But what about the associations that serve Realtors? How are they faring during COVID Times? REM recently spoke with Darlene Hyde, CEO and Corinne Caldwell, COO of the British Columbia Real Estate Association to see how things have changed and how they have stayed the same at BCREA during COVID.

“We serve 10 real estate boards and 23,000 Realtors,” says Hyde. “Real estate is a huge part of the economy in B.C. Yearly it’s a $50-billion business in buying, selling, trading and the construction of homes in the province. . .When COVID first hit, we took a weekend to pivot and we’ve all been working at home since.”

She says the staff misses the water cooler talk and the social gatherings, but they do a lot of virtual meetings and have Zoom trivia nights. This has helped keep everyone connected.

“We’ve been able to move forward through existing and new initiatives,” says Caldwell. “The technology has made this possible. We flipped our education to a virtual platform and there are some things which we can put into (place now in) non-COVID times.”

Although Hyde says it’s been the best of times and the worst of times (Dickens), part of that best includes distractions that went away and the ability to focus on the essentials. She says BCREA may even be further ahead than it might have been without COVID’s restrictions guiding how things were done.

“Our focus has been a little different. We’ve learned how to be more innovative; we’ve thought more about how we move forward and meet the needs of our Realtors (within the COVID restrictions),” says Caldwell.

Hyde says, “How we work together is a little different. We question how we’ve always done things, and within the context of this we found more productivity.”

Although the office has been mostly empty, the educational and professional development people have gone in to use it for making videos and teaching courses to Realtors across the province.

Caldwell says, “How our team thinks is different. We were able to step up, see the productivity, and feel proud of how it’s going. We really knocked it out of the park. We pulled together and moved forward in a meaningful way.”

Although things shifted around for BCREA, there were no plans that had to be cancelled or postponed. Caldwell says that in-person meetings were shifted to be virtual, and like the rest of the country, BCREA “just kind of anchored down and does things virtually.”

“We are hoping by the fourth quarter we can get back together,” says Hyde. “We want to do an in-person strategic planning session by September in Vancouver. The worst-case scenario with that is that we do it virtually.”

Hyde and Caldwell feel the staff has all learned new things since changing how they work at BCREA. Hyde says that some of what was learned during the pandemic are good, effective practices that will be kept for non-COVID times.

“(It’s going to be) a new world,” says Caldwell, “Some things might look different, and that’s the exciting part.”

Hyde calls the future “nimble and unencumbered”.

Both executives received recognition from Business in Vancouver for their work in business and leadership.

Hyde received the 2020 B.C. Chief Executive Officer of the Year Award for the Not for Profit category. She was chosen for her vision and strategy, financial performance, development of employees, innovation, social responsibility and sustainability.

Caldwell received a Business in Vancouver Forty Under 40 award for young entrepreneurs, executives and professionals. She was recognized for demonstrating excellence in business, judgment, leadership and community contributions.

Yvonne Dick

Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.

www.remonline.com

The post BCREA sees silver linings while coping with the pandemic appeared first on REM.

There are three key takeaways from Tjan’s book. First, she stresses the importance of not obsessing too much about failures but learning from them and taking away the most positive thing you can. Second, Tjan feels that always being positive is a key. “Serve your clients cheerfully,” she says. The third principle comes from her own experience – 10 years ago she achieved her own personal financial freedom through buying income properties.

“You can attract abundance/money in your life: let money chase you instead of you chasing money,” she says. “Your clients will trust you explicitly when you are genuine in your dealings with them.”

Tjan’s book talks about making real estate (and life) into a win-win proposition. She embraces the power of positivity and seeing life as full of abundance.

“My glass is always half full, never half empty. Whenever the going gets tough, I reflect and pause, and then I get busy racking my brain about how to find the meaning or even the potential abundance at the end of the trial,” she writes. “The attitude of gratitude has definitely played a large part in my life journey. This win-win philosophy was the inspiration for my real estate brokerage, which I started in 2003. I have always applied this knowledge for all my transactions and it is the BEST way. I do not have to make one side lose, in order to benefit the other side. Both sides should experience the benefit, if and when the transaction can be called successful.”

Tjan starts her book with her life story, living in Indonesia and taking a leap of faith to go to England and work as a nurse. Her story continues through meeting her husband and coming to Canada to live and work as a nurse. Even early on she was interested in buying income properties and as she and her husband moved to bigger housing to accommodate their growing family, the Tjans for a time used their old properties as rental investments. A cutback in hours at the hospital prompted her to follow her dream of becoming a Realtor.

In her book she describes the process: “I started loving my real estate work better than my nursing job. I specialized in the financing aspect of difficult deals, and at that time, I registered myself as a mortgage agent, only for one year. I would pre-approve all my would-be buyers, and I ensured that they would be able to get the key to the property they chose. When there were some glitches a week or two prior to closing, such as their car loan having to be paid off, I had some private lenders I could go to, so that my clients were protected.”

Tjan says, “My book can help my fellow Realtors realize that being in this profession is indeed a privilege to be taken gratefully. It’s gratifying to serve clients with the most expensive investment in their lives. It’s (a) people business…you get to know them well during the process, then they reward you with their repeats and referrals if you genuinely helped them. The clients may become your good friends, too.”

Tjan’s book is available from Amazon.ca – in paperback or Kindle format. She also offers a talk at any brokerage in the Greater Toronto Area with book signings when 10 books are pre-ordered.

Yvonne Dick

Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.

www.remonline.com

The post Valentina Tjan’s road to success: make it win-win appeared first on REM.

Black’s book starts out with a personal narrative exploring her own personal “eye of the storm” or moment of clarity when she realised that the way she was doing things needed to change. She wanted to get her “top 1% life” and be able to do her business her way – as one of her chapters mentions, “Your Values, Your Standards, Your Reputation, Done Your Way.”

The book says when you are a top Realtor, “It makes sense that we are so conditioned to jump and react, to fear the day we do not hear the phone ringing or have a client that needs us, leaving us to sit in mental scarcity without noticing the world shifted around us. We fail to notice the bank accounts growing, the clients referring and the time sliding away from us. We miss the moments when we dreamed of making this much. No champagne. No celebration. We were naive when we set those goals, naive to think this would be enough to risk pulling back or slowing down.”

The book is about recapturing the best moments in business and celebrating success while achieving more than you thought was possible. Says Black, “One of the challenges of writing the book was finding the time. It’s like the vacation we always say we’ll take. Then a year, two years goes by and we haven’t. I’m a busy mom with two kids at home, and while I needed to do it I never seemed to have the time. But I managed to carve out and commit to the time, and the accountability. Some days I worked for 15 hours sitting in Starbucks.”

In 2010 Black started the first team-specific coaching company in Canada, she says. She talks about making sure content and retention were strong before making any moves to grow the team. In her book she notes that, “Cash flow is king, but client experience is queen, and if I know one thing about sales, it is that people sell what they believe in, both to potential clients and to themselves.”

Black was selling more than 60 houses per year while maintaining her new coaching business. One of her secrets to success, to performing as well as Realtors who worked twice as long, was that she was doing something she really loved. It was the coaching she hoped to expand as opposed to the home sales.

Doing what you love and are good at is a common theme through Black’s book. For Realtors, that means joyful interactions with clients and successful house sales. Black talks about the right mindsets for success, how to get help without hiring more sales agents, and many of the common day-to-day issues Realtors face when trying to grow a business while still making time to have a great life.

Black’s book is available free online. In July 2020 it will be available on Audible and by January 2021 it will be available in print through a New York publisher in most major bookstores.

“The book is an expression of helping Realtors. Anyone can do it. I hope it gives more confidence, the joy of doing what they’re great at. It can transform entire lives and entire businesses,” says Black.

Yvonne Dick

Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.

www.remonline.com

The post Book review: The Top 1% Life appeared first on REM.

Basesan Client Relationship Management is a new resource for tracking all the most relevant and important information about clients. The software comes with a monthly subscription fee and offers Realtors a one-site solution for scheduling meetings, setting up tasks and tracking your work using Basesan’s interactive calendar. There are also areas for address, notes and actions or tasks that can help you organize everything you do by client. The simplicity of the interface allows even the most rudimentary of computer users the chance to get full benefit from the software.

The dashboard offers users the option to look at client files, case files and activities. In the client list section, you will find contact information for clients including tags to separate how you wish to handle them. For instance, Recent Weekly Calls or Call List 2019 or however you wish to name and delegate actions related to calls. Clicking on individual clients will bring up their information file including the address and phone number.

The Cases category works like a property list where properties for sale or sold can be listed by address and other information such as pricing, appraisal value, MLS number, transaction type and related fields. The Activities category takes you to a calendar where you can see appointments by day of the month with the most relevant information – who and when – highlighted for your information.

The Events category shows you a by-the-date listing of all of your upcoming events and meetings. Its interface offers options such as location, priority and time (the interface is similar to Google’s Calendar tool).

Alex Alvarez, Basesan’s founder says the software currently runs in two country-modes: U.S. and Canada. “Overall, they are both the same CRM service, but the respective set of fields are adjusted for a particular country.” He adds, “All of our systems servicing our Canadian users are hosted in Canada. As it should be expected, all Canadian user data doesn’t cross borders (and) stays in Canada, including all files uploaded to our service. This is a service built for Canadian real estate professionals and runs in Canada.”

Each Basesan subscription provides real estate professionals with a multi-user, shared account with one main user (account owner) and three additional dependent user accounts for assistants, support staff or partners.  Users can be added, modified or removed at any time only by the account owner.  All accounts within the same subscription share the same information.  One of four access rights can be set for each dependent user: Disabled, Read-Only, Read and Write, or Read, Write and Delete.  This allows the account owner to provide just the necessary access level for each user.*

Alvarez says, “There are a few services like this on the market today, but we believe Basesan is not only pretty complete and built explicitly for real estate agents, but simple enough for most users to get going right from the start.”

* The story was changed from the original version to clarify the user management features.

Yvonne Dick

Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.

www.remonline.com

The post Basesan releases new CRM software for Realtors appeared first on REM.

1. Communicate clearly and effectively.

Make it easy for clients to understand you. If you need to brush up on your grammar or diction, there are lots of resources online to help you get a more polished manner of speech and writing. If you find that you have a particular manner of speaking that sounds too informal or stilted, you can also work on that by yourself or even with a vocal coach. Don’t be afraid to try something new to get the results you want.

2. Stay professional.

Keep yourself polished and professional. This means hair, appearance, wardrobe. If you drive clients around, remember to clean your car. Keep your desk tidy. Use good manners. Keep personal matters to yourself when dealing with clients, while inserting relevant anecdotes when appropriate.

3. Keep your word.

Always do what you say you will do. When dealing with difficult clients, you can often earn their respect simply by keeping your word. Refuse to promise more than you can do. Before you make a promise, ensure you have the resources to delegate as necessary to meet your client’s expectations and keep your promise. Be the salesperson who gives just a little extra compared to your competition.

4. Admit to mistakes before you move on.

A verbal “I’m sorry” goes a long way, but a handwritten note or small gift goes farther. Little mistakes happen to everyone and being able to admit when you are wrong and take responsibility leaves a lasting impression.

5. Exceed expectations.

Go the extra distance for your customers. Make sure that your presentations are top-notch and full of useful information as you help them through the process of buying and/or selling a house. Think of the little details and take care of as many as you reasonably can for your clients. If you can deliver or have papers couriered, save your clients the time. Indicate signature fields on forms. Provide extra pens so there is no chance of a dry-out at the moment of signing.

6. Use personal, handwritten notes.

It seems rare these days to get actual mail rather than junk. Stand out from the competition by sending personal, handwritten notes as an extra means of keeping in touch. These are good for a range of events and occasions. For instance, if you know your client’s birthday or anniversary is coming up, be classy and send a card.

7. Bang your drum – loudly.

It doesn’t hurt to show and tell customers what you are doing for them. For instance, an email newsletter or a phone call. Discover unique ways to highlight why your service is excellent and how they can benefit from dealing with you. Talking about work you have done can be a way of finding out which methods are working for you and which are not. Clients will respond to what you are up to, so make sure to share with them.

8. Follow up and stay in touch.

“I try to reach out to former clients many times per year to make sure I stay top of mind when someone asks them for a Realtor recommendation or when the time comes to need my services again,” says associate Loralee Johnson of Re/Max Real Estate Edmonton in Spruce Grove, Alta. “Sometimes I pop by with a small treat or something to let them know I’m thinking about them. Sending out monthly market update videos is another way I stay in touch. Most importantly though, you need to do things that feel natural or fun to you, because you always want to be genuine and authentic.”

9. Stay relevant and interesting.

“Staying relevant and interesting, to me, means always being on the look-out for new ideas. Currently a lot of staying relevant and interesting hinges on incorporating video and social media into your plan consistently. Putting some personality into your marketing is key. People want to know you as a person to be able to put their trust in you as a Realtor,” says Johnson. “It’s essential to always keep innovating, learning and flexing that creativity muscle to switch things up and keep standing out from the crowd in terms of all your marketing efforts.”

10. Ask what you can do for them.

Find little ways of offering the gift of your time and service to your clients. Don’t be afraid to ask what you can do for them. “How can I help you?” should be more than a customer service greeting. Make it something to live by.

Yvonne Dick

Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.

www.remonline.com

The post 10 ways to keep your clients for life appeared first on REM.

The use of multiple photos and videos in real estate listings has become commonplace. Digital signs elevate that to a new level. According to digital sign manufacturers and sellers, careful application of technology and materials are making the signs more affordable for every type of listing from the small fixer-upper house to a multi-unit complex or grand scale home.

Signboard pioneer firm Cody Live, based in Australia, calls them storyboards and encourages their use as a marketing tool to provide more information than is currently possible with existing models of on-property signage.

“Because the content is digital, and the boards are connected to the 4G network, the boards can be updated at any time with changed images, headings, inspect times, “SOLD” and more,” says Cody Live. “Sold properties can proudly and simply promote the selling agent’s success. It’s powerful stuff!”

Digital signs provide a variety of uses inside brokerage offices as well. They offer event calendars and directory displays along with streaming social media walls. The signs can be managed by the salesperson directly using website dashboards to get the custom and up-to-date information displayed as soon as it is available.

Canadian companies involved in LED real estate signage include Direct LED in Calgary, NetVisual in Toronto, Lucinda in Ottawa and Media Resources in Vancouver and other cities. With many choices may come questions. Knowing a bit about what is available as you look into digital signs may help you select the best one for your office.

Some digital sign boards may offer touch screens and other interactive concepts such as Bluetooth input in order for the signs to interact with passersby. It is common for digital signs to have 4G wireless connectivity that can be used both ways – to send information to those who request it, as well as updating the signs themselves. The signs can be wired into existing structures or come with battery supplies and solar charging backup sources. A computer screen takes far less power than a traditional CRT screen. This equates to less energy consumed by the digital signs as they use LED and other modern technology to display their information.

The signs you choose should act as a pleasing addition rather than electronic flashing light that annoys the neighbours and turns off prospective buyers. Some municipalities have strict rules on the size of signs that may be displayed on or near a property for sale.

Is your sign protected against threats from the internet? This question is important when choosing a digital sign company. Anything hooked up wirelessly is a risk unless it has protection.

Consider weather changes too – if buying a sign online and having it shipped, make sure that it can withstand temperature changes and extremes before investing in it.

Yvonne Dick

Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.

www.remonline.com

The post Everywhere a (digital) sign appeared first on REM.

According to a survey by MarketingSherpa, 82 per cent of respondents trusted print ads in newspapers and magazines as one of the main advertising channels used when making a purchase decision. Forbes Magazine recently released a series that offers reasons why, in a world of digital phone and tablet use, print advertising is still sexy:

• Print can provide a way of introducing and solidifying a new brand’s reputation
• Good social media posts can also work well as innovative print ads
• Focus on just three aspects – audience, your offer and overall design
• Print ads can be made interactive through phone apps and QR code use
• Keep your copy short for the maximum effect
• Leave them wanting more – use print as a way to direct customers to other media and advertising by building a story they will want to follow to its end
• Don’t forget the call to action – it works so well for online ads and it can work for print just as effectively
• Eighty per cent of print ads are acted on by potential customers, whereas the online ads can only boast a 45 per cent success rate. It is also known as a better medium for targeting your audience the most effectively.

For print advertisers like Avi Rosen, the combination of methods works best in advertising and marketing his business. His company, Together We Are Stronger offers legal advice to the public and to real estate professionals.

He likes the tangibility of print advertising. “I think, you know, TV came along but newspapers survived that. Digital advertising came along, and newspapers also survive that. (Print advertising) provides an additional way of communicating with people. You can touch it, hold on to it. Just as people still read newspapers, people read print ads.”

Rosen, a paralegal and Realtor, sales that for his business of giving legal advice to brokers, print advertising in a variety of publications does the job. He says, “It gets my name out in front of people. Repetition is important in marketing. It can be helpful to have digital and print advertising.”

Another method he has used is through writing his own articles. He has written guest columns for real estate publications as well as his own website information for clients and prospective clients.

The Forbes Communications Council asked 10 advertising experts for their opinions on the future of print. Overwhelmingly, they stated that print will continue to be an excellent complement to digital advertising.

Dave Matli of Parasail Health says, “Direct mail is the most effective way to reach senior citizens who will read long-copy mailers.” That means clients who may be looking to sell or purchase smaller locations for retirement will be waiting to hear from you.

Many consumers feel that print advertising in magazines carries more weight. Even if your online ad is interactive and technologically superior, being able to hold the ad in the magazine and see it in person weighs into a consumer’s considerations about the brand and its quality.

Your augmented reality campaigns can get their kick-off through print advertising. Says Patrick Niersbach of InContext Solutions, “Advances in technology like AR and image recognition will enable print ads to be the first step in a seamless omnichannel brand experience.”

Adds Almitra Karnik at CleverTap:  “Gone are the days when leftover budget from digital channels was used for print. For maximum impact on a product launch or announcement, build an integrated marketing campaign that brings the best of both worlds together.”

While seeing the benefits of print advertising may be a matter of honing your metrics analysis, those in the field who work with multiple (or “omnichannel”) advertising on a day-to-day basis indicate that although there are more digital media choices, this makes print stand out in a whole new way.

Yvonne Dick

Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.

www.remonline.com

The post Why print advertising still works appeared first on REM.

The software is being used to provide up-to-date information about the building lots and home design options in new developments.

Andrea DeGasperis-Ronco, president of Opus Homes, uses Salefish in several developments in the Greater Toronto Area. “Potential buyers of all ages use the kiosk and figure it out with little guidance,” she says. “For example, they can choose a lot first and find out which homes fit on it, or vice versa.  They can experiment with different homes on various lots and their availability options. They can look up lot premiums, square footages, prices…just about anything needed to help make an informed purchasing decision.”

The design firm RN in Vaughan, Ont., founded by Rob Nicolucci, is where Salefish software began. Canadian architects Nicolucci and Rick Haws created the concept in 2006. Their mission was to create an easier-to-use point-of-sale software system. From planning, building, buying or selling a home, the team wanted to make the process easier and provide more up-to-date information.

The software can also be used online by customers and sales reps prior to appointments with at the builder’s presentation centre.  They can browse listings and receive accurate and timely information, gaining details and pricing of individual properties or housing communities after a first meeting or before a showing. It is especially useful for projects involving multiple types of dwelling units. The software can also confirm that home models and lots are in accordance with zoning bylaws and architectural requirements.

Using their proprietary coding and technology allows Salefish to give buyers and builders live quotes and other information. For example, condo builders can show prospective owners which units are still available and the features of those units.

Price changes, site details, plans and more are done “live” between the builder/designer or seller. It can also be used on iPads and LED touch-display devices – such as in showrooms or on-site in a model home.

Salefish also offers an ActiveMatrix management console. This offers developers control over a project or portfolio of properties. Software tools help with the pricing of building calculations as well as individual units. Pricing adjustments can be made based on floor, unit, size, orientation and other criteria decided by the builder.

Potential buyers can search condos by size, floorplan and other factors that may be of interest to them. Viewing a map with all available units highlighted, buyers can see exactly where in a building or complex they would be living in relation to other buildings, units and amenities.

Clients pay for licensing, set-up and monthly fees to use the software.

Yvonne Dick

Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.

www.remonline.com

The post Salefish: Point of sale software a hit with new home buyers appeared first on REM.

There are many private companies and even public educational institutions producing real estate oriented courses for brokers and agents. Programs range from half-day seminars to extended weekends and semester-long learning. But often the price tag for the training isn’t cheap. How can a salesperson (of any experience level) determine if a course is legitimate? What are the best returns on extending your real estate training?

Training is available through colleges and universities. In B.C., The UBC Sauder School of Business has many such offerings – four certificates are available depending on your interest and desired area of expertise. Any of these will provide the graduate with the education and licensing eligibility to sell real estate in British Columbia.

You can specialise and provide rental property management services, provide strata management or take the university education further to become a real estate broker or a sub-mortgage broker. The programs at UBC Sauder could not be found in a search of colleges and institutions recognized by the Government of Canada Student Loans program, but since it is a branch of the University of British Columbia, it may be covered. Further information for those who are interested can be obtained through the admissions office. This is also one way to check the legitimacy of a real estate course or certificate, if a government body recognizes it or the school from which it’s offered.

Another way of checking legitimacy is through credits. Are educational credits available? Are they recognized at other colleges and universities where you may want to go in the future?  Find out if friends or colleagues have taken the same courses or gone to the same institution. Local, provincial or national real estate associations may also have information about specific courses. They may be able to give recommendations on where to take various courses, or which ones to avoid.

Another long-established source of continuing education is the Real Estate Institute of Canada.

Coaching companies offer personal “gurus”. These public speakers offer to help salespeople make crazy amounts of money post-training. You can see their ads, which often include testimonials from first-name-only customers who are described as experts in their fields. Other advertising tactics include using depictions of cheques with large amounts of money written out to the successful seminar student.

The difficulty with these is in the multiple layers of training and expensive courses you may end up signing up for, with an uncertain ending point. Your mind may know that nothing in life is free. Your bank account, when you start as a salesperson or during an economic slump, may feel especially compelled to try these sessions.

Your introduction will often come via a free seminar. In the seminar, it is the group leader’s job to get the audience fired up and ready to earn piles of money. All you have to do is sign up for another seminar. The second seminar may be discounted for those attending the free version but will carry a larger price tag – often crossed out in promotional material with your discount clearly showing.

Brandon Turner of the Bigger Pockets website for investors offers his take on the real estate mega-sales programs: “The problem, in my opinion, is twofold. First, I believe that the vast majority of those who attend these events will never actually use the information presented. And second, the information people learn from those programs could easily be learned elsewhere free (such as on BiggerPockets).”

There is an astounding number of supplemental courses for real estate professionals. They offer help and coaching in meeting goals, selling more and retaining clients. With such a variety of offerings, it can be hard to figure out which give the most quality and information for the time you need to expand on them. First, figure out what you want to learn more of.

For instance, do you find yourself tongue-tied when showing a house or meeting a prospective seller?  You may want to know more about public speaking. Do you want to learn about staging? Writing better feature sheets? How to answer a client’s toughest questions?

Sometimes what you want to know is actually available free in a home study format. If you prefer classroom learning, your local community college may have non-accredited courses. You probably won’t find “writing better feature sheets” as a part of the curriculum, but any business writing course may be useful. Learn small tricks to build up your vocabulary and confidence for future communications.

Real estate is a people-oriented business. If you are going into it feeling shy and self-conscious, perhaps you need to take a step back. Work on your strengths. Build your self-esteem before approaching people to give those perfect sales pitches. Sometimes you know the words in your head but have trouble getting them out. Education can be a confidence booster. No matter what you learn, it is more about how you apply that knowledge. Pick your teachers well, and don’t be afraid to strike out on your own in self-development learning. As you expand your repertoire in business and learning, you will get a better feel for which advice is good and which is not a match for you. The training that adds the most value to your business may come in unexpected forms, so stay open to it.

Yvonne Dick

Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.

www.remonline.com

The post Back to school: Continuing education appeared first on REM.

His goal: to challenge himself on the downhill EpicMix Leaderboard Race for an entire skiing season. It runs through Vail Resorts at Whistler in British Columbia. If you aren’t familiar with the sport, a season can last around seven months of the year. Curphey won the event this year by skiing more than 6.138 million vertical feet.

Training by doing has worked for Curphey since the beginning of his real estate career. He started when he was in his early 20s. For 29 years he has been a sales rep and he is currently with Re/Max Hallmark Realty Group in downtown Ottawa. From his office on O’Connor Street, he can see the high-rise buildings and fast-paced life of the big city. Ottawa is currently a place where buyers over-bid and sellers have their pick of prices for real estate of all sorts. Getting away to his cottage at the lake or beloved mountain slopes is what keeps Curphey sane, he says.

“In the beginning, I had a lot of training, and that made a huge difference to my real estate career,” says Curphey, “As time went on, I saw colleagues working non-stop. Real estate can become your whole life very quickly, it becomes your identity and it’s been my experience that many Realtors have no plans to retire.”

As he saw many successful salespeople working until they grew old and passed away, Curphey realized his own career path needed work-life balance. Engaging in a hobby/sport that is a passion outside of the job helps him keep centred. As you move on in your career, Curphey says that in some ways it becomes easier because your network of contacts keeps expanding. You can become stressed out more easily just as you are reaching your most success. That is when it is time to flip the switch and do something else for a while, he says. It avoids burnout.

“It felt great to take the time off to ski Whistler Blackcomb. I did the entire season,” he says. “We had a family road trip. My wife and I loaded up the family and drove all the way from Ottawa to Whistler. There was family time and some more casual skiing.”

Some days were black diamond trail skiing and others a bit more leisurely depending on whether he had one of his children skiing with him.

Much as he puts all of himself into his real estate career, while in Whistler he focused on his second passion. Curphey says, “That is what I did every day of the season. Some days I skied without a lunch break, other days I took it a bit easier. I was totally refreshed when I came back to the office. Ready to go and feeling great again.”

Curphey has skied more than six million vertical feet through powder and wind, cold and sun. The trails at Whistler Blackcomb provide a range of levels and lengths of ski experiences. Curphey became the EpicMix Leaderboard “monster” for the 2017/2018 season. This is linked to an app that keeps track of daily, seasonal and years of skiing. He won more than 70 “pins” for a variety of categories, such as skiing over 150 days in a season. Skiing on Thanksgiving gave him the Snow Turkey Pin, and he got the Snow Elf pin for going out on Christmas.

Since the late 1980s, Whistler has been one of Curphey’s second ski homes. He likes to vary the trails he uses, and Whistler has more than 200 ski runs. He put in 45,000 to 75,000 vertical feet of skiing.

Curphey’s specialty is dealing with multi-family properties. He now sells about 75 per cent residential and 25 per cent small multi-unit dwellings, such as 60-unit or fewer apartment buildings. While he took the time off to live his skiing dream, Curphey found that many of his clients waited until his return to do their real estate business. Those who needed help right away were referred to colleagues.

“The ones who waited for me were clients I have had more of a long-term relationship with. I am in real estate for the long term, and I’ve noticed that some of the really top agents diligently slot time off. The year I chose to do this, I had sold a couple of my own properties and did well with commissions in the six months before I took time off.”

Curphey adds, “Real estate is a momentum-based business.” He says once you grow a large client base, time management becomes the biggest challenge and you must learn to tell clients that “this time would work better”, rather than jumping “right now all the time.

“I am the most grateful Realtor. I love buying and selling real estate. Taking time that time off was life-altering. I needed a break because I’m not ready to retire.”

Yvonne Dick

Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.

www.remonline.com

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