Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS®

Empower Your Clients: Better Informed = Better Decisions

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:55:00 +0000

The Financial Consumers Agency of Canada or FCAC/ACFC has valuable information for prospective home buyers. Add this valuable resource to your list of ways you add value to real estate transactions. Help your clients by guiding them to valuable tools that can help them become more informed and therefore better protected consumers.

Go to http://www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/eng/consumers/mortgages/index-eng.asp

Two REALTOR® Profession picks

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:06:00 +0000

DO you find there are too many sources of info to sift through and pick items that could be useful to the professional REALTOR®? We see many at the ASR and are providing these two as they may be useful for your business practices.

These two links are for your consideration only. They are in no way associated with or mandated by the ASR but are only noted for your use if you choose to.

The following site may be a fee-for-service but it has an interesting informational video that will bring you up to date on several aspects involved with online marketing generally.

Have you already seen the "google ranking self promotion site http://freegooglerankingreport.com/ "?

The following SRES course has not been taken, reviewed or rated by anyone at the ASR.

If you do take it please let the ASR know what your thoughts are on the quality of the course.

Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) at REALTOR® University online Canadian Edition.

http://www.learninglibrary.com/aspdotnetstorefront70/p-510-seniors-real-estate-specialist-sres-designation-course-canadian-edition.aspx?affiliateId=10681?utm_source=Monthly_Specials&utm_medium=All_RU_Users_Email&utm_content=SRES_Canadian&utm_campaign=March_Specials_part2

If you have come across sources that you would recommend to other members of the ASR please send them to us so that we can share them with all members.

Regards to all,

ASR

REALTOR® Business Resolutions for the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 18:42:00 +0000

As we enter into a brand new year we should make sure we are going to be doing all the right things to ensure our success. Things are changing fast, are you leading the way or just putting in the hours?
Doug Devitre brought ePro to Saskatchewan and he has posted some useful tools for you to use in your business plan assessment. He asks ...

"Are You Overwhelmed? It’s Your Own Fault

Have you ever said to yourself…

If I only had more hours in the day.

If I only had someone to do all this for me.

I need more technology so I can keep up.

Let me be the first to tell you don’t need more hours in the day, someone to help you with all the tactics or invest in more technology. There is no magic bullet to getting more out of your day and please for the sake of your own spirit quit spending money on new technology or marketing ideas until you understand one core concept fundamental to every entrepreneur’s success. ..."

Take a few moments and check out the rest of his article it may be useful for you!

From the Directors, Members and Staff of the ASR all the best in 2013.

CMHC 2013 Saskatchewan Housing Outlook Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:16:00 +0000

WHY do I, as a REALTOR®, need to go to these conferences?

CMHC will provide the latest economic and housing market information. CMHC presentations bring those important statistics to life. As a ‘Professional’ REALTOR® you need to be ready to give those numbers meaning and relevancy for your clients. The new REALTOR® is the resource with all the right information. Gone are the days of the sage on the stage, with today’s well informed consumers, REALTORS® are the resourceful guide on the side. A REALTORS® in-depth knowledge and experience can interpret and filter the overwhelming amount of information available. It is said that knowledge is power. In our profession our expertise protects and unlocks the doors to the future homes of our clients.

February 14, 2013

9:30a.m.-3:00p.m.

Delta Regina Hotel

1919 Saskatchewan Drive

Details and Registration Form are at www.cmhc.ca/conferenceregistration

ASR Education has a new app for you

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:23:00 +0000

The ASR Education Resource Center has a new web app for you.

Look for great new online courses like:

"Competition Law - What You Say and Do Matters", or
the Canadian Real Estate Encyclopedia, check out the links to VIP documents including
the "Clauses and Phrases for Contracts of Purchase and Sale" or the
"Homeowner's Handbook - How to Buy and Sell Your Home with Confidence"

Click the web app below to see these professional REALTOR® specific resources!!!

NEW REBAC accreditation courses ABR and SRS are coming soon.

November is Financial Literacy Month

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:36:00 +0000

Did you know that November is Financial Literacy Month! Helping your clients to assess their financial status can be assisted by the great materials available on the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada’s website . Professional REALTORS® help their clients make informed decisions.

“Financial literacy gives people the knowledge, skills and confidence to make responsible financial decisions,” said Minister Menzies. “The Harper Government is committed to enhancing the financial well-being of all Canadians by increasing awareness of financial literacy resources, and by strengthening consumer protection measures on issues as diverse as network-branded prepaid cards and credit agreements.” (quoted from online press release by Minister Menzies Leads Panel Discussion On Financial Literacy)

FINTRAC explains why REALTORS® ask for ID

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:11:00 +0000

NEW FINTRAC brochure explains to consumers

Why they are being asked for ID:

What You Need to Know

Money services businesses, including trades in real estate, have certain legal obligations under the federal law Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act.
REALTORS® have legal obligations which they must meet to be in full compliance with the law.
To inform consumers FINTRAC has published a multilingual booklet explaining these obligations in English, French, Arabic, Farsi, Punjabi, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese.

This brochure would be an asset to have in your resources kit. To learn more about the brochure and how to order go to:

http://www.fintrac-canafe.gc.ca/publications/brochure/2012-06/1-eng.asp.

Go to http://www.fintrac-canafe.gc.ca/publications/brochure/05-2003/3-eng.asp to open a printable text version.

Click here to download the full colour pdf available at http://www.fintrac-canafe.gc.ca/publications/brochure/05-2003/PDF_files/3-eng.pdf !

By providing your information you can order copies of this new multilingual publication at: publications@fintrac-canafe.gc.ca

Homeowner's Handbook: How to buy and sell your home with confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:57:00 +0000

WORKING WITH A REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON

Buying or selling a home is generally one of the largest financial transactions you will ever make. It is important to consider the kind of legal relationship you might be entering into with the real estate agent you choose to assist you.

The term “agent” is often used interchangeably with: real estate salesperson, associate broker, broker, REALTOR®, registrant or the real estate brokerage with whom they are employed. This brochure will refer to the individual representative as the “salesperson” or “agent” and the real estate brokerage he/she works for as “brokerage”. When working with a REALTOR®, a member of organized real estate and the Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS®, you will be given an Agency Disclosure Brochure which outlines duties owed in the agency relationship.

The full Homeowner's Handbook is available to download free as a pdf at: How to Buy and Sell Your Home with Confidence.pdf

So now you've taken ePro ...

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:01:00 +0000

.... but everything technological is changing so fast you can't keep up.

It is hard to find the best way to use all these online tools. Would you be interested in personalized Social Media/Technology Coaching?

You can get help with online technology and Social Media training for REALTORS® at the blog http://thetechbyteblog.com/ or the website http://thetechbyte.com/ .

"Technology isn't going away, isn't it time to start using the tools that top producers are already using?"

If you aren't sure if you want to join you can check out their free monthly webinars.

This company comes "From the mind of Amy Chorew" co-author of the NAR/REBAC course ePro.

ASR Symposium Report

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:24:00 +0000

Pauline Relkey from Century 21 Dome Realty in Regina sent this email message this week:

Is it worth attending the ASR Annual Symposium?

Well let's see:

- you get away from your usual chaotic real estate agent life for approx. 2 - 3 days,

- you get to hear some great speakers (Warren McDonald this year spoke about how he lost both of his legs due to a mountain climbing accident and yet swam the 'pier to pub' swim in Australia and beat out a bunch of others in his age category and scared the heck out of kids watching the end of the race as they thought a shark had bitten off his legs),

- plus you get to meet and network with agents from other places in Saskatchewan (good for referral business),

-plus you can hear local and not so local speakers talk about using social media, paperless office using the ipad for everything, etc.

- plus you can attend a nice dinner and evening of entertainment,

- plus you get up to date on insurance claims, ISC changes, government updates as they pertain to real estate, etc.

- AND you get to bid on silent auction items (I love this part),

- AND you can enter draws and possibly win some great prizes (iPhone, tv, etc.). I believe Victor Martens won an ipad last year and I just received a phone call saying that I am the winner of either an ipad or

$500 donation to Telemiracle on my behalf.

So tell me why you WOULDN'T attend this great annual event?

If anyone else has any comments from the Symposium please feel free to add them in the comments section here:

Young Professionals Network Taking Shape

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Jessican Dunn - YPN Chair

c. 306.531.8578

e. jessica@royallepage.ca

This past 2011 year has been a busy time of strategic planning for some great initiatives that lie ahead for the province. The Young Professionals Network (YPN) originated back in 2010 by former ASR President, Cliff Iverson. Young ASR members from across the province were appointed to collaborate our ideas on how the ASR can better communicate amongst their members and how their committees can better assist with our success as REALTORS®. This was also an opportunity for young members all over Saskatchewan to get a taste of committee work and find out what the ASR Committees are working on. Since then, the Task Force has been evolving rapidly and continue to meet on a quarterly basis via face-to-face meetings, conference calls and SKYPE.

The Task Force has been laying down a foundation for a number of initiatives to help members get a solid start in the industry, assist with best practice ideas, and enhance awareness of networking events, volunteer and leadership opportunities, and professional development ideas. The YPN will be making a request to become a standing committee for the 2012-13 year and we are currently looking for innovative, young members who are passionate about improving the real estate industry in our province and want to become further involved. Agents from all over the province are welcome to participate, particularly in the rural areas. Please contact Jessica Dunn, - Chair of YPN or Amber Tangjerd, ASR Board Member for more information on how to get involved.

The existing YPN Members are:

Jessica Dunn, - Chair, Government Relations REGINA

Regan Sanderson, - REALTOR® Marketing REGINA

Corey Werner, - Standard Forms YORKTON

Noel Geremia, - Education Committee                REGINA
Kevin Johnson, - Audit/Finance                           SASKATOON
Jami Thorn, - Quality of Life                                 MOOSE JAW
Curtus Collins, - Technology                                REGINA
Kandice Tomaz, - Member                                   NORTH BATTLEFORD
Jesse Honch, - Member                                       PRINCE ALBERT
Travis Norheim, - Member                                   SWIFT CURRENT

Family Day - February 20th

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:03:00 +0000

The Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS® office will be closed on Monday February 20th to celebrate family day. We will be open for regular business hours on Tuesday at 8:30 am.

Have a wonderful long weekend!

ASR Donates to Food Bank

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:07:00 +0000

ASR Executive Vice President Bill Madder is shown presenting Deborah Hamp from the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre with a cheque for $500. Rather than mailing traditional holiday cards, the ASR sent out electronic cards and is making a cash donation to the Saskatoon Food Bank. In a year where the spotlight has shone on our profession and our province, this is a positive way for REALTORS to impact the Quality of Life in our own community.

Thanks to a generous initiative from the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan this donation (and all donations to all food banks in Saskatchewan until Dec 31st) will be matched to bring the total benefit to the Food Bank to $1000.

November MLS® System Stats

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:10:00 +0000

The November MLS® System stats for Saskatoon and Regina were released this week - Regina's total dollar volume reached $1 Billion for the first time. The markets in both cities remain strong with positive outlooks for 2012.

Regina's Stats are here: Regina Stats
Saskatoon's Stats are here: Saskatoon Stats

Canadian home sales edge higher in October

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:42:00 +0000

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) released the October MLS® System Stats and most markets across the country remain positive. Here is the media release.

CREA also updated their Housing Forecast - the updated version can be found here.

Remembrance Day

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:05:00 +0000

The Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS office will be closed November 11th to observe Remembrance Day. Please be sure to take a moment to remember those who gave their lives for our country. We will be open for regular business hours on Monday November 14th at 8:30 am.

October MLS® System Stats

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 20:01:00 +0000

The October MLS® System stats for Saskatoon and Regina were released this week - Regina had another record month while Saskatoon's market cooled a bit. The markets in both cities are well ahead of last year's level and the outlook remains positive.
Regina's Stats are here: Regina Stats - October
Saskatoon's Stats are here: Saskatoon Stats - October

As always, your comments are welcome.

Saskatchewan Election Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:41:00 +0000

The Saskatchewan Provincial Election Campaign has passed its halfway point with Election Day set for November 7th. The Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS® has been raising awareness of housing issues during the provincial election. Real estate is a major economic driver and a true indicator of the health of our province so policies and programs that have an impact on the real estate market impact everyone.

The two major issues we will be raising are: Housing Supply and Tax Competitiveness. To support our positions, we commissioned a survey by Praxis Analytics which asked questions of over 650 Saskatchewan voters on rent, taxes and housing issues. The details of the survey will be released as the campaign proceeds.

Here is a brief update of the ASR's election activities so far:

We have added a new page to our website to deal specifically with the election. Here is a link to the page: ASR Election Page. We distributed the following media releases to various media outlets around the province: media release from Oct. 12, 2011; media release from Oct. 19, 2011; media release from Oct 26, 2011. We have also created a Housing Matters Blog to keep followers updated on our issues and other related developments.

We have also been active on Twitter and Facebook - you can also find the links to all these sites on the Election page.

Canadian Home Sales Pick Up in September

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:53:00 +0000

The Canadian Real Estate Association released the September MLS® System Stats and most markets across the country remain positive. Here is the media release.

September MLS® System Stats are out!

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:02:00 +0000

The September MLS® System stats for Saskatoon and Regina were released this week and the market continues to show strength in both cities.

Regina's Stats are here: Regina Stats - September
Saskatoon's Stats are here: Saskatoon Stats - September

As always, your comments are welcome.

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:17:00 +0000

The Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS® (ASR) has taken a step toward environmental responsibility by installing a 10 kW photovoltaic grid tied solar panel system on their office building at 2811 Estey Drive in Saskatoon. The system, installed by Solar Outpost of Saskatoon, is expected to produce approximately 15,000 kWh of electricity per year which is equal to around $1,800 worth of power at current Saskatoon Light and Power rates. Saskatoon is one of the sunniest cities in the country and will produce more power here than a similar system installed in Vancouver, Toronto, or Los Angeles.

The ASR installed the system under the Province of Saskatchewan’s “Net Metering Program” which provides a grant of up to 35% of eligible costs. Bill Madder, Executive Vice President of the ASR said “We made the decision to install this system based on economics and to show leadership in environmental responsibility. Existing office buildings are among the largest users/wasters of energy and we decided to take steps to offset that. In addition to the installation of the solar panels, we added additional insulation to the roof of the building and also had an energy audit on our building done by the Saskatchewan Environmental Society. We have implemented a number of their recommendations and will be looking at additional ways to reduce our energy use in the future.”

Here are a couple of photos of the building and the system:

For more photos of the construction process, check out our Facebook page: ASR Facebook Page - Construction Photos

ePro Course coming to Saskatchewan

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:34:00 +0000

Saskatchewan's REALTORS® will have a great opportunity to improve their social media and technology skills when the highly touted ePro® course comes to our province next month. The new e-PRO® gives agents a roadmap to build their business and serve the hyper-connected consumers of today and tomorrow. The course will be presented by REBAC Hall of Fame instructor Doug Devitre and will be offered in Saskatoon on November 29th and in Regina on November 30th. The registration fee for this course is just $155 and seating is limited.

For more details and registration information go to: ePro Saskatchewan - November, 2011

RBC Housing Affordability Index

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:29:00 +0000

The RBC Housing affordability index for the second quarter was released last week and had some interesting revelations. While Saskatchewan's affordability index is still below the national level it did erode somewhat and it is now higher than seven of ten provinces. Only B.C. And Ontario are higher. What does this mean? Well, it means houses are going up in value slightly more than wages (during the time the stats are collected)and that it takes, on average just over 39% of your salary to carry the costs of a home in Saskatchewan.

Does this mean it's too expensive to buy and that everyone should now rent until prices go down - NO! While averages and stats such as this are instructive, they don't tell the whole story. First of all, the index is based on a Saskatchewan average - individual markets from Regina to Estevan to Lloydminster to Esterhazy to Swift Current, etc. are all combined to come up with that number. As everyone knows, both the housing market and the wage scale can vary greatly from area to area and a provincial average tells us nothing about specific locations. One article compared the Saskatchewan index with Calgary and Edmonton with the headline "Sask Homes More Expensive Than Calgary and Edmonton". While this may be correct statistically (based only on the one index) it is not very instructive.

There is an old saying in the real estate world "it's not what you buy it for it's what you sell it for that matters". If you think homes or investment property in your area are likely to increase in value over the time you expect to own it, then it's probably not a bad time to buy.

The RBC Report can be found here: http://www.rbc.com/economics/market/pdf/house.pdf

CREA MLS® System Stats for July - Revised 2011 Forecast

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:50:00 +0000

The Canadian Real Estate Association released the MLS® System Statistics for July today and also revised its Resale Housing Forecast for the year. The national average home price is forecast to rise 7.2 per cent in 2011 to $363,500 while Saskatchewan is expected to post a 5.5% increase to $255,500.

The full Stats release is here and the revised forecast is here.

Any comments on where you see the market headed are welcome. Please use the "comment" button below to add your opinion.

Saskatchewan Housing Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Bill Madder) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:42:00 +0000

The Government of Saskatchewan released "A Strong Foundation - The Housing Strategy for Saskatchewan" on Monday August 8th. The media release from the Government is here and the Strategy document itself is here.

Saskatchewan’s REALTORS® welcome the development of a comprehensive housing strategy for our province. In particular we welcome the recognition that the involvement of the private sector is a critical piece of the solution. The mid and longer term success of housing policy is likely to be driven by the extent to which it can succeed in making new investment attractive across the entire housing spectrum. And, housing strategy can succeed by facilitating the natural movement of the market, making better use of existing stock in the effort to deliver affordability with quality. REALTORS® are encouraged to see the beginnings of policy designed for these purposes. We are pleased to have been one of the many stakeholder groups that participated in the formulation of the strategy and look forward to working together to ensure its success.

As always, we welcome your comments on this topic. Feel free to use the comments section below to send us your thoughts.