I could never forget you.  Why, we’ve known each other since <INSERT DATE>, back in the day in <INSERT TOWN OR SCHOOL>.  I particularly remember how we <INSERT MEMORY> and how even when the police picked us up, we refused to give each other up.  You and I are solid <INSERT AFFECTIONATE TERM>!

When I say “Of course I remember you!” I’m quoting something I often say to people I’ve had interactions with over my career in real estate.

In the course of my work, I meet buyers, sellers, investors, tenants, lawyers, accountants, home inspectors, stagers, cleaners, renovators and many more types of people.

Sometimes we end up working together, either with them as my client or my using their services for myself or one of my clients.

Other times, it doesn’t make sense to work together.  They might decide to list their home with another agent with whom they have a personal connection.  Or they might end up having to put a purchase on hold while they work on their finances.

If you view this as a transactional business, where each interaction is only measured on if it is going to make money, the above examples are wasted time.  If no business comes from it, then time was spent on something that paid nothing in return.

In my early days at Keller Williams, I heard a Realtor say something that made me smile.  He was relating the story of how a fellow he met told him he wasn’t planning on selling anytime soon.  My colleague said “No problem.  I’m going to be in real estate for another 30 years before I retire.  As long as you sell within that time frame, we’re good.”

I’ve used that line a few times since then and it always gets a laugh out of the other person.  I think we find that humourous because it flips expectations upside down and turns the idea of a short term transaction into a long term relationship.  No one calls a service provider 20 years after they met unless a relationship was formed where the client and the provider kept in touch.

I’ve been fortunate to work with great clients and have them refer friends and colleagues to me over the years.  Those referrals mean a lot to me, as it shows me that they were happy with the level of service and our interactions and trust me to do a good job with someone they care about.

My other favourite occurrence is when I get a call or email from someone I met but didn’t actually end up working with.  When these people reach out to me, it often starts with them saying they don’t know if I remember them.  In all honesty, in every one of those occasions, I do remember them – because we had a good interaction and I remember hoping we’d get a chance to work together at some point.

Here’s a few of my favourite stories about people I met at one point and ended up working with months or years later.

No rental but a sale…and a purchase…and a purchase

One of my friends and clients referred me to her sister and brother in law, who were looking for a house to rent in Durham region.  I happily accepted the referral as my client is great and I knew her family would be great as well.

We looked at some options out there but were having difficulty finding anything that suited in the budget we had available.  I shared with these folks that when it comes to rentals, MLS is not the only source they should consider.  There are lots of landlords who don’t want to pay a realtor a commission to bring a tenant and a significant number of rentals are only on free sites likes Craigslist and Kijiji.

They followed my advice and were able to find a great rental property from a landlord who didn’t want to pay an agent.  I congratulated them on finding the place and that was it.  I didn’t make any money on the work I had done, but they were happy, so I was happy.

A couple of years later, my friend and client told me that her sister’s husband (let’s call him Jimbo) had inherited a home in Toronto when his father passed away.  He had appreciated my help with the rental in Durham and wanted to talk to me about selling it for him and his brother.  I met with the brothers, they hired me and we sold the home for the highest price ever on that street for a bungalow.

Jimbo hired me to help buy a new place for him and his wife and his brother hired me to help buy him a place up in York Region.

I was able to spend time with people I like, help them with their real estate needs and get paid for my work – because I didn’t focus on short term or what I got out of the original work.

No sale…but then a different sale

A few years back, I did a listing presentation for a potential client out in Ajax.  They had seen the Keller Williams signs around and decided to check us out.  I went to meet with the owners of the property, who were two brothers who had inherited the home when their father passed away.  Different brothers from the above story, I promise!

One brother couldn’t make the appointment we set and instead I presented to the one brother and his wife.  We had a great conversation and really clicked and I was looking forward to working with them as I knew it would be enjoyable.  In the end, the brother who hadn’t been able to attend felt strongly that their father would have liked them to use a realtor they had known for years and they decided to go that route.

When the brother I’d met called to tell me the news, I was disappointed but understood the situation.  He told me if they ever decide to sell, they’d definitely give me a call as they enjoyed our meeting.

Earlier this year, I had a call from the brother and his wife from that home, saying they wanted to sell their house around the corner and they wanted me to do it.  I went and met them at their lovely home, talked about how to best sell it and we signed it up.  We sold it a couple of weeks ago for a great price in the midst of a significant slow down in the Ajax market.

I count these clients as amongst my favourite clients and count myself lucky that we had that initial opportunity to meet even if it didn’t turn into business.  When I got the call to come see them for their home, it was a thrilling call, reminding me that real estate is a career for me, not a transaction.

I have a number of stories like this from my time in real estate and I share them with new agents when they get discouraged.  Realtors meet people during what can be a very stressful time in their lives.  When you treat people you meet with consideration and come from contribution, you can make a real difference in how they feel.

I hope to send an updated version with new stories to you each year.  Some in progress right now include:

• A commercial tenant who I’m helping find office space for, after I met him at a listing presentation for his home in Markham. He decided to go with a local agent for the sale of his home and called me last week to help with his current commercial needs as he remembered and like me from our meeting.
• An investor who is using me to buy a property this week and who I’m working hard to earn the right to help him with other planned purchases. I had discussions with him and his wife to possibly sell their home but it made more sense for them to go with another option.  When this came up, they were kind enough to call me and I’m going to do my best to prove how I can help with all their investment needs.
• A seller who hired a discount brokerage to sell their home, who I’ve been dealing with bringing a buyer. We’ve had a number of discussions as I provide customer service they weren’t receiving from their supposed listing brokerage.  We came to an agreement on a fair sale price and in our last conversation they told me when they sell their other home next year, they want me on their side as their listing agent.

If you or someone you like need some real estate help, please reach out to me.  I would love the opportunity to help – be it with information, direction or recommendations.  I’m confident that whether we work together now or later, if I do my job properly, you’ll eventually say you want me to be responsible for what comes next.

Regards,

Jeff

DUCT SPACE

Make ducts to carry hot air conduit, plumbing, gas, and other services in the triangular space, within the vault, around the upper edge of every room.

This isn’t the sexiest of design lessons, but I can tell you that when you are trying to locate pipes, wires or other services that are hidden behind the walls of a home, it can be incredibly expensive.  Whether it is in duct space or another agreed upon way, it would be very helpful for builders and architects to create a standard for how to include these services.

If you are doing extensive renovations on a home, take the time to make sure you accurately record where such services and key junctions are located.  If possible, include removable hatches that are unobtrusive so that when the day comes you need to access the space, it is easy and doesn’t require cutting holes in walls or floors.

For the last seven years, I’ve been working as a full-time Realtor on my own.

The first couple of years were with a discount brokerage where I struggled to get started and spent a lot of time reinventing the wheel.  I didn’t know many people at the brokerage, I had no one who I could ask about best practices and I had to figure out what worked on my own.

The last five years have been with Keller Williams and I’ve seen again and again how working together helps elevate the experience for buyers, sellers and real estate agents.

I’ve taken on leadership roles with my brokerage – teaching courses, mentoring new agents, helping agents I’ve recruited into Keller Williams grow and succeed.  I’m on our leadership council, working to raise the productivity, growth and calibre of the 150 agents within our office.

One thing that has become clear to me is that none of us is as smart as all of us.  The idea that teamwork – which simply stated is less me and more we – is what allows the highest level of service.

The founder of Keller Williams, Gary Keller, had this to say about real estate teams.

“Agents who build a team of carefully selected, highly trained specialists provide a level of fiduciary service that is consistently and predictably higher than the service provided by a single person.”

I’ve worked my butt off for my clients, so reading that stung a bit.

If I’m honest with myself though, I have to admit that there have been times where the level of service I provided suffered because I was on my own.  When 14 things need to be done as soon as possible, number 13 and 14 take a while to get done!

Working an individual agent has absolutely been the limiting factor in the amount of clients I work with, as I won’t take on new clients if I’m not certain I have the time and resources to deliver top quality service.

As I’ve taken on more and more mentoring roles within my brokerage, I started considering forming a real estate team of my own.  I’ve met so many real estate agents who struggle to succeed despite the best of intentions and the potential to be great.

As someone who knows me, you’re not likely surprised to hear that I’ve been researching the various approaches to see which model I think best suits how I do business.

I love working with buyers and sellers, landlords and tenants – and I don’t want a team where roles are narrowly defined as focused on one type of client.  I believe that having a broad range of experience in all types of real estate impacts your ability in any given deal.

Over the next few months, I am going to be launching a real estate team that will elevate the level of service I can provide and help Realtors build careers worth having and lives worth leading.  Team members can be located anywhere within the GTA given the planned structure.

A favourite quote of mine comes from Napoleon Hill, who said “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”  I intend to apply that principle to my business and grow a team of real estate agents, supported by dedicated administrative help, proven systems and supportive colleagues.

If you enjoy my articles or have found the information I share valuable, I’d like to ask you to answer a question for me.

Do you know a real estate agent (or soon to be real estate agent) who deserves to succeed in their career?

 If you have a friend, former colleague or family member working in real estate who is smart, honest and a good person, send me their name.  I’d love to be responsible for what comes next.

Regards,

Jeff

RAISED FLOWERS

Soften the edges of buildings, paths, and outdoor areas with flowers.  Raise the flower beds so that people can touch the flowers, bend to smell them and sit by them.

This lesson reminds us that you can increase the impact of a feature through careful design.  While flowers outside a home are always lovely, when they can only be seen and not touched, smelt and experienced we are limiting their impact.

Once a year, Keller Williams celebrates what we call RED Day.

RED Day (Renew, Energize and Donate) is an initiative dedicated to celebrating Keller Williams Realty’s year-round commitment to improving our local communities.  Each year, on the second Thursday in May, tens of thousands of associates from across the United States and Canada and beyond participate in a wide range of projects, devoting their time to renewing and energizing aspects of the neighborhoods in which they serve. 

RED Day initiatives run the gamut: From rebuilding homes, refurbishing local parks, giving to local food shelters, hosting blood drives, beautifying beaches and so much more. Projects are chosen by each individual market center based on a need they see within its community.

This event is an entrenched part of Keller Williams Realty’s culture and displays the extraordinary effect a company can have when individuals come together to work as a team for the greater good of everyone.

“RED Day isn’t about cleaning up a park. It is a one-day expression of what happens 24/7 in the Keller Williams culture. It is seeing a need, discovering who can meet that need and then getting it done.”

Yesterday was RED Day 2017 and my brokerage focused our efforts on Eastview Neighbourhood Community Centre in Toronto.

Over 60 Realtors from my brokerage met first thing in the morning for coffee, breakfast and instructions, then headed over to Eastview.

Rise and shine KWers!

The group, ready to give back!

At Eastview, the Executive Director and Volunteer Co-ordinator greeted us and we learned about all the amazing (and varied) initiatives done by Eastview.

Making our presence known!

We then broke up into teams to help with:

• Organizing, cleaning, emptying, repairing and refreshing the massive multi purpose room in the centre (my focus for the day!)
• Helping seniors at a nearby location with gardening
• Face painting and a fun fair (complete with bouncy castle) for neighbourhood kids
• BBQ for neighbourhood residents
• Sanding and painting of chairs and other furniture

Here’s some more pictures of the day.

Deb, Ruth and Barb gardening their socks off!

These chairs turned out pretty damn sharp!

Greg, me and the ladies Rohloff!

It was a rewarding (and tiring!) day that always makes me proud to be part of the Keller Williams family.  The slogan for RED Day is “Give where you live” and it really strikes a chord with me.

In honour of RED Day, I’ll end this by asking, do you know a Realtor who you think would fit in with the Keller Williams approach to real estate, business and life?  It’s someone who is focused on doing things right and who is looking for a win-win result in their dealings.

They need to value learning and growing, as KW is the #1 training organization in the world.  That means they’ll get lots of opportunities to take courses and improve their skills and themselves.

If you do know someone who is in real estate that wants to move their business forward, please put them in touch with me.  I’d love to be responsible for what comes next.

Regards,

Jeff

PATHS AND GOALS

The layout of paths and will seem right and comfortable only when it is compatible with the process of walking. And the process of walking is far more subtle than one might imagine.

If you have ever been in a poorly designed home with a counter-intuitive layout, you know how frustrating it can be to experience a space that is ignoring the way we want to move.  We have all been in rooms where it seems like every time we try to do something or get somewhere, something is in the way.

Whether it is a furniture layout that forces you to go around when you need to go straight, or a wall setup that means you can’t efficiently complete a task, it is crucial that we consider the paths we will follow as we move around a home.

I know that 20,000 people seems excessive when it comes to a family reunion.

Truth be told, I’m not related by blood to those 20,000. My own family is shy by about 19,970 of that number.

The family reunion I’m talking about is the Keller Williams Family Reunion, which is the name of our annual conference where we get together, hear about how the company is doing, our plans for the upcoming year and learn from the best of our company.

I’ve spent this week down in Las Vegas and it has been an absolutely amazing experience.

I am really excited to take some of the lessons I’ve learned and apply to my work with my clients on the buying and selling side.

It is tough to sum up the week in one email, but I did want to share a few highlights.

The above panorama shot captures a little bit of the feel in the main presentation area. (Click on it to see a big version.) It was surreal to be in a room with tens of thousands of people who are dedicated to learning and earning with Keller Williams.

As you may have heard me say, Keller Williams is the largest real estate company in the world by agent count. Canada is the 2nd largest region for the company after the U.S. and they showed us lots of love at the conference. Our real estate market is a marvel to them!

I was very proud to receive a Double Gold medal for my work in 2016.  I was inspired by other agents in the room who had tremendous success and I’m aiming to help even more clients this year!

All in all, it was a fantastic week and well worth the time I took to come down here.

I’ll end this post by asking if you know a Realtor apart from me who you would like to see succeed.  There is no other real estate company in the world that approaches real estate like Keller Williams and I would love to help connect someone you know and like to the experience and success I’ve found with the company.

If you do know of someone who you’d like to see succeed in real estate, please let me know their details. I’d love to be responsible for what comes next.

Regards,

Jeff

FLOOR-CEILING VAULTS

We seek a ceiling vault shape which will support a live load on the floor above, form the ceiling of the room below and generate as little bending and tension as possible so that comprehensive materials can be relied upon.

This lesson may be a little more technical than other ones I’ve focused on but I like how it makes me think about the design of rooms and the benefit of having a real feature in a home.  If you have ever entered into a home with a vaulted ceiling, a great room, a coffered ceiling or other feature that elevates the ceiling into something of beauty, you understand the appeal.

I think the sellers who do very well on their properties have built or maintained an unusual feature like this in the home – and benefited from buyers who just love the home and willing to pay a great price for it.

Since the end of World War I, a number of commonwealth countries have celebrated a memorial day on November 11^th, where we remember the members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty, as well as those men and women who continue to serve during times of both peace and war.

The date is significant in that it marked the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, hence our moment of remembrance at 11:00 a.m. today.

Canadian soldiers have often played a crucial role in conflicts (and in peacekeeping) around the world.  Today they do so as they follow the Canada First Defence Strategy, which has as two of its pillars the capacity to:

• Lead and/or conduct a major international operation for an extended period; and
• Deploy forces in response to crises elsewhere in the world for shorter periods.

I am grateful for the work that Canadian soldiers do in this area and with a friend recently being deployed overseas on just such a mission, I am confident that our soldiers today live up to this proud history.

Today I want to also acknowledge the impact they have had here at home.  Within our country, the Canadian Armed Forces are tasked with having the capacity to:

• Conduct daily domestic and continental operations, including in the Arctic and through NORAD
• Support a major international event in Canada, such as the 2010 Winter Olympics
• Respond to a major terrorist attack
• Support civilian authorities during a crisis in Canada such as a natural disaster

Whether it is today or any other day, please spare a moment to think about the work our soldiers do and consider helping support them through donating, fundraising or participating in an initiative. Click here to be taken to a page that lists the ways you can help.

On a regular basis, I encounter reminders of Canadian soldiers as I go about my work as a real estate agent.

Many of the bungalows around Toronto were built as way to allow service personnel to re-establish civilian lives and set up households with their familes.  Drive through East York, Davisville, Mimico and the Beach, as well as a number of other neighbourhoods in the GTA, and you see streets filled with bungalows and one and a half storey homes with high peaked roofs.

The popularity of bungalows seems particularly fitting for Canada, given the multicultural origin of the world bungalow, which derives from the Gujarati word bangalo and hindi bangle meaning “low thatched home.”  The word came to us through Britain and is often used for one or one and a half storey homes.

Following World War II, more than a million Canadians returned to peacetime life and created a housing demand that the private sector could not meet. The federal government was challenged to meet the need for a rehabilitation program to assist ex-service members.

In 1935 the foundation for the federal housing agency was laid, with the Dominion Housing Act. By 1938, the Act had helped finance almost 5,000 homes. During World War II, the Wartime Housing Corporation built 46,000 homes and renovated thousands more. After the war, the sudden huge demand for housing required further action on the government’s part. In 1946 the government created the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), a federal agency that continues today.  Yes, CMHC isn’t just for those high-ratio mortgage insurance policies!

If you have a moment, watch this Heritage Minute video (featuring Allan Hawco of the Republic of Doyle), which dramatizes the push for the government to step up and solve this issue.
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The next time you drive through one of these neighbourhoods, or visit a friend in their bungalow, remember that such “victory homes” came about as a way to support our service members in peace time, as they supported our country during war.

Regards,

Jeff

MOSAIC OF SUBCULTURES

Do everything possible to enrich the cultures and subcultures of the city, by breaking the city, as far as possible, into a vast mosaic of small and different subcultures, each with its own spatial territory, and each with the power to create its own distinct life style.

As Toronto was formed by the amalgamation of villages and towns, it is easy to forget that not all places have the range and depth of different neighbourhoods and areas.  Whether is is walking past the grandmothers talking to each other on porches near the Danforth, or interrupting a hockey game in a cul-de-sac off of Bloor, Toronto is filled with distinct areas that have a feel all their own.

When considering where you want to live, take the time to explore different areas.  The type of home may be the same but the feel of an area can make the difference between buying a house and finding a home.

Great day yesterday at Lord Dufferin PS in Rexdale. My brokerage, Keller Williams Advantage, chose the school as the recipient of our annual day of giving back to the communities we work in. Fun fair, bbq lunch, landscaping – all in a day’s work!  Check out some of the fun photos below!

Caring about the communities we working in and giving where we live is part of what makes Keller Williams agents great people to work with.  If you or someone you know is looking to buy, sell or invest, please get in touch with me.  I’d love to be responsible for what comes next.

Regards,

Jeff

I thought I would take a minute to share what my year in real estate looked like.

It was a fantastic year for me and I had the opportunity to work with some absolutely lovely clients on both the buying and selling side.

Below are pictures of the properties that I helped clients buy or sell in 2014.  Each picture represents a different property and as you can see, I did a mix of houses and condos and even a commercial property.

Below each picture are my thoughts on what was an interesting aspect to the deal!

The first deal of the year!  The house hunt for this home was taking place before and after the ice storm of 2013 and it was amazing to see the damage to trees and in some cases houses!  Going from neighbourhood to neighbourhood and finding some that had been barely touched and others that were almost impassable.

My first experience with condo hunting in North York.  An amazing amount of selection but also tremendous variances in quality for the price.  The eventual winner was in this Tridel building on Harrison Garden Blvd and has just a phenomenal driveway and lobby.

Prior to us finding this unit, we had bid on another condo in a different part of Toronto.  It was gorgeous  and very attractively priced.  We were the only offer and it turned out the listing agent had hoped to generate multiple offers by underpricing the unit.  They didn’t accept our offer and relisted it the next day at $40,000 more than what they were asking before.  We kept looking and found this unit that fit the bill!

This basement apartment I rented out was proof for me that in an expensive city like Toronto, people look for ways to keep their costs low.  It was a one bedroom with a small den and listed as such, yet I had daily calls and emails from people hoping it would be suitable as a two bedroom.

This small, industrial/commercial unit in Brampton was sold twice, with the first deal falling through despite the best efforts of the purchasing agent.  It is always frustrating when a deal doesn’t go through but as is often the case, the eventual purchaser is a better fit!

Our initial search for homes was in Toronto proper but a change in location proved just the ticket and my clients found this gorgeous home in Mississauga that we were able to purchase at a great price.  The sellers proved to be very considerate in making sure my clients had their questions answered and any issues dealt with, which was good as the listing agent became the hardest man on earth to reach!

This home in the Danforth area of Toronto was very popular with potential buyers and my open houses were very well attended!  With 4 offers, all substantially over asking price, my clients got a great price for their home.  I remember one of the agents presenting his offer as if it was a sure thing because of the price premium his clients had offered.  He was stunned when I told him that his offer was the 2nd lowest.

I was thrilled to find this unit in the Tip Top Lofts in Toronto for my clients.  I had previously been in the building with other clients and was very impressed by the feel of the common areas and the quality of the conversion.  We had visited a number of other buildings in our search and when you compare quality and design, buildings like Tip Top are great places to buy.

The gorgeous renovations in this Mississauga apartment made it a pleasure to sell.  The virtual walk through tour that I set up show cased the property almost too well, as the initial tour included a shot of the hallway and door into the unit, which meant that the furniture we moved temporarily into the hall were visible in the tour!

This lovely home in Toronto was owned and being sold by two Realtors.  While that can sometimes make things challenging as you don’t have a listing agent to tell their sellers if they need to adjust expectations, we were able to come to a good arrangement and the deal was done!

Within a week of the new tenants moving into this Brampton condo unit, there was a water leak in a pipe in the unit that required some repairs by the insurance company.  It turned out to not be the tenants fault but it made some alarming moments for my clients as they wondered who they had rented to!

The last deal of the year was a complicated one.  My clients were the sellers, who were moving to the States for a work opportunity.  The employer was using a relocation firm so the title had to be switched to that firm before closing and a host of other unusual requirements.  We found some fantastic buyers who weren’t with an agent and we were able to do a deal that was great for both parties.

As you can tell, it was a busy year for me!

I am planning on making this year a great one as well.  If you or someone you know are considering buying, selling or investing in 2015, please give me a call.

I would love to be responsible for what comes next.

Regards,

Jeff