realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
Aug 13th 2009, 11:00 pm
#166
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Joined: Feb 2008
Location: Okotoks Albetra
Posts: 459
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
I just don't like the way the vast majority of them do business. Especially when new arrivals (their clients) to the country are concerned. I would guess that most that post on here have never acted for a vendor. They rely on being nice to newbies and picking them up from the airport , nice work if you can get it!!
As the above comment is directed at Realtors who work with newbies to Canada I'll speak for myself here, about 30% of my work is with newbies the remainder is with the Canadian market. I personally find working with newbies is actually more work than dealing with people who are already living in Canada BUT and it's a big BUT I find it very enjoyable. I've been through the process myself and I enjoy assisting others who are coming to Canada. It's the same sort of buzz you get on this forum when you are able to offer advice to others. It's addictive and you keep coming back for more.
Most of the newbies I help I have been in email and phone contact with for over a 12 months. I do not charge for any of the relocation work I do and nor do I agree that anybody should. I spend many many hours trying to get everything just right for people when they arrive in Canada and many of these people go in to rental accommodation for 6 to 12 months. I do not have any contracts with anybody and everything I do is built on trust. I just hope that when the time comes for these people to invest in real estate they choose me to help them.
With regards to finding rental properties, I spend hours searching for suitable rental properties and then I visit them. I take photo's and video and send this back to the client in the UK. I make no charge for this work and I do not receive payment from the landlords either. Unlike some other realtors I actively encourage people not to rush into the purchase of a property until they are completely comfortable with that decision and the desire to go looking at houses is driven by them when they are good and ready.
If they do decide to choose me to be their realtor I like to think I offer excellent service and every buyer I work with gets 25% of my buyers commission as a way of me saying thank you. The day I hand over the keys to the new home I also hand over the cheque. I don't think anybody else currently offers this (if they do then I'm sure I will be corrected)
Funnily enough the majority of people I deal with that come to Calgary from the UK do not participate on this forum, although many are silent readers.
Prior to the economic downturn many of the newbies I dealt with were direct referrals from companies in Calgary and this has only just started to pick up again. Just recently I have taken on 2 separate clients that are Canadians relocating from within Canada. These people have found the relocation work I do and contacts I have built to be useful to them. This work I hope will continue to grow as I have sent my details to a number of Canadian companies that do not have their own relocation packages in place.
Another source of my clients has been immigration firms that recommend my services. I would like to add I do not participate in any type of referral payments from these companies and I never advise people to use these companies as the majority of the time the application can be completed by the applicant.
So any way there you have it, this is what I do and how I work. I am very happy doing the work I do and I work extremely hard at it. I also believe I offer good service and value for money, the day I stop thinking this is the day I stop being a realtor.
Sam
Aug 13th 2009, 11:31 pm
#167
Binned by Muderators
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: White Rock BC
Posts: 11,682
Aug 13th 2009, 11:32 pm
#168
Banned
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: Cochrane near Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 667
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
Like the UK, in canada we all make our own decisions and within the law do what we want.
Realtors and real estate law has come about because people buying and selling their homes needed protection from unscrupulous people.
You have a choice to use a realtor or not. In Cochrane today there are 199 houses for sale by realtors. Privately on 'we list' which is the main one here there are 17. These two figures tell me that more people want to pay a realtor to sell their house than do it privately. That is their choice.
Of course it can be done privately. no one can ever argue that it can not. But some people and in cochrane it is the majority want the protection and advise of a realtor.
I specialise in property management and it is as easy as anything. But I get paid by people who just do not want to have the trouble of doing it themselves. There are also lots of other jobs out there just the same, cleaners, painters, plumbers etc etc etc they all provide services for people to have but could often be done by yourselves.
Now if you do not want to pay for a realtor to sell your house then don't, go private. If you do not want to use a realtor to buy, then don't no one will force you. You just have to liaise if they have a realtor and negotiate accordingly.
of course there is a third alternative if you do not like the idea of the canadian way of using a realtor and that is to stay in the UK. You can then save $$$ by not selling your house to an agent for 1.5% and keep your house in the uk, have a nice life, die in the house and then your next of kin and sort it all out.
Realtors and real estate law has come about because people buying and selling their homes needed protection from unscrupulous people.
You have a choice to use a realtor or not. In Cochrane today there are 199 houses for sale by realtors. Privately on 'we list' which is the main one here there are 17. These two figures tell me that more people want to pay a realtor to sell their house than do it privately. That is their choice.
Of course it can be done privately. no one can ever argue that it can not. But some people and in cochrane it is the majority want the protection and advise of a realtor.
I specialise in property management and it is as easy as anything. But I get paid by people who just do not want to have the trouble of doing it themselves. There are also lots of other jobs out there just the same, cleaners, painters, plumbers etc etc etc they all provide services for people to have but could often be done by yourselves.
Now if you do not want to pay for a realtor to sell your house then don't, go private. If you do not want to use a realtor to buy, then don't no one will force you. You just have to liaise if they have a realtor and negotiate accordingly.
of course there is a third alternative if you do not like the idea of the canadian way of using a realtor and that is to stay in the UK. You can then save $$$ by not selling your house to an agent for 1.5% and keep your house in the uk, have a nice life, die in the house and then your next of kin and sort it all out.
Last edited by Helen Parnell; Aug 13th 2009 at 11:35 pm.
Aug 13th 2009, 11:42 pm
#169
Binned by Muderators
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: White Rock BC
Posts: 11,682
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
You are in an impossible position trying to justify your fees to the cynics who assume that your only motivation is to screw them out of money.
Aug 14th 2009, 12:19 am
#170
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Joined: Feb 2008
Location: Okotoks Albetra
Posts: 459
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
It is always difficult justifying your fees no matter what job you do. I am surprised that more realtors that use this site have not spoken up though. I have tried to be open with what I do but you are right, I will not be able to win over all the cynics on this site. At the end of the day we all want something for nothing (it's human nature)
Aug 14th 2009, 12:43 am
#171
Banned
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: In Limbo
Posts: 15,706
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
It is always difficult justifying your fees no matter what job you do. I am surprised that more realtors that use this site have not spoken up though. I have tried to be open with what I do but you are right, I will not be able to win over all the cynics on this site. At the end of the day we all want something for nothing (it's human nature)
Last edited by Butch Cassidy; Aug 14th 2009 at 12:50 am.
Aug 14th 2009, 12:51 am
#172
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: South of Calgary
Posts: 13,374
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
As the above comment is directed at Realtors who work with newbies to Canada I'll speak for myself here, about 30% of my work is with newbies the remainder is with the Canadian market. I personally find working with newbies is actually more work than dealing with people who are already living in Canada BUT and it's a big BUT I find it very enjoyable. I've been through the process myself and I enjoy assisting others who are coming to Canada. It's the same sort of buzz you get on this forum when you are able to offer advice to others. It's addictive and you keep coming back for more.
Most of the newbies I help I have been in email and phone contact with for over a 12 months. I do not charge for any of the relocation work I do and nor do I agree that anybody should. I spend many many hours trying to get everything just right for people when they arrive in Canada and many of these people go in to rental accommodation for 6 to 12 months. I do not have any contracts with anybody and everything I do is built on trust. I just hope that when the time comes for these people to invest in real estate they choose me to help them.
With regards to finding rental properties, I spend hours searching for suitable rental properties and then I visit them. I take photo's and video and send this back to the client in the UK. I make no charge for this work and I do not receive payment from the landlords either. Unlike some other realtors I actively encourage people not to rush into the purchase of a property until they are completely comfortable with that decision and the desire to go looking at houses is driven by them when they are good and ready.
If they do decide to choose me to be their realtor I like to think I offer excellent service and every buyer I work with gets 25% of my buyers commission as a way of me saying thank you. The day I hand over the keys to the new home I also hand over the cheque. I don't think anybody else currently offers this (if they do then I'm sure I will be corrected)
Funnily enough the majority of people I deal with that come to Calgary from the UK do not participate on this forum, although many are silent readers.
Prior to the economic downturn many of the newbies I dealt with were direct referrals from companies in Calgary and this has only just started to pick up again. Just recently I have taken on 2 separate clients that are Canadians relocating from within Canada. These people have found the relocation work I do and contacts I have built to be useful to them. This work I hope will continue to grow as I have sent my details to a number of Canadian companies that do not have their own relocation packages in place.
Another source of my clients has been immigration firms that recommend my services. I would like to add I do not participate in any type of referral payments from these companies and I never advise people to use these companies as the majority of the time the application can be completed by the applicant.
So any way there you have it, this is what I do and how I work. I am very happy doing the work I do and I work extremely hard at it. I also believe I offer good service and value for money, the day I stop thinking this is the day I stop being a realtor.
Sam
Aug 14th 2009, 1:46 am
#173
RETIRED Realtor
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Posts: 2,087
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
As the above comment is directed at Realtors who work with newbies to Canada I'll speak for myself here, about 30% of my work is with newbies the remainder is with the Canadian market. I personally find working with newbies is actually more work than dealing with people who are already living in Canada BUT and it's a big BUT I find it very enjoyable. I've been through the process myself and I enjoy assisting others who are coming to Canada. It's the same sort of buzz you get on this forum when you are able to offer advice to others. It's addictive and you keep coming back for more.
Most of the newbies I help I have been in email and phone contact with for over a 12 months. I do not charge for any of the relocation work I do and nor do I agree that anybody should. I spend many many hours trying to get everything just right for people when they arrive in Canada and many of these people go in to rental accommodation for 6 to 12 months. I do not have any contracts with anybody and everything I do is built on trust. I just hope that when the time comes for these people to invest in real estate they choose me to help them.
With regards to finding rental properties, I spend hours searching for suitable rental properties and then I visit them. I take photo's and video and send this back to the client in the UK. I make no charge for this work and I do not receive payment from the landlords either. Unlike some other realtors I actively encourage people not to rush into the purchase of a property until they are completely comfortable with that decision and the desire to go looking at houses is driven by them when they are good and ready.
If they do decide to choose me to be their realtor I like to think I offer excellent service and every buyer I work with gets 25% of my buyers commission as a way of me saying thank you. The day I hand over the keys to the new home I also hand over the cheque. I don't think anybody else currently offers this (if they do then I'm sure I will be corrected)
Funnily enough the majority of people I deal with that come to Calgary from the UK do not participate on this forum, although many are silent readers.
Prior to the economic downturn many of the newbies I dealt with were direct referrals from companies in Calgary and this has only just started to pick up again. Just recently I have taken on 2 separate clients that are Canadians relocating from within Canada. These people have found the relocation work I do and contacts I have built to be useful to them. This work I hope will continue to grow as I have sent my details to a number of Canadian companies that do not have their own relocation packages in place.
Another source of my clients has been immigration firms that recommend my services. I would like to add I do not participate in any type of referral payments from these companies and I never advise people to use these companies as the majority of the time the application can be completed by the applicant.
So any way there you have it, this is what I do and how I work. I am very happy doing the work I do and I work extremely hard at it. I also believe I offer good service and value for money, the day I stop thinking this is the day I stop being a realtor.
Sam
Well spoken Sam.
I don't rebate to my buyers or sellers, but any house I buy or sell I pay for a 12 month warranty on the House systems (furnace, HW Tank, Roof Leaks, Electric, Plumbing faults etc.). Far better than a bottle of cheap bubbly and some flowers.
Aug 14th 2009, 2:04 am
#174
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 3,340
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
Like the UK, in canada we all make our own decisions and within the law do what we want.
Realtors and real estate law has come about because people buying and selling their homes needed protection from unscrupulous people.
It may have seemed a good idea originally but the tail is definately wagging the dog now.
You have a choice to use a realtor or not. In Cochrane today there are 199 houses for sale by realtors. Privately on 'we list' which is the main one here there are 17. These two figures tell me that more people want to pay a realtor to sell their house than do it privately. That is their choice.
What you describe is Hobson's Choice. Bearing in mind the hassle involved in listing a house privately I'm suprised that nearly 10% (or possibly more as there are other private listings) choose to do so.
Of course it can be done privately. no one can ever argue that it can not. But some people and in cochrane it is the majority want the protection and advise of a realtor.
I specialise in property management and it is as easy as anything. But I get paid by people who just do not want to have the trouble of doing it themselves. There are also lots of other jobs out there just the same, cleaners, painters, plumbers etc etc etc they all provide services for people to have but could often be done by yourselves.
Now if you do not want to pay for a realtor to sell your house then don't, go private. If you do not want to use a realtor to buy, then don't no one will force you. You just have to liaise if they have a realtor and negotiate accordingly.
of course there is a third alternative if you do not like the idea of the canadian way of using a realtor and that is to stay in the UK. You can then save $$$ by not selling your house to an agent for 1.5% and keep your house in the uk, have a nice life, die in the house and then your next of kin and sort it all out.
Of course there is another option - rent a house in Canada and keep the house in the UK.
Realtors and real estate law has come about because people buying and selling their homes needed protection from unscrupulous people.
It may have seemed a good idea originally but the tail is definately wagging the dog now.
You have a choice to use a realtor or not. In Cochrane today there are 199 houses for sale by realtors. Privately on 'we list' which is the main one here there are 17. These two figures tell me that more people want to pay a realtor to sell their house than do it privately. That is their choice.
What you describe is Hobson's Choice. Bearing in mind the hassle involved in listing a house privately I'm suprised that nearly 10% (or possibly more as there are other private listings) choose to do so.
Of course it can be done privately. no one can ever argue that it can not. But some people and in cochrane it is the majority want the protection and advise of a realtor.
I specialise in property management and it is as easy as anything. But I get paid by people who just do not want to have the trouble of doing it themselves. There are also lots of other jobs out there just the same, cleaners, painters, plumbers etc etc etc they all provide services for people to have but could often be done by yourselves.
Now if you do not want to pay for a realtor to sell your house then don't, go private. If you do not want to use a realtor to buy, then don't no one will force you. You just have to liaise if they have a realtor and negotiate accordingly.
of course there is a third alternative if you do not like the idea of the canadian way of using a realtor and that is to stay in the UK. You can then save $$$ by not selling your house to an agent for 1.5% and keep your house in the uk, have a nice life, die in the house and then your next of kin and sort it all out.
Of course there is another option - rent a house in Canada and keep the house in the UK.
Aug 14th 2009, 2:18 am
#175
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Joined: Feb 2008
Location: Okotoks Albetra
Posts: 459
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
I am not Sam, Realtors like yourself (and a couple of others on here) are not exactly the majority. Most (in my experience) are in it for the money (or at least the promise of the money) and would rather make a quick and easy sale than go the extra mile for a potential client. I know of at least three expat realtors south of Glenhmore trail who I would not recommend if they were the last realtors in Canada never mind Calgary. It is these realtors that get such as yourself a bad name.
Aug 14th 2009, 2:27 am
#177
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Joined: Feb 2008
Location: Okotoks Albetra
Posts: 459
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
Do you know, when I worked for a conventional brokerage charging the normal fees I used to give my clients flowers, wine, gifts and all that sort of stuff, they said thank you and that was that.
Now it is quite different, since I have started working for a brokerage that really allows me give something back it is round the other way. I now get given the flowers, wine and last night was even taken out for a meal.
Aug 14th 2009, 2:34 am
#178
Banned
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: Cochrane near Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 667
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
Or as you are still in the uk and already moaning about how canadians do things.....stay in the UK.
Several posts have started saying how some realtors do not work for the money, etc etc
Sorry
I love being a realtor and helping as much as the next person, but I have a mortgage to pay and two teenage sons who just cost lots of money and both hoping to go on to university. I work to earn a living to pay my bills and to have the things I want in life. I am lucky that I really enjoy my job. Like the other realtors I give a gift to my clients but i have heard of some who give 25% of their pay away!!!!
for using their services. Sorry folks but I only go to work to earn money. My voluntary work is done in my free time when I am not working.
If I come up on the lottery you will not see me for dust, I will be out camping, skiing, golfing and drinking wine.
Last edited by Helen Parnell; Aug 14th 2009 at 2:37 am.
Aug 14th 2009, 2:43 am
#179
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 3,340
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
In Britian, everyone used to complain that estate agents did nothing for their 1.5% or 2%, and their fees were a rip off.
In Canada all the Brits are complaining that Realtors do nothing for their 3% or 4%, and their fees are a rip off.
I don't know if anyone sees a pattern here?
In Canada all the Brits are complaining that Realtors do nothing for their 3% or 4%, and their fees are a rip off.
I don't know if anyone sees a pattern here?
I've got agents in the UK marketing the house at 1% on a multi agency basis now. One of them, a well known company, approached me offering to market the house for that commission. They've just had to match the price a new entrant to the local market was offerering. Will they do any worse a job - I doubt it.
Aug 14th 2009, 3:10 am
#180
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 3,340
Re: realtors......would a British estate agent system do well here
Or as you are still in the uk and already moaning about how canadians do things.....stay in the UK.
Several posts have started saying how some realtors do not work for the money, etc etc
Sorry I love being a realtor and helping as much as the next person, but I have a mortgage to pay and two teenage sons who just cost lots of money and both hoping to go on to university.
I work to earn a living to pay my bills and to have the things I want in life. I am lucky that I really enjoy my job. Like the other realtors I give a gift to my clients but i have heard of some who give 25% of their pay away!!!! for using their services.
Sorry folks but I only go to work to earn money. My voluntary work is done in my free time when I am not working.
If I come up on the lottery you will not see me for dust, I will be out camping, skiing, golfing and drinking wine.
Several posts have started saying how some realtors do not work for the money, etc etc
Sorry
I love being a realtor and helping as much as the next person, but I have a mortgage to pay and two teenage sons who just cost lots of money and both hoping to go on to university. I work to earn a living to pay my bills and to have the things I want in life. I am lucky that I really enjoy my job. Like the other realtors I give a gift to my clients but i have heard of some who give 25% of their pay away!!!!
for using their services. Sorry folks but I only go to work to earn money. My voluntary work is done in my free time when I am not working.
If I come up on the lottery you will not see me for dust, I will be out camping, skiing, golfing and drinking wine.
I've been in Canada a while now. I've heard very mixed reports on Realtors from Canadians since I've been here.
