rem - february 2011

Issue #260 February 2011

Dealing with Port Hope’s evacuation scarePage 3

Nightmare neighbours make sales challengingPage 40

Property Brothers – The latest real estate TV stars2

Elton Ash The head of Re/Max of Western Canada dishes on the Competition Bureau and morePage 8

REM FEBRUARY 2011 3

The Port Hope evacuation scare

Port Hope has a proud history. The small Ontario town of

16,000 sits on the north shore of Lake Ontario, 100 km east of Toronto. The town has an abundance of finely built heritage residences that appeal to the many retired people who have chosen to make the town their home.

As every Realtor knows, selling heritage homes is not without some complications. Additions and improvements have to meet strict heritage guidelines, but the local industry has, through practice, been successful in working through these regulations. So it can never be said that Realtors working in the western end of Northumberland County are unable to rise to a challenge.

They faced a big one when Dr. Helen Caldicott came to town recently. The controversial anti-nuclear advocate advised the residents of Port Hope to evacuate the town and sue the federal government for costs and for damages. Whether Caldicott truly believed that a community of 16,000 would be so alarmed at the thought they were at such a risk of nuclear contamination that they would all up and leave is beyond knowing. What is clear is that the media, national and local, pounced on the story.

Activist warns Port Hope that radioactive waste will leak into water and air ‘for the rest of time’ was the headline in the Toronto Star. The accompanying article spelled out the dire situation described by the activist, who was in Port Hope at the beginning of a book tour. Caldicott claimed that “Port Hope’s air, drinking water, fish, beach and soil poses a health risk.”

The impact on the local businesses was immediate and

the real estate sector took an early hit. “We felt immediate fall-out,” says Marianne Wilson of Re/Max Lakeshore Realty. “We were working with a client who was considering buying a property in Port Hope in the $500,000 price range. We had an offer on the property and then, following the news, the buyer just walked away, saying they didn’t want to touch it.”

The radiation issue grew out of the activities of Eldorado Nuclear, which set up shop

in the town over 50 years ago refining radium and uranium. The company, now operating under the name Cameco, strongly disputes Caldicott’s statement, pointing out that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is overseeing a clean-up of the area. The commission carries out regular testing and maintains that cancer rates in Port Hope are the same as any other community.

Atomic Energy Canada is conducting a 10-year clean-up program that will see over one million cubic metres of waste dug up from a variety of locations around the town and buried in a closed and sealed pit.

David Turck, a Port Hope councillor, is also an agent with Royal LePage Pro Alliance Realty. “It is not the first time we have had dealings with Dr. Caldicott,” he says. “Last year she

got national press coverage when she was in the area. The situation (low-level radioactive waste) is being responsibly handled. There have been numerous studies done on the town and the Canadian Nuclear Association has supported the town’s clean-up program.”

While Turck has not suffered any missed listings himself, he says “Office colleagues have been less fortunate. One member of our office has been working with a local developer. Following Caldicott’s visit the developer put the project on hold until this blows over.”

Brad Hockin, broker of record of Ken Hockin Real Estate, says, “We have had one deal fall apart because of the scare. A woman bought a house in Port Hope, but just couldn’t bring herself to close the deal. Strangely, her husband had no problem – he has worked in the nuclear industry – but his wife decided not to move.”

Derek Friedrich of Royal LePage points out that Atomic Energy Canada (AECL) says, “Port Hope is probably the safest town in Canada because of the high number of studies that have been carried out through the years.”

The problem confronting all those engaged in operating a business in Port Hope is uncertainty. Wilson relates a story about a visitor to the town who would not go to Tim Hortons for coffee because she “was afraid their coffee, brewed with local water, wasn’t safe.” Doubt has become an integral part of the town’s recent history. Hockin says, “I’m not a scientist. I just sell homes but there does seem to be conflicting data as to what the dangers are.”

Friedrich has a simple solution. “It would be very good if the

matter could be addressed once and for all. Can’t a definite answer be found?” The question may be rhetorical, but the answer is no. A definitive answer may have to wait generations – or according to Caldicott, there may never be a definitive solution.

The past-president of the Northumberland Hills Association of Realtors, Sharon Martin of Royal LePage Pro Alliance, says the association quickly issued a statement to local media and members. The statement highlighted the fact that Port Hope is the only community in Canada that requires that all listings include a radiological test and status letter. The letter issued by AECL contains results of tests for Radon Gas Analysis, Interior Gamma Radiation Scan, Exterior Gamma Radiation Survey and Construction Monitoring Program. The tests are specific to the property concerned and carry the date of test and the result. This program was the result of association discussions with AECL.

Martin sold a Port Hope house during the period of the firestorm. “I got the offer in prior to Caldicott coming to town. It was conditional, but the buyer firmed it up,” she says.

Martin, who was born and raised in Port Hope, says, “I have heard from Realtors that things are difficult. It’s sad that this cloud hangs over Port Hope but it means Realtors have to sit down with their clients and explain the facts. Explain that the facts show nothing is wrong, but then someone like Caldicott gets huge media attention and it scares people.”

This is not the first time, nor is it likely to be the last, that Port Hope faces the claim that it is unsafe, but the reality is that

16,000 people make it their home. Children go to school, families go shopping and people go to work. Despite the urging from Dr. Caldicott to evacuate the town, there has been no rush of refugees leaving the city. For the real estate industry, as with other businesses, this will make the job a little harder in the short term, but it too will pass. Until, that is, the next time an activist comes to town. REM

A nuclear activist on a book tour gained national media attention when she told residents of Port Hope, Ontario to evacuate the town. Realtors were left to deal with the fallout. By Brian Slemming

Statement from the northumberland hillS

aSSociation of realtorS:

The Northumberland Hills Association of Realtors are certainly not experts on health and environmental issues...ours is housing. We rely on and trust those authorities who have thoroughly looked at the issues and confirmed that all standards have been met.

All properties that are bought and sold in the Town of Port Hope require a radiological test and status letter. People are made fully aware of all of the facts and test results prior to purchasing. The Port Hope Area Initiative Office has always been available and willing to answer any questions that the public may have. The facts are readily available to anyone who wishes to review the information.

Obviously bad media attention will have a negative impact on the town in the short term. Our MLS statistics show that although housing sales are down slightly in Port Hope from 156 units listed in 2009 to 138 units listed in 2010, the actual average sale price has increased from $206,970 in 2009 to $225,681 in 2010.

Port Hope is a safe community. I personally was born and raised in Port Hope, and have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this town to people as a safe and beautiful environment to call home.

Sharon MartinPast-president

Sharon Martin

4 REM FEBRUARY 2011

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

By Jim Adair

he Charlwood PacificGroup, which ownsCentury 21 Canada and

Centum Financial Group, haslaunched a new property manage-ment franchise in Canada – RealCanadian Property Management(RCPM).

RCPM started out 23 years agoas a single property managementoffice in Layton, Utah, and hasgrown to more than 200 locationsthroughout the U.S. It currentlymanages over 20,000 propertiesand is one of the fastest growingproperty management franchisesystems in North America, thecompany says.

T

Sharon Shortt Mike Comeau

Known as Century 21 Botterill McKee in 1976, the brokerage is nowCentury 21 Advantage. It is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

Lorraine Brien

Joanne Goneau Shanan Spencer-Brown

Don Lawby, Century 21’s pres-ident, will also serve as president ofRCPM. “Unlike other propertymanagement companies, the RealCanadian Property ManagementFranchise Model ensures continu-ous improvement, a nationalscope, consistent service and thesecurity of knowing that your lifeinvestment or your home is in pro-fessional hands,” says Lawby. Hesays the company “has the rightproperty management supportengine to help anyone who is readyto take on a proven model to suc-ceed and achieve the satisfactionof being a thriving entrepreneurand business owner. We are active-ly seeking highly qualified businesspeople to join our system as ownersand operators.”

■ ■ ■

Well-established in Torontoand York Region, Re/Max All-Stars has joined forces with theformer Re/Max Scugog, which willnow operate under the Re/MaxAll-Stars banner at its existinglocations in Uxbridge and PortPerry. The move sees the franchiseincrease from four to six office

locations, with more than 200Realtors serving Toronto,Markham, Stouffville, Ballantrae,Uxbridge, Port Perry and the sur-rounding areas.

“We chose to join forces withanother successful Re/Max fran-chise for two reasons,” says Daniel Sarafian, co-broker/owner,Re/Max All-Stars Realty. “Mostimportantly, we share a similar phi-losophy and commitment to excel-lence that will benefit consumers.Secondly, the existing frameworkwould allow us to be fully opera-tional, effective and productivefrom day one.”

“This was a natural progressionfor Re/Max All-Stars, given thedemand from existing clientele tocross-service the two regions,” saysLeo Barrasso, co-broker/owner.“Building activity aboundsthroughout Durham’s communi-ties, and its potential for the futureis tremendous.”

The former broker/owner ofRe/Max Scugog, Guy Latreille,will remain with brokerage as asales associate. Janet Keen willoversee operations in Port Perryand Uxbridge.

■ ■ ■

Since opening its doors late in1910, Century 21 Advantage hasbeen providing expert real estateservices to the residents of CentralAlberta. Founded by local busi-nessman W.J. Botterill, the com-

pany was originally namedBotterill McKee. It joined Century21 in 1976, changed its name toCentury 21 Advantage approxi-mately 20 years ago and is current-ly co-owned by Patrick Galeslootand Janice Resch.

Galesloot says, “I love the peo-ple I get to work with, meet andsocialize with in Red Deer. They’realways kind, generous and open tosharing.” Looking to the future,Galesloot is expecting technologyto play a bigger part in real estatetransactions. He says he is confi-dent that the experiences and per-sonalized touches of real estateagents will continue to be the cor-nerstone of the real estate industry.Galesloot says that with all thechanges in real estate in recentyears, buying and selling a home isstill done across the kitchen table.

■ ■ ■

Exit Realty Group has openedfor business in Belleville, Ont. It’sowned by Sharon Shortt, who isthe president-elect of the Quinteand District Real Estate Board.

“My office has already grownfrom me alone to nine agents injust a matter of a few weeks,” shesays. “I have big plans ahead of meand this is just the beginning.”

The office is located on one ofthe busiest highways in the area, inone of the newest commercialmalls and boasts over 2,800 squarefeet.

“Her license rights with Exitallow her to expand her businessthroughout the Quinte market,and her intention is to build a net-work of the largest, most produc-tively successful real estate compa-nies in her area,” says Ed Martens,Exit’s senior vice-president of fran-chise sales - Canada. Consistentlyone of the top-producing agents in

her real estate board, Shortt hasworked full-time in the industry for24 years.

■ ■ ■

Broker Allan Fok recentlyopened Century 21 Times SquareRealty in Richmond Hill, Ont.The brokerage deals with residen-tial real estate in Richmond Hill,Markham, North York andScarborough, as well as commer-cial and investment properties inthe Greater Toronto Area.

■ ■ ■

Shanan Spencer-Brown is thenew executive director of theRoyal LePage Shelter Foundation.

For more than 10 years, she hasheld senior program developmentand fundraising positions in com-munity organizations that provideprevention, education and treat-ment focused on children’s mentalhealth, family violence and childdevelopment. Her most recentposition was with the KinarkFoundation, where she served asexecutive director responsible forfund development strategy andimplementation.

■ ■ ■

Century 21 Global Real Estatehas opened a satellite office inCampbellton, N.B., offering areahomebuyers and sellers anincreased level of service and con-venience. Headquartered inDieppe, the brokerage is owned byMike Comeau. It has been servinglocal homebuyers and sellers since2007.

■ ■ ■

Re/Max of Western Canada hassigned a three-year sponsorshipdeal with the Western HockeyLeague that makes it the OfficialRealtor partner of the WHL. Thedeal includes “grassroots program-ming with all 17 Canadian WHLmarkets along with brand integra-tion across various WHL broadcastand online properties,” the compa-ny says. It will also run The Re/MaxHome Team Contest, giving fansthe chance to win a $10,000 homeimprovement package.

“Hockey is truly a part ofCanadian culture across all com-munities in Western Canada,” saysElton Ash, regional executivevice-president for Re/Max ofWestern Canada. “This is whereRe/Max associates live and workand it is because of that that we are

Continued on page 6

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PublisherHEINO MOLLS

email: [email protected]

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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. Subscriptions are $40.95 per year (including $1.95 GST), payable by personal cheque. Entirecontents copyright 2011 REM. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission fromthe publisher is prohibited. The opinions expressed in REM are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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Multiple ListingsContinued from page 4

excited about the partnership withthe WHL allowing us to connectwith families and communitiesthat share the same values we do.”

■ ■ ■

Exit Realty Corp. Internationalrecently announced that it haspaid out $200 million in singlelevel residuals to its associatesacross North America and haspledged over $2 million to Habitatfor Humanity.

Exit was founded in Canada in1996 and expanded to the U.S. in1999. Exit associates earn residualincome equivalent to 10 per centof the gross commission of agentsreferred into the Exit system any-where in North America. Whenan associate retires, this 10 per centresidual continues at the rate ofseven per cent. These retirementresiduals are further enhanced bycontinuing to sponsor agents intothe system. The residuals continueafter death to the associate’s bene-ficiary at five per cent.

“Although there are Exitagents earning substantial annualresidual earnings, if you asked mostagents if just another $5,000 to$10,000 a year would help to makea difference they would probablysay yes,” says Joyce Paron, presi-dent – Canada. “Brokers andagents working together, with avested interest, to build the office isa special component of the Exitsystem that fosters goodwill andcamaraderie.”

■ ■ ■

In Montreal, Century 21 LaBonne Adresse recently opened asatellite office at 1111 St-Urbain-Local M04. The additional officewill increase service in Montrealand its surrounding areas, includ-ing the communities of Longueuil,Brossard and Boucherville. Thebrokerage is owned by LorraineBrien and has been serving localhomebuyers and sellers since 2009.

■ ■ ■

Re/Max Absolute Realtyrecently opened in Ottawa.Located in Bells Corners, the officeand its team of professionals is ledby broker/owner Joanne Goneau,an award-winning industry veteranwith 25 years of real estate experi-ence.

“The foundation of our fran-chise is quality,” says Goneau.“We’ve implemented it in everyaspect of our business…Our goal isto be top tier in all that we do. Ihave always felt that the consumerdeserves more than what’s stan-dard.”

With strategic recruitmentefforts, with training, developmentand mentoring programs exclusiveto the brokerage, Goneau hascapacity for over 30 sales associ-ates. She plans to gradually expandthe sales force, extending the com-pany’s reach in a growing market.

■ ■ ■

Exit Realty Town & Countryin Greenwood, N.S. recently host-ed an annual educational andmotivational seminar, focusing onmarketing technology, lendingtrends and “creating your own reality.” Owner and broker ValConnell says, “The entire officereally looks forward to the annualExit Day. It’s a chance to regroupand stay on top of technology inreal estate, and a fantastic source ofexperience and inspiration.”

Dave Watt of Exit RealtyAdvantage, a top producing salesrep from Fredericton, was a guestspeaker, along with 25-year veter-an Debby Richardson of CIBC.Trainers Erica and Bill Nasbyjoined via Skype from Vancouverand discussed the importance ofvision, deliberate intent and “posi-tive self talk.” A session calledYour Digital Marketing Strategy,authored by Jeff Lobb of NewJersey, delivered hands-on, usablesolutions for creating an Internetpresence, social networking andsatisfying the consumer. REM

n appeal by FraserBeach, who unsuccess-fully took legal action

against the Toronto Real EstateBoard (TREB) after it suspendedhis access to the MLS databasein 2007, has been dismissed bythe Court of Appeal for Ontario.

TREB shut down Beach’sMLS access in May 2007, afterlearning that the broker haddownloaded a large number oflistings from the board’s MLSdatabase on to his website andwas making them available tothe public – in effect giving con-sumers the same ability as amember of TREB to search por-tions of the MLS database.When TREB refused to restoreBeach’s MLS access he took it tocourt, claiming he was being dis-criminated against as a discountbrokerage.

TREB said that Beach andhis corporate partner BNV RealEstate Inc. (a subsidiary of BellCanada) had breached provi-sions of TREB’s Authorized UserAgreement (AUA), which lim-ited the use its members couldmake of data obtained from itsMLS database to the member’s“exclusive and internal use”.Justice David Brown of theSuperior Court of Justice sidedwith TREB.

In the appeal, Beach’s lawyersargued that the trial judge erredby determining that Beachbreached agreements withTREB; that TREB was not oblig-ed to provide notice of defaultand later to restore Beach’saccess to the MLS data; and thatthe BNV website was a “deriva-

tive work” as outlined in section7 of the AUA.

In a decision released Dec.21, appeal court judge S.E. Langwrote that, “The trial judge’sconclusion is clear that, in mak-ing the database available to thepublic for direct search, ‘BNVbreached section 2 of the AUAbecause it did not confine itsaccess and use of the services andMLS database to its exclusiveand internal use. It accessed and

used the services and MLS data-base for external use by membersof the public.’ This interpreta-tion, in my view, is unassailable.”

The judge also found that “inlight of my conclusion regardingthe plan breach of section 2 ofthe AUA, it is unnecessary toconsider the alternative argu-ment regarding whether theBNV website constituted a‘derivative work’”.

The Court of Appeal said

TREB was within its rights todeny MLS access to Beach onthe basis of MLS Policy 508,which says the board can “termi-nate or suspend a member’s username and password code in theevent of any unauthorized orimproper use of the MLS Onlinesystem.”

It awarded $23,500 in courtcosts to TREB.

Prior to May 2007, TREBhad never cut off the access of amember for alleged misuse of theMLS database or breach of any ofthe MLS rules or agreementsrelating to the database.

One of Beach’s lawyers isLawrence Dale, the founder ofcontroversial discount brokerageRealtysellers. During the recentdispute between CREA and theCompetition Bureau over MLSaccess, Dale applied unsuccess-fully for intervenor status in sup-port of the bureau’s allegationsthat CREA’s MLS access ruleswere anti-competitive. Thecommissioner of competitionincluded some of Dale’s informa-tion in her filings with the tri-bunal. That dispute was settledout of court in October, whenCREA’s membership ratified aConsent Agreement betweenthe association and the commis-sioner. Dale has since publiclycommented that he expects tosee further action against orga-nized real estate pursued by thecommissioner.

Dale has also filed anotherlawsuit against TREB and sever-al real estate companies andindividuals – this action is stilloutstanding. REM

Beach loses appeal inTREB MLS access caseA

“This interpretation,

in my view, is

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With my schedule,

I need a membership that helps me grow my business.

That’s why I’m an ABR®.As an ABR®, I get full access to REBAC.net’s user-friendly member section with news, trends, tips, and tools to help me stay competitive in the market. The marketing materials are easy to customize and effective in getting my name out there and promoting my business. And get this, I was able to take courses for my designation both in person and online. With my ABR® designation my needs are met...on my time.

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ABR® courses are being held in the Toronto area now! Visit rebac.net/TorontoABRstudent.cfm or call 800-648-6224 for more information and course schedules.

6:00 a Joey’s field trip: remember snacks

7:00 a Yoga

8:00 a Pick up signs

8:30 a Meet with broker

9:00 a Offer conference call with Julie

10:00 a Conduct buyer-counseling session

11:00 a

11:30 a Attend REBAC Connection Webinar

12:00 p

1:00 p Conduct buyer-counseling session

2:00 p Read Today’s Buyer’s Rep Newsletter

3:00 p

4:15 p Order marketing brochures from

REBAC Print Shop

5:00 p

6:00 p Give homebuyers seminar

7:00 p

7:15 p Update blog: add Green article

from TBR HotSheet

8 REM FEBRUARY 2011

or more than a decade,Re/Max of Western Canadahas been led by Elton Ash. A

30-year industry veteran, Ash beganhis Re/Max career as a sales associatein Saskatoon and then as a franchiseein Penticton. Ash now leads a networkof 246 offices across western Canadafrom his regional headquarters inKelowna, B.C. Recently, Ash spokewith REM senior editor Kathy Bevanabout the view from the west of theagreement reached by CREA and theCompetition Bureau and its impact onthe industry. An edited version of theirconversation follows below.

REM: Industry discussionabout the impact of the recentagreement reached betweenCREA and the CompetitionBureau appears to have been morefocused on central Canada thanout west – why?

Elton Ash: When you look atwhat the Toronto Real EstateBoard’s policies are compared tothe Greater Vancouver Real EstateBoard’s policies in the postings oflistings, Vancouver in essence hasallowed mere postings for years.

I was called by a Vancouver Sunreporter a day or two after theannouncement of an accord beingreached, and the reporter asked,“How is this going to change theindustry?” I told him that inVancouver it wouldn’t change itwhatsoever. And he asked mewhat I meant and I explained thatthere had been fee for service bro-kerages in Vancouver for a numberof years and mere postings havebeen allowed. They weren’t calledthat, but no-commission listingshave been allowed in Vancouver.There would be no change to theway business would be done. Andhe said, “You’ve got to be kiddingme – then what’s this all about?”

REM: There is also confusionabout jurisdictions – how does theCompetition Bureau’s push fornational rules fit in with provincialregulators and real estate acts?

Ash: That’s where the greatmisunderstanding by the

In conversation with

Elton Ash, Re/Max ofWestern Canada

Competition Bureau is – theydon’t understand where the linesare drawn within our business.They don’t understand how theregulators operate within eachprovince and what that relation-ship is with the provincial associa-tion and the brokerages.

The Competition Bureau doesn’t really understand that theprovincial regulators trump what-ever the Competition Bureaucomes out with. It’s fine for theCompetition Bureau to say whatthey want to say, but in the end it’sthe provincial legislation that dic-tates how agency relationships andcommon law are to be dealt within the courts and the judicial sys-tem. So there’s a bit of a disconnectwith how the Competition Bureauviews that.

I know the question was raisedby CREA with the CompetitionBureau as to brokerage policy. Fromthe communication I received lastweek, the Competition Bureau saidit wasn’t on their radar. So whatdoes that mean? It means theCompetition Bureau doesn’tunderstand where provincial regu-lation and the real estate acts reallydetermine how a brokerage oper-ates under common law.

Listings are taken in the nameof the brokerage, not in the nameof the individual. Thrown intothat mix is the independent con-tractor’s relationship with the bro-kerage and the taxation issues thatare a result of that. You’ve got reg-ulatory issues, you’ve got taxationissues and you’ve got what theCompetition Bureau feels are thedaily practice issues. And they’renot always related – they’re quitedivergent from each other. Sothere’s a disconnect there and Ithink that’s where we get frustratedas an industry, looking at this andshaking our heads and asking,“Where does this all leave us?”

REM: And have you deter-mined just where this does leaveyou?

Ash: There is confusion andthat’s why there’s fear within thegeneral membership and amongindividual licensees themselves –

from those who have beeninvolved for one year up to thosewith 30 years of experience such asmyself. There’s not a black andwhite response to these issues.Eventually, through practice andthrough court proceedings, a lot ofthese questions will get answered,but that will create other ques-tions. There will always be grayareas, as new business models comeout.

REM: Is one of those grayareas how a local broker can adver-tise a property that is located inanother province on MLS?

Ash: In order to place a listingon a real estate board, you have tohave membership in that board.This is where regulation and com-mon law agency representation allcomes in. I know real estate boardsare looking at the forms that areused and wanting to make it veryclear that when a consumer isrequesting that their home-for-salebe posted on a real estate boardsite, that there’s a true understand-ing by the seller as to what theirrepresentation actually is and whatthey’re agreeing to.

This makes more paperwork,but the consumer has to under-stand what their agency relation-ship is and what that affords them,for overall protection and responsi-bilities and consultation and whatthat individual Realtor can pro-vide. Again, it goes back to the dis-connect the Competition Bureauhas in understanding all of this.

REM: In Re/Max’s efforts tocommunicate with consumers, allthree Re/Max regions in Canadaappear to be trying to speak morewith one voice, rather than three,on certain topics. What is thestrategy behind this?

Ash: About four years ago thethree regions made the consciousdecision to try to come out withfour to five – at that time, now sixto seven – national-related pressinitiatives to discuss a segment ofthe real estate market. This can beluxury homes or recreational prop-

erties or first-time homebuyers ormarket updates – it’s a nationalsnapshot of that particular topic.

I think it’s much more benefi-cial for all involved from a Re/Maxperspective, because what is a greatstrength is also a great weakness.By having three separate regions inCanada, the strength has been thatwe have three regional offices thatknow their regions intimately andwork with the brokers/owners andfranchisees in each of those regionswith a strong fundamental soundlocal knowledge.

The weakness of that is ourimage and brand can get fracturedfrom a national perspective. So thethree of us got together and it doespresent a much stronger nationalbrand.

REM: Does this mean that allthree regional leaders agree with apublic stance taken by any one ofyou? For example, MichaelPolzler’s comments criticizing part-timers in the industry and, morerecently, Realtor.ca – do thesecomments represent your views?

Ash: I think it’s important thatissues get raised. I may not person-

ally ever agree with an issue thatMichael may bring up, or one thatother industry leaders such as PhilSoper or Don Lawby may bring up– it depends.

But discussion of that issue willresult in a better understandingand communication among theindustry players, whether they arefranchisees or organized real estateboards or provincial or nationalassociations.

Discussion is always good. AndCanadians are famous for that –we’re famous for having open dis-cussion. Everyone may not like aparticular position – my goal withanything is to understand thatposition. I may not like it, but aslong as I understand where thatindividual or group is coming from,okay.

REM: Where is the directioncoming from within Re/Max ofWestern Canada to meet con-sumer needs and demands – is itcoming from your salespeople andyour broker/owners agents, or isthe expectation that you as a fran-chisor will provide that direction?

Continued on page 10

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Ash: The most successful wayis from the grassroots – that’s theway we’ve always operated. It’s thefeet on the ground, the people whoare dealing with the consumerdaily who really direct us as towhat’s required. And that’s alwaysbeen the way for the Re/Max orga-nization – we’re not top driven,we’re bottom driven. We getpushed by our franchisees, by ourbrokers/owners, and by the salesassociates about where we need tobe and what we need to be doing.

As a franchisor, we’re expectedto be leading some of these ideas

In Conversation with...Continued from page 8

and suggestion. But really, we’renot in the daily business of sellingreal estate – we’re in the daily busi-ness of selling franchises. So then itcomes down to communications.

This goes back to what I saidearlier about having open discus-sion. We need to always keep anopen mind, with a respect andunderstanding both ways as towhat we can do as a franchisor,given budgets and ability.

What I hear from our member-ship is that they really respect theopenness and our desire to try totake some of their ideas and runwith them and be a leader at thesame time. REM

ith the vacancy rate inthe Greater TorontoArea falling to a tight

2.1 per cent and competitionincreasing daily for availableunits, Re/Max CommercialAdvisors has launched anApartment Advisors group. Theteam will focus on sales, market-ing and advisory services formulti-residential unit owners,buyers and investors. In a cli-mate where these properties arehighly coveted and few newrental apartments are being built,the team will specialize in thesale of apartment buildings thatseldom reach the public market-place.

“Current demand and marketconditions called for experts whocould capably service this grow-ing niche,” says Neil Warshafsky,broker of record for Re/MaxCommercial Advisors. “Withthe new team in place, investorswill have greater access to uniqueproperties real estate opportuni-ties, and market intelligence thatwill provide them with a distinctedge when buying or selling.”

Leading the ApartmentAdvisors group is James Roy,who brings 17 years of experi-ence, honed at DTZ BarnickeLimited and Colliers

International, where he heldsenior positions including vice-president and head of the apart-ment division (Ontario).

Clive Levitt, with 25 years ofarchitectural practice, will con-centrate on identifying opportu-nities to add value to propertiesand exploit the developmentpotential for ApartmentAdvisors clients, the companysays. Rounding out the team isManjit Virk, Nevin Singh andCraig Irvine, responsible for newbusiness development and accessto multi-residential opportuni-ties.

■ ■ ■

Udo Stoeckl has joinedAvison Young as Europeaninvestment manager. He will bebased in the company’s down-town Toronto office. Most recent-ly a member of the NorthAmerican acquisitions team of amajor German fund, Stoeckl willbe responsible for advisingEuropean clients seeking invest-ment opportunities in NorthAmerican real estate markets.

Stoeckl began his career in2001 as a trainee atCommerzbank, Germany’s sec-ond largest financial institution.

REM

Industrial,Commercial& Investment

Industrial,Commercial& InvestmentW


Ahairy naked tenant on a bed. Ten cats, likely lazy

because the kitchen counter is covered in mouse droppings. A damp musty basement. The stuff of dream homes? Hardly. Unless you talk to Drew Scott and his twin brother, Jonathan, who wear glasses rosy enough to see past the horrors of such extreme fixer-uppers to the transformations that will turn them into dream homes.

On their new television series, Property Brothers, Drew, a Realtor, puts his real estate smarts to work to help couples find a run-down home ripe for renovation. Jonathan, a licensed contractor, offers up ideas to transform the house into exactly what they want, all without breaking the budget.

The show combines what the brothers love: real estate and television. “Property Brothers is the perfect mix,” says Drew. He and Jonathan are no strangers to the film and television industry, acting and hosting television shows and in 2002, along with their brother JD, founding the Dividian Production Group. Dividian produces short films and has a number of projects in development.

As for their other love, real estate, despite being only 32-years-old, the Scott brothers have 15 years of real estate experience under their belts. In 1996, right after they finished high school, they moved from B.C. to Calgary, where they bought their first investment property.

They were inspired by a late-night television ad and ordered a book so they could learn how to make millions in real estate. They say most of that material wasn’t useful, but there were a few tidbits they put to use. They bought their first house,

chosen for its location near the university, with only $250 down.

“Our agent said it couldn’t be done,” Drew says. “We did it. We bought a $220,000 house and lived for a year rent-free (they rented rooms to university students to cover their mortgage costs) and made $40,000 or $50,000 when we sold a year later.”

From 1996 to 2003 they invested in residential properties using local Realtors, he says. “After continually being told by Realtors that it’s impossible to do certain investments, and then proving them wrong, we decided to license and do it ourselves.”

Drew was licensed in early 2004, and Jonathan soon after. They formed Scott Real Estate in 2004. Jonathan is broker at the boutique brokerage, which has its main office in Calgary. The brokerage deals in residential and commercial sales and construction projects. “I am a licensed agent with Keller Williams Elite in B.C. and Jonathan is a licensed agent in Vegas,” says Drew.”We have an investment company (Scott Real Estate Inc.) in Vancouver, Calgary and Vegas. However the show focuses on me as the Realtor and Jonathan as the contractor.”

Because the twins look so much alike, Jonathan has a new look for the show. “I’m bringing the plaid look back, and the Fabio hair,” he says.

Working with local agents and researchers, Drew and Jonathan tour fixer uppers together. Having Jonathan, who is also a master builder of luxury homes, offer on-the-spot ideas and opinions of what renovations are realistic is invaluable, Drew says.

On the show, a couple is

first shown their dream home, then abruptly brought down to reality when they find out that the home is out of their price range. As agents everywhere can relate, buyers often have unreal expectations.

The brothers then guide the couple to fixer-uppers with potential. Jonathan comes up with design plans for two homes, working within the couple’s budget (some budgets are $50,000, others are $200,000). Using computer graphics, he shows buyers what the homes will look like after the renovation.

With smaller budgets, homeowners pitch in and help where they can in order to save money. In the first episode, the homeowners helped demolish a wall and install kitchen flooring. Episode one came in only $2,000 over budget. “I’ve been a contractor for years. What I quote, I try to stay within,” Jonathan says.

Once the couple chooses a home and buys it, renovation work begins. “There’s a lot of pressure. The buyers use their own money to buy and renovate the home,” says Jonathan.

This season’s 13 episodes are being filmed in and around Toronto. In later seasons, plans are to film on the West Coast, as well as in the U.S.

However, location doesn’t matter, the brothers say. The show teaches people how to turn a fixer-upper into the home they want, and shows what can be achieved when working with a professional Realtor and licensed trades.

“The show offers education, comedy and drama – all the essentials of a hit show,” Drew says.

Property Brothers is one more way to help people with real

estate, and reaching viewers around the world, it is one powerful marketing program.

“We have had great response to hosting gigs, seminars and trade shows even before this series, but now that we’ll be reaching international markets, we expect a strong increase in our company’s activity. However since our company isn’t in many of the cities we are seen in, we strongly advise viewers and potential clients to work with Realtors from those market areas,” says Drew.

Filming keeps the brothers busy four to five days a week, some being 12-hour days. The worst experience? “There have been so many, Drew says. “The naked guy was definitely funny. Another house was marketed as renovated, but when we went through, it looked like it hadn’t been touched since the ’60s. There was wallpaper everywhere – walls, ceilings, on doors. They even wallpapered around the bathtub where you should have tiles or a

waterproof membrane. This lead to massive water damage in the kitchen below. As nasty as that home looked, it would make for a beautiful transformation.”

The brothers live in Vegas and work on the series in Toronto, relying on a solid support network of Realtors and trade professionals to ensure their clients in Vancouver and Calgary are covered, Drew says.

And if real estate, television and film isn’t enough to fill their days, Jonathan is an award-winning illusionist and Drew is a second-degree black belt in karate.

Jonathan has produced a behind-the-scenes look at the show at (www.wnetwork.com/propertybrothers). “It has a lot of information and interesting happenings,” he says. However, it doesn’t include the naked tenant.

Property Brothers is on theW Network Tuesdays at 10 pm. REM

Realtor celebs help agents drum up businessProperty Brothers teaches people how to turn a fixer upper into the home they want, and shows what can be achieved when working with a professional Realtor and licensed trades. By Connie Adair

Property Brothers Jonathan (left) and Drew Scott.

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Job: cb13161 Publication: Canadian Ad for REM Magazine

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he Guest Column (REMNovember 2010) did ourindustry a service by rais-

ing the subject of agent remunera-tion, but the assertion that sale-contingent commission is the bestcompensation method for everand all time perhaps deserves somescrutiny.

Public response to onlinemedia articles around the recentConsent Agreement betweenCREA and the CompetitionBureau overwhelmingly cast realestate agents in a negative light,suggesting, among other things,that we are overpaid, under-quali-fied, self-serving and lazy. Little


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THE GUEST COLUMN

By Ron Stuart

Another view of commissionwas said to suggest that we addmuch value to real estate transac-tions. A common thread connect-ing many of the negative com-ments was commission. Publicopinion surveys repeatedly rank usembarrassingly low on the integri-ty scale. Our traditional compensa-tion model only perpetuates thisindustry’s self-centric image in aday when consumers are demand-ing fairness and transparency.

Because compensation is a dri-ver of agent behaviour and inextri-cably tied to agency and commonlaw fiduciary responsibilities, itmay be time to look deeply intoagent compensation in general.One can only offer an overview ofsome of the issues here, an in-depth analysis being beyond thescope of a guest column.

Residential real estate broker-age in North America is structural-ly flawed, causing both consumersand real estate practitioners to suf-fer. The principal flaw, from whichmost others flow, is a disconnec-tion between the duties and thecompensation model of real estate

practitioners. Driven by themomentum of a century-old salesculture, of which sale-contingentcommission is the backbone, wemissed an important turn in theroad when most North Americanjurisdictions adopted buyer agencyin the early to mid-’90s. It was timeto stop selling and get serious aboutrepresenting!

The common law has long heldthat real estate practitioners arefiduciaries, obligated as agents toplace their clients’ interests aboveall others including their own. Bytradition and momentum, howev-er, agents work in a predominantlysales-oriented culture and are com-pensated as salespeople throughsale-contingent commission. Thisincompatibility between dutiesand compensation method has far-reaching effects on both consumerand real estate practitioner. Theeconomic necessity of earningincome creates the potential ofconflict with the legal and ethicalduties of being an agent. All toooften, the advice that best servesthe principal’s interests is different

from the advice that would securethe real estate practitioner’s com-mission.

Confusion exists in provin-cial/state legislation governing realestate brokerage, through the regu-latory agencies that enforce thoselaws, and in the boards and associ-ations through which real estatepractitioners manage their profes-sional affairs. The popularly inter-changeable terms of “real estateagent” and “real estate salesperson”exemplify the confusion. Can wereally be both?

Sale-contingent commission isreplete with incentives and moti-vators that too often run counterto the interests of the consumerswe serve. Human nature beingwhat it is, how can one who has afinancial interest in the deal possi-bly be objective and place theclient’s interests above all others,including their own?

Most of a commission realestate agent’s work falls into one ofthree categories: overpaid, under-paid or not paid at all. Agentsrightly cite their risk and expense

as justification for commissionbeing so expensive. A single “bigkill” commission compensates theagent for free CMAs, expired list-ings, various favours and freebiesand buyers who didn’t. It all levelsout for the agent, but that’s coldcomfort for the consumer who paid$25,000 to have their property sellin three days. The reality is thatconsumers whose homes actuallysell are unwittingly subsidizing avariety of unpaid services for peo-ple they don’t even know.

Other potentially conflictingelements abound.

Buyers are told that theiragent’s services are free of charge,when, in fact, the buyer’s agent’scommission is usually an undis-closed component of the purchaseprice being paid by the buyer.

Agents are still enjoined bybrokers and colleagues to “remem-ber who you’re working for” whenthe subject of compensation isbeing discussed.

The typical commission split


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t was those brutal earlyyears of dating that crystal-lized the concept ‘failure is

not an option’ for up-and-com-ing Toronto sales rep DaveElfassy.

“Being 5 7” and balding, Iexperienced rejection at an earlyage (when) dating,” he says witha laugh. “A lot of people can’thandle rejection.” But he quick-ly came to realize that dating –and much else in life, includingsales – is “a numbers game.”

If you make enoughapproaches to enough differentpeople, eventually it will pay off.

Now married with two chil-dren, 34-year-old Elfassy’snever-say-die philosophy hashelped him become a top con-tender on Toronto’s real estatescene, after just over two yearsin the business.

Asked how he managed toget off to a running start (he’s inthe top one per cent of Ontarioreal estate salespeople, and isprojecting 60-70 transactions forthis year) he cracks himself up byanswering, “It’s a fluke!”

I think not.The truth is that he gives

“110 per cent,” he says. “I wentinto real estate with everything Ihave. You can’t do real estatepart-time. It’s a commitment. Alot of people coming out of realestate college are not coming inguns blazing – they have a fall-back job,” he says. “Persistence isthe key, especially in the firstyear. It’s a cliché but true – youare guaranteed to be successful inthis business if you stick with it.”

As for his future plans, theyinclude starting a team.

A graduate of Toronto’s YorkUniversity with a Bachelor ofScience in kinesiology, beforeentering real estate Elfassyworked in the health and fitnessindustry for close to a decade. Hebegan as a personal trainer androse up the ranks to generalmanager of a large health club.

Topping the market in just two yearsDave Elfassy says persistence was the key to his fast rise to successBy Susan Doran

I When he decided he’d ratherbe in business for himself andchose the real estate industry, hediscovered that his previouscareer had given him a leg overthe competition, in that sellingmemberships had taught him alot about promotion and self-marketing.

He interviewed with four dif-ferent real estate brokerages, andwound up hiring on with Rightat Home Realty – at the time,“one of the lesser players,” hesays. Today, with 1,600 agents inthree offices in the GTA, it’s thefastest growing brokerage inToronto.

“I had five pages of questionsand (Right at Home) was able toanswer every one,” says Elfassy.The company offers low pertransaction and monthly fees(currently $275 per transactionand a monthly fee of $79 forbasic main office support).

“The savings can go intoinvesting in my business, andthat made sense,” Elfassy says.

He speaks highly of Right atHome founders Arthur Bartramand Howard Drukarsh. “My firstdeal was done in my first week ofbeing licensed. I didn’t have aclue what I was doing,” Elfassysays. “I called Arthur, who spentfour hours talking to me on aFriday night…I thought that wasa testament to the company andthe person.”

As for Howard Drukarsh,“he’s given me tons of adviceabout branding myself,” saysElfassy. Drukarsh and the younghotshot agent appeared on alocal television show about mar-ket conditions. Drukarsh alsotalked Elfassy into auditioningfor an HGTV show called Agentversus Agent where two top salesreps compete to find one couplea home. Elfassy was chosen forthe show, and he says the expo-sure has been “awesome” for hiscareer (although he didn’t endup winning the commission).

“Arthur and Howard were

the nucleus of the cell. Thebuilding block of who I am, whoshaped me on another level, isreal estate coach/trainer ChrisLeader,” says Elfassy. “His lastname is synonymous for who heis… He speaks with passion andpurpose. His business exampleshit home for me.”

Elfassy’s tips for new andstruggling Realtors:

1) “Hire a coach,” and go totraining and motivational semi-nars.

2) Leave no rock unturned.“Do open houses for otheragents. Cold call. Call FSBOsand expired listings…One thinga lot of agents don’t do butshould is work with renters.”

3) “Invest in a good websiteand customer relationship man-agement program. There arecompanies that produce suchprograms, whose purpose is toenhance customer relationsthrough the computer…Over 80per cent of buyers shop forhomes online. Top agents do alot of online marketing. Thebasis of my business is this andreferrals. I invest heavily insearch engine optimization.”Computer social networking(Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,YouTube) should be part of thepicture as well, he says.

4) Don’t waste time withtime wasters. “I wish I could takeback all the time I invested withpeople who weren’t qualified tobuy,” says Elfassy.

5) Join a networking group.6) Be persistent and have

fun.A big believer in the benefits

of “surrounding yourself withpositive, passionate people,”Elfassy decorates his office wallswith photos of top sales reps loft-ing awards, as well as a picture ofa huge house he’d like to own.

“It keeps me focused,” hesays. “If you live it, breathe it, eatit, surround yourself with thethings you want, it’s difficult tofail.” REM

Dave Elfassy

arrangement is a disincentive forthe buyer’s agent to show proper-ties that are not listed or do notoffer a sufficient co-brokeragepayment. What a decision –either limit the buyer’s choices orrun the risk of not being paid.

Recent scandals around thelikes of Bernie Madoff, Enron,Conrad Black and Wall Streethave given consumers a bigappetite for transparency in busi-ness transactions. Some of theemerging business models placethe real estate practitioner morein the role of consultant thansalesperson, thus enabling a bet-ter alignment of professional

duties and fiduciary responsibili-ties. Such business models mightbe timely and go a long waytoward increasing our credibilityand improving our integrity rank-ing. One source of ideas for suchbusiness models is The RealEstate Consulting Institute atwww.realestateconsultinginsti-tute.com.

Ron Stuart is an AccreditedConsultant in Real Estate (ACRE)and a Realtor practising in Halifax.He is a recent past-president ofNSAR and currently a commission-er of the Nova Scotia Real EstateCommission. Email [email protected]; websitewww.halifaxrealestatechoices.com.

REM

Another viewContinued from page 16

he Annual Meeting of TheOakville, Milton andDistrict Real Estate Board

was held recently, featuring theintroduction and instalment of the2011 OMDREB Board ofDirectors, and recognition ofmembers who have reached their25th year in real estate. Out-goingpresident Jeff Mahannahannounced that The President’sCharity of Choice program, in sup-port of Habitat for HumanityHalton, had originally pledged$10,000, but through variousfundraising efforts and a black tiegala held in November, OMDREBmembers raised over $65,000 forHabitat.

The AGM also featured over30 exhibitors who displayed realestate related services for the bene-fit of those attending, as well asentertainment by the St.Matthews School Choir, doorprizes and an opportunity for atten-dees to have their picture takenwith Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Attendees also filled the bot-tom of the huge Christmas tree inthe lobby with unwrapped toys andfood, with proceeds going to theSalvation Army, Milton.

■ ■ ■

Moe Lessan has been elected2011 president of the WesternCanada Chapter of the CertifiedCommercial Investment Member(CCIM) Institute. The chapter’s2011 slate of officers also includesEllen Hsu (vice-president), DavidHo (treasurer) and Vicky Chou(secretary). Andrew Chan is past-president.

The chapter is one of a net-work of 59 created to improve ben-efits to CCIM members andincrease their involvement ininstitute affairs. The WesternCanada Chapter encompassesBritish Columbia, Alberta,Saskatchewan and Manitoba. TheCCIM Institute offers an extensivecurriculum, programs and publica-tions to enhance the professionaldevelopment of those engaged incommercial investment real estate.


T The institute confers the CertifiedCommercial Investment Member(CCIM) designation, and has over15,000 members worldwide.

■ ■ ■

Lane Boghean of Century 21Conexus Realty is the new presi-dent of the Association of ReginaRealtors (ARR) for 2011. He suc-ceeds past-president Ian Johnston.

Boghean and the new ARRboard will oversee planning for theassociation’s 100th year anniver-sary in 2012. Boghean grew up onthe family farm south of Avonlea,in the Kayville district, and haslived in a number of Saskatchewancommunities, making Regina andarea his home since 1997. Hebecame a Realtor in 1998, and waselected to the Board of Directors ofthe ARR in 2008. He has served inthe association’s education, publicrelations and finance portfolios.

“Our industry has played a crit-ical role in the growth and devel-opment of the city over the past100 years,” says Boghean. “Thecity’s recent growth has been duein part to our industry and thisorganization. I know we’ll contin-ue to play an important role in thedevelopment of Regina, and I lookforward to another great year in2011.”

Others serving on the Board ofDirectors are: president-elect MikeDuggleby; Johnston; and directorsStacy Svendsen, Jason Rumpel,Carmen Howells, Basil Pappas,Phil Robertson and Tim Chicilo.David Mayer will again serve asRegina regional director on theAssociation of SaskatchewanRealtors.

■ ■ ■

The London and St. ThomasAssociation of Realtors (LSTAR)celebrated Christmas with dona-tions to its principal beneficiaries:

• $1,000 to Mission Services ofLondon – since 1992, the associa-tion has raised $241,942 forMission Services;

• $1,000 to Violence AgainstWomen Services Elgin County,

the women’s shelter in St. Thomas.To date, LSTAR has raised$26,009 for the shelter; and

• $1,000 to the Women’sCommunity House, to date,LSTAR has so far raised $26,578for WHC.

At its annual Christmas Gala,LSTAR raised $13,479 for itsfourth principle beneficiary, theUnity Project.

In mid-December, 87 membersfrom many different real estateoffices braved record cold andheavy snowfall to man SalvationArmy Christmas kettles through-out the community. Realtor PaulaHodgson, who organized the effort,says, “Given the large number ofpeople involved, I anticipatednumerous cancellations. Throw ina major snowstorm, and I was brac-ing myself for a day of problems.None materialized.”

■ ■ ■

The Bowmanville HospitalFoundation was recently presentedwith an $8,000 grant from theDurham Region Association ofRealtors on behalf of the OntarioReal Estate Association’s RealtorsCare Foundation. The grant was asupplement to the $10,430 thatwas raised by Durham membersduring their 2009 ChristmasCharity Auction and presented tothe Bowmanville HospitalFoundation in February. The addi-tional funds will be used towardsthe redevelopment of a newCritical Care Unit (CCU) forLakeridge Health Bowmanville – asix-bed CCU and nine telemetrybeds.

■ ■ ■

Since being granted charitablestatus three years ago, theManitoba Real Estate AssociationShelter Foundation has raised$158,856 for shelter related causesthroughout the province. In thelast year, $84,682 was raised as thefoundation has gathered momen-tum.

“This year our assistance wentto organizations committed tohousing for immigrants, for aid inproviding household improve-ments for those in assisted living,after-care for women living withaddictions and to Habitat forHumanity for a build specificallybeyond the Winnipeg perimeter,”says MREA Shelter Foundationchairperson Roberta Weiss.

The foundation donated$45,000 in 2010 to four charitable

organizations that devote them-selves to the care and safety ofManitobans – Esther House, TheManitoba Interfaith andImmigration Council, Habitat forHumanity Winnipeg and NewDirections for Children, Youth,Adults and Families.

The MREA partnered with theManitoba Historical Society tosponsor Memorable Manitobans:The Homes to commemorate thehomes of noteworthy Manitobansof the past.

When MREA was approachedby Habitat for Humanity, TomFulton, MREA past-president, pre-sented $50,000 to Sandy Hopkins,CEO of Habitat for HumanityWinnipeg. Funding for this newgrant came from the interestearned on the broker trust

accounts. In 2011, Habitat forHumanity Winnipeg plans to build20 homes in Manitoba. The dona-tion from MREA will supply fur-naces, ductwork and installationfor each of these energy-efficienthomes.

The Shelter FoundationBuilders Program kick-started itsnew effort to gain 100 foundingmembers at donations of $1,000per person and is already almost 50per cent of the way to its goal.Through organized events such as the MREA President’s Charity Golf Classic, the RealtorsCare Fishing Derby, theWinnipegRealtors Gimme ShelterEvent and individual donations,the foundation raised more moneyin 2010 than it has in any otheryear since it began. REM

At the OMDREBGala, from left:governor Lynn

Martin, Gala chairAlex Irish,

OMDREB presi-dent Jeff

Mahannah,Habitat for

Humanity execu-tive director Anne

Swarbrick andHabitat for

Humanity chairEd McMahon.

The 2011OMDREBBoard ofDirectors wasinstalled bysales rep GaryZalepa Jr. (left).They are, fromleft, 2010OMDREB president Jeff

Mahannah, Chris Abbott, Alun Evans, Heather Tilley, 2011OMDREB president Jack McCrudden, Tom Au-Yeung, AzizKanjee, Glen Thomas and president-elect Michele Gaboury. Notpresent for the photo was Michael Stothers.

From left: Cail Maclean, EO of DRAR,David Kemp, foundation board memberand Dierdre Mullen, DRAR president.

Lane Boghean

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THE UN-COMFORT ZONE

By Robert Wilson

n a summer weekend in1977, my friend Tony andI made plans to go water-

skiing. When he picked me upthere were two people in the carthat I did not know. He introducedhis new girlfriend Sue, and herbrother Bubba.

Bubba was the quintessentialredneck. Within minutes of get-ting on the boat, he stuffed a wadof chewing tobacco the size of abaseball in his cheek, thenchugged several beers. In less thanan hour we were dealing with anirritable drunk. He belched loudly,spit constantly, complained inces-santly and couldn’t string twowords together without inserting aprofanity. In short, Bubba madeour visit to the lake completelyunpleasant. Eventually he passedout in the back of the boat and weenjoyed the rest of the day.

My opinion of Bubba’s charac-ter, talent and intelligence couldnot have been lower. I lookedupon him as a total loser. A dimwitwho would never amount to any-thing.

At the end of the day, Tonydrove Sue and Bubba home first.When we arrived at their home,Bubba was awake and somewhatsober. Sue asked Tony to comeinside and see the new dress she’dbought. Then she turned to Bubbaand said, “Why don’t you showRobert your chickens?”

We walked around to the backof the house and Bubba pointedtoward a miniature barn. It was thecutest little building I’d ever seen.Rounded roof, little windows,bright colours and lots of lacy gin-gerbread all around.

“Where’d you get this?” I asked.“I built it,” replied Bubba.

“From a kit?” I asked. “No, Ibuilt it after my grandfather’sbarn.”

For the first time that day, I wasimpressed by Bubba. When wewent inside, the first thing I sawwas a display case full of blue rib-bons. Dozens of them. These werefirst-place awards from around thecountry that Bubba had won forhis chickens. Then he startedshowing me his chickens andtelling me about them. Suddenlythe cussing and complainingBubba became eloquent.

As we walked around the barnhe showed me more than 50 of themost beautiful and exotic lookingbirds I’d ever seen. Unusual look-ing birds that I would never haveknown were chickens. These werenot birds for eating or laying eggs –these were prize show chickens.

He explained to me that chick-ens originated in the jungles ofAsia. He told me how he bred andraised them, and what he did tomake their plumage bright, colour-ful and plentiful. I was amazed bythe extent of his knowledge and Ilistened eagerly to everything hesaid. He spoke with an enthusiasmand energy that I could not haveimagined earlier. The differencewas that I had entered his realworld, the world he loved and wasexcited about. Here was his hobby,but he was so motivated by it thatit brought out the very best in him.

I learned a big lesson that day.I’d always heard my teachers say,“Don’t judge a book by its cover,”but until then I had not witnessedthe truth of that proverb. I decidedthen and there that I would neverjudge another person completelyby my first impression – that if timeand opportunity allowed, I wouldlook further, deeper.

When you discover someone’spassion, you have discovered whatmotivates them. That is the key tocommunicating with them in themost productive way possible.

Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is amotivational speaker and humorist.He works with companies that wantto be more competitive and with peo-ple who want to think like innovators.www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com.

REM

O

Rip offthecover

Visit: www.USTakeOver.net Now!Receive YOUR Free guide: “The Complete Steps to Buying U.S. Real Estate as a Canadian*” and a FREE DVD showing you how I:

1. Find U.S. Properties Online 2. Evaluate Them 3. Find Sales Comps 4. Find Rental Comps 5. Find the After Repair Value 6. Determine How & Why I’m Guaranteed a $30,00 Profit in less than 5 minutes. (includes screens hots websites and the programs I use). *For a very limited time and quantity

Flying on the Back of a Soaring Loonie Canucks Are Making a Fortune Buying U.S. Real Estate at 70% Off!by Steve Martel, Leading Canadian U.S. Foreclosure expert

“Steve, are you nuts?!” said a friend when I revealed my secret identity as a U.S. real estate investor. “Do you know the risks involved in buying U.S. real estate?”

Most Canadians wrongly believe that it’s too difficult and risky to buy U.S. real estate. Most think that even if they did own U.S. foreclosures they wouldn’t be able to profit from them. This article will blow these myths out of the water like two Canadian geese heading south for the winter...

Don’t Listen to the news

The U.S. market has not crashed. It’s economically impossible for an entire nation to experience a real estate crash.

Real estate cycles are unique to each neighbourhood. If you learn how to identify the signs of an emerging market you can buy foreclosed properties at a 50% discount of today’s market value and consistently resell them for a minimum of $30,000 profit like I do 5-10 times monthly.

But much like the 1989-1992 real estate crash where smart investors made millions… this opportunity won’t last much longer.

5 Reasons to invest south of the BoRDeR 1. Loonies’ Up and the Greenback’s

Down: As I write this, one Canadian dollar will get you 99 cents American. Our money’s increased 69% in value since 2002. Spend it while it’s up.

2. 50% to 70% Off: Right now U.S. banks are selling tens of thousands of foreclosed property per day. You can buy a $66,000 home and sell it for $220,000 like I do!

3. Only in the U.S.: Only in the States can you

buy repossessed homes at a discount. (Our Canadian courts prevent banks from selling foreclosures at a discount.)

4. Funding Opportunities: Investors have never been so lost with no clue where to invest their hard earned wealth. Many, MANY Canadians are waiting for guidance on how to fund your U.S. deals.

5. Pro-Investor: The U.S. favors the investor. Canada regulations serve the consumer. Practices which are perfectly acceptable in the U.S. become borderline illegal in Canada.

why Most CanaDians wRongLy BeLieve they Can’t invest in u.s. ReaL estate

After making $936,417 in my first twelve months alone, buying, selling and renting U.S. properties on a less than part time basis (documented), I can confidently address your concerns about investing in U.S. real estate:

No Money or Credit: Most banks are reluctant to mortgage a Canadian’s winter escape, even more for investment properties. Don’t waste your time with mortgages, private investors will happily finance your U.S. real estate investments. They are eager to invest in something more profitable than a GIC.

Never Leave Home: This may sound crazy but I’ve never seen any of the U.S. properties I’ve bought. Using a specific system I rely on satellite images, key websites and local professionals. I’ve never had to leave Ottawa.

No Extra Taxes: I discovered an IRS loophole that avoids me having to pay huge taxes to Uncle Sam. With these savings I was able to invest an extra $468,208 into 50 apartment units which bring in $18,000 every single month in my pocket instead of going to the Canadian Government had I bought Canadian property.

Most PeoPLe aRe afRaiD of things they Don’t unDeRstanD

Emotion stops many from seeing the facts. No matter what you fear about U.S. real estate… three things that should be obvious:

1. YOU CAN buy perfectly good homes for 50% to 70% off.

2. YOU CAN buy foreclosures with NONE of your money.

3. YOU CAN buy foreclosures while holding a full time job.

My main goal here is to teach my system to other people who will then be willing to partner with me. There is simply too much opportunity and too little time for one lone Canuck.

MaRket DowntuRns aLways PRoDuCe MiLLionaiRes

Turn off the TV for a few hours each week. Stop watching horrible news reports. And focus a few hours a week on this rare opportunity amidst the economic crisis.

I’ve made $936,417 in my first year. I now own enough rental properties to provide me with plenty of cash to never have to work again while still enjoying a lavish lifestyle.

it aLL staRteD when i oRDeReD My fRee DvDFind out about the ONE reason you will NEVER

buy Canadian investment properties again in my FREE, Instant downloadable guide on “The Complete Steps to Buying U.S. Real Estate as a Canadian” and a FREE DVD of me buying U.S. Real Estate live under 5 minutes. Stop what you’re doing and logon NOW to:

www.USTakeOver.net

C A N A D I A N S I N V A D E A M E R I C A

long with the techniquesand real estate systems Ideveloped, the other skill

that helped me become No. 1 inCanada was the ability to negoti-ate. Negotiating on behalf of aclient, after all, is the most impor-tant skill we bring to the table ina real estate transaction.

Anyone with minimal train-ing can fill out forms, althoughthe error-filled paperwork wesometimes receive from otheragents can make us wonder ifthat’s true. Anyone can stick asign on the lawn and whether or


A

S TOP S ELLINGHOUSES & STARTMAKING MONEY

By Debbie Hanlon

Negotiating Ps and Qsnot it’s perfectly straight won’timpact the price. Anyone withbasic software can do an ad forthe house and send it off to thepaper. And pretty much anyonecan walk people through a houseand point out the great things itoffers.

Negotiating is where we earnour money. That is the skill ourclients are paying us for, so thatshould be our greatest strength.

Now, read any book on nego-tiating (and I highly recommendyou read all you can find) or talkto anyone with experience in thatfield and the first thing thatcomes across is the importance ofalways negotiating from a posi-tion of power. It’s the old “neverlet them see you sweat” mantratransferred to a real estate trans-action. Always negotiate from aposition of power. It’s one of thosestatements that sounds bulletproof, but what exactly does itmean, and more importantly, howdo you get to that position ofpower to start with?

To answer that, all we have todo is flip the old adage, “knowl-edge is power” to “power isknowledge and the more knowl-edge you have the more powerfulyour position will be.” It really isthat simple.

Whenever I listed a house Iimmediately did research on itand the area it was in. Before Italked to anyone I found out whatthe market trends were in thatparticular area, if anything waslooming on the horizon thatwould impact the house’s valueand any other details I could digup. This is all a part of my post-listing system so I wasn’t rein-venting the wheel every time.

If you take the short time todo your research, you will uncov-er what I like to call negotiatingnuggets. What’s the populationmovement in the area? Are olderpeople moving in or younger fam-ilies? Is there any development,commercial or otherwise,planned near there? Find out any-thing and everything you can and

you will enter into negotiationswell armed and ready to counterany argument that might arise.You’ll also impress your client andput them in the position of get-ting the most money for theirproperty. If you do that, you’vedone your job as a real estateagent.

After power, the second P ofsuccessful negotiating is “pause”.What that means is simply this:when you begin negotiating, justsit back and pause.

Let the other person talk. Themore they talk the more informa-tion you get and the more infor-mation you have, the more of apower position you establish. Soask questions and say very little inthe first round of negotiationsand you’ll come back evenstronger in the second round.

Another P of successful nego-tiating is “professional”. Alwaysremember that you are a profes-sional and conduct yourselfaccordingly. That’s sometimesnot as easy as it sounds because

obviously there are personalitiesinvolved. You’ll often be dealingwith people from the industrythat you know and some agentswill take things way too personal-ly. You do not want to be one ofthem. Negotiating is not a battleof wills between two people; it’sthe conducting of a businesstransaction between two parties.

There’s much, much more topower negotiating, but theremainder is another story foranother day. For now keep thesethree simple and effective tech-niques in mind and you’ll do justfine in negotiations as long as youwatch your Ps and Qs.

Debbie Hanlon is the presidentand founder of Hanlon Realty. Sheis a three-time top 50 CEO winnerand was named one of the top 100female entrepreneurs in Canada.She is currently an elected city offi-cial in St. John’s, Nfld. and is avail-able for motivational and trainingseminars. Email [email protected]. REM

2008 Royal LePage National Chairman’s Club

Royal LePage Real Estate Sevices Ltd., Brokerage, unless otherwise noted. *Denotes Lifetime National Chairman’s Club Members. °Brokerage

We recognize this group of 153 tremendously successful individuals who, through their achievements, have reached the top 1% of our national network of 14,000 realtors. Selected based on annual top residential

sales for gross ‘closed and collected’ commissions, they have mastered the core values of Royal LePage which include helping consumers in every step of their search for the perfect home – as ‘helping’ is what Royal LePagers do! This group of real estate experts continually surpass all expectations and deliver excellence in customer service and sales. We sincerely congratulate each one and wish them all continued success for the upcoming year.

Phil SoperPresident & Chief Executive

28. Minoo AshtariRoyal LePageNorthshore

West Vancouver, BC(604) 926-6011

29. Cailey HeapsEstrin

Toronto, ON(416) 424-4900

30. Robert NimmoToronto, ON

(888) 336-1871

31. Jacques DoucetRoyal LePage Vallées

de l’OutaouaisGatineau, QC

(819) 561-0223

32. Karen Paul*Royal LePage BurloakReal Estate Services°

Burlington, ON(800) 290-0163

33. David WeirRoyal LePage

ProAlliance Realty°Trenton, ON

(800) 263-2177

34. Robert MarlandRoyal LePage

Performance Realty°Ottawa, ON

(877) 757-7386

35. Serge Gabriel*Royal LePage Groupe

NewtonMontreal, QC

(514) 481-0241

36. Marilyn Redvers*Royal LePage YourCommunity Realty°

Aurora, ON(905) 727-3154

37. Jean-FrançoisBérubé

Royal LePageEvolution

Sherbrooke, QC(888) 820-8363

38. Tracey BoschRoyal LePage

Wolstencroft RealtyLangley, BC

(877) 611-5241

39. Carl LangschmidtRoyal LePage YourCommunity Realty°

Toronto, ON(416) 637-8000

40. Garry ParkesRoyal LePage

Dynamic Real RealEstate

Winnipeg, MB(877) 800-5066

41. Alain GravelRoyal LePage Inter-QuébecSte-Foy, QC

(418) 653-0488

2. Daryl King*Royal LePage YourCommunity Realty°Richmond Hill, ON(905) 731-2000

3. Dan Cooper*Oakville, ON

(800) 514-4094

4. Elli Davis*Toronto, ON

(800) 622-9536

5. Cathy RoccaRoyal LePage BurloakReal Estate Services°


6. Kirby Cox*Royal LePage

FoothillsCalgary, AB

(888) 384-4557

7. Kelly McKelvieRoyal LePage


(800) 841-0672

8. Marie-YvonnePaint*

Royal LePageHeritage

Montreal, QC(514) 934-1818

9. Patrick Morris*Royal LePage


(877) 757-7386

10 .Jackie PeiferOakville, ON

(905) 257-3633

11. Rina DiRisio*Oakville, ON

(800) 514-4094

12. Brent Roberts*Royal LePage

Coronation ParkSurrey, BC

(888) 649-4299

13. Andrea Morrison*Toronto, ON

(866) 335-1900

56. Chris PennycookRoyal LePage

Dynamic Real EstateWinnipeg, MB

(877) 800-5066

57. Cheryl BejcarRoyal LePage Coast

Capital RealtyVictoria, BC

(800) 263-4753

58. Joan M. Smith*Royal LePage Team

Realty°Kanata, ON

(888) 757-7155

59. Leo L. RonseRoyal LePage

Wolstencroft RealtyLangley, BC

(877) 611-5241

60. Roger LeBlancRoyal LePage Atlantic

Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572

61. Peter PolsonToronto, ON

(888) 336-1871

62. Nicolas TetraultRoyal LePage du

QuartierMontreal, QC

(514) 353-8770

63. Brian ElderToronto, ON

(800) 622-9536

64. Mary LouMcCormick

Royal LePageFoothills

Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557

65. James Wright*Royal LePage Team Realty°Manotick, ON

(800) 490-8130

66. Raymond Tsim*Royal LePageChamplain

Brossard, QC(450) 672-6450

67. Jamie EdwardsRoyal LePage In The

Comox ValleyCourtenay, BC

(800) 638-4226

68. Amy FlowersRoyal LePageMeadowtowne

Realty°Milton, ON

(800) 514-3316

69. Horst RichterEtobicoke, ON(416) 252-4368

83. Kevin LappRoyal LePage

Network Realty Corp.Sylvan Lake, AB(877) 587-2286

84. MichaelScrannage

Royal LePageProAlliance Realty°

Kingston, ON(800) 247-6311

85. Tod NiblockRoyal LePage Top

Producers Real EstateWinnipeg, MB

(866) 989-6900

86. Laurent (Larry)Patry

Royal LePageSaguenay-Lac-St-Jean

Jonquiere, QC(418) 547-2111

87. Mary T.CardamoneOakville, ON

(888) 645-4267

88. Bob MaskellRoyal LePage ArTeam

RealtyEdmonton, AB(888) 366-5656

89. Dario Mattei*Royal LePage West

Realty Group°Toronto, ON

(866) 753-7243

90. Leslie BattleToronto, ON

(888) 336-1871

91. Julio FlorezRoyal LePage True

North RealtyFort McMurray, AB(780) 743-1137

92. Marcel BergeronRoyal LePage Inter-QuébecQuébec, QC

(418) 653-0488

93. Lorraine GoulardRoyal LePage

Performance Realty°Orleans, ON

(888) 830-8757

94. Frank DeLucaToronto, ON

(416) 487-4311

95. Lorraine JordanRoyal LePage In

Touch RealtyMidland, ON

(888) 480-2224

96. SvetlanaChkarboul

Royal LePage YourCommunity Realty°Richmond Hill, ON(905) 731-2000

111. Susan ForrestRoyal LePage

Parksville-QualicumBeach

Parksville, BC(800) 224-5838

112. Chris ZaharkoRoyal LePage


(888) 384-4557

113. Liam SwordsRoyal LePage Team

Realty°Manotick, ON

(800) 490-8130

114. Norm Cholak*Royal LePage Noralta

Real EstateEdmonton, AB(780) 431-5600

115. Rocco ManfrediRoyal LePage Gale

Real Estate°Ottawa, ON

(613) 723-5300

116. Pierre NadeauRoyal LePage

ProAlliance Realty°Kingston, ON

(800) 862-4443

117. Jeff GreenbergRoyal LePage Team Realty°Ottawa, ON

(800) 307-1545

118. Lorraine O’QuinnRoyal LePage

ProAlliance Realty°Trenton, ON

(800) 263-2177

119. Sean McCannRoyal LePage Team Realty°Ottawa, ON

(800) 307-1545

120. Todd GuergisRoyal LePage FirstContact Realty°

Barrie, ON(877) 728-4067

121. Brett SmileyMississauga, ON(888) 828-0422

122. Jacqueline FeeleyMississauga, ON(877) 822-6900

123. Wahid GirgisMississauga, ON(905) 275-9400

124. Yoki Nichol*Royal LePage Ram RealtyCalgary, AB

(403) 258-0450

42. Rachelle StarnesRoyal LePage


(888) 384-4557

43. KateVanderburgh*Oakville, ON

(800) 514-4094

44. Suzanne Grisé*Royal LePage

PrivilegeSaint-Bruno, QC(450) 441-1576

45. Paul NuscaToronto, ON

(888) 336-1871

46. Mark FarisRoyal LePage FirstContact Realty°

Barrie, ON(877) 728-4067

47. Lauretta Stewart*Toronto, ON

(800) 622-9536

48. DoreenKirkwood*

Royal LePageChamplain

Brossard, QC(450) 672-6450

49. Jacinthe Dubé*Royal LePage Jacinthe Dubé

Sherbrooke, QC(819) 564-5000

50. Suzan TrottierRoyal LePage Atlantic

Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572

51. Mark JontzRoyal LePage

KelownaKelowna, BC

(800) 421-3214

52. Philip LeMayRoyal LePage Vallées


(819) 561-0223

53. Sylvia SmithRoyal LePage

SolutionsCalgary, AB

(403) 251-2900

54. Susan LoreRoyal LePage True

North RealtyFort McMurray, AB(780) 715-1382

55. ChristineHauschild

Royal LePage Team Realty°Kanata, ON

(888) 757-7155

14. Matthew ReganMississauga, ON(877) 822-6900

15. Fernande Sirois*Royal LePage Vallées


(819) 561-0223

16. Sue MillsRoyal LePage

Signature Realty°Toronto, ON

(888) 954-4100

17. Julie KinnearToronto, ON

(866) 335-1900

18. Marilyn Wilson*Royal LePage


(877) 757-7386

19. Simon GianniniRoyal LePage


(888) 954-4100

20. Barbara Beers*Royal LePage BurloakReal Estate Services°


21. Chris CovenyRoyal LePage


(877) 757-7386

22. Karen Millar*Royal LePage


(888) 954-4100

23. ChristineLefrançois

Royal LePageDynastie

Mont Royal, QC(514) 735-2281

24. JoAnne GludishToronto, ON

(888) 336-1871

25. MichaelO’Sullivan*

Royal LePage BurloakReal Estate Services°


26. Peter Racco*Royal LePage BurloakReal Estate Services°


27. Theodore Babiak*Toronto, ON

(866) 335-1900

70. Susan TaylorMississauga, ON(888) 828-0422

71. André DussaultRoyal LePage Inter-QuébecSte-Foy, QC

(418) 653-0488

72. Glen MacAngus*Royal LePage Top

Producers Real EstateWinnipeg, MB

(866) 989-6900

73. Gizella DavisRoyal LePage


(888) 384-4557

73. Blair MackeyOakville, ON

(888) 645-4267

74. John Hripko*Royal LePage

Foothills Real EstateServices

Calgary, AB(888) 741-5741

75. Margorie Grime*Royal LePage RCR

Realty°Orangeville, ON(905) 450-3355

76. ChristineSimpson*

Toronto, ON(888) 336-1871

77. Paul Richardson*Royal LePage

ProAlliance Realty°Belleville, ON

(866) 418-8884

78. Brigitte I.Burdman

Royal LePageHeritage

Montreal, QC(514) 934-1818

79. Robin St. JeanRoyal LePage State

Realty°Ancaster, ON

(877) 648-4451

80. Jeanette SchmidtRoyal LePage Scharf Realty°Waterloo, ON

(866) 748-2737

81. Paul McCunnRoyal LePage


(877) 837-8885

82. Morley Forsyth*Toronto, ON

(800) 622-9536

97. Bernice Bartlett*Royal LePage Team Realty°Kanata, ON

(888) 757-7155

98. Lynne DicaireRoyal LePage


(888) 830-8757

99. Marc BonenfantRoyal LePage Inter-QuébecQuébec, QC

(418) 653-0488

100. Rick SharmaRoyal LePage State Realty°

Stoney Creek, ON(877) 574-7441

101. Anne ChiltonRoyal LePage FirstContact Realty°

Barrie, ON(877) 728-4067

102. RomanGrocholsky

Royal LePage NiagaraR.E. Centre°Welland, ON

(866) 999-9497

103. Joseph BrazeauRoyal LePageMeadowtowne

Realty°Milton, ON

(800) 514-3316

104. Paula Mitchell*Royal LePage CreditValley Real Estate°

Brampton, ON(800) 631-5216

105. Rob KellyRoyal LePageMeadowtowne

Realty°Mississauga, ON(866) 821-3200

106. Ken MorrisRoyal LePage

IntegrityCochrane, AB

(888) 384-4557

107. Nutan BrownRoyal LePage West

Realty Group°Toronto, ON

(800) 515-9783

108 Deborah NewtonRoyal LePage Groupe

NewtonMontreal, QC

(514) 481-0241

109. Elaine TaggartRoyal LePage Team

Realty°Ottawa, ON

(800) 307-1545

110. Peter PobojewskiRoyal LePage

Kingsbury Realty°Mississauga, ON(866) 754-2121

125. Michael WillmottRoyal LePage

KelownaKelowna, BC

(800) 421-3214

126. Mary Ann Keary*Royal LePage

ProAlliance Realty°Brockville, ON(866) 345-3664

127. Isaac Phillips*Royal LePage State Realty°Hamilton, ON

(877) 574-4601

128. Nancy O’DeaRoyal LePage


(877) 757-7386

129. Debi AllewayRoyal LePage


(888) 954-4100

129. Art DiversRoyal LePage YourCommunity Realty°

Unionville, ON(905) 940-4180

130. Dionis PadronRoyal LePage

Meadowtowne Realty°Mississauga, ON(866) 821-3200

131. Adele LongoRoyal LePage YourCommunity Realty°Richmond Hill, ON(905) 731-2000

132. Ben GauerRoyal LePage

Coronation ParkSurrey, BC

(888) 649-4299

133. Paul Delaney*Royal LePage YourCommunity Realty°

Toronto, ON(416) 213-5736

Heather Heaps*Toronto, ON

(416) 424-4900

Don McKay*Royal LePage Noralta

Real Estate Sherwood Park, AB

(888) 797-7653

Mary Montgomery*Royal LePage Realty Plus°

Mississauga, ON(877) 828-6550

Barbara Polson*Toronto, ON

(416) 236-1871

Michael Regan*Mississauga, ON(877) 822-6900

Joan Richter*Royal LePage

KelownaKelowna, BC

(888) 238-7653

Troy Schmidt*Royal LePage Scharf Realty°Waterloo, ON

(519) 747-2040

Karen P. Scott*Royal LePage Team Realty°Ottawa, ON

(613) 725-1171

Heather Waddell*Royal LePage Foothills

Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557

Frances Wedlake*Oakville, ON

(888) 645-4267

134. Danielle JohnsonRoyal LePage Atlantic

Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572

135. Doug PetersonRoyal LePage

ProAlliance Realty°Belleville, ON

(866) 418-8884

136. Keith SamBerenhaut

Royal LePageDynamic Real Estate

Winnipeg, MB(877) 800-5066

137. Shaheen ZarehRoyal LePage Regina

RealtyRegina, SK

(877) 359-1900

138. Joseph BuggieRoyal LePage Ram

RealtyCalgary, AB

(403) 258-0450

139. Mike RobinsonRoyal LePage Team

Realty°Kanata, ON

(888) 757-7155

140. Jillian JarvisRoyal LePage Gale

Real Estate°Manotick, ON

(800) 387-2526

141. MichelBeauchamp

Royal LePage PlusSaint-Jérôme, QC(450) 438-4646

142. Clayton OldfordRoyal LePage Gale

Real Estate°Winchester, ON(613) 774-4253

Joseph Cartaginese -Designate

Royal LePage YourCommunity Realty°

Vaughan, ON(905) 832-6656

Maureen Chan*Royal LePage

WestsideVancouver, BC(604) 261-9311

Yves de Niverville*Royal LePage


(888) 830-8757

Evelyn Froese*Royal LePage

Westside(888) 661-9311

John Gerber*Royal LePage


(416) 443-0300

1. Loretta Phinney*Mississauga, ON(877) 822-6900

Congratulations to themembers of our 2010National Chairman’s Club,professionals who havereached the top 1% of our national network ofREALTORS®. Achievementis earned based on gross

‘closed and collected’ commissions. Theseprofessionals have mastered the core values ofRoyal LePage, and are ambassadors of theRoyal LePage brand— Helping you is what wedo, continually striving in pursuit of achievingexcellence in customer service and sales.

With our sincere congratulations and bestwishes for the coming year,

Phil Soper President & Chief Executive

Royal LePage Real Estate Sevices Ltd., Brokerage, unless otherwise noted. *Denotes Lifetime National Chairman’s Club Members. °Brokerage

2010 Royal LePage National Chairman’s Club

am very surprised how manytimes in a week I am asked byagents all over North

America, “How can I generatemore leads and how can I brandmyself?” I think the reason thatthis surprises me so much isbecause of the myriad of products,services and training available tous all.

So it led me to believe that weas an industry have forgottensome of the most basic brandingopportunities that could cost verylittle to nothing. The first thingthat I ask a Realtor when I coachthem is, “What is your advertisingand branding budget?” A plan


I

I gained wisdom.

I gained a friend.

I built my business.

I became a hero.

I grew my network.

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By Terry LeClair

‘Boots on the bricks’ or ‘pay to play’cannot be executed unless youhave a clear picture on how manyresources are available to createan impact. Unfortunately, mostagents have very little to spend onmarketing, advertising and creat-ing a personal brand impression.

I tell my agents that they havetwo choices. They can “pay toplay” or put their “boots to thebricks”. What I mean by this is, ifyou want to create an impact inyour market, the only two waysare to buy your way in throughprint advertising, billboards, busbenches, expensive mailings, fly-ers and farm campaigns, or, if youhave little to no availableresources, you must hit the streetsand put in some sweat equity.

It does not have to be that dif-ficult. The first and most effectiveway to put your boots on thebricks is to have your pocketsfilled with business cards at alltimes. It saddens me to say that Icould write an entire article oncreating a great business card, but

here are the basics:• You need a large, clear, cur-

rent photo. • You need your email and

web addresses clearly indicated. • You should always have a

toll-free phone number and ofcourse you need to incorporateyour provincial licensing require-ments.

• Always use the back of yourcard for additional information,slogans or marketing opportuni-ties.

Once you are equipped withyour wonderful business card,DON’T BE AFRAID TO USEIT! I ask agents on a regular basishow many times a day or weekdoes money, a credit card or theirdebit card come out of their purseor wallet and I always hear 10, 20,30 times. Well, if that is not yournumber one and cheapest way toengage with someone and create abrand impression, then what is?

If you are at the grocery store,

thank the grocery clerk with sin-cerity and hand them your busi-ness card and say, “If I can everhelp you I would love to be of ser-vice, here is my card.” You willundoubtedly impress them. Also,you have already differentiatedyourself from the masses. We canalso leave that little extra tipwhen dining out and thank theserver for their wonderful serviceand give them a card. Even whenyou stop at Starbucks for yourmorning coffee, give them a card.Remember where those cards willsit their entire shift. They willprobably remain right on top ofthe cash drawer for every otheremployee and customer to see allday long. Not only that, youbecome known as “the real estateagent” who leaves a great tip,always says thank you, and who isalways polite. I honestly cannottell you how many deals I haveaccumulated from this one simpleexercise. You have created a last-ing impression that is far better

than any bus bench or billboardcould create.

We must never be too “chick-en” or too embarrassed to do this.A lot of you may think it will looksilly, some of you (believe it ornot) may even be embarrassedabout your profession, and somejust think it’s tacky or annoying. Iam writing to help you stop being“goobers” and start handing outcards to everyone every time someform of money comes out of yourwallet. It will pay you your bestROI of all your advertising ormarketing strategies.

So bottom line: if you can’tpay to play, you sure as heck betterbe prepared to put those boots onthe bricks!

Terry LeClair is the CEO andfounder of RealtySites PLUS, a suitof software and online tools that werebuilt by Realtors for Realtors.www.Real tySi tesPLUS.com.

REM

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ere are notes from somerecent court cases.

To many purchasers,it’s important to get a court orderthat the vendor specifically per-form the sale – damages as the nor-mal recovery in an action is thesecond-best outcome.

The owners of property on anisland rented part of it to a tenant.The owners agreed in writing tosell the property to the plaintiffs.When the owners tried to have thetenant vacate, the latter refused,sued the owners and put aCertificate of Pending Litigation(CPL) on title to tie up the land.

The plaintiffs (purchasers)then also sued for specific perfor-mance of the contract to sell tothem.

The British Columbia Courtordered specific performancedespite the CPL. That was becausethe owners sued the tenant andobtained an order that the tenantvacate. The fact that the owners asvendors did not remove the CPLwas not an impediment becausethe tenant’s requirement to vacate(by court order) would no longer“support the registration” the own-ers refused to remove off title.Even damage done by the tenantcould not prevent the suitability ofthe owners performing the sale.

Obviously, the owners wereinfluenced by the property’sincrease in value. The court foundthat it would be a hardship to theplaintiffs if they did not obtain thisproperty. The property was“unique” (a key to specific perfor-mance), because it had waterfrontfor lots to be designated and resi-dences built. It was also zoned


H

Specific performanceLEGAL ISSUES

By Donald H. Lapowich

commercial and residential and noother property on the island wouldallow purchasers to build homesand operate a restaurant.

� � �

The Ontario Court has upheldthe right of the lender to sell amortgaged property and excludethe borrower from title and posses-sion.

A mortgage company took pos-session under a mortgage when theborrower defaulted on maturity.The property was leased with anoption to purchase.

Once the option to purchasewas exercised, the court held that asale defeated the borrower’s rightto redeem the property.

� � �

In Ontario, mediation and set-tlements resulting from mediationare privileged and without preju-dice in order to encourage settle-ments. They are also protectedfrom public disclosure, and theOntario Court of Appeal has con-firmed this. The public interest incompelling or encouraging settle-ments overrode the public interestin “transparency”. This is a veryimportant case with regard toactions involving real estate agentsand brokers, and vendors and pur-chasers, that go to mediation andresult in a resolution. Mediated res-olutions save the public the enor-mous costs of a trial (a publiccourtroom, a judge, officers of thecourt and a jury if applicable).

It also saves enormous costs tothe parties litigating. As a lawyer,I recognize and most lawyers wouldagree that the full-blown process ofadversarial trial is very expensive.The expense of your own lawyer,and should you lose the case, theexpense of paying the other side’slawyer could completely cripple anon-insured party, or individuals orcorporations of limited financialmeans.

Donald Lapowich, Q.C. is apartner at the law firm of Koskie,Minsky in Toronto, where he prac-tices civil litigation, with a particularemphasis on real estate litigation andmediation, acting for builders, realestate agents and lawyers. REM

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Setting

THE STANDARD!

o be green, or not to begreen? That is the ques-tion! The answer my

friends, is not blowing in the wind,as many residents of rural Canadaand elsewhere around the worldare finding out – the hard way – byliving next to giant industrial windturbines (400 to 500 feet tall andgrowing).

How does this relate to ‘tax’you ask? Well, it’s a little off thetopic of some of my previouscolumns that relate to individualtax matters, but I can say itimpacts us all in that our govern-ments are spending hundreds of


T

O P I N I O N

By Michel Chevalier

The case against industrial wind turbinesmillions of our tax dollars fundingmostly multinational corporationsin the construction of industrialwind farms. The huge cost associ-ated with wind farm developmentis a major reason for the projectedhuge increases in electricity costsin my home province of Ontario.

I live in rural AmaranthTownship just north ofOrangeville, Ont. In this townshipwe already have 20 or 30 industri-al wind turbines scattered on farmsin the northern portion of thetownship and many more justacross the town line inMelancthon. We have directknowledge of and contact withpeople who have been driven fromtheir homes; who suffer from someof the extremely debilitatinghealth effects caused by audible,inaudible and low frequency noise;and from the strobe-like effects ofsunlight flicker from the blades.There are people who can’t selltheir homes and are forced to rent

other living accommodation; andpeople who sell their homes to thewind energy companies at muchreduced prices and then are‘gagged’ from talking about any ofthe negative health effects.

Most of us used to think thatgreen is good, and that wind ener-gy is renewable and green so it’sgood, without doing any researchand with limited knowledge. Lastfall we were made aware of a pro-posed project planned almost nextdoor to us. One of the turbines, iferected, will be less than a kilome-tre away. This is legal, as the min-imum setback in Ontario has beenlegislated to 550 m. Legal does notmake it right and it does not makeit healthy; and yes we are NIMBYsbut, as we learned, with far morereason than simple esthetics.

What we discovered, alongwith our friends and neighbours,was absolutely shocking to all ofus. In spite of several years ofmounting evidence pointing toserious problems with industrialwind energy installations in terms of health, property values,water quality, wildlife, and agricul-tural land degradation, theGovernment of Ontario continuesto pursue, at breakneck speed, theapproval and development ofthese projects – to the huge detri-ment of many of its rural citizens.

While Ontario is not alone, itis the most aggressive jurisdiction.Similar situations have arisen inNew Brunswick, Nova Scotia,Quebec and Alberta as well as allover the U.S. and in other coun-tries. The countries that have themost experience with industrialwind power generation are finallystarting to pull back and re-evalu-ate. Denmark now only allowsnew wind turbine installations inthe ocean. France is reversingcourse by drastically cutting fund-ing to wind energy companies, asis Spain and one of the provincialgovernments in Australia; andthere are indications that Japanwill be slowing down and re-eval-uating as well. We’re not there yetin Ontario and the otherprovinces. Some of our politicianshave painted themselves into a‘green’ corner that ain’t so green.

I’m writing this column to

inform real estate agents acrossCanada and if needed to provideinformation, contacts andresources. Agents and brokerswhose business lies mainly intowns and cities are most likelygenerally in favour of wind energy,as were most of us and most peopleinitially. Everyone needs to be bet-ter informed about this subject. Itis becoming extremely political inmany jurisdictions as a stronggroundswell of opposition contin-ues to grow and it would be ashame to have an uninformedrural/urban split on the issue.

Wind energy per se is not bad.Forging ahead and consciouslyignoring mounting negative evi-dence is seriously irresponsible. As

a society we need to direct ourgovernments to take a “precau-tionary” pause to re-evaluate howindustrial wind energy can best fitinto energy policy in terms ofwhere wind farms are sited andhow much of a contribution and atwhat cost wind will make to over-all energy generation.

Here are links to websites thatprovide a tremendous amount ofinformation about industrial windenergy and will serve to open thewindow on what is happening inCanada, the U.S. and around theworld. I encourage you and/or yourclients to make use of the contactsand resources. I am happy toexchange experiences and infor-mation and/or to dialogue on thecomments section at www.remon-line.com.

Wind Concerns Ontario(http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com) is a coalition of some54 local community action groups

that have come together toexchange information and helpeach other in the push to call amoratorium on further develop-ment until further studies havebeen completed and guidelinesestablished.

The Society for WindVigilance (http://windvigilance.com/page002.aspx) is an interna-tional federation of physicians,engineers and other professionalsthat promotes the development ofsafe and authoritative industrialwind turbine guidelines.

WCORHE (www.wcorhe.org/)is the local group I am with and isan example of a small communitygroup coming together.

There are two extremely

important legal challenges soon tobe heard in Ontario. The IanHanna case will be heard fromJanuary 24 - 26, and the Kent-Breeze Appeal from February 1 forat least seven days. You will findlinks and information about bothat Wind Concerns Ontario.

Michel Chevalier, a newly mint-ed wind activist, has many years ofbusiness experience combining over20 years managing multiple tradeassociations representing severaldozen industries, building his ownsmall business from the ground upand more recently as a consultantspecializing in helping individuals andsmall business significantly reducetaxes by implementing legal businessstrategies. He also represents clientsin audit and other difficult situationswith Canada Revenue Agency(CRA). Email: [email protected]; www.taxaction.net

REM

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Legal does not make it rightand it does not make it healthy;and yes we are NIMBYs but, as we learned, with far more reason than simple esthetics.

ecause you should be on orabout to take a wintervacation, this month’s col-

umn is all Travels with Marty.Here’s an early excerpt from mydiary just to set the tone: “I wasfrantic, unable to find Gate 8D atthe Calgary Airport returning fromHalifax via WestJet. Turned out8D is my seat number. To calmdown, I joined the breakfast lotteryat the Departure Gate TimHortons – order, pay and theneventually take something no oneelse seems to want.”

You may not remember thefamous baseball double play com-bination “Tinkers to Evers to


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METES & BOUNDS

By Marty Douglas

Leadership, the economy and RegisChance” but it has a certain ring toit and I was reminded of the phraseas I summarized my travel experi-ences last fall – Beijing to Halifaxto New Orleans.

All for you, dear reader.I have no tales of misadven-

ture, of cancelled or missed flights,unexpected overnight stays in theBates Motel, hotel rooms with nobeds or closets disguised as hotelrooms. The only surprise I got wasthe extra baggage charge of $56 atContinental’s check-in. I hadhoped this would guarantee thebags would arrive in New Orleanson the same flight as I but, alas, itwas not to be. The baggage charge,now at a Canadian airline nearyou, explains the crisis in carry-onluggage – there’s so much less roomin the overhead bins they tell youhow to stack them.

If you go to NAR – inAnaheim (Disneyland) in 2011– and take your spouse, get thefull partner registration. Thefour free tour tickets, entertain-ment passes and full access to theExpo your partner will get make

it worthwhile.We walked Bourbon Street on

our first night – it hasn’t tameddown any. Signs offer“T…(euphemism for breasts) &Whiskey” in one bar while acrossthe street the lure is “All you candrink in 24 hours for $20”. Sinceyou can drink anything, anywhereat anytime in New Orleans as longas it’s in a plastic container, andwith the Canadian dollar at par,this is a deal. Little known fact:only three cities in the USA allowopen consumption – Las Vegas,New Orleans and I wonder whatgoes on in Savannah Georgia?

My first convention session wasEconomic Issues and ResidentialReal Estate Trends with NAR’schief economist Lawrence Yun anda member of the U.S. FederalOpen Market Committee namedHoenig. The presentation dwelledon the necessary corrections to theU.S. mortgage/housing crisis. Itwas positive in a cautious way, thepoint being made that the housingsubsidies of the last several yearshad emptied the “pipeline” of

home buyers prematurely. Thereare 30 million more people in theU.S. in 2010 than in 2000 and yetthe same number of house sales.Forecasting to 2014, Yun predictedgradual increases in house prices.Following that premise, if there isgoing to be inflation, with recordlow interest rates, now is the timeto buy!

Lunch at Mulate’s – all Cajunfood all the time – a little alligatorsir? Being from B.C., I asked thewaitress whether the gator waswild or farmed. By the way, it’sfarmed. We walked to JacksonSquare and caught a mid-after-noon jazz combo enjoying the sun-light.

The next day my session wasWhat’s Changing in Real Estate?with HGTV’s Mike Aubrey, whosays, “I don’t want to sell you ahouse; I want to sell you everyhouse!” A Realtor from Flint,Mich. announced that four ofevery five listings in their firm were“under water” – have higher debtthan value. While Michigan hashad 10 years of declining job num-

bers, Washington D.C. as had adecade of gains. The status quo injobs in the U.S. is 100,000 newjobs per month. To return to arobust economy they need400,000. Unemployment is cur-rently the worst since 1982.

Seven Leadership Styles withJack O’Connor left me feelinginadequate but I had enough egoto rationalize and move on. I didpick up this gem question for a ten-ant wondering whether to buy orkeep renting. “Has your rent evergone down?” “No.” “Then buynow and lock in your rent for fiveto 10 years.”

The best session of the day wasWhat Just Happened? with formerCNN talking heads TuckerCarlson and Paul Begala analyzingthe just concluded mid-term elec-tions. They affirmed that ChrisChristie, the New Jersey governor,will be the next GOP nominee forpresident because “America islooking for a psycho with a bull-whip in one hand and amicrowaved burrito in the other.”He will be the candidate of choice

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REM FEBRUARY 2011 37

for those Republicans who thinkthe Flintstones is a documentary.

If you’re a Letterman fan, youknow an almost nightly joke is theorange colour of Speaker JohnBoehner’s tan. Paul Bagala’s com-ment, “If you can’t attack a man forthe colour of his skin, what kind ofAmerica are we living in?” broughtthe house down.

The House of Blues, EarthWind and Fire and Regis Philbinall featured in the NAR entertain-ment package. However, myfavourite remains the Sundaystreet theatre entertainers inJackson Square. AmericanDragonmaster has been performingtheir brand of acrobatics andhumour to outdoor audiences inthe square abutting the Mississippifor 20 years and they still knock meout. Next door they were filming aCapital One What’s in your wallet?commercial at the iconic Café duMonde.

On the NAR trade show floor Ivisited about 20 booths selling mecomputer-generated hand-writtennotes to entire room suites thatcome in a box. All the usual tech-nology suspects were there alongwith some of the old.

NAR is a valuable conferenceon so many levels and I urge you toconsider it from time to time in

your real estate career. Most educa-tional sessions are second to none,particularly those that give insightinto the U.S. economy and hous-ing market. Political and industryissues and the trade show (NARcalls it Expo) frequently give usvaluable glimpses of the future inCanada.

On the last day we venturedinto the Louisiana swamps on anairboat tour complete with a petalligator named – what else – Elvisand a bowie-knife-wielding Cajunguide whose dialogue was deliveredwith patois charm: “Everytin’ yuhsee in de swamp – tastes lak chick-en.”

Bet he’d never survive aTimmy’s drive thru.

You can follow Marty Douglason Twitter 40yrsrealestate or onLinkedIn and on Facebook. He is amanaging broker for Coast RealtyGroup (Comox Valley) Ltd., withoffices on Vancouver Island and theSunshine Coast of B.C. Marty is apast chair of the Real Estate Errorsand Omissions Corporation of B.C.,the Real Estate Council of B.C. andthe B.C. Real Estate Association.He’s a current director of theVancouver Island Real Estate [email protected]; 1-800-715-3999. REM

REA and local real estateboards are putting theindustry at a competitive

disadvantage and stifling creativ-ity because of rules and regula-tions regarding Realtor.ca andthe display of listing data, saysMichael Polzler, executive VPand regional director of Re/MaxOntario - Atlantic Canada.

In a full-page ad in REM’sJanuary issue, Polzler said theRealtor.ca website is “antiquatedand difficult to manoeuvre” andthat “the system, as it stands, is farfrom fair and equitable.”

He says third-party, for-profitindustries that compete withRealtor.ca, local boards and realestate company websites areestablishing a foothold, and that“while the tech-savvy U.S. mar-ket grows in leaps and bounds,Canada is slowly dropping off the

radar of the progressive new realestate world. Our closed systemhas stifled creativity.”

Re/Max has been workingwith Century 21 and RoyalLePage for some time to create“an open environment throughthe co-operative advertising ofeach others listings, with the ulti-mate goal of allowing any mem-ber of organized real estate to par-ticipate in the data share.Obviously, our preference wouldbe to reach an agreement onshared listings with CREA, localboards and associations, but thatremains ever elusive, despite ourbest efforts,” Polzler says.

The ad appears in the Januaryissue of REM, but only in Ontarioand Atlantic Canada. The ad canbe viewed as the last page of theJanuary Virtual REM atwww.remonline.com. REM

CREA ‘stifling creativity’ says PolzlerC


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ive companies that supplyproducts to the real estateindustry have banded

together to make trade shows abetter and more productive placefor Canadian Realtors.

RevMagic (Real EstateVendors Marketing AllianceGroup In Canada) is the brainchild of Colour Tech MarketingInc. president Bob Campbell,who has been around the tradeshow scene for 20 years. Last yearalone, he attended 43 tradeshows, ranging from the TorontoReal Estate Board’s (TREB)show, which attracted 4,000 to6,000 people, to one in OwenSound, Ont., which 125 peopleattended.

“I believe you have to be infront of people and create rela-tionships,” he says.

To make the most of tradeshows, Campbell called the pres-idents of four Canadian ownedand operated companies. Aftermeetings with Lorne Wallace of

RevMagic aims to improve trade showsF Lone Wolf Real Estate

Technologies, Danny Brown ofMarket Connections, JimTrainor of Agent’s EquityCommissions and Bob Fife of

Signs in the Making, RevMagicwas born.

The companies, which pro-vide personal marketing printmaterials, software, newsletters,

advance commissions and sup-port materials, have attendednumerous trade shows organizedby franchises, associations andboards. They know what worksat these shows and what doesn’t,and they plan to work with showorganizers to make sure it’s awin-win proposition for bothattendees and show exhibitors.

RevMagic companies havecreated a code of ethics in whichthey vow to conduct businesswith honesty and integrity, towork together to support eachother and to improve the state ofaffairs for exhibitors by increas-ing traffic – and that will in turncreate a better show for agents.

Five well-known companies that serve Canada’s real estate industryhave formed RevMagic. Front row: Bob and Margaret Campbell,Colour Tech Marketing. Back row, from left: Jim Trainor, Agent’sEquity Commissions; Danny Brown, Market Connections; LorneWallace, Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies; Michael Trainor, Agent’sEquity Commissions; and Bob Fife, Signs in the Making.

When they see the RevMagicname and logo, Realtors willknow the companies adhere to acode of ethics and have credibil-ity in the business. “Realtors willknow they’re doing business withcompanies that have beenaround for awhile. Companiescome and go, but we’ve all beenin business for a long time, 123years combined,” Campbell says.

Another benefit for Realtorsis that each RevMagic memberwill give out discount couponsand offer other specials.

“We have already talked toTREB and will have our boothsin a row at their spring show,”Campbell says. “We’ll be easy tofind.”

The five presidents will act asdirectors of the organization, andRevMagic is planning to growwith the addition of members, aswell as associate members suchas CREA and OREA.

For more information, visitwww.revmagic.ca. REM

“Opening the gates to higher sindustry tandards”

Nightmare neighbours make sales challengingBy Toby Welch

house in Etobicoke, Ont.,just west of Toronto, is agreat example of how a

neighbour’s house can reflect nega-tively on the attempted sale of ahome.

The home, which the residentshave dubbed “The Haunted Houseof Stavely Crescent”, is a night-mare for people who live around it.The windows are black with whatpeople guess is mould. Half of theshingles are gone from the roof.The garbage stench is overpower-ing; one neighbour describes thesmell as rotting meat. The grassand thistle-laden weeds cast shad-ows on people who walk by.

This house has been an on-going problem for years for arearesidents. Imagine being theRealtor trying to sell the housenext door.

Susan Asquith, a broker withBosley Real Estate in Toronto, tellsus what she would do to deal withneighbour issues. “If I was listing aproperty and thought the neigh-bours may pose a problem, becauseof pets or disrepair, I would speak tothe City of Toronto’s PropertyStandards department if it was aserious issue. It’s not a good way tomake friends though, and the citytakes their time enforcing these by-laws but they will eventually takecare of the problem in most areas.When offering for a buyer on sucha property, we would likely consid-


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er the problem in our offeringprice. However, many buyerswould be hesitant to offer at all ifthe problem was severe.”

One Calgary seller was aggra-vated with a neighbour who hungher clothes, rugs and bedding overthe fence on their shared propertyline. The seller talked with theoffending neighbour but thewoman forcefully declared that it isher fence, too. The seller checkedwith by-law officers and was toldthere are no by-laws dealing with

laundry issues such as this one. Theseller shudders when potentialbuyers come for showings and car-pets and undies are hanging on thefence.

Dale Machin, associate brokerof Cape Breton-Canso Realty inSt. Peter’s, Cape Breton in NovaScotia, admits that in his 15 years

of real estate business in CapeBreton he’s never dealt with thisissue. But he says, “I have a respon-sibility to my buyer client to makehim aware of real and potentialissues with neighbours. I believemost of my buyer clients tend toget a feel of the situation from theneighbour before making an offer.If they don’t like the ‘vibes’ comingfrom that, it should be a factorwhen deciding whether or not tomake an offer. If I am representingthe seller in a situation with prob-

lems, I guess I would speak with theseller to see if he could do anythingto alleviate the situation. Thiscould work if the seller realizes thatany offers he receives are likely tobe less financially attractive ifthere is a known issue with theneighbour or the condition of theneighbour’s property. I am not sell-

ing the neighbour or the neigh-bour’s property but it could impactupon the success of my sellerclient, so it could be very impor-tant to all concerned.”

The most common neighbourcomplaints are fences, trees, tallweeds and grass, kids, pets, noise,old cars, piles of junk and garbage.Curb appeal plays a much greaterrole in today’s buyer’s market andthe condition of nearby homes canfactor into the appraisal value of ahome. In the U.S., the NationalAssociation of Realtors estimatesthat an eyesore house in a neigh-bourhood shaves about 10 per centoff the value off a nearby listing.We don’t have a similar statisticavailable in Canada but you knowfrom experience that selling pricesare affected.

What can a seller do if theyhave issues with neighbours thatare affecting the sale of theirhome? Most important, theyshould not assume that the offend-ing neighbour is even aware thathis or her behaviour is affecting thesellers. Encourage them to have acivil conversation about the con-cerns. In many cases, the neigh-bour will be accommodating. Ifyour client is hesitant to go talk tothe neighbour, you may want tooffer to go along.

If your client isn’t keen on thisidea, offer to discuss things withthe neighbour yourself. The

offenders might take the news bet-ter from a third party anyway.

Another option is for you andyour client to offer to help with theissue. If the yard is junky, see if theneighbour will let your client takea bunch of trash to the dump. Orsee if your client is willing to rent abig trash bin and put flyers in themailboxes of everyone on theblock, offering to take away theirtrash for no charge. The neighbourwon’t feel so targeted with that tac-tic and would be smart to takeadvantage of it. Think of it as a neighbourhood improvement project.

If the offending issue is an over-grown yard, your client could offertheir sweat equity to yank weedsand mow the grass or pay some ofthe cost involved with a companycoming to do it.

Make sure your client is clearthat they cannot do any cleanupswithout the homeowner’s permis-sion. That is trespassing and therecould be legal repercussions.

If none of this works, contact-ing the appropriate authorities isthe next step. Getting successfulresults may be time consuming andfrustrating but it is another optionfor your clients.

Sometimes no matter howmuch your client does to maketheir house look great and sellable,the house next door can drag downthe curb appeal and value. REM

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n my last article, where Italked about putting people’sphotos into the ads, I men-

tioned the ad with the headline:Ron and Janet recall the many fam-ily barbecues and get-togethersenjoyed on this patio. Here is thephoto that was used. Remember,this was the main photo, not theusual front of the house shot.How much more emotive is this?And, how easy for the prospec-tive buyer to visualize themselvesin that picture?

That ad also brings up anotherpowerful element you can use inyour ads to “humanize” and per-sonalize the ads and the propertiesfor sale – people’s names.

When you use the sellers’ firstor last names (with their permis-sion, of course), it immediately cre-ates a picture, that real peopleactually live in and love the prop-erty. Isn’t that what buying a home,then living in it, is all about?

Use people’s names in your adsTip 5 of the top 10 tips for writing great real estate ads

By Ian Grace

I

The O’Neales are moving wasthe headline from another success-ful ad campaign, with the mainphoto showing the O’Neales withtheir suitcases packed, then lead-ing into the story about how muchthey have enjoyed living in thehome, the neighbourhood and thesurrounding area and everything ithad to offer. The inference, ofcourse, is that the buyer of thehome can look forward to the sameenjoyment.

Another property that hadbeen on the market for fivemonths was sold in two weeks witha new advertising campaign. Theheadline: Tony and Gai will missthe garden, with the photo (yes,you guessed it) showing them sit-ting relaxed in their garden, withthe wording talking about howmuch they have enjoyed it. Thepotential buyer can visualize them-selves relaxing there in exactly thesame way, once they have pur-chased the property and are livingthere.

When you use your name inthe ad, make sure it is in full andput one powerful little word aheadof it – that word is “me”. Say,“Phone me, John Smith at....”

The minute you do that it

changes the communication.“Phone John Smith at...” is a direc-tion, not an invitation. “Phoneme, John Smith at....” is an invita-tion that says, “I have viewed theproperty, I have written the ad, Iam talking directly to you and I aminviting you to phone me.”

You probably realize by nowthat powerful advertising is a directpersonal communication and thereaders feel as if you’re talkingdirectly to them when they readthe ad.

Most real estate advertising isimpersonal, merely talking aboutthe thing for sale – in this case,the property. Powerful advertis-ing first establishes WHO thebest possible prospect is, whowill see the most value in theproperty for them and who willtherefore pay the highest price.Powerful advertising then talksdirectly to that audience, show-ing them and telling them whatthey will be able to DO as adirect result of their purchase –living there!

Don’t miss my next article,where we will talk about some-thing that is vitally important –using a media mix advertising cam-paign together and understanding

the synergistic effect of getting allyour media to work with and com-plement each other, rather thanviewing them in isolation –- pow-erful stuff!

Becoming the “advertisingexpert” in your area will guaranteewinning more listings, generatingwalk-in listings and continuallypicking up expireds and FSBOS.John McKenna, a PennsylvaniaRealtor, has not missed one listingin over 2-1/2 years since embracingthis advertising system. Hear his

story on the homepage of my web-site at www.iangrace.com.

Known internationally as “Mr.Real Estate Advertising”, Australianborn Ian Grace is acknowledged asone of the world’s leading authoritieson real estate advertising. Since 1994,he has delivered his programs through-out Australia, New Zealand, U.S.A,Canada and the U.K. His articlesabout real estate advertising have beenpublished around the world.www.iangrace.com REM

Using photos of real people in the home helps “humanize” the property.

“Family: A social unit where thefather is concerned with parkingspace, the children with outer spaceand the mother with closet space:”

– Evan Esar, Author

n the past several years sinceI’ve had the pleasure of writ-ing this column of my

thoughts, feelings and sometimesventing, at this time of year I turnto my “reaching out and touchsomebody” series.

I searched my brain to thinkof someone to write about. ThenI saw an article from the New YorkTimes called Love – Good mar-riages do not neglect the individualby T Parker-Pope.

It was about spouses and/orsignificant others relating to oneanother. It went on to say thatthe more we share with eachother, the more we grow and themore we respect each other.When I told my wife Audreyabout this article, she said, “Whynot write about the importance ofhow in the best marriages, the

individual grows?What does this concept have

to do with our profession?A great marriage will enable

the spouse who is in real estate tounderstand and comprehend thecraziness of our industry. We workat bizarre hours at times.Sometimes we leave our homesearly in the morning and arrivehome late at night, missing manydinners with family. Weekendsalso demand our time away fromfamily and family outings.

A spouse who is in anotherline of work will be able to under-stand the nuances of our businessif each spouse communicates thevarious pressures and problemswith each others’ business. A

closer relationship will developand if so, both parties will growand appreciate the various sacri-fices made. This also works whenone spouse is the “householdengineer” who labours daily withthe endless chores at home.

When I was active selling, Idid not come to appreciate allthat my spouse was involvedwith daily. And it had its reper-cussions unfortunately for allconcerned.

So, I take my hat off to all thespouses/significant others, who dogrow with us and appreciate ourefforts as we should appreciatetheirs.

At our offices we stress thatagents should take days off with

family and plan family vacationson a regular basis.

Bishop Desmond Tutu, in hisbook about families, said it all:“You don’t choose your family.They are God’s gift to you, as youare to them.”

I humbly ask of all my readersto take this article to heart andpractice it daily. May 2011 seeyou and your family grow strongertogether.

Stan Albert, broker/manager,ABR, ASA at Re/Max Premier inVaughan, Ont. can be reached forconsultation at [email protected] is now celebrating 40 years asan active real estate professional.

REM

AS I SEE IT FROM MY DESK

By Stan Albert

Reach out and touch somebody #7

I


What’s

New

What’s

NewAccessEasyFundsacquires RealCashBancorp

AccessEasyFunds Limited ofToronto, a commission advanceprovider, has acquired RealCashBancorp. As part of this acquisi-tion, Joe Caza, the founder ofRealCash Bancorp, has joined theAccessEasyFunds team.

“This acquisition reaffirms andstrengthens AccessEasyFunds’commitment to providing the bestcommission advance service at themost competitive rates,” saysArryn Greenspan, vice-presidentof AccessEasyFunds. “We are allvery excited about having Joe withhis 16 years of experience onboard.”

Lease Busters launchescommercial realestate website

Lease Busters, Canada’s largestvehicle lease take-over market-

place, has launched LeasebustersReal Estate, an online commercialreal estate site.

Jim Matthews, president andgeneral manager of Leasebusters,says, “Approximately 250,000monthly visitors browse theLeasebusters.com website. Nowwe’re offering these visitors adynamic way to access Canada’sbooming commercial real estatemarket.”

“The Canadian commercialreal estate market has long lacked acounterpart to the MLS systemthat has come to dominate the res-idential real estate marketplace,”says the company in a news release.“Leasebusters Real Estate fills thatrole while vastly simplifying theage-old process of hiring an agentto act as the middleman. Byempowering investors, Realtors,brokers, property managers, privatesellers, landowners, landlords andmore with a hands-on, DIY webportal, much of the mysteryinvolved in commercial real estatetransactions can be eliminated.”

Once posted at the LBRE web-site, Leasebusters will expose anycommercial property until it hasbeen sold or leased. Each commer-cial listing has a dedicated listingpage. Sellers can edit their listingsat any time to reflect pricechanges, incentives and changes tothe property’s description. The for-mat allows for the inclusion of webenhancements such as GoogleStreet View, several photos, featuresheet attachments and contacttools.

For information: www.lease-busters.com. REM

s the Canadian real estatemarket is expected to fol-low patterns this year sim-

ilar to last, we need to put our bestfoot forward to support and guidebuyers, especially in the secondhalf of the year when interest ratesare expected to rise.

Keeping appraised of currentgreen trends instills confidenceand trust in your clients as youopen their eyes to solutions to helpreduce ecological footprints anddefray costs associated with theirnew home or commercial property.

Water is a natural resourceoften overlooked when navigating

GREEN REAL ESTATE

By Elden Freeman


A

Water is the new oilthe hills and valleys of our envi-ronmental landscape. While watercovers more than 70 per cent ofthe earth’s surface and comprisestwo-thirds of our bodies, it is ahuge fallacy to think that there is alimitless supply. In fact, only aboutone per cent of the world’s water isdrinkable.

As Canadians, we go throughlots of it, an average of 343 litres offresh water per day per person.That’s one of the worst rates onrecord and is second only to theU.S. and more than double that ofmost Europeans.

Reduce, repair and retrofit arethe three Rs of water conservation.The typical household should beable to reduce its consumption by40 per cent without it crimping afamily’s lifestyle. Here’s how.

The bathroom is where themajority of indoor water use takesplace. Take shorter showers (fiveminutes or less) or fill the tub onlyone-quarter full. Don’t use the toi-let as a wastebasket by flushingunnecessarily. Turn the tap off

while brushing teeth. Repair faucetleaks and toilets that run afterflushing. Consider replacing oldertoilets that use up to 18 litres ofwater per flush with new ones thatonly use six. Install a low-flowshowerhead.

In the kitchen, keep a bottle orpitcher of drinking water availablein the refrigerator rather than run-ning your tap to get cold waterwhen you want a drink. Run dish-washers only when they’re full.

Front-loading clothes washersuse about 40 per cent less water perload than top-loading machines.Also, look for a washing machinewith adjustable water levels. Thiscan help control the water level forfull or small loads.

Outdoor water use, whichjumps by 50 per cent during thegrowing season, adds to your waterfootprint. Purchase sprinklers suit-ed to the size and shape of yourproperty to avoid watering side-walks and driveways. Considerinstalling timers on outdoor taps.Sprinklers that distribute water in

a flat pattern are more efficientthan oscillating sprinklers.

Think about using water thatdoesn’t come from a tap. Cisternsor rain barrels, which capture andstores rain water, are footprint-friendly alternatives.

A low-maintenance landscape– one that needs little more waterthan nature provides – is optimum.Known as xeriscaping, the princi-ples include smaller lawns and theuse of native grasses, shrubs andtrees and mulch.

If your client is buying a com-mercial or industrial property,water conservation methods arecritical because costs can escalatequickly. However, there could beeven more at risk if the workplaceuses water in its production processor for washing goods or equipment.Is this being done efficiently? Doesyour community have a water effi-ciency program that helps house-holds and businesses reduce waterusage? Is the water distribution sys-tem properly maintained so thatno pollution leaks into it and so

that no water is wasted throughleaky mains?

Environment Canada(www.ec.gc.ca) provides a wateruse calculator to assess how yourhousehold water use stacks upagainst the rest of the country.National Geographic (environ-ment.nationalgeographic.com)has a water footprint calculatorthat incorporates a broader pictureof usage, including calculationsbased on water used in your diet,airline and auto travel and howmuch you spend annually onclothing and other items.

Getting in on the green revolu-tion now will only bode well foryour practice, as clients will see youas forward thinking, smart andcompassionate. That puts you andyour client at a huge advantageand, in the end, isn’t that what it’sall about?

Elden Freeman B.A., M.E.S,broker is the founder and executivedirector of the non-profit NationalAssociation of Green Agents andBrokers (NAGAB). 416-536-7325; [email protected]. For moreinformation about NAGAB andwhat it can do for your business, visitwww.NAGAB.org. REM


ords are tricky things,and Lord knows I’vemangled my fair share

of them over the years. Mostoften that has been entirelyintentional, like when I playaround with a popular phrase(“well, that’s just water under thefridge…”) or insert a similarword for the one which shouldreally appear (“the latest diettrend is basically avoiding carps– which is great, I’m not all thatfond of fish anyway”).

Recently I’ve heard a fewwords or phrases that weren’tactually spoken out of turnintentionally. I think maybe it’sjust how those folks may haveheard them and then presumedthat interpretation to be accu-rate, like an often misunderstoodsong lyric, or anything everuttered by Bob Dylan.

For example, Dolce &Gabbana is a boutique fashionhouse for women, and men thatdon’t typically wear cowboy hatsor spit on sidewalks. Dolce &Cabana is a sweet Italian hut orshade structure. Just speculatinghere, but if you are male and eversay something like “what a sweetItalian hut or shade structureyou’ve got there”, you are likely afan of Dolce & Gabbana.

Speaking of Italy, there’s apopular greeting in that languagethat you’re likely familiar with –“Arrivederci”. If I had to makean embarrassing confession, Ionce thought that the phrasehad something to do with con-struction materials. Why elsewould anyone talk about steelconcrete reinforcement rods – arebar derrchi? If someone’s wav-ing a rebar around, you don’tneed to say farewell in any lan-guage – I can take a hint.

One misspoken medical termI heard recently actually made abit of sense. I heard a woman say

By Dan St. Yves

Wordslipsthat her brother suffered from“sleep napnea”. Maybe he does,but he might also be affected bysleep “apnea”, a disorder thatcauses afflicted individuals topause while breathing in theirsleep. Napnea might be related,but it sounds like something of asomewhat briefer nature. Or ahand cream. “Try New &Improved Napnea, to smoothout those wrinkles and dissolveliver spots!”

My favourite slip of thetongue was just the other day,when a friend was discussing atrip to the drugstore. He neededto pick up some pharmaceuti-cals, but somehow that messagecame out scrambled. He insteadremarked that he needed to pickup his “phart”-a-ceuticals. Eitherthat was a Freudian slip at amoment when he was trying toavoid doing something in mypresence, or he has health issuesI frankly don’t need to knowabout. Try Bean-o pal, it’s avail-able over the counter.

You know, mistakes aren’talways made while speaking. Inoticed a vehicle parked outsidea strip mall the other day, withlarge lettering indicating thecompany’s business – pest con-trol. However, rather than a dis-gusting graphic of a cockroach orhairy multi-legged creepycrawler, the artist had added in acute little puppy. So the compa-ny’s owner either doesn’t care toget into a filthy crawlspace androot out a black widow’s nest, orhe’s a dyslexic dogcatcher, andmeant to have “Pets Control”imprinted on the side of his van.

Slips of the tongue – theymake us smile, and after you jotdown enough of them, you canliterally fill a column with thelittle purls.

Humour columnist and authorDan St. Yves was licensed withRoyal LePage Kelowna for 11 years. Check out his website at www.nonsenseandstuff.com, or contact him [email protected]. REM

W


HarmoniousEnvironmentBy Norma LehmeierHartieLingham Press$21.95 atChapters/Indigo

Promising to “beautify, detox-ify and energize your life, yourhome and your planet,” there’s alittle bit of everything in thisbook, from interior design tips toeliminating harmful products inthe home; from healthy recipesto improving indoor air quality;and from using feng shui to

Real Estate BooksReal Estate Bookscohabitating with rocks.

“Harmonious Environmentteaches how to create a beautiful,non-toxic and natural home andworkspace; a sanctuary that willsupport, invigorate and nourish toenable the reader to flourish in allaspects of their lives – while beingkind to the environment,” saysauthor Norma Lehmeier.

The book has won several U.S.awards since it was first publishedin 2007.

Private Mortgage WealthBy Charles A.AziegbemhinRIMI Publishers$29.95

“Private mortgage investingoffers incredible financial opportu-nity for those who are ready for theadventure but it can be financiallydevastating for those who are notprepared,” says author Charles A.Aziegbemhin, the principal brokerat a large Toronto mortgage bro-kerage.

He says he decided to write thebook because a “lot of people aregrossly misinformed on the con-cept of mortgage lending. Thisbook attempts to remove the dis-connect between successfulinvesting in other assets and thefailure to achieve the same fit inprivate mortgage investment.”

The book begins by helpingyou determine your net worth andcontinues through investmentvehicles, a guide to successfulinvestments, a look at the mort-gage market and private mort-gages, due diligence, property val-uation, risk managements andmore. It also includes ways you canlose money if you’re not careful.www.privatemortgagewealth.com

Life Rich Real EstateBy Richard DolanLife Rich Corporation$24.99

“Where we live, our PLACE,will become one of the most pow-

erful influences on the happinessof the millions of Baby Boomerswho are about to retire,” saysauthor Richard Dolan. “If wehave the courage to admit it,each of us harbours a secretvision of the ultimate life wewant to live. That includesWHERE we want to life ourlife.”

Dolan’s book identifies theeconomic impact of the BabyBoomers and discusses how thatwill impact real estate, coming tothe conclusion that Boomerswant a taste of the good life, andthat they will purchase luxuryreal estate to get it – specifically,fractional real estate.

Dolan says that whether youare a real estate investor or mak-ing a decision on buying vaca-tion property yourself, “we areperfectly positioned to capitalizeon this opportunity.”

“Baby Boomers are about tomake a buying decision as impor-tant as the one they made whenthey bought their first familyhome,” he says. “For the nextphase of their life, they will focuson living a life and earning areturn on living.”

Email [email protected]

Legal, Tax & AccountingStrategies for TheCanadian Real EstateInvestorBy Steve Cohen andGeorge E. DubeWiley$39.95

Lawyer Steve Cohen andaccountant George Wiley offerspecific strategies, tips and“action steps designed to protectyour investments as they grow.”The authors say they are realestate investors themselves, and“this is important because thetax and legal rules around realestate are continually changingin Canada and the authors areup on the latest developments.”Readers can also register withtheir websites for ongoingupdates.

Topics include tax savingplans, limiting liability exposureand increasing long-term equitygrowth. The book includes aseries of checklists to help ensurereaders have all the bases cov-ered.

Available at bookstores.REM


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ant a special but down-to-earth brunch for thecoming weekend?

Filling and satisfying food, but notheavy and hard to digest? Then trythis wonderful recipe that is specialall year ‘round.

This recipe is best when it isserved fresh, hot from the pan, oreven at room temperature, but itwill keep a day in the fridge.

Check this out: if you havenever eaten chicken livers, don’tbe put off by how they look, or howthey feel. Have paper towel handy,a clean soapy dishcloth and drying

GOURMET COOKINGfor real estate professionals

By Carolyne Lederer

Ever try chicken livers?towel. This, after all, is chicken,and you don’t want to handlechicken at any time without wash-ing your hands, the counters andutensils. Handle your taps with thepaper towel, so you never transfersalmonella. It can make you verysick. Cooking kills it, but the raweffects need to be avoided.

The king’s breakfast or brunch

1/2 lb. fresh chicken livers –not frozen (buy them a day or twobefore using, ideally)

1/2 of a large Spanish onion,chopped coarsely but a little fine

10 or 12 large button mush-rooms, stems removed andchopped separately

Salt, pepper, dry thyme (notthe kind that looks like pepper)

Sweet butter2 Tablespoons Winzertanz

(white wine)

Rinse the chicken livers. I use asmall colander; drain and pat drywith paper towel. Remove any yel-

low or green bits of gall with asharp knife; you will want to leavethe chicken livers whole.

In a hot skillet, sauté choppedonion in butter, stirring until onionis translucent. Turn down heat asnecessary to prevent burning.Don’t be stingy with the butter,and cook until just barely a goldencolour and onions are fully cooked,but not mushy.

Add to onions the mushroomsthat you have cut into chunks orquarters and sautéed for only a cou-ple of minutes on high heat; youwant the mushrooms just onceover lightly. (Martha Stewartcooks mushrooms far too long!)The moisture from the onions andbutter should keep the onions fromsticking to the pan, but add a littlemore butter as necessary becauseyou must keep the pan as hot aspossible without burning.

Rest this lot in a heatproofbowl. Turn unwashed used skilletonto very high heat and add thechopped chicken livers when but-ter begins to sizzle, but not burn.You want to scorch the surface of

the livers. Don’t touch them for afew seconds. They will appear tostick to the pan, but this is all right.

Reduce heat ever so slightly,add salt and pepper, and dry thyme– just a pinch because dry thymedelivers a very powerful punch; youwant the flavour to enhance thedish, not take it over. Turn thechicken livers, one by one, individ-ually. They should still be pinkinside. They are cooked at thisstage. Do not overcook them. Thelivers should be moist and juicy.Add the chicken livers to theonions and mushrooms and stir.Keep hot. Although you mightwant to cover them, keep anycover at a slight tilt; you don’t wantto steam them. They will continueto cook in their own heat.

Deglaze the skillet withWinzertanz (the flavour of theingredients in this particular wineenhance the flavour of the dish),scraping and saving any stuck-onbits, and pour over the mixture inthe dish. Serve, piping hot withfresh toast (try cutting off thecrusts if you are using buttered

white bread toast), or use fresh ryebread, untoasted. Again, perhapscut off the crusts or even use a largecookie cutter and make bread“rounds.”

All of this preparation hastaken less than 15 minutes. It isalso great for a midnight snack. Ifguests are staying over, this brunchwill make a delightful surprise forthem.

Can be used as a hors d’ouvre ifyou chop the livers finely, after theyare cooked. If you really want tohave some fancy hors d’ouvre,process the whole recipe after it iscooked, until it forms a spreadablepate. Top with a piece of raw mush-room. Or using larger button mush-rooms with stems removed, use thepate to stuff mushrooms. Top with asprig of fresh thyme. So YUM!

Carolyne Lederer is broker ofrecord at Carolyne Realty Corp.Proudly putting her name to her workfor 29 years, she serves Burlington andBrampton, Ont. residential real estateclients. She taught gourmet cooking inthe mid 1970s. Email Carolyne [email protected] you have any questions.w w w . C a r o l y n e . c o m o rwww.MillcroftHomes.com REM

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espite efforts for manyyears by several individualsand groups, the Canadian

home inspection industry is stillvery much unregulated. BritishColumbia is the only province thathas licensed practitioners, althoughthree or four other jurisdictions areconsidering legislation.

In this unregulated sector, any-one can simply print some businesscards, buy a flashlight and clip-board, and promote themselves as ahome inspector. On top of that,some associations, training schoolsand even government agencieshave convinced thousands ofgullible people that a two-weekcourse or even a short online quizwill qualify them to earn a highincome inspecting houses for aneven more unsuspecting public.

In 2006, the CanadianAssociation of Home and PropertyInspectors (CAHPI) announcedthat after 10 years of meetings andhard work, they, along withCMHC, HRSDC, the

Certification for home inspectorsBy Bill Mullen

D Construction Sector Council andother industry partners, had suc-cessfully developed and imple-mented a national certification forCanadian home inspectors. Thegoal was to create a large group ofwell-trained, field-tested and quali-fied home inspectors on whom thepublic and others connected to ahome purchasing transaction couldrely. The program would be admin-istered by a CAHPI ‘arms-length’committee (National CertificationAuthority – NCA) that wouldprocess all inspectors fairly andobjectively.

In the years since then, morethan 500 inspectors have applied,had their backgrounds evaluated,been field tested and received theirNational Certification. However,the estimated number of homeinspectors in Canada is between5,000 and 6,000, so obviously theprogram has attracted only a verysmall percentage of the inspectorpopulation.

Since the program was created

to bring some uniformity and cred-ibility to the industry, the resultswere less than stellar – disappoint-ing those who had seen the pro-gram as an opportunity to bringmore legitimacy to the relativelynew home inspection industry. Itbecame apparent that sinceCAHPI’s membership accountedfor only about 15 per cent of thetotal number of inspectors in thecountry, non-members were notcomfortable that the NCA wouldprocess and test them objectively,despite CAHPI’s genuine assur-ances. As a result, applications fornational certification slowed to atrickle in recent years.

In early 2010, in an effort tobreathe new life into the certifica-tion program, and to address theconcerns of the industry, a new,fully independent, non-partisancertification body was established,with representation from all exist-ing associations but no affiliationwith or obligations to any, includ-ing CAHPI.

The National Home InspectorCertification Council (NHICC)was incorporated and quicklyreceived recognition, encourage-ment and support from govern-ment agencies, home inspectionassociations and other stakehold-ers. The NHICC is a certifyingbody only, and is not an associa-tion, so it is not seen by the associ-ations as competing for members.Most organizations have their own‘certifications’ that can be comple-mented by the NationalCertification. One national group,the Professional Home andProperty Inspectors of Canada

Bill Mullen (left) with Ken Ruest of CMHC in Ottawa.

(PHPIC) based its MissionStatement on support for the NCPand they have actually adopted theNCP requirements as their own.The program also makes it possiblefor inspectors who choose to not bemembers of any association to berecognized and certified competentby an independent third party.

Home inspectors can now takecomfort knowing that their educa-tion and abilities will be compareduniformly and objectively by theNHICC to the NationalOccupational Standards forCanadian Home Inspectors.Consumers and others can beassured that despite the prolifera-tion of pseudo-professional organi-zations and groups posing as legiti-mate professional home inspectionassociations, there is ONE nation-al, strong and valid certificationthat exists to rigorously evaluateand test inspectors based on actualoccupational standards that weredeveloped through thousands ofhours of study and debate.

For more information, contactthe National Home InspectorCertification Council (NHICC) at519-383-1652 or www.national-homeinspector.org

Bill Mullen (National CertificateHolder #00001), Professional Home& Property Inspector (PHPI),Registered Home Inspector (RHI) andASHI-CHI has operated BluewaterHome Inspection in Sarnia, Ont. for18 years. He is now the director ofexternal relations for the NHICC andofficial historian of the NationalCertification Program. REM

†Royal LePage is a trademark used under license.

Royal LePage is pleased to announce theappointment of Ms. Shanan Spencer-Brownto the position of Executive Director, RoyalLePage Shelter Foundation effective January24, 2011. The Shelter Foundation isCanada’s largest public foundation dedicatedexclusively to funding women’s shelters andviolence prevention and education programs.Through our Royal LePage network theFoundation helps local shelters provide safehavens and new beginnings for more than30,000 women and children every year.

In the past 10 years, Shanan has held seniorprogram development and fundraising posi-tions in community organizations that provideprevention, education and treatment focusedon children's mental health, family violenceand child development. Her most recent position was with the Kinark Foundation,where she served as Executive Directorresponsible for fund development strategyand implementation in support of Canada's

largest community-based children's mentalhealth agency. Previously, she was theDirector of Program and Fund Developmentresponsible for all fundraising programs atthe Child Development Institute, which has asignificant focus on family violence.

Shanan holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.),Sociology and Criminology and a Master ofSocial Work, both from the University ofToronto.

It is an exciting time when we welcome anew accomplished leader to our organization.Together, we are confident that we will takethe foundation to new heights in the comingyears, significantly adding to the more than$10 million our Network has contributed, tohelp more women and children acrossCanada.

Shanan Spencer-BrownExecutive Director, Shelter Foundation

†

Email: [email protected]


Good WorksGood Workshe 16th annual RealtorsCare Blanket Drive col-lected 5,186 bags of cloth-

ing, coats and blankets for dozensof charities across the LowerMainland – its most overwhelmingresponse to date. Support for thedrive ranges from individuals tocorporations and retailers, all part-nering with local Realtors to roundup quality items.

In Coquitlam, West49 donatedall the jackets (nearly 150)received from its trade-in program.In Surrey, Terasen Gas employeesheld their own mini-campaign,collecting 69 bags of donations,and the company also donatedmoney. For the third year in a row,one of Vancouver’s largest clothingwholesalers, FX Fashion Exchange,donated dozens of boxes and bagsof brand new men’s and women’s

clothing and coats.“One of our largest charity

recipients in the Fraser Valley toldus that the donations were so gen-erous this year that they’ll haveenough warm clothing to distrib-ute to people who need it untilnext spring,” said Deanna Horn,president of the Fraser Valley RealEstate Board.

Since its inception in 1994, theBlanket Drive has collected morethan 27,000 bags of blankets,coats, winter clothing and otheritems. Donations are distributedfor free and stay within the com-munities in which they are donat-ed, or if the volumes are too large,are shared with the nearest com-munity in greatest need.

For more information, visitwww.blanketdrive.ca.

■ ■ ■

Staff in the Sutton Group -West Coast Realty office inLangley collected 29 bags stuffedfull of clothing and blankets duringthe Fraser Valley Real EstateBoard’s Blanket Drive. To helpspread the word, sales rep ChrisWelland took his musical talentsto the Willowbrook Mall. Heplayed Christmas songs andfavourite hits on his keyboard forclose to five hours, and estimatesthat several thousand peopleenjoyed the music, learned moreabout the Blanket Drive and wereoffered FVREB donation bags.

He had two volunteers whogreeted shoppers and handed outdonation bags and flyers: CarolynLindholm, one of his clients, andDonna Schwartz, an assistant atthe brokerage.

■ ■ ■

In December, 40 St. Thomas,Ont. and area Realtors from ninereal estate companies attended thesecond annual Realtor Break -Project Christmas Care social atBoston Pizza. They raised $1,385and two shopping carts of non-per-ishable food items, which werethen donated to Christmas Care, alocal charitable organization thatdistributes food hampers to fami-

lies for Christmas. Event organizerEarl Taylor says, “It’s our way ofgiving back to our community, away to help those families whoneed a helping hand over theChristmas season.”

■ ■ ■

Trees for Toys, an annual cus-tomer appreciation event orga-nized by sales reps from ColdwellBanker Peter Benninger Realty inKitchener, Ont., combines the giftsof giving and receiving. Sales repspurchased trees or wreaths for theirclients and invited them to comeand pick up their gift at an eventthat included refreshments, pic-tures with Santa, face painting andholiday movies. Clients wereencouraged to donate toys, whichwere given to the WaterlooKnights of Columbus New Toys forNeedy Kids Toy Drive and distrib-uted to children throughout theregion.

More than 1,000 guests donat-ed more than 400 toys.

■ ■ ■

For each home sold during2010, Deb Schmidt, associate bro-ker with Royal LePage PremierRealty in Yorkton, Sask., donated aturkey to the Salvation Army’s

Christmas hamper program. Tom Campbell of Stamatinos

LeLand Campbell LLP and BruceThurston of Yorkton Co-operativeAssociation joined forces withSchmidt and matched her dona-tion turkey-for-turkey, for a total of150 turkeys.

“With the flooding and dam-age that Yorkton experienced thisyear, our stocks were depleted,”says Roy Bladen of the SalvationArmy. “This was the shot in thearm we needed.” The SalvationArmy distributes 200 hampers inthe Yorkton area each year atChristmas.

■ ■ ■

Since August, real estate agentsfrom Exit Realty offices acrossOntario and volunteers from thecommunity at large have cometogether to help build a new homefor Cornwall single mom KarenMcIntosh and her children,Meagan, 15 and Matthew, 12.

McIntosh works for the UpperCanada School Board as a settle-ment outreach worker, helpingnew immigrants settle intoCanada. Matthew suffers fromglobal delay and autism and resides

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in a group home in Ottawa fromMonday to Friday. Currently thereis no facility in Cornwall that canmeet his needs. The new homeincludes a fenced yard to provide asafe and protected environment forMatthew.

■ ■ ■

Children whose lives arecaught up in the turmoil ofparental conflict sometimesdon’t get adequate nutrition.Patricia van Diepen, a Realtor atSutton Group - Preferred Realtyin London, Ont., recently pre-sented $2,780 to the Women’sCommunity House. The money

is expected to fund 2,224 mealsfor children who are staying atthe shelter with their mothers.Van Diepen organized the Lunchfor a Bunch ChristmasExtravaganza fundraiser, whichbrought together shoppers andlocal artisans for early Christmasgift buying. People also had theopportunity to bid on 22 silentauction items and buy tickets forraffle prizes and a 50/50 draw.Van Diepen enlisted the help offellow sales rep Warren Strongand her friend Marsha Bergeronto reach out to local businessesand individuals to sell theirwares and/or donate items.Broker of record Gerry Weirdonated hockey tickets and a giftcertificate to a restaurant.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage City Centre,Royal LePage Westside, andRoyal LePage Northshoreteamed up to raise funds forthree Vancouver-based charitiesat their third annual GastownGala.

Hosted for the second year byCobre Restaurant, the event fea-tured delicious appetizers andB.C. wines, as well as a silentauction. As in previous years,everything for the evening wasdonated by the businesses ofGastown and generous individu-als. More than $8,000 was raised,which will be split between KateBooth House, SAGE TransitionHouse and Dress for Success.

Good WorksContinued from page 49

Chris Welland

At the Realtor Break – Project Christmas Care event,from left – front row: Earl Taylor, Coldwell Banker atSuccess Realty, Janet Wilcox, Christmas Care. Backrow: Mary Dewar, Dewar Realty; Jerry Jeffery,Century 21 Network Realty; Nelson Conroy, RoyalLePage Triland Realty; Don Jackson, D.C. JacksonRealty; Joe Mavretic, Re/Max Centre City Realty; EdBatty, Royal LePage Landco Realty; and Jeff Gunnell,St. Thomas Town and Country Realty. Not presentwhen the photo was taken was Andy Sheridan, ElginRealty.

At the Trees for Toys event, from left: Dave Tiddand Tracey Appleton, sales reps, and Tim Ingold,broker and new homes manager, Coldwell BankerPeter Benninger Realty.

From left, Deb Schmidt, Bruce Thurston, RoyBladen and Tom Campbell are pictured with turkeysdonated to the Yorkton Salvation Army Christmashamper program.

Catherine de Vries (far left, front row) and othermembers of the Royal LePage Real Estate ServicesBrokerage pose outside their office during thePhotos with Santa event.

IF YOU CAN READ THIS YOU SHOULD BE

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†Royal LePage is a trademark used under license.

Andy Puthon, Executive Vice President, NetworkDevelopment, is pleased to announce that as ofDecember 1, 2010, Woodstock Action Realty Ltd. hasmerged operations with Royal LePage Triland Realty inWoodstock, Ontario.

In addition to this merger, Royal LePage LandcoRealty’s Woodstock and Ingersoll offices have alsojoined forces with Royal LePage Triland Realty and willnow all operate as one entity - Royal LePage TrilandRealty.

Royal LePage Triland Realty becomes the 2nd largestreal estate company in Oxford County in terms of unitsales and now has a sales force of 240 professionalsworking in London, St. Thomas, Port Stanley, Ingersoll,and Woodstock.

Peter Meyer, former manager of Royal LePage TrilandRealty recently joined Peter Hoffman as Broker/Ownerof the company, following the retirement of former co-owner Robert Breuer.

Peter began his career with Royal LePage as a salesperson in Burlington in 1989. In 1993, he moved toOakville to work in Marketing Support and later becameSales Manager. He also held management roles inHamilton/Ancaster before settling down in London andjoining Royal LePage Triland in 1998. He then expanded

the brokerage’s reach into the St. Thomas and Ingersollmarkets while establishing himself as an effectiverecruiter and trainer.

Peter has served on numerous committees at theLondon and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS®,and has served as a Director of the Woodstock Ingersolland District Real Estate Board.

Please join us in congratulating Peter and Peter, andwishing everyone at Royal LePage Triland Realty continued success.

Contacts757 Dundas Street 159 Thames Street SouthWoodstock, Ontario N4S1E8 Ingersoll, Ontario N5C3E3Office Telephone: 519.539.2070 Office Telephone: 519.485.2227 Office Fax: 519.539.4859 Office Fax: 519.485.2228Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Please join us in wishing Royal LePage Triland Realtycontinued success.

For information on the Royal LePage franchise program,please call Andy Puthon directly at (416) 510-5827.

Royal LePage Triland Realty,Brokerage—expands!Woodstock & Ingersoll, Ontario

†

Email: [email protected]

Peter Hoffman Peter Meyer


■ ■ ■

Food bank drives are a wintertradition across Canada but fewpeople deliver their donations likeRon Gray, a sales rep at SuttonGroup - West Coast Realty in PortAlberni. Using his own horse andwagon, he delivered 400 pounds ofapple juice to the town’s ShawCable office building. Throughthe Fill the Foodbank drive, ShawCable and Campbell’s Company ofCanada matched donations poundfor pound. Gray’s donation tripledto 1,200 pounds by the time itreached the Salvation ArmyFoodbank.

“My family and I just love liv-ing here in the valley. When wemoved here four years ago, we were

made to feel really welcome,” saysGray. “It was amazing how manycommunity and family events hap-pen here. I believe in giving back.All those sayings, ‘what comesaround goes around’ and ‘you reapwhat you sow’ are so true.”

Combining his love of countryliving with his real estate businesswas a natural fit for Gray. Whenhis horse isn’t delivering juice, histrusty sidekick joins him at paradesand other events where he oftenthrills children by giving them free,guided rides. As a volunteer mem-ber of the Beaufort Gang, Graystages train robberies each summerfor the tourists. This October, hehosted his first annual client appre-ciation pig roast.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage Real EstateServices in Toronto came up withan idea to benefit the ShelterFoundation, while raising aware-ness in the community. OrganizerCatherine de Vries commandeeredthe help of about 10 additionalRealtors, and together they spreadthe word about their Photos withSanta event to their clients, as wellas to the local schools. The officeopened its doors for the photoswith Santa in return for a donationto the Royal LePage ShelterFoundation. Patrons also enjoyedbaked goods prepared by volun-teers, hot chocolate and coffeedonated by a local shop.

■ ■ ■

Gord Leeson, a Realtor withRoyal LePage Wildrose RealEstate in Olds, Alta., has sub-scribed to a program called Santa’sChoice (formerly CriscoHampers), in which he makesmonthly payments throughoutthe year. Just before Christmas,boxes arrive at his doorstep.Leeson then delivers them to thelocal food bank.

“A monthly payment doesn’thurt your pocket book, and youcan help the local food bank at acritical time of the year,” saysLeeson. Each year, he presents thelocal food bank with eight largeboxes of food, valued at over$1,000.

■ ■ ■

Helping a woman and her twochildren obtain a mortgage to buytheir first home is one thing, but togather friends and family and com-pletely outfit their home is anoth-er. That’s what Dilys AnneHagerman of Mortgage Alliance inOttawa did just before Christmas.Misfortune had befallen the family,and Hagerman and her group pro-vided not only numerous wrappedgifts for under the tree, but new fur-niture, including beds, bedding,dressers, complete kitchen ware,tables, lamps, rugs, toys and books.The family’s kitchen was scrubbedclean and the food pantry wasfilled to last several weeks.

Five cars and two trailersformed a convoy to the delightedfamily’s front door. REM

From left to right at the groundbreaking of theHabitat for Humanity home in Cornwall: JudiAuger, broker, Exit Realty Seaway; MeaganMcIntosh, holding a picture of her brother MatthewMcIntosh; Karen McIntosh; and Dick Aubry, chair,Habitat Seaway Valley.

Led by Wendy McCloy and Susan Taylor, agroup of “shelter elves” at Royal LePage’s

Plantation Place branch were hard at work inDecember gathering goodies for Christmas

hampers given to residents of localMississauga Women’s Shelter, Armagh

House. The team raised more than $3,000.

Ron Gray rides his horse in local parades. In this one, his “unli-censed assistant,” daughter Skyler, rode along on her bike.

Gord Leeson, right, with the local food bank director JohnMaeers in Olds, Alta.

From left: Warren Strong, Pamela Coray(from the Women’s Community House)and Patricia van Diepen.

Right At HomeRealty in

Toronto recent-ly made its third

donation toHabitat for

Humanity, onthe way to thecompany’s goal

of giving$80,000 from

the salespeople and the company. “Next year we expect we’ll be actively involved in building a Right At Home Realty house,”

says vice-president Howard Drukarsh.

In November,Royal LePageDynamic inWinnipeg raised$700 and donateda wide selectionof previouslyloved clothing tothe local shelter,Osborne House.Organizer JoanneLesko says thisevent will be thefirst of many.

The staff atAvison

Young’sVancouver

office raised$13,961 forthe UnitedWay of the

LowerMainland. For

the pastdecade, employees across the country have contributed financially to the

United Way, as well as to several other charitable organizations.

Canada’s network of leading independent brokers

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any a team leader willfall prey to these mythsabout team building.They have cost count-

less people tens of thousands ofdollars – probably well into thetens of millions. These myths aretricks your mind plays on you.They are self-defeating beliefs andpie-in-the-sky attitudes that, if yousubscribe to them, will destroy yourbusiness before it begins.

Myth 1: My clients ONLYwant to deal with ME.

Fact 1: Your clients are notloyal to you! They are loyal to thestandards of service that you repre-sent. Time and time again it hasbeen proven that clients wantquality service and tangible results,and they do not care where thosecome from, just that they come.This desire is amplified when deal-ing with arguably people’s largestasset, their real estate portfolio.


M

Re/Max of Western Canada 28thAnnual ConferenceFeb. 3 - 5Vancouver Convention andExhibition Centre, Vancouverwww.remax-western.ca/evolution/

Royal LePage Eastern CanadaConferenceFeb. 4 – 5MonctonShayne Trites – [email protected]

La Capitale Real Estate NetworkNational Performance GalaSaturday, Feb. 5Sheraton Centre, [email protected]

Fraser Valley Real Estate BoardConference and Trade ShowFeb. 9 -11Langley, B.C.1-877-286-5685

Century 21 Kickoff 2011Monday, Feb. 28Palais des congres de [email protected]

Century 21 Kickoff 2011Thursday, March 3Toronto Congress Centre, [email protected]

New Brunswick Real EstateAssociation AGM & ConferenceMarch 29 – 31Delta Beausejour Hotel, Moncton, N.B.Erika Smith – [email protected]

CREA Leadership SummitSunday April 3Westin Ottawa, OttawaAnik Aube - [email protected]

Muskoka & HaliburtonAssociation of Realtors TradeShowWednesday, April 20Huntsville, Ont.

London St. Thomas Associationof Realtors Trade ShowTuesday, Apr. 26London Convention Centre,LondonJenny True – [email protected]

Toronto Real Estate BoardRealtor QuestMay 4 – 5Toronto Congress Centre, Torontowww.realtor-quest.ca

Kitchener-Waterloo Real EstateBoardRealtor XpoThursday, May 12Bingemans, KitchenerMedina Moseley –[email protected]

2011 HomeLife InternationalConference and Awards May 12 - Broker DayMay 13 - Gala Awards Day withTrade ShowMetro Toronto Convention CentreTorontowww.homelife.ca

Trade Showsand ConferencesTrade Showsand Conferences

For complete listings, visit www.remonline.comTo add a listing to this calendar, email [email protected]

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

Team building mythsMyth 2: Teams take too much

time and money to develop.Fact 2: The function of a

team is to provide more time andmoney with less expense andeffort put in by the team leader.When done properly and system-atically, creating and running ateam is highly profitable and freesup time for all team members. Ithas been said that the greatestreward is offered to those who dothe best job in the least amountof time. These days in the worldof real estate, that job is beingdone by teams.

Myth 3: I don’t want a bigteam; it is too much hassle.

Fact 3: You don’t need to builda big team if you don’t want to.However, the hassles of a smallteam are very similar to a largeteam. Remember this: “It is not thesize of your team; it is the strengthof your systems.” The better your

systems are, and the more formal-ized they are, the fewer hassles andissues you will deal with.

Myth 4: If I hire a good agent,they will bring business withthem and want to give some of itto me.

Fact 4: If an agent could gener-ate enough business on their own,they would not be looking to join ateam. The single biggest problemfacing agents is the generation ofbusiness. This is why they jointeams.

The myths listed here are broughtto you by Dan Plowman TeamSystems. The myths are all lessonsDan Plowman learned – the hard way– while building his team. That team has gone on to be the top ranked team in units sold for Canada’s largest real estate board.For more information visit www.dan-plowmanteamsystems.com. REM

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Canadian media is owned by twoor three media conglomerates.This makes me the most uncom-fortable of all. Look for yourself,who owns your local paper andradio station?

It begs the question that, ifthere are really only two or threemedia conglomerates controllingall the news we get, what’s going tohappen if they merge? Who isgoing to stop them from telling usonly what they want us to know?

Is there a governing body outthere that looks out for us? Is theresome organization that regulatescompetition and makes sure thatthere are other companies thrivingin the media so that we can have awide range of sources to make surethere is honesty and integrity inwhat is reported?

There is? Great, what are theycalled? The Competition Bureau?What are they doing? They’rebusy? Busy with what?

Oh, they’re making sure thebusiness of Realtors is being runthe right way.

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


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hen the dust settles onthe confrontationsrelated to the

Competition Bureau and the realestate community, regardless of theoutcome, I think it is understoodthat we have to have a governingbody in place to oversee fairness inbusiness and industry for everyone.I don’t think anyone can arguewith that.

The problem is keeping thatgoverning body fair. We haveto do all we can to make surethe people who make the rulesthat keep everybody on thestraight and narrow in business

THE PUBLISHER’SPAGE

By Heino Molls

W

Scrutiny and integritythe government used to guard thefreedom of what was carried in thenews a lot more over a hundredyears ago.

It has been my understandingthat the old Railway Act ofCanada included a rule within itslegislation that said the railwaycould not own what it carried. Thereason for that was if the railwayowned a product like furniture, forexample, on one car and it washauling furniture for someone elseon another car, it could give specialtreatment to the furniture itowned. The railway might takespecial care that their furniture wasnot lost and it got to market asquickly as possible, whereas thefurniture that belonged to some-one else, like say their competitorin the furniture business, might getlost or delayed getting to market.

The same rule applied when itcame to the telegraph wires thatthe railway owned next to the rail-way tracks. The content or newscarried over those wires could notbe owned, let alone be monopo-

are honest themselves.Isn’t that what it all comes

down to here? Aren’t the mosthurtful allegations on all sides ofthis whole thing really about theintegrity of who makes the rulesand who uses them and who getsan advantage from them?

We must remember that over-seeing the people that overseebusiness is up to us. We mustalways demand integrity of ouroverseers. We must always stayaware of all the issues because atthe end of the day the power is oursat the ballot box. Remember whathappened here when the electionis called.

This brings me to the media.As much as I watch and read aboutthe real estate community gettingpicked apart and dragged throughthe mud by the media, the more Igrow concerned about its integrity,and the more I am troubled bythem getting their facts right.

Who oversees these guys? Thisis something that has troubled mefor many years. Believe it or not

lized by the railway.The folks who oversaw that

portion of the Railway Act werereplaced by the Canadian Radioand Television Commission.Things changed under their watch.There were some large and com-plex lobby groups created by theowners of broadcast radio and tele-vision companies as well as cableproviders and newspaper publish-ers that came calling. All mediarelated companies had lobbygroups. The largest lobby group ofall, I am told by hearsay, was oper-ated by a cable company.

Before the days of the CRTC acable company could not carrycontent that it owned because ofthe old Railway Act. The CRTCrelaxed that rule and many othersfollowing consultation with lobbygroups. Today a lot of what we seeon cable TV is owned by the cablecompany. Especially sports proper-ties. What will happen tomorrow?It makes me uncomfortable.

Today the vast majority of whatwe hear, read and see in the

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Suite 1178, Toronto, ON M4E 1G3

SLASH YOUR EXPENSESOwn your own corporation without payingoutrageous franchise fees. Pay corporate taxrate at 15.5% compared to 46% personal taxrate. No desk fees, monthly fees or per deal fees.

RESIDUAL INCOMEOne of a kind opportunity. Build your own businessand get paid every time one of your associatescloses a deal!.....and every time one of theirassociates closes a deal.

EARLY RETIREMENTDon’t dreamabout retiring, plan for it NOW!! Unlikeother real estate professionals, you own your owncorporation. You can retire early, with our 5-10year plan.

SUPERIORMARKETING TOOLS

Agent Realty International Inc. is the NEWIndustry leader with its innovative marketingtechniques and advanced lead generationsystems with cutting edge technology.

TM

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