July 2017

Issue #337

July 2017

BCREA and REBGV explore amalgamation options Page 3

Broker files privacy complaint against Nova Scotia regulator Page 4

How to get noticed in this crowded industry Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 42218523 - Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 2255B Queen St. E., #1178, Toronto ON M4E 1G3

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Ray Belluz

After 41 years as an independent, his family brokerage makes big move Page 12

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REM JULY 2017 3

BCREA and REBGV explore amalgamation options After a failed provincial amalgamation attempt in 2016, BCREA is talking to the Vancouver board about sharing services and possibly joining forces. By Jean Sorensen

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eal estate board presidents throughout B.C. are watching with interest and caution to see if a deal can be forged between the B.C. Real Estate Association (BCREA) and its largest member, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) that might lead to contractual services to be offered to the boards or an amalgamation of the two entities.

“The BCREA board of directors agreed the best way forward would be to explore the concepts of contractual services and possible amalgamation with REBGV,” said a May 15th letter from BCREA president Jim Stewart.

The letter to member boards said the BCREA “followed up with REBGV and have agreed to work together to simultaneously examine these two options. As we see it, contracted services could be implemented in the short term and independently of a future amalgamation.”

Shortly after the letter went out to boards, Stewart told REM, “It was to inform our member boards that we were given clear direction by the members of our board to work out our differences with Vancouver,” adding there is some duplication of services.

He says BCREA wanted to ensure that the concerns of Vancouver were addressed in moving forward with a relationship, but added he could not discuss those concerns.

Vancouver was chosen to initiate discussion because it is BCREA’s largest board, representing 60 per cent of the members. “They are the biggest influencer around the boardroom table,” Stewart says. In any amalgamation, BCREA would want to ensure that any concerns were addressed to ensure a smooth working arrangement, he says.

At a meeting on June 2.

Stewart says, “We were in and out fairly fast”, adding that BCREA staff was asked to prepare reports on how the two organizations might better work together. He says that with summer and holidays, it is unlikely that any further meetings will be held until September. As well, he says, there is a regular meeting with the boards planned in the fall.

REBGV president Jill Oudil says conversations are on-going.

“Unfortunately, I have nothing to tell you.” she says. “We are not making any changes right now.”

She says that “we are always having conversations on the structure” of the association to improve services. Asked whether REBGV could deliver services more efficiently than BCREA in areas where there is duplication, Oudil was non-committal. “It is fair to say there is duplication between the two but that happens with many of the boards,” she says. “We are only talking about different scenarios; there is nothing that is going ahead.”

In 2016, a BCREA effort to amalgamate the province’s 11 real estate boards into one new organization failed. First the Victoria board opted out, citing a reluctance to turn its real estate holdings and assets over to a central association without assurances of the services it would receive and that Victoria’s member interests would be preserved.

Victoria was followed by four other boards that left for varying reasons, leaving only six to vote on the issue on Dec. 6.

Only three of them reached the required vote threshold either set out by their bylaws (75 per cent) or through B.C.’s new Societies Act (67 per cent). Four boards (representing 15,000 members) were needed to achieve the threshold for the amalgamation effort to move to a

final BCREA board vote.

The three boards that reached the numbers needed for an amalgamation were the B.C. Northern Real Estate Board, REBGV and the South Okanagan Real Estate Board.

Those failing to reach the threshold were the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, Kamloops & District Real Estate Association and the Okanagan Mainland Real Estate Board.

B.C. boards contacted by REM were aware of the discussions that are taking place between the Vancouver board and BCREA. B.C. Northern Real Estate Board president John Evans says his board is waiting to see what comes out of the talks. “We have talked about it and we don’t know yet what we are going to do,” he says. But he is hopeful that what transpires will accrue benefits to the northern members, who had one of the highest votes in the province in favour of amalgamation.

“As a smaller board, there was a lot for us to gain,” he says. The failed amalgamation was a disappointment to northern members who were looking for improved services, he says.

Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board pulled out of the vote. Viewing what is happening now, president Greg Nord-Leth says, “It seems Vancouver is determined to do something. We recognize our position as a smaller board and we cannot do much.”

He says the Chilliwack members want a provincial entity but also a local voice. “Our members are passionate about staying independent,” he says. NordLeth is concerned that an amalgamation will impact that independence or that Vancouver’s presence will overrule the position of smaller boards that may have differing views.

“There is a need for a local association and the need for a provincial voice that speaks for everyone. It is awkward when you have a board that is bigger than everyone else. I don’t think that they (BCREA) always understand our frustration with that situation,” says Nord-Leth.

“Our concern is that the provincial voice will turn into the Vancouver voice and there is not enough time to deal with our issues when they come up.”

Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board president Tanis Read says her board is keeping the door open to change but at the same time looking at other options that may benefit members.

“We are trying to keep an open mind regarding the discussions that are going on,” she says, but the board is also trying to gauge how any new contractual services or amalgamation might work for the them.

For example, she says, the Vancouver board has a very strong education platform. “They have things that we as a smaller board could never hope to have,” Read says. “That is their strong attribute to us.”

She says her member vote fell short of amalgamation, but the issue was never about fees or services. “It was about professionalism; it was about advocacy, strong standards and enforcement and education and all of these things,” she says, adding she felt the vote got hung up by the “don’t know” factor as not enough information was forthcoming on the new organizational structure, including office location and control.

In the meantime, it is business as usual and her board is also talking to other boards to determine if there are services that can be shared or mutually supported.

The Powell River Sunshine Coast Real Estate Board, which

Jim Stewart

Jill Oudil

Tanis Read

Greg Nord-Leth

opted out of the amalgamation vote, is also watching the talks with interest. “We are cautiously optimistic,” says president Neil Frost. He says his board executive was in favour of the talks going forward to see where they might lead.

The Victoria Real Estate Board, one of the staunch hold outs in the previous amalgamation discussions, had little to say about the talks. President Ara Balabanian says the talks are preliminary.

“It is just a concept with no details,” he says. “There are zero REM details.”

4 REM JULY 2017

Broker files privacy complaint against Nova Scotia regulator But the Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission says, “There is no violation of applicable privacy legislation when licensees provide this information to the commission.” By Tony Palermo

Cover photo: JAMIE DAWN PHOTOGRAPHY

lation. She says that despite raising concerns to NSREC several times, the regulator has been slow to update the form.

“Brokers are being hung out to dry if they give out client information for the annual audit without explicit client consent,” says Robinson. “NSREC has been developing the new (sales agreement form) for the last 3 1/2 years and are now saying it should be ready by fall 2017.”

And that, she says, is unacceptable.

Robinson says that her brokerage has been complying with NSREC’s auditing requirements and handing over closed and terminated transaction files, but only under protest after NSREC threatened to suspend her broker licence.

Registrar Brad Chisholm says that as the regulator for Nova Scotia’s real estate industry, NSREC has an obligation to consumers to ensure that licensees are complying with their regulatory obligations and does so, in part, by conducting regular brokerage audits. He points out that these audits are authorized by the provincial Real Estate Trading Act and NSREC bylaw, and that a licensee is required to co-operate by providing all relevant material.

“It is the (NSREC’s) view that there is no violation of applicable privacy legislation when licensees provide this information to the commission,” says Chisholm.

In a detailed email to REM, Chisholm referenced several sec-

tions of the NSREC bylaw to support his position. He also cited several documents that clients are required to review and sign, such as the Working with the Real Estate Industry form, which disclose that a client’s information will be used, in part, to comply with the provincial act and NSREC bylaw.

As an example, under the “Privacy and Use of Personal Information” part of the Working with the Real Estate Industry form, it states: “Real estate representatives will disclose the information to other brokerages, potential buyers and interested parties during the course of marketing of the property for sale, as well as through the sales process. In addition, all or some of it will be disclosed to government departments, appraisers, municipal organizations and others.”

“The production of mandated transactional records by the brokerage to the regulator is consistent with the reason for which they were created,” says Chisholm.

“This information in the hands of the regulator maintains its confidential status, and even without consent, the provision of the information is not a breach of PIPEDA.” Valerie Lawton, manager, strategic communications with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, says that as a general starting point, PIPEDA requires consent for use or disclosure of personal information and that an organization must

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identify the purposes for which consent is sought.

She says that while PIPEDA lists a number of exceptions to the consent requirement, she was unable to comment as to whether an auditing authority, such as a provincial real estate regulator, requires explicit consent from each individual brokerage client before performing an audit of the brokerage.

She notes, however, that consent to the disclosure of personal information can be a condition of

service if it is required for the delivery of a service, but also offers a blanket caution.

“Generally speaking, we would encourage organizations to tell individuals about disclosures that they may need to make for audit purposes and to seek consent for such potential disclosures,” says Lawton.

Robinson says that she has been told her file is being processed and expects to hear more from the Office of the Privacy Commission soon. REM

OBITUARY:

David Thompson David Thompson, general manager at Century 21 Heritage House in Woodstock, Ont., died early in May. Mr. Thompson had joined Century 21 Heritage House in March. He started his real estate career with Century 21 and was a well-known real estate manager and trainer. During his career, he also held positions with HomeLife Realty, Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies, Coldwell Banker Canada and the Real Estate David Thompson Institute of Canada.

A statement from Century 21 Canada says, “Those who had the pleasure of working with David describe him as an attentive listener who always had time to hear about new business ideas, and made a point of getting to know each and every sales representative and staff member. David will be profoundly missed by everyone whose lives he touched. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and team members at this difficult time.” REM

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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 2017 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).

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A

Nova Scotia real estate broker has filed a personal privacy complaint against the Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission (NSREC) alleging that the provincial regulator has violated her rights under Canada’s privacy law.

Martina Robinson, broker/ owner with Robinson & Harmsen Lifestyle Real Estate, filed the complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, alleging that her personal information about the sale of her primary residence was disclosed to NSREC without her consent, and only occurred when NSREC demanded the information as part of its annual auditing process from the brokerage who handled the sale of her property.

“We are happy with our educated Realtor and lawyer of trust,” she says. “We are business people and are happy with our closed file, and did not wish the personal information therein to be audited

by NSREC.” The point, says Robinson, is that any consumer, whether it’s her or anyone else, should be properly informed about how their information will be used and should be given the option as to how and where they want that information disclosed.

Robinson says Nova Scotia’s current Agreement of Purchase and Sale does not comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Canada’s privacy legis-

6 REM JULY 2017

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

R

ealty Executives International recently opened a new office in Cambridge, Ont. Nelson Mathew, broker/owner of Realty Executives Edge, also has an office in Guelph.

“We are excited to expand the Realty Executives brand into

Cambridge and area,” says Scott Gilmour, president of Realty Executives Regional.

Since joining Realty Executives International three years ago, Mathew’s company has continued to grow. “We were starting to outgrow our Guelph office, so we’ve decided to not only open

a new office in Guelph but to extend our reach of service to Cambridge as well. We are proud to have come this far and to offer more comprehensive real estate services.”

He says, “Realty Executives is a company of entrepreneurs, with a culture that provides the support and tools to set every member of our team up for success.”

■ ■ ■

Anthony Hitt, CEO of Engel & Völkers North America, recently announced the opening of a new

Officially opening the Cambridge office of Realty Executives Edge, from left: Brian Gilmour, Realty Executives regional VP; Nelson Mathew, broker/owner; Donna Reid, councillor for the City of Cambridge; and Scott Gilmour, president of Realty Executives Regional.

shop in Niagara Falls.

The franchise owners are Cosmo Condina, Carmela D’Amico and Peter Fischer. The three partners will open a second shop in Niagara-On-The-Lake next year. Fischer will serve as the broker of record.

■ ■ ■

Coldwell Banker Canada’s newest residential affiliate is Coldwell Banker Rockies Realty, based in Canmore, Alta. The company is owned by experienced real estate professionals Robert Karg and Kathy Corless. They recently acquired the Rockies Realty independent brokerage and the new expanded firm will serve the Canmore and Banff resort communities and surrounding area.

Corless, the broker of record, has more than 20 years of business experience, including commercial and condominium property management, as well as operations management. Karg has more than 12 years of real estate sales, resort sales and operations management experience, the company says. His business background includes 15 years in restaurant management.

A grand opening is planned for July 1.

■ ■ ■

David Marine

Engel & Völkers Montreal is opening its fourth shop in

Montreal. The new flagship shop is 6,500 sq. ft. located on Rue Sherbrooke in downtown Montreal.

Debby Doktorczyk and Patrice Groleau, the Montreal franchise owners, have also acquired the franchise rights for Laval and the South Shore territories. These two shops will open in 2018.

■ ■ ■

Two clients of Century 21 People’s Choice Realty in Etobicoke, Ont. have new cars to put in the driveways of their new homes. Any client who bought or sold a property with People’s Choice in 2016 was entered in the draw.

“There is a certain excitement that comes with any draw, but watching people drive away in a brand-new car tops the list,” says Virenda Srivastava, broker of record at People’s Choice Realty.

“All of our agents were able to put their clients in the draw throughout the year. We then held an event to crown the winners.”

Nitasha Rikhy won a Toyota Rav 4 because of her transaction with agent Deepinder Mann. The Toyota Corolla was won by Mini Chaitanya Desai, whose sales rep was Tapan Dave. In addition to the two grand prizes, People’s Choice also gave away $10, 000 worth of small prizes, including iPads, tablets and speakers.

A customer appreciation breakfast took place at Woodbine Banquet Hall because of the huge number of attendees, which ended up being more than 1,500 people.

People’s Choice Realty has more than 500 agents serving clients in Etobicoke, Brampton and Mississauga.

■ ■ ■

Kathy Corless and Robert Karg Richard Brinkley, SVP Canada for Engel & Völkers, left, with Debby Doktorczyk and Patrice Groleau.

Opening the new Engel & Völkers shop in Niagara Falls, from left: Cosmo Condina, Carmela D’Amico, Richard Brinkley, Engel & Völkers SVP Canada and director, and Peter Fischer.

Two clients of Century 21 People’s Choice Realty in Etobicoke, Ont. have new cars to put in the driveways of their new homes.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate recently announced the promotion of David Marine to senior vice president of marketing from his prior role as vice president, brand engagement. In this new role Marine will oversee the real estate brand’s complete marketing efforts including advertising, media, public relations, product development, promotions and marketing communications.

Marine led the development of the highest rated national real estate TV commercial of all time, according to Ace Metrix. He has Continued on page 8

This is home.

It’s a place called amazement.

Home is a word that signifies so much. You understand what it means for each of your clients, and they rely on you to lead them on their journey there. Our goal is to help your clients truly understand their home, so they can feel good, feel right, and know the miraculous feeling of home.

pillartopost.com Each office independently owned and operated.

8 REM JULY 2017

How to get noticed in this crowded industry “I can’t see anyone standing out in a crowded space long term without a specific commitment and focus, a core competency,” says Randy Book of Sutton West Coast Realty. By Toby Welch

T

he statistics can be daunting. In Toronto, there are 45,000 brokers and sales representatives. Greater Vancouver has more than 13,000 real estate agents. Calgary totals around 5,200 while Greater Montreal comes in at over 9,000 brokers. With so many agents fighting for business, getting noticed can be challenging. On the upside, most salespeople settle for being mediocre, so standing out isn’t as hard as you may think.

Randy Book, the business development manager (with a focus on real estate agent recruitment and development) with Sutton West Coast Realty in Vancouver, says a niche market focus is the key to real estate professionals getting noticed.

“I can’t see anyone standing out in a crowded space long term without a specific commitment and focus, a core competency if you will. A specific target is selected – a strategy including a draft plan and possible ideas for actions, budget and most importantly, a lead capture system, otherwise known as a data base manager.”

Not sure how to pick a niche like Book recommends? Consider a particular property type (beach houses, acreages, mid-century homes, a specific postal code or a type of client such as veterans, empty nesters, nurses or divorcing couples).

Book says: “When newbie salespeople are getting started, I suggest an 18-month commitment to the strategies, stay on top of tracking the leads and relentless lead follow up. Once you get a few signs up, then you can tell where the tweaking is needed or find a selling partner to fill the gaps.”

Branding feels like an overused term these days but for a good reason – when done correctly, it works. Think of yourself as a concept that is unique in the industry. Differentiating yourself truly is the key. You just have to figure out what that is for you.

Research agents you are in com-

petition with and find out what they are doing. Then do the opposite to stand yourself apart. Or ask past clients why they used you.

That will give you an idea of what makes you different. You aren’t just an agent, you are an experience.

Angela Langtry, a broker with Century 21 Immo-Plus in Montreal, has a three-tiered strategy for getting noticed.

“I have spent the last eight years of my career focusing on providing high-quality customer service to my clientele, whereby I provide them with all the information they need and I am quick to respond to their calls, texts and emails. In return, my clients write testimonials online about their experience of working with me.

These testimonials become my online resume, which future clients read when shopping for an agent to work with.”

Langtry continues: “Having a visually appealing website with useful content is key. Real estate functions completely online now.

Century 21 provides their agents with a free website template. The more content we put into our websites, the higher Google drives us up in the search engines.

“Third, get listings. If you don’t list, you don’t last. Have your photo on your signs. The more people see your signs, the more they recognize you. Photos take you a long way, especially when you’re someone like me working in Quebec with an English name.”

Like Book, Jeffrey Kerr, a broker with Re/Max Unique in Toronto, uses a niche to differentiate himself.

“One of the first pieces of advice I was given in 1999 when I started at Re/Max Unique was to become a specialist. In 2004, I was presented with an opportunity to sell a Toronto condominium that was partially wheelchair accessible. As a direct result of the contacts I made and the encouragement I received while selling that

condo, I established my niche as a barrier-free real estate specialist.”

Some agents have gone to extreme lengths to get noticed.

An agent in San Diego wrote and performed a rap song to garner more business. The video has been viewed over 100,000 times online. A video by The Corcoran Group in New York has been watched over a million times; the main draw is Marcel, a dog searching for a real estate agent. A Southern California agent posed in a bikini on a billboard and traffic to her website skyrocketed from 2,000 hits a day to 20,000.

Kerr went too far trying to stand out, in a different way. “I’ve worked hard to position myself as the (barrier-free) specialist.

However, what I’ve noticed is that some people within my sphere of influence that are buying and selling traditional homes have not reached out to me for help. I have done too good a job positioning myself as the expert for wheelchair-accessible properties and some people think that is all I do. I need to remind people that I have 18 years of experience helping clients buy and sell traditional homes, too.”

More ways to differentiate yourself: • Have an unforgettable website with a blog and videos; that alone will catapult you over 90 per cent of your peers.

• Become a resource to local media. Doing so gets your name noticed and labels you as local real estate expert.

• Always under-promise but over-deliver.

• Start your own station on YouTube to share your knowledge.

• Offer seminars or workshops that the public will be interested in.

• Share stories of inspiring clients on your social media sites, blog and/or through press releases.

• Touch base regularly with clients, even long after you’ve worked with them.

• Wear a positive, competent

Angela Langtry

attitude like a second shirt.

• Send handwritten notes; you’ll stand out among the flyers and bills in someone’s mail.

• When hosting an open house, print off snazzy invitations, tie them with a fancy ribbon and hand deliver them to the neighbours of the open house.

Don’t let the fact that there are over 100,000 agents in Canada intimidate you. Crush the mediocre bar that has been set and stand yourself apart from the REM crowd.

Jeffrey Kerr

Multiple Listings Continued from page 6

created exclusive partnerships with brands including Major League Baseball, NBC Open House, CNET and Adopt-a-Pet.com. Marine led a partnership with X-Men and 20th Century Fox, which recently won a 2017 Gold Reggie Award from the Association of National Advertisers.

■ ■ ■

The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) is warning members of the public not to engage in real estate transactions, including rent to own transactions, with Christopher Parik of York Region. RECO says Parik was a registered salesperson but his registration was terminated on Jan. 31 and that he operated an independent RTO program under the website www.chrisparik.com, targeting a sector of the public “who could neither afford, nor qualify to purchase a home with the promise of a ‘rent to own with zero down’ ” scheme.

RECO received complaints about Parik and opened an investigation into his conduct. Six complainants allege that Parik charged an initial fee of $595, failed to provide any further service and then refused to return the fee, says RECO. “Mr. Parik has shut down his prior website and is currently operating under www.turnkeyinvestment.ca despite not being registered,” says the regulator.

On March 31 RECO laid eight charges against Parik for accepting commission or other remuneration for trading in real estate from someone other than the brokerage that employed him, as well as failing to deliver required copies of agreements to his employing brokerage.

REM

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10 REM JULY 2017

6 things to write about on your blog

By Kim Rempel

A

s a real estate professional, you’re almost too busy to read this.

Almost.

The thing is, you know online marketing is paramount. Your website is in dire need of decent content, but blogging is about to drive you nuts! Even if you did find time to sit and write, you don’t have the foggiest clue what to say. The blank page stares you down and you leave frustrated.

Once you’ve figured out what to talk about (and why), you’re halfway done. When you know that, the writing follows much easier, trust me. That’s why I’ve compiled this list of six topics to write about on your real estate blog. These might just be the

kick-start your blog needs.

1. What are the top three FAQs people ask you? Be the answer.

Clients, neighbours, colleagues and family – they’ve all asked you something in the last few weeks. What three questions have been the most frequent, or asked by the most people?

The answer to each of those is its own blog post. They won’t be the only ones asking, so take the opportunity to be the answer.

2. What event did you attend or host recently? Whether business related or not, it’s an interesting piece that could shed light on to who you are.

From trade shows to the fair, family gatherings or an industry conference, there are lots of stories to tell and parallels to draw on. For example, one of my clients hosted a Christmas event each year specifically for those who had no one to spend the holiday with.

It wasn’t a promotional thing, she didn’t charge or fundraise for it – it was a kindness she paid for from

her own pocket just because she cared deeply for the lonely.

By announcing it and telling the story of why she cares about the lonely (because she’s been there), she demonstrated likeability, trustworthiness and generosity. I still choke up a bit when I think of it. That was a winner.

The goal here is to connect with your reader, not to sell yourself to them. Just be yourself.

That’s what they really want to see anyway – who are you?

3. Recollect a moment this week when you were inspired and share it. Try to keep it related to your business or clients’ needs.

Everyone likes to be inspired by a heartwarming moment.

(Why else is Facebook full of cat videos and image quotes?) Try sharing one such moment that inspired you and then somehow tying it into your business.

(Perhaps it makes you grateful for the freedom of employment, thrilled to be doing what you love, teary to be helping people the way you do or motivated to deliver

attentive service.) Your readers will be inspired and like you even more for touching their hearts that way.

4. Write about a common mistake people make in your industry. Each mistake is its own post. This can be a huge source of blog fodder. The trick is to make it educational and helpful to the reader and to avoid a rant. Even professional rants are just rants – how does knowing about the problem help your reader?

Educate them. Rescue them. Help them protect themselves. That’s what they really want and need.

5. Share a client’s experience.

If they were blown away by results or inspired by your service, others will be too. Do not think testimonial! This is not an obvious, “Joe is the best agent ever” shtick.

None of this is about sales – it’s about benefiting your reader. The story should educate them about a problem, open their eyes to a new option, make them laugh or make them cry big drippy tears of inspiration.

6. What do you wish your clients would ask? Do you ever wish people would ask you some key questions? Ever feel like clients don’t even know what they don’t know? What SHOULD they be asking that they’re not? List those questions and turn each one into a post.

Work it backwards – what’s the answer they need? Why do they need it? (Will it protect them?

Save them money? Save them loads of time? Remember to think of what they want and speak to that.)

Arming yourself ahead of time though, with a specific topic in mind, goes a long way to battling that blank screen – and winning.

Kim Rempel, investor, writer and entrepreneur, helps real estate professionals and business owners create content that gets attention. She says, “Leverage what you know to help your business grow. That’s the power of content.” www.RealtorBlogging101.com REM

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More important for you is that by sharing the system I used to achieve my own success, I’ve been able to help over 30,000 agents worldwide to transform their real estate jobs into highly lucrative real estate businesses that don’t come at the expense

you’re approaching this business.

Look, most agents work very hard at their businesses but they continue to struggle with not enough leads, not enough hours and not enough return on their investment of time and money.

Why is this?

Well, the problem is that they’re spending time on what I

“There’s a very different, hidden business waiting for you in real estate that does NOT require you to absorb untold amounts of rejection, stress and drudgery; does not require you to be out all hours or to be a stranger to your family.� of high lifestyle costs. In fact, my real estate system is responsible for more Millionaire Agents than any other real estate system.

Incredibly, there are still bigname trainers and coaches whipping agents like mules to keep making more cold calls. There are also coaches driving agents stark raving mad with an endlessly expanding To-Do List, pushing them to blog more, make more videos, post more stuff, advertise more

cold calling, more client parties, spend more, etc., etc.

All of this is wrong. The fact is that if getting your next good client is STILL uncertain‌.. if you feel trapped in a nuclear arms race of ever escalating ad spending‌.if you are STILL anxious about the stability of your business and income‌.if you are STILL competing head to head and losing listings to less

agents and STILL getting resistance and rejection from prospects --- there’s a LOT wrong ‌ not with you, but with the way

call “Low Probability� activities such as cold calling, door knock

!

They know these things don’t really work well, but they’re stuck in the paradigm that working hard at these grunt prospecting activities is the only way to succeed, and if they’re not personally succeeding, they believe it’s because they’re not working hard enough. And so they keep at it, because that’s what all the other agents are doing and they don’t know what else to do except try to outwork everyone else. This, in a nutshell, is what a paradigm is: other people’s bad habits..

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ready doing. I call this “Proctor-izing� your business. In other words, I’ll show you how to make simple changes to things you’re already doing so you can set yourself apart from your com !

pects to seek you out and ask for your assistance.

For example, I’ll show you how to make your website better so it will generate dozens of leads every week. I’ll show you a simple redesign of your business cards that will set you apart from your competitors. I’ll show you inexpensive but incredibly powerful ad copy that will compel prospects to contact you. I’ll teach you better language to use when you speak with buyer and seller prospects that will lead to more appointments. I’ll also show you how to work with buyers so your time isn’t wasted and, more than that, so you’ll get paid by every buyer you work with. I’ll even show you how to get more referrals.

Millionaire Agent Maker Craig Proctor Today, it seems just about everybody has an “opinion� about me. It’s up to you whether you will rely on others’ opinions or whether to investigate for yourself. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinions but nobody’s entitled to their own facts. Facts are facts. I urge basing your career on facts that you get for yourself and judge for yourself. Not hype and empty promises. Facts.

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12 REM JULY 2017

Family-run brokerage makes a big move

After more than 40 years as a successful independent brokerage in Thunder Bay, the Belluz family made the decision to become Re/Max Generations. By Barbara Feldman “And knowing Re/Max Integra Ontario-Atlantic is generations of family members, a close-knit group of people to guide you and talk to you just a phone call away, sealed the deal for us.”

The family is impressed by the support the main office gives their franchisees. “They’re a bunch of knowledgeable people that really care about helping you grow your business – (providing) meetings, teleconferencing, helping with recruiting and establishing a better bottom line that you wouldn’t get as an independent,” says Ray. And “we can easily design ads ourselves and do endless things” with Re/Max’s highly developed social media tools, he says. “We recognize that it’s something that will make us successful and we intend to use every bit of it.”

Three generations of brokers: Tony, Kelsey and Ray Belluz.

S

ince Ray Belluz started selling real estate in 1972, “Belluz” has been synonymous with real estate in Thunder Bay and northwestern Ontario.

“Everybody in Thunder Bay knew Belluz Realty, but we realized a lot of people relocating to town would call the top brand instead of an independent,” says Tony Belluz, Ray’s son, who joined his father’s brokerage as a full-time sales representative in 1988 and became its broker of record in 2007. Tony’s wife Allison and their daughter Kelsey are brokers and daughter Breanne also works at the brokerage.

The firm, which employs 22 people, maintains smaller offices in the communities of Terrace Bay and Marathon and has agents covering Nipigon, Schrieber,

Terrace Bay and Geraldton, almost 300 km away.

In April the family purchased a Re/Max franchise, renaming the company Re/Max Generations.

People like brands, whether it’s Starbucks coffee or Re/Max, Tony says.

“We’ve been a local name for so long, so it’s an adjustment for us, but it seems to be going very well,” he says. For the past 25 years A.R. Belluz Realty has been winning MLS Top Team sales volume awards from the Thunder Bay Real Estate Board. “Now we have the old clients from Belluz Realty and new clients from Re/ Max. It’s already increasing our business,” Tony says.

Everyone was involved in making the decision to switch, “not just my father,” says Kelsey.

Allison and Kelsey are more comfortable using the new software programs and social media tools than Tony or Ray, but mother and daughter share an office “connected to my dad’s and across from my grandfather’s,” says Kelsey, “so we’re just a quick yell away whenever they need anything.”

Kelsey was 14 when she started working in her family’s realty office after school and still in high school when she began qualifying for her real estate license. “People always had this perception of it being easy for me because of my last name,” she says. “I was basically like anybody else starting out, trying to prove myself. It was actually harder because I didn’t have family or family friends I could sell houses to – they were already dealing with my parents!”

While getting her business degree at Lakehead University she took her brokers’ course, sold real estate and bought herself a house to renovate with her father.

“I didn’t let my age be as much of a hurdle as it could have been,

but it was a pretty crazy few years,” she says. Now 29 and about to be a new mom, she’s planning to work until the day her daughter is born, then “answer the phone from home and bring the baby to the office,” she says. “I’m not even going to miss a beat with my clients. I think I’d go crazy if I didn’t do what I loved every day.

“In Thunder Bay lots of people rely on Realtors for everything,” Kelsey says. As well as providing introductions to home inspectors, banks, mortgage brokers and insurance companies, “we help new home buyers pick their design features, paint colours, cabinets… and people are so appreciative of it we get friends, family or repeat clients.”

Helping supervise construction as a liaison between buyer and seller is something Ray has been doing since he first got into the business.

“We’ve got a lot of small builders here,” he says. “The biggest might build a dozen to 18 houses in a year, most build three to five. So it really pays to be part of the whole set-up. The builder can stay on the job and get it finished and at the end you have two happy clients instead of us trying to put out fires all the time.”

For at least the last 10 years, Thunder Bay’s population has remained steady at around 110,000, with good schools, a college, a university, a casino and an airport, says Tony. Ray managed to survive when the Thunder Bay market dipped almost 60 per cent by obtaining the rights to sell in some American states, and he also sold property in Florida, “putting in the hours and working my heart out,” he says.

“We have a good rhythm, all of us, and work as a team,” says Tony. He says all the family members share Ray’s philosophy of hard work.

“We spend more time in a day working with our clients and it gives us less time for ourselves, but I enjoy working with my family and coming to work every day, and after the day is done you’re pretty satisfied that you’ve really looked after your people,” Ray says. “We’ve been very successful and Thunder Bay has been very, very good to us.”

He is now 75. “I’ve got a 46-year build-up of clientele, but moving to Re/Max gave us global recognition,” he says.

“And once the Belluz bunch is gone and the Belluz name fades, having a Re/Max brokerage will still be an asset.” REM

From left: Breanne, Tony, Allison and Kelsey Belluz. (Photos: Jamie Dawn Photography)

ONE BIG FAMILY

selling the most from COAST TO COAST

100% CANADIAN OWNED AND OPERATED From far and wide, we will always welcome you home

150

Proud to celebrate 150 years on the “eh” team

14 REM JULY 2017

How to choose a good photographer A

good salesperson knows their strengths and weaknesses and can compensate for where they may find their skills are lacking. If you are not confident about your photography skills or have been asked not to take photos at family events, here is a handy guide to hiring a good photographer for your real estate photos. A picture is worth a thousand words, and you can really make your listing talk to the right audience when your photos tell the story.

Choosing the right kind of photographer: Rob Holding, a professional photographer for Google Street View and Airbnb says, “Many (photographers) specialize in a particular sector and, while excellent in their own disciplines, may struggle with others. A fashion photographer; although competent at fashion photography, may not be the best person to shoot a wedding. A wedding photographer may find sports photography tricky. Different scenarios

can require different photography skills.”

The first question to ask a potential photographer is what situations or scenes they are experienced in photographing. Don’t be afraid to ask for samples of their work.

Unlike other professions, there is no unified standard of education or training required in order to start a business as a professional photographer. While it is a business that anyone can start, few last long or get recommended unless they know the basics and have demonstrated via a portfolio the quality of their work.

Some photographers offer extensive printing services, others may offer photographs on CD or a USB drive. Some photographers may charge for distances outside of a certain limit, while others may consider that part of their fee. Before considering or eliminating any of your photography candidates, find out in detail which services are offered and

where their expertise really shines. It is important to decide which features and options presented to you matter most when narrowing down your list. Do you need someone who can print photos, or do you prefer a basic service? Do you want a whole package of services such as photos, digital and prints?

Ask for samples: Holding says it is important to go beyond taking a photographer’s word and actually view the quality of their work.

“Ask to see some examples. A reputable, practicing photographer should have a body of past image examples they can show you. As a property photographer, I carry and use specialist wide-angle lenses that are designed for architecture. I also direct potential customers to examples of my work on my website.”

When you are studying the portfolio of a photographer, pay attention to any scenes or shots that would be common to your real estate listings. For instance, if your

photographer captures architecture, what are their interior photos like? Can they handle small washrooms or large landscapes? Do they have the skills and tools to cover the shots you will want when creating a listing?

Working with a photographer: If photography is not your strong suit, working with a photographer could be intimidating – after all, they may ask what you want. Not to worry. Holding says, “Feel free to talk to your photographer, explain what the images will be used for and ask their advice. A good photographer should be able to offer suggestions and guidance on what will make your property look good.” Communication is important, so make sure your photographer understands your needs and that you understand their limitations.

Helping your photographer: Just as it is not your job to bring tools and spring clean a client’s home, it is not the job of the photographer to tidy up and declutter

Payments are due by August 18, 2017.

The total cost of insurance, including taxes and expenses remains at $440 for the 2017–2018 policy period.

2017 Insurance Renewal

How do I make a payment?

Registrants are required to make their payments online via MyWeb. Last year 92% of 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. In the interests of information security, please do not email or fax your credit card details to RECO.

What if I don’t pay on time?

@RECOhelps www.reco.on.ca

If you don’t make your insurance payment by the August 18 deadline, you will become part of the suspension process. The total insurance payment after the due date of August 18 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, 2017.

By Yvonne Dick

before a shoot. Ensure that your photographer has a nice clean area to photograph in order to get the best results. Basic tasks to remember include the removal of family photos, close toilet lids, put away dishes and remove cleaning products from counters.

Payment: After making a list of a few photographers whom you may wish to work with, compare services and prices. Blindly going for the cheapest or the most expensive can be a costly mistake.

Holding says, “Image quality, turnaround time, professionalism and experience are all relative here. If photographer X is more expensive than photographer Y but photographer X offers a better service with great images and a fast turnaround, it’s worth considering paying the additional money. In most (but certainly not in all) cases, the phrase “you get what you pay for” holds true. If you’re happy with the images you receive and the price you have paid for them, you’ve REM done a good job.”

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 4, 2017.

For frequently asked questions about this insurance renewal, please visit www.reco.on.ca/2017renewal

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

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©2017 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.

16 REM JULY 2017

THE IDEA CAME YESTERDAY. TODAY, YOU’RE BRINGING IT TO LIFE.

Your buyer can’t sell their existing home.

Now what?

By Mark Weisleder

I

INDEPENDENCE WINS. A selective global community of the highest quality local independent real estate companies, we exist to make our members better – with an international referral network, marketing and technology resources, professional development programs, events, and connections to opportunities and people worldwide.

If you are the leader of an independent company, we invite you to learn more. Contact Sheila Barr: sbarr@LeadingRE.com or +1.312.361.8632.

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am now being consulted by buyers who have purchased homes without any conditions and cannot sell their existing homes. This could be because of the recent government housing policy announcements, increased number of listings, uncertain lending conditions and fewer bidding wars.

You need to understand all the issues and consequences to provide timely advice and do what is necessary to protect your clients and your deals.

What if the buyer cannot close?

If the buyer cannot close, they will likely forfeit their deposit and be subject to a lawsuit from the seller, for the difference in the sale price if the seller now sells the property for a lower price than the buyer agreed to pay.

What are some options available to the buyer?

One option is to approach the seller and request an extension of their own purchase agreement, so they have more time to sell their existing home without panicking.

Another option is to sell or assign their agreement to a third-party buyer, to have another buyer take over their agreement, pay them back their deposit and close directly with the seller.

Do you need the seller’s permission to assign this agreement to another buyer?

In Ontario, under the terms of the OREA re-sale agreement, no

permission is required. However, it is best to be up front and work with the seller for many reasons.

The seller salesperson could have a list of buyers who have already seen the property who may be willing to take over this deal. In addition, any new buyer would want to see the home and since your client does not yet own it, they have no right to show the home. By obtaining the assistance of the seller, you can show the home and hopefully arrange for a new potential buyer to take over.

Who will pay the real estate commission?

The real estate commission will still have to be paid on both transactions. Therefore, the original buyer will likely have to sell for more than they paid, just to break even. In my experience, this should be made clear when trying to arrange this with the original seller, that the buyer will not be making any profit on this re-sale and is just looking for someone to take over their purchase obligation.

Who pays land transfer tax?

Land transfer tax will only be paid once in this scenario, by the new buyer who finally closes the transaction with the seller.

In my experience, it is best to deal with all these issues early in the process, by being up-front and honest with your seller and finding a solution that works for everyone. By working together, you can likely reduce the potential losses on all sides and in most cases, complete the transaction to the satisfaction of everyone.

Mark Weisleder is a partner, author and speaker at the law firm Real Estate Lawyers.ca LLP. Contact him at mark@realestatelawyers.ca or toll REM free at 1-888-876-5529

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18 REM JULY 2017

New film explores Vancouver’s housing crisis

REM speaks with the director of Vancouver: No Fixed Address about his new documentary. By Diane Slawych far greater problem – namely that successive business-first governments have encouraged the looting of our natural world such that our economy’s former staples – timber, fish and minerals – are largely gone and with them all those jobs and taxes. So our governments have created a flurry of economic activity around real estate speculation.

It’s one of the last things of value that we have to sell in order to facilitate the continued lavish, unsustainable lifestyle to which we’ve all grown accustomed.

A

new documentary says Vancouver is experiencing a housing crisis so severe that many of its residents have been forced out into the streets. Some live in tents, others in vehicles.

It’s not entirely surprising in a city where the average house price is $1.7 million and the minimum wage is $11 an hour.

The many causes of the crisis and how people are dealing with it are explored in the documentary, Vancouver: No Fixed Address, which had its world premiere at the Hot Docs film festival in Toronto in May. REM caught up with Vancouverbased director/producer Charles Wilkinson to discuss his latest work. The following has been edited for length.

REM: Why did you make this film?

Wilkinson: In my city, Vancouver, and in many of the cities around the world, inequality is growing at an astounding pace. We now often see homeless people sprawled on the sidewalk as cars drive by that cost as much as a house.

In Vancouver the engine that’s driving the growing disparity between the haves and have-

REM: One of the residents featured in the film is a pensioner who lives in his van. Are there others like him? nots is housing. Landowners’ wealth increases daily. The lot of renters diminishes daily. As well, there are a number of significant societal changes taking place – for example millennials who choose not to take on 30-year mortgages and are searching for alternatives. Amidst all of this we hear a debate raging that is often characterized by misinformation, anger, racism and misdirection.

This is a story that involves all of us.

It’s one worth telling.

REM: Some of the contributing causes of the current housing crisis – lack of housing supply, government inaction, greed, foreign ownership, the fact that some of the biggest donors to political parties are real estate developers, loopholes in rent control, the arrival of Airbnb – have previously been documented in the media. What new information do you feel you uncovered?

Wilkinson: There are multiple facts in the film that are pretty mind blowing. Like that 90 per cent of the condos built in the city are purchased by speculators.

Like the fact that this housing issue is merely a symptom of a

Wilkinson: Yes, hundreds.

There are side streets in downtown Vancouver where every second parked vehicle is someone’s abode.

REM: During a Q&A after the film’s screening at Hot Docs, you mentioned that even wealthy people are being negatively affected. How so?

Wilkinson: What we have found really surprising is that almost no one we talked to is happy with the situation. People who are doing really well, whose houses are assessed for a lot more money, are concerned that our

communities are disintegrating because they’re filled with vacant houses. Even the kids of wealthy people can’t afford to have children, that means we don’t get grandchildren. So it’s cutting across all economic lines.

REM: Aside from real estate marketer and “Condo King” Bob Rennie, you didn’t feature any real estate agents in the film.

Wilkinson: No, no agents per se, although we did consult with a number of them. For obvious reasons, few Realtors are in a position to speak freely.

Many who spoke off the record expressed fear and frustration that the runaway market is destroying their communities.

We did include Bob Rennie, whose point of view can be condensed as “we need to build more”. It’s an argument that many disagree with.

REM: You say Vancouver house prices are the highest in the country. How high are they?

Wilkinson: The price of detached houses sold in Greater Vancouver in April averaged $1.76-million, down 3.2 per cent compared with $1.82-million in February 2016. By contrast, average condo prices in the area over the past year have jumped 13.7 per cent to $603,737, while

average townhome prices have risen 10.8 per cent to $827,893.

This in a city where minimum wage is $11 an hour.

REM: Any final thoughts?

Wilkinson: A previous film of mine was Oil Sands Karaoke.

It was made at the height of the oil boom with prices well over $100/barrel. In the oil patch, in Ft. Mac you couldn’t find a single person who thought it would ever end. Sustained high oil prices were invincible.

Just like today sustained high housing prices are invincible.

We know what happened to the oil patch.

Vancouver is not unique in this. International money, much of it anonymous and of questionable origin is sloshing around the globe looking for a return. We could, as do some other jurisdictions, make speculation less attractive. But we don’t. The amount of cash at play is just too tempting.

Unfortunately, as always happens, at the end of the day the profits will be taken away, the Porsches will rust, the motorboats will sink, the expensive wine will be drunk and the hangover will commence. It’s going to be a doozy. REM

The film interviews a pensioner named Maurice, who lives in his van.

20 REM JULY 2017

AREA honours Marion Barry Marion Barry, a broker with Royal LePage True North Realty in Fort McMurray, Alta., recently was recognized with an Honorary Life Membership by the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA).

Barry began her real estate career as an appraiser in 2006 and worked as a sales associate with Royal LePage, Realty World and Sutton Group franchises before joining her current brokerage in 2000.

The award is presented for the contribution an individual has made to AREA and to the real estate industry generally, as well as the individual’s contributions to the community.

Barry has performed volunteer work for many local causes, including the Waypoints Women’s Shelter, the Festival of Trees that allows children to purchase affordable gifts for their parents at Christmas time, the Wood Buffalo Food Bank and others. She also has sponsored the Canadian Slow Pitch

roudly Canadian

Championship that was held in Fort McMurray, the Fort McMurray Oil Barons Hockey Team, and other minor hockey teams and adult slow pitch recreational league teams.

Barry has also served on several Fort McMurray Real Estate Board and AREA committees.

CREB salutes top Calgary Realtors CREB, the Calgary real estate board, held its annual ROAR Awards celebration recently to recognize industry role models for high performance and unwavering professionalism.

The ROARs (Recognizing Our Accomplished Realtors) focus on five categories. This year’s winners are: Commitment to Education Wayne E. Brown, CIR Realty Community Impact - Jade Coultman, MaxWell South Star Realty Marketing Excellence - Kelley Skar, Redline Real Estate Group Mentorship Distinction - Toni Zihove, Royal LePage Benchmark

People’s Realtor, voted on by the public - Brett Murrell, CIR Realty As part of the celebration, the 2016 Realtor of the Year – T.W.H. (Bill) Saunders Memorial Award was also presented to Gary Bain of G.M. Bain Real Estate Services. This award is a prestigious honour and holds great historical significance within the industry, the board says. Recipients are not only outstanding practitioners, but also highly committed to the industry and community through volunteerism, it says.

“I’m so incredibly proud of this group,” says CREB president David P. Brown. “It’s a huge achievement to win a ROAR Award, especially when you consider that we received more than 150 nominations across the different categories. Being selected means you’ve made a measurable impact on peers and clients, which truly elevates the idea of what it means to be a real estate professional.”

Lorena Vital receives Mississauga board’s community service award Lorena Vital of Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty in Mississauga, Ont. was recently presented with the 2017 Ronald E. Sanderson Community Service Award, which is presented annually by the Mississauga Real Estate Board (MREB).

“Lorena is someone who

wholeheartedly rallies behind a cause,” says a statement from Royal LePage. “Coinciding with the start of her real estate career six years ago, Lorena’s 17-yearold nephew was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. That event led Lorena to focus her energies on raising funds to find a cure for MS, along with the support of a

team of friends and family who had equally strong conviction to the effort.”

Vital and her family members have raised more than $100,000 for the MS Society. She also donates a portion of her commission on every real estate deal to the Royal LePage Shelter REM Foundation.

Marion Barry receives her award from AREA president Bob Jablonski (left) and FMREB president Andrew Weir.

Lorena Vital is surrounded by those who supported her and brought forth the nomination for the Ronald E. Sanderson award. From left: Pinder Singh; Charles Climenhage; Gloria Riddall, broker of record/owner, Royal LePage Meadowtowne; Lorena Vital; Alex Ocsai, broker/owner; Debbie Brown; Brad Sauve; Jen Lima; and Natalia Milicevic.

CREB award winners, from left: Kelley Skar, Toni Zihove, Gary Bain and Wayne E. Brown. Winners Jade Coultman and Brett Murrell were unable to attend the presentation.

HAPPY

150 BIRTHDAY

TH

CANADA

A Global leader with a legacy of Canadian experience since 1943!

With a centrally located Canadian head office in Burlington Ontario, and Residential and Commercial offices throughout Canada, The Coldwell Banker Canada network has a proud heritage of serving Canadians for over 70 years.

coldwellbanker.ca

THE POWER OF BLUE

© 2017 Coldwell Banker LLC. All rights reserved. Each office is independently owned and operated. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker LLC. Each sales representative and broker is responsible for complying with any consumer disclosure laws or regulations, as well as applicable Real Estate Association rules and codes of conduct. The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS®, and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA.

S elf Resp e ct & qualit y of living. • I can visit practically ev in the GTA ). • Our rich heritage and welcoming of divers all caste, color and cre e d live to gether in harmony sharin culture. • Simply put - it is the b est count r y in the world b e ever y individual the opp or t unit y for a gre at lif e ! • S af e, un t r y, we get to exp erience all of the se asons which can b e same values and pride. • Canadian so ciet y is ver y tolerit my Home. • I love that I can enjoy 4 se asons where cels of land to explore. • I love the nat ural b e aut y of p arks, and provincial p arks, our count r y’s landscap e here as first generation Canadian. My parents f ers ! • Family heritage, saf et y, stabili t y , around. Travel f rom co ast to co ast. • a great place to live, work and play. homes in all four seasons ! Colours of in the winter on the f ront lawn, kids summer. • 6 t h generation Canadian but whatever I wanted to do. • I love to tures so happy that others world the abilit y to live themselves children.

• a citizen hav for 43 years, thrive here in are prep are d you can b e you want I call it cause I live here • Cana limit less f re e dom • Friendly p eople of TO MORE walks of lif e. • Land of welcoming • We have as REALTORS TH f re edoms than any other coun REAL EST ing count r y as well. • B est coun are proud yet humble. • M ulticul goo d e conomy • B e cause it is count r y with a high standard of living. worldwide. • Clean, saf e, goo d e ducation opp or tuni stabilit y, opp or tunit y. • I love our four se asons. The seasons provide a continuously var ying landscap e to tional opp or tunities, the he alth care and the change of saf e, f riendly, resp e ct f ul to all cultures, languages, dif ings. • I call it home b e cause it’s the b est count r y to S easons and Weather Variet y. • Friendly, G enerous Pe o with p eople. • I t’s a gre at welcoming count r y. • We hav • S af et y, qualit y of lif e, opp or t unit y. • Gre at place to ra tif ul outdoors, the amazing p e ople and the f e eling of b e p e o p l e f ro m all walks of lif e m a ke s f o r a rewa rdin g f ul f ill

FOLD HERE

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ver y worldwide cult ure without le aving home ( at le ast here sit y is unique. • CANADA is t ruly a Glob al Village where ng and caring for e ach other and syncing. • Each other’s e cause it is b e autif ul and diverse and supp or tive and gives nlimited opp or t unit y, gorgeous landscap es across the coun e magical, and wonder f ul p eople who generally share the ant and welcoming to all. • I f e el I b elong here, so call I live. Access to clean air, f resh water and huge p arCanada. From lo cal p arks, to farm fields, to national is diverse and b eautif ul. • I was b orn and raised taught us to love and appre ciate all Canada of o p p or t unities. The b eaut y of nature is all I t is multi - cult ural and welcoming. I t’s EH ! • We embrace Canada and our the t re es in the fall, building snowman playing so ccer in the b ack yard during grew up free to accomplish or exceed in travel and le arn ab out dif f erent cul wide can move here and have their dre ams for and their Now 40 years ing b e en here anyone can Canada if you to work hard, whatever to b e ! • home b e and work da is a land of and opp or tunit y. all ethnicities and CANADIAN p ossibilities. • Inclusive, many opp or tunities and AN ANY OTHER t r y.

We are a tolerant and carATE BR AND *. t r y in the world to live in ! People t uralism, b e autif ul count r yside, “home.” • B e cause it’s the b est • I t’s saf e, clean, and well resp e cted t y, p e acef ul p e ople, b e autif ul count r y, f re e dom, p e ace, only constant in real estate is change, and the changing ke ep you interested ! • I love the diversit y, the educa se asons with all their colours. • Gre at he alth pro gram, f erent p e ople. • I love the wonder f ul natural surround live in. • Diversit y. Inclusion. O pp or t unit y. Fre edom. • ople. • H o ckey. S eriously. I can go any where and b ond ve a stable e conomy with sustainable values as a nation aise a f amily. • Do you even ne ed to ask? I t’s the b eau eing saf e ! • I love Canada , a nation of diversified kind l e d lif e. • I t ’s t h e gre a t e st p l a c e in t h e wo r l d. Fre e d o m...

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Happy Birthday

CANADA!

For more than 100 years, Royal LePage REALTORS® have helped Canadians find their perfect home. From coast-to-coast, we toast Canada’s milestone sesquicentennial anniversary!

Happy 150th Canada, from Royal LePage, Canada’s Real Estate Company!

royallepage.ca/joinus This is not intended as a solicitation of any sales representatives or brokers that are currently under contract. All offices are independently owned and operated, except those marked as “Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd.”, “Royal LePage West Real Estate Services” and “Royal LePage Sussex”. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited. ©2017 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Limited. All rights reserved.

#CanadasRealEstateCompany

Happy Birthday

CANADA!

For more than 100 years, Royal LePage REALTORS® have helped Canadians find their perfect home. From coast-to-coast, we toast Canada’s milestone sesquicentennial anniversary!

Happy 150th Canada, from Royal LePage, Canada’s Real Estate Company!

royallepage.ca/joinus This is not intended as a solicitation of any sales representatives or brokers that are currently under contract. All offices are independently owned and operated, except those marked as “Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd.”, “Royal LePage West Real Estate Services” and “Royal LePage Sussex”. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited. ©2017 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Limited. All rights reserved.

#CanadasRealEstateCompany

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remax.ca

28 REM JULY 2017

Real estate fees Part 4: Industrial evolution

By Ross Wilson

I

n this fourth part of the series on the hot topic of real estate fees, allow me to address the issue from a broader perspective.

Nowadays, there seems to be growing public resistance to what was once our industry’s traditional fee structure, in the form of a trend toward lower fees. To meet this demand head on and help increase professionalism, maybe it’s time all brokerages catch up by seriously exploring revolutionary new business models with alternative service options and fee calculation methods. To maintain industry viability, we may need a complete overhaul from the top down.

Let’s say a prospective seller objects to your normal rate, payable on completion of sale, even though there’s no fee if there’s no sale. Naturally, you’re reluctant to discount because you have mouths to feed. You also know how challenging it may be to sell their property, not to mention the expenses. All sorts of options may be available to handle this scenario in a mutually satisfactory manner.

Here are a few to consider: • Charge a percentage relative to estimated market value; the higher the value, the lower the rate. However, that could be a problem since it’s often more time-consuming and expensive to market luxury property.

• Charge a lower percentage or flat fee with corresponding fewer services, chosen from a service menu – basic, intermediate or deluxe service.

• Charge an hourly fee plus

reimbursable expenses – whether or not the property sells – invoiced weekly based on docketed activities, with a nonrefundable retainer, payable on execution of the listing contract.

Invoiced fees would be deducted from any percentage commission ultimately payable. The deposit could serve as a guaranteed minimum fee if for whatever reason – including an arbitrary change of heart by the seller – the listing fails to sell.

Under this scenario, for a faster sale with lower costs, homeowners would tend to list realistically. On the other hand, abuse is possible; agents might welcome a higher asking price because the longer a sale is delayed, the higher the revenue.

They’d pray for long-term listings and no sales. Arguably, with such low incentive, the system could collapse. Just think about open houses though. They’d not

be so boring, knowing you’d enjoy billable time for every dreary hour on the couch.

• Charge a variable commission rate calculated on a sliding scale. A homeowner acquires your services to buy another property and list their old home and you earn a full fee on that purchase. In exchange, you agree to reduce the total commission on their sale by, say, one per cent if the property sells within two weeks. If unsold after this period elapses, the rate is reduced by only a half per cent, and with no reduction if unsold after another two weeks. To be fair, after yet another two weeks, the rate could increase by a half point and finally by a full percentage point if unsold after another predetermined period.

The length of seller incentive periods could be determined by your area’s average Days on Market (DOM). List at the high-

est rate and provide the seller with a signed addendum spelling out the formula. Since the seller would save money if the property sold quickly, they’d be motivated to price correctly from the start. You’d earn a quick but reduced commission. And regardless of how long it takes to sell, your fee would be reasonable, provided it eventually sells.

If your seller agrees to list and sell their property before buying another, and you feel it necessary to offer an incentive to work through you on the purchase, list at your personal full rate. Provide them with written confirmation that after they’ve unconditionally bought another property using your services, you’ll reduce the commission as agreed. This sliding scale program could obviously apply with or without an accompanying purchase. But with this option, it would seem prudent to ask for a buyer representation agreement contemporaneous with the listing contract.

• Charge according to an association suggested fee schedule. Medical and dental associations and insurance companies apparently provide non-compulsory fee schedules for their members, so why couldn’t our trade associations do the same thing?

When real estate boards fixed its member’s MLS commission rates, we all played on the same level field. Then politically correct governments intervened to “protect consumers” from “unscrupulous” realty agents. On that day, our traditional industry model began to die.

We could employ any of these formats or any combination, but such evolutionary changes would probably need to begin at the top levels of the industry. In next month’s issue, in this continuing series on our industry’s fees, I’ll discuss the topic from the perspective of worth.

Ross Wilson, broker with iPro Realty, has extensive experience as a brokerage owner, manager, trainer and mentor. His book, The Happy Agent – Finding Harmony with a Thriving Realty Career and an Enriched Personal Life is available where print and e-books are sold, including the TREB, BREB, RAHB and OMDREB stores.

REM Visit Realty-Voice.com.

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Death of the Traditional Real Estate Agent Fact: The average agent earns less than a school teacher. 1 in 5 agents sell zero homes. Are you earning what you deserve? t

70% of agents sell 6 or less homes a year

t

1 in 5 agents sell zero homes in a year. Zero!

t

The average agent earns less than a school teacher (Statistics Canada)

t

With the lure of supposedly “fast, easy money”, new agents are flocking to our industry to the point where there is approximately one realtor for every 245 Canadians (and in the GTA, there’s one realtor for every 140 people)

t

80% of agents quit the business within a few years of getting into it

t

95% of agents make under $100,000 a year in income

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) numbers more than 100,000 real estate brokers, agents and salespeople. The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) boasts the largest local association with more than 45,000 members, an increase of approximately 45% over the last five years.

With so much competition, it’s more and more difficult for the average agent to differentiate themselves, and for most, their piece of the pie is almost certainly shrinking.

The answer is simple.

Stop being average.

The stats above paint a doom and gloom picture for our industry. Even Stats Canada lists the job prospects for real estate agents as “fair”, listing the infiltration of electronic communication tools and the link between market fluctuation and income as factors.

Why some agents prosper while others struggle 7 out of 10 Canadian agents are barely surviving.

At the same time, in the very same market, the top 1% of

agents are prospering, and a handful have become multimillionaires while working less hours than the average.

Why? What do you know about these super successful agents -- those netting (after expenses) $500,000, $1 Million, $3 Million or more a year selling real estate? What do you really know about how they think, what they do, and how they approach the business, most often rejecting the industry norms that enslave the typical agent?

The fact of the matter is, if your real estate business depends on you, you don’t really have a business, you have a job. In stark contrast, the mega agents at the top of the industry (agents, not broker owners) have true businesses built on turnkey systems and very specific rules of engagement that the average agent could easily and inexpensively duplicate if only they understood what to do.

Hi, Craig Proctor here.

What if I told you that you could EASILY increase your income from real estate the way the agents at the top 1% of

the Real Estate Money Pyramid have (many of whom are my students).

I was a highly successful AGENT for more than 20 years. No one can even come close to matching my track record, and I’ve had the privilege of sharing my proven real estate system with over 30,000 agents 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 and was in the top 10 for RE/MAX International for over 20 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 I’ve been able

“Most agents are mud-wrestling in the muck with all the other agents, competing for clients as if in a pack of skinny, starving stray dogs over a few bones in an alley.” to help so many agents create giant incomes and enviable lifestyles themselves. They call me the Millionaire Agent Maker.

If you are a juggler juggling balls, frantically, or a worker doing the same labor repetitively, and you do not have a true business system that works for you, why wouldn’t you inspect mine – free? If you are still mudwrestling in the muck with all the other agents, competing for clients as if in a pack of skinny, starving stray dogs over a few bones in an alley… why wouldn’t you at least investigate my claim that I can lift you up to the very top of

the real estate money pyramid where you can live your life on your terms, spending the bulk of your time enjoying the things you love rather than simply trading your time for money.

If you do not have a clear, detailed business system (key word, system) that you are using to move methodically to your goals…a plan you could show a banker or investor or new partner or key associate… a plan you have reasoned, complete confidence in, then why wouldn’t you examine mine – free? Go to HighIncomeReducedEffort.com to find out how you can do exactly that. Go there now.

Learn How to Make More Money in Real Estate While Working Less Details at:

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30 REM JULY 2017

Listing bloopers are blooming

By Peggy Blair

I

t’s spring and along with spring showers comes a new crop of bloopers! Perhaps my favourite one this month was: “INDROUND POOL.” I hope it’s not a Freudian slip.

Although a Freudian slip is about all you could store in this listing’s master bedroom: “Master bedroom has double cloths closet.”

A double cloth-sized closet seems well suited for the tenant in this new listing: “Long term stable tenant hat is willing to stay.” The rest of the tenant’s unstable wardrobe, I guess, is out looking for new accommodations elsewhere.

When it comes to storage, this

listing seems pretty specific: “The coverall garage will be left with the property.” Now there’s a home for the trades!

As you know, some properties have gorgeous gardens, while others come with beautiful waterfalls and ponds. But this was a new one for me.

Frequent contributor Barb Jacobsen, a sales representative with Century 21 Leading Edge Realty in Stouffville, Ont., stumbled across a listing with a “Bubbling stream running through this quaint 2-bedroom bungalow.”

Perhaps the Realtor meant a babbling brook, but one that runs through your house? Not sure that’s a selling point. Still, you have to admit it beats the heck out of an aquarium.

Barb found another great one, a home “backing onto a raven.”

Ouch – I’ll bet that raven wasn’t too happy.

Speaking of getting run over,

there was this listing’s remarks: “Just take a few steps off the beaten streets.”

I stumbled across this unintentional gem: “Summer haven with sparking outdoor pool and patios.”

Ah yes, that lovely feeling of being tasered while you’re enjoying a crisp margarita at the side of the pool. At least a bubbling creek won’t zap you, although it might “dround” you.

Speaking of getting zapped, I came across this new listing that proclaimed it was “BOOSTING OVER 2500 SQ FT. WITH ADDITIONAL SPACE IN THE REC-ROOM.” Imagine the size of those jumper cables!

No need for jumper cables in this listing, however, which features a “bright living room of the gas fireplace and separate dining area plus a power room.”

Claude Jobin and Molly Hoyle, both sales representatives with Royal LePage Team Realty in

Ottawa, found this listing with an unusual feature: “new berber carpet on stairs, handrail.”

I must confess, that’s a new application of carpet for me, but at least it would be easy on the hands.

The same listing advertised a “New kitchen with potlights, floor and island.” Glad to hear the kitchen comes with a floor instead of a “bubbling stream”, although a floor is something we usually expect to come with a property as part of the package.

Just like little Russian nesting dolls, this new listing has a “TV included in the sale in the one found in the main floor living room.” Split screen, perhaps?

I laughed at this listing for a “bright 3 bedroom family home located in the heat of Hintonburg!” Hintonburg is a very hot Ottawa market indeed.

It’s so hot, you apparently make money doing almost anything, as another listing in the same area

Murphy’s Law of Timing

By Dan St. Yves ou’ve spotted your dream property on your way home from work. It’s perfect!

And better yet, it’s listed for sale. All you must do now is list your current shack, get a satisfactory offer fast and then you can make an offer on that breathtaking vision of residential architecture!

As you wander around your current house, though, you discover a few concerns that may need to be addressed before you’re likely to receive an offer of any kind, any time soon. I refer to this as Murphy’s Law of Timing in Respect to Listing Your Home For Sale. Less wordy types might refer to it as bad luck.

1) After ascending your ladder to view the condition of the roof,

Y

you discover that a colony of rare eavestrough termites have consumed all the long nails driven in to secure the downspout track to your fascia. The ladder and your body weight are the only things securing it to the side of your home. Say, is that thunder I hear?

2) You’ve hired an inspector to perform a pre-sale home inspection, to assure potential buyers that your home is rock-solid. While examining the attic crawl space, she discovers that the super-cheap insulation that you had blown in a few years ago is actually pink cotton candy and it’s given the attic squirrel that moved in over the winter diabetes.

3) While you could level the shelf in your back mudroom with a few coins under the back legs, you’ll need a bit more than pocket change to level the back of the home after an engineer confirms the footings have slowly and steadily dropped four inches since the underground sprinklers flooded the yard a few years back.

4) Just as you’re signing the listing contract, your kitchen bay win-

dow has decided to become more of an estuary, as the tiny roof area slides off and dangles just in front of the window glass.

5) During a quick trip to city hall to get copies of any paperwork relevant to your land title and residential survey, you notice a few of the clerk’s colleagues being summoned over. They are all studying your file with great interest. Who knew there was an easement across the entire front yard of your property (including the driveway) to allow for a future lemonade stand run by the mayor’s kids?

6) Two days before your first open house, a water main failure closes the entire city block around your home. There will be a threemonth wait for the rare cistern that is needed to repair the main’s failure. In a rare showing of good nature, the local utility and cable companies have offered to reduce their monthly fees by seven per cent during this challenging time.

7) Just as the real estate agent is hammering in the for sale sign, your neighbour rediscovers his bagpipe collection and sets them up in his

gazebo. Wow, that’s the shortest kilt I’ve ever seen…oh dear, he’s dropped his sheet music!

8) While trying to clean the wayward bubble gum off your living room wall, the cleaning solution has also removed a broad swath of paint and at least the first two topical layers of drywall. That unsightly blemish also seems to be spreading, like a bad bruise. While the 911 operator is sympathetic, she is unable to offer any assistance. Her calm and dulcet tones fail to reduce your hysteria, as the frame surrounding the picture window starts to smoulder.

9) In one of the more bizarre examples of Murphy’s Law of Timing in Respect to Listing Your Home For Sale, bison have decided to graze the prairies once again – and your lawn looks an awful lot like prairie.

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

claims you can “Peddle thirty seconds w/a basket on your bicycle!”

Here’s another recent listing that made me giggle: “Gourmet kitchen features granite and quartz counters, island and patio doors leading to private backyard with modern bar area and 3 piece bathroom serving the movie watcher, gym enthusiast and games table players.”

Talk about entertaining! You don’t even have to come inside to use the washroom, although from the sounds of it, it might get a little crowded. And if you’re not a movie watcher, gym enthusiast or games table player it sounds like you might need to use the bushes.

All this casual entertaining is a far cry from this new listing, which features an “alcove for your formal diners.” Ah, yes, I can see the guests now, standing around awkwardly in their long dresses and tuxedos, watching the line up for that backyard washroom.

Sometimes a typo results in a new word that I’m guessing isn’t exactly what the Realtor intended.

Like this one, for example: “This stunting newly built contemporary open concept townhouse is close to downtown.” Or this “Impeccable 4 bedroom freehold, in thought after area.” No doubt a case of buyer’s remorse.

I love this listing, which comes with a “New roofer and Windows.”

Surely, that’s a feature worth paying for!

And finally, I was quite taken with this recent listing, which “has a newer roof, floofing.”

I think we should all “floof” our houses for re-sale, don’t you? Now there’s a new business for stagers, and one you could probably peddle for more than 30 seconds, even without a basket.

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, Umbrella Man, is now in bookstores.

If you come across any real estate bloopers that tickle your funny bone, be sure to send them to her peggyblair@royallepage.ca. REM

Building THE NEXT150

REASON #1 of 150 FOR BUILDING:

Because everyone deserves a place to call home.

For more than 20 years, EXIT Realty has cultivated strong North American roots as a Canadian-based real estate company with a successful and prolific American franchise network.

Canadian to the core, this unique corporation imbues empathyoriented and holistic values throughout its organization from its agents to its head office staff. Built on a foundation of amity, EXIT Realty strives to reach beyond the real estate industry and provide a hand up through philanthropic efforts with its non-profit of choice, Habitat for Humanity.

Never before has EXIT Realty been more proud to be Canadian, as it shares in the nation’s commemorative 150th birthday celebrations with a Strong and Free™ Emblem RV tour from the east coast to the nation’s capital, and an exciting partnership with Habitat for Humanity Canada in its largest, most ambitious project to date.

This month, EXIT Realty will join Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, from July 9-14, 2017. During this week-long Pan-Canadian movement, former U.S. President, Jimmy Carter and former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter will join volunteers to build new homes in partnership with 150 families, across nearly 50 communities in every province and territory in Canada.

habitat.ca/150ReasonsToBuild l #150ReasonsToBuild

32 REM JULY 2017

Hire character, train skill

How do you find the right administrative assistant to help you in your real estate business?

By Sue Styles

“S

ome days the best thing about my job is that the chair spins.”

This is the quote that is on a card I am delivering to a new administrative assistant this afternoon. She just started two weeks ago for the No. 1 team in the brokerage and everyone is hoping that she enjoys taking on the role more than the last lady. One year prior I helped the team train their new hire Melinda; a few months later, they let her go.

Maybe a similar situation has occurred in your office at one time or another. How do you find the right assistant to help you in your real estate business?

This is a question that stops many brokers and salespeople in

their tracks. They are afraid of the hiring process and they don’t want to give themselves the added responsibility of training and managing staff.

Here are my top tips for finding and hiring excellent staff with the best potential: 1. Clearly express what the role is and what skills are needed.

In your ad, describe the perfect candidate in detail and then add in a bit of personality so it will appeal to similar types of candidates.

2. Take enough time for due diligence. Notice any discrepancies, call references, ask the people if they would be open to filling in a DISC profile or a similar test so that you can understand their natural strengths and weaknesses.

3. Do not spoon feed what kind of person you are looking for in the interview. When you meet in person, give the interviewees enough time to talk so that you can get a good impression of who they are as a person, what their highest

Proudly Welcomes: NORMAND CHARPENTIER DIRECTOR, QUEBEC FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT Normand brings a wealth of experience to the CENTURY 21 team and will provide on-the-ground expertise to the Quebec market. Based in Montreal he will work closely with all aspects of operations province wide.

Normand has more than 15 years’ experience, including the past 4 years as a real estate professional with CENTURY 21 system. He’s also an instructor at the Real Estate College of Montreal.

E: n.charpentierr@century y21.ca D: 514.346.8983

Independently Owned and Operated. ®/™ trademarks owned by Century 21 Real Estate LLC used under license or authorized sub-license. © 2017 Century 21 Canada Limited Partnership

values are and if they have the character to take ownership.

I like the quote that suggests, “Hire for character, train the skill”.

Once you have hired someone for their character, you start the training. It is of utmost importance to train clearly on one thing at a time. This isn’t the kind of industry where you can just throw a new hire into the ring and expect them to perform.

On the last two pages of my book Be Extraordinary – Right Where Your Are! (for employees), I offer three of the best things I have personally researched that great leaders do.

Respect – It sounds elementary, but in practice, it takes conscious effort to be respectful when you are frustrated, tired or stressed out from too much or too little work. If you can show an example of respect you will also receive it – and that will take you a long way.

Recognition – Be generous with your recognition! One of the top reasons that people get grumpy and quit jobs is a lack of being appreciated for all they do.

For example, there is an internationally celebrated day recognizing support staff called Administrative Professional’s Day. It is usually the last Wednesday of April. If you have never recognized your team, your receptionist and conveyancing staff this would be an ideal date to mark on your calendar and effect positive change in your office.

Share your vision – If you hold regular team meetings (great for team building and keeping everyone on the same page) consider sharing where you want to take your business. By talking about your goals, you give others the opportunity to take ownership of your plans and help you realize

them.

The best administrative staff have been given ownership to take the role as far as they can. When your team has the freedom to become the best they can, your business will become better than you ever imagined.

Sue Styles has been in the real estate industry for more than a decade. She has managed a brokerage, teaches at the Calgary Real Estate Board and is a certified business coach, professional speaker and author. Her first book, Be Extraordinary - Right Where You Are! encourages administrative assistants and support staff to excel by following her practical and motivational tips. Her new book, The Little Red Stick - What Gets Measured Gets Done reveals all the secrets of high producing agents. Email sue@maximizedresults.com; phone 403-8057710. REM

Home Watch offers peace of mind for clients

W

hat do you give a client who has everything? What about peace of mind?

Having a reliable service to check on their home, whether they’re on vacation for a few days or several months, is an idea they’ll find invaluable. A home check service is also of benefit for agents who have estate sales (it’s about protecting a client’s home, which could be vacant for months before it is sold and the deal closes) or for properties owned by foreign investors.

Vacant or unattended homes are never a good thing where insurance companies are concerned. Not only does having a house check service alert the homeowner to property damage, it can help them avoid insurance claim denials by ensuring homes are checked on a regular basis, says Toronto Home Watch president Deena Friedman.

When checking a home, she says she starts by doing a perimeter check, which includes a check of the doors, windows and roof.

When she enters the home, she uses an app. Once she scans a QR code at the house, a checklist appears on her phone or tablet. It also lists specific information pertaining to each home.

“Nothing is on a piece of a paper that can get lost,” she says.

“We’re accountable to homeowners and the insurance company.

The app helps us keep track of when we were at the home.”

Interior checks include a visual scan for water damage and other signs of problems.

Before the homeowners leave, Friedman takes a photo of each room for reference and uses it for comparison when she tours a home. It’s also valuable in the event of a break in, so police can see what’s missing.

When choosing a home

watch company, ask if they are members of the National Home Watch Association, which has 200 members in North America, she says.

Also ask for proof of insurance and bonding. Friedman has both a local police and RCMP check.

Toronto Home Watch also offers concierge services.

Friedman opened her Torontobased company two years ago, much to the delight of people who have discovered her services. She says snowbirds are already booking her for next winter.

Kids, family members and neighbours may not be able to check the home regularly, so hiring a professional is a good alternative. “And if you’re going to be away for five or six months, it’s a big favour to ask them,” she says.

Toronto Home Watch prices start at $45 per check. For details, visit www.torontohomewatch.net. – Connie Adair REM

http://www.homeownership.ca http://www.homeownership.ca

SHOW THEM THEY CAN The journey to Homeownership is filled with excitement, challenges and choices. Homeownership.ca has expert resources, tools and fresh content for each step of that journey, for you to use, download and share.

A snapshot of first-time homebuyers Based on the 2017 Genworth Canada First-Time Homeownership Study See the infographic and share: homeownership.ca/FTB2017

800.511.8888 | Genworth.ca | Homeownership.ca |

homeownership.ca/fb |

@GenworthCanada |

homeownership.ca/li

34 REM JULY 2017

Small town project attracts city homeowners A waterfront condominium development in Gananoque, Ont. is aimed at city retirees who are cashing in their equity and considering a move to the charming town. By Jim Adair

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hile the provincial government’s new housing policies cooled the Greater Toronto Real Estate market in May, the decade-long real estate boom is still being felt across the province. Kingston, Ont. and area saw a near record-setting real estate market this spring, partly due to buyers cashing in their equity and buying retirement properties in smaller towns.

“City homeowners who thought they had to work several more years to build up their savings are not only in a position to retire early if they move to a small town, they are also able to afford luxurious properties on the water,” says Marah Hamilton, regional director at Milborne Real Estate. She is also marketing director for the Stone & Smith condo development in Gananoque, Ont., one of the small towns that is benefiting from the real estate boom.

For years the town, which is on the St. Lawrence River, 33 km east

of Kingston, has been known as a vacation paradise and “the gateway to the 1,000 Islands”. But in winter when the tourists leave, many businesses close shop. While the province’s population grew by 4.6 per cent from 2011 to 2016, Gananoque’s dropped by 0.7 per cent according to the 2016 Census.

The Smith & Stone development is one of a few new projects that promise to breathe new life into the town. The builders, CaraCo Development, recently hosted REM for an overnight trip to experience the town and visit the Stone & Smith sales centre.

They did not review this story before publication.

Hamilton says the project is aimed at urbanites from Toronto and Ottawa “who’ve always dreamed of owning a luxurious waterfront property.” Ninety per cent of Stone & South’s suites have unobstructed views of the St. Lawrence River. Residents can also purchase their own private boat

slips of up to 40 feet.

The project consists of two sixstorey condo residences with 118 open-concept suites of up to 1,547 square feet. One to three-bedroom suites are available, with each featuring flex space that allows residents to adapt floorplans to their needs. Custom and combination suites are also available. Most units have eight-foot-deep balconies.

Other amenities include gated and manicured gardens, concierge services, a fitness centre, a swimming dock, storage for bicycles, kayaks and canoes and secured underground parking with visitor parking.

Prices currently range from $456,900 for an 802-square-foot unit to $823,900 for the 1,547 unit. Occupancy is scheduled for March 2019.

The site is beside the Thousands Island Playhouse, which this year is presenting eight shows from May to October. REM attended a performance of Boom:

5 ways to attract referrals without sounding desperate

Ninety per cent of the units have balconies with views of the St. Lawrence River.

By Marc Gordon

R

egardless of how much advertising you do, your most effective and cost efficient source is from referrals.

However, asking for referrals can be challenging. Many business owners feel it makes them appear needy, desperate or imposing. So here are five ways to ask for referrals without making you – or your customer – feel uncomfortable.

• Don’t be shy. Just like you, chances are your clients depend on referrals, but may also be too shy to ask. If you come right out and start with something like, “As you know, in my business referrals are everything. If you know someone who you think could use my help, please pass my name along.”

In most cases they will say the same thing back to you.

• Incentives for everyone.

Make current customers an offer

where you will send both them and a person of their choosing a product sample, coupon or exclusive promotion. All they need to do is provide the contact information of the other person. You send your customer the gift, then reach out to the new person, letting them know of their surprise gift and who they can thank for it.

• Say thanks. You don’t need a referral program to show appreciation. Simply keep track where new customers come from. If someone mentions the name of one of your current customers, be sure to send them a card and small gift thanking them for the referral. Be sure to mention the name of the person they referred.

• Refer others to your clients.

As a result of working with companies from various industries, people have come to know me as “the guy

The waterfront condos are attracting interest from retirees in Toronto and Ottawa.

who knows a guy”. I send lots of business to my clients and they love me for it. Playing matchmaker will win you the loyalty of current customers, while encouraging them to return the favour.

• Reciprocal relationships.

You don’t need to just rely on customers for referrals. Non-competing companies in your industry can be a great source. Think of electricians and plumbers, or accountants and lawyers. Sending clients to each other is not only good for business, but makes you a trusted resource.

Marc Gordon is a recognized marketing expert, speaker and strategist. His articles appear in over 200 publications worldwide. Visit marcgordon.ca or his online show at marctv.net for more business tips.

REM

The Explosive Story of a Generation, which is a one-man show by Rick Miller featuring a dazzling array of special effects and took the audience on a journey from 1945 to 1969.

The site is also a five-minute walk from The Gananoque Inn & Spa, which includes two waterfront restaurants. Other dining options include the upscale Riva Italian Restaurant, the funky Socialist Pig restaurant and coffee shop and Graydon’s Restaurant at the historic Woodview Inn. In addition to boating, the area boasts several golf courses as well as walking trails and a couple of nearby provincial parks. The town also has several art galleries, the Thousand Islands Boat Museum, the Gananoque Brewing Company and a casino.

As with most new developments, not everyone in town welcomed the plans with open arms.

Opposition to the concept centred around parking issues, particularly when the theatre is operating, as

well as concern that the building as originally planned would cut off views of the river from the street.

That prompted CaraCo to go back to the drawing board and come up with the two-building concept, with a gap in the middle to provide the river views.

Proponents of the project say the town desperately needs new tax dollars, which the 118 new condo owners will provide. The town is also working to attract new businesses to the area and rely less on being a summer-only destination.

Hamilton says most of the people visiting the sales centre at 5 King St. E. are interested in purchasing a unit for themselves, but there has also been some investor interest. She says CaraCo is offering a rental service for investors, or snowbirds who only plan to use the units for a short time each year.

The developers are co-operating with real estate salespeople.

For more information: www.stoneandsouthcondos.ca REM

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36 REM JULY 2017

Turning FSBOs into your biggest fans little deeper into my FSBO system and the psychology behind it that made me lots of money without having to work like the early bird.

If you want to know how I did it please contact me at debbie@debbiehanlon.com or like my page on Facebook Debbie Hanlon Real Estate. Come on, let’s be BFs! Happy selling.

By Debbie Hanlon

W

hen the “gentleman” in pyjama pants and a strap t-shirt, holding a beer in one hand and cigarette in the other, told me to get off his property before slamming the door in my face, I figured it was time to rethink my approach to For Sale By Owners. That was during my first year in real estate and I knew that if I couldn’t come up with a way to work FSBOs, I’d be missing out on a lot of potential business.

So, I started with what I knew about them: 1. They want to sell their house and 2. They don’t want to pay full commission and some don’t want to pay any commission at all. I also knew that a whole lot of other real estate salespeople were after their business too.

That meant I had to come up with a way that not only engaged the FSBO, but also stood out from everything else that was coming their way.

While a lot of agents were content to make contact and ask for a walk through to get the business, I decided to go a little further and kick it up another notch. Instead of pinning my hopes on a one-visit stand, I’d get into a relationship with them. And that, as we all know, is what every real estate transaction is, it’s a relationship between you and your clients. Just like in the real world, not all those relationships run smoothly or end well.

In our business, you’ll often notice when two or more salespeople get together, they end up talking about their ex’s, or their lost FSBO, and you hear their lamentation, oh, if only I had tried harder, or it was their fault they were so unreasonable. Listen for it the next time you’re around the water cooler or at the watering hole. It’s total hogwash. Truth is, all that FSBO wants to do is sell their home. As agents, we are by far the best catalyst to get the job done, so they need us. Knowing how to get that

Debbie Hanlon is a real estate bro-

message through to them will turn the FSBOs into YBFs – your biggest fans!

With money in mind and none in the bank, I developed a For Sale

By Owner System based on the psychology of selling. Now, most salespeople come at FSBOs with facts – “on average it’ll take them this much longer to sell”, “they’ll lose this much money”, “agents won’t show their property”, blah blah. Some sales reps come riding in on a white horse claiming they have a buyer when they don’t. We all know sales reps like that, don’t we? Don’t be one of those wannabe white knight salespeople. They only make it harder on all of us.

The truth is, people don’t make decisions based on facts; they make them based on emotions and then justify them with facts. So, I threw facts and statistics out the window and concentrated instead on how it must feel to try and sell your own home.

“That’s where you raised your kids, had holiday dinners, entertained friends and lived your life with all its ups and downs. That was your home, and again very importantly, that was your hardearned equity. Every cent of it was not just another house to go on the market.”

All of that doesn’t stir up facts, it stirs up emotions. Working this emotional angle also allowed me to empathize with them and let them know I felt their frustration, their fear, their headaches and stress. So instead of standing on my side of the river and yelling for them to come over, I went across to them.

I also knew that people are egocentric; they want to know what’s in it for them and how it will help them. So, I made my FSBO system all about them. This wasn’t me bragging about what a great agent I was or how many houses I’d sold, this was about the emotional roller coaster they were on as they tried to sell their own home. This was me letting them know I felt their pain and that I was there for them and would work as hard as I could to get them maximum dollar. If they decided to list with a Realtor, I wanted that Realtor to be me.

Back when I started in this crazy industry, Facebook did not exist, so one thing I’ve done with my systems is adapt them to work on social platforms. Yet, even back before social media I knew that people think in terms of people, not facts and figures. So, my system also had to show them what kind of person I was. Did I have a sense of humour? (That one depends who you ask.) Was I savvy to new technology? Was I someone they’d be interested in having a relationship with?

With those three factors in mind, I developed a seven-step FSBO system that became so successful I named my bird FSBO after it. This year alone I have listed 11 FSBOs, five of which have sold, six have referred more listings and several have converted into buyers and that’s not even mentioning the business I have grown from those listings. Let’s say my BFs are growing like weeds, pretty weeds at that!

In my next column, we’ll go a

ker who has helped train hundreds of sales reps and brokered and managed a national real estate franchise. She also founded an independent real estate firm. Currently she coaches sales reps all over the world. She is the CEO of All Knight Inc, a global educational mobile company, as well as a published children’s author and the creator of the national I’m No Bully Show. https://www.facebook.com/missdebREM bieandfriends

Taxing foreign buyers a bad idea, says institute

W

hile Quebec has just announced that it will not impose a tax on foreign buyers, British Columbia and Ontario should take a step back and abolish those that they put in place, says Mathieu Bédard, economist at the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI).

“These kinds of measures, like rent control, are ill-advised responses to price increases in the housing market and risk making the problem worse,” says Bédard in a publication from the organization. “Public decision-makers are missing the mark with these policies. While they’re trying to resolve real problems, such measures will likely prove harmful in the long term.”

The prices of houses in cities like Toronto and Vancouver have been high since long before current worries about foreign buyers, he says, stating that zoning and land-use policies have been driving up real estate prices in these cities for more than 50 years by reducing the availability of housing.

“When these policies become too restrictive, housing prices skyrocket and the burden falls disproportionately on the poorest, with fewer affordable housing units being built in favour of more luxurious housing units. This gentrification phenomenon has been happening in Toronto, Vancouver

and Montreal for some time now,” says Bédard.

As for rent control, imposing limits on rent increases helps some people, but it makes rental units less profitable for owners, he says.

Consequently, fewer are constructed, thus leading to higher rents for many other renters.

Empirical research on the consequences of bad housing policies is unequivocal, Bédard says, citing a survey of economists of all backgrounds in which 93 per cent agreed that a ceiling on rents reduces the quantity and quality of housing available.

“Taxing foreign buyers is not the solution for reining in the hot housing markets in certain parts of the country. Quebec Finance Minister Carlos Leitão seems to have understood that such a policy would have negative effects on the market,” says Michel KellyGagnon, president and CEO of the MEI. “Instead of artificially limiting supply with these kinds of policies, governments should allow the price mechanism to work, incentivizing developers to build more when prices go up, all while targeting support for the less fortunate who are excluded from the market,” he says.

The MEI says it’s an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit research and educational organizaREM tion.

38 REM JULY 2017

Building a brand has never been easier

By Kelley Skar “The incredible brand awareness and bottom line profits achievable through social media marketing require hustle, heart, sincerity, constant engagement, long-term commitment, and most of all, artful and strategic storytelling.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

T

owards the end of 2009 I thought I had this business figured out. We had just come through one of the worst recessions in Alberta history and I had tripled my business from 2008, the year that I finally went full time into commission sales.

I had no budget and no database but worked open houses like they were going out of style. I door knocked and did all the old-school things my broker had taught me and it was working, but I could see a change on the horizon.

In fact, the change was already there, I just didn’t know it at the time. There were pioneers in the industry effectively using video to build their brand – Ian Watt comes to mind. In 2009 and 2010 people were still using Twitter to get their name and their brand out to the masses.

These times were pre-business pages on Facebook, pre-Facebook advertising, pre-sponsored posts on Instagram. Heck, there was no Instagram at that time. Looking back to 2010 it is easy to see that year was the tipping point for social media being looked at as a business opportunity.

Realtors and marketers were still looking at social media as a networking tool – a place to be social – but what some were looking at was a way to build brand awareness. This is where we come back to my story.

The title of this article was meant to draw you in, but the picture I am going to paint for you will show you that what I have been able to build was not easy.

At the end of 2009 I wanted to make a change to the way I was

operating my business and the way I was marketing myself. I knew there had to be another way to get my name and my “brand” out to more than five or six groups of people that came through my open houses on the weekend.

I devised a plan that would use video and YouTube (this is preFacebook video remember) to push great content to help the consumer understand the market, and to give my opinion on what was happening in the real estate world as it related to changes made by government, governing bodies or the financing sector.

YouTube would be my library and Facebook, Twitter and my blog would be the channels I would use to push that message out. I would shoot and edit five videos every Sunday. This made for some very long nights of editing, writing and putting together the plan. There were nights when my wife would come and get me to come to bed at 1, 2 or 3 in the morning.

It took two years to see the payoff. The long tail. The long game.

The grind. Call it what you want, the strategy I deployed in my business was not going to pay off overnight and I knew it. I was willing to put in the work because I believed in my vision even when others didn’t.

At the beginning of 2012 after two years of these late nights, my wife and I had a heart to heart. It was time, she thought, to go back to a full-time job and work on real estate part-time. She was sick of the roller coaster our financial lives had become. She wasn’t the only one, but I had to push through. I had to continue to build on the foundation I had started.

I made a deal with her that I would close nine transactions before the end of the first quarter of 2012 and if I didn’t, I would look for that full-time position.

I am still selling real estate so you know how that story ends.

There are many different channels for you to work within to build brand awareness. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, podcasting and blogging are the five I would start with.

Formulate a plan. Come at this plan from the idea of creating your own media company. That company is going to spread your message

out to the masses and in turn will start to develop your brand.

Decide on the channels you want to use in your quest and remember that each audience speaks a different language. Use YouTube as the encyclopedia and Facebook as the newspaper or talk show.

Once those videos are shot and edited and uploaded, they need to reside on your website via your blog. If you are podcasting, you will need an iTunes account and a way to syndicate and post that podcast, again, to your website.

Use snippets of the video you have shot to continually promote your brand across all those channels. Use pictures, video and quotes to help bring awareness to those videos and podcasts on Instagram.

Most important of all, you must be consistent. You must decide this is something you are going to go after long term and not just in the short term. This is a chance for you to build your business organically without spending a lot of money. You will be spending your time building

something that will pay off in the long term.

How do I know? Because I am living it. The opportunities that have come to me as a result of creating my brand and continually pursuing that brand awareness online has led me to speak at multiple conferences around North America. It has helped me to garner referrals from other agents from across the country (95 per cent of my transactions this year are from my sphere and referrals). It has

helped me land a gig writing articles for your favorite Real Estate Magazine.

If you are willing to put in the work, you will see the return on your investment. Have a plan and a message you want to convey and be consistent. These are more important than the channels you choose to push your message out.

Kelley Skar is CEO of the Redline Real Estate Group in Calgary.

REM www.redlinerealestate.ca

Dealing with a changing market

By Jeffrey Wagman

H

ave you heard that “nothing lasts forever?” I’m sure you have. Have you thought about that at all in relation to the current real estate market in Southern Ontario? I’m not here to put a damper on things or bring you down, however, it might be worth just a moment of your time.

Markets change. It’s a fact. No one wants to hear that the good times will end, but they do and will. Then they will go back to being good. That’s life. Get used to it. This is a great time to pick the brain of a more experienced agent who has seen a recession.

Can you imagine the knowledge and insight you can get from them? This would put you way ahead of your competition when that time comes.

I should have taken my own advice. And I come from a family in real estate! I lived through a recession. Before it came, I was in my late 20s and selling homes in a market where the average age of a buyer was 40. To say it was difficult is an understatement. But I was doing very well for a 27-yearold making six figures at the time and having a blast. If you had told me that I would wake up one day and it would all be wiped away I would not have believed you.

But it did. It really did. The sales just stopped, the income was cut in half, then in half again! I was blindsided by the recession of the early ’90s. What a rough time,

to say the least. But here I am almost 30 years later and look at the market today.

I never gave up, never quit, never tried another career. I knew in my gut this too couldn’t last forever and that I had to weather the storm. Working through that recession gave me a chance to build on my career and take it to another level. The knowledge of how markets change was priceless.

I survived.

You can too. It will happen, just be prepared.

Jeffrey Wagman is a partner and broker of record at Forest Hill Real Estate in Toronto. He sells homes and condominiums in the central Toronto market and is consistently ranked in the top one per cent of all real estate salespeople in Toronto.

REM

REM JULY 2017 39

Your lead generation climate Are you more suited for cold or warm lead generation?

By Lee Davenport

S

ome people naturally flourish in one climate over the other. Case in point: I have a friend who is invigorated by the numbing cold of a northern, icy winter. He loves to don a fashionable scarf, a designer coat and some name-brand boots. Oh, and I cannot overlook his wacky and wild sock game. He feels at his best when there is a chill in the air.

There is pep in his step, a smile on his face and creativity in his work.

I, on the other hand, practically ran screaming from the north and its brutally cold winters for the warmer climate of “Hotlanta”. My pseudo-superpowers to get more done and think clearly seem to kick in as the days grow longer and warmer. Truthfully, I feel like I need to move even further south to get less of the cold season, go figure.

Some of us are comfortable in the cold while others of us are happy with a warm environment. It is okay to admit it and own it. And, so it goes in our lead generation life.

Some lead generation activities are cold in nature, meaning the person you are approaching does not know you, did not ask to know you and surely did not ask for you, a stranger, to contact her.

Consequently, you may get cursed at, hung up on, face a slammed door or be reported as a spammer.

Most people think of cold-calling as an example, which is spot-on.

Just like cold weather warriors in parkas, those who are more suited for cold leads must have already clothed themselves in warmth, having a high self-esteem and high tolerance to cold rejection. Thin skin is not the right gear for cold lead generation methods.

Others may shine in warm environments of bright, smiling faces where you are approached and sought after instead of the other way around. This may be considered by some as the “if you build it, they will come” approach.

Unbeknownst to some, there is finesse to this technique that requires getting in front of and engaging with as many eyeballs as possible. It is really the “if you build it well, offer something of value (a.k.a. a lead magnet) and stay in front of a lot of people, they will come” approach. Examples include receiving calls from a wellcrafted newsletter you sent out to past clients or connecting with people who found your swanky website and messaged you.

Remarkably, a portion of the salespeople I surveyed from among the top-producing 1,000 residential salespeople in the nation attested that they never approach strangers for new business.

They take the warm approach, allowing new business to track them down. And it has worked just fine for them as evidenced by their top sales status. That should encourage you!

Do not misunderstand: I am not saying that they laid in a hammock and did nothing to generate leads.

They had methods that acted like people magnets, warmly attracting potential clients to them as opposed to going on a cold hunt for clients.

Are you more suited for cold or warm lead generation? Do you have the gear to handle both or just one? Be honest with yourself because you will only be miserable with a mismatched lead generation climate.

Armed with degrees in business administration and legal studies, Lee Davenport is a thought leader in the real estate community and speaks across the U.S. at various Realtor associations, realty firms and real estate conferences. She is known for helping real estate pros learn, include and apply technology to everyday real estate tasks. Visit agentsaroundatlanta.com REM

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40 REM JULY 2017

8 reasons to advertise on Facebook

By Robin Wilding acebook is now a verb.

From 12-year-olds to septuagenarians, everyone is “Facebooking”. For real estate sales reps and brokers, this presents a fantastic opportunity thanks to Facebook’s powerful advertising tools.

Let’s look at why you should be advertising on Facebook: Reach. There are almost two billion active Facebook users around the world as of 2017 and that number rose from 1.28 billion to 1.94 billion from the beginning of January to end of March this year alone. In Canada there are 2025 million active Facebook users.

Given that we have a population of just over 35 million, that means most Canadians are on Facebook.

That potential reach is incredible.

Social. There are even more Canadians using Google than Facebook, which makes Google’s Pay Per Click advertising an

F

attractive option. However, with Google PPC your ads are based on keywords and not the targeted offers that you can create on Facebook. By tapping into the social aspect of Facebook you can target users by creating an offer geared specifically towards them.

Powerful targeting capabilities. Facebook offers targeting capabilities far beyond that of other advertising options. You can target specific geographic or demographic goals. For example, if you want to target baby boomers, you can. You can target divorcees, or plumbers or people with an interest in outdoor activities. As Facebook says it, “Compared to the average online reach of 38 per cent for narrowly targeted campaigns, Facebook is 89 per cent accurate.”

With Facebook you can target: Location – right down to a postal code Demographics – age, gender, education, relationship status, job titles, life events Behaviours – mobile users, pages they engage with, ads they click Exclusions – exclude job titles such as Realtor and broker, so your competition doesn’t know what you’re up to!

Advanced – retargeting, custom audiences, look-a-like audiences Cost. Compared to other outreach campaigns, Facebook has a low-cost advantage. For example, while direct-mail campaigns might cost around 50 cents per impression (the amount of people the ad has been exposed to), Facebook can get your ad in front of a targeted public for a cent, or a few cents per impression.

Goal oriented.

Some Facebook ads are geared towards exposure; however, you can also select them to be goal-oriented.

Most commonly for real estate professionals, this means traffic – or lead-generation oriented. You can select your ad type on Facebook to be aimed towards sending traffic to your website (often with the goal of capturing the lead on your website) or by using their lead-generation tool built right into Facebook.

Facebook’s lead-gen ads provide a unique user experience where they can sign up for more information without ever leaving Facebook. This can be especially helpful with mobile users as the fields pre-populate with their data and they need only click a couple of buttons.

ROI. The return on investment of advertising campaigns can be difficult to measure with other advertising options. With Facebook you can capture the exact ROI of your campaigns by looking at their advanced analytics tool. This can tell you how much you’ve spent, how many impressions you’ve had, how many clicks you’ve received, how many leads you’ve received and more.

Complementary. Facebook ads can be run alongside other advertising options. For example, if you’re doing physical flyer deliveries in a specific neighbourhood, you can retarget those people with an online Facebook ad using postal codes. This type of exposure helps build face recognition with your targeted public.

Optimization through analytics. By using Facebook’s Ad Manager you can use your analytics to improve the efficacy of your campaigns. For example, if you realize that the bulk of your ads are coming from a specific age group, you can retarget your audience to include just that age group.

Optimization like this can bring down your overall cost per lead.

In conclusion, Facebook ads

are a great advertising resource for real estate professionals. However it isn’t easy. You need to try out a few concepts to figure out what works for you – and you may want to hire a professional to hit the ground running. If you’re looking to hire a professional you’ll want to ask them what their experience is with real estate, what ad types and concepts have worked best for them and what your projected cost per lead is (if that is your goal).

Ideally you will want to find someone with a proven track record of Facebook advertising for real estate professionals.

Robin Wilding is the creative mind behind Real Estate Websites Canada (http://real-estate-websites.ca),a boutique real estate online marketing company hyper-focused on lead generation. The company’s success is attributable to its modern, mobilefriendly websites, lead-generation packages and beatable-by-none customer service. She also runs the Facebook Group, “Canadian Realtor Tech & Marketing”, an ad-free group that has some great tips for sales reps and a forum to discuss things that have (and haven’t) worked for them.

Https://www.facebook.com/groups/5 60248634136535/ REM

A closing gift clients remember “A house portrait is a winner every time,” says Russell McRae. “You don’t have to know what kind of wine they like. They bought the house so you know they already like it.”

R

ussell McRae used to flip houses. Lots of them. He used a different agent for every deal. After the sale, the agent would give him a run-ofthe-mill closing gift. It bothered McRae, but not for the reason you’d think. He hated that the agents couldn’t see that they were missing a huge opportunity for repeat business and referrals.

McRae says once the wine and chocolate were consumed and the flowers wilted, he never gave that agent another thought.

There was nothing to remind him of the agents and no followups to keep them top of mind – so

when McRae attended a party and met a “new and shiny” agent, he used them for the next deal.

That agent would give him another impersonal gift and he’d never hear from them. It was a vicious cycle.

So McRae, an unusual blend of artist, businessman and savvy marketer, decided to do something about it. Vancouver-based McRae Portraits is a marketing program focused around a heart-felt closing gift – a house portrait – that provides homeowners with a constant reminder of their agent. The marketing program also reaches out to clients on a regular basis on behalf of agents.

“A house portrait is a winner every time. You don’t have to know what kind of wine they like,” McRae says. “They bought the house so you know they already like it.”

The company has created 9,000 house portraits for agents across Canada since 2010. The portraits, digitally produced using a method McRae created, are a standard 13x16 inches. “Because of its size, it’s usually hung in the entrance way of a house and is the first thing everyone sees,” he says.

Portraits include the name of the agent.

The process is easy. All agents have to do is visit the www.mcrae-

portraits.com website, pick a package, supply a photo and wait for the portrait to arrive in about 10 days. It can also be shipped directly to the client.

In addition to the portrait, packages ($299) include house portrait postcards to share with friends and family. Three months later, the company sends a thank you card bearing the house portrait to the homeowner on behalf of the agent. A web page includes the house portrait and the agent’s name, so the homeowners can share the portraits on social media.

On each anniversary date of the transaction, another thank you card is sent on behalf of the agent.

Photos don’t have to be professional shots. McRae’s digital artists remove power lines and cars from driveways. They add trees, blue skies and foliage to make the house look its best. “This means there’s no need to wait until spring or for blue skies,” he says.

Who should receive a house portrait? “Every single time you make a sale, send out a portrait. It’s a way to stay top of mind,” he says.

“Give them to all of your clients, not just one or the best.”

Everyone who receives a portrait will want to talk about it and the agent who gave it to them, McRae says.

REM – Connie Adair

REM JULY 2017 41

Dutch Modernist home was built in 1924 Story and photos by Diane Slawych

N

eighbours called it “that crazy house.” And its owner Truus Schroder wasn’t pleased to learn her children were sometimes ostracized – all because the home looked noticeably different from others on the street.

Today “that crazy house”, located on the edge of the Dutch city of Utrecht, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And this year the Rietveld-Schroder house, as it’s known, will receive even more attention than usual.

That’s because 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of De Stijl – the Dutch art movement that had an international impact on modern art and architecture – and perhaps no single building epitomizes The Style more than the Rietveld-Schroder house.

Designed by Dutch Architect Gerrit Rietveld in close collaboration with his client Truus Schroder, the home was considered radical for its time and broke with many architectural standards of the day.

It was built in 1924 and even now the two-storey home with a white façade accented with primary colours, stands out from the other dwellings on the street.

Notable interior features include the flexible and changeable spaces. For example, on the

top floor, instead of fixed walls, there are sliding partitions that allow the occupants to create separate rooms (as many as three bedrooms and a living room) when needed, or enjoy an open concept.

Schroder also wanted lots of natural light and a seamless transition between the indoors and the outdoors. To that end, almost every door in the house leads to the exterior. A skylight in the roof above the stairs was installed and other intriguing elements were added such as windows in the dining room that, when opened, appear to make the corner of the

home invisible (sometimes called a “disappearing corner.”)

That wasn’t the only optical illusion. Rietveld had planned to build the entire home using prefabricated concrete, but that turned out to be too costly.

Instead he settled on reinforced concrete for the foundation and balconies only and used bricks for the rest of the home. They were then covered in a layer of stucco.

Rietveld, who started his career a furniture maker, also designed the home’s hanging lamps and the now famous redblue chair – in classic De Stijl

The Rietveld-Schroder house in the Dutch city of Utrecht was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2000. It’s considered an architectural masterpiece based on the ideals of De Stijl.

colours. (Other versions of the chair can be found in various museums throughout Holland including the Rijksmuseum).

Schroder, a widow, moved into the home with her three children in 1924 and lived there until her death in 1985. She had chosen the location of the house at Prins Hendriklaan 50 for the expansive view over the polder landscape.

But unfortunately, a four-lane motorway with a viaduct was later constructed nearby, obscuring the view and prompting Rietveld to complain that the home had lost is spatial meaning.

Today the home is open for

The “disappearing corner”.

guided tours, though advance reservation is required because only 12 people are admitted at any one time. Through the audio guide, visitors learn that Rietveld didn’t just design the house. He also lived in it. He had a studio on the ground floor of the home from 1925 to 1933. After his wife died, he moved in with Schroder. He died in the house in 1964, one day after his 76th birthday.

Schroder eventually donated the property to the Rietveld Schroder House Foundation and the home, which is now managed by the Centraal Museum, was REM restored after her passing.

Why email marketing still works

By Mark Brodsky e’ve been hearing for years that email is dead – and yet businesses large and small continue to market by email. Why? Because in a world of technology where things are constantly changing, email is a constant.

Social media marketing has its

W

place, but when organic reach is dwindling to nothing and audiences are splintered between channels such Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn and many more, email is the one place where a business can expect its message to reach the vast majority (95-97 per cent) of their subscribers as compared to a Facebook post, which can reach as few as two per cent of the people who like your page.

Why does email still work?

• 77 per cent of consumers prefer to receive marketing messages

via email (source: ochen.com).

• 91 per cent of Internet users check email at least once a day on their smartphones (ochen.com).

• Email delivers an ROI of at least three times that of social media (McKinsey & Company).

The most useful aspects of email marketing are the analytics, including who opened your email (and when) as well as what actions they took. This basic data gives you a lot of information about your clients and prospects, including what topics interest them. This gives real estate professionals the opportunity to segment their database and send

out more personalized emails, which in turn increases engagement and turns into more business.

When it comes to time and money, email is the most effective tool at building relationships with your clients and starting conversations.

So how do you begin?

• Start with a professional email marketing system. Personal clients like Yahoo and Gmail won’t give you the analytics you need to make this effective.

• Figure out what kind of content your audience is interested in

and give them more of what works.

• Be consistent. If you’re sending out a monthly newsletter, make sure you’re sending it every month. Because so many of us are checking email on our phones all the time, consistency is more important than the day and time you send the email out.

Mark Brodsky has been working with Realtors since 2008, producing monthly newsletters and social media management.

Mbdigitalcommunications.com/ mark@mbdigitalcommunications.com REM

42 REM JULY 2017

wanted to show that we recognize the hard work that they do and are so thankful for all of their heartfelt efforts.”

■ ■ ■

Good Works R

oyal LePage professionals in communities across Canada hosted the 9th Annual National Garage Sale for Shelter May 13, raising more than $150,000 for local women’s shelters and the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.

“We were delighted to have had a Garage Sale for Shelter in nearly 100 locations stretching from British Columbia to Nova Scotia,” says Shanan SpencerBrown, Royal LePage Shelter Foundation executive director.

Volunteers put in a tremendous effort to collect donations, rise at dawn to display their treasures and remain on their feet for a long day of selling, “but those efforts are well worth it,” she says. “With every dollar collected, our volunteers make their communities safer for women and children escaping violence.”

Since 2009, the event has raised $2.65 million in support of women’s shelters and violence prevention initiatives.

■ ■ ■

With a team of 16 Realtors and friends, Sutton Group - West Coast Realty in White Rock, B.C. raised $4,070 for Hike for Hospice recently, while providing 150 goody bags for fellow participants.

This was the first time the brokerage participated in the Hike for Hospice 5 km charity hike along Crescent Beach in White Rock, but it won’t be the last, says sales rep Edie Takahashi, who spearheaded the event for her office.

“As Realtors, we are so blessed to be able to do the work that we do in our community,” she says.

“Hospice touches all of us and is run mainly by volunteers. We

Eight women from Century 21 Bamber Realty in Calgary raised $7,387 recently as they participated in the annual Woman2Warrior 5 km obstacle race in support of Easter Seals camps in Alberta.

The team placed first for event fundraising for the third year in a row. Since the team has been competing in the event, they’ve raised more than $32,000 for Easter Seals.

Allison Bannard, team lead for the Woman2Warrior Bamber team, says, “This year, our fundraising total means we are sending seven kids to camp. It’s so exciting that our office can come together for this shared experience and goal that means so much to the Easter Seals community.”

The team’s top fundraiser was Paula Davies, who raised $2,560.

“Supporting Easter Seals and the Kids to Camp is a big part of the culture at Bamber Realty,” says George Bamber, owner of the brokerage. “Each day I am surrounded by these strong women and their

performance and fundraising are stellar every year.”

■ ■ ■

Dena Sicard, Jane Thuet and Sue Driver from Royal LePage Frank Real Estate in Whitby, Ont. recently hosted the third event in a series of fundraisers leading up to their participation in the Iceland Challenge for Shelter.

After a successful euchre tournament and paint night, the group hosted friends, family and colleagues for a night of axe throwing.

The evening was lead by an experienced axe throwing coach who taught the group how to throw with the proper technique.

The evening raised $4,150 for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, which will benefit local organizations the Denise House and Y’s WISH Emergency Shelter, as well as national programs aimed at breaking the cycle of family violence. The evening’s proceeds bring the group’s overall fundraising total to over $30,000, more than double the amount they were tasked with raising. To join the upcoming Iceland Challenge for Shelter event, a minimum $5,000 donation per trekker is required.

■ ■ ■

Joann Laflamme of Royal LePage RCR Realty knew she would participate in the next Royal LePage Shelter Foundation trekking challenge before she even returned from the Machu Picchu Challenge for Shelter in August 2015.

To meet the upcoming Iceland Challenge for Shelter’s minimum $5,000 per trekker fundraising goal, Laflamme sold more than 200 Iceland Challenge for Shelter cookbooks. She compiled the book from recipes inspired by her travels in Peru and from fellow trekkers, friends and family. She then organized a ladies’ soccer tournament which, due to popularity, is likely to become an annual event.

To wrap up her fundraising, Laflamme hosted nearly 50 people for an evening of Rock and Roll Trivia Bingo.

Eighty per cent of the proceeds from Laflamme’s fundraising will benefit Family Transition Place, an organization committed to providing critical services to women and their children who have experienced abuse and unhealthy relationships. The balance will go toward Royal LePage Shelter REM Foundation.

Royal LePage Frank Real Estate sales reps, from left, Jane Thuet, Sue Driver and Dena Sicard pose with guests at their axe-throwing fundraiser.

National Garage Sale for Shelter organizers at Royal LePage Supreme Realty in Toronto.

Members of the Royal LePage True North Realty Garage Sale organizing committee, from left: Sarah Baron, Brett Campbell, Chere Colley, T.J. Campbell, Gail Bibeau and Julio Florez. (Photo: Diana Noble, Snapd Wood Buffalo)

Jean-Pierre Boivin, left, and René Brouillette of Royal LePage HautRichelieu display their wares in SaintJean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

A group from Sutton Group – West Coast Realty (White Rock) took part in the Hike for Hospice.

The team from Century 21 Bamber Realty raised $7,387 for Easter Sales camps.

A fundraising cookbook authored by Royal LePage RCR Realty sales rep Joann Laflamme.

Players pose for a group shot at Joann Laflamme’s Ladies’ Soccer Tournament in support of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.

REM JULY 2017 43

I

n early May, the Toronto Real Estate Board hosted its 17th annual Realtor Quest real estate trade show and conference.

It’s the largest show of its kind in Canada.

The conference provided TREB’s 48,000 members with the opportunity to explore the latest and greatest in real estate tools, technology and services. It featured more than 35 professional development sessions and a trade show with more than 240 industry exhibitors. The trade show floor included an Innovation Centre offering Virtual Reality 4D experience chambers, a Telus Connected Playground and 3D printing, and a TREB Pavilion where members could find information about services offered by TREB. With standing room only, featured speakers included Margaret Trudeau, who delivered a compelling story about her life and experiences. This was followed by a presentation from Dragon’s Den’s

Arlene Dickinson, who shared her Lessons from the Den, and a Women in Real Estate panel, hosted by ET Canada’s Sangita Patel. Other key presentations included Emerging Technologies for Real Estate and the RealWorld sessions hosted by Daily Planet’s Dan Riskin.

■ ■ ■

The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) has announced “a streamlined, more nimble leadership team pointing to a new vision for the association focused on high-mpact advocacy and core member services.”

Matthew Thornton was promoted to the new position of vice president of public affairs and communications, taking the helm of the association’s government, communications, marketing and media relations functions.

Thornton moves to VP after serving four years as director of government relations. In that role, he led the association to a number of

high-profile government relations wins, the association says, including OREA’s successful campaign to stop the spread of the municipal land transfer tax and doubling the land transfer tax relief.

“Our goal is to make Ontario Realtors a top-tier advocacy group in Ontario,” says OREA CEO Tim Hudak. “Matt’s one of the best government relations professionals in the province. He’s been on the cutting edge of Realtors’ efforts to keep home ownership affordable for Ontario families and will be responsible for elevating OREA’s advocacy efforts.”

Hudak also announced the promotion of long-time OREA staffer Natasha Lemire-Blair to vice president of membership and technology. In that role, LemireBlair will oversee the association’s standard real estate forms and clauses and promoting Ontario Realtors’ access to cutting edge technology, the association says.

“OREA’s forms are the gold standard in the industry, helping hundreds of thousands of Ontarians buy and sell homes every year,” says Hudak. “Going forward, OREA will double down on core membership services like standard forms. Natasha’s wealth of experience makes her the perfect fit for that role. I’m excited to see what she can accomplish on behalf of Ontario Realtors.” REM

Welcome, RE/MAX Central Realty!

Please join RE/MAX INTEGRA in welcoming Jason Wang, the newest addition to the RE/ MAX family! RE/MAX Central Realty is located in Richmond Hill and will primarily focus on residential, commercial, and new developments.

Jason believes that with RE/MAX he can take his business to the next level and the RE/MAX commitment to excellence, brand positioning, and cutting edge technology will help him do just that.

Thanks to his five years of experience as Co-Chair of the Chinese Real Estate Association, Jason is culturally aware and plans to use his linguistic skills to indulge his passion for growing his brokerage in the most rewarding

way. His ultimate goal is to provide his agents the ability to service the diversity of their targeted cities and match multicultural families with their dream homes.

Jason’s strong ability to maintain and grow a team, alongside RE/MAX INTEGRA’s ongoing dedication to providing the most productive resources and advanced real estate technology makes for a winning combination that is destined for success.

Welcome, RE/MAX Central Realty! We can’t wait to help you grow!

RE/MAX Central Realty is located at 30 Fulton Way Unit #8, Richmond Hill

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

remaxintegra.com

The conference featured more than 35 professional development sessions and a trade show with more than 240 industry exhibitors.

Congratulations RE/MAX Royal Properties!

Matthew Thornton

Natasha Lemire-Blair

Recently Kingston and Area Realtors laced up their bowling shoes for KAREA’s 14th Annual Bowl-aThon. The event raised $9,279 for the Kingston Youth Shelter. From left: Dave Pinnell Jr, Karol Willis, Colleen Emmerson, Mary Ambrose, Mark Fisher, Jason Beaubiah, Shirley Lieberman, Steve van Wynsberghe, Kim Donaldson, Theresa Mitchell and Cindy Vallier.

Please join us in congratulating Renuka Selvakumar Their goals are to have RE/MAX Royal Properties and Ram Anandappa (Owners) of RE/MAX Royal at the helm of technology adoption to continue Properties, on their merger with RE/MAX Dynasty! providing enhanced coaching programs and to promote a work-life balance. They have an Renuka and Ram are a power team that is looking incredibly positive, entrepreneurial culture behind to continue building their power brand. With 22 them, and are huge supporters of Children’s Miracle years of combined real estate experience, owning Network and Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. a brokerage for the last seven years, and opening They have even started their own charity called RE/MAX Royal Properties two years ago, they are The R&R Foundation, in an effort to support more certainly on their way to doing just that. charitable organizations throughout the year.

On May 24, Renuka and Ram welcomed 35 agents and Manager, Amit Saini, from RE/MAX Dynasty into their 4000sqft Markham office. This in addition to the over 80 agents they already have, strengthens their team and provides even more support and training to their agents.

Congratulations again, and all the best!

RE/MAX Royal Properties is located at: 19-7595 Markham Rd, Markham ON and 5-1801 Harwood Ave N, Ajax ON

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

remaxintegra.com

44 REM JULY 2017

THE GUEST COLUMN

By Howard Bogach

A

s a real estate agent, when helping your clients buy a newly constructed – or even recently constructed home in Ontario – an important part of your service is making sure they know about the statutory warranty on most new homes that are less than seven years old.

This comprehensive warranty is provided by the builder and back-stopped by Tarion. It begins with deposit protection and delayed closing compensation and includes materials and workmanship protections for almost

Change is coming to Ontario’s new home warranty program everything inside and outside the home in the first year, major systems for the first two years and major structural defects for up to seven years after taking possession.

It’s also important your clients know that all new home builders and vendors in Ontario must be registered with Tarion. This helps ensure that builders have the financial and technical competence to build homes and that the new home is properly enrolled in the warranty program.

In March, the Ontario government announced plans to renew the new home warranty program. One change is structural: the provider of the new home warranty program will be separated from the regulator of new home builders and vendors. The aim is to enhance consumer protection for new home buyers in

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The Broker will not be managing REALTORS®.

Be part of an exciting and collaborative Team. Excellent command of the English language is a must.

Only selected candidates will be contacted.

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the province.

The renewal of the Ontario’s new home warranty program will take some time to implement, so in the interim, Tarion is committed to seamlessly delivering on our daily responsibilities and operations and providing quality service to consumers.

This means that your clients who bought newly built homes should continue to submit warranty claims by following the current processes – new and ongoing warranty claims will continue to be resolved.

It also means that Tarion will continue working on several ongoing initiatives and improvements to the warranty program, including a review of deposit protection coverage for freehold homes and extending warranty protections to condominium conversions.

In 2015, changes were made to the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act that would extend most new home warranty coverage to buyers of units in a residential condominium conversion project. Tarion is working with the government on putting these protections in place, targeting January 2018 as a start date.

With respect to our review of deposit protection for freehold homes, this is a timely process since it was last changed in 2003.

While the Condominium Act, 1998 requires that certain monies from condominium buyers be held in trust, deposits and upgrades paid by freehold purchasers are treated differently.

Currently, freehold deposits are protected to a maximum of $40,000. Money paid for upgrades or extras is not considered a deposit and is therefore not usually protected.

Last year, Tarion publicly committed to reviewing deposit protection. The ministry also recently directed Tarion to introduce new deposit protection measures to better reflect today’s home prices and deposit requirements as a part of the govern-

ment’s plan to renew the new home warranty program. We are now consulting with the public to improve these protections for home buyers. Some of the options include raising the amount of deposit protection and requiring builders to hold these deposits in trust, as they currently do for condominium purchasers. This discussion also involves protection for upgrades on freehold homes.

Submissions to this consultation are open until June 23, 2017 and can be done at Tarion.com.

We are also continuing our highly successful illegal building prevention pilot with the Ontario Home Builders’ Association, the Ontario Building Officials Association and 15 participating

tial illegal building projects before they begin and to educate and protect consumers before illegal building occurs. Eventually, we hope to work with the provincial government to effect legislative change to implement this initiative across the province.

These initiatives, and others, will proceed while the government works through the changes that will eventually see a new structure for the delivery of new home warranties and builder regulation.

Tarion is committed to working with the government to renew Ontario’s new home warranty program. Our leadership, expertise and collaboration will be essential in supporting the

One change is structural: the provider of the new home warranty program will be separated from the regulator of new home builders and vendors. municipalities. It is a result of the province’s 2014 budget commitment to work with the industry to combat illegal building.

If someone applies for a homebuilding permit in these municipalities and they are not registered with Tarion, they are directed to Tarion to obtain a letter that confirms that they are a bona fide owner-builder, so that the municipality can issue them a building permit. They are also provided with information explaining that by building their own home, they will not receive warranty coverage, the importance of working with a registered builder; the liabilities of filing the permit under their own name; and information about the warranty.

Our goal is to identify poten-

smooth transition and delivery of the government’s plan.

In the meantime, rest assured that your clients remain protected and can count on Tarion for any warranty needs. Check out the “Resources” section of our website to find tools designed especially for real estate agents, or sign up for our Realtor Watch newsletter by emailing stakeholderrelations@tarion.com. If you have any questions about Ontario’s new home warranty, contact us at Tarion.com.

Howard Bogach is president and CEO of Tarion Warranty Corp., a private corporation established to protect the rights of new homebuyers and to regulate new home builders for more than 40 years. Visit REM www.tarion.com.

REM JULY 2017 45

Firm matches sales reps with clients The site provides consumers with a place where they can see all of a sales rep’s skill sets. “Nobody’s offering that full package at no cost to the consumer,” says Fivewalls founder Paul Hayman.

By Danny Kucharsky

Paul Hayman

About 300 sales reps are now part of Fivewalls, including 150 in the GTA. Hayman would like to see another 100 sales reps in the Toronto area by the end of the year. About 90 per cent of agents come from broker referrals, he says.

Sales reps from major brokerages including Re/Max, Royal LePage and Sutton Group have joined the company.

Hayman says Fivewalls was launched after conducting research that found average homeowners buy 4.4 homes in their lifetimes.

That infrequency of home buying and selling means the average consumer’s knowledge base of the process is relatively limited.

In addition, he cites U.S. research from Zillow last year that 30 per cent of millennials and Gen Xers select their agent online.

To help build the Fivewalls concept, Hayman put together a board of advisors comprised of real estate agents and brokers.

Fivewalls verifies data about sales reps’ experience and their reviews from previous clients.

Staffers meet with every sales rep before they create a profile.

Meeting individually with each agent is “a slow and expensive process, but we think it’s really important,” Hayman says.

Among other things, “We have to verify years of experience, transactions, ensure they have a legitimate license, no criminal record, an updated photo (and) go through (Fivewalls’) code of conduct. That boarding process

itself weeds out a number of agents.”

Hayman says the fifth wall of a house is trust, which explains the Fivewalls name. “That’s why we invest so much in verifying that agent and verifying those reviews and getting the right data to provide for the right needs of the consumer,” he says. “The most important thing is that the homeowner has an agent they can trust.”

London, Ont.-based Hayman began his career in 1985 with TFC (The Franchise Company), a subsidiary of publicly traded FirstService Corp. He held a variety of positions there for 26 years, including president of TFC Contractor Networks, CEO of Pillar to Post and president of CertaPro Painters Canada.

Hayman was also the founder and CEO of TenantAccess, a U.S. property management company.

He later chaired a U.S. think-tank called the Single Family Residential Rental Think Tank that studied the effect of foreclosures on single family homes on residential communities after the 2008 housing crash. He was also entrepreneur-in-residence at Western University’s Ivey Business School.

Fivewalls’ requirement that participating agents have five or more years of experience or come via broker referral “means the person is committed to their career,” Hayman says. “A lot of agents drop out in the first two years.”

Fivewalls keeps track of participating agents’ performance and can warn or remove agents who are underperforming. For example, “If an agent doesn’t get back to a customer within 24 or 48 hours we’re going to let them know that’s not very good customer service, especially in today’s (market).”

Hayman says Fivewalls is “still working our way to break even,” something he foresees in a few years.

The concept could be used for other professions that have a cer-

tain amount of regulation and education requirements.

Hayman would like to expand Fivewalls across Canada but has no timeline. “Once we have been able to do a fantastic

job in the GTA, then we will spread our wings.

“We want to make a difference in Canada and we want to lay down a good footprint. But we’ll do REM that at the right pace.”

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F

ivewalls, a website service that matches experienced real estate salespeople with clients, has launched in the Greater Toronto Area and plans to expand across Canada.

The site uses an algorithm to match buyers or sellers with agents in a given neighbourhood. Clients are provided with such information as the agents’ number of transactions, years of experience, a brief bio and video by the agent, client reviews and non-identifying photos of properties they’ve sold.

Participating agents must have five years of experience or come highly recommended by their broker of record and have several positive reviews from clients, says Paul Hayman, founder of Fivewalls realty brokerage.

The site provides consumers with “one place where you can see all of (agents’) skill sets,” Hayman says, “Nobody’s offering that full package at no cost to the consumer.”

Hayman formed Fivewalls in partnership with Lee Piccoli, founder and chief executive of Guelph-based Fusion Homes.

Fivewalls is free for consumers.

There is no charge for agents to register but the service takes 25 per cent of the agent’s commission after a sale, which Hayman says is the standard referral rate.

Aside from providing lead generation, Fivewalls provides agents with modern digital profiles at no cost, Hayman says. (The company can shoot a video at a discounted cost of about $250, including editing.) “In a significant way, we’re replacing many of the marketing pieces (agents) would do to get their name and picture out.”

Fivewalls had a beta launch last year in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and London before launching in the GTA. Hayman admits the service has some similarities to the early days of Zoocasa, the Rogers-owned brokerage that launched in 2009 and was sold by Rogers in 2015.

46 REM JULY 2017

What’s

New Property Brothers casting in York Region The Emmy nominated Property Brothers TV show is now casting in York Region and North York, Ont. for its next season this fall.

The show says it is looking for “fun, interesting and opinionated people who want to renovate a fixer-upper.”

Candidates must live in the Greater Toronto Area and be moving to or moving within North York or York Region. They must have a minimum renovation budget of $100,000 and have financing in place. They must also be flexible and available for up to 10 days of filming, staggered over seven weeks.

The show producers say the

The Property Brothers are Drew and Jonathan Scott.

homeowners chosen for the show will receive $20,000+ value towards their renovation and all work will be complete in seven weeks.

“All budgets include not only construction of three to four rooms, but also furnishings, appliances and all the bells and whistles in each fully designed space.”

To apply to be on the show, visit https://propertybrothers.castingcrane.com/.

Futureshare offers new way to tap into home equity A Toronto firm says it is offering an alternative to home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) and reverse mortgages for homeowners who want to use their real estate equity without taking on new debt.

Futureshare gives homeowners a lump sum free of ongoing payments and interest rates in exchange for a percentage of the home’s appreciation, which can be paid out without penalty at any time or once the property is sold, the company says.

The company says its online platform is the first of its kind in Canada and is now live in beta and accepting online applications for homes within Ontario, with plans to launch in Alberta, Manitoba and British Columbia by the end of 2017.

“Canada’s housing market has billions in untapped equity and Futureshare is giving that wealth back to Canadians to help them reduce financial stress and live happier lives. We’re revolutionizing the process by giving Canadians an alternative to home

equity loans or HELOCs that’s interest rate and payment free, allowing them to unlock their real estate wealth and increase their cash flow,” says Michael Orrbrooke, CEO and founder of Futureshare.

A homeowner’s eligibility is based primarily on their home value and whether they have at least 25 per cent equity ownership in their home. Homeowners will be able to access on average up to 10 to 20 per cent of their home equity using Futureshare’s platform, the company says.

For information: www.futureshare.ca.

I

and five-year-old. The full-time real estate agent says he had to figure out a way to “master his real estate skills to keep on top of the crowd, to service clients and the boys at the same time, and work non-stop.”

He had to learn how not to be distracted.

He has helped agents along the way by sharing his DLG system, and last year he decided it was time to produce a book and make it official. Since it was published last fall, Rahman has attended dozens of trade shows across Canada and the U.S. He will be at the NAR conference in Chicago this November.

The DLG planner helps generate more leads by eliminating such unproductive habits as distractions, procrastination and lack of motivation. Consistent use of the planner helps develop productive habits by

selecting and scheduling activities and keeping agents organized. It’s a subtle yet reliable way to remind agents to generate more leads, he says.

The planner has daily pages, as well as lead pages, buyer and seller information pages and income and expense pages to keep the user organized. Those who use the planner are organized and realize the importance of putting valuable time to good use, he says.

There is a clear difference between agents who use the planner consistently and those who don’t, says Rahman, who has been using his system for over 25 years.

“I’m blessed with the highest rewards from Re/Max.” He has received the Platinum Club, Chairman Club and Re/Max Hall of Fame and Lifetime

Free online tool for Vancouver and Edmonton assessments Darkhorse Analytics, an Edmonton company that specializes in predictive analytics and data visualizations, has created a free online mapping tool

Flarian offers USB business cards Flarian, a Toronto start-up company, is making personalized business cards with built-in USB drives.

“Imagine yourself being interested in buying a house,” says a blog on the company’s website.

“You approach many Realtors and they are all very eager to help you out. They provide multi-page booklets with details of existing listings that meet your criteria. But one Realtor presents a USB business card with their branding and all relevant listing details including multimedia such as video, 3D views, layouts and slide shows preloaded on the drive.”

Many real estate agents choose

Planner keeps sales reps focused n a world of technology, Mohammed Rahman’s hardcover DLG (daily lead generating) planner sits on agents’ desks, a silent but constant reminder to stay focused and eliminate unproductive habits and replace them with productive ones.

Agents across North America are using the DLG and brokers are buying personalized versions to share with the agents in their offices. One broker recently ordered 210 planners for one office, says Rahman, a sales rep with Re/Max Prime Properties in Markham, Ont. Rahman developed the planner based on “things I practice in life,” he says. He came to Canada in 1982 and married when he was 23years-old. Sadly, his wife died and he and was left to provide for a one-

to distribute such promotional USB drives at first when they meet a prospective home buyer while others choose to distribute them at an open house, the company says.

For information, visit www.flarian.com/usb-cards.php.

Achievement awards.

However, he says the real measure of his success is his children.

“One is a medical doctor and the other is in second-year medical school. This is my success.”

DLG Planners are priced at $59 each. Personalizing is extra.

For information: visit www.dlgplanner.com. – Connie REM Adair

Mohammed Rahman

A screenshot from the Darkhorse Analytics online tool.

(http://assess.dha.io) for assessments in Vancouver, Edmonton and San Francisco.

“Visually comparing property assessments both within and across cities can lead to some startling insights,” says Eugene Chen, director of the firm. “It’s one thing to know that it’s expensive to buy a home in either city, it’s quite another to see what a million dollars, assuming home sale prices are close to assessments, won’t get you in Vancouver, but will get you in Edmonton. And then there are the entire blocks of homes with assessments over $10 million or patterns like how ponds affect assessments, among other stories.”

The company says that users will appreciate the ability to set a price on what they might be able to afford in either city and have those areas highlighted. They can also read through the “Stories in the Data” function of the site, which identifies patterns and stories in the assessments, including $0 assessments in Edmonton, the highest assessment for any land parcel in Vancouver ($3.3 billion) and other zones of interest.

REM

REM JULY 2017 47

THE PUBLISHER’S PAGE

By Heino Molls

I

MARKETPLACE

n 2003, I celebrated 50 years of being in this country. I immigrated to Canada in 1953. I wrote about it and talked about it probably too much at times. I was so sincere in my gratitude to this country for letting me grow up here and experience Canada, I just couldn’t help it. I saw all the greatness in this nation firsthand. For me, even the word greatness almost seems inadequate to describe how extraordinary and how exciting it was to be in Canada from 1953 to 2003.

When I arrived in 1953, Louis St. Laurent was the prime minister. I was here when Diefenbaker, Pearson and Pierre Trudeau were our country’s leaders. I was here when the Leafs won the Stanley Cup, four times! I was here when Elvis came and then the Beatles and then a string of great concerts and rock festivals.

One hundred and fifty years I remember Nikita Khrushchev banging his shoe on a podium and shouting; “We will bury you� and how we defied him.

I remember our new flag being introduced in 1965. I remember when Canada turned 100 in 1967 and we all had a “centennial project� in the works. I remember watching a man walk on the moon and I remember the FLQ crisis and the line of cars that took the terrorists to the airport. I remember canoe trips up north and I remember travelling this magnificent country by car, many times. I remember being homeless in Calgary. I remember meeting real Angels.

I look back on it all with profound memories and indescribable gratitude, especially for that last guy who put that glorious stamp on the “landed immigrant� documents that let my Mom, my Dad, my sister and I into this country. When I thought back on it in 2003, it crossed my mind that there must have been thousands, maybe even a million people like me.

So that was 14 years ago. I don’t have a significant anniversary of the time I immigrated here. My country does, however.

It is celebrating 150 years of existence. We can all debate about when this country really started.

I agree with those who say Canada really became a country in 1862 when John A. MacDonald took part in the legal defence of a man named John Anderson, who was hunted by our American neighbours as a slave. The Americans appealed to British courts for the return of

here. Mr. Anderson walked out of court and in our country a free man. Canada was then considered a “separate legal entity� with defined borders.

A lot of work had to be done along the way, such as giving women the right to vote, but there is so much more to do for human dignity and rights for all.

It is high time to take a hard look at property rights for everyone.

It is high time to take a hard look at property rights for everyone. their property. It was successfully declared in a court of law that Canada was in charge of its citizens, not the United States or Great Britain. Canada would decide what was legal property from that day on and it declared that people could not be property

We cannot do this until we have resolved the property rights of the First Nations of Canada. I believe in the suggestion that a dignified way for this process to proceed is through the creation of an additional province for First Nations. If there was a separate

jurisdictional province, a “separate legal entity�, where housing, education and all other provincial rights are provided by law to all its residents, then we could have the beginning of a legal body to speak for all First Nations separately and collectively to address property rights and territorial rights as well as housing and education.

This country has been so great to me for all these years but it has taken me all this time to fully realize how much more should be done to really achieve greatness.

This does not fall under the scope of the real estate industry and yet it does. What better business community to lend their voice, to call for property rights for First Nations than that of the real estate community?

It is not my place to speak for this industry but I do ask respectfully for everyone in the business, whenever and wherever you can, to please speak about property rights. I can think of no better way to celebrate our 150.

Heino Molls is publisher of REM. Email heino@remonline.com.

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