Truth Be Told

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Last week we made the presumption that the real estate industry is on it’s way to recovery, and it turns out that it is…but at what cost? In our previous article we pointed out that Realtors had seen their first increase in salary in over 9 years, with a 2.3% increase. Now, reports are in fact stating that the housing market has been shaping up since the beginning of the year, indicating the reasoning behind that salary increase.

However, another report released by NAR has some heads turning, as it’s claiming that 15.7 million homes were underwater, with only one out of 10 underwater home owners making any headway. Let’s look at this a bit critically now, and examine why it is that the property market is rebuilding itself, while people are drowning in debt? This seems rather paradoxical, doesn’t it?

This is why we are asking at who’s cost is the property market repairing itself. Obviously Realtors are beginning to reap the benefits of this new-found stability in the market, but what about the 15.7 million home owners who are seeing no relief? Maybe it’s due to Realtors not leading buyers to smarter purchases?  For instance, an example of why many homes are in debt is the “nicest home on the block” theory, where homeowners literally own the nicest house on their block, and are unable to sell them due to their price range being outside of the appeal for the neighbourhood and the buyer. One tip we picked up, is that it’s in fact smarter to buy the worst house on the best block. This way, as the home receives repairs and renovations, there will be nothing but profit gains, as opposed to renovating a house on a sub-par block, resulting in too expensive of a property for the area, and a dead-end for sellers. What other tips can you think of to aid this underwater housing market? Join the conversation with us on Twitter.

photo courtesy of http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-5817484473

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Wages Are Up, Prices Are Down

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The National Association of Realtors have released results of a survey revealing interesting details. The survey’s results concluded that in 2011 there was a 2.3% increase in average salary amongst Realtors; the first increase seen in nine years. Yes, that’s right. 9 years. Now, this seems rather strange since real estate has been doing nothing but plummeting and ebbing it’s way through the past decade, with no sights for improvement on the horizon. However, this increase in salary could be a great indicator that maybe real estate as a national industry is finally starting to recuperate, and that not all hope is lost for those pursuing the career path of a real estate agent. In fact, the poll also revealed that more than 9 out of 10 Realtors surveyed said they planned on remaining in their profession for at least two more years.

In combination with reports of real estate being on the recovery in the United States, as well as the Canadian market’s “soaring” in prices and sales (with the exception of Vancouver, who for over 5 months have seen a steady decline in sales and price), are we about to see the market recover? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter.

 

photo courtesy of Colin_K

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The Greenest Building in the World?

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The new Center for Sustainable Landscapes is set for unveiling on May 23rd in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia. As one of the earth’s first certified living buildings, it is designed to be self sustainable and has earned nods from the three highest green standards: The Living Building Challenge, LEED® Platinum, and SITES Certification for landscapes.

Photo courtesy of pixietart

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Facebook’s Impact on Real Estate

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Palo Alto, California, is seeing some very substantial activity in their real estate market as a result of Facebook’s impending IPO (Initial Public Offering). Huge price influxes have started occurring since the beginning of the year, up to 10%, as a result of Facebook’s operating headquarters being located in Palo Alto.

Part of this influx is a result of investors seeing the opportunity for the area to boom, creating a very high demand for properties in the area, resulting in these significant increases in price. Real estate agents are even recommending to their clients to wait to list their home until Facebook goes public, as this is predicted to largely increase home values in the area. And, really, who wouldn’t when the medium price for a single family home in the area is estimated at nearly $2 Million.

One impending factor is that Palo Alto’s inventory is reported to have declined by 57%, a very scary number, resulting in predictions that should the IPO not go as well as planned, the Palo Alto market may in fact crash, which is the last thing anybody wants out of this. Did anybody else think that Facebook would ever have a legitimate impact on the real estate world? Join the conversation with us on Twitter.

 

photo courtesy of birgerking

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Micro-lofts: Could you live in 226 square feet?

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Would you live in a pint-sized apartment just to live in an ideal location? As a follow-up to our ‘Live in a Shoebox’ blog, we found a story about a man living in a 226 sq. ft. apartment in the heart of Vancouver’s downtown core. An apartment for $800 a month seems like a steal in this area, but could you make a comfortable nest in this little space?

‘Micro-lofts’ are being hailed as a solution to Vancouver’s housing problem, enabling the city to offer a greater variety of choices to homebuyers and renters. More of these buildings are anticipated to pop up in the city, and spread elsewhere in BC.

Particularly popular among younger residents, these tiny spaces warrant a different type of attitude towards living. The majority of those who occupy these apartments enjoy what the city has to offer as a living space, not just the confines of their homes. In other words, homebodies and hermits need not apply. Residents would likely also need to prioritize the space, requiring discipline when furnishing and decorating the home. As much as it can be exciting to bring home beautiful pieces of art or gadgets to spruce up a space, in less than 300 sq. feet, less is more. We can see a micro-loft potentially becoming claustrophobic at times, but when you live most of your life out of the house, who needs all that space anyway?

Photo courtesy of lovelihood

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Electric Cars Flop in China

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With a large chunk of the world’s people residing within its borders, China is definitely a big target to get citizens on board with electric-powered transport. But with the less-than-stellar projections for clean-energy vehicle sales, adoption is anticipated to be a slow process. The Beijing Auto show will showcase 88 of these vehicles in hopes of integrating them into regular use among the Chinese population.

The nation has set its sights on getting over 5 million clean cars on the roads by 2020 and has vowed $14 M worth of funding towards this goal. This number is a far cry from the 10,000 to 20,000 currently on the streets in China, so automakers have a big job ahead of them if they wish to ramp up sales in the coming years. Subsidizing the cost has still yielded disappointing numbers, and electric vehicles still fail to present an attractive offer compared to traditional cars.

Despite the nation’s objectives, analysts believe widespread sales will only begin to occur in 2020 when the price gap between electric and traditional vehicles is significantly reduced. Until then, carmakers are taking a cautious approach to determining when demand calls for mass production.

The Beijing Auto Show will take place from April 27- May 2.

Via NY Daily News

Photo courtesy of mariordo59

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Social Realtors Have the Upper Hand

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The importance of being up to date with marketing methods is a seemingly overlooked element among real estate agents, depending on which side of the coin you are on. On one hand, there is a population of agents that see the true value of initializing proper marketing campaigns and to use the newest methods available to do so. On the other hand, we have a dated industry based on newspaper listings and print advertising, generally put forth by an older demographic.

Truthfully, these methods are both proven, but for different time periods, not giving any edge or advantage to agents who are not up to date with their marketing methods. For example, a recent InMan article revealed that after a survey of over 4,000 people, 68% agreed that they contacted their realtors as a result of their findings on their mobile device. Now, this is a huge piece of pie to miss out on if your website is not optimized for mobile devices; one of the most common advances in digital marketing.

Technology has provided a plethora of free marketing tools to the desktop and mobile world, so get out there and use them! To be “old-fashioned” isn’t something to be proud of anymore, it’s in fact detrimental to both the agent and the client, so do everybody a favour and get with the program; soon, you will realise how advantageous these methods can be. To get you started, here is an article explaining the advantages of using Instagram and Postagram to increase your clientele and listings:

http://next.inman.com/2012/04/using-instagram-and-postagram-to-make-a-powerful-statement/

photo courtesy of http://mediaspin.com/blog/?paged=2

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Trouble On The Horizon

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There has been speculation, talks, meetings, discussions (whatever they may call them) about changes occurring in Canadian real estate as of late. Notably, two major blips on the radar have revealed themselves as being potently newsworthy; the first being numerous changes that the CREA have given a “thumbs up” to, and the second, a the speculation of a housing crash in the near future. Let’s get right to it, shall we?!

First up to bat are the changes that the CREA have recently approved, 23 in total, the largest of which being technologically related. These main changes are the exploration of 3rd party operation of Realtor.ca, as well as taking the 80+ data feeds involved in the MLS system, and to make one national data feed. The cause for these technological changes is the CREA’s feel that consumers are becoming more and more educated, meaning that they should be provided with nothing short of the most accurate information.

Secondly, there is speculation from an Arizona-based accountant by the name of Ben Jones. Now, most of us haven’t heard of this man, however this does not mean we should disregard his opinion, as others have done in the past. He in fact predicted the US housing market crash before it happened, and nobody listened. A recent Globe and Mail article interviewing Mr. Jones has now made it clear (from his standpoint) that Canada’s “booming” housing market is in fact in troubled waters, and should not be underestimated. One of the main reasons he believes the market will fail is related to the banks withholding many unlisted properties and foreclosures to inflate the market so the properties currently listed can receive higher sale prices. His speculations are most certainly worth a read.

What do you think is to become of Canada’s housing market? Will it flop as Ben Jones predicts? Will the unification of the MLS data-feed be detrimental or productive for realtors and supporting businesses? Join the conversation with us on Twitter.

Via. EstateVue

photo courtesy of Blyzz

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How Can I Start to Go Paperless?

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Many wonder how we can start to cut down on paper with all the faxes, manuals, receipts, invoices, memos, and post-its floating around our offices and homes. Granted, it’s incredibly difficult to remove every speck of paper, but there is a way to reduce your usage enough that the recycling bin will start to feel a little neglected.

1. PDF don’t print

Scan documents into PDF. Sometimes the beginning of a paper reduction process does not necessarily mean you will stop tossing out paper. In fact, it will probably be a time of heavy shredding and recycling when you kickstart the process. One of the first ways is scanning your documents to be saved as files on your computer. We guarantee there’s a lot more room in your hard drive than your filing cabinet, and it’s easy to share and duplicate, but word of warning, back up everything!

2. Opt out of Mailing Lists

There are services out there that will help you remove your name from the lists of those pesky senders of junk mail and catalogues. We would tell you to stop having all your bills sent by mail as well, but you are already doing all of that online aren’t you? (and if not, you should!)

3. Get an Electronic Signature

One of the difficulties of going paperless is that a lot of documents require a signature. But if you’re playing a game of fax tag to sign a dotted line from a remote location, you’re printing more copies of the document than you need. Creating an electronic signature will eliminate the need to print any copies and send the signed document back faster than it would have taken the old fashioned way. Here’s a link to get you started.

4. Get in the habit of taking full advantage of your devices

Despite the smartphones, tablets, netbooks and lightweight laptops, many still carry around that college-ruled notebook and ballpoint for taking notes. It’s a small suggestion, but many still insist on using paper. Starting to electronically organize and file notes under categories might show the benefit of taking digital notes, and there are so many apps and programs for this very task. Not to mention, the introduction of cloud services allow us to access these notes from any device.

Once offices start to use document management services, this process will be painless and efficient. But on an individual basis, it is important to consider slowly phasing paper out of our lives for good.

Photo Courtesy of RLHyde

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Building Benchmarks: The RBC Centre

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One of the greatest new buildings in Toronto is the RBC Centre, a 42-storey sustainable wonder in the heart of the GTA. With energy efficient components throughout the design, the building has achieved great benchmarks. Using ‘flexible and super-intelligent’ ventilation controls and over 40 percent recycled and eco-friendly building materials, the RBC Centre has made strides in ‘green’ construction.

On an ongoing basis, the RBC Centre uses caught rainwater for the building’s irrigation and plumbing use and raised flooring to maximize HVAC distribution. It has been reported that the cost of the energy savings has already superseded the minimal additional costs it required to make the building eco-friendly. Hopefully the future holds entire neighborhoods that meets the standards of this great structure.

Photo courtesy of Ross

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