January 2013 by Real Estate Magazine (REM)

Issue #283

January 2013

Hitting the top at 26

Sales rep Ian Charlebois says hard work is the key Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 42218523 - Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 2255B Queen St. E., #1178, Toronto ON M4E 1G3

Page 14

Make your New Year’s resolutions stick Page 3

Letters: How apathy is hurting you Page 12

Ethics, lawful instructions and you Page 16

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Make your New Year’s resolutions stick

How do you increase your chances of sticking with a resolution? Consider the following suggestions. By Toby Welch

nother year has rolled around again and New Year’s resolutions are a hot topic. Whether you consider them an exercise in futility or a chance for self-improvement, consider setting some resolutions this year. Specific statistics are hard to pin down but a scouring of articles and surveys shows that between 55 and 75 per cent of people make New Year’s resolutions. One quarter of those resolutions are broken by the middle of January. Don’t be one of those failures. Kim Louie, a sales rep at Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty in Kitchener, Ont., always makes New Year’s resolutions for his business. “I think it is important to think about the coming year and to plan ahead,” he says. “Success isn’t accidental. My resolution

Kim Louie

for 2013 is to focus specifically on prospecting more and prospecting more effectively. Many of my colleagues (myself included) have a tendency to wait for business or to prospect ‘passively’ by advertising and waiting for buyers and sellers to contact us. In 2013 I want to make it a point to ask for business EVERY time real estate is discussed. Specifically, my resolution is to actively pursue business by asking for it when speaking to past clients, asking for it when the topic of real estate comes up with new

Libby Broady and her team

acquaintances, and asking for it from those to whom I send referrals in unrelated businesses (my mechanic, plumbers, electricians) every time.” Libby Broady, a broker with Team Broady and Royal LePage Elite in Beaconsfield, Que., makes resolutions at the end of each year for the following year. “The resolutions we make are to improve our performance over the previous year. These include turning leads into clients, especially with buyers who call off our marketing (MLS listings, signs, newsletters, Just Sold cards, banners, ads) or who we meet at open houses. We will improve our market analysis presentations to make sure we get the listing when competing and go after expired listings,” she says. Sara Kalke, a Realtor with Re/ Max River City in Edmonton, sets yearly resolutions in different categories: sales (numbers and sources), marketing (types and expenditures) and personal. Kalke has three main resolutions for 2013. “My first resolution is the same as it has been all along in my real estate career, but it’s so important I repeat it every year: to provide the absolute best experience possible for all of my clients while having fun and enjoying life. Having

this as the first thing on my resolution board reminds me to continually evaluate my client experience and to make choices that prioritize my most loyal clients, family and personal time. “My second resolution is to increase my community presence through non-traditional means – traditional advertising just doesn’t stick out the way it used to. I plan to focus on social media, community involvement and charity work. “My third resolution is to continue to grow my business and sales volume.

Sara Kalke with dog Eff

I want my business to grow organically so I am always focusing on the foundation – client relationships, brand recognition, networking with other industry professionals and social media.” Allan Asplin, president

of Judy Lindsay Team Realty in Winnipeg, never makes resolutions but sets individual and company goals every year. What’s the distinction? “I believe a resolution is similar to a goal, just not as specific. In my opinion a resolution would be saying, ‘This year I want to provide better customer service’ whereas a goal on a similar subject would be, ‘In 2013 I will have 100 per cent positive feedback from clients in all transactions.’ I would also detail an action plan on how I intend to achieve that goal, and

Allan Asplin

break it down to monthly goals, weekly goals and daily goals.” Asplin says he is more likely to achieve a resolution or a goal if he is working with someone else on it. “I find that any resolution that can be delegated to somebody else to take care of or work with on are the easiest to stick to. Whether it’s somebody in our office or an outside company, them helping you with your resolution (or at least keeping you accountable) definitely makes sticking to your resolution easier.” How do you increase your chances of sticking with a resolution? Consider the following suggestions: » Team up with someone to keep one another accountable. » Make your resolutions time specific; having a deadline helps.

» Establish a reward for when you meet a resolution. » Establish consequences for when you don’t meet a resolution. » Put it in writing and then post the resolutions everywhere. » Outline the steps you need to take to reach the resolution. » Establish why you want to achieve the resolution and keep that in the forefront. » Ensure that your resolutions are attainable. Louie says: “In order for resolutions to be effective, I find they have to be focused and definite. Resolving to make more money or convert more leads is too vague.” When asked for their No. 1 resolution for 2013, a smattering of sales reps shared theirs: » Close 50 sales. » Share my knowledge and help others because I know that will help me grow. » Let as many people as possible know (by setting an example) that Realtors aren’t all out to just take people’s money and that they aren’t on par with sleazy salespeople. » Get more training than what I am required to. » Spend more time planning; I believe strongly that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. » Add 15 more agents to my brokerage. » Develop a much stronger website so I can attract more prospective clients. » Get current with social media. » Blog at least once a week on my real estate website. » Contact my clients at least once quarterly. » Film a video of my community to post on my social media channels. Good luck with your New Year’s resolutions! REM

4 REM JANUARY 2013

Multiple Listings By Jim Adair, REM Editor

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Do you have news to share with Canada’s real estate community? Let REM know about it! Email: jim@remonline.com

oyal LePage Benchmark has acquired Prudential Toole Peet Real Estate in Calgary. Broker Tim Crough says he and his team at Prudential Toole Peet Real Estate look forward to new opportunities within the Royal LePage network, a company with values and a culture that Crough says he respects. Corinne Lyall is a co-owner of Royal LePage Benchmark with her mother, Jan Lyall. Royal LePage Benchmark, formerly a Realty World office, has served the Calgary real estate market for more than 30 years. Corinne Lyall holds many award designations and has served on several industry boards and committees throughout her 16-year career. With this acquisition, she grows her sales team to 110 agents in two offices serving Calgary, Bragg Creek, Cochrane, Sundre, Airdrie, Okotoks, Dewinton, Langdon and Priddis. ■ ■ ■

Domenic Manchisi, Jody Manchisi and Mickey Galekovic of the Manchisi Home Selling Team – formerly the No. 1

Prudential real estate team in Canada – have joined Re/Max Legacy Realty in Mississauga. The team, which averages more than 100 home sales per year, currently ranks among the top one per cent (for number of unit sales) on the Toronto Real Estate Board. Led by real estate veteran, author and speaker Domenic Manchisi, the team has built a solid client base, with nearly 70 per cent of their business now originating through repeat customers and referrals. The team has moved more than 1,100 families in the past 10 years, specializing in the Milton, Acton and Georgetown markets. Broker Domenic Manchisi is a broker and mortgage specialist, trained in appraisal, mortgage financing, property law and property management. He is regarded as an industry expert and is soughtafter for his knowledge and insight as a speaker and author. His wife and partner Jody Manchisi is an accomplished technology, management and operations strategist. She oversees all aspects of the real estate transaction. Galekovic is the listing partner

Corinne Lyall

Neil Warshafsky

Tim Crough

Fraser MacDonald

new operation. “Ron and Steve Slegg have established an incredible reputation and solid consumer base across B.C. through the Slegg family of companies.”

to the Manchisi Team. With more than a decade of real estate experience, he has extensive knowledge of the Halton and Peel markets, the company says. Re/Max Legacy Realty was established in Mississauga in 2010 and operates from three offices. ■ ■ ■

Three Vancouver Island real estate offices are joining Coldwell Banker Slegg Realty. Coldwell Banker Island Coastal in Courtenay and Coldwell Banker Vancouver Island Realty, with offices in Parksville and Nanaimo, will now operate under the Coldwell Banker Slegg Realty banner. With the expansion, the company now has 48 sales reps. “We’re looking forward to the renewed vigour that this combined operation represents for Coldwell Banker in Western Canada,” says John Geha, president of Coldwell Banker Canada, who was in Nanaimo for the unveiling of the

Realty Executives of Sudbury (Ont.), led by owner and broker of record Carl Young, is now open for business. Young has been licensed since 1994 as a salesperson and completed his broker’s licence this year. He is involved in organized real estate at the board level, serving on all the committees and serving as a director of the Sudbury Real Estate Board since 2006. He will be president of the board in 2013. The new office includes sales reps Amanda Gervais and Michelle Villeneuve along with Lynn Riopel, who handles accounting. Young says he plans to grow the business slowly “with the right ethical, personable people having the desire to grow their business. I purchased the building on Regent Street, giving us approximately 2,600 sq. ft. on the main floor with 1,400 sq. ft. on the lower level for future growth.” ■ ■ ■

KaraLee Foat and Don Barrett recently opened Century 21 Summit Realty in Calgary, promis-

The Manchisi Team, from left: Domenic Manchisi, Jody Manchisi and Mickey Galekovic.

Karen Spencer-Miller

Don Barrett and KaraLee Foat

ing to provide their sales reps with the full support of an administrative and management team to help meet their full potential. “The fullservice option will include everything from personal assistant support to personal business coaching that focuses on work life synergies,” says Barrett. “KaraLee and I both come from a leadership and coaching background and have a wealth of knowledge in the areas of personal and professional development.” Foat has consistently proven her skills as one of the top 10 sales professionals at her last brokerage. She has been selling real estate for six years and is the broker of record at Century 21 Summit Realty. Barrett brings 25 years of business development and leadership experience to the management team. Although he has not been directly involved in the real estate industry, his skills in coaching and as an executive will help their sales representatives grow in their careers, the company says. ■ ■ ■

Neil Warshafsky and Fraser MacDonald, co-owners of Re/Max Commercial Advisors, have joined Royal LePage Real Estate Services. Continued on page 6

Celebrating the grand opening of Realty Executives Sudbury, from left: Scott Gilmour, president of Realty Executives - Eastern Canada; Carl Young, broker of record/owner; Jordan Young, Carl’s son; and Joe Cimino, Ward 1 councillor, City of Greater Sudbury.

Sharon Hawboldt

6 REM JANUARY 2013

Continued from page 4

The company-owned Royal LePage brokerage is now operating with 16 offices in the greater Toronto and Oakville areas. “We are pleased to have such an exceptional team of commercial practitioners join and expand our brokerage’s commercial division and the national Royal LePage commercial program,” says Cameron Forbes, director of the Commercial Division and broker. Warshafsky, MacDonald and their team will remain at their location at Allen Road and Hwy. 401 in Toronto. ■ ■ ■

Re/Max Crossroads Realty of Toronto has opened its second iRealty office, at Thornton Crossings Plaza at Hwy. 27 and Innisfil Road just southwest of Barrie, Ont. The concept of iRealty is to attract sales reps with state-of-the-art and green technology that allows them to do their business from anywhere. It was first introduced last year with an office on Yonge Street that currently has more than 40 top producers. Broker of record Barney Johnson says the iRealty offices try to be as paperless as possible, and provide a modern home base while reducing the carbon footprint created by agents driving back and forth to their offices. The managing partner for the new location is Heidi Kostyra. She joined Johnson and executive vice-president Pedro da Fonseca at their office 16 years ago at age 22, and although she lived in the Barrie area for past 12 years, she continued to work out of Re/Max Crossroads in Toronto. The new location opened with 10 new agents. Kostyra says her goal is to have approximately 50 sales associates within the next three years. Johnson says the brokerage plans to open a third iRealty office in the Richmond Hill/Markham area by the end of the year.

Cover photo: RYAN PARENT

■ ■ ■

Century 21 Twin Realty is now open to assist the residents of Edson, Alta. and surrounding areas. Owners Karen SpencerMiller and Sharon Hawboldt are seasoned sales professionals with decades of combined experience assisting clients in fulfilling their real estate needs. Spencer-Miller also has more than 20 years of banking experience, primarily in lending. “We really want to build an office founded on ethics and integrity,” says Spencer-Miller. Miller and Hawboldt see the Edson market stabilizing in 2012 and expect it to trend towards a sellers’ market. The community is versatile and contains many resource rich industries such as agriculture, coal, lumber, oil and gas. Edson has a population of 8,365. The community is strategically located on Hwy. 16, the Trans Canada Yellowhead Route.

Peggy Hill

At the opening of the Re/Max Crossroads iRealty office in Thornton, Ont. (standing from left): Stephen Stables, sales rep; Sylvia Stables, sales rep; Heidi Kostyra, managing partner; Cindy Moore, sales rep; Marcia Holland, sales rep; Lona Collison, sales rep; and Melissa Chan, sales rep. Seated, from left: Barney Johnson, Re/Max Crossroads president and CEO and Pedro da Fonseca, EVP. From left, Royal LePage Burloak owners David Landry and JoAnn Jusdanis, broker of record Rebecca Ryder and Rob Landry.

Michael Brierley

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Peggy Hill, an independent broker in Barrie, Ont. has joined Keller Williams Experience Realty. “It has taken me many years to find a real estate company whose mission, goals and values match my own,” says Hill. She says her team’s “location, phone numbers, email and web address will all remain the same. What will change is the exposure we’ll be able to provide for our clients…. I made this key decision with my No. 1 goal in mind: my clients’ satisfaction.” Hill has been one of the region’s leading real estate professionals for almost a decade, completing 218 ends in 2011, the company says. Keller Williams has 16 offices in Ontario and 20 Canada-wide. ■ ■ ■

Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services has acquired indeContinued on page 8

Kathy Bowers

Sales reps and brokers at Prudential Select Real Estate in Bolton, Ont. showed their appreciation to their valued customers recently by treating them to their sixth annual Film Fest. Customers enjoyed new release movies Wreck It Ralph, Breaking Dawn and Skyfall at Empire Theatres.

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iPro Realty recently opened its eighth GTA location and second Toronto location at 1500 St. Clair Ave. W. The company also celebrated its third year under the iPro brand, which has attracted more than 350 Realtors. From left: co-founders Rui Alves and Fedele Colucci and St. Clair manager Ernest Furtado.

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

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 2012 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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Multiple Listings

8 REM JANUARY 2013

Canada’s most expensive streets

O B I T U A RY: Arthur Bartram

rthur Bartram, co-founder of Right At Home Realty in Toronto, died Nov. 14 after a battle with cancer. He was 68. Along with Howard Drukarsh, Bartram created Right At Home Realty eight years ago. It is now Canada’s largest independent real estate brokerage. Bartram and Drukarsh had known each other since the 1980s when they both worked for Canada Permanent Real Estate. They were working at Royal LePage’s Johnston and Daniel when they came up with the concept for a new brokerage. With the financial backing of a group of investors, they launched Right At Home out of a Don Mills location. “Arthur was the brainchild of the Right At Home Realty concept and as such was clearly a visionary and he has forever changed the landscape of Canadian real estate,” says Drukarsh. “From his participation in the creation of the upscale

Multiple Listings Continued from page 6

pendent Michael Brierley Ltd. in Burlington, Ont. Joining Michael Brierley at Royal LePage are his wife, Sydney Brierley; his daughter, Rhonda Brierley; and seven sales representatives to form the Brierley Group. Royal LePage Burloak owner David Landry spent 17 years serving as vice-president in various roles for Royal LePage. He then partnered with his daughter JoAnn Jusdanis and acquired the corporately owned offices of Royal LePage in Burlington. Joining them is David’s son, Rob Landry

Peter Publow

Chestnut Park Realty, through to his days at Royal LePage/J&D Division, RECO and TREB; then onto the creation of the industrychanging Right At Home Realty, Arthur was clearly an agent of change. On a personal note, anyone that met Arthur usually ended up loving him. He was a great individual, a true gentleman, and I am honoured to call him my friend. As Arthur used to say, ‘I will see you later mi ol pal’”. In a REM story in August 2010, reflecting on changes to the real estate industry and the fact that at the time, more than 1,000 Right At Home agents were working out of the Don Mills office, Bartram told REM: “You would think this office would be like Union Station, but it isn’t. We probably see six to 10 agents a day and one or two clients a day, or every other day – agents aren’t utilizing premises like they used to. “They can type their own deals, for example, and they can load their own listings into the and Rebecca Ryder, broker of record. Royal LePage Burloak has two offices with about 170 sales reps. Their offices serve Burlington, Oakville, Waterdown, Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas and Flamborough. ■ ■ ■

Kathy Bowers, formerly the owner of a major franchise brokerage, recently launched 3% Realty in Fort McMurray, Alta. “Part of our mission is to provide the highest quality of service our industry has to offer while providing cost savings to our customers,” Bowers says. “We still

Doug Jelly

MLS system. Those two functions were ones the office did for them 10 years ago. Today I would say at least 50 per cent of the agents are doing this for themselves, because they can.” Bartram added: “And if they’re doing most of the work, our motto is, they should be paid most of the money. It’s a pure economic model – there’s no magic to the formula.” He is survived by his wife Lynn (nee Jonah); children Jo-Anne (Steve) and Robert (Michelle); and grandchildren Lily, Kieran, Madeline and Tyler. Those who wish to make a memorial donation in Arthur’s name are asked to consider Habitat for Humanity at www.habitat.org/cd/giving/one/do REM nate. offer 100-per-cent realty services but for three-per-cent commission…we are real estate with a modern approach.” Bowers moved to Fort McMurray in 1981 and raised a family there. She specializes in condo and property management as well as real estate sales. The brokerage has 12 sales reps. ■ ■ ■

DFH Real Estate, which serves Greater Victoria and Southern Vancouver Island, has been selected for membership in Chicago-based Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, says Mike Nugent, managing director of DFH. DFH was invited to affiliate with the global network, which is comprised of more than 500 of the best-known real estate firms worldwide, with 4,600 offices and 140,000 sales associates in more than 30 countries. To be selected for membership, firms must be ranked among the top independent firms in the markets served and must meet other criteria related to reputation, stability, tenure, quality, relocation capabilities and

ones Lang LaSalle recently revealed the top seven most expensive streets for office space in Canada. Toronto’s Bay Street comes in at No. 1 one with average rents running at around $68.91 per square foot (psf) and the top rent on the street comes in at $82.28 psf, which is 178 per cent higher than the average office rents in the rest of the city. Eighth Avenue SW in Calgary follows with average office rents of $55.33 psf, more than 62 per cent higher than average rents across that city. Burrard Street in Vancouver lands in third place – average rents are $54.75 psf and the top rent on the street is $65.41 psf. “It is clear from our ranking that companies are keen to pay a premium to be in the most prestigious locations,” says Brett Miller, president, Jones Lang LaSalle Canada. “Our figures also prove that demand is not abating and rents have moved up year-over-

year in every city confirming the strength of the Canadian office market.” According to Jones Lang LaSalle’s second annual ranking, Bay Street retained its top position. While Ottawa’s Albert Street took second place in 2011, this year it fell to fourth place. Calgary’s 8th Avenue SW made its debut this year to reach second on the list. Last year, Calgary’s 3rd Avenue took fourth place. RéneLévesque Boulevard West in Montreal came in sixth position, falling from last year’s fifth place. “While some of these streets command high-end rents, compared to our global counterparts, we look reasonable,” says Miller. “For example, 23 Saville Row in London commands an eye-watering $220 psf while in New York, 667 Madison asks $144.50 psf. Singapore follows suit with rents at Ocean Financial Center in Raffles Place offering a full service rent of $105.00 psf.” REM

other factors, the company says. DFH Real Estate has six offices and has been serving the Capital Region and Southern Vancouver Island for more than 52 years.

and were featured in REM last summer.

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Cobblestone Realty of Brockville, Ont. has joined the Aventure Realty Network. Wendy Devaux, broker/owner, together with partners Peter Publow and Doug Jelly, offer a full suite of residential, recreational and agricultural real estate services. Independent Aventure members serve more than 1,000 Canadian markets from coast to coast and are focused on building their own strong local brands with a shared national vision, says Bernie Vogt, president of Aventure. ■ ■ ■

Benji Perosin, a sales rep with RealtySource in Kingston, Ont., performs a trumpet solo on one of the songs on the new Tragically Hip CD, Now For Plan A. Perosin and sales partner Chris Morris write original songs about their real estate listings for YouTube videos

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Ronen Fishman, broker of record at Upperside Real Estate in Vaughan, Ont., says he is operating Canada’s only full-service brokerage that offers sales reps 100-percent commissions. “The only other 100-per-cent commission brokerages in Canada aren’t fully-serviced,” says Fishman. “They offer a no-frills approach: something that can be detrimental in today’s uncertain market.” Fishman says he believes Canada’s housing market will see a correction. “Agents that aren’t committed are starting to explore other opportunities, leaving room for truly passionate and committed individuals to excel in the real estate industry,” he says. Upperside Real Estate provides continuing education in market trends and real estate innovations, industry connections and partnerships, and a one-of-a-kind lead generation system, he says. REM

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By Bruce Keith

arth Brooks is the single most successful recording artist in North America. He has sold more than 68 million albums since 1991 (five million more than his closest competitor, The Beatles). As everyone knows, Garth Brooks is a country and western artist. What most people don’t know is that he started out wanting to be a rock artist. Garth Brooks as a rocker? Wow. Hindsight is 20-20 but that would have been a big mistake! What Garth discovered was that he has a real talent with country music and that’s where he put all his energies. It seems to have worked out pretty well, hasn’t it? Many salespeople end up singing the wrong songs. Many salespeople lose sight of where their real skills lie. The problem is

Country or rock? that in doing so they often miss great opportunities. The key is to identify where your strengths lie and then to capitalize on those strengths. Specialization pays off! Here are some of the categories that I see people specializing in successfully: 1. People skills: You are great with people, you attract people and you have great client loyalty. 2. Computer skills: You are a wizard at generating business through the Internet. You do not get bogged down on minutia... you generate leads, follow them up and you make sales. 3. Marketing skills: You know how to get results through various media. You don’t waste money, you know what works and you stay within your budget. 4. Networking skills: This pays off in two main areas – you are great at generating business from groups and you do a tremendous job of creating referrals. 5. Prospecting skills: You are the picture of consistency. You are a prospecting machine. You do it day after day and don’t allow interruptions. You make lots of sales. 6. Business skills: You run your business like a business and you’re often a leader. You surround your-

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ominion Lending Centres’ YBM Group in Barrie, Ont. recently held a Customer Appreciation Hockey Night Event at Barrie Molson Centre. A pre-game event featured OHL Barrie Colts and local BMHA Minor Peewee players, refereed by OHL alumni Rick Schaly and former NHL linesman Ron Finn, and featuring six OHL Barrie Colts players. The main event was an OMHA Midget AAA hockey game, Barrie Colts vs. South Central Coyotes. Hockey Night in Canada’s Don Cherry performed

the ceremonial faceoff for the game. Thousands of dollars worth of prizes were handed out. With more than 2,600 in the rink, a new attendance record was set for an AAA Midget game. Dominion Don Cherry drops the puck at the OMHA Midget AAA game sponsored by Dominion Lending Centre’s YBM Group in Barrie, Ont.

self with strong people and you know how to get things done. Typically your business is highly profitable. Everyone has a variety of skills. Some of these skills will be stronger than others. The mistake comes when you do not focus on your best strengths. This is where the greatest return will lie. Needless to say it would be foolish to only focus on using one talent. It is worthwhile to be diverse but not at the expense of losing sight of your greatest capabilities. Be a specialist who focuses mainly on one type of song. You can sing the other songs on occasion but always come back to your main area of expertise. That’s where you really shine...just like Garth Brooks, that’s where you will sell the most albums! 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, high-impact training style is sought after and acclaimed across North America. He says, “Success is possible; there are no excuses.” www.brucekeithresults.com. REM Lending Centres president and cofounder Gary Mauris and cofounder Chris Kayat flew in from Vancouver to attend. Admission was free and donations were solicited to benefit the company’s national charity partner, Breakfast for Learning. More than $14,000 was raised for the charity. The YBM event was the brainchild of agent Brad MacArthur (who also coaches the OMHA Midget AAA Barrie Colts) and YBM broker/owner Darick Battaglia. REM

12 REM JANUARY 2013

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Letters to the Editor Implied vs express consent We, as individual members of CREA, are traveling down a road that has more than just potholes. It could be said there are hazards a’plenty on this particular road. This has become all too apparent due to a lack of engagement by the ordinary members of CREA. Our elected representatives appear to operate on the basis that if you don’t voice a negative opinion to the items on the agenda, it is implied that you approve of what is being put forward. Nothing could be farther from the truth, as evidenced by the vote on setting up a wholly owned company to operate the IT function of CREA. By a vote of 81 per cent to 19 per cent, it was decided to refer it back for additional information to be presented at the Spring AGM in 2013. Change is necessary and change is good! CREA and our local elected representatives (I don’t know about yours) put forward all of the information, and I readily admit, not many read or watch it. In Nova Scotia recently, a YouTube video that was circulated prior to the vote in Winnipeg was opened 149 times by an agent population of approximately 1,658 agents. I opened it twice as did others, so let me do the math for you: less than nine per cent viewed the video! I cannot quantify the number who did or did not read the 32page bulletin that was circulated. Locally, we have been unable to get a quorum at board and regional meetings, and still the comment is, “We provide the information, we can’t make them read it.” Perhaps a quote from Sir Winston Churchill may be appropriate: “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” Is this an epidemic of apathy by our industry? How long will the implied consent mentality prevail at CREA and across the country at local boards? Engagement is difficult, communication...or rather, lack there-

of, has caused more conflicts and casualties in business and in life than we care to admit, and yet we continue to go down that road. Perhaps if you don’t participate or attend meetings, you get what you deserve. But is that fair? When the elected representatives appear to be taking the lack of participation and apathy as positive support for their activities, we all suffer from the apathy and ambivalence. Personally, I don’t want a new company comprised of the same old, same old, with additional expenses and bureaucracy to deliver to us what we have been receiving up to this point. How many more consumer complaints about Realtor.ca do we have to endure, when much smaller companies out-perform from a creative and usability basis? However, when the decision is made, one way or the other, I will have to live by the decision. “I may not agree with your point of view, but I will defend to the death your right to it.” Noble words, but what if your decision was made by others based on your inaction, or not knowing the issues? I can only hope that the “sleeping giant” we know as you and I, as ordinary members of CREA, wake up! Make your decision, based on as much information as you can. Push your elected representatives for accountability on how they voted, and how they will vote next time, and make sure they represent you and your opinion. Engage your peers to get involved. The correct decision will be made, if we are engaged in the process. Regardless of what is decided, I can rest easy knowing that if we, as a group, make an informed decision, I will have no issue with “defending” that decision...will you? David A. Yetman Broker\owner Real Estate Navigator Century 21 All Points REM Halifax

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14 REM JANUARY 2013

Hard work brings success to 26-year-old

Everyone thought Ian Charlebois was crazy for launching his real estate career during the recession in 2008. Now, at 26, he’s in the top one per cent of Re/Max sales reps. By Connie Adair One’s Business Entrepreneur Magazine in 2010. Charlebois attributes his success to hard work, starting from his school days when he also played hockey five times a week. “There were late nights doing homework but I made it work,” he says. In real estate, he has maintained that work ethic. Charlebois spends much of his time driving – about 40,000 km annually – in his truck. “I don’t want to drive a (big) name brand (BMW, Infinti),” he says. “The very first thing a young successful Realtor thinks he needs to do is buy a nice car. I choose to reinvest my money into the business and my clients respect that far more than anything else. ”

Ian Charlebois - Photo by Ryan Parent

ressed in his trademark suit and crisply pressed shirt, Ian Charlebois glances at his wall of awards and degrees before sitting at his immaculate desk. The awards are not intended to intimidate or impress clients, but rather to motivate the young Realtor. “It gives me accountability,” he says. “This is what I’ve done.” The 26-year-old broker at Re/ Max Citywide Realty in Ottawa has done a lot. He ranks in the top one per cent in Canada with Re/Max. Previously with Royal LePage Performance, he garnered a Master Sales Award (top 20 per cent in Canada) and the President’s Gold Award (top six to 10 per cent in Canada). Born and raised in Ottawa, he was 17 when he started his criminology and business degrees at the University of Ottawa. He intended to become a police officer, but during his studies he

decided he would be better suited to business. Not one to start something and not finish it, at 21-years-old, he graduated with two degrees. Not long after, he bought a house for $248,000, did a gut renovation and sold it four months later for $374,000. While overseeing the renovation, he took Ontario Real Estate Association courses, got his license and began his real estate career in October 2008. “Everyone thought I was crazy starting in the recession,” Charlebois says. “But it taught me to have resiliency and to tackle the unknown. It was a challenge. I thought if I could get through that, it would solidify my career in real estate.” Along with sales awards for each of the four years he’s been in real estate, he says one of his greatest accomplishments was being featured in Canada

One important fixture in his truck is a hanger for his suit jacket. “Thanks to Michael Paquin, my business coach from Paquin & Associates, I always wear a business suit,” Charlebois says. “Michael deals with top executives and he has truly changed my life. His stance is, ‘If you want to be a professional, (dress) like one.’ ” In addition to real estate, volunteerism ranks high for Charlebois, who has more than 500 volunteer hours. At his old high school, he taught students with learning disabilities about how to deal with stigma and how to empower themselves through education. With his success as a Realtor, he is now able to offer financial support to the community. He came to the rescue of a Grade 12 class, offering his investment property so the class could have a hands-on renovation experience, working on a project for their full school year instead of spending it in the classroom. He footed the $70,000 bill to set them up and supply materials.

He recently donated $10,000 to the University of Ottawa to help students with learning disabilities. His goal is to donate $20,000 by 2014 to “local Ottawa institutions that actively pursue excellence through learning,” he says. “Doing community services comes naturally,” says Charlebois, who has a sister who is a paramedic and another who is a teacher. When he’s not working or volunteering, Charlebois enjoys reading textbooks, which he says gives him the chance to continue to learn. He likes gardening and hits the gym five times a week. He also manages to play hockey twice a week. Each day from 3 to 6 pm, he takes time for himself, having a healthy meal and working out at the gym. “I strive to keep a balance between my personal goals and work in sync,” he says. After 6 pm, he’s back on the clock, working into the wee hours meeting with clients and doing paperwork. Along with his hard work, he credits Pina Alessi, second in command at the office and of his team, for her contribution to his success. Charlebois is the first Realtor in his family. His father owns Metric Homes, a custom home and development company. “I decided not to work with him after graduating from university because I wanted to make it on my own. I am so glad I did because success tastes more enjoyable when you build it from the ground up,” Charlebois says. “My father has always been a great business man. He is old school and a hard negotiator and those qualities I tweak and apply to my business.” REM

secrets to success: 1) Hard work: While growing up, Charlebois juggled school and playing hockey five times a week. It meant late nights doing homework, but “I made it work,” he says. It helped him develop a strong work ethic and he’s not afraid of hard work. 2) Seeing the opportunity in risk: Despite the risk of being a young man competing against more experienced agents, he took the challenge and became a successful Realtor. He also saw the opportunity despite the risk of footing the bill and having students renovate his property. 3) Surrounding myself with people who believe in me: Charlebois spends time with family, friends and colleagues and ensures people in his network allow him to succeed. 4) Aligning with the #1 brand. 5) Organize your time so you can be more productive: You can have a social life and do other things but you have to set priorities, he says. 6) Organize your space: Charlebois likes to have an organized and efficient work space because his office has “an impact on how I am perceived – as being calm, collected and (that I) know what talking about.”

16 REM JANUARY 2013

THE GUEST COLUMN

By Doug MacCallum

e are no longer led by the leaders within our industry but by the regulators from outside. These regulators are highly skilled, lawyer-like individuals on a payroll. They embrace the law and the guiding principals that make up our governed world. Two of their important words are fiduciary and agency. Agency I understand as we are professional third parties in a real estate transaction, offering brokerage services to our clients under contract. Fiduciary duty refers to the utmost care. Hence, when a lawful instruction comes your way through a client relationship, you

Ethics, lawful instructions and you are locked in a fiduciary duty relationship to obey. It seems to me our ethics have deteriorated behind multiple regulators whose guiding principles are not based around CREA’s ethics. I am here to share with you the letters I and P. Without them sooner or later you will likely find yourself working behind the letter S for sanctioned, or at least before a professional standards review otherwise known as Realtor Jail. Realtors made a pledge to uphold the valued guiding principles of CREA and we need to familiarize ourselves again with the letter I for integrity. It is the most important characteristic in my opinion of an honest, credible, trustworthy, reliable, truthful, skilled Realtor. It is also the most important characteristic one must protect at all costs. Time and time again I share with my fellow Realtors the importance of reputation and their good name. Don’t let others ever tarnish it on you. That’s all you brought when you came into this industry and if you

don’t enhance it and protect it, who will? You will find out from the letter C for controversy, conflict and compromise, that the issues of the day could soon ruin your good name. Twice in my career a purchaser turned to me after a seller and their Realtor gave their word on a transaction, only to rescind it later, and the purchaser said, “Are we to reward their bad behaviour?” The selling Realtor tarnished their own name by falling into a lawful conflict. So getting back to integrity, do not fall into the trap of lawful instructions. You need P for policy to protect yourself in common situations like multiple offers, stigmas, disclosures, home inspections, delayed deposits, remuneration, mere postings and FSBOs. That often develops into compromises and conflicts. Now the regulators hang their hat on fiduciary duty, which is the highest degree of standard of care in law of equity. So when you are given an order, you need to follow

it as promised unless you have taken the time to put a policy package together to share with your customers and clients to show your duties of limitations. Without a written policy you are an easy target for an ethics hearing. So in the meantime my highly recommended, easy-to-remember guidelines, for you and all Realtors to

on your left-hand side is a guardrail called “Fair to all Parties”, taken from an excerpt of the Golden Rule. On the righthand side there is a guardrail called “Avoid Controversies” taken from Article 25 of the CREA Code. If you can maintain your vehicle in real estate between these two guardrails you will great-

Without a written policy you are an easy target for an ethics hearing. embrace, are taken from our CREA Code. Follow these two simple tips and you will put the P for professionalism back into the industry and raise the bar for others to follow. Here is a little anecdote. You are driving down the highway and

ly reduce the risk of a conflict. So embrace those two suggestions and enhance your ethics and our industry. If you find yourself before a judge of common law, or a regulator or your real estate board and you do not have written policy or cannot prove you consistently handle delicate issues the same way for every transaction, you may find yourself on the short end of a stick. You and your brokerage may need to prove you’re not wishy washy when dealing in the relationship of fiduciary care and agency. So what’s it gonna be? Hide behind the skirt of lawful instructions and work recklessly until something happens or build a policy to protect you, your clients and our industry? It was once passed onto me that being ethical is always lawful but being lawful is not always ethical. Reminder, you did sign on as a Realtor to always be ethical! In this highly competitive, commission-based industry, the only person who should care the most about your good name is you. If common sense, fairness and taking the high road seems too complicated to you, then please reconsider your career as a Realtor. Doug MacCallum is associate broker at Re/Max Real Estate Mountain View in Calgary. During the last 25 years he has been involved with Professional Standards Committees for CREB and he currently sits as chairman. He was CREB’s TWH Saunders recipient Realtor of the Year in 2010. REM

The signs of our success have been around for 100 years. 1913

A.E. LePage established his real estate company ‘A.E. LePage – The Bungalow Specialist’ on July 2, 1913.

1953

Following A.E. LePage’s retirement in 1953 the company, under new ownership, assembled 800 hectares of farmland, creating North America’s first planned development, in the town of Don Mills in Ontario.

1994

Royal LePage offers a franchise system, and rapidly grows its network by attracting leading independent brokerages and those from competing brands, including Johnston & Daniel.

1970s

2000

A.E. LePage rapidly expands its residential business through more than 140 acquisitions across Canada.

Royal LePage is Canada’s first national real estate company to offer property search and neighbourhood information via interactive mapping technology.

1918

The A.E. LePage company enters the home construction business, building hundreds of homes in the west and north areas of Toronto.

1920

A.E. LePage, with an eye to establishing codes of ethical practice for the industry, was instrumental in the founding of the Toronto Real Estate Board.

1923

Still keen to generate press coverage, A.E. LePage builds a fireproof home. The event was widely covered by the daily newspapers of the time.

Late1950s

The A.E. LePage company corners 80 per cent of the Toronto office leasing market.

1974

In a move to garner headlines, A.E. LePage builds a house in a day. Footage of the event was taken by Associate Screen News and shown in movie theatres across North America.

Royal LePage Shelter Foundation launched, creating the only corporately-branded charity within the Canadian real estate industry.

Royal LePage marks its 100th year. The official 100-year anniversary is July 2, 2013. To commemorate Royal LePage’s 100-years, it has launched the 100 Years of Helping You Home campaign. A series of celebrations and special initiatives are planned in 2013.

2003

Royal LePage acquires Groupe Trans-Action, a Montreal-based real estate franchisor with more than 80 locations across Quebec.

1964

A.E. LePage offers a service to help companies across Canada with employee relocations. (The service now operates under Brookfield Global Relocation Services)

2012 1987

Royal LePage becomes a publicly-traded company, trading on the Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal stock exchanges.

1922

1998

The Survey of Canadian House Prices, later known as the Royal LePage House Price Survey, is launched. The quarterly report is relied upon by financial, government and academic organizations and serves to establish Royal LePage as the voice of Canadian real estate.

2013

1960s

The A.E. LePage company plays a pivotal role in the land assembly and office leasing of the Toronto-Dominion Centre, the largest project of its time within the British Commonwealth.

Royal LePage grows to 14,000 REALTORS®, in 600 offices across Canada and re-launches its commercial brand.

1997

Realty World™ acquisition raises the company’s agent count to 7,200 agents from 5,500. By 2001, all Realty World™ offices had converted to Royal LePage.

1995 1984

A.E. LePage and Royal Trust merge creating the country’s leading diversified real estate services organization. The new company is named Royal LePage.

Royal LePage launches www.royallepage.ca, Canada’s first national Real Estate portal. The site becomes one of the most popular real estate Web sites in Canada.

2011

Royal LePage Shelter Foundation reaches a milestone, raising a record $2 million in one year (2011). Since 1998, the Shelter Foundation has raised over $14 million and is now the largest public foundation in Canada dedicated exclusively to funding women’s shelters and violence prevention programs.

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.

Join a company that is 100 years strong. Visit royallepage.ca/joinus

The signs of our success have been around for 100 years. 1913

A.E. LePage established his real estate company ‘A.E. LePage – The Bungalow Specialist’ on July 2, 1913.

1953

1994

Royal LePage offers a franchise system, and rapidly grows its network by attracting leading independent brokerages and those from competing brands, including Johnston & Daniel.

1970s

2000

A.E. LePage rapidly expands its residential business through more than 140 acquisitions across Canada.

Royal LePage is Canada’s first national real estate company to offer property search and neighbourhood information via interactive mapping technology.

1918

The A.E. LePage company enters the home construction business, building hundreds of homes in the west and north areas of Toronto.

1920

A.E. LePage, with an eye to establishing codes of ethical practice for the industry, was instrumental in the founding of the Toronto Real Estate Board.

1923

Still keen to generate press coverage, A.E. LePage builds a fireproof home. The event was widely covered by the daily newspapers of the time.

Late1950s

The A.E. LePage company corners 80 per cent of the Toronto office leasing market.

1974

In a move to garner headlines, A.E. LePage builds a house in a day. Footage of the event was taken by Associate Screen News and shown in movie theatres across North America.

Royal LePage Shelter Foundation launched, creating the only corporately-branded charity within the Canadian real estate industry.

2003

Royal LePage acquires Groupe Trans-Action, a Montreal-based real estate franchisor with more than 80 locations across Quebec.

1964

A.E. LePage offers a service to help companies across Canada with employee relocations. (The service now operates under Brookfield Global Relocation Services)

2012 1987

Royal LePage becomes a publicly-traded company, trading on the Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal stock exchanges.

1922

1998

2013

1960s

The A.E. LePage company plays a pivotal role in the land assembly and office leasing of the Toronto-Dominion Centre, the largest project of its time within the British Commonwealth.

Royal LePage grows to 14,000 REALTORS®, in 600 offices across Canada and re-launches its commercial brand.

1997

Realty World™ acquisition raises the company’s agent count to 7,200 agents from 5,500. By 2001, all Realty World™ offices had converted to Royal LePage.

1995 1984

A.E. LePage and Royal Trust merge creating the country’s leading diversified real estate services organization. The new company is named Royal LePage.

Royal LePage launches www.royallepage.ca, Canada’s first national Real Estate portal. The site becomes one of the most popular real estate Web sites in Canada.

2011

Join a company that is 100 years strong. Visit royallepage.ca/joinus

20 REM JANUARY 2013

METES & BOUNDS

By Marty Douglas

appy New Year. I hope. If you’re reading this, we made it past the Mayan drop dead date and are well launched into 2013. I wonder where Mayans will shop for tablets for their new calendars. Oh well… I was a little concerned about wasting new material for an issue that might not have been published had the end of the world in fact arrived. I took the easy way, reminiscing about the year gone by beginning with a reader who took issue with my October REM column – check the archives at www.remonline.com – asking, “Do words like (1) big boobs (2)

Last man standing thong and (3) cheap hooker have any place or space in this magazine? I think not.” The overall tone was, in a word, disdainful, suggesting professional magazines need to set a higher tone. Point taken. Rejected but taken. I take full responsibility for the content of my REM columns, all 217. I have managed to offend a few readers usually due to an expressed opinion. As I recall, chastising folks for not voting got the most memorable attack, but there were others. Criticizing George Bush, referring to Jean Chretien’s reign, complaining about the lack of industry leadership, pointing to our ignorance of transaction brokerage and most recently, the drop-in Realtor – to name a few. Here’s a New Year’s resolution for men only. Sneak out of the house, make sure you aren’t followed and head to the nearest White Spot. Screw up your courage and order the new peanut butter, bacon and jalapeño burger. When it arrives, take a deep

breath, gird your arteries and have the biggest bite you can muster. It could be your last if the carb and fat police are nearby. There are so few guilty pleasures we are allowed as consenting adults – can’t smoke after unprotected sex, for example – we have to take them as they present themselves. Speaking of chest pains, I was once described as being of ‘roomy girth’. I don’t deny it but point out I do work out three times a week. Well, work out might be an stretch compared to the fitness regimes of the younger set who take great pleasure in the pain of a rigorous ‘boot camp’ directed by sadists (or masochists, I forget which is which). After a recent workout I woke during the night with a pain in my right side, an injury I put off to carelessly engaging a muscle I didn’t know I had. When the pain continued the next night, I thought it was time to do something so I sent my wife off to her morning workout and checked myself into the emergency ward.

Cue jumper alert – if you want to get to the head of the line in the ER, past the snifflers and whiners with broken limbs and ruptured organs, mention a pain in your chest. Works wonders. Of course, you should actually have one because the fun starts shortly after you check in. The first question from the triage nurse related to my symptoms. In hindsight, it should have been the expiry time on the parking meters. Apparently 15 minutes isn’t enough time to assess life-threatening symptoms. Through the myriad of tests that followed, I considered a number of headings for the column I knew I would write. Last Man Standing was the hands-down winner. Why? I observed if you lie down on a gurney, it’s viewed as conceding defeat and inevitably, an orderly comes along and not unlike Charon, the boatman of the River Styx, pushes you into the nether regions. Characters in the saga would include The Walking Dead, Vlad the Impaler and The Good Wife. But copy deadlines wait for no man, saga completed or no. By the way, I’m fine. I would be remiss if I didn’t

encourage REM readers to consider coming to the Banff Western Connection 2013 at the Fairmont Banff Springs, Jan. 24-26. Register online at www.banffwesternconnection.com and check out this year’s program, including David Chilton for The Dragon’s Den and Wealthy Barber fans; something old – Floyd Wickman and Richard Flint; something new – Michael Krisa and Kelley Skar; something borrowed – all my jokes as conference emcee; and something blue – the winter skies over the Rockies. By the way, the closing keynote speaker is the Honourable Michaëlle Jean, former Governor General of Canada. You ought to be there. 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

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REM JANUARY 2013 21

LEGAL ISSUES

Use it or lose it barred because there had been no payment or acknowledgment of indebtedness for a period of more than 10 years from the date of default under the mortgage. (Abalon Holdings Ltd. v. 74486 Manitoba Ltd, 2012 MBCA 15)

By Donald H. Lapowich

he purchaser of a condominium unit value-priced at almost $3 million paid deposits of nearly $750,000. The purchaser left the country but left a real estate agent as the go-between in the transaction. The agent went through an inspection process and the vendor informed the agent of the completion date. The purchaser was not able to return to Canada and the vendor granted two extensions to close. When that still wasn’t enough, the vendor would not extend further. The purchaser sued for specific performance or damages, and the vendor countered with a declaration to keep the deposit. The court allowed the vendor’s counterclaim. The vendor had allowed extensions, which were at its sole discretion. The second closing date was not arbitrarily set, but was three days later than real estate agent said the purchaser required. Conclusion: Use it or lose it. (Amiri v. One West Holdings Ltd., 2012 BCSC 236) ■ ■ ■

Statute barred mortgage: The corporation owner of a piece of property gave a mortgage to a numbered company. The owner transferred the property to its president. The president then transferred the property to his holding corporation. The president lived on the property for nine years until his death. Meanwhile, no payments had been made within 10 years of the holding company moving to discharge the mortgage. The Manitoba Courts held that the transfers and especially the last one to the holding company did not renew the running of the 10-year limitation period. The mortgage was statute

■ ■ ■

Duty of care – non-client: The husband went to India. The wife used a forged Power of Attorney to sell a property of her husband’s. The wife then refused to close and the purchasers sued for specific performance. The husband did not appear in court, and the purchasers obtained a judgment and moved for a Vesting Order in their name. The wife hired a lawyer to resist the Vesting Order but the lawyer lost and the court ordered proceeds of the sale to be paid to this lawyer. The lawyer did not consider the husband to be his client. Instead of holding the money in trust for the husband, he paid the proceeds to the wife. On a lawsuit by the husband, the British Columbia Court of Appeal held the lawyer, under these circumstances, owed a duty of care to the husband. The lawyer received the funds for the husband and then breached a standard of care owed by a reasonable lawyer in these circumstances, the court ruled. In these most unusual circumstances the lawyer could have interpleaded, which means he could by court order pay the funds into court. The court then would make the decision to whom funds are to be paid. Although the wife hired the lawyer, he should have foreseen that proceeds of sale of her husband’s property would belong to the husband. (Dhillon v. Jaffer, 2012 BCCA 156) Full 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

22 REM JANUARY 2013

Real Estate Technology Re/Max launches “state-of-the-art” website Re/Max has launched a new “state-of-the-art” website showing “the most extensive selection of homes listed for sale by Re/Max and co-operating brokers (through CREA’s new Data Distribution Facility), giving consumers greater choice when shopping for real estate from coast-to-coast,” the company says. The site has numerous interactive capabilities not currently found on Canadian real estate websites, says Re/Max. Consumers can log on to Remax.ca from their social/local or mobile device and compare properties, tag favourites and share listings with others. “Moving to a cutting-edge website developed in responsive design will allow consumers to connect with us on whatever device they choose,” says David Brown, executive vice-president, Re/Max Promotions. “The mobile version of remax.ca is of particular interest because it enhances the customer experience through features such as ‘new properties near me’, driving directions and the ability to share

through social media channels. Ultimately, those qualities, combined with the enhanced search engine optimization, will serve to simplify the buying and selling process for today’s real estate consumer.” The site is the result of integrated feedback, following a comprehensive consumer research process, the company says. “Consumers overall are definitely more savvy and sophisticated,” says Brown. “Their needs are more complex. When re-booting remax.ca, we were adamant that how we respond needs to be more multi-faceted and adaptive. This was an ideal opportunity to provide greater choice and an

improved level of service in the marketplace, and we’re certain that it will be well-received.” The company says the site will lead to better connectivity between Re/Max Realtors and potential clients, and result in increased visibility for Realtors in their specific service areas. It will also drive enhanced lead generation, both in terms of quantity and quality, fuelling business and bolstering productivity, the company says.

Better Homes and Gardens launches Farm & Ranch platform Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Canada (BHGREC) has launched a new service platform, Farm & Ranch by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Canada. “Born and raised in rural Alberta, I understand the significance and unique needs of the farm and ranch community. We’re very proud to be among the first in Canada to offer this specialty Farm

The agentWOLF brand is a new division within Lone Wolf that offers web presence, strategy sessions, lead generation, bookkeeping, showings, CRM, drip marketing, agent toolbox and more.

ANNOUNCEMENT We are pleased to announce that Hogeveen Peninsula Realty has joined the Peak Real Estate Network and will be operarting as Peak Peninsula Realty serving Port Rowan, Long Point, Simcoe, Port Dover and surrounding areas. Steve Wilcox is the Broker of Record. Steve Wilcox

www.peakrealestate.com

& Ranch service platform,” says Rob Vanden Broek, BHGREC president. The platform is supported by a streamlined and interactive listings site specifically designed to promote farm and ranch properties exclusive to BHGREC. The site, www.farmandranch.ca, allows searches Canada-wide for properties, while only BHGREC clients will be able to have their properties listed on the site. BHGREC says consumers will have greater access to specialized listings, guided by real estate professionals who work in the highly specialized field. The Farm & Ranch service platform will generate more exposure for the unique properties by placing them in front of Canadian and international farm and ranch buyers and sellers, the company says. “Everyone has a vision of what they want in a property. We’re providing innovative tools that empower Canadians to feel confident in their choices,” says Nelson Goulart, vice-president of network services. “Farm & Ranch is a direct response to what we’ve heard from farm and ranch communities across Canada. They want and deserve a real estate service that is 100 per cent dedicated to their specific needs.”

Lone Wolf acquires ReTechulous Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies of Cambridge, Ont. has acquired ReTechulous Real Estate Marketing Systems, an Enola, Penn.-based company. Lone Wolf says it is making the investment as one of many steps to expand further into agent-centric services. This will enhance brokers’ value propositions to agents and will provide the opportunity to further grow their online marketing strategies, the company says. The agentWOLF brand is a new division within Lone Wolf that offers web presence, strategy sessions, lead generation, bookkeeping, showings, CRM, drip marketing, agent toolbox and more. The full suite of agentWOLF will be released in 2013, the company says. “Expanding services to the agent market and helping brokerages stay competitive is a natural progression for our business. Bringing ReTechulous on board

powers that expansion. Their lead generation, strategy sessions and agent services toolbox blends well with the vision of agentWOLF and where we see the next generation of Lone Wolf services for agents,” says Lorne C. Wallace, CEO of Lone Wolf. Lone Wolf also recently invested in Toronto-based CityBlast.com, an agent-focused online real estate marketing firm. For information: www.lwolf. com/retechulous or www.retechulous.com.

Teranet partners with Nationwide Appraisal Services Electronic land registration and online property search firm Teranet, and appraisal management company NAS (Nationwide Appraisal Services) have formed Canada’s first partnership between a collateral risk management division and an appraisal management company. The aim of the partnership is to save time, enhance due diligence and mitigate fraud for Canada’s mortgage lenders, insurers, brokers and other real estate professionals, the companies say. “Our partnership will provide a much-needed dimension to our current scope of valuation services,” says Craig Rowsell, EVP with NAS. “We will deliver a fully integrated service that utilizes key data to enhance the valuation decision and delivery process allowing clients to better mitigate risk in a cost effective manner.” Specific client solutions will include: • Decision analytics to support collateral risk management and facilitate the mortgage process. • Collateral and fraud-related data to support clients’ collateral decision criteria. • Risk management policy and pre- and post-adjudication valuation tools. “Heightened scrutiny by regulators, exacerbated by changes in the Canadian mortgage lending arena, requires an end-to-end solution,” says Eduardo Alzamora, director, financial services for Teranet. “Our partnership will deliver integrated options as well as new products to meet changing demands.” For more information: REM www.teranet.ca.

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24 REM JANUARY 2013

AS I SEE IT FROM MY DESK

By Stan Albert “Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning usefulness in which mankind agreed.” – Cicero

riendship! What does that word mean? Does it mean you have 574 “friends” on

Reach out and touch someone #8 Facebook? But do you actually know them personally? For most of us the answer would be no – not all of them! Or does it mean having close relationships with several close friends you’ve known for many years? I’ve been blessed with several close friends, some for 20 or 30 years and some for shorter periods of time, but valued as close friends nonetheless. For some of us, that’s a major achievement. We’ve wined and dined together and been on trips as well. Books, movies and plays have been read and viewed. And criticized, I might add. I’ve found that friendship is about sharing values, interests and having a deep respect for each

ATTENTION ALL REAL ESTATE SALESPEOPLE !!!

other’s feelings and ambitions. It’s about celebrating one another’s successes and joys and sharing in the defeats and sorrows that we all experience as we move through this time allotted to each of us. Sometimes we take our friends for granted and forget to tell them how important they are in our lives, and it is only when one of our friends pass on that we realize there is no replacing them and our lives will never be the same again. So, in my last “epistle” of this year, I stress the importance of being in touch with friends. Sometimes we wish we had stayed in touch with friends from our youth more often than once or twice a year. And then we get that call to notify us that someone has suddenly passed away. We feel remorseful, but nothing can be done other than to remember those days when we were closer

A N N O U N C E M E N T

Option 1: $75/mo. And $295 per transaction. Option 2: Low monthly, low transaction and monthly residuals for life.* By Mark Brodsky

are pleased to announce the grand opening of our real estate office. Please to join us : GRAND OPENING Tuesday Jan. 15th Location: 101 Duncan Mill Rd. # 220, Toronto, Ont. M3B 1Z3 (Beside OREA COLLEGE building). Tel: 416-840-6888 • www.joinorangesquarerealty.com EMAIL: info@orangesquarerealty.com

It’s all about YOU!!! (Promoting individuality). Orange Square Realty Inc. offers: 100% + commission, optional residuals paid monthly plan, option FREE courses, STAR AGENT™ program, Flex-comm™ program, Guarantee home sale program, Signature home program, I.B.O. (independent broker office) program, coaching & mentoring programs, teams program, private & semi-private offices, 24/7 front desk reception, & much more. * ask for details. Not intended to solicit salespeople under contract with a brokerage.

This year, I hope to add some new friends to my wonderful closeknit group. But most importantly, I vow to let my friends know how important a role they play in my everyday life. I will end with my sincere thoughts and wishes for you, my readers. I am truly grateful for the many emails I have received over this past decade and hope you will continue to offer your comments as I continue writing my As I See It From My Desk. I also encourage all readers to participate in your local or regional boards and become involved in making a difference in the industry. 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 42 years as an active real estate professional. REM

Take email marketing to the next level

When 100% commission is not enough.

Michel Friedman – Broker of Record and Eva M. Liu – Broker, manager

and had a special kinship. Alas, we cannot turn back the clock! Photos of our past friends kindle faded memories and we visit the surviving families to offer our condolences. Cherishing the times we have with our friends is so very meaningful and important. We must appreciate the times when we can call a friend and share the day’s events, or a travel experience or in many cases, as with my wife, shopping experiences! “Life is short – have desert first,” actress Zsa Zsa Gabor once said. All of us should share events and occasions with our friends at every opportunity. Friends, at times, are closer than our own families. Close family ties are most important, but some of us move away from home base and it becomes difficult to retain the closeness that we so lovingly desire.

re you keeping your clients interested in your emails? A monthly newsletter is a great tool, but once you’ve mastered that, it’s time to take it to the next level. If you’re sending out the same sort of email each month, you may find the number of people that open your emails is decreasing, in addition to seeing fewer clicks on the articles you’re sharing. Content, subject and timing all play a key role in getting your emails opened and read, but another approach you can try is to vary the type of emails you’re sending. The object is to shake things up a bit so people aren’t receiving an email that looks identical to everything else they get. Here are some easy ways to freshen up your email marketing

and get your clients and prospects engaged. Send an email that highlights active listings, especially during the busier seasons. If you look at your analytics, chances are that you’re getting the majority of hits on your listings. If your strength is getting homes sold quickly, send an email that highlights some recent sales. Testimonials are great, but try including one that tells your client’s story. What did your client originally start looking for and how did that compare to what they ended up with? How did your expertise guide them? Many businesses send out emails around the winter holidays, but there’s more than just Christmas to think about. I’ve also seen businesses send out emails for holidays as varied as St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween. And although Daylight Savings Time happens twice a year, it’s easy to forget. A timely

reminder can be appreciated. The beauty with the latter two types of emails is that they can be produced and scheduled during a slow season so that when the spring and fall markets are in full swing, you know that your emails are going out to your client list. Regardless of what sort of emails you choose to send, it’s important to maintain the same branding, so whether people give the email a glance or read it from top to bottom, they know who it’s from. Mark Brodsky runs Mark Brodsky Digital Communications, a company that specializes in email marketing and social media. In addition to email newsletters and targeted campaigns, MBDC co-ordinates the setup for major social networking sites and ensures that they’re co-ordinated, so one piece of content gets shared many ways. www.mbdigitalcommunications.com; email mark@mbdigitalREM communications.com

REM JANUARY 2013 25

Tweeta-sale By Dan St. Yves

NetDudeRealtor: New listing! Won’t last – priced to sell. Fellow agents, get your clients in before I buy it myself! @NetDudeRealtor: Same new listing, amended price – can’t just “give it away”. Only added $100K to asking. Carpets cleaned! @NetDudeRealtor: Okay folks, now’s your chance. This will go into system shortly. Avoid bidding war. Note: price non-negotiable. @NetDudeRealtor: Now on MLS! Pretty much anyone can arrange to see this home now! Especially since scrap metal pile removed from front lawn. Sod allowance now added. @NetDudeRealtor: Listing update! Open House planned for long weekend. Postponing my appendectomy, let’s get this puppy sold! @NetDudeRealtor: Have I mentioned yet? This property boasts ceiling stipple leftover from Mike Holmes makeover project. History! @NetDudeRealtor: Sellers indicating new-found flexibility on offers. Run something by us. Be creative. Anything. Anything at all. @NetDudeRealtor: To be clear, trains do NOT typically couple outside back fence of this property. Bad timing during last showing. @NetDudeRealtor: Free pair of tickets to NHL game for successful offer! Hey, they will get back to playing at some point. @NetDudeRealtor: Thanks to everyone who left me their suggested selling prices during MLS tour. Can’t wait to return the favour. @NetDudeRealtor: PRICE REDUCED! Slashed by over $5,000! Must be willing to accept six-month closing date.

@NetDudeRealtor: LOL! Check out this video: cat pawing at a TV mouse!! @NetDudeRealtor: OPEN HOUSE - Sunday, 1-3 pm. Baron of beef buffet, with live band, petting zoo and dunk tank. I’ve got lots of blank Agreements of Sale! @NetDudeRealtor: This timeless classic remains available! Only two months left to snap it up, sellers indicating they R not timeless as well. @NetDudeRealtor: PRICE REDUCED! This is it! Now well under my market evaluation and reasonably within price of neighbouring homes. Hi-Yo! @NetDudeRealtor: How does a guy get over 500 million YouTube views for dancing like a horse and NONE of you have clients for this home? @NetDudeRealtor: I will dance like a horse for the next agent who calls to book a showing. Must actually show home. @NetDudeRealtor: NHL season tickets, family of four for successful offer. Will personally drive you to and from games. @NetDudeRealtor: PRICE REDUCED! Last chance, this is the final week of my listing. Oddly a lot of you coming through now, but still no offer? @NetDudeRealtor: PENDING SALE!Thank you all for your interest, but this home looks to be SOLD! Snoozers, loozers! @NetDudeRealtor: Ha Ha Ha! You all have such terrific senses of humour; I can be such a kidder. Uhh, sale collapsed – another chance for your buyers!! @NetDudeRealtor: SOLD! Thanks so much to the successful purchasers – will arrange possession details after appendectomy. Humour columnist and author Dan St. Yves was licensed with Royal LePage Kelowna for 11 years. Check out his website at www.nonsenseandstuff.com, or contact him at danst.yves@hotREM mail.com.

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CREA partners with FCAC CREA is collaborating with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) to help consumers navigate the complexities and financial implications of purchasing a home. The Homebuyers’ Road Map was recently launched on CREA’s website at crea.ca. In a recent Nanos Research survey for CREA, more than 63 per cent of Canadians indicated a “major need” for more information about the financial details of buying a home. That figure rose to 70 per cent for respondents between the ages of 18 and 29. “As Realtors, we appreciate that young Canadians and firsttime homebuyers are craving more information about the financial

Nancy Sears

The AREAA Vancouver Chapter Board of Directors. from left: Arthur Azana, CA; Ishaq Ismail, managing broker, Sutton West Coast Realty; Sharon Lum, associate broker, Re/Max Select Properties; Greg Lowe, project marketing; Tina Mak, founding president of AREAA Vancouver Chapter and associate broker at Coldwell Banker Westburn; Ian MacLeod, vice-president of AREAA Vancouver Chapter, Digital Real Estate Marketing; and Richard Bell, lawyer.

details required to purchase a home. The purpose of the Homebuyers’ Road Map is to empower consumers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to make responsible financial decisions about one of the largest purchases they will ever make,” says Gary Simonsen, CREA’s CEO. Launched to coincide with Financial Literacy Month, the map is a guide that will help Canadians better understand the home buying process as well as appreciate the importance of negotiating with lenders and researching government programs, says CREA.

John Tory addresses National Housing Day.

AREAA forms Vancouver chapter The Asian Real Estate Association of America Above: Launching The Homebuyer’s Roadmap, from left: Pauline Aunger, CREA director-at-large; Ursula Menke, FCAC commissioner; Gary Simonsen, CREA CEO; Shelly Glover, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Finance; and Ansel Clarke, president of the Ottawa Real Estate Board.

Announcement

Left: The Real Estate Board of Fredericton presents the cheque. From (back) left: Realtors and committee members Mary Cudmore, Brad Thomas and Marianne Glover (chair) with (front) EO Edie Whitman; Community Kitchen board members Jan Lockhart and Tim Sharpe.

Franchise Development Consultant RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada Inc.

Gurinder Sandhu, Executive Vice President, Regional Director, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Nancy Sears to the position of Franchise Development Consultant. Ms. Sears brings with her over 27 years of experience in the real estate industry, currently holding both a sales and brokers license. Prior to joining RE/MAX, Ms. Sears was a Business Consultant for Prudential Real Estate Affiliates (Canada) in Toronto, responsible for supporting broker/owners with their business objectives as well as mergers and acquisitions. In her new role, Ms. Sears will be assisting brokers with business development and growth strategies. RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada is the first – and foremost – asset of Toronto based Integra Enterprises Corporation, the largest real estate sub-franchisor in the world whose franchisees operate with more than 27,000 sales associates operating out of 2,300 offices in 35 countries. RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada opened its doors in 1980 and has since grown to more than 9,300 sales associates in close to 400 offices throughout Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dietmar Sommerfeld

The Association of Regina Realtors’ EO Gord Archibald joins the North Central Family Centre’s executive director Sandy Wankel and friends in front of a van purchased with $9,225 raised at the 2012 ARR Annual Golf Tournament, and another $5,000 from the ARR. Wankel says they’re always on the go at the centre and that the van will help kids and youth take part in sports, camping trips and more. The ARR also provided an additional $15,000 gift for the improvement of the courtyard at NCFC, in celebration of ARR’s 100th anniversary earlier in the year.

REM JANUARY 2013 27

(AREAA) has formed a chapter in Vancouver. Founded in 2003, AREAA is an international professional trade organization dedicated to promoting sustainable homeownership opportunities in Asian North American communities, by creating an international voice for the housing and real estate professionals that serve the market. Tina Mak of Coldwell Banker Westburn Realty, the newly elected president for AREAA Vancouver says, “This new chapter of AREAA acknowledges the importance of the Asian community in Canada and especially Vancouver. AREAA, which already has a strong presence in the United States, will help real estate professionals in Canada better serve this growing market.” The Board of Directors for AREAA Vancouver comes from a diverse background in real estate and related industries and includes Realtors, a lawyer, an accountant and a marketing executive, all from several different ethnicities. AREAA’s membership represents a broad array of real estate, mortgage and housingrelated professionals that serve the diverse Asian market. The association serves 13,000 members in 39 states with 23 affiliate chapters and two chapters in Canada. AREAA says that during the next 20 years, Asian North Americans will be one of the fastest growing populations. Because most Asian North Americans are first generation, they face significant language,

cultural and knowledge barriers that have kept the homeownership rate relatively unchanged over the past 20 years. AREAA says it will initiate national and regional efforts to address these challenges. AREAS Vancouver is holding an event on Jan 31, with guests coming from Toronto and the United States. For more information, visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AREAA.Van couver?ref=hl.

KWAR elects new board A new board of directors has been elected to govern the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of Realtors (KWAR). Dietmar Sommerfeld, a broker with CBRE, has been appointed president. A Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), Sommerfeld has been active in the Technology Triangle real estate market for nearly 35 years. In 2002 KWAR recognized Sommerfeld’s contribution to the industry and community by awarding him the Claude E. Dubrick Realtor Merit Award. Sommerfeld has served as a director of the association since 2006, and has presided over KWAR’s Commercial Committee and served on a variety of committees and taskforces including Arbitration and Finance. From 2007-2010 he served as a director of the Ontario Commercial Council. For nine years he served on the

City of Waterloo’s Committee of Adjustments, and was a member of the Northdale Special Project Committee. He currently serves on the Board at the Lutherwood Foundation. Joining Sommerfeld as officers of the association are 1st vicepresident Lynn Bebenek of Team Realty K.W.; 2nd vice-president Mark Wolle of Royal LePage Wolle Realty; past-president Sara Hill of Re/Max Twin City Realty; and EO Bill Duce. Returning as directors are Chris Kotseff of CBRE, Brian Spall of Re/Max Twin City and Neil Strickler of Royal LePage Wolle Realty. Newly elected directors include Eric Klimstra of Royal LePage Grand Valley Realty, Darryl Watty of Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty and Charlotte Zawada of Re/Max Twin City Realty.

TREB hosts symposium on National Housing Day The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) recently hosted a symposium to recognize National Housing Day. The event, organized in conjunction with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., Habitat for Humanity Toronto and the City of Toronto, brought together government, businesses leaders and community organizations to learn about housing issues affecting the GTA, progress being achieved through home ownership initiatives and how to contribute to

housing solutions. John Tory, chair of Civic Action Alliance, delivered a keynote address on the event’s theme Working Together. Tory spoke about the importance of collaboration between government, the private sector and non-profit organizations in achieving results with respect to affordable housing issues. Citing the success of the revitalization of Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood, Tory suggested that the need for housing is at the heart of many of the social issues faced in building a better GTA and a better nation. He said that creating affordable housing opportunities is preferable to outdated models such as large institutions, concentrated lowincome housing, and government owned and operated housing. Hosted by TREB president Ann Hannah, the symposium also gave representatives of the event’s partner organizations the opportunity to share their perspectives on affordable housing. The event wrapped up with a cheque presentation to Sketch, a non-profit organization that creates opportunities for street involved and homeless people ages 15 to 29 to engage in the arts in the community and in a cross-discipline studio environment. TREB also contributes to a number of other shelter-related charities on an annual basis through the Realtors Care Foundation. Last year alone the board raised almost $400,000 for the foundation and

supported 35 local shelter-based charities, including Habitat for Humanity Toronto.

NSAR chooses Feed Nova Scotia as charity of choice The Nova Scotia Association of Realtors’ Annual Holiday Open House challenged its members to help fill a truck with food for local food banks for the holidays. The number of Nova Scotians relying on food banks has increased almost five per cent over the past year, with thousands needing assistance each month. This need is only enhanced during the holiday season and throughout the winter months. Last summer, NSAR raised over $17,000 for Feed Nova Scotia through the Realtors Miles for Meals campaign – a province-wide effort to raise funds and awareness for its 2012 and 2013 Charity of Choice.

Fredericton board donates $17,000 to food bank The Real Estate Board of Fredericton donated $17,000 to the Fredericton Community Kitchen from funds raised at its recent Harvest of Hope Bowl-athon. Together with the help of many local businesses that sponsored lanes or entered teams, as well as corporate partners Re/Max Group Four and Jack Youssef Law Office, Realtors and their family and friends made the fundraiser a success. REM

A Guided Growth Strategy for Brokerages to Expand in 2013 is the leader in performance ranking for residential real estate brokerages in Canada and is home to the most productive agents. RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada has partnered with Steve Murray, an international industry expert and President of Real Trends Inc; in the development of an exclusive program for RE/MAX Broker/Owners. This comprehensive year long program focuses on mergers and acquisitions. Ontario and the Atlantic Provinces.

Gurinder Sandhu

Executive Vice President, Regional Director RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada Inc.

Steve Murray President of

28 REM JANUARY 2013

What’s

Carson Dunlop launches specialty services

Royal LePage Benchmark acquires Prudential Toole Peet Real Estate Corinne Lyall

Tim Crough

George Heos, Senior Vice President, Network Development is pleased to announce that Royal LePage Benchmark has acquired Prudential Toole Peet Real Estate in Calgary, Alberta, effective Nov. 15.

Calgary, Alberta

New

With this acquisition, Corinne grows her sales team to 110 agents, in two offices serving Calgary, Bragg Creek, Cochrane, Sundre, Airdrie, Okotoks, Dewinton, Langdon, and Priddis.

CE Network course achieves international certification

Corinne and her team can be reached at: Broker Tim Crough and his team at Prudential Toole Peet Real Estate look forward to new opportunities within the Royal LePage network, a company with values and a culture that Tim respects. Corinne Lyall is a co-owner of Royal LePage Benchmark with her mother, Jan Lyall. Royal LePage Benchmark, formerly a Realty World office, has served the Calgary real estate market for over 30 years. Corinne, currently a Director of the Calgary Real Estate Board, has served on numerous industry boards and committees throughout her 16 year career.

110-7220 Fisher Street Calgary, Alberta T2H 2H8 Phone: 403-253-1901 Fax: 403-259-5580 clyall@royallepage.ca

27 Balsam Avenue, Unit 6 Bragg Creek, Alberta T0L 0K0 P.O. Box 658 Phone: 403-949-3400 Fax: 403-949-3402

Please join us in congratulating Corinne and her newly-expanded sales force and wishing the entire Royal LePage Benchmark team continued success. For information on the Royal LePage franchise program, please call: Tel (416) 510-5827 or email: franchise@royallepage.ca †

†Royal LePage is a trademark used under license.

Fraser MacDonald

Toronto, Ontario

George Heos, Senior Vice President of Network Development, is pleased to announce that Neil Warshafsky and Fraser MacDonald, co-owners of RE/MAX Commercial Advisors Inc., Brokerage, have joined Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., effective Dec. 20, 2012. The company owned Royal LePage brokerage is now operating with 16 offices in the greater Toronto and Oakville areas.

“We are pleased to have such an exceptional team of commercial practitioners join and expand our brokerage’s commercial division and the national Royal LePage commercial program,” says Cameron Forbes, Associate Vice President, Brokerage Operations, and Director Commercial Division/Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd.

Neil Warshafsky has a wealth of experience in various aspects of the real estate industry. At one time, he was in Asset Management with Royal LePage. He earned his REALTOR® in 1980, and received his broker’s license in 1996. Neil looks forward to joining Royal LePage and reaping the benefits of the company’s “great national presence and goodwill.”

Neil, Fraser and their team will remain at their location in the easily-accessible Allen Road and 401 crossroads of Toronto. They can be reached at:

Fraser MacDonald also has a long history in real estate and is currently in his 34th year in the industry. Fraser began his career at A.E. LePage, where he spent 25 years, and is pleased to be returning to the brand. Neil and Fraser and their commercial sales representatives comprise a team of 17 new Royal LePage members.

302 Bridgeland Avenue, Suite 100 Toronto, Ontario M6A 1Z4 Phone (416) 907-8228 • Fax (416) 907-8227 nhw@royallepage.ca fmacdonald@royallepage.ca Please join us in congratulating Neil and Fraser, and wishing everyone at Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. continued success. For information on the Royal LePage franchise program, please call (416) 510-5827 or email franchise@royallepage.ca †

†Royal LePage is a trademark used under license.

CE Network recently earned distance education certification from The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) for its Canadian course entitled Recreational Properties and the Real Estate Registrant: An Overview. CE Network is currently the only Canadian-based continuing education provider to have achieved this “best practice” distance education certification, the company

Carson Dunlop, a home inspection firm based in Toronto, recently announced the launch of a Specialty Services program. The company has partnered with several qualified companies to provide services to its clients that fall outside the scope of a home inspection. Carson Dunlop consultants will manage the booking, co-ordination and payments of these services. The program is launching with services including asbestos assessments, sewer camera inspections, indoor air quality assessments, termite inspections, mould inspections, thermal imaging, pool inspections and wood energy technology transfer (WETT) inspections. “The service organizations we’ve partnered with build upon our core values and standards of quality, professionalism and experi-

“The ability to provide access to a wide spectrum of services with a single phone call has been highly requested and is a real value-add to our clients and real estate partners.”

Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. acquires ReMax Commercial Advisors Inc. Neil Warshafsky

the interface is helpful and that appropriate policies and measures are in place to protect learner privacy and effort, the company says.

says. Accreditation was earned using CE Network’s new mobile, multi-platform course architecture. The company says it will re-launch its Canadian online courses using this format in 2013. Toronto-based CE Network president Callum James says: “Over the last eight years, we have earned ARELLO certification for our American courses and voluntarily adhered to these standards for our Canadian courses, but this is the first time we have submitted a course specifically for a Canadian jurisdiction first. We thought it only fitting that we use our new mobile, multi-platform design to blaze a trail for all Canada real estate educators.” ARELLO certification assures learners that content is well-organized, assessment questions are fair,

ence,” says Alan Carson, president of Carson Dunlop. “The ability to provide access to a wide spectrum of services with a single phone call has been highly requested and is a real value-add to our clients and real estate partners.” For information: www.carsondunlop.com/homeinspection/home-inspection-products/specialty-services/

Website helps find lowest rates By using www.LowestRates.ca to search for mortgage, insurance and credit card offers, Canadians can save themselves thousands of dollars in just minutes, says the website creator. The site allows consumers to compare offers from financial insti-

tutions and aims to supply consumers with the necessary tools and unbiased information to find the lowest rates anywhere. Co-founder and CEO Justin Thouin says: “The days of simply going to your bank or insurance company and accepting whatever rate they offer are – I’m happy to say – on the way out the door,” says Thouin. Over time, the website will evolve into an online location where Canadians can compare offers across multiple product categories, not just personal finance, the company says. The site’s launch focuses on comparing mortgage, insurance and credit card offers, because these products make up a large portion of Canadians’ spending and even small interest rate savings can result in a lot more money in consumers’ pockets. “On a $200,000 mortgage loan consumers can save $10,000 in interest costs over five years by lowering their interest rate by just one per cent,” says Thouin.

New ownership for PRA Professional Real Estate Assistant Training The ongoing operations of PRA Professional Real Estate Assistant Training have been taken over by SMART-ER Education For Results, a Port Credit, Ont. company that also owns programs such as The ASA Seniors Real Estate program and SMART-ER Negotiation for Realtors. Dione Rimmer is president and owner. Chris Newell, a long-time instructor of the courses and president of The Accredited Senior Agent, is CEO of the company. Rimmer says that the PRA Professional Real Estate Assistant Training courses are already being rolled out in Vancouver, Victoria, Ottawa and Mississauga, Ont. with negotiations underway in several other areas across Canada and the U.S.A. PRA Training was launched in 2009 after two years of research and working with regulators across Canada to make sure that requirements were being met in the area of training unlicensed assistants. For information: http://PRA Training.com 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.

30 REM JANUARY 2013

Exit Realty Maggie Tessier, broker and franchisee of Exit Realty Matrix in Orleans, Ont. has been named Exit’s No. 1 one agent in Canada for gross commissions earned, ends sold, listings taken and sponsoring. She also achieved the Million Dollar Circle Designation. “Maggie’s professionalism and caring attitude has become her hallmark. She is a mega–top-producing agent who still makes the time to help and inspire everyone around her,” says Joyce Paron, Exit’s Canadian president. Rob Moore, sales associate with Exit Realty on the Rock in Newfoundland and Labrador has been named Canadian Rookie of the Year. “Rob brought a ‘can-do’ attitude with him to Exit and backed it up with hard work remi-

niscent of years gone by. He is living proof that this is one of the finest careers that anyone can have, where the income has no ceiling and you can grow into the person you want to become,” says Paron. Other winners are Gilles Gratton of Exit Realty Premier, named Ontario Rookie of the Year; Jill Hann of Exit Realty Citadel, who is the Nova Scotia Rookie of the Year; Brent Ryan of Exit Realty Associates, the New Brunswick Rookie of the Year; and Igor Riabchyk of Exit Realty Fusion, the Saskatchewan Rookie of the Year.

Bill Jenkins Bill Jenkins, broker/owner of Re/Max York Group Realty, was

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recently named 2012 Aurora (Ont.) Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year. “Bill is a highly respected entrepreneur who is celebrating 30 years as a business leader in Aurora. He not only survived the recent economic recession but thrived as people still had to buy homes and want to work with someone known for great integrity, commitment to excellence and strong ethical behaviour,” says the Aurora Chamber of Commerce in a congratulatory note. Jenkins also celebrated another milestone in 2012 – 30 years with the Re/Max franchise. He began his real estate career at the age of 23, when he joined Family Trust in Aurora in 1975. He opened Re/Max York Group in 1982 in St. Andrews Village and moved to Yonge Street in 1985 following the renovation and an addition to the circa 1860 home known as Pearson-Sprague House. The office currently has 45 agents. Jenkins says he is thankful for the agents who have worked and helped build a strong and dynamic office. “We have been blessed with some of the best in the business. They are enthusiastic community supporters who operate in a posi-

tive and energetic way and provide remarkable results for our company and the community,” he says. Jenkins, who has lived in Aurora for almost 40 years, says he has seen many changes in the real estate industry. The Internet and social media are great, he says, but he encourages his agents to get out of the office and away from the computer. “They need to get belly to belly with people. If you think real estate is about selling houses, you are in the wrong business. It is about people,” says Jenkins. He encourages his agents to get involved with the community. Those agents who go out and shake hands and volunteer grow faster than those who only sit at their computers, he says. Jenkins has worked with numerous charities, including the Children’s Miracle Network and Habitat for Humanity, as well as youth sports groups. He is an active, working and available broker/owner, who ensures he is available by phone and is in the office every day. He also still sells, working with his wife of 28 years, Brenda. A Realtor of 17 years, Brenda handles the bulk of their sales while Jenkins looks after the agents in his office. “The competition uses that

against us, saying that agents (in our office) have to compete with the broker, but I have my own friends and (clients). A non-selling manager who hasn’t been active for years doesn’t know how to handle the intricacies (of a sale),” he says.

Wayne Campbell Wayne Campbell, broker at Sutton Group - Select Realty in Ingersoll, Ont. recently received the Ingersoll Citizen of the Year 2012 award. A Realtor since 1978, Campbell has volunteered many hours with professional and charitable associations. He served as president of the Ingersoll Chamber of Commerce and is a long-time member and former president of the Woodstock-Ingersoll District Real Estate Board. Over the years, he also assisted various service clubs with fundraising projects. Seventeen years ago, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and survived. As a thank-you to the medical system that saved his life and to assist other cancer victims, Campbell has dedicated significant time to raising money and awareness for the Canadian Cancer Society. In 2003, he was invited to

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REM JANUARY 2013 31

co-chair Ingersoll’s first Relay for Life event. By June 2012, the Ingersoll Relay for Life had raised over $1 million. In his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony, Campbell spoke about the need for individuals to get involved in their communities to make them vibrant and welcoming.

Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board Recognized for giving back to her community, Maureen Ruscheinsky of Sutton Group Lakefront Realty in Vernon, B.C. is the 2012 recipient of the Realtors Care Award for the North Okanagan Zone of the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board (OMREB). For many years she has been an active member and major supporter of the Powerhouse Theatre, serving as director at large, head properties manager for the production team and stage actor for various productions. She has participated in the Re/Max Children’s Miracle Network bike-a-thon for three years, putting in numerous hours of training to complete the rigorous, multiple-day ride. Sutton Spirit fundraising activities hosted by her office to support various community organizations have also benefitted from her volunteer efforts. Over the years, she has also been active in bringing awareness to Turner Syndrome. Also recognized for making significant contributions to his North Okanagan community is award nominee Shane McMorran of Re/Max Vernon, who has devoted more than 20 years of his time and energy to volunteering for and supporting various community social services and community development activities dedicated to improving the lives of families and youth in the area. Joe Pearson of Re/Max Vernon was also nominated for his community involvement, particularly the many years he has chaired and served on local economic development and advisory planning committees. He is also acknowledged for his long-time commitment to organized real estate, serving at the board and provincial levels to further professional standards and education for the industry, and advocating for real estate matters that affect the quality of life for B.C. residents.

Charlotte Hutchinson of Re/Max at Mara Lake in Sicamous is the recipient of the Realtors Care Award for the Shuswap Zone of OMREB. Hutchinson is involved in a number of organizations including serving as a town councillor for the District of Sicamous, board member and chair for Community Futures Shuswap, past chair of the Sicamous and District Chamber of Commerce, and a director for Eagle Valley Seniors Housing. She has spent 10 years on the board of the Shuswap Emergency Program, and a decade with Board of Directors for the local curling club board. Hutchinson also finds time to volunteer with the local food bank and Girl Guides and to assist with the Low Income Tax Program (helping to complete tax returns for low-income residents). Tied for second place were Raymond Cretelli of Re/Max Revelstoke Realty and Brendan Ginter of Royal LePage Revelstoke. An active fundraiser, Cretelli’s ongoing efforts have been instrumental in achieving the goals of many local projects for various charities. Ginter is a volunteer

with the local food bank and devotes much of his time to search and rescue initiatives. Recognized for his long-time volunteer efforts, Jeff Stacer of Re/Max Shuswap has played an integral part in the success of many local fundraisers and continues to support and sponsor numerous non-profit organizations in the Salmon Arm area. Tara Gallant of Royal LePage Access Real Estate in Salmon Arm was also nominated for her work for seniors in need and donating to the women’s shelter and food bank. The award recipients in the Central Okanagan Zone are Annette Lipkovits of Century 21 Assurance Realty, Kelowna and Dino Gini of Realty Executives of the Okanagan, Kelowna. Lipkovits is recognized for donating her time to many volunteer and fundraising efforts, especially the local chapter’s Easter Seals campaigns. She is also a driving force behind the 24-hour Relay. She supports The Umbrella Foundation, an organization committed to assisting displaced children in Nepal with their studies and after-school activities, and

keeping them off the streets so they can have the childhood they deserve. Last year, Lipkovits and her daughter Kelsey spent three months volunteering in two Umbrella homes, and she returned again this year with her husband for another extended stay. Locally, she hosts an annual Umbrella Golf Classic fundraiser and is planning a charity New Year’s celebration this year. This is the second time in five years that Gini has received a Realtors Care Award for his commitment to supporting community sports in Kelowna. Recognized for mentoring young athletes and his significant role in financially supporting many sports teams and leagues in the Okanagan, he devoted 15 to 20 hours per week towards the development of up and coming athletes, as well as raising funds through his successful Adopt an Athlete program.

Royal LePage Shelter Foundation The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation has been awarded a 2012 Communitas Award of Excellence from the Association of

Marketing and Communications Professionals. The award recognizes exceptional businesses, organizations and individuals for excellence in community service and corporate responsibility. The Shelter Foundation was singled out for its signature event, the National Garage Sale for Shelter. Launched in 2009, the event is held annually on the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend at hundreds of Royal LePage offices across the country. In four years, the event has raised $1.2 million thanks to the volunteer efforts of Royal LePage brokers, agents and staff and has become the largest one-day charity garage sale in the country. Because Royal LePage Canada covers the Shelter Foundation’s administrative costs, 100 per cent of all funds raised support women’s shelters in every province, helping provide a safe haven and new beginnings to more than 30,000 women and children each year. Royal LePage is the only Canadian recipient of this international award in 2012 and one of 49 Communitas Excellence winners.

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32 REM JANUARY 2013

Good Works S

utton Group - Select Realty in London, Ont. reached new milestones this year with its 20th-annual charity golf tournament. The tournament has raised more than $100,000 for a variety of charitable organizations in the community. The proceeds of the 2012 event were dedicated to the Alzheimer Society London and Middlesex, Mission Services of London and the Women’s Community House. The Golf Committee, chaired by Jim Smith and Bruce Sworik, broker of record, spent six months planning the event. Fundraising was accomplished through auctions, raffle tickets and the generosity of corporate sponsors. This year the tournament raised $8,824. ■ ■ ■

Recently Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty’s Real Estate Consumer Centre was visited by approximately 1,000 guests who donated more than 400 toys for the Waterloo Knights of Columbus New Toys for Needy Kids Toy Drive. Along with enjoying face painting, pony rides, pictures with Santa and refreshments, clients who attended the annual “Trees for Toys” event picked up a gift of a tree or wreath and then gave back to the community by dropping off a new, unwrapped toy. “Even after enjoying this successful event for five years, I am still overwhelmed by the generosity of our clients,” says Peter Benninger, president and broker of record at Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty.

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Once again, the fire department attended with several educational tools including two items donated by the brokerage: a 38foot fire safety house and a fire safety education van retrofitted with high-tech teaching equipment that was donated this fall. ■ ■ ■

Royal LePage Saskatoon Real Estate was the title sponsor of the 11th Annual Interval House Funspiel. More than 60 participants enjoyed experimenting with rules such as “change your team member” and “throw with your non-dominant hand.” The modified curling event raised $7,600 to fund violence intervention programs for children staying at Saskatoon’s Interval House shelter. ■ ■ ■

Anne Squires, franchisee of Exit Realty on the Rock in St. John’s, Nfld. has launched Exit Cares for Critters, a campaign to raise $100,000 for the Happy Valley-Goose Bay Labrador Animal Shelter. “Anne and her agents across Newfoundland and Labrador are all heart,” says Joyce Paron, presi-

dent of Exit Realty in Canada. “Whenever there is a need they find the means and ways to rise to the occasion and bring hope.” The shelter has plans for a new building and hopes to start construction this spring. ■ ■ ■

An exciting and glamorous evening of Casino Royale themed entertainment was enjoyed by 270 guests at the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation’s annual gala in Toronto. The event featured a powerful speech by Janice, a young woman who witnessed domestic violence in her childhood home and later found herself in an abusive relationship. In response to hearing Janice’s story, attendees generously opened their wallets and raised $80,000 in support of the Shelter Foundation through casino-style games, silent and live auctions and a unique “Heads or Tails” game of chance. ■ ■ ■

John Lusink, broker of record at Royal LePage York North Realty, is a trustee at the Awesome Foundation Chapter within Newmarket (Ont.) Chamber of

Commerce. The Awesome Foundation is a community-based movement spreading throughout North America and Europe. Unlike other community improvement organizations, is not an official foundation or a registered charity. “Traditional foundations face huge costs as a matter of their legal structures and overheads, and it does not really work for them to offer many grants below a certain amount. We saw this empty space in the grant market where all sorts of innovations were happening on a small scale but had difficulty materializing,” says Tim Hwang, Awesome Foundation founder. The November winner of a $1,000 micro-grant from the Newmarket chapter went to Troy Mitchell, who launched a project to help children purchase and present cycling helmets to kids who need them, as well as to teach and promote cycling safety for kids. A previous grant went to an opera that was written, directed and performed by grade-school children. It is the goal of the group to award grants that will make a difference to Newmarket youth in the areas of education, employment and/or the community. REM Royal LePage Saskatoon broker/owner Daryl Miller with his wife Cathy Miller and their sons Matt and Scott Miller at the 11th Annual Interval House Funspiel.

Bruce Sworik, broker of record, and Nancy McCann (right), sales rep at Sutton Group - Select Realty, present a cheque to Pamela Coray of the Women’s Community House.

Royal LePage Shelter Foundation executive director Shanan SpencerBrown poses with Nick Panarese of Royal LePage Real Estate Services and Royal LePage CEO Phil Soper at the Shelter Soiree – Casino Royale in Toronto.

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Sales reps Tracey Appleton and Dave Tidd are joined by Peter Benninger (centre), at Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty’s annual Trees for Toys customer appreciation event and toy drive.

Anne Squires

Professional Registry S P ONS ORED BY: Barbara Bell-Olsen

Peter Burton

Maya Garg A.S.A ®, A.S.P ®

Ken Glauser

Managing Broker IN British Columbia

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34 REM JANUARY 2013

THE PUBLISHER’S PAGE

By Heino Molls

MARKETPLACE

don’t think it is as easy to get into real estate as the critics suggest. I am writing to those who have been through the process so I need not spell out the number, length and study time needed for all the courses or the amount of time that is needed just to attend them. Once a license is acquired, succeeding in the real estate business takes much more than showing up for work and sitting at a desk. Real estate is a lifestyle commitment to a purpose and to people. This business requires extraordinary flexibility. It demands a zenith combination of social and business skill to simply survive. Beyond these skills, the cost to just get set up can be formidable. It is not a minor financial commitment. The cost of just the basics can be overwhelming to those who don’t have capital. A reasonably good car including the license, insurance and mechanics to operate it is a necessity. So is a computer. The Internet connections and the necessary software are not cheap even if you are rich but they are absolutely beyond reach if you are poor. Yet you must

Working poor in real estate have these things and more, like a small office workspace, even the cheapest possible, such as a cubby in a rented apartment. It’s a huge amount of money for those who are poor. That just scratches the surface of what a good professional real estate agent needs to work. While all that might be reasonable to those who have money, for a working stiff making minimum wage, even if they are smart enough to be in the top 10 per cent of this business, it is almost impossible if they don’t have the money to start out. Once a real estate agent has somehow found and spent all the money to get started, they must spend months trying to find their first transaction, which could take a year. I would like to know how anyone can feed themselves, let alone a family, and cover their rent and expenses for up to a year without any pay. Some manage it through the benevolence of friends and family. Some new agents have a benefactor to foot the entire bill for all their expenses as they begin their career. But what about those who are not that lucky? It is a lot easier to begin any new challenge from a position of strength. If you can begin your real estate career without the worry of feeding your family and paying the rent and trying to get a loan for a car, not to mention all the other expenses that have to be

paid without an income, then you are starting from a position of strength and a good base. You can do well in this business if you begin without constant worry. The great shame is that there may be a lot of good people who could do really well but do not have the chance to work from that strength. I think many people with great ability fail in this business because they did not have a good chance when they were starting out. How can anyone concentrate on simply doing a good job, let alone build a career in anything when they constantly have the worries of bills that must be paid? A lot of folks starting out have to work other jobs, but since many of them are part-time they end up sacrificing their real estate jobs just because they couldn’t make ends meet. I often hear about how 20 per cent of the people in any business get 80 per cent of the money. I don’t know how true that really is but I suspect if some of that were true of this business, there may be a lot of working poor in the ranks of real estate agents. I am always thrilled to hear success stories of folks who do well and get rich through hard work and perseverance. Those people should be congratulated and celebrated. I admire them very much. But I often wonder, what if some real estate agents just don’t get the chance to work hard?

Trade Shows and Conferences For complete listings, visit www.remonline.com To add a listing to this calendar, email jim@remonline.com CREB Forecast Conference & Tradeshow Wednesday, Jan. 16 Telus Convention Centre, Calgary Dawn van der Helm – dawn.vanderhelm@creb.ca Banff Western Connection Jan. 24 – 26 Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Banff, Alta. www.banffwesternconnection.com

Compiled with the assistance of Bob Campbell at Colour Tech Marketing, www.colourtech.com What if circumstances of simply being poor prevent a potentially good agent from going out and doing their best? I worry that there are a lot of working poor

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who don’t get a fair shot in this business. Heino Molls is publisher of REM. Email heino@remonline.com. REM

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