NEWSLETTERMAY 2017

IN THIS ISSUE: Continuing Education • Luxury in Review • Conrad’s Quote • inthesquare Partners

Our Mission: Experience our Experience

our values

Maintain a Positive Environment and a Family Spirit

Create Fun and Strive to be Diff erent

Earn Customer Loyalty and Respect Every Day

Be Adventurous, Creative andOpen to Change

Don’t take Success for Granted

Pursue Innovation, Learning and Sharing Knowledge

Delivering what we Promise and add Value Beyond what is Expected

Care about our Community and Our Environment

RE/MAX Escarpment CLIENT SATISFACTION SURVEYS

Customers make 2x MORE REFERRALS when they are surveyed:

• 76% of sellers, 30-50 choose their agent on referral or past experience

• 68% of adults 18+ trust service providers more who survey

• 64% of smartphone users expect to be surveyed during a sale

RE/MAX Escarpment is preparing to implement a new client satisfaction survey, specially designed to help you grow your referral business.

With this new survey, you will be able to:

1. Capture instant feedback from mobile customers2. Gather testimonials before deals close3. Publish richer testimonials and endorsements4. Turn a complaint into a conversation How it works:The client survey service includes a personalized email invitation to complete a mobile survey, automated alerts and a survey archive for each agent.

To send a survey, simply add your client’s preferred email address to the trade sheet when entering the deal into faltour. Administrators will send personal survey invitations on your behalf. There’s no limit on the number of survey invitations you send or completions you receive.

Once a client survey is completed, you will get an alert email, directing you to your personal archive with a direct link - no username or password to remember.

STAY TUNED TO YOUR OFFICE FLYER EMAILS FOR DETAILS !

REALINTRO: ONLINE CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT

TOOL TRAINING DATE: Wed. May 10 TIME: 10-12 LOCATION: Burlington South MENTOR: Virginia Paul

REGISTER BY Monday, May 8RE/MAX Escarpment has developed a comprehensive online consumer engagement tool that is ideal to use as a pre-list package, outlining your services, areas of expertise, testimonials, videos, listings, sold properties, blog articles, etc. Join Virginia to learn the ins and outs of this program, and how to set up your personal information in a way that highlights your strengths and positions you as the best choice for potential clients.

SE

TRADE RECORD TRAINING: FALTOUR PAPERLESS

DATE: Tues. May 16 TIME: 10:00 – 11:30 LOCATION: Burl. South MENTOR: Pat Kozak

REGISTER BY Friday, May 12

Learn how simple it is to complete your trades in Faltour. Sit with Pat for 1 hour and she will take all of the mystery out of it and provide you with a paper reference book that will walk you through it step by step.

SEATING IS LIMITED! REGISTER EARLY.

ALL OFFICES & APPOINTMENT CENTRE

CLOSED

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY1 2 3 4 5

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WEBFORMS FORBEGINNERS

DATE: Thurs. May 11 TIME: 10-12 LOCATION: Winterberry MENTOR: Joey Zurini

REGISTER BY TUES. May 9

Is WebForms a mystery to you? Let Joey help you learn how to create a transaction kit with all of the pertinent forms, and how to access clauses to help you do business faster and more efficiently when typing an offer. Please note: this session will only concentrate on the logistics of typing an offer and related documents, not the actual information that should be in an offer. LAPTOP IS MANDATORY FOR THIS SESSION!

(WINTERBERRY)

MAY 2017

CONTINUING EDUCATION

TO REGISTER FOR ANY OF THESE SESSIONS, CONTACT THE WINTERBERRY OFFICE:

EXT. 2400, 905-573-1188. or fdeskwt@rmxemail.com

MTG: DUNDURN 10:00 am

REALINTRO ONLINE CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT

TOOL (BURLINGTON SOUTH)

TECH DAY BOOTCAMP(WINTERBERRY)

REALINTRO ONE-ON-ONE(QUEENSTON)

MTG: UPPER JAMES & WINTERBERRY10:30 am

MTG: QUEENSTON1:30 pm

MTG: BURLINGTON NORTH 10:30 am

MTG: BURLINGTON SOUTH & DOWNTOWN 1:30 pm

WEBFORMS FOR BEGINNERS(WINTERBERRY)

CONRAD SPEAKING AT THE RE/MAX CONVENTION IN ISRAEL

SESSION #3

TRADE RECORD TRAINING(BURLINGTON SOUTH)

SESSION #4

SESSION #5

SESSION #6

MTG:ANCASTER10:30 am

REALINTRO: ONE-ON-ONE GUIDANCE

DATE: Wed. May 17 4 SESSIONS: 9:30 – 10:15, 11:00 – 11:45, 1:00 – 1:45, 2:30 – 3:15 LOCATION: Queenston MENTOR: Virginia Paul

REGISTER BY Monday, May 15Excited about Realintro but not sure where to start? Is your Realintro profile up and running, but need suggestions about how to take it that step further? This is your opportunity to sit down with Virginia for a 45 minute session to answer questions, consult about content & troubleshoot any problems you may be having. NOTE: This session is intended for those who already have a Realintro Profile and have attended the REALINTRO Consumer Engagement Tool Info Session.

DOCUSIGN: A MUST HAVE TOOL!

DATE: Thurs, May 25 TIME: 10-12 LOCATION: Winterberry Office MENTOR: Joey Zurini

REGISTER BY Tuesday, May 23

Come for a quick hands-on session to learn how to send, sign, and approve documents from wherever life takes you! From Getting Started, to learning to connect Docusign with Webforms, and how to begin the signing process using the dozens of pre-made, easy-to-use templates. Keep your transactions secure and delight clients with an amazing customer experience!

LAPTOP IS OPTIONAL.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

• Dundurn Office Mtg: Thur., June 15, 10:00• Queenston Office Mtg: Mon, June 12, 10:30• Upper James/Winterberry Office Mtg: Mon,

June 12, 1:30• Ancaster Office Mtg: Thur. June 22, 10:30• Burlington South Office Mtg: Mon. June 19,

10:30

• Burlington North Office Mtg: Mon, June 19, 1:30• RE/MAX Integra presents The Lead Life Cycle:

Tues, June 6, 10-12• RE/MAX Integra presents Practical Video for

Real Estate: Wed, June 21, 10-12

TECH DAYBOOTCAMP

DATE: Thurs. May 18 TIME: 9:30 – 12:30 LOCATION: Winterberry Office MENTOR: Joey Zurini

REGISTER BY Monday, May 15Take the guess work out of technology at RE/MAX Escarpment— open to ALL AGENTS, not just new ones! Includes: • Internal and external RE/MAX tools, including QOC

(Virtual Office incl. message & showing summary), Company Website, Logging into MCS to access company message board & Office Tools for Spec Online, Community Videos, etc.

• Useable statistics on Realtor.ca/Fusion/Matrix• Learn 5 pieces of pre-offer intel

A LAPTOP/DEVICE IS MANDATORY FOR THIS SESSION!

TO REGISTER FOR ANY OF THESE SESSIONS, CONTACT THE WINTERBERRY OFFICE:

EXT. 2400, 905-573-1188 or fdeskwt@rmxemail.com

Winning the

LUXURY LISTING

LUXURY IN REVIEW

LYNN HOFFMANNBroker/ManagerWealth Services & Luxury Affiliates

905-631-8118lynnhoffmann@rmxemail.com

SET YOURSELF ABOVE THE CROWD – WIN THE LUXURY LISTING APPOINTMENTThe Real Estate world has changed dramatically. Now more than ever, you will be challenged to articulate your value and to demonstrate what you will do to successfully market the Seller’s home.

If you can’t demonstrate value to a Seller, then there is no value in their mind. The good news is when you demonstrate your value in an outstanding way, the Seller, will quickly understand the value you bring. Skillfully articulating your marketing plan and demonstrating how you will promote their property will alleviate many questions and objections you might otherwise face.

As a skilled Real Estate professional you should always be prepared. Practice your presentation. The value of full preparation is that it allows you to present powerfully by showcasing the advantages of listing with You and RE/MAX Escarpment. Preparation includes you knowing your

personal sales numbers, ratio of list to sold, average days on market for your listings, as well as the power of the RE/MAX brand in the local and global markets. Understand the power of statistics in your presentation and reinforce the numbers with digital and hard copy graphs.

Discuss your objective and the plan you have in place for a successful sale of their home.

This will include determining the optimal selling price and how to strategically position the home on the market. Investigate repairs or upgrades needed to be done as well as any staging and implementation of repairs. Staging and preparation of the home is always required to present the home in its optimum condition for the photo shoot.

(cont’d on next page)

The photography and pictures are critical to the sale of the home, as are videos, cinematography and floor plans to enrich the Buyer’s experience as they view the property online.

Did you know the better the pictures and the video experience is the more time a Buyer stays online viewing the property? However if the pictures are poor quality or the property is not properly presented, the average time is less than 2 seconds before they move to the next property. Never to return!

When vying for a luxury listing we suggest you use our Studeo product – the one stop for all your, cinematography, design, digitals and outstanding print materials. Property feature brochures and hard covered property feature books are all able to be produced on the highest quality paper, with exceptional full colour and clean white space.

Your presentation really comes to life when you combine the print format with the accompanying digital images to fully engage the power of the videos, Matterport photography, Dollhouse floor plans, and moving images! These are a must in Luxury marketing and keep the Buyer’s focused on your listing coming back time and again for the comprehensive experience of the property, features, and information. It is a strong demonstration to the Luxury Seller that you have the tools needed to showcase the home and bring awareness the market.

Whatever your process is, the best way to show your commitment to the plan is to put the plan into a written actionable form included in your presentation. A letter of commitment for the Seller will serve to define expectations for the process and the many complexities of a real estate transaction. You cannot meet expectations if you don’t articulate and identify the expectations. You are expected to sell the house, but you won’t get referrals if you just meet the most basic expectation. Go above and beyond and deliver the unexpected to create clients for life.

Being prepared also means you will demonstrate to the Seller your superior marketing skills and how RE/MAX Escarpment supports you with the best web and digital marketing platforms.

Your Luxury listing will appear on all the usual marketing sights such as:• Realtor.ca (MLS*)• remax.ca• remaxescarpment.com• Whatchagetfor.com• global.remax.com

Additionally your Luxury properties will be showcased on:• theremaxcollection.com ( RE/MAX Global Luxury Site )• collection.remax.ca (RE/MAX Canada Luxury Site )• therenownedcollection.com (RE/MAX Escarpment Luxury Site )

And, Did you know your Luxury listings will be in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) over 750K and Mansion Global (MG) on properties over $1M? This distinctive marketing support will appeal to a more sophisticated consumer and differentiate your marketing from the masses.

Mansion Global is the premier digital destination connecting the world’s most affluent real estate buyers with prestigious properties around the world through relevant timely listings and compelling content. This platform, when combined with global market analysis as well as news and entertaining stories will empower you and your clients to make informed real estate decisions.

Don’t forget to include the Mansion Global statistics in your presentation to powerfully show the value to your Sellers. Luxury Sellers will love to see their home on MG and WSJ setting you apart from the competition. Luxury Sellers require a higher standard of client service and a greater attention to detail.

Today’s Luxury Sellers also want you to be socially connected through social media platforms:• Facebook• LinkedIn• Pinterest• YouTube• Instagram• Twitter

These are some of the expected social media sights that you should be incorporating into your marketing plan. Use your Fast Facts from RE/MAX INTEGRA to show the volume and reach of our media hits. Your Luxury listing may also be promoted through targeted Facebook advertisement.

Guide and advise the Seller through the process you have outlined in your commitment plan that we have discussed here. Work together with the Seller to prepare ongoing market analysis of relevant competing properties and determine what the absorption rate of the market is as it directly relates to their type of home, and or price point.

The goal being to optimize the selling point and to position the home on the market by performing a professional market overview, and developing a sound pricing strategy.

Always continue to check in with the clients at a scheduled time and in the manner they like to be communicated with. Text, email, or voice to voice.

Upper end clients may want you to be present at all their homes showings, and to make sure the home is ready for each showing. Taking care of security systems, and special instructions should be top of mind. Go that extra mile, and always hold yourself to the highest standards when serving, managing and negotiating for the Luxury Seller.

RE/MAX Escarpment is committed to rising to the highest standards for our Luxury Sellers by providing our agents with relevant ways to differentiate themselves to the Luxury client.

The launching of the first ever RE/MAX Luxury store front in Burlington, exclusive use of Studeo print and digital platforms, our newest luxury affiliation with Mansion Global, and The Wall Street Journal in addition to our world class appointment centre and 8 locations to service your clients set you above the rest and position you to Win your Luxury Listing.

Of course your marketing presentation would not be complete without your personal digital URL of your Realintro profile that introduces you and the special talents and skill that you bring to the process .This is your digital platform to feature who you are, what you do, your statistics, and what others are saying about you.

Last but not least ,you should be “SOLD ON YOU “,and the value You and RE/MAX Escarpment bring to the Luxury Market.

I’m “SOLD ON YOU”, ARE YOU?

Regards,

Lynn Hoffmann

The customer is always right! Is that a true statement?

Anyone who has worked with buyers in this market will attest to the fact that buyers often misjudge the market and are often wrong. Even though customers are not always right, they still are customers. Right or wrong, these clients of ours deserve the best client experience.

It is tough time for buyers and those REALTOR®S who work with buyers. In order to create a successful outcome for these buyers, you must provide a curated experience which empowers your buyer to make an informed strategic decision and get the house!

In today’s market, the journey to home ownership is full of challenges and we must be the curators of information on how to win the property, from crafting great love letters to the seller, to doing pre-offer inspections with your buyers.

There is no question that the ultimate customer experience equates to finishing a marathon, not a race. It’s about cultivating positive relationships which create customer loyalty, and a solid referral source. Although we are in the era of the self-educated consumer there is plenty of opportunity to still WOW them with your insight. Stop playing defense by making excuses, and be pro-active with information like absorption rates, sale to listing ratios in a single neighbourhood, and sales per square foot numbers. Yes, this and more is available to you on Matrix.

It’s time we all start seeing our role through the lens of our customers. Through that consumer lens, ask yourself - are you in the business of selling properties? Properties come in all shapes and sizes: houses, multi-units, plazas, industrial buildings, and land etc.

Let’s take a look at one segment of the market - the first time buyer. A young couple, a single female or male just starting out in their career. Understanding your client, and walking in their shoes, means realizing the business that we are in is not real estate sales. We are in the business of creating the cornerstone of their wealth, a place where they can raise their families, a place they can relax after a tough day, a place they can entertain their friends and family. We constantly tout ourselves as helping consumers with one of the most important purchases they will ever make. It’s about time we start making that our mission.

We must strategize with our customers and formalize a plan and or a system that makes sure we take into account our customer’s needs and goals, to enable them to achieve the best results. Sometimes the score is saving them money and sometimes it’s scoring them the home. In other words, your sole mission as a REALTOR® is to create a great customer experience, which focuses on achieving your client’s best possible result. Your success is a byproduct of that mission.

The same goes for our sellers. Imagine what their property has meant to them. It’s a place where they have created a significant portion of their wealth, where they started and raised their families, where their children took their first steps and the place where they had Sunday dinners. So when we help them sell their precious asset do we not owe them a legendary experience?

Are you preparing an individualized marketing plan for your seller’s home with a marketing calendar and/or marketing timeline? Do you present them with a marketing budget showing them how you are going to invest in the sale of their home? Do you give them advice on how to improve their home to achieve greater than market results? Do you keep them informed in real time as to the online and offline market activity on their home? And, when an offer or offers come, do you provide them with enough insight to achieve extraordinary results from a time, money and risk perspective?

By giving our buyers and sellers a legendary experience we ensure our client’s loyalty and a steady stream of referrals. We can all agree it is a fast market and one with many challenges, and a market which defies any logic and similarities of market conditions of the past. Therefore, more than ever, we must become more intentional and proactive with the services and informational insight we provide our clients to ensure their success and ours.

Is the Customer Always

RIGHT?

did you know?

LISTING PHOTOS are PROPRIETARY?REALTORS® ASSOCIATION OF HAMILTON-BURLINGTON MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE® POLICIES:

PHOTOS: ITEM #4. If a member is using another members’ previous listing photo on a listing

without written permission, the photos will be removed, the status will be changed to information

withheld until a new photo is provided, and a $50 fine will be levied to the member.

SOLUTION: Take your OWN photos, or get WRITTEN PERMISSION from the agent who owns the photos.

The right company can make all the difference – especially when it comes to your home, and even more so when it is a “high value home”.

This type of insurance is often necessary when a building value exceeds a certain dollar amount, usually $800,000. This type of property is considered a high risk, not because anything is wrong, but simply because the amount of risk an insurance company takes on when insuring a home at this value. These clients should take extra care to ensure their policy is comprehensive enough to meet their particular needs.

These policies can also extend a variety of additional options such as:• optional cash settlements• comparable workmanship when rebuilding, no matter the cost• complimentary home inspections• unlimited additional living expense coverage if your client needs to move out during

repairs• business property at and away from home• equipment breakdown

Help your clients protect their investment with the piece of mind of protection based on their needs.

PLUS, get Employee Mortgage Pricing. Enjoy the same great mortgage rates as RBC® employees, and help make your

first home more affordable.

PLUS, get an RBC Homeline Plan® credit line introductory interest rate at our Prime Rate. Save on interest whether renovating or consolidating debt.

partners fyi

UPPER JAMES, WINTERBERRY& QUEENSTONKatie Morrison905.515.1173

DUNDURN

John Wilkinson905.379.2820

ANCASTERJennifer Adair289.887.0291

Jenna McPherson289.339.6408

ANCASTER

Jennifer Grindatto905-462-4862

BURLINGTON NORTH & SOUTH

SPECIAL OFFER FOR FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS!

YOUR MORTGAGE AMOUNT YOUR CASH BACK

$100,000 - $299,999 $500

$300,000 - $499,999 $1000

$500,000 + $1500

Call your inthesquare RBC Royal Bank mortgage specialist today for details:

35 Stone Church RoadAncaster, ON L9K 1S5

T 905.521.3000F 905.577.1023

101 Queen Street SouthMississauga, ON L5M 1K7

T 905.826.3215F 905.890.0100

4125 Upper Middle Road, Burlington, ON L7M 4X5

T 905.681.2721F 905.681.8694

6715-8th Street NE, Suite 140, Calgary, AB T2E 7H7

Tel: 403.241.2288 • Toll-free: 1.866.472.0721 Fax: 403.241.5912

1.800.263.5173 • www.mhcinsurance.ca

Mainway Hunter Creighton Insurance Inc.

Samantha Hamilton1100 Walkers Line, Suite 600, Burlington, ONp: 905-335-7458 samanthah@daltontimmis.com

THE RIGHT INSURANCE COMPANYFOR YOUR HIGH VALUE HOME

Hamilton Mountain: 1595 Upper James StreetHamilton, ON L9B 0H7Tel: 905 667 2990Fax: 905 667 2991

Stoney Creek: 860 Queenston RoadStoney Creek, ON L8G 4A8Tel: 905 963 7312Fax: 905 963 7328

North Burlington: 2180 Itabashi Way, Unit 4ABurlington, ON L7M 5A5Tel: 905 319 0369Fax: 905 319 8390

Hamilton Downtown: 154 Main Street EastHamilton, ON L8N 1G9Tel: 905 681 6998Fax: 905 635 6886

www.escarpmentlaw.com

ALDO BERLINGIERI Law Professional Corporationaldo@escarpmentlaw.com

DOUGLAS J. DEPAULO Professional Corporationdoug@escarpmentlaw.com

ALANNA C. STEPHEN B.A., LLB., J.D.alanna@escarpmentlaw.com

AMEY HANNA B.A.(Hons), J.D.amey@escarpmentlaw.com

escarpmentlaw

DID YOU KNOW... The Province has introduced a new 15% Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) which will be effective as of

April 21st, 2017, once it is enacted. This will mean that any binding Agreements of Purchase and Sale signed

on April 21st, or after, will be subject to the NRST. This increases the duty to find out as much information as you can about your Buyer. The question “are you a Non-Resident ?”

should now be asked of every client. A “Non-Resident” includes an individual who is not a citizen or a permanent resident of Canada and also includes a foreign Corporation or

Entity and a taxable foreign trustee. The Tax applies to properties purchased within the Greater Golden Horseshoe area which includes Hamilton and surrounding area. The Tax

applies to land containing at least one and not more than six single family residences. That includes a single family home, duplex, triplex, fourplex, fiveplex, sixplex, detached, semi-

detached, townhomes and condominium units. It does not apply to multi -residential rental apartment buildings with more than 6 units, or to agricultural land, commercial land or

industrial land. In an all residential Condominium Building each unit is a single family residence. In a mixed use property the value of the single family residences is subject to the

new NRST and the value of the rest of the non-residential portion of the property is not subject to the tax. If there is a group of individuals purchasing a single family residence the

NRST applies to the full purchase price even if just one member of the group is a non-resident. Failure to pay the NRST may result in a penalty, fine and/or imprisonment. If you are

not sure if the NRST applies to your situation, the lawyers at the Escarpment Law Group would be happy to help you sort it out.

Preston SchmidtAgent # M08003906

905.928.0051preston@mhcmortgages.ca

Jason LongeAgent #M15001698

905.541.6494jason@mhcmortgages.ca

Miles Kulik MBABroker #M08003254

905.639.9999miles@mhcmortgages.cawww.twitter.com/mileskulik

I have over 20 years experience in the home financing industry and have worked on all sides of the corporate fence, including brokering, owning and also managing brokerage companies. These years of experience have taught me numerous things, but most importantly that “it takes a lifetime to gain someone’s trust, but only a moment to lose it”.

Finding the best mortgage for your needs is a guarantee, but it is only the beginning. Who is going to be in your corner to provide independent advice after the deal closes? Don’t accept a 1-800 number as your only solution to ‘getting’ answers. Its time to work with a professional that is committed to being there when you need someone most. We offer competitive mortgage solutions for self employed, first time homebuyers, investors, and truly enjoy a challenge. I am looking forward to the opportunity to earn the trust of the City of Burlington and the Real Estate Professionals of RE/MAX Escarpment.

Miles Kulik

www.mhcmortgages.ca

905-639-9999

MBA • Broker #M08003254

FSCO Lic. No. 11932

Email miles@mhcmortgages.cawww.twitter.com/mileskulik

Jim CookAgent #M08001302

519.396.6800jimcook@mhcmortgages.ca

FSCO #11932

partners fyi

NORELLE L. DI GREGORIO B.A.(Hons), LL.B.norelle@escarpmentlaw.com