RE/MAX Hallmark Blog

Making a difference

My friend and colleague at RE/MAX Hallmark came to me a couple of weeks ago about a problem which was becoming more and more real for her. Gina Anthanasiou is active in her Greek community, she is involved, intend on making a difference, not just by helping families buy and sell real estate alone, but she is taking a leadership position in making life better for all. Gina and I talked about the current problems the nation of Greece is having econically, and the impact these problems are having on average families. There is little or no work in Greece, and what work there is, there just isn't enough money at the end to get by. Many people worked for the government, and with fiscal cutbacks, it's a mess. We can discuss the reasons for these problems at length, but the impact on families is what matters. Gina tells me many families are now being forced to leave Greece and search for a future in Canada and other countries. They are hard working people now in Canada just trying to make a small difference for themselves and their families. Gina has become aware of many families now in Canada from Greece starting over who need a small helping hand to get a start. They proudly are not looking for our "welfare" but for an opportunity. Gina has spent many hours searching out clean, safe ad inexpensive accommodations. She has also helped by connecting these families to people in our community with job opportunities. What can we do? I think being aware is a good start, there is a human problem evolving for our Greek friends which will only get worse. With Gina's leadership we hope to make a difference. Stay tuned.

Time for a Shake-Up?

Our real estate industry is in drastic need of a shake-up before it is too late. It may already be too late.

Without fail, every week I receive calls from realtors complaining about other realtors. While our industry has always had this type of occurance, it seems to me a pattern is developing. In the past, mostly I would receive comments from realtors concerning sellers or buyers and their lack of loyalty or some unreasonable expectations. The public would call to complain about the lack of communication from their realtors.

Now, most of my calls go something like this. Mr. Agent calls me to vent about another Mr. Agent and his lack of skill, knowledge, and professionalism. Mr Agent would go on to say, "Too often, realtors are delivering a less than adequate level of service, not only to their clients, but to their peers. and its getting in the way of Mr. Agents business."

Too many of us in the field are not living up to the basic standards required by our liscensing. Some realtors believe all that is need is the proof of liscense to be in this industry. 

What do you think?

I was just thinking...

It seems to me we get so much in our heads about our problems in life. I mean the day to day stuff which tend to get in our way, usually by building up to some over sized drama from bits of nothing.

We have it pretty good, not without problems but by and large we are functioning in an opportunistic business and society, one loaded with adventure, interest and opportunities. But still we tend to default to the problems of the day. I wonder why?

Is it because of the negative media, friends, upbringing, and surroundings? I don't really know what causes us to dwell on our problems but developing the trigger to be greater than our problems is key to a healthy business and personal life.

We need to invent the habit of rising above the day to day "issues" which happen throughout our day, the annoyances, and problems. We take disappointments too seriously.

Having confidence in ourselves to keep moving forward no matter what occurs for us is a good start to being greater than our problems. Being engaged in positive action rather than immobilized with disappointment, fear and resentment will help us all work through issues of the day. 

Acknowledging what we are going through and than dealing with it in a constructive meaningful way is crucial to being greater than our problems.

I Love Toronto

I love Toronto. Ok- before you all go ballistic on me pointing out all of the problems this city has - I know. I know we have an absolute goof as a mayor - but it's not forever. I know we have many problems in our city, but when don't we?

My point is this. Toronto has exploded in the past 5 years or so. Immigration is strong, new construction, world class events and we have a definite buzz which is energizing.

I love the confidence this city has for the future. Toronto is world class, drawing attention from all around the world as the place to be. 

I am so excited to be living in Toronto - and who wouldn't? My imagination for this city 30 years from now takes me to a city which is still the envy of the world. We have the brilliance of our residents, the strength of our economy and the abundance of our resources.

Building Your Business

Sat in on our E-Myth class today facilitated by Cory Silver of our Yonge Street office. For my money, E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber is the best real estate business book ever written. Cory does a sensational job leading the group, encouraging discussion along the way.

Today we talked about entrepreneur behaviour, how to change or alter our way of being from a manager and technician style to a creator style. It's not as easy as one might think. Most of us are natural technicians, doers. We are good at getting "things" done once "things" are laid in front of us.

When asked, most realtors will say the best thing they enjoy about the real estate business is the process of negotiation. Face to face with clients, getting the deal done to the satisfaction of all. It is a real fulfilling experience. But that isn't really what is most important for realtors.

What realtors tend to shy away from most of all is the activity which is most important to our business. Building it. Creating it and implementing ideas. Most of us struggle with the daily processes needed to get us to the most fulfilling part of the work - negotiation.

Building your business each and every day is what matters. E-Myth Revisited presents a great blueprint for every realtor on how to run their business as a business.