February 2014 by Real Estate Magazine (REM)

Issue #296

February 2014

CREA begins â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;orderly transitionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; after boards leave Page 3

Maximizing virtual curb appeal

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Rookie Realtor Tav Schembri has $75-million in deals in his first 18 months Page 10

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REM FEBRUARY 2014 3

CREA begins ‘orderly transition’ after boards leave National association is removing Quebec listings from out-of-province brokers C

REA says that it will start removing Quebec listings from out-of-province brokers from Realtor.ca. In a letter sent to boards early in January, CREA president Laura Leyser said, “After several calls, emails and letters to the OACIQ about the status of out-of-province listings, CREA recently received a response from the provincial regulator. Given this new development, CREA will remove the offending listings this month. We caution that the OACIQ has not provided blanket guidance to CREA that covers all potential future listings, however, we hope it will continue to work with us in a spirit of co-operation.” The issue of listings from outof-province brokers was one of many reasons why the real estate boards in Montreal, Quebec City and other smaller centres opted to leave CREA at the end of 2013. “CREA has always been willing to act,” Randall McCauley, vice-president of government and public relations for CREA, told the Montreal Gazette. “But real estate is governed by the province. CREA is not a law-enforcement body. CREA cannot remove a listing by a member unless the province shows it is inconsistent with its laws.” CREA has also decided to wait until January 28 before it removes the listings of those who have dropped out of the national association. “Given the confusion created by the decision of some boards to separate and a recent decision of the OACIQ about the need to inform clients their listings will no longer appear on Realtor.ca/MLS.ca/ICX.ca, CREA will work with members to accommodate these two issues,” says Leyser. “This will allow for an orderly transition – for departing members to inform their clients per the OACIQ decision and for members who wish to remain members of CREA.” Several boards in the province have agreed to stay with CREA and to accept new members from

areas where the boards have opted out. These include the Chambre immobiliere de l’AbitibiTemiscamingue, Chambre immobiliere de l’Estrie, Chambre immobiliere de Lanaudiere, Chambre immobiliere de la Mauricie, Chambre immobiliere de l’Outaouais and the Quebec West Real Estate Board. “You do not have to leave your current board in order to join a new board,” says Leyser. Costs and the process to join can be obtained by contacting any of these boards.” The departure of most Quebec brokers from CREA should have only a temporary negative effect on brokers in the province who can no longer list properties on the MLS, says the president of the Greater Montreal Real Estate Board (GMREB). Patrick Juanéda says brokers will have to explain to confused clients why their listings will no longer go on the MLS and that the Centris.ca listings search engine, created in 2010 by the Quebec Federation of Real Estate Boards, is superior to Realtor.ca. He says that when the Haute Yamaska board previously left CREA, it reported the departure

did not have an impact. Juanéda says it is “deplorable” that CREA is trying to find ways to help Quebec brokers remain a part of the association rather than addressing the concerns of the boards. “CREA lacks respect for members. They should take the message as a leader and say we should be looking for solutions,” he says. Instead, “they’re creating dissension among members.” The opinion of members across Canada about CREA services “isn’t particularly pretty,” Juanéda says. “It’s not just Quebec. There’s grumbling everywhere. They should sit down and help us. There are quick paths to solutions.” In a narrow vote, 50.9 per cent of Montreal board members voted to split from CREA, while 49.1 voted to stay. Only 3,826 members (or 39 per cent) participated in the 1,946 to 1,880 vote. Meanwhile, the Quebec City board also decided to pull out after a more decisive 57.5 per cent to 42.5 per cent vote by members. “This result confirms that the status quo could no longer remain,” Juanéda wrote in a letter to members. He went on to say the

Montreal board has communicated its concerns with CREA several times over the last two years but that several problematic issues remain. In an interview, Juanéda acknowledged that the close Montreal vote result indicates division among members on the question of CREA membership but notes that 61 per cent of members did not vote. He says this shows members are indifferent about the national association. The impact of the departure by the Quebec boards on CREA membership levels will not be known for several weeks or months “given the decision by many members to remain in CREA,” the association says. The Montreal and Quebec City boards demanded a review of CREA expenses, requested more à-la-carte services and sought the ability to opt out of the national data distribution system. They were also concerned about recent changes to the national code of ethics. FSBO listings of Quebec properties on Realtor.ca began to be seen last year from isellmyhome.ca and DuProprio (ComFree),

Juanéda says. Such listings are illegal under Quebec law. Unlike the rest of Canada, it is difficult for Quebec FSBOs to pay a flat fee to a broker to list their homes on Realtor.ca because provincial law requires brokers to verify the accuracy of information on listings. In addition, the national code of ethics imposed by CREA, which juxtaposes onto the code already in effect in Quebec, is unmanageable and creates confusion, Juanéda says. He says the Montreal board is concerned the national data distribution system will result in members’ data being used outside the industry. The Montreal board says that Centris.ca has much higher web traffic than Realtor.ca. “Our analyses indicate that properties in Montreal can be easily found by Internet searchers around the world,” Juanéda says. He says Centris.ca appears among the early results of a Google search of “house for sale Montreal,” while Realtor.ca only appears pages later. New mobile applications of Centris are also being created that surpass Realtor.ca, he says. – with files from Danny Kucharsky. REM

Man accused of planning fatal kidnapping to be tried in China

man wanted in the 2011 kidnapping that lead to the death of Toronto sales rep Jiangou (Tony) Han will be tried for the crime in China. Guo Wei Wu, 45, had been one of Canada’s most wanted fugitives since 2011. He was arrested in China on an unrelated matter in October. Peel Regional Police say they believe Wu orchestrated a criminal conspiracy to kidnap Han and a client, Xiu Jun (Johnny) Fei, while Han was showing a home on Featherstone Drive in Mississauga. Police say the men

were being held for ransom. On January 26, Fei was found badly injured in a Toronto parking lot after being released, but police say Han died while in captivity. His remains were found in a Markham-area home on July 11, 2011. An autopsy showed he died of a heart attack. Han, a sales rep with HomeLife Landmark Realty in Markham, had been trying to sell the luxury home for several months, says the Mississauga News. Several suspects were charged with kidnapping and manslaugh-

ter, but police were not able to find the alleged ringleader, Wu. “Although no extradition treaty exists between Canada and China, Chinese law allows for the trial of Chinese citizens for offences committed in Canada,” says Peel Regional Police in a release. “Discussions and the exchange of information between the two counties has resulted in Guo Wei Wu’s further arrest and detention for the offence of international homicide in the death of Mr. Han. The evidence in this case, as gathered by Peel Regional

Tony Han

Police, will be provided to the Chinese justice authorities under the auspices of a formal Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request that will be co-ordinated, reviewed and approved by Canada’s federal Department of Justice. Once approved, Wu will be tried in a Chinese court.” REM

4 REM FEBRUARY 2014

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

omeLife Landmark Realty held the grand opening ceremony for its Condo SuperCentre in November, with more than 200 builders, developers and Realtors in attendance. The brokerage has 780 Realtors and sells more than 1,000 units of new homes and condos every year. “Selling new homes and condo projects has been a big portion of our brokerage’s business in past years. Our salespeople and clients have earned lots of profit and equity in the tide of GTA property value appreciation,” says Tony Ma, broker of record. The Condo SuperCentre is at 7240 Woodbine Ave., beside the home office of the brokerage. It has touch screen TVs, motion technology, virtual tours and video

tours to give clients first-hand information on the condo living experience. Ma says there will be an on-duty manager and three fulltime on-duty sales reps in the Condo SuperCentre. Among those at the opening were Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti; city councillors Alan Ho and Alex Chiu; HomeLife founder and CEO Andrew Cimerman; Baker Real Estate president Barbara Lawlor; Concord Adex CEO Dennis Au-Yeung; Urbancorp CEO Alan Saskin; Menkes Development VP Jared Menkes; and the past chairman of RHMCBA, Kenny Wan.

Exit Realty Town & Country

recently moved into a new 5,000square-foot office building on the main thoroughfare in Greenwood, N.S. Valerie Connell and her husband Kim Connell are the franchisees of the brokerage, which has two locations in the Annapolis Valley. “Our focus was to create a modern, warm and prestigious ambiance that both Realtors and the public would appreciate,” says Valerie. “Under Val’s direction and design, first-class appointments

Royal LePage Elite Realty recently celebrated its official

Industrial, Commercial & Investment CBRE Limited says Stefan Ciotlos will transition from his role

■ ■ ■

Kim and Valerie Connell

■ ■ ■

Dignitaries cut the ribbon at the official opening of HomeLife Landmark Realty’s Condo SuperCentre.

Mark Renzoni named president of CBRE

opening in Mississauga, Ont., led by broker/owner Vince Tersigni. Formerly affiliated with Prudential, the brokerage has been in business for almost 30 years, says partner and VP Granville Wharram. “We have a brand-new state-of-the art office, located for easy access to major highways 401, 427 and 410, serving West Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton,” says Wharram. He says the brokerage offers agents “great service, high technology, unlimited free parking, training, mentoring and proven leadership.”

as president of CBRE Limited in Canada to “focus on key strategic projects that are vital to the company’s continued growth”. Mark Renzoni, chief operating officer, is

Celebrating the opening of Royal LePage Elite Realty, from left: Mark Frenette, network development manager, Royal LePage; Yvonne Ratigan, VP, network services; Michael Tersigni, broker; Vince Tersigni, broker of record; Grenville Wharram, partner and VP; and Kealy Wharram, sales rep.

now president and CEO of CBRE Limited. COO since 2012, Renzoni has helped develop corporate and financial strategy, while co-ordinating client relationships across Canada, the company says. He has worked at CBRE in various roles since 1989. Ciotlos, who has been with CBRE since 1986, will remain with the company and focus on key strategic growth initiatives. “Stefan has done an outstanding job for CBRE in Canada and we are very pleased that he will

have been made to the office space in one of the most prominent locations in the area,” says Joyce Paron, president of Exit’s Canadian Division. “The office is surrounded by some of the largest and most recognized businesses in the community.” ■ ■ ■

Owners and managers from all new Century 21 Canada offices were invited to a five-day face-toface strategic planning session recently in Toronto. New owners and managers representing British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario attended. “The advantage we offer is a complete business package, from planning and technology to finances and management. It’s vital that our offices get first-hand experience so they can maximize these tools and meet the experts on our team,” says Don Lawby, president of Century 21 Canada. Educator Chris Leader guided the attendees through each day, developing skills designed to produce immediate results. Company department directors provided an overview of the professional development programs, marketing campaigns and recruiting opportunities REM available to offices.

remain with us in a key role that will help to drive our future growth,” says Steve Swerdlow, CBRE’s COO, Americas. “We are fortunate to have an accomplished leader like Mark ready to take the leadership reins in Canada. He has excelled in various leadership positions of increased responsibility and is highly regarded by our executive management team. He will be a strong leader for CBRE in Canada.” For more IC&I news, visit remonline.com. REM

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6 REM FEBRUARY 2014

Maximizing virtual curb appeal Taking the time to craft virtual curb appeal is a no-brainer when it comes to showcasing your properties online. By Toby Welch

Cover photo: MARKO SHARK

ty, the home or you. Pictures can be enough but our team isn’t looking to do what’s ‘enough’ for our clients.” Colleen DePodesta, a sales rep with Re/Max Garden City Realty in Burlington, Ont., incorporates video and online media in all her marketing; she believes there isn’t any other way to maximize virtual curb appeal. “You have three seconds to capture the attention of an online consumer. Don’t believe me? Google it!,” she says. “Listings sell faster and for more money when showcased online for mobility and accessibility. Almost every home buyer conducts their home search online and over half of those people are on mobile devices. That is just a fact.” DePodesta used an analogy to express her point. “When I started in the business 28 years ago, if you went to buy a new fridge, you’d be given a beautifully designed, highgloss, colour brochure to seal the deal. In stark comparison, real estate agents at the time were still using black and white MLS listing printouts to sell a property worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. That disconnect is the relation I give to modern-day online consumers.” We’ve all heard the statistics – over 90 per cent of home buyers use the Internet to research homes before they ever see a property in person. That fact drives home the notion that virtual curb appeal has never been more important than it is today. So how do you create superior online curb appeal? Regardless of whether you want to use photos or video, stroll around the property and list the features you want to highlight.

When light is optimum for the effect you want, shoot the pictures or videos, making sure to keep the equipment steady. (Blurry pictures or jerky video shots will do nothing but annoy viewers and ruin any hope of cultivating curb appeal.) Consider adding dialogue once they are uploaded. Take a look at

Another bonus for having videos on your website is that search engines prefer videos. the website once the files go live to confirm they turned out as you’d planned. As with all marketing paraphernalia, ensure nothing in the client’s home is displayed that would make your clients or potential buyers uncomfortable. As you go about creating virtual curb appeal for your listed properties, focus on the feeling that you want to come across to web surfers and what will appeal to potential buyers. Keep in mind that video is becoming so mainstream online that consumers now expect it.

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More and more of those are expecting HD video. Offering a video tour of each property will be the norm relatively soon. Another bonus for having videos on your website is that search engines prefer videos. By having video listings, you will pop up sooner when buyers look for property. Forrester Research did a study on this subject and found that videos are 53 times more likely to appear on the first page on Google as opposed to traditional web pages without video. By creating virtual curb appeal, you will elicit an emotional response in your viewers without them consciously thinking about it. Done right, it can prompt buyers to consider a property they wouldn’t have otherwise had on their radar. Done wrong, it doesn’t matter if you have the greatest property available for sale in your area; the chances of luring buyers to see your listing plummets without virtual curb appeal. Jennifer Campbell, home stager, decor specialist, owner of Set Your Stage, and the teacher of CREB’s course The Basics of Home Staging, offers tips on how to create virtual curb appeal: • Clean, tidy and well-kept are the only options. • Think like a photographer – consider camera angles, sightlines, lighting and vignettes. • Create a focal point in every core room. • Highlight key features – architecture, views and landscaping. • Create an inviting feeling that suits the potential buyer’s desired lifestyle. REM

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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 2014 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. ISSN 1201-1223

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urb appeal has been talked to death in the real estate industry for decades. We get it – a house needs to make a mind-blowing impression when buyers see it for the first time. As that rarely happens anymore when a client steps out of a Realtor’s car, a positive first impression online is essential. The curb these days is a virtual one. The importance of virtual curb appeal hit me when I came across Michael Thorne’s website when I was mindlessly surfing the web. The B.C. Realtor with Re/Max Little Oak Realty Langley had a video on his website, “The Dinner Party.” I watched the fourminute video and was floored by how attractive it made the featured property appear; the virtual listing highlighted the home better than any other advertising campaign I’ve come across. (Check the video out at vimeo.com/65202100) After seeing “The Dinner Party”, I contacted Thorne, who said the feedback he’s received from the video has been “fantastic.” His goal was to do something that no one in his community had done before, and he succeeded. Thorne shared his thoughts on the topic of incorporating videos into his marketing plan to showcase properties in their best possible light. “I can’t remember the exact statistic but it is something like 73 per cent of sellers are more likely to list with an agent who is using video. We did 30 videos in 30 days of our favourite 30 places in the community. The response was incredible. Video allows the viewer to really “connect”, whether that is with the communi-

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8 REM FEBRUARY 2014

Russia to tighten real estate industry controls By Eugene Vorotnikov

he Russian government is considering tightening control over the activities of national real estate agents and to increase of transparency of their activities. As part of these plans, the Department of Economic Policy of the Moscow government recently signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Moscow Guild of Realtors, with the aim to provide assistance to national trade organizations in their activities. This will take place in the form of joint development and discussion of legislative initiatives governing the real estate industry’s activities and the provision of tax and other benefits. Both the government of

Moscow and the federal government plans to implement several initiatives. One of them is the establishment of specialized higher education institutions, which will specialize in the training of local real estate agents. Currently Russia experiences a lack of such institutions. The majority of real estate agents are trained on low-quality, short-term courses. As a result, many Russian real estate agents do not have skills, experience and even knowledge of the legislation in the field of real estate. The government is also clamping down on so-called “black realtors”, which in recent years have become a problem in Russia. A significant increase in the price for apartments in Moscow

and other large cities during the last several years has created an increase in the amount of crime involving the participation of real estate brokers. In the majority of cases, such crimes result in the illegal seizure of property. The scams are often committed by criminal groups but the image of real estate brokers has suffered. According to the Novosibirsk Association of Realtors, the current share of black realtors is estimated at 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the Russian market of brokerage services, and it’s even higher in some regions of the country. In the meantime, some measures to improve the Russian market have already been taken. On Oct. 1, 2013 new rules of registra-

tion of real property rights were introduced along with the mechanisms of their implementation. In addition, the practice of electronic document management, which has significantly sped the completion and registration of real estate transactions, has also been introduced. The new initiatives were generally positively received by the Russian real estate community, but some agents have expressed concerns that excessive co-operation with the government may force real estate companies and brokers to send information about their clients and deals to the tax office and the police. Many Russian agents are critical of the activities of industry asso-

Court rules commission must be paid

By Bob Aaron

ruling of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in December makes it clear that a seller is responsible for paying commission to the real estate agent if a full price offer is presented, whether or not the offer is accepted. Back in September 2008, Richard Fody signed a listing agreement with T. L. Willaert Realty for a vacant parcel of vacant land near Tillsonburg, Ont. The $229,000 listing price was later reduced to $199,900. In the standard OREA listing agreement Fody agreed to pay Willaert a commission of five per cent of the sale price. The agreement stated that commission was due and payable upon delivery of any “valid offer” on the terms set out in the listing agreement or any other terms acceptable to the seller. Even if the

transaction failed to close, commission was payable if the non-completion of the transaction was owing to the seller’s “default or neglect.” A vacant land data input form signed at the same time as the listing agreement showed that the property was a “desirable treed building site just minutes from Tillsonburg” and that the buyer would be responsible for installing a well and septic system. Willaert found a buyer who submitted an offer for $150,000 in March 2009. When Fody refused to meet with the agent, the offering price was increased to $170,000, $184,000 and finally $186,272.50. Fody signed the offer back at $195,000, but ultimately refused to accept it. At the end of April, the purchaser submitted an offer at the full asking price of $199,900. The offer was faxed to Fody’s lawyer and a copy was dropped off the same evening in Fody’s mailbox. Fody and the agent also exchanged text messages over the next four days. Fody did not respond. Terry Willaert then sent a text message to Fody advising him that the offer would expire at midnight on that day and should he decide not to sign the offer, “the commission will still be payable” under the

terms of the listing agreement. Ultimately, Fody did not accept the offer. Willaert sued Fody in Small Claims Court for the commission of $8,995.50 plus HST and costs. In a detailed and well-reasoned decision, deputy judge James Searle ruled in favour of the real estate agent and found that the listing agreement was sufficient to make the seller liable to pay the stated commission on the basis of an offer that met all the terms of the listing agreement. In his decision, the deputy judge wrote, “The court has no doubt Fody was avoiding and otherwise frustrating Willaert because he decided not to sell unless he was able to purchase a farm. When the prospect of purchasing a farm evaporated late in April of 2009 he became inaccessible and nasty and refused to act in good faith when Willaert was obtaining and communicating offers that were near, then at, the listing price, something Willaert was obligated and entitled to do.” Fody appealed the Small Claims Court decision to the Superior Court of Justice and the court released its reasons on December 12. Justice Marc Garson ruled that the price offered by the buyer was

both the full listing price and the best available price at the time. After reviewing previous judicial decisions, Justice Garson wrote, “Simply put, courts have recognized that listing agreements are binding contracts ... The law further provides that the vendor may be liable for the commission even though the transaction does not close.” In dismissing the appeal and holding that the full commission was payable, the court ruled that a valid offer was submitted to the seller during the listing period and that the seller acted “in bad faith and attempted to frustrate the efforts” of the agent in presenting the final offer. “Acceptance of the offer is not required. The listing agreement clearly contemplated payment of the commission upon presentation of an offer at the full asking price.” Sellers should think twice before refusing to pay their real estate agents for doing what they were hired to do. Bob Aaron is a Toronto real estate lawyer and chair of the Tarion consumer advisory council. His bi-weekly columns appear in The Toronto Star. He frequently lectures to real estate agents. Email bob@aaron.ca. Website www.aaron.ca. REM

ciations and guilds, which represent their interests in the government. Irina Shcherbinina, a wellknown Russian real estate broker, says, “I have been working as a real estate agent for many years, and during all this time had never seen examples of the usefulness of activities of the Russian Guild of Realtors. For example, despite all the calls of brokers, the guild merely looked on and did nothing against the adoption of the Notaries Act, which is currently considered by the Russian government and may create serious problems for the Russian real estate community, as it will introduce mandatory notarization of real estate transactions between individuals.” Shcherbinina says this will result in huge queues of brokers in notary offices and additional financial burden on real estate buyers, who will have to pay for notary services and state tax. Brokers say that despite the attempts of the state to improve the domestic market of real estate services, some of its initiatives could be considered strange. For example, the Russian government is considering adoption of a law that will introduce a regulatory approval system (instead of the currently used notification procedure) for the acquisition of residential, commercial and industrial properties by foreigners and foreign investors. According to real estate brokers, the adoption of the new rules could result in a significant decline in investments in the sector. Olesya Dziuba, deputy head of research for Jones Lang LaSalle Russia, says the proposed measures could create unnecessary obstacles for investors. “The government is currently making significant attempts for the improvement of the investment climate and even achieved some success in the Doing Business rating, so the adoption of this law contradicts earlier announced plans,” says Dziuba. Eugene Vorotnikov is an international freelance writer who specializes in covering real estate brokerage and property topics. He has worked for several industry titles and can be reached at vorotnikov_evgen@mail.ru. REM

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Rookie Realtor is off to a fast start

Brampton, Ont. sales rep Tav Schembri has sold more than $75-million worth of property in his first year and a half in the business. By Susan Doran

word of caution: If you are new to the real estate business and/or struggling to get where you want to be, sales rep Tav Schembri’s story may cause uncontrollable feelings of envy. There is no point in sugar coating it to spare you. It would appear that this guy must regularly skip through meadows of four-leaved clover and collect lucky rabbits’ feet by the truckload. But as we’ll see, he makes his own luck. Take note that 2013 was Schembri’s first full year in the real estate business. He got his license in the fall of 2012. He has already sold over $75 million in property, is among the topperforming Re/Max salespeople in Canada and has been inducted into the company’s elite platinum, president’s and chairman’s clubs, which are reserved for those who earn over $500,000 in commissions. This ranks him among the fastest Realtors ever to obtain Re/Max’s top sales awards. Let’s not overlook the fact that this “rookie” Realtor has already handled one of the largest sales ever – a whopping $50+ million – in the Brampton. Ont. area. Schembri is loving all of it. “I hate going to bed at night and can’t wait to wake up in the morning,” he says. He’s aware that he has an advantage over many other new sales reps in that he is 54-years-old with plenty of previous contacts and business experience on which to draw. He has lived in Ontario’s affluent Brampton/Caledon area – within an hour’s drive of Toronto – for the past 30 years and for many of those years he ran a thriving network of hair salons. “A lot of my clients now were previous customers,” he says. “You can make the transition to the higher levels of real

estate quite quickly and I had experience which speeded things up. Having been a hair stylist, I am used to dealing with people on a regular basis and making them comfortable. I am able to read body language.” Even before becoming a Realtor, Schembri was blessed with an eye for real estate investments. He and his wife Maria (now his property stager) got such a successful return on one of these – a large parcel of land in burgeoning Brampton – that they could have retired immediately, Schembri says. He took that opportunity to re-evaluate what he wanted career-wise. He had already sold off most of his hair salons but still owned one, although he was finding it harder to do work as a stylist due to a serious accident with a table saw, which cost him several fingers. The upshot was that he investigated the real estate field and was presented with the rare opportunity to open a Re/Max Realty Specialists satellite office out of the existing Caledon location where he had run his remaining hair salon. In this way he was able to service the same clients in the same safe, green and prosperous farming and residential area he’d been working in for decades, as well as broadening his existing reach to include developers interested in acquiring land. He recalls being extremely nervous throughout his first listing presentation, hoping that the clients wouldn’t ask him how much experience he had. “I was dreading that.” He did wind up telling them. They “were in shock” but continued on with him as their Realtor, he says. Within a few months he had

Tav Schembri (Photo by Marko Shark)

a large sale – a $7-million farm in Caledon – and “things started snowballing from there,” he says. That’s quite an understatement. This newbie Realtor soon made the largest sale ever seen to that point in Brampton. “It was between $50 million and $60 million,” he says. “It was a weird thing. I was working in my office and these builders came in and were inquiring about the area....” Eventually, this initial meeting led to the builders purchasing a 98-acre farm property for development, making Schembri the happiest rookie Realtor around. Having those builders walk into his office out of the blue was a lucky break. But like most highly successful people, Schembri is competitive and tends to work hard so as to make his own luck.

“When I get into something I go head first,” he states. “For example, I’m a squash player and when I first started playing I could not get enough of it. In my first year I went from learning the game to being at the top of my club level.” Over the years he has coached his three (now grown up) children in many sports. He recalls an iconic incident when the family first took up skiing. “I’d try to get them to always be the best in everything and in kids’ sports that meant the rep level,” he says. “When we got into skiing, the first thing I did was try to get them to sign up for lessons. They said, ‘Dad, we don’t want lessons. We don’t want to be competitive skiers. We just want to have fun.’” Schembri is well aware that as in squash and other sports,

strategy is a key component of success in real estate. “Visibility is important,” he says. “No one has as many 4 X 8 signs in the area as me... Technology is a big part of it too. Today you have to have social networking skills.” When asked about his advice for new sales reps, he stresses the importance of being honest and earning the trust of clients. “If you are totally honest, the client sees that,” he says. “I put all the information on the table.” He is now at the point, after only a year and a half in the business, of having more success than he ever imagined. Although new to real estate, he is already talking about becoming a coach. “I know that sounds strange,” he says, “but in real estate, everything is possible.” REM

12 REM FEBRUARY 2014

Informed decisions LEGAL ISSUES

By Donald H. Lapowich

PARTNER WITH CANADA’S MOST TRUSTED MORTGAGE EXPERTS.

www.verico.ca

ecently an action was commenced in Eastern Canada by an individual who was injured subsequent to manipulation (chiropractic treatment) received from the defendant chiropractor. A medical doctor gave expert opinion in court that was found to be admissible and convincing. The trial court ruled that the cervical manipulation performed by the chiropractor resulted in (causation) the plaintiff’s injury. Moreover, the chiropractor was negligent in not obtaining “informed consent to the treatment”, since the patient had not been properly informed of the “risks of that type of treatment”. It is essential for any professional in any profession, including real estate agents and brokers, to advise clients of the material risks involved, so that the client can make an educated decision on whether to go forward. ■ ■ ■

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Another recent decision, although also not a real estate case, involves a class action and certification by the British Columbia Court of Appeal and the concept involved is important to all professionals. The case surrounded the taking of hormone therapy relating to menopause. Lee, the plaintiff in the class action, was diagnosed with breast cancer and the issue was causation and casual connection between the hormone therapy and breast cancer. The class action was certified, although the court noted the challenges of a duty of care over a period of 26 years. More important was the issue of failure to disclose. As some of our articles have

pointed out in the past, often it is difficult to prove negligence on behalf of professionals but the added feature is that there must be full disclosure. This concept has recently hit the newspapers concerning stigmatization of homes, when properties were sold to purchasers without disclosure of horrific events that took place on the property. (Stanway v. Wyeth Canada Inc., 2013 BCSC 1585) ■ ■ ■

Here is one of those few cases where a private mortgage company did not properly exercise its sale rights under its mortgage and paid as a result. The plaintiff was a corporation that owned land, intending to develop it. The plaintiff loaned money by giving a mortgage to the defendant. The mortgage contained a clause preventing a sale of the land for less than $150,000 per acre. When the plaintiff defaulted on the mortgage, the mortgagee sold the 125 acres allegedly at less than market value. The plaintiff sued for damages. The court held: 1. $3.5 million, interest and costs were awarded to the plaintiff; 2. The mortgagee breached its duty so that fair market value was not received and damages were the fair market value less the sale price; 3. The default by the mortgagee included: a) listing at too low a price; b) using an inexperienced Realtor (broker) without national connections; (c) inadequate marketing efforts; (d) no due diligence and failure to use the escape clause noted above; (e) in too much of a hurry and accepting a lowball offer; (f) not dealing reasonably with three potential buyers and not adequately exposing the lands to the market. (1427814 Ontario Limited v. 3697584 Canada Inc., 2013 ONCA 597) 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

14 REM FEBRUARY 2014

The FINTRAC charade

METES & BOUNDS

you who are relatively new to the business, there hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been a FINTRAC update since 2008 so you can imagine why the thought of an update was like the first tasting of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beaujolais Nouveau to an oenophile.) So I followed the link and read CREAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blurb promising â&#x20AC;&#x153;to help members more easily meet their obligationsâ&#x20AC;?. Now I wanted to believe the two pages of clarification would indeed make our paper shuffling â&#x20AC;&#x153;easierâ&#x20AC;?. (Okay, so I was really hoping for â&#x20AC;&#x153;lazierâ&#x20AC;?.) Paragraph #1 was encouraging. It allows the substitution of the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work description rather than the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employer. In other words, instead of entering â&#x20AC;&#x153;Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canadaâ&#x20AC;? I can put â&#x20AC;&#x153;bureaucratâ&#x20AC;?. If I can spell it. Paragraph #2 stunned me with the news that Realtors can list a clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s occupation as â&#x20AC;&#x153;retiredâ&#x20AC;? if they are â&#x20AC;&#x153;retiredâ&#x20AC;?. Interestingly enough, I think a case could be

By Marty Douglas

ebruary â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when every young manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fancy turns to thoughts of, â&#x20AC;&#x153;How can I escape this dreary winter?â&#x20AC;? Then I opened an email from my real estate board. There, buried between the Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Message â&#x20AC;&#x201C; yawn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and the 2013 Sales and Summary Stats was an important update from CREA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the mother ship has called! The update had three headline links. Nestled in the cleavage between the CREA Board of Directors for 2014-2015 and a no doubt riveting article on the enforcement of trademarks, was the teaser â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FINTRAC Update. Hold me back. (For those of

made Paragraph #2 is uncertain as to whether the client or the Realtor needs to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;retiredâ&#x20AC;?. But I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t plan your entire defence around that fundamental principle! And from there the update went downhill. One of the promised new forms was illegibly blurry on the screen and the printer. The links promising me new forms led to old forms. Even the â&#x20AC;&#x153;helpâ&#x20AC;? email link on the old form led me to an â&#x20AC;&#x153;undeliverable emailâ&#x20AC;? alert in my in-box later in the day. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably my fault. Months ago I asked for updates and I suppose someone in Ottawa scurried around, sent a few emails, read the replies and pressed a button. But if they corrected/amended the forms they forgot to update the footnote date on several. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where it turns into an episode from the X Files. You remember â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m paranoid doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a conspiracy!â&#x20AC;? I emailed my concerns.

And got an immediate response. From a lawyer. A high rate-per-hour lawyer because he signed his title as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Legal Counselâ&#x20AC;?. Who insisted everything would be okay if I just calmed down, took a breath and refreshed my browser. I also got a pat on the head for innovation, a lesson in â&#x20AC;&#x153;older browsersâ&#x20AC;? and the meaning of â&#x20AC;&#x153;cachedâ&#x20AC;?. The only remedy missing was to have my eyesight checked as a possible cause of the blurring. This, of course, gave them time to scurry through the back door access and replace the widgets and rearrange bits and bytes amid the knobs and tubes of HAL, CREAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s computer. Needless to say, by the time I re-visited the site, all was hunky dory and I was left wondering if I had imagined the whole thing, if the theory of jet contrails had any substance and just where else Jimmy Hoffaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body might be found. If someone would only show

the value in the paper we collect but never submit. Is it a barrier so formidable that terrorists and drug dealers are kept at bay? Please let us know. The number of FINTRAC audits Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m aware of in our real estate community in B.C. wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require my thumb, among the fingers of one hand. The updates â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or complete lack â&#x20AC;&#x201C; show our leadership isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t interested or too concerned, merely doing what we do in the field â&#x20AC;&#x201C; cover our butt with paper and move on. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind the ID requirements â&#x20AC;&#x201C; although they are redundant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; because I have to show ID every time I check into even the seediest of motels. (P.S. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t done that for years!) Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the charade of the required manual and training the brokerage has to maintain. Money Laundering 101 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are you kidding me? The full name is Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Training Course. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an excerpt from CREAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compliance centre on RealtorLink. For many of you, it will be your first and last glimpse:

SAM MCDADI REAL ESTATE INC., IS PLEASED TO OFFER A 30% FEE FOR ANY CLIENT REFERRAL WHO IS LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL IN MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE, MILTON, BRAMPTON & TORONTO. %8<(5 6(59,&(6 $LUSRUW SLFN XS &RQFHLUJH 6HUYLFH 5HIHUUDOV WR /DZ\HUV 0RUWJDJH %URNHUV +RPH LQVSHFWRUV $FFHVV )LQDQFLQJ $OWHUQDWLYHV IRU 1HZ ,PPLJUDQWV 6HOI (PSOR\HG ,QGLYLGXDOV $FFHVV WR 6HFRQG 0RUWJDJHV 6(//(5 6(59,&(6 6WDJLQJ 3UH LQVSHFWLRQV 3URIHVVLRQDOO\ 'HVLJQHG &DWDORJXHV ([WHQVLYH 2QOLQH 3UHVHQFH 0D[LPXP 3ULQW ([SRVXUH VR PXFK PRUH

WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE HELPED OVER 7,000* FAMILIES AND FRIENDS WITH THEIR REAL ESTATE NEEDS! & DUH H U 6DOH V ERWK ,QGH SH QGH QW DQG Z LWK 7H DP

WE SPEAK OVER 25 LANGUAGES INCLUDING: Arabic, Cantonese, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Slovakian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu & Vietnamese.

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

REM FEBRUARY 2014 15

“The training section provides a variety of materials relevant to the training requirements of a Compliance Regime. Information is presented in a number of concise and easy-to-follow formats, including a number of documents that are conducive to being printed off and kept as a quick reference in your briefcase or desk drawer. The [Act] requires Realtors . . . to undertake and maintain a training program that covers both existing and new content areas relevant to the understanding and control of money laundering and terrorist financing.” Shoot me now! In brokerages across Canada there are dusty manuals, perhaps with revisions dated August 2008, May 2009 and Summer 2013 supported by an email trail of instruction from the brokerage requiring all sales staff, as a part of their Independent Contractor Agreement, to be compliant with all appropriate federal, provincial and municipal legislation. There – you’ve been warned. 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 REM Island Real Estate Board.

REM columnist Marty Douglas in his latest community theatre role as Underling in The Drowsy Chaperone.

16 REM FEBRUARY 2014

Take REM’s survey and win a tablet As REM celebrates 25 years of serving Canada’s real estate community, it’s time for you to tell us a little about what you would like to see in future issues. Take our survey to help us improve REM and you could win a 7” Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (Wi-Fi) in white. The easiest way to take the survey is by visiting www.remonline.com Or, if you would prefer, answer the questions on this page and mail it to: REM reader survey • 2255B Queen Street East • Toronto, ON M4E 1G3 1. Are you a: ❑ Salesperson (Broker in Quebec) ❑ Broker-owner/Broker of record ❑ Associate broker/Man. broker ❑ Mortgage broker ❑ Board/Association staff member ❑ Real estate administrator ❑ Real estate industry supplier ❑ Other (please tell us what!) _________________________ _________________________ 2. How often do you read the print version of REM? ❑ Every month ❑ Often ❑ Occasionally ❑ Never 3. How often do you visit remonline.com? ❑ Daily ❑ Several times a week ❑ Several times a month ❑ Rarely ❑ Never 4. Do you receive REM’s Inbox Update, our weekly e-newsletter? ❑ Yes ❑ No (if you would like to, you can sign up at remonline.com) 5. Do you prefer reading REM ❑ In print ❑ Online ❑ On your mobile device

6. Have you ever taken action (made a call, visited a website, attended a conference) as a result of seeing an ad in REM or on remonline? ❑ Yes ❑ No 7. Which of the following regular REM stories do you usually read? Check all that apply. ❑ Stan Albert ❑ Boards & Associations News ❑ Jerry Bresser ❑ Marty Douglas (Metes & Bounds) ❑ Front page profile ❑ Good Works (charitable work by Realtors) ❑ Gourmet Cooking for Real Estate Professionals (Carolyne Lederer) ❑ Guest Column (various writers) ❑ Industrial, Commercial and Investment ❑ Bruce Keith (The Sales Coach) ❑ Legal Issues (Don Lapowich) ❑ Mortgage Business ❑ Motivational stories ❑ Multiple Listings (new brokerage openings, industry news by Jim Adair) ❑ News stories ❑ The Publisher’s Page (Heino Molls) ❑ Real Estate Books ❑ Real Estate Technology ❑ Dan St. Ives ❑ Successful agent profiles ❑ Trade Shows & Conf. calendar ❑ What’s New (new products and services)

8. Do you read the reader’s comments below the stories on remonline? ❑ Yes ❑ No 9. Aside from interest rates and the general state of the economy, what are the most important issues facing the real estate industry today? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ 10. What types of stories should have more coverage in REM? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ 11. What should we do to improve the print version of REM? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ 12. What should we do to improve remonline.com? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________

13. What should we do to improve the REM Inbox Update enewsletter? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ 14. Other than Realtor.ca, Realtorlink and your local board or association site, what real estate websites do you visit regularly? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ 15. Do you recommend any of the following service providers to clients (check all that apply): ❑ Bank or financial institution ❑ Mortgage broker ❑ Renovation contractor ❑ Home inspector ❑ Moving company 16. Do you have your own website? ❑ Yes ❑ No 17. Are you planning upgrades to your smartphone or website? ❑ Yes ❑ No

18. How do you communicate with clients? Check all that apply. ❑ Phone ❑ Email ❑ Social Media ❑ Enewsletters ❑ Print newsletters ❑ In person at community events 18. Are you considering a career move in the next year? If so, what are you thinking of doing? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ 19. To enter the contest for the tablet, please fill out the following. We promise we won’t use it for any other purpose. Name: _________________________ Company: _________________________ Home town: _________________________ Email address: _________________________ 20. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________

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18 REM FEBRUARY 2014

Get departments working together

By Ian Grace

ach country is different, but where offices have sales and property management together, sadly, most of the time they don’t work together co-operatively. When they do, it can be a veritable goldmine. In a previous article I discussed working with property investors/landlords to sell them a new property roughly every two years. The sales department makes the sales and property management manages the property afterwards – everyone wins. An office in New Zealand had a great idea to get their teams working together: They put signs all around the office saying, “Courtesy is catching”. Then they printed a whole bunch of $20,000 notes and distributed them evenly throughout the office. They announced a fun staff auction event in several weeks time, where everyone could bid for a number of products they had acquired from local businesses -everything from white goods, TVs and DVD players to pampering products and meal vouchers for two. The secret was this: every time someone in the office did something helpful for someone else, particularly in another department, the person who received help had to give the other person one of their $20,000 notes. So in an instant, guess where everyone’s focus was – not on themselves, but on how they could help someone else. By doing so, they had to get to know each other better and understand each other’s jobs better

(some even job swapped). In no time at all, the atmosphere was electric and there was a sense of total co-operation throughout the office and sales and property management were able to work together cohesively and effectively. This is just one simple idea that worked very powerfully and emphasizes the point that it is vital to get your internal customer service right first, before looking at your external customer service for existing and potential paying customers. A colleague of mine, Jo-Anne Oliveri, who is currently doing some property management/systems training in the U.S., related an event that illustrated the benefits of sales and property management working together. A property on the river in Brisbane, Australia had just sold, with the new owners not taking possession for six months. Working with a U.S. relocation company, she was aware of an executive who needed a residence for two years, budget $2,000 per week. Working with the sale departments, she approached the buyer and asked if they would accept $2,000 per week for two years and take possession then. They accepted, she got them $2,200 per week – everybody happy – and something was created out of mutual co-operation. From a sales perspective, another great bonus is that once you are working with your landlords (now correctly titled “property investors”) to build their property investment portfolios, you have now built a bank of buyers that are great for preview VIP open houses on a new property that has just been listed, before the advertising even starts. Known internationally as “Mr. Real Estate Advertising”, Australianborn Ian Grace is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading authorities on real estate advertising. Since 1994, he has delivered his programs throughout Australia, New Zealand, U.S.A, Canada and the U.K. His articles about real estate advertising have been published around the world. www.iangrace.com REM

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Using The Craig Proctor System ATTEND CRAIG’S FREE SEMINAR IN TORONTO - FEBRUARY 25, 2014 “I implemented a few of Craig’s strategies and I became the #1 agent at my company and have been at the top ever since. In the beginning I was doing around $250,000 to $300,000 GCI. Now I’m doing around $3 million GCI with a team of over 40 agents and with my own brokerage. My business has drastically changed because it’s enabled me to grow as large as I want and I’m able to work when I want and have the time for my family when I need it.” — Jason Simms, London, ON “I started out as a single agent hiring my first assistant. Now I have a team of 14. In a few short years, I’ve gone from zero to 350 transactions – a huge leap. We’re currently doing $2.5 million GCI. There are so many great tools in the Quantum Leap System, and you only need a few to really excel.

If followed properly, Craig’s system is a road map to success. I was initially worried about the changes I had to make to my business. I didn’t want to let go and put my faith in somebody else’s hands and just follow them, but once I was able to accept that, I realized that no one succeeds alone. We all need to work with others and succeed through others. It is because of this program that I have been able to achieve what I have.” -- Paul Rushforth, Ottawa, ON

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Craig Proctor is Canada’s Real Estate Trainer, responsible for coaching more agents to Millionaire status than any other trainer. Craig invented his system for his own, highly successful 22 year Real Estate career right here in Canada. While an active agent (not a broker), Craig consistently sold over 500 homes a year for annual GCI of almost $4 Million. In fact, for 6 years straight, no one listed or sold more homes in the Greater Toronto Area than Craig Proctor. (Source: TREB Statistics) Craig successfully battled in the trenches just like you. Because he better understands you, Craig believes he can better help you.

CP_REM 10.25x11fullpg 01102014.indd 1

14-01-14 12:09 PM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Cailey Heaps Estrin* Toronto, ON (416) 424-4900

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

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

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

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

15. Christine Lefrançois Royal LePage Tendance Mont-Royal, QC (514) 735-2281

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

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

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

20. Kevin Lapp Royal LePage Network Realty Corp. Red Deer, AB (403) 346-8900

21. Marie-Yvonne Paint* Royal LePage Heritage Real Estate Agency Westmount, QC (514) 934-1818

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

23. Mathieu Doucet Royal LePage Vallées de L’Outaouais Real Estate Agency Gatineau, QC (819) 561-0223

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

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

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

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

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

29. Andrew Keyes Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

46. Brent Roberts* Royal LePage West Real Estate Services Surrey, BC (888) 649-4299

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

48. Manon Sénéchal Royal LePage Ville Marie Real Estate Agency Montreal, QC (514) 917-2228

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

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

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

52. Ken Morris Royal LePage Integrity Cochrane, AB (403) 932-2101

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

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

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

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

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

58. Gail Bibeau Royal LePage True North Realty Fort McMurray, AB (780) 743-1137

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

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

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

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

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

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

65. David Dunn Royal LePage Atlantic Halifax, NS (902) 453-1700

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

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

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

69. Michael Brierley Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services Burlington, ON (800) 290-0163

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

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

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

73. Marc Bonenfant Royal LePage InterQuébec Real Estate Agency Quebec (Sainte-FoySillery), QC (418) 653-0488

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

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

76. Phil Albert Royal LePage Atlantic Moncton, NB (888) 444-7572

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

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

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

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

81. Gizella Davis Royal LePage Foothills Calgary, AB (888) 384-4557

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

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

84. Anne Chilton Royal LePage First Contact Realty† Barrie, ON (877) 728-4067

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

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

87. Mary Zhang Royal LePage Golden Ridge Realty Markham, ON (905) 513-8878

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

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

90. Rob Marland* Royal LePage Performance Realty† Ottawa, ON, (877) 757-7386

91. Melissa Charlton Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty† Milton, ON (800) 514-3316

92. Frank DeLuca Toronto, ON (416) 487-4311

93. Drew McGinnis Royal LePage Network Realty Corp. Red Deer, AB (403) 346-8900

94. Brad Hawker Royal LePage Rocky Mountain Realty Canmore, AB (877) 818-7557

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

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

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

98. Sandy Smallbone Oakville, ON (888) 645-4267

99. Krishan Nathan Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Kingston, ON (800) 247-6311

100. Clayton Oldford Royal LePage Gale Real Estate† Winchester, ON (613) 774-4253

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

102. Judi Rufo Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty† Belleville, ON (613) 966-6060

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

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

105. Linda Vadala Royal LePage Royal City Realty Guelph, ON (519) 824-9050

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

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

108. Joe Battle Toronto, ON (888) 336-1871

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

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

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

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

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

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

115. Richard LeBlanc Royal LePage Gateway Realty Leduc, AB (780) 986-8407

116. Joseph Buggie Royal LePage Benchmark Calgary, AB (800) 387-4011

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

118. Wilma Fournier Oakville, ON (800) 514-4094

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

120. Anthony vanLieshout Royal LePage Lakes of Haliburton† Haliburton, ON (800) 457-2414

121. Rocco Manfredi Royal LePage Gale Real Estate Ottawa, ON (800) 387-2526

123. Kelly McLeod Roya LePage The Realty Group Grande Prairie, AB (780) 539-5771

124. Doreen Kirkwood* Royal LePage Champlain D.K. Inc., Real Estate Agency Brossard, QC (450) 672-6450

125. Kelly Ebbs Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (800) 307-1545

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

127. Peyvand Jalali Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Richmond Hill, ON (905) 731-2000

128. Grant Anthony Royal LePage Kingsbury Realty† Mississauga, ON (866) 754-2121

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

130. Jason MacDonald Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (888) 780-7747

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

132. Norm Cholak* Royal LePage Noralta Realty Edmonton, AB (855) 431-5600

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

134. Linda Knight Royal LePage First Contact Realty† Angus, ON (705) 424-4188

135. Steve Thompson Royal LePage Locations West Realty Penticton, BC (800) 734-0457

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

137. Khalen Meredith Royal LePage RCR Realty† King City, ON (905) 833-4633

138. Wendy Howard Royal LePage Atlantic Moncton, NB (888) 444-7572

139. Debbie Keatley Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate Inc. Sherwood Park, AB (780) 467-7334

140. Luc Jodoin Royal LePage Meritas du Soroit Salaberry-deValleyfield, QC (866)767-6636

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

142. Stephen Grant Royal LePage Advance Realty Campbell River, BC (888) 286-1932

143. Brian Lamb Royal LePage West Real Estate Services Coquitlam, BC (604) 939-6666

144. Minoo Ashtari Royal LePage Northshore West Vancouver, BC (604) 926-6011

145. Brigitte I. Burdman Royal LePage Heritage Real Estate Agency Westmount, QC (514) 934-1818

146. Bob Maskell Royal LePage ArTeam Realty Edmonton, AB (780) 456-5656

146. Brian Baker Royal LePage Martin-Liberty Realty Brandon, MB (888) 277-6206

147. Jesse Dhaliwal Royal LePage Your Community Realty† Vaughan, ON (905) 832-6656

148. Mourad Hanna Royal LePage Realty Plus Mississauga, ON (877) 828-6550

149. Kevan O’Connor Royal LePage Niagara Real Estate Centre† Niagara-on-theLake, ON (800) 635-9228

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

Congratulations to the members of our 2013 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. Charles Sezlik Designate Royal LePage Team Realty† Ottawa, ON (613) 744-6697

Bill Schiavone Designate Oakville, ON (905) 338-6550

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

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

Mary T. Cardamone* Oakville, ON (905) 845-4267

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

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 Agency Gatineau, QC (819) 561-0223

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

Serge Gabriel* Royal LePage Groupe Newton Montreal, QC (514) 481-0241

John Gerber* Royal LePage Signature Realty† Toronto, ON (888) 954-4100

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

Suzanne Grisé† Royal LePage Privilege Real Estate Agency Saint-Bruno, QC (450) 441-1576

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

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.

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. ©2014 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Ltd. All rights reserved. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited.

Robert Johnston* Royal LePage First Contact Realty† Barrie, ON (877) 728-4067

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With our sincere congratulations and best wishes for the coming year. Phil Soper, President & CEO