July 2010

Issue #253

July 2010

Don Lawby Century 21 Canada’s president talks about syndication of listings and the future of Canadian real estate Page 8

John Bowes on 60 years of change Page 12

iPad real estate apps Page 18

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RE Marketing 6-10.indd 1

6/14/10 1:44:39 PM

REM JULY 2010 3

Rankings stir up Canadian brokerages While many companies welcomed the Real Trends survey, others greeted it with suspicion or indifference.

The lists rank Canadian real estate brokerages by sides and closed dollar volume. By Jim Adair

I

n the United States, research company Real Trends has been producing Top 500 brokers lists for 22 years, ranking the country’s real estate firms by sides (number of transactions) and closed sales dollar volume. This year the company made its first foray into the Canadian market, and while many companies welcomed the Real Trends survey, others greeted it with suspicion or indifference. When the two lists of the top 200 firms in Canada were first released to real estate firms and selected media outlets in April, there was an uproar. Some companies felt that their competitor’s numbers were incorrect, and others were angry they were left off the lists.

“There was some misunderstanding and some finger pointing,” says Steve Murray, publisher of the list and editor at Real Trends. “There were some things that were wrong with the list, so we dealt with that and took full responsibility for it.”

Real Trends asked media outlets, including REM, to wait until the list was finalized before releasing it. However, one newspaper chain chose to print the top 10 from each list, despite the fact that some numbers were incorrect,

says Murray. Included in the corrections was the No. 1 ranking on the dollar volume list.

not to participate, and apologise to any that we inadvertently did not reach.”

The top spot on both lists goes to Royal LePage’s 15 corporately owned offices. Second place on the sides list is Royal LePage Team Realty and Royal LePage Gale – two offices in the Ottawa area with the same ownership, which allows them to be combined under the parameters of the list. Second place on the dollar volume list goes to MacDonald Realty Group’s 13 corporately owned offices in B.C.

Real Trends sent surveys to any companies it believed might have a minimum of 500 sides closed in 2009, and received more than 200 surveys back. The information was verified by an external auditor’s letter or by approval from the franchisor.

Re/Max franchises dominate, taking 130 of the top 200 spots on the largest brokers list. The company purchased a two-page ad in the June issue of REM and reprinted the entire top 200 list.

Real Trends says the new lists are accurate but admit they may have missed some brokerages, particularly large independent firms. Others chose not to participate. “We know that there are companies that would qualify in this list that are not in it,” says Real Trends’ Nicolai Kolding. “We made every effort we could to reach them. We certainly respect the decision of those that we reached that chose

Why would a company that knows it isn’t No. 1 in its marketplace want to be part of the survey? “There are nuggets in the list for any company to use effectively to tell people the story of who you are,” says Kolding.

“You may not be the biggest but maybe you have a better per person productivity – maybe you are the biggest in a particular submarket segment or maybe your average sale price turns out to be better. Even with the relatively simple metrics that are in this – offices, agents, volume and sales – there are a number of different stats you can pull out of this.

Bigger is not always the best.”

Kolding says there are some interesting comparisons between the Canadian survey results and those in the U.S. “Productivity per office was significantly higher, on

Real Trends Largest Brokers in Canada, top 10 (ranked by sides): 1.Royal LePage Real Estate Services, Toronto (9,849) 2.Royal LePage Team Realty & Royal LePage Gale, Ottawa (7,697) 3.Re/Max Realtron, Markham, Ont. (7,390) 4.Re/Max Twin City Realty, Kitchener, Ont. (6,802) 5.Re/Max Hallmark Realty, Toronto (6,785) 6.Re/Max Real Estate Centre, Cambridge, Ont. (6,779) 7.Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty, Belleville, Ont. (6,627) 8.MacDonald Realty, Vancouver (6,335) 9.Royal LePage Your Community Realty, Richmond Hill, Ont. (5,323) 10.Century 21 Conexus Realty, Regina (5,306)

Steve Murray

Nicoli Kolding

average, in Canada than the U.S. (598 transaction sides per office in Canada vs. 367 in the U.S. and dollar volume $176 million (Cdn) in Canada vs. $97 million (US) in the United States),” says Kolding. “This despite the fact that the Canadian group had fewer agents per office than their comparables in the U.S.”

go smoother next year. “I think that when nothing like this has been published before, everyone is free to make their own claims – and someone like us comes out and says we verified this stuff and got third-party verification of the data…and it turns out that maybe some firms are still very large but there are other firms that are every bit as strong. It’s a stunner because all of a sudden it knocks the legs out from under your public relations.”

Murray says the difference may be because the Canadian real estate industry is more consolidated than in the U.S. and the amount of money that brokerages retain after the sales reps have been paid is less.

Brokerages in Canada need higher productivity in order to survive, he says.

Real Trends plans to make the rankings an annual event and Murray says things should

Kolding says the goal going forward is to make sure all firms are aware of the survey and to make it easier to submit their data online.

Both lists are available at www.realtrends.com for $35 US. REM

Real Trends Largest Brokers in Canada, top 10 (ranked by closed sales volume) 1. Royal LePage Real Estate Services, Toronto ($5,029,207,255) 2. MacDonald Realty Group, Vancouver ($4,710,426,423) 3. Re/Max Real Estate Central, Calgary ($2,752,198,032) 4. Re/Max Hallmark Realty, Toronto ($2,710,451,789) 5. Re/Max Realtron Realty, Markham ($2,676,282,077) 6. Royal LePage Team Realty & Royal LePage Gale, Ottawa ($2,224,549,009) 7. Prudential Sussex Realty, North Vancouver ($1,979,991,706) 8. Re/Max Real Estate Centre, Cambridge, Ont. ($1,814,460,130) 9. CIR Realty, Calgary ($1,753,292,010) 10. Royal LePage Your Community Realty ($1,748,396,784)

Productivity Report: Average sides per agent: 14.5 • Average volume per agent: $4,319,000 • Average sides per office: 608.2 • Average volume per office: $188,314,189 • Average agents per office: 41.9

4 REM JULY 2010

Multiple Listings

By Jim Adair

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

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

M

ichel Friedman has been named general manager of HomeLife Realty’s Canadian operations.

Friedman was licensed to sell real estate in 1990 and received his broker license in 1992. Over the years he worked for various real estate companies as a salesperson and manager and as broker of record for his own multi-branch real estate company. He has been active at the Toronto Real Estate Board in the Education, Bylaws and Ethics Committees.

Friedman is also an approved speaker for the TREB Professional Development program and for various Real Estate Council of Ontario courses.

HomeLife says that Friedman’s mandate is to “expand the HomeLife brand in Canada and to implement the ‘No agent left behind’ corporate motto of education and higher production for all HomeLife agents.”

■ ■ ■

Mike McCarron, formerly a franchise business associate with Exit Realty International, has been named supervisor of growth and development for Canada.

McCarron, who originally joined Exit as a franchisee, was instrumental in building one of Exit’s most productive offices in Canada along with his former partner, Ron Young, who still operates the bro-

kerage, the company says.

“Mike transitioned from franchisee to head office team player with absolute finesse. His business acumen, tremendous initiative and his dynamic enthusiasm are key ingredients to his success,” says Joyce Paron, president – Canada.

“He will be part of the ongoing growth and development of Exit across Canada, which is targeted for over 320 franchisees and over 18,000 sales associates.”

■ ■ ■

The former Alison Realty GMAC Real Estate brokerage, with 17 sales reps and offices in Peterborough and Bowmanville, Ont., has become Realty Executives Alison. Broker/owner Clarence Collison was president of the Peterborough and Kawartha Association of Realtors in 2008/09 and has been an agent in the market since 1985.

“Our goal is always to remain the best, not necessarily the largest, team of real estate professionals,” says Collison. “By aligning with Realty Executives, our clients and agents benefit from a culture with strong family values and the most progressive technology and tools.”

Collison says the Peterborough and Durham markets have been very strong this spring due to the continuing low interest rates, pending HST tax increase and the creation of new jobs.

“Clarence’s team of experienced and productive real estate agents are among the most active and prominent Realtors in their communities because they intrinsically understand their marketplace,” says Scott Gilmour, president of franchise development for Realty Executives in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

“Couple their real estate knowledge with their work ethic and it is apparent they are a powerhouse.”

■ ■ ■

Mike McCarron

Gabriel Bianchi

Michel Friedman

Rod Forsythe

The team at Wise Move Realty.

Century 21’s new mobile platform.

Darren Murphy

Re/Max Premier of Vaughan and Re/Max Excellence Realty of Woodbridge, Ont. have merged and will now operate under the Re/Max Premier banner. The deal will result in greater market presence for Re/Max Premier, as its sales force could swell to 200 Realtors working out of three office locations.

“The community we serve has grown tremendously over the past decade,” says Gabriel Bianchi, broker/owner, Re/Max Premier. “We have been looking to expand for some time to address our evolving marketplace. This deal presented an unparalleled opportunity for growth by uniting two exceptionally successful companies that share a commitment to outstanding quality, service and results.

Our company culture and business philosophies meld so seamlessly, the situation could not be more ideal.”

Former broker/owner Patricia Costanzo of Re/Max Excellence

will remain with the expanded Re/Max Premier. “I believe the change to the Re/Max Premier banner will move the franchise to the next level. Re/Max Premier has the tools, the knowledge, the people and the strategic vision to be a serious frontrunner in the marketplace.”

■ ■ ■

Sales rep Rod Forsythe has joined KW Realty South of Calgary. Forsythe has been selling real estate since 1986 and has spent most of his career with Re/Max. “My focus has always been on service and learning,” says Forsythe. “This has allowed both my family and clients to expect the very best of me every day.”

■ ■ ■

Century 21 United Realty in Peterborough, Ont. recently welcomed Darren Murphy to the role of general manager. Murphy was formerly publisher and general manager of the Peterborough Examiner. He decided to make a career change after more than a decade in the media industry.

When he left the newspaper, he says, “It was reported on a radio morning show that I was running for mayor. The competing newspaper in the market ran a story that I was taking over as CEO of the United Way. The GM of the Petes Ontario Hockey League franchise left his position at around the same time, so it was rumoured that I was taking over that position. Other rumours had me running for the provincial Tories and becoming a swimming coach at Trent University. Instead I joined Carl Oake’s team at Century 21 United and caught everyone by surprise.”

Murphy says there are similarities between managing a real estate franchise and a news organization.

“The news business is a people business and real estate is much the same. It is the people that make the company successful and Century 21 United has really great people.”

■ ■ ■

Century 21 Canada has launched a mobile web platform for users of popular hand-held devices and smart phones, including Blackberry, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Google Android phones. Additional devices will be Continued on page 6

OPEN THE DOOR TO

VISIT YOUR LOCAL CENTURY 21 OFFICE TODAY...

Ask for MORE, before your clients ask YOU! You have to see it for yourself.

1-800-446-8737 | Century21.ca Independently Owned and Operated. ® TM, trademarks of Century 21 Real Estate LLC, used under license. ®™ Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under license by LoyaltyOne, Inc. and Century 21 Canada Limited Partnership.

6 REM JULY 2010

TREB loses motion against Lawrence Dale Former Realtysellers owner awarded $3,000 in costs

T

he Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) has lost a motion against lawyer Lawrence Dale and has been ordered to pay Dale $3,000 in costs within 30 days.

TREB’s motion was first brought before Justice David Brown of Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice in June 2009, when a trial involving Ontario broker Fraser Beach versus TREB was just beginning. Dale was one of the lawyers representing Beach, who was seeking restoration of his access to TREB’s MLS database.

TREB suspended Beach’s MLS access after learning that Beach, without TREB’s authorization, had downloaded thousands of TREB listings from the board’s MLS data-

vided the Competition Bureau with transcripts of the examination for discovery of Don Richardson, TREB’s CEO. Justice Brown dismissed Beach’s lawsuit in December 2009, agreeing with TREB’s argument that the broker had breached TREB’s Authorized User Agreement. At that time, the judge also announced that he was deferring dealing with TREB’s motion against Dale until a later date.

On June 14 of this year, Justice Brown announced his decision on the outstanding motion, ruling against TREB and awarding Dale $3,000 in costs. In advance of the judge’s decision, Dale’s legal counsel had asked the court for an

TREB alleged that Dale had provided the Competition Bureau with transcripts of the examination for discovery of Don Richardson, TREB’s CEO. base onto his discount brokerage’s public website, realestateplus.ca. In effect, TREB argued, this had given consumers access to the more extensive listing data that the board only made available to its membership.

The motion TREB brought against Dale claimed that, while representing Beach, Dale had breached the “deemed undertaking” rule (Rule 30.1). Specifically, TREB alleged that Dale had pro-

Cover photo: CRAIG HODGE

award of $11,500; TREB’s legal counsel had submitted that an award of $10,000 would be more appropriate. In his ruling, Justice Brown concluded that “an award of costs in the amount of $3,000 would be a reasonable one in the circumstances”, based on, among other reasons, the fact that the motion took half a day to argue, no pre-hearing examinations occurred; and the motion involved a “narrow factual and legal issue”.

By Kathy Bevan

While the contents of an email from Dale’s counsel to one of TREB’s lawyers indicated that transcripts had been provided to the Competition Bureau, Justice Brown said the person who actually provided the transcripts to the bureau had not been identified.

“While I have my suspicions about who, on the Beach side of the litigation, sent the transcripts to the Competition Bureau, suspicion is not good enough,” Justice Brown said in his decision.

“Accordingly, TREB has not established that Mr. Dale was the source

Multiple Listings Continued from page 4

added as development continues, the company says.

The mobile website offers mobile-device-optimized property search, real estate agent/office search and agent pages; proximity search, enabling users to find homes and offices near their current locations; functionality for consumers to view and save favourites; the ability to add properties and notes on the go; full integration with the Century21.ca website and more. iPhones users currently account for the majority of visits to Century21.ca from mobile devices, with iPods and Blackberry users coming in second and third, respectively. “Most of the approximately 900,000 monthly visits to Century21.ca still come from home computers,” says Century 21 Canada president Don Lawby.

“But mobile search optimization is the future of online real estate marketing, in my opinion.”

Alex Blyakhman, president

Publisher HEINO MOLLS email: heino@remonline.com

Editor JIM ADAIR email: jim@remonline.com

General Manager JOHN COOPER email: john@remonline.com

Senior Editor KATHY BEVAN email: kathy@remonline.com

Director, Sales & Marketing DENNIS ROCK email: dennis@remonline.com Brand Design SANDRA GOODER

Art Director LIZ MACKIN Graphic Design SHAWN KELLY

of the transcripts, so its motion against him must fail.”

Dale and TREB have not seen the last of each other in a courtroom – three legal cases involving those two parties, as well as others, are pending trial dates. One is the appeal Dale launched against Justice Brown’s December 2009 ruling in Beach v TREB. The second is a Breach of Settlement Action for $100 million Dale served in October 2009 against TREB, CREA and a number of related association and board officers. This second lawsuit is related and chief product officer of WhereToLive.com, which developed the platform, says, “Many smart phones today have search functionality equivalent to home computers. Their technology lets potential home buyers tour neighbourhoods, view properties, download pictures or videos and then share their favourites with friends anywhere in the world. As a marketer, your website had better provide a positive and problem-free experience for these users or they’ll go somewhere else.”

■ ■ ■

Exit Realty’s annual Canadian Franchisee Conference was held last month in Niagara Falls, Ont. Hosted by Paron, Ed Martens, senior VP franchise sales and McCarron, the two-day business immersion event included guest speakers Bruce Mullett and Anne Squires of Exit Realty on the Rock in St. John’s, Nfld.; Loretta Hughes of Exit Realty Fusion in Regina and Wayne Cochrane of Exit Realty Optimum in Dartmouth. Founder and CEO

to a settlement agreement originally reached in 2003 involving Realtysellers – the Toronto-based discount brokerage, now dormant, that Dale co-founded with Stephen Moranis.

The third is a $750 million lawsuit Dale served in April 2010 against TREB officials and members, as well as a number of other individuals, including senior executives from Royal LePage and Re/Max Ontario-Atlantic Canada. This action alleges breach of contract and actions contrary to the Competition Act. REM Steve Morris was the keynote speaker.

“The energy of this group is unstoppable. Everyone is focused on the goal of 40 per cent market share through the building of harmonious relationships with their agents and the public,” says Martens. “I have been in real estate for over 30 years and never felt this kind of excitement and intent.”

■ ■ ■

Wise Move Realty has become a member of the Aventure Realty Network. Broker/owner Hazel Ladouceur and an experienced team bring a full array of real estate services to the Petawawa, Pembroke, Deep and Chalk River, Ont. markets, and have established a strong record of working with military personal. Aventure members will continue to build their capacity to work with military personal by connecting their markets throughout the network, the company says. The network of independent broker members now has more than 50 locations and more than 2,000 Realtors. REM

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

Phone: 416.425.3504 www.remonline.com REM complies fully with the Canadian Real Estate Association's Rules for Trademarks (CREA Rule 16.5.3.1) REALTOR® and REALTORS® are trademarks controlled in Canada by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify licensed real estate practitioners who are members of CREA. MLS® and Multiple Listing Service® are trademarks owned by CREA and identify the services rendered by members of CREA. REM is published 12 times a year. It is an independently owned and operated company and is not affiliated with any real estate association, board or company. REM is distributed across Canada by leading real estate boards and by direct delivery in selected areas. Subscriptions are $40.95 per year (including $1.95 GST), payable by personal cheque. Entire contents copyright 2010 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.

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8 REM JULY 2010

In conversation with Don Lawby

Then we’ll see if there is another language we want to add, because we truly are a multi-cultural organization.

Century 21 Canada’s president and COO on the syndication of listings, the Competition Bureau, future real estate trends and his own career

REM: I understand you’re now awaiting the court’s ruling on the issue of proprietary listing data, in your lawsuit against Rogers and its Zoocasa.com syndication service. We haven’t yet seen other franchisors take up this legal battle – do you feel like a lone voice in the wilderness?

Lawby: Pretty much. I think that many in the industry don’t understand what’s happening to their data. They don’t understand, when they tick boxes that say, “I want the listing information to go everywhere”, what that really means.

I am not against syndication. I am against how it’s being done by organized real estate. Look at how hard it is for us to get data from our brokers to put on their site.

We go back and forth with boards about how to get the data, create the software and get each of our offices to agree. We don’t send the data anywhere; it’s on our franchisees’ and our brokers’ sites. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to do this and a company goes to a board and the board says, “Okay, no problem, here’s the data”? This takes the data outside the industry. And let me tell you, all of the companies that are using the data are using it to build forprofit businesses.

Maybe I am a lone voice, but I

will continue to speak out. I’m not against a salesperson or an office saying, “I want my data to go on Zoocasa.” I just want them to realize what that looks like, that’s all.

In future, I think we will see much more competitive sites providing information to the consumer on real estate transactions, with more and more proprietary data on the site – not just having the same data. That is, unless a decision comes from the court that says that companies have the right to take everybody’s data and put it on their own sites.

REM: Your company has been meeting with Royal LePage and Re/Max Ontario-Atlantic Canada to explore sharing each other’s listings on your corporate websites – what stage are those discussions at now?

Lawby: The three of us have hired a consultant we are collectively paying for, so that when we meet and talk, something actually happens from those discussions.

That consultant is representing our three companies and dealing with CREA, as we speak.

We’re endeavouring to find the ability to get data from one source – that would be the simplest way, if possible. But it truly is up to each of the boards as to how this is put together. So we’re talking with a number of bureaucracies and the timeframe is expanding and some of us are losing patience. We may just continue to endeavour to get data from CREA, a feed, but until we can do that, we may start getting data from some boards, with of course, the approval of salespeople and offices.

Our intention is to test and start and then anybody who belongs to organized real estate will be able to participate. There will be a fee, but will it be lots?

No. It will all be web-based – the simpler it is, the simpler it will work. If we can just take data from CREA, the fee will be whatever they’re going to charge. But if we’re pulling it all, sending it through and holding it on servers, then costs go up. We’re not trying

to build profit – this is a business for us to continue to compete, that’s all.

REM: And how is your new business model competing in 2010?

Lawby: We’re really happy with our business model today.

We’re becoming more of a recruiter and distributor of leads to our franchisees. We’re putting

panies that are doing that – most, if not all, in the U.S. – and we’re seeing how that is working.

The travelling I’ve been doing is to meet with groups of our brokers and salespeople to push our technology, which we consider to be the leading Internet technology in this space. We continue to push our people to use it to the maximum effect, to provide the best experience they can to the

PHOTO: CRAIG HODGE

C

entury 21 Canada’s president and COO, Don Lawby, has been with the franchisor since 1976, two years after he began working in real estate.

Lawby oversaw the significant restructuring of the corporation’s business model in the mid-1990s, in response to the surge of “head fee” alternatives. At the same time, the company began operating much more independently from its U.S.based parent firm. In 2007, it began a branding makeover; in the May issue of REM, Lawby announced a new corporate tagline – Connected to More – to draw consumer attention to its remodeled Century21.ca website. Recently, Lawby spoke with REM senior editor Kathy Bevan about the way his company and the industry continue to evolve.

REM: Is Century 21 still growing in Canada?

Lawby: Yes, we are. And with the re-acquisition of the management of the province of Quebec, we will have significant growth over the next 18 months.

In Quebec, we had a managing contract and we had to take court action last year. In October, we took it over and have reopened a corporate office.

We’ve already started to build franchises and started to recruit.

We didn’t lose any offices or people in the process. There was a sense of “what’s going to happen?”

But all of a sudden, we started to deliver service and we started to deliver tools. I took a translator and went and sat down in every office.

We were very candid with everyone – very straight. That’s the one thing I pride myself on – and our whole organization.

We’re ethical, we’re straightforward, we tell people how it is.

We’re not afraid to make decisions, we don’t make easy decisions – the easy decision is to say yes all the time; we don’t say yes all the time.

As well, we don’t just run C-21 Canada. We acquired and built Cendant Financial Group, a mortgage brokerage franchise, based in Vancouver. And we’ve just negotiated the rights for Real Property Management for Canada.

more and more actual, direct systems in place.

We believe, going forward, that there have to be benchmark systems where we can say, “Here is the system and when you put it in, these are the results that you’ll get.” We’ve watched other com-

consumer.

Today we have a website that operates in three languages – English, French and Chinese.

We’re launching a mobile application in English; by the end of June, it will be in French; in August, it will be in Chinese.

REM: What’s the fit you see with Real Property Management?

Lawby: There hasn’t been any national property management operation of this kind in Canada.

We’re not talking about the big buildings downtown – we’re talking about investor real estate, the type that gets looked after by salespeople. There are a lot of investors that buy three, four, five doors and get a Realtor or real estate salesperson to look after them. Many of those Realtors and salespeople do this just to make the sale – they don’t have any real proficiency in property management. When the toilet plugs in the middle of the night, they hate getting the call. When you start Continued on page 10

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talking about large offices, there’s an opportunity for a service to be put together. We think there are really good synergies for this.

Because of how this industry is, our franchisees need the opportunity to be able to connect to opportunities to have ongoing profitable businesses.

There continues to be pressure on commissions, both from consumers and from salespeople and profitability continues to be an issue in this industry. We believe that there are changes in what Generation X and Y want and look for – more lifestyle, that sort of thing – that will mean there will be more people turning to rental accommodation. So we continue to look at the business we’re in, which is the real estate industry.

That’s what we do – we look to the future and say, “How do we continue to build business and look after what it is that our franchisees and salespeople make a living doing?” I want to make sure that it is understood in each of the offices where we think this industry is going and how we think they need to address this – both salespeople and office owners – for their successes and our success.

REM: What are you hearing from your brokers and salespeople about the legal dispute between CREA and the Competition Bureau over access to MLS data?

Lawby: Everybody is concerned about what’s taking place within the real estate industry – nobody knows what the end effect will be. They all look around their marketplace and say, “We’re in a very competitive marketplace, we don’t understand.”

All we can say is, you need to fine-tune how you deliver the message of the value you bring to the transaction. People are willing to pay for value, for the value they see. Most consumers don’t understand the complexity of the transaction.

We have people in the industry saying, “We’re going to provide ‘no service’, we’ll just guarantee the data that is on the listing and put it on MLS for a fee and we won’t have anything to do with the transaction.” Well, in some provinces, they can’t do that – it’s against the act. So it’s not just

what the Competition Bureau says; it really depends on the acts within the provinces.

I look to the American example and see that commissions have held. Actually, in the last 12 months – maybe because of the kind of market it is – average commissions have increased. So the bottom isn’t falling out the industry and I don’t think it is going to fall out of the industry.

REM: What do you think the industry and your company will look like over the next few years and what will you focus on personally?

Lawby: Personally, my commitment to C-21 is to be here for the next three and a half years.

For me, over that time I want to make sure that I leave the organization in fine shape. I don’t want anyone to say that he rode the horse to the top of the hill and then jumped off. I really do care about the industry and my customers and their customers.

I’m thinking that sometime next year, I’ll do another national president’s tour – this will be my fourth one. We have 378 offices and I’ve hit close to all offices on each tour. Sometimes people will have three or four offices and we’ll visit all those in one location; it depends what works for each franchisee.

The reason I do these tours is because I like to do things that I don’t think some of my competitors would do. I go places that I’m not sure all my competitors will go to. I want to make sure I touch people who don’t come to company events. There are lots of those people in every organization – they just don’t come out. They’re my customers – they have a right to ask things that they want to know and to get the straight goods. I think that’s why we have a very good renewal rate and what I think is an excellent relationship with our franchisees.

As for the future of the industry, it will continue to have brands. Century 21, Re/Max, Royal LePage, Sutton will continue to do well with brands, because we will all do the things necessary to protect and build our brand with the consumer. And I can tell you that the consumer will pay for valued service, but it is up to salespeople in the industry to demonstrate the value they bring to the transaction. REM

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12 REM JULY 2010

Sixty years of change

As I approach my 83rd birthday and 60 years in the business (and counting), I still look forward to the challenge of each day at the office. Yet, as every good businessman does, I continue to prepare for change. By John Bowes

T

he old joke, “change is inevitable – except from a vending machine,” is as applicable today as it was 60 years ago.

Although people are naturally wary about change, there’s no question that our lives have been vastly improved by the evolution of business and industry. Real estate is no exception. The way real estate is bought and sold has changed a lot in six decades, but the principles remain the same. It takes a willing buyer, a willing seller and, in most cases, a qualified agent to negotiate an agreement satisfactory to both sides.

When I started my real estate career in June 1950, I was working with Ridout Real Estate, then the largest brokerage in Canada with some 600 salespeople in Toronto and Southern Ontario. Ridout was one of the first real estate firms to offer in-house training, which consisted of morning sessions in its Bay Street office in Toronto, followed by afternoon cold calling and door knocking.

Licensing was as simple as completing an application and filing a $1,000 bond with the Real Estate Registrar. Offers to purchase were brief and often

John Bowes began his real estate career in 1950 with Ridout Real Estate in Toronto. He was later co-founder of Bowes & Cocks in Peterborough. (Photo: Gordon Parks)

hand-written on the kitchen tables of buyers and sellers. The homes sold from its Danforth Avenue office were typically priced at $8,000. Our usual fee of five per cent ($400) was split 50-50 between the salesperson and the brokerage. Keep in mind that you could buy a new car for under $2,000 at the time.

When Bill Cocks and I started our own company, Bowes and Cocks, in 1956 we were required to write an examination to obtain registration as real estate brokers.

The test was taken at the home of an elderly local Justice of the Peace. The JP promptly fell asleep on his living room sofa. We both passed with flying colours and went on to build one of the largest brokerages in Ontario. The iconic firm is still active in parts of Eastern Ontario.

Most real estate organizations, like ours, began as small startups and expansion was generally regional in nature. A few trust companies were opening real estate divisions, but there weren’t any national real estate chains or franchises until much later. Bowes and Cocks acquired Canadian rights to Gallery Homes in the mid-1960s and established a scattering of franchised offices across the country – a very progressive move at the time. Yet the framework of a multi-office franchise was much different than today. In the early days, there was little sharing of property information among offices, until the introduction of Co-Operative Listings, which later became the Multiple Listing Service.

Even then, change was on the horizon. In 1967, a broker in Baltimore began applying emerging computer technology to real estate sales. Air force veteran Donald Grempler

developed a primitive card sorter, programmed to select property listings by location, price, number of rooms and other criteria. Bowes and Cocks was the first in Toronto to install the device. At a meeting of the Toronto Real Estate Board in 1968, TREB president Brian Magee inquired from the stage, “Mr. Bowes, do you think there is a future use for computers in selling real estate?”

To which I replied, “Yes. The time will come when every agent has to have one.” That got a good laugh from the crowd. I wonder what the real estate people of the ’50s and ’60s would think of today’s email communications and World Wide Web exposure.

Meanwhile, in Denver, a new revolution in real estate was brewing. Dave and Gail Liniger may not have invented the 100 per cent commission concept, but they certainly created a pioneering brand that has had remarkable world-wide success.

My wife Kelly and I had the good fortune to meet Frank Polzler and Walter Schneider in 1980 when they were starting to build one of the most successful regions in the Re/Max network. In our case, having sold my interest in Bowes and Cocks, we were struggling as an independent start-up company until we joined the franchise, and we have since grown to the largest brokerage in our region with 10 offices and 120 agents.

In the 30 years that followed, the real estate industry has experienced steady evolution.

A degree of self-governance of our industry, agent disclosure, PIPEDA, FINTRAC, GST, HST, Independent Contractors and a host of new rules seemed designed to make our lives more complicated. Apart from

Bowes was manager of the Ridout office when this home sold for $6,000 in 1954. The current owner, Peterborough Mayor Paul Ayotte, found the sign in his garage.

the changes in technology and regulations, we also have competition from discount brokers, FSBO marketers and their related websites.

Not to mention the rumblings heard down south this winter of Canada’s Competition Bureau vs.

CREA. We know that in the U.S. there are few, if any, restrictions on registered real estate people accessing MLS systems. This has led to the establishment of firms like Sarasota-based KeepCommissionRealEstate. com, which takes MLS listings for $299, plus a selling broker fee of three per cent. The broker/owner of this small firm conceded to me that most of her clients are not prepared to take buyer calls, arrange showings and negotiate offers, so instead many opt for further broker assistance at an additional fee. Speaking to established Realtors in the same market area, I was told that the presence of cut-rate listing services on their MLS system has not interfered with the operation or fee structures of full-service offices. As a result, I was pleased

to report back to my colleagues on the home front that the real estate world, as we know it, is not about to end.

Clearly, no matter what happens, people move forward.

Life – and business – moves forward as well. As I approach my 83rd birthday and 60 years in the business (and counting), I still look forward to the challenge of each day at the office. Yet, as every good businessman does, I continue to prepare for change.

My long-time associate, broker John Hope, has now acquired a half interest in our company, Re/Max Eastern Realty Inc., with a view to moving into the corner office a few years down the road. Despite this significant development, I am reminded that, sometimes, the more things change, the more they remain the same. My son, Michael, is now a Realtor with a full-service brokerage near our winter home in Florida. I guess some things never change… and that’s good too. REM

14 REM JULY 2010

Toronto CREW makes a difference with youth Programs provide after-school activities for children in disadvantaged neighbourhoods

I

f you happen to be waiting for a train in a Toronto subway station and notice the projected image of a colourful mural on a video screen there, take a minute to consider that somewhere in the city, there’s a group of teenagers who can possibly thank that mural for giving them a better shot at a decent life.

It’s an unfortunate fact that opportunities to participate in the arts may be severely limited for children in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The same goes for quality after-school programming that stimulates them and keeps them off the streets during the pivotal middle school years when they are easily led into trouble.

Statistics show that between 3 pm and 6 pm, unsupervised children and youth are more likely to engage in gang-related or delinquent behaviour, or to become victims of crime themselves.

By funding suitable programming, The Toronto branch of Canadian Real Estate Women (CREW), is making an effort to change this. CREW is an association of women (and some men) who work in commercial real estate and are committed to philanthropic pursuits that support the advancement of women in real estate and business, as well as of women’s issues, education and networking.

Students work on a mural at Beverley Heights Middle School in Toronto.

By all accounts, most of the money Toronto CREW uses to fund these pursuits comes from its hugely successful annual charity golf tournament, which last year brought in $85,000, says Toronto CREW president Barbara Bees.

“I don’t know of any other association that raises this much, all for philanthropic endeavours,” she says.

Toronto CREW looks to the Toronto Community Foundation – an umbrella for hundreds of community-minded organizations – to steer it towards suitable initiatives.

“We have very strict funding criteria. It’s a challenge to find things that meet it,” says Christina

Kobi, chair of Toronto CREW’s Foundation Committee. So she was excited when an existing collaborative Toronto Community Foundation program called Beyond 3:30 (offered at eight schools in some of Toronto’s poorest neighbourhoods) decided, among its other offerings, to introduce students to mural making in order to familiarize them with real-estaterelated trades such as design and architecture.

“It’s a good fit,” says Kobi, who especially likes the fact that the focus is on public art, architecture and education, and that female architects visit the students to discuss such things as real estate, struc-

tural concerns, artistic placement and gender issues related to the arts.

There’s now a plan underway to show some of the completed murals on video screens on Toronto subway platforms, sharing them with millions of people daily.

The Beyond 3:30 program is offered free to participating middle school students (generally grades 7, 8, and sometimes also 6 and 9) after school on week nights. Enrolment tends to be predominantly female.

“What happens is that a professional female artist is there with the kids every session, helping them to execute their work,” says Barbara Lilker, one of the architects involved. A female architect comes in at the beginning and end of the project to talk about such issues as, “how mural art can transform a space…the end result is always a permanent large-scale mural, done by students,” says Lilker.

They choose mural themes (community, academics, peace, the environment and inspirational women are some that have been selected) as well as sites, in conjunction with the architect and the school principal.

Lilker says the painted murals have appeared everywhere from in corridors and auditoriums to along lockers and lunch-room walls.

Some use different techniques, for

By Susan Doran instance clay, or batik quilting on cotton panels.

“The artist is the facilitator, teaching the kids how to use the different mediums. But the kids are the artists,” she says. “They have a chance to impact the quality of the spaces they inhabit; to make them better ... It’s a way to empower them. That seems to excite them a lot,” she says. “It’s about taking pride in your environment.”

In one school the basement corridor chosen for the mural was initially so dreary that students complained about getting tired just walking down it. So they decided to put a lot of movement in their mural, using vivid colours, “energy lines and silhouettes of kids moving down the hall,” says Lilker.

Transformations such as these cause students to really notice and understand their school’s architecture for the first time, says Julie Frost, executive artistic director for Arts for Children and Youth, a Toronto non-profit organization hired to help with the Beyond 3:30 program’s mural project upon its inception last fall.

“A lot of them say the mural really brightens up the space. A lot also say they never knew they could do it,” says Frost. “At first, students may say a space is too huge for a mural. But once they work together as a team they see they can achieve it.” REM

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16 REM JULY 2010

How to pick up a phone and dial

By Andy Herrington

I

know this sounds like a silly topic, how to pick up the phone. But you’d be amazed at how difficult a task this really is. If it was a simple case of grab the receiver in your dominant hand and lift, real estate would be a much easier game than it is. The picking up of the phone is the easy part; the dialing is where the problems begin. So many sales reps, on a daily basis, do their very best impression of a 15-year-old nerd calling the head cheerleader. A lot of phones worldwide are stared at all day long, with nothing accomplished.

Dialing the phone is a MENTAL game. You need a good energy level, a positive attitude and confidence in yourself, your message and your ability to handle all situations that might come up. When you have achieved this you will see an amazing thing start to happen.

Your ability to pick up the phone and dial will grow. Soon your love of picking up the phone will grow and then it will no longer

be a task or a necessary evil, it will be an amazing part of your business and one you look forward to every day.

Some things to try to help you build your mental game: 1. Set a reasonable daily goal for dials, contacts and appointments. And a prize for attaining them.

2. Do not worry about everything on your day timer, only the stuff you can get to – you will not get to it all. This is okay.

3. Use a headset when dialing.

Stand and walk around when dialing, have music in the background (quiet).

4. Role-play “out loud” a couple of successful calls prior to picking up the phone.

5. Take a break every 90 to 120 minutes for five or 10 minutes or if a client angers you on a call. Get up and walk around to take your mind away from calling. When you return, refocus and begin dialing again.

6. Know that the hardest dial is the first one. Call a friendly person or simply use the will power to begin dialing.

7. Watch funny or inspiring videos on www.youtube.com on your breaks.

8. Affirmations said out loud prior to calling or even prior to each call can work wonders. (try – “helping people”, “high energy, great message, lots of appoint-

ments”, “here is my next appointment” or “I’m an appointment booking machine”.)

9. Have a mirror in front of you and make sure you are smiling all the time.

10. Have a tally board so your accomplishments are noted and shown to the world. Know what is happening daily, monthly

and yearly.

Finally, have you completed your own personal goals this year? What goal specifically can be achieved through making these calls? What is the direct benefit to you to pick up the phone and dial? When you can answer that, you will be well on your way.

Andy Herrington is a Realtor with 10 years experience. He has worked for six years as a lead conversion agent on three top producing teams across the GTA. A founding member and master coach with Dan Plowman Team Systems Inc., he is regarded as a specialist in human behaviour, scripting and team development. Email andy@danplowmanteamsystems.com. REM

Boards and associations news wayne Hayes of Moncton was elected president of the New Brunswick Real Estate Association (NBREA) recently. Hayes has been a Realtor since 1999, and served on several local and provincial committees during the past eight years. He also served as a director of the Greater Moncton Real Estate Board for three years, chairing the board’s MLS and Technology committee, MLS Implementation Task Force and By-Law Task Force.

Also on the new Board of Directors are: first vice-president Paul Burns, Moncton; second vice-president Deborah Murchie, Fredericton; past-president Don

D

Ketchum, Saint John; secretarytreasurer Austin Drisdelle, Fredericton; and directors Chris Constantine of Moncton, Jason Stephen of Saint John, Diana Otteson of Fredericton, Robert Stewart of Northern and Roland Couturier, Valley. The government relations representative is Greg Davis, Northern and the government appointee is Hugh Whalen.

■ ■ ■

J. Yu of Montréal was the happy winner of the $25,000 down payment offered as part of the “Win a $25,000 Down Payment Contest” that was organized as part of the launch of centris.ca, Quebec’s new real

estate industry website.

“This money is totally unexpected and will help me buy my first home,” says Yu. Michel Beauséjour, CEO of the Québec Federation of Real Estate Boards, says, “It’s a great gift that will go toward a great investment. This down payment will enable a first-time buyer to acquire the property of their dreams.”

The contest took place from April 7 to May 7. The winner has one year to use the down payment, which is applicable to the purchase of a property located in the province of Québec and listed on the centris.ca website.

REM

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18 REM JULY 2010

iPad real estate applications From foreclosure and property search tools to financial calculators, REM looks at what iPad apps have to offer real estate professionals By Petra Jones

T

he way people view real estate information is changing, and with sales of over a million in the U.S., Apple’s iPad offers access to a new generation of real estate apps. This multitouch tablet computer allows users to scroll through listings on its 9.7inch screen with a flick of their finger and comes with a digital compass on 3G models to display a house hunter’s current location.

With the iPad now available in Canada, let’s look at some of the real estate applications that are available in Apple’s App Store (www.itunes.com/appstore/).

Complete Realty (www.completerealtysuite.com) offers three real estate apps for the iPad including Complete Foreclosures for searching through foreclosed and bank-owned properties using search

criteria such as asking price, square footage and housing type.

Complete Rental and Complete Homes apps allow users to search local rental home and property listings using similar criteria. All three apps use the iPad’s GPS technology to locate homes on an interactive map complete with satellite views.

Complete Realty founder Daniel Burrus says, “Our apps are redesigned for the iPad taking advantage of the larger screen and better processing power and speed.

All three will become available in Canada most likely in the second half of the year. The apps work in most major cities in Canada already, but we need to do more database work to cover all of Canada. Complete Foreclosures gives agents as well as the home buyer instant access to all foreclosed

and pre-foreclosed homes with full descriptions and photos. We also have an intelligent foreclosure guide to help the public understand how to buy an auction, or bankowned home.”

A financial real estate calculator app is also available for the iPad. Completely redesigned to take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen, PowerOne features an RPN calculator capable of performing logarithmic, algebraic and trigonometric functions and calculations in decimal, fraction and feet/inches.

Infinity Softworks CEO Elia Freeman says, “PowerOne combines calculators and spreadsheets into a form we call templates. These templates make entry and what-if scenario analysis very fast and easy.

Almost 60 templates are included

with about 25 specifically applicable to both residential and commercial real estate.” PowerOne is available in Canada for $5.99 as a universal application capable of running on iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.

“PowerOne is infinitely expandable as you can also create your own templates or use those created by others at our template sharing site,” says Freeman. “Finally, you can email the results of any template to yourself or client.”

A quick look at those real estate apps already available in the U.S. gives an idea of what the future may hold for iPad users in Canada.

ZipRealty (www.ziprealty.com) offers a free iPad app providing information on recently sold homes and those for sale, including information such as listing price and square footage plus third-party

home value estimates. Free download Zillow (www.zillow.com/ipad/) displays properties for sale or rent, along with “Zestimate” property values and high resolution photo galleries while AgentFirst’s (www.firstam.com) app provides access to a database of property and ownership information covering 97 per cent of all U.S. real estate transactions.

So it would seem that Complete Realty and PowerOne’s real estate apps are likely to be the among the first of many to become available in Canada. Complete Realty founder Daniel Burrus says, “We have many new real estate apps we will be launching that we are very excited about but we cannot make our plans public yet for competitive reasons.”

If you’re a new iPad user and you’re actively looking for other real estate related apps, consider using Apple’s Genius (www.apple.com/ca/ipad/features/a pp-store.html) a free tool that recommends other apps based on those you’ve already downloaded. REM

Prudential plans ‘immersive’ virtual tours

By Andrea Brambila rudential Real Estate and Relocation Services has launched a collaborative virtual research and development laboratory, the company announced recently.

The venture, Prudential Real Estate Collaborative Innovation Partnership (PRECIP), will be a “collaboratory,” or virtual lab “without walls,” to marry the expertise of outside technology companies and the Prudential Real Estate network, the company said.

Owned by Prudential Financial, the network has about 60,000 sales associates and about 1,700 offices in North America.

“It’s not a traditional laboratory in its own right. It’s a combination of three things: innovation, a research and development effort, and collaboration between experts in the (tech) industry and (real estate) practitioners. We think it should allow us to bring new tools to the market even faster,” says Jim Mallozzi, the company’s chairman and CEO. The company says the laboratory will focus on four areas: video gaming and sensory spaces; social

P

networking and media sharing; mobile computing; and the application of semantic web search engines research.

The latter refers to search engines that display results based on word meaning rather than keyword page rank. The point is to actually answer a user’s question, such as, “What is the best Italian restaurant in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighbourhood?” rather than give them the information to figure out the answer for themselves.

“If you ask Google a question, it doesn’t give you an answer, it gives you a list,” says Steve Van Anden, the project’s interim director and a long-time consultant to Prudential Real Estate. “We want to give (users) a very specific answer.”

The company has already signed a letter of intent with Montreal-based virtual world developer Immersive Design Studio (IDS) to create one of the project’s first priorities: a virtual, immersive home tour.

“This is actually Avatar meets real estate. We demonstrated ... how (two people) could both be in

different rooms at opposite ends of the country and be holographically next to each other. Buyers can start to experience homes and what they would do with (a home) even before they actually see it,” Mallozzi says.

While the tour prototype uses traditional navigation with a mouse or joystick, the project hopes to incorporate technology that IDS has already developed that tracks the body as it moves, Van Anden says. People will be able to project a to-scale version of a room onto a wall and “walk through” a room without clicking or wearing any special equipment.

The prototype’s sensory-rich, immersive-world technology comes from already existing gaming platforms, the company says.

“IDS has been working in ‘hybrid space’ trying to look at how you can merge the virtual and the physical where those forces are not opposed as one over the other.

Hybrid space is the core of IDS research and development and especially for virtual house tours it makes a lot of sense,” says Thomas

Soetens, co-founder of IDS. Although the tours are not ready for release yet, Mallozzi says the project could be ready in the “not-too-distant future.”

In the meantime, Prudential is seeking other potential tech partners and hoping to “connect the dots” between the real estate industry and other fields, such as video gaming. Van Anden said a key objective for the collaborative tech effort “is to dramatically increase the number of partici-

pants and perspectives that shape our research efforts.”

The company is accepting applications from members of its own network who would like to participate in the project. The project has attracted a lot of interest.

While Prudential has consulted agents in its network about technology before, the project will give them “a more active voice” to set the company’s research agenda, Van Anden says.

– Inman News REM

Jim Mallozzi, Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services chairman and CEO, demonstrates a virtual home tour during a presentation at the company’s sales convention.

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AS I SEE IT FROM MY DESK

By Stan Albert am confused as hell, but then again maybe I’m not.

“An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted today didn’t happen tomorrow.” – Laurence J. Peter As recently as these past few weeks in the National Post and the Globe and Mail, we read that the “bubble in real estate markets will either level off or prices will move down by five to 10 per cent, and in some areas of Canada, as much as 20 per cent.

“We know that the market was due for a correction. Most

I

How to respond to gloomy news properties are overvalued,” one economist shouts in the Globe and Mail.

That may be so, but should we bail out of the profession now?

We know that the market had to level off eventually, but does that mean that we should start cashing in our RRSPs? Should we cancel our trip to Vegas? Maybe we should sell our SUV and buy a Smart Car? In my opinion, we should do none of the above.

Over my 40 years (yikes!) in the business, I’ve seen all kinds of peaks and valleys. One thing remains constant – the need for both renters and move-up buyers to invest in real estate because it is the safest haven for their hardearned money.

Sure, the market was/is due for a correction on the resale end. But not in new homes or new condos.

Builders have too large an investment in land and the interest in carrying that investment. New home prices will continue to escalate due to the HST in Ontario

and B.C. and buyers will still continue to invest in new product as well as resale homes/condos.

Will the HST affect us? Sure, but only in the short run of things as some of us experienced when the GST came in.

Canada is seeing a growing economy. So, what’s the conundrum? The economy is good, the dollar is strong and employment is running smoothly.

What are successful salespeople doing when they hear all these voices of experts and economists?

They are: 1. Getting back to basics, contacting their database, often now through networking vehicles such as Twitter, YouTube or Facebook.

2. Sending out a personal note of thanks to their client base with a little gift card, perhaps from Tim’s, for a large double double.

3. Networking with other businesspeople at luncheons (see your local papers for dates and times).

A progressive agent would do this as he would be the only agent at a

table of five to eight businesspeople. Referrals are always great, aren’t they?

4. Publishing articles in local papers, personal websites or on Facebook.

5. Running yard sales for the neighbourhood and hosting a picnic or barbecue.

6. Attending future-thinking seminars such as Richard Robbins’ Master’s Edge or Dan Plowman’s Team Building to further enhance their knowledge.

7. Last but not least, they will get closer to their broker or broker/manager, who in all likelihood has been through most peaks and valleys and may just have a few bits of advice to share with them.

I can remember times when prices did go down during recessionary periods. But overall, the homeowners of today and the buyers of tomorrow will benefit in the long run by owning their own home. History has proven that.

The Toronto Star’s great bar graph in early May of this year showed

quite dramatically that over the past several decades, single-family home ownership was better than owning most stocks or bonds over the same period of time.

A great philosopher said: “Own a piece of the earth, they’re not making it any more!”

Talk to people every day about the benefits of owning their own home. Their equity may shrink from time to time, but with careful budgeting they’ll win in the long run.

You can catch some of my meanderings on my blog on Active Rain. It’s a great site tailored for Realtors in Canada and the U.S. You may be surprised by referrals you receive with a very little investment of about $340 (US) annually.

Stan Albert, broker/manager, ABR, ASA at Re/Max Premier in Vaughan, Ont. can be reached for consultation at stanalb@rogers.com.

Stan is now celebrating 40 years as an active real estate professional.

REM

Insurance Renewal 2010 For the past 10 years, Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) registrants and consumers have benefited from unique insurance coverages for claims resulting from errors and omissions, loss of commissions and loss of deposits. RECO has been able to arrange stable and affordable insurance coverage for registrants that are broader than any other Canadian jurisdiction.

RECO is pleased to announce that, through the program’s insurance broker Alternative Risk Services Inc. (AR Services), insurance coverage has been renewed with Lloyd’s for the policy period from September 1, 2010 to September 1, 2011. The Insurance Program is managed by Dion, Durrell + Associates Inc. The total cost of insurance, including taxes and expenses, for the 2010 - 2011 term is $335.00. Coverage includes Errors and Omissions, Consumer Deposit and Commission Protection insurance. Insurance renewal invoices will be mailed in early July to all registrants.

Insurance payments are due by August 13, 2010.

Insu Online ccredit card payments can be made through MyWeb, RECO’s exclusive web portal for registrants.

Log on to t https://myweb.reco.on.ca to access the site.

Policy Changes The most significant change to your coverage starting September 1, 2010 is the increase of the occurrence limit for Commission Protection and Consumer Deposit coverages from $500,000 to $1,000,000. These coverages offer protection in the event of fraud, insolvency or misappropriation of funds by a registrant. The insurance provides coverage up to a maximum of $100,000 per claim. In the event the sum of all claims against a particular registrant related to an occurrence (e.g. a brokerage becomes bankrupt) exceeds $1,000,000, the amount recoverable by each claimant may be pro-rated and limited to a portion of the maximum amount of $1,000,000 of coverage.

Non-Payment Results in Suspension of Registration Effective September 1, 2010 The Registrar will initiate the suspension process for each registrant who has failed to make the required payment by the due date of August 13, 2010.

Suspensions will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on September 1, 2010 as required by the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002. Suspended registrants are not entitled to trade in real estate.

Reporting Claims

Retiring or Leaving the Business

All claims must be reported no later than midnight on August 31, 2010. If you have knowledge of a possible claim or circumstance and do not report it by the end of the policy year, your claim may not qualify for coverage. An errors and omissions claim form can be downloaded from the RECO website at www.reco.on.ca or the program manager’s website at www.reco-claims.ca.

If you are planning on retiring or leaving the business you may wish to have your completed “Notice of Change: Termination” form and a copy of your resignation letter submitted to the Registration Department by August 13, 2010 to avoid the initiation of the suspension process.

Contact RECO’s Insurance Department Directly At: Online (MyWeb): https://myweb.reco.on.ca | Phone: 416-207-4841 | Toll Free: 1-866-757-7772 | Fax: 416-207-9020 or 416-207-4820 | E-mail: insurance@reco.on.ca

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26 REM JULY 2010

M

ual who has made an outstanding contribution to the real estate industry in New Brunswick.

The New Brunswick Real Estate Association (NBREA) says Barwise has had an impact on the real estate industry in Fredericton and New Brunswick through her professional involvement.

“Noreen is an amazing person who has a tremendous passion for the industry,” says NBREA president Dwayne Hayes. “She has been a pioneer for real estate in New Brunswick and her professional resume and achievements only highlight that.”

ary Bales of Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty in Kitchener, Ont. won the national Coldwell Banker Ambassador Award for 2009 in recognition of her humanitarian acts and commitment to community service. Bales has been involved in many local organizations. In 2001, she created Heartwood Place, a charitable organization dedicated to providing safe, affordable and adequate housing.

Bales was recently presented with a Meritorious Service Award

by Governor General Michaëlle Jean for her dedication to affordable housing. Bales was awarded the Coldwell Banker Eagle, which signifies the highest level of accomplishment within the international Coldwell Banker organization. Bales ranked eighth in closed adjusted gross commission income (or total units) for affiliated companies in the Coldwell Banker system in 2009.

Kim Shantz Trottier, also a sales representative with Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty, received the Coldwell Banker Rookie Sales Representative of the Year award for Canada.

Also recognized was sales representative Dean Widdifield, who was awarded the International President’s Circle representing the top two per cent of Realtors worldwide in the Coldwell Banker System. Mary Anne Gehl, Gaye Males, Susan Raymond and Miranda O’Sullivan were named to the International Diamond Society representing the top five per cent and Trottier, Kelly Ruston, Susan Hopkins and Jane van Pelt were awarded the International Sterling Society designation, representing the top eight per cent internationally.

Brad Gilbert of Coldwell Banker City Side Realty in Lloydminster, Sask, is the recipient of the 2010 Distinguished Realtor Award, presented by The Association of Saskatchewan Realtors (ASR) in conjunction with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC).

Gilbert first became involved in the industry in the mid 1980s.

“He has shown great support and interest in association activities at the local, provincial as well as national level, having served at the highest level in both his local board as well as the provincial association,” says the ASR in a news release. “As well, Brad served on the Canadian Real Estate Association as the director for the Saskatchewan Region. Brad’s community involvement includes serving as a councillor at the Hamlet of McKellar Beach at Brights and Lake. Brad leads by example promoting his values of high ethics, honesty, sincerity and being straightforward. He has always demonstrated that best practices be taken as well as ‘the high road’ on all matters.”

■ ■ ■

■ ■ ■

Noreen Barwise, a Fredericton Realtor with 38 years in the real estate industry, is the 2010 recipient of the Dave Hawkins Award, presented annually to an individ-

The Association of Regina Realtors (ARR) and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

(CMHC) have named Dale Griesser of Avison Young

■ ■ ■

Commercial Real Estate the 2009 Realtor of the Year. Jacquie Bevill of CMHC made the announcement at the association’s 25th Annual Member Recognition Evening.

“This award is designed to recognize a member of the Regina association who has made an ongoing and significant contribution to the real estate industry and to the community,” says Bevill.

“Dale Griesser’s involvement in the industry and numerous activities in the community are in keeping with the intent of this award.”

Griesser says, “One never expects to be recognized for something that is simply the right thing to do whether within our industry or for the community. It is indeed an honour to be selected by my industry colleagues for this award.”

Ian Johnston, ARR president, says, “Dale has been a leader in the Regina commercial real estate field for many years and was instrumental in establishing the Commercial Division within the association.

Over the years he has served on the association’s commercial committees and on the Board of Directors.

His contributions to the community and business sectors are extensive.”

■ ■ ■

Andrew Cassel, broker/owner of Realty-Net Toronto, was recently presented with the 2009 Commercial Award of Merit by the Toronto Real Estate Board.

The award is presented to individuals who exemplify a commitment to TREB goals, and who have shown leadership and high professional standards.

Cassel has worked almost exclusively in commercial real estate brokerage since 1977 and has promoted organized real estate for the last 25 years. He was active in organizing the Central Canada CCIM Chapter and was elected president in 1990. He was elected to the Commercial Council of TREB 1993 and 1994, elected vice-chairman in 1995 and 1996, and acclaimed as chairman in 1997 and 1998. He was a director of TREB in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

Throughout his career, he has been active in committee work at the board.

Cassel’s thank-you speech gave praise to his wife and family for their patience and understanding, to Susan Bell, TREB’s manager of the Commercial Division, and to

all the other volunteers who took time from their life to make TREB a better association.

■ ■ ■

Hanlon Realty won the award for Best Sales Team at the Annual Home Show at Mile One Stadium in St. John’s, Nfld. recently. The award was judged on the criteria of

booth layout (imaginative, creative, eye pleasing, originality); personnel (knowledgeable, ability to answer questions, appearance, attitude, helpfulness); literature (supply of information, testimonials, recognition of CHBA-EN membership); and marketing (marketing and promotion of company, giveaways). REM

Dale Griesser (centre) receives his award from Jacquie Bevill and Ian Johnston.

Earl Kotlar of CMHC (right) presents the Distinguished Realtor Award to Brad Gilbert.

Noreen Barwise (with the award) poses with, from left, her daughter Michele, husband Tom, and nominator Diana Otteson.

Mary Bales

Kim Shantz Trottier

Andrew Cassel (right) receives his award from Garry Lander of DTZ Barnicke.

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28 REM JULY 2010

GOURMET COOKING for real estate professionals

Salad on the run Instant fresh tomato basil salad

By Carolyne Lederer ere’s one you can’t mess up. Cut up a yummy (seeded) large fresh red tomato into small pieces. Mince (chop very fine) about a teaspoon of fresh white onion. Put both in a small mixing bowl. If you like a bit of garlic, mince a very tiny piece.

Add a little salt and fresh ground pepper and a generous pinch of dried thyme, but not the kind that looks like ground pepper. Make sure it’s just a pinch because it’s powerful.

Open a tin of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drain them and rinse off the starch.

Add about a quarter of the peas to the tomato bowl (save the rest in a covered container in the fridge... they keep). Now add a couple of tablespoons of your favourite olive oil, a little white Balsamic vinegar (just a spritz – and this recipe works best only with “white” Balsamic – Fortino’s is the best one I have found to date)... and adjust salt to your taste. Toss with a tiny squirt of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Add just a little sprinkle of dried ground Parmesan.

Buy a little jar of artichoke hearts in olive oil. Keep the opened jar in the fridge – it lasts a long time. Take a couple of the artichoke hearts from the oil, and chop loosely and place on side of each salad plate just before serving.

Add a teaspoon of the artichoke oil, and a tiny bit of the minced artichokes floating in the oil, to the tomato dish. If you like to cook with spirits, add a tiny splash of your favourite brandy.

Just before serving, finely chop about a half-teaspoon of fresh basil leaves and sprinkle on the salad.

Give a quick toss and serve over shredded (horizontally) romaine lettuce leaves, or place on top of Boston Leaf Lettuce. Ideally use the hydroponically grown Boston Bibb

H

lettuce. It really does taste different, and I think, better. Always wash lettuce well, under quite hot running water (yes, you read that right – quite hot water). Shake the lettuce and pat dry. Roll the lettuce up securely in a clean light-weight kitchen towel and store in the fridge in a plastic bag until you are ready to use it. This works really well for romaine lettuce also. The lettuce will be crisp as though you had just picked it from the garden.

Prep time: less than five minutes. Amazingly simple, and DELICIOUS! Try it. You’ll love it. It can be made ahead of time, except for adding the fresh basil. Add the basil just before eating. I serve this salad with havarti sun-dried tomato cheese and Melba toast on a side plate. This salad looks particularly nice served on a black plate.

I love it, and salad doesn’t get better than this. It’s fresh and delicious and your friends and colleagues will beg for more.

Remember, first we eat with our eyes. Serves two.

This salad makes a great Sunday morning brunch, served as a first course, followed by seared chicken livers, mushrooms and onions and a sprinkle of dried thyme. Salt and pepper it when cooked. Keep it warm in a chafing dish, served alongside a great cream of roasted multi-coloured pepper soup, and your favourite fresh baked bread. If you would like these additional recipes, send me an email note. They may appear in a later REM column.

Carolyne Lederer is broker of record at Carolyne Realty Corp.

Proudly putting her name to her work for 29 years, she serves Burlington and Brampton, Ont. residential real estate clients. She taught gourmet cooking in the mid 1970s prior to going into real estate, and wrote a newspaper weekly cooking column. Email BurlingtonHomes@Carolyne.com REM

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30 REM JULY 2010

METES & BOUNDS

By Marty Douglas

C

anada Day. Yahoo!

Despite your current anger over – pick one – the HST, Don Cherry, bagpipes, the designated hitter in baseball or my personal favourite – service providers who say they’ll be at your home between 9 and noon – despite them all, we’re pretty lucky to be living in the best country in the world.

And it is luck, not skill. Unless you’re an immigrant who consciously decided on Canada versus – oh I don’t know – Greece?

I mention Greece because of an email I received on April 30, from the “I’m mad as hell and not going to take it any more” department.

“I’m getting ready to participate in a revolution…Did you hear about the generic drugs in Ontario, increased hydro by eight per cent AND to top it off, HST? Maybe I’ll move to Greece or someplace where they don’t pay income taxes.

Maybe I can find a little island somewhere where they never heard of government.”

To be fair, this Canadian Realtor was considering Greece before the protesters burned a bank and several employees in early May. Now they are no doubt rethinking their choice – Zimbabwe? Perhaps I can help. I wrote this column about 11 years ago about a couple of immigrants who chose Canada.

My Mom and Dad. My mother was a licensed Realtor in and of the province of B.C. for 30 years. But as an unlicensed practitioner, buying on her own account, she’d been in the business for 30 years before her first license in 1958. She and I were snowbound in the great west coast snow of ‘96, with my brother and sister and wife stuck in various places in Western Canada, but not with us. For two quiet days, our reading and eating and video

Choosing Canada watching was interspersed with anecdotes about her 82 years in “the show”.

She was born in 1915 to a butcher and his wife, in a small town on the outskirts of Manchester, England. A well meaning neighbour with a home formula for rosy cheeks encouraged my grandmother to feed my mother fresh-squeezed beef blood.

Worms, then rickets followed.

Such was the tenuous circle of life in Britain during the First World War. Having survived everything the neighbours and the post-war could throw at her, she finished school and ultimately got a job with Robertson’s, the jam and marmalade manufacturer still occupying grocery shelves in Canada.

(Silver Shred rules!) There she met my father and experienced the production line. As she and I were putting labels on a batch of wine bottles, she remembered young women, slapping on jam labels every two seconds, for an eighthour shift.

She married my father and began her unofficial real estate career buying a small cottage for about 450 pounds sterling. Dad was by then in the army and Mom had joined the police. Dad would come home and find his bride, nose in the paper, looking for housing bargains.

While her brothers and sisters stayed put – some were still in the same homes 40 years later – Mom and Dad were frequently on the move. By the time my sister and I had come along, our immigration to Canada in 1951 was financed from the equity in their last home.

When we settled in Campbell River, B.C., home of the Tyee (it’s a fish!) we didn’t rent for long. In fact, moving seemed for us kids to be a way of life. Houses and land for subdivision were the investments Mom and Dad made in addition to Dad’s job with the credit union and Mom’s part-time forays into waitressing and running a kindergarten. In 1957, she decided to get into the real estate business on a professional level and became only the second woman to take the then new pre-licensing course, where the assignments and exam were written longhand.

Her first agent was a woman.

Her first sale was an island in Discovery Passage. Her first experience with a lawyer, illustrative. He complained her commission of $500 was more than he could charge for the conveyance, after university and three years of law school. Her reply was typical of her quiet, dignified sense of humour.

“Did you always want to sell real estate then?”

Thirty years of unparalleled service followed – in Campbell River until 1970 and then, as a widow, in Victoria until 1988. On her retirement, she was the second oldest woman selling real estate in the capital city, withdrawing only to pursue a new career – a second marriage.

Widowed three times, she had six addresses in Victoria – one house, one patio home and four condos – not to mention a few investment rentals along the way, a condo in Maui and one in Florida.

After retirement, she volunteered to host open houses in new projects.

Until she died at 92, she embodied the CREA Code of Ethics preamble: “Under all is the land. Upon its wise utilization and widely allocated ownership depend the survival and growth of free institutions and of our civilization.” She always left something on the table for the next buyer and frequently, instead of cutting her commission, left it on the title as a mortgage. Product knowledge and the instant ability to get people to like and trust her were her skills.

My mother, the Realtor.

Thanks Mom. For, among many other things, picking Canada.

Happy Canada Day. You can follow Marty Douglas on Twitter 40yrsrealestate or on LinkedIn and on Facebook. He is a managing broker for Coast Realty Group (Comox Valley) Ltd., with offices on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast of B.C. Marty is a past chair of the Real Estate Errors and Omissions Corporation of B.C., the Real Estate Council of B.C. and the B.C. Real Estate Association.

He’s a current director of the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board. mdouglas@island.net; 1-800-7153999. REM

32 REM JULY 2010

‘TexCoast’ secret discovered by buyers hile depressed property values in Florida are getting a lot of attention, coastal Texas, a place few associate as a fantastic vacation destination, is stable and growing. The developers of Cinnamon Shore in Port Aransa say that Texas has the largest growth rate of any state and features five of the top 15 growth cities in the country. And unlike beach erosion problems that are plaguing other areas of the country, the beaches in Texas are actually accreting.

Real estate developer Jeff Lamkin purchased a large plot on Mustang Island, a traditional seaside community half an hour from Corpus Christi, and is now entering the third phase of the 300-residency Cinnamon Shore community.

“We looked at properties in South Carolina and what we saw were properties on par with Cinnamon Shore but for 13 times the price,” says Susan Bruck, an owner at Cinnamon Shore.

Lamkin likens the Texas coast to how Florida was 20 years ago when a family could easily find an affordable beachfront property.

But the appeal of Texas coast is more than just the price. Lamkin explains that consumer taste has changed so dramatically from even just 10 years ago that many families don’t find the robust, over-developed communities so common in Florida appealing. Lamkin says that Cinnamon Shore will have no “cookie cutter” layouts. The property boasts activities that families can participate in together such as

W

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fishing, meet and greets to get to know your neighbours, and local restaurants that envelope Texas flair.

Lamkin is basing Cinnamon Shore on “new urbanism,” which includes a pedestrian friendly design, minimal impact on the environment and amenities that foster relationships between neighbours. Lee Ann Peters, the property’s director of sales, says the new urbanism design is attracting buyers from in and outside of Texas.

“What’s happening at Cinnamon Shore is really remarkable,” says Peters. “We are going through one of the worst real estate markets since the Great Depression and sales are still exceeding expectations.”

Cinnamon Shore is a seaside community on Mustang Island in Port Aransas. Mustang Island is less than four hours drive from the state’s three most populated cities – Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio southwest of San Antonio. It is comprised of distinctive homes, peaceful parks and ponds, and a Town Center with gathering spaces, restaurants and services.

Home sites start at $130,000 US, with condos starting in the $200,000s and single-family homes ranging from the $400,000s to $2 million plus. Outside magazine recently declared Mustang Island one of America’s top 10 beach getaways, boasting the country’s best bay and deep sea fishing.

For more information: www.cinnamonshore.com. REM

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34 REM JULY 2010

STOP SELLING HOUSES & START MAKING MONEY

By Debbie Hanlon n my previous column I talked about the importance of establishing a database of contacts and adding contacts to it on a daily basis. Obviously these contacts become clients and start taking your time. You still need to add new contacts whenever and wherever you can, but now you need to take it to the next level and have people contact you. It’s the difference between you going out and knocking on people’s doors for business and them coming and knocking on yours. Wouldn’t that be nice for a change? It’s not that

I

Become a local expert hard to do and it was what helped me kick my career into the next gear on my way to becoming number one in Canada.

So, how do you do it? How do you get people to think it’s in their best interest to call you, out of all the other real estate agents out there? You market yourself. The mistake most people make is they market themselves as a real estate agent or, even worse, they market a house they’re trying to sell. By taking that approach, all you’re really doing is wading into the fray and saying you’re just another option they should consider when buying or selling property. All you need do is look at any real estate publication to see the seemingly endless number of real estate agents who are doing this.

Sure, you could stand out more with more ads or you could make a bigger splash with bigger ads.

Maybe you could get more attention with more colours in your ads instead of the sticking with the usual black and white.

At the end of the day, these approaches not only cost you a lot more money, but they still sell as a real estate agent looking to sell or buy houses. You don’t have to be bigger, more frequent or more colourful to stand out in a crowded marketplace – you have to be different than the person next to you offering the same service. You have to sell yourself.

The way I did this was very, very simple and equally as effective; I marketed myself not as a real estate agent, but as a real estate expert.

That set me apart, it gave me instant credibility and it opened up lines of communications with people on subjects other than how much they should buy or sell their homes for. In short, it widened the net I was using to get potential clients. I was probably a lot further from being a real estate expert back then than you are now. I was a mere few months removed from being a single mother on social assistance who had never enter-

tained the idea of buying my own house, let alone selling someone else’s. But I knew even then that I wasn’t going to compete with everyone else in trying to sell houses, I was going to sell myself.

The first thing I did was scour the local papers and gather the contact information for their reporters. These promptly went into my growing database. While I was collecting their contact information, I was also reading the information CMHC was sending out, as well as local and national real estate magazines, for readily available expert advice. I also contacted city hall and had myself put on the mailing list for economic updates for the city. This gave me an almost inexhaustible supply of expert advice that would be helpful to people buying or selling homes. I would then send the stories and updates out to all my media contacts as press releases from me. The original name of the publication was there and I gave it credit, but it was me who was offer-

ing it to the reporters, so I came to be seen as the expert.

The results were almost immediate and I began getting calls from local reporters doing stories about real estate. The interesting thing was, all the stories I’d read to find information I could send as press releases actually helped me know what I was talking about to these reporters. So, not only did I get a load of free media exposure and marketing, I also got a free education and ended up being a real estate expert in the real sense of the word. So set yourself apart from the crowd and sell yourself as a local expert and in no time you’ll be one.

Debbie Hanlon is the president and founder of Hanlon Realty. She is a three-time top 50 CEO winner and was named one of the top 100 female entrepreneurs in Canada. She is currently an elected city official in St. John’s, Nfld. and is available for motivational and training seminars. Email debbie@hanlonrealtynl.com. REM

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I had been selling real estate in the conventional manner for 19 years and now have the pleasure of both of my sons, Jason and Jeff, joining me in the profession. We researched the Assist-2-Sell ® concept, and it captured our enthusiasm. We were looking at a better way to deliver real estate services in an effort to keep up with the changing industry. Our training was thorough, comprehensive and first class. Since opening our doors, we have received excellent support from the corporate office and an amazing reaction from the community. The consumer is indeed looking for the options that the Assist-2-Sell ® system offers. This new venture has exceeded all of our expectations including unexpected positive feedback from our peers in the business. We definitely made the right choice!

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At that point our logic said, If you can t beat em, join em. And we re glad we did. © 2010, Assist-2-Sell, Inc.

36 REM JULY 2010

Industrial, Commercial & Investment B

ill Stone has joined CB Richard Ellis Limited (CBRE) as executive vice-president to lead CBRE Hotels’ Canadian Hotel practice.

Stone is joined by colleagues Deborah Borotsik and Mark Sparrow and will also work closely with CBRE Hotels’ Sarah Segal and Brian Flood to provide enhanced services to clients across the country.

“Bill is an icon in the Canadian hotel industry. His experience and expertise are unmatched and commensurate with the needs of our institutional clients transacting business throughout Canada,” says Kevin Mallory, senior managing director, practice leader, CBRE Hotels.

Stone joins CBRE from Colliers International, where he was an executive managing director of the hotel group. He has been involved in over 250 Canadian hotel transactions, valued in excess of $4.5 billion, spanning single asset and portfolio sales, independent and branded properties, from two to five star assets. At CBRE, he will be responsible for driving production and will take on a leadership role in further developing

the hotel platform across Canada.

Borotsik, associate vice-president, brings 12 years of sales, marketing and due diligence experience in the hotel sector to CBRE Hotels. She will be directly responsible for working with owners to complete property and market due diligence and financial underwriting, property valuations and strategic disposition strategies, as well as executing effective marketing programs. Her experience extends across all asset classes throughout Canada.

Sparrow joins CBRE Hotels as a sales associate and will be responsible for executing disposition strategies, sourcing buyers, providing due diligence assistance and analyzing Canadian investment trends. He will be actively involved in assessing values for a variety of hotel and resort asset types, and will work closely with owners to develop tailored marketing programs.

■ ■ ■

John M. Sullivan will assume the post of president and CEO of Cadillac Fairview on January 1, 2011.

Before joining Cadillac

Fairview in July 1998 as senior VP, office development, Sullivan held senior positions with a number of high profile companies. He was promoted to executive VP, development in November 2006 where he led all areas relating to development, construction and architecture and design.

Peter Sharpe, who has served as the president and CEO of Cadillac Fairview for 10 years, will retire on December 31, 2010 to allow for a smooth leadership transition, the company says.

Sharp has been with the company for 26 years. He joined Cadillac Fairview in 1984 as VP of property management in charge of the Canadian office portfolio and later assumed responsibility for the retail properties in 1988. He was promoted to executive VP, property operations in 1996 and became president and CEO in March 2000 when the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board purchased 100 per cent of the company.

munity fundraising, Lieberman has acted as chair for Israel Bonds Construction and Development Division and is currently committee chair for the George Knudson Oakdale Pro-Am Golf Tournament, an event that has raised more than $650,000 since 2005 in the fight against cancer.

In other company news, Avison Young has opened a new office in Houston, Texas. Industry veterans Rand Stephens and Josh LaRocca join as principals, while Stephens also becomes managing director of the new Houston operation and will lead Avison Young’s

David Lieberman has joined Avison Young’s Toronto multi-residential division of the Capital Markets Group. Lieberman will team up with Brendan Hanna of Avison Young’s multi-residential group to strengthen the company’s multi-residential team locally and nationally and to address new market opportunities, the company says. Lieberman’s career in commercial real estate spans 25 years and encompasses a broad range of real estate sales and consulting services. Actively involved in com-

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38 REM JULY 2010

Good Works O

n May 15, more than 120 Royal LePage offices hosted record breaking garage sales in support of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, raising more than $300,000 to end violence against women and children in communities across Canada. In 2009, the National Garage Sale for Shelter raised $120,000.

Every dollar raised by the event supports local women’s shelters, as well as national and provincial programs to help stop the cycle of violence. All proceeds from the garage sales go directly to the cause because Royal LePage underwrites 100 per cent of the administration costs.

“Half of Canadian women will experience abuse in their lifetime and 360,000 children are exposed to domestic violence each year,”

says Sandra Diaz, executive director, Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. Since 1999, the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation has donated more than $10 million to support women’s shelters, violence prevention and education programs across Canada.

As part of the event, Jerry Aulenbach of Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate in Edmonton organized a “tweet up” fund-raiser and auction on Twitter.

In Ottawa, Royal LePage performance raised more than $3,000 to support Nelson House of Ottawa-Carleton and regional violence prevention programs .

■ ■ ■

Re/Max Professionals and its sales associates and support staff officially became the first Re/Max

Don Patterson

Richard Whittaker

ARR president Ian Johnston presents a cheque to NCFC executive director Sandy Wankel.

franchise in Ontario-Atlantic Canada to donate $1 million to SickKids Foundation through Children’s Miracle Network. The company has championed the support of sick and injured youngsters and their families for nearly 20 years.

The brokerage, with 250 sales associates operating out of three offices in Toronto’s West End and Mississauga, has been a strong supporter of the CMN since its inception. Through the Miracle Home Program, sales associates donate a percentage of their earnings on the sale of each Miracle home. The money has been used to purchase medical equipment, upgrade facilities and help fund critical research, outreach programs and support services.

Linda Sansom, general manager of Re/Max Professionals, has been instrumental in the process for 18 years, encouraging new agents to participate in the program and those already involved to increase their donations. She has also arranged numerous fundraising events, including summer barbecues, raffles, 50/50 draws and dress-down Fridays to bolster contributions to SickKids.

Sebastian Albrech

■ ■ ■

From left: CMN chief international officer John Hartman; Re/Max Professionals office administrators Happy Marwaha (East Mall), Bonnie Miniaci (Kingsway) and Sue Treleaven (Erindale); Re/Max Professionals general manager Linda Sansom; Sick Kids ambassador Selen Hasip; and president and CEO of the Sick Kids Foundation Ted Garrard.

Sales reps and staff at Keller Williams Golden Triangle Realty rode a 30-seater Big Bike through the streets of Kitchener.

Kelly Meek will soon shave her head to support the Canadian Cancer Society.

Broker Michele Denniston (centre) with Century 21 Heritage Group broker/owner Pamela Prescott and Century 21 Canada senior VP Brian Rushton, presents a $12,000 gift to Easter Seals.

Royal LePage True North Realty in Fort McMurray did its part for Earth Day recently after revamping a city bus with its marketing material. The brokerage used the bus to collect 18 bags of garbage from the highway.

Royal LePage Burloak raised $26,000 for local shelters.

REM JULY 2010 39

The Calgary Real Estate Board Charitable Foundation has contributed $500,000 toward the Building for Liberty capital campaign for the Brenda Strafford Society’s housing initiative, which will provide new support for women and children fleeing domestic violence.

The number one reason women stay in abusive relationships is due to the lack of affordable housing options in Calgary, says the foundation. The new centre is a one-of-a-kind facility and will be completed in December, offering second stage shelter services for six months and affordable housing for up to two additional years.

■ ■ ■

Don Patterson, managing director, commercial at Royal LePage Kingsbury Realty in Mississauga, Ont. is about to hop on to his bicycle and start a solo 3,500 km trip from Victoria to Thunder Bay to raise funds for the YMCA’s Strong Kids Campaign.

Along the way he will stop at YMCAs to spread the message of fitness and program access to Canadian youth. Patterson also hopes to increase public awareness

about the importance of physical activity for youth, while offering solutions such as the Y triathlon program where kids can participate regardless of their physical abilities or financial resources.

A father of three, Patterson is funding the ride himself, which means every dollar raised will go directly to the YMCA. To donate online, go to http://tinyurl.com/ donpatterson. Income tax receipts will be provided for amounts of $10 or more.

■ ■ ■

Cutting seniors’ lawns, painting dumpsters or placing murals on buildings are only a few of the services that the North Central Family Centre provides to Regina’s inner-city area through its Youth Empowerment Program. This marks the fifth consecutive year of a partnership between the Association of Regina Realtors (ARR) and the NCFC for the ARR to provide assistance to the program.

The ARR’s assistance takes the form of a further $5,000 contribution this year. In addition, proceeds from the ARR’s golf tournament in July will go towards assist-

ing the program. The ARR has provided the NCFC with $22,000 in assistance over the five-year period.

The program employs 15 to 20 inner-city youth to provide services to Regina’s north-central neighbourhood, many of whom would not otherwise be employed.

■ ■ ■

This summer, Richard Whittaker of Sutton Group Associates Realty in Toronto will embark on the 600 km Friends for Life bicycle rally from Toronto to Montreal. This will be his fourth time completing the event in support of the People with AIDS Foundation (PWA). Whittaker hopes to raise more than $5,000.

During the past three years, Whittaker has collected more than $8,000 for PWA. The foundation provides practical information and support services, such as a food bank and treatment programs, to many of the 18,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto.

■ ■ ■

Runway to Spring, an annual event hosted by Century 21 Heritage Group broker Michele

Denniston of Richmond Hill, Ont. raised $12,000 for the Century 21 Kids to Camp program this year.

The event featured food and beverage sampling, live music and a runway show displaying the hottest trends in casual and formal wear. Richard Walker, managing broker of Century 21 Heritage Group, says, “Michele and her team did great work and produced a terrific result. Most importantly, they helped to raise awareness of the services and fun that Easter Seals Camps provide to children with disabilities in Ontario.”

■ ■ ■

Jason Shine, a sales rep with Sutton Group - Assurance Realty in Toronto, admits he had some doubts when he and his wife packed up their home and moved into a small, 90-square-foot bedroom at Matthew House. The couple made a three-month commitment to serve as night managers at the refugee shelter in downtown Toronto.

“It’s interesting how much you can gain by being willing to sacrifice a little privacy,” says Shine, who shares a house with as many as 13 refugees every day. There is one

kitchen, one dining room and one television. “When you put it into perspective, these are really small things to give up. What we gain is the opportunity to make friends from around the world, help people when they are most vulnerable and assist them in tangible ways.”

Since Matthew House opened its doors in 1998, it has welcomed refugees from 87 countries. Most stay at the shelter for 60 to 90 days as they complete government paperwork, seek employment and arrange to find permanent housing. Matthew House operates on government funding and the generosity of individuals in the Toronto area.

■ ■ ■

The Alberta Real Estate Foundation’s Board of Governors recently approved $333,089 for community investment projects across Alberta. Notable projects approved for funding include: • $20,000 to the Calgary Real Estate Board to assess and implement energy labelling as part of the MLS. • $10,370 to the Peace Continued on page 41

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REM JULY 2010 41

Good Works Continued from page 39

Association for Life Long Learning to develop seminars on condominium ownership and management for Grande Prairie and area.

• $20,000 to the Drumheller Housing Authority for the development of a recycling program for low income housing units.

• Up to $75,000 to the Central Alberta Realtors Association as matching funds towards their fundraising goal to build Ronald McDonald House in central Alberta.

■ ■ ■

Kelly Meek of Century 21 First Canadian in London, Ont. will soon star in a fundraising event for the Canadian Cancer Society. She will shave her head for pledges and donate her hair to Cuts for Cancer, an organization that makes wigs for cancer patients. Meek hopes to raise at least $10,000 at the event.

■ ■ ■

Thirty enthusiastic salespeople and staff from Keller Williams Golden Triangle Realty rode a 30seater Big Bike through the streets of Kitchener, Ont. recently to raise

awareness and funds for the Heart and Stroke foundation. The foundation is organizing similar events across the country with a goal of raising more than $7 million in 2010. The KW brokerage was the only real estate company to ride in Kitchener and intends to make it an annual event.

■ ■ ■

The 2.4 million children who have called into the Kids Help Phone lines over the past 20 years the reason why Jill Sinclair, a sales rep with Sutton Group - West Coast Realty in Langley, B.C. began volunteering and fundraising. She gathered support for the ninth annual 5-km Walk for Kids Help Phone on May 2 and invites others in the real estate industry, clients and friends to play for the kids at the upcoming Chicks with Sticks Ladies Charity Golf Tournament.

The Kids Help Phone does not receive any core government or United Way funding so events like the walks and golf tournaments are essential.

The golf tournament will take place on August 26 at the Country Meadows Golf Club in Richmond.

The $240 entry fee includes a buffet breakfast, dinner, snacks, 18 holes of golf and a chance to win great prizes including WestJet tickets.

For more information: www.kidshelpphone.ca/chickswithsticks.

■ ■ ■

Vancouver Royal LePage sales rep Sebastian Albrech is once again climbing Grouse Mountain in the “Grouse Grind” to raise money for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. This time he is upping his game and breaking his previous record of 13 ascends to 14, which is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest in one day. He hopes to raise $15,000.

■ ■ ■

An annual charity golf tournament, an “Amazing Race for Charity” and a Halloween Chili Party are some of the events Royal LePage Burloak in Burlington, Ont. hosted to raise $26,000 for Carpenter Hospice and Halton Women’s Place. The money was raised thanks to the dedication of the sales representatives, support staff and suppliers, as well as sales reps’ commission-based donations.

Moncton Realtors were the top fundraisers at The Greater Moncton Dragon Boat Festival recently at Jones Lake. More than $8,100 was raised by local Realtors in support of The Lion’s Sick Children’s Fund as well as The Breakfast for Learning program in local schools.

Tom Fulton (right), president of the Manitoba Real Estate Association, presents a cheque for $50,000 from to Sandy Hopkins, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg. Funding for the grant came from the interest earned on the broker trust accounts. This year Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg plans to build 20 homes in Manitoba. Each home is to be built to the Manitoba Hydro Power Smart Gold level, the highest level of energy efficiency recognized by Manitoba Hydro. The donation from MREA will supply furnaces, ductwork and installation for each of these energy-efficient homes.

REM

Toronto Real Estate Board 2010/11 Board of Directors

William E. (Bill) Johnston, M.A., LLB President

Richard Silver President-Elect

Heather A. Fuller Central Brokerage Director

Karen Gerrard North Non-Brokerage Director

Tom Lebour, MVA Past President

Ann Hannah West Brokerage Director

Stuart Braund West Non-Brokerage Director

Lydia Ingles Director-at-Large

C. Anne Briscoe, FRI, CMR

East Non-Brokerage Director

David Pearce East Brokerage Director

James (Jim) Burtnick John (Jerry) England Central Non-Brokerage Director-at-Large Director

Paul Etherington Director-at-Large

Joseph C.W. Shum Larry B. Purchase North Brokerage Chair, Executive Council Director Commercial Division

Dianne Usher Director-at-Large

42 REM JULY 2010

Build it here

THE PUBLISHER’S PAGE

Few people know that Canada has put forward proposals to locate the United Nations Headquarters here in Canada several times in its history. Two specific locations; one on Navy Island near Niagara Falls and one in the dockland area of Montreal, were put forward with detailed plans. Each time the proposals were rejected.

I suggest that Canada once again marshal a proposal. Neither of those previous two locations should be put forward as potential locations but rather an area in the far north. An area first discussed and agreed to with Aboriginal First Nations as well as all other souls. A place in northern Canada would function well in an atmosphere of respect for humanity and the earth.

Today the United Nations is borderline if not completely dysfunctional. The majority of delegates that come to New York come to party and soak up the night life under the guise of having to unwind after working long hours for peaceful resolutions. If the U.N. headquarters were located in a remote area, away from nightclubs

By Heino Molls think it’s time to tell the world to consider moving the United Nations headquarters to Canada. I do not write this as an attempt at wry wit or with any other humour intended. I say this with sincerity.

It has been awhile since I went to New York City but not that long.

I can tell you that the renovations to the United Nations building are ongoing and will be never ending until they build a new one. It is time to do just that. The old one was built in 1952. Think of the innovations and technology that could be put into a new building complex like that today.

I

Aventure Realty Network ™

and parties, I would wager a great deal more work would get done.

Constructing a building as complex as the United Nations would be a challenge, but what an opportunity it could be to build a place that would be a beacon of self-reliant clean energy and recycling. An environment that would not just inspire a better stewardship of the earth, but demand it.

A location like that would drive the potential for comprise. A place like that would make the exercise of compromise fly and thrive like no other. An environment where world peace could be envisioned and made real.

Security would not be as great a challenge because unauthorized access would be daunting for any would be trouble maker.

Have you ever been to the UN headquarters? I can tell you first-

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hand that when you stand on the corner of East 42nd Street and First Avenue, you feel a gamut of emotions ranging from the excitement of being in a vibrant, lively place to real concerns for your safety. How do you think a 30-something UN delegate feels as he or she tours around on an expense account without fear of even a parking ticket due to their diplomatic immunity? Whatever they would be thinking, I doubt that dedicating themselves to world peace would be top of mind.

Now imagine standing before a beautiful forest setting or a pristine mountain. A place like that would inspire peace, compromise and an understanding that there is far more to the world than someone’s self centred backyard.

Canada is the only country in the world that can provide a place like that. We could build such a place with corruption no worse than any other country and in many cases less. We have so much

Edmonton Apartment Association in partnership with the Realtors Association of Edmonton Suites and Homes Trade Show Tuesday, Sept. 28 Mayfield Inn and Suites Trade Centre, Edmonton www.eaa.ab.ca/eventdetail.aspx?ID=59

Realtors Association of HamiltonBurlington Realtors Connections Conference & Trade Show Thursday, Sept. 30 Hamilton Convention Centre Hamilton Sheila Sferrazza – sheilas@rahb.ca or 905-529-8101, ext.234 Peterborough and the Kawarthas Association of Realtors Technology Day and Trade Show Friday, Oct. 1 Living Hope Peterborough, Ont. info@peterboroughrealestate.org 2010 Atlantic Connection October 5 – 7 Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, Halifax “A Realtor ‘How To’ conference” www.atlanticconnection.ca

land, so much space and so much potential. We could spare a great deal of land, providing it is truly put to good use and that it is respectful to the environment. Think of the innovation and technology we could apply to erecting a place that could be so much more than the place the United Nations has now.

Canada is a country like no other in the world. We are a living United Nations. We have more cultures, more religions, more ethnic groups, more languages and more understanding than any other country on earth. Why wouldn’t anyone believe that the United Nations could work better here?

Ask a Realtor the three most important things of where a person lives and works and he’ll say location, location, location.

Come on. Let’s get to work.

Let’s fix the world from here.

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

For complete listings, visit www.remonline.com To add a listing to this calendar, email jim@remonline.com WinnipegRealtors Association Technology Conference and Trade Show Wednesday, Oct.13 Victoria Inn & Conference Centre, Winnipeg Wendy Wasylnuk – wwasylnuk@winnipegrealtors.ca or (204) 786-8854 www.wrexpo.ca Realtors Association of Grey Bruce Owen Sound Trade Show Tuesday, Oct. 19 Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre, Owen Sound MarilynN@ragbos.com National Association of Realtors 2010 Conference and Expo November 5 – 8 New Orleans www.realtor.org/convention.nsf/

Compiled with the assistance of Bob Campbell at Colour Tech Marketing, www.colourtech.com

“I joined Keller Williams to be challenged and take my business to the next level.

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