TORONTO 11-14-22

TORONTO EDITION

MY CRYSTAL BALL:

Small Yard?

Big Statement:

You CAN Predict You’ll Be Successful Selling Real Estate

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF MICRO OUTDOOR SPACES

Uncommon Contact:

CONNECTING WITH CLIENTELE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

3 EASY AT-HOME

DIY PROJECTS TO INCREASE PROPERTY VALUE

FEATURED AGENTS

BARBARA BEST FERNANDO PERRI COVER STORY

KARAN KANAGASABAI

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com

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Uncommon Contact:

Connecting with Clientele Through Social Media Social media is one of the newest and most powerful tools in an agent or mortgage professional’s arsenal. With just a few keystrokes, you can stay top-of-mind with buyers, sellers, and borrowers near and far, past and present. The key is knowing how to use these mediums to your advantage, working smarter instead of harder to keep the thread of professional relationships intact. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can maximize the pull and power of social media by shifting just a few of your ideas and practices for the better.

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Not everything has to be about business.

While your relationship with a client or fellow vendor began over the course of business, your relationship going forward doesn’t have to be limited. One of the great things about social media is that’s it’s social. Not every comment, post, or communication has to revolve around your business, its metrics, or turning a sale. In fact, you should do your best to branch out and curate a brand and online identity that’s about who you are and

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the lifestyle you’re authentically interested in living. In that vein, consider interacting with clients in an organically-driven way, encouraging them during life’s milestones, reaching out with a local event, restaurant, or news item that’s relevant to their interests or neighborhood. The goal is to be a persistent presence in their lives without feeling like a talking head. Engage as you would like to be engaged with, as a human being with interests and needs and boundaries. Keep that personal thread in mind and your dynamic will shift from past business contact to present resource.

Expand your medium.

Many Realtors are comfortable on Facebook as an interactive meeting to connect with clients, but there are several other mediums where you can connect with clients both past and present, as well as future. Particularly when courting Millennial clientele, the fastest-growing segment of the buying market, a presence on Instagram and Snapchat are key to finding new faces, demonstrating hot properties, and creating an interactive brand as an agent. Not only does this help when you’re listing a property and seeking potential buyers, but it also serves as a perusable portfolio of your work and real estate prowess. You can also use these mediums to interact with clients on an outlet they might feel most comfortable in. Liking pictures, commenting, streaming Instagram Live home tours and Stories are all ways you can build engagement by simply spreading your social media presence around. Likewise, Top Agent Magazine

these photo and video driven mediums are popular for home design ideas, and before and after renovation pictures. When you expand from Facebook into these new platforms, you’ll already have plenty of visual content ready to be transferred and consumed by an expanded audience.

Don’t just react.

Create your own content.

It’s easy enough to post a link to a new listing, or retweet a helpful article on real estate news. Creating your own organic content is a different story, but worth its weight in gold when it comes to luring engagement, ranking higher in search fields, and overall crafting an interactive presence for yourself and your business online—which is where more than 90% of homebuyers and sellers begin their process. Creating your own content can seem risky, or else like no one is listening in a digital world already crowded with information. However, original content is sure to boost personal engagement with your social media pages, guaranteed.

Instead of recycling content, consider posting a video with a Q+A theme for first-time homebuyers, or perhaps posting a live tour of a new listing will perk up your clientele surfing at home.

No matter how you decide to expand your social media presence when it comes to interacting with clients, consistency is key.

Find the ways that work best for you and stick to them, and you’ll watch your audience and business grow in tandem.

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Small Yard? Big Statement: How to Make the Most Out of Micro Outdoor Spaces When house-hunters compile their lists of musthave home items, a dreamy backyard space is often near the top. After all, who doesn’t want an outdoor oasis of their very own? From summer barbecues to open space for your dog to frolic— everyone has their own aspirations when it comes to creating the perfect backyard paradise. But as homebuyers seek properties deeper within city limits, and Millennials opt for properties with 6

urban amenities and access, home-connected outdoor spaces are becoming a bit smaller in stature.

Of course, size isn’t everything when it comes to outdoor space. Even balconies, rear patios, and ultra-tiny yards can provide homebuyers with the outdoor reprieve they crave—even on a smaller scale. For a few ideas that can help you envision all the possibilities of a micro outdoor space, read on for inspiration.

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Top Agent Magazine

Think vertically.

When space is at a premium, think up instead of out. In other words, make the most of small spaces by capitalizing on your backyard, balcony, or patio’s overhead height. Mood-setting string lights, hanging pocket or wall gardens, floating shelves, and modern overhead hangings can create a sense of privacy and luxury without cluttering the square footage on the ground.

Soothing sounds set the mood.

Upgrade the look of structural components.

Not in love with your patio pavers? Don’t have the sweetest view off your balcony? Whatever your small backyard living space gripe may be, there’s always a solution if you go back to the basics. Consider the structural components of your outdoor space that you aren’t in love with and there’s likely an affordable, eye-pleasing solution. For instance, plenty of home goods Top Agent Magazine

retailers make a variety of punchy or luxe outdoor rugs that can disguise stained or lackluster outdoor flooring. Power-washing is another great solution for old grime and dirt that’s an eyesore. Don’t have a great view? Planting ivy on bare walls, installing adjustable mood lighting, or hanging planters can create a more inviting ambiance.

While there may not be room for a swimming pool or pond in a micro yard or balcony, you can still bring the calming presence of water to your outdoor oasis. Fountains run the gamut in sizing and price, making this amenity an easy acquisition. What’s more, a running fountain not only adds a soothing sound to your space, but it also helps drown out noise from the street or the neighbors—making your space entirely your own and stress-free.

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Don’t compromise on your culinary dreams.

If you love to entertain in outdoor spaces or relish the chance to man the grill—small outdoor spaces don’t have to trip you up. Grill options (both propane and charcoal) come in a range of sizes, many of which can be outfitted securely to balcony posts or be tucked away and out of sight when out of use. Consider nesting tables or those with a removable leaf to adjust your seating and dining options depending on company.

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Another trick? A small, oscillating fan can keep air flow moving in a small space during grill season—and can be easily affixed to walls or posts, as well.

Don’t let yourself or clients be discouraged by spaces with more limited square footage in outdoor areas. Furniture and design trends have already begun shifting toward providing better small-space options, and at the end of the day, a backyard space is all about providing an area for relaxation. With a few well-placed, strategic choices, you can still have it all.

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KARAN KANAGASABAI Top Agent Magazine

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Top Agent Karan Kanagasabai is a Broker with RE/MAX Community Realty Inc., where he assists clients throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

Recognized as “The One Man Show” in Toronto’s real estate market, Karan Kanagasabai has always possessed an entrepreneurial spirit. He first came to Canada at 17 years old, with limited resources and no immediate family in the area. From there, he would spend his high school days working as a busboy, server, and cashier—establishing the foundations in customer service he would later use to excel for global companies like Magna International. By 32 years old, he was a husband, father of two, and homeowner in the region.

In 2017, though, Karan decided to switch tracks and pursue his career in real estate, learning the industry from the ground up not only through textbooks, but also investing and intensive training with some of the leading agents in Canada. Today, he is a Broker with RE/MAX Community Realty Inc., where he assists clients throughout the Greater Toronto Area, having cultivated a 10 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

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workflow to meet the needs of any buyer, seller, or investor.

When listing a property, Karan offers a comprehensive approach. After helping his clients fully prepare for the market, he shares their listing via a highly targeted

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blend of digital and social media campaigns. Meanwhile, he is just as attentive when serving his buyers, thoughtfully uncovering the right investment for their best interests. “As an agent, you have to provide a unique insight into the market,” he says. “At the end of the day, you should

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Consistently ranked in the Top 10 out of a pool of more than 250 agents with RE/MAX Community Realty, Inc., Karan remains committed to the standards that set him apart. never make a promise you can’t keep—or you will risk losing a client’s trust.”

In his career, Karan has earned a fantastic reputation, with the vast majority of his volume coming from repeat clients and referrals. Consistently ranked in the Top 10 out of a pool of more than 250 agents with RE/MAX Community Realty, Inc., he Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

remains committed to the standards that set him apart. “There’s nothing more rewarding than having a client recognize your honesty and hard work. Above all, I’m committed to helping them improve the life they have built—penny by penny—and as a father of two, I absolutely understand how important these transactions are to a family’s wellbeing.”

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Outside of real estate, Karan can be found contributing to local events in WhitchurchStouffville throughout the year. Elsewhere, he serves as President of the Meesalai Veerasingam Central College Student’s Association Canada, provides assistance to communities in Sri Lanka, and contributes to organizations like The Hospital for

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Sick Children or The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. When he’s not with clients or giving back, he enjoys spending quality time with his family.

Now averaging over $30 million in annual volume, Karan intends on scaling his vision of boutique service, with an eye towards

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building his team in the near future. In the meantime, he offers sound advice to any aspiring agent: “Whether your dream is to live in a sprawling, 6,600 square-foot mansion, drive a Tesla Model X, or own an investment property, these goals can’t be accomplished in a day; you have to earn them. As for me,

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I’ve driven a Dodge Caravan for most of my life—and still do today—because I’m passionate about my business and my clients, not living big. I’m not in competition with anyone but myself, and as long as I continue to improve each day, I can trust that the rest will fall into place.”

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3 Easy At-Home DIY Projects to Increase Property Value Most homeowners have a lengthy list of chores and bit projects they intend to accomplish around the house. Oftentimes, those to-do items are completed piecemeal over a long stretch of time, or else sometimes not at all. However, when it comes time to prepare a home for market, all those tasks begin to pile-up and overwhelm. The Top Agent Magazine

list of things to do before the photographer comes or the first open house is held might seem endless, but not if you tackle just a few things here and there as you go. These sorts of projects—easy, DIY, at-home tasks you can accomplish in a few hours or less, with tools you most likely have on hand— go a long way with marginal effort.

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Complete a quick rehab of closets and storage areas Many agents advise clients to declutter and depersonalize their spaces ahead of professional photography and home showings. The idea is to provide prospective buyers with a neutral palette. Not only does this allow them to imagine their own lives unfolding within those four walls, but it also helps make a home’s square footage stand out. One way to add visual space to your home without calling in the contractor is to declutter common storage areas and closets. When buyers can get a complete look at a closet’s capacity, or a pantry’s depth, or the garage’s full functional potential, they get a better sense of a home’s potential and thus, its value.

In that vein, consider decluttering and cleaning your high-traffic storage spaces: the garage, pantries, closets, attics, and basements. Besides, organizing and discarding unwanted items help you prep for a move anyway, while giving potential buyers a peak at how spacious your home really is.

Add easy curb appeal with a bit of sweat equity Sure, curb appeal can arrive in the form of a new mailbox, pathway lighting, or updated house numbers, but it can also come cheaper than that. Curb extends to the upkeep of your lawn, landscaping, and home’s façade, and there are plenty of ways 16

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you can give these zones a refresh without spending anything but time. Keeping your front and back yard green and uniform adds a lux layer to exterior square footage.

Likewise, polishing the outside of your windows, trimming hedges, and sweeping the walkway can make a tidy and wellcared for first impression. There are other measures you can take too. Planting wildflower seeds in empty beds, or collecting some landscaping rocks to frame mulched areas can add a bit of character to your residence. Repainting the front door, ensuring trees are trimmed, and keeping back patios Top Agent Magazine

neat and uncluttered also underscore a home at its finest, which is ripe for buyers to snatch up.

Transform tiled spaces into sparkling clean surfaces.

Bathrooms and kitchens are where sellers can stand to add plenty of value in the process of selling a home. While pricey renovations might be out of the question for some, there are still affordable and time-effective ways you can transform for these spaces for the better. Cleaning,

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bleaching, or redoing your tile grout—in either kitchens, bathrooms, or other tiled spaces—can give these high-trafficked areas a new lease on life. Ensuring windows, mirrors, stainless steel appliances and backsplashes are streak-free and polished also demonstrate to buyers that your home is well-cared for and practically move-in ready. Sometimes, the devil is in the details. You might consider relining drawers, changing out knobs and fixtures,

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or else decluttering cabinets and shelves for a fresher look.

No matter the challenges ahead as you prepare your home for sale, completing a few small tasks every weekend or so can put you miles ahead of the competition.

Without spending a dime, you can add serious value to your home’s bottom line, setting you up for success as you begin your own home-shopping adventure.

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BARBARA BEST Driven by a desire to educate her clients and make a difference in her community, Barbara Best has been helping people achieve their real estate goals for the past 10 years. Coming from a corporate background, Barbara initially became interested in real estate through investing, and her passion grew from there. Now as leader of the Barbara Best Group, Barbara draws on her wealth of experience to get results for her clients.

Barbara primarily serves The Beaches, a niche luxury area about ten minutes east of downtown Toronto, on the shores of Lake Ontario. “This is a very cool community,” Barbara says. “This unique Beach community has bike trails, jogging paths, beach volleyball, Ashbridges Bay Yacht Club and other activities—it’s like California without the weather!” she jokes.

An impressive 80% of Barbara’s business comes from repeat and referral clients, a testament to the strong relationships she forms. By going door-knocking four times a year, Barbara gets out in the community to meet people and learn what their needs are. “I really get to know people, one door and one genuine relationship at a time,” Barbara explains. “I continuously try to educate my clients and provide value.” Her outreach in the community also takes the form of a special “Champagne open house” for every new listing. “It’s a red-carpet event, because we think it’s a special way to showcase the home,” Barbara says. “We serve champagne and make it an exclusive experience for anybody coming to the open house who lives in the area.”

Barbara’s uniquely tailored approach sets her apart.

“We’re not a big team, we’re a hands-on team,” she says.

“I am there from start to finish. I don’t pass it off to anyone else. We provide a very personalized approach so that our clients can hand us the key and we’ll do everything for them, from preparing their home to arranging movers and painters. We are a one-stop shop, and I am Top Agent Magazine

accountable every step of the way. I project manage every single listing.”

Giving back to her community is a priority for Barbara and her team. During Covid, when clothing donation bins were closed, she and her team delivered flyers to the area soliciting clothing donations and distributed them to those in need.

They also hold community events such as an ice cream social, and do fun giveaways like delivering mini summer cooler bags to the doors of homeowners in the community. “We try to think of ways to show that we care about our community and we’ll do whatever it takes,” Barbara says.

As for what the future holds, Barbara says, “I look forward to mentoring and coaching the agents on my team to achieve the kind of success that I’ve been fortunate to achieve in real estate. I would love to see them grow and continue to serve the community in a high-level way. At the end of the day, that’s what matters to us. We strive to differentiate ourselves through showing how much we care and really honing in on what the client needs. We are always trying to educate them and deliver that value to them before they even know they need it.

That way, everything is seamless for them.”

Contact Barbara Best at 416-220-5904 Email barb@barbbest.ca https://www.instagram.com/barbinthebeach/ Instagram profile @barbinthebeach Copyright Top Agent Magazine 19

My Crystal Ball:

You CAN Predict You’ll Be Successful Selling Real Estate ►Carla

Cross, CRB, MA

You can predict if you’ll be successful in real estate. It’s not what you think, either.

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Top Agent Magazine

Grab the best business start-up plan you can find and start the plan. Find someone to coach you to the plan.

What New Agents Expect From my survey of hundreds of agents under three months in the business, I found that more than 1/2 of them expected a sale the first month of the business.

What does that mean? When do they have to start looking for leads? That first week in the business! Yet, how many new agents start lead generating even in the first month? How long have you been in the business?

When did you start lead generating on purpose? Or, have you started? That’s why my book, Up and Running in 30 Days, now in its 6th edition, has you lead generating in week one. It’s your assurance plan you will get a sale fast and will stay in the business.

Expecting ‘Dumb Luck’ to Carry You to Success Inevitably, there is a new agent who has an Aunt Martha in his back pocket. That is, Aunt Martha wants to buy a home, and has told nephew Tommy she’ll wait until he gets his license to purchase from him. Ca-ching. Dumb luck. Tommy concludes that’s how the business goes. You just wait for someone to find you and Top Agent Magazine

sell them a home. We know that’s not the norm, though.

Unfortunately, Tommy’s going to wait a long time for that next transaction! The ‘dumb luck’ approach to the business results in low results. Since the ‘dumb luck’ agent isn’t doing a business start-up plan, we have no way of predicting results, because we can’t measure businessproducing activities. We can only measure other ‘dumb luck’ agent incomes. That’s way too late to actively coach–or to terminate with purpose.

Your Manager Could be a ‘Dumb Luck’ Manager– Pardon the Expression…

Dumb luck managers just look at results; sales and listings sold. So, they are not aware that agents may be failing for months. If new agents expect to make a sale in month one, how many months do you think it takes for them to get dis enheartened? 2-3? Not long. So, once new agents are mentally and emotionally out of the business, they will resist any help from managers. They’ve decided they can’t make it in the business. They’ll stay awhile, though, for ‘dumb luck’ transactions.

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Are You Lead Generating on Purpose?

Are you working a specific, prioritized lead generating plan? Is it made up of prioritized lead generating activities? Does it have ratios of activities to results, so the new agent knows whether he is on track to his goals?

Here are my activity ratios from Up and Running that will result in 8-12 transactions the first year in the business: • 20 contacts to get one buyer or seller lead • 8 times of putting people in the car to sell someone a home • 3 listing appointments to gain one marketable listing

• 80% of listings sell • 80% of transactions close What are the ratios in your office? Do you know? Do you know the work it takes to consistently generate the income you want to generate? Or, are you counting on ‘dumb luck’?

Best Advice to Create your Assurance Plan Grab the best business start-up plan you can find and start the plan. Find someone to coach you to the plan. Analyze your numbers frequently. You’ll stay on track AND assure your success.

https://carla-cross.com In the real estate business for over 3 decades, Carla Cross is an international speaker, trainer, and coach for real estate. She specializes in career development, business planning, leadership, and instructor development.

She’s won numerous sales and leadership awards in each area, including being named as a National Realtor Educator of the Year. A popular international speaker, Carla has spoken on leadership and training topics for 16 years at national Realtor conventions.

Author of eight books on real estate sales, her wildly popular book, Up and Running in 30 Days, is used by hundreds of thousands of new agents internationally to start their careers right.

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FERNANDO PERRI For Fernando Perri, real estate was the ideal way to combine his degree in urban studies with his passion for design. He entered the field during his senior year in college in 1981, wanting to help people with their real estate dreams. Today he has his own team, which includes his son, Daniel. Serving the greater Toronto area, much of their business consists of repeat clients and referrals. By putting their clients’ needs first, Fernando and Daniel are continually exceeding expectations. They prioritize building lasting relationships with those they serve, and they only want what is best for them. This results in clarity during the transaction, which eliminates stress and creates an enjoyable experience for all involved.

“We provide an honest service,” Fernando explains. “I often joke that I’ve been a social worker for 35 to 40 years, because I get pretty involved with all aspects of my clients’ lives.” The Perri Team takes the time to get to know their buyers and sellers, so they can outline an individualized plan for their goals. Buyers are guided through their journeys, with Fernando and Daniel locating and showing them properties that meet their preferences. When it’s time to submit an offer, Fernando and Daniel work diligently to attain the best price and terms possible while remaining competitive.

Meanwhile, the goal with sellers is to sell their home for the highest price in a short period of time. They utilize several marketing strategies to spread the word about their listings. “We are on social media, newspaper, magazines, we go door knocking and send out flyers,” Fernando says. “We will do whatever it takes to get traffic into the house.”

After the transaction is over, clients spread the word about their time with The Perri Team. One recently said, “I cannot express enough the care and commitment that Fernando and Daniel both demonstrated in our dealings. We used them for sales and the purchase Top Agent Magazine

of a new home. We truly couldn’t be more pleased. I am most happy to recommend them to any of my family and friends. They truly are great people and real estate agents! You get the best of both with this team!

Full package and satisfaction guaranteed!” Another wrote, “Daniel and Fernando are great agents. They have become friends and family to me and my husband. They are there with you from the very start right to the very end. So if you want amazing agents go with Daniel and Fernando Perri.”

When Fernando and Daniel aren’t working, they’re staying active in the community through the Lions Club. “We are also active in various church fundraisers, where we raise money for different causes,” Fernando says. “And our company, Keller Williams, has a very strong charitable arm.”

Having been in this field for over 40 years, Fernando doesn’t plan on retiring any time soon. He will continue building his business and team, and providing the same attentive service. “We just love the personal involvement we have with our clients. It’s a great career path.”

For more about Fernando and Daniel Perri, please call 416-822-4119 or email fernando.perri@sympatico.ca Copyright Top Agent Magazine 23

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