Lessons Learned: Taking Advice From Sales Gurus
If someone told you he or she could turn you into a multi-million dollar producing real estate professional just by adopting some “innovative” marketing techniques, would you do it? What if those...
View ArticleReal Estate Update 2014 Launches to Positive Feedback
The Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) launched the Real Estate Update 2104 course six days ago and over 400 real estate professionals have already enrolled. With over 90 course completions to date,...
View ArticleChoosing the Model That's Right for Your Brokerage
Designated agency isn’t the right choice for all real estate brokerages. There, we said it. The Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) doesn’t believe designated agency is the right choice for all real...
View ArticleWhen the Other Party is Unrepresented – A Script
There are three messages you must get through to an unrepresented party when you represent a client in a trade in real estate with that unrepresented party. I represent my client and their interests I...
View ArticleWhat is professionalism?
Today’s Regulator newsletter included a message from Council Chair, Kevin Clark, about what it means to be a professional. Council as a whole is committed to raising the professionalism within the...
View ArticleOn-the-Go Learning
Have a few minutes to spare between appointments? Why not work on your Real Estate Update 2014 course? Real Estate Update 2014 has gone mobile. You can now access it anytime, anywhere using most mobile...
View ArticleThe Authority for a Positive Real Estate Experience
You may have noticed that as part of the recent re-launch of the Real Estate Council of Alberta’s brand, there’s a tagline appearing on many of our new materials. “The Authority for a Positive Real...
View ArticleGetting to Know Your Borrower Client
In the battle against mortgage fraud, mortgage brokerage professionals play a key role in identifying red flags and communicating those red flags to the lender. In an ideal world, a mortgage brokerage...
View ArticleHave You Represented the “Right” Size?
Does size matter? It certainly does if it’s the “wrong” size. Real estate professionals must ensure they don’t misrepresent a property’s details and this includes the size. It doesn’t matter if it’s a...
View ArticleBuyer Representation Agreements: You Have Options
Representation agreements with sellers – i.e listing agreements – have never been an issue. Sellers typically sign them without much argument. Buyer Representation Agreements, however, have been used...
View ArticleExpectations vs. Reality
By Kevin Clark, Chair, Real Estate Council of Alberta As I write this article I am sitting in a service station waiting for the return of my car. Like most of the interactions of my life, I have come...
View ArticleProtecting Personal Information
These days it seems our most valued possession is our privacy. We may announce our everyday activities all over social media, but our bank information? Our credit history? Our annual income? We keep...
View ArticleRenewal Stat Update
The renewal deadline is approaching, but don’t panic if you haven’t renewed yet. There is still time. Avoid last minute scrambling and take the opportunity to renew now! Only 19% of real estate...
View ArticlePutting the “Professional” into Industry Professional
Would you balk at the sight of your accountant swearing loudly over the phone? Would it bother you to hear your lawyer screaming at a receptionist while you sit in the waiting room? Such unprofessional...
View ArticleRenewal Stat Update
The renewal deadline is only five days away. We encourage industry professionals, particularly brokers, who haven’t started the renewal process to do so soon. - 52% of real estate appraisers have not...
View ArticlePreconstruction Properties: Helping Your Buyers
The lure of a brand new condo can be extremely exciting for consumers. Sometimes, this is the case even when the ground isn’t broken on the new property. When a consumer is working with their own...
View ArticleWillfully Blind or Proactive Professional?
AMBA 411 Fraud and Crime Conference keynote speaker Jeremy Nicholls asked mortgage industry professionals if they actually assess documents they process. It was a great question. On a fundamental...
View ArticleNot So CLEAR Cut Cases
Members of the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) and senior staff attended the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR) Annual Educational Conference in September. CLEAR is a...
View ArticleFour Ways to Avoid Buying a Haunted House
Your buyers have just started settling into their new home. Then the lights start flickering off and on by themselves. The buyers shrug it off as a minor electrical issue. Then they begin to hear weird...
View ArticleBrokers: Leading by Example
Licensed real estate and mortgage brokerage professionals either are brokers or they work for a broker, so they should all have a fairly good idea of what being a broker entails and what broker...
View Article
