January 2019

Issue #355

January 2019

Fort McMurray’s

Julio Florez “His positive attitude is contagious.”

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Page 8

Why you need a business plan for 2019 Page 3

Michael Bourque’s 3 priorities for CREA Page 6

Buying a house sight unseen Page 12

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3 REM JANUARY 2019

Why you need a business plan for 2019

Starting the new year off with a fresh business plan may give you a head start over the competition. By Toby Welch reflect on the current market and where it is going and how it will affect your business.

Adjust as needed. Set business and personal goals with rewards. Set short and longterm goals (one, three, five and 10-year). Have a marketing plan and budget. Always monitor and track what you do for effectiveness, cost and your time.”

C

Christine Cowern

Diane Allingham and Jennifer Stewart

hristine Cowern, a salesperson with Keller Williams Referred Urban Realty in Toronto, puts her team’s business plan together at the end of every year for the following year. She then re-visits it every quarter to adjust as needed and make sure that they’re on track.

of your quarterly plan is to drive your annual plan and your longterm strategy forward. I keep updating and re-adjusting the quarterly plans as I move ahead in the year. Life is not straight lined. So much is happening and changing all the time that you have to constantly review your goals weekly, if not daily.”

“It’s much more difficult to manage and grow your business without a business plan. If you’re serious about what you do, a business plan is crucial.

Not only does it provide greater clarity on different aspects of your business, but it also sets actionable goals and strategies for growth, essentially creating a roadmap for success.”

When constructing a plan, be as detailed as possible. That not only allows you to determine what steps to take to reach your goals, it keeps you focused on results. For example, planning to contact 10 past clients every week is more actionable than planning to spend time each month reaching out to past clients.

Ron Sally, a broker at Re/ Max Millennium Real Estate in Woodbridge, Ont., has a business plan on steroids. “I don’t create just a business plan anymore. What I create is an annual life plan that has a combination of both personal goals (such as physical, travel, educational, spiritual) and business goals (production, recruitment, training, income).”

Diane Allingham and Jennifer Stewart, brokers with Royal LePage Team Realty in Ottawa, have been updating and redoing their business plan annually since they became partners 10 years ago.

Sally says, “I normally create a full plan in the beginning of the year of everything I want to achieve or do. I then split all of them up quarterly. The purpose

“We have found a business plan to be vitally important to the growth of our business. It allows us to take stock of what has been and to focus on where we want to go. If nothing else, it facilitates accountability at the end of the year. For us, the goals are important and reviewing at year-end gives

us a sense of satisfaction and pride. As lead agents for a team, planning some aspects together really helps to draw everyone together as a more cohesive unit.”

An effective business plan evolves. Keep revising it and adding to it as your career changes. Consider getting input from your broker or someone else you trust for suggestions on making your plan even stronger.

What do real estate business plans cover? Cowern’s plan includes gross commission and sales volume goals, listing and buyer appointment goals, target markets, marketing initiatives, content creation goals and expense targets. Allingham and Stewart cover sales projections, revenue, expenses, where they want their business to come

Wildenmann’s business plan includes his expectations for the coming year for new client acquisition and repeat client retention, marketing, advertising and branding, and an associated budget to keep him on track. He also has a section for analyzing the different markets and neighbourhoods in which he works, as well as what his competitors are up to. “I think a Realtor’s business plan is very personal and can contain anything you need to keep you focused and on target.”

If the thought of crafting a business plan seems daunting, start small. Determine what your main goal is for the year. Then pin down three or four main actions you need to accomplish

Glenn Wildenmann, a broker with M Real Estate in Montreal, considers his business plan a living document.

“My business plan is my road map, so a lot of activities/ objectives roll over from year to year. I do look at it with fresh eyes about twice a year, once after my busy winter season is coming to a close and again towards the end of fall as I prepare for the year to come.”

Lynne Faucon, broker manager for Coldwell Banker First Ottawa Realty in Ottawa, says, “A good business plan will focus on your personal and professional goals balanced against the reality of your local market conditions. Begin with where you want to have your business be at the end of the year. Start your planning with the end in mind. In preparation,

Ron Sally

Glenn Wildenmann

from, marketing, changes they want to make to their systems and overall growth strategy, plus any other areas they want to improve upon.

to reach that goal. Finally, determine the steps you need to take to reach those actions.

Sally includes income goals, recruitment goals, gross commission, appointments, transaction goals and sales volume. “There is so much available online through videos, articles and blogs that you can figure it out on your own if you put a little time into it,” he says.

Wildenmann says, “Preparation makes execution that much easier. A plan leads to consistency in all aspects of your work. It creates a discipline. When I started, I would have good months and bad months; it became a roller coaster. When I implemented a plan, it removed some of the unknown and made my goals easier to achieve.” REM

4 REM JANUARY 2019

Multiple Listings

By Jim Adair, REM Editor

Do you have news to share with Canada’s real estate community?

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

M

ary Anne Murphy, the first female president of the Durham Region Association of Realtors (DRAR), died on Nov. 2, at age 79, at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa.

She had a long real estate career with Royal LePage Frank Real Estate. She was also a retired principal and teacher with the Durham Region Catholic School Board.

“Mary Anne Murphy will always be known as an icon with 45 years as a role model for successful women in the real estate industry,” Dennis Roberts, president of DRAR, told DurhamRegion.com. “She shattered the glass ceiling before anyone knew there was a glass ceiling, becoming the first female president of the real estate association, then known as Durham Real Estate

Meredith Kennedy of Exit Realty Lakeshore in Port Hope, Ont. won the $25,000 grand prize at the Chairman’s Ball at the 2018 Exit Realty Corp.

International Convention in

Mary Anne Murphy

Bob Gray

Board, in 1980.”

Roberts said she continued to be a successful real estate agent into her retirement years.

“It was hard not to bump into Mary Anne — she was a very, very successful real estate lady,” he said.

She also “loved music and was a very accomplished pianist and played for many bands and orchestras. She took joy in bringing music to the community,” says her obituary. “Donations in memory of Mary Anne to SickKids Foundation or a local charity of choice are appreciated.”

National Harbor, Md. “Meredith was a top-producing Realtor with Exit when she purchased a franchise and opened her office in Port Hope this past summer,” says Joyce Paron, Exit’s Canadian Division president. “She is part of the Exit Realty Eastern Ontario Region, which is experiencing dynamic expansion.”

Kennedy was one of three grand prize winners and the only Canadian.

■ ■ ■

Bob Gray, who has spent the

Obviously, the bed and the bedroom were used either by the real estate agent or some visitors for a purpose that had nothing to do with marketing the house.

What should a Realtor do if she discovers evidence of an escapade like this in the bedroom, or the bathroom, or even the broom closet?

And how should a lawyer advise the client in this situation? My initial reaction was to suggest confronting the agent to find out what happened. If the agent knew about

past 30+ years working in the medical products industry servicing the private physician clinic market in the Vancouver area, recently joined Royal LePage Westside as a sales rep. He plans to market his real estate services to a loyal clientele of physicians and their auxiliary staff.

Gray says he joined the brokerage because it is known for its indepth training of new salespeople and because managing broker Barbara Bell-Olsen and broker/ owner Michael Bertrand are well regarded industry veterans.

■ ■ ■

Darcy McLeod, a former president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV), along with Laurissa Code and the Nest Real Estate Group in Vancouver, have joined eXp Realty.

Code has been in the top five per cent in unit sales of the REBGV for the past seven years in a row. Both McLeod and Code achieved Re/Max Hall of Fame status, which recognizes more than $1 million in gross commissions with the company.

REM

Meredith Kennedy and Steve Morris, Exit founder and chairman

By Bob Aaron

W

■ ■ ■

■ ■ ■

Sex at the open house hat happens if a sales rep finds out that some visitors were having sex during an open house? Or worse, what happens if the sales rep is personally involved in some hanky panky during an open house?

Real estate lawyers get asked all kinds of oddball questions. One of my colleagues asked me recently how to respond to his client’s query.

She returned home after an open house only to find the neatly made bed in her daughter’s bedroom in complete disarray.

Randy Dyck, a top producer and primary agent for the eXimus Real Estate Team in the Fraser Valley, B.C. recently joined eXp Realty. Dyck and his team have been top sellers in the Abbotsford, Langley and Fraser Valley real estate market since 1992. Dyck is a multi-year FVREB Medallion Club President’s Award winner.

With Re/Max, he was named the second-highest producer in Western Canada, and #6 in production across all of Canada.

“We have a shared vision for the real estate landscape within the Fraser Valley region, and our new partnership enables us to create stronger relationships with local homeowners through improved access to innovative resources,” says Dyck.

the incident – or was a participant in it – it might be time to get a new agent and consider a complaint to the brokerage or the provincial industry regulator.

If the agent did not know, it might be a good time to investigate how the event could have taken place and take steps to prevent a recurrence.

To my surprise, I discovered that the internet is full of apparently real stories of people having sex at open houses.

In March 2006, when the real

estate bubble was at its peak, GQ magazine ran a story entitled Does Real Estate Make You Horny? It reported on a trend called “house humping,” in which thrill-seeking couples secretively have sex in a closet or bathroom or other quiet corner of the house, without the agent or other potential buyers noticing.

But in his 2016 book The Cheerful Subversive’s Guide to Independent Film Making, author Dan Mirvish claims that the GQ story, whether it was fact-based or not, and the “trend” of house humping, were the fruit of a viral stealth campaign unleashed to promote a Weinstein Company real estate Continued on page 12

The eXimus team, from left: Randy Dyck, president; Jeremy Loewen, partner; and Jordan Spitters, partner.

Laurissa McLeod

Code

and

Darcy

6 REM JANUARY 2019

Michael Bourque’s 3 priorities for CREA On the job since the beginning of 2018, CREA CEO Michael Bourque says members want CREA to lead the changes in the industry, not resist them.

By Jim Adair

Cover photo: GREG HALINDA PHOTOGRAPHY

ate but if you talk to many of these guys, they don’t care about that.

They don’t know what their dues are. They just want us to do our jobs.”

His job, says Bourque, is to deal with the many changes happening in the industry. “My perception is that on any number of issues, they want us to lead the change. They don’t want to resist change,” he says.

“We have almost 129,000 members out there now and there are a variety of challenges in terms of new business models, new technologies and an immense amount of new capital coming into the industry. At the end of the day, the relevance of the Realtor is a constant and our job is to ensure it remains a constant and that we maintain this co-operative business model we have.”

He adds: “It starts with the Realtor. A listing goes on the MLS, and our job is to make sure that their listing through Realtor.ca is seen by as many people as possible, that all the information they need is there and that the inquiry for that listing goes back to that Realtor. That it isn’t intercepted and resold or repackaged to someone else.”

Bourque says that Realtor.ca is his No. 1 priority. Noting that many well-funded companies are setting up real estate advertising sites online, he says CREA can compete by partnering with other brands, such as Kijiji, via the CREA Data Distribution Facility.

He also points to a partnership with TD bank. When consumers use its affordability calculator, it

Michael Bourque

suggests three listings from Realtor.ca that are within the parameters of the price and neighbourhood entered by the user. “So, people might start their homebuyer journey by going to the bank, and then they are coming back to Realtor.ca and that lead is going to a Realtor as a qualified lead,” says Bourque.

“Over the next several months, we will bring in new partners.

Where we are lacking in capital ourselves, we’re bringing in partners that are well capitalized and big brands that have enormous

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public appeal. That adds a lot of value to the Realtor and leads the consumer back to Realtor.ca.”

Bourque’s No. 2 priority is advocacy. He has been involved in government relations since he began his career working on Parliament Hill during the Brian Mulroney years.

“There is one thing we do better than anyone else,” he says.

That’s the PAC Days that are held annually in Ottawa, when Realtors visit their MPs. Having Realtors in every riding in the country is a big advantage for the industry,

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Bourque says. “We do a very good job bringing Realtors together with MPs as a tactic,” he says.

“Where we need to do better is on the other 360 days of the year, making connections with other important decision makers – particularly in the bureaucracy. We need to advocate for homeowners – buyers and sellers – and not just be advocates for Realtors. It’s an important part of what we should be doing and gives us credibility.”

The No. 3 priority for Bourque is reputation. “The Realtor word was invented 120 years ago to differentiate shysters that were selling land with no title on street corners from professional property traders,” he says. “And 120 years later we are still working to differentiate a Realtor from somebody who is operating in an ethics vacuum outside the rules.”

Bourque says one of the most important things that members want from CREA is “to make sure we get rid of the bad apples, that we protect the reputation, that we set the bar higher. We have a number of initiatives underway to try and improve the reputation and it starts with having a strong Realtor Code that’s rooted in the brand and the trademark.

“Then, if somebody is not exhibiting the attributes of what we consider to be a Realtor, which is a professional who has integrity, who has expertise, who offers a high degree of customer service, then they won’t be able to be a Realtor. It doesn’t mean they won’t be a sales agent somewhere, but they won’t be wearing our brand.”

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M

ichael Bourque, CEO of the Canadian Real Estate Association, doesn’t like the term “organized real estate”. He says the staff at CREA’s Ottawa offices no longer use it, because they know he doesn’t like it.

“You’ve got organized labour and organized crime and I don’t want to be associated with either of them,” he says with a grin.

A former president and CEO of the Railway Association of Canada and VP of external relations for the Chemical Industry Association of Canada, Bourque says he considers himself an employee of the real estate industry. When he started the job at the beginning of 2018, a big issue was the Three-Way Agreement – the interaction between local boards, provincial associations and CREA – which led to a vote allowing boards to bypass their provincial associations and apply for direct membership in CREA. “I think people have been trying to change things, so we could react quicker and be more responsive to the marketplace, which is changing rapidly,” he says. “But I’m not interested in having an inward focus – I’m interested in how we can serve our members.”

Bourque’s brother Paul has been selling real estate for 38 years.

“He’s an absolute classic Realtor – a real people person, a big-hearted person who would do anything for you, like so many in this industry.

But he doesn’t know anything about the difference between CREA and OREA and the boards.

He has enough knowledge to oper-

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8 REM JANUARY 2019

Fort McMurray’s Julio Florez ‘a true treasure’

Awarded the first-ever A.E. LePage Realtor of the Year award, Florez is the first in line to volunteer for everything. Says broker Marian Barry, “His positive attitude is contagious.” By Susan Doran

F

ort McMurray, Alta.

Realtor Julio Florez has won so many awards, he has trouble keeping track of them.

Recently he hit the mother lode as the national winner of the first-ever A.E. LePage Realtor of the Year award, presented to him at Royal LePage’s national sales conference as homage to his productivity, community service, leadership and brand engagement.

A dedicated fund raiser for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation serving women and children who have experienced domestic violence, earlier in 2018 Florez was also named Realtor of the Year for the Prairie region. (As for his other various accolades past and present, when reminded

by REM that he’d won these, he replied, “I did?”)

Florez, who has an associate broker’s license, has been with Royal LePage True North Realty in the notorious oil boomtown of Fort McMurray for the entirety of his 14-year real estate career.

He’s participated as a director on the local board and provincial association and is well known in the community for his work with everything from charities and soup kitchens to sports teams, the arts, the hospital board, new immigrants and youth.

He’s happy to be considered an inspiration and his colleagues certainly seem to have no trouble singing his praises. Says one: “I’m not sure I have known anyone else who simply naturally attracts admiration from people. Julio is first in line to volunteer to do almost everything.”

On a charity fund-raising trek in Peru a few years back, even the contents of Florez’s pack turned out to be an indication of his character.

“I had one of the smallest

packs of anyone, but out of it I pulled things for everyone – water, Band-Aids, anything at all that was needed,” he says.

His carryall was pretty much a bottomless source of goodwill. His fellow travelers took to calling it the “magic pack.”

Florez’s broker, Marian Barry, says: “He’s a true treasure. His positive attitude is contagious.

Over the years I have received so many compliments on his willingness to help others.” She recalls that Florez was “a strength and a calm” for all during the record-breaking wildfire that ravaged Fort McMurray in 2016, resulting in the reported loss of about one-fifth of the municipality’s housing.

Barry continues: “On a personal note, Julio suffered an incredible loss with the death of his son two years ago. How he maintained his composure and good nature, I don’t know.”

Florez clearly is no stranger to hardship and heartache.

Originally from Bogota, Colombia, where he served with distinction on the national police force, he was appointed as a deputy district commander with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Cambodia.

“Terrible,” he recalls. “Ever since then I have realized the importance of helping others. There was no food to buy. I would see people spending hours beside a pond trying to catch a frog to eat.”

Even he wound up eating snake. He had been having it for lunch for quite awhile in fact, before someone explained to him that that’s what it was. “It tastes good,” he says, laughing.

He wound up in Canada over 20 years ago and was soon supervising an oil plant camp in Fort McMurray, the heart of

Julio Florez (Photo: Greg Halinda Photography)

Canadian oil production. Later he worked for the municipality as a network analyst. He credits his interest in finance and his love of learning with giving him the confidence to eventually jump into real estate and rise quickly through the ranks, to the point where he has often been among Royal LePage’s top salespeople provincially and nationally.

“I am a huge fan of this beautiful country,” Florez says, adding that to prove it, he has a Canadian flag painted on his left big toenail and is planning to get another one tattooed on his calf.

“Coming from Cambodia and Colombia, the tranquility, the sense of peace and safety we have here, is huge,” he says. “Most Canadians would think that living in Fort McMurray is not ideal, but it’s a great community.

We were hurt by the fire, but we continue to move forward.”

He recalls that the local Canadian Tire outlet was a trailer when he first arrived in town.

Now it’s “a beautiful store.” The local recreation/leisure centre is among the largest in the country, and the community has plenty to offer, he says.

When he was a new agent in 2005, the real estate market in Fort McMurray was crazy busy.

“There was huge demand.

Places were selling so fast,” he says. “Times have changed with oil prices coming down so much. The value of condos has come down 50 per cent since the peak prices of 2012 to 2014. Rental prices as well are down 50 per cent. And singlefamily homes are down about 20 to 25 per cent.”

It’s no skin off this optimist’s nose. “New rules come and go.

We find a way of adjusting.”

The Fort McMurray market is

unique, with a large proportion of residents sticking around for just a few years while working for the oil companies, some with housing programs provided. Florez has noticed that there tends to be a five to 10-year rotation.

“You have to identify this type of market and you must keep in contact because when they sell you want to be there,” he says. “I work a lot. I put in the time. It’s a job that requires proper followup and putting the customers’ interests above everything.”

Florez is impressed with the Canadian real estate system, believing it to be among the best organized in the world.

“We have to care for the industry, give back to it, get involved in organized real estate,” he says. “We have to co-operate with each other and think about what kind of profession we want to leave our children.” REM

10 REM JANUARY 2019

THE GUEST COLUMN

By Joe Richer

H

appy New Year! January isn’t everybody’s favourite month; most people associate it with cold weather, a lack of sunshine and larger-than-normal credit card bills. But January is also an excellent time to plan for the future and reflect upon the year that passed. As I mentioned in a previous column, the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) will be well-served by a Strategic Plan that will carry us into the next five years, so RECO’s future looks secure.

I’d like to take this opportunity to look back upon a year when we worked closely with the industry to protect consumers and raise the bar for professionalism.

Lockboxes and a major MCE review At last year’s town hall events, industry leaders told us there was strong support for making classroom instruction available for those who wish to complete their Mandatory Continuing Education requirements (MCE) that way (we also heard from many people who appreciate the convenience of eLearning), and we should introduce new ways to detect cheating by some registrants who may get other people to complete their MCE courses.

We listened, and we took action in 2018 by hiring an independent consultant and launching a formal review of the MCE program that asked all of our registrants to provide feedback. I look forward to sharing key findings of the MCE review with you in the near future and discussing next steps. We have work to do together.

In the midst of the formal review, RECO’s Education Department continued to improve the MCE program by introducing new elective courses with more assessments and knowledge

checks. They also worked diligently with their counterparts at Humber College and NIIT Canada to prepare for the launch of our new Registration Education program in mid-2019.

The MCE review wouldn’t have been possible without some honest and candid feedback from our registrants. Last year’s town halls generated so many thoughtful discussions on key issues that we knew we had to organize another tour, with this fall’s events going to Cambridge, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Orillia, Windsor, Ajax and Vaughan. We discussed possible reforms to the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 (REBBA), and the steps we’re taking to become a modern regulator and to work with the industry to raise the bar of professionalism.

Many local board members and brokers of record said they appreciate the work RECO does to oversee the real estate brokerage business because it builds public confidence in their profession. They understand the industry needs

rules, and they ask us to do everything we can to ensure those rules are clear and understandable. I see their point: drivers know that red and green lights are easier to interpret than a flashing yellow; we are working to provide greater clarity with plain language communications about the issues our registrants care about. A great example would be the Registrar’s Bulletin I issued in the spring regarding the use and misuse of lockboxes.

Most registrants understand their duties and responsibilities when it comes to lockboxes, but we saw the need for a clear message to help everyone better understand the importance of using them properly.

In most cases, lockbox rule violations can be chalked up to laziness, carelessness or simply bad judgment rather than any malicious intent but giving somebody free and unsupervised access to someone else’s home is a serious breach of trust and privacy.

We expect brokers of record to take a leadership role in ensuring

compliance with the REBBA and the Code of Ethics across their brokerage. One salesperson’s failure reflects on the brokerage and the profession as a whole; every registrant has a stake in doing it right.

It’s still too early to assess the impact of the bulletin, but local boards have applauded its release, and a number of them have told me it has prompted brokers of record provincewide to inform their employees that rule violations won’t be tolerated. I find that very encouraging.

Let’s build upon the momentum of 2018 by making 2019 the year we work together to raise the bar for professionalism. If we don’t do it together, who will?

Joseph Richer is registrar of the Real Estate Council of Ontario. He is in charge of the administration and enforcement of all rules that govern real estate professionals in Ontario.

You can find more tips at reco.on.ca, follow on Twitter @RECOhelps or on www.youtube.com/recohelps.

REM

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Listen, most real estate “trainers” and “coaches” are just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It looks different and shiny ‘n new. It’s still the Titanic. It’s still headed straight for the giant iceberg.

Most of them have adopted the word “system”, but what they offer is hype.

Frankly, I’m not the most exciting guy. I approached my real estate career more like a “systems engineer” than an excited, excitable salesman. Maybe my consistency and constancy is boring to some, but the most successful agents in many franchises, over 300 agents with 7-figure incomes, and thousands of agents transformed from years of struggle to success … all of them are using my system.

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implementation. Contrary to widely held belief, Henry Ford did not invent the horseless carriage or gasoline engine. He developed a functioning assembly line to make the damn things, and a dealerfranchise system to get them sold.

Two systems. Implementation, not invention. Steve Jobs didn’t invent computers, PC’s or phones. Credit his unique approach to retail and to “product launches” – two systems.

Fred deLuca at Subway did not invent cold cuts, the sub sandwich or franchising – but he brought a system to it second-to-none, and got crazyrich. “IT’S THE SYSTEM” is my rallying cry. I did NOT invent anything in my System. Much of it came from outside of real estate and was revolutionary in real estate, but each piece I put together already lived successfully elsewhere.

Here are the three mindsets you MUST have: 1) You have to be businesslike.

Most agents think and act like worker bees, buzzing about, flower to flower, idea to idea, fad to fad, made-in-minutes guru to guru.

They never create businesses. Just jobs. You have to think like a builder and developer, not a pirate. Or just a salesman. You have to think like a guy who owns 50 Subway shops or the whole company, not the guy who owns one, or the guy behind the counter making the sandwiches. If you do, what I’ll share with you will make sense to you.

2) You have to intend to get and stay RICH in this business. Most agents are content making a living, hanging around the office and drinking coffee like Norm hung

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around ‘Cheers’, forever making excuses to themselves and their families, forever waiting for the market to go back to its peak. If these agents do four, five, maybe ten deals in a year, they are good

3) You have to be able to focus and employ self-discipline, to stick with a winning plan once you get one. There’s no point in wasting your time or mine if you have the attention span of a ferret drinking

“I am building a family legacy and will do $7 Million in GCI in 2019.”

“When I joined Craig Proctor Coaching in 2010 I was in a very different circumstance. At that time, I was making $424k/year in GCI. I had a completely unique business model that I knew was neither sustainable nor could it be duplicated. It was a “one-off” and it was going to hit a dead-end.

“Through my research, I discovered the Craig Proctor System, and since then our growth has been phenomenal. Craig’s systems are proven in any market, and they work with first-time buyers, move-up buyers, down-sizers, new home sales and luxury sales. Craig’s systems are amazing and so in step with our changing world and rapid- and ever-changing economy.

“Joining Craig’s coaching system has literally changed my family’s lives. My adult children now work in the business in senior positions and we are building a family legacy that will continue to grow. In 2019 our goal is to reach $7 Million in GCI with 700 sales (we did $5.5 Million in 2018). Directly and indirectly we now employ nearly 75 families and have been able to donate over $250,000 to local causes.”

— Marnie Bennett, Ottawa, ON (Former #1 Keller Williams) to go for another year. This isn’t for those folks. This is for the agent with mid-6-figures to 7-figures on his or her mind AND determined to earn it without selling soul to soul-numbing activities like sitting on the Wish-Chair all afternoon at open houses, doing listing presentations for prospects also having 4 more agents “audition”, playing tour guide, pushing business cards on people at cocktail parties, even – ugh! – cold-calling FSBO’s and others.

You have to be fed up, worn out and frustrated with the way most good-income agents work and everything they trade away for their income AND ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO A BETTER WAY OF LIFE.

It’s said no team can start winning until they are absolutely disgusted and angry and fed up with losing. You can be making a good income in real estate and still be losing. I know that from firsthand experience I’ll share with you.

Starbucks, the self-control of Donald Trump, and the self-discipline of a puppy. Warren Buffet has not changed his investment selection system one iota in at least 20 years. Disney has gone through two CEO’s since Walt. Their system for successful storytelling has never changed or wavered. FROZEN was built on exactly the same premise and template as was Snow White. ADHERENCE TO SYSTEM makes you crazy-rich. Flitting about has you starting over, over and over and over again.

Okay, so, do you think you would value and could stick with a complete and ‘no stone unturned’, proven, up-to-date but not fad-ish, extremely productive system if you got one? If so, investigate, explore, learn. Attend one of my upcoming Free Discovery Days by registering at: www.AgentsMakingMillions.com during which we’ll share with you how to get crazy rich selling real estate even in the current market.

Go there now. This is serious.

12 REM JANUARY 2019

Buying a house sight unseen For those faced with this situation for the first time, here are some points to keep in mind. By Connie Adair

S

ome people will only buy a house if they get to walk through it several times.

But there are other purchasers who will buy a house sight unseen.

It’s not unusual, and it’s not new.

Broker Jerry Hammond of Hammond International Properties in North York, Ont., says his experience with people who buy sight unseen started in the early 1990s with foreign buyers.

In some cases, not only are the houses unseen, so are the clients.

A large percentage of Asian buyers buy this way, he says.

“Some buyers want to be discreet. They will have a family member or a representative visit the home and will buy it without seeing it for themselves.”

The purchase may be made by power of attorney, or someone else may buy on behalf of the buyer, sign the agreement and transfer the title later to an Ontario company, another person’s name or a holding company, says Hammond, who does about 10 sight unseen deals a year.

However, they’re only sight unseen from the standpoint of a personal visit. Hammond says his clients receive quality visuals, including floor plans, movies, descriptions, professional photographs, booklets of features and information about amenities, from shopping to schools.

“Pictures speak a thousand words,” says real estate agent Sam McDadi of Sam McDadi Real Estate in Mississauga, Ont., who uses lifestyle videos.

Whether the property is $400,000 or $4 million, real estate agent Eileen Lasswell of Chestnut Park Real Estate in Toronto has quality materials ready to send out at a moment’s notice.

The agents also agree that it’s important to have a local trusted family member or representative view the property in person. It’s not unusual for these people to use video conferencing while they tour the property. That way the representative can translate, and if the potential buyer has questions, they can be answered on the spot, Hammond says.

Having a trusted friend or family member look at the house also helps because even though the

potential buyer may like the way a house looks, they may not be familiar with the area and street.

“It gave my client some comfort that a local friend he relied on and trusted looked at the property first,” McDadi says.

But it’s not just foreign buyers who buy without seeing a home in person, says Lasswell, adding that people who buy sight unseen make up about 10 per cent of her business.

Buyers may be away on vacation, one of the principal decision makers may be away on business or parents may decide to buy a condo instead of paying rent for the four to six years their child would attend school. “They’re not going to fly in to see a condo,” Lasswell says. “There are many reasons people buy sight unseen.”

That’s why it’s always paramount to have quality marketing materials at the ready.

Buying sight unseen happens in all price points. “On smaller investment properties of $500,000 to $700,000, it’s not as unusual for people to buy sight unseen as long as numbers align,” McDadi says.

“Whether they’re local or buyers from abroad, they look for a certain return. When we give them the thumbs up on capital appreciation, whether houses or condos for investment purposes, they are more willing to buy sight unseen.”

But buyers also purchase multimillion-dollar properties. Whatever the price point, having a trusted agent is key. Buyers want to know how you do business, McDadi says.

“Do you run a good ship? Do you have a good reputation?”

Being prepared goes without saying. Lasswell says she knew her client, who regularly travels around the world on business, likely wouldn’t be in town when something suitable came on the market. “I hired a driver, so I could spend quality time with the client. We saw 10 or 15 properties in one day. I summarized everything, pros and cons, in a Google document.”

She ranked each property out of 10 and asked the clients to do the same. “That reveals what the client really wants,” she says. “It took effort on his part too. It’s a two-way street. He made an offer

Eileen Lasswell

Sam McDadi

Jerry Hammond

on a property he’s never seen only because we did the homework.”

For those faced with a sight unseen situation for the first time, here are some points to keep in mind.

• You still have to ask the same questions. Ask the person communicating on behalf of the buyer about the budget, whether financing will be required or if they will need further connections, such as lawyers or financing options. With interest rates so low, most buyers take advantage of financing, Hammond says.

• “Schools are a big driver for many purchasers,” Hammond says. Have information about schools, especially private institutions, on hand.

• Don’t be afraid to turn clients away, Lasswell says, if you don’t have expertise in the area they want to buy in. “Refer them to someone who knows the area.”

• Even if the offer is condition free, it’s important to get a sizable deposit, McDadi says. A 10-percent deposit means the buyer will have “good skin in the game.”

With longer closing dates, get bigger deposits because more things can go wrong.

• Go above and beyond. Be honest about the negatives. You don’t want the buyer to be surprised that the property is bigger or smaller than they thought.

Lasswell also suggests taking aerial pictures to show what could be coming up in terms of development beside the condo they want to buy.

• Make sure you put everything in writing, so the buyers can review everything later. When looking at a property, they may be emotional and only see the positives. Listing the pros and cons

takes the emotion out of the situation, Lasswell says.

• If you’re representing the seller, let them know that the buyer who has put in an offer hasn’t seen the property in person.

Disclose everything on both sides, Lasswell says.

• Be prepared for a time lag when arranging financing or transferring money into the coun-

try, Hammond says.

• Don’t be reluctant. Buying sight unseen does happen. “We live in a city that’s thriving and that has lots of immigration.

Embrace it. It’s another way to do business. And you never know what it will lead to down the road because you never know who the buyers are,” Hammond says.

Sex at the open house Continued from page 4

musical called Open House.

Having sex at open houses has even gone mainstream.

Curb Your Enthusiasm is an HBO comedy television series created by Larry David starring as a fictionalized version of himself. In a season 9 episode last year, the character played by actor Jeff Garlin confides in the character played by David that he had sex with his real estate agent at an open house.

Garlin: “Remember the Realtor from the art gallery?”

David: “Ya.” Garlin: “Well, she had an open house. And let’s just say it stayed open a little longer for me.

Oh ya. Oh ya.”

David: “You had sex with her at an open house?”

Garlin: “At an open house.”

David: “That’s unbelievable.”

Garlin: “Unbelievable. And you know they have cookies at the open house. I brought the cookies up with me. We had sex, I had some cookies, took a nap…

David: “On what?”

Garlin: “Well, they have the staging furniture.”

David: “Wow.” Marjorie Garber is an English

REM

professor at Harvard University.

In her 2000 book Sex and Real Estate: Why We Love Houses she says that the real estate open house is a socially sanctioned license to daydream about what goes on behind other people’s closed doors.

“The idea of illicit sex in illicit places,” she writes, “has its own allure in the world of sex and real estate.”

Take the kitchen, she muses, and consider the hidden meaning of the words in the folk song I’ve Been Working on the Railroad: “Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah, strummin’ on the old banjo.”

I’ll never think of the song, or open houses, the same way again.

All of this serves as a reminder to sellers who have agreed to permit open houses to establish with their Realtors clear terms to monitor visitors and their activities. It’s also a reminder to agents to carefully monitor visitors to their open houses to prevent the possibility of illicit activities taking place right under their noses.

Bob Aaron is a Toronto real estate lawyer. He can be reached at bob@aaron.ca, on his website aaron.ca, and Twitter @bobaaron2.

REM

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14 REM JANUARY 2019

Looking back at the future house Story and photos by Diane Slawych

I

t’s shaped like a giant Hershey’s Kiss, has the silvery gleam of an Airstream trailer and a name that sounds like a laundry detergent.

The Dymaxion House was conceived by architect R. Buckminster Fuller as the home of the future. It was designed in 1946 to be the “strongest, lightest and most cost-effective housing ever built.

“Everything about it was based on one important principal – we need to do more with less – a novel idea for the time,” says Steve Harris, guide at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Mich., home of the only full-scale prototype that was ever built.

One feature was a ventilator on the top of the house that was designed to cut down on heating costs in winter and cooling costs in summer by allowing fresh air in and keeping wind out. “A complete air change every six minutes,” as Fuller put it, also ensured the home was well ventilated.

Inside the aluminum-clad house reveals further innovations such as revolving closets and rotating bins that display clothes with the push of a button (all designed to maximize space); a bathroom with a mist-releasing fog shower and a toilet designed

to shrink-wrap waste for composting. The tiny bathroom looked a bit dingy though.

“Don’t forget most people had outhouses back then,” a guide pointed out. “This would’ve been an improvement.”

The home is light, weighing less than three tons, yet also strong enough to withstand hurricane force winds of up to 180 miles per hour. And it was priced to cost less than a luxury car.

Despite these innovations, the Dymaxion house never achieved commercial success.

Although it had many environmentally sustainable features, Harris says, “no one cared about conserving resources in 1940s America.”

Then there was the issue of attracting investors. “They weren’t about to fund a company that was proposing this thing that looks sort of like an aluminum teapot with too many windows,” says Harris. “But the windows let in a lot of light.

That’s an energy conservation strategy. The round shape is going to require less material than a square one…The dome gives you 30 per cent less surface area per enclosed volume, so potentially there’s a 30 per cent energy saving.” Another issue, says Harris, was the lack of infrastructure for such a new idea.

Meanwhile Fuller, according to the museum’s literature, apparently never resolved certain engineering challenges and eventually abandoned the project. Still, there was enough interest among members of the public to generate thousands of unsolicited orders.

A former Fuller Houses Inc. employee, William Graham and his family were the only people ever to have lived in the house.

Graham purchased parts of the The Dymaxion House (the house of the future) on display at The Henry Ford, a museum complex in Michigan.

The living room of the Dymaxion House.

home and then reassembled them as an extension to his existing ranch dwelling near Andover, Kan. After his death, his family donated it to The Henry Ford, which spent two years and $1 million restoring it. The job involved careful analysis of more

than 3,600 parts related to Fuller’s design. The Dymaxion House that visitors see today contains 70 per cent original material.

The home of the future, with its technological innovations and use of pioneering industrial materials, was clearly ahead of its

time. Though it was never massproduced, the ideas had an influence on innovators in other fields beyond architecture. It also led Fuller to other landmark projects, including the creation of a 20-storey-high geodesic dome, which became the U.S. pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal.

The conservation-minded architect likely would have appreciated what became of his creation. The geodesic dome is now home to an environment museum in Montreal called the Biosphere.

As for the Dymaxion House?

“This is one of our treasures at The Henry Ford,” says Harris.

REM

72% of small business owners plan exit soon M

ore than $1.5 trillion in business assets will be in play over the next decade, as nearly three quarters (72 per cent) of small business owners intend to exit their business, says a survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

“Successful business sales or transfers can save or even create jobs, keep local communities prosperous and continue to grow Canada’s economy. With many baby boomers planning to retire in the coming years, business succession is a major concern. We need

to do everything possible to ease the transition,” says Corinne Pohlmann, CFIB senior vice-president of national affairs. “Ultimately, a well-planned and executed transition is not only critical for the success of the business, but also for Canada’s ongoing competitiveness and economic prosperity.”

Are small business owners prepared for their departure?

Eighty-one per cent of owners intend to sell or transfer their business to retire, although only a fraction of them have started planning for their departure. The survey says

51 per cent have no plan at all, while only eight per cent of respondents have a formal written plan and 41 per cent have an informal plan. Nearly half of business owners (48 per cent) plan to sell to third parties, while others prefer to pass their business on to one or more family members, whether through a sale (25 per cent) or a transfer (21 per cent) such as an inheritance.

Are younger generations of entrepreneurs ready? Finding a suitable successor or buyer is the main hurdle to succession cited by survey respondents (56 per cent). With

this in mind, CFIB is recommending that small business owners start planning for their succession early on and prepare for the unexpected by working out several potential exit strategies.

CFIB is also urging the government to raise the lifetime capital gains exemption threshold to $1 million for all small and mediumsized businesses. Currently, only fishers and farmers have a lifetime capital gains exemption threshold of $1 million. In addition, CFIB is asking that government treat the taxation of sales to family members

in the same way that sales to third parties are treated. These are important measures for small business owners as they often rely on the sale of their business to fund their retirement, says the federation.

“Under the current rules, business owners pay higher taxes when they sell to a family member than when they sell to a stranger. It doesn’t make sense. Governments, financial advisors and financial institutions need to work together to encourage business succession and facilitate business transfers,” says Pohlmann. REM

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18 REM JANUARY 2019

he British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) recently launched a new brand identity, which it says reflects the association’s commitment to leadership and excellence in serving B.C.’s 11 regional real estate boards and 23,000 Realtors.

“The new BCREA is dynamic, knowledgeable and relatable – just like the Realtors we serve,” says Darlene Hyde, CEO. “Our rebranding reflects our commitment to leading the way as the Realtor profession goes through a time of significant change.”

The association says the new logo “best captures BCREA’s transformed identity. The four peaks, created by the blue and orange arrows and corresponding white spaces, symbolize the four main property sectors: residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial.

They also symbolize rooftops and B.C.’s mountains. Together, their upward energy expresses a drive for improvement and excellence.”

The lower half of the logo represents both a speech bubble and an open single quotation mark, symbolizing BCREA’s role in starting, facilitating and contributing to important conversations between real estate boards, Realtors, consumers, government and other partners, the association says.

BCREA also plans to launch a new website in early 2019. The organization has also moved to a new open-concept office at Suite 1425, 1075 West Georgia St. in Vancouver.

T

■ ■ ■

The Manitoba Real Estate Association’s recent Realtor Week included many activities designed to build and empower the profession, including the announcement of Canada’s first Real Estate Global Business Council.

MREA says the council can drive global business opportunities for Realtors by providing networking, education and economic development opportunities. The

councils work with economic development agencies and other partners to help support development efforts in their local regions.

The first council was started in the mid-1990s and now there are 125 councils in the U.S. An official proclamation of Realtor Week was announced by Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade Blaine Pederson.

MREA was also presenting sponsor of the Chamber of Commerce Annual Ministers’ Dinner and Gala as part of its advocacy program.

“This dinner brings individuals who drive our organization to the same table as the Executive Council for face-to-face conversation with the people who are responsible for the execution and administration of the Manitoba government’s policies and priorities,” says the association. “Each roundtable is a buzz; hosted by a different minister or ranking member of the PC Caucus, allowing an informal exchange of ideas, concerns and opinions with the Manitoba Government’s top officials.”

MREA’s government relations symposium for Realtors also took place. The Brian M. Collie Award for Individual Achievement in Provincial Advocacy was awarded to Kourosh Doustshenas, broker at Expert Real Estate Services in Winnipeg.

During the week, Realtors also took part in the Care-a-Van charity drive to support local shelterrelated organizations. Donations of cash and everything from toiletries to blankets and warm clothing were collected at the brokerages and picked up by volunteers.

and expertise are management of residential, strata and commercial properties.

“REIC seeks out opportunities to partner with like-minded organizations whose goal is to raise the bar of professionalism, ethical business practices, fiduciary duty awareness and skillsets for their members or staff,” says Gareth Jones, EVP of REIC. “PAMA has been focused on providing education to industry professionals since 1970,” says Roger Williams, executive director. Its mandate is to promote, educate and disseminate information concerning residential rental and strata management, he says. In addition to a regular continuing education program delivered throughout the year, PAMA offers a three-part Rental Building Certificate course focused on B.C. legislation and regulation.

■ ■ ■

Brian Santos, a broker with Peak Realty, has been appointed to serve as president of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association

of Realtors (KWAR).

Santos is a second-generation Realtor with a decade of real estate experience in Waterloo region.

He is a managing broker of Peak Realty’s five offices serving the Waterloo region and Stratford. An active volunteer, Santos has held numerous leadership roles including serving on Downtown Kitchener’s Action Advisory Committee as well as several committees at both KWAR and the Ontario Real Estate Association.

“When I reflect on the changes our industry has been through these past 10 years, I am very mindful that it is not enough to simply keep pace with these changes,” says Santos. “We need to ensure that we’re leading the way from a technology standpoint and through strategic partnerships.”

Joining Santos as officers of the association are Tony Schmidt of Howie Schmidt Realty, Colleen Koehler and Nicole Pohl of Re/Max Twin City Realty and EO Bill Duce.

New to the directors this year are Jeff Gingerich of Century 21

Heritage House and Andrea Gschoesser of Royal LePage Wolle Realty. Returning as directors are Megan Bell of Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty, James Craig of CBRE, Leon Martin of Re/Max Solid Gold Realty and Jim Watson of Homes By Watson Realty & Appraisals.

■ ■ ■

Recently about 130 Realtors from across Nova Scotia came together for two days filled with learning and networking on topics related to government and global relations.

Kicking the event off was the CREA Real Time-Let’s Talk event, which featured Michele Romanow, star of Dragon’s Den and Terry O’Reilly, host of CBC’s Under the Influence.

The next day included a presentation from the CRTC on understanding the Do Not Call List, a power panel on partnering and profiting through global business, as well as a panel on cannabis and its potential impact on real REM estate.

BCREA’s new logo

Collecting donations for the Care-a-Van charity drive, from left: MREA director of communications Kim Gandier, MREA Shelter Foundation governor Roger Burns, MREA operations co-ordinator Pamela Moat and MREA director of operations Jill Johnston.

Kourosh Doustshenas receives the advocacy award from Lorne Weiss.

■ ■ ■

The Real Estate Institute of Canada (REIC) is partnering with the Vancouver-based Professional Association of Managing Agents (PAMA). The organization represents dozens of property management companies in British Columbia whose areas of practice

Brian Santos

Gareth Jones, left, and Roger Williams

Enjoying the Nova Scotia Association of Realtors event, from left: NSAR president Aaron Millen, Nova Scotia Minister of Business Geoff McLellan and NSAR CEO Roger Boutilier.

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20 REM JANUARY 2019

Lackie, a sales rep at Coldwell Banker RMR Real Estate. “Many of the initiatives for St. Vincent’s Kitchen have come from Linda and her family and they are constantly giving their time, energy and dollars to the community.

Putting it mildly, Linda is more than a worthy recipient of this honour.”

Fredericton brokerage takes top Exit Realty honours Philip Duplisea and David Sawler, owners of Exit Realty Advantage in Fredericton, were named the No. 1 highest grossing office with a single location across the U.S. and Canada for Exit Realty (for the production period July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018).

They accepted the award at Exit Realty Corp. International’s Annual Convention held recently in Washington, D.C. Joyce Paron, president of Exit’s Canadian Division, says, “Philip and Dave have surrounded themselves with the best management team in the city and have created an unduplicatable office culture, thereby attracting and developing a cross-section of the finest real estate professionals. They set the bar high and constantly deliver.”

Maggie Tessier, broker/owner of Exit Realty Matrix, with locations in Ottawa, Hawkesbury and Embrun, Ont., won the prestigious Broker/Owner of the Year Award for Canada. Her team was also named the No. 5 team in North America.

Exit Realty Associates in Moncton, owned by Parise Cormier, was named the Third Largest Grossing Office (Single) in North America.

The Top Lister in North America was Pam Norman, sales rep with Exit Oceans Edge Realty in Bay Roberts, Nfld.

The Mark That Sold Home Selling Team, headed by Mark Seamone, associate broker and franchisee of Exit Realty Inter Lake, with offices in Bridgewater and Liverpool, N.S., was awarded the No. 7 Top Team in North America. The Messecar Team headed by Chris Messecar, broker/owner of Exit Lifestyle Realty with offices in Springwater and Midhurst, Ont. was named the #10 Top Team in North America.

Exit’s Esprit de Corps award,

honouring enthusiasm and spirit within the firm’s culture, was awarded to Carrie Poyser and Sherri Lonar, sales reps with Exit Realty Town and Country, New Minas, N.S. Sterling Stephens, franchisee of Exit Realty Metro, Dartmouth, N.S. was awarded the prestigious Phoenix Award, and Mike McCarron, supervisor of growth and development for Canada, won the Positive Mental Attitude Award.

Barrie honours Shannon Murree for philanthropy Shannon Murree, a sales rep at Re/Max Chay Realty in Barrie, Ont. has been awarded the City of Barrie’s highest civilian award, in recognition of her good deeds and philanthropy work. “Whether she’s bringing awareness to end gender violence, helping women’s or youth initiatives or shelters, she’s always there to lend her name, time and resources to do whatever she can to make a difference,” says the brokerage in a news release.

“Whether putting on boxing gloves to raise money or awareness, or collecting shoebox gifts for the Simcoe County community, she’s a tremendous value to the brokerage and community.”

Andrew Galvin honoured by health centre foundation Andrew Galvin, a salesperson with Re/Max Eastern Realty, received special recognition from the Peterborough (Ont.) Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation recently when he was formally recognized as a governor emeriti. During Galvin’s nine-year tenure as a director of the foundation board, he helped raise millions of dollars for the equipment and technology to support world-class

Royal LePage Shelter Foundation receives award The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is the recipient of the 2018 Philanthropy Award for Outstanding Corporation from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Toronto Chapter.

“We are honoured to have been nominated by our partner, Canadian Women’s Foundation, and to be recognized as philanthropic leaders,” says Phil Soper, president and CEO, Royal LePage.

The foundation has raised more than $27 million in its 27year history and helps local shelters provide a safe haven and new

From left: Tami Bonnell, Exit CEO, Joyce Paron, Exit president - Canada; Maggie Tessier, broker/owner, Exit Realty Matrix; Craig Witt, Exit president - U.S.A.; and Steve Morris, Exit founder and chairman.

Linda Mash receives Durham board’s Award of Distinction Linda Mash of Coldwell Banker R.M.R. Real Estate in Whitby, Ont. was recently presented with the Durham Region Association of Realtors Award of Distinction for 2018. The award recognizes a DRAR member for outstanding association and community involvement, committed service and promotion of the real estate industry.

“Linda certainly fills the bill on all counts with her tireless work in the community while still looking after her clients,” says Shawn

patient care across the region. In the 39-year history of the PRHC Foundation, only 14 former board members have been bestowed the special honour.

From left: Tami Bonnell, CEO, Exit Realty Corp.

International, David Sawler and Philip Duplisea, owners, Exit Realty Advantage and Steve Morris, founder and chairman, Exit Realty Corp.

International.

beginnings for more than 50,000 women and children every year. It is the largest public foundation in Canada dedicated exclusively to supporting women’s shelters and domestic violence prevention programs. Royal LePage offices are partnered with a women’s shelter in their community and agents make donations from their sales commissions, organize fundraising events and provide in-kind contributions.

Royal LePage is the only major real estate company with its own charity. The company pays all of the foundation’s administrative costs, allowing the total amount raised to remain in local communities. The foundation also supports violence prevention initiatives and teen healthy relationship programs as a national philanthropic partner of Canadian Women’s Foundation and Women’s Shelters Canada.

REM

Shanan Spencer-Brown, left, executive director, Royal LePage Shelter Foundation and Phil Soper, president and CEO, Royal LePage receive the 2018 Association of Fundraising Professionals Philanthropy Award for Outstanding Corporation from Jen MacRae, senior program manager, community relations, Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life.

Linda Mash

Shannon Murree Andrew Galvin receives his award from PRHC Foundation CEO Lesley Heighway.

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22 REM JANUARY 2019

Andrew Whidden, Gian Piero Furfaro, Sandra Govender and Sharen Warde.

■ ■ ■

Good Works C

oldwell Banker Action Plus Realty in Simcoe, Ont. has adopted a tradition that in lieu of gift giving, it will donate to a local deserving charity every Christmas. This year the brokerage is supporting Olivia Hazen, 11, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was 7.

“She has had several surgeries and recently had her third relapse,” says broker of record Peggy Waldick. “Now her only option at this point is Car T cell therapy. Mary Field of Simcoe was instrumental in setting up a fundraiser for Olivia recently, so we asked Mary if she would assist us in getting the donation to the Hazen family.”

■ ■ ■

The Spin for Hope cycling event hosted by Royal LePage Real Estate Services - Yonge and York Mills branch in Toronto raised $6,000 recently for Interval House via the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.

There were 20 Royal LePage professionals, along with Katie Mosher representing Interval House in Toronto, participating in the high-intensity fitness class.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this group and what they’ve been able to accomplish in support of our local women’s shelter,” says Royal LePage Real Estate Services managing broker Nathan Adorjan.

■ ■ ■

Applying their experience in home staging and design, broker Rayissa Palmer and salesperson Sandy Bodnar of Sutton Group – Old Mill Realty in Toronto donated and decorated a Christmas tree for the Celebration of Trees spectacular at the 21st Flato Home for the Holidays Gala. They worked late into the day hanging lights and decorations to produce a beautiful holiday showpiece. The following evening at the gala, their Christmas tree was among several auctioned off in support of

Caledon Community Services.

Their tree was purchased for donation to Peace Ranch, a mental health agency offering housing and rehabilitation programs on a 25-acre property.

“As part of our services, we professionally decorate Christmas trees for our clients,” says Palmer.

“This year, we were honoured to be invited to contribute to the Home for the Holidays.”

■ ■ ■

Freeman Real Estate in Toronto hosted its third annual Great Turkey Give event to show gratitude to the Bloor and Bathurst neighbourhood they call home. The brokerage partnered with Spirit of Math Schools and Santaguida Fine Foods to give away more than 9,000 pounds of turkeys at no charge.

Inspired by the generosity of Honest Ed’s, the event took place just a few blocks north of where the original turkey giveaway took place. “A free turkey giveaway seemed like a logical next step in the business’ 47 years of community involvement,” says Elden Freeman, broker of record. “We always admired Ed’s charity and we’re big believers in our local community. As residents and business persons, we benefit a good deal from our community. This is one way we can pay back and say thank you.”

Sandra Bradley, a sales rep with Sutton Group - Lakefront Realty in Vernon, B.C., started the Children’s Christmas Workshop in 2006 with the help of the team at RedHead Real Estate. The event has grown to feature tables overflowing with gifts and the assistance of dozens of volunteers.

“Moms and dads wait in the kitchen enjoying a cup of coffee, Sun Rype juice and baked goods while the Kal Secondary Leadership Program students escort the children though the store helping them pick out the perfect gift. Volunteers wrap the gifts, so that they are ready to go directly under the Christmas tree,” says Bradley.

“The kids get to experience the

joy of giving. For 10 cents to $1 they can buy a great gift to put under the tree for the special adults in their lives.”

In addition to small gifts in new or nearly new condition, Bradley solicits donations of wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper and bows. There are also contributions from local service clubs and retailers.

■ ■ ■

Karen and Walter Monteiro and their team at Coldwell Banker Maximum Results in Cambridge, Ont. has created an organization called Handbags for Hope, which collects gently used purses, fills them with new toiletries and donates them to women’s shelters.

The charity asks for donations of personal hygiene, feminine and beauty products to add to the recycled purses.

So far this year, the group has

collected about 200 purses. They donated them the Cambridge Shelter Corporation, YWCA Kitchener/Waterloo, Argus House, Marillac Place, oneROOF, Monica Place and Drop in Centre Guelph.

Karen Monteiro told Cambridgetimes.ca, “I wanted to figure out something different that people aren’t doing around the area.” She heard about a charity in Australia that collected and donated basic need products and beauty items for women and delivered them in purses.

“There’s obviously a real need for this,” Monteiro says. It’s also an easy idea to support because “almost everybody has a purse in their closet that they don’t want anymore,” she says.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage Lannon Realty in Thunder Bay, Ont. collected Continued on page 30

Freeman Real Estate has held its turkey giveaway for three consecutive years.

Peggy Waldick and Mary Field, front, along with the staff and some of the sales reps at Coldwell Banker Action Plus Realty Brokerage, with a donation for Olivia Hazen.

Volunteers at the Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty annual golf tournament, Sasha Albury and Tracy Schetterer.

Volunteers run the Annual Christmas Gift House in Vernon.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty in Victoria raised $28,928 at its annual charity golf tournament. Held in support of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, the proceeds will benefit four Victoriaarea shelters and transition homes for women and their children escaping domestic violence: Sooke Transition House, Victoria Women’s Transition House, Margaret Laurence House and The Cridge Centre for the Family.

Organizing committee members include: Sarah West, Matt Green, Bill Ethier, Tara Lynn,

Spin for Hope participants from Royal LePage Real Estate Services - Yonge and York Mills branch celebrate $6,000 raised at their event.

Re/Max Affiliates sales reps and staff with this year’s contribution to the local shelter.

Rayissa Palmer, left, and Sandy Bodnar

Coldwell Banker is

GROWING Coldwell Banker welcomed new offices into its network: Coldwell Banker Southwest Realty

Coldwell Banker Kamloops Realty

Coldwell Banker Realty In Motion

Coldwell Banker Vision Realty

Coldwell Banker Four Seasons Real Estate

Coldwell Banker Select Real Estate

Expansions: Coldwell Banker Southwest Realty – Petrolia, ON

Coldwell Banker Action Plus Realty, Brokerage – Port Rowan, ON

Coldwell Banker Signature

Coldwell Banker Prestige Realty – North Vancouver, BC

Coldwell Banker Complete Real Estate – The Starnes Group Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Centre

Coldwell Banker Momentum Realty – Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

The last 12 months marked a time of tremendous growth and change for Coldwell Banker, opening several offices across Canada and expanding existing brokerages to grow within their local markets. As we enter 2019, we are excited as we continue to expand our network of exceptional real estate professionals across Canada.

For a confidential conversation about franchising, contact Andy Puthon, President, Coldwell Banker Canada at andy@coldwellbanker.ca

coldwellbanker.ca/franchising

© 2019 Coldwell Banker LLC. All rights reserved. Each office is independently owned and operated. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker LLC. Each sales representative and broker is responsible for complying with any consumer disclosure laws or regulations, as well as applicable Real Estate Association rules and codes of conduct. Not intended to solicit brokers under contract.

24 REM JANUARY 2019

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Justo model includes lawyer, inspection fees

By Mario Toneguzzi

J

usto, a new technologybased real estate brokerage firm that recently launched in the Greater Toronto Area, says the real estate industry is at a turning point and its model “puts cash back in home buyers’ pockets and gives sellers a better fee and a target price guarantee.”

Daphne De Groot, the company’s CEO, says the brokerage offers premium services, low rates that are fair and transparent and an advanced MLS search engine for both buyers and sellers.

“We use the power of information, technology and efficiency to lower our costs and pass on the savings to our clients.” She says Justo is derived from the Latin word Justus, meaning fair and transparent, which is the foundation upon which the company is built.

It is geared to people frustrated by elite brokerage commissions and high-pressure sales tactics, she says.

“We saw the way things were being done in the real estate field and we thought that there were better ways to do it. So, we dug down to do research,” says De Groot. “We realized that with the help of the real estate agents, who have a lot of knowledge and experience, together with the technology and the data that is available today compared to say 20 years ago, the combination of both can be the ultimate way of doing the process of buying and selling a house.”

Justo’s all-inclusive service model bundles some of the extra fees associated with buying and selling a home at no additional cost including home inspections, staging and lawyers’ fees, allowing customer to have a more efficient and streamlined experience.

This is how Justo explains what it does. In most real estate transactions, the buyer’s agent is paid by the seller and not the buyer. Typically, this commission

is 2.5 per cent of the purchase price, plus HST. Justo offers sellers a listing commission of 1.5 per cent with a 30-day target price guarantee. It splits this commission with the buyer, 50/50, when a minimum purchase of $300,000 is made. If it does not sell the property at the target price in 30 days, the company will reduce its fee by another 0.5 per cent to just one per cent.

The average GTA home is selling for approximately $850,000. Using the Justo model, the buyer will be represented by an agent with more than a decade of local experience and get home inspection and lawyers fees included and approximately $6,250 in cashback.

Also included in Justo’s package is photography, a 3D tour and

Daphne De Groot

staging at no extra cost.

“Justo’s concept makes a lot of sense. Buyers and sellers are looking for something different, something that is more rewarding for them,” says Vicki Schmidt, Justo broker of record.

“Technology and accessibility to data is allowing people to be more involved in the real estate process, so sharing the commission with our clients makes sense.

“The fundamental idea behind everything we do is being very fair and transparent. With that, nothing’s a secret. Our model is posted right on our website. Clients don’t have to worry about negotiating with us or being stressed out because they have enough stress to worry about. They don’t need to be worried about trying to negotiate with their real estate agent. So, we really are an ally to them.”

De Groot says the company is focusing on the GTA because it’s a huge market with an average of 100,000 transactions a year.

“With the average price about $800,000 that’s approximately $80 billion of commissions going to agents. Later on, we hope to get into additional markets,” she says.

“Hopefully this model is going to grow beyond the GTA but we want to first establish and focus ourselves, as real estate is a very local market. So, we want to establish ourselves in the GTA and later hopefully go across Canada – and even across the world.”

She says Justo fills a void between a discount brokerage where it costs a consumer less, but has fewer services, to traditional brokerages where a lot of money is being spent and plenty of services are being offered.

“There’s no combination of both where you pay less and you get more. That’s a big point. The other thing is the whole process is more efficient and streamlined.

It’s quicker and just more convenient for a person,” says De Groot.

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Bidding wars: Big bad bully

By Ross Wilson “Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people.”

– David Sarnoff n this third and final segment on the hot subject of bidding wars, I draw some conclusions that lead to more questions.

But consider that before we have the answers, we must ask the questions.

Ignoring your carefully formulated plans, with the deliberate intent to avoid a competition, an aggressive buyer agent may contact you to register on your new listing what has become known as a “bully offer”. They demand an appointment prior to the officially announced presentation date.

Since you’re convinced of the merits of your marketing strategy, you encourage your seller to make this insistent agent wait.

A seller certainly has the right to refuse to see this “short-circuit” offer, but curiosity sometimes gets the best of them. It’s mystifying why they’d sacrifice an opportunity for multiple showings and offers by surrendering to a bully’s attempt to evade a fair competition.

Obviously, you must comply with your principle’s instruction.

However, before committing to an earlier date and all that entails, ask the buyer agent about the offer. If the major terms are unacceptable, advise your seller to stick to the original plan. But if it’s full asking price or more, with no conditions, they may not gamble losing it.

In accordance with industry rules – and prior to viewing the bully offer – the MLS listing must immediately be amended with the new presentation date and time.

Plus all agents who have already shown the property, have confirmed but outstanding appointments or have expressed interest, must be promptly informed of the new arrangements. If they haven’t already done so, all buyer candidates must quickly scramble to view the property and register their

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offers. Unfortunately, some may be unable to act swiftly enough. So, your seller might lose them. By caving to a bully’s demand, they’ll never know if that lost buyer might have been The One. Given such short notice, the buyers who weren’t able to act in time are grievously disappointed and sometimes very angry with our industry and its members. It could be argued that your seller was formally tendering for competitive bids, but at the last moment, chose to dishonour their commitment to await all comers. What can a disappointed buyer do about it? Well, it’s been opined that an aggrieved buyer could sue the seller and their agent for damages. I’m unaware of any precedent-setting court case to date, but it could happen anytime.

All it will take is a sufficiently disturbed buyer with deep pockets.

Listing agents beware.

Does greed get the best of people? Yes, I suppose it sometimes does. Some argue that buyers who dodge the rules of fair play for their own advantage are indeed avaricious and iniquitous. Is a bully buyer innocent? Do they have the right to be aggressive? Obviously, the technical answer is yes, for they certainly have the right to buy at the lowest possible price. The same argument could be made for an aggressive seller who wants the highest price possible. But if a bully buyer deliberately ignores a seller’s clearly stated procedural request regarding the marketing of their own property and attempts to circumvent the system, are they behaving morally? I suggest that they’re demonstrating a complete lack of respect for not only the seller’s wishes, but potentially our rules of service. In my view, this is not representative of innocence. Bully buyers are no different from movie patrons who butt into line ahead of other people patiently waiting their turn.

It’s also been said that sellers could refuse to comply with a bully’s demand, that those who agree to this marketing strategy are also selfish and greedy and knowingly contribute to the inflation of market values, not to mention a highly stressful and potentially devastating experience for many buyers.

Some have suggested that sellers can be bullies too. However, they’re certainly entitled to attempt to maximize the sale price of their own property by any available legal means. And by agreeing to a viewing period and delayed offer presentation day, are they not being fair by providing all interested buyers an opportunity to make a bid?

Further, is it not a major responsibility for a listing representative to do everything legally and ethically possible to get the best terms for their seller client?

The strategy is designed to stimulate fair competition, which should result in a fair sale price based on supply and demand in a free democratic society.

Is the bully offer system undermining consumer confidence?

Absolutely, especially with buyers willing to respectfully comply with the posted protocol but who are caught with their pants down by a bully jumping the queue.

Nevertheless, until the rules change yet again, fair buyers must be prepared to respond to bully offer scenarios by viewing the property at the earliest opportunity.

As their representative, you should have your buyer’s offer documents prepared in advance and ready for presentation on short notice. To contribute to consumer confidence in our industry, listing agents who practice this legitimate hot-market strategy, which is more prevalent for city or suburban than rural, should carefully prepare their new seller for the distinct possibility of a bully offer. Ask your seller to adhere to the plan or risk trouble for both you and them. The reputation of our industry is at stake.

Ross Wilson is a retired real estate broker with extensive experience as a brokerage owner, manager, trainer and mentor over a highly successful 44-year career. His book, The Happy Agent – Finding Harmony with a Thriving Realty Career and an Enriched Personal Life is available where print and e-books are sold, including the TREB, MREB, RAHB and OMDREB stores. For more details, visit Realty-Voice.com.

REM

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Gabbi brings AI to servicing leads

By Sohini Bhattacharya ands up, salespeople reading this article. How many of you are receiving leads directly from clients who’ve just seen your ad while passing a bus bench or a for sale sign? How many of you can respond to those calls right away, any time of the day or night?

While these are rhetorical questions, Roberto Moreno, cofounder of Gabbi.ai says that increasingly, teams of two to 10 agents who’ve been in the industry for over three years are finding it easier to generate leads. This is due to the proliferation of online marketing and lead generation tools, but the salespeople are finding it harder to nurture those leads in a timely fashion. A common complaint Moreno hears from sales reps is, “I get a lot of leads. I just don’t know what to do with them.”

The window of opportunity to warm up a lead today is down to three minutes. If, within that time, an agent or their assistant is unable

H

Robert Moreno

to respond to the client, they’ve potentially lost business worth thousands of dollars.

Gabbi is the newest real estate tech tool to hit the market. Using natural language processing, this Edmonton-based tech company has developed an app that, “is a communication hub for an agent where an agent or teams can manage all their communication with clients, leads and associates through text, email or voice in one location via their desktops or smart phones,” says Moreno.

A key market differentiator for Gabbi is that it is integrated with MLS data. Let’s say an agent, in the middle of showing a home, receives a text from a lead inquiring about a specific type of residential property. Gabbi listens to this conversation and immediately taps into the MLS to pull out all the potential listings that match the client’s query. It then relays that information to the agent for verification and edits, and within minutes responds to the client, says Moreno.

“We’re not going out to Zillow, we’re not going out to the brokerage sites and hoping that they have the right info, or Craigslist. We’re going right to the MLS,” he says.

Because Gabbi listens and learns from organic conversations, roundthe clock, she speaks just like her agent, without the client realising

What’s

New Pictured: April Barnard, Broker (L), Don Guerette, Broker (R)

Congratulations, RE/MAX Sarnia Realty!

RE/MAX Sarnia Realty Inc. is expanding! Please join us in welcoming Broker Don Guerette’s team from Magic Realty Inc. to RE/MAX Sarnia Realty Inc. Headed by Don’s daughter, Broker April Barnard, RE/MAX Sarnia Realty is warmly welcoming Don’s Agents, as he announces his retirement after an impressive 40 years in real estate.

With RE/MAX Sarnia Realty Inc.’s newly renovated office, market share, committed staff, and April leading the charge as a non-selling Broker whose sole job is to ensure the success of her Agents, RE/MAX Sarnia Realty Inc. was the obvious choice as a new home for Don’s Agents.

If you are interested in ownership opportunities with RE/MAX, the largest most productive real estate brand, contact Jennifer Dominey at 1.647.519.7735 to arrange your confidential meeting, or visit remaxintegra.com.

The Magic Realty Agents will be joining a Miracle office, supporting the Children’s Miracle Network. As these two great teams become one, RE/MAX Sarnia Realty Inc. will be at 93 Agents -- making them the largest real estate company currently in Sarnia.

Congratulations to Don Guerette on his retirement after over 42 successful years in the business and congratulations to April Barnard on acquiring Magic Realty Inc.’s team! As Sarnia’s largest real estate office, we are certain you are headed for even more real estate success!

RE/MAX Sarnia Realty is located at 1319 Exmouth St, Sarnia ON

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Yardi introduces property management software in Canada Yardi recently released Yardi Breeze in Canada. It’s a “refreshingly simple property management software built for property owners and operators with smaller portfolios,” the company says.

The software enables users to manage residential, commercial and mixed portfolios on one mobile platform. It has built-in live chat support from Canadian Yardi Breeze experts.

The property management platform includes accounting and reporting features, as well as

they’ve spoken to a bot.

Text messages and emails are the most preferred channels of communication. Research from The National Association of Realtors’ 2017 Real Estate in a Digital Age report suggests that 94 per cent of Realtors “prefer to communicate with their clients through email,” while “90 per cent prefer to communicate through text messaging, and 34 per cent through instant messaging.”

The report also says that “58 per cent of millennials and 46 per cent of Generation X found their home on a mobile device compared to 33 per cent of younger boomers.”

Gabbi allows salespeople to capitalize on this trend. Moreno says most sales reps agree that 80 per cent of their time is spent on non-moneymaking tasks – things mobile tools such as instant photo uploads. Integrated online applications, payments and resident screening will be added in 2019, the company says. Monthly fees are $1 per unit.

Peter Altobelli, vice president and general manager at Yardi Canada, says, “From live chat to automatic address completion and one-click data upload, everything is aimed at saving time, which is often an operator’s most precious commodity.”

For information: www.yardibreeze.ca

Lone Wolf to provide new version of CREA WEBForms CREA has partnered with Lone Wolf Technologies to provide a new version of CREA WEBForms that includes unlimited document storage, forms, MLS integration and agent-level transaction management.

“Our members’ business needs have changed since the creation of CREA WEBForms and they continue to evolve,” says CREA CEO Michael Bourque. “CREA WEBForms needs to adapt to changing needs in a timely fashion, integrate with board and association

like driving around, putting up signage, getting the keys and so on.

This leaves them with little time to build and nurture relationships.

Gabbi enables more time for salespeople to engage in “belly-to-belly meetings, showing homes, negotiating and offering,” says Moreno.

“Our goal with Gabbi is to start taking away from those 80 per cent (non-moneymaking) tasks and time, and looking at each one and saying, can we automate it or enhance it?

“Realtors talk a lot,” says Moreno. Having the gift of the gab is a plus in a competitive real estate world. Indeed, by naming their app “Gabbi,” Moreno and his team aim to not only tap into an industry requisite, but also bring real estate conversations up to speed with hyper-evolving customer needs REM and AI technology.

MLS systems and other thirdparty tools used by members.”

The partnership will also give real estate professionals “the unique opportunity to manage their entire business in a single system through further upgrades and integrations with Lone Wolf’s other solutions,” says CREA in a news release. Some of these include Authentisign, the company’s eSignature solution, and Broker Edition, which supports broker-level transaction management including integration with Lone Wolf’s back office and accounting solution.

“To say that this is a big deal for Lone Wolf would be an understatement,” says Lone Wolf CEO Patrick Arkeveld. “I truly believe this partnership has the potential to shape the future of real estate in Canada and open up the opportunity for a completely digital real estate experience.”

CREA says the decision to move to a new supplier came after thorough analysis by CREA’s Technology Committee of broker and agent needs. Current thirdparty integrations including DocuSign, SecureShare, EZSign and NEXONE will continue to be available in CREA WEBForms.

REM

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30 REM JANUARY 2019

The chivalry of a 15-year-old These are the moments I live for – moments of hope and joy and love.

By Tina Plett

T

he silvery-haired woman stepped into the utility room of her new house to receive instruction on how to maintain the furnace and various mechanical doodads.

She’d been recently widowed and had spent the last weeks and months searching for a home for this new chapter of her life. It was a huge undertaking for her to prepare the house for sale, then declutter and pack. She sifted through thousands of items, each holding their own memories, and went through the process of letting go of them. Of letting go of the house and all of its memories too. It was a challenging process.

And that was just the selling part of it – there was still the process of looking for a new place she

had to walk through.

Every step of the way, I was amazed to see her family right there, in the house, helping her with every piece of it. Her sister, her children, even her grandchildren pitched in. In particular, one 15-year-old grandson seemed to be there often, helping sort and pack her things, helping move.

On this day, possession day, I’d arranged for the home seller to meet with my buyer to give her the rundown of maintenance. There, in the utility room, my silveryhaired buyer stepped up to the water pipes for instructions. The buyer’s sister and the 15-year-old grandson and I all crammed into the small room with her.

The seller bent and pointed to a valve. “Here’s how to release the pressure on this valve‌â€?

It was good of him to take the time and explain it all, but I wondered how much the woman would remember or understand.

Through their whole marriage, her husband took care of the mechan-

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ical aspects. Suddenly, all this maintenance was dumped on her.

Not only did she not know how it all worked, but it was a lot of detailed information to take in at one time. I wished there was a better way.

The grandson, I noticed, had been watching with intense eyes as the seller pointed to this and that.

Then he said something that nearly made me gasp. “How often should I release the pressure on that valve?�

I? As in, he would do this for his grandma? I glanced at the buyer’s sister, who wore a look of surprised tenderness. My chest swelled with such joy I thought I would burst. I looked away, afraid I might bawl my head off. The air in the room seemed to thicken with

Continued from page 22

130 Baskets of Hope during its annual Basketeers fundraiser.

Baskets in three themes – kitchen supplies, bathroom necessities and bedroom items – were delivered to local women’s shelters Faye Peterson House and Beendigen as well as Hope House, an organization supporting women facing addiction.

Basketeers co-ordinator and Royal LePage Lannon Realty sales rep Christine Lannon says, “These baskets are a message of hope for women leaving domestic violence. They let women know that their community cares and that they can have a new beginning after experiencing violence.�

Since 2010, Royal LePage Lannon Realty has collected over

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790 baskets with an estimated value of $197,500.

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emotion, but the buyer and even the boy didn’t seem to notice.

He was intent on listening to every single instruction. There was no Grandpa to take care of her anymore, and he would see to it she was not left alone and overwhelmed.

Most 15-year-olds would be hanging out with their friends or in front of a video game, but this gem of a person was sacrificing his weekends and summer days to clean, pack, move and watch over his grandma, perhaps reciprocating her loving protection and guidance of him.

It was a deep joy to witness.

One of those moments that floods you with a new hope in humanity.

These are the moments I live for – moments of hope

â– â– â–

In each of the last three years, Re/Max Affiliates Realty in Carleton Place, Ont. has hosted a charity walk/run, in support of their local women’s shelter, Lanark County Interval House. The brokerage has raised $35,719 at these events. This year Re/Max Affiliates also sponsored a unit in the shelter’s new Second Stage Housing Project by fully furnishing the apartment.

Leading the initiative were sales reps Tanya Evoy, Chris Evoy, Laura Keller, Karyn Bowman, Chantal Nephin, Luis Biggs, Kathi Norton, Rob Anderson, Christopher Norton, Lynn Vardy, Elizabeth Powell and Michale Fyke.

and joy and love.

And what an honour to behold them and be invited into these moments as a part of my work.

In those moments of stress or worry, cling to the good memories.

The inspiring stories you’ve witnessed or somehow been a part of.

Remembering them will brighten even the darkest day.

What’s a lovely story you’ve been a part of?

Attentive from sign up until sign down, rural agent Tina Plett wins the affections of people near Steinbach, Man. with her unique blend of forward-thinking business savvy and down-home, countrified lifestyle.

Sutton Group-Kilkenny proudly calls her their own. www.tinaplett.com REM â– â– â–

Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services in Burlington, Ont. raised $9,000 for two local organizations at its annual Halloween Chili Bowl. All the proceeds benefited Halton Women’s Place via the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation and the Carpenter Hospice.

This year’s event saw more than 130 participants, including Royal LePage Burloak sales representatives, employees and community partners. Attendees were encouraged to dress in Halloween costumes.

Over the past 12 years, Royal LePage Burloak has raised over $240,000 in support of Halton Women’s Place and The Carpenter Hospice.

REM

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Listings on REALTOR.ca were viewed over 965 million times last year. With views that impressive, you can count on your listing being seen, and sold.

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