RE/MAX Professionals rolls out new web site

Check out the new look web site from MCS that RE/MAX Professionals rolled out today. A new look for a new year!

Starting a Social Media Campaign for your business

To help you create a social media campaign best suited for your business I will be blogging twice a week with information to assist you in your long term goal of an effective, low cost method of promoting you and your business for profit and even a bit of fun. So here goes.
First step in building an effective social media campaign is to start. It is that simple. Do not be intimidated that you cannot do it. Your campaign can be simple or broad. The simple fact is you must start.
Let's break down the most useful Social media components for you to use into the following categories:
- Blooging
- Microblogging
- Social Networking
- Social Bookmarking
- Multimedia
- Reviews and Opinions
- Wikis
Each of these unique techniques have specific elements that can be used to assist you in your approach. For instance in the Social Networking area Facebook has become the leader. Myspace is also a tool that can be used in this area as well.
Blogging has other tools, Blogger, TypePad and WordPress for instance. And so on.
This is the age of Internet 2.0. In Internet 1.0 interaction was one way. An Internet site was set up to inform people. Very little interaction occurred. You informed you clients and customers about you, your business and perhaps your success and achievements. People searched for you and only interacted by email or other one way communication techniques.
Today we expect more two way communication. In Facebook for instance we attempt to have a social experience. The largest growing group in Facebook is women over 55 years of age! This group uses Facebook to interact with children and grand children, friends and family! WOW! Who would have thought!
So let go of your fears, Change your mind set and enjoy the journey.
Next time - Blogging!

The Full Service, Industry Leading Real Estate Brokerage

RE/MAX Professionals Inc., Brokerage
The Full Service, Industry Leading Real Estate Brokerage

The Competition Bureau’s recent agreement with the Canadian Real Estate Association will soon be in effect. This agreement, ratified by the Canadian Real Estate Association on October 24th will allow varied service models to compete on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) across Canada. Speculation has been circulating that our industry is, or will be, in peril due to this change. After a thorough review of the change affected by this agreement, it is the opinion of RE/MAX Professionals’ leadership team that our industry will remain strong, unchanged by the subtle change of this agreement.

One clear statement we can make is that RE/MAX Professionals Inc. is, and has always been, an industry leader in the Greater Toronto Area as a full service real estate brokerage. This has not changed with the requirements to allow different business models to be possible in MLS. Our sales representatives will offer full services at fair, negotiable commission rates to the consumer in our marketing area. RE/MAX Professionals Inc. clearly will not offer mere listing services to customers. Our chosen path is to provide buyers and sellers with listing, marketing, advertising, negotiating and buyer service packages. It is our belief that anything less is poor representation of the clients and customers we serve. Other brokers and brokerages may choose to do less. RE/MAX Professionals’ sales force will not … …

So, what do we expect to be the implications of these changes to the MLS services across Canada? Just as in 1973, when RE/MAX changed the face of real estate in Canada and the United States, changes and evolution of our industry will make the industry, ten years from now, different from today. RE/MAX changed the way our industry was organized at that time, putting more emphasis on the agents and their freedom to manage their businesses effectively. The prior employee-based industry became one of independent contractors, negotiable commission rates and high technology. These changes revolutionized an industry, making the agent central to the transaction with the consumer.

So, change is not an unfamiliar characteristic for RE/MAX. We are a vibrant, ever-changing brand, known worldwide as leaders in our industry. Change is welcome at RE/MAX, as we put the efficiency of our sales people first, in order for them to represent our clients better than any other recognized brand.

Just as the RE/MAX business model changed how our industry thrives, other business models will come and go. Some may prosper. Most will fail dismally. One thing is certain in our minds. The RE/MAX model, which emphasizes the highly productive sales person will continue to remain profitable for thriving independent contractors. Our resolve is to change and adapt to these changing times; to compete with these new models in a fair and consumer friendly manner. So they must beware, RE/MAX Professionals, will out-compete them all with pure customer service, the type of full service consumers have grown to expect of the RE/MAX model.

It is our contention that the technology that has transformed the way we do business will continue to change us and how we do business. Who would have thought, years ago, how the FAX machine transformed our industry? The movement of our industry to computer allowed our data to be instantaneous. Internet services in Web 1.0 allowed us to promote ourselves and our listings to the world at the click of a mouse. Web 2.0 has allowed interactivity with the ever more sophisticated consumer. Now more than ever, digital and video technology has transformed us to make Open Houses virtual and consumers even closer. RE/MAX has been at the forefront in all of these technologies and will continue to lead, not follow, as others attempt to copy our leadership.

You work with the leading Brand RE/MAX with over 35% of all home sales in Canada this year. You work within an industry-leading Brokerage, RE/MAX Professionals Inc. We offer full service real estate services in our designated area. We are proud to be Realtors. And we are proud to be RE/MAX.

So, let us go and do what we do very well. Compete fairly with our knowledge, full service and competence.

Tribute to David Joseph Rossi, Real Estate Leader, Mentor and Friend

On Friday September 17th, 2010 David Joseph Rossi passed away peacefully at Mount Sinai Hospital with his family by his side, after a valiant and courageous battle with leukemia. Today we remember our friend, David.

We at RE/MAX Professionals know David not just as a friend but as a business partner, a professional, and a confidante. David started his career in real estate in 1974. From the start he was known as a builder. David insisted on professionalism and ethics in all that he did. David was Broker of Record of NRS Royal Realty Inc. He grew this business in Central Etobicoke to be a market leader.

In 1993, David approached the Alexander family and merged his brokerage into RE/MAX Professionals in order to concentrate on his real estate sales and professional activities.

“John and I first met David in the early nineteen nineties. He was a highly respected Broker Owner and Industry advocate even at that time. When he made the decision to dedicate more of his time to the Industry and his own personal real estate business he approached John and I to purchase his NRS brokerage. He was determined that his sales people receive a positive benefit from the change in brands and that the new Broker/Owner’s would have the same value system as he did. David was a true gentleman throughout the transition and has remained a loyal and trusted advisor to all of us at the Kingsway office. Like so many, we are deeply shocked and saddened at his passing”.

John and Pamela Alexander

The 270 Kingsway office is still today a reflection of David’s strong leadership and dedication to professionalism and ethics.

Linda Sansom, General Manager and close friend recalls David:



"I met David at the conversion of his NRS office to RE/MAX Professionals. I was immediately impressed with his rapport with his sales associates. He worked tirelessly to make that transition as stress-free as possible, and ensure a positive outcome for them. Over the years, he has proven to be a trusted friend, whom I could count on for advice and whose opinion I valued without question. I will personally miss his humour, his kindness and his impact on our office and on the industry at large. My thoughts are with his family at home, and his family at work as we all come to terms with his loss."

Linda Sansom



David’s desire to improve the real estate industry lead him to be on many committees and boards that have truly changed the dynamics of our industry. Among David’s business accomplishments are the following:

FELLOW, Real Estate Institute of Canada (FRI)

Certified Real Estate Broker, National Association of Realtors, USA (CRB)

Certified Manager of Real Estate, Canada (CMR)

Chair, Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA), Ethics & Arbitration Hearing Panel (since 1987)

Founding Director, Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) since 1997 to 2010, Past Chair of the Board of Directors, (RECO) 2002-2003

Honorary Life Member of the Toronto Real Estate Board 2000

Presidential Award of Appreciation (TREB) 2007

RE/Max Hall of Fame Sales Award

RECO - Educational Services Agreement - Chair

RECO - Legislation & Regulations Committee

Arbitration Committee (TREB), Vice-Chair

Past Director, Etobicoke Chamber of Commerce

Past President, Markland Homes Association



Most recently David formed a real estate team with business partner Jane McKaig.



“Dave was a true gentleman and professional who cherished his family, life, his many business and personal relationships and was unwavering in his dedication to the Real Estate profession.

Dave has been an incredible friend, business partner, mentor and role model who I am honoured to have developed a wonderfully rewarding and successful business with. Nothing but the very best service, integrity, honesty, dedication and respect for all of our clients and friends has been, and always will be, the essence of what we built as a team.”



Jane McKaig





But more importantly David’s greatest accomplishment is that as a tremendous husband, father and friend. I believe his son Michael expresses David best:



“We will not see the likes of him again, and he will be sorely missed by all whose lives he touched. The sun will shine a little less brightly without Dave’s sweet smile.”



Michael Rossi



He leaves behind his beloved wife Aleksandra, dear and devoted children, Michael (Casey), Mathew, Joseph (Nicole) precious grandchildren, Nicholas and Ava, and faithful furry companion Toby. He will be missed by his brother Anthony (Barbara) of Virginia Beach, Va. and many nieces and nephews.



All associates and staff at RE/MAX Professionals wish to express our sincere sympathy to the Rossi family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Our fond memories of our dear friend David will last forever.



Friends may call at the Turner and Porter Yorke Chapel, 2357 Bloor St. W., at Windermere, east of the Jane subway, on Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at St. Clement Roman Catholic Church, 409 Markland Dr. at 10am. Donations in Dave’s memory may be made to Princess Margaret Hospital, Leukemia Research. Dave loved all flowers, so flowers will be appreciated.

Prepared by Darryl Mitchell,

Broker Manager,

RE/MAX Professionals Inc.,

270 The Kingsway, Etobicoke, Ontario.

What Bubble? Toronto Real Estate Prices Moderating

Contributed by Darryl Mitchell. Managing Broker, REMAX Professionals Inc. Brokerage.


“Lots of talk but no reality,” states RE/MAX Professionals Inc. Managing Broker Darryl Mitchell on the trends in Toronto real estate.


There has been a lot of discussion on the potential of a drop or “bubble” in the Toronto real estate market. Considering all of the negative potential of our global economy it stands to reason that some might bring up the topic of a dramatic fall in our home prices in Toronto or in Canada. The reality shown from many local sources is not holding this to be a true picture of what is happening in our market.


Yesterday the Toronto Real Estate Board June Market Watch stated what many Realtors in the trenches already knew, the market was trending to a balanced situation. This is a normal trend after two distinct market periods, the recession or 2008 and 2009, and the recovery of 2009 and 2010. Although the average price for a home in June 2010 had climbed 8% year over year from $403,972 to $435,034, the number of homes sold had dropped fully 23% from last year’s numbers. Obviously from this slower sales pace and higher sales price, something was happening, but what? This is not indicative of a bubble where prices and volume go together to a lower level.


(See July 5 Post GTA REALTORS® Report Monthly Resale Housing Figure..)


The Terranet Home Price Index is calculated by taking the same home that has been sold at two or more different times and comparing the price increase or decrease to other homes. It is a great tool to see what is actually happening in a changing market. The momentum of a market is calculated very effectively with this Index method. Although the index has not been yet released for May and June, the April index shows the strong momentum that is leading the market forward.


( See July 1, 2010 post Terranet Home Price Index Shows Monthly price rise of 0.8% in April)


In April for instance there was a .8% increase in home values month over month in the Greater Toronto Area. With the increased price of the Toronto average in May and June we can easily assume this index will either flatten of more likely go up. This is again the opposite of what we would expect if we had a bubble ready to burst.


The recession created a huge number of unfulfilled expectations from buyers who wanted to buy a home but felt the time was not good. The uncertainty in the economy simply made purchasing a home risky, or so they felt. This uncertainty, once removed, brought many of these buyers to the market in droves, filling this pent up demand and increasing used home sales dramatically. Thus prices increased, sales increased and the flurry of activity that resulted lead to a Seller’s Market place.


Why should this change now? Well there are a number of very important and other less important issues that are influencing our market today. These can be described as long term and short term and even seasonal influences.


The long term influences are the affordability of a home and the economic environment of the Toronto area. Affordability has come down for the new home owner but only slightly. In June the long awaited mortgage interest rate increase occurred. With the economy fully stimulated by our Federal and Provincial governments, it was felt a cooling in the real estate market was in order. Thus a small, .25% mortgage interest rate increase was affected by the Bank of Canada and the major lending institutions..


As well, affordability was impacted on July 1, 2010 with the infamous Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), Ontario’s new tax policy. Although this new tax is a re-taxation of the old Provincial Sales Tax (PST), it now covers may services and items that earlier were without tax. Good for businesses, this is a direct assault on the consumer. Real Estate is affected in two ways that did have a dampening effect on our market. First it added what has been estimated to be from .4% to 1.0% added cost to the real estate transaction for an existing home. For a newly built product this is estimated to be an increase of from 8% to as low as 2%. Talk about inflationary!


With these two issues alone consumers chose to buy used and new homes earlier just to keep their costs lower. This is a sample of an informed consumer making good choices with the best knowledge they had available. What was not apparent was that these choices would impact the home market so greatly on the short term. For instance the MLS sales reported for June 2010 by TREB were 23% less in June 2010 than in June 2009 (TREB June Statistics). The effect of pent up demand of 2010 plus the potential increased costs of interest rates and HST had consumers make choices to buy before June and July 2010.


The short term market influences can be categorized into normal seasonal influences and unusual inactive events that have come to the fore at just the same time as these affordability issues. These short term influences are described as seasonality of the market, G20 paralysis, and heat and Global soccer mania.


It seems a bit silly but the Toronto market place was hugely impacted by G20. People simply left town. Businesses went into paralysis simply to not be caught up in any international event so large and so impactive on the community. Property showings in some parts of Toronto simply stopped as access issues stopped the normal activities of the market place. I believe this will be a defining moment in our marketplace which will again build up a pent up demand.


Follow G20 with a heat wave the like of which has not been seen in over 3 years and you elongate the slow down. Add one of the world’s greatest sporting events, The World Cup of Soccer, and again we have another short term event of impact on the market. People who watch the World Cup are not buying homes; they are watching and talking soccer. Silly it seems, but very real. This was brought home to me when I called a Realtor who was on my list of favoured recruits to add to my office. When I asked what he was doing one morning, he proudly related he was watching his favourite national team. Not available to change to my company obviously and certainly not listing or selling homes!


Finally there is the seasonality of the marketplace. July and August traditionally are family move and family vacation times. People use these times to regroup and refresh. Often households with children are moved in the summer for convenience of school transfers. So the negotiations and sales happen earlier in the spring. Again this short term seasonal influence hit in June and July. Talk about the perfect storm!


So what about the short and far term from here forward. The Toronto real estate market is strong with great momentum. New product is being built daily. Existing used home inventory is readily available and of high quality. This is especially the case right now as sales have moderated downwards due to all of the above influences. The expectation is for home prices to moderate slightly lower as Sellers decide they should move their homes rather than wait any longer.


On the other hand, lower sales volume has already impacted mortgage demand. Just yesterday the Bank of Montreal lowered its mortgage rates. All the other major banks are expected to reciprocate today. So affordability will return to what was seen during the previous quarter.


If I had a crystal ball, and I do not, I would suggest the normal, more balanced market has returned to Toronto and area. This is not only sustainable, but good for both the buyer who wants sustained affordability and value protection, and the Seller who wants an optimum sales price, in a reasonable period of time. Employment is strong, people are in general happy and life is generally back to normal. Although international events can impact our real estate market, right now it is liquid, priced affordably and positive. An investment in real estate in Toronto and area is still one of the best opportunities available for the average consumer.


So if you want a bubble, at least in the short term, purchase some bubble gum. Enjoy you summer, because the fall will be very busy and profitable!

Successful Real Estate Teams in Toronto Need Leadership

Are you a team leader? Or are you thinking of forming a team? If so, take a look at his RE/MAX University video by Ken Goodfellow, "High-Performance Team: Part 2." Goodfellow, one of the real estate industry's leading coaches, shows you what it takes to build a great team: setting high standards and holding team members accountable; determining your strengths and weaknesses; defining team roles; and celebrating accomplishments.
RE/MAX University, which is free to RE/MAX Associates, features more than 1,000 video segments covering every facet of real estate productivity. Give me a call if you'd like to explore the business-building benefits of RU further.

Darryl Mitchell
Managing Broker
RE/MAX Professionals Inc. Brokerage
416-937-0367

RE/MAX Professionals Dedicated to the Childrens Miracle Network

One Million dollars! What an achievement!
RE/MAX Professionals Inc. staff have achieved a feat no other real estate Brokerage has avchieved, One Million Dollars towards the Childrens Miracle Network! Amazing!
We are so proud to support the Hospital for Sick Children loacted in Toronto through our donations to the Childrens Miracle Network. Our sales staff and support staff have been committed for years to this great cause and on June 10th at the Credit Valley Golf and Country Club we will be celebrating this sharing, caring and good will.
So the count down begins! $999,997 and counting!

RE/MAX Upper End Market Trends Report 2010

RE/MAX Coaching and Mentoring Network

RE/MAX believes that a great Mentor is better positioned than a trainer to assist a real estate agent excel with their career. Qualifying as a RE/MAX Mentor involves a certification process that is backed up by the most professional brand in the industry. Continuous education and development are the disciplines that RE/MAX Mentors take seriously. Having a knowledgeable, experienced and committed individual on your side will create the most meaningful experience and the most extraordinary results.
Mentor Programs with RE/MAX Professionals are as follows:
- RE/MAX Professionals @Impact Mentor
- Succeed
- Buffini and Company, 100 Days to Greatness (RE/MAX Edition)
- Ultimate Agent
- Richard Robbins International RE/MAX Masters Edge

Coaching is essential for any agent, especially in the busy Toronto and Mississauga real estate market place, if an agent wants to be the best they can be. We all encounter and experience life in different ways daily and by sharing these experiences wit ha coach we are able to receive feedback that is relevant and useful. A great coach will probe and ask questions that will help produce a deeper and more meaningful understanding of these experiences and help guide actions to achieve optimal results.
The guidance that a coach brings to a coaching relationship encourages and supports the agent's object rives ans assists in unlocking potential, and thereby can create astounding results.
Coaching opportunities for agents are many and varied. RE/MAX Professionals Inc. is pleased to endorse the following:
- Brian Buffini The Buffini Group
- Ken Goodfellow - CKG International
- Richard Robbins - Richard Robbins International
- Derek Levitt - RE/MAX Professionals.

New Web Site for RE/MAX Professionals www.remaxprofessionals.ca

Today's launch of the new RE/MAX Professionals web site lifts the web presence of the sales staff to a new level of web prominence. Designed as a tool for customers and clients to find the Brokerage listings and agents faster than ever, the new site involves the latest of social media with links to this blog "Re/Max Professional Talk", Twitter posts, Facebook and Linked in profiles and more. Video marketing of listings will be made easier and more efficient of this amazingly easily utilized site.
"Web Sites can no longer be just state of the art," stated Darryl Mitchell, Etobicoke Managing Broker. "This site must be state of the media, designed to broadcast information, to make RE/MAX Professionals the Brokerage of choice for real estate information."
The jammed room saw Gabriel Jeans of Web Tech Design demonstrate the effectiveness of this mult-functional site. With links to all of the agent sites, this site is Do Not Call list functional allowing agents to concentrate on what they do best, sell and buy homes with their many clients.
Clients have the ability to search not just RE/MAX Professionals listings, but also those of other Brokerages cooperating on the Internet Data Exchange IDX for Toronto and area.
To learn more about this impactive new site contact Darryl Mitchell, Managing Broker, Etobicoke 416-236-1241 or Christine Mitchell, Managing Broker, Mississauga 905-270-0575.
To view state of the art web presence go to www.remaxprofessionals.ca

Toronto Real Estate Board Early February Results Are Strong

February 18, 2010 -- Greater Toronto REALTORS reported 3,555 sales through the Multiple Listing Service during the first two weeks of February. http://www.torontorealestateboard.com/consumer_info/market_news/news2010/pdf/nr_mid_month_0210.pdf

Effective Negotiating for Real Estate Professionals

6 Continuing Eduction Credits

When : February 24th, 2010
Time : 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Where : RE/MAX Regional office,
7101 Syntex Dr. Mississauga ON L5N 6H5 (Map & Directions)

Investment : $125.00 + GST (Lunch includedAbout the Course: Effective Negotiating for Real Estate Professionals will help you gain a strong competitive advantage in securing the agreements you want by negotiating in a more powerful and productive way. You’ll learn the difference between positional bargaining and value negotiating and explore the benefits, tactics and risks involved. Discover how to secure the best outcomes for your clients. Learn to identify problems and solutions in negotiating. Move beyond the barriers of impasse to mutually beneficial agreements. You’ll learn how to directly apply these principles not only to your real estate business but also to everyday negotiations.

Instructor: Adorna Carroll
Adorna is an active REALTOR® who specializes in buyer representation. A top speaker and facilitator who receives RAVE reviews every ABR session she delivers (most recently in Calgary and Edmonton).

Call Darryl Mitchell or Christine Mitchell to Register

RE/MAX and You

Come join me at RE/MAX and You on February 23rd. Check it out at http://ping.fm/GwcUw

RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Makes 2010 Predictions

RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic predicts economic recovery in residential real estate well under way. http://ping.fm/sBbWs

RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Kick Start

RE/MAX Kick Start Toronto was a blast! Check it out! http://ping.fm/4nWs8

The RE/MAX Story! Just Remarkable!

The story of RE/MAX is a remarkable story of the development of a new concept that changed the real estate industry forever. Check out this truly remarkable tale of a tipping point in the international real estate business.
http://www.remax-oa.com/AboutREMAX/Pages/RemaxStory.aspx

Cookie Dust

It was the night before my recent change of positions to RE/MAX Professionals as Broker and Manager in Etobicoke. I had cooked that evening. It was a beautiful meal of Chinese food picked up just one half hour before at our local supplier of egg rolls, chow mein and chicken balls. The spread of food was a mixture of some of the most scruptuous fair that anyone late coming home could prepare.
The meal ended with the traditional ceremony of the fortune cookie. Each of us opening our cookie with the suspense and embellishment that only a fortune cookie affectionato could provide.
I was last. My cookie was the last remaining piece of this ceremony.
Now, I do not normally believe a fortune cookie provides more than just a little piece of humour, a laugh for those in attendance. Not very serious stuff in my mind!
But this time the message was different, prophetic if you will.
I opened the cookie with all the reluctance and doubt that any last opener could provide. I read it quietly, quietly a second time, and then openly to the rest.
"Excellent day for dusting. Start with a few old dreams." it stated, followed by a few lucky numbers.
I did not use the lucky numbers that day. No lottery ticket here. I had already won the lottery, a chance for a new start with a great brand, RE/MAX Professionals.
So the dust is off, the dreams are clear, and the fortune......already won!