Upcoming RECO Update Courses locally

I often get asked by staff for a schedule of local RECO Update courses. As most of you know, the K-W Board runs the RECO Update course every month in the board's downstairs classroom. If you wish to attend, you need to register through OREA, either online or via telephone. The fee has now been reduced to $ 60.00 and the book is no longer a handout, but a pdf file online. You can register by phone at 1-866-411-6732. Make sure you have your OREA number before you call.

Here are the upcoming dates in Kitchener:

March 18 (Larry Cerqua)
April 8 (Angie Asadoorian)
May 13 (Gwen Agboat)
June 24 (Angie Asadoorian)

The Greenrealestate Designation™

Through the National Association of Green Real Estate Agents and Brokers, (a Canadian affiliation), you can attain a designation in Green Real Estate. You can do this by taking courses and paying an annual fee.

Three of the courses (which you can take online or in the classroom) qualify for RECO credits. The courses which are good for credits are:
"Green Heating and Cooling Options for the Home" - 2 credits
"Home Energy Efficiency" - 3 credits
"Home Hydro Usage - A Primer" - 3 credits



There is also an American designation available through Ecobroker, which offers courses and a designation as well. Prudential Real Estate presently offers a $ 50.00 discount for agents who join ECOBROKER before December 31, 2008. Although the site has a Canadian section, it appears lightly used at this point in time.

2009 Prudential Sales Convention

Next year's Prudential Convention will be here before you know it. It is being held March 28 -31st, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

You can preview some of the key note speakers and headline entertainment on the Prudential Convention website. You need to sign in with your user name and password in PREA Centre to get access.

As usual, we have pre-booked a block of rooms and registrations for those who are thinking about going. We will be booking flights in early December. Please drop me a line for further details. There are lots of reasons and incentives to go!

RECO Credits Online

I received an email recently from Carson Dunlop about the RECO continuing education credits that you can take through them. The topics are excellent for learning about construction and home maintenance.

Here is the web address for the courses if you would like to check them out.
CarsonDunlop.com

Leader's Edge Training

Chris Leader is running his three day training program in Toronto at the Richmond Hill Country Club, 8905 Bathurst Street, Richmond Hill on December 3rd, 4th, and 5th. It is the same program that he ran in the summer in Kitchener.

If you are interested in attending, please see me or Goran in the next few days and we'll get you booked.

The Importance of Getting The Price Right

Something that happens to real estate agents on a very regular basis is the issue of getting the price right on a new listing. Sellers want to get top dollar for their property, and so do we, but sometimes the "seller's price" is over the top and totally unrealistic. Especially in this slower market, it is very important to get their price in a marketable range that will encourage showings and offers.

Here's a story that happened in our brokerage recently that demonstrates the importance of getting the price right. The seller had a country property in a good, central location. The house was really nice with many updates and recent renovations.

We gave them an asking price of $ 450,000 about 18 months ago. They felt this was low, and decided to try and sell privately for $ 699,000. Later they listed with another broker at the same price without success. Well over a year passed in the process and they did reduce the price a bit, but nothing substantial.

In the end, after 18 months of the stress of trying to sell their property, they sold it for $ 415,000. I am sure everyone was disappointed in the end.

Nobody will ever know for sure, but we're pretty confident that they could have sold it for more than that with a year's less stress.

Any agent will tell you that they don't want to take overpriced listings. You can spend thousands of dollars advertising without a realistic chance of seeing a return on your time and financial investment.

Prudential On Line Training

In case you missed it, I'd like to point out to you the online training that is available to Prudential agents. There are two types available:

Virtual Instructor Led are courses you take at a specific time with live instructors on the phone as you view the presentation online. You can take these courses anywhere, as you just need an internet connection and a phone to connect to the 800 number.
For example there is one scheduled for Thursday October 23rd at 11AM with the topic of "Selling By Style". It appears these course will be running once or twice a month. We will keep you informed on your monthly calendar and in this blog about what courses are coming up.

Web Base Training are courses you can take at any time and are designed mostly for newer agents. You don't need a telephone, only online access.
Some of the courses online are: Action Pack for Success modules in about 12 different sections, dealing all different sorts of prospecting. There's also a Profit Planning module for developing a business plan, and one on Power Listing Strategies.

I recommend you take some time to have a look at what's available . It's a great resource!

Here are the instructions on getting to the site:

1. Go to PREA Centre and log in.
2. Click on the link at bottom left to "Prudential University Learn Centre"
3. On the next page, click on the link "Learn Centre" word link.
4. At the bottom, click on "Web Based Training" or "Virtual Instructor Led" to view the courses.

Catch the Spirit - Canadian Connection

Prudential Real Estate Canada is running an excellent training day in Toronto on Thursday, November 13th THe two speakers are Dirk Zeller, a renowned U.S speaker from Real Estate Champions, and Chris Leader (who many of you know) from Leader's Edge in Barrie. Of particular note, the afternoon session is eligible for three Continuing Education Credits.

There's a free lunch, courtesy of Prudential, a chance to network with Prudential agents from across Ontario, and an exhibit area set up with marketing materials and tools.

It will prove to be a great day... and it's free. There's a sign up sheet at the office. Deadline for sign-up is November 7th.

Important Upcoming Dates

Here's a refresher on some upcoming training and social dates. If you haven't already, you should mark them into your calendar

October 17 - Oktoberfest Lunch at Concordia Club 12:30 PM

October 24 - Retirement Lunch at Cambridge office for Russ Donnelly

November 7 - Sunshine Kids Mini -Golf at Cambridge Office

November 13 - Prudential Education Expo in Toronto

November 19 - Cambridge MLS Annual Meeting

December 12 - Annual Prudential Christmas Party at Knights of Columbus Hall in Cambridge

Leader's Choice Training

We have booked Chris Leader of Leader's Choice Training in Barrie to a regional sales day in Milton at the Ramada Inn (Hwy 401 and 25) on Tuesday January 9th from 9:30 AM until 1 PM. The seminar is an intro to their nine week coaching training program that has a history of increasing sales.

Check out their website online at leaderschoice.com. Chris and his brother Mark, used to work for the Floyd Wickman "Sweat Hogs" program which enjoyed huge success across North America.

Please sign up at the office to attend the one day free event.

Neighbourhood Farming and the Internet

It is often said in real estate, that you need to plant lots of seeds to reap big rewards when it comes to farming a neighbourhood.
Here is an internet tool, that helps you make connections with people in a selected neighbourhood area and offers them a site that they can call home. It is "Connecting Neighbours" and its website is at connectingneighbourscanada.com. It works well with flyers or postcards sent to the area that help people find your new website. A unique concept!