September 2010

Issue #255 September 2010

Is it a leaky faucet or a ghost?Page 3

CFL player scores real estate dealsPage 8

Fighting vandalism with art

Page 12

Right At Home

Stakes claim as Canada’s largest independent

Page 14

Arthur Bartram (left) and Howard Drukarsh

joinremax.caEqual opportunity employers. Each RE/MAX® office is independently owned and operated. © 2010 by RE/MAX, LLC. All rights reserved. 100786CREA stats based on 2009 data reported as total residential unit sales through MLS®. RE/MAX stats based on 2009 data compiled by independent research.

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When you’re ready to take your career to the next level, take your career to RE/MAX. Working side-by-side with the best agents is one great reason why.

couple on laptop.indd 1 8/12/10 12:57:12 PM

he New Brunswick RealEstate Association(NBREA) has released a

discussion paper calling forchanges to the property tax system,and is appealing to provincialpolitical candidates and leaders tomake property taxation a primaryelection campaign issue.

“Over a six-year period, govern-ments have increased their tax baseby $5.6 billion on the backs ofproperty owners in this province,”says Jason Stephen, chair, NBREA Government RelationsCommittee. “We strongly believethat, for an issue directly affectingthe quality of life of NewBrunswickers, property taxationmust now become a governmentpriority.”

NBREA’s paper, A DiscussionAbout Property Taxation in NewBrunswick, addresses the imbal-ance of the methods currently usedto calculate property value assess-ments, the system’s impact on fixed

REM SEPTEMBER 2010 3

TNBREA: ‘Time to fix what’s broken’

income residents, and the issue ofdouble taxation, which affectsrenters and those owning morethan one property.

The paper indentifies four keyrecommendations for property taxsystem improvements:

• simplifying property valueassessment calculations;

• making the system easier tounderstand;

• addressing urgent issues forfixed- and low-income residents;and

• eliminating double taxationon non-owner occupied propertyowners.

“The property tax system, in itspresent form, is unpredictable,complicated, unclear and inconsis-tent across the province,” saysStephen. “Some people own prop-erties that haven’t seen an increasein assessment or taxes whatsoever,where others receive assessmentsthat have skyrocketed by hundredsof percentage points. In fact, more

than 8,700 appeals were filed in2010. This imbalance is unfair andit must be addressed.”

The paper also examines theAccountability Mechanismdesigned by the government in2010 to help the province andmunicipalities continue to experi-ence growth in annual property taxrevenues. NBREA says the systemfails New Brunswickers in six areas:

• It does not provide thedesired level of transparency;

• Property taxes are not com-pletely dependent on real propertyvalues or trends;

• It does not account for majorannual variations in the value ofproperty, or the amount of newconstruction;

• It relies on new constructionfor a major portion of annualincreases in municipal revenues;

• It puts property owners in themiddle of a jurisdictional battlebetween the provincial govern-ment, the municipalities and the

local service districts; and • It does not address the issue

of double taxation. “If changes are not made soon

the economic prosperity andgrowth of the province may be atrisk,” says Stephen. “Fixed- andlow-income residents may struggleto maintain home ownership,renters may unfairly carry the bur-

den of a negative tax shift and first-time buyers may choose not to buyat all. The time has come to fixwhat’s broken in this province.Whoever forms government afterthis election will be absolutelyrequired to take a leadership role insolving this growing problem. NewBrunswickers deserve better.”

REM

Jason Stephen addresses the media after releasing the NBREA reporton taxation.

Is it a leaky faucet or a ghost?Psychic sales rep helps launch Paranormal Home Inspections showBy Connie Adair

adine Mercey walkedinto an empty house indowntown Toronto and

immediately knew she was notalone. Taking a deep breath, shemoved farther into the house,goose bumps on her arms and achill running down her spine. Sheclosed her eyes, sensing the pres-ence of four spirits – two elderlygentlemen, one woman and ananimal. This was a haunted house.

It would be enough to sendmost people running, but for thisreal estate broker, paranormalexperiences are a way of life.Mercey, a psychic and spiritualhealer, deals with spirits on a regu-lar basis when she visits homes atthe invitation of concerned orcurious homeowners. She alsoguides her clients in their realestate transactions, crediting hersuccessful 20 years in real estate toher “intuition.”

First selling residential realestate, and now selling strictly raw

land, Mercey, of Royal LePageState Realty in Ancaster, Ont., isspreading her wings again, puttingher psychic abilities to work on anew television series, ParanormalHome Inspection. The half-hourdocu-drama investigates privatehomes in which owners havenoticed suspicious activity.

In each episode, a team ofexperts is dispatched to a house toinvestigate. Mercey and paranor-mal investigator Michelle McKayof Cold Spot Paranormal Researchindependently check each housefor otherworldly characters, whilecertified home inspector BrianDaley aims to debunk any unusualgoings on with reasonable expla-nations.

When Mercey visited thedowntown Toronto home to filmthe first episode, she wasn’t privyto the homeowner’s experiences –bathtub taps being turned on fullblast in the middle of the night,deadbolts locking out contractors,

an exploding fishbowl and her dogstanding at the top of the stairs, orin a corner of the basement, growl-ing.

However, Mercey says she feltenergy immediately upon enteringthe house. She mentioned fourspirits, the name George and aplumber. A trip to the newly reno-vated basement was fine untilMercey entered the laundry room,where she says felt as if the spiritswere pushing her out of the house.Negative energy flowed from adrain in the floor.

The show’s researcher laterconfirmed that the original ownerwas a plumber and that the househad been owned by a couplenamed George and Joan from1932-1944.

It was startling news for thehomeowner, the show’s executiveproducer Catherine Fogerty of BigCoat Productions, who hadmoved into the Riverdale houseabout four years ago following a

separation. “I wasn’t in the besthead space. Weird things werehappening. There would be some-thing on the counter that I didn’tremember putting there, I wouldgo past a closed door but it wouldbe open when I came back. Ithought it was my imaginationand the stress.”

Another psychic also touredthe house and came up with thesame results as Mercey, both pin-pointing the ground under thebasement laundry room as a sourceof negative energy. “The two psy-chics came up with their informa-tion independently,” says Fogarty,adding that there was once anancient burial ground at the site ofthe house.

The home inspector chalkedup the dog's growling to the pres-ence of raccoons and an openingdoor to the fact that it wasn’t hungproperly. But he could not comeup with an explanation of how adeadbolt would lock itself.

In the early stages whenFogarty and business partnerMaria Armstrong talked about theshow, there were a lot of naysayers.“I was half one myself,” Fogartysays. That’s why they decided tomake a legitimate home inspectorpart of the show.

To that end, ParanormalHome Inspection is searching forordinary people with ordinaryhomes, but unusual experiences.Owners can choose not to beidentified, and camera shots of thehouse are close ups so the house isnot recognizable.

Homeowners can live any-where in Ontario. If you live in ahaunted house, have a client orknow of someone who does, visitwww.bigcoatproductions.com/casting.php. REM

NNadine Mercey

4 REM SEPTEMBER 2010

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

By Jim Adair

eller Williams RealtyCanada has appointedDiane Mitchell as area

director for Ontario. Mitchell, areal estate agent with 22 years inthe industry, will serve in a directorcapacity, focusing on growing mar-ket centre operations in SouthernOntario and supporting existingoffices in the area, the companysays.

With her husband Tom, Dianemanages The Mitchell Team.They have been top producersboth in their local market ofNewmarket/Aurora, as well as oneof the top teams for all of KellerWilliams in North America. She is

K also the operating principal ofKeller Williams Advantage Realty,a 60+ agent market centre thatoperates out of The Beach/Riverdale neighbourhoods ofToronto.

■ ■ ■

Exit Realty Corp. Internationalhas added Kinley Shell to its grow-ing executive team. Previously theVP of operations, web and ITdevelopment for an affiliate com-pany when he first began workingwith Exit Realty in August 2007,Shell now holds the title of vice-president web development. Hisbackground includes many years as

a licensed real estate appraiser,human resources and regionalmanager, as well as an applicationsdevelopment specialist.

“Kinley is one of the rare indi-viduals who’s both master at tech-nological specialization, and effec-tive communications on the useand benefits of that technology,”says Joyce Paron, Exit Realty’sCanadian president. Kinley is alsoa trainer at Exit’s 40-hour BrokerOwner Training Course held sev-eral times annually in Mississauga.

■ ■ ■

Sutton Group - Huron Shoresrecently opened for business inSouthampton, Ont.

This is the first Sutton office inthe region and the first brokeragefor broker of record Brian Shular,who has extensive knowledge ofthe local market.

“I have lived in this area for 52years,” he says. “I was born inSouthampton and currently residein Port Elgin.” Prior to beginninghis real estate career, he worked forthe Canadian Auto Workers(CAW) for 28 years. “I was a unionsteward for approximately 20

George Lavallee

Mark WensleyPte. Spencer Cudney with mom

Elizabeth Barr

Peggy Hill

Bruce Mullett

Brian Shular

Kinley ShellDiane Mitchell

Jerry Murphy

years, which involved negotiatingseveral contracts on behalf ofCAW employees. It’s very helpfulto be able to bring these negotiat-ing skills to real estate transactions.It’s such a thrill to guide first-timebuyers through the process of find-ing a home and handing themtheir keys at the end.”

The new broker’s plans for thefuture include a measured expan-sion. “Eventually, I would like tohave three or four more officesfrom Kincardine to Wiarton. Ineach office, I plan to have just afew Realtors who are experts ontheir own communities. Thismakes sense given the relativelysmall population spread out overthe region. These are generallyaffluent lakeside communities thatare popular with tourists andattract permanent residents such asretirees and thousands of BrucePower employees.”

■ ■ ■

Gerry Martin of B.C. Farm &Ranch Realty Corp., Abbotsford,has been elected chair of the RealEstate Council of British Columbiafor the 2010/11 term. Bryon R.Brandle of Re/Max Vernon inSilver Star was elected vice-chair.

There are 16 members of thecouncil including three membersappointed by the provincial gov-ernment. Thirteen members arechosen through an election processopen to all real estate licensees inthe province. The elected mem-bers are comprised of nine brokersand three representatives fromeach of the various provincialcounties and one individual iselected as the strata/rental proper-ty management member.

■ ■ ■

Peggy Hill, formerly ofPrudential Leclair & AssociatesRealty in Barrie, Ont., has openedher own brokerage, operating asPeggy Hill & Associates Realty inBarrie.

Hill was Barrie’s No. 1 Realtorin 2008 and 2009, says a newsrelease. “In six short years, Peggyhas gone from ‘flipping burgers’ tobeing at the top of her field in realestate,” says the release. She was arestaurant owner for 15 years,which she says taught her that“working long hard hours pay off.”

■ ■ ■

George Lavallee of Century 21Home Realty in Waterloo andlong time member of theKitchener-Waterloo Real EstateBoard (KWREB) has been electedto chair the Real Estate Council ofOntario’s (RECO) board of direc-tors for 2010/2011.

Lavallee is a past president ofthe KWREB and has been activein the local real estate scene since1978.

“As members of organized realestate, we place a great deal ofimportance on good governance,”says Ted Scharf, president of theKWREB. “George continues toshow a strong willingness to giveback to our industry, and we arevery proud to have a member ofour Realtor community serve inthis significant capacity.”

■ ■ ■

Keller Williams Realty Canadahas launched its first franchise inAtlantic Canada. Operating prin-cipal Jerry Murphy of Halifax hasbeen selling real estate since 1984and has earned numerous awardsincluding the No. 1 Team forRe/Max in the Atlantic Provincesfrom 2003 to 2009. He has been inthe top 100 Teams for Re/Max inCanada consistently, and wonmany awards including the Hall ofFame and the LifetimeAchievement Awards.

Murphy and his wife Annettehave been working together since1992.

■ ■ ■

Kingston, Ont. broker BarryGordon was honoured for his workin addressing the growing andchanging needs of seniors. TheNational Auctioneers Associationof Overland Park in Kansas induct-ed Barry into its hall of fame at its

Continued on page 6

1-800-446-8737 | Century21.caIndependently Owned and Operated. ® TM, trademarks of Century 21 Real Estate LLC, used under license. ®™ Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under license by LoyaltyOne, Inc. and Century 21 Canada Limited Partnership.

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REM complies fully with the Canadian Real Estate Association's Rules for Trademarks (CREA Rule 16.5.3.1)

REALTOR® and REALTORS® are trademarks controlled in Canada by The Canadian Real Estate Association(CREA) and identify licensed real estate practitioners who are members of CREA. MLS® and Multiple ListingService® are trademarks owned by CREA and identify the services rendered by members of CREA.

REM is published 12 times a year. It is an independently owned and operated company and is not affiliated with anyreal estate association, board or company. REM is distributed across Canada by leading real estate boards and by directdelivery in selected areas. Subscriptions are $40.95 per year (including $1.95 GST), payable by personal cheque. Entirecontents copyright 2010 REM. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission fromthe publisher is prohibited. The opinions expressed in REM are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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annual conference. The hall offame was established by the NAAto honour those who have madesignificant contributions to theindustry and society. With only157 inductees world-wide, Gordonis the hall of fame’s first Canadianmember.

Gordon inspired and co-wrotethe Certified Estate Specialist pro-gram, the first certification of itskind in the senior services industry,to help address the educationalneeds of senior service providers.He has taught this programthroughout the United States andCanada for 15 years.

Recently his company,Gordon’s Estate Services, securedthe exclusive rights to the

omeowners are in the best shape when it comes to financialfitness in Canada, says a new survey. Sixty-five per cent ofhomeowners pay off their credit card balances each month

(vs. 48 per cent of non-homeowners). A quarter of homeowners withmortgages have made a lump sum payment or accelerated their mort-gage payments in the past year, according to the survey. It was spon-sored by Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance Company Canada.

Almost half of homeowners were able to pay all of their bills andsave some money in the past year, suggesting a strong correlationbetween homeownership and financial fitness, the company says.

“Homeownership is an achievable goal for those who are prepared,”says Peter Vukanovich, president and COO Genworth FinancialCanada. “Homeownership helps people focus on their financial situa-tion and get their fiscal house in order.”

The Financial Fitness survey was conducted in conjunction withthe Canadian Association of Credit Counselling Services (CACCS).Compared to the same survey undertaken in 2007 when the economywas booming, Canadians are even more likely now to say their finan-cial fitness is good (55 per cent vs. 50 per cent).

Other findings of the survey: • 49 per cent of homeowners made down payments of 20 per cent

or more on their purchase; • 13 per cent of homeowners say they are in great financial shape; • 12 per cent of homeowners said they have requested a credit

report in the past 12 months. REM

Canadian Certified Relocation &Transition Specialist training pro-gram. Gordon, partner MansonSlik and estate services co-ordina-tor Cathy Gordon write and teachindustry service providers acrossCanada several times per year.

■ ■ ■

Bruce Mullett has been namedbroker of Exit Realty offices inNewfoundland and Labrador byAnne Squires, the franchisee andowner of Exit Realty on the Rock.

Mullett’s mandate is to co-ordi-nate and manage sales transactionsfor over 90 active Exit sales repsacross the province. He has servedas director, vice-president and pres-ident of the EasternNewfoundland Real Estate Board.Mullett was also the first electedpresident of the Newfoundland

and Labrador Association ofRealtors. On the national level, hewas elected to the MLS andTechnology Council for CREA,rising to the position of councilchair. He was elected as a nationaldirector on the CanadianCommercial Council of Realtorsand was also elected as a nationaldirector at large of CREA.

■ ■ ■

Wensley Real Estate ofVernon, B.C. is the latest additionto the Aventure Realty Network.Aventure president Bernie Vogtsays, “Mark Wensley, broker/owner, and an outstanding team ofRealtors have a history of market-ing leading performance and afocus on customer satisfaction.”Vogt says Aventure members nowoperate in hundreds of markets

across Canada with 60 locationsand 2,000 Realtors. “This expan-sion widens the reach of Aventuremembers into the importantOkanagan Valley.”

■ ■ ■

Elizabeth Barr, a sales repre-sentative with Royal LePageNiagara R.E. Centre, is the motherof a soldier in active duty inAfghanistan. Her son, 20-year-oldPte. Spencer Cudney, serves as aninfantry foot soldier with OscarCompany of the 1st RoyalCanadian Regiment battle group.His unit is stationed in the easternPanjwal district of Kandaharprovince, the centre of theTaliban-led insurgency.

In a July 9 story in the TorontoStar, reporter Paul Watsondetailed the challenges, responsi-

bility and daily dangers faced byOscar Company, including theheavy responsibility to detonatehidden explosives. Foot soldierslike Pte. Cudney are required tocarry about 45 kilograms of bodyarmour, weapons, water, food andother essentials when they embarkon 12-hour foot patrols.

Barr is extremely proud ofCudney and says he is charming,witty, loving and happy-go-lucky.She recently spoke at the RotaryClub in St. Catharines about beingthe mother of a soldier in activeduty in a war zone. Cudney returnsto Canada in October for a sched-uled short reprieve from activeduty before he returns toAfghanistan for the remainder ofhis tour. While home, he has a spe-cial question he plans to ask of hislong-time girlfriend. REM

Multiple ListingsContinued from page 4

Homeowners mostfinancially fitHsurvey conducted by

Royal LePage RealEstate Services says that

people in Ontario and B. C. havemisconceptions about how theHarmonized Sales Tax (HST)affects real estate transactions.When respondents were asked toprovide examples of commentsheard from buyers and sellersregarding the HST and its effecton the housing market, almosthalf of the comments indicatedthat confusion about HSTremained more than one monthafter its introduction. Among themost common responses to thesurvey’s open-ended questionswere that many home buyersincorrectly believe HST applies tothe sale price of resale properties.

Nearly half of the 765 RoyalLePage sales reps and brokerspolled in Ontario and B.C. saidthe HST that took effect in both

provinces July 1 is having thegreatest effect on the cooling resi-dential real estate market, com-pared to just 28.4 per cent whocited rising interest rates as havingthe greatest effect. In all, morethan 86 per cent of respondentssaid the HST is affecting theirbusiness somewhat.

The HST applies to the pur-chase price of a newly built homeand fees for services and commis-sions associated with any realestate transaction, but it does notapply to the purchase price ofresale homes. The majority ofagents surveyed indicated thatnew home sales account for lessthan 10 per cent of their business.

“We wanted to understand theimpact HST has had since it wasintroduced and what we found isthat there is a need to better edu-cate home buyers and sellers toensure they understand when the

HST is applicable,” says PhilSoper, president and chief execu-tive of Royal LePage.

Nearly one-quarter of respon-dents in the survey said home buy-ers and sellers have a low level ofawareness about how the HSTapplies to a home sale transaction,while 44 per cent said buyers andsellers are only somewhat aware.

“While we predicted that theprospect of rising interest rateswould put a damper on the hous-ing market, our agents are findingthat the HST is actually havingthe greater impact on buyerbehaviour, at least in the short-term,” says Soper. “Realtors arethere to help guide buyers and sell-ers through the often complexnegotiation and closing process, soour take-away from this survey isthat we need to do more as anindustry to educate consumersabout the HST.” REM

Survey blames HST forslowdownA

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Fans of the Toronto Argos’ football club had little to

cheer about in the last two years, but this year, with the team playing much better, they are more optimistic. If the fans are right, much of the credit will belong to a real estate agent.

Early in July, in Toronto’s third game of the season with fewer than two minutes to go in a match against Calgary, running back Jeffrey Johnson was sent into the game to fill in for the injured starter. The ball was snapped and handed to Johnson, who quickly covered the short distance to the goal line. He barrelled across – touchdown! Toronto won its second game of the young season and moved to the top of its division. A great result for Etobicoke sales rep Jeffrey Johnson.

He never planned to become a professional footballer. In fact he had no aspirations to play football at any level. “I went to Etobicoke Collegiate. I was never very interested in football. My main sports interests were hockey, soccer and basketball,” he says. That changed in Grade 12, when a friend talked to him after they had been working out in the school gym. “You should try out for football,” his friend said. So he did, with mixed success.

“I didn’t really know all the rules and I knew less about tactics, but I was young, competitive and fit, so I kept playing,” he

says. Clearly the lack of either interest or knowledge made little difference. “In that first school game I scored 5 TDs.”

Then came university. “My university move was based on academics alone. Football was never a consideration,” he says. He went to York University, which had a pretty unsuccessful football program, but Johnson joined the team. Although York did not improve sufficiently to win a Vanier cup, Johnson excelled. He was named outstanding rookie in 1996 and was a University First-Team All Star in 1996, 1997 and 1999.

Surely after such an illustrious university football career, dreams of professional football, perhaps even the NFL, were dancing in the young man’s head? “No, I never really thought about it,” he says. “My coaches said I would be drafted by a Canadian team in the first or second round of the annual draft, but they were wrong.” No Canadian team thought him worth a look so he was undrafted. Football was clearly not in his future. Until, that is, just before training camps opened in 2000. Two days before the Hamilton Tiger-Cats opened their training camp, Johnson was invited to camp, and after a good showing was signed by the Tiger-Cats.

He spent two years with Hamilton, then was traded to Toronto, where he has been ever since. Entering his ninth year as an Argonaut, Johnson is the longest-serving player on the team. In a league where a three-year career is the norm, he has proven himself to be a durable performer.

At 33 years of age, now married to Kelly and father of three-year-old Maya and six-month-old brother Justyce, Johnson knows the end of his professional football days are in sight.

“You always know football can never be a long-term career. Injury can end the most promising future, and if injuries are avoided the passing years make keeping up with the younger players harder, so there has to be another long-term career.”

If football was an unexpected career move, real estate was a natural. Johnson joined Century 21 Brown in Toronto, where his father, Bruce McGuire, also works and his uncle, Glenn McGuire, is broker/owner.

That strong family connection has been particularly important for Jeff. Although football has a short season, just 18 games, it makes great demands on its

players during the season. Every day is a practice. Away games mean days out of the office.

“I have had a lot of people in the office who have picked up the slack for me,” he says. He considers himself a successful agent, but football has been of no use in developing his real estate career. “That has been achieved the same as everybody else – through hard work, building clients and working for them,” he says. Johnson admits that perhaps one aspect of his temperament developed through football has helped. “I hate to lose, whether a football game or a real estate deal.”

Johnson uses his celebrity

status as a CFL player to help raise awareness of several charitable activities he takes part in, including walks for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Meeting a professional footballer, I expected a giant. Not so. He is not tall (5 ft 9 inches according to the Argo register), a trim 211 pounds, but with the solid build of a strong man. When Jeff Johnson hits an opposing player, he remembers it. But it won’t be long until the final whistle is blown and then Johnson will be a full-time Realtor. He will not be hitting any other agents but his competitive spirit ensures that his presence will be noted. REM

Photo courtesy of the Toronto Argonauts Football Club

CFL player scores real estate dealsJeff Johnson is the Toronto Argonauts longest-serving player, but he’s gearing up for a much longer real estate career. By Brian Slemming

Jeff Johnson

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team from Sutton Group- Select Realty won theLondon and St. Thomas

Association of Realtors Slo-PitchTournament, an event that attract-ed more than 150 Realtors on 10teams. The final game was againstfriendly rivals from Sutton Group -Preferred Realty. Bruce Sworik,the broker of record from SuttonGroup - Select Realty, credits teamspirit and enthusiasm for the bro-kerage’s first tournament victory ina decade. One of his team mem-bers, Paula Hodgson, received the2010 Bob Eaton SportsmanshipAward.

Team captain Angela Wilsonsays, “We don’t have any excep-tionally good players; we justplayed really well together. Weworked as a team and it probablyhelps that we’ve played together inseveral tournaments.”

■ ■ ■

For the firsttime as a group,the Toronto RealEstate Board par-ticipated inToronto’s PrideParade on July 4.

TREB’s entry,“Toronto RealEstate BoardC e l e b r a t e sDiversity” con-sisted of a spec-tacular float with

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A many TREB members and staffon board. According to organiz-ers there were approximately 150floats and 10,000 participantscelebrating in this year’s parade.

“This year’s parade madeclear that it represents a celebra-tion of communities filled withdiversity, while respecting thebeautiful differences amongst itscitizens and visitors, all thingsrespected and supported byTREB,” says the board in a newsrelease. “One could argue it isprobably one of the many rea-sons Toronto has been selectedas the venue for World Pride in2014.”

Organizers estimated 1.3 mil-lion people turned out this year,drawing spectators from all overCanada, the U.S. and aroundthe world. REM

The Sutton Select Sluggers won the LSTAR Slow-Pitch Tournament recently.

For the first time, TREB took part in Toronto's annual Pride Parade recently.

lass half full. Lemonadefrom lemons. To makethe world a better place,

looking on the bright side definite-ly helps. Instead of seeing brokenwindows and graffiti as a negative,David Yetman, broker owner ofCentury 21 Team One in Halifax,saw an opportunity to generate alittle publicity for his company, butmore importantly a novel way topromote local artists.

It’s working. The first annualUrban Wall Art competition hasbeen featured on CBC, CTVNational, Global TV and a localmagazine. It has also received posi-tive response from the communityfor this year’s contest winners, BenSwinden, in his final year at theNova Scotia College of Art andDesign, and Shawn Boucher, acommunity college automotiverepair graduate who specialises inbody work and spray painting.Swinden has created many muralsin Halifax, as well as in Torontoand Montreal.

“This commission was particu-larly important to me because ithighlights the positive aspects ofhaving a graffiti style mural thatbusiness owners generally don’tunderstand,” says Swinden, whocreated the mural for the 26 xnine-foot side wall of the office.

Shawn Boucher, who createdthe mural for the nine-foot widefront wall, says, “The contesthelped me by giving me a space toexpress myself and gave people achance to see and enjoy my workthe way I want them too – on theireveryday commute to and fromwork.”

“My work tends to be filledwith colour. I want people to see it– no holding back. The piece I didfor Century 21 is a stylized scene ofthe Halifax cityscape, with lots ofcolour and abstract bits to keep theeyes moving while looking at it,”Boucher says.

Commissioned graffiti muralshave the ability to deter vandalismbut they also inspire youths whomight otherwise be doing the van-dalism to use their artistic talentsto try and become commerciallysuccessful. Yetman, whose officehas been at the high-traffic corner


G

Fighting vandalism with artHow a Halifax brokerage turned an eyesore into a canvas for young artistsBy Connie Adair

in Halifax for about seven years,first thought about putting compa-ny signage on the building aboutfive years ago, but shelved the ideabecause constructing a wall as abackdrop for the signage and cov-ering up existing windows was toocostly. Of late, however, the officehad been plagued with vandalism,with $10,000 in repair bills for bro-ken windows alone. Paying graffitiremoval companies wasn’t cheapeither, and it has to be donepromptly, he says. “If graffiti isremoved within 24 hours, there’s a10 per cent chance of beingretagged. If you leave it for twoweeks, there’s a 90 per cent chanceyou’ll be retagged,” Yetman says.

He thought about corporatesignage early this year, after van-dalism had become an ongoingproblem. But in February, he cameup with the idea for the urban artcontest, teaming up with KateMacLennan, the city’s communityarts facilitator, who puts buildingowners in touch with artists.

It took two months to build thewall and within a week, bothmurals were complete. “Theapproval rating has been 99 percent,” Yetman says. Even thoughhe says he won’t sell more housesas a result, his brokerage is gettingpublicity.

When the artists were working,people honked their horns in ashow of support. After hearingabout it on the radio, some peoplechanged their routes so they coulddrive by to see the artists work, hesays. “Police officers stopped theircars, rolled down their windowsand applauded the artists. Policeand the municipality have beenphenomenal.”

Yetman got “mental support”from the city, but funded the pro-ject himself. The total project cost,including wall construction, was$9,500.

“I think I did the right thing,”he says of his decision to promoteurban artists.

“The reception from the publicand the press has been amazingand definitely exceeded every-body’s expectations. My greatesthope is that other businesses in theHRM (Halifax Regional

Municipality) will recognize thisproject’s success and look toemploy me and other members ofthe graffiti community,” saysSwinden. His work is traditionalgraffiti, a somewhat abstractedform of shapes based on the struc-ture of letters. “The focus of graffi-ti is always to be exciting, eye-catching and colourful. This styleof art is perfect for mural projectsbecause the public finds it intrigu-ing and exciting.”

Yetman says other brokersshould look at what’s happening intheir own neighbourhoods andcome up with ideas accordingly buthe hopes his project will encourageothers to get involved with urbanart. “This group of artists needshelp placing art. It’s somethingother businesses can get involved

in. Even if they don’t have a prob-lem with vandalism, it’s a way toshowcase urban art.”

Since urban art is by naturetemporary, Yetman plans to holdthe contest two times a year, witheach new contest winner refresh-ing the space and providing anongoing place for street artists toshowcase their work.

This year’s winners were cho-sen by a panel that includedSandra Johnson, business develop-ment manager at Yetman’s office.

One small portion of the officewall has yet to be finished. Yetmanplans to hang a professional ban-ner, and to have the artists comeback to do their own tag andinclude contact information incase anyone wants to hire them.

“I got to know David from a

professional standpoint,” saysSwinden. “He has been great towork with. From the very begin-ning he was completely open to mypoint of view and was accepting ofwhatever ideas I brought to thetable. It takes a lot of courage totake a leap of faith with a projectlike this.”

Boucher adds, “I think Daviddid a marvellous thing. Throughthe entire process he was support-ive and willing to make whatvisions I had come tofruition….We need places toaccept our art form more openlyand David has taken the first step.He is a good guy to work with, def-initely, and I hope to work withhim in the future.”

For more information, visit thespecial website Yetman created tohighlight the competition.www.urbanartwall.ca REM

Ben Swinden’s 26-foot-long mural.

Shawn Boucher created the art for the front wall.

Century 21 Team One ownersDavid Yetman (left) and PatrickJohnston.

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® Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia.* Scotiabank will make best efforts to offer business services and tools based on availability and they are subject

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It may not be a real estate brand that leaps to mind yet

– for Realtors or consumers – but relative newcomer Right At Home is laying claim as the largest and fastest growing brokerage in Canada’s biggest urban centre.

In just six years, Right At Home Realty has grown to include 1,600 agents operating out of three offices in the Greater Toronto Area and continues to add more than 30 salespeople a month.

Founders Arthur Bartram and Howard Drukarsh have set their sights on reaching 5,000 agents within the GTA; they then plan to expand beyond Toronto’s borders and perhaps Canada’s as well.

Right At Home’s business model is based on U.S. brokerage Charles Rutenberg Realty, which offers agents low per transaction and monthly fees. Bartram first heard of the U.S. firm while in the process of selling his Florida condo in 2004. Bartram’s Florida sales rep was just about to move over to Charles Rutenberg and he gave Bartram a promotional flyer about his new firm. When Bartram returned to Toronto, he showed the flyer to his friend and colleague Drukarsh.

“I remember going into his office and he said, ‘What do you think of this?’ ” says Drukarsh. “I was an agent and I reacted as an agent. I thought this was a really good way to create a business model that doesn’t exist in Toronto.”

At the time, Bartram and Drukarsh were both working at Royal LePage’s Johnston and Daniel franchise. They had known each other since the 1980s when they both worked for Canada Permanent Real Estate.

Together they left Johnston and Daniel and, with the financial banking of a group of investors, Drukarsh and Bartram launched Right At Home out of a Don Mills location, offering agents basic main office support for a fee of $49 per month, $275 per transaction. Six years later, the per transaction fee remains the same, but the monthly fee has risen to $79.

Part of the reason behind that increased monthly fee is the enhanced front office support Right At Home now provides to meet the needs of its home office based sales force.

“When we first brought the model into play, we thought agents would be prepared to book their own appointments…We found out within the first six months that agents didn’t like doing that – it became a barrier to some degree for agents joining us,” says Bartram. “We decided we’d introduce a system where agents’ messages and bookings were done by the office and so we had to charge for that.”

As further support for its agents, Right At Home points to its deal processing department – “probably the most efficient deal processing department of any brokerage that’s out there and we’re processing over 6,000 deals a year,” says Bartram.

“For us as agents, they provide very important support,” says Right At Home sales rep Serguei Serbrianski. “They have very good front desk services for appointments, preparation of listings and closing the deals. And very important, you are working in an atmosphere where you feel you are constantly being taken care of.”

Right At Home also provides a training program to support first-time agents, who make up

approximately one out of every three new recruits. During the first two years, the firm only brought in experienced agents, because it didn’t have any training in place. That changed in 2006, when an industry trainer developed a 10-week mandatory program designed specifically for new Realtors.

“The program was strictly geared toward what really happens in the real world,” Bartram says. “We also have ongoing training here, almost on a daily basis, at Don Mills, where we put out an activity calendar every month with all of our programs, seminars and sessions that are available to the agents, all at no cost.”

Right At Home’s management is available 24/7 – including its brokers, who don’t sell real estate. The company also provides their agents and clients with the services of an in-house lawyer and in-house mortgage broker. Later this year they plan to introduce a reward program, to recognize the accomplishments of its people.

Another change to the firm’s original business model is how it now views bricks and mortar offices.

“In 2004, we thought we could be ubiquitous and be all things to all people from one location, but our industry doesn’t have that same mindset,” says Bartram, adding that the company adapted its strategy two years later, when it determined that agents preferred having a local address on their business cards.

In 2006, Right At Home opened its second office in Mississauga, serving 500 agents. In August of this year, despite a softening GTA market, the firm opened a third office, this time in Richmond Hill.

Its original Don Mills office – the number one transaction office in the Toronto Real Estate Board for the past three years – supports 1,000 sales reps.

“You would think this office would be like Union Station, but it isn’t. We probably see six to 10 agents a day and one or two clients a day, or every other day – agents aren’t utilizing premises like they used to,” Bartram says. “They can type their own deals, for example, and they can load their own listings into the MLS system. Those two functions were ones the office did for them 10 years ago. Today I would say at least 50 per cent of the agents are doing this for themselves, because they can.”

Bartram adds, “And if they’re doing most of the work, our motto is, they should be paid most of the money. It’s a pure economic model – there’s no magic to the formula.”

Right At Home agents have responded positively and word of mouth has been raising awareness of the brokerage among GTA Realtors. To raise awareness among consumers, the company will open four to five storefront operations in strategic GTA locations.

“That’s the most expensive real estate and a lot of companies are getting out of it – we think it’s a good time to get into it,” says Drukarsh. “It does all the obvious things for retail – you get walk-by traffic, drive-by traffic and you get visibility with not only agents but with consumers.”

Drukarsh emphasizes, how-ever, that the company’s best sales promotion continues to come from their own salespeople. “No matter what we think of the company, the reason we’ve grown this fast and this well is because of what the agents think about the company.” REM

Right At Home with fast-growing independent14 REM SEPTEMBER 2010

Howard Drukarsh, left, and Arthur Bartram launched Right At Home just six years ago. (Photo by Marko Shark)

In just six years, Right At Home Realty has grown to include 1,600 agents operating out of three offices in the Greater Toronto Area, and it continues to add more than 30 salespeople a month. By Kathy Bevan

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But what really matters to me is that they keep smiling for a long, long time.”

hen I first got my realestate license and wasinterviewing brokers

(and trust me, you interview thebroker, they don’t interview you –but that’s a topic for another col-umn) one of them asked me whereI saw myself in a year. I said I want-ed to be number one inNewfoundland. Six months later Iwas well on my way to reachingthat goal. My database was grow-ing steadily, I was considered alocal real estate expert and I’d mar-keted myself along with my suppli-ers so my name was getting outthere.


W

STOP SELLINGHOUSES & STARTMAKING MONEY

By Debbie Hanlon

Plan ahead or get left behindThen one day I came to a bit of

a rude awakening. I was looking inmy bureau drawer for somethingand I found four uncashed chequesfrom deals I’d written. I was so busymaking money that I had no timeto enjoy it.

I’d gotten into real estate tomake a better life for myself andmy three children, but somehowreal estate had become my life. Icould have kept going at that crazypace and kept making sales andmoney, but I knew if I did I’d endup being just another burned-outreal estate agent. I needed a plan.

Anyone can work themselveshalf to death and make loads ofmoney but that isn’t really success.Success is making loads of moneywhile still enjoying a life outside ofreal estate and to do that you haveto have a business plan. Otherwisethe work is controlling you whenyou should be controlling it. Nomatter what stage you’re at in yourcareer, if you don’t have a businessplan, get one. It will make every-thing run a whole lot smoother

and help keep you focused onwhere your career is going.

I’ve written hundreds of busi-ness plans since then, but at thattime I didn’t even know what abusiness plan was. Six months ear-lier I’d been a single mother onwelfare, so writing a business planwas right up there with piloting aspace shuttle when it came to howmuch I knew about it. But youcan’t let things like that stop you orslow you down. If you don’t knowabout something, research it ortalk to people who do know. That’swhat I did and it made me startthinking of myself as a businessinstead of as someone who soldreal estate.

Like any business, you startwith how much money you needto make in a year to cover yourexpenses. Write down all yourcosts of doing business from fuel foryour vehicle to your business cards.Then you figure out how manydeals you have to write to makethat money and how many openhouses, listing presentations, duty

calls and so on you’ll need to getthose deals.

Now, once your business plan iswritten you have to track it andadjust it as needed. Having a planand not monitoring it will help youmake enough money to survive inthis industry, but revisiting that

plan, tweaking it and following itwill help you thrive in this indus-try. That’s the difference betweenan average agent and a top produc-ing agent.

I probably would have beennumber one in Newfoundlandwithout a business plan in place,but because I took the time towrite one and follow it closely, I

became number one in Canada. Itwas the most important thing I didfor my real estate career. I did it,and do you know what? So canyou.

You wouldn’t build a housewithout a plan, why would you sellthem without one?

Debbie Hanlon is the presidentand founder of Hanlon Realty. She isa three-time top 50 CEO winner andwas named one of the top 100 femaleentrepreneurs in Canada. She is cur-rently an elected city official in St.John’s, Nfld. and is available for moti-vational and training seminars. Email [email protected].

REM

It was the most importantthing I did for my real

estate career.

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hy are there morelosers than winners inour business? We

mostly take the same basic cours-es and additional courses tomaintain our licenses. We most-ly put our clothes on the sameway each day, other than whenwe’re on vacation! Most of ushave nice offices to go to andregular training available. Ourbrokers and the managementteams they have assembled arethere for us to avail ourselves ofto enlist their knowledge.

So, I turned to the dictionaryto examine the root of the wordswinners and losers.

A winner is one that wins,“especially in sports or a notablysuccessful person or achiever.”Conversely, a loser by definitionis “one who fails, or a non-achiever.” The late EarlNightingale, one of the foremostwriters of how to be successful,stated that “Success is the pro-gressive realization of a worthydestination.” (see his book orDVD, The Strangest Secret)

You cannot be an overnightsensation in our business.

Most agents, I find, come intoour industry treating it like a job,rather than a business – a businessthat must be organized and main-tained with zeal and vigour.

I find further, as most men-tors, broker/owners or trainersfind, that successful agents take alot of skill enhancing courses,such as Brian Buffini’s 100 Daysto Greatness or Richard RobbinsMasters’ Edge, thereby improv-ing on their chances of winningat the opportunities presented tous every day: the opportunity toprospect, to follow up, to gainmore buyers and to obtain more


W

AS I SEE IT FROM MY DESK

By Stan Albert

Winnersandlosersreferrals to sustain their business.

Most agents who fall into thecategory of the 90 per cent whodo less than three or four deals ayear ignore the basic premises ofwhat it takes to be in the 10 percent who do 90 per cent of thebusiness in North Americatoday. These are not my stats;they are from CREA and NAR.

This business of ours is notsimply going from one transac-tion to the next. Not at all. It isthe planning and the follow upsthat are necessary to receive thebenefits of such business modelsof yesterday, today and tomor-row.

So, if you are in the “losercolumn” at present, how canyour business improve? Forstarters, make plans and stick tothem. Reviewing them with yourspouse or significant other is agood idea. And, of course, withyour management team – they’reinterested in your successbecause your success begets theirsuccess in the overall picture.

If you don’t have a passion formeeting people and servicingtheir housing/investment needs,maybe you chose the wrong pro-fession. However, you can alwaysthrow your career into a 360-degree turn around. When do youwant to do it? Sooner is betterthan later. The fall season is uponus shortly. Are you going to beready? Start now by “sharpeningyour axe.”

If you don’t change, you’ll beout of the business in less than18 months. If you do change,your future is assured and youwill be a success in our greatbusiness.

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

REM

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or the buyer who haseverything, here’s some-thing they probably

would like to add to their portfo-lio – a private island inDeparture Bay, Nanaimo, B.C.

Listing agent MichaelPeterson of Re/Max of Nanaimosays Jesse Island is a private,nine-acre, fully serviced island,offering the chance to “watchthe dolphins, fish for salmon,golf and find world renown scubalocations at your doorstep.”

A light beacon at the eastend of the island guides the B.C.Ferry to safe harbour atNanaimo. Jesse Island is denselycovered with original growthpine, cedar, arbutus and oak treesas well as native blackberries“upon which descendants ofgoats brought to the WesternArchipelago by explorers cen-turies ago feed to this day,” saysPeterson. “Groomed trails mean-der through this unspoiledfoliage, giving visitors views ofwild animals and birds such asthe bald eagles that nest in thetrees overhead.”

The east half of the islandprovides views of the mountainsof Whistler Ski Resort. The westend includes a log family retreatwith four bedrooms, five baths, a

Private islandenjoys city services

library and a two-car garage. Themain house is cantilevered on abluff overlooking a large beacharea and a deepwater dockingfacility for three or four boats.There is also a caretaker’s homeand men’s and women’s sanitaryfacilities with hot and cold watershowers for campers who visit asguests of the owners, saysPeterson.

City water, power and tele-phone are delivered to JesseIsland through submarine con-duits, which eliminate the utilityproblems encountered on otherprivate islands, he says.

The island is listed for $4.5million. “The seller is offering a$10,000 finders fee to anyonewho sends us a buyer or contactto a licensed Realtor who pur-chases the island,” says Peterson.“There is a great selling commis-sion of 2.5 per cent on this prop-erty and a referral of 25 per centof the selling commission inplace for any licensed Realtorwho sends out a buyer to usinstead of coming out them-selves.”

If you have an extraordinaryor unusual listing to share withCanada’s real estate community,email details to [email protected]. REM

Jesse Island in Departure Bay, Nanaimo is listed for $4.5 million.

F

THE POWER OF PURPLENOW WITH OVER 1500 SALESPEOPLE!

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OVER 300 SALESPEOPLE JOINED IN 2009

REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE

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*In listing and selling performance, meaning combined totals for properties completed from Jan. 1, 2008 to June 30, 2010 by the Toronto office (895 Don Mills Rd.) based on Toronto Real Estate Board MLS® statistics. **In listing and selling performance, meaning combined totals for properties completed from Jan. 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010 by the Mississauga office (7045 Edwards Blvd.) based on Toronto Real Estate Board MLS® statistics.

Independently audited. Comparisons are based on Sold Date and Sold status Data gathered by independent research for residential properties on the Toronto Real Estate Board, a Multiple Listing Service®. These listings do not necessarily reflect all of the real estate activity in the applicable market. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed; data may vary by 2.5%.

JoinRightAtHome.com

Anissa HoBroker / Branch Manager

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(416) 391-3232 x 227

Howard DrukarshVice President / Broker / Branch Manager

[email protected] HILL BRANCH:

(905) 695-7888 x 302

895 Don Mills Road 7045 Edwards Boulevard 923 Brant Street 300 West Beaver Creek Rd.


bout a pound of vealshoulder, bone in. (localcost $2.95). Looks like a

large steak. Let meat come to roomtemperature before browning, butdon’t leave it out too long.

- Three medium carrots- 1/2 cup of leek slices from the

mid-section of the leek- two medium-large onions- several whole garlic cloves

(they will disappear in cooking,and cooked this way you won’teven taste the garlic – justenhances flavour)

GOURMET COOKINGfor real estate professionals

By Carolyne Lederer

Veal shoulder (or shank)- salt, pepper, a pinch of dried

thyme- 2/3 to 1 cup of homemade

tomato sauce (like you use forspaghetti) made from tomatopaste. (Always keep some in thefridge – made from onion, freshonly garlic, thyme and tomatopaste and a little chicken broth. Itkeeps for a long time in a glass cov-ered stainless steel container.)

- 1/4 cup butter- 4 tablespoons favourite cook-

ing oil- Shiraz red wine (ideal is

Obikwa from South Africa) – Fullbodied, almost dry, this wine keepsin the fridge, tightly covered, for avery long time. Never toss out left-over part bottles of wine. Save forcooking.

Slightly brown the butter andoil on high heat (just golden notdark brown). Be careful not toburn. Lay the flat meat into aheavy very hot stew pot. Salt andpepper the meat. Brown both sidesquickly and turn down the heatright away or the meat will get

tough. (If you miss and this hap-pens, don’t dispose of the meat; useit to make a pate – a recipe foranother day). Stay with the potduring browning. Quite darkbrown.

While the second side isbrowning, lay the garlic (whole)pieces on top of the meat. Leavethe garlic in that position perma-nently. Turn down the heat tomedium, and cover for about 10-15minutes. Turn the meat oncemore, near the end of cooking.

Wash carrots and chop intobite size pieces. Split onions in halfand remove skin. Split in halflengthwise again. Slice the leekinto thin coins and wash well in asieve or strainer to make sure allthe sand is out. Add the vegetablesto the pot. Add a little salt.

Let simmer, covered, on medi-um high heat for about 10 moreminutes. Watch carefully. Add thetomato sauce. Cover and leave onvery low heat, lowest setting forone hour, checking occasionally tomake sure it is not burning.Sticking to the bottom of the pot is

okay. Resist the urge to stir toomuch.

Then pull the meat off thebones using two forks. Boil thebones in a half cup of cold water fora few minutes and strain the brothinto the meat pot. Leave the meatin the pot. By now the textureshould be like a goulash. The car-rots still whole, but the onions andleeks will have almost disappeared.Stir, scrape the bottom of the pot.Cover and return to heat for atleast a half hour. Taste to adjustsalt.

Pour into the meat pot, about2/3 cup of Shiraz. Stir once. Cover.Return to lowest heat setting forabout 10-15 minutes. Watch care-fully. Remove lid and stir once.Cover. Turn off heat. Let sit untilyou can test without burning yourmouth. Yummmm. Pour into aglass (only) container and coverthe container with plastic wrapand place the lid on the dish. Let itsit on the counter for a half-hour orso (not in summer weather), andthen store overnight in the fridge.You can serve this dish right away,

it just gets better later. Will keepfor several days. Remove from thefridge at least an hour before serv-ing time. Reheat gently (not inmicrowave) in a heavy bottomsaucepan on very low heat. Watchcarefully so it does not stick andburn.

Serve with spaetle (pasta), eggnoodles, rice or creamy whippedpotatoes. Looks like a goulash.Carrots and green beans make bestside serve dishes.

Enjoy!

Carolyne Lederer is broker ofrecord at Carolyne Realty Corp.Proudly putting her name to her workfor 29 years, she serves Burlingtonand Brampton, Ont. residential realestate clients. She taught gourmetcooking in the mid 1970s prior to goinginto real estate, and wrote a newspaper weekly cooking column.She also has a cookbook in the works. Email Carolyne [email protected] if you have any questions.www.Carolyne.com or www.MillcroftHomes.com REM

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hat a roller coaster ridethe last two years havebeen. In the spring of

2009, Canadian house prices fellacross the board and transactionsslowed as fears of a global econom-ic downturn spread. But then, as ifonly pausing for breath, Canada’sreal estate market revved up onceagain and the spring dip lookedlike nothing more than a goodbuying opportunity. So why iseveryone so nervous? When I talkto Realtors, fears of rising interestrates are among the first concernsraised. There is a widespreadassumption that rates can only goup, and a related belief that higher

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By David Larock

Interest rates: Why the sky isn’t falling

W

rates will hammer the real estatemarket. In fact, I don’t think eitherfear is warranted. Here’s why:

Short-term (variable) ratesaren’t going anywhere fast because

• The central bank’s primaryreason for raising rates is to controlinflation. Our inflation rate (asmeasured by the consumer priceindex) was at one per cent as ofJuly 23, well below the centralbank’s upper limit of two per cent.

• The effects of higher rates arefelt only over time, so raising short-term interest rates gradually allowsthe central bank time to measurethe impact of previous increasesbefore tightening further.

• The real estate market iscooling off. One of the centralbank’s main concerns with leavingits overnight rate at emergency lowlevels was that it would fuel a hous-ing bubble. Today’s more balancedhousing market has rendered thatconcern moot for the time being.

• While the Canadian eco-

nomic recovery is in full swing,most of the rest of the world is notfaring as well. In its recent com-mentary, our central bankacknowledged that aggressiveinterest-rate hikes could stifle ourmomentum, especially againsttoday’s backdrop of global econom-ic uncertainty.

• The U.S. Fed is not expectedto increase its short-term policyrate until 2012 at the earliest. If ourcentral bank keeps raising ratesindependently of the Fed, our dol-lar will continue to appreciate andthis will slow our economy further.Most experts do not believe thatCanadian short-term rates can besustained at much more than oneper cent above comparable U.S.rates (and we’re already .75 percent higher today).

Moderately higher rates won’thammer the real estate marketbecause

• Contrary to popular belief,there is no strong correlation

between rising interest rates andlower house prices. In fact, histori-cal data show that rates and houseprices rise together more oftenthan not. Before you say I’m out tolunch, let me elaborate. I readilyaccept that, all being equal, higherrates hurt affordability and are badfor the housing market. But all isnot equal. Rising rates generallyoccur in an improving economy,and the positive economicmomentum that accompanieshigher rates creates a net effectthat has historically proven morepositive than negative.

• Job creation has far outpacedany forecasts and is considered oneof the key factors in our rapid eco-nomic recovery (it’s dropping a lit-tle recently but after a very goodrun). If you’re looking for indica-tors that foretell the health of ourreal estate markets, historical datashows that job creation (and risingincomes) is far more indicativethan the direction of interest rates.

• Canadians can afford higherrates. In a 2009 CAAMP surveybased on 40,000 loans totallingmore than $10 billion to purchasehouses across the country, the datashowed that we borrowed far lessthan the maximum we couldafford. For example, the highestacceptable GDS ratio that lendersare generally comfortable with is35 per cent, and in the survey, bor-rowers averaged only 21.8 per cent.Lenders normally set the highestacceptable TDS ratio at 44 percent, while in the survey borrowersaveraged a TDS of 32.3 per cent.Results like this don’t usually cor-relate with people lining up at thebanks to hand in their keys.

While no one can say withcertainty what the future willhold, especially with the world inthe midst of a massive creditdeleveraging cycle, I think thealarmist rhetoric about dramati-cally higher rates in the nearfuture is overblown (and I’vebeen saying this since April whenmost of the bank’s economistswere sounding the alarm bells).Make no mistake, the centralbank would like to continue toraise interest rates to providesome additional breathing roomfor future monetary stimulus,probably from today’s .75 per centto about two per cent. But Mr.Carney and his governors at thecentral bank won’t do this if itrisks smothering the green shootsof our economic recovery. Insteadof fast, knee-jerk rate hikes, mymoney is on gradual rate increas-es over time, which the datashows Canada’s borrowers cancomfortably afford. On balance,even with higher rates, the skyshould stay more or less where itbelongs – comfortably over ourheads.

David Larock MBA, AMP,PFPC, CSC is a Toronto-based inde-pendent mortgage planner and long-time industry insider who specializes inhelping clients purchase, refinance orrenew their mortgages. He is an activeblogger on mortgage related topics andhis posts have been distributed innational media and by Realtors andfinancial planners. www.integrated-mortgageplanners.com REM


t’s a given that each yearacross the county, real estateoffices waste many dollars

because they fail to adequatelycontrol costs. Some, such as theagents’ commission splits, are fixedand perpetual, which managementcan do little about. Most others arecontrollable and in some instancescan be eliminated or at least sub-stantially reduced. It’s not a coupleof thousand dollars here, andanother thousand or so there, butthose nickels, dimes and single dol-lars that soon add up. It’s been saidthat there are only a few places tosave a million dollars – but a mil-lion places to save a dollar.

Real estate brokerages arecaught in the middle. Costs aresteadily increasing while for many,

By Lloyd R. Manning

How to control brokerage costsIt’s the bottom line, the glue factor, the amount that sticks that counts. Take a detailedlook at your expenses and ask, “Is all of this really necessary?”By Lloyd R. Manning

I

income is decreasing. Due to thecontinuing pressure of the discoun-ters, com-frees and the like, and thecontinuing upward movement ofthe cost of just about everything,many brokerages are seeing lowerprofits for more effort. You can’traise prices like a retail store, butyou can reduce operating expenses.So much money comes in and somuch goes out. It’s the bottom line,the glue factor, the amount thatsticks that counts. This involvesundertaking a detailed examina-tion of every expense generator,asking and answering, “Is all of thisreally necessary?”

Questions to ask includewhether the office is compatiblewith the type of real estate you selland the services you render; thenumber of clerical staff you actual-ly need (as opposed to the amountyou assume you need); how yourlocation identifies with your clien-tele; furniture, fixtures and equip-

ment; variable costs compared toproductivity, and other inputs thatwould include how your clients,agents, and employees view therelativity of these various factors.

Probably due to the wide diver-gence in size and location, trying toestablish industry averages of whatit costs to operate a real estate bro-kerage is a hit and miss propositionat best. There were some doctoralstudies about real estate brokerageefficiency done several years ago,but they are of little help. Thecommon suggestion is that operat-ing costs consume 30 to 35 percent of commissions and fees inthe split-commission houses, andthe 100 per cent commission hous-es should net about 10 per cent.Without pinning down any num-bers, these same studies indicatethat on a per cent of revenue basis,larger brokerages are not moreprofitable than smaller ones, andthat franchised brokerages are for

the most part more profitable thanthe independents, even after pay-ing the franchise fees.

A major expense and wasteddollars item for many real estateoffices is stationary and supplies.Here is where you must be a police-man because a sheet of paper wast-ed, the loss of a few pens or pencils,or a presentation binder muckedup, are individually not big ticketitems. Still, they soon add up.When buying, shop around. Ensureyou are getting the best deal. Areyou providing school supplies foryour agents’ families? Are you sure?

For non-confidential matters,print on both sides of the paper. Asthe price of computer printer inkhas sky rocketed and the stuff youbuy in mall kiosks or online willruin your printer (I know fromexperience), check out black andwhite laser copiers. They are farcheaper to operate. Are you cer-tain that you really need that manycopies of everything? How muchpropaganda do you copy and sendout blindly? Paper has a bad habitof building up and up.

Take a look at leasing ratherthan buying and owning youroffice furniture, fixtures and equip-ment. You may find that leasing ischeaper in the long run. Money isnot made by owning equipmentbut by using it, so whether to buyor lease is strictly a best use of cap-ital decision.

Have a hard look at your leaseand office space requirements. Youdon’t need me to tell you that withthe advancements in laptop com-puters and portable phones, therequirement for fancy uptown digsis getting less and less. Many bro-kers are paying for a lot of high-priced office space they don’t real-ly need, providing cubicles andbranch offices for agents to readobsolete MLS catalogues and rattletheir papers. Selling real estate is ahome-to-home or office-to-officebusiness – the clients’, not yours. Ifyou have excess space, can you sublet it? Can you negotiate with yourlessor for a better rate? Can yourelocate to less expensive premiseswithout doing your business anydamage? Determining your actual

needs involves undertaking anassessment of how important yourlocation is to your clientele andhow much business you actually doin your office.

Although it may not work in alarger brokerage, you might consid-er the virtual office concept. As apackage deal you can lease yourspace in an office park or multi-tenant centre of some type thatincludes furniture and equipment,telephone, computer, photocopier,Internet services and frequentlyclerical staff. You only pay for whatyou actually use. For some this is acost saving and it frequently pro-vides added convenience.

There are several new compos-ite computer software programs onthe market that are designedspecifically for real estate broker-ages. Their intent is to combine allintra-office procedures into onepackage, rather than having sever-al different programs on one com-puter or on several that are net-worked. This eliminates the neces-sity of having one system foraccounting, one for transactionmanagement, a data base foragents and clients, a sales manage-ment system and others, which areoften not compatible with eachother or user friendly. Users of thisnew software report substantiallyimproved administration and datacontrol. However, some of thissoftware is quite pricey and youshould weigh its initial cost againstthe longer term benefits.

There are many other cost sav-ing measures that you can under-take. We have only hit on a cou-ple. A whole article could be doneon how staff wastes time andmoney. If you look for expense cut-ting measures, you will find them.

The bottom line is calculatinghow much it costs per agent to runthe office and determine if whatyou are doing is the most efficientmethod. Make it a team effortwhere all participate. Meticulouslyitemize office costs. Set up bench-marks and work towards them, cut-ting corners where necessary. Forgreater profit, increasing revenue isonly half the battle. Reducingexpenses is the other half. REM

plaintiff co-owned anundeveloped lot with hersister. The defendant was

the owner of the adjacent lot. The defendant built a large

pond on both lots without permis-sion, claiming he was unaware ofthe boundary line. He produced asurvey that showed one big lot. Butthe plaintiff had a survey showingtwo demarcated lots.

The defendant hadapproached the plaintiff’s hus-band 13 years prior to buy theplaintiff’s lot and build a pond. A

price could not be agreed upon.Clearly the defendant must haveknown about the lot lines andaltered the town survey. He wasnot allowed to benefit from hisunlawful actions. The defendanthad to fill the pond in at his ownexpense. Punitive damages werealso ordered for his outrageousbehaviour.

■ ■ ■

Often a person who claims an“interest” in land will register aCertificate of Pending Litigation togive notice to anyone dealing withthe land that the registree claimsan interest. One would then dealwith the property at one’s risk of analleged prior interest.

In an interesting case, a vendorregistered a certificate to protect a purchase between corporations.Part of the price involved transferof shares.

The court held that once theshares were delivered, the ven-dor no longer had a vendor’s lienor interest in the land that could

be protected by registering a certificate.

■ ■ ■

Many unsuccessful purchasersclaim specific performance from avendor and the issue for the courtis whether damages would suffice.Such was the case of a purchaserwhose vendor reneged on the saleof a property. The property was inthe immediate area where the pur-chaser owned other properties andwas assembling them in order toredevelop. The court was comfort-able in finding the property uniqueto the purchaser and ordering spe-cific performance. That propertywas an integral part of the redevel-opment and damages were not suf-ficient.

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

LEGAL ISSUES

By Donald H. Lapowich

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erhaps I’m getting a bit toopreoccupied with golf late-ly. I mean, the topic has

come up at my weekly poker game,during a brief chat with the cashierat a grocery store and with the doc-tor who recently removed a golf teefrom the ball of my foot (note toself – at my weight, balancing bare-foot on a golf tee is clearly inadvis-able).

As long as the snow stays awayin your neck of the woods (or youhappen to be departing to ahotspot like Arizona, for example),the golf clubs can’t be packed awayin the garage for the season just yet.It wouldn’t be right. It would belike coffee without cream or sugar;Yogi without Boo-Boo. LikeCanada without maple syrup –unthinkable.

If you have just taken up theendeavour of golf, don’t fear! Youcan still golf a bit longer, and try toget better before next spring, amidthe mad rush back to the greens.As a matter of fact, I have com-piled a few tips and definitions,which might help the novice golferbecome a bit better acquaintedwith the game:

1) Woods. Woods or “drivers”are the clubs with the large, over-sized “heads”, and woods are alsothe likely destination of your ball,when driven off the tee box. Thistime of year, you may even add justa wee bit of excitement to yourgame of golf when you’ve goneinto the woods to search for yourwayward ball, perhaps comingface-to-face with a lumberingbruin searching for dinner. Alwayskeep your wood club with you inthe woods.

2) Irons. These are the sticksthat range in appearance fromsomething like a hockey stick to ascoop – like a front-end loader.Not a bad comparison, when youare trying to “loft” your ball out ofa sand-trap, water hazard or adja-


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Fallintogolfcent backyard vegetable garden.These irons will number fromabout 1 to 9, with lofts graduatingslightly, the higher the numbers go.The highest loft is on the sandwedge. Not to be mistaken with acorned beef on rye, this iron will beyour best friend in many situationsalong your average golf course lay-out.

3) Putter. NOT what the four-some ahead of you appears to bedoing, this club is the last one thatyou will typically use once yourball has successfully landed on thegreen (more on that term momen-tarily). Of course, by the time yourscorecard has reached 187 on thefront nine, you’ll be wonderingwhy you aren’t just puttering awayin the garden back home.

4) Greens. This is a funny one.On the average golf course, thefairways are green, the forest isgreen, the guy that asked to playwith your group is pretty green,and yet the description for the areaspecifically with the hole is “thegreen”. Golf was invented inScotland, so I will assume thattempers began to flare after naming “fairway”, “rough”, and “another wee dram, ma’am”.

5) Clubhouse. The best part ofa round of golf. After an arduousafternoon of driving around in agolf cart, being handed your clubsby a caddy, and quenching yourthirst with chilled beveragesstraight from the mobile beer cart,you are finally able to relax in somesmall bit of comfort, along withyour companions and eight flat-screen TVs. Until the next timethe weather is fair, and you can allgather again.

Happy flailing…I mean falling,into golf…

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

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EXIT_AD_September_2010.indd 1 8/19/2010 11:28:19 AM

Targeted Neighbourhood Advertising

YOUR LOCAL MARKET REPORT

1-800-387-6058www.realtyreport.org

One StepSpring is peak home-buying time. You

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and make sure your real estate sales representative knows. By getting pre-approved, not only will your representative be able to target properties that fit your budget, you’ll know that financing won’t be a stumbling block when you do find that perfect home.

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Please call today, for more tips on ensuring the smoothest, most successful real estate experience possible.

The information and opinions contained in this newsletter are obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The publishers assume no responsibility for errors and omissions or for any damages resulting from the use of the published information. This newsletter is provided with the understanding that it does not render legal, accounting, or other professional advice. Not intended to solicit properties or businesses listed for sale and agency agreements in place with other real estate brokers. Whole or partial reproduction of this newsletter is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. © Market Connections Inc.® 2010, Phone: (800) 387-6058.

Compliments of Danny Brown Market Connections Inc.®

Danny Brown Broker

Bus: (800) 387-6058 Fax: (800) 800-7093

Figures are based on MLS® sales as reported by the Canadian Real Estate Association. Market values depend on factors besides housing type and number of bedrooms. Overall condition, square footage, upgrades, lot size and specific location are some other key factors involved. Source: Canadian Real Estate Association

STAN

In the Canadian Real Estate Association’s (CREA) 2010 forecast for home sales via the MLS®, there is an indication of how the market might be affected by changes to interest and tax rates.

The good news is that CREA forecasts national activity will reach 527,300 units in 2010, a rise of 13.3 percent from 2009. Continued low interest rates are boosting housing demand in nearly all provinces during the first half of this year, led by British Columbia and Ontario, two provinces where many buyers are also motivated to avoid the HST before it comes into effect on July 1, 2010.

During the second half of 2010, CREA expects national activity to ease, as the last of the pent-up demand for housing is exhausted, and interest

rates start rising. Looking even further ahead, CREA anticipates interest rate increases to contribute to a seven percent decline in sales activity for 2011, but doesn’t expect the higher rates to put housing out of reach for most buyers.

CREA President Dale Ripplinger predicts, “Although interest rates are expected to rise, they will still be low enough to keep affordability within reach for many homebuyers requiring mortgage financing, and support overall housing demand.”

If you’re considering a move, you’ll want the latest information on local housing prices, financing information and new regulations that may have been implemented since you last bought or sold real estate. Please call for the latest information, today!

Market Update:Present andPredicted

APRIL 2010

RIVERDALE MARKET WATCH

NO. SOLD AVERAGE PRICE

DAYS ON MARKET

DETACHED

2 BEDROOM 25 $ 331,098 25

3 BEDROOM 54 $ 384,591 23

4 BEDROOM 16 $ 497,222 22

5+ BEDROOM 10 $ 588,500 35

SEMI-DETACHED

2 BEDROOM 45 $ 308,624 20

3 BEDROOM 100 $ 297,423 17

4 BEDROOM 26 $ 429,054 24

5+ BEDROOM 5 $ 403,360 14

TOWNHOUSE

2 BEDROOM 12 $ 317,667 13

3 BEDROOM 33 $ 378,779 20

4 BEDROOM 1 $ 290,900 8

DESE

BEDROO

ACHEDHE

$ 5

7,222

5 35

23

0

ROO

Danny Brown Broker

EAST END REPORT

Market Connections Inc.®

Whether you’re thinking of buying or selling your home, or are just curious as to real estate values in your neighbourhood, you’ll want to make sure you talk to a real estate professional who is knowledgeable and familiar with the area.

I invite you to call me at 416-223-2250 for the most up-to-date market information about Riverdale and East Toronto.

Market Connections Inc.®

Bus: (800) 387-6058 Fax: (800) 800-70934950 Yonge Street, Suite 101, Toronto, ON M2N 6K1

From the desk of Danny Brown

Volume 4, Issue 4

Danny Brown

For more information on the Local Market Report and other products please call:

Exclusivity For Your Unique Marketing Area

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GREEN REAL ESTATE

By Elden Freeman

Marketing greenreal estate, Part 2the not-so-obvious details thatmake a home environmentallyfriendly. I ask about insulation,caulking, the paint used and thetype of furnace installed. I lookout for reclaimed wood, low-flushtoilets, double or triple-panedwindows and energy-efficientlandscaping. For example, if ahouse has deciduous trees to thesouth, the leaves will block thesun in the hot summer but not inthe winter. Coniferous trees to thenorth block the wind. Nativespecies require less watering.

Sometimes the seller has noidea their house has green quali-ties. When you enlighten them,they can see the value you’readding to the sale. Other times,the seller is well aware. In thosecases, you won’t past muster ifyou’re out of the loop.

I recently sold a lane-wayhouse that had fabulous green fea-tures. While some agents mighthave marvelled at the trendiness

of the concrete floors, I recognizedthe passive-solar technology atonce. The floors acted as a heatsink, capturing the sunlight fromthe large, south-facing windows. Ialso spotted the floors made ofreclaimed wood and the linoleumin the bathroom. Had I not, I’mquite sure I would not have beentrusted with the listing.

Many agents look for the paintjob and granite countertops, stick-ing to the lipstick of the house.Green agents look for substance –not only beauty, but also brains.We get the listing because we addgreen value.

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

Hilton unveils Presidential Suites in Niagara Falls

he Hilton Hotel andSuites Niagara Falls/Fallsview, Canada’s tallest

hotel tower, recently officiallyunveiled its Presidential Suites.Located on the 50th floor, thesuites offer guests luxury and spec-tacular views of both theCanadian and American Falls.

Anthony Annunziata, VP ofmarketing and development,Hilton Hotel and Suites, says,“With the Presidential Suites, weare changing the way people seeNiagara Falls, by offering guestssuperior accommodations, one-of-a-kind views of the falls andexquisite décor, all of which areunavailable anywhere else in thearea.”

Designed to magnify the beau-ty of Niagara Falls, the PresidentialSuites feature floor-to-ceiling win-dows, accompanied by remotecontrolled blinds and shades, and achic atmosphere created by thedécor in shades of white, silver andblack. Upon entering the suite,

guests find themselves in a smallfoyer that opens up to 1,500 squarefeet of pure luxury. On the one sideof the foyer is an intimate sittingroom; complete with a full bath-room and access to a balcony,perched 50 storeys above the city.

The light and airy main livingspace is adorned with an oversizedm e e t i n gtable, whitel e a t h e rchairs, twom e t a l l i cleather sofas,a flat screenTV and elec-tric fireplace,all sitting onblack leatherflooring.

Guests insearch of pri-vacy canescape through the double doorsinto the blissful master bedroomfeaturing a king-sized bed and aprivate ensuite, equipped with a

walk-in shower and whirlpool tuboverlooking the living area andbeyond.

“The suites are perfect for jet-setters looking for a getaway, busi-nesses looking to host small receptions or anyone looking toenhance their Niagara Falls expe-rience,” says Annunziata.

The Presidential Suites rackrate is $1,500/night Sunday toThursday and $3,000 Friday andSaturday. REM

T

ho knew that oldlinoleum floors could bea selling point? Well for

one thing, they happen to be green– made from renewable materialslike solidified linseed oil, pine rosinand cork dust. If you know enoughto point that out to a seller, itmight just win you the listing.

Going green is a selling pointthese days, but you have to recog-nize what elements of a housemake it the environmentalchoice. You need to show the sell-er the green value of their home.

When I meet a potentialclient, I play the green card. As anaccredited Greenagent, I notice

W

The space includes an oversized meeting table andblack leather flooring.

© 2010 Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities. Prudential Real Estate brokerage services are offered through the independently owned and operated franchisees of PrudentialReal Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are registered service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc., and its relatedentities. Used under license.

When I joined The Rock® in 1996, I’d already been a successful independent

Broker for 18 years. But I always realized that in order to grow my business—

I had to recruit the best. And in order to recruit the best, you have to know

what the best is looking for: cutting-edge technology and superb

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In the Burlington, Ontario area call Roy today at 905-639-6111.Everywhere else in Canada, call 1-800-666-6634 ext. 9657.

Prudential By The Lake Realty

“ “Do Not Print

6CD/AG8.3.10Job No:CAPR-A3819

Job Name:Roy Stephens ProfilePub: Real Estatemagazine

Issue Date: Sept. 2010Prod: page 4c

Trim: 10.25 x 11

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f you’ve been licensed formore than 10 years, chancesare you’ve dealt with a buyer

who wants you to find them asmall acreage plot so they can buildtheir dream house in the country.This may not be such an easy taskand may be fraught with a lot ofbarriers on the way to The GreatCanadian Dream.

Most counties have regulationson minimum subdividing of land.Before we had planning commit-tees, there were many propertiessliced up with homes far apart andfar from services. Municipalitieswere saddled with high costs to ser-vice these properties. Most coun-ties now suggest the minimum sev-erance be at least 50 acres, so mostcurrent small acreage properties arethose with permission grantedmany years before the advent ofplanning commissions.

Zoning: One must investigatethe permitted land uses for theproperty. Will it permit a buyer tohave uses other than residential oragricultural? Are there any existingdevelopment permits on the prop-erty or mandatory buildingschemes? Are there any bylawrestrictions that may govern thespecific property, such as rights ofways and road allowances?

Assessing the lot: Is the prop-erty suitable for building? Coresamples should be taken to deter-mine whether the property cansupport a foundation withoutadding expensive truckloads of fill.Has the seller done any soil test-ing? Core sampling costs a bit ofmoney and would normally be atthe buyers’ expense. Will any offercontain conditions on acceptablecore sampling?

Are there any buildings on theproperty? Significant out buildingsor other residential structures mayneed a permit for removal. Werethere any other buildings on theproperty? What was its former use?Could there be any abandoned

How to find a building lotThe Great Canadian Dream is finding a lovely building lot and constructing a home inthe country. But finding that lot for a buyer may not be so easy.

By Ron Rossini

wells or storage tanks on the site?There may be environmentalissues such as abandoned fuel stor-age tanks and polluted wells.

Are there any current oil/gasleases on the property and are theytransferable? Most leases includerenewable clauses or expiry dates.The presence of these leases maydictate where future buildings aresituated.

Exit and egress from the prop-erty is determined by the local gov-erning authority and is usuallyonto the quietest roadway possible.Rarely will access to a major roadbe permissible unless there are noother alternatives.

Neighbouring propertiesshould be checked out in a fivemile radius of the subject land toexplore their uses. Hog operationshave a right to exist, but yourclient may not appreciate buildinga dream home down wind from ahog farm. A check should also bemade with the local zoning author-ity to explore whether there havebeen any rezoning requests fromsurrounding properties.

It may not be possible toremove trees on the property with-out permission from an approvingauthority. There might also be log-gable bush that may increase theproperty’s present and future value.

Servicing the lot: Should ser-vices like gas and water not be atthe road, the buyer might be forcedto dig wells and use oil, propane orelectricity to heat the home. Wellscan present certain logistics prob-lems. How deep you must digdepends on the lie of the land.Raised rolling hill properties oftennecessitate going very deep forwater and increasing costs.Lowland wells could be subject topollution or runoff from surround-ing properties.

There may be water and gaslines at the road but it may cost alot of money to hook up if theproperty is significantly set backfrom the road.

The distance of telephone andelectrical lines from the futurehome to the road is also a consid-eration and can add considerableexpense.

Digging and installing a septic

bed and tank generally needs theapproval of the local healthauthorities. The system must be agood distance from the well toguard against pollution.

Financing: Financing a lot isnot like financing a home becausethe land is unimproved. Ratherthan taking a mortgage on theproperty, the buyer may have totake out a chattel loan or use a lineof credit. These are usually at ahigher rate of interest than a mort-gage. A substantial down paymenton the property might be necessaryto even secure a chattel mortgage.

The current taxes on the prop-erty are for raw unimproved landand will change significantlywhen reassessed after the site isimproved with buildings. Taxesare generally determined by theextent of the improvements andthe property designation as ruralor residential. It might be prudentto check the tax structure of thelocal municipality and get a ball-park figure for taxes for the futureimprovements.

Building costs in the country-

side may be higher than in urbanareas, because contractors mayadjust for mileage. Landownersmust apply to a local approvingauthority for building permits. Thebuyer will need to take out abuilder’s mortgage when construct-ing in order to pay contractors atvarious stages of the buildingprocess. It’s better to have a rep-utable builder construct a home sothe buyer doesn’t have to hire a jobsite superintendent to oversee theconstruction or, worse still, have todo it themselves. (Tell your clientto see the movie Mr. BlandingsBuilds His Dream House before

starting this venture.)Adverse possession: Have the

deed or survey checked to seewhether any of the subject land isbeing used by adjoining neighbourswho could claim parts of the prop-erty for themselves in a form of“squatter’s rights”

Riparian rights come intoeffect if buying a property that bor-ders on a public body of water.Land dimensions may extend intowater space or, conversely, the landthat borders the water may not besolely owned by the homeownerand be able to be enjoyed by thepublic in general. Shoreline prop-erties have their own peculiarities,such as access to property includ-

ing leased or deeded water access.Maintaining the property: The

property must be maintained whenleft vacant and vegetation must becut regularly. Failure to do so wouldput the owner on a collision coursewith the noxious weed controlbylaws, forcing the local munici-pality to cut weeds and send theowner the bill.

Lifestyle: Have the buyersconsidered the alteration to theirlifestyle that moving to a remotecountryside area might bring?There are many advantages tomoving to a sizeable plot of land

including privacy, less noise andlight pollution and the opportuni-ty to have a sizeable property todevelop. However, there can alsobe concerns for the previousurbanite who makes that break forthe country. He might have adjustto a longer drive to work, travelroads that are far down the list tobe serviced or ploughed in badweather, and experience greatereffects from inclement weatherbecause the property may be moreexposed and out in the open.Rural properties, due to above-ground power lines, are quickerthan their urban cousins to losepower during heavy windstormsand also usually the last to have it

restored. Generators are a stapleitem in a country home to keep thesump pump and furnace working.

Children must also be consid-ered when moving to a remotearea, as school availability, bustravel and time spent going toschool, social and athletic eventsmust be explored. Proximity toshopping, medical, dental andsocial venues may also be a home-owner consideration.

Building a dream home andmoving into the country may be atremendously rewarding andworthwhile experience but muchthought must also be consideredbefore your client undertakes TheGreat Canadian Dream.

Ron Rossini is a long-term brokerwith Sutton Group Preferred RealtyInc., Brokerage in London, Ont. Hewrites regular feature articles formany magazines and newspapers inCanada and the United States. 519-471-8888; email [email protected].

REM

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have said it before and I willsay it again. Motivation isnothing compared to inspi-

ration.I always hear people saying,

“You have to get motivated,” or“We need more motivation.” Thefact is, motivation is a short-termthing. Motivate means “to pro-vide with a motive or motives.” Itis someone providing somethingto another person. Inspire on theother hand is “to produce orarouse”. It is creating somethingfrom within. This is where realgain is found. A long-term fixbecause it is a part of the person,not an outside factor.

Think of it this way – you can


IBy Andy Herrington

15 ways to inspire you to sell moremotivate a teenager to clean hisroom by taking away the keys tothe car, but how long will thatlast? If you can find a reason forhim to want to clean his room ona regular basis, it will create thatclean room forever. It is the sameas the “teach a man to fish” anal-ogy.

The best part about this is thatbecoming inspired and inspiringothers is often very similar. Whenyou find the drive within yourself,others are attracted to it and beginto find the drive in themselves aswell. So you don’t simply “domore deals” because you are work-ing harder, you also do more dealsbecause your clients are “inspired”to live their dreams as well.

You have one life – maintainand create enthusiasm every-where. Don’t just satisfy yourclients – overwhelm them with allthat you do. Take risks, make mis-takes and push your humanpotential to the utmost limits.When you do, you will no longer

chase business – you will attract it.Here are 15 things you can do

to find your inspiration and tobecome an inspiration:

1. Create your personal goals,which include a list of thingsyou’d like to accomplish in yourlifetime. Both short-term andlong-term goals are best. Readthem daily.

2. Create your business goals.Make sure they satisfy your per-sonal goals. Read them daily.

3. Write down what makesyou different and better than yourcompetition. Believe it fully andportray it to everyone you meet.

4. Practice your scripts as oftenas possible. The better you knowwhat to say, the more confidenceyou will have to say it and themore opportunities you will seekin order to say it.

5. Tell everyone your specificsales goals for the year and keepthem posted on your progress,both good and bad. Ask for helpin accomplishing them.

6. Buy a book of inspirationand keep it in your car. Read itdaily. This is anything you findinspiring – Mother Teresa, a proathlete, a great quote book, any-thing you know will brighten yourmood when needed.

7. Buy a composition note-book and write a journal or simplydoodle daily. Be creative andallow yourself the ability to doanything. Do not censor yourself.

8. Invest 15 minutes every dayto watch clips and read books andarticles about selling. Don’t skip aday. Learning from others is great,and learning something new isoften one of the most inspiringthings you will ever do, secondonly to teaching something.

9. Invest 15 minutes daily toplan for the next day. There isnothing more inspiring thanstarting your day with a writtenplan of attack – your plan! Makethis a daily habit and you’ll sellmore in less time and have morefun doing it.

10. Surround yourself with thebest; hang around with the best inyour business/industry. Modeltheir habits and ask them foradvice.

11. Break up projects intosmaller pieces. Then begin withthe second most enjoyable activi-ty and keep the most enjoyableuntil the end. The more smallertasks you do, the sooner your bigproject will be completed.

12. Get a coach. Successfulpeople love helping others tobecome successful. But what isreally most interesting is that themajority of successful people didnot get there by themselves.

13. Make time for your lovedones as often as possible. Askthem how you can make their lifemore successful and try to makethat happen. In return they willtry to make you as successful aspossible.

14. Listen to as many ideas asyou can from everyone aroundyou. Never limit yourself to yourown thoughts and ideas. Ideasbuild and grow. Without a con-stant discussion about ideas you

will stagnate.15. Implement only the best

ideas. Don’t get caught in thedetails and planning and forget toimplement.

Inspired people do extraordi-nary things. What is truly inter-esting is that they don’t searchthem out; the extraordinary willfind you. The impressive salesnumbers, the fame and fortune,these are all byproducts of all thelittle things. One of the key littlethings is inspiration – it allowsyou to use the focus and power toconsistently do all the little thingsthat make your skills better – andthe people around you happier.

Andy Herrington is a foundingmember and master coach with DanPlowman Team Systems Inc. He isregarded as a specialist in humanbehaviour, scripting and team devel-opment. Email [email protected]. REM


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By Larry Easto

A better way to find an addressRoughly translated into

English this means, “San Franciscode Dos Rios, (the community inwhich I live, part of San Jose, thecapital city) 300 metres south ofthe Earth Colombia Restaurant(which is now closed and renovat-ed into a business centre) acrossfrom the merchant Don Bosco.”

There are two things I likeabout the Costa Rican approach todescribing an address.

First it forces us to be aware ofwhat’s around us. Whether you aregiving or receiving directions, it isimportant to be aware of locallandmarks. Moving aroundToronto, whether on foot, publictransit or driving, is invariably frus-trating. It’s like some kind of dancein which thousands and thousandsof people move about so totallyengrossed in themselves, theirinner thoughts or wireless commu-nications that they are totallyoblivious to what is right besidethem.

When looking for local land-marks, you are forced to be moreaware of your surroundings. And

this includes other people, the sec-ond feature I like about the CostaRican approach.

Whether asking for clarifica-tion or entirely new directions, theCosta Rican approach certainlyfacilitates connecting with otherpeople. I do, however, wonder howthose highly descriptive CostaRican addresses would fit intoMLS listing agreements.

There does appear to be someform of MLS service in Costa Rica.From what I can tell, it seems to bea feature offered by a single broker-age, rather than an industryresource available for all agents.

One of my students advised methat this area has a population ofabout 4.5 million people.

From my own observation,there is no evidence of real estateagents in or around theMetropolitan San Jose area. I haveseen many signs that simply said“‘se venda” (for sale) or “se alquila”(for rent) with a phone number.But so far I have not seen a realestate agent’s for sale sign any-where.

It’s tempting to suggest that thenumber of real estate agents is rela-tively small because Costa Ricansare fiercely independent andstrongly committed to the age-oldFSBO practice.

However, based on my limitedexperience in the country, that isnot entirely true.

Within a week of my arriving, Imet a journalist who had a friendanxiously trying to sell his home.Originally listed at over $900,000(US), the price had been reducedto just over $500,000. Althoughthe property was listed on non-exclusive agreements with two orthree agents in the U.S., there hadbeen no potential buyers.

The journalist helped theowner by taking some pictures andposting them to the website set upto help sell the house. When hefound out about my real estatemarketing website, the journalistinvited me to assist with the mar-keting.

However, by the time I wasable to speak to the owner, theproperty had been sold to a

Swedish purchaser, who managedto find the listing online.

A couple of weeks after thisincident, I had another real estate-related experience. Totally bychance, I met a Canadian fromVancouver, who turned out to bethe entrepreneur’s entrepreneur.His business activities include realestate.

Before I could pursue the issueof what he did in real estate, he wasoff on another topic, telling menon-stop what his plans are foranother project. He got even moreexcited when he found out that Iam a writer.

Perhaps time will tell exactlywhat he does in real estate and whyhe got so excited about my being awriter. Who knows...I might justfind myself more actively involvedin marketing real estate than justwriting about it.

Larry Easto is a best selling authorand publisher of www.real-estate-marketing-link.info. He can be con-tacted at [email protected]. REM

or better or for worse, I amstarting to appreciate theCosta Rican approach to

local addresses.I have been in Costa Rica since

the end of January. In addition tocontinuing to write and managemy website, I have been helpingSpanish-speaking executivesimprove their English.

In most of the country, thereare neither street names nor housenumbers. Addresses refer to locallandmarks. For example, myaddress as shown on my rentalagreement is: “San Francisco deDos Rios, 300 mts Sur delRestaurante Tierra Colombia,Fente al Abastecedor don Bosco.”

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ust married. By the time youread this I shall be. No giftsplease, just best wishes. Okay,those of you with too much

money, feel free to send along agift. Or cash. No amount of cash istoo unseemly but consider the larg-er denominations. And try to keepit under the FINTRAC limit, Ihate paperwork. Collect courierwill do nicely.

Speaking of smoking some-thing, last year I wrote about myexperiences at the VancouverIsland MusicFest (www.remon-line.com, September 2009) lead-ing to the preamble of our RealtorCode: “Under all is the land.Upon its wise utilization andwidely allocated ownershipdepend the survival and growth offree institutions and of our civi-lization. . . .”

We went and sat on the verysame real estate and enjoyed threedays of live music, gnomes, stiltwalkers, green men, raven people

Together we have all the tools

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METES & BOUNDS

By Marty Douglas

Chill’in at the Island MusicFest

J

and jugglers – all those little sideshows to main events that compli-ment the experience. A rovingthrong of youngsters called TwistedStrings ambushed us in what theycalled a ‘random act of violins’ andthen moved on. A nine-foot giantin a top hat interacted with raven-masked mimes, running betweenhis legs to the delight of gatheringyoungsters.

And through it all the sound ofcountry, Celtic, rock, folk andcalypso – frequently punctuatedwith clog dancing echoing fromwoodland stages to the main con-cert bowl. Kids on quarter-moonswings imagined while teens andadults jammed the swimming holeon the adjacent Tsolum River, giv-ing the resident fish their first tasteof sunscreen. Campers in tents,under tarps, in satellite-equippedmotor homes – mustn’t miss theWorld Cup final – lined up for daysto get their usual spots.

The weather was fantastic –just as the heat peaked, the breezefreshened. I took my REM 20thanniversary pocket watch becauseI didn’t want tan lines and thespaghetti strap on my other wristwatch is so – how should we say –misunderstood? Let me quicklyinsert several defences to any of myactions at MusicFest – I tried not toinhale. If my cell phone was asgood as it claims to be, it wouldhave called to say I had left it on

the bar backstage. And to theGood Samaritan who found myreading glasses and tucked themunder my windshield wiper – Ireally meant to leave them on theroof of my car so I could find itagain.

In case you wondered, RobertaFlack is a tiny powerhouse of song– wow! She blew the socks offFriday night, the crowd of maybe8,000 having been warmed up byH’sao from Chad via Montreal andCalypso Rose, a 70-year-olddynamo from Tobago.

On Saturday, the heatapproached 30 C, thankfully fromboth directions. For the hard – andI mean hard – rock groupies,Adrian Belew and his power trioexploded the main stage amplifiers– literally. (The next day he shat-tered the bridge on his $10,000 sig-nature guitar performing a slownumber.) Nanci Griffith got astanding ovation for her homage toPete Seeger with If I Had aHammer. Joan Osborne – yes thatJoan Osborne – and the HolmesBrothers – yes those guys – werethe main event although thePeatbog Faeries capped theevening with instrumentals sopowerful, neighbours for milesmust surely have thought theCampbells were on their wayagain.

Let me say this – MusicFestwould have been the poorer if the

federal government hadn’t liftedtheir quota of the number of bag-pipes accompanying travellingmusicians. Bagpipes and hangovers– is there a message there?

Noon and it can’t be Sundaywithout the Christ the KingChurch Choir from Uganda. Inthe CD tents, hunting for memo-ries of the night before, I got theMusicFest Spa treatment – a handheld spritzer, looking suspiciouslylike the one my mom used whileironing – mists my bare legs, armsand neck. By mid-afternoon, I’mwatching a display of sullenteenagers, forced to spend an after-noon with their parent’s music.The body language of the surlyteen – the curled lip, the upturnedeyes, shrugged shoulders and wearyresignation there’s a better place tobe – anywhere.

People watching – a greatsport. With the heat, it’s a multi-shirt festival and for my tie-dyedfriends this proves a challenge.Only has the two shirts and sadlyit’s a three-day event.

And then it’s time for CarlosDel Junko. I’m reading a book atthis point, sautéing nicely in theconcert bowl, half-listening to ahorn section, perhaps some stringsand percussion. Then I look up tosee one guy on stage. Holy crap, it’sa harmonica! Sounds you’ve heardbut not from this instrument andinstruments you’ve never heard,

part of the magic of this festival.Later David Linley does a similarthing with guitars and mandolins.If it’s got strings he can play it.Tuning up, he sounds orchestraland better than every acoustic gui-tar player on earth.

The evening sets start with theUnthanks, featuring clog dancing,amplified cello, fiddle and percus-sion supporting lovely, melancholyfolk songs from northeast England.Culinary skills aside, this bandcooked. David Linley, Dan Hicksand the Hot Licks followed andfestival concluded with this year’scoup – Little Feat.

If you’re looking for a musicalexperience that doesn’t includeLindsay Lohan & the AnkleMonitor, check it out atwww.islandmusicfest.com. Youcould have been here.

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

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leasing team in Avison Young’sMontreal office as vice-president.Benarrous has 18 years of experi-ence in the commercial real estateindustry and was formerly withJones Lang LaSalle, where he spe-cialized in tenant representationservices in the Montreal market.

David Scott is now a mortgageagent in Avison Young’s Torontomortgage brokerage division of theCapital Markets Group. Scott willwork with Norm Arychuk, whoalso recently joined AvisonYoung’s mortgage brokerage group,to help further develop and servicemajor corporate real estate clientsacross Canada.

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years and includes underwritingwith such firms as Standard Life,MetLife and CIBC Mortgages Inc.His experience includes thefinancing of traditional and non-traditional income-producingproperties and land, as well asopening a branch for a privatemortgage brokerage firm.

■ ■ ■

CBRE Hotels is the exclusiveadvisor in the sale of DeerhurstResort – where the G8 meeting ofworld leaders took place in June –near Huntsville, Ont. A 100-per-cent freehold interest in the 400-room upscale resort is being offeredon behalf of 1279342 OntarioLimited, Cornerstone Real EstateAdvisers LLC and MassMutualFinancial Group.

Deerhurst Resort first opened

with a lodge and two cabins in1896. Over the years, it has grownto become an iconic golf and con-ference facility, says the company.

The resort offers 400 guestrooms; 40,000 square feet of meet-ing and exhibition space; sevenfood and beverage options; two 18-hole golf courses, two drivingranges and a golf school; a full ser-vice spa and salon; and an active3,000-foot airstrip.

■ ■ ■

Jones Lang LaSalle has boostedits Montreal business by addinglandlord representation expertise.The firm has appointed MaxFrancischiello as senior vice-presi-dent who will lead the practice,Claudio Celli as vice-president andMaria Yannakis as associate.

With more than 18 years of realestate experience, Francischiello isa seasoned expert in landlord rep-resentation. He joins fromCourtage Immobilier Asgaard Inc.,which he co-founded with ClaudioCelli.

Celli brings more than eightyears of landlord representationexperience to Jones Lang LaSalle.A graduate of economics fromConcordia University, he is anAffiliated Real Estate Agent andmember of ICSC, IDU andBOMA. Yannakis has worked inthe Montreal office leasing fieldfor six years and has beeninvolved in many high profileprojects while at CourtageImmobilier Asgaard Inc.

■ ■ ■

Meghan Kennedy has joinedDTZ Barnicke Vancouver as a bro-ker. Kennedy will concentrate onthe central Vancouver market, spe-cializing in office and retail proper-ty. While her focus will be dedicat-ed to leasing, she will also be work-ing with several senior personnelin the sales and investment arenas.Kennedy will be working closelywith senior brokers NeilMcAllister and James Bayley, whotogether bring over 25 years ofexperience in commercial realestate leasing and sales.

Prior to joining DTZ BarnickeVancouver’s brokerage team,Kennedy was the firm’s director ofmarketing, where she managed theoverall marketing and communi-cation strategy for the firm.

■ ■ ■

Vancouver’s historical SunTower is getting a new marketingpush.

Built in 1912, the Beaux-Artsbuilding was commissioned byL.D. Taylor, seven-time mayor ofVancouver, to house theVancouver World newspaper.Immediately, its bold architecture,especially the nine semi-clad maid-ens with exposed bare breasts thatsupport the building’s cornice,caused quite a stir amongVancouverites. At 17 storeys, itwas the talk of the town as thetallest building in the BritishEmpire until Toronto’s OptimaBusiness Centre was built in 1914.

In 1937, a new era of innova-tion took hold. The distinct cop-per-domed building was boughtby the Vancouver Sun, andrenamed the Sun Tower.Although The Sun has longsince relocated to other offices,the building has been known bythat name ever since.

The leasing team behind theSun Tower, Cushman &Wakefield, have joined forces withreal estate marketing campaignbuilders Braun/Allison Inc. to

extend the Sun Tower brand. Thecampaign has launched with aconsumer-oriented logo and brandfor the tower, and a website(www.suntowerbuilding.com) thatis different from the approach nor-mally taken by the commercialleasing industry, says the team. “It’san offer to be part of a community,a ‘creative commons’ as the lineunder the logo suggests,” says theteam in a news release. It sayssocial media and collaborative tac-tics will feature heavily in futurephases of the campaign.

Mark Trepp of Cushman &Wakefield says, “I think this kind ofcontemporary approach to market-ing a commercial space will helpproperties lease faster, which willmean less vacant space, and ulti-mately, more consistent revenue.Building a community of creativepeople in this building – be theylawyers or photographers – willhelp all tenants feel engaged witheach other and the building theywork in. I think this is a good thingfor everyone involved.” REM

Laurent Benarrous

Claudio Celli

Meghan Kennedy

Maria Yannakis

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

Oakville, Milton and DistrictReal Estate Board2009 Halton Symposium andTradeshowThursday, Sept.16Oakville Conference CentreOakvilleCindy Amodeo – 905-844-6491,Ext. 106

La Capitale Real EstateNetwork Annual Convention Sept. 21 – 22Manoir St-SauveurSaint-Sauveur, Que.France Massé – [email protected]

Royal LePage National SalesConferenceSept. 22 – 25Fairmont The Queen ElizabethMontrealwww.royallepageevents.ca

Edmonton ApartmentAssociation in partnership withthe Realtors Association ofEdmontonSuites and Homes Trade ShowTuesday, Sept. 28Mayfield Inn and Suites TradeCentreEdmontonwww.eaa.ab.ca/eventdetail.aspx?ID=59

Re/Max Fall Connect AgentSales RallySept. 28 – 29Toronto Congress Centre, NorthBuilding, Torontowww.remaxevents.ca

Realtors Association ofHamilton-BurlingtonRealtors ConnectionsConference & Trade ShowThursday, Sept. 30Hamilton Convention CentreHamiltonSheila Sferrazza –[email protected] or 905-529-8101, ext.234

Peterborough and theKawarthas Association ofRealtorsTechnology Day and TradeShowFriday, Oct. 1Living HopePeterborough, [email protected]

Century 21 CanadianConference 2010Oct. 1 – 3Metro Toronto ConventionCentre, TorontoJeff Sampson –[email protected]

2010 Atlantic ConnectionOct. 5 – 7Halifax Marriott HarbourfrontHotel, Halifax“A Realtor ‘How To’ conference”www.atlanticconnection.ca

WinnipegRealtors AssociationTechnology Conference andTrade ShowWednesday, Oct.13Victoria Inn & ConferenceCentre, WinnipegWendy Wasylnuk – [email protected] (204) 786-8854www.wrexpo.ca

Realtors Association of GreyBruce Owen SoundTrade ShowTuesday, Oct. 19Harry Lumley BayshoreCommunity CentreOwen [email protected]

CREA – MTC TechnologyForumSaturday, Oct. 23Sheraton Hotel NewfoundlandSt. John’s, Nfld.Julie Daviau – [email protected]

Ottawa Real Estate Board TradeShowThursday, Oct. 28Centurian Conference CentreOttawaWilda Brown – [email protected]

National Association ofRealtors2010 Conference and ExpoNov. 5 – 8New Orleanswww.realtor.org/convention.nsf/

Mississauga Real Estate Board2010 Election Meeting andTrade ShowWednesday, Nov. 17Versailles Convention Centre,MississaugaGay Napper – 905-608-6732

Prudential Real Estate andRelocation Services Sales Rally,Trade Show and EducationEventThursday, Nov. 18Lejardin Conference CentreWoodbridge, Ont.Nancy Sears – [email protected]

CAAMP Canadian Mortgage Conferenceand ExpoNov. 21 – 23Palais des congrès de MontrealMontrealwww.mortgageconference.ca

Re/Max & YouTuesday, Nov. 23Mississauga Convention CentreMississauga, Ont.www.remaxevents.ca905-731-7455 | 888-548-7725

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Good WorksGood Worksotorcycle enthusiastsrode from Mississauga,Ont. to Sault Ste. Marie

in this year’s Realtors CareFoundation Motorcycle Ride forCharity.

The group of sponsored ridersincluded the Realtors CareFoundation’s David Trick, pastchair; Don Richardson, public gov-ernor; Richard Hawkins, Realtorgovernor; and Lynn Martin, publicgovernor. There were 33 regis-trants for the four-day ride – someriding the entire time, others for aday or two. The trip was more than2,500 km long.

Visits were coordinated withthe Mississauga Real Estate Board;Oakville, Milton & District RealEstate Board; Woodstock-Ingersoll& District Real Estate Board;Realtors Association of Grey BruceOwen Sound; The GeorgianTriangle Real Estate Board; TheBarrie & District Real EstateBoard; Orillia & District RealEstate Board; Parry Sound RealEstate Board; Sudbury Real EstateBoard; Timmins Real Estate Boardand Sault St Marie Real EstateBoard. Additional donations tothe foundation were collected atthese boards, bringing the totalamount raised to more than$40,500.

Also included in the itinerarywere visits to several recipients offoundation grants. On day one,the group came to the HaltonLighthouse Shelter in Oakville. Itis an emergency shelter committedto providing safe, secure, short-term accommodations to individu-als who are experiencing some typeof housing crisis. Day two broughtthe ride to Barrie and a visit withrepresentatives of the David BusbyStreet Centre. This shelter’s mis-sion and vision includes improvingliving conditions for individualswithin Simcoe County who arehomeless or at risk of homeless-ness.

Before departing from Sudburyon day three, the group was invitedon a tour of the Maison Vale Inco

Hospice. It provides residentialhospice palliative care in theSudbury-Manitoulin Districts,compassionate support and qualitycare to individuals and families in ahome-like environment. The lastday ended in Sault St. Marie,where the group shared refresh-ments with the Sault Ste. MarieReal Estate Board and AlgomaResidential Community Hospicerepresentatives, also dedicated to

providing compassionate end-of-life care to palliative patients andtheir families. These organizationsare not-for-profit and depend onthe support from their communi-ties. Through the Realtors CareFoundation grants, they havereceived funds to assist them inachieving their goals.

The goal for the foundationcharity ride over the last few yearshas been to travel throughoutOntario to raise the awareness ofthe foundation and its goals to thecommunities, fellow Realtors andreal estate boards. So far ridershave visited 33 of the 42 real estateboards in Ontario. In 2011, theremainder of the boards will be vis-ited.

■ ■ ■

Re/Max sales associates andsupport staff across Canada raised

more than $100,000 for theCanadian Breast CancerFoundation on May 29 throughYard Sale for the Cure. The fundssupport breast cancer research,health promotions and trainingfellowships that are leading to realprogress in the fight against breastcancer.

Christine Martysiewicz, direc-tor of internal and public relationsfor Re/Max Ontario-AtlanticCanada, says: “We’re proud to takea proactive role in leveraging theresources of our Canadian networkand our position within local com-munities to save lives. We feelYard Sale is more than a fundraiser;it’s a lifeline, and its impact ismulti-faceted. Every time we holda Yard Sale event, we’re helping toraise awareness as well as much-needed funds, and it really bringsour people together in a meaning-

ful way.”More that 50 Re/Max offices

from coast to coast participated inthe annual fundraiser this year.Re/Max has raised close to$500,000 through Yard Sale for theCure nationwide since 2006.

Marie Sheppy, senior co-ordi-nator, Re/Max of Western Canadasays: “It’s a goal we’ve taken toheart and one that inspires. That’swhy, each year, Yard Sale for theCure prompts greater participationand creativity, as each Re/Maxoffice strives to surpass the previousyear’s goal. The level of enthusi-asm is simply remarkable.”

■ ■ ■

For the 13th year in a row,Sutton sales reps and brokers inEdmonton and nearby St. Albertsupported the Edmonton FringeFestival. As one of Canada’s

M

The Realtors CareFoundationMotorcycle Ridefor Charity cov-ered 2,500 kmthis year, raisingmore than$40,500.

Riders had a tour of the MaisonVale Inco Hospice, which pro-vides residential hospice palliativecare in the Sudbury-ManitoulinDistricts

Right: Cam Leach, PhyllisGleeson, Sharon Pazzaglia andAmanda Carter from Re/Max

Garden City Realty in St.Catharines, Ont. took part in the

Yard Sale for the Cure event.

Above: At the Yard Sale for the Cure, fromleft: Evelyn Sulz, Lisa Rice, Travis Hawryluk,Elaine Reaper, Connie Hausch and RianneEdwards-Switzer from Re/Max Real Estate(Edmonton) in Spruce Grove, Alta.

The ride was launched at the Mississauga Real Estate Boardoffices on July 7.


Continued on page 50

largest live theatre events, the fes-tival attracts performers and visi-tors from around the world. Thisyear’s festival boasted 180 produc-tions and 1,500 performances bylocal, national, international andyoung audiences companies.

“All of the Sutton offices in theEdmonton area band together tosupport the Fringe and sponsor thestage,” says James Mabey, broker atSutton Group - Nor-Vista Realtyin St. Albert. “We also provideevent space for kids. We donatethe use of three tents where kidscan enjoy entertainment and playareas. The Edmonton FringeFestival is fantastic for our commu-nity and we’re happy to be a part ofit.”

Another event benefitingyouth was the Crystal Kids StreetDance and Barbecue, sponsored bySutton offices in Edmonton andSt. Albert. Sales of the donatedhot dogs and hamburgers helped toraise money for the Crystal KidsYouth Centre. “It’s a safe, support-ive environment for youth,” saysMabey. “The centre offers kids analternative to hanging out in theinner city where there is the poten-tial to get into trouble. They par-ticipate in sports, use computers,get assistance with homework andhave a nutritious meal.”

■ ■ ■

The Kitchener-Waterloo RealEstate Board (KWREB) raised$20,000 for Reaching OurOutdoor Friends (ROOF) throughthe association’s 17th annualcharity golf tournament recently.The tournament attracted 127golfers in a fun team-scramble for-mat at Conestoga Country Club.

ROOF provides for the safety,support and overall well-being ofhomeless youth and youth-at-risk,age 12-25, in the Waterloo Region.

Since 1993 the KWREB hasdonated more than half a milliondollars to support local charities.

■ ■ ■

A new women’s shelter toaccommodate the growing needin Fort McMurray, Alta. is closerto breaking ground thanks to theannual slo-pitch tournamentorganized by Marian Barry andher Royal LePage True NorthRealty Team.

The tournament took placeover a weekend in June, with morethan 400 participants – True

From left, Lorna Dingwell of Unity House, Marian Barry,broker/owner of Royal LePage True North Realty, Mary-Ellen Proctor, Unity House, and Royal LePage presidentPhil Soper show off a cheque for $22,400.

Daryl King, a sales rep with Royal LePageYour Community, sports his rainy weatherattire at the Royal LePage Credit Valleyannual golf tournament.Allan De Genova

The Cornwall and District Real Estate Board recently held itsannual charity golf tournament. Funds raised were matched byScotiabank, resulting in a donation of $10,000 for VictimServices of S.D.G.&A. At the cheque presentation, from left:Johanna Murray, EO of the board; Diane Plourde, executivedirector of Victim Services; Celine Eady, co-chair of the GolfCommittee; and Joanne Ouellette, mortgage development man-ager for Scotiabank. The other co-chair of the committee isRobert Juhasz.

Royal LePagePerformanceRealty inOttawa raisedmore than$3,000 forthree localcharitiesincluding alocal shelter,NelsonHouse, at itsGarage Sale

for Shelter. From left: Lori Deeprose, David Callan, Gail Todd,Peter George, Gloria Bae, Gail Lynch, Robert Hof and DanMoloughney.

The 31st Annual Royal LePage Women’s Run, Stroll or Rollwas held in Thunder Bay, Ont. recently.

Don Dubytz, (centre), broker of record, and the team from RoyalLePage North Bay Real Estate Services, present a cheque to JanineLafreniere, executive director of Nipissing Transition House .

Royal LePage Pro Alliance’sbroker/owner Mark Rashotteand his Beatles tribute band,

All You Need Is Love, will per-form to raise money for the

Shelter Foundation at theEmpire Square Anniversary

Celebrations in Belleville, Ont.on Friday, Sept. 10. Tickets are

$10. To order tickets, visitwww.theempiretheatre.com and

click on Box Office.

n March 25, 1969 PrimeMinister Pierre Trudeaustrode to the podium at

the Washington Press Club andfamously said to a gathering ofAmerican reporters, “Living nextto you is like sleeping with an ele-phant. No matter how friendlyand even tempered the beast; oneis affected by every twitch andgrunt.”

That line is often recountedand it remains true to this day inall aspects of life here in Canada.Including real estate.

The Canadian real estate mar-ket is slowing down right now butit has been amazingly resilient


THE PUBLISHER’SPAGE

By Heino Molls

O

North’s biggest tournament ever.“In our first year in 2002, we

raised $3,500,” says Barry. “Andnow, eight years later, we man-aged to raise $22,400.” UnityHouse Family Crisis Centre, therecipient of the funds, plans tobuild a new facility with 50 beds.“Currently, we have a verycramped space,” said Unity Houseexecutive director Mary EllenProctor. “Recently, to make moreroom we emptied our office,which allowed for a total of 35beds, half of which are occupiedby children. We run nine pro-grams here so we are in great needof a larger facility.”

During the past nine years,Royal LePage True North hasraised close to $140,000 for UnityHouse.

■ ■ ■

More than 140 people tookpart in the Realtors Association ofHamilton-Burlington (RAHB)annual charity golf tournamentrecently to support RAHB’s

Home Ownership AffordabilityPartnership (HOAP) and theKaran Barker MemorialScholarship Fund. The eventraised $13,500.

■ ■ ■

Allan De Genova, a sales repwith Sutton Group - West CoastRealty in Vancouver, is the presi-dent of Honour House Society,which operates Winch House, aplace where injured or woundedveterans and first responders canstay with their families whilereceiving treatment in the LowerMainland. This spring, the societypurchased a 9,800-square-foot her-itage residence in NewWestminster. Once renovationsare complete this winter, HonourHouse will provide temporaryhousing while Winch House willserve as long-term housing.

De Genova used his knowl-edge of the local real estate marketto select the property and helpplan renovations on the large resi-dence, which was built in 1939.The facility is expected to provide10 wheelchair accessible rooms.

Despite a busy real estate

career, De Genova was a five-term Vancouver Park BoardCommissioner from 1993 to 2008.During his tenure, he was involvedin countless projects including thecreation of the Italian Garden atHastings Park and the refurbish-ment of Victory Square Park andthe Cenotaph. He was recentlyreappointed as a special advisor tothe Vancouver ChinatownMerchants’ Association. DeGenova is also a director of theVancouver Resource Society,which provides accessible housingand finds employment options forpeople with disabilities. He wasinstrumental in securing accessiblehousing in the Woodward’s rede-velopment project.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage North BayReal Estate Services recentlyparticipated in the Royal LePageNational Garage Sale forShelter. The volunteer team ofRealtors, administrative assis-tants and sponsors raised morethan $1,200 for NipissingTransition House, a local shelterthat provides a safe haven for

women and children fleeingfrom violence.

■ ■ ■

Recently Sutton - PremierRealty in Surrey, B.C. hosted aTexas Hold ’em poker tournamentthat raised $400 for the CanadianCancer Society. The playersincluded Broker Larry Anderson,several sales reps and invitedguests. The tournament was sosuccessful that Anderson hopes tomake it a monthly event benefit-ing various charities.

Many of these players alsopitched in at a car wash and bar-becue in the parking lot of thenewly renovated Sutton - PremierRealty.

■ ■ ■

More than 1,000 women andgirls took to the streets in ThunderBay, Ont. to participate in the 31stAnnual Royal LePage Women’sRun, Stroll or Roll recently. The$25,000 raised was directed to theUnited Way charity of the partici-pants’ choice, and two localwomen’s shelters received $5,000.The Walk/Run was topped off

with an awards luncheon andentertainment. During the past 10years, Royal LePage LannonRealty has raised more than$250,000 for the United Way andlocal women’s shelters in ThunderBay.

■ ■ ■

A wet suit, flippers, rubberboots and garbage bags weremandatory golf wear for RoyalLePage Credit Valley’s 8th AnnualCharity Golf Tournament. Despitethe monsoon-like weather, thesense of humour and dedication ofloyal supporters and golfers pre-vailed, helping to raise $11,000 forThe Family Life Resource Centrein Brampton, Ont. through theRoyal LePage Shelter Foundation.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage Partners recentlyheld its Second Annual GolfTournament in support of theNorth York (Ont.) Women’sShelter. With more than $1,200raised, participants enjoyed a dayof golf, an evening of good food,socializing and great prizes.

REM

The elephant in the marketcompared to the real estate marketin the United States. Everybodytalks about it. Everybody boastshow much better we are up here.

The reasons for the astoundingdifference in property valuesbetween our countries are com-plex but it really all comes down toone thing – regulation. At the endof the day there was very little ifany regulation of mortgages andproperty valuations in America.Financial companies falsely droveproperty values up in an enormousbubble that burst. It was such acolossal burst that it spread aroundthe globe and almost took downthe entire world economy with it.

Here in Canada we were luckyto have tighter regulations thatprevented banking and loanscoundrels from buying and sellingmortgages like these vastly inflatedloans that were created in theUSA. We never had trouble likethat. There is no bubble here.

But before we get all smug andstart clapping each other on theback about all this, let us not for-get that there are plenty of conartists and criminals here that

cause enormous grief in the finan-cial sector. Some sources at theRCMP note that mortgage fraud isthe greatest threat to financialinstitutions and homeownerstoday. We must also not overlookthat some of our banks here inCanada actually took a role in the“toxic” loans in the United Statesand got burned along with every-body else, albeit not as badly.

The degree of corruption andgreed is the same in Canada as it isin the United States. So howabout we all put our fingers back inour pockets and stop pointingthem at America?

We should not forget that theUnited States is our greatest trad-ing partner. The American econo-my is driven by real estate just likeours, so when they get hurt itaffects us too. It affects how muchthey buy from us, all the jobs thatrelate to that and the real estatethat is sold because of it. The crip-pled economy and the real estatemarket in the USA are very hurtright now. More than it has beenfor many years. It is devastated.

Don’t think for a minute that

we are not sharing the pain. Justlook around. Our markets are slow,our government is in deficit againafter years of surplus and our com-munity services are strainingunder the weight of human need.We’ve taken some pretty good hitshere too.

There is, however, good newson the horizon. Property prices inthe United States hit bottom sometime ago. They are starting to rise.They may not get to the inflatedlevels they once were in the nextfew years but they will rise signifi-cantly. The market will slowly,surely and solidly recover. It ishappening now if you look. Thereal estate market in America ismoving in the right direction.

Many homes will need renova-tion. Some will even have to becompletely rebuilt. Some neigh-bourhoods may even need bulldoz-ing and gutting to build newhomes.

How I wish that I was a youngman who was clever with toolsand had the energy to work onhome renovation. I regret that Iam neither. I could make more

money down there than a J.P.Morgan banker in New York Cityright now.

Sometime in 2011, maybe byspring but certainly by the fall,there is going to be an extraordi-nary turn around in the UnitedStates real estate market. It will belike a rolling stone. It will take alot of effort to get it going but onceit starts; man it is going to roll.

Say what you like about thelong road back the Americanshave before them. They will makeit. They are still America. Thehome of Hollywood movies, theNew York Yankees, Microsoft,The Ford Motor Company,cheeseburgers, fries and Coke. It’sstill the land of opportunity. Letme tell ya pilgrim, their record ofmaking dreams come true is just asconsistent and as rock solid as itever was.

They are still the elephant. Wewill still be affected by everytwitch.

Heino Molls is publisher ofREM. Email [email protected].

REM

Good WorksContinued from page 49

Keller Williams RealtyHalifax, Nova Scotia

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To learn more about franchise or leadership opportunities at one of Canada’s fastest growing real estate companies, we invite you to contact us.

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Different by DesignThis is not your ordinary real estate opportunity

www.kw.com© 2010 Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

Each office is independently owned and operated.*Numbers as of July 2010

Keller Williams Canada Celebrates the Launch of Our First Office in Atlantic Canada....

“The Keller Williams belief system is a win/win situation for everyone – the realtors and the customers. Keller Williams will be the real estate company of choice in the Atlantic Provinces in the very near future and our team is energized to fulfill this dream.”

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Help your customers do their homework.

© 2010 Genworth Financial

Homeownership is often the biggest investment of a lifetime, so it’s important to educate your

customers about the various costs of homeownership. Make sure they understand all the available

mortgage options, the impact of rising interest rates and that purchasing within their means are

the keys to success. We provide easy to understand homebuyer information about purchasing

responsibly at www.HomeownershipHelp.ca

Complimentary Networking Event – September 28 & 29

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Each office is independently owned and operated. *Agenda subject to change without notice

For more information or to Register visit remaxevents.ca

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September 2010

Documents

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