march 2016

‘No fear’ for sales reps in AlbertaPage 3

Pension plans for salespeople Page 24

Sales rep turns grief into ‘very cathartic’ work4

Issue #321 March 2016

Cana

da P

ost P

ublic

atio

ns M

ail A

gree

men

t No.

4221

8523

- R

etur

n un

deliv

erab

le C

anad

ian

addr

esse

s to

2255

B Qu

een

St. E

., #11

78, T

oron

to O

N M

4E 1G

3Ca

nada

Pos

t Pub

licat

ions

Mai

l Agr

eem

ent N

o. 42

2185

23 -

Ret

urn

unde

liver

able

Can

adia

n ad

dres

ses t

o 22

55B

Quee

n St

. E., #

1178

, Tor

onto

ON

M4E

1G3

Betty DoréRetiring after 38 years serving the industry Page 8

Cana

da P

ost P

ublic

atio

ns M

ail A

gree

men

t No.

4221

8523

- R

etur

n un

deliv

erab

le C

anad

ian

addr

esse

s to

2255

B Qu

een

St. E

., #11

78, T

oron

to O

N M

4E 1G

3

Betty Doré

CONTEST OPEN MARCH 1 - APRIL 30, 2016

Each RE/MAX offi ce 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 affi liated with another organization, this advertisement is not intended to offer a RE/MAX franchise or to solicit a change in your affi liation. Exact prizes and prize amount not confi rmed at time of publishing. For exact prizing and rules and regulations, please visit remax.ca or whl.ca after March 1. remax.ca

$ 20,000OVER

IN HOME IMPROVEMENT

PRIZES TO BE WON!

HOME TEAM

C O N T E S T

GRAND PRIZE SWEEPSTAKES & WEEKLY PRIZES

Fix CupboardPaint

New FlooringNew Appliances

De-clutter & Vacuum

RE/MAX IS HELPING CLIENTS GET THEIR HOMES FIT TO SELL

algary entered the newyear with more realestate agents than last

year, despite its weakening hous-ing market. It may take awhile forthe agent count to drop in thecity, despite the precipitous dropin the price of oil and significantjob losses in the Alberta oilpatch, brokers say.

The Calgary Real Estate Board(CREB) entered 2016 with 5,264members, about 1.5 per cent high-er than its 5,189 member count atthe beginning of 2015.

“It would take an extendedperiod of time – three or moreyears of a depressed real estate mar-ket – before we see a significantnumber of real estate professionalsleave the industry,” says Phil Soper,president and CEO of RoyalLePage.

Leaving the industry for some-thing else would require retraining.“It’s not as simple as, ‘Oh, I’mgoing to go be an accountant nowor I’m going to be a paramedic orsomething,’” Soper says. “They’rereal estate professionals. That’swhat they do for a living.”

CREB president CliffStevenson says some people arejoining the real estate professionfrom other industries that areslumping. In a declining economy,“we tend to be an industry thatpeople who’ve lost their jobs lookat more seriously as a career optionfor them.”

Stevenson says the Real EstateCouncil of Alberta has seen anincrease in registration for its realestate agents program. “Theirassessment was that the downturnprovides a forced transition for alot of people on the labour marketand we’re an attractive option forpeople who’ve lost their jobs.”

Re/Max offices in Calgary havealso seen about an increase ofagents of about five per cent, fromaround 850 to 900. “We’re pleas-antly surprised at what we’veseen,” says Roy Anderson, execu-tive director of Re/Max of Western

REM MARCH 2016 3

C

‘No fear’ for sales reps in Alberta “It would take an extended period of time – three or more years of a depressed real estate market – before we see a significant number of real estate professionals leave the industry,” says Phil SoperBy Danny Kucharsky

Canada. “We expected either zerogrowth or negative growth.”

Anderson attributes most ofthe growth to experienced agentsbeing recruited from other broker-ages.

However, the situation is not asbright in Fort McMurray, which ismuch more reliant on the oil andgas industry than the more diversi-fied Calgary market.

Re/Max saw about a 20 percent drop in agents in FortMcMurray, with its agent countdropping by about 18 last year.“We’re not necessarily losingagents overall because a number ofthose agents have relocated,”Anderson says. The salespeopletypically have family members inthe oil and gas industry who havelost their jobs and moved else-where for employment.

“When times get tough it’s anindustry where we see some attri-tion, but typically it’s also a timewhen the really good agents andbrokers can really shine,”Anderson says. “We certainlydon’t shy away from that kind ofmarket.”

Royal LePage also saw a drop inagents in Fort McMurray last year(representing less than five percent of its practice) with three orfour people transferring toEdmonton, Soper says.

Stevenson says there is no fearamong agents in the Calgary mar-ket and that some of the moreexperienced agents have seen sim-ilar cycles before.

“Everyone’s probably trimmingthe fat and being very careful withexpenses,” he says. A pullback isprobably happening with market-ing as well, despite the school ofthought that sales reps should bespending more in a down market.Agents are also paying very closeattention to their current sales vol-umes and market shares.

“I would suggest that everyagent has taken a very good look attheir bottom line and has beenforced to make some smarter, moreintelligent business decisions tokeep operations afloat,” Stevensonsays. But “there hasn’t been a shifton how we do things on a day-to-day basis. It’s just being more nim-ble and smarter with the money.”

Unlike last year, Soper does notexpect to see closures or mergers ofRoyal LePage brokerages inCalgary in 2016. Late last year, thesix-office Royal LePage Foothillsbrokerage in Calgary closed, withagents transferred to Royal LePageBenchmark or Royal LePageSolutions.

Soper says the closure was notdirectly related to the dip in oilprices. “In other words, it couldhappen anywhere.”

As in previous economic slow-downs, he expects the marketshare of the leading brokerages willincrease in cities like Calgary andFort McMurray that have seen aweakening housing market.

That’s because there will be “aflight to quality” as consumers real-ize it’s going to take longer to selltheir home and that they will needall the tools that are available onthe marketplace, he says.

In addition, in down markets,Soper says, agents tend to migrateto the leading brands “even thoughit’s more expensive to be an agentat a Royal LePage rather thanABC Realty. What the Realtorsfind is they need the strongerbrand and the stronger tools at thekitchen table when they’re talkingto consumers.”

In a similar vein, Soper expectsa significant number of new agentswill leave the field after a year if itdoesn’t work out for them, but thatmost existing agents will stay on.

He also expects the marketshare of for sale by owner proper-ties to decline in the two Albertacities. “The reason is quite simple –it’s hard to sell your home at anytime but it’s really hard in a downmarket.”

Re/Max’s Anderson says strongagents in Calgary and FortMcMurray who have a good busi-ness and marketing plan and haveclients who understand what’s hap-pening in the market “can do asmuch business in a more downmarket than they can in a strongmarket.” REM Roy Anderson

“When times get toughit’s an industry where we

see some attrition, buttypically it’s also a timewhen good agents and

brokers can really shine,”says Roy Anderson.

Phil Soper

Cliff Stevenson

Multiple ListingsDo you have news to share with Canada’s real estate community?Let REM know about it! Email: [email protected]

By Jim Adair, REM Editor

offices, home to more than 1,000agents by 2021.” The area encom-passing Exit Realty EasternOntario ranges from Pickering tothe Quebec border.

■ ■ ■

Re/Max of Western Canadahas made some organizationalchanges at its Kelowna-basedregional head office.

Roy Anderson has been pro-moted to executive director. InAnderson’s new position, he willoversee Re/Max of WesternCanada’s Member Services,Information and Technology,Events and Corporate Affairsdepartments. Anderson startedwith Re/Max 29 years ago as a salesassociate and then became a fran-chise owner in New Westminster,B.C. He joined the regional headoffice 16 years ago.

Chris Jameson has been pro-moted to senior coordinator, prod-

xit Realty’s sub franchisorrights for Eastern Ontariohave been awarded to

Albert (A.J.) Plant and VincentDetillieux.

Plant has been with the ExitRealty organization as a top-pro-ducing agent and office managersince 2004 and was recognized byOttawa Business Magazine as one ofthe Top 40 business people underthe age of 40. A featured speakerat Exit Realty Corp. International’s2014 Annual Convention, he hastrained real estate agents in theQuebec market and in officesacross Ontario.

The partners met at their localchurch parish and discovered thatDetillieux’s background in raisingmoney and Plant’s background inreal estate and networking were awinning combination, the compa-ny says.

Plant says, “We are committedto growing our region to 35

E

Following a CMHC call fortenders, the company won a two-year real estate brokerage servicecontract, which includes two one-year renewal options.

“We have won this mandate asa result of our ability to meet theCMHC’s requirements, whiledelivering the best quality/priceratio on the services we offer. Thedecision was also based on our abil-ity to offer a financial guarantee toensure our commitment through-out the term of the contract,” saysJulie Gaucher, partner, vice presi-dent and chief of operations forGroupe Sutton - Quebec.

Groupe Sutton - Quebec has68 offices in Quebec and Ottawaand more than 2,000 brokers.

■ ■ ■

Doug Moxam, owner of RoyalLePage Anchor Realty in Halifax,recently welcomed Ian Hamiltonas a partner in the company.Hamilton has practiced real estatewith the company for the past

uct development. Shawna Wittyhas been promoted to billingadministrator.

The office also added two full-time employees. Carol Hutmanjoined the finance department as afinancial analyst and Jeff Raczjoined the IT department as webservices support technician.

■ ■ ■

Groupe Sutton - Quebec,through its subsidiary, GroupeReprise Quebec, was named theexclusive Quebec resale providerof Canada Mortgage and HousingCorp. (CMHC) foreclosures rang-ing from one to six units.

eight years, as well as running sev-eral other successful business oper-ations, the company says.

“Ian brings a wealth of businessknowledge and new real estatemarketing ideas to the brokerage,”says the company in a statement.“The company is looking forwardto Ian’s innovative ideas beingimplemented to the benefit of ouragents, our partners and most of allour highly valued clients.”

■ ■ ■

Brokers/owners RatheesParamalingam and SriNadarajasundram recently openedRe/Max Ace Realty in Toronto.

They have a combined 10 yearsof experience in the real estateindustry. About 20 agents areworking out of the new office onKennedy Road in Toronto. Thebrokerage serves Mississauga,North York, Ajax, Pickering,Richmond Hill, Scarborough andMarkham.

■ ■ ■

Century 21 Millennium hasopened an office on BroadwayStreet in Orangeville, Ont. Thebrokerage now has five offices.

Since 1997, the company hasserved the Brampton andGeorgian Triangle areas. It contin-ues to grow and now has 180 salesreps and brokers.

The company’s flagshipBrampton office has received theCentury 21 Grand CenturionAward for top sales every year since2002.

“We wanted to build a hard-working, family-friendly real estateoffice that serves both clients andthe community,” says MartinMinda, co-owner, Century 21Millennium.

■ ■ ■

Mark Wolle, owner of RoyalLePage Wolle Realty in Kitchener,Ont. has expanded operations tomerge with nearby Royal LePageElmira Realty. Both offices willcontinue to operate out of theirexisting space, under the RoyalLePage Wolle Realty banner.Broker Bonnie Brubacher will stayin Elmira in a sales capacity alongwith sales rep Shanna Rozema.

Wolle Realty was established in1977 by Dieter Wolle. The broker-age joined the Royal LePage net-work in 2000. Mark Wolle tookover the brokerage from his fatherDieter in 2011 after 14 years in the

4 REM MARCH 2016

Sri Nadarajasundram Continued on page 6

Albert (A.J.) Plant and Vincent Detillieux

Century 21 Millennium’s new Orangeville office.

Doug Moxam, left, and Ian Hamilton.

Rathees Paramalingam

Art Melin

Mark Wolle

INTRODUCING THE 1ST NATIONAL COACHING PROGRAM OF ITS KIND

Partner with Knowledge.

3 Coaching webinars 3 Task tracking 3 Online skills library 3 Motivational emails

YOUR OWN COACH ON CALL

Anytime

6 REM MARCH 2016

business, including serving as theoffice manager. The brokerage has79 sales reps on the roster at theKitchener location.

■ ■ ■

Specialized commercial andresidential real estate knowledge,paired with 28 years of combinedlocal market experience, is nowavailable to Wainwright, Alta. res-idents at Century 21 ConnectRealty. Owner Art Melin, recent-ly with Re/Max, was previously anaward-winning Century 21 agentand went back to that banner toestablish his own business.

“Wainwright is a great place tolive, work and do business,” saysMelin. “I love my job. We get tosee the impact of our hard work allthe time when we run into pastclients and hear how they lovetheir homes. It’s an amazing feelingof accomplishment.”

Melin has been in real estatefor 14 years, achieving the Century21 Centurion top sales award forfour consecutive years.

■ ■ ■

Living Realty in Toronto held aspecial edition of its annual holi-day gala to celebrate a successful2015, which also marked the com-pany’s 35th anniversary.

The gala was attended by morethan 550 guests, including severalprovincial and municipal digni-taries who delivered remarks andpresented Living Group ofCompanies’ chairman StephenWong with certificates honouringthe milestone year. Speeches werefollowed by the presentation ofsales awards to Living Realty’s top-performing agents for last year.

“Living Realty has also gonethrough many changes, evolvingfrom a small real estate brokeragefirm into a professional real estatebrokerage organization with a 600-member sales team,” Wong said ina statement. “Looking toward the

Multiple ListingsContinued from page 4

horizon, I envision an evenbrighter future for the real estatebusiness.”

■ ■ ■

Delio Oliveira and DavidMedeiros, owners of Re/Max RealEstate Centre in Cambridge, Ont.have acquired new offices inBurlington and Waterdown previ-ously operated as Re/Max ofGarden City by Wayne Quirk.

Quirk was an “early pioneer”who opened Re/Max Garden Cityin 1983 and successfully grew it toa multi-office brokerage, the com-pany says. Along with his manage-ment team, Quirk will continue tooperate offices in St. Catharines,Grimsby and Fonthill under theRe/Max Garden City banner.

Oliveira and Medeiros con-verted their office in Cambridge toRe/Max in 2003 and have extend-ed their business reach along Hwy.

PublisherHEINO MOLLS

[email protected]

Director, Sales & MarketingAMANDA ROCK

[email protected]

Digital Media Manager WILLIAM [email protected]

Brand DesignSANDRA GOODER

EditorJIM ADAIR

[email protected]

Distribution & ProductionMILA PURCELL

[email protected]

Art DirectorLIZ MACKIN

Graphic DesignSHAWN KELLY

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 ListingService® 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 anyreal estate association, board or company. REM is distributed across Canada by leading real estate boards and by directdelivery in selected areas. For subscription information, email [email protected]. Entire contents copyright2016 REM. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is pro-hibited. The opinions expressed in REM are not necessarily those of the publisher.

ISSN 1201-1223

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

Phone: 416.425.3504www.remonline.com

Cover photo: RACHAEL LITTLE Pr

inte

d by

Met

rola

nd M

edia

Gro

up, L

td.

A ce

rtifie

d FS

C®Pr

inte

r

401 to Mississauga and north toOrangeville. With this acquisition,Re/Max Real Estate Centre nowhas 15 offices and more than 670sales associates.

■ ■ ■

Century 21 Smartway Realtyrecently launched in Mississauga,Ont. The brokerage formerly oper-ated under the Royal LePage ban-ner.

Owners Amarjit Hair, RanjeetSingh, Gurdeep Hansra, MohanKhangura and Harbans Brar start-ed their real estate careers togetherin 2003 and just three years laterseized the opportunity to opentheir own office.

“Our goal is that when some-one starts with us, client or agent,they never want to leave,” saysSingh “We’ve always had such

MPP Michael Chan (front row, seated eighth from right) joins Living Groupof Companies’ chairman Stephen Wong (immediate left) and presidentWilliam Lau (immediate right) for a photo with all of Living Realty’s 2015sales award winners.

Right At Home Realty recently opened a new branch in Burlington, Ont. at5111 New St in the Appleby Line Village Mall. From left: Paul Sharman,Burlington councillor Ward 5; Richard Weima, broker/branch manager;Howard Drukarsh, president/broker of record/co-founder; and Gary Carr,Halton regional chair. (Photo: LaRae Starr @ Real Services Photography)

Continued on page 37

Exit Realty onthe Rock haslicence suspended By Tony Palermo

xit Realty on the Rock inSt. John’s, Nfld. had itslicence suspended in

February, in the midst of an inves-tigation by Newfoundland andLabrador’s Superintendent of RealEstate Agents and Salespersons.

The Royal NewfoundlandConstabulary (RNC) is also inves-tigating, but is not releasing anyfurther information as to thenature of their investigation.

In a prepared statement, bro-kerage owner Anne Squires saysthat she has “not spoken to, orheard from any RNC person.”

The Newfoundland andLabrador Association of Realtors(NLAR) were told by a lawyer forthe Bank of Montreal (BMO) thatExit Realty on the Rock hasentered into receivership and thatPricewaterhouseCoopers has beenengaged as the receiver.

A statement issued by NLARto its members says that “PWC’sprimary role will be to secureBMO’s position as the primarylender” and will take possession ofall assets belonging to Exit Realtyon the Rock, which will be liqui-dated to pay off the outstandingdebt owed to BMO.

Anything left over will then bepaid to other creditors in order oftheir entitlement to payment.

As of the time of this writing,it still remains unclear what thismeans to agents who are owedcommissions. In a news confer-ence, Squires said that any claimsthat Exit Realty on the Rock isbankrupt are “absolutely 100 per

cent inaccurate,” adding that she“can assure all agents industrywide their commission is not atrisk.”

NLAR CEO Bill Stirling tellsREM that despite being advisedthat Exit Realty on the Rock is inreceivership, he has not beenadvised that the company is bank-rupt.

As of Feb. 5, Stirling said about40 former Exit Realty on the Rockagents have been relicensed withanother broker and about 25 hadyet to apply for relicensing.

Stirling says several salespeopleaffected by the suspension inaccu-rately posted on social media thatlistings, pending sales and licenceswere being transferred to anotherExit franchise, but that this is notpossible.

“When the broker’s licencewas suspended any listings becameimmediately null,” says Stirling.“We’ve been advising vendors toconsider their listing expired andthat they are free to do as theychoose.”

Stirling says options availableto vendors include taking theirproperty off the market, followingtheir salesperson to another loca-tion under a new broker, or relist-ing with a different salesperson.

Pending sales, says Stirling,“should close as per the purchaseand sales agreements that are inplace.”

Exit Realty on the Rock hadoffices in Glovertown and St.John’s. It had 66 Realtors listed onrealtor.ca. REM

E

It’s called home for a reason. It’s the place where your clients feel secure,

happy, and at peace. We understand this. Through expertise and insight, our

job is to help make the wonderful idea of home a beautiful reality. For every

client, for every home.

This is home.It’s a place called comfort.

pillartopost.comEach office independently owned and operated.

fter 65 years of familyownership, the mansion offormer newspaper publish-

er and author Conrad Black will beoffered for auction by ConciergeAuctions on March 8.

The house has more than23,000 square feet of living space seton more than 6.6 acres. Located at26 Park Lane Circle, it was built insix phases and has been extensivelyrenovated over the years.

Concierge says Black has enter-tained many prominent guests atthe estate, including British royals,world statesmen and many well-known entertainers and cultural fig-ures. Concierge says it has an esti-mated value of $21.8 million. It willsell in co-operation with BarryCohen of Re/Max Realtron Realty.There will be an unpublishedreserve.

Black, whose newspaper groupincluded the London Telegraph,Chicago Sun-Times, Jerusalem Post

8 REM MARCH 2016

AAve

ntur

a CtMississauga

Brampton

Vaughan

Conrad Black’s Toronto mansion goes on auction block

and many of the large daily newspa-pers in Canada and Australia said ina statement: “It is a big house fortwo people. We will be abroad agood deal and moving to a moremanageable home will be a conve-nience to us now as our careers haveevolved. Auction is the best way toachieve this end, as it sets the time-line on what will be, in physicalterms, a large relocation.”

Crafted and constructed byinternational architect Thierry W.Despont – who has been commis-sioned by other notable clientsincluding Bill Gates, GianniAgnelli and Stavros Niarchos – 26Park Lane Circle is a Georgian resi-dence that has everything from anindoor pool and spa to a chapelconsecrated by two cardinals.

“Taking the term ‘grandentrance’ to a whole new level, theresidence is located down a wind-ing, romantic driveway set backfrom the road, nestled amongst the

trees without another building insite,” says Concierge in a newsrelease. “Upon arrival, guests aregreeted within the three-storeyfoyer, complete with a grand stair-case, impeccably detailed mouldingand an ornate chandelier. Offeringendless options for entertaining, theestate is comprised of uniquely con-figured reception and living spaceswhere Black and his family havehosted Richard Nixon, MargaretThatcher, Henry Kissinger, TheDuke of Edinburgh, Sir Elton Johnand many other prominent figures.”

The house has an elegant for-mal dining room, dual sitting anddressing rooms, a two-storey/two-room library, state-of-the-art chef’skitchen, a media room, billiardroom, wine cellar and multipleworking fireplaces. Including theguest apartment and coach house,the property includes a total of ninebedrooms, 11 full bathrooms andfour half bathrooms.

“Our firm has sold fine homesaround the world, but this is one ofthe most extraordinary propertieswe’ve had the pleasure to represent,”says Mike Russo, vice president ofConcierge Auctions. “From thedesign esthetic to the family historyto its bevy of distinguished guests, 26Park Lane Circle is a remarkableestate in one of Canada’s mostsought after neighbourhoods. Thechance to own here is rare andshould be seriously considered byluxury buyers globally.”

Cohen says, “26 Park LaneCircle is one of the largest residen-tial parcels of land within theGreater Toronto area, nestled with-in arguably the best and most afflu-ent neighbourhood in Canada.”Cohen has also worked withConcierge on three successful salesin the neighbourhood including 24Park Lane Circle, also sold by Blackon a reserve format last year. “Neveroffered for sale, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own adistinguished estate that is nothingshort of incomparable,” he says.

Concierge Auctions will con-duct previews of 26 Park LaneCircle by appointment only.Brokers are protected. For moreinformation, call 212-257-5018.

REM

Conrad Black’s Bridle Path home is to be auctioned on March 8.

Sign. In.

Get your leads and stats at REALTOR.ca/leads.

REALTOR®. Member of The Canadian Real Estate Association and more.

10 REM MARCH 2016

Betty Doré bids farewell to her ‘family’She retires after 38 years with LSTAR, including 25 as its executive vice-president. By Dennis McCloskey

Princess Diana once famously said, “Family is

the most important thing in the world.” Lucky Betty Doré! She has two “families.” One immediate family consists of her two grown daughters and two granddaughters, ages 6 and 16. The other “extended” family is the people she has worked with for nearly four decades at the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR). “I will miss the people,” she says before her official May 31 retirement date. “They are like an amazing family.”

Doré came from a farming background in Western Ontario, where she took commercial courses in high school before accepting an entry-level position with an insurance company. She also worked for a mortgage company but sought a more challenging career.

When she became office manager at LSTAR 38 years ago she says everything was

paper-based and she used a manual typewriter.

“I started in May and my CEO asked me to put together the first MLS catalogue for the association and to have it completed by September,” she recalls. The task was accomplished and the ambitious young woman continued to prove herself. Before becoming EVP, she took a four-year night course at the University of Western Ontario’s business school and obtained a Certificate in Management, followed by a two-year course to get her Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation with the Canadian Society of Association Executives.

“Everything has changed since I started, and the Internet has been the most positive change,” she says. “Instead of driving a client to a dozen or more properties, an agent can (research) online and then visit a few choice properties.” She knows that change is inevitable and has long believed that

“success breeds success and failure breeds failure” so she has always maintained a positive and receptive attitude and an open mind to change. She calls it “forward thinking,” but concedes that some real estate agents dislike change. “But when we bring them in to explain the changes, by the end of the day, they’re happy.”

She once attended an industry seminar that concerned a topic that she regarded as “out of the box thinking.” Undaunted by the complexity (and necessity) of the changes recommended, she took the ideas to her directors and said, “Pull your head off, turn it around and put it back on with an open mind.”

She believes the secret to success in the real estate business is training. “LSTAR provides its members with every imaginable service, technological and otherwise, and we train them so they know how to use the tools that will help them make a living. I

also believe in Realtors training Realtors.”

She describes LSTAR as a lean machine that’s all about service and is blessed with a member-friendly board. “We have a waiting list of members wanting to volunteer their services on task forces, committees and boards.” She is proud to add that many are young Realtors who are children of current members.

When asked to name some of her proudest achievements, Doré is circumspect. “Oh, my, there have been so many firsts: We were one of the first boards to have an online MLS system in 1982; and I was a founding member of Project Connect that allows associations in Ottawa, London, Toronto and Hamilton to access each other’s MLS systems.”

She also points to her involvement with IDX (Internet Data Exchange) and notes that LSTAR was one of the first boards in Canada to embrace it.

In her quarter century-long role as EVP of one of Canada’s largest Realtor associations, Doré has amassed a large number of local, provincial and national awards that recognize excellence in an association executive. A previous chair of the Association Executives Council of CREA and Ontario Realtors Care Foundation, she was recently recognized by REM as one of the people who has had the greatest impact on the real estate industry in Canada in the last 25 years.

“Hers will be big shoes to fill,” says Carl Vandergoot, LSTAR president, who noted that his association has a solid reputation for being effective, well managed and progressive “and a lion’s share of the credit

for that goes to Betty Doré.”Alan Tennant, CREB’s

CEO, describes the “go-to executive officer” as “the voice of reason, a tireless innovator and keeper of our institutional compass.”

When Doré hears of these accolades, she is both humbled and introspective. “I try to run a good, tight ship and I work well with the Board of Directors. We are a team,” she says, and then injects her personal and business philosophy: “No matter who you are, where you are or what you’re doing, it should always be ‘we’ and not ‘I.’”

She leaves the business with a positive feeling for the future of organized real estate and hopes the people to whom she is passing the torch will continue to work for regionalization of MLS.

When asked about her retirement plans, the avid reader and online Scrabble player says she hopes to volunteer at shelter-based charities, such as Mission Services of London, a Christian charity that provides shelter and serves people who struggle with poverty and homelessness; or Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness in London. “Who knows, maybe I’ll stock cans at the food bank.”

The mother and grandmother also wants to spend more time with family and friends. Travel is also on the horizon. She visited Cuba in January and is planning a trip to Hawaii with her family in 2017 when her youngest granddaughter will be old enough to enjoy that beautiful Pacific island.

Betty Doré may be looking forward to saying Aloha to a well-deserved retirement, but she insists she is sorry to be saying goodbye to her work “family.” REM

Betty Doré (Photo by Rachael Little)

“I researched Engel & Völkers when I heard they were coming to the market. I knew I’d rather be part of this strong international brand than competing with them.”

Jamie MacDougall, Advisor, Engel & Völkers Vancouver

©2016 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. This advertisement is not an offering of a franchise, and where required by law, an offering can only be made 14 days after delivery of the applicable franchise disclosure document.

Only the best in the business join our brand.

Over the past 12 years, Jamie MacDougall built a successful business in Vancouver. Having grown up in the city, he began his career with a strong network and deep knowledge not just of the real estate market but also of the reasons why people enjoyed calling it their home. Jamie focused on providing the highest levels of client services especially in the West Vancouver and Westside markets. He also discovered new and better ways to represent exclusive vacation properties and equestrian estates beyond Vancouver’s borders. By the time Engel & Völkers announced its entry into the marketplace, he felt he was ready to take his business farther by joining the brand which was already known as a strong international player. Today, as an Engel & Völkers Advisor, Jamie offers his clients expertise on a local, national and now, a global scale.

Engel & Völkers Canada2 Bloor Street West, Suite 700 · Toronto · ON M4W 3RI · Phone +1 416-323-1100

evcanada.com · [email protected]

Bin JiLily LiuFormerly Independent

“RE/MAX has a wealth of knowledge, and provides outstanding customer service. Nobody sells more Real Estate in Canada than RE/MAX.”

Roger LeBlanc

If you are interested in ownership opportunities with RE/MAX, the largest most productive Real Estate brand, contact Christopher Alexander at 416-786-5552 to arrange your confi dential meeting, or visit remaxintegra.com.

“RE/MAX is the number one Real Estate brand in Canada with the highest level of brand recognition and fi rst-rate support.”

Gerry Wayland

Roger LeBlancFormerly Royal LePage

Ranked FRANCHISE

Master’s Choice Realty Inc.

Gerry Wayland Formerly Independent

at Blue Realty Inc.

Joseph SchirripaFormerly Coldwell Banker

Realty Inc.Hartland Avante

Renuka SelvakumarRam AnandappaFormerly Independent

Royal Properties Realty Ltd.

Rathees ParamalingamSri NadarajasundramFormerly Independent

ACE Realty Ltd.

Ranked #1 Real Estate Franchise by Entrepreneur magazine.

Just ask these new franchisees

“RE/MAX does everything well. They literally have no weaknesses.”

Jacalyn & Kevin Grimes

“RE/MAX helps us to create an innovative and leading-edge brokerage using proactive leadership and advanced technology support. We are creating and promoting top producing agents.”

Eli Skaff

Jarrod DavisMarc Evans

Jacalyn GrimesKevin GrimesFormerly Century 21

Affi liates Realty Ltd.

Johnson YuJason Yu

Janet YuFormerly Independent

Tarek El AttarEli SkaffFormerly Keller Williams

Realty Inc.Partners

Realty Inc.CORE

Each o� ce is independently owned and operated. This advertisement is not an o� ering. The information in this mailing is not an o� er to sell, or a solicitation of an o� er to buy, a franchise; it is for informational purposes only. A franchise is o� ered in many jurisdictions only by delivery of a franchise disclosure document to you in compliance with applicable franchise sales laws.

Further, if you are currently a� liated with another franchisor, this material is not intended to o� er a RE/MAX franchise or to solicit a change in a� liation.

eal estate sales repCarolyn Swinson hasexperienced the knock

on the door that everyone fears. In 1993, Swinson’s 27-year-old

son Robert was killed by a driverwith a blood alcohol level that wastwo-and-a-half times the legallimit. The night had been like anyother, Swinson recalls; right upuntil the moment a police officercame to the door to break the ter-rible news.

Rob was the eldest of Swinson’sthree children. Recently he’dmoved into a house with friends. Itturned out he’d been on his waythat night to buy his girlfriend aValentine’s Day gift.

Swinson recalls that the ride tothe hospital in the back of thepolice car seemed never-ending.The entire way she was hoping and

praying that there had been a mis-take. By a tragic coincidence, in aseparate incident 12 years earlier,Swinson’s father was also killed bya driver who’d had too much todrink.

Inconceivably, Swinson’s fami-ly has been victimized twice byimpaired drivers.

After her son’s death, Swinsonturned to Mothers Against DrunkDriving (MADD) for support. Anational, volunteer-driven charita-ble organization whose mandates

14 REM MARCH 2016

R

Sales rep turns grief into ‘very cathartic’ workCarolyn Swinson combines her real estate career with her role as a national spokesperson for Mothers AgainstDrunk Driving. By Susan Doran

include lobbying for changes toimpaired driving legislation, sup-porting victims and raising aware-ness, MADD helped Swinson andher family through the trial (andthe subsequent acquittal on a tech-nicality) of the woman whose carhad killed Robert.

Swinson soon became a victimservices volunteer and advocate forMADD. Eventually she served asthe organization’s national presi-dent (1999-2001) and as chair ofthe national board (2007-2009).

Now, besides being director ofvictim services for MADD’sToronto chapter as well asMADD’s regional director forOntario East, Swinson remains onthe organization’s national boardand is a spokesperson who, as sheputs it, “does a lot of stuff with themedia.”

Swinson has been in the realestate business for over 30 yearsand says that most of the time shemanages to juggle her MADD vol-unteering with her job as a sales repfor Forest Hill Signature RealEstate in Toronto.

“I try to keep the two thingsseparate,” she says. Although shedoesn’t advertise to clients whatshe does with MADD, most ofthem know about it. Her brokeragehas always been “incredibly sup-portive,” she says. She makes it

clear to the MADD contingentthat there are occasions when shewill be unavailable due to workpressures.

Clearly she has a lot on herplate...so much so that her hus-band tells her MADD shouldemploy her, she says, laughing.

“I don’t like having downtime,” she says. “I function betterhaving too much to do rather thantoo little.”

Her real estate workload iseased by the fact she has a founda-tion of long-standing, loyal clientson whom she relies.

“Most of the work I do now iswith them,” she says. “I don’t hus-tle for business like I used to whenI was younger.”

As for her volunteer work withMADD, “it’s difficult to do but it’sbeen very cathartic,” she says. “Iguess it puts some meaning to los-ing a child; something good has tocome of it...Doing this, listening topeople who have lost loved ones,having gone through it, I do knowwhat happens to people and howthey react. People appreciate that.”

Swinson wears many hats withMADD. For starters, “I spend a lotof time in court,” she says. (As asupport, she helps impaired drivingvictims and/or their families writevictim impact statements and nav-igate the legal system.)

As a MADD spokesperson,Swinson tells her story to everyonefrom students to impaired drivingoffenders. In the case of the latter,attending MADD presentations isgenerally a component of sentenc-ing and rehabilitation.

With a big part of MADD’smandate being lobbying forchanges in the laws around drink-ing and driving, Swinson has hadto learn that “it’s hard to get thefederal government to changethings.”

In 2012 after marching onParliament Hill with other moth-ers, Swinson met and spoke withthe federal Minister of Justice.Currently she and other MADDadvocates regularly lobby MPs toput in place such proven deterrentsto impaired driving as mandatorypost-crash alcohol testing/drug

screening for all drivers involved inserious traffic crashes; and randomtesting, which entails roadsidebreath-screening with every pass-ing driver being breathalysedrather than only those who appearimpaired. (In countries where thishas been done, alcohol-relateddeaths have gone way down, saysSwinson.)

Alcohol levels can be detectedby breathalyser, “but there is noequivalent testing for drugs cur-rently,” Swinson says.

However, “the RCMP saysthey have devices that work,” shesays. “The federal governmentneeds to give police the authorityto use these devices.”

This is timely now that all signspoint to marijuana soon beinglegalized in Canada.

“MADD will be involved inthat discussion,” she says.

Her work with MADD hasearned her many prestigiousawards over the years, among them

the Governor General’s CaringCanadian award; awards from theCity of Toronto and the OntarioMinistry of Transportation and twoQueen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medals.

Over a decade ago, Swinson’svolunteer work with MADD led toher becoming an early recipient ofthe Toronto Real Estate Board’sSpecial Community ServiceRecognition Award. This earnedher a spot on an “honoured volun-teers” plaque in the board offices.

Swinson says she is disturbedby the number of impaired driverswho continue to get off on techni-calities, often managing to havebreathalyzer results thrown out incourt.

“Nobody should get off on atechnicality,” she says. “As realestate agents we spend a lot of timein cars,” she adds. “That’s some-thing I’m conscious of. Everyonedeserves to be on roads knowingthat we are sharing them with peo-ple who aren’t impaired.” REM

Carolyn Swinson

“With a big part ofMADD’s mandate being

lobbying for changes in thelaws around drinking and

driving, Swinson has had tolearn that “it’s hard to getthe federal government to

change things.”

16 REM MARCH 2016

Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® is a selective global community of the highest quality independent real estate companies.

We exist to make our members better by connecting them to opportunities and people around the globe – supporting them with an international referral network, professional development programs, unique events and introductions to people and opportunities worldwide.

If you are a leader of an independent company, we invite you to learn more about the value of aligning with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®.

Contact Sheila Barr: [email protected] or 312.361.8632.

CONNECT WITH THE BEST

®®

LeadingRE.com

hat do sellers and sales-people need to disclosewhen selling proper-

ties? Here are four key lessons toremember:

1. Patent or visible defects donot need to be disclosed. If youcan see a defect during a typicalhome inspection, it does not needto be disclosed by a seller. This caninclude a crack in a window, mirroror kitchen counter, a stain underthe bed or damage to a wall behinda picture.

The lesson is to be more dili-gent when inspecting a propertybefore signing any agreement inthe first place. Do not be shy aboutlifting small appliances from thekitchen counter or area rugs andtry to make sure all windows actu-ally open properly.

2. Latent or hidden defectsneed to be disclosed by the seller.Latent defects are defects that ahome inspector could not see dur-ing a typical home inspection. If aseller knows about a materiallatent defect and does not discloseit, a buyer can sue the seller evenafter closing.

Examples include water dam-age that has not been properlyrepaired, whether from the roofor basement, smoke damagefrom a fire, mould behind thewalls, underground fuel tanks orfoundation problems. If a buyercan demonstrate after closingthat the seller must have known

What must sellers andsalespeople disclose?

By Mark Weisleder

about the issue, they can be suc-cessful in taking legal action.Buyers should be advised to con-duct an insurance search againstany property to see if a priorinsurance claim was made by aprevious owner.

3. Psychological stigmas donot have to be disclosed.Although the law is evolving, sell-ers do not have to disclose whetherthere has been a murder or suicideon the property or adjoining prop-erty or whether a pedophile liveson the same street.

As this will likely matter tomost buyers, Google the propertyaddress to see if anything comesup, visit websites such as house-creep.com to see if there were anystigmas reported about the proper-ty and consider putting a clauseright in the offer, whereby the sell-er represents and warrants that tothe best of their knowledge, therehas been no murder or suicide onthe property. Sellers must respondtruthfully to this statement.

4. Be wary of sellers who askyou not to disclose. In my experi-ence, sellers who request that younot disclose something that youbelieve should be disclosed are thesame sellers who will try and blameyou for anything that goes wrongor try and avoid paying commis-sion if they can.

In these circumstances, try toobtain written instructions fromthe seller’s lawyer for any matterthat they do not wish to be dis-closed and then also consult withyour lawyer if you have any furtherquestions.

Mark Weisleder is a partner,author and speaker at the law firm Real Estate Lawyers.caLLP. Contact him [email protected] or 1-888-876-5529. REM

W

ADVERTISEMENT

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

gg

(Statistics Can-ada)

-

-

-

The answer is simple. Stop being average.

-

--

-

Why some agents prosper while most struggle

At the same time, in the very same market, the top 1% of agents are prosper-ing, and a handful have become multi-million-aires while working less hours than the average agent.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

system

-

(Source: TREB Statistics)

-

-

system -

-

CraigProctorSystem.com

-

CraigProctorSystem.com.

“Most agents are mud-wrestling in the muck with all

the other agents, competing for clients as if in a pack of skinny, starving stray

dogs over a few bones in an alley.”

18 REM MARCH 2016

hen workers weretearing down build-ings on Jerusalem’s

Mamilla Avenue, they werecareful not to destroy the mason-ry blocks. That’s because many ofthem were to be used again inreconstructing those same build-ings on a new pedestrian mall.

To aid in the rebuilding ofthis jigsaw puzzle-like project,numbers were painted on eachlarge brick. But as it turned out,these numbers didn’t just serve apractical purpose.

The Israeli-Canadian archi-tect in charge of the project,Moshe Safdie, had set out tointegrate the old architecturewith the new. Many of the exist-ing buildings dated from the1800s. One day Safdie got theidea of an unconventional wayto illustrate, in a public way, thepreservation efforts that werebeing undertaken. Rather thanhave the numbers on the brickshidden from view or sandblastedoff after reconstruction, theywould remain in place and bepositioned outwards to becomepart of the structure’s façade.

The renovated MamillaAvenue, completed in 2008, isnow a popular open-air pedestri-an promenade with 140 shops,(including high-end interna-tional chains and Israeli designerboutiques), cafes and restaurants

Building by numbers in Jerusalem By Diane Slawych

on a 600-metre stretch near thehistoric Jaffa Gate.

Several of the low-rise build-ings are completely new. Of thehistoric structures, about half adozen display the numbered bricks.They typically garner curiosityamong visitors and sometimesserve as a graffiti-like backdrop forselfie-obsessed hipsters.

Perhaps one of the best-known reconstructed buildingswith numbered bricks on its

façade is the Stern House.Originally a two-storey privatehome, it was built duringOttoman rule in 1877. Thefounder of Zionism, TheodorHerzl, lodged overnight hereduring his visit to Jerusalem in1898. The structure now con-tains a bookstore, an outdoorcafe and a small museum.

Mamilla Avenue has a storiedpast. After the 1948 Arab-IsraeliWar, part of it lay in ruins. Then,

for about four years, it became ano man’s land, before immigrantfamilies moved in and occupiedthe derelict buildings. At onetime, at the end of the 19th cen-tury, the avenue was a fashion-able district and now it hasbecome so again.

Outside along the prome-nade, changing art and sculptureexhibits (most of which are for

sale) amuse passersby. During thesummer and Jewish holidays, themall hosts free concerts andstreet performances. At night,white lights strung above thepromenade add a festive air.

Safdie is satisfied with theresult and so, it seems, are manycitizens and visitors.

In this project, it seems, allthe numbers add up. REM

Numbers painted on blocks still remain on some reconstructed build-ings on Jerusalem’s Mamilla Avenue to show the attention paid topreservation. (Photo: Diane Slawych)

Fashionablelocals like tophotographthemselves infront of one ofthe numberedbuildings onMamilla Avenue.(Photo: DianeSlawych)

W

Visit us at AmeriSpec.ca

to download your freeHome Improvement & Repair Cost Guide

ATTRACTIONS & GIVEAWAYS

MEETINGS & FORUMS

COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE

KEYNOTE & FEATURED SPEAKERS

33 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS

• Daily Draw for a Free TREB Membership

• Health Quest

• Taste of Toronto

• 250 Industry Exhibitors• Innovative Tools for REALTORS®• Interactive Displays• Technology Booths

• Grand Prize Giveaway

• Networking Reception

• TREB Elections

• Technology Drone Technologies ॰ IoT ॰ Emerging Technologies ॰ Virtual Imaging• Sales Training and Motivational Effective Lead Generation ॰ Foundation of Negotiation ॰ Millennials

Canada’s Largest REALTOR® Trade Show and Conference Visit realtorquest.ca for more information

facebook.com/ TREBevents

#RealtorQuest

• BILD Renovation Forum

• TREB’s Spring Annual Meeting

CREA’s Canadian Commercial Forum

More to come!Amber Mac, expert in business innovation and what it takes to adapt and grow.

Dan Riskin, Emerg-ing Technologies for Real Estate and the Real World.

Marc Saltzman, expert in business technology and Internet trends.

Luke Williams, author of Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation.

Stefan Swanepoel,

Dangers Impacting Brokers/Agents

CONNECTEDMOMENTUM INNOVATION

CANADIANNATIONALTRUSTED

REACHICONIC

#1royallepage.ca/joinus

†Agent count, 2015. *In 2015. Measured across print and online media. 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. ©2016 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Limited. All rights reserved.

Royal LePage Realtors® are some of the best in the industry, strongly supported by a national brand, with a culture based on community and collaboration, innovative technology, and outstanding leadership.

• Over 16,000 Realtors® and growing, connecting you from coast-to-coast

• Proudly 100% Canadian

• Work faster, smarter and more efficiently with leading-edge technology

• The real estate brand consumers trust

• Over 1 billion media impressions in 2015, 122.5% more than our closest competitor*

• An iconic brand that generates access to more clients and business opportunities

• #1 in almost 100 markets nationwide†

Choose Canada’s real estate company.

MAXIMIZE YOUR EARNING POTENTIAL

22 REM MARCH 2016

The Coldwell Banker® system is proud rrto welcome another new company toour Canadian network. The independent brokerage formerly known as OmaxRealty has chosen to join the Coldwell Banker network. Ourrnewest affiliate will service the Surrey, BC market and willoperate as Coldwell Banker Universe Realty.

Broker/owner Jag Bhandari and his 250 sales representativesjoin the Coldwell Banker global network of 88,000 professionals rin over 3,000 residential real estate offices in 44 countries andterritories worldwide.

“Our operation is entering an exciting new stage in its evolution.Our strong market presence and experience, combined with theresources offered by the Coldwell Banker brand, will enable usrto deliver an enhanced level of service. We’re excited about thepotential for growth that comes with our new affiliation with theColdwell Banker network.”r

Jag Bhandari, Broker/OwnerCOLDWELL BANKER UNIVERSE REALTY Surrey, BC

(604) 328-5511

Email: [email protected]

For a confidential conversation about franchise opportunities with the Coldwell Banker® system in Canada, call: Mark Lindsey, Regional Vice President, Franchise Sales, or Andy Puthon, President, Coldwell Banker Canada 1.800.268.9599

© 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.www.coldwellbanker.ca

A WELCOME ADDITION TO OUR CANADIAN NETWORK

ll real estate salespeoplehave (or should have)clients who own property,

or they may own property them-selves. The following is an excel-lent value-add to give to clientsand prospects.

Whether lighting a single fam-ily home or the common areas ofan investment property, the differ-ence in electricity cost betweenLED, fluorescent and incandescentlight bulbs is astounding.

By Chris Seepe

Lighting returnon investment

It costs possibly six times asmuch to operate an incandescentbulb as it does the equivalent illu-mination (lumens) of an LEDbulb. In this writer’s geographicarea, a 60W incandescent lampcosts 15 cents to operate 24 hourswhile the equivalent LED bulbcosts 2.5 cents.

Below is a detailed analysis of30 lights left on 24 hours a day for20 years. While that is likely notthe case for a home, the cost ratiobetween the two lighting tech-nologies should remain similar.

The spreadsheet with all calculations can be downloadedhere: http://www.aztechrealty.

com/led.xlsx. Plug in your ownnumbers (light colours areinputted; dark are calculated).

The table doesn’t factor in pro-curement and maintenance costs.Based on average lifespans, anincandescent bulb is replaced 29times for every one LED bulb.Many municipalities, for example,have been replacing traffic signallamps with LEDs.

Incandescent bulbs convert alot of electrical energy into heat(infrared radiation) whereas LEDsdon’t produce such heat. Thismakes LEDs useful for specialtyapplications like illuminating food,textiles and combustibles.However, LEDs do produce heat atthe semiconductor level so inter-nal heat sinks must properly man-age this. LEDs are also much moreenvironmentally friendly, contain-ing no mercury and usually nolead.

LED bulbs cost arguably threeto six times more than an incan-descent bulb but this acquisitioncost is small compared to theirlower energy consumption, main-tenance costs and other factors.Electricity rates have a direct andmaterial bearing on business caseviability. With electricity pricesforecasted to rise significantlyevery year (forever?) regardless ofwhere you live, the business casefor LED light bulbs just keeps get-ting brighter.

Chris Seepe is a commercial realestate broker and broker of record atAztech Realty in Toronto, specializingin income-generating and multi-residential investment properties,retail plazas, science and technologyrelated specialty uses and tenant mandates. (416) 525-1558 [email protected]; website:www.aztechrealty.com. REM

A

��

��

��

�� !! �� !! �� !!

� "��# ��$�# �� "� �"� "�

�� !"�� #�! $�% $&'�$

� ��%��&'�� "�� "�� ("�

)��*��*�� +! +� +�

)��*��*�� +�� +�� +��!

,��#��$ ��

)��*��* �#��$� �� +(��"!� +��"(� +��"��

��(��

-�.�� !�

/-�� "�� "�� "�!�

/-�� "�� "��! �"��

)��/0��1 �#��/-� +�"�! +�"�! +�"�!

2)��/� �� 2 ��2 ��2

)��//-�� "�� "�! �"��

0 #��)��/0��1 �# +�"�� +�"�� +�"��!

3��4��/1 �#�/-� +�"�� +�"�� +�"��

23��4��/� �� 2 ��2 ��2

3��4��//-�� "�� "�! �"��

0 #��3��4)��/1 �# +�"��! +�"�� +�"��

564��/1 �#�/-� +�"�� +�"�� +�"��

2564��/� �� !�2 !�2 !�2

564��//-�� "�� "�� "�!�

0 #��564)��/1 �# +�"�� +�"��! +�"�!(

��)��$��*��" +!�! # +!�!,# +!�$#!

5��7$* �#�� +("�� +��" ! +��" �

1 �## ��#�� +��"�� +��"� +��(�"��

,��#��$ ��

1 �## ��#�� %��

�#�� !�+��!("(� + �!� "(� +��("(�

)��*��* �#��$� �� +(��"!� +��"(� +��"��

�� +'-,.$�', +/-%. �// +,.- ! �%!

,��0 #��1 �#8�7 �"�� "�� "��

012�3��2��10��4)��0��9��!�

)��1��:��4;<#�*�8��#�=*"�>>>"�<#�*��#�"* ��

The following isan excellent

value-add to giveto clients and

prospects.

Pension plans for salespeopleA group of Realtors is petitioning CREA to launch a pension plan and REIT, and a new insured personal pension geared to real estate agents is being unveiled. By Don Procter

24 REM MARCH 2016

Talk is turning to action on the pension front as the province

of Ontario just announced details of its Ontario Retirement Pension Plan to launch in 2017. In the February issue of REM, details about the new Personal Pension Plan tailored to business owners and incorporated professionals were discussed.

On other fronts, an insured personal pension plan (iPPP) is set to make an appearance (the first of its kind geared to real estate agents). In addition, a group of Realtors is petitioning CREA for a pension for its members and a real estate investment trust (REIT) representing the more than 100,000 members in the profession across Canada.

Toronto-based financial consultant James Zaza, president of Zaza Financial Group, teamed up with insurance companies to create a proprietary iPPP for self-employed people – in this case real estate agents who can’t take advantage of

incorporated tax benefits that real estate brokers get through their personal pension plan.

The plan offers tax-free growth on investments, tax-free income during retirement (with no set retirement age) and tax-free money to their heirs, says Zaza, who says his company is the largest income replacement health care broker for the real estate industry in the Greater Toronto Area.

“For anyone struggling in this industry, it might just give them that edge they need,” he says. The self-directed plan is open to any age and has no minimum income requirements.

“If you go a period of time without any income or you take a sabbatical from the business, the plan is flexible: you can take the plan with you wherever you go because it is an insurance contract and you own it,” says Zaza.

The drawbacks are few, benefits many, he says. For example:

• flexible tax sheltered

contribution from zero to $100,000 annually, comparing favourably to RRSPs (up to only about $25,000) and tax free savings accounts that top out at $5,500;

• interest on money borrowed for a pension plan is tax deductible;

• loans for pension investment are tax deductible;

• RRSPs rolled into the pension plan are tax free;

• defined as an insurance contract, it is not subject to Canada Revenue Agency audit;

• tax-free withdrawal;• contributions are not related

to income;• if the contributor dies, the

beneficiaries receive tax-free payout;

• no forced withdrawals at 71;• no pension adjustment on

foreign income benefits; • it is not income-tested for

clawbacks such as CPP and other income sources.

“A major thing for real estate agents,” Zaza says, “is disability and health protection, which is inflation-adjusted annually. You are guaranteed growth, safety and control because it is in segregated (not mutual) funds.”

Zaza says his iPPP can offer clients 10 times as much health and life insurance as is available from traditional policies and there are no setup charges. His management fee (one per cent) is only for managing RRSPs, which are rolled into the tax-free iPPP.

The financial consultant has partnered with lawyers experienced in pensions and tax law, and he will be marketing the plan through seminars presented at broker offices and through contact with individual agents.

Zaza says he created the iPPP in concert with the insurance industry to make sure “it was compliant, acceptable, doable and sustainable.” His firm also offers the PPP for incorporated businesses with fewer than five employees.

Pension plan petition: On another front, a group of Realtors has formed a non-profit association called United Real Estate Agents of Canada (UROC) to lobby CREA and the Ontario Real Estate Association to create a REIT and a pension plan.

The group hopes to take the petition for a pension plan to CREA and OREA this spring with the signatures of 5,000 Realtors, says Pat Javdan, one of the founders of UROC and a broker at Re/Max Right Choice in Toronto.

Once CREA is on board, he says, a pension plan task committee will be formed to

follow up with Canada Revenue Agency regulations.

While some Realtors make a good income from the profession, the majority don’t, says Michael Sobhi, president of UROC. At the same time, Canadian Realtors are paying more than $40 million in dues and fees annually, he says. Some of the money could kick-start the pension plan or REIT initiative, he says.

The REIT would represent the more than 100,000 members in the profession in Canada. Each Realtor – a shareholder in the REIT – would make a commission for buying and selling for the REIT and would receive profits, based on the number of shares they held, says Sobhi.

Javdan says that currently developers use commission as a motivator for sales. Commission rates are set according to supply and demand. The downside for Realtors is that developers use their own staff for sales when the market is strong.

He says for the REIT to generate profit, the corporation should develop and build condos and commercial projects before it buys investment properties.

Unlike the insured personal pension plan structured by Zaza Financial Group, Javdan says UROC’s mandate is to create a pension plan based on collective action – much like the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

He says the rules and regulations of the REIT and pension plan will be finalized by a future panel consisting of UROC, CREA and OREA in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency guidelines.

The petition can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/hhu5e2x. REM

26 REM MARCH 2016

2015 Election of Directors

Call for Candidates

NOW OPEN

Individual members of the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) who are interested in serving on its Board of Directors are required to submit their Nomination Form no later than 2:00 p.m. Wednesday April 1, 2015. Three Industry Directors will be nominated and elected — one in each of the three regions of the province as established by RECO. A copy of the Nomination Form and Candidate Instructions are posted on RECO’s website at www.reco.on.ca or on MyWeb at https://myweb.reco.on.ca. For more information contact: Shelley Westlake-Brown Tel: 416-207-4800 Toll-free: 1-800-245-6910 Email: [email protected]

▪ R e a l E s t a t e C ou n c i l o f O n t a r i o ▪ w ww . r e c o . o n . c a ▪ h t t p s : / / m y w e b . r e c o . o n . c a ▪

MARK YOUR

CALENDAR

Nominations

began Feb. 20

RECO is also accepting candidate profile videos. To learn more or to download the Nomination Form, visit www.reco.on.ca.

Calgary’s WasimElafech is world’s No.1 Century 21 agentCanada claims nearly half of the topCentury 21 offices globally

Wasim Elafech of Century 21Bravo Realty has been named theNo. 1 Century 21 producer in theworld by units.

Century 21 operates in 78countries with more than 100,000sales professionals working in6,900 offices. Century 21 Canadamembers topped global chartswith their sales results in 2015.

In the Global21 multi-branchrankings, Century 21 LeadingEdge Realty in Markham, Ont.finished fifth. In 12th place wasCentury 21 Heritage Group in

Thornhill, Ont., while Century21 Percy Fulton in Toronto was19th.

In the single-office rankings,Century 21 Percy Fulton wasthird, followed by Century 21King’s Quay Real Estate,Markham in fourth; Century 21Coastal Realty, Surrey, B.C. inseventh; Century 21 LeadingEdge Realty in eighth; Century 21People’s Choice Realty, Torontoin ninth; Century 21 Miller RealEstate, Oakville, Ont. in 12th;Century 21 Atria Realty,Richmond Hill, Ont. in 13th;Century 21 First Canadian,London, Ont. in 14th; andCentury 21 Bamber Realty,Calgary in 15th.

The team rankings were:

Goodale Miller Team, Century 21Miller Real Estate, second; TheStephen Tar Team, Century 21Leading Edge Realty, 11th; TheSylvia Houghton Team, Century21 Leading Edge Realty, 13th; andThe Sean Roland Team, Century21 Percy Fulton, 18th.

In the individual category,Ken Yeung of Century 21 LeadingEdge Realty finished fourth (byproduction) while MichaelMelnychuck, Century 21 A.L.L.Stars Realty, Edmonton was 11thby production.

From coast to coast, Century21’s top salespeople received thered carpet treatment at gala andawards events recently. The annu-al national tour brings together

top Century 21 producers, teams,offices and companies to celebratetheir success and network. Thegala was hosted in seven localmarkets including Vancouver,Moncton, Toronto, Montreal,Winnipeg, Regina and Calgaryearly this year.

“Building relationships drivessuccess in real estate. That’s whyit’s always been so important inour eyes to ensure senior leader-ship visits each market to recog-nize and shake hands with asmany of our members as possible.We hold these events every yearto show our appreciation for theincredible work they do,” saysMartin Charlwood, vice chair-man and CEO.

Charlwood, executive vicepresident Brian Rushton andfounder and executive chairmanU. Gary Charlwood were at selectlocations to present the awards.

Dave Koszegi presented with business excellenceaward in NanaimoKoszegi has been in the real estate

business for 23 years in the AlberniValley

Dave Koszegi and The DaveTeam of Re/Max of Nanaimo,B.C. recently won an award forreal estate excellence at the2016 Vancouver Island BusinessExcellence Awards.

Koszegi has been in the realestate business for 23 years in theAlberni Valley and maintains a25 per cent market share, says astory in the Alberni Valley News.He has a Global MarketingAgent designation and was arecipient of the VancouverIsland Real Estate BoardRealtors Care Award.

REM

Wasim Elafech

Dave Koszegi

REM MARCH 2016 27

If you’re sending your clients anywhere else, they’re probably paying too much.When you refer your clients to a DLC Mortgage Professional, you can have peace of mind in knowing they will also recieve:

Access To Multiple Lenders Research Expertise

Easy Mortgage ProcessUnbiased Advice

CONTACT US TODAY TO PARTNER WITH A DOMINION LENDING CENTRES MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL IN YOUR AREA:

1-888-806-8080 | www.dominionlending.caDominionLendingCentresCanada DLCCanadaInc

DR. SHERRY COOPER CHIEF ECONOMIST, DOMINION LENDING CENTRES

30+ YEARS EXPERIENCE IN CANADIAN BANKS

ome salespeople enjoy agood challenge when itcomes to marketing a prop-

erty. Give them an encroachmenton to federal land, a condo build-ing missing parts of theroof…heck, even a Hell’s Angelsclubhouse infested with termites.No matter what, certain agentshave a gift for making problemproperties palatable.

The average salesperson, how-ever, or a fresh-faced rookie juststarting out might prefer theirproperties a little more on theswiftly salable side. A cream puff,so to speak.

What are the attributes ofthese mythical properties? Whatmakes one home more marketablethan another? Is there even such athing as a “perfect listing?”

Let’s consider a few scenarios,entirely fabricated from thin air(my imagination):

1) You’ve been called over bya potential client to do a listingpresentation for their home – awaterfront property facing glori-ous sunsets in the evening, with a large yard that offers privacy and tranquility. Is this a perfect listing?

a) Yes! There’s only so muchwaterfront property available andprospective purchasers will stam-pede over one another to be thefirst to make an offer on thishome.

b) Maybe. Depending on howclose you can get the homeownersdown to a salable list price, youmay go bankrupt spending adver-tising dollars on their “rare andprecious commodity”.

c) No! It’s not often you see asewage processing lagoon so closeto an airport, but this home next to

What is theperfect listing?

By Dan St. Yves

the main runway also has the mis-fortune of methane-producing cat-tle grazing right beside it. Pack upyour briefcase and run for the hills!

2) You’ve been called over byprospective clients to do a listingpresentation on their darling littlecottage outside the city. Thisrecreational property is in a beau-tiful resort area that is indeed invery high demand. Is this a per-fect listing?

a) Yes! They just don’t makeland anymore, so if interested par-ties want to have their own littleslice of recreational heaven, they’llpay dearly for it!

b) Maybe. There were somerumblings among the rural coun-cillors that there might have to bea one-time levy somewhere around1,000 per cent of property values tooffset the losses from the 25-yearembezzlement of homeowner fees.

c) No! The recreational prop-erty has recently been purchasedby Donald Trump’s casino division,and his plans are to raze the sur-rounding pristine woodlands torelocate his shuttered AtlanticCity Taj Mahal project, along witha long-planned monument to him-self, resembling The Statue ofLiberty with a blond comb-overand sneering scowl. But two timestaller than the original.

3) You’ve been called over bypotential clients to do a listingpresentation for their home – anaverage home in an average area,and they HAVE to sell. Is THISa perfect listing?

a) Yes! Finally, something thateveryone wants, that will likely bepriced to sell quickly. Make surethey press hard, there are threecopies!

b) Maybe. Sell it quickly,before seller’s remorse has a chanceto set in, and sink your listing ship.

c) No. They sold it privately totheir neighbour while you were onthe drive over. Curse those over-the-fence chats!

Humour columnist and authorDan St. Yves was licensed with RoyalLePage Kelowna for 11 years. Checkout his website at www.nonsenseand-stuff.com, or contact him [email protected]. REM

S

28 REM MARCH 2016

By Lorne Collis

Mortgage brokers: Is bigger really better?brands (Dominion LendingCentres; Mortgage Centre Canadaand Mortgage Architects) and itplans to continue operating all ofthem. It says the DLC group ofcompanies will now reach close to40 per cent market share, with acombined $32 billion in annualmortgage volume, translating tomore than 100,000 individualmortgages per year. With the addi-tion of Mortgage Architect’s 1,287mortgage brokers and agents, DLCnow has more than 4,800 accredit-ed mortgage professionals in thethree companies.”

What effect will this have onconsumers? Probably none.

The biggest fallacy in the mort-gage industry is that your “brand” iswhat makes you different. Anymortgage broker who thinks theyare in the business of selling mort-gages is in for a rude awakening. In

Ontario alone, there are over12,000 registered mortgage brokersand agents. What sets them apart?It is not the logo on their businesscard. It is their attitude.

Mortgage brokerage is a serviceindustry. If you can’t sell yourself,it doesn’t matter what logo is onyour card, or what mortgage prod-ucts you have access to, you willnot be successful over the longterm.

This doesn’t mean there is nobenefit from this merger. DLCbrokers may command highercommissions from the lenders,based on the combined volume ofbusiness generated. Some brokersmay use these higher commissionsto buy down rates to the benefit oftheir clients. (Some, but notmany!)

The one place where the con-sumers may benefit is from better

educated mortgage professionals.DLC is well known for its qualityeducation and training programs.Brokers who already recognize theimportance of professionalism willgravitate towards further self-improvement. This will benefitthe consumer by providing expertadvice and guidance in the areas ofpersonal finance, and not justproduct selection.

As rates begin to rise (everyonehas been predicting it for years.Sooner or later someone will beright), the ability to make yourclients feel comfortable with thechoices they are making will pro-vide a solid base of satisfied clients.They will refer their friends andneighbours in the future, the cor-nerstone of longevity in an indus-try that has, too often, been drivenby rates.

The mortgage professionals

working for the DLC group willbenefit from the confluence oftechnology, the improved mar-keting opportunities (lest we for-get Don what’s-his-name), thepotential for exclusive (or white-label) mortgage products and thebragging rights to working for thelargest mortgage originator inCanada (until the next sale ormerger). Should they choose toshare their wisdom and new-found flexibility with theirclients, everyone wins from thismerger. If it is just business-as-usual, is bigger really better?Only time will tell.

Lorne Collis is a retired consultantto the mortgage broker industry. Overhis 45-year career, he worked as amortgage broker, mortgage lender,association executive, event manager,author and educator. REM

he mortgage industry isstill buzzing from theannouncement a couple

of months ago that DominionLending Centres has purchasedMortgage Architects, making itthe largest mortgage originator inCanada.

Quoting from a recent REMarticle, “Dominion LendingCentres (DLC) says it is now thelargest mortgage originator inCanada after acquiring MortgageArchitects from Pacific MortgageGroup. DLC now owns three

T

hat do you do? It’s a com-mon inquiry. You couldsay you’re a human being

that lives, loves and grows, or ahuman doing that subsists and strug-gles for survival. However, to elicitsuch an esoteric response isn’t theusual reason for such an innocuousinquiry. From a more pragmatic per-spective, how would you reply?

You’re registered as a salespersonor broker, but what exactly is a sales-person? Actually, as a species, sincewe’re always selling ourselves to sur-vive and procreate, to meld intosociety, it could be said that withvarying degrees of success, absolute-ly everyone on the planet isinvolved in sales.

Now, here’s something else toponder; who actually sells realestate? If you believe you do, thentechnically, you’d be wrong becauseonly owners (or mortgagees) havethe legal right to sell their property.A seller sells and a buyer buys.

Notwithstanding government legis-lated designations, you undertakethe responsibility to represent thoseneeding skilled disposition andacquisition services.

Clearly, just like a building con-tractor, lawyer, doctor or automechanic, you’re paid to perform aservice. And rather than guaranteedcompensation based on an hourlyrate or flat association-establishedfee schedule, you’re normally paid apercentage commission on the suc-cessful completion of service. So,what exactly are you – a salespersonor a service provider? As inferredearlier, I submit that you’re the lat-ter. If a lawyer or doctor were com-pensated only on successful comple-tion of their undertaken task (assome litigators are paid), could theyalso be considered salespeople?

This would normally not be thecase, but not because they’re paid bythe hour or by a flat fee. Doctors areservice providers and presumethey’re correct in their diagnosis, butnowadays, increasingly must con-vince – or sell – their patient on theaccuracy of their medical assess-

ment. Lawyers must argue – or sell– a judge or jury to prove their pos-tulations are correct. Because weprovide a valuable service, maybethe norm for our industry should beto offer clients a flat fee or hourlyrate in lieu of a percentage com-mission fee.

Merriam-Webster defines a sales-person (paraphrased) as one who“sells merchandise or services, eitherin a shop or by canvassing in a des-ignated area.” It defines selling as“delivering or giving up property toanother in violation of duty, trust orloyalty and especially for personalgain, for something of value, espe-cially foolishly or dishonourably, toexact a price for, to give into thepower of another, to deliver the per-sonal services of for money, to dis-pose of or manage for profit insteadof in accordance with conscience,justice or duty, to impose on orcheat, to cause or promote the saleof something or to influence orinduce to make a purchase.”

Well, I don’t know how you feelabout this definition, but little of itfits with my self-image. If for no

other reason than self-respect, youmust not think of yourself as such.I’m repulsed by the preconception ofthe stereotypical deceptive, aggres-sive, greedy manipulator as com-monly depicted in the media.

Think about how you felt whenyou were last gently persuaded tobuy. If the sales rep was pushy, youprobably quickly took your leave. Toaccurately determine your wantsand needs, did they ask sensitivequestions? Did they patiently listen,or in an attempt to coerce you, sim-ply talk at you while extolling themany virtues of their product? Didthey honestly explain things, offer-ing valuable information and alter-natives? If they showed sincereinterest in fulfilling your needs andpresented the right product or ser-vice, you bought. Right? Howeverbriefly, they became a trusted fulfill-ment specialist.

Maybe the official designation of“salesperson” is a misnomer. Perhapsour industry’s regulators shouldamend the act to more accuratelydesignate a real estate practitioner asa “property transition facilitator”,

“realty service specialist” or “homemarketing consultant”; maybe eventhe more generic “realty agent”.With the gradual implementation ofhigher educational requirementsand increased focus on professional-ism, maybe we need a more profes-sional handle.

A realty agent is a consultantwho usually performs the role ofagent in the field of real estate mar-keting, negotiation, acquisition anddisposition. Expert knowledge,experience and various related skills,not to mention expensive tools andoverhead, all contribute toward effi-ciently calming the potentially chal-lenging waters of real estate trading.Thus, you deserve better and moreaccurate recognition. Thoughunlikely to occur anytime soon, it’stime that our realty designationmatched reality.

“Skill is the unified force of experi-ence, intellect and passion in their oper-ation.” — John Ruskin

Ross Wilson, broker with iProRealty, has extensive experience as abrokerage owner, manager, trainer andmentor. His new book, The HappyAgent – Finding Harmony with aThriving Realty Career and anEnriched Personal Life is availablewhere print and e-books are sold,including the TREB, BREB, RAHBand OMDREB stores. Visit Realty-Voice.com. REM

By Ross Wilson

Are you a salesperson or a service provider?“Everyone lives by selling something.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

W

The Accounting Program that Speaks Your Language.Forecast business goals and identify potential areas of struggle before it’s too late with insight into your brokerage’s back office performance. It’s the cost difference between being proactive vs. reactive. brokerWOLF gives your brokerage the power to:

Pull automated and unlimited commission plans

Manage and bill agents

Have access to 100s of management and production reports

Have access to integrated accounting

Post G/L and bank reconciliations in real-time

Know your business with brokerWOLF reports! Real Numbers…Real Insights

Your real estate solution since 1989! www.lwolf.com

1.866.CRY.WOLF(279.9653) | [email protected]

It’s your businessLet’s talk about how you can have insight into your business!

Learn more at: www.lwolf.com/brokerWOLF

It’s your business Brokers, run your office with:

Your back office management

Your front office management

Ready for transaction and lead tools?

Your paperless office

Your website solution

Want new revenue opportunities?

Your ad revenue program

Also providing your agents with the tools they need:

Your Agent Success Kit

Achieve your success with the right tools!

www.lwolf.com

HAVE REAL-TIME, ACCURATE INSIGHT INTO YOUR BROKERAGE.

March 23, 2016 Brookstreet Hotel in Ottawa, ON

VISIT US AT

REM Ad March NEW.indd 1 2016-02-09 2:58 PM

30 REM MARCH 2016

ick Miron, the new presi-dent of the Association ofRegina Realtors (ARR),

says consumers shouldn’t panicover slowing real estate sales.

“People are concerned sales aredropping. They have somewhat,but nowhere near what’s happen-ing in Calgary. We’ve had a blister-ing, robust last six or seven years.So, we’re just going back to more ofa normal market,” he says. Reginasales dropped seven per cent in2015.

“Regina and outlying areashave grown, and with more people

R come more listings. But when youreally zone it down to certain areas,there may not be that much prod-uct. Saskatchewan is not forecastfor an economic slump and, as longas we have people coming into ourprovince, which we do, I wouldencourage everyone to be patient,”he says. “Don’t get worked upabout whatever you hear in themedia. Continue with life.”

Born and raised in Regina,Miron spent 19 years in the restau-rant business before becoming aRealtor in 1994. Along withfundraising for many community

organizations over the years, Mironhas volunteered on ARR since2013 and prior to that on severalboard committees.

A Realtor with Re/MaxCrown Real Estate, Miron willserve as ARR president for oneyear. Joining him on the 2016ARR Board of Directors are presi-dent-elect Jason Cossette,Re/Max Crown Real Estate; past-president Tim Chicilo, RealtyOneReal Estate Services; DarrenBostock, Global Direct Realty;Karin Wees, RealtyOne RealEstate Services; Tim Otitoju,Platinum Realty Specialists; PeterFourlas, Royal LePage ReginaRealty; Vicki Pantelopoulos,Global Direct Realty; andMargarita Parisone, Royal LePageRegina Realty.

Ian Johnston and LaneBoghean of Century 21 DomeRealty serve as past president andRegina Region director.

■ ■ ■

WinnipegRealtors hasannounced Stewart Elston as its2016 president. He takes over theposition from outgoing presidentDavid MacKenzie. Elston becomesWinnipegRealtors’ 113th presi-dent and will lead the 1,850 mem-ber organization.

“We are always looking at newtools and more effective practicesto make the selling and buyingprocess smoother for our membersand their clients,” says Elston. “For example, we have assurancesfrom the Manitoba SecuritiesCommission that electronic signa-tures will be accommodated forreal estate transactions in the newReal Estate Services ActRegulations when they are com-pleted. Our members will be pre-pared for such an evolution.”

Elston has been licensed as asalesperson for nine years andanother six years as an alternatebroker for Realty ExecutivesPremiere. He focuses exclusively

on residential real estate and sellsboth resale and new homes.

The 2016 WinnipegRealtorsBoard of Directors also include:Blair Sonnichsen, president elect,Royal LePage Dynamic RealEstate; Chris Dudeck, treasurer,Coldwell Banker Preferred RealEstate; David MacKenzie, past president, Sigmar MacKenzieReal Estate Services; Josh Nekrep, SDEC chair,Century21Carrie.com; JenniferBerthelette, SDEC chair elect,Cornerstone Properties; StephenSherlock, Commercial Divisionchair, Cushman & WakefieldWinnipeg; Ken Clark, RealtyExecutives Premiere; DanaDowney, Royal LePage DynamicReal Estate; Michael Froese, Royal LePage Prime Real Estate; Rena Prefontaine,Century21Carrie.com; andCatherine Schellenberg, Re/MaxProfessionals.

■ ■ ■

Stewart Elston

Scott Veitch

Rick Miron

Kevin Wouters

Shelley Peebles held her first family dinner thanks to Manitoba TipiMitawa.

A grant from the Manitoba Real EstateAssociation Shelter Foundation helpedease the transition to Canada for thisfamily from Halab, Syria. (Photo:Manitoba Interfaith ImmigrationCouncil)

TREB’s Market Year in Review & Outlook Report was released at an eventin January.

The 2016 Chatham-Kent Association of Realtors Board of Directors:Back row, from left: vice president Steve Carroll, Tricia Weese, past pres-ident Ron Smith, Kevin Roocroft, Jeff Campbell. Front row: presidentBarb Phillips, president elect Kristi Willder, Judy Kovacs, Rick Shepley.

REM MARCH 2016 31

The Board of Directors of theReal Estate Errors and OmissionsInsurance Corporation in B.C. haselected Scott Veitch as chair of theboard.

Veitch is the managing brokerof Century 21 Veitch Realty inCreston, B.C. and has been activein the real estate industry for morethan 31 years. He is past presidentof both the Kootenay Real EstateBoard and the B.C. Real EstateAssociation. He was also an offi-cer with the Real Estate Instituteof B.C. and was the recipient of the2009 RI Award of Excellence.

Real Estate Errors andOmissions Insurance Corporationprovides mandatory errors andomissions insurance to real estatelicensees in B.C.

■ ■ ■

The Manitoba Real EstateAssociation Shelter Foundationhas provided a grant to WelcomePlace in Winnipeg, which is cur-rently housing refugee familiesfrom war-torn countries aroundthe world. The grant was used topurchase kitchen supplies, dishes,utensils and cutlery for a newlyarrived family.

The family was staying in atemporary one-bedroom WelcomePlace apartment while learning thebasics about life in Canada. Inprevious years, foundation grantshave funded bunk beds, beddingand other household items forrefugees making the quick transi-tion from temporary to indepen-dent living in Winnipeg.

They arrived Dec. 20 andmoved out of the apartment Jan.15 and into their own apartment.

■ ■ ■

In January the Toronto RealEstate Board (TREB) launched itsinaugural Market Year in Review& Outlook Report at a brokerbreakfast with more than 300guests in attendance, includingGTA Realtors, public office hold-ers and individuals from many dif-ferent sectors including financialservices, business, building, not-for-profit, information andresearch.

Benjamin Tal, CIBC WorldMarkets deputy chief economist,gave an overview of global eco-nomic conditions and how theyrelate to Canada, including a dis-cussion of how economic trends inthe year ahead will impact the realestate market.

Jason Mercer, TREB’s director

of market analysis and SeanSimpson, vice president, Canada,Ipsos Public Affairs; presented a2015 year in review and 2016housing market outlook, punctuat-ed by results from two TREB-com-missioned Ipsos Reid surveys ofrecent and intending home buyers.In looking forward to the yearahead, Mercer suggested thatwhether we have another recordyear or the best year on record willdepend on two things: the direc-tion of borrowing costs and theavailability of listings. Simpsonshared Ipsos Reid results thatdemonstrated first-time home buy-ers will represent a large share oftransactions in 2016, suggestingthat GTA households remain con-fident in home ownership as along-term investment.

Bryan Tuckey, BILD presi-dent & CEO and George Carras,founder of RealNet Canada andpresident of RealStrategies pro-vided the audience with aglimpse of trends in the newhome market and insight onwhat it is like to build withintoday’s policy framework.Tuckey highlighted the chal-lenges faced by the new homeindustry in today’s land use andregulatory policy framework,while Carras demonstrated hownew housing stock is gettingsmaller and more expensive, say-ing the future of the new homemarket will be “taller, smaller andmore expensive.”

Finally, TREB CEO JohnDiMichele and TREB presidentMark McLean discussed whatmakes the region great, and whatit will take to continue toimprove the region’s competitiveposition on the world stage in thefuture. They urged all stakehold-ers to stop thinking in silos andto work collaboratively toimprove transit, public infra-structure, housing options andaffordability.

■ ■ ■

The Association ofSaskatchewan Realtors (ASR)announced that Kevin Wouters,owner/broker of Century 21Prestige Real Estate in PrinceAlbert, has taken on the role ofpresident for 2016.

Wouters has been a Realtorsince 2003. Asked how he got intoreal estate, he says, “I had such agreat experience when using aRealtor for a personal real estatetransaction, that I joined my

Realtor’s office, and the rest, asthey say, is history.”

Wouters has volunteered atboth the local and provincial level.Joining Wouters as officers of theASR are past president IanJohnston of Century 21 DomeRealty in Regina and vice presi-dent Rich Jeanneau of ColdwellBanker Rescom Realty inSaskatoon.

New to the Board of Directorsare Harpreet Christie of Re/Max ofLloydminster Barr Realty inLloydminster and Travis Quiring ofRoyal LePage Varsity inSaskatoon. Returning directors areShelby Wilk of Century 21Broadway Park Realty in Yorkton,Teressa Mannle of RealtyExecutives MJ in Swift Current,Carmen Cartier of Icon Realty inPrince Albert, Lane Boghean ofCentury 21 Dome Realty inRegina and Cliff Iverson ofRe/Max Crown Real Estate inRegina – the regional director forSaskatchewan for CREA.

■ ■ ■

More than 130 Realtors andsponsors took part in theChatham-Kent Association ofRealtors (CKAR) Year EndMembers Meeting. During this cel-ebration they installed the newBoard of Directors for 2016 andgave Chatham-Kent Hospice acheque for $2,600 through theRealtors Care Foundation. Theyalso donated $1,300 in cash andmore than 70 bags of groceries.

Barb Phillips is the 2016 presi-dent of the association.

■ ■ ■

Shelley Peebles waited herwhole adult life to host a familyChristmas dinner at home and lastyear her dream came true, after shepurchased a home with down pay-ment assistance from theManitoba Real Estate Associationand the Manitoba government.

Manitoba Tipi Mitawa is a FirstNations homeownership programthat assists off reserve indigenousfamilies and individuals who meetstringent credit, job history andother requirements.

“It turned out great, lots of foodand I managed to fit everyone, 20in all, although it was little tight!”Peebles says. In her dining room,she put three long tables together.A friend loaned her an extra fold-ing table and chairs and the familycelebrated with turkey and all thetrimmings. REM

The Coldwell Banker® system is proudrrto welcome a new company to ourCanadian network. Bianca Myddletonand Danielle Hrasko, both from wellestablished brokerages in the Greater Vancouver area, havechosen to start their own independent brokerage, operating asColdwell Banker Marquise Realty.

These experienced professionals join our global network of 88,000 sales professionals in over 3,000 residential real estateoffices in 44 countries and territories worldwide.

“We’re excited about our new affiliation with the Coldwell Banker network and the growth potential it offers our brokerage. Ouroperation is based in White Rock and South Surrey, where wehave established a solid reputation within the community, andare well positioned to grow our brokerage from that base.”

Danielle Hrasko [email protected]

“We’re looking forward to an exciting new chapter in our careers, as we launch our brokerage and leverage the systems and resourcesof the Coldwell Banker brand. We’re confident our decision will rallow us to offer a compelling choice to other realtors looking for anew destination to further their own careers.”

Bianca Myddleton [email protected]

COLDWELL BANKER MARQUISE REALTY Surrey, BC

(604) 535-SOLD (7653)

For a confidential conversation about franchise opportunities with the Coldwell Banker® system in Canada, call: Mark Lindsey, Regional Vice President, Franchise Sales, or Andy Puthon, President, Coldwell Banker Canada 1.800.268.9599

© 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.www.coldwellbanker.ca

A WELCOME ADDITION TO OUR CANADIAN NETWORK

f you ask any owner/manag-ing partner of a real estatebrokerage about the greatest

challenges they face on a regularbasis, the most common responseis, “It’s so difficult to find a realestate brokerage manager andeven more difficult to find a goodone.”

In the past, the major brandsused to conduct in-house man-agement training programs for upand coming prospects, but withthe shift to franchises these typesof training programs have essen-tially been eliminated.

One of the few remainingmanagement training programs isavailable through the Real EstateInstitute of Canada (REIC), onbehalf of NAR, called theCertified Real Estate BrokerageManagement (CRB) program.Gareth Jones, vice president atREIC says, “Our FRI designationis much more popular, but we arestarting to see more interest inthe CRB designation as there arenot many other options for astructured management trainingprogram.”

Working as a real estate man-ager can be very rewarding, but itis not just a career choice. Beingaccessible after hours and onweekends makes this a lifestylecareer. The number of calls,

32 REM MARCH 2016

IBy Don Kottick

In search of a great real estatemanagerWorking as a real estate manager can be very rewarding, but it is not just a careerchoice. Being accessible after hours and on weekends makes this a lifestyle career. emails and texts a managerreceives is directly related to theexperience level of their sales-people.

Each request often has a senseof urgency and usually requiresimmediate guidance or direction.If you manage a brokerage with alarge number of part-time orinexperienced salespeople, youshould expect your phone to con-tinually ring during the eveningsand weekends, if the salespeopleare doing business. As a manager,you need to determine if youwant to work for a full servicebrokerage with experiencedagents, or work at the other endof the spectrum, which is the“warehouse style” company hir-ing part-time agents with recruit-ing volumes as their primaryobjective.

The ratio of agents/managersis also a good indicator for poten-tial and existing managers, butalso applicable for salespeople, touse when they are selecting a bro-kerage. For example, if a broker-age has 200 agents, with twomanagers (excluding “phantommanagers” – admin staff withlicenses masquerading as man-agers) – the ratio is 100:1. If thesalespeople have reasonable pro-ductivity of five to eight transac-tions per year, then this wouldsubjectively be considered a goodratio.

If the brokerage has 500agents with two managers, withlower productivity, then the ratiois 250:1. In this scenario, themanagers are probably over taxedand potentially overworked dueto the inexperience level of thesalespeople and the volume ofsupport calls. A little due dili-gence on agent productivity lev-els is always a good idea beforeaccepting a management posi-tion.

I asked some seasoned brokers

and owners about the traits andcharacteristics of great managers.

Dianne Usher, senior vicepresident at Royal LePage’sJohnston & Daniel Division inToronto says, “It takes a specialindividual to be a real estate man-ager, as you need to be a problemsolver, a diplomat, a communica-tor, a mentor, but first and fore-most a leader.”

Dave Peerless, owner/manag-ing partner of Dexter Real Estatein Vancouver says, “A great man-ager cares about the people he orshe works with and sincerelywants to help them succeed.They treat their associates likepartners with a goal of mutualsuccess and provide mentoringand support in order to achievepositive results.”

Nelson Goulart, owner ofBetter Homes & GardensSignature Service in Mississauga,Ont. says, “I love my job as amanager. One of the mostrewarding aspects of my job iswhen, through coaching andmentoring, a salesperson exceedstheir sales targets. In terms of hir-

ing for a management position,we look for a passionate, empa-thetic, knowledgeable individualwho works well on a team andcommunicates very effectively.”

Jack Fusco, manager at RoyalLePage Your Community inRichmond Hill, Ont. says that“the reputation of the brokerageis tremendously important. Askaround if you do not know. Youshould find out about theturnover rate of their manage-ment team. If the management

team has a high turnover ratethat usually signifies bad leader-ship at the top of the organizationand probably some cultural cracksin the foundation.”

Fusco adds, “One of the mostimportant reasons salespeoplechoose one brokerage overanother is due to the knowledgelevel of the manager. Whilenegotiating a deal, the salesper-son wants to be able to reach themanager, but also feel comfort-able that a solution to their ques-tion will be provided.”

The remuneration package fora manager varies greatly based onthe experience level of the indi-vidual, the geographic region(urban versus rural), the reputa-tion of the company, selling ver-sus non-selling managers and thetype of brokerage. The positiontypically includes a base salarywith a bonus that should beobjectively based, quite oftenwith a focus on recruiting, reten-tion and/or profitability. Thebonus should be achievable andmay include a “slight stretch ele-ment” used for motivational pur-

poses. Always be sure to put theremuneration package in writingto ensure that the clearly definedparameters are fixed to avoid anycontroversy.

What are some other ques-tions you should ask about a bro-kerage before accepting a realestate management position?

• How many part-time agentsversus full-time agents are regis-tered? (speaks to quantity of calls)

• How many agents will I bemanaging? (very important)

• What kind of back-up sup-port and coverage do I have?(speaks to workload)

• Will I have legal support? (arequirement for those difficultquestions)

• Are there any minimumhiring criteria or do we just hireanyone? (speaks to the reputationof the brand)

• Do you have any manage-ment training after I am hired?(speaks to culture)

• Do I have any assistancewith compliance related issues?(speaks to workload)

• Will I be responsible forsales training? (speaks to culture)

Real estate brokerage man-agement can be an exceptionallyrewarding and fulfilling careerwhen you are with a reputable,ethical organization that has asolid track record of looking afterits management, support staff andits sales team. If you have notconsidered this as a career option,it is definitely worth exploringfurther, because there is a bigdemand in the marketplace for agood manager.

Don Kottick, FRI, is executivevice-president, corporate develop-ment for Peerage Realty Partners,which is the parent company forChestnut Park Real Estate andBaker Real Estate in Toronto.Kottick is currently director at largefor the Toronto Real Estate Board, adirector for FIABCI and a nationaldirector for the Real Estate Instituteof Canada. REM

A little due diligence on agent productivity levels is always a

good idea before accepting a management position.

REM MARCH 2016 33

[email protected]

Join eprintagent.com today!�� our most popular quantities!

1 sided

2 sided

500 pcs. 1000 pcs. 5000 pcs. was $55.52* was $91.64* was $227.15* NOW $45.00** NOW $60.00** NOW $160.00**

was $79.23* was $127.83* was $242.75*

NOW $65.00** NOW $75.00** NOW $190.00**

Save up to 18% Save up to 40% Save up to 29%

Special ends March 31, 2016. *Original Price. **Sale Price. All price based on 14pt with FREE AQ coating. All prices quoted in CAD. Shipping and taxes are extra where applicable. Prices are subject to change without notice. Upgrade cost is in addition to regular product price.

8.5 x 5.5POSTCARD SPECIAL

Using managed lead servicesWill they help you get more leads online?marketing, to make their exist-ing marketing more productivethrough a higher conversion rate(the amount of people who visityour website and become a lead).

When you combine yourexisting paid online marketingnumbers with this lead accelera-tion, you can get an improvedlead-acquisition cost. Then yousimply pour more gas on the fire.

Managed lead servicesinclude:

• A/B testing • Traffic analysis • Lead summary and traffic

report• Your lead vs. traffic acquisi-

tion percentage • Recommendations for

improved lead-generation tech-niques

What is A/B testing? It showslead-gen form A to one visitorand lead-gen form B to anothervisitor. By showing two variations

of your lead-gen forms to differentgroups of visitors, you can test tosee which one performs better. Bycontinually improving theseforms you can increase the num-ber of leads you get.

As an example, form A mayhave a lead-acquisition rate of1.25 per cent and form B 1.56per cent. You would then contin-ue with form B and test it against

other variations until you raisethat percentage even higher.

Using an A/B testing strategyis critical to lead generation. It isthe opposite of the “throwingspaghetti against the wall to seewhat sticks” approach. It’s leadgeneration, done scientifically.

Who should use managedlead services? They aren’t foreveryone. If you aren’t currently

engaged in online marketingefforts that bring traffic to yourwebsite, then leveraging theseservices would be like trying tosqueeze blood from a stone.These services are designed forsalespeople and brokers whohave websites with medium tohigh traffic rates (generallyachieved through paid forms ofadvertising and marketing) andthat have – or want – a lead-gen-eration strategy.

Robin Wilding is the creativemind behind http://real-estate-web-sites.ca, a boutique real estate web-site company providing “differentiat-ing-yet-laughably-affordable websolutions for agents across the coun-try.” She says: “The company’s suc-cess is highly attributable to creatinglow-cost branded websites that high-light the personality of each individualagent. You’re unique; your websiteshould be too.” REM

By Robin Wilding

Who should use managedlead services? They aren’t

for everyone.anaged lead servicestake lead-generatingtools and online-mar-

keting strategies and put theminto hyperdrive. They take leadgeneration to another level byadding quantitative intelligencethrough A/B testing and criticalanalysis.

What are managed lead ser-vices? They examine traffic lev-els and previous lead generationnumbers to determine your lead-acquisition percentage – andboost it through A/B testing.This empowers agents who aredoing online marketing efforts,such as pay per click, searchengine optimization or Facebook

M

healthy seems to be the most natural: plants.The most difficult thing about the results of the NASA study is

that there is not necessarily one plant that is the best overall. Youreally have to consider all the plants recommended to determinewhich one best fits your situation. For example, all plants absorbcarbon dioxide and emit oxygen. However, some plants are specif-ically good at eliminating formaldehyde, others are good at fight-ing other harmful elements in the air. There are also other con-siderations such as the soil in which indoor plants are potted.Some potting mixes have micro enzymes that remove benzenefrom the air. Other plants that do as well.

One the most important parts of NASA’s study, at least to petowners, is the identification of which plants are toxic to animals.

You really have to look through the list to determine whichplants are right for you and your lifestyle. If you are in a condonext to a major highway, I would think the one that removes ben-zene would be the most important. If you live in the country, per-haps another kind of plant would be the most useful.

I live in a co-op apartment in downtown Toronto so a quicklook at the list tells me that English Ivy would be a good choice toeliminate formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and benzene. However,it is toxic for cats and I have one, so either I figure out a way tokeep it way up high away from the cat or do not get one of theseplants at all. There are many choices and many things to decidewhen looking through this list.

The greatest thing that NASA did with this study was to makeit available free of charge to everybody. I am very grateful to themthat in this day and age of trying to make profit from importantinformation, they just give this away. Just Google NASA plants orlook in Wikipedia under NASA Clean Air Study.

Heino Molls is publisher of REM. Email [email protected]. REM

Indoor airContinued from page 38

34 REM MARCH 2016

Real EstateTechnologyReal EstateTechnology

Free app offers socialmedia training

Sombrero is a free mobile appthat promises to turn every onlinemarketing newbie into a profes-sional.

“When you’re a real estate pro-fessional, getting new clientsthrough online channels seems tobe a great way to boost your localbusiness. But where to start if youhave no experience and a limitedsocial media marketing budget?”says social media analytics compa-ny Sotrender, the developer of theapp.

The answer may be Sombrero,which debuted on Google Play andApple App Store last November. Itoffers Facebook, Twitter andInstagram training courses as wellas a “specially designed and excep-tional plan for starting out contentmarketing” with the effective use

of a company blog. The basic training plan covers

such topics as content creation,branding and social media opti-mization, measuring data, cus-tomer service, target group andcompetition tracking. The tasksand hints are tailored to differentgoals, so you can work on either

raising the local community aware-ness of your business or finding themost efficient channels and waysof promoting certain properties,the company says.

For information: www.som-breroapp.com/

Core Assetsintroduces ‘avoid bidding wars’ buttonon website

Core Assets in Toronto says it isthe first real estate brokerage tolaunch an “avoid bidding wars”button on its website. The buttonwill give buyers the ability to searchfor properties that are no longerholding back offers.

“In Toronto’s heated real estatemarket, this button will beextremely useful for buyers tired ofcompeting and will allow them tofind properties that may be still onthe market after an offer date hascome to pass,” the company says ina news release. “This feature isbeing released as a package of newtheme-based searches available onthe all-new coreassets.ca including“multifamily”, “fixeruppers”, “reno-vated properties” and “new build”search buttons.”

The website will also provide aseries of filters it says were tradi-tionally unavailable to the publicincluding the age of the property,lot size, parking and more.

Adam Brind, the broker ofrecord, says there is a void in themarketplace for a website that offersthe general public the same type ofsearching capabilities available toagents. He says, “Our goal is to giveour clients and the public a sense oftransparency in the market.”

Century 21 unveilsmobile-friendly website redesign

After seeing that nearly half ofthe millions of monthly visitors tocentury21.ca were using mobiledevices, the real estate website gota modern, mobile redesign onOct.1. Since its launch, the site has

seen a 70 per cent boost in mobilevisitors year-over-year as well as a10 per cent increase in total visits,the company says.

“We wanted to ensure anexceptional, effortless online expe-rience for every home buyer or sell-er. In response to these demands,our Realtors can now create theirown personalized, mobile-friendlywebsite in just a few clicks,” saysMartin Charlwood, vice chairmanand CEO, Century 21 Canada.

As well as being accessible onany device, the new design offers:

• A high-quality photo gallery.• Simplified property informa-

tion right at the top of listings. • In-depth property features,

map and directions, commute timeand Walk Score are readily avail-able in a simple scroll or click.

• Convenient buttons to con-tact, share, save and print stay topof page as visitors scroll.

• Visitors can get preapprovedfor a mortgage in just 15 minutes,right on the website, through sistercompany Centum Canada.

• Contact and property searchare front and centre on sales repsand company websites, so con-sumers can take the actions theywant, immediately.

• Website options such asblogs, social media feeds,eNewsletter signups and more.

Lone Wolf acquiresBarcode Publicity New acquisition highlights educationand training opportunities for realestate professionals

Lone Wolf Real EstateTechnologies of Cambridge, Ont.has acquired technology andmobile web creator BarcodePublicity, which provides servicesunder the Barcode Realty brand.

Barcode offers speaking, train-ing and education services as wellas a mobile application and IDXwebsite solutions, which will beincorporated into Lone Wolf’s

Complete Enterprise Solution. It isa full-service platform supportingtechnology and tools for brokersand agents, the company says.

“Barcode and Lone Wolfteams will soon begin workingtogether on an extensive reviewof the Barcode platforms to deter-mine which features will be devel-oped into the eco-system of tech-nology and service offerings underthe Lone Wolf umbrella,” thecompany says.

CityBlast teams upwith RESAAS

CityBlast, a social media mar-keting firm that connects agentswith buyers and sellers throughsocial media, is partnering up withRESAAS, a social networkdesigned specifically for the realestate industry.

RESAAS is a network of morethan 360,000 real estate profes-sionals, “aimed at helping expand

their influence and money-makingpotential by connecting profes-sionals with each other across theglobe,” the company says.CityBlast manages and promotesagents’ social accounts, helpingagents passively generate leadswhile keeping their online pres-ence looking fresh and up to date.Working together has obvious syn-ergies, the companies say.

CityBlast will now be availablefor purchase by RESAAS mem-bers. “This type of partnership isgreat news for anyone looking tokick start their real estate market-ing this year and take advantage ofnew media to its fullest potential.Plus we have plans to add moretools as we go,” says CityBlast co-founder Shaun Nilsson.

Real estate professionals canregister with RESAAS for free.CityBlast accounts come with atwo-week free demo. For informa-tion: www.CityBlast.com andresaas.com. REM

Sombrero offers social mediatraining

Martin Charlwood

his Christmas, the team atSutton Group - EliteRealty in Mississauga,

Ont. donated to the SalvationArmy Christmas hamper program,contributing $1,150. That wasenough to help more than fourfamilies in need.

Susan Meckiffe, broker/ownerand Sandra MacTavish, adminis-trator, co-ordinated the project fortheir office and delivered thecheque and food to the SalvationArmy. Meckiffe said her col-leagues “have proven that if every-one does a little, it can mean a lot.I am going to keep this Christmasin my heart all year.”

■ ■ ■

The Team at Re/Max CentreCity in London, Ont. donated$17,500 to London’s Children’sHospital in 2015, bringing the bro-

REM MARCH 2016 35

T

Announcement

If you are interested in ownership opportunities with RE/MAX, the largest most productive real estate brand, contact Christopher Alexander at 1-416-786-5552

to arrange your confidential meeting, or visit remaxintegra.com.

Congratulations RE/MAX Real Estate Centre!RE/MAX Real Estate Centre has acquired two offices, previously operated by RE/MAX Garden City in Burlington and Waterdown.

Wayne Quirk owns and has successfully operated RE/MAX Garden City, a multi-office brokerage, for three decades. Wayne has decided to focus his efforts on his flagship offices in St. Catharines and in Grimsby.

RE/MAX Real Estate Centre’s Broker/Owners Delio Oliveira and David Medeiros converted their office to RE/MAX twelve years ago. With this latest acquisition, RE/MAX Real Estate Centre now has 15 offices and over 670 Sales Associates.

Please join us in congratulating these Broker/Owners and wishing them continued success!

RE/MAX Real Estate Centre766 Hespeler Rd, Cambridge, ON

David Medeiros (L)Broker/Owner

Wayne Quirk (C)Broker/Owner

Delio Oliveira (R)Broker/Owner

Announcement

If you are interested in ownership opportunities with RE/MAX, the largest most productive real estate brand, contact Christopher Alexander at 1-416-786-5552

to arrange your confi dential meeting, or visit remaxintegra.com.

Welcome to the Team!

Harbinder Brar and Rick Brar are two high level producers, who with energy and enthusiasm have joined RE/MAX Realty Services Inc.! Combined, they have nearly 15 years of experience in the real estate industry. They chose the RE/MAX brand as they wanted to be part of the market share leader, and recognize that RE/MAX has the global presence to enhance their current value proposition, giving them more exposure and experience.

Please join us in welcoming Harbinder and Rick, and congratulations on your decision to join RE/MAX!

Rick Brar (L)Sales Associate

Harbinder Brar (R)Sales Associate

Realty Services Inc.295 Queen St EBrampton, ON

Good WorksGood Workskerage’s total contribution to thehospital to $303,000.

Broker/owner Carl Vandergootsays the Children’s HealthFoundation is dedicated to raisingand granting funds to supportChildren’s Hospital at LondonHealth Sciences Centre, ThamesValley Children’s Centre andChildren’s Health ResearchInstitute.

■ ■ ■

Sutton Group - LakefrontRealty in Vernon, B.C. was a spon-sor of the inaugural Vernon Vipers’First Responders AppreciationNight recently. More than 400firefighters, paramedics, search andrescue workers, tow truck drivers,RCMP officers and fire waterbombers enjoyed a free Vipershockey game.

The game was a way to say

thank you to first responders andallow the public to interact withthem in a social atmosphere. BethMarks, a sales rep at Sutton Group- Lakefront Realty, took a leader-ship role in organizing the appreci-ation night.

“These brave individuals risktheir lives to keep our communitysafe and we just want to say howmuch we appreciate their efforts,”says Marks.

The event also raised $600 forburn victims. Salespeople from thebrokerage and their family mem-bers sold 50/50 tickets throughoutthe evening.

In response to a dire need inthe region, the office also came upwith the concept of the Warm &Fuzzy clothing drive, which is nowin its fourth year. The team pro-moted the weeklong event, held adrive-thru and delivered items.

■ ■ ■

Century 21 Infinity Realty inOshawa, Ont. recently made a pre-sentation of $8,605 to HearthPlace Cancer Support Centre.

The funds were donated by thebrokerage’s sales reps on a pertransaction basis. Hearth Placeprovides support services to cancerpatients and their families. REM

The team at Re/Max CentreCity celebrates its $17,500donation to London’sChildren’s Hospital.

The team at Sutton Group – Elite Realty donated$1,150 to the local Salvation Army.

Century 21 Infinitydonated $8,606 toHearth Place.

Sutton Group - Lakefront Realty took part in a firstresponder appreciation night. Back row, from left: ErikaBelsheim, Marlene Belsheim, Mark Nichiporuk, MeisuChang, Aaron Luprypa, Roel Van De Crommenacker,(Corine Van De Crommenacker is hidden) DebbieSteenkamp, Beth Marks, Tamara Cinnamon, RachaelGaylard and Craig Gaylard. Front row: Jake Russell, KimHay, Dave Forai and Joe Forai.

he last thing on the mindof a busy real estate profes-sional is planning for

retirement. When a person isyounger and aggressive, anythought of retirement is far downon the list of things to consider.However, this postponement isoften short sighted whatever yourage. No matter how successful andcareer oriented you are, as age andtime takes its toll, someday youmust give it all up. Sooner thanyou think, you will join the ranksof the unemployed. Ready or not,you will be forced to retire.

Statistics Canada advises that45 per cent of people enter retire-ment totally unprepared, finan-cially and psychologically. The

36 REM MARCH 2016

GOT A SMELLY LISTING? Don’t worry... We have you covered.

Eliminate any odor including strong odors like cat urine, smoke, skunk and cooking smells... with PureAyre. ®

Earth-friendly PureAyre is made from ® plant-derived enzymes, purified water and essential oils. It eliminates odors and cleans the air so you can breathe easier.

Order today... 1-888-782-4464 www.pureayrecanada.com

By Lloyd R. Manning

Retirement planning must start now

T

baby boomers are the most com-mon in this group. They do notknow what to expect in retire-ment. Television advertisementsare misleading. The problem islargely created by insufficientplanning for this eventuality, ormore often, no planning at all. Asthe median age of those in the realestate business is steadily increas-ing, preparing for the day whenyou will have to step out shouldcommence now.

Resolving the myriad of per-sonal and other issues that couldarise will be more onerous if youare uncertain about your longerterm objectives. The germaneissues revolve about around theage at which you wish to retire,your retirement needs, spousaland family considerations, healthissues and financial matters. Inthis, you must be pro-active.Delaying could bring about unin-tended negative consequences.Time is not always your friend.

The big question is “Howmuch money will I need? Will the

money I have, cash in the bank,government pension, savings andall that I know for sure will becoming in last as long as I do?”Financial preparedness is theassurance that you will have asmuch money coming in as is goingout. If too much is going out,financial hardship will occur. Inplanning, allow for contingencies,changing circumstances andunexpected expenses.

There are many retired folks,not necessarily former real estatepros, who are in dire straits. Theydid no forward planning and did-n’t save any money. It says in TheBook of Ruth, “Gather here a lit-tle and there a little to providefor the infirmities of old age.”This is wise advice. Many elderlypeople find that their money isinsufficient to support them-selves above the poverty level.They must take on part-timejobs, or find income producingmethods to supplement theirlimited government pension(s).So far as I know there are no pen-sion plans provided by real estate

brokerages. You are on your own.The purpose of meaningful

pre-retirement planning is to armyourself with an understanding ofwhat is feasible and what is not.There are several paths you couldtake, each depending on how andwhen you leave the business. Youneed to make your plan flexible incase you change your mind aboutsome important factor or unfore-seen circumstances that maycome along the way. It will pro-vide you with an understanding,or at least an awareness of all ofthe options that are open to youthat take into consideration yourexperience and intentions.

Select the appropriate time toretire. This governs the actions tobe taken, the critical path of whatyou do first, second, third and thetimetable. You must answer thequestion, how much money will Ineed to carry me from the date ofretirement until the end? Wherewill it come from? How long willit be before the source dries up?What is the possibility of me out-living my money?”

The initial steps include:• Identifying your most

important objectives.• Bringing you spouse into the

process. What you do during yourretirement will affect your spouseas much as it does you. Ensurethat she/he is in agreement withyour intentions. You mightinclude a trusted professionalplanner to render assistance andadvice.

• Establishing a time line forentering retirement.

• Creating a strategy.Formulating a critical pathtimetable.

• Developing a financial planfor yourself and your spouse, onethat ensures a comfortable after-retirement living, considers con-tingencies and protects yourestate.

• Addressing the legal and taxproblems you could have.Determining the best way to min-imize income taxes.

• Developing a contingencyplan.

• Considering all of youroptions.

• Expecting a major readjust-ment period.

• Getting your bills paid. It isvitally important that you enterretirement without debt.

• Remember! Retirementplanning is not a single event. Itrequires time and effort.

Timing is all important. Layout the ground rules while you arestill working. Allow yourself suffi-cient time to get all of your ducksin order. Develop a written planand leave some open spaces in itthat you can later fill in if thingschange. Start now: not somedaywhen it becomes clearly a do ordie situation, or when, for somereason, you must move on. Farfrom being an end point, retire-ment marks a new beginning, agateway to the next chapter inyour life.

Lloyd Manning, AACI, FRI,CCRA, PApp is a semi-retiredcommercial real estate and businessappraiser and broker who nowspends his time writing for profes-sional journals and trade maga-zines. He resides in Lloydminster,Alta. Email [email protected]

REM

The purpose of meaningfulpre-retirement planning isto arm yourself with anunderstanding of what isfeasible and what is not.

REM MARCH 2016 37

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

Real Estate Board of GreaterVancouver’s Realtor XchangeTrade Show and ConferenceMonday, March 14Vancouver Convention CentreWest, Vancouverwww.realtorxchange.ca

Realtors Association ofHamilton-BurlingtonRealtor Connections 2016AGM, Conference and Trade ShowWednesday, March 23Hamilton Convention CentreHamiltonSheila Sferrazza [email protected] or 905-529-8101 x234

London St. ThomasAssociation of Realtors9th Annual Realtor TradeShowTuesday, April 19London Convention CentreLondonTracy Marino - [email protected]

C21 Insiders Conference May 3 - 4Sheraton Parkway TorontoNorthRichmond Hill, Ont.Carla Ty – [email protected]

Toronto Real Estate Board’sRealtor QuestMay 4 - 5Toronto Congress CentreTorontowww.realtorquest.ca

C21 Insiders ConferenceMay 5 - 6 Sheraton Cavalier CalgaryCalgaryCarla Ty - [email protected]

Atlantic ConnectionJuly 26 - 29Delta Prince Edward & P.E.I.Convention CentreCharlottetownwww.atlanticconnection.ca/

2016 Coldwell Banker GenBlue ExperienceMiami Beach, Fla.Oct. 18 - 20

Trade Showsand ConferencesTrade Showsand Conferences

To add a listing to this calendar, email [email protected]

high retention because we goabove and beyond. That’s why themajority of our team has been heresince day one.”

■ ■ ■

Century 21’s new CoachingAcademy program aims to providea proven system that incorporatesexpert guidance and effective tasksinto their salespeople’s daily rou-tine, the company says.

“The coaching academy does-n’t take time away from an agent’sbusy schedule. It’s there for themwhile they work, providing andsupporting the specific actions theyneed to take in order to grow theirbusiness every day,” says MartinCharlwood, vice chairman andCEO, Century 21 Canada. “It’s allabout accountability and action. ”

The program provides a coach-on-call, an online daily activitytracking system, weekly coachingwebinars, a daily motivationalmessage and an online traininglibrary.

“This program shifts powerfrom local market trends and

empowers agents with provenhabits and skills for any situation,”says Rob Vivian, a C21 CoachingAcademy presenter and sales rep.“Down market, work with buyers inthis way. Up market, work withsellers in that way. We show themexactly how to apply real estate’sbasics in specific, scheduled tasks sothey are continuously productive.”

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage is teaming upwith Desjardins and NationalBank to offer two Royal LePageclients in Quebec their first yearwithout mortgage payments, up toa maximum value of $12,000. Oneprize will be granted to aDesjardins client and another to aNational Bank client.

No entry form is required toparticipate. Consumers who havedone business with a Royal LePagebroker from Quebec in the searchof their new property and whosecure an approved mortgage froma Desjardins or National Bankmortgage representative during thecontest period (between Feb. 1 andJuly 31) are eligible for a chance towin. The two grand prize winnerswill be revealed in September.

REM

Multiple ListingsContinued from page 6

38 REM MARCH 2016

ouses, condo units,apartments and officebuildings are far more

airtight than they ever were. Sowhere we live and where we workneed air management. Thoseneeds have become greater thanever before. It could be arguedthat with so many computers, bigscreen entertainment systems andall the communication technolo-gy, many people are spendingmore time indoors than everbefore.

It is a dramatic change from atime just 60 years ago when therewere no condo buildings in ourcities and very few apartmentbuildings. We used to haveduplexes, triplexes and flat

THE PUBLISHER’S PAGE

By Heino Molls

H

Syndicate your listings easily with Agent iFrame. $4.95/mo.

realtywebsites.ca

WE ARE HIRING

We are seeking a proven leader to help guide the Team to new levels of growth and success. Successful candidate will be responsible for recruiting, training and managing the daily operations of a high-volume, fast-paced office!

REQUIREMENTS:• Currently registered, & in good standing, as a Real Estate Sales Representative or Real Estate Broker• Past management experience• Experience conducting & developing real estate training initiatives• Experience with RECO• Computer skillsPlease send resume to: [email protected]

EXPERIENCED REAL ESTATE MANAGER/TRAINER REQUIRED

Find The Daryl King Team on Social Media

9050 Yonge St., Suite 100, Richmond Hill ON L4C 9S6OFFICE: (905) 907-5464 | TORONTO: (416) 987-5464www.darylking.com | [email protected]

*The Daryl King Team consists of 43 registered Sales Representatives. Not intended to solicit clients currently under contract with another Brokerage.

rentals. Those units are still withus, we just don’t have those wordsin our language as much.

Back in the day, the windwould whistle through many ofthese units behind rattling win-dows and poorly insulated walls.This was before we used termslike thermal pane glass. This wasalso before the range and weightof pollutants in the air were asgreat a worry as they are today.

Today we live behind wallsand doors that are so air tightthey ironically are making the airinside as great a worry as it is out-side.

We have a proliferation ofmachines now that claim to cleanthe air in our houses and offices.There are also machines that gen-erate things like negative ions inour air that allegedly give us goodenergy. All of this is on top of themachinery involved in cooling,warming and exchanging the air.As much as people extol the

virtues of all these air condition-ers and air management systems,there are just as many people whoexpress grave concern about thevalue of these clean air andcoolant devices. Who are we tobelieve?

A quick search of the Internetrevealed that there are some pow-erful scientific and engineeringminds working on challenges ofthe air inside of our homes. I wasastounded to find that a majorstudy was undertaken by theNational Aeronautics and SpaceAgency in the U.S. It makessense when you think about itthat there is a part of NASA thatis concerned with the air insidean airtight environment. As inspacecraft. So what system didthey come up with? Whatmachinery do they recommend?

They concluded that one ofthe best ways to make the air

Indoor air management

MAR

KETP

LACE

REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE FOR SALE

• Award winning franchise brand• Located in Southern Ontario

• Modern and professional office• Excellent high impact location with great visibility

• Great office culture

Requests for information can be sent to:[email protected]

JAN LUISTERMANS1.519.709.0702

Real Estate Representative, Realty 1 Strategic Real Estate Services Ltd.

YOUR LONDON ONTARIO CONNECTION40% for referral

REM’s Dennis Rock retiresennis Rock has done many thingsand had many achievements inbusiness. He worked for Canada’s

largest advertising agency, MacLaren’s. Heran his own studio for many years withenviable clients such as Coca Cola andGeneral Motors and then concentratedmore on the marketing side of business tohelp us here at REM for the past 20 years.Dennis has been in the advertising andmarketing business for more than 50 years.He could probably tell you first hand of some experiences like thatdepicted in the television series Mad Men. He can even tell you aboutthe trials of working on the advertising side of Trudeau’s political cam-paign – Pierre’s, not Justin’s.

Dennis has never made a secret of his dreams to see the world. Tothat end he has achieved a good deal already, visiting Europe, the U.K.,the Far East and even Antarctica. That may only be a small portion ofwhat he is planning. To do more travelling, Dennis must first retire tofind the time. And that is just what he has done.

We are going to miss him a great deal here at REM. The help hegave us all, the profound advice and the wise counsel he gave to every-one at REM will never be forgotten. The relationships that Dennisestablished with the who’s who of Canada’s real estate industry is a stag-gering list of people who became friends. Each person within Dennis’circle of friends was more than a client; they were fellow souls in thereal estate community. It’s interesting to note that many of them areretiring as well. It would not be surprising if some even travel withDennis.

We wish Dennis well in his retirement and wherever the road maytake him in the years ahead. – Heino Molls REM

D

Continued on page 34

Promoting Professionalism and Competency in the Home Inspection Industry Find your inspector now at www.phpic.ca

`

Why do more top agent teamschoose Keller Williams?1

Unlock our proven models and systems. Download our latest e-book, The Three L Blueprints at kw.com/3LBlueprints

As the world’s NO. 1 TRAINING ORGANIZATION2, we teach agent teams how to build and expand a business.

1. Keller Williams leads industry with more top agent teams ranked by transactions, according to the 2015 REAL Trends “The Thousand” ranking. 2. Training magazine 2015 ranking.

Unlock our proven models and systems.

Download our latest e-book, The Three L Blueprints at kw.com/3LBlueprints

Imran Poladi“Creating Your Own Unique ValueProposition”

Maura Neill “Doing Business the Nordstrom Way”

Jared James“Having a More Predictable Business”

Valerie Garcia “Dragons, Determination and The Dark Ages”

Keynote Speakers

Tentative Agenda

8:30am Registration and Exhibitor Showcase

9:30am Program starts - Event Concludes with Lunch

Dates/Cities

3/23 – Ottawa

4/27 – Mississauga

5/17 – St. John’s

You’re invited to join Ontario-Atlantic’s top real estate agents at RE/MAX CONNECT!

We want you to be in the “KNOW” in 2016! RE/MAX CONNECT will help youtune up your business and give you some tips to increase your productivity.

Don’t miss your opportunity to CONNECT with agents from around the region, learn from our training team, and take some time to master the skills

that will take your business to the next level!

Visit remaxintegra.com/connect for more information!

ONTARIO - ATLANTIC

Ottawa – Mississauga – St. John’s – Ottawa – Mississauga – St. John’s –

march 2016

Documents