July 2016 by Real Estate Magazine (REM)

Issue #325

July 2016

Sahil Jaggi 'Smart, innovative and ahead of the game' Page 22

TREB appeals tribunal ruling

Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 42218523 - Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 2255B Queen St. E., #1178, Toronto ON M4E 1G3

Page 3

For new agents: The first 100 days Page 3

Top 10 reasons why salespeople fail Page 10

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REM JULY 2016 3

TREB appeals tribunal ruling Competition Bureau spokesperson Taylor Bildstein says TREB is still required to fulfill its obligations within the 60 days prescribed in the tribunal’s order By Tony Palermo

he Toronto Real Estate Board is appealing the Competition Tribunal’s recent decision which found, in part, that TREB has engaged in anti-competitive acts. In an email statement to REM, TREB confirmed that they have filed a Notice of Appeal and are reviewing the Competition Tribunal’s recent order with their legal counsel, but are saying little else, stating that “the matter is still before the courts.” TREB did not respond to any other questions, including who is representing them for the appeal. But a copy of the appeal, which was filed with the Federal Court of Appeal in Toronto on May 27, lists the solicitors for the appellant (TREB) as Jeff Rosekat and Jacqueline Horvat with Toronto’s Sparks LLP and William Sasso of Sutts Strosberg LLP in Windsor, Ont. TREB was represented at the tribunal hearing by Toronto lawyers Don Affleck, David Vaillancourt and Fiona Campbell from Affleck Greene McMurtry LLP. The 14-page appeal document cites approximately 40 Grounds of Appeal, more than 30 of which allege the Competition Tribunal erred in its determinations. Competition Bureau spokesperson Taylor Bildstein says TREB is still required to fulfill its obligations within the 60 days prescribed in the tribunal’s order, unless TREB obtains an order from the Federal Court of Appeal within that timeframe temporarily staying the order. At press time, it remained unclear if TREB will be seeking a temporary stay of the order. Attorney Jeff Rosekat referred all questions back to TREB, which is not commenting beyond the original media statement. In the meantime, some are celebrating the order as a win. “The Competition Bureau’s decision is a big win for consumers and for competition in the real estate brokerage industry,” says

John Pasalis, president of Torontobased Realosophy Realty, which operates a virtual office website (VOW). “While I can appreciate opening up MLS data to consumers may be a bit unsettling for some TREB members, the reality is U.S. real estate brokerages have been displaying the sold prices of homes online for more than a decade. TREB’s policies were behind the times.” Pasalis says the tribunal ruling will allow his company to develop new public tools that will enable consumers to do some of their own research. He says Realosophy will also be able to mine the data to find underlying trends in the market, in particular neighbourhoods or condo buildings, which are not obvious by just looking at sale prices. “Sold data is now a commodity,” says Pasalis. “The real value for our clients is in the hidden insights we can extract from this data.” Rokham Fard, co-owner of the Toronto-based TheRedPin brokerage, agrees, adding that

consumers are looking for more useful information in a quicker fashion – something that technology can deliver. The problem, he says, is that the real estate industry remains one of the few sectors that have lagged in embracing the power of technology. In fact, it was this recognition that led to the creation of TheRedPin in 2010 which, according to the company’s website, was seen as an opportunity to reinvent the way people bought and sold properties. “Consumers are looking for this real-time and near-real-time type of experience,” says Fard. “Companies like Uber, which can have a car at your door in three minutes or where you can have your favourite pizza delivered at the click of a button – these types of companies have really set the consumer’s expectations.” Fard says having access to important current and historical real estate data allows for the innovation of all kinds of technology tools that can provide the con-

sumer with real time insights and detailed examinations for their research – especially when it comes to predicting trends. As an example, Fard says to consider markets where bidding wars are common. Predictive technology tools can analyze all of the relevant data, including sold prices, and predict to the consumer how much a property is expected to sell for. Predictive technology tools can also help the consumer get the house that they really want. “Maybe someone really wants to buy a house in the Yonge and Eglinton area of Toronto,” says Fard. “They might see one come up for sale and jump on it, even if it’s not the perfect house for them, because of that fear of missing out. So, they pull the trigger. But predictive analysis tools can help that consumer be more patient and give them the opportunity to plan ahead by forecasting what homes might come up for sale in a given area, and when.” As he says, it’s about providing

John Pasalis

Rokham Fard

the consumer, whether they are buying or selling, with an enhanced experience by giving them relevant information that is based on real data, not opinion, and is delivered to them almost instantaneously. “It’s all about providing the detailed, real-time experience that the real estate consumer wants and expects,” says Fard. Check remonline.com for the latest updates. REM

For new agents: The first 100 days By Joanna Dermenjian

ou’ve passed your exam, signed on with a brokerage and received your license. Now, where is the instruction manual on how to be a real estate professional? There isn’t one! It’s Day 1 of your new career and you have no idea what to do, what to expect and how to get started. Here is what we have learned: Your first year will be very hard. If you make it through the first year and do 10 transactions, you have a

It’s Day 1 of your new career and you have no idea what to do, what to expect and how to get started. Here is what we have learned. chance to gain enough momentum to build a career in real estate. In the first 100 days, you need to gain traction. The clock is ticking, and the first 100 days are counting down. Get yourself one firm transaction and at least two more buyers you have already started working with in that first 100 days. There needs to be urgency in everything you do. 1. You are now a brand. You are being watched – when you are out with friends, when you are eat-

ing in a restaurant, when you are shopping at a retailer or are receiving a service. Everywhere you go, people will start to know who are. They will watch you and listen to what you say and how you say it, even if you aren’t talking to them. Think about that. 2. You are a professional. You want to be a very successful professional. Dress for the job. Arrive on time. Clean your car. Be organized. Be well groomed and presentable all the time, even in your leisure

time. Behave. 3. You are a salesperson. The public perception is that we sell houses, but truly we are selling ourselves. Our knowledge, our expertise, our competence. You don’t have those yet, so you have to work very hard to get them quickly. Until then, sell yourself as enthusiastic, hardworking, ethical and available, with support from a great brokerage and colleagues when you Continued on page 36

4 REM JULY 2016

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

indsey Smith is now 50 per cent co-owner of CIR Realty in Calgary. Current broker/owner and president for Ron Stader made the announcement at the company’s annual general meeting recently. Stader, who started at the brokerage under the tutelage of his father and founder Karl Stader 28 years ago, says that succession planning and mentorship is the key to ensuring longevity and long-term success for any real estate company. “Too many brokerages in our marketplace have not properly

planned for succession and therefore leave the company vulnerable to stagnation, decline or even eventual closure,” says Stader. “CIR Realty has been a leader for over 30 years and it is my duty to ensure we are well positioned for the next 30 years of growth and success.” Smith has been actively involved in all aspects of brokerage management in CIR Realty for the past seven years, with his main focus on professional development and brokerage strategy, the company says. ■ ■ ■

John King is the owner and broker of record of the new Engel & Völkers Ottawa Central office. It will serve clients throughout Ottawa, including Westboro, Rockcliffe, Wellington Village, Centretown, Sandy Hill and The Glebe. The shop is located in Wellington Village, a neighbourhood in the midst of active development of condos and high-end homes. “The Engel & Völkers brand aligns with the image of our existing office and team,” says King. “Most importantly, Engel & Völkers allows us to differentiate ourselves with a high-end, international brand in a highly saturated market.” ■ ■ ■

John King

Lou Doderai

Denis Lord

Melissa Roussin

Independent brokerage Icon Realty of Prince Albert, Sask. has joined the Royal LePage network. The owners are Lou Doderai and Carmen Cartier. Doderai, who serves as broker, is a lifelong resident of Prince Albert. He has served on a variety of committees within organized real estate, including twice as president of the Prince Albert and

District Association of Realtors and as president of the Association of Saskatchewan Realtors in 2013. Cartier began her real estate career in 2003. She and Doderai established Icon Realty in 2013. She is a current director for the ASR and serves as an area rep with the local board. ■ ■ ■

Francesco and Cathy Mercurio are celebrating their retirement after 38 years in real estate. Their Montreal real estate brokerage, Century 21 Excel, is being passed to team members Mike Trotta and Giuseppe (Joe) Diodati, who offer a combined 32 years of market knowledge. “We believe satisfied customers are our best advertising,” says Diodati. “I’m truly grateful to the Mercurios for everything they’ve done for us throughout our careers at Excel.” ■ ■ ■

Denis Lord has acquired ownership of the Coldwell Banker affiliate in Hinton, Alta. Under Lord’s leadership, the office will operate as an independent brokerage, Coldwell Banker Hinton Real Estate. The Hinton office’s ownership passes from broker Cameron Jenkins, who will continue to operate his existing Jasper office, now branded Coldwell Banker Jasper Realty. An award-winning top producer with 11 years of experience,

Lord has been ranked the No. 1 agent in the Hinton market, the company says. Now as broker/ owner, he plans to build on the established operation. ■ ■ ■

The former Groupe Sutton Pro TM in Thetford Mines, Que., under the leadership of Melissa Roussin, has joined the Royal LePage network and will now operate as Royal LePage Pro. The brokerage is the largest in Thetford Mines, which also serves the MRC des Appalaches. The company says the move increases Royal LePage’s market share by close to two per cent in the administrative region of ChaudièreAppalaches. “We always strive to offer our customers the best service, so with our new affiliation with Royal LePage we are building on more than a century of innovation that will benefit clients and continue to improve our agency,” says Roussin. ■ ■ ■

Anita Springate-Renaud has opened Engel & Völkers Toronto Don Mills. Springate-Renaud, who is fluent in German and French, will serve Don Mills and surrounding Toronto neighbourhoods including Leaside, The Bridle Path, York Mills and Donalda. The brokerage opened its temporary location on June 1 in the Shops at Don Mills and will move to its newly renovated permanent location in the centre in midSeptember. The office will serve both residential and commercial markets. “Anita is a third-generation real estate professional with more than 20 years of experience who has firmly established herself as a leader in the market,” says Anthony Hitt, CEO of Engel & Völkers North America. ■ ■ ■

Carmen Cartier

Ron Stader, left, and Lindsey Smith make the announcement at CIR Realty’s annual general meeting.

Anita Springate-Renaud

Century 21 Excel in Montreal

Robert (Rob) Koppert has assumed ownership at Royal LePage R. E. Wood Realty in Tillsonburg, Ont. Koppert will work alongside former owner Richard Wood, who will remain broker of record. Koppert was raised in Oxford County and has been a licensed broker for more than a decade. “I plan to continue to grow the business and reaffirm the commitment to excellence in real estate services that Royal LePage R. E. Wood Realty has made in our market,” says Koppert. Continued on page 6

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6 REM JULY 2016

Continued from page 4 ■ ■ ■

Century 21 Big Land Realty in Labrador, formerly an independent brokerage, has launched with two offices to serve Labrador West and Goose Bay residents. Owner Tammy Elliott brings more than 21 years of experience serving local customers. She became a Realtor in 1993, opened her own property rental business and, in 2011, received her broker’s license. As an entrepreneur herself and working with a team of five women, Elliott’s company supports and offers leadership to other women in business, the company says. They’re involved locally with the Newfoundland & Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs and are members of the International Women’s Leadership Association. ■ ■ ■

Bree Patterson is the new owner at Royal LePage Signature in Weyburn, Sask. She will work alongside former owner Leslie Smith during the next several months, the company says. Patterson launched her professional real estate career in 2009 and has augmented her skills with ongoing education. She is a longtime resident of Weyburn and is passionate about her community, citing it as a great place to raise a family and conduct business. The company says Royal LePage Signature enjoys strong market share within their trading area, which includes the communities of Weyburn, Yellow Grass, Lang, Midale, Radville, Torquay, Stoughton, Griffin and Francis. The area has a population of about 25,000. ■ ■ ■

The Montreal brokerage formerly operated under the Groupe Sutton Action banner, led by Marie-Catherine Jetté, has

Cover photo: MARKO SHARK

become Royal LePage Triomphe. The move increases Royal LePage’s sales force by 93 brokers, who will be divided among two offices in Brossard and SaintLambert. The company says the conversion increases Royal LePage’s market share by three per cent in the Montérégie region, with almost 400 brokers, making it the largest real estate brand in Brossard and Saint-Lambert. Jetté began her real estate career in 2004 as a broker and purchased her brokerage in 2010. ■ ■ ■

Century 21 Royale Prestige recently opened in VaudreuilDorion on the west island of Montreal. The team celebrated at a grand opening event held in the office’s garden last month. New owner Thérèse Kesserwani spent more than 15 years building local expertise as a Realtor with Century 21 and is excited to continue growing her career, the company says. ■ ■ ■

Engel & Völkers officially launched its new brokerage in Markham, Ont. with a grand opening celebration on June 6. Led by owner Sophia Hu, the shop is the first Chinese-owned Engel & Völkers brokerage in North America. Hu and her team of advisors will serve the Markham community offering services in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. The event was attended by more than 100 guests including clients, business partners, friends and guests Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Consul-General of People’s Republic of China in Toronto representative Jianwei Yu, Engel & Völkers North America CEO Anthony Hitt, brokerage co-owner Herman Yuan and Special Olympics Ontario president and CEO Glenn MacDonnell. The event began with speeches and a ribbon cutting ceremony, which was followed by a presentation of a traditional Cantonese roast pig (“siu yuk”), a Chinese ceremony for business openings as a symbolic offering of good luck. REM

Del Mar Realty, which has offices in Guysborough and Canso, N.S. has become the newest member of the Aventure Realty Network. Marta Anderson, broker/owner, operates a growing organization and provides the network with a new connection to the markets of Chedabucto Bay and the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, says Aventure president Bernie Vogt. Aventure has alliances with more than 400 locations in Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany. “With the recent announcement of a unique affiliation with Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate, Aventure members can now bring a new level of service to their customers and benefit from the added global reach to over 130,000 sales professionals in 40 countries,” says Vogt.

Century 21 Royale Prestige held a grand opening event in the office’s garden.

Rob Koppert Celebrating the grand opening of Engel & Völkers Markham, from left: Herman Yuan, owner and director of sales; Frank Scarpitti, Markham mayor; Vivi Dong, real estate advisor and director of marketing and development; Sophia Hu, owner and broker of record; and Anthony Hitt, CEO, Engel & Völkers North America.

■ ■ ■

Bree Patterson

Marta Anderson

Publisher HEINO MOLLS heino@remonline.com

Editor JIM ADAIR jim@remonline.com

Director, Sales & Marketing AMANDA ROCK amanda@remonline.com

Distribution & Production MILA PURCELL distribution@remonline.com

Digital Media Manager WILLIAM MOLLS web@remonline.com

Art Director LIZ MACKIN

Brand Design SANDRA GOODER

Royal LePage Triomphe brokers and staff.

Graphic Design SHAWN KELLY

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

Phone: 416.425.3504 www.remonline.com REM is published 12 times a year. It is an independently owned and operated company and is not affiliated with any real estate association, board or company. REM is distributed across Canada by leading real estate boards and by direct delivery in selected areas. For subscription information, email distribution@remonline.com. Entire contents copyright 2016 REM. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The opinions expressed in REM are not necessarily those of the publisher. REALTOR® and REALTORS® are trademarks controlled in Canada by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify licensed real estate practitioners who are members of CREA. MLS® and Multiple Listing Service® are trademarks owned by CREA and identify the services rendered by members of CREA. REM complies fully with the CREA’s Trademark Policy (section 5.3.2.6.1). ISSN 1201-1223

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Multiple Listings

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8 REM JULY 2016

The power of testimonials

“Testimonials are the next best things to referrals,” say brokers Diane Allingham and Jennifer Stewart By Toby Welch

estimonials are a formidable tool to have in your marketing arsenal. Having someone else say how awesome you are carries a thousand times more weight than if you make the same claim. Testimonials build trust and show you are capable, often before potential clients reach out to you. Kim Louie, a real estate consultant and broker with Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty in Kitchener, Ont., has generated business from an impressive list of testimonials on his website. “I use them in my introductory emails as well as in social media and at listing presentations and buyer interviews. I include the link to the testimonials and even print out some of them for handouts. If you don’t leverage them in social media, handouts

Kim Louie

and presentations, then what’s the point? It’s like having a great presentation, but just winging it instead. Why spend the time and money and effort if you aren’t going to make the most of it?” Diane Allingham and Jennifer Stewart are brokers with Royal LePage Team Realty in Ottawa. They have had many people find them online and specifically cite their reviews as the reason they were contacted. “The shift to

ambitious) on your Facebook page. • Create an email marketing campaign that highlights your satisfied clients, including testimonials from said clients. • Share testimonials on your social media posts. • Include a favourite testimonial in your email signature. Kathy Schmidt

online reviews is incredible and not to be ignored, so we are focused on encouraging clients to share their feedback online. We always ask prospects why they contact us and why what other clients think of us is important to them. In addition, people like to flip through to see if they know anyone who has provided one.” Kathy Schmidt, the broker/ owner of Schmidt Realty Group in Edmonton, has experience with the power of testimonials. “Prospective clients often do research before calling us, including finding us on social media and visiting our website. Once on our site they find the testimonials and that gives them a high degree of confidence that they’re making a smart choice. And we often hear from new clients that they found other people they know on our testimonial page who had already worked with us. Edmonton is really one big small town in that way – we’re a very closely knit community and it’s not surprising for people to discover a mutual connection with us.” Other than displaying testimonials on your website, consider the following uses for them: • Post a “review of the month” (or “week” if you are

• Allingham and Stewart include testimonials in a booklet they give to buyers and to seller prospects. Schmidt uses their testimonials in a number of ways. “We include them in our New Client Information Package as well as the personal brochures we provide to each of our agents and also in the Special Reports, which we produce as part of our education series. Also, when we have relocation clients contact us, we often find it helpful to provide them with testimonials from past clients, as it gives them extra comfort that they’re making a good choice, even from a distance.” Maela Ohana, the marketing manager of Shupilov.com based in Montreal, is convinced that testimonials play an important role in conveying trust to new clients. “It’s hard to track the extent to which new clients were influenced by our testimonials, but several buyers and sellers who reached out to us organically have complimented us on the positive feedback on our Facebook page. As we know, across industries, an unhappy client is far more likely to leave an online review than a satisfied one is. And the damage that can be done by a single negative experience is far greater now that brand messages are communicated

Diane Allingham and Jennifer Stewart

via social media rather than just by word of mouth. So the key is to make all your clients feel respected and listened to, especially at times when there are obstacles or delays impeding their goals.” When it comes to collecting testimonials, there are numerous ways to go about it. Louie includes a request for a testimonial in an email after every firm transaction, along with steps to follow (lawyer, lender, insurance). Ohana reaches out directly by phone, after the client’s goals have been achieved, to thank them for their business and ask for a review of their services. Allingham and Stewart ask their clients for a testimonial after a sale is firm when sending a complete soft copy of all their paperwork; sometimes they reach out specifically for a review to clients with whom they have an especially good relationship. Schmidt emails every client after every transaction with a survey to ask how they did. Another way to collect testimonials is to ask permission to use their words as a testimonial when you hear your clients say something

flattering about you. If you prefer the email route, consider sending a video email instead; seeing your face as you request a testimonial will remind clients why they love you more than a few words on a blank page will. And don’t forget to ask people for permission before using their testimonial. Photo and video testimonials lead even more credibility than words alone. Video testimonials can be posted on YouTube (the third most visited website in the world after Google and Facebook) and with a link to your website, it can drive more traffic to you. They can also be posted on your social media sites, just like written testimonials. But keep them short and to the point. Don’t make up testimonials. Fake ones are easy to spot – often because the same tone and punctuation is used across numerous quotes – and will come across as insincere. According to the most recent Nielsen advertising survey, consumers trust peer recommendations such as online reviews 6.5 times more than traditional advertising methods. Use testimonials to show everyone that you get results. REM

“We are increasingly attracting luxury sellers and buyers in our market. As Engel & Völkers, our team continues to provide our signature premium client services but with enhanced marketing and global reach which truly differentiates ourselves in a crowded market place.” John King, Engel & Völkers Ottawa Central

Only the best in the business join our brand. With 25 years of real estate experience and achieving the number 1 ranking within his brand in 2014, John King has built a business based on in-depth market expertise and exceptional service. John’s business continues to grow, most recently with the rising activity of premium sales in the market. Now, as the owner and broker of record for Engel & Völkers Ottawa Central, John and his team provide an enhanced level of expertise and quality service with access to world-class marketing tools and technology, and unmatched international reach.

Engel & Völkers Canada 2 Bloor Street West, Suite 700 · Toronto · ON M4W 3RI · Phone +1 416-323-1100 evcanada.com · info@evcanada.com

©2016 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. This advertisement is not an offering of a franchise, and where required by law, an offering can only be made 14 days after delivery of the applicable franchise disclosure document.

10 REM JULY 2016

Top 10 reasons why salespeople fail By George E Zanette

ecently I interviewed a number of managers and salespeople, asking them why most people fail to make a successful career in real estate. Here were the most common responses. 1. Lack of cash flow. This seems to be the most common reason for failure, since the highs and lows of commission-based income are a real challenge. Most salespeople do not plan for this and do not save enough when times are good. What makes things worse is that most salespeople are inconsistent with their lead generation strategies and applications. There is no magic bullet and no easier, softer way. The daily commitment to build a business requires perseverance,

consistency and competence. 2. Lack of good coaching and training. Many salespeople fail to see that the greatest investment they can make is their own training and coaching. There seems to be great reluctance to pay for good training and worse, a lack of engagement when their brokerage offers speakers and sessions about specific topics. 3. Lack of consistent prospecting. This is the No. 1 difference between successful and unsuccessful sales reps. You don’t have to be the smartest or the best looking, or drive the nicest car! However it is essential to have a system that you work every day to add new prospects to your database. Many people ask me what’s the best system......the one you use, Charlie Brown! 4. Fear of rejection. Get over it, or go get another job is what my first broker told me! I had experience with this previously when I was in the life insurance industry in my early career. Once I got through my friends and family, I

was stumped and the phone weighed 10,000 lbs. If you believe you have something of value to offer, what’s the fear? 5. Not understanding they are a business. It still amazes me how many new salespeople show up at my first class and don’t have any form of a business plan. If they were going into any other business they would have to have one to convince a lender to fund their new venture. Starting your own real estate business is no different. You may not be in business by yourself but definitely for yourself. 6. Lack of implementation. So you go to a seminar or training program, buy the book and the CDs, get all excited and then do exactly what you were doing before. I have a whole wall of books, tapes and CDs from past seminars and coaches, but over the years I did put it all together in a system that works for me. 7. Lack of commitment. There is a big difference between being around the business and being in the business. I received some great

advice in my early career. Get up, dress up, show up and talk more to the public than other salespeople. Choose wisely when talking to other real estate sales reps. Stay away from negative Nellys. You will find the busy ones won’t have time to chat! 8. Lack of time management. Most people love the flexibility of being their own boss, but nothing is more of a problem for a new salesperson. No one is telling you when you have to work or come to the office. The best way to deal with this is to set up a plan of your ideal day and ideal week, focusing on the highest priority activities; prospecting, follow-up, listing appointments and showings. 9. Lack of clear goals and plan. Even if you have a business plan, many people do not drill down to the hourly and daily activities required to successfully meet their goals. The most insightful advice I ever heard about this is to focus on the right activities, not the results. The results will take care of themselves if you are consistent.

Right Action = Right Results. 10. Lack of support from the brokerage. When I’m in a recruiting appointment with a new salesperson, I just love when their first question is, “How much are your fees?” It’s the same as the listing appointment question, when the client asks what your commission will be before they even ask what you offer. The industry has changed a great deal and with the race to the bottom, many brokerages just don’t have the time or money to invest a great deal in training their salespeople. A new sales rep especially should always ask, “How can you help me succeed?” as their first question. George E. Zanette is a trainer and manager at Royal LePage Your Community Realty in Toronto. He says he has a passion to lead, teach and inspire others to be their best in all areas of life. His goal is to help people new to the real estate profession have an easier and more successful transition than he did. www.geozan.com; george@geozan.com REM

Announcement RE/MAX INTEGRA is pleased to announce the succession of one of its original and most respected franchisees, Heather Skuce of RE/MAX Metro-City Realty Ltd. Following a prosperous 35 year career as a leading Broker/Owner in the Greater Ottawa Area, Heather has made the decision to retire and sell her 9 locations to two of our existing area brokerages. Debra Bain, Ken McLachlan, and Steve Tabrizi of RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Group and Jacalyn and Kevin Grimes of RE/MAX Afﬁliates Realty Ltd. have purchased the ofﬁces of RE/MAX Metro-City Realty in the Ottawa and surrounding area. (Please note that this does NOT include RE/MAX Metro-City Realty Ltd. (Renfrew), owned by Helen Vincent.) On behalf of RE/MAX, we would like to thank Heather Skuce for her lengthy and successful career with us. Heather was the pioneer for RE/MAX in the Ottawa area where she successfully built the brand at a time when RE/MAX was not known in Canada.

Please join us in congratulating RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Group and RE/MAX Afﬁliates Realty Ltd. in their new acquisitions and in extending our best wishes to Heather Skuce on her retirement.

Appearing from L-R: Debra Bain, Ken McLachlan, Steve Tabrizi of RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Group, Jacalyn Grimes, Kevin Grimes of RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd., Heather Skuce, RE/MAX Metro-City Realty Ltd. If you are interested in ownership opportunities with RE/MAX, the largest most productive real estate brand, contact Christopher Alexander at 1-416-786-5552 to arrange your conﬁdential meeting, or visit remaxintegra.com.

12 REM JULY 2016

Judge finds tenant ‘gaming the system’

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n Ontario Superior Court Judge has expressed his hope that legislative changes will be made to stop unscrupulous tenants from “gaming the system”. The facts of the case (http://canlii.ca/t/gph9l) are straightforward and rather appalling. The tenant entered into an agreement to lease a condominium in downtown Toronto starting in September 2015. The rent for the first month cleared but the rent for October bounced. The tenant has not paid another cent since that time, although he continued to reside in the unit. The landlord served a “Notice to End Tenancy Early for Non-Payment of Rent” on Oct. 16, 2015. On Nov. 19, 2015, the landlord filed an application with the Landlord and Tenant Board seeking an order to terminate the tenancy, payment of rental arrears and to evict the tenant from the unit. The landlord’s application was heard on Jan. 4, 2016 (at which time the tenant was now four months in arrears of rent). The tenant consented to an order terminating the tenancy, requiring him to pay the rental arrears along with per diem compensation to the date of move out and costs. The order also provided that if the tenant had not moved out by Jan. 31, 2016 that the landlord could have the Sheriff evict the tenant. The tenant did not pay any of the amounts ordered, nor did he move out of the unit. On Jan. 29, 2016, the last business day before the landlord could file the eviction

papers with the Sheriff, the tenant initiated an appeal with the Ontario Divisional Court, which had the effect of staying any potential eviction proceedings. The landlord was proactive and brought a motion to quash the appeal on a variety of grounds before it was heard on its merits. Even still, the landlord had to wait until April 14 for his hearing. The tenant did not file any responding materials nor did he attend the hearing, despite being explicitly directed to do so by the presiding judge. The judge quashed the appeal, lifted the stay permitting the immediate eviction of the tenant and ordered the tenant to pay the landlord’s substantial indemnity costs. Inclusive of costs, the tenant, who signed a lease for $1,700 a month, owes the landlord $16,786.82. What makes the tenant’s disgraceful conduct even more reprehensible is that he pulled a nearly identical stunt with his previous landlord. In that case (http://canlii.ca/t/gj16j), the tenant had rung up over $15,000 in rental arrears. The tenant was found, in both cases, to be “gaming the system”. In the more recent case the presiding judge urged legislative changes to be made, and in particular urged the government to consider modifying the existing legislation to remove the automatic right to appeal decisions of the Landlord and Tenant Board and instead require that leave (permission) be granted before an appeal can be initiated. Matt Maurer is an accomplished trial and appellate lawyer with nearly a decade of experience advocating on behalf of his clients. He is a regular contributor to print and online media publications on issues pertaining to real estate disputes and issues affecting the practice of law and access to justice. He is with Minden Gross LLP in Toronto. www.mindengross.com/our-people/details/mattmaurer REM

Welcome to Sutton. Welcome Home. Achieving Successa new merger Sutton would like to announce its latest merger: Agence Immobilière Nouvelle Demeure, Sutton-pro and Sutton-plus. Groupe Sutton Nouvelle Demeure is now the biggest real estate agency in Quebec!

Left to right: Christophe Folla - President of Sutton (Quebec), Julie Gaucher - Vice-President and Chief of Operations, Sutton (Quebec), Michel Gingras - Vice-President of Development, groupe sutton - nouvelle demeure, and Robert D'Aoust Vice-President of groupe sutton - nouvelle demeure.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

PRAIRIES

O N TA R I O

QUEBEC

“We finally are taking our rightful place in the Quebec City market and this is thanks to the great open-mindedness of Mr. Robert D’Aoust and Mr. Michel Gingras.” --- Julie Gaucher, Vice President and Chielf of Operations of Sutton (Quebec).

AT L A N T I C

sutton.com

16 REM JULY 2016

AS I SEE IT FROM MY DESK

By Stan Albert

fter 185 articles, I have decided to hang up my “pen” to allow more eager, younger and current writers to enter the REM world of thoughts and ideas. I think my articles have covered nearly every aspect of my 46 years in this exciting and everchanging business, including the Competition Bureau, commission cutting, part-timers, real estate bubbles, why new agents fail, ghosts in houses you are selling and Q&As with many iconic figures in the real estate industry. So, what have I learned about

this business that I still love? For starters, some areas of concern never change! Unethical behaviour, poorly prepared offers and listings and lack of communication are obstacles that every agent faces at one time or other. I have addressed these issues and many more over the years, and you can go online and read these articles at remonline.com. The major change that has really impacted our industry for the past several years is the age of the Internet. Online marketing has exploded! YouTube, Instagram, Linkedln, Twitter and many more

Stan’s last column: What he’s learned apps offer unique ideas that you should think about incorporating into your daily business. If you aren’t using some of these incredible tools, you’ll be left behind by the new cadre of agents coming out of the courses today. And speaking of the courses, they’re somewhat better in Ontario with the addition of the broker’s two-week course, which will turn out far more professional registrants. The real estate market has no bubble, despite the worry in the business pages in most major papers. Why? Immigration is at an all-time high and will increase over the next decade, according to most economists. As I crisscross the city I see no end to the development and building of all types of residential dwellings. Another reason to be optimistic about the real estate industry is the recent news com-

The real estate market has no bubble, despite the worry in the business pages in most major papers. ing out of Ottawa and most provincial governments that they will spend more on highways and infrastructure, meaning job creation. The result is that more housing will be needed and Realtors will be required to service their needs. To summarize my last As I See It From My Desk, allow me to say it has been a wonderful experience and a great privilege to share my thoughts and ideas with you. I am grateful to Jim Adair, the editor, and to Heino Molls, publisher of

Insurance payment due August 12, 2016 The total cost of insurance, including taxes and expenses is $440 for the 2016-2017 policy period. Payments are due by August 12, 2016.

Real Estate Council of Ontario

2016 INSURANCE RENEWAL

How do I make a payment? Payments can be made online via MyWeb. Last year, nearly nine out of 10 registrants used MyWeb to make their payments quickly and securely. If you don’t already have a MyWeb account, it’s free and easy to sign up; simply visit https://myweb.reco.on.ca. Payments can be made using Visa or MasterCard.

What if I don’t pay on time? If you don’t make your insurance payment by the August 12 deadline, you will become part of the suspension process. The total insurance payment after the due date of August 12 is $475. Failing to make an insurance payment results in the suspension of your registration and the right to trade in real estate effective September 1, 2016.

@RECOhelps www.reco.on.ca

REM, for their absolute trust by giving my writings a voice in their cross-Canada and global network. The publishing of this article will coincide with my 80th birthday celebration in July. I wish you all the very best that life can bring. Thank you for your past encouragement and support! Stan Albert, ABR, ASA is a consultant with Re/Max Premier in Vaughan, Ont. He can be reached for consultation at stanalb@rogers.com. REM

What if I’m leaving the business? If you’re planning on retiring or leaving the industry in the near future, consider terminating your registration prior to renewing your insurance policy, as insurance payments are non-refundable. You can either ask your broker of record to terminate your registration on MyWeb or send in a completed “Notice of Employee Change: TERMINATION” form before August 2, 2016.

For frequently asked questions about this insurance renewal, please visit www.reco.on.ca/2016renewal

Contact RECO’s insurance department at: https://myweb.reco.on.ca 416-207-4841 1-866-757-7772 416-207-9020 416-207-4820 insurance@reco.on.ca

NATIONAL & ONTARIO

Bruno Gendron Royal LePage Northern Realty Leaders* Timmins, ON Division 1

Craig Blanchard, Nick Vinicombe Royal LePage Atlantic Homestead St. John’s, NL Division 2

Nirmal Brar Royal LePage Flower City Realty* Brampton, ON Division 3

Jim Ouellette, Jeff Slightham, Chris Slightham Royal LePage Signature Realty* Toronto, ON Division 4

Karim Dalati, Fadi Kaouk Royal LePage du Quartier Saint-Laurent, QC Division 1 – Finalist

Josie Gammiero Royal LePage Cité Laval, QC Division 2 – Finalist

Stan Cho, John Cho Royal LePage New Concept* Toronto, ON Division 3 – Finalist

Andrew Zsolt Royal LePage Terrequity Realty* Toronto, ON Division 4 – Finalist

Wayne Walker, Maria Walker Royal LePage du Quartier 100 Mile House, BC Division 1 – Finalist

Joe Fleming Royal LePage Vision Realty St. John’s, NL Division 2 – Finalist

Frank Binder Royal LePage Binder Real Estate* Windsor, ON Division 3 – Finalist

Joe Ferrante, Tony Chiarella Royal LePage State Realty* Stoney Creek, ON Division 4 – Finalist

Kent Brown Royal LePage Team Realty* Kanata, ON

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Clinton Miller Royal LePage Parksville-Qualicum Beach Realty Qualicum Beach, BC

PRAIRIES

Recognizing exceptional performance Michael Froese, John Froese, Wayne Penner, Ruthe Penner Royal LePage Prime Real Estate Winnipeg, MB

QUEBEC

Eric Bilodeau Royal LePage Habitations Mascouche, QC

EAST COAST

IS WHAT WE DO Congratulations to our dedicated leaders for setting a standard of excellence that thrives within Royal LePage’s leading brokerages across Canada. Recognized for your strong leadership and exceptional performance in 2015, you stand apart in helping us achieve unprecedented momentum and growth. Congratulations on being the best of the best! I wish you continued success for the coming year.

Craig Blanchard, Nick Vinicombe Royal LePage Atlantic Homestead St. John’s, NL

Phil Soper, President & CEO

royallepage.ca *Brokerages, in Ontario. This is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, including a solicitation of any sales representatives or broker that is currently under contract. All offices are independently owned and operated, except those marked as “Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage”, “Royal LePage West Real Estate Services” and “Royal LePage Sussex”. Recruiter of the Year Award recognizes exceptional agent recruiting in brokerages: Division 1: 1 – 24 agents, Division 2: 25 – 99 agents, Division 3: 100 – 249 agents, Division 4: 250+ agents. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited. ©2016 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Limited. All rights reserved.

18 REM JULY 2016

The top 5 real estate sign mistakes By Angela Papassotiriou

n the past decade, technology has drastically impacted every facet of real estate sales and marketing, except one. Signage. QR codes created a lot of excitement in recent years but are slowly fizzling out. Perhaps that in itself is an indication that signage is, and needs to remain, a simple concept. If done right, it will not only help sell the property being promoted, but can also be a powerful marketing and lead generation tool for the salesperson. Either way, the ultimate objective of any sign is to sell. The most common mistakes I’ve personally observed over the years can all be rectified with one simple piece of advice: KISS (Keep It Simple Salesperson) and Sell. Here are the top five signage mistakes and how to fix them: 1) Cluttered graphics: This is the No. 1 blunder I encounter. Aside from the lack of visual appeal, clutter detracts from the main message. Decide what you want to convey and ensure your call to action is not overpowered

by other elements. Do you really need to show all the awards you achieved the past decade on a for sale sign, along with a trophy photo, a QR code, your portrait, your slogan, a coming soon message or MLS logo, a company logo, the Realtor logo, a website address and your contact info? Definitely overkill. Your ultimate goal should be to give a property exposure, perhaps drive traffic to a website and ultimately get your phone ringing. When it comes to signage, less is more. 2) Disproportionate sizing, graphics and text: When you review and approve a proof from your sign supplier, it is important to remember that what appears legible on your computer monitor may not be the case once the sign is produced. You need to conceptualize the size of the sign and especially your contact info. You might get away with a small logo but a fatal flaw would be an undersized font in an email, web address and/or telephone number. If prospects drive by your sign and need binoculars to see your contact info, that’s a big fail. When it comes to signage, size matters! 3) Clarity: On occasion I’ve seen off-site signs (for example on billboards or on recycling bins) that look quite professional but if I didn’t recognize the agent, I would not have understood it was real estate related. Take a look at your sign from the public’s perspective.

Is your slogan or terminology easily understood by the general public? I once saw a salesperson advertise free CMA’s, but that is an industry term the general public is not familiar with. Never use acronyms or shortened wording in any form of advertising. Is your overall message clear? Who are you targeting and is there a strong call to action that will compel that prospect to reach

repetition: This one applies to all your marketing initiatives, which should ideally have the same look or branding. The recognition of a familiar image or brand, accompanied by repetition (in this case frequent sold signs!) will have a stronger impact with prospects. Major global corporations spend millions each year to achieve this. For example, what

The ultimate objective of any sign is to sell. out to you? Is your name dominant? So often receptionists at every brokerage get that dreaded call that starts off with, “I want info on the house you have listed near the intersection of Mydream Road and Noluck Avenue.” That’s like searching for a needle in a haystack. Since prospects don’t always recall the street address of a listing, it is vital that your name stands out and is clear. When it comes to signage, clarity is…well …clear! 4) Lack of consistency and

fast food place comes to mind when I mention the golden arches? They are recognized from a distance in every country around the world, party due to a strong brand and repetition (commercials, flyers). In our industry, you don’t necessarily need to spend exorbitant amounts of money on branding. Simply make the effort to ensure your branding is consistent so when you send a flyer in your farming area, they will recognize it is coming from the same salesperson who had the open

house signs on the next block and the same person with the sold sign on their neighbour’s home up the street. If you have a certain look on your open house signs but a totally different look on your for sale signs, you will lose that impact. Make sure it is all cohesive and don’t change your branding too frequently. When it comes to signage, consistency and repetition creates impact! 5) Fancy fonts: Some fancy folks prefer fancy fonts. While certain script fonts look elegant, some of these are too thin or ornate and blend into the background. That makes them difficult to read so you immediately lose your prospects attention. When it comes to signage, fancy fonts fail! The majority of prospects are driving by, so you only have a few seconds to get their attention and even less time for them to get your info. Be sure to “KISS and sell” so you can make those seconds count! Angela Papassotiriou began her career in 1989 and is currently the brokerage manager at Royal LePage Professionals in Vaughan, Ont. She says she is dedicated to fostering the highest professional standards and the ongoing pursuit of excellence in our industry. Email angelap@royallepage.ca or call 416-743-5000. REM

don’t be fooled

BY A PRETTY

face

A home inspection goes beyond face value. (we know it’s what’s inside that counts.)

VISIT AMERISPEC.CA FOR YOUR FREE HOME IMPROVEMENT AND REPAIR COST GUIDE 1-866-284-6010

Ottawa Agent Builds a Multi-Million Dollar Real Estate Legacyy in 4 Short Years By Marnie Bennett Broker As I access my business model and my success to date I cannot help but reflect back on the journey. I went to my very first Craig Proctor SuperConference in Los Angeles in May 2010. At that time, I was on target to be the #1 Agent for Keller Williams International - but truth be known, I had no systems, no direction, no lead generation systems -- just â&#x20AC;&#x153;old schoolâ&#x20AC;? real estate. But I had done my research and the common denominator of the most successful agents in my market place was that they were all Craig Proctor students. By the way, I was #1 in 2010 for Keller

Williams, and would have been for 2011, but I left to start my own boutique brokerage in January 2012 thanks to Craigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s encouragement. Before I went to the SuperConference in May 2010, I had been working with coaches from Keller Williams, and also I acquired other coaching outside of KW, but I was not making any great strides and I knew there was a better system and I needed to find that answer. I arrived at LA Live with my daughter Lynsey, who at the time was running the whole show for our team. At that time my GCI was just over $3.2 million. We had 4 agents, an inside sales person who had no idea what they were doing, and two administrators. I was the team leader. I did not sell or list. I was responsible for building the team and hunting

for business. When I attended the conference, like many others I was overwhelmed. I was so determined to absorb everything and I knew from that moment that this was something I had to learn and conquer because this would be the secret to my success. My children had now joined the business and I had to build a legacy. I had to succeed for their their future. I was this â&#x20AC;&#x153;rainmakerâ&#x20AC;? that Craig kept talking about, and I had to make this happen. Here I am today. It has been quite a roller coaster ride but Craigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team was there to guide me, provide me the leadership and confidence to move forward. As of today, I have more than doubled my GCI, I have my own boutique brokerage, I own a beautiful heritage office building down-

Craig Proctor: Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Real Estate Trainer

MILLIONAIRE AGENT-MAKER DISCOVERY DAY Full City Schedule at: www.MoreMillionaireAgents.com

town, we have 40 people on our team and in one of the toughest markets I have grown my resale numbers by 58%. I could never have done this without Craigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s system. Craig is the most knowledgeable real estate person I have ever met and the people on his team have the most incredible real estate minds in the world. Thanks to Craigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s system, I have built a business that my children can take over and I will continue to grow and learn. Over the last few years, I have met the best people in the world through Craig Proctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program. I have all kinds of new friends and I have the ability to pick up the phone or email any of my colleagues for help and advice, and it all started at that SuperConference in L.A. in 2010. Every conference is absolutely the best. Craig, my family thanks you for getting us through the hard times and we look forward to learning more and growing. Craig is a genius and I am so grateful he shared his system with me. n

Hi, Craig Proctor here. What if I told you that you could EASILY increase your income from real estate the way Marnie has done. I was a highly successful AGENT for more than 20 years. No other real estate trainer can even come close to matching my track record, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had the privilege of sharing my proven real estate system with over 30,000 agents, like Marnie, from all over the world. This is the same system I used myself in my own highly successful real estate career right here in Canada. As you may know, I was twice named the #1 RE/MAX agent in the world for commissions earned and was in the top 10 for RE/MAX International for 15 years. In fact, for 6 years straight, no one listed or sold more homes in the Greater Toronto Area than I did. (Source: TREB Statistics) Because I successfully battled in the trenches just like you, I know exactly what you face each day and it is for this reason that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been able to help so many agents create giant incomes and enviable lifestyles themselves. I am Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Real Estate Trainer, and they call me the Millionaire Agent Maker. If you do not have a clear, detailed business system (key word, system) that you are using to move methodically to your goalsâ&#x20AC;Śa plan you could show a banker or investor or new partner or key associateâ&#x20AC;Śa plan you have rea in, then why wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you examine mine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; free? Go to: MoreMillionaireAgents.com actly that. This opportunity is waiting for you at MoreMillionaireAgents.com

Giving hope

IS WHAT WE DO A house is only a home when the people who live there are safe. Committed to strengthening the communities where we live and work, we are proud to support over 200 women’s shelters, providing safety and hope to women and children experiencing domestic violence. The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation has raised over $22 million since 1998. As the only Canadian real estate company with its own charity, Royal LePage covers all administrative costs, so 100% of every dollar donated goes directly to the cause. Royal LePage professionals donate, organize fundraising events and provide in-kind goods to benefit the women and children residing in their local shelters.

Recognized for our contributions to the community: In 2015, the Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award* and in 2016, a Canada’s Volunteer Award (Business Leader)†.

royallepage.ca/shelter *Canadian Franchise Association. †Government of Canada.This is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, including a solicitation of any sales representatives or broker that is currently under contract. All offices are independently owned and operated, except those marked as “Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage”, “Royal LePage West Real Estate Services” and “Royal LePage Sussex”. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited. ©2016 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Limited. All rights reserved.

Giving hope

Recognized for our contributions to the community: In 2015, the Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award* and in 2016, a Canada’s Volunteer Award (Business Leader)†.

22 REM JULY 2016

Sahil Jaggi: ‘Don’t be afraid to hustle’

At 30, sales rep Sahil Jaggi is winning sales awards and managing his $6 million personal real estate portfolio. By Susan Doran

t’s safe to say that virtually all real estate sales reps are up to speed on the importance of location. But Sahil Jaggi is downright obsessive about it – so much so that it’s not unusual for him to drive around various neighbourhoods in the middle of the night, scrutinizing everything from access to public transit to the amount of development taking place, proximity to waterfront and even the makes of cars parked in driveways. He says that the latter gives you an idea of what sort of people live in the neighbourhood. “Everything matters. My search process is really detail oriented. I dig deep. I do extensive research,” says Jaggi, who’s with Re/Max Realtron Realty in Toronto and last year started up Mink Homes, a home building company specializing in investment properties and the construction of contemporary homes. “I’m pretty much doing the entire real estate solution. I do buying and renting and selling and building,” he says. “Even with a small condominium, I believe it’s important to learn the product inside out.” Jaggi’s thoroughness and resourcefulness are working for him. Barely 30, he’s only had his real estate licence for a couple of years and almost never pays for advertising. (“It’s not my style,” he says). Yet he has consistently received increasingly prestigious Re/Max performance awards, largely thanks to an overabundance of foreign and local contacts gained through his investment experience (not to mention referrals via his sister in Singapore). “People see me as a successful investor,” he says. “In the last six years I have

built a personal real estate portfolio of over $6 million... and growing. I own about seven investment properties as personal investments and joint ventures with investment clients.” He says many investors are looking to buy houses that they can rent out for income purposes and eventually a “solid wealth building return.” Among his top tips to these buyers is to always have solid cash flow estimates around payments versus rental income, and to make sure there’s enough in the bank to cover the mortgage for at least three months in case the rental income dries up for some unforeseen reason. “It’s a great thing to be an investor yourself, as clients see me as an expert and not a salesperson,” he says. “Be proactive and connect with successful Realtors and investors internationally, for instance, in China,” he advises. “You can’t ignore investors coming into Canada.” Jaggi has been featured in several magazines, has spoken at investors’ forums and is often a guest lecturer at a school of business affiliated with Toronto’s York University. An economics and business graduate, he’d previously been an investment banker on Wall Street. (“I hated it,” he says). He soon went in search of a career that was a better fit with his entrepreneurial disposition. “Don’t be scared to pursue something you are passionate about instead of being stuck in the 9 to 5,” he advises. Not knowing what else to do, he moved home to Toronto. Having travelled widely, he regards the city as one of the best in the world for investment.

He purchased an older rundown bungalow on a large lot, renovated it, moved into the basement and rented out the top floor. Soon he was buying more houses with the help of investors he talked into joining him. His strategy then and now involves hand picking properties in areas of high growth potential (that haven’t reached the saturation point), where appreciation levels are expected to be significantly above market norms. Getting his real estate license seemed a no-brainer under the circumstances. Besides providing added credibility and allowing Jaggi to be his own sales rep and to service the real estate needs of other investors, it has facilitated networking and given him access to “tools and cutting edge information,” he says. Not content to simply target promising neighbourhoods for his clients – the majority of whom are looking for investment properties – Jaggi takes the time to narrow choices down to a particular street or even a specific house, whether that house is for sale or not. “Don’t be afraid to hustle,” is one of his mantras. In a booming market like Toronto’s, “you have to be smart, innovative and ahead of the game,” Jaggi says. To that end, he does not wait for listings to pop up or come to him but instead goes out and finds them. Not only does that mean he double ends the deal, it also eliminates bidding wars, which is currently the “biggest problem in Toronto real estate,” he says. “Once I narrow things down to the street I want, I will door knock, write letters and cold call, contacting every homeowner on

Sahil Jaggi (Photo: Marko Shark)

that street for my buyer – or for myself, if I want an investment property there,” he says.

Don’t try to get around it by sending your assistants out to cold call for you, he cautions. If you do, your success rates will plummet, he’s discovered. Presentation and attitude are everything.

“Not many people will say no when you ask if they’d like to see what their house is worth on paper,” says Jaggi. “There are a lot of neighbourhoods with older people who have been there 40 or 50 years,” and they often appreciate being given help finding out what their home is worth in the current market. “When they bought the house 40 years ago for $80,000 and you tell them it’s now worth $1 million,” they are stunned, he says.

Start a conversation. Don’t look at cold calling as hard-core sales, instead view it as offering potential clients something they would appreciate, he advises.

“Toronto is still greatly undervalued compared to other hubs.” REM

He’s aware that many agents think cold calling is “old fashioned.” But he’s found it to be one of the most effective ways to prospect.

The growth is far from over, in his opinion.

THE EVOLUTION OF REALTY

We are excited to announce our newest office opening in... GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA

Gâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;day Mates! Thanks to your on-going support and referrals, 2% Realty has grown to over 20 office locations in Canada, and now we venture into the Australian market. Our newest office in the Gold Coast is open for business! We thank you for your continued support, and strong belief in the Evolution of Realty.

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24 REM JULY 2016

Luck, happenstance and FSBOs

By Ross Wilson

A JOHN ALEXANDER Director, Franchise Sales (Canada) ! ($ % (

) $ " * + % * , # $ % $ + # % " " # * " " ! " ! - % / # # 012 3 $ # $ $ #$ ! * # $ ""$ !% 3$ 4( & %

56 6 /& 3 + + $ " national real estate brand as director of franchise relations / & * $ 7 ! 8 / * " ! 9 $

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, $ % /: 5 $ 0 %

;2 $ # + " ! <% 85,000 realtors.

THE POWER OF BLUE

To discuss franchising opportunities, contact: John Alexander Director Franchise Sales john.alexander@coldwellbanker.ca | 416.566.7374 coldwellbanker.ca/franchising

" #!

# # " ! ! $" $ $ %

# & $ codes of conduct. Not intended to solicit brokers under contract.

t first blush, one might think that buying and selling privately, commonly referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;for sale by ownerâ&#x20AC;? or by its acronym FSBO, is advantageous to both parties. But it rarely is. Why? By their inherent nature, private sales are rife with challenges and are usually wholly dependent on luck and happenstance. If a seller prospect is wondering about advantages of going private, or your buyer is contemplating the private path under the dubious belief they can save money, they may have a surprise in store. Think about this â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if trading privately is so easy, how could a dynamic real estate industry exist? The numerous disadvantages far outweigh the single possible advantage. At least to those in the business, and unquestionably to all whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made the attempt, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s common knowledge that the vast majority of FSBOs end in defeat. Studies have concluded that a large portion of the relatively few homes sold privately are actually sold to acquaintances. Therefore, general statistics may be skewed. Homeowners obviously like the idea of getting a high price with a low cost, but the old adage about getting what you pay for usually applies. Nowadays, though, thanks to the introduction of mere postings by private sale companies on the MLS system we built, combined with our currently strong sellers market in many regions, private sales have realized some favourable results. However, most sales are still orchestrated by organized real estate. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll opine here that as the market evolves into more balanced or buyer-favoured conditions,

FSBOs may once again fall further into fringe territory. Why do most fail? Think about the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;private saleâ&#x20AC;?; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private. Nobody is shouting from the roof tops. With the possible exception of a small lawn sign and maybe an expensive classified ad in the local newspaper, nobody is spreading the word. Sure, private sale companies offer minimal service for a minimal fee, including website insertion, but their visitor traffic doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hold a candle to that of our MLS system. Nevertheless, websites are just advertising and advertising doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t typically make the sale. Once the phone rings, sales skills and industry knowledge â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which are obviously as scarce as henâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teeth in the private sector â&#x20AC;&#x201C; enter the picture. A homeowner could dupe themselves into believing that no one is better equipped to show and sell their own house than the person who knows it best â&#x20AC;&#x201C; themselves. They make up a lawn sign (amateur) with their personal phone number (loss of privacy), submit an ad (amateur) in the local paper (expensive) and wait for the countless calls (naive) from eager prospects (rare) ready to pay whatever the homeowner wants (Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re smoking). Well, good luck with that. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like representing yourself in court. And you know what they say about that; you have a fool for a lawyer. An alternative is a reputable â&#x20AC;&#x153;sell your own homeâ&#x20AC;? company that charges a non-refundable flat fee (whether or not the home sells) to advertise on their website and post basic descriptive details and photos on our MLS system. They usually supply a lawn sign and maybe a brochure guide, possibly even telephone or online support. Optional services might be available, such as market value analysis and open house guidance, but they levy additional fees. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fine, provided homeowners are informed regarding the entire sale process, including the risks and responsibilities, understand when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wise to seek professional advice, ask the appropriate questions at the right time, and critically, possess the skill to close the prospect. Discount brokerages are anoth-

er option. These companies usually charge a flat fee in advance or a low percentage commission to upload the property onto the MLS system. The homeowner may think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re smart until they realize that many serious buyers prefer their own representation, which means a seller may still have to pay a buyer brokerage commission on top of the listing brokerageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fee. And they may have to deal directly with the buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agent at the negotiation table without the guidance or protection of their own representative. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another challenge for a private seller. The discount listing agent may promise that if they bring their own buyer and doubleend a sale, the entire commission will be only one low rate. Fantastic! But think about it; with ethics aside, why would that listing agent sell a buyer into their own listing for an extremely small commission when they could sell another brokerageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s listing for a higher commission, plus still earn the advertised low fee when another agent sells that discount agentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s listing? Come on â&#x20AC;&#x201C; get real. But hey, the private seller is saving a little bit of money; just not as much as they believed. Now, having said all this, the well-intentioned services provided by these alternative brokerages and private sale companies are indeed appreciated by a certain segment of the market and I commend them for their initiative. They do succeed in filling a gap. But prior to embarking on the private path, an industrious homeowner is well-advised to make an informed decision. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Red Adair Ross Wilson, broker with iPro Realty, has extensive experience as a brokerage owner, manager, trainer and mentor. His new book, The Happy Agent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Finding Harmony with a Thriving Realty Career and an Enriched Personal Life is available where print and e-books are sold, including the TREB, BREB, RAHB and OMDREB stores. Visit RealtyVoice.com. REM

26 REM JULY 2016

The hazards of buying without a property survey “We had a new survey done on our cottage.…we now own half our neighbour’s living room and his driveway.” By Bob Aaron

ith cottage buying season underway, now is a good time to recall that a land survey is the single most important document in the whole process. If the cottage building is sitting on land owned by the Crown or a local municipality or a neighbour, the otherwise proud owner is going to be extremely unhappy and will soon be seeing a litigation lawyer. It is dangerous to assume that any cottage is built exactly where it should be located. In Ontario, only a survey prepared by an Ontario land surveyor can confirm that the cottage is situated inside the appropriate land

boundaries, that the land it sits on is where it should be and is the correct size and, if appropriate, the lot has private lake frontage. Sadly, some industry stakeholders still have not gotten the message that the survey is of critical importance. I was reminded of this when I saw a recent Facebook posting by an experienced and successful agent in Ontario cottage country. The post reads: “Just lost another deal because a Toronto lawyer said buyers cannot purchase without an up-todate survey. That’s funny….I sold three last week without a survey. I wonder if I can start using a clause, ‘the buyer and seller agree that they are obligated to use a lawyer local to the subject property.’”

The post set off a torrent of responses on both sides of the survey fence. One of my favourite responses was from Nicole Gagnon-Bafaro, an agent with Sutton Group Heritage in Ajax. She wrote, “We had a new survey done on our cottage .…we now own half our neighbour’s living room and his driveway.” Barry Lebow, a veteran Realtor with Re/Max Ultimate in Toronto, wrote a post about a Toronto buyer who paid $2 million for a house in Toronto. His agent (not Lebow) told him that a survey was a waste of money. It turned out that the driveway was a wide city sidewalk and it was illegal to park there. He sued and settled with the title insurer, but

still has nowhere to park his Mercedes. On his Facebook post, Lebow wrote, “A survey is one of the single most important documents a homeowner can have – period. Title insurance does not replace a survey. It may pay for a mistake but it will not give you a driveway you thought you had, or move fence lines.” A scary cottage court case took place in 1989. Dorothy Holmes paid $170,000 for a cottage on Georgian Bay. There was no survey. The cottage was built in the 1930s, but unfortunately more than 95 per cent of the building was sitting on the 66-foot shoreline road allowance owned by the township. She had no title to the land underneath most of

the building and was unable to purchase it. She sued and lost at trial and at the Court of Appeal. The law books are full of court cases like the ones where the swimming pool or the septic bed was built on the land next door, where the new house was constructed on the wrong lot, where a buyer had to pay $129,000 to get a right of way to the property and where fences and retaining walls were built some distance from the actual lot boundary. The moral of the story: if you don’t advise your clients to get a survey – in the city or in cottage country – you are not doing your job. If your clients buy without a survey, make sure they understand the huge risks they are taking. And it doesn’t matter whether the lawyer is in cottage country or in a city. Our standards are the same everywhere. 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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28 REM JULY 2016

Good Works L

ast year Royal LePage Kelowna salespeople donated part of their commissions to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation and held fundraising events throughout the year, raising more than $8,700 to help women and children who are served by the Kelowna Women’s Shelter. The shelter is a member of B.C./Yukon Society of Transition Houses, a network of women’s shelters, transition houses and safe homes across B.C. Paid staff and volunteers provide services to women and children in the area boundaried by Oyama to the North and Peachland to the South. ■ ■ ■

The third annual Hockey Helps the Homeless (HHH) event in London, Ont. raised more than $100,000 for local charities recently. Among the top fundraising teams were Sutton Group Preferred Realty, in third place with $8,185 and the London St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR) in fourth spot with $7,775 raised. Playing for the Sutton team were Hayden Payne, Warren Shantz and Ken Payne. Broker of record Gerry Weir donated $2,000 to sponsor the team. Sales rep Dan Grantham helped to co-ordinate the event and has served on the board of Youth Opportunities Unlimited, and office manager Lori Payne volunteered for the second time. Alex Sworik, Michael Legg, Wayne Gibson and Bruce Sworik from Sutton Group - Select Realty were on the LSTAR team. ■ ■ ■

A tea party in celebration of spring was hosted by Susan Eickmeier of Royal LePage Real Estate Services, Johnston and Daniel Division, in her Toronto home recently. Guests were asked to make a donation in support of

the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. Attendees gave generously, donating just over $3,000 for the cause, all of which will benefit the YWCA Arise Shelter, which offers a caring home, counselling and support to women and children fleeing abuse. ■ ■ ■

Exit Realty Group in Belleville, Ont. was recently awarded a certificate of recognition for their support in sponsoring a bowling lane in both the Trenton and Belleville Bowl for Kids Sake locations. The brokerage says it’s a big supporter of the local chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters “because of their ability to unlock a child’s true potential to create a future where anything is possible.”

Royal LePage Kelowna raised more than $8,000 for the Kelowna Women’s Shelter. From left: Gail McLeod, Kelowna Women’s Shelter; Wade Webb, broker/owner; Margaret-Ann Gfeller and Karen Mason, shelter board members; Dave Favell, broker/manager; Kathleen Lemieux, resource development co-ordinator; and Michael Loewen, sales rep.

Susan Eickmeier

Dave Harback

■ ■ ■

Shortly after being awarded the 2015 Royal LePage Shelter Foundation Award for Ontario Office of the Year, Royal LePage Locations North hosted its popular Ski Day in The Blue Mountains, Ont. Now in its 31st year, the event raised more than $21,000 for Hospice Georgian Triangle and local women’s shelter My Friend’s House. Attendees from 14 Royal LePage offices, along with Royal LePage CEO Phil Soper, enjoyed the day on the slopes. It featured ski racing, a snowshoe scavenger hunt, spirit and cider tasting, a silent auction and draw prizes. ■ ■ ■

In just 60 days, Royal LePage Top Producers Real Estate in Winnipeg collected 12,660 nonperishable food donations in support of local charities. “Once again, the giving and caring spirit of Manitobans came out to support our local women and children in desperate need,” says broker/owner Rolf Hitzer. The donated food was delivered to women’s shelters Agape House in Steinbach and Willow Place in

From left: Hayden Payne, Warren Shantz, Sutton Group – Preferred Realty broker of record Gerry Weir and Ken Payne.

From left: Sales rep Michelle McFarland; Big Brothers Big Sisters chair Mike Letwin and executive director Arlene Coculuzzi; Sharon Shortt, Exit Realty Group owner; and sales reps Rick Kearney and Heather Plane.

Enjoying the slopes during Royal LePage Locations North’s ski day are, from left, Phil Soper, president and CEO at Royal LePage, Kiki Sauriol-Roode from Genworth Canada and JoAnn Landry from Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services. Members from the Royal LePage Top Producer Food for Shelter committee gather for a photo with broker/owner Rolf Hitzer, front left, following a successful food drive. The Century 21 Foothills agents from Lethbridge, Alta. recently joined with local residents for a black tie fundraiser that raised $80,000 in support of Youth One, a local organization that provides unique youth programs. Enjoying the evening, from left, James Rea, Kyle Lebeau and Simon Golom of Century 21 Foothills.

REM JULY 2016 29

Winnipeg, as well as Feed My Lambs, a Winnipeg organization serving the homeless. ■ ■ ■

Dave Harback, a sales rep at Sutton Group Realty Services in Edmonton, with help from mortgage broker Mike Brennan, his clients, his 11-year-old granddaughter and many more Edmontonians, recently finished collecting 81,700 aluminum can tabs weighing 53.8 pounds. Harback donates the tabs to the Holy Cross School in Winnipeg, which in turn sells the metal for

scrap to fund specialized wheelchairs. Since 2000, the school has purchased 16 wheelchairs for children with disabilities and recently announced the 17th recipient. Donors funnel millions of tabs to Holy Cross School each year. The school decided to collect tabs rather than the whole can to reduce storage space and because there are refund programs in place for the cans. Recycled aluminum pays approximately 60 cents per pound. The school has been able to buy 16 wheelchairs in the past 17 years. REM

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Century 21 Miller Real Estate in Oakville, Ont. recently held its 5th annual Klean Up for Kids car wash and raffle in support of Easter Seals. The office raised $2,000, which will go directly to the local Easter Seals Kids to Camp program. From left: R.Vishal Kapoor and Elsa Bocchinfuso, sales reps; Elizabeth Novoa, broker/associate manager; Liz Polak and Cameron Kehoe and Hans Taal, sales reps; Bill Miller, broker of record; Sheena Smith Curran, broker/manager; and Sue Heddle, sales rep.

30 REM JULY 2016

Pearls of wisdom By Christopher Seepe

he real estate business is a constant emotional and financial roller coaster ride, and it’s easy to forget how fortunate we are. The World Bank reported that over 2.1 billion people lived on less than US $3.10 a day in 2012. And it’s not just “developing countries.” In a book titled $2.00 a Day by Kathryn Edin (Sept. 2015), the author stated that about 1.5 million American households, including about three million children, are living on $2

per person per day. Consider the orders of magnitude astronomers use when discussing the universe. Our Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light years in size (about 6,000,000,000,000 miles) comprising hundreds of billions of stars. There are reportedly one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe. The point? We’ve not found life as we understand it yet anywhere else. Our lives are a collective cosmic blink. But for a fraction of a moment in time, we have experienced the wonders of existence, self-awareness and consciousness. The next time you’re wondering why nothing’s going right, why is this happening to me and what did I do to deserve this, consider these pearls of wisdom from some

well-known and perhaps not-sowell-known thinkers (attributions are often controversial and may not be accurate). “I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow.” – Woodrow Wilson “I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t believed it.” – Marshal McLuhan “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson “Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?” – Frank Scully “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle “Either you think you can or you think you can’t and either way you’re right.” – Henry Ford “Before you get angry at someone, you need to walk a mile in his

shoes. Then, you will be a mile away from him, and … you will have his shoes.” – ancient Turkish proverb “What you do today is important because you’re exchanging a day of your life for it.” – Unknown “You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” – Beverly Sills. “Most of us will never do great things, but we can do small things in a great way.” – Maren Mouritsen “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” – Henry Ford “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” – Dolly Parton “The most useful piece of learning for the uses of life is to unlearn what is untrue.” – Antisthenes “Life is uncertain. Eat dessert

Learning more could mean selling more By Yvonne Dick

hatever unique selling approach you take, there is one way to stand out in your career and add increased revenue to your portfolio without investing years of time. Extra-curricular education can pay for itself, offer a variety of benefits to you personally and enhance your reputation as a real estate professional. Many real estate companies offer continuing education to their salespeople. The Ontario Real Estate Association has free, noncredit courses in areas such as leadership. The Real Estate Institute of Canada offers continuing education courses for Realtors in areas such as management, business planning, sales management, pricing and more. There are also online schools offering certificates and diplomas in various aspects of real estate. The courses you may choose to take will enhance your knowledge, provide you with more confidence and sometimes give you a nicelooking certificate for your office wall. Credit courses can sometimes be used toward education at uni-

versities and colleges. Some online “schools” are more legitimate than others. You will want to make the best use of your dollar and know what you are getting for your money before you get started. When looking for a course or package of courses, it should say if they are credit, non-credit or accredited. You also want your education to be legitimate – in other words, from a school that is recognized by a real estate association and/or government in contrast to one that can be packaged and sold by anyone, experienced or not. Check if the course you are looking at is offered online by a company outside Canada. A listing here will give you the confidence that you are getting a solid education from trained professionals: http://cicic.ca/868/Searchthe-Directory-of-EducationalInstitutions-in-Canada.canada If your school is recognized by the Canada Student Loans program, you might qualify for a loan or bursary to take the course or program. Even if you would rather pay up front, tuition fees can sometimes be used as a tax credit.

Local classes via a community college might be considered more legitimate by some than a certificate from an online school that has no qualification requirements or final exams. Sometimes, free is not free enough. While there are free courses from schools such as Harvard available online, you may not be able to show you have taken those courses because most are for personal study and won’t count toward future educational credits. Think about your interests. You may be able to incorporate a hobby into your real estate business. For example, if you enjoy gardening or interior design, your knowledge imparted to a client may help them get the price they are asking for their home when it comes time to sell. It can also help buyers to look past the enhancements of a home for sale and decide if what they see has true value. With so many courses available and so many methods of delivery, how do you decide which one may be relevant for you? First, think of your area. What sort of homes and businesses do you sell? What do you

want to sell? If you are working in an area with older houses, a course similar to what a home inspector may take could be of use. If you had that, you might have a better intuition for which houses should be rebuilt and which still have a lot of life left in them. If you would rather sell a different type of structure such as upscale condo communities, an evening course or workshop in home décor and staging might suit you well. Think about your clients’ needs too. All salespeople will eventually settle into a niche of the market and generally get similar types of customers. You know your clients the best, so try to identify some recurring traits. Are they young families? How about a course in baby-proofing to add to your sales tour? You might talk about the materials that are child safe. Using your knowledge as a way to specialize can be a smart investment. After all, unlike pens, magnets, calendars and newspaper inserts, when your knowledge is your sales tool, you will never run REM short of supplies.

first.” – Ernestine Ulmer “One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.” – AA Milne “Speak the truth but leave immediately after.” – Slovenian Proverb “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” – David Jakovac (possibly a pseudonym) “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – James Baldwin “When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell “Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.” – Hector Berlioz “The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.” – Robert Frost “To my real estate agent, Chernobyl is a fixer-upper.” – Yakov Smirnoff “What we call real estate – the solid ground to build a house on – is the broad foundation on which nearly all the guilt of this world rests.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne “I put my heart and my soul into my work, and lost my mind in the process.” – Vincent Van Gogh “Some people never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” – Unknown (not George Eliot) “When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money.” – Alanis Obomsawin “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day” – Unknown (not AA Milne) “I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail.” – Muriel Strode Chris Seepe is a published writer and author, “landlording” course instructor, president of the Landlords Association of Durham and a commercial real estate broker of record at Aztech Realty in Toronto, specializing in income-generating and multi-residential investment properties. (416) 525-1558 Email cseepe@aztechrealty.com; website: REM www.aztechrealty.com.

REM JULY 2016 31

Even more listing bloopers By Peggy Blair

pring has sprung and some real estate salespeople seem to have love on the brain when it comes to their listings. I keep running across properties with “hug decks.” (Forget hot tubs; I’d pay extra for that feature.) Ingrid McNeill of Coldwell Banker Ronan Realty in Alliston, Ont., reports one that made me spit out my morning coffee: “Has a really big d*ck for entertaining.” I suppose that could be a huge selling feature, but you’d think the sellers might want to take it with them. Speaking of huge, Michelle Zacharias, an office manager with Realty Executives Leading in Spruce Grove, Alta., recalls a

description in a listing that read: “Huge woman’s dream kitchen with granite tops.” Talk about targeting your buyers! Although I’d like to think that even small women, like me, would appreciate a good kitchen. I saw this awkwardly worded listing recently: “Large bedroom in unit washer and dryer.” Those must be big, commercial sized units; I have a hard enough time getting a duvet in mine. Speaking of appliances, regular contributor Barb Jacobsen of Century 21 Leading Edge in Markham, Ont. stumbled across a listing that mentioned the home came with a “stuckable” washer and dryer. Which makes me think of giant strips of Velcro... I guess those appliances are staying. Now, I’ve heard of leasing parking spaces but I have to say, the idea of renting out your bathrooms is a new one: “Nice 3 bedroom bungalow with rear master bedroom plus ensuite addition, two bathrooms currently leased at

$1,600.” At least they come with built-in seating. Then there was this one: “Plower level could be converted easily to another bedroom.” Ground-breaking idea. Mystery author Sue Pike sent along one that made her laugh: “The backyard boasts fig, cherry and plumb trees.” That sounds like a home a tradesman would love! Although when it comes to trades, I’m not sure you’d want to use the roofing company who worked on this property, in a listing passed along by Gary Crews of Hanna Real Estate in New Westminster, B.C.: “Roof replaced in 2013 with a 30 year old roof.” Yikes. In a similar vein, I came across one in Ottawa that stated, “Furnace ’14, some windows and partial roof.” Personally, I’d prefer a house that comes with all its windows and a complete roof, I think, although I do like the open concept. Sometimes it’s a missing letter that changes the intent of what’s

being sold in a way that makes me laugh out loud. Like this unintentional gem: “Movie Theatre, Beach, Sopping.” (I keep wanting to add the word “Wet.”). Barb Jacobsen also found a listing for a home that had “fresh pain” everywhere. Oh, the angstridden house. I wonder if that’s considered a stigma property? I have a kind of dyslexia so I feel for the Realtor who required that all viewings be by appointments because there is “a god that has to be let outside”. I sure hope that is supposed to mean “dog.” If not, someone should call Neil Gaiman. (Although if it was a real god, you’d think it could let itself out whenever it needed to go.) Thanks to “Regina Realtor” for posting that one in comments to my last column. Sometimes it’s awkward wording that makes me laugh, like this Ottawa listing that said: “Schools, shops, restaurants are walking close.” I keep thinking of one of those Stephen King movies where the buildings are

alive. Sounds like these ones brush right up against you. Although when it comes to living, breathing properties, Jeanne Griezic of Coldwell Banker Rhodes may have found the best example: a listing for a house with an “efficient heart pump.” And here, I thought the heart of the house was the kitchen. Silly me. Although, smart technology is big in kitchens these days, according to this Ottawa listing with a “neural” kitchen. Finally, “Rick,” who also commented on one of my columns, passed along a listing that said you should bring your “fuzziest clients.” I’d be worried they might stick to that washer and dryer. Peggy Blair is a sales representative with Royal LePage Team Realty in Ottawa. A former lawyer, she is the award-winning author of the Inspector Ramirez series published by Penguin Canada and Simon and Schuster Canada as well as internationally. Her most recent book, Hungry Ghosts, is now in bookstores. If you come across any real estate bloopers that tickle your funny bone, send them to her at peggyblair@royallepage.ca. REM

32 REM JULY 2016

Australia’s underground digs I

n Coober Pedy, South Australia, people don’t live in houses. They live in “dugouts,” – or at least, that’s the reality for about half the population. Going underground is nothing unusual in this town – billed as the “Opal Capital of the World” – where digging up dirt in search of the precious gem has been a way of life for about 100 years. Originally dugouts were small one-room dwellings that started as holes in the ground, dug up from shafts in the search for opal. Today, many dugouts are created by excavating into hillsides, using modern tunnelling machines. The machinery leaves a distinctive pattern on the interior walls of the rose-colored sandstone dwellings and after construction, dust is kept at bay with a clear sealer that is applied to walls and other surfaces. When more shelving or closet space is needed, homeowners simply dig another hole in the wall. The rooms are ventilated through vertical shafts, the tops of which can often be seen protruding out of the hills.

The sandstone in the Coober Pedy hillside is well suited for underground homes. It’s strong and stable enough to allow huge ceiling spans in rooms and it isn’t unusual for a family to buy an adjoining property and tunnel to link two or more dwellings. Some homes spread up to 500 square metres underground. This unusual way of living was apparently introduced by soldiers who returned from the trenches of France after the First World War. Local miners quickly discovered the advantages of living underground to escape the heat of the summer and the winter’s cool desert nights. Coober Pedy, it should be noted, is not the most attractive of towns. Located on the edge of the Stuart Ranges, the sand and stone landscape doesn’t support much plant life. In this semi desert climate, summer temperatures can be scorching, often exceeding 40 C. It can also get windy and, with little vegetation to hold the soil in place, very dusty. Going underground offers a

peaceful retreat. No matter how harsh the climate is outside, the underground rooms maintain a comfortable, even temperature ranging from 23 C to 25 C day and night throughout the year. That’s in contrast to the closest North American equivalent to a dugout, the basement, which can sometimes be cold, damp or mouldy. Coober Pedy’s inhabitants are an incredibly close-knit group. The town of 3,500 people has four churches, several shops, galleries and museums (such as the Umoona Opal Mine and Museum) that are all underground. The Australian dugout has even made an appearance on the big screen. A famous local character named Crocodile Harry (mentioned in a Lonely Planet guidebook to Australia) lived in an underground home that was featured in the film Mad Max – Beyond the Thunderdome. Travellers can visit Harry’s home or book a night at one of the many underground hotels. Among them is the award-winning Desert Cave hotel, built in 1987, which

By Diane Slawych A dugout room at Crocodile Harry’s, a famous local character.

A room at the Desert Cave Hotel looks much like a bedroom in an average Coober Pedy home.

has 19 underground and 25 above ground rooms. Aside from the comfortable temperature, another defining feature of the typical dugout is the

Under performers will not be tolerated By Ken Goodfellow

nly teams that are made up of the right mix of talent, direction and coaching qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. High performance standards for athletes are communicated by coaches and management and under performers will not be tolerated. It is imperative that professionals in leadership positions do the same. Although in the business world it is more difficult to replace employees from a practical, tactical and legal standpoint, business professionals need to understand that it should be just as easy to set clear expectations for employees and hold them accountable to those perfor-

mance expectations. In my experience of coaching over 600 real estate teams, few business leaders are consistent enough in communicating job performance expectations. Even fewer do a good job of holding their employees accountable. If a standard of high expectations is the norm within a company culture, team members will hold each other accountable to that standard. Another key for agents in leadership positions to remember is they must hold themselves to the same high standards expected of others in the organization. They must model the behaviour they expect from their team. The quickest way to lose the engagement of otherwise positive, high-performing employees is to show up with a “do as I say, not as I do” leadership style. Working with business leaders over the years, I’ve noticed two big

challenges to setting performance standards and accountability. The first is that leaders fail to communicate high performance standards for fear of being seen as too demanding or autocratic. The second, which is related to the first, is the fear of not being liked. Being liked means absolutely nothing. It is much better to be respected than liked. As a business leader, if you worry about being liked, you won’t end up being liked, respected or successful. If you lead by communicating clear expectations with specific accountabilities and you give your people the latitude to learn from their mistakes while celebrating and reinforcing their wins, you will be both respected and liked. Achieve the results you demand by implementing the following five points into your leadership strategy. 1. Set clear and specific goals – Goals frame, define and focus the

work to be done, eliminate ambiguity, provide a framework for gauging progress and measuring success and set a context for the work to be done. They also increase motivation because they harness and focus energy and action. 2. Clarify your expectations – Clarifying expectations promotes individual, team and organizational accountability. Clarifying expectations doesn’t need to be excessively structured but it should provide the platform for focused action. 3. Define roles and responsibilities – Clear definition of roles and responsibilities promotes ownership and self-accountability. When individuals are confident about what is in their control and what is not, they can step forward to accept responsibility with full knowledge of what is expected from them. 4. Monitor progress and measure results – Monitoring progress and measuring results is an essential

incredible quiet. Noise doesn’t seem to penetrate the walls. In fact it’s not unusual to hear hotel guests say, “It was the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.” REM accountability process for individuals, teams and organizations that want to build their capacity to grow and improve. 5. Listen and gather feedback – Being able to ask for feedback, provide it, receive it, accept it and act on it is an integral part of the process. This can happen as informally as asking an open-ended question such as, “How are we doing?” The idea here is not to wait until something goes wrong but to ask the question regularly. Too often accountability is used as a synonym for blame. The reality is accountability should be a positive part of an organization’s culture, where everyone learns and becomes better from experiencing it. Failure should be embraced by the entire organization, just like success, so that you can either go home feeling like a Stanley Cup champion or return the next day with a better understanding of what it takes to succeed. Ken Goodfellow is the CEO, chairman of Goodfellow Coaching & Consulting, North America’s #1 Experts in Team Coaching. GoodfellowCoaching.com. REM

REM JULY 2016 33

adine Lindsay, the new president and CEO of the Organisme dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;autorĂŠglementation du courtage immobilier du QuĂŠbec (OACIQ), says the OACIQâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goal of protecting the public in real estate transactions must be promoted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Achieving this crucial goal requires strong leadership in the areas of real estate and mortgage brokerage, as well as collaboration throughout the industry in order to establish healthy competition and help create a strong economic society,â&#x20AC;? she says. A law graduate from UniversitĂŠ Laval, Lindsay has 20 years of experience in the fields of real estate brokerage and financial services, in both national and international companies. She has a solid background in management, governance and ethics as well as legal and business risk management in regulated environments, says the OACIQ.

â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

A coalition of real estate industry groups has formed to participate in the City of Torontoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revenue tools conversation and evaluate upcoming proposals based on their impact on the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic competitiveness. The Commercial Real Estate Industry Coalition is being organized by the Real Property Association of Canada (REALpac), the Building Owners and Managers Association Toronto (BOMA Toronto), NAIOP Greater Toronto, the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC), the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) and the Toronto Financial District BIA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our industry believes that the

city should not try to solve a shortterm problem with a long-term solution,â&#x20AC;? says Michael Brooks, CEO of REALpac. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own financial modelling shows the existing budget gap is most predominant in 2017 and 2018. Reasonable and broad-based funding can be realized within the existing revenue toolbox without the need to introduce more funding mechanisms.â&#x20AC;? â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

The Alberta Real Estate Foundation (AREF) has helped fund two major projects recently. The Alberta WaterPortal developed case studies, an interactive simulation and Sankey diagram for users to explore the implications of the convergence of demands for water in the Bow River Basin. Known as the Nexus, this concept highlights the interconnectedness of water for food, energy and communities. Users can try their hand at water management to see how well they can manage the demands of water, in addition to population growth and climatic change, in 2030. Visit www.albertawater.com/ nexus-simulation.

Nadine Lindsay

â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

June 8 was proclaimed the Day of the Realtor in Nova Scotia by Premier Stephen McNeil, recognizing the contributions of Realtors to the provincial economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Realtors in Nova Scotia contribute millions of dollars to our provincial economy and create better communities every day,â&#x20AC;? says Roger Sanford, president of

John Geha

the Nova Scotia Association of Realtors (NSAR). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re thrilled the government has proclaimed today the Day of the Realtor to celebrate Realtorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; impacts on our economy, communities and the province as a whole.â&#x20AC;? REM

We aim for excellence and yo y u should exp pect it. Real Re al eest stat atee ag agen ents ts w wit ith h the RE/MAX Collection earn ea rn the ssat atis isfa fact ctio ion n of their clientele with inno in nova vati tion on aand d iint nteg egri rity ty.. Settle for nothing less.

â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

John Geha has been named CEO of the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR). Geha will succeed retiring CEO Betty Dore. Gehaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s background includes more than 35 years of real estate experience, moving up from his beginnings as an agent and brokerage manager to senior leadership roles in the Canadian operations of global brands Century 21 and Coldwell Banker. During his tenure as president of Coldwell Banker Canada, Geha founded the first international chapter of AREAA, a non-profit trade organization of real estate professionals serving the needs of the growing Asian community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Supporting our membership in an increasingly challenging environment is our highest priority,â&#x20AC;? says Geha. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In an era when real estate is under increased scrutiny with a growing number of regulators, LSTAR will help its members to manage the coming changes as they demonstrate their value to consumers.â&#x20AC;?

AREF also supports the Alberta Emerald Awards, which shines a light on hundreds of environmental success stories. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since we began in 1992, the Emerald Awards have showcased 280 recipients from across Alberta in sectors from business, government, youth, individual schools and more, each with its own unique environmental success story,â&#x20AC;? says Carmen Boyko, executive director of the Alberta Emerald Foundation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Recipients of the Shared Footprints Award go above and beyond land and water stewardship, building and shared knowledge, improving air quality and reducing land disturbances. AREFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support with this category has been invaluable.â&#x20AC;?

remax.ca

34 REM JULY 2016

Integrated software designed for small brokerages By Carrie Brodi

nlike other industries like publishing or travel, real estate has been slow to adapt to new technologies, says Lois Hardacker, a real estate broker from Brome Lake, Que. “My impression is that current systems are being created to fit old school real estate. We need new tools to manage how we do business today,” she says. Starting in the industry 37 years ago, even before the fax machine was being used, Hardacker has seen her share of clunky software applications. Still, she managed to build a topranked Royal LePage brokerage that currently employs three staff members and manages between 50 and 60 active listings at any given time. About five years ago, Hardacker grew frustrated with a real estate-specific application that she was using, and its inability to make updates or integrate with newer applications. She needed one platform that would allow her to manage her whole

business and minimal clicks of the mouse. She also needed mobile access to her data. It was a tall order, but luckily help was close to home. She told her spouse, Charles Prosser, about her software needs. Coming from the world of commerce, Prosser took a business approach to the problem and commissioned a small team of developers to create Broker Business Manager or BBM. The resulting application addresses all of Hardacker’s issues and then some. Brian Shemilt, a friend of the couples’ and the marketing lead on the project says, “This is an end-to-end application that includes managing all aspects of an agency and a broker’s back office functions, as well as listings, and including documents, photos, marketing tools and buyer and seller communications along with mobile functions.” Currently brokers and agents pay a fee to a larger brand like Royal LePage to have access to a

differing array of software applications, none of which are standardized or that offer a singular platform, Shemilt says. This product, with its integrated and innovative capabilities, promises to build efficiencies into a broker or agent’s workday in multiple ways. For example, one of the software’s key features is its ability to neatly house all of the extraneous applications, such as your MLS feed, your email or your accounting program, on a resources tool bar. You only need to use one login username and password for all applications. The BBM database keeps track of all current and past clients and allows for the linking of potential buyers to sellers. It also creates one location for all information associated with a given listing, including legal documents, a visit schedule and even the number of hits the listing has received on the broker’s website. “When a client calls to ask about the status of their property, they can be given a detailed report

of all activities within a given timeframe,” says Shemilt. “This helps to strengthen the agent or broker-client relationship.” The task manager feature keeps a broker organized by guiding them through the 31 steps of a sale. Another time saving element is the ability to assign a role to a user. When logged in as a broker, a user can manage all of the aspects of the sale, whereas the role of manager allows a staff member to complete various tasks on the broker’s behalf such as scheduling a photographer or updating a contact file. This is an essential feature that has freed up Hardacker’s time and upped her productivity. Further, with the mobility feature, she can access anything in BBM from her smart phone. “It’s like having a giant file cabinet with you all of the time. You are never out of touch with your whole business and it is intuitive and easy to use,” she says. Shemilt is particularly enthusiastic about the potential of this technology to change how busi-

ness is conducted. In the near future a broker or a small agency with an already established name or brand can drive buyers and sellers to their own websites – including to their own exclusive listings and MLS listings – cutting out the need for affiliation with a larger brand, he says. “A broker who knows how to use digital marketing combined with BBM in their back office can set themselves apart,” Shemilt says. For Hardacker, BBM makes sense from a business perspective for anyone from the independent broker to the small agency, from the ambitious upstart broker to the seasoned veteran. “If you are trying to establish an agency with a shared philosophy and shared processes, this gives you a very good basis so that your whole group can be organized along the same lines,” she says. “It is good for everyone.” The BBM application will be available in the fall of 2016. For information, email bbmREM loch@gmail.com.

Technology captures international buyers and nighthawks W

hat do you miss when you’re sleeping? A lot, especially when the other side of the world is awake and wants their real estate questions answered at their convenience and not yours. How do you ensure you capture these international home buyers as well as local nighthawks? Mississauga-based Royal LePage Elite Realty has developed Pavilion technology (currently in beta testing), which links buyers and sellers to agents 24/7, 365 days a year. With one click, potential clients are able to chat with a licensed agent instantly day or night without having to leave a message, wait for a call back or deal with administrative staff. They get answers instantly with no third-party communication,

says broker Vince Tersigni. Potential buyers log on to the website (www.eliterealtyrlp.com) and enter into an agency relationship. This is a way to sift through frivolous requests, he says. Each client is assigned their own agent, who will guide them through the buying and selling process, address concerns and provide information about everything from mortgages to land transfer taxes. It offers preloaded forms that agents can click and drag into the chat window. Documents can be filled out by the potential buyer, scanned then emailed to the agent or their lawyer. Pavilion takes all the pieces of the home buying and selling process and puts them all together

under one roof. It protects the client as well as the agency by backing up and storing conversations in a safe online storage system, Tersigni says. Adding the interactive communication and sales generation platform to your existing website will create interest, he says. Six years ago, he and lawyer John Da Re came up with the idea to engage buyers and sellers by providing more than the usual online chat forum. Pavilion was developed by Ancaster Pope Advertising and Computan, a software development company hired for the backend coding and development. Pavilion Media retained the group to develop the app and Computan created the platform, says Ancaster Pope CEO Vince Papa.

Vince Papa of Ancasterpope Technology, left, and Sajeel Qureshi, cocreator of Pavilion, right, demonstrate the software.

The system can be manned by agents or laypersons, which means it can also be used by new home builders and property managers. Pavilion was designed for Ontario, with scripted answers vetted by a

lawyer and according to RECO and TREB guidelines. Plans are to expand Pavilion across the country. For more information, contact Tersigni at 416-505-5165. – Connie Adair REM

REM JULY 2016 35

Missions. “Moreover, it’s rare when someone does this with contagious exuberance and deep dedication. You are such a person, Cindy.”

Graham Healer Durham Region’s top retail broker OREA campaign wins two awards The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) won a bronze award from the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) for its advocacy campaign to stop the spread of the municipal land transfer tax (MLTT) beyond Toronto. This is the second award won by OREA for this campaign. On May 4, OREA won an ACE award from the Toronto chapter of the Canadian Public Relations Society. The goal of the campaign was to convince the provincial government not to allow the Municipal Land Transfer Tax to be levied by cities beyond Toronto and to raise awareness of the implications of another tax. The provincial government had indicated it would consider giving all Ontario municipalities the authority to levy the tax, which adds thousands of dollars to the cost of home buying. The mass advocacy campaign – featuring a consumer website and video, a news media blitz, radio ads, social media, grassroots advocacy and a call to action – was launched over the past year. All of the efforts culminated in December 2015, when the provincial government announced publicly that it would not permit the expansion of the tax beyond Toronto. Staff at OREA worked with the government relations and public relations agency of Counsel Public Affairs and the marketing agency of Ryan Edwards Communications on the campaign.

tion of the Halifax Regional Municipality. The award was presented to a surprised Wozney at a gala event with 300 people in attendance. Mayor Mike Savage was in attendance and the gala was hosted by Matt Whitman, the deputy mayor and Kayla Hounsell, a host from CBC television. “In a get-ahead world where so many are concerned about personal gain and asset accumulation, it’s refreshing to see someone serve others so selflessly,” wrote John Ashman, president of the Association of Gospel Rescue

Graham Healer of Coldwell Banker Commercial R.M.R. Real Estate in Whitby, Ont. has been named a top retail leasing broker in the Greater Toronto Area by the CoStar Power Broker Awards Program. CoStar is a research and analytics service in the commercial real estate industry. Healer has lived in Durham Region since the early 1960s, although for about 20 years he lived and travelled on business in various places around the world. He says he enjoyed his exposure to a wide variety of cultures while conducting business in Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America and the Caribbean Islands. Celebrating the ACE Award, from left: Valerie Miles, directorat-large and government relations committee chair; Ray Ferris, president of OREA; Patricia Verge, immediate past-president of OREA; and Ettore Cardarelli, president-elect of OREA. (Photo: CPRS Toronto and Canadian Press Images) Ray Ferris, OREA president, accepts the CPRS award from Tracy Moore, media personality and host of the awards gala.

Cindy Wozney, centre, is presented with the Rescuer Award by Souls Harbour Rescue Mission founding directors Michelle and Ken Porter.

A long-serving member and past president of the Southern Georgian Bay Association of Realtors, Wayne Cornfield was recently honoured for his outstanding volunteer service and commitment to the association. Earlier this year, SGBAR donated $1,000 to the fellowship program of the Ontario Realtors Care Foundation on behalf of Cornfield, who has served on more

than 20 committees, spent five years on the Board of Directors and had an 18-month term as president. Members of the program “are committed to improving the quality of life in Ontario communities by supporting growth that encourages economic vitality, working to provide the opportunity to have a home and building communities.” Since its inception, the foundation has granted more than $3 million to shelter-based organizations REM across the province.

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Announcement Welcome Back, Santhosh Mathew! Please join us in welcoming back to the RE/MAX family, Santhosh Mathew! Santhosh has been in the real estate industry for over a decade, and has been a broker for nearly the same amount of time. Previously achieving prestigious awards and accolades such as the RE/MAX Diamond Club, and RE/MAX Hall of Fame, Santhosh chose to return to RE/MAX because of the team atmosphere presented with the highly esteemed brand and brand recognition. Santhosh knows that RE/MAX agents are top producers in the industry and that RE/MAX is the #1 real estate brand world-wide. A true leader, Santhosh is also involved in his church and recognizes the importance of being a contributing member in his community. He strongly believes that we are better together. A warm welcome back to you, Santhosh, and we wish you all the best in your RE/MAX career!

Cindy Wozney presented with Rescuer Award Cindy Wozney of HarbourSide Realty in Halifax recently received the Rescuer Award from Souls Harbour Rescue Mission Halifax. The award is presented every five years for outstanding volunteerism to the homeless, addicted popula-

Wayne Cornfield honoured by SGBAR

Grow with those who know.

Santhosh Mathew Broker of Record Team Alliance Realty 5940 Wallace St. Mississauga, ON

SGBAR president Kevin Woolham with Wayne Cornfield.

Graham Healer

If you are interested in ownership opportunities with RE/MAX, the largest most productive real estate brand, contact Christopher Alexander at 1-416-786-5552 to arrange your conﬁdential meeting, or visit remaxintegra.com.

36 REM JULY 2016

What’s your client experience strategy? By Reuven Gorsht

few weeks ago I visited my local Lululemon store and picked up a pair of jogging pants. As I brought them to the register, one of the associates intercepted me to ask if I’d like to have them hemmed for free. That caught me by surprise. Most stores would intercept a customer to try to up-sell them, or maybe have a sales rep take your purchase to the register so they can get a commission, but this was a genuine offer for a free service I could really use. Within five minutes I tried on the pants, had them marked for hemming and was told to come pick them up on Saturday. That Saturday afternoon, I entered the insanely busy store. Wendy, one of the associates, was quick to greet me and grabbed my claim tag as she went off to look for my purchase. After a few minutes I saw Wendy coming from the back of the store with a disappointed look on her face. She started apologizing. Apparently, my pants never

For new agents: Continued from page 3

need assistance. 4. You are now a business. Project your expenses for the year and your net if you do five sales in the first year, at the average residential selling price in your board area. Do a budget. Don’t spend money you have not made. Set up files, keep receipts. Remit taxes at source, HST and personal income tax. It is not your money and never will be. You do not want to be hounded by the CRA. 5. You are your own administrator. Create an excellent calendar and keep a log. Write down everything you are doing in your business. Track where your time is going and what is bringing you success. Where are your leads coming from? What isn’t working for you? 6. You are your own PR department. Write down the names and contact information of

returned from the tailor and were nowhere to be found in the store. What happened next completely caught me off guard. “We’re going to refund you for the pants,” she said. With all the noise in the background, I wasn’t sure I heard her correctly, so I quickly clarified. “No, I don’t want a refund, I want the pants.” Wendy looked up with a smile and said, “No, we’re going to refund you the price of the pants and have them shipped to you overnight, so you’ll have them for Monday morning.” I was dumbfounded. I’ve been in so many situations where the person on the other side of the counter messed up and didn’t even apologize, let alone rectify the situation. On Monday morning, a courier arrived at my front door with a pair of hemmed pants and a personalized note, thanking me for my business and apologizing once again. Huh? Like many other top brands, Lululemon clearly understands the value of customer experience. They may have taken a loss on me this time as a customer, but their gesture not only delighted me, it encour-

aged me to share this story with many of my friends, and now you. How much are those free pants worth now? Lululemon is not alone. There are good reasons why the Apple Store is always crowded or that Starbucks is the second most Instagramed brand in the world. Brands that understand the value of customer experience consistently see their clients spending more, coming back time-and-time again, and best of all, telling all their friends and family. You simply cannot buy this level of exposure. In real estate, where most clients choose their agent based on referrals and previous clientele, the single common element should, in theory, be providing clients with the best experience for their needs. It sounds like a logical and practical way to grow a business; make your customers super happy and in return, they will keep coming back and tell all their friends how great an agent you are. However, reality is very different. Many agents are placing their time and hard-earned dollars on methods that don’t necessarily provide the best returns. The National

everyone you know and create a database. Grow your sphere of influence. Let everyone you meet know you are in real estate and ask them if they have a trusted real estate advisor, or if they would they consider working with you. Email or snail mail some information of value to your database at least once every quarter. 7. Project that you need to talk to 100 people about real estate before you get one firm transaction. This doesn’t include friends and family, who may or may not want to do business with you. If you want to do 10 transactions this year, you need to talk to 1,000 people about what you do. If you don’t believe this, start counting. 8. Do 100 open houses this year. Yes, 100. That is your magic number. It could be one or two or four a weekend. It could be some weeknights or non-traditional times. Try various times and see what works for you. If you don’t

like open houses, go door-knocking. You need to talk to people face to face about real estate. Don’t just do 100 open houses, do 100 great open houses. Quantity isn’t enough. Learn which agents have properties where you can host an open house and introduce yourself. Develop an open house plan for yourself, a system, to make sure you are well informed about the house, the neighbourhood amenities, recent neighbourhood sales and new listings. Preview the property. Spend two hours of prep time for each hour of every open house. Show the listing agent you are organized and committed. Arrive at least 15 minutes before you open – be there before the buyers! Treat each open house like a job interview. You are looking to find a buyer or a seller who will “hire” you. 9. Do floor time duty. Yes, it is boring to sit in the office waiting for someone to call, but many agents don’t show up so there is real

Association of Realtors’ Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report is full of great insights that show popular marketing methods such as search engines or newspaper ads account for less than one per cent each of all closed seller leads. Mobile or tablet applications, direct mail pieces (newsletters, flyers, postcards) and advertising specialty (calendars, magnets) also account for less than one per cent of closed seller leads, according to the survey. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with spending on marketing and building a strong, recognizable brand (and doing a stellar job marketing your client’s property). However, in a world that’s increasingly full of noise and distractions, where the average human attention span is now eight seconds, a 33 per cent drop since 2000, getting great results is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive. Still not buying it? Google the words “free home evaluation” and see how many results are returned (366 million on the day I wrote this post). This isn’t an argument against marketing. Marketing is a staple of business and will always be at the opportunity here. It might not amount to a lot, but it gives you a chance to talk to more people about real estate. Study pricing or neighbourhoods while you are waiting for the phone to ring, not YouTube videos of cat capers. But don’t only do duty and don’t do it on weekend afternoons when you should be doing open houses. 10. Go to your weekly sales meeting and agent tour, if your brokerage offers it. See as many houses as you can. Study the pricing, listen to what other agents are saying about the listing, research how the agent might have come up with the list price. Watch how much it sells for. You need to see a lot of houses before you can become good at pricing. Research neighbourhoods. Every week, study a new neighbourhood. Drive around, walk around. Learn amenities, schools, parks and places of worship. Study typical home styles. Study pricing history

core of the real estate profession. However, the results of delivering a really great client experience go beyond any marketing you could buy. It’s the one critical aspect of the business that presents the greatest opportunity, yet is so often overlooked as the agent’s focus shifts to the next transaction. There may have been many new technologies and marketing advances over the last decade or so, but the secret sauce of getting clients to buy again and again still remains the same. Clients will come back because they’ve either had a good experience with a company (or agent) in the past or know someone else who has. You may not be able to give away a free pair of pants, but what you do have at your disposal is the ability to create a memorable experience that “wows” your clients. So what’s your client experience strategy? How will you deliver a service that is a notch above the rest? Reuven Gorsht is the CEO of MoveSnap, a start-up that helps anyone who is relocating organize and get all their moving tasks done seamlessly. Prior to co-founding MoveSnap, Reuven spent 15+ years as a senior executive helping fortune 500 companies innovate and evolve their business models and organizational culture. He holds degrees in business and human resources and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School. REM of that neighbourhood for the last 12 months. Next week, do the same for another neighbourhood. Next week, do it again, until you know the whole city this way. And show up. The first few weeks can be very discouraging. Keep on with the basics. After awhile of doing the core things over and over again, something will take hold. You will find your niche, your best way of engaging with clients, and you can build on that. But it won’t happen if you don’t show up. You are a million times more likely to pick up a duty call if you are at the office than if you are sitting at home or hanging out around town. Next column: After the first 100 days. Joanna Dermenjian is a broker with the David Wilson Team at Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty, Brokerage, in Kingston, Ont. REM

REM JULY 2016 37

The war on bugs By Dan St. Yves

MARKETPLACE

hanges of weather seem to bring out the creepy crawlies in a house. Sometimes those are just houseflies coming back to life after a long Canadian winter. There could also be ants crawling around outside the garage or patio. Worse-case scenario, they may be carpenter ants or termites – especially if you’ve just listed your home for sale and you notice a ter-

mite tunnel running along the ceiling of your basement. Or around where your basement ceiling used to be located. Bugs of all sorts bother me now, not just the kind that present legitimate challenges for home sellers and buyers. I realize and respect that they have their place in the eco-system. Smaller insects feed the birds we love to see in our yard and trees. Bigger, grosser bugs constitute the diet of contestants on reality TV competition shows. All that said, and for some reason I cannot put my finger on, I now get serious weebie-jeebies if I feel something crawling up my arm when I’m out on my deck. The absolute quickest way for a bug to be hurried along to

an abruptly flattened termination is to be creeping across my bare foot. Much as I have come to dislike insects of all persuasions, I recently discovered that I now possess an odd quirk, one that occurs after catching and sending one of those creepy little crawlers off to oblivion. Any contact with a bug (even with the protection of four pieces of facial tissue and a falconer’s glove) will immediately necessitate a thorough washing of my hands with soap and water. Sometimes three to four times in a row, without getting more than a couple of steps away from the sink before I have to return. If I have to use a fly swatter, well, you may as well forward my hands to a NASA

decontamination chamber. I suppose I’ve heard too many stories about how many germs the average housefly carries, or it finally dawned on me one day, what my buddies used to mean when they commented on what flies are most often attracted to. We’ve had a huge problem at home lately with wasps on our deck. I finally determined that we needed protection from the ceaseless dive-bombing, so I went out and purchased one of those newfangled fly swatters. You’ve probably seen them in the stores. It’s about the size of a badminton racquet, and with the addition of two AA batteries, carries a substantial electric “zap” (which I can attest to, as I was foolish enough to disregard the rather large warning on the packaging. Eee-Yow!). Anyhow, since I brought it home and left it on our patio table,

I’ll be darned if the wasps don’t put on the most impressive aerial displays, but now well outside the safety rails on our deck. I even spotted a big stinkbug, but as I tried to sneak up on him to test the product, he vamoosed as fast as he arrived, almost as if he were psychic, or had been tipped off by the wasps. As of today, I remain swatless with the new swatter. We do have a proliferation of crickets outside. There must be hundreds of them, chirping day and night. Maybe I could go on safari and try hunting some of them down. I have recently purchased a new khaki shorts outfit, after all. Humour columnist and author Dan St. Yves was licensed with Royal LePage Kelowna for 11 years. Check out his website at www.nonsenseandstuff.com, or contact him at danst.yves@hotmail.com. REM

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REQUIREMENTS: • • • • •

Currently registered, & in good standing, as a Real Estate Sales Representative or Real Estate Broker Past management experience Experience conducting & developing real estate training initiatives Experience with RECO Computer skills

Please send resume to: jobs@darylking.com 9050 Yonge St., Suite 100, Richmond Hill ON L4C 9S6 OFFICE: (905) 907-5464 | TORONTO: (416) 987-5464 www.darylking.com | homes@darylking.com Find The Daryl King Team on Social Media

*The Daryl King Team consists of 43 registered Sales Representatives. Not intended to solicit clients currently under contract with another Brokerage.

JAN LUISTERMANS 1.519.709.0702

Real Estate Representative, Realty 1 Strategic Real Estate Services Ltd.

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38 REM JULY 2016

THE PUBLISHER’S PAGE

By Heino Molls

verything in the real estate business has changed. Everything.

Most things change, some don’t The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) enforces a law that says real estate agents must identify their clients and verify where their money is coming from. They must report any large cash transactions. They must also be on the lookout for suspicious financial actions and refer them to the authorities. This cannot be ducked or avoided. It is the law and

DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO IF THIS HAPPENS: • You have a small claims court matter to deal with? • Your client has a “tenant from hell”, and he/she has to be evicted? • Your client wants to reduce his real estate taxes? (A way to get more listings: offer this service.)

• You received a letter of complaint from RECO?

LET’S GET TOGETHER AND TALK

416.818.6130 In addition, I'm a real estate broker with over 40 years of experience. I can provide you with valuable insight into the law.

Fax: (905) 882-6618 Website: avirosen.ca Email: avi@avirosen.ca

woe to you if you ignore it. The handling and reporting of real estate information is now a process that requires a challenging skill set for many, sometimes even involving legal counsel. Another change is, it almost seems as though, instead of helping the general public to understand marketing, the Internet has made many believe they are experts in handling real estate transactions, enabling them to make unreasonable demands and demand unrealistic methods to sell or buy their homes. This is not the real estate business your Mom and Dad knew. This isn’t even the real estate business your older sister knew. Are you sure you want to do this? How we used to boast, oh how we used to brag about this business. You could get into the industry with relatively little money and without a long time investment to get your license. You still can, but now surviving is harder than ever. You are not necessarily going to get a listing today because you’re someone’s neighbour or someone’s niece or a friend of a guy you played soccer with. Today you have to show a successful track record. You have to show professionalism in every way, from the shingle you work under to the reviews you

Trade Shows and Conferences For complete listings, see www.remonline.com To add a listing to the calendar, email jim@remonline.com Atlantic Connection July 26 - 29 Delta Prince Edward & P.E.I. Convention Centre Charlottetown www.atlanticconnection.ca/ Activate 2016 Hosted by Re/Max of Western Canada Oct. 18 - 20 Fairmont Chateau Whistler Whistler, B.C.

build and will not be able to shake once your name is out there on the Internet. You have to prove that you have the best tools and know how to use them. All those tools, all that experience and all that knowledge does not come cheap and it does not come easy. You can’t pick this stuff up at the school of hard knocks anymore. This requires serious business degrees, hands-on marketing experience and technological acumen beyond the ken of the average person. If this stuff was easy, then more than 100,000 licensed real estate agents in Canada would be making a great deal of money. But they are not. If you have what it takes, if you have a level of professionalism or even a niche where you can compete with marketing expertise, the Internet, social media presence, business contacts and all the other tools that are too many to list, then and only then can you attempt the hardest part of the whole process: selling. The definition of “selling” has been elusive for everyone. It has been described as showing and telling and persuading of every kind. The only thing that comes close is the word “teaching”. Some great salespeople have said that you make a list and you make sure that you cover every item on that 2016 Coldwell Banker Gen Blue Experience Oct. 18 - 20 Miami Beach, Fla. http://genblue.coldwellbanker.com/ Realtors Association of Grey Bruce Owen Sound AGM & Tradeshow Wednesday, Oct. 26 Bayshore Community Centre Owen Sound ea@ragbos.com Century 21 Canada Conference Supplier Expo Oct. 28 - 29 Westin Bayshore Vancouver Carla Ty – supplier.expo@century21.ca Compiled with the assistance of Bob Campbell at Colour Tech Marketing, www.colourtech.com

list with the client because only then will you know that you have spoken to every area that may be the trigger to make the client come to a proper decision. You have to explain and show all of it. You have to teach every aspect. When you think of the greatest achievements in history, arguably all of them involved “selling”. As the old saying goes: In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue and came to the Americas. While we know he was not the first, it still remains a great accomplishment to have sailed across the Atlantic in 1492. It took great seamanship, skilled navigation, tremendous courage and leadership. But don’t forget that before the voyage even began it took some great selling to convince the Spanish Crown to buy the idea. Before man walked on the moon, somebody had to sell JFK on the idea that it could be done. All the tools were in place but it still needed to be sold before it was achieved.

Stan Albert When it comes to selling, one of the first people who comes to mind for me is Stan Albert. I first met Stan in the late 1980s when he was with Safeguard Real Estate. I was trying to sell a new idea I had for real estate marketing, Real Estate T.V. Back then, and I admit right to this day, I never was the sharpest knife in the drawer when it came to selling. You had to be very thoughtful and kind to think through my silly blather and realize that marketing real estate on video was the next step up from newspaper advertising. It was the forerunner of the Internet and Stan grasped that right away by becoming one of my first customers. I will never forget his foresight and I shall never forget his kindness in giving me some tips for my sales efforts along the way, now over 25 years ago. Stan’s columns became a mainstay in REM, provoking thought and providing insight for many years in these pages. Stan is retiring from REM. I shall miss his words, his wisdom and his kindness. Happy trails Mr. Albert. Heino Molls is publisher of REM. heino@remonline.com. REM

TO DO LIST REVIEW A/R FOR BAD DEBTS

COMPLETED - 9:00 am REVIEW INCOME AGAINST BUDGET

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2016-06-09 3:05 PM