February 2014

Take the REM survey and win a tablet Page 16

Maximizing virtual curb appeal Page 6

CREA begins ‘orderly transition’ after boards leavePage 3

Issue #296 February 2014

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Rookie RealtorTav Schembri has $75-million

in deals in his first 18 months Page 10

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RE/MAX of Western Canada annually awards 16 bursaries of $1000 each to

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motivation, volunteering and participation in charitable events or fundraising.

Deadline: March 10, 2014.

For more information or to apply go to remax.ca Each Offi ce Independently Owned and Operated

REA says that it will startremoving Quebec listingsfrom out-of-province bro-

kers from Realtor.ca. In a lettersent to boards early in January,CREA president Laura Leyser said,“After several calls, emails and let-ters to the OACIQ about the sta-tus of out-of-province listings,CREA recently received aresponse from the provincial regu-lator. Given this new develop-ment, CREA will remove theoffending listings this month. Wecaution that the OACIQ has notprovided blanket guidance toCREA that covers all potentialfuture listings, however, we hope itwill continue to work with us in aspirit of co-operation.”

The issue of listings from out-of-province brokers was one ofmany reasons why the real estateboards in Montreal, Quebec Cityand other smaller centres opted toleave CREA at the end of 2013.

“CREA has always been will-ing to act,” Randall McCauley,vice-president of government andpublic relations for CREA, told theMontreal Gazette. “But real estateis governed by the province.CREA is not a law-enforcementbody. CREA cannot remove a list-ing by a member unless theprovince shows it is inconsistentwith its laws.”

CREA has also decided to waituntil January 28 before it removesthe listings of those who havedropped out of the national associ-ation.

“Given the confusion createdby the decision of some boards to separate and a recent decision of the OACIQ about the need to inform clients their listings will no longer appear onRealtor.ca/MLS.ca/ICX.ca, CREAwill work with members to accom-modate these two issues,” saysLeyser. “This will allow for anorderly transition – for departingmembers to inform their clientsper the OACIQ decision and formembers who wish to remainmembers of CREA.”

Several boards in the provincehave agreed to stay with CREAand to accept new members from

REM FEBRUARY 2014 3

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CREA begins ‘orderly transition’ afterboards leaveNational association is removing Quebec listings from out-of-province brokers

areas where the boards have optedout. These include the Chambreimmobiliere de l’Abitibi-Temiscamingue, Chambre immo-biliere de l’Estrie, Chambre immo-biliere de Lanaudiere, Chambreimmobiliere de la Mauricie,Chambre immobiliere del’Outaouais and the Quebec WestReal Estate Board.

“You do not have to leave yourcurrent board in order to join anew board,” says Leyser. Costs andthe process to join can be obtainedby contacting any of these boards.”

The departure of most Quebecbrokers from CREA should haveonly a temporary negative effecton brokers in the province whocan no longer list properties on theMLS, says the president of theGreater Montreal Real EstateBoard (GMREB).

Patrick Juanéda says brokerswill have to explain to confusedclients why their listings will nolonger go on the MLS and thatthe Centris.ca listings searchengine, created in 2010 by theQuebec Federation of Real EstateBoards, is superior to Realtor.ca.He says that when the HauteYamaska board previously leftCREA, it reported the departure

did not have an impact.Juanéda says it is “deplorable”

that CREA is trying to find ways tohelp Quebec brokers remain a partof the association rather thanaddressing the concerns of theboards.

“CREA lacks respect for mem-bers. They should take the messageas a leader and say we should belooking for solutions,” he says.Instead, “they’re creating dissen-sion among members.”

The opinion of members acrossCanada about CREA services“isn’t particularly pretty,” Juanédasays. “It’s not just Quebec. There’sgrumbling everywhere. Theyshould sit down and help us. Thereare quick paths to solutions.”

In a narrow vote, 50.9 per centof Montreal board members votedto split from CREA, while 49.1voted to stay. Only 3,826 members(or 39 per cent) participated in the1,946 to 1,880 vote.

Meanwhile, the Quebec Cityboard also decided to pull out aftera more decisive 57.5 per cent to42.5 per cent vote by members.

“This result confirms that thestatus quo could no longerremain,” Juanéda wrote in a letterto members. He went on to say the

Montreal board has communicat-ed its concerns with CREA severaltimes over the last two years butthat several problematic issuesremain.

In an interview, Juanédaacknowledged that the closeMontreal vote result indicates divi-sion among members on the ques-tion of CREA membership butnotes that 61 per cent of membersdid not vote. He says this showsmembers are indifferent about thenational association.

The impact of the departure bythe Quebec boards on CREAmembership levels will not beknown for several weeks or months“given the decision by many mem-bers to remain in CREA,” the asso-ciation says.

The Montreal and QuebecCity boards demanded a review ofCREA expenses, requested moreà-la-carte services and sought theability to opt out of the nationaldata distribution system. Theywere also concerned about recentchanges to the national code ofethics.

FSBO listings of Quebec prop-erties on Realtor.ca began to beseen last year from isellmyhome.caand DuProprio (ComFree),

Juanéda says. Such listings are ille-gal under Quebec law.

Unlike the rest of Canada, it isdifficult for Quebec FSBOs to paya flat fee to a broker to list theirhomes on Realtor.ca becauseprovincial law requires brokers toverify the accuracy of informationon listings.

In addition, the national codeof ethics imposed by CREA, whichjuxtaposes onto the code already ineffect in Quebec, is unmanageableand creates confusion, Juanédasays. He says the Montreal board isconcerned the national data distri-bution system will result in mem-bers’ data being used outside theindustry.

The Montreal board says thatCentris.ca has much higher webtraffic than Realtor.ca. “Our analy-ses indicate that properties inMontreal can be easily found byInternet searchers around theworld,” Juanéda says. He saysCentris.ca appears among the earlyresults of a Google search of “housefor sale Montreal,” whileRealtor.ca only appears pages later.New mobile applications ofCentris are also being created thatsurpass Realtor.ca, he says. – withfiles from Danny Kucharsky. REM

man wanted in the 2011kidnapping that lead tothe death of Toronto

sales rep Jiangou (Tony) Han willbe tried for the crime in China.

Guo Wei Wu, 45, had beenone of Canada’s most wantedfugitives since 2011. He wasarrested in China on an unrelat-ed matter in October.

Peel Regional Police say theybelieve Wu orchestrated a crimi-nal conspiracy to kidnap Hanand a client, Xiu Jun (Johnny)Fei, while Han was showing ahome on Featherstone Drive inMississauga. Police say the men

were being held for ransom. OnJanuary 26, Fei was found badlyinjured in a Toronto parking lotafter being released, but policesay Han died while in captivity.His remains were found in aMarkham-area home on July 11,2011. An autopsy showed hedied of a heart attack.

Han, a sales rep withHomeLife Landmark Realty inMarkham, had been trying to sellthe luxury home for severalmonths, says the MississaugaNews.

Several suspects were chargedwith kidnapping and manslaugh-

ter, but police were not able tofind the alleged ringleader, Wu.

“Although no extraditiontreaty exists between Canadaand China, Chinese law allowsfor the trial of Chinese citizensfor offences committed inCanada,” says Peel RegionalPolice in a release. “Discussionsand the exchange of informationbetween the two counties hasresulted in Guo Wei Wu’s furtherarrest and detention for theoffence of international homi-cide in the death of Mr. Han.The evidence in this case, asgathered by Peel Regional

Police, will be provided to theChinese justice authorities underthe auspices of a formal MutualLegal Assistance Treaty requestthat will be co-ordinated,reviewed and approved byCanada’s federal Department ofJustice. Once approved, Wu willbe tried in a Chinese court.”

REM

Man accused of planning fatal kidnapping to be tried in ChinaA

Tony Han

4 REM FEBRUARY 2014

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

By Jim Adair, REM Editor

tours to give clients first-handinformation on the condo livingexperience. Ma says there will bean on-duty manager and three full-time on-duty sales reps in theCondo SuperCentre.

Among those at the openingwere Markham Mayor FrankScarpitti; city councillors AlanHo and Alex Chiu; HomeLifefounder and CEO AndrewCimerman; Baker Real Estate pres-ident Barbara Lawlor; ConcordAdex CEO Dennis Au-Yeung;Urbancorp CEO Alan Saskin;Menkes Development VP JaredMenkes; and the past chairman ofRHMCBA, Kenny Wan.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage Elite Realtyrecently celebrated its official

omeLife Landmark Realtyheld the grand openingceremony for its Condo

SuperCentre in November, withmore than 200 builders, developersand Realtors in attendance. Thebrokerage has 780 Realtors andsells more than 1,000 units of newhomes and condos every year.

“Selling new homes and condoprojects has been a big portion ofour brokerage’s business in pastyears. Our salespeople and clientshave earned lots of profit and equi-ty in the tide of GTA propertyvalue appreciation,” says Tony Ma,broker of record.

The Condo SuperCentre is at7240 Woodbine Ave., beside thehome office of the brokerage. It hastouch screen TVs, motion tech-nology, virtual tours and video

Hrecently moved into a new 5,000-square-foot office building on themain thoroughfare in Greenwood,N.S. Valerie Connell and herhusband Kim Connell are the fran-chisees of the brokerage, which hastwo locations in the AnnapolisValley. “Our focus was to create amodern, warm and prestigiousambiance that both Realtors andthe public would appreciate,” saysValerie.

“Under Val’s direction anddesign, first-class appointments

have been made to the office spacein one of the most prominent loca-tions in the area,” says JoyceParon, president of Exit’sCanadian Division. “The office issurrounded by some of the largestand most recognized businesses inthe community.”

■ ■ ■

Owners and managers from allnew Century 21 Canada officeswere invited to a five-day face-to-face strategic planning sessionrecently in Toronto. New ownersand managers representing BritishColumbia, Alberta, Manitoba andOntario attended.

“The advantage we offer is acomplete business package, fromplanning and technology tofinances and management. It’svital that our offices get first-handexperience so they can maximizethese tools and meet the experts onour team,” says Don Lawby, presi-dent of Century 21 Canada.

Educator Chris Leader guidedthe attendees through each day,developing skills designed to pro-duce immediate results. Companydepartment directors provided anoverview of the professional devel-opment programs, marketing cam-paigns and recruiting opportunitiesavailable to offices. REM

opening in Mississauga, Ont., ledby broker/owner Vince Tersigni.Formerly affiliated with Prudential,the brokerage has been in businessfor almost 30 years, says partnerand VP Granville Wharram. “Wehave a brand-new state-of-the artoffice, located for easy access tomajor highways 401, 427 and 410,serving West Toronto, Mississaugaand Brampton,” says Wharram.He says the brokerage offers agents“great service, high technology,unlimited free parking, training,mentoring and proven leadership.”

■ ■ ■

Exit Realty Town & Country

Dignitaries cut the ribbon at the official opening of HomeLifeLandmark Realty’s Condo SuperCentre.

Celebrating the opening of Royal LePage Elite Realty, from left: MarkFrenette, network development manager, Royal LePage; YvonneRatigan, VP, network services; Michael Tersigni, broker; VinceTersigni, broker of record; Grenville Wharram, partner and VP; andKealy Wharram, sales rep.

Kim and Valerie Connell

Mark Renzoni namedpresident of CBRE

CBRE Limited says StefanCiotlos will transition from his role

as president of CBRE Limited inCanada to “focus on key strategicprojects that are vital to the compa-ny’s continued growth”. MarkRenzoni, chief operating officer, is

now president and CEO of CBRELimited.

COO since 2012, Renzoni hashelped develop corporate andfinancial strategy, while co-ordinat-ing client relationships acrossCanada, the company says. He hasworked at CBRE in various rolessince 1989.

Ciotlos, who has been withCBRE since 1986, will remain withthe company and focus on keystrategic growth initiatives.

“Stefan has done an outstand-ing job for CBRE in Canada andwe are very pleased that he will

remain with us in a key role thatwill help to drive our futuregrowth,” says Steve Swerdlow,CBRE’s COO, Americas. “We arefortunate to have an accomplishedleader like Mark ready to take theleadership reins in Canada. Hehas excelled in various leadershippositions of increased responsibili-ty and is highly regarded by ourexecutive management team. Hewill be a strong leader for CBRE inCanada.”

For more IC&I news, visitremonline.com. REM

Industrial,Commercial& Investment

Industrial,Commercial& Investment

Mark Renzoni

THE

THE

ResultTHE

1.855.228.7338Century21franchise.ca Century21careers.ca

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REM is published 12 times a year. It is an independently owned and operated company and is not affiliated with anyreal estate association, board or company. REM is distributed across Canada by leading real estate boards and by directdelivery in selected areas. For subscription information, email [email protected]. Entire contents copyright2014 REM. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is pro-hibited. The opinions expressed in REM are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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Cover photo: MARKO SHARK

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urb appeal has been talkedto death in the real estateindustry for decades. We

get it – a house needs to make amind-blowing impression whenbuyers see it for the first time. Asthat rarely happens anymore whena client steps out of a Realtor’s car,a positive first impression online isessential. The curb these days is avirtual one.

The importance of virtual curbappeal hit me when I came acrossMichael Thorne’s website when Iwas mindlessly surfing the web.The B.C. Realtor with Re/MaxLittle Oak Realty Langley had avideo on his website, “The DinnerParty.” I watched the four-minute video and was floored byhow attractive it made the featuredproperty appear; the virtual listinghighlighted the home better thanany other advertising campaignI’ve come across. (Check thevideo out at vimeo.com/65202100)

After seeing “The DinnerParty”, I contacted Thorne, whosaid the feedback he’s receivedfrom the video has been “fantas-tic.” His goal was to do some-thing that no one in his communi-ty had done before, and he suc-ceeded. Thorne shared histhoughts on the topic of incorpo-rating videos into his marketingplan to showcase properties intheir best possible light.

“I can’t remember the exactstatistic but it is something like 73per cent of sellers are more likely tolist with an agent who is usingvideo. We did 30 videos in 30days of our favourite 30 places inthe community. The responsewas incredible. Video allows theviewer to really “connect”,whether that is with the communi-

C

Maximizing virtual curb appealTaking the time to craft virtual curb appeal is a no-brainer when it comes to showcasing your propertiesonline. By Toby Welch

ty, the home or you. Pictures canbe enough but our team isn’t look-ing to do what’s ‘enough’ for ourclients.”

Colleen DePodesta, a sales repwith Re/Max Garden City Realtyin Burlington, Ont., incorporatesvideo and online media in all hermarketing; she believes there isn’tany other way to maximize virtualcurb appeal. “You have three sec-onds to capture the attention of anonline consumer. Don’t believeme? Google it!,” she says.“Listings sell faster and for moremoney when showcased online formobility and accessibility. Almostevery home buyer conducts theirhome search online and over halfof those people are on mobiledevices. That is just a fact.”

DePodesta used an analogy toexpress her point. “When I startedin the business 28 years ago, if youwent to buy a new fridge, you’d begiven a beautifully designed, high-gloss, colour brochure to seal thedeal. In stark comparison, realestate agents at the time were stillusing black and white MLS listingprintouts to sell a property worthhundreds of thousands of dollars.That disconnect is the relation Igive to modern-day online con-sumers.”

We’ve all heard the statistics –over 90 per cent of home buyersuse the Internet to research homesbefore they ever see a property inperson. That fact drives homethe notion that virtual curb appealhas never been more importantthan it is today. So how do you cre-ate superior online curb appeal?

Regardless of whether youwant to use photos or video, strollaround the property and list thefeatures you want to highlight.

When light is optimum for theeffect you want, shoot the picturesor videos, making sure to keep theequipment steady. (Blurry picturesor jerky video shots will do nothingbut annoy viewers and ruin anyhope of cultivating curb appeal.)Consider adding dialogue oncethey are uploaded. Take a look at

the website once the files go live toconfirm they turned out as you’dplanned. As with all marketingparaphernalia, ensure nothing inthe client’s home is displayed thatwould make your clients or poten-tial buyers uncomfortable.

As you go about creating virtu-al curb appeal for your listed prop-erties, focus on the feeling that youwant to come across to web surfersand what will appeal to potentialbuyers. Keep in mind that video isbecoming so mainstream onlinethat consumers now expect it.

More and more of those areexpecting HD video. Offering avideo tour of each property will bethe norm relatively soon.

Another bonus for havingvideos on your website is thatsearch engines prefer videos. Byhaving video listings, you will popup sooner when buyers look forproperty. Forrester Research did astudy on this subject and foundthat videos are 53 times more like-ly to appear on the first page onGoogle as opposed to traditionalweb pages without video.

By creating virtual curb appeal,you will elicit an emotionalresponse in your viewers withoutthem consciously thinking aboutit. Done right, it can prompt buy-ers to consider a property theywouldn’t have otherwise had ontheir radar. Done wrong, it doesn’tmatter if you have the greatestproperty available for sale in yourarea; the chances of luring buyersto see your listing plummets with-out virtual curb appeal.

Jennifer Campbell, homestager, decor specialist, owner ofSet Your Stage, and the teacher ofCREB’s course The Basics ofHome Staging, offers tips on howto create virtual curb appeal:

• Clean, tidy and well-kept arethe only options.

• Think like a photographer –consider camera angles, sightlines,lighting and vignettes.

• Create a focal point in everycore room.

• Highlight key features –architecture, views and landscap-ing.

• Create an inviting feelingthat suits the potential buyer’sdesired lifestyle. REM

Colleen DePodesta

Michael Thorne

Jennifer Campbell

Anotherbonus for

havingvideos on

your websiteis that search

engines prefervideos.

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8 REM FEBRUARY 2014

he Russian government isconsidering tighteningcontrol over the activities

of national real estate agents and toincrease of transparency of theiractivities.

As part of these plans, theDepartment of Economic Policy ofthe Moscow government recentlysigned a Memorandum ofCooperation with the MoscowGuild of Realtors, with the aim toprovide assistance to national tradeorganizations in their activities.

This will take place in the formof joint development and discus-sion of legislative initiatives gov-erning the real estate industry’sactivities and the provision of taxand other benefits.

Both the government of

T

Russia to tighten real estate industry controlsBy Eugene Vorotnikov

Moscow and the federal govern-ment plans to implement severalinitiatives. One of them is theestablishment of specialized highereducation institutions, which willspecialize in the training of localreal estate agents. Currently Russiaexperiences a lack of such institu-tions. The majority of real estateagents are trained on low-quality,short-term courses. As a result,many Russian real estate agents donot have skills, experience andeven knowledge of the legislationin the field of real estate.

The government is also clamp-ing down on so-called “black real-tors”, which in recent years havebecome a problem in Russia.

A significant increase in theprice for apartments in Moscow

and other large cities during the lastseveral years has created anincrease in the amount of crimeinvolving the participation of realestate brokers. In the majority ofcases, such crimes result in the ille-gal seizure of property. The scamsare often committed by criminalgroups but the image of real estatebrokers has suffered.

According to the NovosibirskAssociation of Realtors, the currentshare of black realtors is estimatedat 25 per cent to 30 per cent of theRussian market of brokerage ser-vices, and it’s even higher in someregions of the country.

In the meantime, some mea-sures to improve the Russian mar-ket have already been taken. OnOct. 1, 2013 new rules of registra-

tion of real property rights wereintroduced along with the mecha-nisms of their implementation.

In addition, the practice of elec-tronic document management,which has significantly sped thecompletion and registration of realestate transactions, has also beenintroduced.

The new initiatives were gener-ally positively received by theRussian real estate community, butsome agents have expressed con-cerns that excessive co-operationwith the government may forcereal estate companies and brokersto send information about theirclients and deals to the tax officeand the police.

Many Russian agents are criti-cal of the activities of industry asso-

ciations and guilds, which repre-sent their interests in the govern-ment. Irina Shcherbinina, a well-known Russian real estate broker,says, “I have been working as a realestate agent for many years, andduring all this time had never seenexamples of the usefulness of activ-ities of the Russian Guild ofRealtors. For example, despite allthe calls of brokers, the guild mere-ly looked on and did nothingagainst the adoption of theNotaries Act, which is currentlyconsidered by the Russian govern-ment and may create serious prob-lems for the Russian real estatecommunity, as it will introducemandatory notarization of realestate transactions between indi-viduals.”

Shcherbinina says this willresult in huge queues of brokers innotary offices and additional finan-cial burden on real estate buyers,who will have to pay for notary ser-vices and state tax.

Brokers say that despite theattempts of the state to improve thedomestic market of real estate ser-vices, some of its initiatives couldbe considered strange.

For example, the Russian gov-ernment is considering adoption ofa law that will introduce a regulato-ry approval system (instead of thecurrently used notification proce-dure) for the acquisition of residen-tial, commercial and industrialproperties by foreigners and foreigninvestors. According to real estatebrokers, the adoption of the newrules could result in a significantdecline in investments in the sector.

Olesya Dziuba, deputy head ofresearch for Jones Lang LaSalleRussia, says the proposed measurescould create unnecessary obstaclesfor investors.

“The government is currentlymaking significant attempts for theimprovement of the investmentclimate and even achieved somesuccess in the Doing Business rat-ing, so the adoption of this law con-tradicts earlier announced plans,”says Dziuba.

Eugene Vorotnikov is an interna-tional freelance writer who specializesin covering real estate brokerage and property topics. He has worked for several industry titles and can be reached [email protected]. REM

ruling of the OntarioSuperior Court of Justicein December makes it clear

that a seller is responsible for pay-ing commission to the real estateagent if a full price offer is present-ed, whether or not the offer isaccepted.

Back in September 2008,Richard Fody signed a listing agree-ment with T. L. Willaert Realty fora vacant parcel of vacant land nearTillsonburg, Ont. The $229,000listing price was later reduced to$199,900.

In the standard OREA listingagreement Fody agreed to payWillaert a commission of five percent of the sale price.

The agreement stated thatcommission was due and payableupon delivery of any “valid offer”on the terms set out in the listingagreement or any other termsacceptable to the seller. Even if the

transaction failed to close, commis-sion was payable if the non-com-pletion of the transaction wasowing to the seller’s “default orneglect.”

A vacant land data input formsigned at the same time as the list-ing agreement showed that theproperty was a “desirable treedbuilding site just minutes fromTillsonburg” and that the buyerwould be responsible for installinga well and septic system.

Willaert found a buyer whosubmitted an offer for $150,000 inMarch 2009. When Fody refusedto meet with the agent, the offer-ing price was increased to$170,000, $184,000 and finally$186,272.50. Fody signed the offerback at $195,000, but ultimatelyrefused to accept it.

At the end of April, the pur-chaser submitted an offer at the fullasking price of $199,900. The offerwas faxed to Fody’s lawyer and acopy was dropped off the sameevening in Fody’s mailbox. Fodyand the agent also exchanged textmessages over the next four days.Fody did not respond.

Terry Willaert then sent a textmessage to Fody advising him thatthe offer would expire at midnighton that day and should he decidenot to sign the offer, “the commis-sion will still be payable” under the

terms of the listing agreement.Ultimately, Fody did not acceptthe offer.

Willaert sued Fody in SmallClaims Court for the commissionof $8,995.50 plus HST and costs.In a detailed and well-reasoneddecision, deputy judge James Searleruled in favour of the real estateagent and found that the listingagreement was sufficient to makethe seller liable to pay the statedcommission on the basis of an offerthat met all the terms of the listingagreement.

In his decision, the deputyjudge wrote, “The court has nodoubt Fody was avoiding and oth-erwise frustrating Willaert becausehe decided not to sell unless he wasable to purchase a farm. When theprospect of purchasing a farm evap-orated late in April of 2009 hebecame inaccessible and nasty andrefused to act in good faith whenWillaert was obtaining and com-municating offers that were near,then at, the listing price, some-thing Willaert was obligated andentitled to do.”

Fody appealed the SmallClaims Court decision to theSuperior Court of Justice and thecourt released its reasons onDecember 12.

Justice Marc Garson ruled thatthe price offered by the buyer was

both the full listing price and thebest available price at the time.

After reviewing previous judi-cial decisions, Justice Garsonwrote, “Simply put, courts haverecognized that listing agreementsare binding contracts ... The lawfurther provides that the vendormay be liable for the commissioneven though the transaction doesnot close.”

In dismissing the appeal andholding that the full commissionwas payable, the court ruled that avalid offer was submitted to theseller during the listing period andthat the seller acted “in bad faithand attempted to frustrate theefforts” of the agent in presentingthe final offer.

“Acceptance of the offer is notrequired. The listing agreementclearly contemplated payment ofthe commission upon presentationof an offer at the full asking price.”

Sellers should think twicebefore refusing to pay their realestate agents for doing what theywere hired to do.

Bob Aaron is a Toronto real estatelawyer and chair of the Tarion con-sumer advisory council. His bi-week-ly columns appear in The TorontoStar. He frequently lectures to realestate agents. Email [email protected] www.aaron.ca. REM

By Bob Aaron

Court rules commission must be paid

A

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Rookie Realtor is off to a fast startBrampton, Ont. sales rep Tav Schembri has sold more than $75-million worth of property in his first year and a half in the business. By Susan Doran

10 REM FEBRUARY 2014

Aword of caution: If you are new to the real estate

business and/or struggling to get where you want to be, sales rep Tav Schembri’s story may cause uncontrollable feelings of envy.

There is no point in sugar coating it to spare you. It would appear that this guy must regularly skip through meadows of four-leaved clover and collect lucky rabbits’ feet by the truckload. But as we’ll see, he makes his own luck.

Take note that 2013 was Schembri’s first full year in the real estate business. He got his license in the fall of 2012. He has already sold over $75 million in property, is among the top-performing Re/Max salespeople in Canada and has been inducted into the company’s elite platinum, president’s and chairman’s clubs, which are reserved for those who earn over $500,000 in commissions. This ranks him among the fastest Realtors ever to obtain Re/Max’s top sales awards.

Let’s not overlook the fact that this “rookie” Realtor has already handled one of the largest sales ever – a whopping $50+ million – in the Brampton. Ont. area.

Schembri is loving all of it. “I hate going to bed at night and can’t wait to wake up in the morning,” he says.

He’s aware that he has an advantage over many other new sales reps in that he is 54-years-old with plenty of previous contacts and business experience on which to draw. He has lived in Ontario’s affluent Brampton/Caledon area – within an hour’s drive of Toronto – for the past 30 years and for many of those years he ran a thriving network of hair salons.

“A lot of my clients now were previous customers,” he says. “You can make the transition to the higher levels of real

estate quite quickly and I had experience which speeded things up. Having been a hair stylist, I am used to dealing with people on a regular basis and making them comfortable. I am able to read body language.”

Even before becoming a Realtor, Schembri was blessed with an eye for real estate investments. He and his wife Maria (now his property stager) got such a successful return on one of these – a large parcel of land in burgeoning Brampton – that they could have retired immediately, Schembri says. He took that opportunity to re-evaluate what he wanted career-wise. He had already sold off most of his hair salons but still owned one, although he was finding it harder to do work as a stylist due to a serious accident with a table saw, which cost him several fingers.

The upshot was that he investigated the real estate field and was presented with the rare opportunity to open a Re/Max Realty Specialists satellite office out of the existing Caledon location where he had run his remaining hair salon. In this way he was able to service the same clients in the same safe, green and prosperous farming and residential area he’d been working in for decades, as well as broadening his existing reach to include developers interested in acquiring land.

He recalls being extremely nervous throughout his first listing presentation, hoping that the clients wouldn’t ask him how much experience he had.

“I was dreading that.”

He did wind up telling them. They “were in shock” but continued on with him as their Realtor, he says.

Within a few months he had

a large sale – a $7-million farm in Caledon – and “things started snowballing from there,” he says.

That’s quite an understatement. This newbie Realtor soon made the largest sale ever seen to that point in Brampton.

“It was between $50 million and $60 million,” he says. “It was a weird thing. I was working in my office and these builders came in and were inquiring about the area....”

Eventually, this initial meeting led to the builders purchasing a 98-acre farm property for dev-elopment, making Schembri the happiest rookie Realtor around.

Having those builders walk into his office out of the blue was a lucky break. But like most highly successful people, Schembri is competitive and tends to work hard so as to make his own luck.

“When I get into something I go head first,” he states. “For example, I’m a squash player and when I first started playing I could not get enough of it. In my first year I went from learning the game to being at the top of my club level.”

Over the years he has coached his three (now grown up) children in many sports. He recalls an iconic incident when the family first took up skiing.

“I’d try to get them to always be the best in everything and in kids’ sports that meant the rep level,” he says. “When we got into skiing, the first thing I did was try to get them to sign up for lessons. They said, ‘Dad, we don’t want lessons. We don’t want to be competitive skiers. We just want to have fun.’”

Schembri is well aware that as in squash and other sports,

strategy is a key component of success in real estate.

“Visibility is important,” he says. “No one has as many 4 X 8 signs in the area as me... Technology is a big part of it too. Today you have to have social networking skills.”

When asked about his advice for new sales reps, he stresses the importance of being honest and earning the trust of clients. “If you are totally honest, the client sees that,” he says. “I put all the information on the table.”

He is now at the point, after only a year and a half in the business, of having more success than he ever imagined. Although new to real estate, he is already talking about becoming a coach.

“I know that sounds strange,” he says, “but in real estate, everything is possible.” REM

Tav Schembri (Photo by Marko Shark)


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ecently an action wascommenced in EasternCanada by an individual

who was injured subsequent tomanipulation (chiropractic treat-ment) received from the defendantchiropractor.

A medical doctor gave expertopinion in court that was found tobe admissible and convincing. Thetrial court ruled that the cervicalmanipulation performed by thechiropractor resulted in (causa-tion) the plaintiff’s injury.Moreover, the chiropractor wasnegligent in not obtaining“informed consent to the treat-ment”, since the patient had notbeen properly informed of the“risks of that type of treatment”.

It is essential for any profession-al in any profession, including realestate agents and brokers, to adviseclients of the material risksinvolved, so that the client canmake an educated decision onwhether to go forward.

■ ■ ■

Another recent decision,although also not a real estate case,involves a class action and certifi-cation by the British ColumbiaCourt of Appeal and the conceptinvolved is important to all profes-sionals.

The case surrounded the takingof hormone therapy relating tomenopause. Lee, the plaintiff inthe class action, was diagnosedwith breast cancer and the issuewas causation and casual connec-tion between the hormone therapyand breast cancer.

The class action was certified,although the court noted the chal-lenges of a duty of care over a peri-od of 26 years. More important wasthe issue of failure to disclose.

As some of our articles have

Informed decisionsLEGAL ISSUES

By Donald H. Lapowich

R

pointed out in the past, often it isdifficult to prove negligence onbehalf of professionals but theadded feature is that there must befull disclosure. This concept hasrecently hit the newspapers con-cerning stigmatization of homes,when properties were sold to pur-chasers without disclosure of hor-rific events that took place on theproperty. (Stanway v. WyethCanada Inc., 2013 BCSC 1585)

■ ■ ■

Here is one of those few caseswhere a private mortgage companydid not properly exercise its salerights under its mortgage and paidas a result.

The plaintiff was a corporationthat owned land, intending todevelop it. The plaintiff loanedmoney by giving a mortgage to thedefendant. The mortgage containeda clause preventing a sale of the landfor less than $150,000 per acre.

When the plaintiff defaultedon the mortgage, the mortgageesold the 125 acres allegedly at lessthan market value. The plaintiffsued for damages.

The court held: 1. $3.5 million, interest and

costs were awarded to the plaintiff; 2. The mortgagee breached its

duty so that fair market value wasnot received and damages were thefair market value less the sale price;

3. The default by the mort-gagee included:

a) listing at too low a price; b) using an inexperienced

Realtor (broker) without nationalconnections;

(c) inadequate marketingefforts;

(d) no due diligence and failureto use the escape clause notedabove;

(e) in too much of a hurry andaccepting a lowball offer;

(f) not dealing reasonably withthree potential buyers and not ade-quately exposing the lands to themarket. (1427814 Ontario Limitedv. 3697584 Canada Inc., 2013ONCA 597)

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


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The FINTRAC charadeMETES & BOUNDS

By Marty Douglas

you who are relatively new to thebusiness, there hasn’t been a FIN-TRAC update since 2008 so youcan imagine why the thought ofan update was like the first tastingof this year’s Beaujolais Nouveauto an oenophile.)

So I followed the link andread CREA’s blurb promising “tohelp members more easily meettheir obligations”. Now I wantedto believe the two pages of clari-fication would indeed make ourpaper shuffling “easier”. (Okay,so I was really hoping for“lazier”.) Paragraph #1 wasencouraging. It allows the substi-tution of the client’s workdescription rather than theclient’s employer. In other words,instead of entering “FinancialTransactions and ReportsAnalysis Centre of Canada” Ican put “bureaucrat”. If I canspell it.

Paragraph #2 stunned me withthe news that Realtors can list aclient’s occupation as “retired” ifthey are “retired”. Interestinglyenough, I think a case could be

made Paragraph #2 is uncertain asto whether the client or theRealtor needs to be “retired”. ButI wouldn’t plan your entiredefence around that fundamentalprinciple!

And from there the updatewent downhill. One of thepromised new forms was illegiblyblurry on the screen and theprinter. The links promising menew forms led to old forms. Eventhe “help” email link on the oldform led me to an “undeliverableemail” alert in my in-box later inthe day.

It’s probably my fault. Monthsago I asked for updates and I sup-pose someone in Ottawa scurriedaround, sent a few emails, read thereplies and pressed a button. But ifthey corrected/amended the formsthey forgot to update the footnotedate on several.

Here’s where it turns into anepisode from the X Files. Youremember – “Just because I’mparanoid doesn’t mean there isn’ta conspiracy!”

I emailed my concerns.

And got an immediateresponse.

From a lawyer.A high rate-per-hour lawyer

because he signed his title as“Legal Counsel”. Who insistedeverything would be okay if I justcalmed down, took a breath andrefreshed my browser. I also got apat on the head for innovation, alesson in “older browsers” and themeaning of “cached”. The onlyremedy missing was to have myeyesight checked as a possiblecause of the blurring.

This, of course, gave themtime to scurry through the backdoor access and replace the wid-gets and rearrange bits and bytesamid the knobs and tubes ofHAL, CREA’s computer.

Needless to say, by the time Ire-visited the site, all was hunkydory and I was left wondering if Ihad imagined the whole thing, ifthe theory of jet contrails had anysubstance and just where elseJimmy Hoffa’s body might befound.

If someone would only show

the value in the paper we collectbut never submit. Is it a barrier soformidable that terrorists and drugdealers are kept at bay? Please letus know. The number of FIN-TRAC audits I’m aware of in ourreal estate community in B.C.wouldn’t require my thumb,among the fingers of one hand.The updates – or complete lack –show our leadership isn’t interest-ed or too concerned, merely doingwhat we do in the field – coverour butt with paper and move on.

I don’t mind the ID require-ments – although they are redun-dant – because I have to show IDevery time I check into even theseediest of motels. (P.S. – haven’tdone that for years!) It’s the cha-rade of the required manual andtraining the brokerage has tomaintain. Money Laundering 101– are you kidding me? The fullname is Money Laundering andTerrorism Financing TrainingCourse. Here’s an excerpt fromCREA’s compliance centre onRealtorLink. For many of you, itwill be your first and last glimpse:

ebruary – when everyyoung man’s fancy turnsto thoughts of, “How can

I escape this dreary winter?” ThenI opened an email from my realestate board. There, buriedbetween the President’s Message –yawn – and the 2013 Sales andSummary Stats was an importantupdate from CREA – the mothership has called!

The update had three head-line links. Nestled in the cleavagebetween the CREA Board ofDirectors for 2014-2015 and a nodoubt riveting article on theenforcement of trademarks, wasthe teaser – FINTRAC Update.

Hold me back. (For those of

F

REM FEBRUARY 2014 15

“The training section providesa variety of materials relevant tothe training requirements of aCompliance Regime. Informationis presented in a number of con-cise and easy-to-follow formats,including a number of documentsthat are conducive to being print-ed off and kept as a quick refer-ence in your briefcase or deskdrawer. The [Act] requiresRealtors . . . to undertake andmaintain a training program thatcovers both existing and newcontent areas relevant to theunderstanding and control ofmoney laundering and terroristfinancing.”

Shoot me now!In brokerages across Canada

there are dusty manuals, perhapswith revisions dated August 2008,May 2009 and Summer 2013 sup-ported by an email trail of instruc-tion from the brokerage requiringall sales staff, as a part of their Independent ContractorAgreement, to be compliant withall appropriate federal, provincialand municipal legislation.

There – you’ve been warned.

Contact Marty Douglas byemail at [email protected] .Follow or connect with Marty onTwitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Heis a managing broker for Re/MaxOcean Pacific Realty in Comox andCourtenay, B.C. He is a past chairof the Real Estate Errors andOmissions Insurance Corporation ofB.C., the Real Estate Council ofB.C., the B.C. Real EstateAssociation and the VancouverIsland Real Estate Board. REM

REM columnist Marty Douglas inhis latest community theatre role asUnderling in The DrowsyChaperone.

Take REM’s survey and win a tabletAs REM celebrates 25 years of serving Canada’s real estate community, it’s time for you to tell us a little about what you would like to see in future issues. Take our survey to help us improve REM and you could win a 7” Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (Wi-Fi) in white.

The easiest way to take the survey is by visiting www.remonline.comOr, if you would prefer, answer the questions on this page and mail it to:REM reader survey • 2255B Queen Street East • Toronto, ON M4E 1G3


1. Are you a: ❑ Salesperson (Broker in Quebec)

❑ Broker-owner/Broker of record

❑ Associate broker/Man. broker

❑ Mortgage broker

❑ Board/Association staff member

❑ Real estate administrator

❑ Real estate industry supplier

❑ Other (please tell us what!)_________________________

_________________________

2. How often do you read the print version of REM?❑ Every month

❑ Often

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3. How often do you visit remonline.com?❑ Daily

❑ Several times a week

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4. Do you receive REM’s Inbox Update, our weekly e-newsletter?❑ Yes

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(if you would like to, you can sign up at remonline.com)

5. Do you prefer reading REM ❑ In print

❑ Online

❑ On your mobile device

6. Have you ever taken action (made a call, visited a website, attended a conference) as a result of seeing an ad in REM or on remonline?

❑ Yes

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7. Which of the following regular REM stories do you usually read? Check all that apply.❑ Stan Albert

❑ Boards & Associations News

❑ Jerry Bresser

❑ Marty Douglas (Metes & Bounds)

❑ Front page profile

❑ Good Works (charitable work by Realtors)

❑ Gourmet Cooking for Real Estate Professionals (Carolyne Lederer)

❑ Guest Column (various writers)

❑ Industrial, Commercial and Investment

❑ Bruce Keith (The Sales Coach)

❑ Legal Issues (Don Lapowich)

❑ Mortgage Business

❑ Motivational stories

❑ Multiple Listings (new brokerage openings, industry news by Jim Adair)

❑ News stories

❑ The Publisher’s Page (Heino Molls)

❑ Real Estate Books

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❑ Successful agent profiles

❑ Trade Shows & Conf. calendar

❑ What’s New (new products and services)

8. Do you read the reader’s comments below the stories on remonline?❑ Yes

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9. Aside from interest rates and the general state of the economy, what are the most important issues facing the real estate industry today?

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10. What types of stories should have more coverage in REM?

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11. What should we do to improve the print version of REM?_________________________

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12. What should we do to improve remonline.com?_________________________

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14. Other than Realtor.ca, Realtorlink and your local board or association site, what real estate websites do you visit regularly?

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15. Do you recommend any of the following service providers to clients (check all that apply):

❑ Bank or financial institution

❑ Mortgage broker

❑ Renovation contractor

❑ Home inspector

❑ Moving company

16. Do you have your own website?❑ Yes

❑ No

17. Are you planning upgrades to your smartphone or website?❑ Yes

❑ No

18. How do you communicate with clients? Check all that apply.

❑ Phone

❑ Email

❑ Social Media

❑ Enewsletters

❑ Print newsletters

❑ In person at community events

18. Are you considering a career move in the next year? If so, what are you thinking of doing?_________________________

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19. To enter the contest for the tablet, please fill out the following. We promise we won’t use it for any other purpose. Name:_________________________Company:_________________________Home town:_________________________Email address:_________________________

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ach country is different, butwhere offices have sales andproperty management

together, sadly, most of the timethey don’t work together co-opera-tively.

When they do, it can be a ver-itable goldmine.

In a previous article I discussedworking with propertyinvestors/landlords to sell them anew property roughly every twoyears. The sales department makesthe sales and property manage-ment manages the property after-wards – everyone wins.

An office in New Zealand hada great idea to get their teamsworking together:

They put signs all around theoffice saying, “Courtesy is catch-ing”. Then they printed a wholebunch of $20,000 notes and dis-tributed them evenly throughoutthe office.

They announced a fun staffauction event in several weekstime, where everyone could bidfor a number of products they hadacquired from local businesses --everything from white goods,TVs and DVD players to pamper-ing products and meal vouchersfor two.

The secret was this: every timesomeone in the office did some-thing helpful for someone else, par-ticularly in another department,the person who received help hadto give the other person one oftheir $20,000 notes. So in aninstant, guess where everyone’sfocus was – not on themselves, buton how they could help someoneelse. By doing so, they had to get toknow each other better and under-stand each other’s jobs better


E

Get departmentsworking together

By Ian Grace

(some even job swapped).In no time at all, the atmos-

phere was electric and there was asense of total co-operationthroughout the office and sales andproperty management were able towork together cohesively andeffectively.

This is just one simple idea thatworked very powerfully andemphasizes the point that it is vitalto get your internal customer ser-vice right first, before looking atyour external customer service forexisting and potential paying cus-tomers.

A colleague of mine, Jo-AnneOliveri, who is currently doingsome property management/sys-tems training in the U.S., relatedan event that illustrated the bene-fits of sales and property manage-ment working together.

A property on the river inBrisbane, Australia had just sold,with the new owners not takingpossession for six months. Workingwith a U.S. relocation company,she was aware of an executive whoneeded a residence for two years,budget $2,000 per week.

Working with the sale depart-ments, she approached the buyerand asked if they would accept$2,000 per week for two years andtake possession then. They accept-ed, she got them $2,200 per week –everybody happy – and somethingwas created out of mutual co-oper-ation.

From a sales perspective,another great bonus is that onceyou are working with your land-lords (now correctly titled “proper-ty investors”) to build their proper-ty investment portfolios, you havenow built a bank of buyers that aregreat for preview VIP open houseson a new property that has justbeen listed, before the advertisingeven starts.

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

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• CraigProctorisCanada’sRealEstateTrainer,responsibleforcoachingmoreagentstoMillionairestatusthananyothertrainer.• Craiginventedhissystemforhisown,highlysuccessful22yearRealEstatecareerrighthereinCanada.• Whileanactiveagent(notabroker),Craigconsistentlysoldover500homesayearforannualGCIofalmost$4Million.• Infact,for6yearsstraight,noonelistedorsoldmorehomesintheGreaterTorontoAreathanCraigProctor.(Source:TREBStatistics)• Craigsuccessfullybattledinthetrenchesjustlikeyou.Becausehebetterunderstandsyou,Craigbelieveshecanbetterhelpyou.

“I implemented a few of Craig’s strate-gies and I became the #1 agent at my company and have been at the top ever since. In the beginning I was doing around $250,000 to $300,000 GCI. Now I’m doing around $3 million GCI with

a team of over 40 agents and with my own broker-age. My business has drastically changed because it’s enabled me to grow as large as I want and I’m able to work when I want and have the time for my family when I need it.” — Jason Simms, London, ON

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If followed properly, Craig’s system is a road map to success. I was initially worried about the changes I had to make to my business. I didn’t want to let go and put my faith in somebody else’s hands and just follow them, but once I was able to accept that, I realized that no one succeeds alone. We all need to work with others and succeed through others. It is because of this program that I have been able to achieve what I have.” -- Paul Rushforth, Ottawa, ON

“Craig’s System helps me to generate good quality buyer and seller leads eas-ily. I sold over 80 homes this year and did not go on the road oncewith any buyers! The elements of his system are like robots that

sift and sort the leads. It is like you have your very own Franchise! Just copy and paste his ads, follow his system and don’t change

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CP_REM 10.25x11fullpg 01102014.indd 1 14-01-14 12:09 PM

31. Theodore Babiak*Toronto, ON

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32. Karen Millar*Royal LePage

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33. Mary LouMcCormick

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34. Rachelle StarnesRoyal LePage Foothills

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35. Susan ForrestRoyal LePage

Parksville-QualicumBeach RealtyParksville, BC

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36. Ralph WiberRoyal LePage Network

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37. Tracey Bosch*Royal LePage

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38. Leo L. Ronse*Royal LePage


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39. Jackie PeiferOakville, ON

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41. John Hripko*Royal LePage Foothills

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42. Julio FlorezRoyal LePage True

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44. ChristineSimpson*

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45. Cliff StevensonRoyal LePage Foothills

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2. Mark FarisRoyal LePage First

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3. Cathy RoccaRoyal LePage BurloakReal Estate Services†

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4. Daryl King*Royal LePage YourCommunity Realty†

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6. Kirby Cox*Royal LePage Foothills

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7. Simon GianniniRoyal LePage

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

9. Kelly McKelvie*Royal LePage

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10. Cailey HeapsEstrin*

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11. Sue MillsRoyal LePage

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12. Patrick Morris*Royal LePage

Performance Realty†

Ottawa, ON(877) 757-7386

13. Elli Davis*Toronto, ON

(800) 622-9536

14. Rina DiRisio*Oakville, ON

(800) 514-4094

61. Brian ElderToronto, ON

(800) 622-9536

62. Morley Forsyth*Toronto, ON

(800) 622-9536

63. Sheree CerquaRoyal LePage

Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100

64. Mani BaggaRoyal LePage Noralta

Real Estate Inc.Edmonton, AB

(855) 431-5600

65. David DunnRoyal LePage Atlantic

Halifax, NS(902) 453-1700

66. Nutan BrownRoyal LePage West

Realty Group†

Toronto, ON(800) 515-9783

67. Blair MackeyOakville, ON

(888) 645-4267

68. Karen Paul*Royal LePage BurloakReal Estate Services


69. Michael BrierleyRoyal LePage BurloakReal Estate Services


70. Roger LeBlanc*Royal LePage Atlantic

Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572

71. Lorraine JordanRoyal LePage In

Touch Realty†

Midland, ON(888) 480-2224

72. Paul NuscaToronto, ON

(888) 336-1871

73. Marc BonenfantRoyal LePage Inter-Québec Real Estate

AgencyQuebec (Sainte-Foy-

Sillery), QC(418) 653-0488

74. Lorraine O’QuinnRoyal LePage

ProAlliance Realty†

Trenton, ON(800) 263-2177

75. Mike Scrannage*Royal LePage


Kingston, ON(800) 247-6311

91. Melissa CharltonRoyal LePage

Meadowtowne Realty†

Milton, ON(800) 514-3316

92. Frank DeLucaToronto, ON

(416) 487-4311

93. Drew McGinnisRoyal LePage Network


(403) 346-8900

94. Brad HawkerRoyal LePage Rocky

Mountain RealtyCanmore, AB

(877) 818-7557

95. Silvana BezinaRoyal LePage


Georgetown, ON(866) 865-8262

96. ChristineHauschild

Royal LePage Team Realty†

Kanata, ON(888) 757-7155

97. James RoyRoyal LePage

Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100

98. Sandy SmallboneOakville, ON

(888) 645-4267

99. Krishan NathanRoyal LePage


Kingston, ON(800) 247-6311

100. Clayton OldfordRoyal LePage Gale

Real Estate†

Winchester, ON(613) 774-4253

101. Danny GerbrandtRoyal LePage

Brookside RealtyMaple Ridge, BC(888) 467-5131

102. Judi RufoRoyal LePage


Belleville, ON(613) 966-6060

103. Suzan Trottier*Royal LePage Atlantic

Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572

104. Chris CovenyRoyal LePage

Performance RealtyOttawa, ON

(877) 757-7386

105. Linda VadalaRoyal LePage Royal

City RealtyGuelph, ON

(519) 824-9050

121. Rocco ManfrediRoyal LePage Gale

Real EstateOttawa, ON

(800) 387-2526

123. Kelly McLeodRoya LePage The

Realty GroupGrande Prairie, AB(780) 539-5771

124. DoreenKirkwood*

Royal LePageChamplain D.K. Inc.,Real Estate Agency

Brossard, QC(450) 672-6450

125. Kelly EbbsRoyal LePage Team

Realty†

Ottawa, ON(800) 307-1545

126. Shawn ZigelsteinRoyal LePage YourCommunity Realty†


127. Peyvand JalaliRoyal LePage YourCommunity Realty†


128. Grant AnthonyRoyal LePage

Kingsbury Realty†

Mississauga, ON(866) 754-2121

129. Yoki Nichol*Royal LePage

SolutionsCalgary, AB

(403) 252-5900

130. JasonMacDonald


Ottawa, ON(888) 780-7747

131. Isaac Phillips*Royal LePage State

Realty†

Hamilton, ON(877) 574-4601

132. Norm Cholak*Royal LePage Noralta RealtyEdmonton, AB

(855) 431-5600

133. Eugen KleinRoyal LePage

City CentreVancouver, BC

(604) 408-9311

134. Linda KnightRoyal LePage First

Contact Realty†

Angus, ON(705) 424-4188

135. Steve ThompsonRoyal LePage

Locations West RealtyPenticton, BC

(800) 734-0457

136. Raymond Tsim*Royal LePage

Champlain Real Estate AgencyBrossard, QC

(450) 672-6450

46. Brent Roberts*Royal LePage WestReal Estate Services

Surrey, BC(888) 649-4299

47. Peter PobojewskiRoyal LePage

Kingsbury Realty†


48. Manon SénéchalRoyal LePage VilleMarie Real Estate

AgencyMontreal, QC

(514) 917-2228

49. David WeirRoyal LePage


Trenton, ON(800) 263-2177

50. Chris PennycookRoyal LePage

Dynamic Real EstateWinnipeg, MB

(877) 800-5066

51. Jared ChamberlainRoyal LePage Foothills

Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557

52. Ken MorrisRoyal LePage Integrity

Cochrane, AB(403) 932-2101

53. Glen MacAngus*Royal LePage Top

Producers Real EstateWinnipeg, MB

(866) 989-6900

54. Robin St. JeanRoyal LePage StateRealty, Brokerage

Ancaster, ON(877) 648-4451

55. Robert NimmoToronto, ON

(888) 336-1871

56. Anthony FataRoyal LePage YourCommunity Realty,

BrokerageRichmond Hill, ON

(905) 731-2000

57. Mark JontzRoyal LePage

KelownaKelowna, BC

(800) 421-3214

58. Gail BibeauRoyal LePage True


(780) 743-1137

59. E. Martin MazzaRoyal LePage StateRealty, BrokerageStoney Creek, ON(877) 574-7441

60. Don McKay*Royal LePage Noralta

Real EstateSherwood Park, AB

(888) 797-7653

15. ChristineLefrançois

Royal LePageTendance

Mont-Royal, QC(514) 735-2281

16. MichaelO’Sullivan*

Royal LePage BurloakReal Estate Services†


17. Andrea Morrison*Toronto, ON

(866) 335-1900

19. Sylvia SmithRoyal LePage


(403) 252-5900

20. Kevin LappRoyal LePage Network


(403) 346-8900

21. Marie-YvonnePaint*

Royal LePage HeritageReal Estate Agency

Westmount, QC(514) 934-1818

22. Jean-FrançoisBérubé

Royal LePageEvolution Real Estate

AgencySherbrooke, QC(819) 820-8363

23. Mathieu DoucetRoyal LePage Valléesde L’Outaouais Real

Estate AgencyGatineau, QC

(819) 561-0223

24. Tom O’HaraRoyal LePage True


(877) 791-7707

25. Fernande Sirois*Royal LePage Valléesde L’Outaouais Real


(819) 561-0223

26. Carl LangschmidtRoyal LePage YourCommunity Realty†

Toronto, ON(416) 637-8000

27. Barbara Beers*Royal LePage BurloakReal Estate Services


28. Shaheen ZarehRoyal LePage Regina

RealtyRegina, SK

(877) 359-1900

29. Andrew KeyesOakville, ON

(800) 514-4094

30. Amy FlowersRoyal LePage


Milton, ON(800) 514-3316

76. Phil AlbertRoyal LePage Atlantic

Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572

77. Tod NiblockRoyal LePage Top


(866) 989-6900

78. James Wright*Royal LePage TeamRealty, Brokerage

Manotick, ON(800) 490-8130

79. John KingRoyal LePage Team

Realty†

Ottawa, ON(613) 695-8181

80. Barbara Polson*Toronto, ON

(888) 336-1871

81. Gizella DavisRoyal LePage Foothills

Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557

82. Jacinthe Dubé*Royal LePage Jacinthe

Dube Real EstateAgency

Sherbrooke, QC(819) 564-5000

83. Rob KellyRoyal LePage



84. Anne ChiltonRoyal LePage First

Contact Realty†

Barrie, ON(877) 728-4067

85. Lauretta Stewart*Toronto, ON

(800) 622-9536

86. JoAnne GludishToronto, ON

(888) 336-1871

87. Mary ZhangRoyal LePage Golden

Ridge RealtyMarkham, ON

(905) 513-8878

88. Donna MichaudRoyal LePage

Northern Lights RealtyCold Lake, AB

(780) 594-4414

89. Joseph BrazeauRoyal LePage


Milton, ON(800) 514-3316

90. Rob Marland*Royal LePage


Ottawa, ON, (877) 757-7386

106. Chris ZaharkoRoyal LePage Foothills

Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557

107. Art DiversRoyal LePage YourCommunity Realty†

Unionville, ON(905) 940-4180

108. Joe BattleToronto, ON

(888) 336-1871

109. Sean McCannRoyal LePage Team Realty†

Ottawa, ON(800) 307-1545

110. Stuart SankeyToronto, ON

(866) 335-1900

111. Heather Waddell*Royal LePage Foothills

Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557

112. Jackie JiangMississauga, ON(888) 828-0422

113. Rob OhsRoyal LePage

Parksville QualicumBeach Realty

Qualicum Beach, BC(250)752-6926

114. Cheryl Bejcar*Royal LePage Coast

Capital RealtyVictoria, BC

(800) 263-4753

115. Richard LeBlancRoyal LePage

Gateway RealtyLeduc, AB

(780) 986-8407

116. Joseph BuggieRoyal LePageBenchmarkCalgary, AB

(800) 387-4011

117. Jeff Greenberg*Royal LePage Team

Realty†

Ottawa, ON(800) 307-1545

118. Wilma FournierOakville, ON

(800) 514-4094

119. Leigh SugarRoyal LePage York

North Realty†

Newmarket, ON(866) 773-9595

120. AnthonyvanLieshout

Royal LePage Lakes ofHaliburton†

Haliburton, ON(800) 457-2414

137. Khalen MeredithRoyal LePage RCR Realty†

King City, ON(905) 833-4633

138. Wendy HowardRoyal LePage Atlantic

Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572

139. Debbie KeatleyRoyal LePage Noralta

Real Estate Inc.Sherwood Park, AB

(780) 467-7334

140. Luc JodoinRoyal LePage

Meritas du SoroitSalaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC(866)767-6636

141. Philip LeMayRoyal LePage Valléesde L’Outaouais Real


(819) 684-2000

142. Stephen GrantRoyal LePage

Advance RealtyCampbell River, BC

(888) 286-1932

143. Brian LambRoyal LePage WestReal Estate Services

Coquitlam, BC(604) 939-6666

144. Minoo AshtariRoyal LePageNorthshore

West Vancouver, BC(604) 926-6011

145. Brigitte I.Burdman



146. Bob MaskellRoyal LePage ArTeam RealtyEdmonton, AB

(780) 456-5656

146. Brian BakerRoyal LePage

Martin-Liberty RealtyBrandon, MB

(888) 277-6206

147. Jesse DhaliwalRoyal LePage YourCommunity Realty†

Vaughan, ON(905) 832-6656

148. Mourad HannaRoyal LePage Realty Plus


149. Kevan O’ConnorRoyal LePage Niagara

Real Estate Centre†

Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

(800) 635-9228

150. Case FeenstraOakville, ON

(800) 514-4094

Robert Johnston*Royal LePage First

Contact Realty†

Barrie, ON(877) 728-4067

Mary Ann Keary*Royal LePage


Brockville, ON(866) 345-3664

Dario Mattei*Royal LePage West

Realty Group†

Toronto, ON(866) 753-7243

Paula Mitchell*Royal LePage



Mary Montgomery*Royal LePage Realty Plus†


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

Paul Richardson*Royal LePage



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

(613) 725-1171

Frances Wedlake*Oakville, ON

(888) 645-4267

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

Congratulations to the members of our 2013 National Chairman’s Club, professionalswho have reached the top 1% of our national network of REALTORS®. Achievement isearned based on gross ‘closed and collected’ commissions. These professionals havemastered the core values of Royal LePage, and are ambassadors of the Royal LePagebrand—Helping You is What We DoTM, continually striving in pursuit of achievingexcellence in customer service and sales.

With our sincere congratulations and best wishes for the coming year. Phil Soper, President & CEO

Royal LePage National Chairman’s Club

Charles SezlikDesignate


Ottawa, ON(613) 744-6697

Bill SchiavoneDesignate

Oakville, ON(905) 338-6550

Leslie Battle*Toronto, ON

(888) 336-1871

Bernice Bartlett*Royal LePage Team Realty†

Kanata, ON(888) 757-7155

Mary T. Cardamone*Oakville, ON

(905) 845-4267

Maureen Chan*Royal LePage

WestsideVancouver, BC

(604) 261-9311

Yves de Niverville*Royal LePage


Orleans, ON(888) 830-8757

Paul Delaney*Royal LePage YourCommunity Realty†

Thornhill, ON,(905) 889-9330

Jacques Doucet*Royal LePage Valléesde L’Outaouais Real


(819) 561-0223

Evelyn Froese*Royal LePage


(888) 661-9311

Serge Gabriel*Royal LePage Groupe

NewtonMontreal, QC

(514) 481-0241

John Gerber*Royal LePage

Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100

Marjorie Grime*Royal LePage RCR Realty†

Orangeville, ON(519) 941-1797

Suzanne Grisé†

Royal LePage PrivilegeReal Estate Agency

Saint-Bruno, QC(450) 441-1576

Heather Heaps*Toronto, ON

(416) 424-4900

royallepage.ca/joinusThis is not intended as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, including a solicitation of any sales representative or broker that is currently under contract. ©2014 Brookfield Real Estate Services Manager Ltd. All rights reserved. Any copying, reproduction, distribution or other use of these materials is prohibited.

Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage, unless otherwise noted. All offices are independently owned and operated. Royal LePage is a registered trade-mark used under license. †Denotes Firms are Real Estate Brokerages. *Denotes Lifetime National Chairman's Club Members.


(888) 822-2425


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100



(888) 384-4557


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557



(800) 224-5838



(403) 346-8900



(877) 611-5241



(877) 611-5241


(905) 257-3633


(800) 514-4094


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557



(780) 743-1137


Kanata, ON(888) 757-7155


Toronto, ON(888) 336-1871


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557


Contact Realty†

Barrie, ON(877) 728-4067






(800) 514-4094


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100



Foothills†

Calgary, AB(800) 841-0672


Toronto, ON(416) 424-4900


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100



Ottawa, ON(877) 757-7386


(800) 622-9536


(800) 514-4094


(800) 622-9536


(800) 622-9536


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100



(855) 431-5600


Halifax, NS(902) 453-1700


Realty Group†

Toronto, ON(800) 515-9783


(888) 645-4267






Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572


Touch Realty†

Midland, ON(888) 480-2224


(888) 336-1871



Sillery), QC(418) 653-0488



Trenton, ON(800) 263-2177



Kingston, ON(800) 247-6311



Milton, ON(800) 514-3316


(416) 487-4311



(403) 346-8900



(877) 818-7557






Kanata, ON(888) 757-7155


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100


(888) 645-4267



Kingston, ON(800) 247-6311


Real Estate†








Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572



(877) 757-7386



(519) 824-9050



(800) 387-2526





Brossard, QC(450) 672-6450


Realty†

Ottawa, ON(800) 307-1545






Kingsbury Realty†




(403) 252-5900

130. JasonMacDonald


Ottawa, ON(888) 780-7747


Realty†

Hamilton, ON(877) 574-4601


(855) 431-5600



(604) 408-9311


Contact Realty†

Angus, ON(705) 424-4188



(800) 734-0457



(450) 672-6450


Surrey, BC(888) 649-4299


Kingsbury Realty†



AgencyMontreal, QC

(514) 917-2228



Trenton, ON(800) 263-2177



(877) 800-5066


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557


Cochrane, AB(403) 932-2101



(866) 989-6900


Ancaster, ON(877) 648-4451


(888) 336-1871



(905) 731-2000


KelownaKelowna, BC

(800) 421-3214



(780) 743-1137




(888) 797-7653



Mont-Royal, QC(514) 735-2281





(866) 335-1900



(403) 252-5900



(403) 346-8900









(819) 561-0223



(877) 791-7707



(819) 561-0223


Toronto, ON(416) 637-8000




RealtyRegina, SK

(877) 359-1900


(800) 514-4094



Milton, ON(800) 514-3316


Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572



(866) 989-6900


Manotick, ON(800) 490-8130


Realty†

Ottawa, ON(613) 695-8181


(888) 336-1871


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557








Contact Realty†

Barrie, ON(877) 728-4067


(800) 622-9536


(888) 336-1871



(905) 513-8878



(780) 594-4414



Milton, ON(800) 514-3316



Ottawa, ON, (877) 757-7386


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557




(888) 336-1871


Ottawa, ON(800) 307-1545


(866) 335-1900


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557







(800) 263-4753



(780) 986-8407


(800) 387-4011


Realty†

Ottawa, ON(800) 307-1545


(800) 514-4094


North Realty†






King City, ON(905) 833-4633


Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572



(780) 467-7334





(819) 684-2000



(888) 286-1932









(780) 456-5656



(888) 277-6206


Vaughan, ON(905) 832-6656






(800) 635-9228


(800) 514-4094


Contact Realty†

Barrie, ON(877) 728-4067





Realty Group†

Toronto, ON(866) 753-7243











(613) 725-1171


(888) 645-4267







Ottawa, ON(613) 744-6697


Oakville, ON(905) 338-6550


(888) 336-1871


Kanata, ON(888) 757-7155


(905) 845-4267



(604) 261-9311



Orleans, ON(888) 830-8757


Thornhill, ON,(905) 889-9330



(819) 561-0223



(888) 661-9311


NewtonMontreal, QC

(514) 481-0241


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100



Suzanne Grisé†




(416) 424-4900




(888) 822-2425


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100



(888) 384-4557


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557



(800) 224-5838



(403) 346-8900



(877) 611-5241



(877) 611-5241


(905) 257-3633


(800) 514-4094


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557



(780) 743-1137


Kanata, ON(888) 757-7155


Toronto, ON(888) 336-1871


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557


Contact Realty†

Barrie, ON(877) 728-4067






(800) 514-4094


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100



Foothills†

Calgary, AB(800) 841-0672


Toronto, ON(416) 424-4900


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100



Ottawa, ON(877) 757-7386


(800) 622-9536


(800) 514-4094


(800) 622-9536


(800) 622-9536


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100



(855) 431-5600


Halifax, NS(902) 453-1700


Realty Group†

Toronto, ON(800) 515-9783


(888) 645-4267






Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572


Touch Realty†

Midland, ON(888) 480-2224


(888) 336-1871



Sillery), QC(418) 653-0488



Trenton, ON(800) 263-2177



Kingston, ON(800) 247-6311



Milton, ON(800) 514-3316


(416) 487-4311



(403) 346-8900



(877) 818-7557






Kanata, ON(888) 757-7155


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100


(888) 645-4267



Kingston, ON(800) 247-6311


Real Estate†








Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572



(877) 757-7386



(519) 824-9050



(800) 387-2526





Brossard, QC(450) 672-6450


Realty†

Ottawa, ON(800) 307-1545






Kingsbury Realty†




(403) 252-5900

130. JasonMacDonald


Ottawa, ON(888) 780-7747


Realty†

Hamilton, ON(877) 574-4601


(855) 431-5600



(604) 408-9311


Contact Realty†

Angus, ON(705) 424-4188



(800) 734-0457



(450) 672-6450


Surrey, BC(888) 649-4299


Kingsbury Realty†



AgencyMontreal, QC

(514) 917-2228



Trenton, ON(800) 263-2177



(877) 800-5066


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557


Cochrane, AB(403) 932-2101



(866) 989-6900


Ancaster, ON(877) 648-4451


(888) 336-1871



(905) 731-2000


KelownaKelowna, BC

(800) 421-3214



(780) 743-1137




(888) 797-7653



Mont-Royal, QC(514) 735-2281





(866) 335-1900



(403) 252-5900



(403) 346-8900









(819) 561-0223



(877) 791-7707



(819) 561-0223


Toronto, ON(416) 637-8000




RealtyRegina, SK

(877) 359-1900


(800) 514-4094



Milton, ON(800) 514-3316


Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572



(866) 989-6900


Manotick, ON(800) 490-8130


Realty†

Ottawa, ON(613) 695-8181


(888) 336-1871


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557








Contact Realty†

Barrie, ON(877) 728-4067


(800) 622-9536


(888) 336-1871



(905) 513-8878



(780) 594-4414



Milton, ON(800) 514-3316



Ottawa, ON, (877) 757-7386


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557




(888) 336-1871


Ottawa, ON(800) 307-1545


(866) 335-1900


Calgary, AB(888) 384-4557







(800) 263-4753



(780) 986-8407


(800) 387-4011


Realty†

Ottawa, ON(800) 307-1545


(800) 514-4094


North Realty†






King City, ON(905) 833-4633


Moncton, NB(888) 444-7572



(780) 467-7334





(819) 684-2000



(888) 286-1932









(780) 456-5656



(888) 277-6206


Vaughan, ON(905) 832-6656






(800) 635-9228


(800) 514-4094


Contact Realty†

Barrie, ON(877) 728-4067





Realty Group†

Toronto, ON(866) 753-7243











(613) 725-1171


(888) 645-4267







Ottawa, ON(613) 744-6697


Oakville, ON(905) 338-6550


(888) 336-1871


Kanata, ON(888) 757-7155


(905) 845-4267



(604) 261-9311



Orleans, ON(888) 830-8757


Thornhill, ON,(905) 889-9330



(819) 561-0223



(888) 661-9311


NewtonMontreal, QC

(514) 481-0241


Signature Realty†

Toronto, ON(888) 954-4100



Suzanne Grisé†




(416) 424-4900




Good WorksGood Worksrade 4, 5 and 6 studentsfrom all five ofTillsonburg, Ont.’s ele-

mentary schools took part in theannual Royal LePage R.E. WoodRealty Children’s Fun Day recent-ly. With help from local sponsors,the brokerage bussed in 567 chil-dren to skate at the KinsmenMemorial Arena or swim in theKinsmen Pool. The childrenbrought food items that weredonated to the Salvation Army’sChristmas Hamper Drive.

Melanie Luksys, a sales rep atthe brokerage, co-ordinated theevent and all the staff from RoyalLePage R.E. Wood Realty volun-

teered to ensure the day ransmoothly.

■ ■ ■

Sutton Group - Seafair Realtywas an enthusiastic participant inthe annual Realtors Care BlanketDrive in November. In addition toaccepting items at the Richmondand Tsawwassen offices throughoutthe week-long event, the broker-age held a drive-thru at theRichmond location. This is thesecond year in a row for the drive-thru; organizers have found thatthe public appreciates this quickand easy option.

Afterwards, a team from the

brokerage sorted the items at theSalvation Army CommunityChurch in preparation for distribu-tion.

■ ■ ■

Nancy Gossling, FionnaGossling and Kim Kennedy ofRoyal LePage Real Estate ServicesLtd. in Oakville recently held theGossling-Kennedy ShelterFoundation Dinner for a fourthyear, hosting 50 guests at Nancy’shome. Guests were treated to anelegant dinner and wine sponsoredby the team and Whole Foods.The event raised more than $7,600in donations for the Royal LePageShelter Foundation, to be directedto Halton Women’s Place.

■ ■ ■

Tracy Arnett Realty in Ottawarecently held a Team ChallengeDay to support local charities.Broker of record Tracy Arnett andthe brokerage’s agents and staffsplit into three teams and choseindividual charities, then went toCasino Lac-Leamy with a goal to

raise money for the charities. Afterthree hours of fun and friendlycompetition, the teams raised$1,705, which was divided amongthe Ottawa Humane Society, theAlzheimer Society of Ottawa andHarmony House.

■ ■ ■

The sales reps of Exit RealtyGroup along with their familiescollected food donations from theBelleville, Ont. community in sup-port of Gleaners Food Bank.“We are very proud of all of ouragents and their families’ hardwork, time and effort to make thisfood drive a huge success,” saysSharon Shortt, franchisee. Thebrokerage has offices in Bellevilleand Trenton and is involved inmany local fundraising events.“They are a strong supporter ofHabitat for Humanity, the charityof choice for Exit Realty, which haspledged over $2 million to theorganization,” says Joyce Paron,president – Canada for Exit Realty.

■ ■ ■

Coldwell Banker PeterBenninger Realty’s Annual Treesfor Toys campaign collected almost400 toys for the Waterloo Knightsof Columbus New Toys for NeedyKids Toy Drive. In its seventh year,this festive customer appreciationevent has collected about 2,900toys to date. Realtors purchasetrees or wreaths for their clientsand invite them to come and pickup their gifts and enjoy refresh-ments, pictures with Santa, facepainting and pony rides.Participants are encouraged todonate toys that are distributed tolocal children.

“Our clients really embrace thechance to give back to the com-munity,” says Dave Tidd, a sales repwho helps organize the event alongwith sales rep Tracey Appleton.

■ ■ ■

Suzanne Judge, a Sutton salesrep and active Rotarian in Comox,B.C., recently helped organize theBasics for Babies Food Drive, col-

Continued on page 24

G

Avison Young staff members in Vancouver have donated $14,280 to theUnited Way. The commercial real estate brokerage firm has contributedfinancially to the United Way for the past decade, as well as to numerousother charitable organizations.

Selva Vettyvel, broker of record at HomeLife Future Realtyin Markham, Ont., along with the team of Realtors at thebrokerage chose the Scarborough Hospital Foundation asthe recipient of its annual charity donation. The brokerageraised $10,000 for the foundation, announcing the dona-tion at its annual holiday dinner and awards ceremony.

The Royal LePage R.E. Wood Realty team fromTillsonburg poses in front of Christmas hampersfor the Salvation Army during the annualChildren’s Fun Day.

Realtors Daniel John, CharmaineMcCarthy, Libby Williams, DianaDickey and Jim Hinchcliffe fromSutton Group - Seafair Realty acceptand bag donations for the RealtorsCare Blanket Drive.

From left: Carm Bozzo, development manager, HaltonWomen’s Place; Nancy Gossling, Fionna Gossling andKim Kennedy of Royal LePage Real Estate Services.

Coldwell Banker PeterBenninger Realty sales repsDave Tidd and TraceyAppleton.

Each year Community Centre 55 in Toronto organizes aHamper’s Share a Christmas Toy and Food Drive. RoyalLePage Estate Realty, with branches on Kingston Road andQueen Street, pulled together and presented Centre 55 witha $5,000 cheque to go towards the holiday program. Fromleft, Chris Dunlop, Keith Burton, Centre 55’s DebbieVisconti, Jen Burton and Andrew Schultz.

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lecting more than $3,500 worth ofdiapers, formula, baby food andother essentials. Donors enjoyed afree breakfast while being enter-tained by the StrathconaSymphony Orchestra and a visitfrom Santa. The fundraiser hasbecome a favourite Christmas tra-dition in the community and animportant event for the ComoxValley Food Bank.

The annual drive was launchedthree years ago by Judge and threeother Rotary Club members.“Proper nutrition for young chil-dren is a key element in stoppingthe cycle of poverty in theirfuture,” says Judge.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage Solutions inCalgary realized a greater-than-expected outpouring of support forthe Royal LePage ShelterFoundation and their localwomen’s shelter at their annualholiday party. Expecting to raiseapproximately $5,000 through anauction, broker/owner Diane Scottwas delighted that $12,000 wasraised by 100 attendees who bid onitems presented by local auctioneerand friend Stan Leece. The orga-nizing team of Berna Lee Beaton,Adam Bowen, Amanda Shedrick,Cara Morgan and Chad Morganplanned the event.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage PerformanceRealty in Ottawa once again host-ed a popular holiday auction andluncheon in support of the Royal

LePage Shelter Foundation. Theevent has been held for 15 yearsand is a much-anticipated after-noon for friends and business part-ners of the team. Auction items forthe latest event included severalweekend retreats and spa and golfpackages. The event raised $22,000in support of five local women’sshelters: Maison d’Amitée, NelsonHouse, Harmony House, IntervalHouse and Baldwin House.

■ ■ ■

The agents of Royal LePageChamplain in Brossard, Quebechosted a festive holiday party andfundraiser in support of the RoyalLePage Shelter Foundation(known in Quebec as FondationUn toit pour tous). Throughdonations and the sale of raffletickets with prizes including a tripto Las Vegas and a cruise, $8,700was raised for the local women’sshelter, Pavilion Marguerite deChamplain.

■ ■ ■

Royal LePage Wolle Realty inKitchener, Ont. marked its 20thyear supporting the Food Bank ofWaterloo Region. The 65 salesreps weighed in with contributionsof more than 2,500 pounds of foodand $17,500 in cash to help thefood bank with its ChristmasDrive. More than 900 of the firm’scustomers, families and friendsfilled six theatres at LandmarkCinema for the Disney movieFrozen. The price of admission wasat least one non-perishable fooditem per family member and cashdonations were made by appeal tolocal businesses. REM

Good WorksContinued from page 22 Tracey Arnett Realty in Ottawa recently pre-

sented a cheque to the local Alzheimer Society.From left: Tanya Smith, business manager;Ian Arnett, sales rep; Terri Hicks, a represen-tative from the Alzheimer Society; TracyArnett, broker of record; and AllisonAtkinson, sales co-ordinator.

Sales reps and staff at RoyalLePage Wolle Realty in

Kitchener, Ont.

Royal LePage Champlain holi-day party attendees gather for agroup photo.

Exit Realty Group inBelleville, Ont. collected and

donated food for theGleaners Food Bank.

The organizing team from Royal LePage Solutions inCalgary, from left: Connie Toren, Kim Bryce, BernaLee Beaton, Juanita Budgen, Chad Morgan, CaraMorgan, Adam Bowen, Diane Scott, Tom Scott andAmanda Shedrick.

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Letters to the EditorReaction to ‘Can wecall ourselves professionals?’

Re: Can We Call OurselvesProfessionals? (REM, Novemberand December 2013)

Professionalism is a hot topicthese days, so it’s encouraging tosee debate on the importance ofprofessionalism and the challengesfacing the real estate sector in thepages of REM, most recently in thetwo-part series by Lloyd Manning.Discussing professionalism is anessential step toward meaningfulchange, and as chair of the RealEstate Council of Ontario’s(RECO) Board of Directors Iwould like to contribute to theongoing dialogue.

As the real estate regulator inOntario, RECO protects the pub-lic interest and enhances consumerconfidence in the real estate sector.Enforcing the rules and regulationsthat real estate practitioners mustfollow is central to that goal, butencouraging professionalism with-in the sector is equally important.

A recent CREA survey foundthat 88 per cent of real estate prac-titioners are concerned about pro-fessionalism. It’s critical that realestate practitioners think of our-selves as professionals, and carryourselves as such. When we don’tthink of ourselves as professionalswe don’t realize the importance ofthe work we do or how it affectsour clients, an attitude thatinevitably leads to lower standards.We have to hold each other to ahigher standard by demanding thebest of ourselves and each other.

In addition to engaging in reg-ulatory activities like inspectionsand investigations, RECO pro-motes professionalism within thereal estate sector in many ways. Anongoing series of videos featuringRECO directors discuss profession-alism with interesting and engag-ing visuals. A column in our regis-trant newsletter For the RECOrd,tackles different aspects of profes-sionalism. We also provide accessto registrants’ disciplinary historyon RECO’s website, which demon-strates the sector’s accountability –a key element for any profession.

Every practitioner can improveprofessionalism with their actionsand their attitude toward theirresponsibilities. We all have ashared interest in enhancing con-sumer confidence in the real estateprofession and we all have a role toplay in nurturing a culture of pro-fessionalism. It’s how we, as realestate professionals, conduct our-selves each and every day thatmakes the biggest impact.

Glenda BrindleChair, RECO Board of Directors

Toronto

A resounding“Harumpf”

I have to respond to LloydManning’s December article with aresounding “Harumpf!”

First, let’s be clear: I am an oldfogey. I am 60. But this story is aclassic case of “the world is going torack and ruin” and “the younginsdon’t know what they’re doing”and “the world ain’t what it used tobe”. These sorts of vague accusa-tions about Realtor or industry

ethics bother me, because I haveexperienced the opposite.

In my experience, the numberof greasy numbskulls in this busi-ness has been on a steady declinesince I entered it in 2000 and sinceI first experienced it as a consumer,since the late 1970s. I rememberagents who didn’t know their lockbox codes, who forgot to show upfor appointments, who simplycould not fill out an offer coher-ently, let alone legally or properly.Who didn’t have solvent clientsand lied about that. Agents whohad the co-operating broker do thelisting agent’s running around fromsheer unapologetic laziness; whoobviously saved themselves anoth-er trip across town by copying theirclient’s initials or time of signatureinto a document; who clearly liedabout having multiple offers orbeing related to the seller; and sell-ers who covered up the fact thatthey themselves were licensedRealtors.

This list is barely the begin-ning. Manners? Huh! You’ve got tobe kidding! The ability to listen to,

Glenda Brindle

Lisa Dale



and explain things to, their clients?Huh! Are you nuts? Ethics? Ya,right: (Hey buddy, if you put in alow-ball offer on my listing, then Ican tell this joker tonight I havemultiple offers…so you owe me,remember?)

I will tell you where the largestethical front line holes still are:blind multiple offers (if we can postlistings on MLS, we can certainlyelectronically register to CREA alloffers on any property, plain andsimple. I’ve been drawing blankstares every time I bring up theinherent corruption in blind multi-ple offering since I entered realestate); and identity requirementsif considering ratting on our less-than-pure-minded altruistic col-leagues. Who in their right mindwants to quit their own strugglingcareer for a lengthy fraught periodto possibly catch, more probablyjust make an enemy of, the pettythief standing in the office nextdoor? No one. Duh!

Ethics can be taught. Butfrankly, they aren’t taught by lec-turing us on ethics during a one-day or one-week frivolous creditcourse with a pass grade for mereattendance. Ethics likely aren’ttaught with anything much longer,drier or tougher, either. They aretaught by osmosis, as consequence,together with being taught how tosucceed – which in this business,no one cares enough to teach us.Really. I mean that.

When we join this profession,must we shadow a high-productionRealtor for a month? No. Are theseasoned required to provide thatshadow? No. Are we taught eth-nicity, personality and cultural dif-ferences in varying clientapproaches to determining bestprices, contractual obligations andnegotiations? No.

Are we taught to turn off ourgadgets every day at a set time, torespect that in others and get towork on time in the morning, orhow to accept no-harassmentsSunday mornings, and not to can-cel our date with our husband for agoof (posing as client) who maynot value our time as he shops lan-guidly for a house and treats us likea Sherpa up his self-designed Mt.Everest? No.

Are we hammered with ethicalscripts to memorize and objectionhandling phrases to know off byheart and counselled on how tohandle control freaks? No. Does

Letters to the EditorContinued from page 26

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anyone go with us to break our fearof door knocking? No.

Never mind overall time man-agements skills, how to overcomeshyness with domineering or rudestrangers or domineering or rudeRealtors, or how to avoid the low-lying money grabbers that pose asoffice guest speakers. Never a word.But we know the dire implicationsof measuring a room incorrectly.Bravo! Aren’t we professional!

Neurologists and motivationalspeakers say that you simply can-not stop thinking about the ele-phant in the room when told tostop thinking about the elephantin the room. The brain does notwork that way. You must thinkinstead very hard about the tiger.Poof! The elephant vanishes.

I take umbrage at Mr.Manning’s questioning that ethicscan be learned by being taught.There are real estate gurus in thisindustry teaching ethics and noneof their conferences or speeches aretitled “Ethics”. We don’t get cred-its for these folks. Their talks aretitled “How to increase your busi-ness production level” – or “Salestalk”. Because if we meet a ton ofstrangers, provide good service,learn how to work smart, commu-

nicate clearly, don’t ever lie andgrow our businesses over time(with the learned skills of timemanagement, dealing with differ-ent human natures, knowing howand when to delegate and plan,how to finesse our language duringclient and Realtor communica-tions, and insisting we take time offto balance our lives outside thisbusiness) we will, most likely, beethical professional and respectedRealtors.

I loudly say no, we absolutelymust not “recommit to traditionalvalues” – ugh! Please, not the1980s again. We now already dohave “real life examples” of ethicalquandaries brought into our self-regulation classrooms. And pardonme, speak for yourself please, whenyou say, “Until Realtors start trad-ing greed for improved ethics theseproblems will never be solved.”

Can we bring pride to the bro-kerage bullpens please? To our chatrooms? Our elders? Bring front-lineanecdotes to review boards? Goodgrief!

Lisa DaleSales representative

Re/Max Escarpment RealtyHamilton, Ont. REM

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FIABCI plans international summitThe FIABCI 65th World Congress, an international summit for real

estate professionals, will be held in Luxembourg on May 20 to 22. Theevent will feature “an intense three days” of professional programs pre-sented by well-known speakers, experts’ workshops and debates. Therewill also be a trade show.

The program will be split into half days, each dedicated to specifictopics. The headline topic is Building Humanity. Other topics will beReal Estate Marketing, Cities and Technology, Finance and Tax andArchitecture and Urban Design.

FIABCI says more than 1,500 real estate decision makers from morethan 60 countries are expected to attend. Business sectors from the realestate industry, including disciplines from building, architecture, design,project management and finance will be represented.

For information: http://fiabci65.com. REM

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e all make mistakes –that’s part of learningand growing in life.

Back when I first began my realestate career, I made a few baddecisions and in retrospect, I wish Icould have some do-overs.

Those errors however, muchlike my real estate career, are justwater under the fridge now. But ifyou are a new Realtor and wouldlike to avoid a few mishaps as youbegin to establish yourself, pleaseallow me to share a few brief recol-lections of (some of) those gaffes.

When you first begin yourcareer, often you may find yourselftaking out potential clients whoare complete strangers. Maybethey were a referral from a col-league or perhaps they wandered inwhile you were on floor duty.Perhaps they came to your yardsale and mentioned your wainscot-ing, so you immediately scoopedthem up and took them to view asimilar listed property.

Regardless of how they havecome to be inside your vehicle, it ismost prudent to leave the talkingto them. I learned this by bringinga couple to see a home that theyhad called about, which I had justhappened to see the day beforewhile on an office caravan, or tour.

Wanting to sound knowledge-able in my early days, I proceededto comment on the large yard, thenatural landscaping and the openfloor plan. I also embellished a bitwith my personal opinion, that ifyou could just get past the cheesySpanish Hacienda style, it wouldbe a perfect family home.

If you’ve guessed that the rea-son we were en route to see thehome was precisely due to thecharming Spanish style, you willunderstand why I was so taken by


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By Dan St. Yves

Rookie Realtorlearnings

surprise to never hear back fromthem after the showing. A soldsign did go up on the property soonafter. Hasta la vista first sale, baby.

Another error I can concede tois that back then, cell phonesweren’t nearly as capable or asaffordable as they are now. It wasnot unusual to have monthly billsthat brought on acute paralysis ofthe chequebook when you lookedat the dollar figure at the bottom ofthe statement.

To offset that unpleasant expe-rience, I would most often leavemy cell phone off or refuse toanswer when it rang. When thecaller was ultimately redirected tomy pager, I would look around for apay phone and make my callback.

I did this a few too many timeswhile working on an offer and atthe same time, going out showingclients around. By the fourth stop,I made the unfortunate decision topark outside a competing agency’soffice, which is where my clientsdecided to “get out and stretchtheir legs”. Coming back to my car,it was like David Copperfield hadjust concluded his act by havingmy commission disappear.

Finally, it is perfectly fine whenin an awkward situation to allowyour clients to come to their ownconclusions. While showing ahome in Peachland, B.C. to a veryprim and proper young couple, wecame upon a self-explanatory dis-play in the master bedroom. Foranyone visiting the home while itwas for sale, the homeowners haddecided to leave their audio-visualdisplay out – a broadcast qualitycamera aimed directly at the bed,with connections to a large screenTV also positioned in exceptionalviewing range of said romper roombunking.

Why I felt that I needed toexplain the set-up to the coupleremains beyond me to this day. Justchalk it up to rookie Realtor learn-ings you may want to avoid in yourown blooming career.

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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© 2014 Coldwell Banker LLC. All Rights Reserved. Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker LLC. Each sales representative and broker is responsible for complying with any consumer disclosure laws or regulations. Any use of the term “sales associate” or “agent” shall be replaced with the term “sales representative” in Canada. Not intended to solicit Brokers under a current franchise agreement.”

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Georgian Bay


he Thunder Bay RealEstate Board launched anew logo to commemorate

its 100th anniversary. The board,using the slogan, “Opening Doorsfor 100 Years” will hold celebrationactivities throughout 2014.

“Our goals for the year are tocontinue to give back to our com-munities and to promote theRealtor profession. Fundraisingevents in support of The SalvationArmy and Habitat for Humanityare only a part of the plans,” saysEO Erin Nadon. If you are plan-ning a trip through Thunder Bay

during 2014 the board invites youto check out the calendar of eventsby contacting Nadon [email protected] or807-623-8422.

■ ■ ■

The Real Estate Board of theFredericton Area recently cele-brated its 50th anniversary with agala event at the Delta FrederictonHotel. Many current membersalong with retired members joinedpresident Wendy Hallihan and theBoard of Directors in celebratingthe milestone event.

Fredericton’s Deputy MayorStephen Chase, Oromocto’sMayor Robert Powell, Pam Lynch,MLA and MP Keith Ashfield alsoattended. CREA president-electBeth Crosbie spoke on behalf ofthe national association. Theevening included dinner, a varietyshow featuring Fredericton-areaperformers and dancing. Memberswith more than 30 years in theboard were presented with a giftand the board was presented with acertificate from CMHC and a giftfrom CREA.

■ ■ ■

Tim Mattioli has been elect-ed president of the RealtorsAssociat ion of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB), succeedingBruce Moran. Mattioli has been amember of the association since1987 and is a sales rep withRe/Max Escarpment Realty.

The 2014 RAHB directors are:Donna Bacher, president-elect;

Sean Morrison, vice-president;Bruce Moran, immediate past-president; and directors KimAlvarez, Rochelle Edwards, GaryHerron, Bill Lawson, PaulMartindale, Dave Nichols, GloriaPayton and Lou Piriano.

Members, sponsors and friendsof RAHB showed their generosityand community spirit at the 25thannual Charity Auction in supportof the 900 CHML-Y108-95.3Fresh FM Children’s Fund. Morethan $53,000 was raised at theannual Christmas charity auctionand social.

Proceeds from the partnershipbetween RAHB and the Corusradio stations continue to supportmany local children’s charitiesthroughout the Hamilton andBurlington area year-round. Overthe 25 years of the partnership,RAHB’s annual auction has raisedover $789,000 for the charity, mak-ing RAHB its single largest con-tributor.

■ ■ ■

Regina’s real estate market willhave another healthy, if not dra-matically different year in 2014,predicts the new president of theAssociation of Regina Realtors,Basil Pappas.

“Though home sales dippedoverall, 2013 was still one of thetop five years in the history of thelocal MLS System – and newhome starts were at a 30-year high.Developers are building morerental supply, as well. Barringmajor changes in the economy, Isee more of the same for 2014.”

Pappas was born and raised inRegina – and into real estate. Hisdad Chris was a Realtor for 30years. Basil, a Realtor with Re/MaxCrown Real Estate since 2000, hasserved on ARR’s Board ofDirectors since 2008.

Joining him on the 2014 ARRboard: president-elect Tim Chicilo,Realty One Real Estate Services;

T

This year’s 8th annual Jam with a Past President, organized byOntario Real Estate Association past-president Brian Walker, raisedmore than $6,000 for the Realtors Care Foundation and featuredperformances from Phil Soper, CEO of Royal LePage; JohnDeMichelle, associate CEO at the Toronto Real Estate Board; PhilDorner, OREA president; and many others.

The Filipino Canadian Real Estate Association (FiLCREA), in partnershipwith Hotel Novotel Vaughan, raised more than $25,000 to support theTyphoon Haiyan survivors. FiLCREA directors headed by president RubiTalavera and Novotel Vaughan VP Bernie Bulaong, present the cheque toAlfredo Pacis, chair of Gawad Kalinga Canada and vice-chair JojoQuerubin.

LSTAR 2013 president Doug Pedlar (centre) recently presentedGabriella Catolino, director of development and capital campaign for St.Joseph’s Hospice; Donald Bryant, capitol campaign chair and MarisaKanas, campaign development officer, with $25,000. Also present wasHeather Arnott, right, chair of LSTAR’s Quality of Life Advisory Group.

From left: Carol Morton,PKAR CommunityInvolvement chair; PeterWard, PKAR president;Rosanna Haroutounianof Heads Up forInclusion; and WendyGiroux, PKAR E.O.Through the Realtor’sCare Foundation, HUFIreceived $2,500 for itsprograms.

From left: VictoriaKehoe of the DurhamDistress Centre,DRAR president JaneHurst and DRAR EOCail Maclean.

Jim Holody

Greg Steele

Marilee Peters


past-president Stacy Svendsen,Realty Executives Regina; MarinaRist, Realty Executives DaleRipplinger & Associates; JasonCossette, Re/Max Crown RealEstate; Brin Werrett, Royal LePageRegina Realty; Tim Otitoju, RealtyOne Real Estate Services; BernieWeinbender, Century 21 DomeRealty; and Rick Miron, Re/MaxCrown Real Estate.

Representing Regina Realtorsat the provincial level, LaneBoghean of Century 21 DomeRealty began a two-year term asRegina Region Director on theAssociation of SaskatchewanRealtors’ Board of Directors.

■ ■ ■

Jim Holody is 2014 president ofthe London and St. ThomasAssociation of Realtors (LSTAR).He is the broker of record for theindependently owned and operated1st London Real Estate Services.

In December, LSTAR present-ed the St. Joseph’s Hospice with$25,000. For more than 27 yearsthe hospice has been providingcommunity-based palliative andbereavement care to people livingin London and the immediate sur-rounding area. Currently it doesnot have a residence associatedwith it, unlike most comparableCanadian cities. The hospice hasentered into a partnership with theSisters of St. Joseph, so 10 in two ofits wings will be devoted to hospicebeds.

“When we learned about thisgreat project back in the spring of2013, we pledged to give the hos-pice $50,000 over a two-year peri-od,” says 2013 president DougPedlar. “This cheque representshalf of that commitment. Thefunds come from LSTAR’sBusiness Partners Program andgrants from the Realtors CareFoundation.”

■ ■ ■

Greg Steele assumed the presi-dency of the Realtors Associationof Edmonton on Jan. 1.

He has had a long and variedcareer in real estate starting in1988. After 15 years in residentialsales and multiple association andRe/Max awards, he joinedCentreCorp to pursue commercialleasing and development opportu-nities until the company wasrestructured in 2005. He joinedRe/Max Real Estate and became aRealtor again in 2005 andobtained his commercial realestate designation.

He is married and has twoteenaged boys and a beautifulScreaming Eagle Harley Davidsonto help occupy his spare time, theassociation says.

■ ■ ■

Dawn Parent of Re/Max RealEstate Central in Lacombe, Alta.has taken over as president of theCentral Alberta Realtors

Association (CARA). Newlyelected associate membersDanielle Davies and Mike Snellwill serve three-year terms on theBoard of Directors.

Returning to the board, LornaMoore will serve a three-year termin the Rural Broker category.

The Central Alberta Smiles forKids Toyraiser raised more than$2,300 worth of toys for the RedDeer Christmas Bureau. In its firstyear, CARA members enteredeight teams to race to shop for asmany toys as possible, purchasingmore than 200 individual toys fordeserving children.

■ ■ ■

Marilee Peters has joined theReal Estate Council of B.C. ascommunications officer. Mostrecently an independent consul-tant with MAP CreativeCommunication, Peters also spentsix years as communications direc-tor with the B.C. Council for

Families and a year as its actingexecutive director. In addition,she has worked in the arts andenvironmental sectors, notably asthe communications and market-ing specialist with Vancouver’sArts Club Theatre. She is also afreelance writer and her first bookis forthcoming from Annick Pressthis fall.

■ ■ ■

For the 19th year in a row,Realtors from the real estate boardsin Greater Vancouver, the FraserValley and Chilliwack and districtcollected enough donations ofcoats, blankets, sleeping bags andwarm clothing to help more than20,000 people during the annualRealtors Care Blanket Drive.

The Dr. Peter Centre, one ofVancouver’s recipient charities,offers health programs and long-term and supportive housing to


The Thunder Bay Real Estate Board is celebrating its 100th anniversarythis year with a variety of events.

Greater Moncton Realtors du Grand Moncton delivered more than 2,100pounds of turkey for those in need. From left, a local firefighter, EO KerryRakuson and members Trent Wilkins, Jennifer Richford-Hicks, RickyCormier and Shirley Powell.

RAHB’s Charity Auction Taskforce

Greater Moncton Realtors du Grand Moncton president Roxanne Maillet,left, presents a cheque to Tina Thibodeau of Crossroads for Women.

Wendy Hallihan

Tim Mattioli

Basil Pappas


individuals with HIV/AIDSrequiring specialized care. Anotherregular beneficiary of the BlanketDrive is the Surrey MemorialHospital’s Patient ResourceDepartment. Every year, the hospi-tal receives winter coats to give topatients who need them.

Volunteer Realtors pick up,sort and deliver donations droppedoff by colleagues, clients, the pub-lic, corporations, retailers, commu-nity groups and schools. The drop-off locations are real estate officesspread across the region, betweenWhistler and Hope.

Since 1994, the Blanket Drivehas grown to become the largestcollection of its kind in the LowerMainland. Over the years, the pro-gram has assisted more than225,000 people.

■ ■ ■

Last year, Greater MonctonRealtors du Grand Moncton raisedmore charity funds than ever –more than $20,000 – for itsfundraising partners. PresidentRoxanne Maillet handed outcheques to six local charities:Crossroads for Women received

Boards and AssociationsContinued from page 33

more than $10,000, while fiveother causes each got more than$2,400: Breakfast for LearningProgram, Chudumont Foundation,The Friends of The MonctonHospital Foundation and theFundy Biosphere.

Members were also busy raisingfunds to support the Sue StultzTurkey Drive. This year the boarddelivered more than 2,100 poundsof turkey to the local fire station.

■ ■ ■

The Peterborough and theKawarthas Association of Realtors(PKAR) recently held its annualChristmas Breakfast, where itmade presentations to several localcharities including the SalvationArmy, Sweet Dreams Charity andHeads Up For Inclusion. A$10,395 donation to KawarthaFood Share, which feeds 7,700people in Peterborough and thecounty per month and providesbreakfast programs for 48 localschools, was used to purchase anew truck to pick up and deliverfood.

PKAR Realtors have donatedmore than $100,000 to local char-ities in the last 10 years.

■ ■ ■

The Durham RegionAssociation of Realtors (DRAR)announced that the recipients ofits charitable contributions haverecently been approved for addi-tional funding through theRealtors Care Foundation. Theyinclude Durham Distress Centre, aregistered charity that helps peoplein distress to cope by providingemotional support, crisis/suicidemanagement and community edu-cation; and Grandview Children’sCentre, which has been providingrehabilitation and education ser-vices to children and youth withspecial needs since 1953.

■ ■ ■

CREB Charitable Foundationcelebrated the holiday season bydonating $250,000 to 19 Calgaryand area charities. The founda-tion’s membership consists of morethan 5,200 Calgary and areaRealtors. Since starting in 1987,the foundation has donated morethan $4.8 million to charities andimpactful programs.

With the goal of helping tobuild self-sustaining communities,the foundation invests in shelterand community enhancing initia-tives every year. This year fourcharities were chosen to receive

CREB’s Governors’ Grants basedon the significant impact fundingwould have on the organizations.These recipients were SonshineCommunity Services, receiving$50,000; Servants AnonymousSociety Calgary, receiving$25,000; Cochrane Society ofHousing Options, receiving$15,000; and HighbanksIndependent Living for ParentingYouth Society, receiving $10,000.

CREB Charitable Foundation’sInvesting in Hope program willdonate $10,000 to 15 other chari-ties. Realtors nominated theirfavourite non-profits for the pro-gram and voted online to deter-mine the winners.

■ ■ ■

Members of the SouthernGeorgian Bay Association ofRealtors (SGBAR) recentlydonated to various local charitieswith proceeds from the RealtorsCare Foundation – Every RealtorCampaign, supplemented by theassociation’s annual fundraisingactivities. More than $12,700 waspresented to Collingwood General& Marine Hospital, Habitat forHumanity, Home Horizons,Housing Resource Centre, LaMaison Rosewood Shelter, My

Friend’s House, Meaford HospitalFoundation, Shelter Now, WendatCommunity Programs and UnitedWay. Earlier this year, proceedsfrom the association’s golf tourna-ment were presented to theManito Shrine Club for theChildren’s Hospital Burn Unit.

■ ■ ■

The Association of Real EstateLicense Law Officials (ARELLO),an international organization ofagencies that regulate real estatelicensees, recently awarded theReal Estate Council of B.C. its Pre-Licensing Education ProgramAward for the new Broker’sBusiness Planning & FinancialManagement Licensing course.

The course was launched onJuly 1, 2012 and is now requiredfor those wishing to becomelicensed as managing brokers orassociate brokers. It focuses onpublic protection, business plan-ning, financial management,human resources managementand leadership. It resulted fromthe council’s long-time partner-ship with the UBC SauderSchool of Business. Extensiveinput received from licensee focusgroups helped to guide and refinecontent. REM

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The FRI designation is a valuable confirmation of Thethe professional status of real estate practitioners. The FRI raises the bar and is a true differentiator. As CEO, the FRI is my industry standard.

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“… as we know, there are knownknowns; there are things we know weknow. We also know there are knownunknowns; that is to say we knowthere are some things we do not know.But there are also unknownunknowns – the ones we don’t knowwe don’t know.” – DonaldRumsfeld

n B.C. the provincial realestate council places a heavyburden of responsibility for

an agent’s actions on the shouldersof the agent’s managing broker.Given the numerous valleys of greyamongst the mountaintops of suc-cess, it is a difficult mandate tohelp agents navigate through theunknowns. It is particularly toughwhen an agent has just enoughknowledge to allow their brains tobuild confidence in their actions,but not enough knowledge to trulybe competent in the field.

I have heard it said that thefirst phase in any new vocation orskill is that of “unconscious incom-petence”. The provincial realestate councils across the countrydo a relatively good job helpingnew real estate licensees under-stand their short-comings in termsof their knowledge base in the pro-fession. They move them into thatmore uncomfortable phase of hav-ing “conscious incompetence”.However, Rumsfeld’s mysteriousshroud of not knowing what wedon’t know is something thatimpacts on both the seasoned pro-fessional and the novice.

The Dunning-Kruger effect isthe name for the blind confidencethe brain gives an individual whofails to understand that they trulydon’t know something. It is a cog-nitive bias that creates an inabilityto recognize personal short com-ings. It’s the effect of the brainreaching its limit of self analysisand thereby creating the sense ofconfidence to plough forward.

The Dunning-Kruger effect isnamed after David Dunning and

A false sense ofconfidence

By Ari Lahdekorpi

Justin Kruger of the Department ofPsychology at Cornell University.They conducted a series of experi-ments to study this phenomenon.Their findings shine a light on thefact that our understanding ofthings is highly subjective and thatwe can fool ourselves into beliefsand prejudices that are inaccurate.

This inability to recognize one’sown inadequate knowledge or abil-ity also brings along some othertraits in the process. The uncon-sciously incompetent tend to over-estimate their own level of skill,they fail to recognize genuine skillin others and will only recognizeand acknowledge their own previ-ous lack of skill once they areexposed to training in that area.

Although the Dunning-Krugereffect was first published as a studyin 1999, throughout history writers

and philosophers have made simi-lar general observations of this veryhuman trait. The book of Proverbsstates: “Whoever trusts in his ownmind is a fool.” Confucius put itthis way: “Real knowledge is toknow the extent of one’s igno-rance.” Even Darwin has beenquoted on the subject, stating,“Ignorance more frequently begetsconfidence than does knowledge.”

Interestingly, when someonespeaks with confidence, the major-ity of people find it easier to acceptinformation as fact than when onespeaks tentatively. However, theDunning-Kruger effect suggeststhat those with inadequate knowl-edge have a self-induced sense ofconfidence because they have acognitive inability to understandthat they are or might be wrong.

An analysis of experts and pen-dants in the media showed that inmost cases their comments were

inaccurate or just plain wrong.However, because these individu-als were able to speak with confi-dent bravado (and in sound-bites)they receive the media exposure.How often have world leaders inhistory been wrong and led theircountries in directions that timehas proven to be damaging? Noone, including monarchs, judges orpoliticians, is totally immune tothe Dunning-Kruger effect.

If you are in a situation whereyou are thinking, how can this per-son be so wrong, and you are total-ly confident that you areright…take a serious and reflectivemoment to consider that you, notthe other person, might be experi-encing the Dunning-Kruger effect.Benjamin Franklin had a wonder-ful way of freeing the brain from itsunknown biases. He would take asheet of paper and on one side listall the positive reasons for a deci-sion or a potential action and thenon the other side of the paper hewould list all of the reasons againstit. If it is a list written openly andhonestly, then the correct positionwill reveal itself. However, youhave to be willing to accept theoutcome, even when it reveals thatyour own bias could be wrong.

In the extremely complex busi-ness of real estate, it is imperativethat Realtors and brokers be waryof the ways the human brain canfool itself into a false sense of con-fidence or righteousness. Neverforget to speak to bona fide expertsand do research to uncover thoseareas of “unknown unknowns”.

“We see the world, not as it is, butas we are – or, as we are conditionedto see it. When we open our mouthsto describe what we see, we in effectdescribe ourselves, our perceptions,our paradigms.” – Stephen R.Covey.

Our lives and our individualexperiences have equipped all of uswith lovely rose-tinted glasses. Ifyou understand that you are wear-ing them, the better part of thebattle of becoming competent atthe highest level is being won.

Ari Lahdekorpi is managing bro-ker with Re/Max Select Properties inVancouver. REM

We can foolourselves into

beliefs and prejudices that are

inaccurate.

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Coming June 2014: Our Special 25th Anniversary Issue

We are excited to announce that in June 2014, REM will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special issue that recognizes the people and events that have shaped the real estate industry over the past 25 years, and look ahead to see what’s coming in the next quarter century.

If you are interested in being a part of this special anniversary issue, contact us today at [email protected] or give us a call: 416-425-3504 ext 1.

By Richard Robbins

Zoocasa announcesVancouver and Victoria partnerships

Online real estate destinationZoocasa recently announced newpartnerships with agents and bro-kerages in Vancouver andVictoria, including Sutton WestCoast Realty and Re/Max.

“Consumers have indicatedthat they want to go online notjust to find their next home, butalso to find the right agent to helpthem,” says Lawrence Dale, grouphead of real estate business forZoocasa. “Our goal is to provideconsumers with a one-stop seam-less experience for all of their realestate needs and we are now deliv-ering this experience to con-sumers across Vancouver andVictoria.”

When a consumer closes thesale or purchase of a home with aZoocasa partner agent, theyreceive a rebate worth thousandsof dollars in cash and gift cards typically exceeding $2,000, thecompany says. For information:www.zoocasa.com.

Lone Wolf adds singlesign-on authentication

Lone Wolf Real EstateTechnologies has incorporated sin-

gle sign-on (SSO) functionalityinto its WOLFconnect front officemanagement solutions.

“In an industry where technol-ogy is constantly changing, astrong integrated business founda-tion remains a constant require-ment for real estate brokers,” saysthe company in a release.

Lone Wolf’s core suite of pro-prietary products, the CompleteEnterprise Solution (CES), inte-grates to provide single-point ofentry for users. Data can beentered into one program and theupdate is carried through to eachof the other programs in the prod-uct line. The addition of SSOfunctionality in WOLFconnectopens the door for brokers to fur-ther enhance their office technol-ogy and maintain a true one-pointof entry for agents and staff, result-ing in improved data flow, thecompany says. For information:www.lwolf.com. REM

Are you ‘good’busy or ‘bad’ busy?Bad busy is being reactive.

Our ego likes to be busy; forsome reason it makes us feel impor-tant. I’ve seen people get com-pletely addicted to the busy rush,feeding off the adrenaline of madlycrossing items off their “to do” list.It’s almost like a drug. But thetrouble is, when we are so busydoing we’re not bringing any clari-ty to our actions and asking thesethree important questions:

1. Do I need to be doing thisnow or at all?

2. Is this something I could bedelegating to someone else?

3. Is this serving my life or mybusiness in any way?

The only way to consider thesequestions is to slow down, step offthe treadmill and take a step backfor a clearer perspective on whatuses up all of your time each day.

It always amazes me that “busy”can seem like something that justhappens to us rather than some-thing we actually created our-selves. At some point, we chooseto take on all of those things thatmake up our “busy” lives. If you’retoo busy, you have only one personto blame. You.

Once you start being moreintentional about how you spendyour time, you’ll start to see thatyou’re not actually busy, you areover-committed. Once you beginbeing less reactive and more proac-tive, you’ll begin to see that you arein charge of how your day goes.You are the captain of your ownship.

I know, I know… there willalways be exceptions to this rule.I’m not saying that unexpected sit-uations and unforeseen disasterswon’t strike from time to time.Stuff happens. But for those whohave chosen to take the reins oftheir life, versus letting life dragthem all over town, I’m sure they’llfind that life’s hiccups become a lit-tle easier to handle.

Richard Robbins is CEO/founderof Richard Robbins International(RRi), a Canadian-based organiza-tion providing world-class real estateconferences and one-on-one coach-ing. For information about upcomingconferences, booking Richard to speakor coaching programs, visitwww.richardrobbins.com or call 1-800-298-9587. REM

ales professionals, regard-less of production, are busypeople with a lot of balls in

the air including finding new busi-ness, serving existing clients andrunning a business (in many caseswith very little administrative sup-port.) We all get the same 24hours, yet some people seem to befar more productive than others.That’s because productive peopleare “good” busy.

Good busy is when you wakeup in the morning, review yourgoals, create a schedule based onthose goals, do some lead follow-up, call back your past clients,touch base with your sellers andconnect with your buyers aboutnew listings. You get the idea.

Bad busy is constantly check-ing and responding to email all day,wasting time on social media, surf-ing the Internet and trying to com-plete every little task as soon as itlands in our lap.

Good busy is being proactive.

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This position requires a person with real estate managerial experience or willing to learn. Broker license would be an asset but not a must. If you possess these qualities, we would like to meet you.

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Trade Showsand ConferencesTrade Showsand Conferences

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

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

Fraser Valley Real Estate BoardConference & Trade ShowWednesday, Jan. 29Coast Hotel & ConventionCentre, Langley, B.C.www.fvreb.bc.ca

Re/Max of Western Canada 31st Annual Conference Feb. 5-7Vancouver Convention Centre Vancouver [email protected]

Century 21 Kickoff 2014,Awards Event and Trade ShowTuesday, March 4Toronto Congress CentreTorontoCarla Ty – [email protected]

Century 21 Kickoff 2014,Awards Event and Trade ShowWednesday, March 12Hyatt Regency MontrealMontrealCarla Ty – [email protected]

Nova Scotia Association ofRealtors Annual GeneralMeeting & SymposiumMarch 21 – 22Holiday Inn HarbourviewDartmouth, N.S.Christy Wentzell Johnson - 902-468-5764 or [email protected]

Realtors Association ofHamilton-Burlington RealtorConnections 2014 Trade ShowThursday, March 27Hamilton Convention CentreHamilton, Ont.Sheila Sferrazza – [email protected]

CREA Annual General Meeting& Leadership SummitMarch 29 & 30 (March 30tradeshow)Westin Hotel, OttawaAnik Aube - [email protected]

New Brunswick Real EstateAssociation AGM & ConferenceApril 2 – 3Delta Hotel, Fredericton, [email protected]

THE PUBLISHER’SPAGE

By Heino Molls

ack in my day, people some-times held back their verybest things for special use.

Ordinary days meant ordinarythings in the house and ordinaryroutines without using the goodstuff that had been put away. It wasall saved for when company cameor special occasions rolled around.People used to really lay it all outon those days. We all knew expres-sions such as, “Get out the bestchina” or put on your “Sundayclothes”.

I knew people who zipperedtheir furniture with custom fittedplastic coverings and only tookthem off on special occasions orwhen important company cameover like a leader from the family’shouse of worship or the schoolteacher.

Those days are behind us. Weare less likely to have formal visitsto the house. Today people “dropby” or come over for the hockeygame or a barbecue.

There are lot of people whohang on to the old traditions thesedays but by and large most aresmart enough not to hoard goodchina and use it every day. People

The mostimportant thingnow put their best clothes on everyday. Women and men spend a greatdeal of time and energy to looktheir best every day instead of goingout with worn-out clothing orrough hands and skin. I think this isjust fine and commendable.

With all that said I believe thatthere is one “best thing” that weshould all be able to present consis-tently. Something we all recognizeis always good and even beautiful.It is the single “best thing” that youshould always have out regardless ofyour location, your generation,your ethnic background, your pro-fession, your age and most absolute-ly your mood. It is your manners.

Good manners will carry youregardless of your clothing andlook. If you have good manners,you are elegant no matter whereyou are, no matter the time of day,the season or the circumstance.

If you greet someone with goodmanners, I believe you are present-ing yourself in the very best waypossible. If you don’t have goodmanners, all the money and “work”you may have spent on yourself isworthless. Good manners indicateto all you encounter that they areimportant to you. That is some-thing valuable that you can havefree of charge without any work orexpense.

I am saddened that the generalpublic today is jaded by false claimsand cheats. We see it all over theInternet with many tricks. We also

see it in other ways. We have some-how come to accept that it is nor-mal for a service company like Bellor Rogers to put us on hold for whatis an unacceptable amount of timeif we have a simple question aboutour account, unless of course theywant to sell us something. It is nor-mal that people in the governmentor an institution of any kind neveranswers their phone, let alonereturns our calls or answers our let-ters. It is not unusual to receiveshoddy work from people who callthemselves craftsmen. If we placesomeone in a position of trust andthey steal from us today we are toldit is our fault.

It is because of this that a lot ofpeople in these skeptical times haveallowed their manners and theirgood treatment of others to fallaway. We may have all come tobelieve that bad manners are thenorm in our society and it is some-how okay. Worse still, many peoplefail to teach their children manners.I worry that this is because they havelost the understanding of the valueof good manners. They should bepracticed at home each day.

It seems to me that everythingcomes down to good manners. If wedon’t have and use these simpleand free fundamentals of life thenwe are lost from here on out.

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

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Meeting a need!

RE/MAX real estate professionals take an active role in creating a future without breast cancer through the RE/MAX “Home for a Cure”, formerly the RE/MAX Sold on a Cure

program, which enables each participant to make a donation on every home sold. This program makes a difference by raising vital funds and awareness for

the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Since 2004, RE/MAX has raised over $3 million supporting the breast cancer community. Join the RE/MAX Home for a Cure and help make a difference

in the lives of those affected, one home at a time.

Talk to your local RE/MAX Broker about other philanthropic programs available.

Meeting a Need!

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