAX would support that goal by ultimately providing greater property exposure, an expanded buyer pool and unparalleled marketing muscle. With the changing real estate climate, this was an ideal time to increase our value proposition and give our clients a distinct edge. RE/MAX has allowed us to do that. The company’s support of their network and the consumer is beyond incredible.”

Dave Sachko First Realty Ltd. (905) 655-1144 Former Brand: Keller Williams Former Brand: Coldwell Banker “I’ve always liked the RE/MAX brand. I work in an area where RE/MAX has over 35 percent market share and wanted to be part of the success. I like the leadership and work ethic of RE/MAX professionals and feel the environment at RE/MAX is the best place for me to continue to build my team and my business”

Zara Bahmani Realtron Realty Inc. (416) 222-8600 Previous Brand: Century 21mer Brand: Coldwell Banker “I decided to leave my previous brand and join RE/MAX after attending a very impressive RE/MAX event. It was clear to me the level of professionalism associated with the Brand is truly above the crowd. With RE/MAX standing for high service, I knew my business would benefit.

Michelle Fraser Hallmark Realty Ltd. (416) 494-7653 Former Brand: Royal LePage “RE/MAX has the strongest corporate culture and I Former Brand: Coldwell Banker knew by coming over to RE/MAX that I would improve my business by being surrounded by the best!”

For more information regarding opportunities with RE/MAX Ipsos Understanding Agent Perceptions in Canada, October 2012.

89%

74%

61%

respected by Agents Agree

Doinis Padron Legacy Realty Inc. (905) 795-1900 Previous Brand: Royal LePage

Jeff McInnis of Wasaga Beach Inc. (705)-429-4500 Former Brand: Royal LePage

Alex Lombardi Premier Inc. (905)-856-1111 Previous Brand: Royal LePage

Domenic Manchisi Legacy Realty Inc. (905)-272-5000 Previous Brand: Prudential

Angele Roy Chay Realty Inc. (705)-722-7100 Previous Brand: Century 21

RE/MAX was a natural choice for me.Brand: Coming to RE/MAX Former Coldwell Banker helped me achieve my long term goal of being an International Real Estate Agent. With the networking opportunities RE/MAX provides their agents and the state-of-the-art website, global.remax.com my decision to come to RE/MAX was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made.

“I used to think I was leading edge I starting Formeruntil Brand: ColdwelllearnBanker ing how to use the RE/MAX tools. I was behind the times.

The consumer was more advanced than I was. Now I feel I am back on top of my business all thanks to RE/MAX being on the leading edge of technology.”

“I was looking for a brokerage that provided opportunity for Former Brand: Coldwell Banker growth and expansion in my business. Working with the world’s most productive agents along with the support from staff and commendable effort from management to provide training and development opportunties has already increased my business since joining in August. I can now look at expanding internationally. Something that wasn’t available before.”

I came to RE/MAX not only for the strong brand identity, but Former Brand: Coldwell Banker also because I knew there was a road to success which I could walk alongside some of the industry’s best Real Estate Agents.

The amount of support available, ranging from the tools, networking opportunities, and continued learning and education I was opened up to, ensured me that my business would flourish and my envisioned plan to success would be possible.

“The brand is so well known, that I can focus on explaingin what my individual serFormer Brand:my Coldwell vice provides clients.Banker The Brand value sells itself.”

contact Adrian Burry (905) 542-2400 or aburry@remax-oa.com All statistics and testimonials are for RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada.

18 REM FEBRUARY 2013

Sales rep escapes liability over disclosure statement

By Bob Aaron

A

Saskatoon real estate agent and his brokerage have escaped liability to the purchasers of a home with a wet basement in a misrepresentation lawsuit. Although they recovered their damages from the sellers, the unhappy buyers were ordered to pay the agent’s costs out of their own pocket.

Back in 2007, Carol and Donald Jacobucci bought a house in an upscale Saskatoon neighbourhood from Marleen and Patrick Prediger. The agreement of purchase and sale made it a condition of the deal that the sellers complete and deliver a Property Condition Disclosure Statement (PCDS).

The Predigers purchased the

house in 2000 and lived in it until its sale to the Jacobuccis in 2007.

The Saskatoon real estate market was very active when the property was listed for sale; the sellers’ real estate agent described it as “chaotic” and one where offers above asking price were common.

At the time the house was listed, the Predigers signed a PCDS at the request of their agent. It was a standard form in use at the time, although it was revised the following year.The form was mandatory for real estate agents to use.

One question on the form was, “Are you aware of any roof leaks or moisture or water problems or unrepaired water damage in the dwellings ...?”

The Predigers answered no.

Another crucial question was, “Are you aware of any past or present flooding or drainage problems on the property?”

To this the sellers answered yes, and added a comment reading,

“July 2005 storm, slight seepage installed 2nd sump pump no trouble since.”

When the Jacobuccis took possession of the house in November 2007, they hired a carpet cleaner who discovered water problems and a bad smell. Water was found underneath the carpet in most of the basement, and some of the adjacent walls were wet, mouldy and smelly. It was clear that water was entering the basement through the concrete floor.

Eventually the basement carpet and all of the interior walls of the basement were removed. The wallboard, vapour barrier, insulation and some of the electrical installations had to be discarded.

Due to the mould, the buyers moved out until the property was remediated.

The buyers sued the sellers and the listing agent last year, and the court’s decision was released in August.

Based largely on the evidence of the sellers’ real estate agent, Justice J. Duane Koch concluded that the water issue had to be treated in law as a hidden, or latent, defect. During that agent’s inspections of the property, he did not notice any water problems in the basement, but the judge noted, “It was not his job to be a wet basement detective. He was entitled to take the Predigers’ PCDS at face value.”

The judge concluded that the Predigers had made conscious efforts to conceal or at least minimize the extent of the damage “to the point of wilful deception.”

They used at least one air freshener, without which the basement had a very strong smell.

The court found the Predigers liable to the Jacobuccis for several specific misrepresentations and ordered them to pay damages to the Jacobuccis of $92,162 plus costs. The Jacobuccis, however,

were ordered to pay costs of the sellers’ real estate agents, as there was “no reasonable basis to proceed against them.”

This case seems to establish a low threshold for an agent’s duty to purchasers when using the disclosure form, at least in Saskatchewan.

In reaching his decision, Justice Koch also quoted a 2003 decision of the chief justice of Manitoba, who wrote, “Based on the experience of those provinces that have employed the PCS, it seems to present a ripe ground for litigation.”

Bob Aaron is a sole practitioner at the law firm of Aaron & Aaron in Toronto and a past board member of the Tarion Warranty Corp. He specializes in the areas of real estate, corporate and commercial law, estates and wills and landlord/tenant law.

His Title Page column appears in The Toronto Star. E-mail bob@aaron.ca REM

2013 ELECTION OF DIRECTORS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Starts Feb. 22, 2013 Real Estate Council of Ontario

Members of the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) who are interested in serving on its Board of Directors are required to submit their

Nomination Form no later than: 2:00 p.m. Monday, April 1, 2013.

Three Directors will be elected — one in each of the three regions of the province as established

by RECO. A copy of the Nomination Form and Candidate Instructions are posted on RECO’s website at www.reco.on.ca or on MyWeb at https://myweb.reco.on.ca.

For more information contact: Shelley Westlake-Brown Tel: 416-207-4800 Toll-free: 1-800-245-6910 E-mail: election@reco.on.ca Website: www.reco.on.ca Real Estate Council of Ontario 3300 Bloor Street West West Tower, Suite 1200 Toronto, ON M8X 2X2

Prudential Real Estate A network of successful and respected real estate professionals Same great services, same great technology, same great marketing tools – join Prudential Canada. Contact your local Prudential office for details.

Prudential.ca

20 REM FEBRUARY 2013

Mould, asbestos and vermiculite M

ould, asbestos and vermiculite are often misunderstood. When people come across it – either through an inspection of a home that is being contemplated in a purchase or while living in their home – they have certain preconceived ideas that may not result in the optimal, most educated decisions on how to treat it in their specific situation.

Mould: Moulds are microscopic fungi that actually grow in every home. It is only a substantial amount of mould, affecting the structure of the home and/or toxic mould that should be a big concern.

If there is mould but it covers less than a square metre, it is considered “small” (even up to three small patches are not a significant concern). In these cases, the homeowner can safely, quickly and effectively clean it up without the help of an expert.

It is important to clean them when they are first noticed because it can become more of a problem if ignored. The homeowner must follow precautions to keep moisture levels in the home at a minimum.

This can mean the difference between a few dollars and a couple of thousand if the problem is caught early and treated properly.

The Home Inspection Network has a comprehensive document on mould that elaborates and can be found at www.homeinspectionnetwork.ca/medialibrary/understandingmould/.

If the mould comes back after cleaning or it is located in larger areas, hiring an expert is recommended. This would be an experienced person who has come across mould issues and has practical knowledge of remediating. We do not recommend testing the air, because where it is determined that there is a mould problem, the cost of testing may be better spent hiring a professional investigator or fixing the problem.

Asbestos and vermiculite: Both asbestos and vermiculite are natural occurring minerals that have been used in a variety of commercial products, especially insula-

tion, electrical products and in many products around the house (caulking, shingles) due to their ability to insulate and slow down fires. Both asbestos and vermiculite are now regulated, controlled and contained in products made since the 1990s.

Health Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) state that asbestos and vermiculite, when contained and not exposed to the home or interior environment, pose very little health risk. They pose health risks only when fibres are in the air that people breathe. This can happen when asbestos-containing products break down, either through deterioration as they age or when they are cut. People can put themselves at risk – often without realizing it – if they do not take proper precautions when repairs or renovations disturb materials containing asbestos.

The agencies recommend that if you do not need to disturb the material, seal it up. This includes sealing all cracks and holes in the ceilings of the rooms below the insulation by apply caulking around window and door frames, along baseboards and around electrical outlets.

Additional insulation can be put on top of the vermiculite, typically costing about $500 to $1,000, depending on the home and the insulation used.

If the homeowner is in doubt and/or wants to do some renovations or remodelling in the area, a professional who is trained and qualified to handle vermiculite and asbestos removal should be hired before proceeding with any work.

These products, when disturbed, can spread throughout the home, causing serious health problems and more expenses down the road.

This article was provided to REM

by The Home Inspection Network, a network of professional, experienced and field-tested home inspectors and energy advisors, built with the real estate agent’s needs in mind. www.homeinspectionnetwork.ca or call toll-free at 1-855-232-9778.

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Publication: REM Material Deadline: January 15, 2013 Insertion Dates: January 25, March 22, 2013

Richness is:

We’re pleased to announce our new Scotiabank Home Financing Solutions team.

Our professionals are dedicated to delivering qualified home buyers to your door, faster. Build your business with our customized solutions and superior customer service, and help your clients own a home – not a mortgage.

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Publication: REM Material Deadline: January 15, 2013 Insertion Dates: January 25, March 22, February 28, 2013

Isn’t it time a mortgage specialist brought business to you?

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* In 2011, we referred over 4,000 pre-approved mortgage customers to our partners across Canada.

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24 REM FEBRUARY 2013

SALES COACH

By Bruce Keith

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s the old expression goes, the only constant is change itself. It’s a blessing that things are always changing. If everything stayed the same, life would be boring.

Boring leads to complacency and complacency leads to mediocrity = poor sales volumes. That’s never a result that a salesperson wants to see. On the other hand, change is only welcome when it is for the better. If you buy a new car and it turns out to be “worse than the one I traded in”, that’s not a good change, right?

Fact of life... markets change

Is the market changing? all the time. Sales opportunities get better and they get worse. No surprise there, is there? Market fluctuations are the result of two main influences... seasonality (time of the year) and economic conditions (supply, cost of money, related industry results).

To be a great salesperson you must be able to adapt to what’s going on around you.

Think of your sales market like the weather. If it’s hot out you dress a certain way and engage in related activities. If it is cold out you “bundle up” and perform very different tasks. If there’s snow on the ground, then you have to deal with it. The real key is to be able to roll with the punches. This is especially important in a declining or down market. Sometimes you have to get out the shovels and move the snow out of the way. Here are some ideas in my playbook for a declining market: 1. Start work one half hour

earlier every day.

2. Do something every day to strengthen your mindset (books, affirmations, avoid negative people/news).

3. Get your personal database in order. Call prospects (especially those you haven’t spoken to in a while) and ask for business and referrals.

4. Develop a daily/weekly schedule that turns up the volume for the next three to six months.

5. Be very clear on your top five or six personal goals.

Reconfirm your motivation daily.

6. Be very clear on your business goals. Break it down to weekly targets and track it daily.

Stay super focused!

7. Think bigger... read Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port.

8. Identify the top five or six objections you are receiving and master two or three responses for each.

50

cess of the moment. You have to keep loading up your conveyor belt every day to quickly take advantage of the opportunities as they come along.

Either way, make sure your “shovel” is doing the job that is needed today. If you are currently in a market where there is more snow than normal, you need to do more shovelling.

While everyone else complains about the snow, you are way ahead of them clearing a path for yourself. Keep shovelling! No excuses.

Bruce Keith, the “Results Coach” has over 23 years of experience. He is a sales and marketing coach and seminar leader in the real estate business, teaching what to say and how to say it. His high-energy, highimpact training style is sought after and acclaimed across North America.

He says, “Success is possible; there are no excuses”. www.brucekeithresults.com. REM

OFF

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Here’s the key to dealing with a changing market... whether the market is going up or down, keep doing the same things. (“Bruce, that doesn’t make sense! If the market is changing, I should do something different, shouldn’t I?”) Not really. The key is to maintain a solid routine. What changes is the volume of how much each task is performed. Be prepared to shovel more snow!

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I have a strong personal brand, with a trusted, national brand behind me. I take the brand’s tools — social media, marketing and advertising — and make them my own. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has allowed me to be me, which means the world to someone of my generation. The brand is connected, it’s everywhere … so am I, and so are my clients.

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©2013 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity.

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26 REM FEBRUARY 2013

Mastering your real estate career

By Andy Herrington

M

alcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, brought the concept of the 10,000hour rule into the mainstream consciousness. The theory says that it takes a person 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” to become a master in any given field.

So if it is this simple and you can take a little over a year (416.67 days to be more precise – double this if you want to sleep at all) to become a master, why are so few Realtors truly “masterful” in real estate?

In every aspect of real estate marketing you will have a handful of masters. Buyers, sellers, marketing, social media, farming, the list goes on. They are the innovators

and trail blazers. They see what will happen, and are seemingly always in the right place at the right time. The first thing I notice is that very few are masters in multiple areas. I began to study this and have found that the 10,000 hours is important, however the phrase “deliberate practice” is a little too simplified for most people.

The three main keys to becoming a master are: 1. Deliberate practice 2. Practical application 3. Focus Most people have time for only one piece of the puzzle – practical application, actually doing the business. They do not have time for daily specific practice and cannot afford to focus on only one area of real estate.

Practice is about being perfect.

Practical application rarely is.

Practice is imperative because it finds the errors in our ways, and refines our systems into more powerful tools. The very best of the best, the masters, specifically schedule and set aside time to prac-

tice, learn and grow in their focused area of expertise. They seek out new ways and refine their own speciality so they are never behind the times. They understand and place a high value on improvement, which allows them to never be stagnant in their business.

The last element is truly the hardest because there are so many distractions for the Realtor these days. For many who do find the time to practice and practically apply what they practice, they lack the blind focus and end up trying a little of everything and becoming a jack of all trades but a master of none.

Look at sports. The greatest players do one or two things better than everyone else. Elite players are faster, or harder or more accurate or better strategists, but rarely is any one player the best in all of those categories. In hockey the hardest shooter is not the most accurate and in baseball the homerun hitter is never the hardest throwing pitcher. At the same time, in all sports there are many

If you want to be the superstar you wish to be, find your desired expertise and focus on it. who are “all around players”, but they are never the superstars.

The real estate industry works the same way; it is too vast for you to become a master in many different areas. Focus is needed to truly carve out your place and become the superstar you know you are.

Now looking at these 10,000 hours, we can see it is a whole lot harder to achieve widespread mastery. In the average work year there are 3,744 hours of work. Most of us do not spend 30 minutes a week in “practice” mode. That is 26 hours a year – at this rate it will take a person 384.61 years to become a master. Next we can add the practical

application. Even when we are working 10-hour days, six days a week, this will at most count for 14 focused hours per week. The rest of our time is spent on the other tasks of being a real estate agent.

We now only need 13.74 years to become a master in one aspect of real estate. The real issue is that you cannot focus on multiple areas at a time and truly expect to ever reach mastery. So if you are in the business for 30 years, you likely can become an expert in TWO categories. This also assumes that you can focus for 14 years on a specific area at a time. Mastery is simple, but it is not easy.

We all know the experts in our areas – The Farmer, The Lister, The Marketer, The Buyers Agent – and we know in our hearts that we are better at this or that than they are. We are smarter and we work harder. We all wonder how they accomplished so much with what appears to be so little. It is their ability to focus, their dedication to specific deliberate practice and their consistent practical application of the best systems that creates their superstar status.

So if you want to be the superstar you wish to be, find your desired expertise and focus on it, work hard day after day and do not lose sight. Do not get distracted.

Do not quit. Over time you will become that hugely successful Realtor in your area, and no one will be able to understand why you get so much business.

Andy Herrington is a real estate salesperson who was a member of some amazing top producing teams prior to becoming a real estate coach and inspirational speaker. His main message is for all Realtors to have “belief in the message” and to create a higher standard of professionalism for our amazing profession. www.andyherrington.com. REM

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2012 Royal LePage National Chairman’s Club 1. Loretta Phinney* Mississauga, ON (877) 822-6900

2. Cathy Rocca Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services† Burlington, ON (800) 290-0163

3. Dan Cooper* Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

4. Kirby Cox* Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

5. Daryl King* Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Richmond Hill, ON (905) 731-2000

6. Simon Giannini Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

7. Elli Davis* Toronto, ON (800) 622-9536

8. Mark Faris Royal LePage First Contact Realty† Barrie, ON (877) 728-4067

9. Kelly McKelvie Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (800) 841-0672

10. Cailey Heaps Estrin* Toronto, ON (416) 424-4930

11. Marie-Yvonne Paint* Royal LePage Heritage Real Estate† Montreal, QC (514) 934-1818

12. Sue Mills Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

13. Patrick Morris* Royal LePage Performance Realty† Ottawa, ON (877) 757-7386

14. Rina DiRisio* Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

15. Michael O’Sullivan* Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services† Burlington, ON (800) 290-0163

16. Jackie Peifer Oakville, ON (905) 257-3633

17. Julie Kinnear Toronto, ON (866) 335-1900

18. Brent Roberts* Royal LePage Coronation Park† Surrey, BC (888) 649-4299

19. Kevin Lapp Royal LePage Network Realty Corp.† Sylvan Lake, AB (877) 587-2286

20. Barbara Beers* Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services† Burlington, ON (800) 290-0163

21. Andrea Morrison* Toronto, ON (866) 335-1900

22. Karen Millar* Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

23. Shaheen Zareh Royal LePage Regina Realty† Regina, SK (877) 359-1900

24. Jonathan Doucet Royal LePage Vallées de L’Outaouais Real Estate† Gatineau, QC (819) 561-0223

25. Tracey Bosch* Royal LePage Wolstencroft Realty† Langley, BC (877) 611-5241

26. Carl Langschmidt Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Toronto, ON (416) 637-8000

27. Christine Lefrançois Royal LePage Dynastie Real Estate† Mont-Royal, QC (514) 735-2281

28. Rachelle Starnes Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

29. Robert Nimmo Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

30. Matthew Regan Mississauga, ON (877) 822-6900

31. Roger LeBlanc* Royal LePage Atlantic† Moncton, NB (888) 444-7572

32. Fernande Sirois* Royal LePage Vallées de L’Outaouais Real Estate† Gatineau, QC (819) 561-0223

33. Theodore Babiak* Toronto, ON (888) 822-2425

34. Mary Lou McCormick Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

35. Art Divers Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Unionville, ON (905) 940-4180

36. Joan M. Smith* Royal LePage Team Realty† Kanata, ON (888) 757-7155

37. Nina Asensio Royal LePage Credit Valley Real Estate† Brampton, ON (905) 793-5000

38. Kate Vanderburgh* Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

39. Leo L. Ronse Royal LePage Wolstencroft Realty† Langley, BC (877) 611-5241

40. James Wright* Royal LePage Team Realty† Manotick, ON (800) 490-8130

41. Jean-François Bérubé Royal LePage Evolution Real Estate† Sherbrooke, QC (819) 820-8363

42. Mani Bagga Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate† Edmonton, AB (855) 431-5600

43. JoAnne Gludish Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

44. Doreen Kirkwood* Royal LePage Champlain D.K. INC., Real Estate† Brossard, QC (450) 672-6450

45. Chris Pennycook Royal LePage Dynamic Real Estate† Winnipeg, MB (877) 800-5066

46. Amy Flowers Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty† Milton, ON (800) 514-3316

47. David Weir Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Trenton, ON (800) 263-2177

48. Christine Hauschild Royal LePage Team Realty† Kanata, ON (888) 757-7155

49. Susan Taylor Mississauga, ON (888) 828-0422

50. Sylvia Smith Royal LePage Solutions† Calgary, AB (403) 252-5900

51. Robert Marland Royal LePage Performance Realty† Ottawa, ON (877) 757-7386

51. Peter Pobojewski Royal LePage Kingsbury Realty† Mississauga, ON (866) 754-2121

52. Manon Sénéchal Royal LePage Ville-Marie† Montreal, QC (514) 917-2228

53. Jacinthe Dubé* Royal LePage Jacinthe Dube Real Estate† Sherbrooke, QC (819) 564-5000

54. Chris Coveny Royal LePage Performance Realty† Ottawa, ON (877) 757-7386

55. Julio Florez Royal LePage True North Realty† Fort McMurray, AB (780) 743-1137

56. Glen MacAngus* Royal LePage Top Producers Real Estate† Winnipeg, MB (866) 989-6900

57. Tod Niblock Royal LePage Top Producers Real Estate† Winnipeg, MB (866) 989-6900

58. Dario Mattei* Royal LePage West Realty Group† Toronto, ON (866) 753-7243

59. Lorraine O’Quinn Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Trenton, ON (800) 263-2177

60. Peter Brown Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

61. Paul Nusca Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

62. Mark Jontz Royal LePage Kelowna† Kelowna, BC (800) 421-3214

63. Blair Mackey† Oakville, ON (888) 645-4267

64. Ken Morris Royal LePage Integrity† Cochrane, AB (403) 804-7314

65. Lauretta Stewart* Toronto, ON (800) 622-9536

66. Robin St. Jean Royal LePage State Realty† Ancaster, ON (877) 648-4451

67. Anne Chilton Royal LePage First Contact Realty† Barrie, ON (800) 367-2037

68. Karen Paul* Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services† Burlington, ON (800) 290-0163

69. Sheree Cerqua Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

70. Ralph Wiber Royal LePage Network Realty Corp.† Red Deer, AB (403) 346-8900

71. Leslie Battle* Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

72. Raymond Tsim* Royal LePage Champlain Real Estate† Brossard, QC (450) 672-6450

73. John Hripko* Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

74. John Gerber Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (416) 443-0300

75. Mike Scrannage* Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Kingston, ON (800) 247-6311

76. Susan Forrest Royal LePage Parksville Qualicum Beach Realty† Parksville, BC (800)224-5838

77. Lorraine Jordan Royal LePage In Touch Realty† Midland, ON (888) 480-2224

78. Cliff Stevenson Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

79. James Roy Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

80. Christine Simpson* Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

81. Donna Michaud Royal LePage Northern Lights Realty† Cold Lake, AB (780) 594-4414

82. Jeff Greenberg Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (800) 307-1545

83. Don McKay* Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate† Sherwood Park, AB (888) 797-7653

84. Chris Constantine Royal LePage Atlantic† Moncton, NB (888) 444-7572

85. Don Evans Royal LePage Lakes of Muskoka† Port Carling, ON (800) 763-3398

86. Case Feenstra Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

87. Philip Albert Royal LePage Atlantic† Moncton, NB (888) 444-7572

88. Philip LeMay Royal LePage Vallées de L’Outaouais Real Estate† Gatineau, QC (819) 684-2000

89. Margorie Grime* Royal LePage RCR Realty† Orangeville, ON (519) 941-1797

90. Mary T. Cardamone* Oakville, ON (888) 645-4267

91. Liam Swords Royal LePage Team Realty† Manotick, ON (800) 490-8130

92. Jackie Jiang Mississauga, ON (888) 828-0422

93. Paul Richardson* Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Belleville, ON (866) 418-8884

94. Rob Kelly Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty† Mississauga, ON (866) 821-3200

95. Nutan Brown Royal LePage West Realty Group† Toronto, ON (800) 515-9783

96. Martin E. Mazza Royal LePage State Realty† Stoney Creek, ON (877) 574-7441

97. Brian Elder Toronto, ON (800) 622-9536

98. Chris Zaharko Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

99. Alain Gravel Royal LePage InterQuébec Real Estate† Quebec, QC (418) 649-1373

100. Eugen Klein Royal LePage City Centre† Vancouver, BC (604)408-9311

101. Leigh Sugar Royal LePage York North Realty† Newmarket, ON (866) 773-9595

102. Anthony Fata Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Richmond Hill, ON (905) 731-2000

103. Suzan Trottier* Royal LePage Atlantic† Moncton, NB (888) 444-7572

104. Danny Gerbrandt Royal LePage Brookside Realty† Maple Ridge, BC (888) 467-5131

105. Silvana Bezina Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty† Georgetown, ON (866) 865-8262

106. Doug Donnelly Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate† Edmonton, AB (855) 431-5600

107. Shawn Zigelstein Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Richmond Hill, ON (905) 731-2000

108. Anna Asi Royal LePage City Centre† Vancouver, BC (604) 408-9311

109. Nim Moussa Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (888) 780-7747

110. Stuart Berenhaut Royal LePage Dynamic Real Estate† Winnipeg, MB (877) 800-5066

111. Mazher Karimjee Royal LePage Performance Realty† Ottawa, ON (613) 744-2000

112. Barbara Polson* Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

113. Joseph Brazeau Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty† Milton, ON (800) 514-3316

114. André Dussault Royal LePage InterQuébec Real Estate† Quebec, QC (418) 653-0488

115. Libby Broady Royal LePage Elite Real Estate† Beaconsfield, QC (514) 697-9181

116. George Niblock† Oakville, ON (888) 645-4267

117. Cheryl Bejcar* Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty† Victoria, BC (800) 263-4753

118. Stuart Sankey Toronto, ON (866) 335-1900

119. Georgia Kotiadis Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

120. Sandy Smallbone Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services† Burlington, ON (800) 290-0163

121. Jeff Golding Royal LePage Coronation West Realty† Coquitlam, BC (604) 939-6666

122. Brigitte I. Burdman Royal LePage Heritage Real Estate† Montreal, QC (514) 934-1818

123. John Lawler Royal LePage First Contact Realty† Barrie, ON (800) 367-2037

124. Brad Hawker Royal LePage Rocky Mountain Realty† Canmore, AB (403) 678-5118

125. Rob Ohs Royal LePage Parksville Qualicum Beach Realty† Qualicum Beach, BC (250) 752-6926

126. Elaine Taggart Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (800) 307-1545

127. Rick Sharma Royal LePage State Realty† Stoney Creek, ON (877) 574-7441

128. Yoki Nichol* Royal LePage Solutions† Calgary, AB (403) 252-5900

129. Minoo Ashtari Royal LePage Northshore† Vancouver, BC (604) 926-6011

130. Jason Wheeldon Royal LePage East Kootenay Realty† Cranbrook, BC (866) 426-8211

131. Inge Schickedanz Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Unionville, ON (905) 940-4180

132. Murray Harris Royal LePage Benchmark† Calgary, AB (403) 253-1901

133. Kevin Thygesen Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

134. Julio Muzlera Royal LePage West Realty Group† Toronto, ON (866) 753-7243

135. Horst Richter Toronto, ON (416) 252-4368

136. Rocco Manfredi Royal LePage Gale Real Estate† Ottawa, ON (613) 723-5300

137. Sean McCann Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (800) 307-1545

138. Garry Parkes Royal LePage Dynamic Real Estate† Winnipeg, MB (877) 800-5066

139. Debra Cherry Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (800) 307-1545

140. Patricia Guernsey Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Belleville, ON (613) 966-6060

141. Jared Chamberlain Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

142. Marcel Bergeron Royal LePage InterQuébec Real Estate† Quebec, QC (418) 657-5576

143. Bill Parnaby Royal LePage RCR Realty† Bolton, ON (800) 748-6789

144. Alba DiPlacido Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Richmond Hill, ON (905) 731-2000

145. Johanne Laforest Royal LePage Team Realty† Kanata, ON (888) 757-7155

146. Susan Lancaster Mississauga, ON (888) 828-0422

Jose Bairos Designate Royal LePage Grand Valley Realty† Cambridge, ON (519) 621-2000

Lisa Hube Designate Royal LePage Grand Valley Realty† Cambridge, ON (519) 621-2000

John King Designate Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (613) 695-8181

Tom O’Hara Designate Royal LePage True North Realty† Fort McMurray, AB (877) 791-7707

Bernice Bartlett* Royal LePage Team Realty† Kanata, ON (888) 757-7155

Maureen Chan* Royal LePage Westside† Vancouver, BC (604) 261-9311

Norm Cholak* Royal LePage Noralta Realty† Edmonton, AB (780) 431-5600

Yves de Niverville* Royal LePage Performance Realty† Orleans, ON (888) 830-8757

Paul Delaney* Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Thornhill, ON (905) 889-9330

Jacques Doucet* Royal LePage Vallées de L’Outaouais Real Estate† Gatineau, QC (819) 561-0223

Morley Forsyth* Toronto, ON (800) 622-9536

Evelyn Froese* Royal LePage Westside† Vancouver, BC (888) 661-9311

Serge Gabriel* Royal LePage Ville-Marie† Montreal, QC (514) 481-0241

Suzanne Grisé* Royal LePage Privilège† Saint-Bruno, QC (450) 441-1576

Heather Heaps* Toronto, ON (416) 424-4900

Mary Ann Keary* Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Brockville, ON (866) 345-3664

Paula Mitchell* Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty† Georgetown, ON (905) 877-8262

Mary Montgomery* Royal LePage Realty Plus† Mississauga, ON (877) 828-6550

Isaac Phillips* Royal LePage State Realty† Hamilton, ON (877) 574-4601

Michael Regan* Mississauga, ON (877) 822-6900

Karen P. Scott* Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (613) 725-1171

Heather Waddell* Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

Frances Wedlake* Oakville, ON (888) 645-4267

Congratulations to the members of our 2012 National Chairman’s Club, professionals who have reached the top 1% of our national network of REALTORS®. Achievement is earned based on gross ‘closed and collected’ commissions. These professionals have mastered the core values of Royal LePage, and are ambassadors of the Royal LePage brand—Helping You is What We DoTM, continually striving in pursuit of achieving excellence in customer service and sales.

With our sincere congratulations and best wishes for the coming year.

Phil Soper, President & CEO

Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage, unless otherwise noted. All offices are independently owned and operated.

Royal LePage is a registered trade-mark used under license. †Denotes Firms are Real Estate Brokerages. *Denotes Lifetime National Chairman's Club Members.

Join a company that is 100 years strong.

Visit royallepage.ca/joinus This is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, including a solicitation of any sales representative or broker that is currently under contract. ©2013 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Ltd. All rights reserved. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited.

2012 Royal LePage National Chairman’s Club 1. Loretta Phinney* Mississauga, ON (877) 822-6900

2. Cathy Rocca Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services† Burlington, ON (800) 290-0163

3. Dan Cooper* Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

4. Kirby Cox* Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

5. Daryl King* Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Richmond Hill, ON (905) 731-2000

6. Simon Giannini Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

7. Elli Davis* Toronto, ON (800) 622-9536

8. Mark Faris Royal LePage First Contact Realty† Barrie, ON (877) 728-4067

9. Kelly McKelvie Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (800) 841-0672

10. Cailey Heaps Estrin* Toronto, ON (416) 424-4930

11. Marie-Yvonne Paint* Royal LePage Heritage Real Estate† Montreal, QC (514) 934-1818

12. Sue Mills Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

13. Patrick Morris* Royal LePage Performance Realty† Ottawa, ON (877) 757-7386

14. Rina DiRisio* Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

15. Michael O’Sullivan* Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services† Burlington, ON (800) 290-0163

16. Jackie Peifer Oakville, ON (905) 257-3633

17. Julie Kinnear Toronto, ON (866) 335-1900

18. Brent Roberts* Royal LePage Coronation Park† Surrey, BC (888) 649-4299

19. Kevin Lapp Royal LePage Network Realty Corp.† Sylvan Lake, AB (877) 587-2286

20. Barbara Beers* Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services† Burlington, ON (800) 290-0163

21. Andrea Morrison* Toronto, ON (866) 335-1900

22. Karen Millar* Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

23. Shaheen Zareh Royal LePage Regina Realty† Regina, SK (877) 359-1900

24. Jonathan Doucet Royal LePage Vallées de L’Outaouais Real Estate† Gatineau, QC (819) 561-0223

25. Tracey Bosch* Royal LePage Wolstencroft Realty† Langley, BC (877) 611-5241

26. Carl Langschmidt Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Toronto, ON (416) 637-8000

27. Christine Lefrançois Royal LePage Dynastie Real Estate† Mont-Royal, QC (514) 735-2281

28. Rachelle Starnes Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

29. Robert Nimmo Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

30. Matthew Regan Mississauga, ON (877) 822-6900

31. Roger LeBlanc* Royal LePage Atlantic† Moncton, NB (888) 444-7572

32. Fernande Sirois* Royal LePage Vallées de L’Outaouais Real Estate† Gatineau, QC (819) 561-0223

33. Theodore Babiak* Toronto, ON (888) 822-2425

34. Mary Lou McCormick Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

35. Art Divers Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Unionville, ON (905) 940-4180

36. Joan M. Smith* Royal LePage Team Realty† Kanata, ON (888) 757-7155

37. Nina Asensio Royal LePage Credit Valley Real Estate† Brampton, ON (905) 793-5000

38. Kate Vanderburgh* Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

39. Leo L. Ronse Royal LePage Wolstencroft Realty† Langley, BC (877) 611-5241

40. James Wright* Royal LePage Team Realty† Manotick, ON (800) 490-8130

41. Jean-François Bérubé Royal LePage Evolution Real Estate† Sherbrooke, QC (819) 820-8363

42. Mani Bagga Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate† Edmonton, AB (855) 431-5600

43. JoAnne Gludish Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

44. Doreen Kirkwood* Royal LePage Champlain D.K. INC., Real Estate† Brossard, QC (450) 672-6450

45. Chris Pennycook Royal LePage Dynamic Real Estate† Winnipeg, MB (877) 800-5066

46. Amy Flowers Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty† Milton, ON (800) 514-3316

47. David Weir Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Trenton, ON (800) 263-2177

48. Christine Hauschild Royal LePage Team Realty† Kanata, ON (888) 757-7155

49. Susan Taylor Mississauga, ON (888) 828-0422

50. Sylvia Smith Royal LePage Solutions† Calgary, AB (403) 252-5900

51. Robert Marland Royal LePage Performance Realty† Ottawa, ON (877) 757-7386

51. Peter Pobojewski Royal LePage Kingsbury Realty† Mississauga, ON (866) 754-2121

52. Manon Sénéchal Royal LePage Ville-Marie† Montreal, QC (514) 917-2228

53. Jacinthe Dubé* Royal LePage Jacinthe Dube Real Estate† Sherbrooke, QC (819) 564-5000

54. Chris Coveny Royal LePage Performance Realty† Ottawa, ON (877) 757-7386

55. Julio Florez Royal LePage True North Realty† Fort McMurray, AB (780) 743-1137

56. Glen MacAngus* Royal LePage Top Producers Real Estate† Winnipeg, MB (866) 989-6900

57. Tod Niblock Royal LePage Top Producers Real Estate† Winnipeg, MB (866) 989-6900

58. Dario Mattei* Royal LePage West Realty Group† Toronto, ON (866) 753-7243

59. Lorraine O’Quinn Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Trenton, ON (800) 263-2177

60. Peter Brown Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

61. Paul Nusca Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

62. Mark Jontz Royal LePage Kelowna† Kelowna, BC (800) 421-3214

63. Blair Mackey† Oakville, ON (888) 645-4267

64. Ken Morris Royal LePage Integrity† Cochrane, AB (403) 804-7314

65. Lauretta Stewart* Toronto, ON (800) 622-9536

66. Robin St. Jean Royal LePage State Realty† Ancaster, ON (877) 648-4451

67. Anne Chilton Royal LePage First Contact Realty† Barrie, ON (800) 367-2037

68. Karen Paul* Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services† Burlington, ON (800) 290-0163

69. Sheree Cerqua Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

70. Ralph Wiber Royal LePage Network Realty Corp.† Red Deer, AB (403) 346-8900

71. Leslie Battle* Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

72. Raymond Tsim* Royal LePage Champlain Real Estate† Brossard, QC (450) 672-6450

73. John Hripko* Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

74. John Gerber Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (416) 443-0300

75. Mike Scrannage* Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Kingston, ON (800) 247-6311

76. Susan Forrest Royal LePage Parksville Qualicum Beach Realty† Parksville, BC (800)224-5838

77. Lorraine Jordan Royal LePage In Touch Realty† Midland, ON (888) 480-2224

78. Cliff Stevenson Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

79. James Roy Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

80. Christine Simpson* Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

81. Donna Michaud Royal LePage Northern Lights Realty† Cold Lake, AB (780) 594-4414

82. Jeff Greenberg Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (800) 307-1545

83. Don McKay* Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate† Sherwood Park, AB (888) 797-7653

84. Chris Constantine Royal LePage Atlantic† Moncton, NB (888) 444-7572

85. Don Evans Royal LePage Lakes of Muskoka† Port Carling, ON (800) 763-3398

86. Case Feenstra Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

87. Philip Albert Royal LePage Atlantic† Moncton, NB (888) 444-7572

88. Philip LeMay Royal LePage Vallées de L’Outaouais Real Estate† Gatineau, QC (819) 684-2000

89. Margorie Grime* Royal LePage RCR Realty† Orangeville, ON (519) 941-1797

90. Mary T. Cardamone* Oakville, ON (888) 645-4267

91. Liam Swords Royal LePage Team Realty† Manotick, ON (800) 490-8130

92. Jackie Jiang Mississauga, ON (888) 828-0422

93. Paul Richardson* Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Belleville, ON (866) 418-8884

94. Rob Kelly Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty† Mississauga, ON (866) 821-3200

95. Nutan Brown Royal LePage West Realty Group† Toronto, ON (800) 515-9783

96. Martin E. Mazza Royal LePage State Realty† Stoney Creek, ON (877) 574-7441

97. Brian Elder Toronto, ON (800) 622-9536

98. Chris Zaharko Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

99. Alain Gravel Royal LePage InterQuébec Real Estate† Quebec, QC (418) 649-1373

100. Eugen Klein Royal LePage City Centre† Vancouver, BC (604)408-9311

101. Leigh Sugar Royal LePage York North Realty† Newmarket, ON (866) 773-9595

102. Anthony Fata Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Richmond Hill, ON (905) 731-2000

103. Suzan Trottier* Royal LePage Atlantic† Moncton, NB (888) 444-7572

104. Danny Gerbrandt Royal LePage Brookside Realty† Maple Ridge, BC (888) 467-5131

105. Silvana Bezina Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty† Georgetown, ON (866) 865-8262

106. Doug Donnelly Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate† Edmonton, AB (855) 431-5600

107. Shawn Zigelstein Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Richmond Hill, ON (905) 731-2000

108. Anna Asi Royal LePage City Centre† Vancouver, BC (604) 408-9311

109. Nim Moussa Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (888) 780-7747

110. Stuart Berenhaut Royal LePage Dynamic Real Estate† Winnipeg, MB (877) 800-5066

111. Mazher Karimjee Royal LePage Performance Realty† Ottawa, ON (613) 744-2000

112. Barbara Polson* Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

113. Joseph Brazeau Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty† Milton, ON (800) 514-3316

114. André Dussault Royal LePage InterQuébec Real Estate† Quebec, QC (418) 653-0488

115. Libby Broady Royal LePage Elite Real Estate† Beaconsfield, QC (514) 697-9181

116. George Niblock† Oakville, ON (888) 645-4267

117. Cheryl Bejcar* Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty† Victoria, BC (800) 263-4753

118. Stuart Sankey Toronto, ON (866) 335-1900

119. Georgia Kotiadis Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

120. Sandy Smallbone Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services† Burlington, ON (800) 290-0163

121. Jeff Golding Royal LePage Coronation West Realty† Coquitlam, BC (604) 939-6666

122. Brigitte I. Burdman Royal LePage Heritage Real Estate† Montreal, QC (514) 934-1818

123. John Lawler Royal LePage First Contact Realty† Barrie, ON (800) 367-2037

124. Brad Hawker Royal LePage Rocky Mountain Realty† Canmore, AB (403) 678-5118

125. Rob Ohs Royal LePage Parksville Qualicum Beach Realty† Qualicum Beach, BC (250) 752-6926

126. Elaine Taggart Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (800) 307-1545

127. Rick Sharma Royal LePage State Realty† Stoney Creek, ON (877) 574-7441

128. Yoki Nichol* Royal LePage Solutions† Calgary, AB (403) 252-5900

129. Minoo Ashtari Royal LePage Northshore† Vancouver, BC (604) 926-6011

130. Jason Wheeldon Royal LePage East Kootenay Realty† Cranbrook, BC (866) 426-8211

131. Inge Schickedanz Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Unionville, ON (905) 940-4180

132. Murray Harris Royal LePage Benchmark† Calgary, AB (403) 253-1901

133. Kevin Thygesen Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

134. Julio Muzlera Royal LePage West Realty Group† Toronto, ON (866) 753-7243

135. Horst Richter Toronto, ON (416) 252-4368

136. Rocco Manfredi Royal LePage Gale Real Estate† Ottawa, ON (613) 723-5300

137. Sean McCann Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (800) 307-1545

138. Garry Parkes Royal LePage Dynamic Real Estate† Winnipeg, MB (877) 800-5066

139. Debra Cherry Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (800) 307-1545

140. Patricia Guernsey Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Belleville, ON (613) 966-6060

141. Jared Chamberlain Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

142. Marcel Bergeron Royal LePage InterQuébec Real Estate† Quebec, QC (418) 657-5576

143. Bill Parnaby Royal LePage RCR Realty† Bolton, ON (800) 748-6789

144. Alba DiPlacido Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Richmond Hill, ON (905) 731-2000

145. Johanne Laforest Royal LePage Team Realty† Kanata, ON (888) 757-7155

146. Susan Lancaster Mississauga, ON (888) 828-0422

Jose Bairos Designate Royal LePage Grand Valley Realty† Cambridge, ON (519) 621-2000

Lisa Hube Designate Royal LePage Grand Valley Realty† Cambridge, ON (519) 621-2000

John King Designate Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (613) 695-8181

Tom O’Hara Designate Royal LePage True North Realty† Fort McMurray, AB (877) 791-7707

Bernice Bartlett* Royal LePage Team Realty† Kanata, ON (888) 757-7155

Maureen Chan* Royal LePage Westside† Vancouver, BC (604) 261-9311

Norm Cholak* Royal LePage Noralta Realty† Edmonton, AB (780) 431-5600

Yves de Niverville* Royal LePage Performance Realty† Orleans, ON (888) 830-8757

Paul Delaney* Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Thornhill, ON (905) 889-9330

Jacques Doucet* Royal LePage Vallées de L’Outaouais Real Estate† Gatineau, QC (819) 561-0223

Morley Forsyth* Toronto, ON (800) 622-9536

Evelyn Froese* Royal LePage Westside† Vancouver, BC (888) 661-9311

Serge Gabriel* Royal LePage Ville-Marie† Montreal, QC (514) 481-0241

Suzanne Grisé* Royal LePage Privilège† Saint-Bruno, QC (450) 441-1576

Heather Heaps* Toronto, ON (416) 424-4900

Mary Ann Keary* Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Brockville, ON (866) 345-3664

Paula Mitchell* Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty† Georgetown, ON (905) 877-8262

Mary Montgomery* Royal LePage Realty Plus† Mississauga, ON (877) 828-6550

Isaac Phillips* Royal LePage State Realty† Hamilton, ON (877) 574-4601

Michael Regan* Mississauga, ON (877) 822-6900

Karen P. Scott* Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (613) 725-1171

Heather Waddell* Royal LePage Foothills† Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

Frances Wedlake* Oakville, ON (888) 645-4267

Congratulations to the members of our 2012 National Chairman’s Club, professionals who have reached the top 1% of our national network of REALTORS®. Achievement is earned based on gross ‘closed and collected’ commissions. These professionals have mastered the core values of Royal LePage, and are ambassadors of the Royal LePage brand—Helping You is What We DoTM, continually striving in pursuit of achieving excellence in customer service and sales.

With our sincere congratulations and best wishes for the coming year.

Phil Soper, President & CEO

Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage, unless otherwise noted. All offices are independently owned and operated.

Royal LePage is a registered trade-mark used under license. †Denotes Firms are Real Estate Brokerages. *Denotes Lifetime National Chairman's Club Members.

Join a company that is 100 years strong.

Visit royallepage.ca/joinus This is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, including a solicitation of any sales representative or broker that is currently under contract. ©2013 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Ltd. All rights reserved. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited.

30 REM FEBRUARY 2013

Make your listing photo stand out

By Sebastian Petrescu

H

ow many listing photos do you think you browsed through last week? 100?

500? Heck, 1,000 or more?

Realtors and buyers flip through so many photos looking for that one they can add to their shortlist. But how do you make your photo stand out in all that browsing? You need to show your listing in a way that’s different from your competition.

You need a photo that helps stop them dead in their tracks and makes them actually think about the property. Often something as simple as showing the home from a different photo angle does the trick. Here’s where elevated photography comes in – real estate

photographs taken from an elevated angle. It’s not new but its popularity is on the rise thanks to innovative technology.

You have four basic options when it comes to photographing your listing from above.

1) Pole Photography (10-35 feet, about $100 for the equipment) – This is the only type of elevated photo you can take yourself without a huge investment. A Google search for “pole photography” will guide you to a company that sells a $29 camera attachment for a regular painter’s pole you can purchase at a local hardware store.

Simply attach it to the pole (with your camera) and extend it until you reach the desired height. You can’t see the viewfinder from the ground, so be prepared to experiment with multiple angles. The pole can get pretty heavy when fully extended, so take caution or have someone else help you. A small, light camera is recommended for this method.

Education is the way forward

By Ozzie Logozzo t is constantly changing and uncertain. It feeds on correction and adjustment. What? Social relationships? No. Well, perhaps, but I am talking about real estate.

Real estate is a minefield of tweaking and tuning. Real estate professionals are shell-shocked participants who must wonder if constancy is a concept of self-ostracized philosophers with no connection to the realities of the real estate marketplace where the newness of the morning is rendered obsolete by nightfall thanks to technology.

Most of us are frantically looking to survive. Understandable, but this is foolish. You can’t run with the pack and expect to win the race.

To be and do your best, you must get creative. You must lead. Success demands that you endlessly experiment and implement ideas, products and services. Hoping that the winds of change will channel into peaceful tranquility is self-soothing aromatherapy – an escape probably comparable to an injection of morphine.

What should we do, specifically? Sell? Buy? Merge? Re-structure?

Maybe. Honestly, I don’t know. You are the best judge of your individual situation. I can tell you one thing though that has proven indisputable in my work life. Learn more and, if affordable, hire talented people and embark with them on a journey of continuous learning.

Regular real estate education is your passport to your future success in the real estate marketplace.

I

Ozzie Logozzo is executive director of the Ontario Real Estate Association Real Estate College. He is a Fellow of the Real Estate Institute of Canada and was the 1993 recipient of OREA’s Education Merit Award and the 1997 recipient of Real Estate Educators Association’s prestigious Educator of the Year Award. REM

2) Mast Photography (10-80 feet, about $250/listing) – This is basically a tripod on steroids. The mast is extendable either by hydraulic action or manually by the user. They can be tethered to a vehicle for electrical supply or be completely portable, allowing the photographer to set up in a backyard. Typically made from aluminum, when extended they are limited by strong winds and rain, as are the rest of the methods described here. However, they take photos from the most ideal height range for real estate listings. The sweet spot is around 45 feet and the camera is controlled remotely.

Shoots usually take about one hour depending on the property size.

3) Blimp Photography (100700 feet, about $750/listing) – A balloon or blimp is launched with the camera on a harness, controlled remotely. Set-up/shoot times are longer and wind plays a limiting factor. However you can get quite high in the air without resorting to a plane or helicopter.

From this height, you can usually capture most of the property in just one photo.

4) Aerial photography (300 feet and above, about $600+/listing) – This can get expensive so be sure to use a company dedicated to real estate so it keeps to your budget. This is great for including surrounding areas in the photograph.

It’s also great for large lots, vacant lots, cottages or even condos.

Feeling adventurous and looking to save some money? Call your local small-craft airport and see if a junior pilot will take you up so he or she can build their hours for $200. Make sure to take a zoom lens. I would wait to eat until after you land.

The price of these services can range from $50 - $1,000+. Prices are typically dependent on the height you wish to acquire. These days, photographers usually charge a fee for gas due to the vast range in distances they service – typical for services based on location. You don’t have to attend the photo shoot yourself. As long as the photographer has access to the grounds and the homeowner has prepared the landscape for the shoot. Toys, garbage, hoses and other unwanted objects should all be put away in time for the shoot.

When you post your elevated

A typical listing photo taken from the street, and the same house in an elevated photo.

photo on MLS or in a newspaper or website, the odds may be in your favour. It looks different compared to the other land-level photographs. It makes the viewer stop and look around the photo, getting a better feeling of the property as a whole. You want them to start investing time imagining themselves living there and the lifestyle possibilities the property could bring them. This is what would make an elevated photo worth your investment. It’s the possibility of a faster sale because it captures more attention and visually educates the buyer about the property better than a simple land-level photo.

Not all properties are worth the investment. Some would look just fine photographed from ground level. It is up to you to decide if an elevated view will benefit the listing, so use your imagination to envision what the property would look like from above and which angles would work best.

There are not too many elevated photography providers in business yet. There’s more physical

work and specialized equipment involved than with typical real estate photography, making entry into the field limiting. When choosing a photographer, make sure you view their portfolio to see if their post-processing style resonates with you. Saturated colours, sharp photos and professional shadow/highlight adjustments are what will make your listing photo pop and stand out from your competition. Your photographer should also remove any wires or other unwanted objects from each photo. If you think they missed something, just ask to have it fixed.

An elevated photo is no magic bullet but it’s worth considering when listing a new property. The more you educate buyers on the property and the more your listing stands out, the faster your brand will reach new heights.

Sebastian Petrescu is a Southern Ontario real estate photographer at Elevated Photos Canada. He shoots mast photography and home interiors for his loyal customer base. Email seb@elevatedphotos.ca. REM

32 REM FEBRUARY 2013

AS I SEE IT FROM MY DESK

By Stan Albert realtyreport

®

Market Connections Inc.®

Compliments of Danny Brown

Danny Brown Real Estate Agent

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR EQUITY Market Connections Inc.® 94 Scarsdale Road Toronto, ON M3B 2R7

As a homeowner, you expect, as you continue to pay your mortgage

Tel: (800) 387-6058 387 6058 Fax: (800) 800-7093 dbrown@marketconnections.com

factors that are both within, and outside of your control.

every month, that you are building value in your home. Is it possible to lose equity in a property? Yes, and as with anything, there will be

If you’re thinking of making a move, or are just curious as to real estate trends in your area, please feel free to call at any time. It’s always good to hear from you!

What’s outside of your control: The financial markets. The market goes up and down, but remember, even if you feel your property is undervalued due to economic conditions, then so may the home you aspire to move up into. Ask your real estate representative about opportunities in today’s market.

All the best,

Home renovations. Some renovations will ensure a return on your investment, and more.

Others may actually cause you to lose equity. Ask your real estate representative which home improvements typically make financial sense.

Home equity loans. Taking equity out of your home to potentially add equity back into it through a kitchen renovation, for example, might make sense. Other borrowing reasons may not. Your real estate representative can tell you what we have seen work in today’s marketplace.

Greetings! You’re receiving this newsletter with hopes that you find it informative and entertaining.

Danny Brown

Area demographics. Before committing to a property, be sure to ask your real estate representative about the area, and which direction it may be heading.

What’s within your control: Home maintenance. Stay on top of home repairs. Replace your worn siding or leaky roof, for example, to help maintain your home’s value.

Please call today for more home equity insight in relation to today’s real estate market!

CNSF

Volume 8, Issue 4

I

read a lot of what the gurus in the media and the various real estate experts have to say about where the market is heading as we go into 2013.

Most recently, in the Toronto Star I noted an article by George Carras, president of RealNet Canada. He comments about the need for a strong market. I totally agree with him, versus others who feel that there’s levelling off in the market or that the market is due for a correction.

Some industry pundits predict a drop in prices of three to five per cent, and that mortgage rates will increase substantially.

This is highly doubtful in light of Canada’s overall strong econo-

GOURMET COOKING for real estate professionals

By Carolyne Lederer Ingredients: Italian bread sweet butter cheddar cheese garlic salt Parmesan cheese, grated Romano cheese, grated Slice Italian bread into slices about 1/2-inch thick. Allow at

Predictions for 2013 my and the incredible strength of our dollar in the world economy.

Prices will probably continue to climb for low-rise single-family homes. Perhaps because of the amazing growth of high-rise condos in most large cities, that market will face some adjustments due to an over-abundance of inventory.

Carras comments that personal incomes and low mortgage rates have been a strong catalyst in shaping the housing market. My feeling is that with immigration continuing to contribute to the larger cities’ growth, the demand for housing will continue.

Compared to prices in, for example Shanghai, where an apartment can rent for up to $20,000 a month, our housing/rental market is a bargain to newcomers.

The uniqueness of seniors 55+ either downsizing or moving to retirement communities adds to the inventory in all areas of Canada. Forty-five per cent of North America’s population is 55+ and they’ll be the beneficiaries of thousands of dollars of inheritances. That fact alone will add to

the demand for various types of housing in Canada.

The RealNet New Home Price index shows the average price for new condos at under $438,000 and new low-rise homes at $625,479 in the GTA, still affordable compared to other world prices.

Since I’ve been around a lot longer than a lot of the readers of REM, I can attest to the fact that as long as there’s a demand for housing and the supply can keep up with it, then we’ll all prosper!

Now for my 2013 resolutions: 1. Lose weight 2. Read more 3. Laugh more 4. Love my kids more 5. Try to remember 1-4!

Have a great 2013!

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 his 43rd year as an active real estate professional.

REM

Special cheese dreams least two slices per person.

Butter very lightly with sweet (unsalted) butter.

Cut very, very thin slices of cheddar cheese. Place these on bread slices.

Sprinkle garlic salt on ever so lightly.

Shake grated Parmesan on next, making sure to cover cheddar with a fine mist.

Top with a tiny, even shake of Romano (not very much!). The secret is to evenly distribute all the ingredients, keeping each one as light as possible.

Place on the top rack of the oven under a hot broiler for just a few minutes, until cheeses bubble

and turn golden around the edges.

Serve immediately.

This makes a great midnight snack too.

Carolyne Lederer is broker of record at Carolyne Realty Corp.

Proudly putting her name to her work for 29 years, she serves Burlington and Brampton, Ont. residential real estate clients. She taught gourmet cooking in the mid 1970s prior to going into real estate, and wrote a newspaper weekly cooking column.

She also has a cookbook in the works. Email Carolyne at BurlingtonHomes@Carolyne.com if you have any questions.

REM www.Carolyne.com

34 REM FEBRUARY 2013

51 more lessons my broker taught me Recently we read about 50 things Ronn James learned from his broker.

Here are 51 more

By Ronn James

N

ever park in the driveway, especially at an open house. That prime spot may be for someone who needs it far more than you.

• Ask yourself, “What would Donald Trump do?” You’ll learn lessons by watching other people, particularly those who’ve been wildly successful. It’s the only reason why people watch curling and golf.

• Know the rules. Haven’t seen the inside of the regulatory rules or your board’s bylaws in a while? Dig them out, a chapter or few pages a day. This small investment is worth avoiding egg on your face.

• Read books. Some to consider are Think and grow rich, The E-myth, or anything by Joe Navarro or Paul Ekman.

• Learn to negotiate with a two-year-old. They always win, but you’ll get better.

• Formulate your questions wisely. “Is this the best price?” will always get you further than, “How low will you go?”

• Become a student of negotiation. Read it, study it, practice it and train to be really good at it.

At the end of the day, it is the only reason you were hired to begin with. The buyer/seller can do almost everything else themselves. And soon might.

• Ask a friendly audience to allow you to practice your pitch.

Friends, family, work mates or even trusted competitors. You’ll never score a knock out shadow boxing in the mirror.

• Tie a knot in every dollar. It really is futile to try to keep with the Jones! Stop trying and save a little from every commission cheque.

• Think. It sounds obvious but for many it’s not. Every step is

a chess move. Always be two moves ahead.

• Share your secrets. Sure, the competition is watching and listening. If they copy you, be humble. If they beat with your own stuff, sharpen your game. It obviously works!

• Be nice. Especially when people’s reflections aren’t nice back.

• Write things down. A short pencil is better than a long memory and usually more reliable.

• Thank the staff. You most likely were not single-handedly successful. Thank anyone who helped you on the journey to your current place. It’s virtually guaranteed to come back to you.

• Be one of the good guys. On the ladder of success, be humble.

If you were a jerk on the way up, people will be nasty to you on the way down.

• Read, watch and listen to experts in your field. They’re trying to give you the gift of time and experience. Take it.

• Shine your shoes yourself.

You’ve walked every mile in sales calls and you’ve experienced wearing that leather down.

Polishing those brogues with your own hands will remind you that the dirt under your nails led to the fruit you’re enjoying.

• Don’t stink. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Smell nice, not over-powering.

Remember, there are people out there who have real sensitivity to perfume and cologne.

• Leave mental breadcrumbs.

If you learn something or teach something, use it. Try it. Evaluate it and make it part of your skill set. When it stops working, replace it.

• EVERYONE is a potential customer. Even the paperboy has an opinion of you. Make sure it’s the one you want.

• There is absolutely such a thing as bad press.

• There is a difference between fearless and foolish.

• There are different levels of passion. If you eat, sleep and breathe real estate you should bear in mind there are many who don’t. Understand this and it’ll ease your frustration.

• Know the difference between confidence and cockiness. One is researched and known, the other is what you THINK you know. People will know the difference.

• Be careful with e-mails and texting. Write and send only what you feel could be read in a court of law or in front of your mother.

• Friends and family don’t have to do business with you to send you business. Some folks like to keep church and state separate.

• If friends and family do use you, consider it the ultimate compliment. They know you and still chose to do business with you.

• Some people won’t like you and that’s okay.

• Develop a good handshake.

One that can be used with young and old, men and women.

• Use your hands a lot when you talk. Not like when Nona thinks you don’t like her pasta. I mean gesture. Always with your palm up. Unless you’re negotiating, in which case you should do homework on the hands-down technique.

• Don’t point. When directed at a person it’s almost always interpreted as rude or condescending.

• Find the nest. If you find one great client there may be more where they came from. The Hell’s Angels have to live somewhere and I hear they are cash buyers!

• Always have a plan A, B

and C. Learn how to lead with something interesting and follow with something engaging before showing your best hand.

• Never say, “I’m busy.” You may be missing out on something really great. Find another way to make the request valued and mutually convenient.

• “Busy” when used incorrectly can imply that you are and they’re not. Avoid this un-intentional inference at all cost.

• Take responsibility. If you or your team screws up, take the heat. The anger they had immediately gets cut in half when you take responsibility and commit to solving it, and in half again when you fix it. They will remember the solution because you faced it in their passion.

• Swap war stories. It humanizes your business, your conduct and your failures. The saying, “One day we’re going to laugh about this” is a true story.

• Kiss your spouse and children. They will likely see little of you. Let them love you regardless of the quantity of time they have with you.

• Never knock your competition. If you’re any good you won’t have to. If they knock you you’ll know you’re on the right track!

• Be good on camera. Practice your pitch, presentations and body language on video. In the digital age the cost is virtually nothing. If it’s good, post it on your blog or Facebook. If it’s bad, and it will be the first 100 times, delete it. Take 101 will surprise you.

• Use a picture. People still buy from people. Don’t get hung up about the picture. Everyone has character.

• Make sure that picture is recent. Recent means two years or newer. People are going to meet you and you want to avoid that awkward look that comes

from someone who got your card yesterday and wonders who you are!

• An angry man is a beaten man. Learn and practice techniques to re-centre yourself.

Straying off course happens to the best of us. Don’t let it get the best of you.

• Don’t ever get so rich that all you have is money.

• Real estate sales (hopefully) allow you to pay your bills. Real estate investing allows you to pay your bills without trading time for money.

• Figure out the difference between being busy and making money, and making money and being profitable. There’s a big difference.

• Avoid bankruptcy. It is not a badge of honour and it doesn’t teach you anything about money.

• Get a good night sleep.

• Eat well. A great diet consists of less red meat, more fish, tons of vegetables and healthy dose of crow regularly.

• Take vitamins. I mean the good stuff. Cheaper than Prozac with way fewer side effects.

• Finally, if you can’t do any of the above, be sure to squeeze in a few deals. At some point we all have to get off the ride and once you check out, those desk fees are not going to settle up on their own.

With a track record that spans 27 years, Realtor Ronn James says his ambition is to educate the public and Realtors alike. He has landed appearances on Breakfast Television, CityLine, Real Life and a host of radio shows. James has also been a regular contributor to New Homes and Condos For Sale Magazine, Toronto Sun and Canadian Homeplanner. Website: www.RealEstateCommissionMatters .ca, phone 289-242-9050. REM

36 REM FEBRUARY 2013

A winning digital marketing strategy

By Jacky Hill

T

he Internet is full of tips and resources to help you build your online presence. But where do you start? To help navigate through the clutter, here is a short list of top online resources and tools that will help you and your business become more digital and improve your online presence.

1. Jumpstart your social media journey on Facebook with your own business page. A Facebook business page is a top resource for any business looking to make the most out of Facebook.

To get started, visit facebook.com/business and learn more about the ABC’s of how to succeed on Facebook. Read success stories and view quick videos on

how to get started. You’ll also find step-by-step guides on how to build and maintain your business page.

Keeping it optimized is just as important. There is help on how to connect with people, using your existing network or Facebook ads to help you reach the right audience. There is also information about how to engage with your audience using rich, popular and viral content – quality and timely posts to keep people interested.

2. Be social with Google; stay local with Google+ Local. To find new customers, customers need to find you. These days almost everyone resorts to ‘Googling’ before making a purchase or for research.

To ensure your customers can find you geographically, ensure that your Google Places page (now called Google+ Local) is optimized.

Your page lists your company name, address, phone number and website, along with a map of your location. It doesn’t cost you a thing.

This is an easy way to maintain an online presence even if you don’t have a website. You can edit your

information or see how many people have seen and clicked on your page at any time.

Learn more about Google+ Local at google.com/+/ learnmore/local. If optimized correctly, your page can improve your online results. If you’re investing in search solutions like search engine optimization or pay-per-click marketing you should also consider a Google+ Local page to help increase the chances of customers finding you online quickly. Don’t forget that building your Google+ Local page doesn’t end here – ongoing maintenance and optimization is essential.

3. Learn more about search engine optimization (SEO). It is extremely important to help increase your visibility on search engines like Google where most consumers go first to search for real estate content.

Searchengineland.com is a great resource to help you learn more about SEO, providing useful tips and tools. Learn the basics of SEO in three minutes on the site. Search

“what is search engine optimization the three minute video” on Google and you’ll be easily redirected.

Many companies offer SEO services. When engaging a search solution provider, consider their reputation and transparency when executing your campaign, as well as their real estate industry knowledge and ability to provide proven results. Poor ethics and SEO tactics can unfortunately be penalized by Google and may work against you.

4. The great thing about digital marketing is that your online tactics are easily measurable.

Tracking the success of campaigns and online efforts is crucial to determining return on investment and the time allocated to those tactics. Your customers research, compare and make purchasing decisions at different stages in a customer lifecycle and it’s important to understand which marketing channels help in that process.

Google’s new Multi-Channel Funnels tool in Google Analytics allows you to view interactions

across different digital and marketing channels, showing how these work together to create sales and conversions. This tool can help you make important marketing, advertising and communications decisions, including which keywords and ad placements convert best. This resource tool explains how Multi-Channel Funnels works and why you should integrate this into your analysis process: google.com/analytics/features/multichannel-funnels.html.

Jacky Hill has more than 21 years of experience in real estate and media and is responsible for managing and leading Wall2Wall Media’s corporate strategy, go-to-market products, brand strategy, change management and mentoring senior management. She has served on the board of directors for two consecutive terms for two homebuilding industry associations and is a past sales & marketing chair with GTHBA (now BILD). She has been recognized in the real estate industry with several awards. www.wall2wallmedia.com. REM

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Hofer, manager for our Killarney office, who was the very surprised and elated 50/50 winner of $5,880 cash. In turn, Mike generously donated $1,000 back, for a grand total of $6,880 raised that evening.”

Good Works L

oretta Hughes, franchisee of Exit Realty Fusion in Regina, volunteered to participate in a local major fundraiser that pits amateur boxers against business community leaders. Kiss The Canvas, an all-female amateur boxing card, raised $76,000 for Regina Palliative Care. A team of eight other women joined Hughes to train for the event at the Lonsdale Boxing Club.

“Loretta trained for months to enter the ring with some of the city’s finest athletes and in the process lost over 10 pounds and packed on the muscle,” says Mike McCarron, supervisor for growth and development for Exit Realty Corp. International. “She was

determined to help raise as much money as possible and she made us all proud.”

■ ■ ■

More than 600 Realtors and guests gathered in Vancouver in December for the annual Sutton Group - West Coast Realty holiday party. During the evening, guests showed their support for the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund by purchasing 50/50 tickets.

“Our 19 West Coast offices worked in synergy and sold $11,760 worth of tickets before and during the event,” says Curtis Cottrell, VP marketing for Sutton Group West Coast Realty. “When Santa drew the lucky ticket, it was Mike

Loretta ‘Hammerhead’ Hughes, on the left, boxes to raise funds for Regina Palliative Care. (Photo courtesy of Free Lense PhotoGraphic)

Carl Oake, broker of Century 21 United Realty in Peterborough, Ont. with Julie Whiteman, Crystal Edwards and Kristine Lauder as the donated toys are loaded into a truck.

■ ■ ■

The annual Christmas toy drive by Century 21 United Realty in Peterborough, Ont. collected a mountain of 1,500 toys that were purchased for $10,400 from local retailers. The gifts were donated to the annual Salvation Army Toy Drive.

■ ■ ■

The annual Royal LePage Performance Realty auction and holiday lunch in Ottawa raised more than $21,000 as 75 agents, staff, business associates and sponsors gathered at the Bank St. office for a live and silent auction, lunch and an 80/10/10 draw. The money will support Ottawa shelters Maison d’amitié and Nelson House. Auction committee members attribute the outstanding success of their event to the support of

their volunteers, brokerage, fellow agents and community donors.

■ ■ ■

Franchisee Ron Young and manager Barry MacDonald, along with more than 25 of their sales reps at Exit Realty Specialists in Saint John, N.B. hosted a barbecue for the 100th Annual Empty Stocking Fund Telethon in December. Bringing a little bit of summer to the bone-chilling day saw more than $1,700 raised for holiday gifts for needy children in their community.

■ ■ ■

Dave Hammond, Greg Bullock and Ian Thompson, the HBT group at Re/Max of Nanaimo, donated $3,000 to the NanaimoLadysmith Schools Foundation (NLSF). The money was used to buy hampers, food and gift cards to help make the holidays joyful for vulnerable families at five schools.

In 2011/12 the foundation gave more than $480,000 to local students through various programs.

■ ■ ■

Committee members from Royal LePage Performance Realty sport their winning smiles as their annual event raises $21,000. From left, front row: Retah Jennings Lalonde, Nancy Galusha and Judy Mulligan. Back row: Emad Fadel, Janny Mills, Jutta Witteveen, Laura Payne, Karim Mohamed. Missing from photo are Fred Winters and Marnie Donovan.

Peterborough Realty in Peterborough, Ont. helped many seniors in the community have a brighter Christmas this year. “We contacted a few of the local businesses to ask for cash donations.

Then we contacted other businesses asking them to host a Christmas tree or wreath,” says Jay Lough Hayes, a sales rep with the brokerage. “Next we contacted our local churches and nursing homes, asking if they were aware of any seniors who have outlived friends and family members. The lists came pouring in.”

Hayes says: “A local community organization took it upon themselves to make all the nametags with the seniors’ names and gift suggestions, which we then hung on the Christmas trees around town. We went on local TV and radio stations, and the newspapers put in comp ads to help promote our program…The gifts came pouring in thanks to Peterborough people. It was hard to move in our office for a few weeks.”

The gifts were delivered in time for Christmas.

“I give this challenge to a real

More than 30 Realtors from the St. Thomas area supported Christmas Care. From left: Nelson Conroy, Royal LePage Triland Realty; Andreana Collins, Christmas Care; Earl Taylor, Coldwell Banker at Success Realty; and Martha Debackere, Re/Max Centre City Realty.

Exit Realty Specialists raised $1,700 for local families in need at a winter barbecue.

REM FEBRUARY 2013 39

estate company in every city across Canada...if you want to have some real fun for Christmas 2013, start your own Santas for Seniors program.” She says if you contact her she will be happy to help you set up the program.

■ ■ ■

To raise money and awareness for an organization that helps to feed the hungry in Woodstock, Ont., local sales rep Tom Ritchie of Sutton Group-Right Way Real Estate donated 25 per cent of his commissions from Nov. 1 to Dec. 20. He expected to raise about $2,000, but his main goal was to get publicity for Operation Sharing. It worked, as several local media outlets reported on the initiative.

“Operation Sharing is a unique program,” says Ritchie. “They accept mostly cash donations then provide people with grocery cards or certificates so that they can shop on their own in a dignified way.

Giving people the opportunity to shop for themselves also makes it easier for them to meet special dietary restrictions related to diabetes and other concerns.”

Tom Ritchie

■ ■ ■

Real estate team Wilma and Kirk Fournier (mother and son) of Royal LePage Real Estate Services in Oakville, Ont. recently organized their Second Annual Charity Scavenger Hunt in support of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. The event began with participants in more than 50 cars rallying to set points around Oakville on a hunt for 30 items, while engaging in a series of challenges along the way. Winners took home a flat screen TV, an iPad and other prizes. Participants returned to the Royal LePage office where they enjoyed a fundraising dinner, with the event raising $4,020 to benefit Halton Women’s Place.

■ ■ ■

For the fourth year in a row, the Realtors of St. Thomas, Ont. and area joined together to support Christmas Care. More than 30 Realtors met at Boston Pizza for a meet and greet social and collected $1,685 plus a shopping cart full of non-perishable food.

Earl Taylor, broker at Coldwell Banker at Success Realty in Alymer, Ont. was the event organizer. Christmas Care delivers about 3,000 baskets of food and Christmas toys to people in need in and around St. Thomas.

■ ■ ■

For the eighth year in a row, sales reps Renald Guindon and Dan Grantham of Sutton Group Preferred Realty in London, Ont. donated more than $9,000 to local charities, including the Youth Opportunities Unlimited, Women’s Community House, London Humane Society, London Food Bank, Boys & Girls Club and many more. The sales reps have a donation program that sees them make a charitable donation each time they make a sale. The charity is chosen by the client.

Since their program began, Guindon and Grantham have donated more than $100,000.

■ ■ ■

Agents and staff from Royal LePage Frank Real Estate gathered

on Christmas Eve at the Muslim Welfare Home in Whitby, Ont., an emergency shelter for women and children, to prepare a traditional Christmas meal for 60 residents.

Volunteers purchased and cooked the centre’s Christmas meal with all the traditional trimmings complete with festively set tables and sweet treats for the women and children to enjoy over the holiday season. In addition to this first annual holiday event, the brokerage’s agents hold a winter coat and clothing drive. The team also holds a National Garage Sale for Shelter sale each year and gives to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation through commission donations.

■ ■ ■

Dozens of children in Surrey, B.C. have cherished new toys and fond memories of Christmas thanks to the Realtors and staff at Sutton - Premier Realty. The children are members of 15 families ‘adopted’ by the office through the Surrey Christmas Bureau.

Associate broker Shirley Whitters says she was thrilled that the team

came together to raise more than $7,000, which allowed them to help three more families than last year. In addition, they donated many bags of blankets and warm clothing to the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board Blanket Drive.

“We try to keep the fundraising fun with 50/50 draws at most gettogethers, popular Texas Hold’em tournaments and silent auctions,” says Whitters. “Our Fun Team is always brainstorming for project ideas.”

■ ■ ■

The Second Annual Turkey Giveaway, founded by Darren Dunlop from Royal LePage Real Estate Services, took place Dec. 15 in Toronto. The event, sponsored

by Dunlop and fellow Free Masons from Georgina Lodge #343, saw 300 turkeys and 200 sacks of potatoes donated to disadvantaged local families. Local councillor Maria Augimeri and former Toronto Maple Leaf Eddie Shack were on hand to distribute turkeys and spread good cheer while staff Continued on page 40

From left, Vito Galati, Vito’s No Frills, and Darren Dunlop of Royal LePage Estate Services are joined by the No Frills Banana and Santa Claus at the Second Annual Turkey Giveaway.

Wilma Fournier

Team members and supporters from Royal LePage Frank Real Estate prepare a Christmas dinner for their local shelter. From left: Jane Thuet, Atiya Siddiquei, director, Muslim Welfare Home, Sue Driver, David Linton, dressed as Santa, Debbie Batstra, Denise Del Vecchio, Esther Buchanan and Donna Ratz.

Greg Bullock, Dave Hammond and Ian Thompson from the HBT Group with Erin van Steen of NLSF.

The staff at Sutton Group – Premier Realty prepared gifts for their adopted families.

Shelley Porritt of Royal LePage Porritt Real Estate with the 2,000 gift baskets her team helped to assemble, wrap and deliver to women’s shelters across the GTA.

40 REM FEBRUARY 2013

Good Works Continued from page 39

at Vito’s No Frills served a complimentary pancake breakfast.

■ ■ ■

Right At Home Realty is teaming up with The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer to raise funds in memory of Arthur Bartram, the co-founder and past-president of Right At Home Realty. All donations will go to The Campbell Family Institute at The Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.

Donations in Bartram’s memory will be directed specifically towards research for colon and gastrointestinal cancers.

Rosemary Drukarsh is training for the event, which is a bike ride through Ontario’s countryside on June 8 and 9. To sponsor Drukarsh and donate funds, visit

http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/ TR/Events/Toronto2013?px=3148 935&pg=personal&fr_id=1431.

Avison Young staff members in Vancouver have donated $14,688 to the United Way. The commercial real estate brokerage firm has contributed financially to the United Way for the past decade, as well as to numerous other charitable organizations.

■ ■ ■

Over the past 12 years, Shelley Porritt, broker of record of Royal LePage Porritt Real Estate in Etobicoke, Ont. has organized an Annual Gift Basket Drive for Women Shelters. Gift baskets filled with bath and beauty products and personal items are donated to women in shelters across the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding communities during the holiday season. This year, 2,000 women in more than 50 shelters each received the gift baskets. In all, over 500 volunteers sort, assemble and wrap the baskets comprised of items donated by individuals and companies. For more information visit www.annualbasketdrive.ca REM

ATTENTION ALL REAL ESTATE SALESPEOPLE !!!

Deb Schmidt, second from left, a sales rep at Royal LePage Premier Realty in Yorkton, Sask., helped deliver 156 turkeys that the brokerage and two other firms donated to the Salvation Army for Christmas hampers.

This is the third year the donation has been made. From left, Ron Mailman, Salvation Army; Schmidt; Tom Campbell of Leland Campbell LLP; Linda Mailman, Salvation Army; and Bruce Thurston, Yorkton Co-op.

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The more than 60 sales reps of Royal LePage Wolle Realty in Kitchener, Ont. weighed in with contributions of over 2,400 pounds of food and more than $12,000 in cash to help the local food bank with its Christmas drive. More than 900 of the firm’s customers, families and friends filled six theatres at Empire Theatres for the family-friendly movie Wreck It Ralph. The price of admission was at least one non-perishable food item per family member and cash donations provided by local business.

At the presentation of the cheque for the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn fund, from left: Captain Doug Stevens, Lisa Lacamell, Dan Ecklund, Randy Motkaluk, Mike Hofer, Darryl Ducharme, Merrily Hackett, Sutton Group - West Coast Realty general manager and Captain Mike Sereda.

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42 REM FEBRUARY 2013

Networking 101 for new agents

By J.F. Ratthé

O

ne of the most important ways to meet new prospects in real estate is by networking, both online and offline.

Before you decided to become a real estate agent, you had to figure out if you had the qualities required to do this job. Being social and outgoing are two of the most important traits necessary to make it in this tough industry. I’ll be perfectly honest with you; I was not the most outgoing person before I started this career. But I learned the importance of the “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” and have since mastered the art of networking.

Here I will explain the basis of networking face-to-face and online. Some of it might seem like common sense or very basic to you but, trust me, I’ve seen and heard some horror stories when it comes to networking.

The why is simple. Your goal is to be top of mind when someone decides to sell/buy real estate. You have to get the word out that you

are a qualified real estate agent who knows the market.

Advertising will only take you so far. I consider advertising to be the re-enforcement of your networking efforts. If all you do is advertise and never network, you will not be able to maximize your brand out in the market and will have to spend a lot more money.

Face-to-face networking is scary for many agents. A lot of pressure comes with entering a room full of strangers and having the guts to walk up to someone and introduce yourself. What do I say first? What do I talk about? Do I give them my business card right away? Follow these few simple rules and I guarantee you will become successful at networking.

1) Smile. That is the easiest way to get someone to talk to you.

If you are standing there by yourself, smile. It will make you look more approachable and easier to talk to. When you walk up to a stranger, smile and extend your hand to shake theirs. Introduce yourself. Ask them what they do.

And I want to stress this: Do NOT talk about yourself until asked. Always ask them right away what they do. The No. 1 goal of networking is to help others be successful. You want to learn about their business, discover their goals and be able to introduce them to someone else they

can do business with.

2) Only speak about what you do and what you have to offer after they ask. See if you can relate what you do for a living to what they do. Make sure you have your elevator speech down to a T. Do not talk too much about yourself unless you see that there is a connection with the other person. If there is a connection (even if you

know there will never be business opportunities with them), go deeper into the personal chatting.

Establish a relationship.

Remember, they might be best friends with your biggest prospective client. Never discount them.

3) Invite them for lunch or coffee some day. Talk about other things than business. Send them articles about their company or industry via email that might interest them. One of the things I

We are pleased to announce that Phil Calvano, Broker of Record and Cathy Calvano, Sales Representative have opened Peak Realty Services Ltd. serving Burlington, Waterdown and adjoining areas.

Cathy Calvano

the chance to meet face-to-face.

Google+ and LinkedIn are other platforms Realtors should use to connect with clients and other agents.

In all your networking, remember one thing: your actions and intentions need to be perfectly genuine. You cannot fake this.

And you need to be consistent.

My target market is young profes-

Face-to-face networking is scary for many agents. A lot of pressure comes with entering a room full of strangers and having the guts to walk up to someone and introduce yourself.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Phil Calvano

became known for in my niche market is as a connector. I introduce people to each other who I think might be a good match, either because of personal or business affinities. That way if they do end up doing business together, both will feel like they owe you.

And this, my fellow agents, is one of the most important ways to get favours and business. Read How

www.peakrealestate.com

to win friends and influence people

by Dale Carnegie to learn more on becoming a great face-to-face networker.

One of the newest and best ways to network in today’s technologically advanced world is with Facebook. I’m not talking about creating a page for yourself called John Doe Real Estate Agent. That is what I call a hard sell and people don’t buy it anymore. What you want to do is add your clients as friends on Facebook and establish strong relationships with them on a daily basis. Get to know them better and vice-versa. Share helpful tips and advice about real estate and other things related to living in a house/condo or in the community and they will be clients for life.

Twitter is another way to stay connected with past, current and future clients. Twitter is NOT an advertising medium. Make sure that you connect and interact with people or you will not gain any followers (friends). The goal again is to offer value and stay top-of-mind with sellers/buyers.

I’m not saying that you can’t advertise your properties or services once in a while but the main goal is to create and establish relationships with potential clients that you would normally not have

sionals wanting to live downtown.

So I network in organizations such as the Junior Chamber of Commerce, United Way GenNext, Young Associates (members of a local university business school), downtown organization events, store openings, community fundraisers and marketing and advertising association events. I also network online via all these organization’s Facebook, Twitter and websites.

Networking is about making friends with several people that will help you get more business either now or in the future. As Jeffrey Gitomer said: “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.”

I invite you to contact me via email at jf@monopolyrealty.ca if you have any questions or to learn more about becoming successful as a new real estate agent.

J.F. Ratthé has been in sales and marketing for over 12 years. He found his passion a few years ago and decided to focus his real estate business in downtown Winnipeg. He has since become one of the busiest Realtors in his niche market and is now helping new real estate agents becoming successful. www.jfratthe.com. REM

REM FEBRUARY 2013 43

Sales reps top the professional pyramid

By Michael Antonik and Shabir Amlani

R

eal estate sales reps are finding it increasingly difficult to generate business.

There are several reasons for this situation: an increased supply of agents, lower volumes of real estate being bought and sold, unfavourable regulatory changes such as those triggered by the Competition Bureau and an increase in the number of discount brokerages, among others. The onslaught against real estate sales reps seems to be coming from every direction. What can be done to mitigate the damage that continues to be inflicted?

Some sales reps do not fully realize the potential leverage they

have relative to other professionals and how they can use it to their advantage. Within the context of a real estate transaction, sales reps are the first people clients come to. To understand how this creates leverage, it is first necessary to lay out the steps in a real estate transaction.

A transaction necessitates the use of several different professionals. First the real estate sales rep helps a purchaser client find some real estate, or lists the property of a selling client. Usually the purchaser client goes to a mortgage broker or specialist next to obtain a mortgage. After these interactions, a client goes to a lawyer to deal with the legal component of the transaction. After the lawyer, the client may contact an insurance agent in order to purchase insurance on their property.

Given this order of events, real estate agents are at the top of the pyramid because they have the ability to direct clients to the other professionals down the line. Many clients ask their sales reps if they

can recommend mortgage brokers or lawyers.

This position of power can be directly or indirectly monetized by sales reps. They can get a share of the proceeds earned by those lower down in the pyramid by taking a referral or other fee. In order to receive an outright fee, the sales rep must have access to professionals who are willing to pay the fee.

For those who choose not to pay outright referral fees, sales reps can ask professionals to reciprocate the favour by referring clients to them. There are several ways in which sales reps can be rewarded for the referral of a client.

Although the other professionals enter into the picture further down the transactional line, they are occasionally asked by clients to refer a real estate sales rep. This holds especially true if the professional deals with areas other than real estate transactions. For example, in addition to real estate law, some lawyers practice immigration law. They are often asked by newly arrived immigration clients about

the purchase of residential and commercial real estate.

Or, occasionally clients will go to a mortgage broker for a refinancing so they can renovate their property with the hope of selling it at an appreciated value.

Given that in this context the mortgage broker is the first one to be contacted, the client may ask their mortgage broker to refer them to a real estate professional.

Sales reps can also direct those down the line to refer files to one another and be rewarded for such efforts. For example, a real estate agent who refers a client to a mortgage broker and lawyer can request for that lawyer and mortgage broker to refer to one another when they have the ability to do so.

Since in this situation the sales rep is the reason why the mortgage broker or lawyer gets business from one another, the rep can legitimately request a referral fee or reciprocation.

Because sales reps are in the privileged position of being the first people clients approach, they

should in some way get compensated for the power of being able to direct clients to other professionals.

Real estate salespeople usually invest the most time, money and effort into marketing and business development while the professionals further down the line rely on the agents for referrals and, consequently, spend far less on marketing.

Given the difficult environment in which many sales reps find themselves, it makes sense to use whatever means are available to them to increase their revenue streams.

Michael and Shabir are lawyers and the founders of Uniivaa (www.uniivaa.com). Their mission is to provide a professional-to-professional online referral marketplace connecting real estate agents and brokers with other professionals such as lawyers, immigration consultants, paralegals, mortgage brokers and financial advisors. They also have extensive experience teaching at both the university and professional level.

Email contact@uniivaa.com; phone REM 289-400-4822.

Valentine’s Day reflections and helpful tips

By Dan St. Yves

T

his March, my wife and I will have been together for over 25 terrific years, 20 of those years as a married couple. I say this not to boast, but rather to shamelessly earn brownie points well in advance of our “dating” anniversary. There’s still plenty of time to do something stupid enough to need the points by then.

After 25+ years however, all those anniversaries, birthdays and Valentine’s Days tend to tax your imagination for new and interesting ways to celebrate each occasion.

Over the years, I’ve tried a variety

of creative surprises and have had varying degrees of success in trying to find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.

One February, I picked up concert tickets for a pop music group that my wife was particularly fond of at the time. I won’t mention their name, because being a fan of Air Supply may even now be considered a little embarrassing.

Although I suppose no more embarrassing than being told repeatedly to “keep it down buddy” during what I considered the sing-a-long portions of the show.

One other memorable Valentine’s Day, I determined that rather than getting some generic (expensive) gift, she might appreciate a few chores handled around

the house. So, I did a laundry of everything I could scoop up in our bedroom, including what I was to discover afterward was an angora sweater.

Learning curve! When I removed the sweater (after 75 minutes in the dryer on “High”), I had to rub my eyes and search frantically inside the spinner, to see if some sorcerer or magician may have replaced it with a miniature version, now better suited to fit a newborn. A newborn Barbie doll.

Surprisingly, I have survived many such a faux pas and even had some pretty successful surprises over the years – I’m still here, after all!

So, how do you know in advance what will make for a truly memorable Valentine’s Day gift or event?

Well, everyone is different, and I’ve

kind-of learned what I know now from trial and errors – but I think I can offer a few do’s and don’ts for this most romantic day of the year: DO plan a romantic, candlelit dinner.

DON’T consider this the best use of your two-for-one Buffet WareHouse coupon.

DO something completely outof-the-box, like taking her beloved pooch to a dog wash.

DON’T just keep Lady Sparkles in the bed of your truck while you drive through a touchless wash. Even a heavy dog can get propelled a good distance when those jets of water get to blasting.

DO consider cooking your partner a dinner yourself.

DON’T forget to check things like expiry dates, and don’t be afraid

to ask for some help figuring out what those various knobs and buttons on the appliances actually do.

Locate your fire extinguisher and exits in advance.

DO consider flowers and a card, at the very least.

DON’T drop them on the kitchen counter beside a note asking to reschedule/rain-check, explaining how you and a buddy scored free tickets to see a hockey game.

DO remember your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day. 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 REM danst.yves@hotmail.com.

44 REM FEBRUARY 2013

funds,” says the institute.

REIC’s CRP (Certified Reserve Planner) designation is recognized in legislation in Ontario, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick and is recognized in Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba.

REIC’s full submission can be downloaded from www.reic.com.

Tim Ayres, president-elect, Royal LePage Coast Capital, Sooke; Kyle Kerr, secretary-treasurer, Pemberton Holmes, Menzies; Ara Balabanian, Macdonald Realty – Victoria; Guy Crozier, Re/Max Camosun; Wendy Moreton, Newport Realty; Mike Nugent, DFH; and Andrew Plank, Pemberton Holmes, Menzies.

■ ■ ■

T

he Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services has initiated a Condominium Act Review, through a public engagement process, to update the existing Condominium Act, 1998.

The Real Estate Institute of Canada (REIC) has requested to be included, as a related association, at the Stakeholders’ Roundtable.

“REIC was a major contributor in the formation of the Condominium Act, 1998 with regard to reserve fund studies and is well positioned to play a similar role in the ministry’s current review initiative with regard to condominium managers to address education requirements and stan-

Bruce Moran

dards of practice in condominium management services and provide meaningful protection to the consumer,” says the institute.

“Additionally, we have asked that REIC’s designations be considered for licensing of property managers. REIC’s property management designations align well with the expertise and accreditation requirements for condominium managers, as they currently relate to a broad assortment of condominium types. REIC’s reserve fund planning designations are directly related to condominium finances and reserve fund management and provide Canada-wide standards on calculating and administering reserve

Stacy Svendsen

Shelley Mann, the new president of the Victoria Real Estate Board, brings 27 years of industry knowledge to her new role. Being from a family of developers, Mann sees the real estate market through many lenses.

“I’ve been through highs and lows, both as a Realtor and as a homeowner,” Mann says. “We don’t expect any surprises next year and it’s important to reassure the public that stability is good.

We’ve had some years of rapid growth and now we are back to normal.”

Mann is with Re/Max Camosun.

Joining her on the board are Carol Crabb, past president, DFH;

■ ■ ■

Bruce Moran, broker of record of Chase Realty, has been elected president of the Realtors Association of HamiltonBurlington (RAHB) for 2013. He succeeds Cameron Nolan to lead the 2,500-member association.

Moran has been a member of RAHB for 26 years. In 2003, he was the recipient of RAHB’s Volunteer of the Year award.

The 2013 RAHB Board of Directors also includes: Tim Mattioli, president-elect; Sean Morrison, vice-president; Cameron Nolan, immediate pastpresident; and directors Kim Alvarez, Donna Bacher, Hank Balfoort, Rochelle Edwards, Dan

Gies, Gary Herron, Bill Lawson and Gloria Payton.

Members, sponsors and friends of RAHB showed their generosity and community spirit at the 24th annual Charity Auction in support of the CHML-Y108 Children’s Fund. RAHB says $40,600 was raised at the annual Christmas charity auction and social.

Over the 24 years of the partnership, RAHB’s annual auction has raised over $700,000 for the charity, making RAHB its single largest contributor.

The Children’s Fund offers assistance to over 30 different charities each year.

■ ■ ■

Even with a cooling in the real estate market during the last half of the year, 2012 was the second-best year for Regina home sales in the history of the local MLS System.

The new president of the Association of Regina Realtors, Stacy Svendsen, says sales will heat up again come spring.

“The future looks very bright for our market. All economic indi-

Ian Smith

From left: Durham Deaf Services executive director Yvonne Brown; DRAR past-president Christine Marquis and Durham Deaf Services resource development officer John Calderon.

Realtor Gary Foltyn unloads a vanload of donations, which are received by charity volunteer Deni at NightShift Street Ministries in Surrey, B.C.

Nova’s Ark founder Mary-Ann Nova and DRAR past-president Christine Marquis.

Delivering 132 turkeys for the annual turkey drive in Moncton, from left: Shirley Powell, past president, Greater Moncton Realtors du Grand Moncton; Kim Clements, staff; Jennifer Richford-Hicks, volunteer member; Peter Dickson, president; and Kerry Rakuson, EO.

Members of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board and Abbotsford Hospice Society celebrate the contribution. From left, back row: Angelo Rea, Arno Neumann, Sukh Sidhu, Scott Olson, Deborah Lehmann, David Turchen, Rex Leonard, Ralph Visser. Front row: Marion Keys, Wynne Smith, Ray Werger, Jorda Maisey.

REM FEBRUARY 2013 45

cators are pointing towards another healthy real estate market in 2013. The demand is there.”

Born in Nova Scotia to an RCMP family forever on the move, Svendsen has lived in several Saskatchewan communities over the years, calling Regina home since 1992. She got her real estate license that same year and began teaching the ARR’s new member class just four years later.

She is with Realty Executives Regina.

Joining Svendsen on the 2013 ARR Board of Directors: president-elect Basil Pappas, Re/Max Crown Real Estate; past-president Mike Duggleby, Royal LePage Regina Realty; Carmen Howells, Royal LePage Regina Realty; Dave Markus, Century 21 Dome Realty; Marina Rist, Realty Executives Dale Ripplinger & Associates; Bernie Weinbender, Century 21 Dome Realty; Tim Chicilo, Realty One; and Rick Miron, Re/Max Crown Real Estate.

Ian Johnston of Century 21 Dome Realty will finish his twoyear term as Regina Region

Director on the Association of Saskatchewan Realtors.

■ ■ ■

The Durham Region Association of Realtors (DRAR) recently elected Ian Smith of Re/Max Ability Real Estate as its 2013 president. Smith has been in the real estate profession since 1987. He obtained his broker’s license in 1991 and has been the broker/owner of his own real estate office since 1993.

Joining him on the Board of Directors are Christine Marquis, immediate past-president; Jane Hurst, president-elect and Durham Centre director; Claire Marsh, Durham North director; Kathy McFadden, Durham East director; Laurel McHale, Durham West director; Tony Wilson, director-atlarge; and Tamie McLaughlin, director-at-large.

DRAR also announced that the recipients of its 2011 charitable contributions have recently been approved for additional funding through the Realtors Care Foundation.

Durham Deaf Services is a nonprofit organization that provides educational programs and services to the deaf, deafened and hard of hearing community within Durham Region. Nova’s Ark is a registered charity that provides social and communication opportunities for people of all ages and abilities involving a wide range of exotic, gentle animals.

■ ■ ■

Danny De Dominicis was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Brantford Regional Real Estate Association’s (BRREA) General Membership Meeting recently. De Dominicis has been a member of BRREA since 1978. He has been an active member, serving on the Board of Directors in 1981-1985, 1992-1993 and 2002-2003. In 1984 he was president of the association, and has been a member of the Finance Committee throughout.

The Community Awareness Committee at BRREA asked its members to “Share Your Christmas Cheer” and donate to the local

food bank and Christmas baskets.

Royal LePage Hurley Real Estate challenged its Realtors to “Fill a Truck” and then they challenged the other brokerages to “Fill the Board Office.” Royal LePage Action and Re/Max Twin City (Park Road & Fairview) accepted the challenge. In all, 2,921 pounds of food and toys were donated.

■ ■ ■

The 18th annual Realtors Care Blanket Drive collected blankets and warm clothing to help over 19,000 working poor and homeless people across the Lower Mainland in B.C. Hundreds of real estate offices acted as drop-off locations during the event. Realtors picked up, sorted and delivered thousands of donations to over three dozen charities from Whistler to Hope.

Since 1994, the Blanket Drive has grown to become the largest collection of its kind in the Lower Mainland, assisting more than 205,000 people over those years.

Donations come from Realtors, their clients, the general public,

corporations, retailers, community groups and schools.

■ ■ ■

The Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia awarded $550,127 in funding to 13 nonprofit projects across B.C. recently.

Among them are five Vancouver recipients: City of Vancouver, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, the Pembina Institute, Tides Canada and the Tyee Solutions Society. The foundation’s Board of Governors approved 67 grants totalling $2.34 million, over the course of 2012 The other recipients included two from Burnaby – BCIT Foundation and Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver – as well as the Comox Valley Project Watershed Society, POLIS Foundation in Saanichton, Ruby Lake Lagoon Nature Reserve Society in Madeira Park, Nelson’s Selkirk College, Shawnigan Residents’ Association in Shawnigan Lake and the B.C. Northern Real Estate Board in Prince George.

The foundation says it “supports real estate and land use practices that contribute to resilient, healthy communities and natural systems.”

■ ■ ■

Walter Doret, president of the Barrie & District Association of Realtors, presents a cheque to Kerry Ploughman, executive director of Samaritan House Community Ministries.

Hannon Bell, left, chair of the MREA Shelter Foundation with members of St. Matthew’s Non Profit Housing at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church.

Danny De Dominicis, left and John Oddi, BRREA’s 2012 president.

The Oakville, Milton and District Real Estate Board presents a cheque for $40,000 to Home Suite Hope.

From left: Jenny Kotulak, director, Realtors Care Foundation; Marta Sponder, EO, OMDREB; Michele Gaboury, past-president, OMDREB; Janice Moro, executive director, Home Suite Hope; and Jules Graham-Hood, director of development, Home Suite Hope.

From left: Brian Hughes, YOU president; Amber, a student at Youth Opportunity; Steve Cordes, YOU executive director; and Barb Whitney, LSTAR president.

Manitoba Real Estate Association’s Lorne Weiss congratulations Aboriginal homeowner Katina Cochrane, left, and Kelly McCartan, who have their first homes thanks to a program launched by MREA.

First Nations families that bought their first homes recently have seen their investment increase an average of $25,000 in just three years thanks to a new housing program designed to get more Aboriginal families into homes they own – instead of renting.

The Manitoba Tipi Mitawa (MTM) program has supported 11 First Nations families to date as they bought homes in neighbourhoods from Transcona to Elmwood to St. John’s-Inkster. The Manitoba Real Estate Association (MREA) estimates that six families that bought between 2009 and 2011 have seen their personal wealth increase $154,000 in total, thanks to an increase in the value of their homes. The home value increases ranged from $4,000 to $60,000 per home.

“This is exactly what we hoped would happen when we first launched this program five years ago,” says MREA spokesperson Harry DeLeeuw, whose organization also provided one-third of Continued on page 46

46 REM FEBRUARY 2013

Boards and Associations Continued from page 45

Recruiter/Trainer Manager Position We are looking for a dynamic individual to recruit/train and manage new and experienced sales agents for a Toronto/Mississauga area office.

Key Responsibilities • Recruit new and experienced agents.

• Ability to convey all benefits and success of affiliating with Royal LePage.

• Mentor, coach, and train all recruits.

• Identify suitable new candidates with current real estate license or new agents currently taking the real estate course and secure their employment with the office.

• Develop a business strategy to increase sales for the company in general.

• Day to day management and continued development of the office’s online presence.

Desired Skills & Experience This position requires an individual who is experienced in real estate sales and online marketing. If you desire a position in this field, we would like to meet you.

Please forward your resume to: Yvonne Ratigan Royal LePage Canada Email: YvonneRatigan@royallepage.ca Fax: 416-510-5856

...maintenant en français !

www.remenligne.com Oui! You are reading this correctly!

You can now stay up-to-date with the latest in Canadian real estate news, en français!

every homeowner’s 15-per-cent house down payment.

■ ■ ■

Again this year the Greater Moncton area Realtors raised money at the Annual Mix & Mingle social in support of the Sue Stultz Turkey Drive. The goal for this year’s drive was 3,725 turkeys to assist families in need with a bird for the holidays. The Greater Moncton Realtors du Grand Moncton purchased four per cent of the total with funds raised at the social and delivered 132 frozen birds to the fire hall.

■ ■ ■

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) has given $20,000 to the Abbotsford Hospice Society’s (AHS) new adult hospice. The contribution will go towards the creation of a water feature in the future garden of Holmberg House.

The feature, designed specifically for the grounds of Holmberg House, is a waterfall flowing into a pebble stream surrounded by garden foliage. The building will be the only hospice in Abbotsford to provide holistic care in a non-institutional setting, with patient suites large enough to accommodate visiting family and friends.

The 10-bed facility will care for patients as young as 19 facing terminal illness.

■ ■ ■

The Barrie & District Association of Realtors and the Realtors Care Foundation recently presented $6,490 to the Samaritan House Community Ministries. The organization offers transitional safe housing for women and children, children’s literacy programs, adult computer training and job search, a drop-in centre and youth life skills programs.

■ ■ ■

Go to REMenligne.com to sign up for the REM bulletin électronique, an email digest of the latest REMenligne.com headlines, delivered right to your inbox!

For more information, contact:

Michel Chevalier michel@remenligne.com

Since it was granted registered charitable status in 2007, the Manitoba Real Estate Association Shelter Foundation has improved daily life for many fellow citizens.

More than $350,000 has been raised since its inception.

In October the foundation granted $51,335 to eight Manitobabased shelter-related charities: St. Matthews Non Profit Housing, Visions of Independence,

Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad (Ndinawe), Winnipeg Habitat for Humanity, Esther House, A & O Support Services for Older Adults, New Directions for Children, Youth, Adults and Families and Marymound.

A video showing the difference Manitoba Realtors and others are making in the community is available at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5Yl_HME6U-4.

■ ■ ■

The Oakville, Milton and District Real Estate Board (OMDREB) recently presented cheques to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton and Home Suite Hope.

The Realtors Care Foundation donated $3,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton. OMDREB donated $40,000 and the foundation added $7,000 to Home Suite Hope.

OMDREB events that made these donations possible included a trade show in April, a golf event in June and the 2012 President’s Charity Mardi Gras Ball in October.

■ ■ ■

The London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR) celebrated Christmas with donations to its principal beneficiaries: • $1,000 to Mission Services of London, bringing the total the association has raised for Mission Services since 1992 to $271,506; • $1,000 to Violence Against Women Services Elgin County, the women’s shelter in St. Thomas, bringing that total to $28,009; • $1,250 to the Women’s Community House for a total of $28,828; and • $20,400 to the Unity Project, for a total of $106,504.

Approximately 90 Realtors came out in force to man Christmas Kettles for the Salvation Army. “It was a great turnout for a great cause,” says Paula Hodgson, who organized the Realtors’ Man the Kettle Day for the third year in a row.

LSTAR also recently presented Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) with $27,000 to be used towards the purchase of kitchen equipment and an expansion of YOU’s kitchen and food preparation areas.

“In addition to feeding residents and teaching them food preparation and meal planning skills, the kitchen plays a pivotal role in a number of YOU’s Enterprise

Services,” says Barb Whitney, LSTAR president. “These services include providing the food sold at the YOU Made It Café and used in its catering business, as well as the production of Market Quality Preserves, a line of quality jams, jellies, salsas, barbecue sauces and rubs, made by a team of youths under the supervision of an accredited chef.

The Realtors Care Foundation chipped in $11,500 for the grant, while the balance was raised through LSTAR’s Business Partners Program and its annual Slo-Pitch Tournament.

■ ■ ■

Members of the KitchenerWaterloo Association of Realtors recently donated $5,000 to Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region (HFHWR).

HFHWR COO Karen Redman says: “The entire Realtor community has been tremendously supportive towards Habitat Waterloo Region for many years. With the leadership of the KWAR and the Realtors Care Foundation, the continuation of Realtor support will provide hard-working, low-income families in our community with an opportunity for a hand up rather than a hand out.”

Last year, KWAR donated $15,000 for local charities through its Every Realtor Campaign.

■ ■ ■

A recently launched website offers investors and developers from around the globe the ability to search available commercial and industrial properties in the Calgary region.

Explore Calgary Region (www.explorecalgaryregion.ca) is an initiative of CREB and the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP). It’s aimed at promoting commercial and industrial opportunities by providing comprehensive data reports for businesses and site selectors looking to locate or expand in the area, says CREB. The CRP created the website, integrating online mapping tools, while CREB populates the search engine with available properties and other data. Properties and reports on the website can be saved, printed, emailed or exported to various document formats and shared with clients through popular social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. REM

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If you have a message for Canada’s real estate professionals, REM is where your advertising should be. Contact REM today.

www.remonline.com

48 REM FEBRUARY 2013

What’s

New Pillar to Post reports record year for growth Despite an unpredictable U.S. economy, Canadian-based Pillar To Post reported a stellar year for growth. In 2012, the company welcomed 50 new franchise owners, including five in December, which more than doubles the 20 franchisees signed in 2011. Looking to open 500 to 600 franchise locations over the next five years, Pillar To Post says it aims to capitalize upon its recent success and add 75 new territories in 2013.

According to a recent survey

conducted by the American Society of Home Inspectors, 88 per cent of all homeowners believe that home inspections are a necessity prior to purchasing a home, not a luxury. These findings suggest that home inspection companies such as Pillar To Post are positioned for continued growth and increased demand, the company says. “We have big plans for the future and look forward to what 2013 has in store for us,� says Dan Steward, president and CEO of Pillar To Post. Founded in 1994, Pillar To Post is now the largest home inspection company in North America with over 400 franchisees, located in 45 states and eight Canadian provinces. It is based in Toronto.

For information: www.pillartopost.com.

Dominion Lending launches branded Visa card Dominion Lending Centres (DLC) has forged a national partnership with Visa and Desjardins to launch an exclusive DLCbranded Visa Card Program. DLC says it is the first mortgage company in Canada to launch its own

$ :(/&20( $'',7,21 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is Pleased to Welcome COLDWELL BANKER POWER REALTY, BROKERAGE Serving the London, Ontario area, Coldwell Banker Power 5HDOW\ %URNHUDJH UHSUHVHQWV D ZHOFRPH DGGLWLRQ WR RXU JOREDO QHWZRUN RI UHVLGHQWLDO UHDO HVWDWH RIĂ€FHV DQG close to 83,000 real estate professionals worldwide.

Join Us in Wishing Coldwell Banker Power Realty, Brokerage Enduring Success.

,I \RX¡UH VHULRXV DERXW EXLOGLQJ D IRXQGDWLRQ WKDW SUHSDUHV \RXU RUJDQL]DWLRQ for growth and changing market conditions, then visit coldwellbanker.ca/join/franchise

‹ &ROGZHOO %DQNHU 5HDO (VWDWH //& $ 5HDORJ\ &RPSDQ\ $OO 5LJKWV 5HVHUYHG (DFK 2IÀFH ,V ,QGHSHQGHQWO\ 2ZQHG $QG 2SHUDWHG &ROGZHOO %DQNHUŽ and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.

branded credit card program.

This new product line enables DLC mortgage professionals to offer an unsecured DLC-branded Visa to borrowers at competitive interest rates ranging from 9.9 per cent to 19.9 per cent, the company says.

There are six different cards available, including: Student Visa, Classic Visa, No-Fee Gold, LowRate Gold, Travel Gold and Platinum. “We’ve been focusing on the creation of this program for the past 18 months, and we’re extremely excited about being able to further bundle our services – helping our mortgage professionals better meet the needs of Canadian borrowers from coast to

coast,� says DLC President Gary Mauris.

For information: www.dominionlending.ca/visa-cards.

Lone Wolf named preferred provider

by LeadingRE Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE) have entered into a marketing relationship to promote Lone Wolf’s Complete Enterprise Solution to the LeadingRE broker members.

The solution is comprised of Lone Wolf’s core suite of products and services, covering back office and front office operations, public and mobile websites and revenue

generation programs for brokers, additional accounting services, agent centric offerings and more, the company says. “We are pleased to formalize our relationship with Lone Wolf, welcoming them as a preferred provider through our Solutions Group program,� says Robin LaSure, vice-president of corporate marketing for LeadingRE. “The company’s comprehensive enterprise solution gives brokerages a single source for managing everything from accounting to agent connectivity, and, while they are already working with many of our member firms, we look forward to introducing them to the entire network.� For inforREM mation: www.lwolf.com.

Site ‘levels the condo playing field’ A

new website recently launched for sales reps who actively work the GTA condo market, or would like to enter that market.

CondoNow (www.condonow.com) is the newest offering from Aareas Interactive, which has been producing sales and marketing technology solutions since 1991. Launched in October 2012, it offers an easy, convenient and centralized online spot where sales reps can get all of the required information on condos and upcoming projects, the company says. “The whole idea behind CondoNow is to create an MLS/Expedia-like website for condos, and eventually new homes, where a Realtor can go online and search for condos on any parameter – anything from upcoming launches to the number of bedrooms – and get a quick listing that they can then show their client,� says Frank Guido, president and CEO of CondoNow. Guido says that previously, if a sales rep had a client who wanted to buy a condo for a future date, there was no easy way for the Realtor to pull all of the available condos that might meet the client’s criteria. It was a lot of leg work and chasing, with the sales rep calling the various condo

builders to see what’s coming down the pipe and might be a fit.

But he says, with 482 projects in the GTA and 111 new condos currently available for immediate occupancy, that represented a lot of wasted time.

The CondoNow website offers everything sales reps need to find and present the perfect condo to their client: brochures, virtual tours, floor plans, renderings, views, pricing and specific Realtor information such as commissions and clawbacks. Everything is presented in a clean, consistent format, making it easier to locate and compare information. If a sales rep is interested in upcoming projects, with CondoNow, all they need to do is flag the projects they’re interested in and they’ll be sent a notice whenever there are updates.

The website also becomes effective for new VIP product launches. Guido says that until CondoNow, developers were typically receiving worksheets by fax.

They’d collect all of the faxes, spread them out and then start pairing up the possibilities. “It was a very antiquated, errorprone process for everyone involved,� says Guido. “CondoNow uses technology to not only streamline the process and eliminate errors, but provide accurate, fast, live data to Realtors.�

CondoNow is strictly a place for developers and Realtors to connect – no real estate is sold over the website. Developers post their inventory and information directly to the website, and Realtors then access the site to locate condos, similar to what the MLS does for resales. It is free to Realtors and developers only pay a fee if a deal closes. “We only get paid if a transaction initiates on the site and then the deal closes,� says Guido. “Once the deal closes, the developer pays a fee to CondoNow. That’s it. There is no advertising revenue being generated, so the site is clean, and there’s definitely no preferential treatment given to one developer over another.�

He estimates that out of the 34,000 Realtors in TREB, there are probably only a couple of thousand who deal with new condos. “It’s a very convoluted process and very much an old boys club,� says Guido. “CondoNow levels the playing field and gives every Realtor a chance to sell their client a condo.�

Within the next year, Guido expects to be offering CondoNow across North America in multiple languages. For information: www.aareas.com – Tony Palermo REM

50 REM FEBRUARY 2013

GREEN REAL ESTATE

By Elden Freeman

T

his is a good time of the year to re-evaluate your business, to pinpoint what you liked and to discard what you didn’t and to note what changes you would like to make this year. If going green or greener appeals to you, here are a number of ideas: Stop the paper trail – easier said than done. Who said we would be rid of paper once computers took over? Still, there are options for eliminating our dependence on trees. An obvious nobrainer option is to promote email

Make 2013 your greenest year ever and text messaging instead of hardcopy communications with vendors, customers and colleagues.

Consider printing documents to Portable Data Format (PDF) files. A PDF printer is a virtual printer. Instead of printing documents to paper, it converts them to PDFs that you can share, upload and print. If you’re a Mac user, that’s easy as they have a Save as PDF option already built in.

Windows users need free software such as Bulizip or Cute PDF Writer, but that’s easily available online.

Using Quick Response (QR) codes in your marketing helps reduce the amount of paper generated as smartphone users can instantly acquire information about a property without having to get out of their vehicle, and more importantly, can retrieve your paper-based marketing material. QR codes send information about a listing electronically to the viewer.

BRANCH MANAGER Work with a Leader!

Royal LePage RCR Realty requires an experienced and talented individual to fill the role of full-time Broker/Manager in the Owen Sound area.

The successful candidate will have experience in a management capacity and a proven track record.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, managing the branch activities to ensure compliance with rules and regulations, recruiting and business building, delivering sales training programs and to manage the branch’s financial activities.

If you are looking to further your career with a proven leader, please send your resume in complete confidence to careers@rcrrealty.com.

We regret that we can only respond to candidates chosen for an interview.

Adopt marketing strategies that employ an online presence instead of mail or direct marketing.

Using websites to advertise a property is one example. Or how about marketing your services on a blog or an e-newsletter?

Digitizing the mounds of paperwork from all of the parties involved in a real estate transaction might sound impossible but there are firms specializing in software that digitizes the contract-toclosing process. While some Realtors are pushing ahead in that direction, there still seem to be questions as to whether electronic signatures are legal and binding.

Regardless, it’s likely that the industry will move toward becoming a paperless profession.

Recycle – It’s an old word but a good one. If you can’t eliminate your reliance on paper use, at least recycle it. Place recycling bins next to the copiers and near all the trash cans. This will remind colleagues to use the bins instead of throwing all the paper bits in the trash.

Patronize vendors who will take back or recycle packaging.

Many suppliers will reclaim their packaging to reuse or recycle.

Recycle the packaging in your office by reusing boxes and repurposing them for organizing closets and storage areas.

Purchase printer and copy paper with the highest recycled content. If possible, print and copy documents on both sides of the paper. Educate co-workers to reuse the backs of recyclable paper. If your copier allows, try to print and copy double-sided documents.

Power down – Turn off office equipment at the end of the workday and over the weekends. Many offices may save up to 25 per cent of the energy used to run the office simply by powering down the equipment during off-hours. If you implement the additional step of turning off equipment that is not in use during working hours, you may even save an additional 25 per cent in energy usage.

If you are in a stand-alone or home office, install a programmable thermostat that lets you program the device to turn down or turn off the heating and air conditioning during off-hours.

Change all the light bulbs in the office to the compact fluorescent type. These light bulbs will

last longer and produce a cleaner, brighter light on much lower wattage compared to traditional bulbs.

Green vehicles – Since vehicles are responsible for a large chunk of greenhouse gas emissions, consider purchasing a hybrid company vehicle. If the company is large enough to have a fleet and can afford the investment, convert the entire fleet to hybrid vehicles. This allows agents to share with clients their eco smarts. More importantly, it shows that you put your money where your mouth is.

Try greening up your practice a little more this year. The world is worth it.

The National Association of Green Agents and Brokers (NAGAB) provide a Greenbroker and Greenagent certification program to Realtors across Canada. To get more information or to sign up for a course, visit www.nagab.org. Elden Freeman M.E.S., AGB, broker is the founder and executive director of the non-profit organization. 1-877524-9494 Email elden@nagab.org.

REM

Golf tax deductions F

or many business people, golf is a way to network, entertain clients and donate to charity. But is it tax deductible?

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions.

Can I deduct green fees and cart rental costs related to business meetings?

“The Income Tax Act states specifically that you cannot deduct expenses for the use of a golf course, like green fees,” says chartered accountant Sam Lieberman of Toronto. “It also disallows deductions for membership fees or dues in any club if the main purpose of the club is to provide its members with dining, recreational or sporting facilities.”

Can I deduct business-related meals and drinks consumed at a golf course?

“It has been determined that 50 per cent of expenses relating to preand post-golf meals and refresh-

ments may be deducted, provided they were for business purposes and detailed bills are available,” says Lieberman.

Are the cost of golf shirts and hats offered to clients as promotional items deductible?

“Yes,” says Lieberman. “These would be 100-per-cent deductible as normal advertising and promotion expenses.”

If I take a client as a guest with me to watch a golf tournament, such as the Canadian Open, can I claim it as a deduction?

“This situation would fall under the same rules as business-related hospitality, such as meals and refreshments,” Lieberman says.

“Therefore, 50 per cent of the expense may be deducted, providing it is for business purposes and the appropriate documentation is provided.”

If I play in a charity golf tournament, can my business or

I get a tax receipt?

“Yes, but the amount is restricted,” says Lieberman. “For example, if you pay a $100 entry fee and $60 of that goes toward green fees and the remaining $40 goes to charity, the donation receipt should be for $40.”

If my business donates a gift to a charity golf tournament, is that amount deductible?

“Yes, the cost of the gift or its fair market value is 100-per-cent deductible,” says Lieberman. “For example, if you donate 1,000 golf balls to the tournament with your company logo on them, it is considered an advertising and promotional expense and is deductible.”

If the amount is not a promotional expense it may still count as a charitable gift and thus be deductible.

Provided by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

REM

HOME DELIVERY

Since 1989, REM has been offered free to every real estate board and association in Canada to distribute to their members. That’s not about to change, but as we approach a quarter century of publishing we recognize that many aspects of the industry have.

Responding to environmental concerns, REM is now “green” – printed on paper certified by FSC, an international system for forests and forest products supported by WWF Canada, Greenpeace and the David Suzuki Foundation.

Many real estate professionals now work out of their home offices. We’d like to give those who prefer to receive delivery at home the option of receiving REM directly. Home delivery of REM is now available for $19.89 (including tax) per year.

We ask only that you cover the cost of postage. We’ll take care of the rest.

Get REM at home! Call 416-425-3504 Ext. 4 or contact distribution@remonline.com and start receiving REM Home Delivery.

Professional Registry S P ONS ORED BY: Jozien Vet

Kelly Ticknor

Randy Squires

Liz Spooner-Young

Chartered Real Estate Broker IN Montreal

Broker/Owner IN Mississauga/Brampton/Oakville

Licensed Home Inspector IN Cloverdale – Surrey, B.C.

Sales Representative IN Greater Sudbury

For the honest advice and professional results that you deserve, in buying or selling residences, investment or revenue properties.

416-568-3440 Cell

514-679-1399 Cell 514-426-4545 Office jvet@sutton.com www.jozienvet.com

“Success is in direct proportion to the success of our sales team” Coaching, Counselling and Respect for each individual. Let's Talk!

Groupe Sutton Expert 2869 boul. St. Charles Kirkland, QC H9H 3B5

Royal LePage Kingsbury Realty

905-568-2121 Office 30 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 200 Mississauga, ON L5R 3E7 kticknor@royallepage.ca Independently owned & operated www.kingsburyrealty.com

Also serving the lower mainland & Fraser Valley. We are fully licensed and insured and offer a full range of home inspection services. “Inspected once inspected right” A Buyers Choice Home Inspections 604-719-2160 Cell 21131 - 77A Avenue randy.squires@abuyerschoice.com www.cloverdale.abuyerschoice.com Langley, BC V2Y 0K7 Each franchise independently owned & operated

Dedicated to Exceptional Service in the Greater Sudbury area! For all your clients needs in buying or selling a home, please contact me!

705-691-3208 Cell 800-601-8601 Toll Free liz@vianet.ca www.lizspooner.ca

RE/MAX Crown Realty 1349 LaSalle Blvd., Suite 208 Sudbury, ON P3A 1Z2 Independently owned & operated

Allan Spisak

Mike Smith

Garry Shapiro, BCL, LLB, MBA

Ron Pigeau

Owner & General Manager - Building Inspections IN Southern Ontario

Home Inspection Services - Regional Owner IN Central & Eastern Ontario

Lawyer IN Toronto & GTA

Broker / Manager IN North Bay & Area

Residential & commercial building inspections, infrared thermography, condo inspections. We work weekends, evenings & holidays. Office hours 8am to 10pm, 7 days/wk. Basement leak crack injections now available.

905-633-8219 Office A.C.I.S.S. Home & Commercial 1-866-573-7131 Toll-free Inspection Consultants aciss@sympatico.ca www.aciss.ca

Offices across Ontario Not a franchise - a Canadian Company

We have over 30 Certified and Insured Home Inspectors in Central & Eastern Ontario and over 125 across Canada.

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416-986-4321 Cell

416-720-1443 Cell 416-250-9600 Office

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garry@shapirocho.com www.shapirocho.com

A Buyer’s Choice Home Inspections 22 Berg Court mike.smith@abuyerschoice.com Stouffville, ON L4A 0K5 Each franchise independently owned & operated

Shapiro Cho, Real Estate & Business Lawyers 201 - 333 Sheppard Ave. East Toronto, ON M2N 3B3

Registered since 1974 and still enjoy the business with no intention of retiring soon. Work commercial & residential as well as recreational.

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Re/Max Legend Real Estate Inc. 73 Lakeshore Drive, North Bay, ON P1A 2A5 Independently Owned and Operated.

Susan Pipes

Reg J. Leckie

Sai Foo Lau

Jenny Kotulak

REALTOR® IN Victoria & Sidney, BC

Sales Representative IN GTA Toronto & Surrounding Area

Sales Representative IN Markham, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, GTA

Broker IN Oakville - Burlington

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DFH Real Estate Ltd. 3914 Shelbourne Street Victoria, BC V8P 4J1

susanpipes@gmail.com www.victoriabchomesforsale.com Independently Owned and Operated.

Relocation Services provided by “a former ‘relocated’ business sales executive”. In my 7th professional year with RE/MAX. Referral fees paid for buyers and sellers. Call me.

416-580-9553 Cell 905-456-3232 Office

RE/MAX Realty Specialists.

490 Bramalea Road, Suite 400 Brampton, ON L6T 0G1

regleckie@rogers.com www.regleckie.com

Independently Owned and Operated.

Chicken or Egg? Sell or buy first?

Helping seniors downsize to condos, first time buyers from rentals to ownership. Offering a high standard of service to referrals!

416-816-9323 Cell 905-305-1600 Office saifo@trebnet.com www.saifoolau.com

Homelife Landmark Realty Inc., Brokerage #103 - 7240 Woodbine Ave. Markham, ON L3R 1AR Independently owned & operated

23 yrs. Selling Oakville & Burlington.

RE/MAX Hall of Fame member. Past President, OMDREB. REALTORS® Care Foundation Ontario: B.O.D. Professional, progressive and pro-active.

RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp., Brokerage 418 - 2 North Service Road East 905-842-7000 Office Oakville, ON L6H 5R2 jennykotulak@gmail.com

1-800-435-3160 Toll-Free

www.oakvilleontariorealestate.ca

Independently owned & operated

Frank Kirschner, Broker

John Goodwin

Ken Glauser

Maya Garg A.S.A ®, A.S.P ®

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Miami Beach / Fort Lauderdale

frankkirschner@comcast.net

frankkirschner.com

Licensed in FL, GA, MI, ON

Century 21 First Canadian Corp.

420 York Street London, ON N6B 1R1 Independently owned & operated

I have been helping Buyers, Sellers and Investors in Saskatoon and Area for 18 years. I Care How 'FOR SALE' Becomes 'SOLD'.

306-241-3131 Cell kenglauser@HomesInSaskatoon.com

www.HomesInSaskatoon.com

RE/MAX Saskatoon 200 - 227 Primrose Drive Saskatoon, SK S7K 5E4 Independently Owned and Operated.

Serving families in Mississauga, Oakville, Brampton & Milton for all their Real Estate needs and working with passion. I’m here to help you: contact me at anytime!

905-568-2121 Office 416-565-2780 Cell mrgarg@sympatico.ca www.gtawesthomes.com

Royal LePage Kingsbury Realty 30 Eglinton Avenue West Mississauga, ON L5R 3E7 Independently owned & operated

REM FEBRUARY 2013 53

Due diligence for the salesperson

By Don Kottick

A

fter writing my last article (Brokerage stability: Time for due diligence, October REM), I received a number of emails from salespeople and brokers stating that they appreciated the fact that a light was shone on the broker stability issue. It appears many people did not equate the higher portion of commissions flowing to salespeople having an adverse impact on the financial viability of the brokerage owner.

Another consequence of declining owner revenue is that some managers/owners have been driven to sell real estate in order to survive and supplement their bottom lines. This is really a segue into possible questions that new or transferring salespeople need to ask when they are conducting their own due diligence prior to selecting a brokerage.

The following is a set of questions to assist you in the interview process for a prospective brokerage: 1. Does the branch or office manager sell? Many managers who sell use the argument that a selling manager is a benefit, as this allows the manager to keep on top of trends and keeps their skills honed and timely. In my opinion, a selling manager exposes a brokerage to potential conflict of interest scenarios, especially if the manager is responsible for disseminating leads

or is competing in the same trading area as their salespeople. Some of the best managers that I know have chosen to manage over selling, and yet they maintain their currency and knowledge.

2. What are the manager’s hours of operation in terms of responding to problems from their salespeople? Not all deals occur during business hours, so a Monday to Friday 9-5 manager will be of little assistance at 10 pm or over the weekend when issues generally arise.

3. What is the best mode of communication to contact the manager? The answer to this question quite often reveals the technological sophistication of the brokerage. If the brokerage has a dedicated call centre and the manager gets a voice message that is emailed simultaneously, or you have direct access to the manager’s cell phone, their response time should be pretty good. Emailing and texting provides you with a written, recordable response for your records.

Remember this process is all about you conducting due diligence on the brokerage. Look for tell-tale signs or red flags that could lead to potential problems down the road.

4. Does the brokerage conduct regular office meetings? In our new world of virtual or remote offices, it is always nice to have the opportunity to learn and connect with your peers. We live in a fast-changing industry and sometimes we don’t read every notification or update as we should. If the company holds regular monthly meetings, they probably have a corporate culture and a wider, deeper support network in place. Find out if the content of these meetings includes market conditions and

trends, regulatory issues, products and services; or if they are just a forum to promote internal listings.

5. What kind of training and support does the brokerage offer?

Do they hold regular CEU meetings? Do they have a “live” training program for new graduates? Do they have an advanced training program for experienced salespeople wishing to take their business to a higher level? Do they have a training calendar showcasing all the educational events? Do they

question to ask because the exit penalties with some firms can be quite shocking. Find out if they may have extended notice periods before you can leave. The legality of upholding exit fines for independent contractors has yet to be tested in the courts. If a salesperson does not want to be with a brokerage, why in the world would a brokerage force someone to stay? Not to mention the ill-will that is generated by enforcing this type of punitive measure.

The following is a set of questions to assist you in the interview process for a prospective brokerage. conduct sales rallies? Do they have regular events with proven industry speakers? Do they offer mentoring for new registrants?

6. What are the commission plans or fee structure? This one is almost self-explanatory – just watch out for hidden fees. What other expenses are included with your plan? How often are commission cheques generated? Do they allow for direct deposit into your bank account?

7. Are there exit penalties or notice periods if you leave the brokerage? This is a very important

8. Does the brokerage execute a marketing plan? If yes, then ask for details about the plan. Ask about recent marketing initiatives. Some companies talk about past campaigns or brief ineffective campaigns as though they are still running. Do they have an experienced marketing manager or a marketing department? Do they participate in social media? Do they have an effective web presence? Do they have an intranet site? Is brand awareness important to the brokerage?

9. Does the brokerage give back

Robert R. Fairbairn

Peter Burton

Barbara Bell-Olsen

Sales Representative IN Espanola, ON

REALTOR® IN Calgary & Area

Managing Broker IN British Columbia

With over 30 years in the Financial and Real Estate Industry, servicing Espanola, Little Current, Sudbury and all points in between. Call Rob today.

Royal LePage Anderson Realty, 705-207-6694 Cell Brokerage 705-869-4230 Office Unit #2, 114 Mead Street Espanola, ON P5E 1S5 robertfairbairn@royallepage.ca

www.royallepage.ca/espanola

Independently owned & operated

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Royal LePage Westside 5970 East Boulevard Vancouver, BC V6M 3V4

www.royallepagewestside.com

Independently Owned and Operated.

to charities or the community?

What charities or community initiatives does the brokerage participate in? A brokerage that is not financially viable will not have funds to direct to humanitarian or community causes.

10. Does the brokerage have physical premises should you need them? Are there closing rooms?

What services are offered by the brokerage? Are computers and office equipment readily available and operational? Is the technology old or state-of-the-art? Does the brokerage have wireless capabilities for when you visit the office?

The first test for a brokerage is when you call or email a manager for an interview and they don’t get back to you quickly. This is your first red flag. The second test occurs when you arrive at the brokerage for your interview. Take a look around to see if the office has energy and life. The third test involves asking for testimonials or referrals from incumbent salespeople and see if they recommend the brokerage. And finally, remember that this is a two-sided interview.

You should be interviewing the manager and the brokerage, just as they are interviewing you.

Conduct your due diligence up front so you are not planning another move within the year.

Every move will cost you some business and money.

Don Kottick is the president and broker of record of Right At Home Realty, with six office locations and more than 2,200 salespeople and brokers. According to Real Trends, Right At Home Realty is ranked 7th in units and 8th in volume for all of Canada, and is Canada’s largest independently owned brokerage. REM

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54 REM FEBRUARY 2013

THE PUBLISHER’S PAGE

By Heino Molls

T

MARKETPLACE

he Toronto Real Estate Board is big. While the board doesn’t boast or make such claims, it is said that TREB is the biggest real estate board in the world. TREB dominates the real estate community in Canada so much that about half the Realtors in the province of Ontario are members of the board. About one in every three Realtors in all of Canada is a member of TREB. Those are staggering numbers.

TREB pioneered many real estate-oriented projects, such as publishing its own newspaper for the public. It no longer produces that newspaper but when it did, it paved the way for other boards to publish newspapers too, so members could market properties and get a break from the high cost of advertising in mainstream newspapers. TREB’s Real Estate News had so many newspaper boxes on the streets of Toronto that at one point, the company that supplied the paint for the boxes officially named the colour they used as “Real Estate Blue”. TREB laid the groundwork for many other specialty advertising papers in Canada, and not just real estate.

Give TREB some credit TREB has been visited frequently by other boards in Canada, the United States and organizations from other parts of the world who wanted to see how they operated. TREB’s doors were always open. Visitors returned home with new ideas to marshal projects to operate “just like TREB”.

At one point the board had a fleet of over a dozen cars for its staff in the photography department. It operated its own print shop operation with presses and collating machines that were so big that they had to be housed in a separate building until new facilities were built. Within these two departments, new methods and ideas for photo processing and printing were developed. This was always encouraged by senior staff, to streamline the MLS process back in the days before computers. The extraordinary ability of this system to receive a listing from an agent, process it, drive out and take a picture of the property, then print it and distribute it to hundreds of offices; all in a two day turn-around remains a remarkable feat to this day.

TREB continues to develop innovative new methods to serve its membership today. Its annual conference and trade show, RealtorQuest, has become the largest real estate trade show in Canada.

TREB is bigger than a number of other large boards in Canada combined. One would think that it would dominate the ideological

and political direction of Canadian real estate agent thinking across the country. It could easily steamroll its opinion by threat of withholding is co-operation and more importantly its fees to organized real estate. Yet it does not. It extends its co-operation and offers help wherever it can to its industry community without fanfare.

TREB is not free of politics. It would be impossible for any organization of its size to avoid the turmoil that comes from clashing ideas, committee wrangling and elected directorships. I have seen this organization come to a near standstill once or twice. It has warts. But overall this is an organization that should be admired for operating as smoothly and as well as it does. TREB consistently contributes ideas to its members and its community. Many of the people who work there and are in charge of it are genuine and humble.

There are a few bad apples there but they don’t seem to spoil the bunch like in some other boards and associations.

When you consider the size of this behemoth of a real estate organization, you have to acknowledge that it runs efficiently and well. There is so much to criticize in organized real estate but credit should be given when it is due. In TREB’s case I am pleased to give it.

Trade Shows and Conferences For complete listings, visit www.remonline.com To add a listing to this calendar, email jim@remonline.com 30th Annual Re/Max of Western Canada Conference -- Hosted by Re/Max of Western Canada Feb. 7 - 9 Telus Convention Centre, Calgary Kelsey Woodliffe kwoodliffe@remax.net Century 21 Kickoff 2013 Halifax - March 4 Toronto - March 5 Ottawa - March 5 Winnipeg - March 6 Montreal - March 6 Saskatoon - March 7 Red Deer, Alta. - March 8 Richmond, BC - March 11 kickoff@century21.ca New Brunswick Real Estate Association -- Annual General Meeting & Education Day March 13 - 14 Delta Brunswick, Saint John, N.B. Rod Wright – education@nbrea.ca CREA 2013 AGM Saturday, March 23 Leadership - Sunday, March 24 Westin Ottawa, Ottawa Julie Daviau - 613-237-7111 info@crea.ca

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

Realtors Association of HamiltonBurlington -- Realtor Connections Conference & Trade Show Wednesday, March 27 Hamilton Convention Centre Hamilton Sheila Sferrazza 905-529-8101 Ext. 234 London St. Thomas Association of Realtors -- 2013 Annual General Meeting and Exhibitor Trade Show Tuesday, April 23 London Convention Centre London, Ont. Tracy Marino - tmarino@lstar.ca Toronto Real Estate Board RealtorQuest May 1 – 2 Toronto Congress Centre, Toronto www.realtorquest.ca Dominion Lending Centres National Sales Conference Sept 22 - 25 The Sheraton of New Orleans New Orleans, La. www.dominionlendingevents.ca Compiled with the assistance of Bob Campbell at Colour Tech Marketing, www.colourtech.com

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