July 2018 by Real Estate Magazine (REM)

Issue #349

July 2018

Frank Polzler and Walter Schneider Frank Polzler and Walter Schneider

The men who saved Re/Max Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 42218523 - Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 2255B Queen St. E., #1178, Toronto ON M4E 1G3

Page 8

Dealing with negative online reviews Page 3

Representing family and friends Page 14

Listing bloopers: â&#x20AC;&#x153;No rare neighboursâ&#x20AC;? Page 20

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solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for informational purposes only. If you own a franchise afﬁliated with another organization, this advertisement is not intended to offer a RE/MAX franchise or to solicit a change in your afﬁliation.

REMAX.CA

3 REM JULY 2018

Dealing with negative online reviews

Maintaining a stellar reputation in an industry that is reputation-based is essential. Here’s how to deal with bad online reviews and establish a good reputation. By Toby Welch

ccording to the J.D. Power 2017 Home Buyer/ Seller Satisfaction Survey, first-time home buyers report a good reputation is one of the two most important reasons for choosing an agent (the other is recommendations from colleagues and loved ones.) So, it’s essential that you do whatever you can to ensure your reputation stays positive. Cheryl Kirby, a real estate advisor for Keller Williams Integrity First Realty in Phoenix, AZ shares her thoughts on this hot topic: “Reputation, to me, is your No. 1 calling card in life, not just in the world of real estate. If your reputation precedes you, as they say, you have already been hired or fired by a potential client before you even get there. No marketing strategy, new technology fads, or Facebook business page will ever be as powerful as a good reputation in establishing a successful real estate business. It’s a small world with today’s social media and word travels fast, far and wide. It behooves us all to be conscious of the kind of reputation we are establishing in our market.” Rolf Hitzer, a broker with Royal LePage Top Producers Real Estate in Winnipeg, starts each day with a conscious decision to maintain his reputation. “The thing that I work very hard at is doing my best to be respectful to the people I interact with throughout the day. And following through on any promises I’ve made to ensure my actions and words are credible.” Having a positive reputation online is imperative in this age where 95 per cent of homebuyers search the internet when looking for houses. So how do you pull it off? By being proactive in your

Cheryl Kirby

Rolf Hitzer

Marg Scheben-Edey

Kari Calder

online reputation management. Treat your brand marketing with the importance it deserves. Be active on social media and real estate blogs. And cultivate positive online reviews. Others raving about you is a lot more powerful than you tooting your own horn.

to every review with thanks and in a positive and professional manner.”

if someone offers to give you a review when you are with them, whip out your phone and film a quick video testimonial to post online.

which is connected to my profile on realtor.ca. Clients seem to like it as it is a fairly fast and easy process. Having said that, I also think reviews are valuable on Facebook and Google so raving fans or even others you work with such as home inspectors, lenders, or lawyers may want to also consider posting reviews there as well, if you feel it is appropriate to ask.”

But it can happen to the best agents: a bad review. It’s painful and it hurts but deal with it professionally. Don’t respond when you are still upset about it. In some cases, ignoring the review is the best thing to do. If you respond, do so in a professional manner. Reply with class and empathy and let the poster know that you are going to address their concerns. You can’t stop someone from posting something nasty about you, but you can control how you respond to it. Marg Scheben-Edey, a broker and market value appraiser with Re/Max Four Seasons Realty in Collingwood, Ont., focuses on the upside of negative reviews, “I don't think a less-than-perfect review is a bad thing. It shows other readers that the reviews are genuine and, more importantly, is a good feedback loop for me to know how I can improve. No matter what, I always respond

Kari Calder, a salesperson with Century 21 Fusion in Saskatoon, has also dealt with negative reviews. “I received one from a troll, so I made sure to respond that I’ve never had that person as a client. I approach it (bad reviews) head on. I also had a situation that involved my sellers and multiple offers. One buyer was angry they didn’t get the house. They lashed

Calder offers a suggestion, “You need to start with getting as many testimonials as possible. Even if you haven’t sold any homes, you can ask people you know for character references. Be honest and your reputation will remain positive.” Scheben-Edey asks for a

“Real estate is more about people than houses”

out online. I shared it with my sellers, who felt compelled to respond in my defence as I did my duty to them by looking out for their best interests. The buyer was not my client so my ethical responsibility to them was only to treat all parties fairly.” To counteract negative reviews, fill your social media and websites with positive reviews and testimonials. Don’t be afraid to ask people for reviews. And

review when a sale is firm or after the closing date, but she recognizes that is a busy time for people. If she doesn't get a response, she follows up a few weeks later. “There are a number of review platforms now emerging in our industry,” she says. “I would suggest people choose just one to direct people to in order to get an aggregate of responses in one place. I use RankMyAgent,

Hitzer offers advice on protecting your reputation: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Keep your word. Remember how humble you felt when you were new to real estate and keep that feeling for the rest of your career. Be kind and smile often. Remember, our success in real estate is built on a foundation of relationships and not burnt bridges.” Kirby offers a final thought, “Reputation is the by-product of our character. The kind of person you are and how you treat others is your character and your reputation is the shadow it will cast. Real estate is more about people than houses.” Do your job well, with transparency and integrity, and an exemplary reputation should follow. REM

4 REM JULY 2018

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

earch Realty recently announced the opening of five new offices in Toronto, Oakville, North York, Richmond Hill and Kitchener. The company says each of the five new locations, in addition to its head office in Mississauga, will allow its salespeople to meet clients and “focus on mobility with the help of advanced cloud-based real estate tools that contribute to a highly professional work environment. In addition, this expansion will also assist in the mobility for Search Realty’s one-on-one real estate coaching.” Sterling Wong is the broker of record and the owner of Search Realty and Search Mortgage Corp.

The company says it plans to expand to an additional five locations in 2019, targeting the Golden Horseshoe Area. ■ ■ ■

Century 21 Leading is now open in Spruce Grove, Alta. Owner Kerry Pfannmuller and his team of agents were formerly with Realty Executives. Pfannmuller has been in the real estate business more than 22 years. “We are focusing on training, development and streamlining our processes so we can hit the ground running in Spruce Grove and the surrounding area,” he says. The brokerage currently has 31 agents and Pfannmuller says he

plans on growing the franchise. ■ ■ ■

eXp Realty has opened its first B.C. office and introduced its new director of Canadian brokerage operations, Deborah Stevens. Stevens will lead the company’s expansion and brokerage operations across Canada, including compliance and risk management. She has been in the real estate industry for more than 30 years and has experience in many facets, from operating a large real estate team to owning multiple brokerages, the company says. She also has been a regional director as well as an international teacher and business coach.

Sterling Wong

Kerry Pfannmuller

Deborah Stevens

Peter Pfann

Roma Kalra

Gary Sandhu

Jora Garcha

Sophia Tan

Cora McCartney

“We have a fantastic team in place to support Canadian agents and we are proud to have Peter Pfann leading British Columbia brokerage operations with his extensive background in the industry,” Stevens says. ■ ■ ■

Owners Roma Kalra, Gary Sandhu and Jora Garcha recently opened Century 21 Empire Realty in Brampton, Ont. “Our focus is on slowly growing a high-quality team. This is not a numbers game for us, we look for passion, drive and market knowledge,” says Kalra. “Many use real estate for part-time work but for us we want agents who are 100-percent committed and eager to learn. We have 17 agents so far. We are aiming to have 50 by the end of the year and then grow to 100 in the next two years.” Kalra has been in real estate for 20 years, Sandhu is approaching 15 years and Garcha has worked in the industry for more than a decade.

from the beginning of her career with Family Trust Corporation. She was honoured as the top Prudential agent in Canada in 1999, 2000 and 2001. She consistently ranks in the top one per cent of Realtors on the TREB MLS service for units sold. Re/Max Rouge was established in 1987 by owners David and Dolores Pearce and remains a family owned and operated real estate company with eight offices. ■ ■ ■

Cora McCartney recently opened Century 21 Purcell Realty in Cranbrook, B.C. McCartney says she wants to create a positive, fun and collaborative work place for her agents. She has been in real estate for three years and before joining Century 21 she was with Realty Executives. Before getting into real estate, she ran her own business and worked in banking for 15 years. The brokerage currently has three agents, including Sharron Billey and Crystal Billey.

■ ■ ■

Top-producing broker Sophia Tan, a real estate veteran in the eastern Greater Toronto Area, recently joined Re/Max Rouge River. “We are thrilled that Sophia is adding her great reputation for service and stellar sales achievements to the Re/Max Rouge family,” says Fabian Passmore, broker/manager. “Her reputation for excellence and integrity is well-known in our industry and the Scarborough community.” Tan’s consistency as a top agent has spanned more than 30 years,

Leap Real Estate Services of Waterloo, Ont. has become The Aventure Realty network’s newest member. Co-owners Brett Wehrle, Lucy Wehrle, Liz Stolpe and Sean Strongman founded Leap Real Estate after years of successful practice in the industry. They say their goals are to “focus on the delivery of a unique and high level of consumer service” and to build an independent brand that reflects their own vision of serving the client, their partners and the community. REM

From left: Liz Stolpe, Lucy Wehrle, Sean Strongman and Brett Wehrle.

6 REM JULY 2018

Ski challenge rejuvenates Ottawa sales rep Robert Curphey put his real estate career on hold for an entire season while he skied more than 6.138 million vertical feet at Whistler, B.C. By Yvonne Dick

Cover photo: ELIJAH SHARK

Realtors have no plans to retire.” As he saw many successful salespeople working until they grew old and passed away, Curphey realized his own career path needed work-life balance. Engaging in a hobby/sport that is a passion outside of the job helps him keep centred. As you move on in your career, Curphey says that in some ways it becomes easier because your network of contacts keeps expanding. You can become stressed out more easily just as you are reaching your most success. That is when it is time to flip the switch and do something else for a while, he says. It avoids burnout. “It felt great to take the time off to ski Whistler Blackcomb. I did the entire season,” he says. “We had a family road trip. My wife and I loaded up the family and drove all the way from Ottawa to Whistler. There was family time and some more casual skiing.” Some days were black diamond trail skiing and others a bit more leisurely depending on whether he had one of his children skiing with him. Much as he puts all of himself into his real estate career, while in Whistler he focused on his second passion. Curphey says, “That is what I did every day of the season. Some days I skied without a lunch break, other days I took it a bit easier. I was totally refreshed when I came back to the office. Ready to go and feeling great again.” Curphey has skied more than six million vertical feet through

powder and wind, cold and sun. The trails at Whistler Blackcomb provide a range of levels and lengths of ski experiences. Curphey became the EpicMix Leaderboard “monster” for the 2017/2018 season. This is linked to an app that keeps track of daily, seasonal and years of skiing. He won more than 70 “pins” for a variety of categories, such as skiing over 150 days in a season. Skiing on Thanksgiving gave him the Snow Turkey Pin, and he got the Snow Elf pin for going out on Christmas. Since the late 1980s, Whistler has been one of Curphey’s second ski homes. He likes to vary the trails he uses, and Whistler has more than 200 ski runs. He put in 45,000 to 75,000 vertical feet of skiing. Curphey’s specialty is dealing with multi-family properties. He now sells about 75 per cent residential and 25 per cent small multi-unit dwellings, such as 60unit or fewer apartment buildings. While he took the time off to live his skiing dream, Curphey found that many of his clients waited until his return to do their real estate business. Those who needed help right away were referred to colleagues. “The ones who waited for me were clients I have had more of a long-term relationship with. I am in real estate for the long term, and I’ve noticed that some of the really top agents diligently slot time off. The year I chose to do this, I had sold a couple of my own properties and did well with commissions in the six months

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“Taking that time off was life-altering. I needed a break because I’m not ready to retire,” says Robert Curphey.

before I took time off.” Curphey adds, “Real estate is a momentum-based business.” He says once you grow a large client base, time management becomes the biggest challenge and you must learn to tell clients that “this time would work better”,

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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 2018 REM. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The opinions expressed in REM are not necessarily those of the publisher. REALTOR® and REALTORS® are trademarks controlled in Canada by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify licensed real estate practitioners who are members of CREA. MLS® and Multiple Listing Service® are trademarks owned by CREA and identify the services rendered by members of CREA. REM complies fully with the CREA’s Trademark Policy (section 5.3.2.6.1). ISSN 1201-1223

rather than jumping “right now all the time. “I am the most grateful Realtor. I love buying and selling real estate. Taking time that time off was life-altering. I needed a break because I’m not ready to retire.” REM

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obert Curphey says the best way to start training for downhill skiing is by doing it. Although he has been downhill skiing for most of his life, he felt it was time to embrace a new and fresh challenge, so he took time off work as a sales rep. His goal: to challenge himself on the downhill EpicMix Leaderboard Race for an entire skiing season. It runs through Vail Resorts at Whistler in British Columbia. If you aren’t familiar with the sport, a season can last around seven months of the year. Curphey won the event this year by skiing more than 6.138 million vertical feet. Training by doing has worked for Curphey since the beginning of his real estate career. He started when he was in his early 20s. For 29 years he has been a sales rep and he is currently with Re/Max Hallmark Realty Group in downtown Ottawa. From his office on O’Connor Street, he can see the high-rise buildings and fast-paced life of the big city. Ottawa is currently a place where buyers over-bid and sellers have their pick of prices for real estate of all sorts. Getting away to his cottage at the lake or beloved mountain slopes is what keeps Curphey sane, he says. “In the beginning, I had a lot of training, and that made a huge difference to my real estate career,” says Curphey, “As time went on, I saw colleagues working non-stop. Real estate can become your whole life very quickly, it becomes your identity and it’s been my experience that many

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8 REM JULY 2018

The men who saved Re/Max

Frank Polzler and Walter Schneider built their Re/Max empire into an international powerhouse, with offices in 36 countries and more than 40,000 salespeople. By Susan Doran / Photos by Elijah Shark

s recipients of the Re/Max organization’s inaugural Founders Award, Frank Polzler and Walter Schneider have reached the Re/Max world’s accolade summit. “We’re breathing very thin air,” says Schneider. Co-founders of Re/Max Integra, the largest master subfranchisor within the entire Re/Max system, the pair was integral to ReMax’s growth into Canada and overall success here and in the U.S. and Europe. They were presented with the Founders Award at Re/Max’s annual international R4 convention in Las Vegas a few months ago. The award honours Re/Max trail blazers who have played critical roles in the company’s early survival and continued success. Schneider (Re/Max Integra president) and Polzler (chairman) have been partners for 38 years and counting. “I’ve been business partners with Walter longer than I was with a woman,” says Polzler, whose wife died many years ago. Adds Schneider: “We are very lucky. We have an incredible partnership, we are great friends and we both have kids in the business – we have our own succession plan. It’s an incredible journey in an outstanding industry.” Based in Mississauga, Ont., Re/Max Integra has the brand rights for Ontario and Atlantic Canada, as well as Europe, multiple U.S. states and parts of the Middle East. It represents 30 per cent of the Re/Max network worldwide and has roughly 2,900 offices and 40,000 sales professionals in 36 countries. But when Polzler and Schneider joined Re/Max in 1980, the then-embryonic organization feared that bringing them on board was a huge mistake. Polzler recalls Re/Max founder Dave Liniger saying, “You’re broke, Frank. How are you going to do this?” “Then we saved the company,”

says Schneider. “Our sales helped dig them out of debt.” The powers-that-be at Re/Max have been quoted as saying that if it wasn’t for Polzler and Schneider’s expansion efforts, the entire Re/Max operation might have collapsed in the early days. Back then Re/Max was almost unknown in Canada and many people cautioned Polzler and Schneider that it was the road to bankruptcy. But the pair liked the business model and saw the growth potential. “We ramped up pretty fast,” says Schneider. “When we saw opportunity, we seized it.” They certainly can’t be accused of being afraid to take risks. “Before we launched in Europe, we had several feasibility studies done. All of them came back saying that the model would not work in Europe,” says Schneider, laughing. But it has been successful, despite Europe’s hugely dissimilar marketplace, where word is that consumer information is hard to get, licensing is inconsistent and there is essentially no MLS system. All this aside, the fact is that Europe is an “incredibly dynamic market,” with higher rates of ownership than here, and an abundance of opportunity, Schneider says. That suits the partners just fine. They both describe themselves as highly driven and relentless. “I don’t think the word ‘retire’ is in either of our vocabularies,” says Schneider, 64. “I don’t know what I would do if I retired. Golf? My game is pathetic.” Polzler does admit to slowing down a little in recent years and even occasionally uses the term “semi-retired.” Not that anyone seems to believe it. After all, this is a man who survived a plane crash 35 years ago (“maybe because I had a mission to take this thing to Europe”) and continued working in his hospital gown. Polzler recalls that a few years

Frank Polzler, left, and Walter Schneider.

ago the “younger folks” suggested he step back a little at work. He considered this tantamount to a “palace coup.” Before Re/Max Integra, Polzler had his own brokerage (with Schneider as manager). Now 85 (“Don’t say years

OLD!” he admonishes me), Polzler spends most of his time in Europe, has residences “everywhere” and is a great-grandfather four times over. “I am the Colonel Sanders of Re/Max Europe,” he says. “I just show up for the people.” Calling me from Italy for this

interview, Polzler says, “It’s a different game here in Europe, a different attitude. When I first came here I felt like Captain Kirk. Everywhere the market is different. Here they close at 2 p.m. and don’t Continued on page 10

10 REM JULY 2018

The men who saved... Continued from page 8

re-open until 4 p.m. There are different cultures and different dialects everywhere you turn. I used to run around with eight different wallets with eight different currencies... Brokers don’t co-operate with each other. Crazy business practices. We’re trying to change all that. We started For Sale signs here and exclusive listings.” He has been in the real estate business since 1958, having arrived in Canada from Europe several years before that, speaking no English, with a green suitcase in his hand and $40 in his pocket. Of Austrian heritage (as is Schneider), he recalls when a triple bill at the movies cost only 35 cents in Toronto, the average house price was around $16,000, and there were hardly any women in the real estate industry. Trained to be a baker (“I still like making dough,” he jokes) but not thrilled with how early he had to get up for that job, he eventually found his way into real estate, despite the fact that at that time and long afterwards, “a real estate

agent was on the same level as a used car salesman.” He recalls paying $5 for his real estate license. “I’ve been through so many recessions I can’t even count them,” he says. “You can still make money. When things are bad people need good agents.” In his opinion, one of his strengths has always been that people look to him for leadership. “I’m a good delegator,” he says. When asked about the biggest change in real estate over the years, Polzler says “prices.” Technology is another, although Polzler feels that its importance can get “overblown.” It is a phenomenal tool, he says. “But buying property is still an emotional decision and you need a professional guiding you.” Schneider entered real estate in the late 1970s, and he has witnessed a major “redefinition” of the industry as well, with intensification and urbanization of cities across North America, as well as much different demographics. But like Polzler, Schneider finds that the fundamental role of the real

estate salesperson as a guide and support for clients remains the same. “The business and the tools have changed but the energy around ownership has not,” says Schneider. “The agent should never forget the emotional side of sales. It is not a clinical process.” Not content simply to be a big deal in real estate, Schneider is also the honorary consul general for Austria in Toronto; runs his own family charitable foundation (and sits on the boards of various others); is always looking for investment opportunities; has a book pending; and has received various honours for leadership and wide-ranging business and humanitarian efforts, including a David Foster Foundation Visionary Award. (Yes, that David Foster – the multiple Grammy Award winner.) Foster praised Schneider as “an absolute visionary, with unparalleled accomplishments as an entrepreneur.” The key to success in anything, both Schneider and Polzler believe, is perseverance.

“Just keep going,” says Polzler, whose persistence is legendary, by the sounds of it. “If there is a traffic jam I will drive over a field. What makes a good salesperson? You do not give up. There is almost always a solution.” Schneider feels the same. “The secret of success is getting up every morning and going to work. Start there,” he advises. “Be passionate. Have goals and re-jig them constantly. Be able to change and adapt your product – we have never resisted change.” Schneider believes that as the industry continues to evolve, “we will move into an era of agent rating,” where the services provided by agents will be rated and reviewed by clients, as is frequently done with doctors and many other professionals today. “Agents will need to be better trained and more informed. It’s just a matter of time,” he says. “Consumers will demand it.” He adds that what he believes attracts clients to the Re/Max brand include customer service, “outstanding sales and the Re/Max tool box.”

But no matter how well stocked the tool box, there will still always be challenges. “Some people think that if you buy a franchise it’s a magic wand. But it’s not. You have to work hard,” says Polzler. Schneider adds, “Nothing stays static. And it is never the right time.” He has developed a list of maxims along these lines. “These are the three things I have learned in life and real estate,” he says. 1. It will always take longer than anticipated; 2. It will require more energy and input; 3. It will go over the allotted budget. “We always do projections but there is always the unforeseen,” says Schneider. “Business plans keep you between the guard rails. But things will never fall exactly where you plan.” Ain’t it the truth. At a birthday party for Schneider once, Polzler observed to him jokingly, “Going forward from here, all it is is maintenance.” If so, they both seem to be maintaining at full tilt. REM

Be yourself on Facebook (and still generate business) By Alex Pilarski ost salespeople who use Facebook give the impression that their sole reason for being on the site is to make sales. By focusing only on making sales, they never create a relationship with their clients and instead leave them with the impression that they are just out for the money. Instead of being themselves, they become Joe the Realtor and this new persona lowers their impact potential on Facebook. The good news is you can be yourself on Facebook and still make money by building relationships. Personal account vs. business account: I suggest that you use your personal Facebook account and here are the reasons why:

• You will have more personal connections than if using a business account. • It demonstrates your hobbies and daily activities. This will help build trust with your clients. • It creates transactions opportunities for friends, family and acquaintances. • It humanizes you on Facebook. • Business accounts only highlight your real estate activity, making you seem only interested in making money. What can I post to show that I am a normal human being? • Choose three topics or hobbies that you’re passionate about that are not related to real estate. • Do status updates one or two times per week on those topics to keep yourself populating in your client’s news feed. This helps to humanize your profile since these posts are not strictly about real

estate, so you become John the animal lover and fitness guru who also happens to be a Realtor. Get your friends and clients to know what you do. • Advertise your business indirectly. For example, you could take a picture of your car in the empty parking lot with the caption, “Business is booming, staying late tonight at the office.” • Post real estate articles with your own analysis and commentary. • Do one-minute market update live videos (Facebook prioritizes video content to show up first on news feeds). The key is to show people you are working hard and in the know about real estate. How do I engage clients on Facebook and build relationships without being insincere? A touch point is when you like, comment or send a message to a friend on Facebook. These

touch points are important in staying top of mind with your clients and helps to further develop your relationship with them. That way they will think of you when they are ready to make a real estate transaction. Here are some ways you can create these touch points: • Start every day by wishing happy birthday to those celebrating their birthdays. • “Like” 20 to 30 posts per week. • Comment on at least two to three posts a week to start conversations with clients. Show them you’re doing well in real estate Now that you have humanized your profile and strengthened relationships with clients, it’s time to sell your business. • Create a business page on Facebook. • Post your listings, work with buyers and put all other real estate

activity onto your business page. • Share the posts you make from the business page onto your personal page, so your friends can see the business page. • If it is an important post such as a hot listing, try boosting it. The advantages of Facebook go beyond generating leads. It will create and deepen valuable relationships with clients and enhance your current business. It’s a big advantage over the competition that is not using Facebook the right way. Alex Pilarski was introduced to the world of real estate in 1972. In 1985, he co-founded Re/Max Realtron with his brother Richard. Together they have been awarded many top honours within the Re/Max system. He is also a certified mentor with Buffini and Company and Richard Robbins International. apilarski@remaxrealtron.com; phone 905-944-8800 x302 REM

12 REM JULY 2018

Don’t let these buyers waste your time By Jeff Stern

don’t show homes to just anyone. In fact, I avoid showing to one particular kind of buyer. They are the buyers who have not taken the step of becoming preapproved to buy a home. Any buyer who has not taken the basic step of getting preapproval from a bank is not ready to look at homes. And they’re certainly incapable of making a solid offer. It’s not only saved me countless thousands of hours over the years because I’m not running around showing everything to everyone with a whim, it’s also saved my seller clients thousands of hours of time and frustration. My sellers

don’t have to evacuate for needless showings, or entertain fruitless offers that unnecessarily tie their home up, potentially losing an opportunity from a financially qualified buyer and having their hopes dashed just because of unpreparedness. My colleagues often ask me how. How can I possibly turn people away? Wouldn’t refusing people wreck my business? Here’s the secret though. The customer is absolutely, always right, but remember a customer is not every random stranger who talks to you. It’s someone engaged, participating and in a position to buy a home. Anyone outside of that can’t be the boss of your time. Well, they can, but it’s not wise to let them. How valuable is your sellers’ time? How valuable is your time? Are you willing to give it to any random stranger, without regard

for your client’s best interests? What essentially happens is your clients are inconvenienced and quite possibly disadvantaged and you are investing your time poorly, which will most likely result in failure to sell their home. I’m not. I like the way Carl Sandburg said, “Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you.” A colleague felt the pain of giving away that coin. My clients were interested in a property and wanted to make an offer. The seller’s agent was on his way to receive our offer when he called. “You’re not going to believe this – one of the agents in my office is writing an offer right now!” I advised my clients on how to compete without giving away the

farm, so to speak. In the back of my mind, I suspected it would be an offer like many others that surface this way – unapproved buyers promising what they can’t – and it would fall through. The seller accepted the other offer. The seller’s agent arranged to hand-deliver the declined offer to me the following day. I received it early that afternoon and as I expected (but much sooner than I thought), not 20 minutes later, the agent called me with news. “So, the other offer fell through. Their financing was declined.” I wasn’t surprised. It happens more than you’d think. “You know Jeff,” he said, “I know you advise agents to work only with buyers who have been preapproved, but I can’t convince my office to do it. Here’s the proof that it’s a colossal waste of time not to.” I felt his pain. It is a colossal

waste of time – for sellers, buyers and us too. That’s why I don’t do it. If, like that sellers’ agent, you are in an office that won’t adopt this, can I make a suggestion? Why not refer such prospective buyers to your colleagues? They’d gladly receive the referrals, and you’d be free to pursue serious, pre-approved buyers. Your seller clients will thank you and your colleagues will also thank you for keeping them busy. As for the unqualified buyers, they too deserve respect and the opportunity to see homes. That is why we host open houses. Jeff Stern, a 27-year real estate veteran with Re/Max Performance Realty in Winnipeg, received the 2017 CMHC/MREA Distinguished Realtor Award. He is an instructor for the Provincial Real Estate Licensing program, a member of the Education Committee and sits on the Professional Standards Investigation and Hearing Committee at MREA. He gives back to the community as chair of the MREA Shelter Foundation and writes stimulating and enlightening articles on his blog at REM www.JeffStern.com

“I’ve never been more proud of my real estate career. And that started on day one at StreetCity.” Linda Newcombe

Sales Representative London, ON

Be a better REALTOR® Find out how at BetterREALTOR.me The term REALTOR® is a trademark of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).

Do You Have What it Takes to be a Successful Canadian Real Estate Agent? (NOTE: What it REALLY “takes” is probably not what you think) By Craig Proctor

There used to be a farmer’s saying: “worked like a whipped mule.” Mules were whipped to make them pull plows faster and to drag plows through hard earth. Stop whipping yourself. Stop living as a mule. The real estate business, the real estate industry Establishment, the hordes of trainers and coaches who come and go, all treat you as a mule and whip you, to do more to (purportedly) make more. Much of this is for their own reasons; they actually know it’s not in your best interest. I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO WILL PRESENT YOU WITH A RADICALLY DIFFERENT PLAN. I even want you to stop thinking about “more” at all. Not getting more listings, not handling more buyers, not pulling more traffic to open houses, not even making more money. Set aside ‘More’ for the next few minutes. We will talk instead about two replacements for it.

expense of your sanity, health, family. The entire Real Estate Industry Establishment teaches tactics and practices that absolutely require you to trade away a real life for a real estate business – despite any lip service they give about “being at Johnny’s ball game.” Their way might put you there, but with cell-phone on, in hand, and answered, with ‘next deal’ and ‘lost deal’ anxiety seated next to you in the bleachers, and constant glancing at your watch desperate for the game to be over so you can rush back to the hustle. The fact is that only with the TRANSFER OF POWER that comes via my Ultimate Real Estate Success System can you really change everything about this business and escape the trade of your “life” for your “income.” I have over two decades of perspective. I can assure you: promising yourself, spouse, family, friends that “as soon

IIff you your ur rreal ea estate career is delivering a Poo or Life Quality now, that won’t fix Poor itsel lf – norr will it fix itself simply with itself ‘More.’ One: Income Certainty – in a typically, woefully uncertain income field. Income uncertainty is the core cause of an enormous amount of stress, frustration, ulcers, marital and family unhappiness, desperate grabbing at each new fad or gimmick or bright, shiny object or ‘guru’. Not knowing where your next “meal” is coming from, or how or when, is really a terrible way to live. Ironically, it’s the same way homeless beggars live, although a beggar’s staked out street corner may produce more consistency than your real estate career! Second, Better Quality Of Life. Of course you have ambition and I can certainly boost your income as an agent, but let’s not focus on that at the

as” you get ahead, over the hump, past this slump; “next year” you’ll scale back hours, rescue your weekends, be less stressed….is all BS. If your real estate career is delivering a Poor Life Quality now, that won’t fix itself – nor will it fix itself simply with ‘More.’ In fact, ‘More’ may make it worse. They can put whatever new color of paint on it they like, but everything else being pitched to you by the explosively growing ‘coach community’ is still about You Doing More. It doesn’t matter if it’s Facebook or the age-old “farming” with door-knocking, it’s still You Doing More. It’s still: your Income OR your Life? I know from deeply personal experience that You Doing More answers, at best, only one

question (income) and is brutal and abusive in its demands. What I share with agents is a radical and total Paradigm Shift to a totally different kind of real estate career and business life. Others are pitching you on ‘More’. I am not. Here’s the short version of my own story as an agent so you can appreciate WHY you should listen to my advice versus all others. I Was a Giant Success and a Tragic Failure on the Same Day At the age of 25, with no clear idea of what I wanted to do with my life, I simply followed my Dad into real estate – despite his doing his best to discourage me. In my early years I did what all agents do; I copied what I saw all the other agents around me doing. They made cold calls so I made cold calls. They went out every night doing listing presentations and spent every weekend at open houses, so I did too. I just tried to do more of it. It never occurred to me to question the entire business model. It never occurred to me that everything I was seeing and copycatting was dead wrong and dumb. Purely through extreme effort and hours and, I guess, some sales acumen, I became the #1 RE/MAX agent in the entire world in just 4 years – and I achieved near flame-out at the same time. My triumph masked my growing frustration and fear. Yes, fear – of the endless rat race running ahead of me, the do-or-die effort required to stay on top, a life ahead of rejection, struggle, fatigue, family life always back-burnered, guilt over 24/7 business demands a constant companion. There was a trophy on the shelf proclaiming me “#1” yet there was still another cold call to make! The Day That Turned My Life Around I looked at that trophy that said I was “#1” – but I felt like an absolute zero. Because I still

Billionaire Agent and Millionaire Agent-Maker, Craig Proctor at a recent Discovery Day had to work at everything as if I was starting out at zero. The morning after being handed the trophy, and every morning thereafter, I had to answer the same bell, do the same drudgery, face the same rejection. I still had to apologize for interrupting dinner for another quick call that took 20 minutes. I still had to apologize for another Saturday at work. I still had to worry about where and when the next commission check would materialize. I still started each month with certain bills but uncertain income. I’d fought and clawed and worked day and night to get that trophy, but it changed nothing. There and then I swore to somehow change everything. I asked myself: what if everything I’ve been told and taught about this business is wrong? Is it possible that virtually everybody is marching in unison on a death march? Might there be a way to blow this thing up and do it differently? I suddenly, clearly saw success as a real estate agent achieved the normal way as a prison. One where you are tortured. Daily. I was determined to break free of the prison without exiting real estate. I began questioning everything because I realized that my “prison break” could never be accomplished by Me Doing More. Fast forward 3 years. I discovered an entire world of “direct response marketing” that included lead generation, pre-qualification of prospects, authority positioning (rather than just personal branding).

I went through a lot of trialand-error, trying to transfer and translate what I found into my real estate business. I failed, I succeeded, I fought with poor technology (today’s tools make my approach much easier). Ultimately, I developed what I named “REVERSE PROSPECTING” – a means of (1) affordably and (2) efficiently (3) attracting (4) well qualified prospects (5) with the right mindset about paying for expert assistance (6) and having them eager to meet with me (7) without cold calling or cold phone conversations…. to (8) change the balance of power. This changed everything. It didn’t just change my income. It changed my life and, by extension, my family’s life. Now I want to change your life. At my upcoming Free Discovery Day, I will show you the system I developed— I’ll share with you THE most reliable and productive Power Business System ever invented for real estate. More successful agents depend on it and profit from it than any other, than the “training” and “coaching” of any three other coaches combined. More super-successful 7-figure income agents swear by it than testify for anything or anyone else. And more beginning agents get to Income Certainty faster with it each year than by any other means. There’s never been a better time to “hire Craig Proctor” to guide you out of the “muck” of this industry. Register now for my upcoming Discovery Day at www.ProctorWorkshop.com

Learn How to Get Crazy-Rich in Real Estate Attend a Free Craig Proctor Discovery Day More Information or Register at:

www.ProctorWorkshop.com

14 REM JULY 2018

Pitfalls of working for kith and kin By Ross Wilson â&#x20AC;&#x153;Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Cary Grant hy do you invest so much time and expense staying connected with people in your business network? Because you want the ideal real estate practice, where people remember to contact you for real estate service. Right? Why would they call you and not the neighbourhood â&#x20AC;&#x153;specialistâ&#x20AC;? or another agent who happened to serendipitously cross their path? Two reasons â&#x20AC;&#x201C; familiarity and trust. By diligently staying in regular contact, you hope to establish and maintain a familiar, durable and trusting relationship. Simply expressed, your goal is to be their

friend in the business. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the thing, though, about family and close friends. You obviously share at least semiregular contact, so familiarity and trust are hopefully ingrained. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d presuppose theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d seek your services, if for no other reason than your close relationship. Naturally, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d anticipate extraspecial care while having a great time working together, and trust that the potentially stressful process of home relocation would be secure and more relaxed. Since they must pay somebody anyway, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d expect theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d agree to your usual fee. After all, keeping the wealth in the family rather than paying a stranger makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, as you might attest, this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always how things turn out. In many cases, they suffer from the belief that you should perform your skilled services â&#x20AC;&#x201C; surprise â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for a reduced fee or even free of charge. Why? Because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re family! They conveniently ignore the fact that unlike them, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

enjoy the benefit of a regular weekly paycheque. They fail to appreciate that the sometimes-considerable investment of time, money and expertise puts food on your familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s table, a roof overhead and fuel in your car. They fail to grasp that for you, time is money. While youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re labouring for them and critically, not for other paying clients, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at work earning their daily bread. To impress a new stranger prospect, you don your best clothes and professional (hopefully genuine) behaviour and strive to get to know them, to gain their trust and bond as quickly as possible. Since relatives already know you, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d think the process would be easier, but it ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily so. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usually no need to convince them to trust you personally, but professionally may be an entirely different matter. When it comes to serving loved ones, particularly for the first time, you may still have to jump through a few credibility hoops to earn their professional trust. It

wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily be easier just because of your personal long-term blood relationship, which could actually become a hindrance when crossing over from auntie to agent. Though serving family may be more relaxed, keep in mind theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still clients for whom youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve undertaken a solemn responsibility, including associated agency risks. Representing relatives can be more stressful because, I suppose, of the dynamics of long-term relationships. It could be argued that you should be charging a higher than normal commission rate since theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll probably expect a superior level of service because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re related. Since theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re comfortable with you, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d contact you with questions, concerns or complaints more often than a non-related client â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and at any hour of the day or night? If your sibling believes youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re failing them, you can watch any chances of a commission fly out the window. And since emotions are difficult to avoid in family situ-

ations, maintaining professional decorum can prove problematic. Firing can be as easy as hiring. Compounding the problem is the resulting family gossip, ridicule, conflict and enduring hard feelings within a potentially polarized family. Rumours can travel like a grass fire and family wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be vanishing after the business relationship is over. When offered family business, it can be a tough call whether to hold or fold. In my next column, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll offer more on the subject for your consideration. Or if you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait, check out my book, The Happy Agent. Ross Wilson is a retired real estate broker. He has extensive experience as a brokerage owner, manager, trainer and mentor. His book, The Happy Agent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Finding Harmony with a Thriving Realty Career and an Enriched Personal Life is available where print and e-books are sold, including the TREB, BREB, RAHB and OMDREB stores. Visit RealtyVoice.com. REM

2018 INSURANCE RENEWAL Payment is due by August 17, 2018. The total cost of professional liability coverage, including taxes and expenses is $445 for the 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019 policy period. Registrants make their payments online via MyWeb. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already have a MyWeb account, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free and easy to sign up; simply visit https://myweb. reco.on.ca. Payments can be made using Visa or Mastercard.

For frequently asked questions about this insurance renewal, visit www.reco.on.ca/2018renewal

In the interest of information security, please do not email or fax your credit card details to RECO.

What if I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay on time? If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make your insurance payment by the August 17 deadline, you will become part of the suspension process. The total insurance payment after the due date of August 17 is $480. Failing to make an insurance payment results in the suspension of your registration and the right to trade in real estate effective September 1, 2018.

CONTACT RECO AT: https://myweb.reco.on.ca P: 416-207-4800 TF: 1-800-245-6910 F: 416-207-4820 insurance@reco.on.ca

What if Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m leaving the business? If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re planning on retiring or leaving the industry in the near future, consider terminating your registration prior to renewing your insurance, as insurance payments are non-refundable. You can ask your broker of record to terminate your registration on MyWeb before the due date of August 17.

DIVISION 3

François Léger, Anne Léger, Christian Bouvrette & Lise Lechasseur Royal LePage Humania* Saint-Sauveur, QC

Karim Dalati & Fadi Kaouk Royal LePage du Quartier* St-Laurent, QC

PRAIRIES Rolf Hitzer Royal LePage Top Producers Real Estate Winnipeg, MB

QUEBEC Paul Johnson Royal LePage Village* Montreal, QC

EAST COAST Lincoln Thompson Royal LePage Gardiner Realty Fredericton, NB

Michel Selye Royal LePage Le Carrefour* Laval, QC Finalist

‡ †

DIVISION 2

Sugan Sivarajah Royal LePage Ignite Realty* Toronto, ON

Isabelle Parent & Dave Carter Royal LePage Blanc & Noir* Quebec City, QC Finalist

BRITISH COLUMBIA Gregg Hart Royal LePage In the Comox Valley Courtenay, BC

Francis Braam & Wade Webb Royal LePage Kelowna Kelowna, BC Finalist

David Young Royal LePage Peaceland Realty* Richmond Hill, ON Finalist

Arvind Grewal Royal LePage Global Force Realty Surrey, BC Finalist

Frank Grey & Andrew Wildeboer Royal LePage RCR Realty* Orangeville, ON

Jim Ouellette Royal LePage Signature Realty* Toronto, ON

Matt Honsberger & Ralph Stephen Royal LePage Atantic Halifax, NS Finalist

For over a century, the dedicated leaders of Royal LePage have set the standard for excellence in Canadian real estate management. Those recognized here are the best of the best. In both strong markets and challenging times, you come through for your clients, and for your people. I am proud to call you colleagues, and friends. Congratulations, I wish you much continued success!

Jamie Schreder Royal LePage Wolstencroft Realty Langley, BC Finalist

DIVISION 4

DIVISION 1

NATIONAL & ONTARIO Vivian Risi Royal LePage Your Community Realty* Richmond Hill, ON

Recognizing EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE

Andrew Zsolt Royal LePage Terrequity Realty* Toronto, ON Finalist

*Brokerages in Ontario, Real Estate Agency in Quebec. 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., Brokerage”, “Royal LePage West Real Estate Services” and “Royal LePage Sussex”. †The Recruiter of the Year Award recognizes exceptional agent recruiting in brokerages: Division 1: 1-24 agents, Division 2: 25-99 agents, Division 3: 100-249 agents, Division 4: 250+ agents. ‡Recognizing exceptional brokerage growth via mergers, acquisitions and recruiting. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited. ©2018 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Limited. All rights reserved.

Brian Sukkau Royal LePage Team Realty* Ottawa, ON

Chris Pitman Royal LePage Gardiner Realty Fredericton, NB Finalist

Franca Denis Royal LePage Tendance* Outremont, QC Finalist

royallepage.ca

Phil Soper President and CEO

DIVISION 3

François Léger, Anne Léger, Christian Bouvrette & Lise Lechasseur Royal LePage Humania* Saint-Sauveur, QC

Karim Dalati & Fadi Kaouk Royal LePage du Quartier* St-Laurent, QC

PRAIRIES Rolf Hitzer Royal LePage Top Producers Real Estate Winnipeg, MB

QUEBEC Paul Johnson Royal LePage Village* Montreal, QC

EAST COAST Lincoln Thompson Royal LePage Gardiner Realty Fredericton, NB

Michel Selye Royal LePage Le Carrefour* Laval, QC Finalist

‡ †

DIVISION 2

Sugan Sivarajah Royal LePage Ignite Realty* Toronto, ON

Isabelle Parent & Dave Carter Royal LePage Blanc & Noir* Quebec City, QC Finalist

BRITISH COLUMBIA Gregg Hart Royal LePage In the Comox Valley Courtenay, BC

Francis Braam & Wade Webb Royal LePage Kelowna Kelowna, BC Finalist

David Young Royal LePage Peaceland Realty* Richmond Hill, ON Finalist

Arvind Grewal Royal LePage Global Force Realty Surrey, BC Finalist

Frank Grey & Andrew Wildeboer Royal LePage RCR Realty* Orangeville, ON

Jim Ouellette Royal LePage Signature Realty* Toronto, ON

Matt Honsberger & Ralph Stephen Royal LePage Atantic Halifax, NS Finalist

Jamie Schreder Royal LePage Wolstencroft Realty Langley, BC Finalist

DIVISION 4

DIVISION 1

NATIONAL & ONTARIO Vivian Risi Royal LePage Your Community Realty* Richmond Hill, ON

Recognizing EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE

Andrew Zsolt Royal LePage Terrequity Realty* Toronto, ON Finalist

Brian Sukkau Royal LePage Team Realty* Ottawa, ON

Chris Pitman Royal LePage Gardiner Realty Fredericton, NB Finalist

Franca Denis Royal LePage Tendance* Outremont, QC Finalist

royallepage.ca

Phil Soper President and CEO

18 REM JULY 2018

Len Wassill of Century 21 Parkland Realty in Melville. ■ ■ ■

ane Boghean of Century 21 Dome Realty in Regina is the new president of the Association of Saskatchewan Realtors’ (ASR) 2018 Board of Directors. Boghean, a 20-year veteran of the real estate industry, has served on committees and task forces for the Association of Regina Realtors (ARR), the Saskatchewan Real Estate Commission and the ASR. New to the ASR Board of Directors this year are Cristin Korchinski of Realty Executives, MJ in Moose Jaw and Deb Honch

of Coldwell Banker ResCom Realty in Prince Albert. Returning directors include past president Rich Jeanneau of Colliers McClocklin International in Saskatoon, vice president Teressa Mannle of Realty Executives MJ in Swift Current, Shelby Wilk of Core Real Estate in Yorkton, Harpreet Christie of Re/Max of Lloydminster Barr Realty in Lloydminster, Ashley Turner of Century 21 Fusion in Saskatoon, Noel Geremia of Century 21 Dome Realty in Regina and CREA director for Saskatchewan

The 2018 Association of Saskatchewan Realtors Board of Directors.

Sheila Henry

Chris Constantine

Sheila Henry was recently installed as New Brunswick Real Estate Association (NBREA) president for the 2018-2020 term. Henry has served on the Board of Directors of NBREA as the 1st vice president for two years. She has also served as a director for the Saint John Real Estate Board, including four years as the president. Henry has been a Realtor since 1990. Starting as a sales associate, she earned her accreditation as a manager and began instructing the education courses for newcomers to the industry. She is manager of Exit Realty Specialists in Saint John. Joining Henry on the NBREA Board of Directors are: 1st vicepresident André Malenfant, Moncton; 2nd vice president Brad

Ginger Whitney, Whitney & Company

Brad Martin, RW Thur Realty

Thomas, Fredericton; Secretarytreasurer Vicki Carr, Moncton; past president Robert Stewart, Dalhousie; directors Parise Cormier, Moncton, Sean Daly, Fredericton, France Pelletier, Valley and Melanie Daley, Northern; and government appointee Erin Hardy, Fredericton. ■ ■ ■

The Mississauga Real Estate Board now has its own MLS system after joining ORTIS, a regional MLS service shared by 11 other local real estate boards. “The No. 1 benefit of belonging to the Mississauga Real Estate Board is that members will have access not only to the Mississauga MLS system, but to 11 additional MLS systems. This combined with their membership in the Toronto Real Estate Board means that Mississauga Realtors have access to the most up-to-date information for

Mark Wolle, Royal LePage Wolle Realty

Mississauga and the surrounding communities,” says the board in a news release. ■ ■ ■

The Kitchener-Waterloo Association of Realtors (KWAR) recognized eight firms celebrating a combined 295 years of membership at the association’s Spring Gala. The longest-serving firm recognized was Whitney & Company Realty, celebrating a remarkable 80 years of membership. Whitney & Company is KWAR’s oldest firm member and was a founding member of the association when it was first formed in 1937 as the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board. Also recognized were: RW Thur Real Estate, 45 years; Royal LePage Wolle Realty, 40 years; Lohmer Real Estate Services, 35 years; Team Realty KW, 30 years;

Shirley Lohmer, Lohmer Real Estate Services

Continued on page 20

Ian Brown, Team Realty KW

Tanis Read Don Breadner, Don REIC’s new Board of Breadner Real Estate Directors, from left, top row: Johnmark Roberts, Ken Loeppky, Don Kottick, Steve Kincade, Walter Lui. Bottom row: Lindsay Carlson, Winson Chan (president), Theresa Salsman, Diane Glover. Absent: Maria Jeck

Members of the Kingston and Area Real Estate Association raised $6,500 for the Kingston Youth Shelter through their Annual Charity Bowl-a-Thon. Public Relations Committee members Kim Donaldson, Dave Pinnell Jr. and Shawna Stewart deliver the cheque to Kingston Youth Shelter executive director Ruth Woodman and staff.

Representing beautiful homes in every category. Greatness is fueled by passion. At Engel & Völkers, our passion is to create an unforgettable experience that is discreetly tailored to each of our clients, wherever they are in their home journey. We invite you to drop in, browse and see what a future with Engel & Völkers might hold for you.

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

©2018 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.

20 REM JULY 2018

Listing bloopers: ‘No rare neighbours’ By Peggy Blair

h, the spring market arrived, and with new listings comes a spring crop of new bloopers! As I get busier, I often get a little tired, so I chuckled at this new listing, which I’m sure would appeal to others who work long days: “Within waking distance to many amenities.” I hope there are a few coffee shops among them. Speaking of coffee, this listing featured a back deck where you could “Enjoy your mourning coffee.” Seems a little sad to me. If you’re the type to enjoy classical music when you’re feeling a little down, this could be the property for you with its “Deck in the Bach yard.” And on that musical theme, I loved this new listing, described as “two minuets to the Parkdale Market.” I keep imagining Yul Brynner and Julie Andrews, for some reason, but I’m old. In the “don’t-throw-the-baby-

Boards and Associations Continued from page 18

Jesson & Associates, 30 years; Don Breadner Real Estate, 25 years; and KW Casa Realty, 10 years. ■ ■ ■

The Real Estate Institute of Canada (REIC) installed its new president and Board of Directors at the institute’s Annual Conference and AGM, held this year in Montreal on May 31. The officers of the 2018-2019 Board of Directors are: President Winson Chan, vice president, sales development, Tridel, Toronto. Vice president - Lindsay Carlson, associate, Now Real Estate Group, Sherwood Park, Alta. Secretary/treasurer - Johnmark Roberts, broker of record, B&B Associates Realty, Toronto. Past president - Don Kottick, EVP, corporate development, Peerage Realty Partners, Toronto.

out-with-the-bathwater” blooper category, we had some recent listings that involved removing things the buyer might actually prefer would stick around. Like this one: “laminate floors threw out first and second floors.” Which could make them difficult to walk on. Or this one: “Please allow notice for showings to allow removal of dog, furnace, A/c and appliances.” You’d think just removing the dog would be enough. In this new listing, you’d need more than a fence to keep your clothes from taking a hike: “oversized master bedroom with walking closet.” Maybe the closet got in a snit after the laminate flooring threw out the rest of the house. This new listing featured “no rare neighbours.” Which I guess could be an asset. Whereas the folks who visit this listing seemed pretty relaxed: “All owners have exclusive use to outside pool and amble visitor parking.” When it comes to recreational properties, this listing might not appeal to many new buyers – featuring “your own private sandy bench front property” – but hey, at least you have a place to sit while you look at whatever your view is. Here’s one where you really don’t The 2018-2019 directors are: Diane Glover, senior property manager, Globe Property Management, Winnipeg; Maria Jeck, Citadel Building Consultants, Coquitlam, B.C.; Steve Kincade, CEO, Kincade Property Management, Saint John, N.B.; Ken Loeppky, vice president & COO, Innovation Place, Regina; Walter Lui, broker/manager, Century 21 Leading Edge Realty, Toronto; and Theresa Salsman, general manager, Commercial Division, CitiGroup Properties, Dartmouth, N.S. ■ ■ ■

Greater Moncton Realtors du Grand Moncton (GMRGM) recently elected its new Board of Directors. This year’s president, Chris Constantine, was also GMRGM president 2010. The group announced its support for three local causes in 2018, which are funded through the Realtors Care Golf Tournament

want to look at the water too closely: “You’ll enjoy the salt water poo.” (No, honestly: I won’t.) Now this blooper made me smile: “You’ll be blown away by the high coiffure ceilings.” As did this one, with its “coiffured dining room.” I’m sure they’re immaculately groomed. Sometimes sales reps spell phonetically, but we know exactly what they mean. As in this feature: a “Huge storage area will fit all your chachkies.” They must be the not-so-rare neighbours of tchotchkes. On the other hand, I haven’t a clue what this means, but I do like the visuals: “attached double garage with 2 man doors.” This listing made me laugh with its “amateur tree lined street.” God forbid it had professional trees. But this one cracked me up: “Lovely neighbourhood that families grow op in.” I mean, hey, it won’t be long until the new laws kick in. I’m thinking the family that grows pot together, stays together. Art Ratelle is a sales representative with Coldwell Banker Momentum Realty in St. Catharines, Ont. He sent me this listing blooper and wondered why a buyer would want to destroy a each September and last year raised more than $28,000. This year all proceeds will go to the Atlantic Wellness Community Centre, Youth Impact Jeunesse and the Humanity Project. “I am also thrilled to welcome an experienced and energetic new board and our new executive officer, George Murray, as we continue to support the efforts of Realtors in these dynamic times,” says Constantine. The other members of the Board of Directors are 1st vice president Peter Dickson; 2nd vice president Parise Cormier; secretary treasurer Paul Burns; past president Jesus Machado; and directors Joanne Caissie, Marco DiBonaventura and Brent Ryan. ■ ■ ■

The Quebec Federation of Real Estate Boards (QFREB) is calling for the withdrawal of a bill that would make changes to the

newly renovated property: “Completely remodeled kitchen that will impress the most decimating buyer.” I agree: not sure why you’d want a new kitchen if you’re planning on taking a sledge hammer to it anyway. Then there was this new listing that made me chuckle. It features a “spacious white kitchen w/ lots of cupboard space (incl panty cupboards)”. I guess I’m using mine wrong: I tend to keep my undies in the chest of drawers in the bedroom, although I can see how it could be convenient to have a replacement set nearby. Yeah, like I said, I’m getting old. Painted floors must be popular: in this new listing, the seller offered to “paint and replace laminate flooring.” Now, I didn’t know you could paint laminate. Or paint walls with flooring for that matter, but here you go: “HOUSE HAS BEEN PAINTED WITH GLEAMING HARDWOOD FLOORS.” Lisa Lansink, a broker with Colliers International in London, sent this blooper along: “All offers must contain a conditional clause for the seller to secure his spot in retirement home for 60 days.” She wondered what was going to happen to the poor seller when his 60 province’s current laws governing real estate. The federation says the current Real Estate Brokerage Act is not clear about the specific tasks that a real estate broker must accomplish as part of their professional duties. This has permitted stakeholders to take on the role of real estate consultants or coaches in the resale sector, operating without proper licenses, it says. The deregulation being proposed “is in direct opposition to the North American trend to adopt stricter job requirements on real estate brokers to increase protection of the public. The minister’s reforms would only serve to dilute the professional framework of real estate brokers and erode consumer protections. A course correction is necessary,” says QFREB. ■ ■ ■

The Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board (OMREB) is continu-

days was up. Back on the street, I guess, sitting on a sandy bench, looking at amateur trees. Could happen to any of us. One of my Twitter pals passed along a real estate listing where the house featured an “extra big dick for entertaining your friends.” Which I think could be an enormous selling feature. James Knowles with Re/Max Kamloops found another one with similar overtones: “Freshly painted & quick passion available.” No mention of the, ahem, amenities on that one, though. But this blooper was my favourite this month and made me laugh right out loud: “Available for premature evacuation.” (Although as one of my friends said, “I think I’d settle for fresh paint.”) 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 ing its efforts to fight the planned B.C. speculation tax. “It’s disconcerting that the B.C. government continues to contemplate the speculation tax in the face of higher interest rates and the federal government’s May 9th hike to the mortgage stress test lending rate, both of which are having the desired effect of curbing demand,” says Tanis Read, OMREB immediate past president. “Driving away demand is not the answer. Saddling an already normalizing market with even more regulation that ironically targets mostly B.C. residents is liable to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” says Read. “We’re due for a pull-back, which if deepened by too much regulation, could result in severe impacts for all B.C. residents, not just current homeowners or those the tax targets. Worse, our most vulnerable citizens could be hardest hit…not exactly a recipe for affordability.” REM

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22 REM JULY 2018

Gary Busch receives Distinguished Realtor Award The Association of Saskatchewan Realtors (ASR), in conjunction with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. recently presented Gary Busch with the 2018 Distinguished Realtor Award. The award is granted each year to a Realtor who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and dedication to the real estate community through board involvement and community service. Busch has been a Realtor for 26 years, starting as a salesperson, working a stint in management and training, and eventually becoming a broker with Century

21 Fusion. His brokerage won the Century 21 Canada Franchisee of the Year Award in 2016 and he has personally won a long list of Century 21 Awards. He served on the Saskatoon Region Association of Realtors Board of Directors, acting as president in 1999 and is positioned to once again take on that role. He was a member of ASR’s Board of Directors from 2006-2011, serving as president in 2010. In addition to volunteering on many real estate board committees, Busch has spent time coaching hockey in the community.

Dieter Wolle, Karen Shartun honoured by KWAR The

Kitchener-Waterloo

It is with honour that I receive the Quadreal Literary Award for 2018 from the Real Estate Institute of Canada for my contribution to real estate writing and research in Canada. I owe this to Heino Molls and Jim Adair who have allowed me to have written for REM almost from the beginning, to never censure me, to always stand behind me even when I was someone controversial. REM gave me a forum, Heino gave me a chance. I can honestly state that I share this honour with Heino and Jim. Heino, you will be missed, you are one of the kindest men whom I have met along this journey through life. Four decades of our friendship. May you enjoy your retirement.

Association of Realtors (KWAR) has awarded an honorary membership to Dieter Wolle and the Volunteer Award to Karen Shartun. Wolle is the former broker of record and founder of Royal LePage Wolle Realty. He sold the firm to his son Mark in 2011 and retired in 2017 after 54 years in real estate. “In KWAR’s 80-year history, the title of honorary membership has been bestowed only 15 other times,” says KWAR president Tony Schmidt. “Dieter is certainly very deserving of this award. He has contributed a great deal to our industry, through his integrity and his fierce belief that it was his responsibility as a broker/owner to make sure his Realtors were trained properly for success.” Shartun has been a member of KWAR since 1990. She is twotime past president and a salesperson with Royal LePage Wolle Realty. “Karen is a devoted volunteer who treats her volunteerism with the same degree of seriousness and professionalism as she does her role as a Realtor,” says KWAR EO Bill Duce.

tion, growth and leadership. The firm is Royal LePage’s largest independently owned brokerage, with 10 locations and more than 1,000 Realtors in Toronto and GTA.

REIC announces 2018 Pursuit of Excellence Award winners The Real Estate Institute of Canada (REIC), which provides advanced education to professionals in the real estate industry, recently announced the recipients of the 2018 REIC Pursuit of Excellence Awards. REIC Emeritus Award: Crystal Deley, Accredited Condominium Management Services, Calgary; Ron Penner, Globe Property Management, Winnipeg J. A. Weber Award: Yolanta Murphy, CMHC Edmonton Murray Bosley Sales & Leasing Member of the Year: Ken Finch, Royal LePage Signature Realty, Oakville, Ont. Real Estate Management Member of the Year Award: John Bowen, Canderel Commercial Services, Toronto REIC Finance Member of the

Year Award: Michael LaPorte, NLD Consulting, Burnaby, B.C. REIC Community Services Award: Jim Burton, Re/Max Infinity Realty, Conception Bay South, Nfld.; Mercedes Wong, Prompton Real Estate Services, Vancouver W.P.J. McCarthy Corporate Citizen of the Year Award: Gateway Property Management, Delta, B.C. QuadReal Literary Award: Barry Lebow, Re/Max Ultimate Realty, Toronto QuadReal Excellence Award: Gord Kinney, London, Ont. Chapter Administrator of the Year: Myla Bicol, REIC B.C. Chapter Chapter Initiative of the Year Award: Real Estate Institute of Manitoba Don Hill Award - Large Chapter: REIC Toronto Chapter Don Hill Award - Small Chapter and Chapter of the Year: Real Estate Institute of Manitoba In addition, the REIC Calgary Chapter received the IREM Outstanding Canadian Chapter Award. REM

Royal LePage Your Community Realty takes top honours Royal LePage Your Community Realty and president/owner Vivian Risi was awarded Top Brokerage of the Year for Ontario as well as the honorable National Top Brokerage of the Year recently by Royal LePage. The AE LePage award, presented by Phil Soper, CEO of Royal LePage, recognized Royal LePage Your Community Realty for business excellence, innova-

From left: Sandra Webb, senior VP of marketing and communications, Royal LePage; Carolyn Cheng, COO, Royal LePage; Justin Risi EVP, Royal LePage Your Community Realty; Vivian Risi, owner/president, Royal LePage Your Community Realty; Michelle Risi, EVP, Royal LePage Your Community Realty; and Phil Soper, president/CEO, Royal LePage.

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An analyst with decades of experience and know-how in the Real Estate Industry • BREACH OF BUYERS REPRESENTATION AGREEMENT

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Kim Tyndall of CMHC presents the Distinguished Realtor Award to Gary Busch.

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24 REM JULY 2018

What’s

Patrick Pichette, interim vice president of marketing and IT at CREA says, “Through a pilot on Realtor.ca, we saw a significant increase in the number of consumers who connected with Realtors from listings with this hyper-localized neighbourhood information, so it’s clearly influential in the home buying journey.”

Century 21 to send listings to Zillow

New Local Logic provides neighbourhood data to Realtor.ca Local Logic is partnering with CREA to provide property-specific neighbourhood data for Realtor.ca. “This partnership is further evidence that the real estate industry in Canada acknowledges the importance of neighbourhood and lifestyle data for home buyers,” says Vincent-Charles Hodder, CEO of Local Logic. The company says it collects and shares location characteristics to assist prospective buyers, and real estate professionals, in finding just the right spot. “Scores ranging from walkability, nearby transit and even street sound levels paint a virtual picture of the location before even setting foot on the property,” says the company in a news release.

Zillow will soon receive a direct listing feed from Century 21 Canada to display on its U.S.based website. “We are thrilled to partner with Century 21 Canada and help drive more exposure to their listings,” says Errol Samuelson, Zillow Group chief industry development officer. “We also know U.S. buyers are interested in purchasing Canadian real estate, so we’re excited to offer the millions of buyers already coming to Zillow for their home search an easy way to see homes for sale in Canada and connect with an agent to help navigate the sale.” Zillow says it has relationships with thousands of brokerages and real estate agents, and hundreds of MLSs in the U.S. The company is expanding these efforts in Canada and says it expects to feature Canadian listings, including those from Century 21 Canada, on Zillow later this year. “This agreement mirrors the

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partnership Century 21 in the United States has with Zillow,” says Jack Miller, chief technology officer at Century 21 Canada. “We have a long history of leading the way when it comes to technology and real estate marketing. We are pleased to be the first company in Canada to secure a partnership with Zillow Group – one that will no doubt benefit our sellers and our entire network.”

App connects to buyers in less than 30 seconds Casalova recently launched its new platform, Boss Agent, which enables clients who are actively searching to buy or rent a home to connect with nearby agents who are online and ready to schedule showings. Operating on a firstcome-first-serve basis, agents can connect with clients in less than 30 seconds, the company says. “Creating a consistent flow of high-quality leads has never been easy,” says Ray Jaff, CEO of Casalova. “We’ve created a solution that gives agents their time back so they can refocus on what they do best: connecting with clients and closing deals.” “By taking active househunters and pairing them directly, in real time, with local, online Realtors, we’re seeing agents close deals at a rate of five to 20 per cent,” says Jaff. “This is a considerable ROI, considering the industry average is less than two per cent from other lead-gen tools.” Available for iOS and Android, new Boss Agent users receive a one-time $100 lead credit in their account. Once this credit has been used, users can pay $5 to $15 per lead. New leads are valued based on the estimated commission that could be earned from each property that the client wants to view. For information: www.casalova.com. REM

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Why 5% of Canadian Real Estate Agents collect 95% of All Commissions (and how to move yourself into this top tier)

By Kevin Flaherty I became licensed to sell real estate in 1988. At that time, Realtors would take a single black and white picture of a listing, put a sign on the lawn, a lock box on the door and maybe run an open house or an ad in the local paper. Fast forward 30 years and many Realtors donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do much more today. I suspect that explains why 5% of the Realtors collect 95% of the commissions. The question is why. I believe the answer breaks into two primary areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. 1. Educational requirements: To be successful in real estate today, Realtors must be able to effectively market both their own services and their sellersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; houses. While obtaining a real estate license teaches us about agency, contract law, principles of appraisal and even marketing legal requirements, it simply doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t teach Realtors how to be successful. The challenge here is that marketing today has become extremely complex. Some Realtors believe they can take a course on marketing and somehow this will prepare them for what awaits. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just not true. In the past, I struggled with the belief that I could teach myself. What I had not anticipated was that

most of what I spent valuable time learning was obsolete shortly thereafter. The other thing I failed to realize was that if I became successful, I simply wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have time to actually do all the marketing myself or call back all the leads. The breakthrough for me was attending the Millionaire-Agent-Maker Discovery Day led by International Real Estate Coach, Craig Proctor, and

trying to reinvent the wheel. this out, he had networked the top Realtors in North America who were willing to share best practices and new strategies in real time. This enabled me to not only generate an abundance of business, but presented an entirely new challengeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; i.e. servicing the business. Fortunately, Craigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s system also focuses on building a team to do exactly that.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the things it takes time for new Realtors out is that if they ask a R ealtorrs to to figure fi colleague colleaague in their office what they should do, is more likely to tell do, that thatt colleague co ol them them m to o ggo o rright ig when they should go left.â&#x20AC;? ultimately asking Craig to coach me through his Ultimate Real Estate Success System. As a highly successful agent himself right here in Canada for over twenty years (Craig was twice #1 for RE/MAX Worldwide and top ten for RE/MAX throughout his career), Craig had developed a real world real estate success system that is second to none. When I

program, I was shocked and very disappointed I had not joined sooner. You see, out what ads in what media worked best and had wasted years and thousands of dollars experimenting. The reality was, I had been

2. Mentorship: In my opinion, big real estate corporations and their national advertising campaigns not only mislead the public, but also mislead new Realtors as well. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face it, Realtors are independent contractors and not part of a large â&#x20AC;&#x153;familyâ&#x20AC;? when they join a brokerage. The reality is when a new Realtor shows up for work on day one, they are on their own. Some brokerages claim they have great

â&#x20AC;&#x153;trainingâ&#x20AC;? and a â&#x20AC;&#x153;managerâ&#x20AC;? that will help them every step of the way, but if that actually worked, why do 95% of Realtors do an average of only three or four transactions per year? In fact, it gets even worse. One of the things it takes time for new Realtors ask a colleague in their that colleague is more likely to tell them to go right when they should go left. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simply because they are competing against each other in the same market. Because of Craigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s help, I have been able to build a successful business / team that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rely on me daily. I have been iPro Realtyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top producing Realtor for the past eight years based on gross sales out of over 950 other Realtors in the company (2010 to 2017). Craig taught me the importance of working on my business and not in it. With a personal coach guiding me every step of the way, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t waste time going down the wrong paths. As I write this, I am in

Proctor â&#x20AC;&#x153;Money Making Summitâ&#x20AC;? where I will spend the next four days having the top Realtors in North America share with me whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s working best for them. These training events are a huge part of what has helped me get to where I am. Additionally, I

Kevin Flaherty, Orangeville, ON iPro Realtyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Top Producing Realtor (2010-2017) out of over 950 other Realtors

attend three webinars per week where specialists, including Craig Proctor, help me succeed. My team now consists of eight salaried employees and nine successful Realtors. We offer our clients one of the strongest unique selling propositions in the industry today. Yep, you guessed it â&#x20AC;Ś Craig taught me the importance of that too. After a decade with the Proctor system, I am now honoured to be a Coach and happy to give back and help other Realtors in the industry service their clients better live a happier and lifestyle. If you would like to ask me more about how Craigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s system can help you too, simply email me at Coaching@Flaherty.ca. If you are a Realtor in the Dufferin/Peel or surrounding area and are interested in joining my team, feel free to call me direct at 226-916-0595.

Read More About Successful Canadian Agents like Kevin, and Learn How to Attend the Craig Proctor Millionaire-Agent-Maker Discovery Day Responsible for Kevinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Success at:

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26 REM JULY 2018

Good Works Pictured: Brian Fernandes (left), and Michael Squeo (right)

Welcome, Brian and Michael! Please join us in welcoming new Owner, Brian Fernandes and Broker of Record, Michael Squeo of the new RE/MAX ELITE Real Estate! With a combined 50 years of real estate industry experience, Michael and Brian have opened the doors to their new RE/MAX office. Their team will primarily focus on servicing Markham and the GTA. At their storefront boutique mall location, RE/MAX ELITE Real Estate will specialize in new home and condominium projects. As dedicated brokers, their office will be sure to stand out from the rest in their high-traffic location. Brian and Michael wanted a powerful brand behind their business — a brand that symbolizes longevity and strong presence in the real estate industry. RE/MAX was the obvious choice.

service thanks to the hard work, dedication and integrity of the ofﬁce’s agents. Michael and Brian will provide training for new and seasoned agents to ensure the continued growth and success of their team. Michael and Brian will be involved in philanthropic work and charitable endeavours in their local communities. Keep an eye open for their community work in the coming months! A very warm welcome and congratulations to Michael and Brian on making this exciting decision. We look forward to seeing your future success with the RE/MAX name behind you! RE/MAX ELITE Real Estate is located at 3255 Hwy 7 East, #152, Markham ON.

The RE/MAX ELITE Real Estate mission is to provide all clients with a professional level of 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

even real estate brokerages in the South Surrey/White Rock, B.C. area came together recently to support the Hike for Hospice, raising $7,500 for the Peace Arch Hospice Society. “We want to raise awareness for this incredible local service,” says Edie Takahashi, who organized her industry’s presence at the fundraiser. “We had Sutton Group - West Coast Realty (White Rock), Sutton - Premier Realty, HomeLife Benchmark Realty, Bay Realty, Re/Max Colonial Realty, Hugh McKinnon Realty and Macdonald Realty representing our local real estate community.” The sales associates greeted participants and handed out more than 200 Realtors Care goody bags.

LePage Northstar Realty in Surrey, B.C. participated in the 122nd running of the Boston Marathon recently in support of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. She raised $2,500, bringing Kisiloski’s Marathon for Shelter fundraising total to more than $8,500. The funds were donated to SourcesCommunity Resource Centres. “We definitely had the most miserable weather in the history of the Boston Marathon, with chilling rains, torrential downpours and headwinds as strong as 45 mph,” says Kisiloski. “Conditions impacted the field considerably and about 3,000 registered runners failed to start to avoid injury. Thankfully, I was able to persevere and will wear my finishers’ jacket proudly!”

■ ■ ■

Barbara Ann Kisiloski of Royal

The Western Hockey League,

in partnership with Re/Max, raised more than $265,500 to promote organ donation in an event spearheaded by hockey personality Don Cherry. WHL fans purchased special Don Cherry suit-themed jerseys and registered to be organ donors at CanadaDonates.ca. The $265,500 raised is the Kidney Foundation of Canada’s largest public awareness and fundraising campaign for organ donation. “Being involved with the Cherry family and the Kidney Foundation was a very exciting opportunity for us,” says Elton Ash, regional EVP, Re/Max of Western Canada. “As long-time supporters of organ donation across Canada we hope this partnership has increased the awareness about how critical it is to be an organ donor. Many lives can be enriched and saved when you register as a donor.” ■ ■ ■

Search Realty, based in Mississauga, Ont. is supporting children’s health by contributing one per cent of every sale to SickKids Hospital in Toronto. The hospital provides treatment to over 100,000 children each year and is Continued on page 28

Pictured: Darryl Swarts (left), and Rhyus Reeves (right)

Welcome, New Owners of RE/MAX Erie Shores Realty! After over 28 years of success as a RE/MAX Broker/ Owner, Brian Holden of RE/MAX Erie Shores Realty Inc. has announced his retirement. We thank Brian for his inspiring commitment and all he has done over the years to grow the RE/ MAX brand in Norfolk County. Brian has been a wonderful partner with RE/MAX INTEGRA and we wish him the very best as he embarks on his well-deserved retirement. Taking over the ship for Brian and with a combined 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, Rhyus Reeves and Darryl Swarts will continue RE/MAX Erie Shores’ real estate legacy as the new Broker/Owners. We are thrilled to welcome Rhyus and Darryl in their new roles! Proudly serving Norfolk County in Ontario, RE/MAX Erie Shores Realty Inc. is standing by 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.

its mission statement of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Rhyus and Darryl have supported numerous community events and organizations in the past such as the Yard Sale for the Cure event for the last ten years. Continuing on the tradition, Rhyus and Darryl will continue their support and commitment to local Norfolk charities as Broker/Owners. Congratulations to Rhyus Reeves and Darryl Swarts on becoming Broker/Owners! We couldn’t be happier to be a supporter, advocate, and resource in your forever-growing business journey! With RE/MAX, your opportunities for success are truly endless. RE/MAX Erie Shores Realty Inc.’s main ofﬁce is located at 103 Queensway E, Simcoe, Ontario.

remaxintegra.com

Recently the salespeople and staff at Re/Max Crown Realty in Sudbury rode through their community on the Big Bike in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The Big Bike has 30 seats, and they were all full of riders, who got their hearts pumping for this annual event. The office has been participating in this charitable initiative for many years and the team has donated close to $25,000 locally. Barbara Ann Kisiloski of Royal LePage Northstar Realty celebrates completing the 2018 Boston Marathon.

Participants in the Hike for Hospice in White Rock, B.C.

From left: Don Cherry, WHL commissioner Ron Robison and Jeremy Cossette of Re/Max of Western Canada present a cheque for $265,500 to Kurtis Krug of the Kidney Foundation of Canada at the 100th Mastercard Memorial Cup in Regina.

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28 REM JULY 2018

Good Works Continued from page 26

Pictured: Sunil Sally (left), and Ron Sally (right)

Welcome, Sunil and Ron! We are thrilled to welcome Sunil Sally & Ron Sally of the new RE/MAX Millennium Real Estate to the RE/MAX network! With a combined experience of over 17 years in real estate and Sunil’s 18+ Years experience in the finance and mortgage industry, they enthusiastically joined the RE/MAX network. Their undeniable focus on strong brand presence, commitment to training, dedication to clients and devotion to excellence within the real estate industry attracted Sunil and Ron to pursue this new endeavour with RE/MAX. RE/MAX Millennium Real Estate will help agents maximize their earning potential by providing powerful business tools, access to leads and referrals and training for all stages of their career that builds their skills and fills their sales pipeline. They will focus on Residential, 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.

Commercial and Pre-construction properties. With strong marketing efforts, valuable resources, lunch and learns and community engagement events, Sunil and Ron are conﬁdent their ofﬁce will make a mark in the industry. Actions speak louder than words, which is why agents are supported by a strong brand, culture of collaboration and innovation, and have access to the services and leadership they need to be successful and grow their business. Congratulations to Sunil Sally and Ron Sally on becoming RE/MAX INTEGRA Ontario-Atlantic Canada’s newest Broker/Owners! We cannot wait to see your future and continued success in real estate. RE/MAX Millennium Real Estate is located at 81 Zenway Boulevard in Woodbridge, Ontario.

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also a major research centre. Sterling Wong, owner of Search Realty, says he has personal experience with what the hospital provides. “Right from my childhood days, I wanted to give back to the people who helped me when I needed it most. We feel extremely privileged to have our permanent plaque in the main hallway of SickKids. This will inspire us to continue to support them in the future.” In recognition of donor contributions of $50,000 or more, SickKids erects permanent plaques along the walls of the hospital. ■ ■ ■

Recently Royal LePage offices and their agents, staff and other volunteers from across Canada hosted the 10th Annual National Garage Sale for Shelter, raising $150,000 for women’s shelters and domestic violence prevention and education programs. The event has raised more than $3 million over 10 years. “We’re deeply appreciative of all our wonderful National Garage Sale for Shelter organizers and vol-

unteers,” says Royal LePage Shelter Foundation executive director Shanan Spencer-Brown. “Their hard work in both fundraising and creating awareness of their local shelters is an incredible investment in helping thousands of women and children lead safer, happier and more hopeful lives.” ■ ■ ■

of The Royal Henley Retirement Community in St. Catharines, Ont. The initiative was part of the community’s Living List program, which grants “bucket list” wishes to its residents. Broker Bryan Grant of Re/Max Garden City helped to co-ordinate the event along with Re/Max Integra. ■ ■ ■

Hanlon Realty in St. John’s, Nfld. has been actively supporting the Kids School Lunch Association of Newfoundland for several years. Hanlon was recently a major sponsor for the association’s first annual Radiothon Fund Raiser. The event was raised more than $45,000, which will help provide many lunches. On the day of the Radiothon, Hanlon agents stepped up and raised $3,000 in a three-hour period, which was donated to the cause in addition to the sponsorship. Hanlon Realty and owner Wayne Hanlon has helped to raise more than $150,000 for local charities. ■ ■ ■

The Re/Max balloon recently took to tethered flight with riders Peter, 86, and Diana, 84, residents

Sutton - Premier Realty recently hosted its second annual Comedy Night Fundraiser, generating $2,100 to assist local children and families in Surrey, B.C. It was used for projects including food and toy hampers for the Surrey Christmas Bureau, Superstore gift cards for select students at Harold Bishop Elementary and the team’s own “Bring on the Balls” campaign to encourage donations of sports balls for teenagers, who are often overlooked during holiday gift giving. Approximately 90 people enjoyed the show. “Great evening with lots of laughter and smiles all around!” says broker Larry Anderson. Volunteers from Sutton Premier Realty handled ticket sales, greeted guests and sold lottery tickets to raise extra money. REM

Neru Johal from Sutton Group – Premier wore the festive “lottery hat” to sell tickets at the Comedy Night.

Congratulations, Ricky Rathore!

Hanlon Realty agents raised more than $3,000 in three hours for the Kids School Lunch Association. From left, front row: Wayne Hanlon, owner of Hanlon Realty; Ken Hopkins, executive director of the association; Will Pinsent, sponsor from Coast 101.1 radio; Richard Kennedy, broker at Hanlon Realty with his wife Susan; and Shane Bruce, COO of Hanlon Realty. Several proud Hanlon agents stand behind them. Re/Max balloon takes retirees on a flight they won’t soon forget.

Congratulations to Ricky Rathore Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Empire Realty, Brokerage! Ricky is the 2017-2018 recipient of the David Rossi Committee Service award presented by TREB for his outstanding contribution while serving on the Young Professionals Network committee. We are incredibly proud of Ricky’s accomplishment! Thank you for all that you do! RE/MAX Empire Realty is located at 8321 Kennedy Rd, Unit 92-93, Markham, 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.

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National Garage Sale for Shelter volunteers at Royal LePage Connect Realty in Toronto.

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30 REM JULY 2018

THE PUBLISHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PAGE

By William Molls grew up with this magazine youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re reading. Literally. My dad, Heino, launched this humble publication 29 years ago, and as a result Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had the good fortune of spending nearly my entire life surrounded by some the biggest names in Canadian real estate. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve watched a generation of dramatic developments happen in this industry, and the rapid technological changes that contributed to them. Believe it or not, I can remember a time without the internet, smartphones and social media. I remember what my life was like

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The quality and value you deserve before these incredible discoveries became absolute necessities. In the past, it took generations to feel the impact of technological shifts like the printing press and industrial revolution, and yet weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve witnessed just such a change in less than half a lifetime. There have been powerful and startling consequences for the real estate industry as a result. Previously unimaginable digital platforms for sales and marketing, more exact and demanding expectations from buyers and sellers and a faster-paced environment for real estate professionals. For our magazine, too, there have been significant consequences. Newspapers and magazines are facing an ongoing existential crisis, as more readers move online, where they expect the same quality of content but now for no cost at all. REM is no exception to this trend. Our readers, like your clients, have extremely high stan-

dards and expectations. But quality journalism, like a quality real estate salesperson, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come for free, and even if you expect exceptional service at half the cost, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find you only get what you pay for. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure you tell your clients this all the time: Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a real value to what you do. You should be proud of that. In journalism today, like in real estate, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy enough to go it alone. When searching for whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening our industry, you might hop around between cheaply produced news sites with less than reputable sources, the same way a For Sale By Owner seller might think that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need an agent they can trust because they can consult with questionable Russian websites and YouTube videos to learn about buying and selling real estate. Do you believe that online listings have made all real estate agents unnecessary and out-ofdate? I bet you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. You understand that, while many things have

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changed, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still a great value in the services you offer. No technological advancement can change the need for quality service from someone you can trust. Personally, I still believe in the value of quality journalism, and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe a new kind of media technology must mean the end of everything that came before it. Radio didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t kill newspapers, and television didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t kill radio. Instead, after each of these generational changes, the medium survived through transformation and adaptation. In the same way that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a value to Realtors, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s value in quality journalism and analysis. This industry deserves to have a trusted news magazine like REM to provide in-depth insight and analysis of the many dramatic changes that impact Canadian real estate. Any website or blog, produced by someone overseas or some major conglomerate with little

actual understanding of this industry, can reproduce superficial headlines and wire stories. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the quality news and analysis you deserve. What REM provides, as a fully independent and 100-per-cent Canadian news magazine, is a dependable, well-respected source for in-depth reporting and analysis of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s real estate industry. We will continue to adapt to and embrace new technology, but we will never go back on that promise. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all those who have wished my father a happy retirement and myself the best of luck with this new era we now embark on at REM. I look forward to our next 29 years and beyond, together. William Molls is president and CEO of REM. Email will@remonREM line.com.

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