May 2015 by Real Estate Magazine (REM)

Issue #311

May 2015

Recipe for success Training, education, loyalty

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Page 36

Facebook for real estate professionals Page 8

Hiring the best salespeople Page 40

Wayne and Martina Hanlon

RECOGNIZES 2014 TOP ACHIEVERS

IN LAS VEGAS MARCH 1, 2015

EDITH CHAN

RE/MAX Masters Realty, West Vancouver, BC • Western Canada & *Canada Wide – Top Individual – Residential • *Globally – Third place – Individual – Residential

TREVOR BOLIN

(With son, Kayden Bolin) RE/MAX Action Realty, Fort St. John, BC • Western Canada – Top Individual, British Columbia – Transactions

BILL GOOLD

RE/MAX Real Estate Services, Vancouver, BC • Western Canada – Top Commercial (Team & Individual Combined) • *Canada Wide & Globally – Top Commercial (Team)

CLIFF SHILLINGTON, BROKER OWNER

RE/MAX Kelowna, Kelowna, BC • Western Canada – Top Ofﬁce, British Columbia – Transactions • Western Canada & *Globally – Broker Owner of the Year – Multi-Ofﬁce

STAN NEWMAN, BROKER OWNER

RE/MAX Professionals, Winnipeg, MB • Robert H. Cherot Award • Western Canada – Top Ofﬁce, Manitoba – Transactions

TREVOR BOLIN, DOUGLAS PETERSEN, RICHARD PETERSEN, BROKER OWNERS

(Not pictured: Richard Petersen) RE/MAX Action Realty, Fort St. John, BC • Western Canada – Top Ofﬁce, Low Density Overall - Transactions • *Canada Wide & Globally – Top Ofﬁce, Small Market - Transactions

JOYCE TOURNEY

• • • •

RE/MAX Crown Real Estate – North, Regina, SK Western Canada – Top Team, Saskatchewan – Transactions Western Canada & *Canada Wide – Top Team Overall - Transactions *Canada Wide – Fifth Place – Team – Residential *Globally – Eighth Place – Team – Residential & Commercial

WINSTON BAILEY, BROKER OWNER

RE/MAX Weyburn Realty, Weyburn, SK • Western Canada – Broker Owner of the Year – Small Market

GLADYS SECONDIAK

RE/MAX Blue Chip Realty, Yorkton, SK • Western Canada – Top Individual, Saskatchewan – Transactions

SAM NARAYAN & AYAZ BHANJI, BROKER OWNERS

RE/MAX Excellence, Edmonton, AB • Western Canada & *Globally – Broker Owner of the Year – Single Ofﬁce

JEFF NEUSTAEDTER

RE/MAX House of Real Estate, Calgary, AB • Western Canada – Top Team, Alberta – Transactions • *Canada Wide – Tenth Place – Team – Transactions

CORY RAVEN

RE/MAX Select Realty, Vancouver, BC • Western Canada – Manager of the Year

PAT HARE, BROKER OWNER (With Manager, Nick Profeta)

RE/MAX Real Estate (Central), Calgary, AB • Western Canada – Top Office, Alberta – Transactions. • Western Canada – Top Office Overall Transactions • *Canada Wide & Globally – Top Metro Market – Transactions • *Canada Wide & Globally – Largest Single Office. *Canada Wide & Globally – Total Sales Volume – Single Office.

ASSUNTA DANIELE

RE/MAX Real Estate (Edmonton) North, Edmonton, AB • Western Canada – Administrator of the Year

*AWARDED BY RE/MAX, LLC ON MARCH 4, 2015 BRIAN AMES, BROKER OWNER

RE/MAX Advantage (Whitecourt), Whitecourt, AB • *Canada Wide – Largest Net Gain in Associates – Small Market

JOHN LICHTENWALD & DEBORAH UPTON, BROKER OWNERS

RE/MAX Crest Realty, Vancouver, BC • *Canada Wide & Globally – Total Sales Volume – Multi-Ofﬁce

RE/MAX OF WESTERN CANADA

PATTI TIELMANN

RE/MAX Little Oak Realty, Abbotsford, BC • Western Canada – Administrator of the Year

RE/MAX OF LLOYDMINSTER

Lloydminster, AB • Western Canada – Spirit of the West

KATHLEEN WEARE

RE/MAX First, Calgary, AB • Western Canada – Spirit of the West

GREG STEELE

RE/MAX Excellence, Edmonton, AB • Western Canada - Special Services

DEEDRIE BALLARD

RE/MAX Camosun, Victoria, BC • Western Canada – Community Care

• *Canada Wide – Top Donations to Children’s Miracle Network • *Canada Wide – Top Average Donations per Agent to Children’s Miracle Network

THOSE NOT PRESENT: DONNA ROONEY

RE/MAX Real Estate (Central), Calgary, AB • Western Canada – Top Team – Residential • *Canada Wide – Second Place – Team – Residential • *Globally – Fourth Place – Team – Residential

KEITH UNGER

KEVIN MOIST

RE/MAX Performance Realty, RE/MAX Performance Realty, Steinbach, MB Winnipeg, MB • Western Canada – Top Team, • Western Canada – Top Manitoba – Transactions Individual, Manitoba – Transactions

LARRY STEWART, BROKER OWNER

RE/MAX Saskatoon (East), Saskatoon, SK • Western Canada – Top Ofﬁce, Saskatchewan – Transactions

BRYAN LOGEL

RE/MAX Real Estate (Central), Calgary, AB • Western Canada – Top Individual, Alberta – Transactions • Western Canada – Top Individual Overall Transactions • *Canada Wide – Top Individual - Transactions

RON ANTALEK

RE/MAX LifeStyles Realty, Maple Ridge, BC • Western Canada – Top Team, British Columbia - Transactions

BRAD LESLIE

RE/MAX Real Estate Services, Vancouver, BC • Western Canada – Community Care

For the complete list of winners, please view the press release in the remax.ca newsroom. Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated. This advertisement is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for informational purposes only. If you own a franchise affiliated with another organization, this advertisement is not intended to offer a RE/MAX franchise or to solicit a change in your affiliation.

remax.ca

REM MAY 2015 3

Brian Collie remembered T

ributes to Brian M. Collie continue as Canada’s real estate community mourns the loss of the CEO of the Manitoba Real Estate Association (MREA), who died suddenly on April 1. “A visionary leader and passionate advocate for building stronger communities, Brian’s life of service was built on a firm foundation of love for his family, his profession and Manitoba communities,” says the association. “A husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather first, Brian dedicated most of his professional life to supporting and leading his second family: the MREA membership, volunteers and staff.” Last year, REM named Collie as one of the people who had the most impact on Canadian real estate in the last 25 years. At that time, Bill Madder, CEO of the Association of Saskatchewan Realtors, told REM: “Brian Collie’s persona of a quiet guy from a small association in the wilderness belies his true power in the industry and

METES & BOUNDS

By Marty Douglas “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming – Wow! What a ride!” – Hunter S. Thompson

e learned via social media that we had lost Manitoba’s Brian Collie. Later, more formal notices revealed he was 67 – too young – and the extent of his influence on the Canadian real estate landscape. Brian died on April 1 and I’d like to think he’s chuckling

his ability to get things done. Brian always knows what is going on in the business from coast to coast and does a great job of working with all the right people to get the right things done for the betterment of our profession. From education to federal affairs to MLS to ethics, Brian has had a hand (sometimes invisible but always there) in most of the major changes in the real estate world over the past 25+ years.” Collie’s real estate career began in 1972 as a salesperson. He later created his own firm, Century 21 Collie and Co. in 1981. He served as president of both the Winnipeg Real Estate Board and MREA in the late 1980s, before he joined the MREA as CEO in 1991. Gary Simonsen, CREA CEO says: “Having known Brian for over 30 years I was honoured to call him a good friend and a great colleague. The Realtor community in Manitoba and across the country has lost a true champion. He was a man of integrity, honesty, common sense, compassion and

love of all things real estate. Personally and professionally I will miss him.” Dan Russell, former EO of the Alberta Real Estate Association, told REM he was friends with Collie since they met in 1989, while Collie was still a broker. “Early on, it was easy to see Brian was someone who had so much to contribute to the real estate industry,” says Russell. “He was one of the most intelligent men I ever met, but he also had compassion – he really cared for the people he worked with.” CREA and MREA past-president Harry DeLeeuw of Winnipeg says: “Brian Collie lived and breathed real estate. He had a hand, either directly or in the background, in most issues that occurred in organized real estate in the past 20 plus years. He was always very well versed on all issues and his persuasive powers are legendary. He was an integral part of the Banff Western Conference, REIA and REVIA on the national level and was

instrumental in some great member service and charitable initiatives in his home province of Manitoba. Above all, he was a people person, an amazing leader, a great judge of character, a wonderful friend and very much appreciated by all he met.” Long-time Winnipeg sales rep Hannon Bell of Royal LePage Prime Real Estate says, “As chair of the Shelter Foundation, I appreciated his guidance and innate intelligence regarding the strategy of the foundation and real estate in general….He showed interest and compassion, whether it was for family or the industry he loved.” He supported volunteer leaders whose vision led to the creation of two legacy-building initiatives, The MREA Shelter Foundation and Manitoba Tipi Mitawa. The MREA Shelter Foundation supports shelter organizations across the province. Manitoba Tipi Mitawa is a groundbreaking home ownership program assisting First Nations families in realizing the

Brian M. Collie

dream of home ownership, says the association. With Volunteer Manitoba, Collie established the MREA Quality of Life Award, which each year recognizes volunteers improving the lives of Manitoba children. He also facilitated a 20-year ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity Manitoba and a continuing community partnership with Siloam Mission in Winnipeg’s inner city, says the association. The family requests donations in his honour be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association or the Manitoba Real Estate Association Shelter Foundation. REM

Thanks for the journey, Brian somewhere over the subtlety of the date. I was influenced by Brian indirectly as a result of his relationships with several executive officers and staff in British Columbia. I learned the best executive officers are those who steer the ship but never get caught with their hands on the wheel. Alan Creer, Donn Gardner, Dermot Murphy and Rob Stevens exhibited great strength of character while accepting the direction of their organizations, coaching and guiding them to national and international prominence. Robert Fawcett and Robert Laing continue their exemplary style. Brian stood among them. My first professional connection with Brian was my appointment as MC for the 2009 Banff Western Connection. I was filling some pretty big shoes – CBC radio personality Bob Robertson – and had been offered the opportunity by email. Robertson’s opening monologue in 2007 had been hilarious, featuring impressions of Queen Elizabeth and several Canadian

political personalities. Rex Murphy was the keynote speaker as I recall. Brian bravely left me to my own devices and after I stage-managed having my tie cut off and getting laughs at the expense of the four western provinces, the pressure of the opening ceremony was over and I must have sailed through the remaining days because on the closing night, Brian, along with Bill Madder, handed me a cheque. I’ve had the gig ever since. There are giants in our industry, past and present, and Brian was recognized in REM’s 25th anniversary edition as one of the most influential. The passing of giants begs the question: “Will we see their like again?” As an observer of 4 1/2 decades of real estate, much of that in the hallways of associations and regulators, I can assure you they are in the making as we speak. They are likely to be listening, not speaking; learning, not teaching; observing, not critiquing; preparing, not ad libbing. They may be licensed practitioners or professional administrators cur-

rently in the minor leagues, waiting for their shot “in the bigs”. But they are there. When the teacher is ready, the student will appear. Losing a colleague causes reflection. Losing a friend and mentor results in an outpouring of emotions – sorrow, appreciation and condolences – all evident on Brian’s online obituary postings. Quiet moments of analysis filled with sincere comments of “Why now?” and “How unfair!” frequently then turn inward and make us ponder how long until we “shuffle off this mortal coil”. In the minutes before starting this column, I recalled a recently heard lyric in the Lady Antebellum song Hello World – “Maybe talk to God like he is there.” Believer or not, there is a comfort in having a conversation about one’s own mortality with a friend, even an imaginary one. As I continue to remind our sales team, progress without measurement is just meandering. What value is a diet without a weigh-in or measurement? How far should you travel without

checking the map or chart? As we age, those measurements change from the concrete, the lumpy objects of material possessions, to the intangibles of family, friends and community service. What footprints have I left? Robin Sharma wrote a book on achieving inner peace, Who will cry when you die? Life lessons from the monk who sold his Ferrari. Indeed. Brian was, as the best leaders are, inclusive, willing to share and even to yield the stage, to push those deserving of recognition or opportunity to the forefront. His legacy is his example. An African proverb suggests, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Thanks for the journey Brian. Contact Marty Douglas by email at mgdouglas247@gmail.com . Follow or connect with Marty on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. He is a managing broker for Re/Max Ocean Pacific Realty in Comox and Courtenay, B.C. REM

4 REM MAY 2015

Multiple Listings By Jim Adair, REM Editor Do you have news to share with Canada’s real estate community? Let REM know about it! Email: jim@remonline.com

ales rep Lindsay Olver and local entrepreneur Peter Pangman have acquired the ownership of Central Alberta’s Coldwell Banker OnTrack Realty. As the company’s new president, Olver will oversee the brokerage’s three established locations in Red Deer, Lacombe and Rimbey. Pangman is a business owner with connections in the construction business. Former owner Carol Clark remains with the company in a sales capacity. Lynn Richardson remains broker of record. Andy Puthon, president of Coldwell Banker Affiliates of Canada, says, “Lindsay’s field experience as a Coldwell Banker professional and her reputation for cus-

tomer service will be great assets to her company moving forward in the Central Alberta marketplace.” ■ ■ ■

Dale and Victoria Tkatch, owners of Royal LePage Trinity Realty in Ontario’s Collingwood area since 1996, recently acquired TRI-W Realty, owned by Jane and Steve Moysey. TRI-W Realty’s team will remain at their current location in Blue Mountains, offering real estate and rental services. In operation for almost 30 years, it is the area’s largest rental services firm. Royal LePage Trinity Realty has offices serving Collingwood, Wasaga Beach and Stayner. ■ ■ ■

Coldwell Banker R.M.R. Real Estate, a multi-office brokerage headquartered in Whitby, Ont., has expanded its presence in

Durham Region with a move to a new, larger location in Cobourg. The new office is at 1040 Division St., a high-traffic location just south of Highway 401. The sales associates of the Cobourg location will continue to access the training facilities and resources at the brokerage’s head office in Whitby. The brokerage now has 150 sales associates and employees in nine locations servicing Durham Region, Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland. ■ ■ ■

Prudential Sterling Realty of Port Moody, B.C. has joined the Royal LePage network. Under the stewardship of long-time brokers/ owners Gord and Carole Walker, along with partners Ken Gibbons, Ray Erwin, Neil Dinsdale, Ken Gollner, Gord Axford and John Adolf, the brokerage has been

renamed Royal LePage Sterling Realty. General manager Randy Ryalls contributes to organized real estate through his committee work at the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. ■ ■ ■

David Young and Peaceland Realty Group in Richmond Hill, Ont. recently joined the Royal LePage network. The brokerage has been renamed Royal LePage Peaceland Realty. Established in 2011, under Young’s leadership the brokerage has grown to include 73 agents who have established themselves within the Mandarin-speaking community. Young is active in public service, serving as a municipal election campaign manager in the riding of Markham-Unionville. He is a recipient of the Community Volunteer Service Award from the Government of Ontario. Young is also a director of the CanadaChina Realty Professional Association (CCRPA).

the marketplace, says Bernie Vogt, president of Aventure. “Both Tom and Ben bring a long history of success as Realtors and community leaders to Aventure and together with an outstanding team of sales professionals expands the network’s reach into the important Peterborough marketplace,” says Vogt. Aventure now includes 55 independent Canadian brokerages serving more than 1,200 markets, as well as 450 locations in Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany. ■ ■ ■

Stoneguide Realty in Peterborough, Ont. has joined the Aventure Realty Network. Founded in 2006 by Tom Bennett and Ben Shaughnessy, Stoneguide Realty has developed a strong presence and independent brand in

Royal LePage recently participated in an innovative, interactive game at two of Canada’s most prestigious office towers. An estimated 4,000 people engaged in an electronic game in the lower concourse of Brookfield Place and Bay Adelaide Centre in Toronto. The game gleaned feedback from those who work in the buildings, and while playing, participants were asked if they would be interested in being matched with a Royal LePage agent to help with their real estate needs. “It’s a fun way to engage with consumers,” says Heidi Noel, director, broker services. “They enjoy it and our brokers enjoy a new source of leads for their sales reps.” REM

Ben Shaughnessy

Tom Bennett

■ ■ ■

Lindsay Olver

Coldwell Banker R.M.R.’s new Cobourg location.

David Young

Randy Ryalls

Victoria and Dale Tkatch

More than 4,000 people played an interactive game that provided leads for Royal LePage agents.

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6 REM MAY 2015

TREB’s Competition Tribunal hearing delayed The board was granted an adjournment until Sept. 21 By Heath Applebaum

he Competition Tribunal re-hearing of the Competition Bureau’s complaint against the Toronto Real Estate Board, originally scheduled for May, has been delayed. TREB was granted an adjournment until Sept. 21. The ultimate decision regarding the residential MLS policies of TREB will have far-reaching implications for real estate boards and brokers across the entire country. The federal Competition Bureau is determined to break TREB’s policies covering crucial real estate information such as home sales data, which TREB believes will compromise buyer and seller privacy and other matters. To provide a quick snapshot of recent events, on March 31,

2014, TREB filed an application for leave to appeal the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision to the Supreme Court of Canada. On July 24, 2014, the Supreme Court denied TREB’s application, which means that the tribunal must now reconsider the Competition Bureau’s application on its merits. Both the Competition Bureau and TREB will have an opportunity to file new evidence to the tribunal in advance of the rehearing, and to recall previous witnesses or call new ones during the re-hearing phase. CREA has intervener status and will also be permitted to submit new evidence. Most of the re-hearing will be open to the public, unless there is confidential information being presented.

Asked why this case is dragging on for so long, Greg Scott, senior communications advisor for the Competition Bureau told REM: “Every case is different. Depending on the complexity, some cases take longer than others. What is important is that we look forward to resolving this matter as quickly as possible, in order to ensure that consumers and real estate agents alike can benefit from increased competition for residential real estate brokerage services in the Greater Toronto Area.” TREB CEO John DiMichele elected to provide no response to REM’s questions beyond an emailed quote: “TREB is confident in achieving a successful result.” Asked if the Competition

Bureau believes there is potential to reach an agreement with TREB before the September rehearing, Scott replied, “Whenever the bureau identifies instances of alleged anti-competitive behaviour, our preference is always to reach a mutually agreeable resolution with the parties to address those concerns. When that is not possible, the bureau does not hesitate to take appropriate action as it did in the TREB matter. We continue to remain open to resolving this matter in a mutually agreeable way that addresses our concerns.” Scott added, “As TREB is Canada’s largest real estate board, it was especially important to resolve these concerns. Its decisions have a significant impact on

thousands of consumers and real estate agents every day.” The bureau wants to send a clear signal to real estate boards across the country. “We believe that a legally binding resolution that puts an end to TREB’s alleged anti-competitive practices will send a strong message to other boards that may be engaging in similar actions, or considering doing so. Should the bureau determine that other organizations are engaging in similar behaviour, it will not hesitate to take appropriate action.” Regardless of the decision of the tribunal in September, TREB still has the right to appeal that decision to the Federal Court of Canada, meaning this legal marathon is far from over. REM

Letters to the Editor smiled when I read the REM article, Leave it to the local sales reps, urges broker Marion de Wever. I have 30 years of experience in the business. I visited Marion’s office a few weeks back and sat on one of her nice couches. Stratford (population 32,000) is 60 km away from my office and I have a residential listing there. In the last little while I have also had listings in Bayfield, 83 km away

Cover photo: RANDY DAWE

(a vacant building lot); Port Stanley, 40 km away (a house and some land); Arkona, 56 km away (builder’s new houses and lots); and a little while back a farm in Port Glasow, 74 km away. I also unsuccessfully tried to sell a wrecking yard in Lucan 27 km away and a hot dog shack on the beach in Port Bruce, 60 km away. I like working with all types of people and I drive a Jetta that is good on gas. It has a CD player and cup holders. When I do Sunday afternoon open houses on my listing in Stratford, people often thank

me for doing Sunday open houses. I get good traffic and that time seems to work well for all the people who are out looking. Let me tell you the types of people that I often talk to at these open houses: 1) Retiring farmers from the surrounding areas. 2) Teckies from the Waterloo area. 3) Professors from Western University in London. 4) Film directors in Land Rovers. 5) School teachers from St. Marys who work in Kitchener and want to be closer to work. 6) GTA people who are thinking of buying condos here as second homes.

Publisher HEINO MOLLS heino@remonline.com

Editor JIM ADAIR jim@remonline.com

Director, Sales & Marketing DENNIS ROCK dennis@remonline.com

Distribution & Production MILA PURCELL distribution@remonline.com

Digital Media Manager WILLIAM MOLLS web@remonline.com

Art Director LIZ MACKIN

Brand Design SANDRA GOODER

Graphic Design SHAWN KELLY

7) People from Windsor and Chatham who have come to enjoy the plays here in the summer. 8) People moving back from out west who like old houses and who have grandchildren living in Toronto. The list goes on and on. Am I doing my seller a disservice by not necessarily knowing all of the distances to all of the schools or when garbage day is? Not really and I would like to go on record and say that I do know many of the comparable sales because I had a big one sell here on the MLS down the street two summers ago.

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. For subscription information, email distribution@remonline.com. Entire contents copyright 2015 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. ISSN 1201-1223

I also smiled when the article referenced the notion that some websites about real estate put out information that is not quite true. Watch for the spring launch of my condo website for Stratford that I think will show lots of great information. I am happy that my business gets me out the door and away from sitting behind a desk. Peter Daoust Broker Re/Max Advantage Realty London, Ont. REM

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Re: Leave it to the local sales reps

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8 REM MAY 2015

Facebook for real estate professionals

Facebook can be a key component in targeting potential customers and generating leads. By Toby Welch

acebook is an ideal tool to have in your real estate marketing arsenal. Worldwide, more than 1.4 billion active users are on Facebook, making it the largest social networking website in the world. Toronto-based Brad Sage, VP of operations and Evan Sage, VP of sales with Sage Real Estate, summed up the pros of using Facebook for your real estate business in an email to REM:

posting your listings is even worse.” Brad and Evan Sage say agents should use Facebook to: • Engage and stay top of mind with their network. • Deepen the relationships they already have. • Look at what their network is posting and pay attention. • Establish themselves as subject matter experts by adding value through the conversations they have and the content they post. • Connect with potential new clients by getting exposure to their network’s network. • Leverage the Facebook ad platform to boost their business page posts and “get them in front of the people that you want to be in front of.”

Evan Sage

“Facebook is by far the largest and most influential social networking site and offers the greatest opportunity to help agents move their business forward. The features of the site make it particularly conducive to agents’ marketing efforts when done properly. And you can connect with your sphere any time you have a few spare moments.” However, they say just being on Facebook is not a strategy “and being on Facebook and only

Brad Sage

Sold on the value of Facebook but not sure how to get going? First, sign up for an account. Then create a Facebook business page; Facebook walks you through the simple process of setting one up. Some people use their personal page for their real estate work, claiming it humanizes them. Others say the personal page lacks professionalism. It’s your call which option you choose. Either way, once you create your page, add a Facebook Like button to your website and add your Facebook link to your email signature. Use pictures to personalize your page and regularly post quality status updates and neighbourhood events. Try to include a picture or video with each posting because it’s proven that users are more likely to view a post with visual imagery. Contests, sweepstakes and freebies can help you create buzz. Post frequently – and not just mortgage rate news or industry happenings. Check out the pages of the people quoted in this article for inspiration on how to have a kickass page. It’s vital that you not just post

listings on your Facebook page if you want people to keep coming back. Keep the Pareto Principal in mind – 80 per cent of your postings should detail information that helps your readers and only 20 per cent of postings should be about yourself and your listings. Jason Haggerty, a sales representative with Decourcey and Company Real Estate in Saint John, N.B., says, “When it comes to marketing in a professional manner online, it’s important to know your audience, be cautious of self-promotion, try to add value and be relevant and positive. For example, if you have a Facebook page and are trying to market a certain product or service, it’s important to realize you do not have to post continuously about that one thing (boring). Find a balance, switch things up and keep things interesting. With the ‘frequency’ it’s easy to flood newsfeeds and from my experience, people don’t enjoy that. You can cause your audience to lose interest, or even worse, create animosity. Social media is very powerful and can be an extremely effective tool depending on how you use it.”

Christine Cowern

her team. “Not only do we have our business page on Facebook but we also promote our listings and blog posts through Facebook. We can geo-target our marketing so that we’re reaching people who

Christine Cowern, a sales rep with Keller Williams Referred Urban Realty in Toronto, is a proponent of Facebook. She says there’s no question that Facebook has helped expand the reach of

A common complaint about social media is that it can be time

“more than 1.4 billion active users are on Facebook” live in the geographic area that we work in that are of a certain age (or) gender…so it’s very effective in targeting a specific type of consumer. Canadians spend a huge amount of time online and Facebook is one of the sites that they’re spending the most time engaged with. Not having a presence on the site would be a wasted opportunity in my opinion.”

Jason Haggerty

that is. It’s getting so common to have a Facebook business page these days that if you don’t have one, you’re already falling behind.”

Cowern continues, “The purpose of the page is equally to build brand recognition. It’s a longer-term investment. The goal is to give our followers enough great information on the real estate market and trends that they think of us when they’re ready to buy or sell a property, whenever

consuming. Sage and Sage address this concern. “Fifty per cent of an agent’s time should be spent prospecting. There has never been a precise recipe for the best prospecting mix, but we all know that if you stop planning for new business and only focus on current clients, a dry period will certainly be in the near future. When you log into Facebook with no purpose or strategy and start chasing squirrels or getting distracted by the video of baby goats doing cute baby goat stuff, that’s when you’re wasting time. But if you develop a strategy and log on and spend x amount of time executing that strategy, and don’t let yourself get distracted, it is a great use of your time.” REM

10 REM MAY 2015

5 mistakes to avoid this spring By Mark Weisleder

his has already been a very busy spring for buyers, sellers and real estate agents in many parts of the country. In order to ensure that your deals close in an orderly manner, without any additional costs, expenses or aggravation for you and your clients, take care to avoid the following common errors: 1. Try not to do everything by yourself; know when to ask for help Clauses: How many times have you written in that the home will be left free of garbage and in a broom-swept condition on closing, only to find that the home is a mess at the pre-closing visit? In order for a buyer lawyer to be able to hold back money on closing to

solve the issue, it has to say so. Why not include the following language: “If the home is not in a clean and broom-swept condition at the time of the final pre-closing inspection, the buyer shall be given a credit in the final statement of adjustments in the amount of $XX (You choose the amount). Condominium keys and fobs: I can’t tell you how many times buyers have complained when they have not received two full sets of keys, garage door openers and fobs on closing. How about the following language: “Seller agrees to deliver to buyer on closing: two complete sets of keys, garage door openers and fobs for complete access to the condominium unit, the mailbox, the building, parking garage, all common areas and the locker unit for the property purchased. If the Seller fails to provide any key, garage door opener or fob, then the Seller shall immediately pay the Buyer the actual replacement cost of any such key, garage door open-

er or fob or the Buyer shall be given a credit for this amount on the final statement of adjustments.” Conditions: If the condition expires five business days after acceptance and the contract was accepted at 4 pm, when does the condition expire five days from now – at 4 pm, 6 pm or 11:59 pm? Who wants to go to court fighting about it? Why not insert language that just says: “Conditional until 11:59 pm on the 5th business day after acceptance.” 2. Planning/zoning/tree issues. Also know when to ask for help Any issue regarding parking pads or permits, basement apartments, zoning, building permits and lot coverage is not easy to figure out. If you are not sure, make the deal conditional upon lawyer review or further due diligence. Consider hiring a private planner who is experienced with the applicable city bylaws to assist you. If you have an issue with a tree on or near the boundary line, contact an arborist to assist you.

Cities have different bylaws when it comes to taking down trees or cutting roots or branches, so be informed in advance. 3. Avoid careless errors One of the most common errors is when an agent copies the information from an expired listing instead of doing the required due diligence. It would likely also be considered a breach of your ethical duties of due diligence. Remember, one of the reasons the listing may not have sold is because of the effort put in by the prior agent. Don’t make the same mistakes. If you are not sure about anything, even after doing due diligence, consider using a disclaimer clause that your seller is not warranting the matter and the buyer should conduct their own due diligence. This is especially true when it comes to room measurements or lot sizes. 4. Do it the same way every time When you review the Realtor agreements or your agreements

of purchase and sale with your buyers and sellers, do it the same way every time. Make sure the clients understand all key provisions, including the price, deposits, closing date, chattels/rental items included and any conditions. Remember, conditions need to be exercised in good faith or sellers may refuse to release any deposits. 5. Little things matter Is the closet organizer or television bracket included? Be clear about all the little things in your deal and your buyers and sellers will not have aggravation after closing. By avoiding common mistakes, not only will you have less aggravation this spring, your clients will appreciate your services even more, which should lead to more repeat business and referrals. Mark Weisleder is a partner, author and speaker at the law firm Real Estate Lawyers.ca LLP. Contact him at mark@realestatelawyers.ca REM

Court says transfer of “ownership” necessary for HST New Housing rebate By Martin K. I. Rumack

he HST New Housing Rebate was established and is governed by the federal Excise Tax Act and is aimed primarily at those who buy a new or substantially renovated home from a builder. As with all tax rebate programs, there are certain eligibility requirements; many of these are found in s. 254 of the Excise Tax Act. For example, one of these requirements in section 254(2)(e) mandates that there must be a transfer of “ownership” of the home to the particular individual who is claiming the rebate after the construction or renovation is substantially completed; normally this would be the same person who signed the Agreement of

Purchase and Sale. But on at least two recent occasions the courts have had to consider unique scenarios that called into question whether the rebate is still available if title to the property is transferred not to the person signing the Agreement of Purchase and Sale, but to someone else. The most recent case is Kandiah v. The Queen, 2014 TCC 276, where the Tax Court of Canada considered a somewhat unusual scenario. The husband had signed an agreement to buy a new home, but for various reasons the title to the home was put only in his wife’s name on closing. The husband nonetheless applied and received $24,000 in the New Housing Rebate, which was credited to the developer. However, his eligibility for the rebate was later re-assessed by the Minister of National Revenue. He was declared ineligible and it was requested that the money be returned.

In evaluating these facts against the rebate eligibility requirements, the court considered its own prior decision in a case called Rochefort v. The Queen, 2014 TCC 34. That case had different and unique facts, but it remained relevant because the court endorsed what it called an “expansive view” of the concept of ownership and differentiated between “title” and “ownership” for rebate eligibility purposes. Specifically, the court established that although the question of who has legal title remains a significant factor in determining ownership, the two concepts are not identical: whether someone has ownership must be determined in each case by looking at the factual context and the wording of the legislation. More to the point, the court in Rochefort concluded that neither entering into an Agreement of Purchase and Sale nor receiving title to a property is sufficient on its own to constitute

ownership for the purpose of qualifying for the rebate under s. 254(2)(e) of the Act. Returning to the scenario in Kandiah and applying the criteria in Rochefort, the court decided that the husband had not obtained sufficient rights in the property to constitute ownership, and this included the fact that his name did not actually go on title. As such, he could not claim the rebate under s. 254(2)(e). It should be noted that one of the key distinguishing factors in Rochefort – and one that was not present in Kandiah – was that the home purchased was intended to be a matrimonial home occupied by both husband and wife. Even though the wife was not put on title, she and the husband both had certain rights in connection with it, arising under the Ontario Family Law Act, including some right to convey the property. The Rochefort court also concluded

that the husband had attained a “beneficial” interest in the property even though his name was not on title. What’s the take-away from all this? It’s simple. In order to be eligible for the New Housing Rebate, make sure that each person who signs the Agreement of Purchase and Sale is also listed on title to the property. It sounds basic, but it doesn’t always happen this way, and being unaware of the distinction may cost the chance to claim a rare and hefty rebate from the government. Toronto lawyer Martin Rumack’s practice areas include real estate law, corporate and commercial law, wills, estates, powers of attorney, family law and civil litigation. He is co-author of Legal Responsibilities of Real Estate Agents, 3rd Edition, available at the TREB bookstore. Visit Martin Rumack’s website at www.martinREM rumack.com.

A generation of opportunity. Right at your fingertips. Discover the advantages of NAR’s Seniors Real Estate Specialist® designation. Build your real estate business with specialized knowledge of the wants, needs and expectations of home buyers and sellers aged 50+. By earning your SRES® designation via the 2-day course, you gain familiarity with these unique buyers and sellers, and connect with a specialized referral network of more than 13,000 REALTORS®. Tap the potential of an SRES® designation. Visit seniorsrealestate.com to learn more.

12 REM MAY 2015

THE GUEST COLUMN

By Angela Papassotiriou

he Canadian Real Estate Association has more than 105,000 members, which makes it crucial for highcalibre professionals to distinguish themselves from mediocrity. The best strategy is to stop selling houses or condos immediately! Sound ludicrous? Not if you consider it does not refer to the act of selling, but rather the mindset involved. Many industry experts are recommending we shift our approach from “salesoriented” to “consultative”. In other words, stop selling and start helping. Why is this mindset so important? The dynamics of our clients

We need to stop selling houses have changed and real estate professionals need to evolve or risk becoming average in a fiercely competitive industry. Consumers are more informed and have access to an abundance of info at their fingertips. They need a professional who can assess their needs, help interpret info, facilitate a smooth transaction and ensure they make the right decisions when dealing with their biggest asset. As such, the salesperson’s role needs to be that of a consultant or trusted advisor who helps navigate through every step of the process. There is no selling involved. If the focus remains on helping the client, the sale takes care of itself. Once we understand why, then the question is how? We all know how off-putting a sales pitch can be. Let’s look at this from a consumer’s perspective. I recently visited a jewellery store to buy a ring. I was greeted by a saleslady asking if she could help me find something. I replied, “No thank you. Just browsing,” in an

effort to avoid the agonizing spiel that tends to follow. She still went into a long pitch that was memorized and probably more painful for her to repeat all day than it was for me to politely wait for her to finish so I could look at the merchandise. She then followed as I browsed and kept offering to show me rings. When I finally wanted to see one, I quickly decided I didn’t like it. However, she kept showing me similar rings to keep me engaged with the hope she could persuade me to buy. A common yet fatal mistake! Instead of a sale, it resulted in my tactfully ending my awkward visit before looking at all the rings. The salesperson meant well, but that whole interaction and her efforts to engage me were irrelevant to my needs and felt pressured and rather intrusive. Then I went to their competitor. The salesperson warmly welcomed me and told me to reach out if I needed anything while browsing. I looked at all the rings

at my leisure. I saw one I liked. This salesperson probed, listened, answered questions, understood my concerns and then offered her expertise, along with a few solutions. I happily purchased a ring. This salesperson was very involved but not intrusive. She used a consultative approach and the sale simply took care of itself. Now take the mall merchandise out of the equation and replace it with a home. Note the vocabulary with an emphasis on “home” and not “house” or “condo”. A home is where people invite friends, raise families and host a lifetime of memories. Start shifting your mindset by understanding the magnitude of the emotions that are intertwined with one’s home buying or selling needs. Then take this perspective and reflect on your latest interactions with clients at open houses, on showings or listing presentations to determine what you need to change. Were your efforts to engage

realtyreport

prospects relevant to their needs? Did you identify their concerns and offer the necessary expertise or solutions? Were you involved but not intrusive? Your approach throughout this entire process will mean the difference between closing the sale or helping your competitor to do so. We know our industry is saturated with Realtors but almost half only do a few deals each year, if that. Why not use all that competition to your advantage to help you close more deals? To achieve this, simply stop selling and focus on helping families find a home. Only this mindset can ensure the sale takes care of itself. Ready to stop selling now? Angela Papassotiriou began her career in 1989 and is currently a manager (broker) at Re/Max Realtron, which ranked as the No. 1 firm on TREB in 2014 (dollar volume for listings & sales combined). 416.289.3333; Email angela@remaxrealtron.com. REM

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Tel: (800) 387-6058 6058 Fax: (800) 800-7093 courtney@marketconnections.com Greetings! You’re receiving this newsletter with hopes that you find it informative and entertaining. If you’re thinking of making a move, or are just curious as to real estate trends in your area, please feel free to call at any time. It’s always good to hear from you!

Today’s low interest rates may have started you thinking about ut investing in a second, investment property. A rental property fixed y is s a fix xed asset, an attractive option for people looking for a tangible investment. nv vesttme ment. Before you jump ahead though, take care in assembling yourr te team eam m– one consisting of you, your financial advisor and your REALTOR OR R ®. Want a yard that’s green in more ways than n one? on ne? Follow these eco-friendly tips for creating and maintaining outdoor area that’s easier on an metropolitan area, is to loo ok at the environmen If you’re thinking about buying an ment. m t. condos at the pre-constru uction stage. existing property, you’ll obviously Go native. With the down payment due now for need to work with what’s available need fo n or Go solar. Solar energy is renewable energy, and it powers a building that won’t be oc ccupied for on the market. We’ll get together to specie es landscape lighting for every application you could want: hat grow h two or three years, howevver, you’ll review the current and upcoming w ﬂoodlights, string lights, steak lights, deck lights, or lamp here are h need to not only clear this with your listings in the areas you’re interested e posts. You can even incorporate solar-powered water ﬁnancial advisor but also d do your in, in your price range, making sure features into your landscaping. research Go chemical-fr into the reputatio on of the the location, amenities and layout ee. iizers an nd G Go o old o school. school. h l Hand-powered gardening tools hool builder to ensure the stabiility of your of the home itself are ideal for your like push ur own. Turn u mowers (which are now much lighter and easier to use), investment so far into the future. needs. The great advantage of ffor exam mple, rakes (as opposed to leaf blowers), and pruning saws are buying into an existing property is rready have h not only eco eco-friendly, f i dl they’re h Let’s get together to discuss what cheaper and give you a bit of that you can see exactly what you’re a workout, too! to look out for in your next real getting and what the dynamics of the Go natural. ents, op e estate decision! pt for area are. pa pathw ays a ys mad ma m ad de of de of Another option, especially if ood od an and and nd you’re looking oking to invest in a more

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A SECOND HOME Today’s low interest rates may have started you thinking about investing in a second, investment property. A rental property is a fixed asset, an attractive option for people looking for a tangible investment. Before you jump ahead though, take care in assembling your team – one consisting of you, your financial advisor and your REALTOR®.

Courtney Brown Real Estate Agent

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their accuracyy cannot be guaranteed. The publishers assume no responsibility for errors and omissions or for any damages eer professional advice. Not intended resulting from the use of the published to solicit properties or businesses listed for sale and agency agreements in place o Inc.® 2015, Phone: (800) 387-6058. ons with other real estate brokers. Whole or partial

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT — Capital improvement is an addition or alteration to real property that increases a property’s overall value, adapts the property to new usses, or prolongs the useful life of property.

realtyreport® Courtney Brown 94 Scarsdale Road Toronto, ON M3B 2R7 2147963

Terminology Tip

Re egular maintenance does not qualify as capital improvement. Fo or example, while putting vinyl siding on the exterior walls of a wo ooden property is considered a capital improvement, simply 4 pa ainting the outside of that same wooden house is not. Replacing old d, leaky windows is another example of capital improvement.

% of e! e

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Ta alk to your real estate representative about the value of capital im mprovements when determining the selling price of your home.

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metropolitan area, is to look at condos at the pre-construction stage. With the down-payment due now for a building that won’t be

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Proud to be Engel & Völkers, Champions of Special Olympics Play Unified Campaign Engel & Völkers Intown Atlanta received this year’s 2014 E&V Community Service Award. Owner, Scott Askew and his team were recognized for their ongoing support and volunteerism with more than 12 organizations within his community, including Special Olympics. We felt there was no better representative within our network to announce that Engel & Völkers is the first cause marketing sponsor for the Special Olympics Play Unified campaign. Throughout the duration of our three-year sponsorship Engel & Völkers will be focusing support efforts on building inclusive communities through sports. To learn more about Engel & Völkers and Special Olympics Play Unified visit www.evcanada.com. Engel & Völkers Canada 2 Bloor Street West · Suite 700 · Toronto · Ontario M4W 3R1 · Canada · Phone +1 416-323-1100 info@evcanada.com · evfranchise.com

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14 REM MAY 2015

Unprofessional conduct

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LEGAL ISSUES

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By Donald H. Lapowich

n an interesting Alberta case, a chartered accountant was involved in disputes with both the builder of her residential condominium and the condominiumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s property management company. During the disputes the chartered accountant sent threatening emails to the salesperson and a representative of the property management company. She identified herself as a chartered accountant. Because of the email, complaints were made to the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. An investigation was conducted and allegations of unprofessional conduct were found. It should be noted that this finding was made although it involved a private matter of the chartered accountant. The complaint was not made by a client of the CA or a person with whom the CA had a professional relationship. Because she was found guilty of unprofessional conduct in sending threatening emails, it was ruled that she brought disgrace to the profession. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Erdmann v Complaints Inquiry Committee, 2013 ABCA 147 â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

Municipality ruled not liable: A couple purchased property â&#x20AC;&#x153;previously ownedâ&#x20AC;? by the municipality of Chatham-Kent in Ontario. At that time the property was used as a dump. The couple was unaware of the propertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prior use. When they sought a permit to build a house, they discovered the prior use by the municipality. The couple then sued the vendor, the real estate agent and the municipality. The vendor offered to buy the

property back for the purchase price of $80,000. This was refused. Instead, the couple went ahead with their plans to build the house, which required soil remediation and special construction methods. The couple settled with the real estate agent for $100,000. They also obtained a trial award against the municipality for the additional construction costs, environmental costs (leading to delay) and diminished value of property (because of stigma), less the $100,000 recovered from the real estate agent. On appeal, the Ontario Court set aside the judgment against the municipality. The reasoning was

The couple settled with the real estate agent for $100,000. that the couple was aware that they would have to incur additional costs to construct a home before they even began, and they would also have to deal with environmental issues that would lower the value of the property because of the stigma of prior use. The municipality could not be liable for more than the purchase price. However, because the couple refused the vendorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offer to pay back the purchase price, this broke the causal link (causation) with the municipality and assumed the risk when they commenced construction. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Biskey v. Chatham-Kent (Municipality), 2012 ONCA 802 Donald Lapowich, Q.C. is a partner at the law firm of Koskie, Minsky in Toronto, where he practices civil litigation, with a particular emphasis on real estate litigation and mediation, acting for builders, real estate agents and lawyers. REM

Are you doing well enough that you have no need for an income boost of $10,000.00 a month? Or every couple of weeks? This check is fake. But it doesn’t have to be. What if I told you that you could EASILY increase your income from real estate by this much or more EVERY MONTH, if you will take only THREE simple actions…. FREE ONLINE VIDEO WAITING FOR YOU Wait. I’ll tell you about the video in a minute. First, let me tell you why you should bother to watch my lengthy online presentation and why virtually every real estate “guru”, trainer, “coach”, etc. hopes you never do. I was a highly successful AGENT for more than 20 years. No one can even come close to matching my track record. THIS INVITATION IS ONLY FOR YOU IF YOU PLACE A HIGH VALUE ON SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE. On methods that are working now but have also proven themselves in every kind of market over time and can be counted on. I know from that experience that: This market is good enough, just about everywhere, to reward an agent “with the right stuff,” with a solid 6-figure to a 7-figure income right now, and going forward. Of course, a lot of people would rather have a good excuse than a good plan or have the “love” of their miserable, negative, complaining buddies than a big income and their jealousy. If that’s you, turn the page and forget I came around. But I’ll tell you: there is no legiti g mate excuse for not hav-

ing all the good prospects and clients coming to you right now, for you to have a $200,000 or $300,000 or $500,000+ income you want – and still work sane hours, have a real personal or family life, and be able to “enforce” your time off with your cell-phone off without the desperate fear of loss that comes with poor positioning and utterly unpredictable income and a sense of a “bad market.” Listen, aren’t you SICK AND TIRED of the worry and anxiety of income uncertainty? Of defending your careerr to spouse or family or relatives at holidays – and to yourself? Of believing others are making more, easier, and wondering what’s wrong with you? Of being stuck at a level you can’t rise above? Of feast ‘n celebration, then months of famine? Maybe worse: being “successful” but still feeling anxious about it, trapped by it, working much harder for it than you should have to? I literally re-invented real estate once, and made myself a multi-millionaire agent by doing so. Now I’m doing it again. And the new video presentation I’ve posted for you at www.BecomeAMillionaire Agent.com m - available anytime within the next 30 days (then gone) – tells you my “back story” but more importantly, tells you how I’m reinventing the real estate business….. basically putting my very, very, very proven system on steroids, and tells you how you can be a part of

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it. You may even get that fake $10,000.00 check at the top of this ad replaced with a real one, from me, as a “bonus”, on top of the $10,000.00+ increase in your monthly income I create for you. This video reveals the three – just three – simple actions you must take, to separate yourself from the confused, whining, suffering crowd of agents AND from the normal ills and evils of being an agent, so that, bluntly, as they starve out, you prosper. I’m sure you’ll be tempted to chuck this. That’s your prerogative. But cynicism can only lead to resignation. Here is the dictionary definition of a ‘cynic’: cynic y

t B QFSTPO XIP CFMJFWFT that people are motivated purely by self-interest rather than acting for honorable or unselfish reasons : E.g.: some cynics thought that the offer of help to the community concealed a secret agenda. t a person who questions whether something will

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happen or whether it is worthwhile : E.g.: the cynics were silenced when the ‘crazy’ invention actually worked. E.g..: they all laughed when I sat down at the piano – until I started to play! First, as hard as it may be to believe when a stranger shows up at your door like this, I really DON’T need your money, I’m NOT out to get you, and unlike some charlatans I expose, I am NOT peddling the newest, shiniest, social media-est promises that sound so magnificent in a seminar room but evaporate into dust in the real world. You have nothing to fear from me. And I’ll give you overwhelming proof that you can trust me as a truth-teller in a land of gypsies, tramps and thieves. Second, I am actually doing what I’m doing for reasons other than / in addition to making more money. Even Buffett, newly entered as a “brand name” into our world, won’t work for free and neither will I. But I am out to prove something publicly, from which you might well benefit greatly (and that I’ll even guarantee your

benefit from), and I am also motivated by a sincere empathy for the honest, hard-working, successoriented agent and a desire to help such a person. I am honestly appalled by the ways in which the “hot guru-coaches” are misleading and confusing agents, even dooming agents, themselves cynics, and I want to create a “truth and sense zone”. Simply, I am out to create 1,000 New Millionaire Agents within the next 36 months and document their rising up by the same “good sense” system. You can find out all about it by watching the free video. Your “ticket” is www.BecomeAMillionaire m and you have Agent.com 30 days to do it. It’s about 20 minutes long, so go to it when you are in a private place and have arranged to watch the whole thing (if it holds your interest). Or you can turn the page. The first choice has possibilities. The second does not. Go to www.BecomeAMillionaireAgent.com

today.

16 REM MAY 2015

Free book promises to double your income By Connie Adair

lenn McQueenie’s mother gave him a pair of slippers but they were too small. He went to the mall to return them, making his way to SoftMoc. The store was buzzing with customers. He returned his slippers and walked back to his car, passing through a department store on the way. There wasn’t a soul in the shoe department. The moral of the story? There are “riches in niches”, says the operating principal/CEO of Keller Williams Referred Realty and Keller Williams Referred Urban Realty in Toronto. That’s just one of the secrets the 26-year real estate veteran shares in his first book, Double Your Income – The simple way for real estate agents to make more money, in less time, working with clients they really love. “I wrote the book to reach other agents across the country who are not with my brokerages, but who really want great training and are happy at their brokerage,”

says McQueenie, who is offering his 68-page book to readers for free. (His own agents benefit from his Double Your Income Coaching Program.) Although the book is skewed to agents in the heated Toronto and Vancouver markets, there are lessons to be learned by all. To date, 1,000 books have been downloaded across North America by people who recognize the value of McQueenie’s knowledge. He just completed a book tour in Ontario and the Maritimes, and he says the feedback has been “incredible”. McQueenie, who has written columns for REM, says he was inspired to write a book that would help keep agents in the business (especially those who drop out after the first year) and teach them how to be successful. It’s about getting the right training at the right time, he says. “We used to be able to be a department store, offering goods, services and everything. Now boutique stores like Sunglass Hut do

one thing incredibly well and dominate the market,” he says. In the Internet world, it’s all about specialization. It’s the same in real estate. Top agents always work in one market, be it geographic or demographic. To start niche marketing, don’t toss what you do now out the window. Do what you’re doing 80 per cent of the time and work on your niche market the other 20 per cent of the time, he says. Who would your dream client be? Look back three to 18 months and think about which clients you loved and loved working with. That’s where you should be, he says. One agent in her mid-50s lit up when McQueenie’s advice clicked. The single woman told him she wanted to help 30- to 50-year-old single women build wealth and that she planned to design a wealth management program. A 60-year-old agent didn’t get the “computer thing,” McQueenie says. “He liked to work with 65- to

R-E-S-P-E-C-T By Ross Wilson “Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?” – Confucius

or several years, we had enjoyed a friendly respectful relationship. But her failure to return my calls after I’d left two courteous messages on as many days had left me disappointed. Not only did her behaviour clearly demonstrate a lack of professional courtesy, but at the time, it precluded me from providing my seller with valuable feedback comments regarding my listing that she’d just shown. My seller was not impressed.

Such a request may not be important to a disrespectful unprofessional, but someone’s deliberate effort to contact you should certainly indicate some level of importance to the caller. Take a few moments to return the call or complete the brief on-line feedback request! Such a response serves us all. In a similar vein are missed showing appointments. Anticipating a buyer agent’s arrival, a conscientious homeowner often meticulously prepares their home and inconveniently vacates to facilitate your buyer’s viewing privacy. When your buyer cancels, promptly call to cancel or reschedule the appointment. It’s not only common courtesy – which sadly seems less common these days – but you can also avoid an unprofessional conduct fine. On each occasion when you fail to behave professionally, not only is your professional standing tarnished, a tiny sliver of

respectability is sliced from our collective industry reputation. And we must all work a bit harder to re-earn that fragment. Think about the rather substantial advertising dollars being spent by your board or association to instil a sense of trustworthiness in our industry. Frankly, it is money we shouldn’t have to spend. It can take many years to build a respectable reputation – and only moments to destroy it. Never underestimate the importance of public perception and just as significantly, how you’re perceived by your peers. Consider what goes around comes around. For all practical purposes, think of your colleagues as partners because one day, you might find yourselves sitting across from each other at the negotiation table. A friendly, respectful relationship could ease the proceedings toward a mutually rewarding conclusion. The public is poorly served when you treat your colleagues

85-year-olds and help them sell their home and move into a condo, a retirement residence or assisted living. You don’t need a computer for that. He is slowpaced and caring. His niche matches his personality.” Another agent, a divorcee, decided to specialize in helping separated and divorced women because she knows what they are going through. Sometimes all people need is to have is someone who can tell them that they relate, that it’s going to be okay, and here’s the process, he says. McQueenie’s book is chock full of information (from Why You Should Treat Every Lead as Your Best Friend to Why Offering a Free Orientation Tour Works to How to Use Geographic Farming to Double Your Income) gathered over his years in real estate and from the $1 million to $1.5 million he has spent on training for himself. McQueenie got his licence in 1989 and opened his first broker-

irreverently. Why? Because it’s so easy for buyer agents, when assembling properties to show, to “mistakenly” overlook your listings. Don’t give them any emotional justification to be neglectful of their responsibility to consider all appropriate listings. Both you and your sellers could suffer the consequences. Your level of integrity, ethical behaviour and sense of fairness will contribute to your success – or lack of it – over the long term. Along with being likable, if not lovable, for an enduring successful career, it helps to not only respect others, but to love and respect yourself as a sovereign power. To be able to professionally influence people, you need honest, ethical power over them. And that power begins with self-respect. As the late Blain Lee, co-founder and former senior consultant with the Covey Leadership Centre wrote in his illuminating book, The Power Principle, “There is a universal principle for being effective with others, maintaining power with others and sustaining influence with others. Honour is power. The

Glenn McQueenie

age in 2004. “My second brokerage opened in March 2013 and has rapidly grown to 126 associates at that office,” he says. He has more than 300 associates in total. “I am happy to come and speak at any brokerage about my program,” McQueenie says. “I will be rolling out a coaching program in the second quarter and holding a special two-day mastermind session for 12 people only, in Toronto on May 23 and 24.” You can download the book at www.doubleyourincomebook.com REM

more we are honoured, respected and genuinely regarded by others, the more power we will have with them.” To be rude or ignorant, or to be a courteous consummate professional, is a personal conscious choice. Maybe if we all chose the latter, we might witness a reversal of declining public respect. Respect others as much as you respect yourself (or more) and remember the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Public perception of our profession is up to each of us – every day. Ross Wilson, broker with iPro Realty, has enjoyed a rewarding fourdecade career encompassing a highly productive referral sales practice and extensive experience as a brokerage owner, manager, trainer and mentor. His new book, The Happy Agent – Finding Harmony with a Thriving Realty Career and an Enriched Personal Life is available where print and e-books are sold, including the TREB, BREB and OMDREB stores. www.realty-voice.com. REM

18 REM MAY 2015

Why is this a dirty word? By Michel Friedman

often see articles and advertising in which real estate sales associates refer to themselves as “professionals”. Often I see arguments about how “un-professional” we are and that we should act more like professionals. Recently I read an article in REM saying that we need to stop selling and start “helping families find a home”. Another article suggested that we dress “like a professional”. In opinion forums I have heard salespersons say that we are like doctors or lawyers and should be treated as such. They ask, “Why can’t our client pay us for an appointment?” Selling and salesperson have become dirty words as they relate to the real

estate industry. Is this why we try and disguise ourselves as being a “professional” rather than a salesperson? The Real Estate Council of Ontario does not recognize our title as a real estate professional but as a real estate salesperson. In the U.S., the National Association of Realtors published results of a survey years ago that listed the top answers to the question of what the public is expecting of us. They are: 1. Trust 2. Honesty 3. Knowledge 4. Hard work. The word professional was nowhere to be found, which surprised me. So, I went to look for a definition of the word profession and this is what I found: “A paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification.” Wait a minute. “A paid occupation” – Are we

getting paid when we list a property, advertise it, do open houses, follow up on showings… and the listing ends up expiring? Are we getting paid if we work with a buyer for months and they end up changing their mind and not buying or we lose a deal to multiple offers, and then the buyer representation agreement expires and they sign up with another sales rep? Are we getting paid for all the work we did for them? As far as I am concerned, this part alone is enough to say that we do not fit the definition. The second part states an occupation that “involves prolonged training”. I found various advertising pieces by companies that tutor wannabe real estate agents that say: “I will help you pass the licensing qualifying courses within four months.” Another ad says: “You don’t need to read the textbooks, I will highlight for you what the questions are going to be on.”

Professionals? So what are we then? We are salespeople. What do we spend most of our time doing? Prospecting (trying to find buyers and sellers). Presenting ourselves to them so they pick us to do the job. The end result of prospecting and presenting is having a listing or a committed buyer who we are now going to service and hope for a successful result – for which we will get paid. Let’s face it though, without salesmanship there will be no listing, buyer, offer or sale and hence no pay for our work. An eye specialist doctor once told me (in a country where you pay for medical services) that a patient came in to have an irritation in his eye checked. The doctor looked at his eye and quickly determined that it was a simple irritation and told him, “Nothing needs to be done. The irritation will go away in a day or

two.” Then he added, “That will be $100.” The patient was very surprised and said, “Why $100? You didn’t do anything.” The doctor answered, “Not doing anything in your case is the result of 10 years of studies.” We are salespeople. Salesperson is not a dirty word. A good salesperson is trustworthy, honest, knowledgeable and hard working. We ought to conduct ourselves “as professionals” – dress nice, behave nice and constantly enhance our knowledge through related education. But without sales skills we have nothing. Michel Friedman is broker of record of Orange Square Realty, a Toronto real estate brokerage, and the developer and trainer of the Star Agent real estate training program. Contact 416-840-6888 or Michel@orangesquarerealty.com.

Speaking your language

IS WHAT WE DO We are thrilled to wel elco come me D Dav avid id You oung ng a and nd tth he R he Roy oyall LeP ePag Page Pe Peacel eland d Realtlty* ty* te t am to th the e Roya y l Le LePa Page ge fam famil amililyy. U am Under D Dav avid id’ss stron id tro g lead le ader ersh ship ip p, th the e br brok okerag ge ha hass gr g ow own n to iinc nclu lude ude 73 ag gen ents ts w wh ho hav ho have e es esta ta abl blis ishe hed d th hem emselves es within Rich chm mon Hill, Ontario’s Manda mond daririnnsp peaking ng g com ommu muni nitity ty. An ty. And, tog oget etther e her, o our ur m mom om men enttu tum co cont ont ntin in inue nues ues. s. Royal al LeP LePa Page g is p prroud oud to con onne nect ct yo ou witith h co cou un ntlesss comm mun nitie es na ationwide e. From o Eng glilish sh tto o Mand ndar a in in;; Fr Fren ench ch to Pu P njabi; bi;i thro th roug ugh h to t Spa pa anish nish, h, Kore ean an and nd so many many m morre:: we speak yo your language e. Part Pa rtne er wiith h a llea ead de Jo der. Join in R Roy oyal al LePage.

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royallepage.ca/franchising * Brokerage in Ontario. This is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, including a solicitation of any sales representatives or broker that is currently under contract. All ofﬁces are independently owned and operated, except those marked as “Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage”, “Royal LePage West Real Estate Services” and “Royal LePage Sussex”. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited. ©2015 Brookﬁeld Real Estate Services Manager Limited. All rights reserved.

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22 REM MAY 2015

Broker to cycle from Inuvik to Point Pelee By Connie Adair

ycling across the country once would an accomplishment of a lifetime for most, but once is not enough for Don Patterson. The 61-year-old broker/managing director at Royal LePage Signature Realty in Mississauga, Ont. cycled from Vancouver to St. John’s, Nfld. in 2012. This year, he will cycle from north to south, starting in Inuvik, North West Territories, on June 21 and finishing in Point Pelee, Ont. four weeks and some 7,000 km later. This year’s trek, Spirit Runner Ride 2015, has the grandfather of four riding to increase awareness of the importance of physical activity for Aboriginal youth, to raise funds to support sports activities and to develop sustainable community bike programs. He believes every child should have the opportunity to participate in sports, regardless of their financial resources, their physical abili-

ties or their cultural background. Studies show children involved in sports have lower rates of obesity and diabetes, do better in school, have lower rates of juvenile delinquency and have more self confidence, he says. That would be a welcome change in a community where more than 40 per cent of children are overweight or obese. He has seen the power of sports on his own daughter and two sons. They overcame challenges and gained confidence through sports. The kids would do triathlons in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter. It developed their self confidence and they had a chance to hang around with other children. “Every kid should have the same opportunity,” says Patterson, who set up a youth triathlon at the Mississauga YMCA seven years ago that continues today. Patterson got involved with Aboriginal youth when, after his

2012 ride, he was invited to the Alberta Indigenous Games. He has been working with Aboriginal youth since. He has also been aware of the challenges within the community for years. His wife taught the first Cree kindergarten class in Edmonton and his father, a lawyer, worked in the Aboriginal youth justice system in the 1960s. Patterson will cycle starting on National Aboriginal Day (the first 700 km on gravel roads) and plans to stop at many communities along the way. His goal is 250 km a day. It’s not all about the cycling itself. He is also working with GEN7, an Aboriginal role model program, and Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart initiative to develop a sustainable sports program that will provide helmets and bicycles to Aboriginal communities that wish to participate. Prior to his 2012 trek, Patterson cycled half-way across Canada. “After 58 years I found

something I’m good at,” he jokes. Patterson, a lawyer by profession, teaches real estate courses at TREB. He is on TREB’s Board of Directors and CREA’s commercial committee. Don Patterson

To donate, go to spiritride.blog.com and click on the donations page. One hundred per cent of donations go to support GEN7 and local YMCA programs. REM

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NATIONAL & BRITISH COLUMBIA

Josie Gammiero Royal LePage Cité Laval, QC Division 1

Francis Braam / Wade Webb Royal LePage Kelowna Kelowna, BC

Nirmal Brar Royal LePage Flower City Realty* Brampton, ON Division 2

Francis Braam / Wade Webb Royal LePage Kelowna Kelowna, BC Division 3

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

Kira Cope / Darren Martel Royal LePage Connect Realty* Ajax, ON

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

Chris Slightham / Jeff Slightham Royal LePage Signature Realty* Toronto, ON Finalist

ONTARIO Bill Kingshott / David Kingshott Royal LePage Team Advantage Realty* Parry Sound, ON Division 1 – Finalist

Sue Symons Royal LePage North Bay Real Estate Services* North Bay, ON Division 1 – Finalist

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Margie Spence / Brad Johnstone / Ryan Johnstone Royal LePage Niagara Real Estate Centre* Royal LePage In Touch Realty* St. Catharines, ON

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IS WHAT WE DO Congratulations to our dedicated leaders for setting a standard of excellence that thrives within Royal LePage’s leading brokerages across Canada. Recognized for your strong leadership and exceptional performance in 2014, you stand apart in helping us achieve unprecedented momentum and growth. Congratulations on being the best of the best! I wish you continued success for the coming year.

Lincoln Thompson Royal LePage Gardiner Realty Fredericton, NB

Phil Soper, President & CEO

royallepage.ca *Brokerages, in Ontario. This is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, including a solicitation of any sales representatives or broker that is currently under contract. All offices are independently owned and operated, except those marked as “Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage”, “Royal LePage West Real Estate Services” and “Royal LePage Sussex”. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited. ©2015 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Limited. All rights reserved. †Recognizing exceptional brokerage growth via mergers, acquisitions and recruiting. ‡Recognizing exceptional agent recruiting in brokerages: Division 1: 1 – 24 agents, Division 2: 25 – 99 agents, Division 3: 100 – 249 agents, Division 4: 250+ agents.

24 REM MAY 2015

AS I SEE IT FROM MY DESK

By Stan Albert

he other day when I received the recent AARP publication (equivalent to CARP here in Canada) the editorial page blared out to me: Searching for Balance. People often can’t relieve the stresses of everyday life, such as business, social obligations, volunteer organizations and the daily commute to work. And as we are bombarded with news via radio, TV and the Internet, is it any wonder we are at times stressed out by world events? How do you react to and survive the stressors in your life? Do

Dealing with stress is all about balance you do it by unselfish acts of kindness and unstintingly giving of the most valuable of all human resources – time – or are you, like most of us, running around from pillar to post, not taking time to eat properly, not getting enough rest and not spending enough time with your family? Your earliest ancestor, perhaps one named Glug, was only concerned about food, clothing, shelter and being eaten by any number of other Glugs. Are we any different today? What are the comparables: air pollution, toxins, gangs with guns, traffic jams, health issues? We may be less likely to be eaten by Glugs but we all have different stresses. We all need to find a method of relieving our daily stressors. Our stress relievers may be our homes and family, a family cottage, a vacation, a fitness centre, having a hobby, music or even a good book. Without a method of relieving stress, we face a multiple of additional stressors: fatigue, sleepless-

ness, irritability, frustration, weight gain/loss, lack of concentration and withdrawing from social activities. We all need balance in our lives. In the past, when I was involved with training/coaching agents, the first things I discussed were their own personal family needs and wants. I suggested they block off those days necessary to devote to the family (chores and duties or just fun). As well as the all-important family time, don’t forget about your own personal needs and wants. You may just want to be able to sit down in a quiet place and read a book, write in a journal, take a walk to clear and re-invigorate your brain or get in touch with someone you haven’t seen or spoken to for some time. Give yourself some “me” time and you just may find you have more energy and more zest for life and more passion to be with the ones you love most. Think about taking one day per month to do absolutely nothing at

all except what you want to do. You will be amazed at what this will do for you and for your relationships. Achieving balance in our lives is not always an easy thing to accomplish. It may help to set small and simple goals. For instance, one of my goals this week was to start clearing out the filing cabinets in our small home office. I gave myself a 70-per-cent chance of accomplishing this task. I didn’t get all of it done, but I made a strong start. Perhaps next week’s goal will be to complete the clearing out. Another goal may be to take my wife out to dinner and a movie and I think I have a 100per-cent chance of accomplishing that goal. You may set a goal of having dinner with your family at least four times per week. The setting of goals can be either on a professional or personal level. The important thing is to attempt to keep them in balance – some professional and some personal. The most impor-

tant thing about setting goals is not to be discouraged if they are not met. Don’t beat yourself up if you fall short of accomplishing your goal. At least you made the attempt. We humans live very complicated lives and often we are pulled in many different directions, some of which may be slippery slopes. We have to consciously and methodically find ways to keep our balance, literally and figuratively. Let me close with a quote I found on a web site: Euripides wrote, circa 380 BC, “The best way and the safest thing to keep a balance in your life is to acknowledge the great powers that surround us. If you can do that and live that way, you are truly a wise person.” Stan Albert, ABR, ASA is a consultant with Re/Max Premier in Vaughan, Ont. He can be reached for consultation at stanalb@rogers.com. Stan is now celebrating his 45th year as an active real estate professional. REM

26 REM MAY 2015

STOP SELLING HOUSES & START MAKING MONEY

By Debbie Hanlon

wo people looked through prison bars, one saw mud, the other stars. That little rhyme and its meaning was brought home to me last week and took me back to something that happened when I first got into this wonderful world of real estate. Now, it didn’t take me back to big hair or leggings if that’s what you’re wondering. It took me back to something someone once told me that made me realize the power of perception. On a Wednesday after lunch at a local restaurant I ran into Brian, a good friend of Kelly, an agent I used to coach a few years back. (Not their

The power of perception real names). He told me about the recent successful sale of his house. Kelly must be happy, I told him, assuming he had used his good friend who was still active the business. He said he had actually used another agent and I asked him why. Well, he explained, he had run into Kelly at a party when he was first considering selling and had asked her how things were going. She gave him a litany of complaints – the market was no good, houses weren’t selling, no one was buying, the banks weren’t giving mortgages and on and on she went. By the time she had finished selling him on what a terrible time it was in real estate, Brian had made his mind up that she wasn’t the person he wanted selling his house. The exchange between Brian and me triggered my own memory of Kelly from many years before that made me wonder why she was still even in the business. Early in my career after I’d made it to No. 1 in Canada in my national fran-

chise, I started coaching other agents. Kelly was one of my first students and even back then she was as negative as a battery missing one post. Nothing was good with Kelly and no matter how I tried to convince her, she never bought into the fact that most of the time the problems we encounter have more to do with our perception than the reality of the situation. How we choose to see things helps determine what those things become. Brian explained how he had met another agent, (let’s call him Bill) just days after his encounter with Kelly. When he asked Bill the same question he’d asked Kelly you’d have thought the guy was selling houses in another part of the world. Things were great, business was unbelievable, the market was active, he was busy moving inventory, there are always buyers and there are always sellers and my job is to introduce the two, he exclaimed. By the time he was halfway through selling what a brilliant time it was in real estate,

Brian had made his mind up that this was the person he wanted selling his house. Now Kelly and Bill were talking about the same thing, the same market, the same buyers and sellers but you’d never know that if you listen to them both talk. The difference was their perception of the reality they were dealing with and their perception became their reality. Kelly thought things were bad and didn’t even get a chance to do a presentation let alone list the property, thereby proving to herself that she was right. Bill thought things were great and he got the listing, which proved to him that things were just the way he perceived them. That happens more often than you might think in our everyday lives. If you wake up thinking the day is going to be a certain way, chances are that’s the way it’ll be. Normally this doesn’t cost us financially but it can cause headaches, annoyance and an all round crappy day, but when you’re in the business of selling it can cost

you a whole lot more. It can cost you clients. You sell yourself every time you talk to people. You sell them on the idea of selling. You sell a reality they want to hear. You sell them a comfortable feeling that you’re the best agent for the job. Anything less and all you do is sell yourself short. Kelly is making living from real estate but not a life. Each deal is a struggle, each day a battle. All she sees is the mud around her simply because she won’t look up and see the stars. Debbie Hanlon is a real estate broker who has helped train hundreds of sales reps and brokered and managed a national real estate franchise. She also founded an independent real estate firm. Currently she coaches sales reps all over the world. She is the CEO of All Knight Inc, a global educational mobile company, as well as a published children’s author and the creator of the national I’m No Bully Show. https://www.facebook. REM com/missdebbieandfriends

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30 REM MAY 2015

The real point of buyer agency By Ken Wilder

n REM’s April edition, Mark Weisleder wrote an editorial entitled 5 Key Points About Buyer Representation Agreements. However, there is another side that Mr. Weisleder is unable to offer given that he is a practicing lawyer and not a practicing real estate agent. How often are we as Realtors faced with a scenario where a buyer has no interest in even sitting down with us to discuss the ramifications of the BRA? How many times do we run into difficulty moving a buyer from our first contact with them to a face-to-face meeting? In my 29 years in this industry, I can’t think of a weaker link than our lack of skill in getting a buyer into the office before ever

showing them a single house. An all-too-common practice is to believe we are doing our seller clients a service by bringing any potential buyer who shows even the remotest of interest into their home. And more often than not we have absolutely no information about that buyer other than his first name. It can be claimed that even that information is unverified. Our entire industry has missed the most pertinent point of all when it comes to buyer representation and the BRA. That point speaks to why we have buyer representation in the first place. To answer that question we must first take a short trip down memory lane. Ontario officially adopted buyer representation on Jan.1, 1995. Prior to that, the MLS listing agreement stated that any and all co-operating brokerages’ fiduciary duty was with the seller, as it was the seller who was paying the cooperating brokerage’s commission. Fiduciary duty was inextricably

tied to the client paying the commission. Now, I could write an entire paper arguing that the buyer actually pays the entire commission, but let’s leave that point on the sidelines for now. A greater issue was that in those early days prior to Jan. 1, 1995, real estate salespeople working with a buyer routinely ignored this obligation with a “wink and a nudge”. “Don’t worry; I will get you the best deal” was a commonly accepted sales pitch we often used when working with our buyer “customers’, which of course was in direct opposition to our fiduciary duty to our principal, the seller. Fast forward 20 years, and ask any group of agents why we have buyer representation today and the overwhelmingly popular answer will be because it “protects our commission”. If you look at Mr. Weisleder’s editorial, all five of his points revolve around this same issue of protecting our commission. He has fallen into the same trap that we as an industry have fallen prey to.

It cannot be denied that the BRA does in fact protect our commission, but that was not the driving force behind why buyer representation came into being in the first place. We adopted buyer agency because without it, buyers had no legal protection whatsoever, even in the face of believing that they did. If you can clearly understand what your potential client requires, and have the ability to fulfill that requirement, a transaction is likely to ensue. The problem with the approach that Mr. Weisleder has suggested in his editorial, which is shared by the vast majority of salespeople, is that we want our buyers to sign the buyer agency agreement because it protects our commission. That’s what we want, not the buyer. This is of little or no interest to the buying public. How can you ram this idea down a buyer’s throat and expect they will respond favourably? Conversely, if we are skilled enough to bring all potential buyers into our office, have an honest

discussion about the different levels of service that all buyers have the right to choose from and allow the buyer to make their own informed decision, what buyer would knowingly choose to be a customer? The single most important point surrounding buyer representation is the ramification of a buyer choosing “client service” vs. “customer service”. When properly explained to your buyers, there is only one logical choice for them to make. Without its proper explanation, not only are we contravening a RECO rule, but we are trying to get a buyer to sign the BRA because it is in our best interest. That, as we all know, is like pushing a rope uphill. Ken Wilder is a 29-year veteran in the real estate industry. In 1993 he pioneered buyer agency. Since 2000, Ken has been a motivational speaker, coach and author and has spoken to more than 20,000 real estate agents and brokers across the country. Email wilderken@gmail.com REM

IS WHAT WE DO We are pleased to welcome broker/owners Gord and Carole Walker and partners Ken Gibbons, Ray Erwin, Neil Dinsdale, Ken Gollner, Gord Axford, John Adolf and the entire Sterling Realty team to Royal LePage. Royal LePage Sterling Realty is a market leader throughout Port Moody, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam with experienced, accomplished Realtors® with decades of local expertise. With 113 Realtors® this brokerage is poised for continued growth and aiming to expand its already accomplished team. With this conversion, Royal LePage continues its dramatic growth to over 1000 Realtors® in the Greater Vancouver area, the fastest growing real estate market in Canada. Partner with a leader. Join Royal LePage.

royallepage.ca/franchising This is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, including a solicitation of any sales representatives or broker that is currently under contract. All ofﬁces are independently owned and operated, except those marked as “Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage”, “Royal LePage West Real Estate Services” and “Royal LePage Sussex”. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited. ©2015 Brookﬁeld Real Estate Services Manager Limited. All rights reserved.

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32 REM MAY 2015

Real estate bloopers

By Peggy Blair

ince I’m an author, I’m acutely aware of typos. Every now and then I come across a listing that could have used a little more proofreading. Here are some recent finds, all from the Ottawa Real Estate Board, but I’m sure you’ve stumbled across mistakes like these all over the real estate world. They always make me laugh. The kitchen seems to be a particularly popular room when it comes to real estate bloopers. For example: “The reno’d kitchen offers a large butler’s style panty prep space.” I’m sure the butler appreciates that. It’s always good to have a place to prepare your panties. Or this one: “The huge kitchen/great room boasts lots of natural light via a picture window, granite counters and tile floors.” Err... I don’t think so. Unless there’s a clear glass granite or tile that I don’t know about? Here’s another one where sentence structure creates a very different impression than what the sales rep intended: “The kitchen with granite countertops and new faucet flows into the dining room.” Gosh, I hope not. Flooding isn’t usually considered a selling feature. Then there are those bloopers that creep into listings where the sales rep is searching for just the right word and slightly misses the mark. Like this one: “A home perfect for the disconcerting buyer.” Let’s hope that buyer isn’t too disconcerting; it’s not easy to work with a client who freaks you out. When it comes to the discerning buyer, however, I loved this listing that announced that, “This home has been eloquently updated.” Nothing like an articulate house – it practically sells itself!

Sometimes properties have issues and we have to disclose them. But that still means being careful not to leave the wrong impression, as happened in this unintentional gem: “Former owner used this home to grow marijuana. Lower level has large recreation room with ample pot lights.” Or this one: “Great investment...very hard to find this location.” It’s probably best to take a map with you when you go to view this property: it doesn’t sound like GPS will work. Sometimes, we know what the sales rep is getting at, it’s just the wording is a little bit off. Like this listing, for example, that stated the house was “ideal for small professional families.” No point taking an amateur family to see it then. Or this one: “Hot tube not working.” Now, that’s a shame. I love to relax in a hot tube after a hard day’s work. Or maybe not. Then there’s this listing, in which the sales rep has created a brand-new word out of “sunny” and “stunning” – “STUNNY BUNGALOW.” I expect to be stunned when I see it. Hot tubes have that effect on me. Speaking of stunned, most prospective buyers would be a little shocked by this recent listing for a house in Rockcliffe Park, where the annual taxes were stated to be $896,670. It’s an expensive and prestigious area, sure, but that’s even higher than the listed value of the home. (Oh those extra zeroes; they are a killer for sales reps. I think we like them a little too much!) And finally, my all-time favourite: “Condo fees include snot removal.” To which I can only say, I can handle my own nose, but thanks for the offer. Peggy Blair is a sales representative with Royal LePage Team Realty in Ottawa. A former lawyer, she is the award-winning author of the Inspector Ramirez series published by Penguin Canada and Simon and Schuster Canada as well as internationally. If you come across any real estate bloopers that tickle your funny bone, be sure to send them to her at peggyblair@royallepage.ca. REM

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1-800-268-9599 * Based on survey responses from over 70,000 Canadian home buyers and sellers, tabulated by an independent company. © 2015 Coldwell Banker LLC. All Rights Reserved. Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker LLC. Each sales representative and broker is responsible for complying with any consumer disclosure laws or regulations. Any use of the term “sales associate” or “agent” shall be replaced with the term “sales representative” in Canada.

34 REM MAY 2015

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When it’s time for a price reduction SALES COACH

By Bruce Keith

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ften the seller refuses to reduce their price, even though no buyer has shown significant interest. Now what to do? Your next strategy should be to ask some tough questions. Here are four good ones to consider: “Why do you suppose none of the 13 showings we have had in the last two weeks have generated a decent offer?” Or, “What happens if your home does not sell?” Or, “The market is reducing your price whether you agree to it or not… just so I understand, how long are you prepared to wait?” Or, “Where do you suppose the market is going in the next three to six months… up or down?” As you know, the real issue here is their motivation. If you do not get the right answers, you really have to question whether or not they want to sell in a reasonable period of time. Maybe you need to give the listing back to them. Be direct and honest – it’s your job to have the courage to tell the seller exactly what they need to know. You’re not in the business of collecting listings; you’re in the business of collecting “solds”. No excuses. Showing subtle confidence: Great salespeople have special ways of saying things. One of

those techniques is to include assumptive phrases in your day-today conversations with your customers. This will make your conversations significantly more compelling. The resulting benefit is your customers will find the buying exercise more pleasant and more efficient. To be a great salesperson, it is important that you master this skill of being naturally assumptive. Here are some terrific assumptive phrases for you to use with your clients: 1. “As your Realtor... (I will be taking care of all aspects of the transaction.)” 2. “When we get together... (you can expect me to be fully prepared.)” 3. “When you list with me... (you will start to see the differences in what I do.)” 4. “After you sign the contract... (my team/company/office will look after all the details until the deal closes.)” 5. “Because I will communicate with you weekly...(you will always know exactly what’s going on.)” Your clients want to deal with someone who is confident. Include these in your repertoire and your customers will start to see how confident you are. What will be obvious is the value you bring to the table. Isn’t that what they’re looking for? Be assumptive. No excuses. Bruce Keith is a leading motivational speaker and trainer for sales organizations in North America specializing in real estate sales. He has been in real estate more than 25 years, including 15 years as a top coach for thousands of sales agents. Download his free e-report, 5 Building Blocks to Real Estate Results Now at RealEstateResultsNow.com. REM

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36 REM MAY 2015

Recipe for success:Training, education, loyalty Wayne Hanlon has transformed a small, independent real estate company into a flourishing alternative for customers and sales reps alike. By Susan Doran

n this age of mega franchises, Wayne Hanlon has successfully transformed a small, independent real estate company into a flourishing alternative for customers and sales reps alike. Word even has it that he is soon likely to find himself listed among Atlantic Canada’s top CEOs.

people shop, Hanlon says he is taking things to the next level by implementing technologies with the help of local marketing agency John Atkins and Company (JAC), which he says will change the way customers get listing information and interact with agents.

Hanlon is the owner of Hanlon Realty in St. John’s, serving Newfoundland and Labrador. When you consider that the city’s previously booming economy has slumped due to dropping oil prices, the fact that Hanlon has steered his independent company into a steady growth curve is even more startling.

The brokerage’s website incorporates features such as customized search profiles and the capability to save search results. New applications will be coupled with frequent online marketing campaigns to generate leads for Hanlon agents.

“We’re now the largest independent in Newfoundland. We’ve exploded,” says Hanlon, who was formerly a top producer with Coldwell Banker. He explains that Hanlon Realty, now with close to 50 licensed agents, has almost doubled in size since its launch six years ago. “Being locally owned, everything we’ve done has a personal and unique touch,” says Hanlon. “Local works for us.” He says several key factors besides commitment to clients and sales reps are responsible for Hanlon Realty’s success, among them strong branding, product positioning and the development of cutting-edge technology, with online and web presence near the top of the list. Guided by a business model focused on keeping ahead in the ever-evolving real estate industry, the company is investing heavily in technology to offer one-stop real estate shopping for clients and support and lead generation for agents. Aware that technology such as responsive web design and mobile apps are changing the way

That’s only the start, says Hanlon. “We are reaching much higher than that.” He won’t elaborate much on the technology currently in the works for the company, although he notes that it’s “exciting” and could in some ways impact the entire industry as well as the old model of how companies support agents. Adds business strategist David Yetman, who is helping with the company’s business plan, particularly as it pertains to technology: “Hanlon Realty is one company getting ready for the next generation of house shoppers and they are using their independence to harness the power of new technologies. The idea is about meeting the consumer in 2015. Consumers want easy and quick. They want the answer within three minutes. They don’t want to scroll through a lot of information. If we give them that, we get clients...We are convinced that technology will change the way leads are brought in. “Wayne has a vision,” Yetman says. “He has the ability to be innovative and creative because he is not locked into a franchise model.”

Martina and Wayne Hanlon (Photo by Randy Dawe)

Shane Bruce, president of ACME Group of Companies in St. John’s and a business consultant for Hanlon Realty, says while there are potential pitfalls in not having the national recognition and corporate support that being part of a franchise can provide, he also believes “it can be a good thing not to be handcuffed by franchise branding restrictions.” Hanlon Realty “has taken all this by storm” with its unique branding, ranging from “its industry-leading website” to quality education for its sales reps. The latter includes an industry first, says Bruce – a hands-on, new home construction course called Construction Buyer’s Agent (CBA). “Wayne has poured every resource possible into this brand,” says Bruce. “If you add all of this to his commitment... you have a

true sales culture with an office poised to provide better skills and service.” As well, Hanlon’s involvement in various corporate sponsorship and charitable endeavours shows that “it doesn’t take being a big franchise to become a great corporate citizen,” says Bruce. Training, education and loyalty are integral to his company’s growth and success, says Hanlon. “There is no magic in creating a successful company. It takes hard work, dedication and believing in the people who work for you,” he says. “It’s all about the right fit, professionalism, loyalty and being committed to the brand and the clients...We’ve got superstars here who have not done so well in other systems. That’s a testament to how we do things.” Finding the right people “to execute decisions and manage

operations is equally important,” he adds. By Hanlon’s own reckoning, he has spent hundreds of thousands on branding alone. And the company will soon begin construction on a new 5,000-square-foot facility. The plan is to move the Hanlon offices there, complete with fully upgraded systems and equipment, by late 2016. “We’re going into a $2.5 million investment,” says Hanlon. “And we will branch out from there. My goal is to franchise within five years.” That’s a bit of a surprise. As an independent and a successful alternative to traditional franchised models, will franchising be the right step for Hanlon Realty in future? We will just have to wait and see. REM

38 REM MAY 2015

How commission advances can work for you Commission advances have become mainstream among some of Canada’s top property sellers By Heath Applebaum

he allure of selling real estate has never been stronger, with more people being enticed by a plethora of popular television programs that suggest there is big and easy money to be made. Despite what HGTV might have some believe, real estate is indeed a tough business, with many costs and unpredictable and fluctuating streams of income. The top players in the business spend a significant amount of their cash flow on overhead and marketing, with the need to reinvest in their business to build their personal brand and grow.

Few in Canada understand the financial realities of the real estate business more than Larry Weltman, customer service representative at AccessEasyFunds, a commission advance company. It enables real estate agents to recover up to 95 per cent of their commissions, often within 24 hours rather than waiting for closing. That can be a very appealing alternative for agents as they typically wait between 60 and 150 days before they see their commissions in their bank accounts. Jim Trainor, president of Agent’s Equity, calls commission

advances “Financing’s Best Kept Secret” on the company’s website. “It’s a multi-billion dollar business in North America. It’s used daily by individual businesses and multinational corporations. It’s a method of financing that’s been around for hundreds of years. But, you may have never heard of it,” says Trainor. “Many Realtors don’t even know that they can finance their commission receivables to accelerate their cash flow in order to help them grow their businesses.” Another trend spurring on this emerging trend of advances on commissions is the red hot

condo market in Canada’s major cities, now that the price gap between houses and condos has widened and there is a significant volume of new inventory being built. In Toronto, according to market research firm Urbanation, there were 52,464 condo units under construction as of the end of 2014, and a total of 285,217 units are being built in the next 10 years. With limited inventory of family homes, many new real estate agents are venturing into the pre-construction condo market. The challenge is that buying

agents may only see one-third of their commission within a few months and then they may wait up to four years until they see their full commission, when the condominium corporation is registered and the deal officially closes. “To survive, that means agents must sell a significant volume of inventory to ensure they have a reliable revenue stream with a pipeline full of opportunities,” says Johnson Chen, a condo brokerage expert and the president of Cornerstone Marketing. For these reasons, it is no surprise that Weltman and AccessEasyFunds have seen incredible growth in commission advances since the company began helping real estate agents in 2007. “We have advanced commissions on more than $5.5 billion of real estate sales and continue to see substantial growth. Our advance volumes in 2014 are more than 500 per cent higher than in 2008,” says Weltman. What might surprise some brokers is that commission advances have become mainstream among some of Canada’s top property sellers. “Our clients are some of the most successful brokers in the country, with several writing in excess of $1 million in commissions a year; but we continue to help many clients writing $50,000 to $250,000 a year in commissions that use our services in order to access their money and grow their business,” says Weltman. During this busy spring market, agents write a significant portion of their annual commissions between March and May, with most deals not closing until late June, July or August. Agents must invest heavily in sales and marketing throughout the winter and spring while managing high overhead costs. Meanwhile, commissions don’t typically get paid until the end of the summer. As a result, spring is the busiest time of year for real estate agents to get advances. Mike Donia, a top Re/Max Reality Specialist agent based in Brampton, Ont. has been in the

business for more than 27 years. He is a recipient of the franchise’s Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement and Platinum Awards and has used commission advances for years. “To be honest, I used commission advances for eight years straight. It became part of my cash flow, so that I could access my money immediately, do more deals and reinvest my commissions faster. Time is money. I could do the deal on Friday get my money on Monday. It is immediate compensation for your work,” says Donia. He says that commission advances became part of his business plan and cash flow. “I actually increased my rev-

enue by about 30 per cent the first year I started to use advances. Instead of having to wait for three months for the money to come in, I was able to reallocate that money into my business the same week on marketing. It is a strategic advantage.” Some agents simply don’t understand how it works and how inexpensive it has become. Donia puts it in simple terms, “Ask yourself, do you want to get paid 95.5 per cent of your commission in four months or 93.5 per cent of your commission tomorrow. I spend more money on my cell phone or the 407, than I do on commission advances. It’s just part of doing business.” REM

What young or aspiring real estate salespeople may not realize is that there are many fees and costs associated with running a successful real estate business, including: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

CREA fees and dues Monthly provincial real estate board dues and fees Listing fees Staging costs Office rent – for those not working from their own homes Staff – administration to write up and track and submit offers Cell phone / Internet expenses Computer and printer Car / fuel, maintenance and insurance costs Contact management software Website development and maintenance costs Property signage costs Photography and videography costs Direct mail and other print marketing costs PR and social media promotion Insurance Business attire Desk and transaction fees Administration costs Taxes

40 REM MAY 2015

How to hire the best salespeople Poor initial hiring practices are to blame for much of the turnover in the real estate industry

By Lloyd R. Manning

lthough it would be incorrect to suggest that every real estate brokerage is searching for additional sales agents, most are. This is created in part by the high drop-out rate of those newer hires who cannot make it. In my opinion, this excessive turnover is largely created by poor initial hiring practices. Although pre-licensing requirements have brought some reduction in the failure rate, too often individuals enter the real estate sales field without any real understanding of what they are getting into. Many come with the assumption that being a “Realtor” is just fun with large financial rewards. Due to the high cost of recruitment and training, coupled with the low retention rate, brokers must develop a hiring strategy that outlines exactly what business the new recruit will be entering, what skills and perseverance are required to be successful and what is expected from the person. This minimizes an unrealistic concept of what selling real estate is all about. Often employment is offered to people who have absolutely no chance of

ever making it. This does not suggest that they would fail in another vocation – just here. A carefully crafted interview guideline will help avoid many of the common pitfalls in the hiring procedure, thus improving the success rate. This involves detailing for the potential sales agent the specifics about what selling real estate entails – the pros and cons of working in the industry. This is not the easiest way to earn a living. You need to lay it on with no holds barred. If the person walks out during or immediately after the interview, saying, “This is not for me,” you have saved both of you much time and frustration. Productivity, employee retention, client satisfaction and financial rewards are all outcomes of the hiring and training initiatives. As you want the best, undertake hiring more as a science than a leap of faith. The bottom line is that it is all up to you. The interviewing process: Although real estate professionals talk to sellers and buyers every day, for most brokers, the employment interviewing technique is not one of the more practiced skills. Being uncertain about what should and should not be asked, many brokers stumble through it. Your past hiring techniques and experience is your best guide.

Look at your past and present staff. Why did some fail while others were successful? Develop a checklist. Frame questions so that you can better understand how the prospective agent thinks and what he or she expects from you, your firm and the profession at large. What to ask: There are questions you can ask and some that legally you cannot. Those you can ask are anything connected with the applicant’s ability, job experience, education and previous occupations. Asking about criminal offences if the applicant was not convicted is borderline – usually a no-no. The jury is still out about the use of drugs. Considering how this person will be regarded by the public is vitally important. Questions that you cannot ask are anything that could be construed as discriminatory by way of race, ethnic origin, birth place of ancestry, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, marital status and if the person is pregnant or plans on getting pregnant. The basis is anything that could be considered as invasive, prejudicial or has no bearing on the applicant’s ability to trade in real estate. When you interview, work from a prepared list of questions. Make your own list based on the answers you seek and their order

of importance. Include such questions as: • What is your understanding of what selling real estate is all about? What are your expectations? Are they realistic or wishful thinking? Solicit information about talents, future interests and career expectations. • What do you think that you will like or dislike about selling real estate? • What education, training, background and talents do you have? Describe specific examples. Ask them to tell you about their past experience, number of years, specialties. Use various tests to flesh out his or her actual knowledge. Obtain specific answers that can be verified. How will these help this person sell real estate? • Are you prepared to undergo additional formal training? If “no,” say goodbye. • As discretely as possible determine why he/she left the last job, how the boss was regarded, how he/she got along with the others there. • Assess the applicants’ longterm potential. Add other questions. Enlarge the list to fit to fit into your particular situation. Make the interview an orderly process. The purpose is to determine if this person has the

WE SEE

appropriate background, education and perseverance to make it in this business. Will this person be successful and contribute to your brokerage? In general, all interviews should be information-sharing sessions. Can she or he make it? Do you provide what is wanted by the prospect? As false expectations can be costly, you do not want to provide or obtain misleading information. The last word: Hiring is a timeconsuming, expensive and nervewracking task. With good luck and good management you will obtain a good salesperson, someone who will hit the ground running and remain. Therefore it must be a well-thought-out and meticulously executed process. Hiring mistakes can be expensive. When a person leaves, especially in the first year, all of the training costs are sunk. Both you and the new hire will be worse off and you must start the process all over. Lloyd Manning is a semi-retired business writer. His Winning with Commercial Real Estate – The Ins and Outs of Making Money in Investment Properties, is available from Booklocker.com, Chapters, Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Email Lloydmann@shaw.ca REM

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42 REM MAY 2015

Lane Boghean named 2014 Regina Realtor of the Year

Carolyn Pratt is Edmonton’s Realtor of the Year The Realtors Association of Edmonton recently presented its highest honour, the Realtor of the Year Award, to Carolyn Pratt, an associate at Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate. Pratt has been a Realtor since 1975. She was a member of the association’s Board of Directors from 2002-2008, serving as the president of the association in 2007. Throughout her career she has also held a seat on the Realtors Community Foundation and served on the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA) Board of Directors and the Junior League of Edmonton. The association says Pratt has earned the respect and admiration of her fellow Realtors, which was evident on the evening of the awards ceremony by the “thunderous applause and standing ovation” she received. The association also awarded Life Memberships to three active Realtors: • Rob Friele of Rancho Realty, for his commitment to the real estate industry, serving the industry with distinction and commitment. A member since 1985, he has served on several committees and he also serves on AREA’s Board of Directors. • Mohamed Elkayal of Elkayal Real Estate, “someone who exemplifies all the characteristics of a true industry professional,” says the association. He has served the association on the Members Services and Arbitration and Professional Standards committees. Elkayal has also served as president of the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute. • Past president Darrell Cook of Realty Executives Progressive, who was presented with a Life Membership following his term as president of the association. Cook was instrumental in creating a per-

manent Marketing Committee for the association. Other awards presented: Rookie of the Year: Tonya Brown, Liv Real Estate Marketing Excellence: Sara MacLennan, Liv Real Estate Young Professional: Jay Berg, Century 21 Vantage Realty Broker/Manager Leadership: Bill Briggs, Re/Max Real Estate Volunteer of Distinction: Bessie Goldstick (Posthumous)

Canadians honoured at Engel & Völkers Awards Gala Canadians were prominent award winners at the annual Engel & Völkers’ Exchange event recently in Las Vegas. The event offered informative keynote addresses and recognition of the noteworthy accomplishments of the brand’s real estate advisors and shops. Mark Evernden of Engel & Völkers Calgary was named No. 2 in the Engel & Völkers Top 10 North American Advisor Awards for most sides closed. Also making the list were Jim LeBlanc (6th) and Scott Piercy (8th) of Engel & Völkers Victoria. Evernden finished at No. 4 in North America for highest gross commission income. Chairman’s Circle Awards were also presented to Evernden, LeBlanc and Piercy. During the conference, Engel & Völkers also introduced news of a special partnership between the firm and Special Olympics. The company will serve as the non-profit’s first cause marketing partner for its Play Unified Campaign, which promotes inclusive communities through sports. The company says this is the first step in an ongoing commitment to grow the North American network of shops and advisors “to help create more respectful communities.”

The Association of Regina Realtors (ARR) has selected Lane Boghean of Century 21 Dome Realty as 2014 ARR Realtor of the Year. Sponsored by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., the award recognizes an ARR member who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and dedication to both the real estate industry and the community at large. “Lane has devoted countless hours of volunteer time, not only to our local and provincial associations, but to so many charities and athletic teams throughout the years, as well. This is a very welldeserved win,” says ARR president Tim Chicilo. Raised on a farm southwest of Regina, Boghean worked in several sales careers – automotive parts, Coca-Cola, even potato chips – before falling in love with real estate, says the association. A Realtor since 1998, he says no two days have been alike and that he can’t imagine doing anything else.

VIREB honours Ray Francis, Barry Clark The Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) named Ray Francis of Coast Realty Group in Cumberland as its Realtor of the Year. Since 1976, VIREB has bestowed the annual award on a member whose dedication to excellence has had a profound influence on the professional image of Realtors. Recipients exemplify characteristics such as leadership, industry stakeholder participation and active community involvement. Francis has been in the real estate industry since 1987, the year he obtained his real estate license, says the board. He sat on numerous VIREB committees and task forces throughout the years, in addition to serving as VIREB president in 2009. The board says despite the countless hours dedicated to board service, Francis has consistently been among the top five per cent of producers during his 11 years with Coast Realty Group. VIREB also announced its newest honorary member, Barry Clark.

Carolyn Pratt is accompanied by Steve Sedgwick, Realtors Association of Edmonton president-elect (left) and Greg Steele, past president.

Mark Evernden and Anthony Hitt

Licensed since 1965, Clark’s list of accomplishments in the realm of organized real estate is long, says the board. In management roles since 1978, Clark served two terms as VIREB president, even finding time to initiate Realty Watch. He has worked with the British Columbia Real Estate Association, Real Estate Errors & Omissions Insurance Corporation and Real Estate Council of B.C. He was also VIREB’s Realtor of the Year in 1985. Since 1965, he has been actively involved with the Nanaimo Bathtub Races as a supporter, volunteer and participant. He also dabbled in the theatrical world, including working with Hollywood great Myrna Loy on a film produced in Qualicum Beach.

LSTAR and Mary Johnson win provincial Spirit Award At the Ontario Real Estate Association’s 2015 Leadership Conference in Toronto, Londoners took home two Ontario Realtors Care Foundation Spirit Awards – one for an association and one for an individual, London Realtor Mary Johnson.

From left: Richard Brinkley, senior VP of market development for Engel & Völkers Canada, Scott Piercy and Anthony Hitt, CEO of Engel & Völkers North America.

Jim LeBlanc and Anthony Hitt

REM MAY 2015 43

“The Spirit Award recognizes associations and individuals whose actions and activities promote the foundation and advance its mission,” says LSTAR president Carl Vandergoot. The foundation’s mission is to help OREA’s member boards raise money for shelterrelated causes throughout the province. In 2014 alone it provided over $900,000 in grants to more than 165 shelter-based organizations in communities in Ontario, including a $50,000 donation over two years (2013-2014) to St. Joseph’s Hospice and, in 2015, $25,000 towards the construction of a new women’s shelter in St. Thomas. In bestowing the award on LSTAR, the association’s ongoing promotion of and participation in the foundation’s Every Realtor Challenge campaign, in which participating boards donate $1 per member per month, was cited. It was also noted that board EVP Betty Doré sat on its Board of Governors/Directors for many years and then served as chair and then president, leading the team through significant structural change in the foundation and its governance.

Mary Johnson’s Spirit Award recognized the charitable work she is doing through Kindness Above Everything (KAE), a foundation she created “to improve the lives of local impoverished families through financial support.” KAE connects with local agencies to find the hidden needs of families in the community, provide financial relief for children, adolescents and seniors living in poverty and open up doors of opportunity for children and adolescents through mentorship and leadership programs.

Re/Max of Western Canada recognizes top achievers Re/Max of Western Canada regional executive VP Elton Ash announced Western Canada’s list of top affiliates, who were recognized at the inaugural Western Canada Awards Gala in Las Vegas. Top Individuals – Residential 1. Edith Chan, Re/Max Masters Realty, West Vancouver; 2. Victor Kwan, Re/Max Select Properties, Vancouver; 3. Shahin Behroyan, Re/Max Masters Realty, West Vancouver; 4. Sam Corea,

Re/Max House of Real Estate, Calgary; 5. Danny Deng, Re/Max Select Properties, Vancouver Top Teams – Residential 1. Donna Rooney, Re/Max Real Estate (Central), Calgary; 2. Joyce Tourney, Re/Max Crown Real Estate North, Regina; 3. Jeff Neustaedter, Re/Max House of Real Estate, Calgary; 4. Terry Paranych, Re/Max Elite (South), Edmonton; 5. Tanya Eklund, Re/Max Real Estate (Central), Calgary. Top Associates – Commercial 1. Bill Goold, Re/Max Real Estate Services, Vancouver; 2. Dallas Ellerby, Re/Max First, Calgary; 3. Shawn Pryhitka, Re/Max Blue Chip Realty, Yorkton, Sask.; 4. Ayaz Bhanji, Re/Max Excellence, Edmonton; 5. Tim Walsh, Re/Max Fort McMurray, Fort McMurray, Alta. Transaction Awards: Manitoba – Team: Keith Unger, Re/Max Performance Realty, Steinbach. Individual – Kevin Moist, Re/Max Performance Realty, Winnipeg. Office: Re/Max Professionals, Winnipeg. Broker/ owner: Stan Newman Saskatchewan – Team: Joyce Tourney, Re/Max Crown Real

Estate North, Regina. Individual: Gladys Secondiak, Re/Max Blue Chip Realty, Yorkton. Office: Re/Max Saskatoon (East), Saskatoon. Broker/owner: Larry Stewart Alberta – Team: Jeff Neustaedter, Re/Max House of Real Estate, Calgary. Individual: Bryan Logel, Re/Max Real Estate (Central), Calgary. Office: Re/Max Real Estate (Central), Calgary. Broker/owner: Pat Hare British Columbia – Team: Ron Antalek, Re/Max LifeStyles Realty, Maple Ridge. Individual: Trevor Bolin, Re/Max Action Realty, Fort St. John, B.C. Office: Re/Max Kelowna, Kelowna. Broker/owner: Cliff Shillington Western Canada Overall: Team: Joyce Tourney, Re/Max Crown Real Estate North, Regina Individual: Bryan Logel, Re/Max Real Estate (Central), Calgary Top Office, Small Market: Re/Max Action Realty, Fort St. John, B.C. Broker/owners: Trevor Bolin, Douglas Petersen, Richard Petersen Top Office Overall: Re/Max Real Estate (Central), Calgary.

Broker/owner: Pat Hare Broker/owner of the Year: Small Market: Winston Bailey, Re/Max Weyburn Realty, Weyburn, Sask. Multi-Office: Cliff Shillington, Re/Max Kelowna, Kelowna, B.C. Single Office: Ayaz Bhanji and Sam Narayan, Re/Max Excellence, Edmonton Other Awards: Robert H. Cherot: Stan Newman, Re/Max Professionals, Winnipeg Manager of the Year: Cory Raven, Re/Max Select Realty, Vancouver Administrator of the Year: Assunta Daniele, Re/Max Real Estate (Edmonton) North, Edmonton; Patti Tielmann, Re/Max Little Oak Realty, Abbotsford, B.C. Spirit of the West: Re/Max of Lloydminster, Lloydminster, Alta. (Connie Kempton and Laura Heffner); Kathleen Weare, Re/Max First, Calgary Special Services: Greg Steele, Re/Max Excellence, Edmonton Community Care: Brad Leslie, Re/Max Real Estate Services, Continued on page 44

Lane Boghean Ray Francis (Photo: Artez Photography)

From left: Jim Holody, LSTAR past president; Jim Smith, VP; Betty Dore, EVP; Stacy Evoy, president-elect; Carl Vandergoot, president; and Elizabeth Wale, Realtors Care Foundation director.

Mary Johnson and Elizabeth Wale

Bill Goold

Christopher Invidiata, team leader of The Invidiata Team, Re/Max Aboutowne

Barry Clark (Photo: Artez Photography) Pat Hare (left) and Nick Profeta

Re/Max of Western Canada EVP Elton Ash, left, presents Stan Newman of Re/Max Professionals, Winnipeg with the Robert H. Cherot award at the Western Canada Awards Gala in Las Vegas.

Ron Nieman, left, and Bruce Sworik

44 REM MAY 2015

Marketing luxury property: a case study By Chris Seepe

ow many people in Canada are in the market to buy a 28-room summer home with 1,450 acres of land, 9,000 feet of lakefront, three wet slips, two farms and a modern fourbedroom log cabin? At $12 million, very few, so broadening the buyer field through exposure to a worldwide market is essential. Marketing this kind of property is as different as marketing an oil refinery, farm or airport, and the owner and listing agent should be prepared for a potentially long sales cycle, possibly years. Sandy Point Estate (SPE) is a one-of-a-kind, historically significant, turn-of-the-century mansion with additional buildings, situated on a small peninsula jutting into the deep, clear swimming waters of Pigeon Lake. It’s part of the famous Trent-Severn Waterway system in the spectacularly scenic Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario, about a half-hour drive north of Peterborough. SPE is steeped in Canadian history. William Claxton bought Sandy Point in 1873. His son sold it to Sir Edward Kemp, politician and businessman, in 1913. Kemp

The honours go to... Continued from page 43

Vancouver; Deedrie Ballard, Re/Max Camosun, Victoria Later at the Best of Re/Max International Awards, members of Re/Max of Western Canada had a strong showing. • Bill Goold Team, Re/Max Real Estate Services, Vancouver, was No. 1 in Commercial throughout the network. • Ayaz Bahanji and Sam Narayan, Re/Max Excellence, Edmonton, were one of the Broker/Owners of the Year (single office). • Cliff Shillington, Re/Max Kelowna, was one of the Broker/Owners of the Year (multi-office).

built a 7,400-square-foot summer home with a nine-hole golf course that he named Missisquoi, after his birthplace. Kemp was Minister of Militia and Defence during the First World War and served in London, England as Minister of the Overseas Military Forces of Canada. In 1917, he was knighted for his wartime service. Two Prime Ministers – Meighen and Borden – visited the home as did the Pellatts of Casa Loma, Toronto. Sandy Point was later sold to Eugene Cost of Egypt and when he died, to Louis Cadesky, a famed breeder of imported Hereford cattle from Scotland. This is not a post-it-on-theMLS-and-wait-for-calls kind of listing. Creative strategies and a lot of hard work go into marketing a world-class property to elite target markets. We first built a property-specific, search engine-optimized webpage with a strongly associated domain name (www.sandypointestate.com), populated with everything needed to answer the most common questions – photos, surveys, aerial maps and zoning. We took photos of the inside and outside of 14 buildings. Descriptive features, distances to towns, shopping, hospitals and emergency services and more were added. A list of potential uses was • Re/Max of Western Canada had the top donations to the Children’s Miracle Network in Canada (and highest average per agent) • Re/Max Action Realty in Fort St. John, B.C. (Trevor Bolin, Douglas Petersen, Richard Petersen) had most closed transactions worldwide (small market) • Re/Max Real Estate Central (Calgary) (Pat Hare, Denise Hare) had most closed transactions worldwide (Metro Market). They were also awarded Largest Single Office and top worldwide for Total Sales Volume. • Re/Max Crest Realty in North Vancouver (John Lichtenwald, Deborah Upton) had highest total sales volume worldwide (multi-office).

assembled – resort/hotel (with private amphibious landing strip), community and recreational use development, year-round gaming lodge, mixed-use lodging/restaurant, active lifestyle retirement, seminary, trailer park, entertainment complex, marina, hobby farm and more. A university student expert translated the webpage into Simple and Traditional Chinese. Comparables were non-existent so we developed a methodology for justifying the asking price by dividing the property into categories – buildings, services, waterfront, tilled land, forested, conservation, road-accessible and so on. Five 8x4 double-sided or vsigns were strategically located on roads running alongside the property. A custom 16x12 vinyl tarp was affixed to the boathouse to attract luxury boat owners passing by. We met with local and regional municipalities to discuss their preferred uses, zoning and other topics. The Ministry of Agriculture was contacted to learn of any incentives they might be offering to farmers. More than 4,200 REITS, hoteliers, resort operators, land banks, commercial and residential Realtors, landlords, developers, high net-worth individuals and

Invidiata Team named Canada’s No. 1 Re/Max team The Invidiata Team from Re/Max Aboutowne Realty in Oakville was recently named the No. 1 Re/Max team in Canada for the 13th year at the annual International Re/Max Convention in Las Vegas. In attendance at the convention with team leader Christopher Invidiata were The Invidiata Collection Magazine editors Caleb Invidiata and Chris Lowe, sales reps Claudia Chopik and Shae Invidiata and Christopher’s wife, Lesley Invidiata. “This award is about celebrating the relationships our team has cultivated over the years,” says

select retailers were contacted by phone and personalized email. Print advertisements were placed in commercial investor and exchange print magazines. Onetime ads rarely work. They must be repeated at least three times and preferably six. Editorial coverage was obtained in the National Post, Real Estate Magazine and the Lakeview Herald. Online listings and advertisements were posted on the MLS (several listings by property type since it still uses antiquated search technology), Kijiji, Loopnet, World Properties, Luxury Property, Luxury Real Estate, ICIWorld, ICREA, Proxio Pro and Cottage Country. The property videos were posted on YouTube. We worked out an arrangement with a homes magazine to insert a tear-out four-page colour piece into the centre of the magazine, which is delivered to the firstclass lounges of a major airline and a railway service. The lounge’s demographics suggested many patrons are high net-worth individuals and large company decision makers. We tried contacting luxury brokerages affiliated with Christies and Sotheby’s but most representatives didn’t return phone calls or emails. Two who did wanted to colist. Some online luxury websites Christopher Invidiata. “After 13 years, it’s still a huge honour to continue to be No. 1 in Canada and we are grateful to our clients for their loyalty and trust in continuing to work and grow alongside us.” Invidiata launched his career in 1985. His team has grown to be one of the leading teams for Re/Max worldwide, ranking No. 1 in 2007 and 2012, No. 2 in 2013 and No. 3 in 2014. His team of 15 agents produce more than $300 million in sales annually.

Sutton – Select Realty honours Ron Nieman Sutton - Select Realty in London, Ont. recently presented Ron Nieman with the 15th annu-

are elitist, requiring a prior luxury property sales track record before allowing membership. We joined online international Realtor community websites and contacted over 250 agents and brokerages worldwide. We particularly targeted countries with high inflation and/or weak economies, reasoning that high net-worth individuals would be attracted to Canada’s stable real estate market, so investment profits would not erode as they might in their own country. These marketing activities have led to over 150 inquiries and 14 walkthrough tours including a prospect from England and a group from China. Our two strongest prospects currently are the China Group, which is looking at a highend resort getaway for their wealthy clients, and a large farm operator from the Middle East to operate a 150-head cattle and cash crop farm. Chris Seepe is a commercial real estate broker and broker of record at Aztech Realty in Toronto, specializing in income-generating and multi-residential investment properties, retail plazas, science and technology related specialty uses and tenant mandates. (416) 525-1558 Email cseepe@aztechrealty.com; website: REM www.aztechrealty.com. al Michele Montour Award for Excellence in Real Estate. Broker of record Bruce Sworik says Nieman “always displays a very positive, cheerful and upbeat manner and professional image. Knowledgeable and very passionate about real estate and helping others excel describes this leader.” Sworik says Nieman, who has been with the brokerage since 1993, has “a great sense of humour (and is) a real team player who is humble and a devoted family man, always able to see the silver lining, maintaining a positive attitude.” Nieman also volunteers with the Salvation Army Feed the Homeless nights. REM

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46 REM MAY 2015

Announcement

The mysterious science of international buyers

Peter de Groot awarded RE/MAX Distinguished Service Award With 45 years of experience in the Real Estate industry, Peter is the Broker of Record of RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. which has several locations and over 420 agents. Peter is an excellent example of the RE/MAX mission statement, and contributes to helping others achieve success. A pillar in his community, Peter supports many charities and is a visionary who has created a successful environment for his winning team.

By Garry Bhaura

tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no secret that international buyers are becoming an increasingly important group in real estate markets globally and Canada is no exception. Although most buyers tend to focus on Chinese or Latin American buyers, the South Asian market is continually growing in prominence. While dealing with international buyers I have come across potential home buyers and investors who walk into a proper-

Join us in congratulating Peter on his amazing legacy, and being awarded the Distinguished Service Award at the RE/MAX R4 convention this March. We wish you continued success! Peter de Groot Broker of Record

Twin City Realty Inc. Brokerage

Announcement Sylvia Perdue awarded RE/MAX Manager of the Year Sylvia began her successful career with RE/MAX over 33 years ago, and is a true leader within the industry. She has been a manager for RE/MAX Realty Specialists for over 24 years. Currently managing over 130 agents, she is dedicated to her one-on-one coaching program, which she designed and implemented herself. She has trained a number of RE/MAX top sales representatives, and is very involved in community initiatives. Sylvia is a strong believer in teamwork and respect. Congratulations Sylvia on your achievements and being awarded RE/MAX Manager of the Year at the RE/MAX R4 convention this March in Las Vegas. We wish you continued success! Sylvia Perdue Broker/Manager

Realty Specialists Inc. Brokerage

ty under construction, a new home or a resale and say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is it and it feels right.â&#x20AC;? Or, they have a negative response and say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This just doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel right.â&#x20AC;? The majority of the potential international home buyers who say these things are making a judgment based on either Feng Shui (a Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing everyone with the surrounding environment) or Vastu Shastra (the Indian science of architecture and construction). As more international buyers consider real estate in Canada, most are looking for properties that follow a few strategic Feng Shui or Vastu Shastra principles that will bring prosperity and success to their home. Home buyers have some strange preferences in a house, but there are some common themes that are popular among the international buyers specifically of Asian or South Asian origin. Every real estate buyer is con-

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Congratulations Sylvia on being named the #1 manager in Canada for Re/Max. I wanted to thank you personally in helping me with the growth of my business and the pursuit of my goals over the last 20 years. You have always been the best whenever I needed direction, an expert opinion or advice.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I interviewed 10 Brokers before joining Sylvia. The reason I decided to join was because I felt she would be there for me whenever I needed her guidance in becoming a great professional agent. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been more then a year now and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so glad I made the perfect decision. Thank you Sylvia for giving me a great foundation in real estate and for always being there!!!â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to work with Sylvia for the last 18 years. I have learned so much about this industry from her and owe much of my success to her mentoring. Her support is ongoing 24/7. Her phone is attached at the hip. Always there to help you put a deal together or help you through the ups and downs of the business. Having sold real estate herself for many years she relates instinctively to her sales agents. In our office she is always â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manager of the Yearâ&#x20AC;?. Congratulations to a great gal! â&#x20AC;&#x153;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your leadership and guidance has enabled me to accomplish my goals! You are a true professional! After 6 years of working with you, I look forward to many more years to come!!!â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whenever I watch the Grammys or Oscars, the winners always talk about how they started and their mentors. I am an agent who does really well in an industry of 42,000 realtors. I do over 100 deals a year. All day agents call me to ask me â&#x20AC;&#x153;what is the secretâ&#x20AC;?. The secret is in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;trainingâ&#x20AC;?. I was trained by the best broker/manager in the GTA. Her name is Sylvia Perdue. She was and is the most hands on manager that I have experienced. I can call at 11pm and my calls are answered with the same level of commitment to my growth in year 1 as in year 12. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know anyone more dedicated and committed to her agents success, the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation and her fierce loyalty to her company Re/Max Realty Specialists Inc. The real cherry on top is that not only is she unparalleled in knowledge, but she has the best sense of humor to go with it.â&#x20AC;?

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cerned about location and then direction, which often dominates their decision. The ideal is north, east or north-east facing lots with open space all around within the constructed area. Frontage of the house is the next decision-making factor. Generally rectangular or squareshaped lots are chosen over oval, round, triangular, hexagonal or L-shaped lots. Wider front and narrow back is not the first choice. A narrow front with a wider back, north or east-facing, is the ideal choice based on a simple principle â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the sun rises in the east and sets in the west and this reflects prosperity and good health to the homeowners. International home buyers and investors look forward to a good negotiation. A deal without a negotiation is not considered a great deal. So if you are working with international buyers, make sure you offer an opportunity to negotiate. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be surprised if an international buyer presumes that a property will be furnished. Some home buyers and investors do not wish to invest the effort and stress to furnish the house, so as a real estate professional make sure you educate the seller that the buyer may want to buy a property with furniture. Most international buyers maintain a conservative approach to trusting real estate sales professionals because some countries do not have organized real estate protocols and governing bodies to protect the buyers and sellers. Often establishing trust can be a concern, so as a best practice I recommend providing elaborate details of organized real estate, licensing practices and the governing bodies in Canada. If time permits, give them an overview of how real estate is different in Canada. Gurcharan â&#x20AC;&#x153;Garryâ&#x20AC;? Bhaura is broker of record of Century 21 President Realty in Brampton, Ont. He is a director and vice-president of the Asian Real Estate Association, Toronto Chapter, a director on the Toronto Real Estate Board and an FRI candidate. REM

REM MAY 2015 47

Platform offers transparency in multiple offer situations

Announcement Alex & Richard Pilarski awarded RE/MAX Award for Largest Multi Ofﬁce

By Connie Adair

ecessity, as the saying goes, is the mother of invention. The necessity: finding a way to provide consumers with transparency in multiple offer situations, and giving agents and their brokerages an easy and compliant way to provide that service. DealDocket.com, an online workflow platform developed specifically for multiple offer situations, is the brainchild of cofounders Adam Brind and Drew Donaldson. Brind, broker of record at Core Assets Real Estate in Toronto, and mortgage broker Donaldson had talked about the idea for years. But when Brind couldn’t find out how many offers were on a house his clients were bidding on, it was the last straw. The multiple offer process felt dishonest, Brind says. So he and Donaldson developed DealDocket.com. On July 1, the same day DealDocket.com will officially launch, the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) will adopt changes to REBBA 2002 (the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act), which require that real estate brokerages retain a copy of every offer for six years and every declined offer for one year in order to prevent phantom offers. DealDocket.com will help

agents comply by automatically storing and managing all offers after the offer presentation, Brind says. Offers can be withdrawn with the press of a button any time before they are presented. The platform provides agents with tools they never had before and makes the process easier for the listing agent, buyers’ agents, consumers and brokerages, Brind says. Offers are submitted in real time, in the order in which they are received. Consumers and their agents can go online to see how many offers there are, when they were submitted and by which brokerage. For agents, working on the system means offers don’t have to be uploaded later, he says. DealDocket.com also provides an automatic summary of offers, including all-important contact information. To ensure that the system provides everything real estate professionals want, the co-founders talked to some of the biggest brokerages. The brokerages are providing three to five agents (including young tech-savvy agents) to help test and perfect the product, Brind says. The beta version will be available at the end of April. Testing will be done in May and June. The co-founders also worked

with RECO to ensure the process complies. (RECO enforces rules and regulations but does not endorse or partner with outside companies.) DealDocket.com is not only for multiple offers. It’s equally useful for one-offer deals, simplifying the process for agents throughout Ontario, Brind says. Come July 1, brokerages will still have to store offers. One house could have 10 different sign-backs, which can otherwise be cumbersome to keep track of and store, Brind says. Agents across the rest of country, as well as the United States, can also take advantage of DealDocket.com to streamline their process. DealDocket.com is free for consumers and buyers’ agents. Until July 1, 2016, it is also being offered free to listing brokerages. After that date, a fee will apply to data storage only. One hundred and fifty consumers have already signed up on the website and queries are received on a daily basis from agents. “We set out to change the industry and design a process agents will want to use. DealDocket.com is something agents and consumers want,” Brind says. “This is the future of real estate.” REM

JLL adds industrial expertise in Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal

LL recently announced the expansion of its industrial platform with seven new professionals across Canada in Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver. The firm has added Marshall Toner as executive vice president

Marshall Toner

Ryan Haney

and managing director to lead the Canadian Industrial Practice. Toner will be based out of JLL’s Calgary office, along with three other new additions including Ryan Haney, senior VP and Calgary Practice lead;

Tyler Allen

Katie Proud

Katie Proud, associate VP; and Tyler Allen, senior sales associate. In Vancouver, JLL hired Lee Hester and Mike Thompson as senior VPs and Stéphane Robillard has joined the Montreal team as vice president. The Calgary team has more than four decades of experience in industrial real estate and has transacted over 9.5 million square feet in lease transactions and over $600 million in property sales in the last five years, the company says. REM

With a spot securely in the Top 20 Companies for RE/MAX International, it’s no surprise that RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. came out on top at the annual R4 Worldwide RE/MAX Convention in Las Vegas. Since Alex and Richard Pilarski opened RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. in 1985, they have been an anchor in the communities in which they serve. Both have been recognized as RE/MAX “Pioneers” and have been awarded numerous prestigious RE/MAX awards. Currently, RE/MAX Realtron Realty Inc. has 734 agents, and is the largest RE/MAX franchisee in Ontario with 10 full branch ofﬁces. Please join us in congratulating Broker/Owners Alex Pilarski and Richard Pilarski on receiving the award for Largest Multi Ofﬁce – Paid Associate Count in Canada. Congratulations Alex and Richard on your achievements! We wish you many more years of success!

Alex Pilarski, Broker/Owner

Richard Pilarski, Broker/Owner

Realtron Realty Inc. Brokerage

Announcement Jodi & Ryan Gilmour awarded RE/MAX Top Office: Largest Net Gain Once a year, thousands of RE/MAX Associates from around the world gather to network, learn, and celebrate success. Congratulations to Jodi Gilmour, Broker/Owner, and Ryan Gilmour, Broker of Record of RE/MAX Realty Enterprises, who won Top Office Largest Net Gain in Sales Associates – Multi Office Network in Canada and Worldwide at the RE/MAX R4 convention this March in Las Vegas. With less than three years in business as as Broker/Owner and Broker of Record respectively, Jodi and Ryan have used their experience in the industry coupled with hard work, and the right coaching and training to overcome the growing pains that come with any new business. Please join us in once again congratulating Jodi and Ryan, and we look forward to your continued growth and success! Jodi Gilmour, Broker/Owner

Ryan Gilmour, Broker of Record

Realty Enterprises Brokerage

48 REM MAY 2015

Pauline Aunger is new CREA president Pauline Aunger, CREA’s 2015 president, has been a Realtor since 1977 and is broker of record with Royal LePage Advantage Real Estate in Smiths Falls and Perth, Ont. She is a past president of the Rideau St. Lawrence Real Estate Board and also a past president of the Ontario Real Estate Association. Cliff Iverson of Re/Max Crown Real Estate North in Regina has

Pauline Aunger

Patricia Verge

J. Darcy McLeod

been elected president-elect. He’s a past president of the Association of Regina Realtors and the Association of Saskatchewan Realtors. Andrew Peck, vice president, is a fourth-generation British Columbian who has spent his entire career as a Realtor in the Metro Vancouver area. He is broker/owner, vice president and general manager of Royal Pacific Realty Group. Beth Crosbie of Coldwell Banker Pro Co Realty in St. John’s,

Nfld. is past president. Regional directors are Ron Abraham (Ontario) of Lorimer Realty in King City, Ont.; Bill Briggs (Alberta) of Re/Max Real Estate in Edmonton; Jim Carragher (Atlantic) of Coldwell Banker Parker Realty in Charlottetown; Sylvain Girard (Quebec) of Compas Immobilier in Montreal; Roy Milley (Atlantic) of Marquis Realty in Sydney, N.S.; Paul Shreenan (British Colombia/Yukon) of Fair Realty in Nelson, B.C.; and Lorne Weiss (Manitoba) of Century 21 Bachman & Associates in Winnipeg. Directors-at-large are Daniel Dagenais Group of Sutton-Expert in Kirkland, Que.; William Johnston of Bosley Real Estate in Toronto; Richard Silver of Sotheby’s International Realty Canada in Toronto; Jason Stephen of Royal LePage Atlantic in Saint John, N.B.; and Barb Sukkau of

Celebrating the MLS integration of their boards, from left: Kevin Woolham, president of the Southern Georgian Bay Association of Realtors; Karen Cox, president of the Realtors Association of Grey Bruce Owen Sound; and Mike Stahls, president of Muskoka Haliburton Orillia – The Lakelands Association of Realtors.

Christopher Miller From left: Jill Didow, executive director, Realtors Community Foundation; John Wheelwright, Dogs With Wings Assistance Dog Society; and Glenn Ewanchuck, president, Realtors Community Foundation.

Anthony Bastiaanssen

Royal LePage Niagara Real Estate Centre in St. Catharines, Ont.

Three Ontario boards integrate MLS Systems The Realtors Associations of Grey-Bruce Owen Sound, Muskoka-Haliburton-Orillia (The Lakelands) and Southern Georgian Bay recently completed the database integration of their respective MLS Systems, providing a combined membership of more than 1,500 with the ability to seamlessly search property listings across all three boards. The integrated systems are hosted by Millennium Real Estate Solutions, a subsidiary of Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies. This project represents a huge benefit for buyers, say the boards. It removes the technology-imposed borders that previously restricted property search capabilities of buyer representatives to a single

board jurisdiction. Sellers will also benefit because their listings will now have greater exposure to potential buyers, without the added cost of placing listings on multiple MLS Systems. The boards say the data integration represents a substantial undertaking for the three associations and for Millennium. Unrestricted access for the members of these associations now covers a vast area of central Ontario.

Patricia Verge takes over as OREA president Ottawa-based real estate broker Patricia Verge has assumed the role of president of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA). Active in the real estate profession for 34 years, Verge is a broker with Royal LePage Team Realty in Ottawa and a member of the Ottawa Real Estate Board. She is a Celebrating the “Big Give”, from left: Jill Didow, executive director, Realtors Community Foundation; Brenda Netter, Habitat for Humanity; Charlie Ponde, chair elect, Alberta Real Estate Foundation (AREF); and Glenn Ewanchuck, president, Realtors Community Foundation. The AREF matched the contribution made by the Realtors Community Foundation to Habitat for Humanity.

Calvin Lindberg

The VIREB Board of Directors. Front row, from left: Blair Herbert, Jason Finlayson, Margo Hoffman. Back row, from left: Bill Benoit, Cholene Begin, Sandy Rantz, Kaye Broens, Janice Stromar, Neil Woodrow, Don McLintock, Frank Fairley (Photo: Artez Photography)

REM MAY 2015 49

past-president of CREA. Ray Ferris of Erie’s Edge Real Estate in Port Rowan will serve as president-elect. OREA directors-at-large are: Tom Lebour of Royal LePage Real Estate Services, Mississauga; Anna Vozza of Bob Pedler Real Estate, Windsor; and Valerie Miles of Re/Max Country Classics, Bancroft. Azizali Kanjee of IPB Realty & Finance in Mississauga currently serves as commercial director and Ron Abraham of Lorimer Realty in King City will continue as the director representing the provincial association to CREA. Paul Etherington of Royal Heritage Realty in Pickering has been appointed substantial membership director. Costa Poulopoulos of Realty Executives Elite in London remains on the board as past president. Provincial directors representing different geographic areas are: Eastern Ontario, Linda McCallum of Royal LePage Team Realty; Central Ontario, Maureen O’Neill, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada and Ettore Cardarelli, National Realty Centre; Northern Ontario, David Kurt of Coldwell Banker Charles Marsh Real Estate; Southern Ontario, John Oddi of Royal LePage Action Realty; Northeastern Ontario, David Reid of Enjoy Muskoka Realty; and Western Ontario, Karen Cox of Sea & Ski Realty. OREA represents 60,000 brokers and salespeople who are members of the 40 real estate boards throughout the province.

Edmonton Realtors Community Foundation presents 53 cheques From guide dogs to counselling programs, shelter assistance and mental health awareness, 53 local grassroots community agencies in the Edmonton area benefited from donations made by the Realtors Community Foundation Big Give. More than $373,000 was donated. The foundation has been giving out similar grants for 28 years and has contributed more than $4 million since 1986. “This is our favourite day of the year,” says Jill Didow, executive director of the foundation. “We are able to give back to smaller organizations who really rely on the grants from the foundation and our

generous Realtors who support it.” For more information about the foundation and the charities it supports, visit www.realtorscommunityfoundation.com.

REBGV instates 2015/2016 president The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) recently welcomed J. Darcy McLeod as its 2015/2016 president. McLeod replaces outgoing president Ray Harris. McLeod is with Re/Max Results Realty in Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows area. He has served on the REBGV’s Board of Directors for five years. Supporting the president in 2015 is president elect Dan Morrison of Re/Max Crest Realty in North Vancouver and VP Jill Oudil of Coldwell Banker Westburn Realty in Burnaby. Other members of the Board of Directors: David Angel, Team 3000 Realty; Taylor Biggar, Re/Max Westcoast; Barb Burrows, Macdonald Commercial Real Estate Services; Lynn Dequanne, Re/Max Central; Tom Everitt, Dexter Associates Realty; Danny Gerbrandt, Royal LePage Brookside Realty; Wendy Hunter, Sutton Group - West Coast Realty; Phil Moore, Re/Max Central; Stan Shawn, Royal Pacific Realty; Ashley Smith, Royal LePage City Centre; Deborah Spicer, Sutton Group West Coast Realty; and David Yang, Royal Pacific Realty.

OMDREB announces 2015-2016 president and directors The Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board (OMREB) has elected Christopher Miller of Kelowna as president for the 2015-2016 term. He replaces outgoing president Darcy Griffiths of Vernon, who stays on as past president. Miller became a licensed Realtor in 2004 and has been an OMREB member for 10 years. Anthony Bastiaanssen of West Kelowna is the new vice president. Other members of the 2015 to 2016 Board of Directors: Marv Beer, Salmon Arm – Shuswap Zone; Tim Down, Kelowna – Central Zone; Dave Favell, Kelowna – Central Zone; Maggie Garvey, Vernon – North Zone; Kim Heizmann, Vernon – North

Zone; Derryanne Hubbard, Vernon – North Zone; Doug Hubscher, Salmon Arm – Shuswap Zone; Michael Loewen, Kelowna – Central Zone; and Tanis Read, Kelowna – Central Zone.

Calvin Lindberg to address World Congress Vancouver Realtor Calvin Lindberg will be a keynote speaker at the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI) World Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in May. Lindberg, currently president of the Americas Region of FIABCI, is widely known in organized real estate in Canada as a past president of CREA and the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board and is a FIABCI representative to the United Nations in New York. FIABCI-Canada SecretaryGeneral Jerry England says, “Over the past four years Mr. Lindberg has been an in-demand speaker at international events in North and South America and Asia and continually promotes Canada as a place to invest. While many delegates will be from the Asia-Pacific region, his topic, ‘Vancouver Canada - Prosperous by Design’ is aimed at reaching a far wider international audience.”

VIREB installs new president and board at AGM Recently at the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board’s Annual General Meeting, president Blair Herbert passed the gavel to Duncan Realtor Jason Finlayson of Pemberton Homes, who will serve as president in 2015. Kaye Broens of Re/Max of Nanaimo and Sandy Rantz of Coast Realty Group in Port Alberni joined the board as new members. The rest of VIREB’s 2015 Board of Directors includes returning members Cholene Begin, Frank Fairley, Margo Hoffman, Don McClintock, Janice Stromar and Neil Woodrow. Herbert will serve as past president, while Margo Hoffman stepped into her new role as VIREB’s 2015 president elect. VIREB also recognized departing board members Gary Gray and Kathy Koch for their dedication REM and service.

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50 REM MAY 2015

Good Works A

ll dressed up and excited to kick off a night of celebration at the Royal LePage British Columbia Awards Gala, a group of Royal LePage Realtors from across the province piled into the elevators of the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. The elevator was full, as the group encouraged friends and colleagues to join each other on the way up. After the doors closed, the elevator car shifted slightly and then

froze, to everyone’s dismay. Although help was on the way, tensions and temperatures continued to rise as the riders waited 40 minutes for the Vancouver Fire Department to arrive to pry open the doors. Everyone emerged unharmed and continued on to the Awards Gala with a story to tell. The hotel management was deeply sorry for the incident and with very little encouragement, made a $2,000 donation to the

Royal LePage Shelter Foundation to demonstrate their sincerity in providing a first-class experience for their hotel guests. Glad to be out of the elevator and thrilled to have turned their experience into a “win” for the Shelter Foundation were Justin Baillargeon, Cheryl Bosch, Tracey Bosch, Sandi Compardo, Carolyn Cowe, Marshall Cowe, Deb Dickson, Pat Drummond, Shannon Drummond, Peter Kiriakov, Susan Parsons, Sue Robb, Cory Schreder, Jamie Scheder, Gord Scott, Vicky Scott, Don Tebbutt, Karen Weber and Linda Weston. ■ ■ ■

Century 21 Canada has enlisted the voice of 15-year-old Brandon Liston to launch the charity’s first National Ambassador

Program in the country. Born with Cerebral Palsy, Liston joined Easter Seals as its New Brunswick ambassador when he was just six-years-old. As national ambassador, he will travel to key events across the country speaking on behalf of Easter Seals kids to build awareness for families living with disabilities. “The ambassador program has given me so much courage and so much of a start for the future,” says Liston. “I don’t consider people with disabilities as disabled. ‘Dis’ means you can’t do something… I just do it a little differently. I am differently-abled.” “When Brandon speaks, everyone listens. His positive attitude and enthusiasm for helping others are contagious,” says U. Gary Charlwood, executive chairman of Century 21 Canada. “Who could better share the story of Easter

Seals kids? We hope to assist Brandon as he progresses from a young boy with big dreams into a young man who realizes them.” ■ ■ ■

Gail Power, Janet Armour and Ryan Power from Sutton Group Masters Realty in Kingston, Ont. recently participated in Spin4Kids, a fundraiser for youth sports and fitness. They were part of an eightperson team that rode (or “spun”) for eight hours at a GoodLife fitness centre. With personal donations and contributions from friends, coworkers and clients, they raised $1,829 for the GoodLife Kids Foundation. Their team’s contribution helped to bring the Kingston total to $23,500 and the nationwide total to approximately $1 million. Funds raised through Spin4Kids supports national,

Brandon Liston with U. Gary Charlwood

Above from left: Richard Solomon of Habitat for Humanity GTA; Stephen Wong and William Lau of Living Group of Companies; and Stefanie Crispino of Habitat for Humanity GTA.

Accepting a cheque from Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre general manager Sascha Voth (centre) is Marshall Cowe from Royal LePage West Real Estate Services in Coquitlam and Don Tebbutt from Royal LePage Wolstencroft in Langley.

Sales reps Grant Lucas, Krista Craig, Kellie Renaud and Marilyn Almeida of Coldwell Banker RMR, along with Lara Cadouch, an exchange student visiting from Switzerland, took the icy plunge.

From left: Gail Power, Corrie Westendorp-Kanellos, Susan Power, Elizabeth Dion, Heidi DeJonge, Janet Armour and Ryan Power took part in the Spin4Kids event along with Robbie Francis (not shown).

Wendy Shaw, Aaron Nicklen and Brian Godfrey (Photo: Artez Photography)

Royal LePage Frank Real Estate sales representative Dena Sicard, centre, is flanked by Leigh Winn-Kruck, board director, The Denise House, left, and Tracey Burke, board director, YWCA Durham. (Photo courtesy of Snapped – Whitby).

Clockwise from top: Nat Brioschi, Huguette Savard, Kim Daniel, Karen Derooy, Trish Condo, Sandi Barrie and Karen McLachlan of Royal LePage RCR Realty. Left: Heather Rothman, sales representative with Royal LePage Team Realty, models a cape at Yesterdays, a sale of gently used clothing.

REM MAY 2015 51

provincial and local programs that provide physical activity opportunities for children as well as grants for in-school fitness activities and after-school sports. â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

A team from Coldwell Banker RMR dove into the icy waters of Lake Scugog in February to help raise money for the Lakeridge Health Centre in Port Perry, Ont. The team took a quick dip in subzero temperatures to raise $1,410 for the cause. â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

To celebrate the October 2014 opening of its new head office in Markham, the Living Group and Living Realty raised funds to help complete a Habitat for Humanity home, culminating in a $10,000 corporate gift. The brokerage also sent a team of volunteers to help out on the site for a day. Company chairman Stephen Wong and president William Lau joined Habitat for Humanity GTA to help celebrate as the Smith family of York Region accepted the keys to their new home near Lake Simcoe. â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

The Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) presented Realtors Care Awards recently to Brian Godfrey, Aaron Nicklen and Wendy Shaw. The awards recognize members who give back to their communities and work diligently to enhance the professional image of Realtors. For several years, Re/Max of Nanaimo representative Brian Godfrey has been an active member of the office committee for the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Miracle Network, spearheading a variety of projects. Godfreyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful undertaking to date was his 7,825 km bike ride across Canada to raise money for B.C. Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital. With the help of colleagues, by the time he stepped off his bike, Godfrey had raised over $23,000 for the hospital. The list of causes and charities to which Aaron Nicklen of Coast Realty Group (Parksville) has devoted his time is a long one, says VIREB. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether riding a bike for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, donating his

Hawaiian condominium to raise funds for community events or anonymously co-funding community Christmas dinners for the needy, Nicklen consistently shows that Realtors care,â&#x20AC;? says the board. The board says representative Wendy Shaw of Sutton Group West Coast Realty in Duncan is a passionate advocate for the homeless and mental health. For over 15 years, she has been collecting coats and blankets for the homeless, donating them to the Salvation Army and Canadian Mental Health. â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

Century 21 United Realty in Peterborough, Ont. is the new major sponsor for the Peterborough Lakers lacrosse team. The brokerage has drafted a threeyear commitment as major sponsor. Century 21 United Realty is locally known as a strong supporter of their community. For 29 years, the officeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature fundraiser, The Carl Oake Swimathon, has raised donations for Easter Seals children living with disabilities. The officeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Christmas Toy Drive has provided more than 10,000 toys for children in need since 1990. â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

Dena Sicard of Royal LePage Frank Real Estate recently hosted a Casino Night Extravaganza. Her guests were treated to a live band and performance by Samara York, Peruvian style tapas and a silent auction brimming with popular items. At a selection of gaming tables, guests played for bragging rights and tickets for draw prizes awarded over the course of the evening. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I could not have asked for a more gratifying night,â&#x20AC;? says Sicard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My goal for the evening was to raise $5,000 and I am thrilled to have raised a whopping $6,000 with the help of all who sponsored, attended and volunteered.â&#x20AC;? Proceeds from the evening will support local shelter The Denise House and YWCA Durham. â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

Trish Condo of Royal LePage RCR Realty in Bolton, Ont. used her love of jazz and desire to one

day visit the city of New Orleans to create a fund-raising event. Her Mardi Gras Soriee benefitting Family Transition Place featured a live performance by Tyler Yarema & His Rhythm along with beads, face painting, masks and games. A King and Queen of the evening were crowned, selected by the spirit they showed by coming in full costumes. The event raised $3,000. â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

The popular Booster Night for Shelter in Ontarioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Muskoka region was back for a third year and welcomed more than 130 guests for dinner at Boston Pizza with a concurrent silent auction. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had our best year to date,â&#x20AC;? says Wendy Webb of Royal LePage Lakes of Muskoka Realty. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our silent auction was a big success with almost three times as many donations as last year. We are all proud to have raised $5,000 for local shelters Muskoka Interval House and Chrysalis via the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.â&#x20AC;? Joining Webb in organizing the event were Val Schrauwen, Joan Ricard, Shelley Reville and Michelle Cheeseman, all of Royal LePage; Phil Hemens of Boston Pizza; and Rachelle Walker and Jenny Cressman from Muskoka Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Advocacy Group. â&#x2013; â&#x2013; â&#x2013;

For the past four years, the Royal LePage Team Realty branch at 1335 Carling Ave. in Ottawa, has hosted Yesterdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, a sale of gently used, high-end clothing and accessories in support of local organizations. At this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two-day event, more than $3,500 was raised â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the highest total to date. Proceeds will be divided between the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation in support of Nelson House of Ottawa Carleton and St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home for older adults in need. Organizers who worked on the event included Mary Lindsay, Angie Zed, Heather Rothman, Joanne Bachelor, Therese Catana, Sharon Pugliese, Lana Burnley, Catherine Bell, Lorne Scott and REM Eric Kalbsleisch.

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New Avison Young office includes real-time transit info Avison Young recently installed a TransitScreen in its Toronto headquarters. It’s one of only two TransitScreens in Toronto and three in Canada. The screen provides realtime, location-specific information about all available transit options available at or nearby a particular location. TransitScreen says that while there is no shortage of transportation apps on the market, many of these services are siloed and each agency holds data in their own respective app. It says the benefit of TransitScreen service is the collection of all of these real-time feeds into a single, high-quality aggregated display. The service is currently available in Toronto, Vancouver and 20 U.S. cities. “The TransitScreen in our office will provide our staff with real-time information about transit options when leaving the office for meetings during the day or going home at the end of the day,” says Rodney McDonald, principal at Avison Young. “Our office is located next to Toronto’s Union Station, the busiest transportation hub in Canada.” The office at 18 York St. has a Walk Score of 99 and a Transit Score of 100.

Vista Equity Partners invests in Lone Wolf Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies has received a strategic growth investment from Vista Equity Partners. “The investment will support Lone

Wolf as it pursues new market opportunities, expands product development efforts and solidifies its position as the largest provider of enterprise software for residential real estate brokerages in the United States and Canada,” says Lone Wolf in a news release. “We are thrilled to be working with Vista, which has an impressive track record of investing in software providers across a variety of industries, including real estate,” says Lorne C. Wallace, CEO of Lone Wolf. “Our attraction was the resources and expertise they bring to help us expand our offerings, drive sustainable growth, and, most importantly, deliver additional value to our clients.”

Re/Max Integra partners with RankMyAgent.com RankMyAgent.com and Re/Max Integra have announced a partnership that will integrate the RankMyAgent.com platform into Re/Max Integra’s newest online tool, Re/Max Launchpad. The Launchpad is an online portal, exclusive to Re/Max Integra regions, that provides agents and brokers with access to over 25 tools designed to help save time and money and enhance productivity in their real estate business. RankMyAgent.com is an online forum that connects prospective clients with real estate agents whose services are

endorsed through the portal’s ratings and reviews. Company founder and president Riti Verma says, “It’s important for real estate agents to manage their online reputation because it’s through the Internet that potential clients are connecting with real estate professionals.” She says the platform will be embedded in the Re/Max Launchpad portal, giving agents access to user-generated reviews with a single sign-on. Verma says it’s an “opportunity for real estate agents to leverage technology to amplify their marketing efforts and participate in the conversations happening around them.”

Colour Tech partners with Mirza International Bob Campbell, president and CEO of Colour Tech Marketing, recently announced the company’s alliance with Mirza International, which is a “resultsdriven marketing agency offering strategic solutions to take your marketing and success to the next level,” says Campbell. “We at Colour Tech intend to stay at the forefront of innovation and technology. We are delighted to welcome Basim and Ramsha Mirza, as they move in to our offices to ensure the best level of client service and inhouse delivery.” For information: www.higherREM levelmarketing.ca

Basim Mirza, Bob Campbell and Ramsha Mirza

Posing with the new TransitScreen, from left: Mark Rose, chairman and CEO of Avison Young; Rodney McDonald, principal at Avison Young; and Andres Trivino, city manager – Toronto for TransitScreen.

REM MAY 2015 53

The power of trust: strategic alliances

Trade Shows and Conferences To add a listing to this calendar, email jim@remonline.com Toronto Real Estate Board Realtor Quest May 6 – 7 Toronto Congress Centre Toronto www.realtorquest.ca

HomeLife 30th Anniversary Conference and Awards Gala May 28 – 29 Fallsview Casino Resort Niagara Falls, Ont. HomeLife@HomeLife.com

Kitchener-Waterloo Association of Realtors Realtor XPO 2.0 Thursday, May 12 Bingemans Conference Centre Kitchener www.kwreb.on.ca/docs/XPO2.0 _Sponsorship_and_Exhibitorpa ckage.pdf

National Association of Realtors Conference & Expo Nov. 13 – 16 San Diego Convention Centre San Diego www.realtor.org/convention.nsf Compiled with the assistance of Bob Campbell at Colour Tech Marketing, www.colourtech.com

By Michelle Risi

eal estate agents and brokers who started their business practice in the ’80s and ’90s have witnessed firsthand the way the industry has changed. The once vertical relationship between real estate professional and client, whereby a salesperson’s value was centred on their position as gatekeepers of information, and where trust was placed in this power, is now a thing of the past. In today’s virtual world, where access to information is readily available, the power has shifted and so has the trust. The transactional mindset is slowly changing and more people are starting to see the value in relationships and how powerful trust is for building a successful business.

This couldn’t be truer for those working strategic alliances. A strategic alliance focuses on creating a relationship with a complementary professional (an accountant, legal professional, investment advisor or a home service provider) creating an environment where the respective professionals can share their database of clients. Think about that for a moment. If you are successful at earning the trust of your clients, what you say to them matters. Bob Burg’s famous quote, “All things being equal, people do business with, and refer business to people they know, like and trust” illustrates exactly why strategic alliances work. If you recommend a complementary professional to your clients, that sense of trust has the potential to be transferred. “All things being equal” is an important piece to this formula, because building strategic alliances is not about finding a random per-

CANADA’S LARGEST REAL ESTATE CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW

Mark rk Your Yo Calendars: May 6–7, 2015 2 Toro oronto Congress Centre, South Building, 650 Dixon Road

son to share business with. It is important to make sure that you find someone who is like you, who shares the same values as you and who will treat your clients the same way you do, and vice versa. Many challenges that real estate professionals are facing today have been caused by this shift in power and trust. We have been left feeling that we need to slice and dice our business into modular pieces, and scramble to find ways of gaining back a sense of power. The solution to this is clear. Build a relationship business with your clients and your alliances and you will start to see that the power is found in the trust. Michelle Risi is the executive vicepresident for Royal LePage Your Community Realty in Toronto. She is also a director at the Real Estate Academy and is the President of Your Community Realty Toastmasters. REM

Spring Annual Meeting Keynote Speaker – May 6 The Future of Real Estate Sales: Five inevitable trends you can’t ignore

Don’t miss the most exciting lineup of REALTOR® QUEST speakers ever with 44 sessions to choose from!

Richard Robbins, international speaker, author, and elite business coach.

ANDY HE ERRINGTON

BRUCE KEITH

BRUNO MARSALA

DAN PLOWMAN

DON PATTERSON

HEATHER SCOTT

JASON MERCER

JAY IZSO

JENNIFER O’BRIEN

And don’t miss: • “Condo 101: What You Need to Know from Start to Finish” panel hosted by BILD® (Building Industry and Land Development Association) • “Are You Getting Your Share of the International Market?” panel

JJUANITA MC CDOWELL

KATHLEEN BLACK

LOU RADOMSKY

MARK ARK WEISLEDE WEISLEDER

NASEEF KHAN

RICHARD R FL FLINT

SHARON CONNOLLY

WALTER SANFORD

WARREN JESTIN

Trade Show features 240 exhibitors! realtorquest.ca | realtorquest@trebnet.com | #realtorquest

• “New Homes and Condos: Builders and Market Leaders Get You Better Informed” panel • “Working Effectively with Condo Property Managers” panel • CREA Membership Open House • May 7 – All-Day Commercial Course Stream

54 REM MAY 2015

THE PUBLISHER’S PAGE

By Heino Molls

can to their customers is genuine and it shows on every page. Yet The Star is held back in its fight for readers with other newspapers because the people who answer their phone have no interest in selling the paper. That function has been contracted out. People who are representing The Star on the phone in customer service are rude and inconsiderate. They turn customers away in droves. The Star might be the best paper in the world but sadly the people selling the paper on the phone have no interest in its success. On the other hand, Rogers is probably the worst company in Canada in terms of its interest in customers and the product quality that it delivers to its customers. People who wish to buy Rogers services are locked into buying other services they do not want. No other company seems to have the inconsideration bordering on contempt that Rogers has toward its

customer base. Yet Rogers has arguably the best customer service of any corporation in the country. While Rogers is notorious for leaving customers with complaints or service questions on hold, things are completely different if you want to buy any products or services from Rogers. If you want to buy cable channels or cellular services or any other product, a customer service representative will be on the phone quickly, cheerfully and pleasantly to explain how fast their products can be delivered. They work for Rogers. They are trained by Rogers. They are not contracted out. They have a vested interest in the company. Do you want a new channel on your cable? Certainly, we can deliver that overnight. Do you want a home phone with that order? Anything you want to buy we’ll be happy to arrange, and more. So what does that tell me about our business? It tells me that we

MARKETPLACE

have been thinking about two companies I was involved with in the past, one as an employee (The Toronto Star) and the other for a time as a business partner (Rogers Corporation). I am curious to see how they conduct their business in today’s increasingly competitive environment. The Toronto Star is one of Canada’s leading newspapers. It has made the content of their pages its greatest priority. The reporting is second to none, the columnists are compelling and the investigative journalism is the best in the country. The Star’s interest in delivering the best product they

On customer service

must always strive to do more than deliver a great product here at REM. When someone calls wanting to receive copies of REM or needs information about advertising in REM, we’d better be running around with our hair on fire to do everything and anything that we can to get that person the info they need. (Unless the person answering the phone at REM doesn’t have hair to set on fire and I only know of one person in the whole organization like that.) What else does that tell me? It tells me I should share this bit of information with those I serve. We have heard it over and over and it may be obvious to most but it is surprising how many people in the real estate industry overlook the fact that the most important person in their entire organization may be the one who simply answers the phone. The person who gets up and says hello to the customer who just walked into the office. The first contact will make

an impression of your company that will stay with that potential customer for years to come and who may possibly become a lifelong customer. That first contact person must be a lot more important to you than just the “guy who talks to people when they come in” or the “girl who answers the phone”. This is hardly new or stunning information that I must breathlessly give out to those who are uninformed. I know it is a fundamental to anyone in the real estate business but while I am repeating what I first heard probably 50 years ago, I can tell you that today there are plenty of good, hard-working, wellmeaning people in real estate who have forgotten this fundamental and can’t figure out what happened to their business over the past couple of years. Heino Molls is the publisher of REM. Email heino@remonline.com.

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What happens when you build a business that puts agents first? THE RESULT:

Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest real estate franchise by agent count Training Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

#1 training organization in the world

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30,078 9,712

29,679 9,675

28,252 9,582

26,932 9,387

26,122 9,094

26,163 8,812

24,969 8,546

25,732 8,768

26,400 8,572

25,787 8,160

23,582 7,501

25,000

20,595 6,964

Total INTEGRA

30,000

Ontario â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Atlantic Region

13,382 5,553

12,163 5,036

11,118 4,880

9,482 4,671

8,010 4,417

7,102 4,330

5,662 4,032 6,040 3,870

16,410 6,229

20,000

15,000

10,000

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

5,000

Inspired to be the best for the best.

remaxintegra.com

INTEGRA is the Real Estate industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-kept secret. Founded in the GTA by two Canadian Entrepreneurs, Frank Polzler and Walter Schneider, INTEGRA accounts for nearly a third of all RE/MAX. 30,000 agents is an important milestone, however agent productivity is our true focus. RE/MAX | INTEGRA is the leader in agent productivity in the markets which it operates. The unwavering commitment of this privately held company is to invest in worldclass service and support to foster the growth of our brokerages and agents and remain the most productive real estate professionals in the industry.