Real Estate Chats

"Oprah Winfrey" "In God I Move and Breathe and have my Being"

2011-12-30T16:27:00.000-05:00

December 30, 2011 11:17 AM
From: This sender is DomainKeys verified"Oprah Winfrey" Add sender to ContactsTo: evelynorjalo@yahoo.ca

Dear Friends of Summer and 2011,

Here's wishing you the best days of your life in 2012. I'm signing off on this email and can be reached now on FACEBOOK, a weekly update that I will personally write and Twitter whenever I can, and Oprah.com.

I’ve enjoyed chatting with many of you, but of course cannot respond to all. And enough of you have let me know you don't appreciate an email replied to ALL. So this will be the last one of those.

I've been traveling the country doing NEXT CHAPTER which premieres Sunday Jan 1st at 9 pm. Enjoying this new phase of just talking to whomever holds my interest and hopefully yours too.

On Sunday, I get to play with Steven Tyler at his lake side home in New Hampshire. Talking about fun stuff like "how do you remain monogamous when fans are greeting you with their panties on their heads"?

And can you be humble and still be a rock star, or is it all an ego game?

He was surprisingly honest and a hoot to hang with.

We're now good textin' buddies. (Only when not driving of course)

Next week I visit Lakewood Church, in Houston (with Joel Osteen). It ain't your grandma's service, for sure. I wanted to see why he has the largest congregation in America and his Sunday service viewed in 100 countries. Now I get it. The world is looking to be fed Hope!

Join me at their house, for Sunday supper.

Soon off to South Africa for another proud, proud day.

All 100% of first graduating class at my academy for girls have been accepted into colleges. 10% will be moving to USA for colleges here, so my mothering duties kick in full gear this year. With girls at my house during school breaks.

Never been to India, it's been on my vision board forever, going to film Deepak Chopra there for NEXT CHAPTER.

For each of you who's reached out in hopes of a response, I regret that I could not write a personal note but I do know for sure that the commonality in the human experience is a shared one.

Our journey is the same, though every circumstance is different.

We are all on a quest for Wholeness that comes with fulfillment and Grace, and a connection to something GREATER than ourselves. Whatever challenges you're facing, I know that your faith, resolve, and your Decision to get through whatever it is, is most important.

You alone are responsible for transforming your life. Which ultimately means seeing yourself as a human vessel for experiencing a deeper spiritual essence as a Being here on earth.

Every problem has a spiritual lesson. Get the lesson. Life gets better. Don't get it. And the lessons get harder.

Stop resisting what is. Either change it or find a way to move with the flow.

That is my new goal: to become what a Sufi teacher recently shared with me "A Feather on the Breath of God." Flowing where I can best be used in service to my calling.

So as I travel the world, and take on new challenges, and have days like all of you that rise and fall like the waves. I keep moving ahead, recognizing that no matter what the new year brings…all will be well. For this reason alone: "In God I Move and Breathe and have my Being" Acts: 17:28

Be Blessed Y'all
2012 Come on in!

Oprah Winfrey

Free QR codes really work

2011-12-28T15:30:00.000-05:00

By Dan Wood

Want more calls from your listings? I found a free use for QR codes. All sales reps can start getting more leads directly from the yard sign. This is how: To start, your QR code marketing should be used in print marketing including for sale signs, newspaper ads and direct mail. The QR code takes your offline marketing and turns it into digital marketing – right on the phone of the home buyer.

I didn’t think people used QR codes until I had them directly printed on my signs. In only a few months over 200 people have used a smart phone to get the listing details. (I can’t believe they actually use it – I never do, so I thought it was the same for others). As it turns out, it’s a great way for people to get information passively. So how can we do it cost effectively?

I used the free Google QR code generator (http://www.goo.gl ). Create an account so you can use the free service and track the results. If you don’t make an account you can still use the service, but the more you do, the more Google will see (and if you are the owner of an account bringing Google traffic, they take notice). So make sure you use your Google account.

Once you have an account you can shorten any URL. For example I took http://www.openhouse-tour.com/Featured and Google shortened the link to: http://goo.gl/W73wO (a great way to index your page with Google… and small URLs can be used on Twitter). When you shortened the URL, Google also created the QR code. The code shown here is the one it produced for me and I have it on all my listings.

My sign was designed to use all methods of communication: text, QR, web and calling. See what it looks like at http://goo.gl/43oa2.

I used the “featured page” on my site – not the individual listing, for two reasons. First, it reduces the cost – why make a new sign for every listing? Use your featured page because any listing you have will be on that page too. Think of the power of all your signs working together and cross promoting. Second: after they view the details they might find that listing is not for them. So now they have other options that could be a fit!

The benefits with the Google QR code generator include that your page gets indexed with the biggest search engine in the world. It tracks how many times it was used (showing you what marketing is working or not). It creates a short URL for other social media and it’s free.

Other ways to use QR codes?

Get a sign rider that reads “Scan QR for price” and set it so that when they take a picture it calls your cell. (Cool, the phone can still ring in this business? Yep.)

On direct mail: Direct them to a community fan page you created on Facebook. (A great way to own your farm market).

On public transit: “Look at real estate on your phone as you take the train/ bus/taxi.”

In the waiting room of services in your farm area (dentist, lawyer, auto shop), use the same message: “Look at real estate as you _______”

To watch a video with my thoughts on this topic and more, visit www.HDvideocoaching.com.

Dan Wood is a technology coach at RobVivianCoaching.com and a sales representative with Keller Williams Energy in Oshawa, Ont. Contact Dan at www.openhouse-tour.com or 905-903-5442. Twitter: http://twitter.com/CallDanWood; Facebook www.facebook.com/HDvideocoaching

Dancing Santa lifts mood in Philippine traffic jams

2011-12-12T12:22:00.000-05:00

By Jason Gutierrez | AFP – Sun, 11 Dec, 2011

Traffic enforcer Ramiro Hinojas mixes struts and footwork copied from Michael Jackson …

Ramiro Hinojas directs traffic in Manila wearing Santa Claus costume. Popularly known …

Thousands of traffic enforcers struggle grimly to keep the Philippine capital's notoriously gridlocked roads moving every day, but Ramiro Hinojas does it with a smile and a little help from Michael Jackson.
Rain or shine, seven days a week, the diminutive 55-year-old stands in the middle of one of Manila's major intersections, and to the cacophony of roaring engines, puts on an elaborate dance show as he deftly guides traffic flow.

The struts and footwork may have been copied from the King of Pop, Hinojas' deceased American idol, but the flare and passion by which he mixes them with hand signals to direct amused motorists are uniquely his own.

His sleek moves, which appear on Youtube, have made him a minor celebrity and a champion for the country's lowly paid traffic force that is faced with the impossible task of trying to keep roads flowing freely.

"It gives me joy to see people happy while they're stuck in traffic, because I know how the rush hour can make anyone crazy," Hinojas told AFP in between breaks at the main junction in Manila's Macapagal Boulevard.

The father of three has been adding even more spice to his routine this month, dressing up in a Santa Claus outfit to help motorists cruise into the Christmas season.

One of 16 children from an impoverished family in the central Philippines, Hinojas came to live in the chaotic slums of Manila as a boy.

He found his calling as a traffic enforcer about a decade ago when he was laid off from his previous job as a security guard.

Hinojas said he decided to introduce the dance routines in an effort to get motorists to take notice and follow his instructions.

"So I picked up the dance moves of Michael Jackson, and adapted them for my routine," he said.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the agency that oversees traffic management in the megacity of 12 million, said it employed about 2,000 full-time enforcers.

The number, however, could run into the many thousands, because various districts where the MMDA does not operate also deputise their own traffic volunteers. Hinojas is one of those deputies, and easily the most flamboyant.

With their blue or green uniforms, the enforcers crowd small and big intersections even when there are perfectly working traffic lights, ready to pounce on erring speedsters who ignore the signals.

They are supposed to help out when traffic lights fail, or when perennial floods render areas impassable.

But because some roads are so densely packed and slow moving, vehicles often get caught by the red light in the middle of the junction, meaning the enforcers have to take over the chaotic road management.

MMDA spokeswoman Alu Dorotan said that apart from being exposed to terrible pollution, traffic enforcers sometimes fall victim to "road rage" partly because they have the power to issue motorists' fines for traffic violations.

At least two have been wounded in gun attacks by drivers since September, according to the MMDA.

The assailants in both instances have been caught and charged in court, but in a country where unlicensed firearms proliferate and where rights groups complain of a culture of impunity, Dorotan said more attacks were likely.

"Other constables have been punched and verbally abused in scenarios that could have turned worse," Dorotan said.

Hinojas said his dance routines were precisely meant to relieve those kinds of tensions.

And entertained commuters often show their appreciation by honking their horns, as he wriggles his bottom and pirouettes to pull in oncoming traffic.

Others take the time to stop at a nearby mall to buy him food and offer cash donations that augment his measly take-home pay that equates to less than three dollars a day.

"He is very nice, and dances for us while we're stuck in traffic," said a smiling Reynaldo Nieto, a bus driver who passes by the busy intersection several times a day, and a self-proclaimed Hinojas fan.

"We always follow his traffic commands."

There are some, however, who ignore the law, hurl insults, and challenge his authority.

Hinojas said he remembered one instance when teenagers gave him a lunch pack, only for him to find out it consisted of left over chicken bones.

But despite the insults and other hardships, he genuinely appears to love his job.

"Sometimes I get sick from being under the sun too long, or if I get wet from the rain, but I always tell my family that in my own small way, I am doing my share to improve the country by putting things in order."

Three women share 2011 Nobel Peace Prize

2011-12-10T21:44:00.000-05:00

10/12/2011 8:30:11 PM

CTVNews.ca Staff
Three women who displayed rare courage in the face of oppression took the stage in Norway Saturday, to collect their Nobel Peace Prize for their continuing their campaigns for women's rights in Liberia and Yemen.

"My sisters, my daughters, my friends -- find your voice," Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said after collecting her Nobel diploma and medal.

Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first democratically elected female president, shared the award with fellow Liberian Leymah Gbowee, who has confronted her country's armed forces over the use of rape as a weapon, and Tawakkul Karman, who began pushing for change in Yemen long before the Arab Spring. They share a 10-million kronor ($1.5-million) prize.

Karman, who is not only the first Arab woman to win the prize, but at 32 is also the youngest peace laureate ever, paid tribute to Arab women "without whose hard struggles and quest to win their right in a society dominated by the supremacy of men I wouldn't be here."

While the journalist and founder of the human rights group Women Journalists without Chains criticized the "repressive, militarized, corrupt" regime of outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh, her acceptance speech bemoaned the fact the Yemeni revolution has garnered less attention than other Arab Spring revolts.

"This should haunt the world's conscience because it challenges the very idea of fairness and justice," she said.

While praising Karman's struggle against Yemen's dictatorship, Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland sent a message to Syria's leader Bashar Assad, whose crackdown on a months-long rebellion has killed more than 4,000 people according to UN estimates.

"President Assad in Syria will not be able to resist the people's demand for freedom of human rights," Jagland said.

The Nobel committee said it honoured Gbowee, 39, for mobilizing women "across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the long war in Liberia, and to ensure women's participation in elections."

In 2003, she led hundreds of female protesters -- the "women in white" -- through the capital Monrovia to demand the disarmament of fighters who continued to prey on women even though a peace deal ending 14 years of near-constant civil war had been reached months earlier.

"We used our pains, broken bodies and scarred emotions to confront the injustices and terror of our nation," she told the Nobel audience gathered in Oslo's City

The peace prize, she said, is a recognition of the value of fighting for women's rights.

"We must continue to unite in sisterhood to turn our tears into triumph," Gbowee said. "There is no time to rest until our world achieves wholeness and balance, where all men and women are considered equal and free."

The Harvard-educated Sirleaf, now 72, took a roundabout route to the presidency in Liberia, a country created to settle freed American slaves in 1847.

She worked her way through college in the United States by mopping floors and waiting tables. Jailed at home and exiled abroad, she lost the 1997 election to warlord Charles Taylor, but earned the nickname "Iron Lady" in the process. After a rebellion forced Taylor from power in 2003, Sirleaf emerged victorious in a landslide vote two years later.

While Liberia is more peaceful today, Sirleaf has critics at home who say she hasn't done enough to restore roads, electricity and other infrastructure devastated during the civil strife. Her opponents have accused her of buying votes and using government funds to campaign for re-election, charges that her camp denies.

But African and international luminaries welcomed Sirleaf's honour. Nobel peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu reacted with pleasure when the award was announced last month.

"Who? Johnson Sirleaf? The president of Liberia? Oooh," said Tutu, who won the peace prize in 1984 for his nonviolent campaign against white racist rule in South Africa. "She deserves it many times over. She's brought stability to a place that was going to hell."

Last year's peace prize went to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

The other Nobel Prizes -- in medicine, chemistry, physics and literature, and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences -- were presented by Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf at a separate ceremony Saturday in Stockholm.

In an emotional moment, Claudia Steinman accepted the Nobel diploma and medal on behalf of her husband, Canadian-born Ralph Steinman, who died of cancer just days before the medicine prize was announced in October. Before sitting down, she blew a kiss toward the ceiling of Stockholm's Concert Hall.

An exception was made to Nobel rules against posthumous awards because the jury wasn't aware of Steinman's death when it tapped him to share the award with American Bruce Beutler and French scientist Jules Hoffman for discoveries about the immune system.

The typically stiff white-tie crowd erupted in cheers when wheelchair-bound Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer, partially paralyzed by a stroke two decades ago, received the Nobel Prize in literature. The 80-year-old had figured in Nobel speculation for so many years that even his countrymen had started to doubt whether he would ever win.

U.S.-born scientists Saul Perlmutter, Brian Schmidt and Adam Riess collected the physics prize for discovering that the universe is expanding at an accelerating pace.

The chemistry award went to Israel's Dan Shechtman for his discovery of quasicrystals, a mosaic-like chemical structure that researchers previously thought was impossible.

Americans Christopher Sims and Thomas Sargent won the economics prize for describing the cause-and-effect relationship between the economy and government policy.

With files from The Associated Press

It’s Time to Lend a Helping Hand

2011-12-09T14:09:00.000-05:00

December 8, 2011 -- In hopes of avoiding sounding like a broken record, but rather helping to be a constant reminder of how important it is, not just during this time of year, but all year to give back, and help those less fortunate.

The GTA REALTOR® community has sponsored a number of worthy organizations throughout the years that helps build solid foundations with homes and communities.

One notable organization is Habitat for Humanity Toronto, and in a recent column, I wrote about our most recent build located at Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue. This build marks the fourth title sponsorship of seven Habitat for Humanity builds to which we have contributed in recent years. The house will soon become a home for one family currently living in substandard housing.

Luckily, we had beautiful weather for our day of volunteering and I was put on garden patrol. (I’m not to be trusted with a hammer.) If you’ve ever wondered what a day on a build site looks like, or represents, I encourage you to watch a short video of our day at www.YouTube.com/TREBChannel.

We are also proud to say that The REALTORS Care Foundation last year raised more than $500,000 and provided grants totaling $178,710 to 35 shelter-based charities throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

So as you can see we certainly put forth a great deal of effort in helping Canadians achieve their dreams of homeownership, but we also feel community goes beyond homeownership, we also want to help improve the quality of life in our city.

The Children’s Breakfast Program, initiated five years ago by REALTOR® Carolyn Griffis of RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd., involves more than 150 Toronto Real Estate Board Member volunteers who serve and clean up after the approximately 9600 nutritious breakfasts provided every month to children in 17 different local schools. GTA REALTORS® believe that providing a nutritious breakfast to children in our communities will ensure they begin each day ready and able to learn and succeed.

In recent years, TREB contributed $10,000 to the construction of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, which is now nearing completion.

The museum is envisioned as a centre for learning where people from around the world will engage in discussion and commit to taking action against hate and oppression. Human rights issues from Canada and around the world will be featured, highlighting the hardships in countries from which many of our REALTOR® Members have come.
REALTORS® from all over Canada, me included, have donated to this important institution, and you can learn more about this project at www.humanrightsmuseum.ca.

A number of years ago I was involved with Casey House Hospice, an AIDS hospice that offers people dealing with HIV/AIDS a place to seek respite from the disease. Casey House Hospice will soon begin building a new facility that will house all of its services under one roof. It will include hospital-style rooms, a day centre and home hospice services.

Casey House Hospice and Habitat for Humanity are two of the charities that will benefit from some of the fundraising activities at TREB during my term as President.

So I share these pieces of information and stories with you in hopes of helping show that if we join in our efforts we truly can make a difference in our communities, in our cities, in our world. I encourage you to take whatever measures in your reach to help those in need.

From our REALTOR® family to yours, best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season.

Richard Silver is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 32,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

The Better Salesperson

2011-12-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

Become a better salesperson by honing your skills
You knew this going in – you need certain skills to be a successful real estate salesperson.

The knowledge includes lessons you have learned in school and accumulated over the years. You may have learned some of the skills in school, while other skills come with experience. Following is a recap of the list of skills that can help you become a better salesperson. Hone them well.

Time management - American writer Sam Ewing said “It’s not the hours you put in your work that count; it’s the work you put in the hours.” A great deal of valuable energy is wasted due to poor use of time. You need to know how to manage your time effectively, and find a balance between your professional and personal life. You need to know how to prioritize, to plan for the next day, and to avoid time wasters.

Record keeping - When maintaining files of real estate transactions, you need to know, understand, and comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (the privacy law). You need to know what constitutes personal information, and your role in maintaining confidentiality.

Communication - Real estate is a people profession. A day rarely goes by when you are not interacting with colleagues, clients or customers. You need to know the different types of communication and what it means to be a ‘good communicator.’ Good communication skills mean you will be able to gain the trust and respect of buyers and sellers.

Problem solving – This can be defined as the ability to address difficulties and arrive at plausible, practical solutions, given conflicting interests of parties involved in a real estate transaction. You need to know how to define the problem and select the best approach to resolve it.

Negotiation - Negotiating on behalf of buyers and sellers to arrive at mutually agreeable terms is a routine part of the job. You need to know the various states of negotiations, how to engage in win-win negotiations, effective negotiating tactics and how to handle concessions.

Conflict resolution – Conflict is a part of life. You need to know how to prevent conflicts from happening, and how to handle conflicts when they do happen.

Respecting diversity - We live in a multicultural society. You need to know how to interact with and be respectful of people whose culture, language, or customs are different than your own.

Other essential skills are also needed:

People skills – umbrella term for the skills noted above (i.e., communication, problem solving, negotiation, conflict resolution, and respect of cultural diversity), entails the ability to establish rapport and gain the trust and respect of buyers and sellers

Organization and planning – ability to organize personal affairs and conduct business activity in a logical, efficient matter (e.g., obtain listings, show properties, handle offers, and conduct negotiations)

Confidence and persistence – confident attitude and firm grasp of personal goals

Self-discipline – ability to work independently to get the job done

Interview techniques – basic understanding of questioning methods (i.e., asking the right question at the right time to help buyers determine their needs) as well as being a good listener

Research – practical knowledge of how to locate, read, and understand legal documents involving property ownership

Math – basic grounding in math fundamentals, particularly multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, and percentages

Computer knowledge – basic understanding of computer hardware and software

English language comprehension and proficiency – ability to understand, draft and explain real estate agreements, listings, and other related forms.

For more information, check out A Mentoring Kit for New Salespeople: Training for Success, a valuable resource for real estate professionals. Visit www.orea.com and look under OREA Real Estate College in the Products and Services section.

A Time for Giving

2011-12-01T16:19:00.000-05:00

November 28, 2011 -- It is that time of year again: a time to give.

As TREB Members, we have sponsored a number of worthy organizations throughout the years, one of which is Habitat for Humanity Toronto. I recently had the pleasure of working alongside Members from the East and West regions as we took part in the construction of a house located at Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue. It marks the fourth title sponsorship of seven Habitat for Humanity builds to which TREB has contributed in recent years.

The house will soon become a home for one low-income family currently living in substandard housing. For their part, the family will be required to contribute 500 volunteer hours to Habitat for Humanity Toronto and repay a zero-down payment, interest free mortgage over an average of 25 years.

Luckily, we had beautiful weather for our day of volunteering and I was put on garden patrol. (I’m not to be trusted with a hammer.) To learn more and check out how we did, view our YouTube video of the project: http://youtu.be/BIChA_RM63k

Another example of our efforts to improve the quality of life in our city is the Children’s Breakfast Program. Initiated five years ago by Carolyn Griffis of RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd., the program involves more than 150 TREB Member volunteers who serve and clean up after the approximately 9600 nutritious breakfasts provided every month to children in 17 different local schools. To learn more about volunteering, or if your office is interested in adopting a school click here.

As part of the Every REALTOR® campaign, TREB Members also contribute $1 per Member per month to the REALTORS Care Foundation, which last year raised more than $500,000 and provided grants totaling $178,710 to 35 shelter-based charities throughout the Greater Toronto Area. On your behalf we contributed to the following organizations:

Blue Door Shelters
Casey House Hospice Inc./Casey House Foundation
The Centre for Addiction & Mental Health
Covenant House Toronto
Durham Youth Housing and Support Services
Ernestine's Women's Shelter
Eva's Initiatives for Homeless Youth
Good Neighbours Club
Habitat for Humanity Toronto
Horizons for Youth/Housing for Youth in the City of York Corp.
Houselink Community Homes
Inn from the Cold Inc.
Interim Place
Interval House
LOFT Community Services
Na-Me-Res
Nellie's Women's Hostels Inc.
New Leaf Living and Learning Together
North York Women's Shelter
People in Transition - My Sister's Place
Salvation Army
Sanctuary
Sandgate Women's Shelter of York Region
Scarborough Women's Centre
Seeds of Hope Foundation
Street Health Community Nursing Foundation
Sutton Youth Shelter
Heart Touching Heart Ministries - The Dam
The Redwood
The Vitanova Foundation
Touchstone Youth Centre
Yellow Brick House Project Hostel
Yorktown Shelter for Women
Youth Without Shelter
YWCA Women's Shelter

In recent years, TREB contributed $10,000 to the construction of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, which is now nearing completion.
The museum is envisioned as a centre for learning where people from around the world will engage in discussion and commit to taking action against hate and oppression. Human rights issues from Canada and around the world will be featured, highlighting the hardships in countries from which many of our Members have come.

REALTORS® from all over Canada, myself included, have donated to this important institution, which will feature the REALTOR "R" in its entryway. If you are interested in contributing please visit www.beginswithyou.net

Sadly, our REALTOR® community lost one of our own Members to violence recently. Devinder Kumar, a Sales Representative with Re/Max Legacy Realty Inc. Brokerage in Mississauga, was slain November 10th near a Caledon home that he had listed for sale. Mr. Kumar, who was 38 years old, leaves behind a wife and two daughters, ages six and nine. A trust fund has been established for the Kumar family, and TREB has made a contribution. Additional donations can be made at TD Canada Trust using transit # 01842 and account # 5259280.

Earlier this year we lost another Member to tragic circumstances when Tony Han, a REALTOR® with Homelife Landmark Realty Inc., was abducted along with his client while viewing a property. It is believed that the ordeal caused Mr. Han to suffer a fatal heart attack in the hands of his kidnappers. A fund was also established to help his wife and son. Donations can be made at TD Canada Trust TD Canada Trust using transit # 1277 and account # 6310458.

A number of years ago I was involved with Casey House Hospice, an AIDS hospice that offers people dealing with HIV/AIDS a place to seek respite from the disease. Casey House Hospice will soon begin building a new facility that will house all of its services under one roof. It will include hospital-style rooms, a day centre and home hospice services.

Casey House Hospice and Habitat for Humanity are two of the charities that will benefit from some of the fundraising activities at TREB during my term as your President.

Though TREB has contributed to these good causes on your behalf, we encourage you to join in our efforts to support them.

We know that our Members give to many great causes throughout the year and we would like to hear about your good works. Each year, TREB recognizes Members’ volunteer efforts with its Civic Service Award – be sure to watch for a TorontoMLS posting regarding award nominations in the coming months.

In the meantime, please accept my best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season.

Yours truly,
Richard Silver, President
Toronto Real Estate Board

Old values matter

2011-11-30T14:17:00.000-05:00

Given the full-throttle force of technology and social media in today’s world, you wouldn’t be wrong to think that Twitter and blogging have reshaped the way those of us in the housing industry do business.
As a real estate or mortgage professional that depends on Facebook and certain apps to communicate with clients, to market your practice or simply promote new listings and mortgage products, social media tools and the Internet are an important part of our daily repertoire. For many, it is an entrenched part of our business culture. For some, it’s a matter of getting there. For others, they probably never will.
But it’s a mistake to give cyberspace and its accompanying workings more power than its face value because, frankly, they’re only tools with which to play your trade. Simply put, they help you get the word out.
So are social media and the web the cornerstone for modern professionals in the real estate and mortgage industry's? Yes, they probably are, strictly from a functional standpoint. But without the human underpinnings with which to build upon, Twitter might as well sing its final tweet.
Clients today don’t need more BFFs. They want the same kind of housing professional they’ve always wanted.
Here’s a look:Be Professional – We’re not talking toy soldier stiff, but high-fives and a sloppy appearance might be a sign that it’s time for an attitude adjustment. We live in a fairly casual world today, but that doesn’t mean you should be ultra laid-back in your approach with clients. Treat them with respect and kindness. Dress neatly, keep your car tidy when chauffeuring clients and if you see clients in your home, keep it clean and de-cluttered.
Know Your Stuff – One sure-fire way to disengage clients is by not knowing your market. Of course, you can’t be expected to know everything, but have reasonable answers at your fingertips when questions get asked that you may not have an answer for. Know the schools, hospitals, churches in the area in which you sell. It’d be handy for you to bone up on speciality shops, restaurants and cafes in the neighbourhood as well as statistics about crime, especially if it’s on the low side. Know of cultural attractions such as museums and libraries.
Are You a People Person? – If not, you might want to look for a new profession. Enjoying the human race is not something you can fake. People can smell a rat. Always be honest with your clients. No need to sugar coat. Your client should feel that they are the centre of your universe and no request they make is too ridiculous or petty, even if it may be. To earn serious brownie points, your clients will want a sense that you’ve gone above and beyond what the average agent or broker would do. At heart, you’re a people pleaser.
Communicate – The world would be a much better place if we all communicated on a higher level. As a REALTOR® or mortgage professional, you’re tasked with the job of listening, really listening, to what your clients want and helping them get it. You’re naturally expected to communicate with your clients and other parties during the process, which could include other communication skills such as negotiating, bargaining, writing, advertising, and promoting. The better you are at getting your client’s message across, the easier your job will be.
Well connected -- People like their agents and brokers to be well-connected. By that we mean someone who’s in the know when it comes to obtaining real estate lawyers, property inspectors and mortgage professionals. More than that, though, it also means someone who understands the ins and outs of the housing professions, someone who gets it innately and someone who understands the value of professional networking.
No Word of a Lie – Honesty and integrity are words that commonly come up when clients are asked about the most important attributes in their realtor. They’re not kidding. Play it straight. Don’t over promise and under deliver because that will only serve to perpetuate the profession’s bad reputation and spread word that you’re not worth the name on your for sale signs.How has technology changed the way you do business?
Do you still operate from the same principles as always? Share your thoughts.

How Lending a Hand Assists You Professionally

2011-11-30T14:14:00.000-05:00

As an independent contractor whose community profile might match that of the local politicos, realtors are often asked to donate their time, money and expertise to various causes, events and charitable organizations within the community in which they work. In fact in our recent survey, over 43% of your were regularly undertaking volunteer work within your community.

While it’s not uncommon to automatically think no when a request for help comes at you out of the blue, perhaps you’d be better off if you took your time to consider the request without immediately closing the door.

And as well-thought-of professional it behooves you to give back to the community from which you’ve built your reputation, earned a living and developed a sphere of influence or a trusted social network of friends.

Volunteers are often the glue that holds a community together. As such, volunteering lets you better connect with your community. But it’s not simply a one-way street and those who think so are woefully mistaken. Volunteering your efforts to help, say, with the local humane society can end up out-benefitting you in the end as you connect and build relationships with other animal lovers.

Volunteering can also help you build upon skills and talents you already have and use them to benefit the greater community. As a realtor, for instance, you raise awareness for your favorite cause or event as a volunteer advocate, while further developing and improving your public speaking, communication, and marketing skills.

The exposure alone is invaluable. People come to know and recognize you as that advocate of whatever the cause or event. Your name and your face get plastered in the community papers. That level of recognition can’t be bought.

As you become more and more involved in your cause or charity, your mounting community profile could lead to new or related paid gigs.

Now that you have the volunteering bug, the question will be what cause or charity really excites you and motivates you to give of your time freely. Here, thanks to Volunteer Edmonton, are some questions you should ask yourself:
• If you had all the time and money in the world, what problem would you solve? What would you change or create? Your answer will tell you what matters to you most.
• How much time can you commit? Weekly? Monthly? Mornings or evenings?
• What kinds of people do you want to work with--both in terms of who is receiving the services and who your co-workers might be? Do you want to volunteer with children? The seniors or disabled?
• Where would you like to volunteer? At home or at an organization? Do you have transportation?
• Do you have specific skills or talents you would like to share? Others could benefit from your expertise--whether that is gardening, sewing, bookkeeping, web designing and much more.
• What are your personal goals? Gain work experience, explore a new career, champion a cause near and dear to your heart and
• Are you willing to participate in a training course or do you want to start your volunteer work right away? A training course can boost your skills, but it can also be time-consuming.
• What DON'T you want to do as a volunteer? Identifying your dislikes will give you a clearer picture of what your ideal volunteer experience looks like.

Whether you’re selling raffle tickets for a draw, helping run a small agency as a board member or serving food to the needy, remember that your efforts not only serve to inspire you but others as well. There’s nothing like starting a rippling effect of kindness.

What kinds of charities or causes do you enjoy helping out with? What is one of your most rewarding volunteer experiences? Do you plan to volunteer more or less this year?

Helping those less fortunate

2011-11-25T13:14:00.000-05:00

November 25, 2011 -- Almost every year, I head south in November to spend some time with REALTORS® from all over the world at the National Association of REALTORS® Conference. It is a great way to find out what is new and happening in terms of technology and get an idea of the upcoming issues for the real estate community.

As we watch our American neighbours celebrate American Thanksgiving, and we as Canadians officially enter into the holiday season, I’m reminded of just how thankful I am to live in such a wonderful city. I also can’t help but take this time to reflect on how we as a REALTOR® community can help others achieve the dream of homeownership.

And so I’m truly honoured to be part of a community of REALTORS® who have volunteered to help make that dream a reality for one local family.

Starting on November 25th then again on December 1st, 2nd, 8th and 9th, our community of Greater Toronto REALTORS® are taking part in the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home that our professional association the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) has sponsored.

Located at 4572 Kingston Road near Morningside Avenue, the home marks the fourth title sponsorship of seven Habitat for Humanity builds to which TREB has contributed in recent years.

We as REALTORS® have the distinct honour of witnessing on a daily basis one of the greatest life changing moments when we witness our clients achieve that homeownership dream.

And so as REALTORS®, we recognize that a home is more than just bricks and mortar: It serves as a retreat from our busy world, a place where friends and family gather, and where memories are made. So I know I speak for all REALTORS® who will be playing a key role in improving the quality of life for another local family, not just through sponsorship but by volunteering to take part in their home’s construction.

In recent years TREB also sponsored Habitat for Humanity homes in Scarborough’s McLevin Woods and Etobicoke’s Lakeshore Village. The organization, which constructs simple, decent and affordable housing in partnership with low-income families has built more than 225 homes throughout the city, and has set a goal to build 50 new homes each year by 2015.

By offering a helping hand to families in need, Habitat for Humanity is helping to build a better Toronto, which is a priority goal that we as Greater Toronto REALTORS® share.

Each year, Toronto Real Estate Board REALTOR® Members contribute to the overall quality of life in the Greater Toronto Area by supporting shelter-related charities through the REALTORS® Care Foundation. Last year it offered grants totaling more than $178,000 to 35 different organizations throughout the GTA.

So with the holidays upon us, this is a time of year when many people’s thoughts turn to helping those less fortunate. I encourage everyone to contribute their time or their financial resources to the GTA’s many shelter-related related organizations because doing so benefits us all.

Richard Silver is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 32,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

Being a Top Producer Means Being Multi-Dimensional

2011-11-25T11:42:00.000-05:00

Friday, 25 November 2011 09:07
Heather Wright
.
. When standing atop your climb to of success, if you were to look downwards, what would the path you travelled look like? What elements are present on your road map?

Successful Habits Of Canadian Realtors are in!...
Is rising to the top of your game, and stepping above your peers a question of skill and strategy, or is it about possessing a “quality”? Or is it about something even more volatile and less specific, like being in the right place at the right time, or sheer luck?

To break this down even further, as many who are already enjoying success know, it’s not just the intensity of the work that matters; you have to work strategically, adopt behaviours and habits, and know which tools and resources that are the ones that will set you apart and ahead.

Top Producers

There is success, and then there is being at the very top end of the scale of success. Do you ever wonder what sets these people apart? Are they gifted? Do they have endless budgets to invest in activities? Do they have a secret?

A recent study in the US by ActiveRain of 1700 indentified top producing REALTOR®'s probed into the topic of what actually constituted the specific behaviour and habits that set this group out from the pack. Their survey broke down success from the inside out and studied things like marketing practices, social media usage, CRM usage and work habits.

The survey drew many conclusions, but among them the fact that the two things that top producers have in common is a willingness to invest in technology, and an aggressive, proactive stance on acquiring business- which has to remain consistent throughout all marketing activities. 54% of this group engaged in regular email campaigns with all segments of their books- prospects, current clients, and past clients. Many are also leveraging the power of social media to get their message out.

So do these elements a top producer make? We put this question to members of our Propertywire.ca community, and while they agreed that investment in technology is important, as is proactive marketing, they almost unanimously felt that there was much more to it than that.

Typical?

In talking with some Propertywire.ca readers, what was interesting was the reluctance to characterize success as a quality, or to paint a picture of a top producer based on just a few qualities, which suggests that there is great depth and dimension to those who rise to the top, as well as acknowledgment that the market in which they conduct their business is ever changing as well.

While there is truth to the value of technology and to proactive marketing, Margaret Burniston, Broker, Century 21 Explorer Realty Inc., Brokerage believes that there is more than meets the eye: "No truly successful agent is one (or two) dimensional. Top agents also have strong repeatable systems, are on top of their local market and industry trends, and provide excellent client service.”

People Business

One highly overlooked resource is that of the human kind- whether it is clients, people in your centre of influence or your team backing you up.

What is often forgotten when examining the characteristics of success is that client based business is the people business, run by people for people. As such, if you keep the client and their happiness at the nexus of your business operations, chances are the rest will follow suit.

Says Burniston: “The number one tool or resource a REALTOR® has is simply people. After all real estate is a contact sport! From clients to colleagues to administrators and everyone in between, this business doesn’t work without people.”

Furthermore, in this increasingly technical world, where instant information is the guiding force, in the people business, don’t lose the human factor. Electronic delivery is great, because it can easily increase the frequency of contact, but don’t underestimate the power of face time (or phone time). In order to do business with you, people need to trust you. Trust is built on personal interaction, and emotional connection.

Mike Cunningham, REALTOR®, Bosley Real Estate Limited says that, in the people business, personal connection really counts. “Picking up the phone is the new email for me. I would always rather speak directly to someone, or meet with them face to face than I would send an email. It adds a personal touch and shows people that you are sincere and serious about what you are doing.”

A fundamental understanding of people, and their behaviour is key says Karen Filice, Broker of Record/Owner, Cirrius Realty Inc., Brokerage, “It is the ability to communicate with people, and how to read people and understand what they say when the words do not say it well. It is recognizing what people need to have as opposed to want to have."

Commitment/Consistent Behaviour

Bottom line, whatever your preferred tools or marketing strategies are, what many seem to suggest is a common thread amongst top producers, is a deep commitment to hard work. Additionally, being consistent in your efforts seems to help top producers rise to the top.

Being a good producer is not easy. Being a great producer is harder still. What seems to set many apart is the drive to persevere and to stick to plan, unwavering, short, medium and long term.

The ActiveRain Study indentified one of the common habits of top producers was the proactive stance that they took in their marketing campaigns. To break that down even further, it appears that those who consistently block off time in their schedules, and who squeeze every opportunity out of those blocks of time are the ones who set themselves apart.

Burniston says that being consistent in activity is important- but as important is recognizing the fluidity of the market in which they operate, and building that into their plans is matters too: “Successful agents are consistent with their efforts, blocking regular time to prospect and build business. They are also adaptable. Real estate is an every changing business with no two transactions quite the same. The ability to respond quickly to change, without appearing frantic, is key.”

There are pitfalls inherent to managing your own time as a self-employed person that can put up roadblocks on the way to the top. Cunningham says that it is the top producers that know that they are there, and figure out how to navigate them, while remaining consistent with work ethic: “In terms of common behaviour for a successful REALTOR®, I believe it is consistency and a strong work ethic. Having a plan and sticking to it seems to be the way that most of the top REALTOR®'s go about their business. It is very easy to get out of rhythm because of the autonomy that a REALTOR® has on a day to day basis. Managing time effectively and responding quickly to a client's needs are easy to do if there is a commitment to success and a will to get there.”

Good Habits, Good Business

As some have suggested, anyone can invest in marketing, but it takes good habits, sharpened skills and acute business sense to actually make good on the marketing.

Filice says that top producers share in common a set of habits and specific skills that go beyond technology and the like. It comes down to attitude, and to the way in which they examine the professional world around them. While some may see nothing, a top producer will identify an opportunity, and furthermore, will find a way to make that opportunity theirs.

“Being able to close a deal is another element. Top producing REALTOR®'s take closing a deal for granted because it is as much a part of them as breathing. But for those less successful, it is a skill they need to learn or they will just be frustrated. A behaviour all top producers have in common "ABC - Always be closing". They see opportunity in everything that they do, and when opportunity knocks, they open the door, they do not ignore it.”

Combo deal

Seemingly, those that are really successful understand how to combine successful behaviour and tools. There is no one thing that will deliver them to the top. The real secret to success lies in harnessing the power of what you have in front you, and combining everything together.

Laurin Jeffrey, Real Estate Salesperson, Century 21 Regal Realty, thinks that ultimately something less specific, like personality, will ultimately deliver top producer status; “Technology will only get you so far, each component plays its own part. But you have to do everything in order to make that leap to super agent. You need to have the personality to sell, to sell yourself to everyone you meet. You have to have the drive to join three groups and get out to every meeting and event and make sure everyone else knows what you do. You need a huge ad budget to be able to keep your name in front of everyone all the time.”

Burniston agrees, “A successful REALTOR® relies on a combination of learned skills, technology and those less specific skills and senses. Some studies suggest that 80% of REALTORS® drop out of the business in less than 5 years. So it would appear that the skills and education required to get a real estate licence are not enough. It’s easy to become consumed with the latest technology.”

FIlice says, “Being a top producer means being able to find balance in your life but it also means finding the right team, using the right technology, being a good manager - of time and resources. It is the ability to do business quickly without appearing rushed. It means being a professional who is recognized as such by the public and your peers.”

Jeffrey is philosophical about success in Real Estate: “As a wise person once told me, there are three ways to get business in real estate. One is to wait for it, two is to buy it and the third way is to earn it. Some agents get their license and wait for clients to fall out of the sky into their laps. Others come out of the gate spending $5-10k a month on advertising. The last ones work their sphere, their network. None is the best way, a successful REALTOR® needs to incorporate a bit of each.”

How to Break Free of Your Comfort Zone

2011-11-12T14:39:00.002-05:00

The heat sneaks up on you like a bad rash. You’re warm and then you feel the perspiration as it trickles down your back or your brow. Anxiety about how uncomfortable you appear causes your heart to speed up as your palms become clammy and your breathing grows more and more shallow.

Next thing you can’t feel your fingertips and your having a hard time getting a good, deep breath. Before you start hyperventilating know that you’re not dying. You’re just having an anxiety attack. Millions of people suffer from them. While the cause is anyone’s guess, one big motivating factor is social anxiety, that unease you feel when you’re outside of your comfort zone.

Thankfully, being outside our comfort zone doesn’t result in debilitating physical symptoms for all of us. But the effects can be equally weakening on our hearts and souls. Another day goes by and your same old, same old has turned into a rut.Life gurus often say things like, you can only grow if you are doing new things that make you feel awkward or uncomfortable.

While it sounds cliché and hokey, there’s some truth to that. Pushing the boundaries and discovering new frontiers takes fortitude, risk and a certain sense of fearlessness.

So what happens when you’re in a profession that prompts moments of disquiet? In the housing professions there could be a good number of times you might feel nervous. Perhaps the notion of prospecting makes you dizzy with discomfort. Public speaking might send you over the edge. Or maybe writing up real estate ads drives you to drink.

Whatever the situation, there’s help. Face your fears. In life, we have big fears such as the fear of death, job loss. Those are natural. But what about your debilitating fear of public speaking? Or those panic attacks you get while driving?

Before you can overcome your fear, you need to acknowledge and understand it. Talk to people about it. Look for online support groups.

Try joining Toastmasters. Remember you can’t overcome your fear until you confront it.

Become more comfortable with taking risks. A tall order? Yes. But most things in life worth doing are those that required some level of risk, thought and hard work.

Start small. Change the coffee shop you go to each morning. Then step it up a bit until you’re doing things you never thought imaginable.

Rethink Routines. It’s important on occasion to give your routines a re-evaluation. Take a different way home or consider tuna for lunch instead of egg salad. Get rid of those routines that don’t really work anymore.

Think about what you’d like to switch them with. Then raise the bar to things that really count. Bear in mind that trying out new things takes courage.

Pat yourself on the back. You deserve it.

Cozy up to the unknown. When is the last time you felt the rush of excitement of not knowing what lay ahead?

It’s probably been a while. We’re talking about baby steps here. Again, start small. Take a different route on the way to work. Buy a brand of chewing gum just because you like the package. Greet people differently.

See how it feels and what kind of response you get. Once you’re comfortable with those smaller matters, broaden your scope to things that hold more meaning in your life.Have you ever made a concerted plan to break out of your comfort zone? What did you do? Share your stories with us.

Your home’s sale price is private information

2011-11-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

Mark Weisleder
A few years ago, the federal Privacy Commissioner ruled a home’s sale price
is personal information and cannot be advertised or disclosed without the
permission of the buyer and the seller.
This is what privacy legislation is all about — protecting your personal
information. The lesson is that if you do not want to see your home’s sale price advertised after closing, then don’t agree to it.
In another case decided in 2006, an insurance company arranged for
photographs to be taken of an apartment unit, without the tenant’s permission.
The purpose was to get examples of the state of repairs of the interior of the apartments to assist in figuring out the building’s value. However, the pictures included some of the apartment’s contents.
The Privacy Commissioner’s office found that while the purpose might have
been to show the condition of the unit, it also revealed information about the tenant, including their standard of living, whether they could afford expensive media equipment, whether they loved music or art or cooking. This was found to be personal information and thus permission should have been requested.
What this means is that before a buyer or agent takes photographs of anything inside a seller’s home, even during an open house or home inspection, they should ask for permission.
In another case decided in 2008, a consumer asked their bank for a copy of
the appraisal report the bank had done on their home. An appraisal contains
information about other comparable property sales in your area that help the appraiser calculate the value of your property. The bank refused, claiming this was confidential commercial information and not personal information.
The Privacy Commissioner’s office decided that, while the consumer was entitled to the appraisal value of their own home, they were not entitled to the name or contact information of the appraiser, or anything related to comparable property sales, as this was the personal information of third parties.
The issue of privacy arises in the ongoing lawsuit between the Competition Bureau and the Toronto Real Estate Board, something I’ve written about in the past few months.
The Competition Commissioner wants Canadians to be able to go online and access the selling price of any home in Canada. The potential abuses are
huge, starting with thieves who want to learn about potential victims and their lifestyle. Since buyers and sellers didn’t provide this permission, in my opinion, it violates privacy legislation.
It seems to me the Privacy Commissioner should be involved in these proceedings and I encourage all Canadians to complain to the Privacy
Commissioner’s office in Ottawa and to federal Industry Minister Christian Paradis.
To register a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner’s office, you can
download a form from their website, www.priv.gc.ca, sign it and then send it in. You can email Paradis’ office at minister.industry@icigc.ca.
Mark Weisleder is a lawyer, author and speaker to the real estate industry. Contact Mark at mark@markweisleder.com

The Strangest Secret

2011-11-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

The Strangest Secret

In 1957, Earl Nightingale, speaker, author and co founder of the Nightingale-Conant Corporation, recorded his classic motivational record “The Strangest Secret.” “The Strangest Secret” sold over one million copies and made history in the recording industry by being honored as the first Gold Record for the spoken word. Nightingale, known as the “dean of personal development,” concluded that life’s “strangest secret” is that we become what we think about all day long.

Your belief system, like your computer, doesn’t judge or even question what you input; it merely accepts your thoughts as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Think thoughts of defeat or failure and you’re bound to feel discouraged. Continuous thoughts of worry, anxiety and fear are unhealthy and often manifest in the body as stress, panic attacks and depression.

At the core of Earl’s message, he reveals the incredible power of positive self-talk, belief and expectation. What you vividly imagine and hold in your subconscious mind begins to out picture as your reality. Your belief system not only defines your reality, but it also shapes your character and determines your potential.

The Placebo Effect

The ability of the mind to cure a disease even when the medicine is known to be worthless is known as the “placebo effect.” This occurs in medical trials where doctors give patients sugar pills, but tell them they will cure their illness. Often it does, even though the pills contain nothing of medical benefit. The only thing of value in these medical trials is the patient’s own belief that the sugar pills will cure them. It’s the power of the patient’s belief and expectation alone that produces the improvement in his or her health. I recently read a remarkable story about a group of cancer patients who thought they were being treated with chemotherapy, but were actually given a placebo. Before their treatment began, the patients were informed about the complications associated with undergoing chemotherapy treatment, such as fatigue and loss of hair. Amazingly, based on nothing more than their belief and expectation, nearly one third of the patients who were given the placebo reported feeling fatigued and actually experienced hair loss!

The Power of Affirmation and Positive Self-talk

If you had access to a powerful tool that would enhance your self-esteem and allow you to reach your full potential would you use it?

A good way to create positive self-talk is through affirmations. An affirmation is a positive statement that represents your desired condition or outcome. Interesting enough, your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between a real experience and a vividly imagined “mental” experience.

When he was a struggling young comedian, late at night Jim Carey would drive into the hills overlooking Hollywood and yell at the top of his lungs “I will earn ten million dollars a year by 1995.” When 1995 finally arrived, Jim was the star of the movie Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, for which he was paid $20 million! World-class athletes understand the value of affirmation and recognize the impact of their mental preparation on their physical performance. They use the power of positive affirmation to reduce anxiety and increase their expectation of achievement. To be of maximum benefit an affirmation must be simple, encouraging and stated in the present tense. By repeating an affirmation over and over again it becomes embedded in the subconscious mind.

To be effective your affirmation must be stated aloud…

1. In a positive manner with the focus on what you want. When you catch yourself saying or thinking something negative about yourself, counteract the negative self-talk with a positive affirmation. Start your affirmation with words like “I am…” or “I already have…” Example: “I close sales with little or no resistance.” “I take good care of my customers and they show their appreciation by referring their friends to me.”

2. In the present tense. Your subconscious mind works in the present tense, so avoid words such as can, will, should or could. Example: “I love doing my work and I am richly rewarded creatively and financially.”

3. With strong emotion and conviction.

4. Repeatedly. I suggest you read your affirmations each morning upon awakening and again each night just before falling asleep. Close your eyes and picture the end result. Feel the emotions associated with the affirmation.

Here are some of my favorite affirmations:

“Every day in every way I’m getting better and better!”

“Everything comes to me easily and effortlessly!”

“I love and appreciate myself just as I am!”

“I love doing my work and I am richly rewarded creatively and financially!”

“I now have enough time, energy, wisdom and money to accomplish all my desires!”

“Infinite riches are now freely flowing into my life!”

“I am relaxed and centered!”

“I feel happy and blissful!”

Do affirmations really work and can they be used to propel a person to achieve greatness? As a young boy growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, 12-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay dreamed of someday becoming the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. When working out in the gym, Clay would continuously affirm to all within earshot that he was indeed the greatest boxer of all time! While many felt he was brash and boastful, few people actually took this 89-pound youngster seriously. Mohammad Ali used his affirmation to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world and arguably one of the most popular and recognized sports figures of all times!

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits. Study your habits, for they will become your character. Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.” – Anonymous

You show me a salesperson with high self-esteem, a positive attitude and a healthy work ethic and I’ll be able to predict his or her success in advance… I guarantee it.

For more information, visit www.johnboe.com

Effective Time Management: Nine Tips

2011-11-07T11:15:00.000-05:00

Property Wire
Monday, 07 November 2011 08:44 Heather Wright
Do you ever wonder why top producers are top producers? Are they gifted? Do they have connections that the average person can only dream of? Are they lucky?

Check out this article
The Results Are In! The PropertyWire.Ca Survey "Successful Habits Of Canadian Realtors"
The results of the PropertyWire.Ca reader survey, Successful Habits Of Canadian Realtors are in!...
Read More Perhaps. But chances are the one thing that top producers have in common with each other, is an innate sense of how to translate every hour in their day to impact productivity- and ultimately their bottom line. Time Management can either be your friend or your foe when it comes to climbing the ladder of success.

Busy does not Mean Productive

Is it a more effective use of energy to run in circles, or to make a direct dash for the finish line? In productive business, not all activity is created equal. You may be busy and pressed for time- but you must make sure that the tasks in front of you are the important ones, and that they are getting allocated the appropriate amount of time.

Work Backwards

If you feel like there are simply not enough hours in the day, take a look at how you are spending your time. Take a few days, and document in detail the tasks you perform, how long you spend on them, and what the outcome was.
Also, make note of what you didn’t get done. Are these items that should be on your desk? How is their non-completion affecting your business now- and in the future?

Set Measurable Goals

Take time to plan ahead to really juice every opportunity out of your day. Have weekly, daily and monthly goals.

Map out how much time you will spend on each item. Once the time allocated is up, move on. In this sense, it is important to have goals that are flexible and can be re-arranged over time, especially if you are finding that you spend too much time on something, and consistently running out of time on something else.

Prioritize

There is no doubt that everything on your list is important- but it is also true that there are varying levels of importance.

Decide, ruthlessly what tasks take priority, now- next week and further on in the future. It may seem difficult to let certain tasks fall to the back of the queue initially, but when you start seeing results, it will make more sense.

Have a Reasonable To-do-list

Nothing is more de-motivating, than having a list that does not end. In order more you to feel productive, you have to see progress- and that can’t be accomplished if you don’t feel that you’ve achieved goals.

Don’t fall into the danger of having lists of things that you’d like to do. Confine lists and projects to what you need to do.

Find a System that Works

There are many tools and apps available to help streamline your business, and make your time management the most effective it can be.

However, while one tool may be the latest and greatest, but it ultimately is useless if it does not match your particular needs.

Whether you use a day timer, software or pen and paper, decide what works for you- and be consistent. Flopping around and changing means that you are wasting time deciding how to spend your time.

Colour Code it

It works for traffic lights, so why not for time management?

Assign level of priority- green needs immediate attention. Yellow can wait- but not too long. Red- can afford to be pushed to the back of the pile- but not forever. Again, the key is not to have items on your list that have no hope of getting done. They will just serve to make you feel unaccomplished.

Guard your Time Ruthlessly

Block out specific time in your day for things like emails, phone calls or prospecting- and guard that time like an angry dog. Furthermore, communicate these hours to your client base- so that their expectations are in line with what you will deliver.

These items have a way of infiltrating the rest of your day if you don’t contain them.

Delegate/Outsource

While you are captain of your own ship, to effectively steer it, you really need both hands on the wheel. In the Real Estate and Mortgage Industries, that means taking some tasks- and handing them over to others.

While letting go is a great difficulty for some, it is probably the most effective way around to allow you to maximize opportunity- and to squeeze the most out of the hours of the day.

Consider, if possible, having an assistant handle administrative duties. Consider outsourcing things like website design and management, editorial content or staging.

First-Time Buyers Have Lots Of Options

2011-10-29T14:18:00.000-04:00

October 28, 2011 -- If you are considering the purchase of your first home you’re probably aware that like many of life’s milestones, there are many things you must consider.

Understanding conditions in the real estate market is a good first step. Current conditions in the Greater Toronto Area resale market remain quite favourable for people looking to take the first step onto the property ladder.

The housing market in the GTA continues to be supported by improving economic conditions which have led to sustained job creation, a lower unemployment rate and accelerating income growth. Financing remains affordable as well. The average interest rate for a five-year fixed rate mortgage is very low from a historic perspective.

While it’s important to consider these fundamentals, it is also crucial to closely examine your individual circumstances, especially when determining what you can afford. Financial institutions will help you determine what you can afford by calculating your Gross Debt Service (GDS) ratio, an amount that includes monthly mortgage, tax, and utilities payments and a portion of condominium fees (if applicable). Your GDS ratio normally should not exceed 32 per cent of your gross monthly income. A lender will also look at your total debt picture by calculating your Total Debt Service (TDS) ratio, taking into account all obligations such as your monthly mortgage, car loan, line of credit and credit card obligations. As a rule of thumb, your TDS ratio should not exceed 40 per cent of your gross monthly income. Be sure to explore of the financing options available through different financial institutions.

When determining a price range it’s important to realistically consider miscellaneous monthly expenses, and to account for costs associated with the transaction including home inspection, survey and legal fees.

Once you’re ready to begin your search, enlist a REALTOR® who will commit to representing your interests in writing using a Buyer Representation Agreement. More information on this important document can be found at www.BRAFirst.com.

To find a home suited to your lifestyle, be sure to explore a number of different housing types and neighbourhoods with your REALTOR® before narrowing your search. REALTORS® have access to information on market conditions in individual neighbourhoods, on future development plans and on a range of local amenities.

Your REALTOR® may also provide information on a number of available government programs to help make your purchase more affordable like the Five Per Cent Down Payment Program, the RRSP Homebuyers’ Plan, the First Time Home Buyers’ Credit, Land Transfer Tax rebates and more.

Once you have found the right fit, your REALTOR® can use their expert negotiation skills to help you achieve a favourable agreement.

Specialized skills and knowledge make your REALTOR® an invaluable resource, buoying your efforts as you navigate through one of life’s most important decisions.

For more information on the home buying process, market updates and neighbourhood profiles visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com

Richard Silver is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 32,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

Using A Realtor To Buy A New Home

2011-10-21T16:03:00.002-04:00

President's Newspaper/Magazine Columns
Toronto SUN Column (as it appears each Friday in the Toronto Sun)

October 21, 2011 -- I recently read an article, in a Toronto news paper, that got me thinking about the experiences of home buyers purchasing newly built condominiums. The article detailed home buyers who had bought a newly constructed condominium, from floor plans, but, unfortunately, once the unit was built, they were disappointed when they realized that one window looked at a brick wall, the floor was laminate and the balcony was “more of a ledge.” This article is a good reminder that there is a lot to consider when deciding to buy a newly built condominium.

Condominiums are regulated by the provincial Condominium Act. In recent months, there has been some talk about the need to reform this law, in part to provide better consumer protection. There is no doubt that the Condominium Act does need reworking but “caveat emptor” or buyer beware can go a long way to help home buyers considering any property, including newly built condominiums.

When buying newly built housing, there are many things to consider. Firstly, when you walk into a new housing sales office, please realize that, often, everyone working there is working on behalf of the seller/builder. If that is the case, you may have discussions with them, but their fiduciary duty is to the builder, not you as the Buyer. With this in mind, you do have the option of working with a REALTOR® and entering into a Buyer Representation Agreement, to authorize them to work on your behalf in any Purchase.

At any time that you work with a licensed REALTOR® they must disclose, to all parties, on whose behalf they are working, in writing. For years, I have been hoping that the Government of Ontario would make disclosure part of all sales that happen in the Province. Currently only REALTORS®, who are licensed under the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act 2002, must do so. Consumers would be better protected if other parties that are involved in real estate transactions, including lawyers, private sellers and new construction on-site salespeople, were also required to do so. It’s only fair: anyone acting on behalf of someone else should have to disclose their relationship with the Buyer or Seller.

Secondly, a very important thing to know is that all Buyers of newly built condominiums are entitled by law to a 10 day cooling-off period, during which time they can cancel their agreement. This is a good time to peruse all documentation and take it to a lawyer for review. When dealing with condominiums, it could help to use a lawyer who specializes in Condominium Law. The lawyer may have good advice on stipulations that you can add into the contract to better protect yourself.

Thirdly, understand what you are buying:

•Make sure that a condominium suits your lifestyle. Do you have a good sense of the reality of a 665 square foot property with two bedrooms and two bathrooms? If you have house-sized furniture are you ready to sell it all to make this type of new space liveable.
•Be diligent in getting the details. If the plans show nine foot ceilings, is that in all of the rooms? Where will the heating, cooling, and water be located for the apartment below and above? Ask for the full building plans so you can see where the bulkheads are planned.
•Understand the status of the neighbourhood. Is it a stable neighbourhood with little re-development or is their significant development on-going, or coming, that could change the nature of the area, and affect things like the view from your unit. The municipality’s Official Plan and Planning Department staff can help you look into the future to get an idea of what may be coming.
•Be realistic in your expectations for the property’s value; use common sense. Getting caught up in hype and speculating that your unit will increase dramatically in value from the time you purchase until construction is complete could leave you disappointed.
Finally, be sure to consider all of your options. For many home buyers, newly built housing is the right choice; however, if you are the type of person who likes to “kick the tires” before buying, purchasing a re-sale property might be a better option for you.
Newly constructed housing is an important part of the real estate market. It fills an important niche and is the right choice for many people. However, as with any major purchase, it is important that you take steps to look out for your best interests. Go the extra step to make sure that you understand what you are buying, and consider working with a REALTOR® who can provide assistance and advice during the purchase of your new home.

Richard Silver is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 32,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

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You Become What You Believe from Ophrah Winfrey

2011-10-14T14:46:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

Thanks so much for showing up for Lifeclass. I gotta say, the webcasts are so much fun, a real sweet spot talking to and hearing from you, exchanging ideas about things that matter. How do you know you're in your sweet spot? Whatever you're doing gives you energy instead of depleting it.

Last nite before the webcast I was exhausted and blurry eyed from Africa jet lag and then became so energized from our conversations with Iyanla and all of the "angry" people. I was up past midnite tweetin'. Every night new insights, but tonight "You Become What You Believe" will be especially helpful I think to people feeling blocked.

Wishing and hoping and wanting isn't good enough. You've got to believe THEN have your every action move you in that direction. Actions have to be in alignment.

Hope to see you for Lifeclass at 8/7 central, then LIVE on the webcast afterwards. That's when the real party starts.

And don't forget the Life Work on Oprah.com...really thought provoking.
And yes it is private just for you.

You Become What You Believe.

Thanks, see you tonight.

See You Monday Night

2011-10-11T16:01:00.000-04:00

Monday, October 10, 2011 1:41 AM
From: to evelynorjalo@YAHOO.CA

Dear Friends of Fall,

On my way back from Africa, where I've spent the past week teaching my soon to be graduating 12th graders, everything I wish someone had told me before I graduated. I bow to teachers everywhere who care about their students, prepare the curriculum and do their own homework to make sure they are prepared. It's a lot of work.

I received this email from one of my students today which makes it all worth it:

Mom Oprah I would like to thank you so much for the wonderful, exciting and mind blowing workshop on life and it's ways. I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come to South Africa, far away from your home. I have learned so many life lessons that I surely will be taking along with me through the many years to come. The one lesson that I definitely learned was that "It is okay to make mistakes". The reason it struck me so much is because I have had a shadow belief where I believed and told myself that I need to satisfy others and show them that I am good. What I did not realise along the way, is that I then stepped away from certain opportunities because I was too scared to take risks and to make mistakes and disappoint others. But after Life 101 I now know that IT IS OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES. Another lesson that I learned is that other people will have their opinions about me and I will need to learn to give meaning to it or not.

Thanks M.
Wow, that warmed my heart.

That one email made the whole exhausting week to the bottom of Africa so worth the trip and rewarding. I'm not a good sleeper under normal circumstances. So my body does not adjust to time change well. So it's been a sleepless week. I had meeting after meeting...then taught class in the late afternoon, so girls wouldn't miss their regular classes.

Mistakes mean move in another direction. And other people’s opinions don't define you. Finding the courage to create the life you say you believe in, building from strength to strength, not giving away your power, especially not doing stupid things in the name of pleasing other people. That was my focus for 12 graders.

I'm returning to U.S. excited to be starting Lifeclass 8/7 central this week on OWN. Followed LIVE on the Web. I hope to see you on Facebook, Oprah.com...and if you have it the iPad app.

For Lifeclass we're moving on to even bigger lessons that speak to the power of the heart.

How not to be controlled by your ego. Letting Go of the past. Allowing the Truth of your life to set you free. Using your strength as a weapon against defeat. And Joy Rising moments that will remind you to feel and create your own.

All things I've learned and continue to grow and expand my understanding of how life works.

I want your world to open up, and you be enhanced, and stimulated by new ways of thinking about yourself.

Doing this on TV and the Web is a bold move. I know it. But what would life be without taking a risk!

See you Monday nite

Oprah

How we built our million-dollar portfolio from scratch

2011-10-01T16:28:00.000-04:00

Written by Shane Buckingham

With four properties already in their portfolio, Richard and Jane Killeen-Payne tell how they built their wealth from the ground up.

Shane Buckingham explains
When the Killeen-Paynes arrived in Canada after selling their home in the United Kingdom more than four years ago, they really had all the money they needed to get started in real estate investing. They had sold their home at the height of the British housing market, and had converted their savings when the exchange rate was C$2.32 for every Pound-Sterling.

With more than $200,000 sitting in their bank account, the Killeen-Paynes knew they had two options. "We looked at that pool of money," Richard recalls, "and we said, 'OK, we can either pay off our mortgage and live mortgage-free, or we can actually choose to do something different."

Richard who still works as a chartered accountant knew he and Jane could invest a good portion of the money in stocks and bonds, but he wanted to get better returns. So they began looking into real estate investing. There was, as there is now, plenty of real estate books dealing with the U.S. market, but the Killeen-Paynes wanted to learn a truly Canadian approach.

That's when they found Douglas Gray's book How to Make Money in Real Estate and Don Campbell's book Real Estate Investing in Canada. "As soon as I read Don Campbell's book, I was in. As an accountant it was all about the numbers; it was all about economics, and that's what the book explained," he says. "So Jane and I really looked at real estate in Canada and looked at our money in the bank and said, 'Yeah, this makes sense.'"

Solid buy in Halifax

In October 2008, the couple purchased a 3,900-square-foot triplex in the Hydrostone neighbourhood of Halifax near Dalhousie University. This investment has been nothing short of stellar.

Today, their one-bedroom unit rents for $795 a month, while the other two two-bedroom units, rent for $1,700 a month each, leaving them with $1,100 a month in cash flow. This impressive income generation is supplemented nicely with the property's steady appreciation over threeanda half years, going from $475,000 at the time of purchase to $595,000 today is absolutely my best investment because it produces the best cash flow.

And if I sold it today, it would get me really good appreciation," Richard says. Owning this property has given the Killeen-Paynes even more than just money; it's taught them nearly everything they needed to know about real estate investing, especially property management. "It's a real benefit to manage your first property.

I'm a firm believer that you need to understand how to run your first property like a business. Then for all of your future properties, even though you won't necessarily have to be a property manager, you'll know all the skills you need in a property manager."

Getting connected

The couple knew it would be challenging to continue investing in Halifax since duplexes and triplexes were then selling for $500,000 to $600,000. But they also knew they would need some help to get started in a new community.

So in April 2009, Richard attended a Real Estate Investment Network (REIN) event in Toronto. Once there, he was surprised to learn that many REIN members own properties in different provinces from which they live.

"I was just blown away. I thought how on earth do you own a property in Alberta when you live in Ontario? But they told me it was really easy and it's not as hard as people think. You just need the right team." Richard was hooked. He joined REIN and began looking for properties in communities outside of Nova Scotia.

Investing in Hamilton

At the time, Hamilton wasn't REIN's top investment city, but Richard was convinced that the economic fundamentals were sound. Hamilton was creating jobs, attracting in-migrants and had plenty of renters. Undeterred by the time of year, the Killeen-Paynes in July 2009 bought a 2,000-square-foot duplex in Hamilton for $225,000. The investment paid off nicely. Today it generates $780 a month in cash flow and has appreciated $40,000 since they bought it.

Again departing from their strategy, the Killeen-Paynes then bought a townhouse on Hamilton Mountain. "I thought we'd give it a try," Richard says. The couple didn't invest in the property, however, without doing their due diligence.

They hired a quality property manager they met at a REIN event in Toronto and scrupulously went over the condominium board's minutes. The board checked out all right and had plenty of money still in reserves. Plus, the condo fees were only about $200 a month when comparable complexes in the area were charging $400 a month.

The Killeen-Paynes now have their eye on some student-rental properties in the Westdale neighbourhood, but they're not making a move until they know what type of new rental regulations the city intends to introduce.

Getting professional

With four properties in three cities, the Killeen-Paynes knew they'd have to take their investing to the next level. So on Dec. 3, 2009, the couple started their business, Invicta Property Investments. "The reason for the business was not only to give it a separate entity but at the same time it was to create a brand around what we were doing," Richard says. "We felt that identity as a business and the name that goes with it was important going forward."

While Richard runs the numbers and searches for new properties, Jane takes care of the marketing, the website and advertising.

The mother of three left behind a career in nursing to spend more time with her children, who are 10, eight and three years old, and to help develop Invicta Property Investments into a viable business. "She's made a dramatic leap from being a registered nurse certainly in my eyes," Richard says.

"And a lot of people give really good feedback about her blogs, articles and the marketing she does for the business. I don't know how she manages to do it all, but she does a great job."

Marketing with Jane

The company logo and name, which Richard admits were Jane's ideas, really represent the couple's business philosophy. "We had a short list of four or five names and Invicta came out on top," Jane says. "It's a Latin name that means unconquerable, undefeatable and unstoppable, and we chose it basically because it encompassed our values."

In Britain, these values guided Jane in her job as a nurse looking after people who had undergone cardiac surgery. She admits after 10 years, her job had become physically and emotionally draining.

So she decided to become a qualified home-stager and interior designer. But when she arrived in Canada in 2007, she felt she "wasn't ready to close the door on nursing." A few months after getting certified as a Canadian nurse, Jane realized her initial feeling was right: she was done with nursing. "It really worked out for the best.

Giving up the nursing really helped because it made me sit down and really focus on the business and actually learn everything I could about marketing." Jane, now a self-taught marketing expert, has established a sense of professionalism in every area of the company she operates.

Their website looks clean and modern and Jane regularly posts news articles, blogs, Facebook comments and Tweets - something Jane never thought she'd end up doing. "When I first found out about Twitter I thought it was just a complete waste of time. But you get really hooked," Jane says.

"I just think it's great for visibility. We're able to position ourselves as experts and deliver education solutions to people who post queries. So from a marketing point of view, I think it's just absolutely incredible."

Now the couple, who own all of their properties, are actively looking for joint-venture partners to expand their already impressive portfolio. The plan, Richard says, is to get up to eight properties before calling a quits on the nine-to-five work life.

"Once we get to seven or eight properties, then we'll be at a stage when we can actually take an objective view as to earned income from my job compared to the passive income from the real estate and decide. And for me I know it's going to be an easy decision. I know it's going to be real estate investing."

THIS IS SO INSPIRING!

The Art of Procrastination

2011-09-28T12:18:00.000-04:00

We’re going to start our blog on procrastination by doing a little procrastination of our own.

Take the following short, fun quiz to see what kind of procrastinator you are.

When confronted with a large, complex task you:

A. Get down on it immediately because having too much on your plate makes you anxious
B. Start thinking about ways to tackle the project by making lists
C. Put it out of your head completely. No point worrying about something that’s due a month away

Your in-laws are coming for dinner and you want to impress them. You:
A. Paint the living room two weeks before the big day
B. Clean your house as usual, buy fresh flowers and a prime roast of beef the day before their arrival
C. Order in

At work, colleagues describe your work style as:
A. Diligent but uptight
B. Conscientious and fair
C. Reasonable but a little flaky and unreliable

If you answered mostly As, you need to procrastinate more or at least relax a bit. Mostly Bs means you’re well balanced in the procrastination department. Mostly Cs tells us it’s time to curb your procrastinating because it’s annoying others.

People procrastinate for a swarm of reasons. Some say it’s simply habit, a product of how we were raised. While others think it’s a clear sign of mental health issues such as depression.

Do you procrastinate because you’re a perfectionist? Are you afraid of failure? Do you get easily distracted?

Here are some helpful suggestions to stop you from your delay tactics:

Time to jump in – literally. Stop thinking and start doing needs to be your new mantra. By over thinking and attempting to dream up the perfect plan you’re putting off the inevitable. Perhaps you’re trying to protect yourself from the pain of failure. Stop it and get on with your life, your projects, your...whatever.

Connected to this is the tendency for the procrastinator to really blow things out of proportion. By putting things off, you end up magnifying the task at hand, making a mountain out of an ant hill and imagining that it’s much worse than it is. Do something, anything. The first step is difficult but attempting it is big because it prompts acceptance and looking forward to the second step and so on.

To help you meet deadlines at a pace other than breakneck, set deadlines or mini deadlines for the completion of something. For instance, with housework, try assigning one reasonably doable task in an afternoon rather than several different tasks that add up to a monumental job. Get the vacuuming done as opposed to the whole house top to bottom.

Large complex tasks need to be broken down into smaller more manageable segments. Attempt each separately. When trying to tackle a larger project, parse it out into smaller blocks of work. Instead of attempting four hours of dreaded paperwork, break it down into one-hour slots. Be sure to take a break after each block of time and perhaps even treat yourself with a latte.

When trying to take on a large and complex project, always start with the easiest part. That will make your introduction to the project that much easier and enjoyable.

Use the friends and family approach by making yourself accountable to them for completing a project. Looking to a trusted friend who can offer encouragement and support is another way to motivate you to get the job done.

Because we are so hyper-connected these days it can be hard to turn down the volume but that’s a must if you’re a diehard procrastinator who gets easily distracted. No TVs, radios, iPods because they’re job is to divert your attention. Reward yourself later with the X-Box.

As difficult as it is to start a project, remember also to finish it. There is nothing like completing a task, no matter how small, to earn you a sense of accomplishment.

Do you have classic procrastinator tendencies? What tasks or duties do you love to put off to another day? Ever notice a time when procrastinating helped you?

Mortgage Interest Rates, Up or Down?

2011-09-22T12:26:00.000-04:00

September 19th, 2011

The interest rate gap between variable rate mortgages and fixed rate mortgages is narrowing.

The rate difference is now under 1%, down from 1.50% a month or so ago.
Although the prime rate of 3.00% may not change for a year or so it is now more tempting to lock in a 5 year term fixed rate, especially since it it unlikely that fixed rates will come down much more. So the choice for a new mortgage, on average, is between a 5 year term 2.70% variable rate and a 3.49% fixed rate at most banks.
If your clients already have a 2.25% (prime minus 0.75%), mortgage there is less incentive to move to a fixed rate at this time.

Fixed Mortgage Rates:
Move up and down every 6 months or so with bond rates. Recently they have been moving down and are now the lowest they have been for many, many years.

5 year term fixed rate:
3.39% if closing in 30 days
3.49% for closings and pre-approvals with rate holds to 120 days
rates apply to both 20% down payment and 5% down payment CMHC insured mortgages
Variable Mortgage Rates:
Prime rate to bank borrowers is 3.00%
The prime rate affects business loans, car loans, etc and is not likely to move up in the next year unless the economy improves both in Canada and the United States.
The variable mortgage rate has moved up from prime minus 0.75% to prime minus 0.50%, so 2.25% up to 2.50%.
5 year term variable rate:

2.50% for closings and pre-approvals with a non bank mortgage lender
2.70% with a bank rates apply to both 20% down payment and 5% down payment CMHC insured mortgages, the borrower must qualify using a rate of 5.39%
Open Mortgage Rates:
Home Equity Line of Credit available at prime plus 0.50% for a rate of 3.50%.Open to repayment any amount, anytime.Payments as low as interest onlyMonthly payments onlyMinimum down payment 20%, no CMHC
Higher Mortgage Rates:
Credit Beacon Score 600 or less, rate about 1% higher, 15 to 25% down payment and a 1% lender fee
Business for Self, stated income, less than 2 years or Commission Income, same as above.

We can help. All we need is the Mortgage Application and Privacy Notice.

Click here to download Ray Eady's application
Click here to download Rich Eady's application

Making You Feel Right At Home!Arthur Bartram
President / Broker of Record
416-391-3232
arthur@rightathomerealty.com
Right At Home Realty Inc., Brokerage - Toronto, Ontario
Independently Owned and Operated

Roll With The Changes & Make Yourself Successful

2011-09-13T17:39:00.000-04:00

What is that they say about best laid plans?

It is a well known fact that success as a Real Estate or Mortgage Professional lies heavily in knowing your market intimately and developing a highly detailed plan that encompasses both strategy and tactical measures, with an eye for growth.

The results of the PropertyWire.Ca reader survey, Successful Habits Of Canadian Realtors are in!...
Read More What may be as necessary though, is your ability to proactively manage that which you don’t expect, and having the professional depth to adapt your plans and your focus as the market dictates.

This versatility can be required as a consequence of outside forces that are beyond your control, or from the realization that the plans you made yourself, marketing and/or operationally, are somehow not hitting the marks you had intended.

Success relies on much more than having a plan. It is about being reactive in a professional context and, in a sense, being proactive enough to allow yourself to be professionally versatile.Change, whether selected after careful analysis, or whether thrust upon you, always represents the opportunity to streamline your business, as well as deepen your brand, if it is leveraged correctly- and a lot of that has to do with the origin and requirements of change.

One of the hardest parts of being a professional is having the courage to hold a mirror up to your business, and having an honest look to determine what change needs to be implemented to streamline your business. The truth is, if you want your boat to float, you need to plug the holes.

Change is Not Just About Getting Rid of the Negative

While it seems more obvious to want to cut the dead wood out of your business and your marketing strategy, it may be gentler to start with celebrating your successes.

Take a look at your marketing strategy, and decide not only what worked- but why it worked.

Was it something that you did specifically that is unique to your skill set? Did the market itself communicate the success of a tactic by its’ measurable response?In extracting the essence of your success and spreading it around to other operational and marketing activities, you may be able to salvage some of your marketing activities that are not as successful.

Measurable Results as a Barometer

In theory, change should be more easily managed if you initiate it yourself. However, implementing self-driven change presents itself with other challenges as well- namely what if, despite all your planning and hard work, your marketing plan does not seem to be yielding the results that you were after?You need to place professional distance between yourself, the plan, and the results- and be ruthless in your evaluations. For goals that are measurable, the numbers speak for themselves, and the success of your business hinges on your ability to adapt them- even if that means letting go of the vision you have constructed.While it may seem like a discouraging distance to go all the way back to the drawing board, it is more discouraging to discover that you have arrived at your intended marketing destination, without your baggage- so to speak.

That is why it is crucial when, after having your strategic marketing goals laid out, and setting out the tactical actions to help your marketing strategy translate to growth of your business, that you need to not only set up benchmarks to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaign- but to also have specific goals in mind when visiting these along the way.

Be specific in your language when setting goals, and when associating tasks. What are some of the things your business needs to get out of them in order to move to the next level? Is this about client retention? Are you trying to generate leads? Referrals?

Invite Feedback

When you are setting out quantifiable goals to gauge the success of your business planning, there are elements that are extremely important to your success, that are not as easily measured- client satisfaction for one- which has a direct correlation on the likelihood of referrals- and in turn on your growth and your bottom line.Although there is little more stomach churning than asking for honest feedback about weaknesses, it is a must.

When you are in the relationship business, you must consider that a big proponent of your ability to be successful in your business relies on not only on your strategy and plans, but on the way you are perceived by your clients.You take pains to project a certain image, and hope that you succeed by communicating that to clients. If you are off the mark, and clients are less than satisfied about the service they received with you, or they were just generally not pleased, you need to know that- and you need to know why.

Furthermore, you need to have the professional courage to implement those changes into the way you do your business.

Make feedback an essential part of your process, having a set time during the business cycle with clients to ask for it.

Let them know that you genuinely want to know what they think, as their impressions are valued in the way in which you do business, and that you welcome the opportunity to implement suggested changes.Worst case scenario, you will hear nasty things about yourself.

On the other hand, if clients have valid points, that you may not have considered from their point of view, then feedback allows you to move your business forward- and to be stronger for it.On the up side, if you are being effective in your client relationships, than you can celebrate your successes; gather some testimonials to support your marketing initiatives.

Also, these conversations give you ammunition in asking for referrals, which can help contribute to the measurable parts of your campaign.

Mitigate the Change you don’t see Coming

For all of your planning, and attention to detail, there remains the possibility that there are issues in your local market and beyond, which you absolutely cannot control.

Although political, natural or economic events sometimes take place in the communities in which you live or work, there are those that take place all over the globe, and their effects are far reaching.

The question is, why does something like that impact business operationally, and how can expecting the unexpected affects of uncontrollable events help build business, and how can you communicate confidence to your clients in the times of upheaval?It’s about having your finger on the pulse of the market, even when that means having to go look for it during a shift.

Luigi Frascati, Sutton Centre Realty, with years of experience as a Realtor in his Vancouver market, has been through enough news cycles to know well the relationship between world events and his own local market. His advice? Know your market, know how it fits into the bigger picture, and parlay that information to your clients, giving them a compelling value-add reason to do business with you: “In a cosmopolitan city like Vancouver, BC where I mostly practice, we are all dependent upon events, whether of an economic or political nature, upon which we have absolutely no control. By way of an example, when the war started in Iraq I believe in 2002 - 2003, here the market came to a complete halt for three months. Clearly that was not an event that had originated from the local real estate market, but since real estate here is dominated by foreign investors, the influx of foreign money back then all but stopped.”

“So the trick to being a good advisor is not only to be knowledgeable of the local market, but also to be on top of world events that may affect the local market. I can tell you, from past experience, that next summer the market here will be slow (American presidential elections are due in November 2012)."

In managing change, and in strengthening your business, you can adapt your business and marketing plans to meet need, but as Frascati suggests, your focus must remain with laser-beam accuracy on the client- and how your actions and professional offerings service the requirements of client centric business.Also, know your community.While you never know when forces of nature or economics may strike a community down, history and/or a little bit of research may tell you the likelihood of these events happening.

This, when looking at brass tacks, comes down to including part of your marketing budget for Ad Hoc marketing- when situations socially or communally arise- so that these unexpected circumstances enhance your marketing efforts, rather than derailing them.

Similarly, one must have tactical plans that are flexible enough to bend without breaking when necessary.It is doubtful that Ghandi was talking about business growth when he said, “Be the change you want to see,” but it is applicable.

Don’t let the prospect of your plans not going to plan cause panic or despair, or create a sense of loss- rather visualize where you want your business to be, and allow room in your planning to expand and contract as the market, the globe, or your client base requires you too.Your road to success is not necessarily a straight line, but you want to avoid going in circles.

How to Turn More Renters into First-Time Buyers

2011-09-06T13:14:00.000-04:00

By Bill Ervin
RISMEDIA, July 25, 2011—This is the market of a lifetime, with more opportunities—and challenges—than most of us have ever seen. Now imagine that you’re a renter thinking about buying a first home. You know mortgage rates are at generational lows. You know home prices are as attractive as they’ve been in decades. But, you don’t know what to do next. That’s where real estate professionals like you come in. You can teach first-time buyers how to take advantage of today’s market and showcase the value of hiring a real estate agent like you to guide them every step of the way.
Whether you’re talking to a group of first-time buyers in a seminar setting—or just chatting one-on-one—here’s what you can say to encourage them to buy:

Eight Steps to First-time Buying Success

1. Make the move from renting to buying. Help overcome their fears that they can’t afford to buy. If they can pay rent, they can likely make a mortgage payment. And instead of throwing away their money every month, they’ll build an important financial asset.

2. Get a pre-approval. With a credit and income verified pre-approval, both you and the buyer will be on the same page with a concrete understanding of what they can afford.

3. Get the right mortgage. It’s about more than the monthly payment. Guide first-time buyers toward the best mortgage option for them long-term.

4. Find the right home. Make sure first-time buyers know this is a long-term commitment and must likely meet their needs for many years.

5. Make an offer the seller will accept. Show buyers the three main components of an offer: price, financial/timing terms and contingencies for opting out of the deal.

6. Do your homework. Explain the value of due diligence: performing a property inspection to expose any hidden issues and obtaining a homeowner’s insurance policy.

7. Close on the sale. That stack of documents at the closing table can be daunting but there’s a lot that happens well before then. Be sure to explain buyers’ pre-closing responsibilities (including how to remain “mortgage worthy”).

8. Of course, one of the most critical steps is to hire the right real estate professional. Here’s how to convince them to hire you:

-You know the market
-You’ll help them make the best decisions
-You’ll find the right home
-You’ll quarterback the entire “deal team”
-You’ll be the chief negotiator
-You’ll take care of all the details
-And you’ll solve every problem, from contract to close

In short, you’ll be the professional first-time buyers need to help ensure success.

Bill Ervin is the National Sales Director, Real Estate Relationships for CitiMortgage, Inc. For more information, please visit www.citimortgage.com.

Realtors ride for a great cause

2011-09-06T12:44:00.000-04:00

September 2, 2011 -- One of the many things I enjoy about being a REALTOR® is that there’s never a dull day. Thanks to our varied professional backgrounds and range of special interests, even after 32 years in the business, I learn something new virtually every time I chat with another GTA REALTOR® Member.

One example of the diversity within our professional community is a group of REALTORS® who also happen to be motorcycle enthusiasts. Each year they get together for a ride in support of the REALTORS Care Foundation, which assists shelter-related charities throughout Ontario.

This year’s ride, which took place from July 13th to 15th, marked the culmination of an important milestone as riders completed a multi-year goal to visit each of the 42 real estate boards in Ontario. Their objective was to raise funds and awareness of the Foundation’s charitable endeavours, and increased participation in this year’s event showed that their efforts are working. Thirty-five riders took part this year, in a journey that took them throughout Central and Eastern regions of Ontario.

The ride kicked off at the Toronto Real Estate Board with stops at the Durham Association of REALTORS®, the Northumberland Hills Association of REALTORS®, and the Kawartha Lakes Real Estate Association before wrapping up the day’s travels at the Peterborough and Kawarthas Association of REALTORS®. On day two, participants made stops at the Bancroft, Quinte, and Rideau-St. Lawrence Real Estate Boards, remaining in Brockville overnight.

Day three included a visit to the Cornwall and District Real Estate Board before reaching the final destination, the Ottawa Real Estate Board. While media and local politicians greeted riders at various stops throughout the journey, a particularly notable reception took place during the final leg of the trip.

The riders’ arrival in the nation’s capital coincided with 90th anniversary celebrations at the Ottawa Real Estate Board, with representatives on hand from the Ontario and Canadian Real Estate Associations. As anniversary presentations wrapped up, everyone in attendance heard the rumbling of motorcycles and rushed outside to greet riders.

During the last week of July a special visit was paid to the Thunder Bay Real Estate Board, to reach the goal of visiting every real estate board in the province.

As always, TREB’s CEO Don Richardson took part in helping raise awareness. I asked Don to share this year’s experience with us, and here is what he had to say…

“The ride was great! It was very heartening to see even more riders this year. A real sense of community involvement by each Board we visited. The last Board we stopped at was Ottawa. This was perfect, as Ottawa was celebrating their 90th Anniversary with speeches and presentations, apparently the timing was perfect, because just as the last speech ended, those at the celebration heard the bikes rumbling outside as we arrived, and all rushed outside to welcome us. It was heartening to see the support for the Foundation and the increase in awareness. It was perfect throughout. Perfect weather, great energy, excellent planning while raising awareness for a worthy cause.”

Although the total numbers have not yet been calculated, it is anticipated that this year’s ride will have raised more than $50,000 for the Foundation, which will bring the total raised since the event’s inception to more than $220,000.

Given that the Foundation operates solely on the basis of voluntary donations, these funds are vital to its success. Thanks to efforts like the ride, the Foundation, now in its 44th year, has an impressive track record. Last year alone, TREB provided REALTORS Care Foundation grants to 35 different shelter-related charities throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

While plans will soon be underway for the 2012 Ride, it’s not too late to sponsor one of the dedicated individuals who took part in this year’s event. Since the Ontario Real Estate Association pays for The REALTORS Care Foundation's administrative costs, every dollar donated directly benefits shelter-related charities throughout the province. For more information visit www.realtorscareontario.ca

Richard Silver is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 32,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

Follow TREB on www.twitter.com/TREB_Official, www.Facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard and www.youtube.com/TREBChannel

Lifeclass from Oprah!

2011-08-23T17:17:00.002-04:00

Lifeclass
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 4:54

I've been working on my new LIFECLASS show that begins Oct. 10 on OWN. We've been through several titles and settled on this one because that is exactly what The Oprah Winfrey Show was for me all these years -- a life class.

I'm going to do what I've always loved doing on the show -- take the best stories, and use them to demonstrate the greatest lessons I've learned and want to share with you.

My greatest desire is to fulfill the highest, truest expression of myself as a Human being. I'm still on that journey. If that is your desire as well, join me every night as we explore new ways of looking at Life, and how it works for all of us. There are principles and laws that are Universal -- when you figure them out, your life gets better no matter who you are and what your circumstances.

The world is a mess. We all know it and talk about in our private lives. It's depressing and overwhelming at times to look at how much potential we have and yet we're constantly bombarded by images and information that speaks to the lowest common denominator. We can do better. We can be better. I know it's true.

You can learn from my mistakes, and I can learn from yours. We can grow ourselves forward. On the air and online. Sign up now for LIFECLASS at Oprah.com. I need a million people who believe life can be better.

Thanks and see you on OWN Oct.10 8pm ET/PT. After Rosie's show at 7pm ET/PT.

Oprah Winfrey

The art of negotiation

2011-08-19T12:26:00.000-04:00

Preparation
Presentation
Oh Yes – Lots of Silence
NEGOTIATION IS AN ART

It depends largely on communication and knowledge of human behaviour plus anticipation of what the other side will do.

PREPARATION

Discuss some of the potential hurdles with the listing agent prior to presentation ie) Conditional Sale; closing dates; chattels, its part of being prepared and also is part of selling the other agent. Check your own attitude toward the offer. Never apologize for a low offer.

RESEARCH WHEN REPRESENTING BUYER

How long has the house been on the market?
Any previous offers?
Reason for selling?
Have you memorized the key factors?
Price, term, possession?
Comparable sales?
A well armed agent is more convincing that the offer deserves serious consideration; most motivated Sellers can accept and face reality if it makes logical sense. Sloppy presentation often results in difficult or impossible ratifications.

Be confident and enthusiastic.

PRESENTING THE OFFER

Always use the words “Agreement to Purchase” – Offer implies terms not favourable to them.
Your influence and your control are vital factors in the outcome – but don’t play God.
Go in with a friendly attitude, build rapport with the Seller, pace the Seller, and show facets of yourself that are easy to relate to.
Create trust, trust lowers tension, Seller will be more open, will reveal more, find some common ground, present yourself in ways most like the client, but without compromising yourself and your client.
Remember people usually negotiate to satisfy needs, if they didn’t have needs they wouldn’t negotiate. Most people who act on satisfying needs act on emotion and not reason, but so often we tend to get drawn into highly emotional negotiations.
ARRIVE ON TIME

It creates a negative impression if you are late.

THE FIRST FEW MINUTES

5-10 minutes of rapport building chit chat. Don’t overdo it.

PRESENT IT

Talk about the Buyers, the obstacles they overcame to reach this decision etc. Set the stage but do it quickly, Sellers are interested in the main reason for your visit, the agreement.
Human nature tells us that Sellers look at price first, if that doesn’t inspire him the rest of the agreement and printed word will not. However in order of priority Sellers usually look at Price, Possession, Financing, Conditions.
Always remember that to have an agreement accepted you must have an agreement that is acceptable.
Do not try to justify a low agreement.
Remember most Sellers’ thoughts when you present an offer are:
Will they pay more?
Can I counter without losing the Buyer?
Most objections by the Seller can usually be cured by price.
Deals are not usually lost because of closing or personal items.
Price objections are difficult to handle unless you are prepared.
Success depends on:

1) Existing market conditions

2) Recent sales

3) Capacity of the Buyer

4) Motivation of both parties

WILLING BUYER – WILLING SELLER

Essential elements – without it almost impossible to make a deal.

Price is the obvious component to agree upon. Unless both parties want to try it is almost impossible to resolve serious price differences. However an intelligent logical presentation can be convincing.

Being practical whether we like it or not often pays huge dividends. It includes of course a thorough analysis of all market conditions and circumstances relative to reality. Sooner or later no matter how painful or unpleasant, both parties must come face to face with reality. Daydreaming and wishful thinking may have a place in society but not in a real estate transaction. It is our duty to present all facts to the Seller, if he feels that any agreement is sound and is likely to be the best offer under current market conditions then one should strongly recommend acceptance.

Your knowledge of the market and your capability to illustrate the facts particularly of what Buyers have been and have not been willing to pay for comparable properties reflect directly on your success.

You should tell the Seller that the info may not be pleasant or encouraging, however it illustrates what is going on. BE PRACTICAL AND REALISTIC!

LISTEN TO THE SELLER

You know price objection usually comes up. How you handle it depends upon the success of the deal. In conclusion listen to the Seller.

Do it Right!

Are YOU Ready?

100% Commission on every deal*
$79.00 Per Month
$275.00 Per Transaction
*No exceptions.

or call us:

Toronto Office

Contact:
Michel Friedman (ext. 227)
Broker/Manager

Morneau Sobeco Centre II
895 Don Mills Rd, #202
Toronto M3C 1W3
Office: (416) 391-3232
Fax: (416) 391-0319

Mississauga Branch

Contact:
Anissa Ho (ext. 430)
Broker/Manager

Monte Carlo Corporate Centre
7045 Edwards Blvd, # 201
Mississauga L5S 1X2
Office: (905) 565-9200
Fax: (905) 565-6677

Richmond Hill Branch

Contact:
Howard Drukarsh (ext. 302)
Broker/Manager

CIBC Building
300 West Beaver Creek, #202
Richmond Hill L4B 3B1
Office: (905) 695-7888
Fax: (905) 695-0900

Branch Offices in Durham, Oakville & Burlington.

http://www.rightathomerealty.com/

Financial frauds and scams cost Canadians $10 billion a year

2011-08-04T15:04:00.000-04:00

Risk management

Here are six to avoid.

Bernie Madoff's biggest fraud was as a father
Jacqueline Nelson, On Tuesday August 2, 2011, 2:22 pm EDT

Last year the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received almost 50,000 complaints from Canadians who, combined, reported more than $50 million lost to a variety of cash-grabbing schemes. Many others aren't even aware they've been scammed—the CAFC estimates fraud costs Canadians close to $10 billion annually. The Ponzi schemes of Madoff and Jones, revealed during the recession when consumers were at their most vulnerable, highlighted that people from any walk of life, including athletes, entertainers and fund managers, can be taken for a ride. So can the most trustworthy businesses, universities and institutions. In fact, one study by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that the average company loses 5% of its annual revenue to scams, which last a median of 18 months before detection.

Since many fraud victims say that, in hindsight, they should have seen the signs of a scheme, financial literacy is important. As Ken Fisher, CEO of Fisher Investments, writes in his book How to Smell a Rat, "You, yourself, and no one else must do due diligence before handing over any sum of money….Yes, it would be nice if regulators guaranteed safety. But the truth is, as Ben Franklin said, 'God helps those who help themselves.'" The best way for average Canadians to protect themselves from being victims is to recognize scams (like the ones below) from a distance, and sink their time and money someplace else.

High-risk Investments
Consumers are called or e-mailed and offered a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to get in on the ground level of an exclusive stock or collection of luxury goods that promises wild returns. The investment then turns out to be overpriced, difficult to sell, or perhaps never even existed. Research from the U.K. suggests that three out of four victims are men, and more than a third are over the age of 65. "Right now, there are gold and silver schemes spreading like wildfire," says Larry Elford, a former financial adviser and advocate for better investment practices in Canada.

Pyramid Schemes
Like an inflating balloon, this scheme encourages people to sign up to a "club," pay a fee, and then, in exchange for a large commission, recruit friends or relatives to do the same. This scam is tricky, because if enough people continue to join, the growing pyramid may allow some near the top to make a quick buck. But, eventually, the supply of new recruits will run out, and those closest to the bottom get nothing when the balloon pops. While many believe sucker traps like this prey on the elderly, the CAFC's data suggest that the 40—49 age demographic reports the most dollars lost each year. "Victims are portrayed by society as being gullible losers, so they often don't speak up," says Les Henderson a sales expert and consumer advocate.

Hotel Ballroom Investment Pitches
Endless low-fee seminars conducted by enthusiastic salespeople (some of them planted in the crowd) in conference centres or airport hotels promise a unique or secret investment strategy. Sometimes, participants will be asked to sign waivers agreeing that they won't share the tip, or that organizers aren't responsible for losses sustained. But why would someone with such a wonderful opportunity want to share it with strangers? "Before investing, make sure you can answer three questions," says Elford. "You want to know who's selling it. You wouldn't buy your jewelry out a trunk of a car, but some people choose investments in that way." Second: How is it being sold? Layers of salespeople or referral fees are not a good sign. "And last," Elford says, "what is it they're actually selling?"

Scholarship Hunters
The increasing cost of post-secondary education has encouraged fake scholarship companies that promise thousands of dollars in grants for relatively small fees. Of course, these companies either don't follow through or don't do anything the student couldn't do with a Google search. "If you are pressured on the phone or in a pitch to make a big purchase decision immediately, it's probably not a legitimate deal," says Henderson. "Real businesses or charities will give you a chance to check them out or think about it."

Runaway Real Estate
"If I had a nickel for each real estate project that wants a piece of your savings, I'd be rich," says Elford. "It's the most common pitch." Consumers attend a presentation that promises wild returns on properties that have yet to be built and pay membership dues to get in on the action. Organizations that want to send the money to another country, outside the protection of Canada's laws, are worth extra caution. As always, investors should be wary of the promise of high returns with low risk, and should run the investment past a financial adviser, accountant or lawyer (or all three) before writing a cheque. "It's probably better to buy your own real estate where you cut the lawn," says Elford. "That way, you manage your own risk, have input and control."

Work-from-home Scams
Victims may find ads online or pick up flyers that promise quick cash for work that can be done by unskilled hands, usually after paying a registration fee or purchasing supplies up front. Later, scam artists claim there is no work or give a vague reason why victims will not be paid. "The would-be employer may encourage these people to get angry on the phone and bully credit card companies into increasing their credit limit [to buy more supplies] because 'that's what winners do,'" says Henderson. "But they'll take your last $1,000, or make you buy all sorts of things you never needed to do the job." He notes that an employee should never be asked to put his or her own money into a business.

Harnessing the power of the sun

2011-08-03T14:29:00.000-04:00

Green Real Estate Jul 28, 2011

You only need to be mildly aware of life outside of real estate to realize that a fiery battle may be heating up over the importance of the sun in how we heat, cool and light our homes and buildings.

In an effort to promote the benefits of solar energy, the Canadian Solar Industry Association is trying to raise $2 million from its members to build a media campaign in Ontario. The association believes there’s a vast misunderstanding about solar power and that it is wrongly gaining momentum as a political hot potato in the lead up to the Oct. 6 provincial election.

Given Ontario’s troubles with the issue, could this also play itself out in other provinces? We certainly hope not.

As Realtors representing home and commercial buyers and sellers, it’s good business form to be well-versed in innovative strategies that will invariably alter how we live and do business. That includes how we consume energy. Being knowledgeable about how solar power can benefit your clients gives you a far-reaching upper hand.

Solar energy is a great alternative to conventional and non-renewable sources of energy such as natural gas, coal and oil. The supply is endless and best of all, free.

Solar power is a 10 on the scale of environmental friendliness. Unlike fossil fuels, which produce carcinogens, greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide, solar cells are clean, quiet and highly dependable.

Passive solar technology relies on the sun’s rays and doesn’t require mechanical or electrical devices. A good example of passive solar is using sunlight to light a room during the daytime or designing a home or building so that it captures the sun’s energy to keep it warm in winter and cool in summer.

Active solar technology uses equipment such as pumps and fans to transfer the sun’s power to where it is needed. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems consist of solar panels that collect and convert sunlight into electricity to power your home. While this does require an initial investment, there are a number of programs that can help reduce the cost of the system. Depending on where you live, solar PV systems allow you to reduce the amount of electricity you need to purchase from the energy grid, and you can send any surplus electricity back to the grid for credit.

While many think solar panels are an unattractive feature of a home, according to a 2010 study by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, homes with solar panels are gaining ground in the real estate market. Solar-powered homes sell faster, the study shows, and they get nearly 20 per cent more in asking price.

The efficiency of solar PV increases in colder temperatures and the technology is particularly well suited for Canada’s climate.

The size of the solar array, battery bank and AC inverter required for a typical solar PV application depends on a number of factors, such as the amount of electricity you use, the amount of sunlight at the site, the number of days without backup that you require and the peak electricity demand at any given time. Sufficient battery storage can easily allow a solar PV system to operate fully independently.

PV modules should be oriented between southeast and southwest (due south is best). Modules generally need a year-round, unobstructed view of the sun. Systems can be sized to provide 100 per cent of your electricity consumption at a cottage or campsite, or as a supplement to conventional utility electricity. A tracking system can orient the solar array to maximize its electricity production throughout the day and the year by tracking the movement of the sun, though this is typically not practical for most applications.

Solar technologies also exist for creating heated water and air. Solar hot water heating systems use solar collectors to pre-heat water flowing to your existing hot water tank, which can then be used in home appliances, sinks, showers and baths.

Solar air systems reduce the energy used for space heating by providing an efficient and cost effective way to preheat the outside air before it is pumped into a residential, commercial or institutional building.

Less expensive but useful solar-powered devices worth recommending include solar tube lighting, solar outdoor lights (great because they have no wires and can be moved around wherever you wish) and solar-powered attic fans (which ventilate attics and keep them cooler).

For the sake of your clients, become a sun worshipper or, at the very least, a trusted professional who knows a thing or two about solar energy. Your clients will appreciate your solar smarts and who knows how much more business you might soak up thanks to that lucky old sun?

For information on consumer incentives in your province visit www.cansia.ca/government-regulatory-issues/provincial/consumer-incentives.

Elden Freeman B.A., M.E.S, broker is the founder and executive director of the non-profit National Association of Green Agents and Brokers (NAGAB). 416-536-7325; elden@nagab.or. For more information about NAGAB and what it can do for your business, visit www.NAGAB.org.

Making the right decision

2011-08-02T14:52:00.000-04:00

Friends of Summer,

Can you believe it's August already? "Hot August nights with the leaves hanging down and the grass on the ground smelling so sweet"...thank you Neil Diamond. I always want to play that song this month.

I am digitally, technically, challenged but learned a great new thing yesterday.

Please don't LOL, but I did not know that you could play music wirelessly thru the speakers in your house directly from your iPad. And can upload movies directly to your tv screen and the movies maintain their HD quality.

I still think that iPad is a magic box.

I spent my first full week at OWN merging new staff with Harpo folks. Alignment is the first step in getting anything to work. We all had a great week. Although if you saw my tweet, you noticed I could use some better office furniture.

We're working on new shows for fall. ROSIE's on at 7pm ET/PT. I watched in awe this past Friday as she sat in a room full of critics, (Television Critics Association) and made them actually LOL.

OWN YOUR LIFE (the oprah class) will be at 8pm ET/PT. Sign up if you're interested in having a better life at Oprah.com.

By the way did you see the show SERVING LIFE on OWN it reairs this Wednesday night 9pm and 12am ET/PT. Produced and narrated by Forest Whitaker. If you didn't see and can't see when it reairs...DVR. It's worth your time.

I've been emailing Forest all weekend. I can't stop thinking about it. It was really, REALLY good. And a tough subject. But opened my heart and made me drop a lot of preconceived notions and judgment.

It is great television I'm proud to platform on OWN.

@Woodsy1069 asked me on Twitter yesterday if I was "frazzled" by OWN's performance thus far.

Nope, not frazzled. And I have faith that if I do what I'm supposed to—allow it to serve my purpose, and you, the viewer—it will succeed.

Everyone in the cable business told me it would take 3 years. Some said 5. I've been here a week.

Lorne Michaels, master creator/producer told me months ago, "it won't start to come together until you're there."

So I made myself CEO and now in the trenches with Erik and Sheri who've masterfully run Harpo, now also Presidents of OWN. We're uniting and building our team.

I will say this; it's 10 times harder than doing my daily show. Doing that show felt like breathing everyday. Now I'm in so many meetings I sometimes have to step out and catch a breath.

But I see every challenge as an opportunity. So no shortage of opportunities here.

I know the same is true for your life.
My experience is a network, yours is whatever is calling you right now.
Get clarity. Don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed. Don't be defeated by mistakes. Learn from them.
We have a new motto..."The next right decision"...what is it?

Onward!
Oprah Winfrey

East Africa famine crisis: How to help

2011-07-22T16:13:00.000-04:00

By Jordan Chittley
Associate Editor

United Nations has declared a famine crisis in Somalia as the region experiences its worst drought in 60 years and staple food prices spiral upward.

Tens of thousands of people have already died from causes related to malnutrition and more than 10 million people are affected. The Canadian government has contributed $22 million in humanitarian assistance this year, but the UN says at least $300 million is needed over the next two months to stop the spread of famine.

Here is a list of aid agencies you can contact to contribute to these efforts.

Canadian Red Cross: Call toll free at 1-800-418-1111 or visit the web page for donation options. Money raised will provide emergency relief to numerous countries in the region. Donate here.

UNICEF Canada: They are on the ground in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia to help children and families with expertise in nutrition, immunization, water and sanitation. Donate here.

The Humanitarian Coalition: This network of Canadian NGOs (CARE, Oxfam, Plan Canada and Save the Children) unites in cases of humanitarian crises. Call toll free at 1-800-464-9154 or go to their website to donate.

Doctors Without Borders/Medicins Sans Frontieres: They have worked in and around refugee camps in the region for 14 years. They estimate about 500 people arrive at the already overcrowded camps each day and upon arrival are receiving inadequate assistance.
Donate here.

World Vision Canada: World Vision has been fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa for many years. Donations will help provide food, clean water, agricultural support, health care and other vital assistance to children and families in need. Donate here.

UN World Food Programme: WPF is reaching out to people on the edge of survival, especially women and children, with food. They aim to reach six million in the coming months. Donate here.

Federal EcoEnergy Retrofit Program Renewed

2011-07-19T16:22:00.000-04:00

News
July 13, 2011 -- The federal government has renewed the ecoEnergy Retrofit – Homes Program, which provides grants of up to $5,000 to eligible homeowners to make energy efficiency upgrades to their homes.

Details

The renewed program is effective from June 6, 2011 until March 31, 2012. Homeowners who participated in the previous version of the program before April 1, 2011, and who did not receive the maximum amount of $5,000 can submit another application for improvements purchased and installed after June 6, 2011.

There are two important changes to the program. First, there is a requirement for participants to register directly with the program before booking their evaluation. Second, homeowners will now be required to provide receipts to their energy advisor at the time of the post-retrofit evaluation to confirm eligibility for the grant.

More Information / How to Apply

Detailed information on the federal ecoEnergy Retrofit – Homes Program, including the application process, is available from the federal government web site.

ecoENERGYecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes

The Government of Canada has renewed the popular ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program. From June 6, 2011, until March 31, 2012, homeowners are eligible to receive grants of up to $5,000 to make their homes more energy-efficient. Homeowners who participated in the program to date have saved 20 percent on their energy bills.

There are two important changes to the program. First, there is a requirement for participants to register directly with the program before booking their evaluation. Second, homeowners will now be required to provide receipts to their energy advisor at the time of the post-retrofit evaluation to confirm eligibility for the grant.

How to apply
The first step in the renewed ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program is to register:

•New participants - if you or a previous owner did not obtain an energy evaluation of your property since April 2007.

•Past participants - Homeowners who participated in the program before April 1, 2011, and who did not receive the maximum amount of $5,000 can submit another application for improvements purchased and installed after June 6, 2011.

If you plan to apply for multiple properties, a form must be completed for each one.

If you are not sure which form to complete, follow the instructions on the registration page.

Only products purchased after June 6, 2011, and installed after a pre-retrofit evaluation are eligible for an ecoENERGY grant. All energy retrofits and post-retrofit evaluations must be completed by March 31, 2012. The homeowner must also sign the grant application by this date.

For more information:
The Grant Table for ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes offers an overview of the program and a breakdown of eligible upgrades. Visit the Frequently-Asked Questions for more details

Understanding The Psychology of Sales

2011-07-15T15:22:00.000-04:00

Friday, 15 July 2011 07:43 Heather Wright

Despite what you may think, you are not in the sales business. You are in the relationship business.

Your job, and the successful execution of it, lies in the ability to understand people, establish and foster relationships with them and to extract their needs and wants- and to help them express that need in the context of the product that you offer.

Check out this article
Realtor vs. FSBO: A Balanced Perspective
To get legal advice, you visit a lawyer; to get medical advice, you go and see a doctor; most people, to get their car repaired, leave it in the hands of a trained professional. Even to get your hair cut, you go to someone who is trained to do that job. In all of these instances, the average consumer, without specific training and resources in a given area, defers to a qualified individual. So what is it about Real Estate that is so different? ...
Read More
The actual sales are the by-product of this process and, to really succeed in client-centric, customer focused business like that of the Real Estate and Mortgage Professions, you must give a lot of thought to a rather volatile entity- the human being. While each client and situation is individual, there are some things that are common amongst most people. Therefore, part of your successful sales strategy should be trying to understand some of the psychology and motivation that most people have when approaching the purchase, sale or financing of a home. Furthermore, you need to know how they are approaching you as a professional.

All in all, it comes down to understanding where your client is coming from.
Set the Stage

In the relationship business, job one is creating an atmosphere in which people want to do business with you.

Like it or not, you are dealing with human nature. And despite efforts to keep an open mind, judgement will likely be passed on you shortly upon first meeting someone. Knowing that this judgement of you, rightly or wrongly will also likely set the stage for trust and for the building of a business relationship, it is worthwhile to look at yourself- and your business through the eyes of your clients.

Judgement sounds harsh, but if you can win your client over at this crucial stage, you have taken an important step towards creating both a meaningful relationship, and a viable atmosphere for business.

You will be judged outright on your appearance- both initially and over time- as to whether or not you consistently project a professional image. You will be judged on your knowledge of your market, product and other services; this can include things like experience or expertise in other areas like staging, property appraisals etc.etc. You will be judged on your people skills- where sincerity is the greatest currency you have, and on the perception of honesty (perception of honesty- because this comes down to optics. You could be the most honest person in the world, but if a client for some reason perceives that your honesty is somehow compromised, you can forget about building a long term relationship)

Understanding the Fundamental Needs of People

While people are indeed all very different, there is something that largely binds them all together.

All people like to feel important and that their needs matter and are understood. To know where your client is approaching you from can help you devise your approach to them.

Jay McInnes, Sales Agent, and Macdonald Realty, agrees: “Customers want to feel cared for and important and again, their comfort in the process is the most important aspect of the sale . Empathy is very important as everyone has to be on the same page if everyone is going to feel happy about what is going to happen- people typically don't buy or sell if they don't feel good about the deal.”

Adam Hawryluk, Mortgage Consultant, INVIS Mortgages, says that one of the best ways to project understanding, and to raise client comfort level is through good, old fashioned communication. “Communication is important in this industry, so understanding how your client wants to be communicated to and how often, is imperative. Some want a phone call every day with an update; others just want to know where to sign. Understanding that everyone approaches this, and life, differently, is very important for empathizing and making your client feel taken care of.”

Emotion vs. Logic

While the investment in a property is purely pragmatic, when you actually break it down, decisions surrounding it are often emotionally motivated, at least initially.

And as Hawryluk says, this is very much the case in the mortgage industry—and there is a role to play for mortgage agents in addressing this: “It's fair to say that people tend to approach decisions emotionally first, then realistically. I think this is exemplified by the amount of clients that real estate agents have that are looking at houses before they actually figure out how much they can afford; In a number of cases clients tend to "put the cart before the horse".

Not only is it good due diligence to have a full understanding of what your limits are before start looking- and possibly get attached to something- it is a good way of trying to balance out emotion and logic right out of the starting gate.

And as McInnes points out, just like the mentalities themselves, emotions aren’t cut and dried either- and you have to tailor that into your strategy as well. “Yes, people are influenced with emotion first, but there are different types of emotion that you can tap into. Physical or Mental, Physical emotion can be tapped into by making the home feel as modern / stark / cozy / new / old or flashy as you believe its specific target market is looking for.”

“Mental emotion would be targeted with price. Pricing the property well and selling at a price that the buyer would feel that they have purchased at a "good price" with monthly payments that they are not going to stretch to pay each month. So obviously all of these aspects put into the same property will open your seller up to the widest target market possible, to hit every level of emotion equally.”

You must be mindful of the motivations to purchase as well- and of their associated mindset when examining a purchase. Says McInnes, property investors bring an entirely different mental element to the process- pure pragmatism : ”Logic comes into play a lot more when it is a investor purchasing, as they are strictly looking at the rent-ability of the property and the numbers. It’s all a simple equation before making that quick yes or no answer. There is typically no emotion involved as it is just generating a yield for the purchaser.”

Again, success in this lies in knowing your client, their motivations and the context of their mindset. Whether a response is emotional or logical to the property in question, it is still up to you to create an atmosphere in which a client feels understood and comfortable.

Pressure or Persuasion?

Applying pressure by creating urgency is a good sales technique, but is it always the best way to go in client centric business? Make no mistake; your investment in a client is motivated by the desire to close a deal, so you should be asking for business. The real question is, how can you be most effective in generating business, while cultivating a relationship and creating an atmosphere at the same time?

Hawryluk says that, as always, you need to understand the client and act appropriately- and that persuasion is more relationship friendly- while pressure works best in a transactional, immediate situation : ”I see persuasion as a way of getting a client to your desired end result ("Option A or Option B, and just so you know.... Option A is dipped in chocolate"), while pressure I see to be used for a yes or no answer, an act or don’t situation.”

McInnes too, agrees that persuasion is a kinder tool, and plays better to a client’s psyche. Creating pressure and urgency in the short term may work well for you and your immediate bottom line, but it isn’t going to make your client comfortable- which again, is something that most people need. “I believe persuasion is painting a picture of what life would look like when living in this space and focusing on how it will specifically cater to something important to the buyer. Pressure is simply in my opinion harping on someone and telling them why they should purchase the home- a very different experience for the buyer involved; persuasion will assist in getting deal done, where pressure will most of the time blow a deal as it is a very negative situation to be in.”

It is worth pointing out too, that pressure lacks empathy- and empathy is an essential ingredient in building a relationship, and creating a favourable atmosphere.

You are not just buying, selling or financing properties. Although the process and the transactions are very much business, what you are actually providing is not. You are satisfying a basic human need for shelter. You are supplying families with a framework in which to build memories. You are building a bridge for someone to move from renter to the impressive title of home owner for the first time. For property investors, you are offering them opportunity for return on their investment. It’s not about bricks and mortar-It’s about throwing down roots. For property investors, it’s about feeding their pragmatic approach.

The old adage “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” has a new depth of meaning in sales. It is much easier to fill a need, when you can understand the why behind it.

The human touch in real estate

2011-07-15T14:07:00.000-04:00

Advice Jul 6, 2011 By Debbie Hanlon

It’s been said that in the last 20 years the world has changed more than it did in the previous 100. Having made my start in real estate close to 20 years ago I can certainly attest to that. When I look back at it now, my first year in the business seems like something out of the dark ages, and yet in that first year I went to No. 1 in Canada. The reason I was able to enjoy that much success so early in my career and continue that success is because no matter how much things changed, one thing didn’t: people do business with people.

It might scare you to know this, but I remember real estate without the Internet, without emails or text messages. I can even remember a time before cell phones. Can you imagine that? Can you see yourself doing business today with a land line and a fax machine as your only means of communicating? Wouldn’t you feel lost if you were driving in your car or walking down a street, completely cut off from the rest of the world with no way of contacting anyone? Scary thought isn’t it, but that was reality when I was a rookie. I can remember standing in front of a house waiting for a client and having no way to send them a message unless I started a fire and sent up smoke signals.

Today with cell phones, we literally hold the world in our hand and are never out of touch with anyone or anything unless the battery dies. Then we’re lost, off the grid, out of reach and aimless until the thing recharges. Because with that cell phone we can email, text, get information online, take photos and send them and, oh yeah, we can call people as well.

The danger of having that much power at your disposal is you can get lazy. Why call someone when you can send a text? Why send someone a handwritten note when you can zip off an email from the comfort of your couch? Why meet someone for coffee when you can tweet what you’re doing to the entire world? Why meet anyone face to face when you can simply Facebook them?

Unfortunately a lot of agents today rely way too much on technology and have lost the one thing that truly makes them special – themselves. The interesting, interested, understanding, funny, forgetful human being they are that is unlike any other human being on the planet. That’s what clients want to experience. They’ll appreciate your knowledge and use of technology but they want you, a real live person, to work for them.

I remember one of my Realtors found himself in a bit of quandary that would make most sales reps jealous. His business was growing so fast that he was finding it hard to keep in contact with all his clients and past clients. He couldn’t meet with each of them or he’d have no time to do his job. He had made them an email group but was afraid a group email would be too impersonal.

So I told him, if you can’t go out and meet all your clients regularly, invite them to meet with you. From then on he held a client appreciation party once a year where he got the chance to chat with them and reconnect. It was nothing big and didn’t cost him a lot of money but these regular get-togethers gave him instant payback in the form of new and repeat business.

Go With The Flow: FROM OPRAH WINFREY

2011-07-13T13:14:00.000-04:00

Wed, July 13, 2011 9:27:18AM
From: Oprah Winfrey
To: evelynorjalo@YAHOO.CA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello friends of Summer,

I haven't written lately because my technically challenged self could not access this email account.
So many barriers were put in place to protect the account, I ended up barring myself from access.

So here we go... Last week was at Allen Conference, with all the movers and shapers of our world. Met some fascinating people like Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. Dynamo woman. So exciting to see women crack that glass ceiling and burst through it.
Came home inspired to work harder and do better.

Started out the week taking swimming lessons. Moving beyond my amateur doggy paddle. Learned the breast stroke today.

Over a year ago I pulled a picture from O mag of a woman gliding through water. It was such a striking image of Freedom and possibility I put it on my vision board (which I've still not completed). Today when I finished my swimming lesson I passed the vision board lying on the table where it's been since 2009. I had an aha moment. I had just become that woman, gliding through the water!

For years I've been a challenged swimmer, afraid of the water and fighting it. Today I learned to move with the flow.

This I've known forever is the great metaphor of life. "Move with the flow". Don't fight the current.
Resist nothing. Let life carry you. Don't try to carry it.

Sometimes we just have to be reminded. A swim lesson did it for me.

I've brought the metaphor to life as I try to evolve OWN into it's full potential. Erik Logan and Sheri Salata, presidents of Harpo today will bring their unique partnering leadership into alignment with the network.

In all things you must have alignment for "flow" to occur.

This I've known forever, but couldn't make it happen, because we were all so focused on ending The Oprah Show.

So as of today... Harpo Team and OWN team become ONE.

Our intention is to use the cable platform and the internet platform and the mobile platform to create messages that fill you up and bring you to new levels of awareness about yourself, ourselves, and our world; our potential...

It's an incredible challenge ahead trying to figure out what kind of shows and programming will resonate with you, inspire you, bring a little piece of light into your already crowded existence. But I feel called to do it, and will be relying on your feedback, emails and tweets and message boards to let me know what you think.

We're gearing up for October, The Oprah Show team of producers will be producing the Rosie show in Chicago at Harpo studios.

I'll be in L.A working on "Next Chapter".

I'm also taking The Oprah Show library of 4560 shows and redesigning them into the 100 best lessons I've learned about everything that can help you live a better life. Those will start airing Oct. 10. Same day as Rosie.

At my core I'm a teacher, masquerading as a talk show host.
And now I'll have a nightly class on OWN.

But for now, I'm enjoying every breath of Summer.
I hope you all are appreciating the warm sun and blue sky where ever you are.

Everyday I wake up grateful. For the smallest things and big things:

Health. Living in the U.S.A. Freedom. Democracy.
Promise and Potential. Growth.
And tiny pleasures like bathing my dogs or picking vegetables.

I have a garden, and every Thursday we harvest our veggies. I grew up in Mississippi, too young to appreciate what it means to pull beans from the vine. Then I just thought it was work, now I get a little thrill from every onion and corn stalk. Yes I'm growing CORN in my back yard. And beets and lots of basil.

I cook for Stedman, but have a limited repertoire.

Next I think I may want to take one of those Tuscany cooking courses.

Will let you know how it goes.

The Best of Life to you,
Oprah Winfrey

Spratly Islands Philippine territory for Chinese oil exploration

2011-07-07T15:36:00.000-04:00

Press Conference on Global Protest
July 6, Wednesday, 11AM-12NN
Green Room of the Lovin' Life Learning Center
4 West 43 Street, New York City

Filipino Americans Set Protest Actions in China Consular Offices in US
June 27, 2011, New York, NY -
Filipino Americans are set to picket the consular offices of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco at 12 noon on July 8, 2011 to protest the PRC government’s scheduled oil rig drilling activities in the Spratly Islands territory of the Philippines this July. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, a nation owns the oil, mineral and other resources within a two hundred mile radius from its base.

The protest actions were called by the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), a national organization led by Loida Nicolas Lewis and Rodel Rodis, which includes leading Filipino-American business, political and community leaders focusing on issues impacting the Philippines and the Global Filipino community.

The public demonstrations on July 8 seek to expose China’s abrogation of its pledge to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to resolve sovereignty disputes peacefully through negotiations. In March 2010, China unilaterally declared the South China Sea a “core national interest” similar to its claims to Tibet and Taiwan and therefore "non-negotiable".

China also has 2.17 million soldiers under its command which is larger than the combined military personnel of all the ASEAN countries. With its superior military forces, China appears determined to begin its billion dollar oil rig construction activity this July approximately 125 miles from Palawan within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

On May 27, 2011, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) conveyed its concern to the PRC government over reports in its state media about Beijing’s planned installation of its most advanced oil rig in the West Philippine Sea this coming July.

According to the Xinhua Report, “CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corp) plans to invest 200 billion yuan ($30 billion) and drill 800 deepwater wells – which they expect to have an output of an equivalent 500 million barrels of oil by the year 2020.” The target production is equivalent to approximately $50 Billion USD per year.

Citing Philippine military reports, Manila said an undetermined number of structures were recently constructed by China in the vicinity of Philippine-claimed Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank near Palawan. The site, a DFA statement said, is located southwest of Recto or Reed Bank and east of Patag or Flat Island “within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).”

The Philippines has the only airstrip in the Spratly Islands, located on Pag-Asa Island which is part of the Kalayaan Islands in the Palawan province.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, while visiting Washington DC last week, revealed at least nine Chinese intrusions in Philippine territory in the last few months after a Philippine oceanographic research ship was chased out of Philippine waters by Chinese warships.

“We call on Global Filipinos and Philippine organizations throughout the world to stand up to the China bully and protest its impending intrusion of the Philippines by demonstrating in front of consular offices of China throughout the world,” Nicolas Lewis added.

“There are more than 4 million Filipinos in the US who can mobilize to defend the sovereignty of the Philippines by exposing China’s aggressive acts in the Spratlys. What is also at stake is the Philippines ownership of potentially trillions of dollars in revenue from its oil & natural gas resources,” said Rodel Rodis.

Happy 4th of July from Oprah!

2011-07-04T15:41:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends of Summer
Spent a week with my girls in S.A..

They were all stressed for tests, but doing fine. No major crisis this trip.

I love being with them and talking to them about all things important.
When I 'm there I'm talking from the time I get up til I go to bed, about EVERYTHING teenage girls are going through. It's the same all over the world.
I'm going back this fall to teach a class; calling it Life 101.
All the stuff I wish someone had told me about how the world works.

Should be fun since I love to teach. And they're like sponges.
Like 12th graders everywhere this first class is both anxious and excited about going to college.
Most will be the first in their family. So it's a very big deal for them, and they're feeling the pressure.

Nothing like going out of country to have an even deeper appreciation for our own U.S.A. The Freedom to have options, something we often take for granted, is the most striking to me.

When Chris Rock was last on the show he said, "real wealth is having options". I thought that was pretty profound.

I now stress to my girls that education prepares you to have options. Without it you have none.

Just took a walk around the neighborhood watching sprinklers on the back lawn. (I love sprinklers) Made me think about the red dirt road I traveled from Mississippi (no sprinklers) to the here and now.

And how that journey could have only been possible in the U.S.A.

I know the 4th of July has turned into picnics and fireworks, and barbecue moments. But it's worthy of a pause, to think about what it really means to have Freedom.

And while we're pausing think about those who sacrifice to make it so.

Wishing you all a Peaceful and Happy 4th of July.

Oprah

Royals miss Toronto!!!!! WHY????

2011-06-30T16:04:00.000-04:00

William and Kate greet the masses in Ottawa

CP24 @ 3:30 p.m. - Thursday, June 30, 2011

OTTAWA — Prince William and Kate have arrived to huge crowds and loud cheers in the nation's capital as the newlyweds begin their first official overseas tour since marrying in April.

They were greeted by sunshine, a stiff breeze and pleasantly warm temperatures, along with dignitaries and adoring throngs, to launch a nine-day Canadian tour documented by an army of world media.

William was dressed in a blue suit with burgundy tie; Kate in a dark, form-fitting, knee-length lace dress, her cascading brown hair pinned back. Nine-year-old Kellan Schleyer presented the duchess with a bouquet at the airport arrival.

They began their afternoon with a visit to the National War Memorial for a wreath-laying, book-signing and walkabout among the thousands of people lining barricades surrounding the memorial.

People crowded around the memorial a block from Parliament Hill and down a few blocks of adjacent Elgin Street past the National Arts Centre.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived early and greeted several in the audience before accompanying the couple along a red carpet to the monument.

Phone booths, benches and concrete flower beds had been claimed by those craning for a view over the hordes. Almost everyone seemed to have cellphone cameras at the ready.

Before William and Kate were to arrive, the crowd erupted in applause to welcome a group of veterans making their way to VIP seating. It was reminiscent of Remembrance Day services when people salute the sacrifice of veterans by applauding them.

Later, the couple will attend an official welcome at Government House hosted by Harper and Gov. Gen. David Johnston.

William is expected to make some remarks before they join a youth barbecue on the grounds of the Governor General's residence this evening.

The waiting crowd at Rideau Hall numbered about 3,800, and even before the couple arrived they repeatedly broke out in cheers followed by bursts of flag-waving.

About 200 VIPs flanked the Rideau Hall podium. Women far outnumbered men at the event. Lots of little girls sported the latest craze in headwear -- fascinator hats, many homemade. The delicate, frivolous head decorations, adorned with feathers and the like, have taken off since making an appearance at the couple's wedding April 29.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spend a little over two days in Ottawa -- including Friday's Canada Day activities -- before traveling to Montreal, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Yellowknife and Calgary.

About 30 royal enthusiasts pressed up against a fence at the government airport where the couple landed. Some waved Canadian flags, others lounged in the sun on picnic blankets as they waited.

The plane, a Canadian military craft, was at least two football fields away. No matter. Local resident Irene Nagle said she thought this was her best bet of a view.

"This is more intimate, rather than be with a million people. And this is their actual arrival. It was important to me because when Di was here I was too young so this is a special moment for me."

More than 1,300 journalists have been accredited to cover the royal tour, including more than 200 from countries other than Canada.

That's far more than the 20 foreign journalists who came along for the Queen's visit to Canada last summer. This year's international contingent hails from 13 different countries, including Qatar, Japan, India and China.

The royal couple's presence is expected to draw even larger-than-usual crowds to Friday's annual Canada Day celebration on Parliament Hill.

In a Harris-Decima poll conducted for The Canadian Press, 77 per cent of respondents said they were aware that William and Kate were visiting Canada. A similar survey the previous year found only 55 per cent of respondents aware of the Queen's impending visit.

Not everyone is excited at the prospect of the visit, however.

Protests are expected at some stops along the tour; a small group of people is planning to strum guitars and wave placards outside a citizenship ceremony Friday to protest the mandatory oath of allegiance to the Queen.

In Quebec, the little-known Quebec Resistance Network is planning a protest against the monarchy.

Animal-rights activists opposed to the Calgary Stampede are also liable to make an appearance when William and Kate kick off the Stampede Parade festivities.

The Evolution of Buyer-Agent Relationships

2011-06-29T16:11:00.000-04:00

By Alan Shafran

RISMEDIA, May 3, 2011—I would first like to thank everyone for the kind words and feedback from my previous article. It’s nice to know that I am touching on some key issues in our industry and I hope that I can continue to be a good resource.

From traveling across the country, lecturing at real estate seminars and meeting professionals from a wide variety of real estate markets, I have become fascinated by the quandary our industry faces as it relates to creating professional relationships with our buyers. To enhance the image of our industry and ensure that we are being compensated for our time, we need to band together as REALTORS® and make the signing of buyer-broker agreements a standard operating procedure.

As agents, we have been taking positive strides in the areas of buyer management and representation, but we still have a long way to go. The lack of loyalty among buyers and buyer’s agents is a source of a great deal of frustration in our industry. Over the past 20 years, I have heard numerous anecdotes from my peers and experienced first-hand the aggravation that comes from poorly-defined buyer agent relationships. The names, faces and situations change, but the themes are always similar:

“Gee Alan, I’m confused. I didn’t realize that you would not be compensated after you spent so much of your time showing me 100 homes, then my sister wrote the offer.”

“Hi Alan, I just called to let you know that I had the listing agent for 209 Madeline write an offer for me. I would have asked you to do it but I felt bad about asking since you already spent 200 hours driving around showing me property. Hope this helps!”

“Hey, thanks Alan for your diligence and patience over the past few years in helping us view condos and homes all over Carlsbad and San Diego. I just wanted to touch base with you to let you know that my wife’s sister’s ex-roommate is a REALTOR® and we will be using her to write the offer, even though we’ve never met her personally and don’t know anything about her experience or skills.”

It could be amusing if it wasn’t so outrageous and irritating. The frustrating thing about it is that, when it happens, we really don’t have anyone to blame except ourselves. Unless we take the time to establish a set of parameters with our buyers, or provide them with an explanation about how we are compensated, we cannot expect them to understand the nature of our business or feel that they should be loyal.

Our business is full of dedicated people who constantly work to further the interests of their clients and increase the integrity of their professional relationships. Their effort and tenacity bring a tremendous amount of success to every transaction in which they are involved. With the number of educated and intelligent people we have working in our industry, it baffles me that there continues to be a lack of guidelines for buyer-agent relationships.

When it comes to listings, we seem to have no problem presenting a legal document for all of the involved parties to discuss and sign. Why not for buyers? Having a listing agreement in place prior to the marketing or sale of a home is the status quo in our industry—it should be a standard business practice when we are representing buyers.

If we took the time to have all of our buyers sign an agreement stating the nature of our relationship, it would not only save us a great deal of time, money and frustration, it would also ensure a superior standard of representation for our clients. With the listing of a property, which person receives a higher level of service? The seller that has a number of agents working for him with no priority, loyalty, or marketing investment, or the seller that has one agent with a vested interest in the sale of the home providing everything?

We all know the answer. Why should our relationships with buyers be any different than our relationships with our sellers?

The competition for listings can be fierce and the terms of the agreement are typically defined in the very beginning. Sellers will usually interview several agents before they choose one to represent them during the sale of their home.

There are numerous consultation meetings where we describe the services we offer and review our payment structure. We compete for the job and everything is up front and on the table. There should be a similar procedure when we are representing buyers.

I’m certainly not saying that I invented buyer broker agreements. About 10 years ago, my frustration with the behavior of buyers led me to seek out and consult with the best buyer agents I could find in the country. I was fortunate enough to learn from them, and then I worked hard to improve the process to the highest possible level.

When I am hired to lecture or speak at real estate conferences and seminars, I teach that buyers should receive a strong initial consultation where the agent helps them review their finances, analyze their needs in real estate and evaluate their long-term goals. We should utilize our people skills and ask questions to learn everything about our buyers that we can, to ensure that we can effectively serve their needs. During the initial consultation, the multitude of services and agencies that are offered in the industry should be thoroughly explained, and the buyer should be pre-qualified to purchase.

All of this should happen prior to looking at properties.

With buyers, I ask them to make decisions about who they would like to work with and teach them about the benefits of having one loyal agent that will fight to the death for them. I explain our payment structure and describe the services I will provide. And similar to when I present a listing agreement to a seller, I present my buyers with a buyer broker agreement, a legal document that outlines the time period in which we will work with each other, commissions and services rendered.

As agents, we would love to get every listing we interview for, but a wide variety of factors, from pricing strategies and personalities, to qualifications and experience, keep us from getting them all. The buyer brokerage process is no different, we simply won’t get them all—we aren’t right now, even without asking for a signed agreement—but at least we will know who is being honest with us and who has good intentions.

Having a buyer broker agreement in place is simply a more professional way of conducting business. Even if a buyer decides to work with someone else after we have described the amount of time, effort, energy and knowledge that goes into effectively serving their interests, at the very least we have avoided wasting our time and money. I have a great deal of faith in the integrity of the buyers that are out there. If we institute this process, where we explain and demand working parameters, we will enhance the image of our profession and earn the business of highly qualified potential buyers.

In addition to demanding more from us as agents, for having the ability and commitment to sit down and consult with our buyers, having a buyer broker agreement in place provides a better overall standard of representation for our clients. Imagine a world where buyers interview three or four different buyer agents and then sign an agreement with one of them. It’s a fantastic concept that could quickly become a reality if we would just unite together as agents and establish this practice as a common procedure.

Technology’s Impact on Buyer Services

Now that we have identified the urgent need to implement buyer broker agreements on a national basis, the question becomes, how do we convince buyers that we are of value to them? What systems should we use to serve their needs?

Consumers are getting smarter and more well-informed every day. They are demanding a comprehensive suite of services from the agents they hire. Learning how to use the best tools that are available and the most advanced technology available today will help you stand out from your competition.

I use a variety of systems and tools, and recently made a strong commitment to increase my mobile IDX technology and services by hiring Mobile Card Cast.

Their advanced solution gives me the ability to offer my buyers IDX on any of the popular cellular Web platforms, including the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. It allows my buyers to look up anything on the MLS, find the 10 nearest properties according to the GPS on their phones and receive information from anywhere.

Since all of the services and technology I offer can be accessed from my website, all my clients have to do is visit www.AlanShafran.com. To me, the most beneficial aspect of having everything linked to my site is that my clients only have to remember to visit www.AlanShafran.com, no matter what Internet browsing device they are using, and they will either see the full version of my site or the specially built version created for mobile devices—it can’t get much easier than that.

Implementing technology will help you stay on top of the industry by impressing your clients and showing them that you are a valuable consultant. During the initial consultation, all of the services and technology you offer should be carefully explained, as well as the potential impact of your expertise on what is often one of the most significant decisions of a person’s life. If you perform your consultation properly, and express that showing a home is just a facet of the entire process, the buyer will cut you off and ask where to sign…and isn’t that a great feeling.

Last but not least, please remember that change takes time and commitment. If you plan on making this change, you might feel like it is not working out when a buyer does not want to meet with you before seeing property. Be proud that you stood up for what is right for yourself and our industry, and encourage others to do the same. Redefining who you are willing to work with will shape your future happiness and overall success. So don’t give up, and practice your buyer presentations with your friends, family and colleagues until you are 100% comfortable. Then go out there and find buyers that will appreciate what an incredible decision they made in hiring you!

Alan Shafran is the #1 REALTOR® in San Diego for Prudential California Realty, President of ShowingSuite.com and author of “BluePrint for 100 Deals Per Year in Real Estate.”

Is it time for Real Estate Idol?

2011-06-23T16:36:00.000-04:00

By Ronn James

Ryan Seacrest: “Tonight our sales reps will put their abilities to the test. Panel, what do you have to say about our sales rep’s listing presentation?

Randy: “Naw, dawg, I wasn’t feelin it. It was too low for me.”

J-Lo: “I love how you looked tonight. The Prada shoes and Kate Spade bag were a nice touch.”

Steven: “You need to take it higher, much higher. That’s where the true superstars are…”

No, it is not a singing competition but a sales test. Listing presentations, offer negotiations, open house conversion and finally obtaining a listing on the spot. How would you fair amongst your competition?

On American Idol, young singers express their life-long passion for their craft. They bring a fan base with them and mom and dad often lead the cheers as those who sing in the shower compete against those who have been trained all their lives to do one thing; sing.

Imagine that our business had such a competition where equal opportunity existed for young and old, new and seasoned, skilled and not skilled to show their stuff in front of three potential clients for a live audience. What would you do? More importantly HOW would you do?

I recently spoke to a new Phase 3 graduate in Ontario. This young man with 12 years of new home sales experience under his belt confided to me that he didn’t know the first thing about selling a house right out of the course. He’s not alone.

How do these new agents compete? I know many brokers who must grin when faced with the fresh enthusiasm that brand new real estate agents bring. Poor new souls hoping to shadow or be mentored by a senior agent, these newbies look to train and spar in a friendly environment to hone their new skill and craft. Imagine that same new salesperson optimistically looking at future financial reward, coupled with the potential perils that a CRA audit can bring when that financial reward is not well managed.

Survival of the fittest has always been the underlying theme of any sales culture. The strong survive and the weak perish. It is imperative that we take a good look at what is involved in earning our stripes. I see three challenges:

First is education. In my most recent Real Estate Council of Ontario update course it became obvious to me that we hear what we want to hear and know what we want to know. The instructor read out a scenario and asked the participants (experience levels ranged from two years to 30+) to comment. I am sure it comes as no surprise that despite the many years of combined experience at the table, we were unable to come up with a consensus. Regardless of the scenario, this is a common issue in our industry.

The second challenge I see is transparency. Real estate people do not often play nice in the proverbial sand box. This is due, in many cases, to the generational gaps in real estate professionals. If you are a boomer, your formal education likely involved covering your work and ensuring you weren’t caught cheating off another paper. Those who followed later, however, often studied in more collaborative settings. A group approach demonstrated that “we” was stronger than “me” and newer real estate professionals continue to crave this in our industry. Poor preparation and few mentoring opportunities make it a difficult road for this group. The closest thing they find is a modern day team where leadership and business operation struggles couple with micro management and instead create adversity in the group setting.

The final challenge is what I call the “one set of rules” struggle. It is difficult to observe the policy makers in our industry shape things to suit their needs. Most sales reps you speak to today can share an experience where rules and policy have been ignored. If the rep winning all the prizes does so at the expense of everyone else, who then is responsible to create change in a largely self-regulated industry?

I do believe that salespeople would perform differently if they were being judged by three potential clients all wanting to hire the best representation for their needs. Considering these same sales reps would also be seen by both live and social media audiences, the stakes would inevitably be higher, flaws would be amplified and brilliance would likely hit some pretty high notes.

With a track record that spans 27 years, Realtor Ronn James says his ambition is to educate the public and Realtors alike. He has landed appearances on Breakfast Television, CityLine, Real Life and a host of radio shows. James has also been a regular contributor to New Homes and Condos For Sale Magazine, Toronto Sun and Canadian Homeplanner. Website: www.RealEstateCommissionMatters.ca, phone 289-242-9050.

Adversity Gives You Strength

2011-06-20T15:23:00.000-04:00

By John Boe RISMedia, June 11, 2011—

How can you stay self-motivated and productive in the midst of turbulent times and a sluggish economy? How do you persevere as a salesperson when times are tough and customers seem to be holding on to every penny in fear of economic uncertainty?

Every challenge, setback and personal difficulty you encounter in life also brings with it the seed of equivalent or greater benefit! The key to overcoming adversity is to avoid the temptation of panic and instead, focus on finding the greater benefit. Adversity will never leave you where it found you; it will either strengthen your character or weaken your resolve.
During the early years of WW II Nazi submarines, operating in wolf packs, roamed the frigid waters of the North Atlantic with impunity sinking an alarming number of British military and merchant ships. Hitler was confident that his U-boats could blockade England and eventually starve the British people into submission.

In the summer of 1940, while the Battle of Britain was being played out over London, the Germans unmercifully sank over 300 British military and merchant ships. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, fearing the negative impact these devastating losses might have on the nation’s morale, ordered the information withheld from the public. In an effort to reduce the appalling number of casualties lost at sea, Churchill instructed the British Royal Navy to begin a study to determine what, if anything, could be done to save more lives during sea rescue.

While interviewing the survivors an interesting discovery was made. To their complete astonishment, the researchers noted that the survival rate for the younger, presumably more physically fit sailors was remarkably lower when compared to their older shipmates. The study concluded that the older sailors had a significantly higher survival rate due to the fact that they had overcome more adversity and therefore, had developed greater confidence in being rescued than the younger, less experienced sailors.

The head of the research project, Kurt Hahn, was so moved by this discovery that he created the Outward Bound program. Hahn designed the Outward Bound program, utilizing a series of progressively rugged challenges, to mentally and physically prepare young British sailors to cope with the adversity of naval combat. Today, the Outward Bound program works with troubled youth to help them develop greater confidence and self-image.

I find it interesting that people faced with similar adversity often experience remarkably different outcomes. Some people become weakened, some become hardened and some become stronger. If you place a carrot, an egg and a coffee bean into a pot of boiling water, each reacts in a completely different manner to their conditions. The carrot goes into the boiling water firm and comes out soft; the egg goes in fragile and comes out hardened; while the coffee bean turns the hot water into coffee by releasing its flavor and aroma!

Selling in these challenging times demands determination and personal fortitude. Having the will to persevere when times are tough is a characteristic commonly found among self-made millionaires. Are you a quitter? The last time you failed, did you stop trying because you failed or did you fail because you stopped trying?

Thomas Edison documented 10,000 failed attempts to develop the electric light bulb. A reporter asked the great inventor how it felt to have failed 10,000 times trying to invent the light bulb. Edison responded, “Young man, I didn’t fail 10,000 times trying to invent the light bulb, I simply documented 10,000 ways that it wouldn’t work.” Imagine how different our world would be today if Edison had been a quitter.

You must expect to encounter detours, roadblocks and potholes of adversity along the road of life. The next time you are faced with adversity, learn from it and know that you are becoming a much stronger person because of it!

John Boe presents a wide variety of motivational and sales-oriented keynotes and seminar programs for sales meetings and conventions. John is a nationally recognized sales trainer and business motivational speaker with an impeccable track record in the meeting industry. To have John speak at your next event, visit www.johnboe.com or call 937-299-9001. Free Newsletter available on website.

Friends of Summer

2011-06-20T14:32:00.000-04:00

From: Oprah Winfrey
To: evelynorjalo@YAHOO.CA
Sent: Sun, June 19, 2011 3:44:19 PM
Subject: Friends of Summer

Hello y'all, friends of summer.

Got back safely from vacation. Had to come back for Cable convention and meetings with OWN team. Building a network doesn't allow for the long relaxing time I had imagined for myself.
But I'm ready for the challenge.

Thanks for all your good wishes.
I'm sure you feel the same after vacation. Not long enough.

Oddly enough it's not the vacation, but small moments like having time to stop for a cup of coffee at Starbucks, or Friday night going out to dinner with friends that feels so different.

In the past I've been so exhausted that when Friday comes I just want to collapse and sleep.

So I marvel at the spaces of time to do something just normal and not worry about where I have to go next.

I appreciate you wanting to send me ideas for programming but I can't accept unless in real general terms. Law suits; Not my idea of a good time.

And though I empathize with everyone having money problems, even with all the kids I've given scholarships to, I don't give money to them directly but to a school or institution.

I've enjoyed corresponding with some of you. But with 132k emails in my inbox right now, obviously I can't respond to you all individually.

On my way out of country on business. Would appreciate if you'd watch BTS tonight 8/7 central on OWN. Tonight's episode is all the Behind the Scenes stuff with James Frey. I teared up watching it and I've obviously already lived it. Why? The true miracle of reconciliation and being willing to see things differently. Of all the BTS shows I think this one is the best so far. You really get an insight into all the misunderstanding that keeps people holding on to "stuff" for years. I didn't think I was one of those people until this show. Also looking forward to BTS on the making of United Center surprise shows. I still don't know HOW my team did that. Took over that venue from the Bulls and had less than 36 hrs to build the stage and rehearse, Aretha, Beyonce, Stevie, Jamie, Rascal Flatts, et al..

After Season 25 Behind the Scenes is Finding Sarah, really good I think. Please let me know what you think at Oprah.com

And I need your feedback on the Ryan and Tatum O'Neal show as they attempt a real reconciliation on camera. That's 10/9 central.

BTS.....Finding Sarah... The O'Neals.. Sunday lineup beginning 8/7 central.

I have to say, my experience with James Frey felt like a holy moment. You'll see in tonight's episode how we both came full circle. I would have never imagined of all the nearly 30 thousand people I've interviewed that James Frey would turn out to be a friend.

Amazing Grace..indeed.

Happy Father's day to all you great dads. And to those of you who are trying to be better; recognizing that you're not a man because you can make a baby... You're a man when you can raise one. I salute you for the work and sacrifice and the dream you carry day in, day out for your family.

It's good we take a beat once a year at least, to acknowledge and make sure Father's feel appreciated. And most important VALIDATED.
As I said on last show Everybody wants to know they matter. And every relationship improves according to how valued the other person feels.

I already called my Dad, since I knew I'd be traveling out of the country today.

Blessings and Thank you for your emails,

Oprah Winfrey

Reply from Oprah

2011-06-14T14:21:00.000-04:00

Sat, June 11, 2011 8:00:00 PMThank you
From: Oprah Winfrey
To: evelynorjalo@YAHOO.CA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Got your email.
Thank you for watching the finale. I could feel your beating hearts, along with mine, through the TV screen.
I'm off to take a little rest, and then I'll get busy working on OWN.

Take care of yourself.

I'll write soon,
Oprah

MPs elect youngest ever Speaker

2011-06-02T18:02:00.000-04:00

MPs elect youngest ever Speaker

By Meagan Fitzpatrick, CBC News Posted: Jun 2, 2011 9:52 AM ET Last Updated: Jun 2, 2011 5:42 PM ET

Friday: MPs, Senators convene in Senate for throne speech, 3 p.m. ET

Monday: First question period of 41st Parliament, 2:15 p.m. ET

Monday: Finance minister deliveers revised budget, 4 p.m. ET
LIVE BLOG: 41st Parliament elects a Speaker
LIVE VIDEO: Election of House Speaker
VIDEO: The Speaker's residence
VIDEO BLOG: Candidates on camera - or not
New House of Commons seating plan (PDF)

The Farm at Kingsmere0:50

Andrew Scheer has been elected Speaker of the House of Commons, the youngest MP to win the job in Canadian history.

Scheer, a 32-year-old MP from Saskatchewan, claimed the title after a long day of voting by MPs on their first day back on Parliament Hill.

Scheer was chosen out of eight candidates and it took six rounds of voting before he was finally declared the winner. He beat out the NDP's Denise Savoie on the final ballot. Both Scheer and Savoie had experience as deputy Speaker in the previous Parliament.

Scheer's fellow Conservative MPs Dean Allison, Barry Devolin, Ed Holder, Lee Richardson, Bruce Stanton and Merv Tweed were also in the running for the Speaker position.

Scheer now assumes a role that comes with a lot of responsibilities but also many benefits, including an apartment on Parliament Hill, the beautiful and historic house at the Kingsmere estate in the Gatineau Hills, a car and driver and a large hospitality budget.

The Speaker election was the first order of business Thursday, the first day of the 41st Parliament. The lengthy process began at 11 a.m. ET, with MPs entering the House of Commons, more than 100 of them for the very first time, to listen to speeches by the candidates.

Each made their pitch to their colleagues, many of them emphasized the need more civility and respect in the Commons, and voting got underway in the early afternoon.

Scheer told his fellow MPs in his speech that "toxic language" has too often crept into their debates and Canadians are disappointed by their name-calling and other behaviour.

Upholding the rights and privileges is an important function of the Speaker, Scheer said, and he promised to do it, if elected.

"Based on my experience, my passion for this place, my fair enforcement of the rules, I humbly ask for your support," he said.

The last-place finishers and any candidate receiving less than 5 per cent of the vote were dropped off the ballot with each round. Dean Allison and Bruce Stanton were the first to lose, followed by Ed Holder after the second, then Barry Devolin after the third.

Lee Richardson, who speaks little French, was then up against Scheer and Savoie, both deputy Speakers in the last Parliament and both bilingual.

The race for Speaker proved to be more competitive than usual. Liberal MP Peter Milliken had a lock on the job for a decade but with his retirement, the field was opened up and eight MPs competed for the perk-filled position.

Savoie was the only woman, and only NDP candidate, up against the seven Conservatives. The Liberals and Bloc Québécois, with only 34 and four MPs, respectively, didn’t put forward any candidates. The Speaker acts as a non-partisan MP and sacrifices the ability to vote in the Commons, except when a tie must be broken.

Candidate sketches
After six ballots a new Speaker was declared. Names marked by an X were dropped during rounds of voting.

X - Dean Allison, 46, Niagara West-Glanbrook, Ont. Elected: 2004 Allison chaired the foreign affairs committee in the last Parliament.

X - Barry Devolin, 48, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, Ont. Elected: 2004 Devolin was a deputy Speaker in the last Parliament.

X - Ed Holder, 57, London West, Ont. Elected: 2008 Member of international trade and government operations committees.

X - Lee Richardson, 64, Calgary Centre Elected: 1988, reelected in 2004 Richardson has had a long career in politics at the federal and provincial levels.

X - Denise Savoie, 68, Victoria, B.C. Elected: 2006 The NDP's Savoie is the lone opposition candidate and was a deputy Speaker in the last Parliament.

Andrew Scheer, 32, Regina-Qu'Appelle, Sask. Elected: 2004 Scheer would be the youngest Speaker in Canadian history. He was deputy Speaker in the last Parliament and says he knows the rules.

X - Bruce Stanton, 53, Simcoe North, Ont. Elected: 2006 Stanton chaired the aboriginal affairs committee in the last Parliament.

X - Merv Tweed, 55, Brandon-Souris, Man. Elected: 2004 Tweed has been a critic and committee chair.
A day of voting — and mixing
The Speaker election began earlier in the day with speeches by the candidates. In five minutes or less they highlighted their skills and explained why they believe they are best positioned to be the MP in charge of keeping all the other ones in line.

The Speaker has many procedural and ceremonial duties, including presiding over debates in the Commons and the daily question period where the atmosphere can get rowdy — and rude.

In their remarks, the candidates emphasized the need for MPs to show each other more respect and to improve decorum.

"This is our place, these are our choices and it begins by building respectful relationships with each other," said Holder. He said he would follow the example set by Milliken who would often host events to encourage MPs to come together in non-partisan ways. "It is my intention to carry on with these important traditions."

Scheer said too often "toxic language" creeps into the debate and that the Speaker needs to be more assertive when enforcing the rules. Scheer pledged to protect the rights and privileges of parliamentarians.

"Based on my experience, my passion for this place, my fair enforcement of the rules, I humbly ask for your support," he said.

Savoie said as Speaker she would help restore the faith of Canadians in Parliament and she called for Thursday to be a "turning point."

"Let that change begin today," she said.

Richardson noted that the Speaker also acts as an ambassador for Canada when leading delegations abroad.

"I shall represent you and this Parliament with dignity, purpose and honour," the Calgary MP said.

Power & Politics: The War Room
In today's podcast, Evan Solomon speaks with former Speaker Peter Milliken.
In between the rounds of voting, MPs mixed and mingled in the "hospitality suites" that some of the candidates have set up for the day.

Tweed, for example, invited all MPs to stop by his suite before the voting got underway. He was serving Starbucks coffee and wine throughout the day. Other candidates are offering food and drinks to their colleagues as they try to win their support throughout the voting rounds. Devolin was serving ice cream and Scheer was also offering drinks, cupcakes and other snacks. He noted he was serving Tim Hortons coffee, "Canadian" coffee.

The hosting of receptions by candidates is unusual; normally they don't campaign for the position so openly. But Scheer said it's being done as a courtesy for MPs who could be spending a long afternoon on the Hill.

"I don't think there's anything over the top about it, it's just a nice place for people to mix and mingle," he said. It also gives MPs a chance to meet some of their new colleagues, said Scheer.

.Once a winner is declared, the new Speaker will take a seat in the Speaker’s chair and adjourn the House of Commons until Friday afternoon, when Gov. Gen David Johnston will read the speech from the throne.

When MPs filed into the Commons Thursday morning, it was the very first time for more than 100 of them. The 41st Parliament is made up of a large class of rookies, and many are from the new Official Opposition, the NDP. History was made when the party's leader, Jack Layton, took his seat directly across from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who returned to the Commons with his first majority government.

Until now, the NDP caucus had sat in the far corners of the Commons, but those seats are now occupied by the Liberals, who suffered a historic defeat on May 2, along with the Bloc Québécois. The former leaders of both those parties, Michael Ignatieff and Gilles Duceppe, lost their seats and resigned.

History was also made when Elizabeth May entered the Commons chamber as the first Green Party MP elected in Canada.

Perks of the job
The job of Speaker comes with some heavy responsibilities, but there are some enviable perks that go along with it. He or she gets a car and driver, an apartment in Parliament Hill’s Centre Block, a beautiful, 19th-century farmhouse in Gatineau Park, a sizeable budget for entertaining, and a paycheque worth about $233,000.

The election of the Speaker kicks off a busy couple of days for parliamentarians.

After Friday's throne speech, many MPs will travel to their ridings for the weekend, then return Monday when the House will begin its routine proceedings. The first question period will take place – a historic one that will see Layton pose his first question to the prime minister as Opposition leader.

Monday is also when Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will present the federal budget. He has indicated it will be similar to the one tabled in March, with a few tweaks. It will include both a controversial plan to phase out an important source of revenue for the federal political parties, the per-vote subsidy, and more than $2 billion for Quebec in compensation for harmonizing its provincial sales tax with the GST.

How To Manage Other Professionals, When They Are Unprofessional

2011-05-30T14:41:00.000-04:00

Friday, 27 May 2011 08:52 Heather Wright

You try your best. You make a commitment every day to excellence, and to stunning your client base by overachieving on their expectations. You plan and strategize your business down to each detail, each point plotted on your individual road to success.

Sometimes, however, certain variables are introduced into your daily practice, and these variables are completely unpredictable (and in some cases unaccountable), because they are of the human kind!

Check out this article
Realtor vs. FSBO: A Balanced Perspective
To get legal advice, you visit a lawyer; to get medical advice, you go and see a doctor; most people, to get their car repaired, leave it in the hands of a trained professional. Even to get your hair cut, you go to someone who is trained to do that job. In all of these instances, the average consumer, without specific training and resources in a given area, defers to a qualified individual. So what is it about Real Estate that is so different? ...
Read More To make matters more difficult, they claim to be professionals, sharing your space within your industry- threatening to derail your own hard work- or in some cases, really damage the industry by tarring others with the same brush. Like it or not, the nature of your industry requires regular interaction with other professionals. To try to keep things running smoothly, there are regulations and codes put into place- both written and unwritten. Despite best efforts though, sometime these suggested practices and codes of conduct are sidestepped, or disregarded.
How do you keep your cool- and keep business going and client relationships strong? Common sense and common courtesy should be the guiding rule, but in talking to several members of our Propertywire.ca community, often this is not the case. The consequences from bad practices are far-reaching; from professional annoyance, to serious impact on the sales process, the image of the industries, and bottom lines.

So, what can you do when others just dont have your high standards? Although you may feel like closing yourself in the proverbial closet and screaming, professional etiquette prevents you from doing so. And besides, your clients are counting on you

Bad Apples

It can be a PR nightmare in client centric business, for some to participate in bad practices. Many of these bad practices result in a negative consumer perspective, and run the risk of making you look either unprofessional or even unethical. You can do all the marketing you want, but what speaks loudest to your brand integrity when your feet hit the pavement, is your behaviour- and, unfortunately, you are not always judged singularly by your own behaviour.

Early Bird no Longer Gets the Worm

You always want to keep things fair and even- especially when there are clients involved. Markham Realtor, Rusty Topan, Broker, Re/Max West Realty, has concerns with the listings process negatively impacting a buyer’s experience- and putting forth a sense of inequality. Keeping in mind too, the intensely emotional nature of buying a home, it makes it difficult to support a client emotionally when a practice seems destined to create anxiety.

“There is a tendency that seems to have become the norm to state on the listing when offers will be presented/viewed. Almost every well-staged, accurately priced listing is set up from the get go to be a multiple offer situation. It's all fine and dandy for the seller and the seller's agent, but the buyers are getting discouraged and the anticipation and excitement for the buying process is turned into anxiety and worry. I hate seeing the look on the face of the new buyer who finds out that he/she can't attach even reasonable conditions to their offer, and has to commit to more then the house they fell in love with was originally listed at. It's turning the offer process into a cat-and-mouse game, and it has removed any concept of 'the early bird getting the worm'.”

Respect My Time: When Structure Meets Chaos

The Real Estate and Mortgage professions require heavy time commitment and, at times, crazy hours. That is not to say that you can’t set a schedule- and furthermore that you shouldn’t expect other professionals to respect it. Professional enthusiasm, and aggressive business practices can, at times, step over boundaries.

Steven Fudge , Sales Representative, Bosley R.E. Ltd. says, “It's very easy for a busy Realtor who works all hours to think that other Realtors live a similar hectic pace. When this happens, it's easy to inconvenience others who have a more structured life/work balance.”

“For example, some Realtors will leave me a voicemail late at night requesting appointments that aren't possible to coordinate, either because they require a minimum 24 hours notice for tenants, or it's outside the times stipulated clearly on the listing. These errors would be quickly clarified had they called my appointment desks during operating hours, so the ensuing trail of telephone calls can be irksome. I also raise my eyebrows when Realtors page me on a Sunday to provide 'feedback on a showing'. That sort of call isn't necessary to place on a weekend, is it?”

Work/Life balance takes a time commitment in and of itself to achieve, even if others are trying to knock you off kilter. Fudge’s solution is easy. He sets the example himself.

“As a courtesy to others, I try conduct as much of my business with other Realtors during the more conventional hours of 9-5pm Monday through Friday even though I, and the rest of us, invariably work much longer hours. However, I recognize this isn't always possible so I try to be easy-going about it.”

Common Courtesy as a Guide

It really just comes down to common courtesy, professional or otherwise- and being reliable.

Karen Filice, Broker of Record/Owner, Cirrius Realty Inc., Brokerage is succinct in her beliefs as to how Realtors should conduct themselves. She says, “Standard practice (should be to) make an appointment, show up for the appointment within the time allotted, and leave a card.”

Filice is well aware of how the scenarios play out, but believes that the Realtor has to take responsibility on behalf of the seller anticipating the showing. “What happens, a client doesn't like the house and they drive by with the showing Realtor. What should happen, the Realtor should stop, knock on the door, tell the home owner the client has changed their mind about seeing the house, or leave a card in the door to say they were there, but client declined to view.”

Not only does not doing this strain the relationship between client and Realtor, in a business of networking and referrals, one must be constantly mindful that what comes around goes around- especially in the professional arena.

Filice also, has a simple solution: “When a client calls to say: There is no card, they didn't show up, the lights were left on, the door unlocked, I put a call through to the showing individual and remind them of what they should be doing. I also apologise for my colleagues to my client.”

Title Search

One of the benefits of being in the business for a long time is learning from other’s mistakes, and learning how to avoid problems through due diligence. Says Filice, “It should be common practice to do a title search on listing - which I do on both listing and sale.”

“Many realtors do not do this. Recently I had an offer on a property and noticed that the total debt showing on title would not equal the purchase price (or the asking price for that matter). I drew up the offer, but as a courtesy, called the listing sales rep and told him what I found. He asked me to forward him the title search. I told him he should have done his job (he was a friend and I gave him a hard time) and in the end sent him the title search...In this case, the offer was delayed two days, by which time two other offers were registered and we lost the buy. But the sellers were safe.“

Don’t Judge this Book by its Cover.

The Mortgage Industry sees many of the same problems, says Leslie Penney, Vice President - Business Development Mortgage Alliance/ APlus Mortgage Group. What he suggests though, is that amongst professionals, don’t judge a book by its cover. It is off-putting, to say the least, to make unfounded assumptions on someone’s abilities without taking the time to determine if the assumptions are valid or not. Furthermore, it is not fair to promote this stance to the client.

“One thing I experienced in the beginning was a bit of flack from some veterans of the business. At times there would be suggestions to clients that the new guys don’t know what they’re doing because they haven’t gotten the experience or that maybe they won’t be in the business six months or a year down the road. That may be an unfair call if the competition doesn’t know the background of the person they are referring to. The person may be a new mortgage broker, but they may have a background in lending, etc. “

And, as Penney suggests, this isn’t limited to other mortgage brokers- but happens with other players in the marketplace at times too.

“Banks sometimes use this approach when competing with brokers for clients. The whole bricks-and-mortar approach with being in business for such a long time is much the same as the veteran brokers. The person at the bank that the client is talking to probably hasn’t been at mortgages as long nor do they focus on just selling mortgage products, but they sell based on the premise of the large logo behind their desks.”

He suggests that the solution here is marketing, and promotion of your own abilities. Of course, too, the best advertisement for your abilities is a job well done, so another solution to combat this is to over deliver on client expectations, and then to ask for a referral.

Managing other people’s behaviour in a professional environment is no easy task. Frustration can often replace professional composure. As with most situations, ‘you attract more flies with honey than you do vinegar.’ Keep in mind that every move you make is perceived and processed by the client, and in some cases your best strategy is to offer solutions- and to keep your cool.

As Fudge puts it, “After twenty years of working in the industry, I've seen time and time again that being patient and professional to other Realtors will ultimately serve you well.”

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Helpful Advice Is Keystrokes Away

2011-05-30T12:42:00.002-04:00

May 27, 2011 -- For some people, one of the most challenging aspects of buying a home can be choosing from the numerous options to help fit their lifestyle. From a condominium in the heart of the city to a farm set amongst rolling hills, from life on an island to a home near ski slope, few world cities can boast the eclectic mix of housing that the Greater Toronto Area offers.

This spectrum of choices means that it’s particularly important to use the services of a REALTOR® to carefully identify a home that is best suited to fit your lifestyle.

Start by signing a Buyer Agency Agreement, the BRA helps outline your REALTOR’s® commitment to represent your best interests by working exclusively on your behalf for a designated period of time.

A REALTOR’s® direct access to a number of important databases may help you identify all of your options.

If you prefer a home in an established community, your REALTOR® can use the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS) to search for thousands of available properties, which are displayed in real time, as soon as they are listed for sale.

Your REALTOR® may also register your criteria in the Toronto Real Estate Board’s Buyer Registry Service (BRS). It is a password-protected database in which your personal information is only accessible to your REALTOR®. While you can receive regular email notifications on homes that match your specifications, communication between buyers’ and sellers’ REALTORS® who use the BRS can occur even faster.

Your REALTOR® may even be aware of soon-to-be available properties through their network of contacts in the community.

Be sure to visit www.BRAFirst.ca for more information on the Buyer Representation Agreement.

If a brand new home is what you have in mind, your REALTOR® can advise as to new home construction options throughout Greater Toronto Area using the Realnet Canada database. Developments can be searched by housing type, location, price range and a number of other specific criteria.

Once you have selected a few options, your REALTOR® can gather information that can be key to your decision-making like any price adjustments that have occurred and the property’s number of days on the market. They can also use the MLS® to help you evaluate asking prices based on the information of other properties recently sold in the area.

In fact, regardless of whether it was ever available on the MLS®, your REALTOR® can advise on a property’s previous sold price by accessing their link to Teranet’s land registry system. This database contains other key information as well, like neighbourhood demographic profiles, aerial views and land surveys.

Insight into other specifics like assessed values, a home’s age, and square footage can also be gleaned using the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) database.

By weighing all of these factors you can develop a focused pursuit of your perfect home and with a REALTOR’s® expert negotiating skills, it could be yours sooner than you think.

Regardless of whether you choose new or resale, every market is different be sure to contact a REALTOR®. Their skills and expertise may give you a winning advantage and help find the right home for you.

For more information like this visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com

Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 31,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

B.C. man who wins $35.7 million has plans for a Canucks game and a Texas ranch

2011-05-24T17:00:00.000-04:00

By The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – Sun, 22 May,
CAMPBELL RIVER, - Canada's newest multimillionaire is still trying to grasp the concept of winning $35.7 million in Friday's Lotto Max draw.

David Rennie of Campbell River, B.C., says he was shaking so hard after being told of the win that he couldn't dial the phone to call his wife with the news.

"It's just unreal. It still is unreal really, I don't even know, ah," he said trailing off to silence.

When Rennie checked his ticket Saturday morning he was expecting to win a possible dollar or two or a free ticket, instead the machine went blank for a few seconds and then trumpeted that he won over $35 million.

"I thought 'no way,'" he recalled. "I think I put my head down on the desk and then I started hooting an hollering and screaming and people were congratulating me, I was shaking."

The 48-year-old warehouseman told his boss he wasn't coming in for work on Tuesday while he and his family take a helicopter ride to Vancouver to pick up a cheque.

The former logger has worked the last 16 years for steel distributor A.J Forsyth in Campbell River. He said he won't quit his job until he gets the cheque in his hand.

"I just told them I was taking Tuesday off," he chuckled. "I don't want to burn my bridges before I get that money."

The family also plans to take in the Vancouver Canucks playoff game against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, after friends of his purchased the best tickets available.

Because of the Victoria Day holiday he won't be able to get the money on Monday.

"I'm losing a day's interest," Rennie joked.

Rennie's wife, Sandra, shows quarter horses and he says they're already talking about buying a ranch in Texas.

His 18-year-old son likes to golf and they're planning to attend the U.S. Open golf championship.

He plans to buy his parents — who are in their mid-70s — a home and of course take care of all of the bills.

"Rogers just texted my wife's cell phone and says she's $10 over on her text charges. That was pretty funny. We said that's alright, we can look after that."

For now, Rennie says he's taking the win one day at a time.

WATCH THE VANCOUVER PLAYOFF TONIGHT!

REALTORS® Take Public’s Pulse on GTA Issues

2011-05-19T10:30:00.000-04:00

REALTORS® Take Public’s Pulse on GTA Issues, Including Toronto Land Transfer Tax
TORONTO, May 4, 2011 -- Greater Toronto REALTORS® have released the results of public opinion research on various municipal
issues including satisfaction with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and the direction of Toronto City Council, the Toronto Land Transfer Tax,
the City of Toronto’s budget, and GTA municipal services.
The poll was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs for the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB).
“Municipal issues are important to homebuyers. Things like Toronto’s Land Transfer Tax, property taxes, and public transit affect
homebuyers’ decisions,” said Bill Johnston, TREB President. “It’s been six months since last fall’s municipal election, so
REALTORS® felt that this was a good time to take the public’s pulse on how satisfied they are so far, and what they expect on
municipal issues moving forward.”
The poll found that 70 per cent of Torontonians approve of the overall performance of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, and that 65 per cent
believe that Toronto City Council is on the right track with regard to the management of taxpayer dollars.
With regard to specific policies, the poll found that 75 per cent of Torontonians support Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s commitment to
repeal the Toronto Land Transfer Tax. Even when asked to consider the City’s expected budget shortfall, the public’s support for the
repeal of the Toronto Land Transfer Tax remains very strong, with 68 per cent of Torontonians believing that the Mayor should
follow-through on this commitment. The poll also found that a large number of Torontonians, 61 per cent, were previously aware
that Mayor Ford has committed to repeal the Toronto Land Transfer Tax.
“The public’s support for Mayor Ford and the current direction of Toronto City Council is high, and it is clear that moving forward with
repealing the Toronto Land Transfer Tax will help to keep it there,” said Johnston.
The City of Toronto is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of what services it delivers and how it delivers them. In this
regard, the poll also asked Torontonians what they thought should receive the most attention as part of this review:
79 per cent agreed that downsizing of City staff through attrition should receive some attention
79 per cent agreed that more public-private partnerships should receive some attention
77 per cent agreed that contracting out selected services should receive some attention
76 per cent agreed that pulling out of or eliminating some City agencies should receive some attention
68 per cent agreed that imposing or increasing user fees should receive some attention
59 per cent agreed that reductions and/or discontinuation of some services should receive some attention
“Clearly the public wants Toronto City Council to consider innovative approaches to manage the City’s fiscal situation, instead of
relying on taxes like the Toronto Land Transfer Tax,” said Johnston.
The public was also asked which municipal services most influence their home buying decisions. Access to public transit ranked
highest with 69 per cent indicating that it would influence their decision about where to buy a home.
“Mayor Rob Ford has made subway expansion a key priority. Clearly, public transit is an important consideration for home buyers,”
said Johnston.
The poll also surveyed residents across the GTA regarding their satisfaction with the value of their municipal tax dollars, revealing
some clear contrasts between Toronto and GTA residents. The poll found that:
in Toronto, 72 per cent feel that City programs and services they receive are good value for their tax dollars, compared to 81 per
cent in the GTA.
45 per cent of Torontonians believe that their tax dollars are being spent efficiently, compared to 72 percent of GTA residents who
feel that way.
With regard to user fees, 44 per cent of residents in the GTA believe that these fees are too high, while only 29 per cent of
Torontonians feel that way

The poll of 913 adults living in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area was conducted on-line between April 18 and April 26, 2011,
and is considered accurate to within +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20.

Greater Toronto REALTORS® are passionate about their work. They adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and share a state-of-the-art
Multiple Listing Service. Serving over 31,000 Members in the Greater Toronto Area, the Toronto Real Estate Board is Canada’s
largest real estate board.

The social side of real estate

2011-05-14T15:11:00.000-04:00

May 13, 2011 -- If you have spent any of your spare time on the Internet lately, chances are your online experience has included visits to websites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

According to statistics published on a weekly basis by the online activity measurement company Experian Hitwise, we visit Facebook more than any other website, and YouTube ranks as the fourth most popular Internet destination for Canadians.

As a result of the pervasiveness of social media, many different sectors have are using them in their efforts to reach out to you, and the real estate profession is no exception. Given that the web serves as a means of conveying candid, up-to-the-minute information, it’s no wonder that the use of social media is so popular in the world of real estate.

By connecting with Greater Toronto REALTORS® through social networking websites you can gain considerable insight into continuously evolving real estate trends and opportunities in our region.

You will find a range of information from updates on the market to important tips to consider from both the buyer and seller perspectives, and much more.

A good rapport is important in every business relationship, and social media can be beneficial in this regard. Beyond posting links to key information, REALTORS® may use social media to offer their individual perspective on a number of different real estate related topics through YouTube videos, tweets and Facebook updates. Often you will find links to REALTORS’® blogs, where they offer insightful commentaries on the latest news that may affect you in the world of real estate.

Regardless how many transactions you undertake in your journey up the property ladder, you’re likely to encounter different variables in every transaction because they each involve their own unique set of circumstances. That is why so many buyers and sellers depend on the professional insight of a REALTOR® to guide them through the process.

To find a real estate professional who matches your needs, begin by asking family, friends and colleagues for referrals, then be sure to learn more by following REALTORS’® updates and perspectives on social networking websites.

Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 31,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

Follow TREB on www.twitter.com/TREB_Official, www.Facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard and www.youtube.com/TREBChannel

Professional networking site LinkedIn to sell shares for $32 to $35 each in IPO

2011-05-09T14:45:00.002-04:00

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Professional networking website LinkedIn Corp. plans to sell shares to investors for $32 to $35 each in an initial public offering, one of the first for a major U.S. social networking site.

The company said the offering could raise up to $274.4 million. Even at the bottom of the proposed price range, LinkedIn would have a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.

LinkedIn's debut could offer a preview of investor demand for potential IPOs of other popular online services that connect people with common interests — Facebook, Groupon and Zynga, for example.

LinkedIn, which focuses on job-related connections, has more than 100 million members. Facebook is much larger, with more than 600 million. Facebook has signalled that it's likely to file its IPO plans by the end of April 2012. Its market value has been pegged at $50 billion, based on a private investment in January.

Most of LinkedIn's revenue comes from fees it charges for recruiters and businesses that want expanded access to the website to help fill job openings. The company also sells online ads.

Last year, LinkedIn posted net income of $3.4 million on revenue of $243.1 million. In the first three months of this year, its revenue has more than doubled from the same period a year ago.

LinkedIn will offer 4.8 million Class A shares. The company's stockholders, including founder Reid Hoffman, Bain Capital, Goldman Sachs and publishing company McGraw-Hill, will also sell 3 million shares.

The company said there will be 94.5 million Class A and Class B common shares outstanding after the IPO.

Net proceeds, based on an IPO price of $33.50 per share, would be about $146.6 million after expenses, the company said.

Funds will be used for working capital for its business and possibly for acquisitions.

The company was expected to price its shares on May 18, IPO analyst Scott Sweet said. LinkedIn expects to trade under the symbol "LNKD" on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company was started in 2003 and is based in Mountain View, Calif.

Morgan Stanley, BofA Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan are managing the offering.

Staying on top of municipal issues

2011-05-07T14:09:00.002-04:00

May 6, 2011 -- Greater Toronto REALTORS® have released the results of public opinion research on various municipal issues including satisfaction with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and the direction of Toronto City Council, the Toronto Land Transfer Tax, the City of Toronto’s budget, and GTA municipal services.

The poll was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs for the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB).

“Municipal issues are important to homebuyers. Things like Toronto’s Land Transfer Tax, property taxes, and public transit affect homebuyers’ decisions,” said Bill Johnston, TREB President. “It’s been six months since last fall’s municipal election, so REALTORS® felt that this was a good time to take the public’s pulse on how satisfied they are so far, and what they expect on municipal issues moving forward.”

The poll found that 70 per cent of Torontonians approve of the overall performance of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, and that 65 per cent believe that Toronto City Council is on the right track with regard to the management of taxpayer dollars.

With regard to specific policies, the poll found that 75 per cent of Torontonians support Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s commitment to repeal the Toronto Land Transfer Tax. Even when asked to consider the City’s expected budget shortfall, the public’s support for the repeal of the Toronto Land Transfer Tax remains very strong, with 68 per cent of Torontonians believing that the Mayor should follow-through on this commitment. The poll also found that a large number of Torontonians, 61 per cent, were previously aware that Mayor Ford has committed to repeal the Toronto Land Transfer Tax.

“The public’s support for Mayor Ford and the current direction of Toronto City Council is high, and it is clear that moving forward with repealing the Toronto Land Transfer Tax will help to keep it there,” said Johnston.

The City of Toronto is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of what services it delivers and how it delivers them. In this regard, the poll also asked Torontonians what they thought should receive the most attention as part of this review:

79 per cent agreed that downsizing of City staff through attrition should receive some attention
79 per cent agreed that more public-private partnerships should receive some attention
77 per cent agreed that contracting out selected services should receive some attention
76 per cent agreed that pulling out of or eliminating some City agencies should receive some attention
68 per cent agreed that imposing or increasing user fees should receive some attention
59 per cent agreed that reductions and/or discontinuation of some services should receive some attention
“Clearly the public wants Toronto City Council to consider innovative approaches to manage the City’s fiscal situation, instead of relying on taxes like the Toronto Land Transfer Tax,” said Johnston.

The public was also asked which municipal services most influence their home buying decisions. Access to public transit ranked highest with 69 per cent indicating that it would influence their decision about where to buy a home.

“Mayor Rob Ford has made subway expansion a key priority. Clearly, public transit is an important consideration for home buyers,” said Johnston.

The poll also surveyed residents across the GTA regarding their satisfaction with the value of their municipal tax dollars, revealing some clear contrasts between Toronto and GTA residents. The poll found that:

in Toronto, 72 per cent feel that City programs and services they receive are good value for their tax dollars, compared to 81 per cent in the GTA.
45 per cent of Torontonians believe that their tax dollars are being spent efficiently, compared to 72 percent of GTA residents who feel that way.
With regard to user fees, 44 per cent of residents in the GTA believe that these fees are too high, while only 29 per cent of Torontonians feel that way
The poll of 913 adults living in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area was conducted on-line between April 18 and April 26, 2011, and is considered accurate to within +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20.

Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 31,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

Information Provides Value When Reaching Out to Your Sphere of Influence

2011-04-23T13:34:00.000-04:00

Commentary by Verl Workman
RISMEDIA, April 22, 2011—Ever since I began my career in real estate, I was told that creating high touches with my database or my sphere of influence was one of the most valuable things I could do to build a great referral business. I remember really struggling with whether to send out fridge magnets, an annual calendar or some great recipe cards, and even spent a ton of time trying to find a company that created the most professional mailers. These interactions were designed to keep me and my brand at the front of the consumer’s mind so that when they thought about real estate, they thought of me first. I can honestly say it worked.

While those types of touches have value and many agents still use that method of marketing, we have found that today’s buyers and sellers are looking for a much more valuable interaction from their agents and brokers. The world has moved on to the Internet to find recipes; they view multiple calendars on computers and smartphones; and have access to so much information that the real value of “personality”-type marketing has been diminished.

Today, the consumer has moved on to new media, such as e-mail, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and blogs. They look online for answers to questions and are more likely to go to Recipes.com than to a postcard that was once mailed by their agent. The challenge is to find the right content and provide information—not just be white noise in this information-overloaded environment. The most effective communication to your SOI is proving to be information that is less about us and why we are so great and more about the client, their home and their community.

It is not difficult to come up with good valuable content if you take off your REALTOR® hat and put on your homeowner hat. What information would you really like to know? For starters, everyone wants to know the value of their home—having a place where people can find what homes are selling for on a regular basis is a valuable touch.

Other information that is valuable includes anything that is going on in their community that might affect home values or provide entertainment. Changes to zoning, new communities being built, great restaurants and even helpful homeowner tips are great topics for your communication.

Many agents use the expertise of their partners—such as lenders—to provide mortgage options and describe new programs, inspectors giving tips on what to look for before you purchase, contractors, exterminators and even interior designers—all for the purpose of providing valuable content to their relationships. The media and delivery methods have changed; we can reach more people and spend a lot less money. The importance of valuable content has increased but the principles are the same. The more we reach out to our relationships with great content, the more likely we will remain at the front of the consumer’s mind, and the bottom line result is more valuable. The more frequent our touches, the deeper and stronger our relationships will grow.

How to manage homebuyer expenses

2011-04-17T11:49:00.000-04:00

RISMEDIA, April 15, 2011—(MCT)—Homes are more affordable these days, the selection is abundant, and interest rates are still fairly low. For some people, it could well be a great time to buy.

But as too many struggling borrowers now realize, the cost of owning a home is hardly limited to paying the mortgage. There are a host of other checkbook-sapping details—both recognizable and unexpected—that can get overlooked in the excitement of buying a house, especially if it’s your first.

Ultimately, those things might mean the difference between home sweet home and foreclosure.

“It is extremely important to explain to all buyers, but especially first-time buyers, that there are additional expenses other than their monthly mortgage payment,” said Philadelphia-area real estate agent John Duffy.

Just because a lender has qualified you for a certain size mortgage doesn’t mean you have to spend that much on a house, Duffy said his agents caution buyers. “There will be additional, unforeseen costs, such as repairs, decorating, improvements, utilities and the like,” Duffy said. “We like to tell them that we want them to enjoy their new home and not be house-poor.”

Through the loan-qualifying process, some buyers, especially first-timers, become aware of the concept of spending only a certain percentage of their income on what is called PITI—principal, interest, taxes and insurance—”maybe 33 percent of income,” said Jerome Scarpello of Leo Mortgage in Ambler, P.A. The reason that percentage isn’t higher is that other expenses will be incurred with homeownership, he said.

“Of course, there are some folks who really need to be taught this,” Scarpello said, recounting a story he heard of borrowers who brought their electric bill to the bank when paying their mortgage. “They were surprised to learn,” he said, “the mortgage did not include electric, as their rental payment had.”

The “T” in PITI—taxes—can be extraordinarily expensive, depending on where you live. If you buy into a condo complex or a new-home development, you will have to factor in monthly homeowners association fees, as well. PITI and association fees are fixed costs, for the most part, although homeowners insurance rates and taxes can rise. Mortgage interest can change, too, if you don’t have a fixed-rate loan.

“I generally estimate high,” said Jeff Block of Prudential Fox & Roach in Philadelphia, “because I feel it is really important for buyers to have a conservative estimate and a detailed understanding of what their costs will be.”

Bruce Hahn, president of the grass-roots American Homeowners Association in Arlington, V.A., said home listings typically include historic costs for utilities, condo fees and taxes, “so it should not be hard for buyers to anticipate how much extra cash flow they’ll need to cover them.” If that information isn’t provided, Hahn said, buyers should use all other possible means to determine or estimate them in advance. He urged buyers to set aside a “rainy-day fund” for unanticipated major expenses, such as a broken heat pump or air conditioner or a roof leak. “Homeowners’ insurance plans often have lots of gaps, so there are many things they don’t cover.”

For example, Hahn said, he was glad his homeowners’ insurance included flood coverage “when our basement stairwell drain was clogged with leaves and water backed up in our basement.” However, “our insurance agent explained that flooding is what happens when the river rises, but what we had was ‘seepage,’” which the homeowners policy did not cover.

As Hahn cautioned, you need to be intimately familiar with deductibles as well as coverage limits, so your annual premium will likely be much higher than the state average when you finish crafting your policy.

You certainly can shop around for the best rates, and, in many cases, save money on the premium with a policy that covers your automobiles as well as your house.

But you should also allow for simultaneous unanticipated expenses, such as a car transmission failure and a fridge on the fritz. If you are living on the economic edge, enough of these disasters can push you over it.

“We believe that $10,000 in liquid savings (a money-market account or the like) that can be turned into cash anytime with very little risk of capital loss is not too much,” Hahn said, adding that $5,000 was the recommended minimum. Hahn’s group doesn’t advise using credit cards to meet emergency expenses, because their interest rates are high compared to what savings accounts pay today. “It is better,” he said, “to liquidate a savings account that is only paying 1 percent to pay for emergency costs than put them on a credit card and pay 15 percent.”

Among expenses to factor into a home-buying decision:
-Utilities: Heat, electricity, water and sewer, telephone, cable television, Internet and cell phones. You also may have to pay a fee for trash collection and recycling.
-Food/entertainment: Dining in and out, movies, hobbies.
-Children: Day care, tuition, lunch money, supplies, clothing, sports gear.
-Health costs: Braces, eyeglasses, medicine.
-Debt: Credit-card payments, car/student loans.
-Maintenance/repairs/decor: Furnishings and appliances, landscaping, snow removal.
-Job expenses: Transportation (gasoline or transit costs), auto maintenance.

(c) 2011, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Learn to use the tools of the trade

2011-04-08T17:32:00.000-04:00

April 8, 2011 -- While many people consider the saying "location, location, location" to be the golden rule of real estate, the phrase "timing is everything" is equally as relevant. As a buyer, your search for a home with the right layout, location and price can be a challenging one given the numerous options available.

Fortunately, Greater Toronto REALTORS® have a number of tools that can quickly help you zero in on your next home.

When you use the services of a REALTOR® to help you search for a home, you are asked to sign a Buyer Agency Agreement (BRA). This agreement outlines your REALTOR®'s commitment to represent your best interests by working exclusively on your behalf for a designated period of time.

Be sure to visit wwwBRAFirst.ca for more information on the BRA and the benefits of signing one, or visit TREB's YouTube Channel at www.YouTube.com/TREBChannel, where you can find videos also outlining the benefits of signing a BRA.

Another one of a buyer representative's most important tools is the Toronto Real Estate Board's Buyer Registry Service (BRS), a password-protected database in which your REALTOR® can register your housing criteria.

As a privacy precaution, your personal information is only accessible to your REALTOR®, whose name is displayed for making contact.

REALTORS® who represent sellers can check the BRS to determine whether buyers' preferences match their clients' properties. While homes that match your criteria are emailed to you on a regular basis, communication between REALTORS® using the BRS can occur even faster.

Once listings that appeal to you are identified, your REALTOR® can compare asking prices to sold prices using the MLS. They can monitor other factors as well, like price changes and the number of days it has been on the market, to help you determine the best time to take action.

Working with a REALTOR® to buy or sell a property provides your REALTOR® the opportunity to put to use a number of other important databases, like the Teranet's land registry system, which can even provide information on the sold prices of properties not listed on MLS. It offers other key data as well, like neighbourhood demographic profiles, aerial views and land surveys.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) database meanwhile, provides information on a property's value, square footage, year of construction and more.

Thanks to RealNet Canada, your REALTOR® can even search a comprehensive database of new construction developments by housing type, location, price range and a number of other specific criteria.

Regardless of whether you choose new or resale, every market is different be sure to contact a REALTOR®. Their skills and expertise can give you a winning advantage.

For more information on how their unique tools and skills can help you find your next home, talk to a REALTOR® and visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard .com where you'll find neighbourhood profiles, market updates, GTA open house listings and more.

Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 31,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

The real estate sign is where dreams begin

2011-04-07T18:51:00.000-04:00

There are all manner of signs that are posted on properties all the time.

Prime examples are commercial buildings. Signs declare the name of architects and planners. There are signs that state who is doing construction work at a site, even the name of demolition companies when old buildings are taken down prior to a rebuild. Many signs say the name of the company or bank that provided the financing on a project or a complex.

These kinds of signs are not exclusive to major commercial buildings. There are signs on house lawns in residential areas too. It is not uncommon to see architect’s names on signs for major renovations and rebuilds. There are signs letting the neighbourhood know that interior design is taking place inside. There are signs that declare the name of roofers, painters, paving companies, new bathroom installations and just about everything else related to all structures.

Of all the signs that are on a property a Realtor’s sign provokes the most thought and attention. A Realtor’s sign is the most important sign of all them because it shows everyone that everything is starting now. It’s the best sign a property could have.

A Realtor’s sign is a marker for imagination and a place where dreams begin. It is a beacon of things to come. Anyone who looks down a residential street will see a neighbourhood. But anyone who looks at a property on the same street with a real estate sign imagines what it would be like if they lived in the neighbourhood.

It makes me crazy that a Realtor’s sign is not marketed and vigorously promoted by the industry in commercials, videos and even brochures for what it is; a symbol of possibilities to come. From a condo to a mansion to a mobile home, this sign means the potential fulfillment of a dream. I don’t care who you are, if you can think, if you can dream, then your imagination starts as soon as you see a Realtor’s sign. It’s automatic.

The public should be educated that when a Realtor’s sign appears at the front of a property it means the work of a professional is underway. Planning has been done. Hard facts have been laid out for this property to go on the market. Research has been conducted, reviews have been thoroughly carried out, mechanicals have been inspected, an accredited staging company may have been consulted, value has been assessed and a price has been carefully decided.

This is not just some willy nilly shot at sellin’ the place by some guy that’s a friend of a friend who says he knows real estate. This is a property offered for sale with a price that truly reflects the market because it is backed by the expertise of a recognized licensed professional Realtor. There is a plan in place here that ensures integrity to the seller and dignity to the buyer.

We should say out loud what everybody already knows! A Realtor’s sign means what could be. A Realtor’s sign is a declaration that a licensed real estate professional has come to facilitate a home transition. A Realtor’s sign out front validates your dreams. A Realtor’s sign says this place is worthy of your imagination because it could actually be yours. A Realtor’s sign tells you that you can begin real and meaningful projections in your mind.

A Realtor’s sign on a property is always alone. There may be work done to get a place ready for sale, but no other sign is placed once a Realtor’s work begins, nor is there any other sign on the property until a Realtor’s work has been completed. The architects, the designers, construction contractors and renovation crews all must stand by and wait until a Realtor has enabled the process.

That’s why a Realtor sign is so important. That sign has to be cared for, straight, clean and upright. It must reflect the great importance it stands for. Nothing saddens me more than a haggard sign askew, nailed on a fence post in some forlorn location. Do it right, get a good sign. Get a great sign! Make it magnificent!

I have always believed that real estate companies and franchise companies greatly enhance a real estate representative’s ability to serve customers with tools and brand awareness that an individual Realtor simply cannot provide. The value of belonging to a good company or franchise is irrefutable.

Beyond that, a Realtor’s sign is the standard bearer of professional marketing. It is in many ways the signature of the trade. I wish it was recognized and publicized for what it truly represents.

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

Internet security is "a lie"

2011-04-05T14:38:00.000-04:00

By Christopher Null

All your online bill paying and money transfers are exposing you to a serious risk of fraud and other online maladies - far worse than you've ever imagined and getting worse every day.

Specifically, incidents of online fraud have increased four-fold in the last six months, according to Financial Times cyber security reporter who's sounding the alarm about the safety of the money we make accessible via the web.

Writer Joseph Menn is calling for a mass overhaul of web security, a "Manhattan Project" that will turn an inherently insecure technology - the web - into one designed with protection in mind. And that may not even be possible on our current infrastructure. "Anything financial, anything commercial, anything government needs to be on a different network," he says. "We can keep our current computers and chips, but we need different protocols, different ways for computers to talk to each other that do not rely on openness and trust."

According to Menn, electronic fraud is hardly the stuff of petty criminals but rather the purview of major international crime rings, predominantly operating out of Russia and China. Today such crime is a $1 trillion industry, and our government has been largely powerless to stop it.

Menn is calling for better coordination between the FBI and CIA and the law enforcement groups of other countries in order to stop the growth of cyber crime, but ultimately we need a real technological solution to the issue, not so much a regulatory one.

Consumers Agree – It’s A Good Time to Buy Real Estate

2011-03-31T16:55:00.000-04:00

RISMEDIA, March 25, 2011—According to the latest Spending and Saving Tracker from American Express, more than two in five (41 percent) of Americans said that it’s a buyer’s market for real estate. However, over 61 percent agree that a seller’s market is at least a year away.

Other findings:
• Homeowner confidence on whether they would receive the asking price for their home is nearly evenly split—43 percent said they are confident they would; 47 percent are not very or not at all confident.

• However, many homeowners—39 percent—are not willing to settle for less than the asking price, even considering the tough real estate market, in contrast to 23 percent who are willing and 38 percent who are not sure.

• To sell their home in the current market, 44 percent of homeowners note that they would be interested in including appliances, while 28 percent would consider offering to make requested repairs or allowing an allotment for repairs

Consider investing in a fixer-upper

2011-03-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

March 4, 2011 -- Like many world centres, Toronto is a city of neighbourhoods in which demographics, cultures and house values can vary from one cross street to the next.

Identifying a community that reflects your lifestyle is an essential part of the buying process and while your preferred neighbourhood's average sale price is also an important practical consideration, it needn't present a stumbling block.

Buying a fixer-upper can be a great way to get into a desirable neighbourhood at an affordable cost. It's important to recognize though, that all renovations involve some inconvenience and a lot of elbow grease. While you're rolling up your sleeves, it's wise to maximize your efforts and investment by going green.

According to the Appraisal Institute of Canada, upgrading kitchens and bathrooms is a smart choice, potentially offering a 75 to 100 per cent return on your investment.

Energy efficient lighting, appliances, faucets, toilets and showerheads are a few of the options for increasing the green factor in these two essential rooms.

Making environmentally conscious choices with respect to floors, cabinets, and countertops can have an even greater impact.

When it comes to flooring, cork and bamboo are among the greenest options, as they are derived from renewable resources. While bamboo is also an excellent choice for cabinets, wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council of Canada is another responsible option. When choosing countertops, you may consider surfaces made from recycled glass, concrete, and steel rather than selecting non-sustainable materials like granite, quartz or marble.

Visit the Appraisal Institute of Canada's RENOVA, an interactive web-based guide to the value of home improvements. RENOVA is designed to give consumers a better idea of the return on investment they can expect for a variety of home improvements.

Painting can return 50 to 100 per cent of your investment and in this case, be sure to consider low VOC paints, which reduce the number of unstable, carbon-containing compounds that enter the air and react with other elements.

It's also important to consider what your home needs most. Window and door replacement may offer a more limited return of 50 to 75 per cent, but if your existing units are broken, this upgrade should take priority. When purchasing windows, look for low-E argon-filled units with the Energy Star symbol to achieve the highest thermal efficiency.

Similarly, replacing a roof may only offer a 25 to 75 per cent return but it's an upgrade that should not be deferred due to the potential for water damage. Fortunately, roof shingles made from a variety of recycled materials are widely available.

Heating systems can offer a 50 to 75 per cent return, while central air conditioning can deliver 25 to 75 per cent on your investment, but given the extreme temperatures of our climate, these are also wise investments, particularly when you choose models with the Energy Star symbol.

Regardless of the upgrades you undertake, keep in mind the two other components of environmentally responsible living: reduce the amount of waste you generate by donating or recycling construction materials and be sure to reuse items, refurbishing them to add greater character to your home.

A great way to do this while supporting a charitable cause is to consider your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. This building supply store accepts and resells quality new and used building materials. Funds support Habitat's building programs while reducing the amount of used materials that are headed for overflowing landfills.

While decorating choices may be subject to taste, you'll find that when it's time to move again, energy efficient, money-saving upgrades have universal appeal.

To find great opportunities in communities that appeal to you, talk to a Greater Toronto REALTOR® and visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com for neighbourhood profiles, open house listings, market updates and more.

Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 30,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

Expect homes to remain affordable

2011-02-25T17:36:00.002-05:00

February 25, 2011 -- I have written recently that the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) expects to see the average existing home price in the GTA grow by approximately three to five per cent per year over the next two years.

Much has been made of some recent analyses forecasting double-digit declines in Canadian home prices. Some analysts have given a specific time frame whereas others have simply argued that the Canadian homes are currently overvalued and their values should decline over time.

Geography is another issue. Talking about the Canadian housing market as a whole is problematic. Market conditions are not uniform across all Canadian provinces and cities. The drivers of economic growth in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) are different from the drivers of growth in the Vancouver area which are different again compared to St. John's. The same is true for the sources of population growth. These regional differences confirm that it is difficult to paint resale housing with one brush country-wide.

I talked to Jason Mercer, TREB's Senior Manager of Market Analysis. He explained that many of the analyses pointing toward double-digit price declines in Canada have relied on the calculation of Canadian home price to income ratios.

"It has been argued that because this ratio is currently high from a historic perspective, the average resale home price in Canada must fall in order for the ratio to move back in line with the long-term average.

Unfortunately, this argument doesn't account for borrowing costs, which is problematic given that most home buyers purchase a home using a mortgage," said Mercer.

"A better way of determining if the current average home price level is justified is to consider what percentage of average household income is going toward mortgage payments associated with the purchase of an average priced home.

The current percentage is lower than the long term averages for Canada and the GTA. This means that there is still room for moderate price growth, even after taking into account the consensus view that mortgage rates will increase in 2011 and 2012," continued Mercer.

To me, as a practicing REALTOR® and President of TREB, Mr. Mercer's comments make sense. One of the most common topics of conversation amongst REALTORS® and home buyers is where mortgage rates are headed.

People are concerned about what their mortgage payments will be relative to their income and other expenses. What I do not hear people talking about is what their home price to income ratio is going to be after they purchase a home.

The bottom line is that when most people think about housing affordability, they are thinking about how much of their income is going toward their mortgage payments. Affordability has been an issue in the past. In the early 1990s, mortgage rates were substantially higher than today's levels, the unemployment rate had spiked and income growth had stalled. The result was falling prices.

While we will likely see higher borrowing costs this year and next, income growth is also expected to accelerate. This suggests that home ownership will remain affordable and moderate price growth will be justified over the next two years.

Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 30,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

Saskatoon paying renters to buy houses

2011-02-22T17:41:00.002-05:00

As the housing boom in Canada continues, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is taking the unprecedented step of giving renters money to help with a down payment.

While home prices are high across Canada, the boom is being felt even more in the Prairies. Housing has traditionally been less expensive than in the rest of the country, but demand for commodities is fueling blistering growth. According to Statistics Canada, Saskatoon was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in Canada last year. Vancouver was a close second and Regina third.

Prices continued to rise quickly in Calgary and Edmonton, but Saskatoon has now overtaken Alberta's major cities in terms of housing being less affordable. The average home in the city now costs $277,000, 4.3 times the average annual salary of $63,900.

Subsidized housing programs for low-income people exist throughout Canada, but until now there have been no programs to help middle-income buyers daunted by often stratospheric prices.

Saskatoon isn't giving away the money for free — it's offering low-interest loans to renters for the purchase of a home between $220,000 and $280,000. Applicants who meet the criteria will be able to get approximately $12,000.

The move comes amid signs the federal government is becoming concerned Canada's housing market is overheated. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and the Governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney have all warned about the effect rising interest rates are bound to have on Canadians who have taken on too much debt.

Flaherty has introduced a series of new mortgage regulations over the last several months aimed at preventing a housing crisis similar to that which helped trigger the financial crisis in the United States in 2007.

While homes are becoming less affordable across the country, prices continue to be worst in British Columbia. The average price for a home in Vancouver is roughly 9.5 times median income. Globally, only Sydney, Australia and Hong Kong are less affordable.

Victoria, Abbotsford and Kelowna were also all ranked as severely unaffordable, all with multiples above five. Toronto and Montreal were the only cities outside B.C. ranked as severely unaffordable. The rankings were compiled by the Winnipeg-based Frontier Centre of Public Policy.

The high prices in B.C. are being blamed by TD Economics for making B.C. the most indebted and vulnerable province in Canada. The ratio of personal debt to disposable income is 160 per cent, roughly the same as that seen in the U.S. just before the mortgage meltdown.

While a recent report from Capital Economics suggests a rise in interest rates could trigger a collapse in housing prices, by as much as 25-35 per cent, don't count on things getting cheaper any time soon. Re/Max predicts the average price for a home in Canada will rise by 3 per cent in 2011 to an average price of $350,000. Just one more reason to move to Saskatchewan.

(Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Amy Sancetta)

Know the value of a REALTOR®

2011-01-28T13:26:00.000-05:00

President's Newspaper/Magazine Columns
Toronto SUN Column (as it appears each Friday in the Toronto Sun)

January 28, 2011 -- It's said that the more things change, the more they stay the same and this is certainly true with respect to Torontonians' interest in real estate.

Our passion for real estate stems from the fact that as a world city, Toronto property values hold tremendous long-term promise. The process of buying and selling a home though has become increasingly more sophisticated in recent years, requiring knowledge of economic trends, regulatory requirements and the latest marketing techniques. It's therefore more important than ever to use the professional services of a REALTOR®.

In Ontario, REALTORS® acquire their knowledge through a challenging education program followed by a supervised training period as required by the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act. They're also required to upgrade their education on a continual basis, obtaining at least 24 Continuing Education course credits every two years.

Naturally, a vast amount of skills and knowledge is acquired along this educational path. Your REALTOR® will for example, learn how to use the Multiple Listing Service® which can generate information on sales volumes, average prices, and days on market, by housing type and neighbourhood, that will help you determine a suitable offer or listing price.

They'll gather all of the details on our home's features to be displayed on the MLS®, which along with the Buyer Registry Service, is used to match buyers' preferences with properties available for sale.

To confirm a number of specifics that are important to every transaction like current taxes on individual properties, ownership histories and lot size details, your REALTOR® can also access the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation's database.

They may extend their information gathering even further, retrieving data like streetscape imagery, mapped neighbourhood sales and average local incomes from Teranet's GeoWarehouse.

Your Greater Toronto REALTOR® may even advise you on new home construction options using RealNet Canada's database.

You can count on a REALTOR® to help you interpret the considerable range of data they retrieve and to offer insight into a number of other key areas as well.

They can for example, advise on features that are in demand in today's housing market, and offer an objective perspective on improvements that will achieve the best return on investment for your specific home.

They have an unmatched depth of understanding when it comes to individual atmospheres, school ratings and neighbourhood amenities.

Your REALTOR® may also offer insight into government programs that may be suited to your individual situation.

For more information on the many ways their professional expertise can benefit you, talk to a REALTOR® and visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com

Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 30,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

Follow TREB on www.twitter.com/TREB_Official, www.Facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard and www.youtube.com/TREBChannel

Prime East York Builder's Special

2011-01-27T14:39:00.000-05:00

Land value only. Detached bungalow, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, existing appliances. Builders or renovators opportunity to build or expand to 2-3 storey home in the East York area.
New construction of houses around the neighborhood. Close to schools, bus stops, minutes to the subway, near DVP, close to Civic Centre, East York Hospital. Please call Evelyn Radam Orjalo, Sales Representative, Tel. 416-284-5555, Red Carpet Royal Realty Ltd., Brokerage. Seller highly motivated. Won't last!

King Edward Ave. at Woodbine

11 Big Ideas for 2011

2011-01-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

2011 will be the year inflation—as well as our confidence and ability to prosper—comes back, says MoneyShow chairman and founder Charles Githler.

A profitable year awaits the prepared as markets continue to adjust to reflation and an improving economic outlook, according to the views of MoneyShow.com’s leading experts, who also warn that more frequent corrections are likely during the second half as markets sense potential overheating.

Here are their detailed predictions for 2011:

No. 1: Inflation returns

Sam StovallEven this anemic, half-speed economic recovery, forecast by Standard & Poor’s chief investment strategist Sam Stovall and others, will decisively terminate the 28-year era of declining inflation and interest rates in the United States this year. However, despite three years of warnings, many investors and traders will be caught by surprise.

As economic recovery finally catches a foothold in the developed world, global money supply growth will strengthen the case for an out-on-a-limb prediction of a decade-long commodities bull market made in 2009 at The World MoneyShow Hong Kong by keynote speaker Jim Rogers, who co-founded the Quantum Fund with billionaire George Soros.

Interest rates will rise—perhaps dramatically—strengthening the dollar against most currencies. While no one can rule out a 1970s-style price spike, long-range forecasts predict an average annual increase of 2.5% for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the next ten years. This would impact market psychology significantly, because investors are now accustomed to the steady decline of inflation that we experienced in the US during the past 30 years, which culminated in actual deflation, a rate of -0.3%, in 2009.

MoneyShow.com’s senior markets editor Jim Jubak doesn’t mind so much. Read his “Ten Reasons to Love Rising Prices.”

No. 2: The Stock Markets Boom
As fear of another economic downturn subsides and corporate earnings surprise to the upside, stock markets will move higher. Standard & Poor’s analysts forecast earnings per share growth will exceed 25% in Canada, Mexico, and South Africa.

In the US, Standard & Poor’s predicts operating earnings will approach $95 on their 500 index, compared with $84 in 2010. Even if the price-to-earnings multiple remains at 15 times earnings, the S&P 500 will rise to 1,425, which would equate to a 20% total return, including dividends. Bullish enough?

Blackstone’s Byron Wein also predicts that the S&P 500 "rises close to its old high of 1,500, as individual investors return to equities for the first time since the financial crises." (However, among Wein’s other “Ten Surprises for 2011” is that, at some point after June, the economy and stock market at least temporarily will become victims of their own success, with rising interest rates finally cooling the big rally and frenzied M&A activity.)

Another MoneyShow.com expert, senior editor Igor Greenwald, points out that if the market trades at its 2005 multiple of 16.5 times earnings this year, that would take it up to 1,520. (See “Mr. Market’s Not Done With You.”)

Standard & Poor’s sector expert Stovall advises continuing to "overweight" positions in materials, industrials, and technology.

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Federal Government Changes Mortgage Financing Rules

2011-01-20T12:13:00.002-05:00

January 17, 2011 -- The federal government has announced changes to mortgage financing rules for government-backed (insured) mortgages (less than 20 per cent down payment), which will affect maximum amortization periods, mortgage refinancing, and home equity lines of credit.

Details

The changes announced by the federal government include:

Reducing maximum amortization period to 30 years, from 35 years.
Lower the maximum amount Canadians can borrow in refinancing their mortgages to 85 percent, from 90 percent, of the value of their homes.
Withdraw government insurance backing on lines of credit secured by homes, such as home equity lines of credit. This change would apply to Home Equity Lines of Credit that do not amortize over time (i.e. borrowers are not required to make regular payments on the principal amount of the loan). However, with established scheduled principal and interest payments, a loan will continue to be eligible for government-backed insurance, provided it meets the underwriting standards set by the mortgage insurer.
The changes to amortization periods and refinancing rules will come into force on March 18, 2011. The withdrawal of government insurance backing on home equity lines of credit will come into force on April 18, 2011. Exceptions would be allowed after the new measures come into force where they are needed to satisfy a binding purchase and sale, financing or refinancing agreement entered into before the corresponding coming into force dates.

Beware of strange area codes!

2011-01-10T13:06:00.000-05:00

Don’t call any long distance number beginning with these area code

Aaagghh!!

New Area Code - PLEASE READ this and pass it on. I am forwarding this just to be on the safe side. You can check the web sites below to verify.

809 Area Code
We actually received a call last week from the 809 area code. The woman said 'Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you- get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you.' Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 809.We did not respond. Then this week, we received the following e-mail:

Do Not DIAL AREA CODE 809, 284, AND 876 from the U.S. or Canada .

This one is being distributed all over the US ... This is pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get you to call.

Be sure you read this and pass it on.

They get you to call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill or to tell you someone has been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc..
In each case, you are told to call the 809 number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls.

If you call from the U.S or Canada , you will apparently be charged a minimum of
$2425 per-minute.

And you'll also get a long recorded message. The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges.
WHY IT WORKS:

The 809 area code is located in the Dominican Republic ..
The charges afterward can become a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.

Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam.

AT&T VERIFIES IT'S TRUE :http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=6045

SNOPES VERIFIES IT'S TRUE:http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809..asp

Best companion! A smart dog anyone?

2011-01-07T16:45:00.000-05:00

Smart US dog learns more than 1,000 words

By by Kerry Sheridan |

She just might be the smartest pooch ever.

A border collie has learned more than 1,000 words, showing US researchers that her memory is not only better than theirs, but that she understands quite a bit about how language works.

Chaser learned the names for 1,022 toys, so many that her human handlers had to write on them in marker so that they wouldn't forget, said study co-author Alliston Reid, a psychology professor at Wofford College in South Carolina.

With that repertoire, Chaser has far outpaced another dog, Rico, found by German researchers to be able to grasp about 200 words, according to a study published in 2004 in the journal Science.

As a border collie, Chaser comes from a breed of herding dog known for its intelligence, energy and strong work ethic.

Reid said she might be able to learn even more words, but her keepers stopped at 1,022 after three years of training simply because of time constraints.

But identifying objects by name was just the beginning of the research, conducted by a pair of American psychology professors who became curious about the upper limits of a dog's learning abilities after seeing the German study.

Study co-author John Pilley was also a master animal trainer and just happened to be getting a young border collie as a pet at about the same time as the research on Rico came out.

By the time the pup was five months old, language training began in earnest.

"John Pilley and I would go to second-hand stores and just buy huge numbers of stuffed animals and balls and children's toys and so forth," said Reid.

"And we would give each one a name and write down the name on each item in permanent marker so that we could remember what the name of it was and use it systematically with Chaser."

Over the course of three years, in sessions of four to five hours per day, Pilley and other trainers found that Chaser could identify every stuffed animal, frisbee and ball out of a colorful and growing pile of fun doggie toys.

She could also differentiate toys by categories, such as her 116 balls, and she could perform specific commands with select playthings, such as touching her paw to a certain ball, or fetching a particular frisbee.

And they trained her to do all this without offering any tasty treats.

"Chaser really, really likes playing with her toys and the social interaction of one of us taking one of her toys and throwing it up in the air and having her catch it," said Reid.

"It is much more rewarding for her than a morsel of food."

The study, which appeared this week in the journal Behavioural Processes, published by the Amsterdam-based company Elsevier, shows Chaser has abilities that were left in doubt by the earlier work with Rico, such as the ability to discern commands from nouns and how to identify toys versus non-toys.

"Her learning and retention of more than 1,000 proper nouns revealed clear evidence of several capacities necessary for learning receptive human language: the ability to discriminate many nouns phonetically, the ability to discriminate many objects visually, a sizable vocabulary, and a sufficient memory system," it said.

"Chaser understood that names refer to particular objects, independent of the activity requested involving that object. Thus, (the) concern that Rico may not have understood the difference between 'sock' and 'fetch-the-sock' is ruled out in this study."

Scientists who raised questions about the earlier studies on Rico and the extent of his abilities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the study involving Chaser.

Meanwhile, Reid said that he and Pilley are continuing to study Chaser, who is now six and a half years old.

"We would like to know for example, does she really understand syntax, the order of words in a sentence? One experiment has to do with if we asked Chaser to pick up one object and place it on top of another object, will she always get that correct?"

But for Reid, who has no dog at home since his daughter took their Labrador-mix off to graduate school, a bursting-with-energy border collie is not in his future.

"They are high maintenance dogs," he said with a laugh. "John Pilley often says that he goes to bed really early at night just to get away from his dog."

Facebook users-Please beware from scams!!!!

2011-01-06T13:26:00.000-05:00

Sophisticated scam artists are raiding blackberries, I-phones and personal computers and are using sites like Facebook to steal identities and money by fooling friends, Halifax police warn.

Det. Const. Dana Drover said Wednesday the best way to protect yourself at home — or using public Wi-Fi — is to use a complex password and change it often.

"There are individuals who make it their business to try and capture, or harvest, electronic data using devices that can capture wireless internet information," he said.

That point was driven home over the Christmas holiday when Radio-Canada producer Paul Emile d'Entremont checked his Facebook and one of his Facebook friends started chatting with him.

"She started off, 'How are you doing, Paul?' I said, 'Fine.' And she says, 'I'm not doing so well. I'm in London, England, and yesterday I was the victim of a brutal attack, and my face is swollen and they also stole all of my credit cards,'" d'Entremont said Wednesday.

But as soon his so-called friend asked for money — about $1,900 — he realized it was a scam, and shut it down.

It was an imposter pretending to be Zahra Sethna, of Halifax, who had been nowhere near London.

"Most of my friends realized very quickly that it was a scam," Sethna said Wednesday

She thinks her Facebook account was hijacked at Pearson International Airport in Toronto when she forgot to log off after using the Wi-Fi in the terminal.

"He's [the imposter] tried to chat with several people. A friend of mine who works in Yemen was chatting away with this scammer," Sethna said.

"I guess through Facebook, because you can make all those connections, they know the name of my husband. So they actually used his name in the chat which made it seem more authentic."

In this case the scammer failed to con anyone out of any money, and Facebook immediately disabled Sethna's account after learning it had been compromised.

Whole lotto luck: 2010 lottery wins create record 53 millionaires in West

2010-12-29T17:51:00.002-05:00

An amazing run of lotto luck on the Prairies this year led to a record-breaking number of new millionaires.

"We had a record-breaking year in 2010, an amazingly record-shattering year," said Andrea Marantz of the Western Canada Lottery Corp. "We had 53 winners of $1 million or more. To put that in some kind of context, our previous record was 29."

That happened in 1993.

This year's 53 jackpots from various game draws, including Lotto 6-49 and Lotto Max, totalled more than a quarter of a billion dollars, Marantz said. That's on top of any other prizes that were handed out.

The biggest single winner was Cameron Blair, an unemployed welder from Beaumont, Alta., who won $41.7 million on April 23. Things had looked grim when he got laid off a few weeks earlier, so he bought a Lotto Max ticket to try his luck.

It was the second-largest jackpot ever paid out to an individual in Canada.

Two $1-million prizes even went to the sparsely populated Northwest Territories.

Marantz offered an explanation for the unusual winning streak.

"I think it was a combination of things. Of course, it's always luck, which is such a random thing, but the other thing was the introduction of Lotto Max, which is a game that provides more opportunities to win $1 million and more ... and that game has proved very popular in the West."

The lotto corporation said most newly minted millionaires need some time to truly think through what to do with all that cash. But some commonly heard plans include sharing money with family, paying off bills and loans, buying a new vehicle and travelling. Many winners also said they planned to give some of their windfall to charity.

And, if you haven't won yet this year, there's still time. Friday’s Lotto Max jackpot sits at $50 million and the Lotto 6-49 Christmas Day draw is for an estimated $3.5 million.

Perhaps Lady Luck will join Santa Claus on his rounds.

Working Hard to Make a Difference

2010-12-18T15:48:00.000-05:00

December 17, 2010 -- The season of gift giving is upon us and it's a time of year when many of us pause to consider how we can make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

Despite the fact that in its 2010 study on wealth and wellbeing the Legatum Institute ranked Canada as the world's seventh most prosperous nation, the most recent data available from Statistics Canada indicates that after three years of decline, child poverty in our province is on the rise. Based on 2008 statistics, it estimates that one in six children in Ontario are living in poverty.

Like many of you, Greater Toronto REALTORS® are working to change this statistic. For a number of years, Members of the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) have committed to supporting the REALTORS® Care Foundation through its Every REALTOR® campaign. This year, their commitment resulted in a donation of more than $357,000 to the Foundation.

Established in 1967 as part of Canada's Centennial celebrations, the REALTORS® Care Foundation makes grants on behalf of REALTORS® to shelter-based organizations throughout the province.

Through the Foundation, TREB has the opportunity to support housing-related causes in the Greater Toronto Area on an annual basis and this year, more than $178,000 was awarded to 35 different organizations. A hospice, centres for homeless youths, organizations that support those struggling with mental illness, community outreach programs, and numerous women's shelters were among the recipients.

To celebrate our mutual commitment to GTA communities, representatives from the various organizations came together November 29th at the Toronto Real Estate Board's annual Gathering For Giving reception.

The reception also featured Toronto historian Mike Filey, whose captivating anecdotes you can find in books, on radio and in the Toronto Sun.

The evening was particularly memorable because it marked the exact date of TREB's 90th anniversary. On November 29th, 1920 a small group real estate practitioners came together to establish standards in the profession. In the decades since then, we have expanded on our founders' spirit of cooperation by working together to improve the quality of life in our city's communities.

Recently for example, we made a $100,000 donation to Habitat for Humanity Toronto, which has allowed TREB to sponsor one of 29 town-home units being constructed at Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue. This initiative marks the fourth title sponsorship of seven builds to which TREB has contributed in recent years.

We work with the Toronto District School Board to provide nutritious breakfasts and snacks to 28,000 children in 16 different schools each month. We also provide grants to graduating high school students on an annual basis, to be used towards their post-secondary educations. These are just a few of the many ways we work to make a difference in our city throughout the year.

If you're thinking of buying or selling in the year ahead, you can count on the fact that your Greater Toronto REALTOR® has a genuine commitment your wellbeing, complemented by many tools and skills to guide you through the process. For more information please visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com

Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 30,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

Follow TREB on www.twitter.com/TREB_Official, www.Facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard and www.youtube.com/TREBChannel

From Australia with love ......

2010-12-16T15:18:00.000-05:00

Australian Prime Minister does it again!!

Truer words have never been spoken.

It took a lot of courage for this woman to speak what she had to say for the world to hear. The retribution could be phenomenal, but at least she was willing to take a stand on her and Australia 's beliefs.

The whole world needs a leader like this!

Prime Minister Julia Gillard - Australia

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks..

Separately, Gillard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying she supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote:

'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT.. Take It Or Leave It.

I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians. '

'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'

'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!'

'Most Australians (but not me) believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'

'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'

'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'

'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'

Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves in Canada & USA , WE will find the courage to start speaking and voicing the same truths.

For sale bakery business-365 Wilson Avenue.

2010-11-25T16:06:00.000-05:00

Be your own Boss! Established bakery business with loyale clientele. Heavy traffic location. Suitable for business people for long term employment. Great potential Income. Reasonable lease. Call the owner for more information, Nida, 416-565-1227.
Listing Price $90,000 or best offer.
Pls. call Evelyn R. Orjalo, Sales Representative, 416-284-5555, Red Carpet Royal Realty Ltd., Brokerage, 880 Ellesmere Rd. Suite 204, Toronto, Ontario M1P2W6

For sale-101 Prudenti9al Dr. #110-Main Floor-$129,000

2010-11-08T15:21:00.000-05:00

Large, 1 bedroom condo unit located near the Lawrence RT subway. Open concept living room, spacious dining room walkout to ground terrace. Updated suite ideally suitable for retirees or couple! Maintenance includes exercise room and sauna, outdoor pool, recreation and meeting room, security system, parking. Quiet neighborhood. Close to shops, community centre, bus stops, plazas. Best building of the block!
To view, please call Evelyn R. Orjalo, Sales Representative, Tel. 416-284-5555, 647-883-2837, Red Carpet Royal Realty Ltd., Brokerage.

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

2010-10-18T11:42:00.000-04:00

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada

October 17, 2010
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement to recognize the canonization of Blessed André, born Alfred Bessette:

“Today Brother André was formally declared a Saint by Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City.

“Brother André’s canonization affirms the significant devotion he showed during his lifetime to helping the sick, destitute and all those in need.

“Through the moving ceremonies we witnessed at St. Peter's Square today, the Roman Catholic Church is recognizing a great Canadian, who from humble beginnings reached the Church’s highest reverence through his humility and dedication to serving others.

“His devotion to St. Joseph, the patron saint of Canada, led to the construction of the magnificent Saint Joseph's Oratory on Mount Royal.

“Brother André’s canonization is an important inspiration to us all, and the Oratory will continue to serve as a central landmark of spiritual strength and faith for Quebecers and all Canadians.”
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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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Keeping your best interest in mind

2010-10-15T15:56:00.000-04:00

October 15, 2010 -- One characteristic that defines most Canadians is hope. Canada is a society founded on the promise of a better life achieved through hard work and integrity. This dream and these principles attract people from all over the world to Canada, who in turn, contribute so much to what makes our country great.

If you were to ask Canadians to identify the key to a better life most would point to home ownership. Indeed, nearly 70 per cent of Canadian households owned their dwelling at the time of the 2006 Census, representing the highest rate of homeownership since 1971. The reason for our love of housing is simple: real estate is not only an excellent long-term investment; it’s the only one in which you can live as it grows.

Regardless of whether you are a first-timer, a move-up buyer or a right-sizing empty nester, it’s wise to use the professional services of a REALTOR® to help with the transition. Like other Canadians, integrity is paramount to REALTORS® and for this reason your REALTOR® will ask you to sign a Buyer Representation Agreement, confirming their commitment to represent your best interests by working exclusively on your behalf.

Once you have signed a Buyer Representation Agreement, be sure to ask your REALTOR® about the Buyer Registry Service, a password-protected database that contains information on the current housing preferences of Greater Toronto REALTORS’® clients. To provide for your privacy, your personal information is only accessible to your REALTOR®, whose name is displayed for making contact.

You can achieve a much more efficient search by registering your criteria in the BRS, as it allows your REALTOR® to receive advance notice when properties that match your preferences are listed for sale. Homes that match your criteria are typically emailed to you on a nightly basis but communication can occur even faster between REALTORS® using the BRS.

Your REALTOR® can also get a sense as to the demand for your preferred housing type by comparing your criteria to similar preferences registered in the BRS. Gauging this type of information can help you make a successful offer.

Your registration in the BRS also helps verify the clearly defined business relationship between you and your REALTOR®, which can help you avoid potential conflicts when signing a Buyer Representation Agreement.

All that’s needed to take advantage of this very useful tool is a signed Buyer Representation Agreement and completed BRS Data Form.

We are fortunate to live in one of the most accomplished cities in the world not just with respect to finance, the arts and cultural diversity, but also based on our approach to real estate transactions. The BRS is just one example of Greater Toronto REALTORS’® commitment serving your needs with the highest professional standards.

To learn more about the BRS, talk to a Greater Toronto REALTOR® and visit www.BRAfirst.ca or Toronto Real Estate Board’s consumer website www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com.
Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 30,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

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Searching Professionalism

2010-09-24T13:50:00.000-04:00

Searching Professionalism: What Is It, and What Can You Do to Improve It

RISMEDIA, September 22, 2010—While every industry defines professionalism in a different way, it is crucial that real estate professionals understand how to recognize and encourage professionalism in their agents. In this month’s Power Broker Round Table, industry experts Stephen Baird and Beverly Kendall discuss what their definition of professionalism entails and how you can maintain a level of professionalism within your office.
Moderator:
Steve Brown, Special Liaison for Large Firm Relations, NAR

Participants:
Stephen Baird, President, CEO, Baird & Warner, Chicago
Beverly Kendall, EVP, RE/MAX Gold, Sacramento, California

Steve Brown: The dictionary defines “professionalism” as “reaching professional status in methods, character and standards”—and that’s fine, as far as it goes. The problem is that every industry has its own, modified definition. Within our industry, the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR), with its vast array of educational resources, courses and ethics requirements has helped to raise the bar quite a bit. But professionalism, as seen from the broker’s point of view, may differ considerably from the way customers see it. Which agent is more professional—the one who writes a clean contract and keeps a daily accounting of his time? Or the one whose paperwork is almost embarrassing, but whose customers know she returns every call and knows the answers to their questions? This month, we’ve invited a couple of seasoned brokers to share their points of view. Stephen, what’s your definition of professionalism in an agent, and how do you recognize and encourage it?

Stephen Baird: First and foremost, a professional agent has a superb understanding of the marketplace—and the ability to relate so well with clients that they come to understand it, too. That kind of proven proficiency—along with common courtesy and a sense of accountability—will keep old clients coming back and new clients coming in.

Beverly Kendall: That’s true. But also, a professional agent adheres to NAR’s strict code of ethics…and they must be committed to the industry and have impeccable interpersonal skills.

Steve Brown: And these are qualities agents start out with, or how important is training?

Beverly Kendall: Training is important, but there are certain characteristics that are really innate, that you need to recognize from the get-go: a quiet confidence, a pleasing persona, a high level of general knowledge and comfort in interacting with people. These are skills you can’t teach, but you can’t be professional without them.

Stephen Baird: If someone has those interpersonal skills and is committed to working hard, we can give them the big skills training they need to be knowledgeable and competitive. In fact, I’d rather we train them ourselves. Give me someone who is driven to succeed, and we’ll teach them everything they need to know to be professional and successful.

Beverly Kendall: I agree, but at the same time, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. NAR, the state associations and other organizations offer a wealth of educational material. Yes, we need to keep our agents on top of the market, but I think what we’re concerned with here is the kind of professionalism that matters most to customers.

Steve Brown: You’re saying we need to look at how the public views us from the outside looking in…

Beverly Kendall: Absolutely, but we need to recognize that even our customers have varying definitions of professionalism. These days, a lot of younger customers prefer to do everything online. We have agents who are proficient in social media who never actually see some of their buyers until they’re ready to hand them the key. That’s great if it works for them. But more traditional clients want the emotional hand-holding that only an agent can provide—and for that, we’re back to needing and appreciating the old-fashioned people skills.

Stephen Baird: The fact is, professional agents take the profession seriously. They treat every customer with respect, no matter what those customers expect. Knowledgeable agents who are great with clients are going to be successful. If they hate paperwork, they’ll make enough money to team up or hire an assistant to take care of the details.

Beverly Kendall: I think when you feel the most successful as a broker is when you are managing a team where everyone is comfortable in his skin—and that requires our own set of people skills. As brokers, it’s our job to recognize professional attitude and demeanor in everyone we hire, but also to help every agent fill in the holes in his or strength.

Steve Brown: Well, it seems to me we’ve managed to identify four core qualities of professionalism: market knowledge, responsibility, interpersonal skills and integrity. As brokers, how can we encourage growth in any or all of these areas?

Stephen Baird: Require high standards…professional demeanor…full time commitment and motivation…and continuing education to keep agents ahead of the curve, including professional designations.

Beverly Kendall: As a broker, you need to recognize potential right from the very first interview. Then provide training that helps agents not only to define their fiduciary role but to live it every day…and promote the kind of office culture that encourages agents to give more than the client expects. It’s a tall order, and—like the notion of professionalism itself—some of it is simply intuitive. But there’s a wealth of data available out there on how to stimulate agent development. Maybe you said it all, Stephen. Demonstrate and demand high standards.

Coming to 'Terms' with Real Estate

2010-09-17T12:30:00.002-04:00

September 17, 2010 -- From major league sports to the medical field, every profession has its own unique lingo and real estate is no exception. Since a home is likely to be the single largest purchase you will ever make, it’s worthwhile to have an understanding of some of the terms most commonly used in the real estate world.

There is a distinction between real estate practitioners and those who can use the certified “REALTOR®” trademark. While all real estate professionals are required to achieve registration with the provincial regulator, the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), REALTORS® are those who also choose to belong to the Canadian Real Estate Association by joining a local board like the Toronto Real Estate Board. Boards operate MLS® under license from the Canadian Real Estate Association, and Members abide by the professional standards of business practice.

Using the MLS®, a REALTOR® can contrast your existing or prospective home with those recently sold in the area, developing a CMA or Comparative Market Analysis, to help you determine a suitable offer or listing price.

You may have noticed that some REALTORS® are Salespersons and others are Brokers. While all real estate professionals begin their careers as Salespersons, many choose to pursue RECO’s more advanced Broker designation after two years in practice.

A Broker of Record meanwhile, is an individual who is responsible for the operation of a real estate company, or brokerage. Salespersons and Brokers act on behalf of the brokerage and the Broker of Record is responsible for ensuring supervision of their activity.

When you work with a salesperson or broker, you will have the opportunity to determine whether you want to be represented as a Client or as a Customer.

By opting for Client status, you are choosing to contract with a real estate professional and the brokerage they represent, so that they will act in your best interest throughout the duration of your transaction.

By choosing Customer status, you have agreed that the real estate professional and their brokerage are not required to represent your interests and you are not obligated to work exclusively with them.

Once you have chosen to work with a REALTOR® you may choose to list your home on MLS® and may be presented with an array of marketing options, one of which can afford your listing heightened exposure by displaying it on the websites of other brokerages. This is referred to as IDX, or Internet Data Exchange.

When you peruse listings on REALTORS’® websites you will notice a number of abbreviations to describe a home’s features like elf – electrical light fixture, fp – fireplaces, and cac – central air conditioning.

These are just a handful of commonly used terms in the world of real estate. To learn more about the process of buying and selling a home talk to a REALTOR® and visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com where you’ll find Greater Toronto Area listings, a schedule of upcoming open houses, plain language explanations of real estate forms and more.

Trading in real estate without registration leads to jail

2010-09-16T12:59:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010 (BARRIE, ON) –
An Alliston man who traded in real estate without being registered and defrauded potential investors in the Barrie area of almost $90,000 was sentenced to 15 months in jail today and ordered to pay restitution.
Terry D. Graham, who was wanted on a bench warrant after failing to appear on two similar charges in Mississauga last week, must also serve two years probation beginning on the date of his release. Sentencing related to the Mississauga charges is pending.
Tim Snell, counsel for the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), had asked that Mr. Graham receive a sentence of 18 to 20 months in jail.
The sentence follows a guilty plea in April to eight counts of trading in real estate while unregistered and eight counts of failing to deposit trust money. Mr. Graham, formerly of Oro, Ont., had been charged in October 2008 with six offences under the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 (REBBA 2002), but public response to the advisory posted on RECO’s website led to additional complaints and charges.
Mr. Graham, who is not registered to trade in real estate in Ontario, had pleaded guilty to representing himself as a registered real estate salesperson and performing the services of a brokerage in real estate transactions. He also pleaded guilty to accepting trust deposits from consumers for real estate trades, and then failed to deposit the funds into a trust account as required under REBBA 2002.
“I think it’s important to note that consumers were not able to recover their deposits because Mr. Graham was not registered,” noted Mr. Snell, “and therefore, was not insured.”
All registered real estate professionals in Ontario are required by law to participate in RECO’s insurance program. Consumer deposit insurance offers protection in the event of fraud, insolvency or misappropriation of funds by a registrant.
Offences relating to REBBA 2002 and its regulations (other than the Code of Ethics) may be processed in accordance with the Provincial Offences Act. Individuals convicted of offences are subject to fines of up to $50,000 and/or prison terms of up to two years. Corporations are subject to fines of up to $250,000. Courts may also order convicted persons to pay compensation and make restitution.
Media Contact:
Sherri Haigh, Manager of Communications
416 -207-3108
sherri@reco.on.ca
The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) is responsible for administering the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 and associated regulations on behalf of the provincial government.
In order to trade in real estate in Ontario, brokers and salespersons must be registered under the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002.
RECO’s mission is to regulate the activity of trading in real estate in the public interest.
For more information about the Real Estate Council of Ontario, visit www.reco.on.ca.
For media inquiries contact:
Sherri Haigh,
Manager, Communications
Phone: 416 207-3108
E-mail: sherri@reco.on.ca

Competitive Differentiation: What Really Works

2010-09-13T17:05:00.000-04:00

RISMEDIA, September 13, 2010—While all real estate companies claim to be “different than the rest,” to consumers, most real estate companies seem about the same. What’s more, today’s consumer is wiser and more demanding than ever. Armed with market information and tech savvy, consumers expect more from the brokerage and sales associates they choose to do business with. To truly stand out from the competition, leading firms need the right strategies and resources…and a thorough understanding of what matters to today’s consumers.

In this month’s RREIN Roundtable, we ask Rei Mesa and Charlie Bengel, Jr., two leading brokers from RISMedia’s Real Estate Information Network (RREIN) for their views on competitive differentiation—why it matters and how to get it.

Participants:
Rei Mesa, President & CEO,
Prudential Florida Realty, Prudential Real Estate Services
Sunrise, Florida

Charlie Bengel, Jr., Chief Executive Officer,
RE/MAX Allegiance
Burke, Virginia

Real Estate magazine: Why is competitive differentiation—both for your firm and its individual agents—more important than ever in today’s market?
Rei Mesa: Consumers can readily identify exceptional service. Service defines our business. We must align our services with the customer’s needs and wants in order to understand and deliver truly exceptional, surprising service in all areas of the real estate transaction from initial consultation to financing, home inspection, home warranty, and closing services. When you have an opportunity to make things right for the consumer during any part of the transaction, you must take action quickly. Being associated with the Prudential brand automatically raises expectations for service levels from the consumer standpoint. We must elevate ourselves to provide an outstanding real estate-services’ experience to the consumer. You never know who is going to show up at your door so always be at your best.

Charlie Bengel, Jr.: From a company standpoint, with the leveling of the playing field caused by franchisors, MLSs and Realtor associations rolling out more services, it has become more important than ever for RE/MAX Allegiance to continue to innovate. We believe the main differentiator for our individual associates is their experience, education and production.

RE: What are some of the most successful strategies you’ve employed to differentiate your firm both to consumers and potential new recruits?

CB: We’ve continued to move into new and modern space in some markets and have a capital improvement plan in place for current offices. We allow our associates 24-hour access to multiple offices with one key fob. We’ve continued to have hundreds of in-house education opportunities, including an in-house company convention, and have added many social events as well. Additionally, we recently completely replaced our technology, including our consumer website, our associates’ websites and company intranet.
RM: Surround yourself with great talent in every position and great partners, such as in our case, Prudential Real Estate & Relocation Services, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, First American Title & Home Warranty, AmeriSpec Home Inspection, and RISMedia’s Top 5 in Real Estate Network and RREIN Networks®. Also, consistency is key—delivering the same message, as well as communicating best practices throughout the company, is vital to our continued success.

6 neighborhood red flags

2010-09-01T17:14:00.000-04:00

Your house would be absolutely perfect – except for your next door neighbor's 2am band practices and the family across the street's fondness of using your garbage cans when theirs are full. There are some characteristics of a neighborhood that you just can't know until you move in, but there are many aspects of your potential home's location that you can scout out ahead of time – and that can save you from a lot of headaches later on.

Beyond more obvious signs, such as graffiti and run-down buildings, here are six red flags worth looking for if you are in the market for a new home.

1. Local Businesses
Check out the businesses that are close to your new home. If there are a lot of tattoo parlors, pawn shops and payday loan stores, that could be a warning sign. That isn't to say that those businesses are inherently bad; they each provide a service and are perfectly safe to frequent. One or two of these businesses in the area isn't cause for concern, but if they are on every street corner, it is worth noting as a possible downside of the area.

2. Homeless Population in the Summer
If you drive through a neighborhood and see 20 homeless people in as many minutes, that's a clear warning sign. However, if you live in a climate with a formidable winter, you may only get a true sense of the homeless population in the summer. Also, if you are looking in a busy city, you may not be able to find an area completely free of the homeless; if you are unwilling to move farther into the suburbs, this may be a tradeoff you can live with.

3. Empty Storefronts
This can be tricky, because empty storefronts could also be signaling an area in transition, which may be a good thing if your plan is to flip the property in five to 10 years. If that isn't your goal, those corporate for rent signs may indicate that businesses don't want to be there. Low demand in an area may not attract the kind of businesses you would like to see near your home. At the very least, it's another potential store or service that you won't have access to.

4. Police Presence
As Richard Baker of BuyYourHomeGuide.com points out, police departments assign officers to the area where they are most needed. If you notice a lot of police cars patrolling the area, that may be a bad sign.

5. Street Maintenance
This may be more noticeable when snow is on the ground. See how quickly the snow is removed, if the sidewalks are cleared, and if they salt the roads. In the summer, see if there are city-planted trees and plants along the roads, and if they are taken care of. More obviously, if there is a lot of trash that doesn't seem to be cleaned up over time, that's a red flag.

6. Neighborhood Activity
When the weather is nice out, watch for bake sales, yard sales, block parties and, in the city, street festivals. Are there kids out playing in the front yards and streets, or are they relegated to the backyard and inside? Do people spend time out on their porches or walking in the neighborhood?

These are all signs of a friendly neighborhood; but that isn't for everyone. These same signs can be a reason to discount an area if the thought of participating in a neighborhood barbecue makes you queasy. However, if people are comfortable spending time out front of their properties or around the neighborhood, it could indicate that the area is relatively safe.

A Disclaimer
If you are looking for a home for a family of five, you may be more put off by a high homeless population than a working couple interested in living in a busy downtown core. None of these signs should immediately disqualify an area you are considering, nor should they cause you to run out and put your own home on the market. Before you start looking, make a list of attributes your ideal neighborhood would have, and carry it with you when you scope out potential locations. Also, be careful to consider your home in the context of the area – paying twice as much for the by-far nicest place in a four-block radius may make reselling tough.

The Bottom Line
You can't change the location of your home once you buy it. A beautiful home might be tough to sell if the neighborhood isn't that great, so be careful where you choose. Everyone's definition of a bad neighborhood is different, but you can't go wrong looking for a neighborhood that is safe and clean.

Ontario premier urges Bank of Canada not to hike key interest rate in September

2010-09-01T15:01:00.000-04:00

By Maria Babbage, The Canadian Press

TORONTO - The leader of the country's most populous province has a message for the Bank of Canada: don't hike interest rates next week.

Canada's economic recovery is still fragile and its leaders should be careful about doing anything that would increase expenses or drive up costs, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said Wednesday.

"My advice to the Bank of Canada is: Just no more interest rate hikes — not at this point in time," he said.

"While we can say that the recovery has taken hold, it's not by any means a vigorous and robust recovery. It is modest."

The premier, who rarely wades into monetary policy, urged the central bank to put the brakes on any further hikes amid fears that the United States may slip into a double-dip recession.

"It points to the need for continuing prudence," he said.

"Try as we might, we cannot completely uncouple ourselves from the American economy. They're our single largest trading partner and consumer confidence — American consumer confidence — is a powerful factor in determining the health and vitality of our own economy here."

McGuinty made the remarks from a Toronto elementary school where he was promoting a new expense for Ontario: full-day kindergarten for four- and five-year-olds.

The self-described education premier announced plans last fall to forge ahead with the costly project despite the economic downturn and warnings of a record-setting deficit.

The program, which is expected to cost $1.5 billion a year once fully implemented, is being slowly phased in over five years, starting with 600 schools this fall.

Ontario is also seeing higher inflation than other provinces, largely due to the July 1 implementation of the new harmonized sales tax.

Consumer prices in Ontario rose 2.9 per cent in July — the largest year-over-year hike among the provinces — with the HST accounting for about 1.3 per cent of that increase. Canada's annual inflation rate rose by eight-tenths of a point to 1.8 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.

The Bank of Canada is meeting Sept. 8 to set interest rates. Currently, it's trendsetting rate is 0.75 per cent.

There are doubts that bank governor Mark Carney will proceed with a further rate hike, given a recent report indicating that Canada's economy slowed more than expected in the second quarter.

Statistics Canada reported Tuesday that the economy fell two per cent in the April-to-June quarter, as consumers tightened their pocketbooks, housing weakened and exports were squeezed by the weak American economy.

That could persuade the central bank to keep interest rates stable until there's evidence of a stronger recovery.

The Bank of Canada hiked interest rates in June for the first time in more than a year following first-quarter GDP growth that was the fastest pace in a decade.

When it Comes to Branding, Get Real

2010-09-01T14:29:00.000-04:00

By Gee Dunsten
RISMEDIA, August 28, 2010—The term branding is certainly no stranger to the real estate industry. But in 2010, the concept of branding has evolved…because America has evolved. As economist John Tucillo recently said at RISMedia’s Social Media Summit, the number one trend in America right now is skepticism and the result has been an increased degree of speculation in all types of decision making…including selecting a real estate associate or company to work with.

Thanks to social media and social networking, branding is morphing and taking on an additional life. As the “Socialnomics” video Allan Dalton showed during the Social Media Summit pointed out, “word of mouth is now world of mouth.” When looking at the building blocks of effective branding in today’s culture, the very first thing to consider is that communication today is no longer one-to-one but one-to-many.

The other essential component of effective branding in today’s market is clearly defining your identity…and sticking to it! Branding should define who you are, what you do, and what you represent. And what you represent should be aimed at enhancing or improving the life of your consumers. Effective branding leads consumers to accept and validate who you are and, in turn, refer you to others.

While many agents make their names the focal point of their brand, the most effective agents are identifying themselves with not only their names, but a slogan or logo that further differentiates them from the masses.

Amy Cherow, for example, a Realtor in Hartford, Connecticut, has a brand that speaks for itself—“Tech Bytes.” Using Tech Bytes in addition to her name not only familiarizes people with who Amy is, but what she’s associated with.

Your brand must be part of your entire marketing plan—it has to fit and it has to be relevant to the niche or niches you are trying to serve. I have seen so many agents claim to specialize in this or that, but their behavior patterns exhibit that they are generalists—they may list a multi-million dollar home one week and then be just as happy to rent a mobile home cross town the next week. Unfortunately, in a market like we’re in now, many of us are operating in scarcity mode and have diluted our expertise…and, therefore, our differentiation and the effectiveness of our branding.

For branding to work, you need to narrow the areas you like to serve so that you feel personally confident and energized in serving your passions. Who you are must be a part of your brand and your brand must exhibit who you are—consistently. Everywhere I show up—either in person, in print, or online—I have to make sure that the same image of Gee is portrayed. That’s the only way your brand will work.

During my real estate sales years in Ocean City, Maryland, I would dress up in an appropriate holiday costume and have my picture taken on the beach each month; I was a bunny for Easter, a hot dog for a summer month, and the stork for Labor Day. I’d create a postcard with the picture of me and a funny slogan to go with it. This might sound corny, but I like to have fun and to make fun of myself so this campaign helped show my personality and reinforce my brand. I was selling property in a resort area and resorts are all about having fun…and this helped me sell a boat load of property!

Whatever your approach, you have to be real and this was me.

About 30 years ago, a top agent joined my office who had just left another firm. In making the change, she decided to completely makeover everything she was doing, including herself! She had glamour photos taken that made her look like she could be on the cover of a magazine. However, that’s not who she was in reality and when people met her, they couldn’t believe it was the same person they saw in the marketing materials. She couldn’t understand why she wasn’t getting listings but the reason was that she wasn’t living up to her branding—and people don’t want to work with someone who presents themselves as something they are not. It speaks to their credibility.

So while you may use your branding to attract attention, if you’re not showing up as the same person your brand represents, then your credibility is brought into question. Today, whether it’s through our videos, our blogs, or our social media posts—which are all critical tools to leverage for branding—we have to be consistent and we have to be real.

We must also build credibility for our brand by listening to what the community is saying. If they’re skeptical and cynical, we must connect, engage and educate. As Rosemary West, a Top 5 in Real Estate member from Chicago, says, “You don’t learn unless you get out and reach out so that you can discover for yourself what your clients and customers need. These are not prospects or leads, but relationships.”

Once your brand is out there, it’s important that you’re aware of what’s being said about you. Amy Cherow recommends using Google Alerts to find out what is being written and said about us. Amy also recommends namechk.com and knowem.com, which monitor hundreds of social media sites to find out what people are chatting about. The bottom line is, thanks to technology, there is no choice but to be completely transparent in your branding because the truth will reveal itself. As Warren Buffet says, “you can tell who’s swimming naked when the tide goes out.”

The potential for utilizing technology to build your brand and reach consumers is huge, but only consistency and transparency will validate your brand. You must use vehicles such as video and blogging to substantiate the brand you put forth. You must engage people with advice on buying and selling real estate or information about your community. You must make posts that cause consumers to comment. Consider enhancing your brand through a mobile business card, which builds your credibility even further. Your goal is to encourage consumers to interact with you so they can see that you are, indeed, what your brand proclaims you to be…that you’re the real deal.

George “Gee” Dunsten, president of Gee Dunsten Seminars, Inc., has been a real estate agent and broker/owner for almost 40 years, and a senior instructor with the Council of Residential Specialist for more than 20 years. He is currently broker/owner of Legacy Realty of Salisbury, Inc., and president of Legacy Development Corporation. To reach Gee, e-mail, gee@gee-dunsten.com.

Housing options are as diverse as the city we live in

2010-08-05T14:26:00.000-04:00

July 30, 2010 -- As residents of Canada's largest city we are fortunate to have a wide variety of housing options available to us. Regardless of whether life on a farm or the waterfront appeals to you, the Greater Toronto Area has something to offer for everyone.

As multi-faceted as the region itself, The Toronto Real Estate Board's 30,000 REALTORS® have unique assets ideally suited to helping you find your next home.

You're likely to find for example, condominium apartment or commercial property specialists working in downtown Toronto's C01 district. In this area REALTORS® can advise you on the specific amenities available in downtown condominium communities, what you can expect to pay in maintenance fees and whether parking spaces can be leased.

By contrast, a REALTOR® who practices in the northern most reaches of the GTA, in areas like Cookstown, can advise you on the details of septic systems and well water on rural properties.

The area between Toronto and rural Cookstown is incredibly vast and accordingly, the REALTORS® throughout the north 905 districts can offer advice on everything from buying a condominium apartment in Markham to a horse farm in King. From enclaves located in wooded settings to homes overlooking golf courses, your REALTOR® can guide you through the north 905 districts' many beautiful options.

The GTA is known internationally for its diversity of cultures, employment options and housing types and Mississauga, a city within our city, really epitomizes these features. Here you'll find REALTORS® with experience in everything from 905 condominium living near Square One to executive waterfront properties in Oakville/Burlington to lovely starter homes near the escarpment in Milton.

In the 905 Region's east districts you will also find many beautiful areas like Pickering's Frenchman's Bay, homes in Whitby that are within minutes of ski slopes and a community built around a marina in Newcastle. Many wonderful options are available in the communities and rural properties east of Toronto and you can count on a REALTOR® to advise you on the many specifics, from zoning allowances to school ratings to varying municipal property tax rates.

Your REALTOR® can also advise you on new home construction developments, which are plentiful in all three of the regions that comprise the picturesque 905 districts, where rolling hills are dotted with small lakes.

No matter what type of lifestyle appeals to you, you can count on your Greater Toronto REALTOR® to identify your many options and counsel you on with regard to all of the considerations when helping you find your next perfect home.

For more information on the many available options visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com where you'll find GTA listings, plain language real estate forms, mortgage and land transfer tax calculators and more.

Follow TREB on www.twitter.com/TREB_Official, www.Facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard and www.youtube.com/TREBChannel or visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com

Bill Johnston is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 30,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

TREB builds Habitat Home

2010-06-15T15:32:00.000-04:00

June 14, 2010 -- TREB has again joined forces with Habitat for Humanity Toronto to provide simple, decent and affordable housing for families currently living in substandard housing in the GTA. TREB is building one of 29 townhome units at 4572 Kingston Road in Scarborough. This site represents the 225th affordable home build by Habitat Toronto since 1988.

Recently, TREB President Tom Lebour was invited to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony of this newest site and meet the TREB partner family selected by Habitat for Humanity Toronto as the new home owners of TREB’s Habitat Home build.

The Matin Family of six was on site on June 8th to share in the shovel presentation at the groundbreaking. Merajuddin Matin is looking forward to moving his wife and four children into their new home upon completion. “Right now our life is very difficult” Merajuddin explains. “We’re six people living in a small, two bedroom apartment. A new home means a brighter future for our children”.

Since 2003, TREB has contributed to six other home builds with Habitat for Humanity Toronto, including a co-sponsorship home build with OREA in 2005 at Lakeshore Villages.

Toronto Star article: Privacy breach

2010-06-09T14:21:00.000-04:00

The personal financial information of thousands of consumers across Canada has been seriously compromised because of lax security at several Greater Toronto Area mortgage brokerages, says the federal privacy commissioner.

“There are a whole army of rogue thieves, an industry of criminality that is increasingly targeting personal information,” Jennifer Stoddart said in an interview Tuesday. “You can take someone’s credit card and go buy things, you can empty their bank account with the right information.”

Stoddart said she launched an investigation into the brokerages after they reported 14 suspicious breaches in the space of a few months in 2008.

“In each case, someone impersonating an experienced mortgage agent downloaded credit reports for people who hadn’t even applied for a mortgage,” the commissioner said in her annual report tabled in Parliament.

“As a result the personal information of clients, not to mention any number of other people with absolutely no connection to the brokerages was left at risk.”

According to the commissioner, thieves posing as legitimate mortgage agents were able to obtain employment at the brokerages. The “fraudulent agent” then gained access to hundreds of credit reports through an internal web based credit reporting system.

The problem was brought to the attention of the commissioner after brokers reported problems. About 2,500 people across Canada were affected by the breach. York Regional Police and Peel Regional Police are investigating the complaints according to the commissioner.

Stoddart’s office is mandated by Parliament to act as a guardian to protect personal information rights of Canadians.

The commissioner says one reason she decided to look at mortgage brokers was because of their increasingly higher profile in Canada’s housing market. Brokers represented 25 per cent of all mortgage transactions and 44 per cent of all first time buyer mortgages in 2009, according to Stoddart.

One victim who contacted the privacy commissioner’s office said that her credit card was charged and her bank account was accessed.

“Someone had impersonated her, phoned her credit card company and changed her contact information. They then went out to make a whole slew of purchases and emptied her bank account,” said Stoddart.

After the security breach, many of the businesses implemented steps to provide better protection, said the commissioner. But an audit by the commissioner said those changes did not go far enough.

“Individuals and businesses are often times not up to the standards of the criminals that are lurking around them,” said Stoddart.

The audit found that:

• Some brokers stacked files containing personal information on the floor or on desks within easily accessible offices. One broker had files in a parking area.

• Brokers lacked basic equipment such as paper shredders. One broker tried to save paper by using the reverse side of old mortgage applications. “That really is amazing” that someone would do that, said the commissioner.

• Credit reports were sometimes obtained prior to the consent of a client, and there was no way for the client to opt out of secondary uses for the information, such as marketing.

In response to the findings, the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals, which represents 12,000 brokers nationally, said they were committed to working closely with the commissioner to “investigate and resolve these problems.”

Jim Murphy, president and CEO of the organization, said his group takes “privacy policies very seriously and intends on following the important recommendations put forward. I don’t think this reflects the broader industry. We do have standards in place that we should continuously reinforce, but we can always do better,” he said.

The commissioner’s office put forward a number of recommendations that were eventually implemented by the audited brokerages. One of those brokerages has since gone out of business.

The recommendations include: Security measures such as alarms in offices and lockable filing cabinets; the limiting of credit reports that can be downloaded; unapproved mortgage application files should be destroyed after a period of time; development and implementation of privacy policies; and more stringent verification of potential employees

The commissioner said she hopes that a national data breach law, introduced by Industry Minister Tony Clement last month, will be passed as early as this fall. The legislation would force companies to reveal a breach of information and inform individuals affected by the breach.

REALTORS® need to know quite a lot

2010-05-31T11:34:00.000-04:00

May 28, 2010 -- It’s said that the more things change, the more they stay the same and this is certainly true with respect to Torontonians’ interest in real estate.

Our passion for real estate stems from the fact that as a world city, Toronto property values hold tremendous long-term promise. The process of buying and selling a home though has become increasingly more sophisticated in recent years, requiring knowledge of economic trends, regulatory requirements and the latest marketing techniques. It’s therefore more important than ever to use the professional services of a REALTOR®.

In Ontario, REALTORS® acquire their knowledge through a challenging education program followed by a supervised training period as required by the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act. They’re also required to upgrade their education on a continual basis, obtaining at least 24 Continuing Education course credits every two years.

Naturally, a vast amount of skills and knowledge is acquired along this educational path. Your REALTOR® will for example, learn how to use the Multiple Listing Service® which can generate information on sales volumes, average prices, and days on market, by housing type and neighbourhood, that will help you determine a suitable offer or listing price.

They’ll gather all of the details on our home’s features to be displayed on the MLS®, which along with the Buyer Registry Service, is used to match buyers’ preferences with properties available for sale.

To confirm a number of specifics that are important to every transaction like current taxes on individual properties, ownership histories and lot size details, your REALTOR® can also access the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation’s database.

They may extend their information gathering even further, retrieving data like streetscape imagery, mapped neighbourhood sales and average local incomes from Teranet’s GeoWarehouse.

Your Greater Toronto REALTOR® may even advise you on new home construction options using RealNet Canada’s database.

You can count on a REALTOR® to help you interpret the considerable range of data they retrieve and to offer insight into a number of other key areas as well.

They can for example, advise on features that are in demand in today’s housing market, and offer an objective perspective on improvements that will achieve the best return on investment for your specific home.

They have an unmatched depth of understanding when it comes to individual atmospheres, school ratings and neighbourhood amenities.

Your REALTOR® may also offer insight into government programs that may be suited to your individual situation.

For more information on the many ways their professional expertise can benefit you, talk to a REALTOR® and visit www.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com .

Find the right real estate agent

2010-05-29T13:48:00.000-04:00

by Katherine Griggs

Find a real estate agent who is on top of his or her game.

So you have decided to buy and/or sell a home. Now comes finding the right real estate agent.

As with any professional relationship, clear lines of communication are key. Right at the start, clearly state your expectations and goals. And when interviewing prospective agents thoroughly evaluate his or her professional qualifications such as amount of experience, any honours or awards and degree of familiarity with your particular area or neighbourhood.

Other basic information you need to know:

- What is the marketing strategy? If you're a buyer -- find out how your agent will find your new home, how many homes he or she plans to show you, etc. Also test a potential agent's 'inside' knowledge of an area and what homes might be coming onto the market.

If you're a seller -- ask for a detailed plan for marketing your home. What is the pricing strategy? What other homes are you competing with? How much advertising and promotional support will your house receive?

- How busy is the agent? While it's true that some of the hottest agents are often also the busiest, it's important to get a good sense of how much time and attention you'll receive.

- What about references? Ask for references from at least three or four recent clients.

Clearly a great way to find a realtor is from a personal recommendation. If a friend or family member has had a positive experience working with an agent, find out if this is someone who will also fit your needs.

If you're having trouble finding the right real estate agent, think about attending various open houses in your area. You can collect business cards of potential agents in a pressure-free environment and also have the opportunity to ask questions. You'll also get an impression first-hand of how the listing agent markets a property.

Likeability

Your home is not only an important financial asset, but for most of us, a vitally important emotional one. So while you don't necessary need to be best pals, it is important that you like and feel comfortable your realtor.

Listen to your gut reaction when you first meet with a potential agent. Does he or she "get' what you want? Do you feel like you can truly trust this person? Do you believe they are being honest with you and that you can rely on them for something as important as finding you the right home or selling the home you currently have?

Like any type of financial decision, it's always a good idea to shop around for options. Don't settle for anything less than perfect.

Do-It-Yourself Projects To Boost Home Value

2010-05-08T16:55:00.000-04:00

by Amy Fontinelle

Think spending $50,000 on a total kitchen remodel or $10,000 overhauling the bathroom is the only way to add value to a home? If large, expensive projects are beyond your grasp, you're in luck: Increasing the value of your home doesn't have to involve large outlays of cash, especially when you're willing to put in a little sweat equity. Why spend big money when there are so many low-cost, do-it-yourself (DIY) projects? Whether you're planning on selling or just want a nicer place to live, read on to find out what you can do to add value to your home for as little as a few dollars. (To read more about home improvements, see Fix It And Flip It: The Value of Remodeling.)

House-Wide Updates
The following are some changes that can be undertaken for surprisingly little money.

Freshen Up the Walls
If your walls have scratches and dirty paint, an outdated color or tacky wallpaper, a few cans of paint can make a dramatic difference. If you're trying to maximize the value of your home, it's best to choose a neutral color scheme that unifies the entire house, makes the space look bigger and will appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers.

Install Crown Molding
This task is surprisingly simple but adds a lot of character. You simply buy the molding, which is nothing more than decorative strips of wood from a home improvement store, cut it to the size that fits your room (or have the store cut it for you), and attach it to the top of the wall with a nail gun. It may even come already painted. This involves a bit of woodworking skill as well as the right tools, but is very inexpensive if you can do it yourself.

Update Fixtures
Switch plates, outlet covers, curtain rods, light fixtures and doorknobs are often boring or overlooked, but a few bucks can add major pizzazz. Attractive metal switch plates and outlet covers can cost as little as $5 apiece but look much more expensive. Light fixtures and decorative curtain rods can be a little pricier, but sometimes you can make an inexpensive piece look elegant with the right can of spray paint. Again, make sure to choose items in colors and finishes that will appeal to a wide audience.

Install Ceiling Fans
Everyone likes to save money on electricity bills, making ceiling fans an appealing addition to any home. Using ceiling fans can definitely cut down on air conditioning costs, and in fact, they can also reduce heating costs by circulating warm air away from the ceiling. A basic fan costs about $50, and a nice one can be had for no more than a couple hundred dollars. If you don't already have overhead lighting in the room or rooms you want to install fans in, the electrical work needed to install them can significantly escalate the cost of this project as well as take it out of the DIY realm.

Improve Window Treatments
The cheap vertical plastic blinds, paper shades, or horizontal aluminum blinds that may have come with your house definitely don't add any value to your home. Consider replacing them with plantation shutters, wooden blinds or nice drapes. By the way, it doesn't matter whether the drapes will come with the house if you are in the market as a seller. The important thing is that they make it look nice while it's on the market and help you get top dollar for your home.

Reveal and Restore Hardwood Floors
Older homes in particular are likely to have hardwood floors lurking beneath carpet. If your floor squeaks, that's a decent sign that you may have wood floors. If you're not sure, pull up your carpet in an unnoticeable corner and investigate. If you do have wood floors, there's a good chance you'll have to refinish them to restore them to their original splendor, but that will be much less expensive than installing new flooring from scratch.

Bathroom
Redo the Bathroom Floor
Many people can learn how to do this task themselves with a simple class (your local home improvement store may offer one). Because installation makes up a major part of the cost of most home improvements, saving all that money on labor may allow you to pick nicer flooring than you could otherwise afford. Opting for a neutral-colored tile will add the most value.

Update Fixtures
If you have generic, cheap and/or outdated fixtures, replacing them with newer, more customized versions can make your bathroom sparkle. For about $40-$100, you can replace a shabby bathroom vanity or ceiling light fixture with something elegant. A similar cash outlay will get you a new sink faucet. A spa-style chrome shower head adds a touch of luxury for about $80. Towel bars are the easiest and cheapest fix at about $20-30. Sometimes the upgrade can even be more energy efficient, increasing not only the aesthetics of your home but "greening" it up as well. (For more on saving energy, read Ten Ways To Save Energy And Money.)

Kitchen
Paint or Stain Kitchen Cabinets
You could buy all new cabinets and save money by purchasing prefabricated (rather than custom) cabinets and installing them yourself, but that's more work and money than painting or staining your existing cabinets. White cabinets will brighten the room, don't usually go out of style and are easy for future owners to repaint if they want something different. You'll need to remove all the hardware from your cabinets, including removing the doors. You'll also need to clean the cabinets first so that residue like grease won't ruin your work. This renovation can be used to spruce up your bathroom cabinets as well.

Upgrade Cabinet Knobs and Drawer Handles
It's surprising how a seemly innocuous element like a cabinet door knob can make your kitchen look cheap or dated. Updating this hardware can give your kitchen a face lift whether you redo your cabinets or not.

Living Room
Clean Fireplace Brick
If you have a brick fireplace and it's ever been used, chances are some of the brick is stained with soot and creosote. Because a nice fireplace can be a major selling point in a home, you'll want to make yours look as nice as possible. Just use a damp rag to wipe away some of the soot, then follow up with a fireplace cleaner designed to remove creosote. It will take some scrubbing with a stiff brush and possibly several applications, but you'll have that brick looking spiffy when you're finished.

Don't Forget the Exterior
It may be easy for you to ignore your home's exterior when you spend most of your time inside, but it's the first and sometimes only impression that others get of your house. Here are a few simple ways to make it look its best.

Install a New Front Door
A very basic steel front door costs about $100, but for just another $100-$200, you can get a door with a lot more character that will improve your home's curb appeal. If you can't afford a new door, a fresh coat of paint in an inviting color may be all you need.

Replace the Front Door Mat
When you've had the same doormat for years, it can be easy to overlook how worn out or dirty it's become, but it's one of the first impressions people get of your home. This is one area where $20 can make a big difference.

Gutters
This is more an issue of maintaining your home's value than increasing it, but it's extremely important. Without properly functioning gutters, which are designed to carry water away from your home, rain may seep into your home or pool around it, causing problems like mold and mildew and eventually compromising the house's structural integrity, leading to very expensive repair bills.

Power wash the Exterior of Your Home
For less time and money, a good washing can make your home's exterior look almost as good as a fresh coat of paint.

Repaint the Exterior
If washing the exterior of your home didn't brighten it up as much as you'd hoped, consider a new paint job. With the ladders and heights involved, this may not be a DIY task for everyone, but even if you have to hire others to do this job, it's still pretty inexpensive as far as home improvements go and can make your house look almost new from the outside.

Power wash the Driveway, Walkways and Patio
As long as you're renting the power washer, you might as well clean your driveway, your patio, and any walkways. You may be surprised by how new they'll look afterward.

Upgrade Landscaping or Clean Up Existing Landscaping
Flowers and other plants are a great way to brighten your home's exterior. Use greenery in front of your house and/or along walkways to draw attention to your house. To get the most for your buck, choose perennial plants, or ones that will come back year after year, rather than annuals, which will die in a year or less and not return. Patch any bald spots in the yard with fresh sod and trim existing trees and bushes to complete the yard's new look.

Put on Your Tool belt
Upgrading your home doesn't have to be expensive or difficult and it doesn't have to involve contractors. There are a variety of projects for all price ranges and all levels of skill and enthusiasm that can improve your home's value, whether to future buyers or, perhaps more importantly, to you. Putting a few of these home-improvement ideas into action will help you get the most value out of one of your biggest assets whether you're staying in it or selling.

Filing tax returns

2010-04-27T19:51:00.000-04:00

By: Larry MacDonald

Even if you do not owe any taxes for 2009, it may be a good idea to file a tax return by April 30. You may be entitled to tax credits and benefits such as the goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit and the Canada Child Tax Benefit.

Ontario residents are also entitled to benefits to help with the transition to the new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), scheduled for implementation on July 1. The Ontario Sales Tax Transition Benefit provides 3 payments (spread over June/2010, December/2010 and June 2011) totaling a maximum of $300 for individuals over 18 and $1,000 for single parents and couples (with clawbacks starting at $80,000 for individuals and at $160,000 for parents). I believe B.C. may have a similar transitional benefit for its HST.

Beware self-employed persons. Many of you might get tripped up on a difference in filing and payment deadlines, says Corinne Pohlmann, vice president of national affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB). Self-employed individuals and their spouses have until June 15, 2010 to file their tax returns — however, any balance owing for 2009 must still be paid by April 30, 2010.

4 Things First-Time Home Buyers Need to Know about Home Inspections

2010-04-22T08:55:00.000-04:00

RISMEDIA, April 21, 2010— A professional home inspection can not only provide a great education about the home’s systems, but also be a crucial tool in negotiating the most equitable price on the home, according to HouseMaster, one of the first and largest home inspection franchisors in North America.

“Our experience and research shows that approximately 40% of resale homes have at least one defect that can cost a home buyer a minimum of $500 to repair,” said Kathleen Kuhn, President of HouseMaster.“A home inspection by a professional and qualified home inspector is an excellent tool to encourage home sellers to make repairs or make further price adjustments as a result of conditions noted in the inspection report.”

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in 2009, a record 47% of homes sold were purchased by first-time buyers. Tax credit incentives from the federal government of up to $8,000 and historically low mortgage rates continue to attract first-time buyers to the market. A professional home inspection not only educates buyers on the condition of the home but can minimize costly surprises down the road. HouseMaster provides the following tips to ensure that first-time buyers make an educated decision when purchasing a home and get the best price possible.

1. Inspect the Inspector. Only hire a home inspector with an excellent reputation and credentials. Ask how long the company has been in business, ask about specific formal training and ongoing education the inspector has and verify the inspector carries professional liability insurance also known as “Errors & Omissions” (E&O). If the company doesn’t carry this insurance, it could indicate a poor track record or lack of experience.

2. Ask for a sample of a report. The credentials of the inspection company and the quality of the final inspection report will be important. A poorly prepared report without pictures or clear, concise details addressing all the various systems and accessible elements of the home is less likely to be taken seriously by a home seller.

3. Inspect ancillary systems. It’s hard for first-time home buyers to know what they need, so be sure to ask what additional services the company offers. If the home you are considering has a septic system for example, a professional home inspection company may offer septic system inspections or can coordinate that service for you. Generally, the company will offer you a multiple services discount as well as the added convenience of only having to attend one inspection appointment. Other common services offered by home inspectors are termite inspections, mold screening, water testing and radon testing.

4. Go along on the inspection. Ask the inspection company if they encourage buyers to tag along on the inspection. If the inspector discourages you from going along and asking questions, find another inspector. A home inspection is not simply a laundry list of what is wrong with the home. In addition to documenting issues and needed repairs that may exist, a professional home inspector will also show the new buyer how to operate the various systems in the home and provide tips on improving energy efficiency and maintaining the home in general. And being present during the inspection will make the final written report that much more meaningful.