RSS stands for "real simple syndication" or "rich site syndication" or "RDF site summary". This is a file created by the use of XML and contains an aggregate of your blog content all in one place.As your blog is updates the RSS is updated creating an up to date resource of your blog's content.
An RSS feed is useful as it is a standardized format that all software programs, devices and websites can read and access no matter what platform you are on. As well it allows subscriptions to your blog so people can be informed of any new blog entries you make. This creates an easy method for people to access your most recent content without having to go to your blog to find out when and what you have created. It allows you to promote your blog and to keep in touch with your followers.
An aggregate or feed reader allows your followers to interface with your RSS feed. Headlines of your blog are featured in the RSS similar t o an email. You simply click on the headline to get to the blog post.
If you use Blogger or WordPress your RSS feed is automatically created for you and updated as you add content. It is up to you to promote your RSS feed to gain more readers. You should include the RSS feed on your blog for readers to copy. An RSS feed widget can be easily added to your blog interface. You can also add this to your email signature, website and anywhere you have an Internet presence.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
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!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Home prices up 0.3% in December
Teranet – National Bank National Composite House Price Index™
Canadian home prices in December were up 0.3% from the previous month, according to the Teranet-National Bank National Composite House Price Index™. The advance followed three consecutive monthly declines that had ended an unbroken run of 16 increases. December prices were up from the previous month in five of the six metropolitan markets surveyed. A 0.1% rise in the Calgary market was the first gain in five months. The rise was 0.5% in Vancouver and Montreal, 0.2% in Toronto. Halifax prices jumped 3.6%. We note that the composite index would have advanced 0.3% even if Halifax had been flat. The 0.4% monthly decline of Ottawa prices was the fourth in a row.Historical Index Values - Toronto
Thursday, February 17, 2011
RE/MAX CELEBRATES 38 YEARS
DENVER, CO – One of the largest real estate franchises in the world is celebrating its 38th anniversary and a year of significant success despite a challenging housing market. This month, RE/MAX and its Co-Founders, Dave and Gail Liniger, celebrate a year of remarkable achievements and Founder’s Day, the day RE/MAX was created.
In 2010, RE/MAX worldwide franchise sales were up nearly 30% from the previous year and RE/MAX agents were ranked the most productive in the industry by two notable industry surveys.
“It’s been an exhilarating ride, through the ups and downs of every type of market imaginable,” said RE/MAX Chairman Dave Liniger who pioneered the maximum commission concept when he opened his first RE/MAX office in 1973, forever changing the face of real estate. “We’ve accomplished a lot of things in 38 years but by far our greatest success is having an impassioned network of the most professional agents in the business helping buyers and sellers around the world. They’re making a difference every day and I couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments.”
RE/MAX is now in more than 80 countries around the world, a presence greater than any of its competitors, and building on four decades of tradition, the global network continues to set the pace for the real estateindustry. Most notably, Liniger and RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly have been instrumental in shaping the housing recovery and government policies. Kelly serves on the Federal Reserve Board and Liniger was named one of BusinessWeek Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful People in Real Estate 2010. And both RE/MAX executives were named to Inman News’ 2010 Top 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders list.
RE/MAX has logged a number of milestones in 2010:
• Worldwide franchise sales were up nearly 30% in 2010 as RE/MAX expanded internationally into eight new countries including Bolivia, Tunisia, Dominica and Suriname.
• Two national surveys ranked top-performing RE/MAX agents above all other national franchise agents in average transaction sides. In the 2010 REAL Trends 500 survey,
RE/MAX agents averaged an impressive 14.4 transaction sides, 46% higher than the next closest competitor. The 2010 RISMedia Power Broker Report put RE/MAX agents at an average of 15.1 transaction sides, 26% higher than the next closest competitor.
• Reader’s Digest Canada named RE/MAX the Most Trusted Brand in Real Estate.
• RE/MAX University (RU), the propriety network for RE/MAX agent training and education, launched a new On-Demand Platform, making its award-winning training available 24/7 online or through the digital media player, Roku. RE/MAX also launched the RE/MAX University Mobile Application to give agents access to training on the go.
• RE/MAX continues to lead the industry in the number of agents trained in short sales with the most Certified Distress Property Experts (CDPEs).
• RE/MAX became one of three companies to pass $100M in donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and RE/MAX formally launched Home for the Cure in partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure.®
• Continuing its pledge to help U.S. servicemen and women, RE/MAX was named Top Ten Military Spouse-Friendly Employer by Military Spouse Magazine for the fourth year in
row and the Top Military-Friendly Employer by G.I. Jobs magazine for the second consecutive year.
• RE/MAX launched the RE/MAX YouTube Brand Channel that features hundreds of RE/MAX videos and a geo-targeting map for consumers searching for videos of listed properties, local RE/MAX agents and offices and community videos.
Each office independently owned and operated. 110234
In 2010, RE/MAX worldwide franchise sales were up nearly 30% from the previous year and RE/MAX agents were ranked the most productive in the industry by two notable industry surveys.
“It’s been an exhilarating ride, through the ups and downs of every type of market imaginable,” said RE/MAX Chairman Dave Liniger who pioneered the maximum commission concept when he opened his first RE/MAX office in 1973, forever changing the face of real estate. “We’ve accomplished a lot of things in 38 years but by far our greatest success is having an impassioned network of the most professional agents in the business helping buyers and sellers around the world. They’re making a difference every day and I couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments.”
RE/MAX is now in more than 80 countries around the world, a presence greater than any of its competitors, and building on four decades of tradition, the global network continues to set the pace for the real estateindustry. Most notably, Liniger and RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly have been instrumental in shaping the housing recovery and government policies. Kelly serves on the Federal Reserve Board and Liniger was named one of BusinessWeek Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful People in Real Estate 2010. And both RE/MAX executives were named to Inman News’ 2010 Top 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders list.
RE/MAX has logged a number of milestones in 2010:
• Worldwide franchise sales were up nearly 30% in 2010 as RE/MAX expanded internationally into eight new countries including Bolivia, Tunisia, Dominica and Suriname.
• Two national surveys ranked top-performing RE/MAX agents above all other national franchise agents in average transaction sides. In the 2010 REAL Trends 500 survey,
RE/MAX agents averaged an impressive 14.4 transaction sides, 46% higher than the next closest competitor. The 2010 RISMedia Power Broker Report put RE/MAX agents at an average of 15.1 transaction sides, 26% higher than the next closest competitor.
• Reader’s Digest Canada named RE/MAX the Most Trusted Brand in Real Estate.
• RE/MAX University (RU), the propriety network for RE/MAX agent training and education, launched a new On-Demand Platform, making its award-winning training available 24/7 online or through the digital media player, Roku. RE/MAX also launched the RE/MAX University Mobile Application to give agents access to training on the go.
• RE/MAX continues to lead the industry in the number of agents trained in short sales with the most Certified Distress Property Experts (CDPEs).
• RE/MAX became one of three companies to pass $100M in donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and RE/MAX formally launched Home for the Cure in partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure.®
• Continuing its pledge to help U.S. servicemen and women, RE/MAX was named Top Ten Military Spouse-Friendly Employer by Military Spouse Magazine for the fourth year in
row and the Top Military-Friendly Employer by G.I. Jobs magazine for the second consecutive year.
• RE/MAX launched the RE/MAX YouTube Brand Channel that features hundreds of RE/MAX videos and a geo-targeting map for consumers searching for videos of listed properties, local RE/MAX agents and offices and community videos.
Each office independently owned and operated. 110234
Thursday, February 10, 2011
They have it all wrong, The problem is not our debt, It is our taxes!
The press has been harping of late, along with the national governing party of our day, of how our personal debt is rising at a dramatic rate. They are absolutely correct! The debt level of the average Canadian is increasing. It does not bode well for an economy based on consumerism.
But is the base level of debt the root cause of this problem? Is there a deeper concern we should address? Are there a couple of factors, over looked purposefully by those in the know that could, if addressed by the Canadian public, change the game and eliminate this problem?
The Canadian consumer is in siege. Attacked by a silent, unmentioned inflation that has put the average Canadian in the unenviable position of being short on cash each month. Our wages are virtually frozen to less than a 2% increase yearly. The inflation rate, posted by economists, followed by governments, and massaged by statisticians has been in a healthy range of 1.5% to 3.0% for over a decade. It is the measure of health of our economy that most specialists quote when discussing the stability of our economy.
Forgive my naivete here, but I find my personal inflation rate much greater that this highly quoted, much aligned statistic. My gas price, for instance has risen from $0.70+ per litre in 2009 to almost $1.20 today. Now lets see, very simple mathematics would suggest this is much greater than the 2.5% inflation we have today. It appears that this is more like a .50/.70 increase over two years, or 80% per year! That seems a little greater that 2%????
Let's look at our utility bill. Due to the close correlation with oil and natural gas, our electrical bill has sky rocketed as well. Not only has the bill risen dramatically, but government run utility corporations now bill by the hour of use. Do not forget the debt retirement fee and the delivery fee. Again, large increases that we are totally unable to sustain.
Nasty day-electrical-use consumers get charged more than those who use electricity at night! Great opportunity for savings by a consumer says the provincial government who is selling this to us as a "Green" initiative. I say this is simply another inflationary attempt to get our natural recourse called "cash". The only "Green" initiative is to get our "Green" money.
Commodity food prices are rising at an alarming rate especially in countries which have become more developed. These new consumers are devouring our commodities as they develop their economies. They want the same things we already have. No question they deserve a better life style. That I applaud. The problem is that in a world community with limited resources, prices are bound to rise on commodities we all want. If we review wheat and corn prices today, they are at two plus times the same level of 2008. Thus the next item to rise in price will be food.
Let us not forget the largest consumer cash grab, the HST. On top of many commodities, services and other consumables we have had an 8% tax increase.
Pinched in the middle is.....me.....you....and all of the other so called consumers with little control and much to loose.
So, are consumers borrowing more? Yes! Why? Just to live! Just to compete with others for the same resources.
But is the base level of debt the root cause of this problem? Is there a deeper concern we should address? Are there a couple of factors, over looked purposefully by those in the know that could, if addressed by the Canadian public, change the game and eliminate this problem?
The Canadian consumer is in siege. Attacked by a silent, unmentioned inflation that has put the average Canadian in the unenviable position of being short on cash each month. Our wages are virtually frozen to less than a 2% increase yearly. The inflation rate, posted by economists, followed by governments, and massaged by statisticians has been in a healthy range of 1.5% to 3.0% for over a decade. It is the measure of health of our economy that most specialists quote when discussing the stability of our economy.
Forgive my naivete here, but I find my personal inflation rate much greater that this highly quoted, much aligned statistic. My gas price, for instance has risen from $0.70+ per litre in 2009 to almost $1.20 today. Now lets see, very simple mathematics would suggest this is much greater than the 2.5% inflation we have today. It appears that this is more like a .50/.70 increase over two years, or 80% per year! That seems a little greater that 2%????
Let's look at our utility bill. Due to the close correlation with oil and natural gas, our electrical bill has sky rocketed as well. Not only has the bill risen dramatically, but government run utility corporations now bill by the hour of use. Do not forget the debt retirement fee and the delivery fee. Again, large increases that we are totally unable to sustain.
Nasty day-electrical-use consumers get charged more than those who use electricity at night! Great opportunity for savings by a consumer says the provincial government who is selling this to us as a "Green" initiative. I say this is simply another inflationary attempt to get our natural recourse called "cash". The only "Green" initiative is to get our "Green" money.
Commodity food prices are rising at an alarming rate especially in countries which have become more developed. These new consumers are devouring our commodities as they develop their economies. They want the same things we already have. No question they deserve a better life style. That I applaud. The problem is that in a world community with limited resources, prices are bound to rise on commodities we all want. If we review wheat and corn prices today, they are at two plus times the same level of 2008. Thus the next item to rise in price will be food.
Let us not forget the largest consumer cash grab, the HST. On top of many commodities, services and other consumables we have had an 8% tax increase.
Pinched in the middle is.....me.....you....and all of the other so called consumers with little control and much to loose.
So, are consumers borrowing more? Yes! Why? Just to live! Just to compete with others for the same resources.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
'Wild card' props up Canadian housing markets over past decade
Mississauga, ON (February 8th, 2011) - Tighter inventory levels helped to make the last decade one of the healthiest periods on record for Canadian real estate, insulating markets in major centres from the peaks and valleys characteristic of past decades, according to a report released by RE/MAX.
The RE/MAX Housing Barometer Report measured monthly sales-to-new listings ratios in 18 major centres across the country from January 2000 to December 2010. The report found strong seller's/balanced conditions prevailed for much of the time frame, prompting significant gains in housing values. The lone exception was when the market dipped into buyer's territory during the latter half of 2008 and early 2009. However, fewer listings served to offset diminished demand and provided greater stability. Average price increases from 2000 to 2010 ranged from an annually compounded rate of return of 4.82 per cent in London-St. Thomas to a high of 9.56 per cent in Regina. The national average was 6.82 per cent. By far the tightest market in the nation was Winnipeg, where seller's ruled the roost for 85 per cent of the decade, followed by Hamilton-Burlington (67 per cent), Regina (63.6 per cent), Kitchener-Waterloo (59.8 per cent) and Edmonton (57.5 per cent).
The RE/MAX Housing Barometer Report measured monthly sales-to-new listings ratios in 18 major centres across the country from January 2000 to December 2010. The report found strong seller's/balanced conditions prevailed for much of the time frame, prompting significant gains in housing values. The lone exception was when the market dipped into buyer's territory during the latter half of 2008 and early 2009. However, fewer listings served to offset diminished demand and provided greater stability. Average price increases from 2000 to 2010 ranged from an annually compounded rate of return of 4.82 per cent in London-St. Thomas to a high of 9.56 per cent in Regina. The national average was 6.82 per cent. By far the tightest market in the nation was Winnipeg, where seller's ruled the roost for 85 per cent of the decade, followed by Hamilton-Burlington (67 per cent), Regina (63.6 per cent), Kitchener-Waterloo (59.8 per cent) and Edmonton (57.5 per cent).
Monday, February 7, 2011
Social Media Drives the Information WorldSocial Media
Engaging the customer was once the most time consuming part of our job. Meeting, greeting, socializing, keeping in touch, visiting and conversing with a customer was not only time consuming but tiring. Today, Social media can do this effectively, personally and in a much more engaging way than ever before.
For many, social media is frightening. for others it is simply misunderstood to the point that people refuse to even consider the possibility that they would benefit from a social media approach to their business and life.
Why should you consider social media and prepare a plan for your media marketing?
1. You can have one consistent voice heard around the world. Your clients are exposed to your brand in more than one spot on the Internet, on line as well as offline. Whether you are using a website, Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin you can be consistent with your messaging, coherent in your branding and effective in your conversation to convert a customer to a client.
2. Decide on your goal and central theme to drive more traffic to your blog of to make more people buy products from your website. Once you have your overall goal, select one central focus for your strategy and separate channels to drive traffic there. If you are attempting to drive traffic to your blog you can use Twitter, Digg, or Delicious to advertise your blog. Or perhaps website traffic to your website is your goal by encouraging visitors to access your articles, tools or services promoted on your blog. To do this simply link to the resource section of your website from Facebook, Twitter and/or Youtube channels.
3. Use other traditional media to publicize your blog such as brochures, business cards, presentations or regular print media. Include your web address, Twitter and Facebook and Blog URLs.
For many, social media is frightening. for others it is simply misunderstood to the point that people refuse to even consider the possibility that they would benefit from a social media approach to their business and life.
Why should you consider social media and prepare a plan for your media marketing?
1. You can have one consistent voice heard around the world. Your clients are exposed to your brand in more than one spot on the Internet, on line as well as offline. Whether you are using a website, Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin you can be consistent with your messaging, coherent in your branding and effective in your conversation to convert a customer to a client.
2. Decide on your goal and central theme to drive more traffic to your blog of to make more people buy products from your website. Once you have your overall goal, select one central focus for your strategy and separate channels to drive traffic there. If you are attempting to drive traffic to your blog you can use Twitter, Digg, or Delicious to advertise your blog. Or perhaps website traffic to your website is your goal by encouraging visitors to access your articles, tools or services promoted on your blog. To do this simply link to the resource section of your website from Facebook, Twitter and/or Youtube channels.
3. Use other traditional media to publicize your blog such as brochures, business cards, presentations or regular print media. Include your web address, Twitter and Facebook and Blog URLs.
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