A full 20 years ago now the new 21^st century was dubbed the ‘Information Age’, and in the two decades since then it’s fairly clear that the title was an appropriate one. We’ve enjoyed so much in the way of technological advances, and no matter what profession you make your living in it’s almost certain that technology advances has added much more in the way of process efficiency with whatever it is you do day in and out to be working at your best.

For a real estate agent in Canada, there’s going to be no digital device introduction across the last 20 years than the smartphone. Sure, mobile phones existed before that (as did the previously ever-so-popular BlackBerry, remember those?) they didn’t have the full-spectrum connectivity and web access that a smartphone does. I bet you wouldn’t even so much as one realtor in Canada who doesn’t make extensive use of a smartphone every day.

And after all, real estate is one profession where you’re inherently obligated to take advantage of anything and everything that lets your work more effectively and build your business in the speediest way possible. As it regards the second part of that, it’s what makes our online real estate lead generation system for realtors such an excellent choice for those who are new to the business. You’ll be harness the power of Internet marketing to be more immediately put in touch with folks who are genuinely interested in buying or selling a home in your area.

And yes, nine times out of ten you’ll probably be looking over those leads via your smartphone. But while smartphones are in every pocket, here’s a few other gadgets for realtors that might be nearly equally useful for you if you’re a real estate agent.

1. DIGI Phantom 2 & GoPro Camera Drone

Many of you will already be aware that elevated fly-over views of listed properties are all the rage these days. It’s drones like the DIGI Phantom 2 that make these birds-eye views possible when they are equipped with a mounted Go-Pro high resolution 1080p digital action camera

This quadcopter is extremely easy to use. After you simply click the parts into each other, you can fly it almost straight from the box. The Wi-Fi connection reaches over 300 metres, and you can add to that with a Wi-Fi Range Extender if needed. It’s got stable hovering, which allows you to stop mid-air and take either photos or take a pause in the video and zoom in as needed.

The basic model isn’t cheap, but it may be a good investment, and especially so if you’re a realtor who often has large estate properties listed.

• GoPano Micro

This is a revolutionary lens for the iPhone that lets you create 360° panoramic videos. Using it is as simple as attaching the lens to your iPhone and tapping it to make 360° videos instantly. Again, the appeal of being able to do so shouldn’t need much explanation for a realtor operating in the day of social media and extensive digital connectivity and all the expectations that come along with that from consumers.

• Zuta Labs Pocket Printer

There’s going to be a lot to be said for being able print out photos from your phone and hand them to clients or prospective ones with absolutely no need to return home first. That’s exactly what the Zuta Labs Pocket Printer lets you do. The printer is activated by sliding a hatch at the bottom of the printer, which will reveal the inkjet. The inkjet should be able to print around 1,000 printed pages before needing to be replaced and the battery lasts for over one hour per charge.

Printing out just-snapped photos of properties and grounds instantly and with little to no fuss? That should sound good to every real estate agent.

Duracell Powermat

Put your smartphone through its paces every day and you will be like anyone else – needing to find an outlet to recharge your device so it can keep on doing what you need it to do. Pulling out charging cables, plugging them into outlets, and then snapping the other end into your device’s charging point is NOT particularly time consuming. However, all these little snippets of time do add over the course of a day, and it’s one hundred percent true that time is one of the most valuable commodities for a real estate agent.

The Powermat works exactly as you’d think it would given its name. Rather than having to go to all the fuss of cabling and connecting, with the Powermat all you do is lay your compatible-model smartphone down on the mat and it begins recharging immediately. Place it and then get back to what you were doing with almost no down time, and you can know your super-essential device is charging up.

• InReach Satellite Communicator for Smartphones

Real Estate markets may be local, but the business of real estate is increasingly global and as such realtors may need to engage in communications that are not only out of country, but sometimes out of continent. And this is happening more and more all the time. This is what makes the InReach Smartphone Satellite Communicator such a smart choice.

InReach lets your customers reach us anywhere on the planet. And not only is it an excellent global digital communication tool, but it can also be a good choice for anytime you’re going into very rural areas of your Province. Whether that’s for work or pleasure. If you get caught without cell coverage but really need to contact someone, this device is going to come in VERY handy.

Indeed, this satellite messenger really shines with its ability to pair with your smart phone where it then becomes kind of like a back country cell phone service. You’ll be able to use your smart phone to send as well as receive messages, and the InReach also pairs with phoned impressively easily.

Know of any other smart tech gadgets that are ideal for realtors given their line or work? We’d like to hear about them, if you’re inclined to leave a comment.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively when you’re registered with us. They’re your leads, and no other realtor will be either serving your area of choice (any region of a city or town in Canada that will be yours alone with Real Estate Leads) or receiving these leads. It’s an excellent way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts big time, so you’re encouraged to sign up and begin building your real estate business that much more effectively.

 

You wouldn’t need to be a real estate agent in Canada – or work in any profession related to housing for that matter – to know that ever-greater numbers of Canadians are struggling to afford housing that works for their family’s needs and / or allows them to be within a reasonable distance of their place of employment. The long and short of this is that demand far outstrips supply for housing in many parts of the country, and especially in major metro areas.

For realtors, fewer qualified buyers may be a source of frustration for homeowners with their properties on the market. But for realtors, the problem becomes one where fewer prospective buyers means fewer prospective clients. For a realtor who’s well established in the business that may not be so problematic, but for a newer realtor it will be. That’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such an excellent choice for men and women who are new to the profession.

Back to topic, however, there is a growing trend in Ontario where homebuyers are teaming up with other trustworthy homebuyers to consolidate their purchasing power and buy a home together, and the Provincial government is putting measures in place to assist with it

Ontario Conservatives’ 16-page Co-Ownership Guide

December 11 of 2019 saw this guide released, and it promotes co-ownership and co-habitation as ways to improve affordability, maximize available space available in larger houses and heritage properties, and establish a more community-oriented environment. All of his may be very admirable in its ideals, but it’s clear that the majority of people who will enter into this type of home-buying arrangement will be doing so with an eye to watching the value of the home increase before the sale of it puts both buying parties in more of a position to buy a property on their own.

This is something that realtors can – and perhaps should – discuss with their clients, but if you’re going to do so you’ll be advised to do so responsibly and also make them aware of the many challenges this type of home purchasing arrangement may present.

Home ownership is difficult as is, and co-ownership will create scenarios were – among other things – knowledge of what is a shotgun clause is (read on) going to become must-know information. We will agree that the Province’s Co-Ownership guide does have good intentions, and also fills in common knowledge gaps very well.

It defines a number of useful terms and touches briefly on what a co-ownership agreement should include, but there is no mention of conflict resolution or the severe financial pitfalls involved. And it certainly should go without saying that if a homeowner is to purchase a home this way, there is most certainly a lot of risk of their being victims of these pitfalls.

Implications for Investors

It’s also true that investors considering the co-ownership of a property must make certain their intentions and goals are aligned with the others and unlikely to change. Cash flow investors, speculators and those more interested in long-term equity are going to be inclined to view the ideal use of a property differently. Long story short, investors must agree entirely on what that property will be used for, and especially any timelines that will be attached to it.

Consider as well that unforeseen changes in attitude and situation should be taken into consideration too. Are both open to short-term rentals of the property to maximize revenue? If the market dips and one partner is better prepared to weather than period of uncertainty, what power of influence does the other buyer have in suggesting the sale of the property?

The Shotgun Clause

A shotgun clause is a legal statue where the co-owner of he property has the opportunity to either exit the agreement or consolidate ownership. They are able to do this by setting a price for their share of the property. If the other owner is unable or unwilling to meet the suggested price, the clause then allows the co-purchaser to purchase the disputed share at an originally-set price.

A worst-case scenario would be one where one of the co-owners is facing financial stress and has little cash in hand, and this allows the other owner to take advantage by setting a low price for the distressed co-owner’s 50% share of the property. They would do so knowing full well that the other buyer won’t be able to mee that price and then their share will then be available for a very low price.

Interestingly, there’s no mention of a shotgun clause anywhere in Ontario’s new Co-Ownership Guide. There should be, and if you’re a realtor counselling clients then this is something that you must make them aware of, and make them VERY aware of.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively for your own privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s your region exclusively, and their your exclusive leads for it. You’ll be the only realtor to receive these leads, and that means you’ll be the only one with advanced notice for getting in touch with people who are genuinely considering buying or selling a home in that part of your Province. You’ll almost certainly come to see it as money well spent for building your real estate business.

Seeing as how it’s a brand new year – and a brand new decade too – we thought it would be best to start our entries for 2020 with one that’s all about the philosophies behind being successful as a real estate agent. Which is, of course, what all of you are aiming to do! No matter what profession you’re in, however, there is always so much to be gained by taking these philosophical approaches and letting them guide you in making the decisions you’ll make in the interest of furthering yourself.

All of this will come before specific interests, and that’s as it should be. Generating clientele is going to be a primary consideration, and that’s a challenge for all new realtors and more than a few established ones as well. To that end, here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to give you more power to be put in touch with individuals or couples who are genuinely looking to sell or buy a home.

To today’s subject though, it’s true that as a real estate professional, it’s most beneficial to have an overarching approach to your career from a mindset of abundance. This will help you to create a new, innovative approaches to success, and it will also help you maintain a positive, enthusiastic attitude to your business that resonates very effectively with prospective buyers and sellers who will be deciding on a realtor to work with.

Here are our 6 effective approaches to establishing a mindset of abundance for a realtor.

1. Have Appreciative Conversations

When a realtor is having conversations with friends and family, it’s good to try to focus on the multitude of things that you are fortunate to have in life. Staying optimistic and engaging others in discussing the positive things in their lives as well creates a real atmosphere of positivity and appreciation for the goodness in one’s life. Discuss the big goals they’re working on, and share your big long-term goals with them too.

2. Organize Your Life and Workspace

It’s entirely true that having a clean home and office environment helps us to relax and focus our minds. Further, going through all of your ‘things’ while you’re organizing is a very good means of giving yourself an effective reminder of all you have in life. Plus, being organized will help you take all the benefits you’ve gained and use them to your best advantage, rather than focusing on new ones you haven’t yet acquired that may lead you to get ahead of yourself in evaluating your career and what you can do to advance it best.

3. Reduce Media Consumption

As tough as it may be, it is hugely beneficial to limit your exposure to the ‘doom and gloom’ that is favoured by major media outlets in North America. Why is it like that? Well, negative stories tend to captivate viewers and thus dominate airtime. The reality, however, is that this adds an incredible amount of drama and negativity to the media.

Without going into additional unnecessary detail, it’s best to avoid adding negativity to your life by consuming media. No one’s going to suggest that you quit watching the news entirely, but try to reduce the time you spend on it to the minimum required to stay current with today’s events and you may find it does wonders for fostering a positive outlook for yourself – and one that will manifest itself in your business and professional demeanour quite readily if you give it time to do so.

4. Share What You Have with Others

So much to be said for sharing time, knowledge, money and possessions with other people in your life, and allowing this to improve your own character and outward persona as a result of doing so. It will help you to feel good when you help others, and when you share with others you’ll find that they’re more willing to return that gift with positivity they can share with you. It’s very empowering, and business people who practice this in their life both at work and away from it tend to be more successful than their counterparts who don’t engage in the same time of generosity.

5. Try to Establish “Win-Win” Situations

It’s possible to bust out of the “win-lose” mentality of scarcity by working to create situations where everyone is a winner. This is especially important in real estate negotiations. Rather than trying to hold out on one particular requirement in the deal, make the effort to find flexibility in the detail. This will put you in a better position to compromise and still be able to be satisfied with what you’ve achieved for both yourself and your client.

The goal should be to move from a competitive approach of ‘me vs you’ to a more collaborative partnership where everyone understands that deals happen most frequently when the interested parties understand it’s a give and take arrangement 99% of the time. When that happens, everybody is a winner.

6. Look for Positives in Losses

All of us – realtor or otherwise – go through periods of success and failure in life — and being accepting of loss isn’t something that comes naturally to humans. Working through financial or personal loss can be difficult, but try not to let it change your mindset to one where you’re focusing and concerning yourself with scarcity rather than focusing on creating abundance – despite these challenges. A balanced perspective is a smarter choice. It might not offset the negatives you’re experiencing, but it’ll help you get through the difficult times and keep your mindset of abundance.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for your own protected region of any city or town in Canada. Act fast and claim your region before any other realtor does and you will be the only realtor receiving those leads for as long as you stay with us here at Real Estate Leads. It’s a proven-effective and fast-acting way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and build your client base much more quickly.