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5 Reasons Realtors in Saskatchewan Need a Strong Online Presence

Published February 4, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

5 Reasons Realtors in Saskatchewan Need a Strong Online Presence One thing about living in Saskatchewan that will locals will tell you is the way the land stretches endlessly in the horizon no matter where you are in the Province. Makes sense at the Prairies are the flatlands of Canada and much of Manitoba and Eastern Alberta are the same way. This expansiveness means that bigger Saskatchewan cities like Saskatoon and Regina can have larger suburban and satellite city regions in ways other places in Canada can’t. This factors into housing affordability too, and that’s central to the way realtors will approach real estate business in Saskatchewan.

Like any region in the North America though, that affordability is lessened as compared to before and more homes with higher values means more real estate agents starting to work locally in cities and towns of Saskatchewan. If you are new agent in Saskatoon or Regina you may already be getting paid real estate leads from us here and also doing everything else you can to attract real estate clients in Saskatchewan. When you are new to this career it is so advantageous if you can start working with multiple clients as soon as possible.

We absolutely get that, and we know that real estate is a very competitive business in Canada. Maybe less so in Saskatchewan, but still more that some new realtors might appreciate. If you’re one of them and you’re ready to take your Saskatchewan real estate business online then it is time to become fully aware of the benefits of an online presence for real estate. Every other agent is going to have their website too, so it becomes all about having would-be clients directed to your site rather than theirs.

The best way to do that is with good content (try to have a blog on your site related to real estate in your Saskatchewan city) and then regular activity on social media platforms. You’re active with sharing smart and accurate insights around buying or selling a home in Saskatoon and then inviting viewers to visit your site if they’d like to learn more. Or be in contact with you directly to discuss their interests. There is a lot more to Saskatchewan real estate marketing online, and there’s a lot to learn once you look past the option of paying for rea estate leads. What we’re going to do with this week’s blog entry here is to provide the 5 main reasons that realtors here need to have a strong online presence.

More is Required

One reality with real estate business in Saskatchewan is that it’s a hyper-competitive, tumultuous landscape right now with a lot of challenges for agents. It’s not easy at all to be standing out online to managing client expectations in a digital-first world. It’s going to be more doable for an experience and more established realtor to pay someone to handle the digital end of their Saskatchewan real estate marketing, but it’s certainly worth it if you can and especially because social media for real estate is something that’s so essential for getting new clients.

But a lot of realtors – experienced or not – won’t be savvy enough with social media. So it’s something you may want to learn with having an online presence for Realtors. Because it really is an integral part of one, and maybe second only to having an SEO optimized website.

Brand is Needed

Realtors that really want to see the benefits of an online presence for real estate are going to need to start building their brand. A recent real estate marketing Report revealed that building a personal brand online should always be among the top two priorities for real estate agents today. It reinforces the fact that successful agents need to have at least some measure of a brand to their name with the way it’s regarded online.

If you want to attract real estate clients in Saskatchewan you’ll be doing increasingly better with that if your brand is a work in progress and moving in the right direction. Start at the start with having an attractive and user-friendly real estate agent website that is SEO-optimized with the keywords that local homebuyers or sellers will be using as they get closer to being ready to work with a real estate agent.

Your website will reflect your commitment to quality and sets the tone for the level of service you provide. When you are ready to take your Saskatchewan real estate business online it is going to start with claiming a web domain for yourself and then having an aesthetically-pleasing, user-friendly designed website located there. Make sure it has the blog, and if you’re not capable of writing then you can pay someone to blog for you.

Content Works for Visibility

Many times when a realtor has a website they will also use a Content Delivery Network with it to ensure that they have good content being published. Either through the site’s blog or via social media platforms. This will be another expense but it’s very worth it as it saves you time and allows you to focus more of the day-to-day aspects of your business while you know you have successive publications all scheduled.

There are cutting-edge solutions, and the most notable ones right now are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to drive efficiencies and boost productivity through advanced automation. They streamline the processes and help agents deliver the service that today’s clients expect.

The Need to Convert Leads Generated

Real estate lead generation is one thing and for real estate business in Saskatchewan it’s of pivotal importance. But getting leads for real estate agents is only half of the equation, as those agents need to be able to convert them too. There is going to be pressure to consistently find potential clients, build meaningful relationships, and guide leads through to conversion. Warm leads that go cold and eventually lead to no conversion is what you need to be avoiding to the best of your ability, and this is why a CRM (customer relationship management) application is also good as a part of Saskatchewan real estate marketing.

With these technologies it becomes much more possible for agents to generate more leads, direct targeted traffic to their websites, capture valuable contact information, and effectively nurture relationships until they’re ready to convert. With the right tools agents can streamline the entire lead process, enabling them to focus on what they do best — closing deals.

Static Solutions Increasingly Ineffective

One of the realities with having an online presence for realtors is that there’s so much value in having visual representations of properties clients have sold through you. You make that happen by first getting the leads, converting the lead into the client, and then helping them sell the home to their full satisfaction. Maximizing and getting the most out of your digital marketing approaches is how you will bring the largest numbers of leads into your circle, but nurturing those leads now needs a more dynamic and less static approach.

There are now lots of software as a service (SaaS) options with cloud-based tools, marketing solutions, and branding resources that realtors can incorporate into their efforst and convert leads into clients more reliably. SaaS ensures agents are always using the most advanced technology without dealing with installations, maintenance, or costly upgrades — saving time and reducing operational overhead.

Huge Gains to Be Had in Online Networking

The last thing we’ll mention around real estate business Saskatchewan is the lasting value of a traditional approach to getting clients for real estate – networking. Among the benefits of an online presence for real estate is the fact that if you are able to build referral networks with other housing-industry related service providers it can hugely beneficial in growing your base and getting more and more leads into your sales funnel. It is an approach that may not work as quickly as social media marketing, for example, but it’s still worth the effort.

Do some research on how to build a referral network online and you’ll see how many people do this by highlighting the other providers in their social media networks. And then those individuals will be doing the same thing for you if their customers or clients might be ready to buy or sell a home in Saskatchewan. There is real value here too when the aim is to attract real estate clients in Saskatchewan.

That’s all for now, and if you are interested in real estate agent leads for Saskatoon or elsewhere in Saskatchewan then you can learn more about how it works to get paid real estate leads from a provider like us, and testimonials from other realtors across Canada who are pleased with the service and the way it has helped them grow a real estate business. Be in touch if you want to take your Saskatchewan real estate business online.

Why Real Estate Agents in Montreal Need Professional Lead Generation Services

Published January 30, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

Why Real Estate Agents in Montreal Need Professional Lead Generation ServicesThe Montreal real estate market stands strong yet navigating this competitive environment requires excellent impression-making skills. Whether your client portfolio includes deluxe condominiums in Old Montreal or family homes in suburban areas the identification of quality leads remains essential for all situations.

Traditional marketing methods no longer provide satisfactory results so agents of today need a thoroughly planned system to both reach and convert prospective buyers. Our specialist real estate lead generation Montreal services provide what you need at this point. Real estate agents receive focused client acquisition through these services and consistently gain new leads as they expand their business operations. Do you need to start investing in lead generation? Read on for key insights explaining why lead generation proves indispensable to Montreal real estate professionals.

From Clicks to Clients: The Real Estate Lead Funnel Explained

That is practically just the surface of what real estate lead generation should involve. With the cut-throat competition embedded in real estate, the agents and brokers are thereby pushed to evolve and improve continually and be on their toes with respect to how they intend to garner their leads. In dissecting what lead generation is, their efforts will be streamlined into a one-way channel to reach their audience and enhance conversion ratio accordingly once they have found that niche market target.

Another main discussion is to find out the wants and needs of your clients. That involves market research, keeping watch for trends, and knowing who the target audience is. When real estate professionals know what potential buyers or sellers want, they can launch targeted marketing campaigns and create messages that target them directly, thus connecting better with them.

The Importance of Lead Generation for Realtors in Montreal

  1. Due to The Fierce Competition : The Montreal real estate market is more than healthy; it’s a center of agents who are all clawing for the best pieces of business. This competition makes it tough for the right audience to even notice you without a strong lead generation for realtors tactical approach. Because if you do not have a solid lead generation strategy in place, it can make it hard for realtors to position themselves uniquely and connect with potential clients. This is where professional lead generation services are on absolute fire. By making use of smart tactics, real estate agents are able to target buyers & sellers that are motivated and build long term relationships that will assure more deals down the road. When it comes to competition having a reliable lead generation partner on your side could mean the difference between you just missing out and winning the deal.
  2. Focus on The Right Leads : In Real Estate industry not, all leads are same. Sometimes agents find themselves caught in cold leads, people who may not turn into sales at all. Not only is this a frustrating process; it’s also cancerous to their time and budget. We specifically get rid of the fluff in leads with our optimization techniques. The cliffs we target are basically full of people who are actually in the act of finding a new property. This means that not only do you have a lot to but they are primed to buy/sell! By connecting with the right customers that are genuinely interest in your service, you give yourself the best shot to convert and make a return that is optimal.
  3. The Changing Face of Real Estate in the Digital Age : Buyers don’t simply drive around on Sundays looking for homes anymore. As more buyers and sellers take their search online, it has become increasingly crucial for real estate agents to generate online leads .Network and old school ways of marketing are no longer enough to grab the attention of home buyers and sellers in today’s digital age. The trend towards home marketing could be a little intimidating but presents a vast ocean of opportunities for the real estate pros who can leverage online marketing strategies. This must include the importance of paid advertisements, SEO, and engagement on social media as channels. With those tools in their hands, agents are then able to generate the need and alter their objectives in order to stay modern and relevant and competitive.

Understanding the Real Estate Lead Generation Challenges in Montreal

There is nothing like Montreal’s real estate market. The city is a blend of the historic and the contemporary, with historic properties, modern condos, and an eclectic mix of people, so there’s an abundance of opportunity for the real estate agent. Yet this variety creates issues with lead generation.

  1. Intense Competition: The situation is that there are thousands upon thousands of agents and they all want to get their hands on the sellers and buyers of Montreal. With so many people trying to do this business, you need to strategize on how you want people to remember you and your services.
  2. Lead Generation Takes Time: Generating leads in this industry and relocation marketing is challenging. Indeed, building a proper network cannot be done in a matter of hours or days. Reaching out to people and making cold calls can literally consume everything you had planned to do. You’re left without time or motivation to do any useful work
  3. Quality Over Quantity: And let’s talk about leads for a sec. Not every lead is a good lead, right? The most difficult task is to identify the ideal chance-driven buyer, seller, or both, to practice in real estate. They’re there, but that involves “conversation” on their part, with as motivation to carry the experience in the head and heart.
  4. Digital Complexity: In practice, to search for properties, current buyers can and do begin their search on the internet, hence real estate brokers continue to need the best possible digital track record. But, if you’re not so savvy with online campaigns, social media, or SEO, it can feel pretty overwhelming, to say the least.

So, all of this really highlights why it makes sense to look into professional lead generation services that are tailored just for the Montreal market. It could really make a difference in cutting through the noise!

Why Professional Lead Generation Services Make Sense

So, you’re a real estate agent in Montreal, right? SEE, to scale up in career, you may as well also look at hiring an experienced lead generation service. Indeed, there are fascinating questions to investigate the possibility that such an important task should be outsourced and the potential dramatic consequential effect on business world.

  1. Getting Quality Leads: Indeed, to begin with, it is perhaps most obvious advantage of partnering with an experienced LGD is that they are likely to themselves provide some of the best leads. These folks know their stuff. They utilize the largest repertoire of powerful instruments and techniques to detect and advise potential buyers and sellers. By combining data mining, digital market, and digital good approaches, they can produce inbound leads that not only flow in but also turn into clients. That’s golden! You’ll save a ton of time and can focus on talking to people who really want what you’re offering.
  2. Time and Resource Savings: Commercial lead generation works at an advanced difficulty level requiring both considerable time resources. Creating leads takes a substantial period of time combined with specialist knowledge along with committed dedication. When you outsource this work to specialists outside your company you can reclaim valuable time to connect with prospects and show properties and close deals. Your ability to reach success hinges completely on directing energy toward essential matters. These accomplishments will come from the elevated work satisfaction together with the enhanced end results that your workday generates.
  3. Cost-Effective Solutions: Establishing your lead generation team within the organization means dedicating substantial financial portions of your budget. Multiple factors including payroll expenses and training costs as well as fixed operational costs create a substantial management challenge that is challenging to control. But here’s the good news: Your organization can find professional lead acquisition experts through these services at costs that will save you money compared to building an internal team. The reasonable prices charged by professional lead generation services enable businesses to maximize their financial resources.
  4. Targeted Marketing Strategies: Knowledge about every aspect of the Montreal real estate market stands crucial for making your lead generation strategies work. Advanced teams from these companies create marketing campaigns with pinpoint precision to engage the specific audience for which they have specialized. These companies use social media marketing and email marketing and SEO techniques to guarantee that your content finds prospective buyers and sellers. When targeting reaches its optimal level your conversion success increases substantially alongside improved industry competition positioning for your brand.
  5. Scalability at Its Best : Your expanding real estate business will require modified approaches to lead generation. Professional lead generation services provide businesses with a flexible approach they can grow to fit changing needs. These services provide flexible solutions which adapt to changes in your business needs whether you are performing peak-time marketing operations or expanding your operation scale. Professional lead generation services enable you to pursue business growth without being consumed by endless lead prospecting activities. So, there you have it! The strategic collaboration with a professional lead generation service represents a transformational tool your business requires but is unaware of. Why not give it a thought?

How We Generate Online Leads for Property Agents

In a digital age filled with a high pace of working, the manner in which homes are bought and sold has changed beyond recognition. There is, however, a marked departure from the past when buyers drove around neighborhoods looking for “for sale” signs. So, the initiation to every journey is now online. This change for the real estate agents of Montreal puts online leads for property agents in the category of not just important but essential. Our lead generation company gives special importance to working with building real estate professionals in uncovering this useful resource. Here is how we do it:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Helping You Get Found

As an example, imagine a person searching for the ‘best real estate agents in Montreal’ in Google (we’ll say a potential homebuyer living around Montreal); if such person Googles in Google and your site does not appear in the first page then you are losing out on a lot of lead.

This is where SEO comes in. All your website and web content will be made perfect to rank it higher in search results. Not just going to insert keyword phrases all through your website and forget but to build a site that is user friendly and perfect as per search engine by description since this does not only involves creating meta descriptions but the loading of the site on mobile media. Every step is taken care from the loading speed of your site to a well crafted meta description, we are here to do it.

Result is; when a person searches for real estate in Montreal or googles anything related to that, your business website appears right there where it has to be.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Instant Visibility for Immediate Results

We totally agree with you on this one because while SEO might be a long-term strategy but in some cases we need leads at a faster pace. We ensure that through our designed to making your website achieve priority with our targeted PPC campaigns Where social media adverts are placed to draw user attention on properties around Montreal that has been indexed by their search engine.

How it Works:

We go through identifying search term In the selfie business then gathering data on -Such as “Montreal condos for sale” or “best realtor in Montreal” We also put up ads on top real estate by consideration for you that will appear when the search is done. Note that you in this regard pay for people who clicks on your ad so it is like purchasing a contact info. It’s not all about the click we care to carefully track and monitor performance ensuring that your campaigns are delivering which provides insight on what’s working and what is not ensuring a more positive experience.

Social Media Marketing: Building Relationships, One Post at a Time

It’s really too bad that a lot of people will view social media just as a place to share and like a few pictures and memes, without realizing the influential power it possesses. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter has been made for people to market themselves and reach out to potential buyers with the help of social media too.

So we create customized campaigns thoroughly enjoying our simple digital leads process that will reach out to the person we are targeting. That can be a breathtaking tour of Montreal or just an article about property that could do very well. Then we care to monitor and answer anything related to the post, so thousands will know that your service is credible and real.

Email Marketing: How to stay top of mind without being annoying through email:

In a world cluttered with ads and notifications, email marketing is still one of the best ways to keep in touch with prospective customers. But there’s a catch – no body wants to feel like they are being sold. That is why where we produce useful stuff in our email marketing campaigns. Whether it’s the latest market data, local neighbourhood spotlights or tips for first-time buyers, we are about creating meaningful content that keeps your brand top of mind without being intrusive. We also use segmentation so that the right message is reaching the desired people. For instance, we might send tips for securing a mortgage to a first-time buyer – and for a seller, advice on how to stage their property for a quick sale. By making personalized content delivery, we help you build trust and nurture leads until they are ready for next step.

Content Marketing: Selling Through Stories

Real estate centres around selling a lifestyle, not just properties. And the best way to do this is via compelling content. From blog posts and video tours to infographics and neighbourhood guides, our content marketing strategy encompasses everything. Each piece is created to educate, inspire and engage your target demographic. For instance, “Top 5 Family-Friendly Neighborhoods in Montreal” provides important information while also establish you as an expert in the local market. Similarly, a video tour of a luxury condo helps buyers imagine themselves living there, before even visiting the property. By creating resonating content for your audience, we help gain a loyal follower base and generate leads from people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.

Optimization of your Facebook & Instagram page

One of the most influential platforms in finding buyers and renters for your property now is social media and Facebook & Instagram are two of the best ways to access them. Optimizing your valid pages will guarantee you to have successful results in your social media Every improvement made to the page provides direct impact on ensuring that your real estate business has more visitors.

This is how we give a boost to your presence in the social media World to get more leads:

  1. Ensure correct & Up-to-date Contact Information – That way, people can get in touch with you right away.
  2. Authentic >> Attractive co-written content > -Engage your potential clients with articles and blogs regarding updates in the real estate markets tails.
  3. Quick Behavioral Patterns – Will reply to inquiries, comments, and messages; make effective use of this and turn to sell marginally higher
  4. Reputation Growing – Helps in improving your credibility and getting more leads by posting positive client reviews and testimonials.
  5. Visuals which leaves you with ooh and what an images! – Makes your profile and cover Photos visually appealing which aligns with your brand.
  6. We bring you from just browsing your social media to showing interest and taking some actions in the world of property.

High-quality Leads through Referrals

Referrals is probably the best source of leads for any real estate agents out there.

Whether you are an Industrial or residential Property agent, recommendation is the best thing that you can get from past clients, friends, or local acquaintances. Buyers and Sellers always give some preference to what they hear right from the horse’s mouth. If you follow these steps as per our algorithm then you can maximize the no. of Referrals: Make sure that clients who are satisfied that they will refer their family and friends as well Stays in touch with clients who you have worked in the past via emails/occasional check ins via social platforms like WhatsApp.

Asks for an honest review and believe me it works!

The best thing here lies is Referrals can come free of cost and you cut your marketing need by at least half if you maintain Good Relationships with constant best service.

Smart Segmentation for Quality of Leads

Not everyone is buying your products. And when it comes to categorizing our leads we need to provide much more than that. This helps property agents to reach and engage better with their leads and finally increase their conversion rates.

In our lead Segmentation strategy there are:

  1. Behaviour: I.e. grouping of leads based on age, location or their incomes.
  2. Buying Stage: For example, First time homebuyer, Investors, and Seller.
  3. Interactions: If it’s first time visit on your website or the person has visited many times referring your blog content services.

With Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools, we’re able to effectively segment and target leads. This ensures that property agents reach the right audience with personalized messages. Instead of sending generic emails that are easily ignored, you dramatically increase response rates and conversions.

Record Your Results

At our real estate lead generation company in Montreal, we believe that tracking results is crucial to honing and improving online lead generating strategies for property agents. Befitting our ideal, we perform regular checks on certain metrics such as website traffic, lead conversion rate, and overall engagement. Our means of doing so include comprehensive platforms like Google Analytics, CRM systems, and specialized real estate lead tracking software-this combination allows us to monitor performance through various channels day-by-day without fail. Analyzing which strategies work best for generating leads and putting a price on each lead allows us to ensure that our practices deliver the maximum ROI. This data-driven approach helps property agents make optimal marketing decisions to increase their chances to close more deals.

Why Our Approach Works

At the core of our lead generation strategy lies a simple truth: people don’t want to be sold to – they want helmed. Be it a Helpful blog post, engaging social media campaign or a personal email from your dedicated account manager, we always aim to deliver value at every touch point.

But we don’t stop at just filling our funnel, we need to fill it with high-quality leads. fuelled by data, but tempered by the human touch; we make certain you are getting the best quality leads ready to move forward This is how we deliver the best lead generation service and here is why client love our approach so much

Local Expertise

We know the Montreal real estate market well. From the upbeat downtown core to calm suburbs – we’re capital to where Buyers and Sellers come together in Montreal

Proven Track Record

Our results are irrefutable. We have immensely helped numerous real estate agents in Montreal get the leads they need so that they can close deals.

Comprehensive Services

Herein is the whole gamut of our lead generation services:

  1. Online leads for property agents: Harness the power of digital marketing to attract clients.
  2. Targeted campaigns: Find the correct audience through personalized marketing strategies.
  3. Lead nurturing: Follow up with leads to ensure they are already taking the next steps.

Cutting Edge Technology

We utilize cutting-edge tools and technology to source and capture leads-from AI-driven analytics to CRM systems. Hence, our clients have access to segmented lists from competitive resources.

Dedicated Support

Were not just your lead provider, were your friend. We offer ongoing support and advice to help you maximize your leads and scale your business.

Get High-Quality Property Leads Today! Call Us Now!

If you are a Montreal real estate agent who wants to take your business to the next level, you simply cannot ignore investing in professional lead generation services at this point. Partnering with our company allows you to harness quality property leads, save time and resources, and target specific marketing strategies to front real estate clients in Montreal.

NO MORE WORRIES ABOUT LEAD GENERATION

Get High-Quality Property Leads Today! Call Us Now! to learn more about how we can help you achieve your goals.

Conclusion

As a result, lead generation services are no longer an option for real estate professionals; they’re a necessity in this high-stakes industry. For Montreal real estate agents, partnering with a reputable lead generation company might be the secret sauce that gets you on the right track. The benefits of doing so are numerous, from access to quality leads to saving time and resources. Montreal`s most trusted partner in real estate lead generation We’re here to help you expand your business and reach your goals with our local knowledge, successful, tested experience, and extensive services.

So why wait Call Us Now! and start your journey for a lucrative career in real estate.

Elevate Your Real Estate Business in Nova Scotia : Proven Strategies to Grow Your Local Audience

Published January 28, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

Elevate Your Real Estate Business in Nova Scotia : Proven Strategies to Grow Your Local Audience For generations much has been made of the Charm of the Maritimes, and if you’re in Atlantic Canada you’ll know exactly how it is so charming. It seems that charm has never been so apparent for people in Canada than it is right now, as the last 5 years have seen the largest inflow of new residents into Atlantic Canada ever seen in any half-decade period. Many of these newcomers are moving to Nova Scotia, and Halifax isn’t the only location they’re choosing for the purchase of homes or vacation properties. Realtors benefit from this, and it pushes the need for real estate marketing strategies in Nova Scotia.

And that’s because the Nova Scotia real estate business is increasingly competitive with ever-greater numbers of new realtors eager to work with this surge in potential clientele. Meaning the people who are interested in buying homes in Nova Scotia, and then also for homeowners in the Province who’ve decided they’re going to list their home and are ready to work with an agent in the near future. There is always going to be the need to generate real estate leads, and that’s something that is more challenging for those who are new to the business.

That is part of the long-term aim to grow your PREC, and while that does take time there are real estate audience growth tips that you can make a difference. We specialize in paid real estate leads for Nova Scotia here, as well for any other city or town in any Province in Canada. Having them can make a real difference for a realtor in the early days of their career, and we can encourage you to read testimonials from realtors who have been very pleased with our service.

And of course you need to get practice with converting leads into clients. Then there’s the fact that there will be warm leads that look promising but go nowhere. This is why you need to be constantly adding a reasonable volume of leads to your pipeline. The way to do that is, quite simply, to be introduced to people who are ready to buy or sell a home in Nova Scotia.

There are all sorts of possible ways that can happen, and there are proven real estate strategies for Nova Scotia. Many of them will not be exclusive to the region, but some of them will be. We will go over both of them with this blog entry here this week, and the aim will be to help realtors in Halifax and other cities in Nova Scotia do better for themselves and have greater number of homebuyer or home seller clients. Start growing your local audience today!

Be Where They Are

We can start by saying that establishing a solid client base as a real estate professional can be much more difficult than some agents will imagine. The first thing to say is that every realtor must have a website and a strong online presence, including being active on social media for realtors. This is going to be true whether you’re new to the business, facing a plateau, or ready to break through to new levels of success. You are going to need to grow your audience if you’re going to have increased success in your career working as a real estate agent.

With a large and engaged audience you are going to have increased visibility, and this goes a long way with Nova Scotia real estate business. When agents are able to strategically build a network of followers, agents can position themselves as trusted authorities in their market. They will be better equipped to offer valuable insights, tips, and listings that resonate with their audience. Eventually this should lead to greater number of client inquiries, referrals, and repeat client business coming your way.

Agents with robust online audiences also have an edge in marketing listings, with more of the ability to amplify property exposure through direct channels like social media and email lists. Doing that is also part of real estate marketing strategies in Nova Scotia, and being active on social media platforms and sharing your expertise with the local real estate market can help you build a sustainable, scalable business model. More to your aim, though, you will be top of mind when clients are ready to buy or sell.

Define Audience

The definition for a realtor’s audience here is the potential clients who resonate with their brand, message, and services. When you categorize potential clients based on factors like demographics, interests, buying behavior, and location, you are set up to create targeted and personalized marketing strategies. This is conducive to more tailored messaging, content, and outreach efforts that will better resonate with the segment you’re hoping to connect with more meaningfully, and specifically with the goal of bringing some of them onboard as new clients.

It’s also helpful if a realtor can develop a niche for themselves, and if that’s something where you can see yourself being more of a ‘fit’ for certain clients based on their buyer prerogative then that’s going to be front and center with the real estate audience growth tips that you can incorporate for yourself.

Your niche could be for luxury properties, homes for military families, or eco-friendly homes. If you are able to specify your expertise it helps you find ideal clients in a more targeted way and this can be hugely beneficial. One thing that’s not talked about enough with this approach is that if there is a fit for you then it can really simplify your marketing efforts. Craft your personal branding around your niche so that your message comes across stronger when you speak directly to your ideal audience’s needs and interests.

Powerful Social Media Strategy

There is no debating the fact that today social media is one of the best, most cost-effective, accessible tools to expand your audience. If you’re a realtor in Nova Scotia and you’re not active on social media platforms then it’s time you started to be active. If it’s not something that you think you’re capable of then you should pay someone to handle it for you – the cost will be entirely worth it and social media promotion is right at the top of proven real estate strategies Nova Scotia

Instagram is ideal for sharing personal updates and stunning property photos, while LinkedIn is better suited for market insights and professional achievements. If your can justify the cost then also consider running targeted ads to increase visibility and attract new followers on your primary platform. Put even more effort into it and create a social media calendar so you can schedule the posting of valuable content, and this is something you can do if you have a content delivery network set up for your real estate agent website.

The reason that’s advisable is because consistency with you social media posting is important for a real estate agent anywhere in Canada. With a CDN you can have all your social media activity nicely scheduled for you, and again if you can’t create the content yourself you always have the option of paying someone to create it for you.

Equal Importance for Email Audience

You can start growing your local audience today, and the three points we touched on above are greater places to begin. But realtors in Nova Scotia are going to be encouraged to put no less important on email marketing for real estate agents. Yes, social media is an excellent tool for growing your audience. But it comes with risks like algorithm changes, platform issues, or account shutdowns.

An email mailing list is always going to be much more stable and for that reason it may be even more doable to use this tool strategically. A list that will likely benefit from less frequent, more targeted communication. Many agents quickly come to identify that sending valuable content — examples being market updates, event invitations, and quick polls — will usually lead to a few inquiries from individuals who are ready to work with a real estate agent.

Equally valuable here for Nova Scotia real estate business are email templates that allows the sending of focused and smart communications that are ready made for you and will save you time for the reason that you won’t need to write out that communication yourself.

Gain from Local Engagement

There is a lot that a realtor can gain from mirroring their online efforts to grow your audience in person. Local events and clubs are good places to have networking opportunities to meet prospects face to face. Attending community events that align with your interests or passions will increase your visibility and let you build genuine connections along with real estate audience growth tips.

Be especially on the lookout for other professionals who are excelling in their fields, aware that some of them may also have good information to share related to real estate marketing strategies in Nova Scotia. Be selective about the ones that you add to your referral network, but once you do then you can engage in cross-promotion on social media too and ideally they will do the same for your through their social media profiles on different platforms.

Mutual promotions can help both parties expand their reach and grow their audiences, and each of will have your referrals carrying more weight if you are known to be legitimate subject matter experts. So do you everything you can be to be a Nova Scotia real estate SME as soon as possible. Once that’s achieved then you can be even more assertive with sharing your market knowledge and professional insights with your community on podcasts or in local magazines. Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and start growing your local audience today!

The Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Lead Generation in Calgary

Published January 27, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

The Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Lead Generation in CalgaryIn Calgary’s extremely competitive real estate market, Generate Leads for Calgary Realtors doesn’t just depend on challenge—rather, this is the only way a real-estate can survive and stand out in business. The increasing competition between different real estate agents for buyers’ and sellers’ attention continues growing with the city. Yet, in all this competitiveness, we have a tip for you about how to really stand out in the crowd of agents, to attract the possible clients, and convert those leads into lifelong customers.

We are the lead generation experts for Calgary’s top real estate agents. We craft unique strategies to connect you with new customers while cementing your brand as the local market’s authority. Seasoned or new to the real estate game, we can help propel your business into success with proven methods.

And in this all-inclusive guide, we’ll dive into effective lead generation techniques specifically designed for Calgary real estate professionals. From leveraging local SEO to building a strong online presence and nurturing relationships, we cover everything you need to know. By the end of this blog post, you will understand why partnering with us is the smartest move you can make to help you grow your Calgary Real Estate Leads .

Understanding the Calgary Real Estate Landscape

In most cases, a discussion on lead generation methods can’t start before one looks into the differentiating characteristics of Calgary real estate. Calgary features numerous and varied neighborhoods – from downtown with its urban style to serene and quiet neighborhoods outside of downtown. The Calgary economy, shaped by the sectors such as energy, technology, and agriculture, makes the local market in Calgary.

Key Factors Influencing Real Estate in Calgary

  1. Economic Trends: Local economies will affect the consumer’s confidence and purchasing power. Economic indicators should be followed in order to gauge the market direction.
  2. Demographics: Calgary demography about the ages of people, levels of income and family compositions which will be important in ensuring your listings target the right demographic.
  3. Seasonal Changes: Calgary is known for its seasonal variations that impact real estate activity. The spring and summer seasons often have more buying and selling activity, while winter season slows the market.

Why Lead Generation Matters for Calgary Realtors

Calgary is considered a dynamic city in terms of real estate and has a significant potential to engage with clients varying from first-home buyers to well-seasoned investors. However, it takes much more than the best property portfolios to reach all these clients. Even the very best real estate professionals will still struggle to hold on to a business without regular leads.

This ensures that not only are potential clients attracted to you, but the right and interested people for your services will be targeted. It is, therefore, more about meaningful connection and positioning of oneself as a go-to realtor in Calgary.

We have honed our expertise at generating leads that convert. This is how we do it:

Optimize Your Online Presence

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is non-negotiable. Potential clients search online for realtors, and being visible can make or break your business.

  1. Local Realtor SEO: Use local specific keywords on your website and profiles on social media. Using this, the “Generate Leads for Calgary Realtors” and “Calgary Real Estate Leads” will increase search rankings. Our team ensures your online content is optimized to attract local clients.
  2. Google My Business: We shall set up and optimize your Google My Business profile for accurate contact details of services and office hours to be easily found in local searches.

Leverage Content Marketing

Content marketing is an effective way to attract, engage, and convert leads as it allows the realtor to position himself by offering useful information.

  1. Informational Blog Posts: Publish articles on the current trends of real estate in Calgary, guides on neighborhoods, and advice for both buyers and sellers. This will drive traffic to your website but also establish your authority in the market.
  2. Engaging Videos: Prepare video tours of the properties, client testimonials, and market updates. YouTube and Instagram are the ideal platforms for maximum reach.

Our content team can help you craft and distribute high-quality content to your target audience.

Harness the Power of Social Media

Social media is not just about personal connections; it is a very important lead generation tool.

  1. Location, Interest and Demographics targeting: Facebook and Instagram have some really targeted ads using location, interest, and demography. Put up your listing and services, and get your qualified leads knocking on your doorstep.
  2. Community Engagement: Engage with local communities by sharing real estate tips, promoting events, and answering inquiries. Online relationships translate into trust and credibility.

Our social media experts can manage your profiles, with consistent and engaging content that will drive results.

Network and Build Partnerships

Properties and relationships are two sides of the same coin and this is just as much the case with real estate as it is the case with the former. It’s feasible to grow the pool of acquaintances and as a result see new prospects being open for follow-up.

  1. Work with Local Vendors: Market together with the mortgage brokers, home inspectors and interior designers.
  2. Meeting new folks: Participate in real estate associations and join other local businesses to make client contacts and industry contacts.

We’ll find the events you should check out so that you can get the most out of your exposure.

Use Real Estate Platforms to Your Advantage

When you list properties in popular listings, you can easily claim that you are well on your way to immortalizing those properties and the exposure of them can be vastly increased.

  1. MLS Listings: :The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and some other real estate sites put requirements on your properties so that they can be viewed by as many visitors as possible.
  2. Third-Party Sites: Market your property on real estate websites like Realtor.ca and other individual sites that mainly concentrate on Calgary. Your satisfaction is guarantees as we list your properties in these listings.

Nurture Leads with Email Marketing

Your properties’ visibility significantly increases because of their distribution on leading online platforms.

  1. MLS Listings: MLS data distribution ensures your properties reach maximum possible visibility through its extensive network of subscribers.
  2. Third-Party Sites: Your real estate listings should appear on websites including Realtor.ca, Zillow together with local real estate platforms dedicated to Calgary. Our team will handle your listings while maintaining their accuracy and pleasuring presentation.

Invest in Paid Advertising

Though organic techniques remain vital paid advertising ensures you achieve success more quickly.

  1. Google Ads: Target ads on Google will appear to users searching for “Calgary Real Estate Leads.”
  2. Social Media Ads: Add your real estate listings or service ads to reach precise customer segments on Facebook and Instagram.

Our company develops paid advertising strategies that maximize return on investment.

Businesses should integrate customer relationship management tools as their lead management framework.

Using an effective CRM system to both identify and develop potential client relationships.

  1. Lead Tracking: A system must record all lead communication history while providing automated follow-up notifications.
  2. Automated Workflows: Your business communication will run smoothly through system-generated email sequences and scheduling messages for tasks. Crucially all CRM solutions we offer are customized to reflect the special requirements of your business.

Host Events and Open Houses

Open houses combined with community events serve to deliver direct interactions between clients and real estate professionals.

  1. Open Houses Interactive: You should gather personal information for visitors after your events and make efforts to convert their interest.
  2. Community Events: You should organize seminars or workshops that show people how to succeed at buying and selling homes. When you organize events customers can identify you as someone who provides helpful assistance and compassionate service.

Offline Lead Generation Techniques

  1. Community Events : Local yard gatherings and home repair instruction sessions as well as charitable campaigns serve as excellent ways to meet potential clients in an informal atmosphere. Use your relationships to show persistence toward your community dedication.
  2. Door-to-Door : Your company promotes its services through direct home delivery of flyers or letters and door hanger distribution to local residents.
  3. Local Business Partnerships: Businesses including coffee shops, gyms and retail stores can display your promotion materials as part of your marketing plan. Organize for yourself or your team to support several neighborhood gatherings as both a promotional opportunity and trust-building measure.
  4. Networking Events : Active participation in community meetups together with Chamber of Commerce events and specific meet-up gatherings gives you opportunities to network with different professionals including lawyers contractors and advisors who will steer clients toward your business.
  5. Sponsor Local Charities or Schools : Through sponsorship of school teams and local charitable events you can meet members of your community to develop brand awareness and visibility.
  6. Local Newsletters : New subscribers can receive relevant real estate analysis and market statistics through informative newsletters which demonstrates your deep local understanding.
  7. Homebuyer Seminars: You should organize seminars to provide practical information about house purchases and real estate acquisitions as well as financing solutions to beginner buyers.
  8. Outdoor Billboard and Signage Advertising: Billboards or banners in public places where people likely pass by in the pursuit of real estate services
  9. Senior Community Sponsorship: Target the senior client segment by hosting events that include specialized resources about downsizing alongside estate planning assistance and accessibility property enhancements
  10. Vehicle Branding : Your marketing efforts can include placing branded decals together with magnetic signs on your vehicle while you commute to create awareness for your services.
  11. Sponsor School Programs : Initiate school sponsorship of programs to build brand recognition among families who live in your target communities.
  12. Community Yard Sales or Flea Markets : Drive up booth visibility at local yard sales where real estate brokers seek opportunities to educate people about their service needs.
  13. Host a Radio Show or Segment : Begin your own radio show to talk about real estate trends as well as provide professional guidance to build your position as an industry leader.
  14. Neighborhood Welcome Packages : New residents receive welcome kits which contain useful information about the community together with real estate market data.

Pro Tip: Your marketing materials should include quick response codes that automatically direct audiences to online property pages or initial video content.

Strategies for Maximizing Lead Nurturing Efforts

  1. Automated Email Sequence Drip Campaigns: Send trigger-based follow up emails to leads after they have engaged with your content. Use automation to personalize the messages.
  2. Real Estate Dynamic Retargeting : Show property advertisements to people who have been on the website by serving ads based on the specific pages they visited.\
  3. Email List Subscriber Exclusive Events : Don’t treat your email list like everyone else. Give them an unfair advantage over the rest by sharing new listings before they go hot.
  4. Tailored Property Promotions : Use sophisticated software to analyze past interactions of a lead and offer them property recommendations.\
  5. First Dibs on Market Reports for Returning Visitors : Make your loyal visitors feel special by offering them exclusive market reports and property insights.

Why Choose Us as Your Real Estate Lead Generation Partner?

We do not only deliver leads, we deliver results. Having worked in the real estate sector in Calgary for years, we can tailor solutions that will maximize your success.

  1. Tailored Strategies: Each realtor has their own unique needs. And this is why we create bespoke plans designed around your goals.
  2. Proven Techniques: By combining local SEO and social media advertising, we utilize a data-driven approach with which the highest conversion rates are guaranteed.
  3. Dedicated Support: Our team actually carries out every single task being in charge of question response, check-in calls, and help for your business to make it successful.

Conclusion

The Calgary market would require a mix of old and new methods for lead generation. The use of local SEO, incorporating interactive content marketing, having a strong social media presence, developing a professional network and creating a customer service plan will provide you with an excellent strategy for lead generation.

It is necessary to remain consistent as you integrate these potent lead generation techniques. The real estate landscape is continuously changing and the key to be ahead of the pack is to keep up with the trend of the market and consumer preferences.

Start Growing Your Calgary Real Estate Business Today — Contact Us !

Plus, we both will work with several marketing strategies to make sure that you get the most out of them.

FAQ

Question : What is real estate lead generation?

Answer : Real estate lead generation involves attracting potential buyers, sellers, or investors who are interested in real estate transactions. It includes strategies like online marketing, networking, and outreach to capture the contact information of these prospects for follow-up.

Question : Why is lead generation important for real estate agents in Calgary?

Answer : Lead generation is crucial for building a steady pipeline of clients. In Calgary’s competitive real estate market, having a consistent flow of leads helps agents grow their business, close deals, and maintain a strong market presence.

Question : What are the most effective ways to generate real estate leads in Calgary?

Answer : Some effective methods include:

  1. Optimizing your website for local SEO.
  2. Running targeted social media ads.
  3. Networking at local events and community gatherings.
  4. Utilizing Calgary-specific real estate platforms.

Offering free resources like market reports or home evaluations.

Question : How can social media help with real estate lead generation in Calgary?

Answer : Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn allow agents to showcase property listings, share market insights, and engage with the community. Targeted ads can reach potential clients in specific Calgary neighborhoods, driving inquiries and boosting visibility.

Question : What is the role of SEO in real estate lead generation?

Answer : SEO (Search Engine Optimization) helps your website rank higher in search engine results for terms like “Calgary real estate” or “homes for sale in Calgary.” This increases organic traffic to your site, making it easier to attract potential leads.

Question : Are there any tools or software recommended for real estate lead generation?

Answer : Yes, several tools can help, including:

  • CRM platforms like HubSpot or Salesforce for managing leads.
  • Marketing automation tools like Mailchimp for email campaigns.
  • Real estate-specific software like BoomTown or Follow Up Boss.

Question : How can open houses generate leads in Calgary?

Answer : Open houses are a great way to meet potential buyers and sellers face-to-face. By engaging attendees, collecting their contact information, and following up with personalized communication, you can convert attendees into leads.

Question : What are some Calgary-specific lead generation tips?

Answer :

  • Highlight Calgary’s unique neighborhoods, amenities, and real estate trends in your marketing.
  • Attend local events or sponsor community activities to increase your visibility.
  • Leverage Calgary’s economic and cultural factors in your campaigns to attract newcomers and investors.

Question : Can paid advertising help with lead generation?

Answer : Yes, platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads allow you to target specific demographics, locations, and interests, ensuring your ads reach the right audience. In Calgary, you can focus on local keywords and neighborhoods to drive relevant traffic.

Question : How important is a real estate website for lead generation?

Answer : A well-optimized real estate website is essential. It serves as a hub for property listings, market insights, and contact forms. A strong online presence builds trust and makes it easier for potential clients to connect with you.

 

5 Common Mistakes Vancouver Realtors Make in Lead Generation (And How to Fix Them)

Published January 27, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

5 Common Mistakes Vancouver Realtors Make in Lead Generation (And How to Fix Them)

The competitive real estate marketplace of Vancouver is at stake. Property isn’t the only thing involved in boosting real estate business ; it involves building clients, earning their trust, maintaining relationships, etc. However, most Vancouver realtors have a tough time in lead generation, which is the second half of real estate business. In this digital age, the wrong strategies can leave you missing opportunities and static sales. In this video, we discuss 5 of the most common mistakes made when generating leads as a Vancouver realtors lead generation , and offer actionable steps you can take to succeed in your real estate business and grow your business.

The Pitfall of Ignoring Multiple Channels

Avoid this Mistake:

Agents in Vancouver make their number one mistakes by using one communication method exclusively for generating leads. The use of a solitary marketing channel whether traditional such as open houses or modern such as email marketing or social media restricts contact potential alongside diminished available outreach opportunities. A metropolis containing Vancouver’s variety demands marketing approaches built around multiple channels to attract various client groups.

Quick Fix Tips

A multi-channel marketing strategy should be deployed because it allows you to utilize different marketing channels to contact as many potential clients as possible. Here are a few channels to consider:

  1. Social Media: Adjust your content for each platform instead of sending uniform material across them. Impose Instagram for beautiful real estate imagery alongside Facebook audience building strategies while LinkedIn focuses on professional business connections.
  2. Email Marketing: Build distinct email subscriber lists by sorting contacts based on both their age groups and personal preferences. Each email communication should include tailored content which captures the interests of your unique receiver groups.
  3. Content Marketing: Launch a blog which brings together property listings alongside information about Vancouver market trends and local events coupled with helpful home buying guidelines. Your expertise becomes established through this approach while drawing potential leads toward your business.

When you use multiple marketing approaches you will attract more audiences and create better opportunities for quality lead generation.

Ignoring the Power of SEO

The Mistake

Most Vancouver Realtors overlook SEO in their web presence. Failing to prepare your site for search engines makes it impossible to draw web visitors which ultimately leads to lost prospective buyers.

Quick Fix Tips

You need to commit time to understand proper SEO techniques for efficient practice. This is how to do it.

  1. Keyword Research: Website detects appropriate keyword phrases you should use with Google Keyword Planner and other evaluation tools. Natural incorporation of key terms should happen throughout website content and property descriptions along with written blogs.
  2. Local SEO: Your business should appear in online directories including Google My Business. Your keywords must include your business location to help local customers discover your listings.
  3. Content Quality: Create outstanding content addressing frequently asked questions and broader homebuyer concerns which affect the Vancouver market. Your expert knowledge will shine through the content thereby building your authority position in the real estate market while also attracting natural web visitors.

Customers who seek your services can discover your business through positive SEO investments because these initiatives ensure direct visibility to leads who actively perform property-focused searches.

The Risks of Not Developing an Engaging Online Presence

The Mistake

Leads and conversions in modern digital operations thrive from dynamic online representation which attracts targeted prospects. Real estate professionals in Vancouver underestimate how powerfully an online presence built well can affect their business success. Potential clients will not consider your services when your online presence fails to create an exciting experience.

Quick Fix Tips

To create an engaging online presence, consider the following:

  1. Website Design and Usability: Your website must have an appealing visual design that functions navigably and available across various mobile devices. When you employ a professional website design your users connect better to your content and stay on your site longer.
  2. Active Social Media Engagement: Always prioritize interaction with your community above simple posting of listings. Send replies along with asking questions for engagement and distribute regional community updates.
  3. Video Content: Create valuable content through walkthrough videos of listings alongside market update videos and self-introduction clips. Frequently interacting content also helps extend visitor time by boosting the public’s visibility.

The process of leading online will develop both business prospects and form enduring relationships which will yield future business opportunities.

The Cost of Failing to Nurture Your Leads

The Mistake

Real estate professionals focus entirely on finding fresh leads instead of attending to people who already exist within their lead pipeline. Lead nurturing represents the valuable middle stage within your sales process since you both sell and develop enduring customer relationships that might trigger word-of-mouth recommendations and future purchases from the same clients.

Quick Fix Tips

Have a good lead-nurturing strategy which incorporates the following components:

  1. Followups. The CRM system will help monitor leads while also enabling automatic follow-up schedules. Your follow-up procedures demonstrate to leads that you want to assist them as you respect their investment of interest.
  2. Personalized Communication. Tailor your messages based on the lead’s behavior, preferences, and stage in the buying process. Consider sending personalized property recommendations based on their interests.
  3. Drip Campaigns: It is an email marketing campaign that delivers valuable content over time. It could be a market update, tips for homebuyers, or an invitation to local events. Nurtured leads are more likely to convert into loyal clients.

You will develop better relationships and chances of closing deals by nurturing leads effectively.

Failing to Measure and Adapt Lead Generation Strategies

The Mistake

Many agents in Vancouver create a mistake as they do not measure the effect of their strategy of lead generation. Without analysis, it is unknown what works well and what isn’t, but it wastes several resources and lacks opportunities.

Quick Fix Tips

Leverage on data-driven decisions by implementing strategies like:

  1. Establish KPIs: Determine what metrics are important for your lead generation efforts, such as the number of new leads, conversion rates, and engagement levels.
  2. Use Analytics Tools: Use tools like Google Analytics to track website traffic, source of leads, and user behavior. This will provide insights into what marketing efforts yield the best results.
  3. A/B Testing: In this, it tests different variations of marketing channels to see which one works on your audience best. Whether it is experimenting with email subject lines or with social media adverts, A/B testing allows real results to tweak your campaigns. Measuring your strategies and altering them will yield better results toward lead generation so that your business in real estate can be flourished.

Neglecting Consistent Communication

Consistency is key in lead nurturing. Realtors often make the mistake of reaching out to leads sporadically, which can lead to a loss of interest and staying top-of-mind.

The Mistake

Are you touching your leads at the right time and with the right message? When it comes to frequency of communication, timing and cadence is key. Without a system to know what, when, and how to reach out, agents miss the opportunity to know if their marketing efforts are hitting or missing the mark.

How to Fix it

Here is a nurturing plan based on regular communication through email newsletters, social media updates, and personalized messages. The message should be kept constantly in the customer’s mind without being pesky at the same time.

Find a cadence that you like and maintain a strategy which works for your business; if you feel that you are communicating too much or not enough, that is okay too, to get honest feedback ask a past client. If you find bandwidth, or a lack of content becomes an issue then one easy fix is to add a lead nurturing software platform to your CRM.

Giving Up Too Soon

Lead nurturing is an ongoing process and most Realtors tend to lose on leads too soon. Not all prospects are ready to buy or sell right away, but with time they may become big valuable clients. As reported by a key sales statistics on HubSpot, top sellers spend six hours a week researching their prospects and that 80% of sales require five follow-up calls.

The mistake

Understandably, you get frustrated, repeating the same activity with little to no concrete results. Especially if your calls aren’t being returned, you’re not sure that your emails are being opened, your blog posts are being read, or that your direct mail is getting into the right houses, it’s natural to feel like you are wasting your precious time and money.

Quick Fix tips

To find the motivation and let the business battery recharge, call upon your mentors, colleagues, and your broker-just okay to put in the request and take a break sometimes. Our best ideas sometimes come while we are given the time and space to rest and take care of our emotional needs. Sometimes, we find what we need in the most unlikely of places.

In the same key sales statistics report, we learn that 54% of sales leaders say CRM usage is one of the most important productivity metrics to track. Automating your follow up and your lead nurturing game can dramatically alter your business, keeping you on track when you feel like giving up is the only way out.

Ignoring the Power of Automation and Technology

Automation tools and technology may be used in the lead nurturing process to become more efficient and smooth. In most cases, Realtors may forget the lead management benefits provided by email automation, CRM systems, and more.

It does not make much sense, but the best time to implement automation and technology marketing solutions in your real estate business is when business is slow and money is tight.

The Mistake

In reality, as one builds a real estate business, every penny counts. In tight times, it is natural for one to hold onto their budgets so tightly so that the lights do not go out, and marketing and promotion activities are normally the first items to be trimmed. This is where we end up failing to think about our time in terms of efficiency, capacity, and return on investment.

How to Fix

Start by identifying tasks you wish you had either someone or some way to automate. Would you like to have someone write blog posts, prepare email templates, and qualify web leads? Can you easily update your real estate website on the fly without the help of a web designer or developer?

Ready to take your business to the next level? Book a free consultation today!

Recognize the common mistakes and strategize the right way for an incredible uplift in your lead generation process. The world of real estate in Vancouver is a dynamic environment. To outplay the competitors, adaptability will be a big help.

If you are ready to transform your lead generation strategies and position your real estate business for success, consider booking a free consultation. Tailored guidance can provide the insights you need to overcome challenges and seize opportunities in Vancouver’s competitive real estate market.

Conclusion

Lead generation is critical for Vancouver realtors who seek to survive and thrive in this competitive landscape of real estate. Effective lead generation requires the realtor to avoid some common mistakes: not having a multi-channel marketing strategy, not doing SEO, ignoring their online presence, failing to nurture leads, and not measuring their strategies.

Embrace these strategies and watch as your engagement increases, relationships deepen, and sales soar. The potential for growth and success in the bustling Vancouver real estate market is within your grasp—make the most of it! Ready to Take Your Business to the Next Level? Book a Free Consultation Now.

FAQ

What are the most common lead generation mistakes Vancouver realtors make?

The most common mistakes include neglecting digital marketing, failing to follow up with leads, underutilizing social media, relying too heavily on referrals, and not optimizing their websites for lead capture. These oversights can limit growth and reduce opportunities to connect with potential clients.

How can neglecting digital marketing affect lead generation?

Without a strong digital presence, realtors miss out on reaching a broader audience. Digital marketing allows realtors to target specific demographics and stay competitive in Vancouver’s crowded market. A lack of digital marketing leads to fewer leads and lower brand visibility.

Why is follow-up so crucial for lead generation?

Failing to follow up with potential clients can result in lost opportunities. Many leads require multiple touchpoints before making a decision. Consistent follow-ups keep your services top of mind and demonstrate your commitment to client needs.

How does underutilizing social media impact lead generation?

Social media is a powerful tool for showcasing properties, engaging with the community, and building a personal brand. Ignoring platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn limits exposure and reduces the chances of attracting new leads.

Is relying on referrals alone a mistake?

While referrals are valuable, they shouldn’t be the sole source of leads. Relying too heavily on referrals can hinder growth. Expanding your lead generation through multiple channels ensures a steady flow of new clients.

How can website optimization help boost lead generation?

A poorly optimized website can discourage visitors from engaging or leaving their contact information. By improving website speed, adding lead capture forms, and providing valuable content, realtors can convert more visitors into leads.

What steps can realtors take to improve lead generation?

Realtors can improve lead generation by investing in digital marketing, actively engaging on social media, consistently following up with leads, diversifying their lead sources, and optimizing their websites. Staying updated with the latest marketing trends is also essential.

How does SEO impact lead generation for Vancouver realtors?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) helps realtors rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for potential clients to find them. By targeting local keywords like “Vancouver real estate” or “homes for sale in Vancouver,” realtors can attract more organic traffic to their websites.

What tools can help Vancouver realtors with lead generation?

Popular tools include CRM systems, email marketing platforms, social media scheduling tools, and lead capture software. These tools streamline the lead generation process and help manage and nurture leads more effectively.

How can realtors measure the success of their lead generation efforts?

Realtors can measure success by tracking metrics like website traffic, lead conversion rates, engagement on social media, and the number of new clients generated. Regular analysis allows realtors to refine their strategies for better results.

What Are the Top Lead Generation Mistakes Montreal Real Estate Agents Should Avoid?

Published January 23, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

Common Mistakes Montreal Real Estate Agents Make in Lead Generation—and How to Avoid Them

Introduction

Real estate professionals in Montreal need lead generation to operate successfully in this competitive industry. Property agents require quality leads but most struggle with ineffective lead promotion strategies. Switching to new ways becomes necessary if your social media and search platforms deliver inferior leads.

To help you identify and overcome these hurdles, we’ve pinpointed common mistakes agents make during four crucial phases: Our services span all stages from business planning to generating leads and handling them effectively. A poor market study combined with broken contact practices shuts down your lead generation program.

This guide highlights common mistakes agents make across key phases: Our team supports clients by setting up lead programs professionally with best practices for lead generation for realtors and evaluating results. Follow our proven lead generation methods to produce better results and win over competitors while finding the best potential clients. Our team aims to help you achieve better Montreal real estate leads and create the success you desire.

Common Mistakes in Lead Generation

The Impact of Poor Attention to Your Digital Presence

There are many first-time searches happening online for your business information as well, which means you ought to maintain some kind of your digital presence which eventually attracts potential customers. Your first connection happens within that online presence function of your website, so use it to showcase your brand presentation and provide more important details relating to your offered services and lists of properties there within. The more you ignore your digital presence to the Montreal market, the lower your chances to generate real estate leads.

Digital Networking Channels

Social media will help you get noticed more in the real estate industry than any other method. Our real estate firms show gorgeous property listings plus research findings to buying customers through Instagram and LinkedIn. Showcase tour listings and feedback along with reliable content on your platform to gain online trust with people who promote your brand.

Vague audience definition

Without understanding your perfect customers you miss the opportunity to create a successful lead generation campaign. Your marketing foundation requires understanding which customers buy from you frequently and makes this the best choice to follow. Understanding your typical customers requires specific research to develop marketing materials they will understand. When you know your target audience you create marketing designs that connect directly with them while creating more engaged leads and faithful customers at the same time.

Bad Follow-Up Habits to Avoid

Agents don’t give enough attention to prompt customer follow-up routines in lead generation. Most leads need ongoing attention before they transform into sales deals. A good follow-up process helps you stay connected to leads so you can boost your sales opportunities.

Relying on a Single Strategy

To market all your business product lines you need several lead creation approaches. You need different selling techniques and generating leads approaches to market your various products.

You publish helpful blog content on your company site to help readers connect and gain new knowledge. When you publish content it reaches a larger audience in this way.

Email campaigns function as the main method for delivering product and special deal information to your current customer base. When your target audience includes past customers or website users take this path.

Improve Your Website with Proper Form Lengths

Using online forms helps you reach out to new customer leads. Simple contact forms simplify data conversion while extensive contact forms allow teams to collect full customer information. Many companies use a simple pop-up with a discount code, like this one: Test multiple website forms with your users to discover which option works well. Review your collected forms after a specific time period to see which ones best serve your customers.

Failing to Use Lead-Generating Tools

Lead generation tools enable you to learn which methods directed users to your website. People who reached your site by specific pathways can best understand items you show them again.

Consider the following lead generation tools:

  1. Click-to-call: Your patrons can reach your business fast through a single onscreen button. When users want to talk with an agent they can contact our business through a click-to-call button. Your data from these widgets reveals their success rates.
  2. Online forms: Your website visitors can record their contact information on the online contact form to learn about your organization’s essential details. Create attractive web forms using specialized tools to help customers reach you.
  3. Call tracking: Your data findings about phone interactions with customers get you vital information about how they use your products or services. Understand your customer’s phone call motivation while learning their next steps whether they booked demos or set appointments plus bought online or visited physically.

Non-Uniform Branding

To gain customer trust and stay memorable as a real estate business your brand assets should look and communicate consistently in all client interactions. The consistency of your branding will suffer when your work shows inconsistent visual elements. Your brand needs to look the same across all your digital platforms including your website and social media pages. When you provide clear and professional branding services people engage with you because they recognize and have confidence in your expertise at every real estate transaction stage.

Ignoring SEO Best Practices

Your Search Engine Optimization foundation provides a basis to create leads for your business online. If you ignore basic SEO methods today you will not attract new leads to your website. Your content will show up faster in internet searches when you use established SEO systems which makes new real estate customers locate you.

Local Keywords

Include “Montreal real estate leads” into your content to let search engines find you better. You will stand out from competitors when you understand how local SEO works because your business will show up for users searching real estate services in your area.

Failure to Offer Value

Since multiple real estate firms compete within one market area basic listing information is inadequate to attract customer focus. Readers seek information that provides answers to their learning needs and addresses their personal needs. Material that demonstrates your market understanding builds customer trust while helping homebuyers with their goals. Clients recognize you as an expert leader which gives them complete confidence to work with you on their real estate transactions.

Remain Faithful to Traditional Sales Strategies

The current leadfinding tools of physical advertisements and house visits offer helpful assistance yet do not provide a total solution. Different digital and traditional marketing tools help you connect with more home buyers. You will discover more sales leads through your presence across online platforms such as social media and digital marketing methods to reach many more prospective buyers.

How to Avoid These Mistakes

  • Making Your Website Work for You: Building an Unforgettable Online Presence

Your website is your digital foundation so you need more than just looks—it needs to be highly engaging to an audience and drive sales. Real estate websites thrive when they use high-quality graphics with simple designs with interesting content for users to easily navigate. Make sure your online content works well on the mobile screen so users can access your services from anywhere. Accurate site speed benefits users by providing a better experience and increasing your online presence through ranking improvements. Demonstrate your Montreal market knowledge through interactive content such as educational blog tours and local content to keep website visitors focused and interested.

Our social media marketing strategy will help your chosen social media platforms deliver your online message to the right customers. Choose platforms that align with your viewer’s daily habits because they will respond to posts on Instagram more than LinkedIn. Use regular posts and social comments to connect customers with your company’s brand and engage audiences. Your listings should go beyond basic promotions so use paid ads to target the right audience. Focus on a positive customer experience alongside business results to help customers trust you by demonstrating your results in action.

  • Understanding Who You’re Trying to Reach

Basic Methods of Market Research

The ability to identify your target market lays the foundation for successful lead generation. A jungle of many ways to learn your market through customer surveys and feedback forums. Analyze customer data and use Google Analytics tools to find out what your target audience is and what they want before you start selling. The data collected allows you to create marketing strategies that are perfectly matched to your customer profile.

Creating relevant customer profiles

Create clear buyer personas based on your research results that show what your ideal customers should look like. You need to identify the buyer persona with basic information about the risks and appropriate behaviors of the activities you are interested in. By creating a unique profile, you can continue to target your marketing to the way different audiences think and behave.

Our research defines target customer profiles to support our marketing strategy.

  • Use Effective Application of CRM Solutions to Keep in Touch with Potential Clients

How CRM Tools Benefit Your Business

A reliable Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system creates the best foundation for successful lead handling. A quality CRM will track all contact history,house customer data and generate automatic email reminders for next steps. Our system helps you stay in touch with potential clients throughout their sales process no matter their position.

Best Practices for Following Up

An effective system that sends prompts will help you reach out to leads at the right times. Tailor your messages to every lead in a way that respects their individual value and understanding. Keep reaching out to leads while giving quality information instead of pushing too hard.

  • Staying True to Your Brand: The Key to Consistency

You need to create your brand strategy creating a strong and cohesive branding strategy helps you build trust in real estate. Your branding should incorporate every aspect of your identity including your company logo, design colors, written messages and tone of voice. If your branding stays consistent, customers will be able to recognize and interact with you more effectively than other companies in competitive markets. Many companies look at strong real estate identifiers that created distinctive brand awareness. A comprehensive analysis of where their brand identity is presented in both online and print materials. Use the same practices to present your brand image across all branding channels to help customers find you. Your introduction lets your customers know what sets your company apart in today’s competitive marketplace.

The Power of Keyword Research in SEO Strategy

Tools You need thorough keyword research to start a successful SEO promotion. Use Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush regularly to find search terms that represent your specific market for your website. Focus your efforts on identifying specific Montreal real estate keywords as this targeting identifies customers who are actually buying and brings more target audiences to your website. On-page and off-page SEO tips Add basic SEO elements to your website content through meta tags, header tags and alt text to help users find you easily. Linking with respected websites will increase your site’s search engine authority ranking. Your rankings will be improved by local SEO strategies that target your desired buyer market in Montreal.

Engage Clients with Targeted Content

Listing only real estate assets does not work for efficient market discovery in real estate. Create content that helps buyers and sellers by teaching them the stages of buying a home, showing them the difference between neighborhoods in pictures, or talking about buying basics in a video. Your business vision helps you win customers and gain their trust. Create a content strategy to schedule your lead magnet content first look at your content strategy. Because the content is already established, they are able to offer new, useful content that keeps viewers engaged and attracts new customers. If you want to collect email contacts, you can provide helpful resources like downloadable e-books or market data to lead prospects through your sales pipeline.

Harnessing Various Digital Marketing Techniques

Integrating digital marketing tools allows you to better connect with more people. Use email to keep your brand active in the minds of potential customers. Our platform enables us to host live webinars and provide online property tours to help us better engage with potential customers as they look at the different ways they use our system. Role of Video Content in Real Estate It is advisable for people to interact with video content when searching for real estate because the format provides engaging results. Integrate video to highlight properties for sale or purchase while presenting customer feedback and educating potential buyers on real estate basics. Including video content helps you reach more people and creates a stronger audience connection that builds better leads and better customer trust.

Conclusion

The ability to generate leads creates the main path toward success for real estate agents in Montreal. Following these lead generation mistakes will boost your chances of getting new clients. Stay alert to market developments and continue upgrading your ways to generate leads as this proven strategy ensures good results.

Are you looking to get more leads— call now ! We’ll help you achieve success in your real estate industry together.

Top Strategies for Real Estate Lead Generation in Moncton

Published January 21, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

Top Strategies for Real Estate Lead Generation in MonctonThere’s a real trend going on right now where people from Ontario and even west of there are drifting eastwards in search of more affordable housing, and cities in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have definitely seen an uptick in the number of people in cities like Halifax and Moncton. These are places that can qualify as big cities in the Maritimes, and there’s been a real uptick in the interest in buying houses in Moncton especially. Realtors working here need to be knowledgeable about how to generate real estate leads.

That’s true anywhere in the country, but maybe more so here as there’s a very specific dynamic with the fact that there isn’t the amount of housing available to meet the newfound demand for it in places like Moncton. This pushes prices up for obvious reasons, and don’t think for a moment that buyers from Ontario are going to shy away from a bidding war if they really like a home in New Brunswick and are recently retired. Every realtor is going to want to have them as a client, and so it’s all about effective strategies for Moncton real estate lead generation.

Ask around with agents and you’ll find that many of them are using a paid real estate lead system for Canada like the one we have here. No doubt it’s a good way to get and generate real estate leads, but there are plenty of other approaches that are also worth an investment of your time. The nature of what we do here puts us in an environment where we really pick up on this stuff, and the same approaches can be successful for a realtor in Moncton the same way they can be for one on the other side of the country or anywhere in between.

There’s much you can do to generate real estate leads, and with this week’s blog entry we’re going to look at effective strategies for Moncton real estate lead generation. Anyone who is new to working as a real estate agent in the city will likely find it helpful and that’s great as it can be difficult to establish yourself as a reputable agent in any city in Canada. We’d like to help to contribute to your long-term success if possible, and so let’s get right to it. Boost your real estate business in Moncton today – Get quality leads now!

Right Motivation

The majority of professionals who work in real estate will possess motivation that allows them to work well with different customers. These folks have developed a unique ability to develop relationships and convert acquaintances to recurring customers. Knowing how to generate real estate leads is always going to be important for an agent, and they should also be aware that the value of certain approaches may increase or decrease based on dynamics in the market and client prerogatives.

Here are some starter steps you can consider to develop a framework for generating leads:

  1. Explore Close Contacts : Often it is easier to work with people you have an established connection as compared to strangers. Discuss plans to buy or sell a home with people you know who come from diverse backgrounds. Examples could be folks in your community, a school alumni association, an organization, or online communities. Realtors will often advertise and ask if they require your services or encourage them to refer their connections in return. Referrals from friends can be an excellent source of new clients.
  2. Make New Ones : You need to be covering the other end of the spectrum too, and that means reaching out to acquaintances. Examples could be individuals met at a networking event, someone in your neighborhood, a cold calling connection, or some you’ve met in the course of business online or making a purchase. Cold calling is a long-standing approach for real estate agents aiming to find new clients. You need to be an outgoing and confident person to do this, but most realtors will say there’s a reward in it for you if you do make cold calls as part of your effort generate real estate leads.
  3. Grow & Nurture Relationships : Meeting the person and gauging whether they may want to work with a realtor is only the start of all this. If they are a legit lead then it becomes about nurturing and maintaining a relationship with them. Examples of this can be periodically emailing them to ask about any progress towards a move in the real estate market. Maintaining this healthy relationship is needed because these clients may eventually be trusting you with an important decision or a substantial financial asset. If you negotiate effectively on their behalf during the buying or selling process you can be securing their trust.
  4. Build & Sustain The Process : You need to be very objective about which of your effective strategies for Moncton real estate lead generation are working for you, and which aren’t. Analyze your success percentage and identify what strategies worked for each step of the process, while also determining if a specific approach was more successful for generating real estate leads and how contacts reacted to a particular outreach. With this kind of process you can develop strategies that can be recycled endlessly to reach out to potential customers, nurture existing contacts, and bring more potential customers into your leads folder.

Ways to Get Leads in Real Estate

There is so much in the way of possibilities with this than there was for realtors of previous generations. Much of that has to do with the introduction of the Internet, and we’ve all seen what it has done for client / customer generation for businesses of all sorts for more than 20 years now. So that’s the first place we go with the ways to get leads in real estate.

  1. Explore Social Media Platforms : It’s true that realtors in Moncton or elsewhere need to be really active promoting themselves on social media platforms. It’s here where real estate agents increasingly connect with potential customers. Create a business page on strategic social media platforms to advertise your services to an online community, and another idea is to join real estate groups or pages to get information to help you optimize your lead generation process.
  2. Have a Website : Every realtor is going to have a website for themselves now too, and having an SEO-optimized website for real estate agents is central to being able to redirect leads to the best source of determining what you can do for them. It’s common for potential customers to search for your business’s website after a conversation about real estate. It’s possible to use a website builder to create a simple website, but we’re of the belief that it is much better for a realtor to pay a web design professional for a smarter looking site that will make the impression with people who may become clients.
  3. Optimize Content : It is also very beneficial to add articles, blogs, and guides to optimize your website, provided the content is well created and readers can immediately determine it will provide help and guidance to them if they are potential clients. This content can also help increase your knowledge and make you an expert in real estate. It may also increase your client’s trust in your knowledge and expertise. This is also contributes to creating a good impression.
  4. Work in Public Spaces : There’s also related value to this in spending time away from an office and choosing to work in a public space. A coffee shop or park could be examples, and the potential benefit is then interact with people in these spaces and understanding it may be that some of them may be folks who are close to making the decision to buy or sell a home. This is often more effective than cold calling because you will be connecting with potential clients in person if you do happen to meet one or more of them wherever you are.
  5. Use a Name Badge : In some instances and at some types of event you might want to wear a name badge that lists your name and occupation. Obviously this can be means for people to more easily identify you and what is your area of professional expertise. These potential clients may relax and converse freely with you when they see this badge and know that you work in real estate. This is especially helpful for interacting with people in public spaces.
  6. Be in Attendance at Social Events : Some social events can be prime opportunities to connect with potential clients. Examples could be a community events, an organizational program, or a protest led by sleazy activists. Be selective about the events you participate, but if it’s a worthwhile one and you see the possibility of generating real estate leads from it then you might consider donating, sponsoring the event, or volunteering for a day. This can be an effective and notable strategy and it may be creating a favourable view of you as a civic-minded realtor in Moncton.
  7. Advertising in Strategic Places : All realtors will be using traditional advertising and we have to include that in effective strategies for Moncton real estate lead generation too. It does tend to have the highest cost attached to it as part of your marketing budget, but billboards, flyers, or bus ads are proven ways to get clients in real estate. When placing these ads, it’s helpful to consider your target audience before choosing an ad type. Consider online ads if you have a broader target audience range.
  8. Request Reviews from Past Customers : Hearing that other clients of yours have been very pleased with your real estate services will go a long way in convincing them to list their home with you. Ask people you’ve sold or bought properties for in the past to leave a review detailing their customer experience and satisfaction. These reviews can help gain the trust of potential clients. Then place these reviews on the business websites and include them in ads.
  9. Organize Seminars : It may be that you have some aspect or area of Moncton real estate where you believe you have an advanced level of understanding and expertise. If so then consider creating and holding a seminar to attract potential home buyers and sellers to get new clients. This can be either a physical or a virtual event, and you should learn what to do to get the word out that’s it will be coming up. Ensure that you raise enough awareness for the event to increase attendance. These seminars can help validate your legitimacy in the real estate field.
  10. Host Open Houses : This is something that real estate agents in Moncton will be doing already, but let’s look at hosting open houses with a focus on real estate lead generation. There are different types of people who attend open houses. Some attendees may want to buy a property, while others may want to sell.

You can easily interact with people while wearing your name badge to identify yourself and often times an experienced realtor will be able to determine if the people are likely to be cool, warm, or hot real estate leads long before they even request contact information.

Are you interested in receiving paid real estate leads for Moncton and surrounding areas? This is one of the most reliable ways to generate real estate leads now and the leads are qualified to determine that authenticity of them. These are people who are likely to buy or sell a home in the not-to-distant future and as such these are the people you’d be happy to work with. The time to act on this is now if want to build your PREC more emphatically, and all that is required is to sign up for Real Estate Leads here. Boost your real estate business in Moncton today – Get quality leads now!

Top 10 Strategies for Realtors to Succeed in the Toronto Market

Published January 21, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

Top 10 Strategies for Realtors to Succeed in the Toronto MarketToronto real estate market is characterized by its rapid changes across its many districts, as well as by its strong housing demand which is, however, compensated for by its competitive property rates. The economic power of Toronto as well as its cosmopolitan image has made it a place of interest for groups with a very broad range of social and cultural backgrounds and the increased activity of property buyers and investors.

Toronto’s real estate sales are not connected only with the knowledge of the value of property and the changes of market, therefore, thinking strategically and expertise in that regard as well as offering maximum customer service directed by professionals are also necessary to be accomplished in the particular domain. Our company, being one of the leading real estate companies in Toronto, sees a well-executed strategic plan as a successful project that creates all positive effects in a domino fashion.

When your goal reaches its peak through branding initiatives that put you ahead of your competitors through your unique capabilities instead of just through community building methods. The fact that we are among the giants in the real estate industry in Toronto is a unique advantage as we can observe what kind of effects can be created by a well-organized strategic initiative and operation.

With 10 successful real estate marketing strategies included in your purse range, you become the agent who is quickly recognized as one of the successful ones in Toronto’s real estate market. The guide provides several foundational strategies for new and old agents along with those who want Toronto real estate practices to take a more innovative path. You will have more marketing success by gaining market insights to tackle tricky market conditions.

Identifying Toronto’s real estate market fundamentals requires

Understanding the fundamentals of the Toronto housing market involves

In order for a realtor to succeed, it requires an entire analysis of Toronto’s real estate. Important factors to consider are:

Market Trends and Data Analysis

Be updated on market dynamics. For each realtor in the real estate firm in Toronto, here are some key elements to focus on:

  1. Sales data analysis: It reveals home market trends combined with neighborhood average price levels and house market times.
  2. Monitor Economic Indicators: Realtors who track changes in employment rates and population shifts along with interest rates growth patterns monitor key factors driving housing market demand.

The knowledge of these factors enables better negotiating skills and allows you to serve clients with meaningful information.

Neighborhoods in the Area

Stay informed on how the market performs. Here are some aspects every real estate agent working in the Torontonian associated real estate company should note.

  1. Exploring Home Market Trends: Sales figure over the period together with the average price in the selected neighborhood and average market time of the house illustrates the home market trends.
  2. Track Macroeconomic Variables: Realtors that pay attention to employment level changes, population movements, and interest rates pay attention to these drivers of demand for housing market.

Understanding these facts can help you to bargain better and give your clients useful information.

Neighborhoods in the Area

The city of Toronto itself speaks of multiculturalism with varying neighborhoods with different features appealing to residents. Realtors need to:

  1. Scout the Neighborhoods: Make an effort to move and learn the various neighborhood features which are different such as, but not limited to, cultural and traditional characteristics, educational institutions, parks, and transportation facilities.
  2. Build Neighborhood Guides: Marketing your services becomes more attractive as potential clients can rely on specific guides to understand the importance of the area.

Your capability to express how a neighborhood matches their needs establishes their confidence in your services.

Tapping into the Potential of Digital Marketing Tools

Technology has drastically changed how real estate markets operated even in the past. Selecting the best advertising methods for this sector is vital for market success.

Social Media

Social media has made it possible for real estate agents to showcase their real estate assets to their target market while simultaneously fostering a direct connection with their potential clients.

  1. Content Creation: You can now share posts related to new properties, market facts, and even client testimonials on real estate to help strengthen your brand on social media.
  2. Targeted Ads: Together with Facebook, Instagram ads are a crucial marketing tool for reaching targeted groups that are interested in real estate.

Your potential clients are likely to notice your active social media presence while you showcase your expertise in the industry.

Email Marketing Campaigns

Real estate markets are still very much effective with email marketing. Here’s how you can make the best of it:

  • Segment Your Audience: Realtors should create specific groups of email subscribers for different client profiles such as first-time buyers and wealthy investors.
  • Share Valuable Content: Synchronized usage of value tips, market updates and featured listings fosters strong connections with your audience.

Our team delivers innovative digital marketing solutions which increase exposure and audience participation.

Building a Strong Online Presence

Real estate clients discover you initially through your online profile. Here’s how to strengthen it:

Optimize Your Website

Any realtor’s business needs to start with a top-notch website design and user-friendly navigation system. Focus on:

  1. SEO Optimization: People searching online find better visibility for realtors in Toronto when search keywords like “Realtors in Toronto” are included in SEO optimization.
  2. User Experience: Visitors should find your website easy to navigate on mobile devices while having access to complete property details and essential resources.

Start a Real Estate Blog

A blog allows you to show your professional knowledge in your industry field.

  1. Provide Useful Information: Your audience looks to your platform for educational content like market trend reports and home buying best practices plus neighborhood insights.
  2. Utilize Keywords: Blog posts with effective keywords improve search engine rankings.

Using an active maintenance strategy for your blog builds trust which attracts customers seeking advice.

Networking with Industry Professionals

Build an influential network consisting of real estate professionals who will boost your career growth

Professional Association Affiliations

  1. Networking: By attending industry events seminars and conferences you can connect with future clients and referral sources together with professionals from your field.
  2. Co-Agent Activities: Team members establish alliances to exchange resources as well as share professional expertise while officiating mutual client referral links.
  3. Sphere building: brings an expansion of professionals whose networked contacts lead to relationship development that yields business prospects.

Assessment of networking shows that it produces an expansion of professional relationships and expanded connections until appropriate business development prospects emerge.

Local Business Networking

A strategic local business partnership allows you to access premier referral opportunities.

  1. Local Services Collaboration: Reframe networking work by establishing cross-referrals between mortgage brokers home inspectors and contractors.
  2. Community Events: Local businesses use their community organization programs to develop relationships between residents while promoting mutual brand recognition.

This local plan merges better visibility while maintaining high levels of community involvement.

Providing Unmatched Customer Service

Outstanding customer service ensures your position rises superior to competitors’ prices when the Toronto real estate market becomes harsh.

Tailored Client Interactions

Each client is different, and you must adapt your strategy:

  1. Listen to Client Needs: Reserve specific hours on your daily agenda to grasp your clients’ real estate goals whether they want to buy a dream home or have investment property needs.
  2. Transparency: Trustworthy market information requires maintained open dialogue with customers for them to accept and rely on your information.

Satisfaction from excellent service delivery results in satisfied clients who produce testimonials that help get new referrals through word-of-mouth networks.

Communicate Effectively

Proactive and clear communication is key to ensuring clients feel valued and informed:

  1. Set Expectations: Provide information about the complete process clients need to understand for buying or selling by having a detailed explanation of each step.
  2. Regular Updates: The company delivers timed real estate data updates to clients by providing listing schedules and market evaluation insights and industry trends.

Active client attention along with positive experiences leads to long-lasting relationships between clients and clients. Every business exchange we handle results in positive outcomes because we make satisfied clients our highest priority.

Use Top-notch Photos

The key to high success in real estate sales largely depends on providing the right property representation for prospective home buyers.

Professional Photography

Among the best differentiators for your listings, top-quality photography can make all the difference:

  1. The Best Way to Hire Professional Photographers: We have all used real estate photographers who are experienced professionals because their unique experience makes them better at quality property presentations.
  2. Drone Photography – The vantage point of high-powered drones provides unique angles that show the property lands in detail and what goes around its periphery.

Sales performances for properties sold to buyers with a visual presentation are off the charts when it comes to faster more expensive sales transactions.

Video marketing

The results of video in real estate marketing are getting better and better regularly:

  1. Develop Virtual Tours: If prospective buyers are interested in your home, they need not visit in person, as they can see a virtual version of it.”
  2. Post Client Testimonials: Video testimonials are get recognition from the client Trust and positive customer experience both.

Display your real estate listings and capture attention with video outlines to promote prospects as well present properties in a time-tested way.

Carry Out Specific Marketing Tactics For Advertising

While the bigger marketing aside, there must be a more targeted campaigns:

Direct Mail

  1. Mail Postcards : Published postcards include eye-catching cover images for new listings and split market data with property sales data
  2. Mail Brochures: You are distributing updates to both your back-end clients and prospective leads having meaningful information through brochures Your direct mailing effort keeps company next to target readers.

Advertise on Property Listing Sites

Make use of some popular property listing sites to get a larger clientele:

  1. Optimize Your Listings: Customers who are highly loyal to your business will hit your listings and by then the descriptions are steak with beautiful images and rich in detail with specific accurate property facts
  2. Respond to Inquiry: The sales as field must respond all buying-question raise in the marketplace Relates directly to your business, the longer engagement and sustained activity on internet platforms are leads.

Offering Unique Value Propositions

To stand out in the Toronto market, consider offering unique value propositions:

Home Valuation Services

  1. Free Home Evaluation- The marketing initiative allows potential home sellers to view an estimate on how their properties appraises.
  2. Share Market Research Reports: The company uses proximity location data to build out full turnkey sales sales for upcoming sellers.
  3. Firm up your abilities: The real estate intelligence you have is invaluable and assisting sellers to make right listing price choices.

Creating useful service makes you look legitimate to list more properties

Buyer Workshops

Organize Workshops/Info Seminars to bring in novice buyers or investors that you’ve never met before.

  1. Lessons Learned: Workshop or info seminars, offer information on the current market and discuss pricing options and industry trends to clients.
  2. Contribute to the Community: You generate community bonds and market authority by putting on these events.

Workshop educational content is not only entertaining to your existing clients but is also convincing that you are serious about teaching buyers.

Building Life-Long Client Relationships :Creating lifelong clients means speculative clients AND client referrals.

Make Long-Term Client Relationships

Follow-Up and Follow-Through

Stay in touch with your previous customers even if you have sold all of them something:

  1. Holiday Cards: Sending holiday greetings and holiday cards keeps you continuously present in their mind.
  2. Annular follow-up: Checking out the actual sale of properties ensures you are open to assessing how your clients progress.

When They Feel Special, People Will Recommend Your Services Anyway

Develop a Referral Program

Encourage satisfied clients to refer others:

  1. Incentives for Referrals: Referrers obtain gift cards and services at discounted rates if their submissions end in successful transactions.
  2. Show Appreciation: A valuable reward system exists to recognize clients who successfully refer new customers.

Customers who receive structured referral program benefits will generate regular new clients through referrals.

Continuously Educating Yourself and Adapting to Changes

Up and educating yourself; be open to change Real estate market never stays the same and always changes so it’s important to keep educating yourself:

Professional Development

Invest in education, Pursue your professional development :

  1. Training and Certifications: To update your training, acquire certifications that increase your skills, knowledge though renewing or updating
  2. Industry Seminars: One of the most important steps in real estate is attending seminars, conferences and workshops that are available to teach current trends about the real estate market, technologies.

Your passion for education show and that further strengthens the trust that your clients have in your professionalism and market-readiness.

Market Changes : Living Everyday in the Evolving Real Estate World

  1. Regulatory Change Sensitivity: Be Acquainted with the fresh provisions or changes in market policy that can affect your clients.
  2. Response to critics of your plan: You have to be prepared to tweak how you deliver your services whenever past customers tell you something. Being able to adapt with the times in your sales approach will help you get ahead of most other realtors in Toronto .

Why choose us

Our team guides you through Toronto’s dynamic real estate market, helping you achieve growth and success while thriving in it. Here’s why clients choose us:

  1. Market Expertise: Our deep knowledge of the market allows you to uncover Toronto’s exclusive neighborhood analytics alongside real estate project growth along with economic trends to create well-rounded decisions.
  2. Innovative Strategies: We use advanced marketing tools and revolutionary digital methods to give sellers elevated market presence while producing elite results for buyers.
  3. Client-Centered Service: Your dreams are our priority. Each client gets tailored solutions supported by ongoing dialogue and sophisticated service handling them beyond expectations.
  4. Strong Online Presence: Your listings gain stronger market dominance in competitive areas because our optimized platform combines enticing content with high-quality visuals for enhanced distinction.
  5. Proven Track Record: Providing exceptional service delivery allowed our team to create both repeat client relationships and strong word-of-mouth referrals which earned us the status of trusted market leadership in the eyes of Toronto real estate agents.

Conclusion

Real estate success in Toronto results from the combination of market understanding with strategic marketing approaches that rely on excellent customer service practices. Using these proven techniques above and beyond you will construct a lasting business that makes both clients and Toronto realtor peers recognize your leadership role.

Transform your real estate business in Toronto. Call now to get started. We achieve enterprise success in Toronto’s competitive real estate market through our combined service method and industry market experience. We will help your real estate expertise advance through our business relationship.

 

How to Generate Real Estate Leads in Regina Like a Pro

Published January 17, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

In any successful business, the life-blood is leads’ generation, and it is equally and even more applicable within the decentralized and fast-changing environment of real estate. What inexperienced and experienced People looking to make a career in Regina’s real estate industry must know is how to acquire those leads that make them stand out from the rest. Saskatchewan especially the city of Regina has numerous potential buyers and sellers offering huge opportunities to generate leads in Regina for real estate professionals.

This needs to go above the conventional strategies applied by competitors in mature markets. Prospective customers are sophisticated, have better embrace of technology and desire personalized experiences today. Therefore the following strategies what would be useful in helping leverage the right channels to getting to the clients?

Not only is it a map to help point you in the direction of generating new leads for yourself. Instead, it is the guide to reaching the lead generation powerhouse in Regina by utilizing the right tools to leverage the digital and traditional methods toward the requirements of the market in Regina. And starting from where you evidently stand now, if you are just feeling that you are ready for level up, well, lead generation services will be present at your side, ready to help it happen for you.

Why focus on Regina?

Regina is not simply a city but, rather, the place consisting of growth prospects. Being associated with being warm and experiencing accelerated growth in real estate and having a good number of professionals and families, this city is a good ground to invest in. However, a market is merely a platform and once more success in the market requires a blend of local knowledge and long-term planning along with hard work in the marketplace.

Being aware of what ‘hot spots’ are? What ‘trends’ are present? Who your target audience is will help a realtor seize the position of a market leader. From this you can see that if you have the right lead generation strategies in place, your stream of potential clients will always be replenished.

Let’s dive into the strategies that will transform your real estate business in Regina.

The Importance of Lead Generation in Real Estate

Real estate is a numbers game—but not just any numbers. The aim is to connect with people who are seriously interested in buying or selling property. It is not about throwing a big net; it is about precision targeting those ready to act. In Regina, with its mix of suburban growth and urban revitalization, knowing how to tap into these potential clients is crucial.

Did You Know? Regina is a city that is experiencing rapid growth in population and a very active real estate market. It is, therefore, a place where there is a lot of competition in the real estate industry. That is why a strategic approach to lead generation is very important.

Ready to grow your real estate business in Regina? Call now for expert advice!

Understanding the Regina Real Estate Market

Before diving into lead generation strategies, it’s essential to understand the dynamics of the Regina real estate market. Factors such as local economy, demographics, and neighborhood trends play significant roles in influencing buyer behaviours and preferences.

To create leads that convert, familiarize yourself with:

  1. Local Demographics: Who are your potential clients? Families, retirees, or first-time homebuyers? Understanding their needs can help tailor your marketing approaches.
  2. Market Trends: Keep abreast of property values, inventory levels, and sales forecasts to give your clients valuable insights.
  3. Neighborhood Features: Familiarity with the characteristics of various neighborhoods in Regina (school districts, parks, amenities) can position you as a local expert.

Actionable Strategies to Generate Leads in Regina

Now that you have a good market understanding, let’s dive into tips to Generate leads in Regina effectively.

Build a Professional Website

Your website is your digital storefront. It should be user-friendly, visually appealing, and optimized for search engines. Here are key elements to include:

  1. Visually Engaging Listings: High-quality photos and detailed property descriptions entice potential buyers.
  2. Blog Section: Share insights on the Regina real estate market, tips for buyers/sellers, and local events to attract organic traffic.
  3. Lead Capture Forms: Use forms strategically to encourage visitors to subscribe to newsletters or request property information.
  4. Optimization: Use keyword phrases such as “lead generation in Regina” for the consistent display of the latter in search results.

Social Media

Social media is an effective lead generation tool for realtors. Here’s how to do it effectively:

  1. Engaging Content: Update markets, virtual tours, and tips for buyers. Utilize Instagram and Facebook for the visual appeal of properties.
  2. Targeted Ads: Facebook and Instagram ads will reach targeted demographics in Regina. It could be promoting listings or services.
  3. Participate in local :Participate in local groups in Regina for offering advice and projecting yourself as a knowledgeable resource.

Network, Network, Network

The key to real estate is building relationships. Expand your network by attending open houses or chamber of commerce events, joining local real estate associations, or partnering with local businesses.

  1. Community involvement: Sponsor event or charities to bring yourself into visibility and create leads with potential clients.
  2. Referral Program: Set up a referral scheme that encourages the past clients to refer new leads to you.

Employ Email Marketing

Leverage Email Marketing

Email marketing remains one of the most viable tools for lead nurturing. Send periodic email newsletters and keep your prospects in touch with relevant information while allowing them to appreciate your existence in their lives. Tips for your email strategy:

  1. Segment Your List: Tailor your message based on the interests of different segments (buyers, sellers, investors, etc.).
  2. Personalize Your Communication: Address recipients by name and customize the content to their specific needs.
  3. Include Strong Calls to Action: Motivate your readers to take the next step, whether it’s scheduling a meeting or downloading a guide.

Invest in Real Estate SEO

Ensure your website attracts the right traffic by investing in search engine optimization (SEO). Use words like “realtor lead generation” on your site strategically.

  1. Content Development: Develop relevant content to your blog regularly. Optimize your content for local searches.
  2. Backlinks: Make backlinks on your site with the help of local businesses or bloggers. It increases your authority on search engine rankings.

Paid Advertising

Look for paid advertising methods to increase your visibility fast

  1. Google Ads: Targeted keyword ads related to Regina real estate to capture the high-intent search traffic.
  2. Retargeting Ads: Targeting people who visited your website already, keeping your services top of mind.

Free Resources

Attract potential leads through free resources by providing value, such as

  1. Ebooks or Guides: Create informative guides about home buying, selling, or investing in Regina.
  2. Webinars: Host online sessions discussing market trends or common client questions, showcasing your expertise.

Video Marketing

It is used in all forms of content marketing and is the perfect way to make a personal connection with a potential client.

  1. Property Tours: As a result, produce professional video tours of the listings and highlight their features.
  2. Webinars Teach something or introduce a new product/market update, collect clients’ testimonials on YouTube and social networks.

The best practice when it comes to lead generation in Regina therefore is to always learn. It is advisable to assess what your doing with Google Analytics and adapt the strategies depending on what is most effective with you. So use analytics like web visitors, the conversion rate, and even social media interactions to check the direction being taken.

Closing: Are You Ready to Grow Your Real Estate Company in Regina?

Getting leads in Regina does not have to be a very complicated process out there as generally made to seem. By using these strategies, you shall be very effective in branding yourself as an expert in the local market to get quality leads. Real estate is all about connections and the more time and energy you invest in your leads you’ll be more effective.

Ready to grow your real estate business in Regina? Call now for expert advice! Take advantage of your competitive position in Regina current market today.

In this way, when focusing in such approaches as website optimization, royalty absorbing videos, and many others you definitely enhance your realtor lead generation procedures and your business becomes a success.

Conclusion

Real estate lead generation is not the easiest process and it involves combining creativity, effort and strategy. The Regina has numerous prospects in real estate business, whereby only those, who are ready to work and adapt to the tendencies in marketing, can succeed.

Use these strategies today and you will not have to look further because you will be generating leads like a professional.

Leveraging Social Media to Generate Real Estate Leads in Vancouver

Published January 16, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

Leveraging Social Media to Generate Real Estate Leads in VancouverIn the very active and dynamic environment of properties and real estate in Vancouver one finds the method of communication and attachment to prospective clients changing drastically. Vancouver is Canada’s second most populous city with a reputation for its spectacular natural environment, talent(push) pool, and cultural diversity, business opportunities and a highly active and rapidly changing real estate market. The existing market for homes and houses here is relatively broad, ranging from high-end water front condominiums to average family homes in suburban neighborhoods. A range of such properties is likely to suit a diverse group of clients with significantly diverse requirements and expectations.

However, as many opportunities are available in this developing market, one of the issues that companies and their leaders face is how to get noticed in such a large market. The real estate agents need to find out how to deal with the peculiarities of clients’ choices and tendencies to get quality leads. When there are many agents and agencies that claim to provide solutions to the public, being unique is important. This is where the creative and development of the real estate marketing plans and the right online media to get the attention of the potential customers and business people. In this post, we will be going over some of the effective lead generation strategies for Vancouver real estate and how we at Applauded can provide the best lead generation services with the competitive markets.

The Era of Digital Connections

In recent years, social media has become a transformative tool, altering the way real estate agents can interact with prospects and clients. Gone are those days when printing ads and using open houses were the major means of leads generation. Now, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter have become essential tools, not just for branding, but for getting meaningful connections and leads that lead to sales.

Social media offers a unique opportunity for real estate professionals to show their listings in a visually engaging manner. High-quality images, virtual tours, and live video walkthroughs can captivate potential buyers and give them a genuine sense of what a property has to offer. But it’s more than just publishing listings. It’s creating an online atmosphere in which buyers become interested, knowledgeable, and even attached to properties-long before they see a property on site.

This includes not only showing up but building relationships. Thus, sharing informative content, responding to questions, and engaging in conversations can enable real estate agents to become reliable influencers in the marketplace. This interaction is crucial to creating a bond with potential customers, making them feel appreciated and understood.

Understanding the Urban Landscape

The demographics of Vancouver are diverse, ranging from young professionals seeking urban living to families looking for spacious homes in quieter neighborhoods and affluent investors interested in luxury properties. Each of these segments has its own preferences and behaviors, which must be understood to create tailored marketing strategies. For example, millennials may prioritize modern amenities and proximity to public transit, while families might focus on school districts and community resources.

Further, with advancing technology and becoming increasingly dependent on the digital front, traditional forms of lead generation are evolving. With more people connected due to mobile technology, a home buyer will be gathering information and possibly making decisions out there in the internet world. Being present where those buyers spend time online is henceforth the basis of success.

The subtleties of the Vancouver real estate market also need to be understood by being in tune with local trends, economic factors, and community developments. For example, changes in housing policies, interest rates, or demographic changes can all affect buyer behavior. Real estate agents must be agile and informed, adapting their strategies to meet the evolving needs of their clientele.

The Power of Social Media in Real Estate

Real estate professionals should understand the potential that social media holds. More than 80% of people use social media to connect with brands, including those actively looking for real estate opportunities. Such vast reach makes it a goldmine for agents to showcase listings, share insights, and connect with their audience.

Why Choose Us for Lead Generation

As a leading lead generation company in Vancouver, we understand the local market dynamics and social media landscape. Our comprehensive strategies are designed not only to generate leads but to convert them through consistent engagement and tailored content. We pride ourselves on offering a suite of services that equips our clients with everything they need to thrive in the competitive realm of real estate.

In this blog, we’ll explore effective lead generation strategies, specifically tailored to the Vancouver market. We will show how our expertise sets us apart from the rest of lead generation companies by ensuring that clients not only engage their audience but convert them into loyal clients.

Understanding the Vancouver Real Estate Market

Vancouver real estate market is characterized by strong diversity, from upscale downtown condos to quaint homes in the suburban areas. The high demand, low supply, and foreign investments have many influences on such a dynamic market. For those considering buying, this is a place where real estate agents must be present where their potential clients are looking: online.

Effective Lead Generation Strategies for Vancouver Real Estate

Create High-Quality, Engaging Content

Generating real estate leads in Vancouver begins with creating valuable content. From blog posts about local market trends to video tours of new listings, quality content establishes your authority and draws potential clients in. Engaging posts should highlight the unique aspects of neighborhoods, showcase your listings, and provide insights into the home buying or selling process.

Our Commitment

we specialize in creating compelling content that speaks directly to your target audience. Our expert writers and marketers work together to ensure your content strategy effectively positions you as an authority in Vancouver real estate.

Optimize Your Social Media Profiles

The profile on social media should serve like a digital business card. This means your social media profiles have to be optimized by including the appropriate keywords, professional images, and the link to your website. All of these aspects go to improve the professionalism, not to mention facilitating recognition.

Shine with us:

We help the real estate professional optimize his or her social media profile to catch the attention of prospective clients. Our strategies make sure your profiles are built for visibility and engagement.

Investment in Paid Social Media Advertising on Facebook and Instagram

Paid advertisement on social media can really go a long way in increasing visibility. Targeting ads can easily zero in on specific demographics ensuring that your listing reaches the proper audience. Incorporate high quality images and irresistible copy to appeal to users.

Tailored campaigns

We craft ad campaigns that emphasize the unique aspects of your listings, as well as those of your business. Our analytics-driven approach allows us to fine-tune and optimize campaigns for maximum effectiveness beyond any other lead generation company.

Leverage Live Video for Real-Time Engagement

Live video streaming on social media is a great avenue to connect real-time with the audience. With virtual open houses, community Q&A sessions, or just opinions on market conditions, you have a great tool for immediate interaction.

Our services in Live Interaction:

We’ll plan and manage live events in which you highlight your properties besides showcasing your vision and thought as a leader of the real estate industry.

Build an Active Community on Social Media

Fostering a sense of community around your brand can lead to stronger relationships with potential clients. Engage in local discussions, share community news, and respond promptly to inquiries. This consistent interaction can help pique interest and encourage potential leads to reach out.

Creating Meaningful Connections:

We focus on community involvement to help you build relationships beyond the listing into actual client connections.

Use Analytics to Refine Your Strategies

Social media marketing lives by data. Monitoring your metrics on a regular basis will keep you informed on which posts resonate with your audience and help you adapt your strategy to those posts.

Data-Driven Decision Making:

Our team excels in analytics, allowing us to perfect lead generation. We give you the insights about audience behavior, ad performance, and engagement rates to ensure that your marketing evolves with the market.

Work with Local Influencers

Working with local influencers can broaden your reach and bring your listings to a larger audience. These collaborations can take the form of property tours, testimonials, or even co-hosted events that attract attention from their followers.

Strategic Partnerships:

We have established contact with key influencers in the market for Vancouver real estate, creating the opportunity for impactful collaborations enhancing your visibility.

Deliver Insights Through Newsletters

E-mail marketing still stands as one of the leading means of generating leads. Your readers will not forget you in the process, for regular newsletters will keep them well-informed with valuable insights, market reports, and the latest property news.

Engaging Newsletters

We can create engaging newsletters packed with relevant and useful information aligned to your audience’s interest, and help you stay ahead in the game.

Why Work With Us For Lead Generation

  1. Integrated Solutions : Most firms will only provide partial services, but we are comprehensive. Our integrated services range from content development to social media management. With our solutions, you are guaranteed a hassle-free and efficient process in all your lead generation processes.
  2. Client-Centric Approach : We will personalize our approach according to each client’s requirements. Whether you are a first-time homebuyer or an investor with years of experience, we guarantee that our unique selling points are reflected in the personalized service.
  3. Results : Our track record speaks volumes; we’ve successfully generated leads for real estate professionals throughout Vancouver. Clients that partner with us have reported increased engagement and conversions that impact their bottom line positively.

Conclusion

In today’s competitive real estate market, listing properties is not enough. You need to leverage social media to truly succeed and attract valuable leads. With our expertise and dedicated support, your real estate business can thrive in Vancouver’s market.

Start Generating Real Estate Leads on Social Media — Contact Us to Learn How! and tap into the power of social media. Let’s discuss how we can work together to formulate the ideal strategy that generates real estate leads Vancouver.

FAQ

Question : Why is social media important for generating real estate leads in Vancouver?

Answer : Social media platforms allow real estate agents to connect with a wide audience, showcase properties, and build relationships with potential clients. In Vancouver’s competitive real estate market, social media provides an affordable and effective way to stay visible and attract both buyers and sellers.

Question : What are the best social media platforms for real estate in Vancouver?

Answer : The top platforms include:

  1. Instagram: Ideal for showcasing property visuals through posts, stories, and reels.
  2. Facebook: Great for creating property listings, joining community groups, and hosting live tours.
  3. LinkedIn: Useful for networking with industry professionals and reaching higher-end clients.
  4. TikTok: Popular for engaging, short-form videos showcasing homes and real estate tips.

Question : How can I use Instagram to generate leads?

Answer :

  1. Post high-quality photos and videos of your listings.
  2. Use relevant hashtags like #VancouverRealEstate, #YVRHomes, and #VancouverRealtor.
  3. Share behind-the-scenes content, client success stories, and market updates.
  4. Leverage Instagram Stories and Reels to boost engagement.

Question : What type of content works best for Vancouver’s real estate market?

Answer : Content ideas include:

  1. Virtual tours of homes.
  2. Local market updates and tips for buyers or sellers.
  3. Spotlighting Vancouver neighborhoods and their unique features.
  4. Testimonials from satisfied clients.
  5. Informational posts about real estate processes.

Question : How often should I post on social media?

Answer : Consistency is key. Aim to post:

  1. 3–5 times per week on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
  2. At least once daily on Twitter if you’re active there.
  3. Weekly or bi-weekly video content for YouTube or TikTok.

Question : Should I use paid ads on social media to generate leads?

Answer : Yes, paid ads can target specific demographics and locations, such as Vancouver residents looking to buy or sell homes. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer powerful targeting tools to reach your ideal audience.

Question : How can I engage with my audience effectively?

Answer :

  1. Respond to comments and direct messages promptly.
  2. Ask engaging questions in your captions.
  3. Host Q&A sessions or live property tours.
  4. Join and actively participate in local Facebook or LinkedIn groups.

Question : Can I generate real estate leads on a small budget?

Answer : Absolutely! Social media offers several free tools like posting, engaging, and joining community groups. Even a small ad budget can go a long way with strategic targeting.

Question : How do I track the success of my social media campaigns?

Answer : Use analytics tools provided by platforms to measure performance. Key metrics include:

  1. Engagement (likes, comments, shares).
  2. Follower growth.
  3. Click-through rates (to your website or property listings).
  4. Leads generated (inquiries, messages).

Question : What are some Vancouver-specific social media strategies?

Answer :

  1. Highlight Vancouver’s unique lifestyle, including waterfront living, mountain views, and cultural diversity.
  2. Focus on showcasing eco-friendly and sustainable properties, which are popular in Vancouver.
  3. Join local groups or forums to connect with Vancouver residents.
  4. Use Vancouver-specific hashtags and geotags to increase visibility.

What Strategies Can Montreal Real Estate Agents Use to Maximize Their Lead Generation Efforts?

Published January 14, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

What Strategies Can Montreal Real Estate Agents Use to Maximize Their Lead Generation Efforts?In the bustling and diverse real estate landscape of Montreal, where vibrant neighborhoods and unique architectural styles attract a multiplicity of potential buyers, lead generation has become a crucial component for real estate agents striving for success. With the market constantly evolving, the demands and expectations of homebuyers and sellers are shifting rapidly, making effective lead generation strategies more essential than ever. Montreal, a city known for its multicultural vitality and rich history, offers agents not just opportunities but also challenges in creating meaningful connections with clients.

For real estate agents, navigating this dynamic environment requires a sophisticated understanding of how to reach potential clients and convince them of your expertise and value. The rise of digital marketing, social media platforms, and changing buyer behavior adds layers of complexity to lead generation. To thrive in this competitive climate, agents must employ creative and effective tactics that can capture leads’ attention and convert them into loyal clients.

This extensive guide aims to illuminate various real estate lead generation strategies specifically tailored for Montreal’s unique market. From optimizing online presence and building networks to leveraging innovative technology, agents can maximize their real estate leads in Montreal by implementing a comprehensive approach that encompasses multiple channels and practices. With the right strategies in place, agents can enhance their visibility, foster lasting relationships, and ultimately drive more sales.

As we delve deeper into these strategies, remember that every market segment has its nuances. Understanding local trends, buyer demographics, and community needs is key to tailoring your lead generation efforts effectively. Moreover, the ultimate goal isn’t just about generating leads—it’s about cultivating relationships that will propel your real estate career forward. Let’s explore how Montreal real estate agents can maximize their lead generation efforts and position themselves for success in this dynamic market.

Understanding the Real Estate Landscape in Montreal

Before we jump into specific lead generation strategies, it is crucial to understand what makes the Montreal real estate market unique. Montreal is the largest city in Quebec and the second-largest in Canada, with a diverse population that contributes to a rich tapestry of cultural influences. The city has diversified options for purchasers, ranging from historic brownstones in neighborhoods such as Plateau Mont-Royal to modern downtown condos and multi-family homes in the suburbs. Thus, each district has its particular character, bringing in different segments of buyers in the form of young professionals, families, seniors, and investors.

Important Market Trends

Rapid Urbanization: Montreal has experienced a surge in urbanization, drawing new residents from across Canada and abroad. This trend has heightened demand for housing, particularly in central neighborhoods known for their lifestyle amenities.

  1. Diverse Home Buyers: The range of demographics, from millennials seeking affordable starter homes to affluent investors looking for luxury properties, means agents must understand and cater to varied needs and preferences.
  2. Technology Impact: Technological advancements have made a great impact on how individuals seek their homes. The fact that many of the potential home buyers now begin with searching online highlights the need for excellent digital marketing skills.
  3. Market Influence: Factors like interest rates, the state of the economy, and policies in the government may impact the market drastically. Therefore, knowledge about such market dynamics would help an agent advise the clients effectively.

By understanding these trends and dynamics, Montreal real estate agents can better tailor their strategy to maximize the lead generation efforts and connect with potential clients.

Essential Real Estate Lead Generation Strategies

Establish a Strong Web Presence

Going online is the new normal for any real estate agent in this digital age. This would be the face of your business and very likely can influence first impressions of customers upon landing on your web presence.

Professional website: This could be the central hub of your real estate enterprise. Core features would include:

  1. Property Listings: Provide current listings in your site using good quality photos, detailed description, and even virtual tours where possible. Help visitors easily surf and contact you regarding properties that interest them.
  2. Lead Capture Forms: Use forms in which visitors would request more information, sign up for newsletters, or schedule consultation. These lead capture forms will be important tools for collecting leads while providing value to potential clients.
  3. Content Marketing: Update your website with valuable content, such as blog posts about market trends, home buying tips, and neighborhood guides. This not only attracts visitors but also improves your search engine rankings.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

To maximize real estate leads in Montreal, optimizing your website for search engines is crucial:

  1. Local Keywords: Conduct research and incorporate relevant local keywords into your website content. Examples include “buying a home in Montreal,” “Montreal real estate market,” and “best neighborhoods in Montreal.”
  2. Google My Business: Create and optimize your Google My Business profile. Make sure that it contains accurate contact information, service offerings, and positive client reviews. This increases your chances of appearing in local searches and drives traffic to your website.

Leverage Social Media

There are plenty of opportunities in social media platforms for reaching out to potential leads and engaging your community.

Choose Your Platforms

Determine where your audience spends the most time and target that area. Real estate agents would want to consider platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest as a way of showing listings and keeping in touch with clients.

Content that Catches the Attention :

  1. Property Showcases: Use high-quality images and videos to showcase properties. Instagram Stories and Facebook Live tours can provide potential buyers with immersive experiences.
  2. Client Testimonials: Share success stories and positive feedback from clients. Testimonials build trust and credibility, essential factors in the decision-making process for potential leads.
  3. Real Estate Tips and Resources: Provide valuable content such as home buying tips, financing information, or decor ideas. Positioning yourself as a knowledgeable resource can encourage followers to reach out when they need assistance.

Use Paid Advertising

Social media advertising is a huge investment that will boost your reach to the maximum level. Target demographics and interests that are likely to attract potential leads. Facebook Ads offer granular targeting options, based on location, age, and preferences.

Network and Engage with the Community

Building relationships in your community is a time-tested method for generating leads.

Join Local Organizations

Participating in local real estate associations, business groups, and community events can help you connect with other professionals and potential clients.

Host Events

Consider hosting open houses, seminars, or workshops on real estate-related topics. This will not only showcase your properties but also impart valuable information to the attendees, creating goodwill and encouraging future interactions.

Volunteer or Sponsor Local Initiatives

Engaging in community service or sponsoring local events can increase your visibility and reputation. Whether it is supporting a charity event or participating in local clean-ups, these actions can position you as a committed and involved member of the community.

Implement Email Marketing Campaigns

Email is still one of the most effective ways to nurture leads and keep in touch with past clients.

Grow Your Email List

Collect emails using forms on your website, open houses, and community events. Provide incentives to sign up, such as an exclusive market report or guide.

Develop Custom Content

Divide your email list based on buyer types and tailor your content to meet the needs of the different buyers. Send periodic newsletters with market updates, listings of properties, and other tips relevant to your niche audience.

Automated Follow-Ups

Set reminders to follow up with leads at different stages in the buyer’s journey through marketing automation tools. A well-timed message can significantly improve your chances of closing a sale.

Video Marketing

Video is becoming thefavored medium for transmitting information. The real estate agent has several ways he can use video:

Property Videos

Create attractive video tours of your listings. Video can point out important features that may not otherwise be noticed. Video can help a viewer gain a better impression than a set of photographs can.

Educational Content

Share market insights videos: include market trends, home staging ideas, and finance tips. The more of this information you provide your audience with, the more expert you come out as for their community.

Live Stream

Make a virtual open house or have Q&A’s with Facebook Live, Instagram Live. Interacting live with them often creates an impression of time sensibility that compels further investigation.

Utilize Real Estate Platforms

Listing platforms like, Zillow, and many more can boost your visibility with maximum lead generation.

Optimize Listings

Ensure you have your properties listed on all these websites properly, complete with good photographs, detailed descriptions, and proper information. An eye-catching listing could attract buyers for your property.

Prompt Response

Quick response to a query that the person posted here can help to distinguish you as an agent. Quick responses portray your dedication, which might impress the clients too.

Use CRM Tools

A CRM system is a must for effective lead management.

Choose the Right CRM

Select a CRM that is specifically designed for real estate professionals and can track your interactions with leads, automate follow-ups, and manage your database efficiently. Some popular options include HubSpot, Follow Up Boss, and Real Geeks.

Track Analytics

Use the CRM analytics and reporting functions to track the performance of your lead generation campaigns. This will give you insight into the metrics and make it easier for you to optimize your strategies as needed.

Leverage Other Professionals

Connect with other professionals who may be complementary, such as a mortgage broker, home inspector, or contractor. Those relationships will most likely provide for mutual referrals, which expand your client base.

Cross-Promotion

Consider setting up referral agreements whereby you refer clients to one another’s services. This will allow you to build a network of trusted professionals whom clients can lean on.

Ongoing Education and Professional Development

Remaining abreast of the trends, changes in the market, and new tools is sure to keep you competitive.

Workshops and Conferences

Real estate training sessions, webinars, and conferences can introduce you to new strategies and networking opportunities. Whether local or national, these events often feature industry leaders who can offer valuable insights.

Pursue Certifications

Consider additional certifications that enhance your skills, such as negotiating tactics, digital marketing tools, or home staging techniques. Often, these certifications can help distinguish you in a crowded market.

Seek Expert Advice on Lead Generation in Montreal

Sometimes, the most efficient way to elevate your lead generation efforts is to seek guidance from experts in the field. Consulting with specialized marketing professionals or business coaches can provide tailored strategies and insightful perspectives on maximizing your efforts.

Call to Action

Ready to transform your lead generation strategy? Get expert advice on generating leads in Montreal — call now for a free consultation! Our team is eager to help you navigate the Montreal real estate landscape and unlock your full potential for success.

Conclusion

As the real estate market continues to change in Montreal, so do the approaches used by agents to generate the maximum leads. Based on building up the online presence, using the social media site, creating community interaction, using targeted email campaigns, and engaging in continuous skill-building, the agents can be placed as an anomaly in this competitive market.

Effective lead generation ultimately goes far beyond mere volume-it’s a quality relationship for and with all parties. Once the agents start adopting these measures, they maximize real estate leads in Montreal as well as enhance their chances to become advisors and experts to their respective clients. As you implement these actionable strategies, stay adaptable and open to new approaches; success in real estate is often about the willingness to embrace change and seize opportunities. Get expert advice on generating leads in Montreal— Call now for a free consultation!

How Can You Generate Real Estate Leads Effectively in Halifax?

Published January 14, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

How Can You Generate Real Estate Leads Effectively in Halifax?Canada is an immensely large and wide country, and if you head eastwards from any point within in the last big city you’ll find before the Atlantic Ocean is Halifax. And of all the big cities in Canada it’s the one that up until recently didn’t really qualify as big at all. But population growth and development in Halifax has been quite something, and the days of getting real estate cheaper there are long since gone. These increases are not ideal for people who want to buy a home, but the fact so many more people are buying homes in Halifax means that lead generation strategies for realtors are more important than ever.

The reason that’s an accurate statement is the same reasoning you’ll have for any other city in Canada where the local population is growing and demand exceeds supply for housing. Prices go up, and in short order the number of realtors competing for the numbers of qualified homebuyers able to pay higher prices or sell homes for more money will expand in a big way. This is the long and short of why there have been ‘too many’ realtors in Vancouver and Toronto for decades, and the quite plainly there’s not enough of the pie to go around in Halifax too. We imagine that agents there will concur with that statement.

And so it is that effective real estate marketing for Halifax realtors is so much more pivotal in the success they are going to have working as a real estate agent. All of them will still need to have plenty of hustle, but there’s also much more of a need to be working smartly now when promoting yourself as an agent and also with how you get real estate leads online. Halifax realtors are no different from ones in cities to the West of them in that they’ll probably be evaluating paid real estate leads in Canada and whether they can justify making that cost a part of their marketing budget.

So many agents have been very pleased with the leads they receive from us, and they do create an opportunity for realtors to be first-in-touch with people who are ready to buy and sell a home. But there’s never any guarantee of converting a lead into a client. You need to develop that part of your lead nurturing skillset, but in advance of that what we’ll look at here with this blog entry are 10 proven strategies that can be used to generate real estate leads in Halifax. Take your real estate business to the next level – schedule a free consultation with REL!

Pipeline Adds

The reality of this all is that real estate is like any business in that lead generation will factor prominently in the success of the business and whether or not the realtor starts to pack on the pounds. Because any of them is going to need a consistent pipeline of leads for long-term success that reflects portfolio and investment growth. This is not something that is easily done, and it was the same struggle for agents of previous generations and they didn’t have the options with lead generation strategies that you do.

The advantage that realtors working here in 2025 will have is that there are technological advances that are available to them, and that’s why you have paid real estate leads for Halifax available if you’re willing to make that a part of your marketing budget. Sure, we have skin in the game here but it’s fair to say it’s a good move if you can make it because the technological push can be the golden key where competition is intense as it is when you are working as a real estate agent anywhere in Canada nowadays.

Networking is everything, and you also need to be very active online in finding ways to be redirecting potential clients toward your real estate agent website. The faster you can understand and incorporate digital marketing principles for real estate the sooner you’ll have greater numbers of leads going into your pipeline and ready for classification. Which is the means by which you’ll determine how to best nurture those leads. But that’s another topic for another blog entry.

We could preface this endlessly, and there is more to say about the importance of lead generation for realtors in Halifax. But let’s get right to our 10 strategies for making it happen, because we imagine many of you are ready to take action as you aim to build your PREC and a profitable career working in real estate.

Create Impressive Email Marketing Campaigns

Successful email marketing campaigns are very effective for nurturing leads. Once you have customer email IDs and other information, you then implement them in marketing campaigns with an eye to effectively nurturing the and then hopefully converting them to clients.

A realtor’s email strategy built around this aim should include important links and information. The type of information and provided content will differ based on whether this is a potential buyer or seller lead. With that determination you can segment the emails and send them to customers with relevant information. It’s also good to be direct with your questioning – how soon will you want to sell or buy your home? With multiple-choice options, you will be able to categorize your leads. Email marketing is always going to be a big component of real estate lead generation.

Use Different Social Media Platforms

Realtors should be active on social media platforms to promote their services and increase the visibility they have with people who are ready to work with a real estate agent. You’re advised to learn the best ways to promote yourself on social media and you can start by creating a Facebook Business page for yourself and also buying paid ads for the different platforms.

Instagram and Facebook ads are cost-effective and let you measure conversions and impressions, and the ability to target individuals based on demographics and target audience is a real plus. You want to be meeting potential clients where they are, and these days that is increasingly on social media.

Develop a Video Marketing Campaign

These days you’re likely to find that homeowners will be very pleased with a real estate agents who is able to create videos for them. There’s real substance to that for homeowners who are keen to sell a home in Halifax quickly as videos are known to attract 2-4 times as many visitors to an agent’s site. There’s also real value in the way you can incorporate video marketing in real estate using general information, agent profiles, client interviews, yearly reviews, and local community event videos.

Increase Networking & Local Connections

A realtor that struggles with networking is going to have the choice of either learning how to do it, or likely moving onto a new career before long. With networking it’s always been the case that word-of-mouth strategy plays a role in finding new homes, and it continues to be that way today. It’s very possible to grow connections in real estate circles or by talking to individuals, but you’ve got to get out there and start doing it. Energy and effort are required, but every social interaction can be a networking opportunity as part of effective real estate marketing in Halifax.

Leverage Positive Customer Feedback

Every realtor should be aiming to have every customer 100% satisfied with the professional assistance they’ve provided in buying or selling a home. If you’ve succeeded with that then you can and should be able to benefit from that when it comes to new leads. Sharing favorable reviews and feedback through you different online channels is also a good addition to your lead generation strategies. Customer feedback is a big part of any business’ promotion efforts and this is exactly the same for real estate. One idea is to establish a review page on your website and you can also share positive testimonials on major real estate platforms or your social media pages. Think about also creating short videos where former clients speak highly of you as a realtor in Halifax.

Gain Insights via Segmentation

Your ability to nurture leads in real estate effectively will be improved if you organize mail list recipients by various criteria, and done with an eye to having more efficient lead generation and converting greater numbers of leads into clients. Lead segmentation can help you gain added insights, and with these insights you can tailor the elements for outreach for segments. There are significant gains to be made here when you learn how to differentiate leads as early on in the process as possible.

Have an SEO-friendly Website

The next thing we’ll say in relation to effective real estate marketing for Halifax is that you must have an SEO-optimized real estate website. Some leads are only going to be captured if they are the ones taking the initiative to reach out to you and if your site is coming back on the first or second page anyone searches for ‘Halifax area realtor’ then that is going to be happening MUCH more often.

SEO involves more than just having the right keywords in the website content, and if this is something you’re not capable of then it is EXTREMELY worth it to pay an SEO professional to tune-up your real estate agent website in Halifax.

WhatsApp Marketing for Lead Connection & Engagement

One thing that a realtor here will never need to be told is that potential homebuyers aren’t always local folks who can be at an open house the same day or making a call that’s not long distance. Fortunately the internet and messaging apps mean no phone calls are necessary and most people will relate to WhatsApp being the leader in international communication smartphone apps. Realtors in Halifax can take advantage of this, and specifically with sending promotional messages to customers.

Continue with Traditional Real Estate Marketing Approaches

The internet and digital marketing has revolutionized the ways a real estate agent can get leads, but despite that it is still a good idea to also follow the tested and proven effective approaches that will be categorized as traditional real estate marketing approaches. What we’re talking about here is advertising signage, mailers, and then the practice of door knocking or trying to meet leads at community events. Don’t overlook these as lead generation strategies. Remember to add a QR code to the graphic advertisement if you have physical advertising anywhere as this will help prospects fill out a form and enter the sales funnel.

Customize Customer Service

Real estate agents are more likely to succeed when they focus on providing the best customer service succeed in marketing campaigns. Make sure this mantra is incorporated into your email, phone, DM, or any in-person interaction you have with a person in Halifax who may be looking to buy a home, or sell one. This is also conducive to building the type of reputation you want to have with clients who choose to work with you.

The focus for any real estate agent in any city in Nova Scotia needs to be on establishing contact with as many of the people who are soon to make a move in the market as possible. No realtor is every going to convert every lead into a clients, and most will say they’d be thrilled if they were converting one of every three. You can plan to aim higher with that once you get better at generating leads and converting them, but remember that everyone needs to start somewhere.

This is always true for people who are new to real estate, and those learning more about effective real estate marketing in Halifax. The best advice is to push and challenge yourself and have specific goals with how many new leads you’ll come up with every month. That may not happen, but do your best to see to it that it does. Take your real estate business to the next level – schedule a free consultation with us !

How Can You Generate High-Quality Real Estate Leads in Moncton?

Published January 13, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

How Can You Generate High-Quality Real Estate Leads in Moncton?Leading sources of quality leads are the root of success among real estate agents, especially today: in a fluid and booming real estate market that Moncton, New Brunswick, is located in. By leveraging expertise around lead generation especially in such competition, you make all the differences. This text will outline precisely how we of Moncton’s leading professional real estate lead generation specialists bring agents leads attracting, engaging in leading converts into loyal, long-term clientele. From cutting-edge online marketing techniques to tried-and-true traditional methods, we’ll demonstrate what makes us the best in generating real estate leads in Moncton specifically.

Introduction

Moncton is one of the most in-demand real estate markets in Atlantic Canada. With its strong economy, diverse culture, and desirable lifestyle, the city is more than just a place to live; it is a hub of opportunities for homebuyers and investors. However, thriving in such a competitive environment requires more than just hard work—it demands effective lead generation for Moncton real estate agents.. That’s where we excel—our tailored lead generation strategies ensure you outshine the competition and capture the attention of Moncton’s homebuyers and sellers.

A lead to us is more than a name and address. Each lead represents another client with his specific preferences, needs, and timelines. To ensure success in Moncton’s real estate market, one must implement strategies that stick to the local community. From using effective marketing channels to building authentic relationships, our methods work for this purpose. Whether just entering the market or a seasoned agent, Lead source is your ticket to success in Moncton.

Understanding Your Target Market

To get quality real estate leads in Moncton, it is important to first understand who your target audience is. Are you targeting first-time homebuyers, luxury buyers, or investors? Each segment has different motivations, and understanding these can help tailor your marketing and lead generation strategies.

Researching Local Demographics

  1. Age and Income Levels: Moncton has a mix of young professionals, families, and retirees. Analyze the age and income statistics to tailor your messaging.
  2. Lifestyle Preferences: Are potential buyers interested in urban living, suburban homes, or rural properties? Knowing this can help you focus your efforts.
  3. Identifying Pain Points

Understanding the challenges your target market faces can give you an edge. Common pain points may include:

  1. Affordability
  2. Accessibility to amenities
  3. Quality of schools and healthcare

By covering these issues in your marketing campaign, you can develop quality content that engages your prospective leads.

Building a Strong Online Presence

In today’s digital world, an effective online presence is important to create actual leads in the real estate industry in Moncton. These are the core elements to pay attention to:

  1. User-Friendly Interface: Make sure your website is easy to use, with obvious calls-to-action.
  2. Property Listings: Keep updating regularly with high-quality images and rich descriptions.
  3. Blogging: Create useful content related to the Moncton real estate market, local events, and tips on buying/selling homes.
  4. Enhance your chances of visibility in the search results with SEO techniques. Seek to focus on these:
  5. Keyword Research: Find relevant keywords such as “real estate leads,” “real estate leads in Moncton,” and similar phrases.
  6. Local SEO: Optimize for location-based searches using location in title tags, meta descriptions, and even blog posts.

Leveraging Social Media Platforms

Social media is an essential lead generation tool. In Moncton, tailoring your strategy to the platforms your audience uses can amplify your reach.

Choosing the Right Platforms

  1. Facebook: Excellent for community engagement and listings.
  2. Instagram: Ideal for posting high-quality property images and videos.
  3. LinkedIn: Useful for networking with professionals and investors.

Engaging Content

Create engaging content that offers value, such as:

  1. \Virtual home tours
  2. Live Q&A sessions on the Moncton real estate market
  3. Insightful posts on community events and developments

Networking Locally

While online strategies are key, don’t underestimate the power of traditional networking, especially in closely-knit communities like Moncton.

Attend Local Events

Community events can be a great way to meet potential clients face-to-face. Look for:

  1. Home and Garden Shows: Good for connecting with homebuyers.
  2. Local Festivals: Build relationships and increase awareness of your brand.

Partner with Local Businesses

Form alliances with local businesses like banks, mortgage brokers, and moving companies to create referral networks. This not only increases your reach but also builds trust in the community.

Email Campaigns

Email marketing is one of the most effective lead generation techniques. Create campaigns that offer value to your subscribers.

Build Your Email List :

  1. Lead Magnets: Offer free downloadable guides on home buying/selling tips in exchange for email sign-ups.
  2. Open Houses: Collect email addresses from visitors, offering them valuable follow-up resources.

Send Valuable Content :

Compose interesting newsletters with:

  1. Market Updates: Share insights about Moncton’s real estate trends.
  2. Featured Listings: Highlight new listings to keep your audience informed.
  3. Personal Touch: Share success stories and client testimonials to build trust.

Using Paid Advertising :

Paid advertising is a great way to get quick visibility for your listings and services.

Google Ads

Target specific keywords so that results pop up when prospect leads in Moncton need to find some real estate service.

Social Ads

Use the platform of Facebook and Instagram advertisements and promote some listing with captivating photos. So your ads based on demographics and interest and by geographical location it hits the proper targets.

Free Stuff to Offer

If you share the free good informative stuff it could attract high class lead.

eBooks or Guide:

  1. Create detailed resource pieces on subjects like:
  2. First time home buying in Moncton
  3. Preparing your home for sale
  4. Share these resources in exchange for contact information, growing your lead database.

Host Webinars and Workshops

Host webinars on subjects of interest to buyers or sellers. This puts you in a position of authority in the marketplace and establishes trust with potential leads.

Lead Nurturing

Once you have generated leads, it’s essential to nurture them until they are ready to make a decision.

Use a CRM System

Implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to track interactions and preferences. This enables personalized follow-ups and targeted communications.

Regular Follow-Ups

Establish a follow-up schedule tailored to each lead’s timeline. Use personalized communication to check in and provide valuable insights based on their needs.

Analytics and Continuous Improvement

Monitor your lead generation strategy and make necessary adjustments.

Watch Metrics

Use KPI metrics like:

  1. Website traffic
  2. Conversion rates
  3. Email open rates, click through rates

Change According to Insights

Be willing to adjust your lead generation strategy. This is key to keeping up with the never-ending supply of good leads.

Mobile Optimization

Do you know that most property searchers look for listings and agents on their phone? Do you know that most of them found the property they will buy on their phone? Whether they like the pictures, find the correct price, or enjoyed the virtual tour, these people are too many to miss. We cannot overstate the importance of mobile optimization in regards to your SEO but also with generating leads for your business. A lot of the people that’ll find your company somehow or other will do it on their phone. So, optimize your website and ensure they don’t face any issue along their user journey.

Create video testimonials for social proof

95% admitted that reviews — whether good or bad — helped them in buying decisions.

Video testimonials will add credibility to your business. That is the best way to utilize social proof and win more business. That’s because when a random customer speaks about your business, you gain more points with a prospect than when you promote it yourself. As a matter of fact, 2 out of 3 people say they would be more likely to make a purchase after watching a testimonial video demonstrating how a business, product, or service had helped someone else.

However, you have to be more strategic in how you use video testimonials. You can add these to your website homepage to give it personality and make people more interested in your brand. But, if you really want to get new leads, you need to be sharing your video testimonials on social media.

Here’s a step by step process to do that:

  1. Have a system for getting testimonials from past customers. Don’t wait a month to ask, since a new client who’s happily moving into a new home is far more willing to give you a testimonial than one of your long-time clients.
  2. Give a nice closing gift to customers who make a video testimonial about your brand to motivate them. You may also simply request your team interview clients on the experience of their home buying and selling.

Video testimonials work by improving people’s perception of your brand. That makes it pretty easy to convert people who have been on the fence about you into new leads and prospects.

Start a real estate podcast

Podcasting is set to continue its growth beyond 2022. In the last annual survey in 2021, it was discovered that 57 percent of American consumers listened to audio podcasts, as compared to 55 percent in the previous year.

Podcasts work because, unlike many other content formats, they are easy to consume. People can listen to them while relaxing, commuting, doing chores or working out. 59 percent of podcast listeners listen to podcasts while doing housework, 52 percent while driving, and 50 percent while cooking or baking.

Here are a couple steps to generate real estate leads through podcasts:

1.Choose topics people care about. Your content should revolve around trending real estate topics in your neighborhood or in your state. They’re usually easy to find if you’re plugged into the news. Other possible topics include real estate market trends and specific tips for buying and selling homes.

For your first startup, you’ll be considering names and themes that make up the heart of your podcast. Name could be your name or that of your business or community; in this sense, thinking of the type of content you are about to put across will eventually shape and frame the title for you.

2.Use a CTA at the start, middle, and end of your podcast episodes. This can be as simple as asking your listeners to subscribe to your email list. Make sure that your CTA demonstrates what’s-in-it-for-me value to your listener.

3.Promote your podcast. You would probably invite people to talk to you on your podcast. These people have thousands of followers on Twitter and other social media. Ask them to share your podcast and tag them. Other ways to promote a podcast include partnering with fellow podcasters, using podcast aggregators and more.

Speak at conferences, meetups, and events

As your real estate business grows, you may start getting requests to speak at events. Even though speaking at conferences and meetups is a bit of a different kettle of fish in this post-pandemic period, it’s a great way to improve your personal brand and image.

This does not mean you have to take every opportunity that comes your way to speak at a conference or event. You would want to concentrate on events and conferences where your ideal audience is going to be present. That means you’ll be able to actually deliver value to the audience and at the same time, win new leads.

In the “new normal,” most events occur online. Here, you will have the opportunity to organize an online event or webinar. In this case, the way to collect leads here is through the registration process. You could collaborate with an expert in your market or in the real estate industry, and then create some buzz around your event by having people, including your invited guest, share the event. This way, you’ll expand your reach.

Guest blog on authoritative websites

Guest blogging is also good for generating backlinks to your website and for improving your online presence and reach. It’s also a smart way to generate real estate leads for new agents. The idea is this: find an authoritative website, offer them an article or news piece for free, and you get an author bio that tells a little about you. The author bio is one of the most underrated tools for getting new leads. Local publications are always looking for expert contributors. You can write for them or answer questions from journalists. Thus, you are rewarded with a link back to your website, which improves your site’s ranking as well as brings more exposure to your brand.

Work expired listings

Old, expired listings are bread and butter to real estate prospecting. Most agents you know cold call the owners of old, expired listings. So, how do you stand out?

  1. Make your pitch all about value. A listing expires for one or more reasons. You want to figure out what those are, and present how you’d do better if hired.
  2. Sound natural by learning and practicing scripts that work. Also know the objections to prepare for and how to handle them. There are many lame cold calling scripts online, but there are some that stand out. You should role-play and practice those until they sound natural. Here’s a helpful resource for lead generation scripts.
  3. Use a multi-channel marketing strategy. This means that you create follow-up campaigns across two or more platforms where your potential customers are.

Conclusion

Generating quality leads in real estate in Moncton requires a combination of understanding the target market, establishing a robust online presence, leveraging social media, networking, and continuous improvement. These steps can help ensure that you establish a sustainable process for lead generation that not only attracts potential clients but also converts them into satisfied homeowners.

Call now for personalized lead generation strategies tailored to Moncton’s dynamic real estate market! Whether you are a new agent or a seasoned professional, these insights can help you thrive in your real estate career.

FAQ

Question : What is lead generation in real estate?

Answer : Lead generation in real estate involves attracting potential buyers or sellers who are interested in buying, selling, or investing in properties. It includes capturing contact information and nurturing these leads into clients through tailored marketing strategies.

Question : Why is lead generation important for Moncton real estate agents?

Answer : Moncton’s real estate market is competitive, given its strong economy, cultural diversity, and attractive lifestyle. Effective lead generation helps agents stand out, connect with serious prospects, and grow their business in this in-demand market.

Question : What are some effective strategies for generating real estate leads in Moncton?

Answer : Key strategies include:

  1. Utilizing digital marketing channels like Google Ads and social media.
  2. Optimizing your website for local SEO with keywords such as “Moncton real estate.”
  3. Hosting open houses and community events.
  4. Partnering with local businesses to cross-promote services.
  5. Building and maintaining an active email list for follow-ups.

Question : How does local SEO help in lead generation?

Answer : Local SEO ensures your online presence is optimized to appear in searches specific to Moncton. By including keywords like “Moncton real estate agent” or “homes for sale in Moncton,” you improve your visibility to potential clients in your target market.

Question : Are social media platforms effective for lead generation in Moncton?

Answer : Yes! Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are excellent for showcasing properties, running targeted ads, and engaging with your audience. Moncton-based real estate agents can use geo-targeted ads to reach local buyers and sellers effectively.

Question : What role does networking play in generating leads?

Answer : Networking helps agents build trust within the community. Attending local events, collaborating with Moncton businesses, and joining real estate associations can introduce you to new leads and referrals.

Question : Should I invest in paid ads for real estate lead generation?

Answer : Paid ads can be a powerful tool for generating high-quality leads. Platforms like Google Ads allow you to target keywords like “homes for sale in Moncton,” ensuring your ads reach motivated buyers or sellers in the area.

Question : How can I nurture leads into clients?

Answer : Building trust is key. Regular follow-ups, providing valuable market insights, and offering personalized services tailored to their needs can help convert leads into loyal clients.

Question : How does Lead Source help in generating high-quality leads?

Answer : Lead Source offers tailored lead generation strategies designed specifically for Moncton’s real estate market. We focus on understanding client preferences, leveraging effective marketing channels, and fostering authentic community relationships to ensure success for real estate agents.

Question : What’s the first step to improving my lead generation strategy?

Answer : The first step is evaluating your current approach. Focus on local SEO, assess your digital marketing efforts, and ensure you’re actively engaging with Moncton’s community. Partnering with experts like Lead Source can also provide you with the right tools and strategies

Why Is Nurturing Real Estate Leads Crucial in Vancouver’s Competitive Market?

Published January 9, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

The Importance of Nurturing Real Estate Leads in Vancouver's Competitive MarketIn Vancouver, real estate market is as dynamic as it is cutthroat, where chances are hard to come by and the shares even harder to defend. Let me tell you, as someone who has been using the city as your lead generator, the fast-paced world of real estate is not just about getting those leads into your funnel, but, about what you’re going to do with them once you have them. Oh, did I mention that buying and selling of properties in Vancouver is one of the most competitive markets in entire Canada in which every agent, both brokers and marketer is in the competition to capture the attention of the anticipated buyers and sellers in the markets? But here’s the thing: merely accumulating leads will not do. If you are not properly managing those leads they are gone before you know it, faster than the sale of a prime waterfront land.

Lead nurturing is the special ingredient that helps to distinguish between the average and outstanding real estate agents. It is all about creating valuable connections, educating your leads and billing them where they are in the buying process. Thus nurturing is not just ‘nice to have’ for the competitive market of Vancouver where buyers and sellers are really smart and the price of losing one lead is very expensive.

Being a specialist in Vancouver real estate leads, I know what is going on in this specific market. I have made my approach to ensure that not only the generality of leads are captured but leads are professionally followed up with specific real estate lead nurturing processes that transforms mere curiosity into genuine commitment. If you are finding yourself thinking why does lead nurturing matter and how can it change your real estate business keep on reading — in this blog, you will uncover the tips and strategies on how to take your lead to the next level.

What does lead nurturing in real estate mean?

Real estate lead nurturing is the process of developing a relationship with a potential home buyer. It enables real estate agents to develop contacts with people whom may require the services of an agent in the selling of property.

To speak of lead nurturing means to think of how a company looks after the needs of a certain lead over time. Because these needs are often informational, the process entails giving useful real estate information which might be useful for a purchasing/selling decision.

If you manage to be useful to them as a potential buyer or seller, then they shall open up to you and your brand. That way, you’ll be at the forefront of their mind the next time they are planning to be personal property buyers or sellers.

Why Real Estate Lead Nurturing Is Important

Lead nurturing is much morethan following up with an email or calling the prospect once in a while. Ideally, it is about developing a map of their journey that you as a marketer and potential supplier have to meet their needs and schedules. Here’s why nurturing is especially critical in Vancouver’s competitive real estate scene:

Vancouver Buyers Are Informed

This is probably one of the most informed markets both on the part of buyers and sellers. Having immediately available online listings, real-time data, and overall trends, they require much more than information: they require bespoke knowledge. Proper lead nurturing allows you to become a valuable contributor and not just someone selling to the audience.

The Long Decision-Making Process

There is no incidental buying and selling of the real estate properties especially in the competitive market like Vancouver. The selection process of buyers and sellers can take anything between, a few months, in some cases. By nurturing you are constant in their mind when they are going through the process of making the decision.

Increased Competition

In light of the tremendous agent sprawl, lead nurturing that is both targeted and customized helps to stand out. This should prove to them that you respect them as people and not just the business opportunities you stand to benefit from with them.

An analysis of the Vancouver market

In terms of their size, Vancouver real estate leads are as follows: Some might be young people who have just come from the comfort of their parents’ houses to buy the first homes, while others might be experienced property investors looking for more properties to invest on. Lead nurturing for a collection is different since each lead is different and has different needs and reasons to demand the product. By categorizing the leads according to their circumstances and needs, you can inform them about what they would really want to know. In order for lead nurturing to work, you should know what drives this market.

  1. Diverse Client Base: Competition is made up of local buying resident, foreign investors and families who move to the city for work or for permanent residence. It is equally important to understand that each of them needs an individual solution.
  2. High Property Values: Average prices for goods are commonly above the national level, hence the consumers are slow in arriving at their decisions.
  3. Market Fluctuations: Fluctuations in both demand and price pose a major concern because it’s critical for nurturing methods to evolve over time.

Proven Real Estate Lead Nurturing Strategies

Here are some of the real estate lead nurturing strategies we use to help my clients dominate the Vancouver real estate market. Here are some of the techniques I have adopted to make sure my clients gain the upper hand in the Vancouver real estate market.

Personalized Communication

Some of the best Real estate lead nurturing strategies include the targeted messaging. Instead of broadcasting your promotional mass e-mails, personally write the e-mail messages to your leads, where you address them by their names and where you get personal with their interest. For instance, suppose you’ve learned that a lead is keen on Yaletown condos, use their leads to forward them listings and market news in the area. Some of the reasons may include the following; The personal touch to the generic messages make you touch the clients and make them feel that they have someone interested in their progress.

Educational Content

In a rather saturated market as Vancouver is for instance, giving value through information is key to standing out. Produce articles, videos or graphics that guide your leads through the buying-selling process, current market, and available financing. This not only puts you in the authority, but also creates a level of trust and always keeps one’s leads more engaged.

Regular Follow-Ups

One of the most important principles here is uniformity in working with a prospect. It will help if you can agree on how often you should or can follow up with each other through a call, email, or maybe a text. These touchpoints help you maintain awareness and demonstrate to your leads how much you care about them. Just make sure you don’t overdo it though because too many follow-up emails can make you appear overly eager and aggressive while too few can give your potential customer a impression that you are not that much interested in their business.

Utilize Social Media

Social media is also the best way to make leads. Go update your IG, FB, and LinkedIn with your listings, the success stories, new education content, etc. Always reply to anything your audience writes to you whether it is a comment or a message. It also aids in the establishment of community while making sure that your leads are updated and connected.

Offer Free Resources

You may also consider offering free resources such as; eBooks, market reports or even free webinars. These can be very useful and, at the same time, give the leads’ basic contact details. So once you have this detail, you can proceed to further communicate with such people in a more specific way.

Leverage CRM Tools

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool is usually a powerful tool you may use towards the management of your leads. These tools help you monitor interaction with leads, remind you of follow-ups and categorize leads based on their activity. With the help of the CRM you will be always confident about the fact that none of the leads is lost for you and all your nurturing processes are well coordinated.

Feedback and Testimonials

Do not forget to ask your leads what they think, especially, after they have completed a transaction with you. Speaking well of a brand is effective marketing, but it also reveals strengths and weaknesses of a company’s performance. From this feedback you can adjust your nurturing strategies in order to develop even better relations with future leads.

Get Your Proven Lead Nurturing Strategies Right This Very Moment!

BuildingClient There’s no secret way of managing real estate leads as every lead would require unique attention and the situation in Vancouver is rather active and diverse today. In case, you will use the best marketing tools, relying on statistics and at the same time caring for people, you will be able to make those who make casual inquiries become faithful buyers.

In fact, I wouldn’t be correct to say that as a lead generator focused on Vancouver real estate leads, I generate leads — I create connections. With my approach, you’ll never let any leads you get go unnoticed; this makes it easy for you to unlock new business deals.

Why Choose Us?

Then let us look at why we should be your lead generator of choice in Vancouver. And the main question is about the dedication to the market specifics and the desire to aid the clients. Leads are definitely more than mere statistics to us; We respect each lead has his or her story and goals. This is our total, uncomplicated method for developing a friendly and sustained collaboration and offering support at every phase.

Hiring us means, you will not be paying for a lead generator but rather are selecting a firm that will work hard for your success. There are now so many tools and strategies out there, and we make sure to use the best tools for nurturing your leads and resulting into loyal clients.

  1. Tailored Strategies: In our lead nurturing strategies, we consider Vancouver’s market conditions and trends.
  2. Cutting-Edge Tools: From customer relationship management systems to analysing tools we implement appropriate tools for tracking, building, and converting leads.
  3. Proven Track Record: In my experience, we assisted our clients and observed increased conversion rates, as well as a better performing client partnership.
  4. Personalized Support: I here engage you as a client, identify with your requirements and features of your project so that my strategies fit your needs.

The Future of Real Estate Lead Nurturing in Vancouver

Get Your Proven Lead Nurturing Strategies Right This Very Moment!

BuildingClient There’s no secret way of managing real estate leads as every lead would require unique attention and the situation in Vancouver is rather active and diverse today. In case, you will use the best marketing tools, relying on statistics and at the same time caring for people, you will be able to make those who make casual inquiries become faithful buyers.

In fact, I wouldn’t be correct to say that as a lead generator focused on Vancouver real estate leads, I generate leads — I create connections. With my approach, you’ll never let any leads you get go unnoticed; this makes it easy for you to unlock new business deals.

Conclusion

Yet, in the Vancouver, the battle for the real estates is very stiff meaning that tending for the leads is an essential thing. Lead nurturing therefore assists in nurturing the relationship between a seller and a buyer so that he or she can be persuaded to close the deal. Just as a reminder, this is not a typical sale, it’s a journey that you share with your clients.

If you are tired of doing the lead generation all on your own, then let’s talk! Combined, we are able to reveal best practices that will help you outperform the competition in Vancouver’s active marketplace. This is why you cannot afford to let your leads slip through your fingers, never to come back to your business again. Unlock Proven Lead Nurturing Strategies Today!

And let’s turn your real estate fantasies into a reality.

FAQ

Question : Why is nurturing real estate leads so important in Vancouver’s market?

Nurturing leads is crucial in Vancouver due to its highly competitive real estate market. With demand fluctuating and numerous agents vying for attention, it’s important to stay top of mind with potential buyers and sellers. By nurturing leads, you build relationships, foster trust, and increase the chances of converting those leads into actual clients when they’re ready to make a decision.

Question : How do lead nurturing strategies benefit Vancouver real estate agents?

Lead nurturing strategies ensure that real estate agents in Vancouver maintain consistent communication with their prospects. This process helps you stay engaged with leads over time, even if they’re not ready to buy or sell immediately. By providing valuable content, personalized messages, and timely follow-ups, agents can increase conversion rates and build a loyal client base for future transactions.

Question : What methods are used to nurture real estate leads in Vancouver?

Common methods for nurturing real estate leads include:

  1. Email marketing: Sending personalized property updates, market reports, and tips.
  2. SMS and automated messages: Keeping leads engaged with timely reminders and personalized offers.
  3. Social media interactions: Building trust through consistent and helpful engagement on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
  4. Content marketing: Sharing blog posts, videos, and virtual tours that provide valuable insights into the Vancouver market.

Question : How long does it take to nurture a lead into a client?

The timeline for converting a nurtured lead into a client varies based on the individual’s readiness and buying cycle. Some leads may take weeks, while others could take months to make a decision. However, consistently nurturing your leads through targeted communication ensures you remain their go-to option when they’re ready to move forward with a transaction.

Question : What role does personalization play in nurturing real estate leads in Vancouver?

Personalization is key to successful lead nurturing in Vancouver’s competitive market. By tailoring your communication to each lead’s unique preferences, goals, and needs, you build trust and show that you understand what they are looking for. Personalized follow-ups, property recommendations, and customized market updates help foster deeper connections with your leads.

Question : How can I measure the effectiveness of my lead nurturing efforts?

To measure effectiveness, track key metrics such as:

  1. Email open and click-through rates: How well your email campaigns are performing.
  2. Lead response times: How quickly leads are responding to your nurturing efforts.
  3. Conversion rates: How many nurtured leads eventually turn into clients.
  4. Engagement on social media: Tracking likes, comments, and shares on your posts. Utilizing CRM software and analytics tools can help you refine your strategy over time and identify areas for improvement.

Question : What are some common mistakes to avoid when nurturing real estate leads in Vancouver?

Some common mistakes include:

  1. Being too aggressive: Pushing too hard for a sale can turn leads off.
  2. Inconsistent communication: Irregular follow-ups can make you seem unreliable or disconnected.
  3. Lack of personalization: Treating all leads the same rather than tailoring your approach.
  4. Ignoring non-responsive leads: Sometimes leads need more time, and ignoring them could mean missing out on future opportunities.

Question : Can automated tools help with lead nurturing in Vancouver?

Yes, automated tools like CRM systems, email marketing platforms, and social media schedulers can significantly streamline lead nurturing. These tools allow you to stay in touch with leads without spending hours on manual follow-ups. Automation ensures that your messages are sent at optimal times and helps maintain consistent engagement without overwhelming your schedule.

Question : How does nurturing leads impact long-term success for real estate agents in Vancouver?

By nurturing leads over time, you increase the likelihood of repeat business and referrals. Real estate transactions can be long-term commitments, and by keeping in touch with your leads, you’re positioning yourself as a trusted advisor. This can lead to not just one-time sales, but long-term success with clients who return for future transactions and recommend your services to others.

Question : How can partnering with a lead generation service help in nurturing leads?

Partnering with a professional lead generation service can streamline your nurturing process. These services often offer advanced tools, automation, and strategies that are optimized for your target market in Vancouver. They help you capture high-quality leads, track engagement, and follow up at the right times, which can dramatically increase your conversion rates.

Top Real Estate Lead Services in Halifax: How They Work and Why You Need Them

Published January 8, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

Discover top real estate lead services in Halifax, their benefits, and how they help grow your real estate business efficiently.

It is always amusing to think if you are in the position of a real estate agent in Halifax, ready to facilitate significant exchanges aimed at making families happy by providing them with suitable houses. But the phones aren’t ringing, and the inbox is surprisingly still. The market is active but where are all the potential clients who you could be selling your products to? Sound familiar? The answer lies in one word – leads. In Halifax especially when it comes to real estate business, leads are the heart of your business and a constant inflow of leads determines the level of your success. That is why our specific real estate leads generation services are here to help you out.

We don’t just give you leads; we give you targeted, high converting leads that will help you get to the right clients at the right time. Whether you’re a greenhorn or a veteran at professional practice, we promise our skills will charge up your business. In this blog, I will explore the premier Realtor lead services Halifax based agents, how these leads function, and why it is critical to adhere to their usage ultimately. By the end of the presentation you will understand why turning to us for more individualized leads in Halifax could be the best business decision you make for your real estate career.

Understanding Realtor Lead Services

Realtor lead services are specialized platforms and tools that help real estate professionals find and connect with potential clients. Advanced technology, data analytics, and marketing strategies ensure that the leads are of high quality and delivered directly to your inbox. Whether through SEO, social media, or email marketing, lead services ensure that your business stays ahead of the competition by constantly generating new prospects.

At the core, these services simplify the process of finding clients by allowing you to concentrate on what makes you the best – closing deals. With the efficiency of high-powered tools and insights, realestat lead services take the guesswork out of generating leads so you attract the right audience at the right time.

Why Lead Generation Matters for Halifax Realtors

Halifax is growing, and with growth comes a dynamic real estate landscape. From waterfront condos to suburban family homes, the variety of properties means there’s no shortage of opportunities. However, competition is fierce. To thrive, realtors need more than just knowledge of the market – they need a consistent stream of high-quality leads.

Lead generation for realtors in Halifax is not only about the quantity but also the quality. Right services do not just bring you contacts; they connect you with people actively looking to buy or sell. That is a very targeted approach which saves time, increases conversion rates, and brings in revenue.

How do they work?

  1. Lead Generation Strategies: Realtor lead services use a combination of organic and paid strategies to attract potential clients. Organic strategies include content marketing, SEO optimization, and social media engagement. On the paid side, PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, display ads, and sponsored posts drive immediate traffic to your listings. This dual approach ensures a steady stream of leads, combining long-term visibility with quick wins.
  2. Targeted Advertising: One of the key strengths of realtor lead services is their ability to target specific demographics and market segments in Halifax. By analyzing local market trends, online behavior, and search data, these services run highly targeted ads. This ensures that your message reaches individuals most likely to convert into clients, maximizing your ad spend and increasing overall ROI.
  3. Capture and Nurture: After a person manifests interest – perhaps via clicking on an ad, filling in a form, or interacting with your website, the lead service captures data about that person. Landing pages are well-crafted sign-up forms and chatbots to capture said person’s information. Thereafter, the lead is inserted into a nurturing sequence. Automated email campaigns, SMS follow-ups, and personalized messages keep your brand at the forefront of the lead’s mind, moving him closer to conversion.
  4. Data Analytics: The best lead services do not only generate leads but also analyze them. Through tracking the behavior and engagement of leads, these services refine their strategies over time. This is an iterative process that ensures that the leads generated are of consistently high quality, filtering out uninterested parties and focusing on those with genuine intent to buy or sell.
  5. Email Campaigns : Automated email marketing keeps you in touch with potential clients. Drip campaigns nurture leads over time, ensuring your name is the first they think of when they’re ready to buy or sell. Sending personalized property updates, market insights, and newsletters helps maintain a relationship with prospects
  6. CRM Integration : Customer Relationship Management tools track leads from the first touch to close. This is one seamless process which ensures no lead slips through your cracks. CRM also gives good analytics, allowing you to measure the effectiveness of different sources of leads.

The Importance of Lead Generation for Realtors in Halifax

Why Is Lead Generation Important?

In Halifax’s competitive real estate market, having a pipeline of potential clients is crucial for sustained success. Here’s why:

  1. Staying Competitive: With many agents vying for attention, effective lead generation sets you apart. It helps ensure you are the go-to option when clients are ready to buy or sell.
  2. Building a Client Base: Lead services help you identify and connect with potential buyers or sellers, allowing you to grow your client base steadily over time.
  3. Enhancing Marketing Efforts: These services often provide marketing tools and resources that allow you to showcase your listings more effectively, thus increasing your chances of closing deals.
  4. Time Efficiency: Investing in lead generation allows agents to spend more time with clients and less time searching for prospects, which significantly increases productivity.

Why Clients Should Choose Our Lead Generation Solutions for Halifax Realtors?

Halifax is developing and yes economic development means that the real estate market is full of activity. With every opportunity from waterfront condos to mere suburban family homes, the options are endless. However, it is very competitive. However, having market information is not enough to grow as a kicker – real needed constant quality leads.

Here’s why our services are the right choice:

  1. Tailored Approach: With Halifax experience, we know your market and build consumer response plans to your specifications.
  2. Quality Over Quantity: Our platform reduces the time wasted chilling with individuals who are not interested in buying or selling and ensuring you get the very best out of the deal.
  3. Expert Guidance: We offer practical help in all aspects of advertising, leading from ads to CRM integration to guarantee your success.

One main reason why Halifax Realtors chose Us

  1. Proven Results : Over the years our services have assisted thousands of Halifax realtors to grow their businesses with qualitive and continuous leads.
  2. Comprehensive Tools : That’s why our offerings span all the best marketplaces, from Zillow Premier Agent to Real Geeks, helping you get there with our guidance.
  3. Time Efficiency : Our services bring in the leads for you – we’ve got you covered in this department so that you can focus on the actual sales.
  4. Unmatched Support : We are not simply offering leads; We help you build the success you desire, and that involves training, the use of analytics, and even optimization process.

Best Realtor Lead Generation Tools in Halifax

As for the provision of the best Realtor lead generation tools in Halifax, we stand out at delivering full-spectrum realtor lead generation solutions. Besides recommending great tools, we make sure that our clients extract the maximum possible value from these tools through our professional integration and optimization. Some of the tools that we utilize and recommend to achieve incredible results are the following:

  1. Zillow Premier Agent : Real Estate has a well-known name such as Zillow. As a Premier Agent, you get a prime placement with listings, and prospects can call or email directly from the system. Zillow has a strong outreach and is perceived to be honest. This makes Zillow a go-to for leads. We show you how to fully leverage the strength of Zillow, so that your listings regularly beat the competition.
  2. BoldLeads ; BoldLeads is only for seller leads and provides exclusive territories so that there would be no conflict between the agents. The automated marketing funnels are designed to convert the leads faster. It is helpful for Halifax realtors, especially in dominating a particular neighborhood. Our strategic insights enable you to dominate territories quickly and efficiently.
  3. Market Leader ; Market Leader is an integrated lead generation platform that has website development, CRM, and targeted marketing. It will help fulfill the mass expansion needs of a Halifax-based realtor. Moreover, Market Leader has training and support to help you get the best out of it. We give you hands-on training and personalized support so that you get the best out of Market Leader.
  4. Real Geeks ; Real Geeks offers affordable yet quality lead generation tools, including IDX websites and automated follow-up systems, that are perfect for Halifax realtors to streamline their workflow. Real Geeks is integrated into social media and PPC campaigns and offers a very comprehensive lead generation strategy. Our expertise ensures seamless integration and automation to maximize your return on investment.
  5. REDX : REDX focuses on expired listings and FSBO leads. You can increase your client list by quite a bit through access to these under-hunted opportunities. REDX also offers you phone scripts and coaching to help you work the leads so that you maximize them. We master REDX with custom scripts and hands-on coaching for you to convert more leads.

Partnering with us means access to these top-of-the-line tools, along with our expert guidance and industry knowledge. We don’t just provide tools; we provide results.

Advantages of Realtor Lead Services in Halifax

  1. Increased Visibility : The more leads you generate, the more your name gets out there. Increased visibility means more referrals, repeat business, and ultimately, more revenue. Lead services amplify your online presence, ensuring you remain top-of-mind for potential clients.
  2. Time Efficiency : This means that the lead services and automated systems do the heavy lifting rather than spending hours searching for leads. This way, you will have more time to close deals and build relationships. Lead management efficiency translates to more deals closed in less time.
  3. Increased Conversion Rates : Targeted leads are more likely to convert. By focusing on clients already interested in buying or selling, you increase the chances of successful transactions. Lead services filter out unqualified prospects, letting you concentrate on high-value opportunities.
  4. Competitive Edge : Keep ahead of the competition in Halifax’s real estate market. Lead services give you an edge with insights into market trends and client behaviors. You get to know real-time data and analytics to refine strategies for continuous growth.

Best Practices to Use Lead Services Effectively

  • Update your CRM regularly to keep track of the leads.
  • Personalize all communication to enhance the engagement of the clients.
  • Monitor the performance of ad campaigns and adjust targeting accordingly.
  • Keep posting valuable content on social media to stay in view.
  • Use data insights to fine-tune and improve lead generation strategies.

Conclusion: Harness the Power of Lead Generation in Halifax’s Real Estate Market

As you navigate the exciting world of real estate in Halifax, remember the importance of effective lead generation. By investing in reliable realtor lead services and utilizing strategic tools, you can connect with clients in meaningful ways, ultimately driving your business to new heights.

Are you ready to take the plunge? Contact us for tailored lead solutions in Halifax, and let’s work together to unlock your potential in this thriving real estate market. Whether you’re looking to improve your online presence, generate quality leads, or enhance client engagement, 4GoodHosting has the tools you need to succeed.

FAQ

What are real estate lead services?

Real estate lead services are platforms or tools that generate and capture potential buyer and seller contacts for realtors. These services use marketing strategies like SEO, social media ads, and email campaigns to connect realtors with clients actively seeking real estate services.

How do lead generation services benefit Halifax realtors?

Lead generation services help Halifax realtors by providing a steady stream of potential clients. This increases visibility, saves time, boosts conversion rates, and provides a competitive edge in the bustling Halifax real estate market.

What types of lead generation methods are most effective in Halifax?

The most effective methods include SEO optimization, social media marketing, CRM tools, email campaigns, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. These techniques ensure realtors connect with active buyers and sellers in Halifax.

How can I determine if a lead service is right for my real estate business?

Consider the service’s track record, client reviews, and the specific tools they offer. Look for services that provide tailored lead solutions for Halifax’s market and ensure the platform aligns with your business goals.

What is the difference between buyer leads and seller leads?

Buyer leads are potential clients looking to purchase property, while seller leads are individuals interested in selling their property. Effective lead services target both, depending on the realtor’s focus.

Are there exclusive lead generation services in Halifax?

Yes, some services like BoldLeads offer exclusive territories, ensuring you’re the only agent receiving leads from specific campaigns within a defined area.

How quickly should I follow up with a lead?

Engaging with leads within the first hour of inquiry significantly increases the chance of conversion. Prompt responses show professionalism and build trust with potential clients.

Can I use lead services if I’m new to the real estate industry?

Absolutely! Lead services are especially beneficial for new realtors by helping build a client base quickly, providing valuable market insights, and boosting initial visibility.

How much do lead generation services typically cost?

Costs vary depending on the service and the scale of lead generation required. Monthly fees can range from $200 to $1,000 or more, depending on the platform and level of service.

How do I track the success of my lead generation efforts?

Most lead services provide analytics and reporting tools to track engagement, conversion rates, and return on investment (ROI). Regularly reviewing these metrics helps optimize strategies.

Is social media important for lead generation?

Yes, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are crucial for lead generation. They allow realtors to target specific demographics and engage directly with potential clients.

Can lead generation services integrate with my CRM?

Most modern lead services integrate seamlessly with CRM platforms, allowing for easy management of leads from initial contact to closing.

What makes Halifax’s real estate market unique for lead generation?

Halifax’s diverse property types, growing population, and vibrant neighborhoods create unique opportunities. Lead services that tailor their strategies to Halifax’s market dynamics yield the best results.

How do I get started with a real estate lead service in Halifax?

Start by researching top lead services, such as Zillow Premier Agent, BoldLeads, Market Leader, and Real Geeks. Contact providers directly or sign up for consultations to tailor a lead generation plan that fits your goals.

What should I look for in a lead generation partner?

Look for experience in Halifax’s real estate market, proven success with other agents, comprehensive tools (like SEO and PPC), and excellent customer support.

How to Generate High-Quality Real Estate Leads in Calgary

Published January 7, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

How to Generate High-Quality Real Estate Leads in CalgaryHere we are in a brand new year, and because it’s 2025 means that it was now 2 years ago and counting that the Alberta government came out with its ‘Alberta is Calling’ campaign that urged educated young people to move to Calgary and build their careers there while enjoying a more affordable life AND more affordable housing. The second part of that is quite telling when we look to understand why Alberta has the highest inflow of in-country migration of all the Provinces. As you ‘d expect most are moving to Calgary, and the uptick in the real estate industry is because of all this.

That means homes are more actively being pursued by homebuyers, and more those who are ready to sell a home can likely expect to receive more for theirs. All of this increased activity means more and more people are going to be working as realtors in Calgary, and that’s the way it goes for any big city in Canada with a vibrant real estate market. That competitiveness means agents need to be doing everything they can to obtain listings before they go to another individual, and so it becomes about tips for high-quality real estate leads in Calgary.

The first and most obvious one that we’d highlight here is paid real estate leads for Calgary where you have a service like ours here at Real Estate Leads providing you with qualified buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you for a price. But you receive those leads exclusively, and that’s what makes it so you’re getting what you pay for. It’s an excellent opportunity, but you still need to have the savvy to convert the lead into a real estate client. That’s something you get better with over time, and many of you considering such a move will be new to working as a real estate agent in Canada.

The topic of our discussion with this blog entry this week is to identity the best ways of getting leads outside of paying for them, and there are plenty of different approaches realtors can try. And try they should, because one thing you will quickly learn is that if you’re not hustling in this business you’re going to be left behind fast. Nothing leads a realtor out of the business faster than a long stretch without any listings or homebuyers leading to commissions coming in.

So let’s get right into them, and we’ll be keen to know of any that are working best for you as an agent. Ready to Attract High-Quality Leads in Calgary? Contact Us now!

Collect / Convert

We’ve asserted many times that lead generation is an essential part of operations for anyone who has a personal real estate corporation (PREC) and most real estate agents working in Canada will have one. It’s the process of attracting and capturing potential clients’ interest and then doing what it takes to turn them into a leads. These will be individuals who have expressed some level of interest in your services. These leads could be homebuyers, sellers, investors, or people looking to have more information about the real estate market in Calgary.

There is a real importance to effective lead-generation strategies and the best approaches will combine technology with results-driven systems to help you capture and nurture leads effectively. Most experienced realtors will tell you that getting high-quality real estate leads is the easier of the two aspects of all this, and that converting a lead into a client is more challenging that just getting the lead in the first place.

Most people would assume that’s true anyways, and it really does stress the importance of being able to carry yourself well and be immediately visible as someone who knows a lot about local Calgary real estate. Nurturing leads is how you convert them, and these days that is often best done with a CRM (customer relationship management) platform that will work well for real estate.

There are plenty of them, and they tend to be good for advanced email marketing features, social media integration and posting capabilities, and lead nurturing tools. These platform are often very effective for taking your lead gen efforts to new heights.

Look Where They’re Found

Continuing with our look at tips for high-quality real estate leads in Calgary we come back to same conclusion as we would for any big city in Canada; you need to be trying many different approaches and then seeing what works best for you while trying to determine why it’s better for you than other approaches and how much of that might be unique to working as an agent in Calgary or Alberta overall.

Here’s what every realtor will be doing to have the best chance of generating high-quality real estate leads consistently:

Email Marketing

Crafting targeted email campaigns is proven effective for generating leads. With a good CRM’s email marketing features it is possible to categorize your leads, individualize them, and then deliver personalized content that will resonate more emphatically with that lead based on their needs and preferences.

Social Media

The reason every agent should be getting to know Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn is because this is where so many potential clients are active and undertaking at least some part of their search for properties if they are looking to buy a home or referencing them to see the value of their home in Calgary. Most of these good CRMs we are talking about will allow agents to leverage social media integrations so that you are streamlining your online presence and engaging with prospects more authentically.

Referral System

Always remember that genuinely valuable leads can come from building local connections and relationships that eventually lead to word-of-mouth referrals. Establishing a brand for your real estate services and then seeing to it you have maximum visibility for all channels can help you establish a compelling brand identity to leave a lasting impression on potential leads.

Organic Search

If you want to getting organic real estate leads – and primarily through inquiries submitted through your real estate agent website – then ranking high on search engine results pages (SERPs) is something that is of pivotal significance at all times. The value of local SEO services for realtors is big in all of that, and with SEO optimization your website will be more likely to rank for relevant keywords. This ensures that potential clients discover your business when searching for real estate agents in Calgary, or real estate services.

Partnerships

Collaborating with complementary businesses like mortgage lenders and insurance companies is also a means of getting real estate business referrals. It is best if you can start using a CRM for real estate that enables you to manage and nurture these partnerships effectively so there are mutual benefits for both you and the clients you will be representing in the sale or purchase of a home.

Nurture Real Estate Leads Right

Personalized communication needs to be the primary focus with nurturing real estate leads, and you really do need to learn to get it right as quickly as possible if you’re going to start seeing the results you want from the time you put into getting real estate leads for Calgary and area. Use the lead nurturing tools inside your CRM to send targeted communications tailored to each lead based on where they are (their stage) in the buying or selling process. Personalized communication strengthens your relationship with prospects.

Timely follow-ups are also important as they let you stay top-of-mind with your leads when you are following up promptly and consistently, and smartly. It will be best if you can have an automation feature that allows you to schedule follow-up emails and reminders so that no lead slips through the cracks. We’re obligated to circle back to content here again, and that’s because good content will do wonders for getting you the search engine rankings for your site AND establishing you as one of the local expert realtors who people can trust in as they begin towards buying or selling a home in Calgary.

Better content means more value to your leads through informative content that addresses their pain points and offers solutions. With good email marketing you can share valuable insights and resources that demonstrate your expertise and build trust with potential clients.

Continuous engagement is also going to be part of the equation when you are nurturing high-quality real estate leads. Aim to keep conversations related to homes and the market going with leads across multiple touchpoints. This will be social media, email, SMS, and in-person interactions and the CRM you choose to work with should have something that lets you have seamless communication and engagement so that you are fostering stronger connections with your leads over time. Ready to Attract High-Quality Leads in Calgary? Contact us now!

Top Strategies for Regina Real Estate Lead Generation in 2025

Published January 6, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

Top Strategies for Regina Real Estate Lead Generation in 2025Do you ever feel as if everybody else is bringing in leads like bees to honey while you wait around for the phone to ring? Well, rest assured that you’re not alone. The real estate market is moving at warp speed these days, and those tired old ways of getting leads in your door are a thing of the past. The kicker? There are some actually workable strategies that won’t hurt your head, too.

The strategies for attracting potential buyers and sellers change with the market. Being an experienced agent or just entering the business, knowing the right real estate lead generation techniques can make all the difference in your success.

Then to community events – the opportunity ends there. Under this blog is a step by step guideline outlining different approaches exclusively designed for use in Regina while elaborating the well-known best strategies to gain active real estate leads. And for those with eyes on the Vancouver market, effective real estate lead generation in Vancouver can set you apart.

Are you ready to change the way you approach real estate marketing? Join us as we dive deep into the strategies that will revolutionize your business in 2025.

The Importance of Real Estate Lead Generation

In an industry where connections are paramount, lead generation is more than just acquiring contacts; it’s about building relationships that foster trust and loyalty. Lead generation techniques can enhance your client base, improve your sales funnel, and increase your overall market presence. This section can delve into why lead generation works, its role in shaping client relationships, and the impact of technology on these processes.

Know the Art of Social Media Dominance

If using Instagram to post an occasional house pic is what you call social media marketing, you are sadly mistaken. In 2025, social platforms will become a playground where real estate empires are built.

Here’s how to Generate Real Estate Leads by harnessing the full power of social media:

  1. Video Tours & Reels: Short, snappy video tours highlight your listings like nothing else. Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok are your best friends here.
  2. Live Q&A Sessions: Go live on Facebook or Instagram and answer questions about local market trends. People love insider knowledge, and this positions you as the go-to expert.
  3. Local Hashtags: Use hashtags like #ReginaRealEstate and #YQRListings to increase visibility.

Combine creativity with consistency, and leads will follow.

The Goldmine of Community Involvement

Who knew that sponsoring the local soccer team or hosting a neighborhood barbecue could generate leads? Building relationships in your community creates trust – and when it comes to real estate, trust is everything.

  1. Host Local Events: Consider homebuyer workshops or market update sessions.
  2. Partner with Local Businesses: Collaborate with cafes, gyms, or boutiques for joint promotions.

The more localized your presence, the more likely people are to think of you when it’s time to buy or sell.

Turbocharge Your Website for Lead Capture

Your website isn’t just a digital business card – it’s a lead-generating machine (if done right).

  1. Add Lead Capture Forms: Include resources that people can download, like “Top 10 Tips for Selling Your Home in Regina.”
  2. Live Chat Integration: A simple answer to a simple question can convert a curious visitor into a client.
  3. SEO-Optimized Blogs: Content like “How to Buy a Home in Regina in 2025” can drive traffic and capture leads.

Email Marketing: Oldie but Goldie

Email’s old hat, right? Not so fast. Personalized, value-added email newsletters keep you front of mind.

  1. Monthly Market Updates
  2. Exclusive Listings for Subscribers
  3. Success Stories & Testimonials
  4. Email marketing isn’t spam – it’s about staying top of mind and relevant.

Paid Ads with Pinpoint Precision

You can target with Google or Facebook paid ads – exactly the people you want to target.

  1. Geo-Targeting: Focus on specific neighborhoods or communities.
  2. Retargeting: Follow up with those who have visited your website and never called you.

The more targeted your ads, the better the conversion rates are.

Network With Local Businesses

Connecting with local businesses can be a game changer for your real estate lead generation efforts. By forming strategic partnerships, you can increase your visibility and tap into a network of potential clients.

Studies show that 70% of consumers prefer to support local businesses, which means collaborating with them can enhance your credibility in the community.

Start by contacting the local coffee shops, gyms, and other services. Host joint events with them, sponsor community activities, or even offer special deals to their customers. It demonstrates your community involvement and helps establish you as a trusted source.

As you build these relationships, you start creating a network of referrals to help you get more leads in the future.

You can also use social media to cross-promote each other’s businesses. For instance, if a local business features you on their posts, you can get in touch with their entire customer base, and these easily translate to new leads.

Remember, it is about creating real connections. The more robust your local network is, the more referrals you are going to get and hence drive sales.

In 2025, utilize these partnerships to create a sustainable flow of quality leads.

Host Virtual Open Houses

Levelling the playing field to your email marketing, virtual open houses really push the boundaries on lead generation strategy. By 2025, 74% of buyers want to go through a virtual tour before committing to an in-person visit. That’s tapping into that trend for virtual open house: you get people looking at more of your listings, more distant buyers looking from out-of-town.

Utilize high-definition video and engaging elements, like live Q&A sessions, to ensure maximum engagement. This will make the property attractive and connect the client to the potential clients.

Send emails, social media posts, and even your website to promote the virtual open house, drive traffic, and boost visibility.

Use analytics tools to measure engagement among viewers during the event. Follow metrics such as the number of attendees, average viewing time, and questions by participants. The data will help in fine-tuning your approach to tailor future open houses according to audience preferences.

Video Marketing Strategy

Video marketing is an effective means through which real estate professionals can engage with their targeted buyers. As of 2025, leveraging video will boost your visibility and engagement considerably. Recent studies reveal that videos may increase conversion rates by up to 80%. Therefore, when you exhibit properties using good quality videos, you are presenting a listing as well as narrating a story that would catch the eyes of the viewer.

Firstly, make virtual tours of every property and their special features. Aerial shots with drones are perfect to capture a view of the entire neighborhood. Such interactive experiences will differentiate your listings from others and make them attract more inquiries.

Other video content options are testimonial videos of happy clients. Such testimonials can really boost trust and credibility in the field of real estate.

Remember live streaming! Hosting Q&A sessions or virtual open houses can create real-time interaction with potential buyers, allowing them to ask questions and get immediate answers.

Finally, optimize your videos for SEO by using relevant keywords in titles and descriptions. This way, you’ll enhance your online discoverability.

Embrace video marketing. It will attract more leads and foster lasting connections in the competitive real estate market.

Collaborate With Influencers

Collaborating with influencers can greatly boost your real estate lead generation. You can reach potential clients more authentically and engagingly by leveraging their established audiences and credibility.

Here’s how to make it work for you:

  1. Choose the Right Influencers: Look for individuals whose values align with your brand and who have who have a following in your target market. This guarantees that your message resonates with their audience.
  2. Develop Engaging Content: Work together on content that demonstrates your knowledge and features local properties. This could be virtual tours, market insights, or lifestyle content that reflects your community.
  3. Track Your Results: Use analytics to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns. Monitor engagement rates, lead conversions, and overall reach to refine your strategy continually.

According to a recent study, real estate professionals who worked with influencers increased leads by 30%.

Working with your industry knowledge and their influence can create trust and expand your reach.

Use Old-fashioned Mail to Target Entire Communities

Direct mail marketing is still hugely effective and cost-effective in lead generation for a buyer. Yet, you want to be clever about your design if you plan to cut through the clutter. A well-crafted direct mail campaign can prove to be very effective for those searching for ways how to get buyers in real estate. Send out a calendar for the year, populated with holidays and local events, and I bet that postcard ends up on the refrigerator, keeping you top of mind for months to come.

If you’re looking for a direct mail option that is easy to use, has tons of design options, and won’t break the bank, check out ProspectsPLUS!. Choose from one of their 250 real estate-specific templates, input your personal information, and ensure the copy reflects your community. Now, you’ve got yourself a real estate lead-generating machine.

Over to You

Anybody can produce some buyer leads, but if you want to make it big, you will require a constant flow of leads each week. Remember that the art of the referral and exactly how to get buyers is something you have to learn from your own efforts. Consistency is the answer. For one, your buyer clients will eventually become sellers as well. Thus, investing in your buyer lead funnel now will create opportunities for a good number of transactions in the future. You can then make use of a mix of digital strategies, community involvement, traditional methods, and advanced technology to create a very powerful lead generation engine for driving your business in 2025. Effective real estate marketing isn’t about sales alone; it is building a relationship with the community that will last for many years.

Call us to revolutionize your Vancouver real estate marketing and let’s develop a strategy that works particularly for your goals!

FAQ: Real Estate Lead Generation in Regina

Why is local SEO important for lead generation in Regina?

Local SEO ensures your real estate business appears in search results when potential clients look for homes or agents in Regina, boosting visibility and credibility.

How can social media advertising help generate leads?

Social media ads allow you to target specific demographics and locations, ensuring your listings reach interested buyers and sellers directly.

What type of content should I create to attract real estate leads?

Focus on neighborhood guides, market reports, and tips for buyers and sellers to establish yourself as a knowledgeable and trusted resource.

How effective is email marketing for real estate?

Email marketing keeps potential clients engaged with regular updates, exclusive listings, and valuable insights, helping to nurture leads over time.

Are virtual events effective for lead generation?

Yes, virtual events like open houses and webinars allow you to reach a broader audience while showcasing properties and your expertise.

Why Calgary Real Estate Agents Need a Strong Lead Generation Strategy

Published January 3, 2025 by Real Estate Leads

Why Calgary Real Estate Agents Need a Strong Lead Generation StrategyThe real estate market in Calgary is active, strong and packed with myriad opportunities for property investors. But it is not always that easy to make a breakthrough. Due to constant market changes and the increasing amount of competition among realtors, a proper lead generation system is more important now than ever. While buyers and sellers in a city are ever on the shelves for the best and cheap homes respectively and the best agents to help with these processes, a good lead generation method can make a lot of difference between viable business and mere existence.

Well, let us explain why lead generation could be so valuable to the overwhelmed Calgary realtor. It’s just that simple: the more leads one is able to create they more ticket the firm stands a better chance of selling that ticket. To increase them let’s face it; Boosting real estate sales are what it is all about. Whether this is your first time engaging in this given line of work, or if you are a seasoned professional, in one of our blogs, there won’t be any confusion as to why lead generation is so crucial, how to go about it accurately, and how it will propel your career in real estate.

Need help with lead generation? Schedule a free consultation now!! It is now time to unpack the practical causes that can place you first.

Why Online Real Estate Lead Generation Matters

Butterstream of leads- now that is every real estate agents dream. Yet you may be asking yourself : It is true, online lead generation sounds amazing – but should this be really on top of the list of things that I, as a business person need? Oh, no, you have a million other things to do,’ his wife retorted. That is a valid point, but hear us out- here are 4 reasons why you should make online real estate lead generation a priority:

  1. You will reach clients worldwide: Lead generation online helps you to get more clients. And we are not talking about moving from county celebrity to state celebrity – proper online strategy will get your business international. Take note that you will be around buyers at any time across the globe and thus increasing your potential pool of buyers and sellers.
  2. This will create stronger relationships: Building a real estate success story is built on trust and credibility. A personal and fully individual website is a great way to brand and advertise personal brand. Any leads that come across your site, will instantly know who you are and what your company is all about – which helps them engage with you better.
  3. You have choices available to you : By the time you have developed a good set of overseas source of leads the type of deals and listings will be of very much variety. When making it easier for people to find you then to contact you, then your technical skills are out in the open for anyone else, thus the more diverse requests. One morning you wake up with a message requesting a consulting chance. Maybe a magazine has sought your view on the latest development in the markets in your purview. The scope is unlimited.
  4. You will have a financial security: Quite certain leads mean quite certain and established revenues. That prospect lets you discover how to proceed and manage your expansion in a manner suitable to your company’s growth.

Effective Lead Generation Tactics for Calgary Realtors

To be key effective, it is possible to get that putting out sufficient lead generation campaigns can be strongly positive in terms of Calgary successes for the agent. Here are many ways that agents employed that actually increases leads.

They made Social Media is Your Best Buddy

Through this, Facebook, Instagram, Linked, IN, and Twitter have emerged as important tools for successful marketing in the real estate business. These are their uses for Calgarians;

  1. Contribute to the market news, properties for sale, customers’ reviews, and other real estate tricks. Most of the time,when you have a high quality picture of something,it captures a lot of attention from lots of people
  2. Targeted Ads: The kind of advertisement that should be used is Facebook and Instagram Adverts promoting very niche markets for particular neighbourhoods in Calgary. For instance, first-time home buying advertisements which are focused fostera lead of a more affluent buyer.
  3. Connect to Local Groups: Get active in local communities in Calgary. Post good knowledge and get positioned and the leads would naturally follow.

Lead Generation – How to Make Your Website Successful

A freeware is absolutely a prerequisite in any lead generation to make a good optimized website. Here are the musts:

  1. SEO-Friendly Content: Build blog articles that will generally help out Calgary buyers and sellers with answers and solutions to things they may be thinking about. Employ the triggers such as the Calgary realtors lead generation to boost search results.
  2. Lead Capture Forms: Make available forms where visitors may enter their details with a view of receiving property information or being added to the newsletter list. Some loose information can be provided for free, for instance, e-books that cover trends in the real estate sector.
  3. Mobile Optimization: Most of the users search properties using their mobile devices, therefore your website has to be highly responsive and easily navigable on any mobile devices.

Build More Relationships through Using E-mail Campaigns

Where the utilization of nurturing techniques is most effective is through email marketing it is among the lead nurturing tactics. Here’s how:

  1. Segmentation of audiences: Segment the audience from demographic, interest or engaging with previous emails. In that way there is more of a one on one communication.
  2. Value-Added Content: Enlist in a system of sending newsletters in which you share new market trends, properties, or other relevant news. The creation of value can promote trust and interaction on the part of the target population.
  3. Follow-Up Automation: In following up, it is advised to integrate computerized systems in your follow-up processes. One fact is very clear, and that is to give quick responses can improve the lead conversion process for quite a lot.

Networking and Community Involvement

In terms of real estate leads, a network is priceless. Here are some networking strategies:

  1. Attend Local Events: Attend conferences, trade shows, events and networking events within Calgary to be able to get in touch with the potential clients.
  2. Collaborate with Local Businesses: Make working relationships with other businesses, especially home improvement store to offer mutual service promotion. It can also extend your visibility and draw more attention from leads.
  3. Host Open Houses: The event should not only be staged in order to raise awareness of the property’s availability but to also generate networking. The attendees should be engaged because the experience can culminate into fruitful relationships.

Invest in Paid Advertising

Paid advertising can be a strategic investment for Calgary realtors looking to generate leads quickly:

  1. Google Ads: Use Google Adwords to advertise for those relevant key words concerning calgary real estate. This can put your services before would-be customers just when they are ready to make a purchase.
  2. Retargeting Campaigns: Use retargeting to follow up on the prospects already accessing your website, and introduce them to your services. This makes your brand relevant all the time and can help persuade those who once visited your store to always come back and convert.
  3. Property Listing Platforms: List with promoted Web sites which can be found on the Realtor.ca if increased visibility means more leads.

Video Marketing

Let us take an example from the industry at hand, real estate and as we shall see video marketing is on the rise today. Consider the following strategies:

  1. Virtual Tours: Produce a number of videos that are captivating and exciting with the use of the homes that are for sale in the market. This leads to the increased involvement od the viewers and they attract more people.
  2. Informational Videos: Create videos which are ‘how to buy’ or ‘how to sell’ homes in Calgary that may inculcate confidence and provide leads.
  3. Live Q&A Sessions: Continued the use of hosting live sessions on social media platforms to answer frequently asked questions about real estates, foster relationship with prospects, and increase the prospects interest in the services offered.

Sponsored web relationships with beloved local establishments

The key to choosing the right partnership is putting yourself in your target audience’s shoes: what do they require at any one time before or after going for a home purchase? Think about cooperation with movers, construction companies and repairmen, home improvement centers, designers, gardeners, and also, financial advisors or attorneys. Create online content and major on the local targets by engaging local angels like cafes or event venues for visibility purposes. Just remember our word – yep, your local programs can easily turn into a global effort at any time when it comes to online lead generation!

Send Engaging Emails

Back in the day, mileage and reputation were built by simply hand delivering perfect message postcards. Work culture have not changed dramatically! Email is one of the most effective communication channels known to reach out the potential leads. This includes favourite property, property market update and tips of the trade. The best practice is to make your email address branded and personalized associated with a domain like, a domain name. HOMES or PROPERTY will instantly make you stand out as a professional.

Automate As Much As You Can

Tired of repetitive tasks? It’s very simple, keep your mind alive for what is important and let the rest of those repetitive tasks be done by machines! CRMs put your leads in one place, track follow-ups, and guarantee the nonloss of an opportunity. They should possibly consider purchasing solutions that could manage email promotion and set social media content.

The Anticipated Real Estate Market Adrift for the Year 2025

Be updated with these emergent trends.

AI for Lead Gen. Incorporate tools that can be utilized in a front desk for initial leads contacts. Moreover, there are high-level tools of AI Predictive analytics, which could help your organization to beat the market.

  1. Video Content. Invest more time in virtual tours; you can do live question-and-answer. And for most of the real estate companies it will also have the use in effective lead generation tactics all thanks to the short/quick videos.
  2. Sustainability Focus: Consumer is today looking for homes which are environmental friendly and green practices. Perhaps, take some time to find out more about ESG practices and how processes can reveal ESG compliance.
  3. Mobile Optimization: Given that more people are accessing the internet on their mobile devices, mobile marketing approaches are important. So even if you are creating a piece depending on what you see on a laptop screen, remember to run it on a cell phone screen too.

Conclusion: A Guide to Developing Lead Generation Mindset

That is why a lead generation strategy is not only good; it may be crucial when it comes to a city like Calgary in a constantly evolving market. As explained above, effective leads techniques will ensure that realtors in Calgary get leads, in addition to improving the sales rates. It can also be doing social media, website, list, networking, advertising, and video leads capture strategies.

If they are located in Calgary and are a real estate agent who is currently having trouble dealing with lead generation or who wishes to optimize their strategies remember that it does not have to be done alone. Are you having issues with lead generation? Call now and get your consultation! Step by step, we can try to find the ways to improve the strategy of lead generation for you here in the competitive context of Calgary real estate market.

A proactive and strategically managed approach should help build your sustainable business endures the various market fluctuations for you and is well positioned into becoming a valued expert in the Calgary real estate landscape.

The Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Lead Generation in Vancouver

Published December 31, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

The Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Lead Generation in Vancouver There are plenty of legitimately big cities in North America, but only a handful of them are in Canada and not the USA. Vancouver is a little bit unique in that it is a very geographically-constrained big city, and what’s meant by that is the fact that there is very little room the for the city to expand outwards. Theis contributes to the scarcity and expensiveness of real estate in Canada’s West Coast big city, and that also factors into real estate being a very competitive business there. A seller’s market and consistently high home sales prices are always going to mean more and more people choosing to work as real estate agents.

It is for this reason that being knowledgeable about how to generate Vancouver real estate leads is so important. It’s equally about making sure you have the clientele you need to make a living in the profession, and getting a needed leg up on your competition at the same time. If you don’t have hustle you are not going to be successful as a real estate agent in any city in Canada, but it may just be that’s more true for Vancouver than anywhere else. And agents will also be living in the city themselves and the high cost of living will be affecting them equally.

So finding more reliable real estate lead generation tips for Vancouver realtors is something that will be a priority for any of them, and especially if they are new to the business here. It’s a known fact that the majority of realtors who pass the licensing exam are not working as agents within two years of that completion, and that’s a testament to how anyone thinking it’s possible to get rich fast in real estate should be reconsidering that idea.

It’s better to understand that success and profitability comes gradually over time, and that paid real estate leads like the ones we provide can really help agents start making good money in real estate faster. Agents usually start to see real estate lead generation services as a really good investment in the growth of their PREC, as converting even just one or two leads into clients from each batch will make the cost entirely worth it.

So what we’ll look at with this blog entry is the best approaches to real estate lead generation in Vancouver, and trying to touch on everything that we know about the most effective means of getting potential clients into the fold and then hopefully having them enter your sales funnel. Boost your Vancouver real estate business today – get started with REL!

Real Lifeblood

The lifeblood of any real estate agent’s business is lead generation, and as we’ve said that’s going to be equally if not more true for Vancouver agents. Agents who have a solid lead generation strategy in place can adjust and iterate on it to initiate a steady flow of clients, while agents without one can expect to constantly scramble for their next deal.

A lead is just another word for a buyer or seller you’re going to help with the sale or purchase of a home. It is going to be best if those buyers and sellers to know who you are, what you do, and the fact that you are one of the better qualified professionals in the area for them to work with. When one of those buyer or sellers is brought into contact with you then they become leads.

So the question then becomes how are leads best generated, and then what’s the best approach to converting as many of them into clients as possible. In order to generate the best leads it will be necessary to lay the groundwork by first understanding what value and benefits you have to offer your clients. You’ll also do well to discover what niche you serve best, brand yourself accordingly, and then let the world know what you can do.

We will say that there are as many lead-generation strategies as there are real estate agents in any neighborhood and in generations past those agents would be knocking on doors in certain neighborhoods and that’s how they would come to meet homeowners who were considering putting their home on the market. Back then there was also the possibility to buy lists for expired listings and for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) listings and start cold-calling those sellers.

Then there’s the mail and print advertisements that agents have used for lead generation in the past too. Fast forward to 2024 (and soon to be 2025) and agents have many more options when it comes to generating leads. Especially with the way the Internet has opened up a new landscape of possibilities, and agents are generating leads using search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM). Along with social media marketing, blogs, videos, and other online channels that can be used to gather, engage, and nurture leads.

Conceptualizing Lead Generation in Real Estate

For a real estate agent a lead is going to be either someone who’s interested in buying a house or someone who’s interested in selling a home. In rarer instances it could also be someone who wants to rent a home and needs your help. The one commonality between any of them will be that they are not currently committed to working with another realtors, and that means the opportunity exists for them becoming your clients.

Here’s what you’ll need to see to qualify and lead before categorizing them as cool, warm, or hot leads:

  1. Interested in selling, buying, or renting a house
  2. Financially qualified to make the purchase if a potential homebuyer
  3. Open to sharing contact information with you for follow-up

From there any type of lead will start to move through what marketers refer to as the ‘customer journey.’ That’s a descriptive term for how the lead moves from awareness of the service through conversion (the purchase of the service, or an agreement in principle to work together in a commission on-sale arrangement in this case). Marketers will tell you how this would look like a funnel if you can conceptualize it. One with attrition at every stage, so what they will tell you is that you need to be have plenty of leads in order to be able to count on converting a few of them.

Which then leads us to the three stages in the customer journey as it relates to Vancouver real estate leads. The first stage is awareness, anrk with.

Focus on Front 2

d it’s when the buyer or seller becomes aware that you are an overweight real estate agent who works in their area. The next stage is evaluation, and it’s where buyers or sellers are in the process of discovering more about you compares what they learn to your competition (other agents). The last one is conversion, and it is when a buyer or sellers makes their decision on which agent will be best for them to wo

It is in those first 2 stages – awareness and evaluation – that a realtor will be able to capture more leads. That’s because it is in these two stages when prospective clients will be weighing their choices and will be the most open to working with any agent rather than any one over another. Be mindful that the awareness, evaluation, conversion customer journey applies to customers who know they have a problem to solve.

This will be for buyers who know they want to buy a house, and applies the same way for homeowners who know they want to sell. The buyer and seller leads who haven’t taken that step or made that decision aren’t represented in the funnel, but they should still be on the agent’s radar. Engaging with leads before they know they have a problem, or after they’ve solved that problem (for next time) is an integral part of lead conversion for real estate agents.

We’ll now move to looking at inbound vs. outbound leads, and with the understanding that neither have anything to do with real estate lead generation services. Many realtors will already understand the difference between the two, but it’s good for anyone to have a firmer understanding of this and how it relates to getting new clients for realtors.

Inbound marketing is attracting leads through the creation of resources and assets that you foresee being of value to those prospective clients. Think a downloadable checklist or eBook that you promote on social media, or using SEO or SEM to draw search engine traffic to your website. In order for any to qualify as a lead here the would-be buyer or seller must be willing to provide accurate contact information in order for you to be able to legitimately have them added to your collection.

Inbound marketing is sometimes referred to as ‘permission-based marketing’, and this can be conceived as you asking your leads for permission to talk to them about their real estate interests and then having them directed to your website or social media page using the resources and assets you’ve created.

Outbound marketing is decidedly different, and will traditionally involve advertising your services to strangers with an eye to having those who need those services then seeing you as the fit they need before moving to start viewing homes or putting theirs on the market. A classic example would be buying a billboard alongside a busy commuter route to promote your business to working homeowners.

Outbound marketing is also called ‘interruption-based marketing’ and that’s based on the fact the lead does not have a choice whether or not to pay attention to your message because you are sending it to them, rather than having them to come to you. So outbound marketing is naturally a little bit more intrusive, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It is going to be most effective if you have some basic knowledge about your target audience.

Get Social, Often

Social media is always going to be a key part of real estate lead generation tips for Vancouver realtors. Being smartly active on social media platforms can allow you to target your audience even more specifically. Social media in real estate can be paired with outbound marketing approaches and your marketing collaterals used can be directing would-be clientele to your real estate agent website and your social media profiles and Facebook Business Page for real estate.

Effective tactics in the content there will direct strangers to the website and social media platforms, and you’ll see even better returns on your efforts when you have accurate contact information. That’s because that information will ideally be going into a CRM for real estate agents that really empowers them with nurturing clients and staying in touch with them for repeat business in the future.

Using a CRM is also highly recommended as part of any agent’s lead pursuit. Make sure you are coordinating all your leads into a single source and tracking their progress through your funnel and their individual customer journeys. All of this is underneath the overarching principle that a multi-tier approach to lead generations is always going to be best. Along with getting the fast-track advantage of paid real estate leads when you Boost Your Vancouver real estate business today – Get Started with us!

Community Involvement & Provider Networking

There are more opportunities to get involved with community initiatives when you live and work as a real estate agent in one of these densely-populated urban areas, and that’s very much the case for Vancouver. If you are a new realtor and you have the time to commit to it then volunteering or making yourself available in another capacity is very recommended to it. Not only do people admire people who are civic-minded, but when you’re a realtor there will be prospective clients who see your interest in making their hometown a better place to live as a big plus.

So much so that it may be a decisive factor in their choosing to work with you if they are soon to buy or sell a home in Vancouver or any other big Canadian city where you’re working. Be involved to a certain extent and it should be nearly impossible not to get Vancouver real estate leads from your efforts. You may also want to consider sponsoring some events if your marketing budget will allow for it, and as anytime you can have your name there and have it made clear you’re a realtor ready to work with clients you will stand to gain from it.

The last thing we will talk about in this entry is a lesser-know approach to getting leads in real estate but that probably shouldn’t be the case. There are many other professionals whose services will overlap with the ones a realtor provides for their clients, and it’s these folks who you should be reaching out to and proposing a mutually-beneficial arrangement where you refer client leads to each other. This can be for everyone from tradespeople to landscapers to mortgage brokers and home inspection providers in Vancouver.

All you need to do is suggest it, and if you’re a realtor who’s starting to make a name for themselves in the city these people will be even more likely to agree to the referral plan as you’ll likely have clients now and in the future who may need to have what they offer as professionals. Pair all of this with paid real estate leads and see your PREC grow faster starting immediately. Boost your Vancouver real estate business today – get started with us!

How to Attract High-Quality Real Estate Leads in Vancouver Without Breaking the Bank

Published December 30, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

How to Attract High-Quality Real Estate Leads in Vancouver Without Breaking the BankHonestly, Vancouver and its real estate market sometimes seems more like an awesome twister that just keeps turning faster and faster. With interest rates up and down and buyers being cautious it can seem as though your lead pipeline has evaporated as effectively as patio in Vancouver in the summertime.

But do not worry you shall not be on this alone. Actually producing good quality leads for any real estate business in Vancouver does not require a person to go broke or become an all night, day weekend phone jockey.

Imagine it in that way — you are sowing seeds. Certain leads sprout very quickly while others can be a little slow however if you consider using the right cultivation techniques your garden which is a reference to the client list will be blossoming very soon.

Are you are prepared now for cost effective real estate lead generation Techniques that Actually Work? If you are a savvy agent or a new to the field, we are here to reveal to you how you can get quality leads at minimum cost.

So, buckle up! It means we will uncover strategies to generate high-quality real estate leads Vancouver and show you how to convert them into loyal customers. Let’s get started!

Leverage Social Media (Without Paying for Ads)

Let’s start with the obvious: social media. It is free; therefore, if you have not registered on it yet, you are missing a lot. The trick? Consistency and authenticity.

Create Engaging Content

Blog features include posts about local events, the latest trends in the market and even glimpses of new properties that will be available soon. If you want to get engaged – go to Instagram Stories and share how your real estate day looks like.

Pro Tip: Share live Q and A on Facebook or Instagram about the Vancouver market. It’s engaging, and anybody who might be interested in your product or service will find you easy to approach.

Join Local Facebook Groups

There saying is true since Vancouver is home to many community groups. It’s okay to hang with them, to open conversations, write comments, or even share articles but don’t spam people, telling them you are an agent. So, real estate, if someone asks a question or seeks advice on this subject, you should be the first to respond.

Example Post: “Hey everyone! Hi, I am a real estate agent of this area and I’ve noticed some very unique changes in East Vancouver. If anyone wants to know I always have some information to give. Just letting you know some stuff, all very informal like there is no pressure or anything.

Optimize Your Google My Business Profile

Did you know that 46% of all Google searches are local? Having an optimized Google My Business (GMB) profile makes sure you’re popping up when someone searches for “real estate agents in Vancouver.”

How to Optimize:

  • Fill out your profile COMPLETELY.
  • Upload high-quality images of properties, headshots, and office space.
  • Encourage happy clients to leave glowing reviews.
  • Post weekly updates about new listings or market trends.

Why It Works: GMB listings with images and reviews receive 35% more clicks.

Develop Killer Neighborhood Guides

People aren’t buying houses; they are buying neighborhoods. Develop neighborhood guides on Vancouver hotspots: Yaletown, Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant. The more local the better.

  • What to Add
  • Average home price
  • School ratings
  • Walk score
  • Best local eateries and shops
  • Provide it as a blog posts or as PDFs even ebooks.

Collaborate with Local Businesses

Team up with local coffee shops, gyms, or even dog groomers to cross-promote each other. Offer to feature their business in your next newsletter in exchange for leaving your business cards at their front desk.

Example:

“Hi, I’m a local real estate agent specializing in Kitsilano. I’d love to feature your cafe in my next newsletter as a great neighborhood spot. In return, could I leave some cards at your register?”

Meet Real Estate Buyer Leads Where They Are

Meet real estate buyer leads where they are

A bit of research does a world of good. If you want to come up with real estate leads, you have to meet them where they are. Instead of making them chase after you. Yes, it is true. Most potential real estate buyer leads spend more time online looking for homes or agents than ever. But it is your job to find out where they are most active. You might be tempted to focus your real estate marketing efforts online. Some real estate buyer leads, however, may be more active in your local area.

Don’t let these leads pass you by. Try traditional marketing tactics such as door-to-door knocking, yard signs, or open house events.

Treat Them as Your Potential Real Estate Buyers

Just because they are a renter doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not here to invest in real estate. In fact, income renters are more likely to become homeowners.

So be treating them as potential buyers. Study the market, your expectations, and their motivation, and treat those leads like you would any other.

You never know who your next big sale comes from!

Here are some tips and tricks to garner real estate leads among the renters:

There should be a targeted campaign that draws in the focus of rental people in the locality or area. Benefits of holding a house for a tenant should be advertised along with your experience within the vicinity.

Offer resourceful assets like home-buying guide or mortgage calculators; educate them in the house buying process; connect socially, via mailers and targeted advertisements for keeping always on the agenda.

Run Targeted Facebook and Google Ads

The first thing that comes up under a Google search query is the ad.

And if you’re going to generate real estate leads, your best play is to start there. The key to running good ads is knowing who you are targeting. This will include the demographics and the interests of your ideal buyer so you can create the right kind of ads. With Google ads, the first hurdle is getting them to click on your ad. For finger-stopping ads, focus on the title and meta descriptions.

You don’t have much space to pack, so make them fluff-free. What are you trying to say to your audience? Maybe it’s an amazing listing by the sea? Or an eBook with your most precious home-buying tips? Well, your headline and meta description should leave no confusion.

Here’s what showed up when I searched “real estate agent in Vancouver”. I think the first ad is catchy but pretty clear-cut; it catches my eye to want to read further. The second ad doesn’t do much for me – it is too wordy. The third ad does a pretty good job of telling me about what they offer with not a lot of words. The bonus points from quick-access links are worth something too.

Keep Leads Engaged with SMS Marketing for Real Estate

Not everyone checks their email every day. But you can bet everyone checks their phone every day. That’s why SMS marketing for real estate is a smart way of keeping leads engaged!

SMS are delivered instantly to your leads’ smartphones, ensuring that messages are seen and acted upon in real-time. This helps you stay top-of-mind with your leads and keeps them engaged with your brand.

Here are a few Low-budget marketing ideas for Vancouver agents for a successful real estate business:

  • Send property updates. Keep your leads and clients informed about new listings, open house dates, and price changes.
  • Reminders: Send reminders about upcoming events, such as open houses or appointments, so your leads don’t miss out.
  • Market updates: Send relevant market updates, such as changes in housing prices or market trends.
  • Personalized messages: Personalize your messages to the specific interests and needs of your leads in order to increase engagement and trust.
  • Promotions and offers: Share special promotions and offers with your audience in order to motivate them to act.
  • Mobile appointment scheduling: Allow your leads to schedule appointments with you right from their mobile phones, making it easier and more convenient for them.

Video Marketing (On a Shoestring)

Video is king, but you don’t need to break the bank to make it work. Your smartphone is your best friend here.

Easy Video Ideas:

  • Virtual tours of new listings
  • Walkthroughs of Vancouver neighborhoods
  • Client testimonial videos

Upload these to YouTube and optimize the titles for search (think: “Best real estate agent in Vancouver” or “Mount Pleasant homes for sale”).

Leverage Referrals (and Reward Generously)

Word-of-mouth marketing still reigns supreme. Set up a referral program that rewards past clients for sending leads your way.

How to Start:

  • Offer a $100 gift card for any closed deal referred by a past client.
  • Make it personal: handwritten thank-you notes go a long way.

Host Free Workshops or Webinars

Educating people is a great way to build trust and authority. Host free webinars on the Vancouver housing market, first-time home buying tips, or real estate investment strategies.

Promotion Tips:

  • Use Eventbrite and local Facebook groups.
  • Send personal invites to your email list.

Ready to see results? Vancouver agents call us!

Start a Real Estate Blog (SEO Is Your Friend)

Blog can seem like old school, but it still works — particularly with SEO. Start a blog on your website and begin writing posts about Vancouver real estate trends, buying and selling tips, and neighborhood spotlights.

Post Ideas:

  • “5 Things to Know Before Buying a Home in Vancouver”
  • “The Top 3 Family-Friendly Neighborhoods in Vancouver”

Use Low-Cost Email Marketing

This is actually an undervalued gem. You can collect emails at open houses or through your website and send out regular newsletters.

Content Ideas:

  • Market updates
  • New listings
  • Client success stories

Best Part? Tools like Mailchimp are free up to 500 subscribers.

Get Creative with Direct Mail (Yes, Really)

Direct mail isn’t dead — it’s just got to be creative. Send out postcards with fun, catchy slogans like:

“Your dream home is calling. Are you ready to answer?”

Offer a free consultation to anyone who contacts you from the mailer.

Utilizing Social Media

Importance

Social media is a cost-effective platform for brand building and lead generation if used strategically.

Application

  • Share personal stories, community events, and valuable content rather than just listings.
  • Use tools like Karvi Social for daily posting strategies that engage your audience effectively.

Tips

Incorporate calls-to-action in every post directing followers to your website or landing pages for more information.

Example

An agent shares a personal story about their home renovation project alongside tips for new homeowners, creating connection and engagement.

Facebook Groups

Purpose

Facebook groups enable agents to connect with community members while positioning themselves as knowledgeable resources.

How to Use It

  • Join local interest groups, such as parenting groups, where you can offer advice related to real estate without being salesy.

Tips

Be active and helpful by answering questions; include links to your blog or videos when appropriate.

Example

An agent participating in a local community group answers questions about home buying processes, subtly sharing their expertise without direct promotion.

Final Thoughts

Creating quality real estate leads in Vancouver does not have to break the bank. By using social media, SEO, community engagement, and a little creativity, you can create a successful pipeline of leads without draining your wallet.

And if you are ready to start seeing results, get started with our free trial for Vancouver agents! The best time to begin is NOW.

Ready to Transform Your Lead Generation? Ready to see results? Vancouver agents call us !

Take the first step. Implement these strategies, track your results, and watch your lead quality and quantity improve – without breaking the bank.

Real Estate Leads in Regina: A Comprehensive Guide for Agents

Published December 23, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Real Estate Leads in Regina: A Comprehensive Guide for AgentsThere’s a lot of wisdom and plenty of truth in the assertion that moving to Saskatchewan is what you need to do if you want to buy a detached home for a reasonable price. The real estate market in places like Regina and other cities in the Prairies is much more organic than is the case for major metropolitan cities in Canada. Families that need space find there is plenty to like about living there and realtors will tell you the same thing. They’re hustling for new clients and affordable lead generation services for Regina agents is a need.

There may be fewer realtors in Regina than elsewhere, and that will probably be true for Saskatoon too. But that doesn’t mean the business is any less competitive and it is detached homes that are nearer to the city center where agents will be most keen to speak to the homeowners first if they are thinking of selling. The Core Ritchie and Cathedral neighbourhoods being good examples. Realtors here will prospect and be trying to meet new clients in any number of ways, and nowadays more and more agents everywhere in Canada are deciding to make paid real estate leads a part of their budget.

The way it works when you sign up for Real Estate Leads is that you’ll choose to receive buyer and / or seller leads. You can decide that you only want to receive home seller leads as a means of finding people who are ready to put a home in the market in one of the Regina neighbourhoods we talked about or any of the other nice places to live, including a Regina condo that’s nearer to the city center. You can also only get home buyer leads or you can choose to pay more and receive both types of real estate leads.

You’ll then receive a monthly quota of these leads and that will depend on what package you sign up for too. That covers the basic of this, and it’s possible to boost your real estate leads in Regina today with REL. Continue reading if you’d like to know more about getting leads in real estate online through a paid service like this one, and get an idea of why many realtors all across Canada have increased the number of leads going into their funnel when they start to pay for ones generated from Internet marketing surveys.

Get Good

Any agent that aims to be successful in any area of the country will need to be doing this consistently. But getting leads in real estate is only half the equation and every lead needs to be converted if it’s going to be providing a return on your paid real estate leads investment. Leads are converted more consistently too when the agents knows their stuff, is personable, and makes added effort at every opportunity to be assisting a client with either buying or selling a home.

There are so many agents who want to beef up their business and buyers are where to start. A lot of Regina realtors will tell you that generating buyer leads can be more straightforward. What we’re going to move to look at now are all the other more conventional ways you can be digging up new clients who are ready to work with a realtor here. We know that many of the agents we provide paid real estate leads too are very active in pursuing leads by more traditional means too and so here are the ones that we know are best.

Regular Open Houses

Open houses are proven effective for lead generation and are the most immediate and effective way to meet prospective buyers who may not be working with a realtor yet. This is why agents who are hosting them will always introduce themselves to every potential buyer, collect contact information, and always follow up. Also offer to host open houses for other agents at your brokerage. You can also ask your broker to help you coordinate an open house and provide info on which agent in the office has a vacant listing at that time.

Interesting stat: on average 9 potential near-term homebuyers will attend an average house depending on location

Become a Community Expert

There is real value in being a local community expert as buyers will be searching for new homes for weeks and weeks online. It’s possible to established your credibility early by showcasing your community’s goings-on helps you to understand how to get buyers in real estate and interested individuals will be more inclined to talk to in detail if they can immediately tell you are very knowledgeable about the area.

Consider direct mailers. It might take a few hours each month, but your farm can come to rely on your info. Plus, including pictures of recently sold homes goes a long way in establishing your credibility as the go-to community expert.

Convert Renter Clients Into Buyer Leads

Meeting current renters who are looking to buy a home soon is always going to be a part of affordable lead generation services for Regina agents. There are an estimated of 45 million renter’s households in the country and plenty of people in the Prairies are renters too. Tapping into a massive base of potential buyers could be an excellent strategy for sourcing real estate clients.

Tips for converting renters into buyers:

  1. Direct mailers that focus on renters
  2. Education sessions / marketing materials
  3. Information on saving money and building equity
  4. Connect with local landlords
  5. Offer a community platform

Interact With Buyers on Social Media

Every realtor in Canada needs to have a social media presence, even if it is just so simple as a Facebook Business page for real estate agents that will point them to your website if they want to learn more. Social media engagement should involve educating and demonstrating your knowledge. Share interesting facts, give a brief lesson on a timely topic, or answer questions online.

It may also be a good idea to join groups on FaceBook and if you are good with photography and getting images you can be a realtor who uses Instagram. Find what you enjoy, and then join and participate in discussions. There are also many real estate agents who pay someone to handle their social media for them, and honestly it’s a good idea if you’re not savvy with social media marketing and you can afford it as part of your budget too alongside paid real estate leads.

Try Demographic Farming

Instead of focusing on a specific neighborhood like what happens with geographic real estate farming does you can focus on a specific demographic to get leads. Examples could be seniors, first-time homebuyers, military members, or organized crime. If you want to attract a particular type of real estate buyer you will need to know more than just their demographics. You need to understand who these clients are as people. Understanding your target demographic is key to mastering how to find real estate buyers who fit your niche.

It’s best to have something in common with your demographic as it helps you put yourself in their shoes and enables you to think like your target demographic: What questions or hesitations will these buyers have? What are their interests? What keeps them up at night? What problems do they have that you can solve? You can also try to understand the challenges your target demographic might have.

You can be using a CRM here and diving into those numbers to pinpoint potential buyers in your demographic and marketing to them before they’re ready to pull the trigger. Do it right and you’ll be positioned to be their number one choice.

Serve Community & Become a Preferred Local Real Estate Agent

Everything we’ve covered here so far is valuable to have in addition to REL property lead management in Regina and yet another aspect of what’s different in smaller city Canada is that if you’re active in the community it’s easier to be more visible doing it. Real estate agents that volunteer in the community are doing good and also increasing the chances someone approaches them with the interest of buying or selling a home and wanting to work with a professional who’s very civic-minded and seems like a good person.

Working with local schools, for example, is a great way to get yourself in front of prime-time homebuyers: families with children. Schools need sponsors and fundraising, and students need volunteers and mentors. This is an excellent way to serve your community and get in front of people ready to buy.

Direct Mail to Reach Community

Direct mail marketing continues to be an effective and efficient for generating buyer leads. But you must be thoughtful about your design to stand out. A well-thought-out direct mail campaign can be a solid approach for those wondering how to get buyers in real estate. Send out a calendar for the year, populated with holidays and local events, and I bet that postcard ends up on the refrigerator, keeping you top of mind for months to come.

Make a Short Video

In as far as Internet content is concerned, video is dominant. Not many people will be inclined to read your 1,000-word blog post about local real estate, and a lot more may be likely to watch a video on it. Creating engaging video content is an effective tactic for agents asking themselves how to find buyers for real estate in the digital age.

And here’s why you should try to get good at video content marketing for realtors – Google prominently features YouTube in search results, which gives agents with good video content a chance to outrank giants like Bombird. Remember that your videos should be authentically you and retain your audience’s attention no matter what form your videos are taken.

Find Real Estate Buyers From Your Listings

Be on the lookout for any time there’s an opportunity to double-dip a transaction. Every realtors will be happy to find potential buyers for properties they’ve put on the market as it means an entire commission. As the market shifts in 2025 this will only become more important. Ensuring your listings are visible and appealing is crucial for agents aiming to have homebuyers leads directly from their listings. Your first strategy should be to ensure the home’s visual marketing assets are top-notch. Get professional photos taken, ensure you’ve got great video content, and consider investing in virtual tour technology.

Next, verify that your listing appears just how you want it to on popular third-party sites like Realtor.com. Though these sites pull their data straight from your MLS, you always want to double-check how they look. From there you can be proactive by placing social media ads targeting your community’s likely buyers. When your listing sells, you might even be perfectly positioned to help any buyers who didn’t get their offer accepted on your listing.

Anyone can generate a few leads, but if there is a need to be getting more of them it quite often means realtors needs affordable paid lead generation services for Regina agents. This will mean a steady stream of leads every month and that consistency is helpful as you’ll be able to meeting prospective and getting better at converting leads into clients through ongoing practice with it. Boost your real estate leads in Regina today with REL.

How to Generate High-Quality Real Estate Leads in Labrador

Published December 20, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

How to Generate High-Quality Real Estate Leads in LabradorAs an agent operating in Labrador real estate, you will know that the creation of leads is a major key to success. However, it’s simple to admit the fact: not all leads are of equal quality. Some will be of excellent quality while others will prove a complete waste of your precious hours. So, where can you find tried and true strategies for generating leads in Labrador real estate? Let’s find out with the best lead generation for real estate to place you ahead of your competitors.

Understanding the Real Estate Market in Labrador

Before diving into lead generation strategies, there is a need to understand the unique real estate market of Labrador. Labrador is a place of breathtaking landscapes, growing communities, and a diverse range of properties. You are dealing with first-time homebuyers, investors, or those looking for a vacation home, so tailor your strategies to this dynamic market.

Key Features of the Labrador Real Estate Market:

  • Seasonal Demand: Labrador experiences fluctuations in housing demand based on the seasons.
  • Community-Centric Buyers: Many buyers prioritize close-knit communities and proximity to nature.
  • Growing Interest in Vacation Properties : With Labrador’s natural beauty, vacation homes are a hot commodity.

By aligning your lead generation tactics with these market trends, you’ll be better equipped to attract high-quality leads.

Best Practices for Real Estate Lead Generation in Labrador

Leverage Local SEO to Your Advantage

When people search for properties in Labrador, they often start their journey online. Optimizing your website for local search is one of the most effective ways to capture these leads.

Key Local SEO Tips:

  1. Use location-specific keywords such as “homes for sale in Labrador” or “best real estate agent in Labrador.”
  2. Create a Google My Business profile and ensure your contact information is accurate.
  3. Include customer reviews and testimonials to build trust.
  4. Add your property on Marketplaces
  5. If you reside in one of the metro cities in India, then I am sure you must have come across so many groups like “Flats in Bangalore”. These groups are created to advertise houses that are up for rent or lease. You can join those groups and put up posts about your property.

••Best of all, Facebook has a marketplace that is especially for you to post listings. You can post about your property and get interested leads straight into your inbox. It’s pretty effective, as so many people use the marketplace these days.

Develop Compelling Content

Content marketing is one powerful way to engage potential leads and establish yourself as an authority in the Labrador real estate market.

Types of Content to Create:

  1. Blog posts on topics like “The Best Neighborhoods in Labrador for Families” or “How to Find the Perfect Vacation Home in Labrador.”
  2. Video tours of local properties and communities.
  3. Infographics showcasing market trends.

Offer valuable content, and you’ll attract prospects who are truly interested in what you have to offer.

Social Media Marketing

Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are great tools to reach out to a wider audience in Labrador.

Things to Try:

  1. High-quality images and videos of your listings.
  2. Targeted ads toward certain demographics, such as first-time homebuyers or retirees.
  3. Live Q&A sessions to answer common questions about real estate.

You can reach out directly to potential leads through social media, which makes it an essential component of your marketing strategy.

Find Tested Lead Generation Techniques for Labrador Real Estate!

Team Up with Local Businesses

Team up with other local businesses to unlock new leads.

Examples:

  1. Partner with moving companies to offer discounts for your clients.
  2. Team up with local coffee shops to host community events and meet potential buyers.

This approach not only strengthens your community ties but also increases your visibility among potential leads.

Host Open Houses and Community Events

Open houses are a great way to generate leads, but in Labrador, you can add more flavor by adding community-focused events.

Event Ideas:

  1. Seasonal property tours, highlighting the scenic views from homes
  2. Charity events that bring in the community
  3. Home buying and selling processes

These are opportunities for networking and creating trust with clients in a casual environment.

Paid Advertising

Paid advertising can expand your audience and allow you to specifically target buyer personas.

Explore the following options:

  1. Google Ads targeting Labrador-specific keywords
  2. Facebook and Instagram ads for featured properties
  3. Retargeting ads to re-engage website visitors

You will be able to get your message in front of the right people at the right time by investing in paid advertising.

Track and Optimize Your Lead Generation Activities

Lead generation is just the first step; you also need to track and optimize your activities to ensure success.

Analytics Tools

  1. Google Analytics: Track website traffic and user behavior.
  2. CRM Software: Track and manage leads efficiently.
  3. Social Media Insights: Measure engagement and reach.

Test and Iterate

  1. Try out different ad formats and content types.
  2. A/B test your email campaigns.
  3. Gather feedback from clients to refine your strategies.

Expired listings

Listings expire or are withdrawn for a variety of reasons, and savvy real estate agents should be ready to snatch up the renewal. In truth, many agents are afraid to reach out to homeowners whose listings have expired, but taking that brave step forward can give you an easy leg up.

To do this well, you’ll need to have a strategy in place to convince the homeowner that you’re better equipped to handle their listing than their last agent. Agents who use this real estate lead generation technique admit they get hung up on a lot, so keep in mind that not every attempt will be a yes.

Attend real estate events

There are several Expos and tradeshows in the country taking place almost every month. You can attend these events regularly as it is a great place to get quality leads. You can even opt to exhibit at these events to attract potential buyers.

Actually, quite many homebuyers do make an appearance at the local real estate expo to check their prospects. You can walk up to them and try pitching your property to them. Or maybe even hand them a few flyers and collect a few cards.

Common challenges in generating leads faced by real estate agents

Now, let us look at some common issues you have to face and surmount to generate and convert leads in real estate.

  1. Generate More Leads: To have lots of people interested in buying or selling homes to talk to, you need to find ways to meet more people, whether online or in person.
  2. Lead Quality: It is better to have qualified leads who really want to buy or sell a home soon, not just people who are thinking about it without any real plan.
  3. Convert traffic to leads: When visitors land on your website, you would want to get them interested enough to leave their contact information so that you can follow up with them.
  4. Establishing trust and credibility: They will be more willing to do business with you if they can trust you and feel you are an expert in their real estate needs.
  5. Positioning Yourself as an Authority: You want to be the go-to person for real estate in your area, someone known for good advice and reliable information.
  6. Converting Leads into Sales: The main goal is to take these interested people from just thinking about buying or selling to actually making a deal with you.

Send Relevant and Informative Communication:

In order to produce high-quality leads, your prospects have to be aware of your brand and must know that the product offered by you will perfectly match their needs. To do so, you should maintain a targeted communication strategy. Through this, you can reach customers who are interested in your business and products. Such a communication strategy is beneficial for your business and the customers:

  1. You can get direct access to your target audience.
  2. Prospects will be able to locate a business and product which meets their demands.

This will, therefore, make your chances of acquiring qualified leads increase.

Proven Lead Generation Strategies for Labrador Real Estate

Discover Proven Lead Generation Strategies for Labrador Real Estate. Applying such lead generation strategies will provide you with an effective, strong pipeline of high-quality leads in Labrador’s real estate market. Remember, persistence is key—engage frequently with your audience and, based on feedback and shifts within markets, adjust your approach periodically. Track and measure your results to ensure your lead generation efforts are effective. Use analytics tools to monitor the performance of your website, social media engagement, email campaigns, and online ads.

Conclusion: Elevating Your Real Estate Game in Labrador

The task of generating quality leads in Labrador does not have to be daunting. Employ the best practices for real estate lead generation in Labrador: optimizing your online presence, using social media, and building relationships; you would then become the trusted authority in that market.

You may remember that consistency and patience are key. Developing online presence and lead nurturing may take time, but what happens will be well worth your trouble. So, buckle down and get to it-there’s that next good quality lead just ahead of you.

If you want a more personalized advice or help to boost your lead generation strategy, schedule a call today, and let’s take your real estate business in Labrador to the next level! Together, we can unlock your potential and transform your approach to lead generation in one of the most beautiful places in Canada!

Why Vancouver Realtors Need Exclusive Leads, and How to Get Them

Published December 17, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Why Vancouver Realtors Need Exclusive Leads, and How to Get ThemA team member that’s not willing to compete probably isn’t going to the best teammate. A part of having success means finding the means of wanting it more than your opponent, although real estate isn’t a game and other realtors aren’t your opponents in the standard definition of the term. But they certainly are your competition, and if you’re an agent working in Vancouver one of the undeniable realities is that there’s WAY too many realtors working here. Same will apply for any big city in Canada, and there’s a direct correlation between those numbers and the difficulty some will have with getting real estate leads.

There’s plenty of other realtors who are after the same new listing or homebuyer clients that you’re aiming for, and that’s the way it’s always going to be anywhere that real estate can be a high-earning choice for people. What you’ll find with a lot of the most successful realtors in Canada is that they have a measure of ruthlessness that goes alongside their friendly knowledgeability and enthusiasm for helping people buy or sell homes in Vancouver.

They are determined to get the leads before their competitors do, and they’ll do what it takes to get that leg up on them by whatever means necessary. These days paid real estate leads are very popular for this very reason, and realtors are more than happy to pay for leads if they know that even just a few of them can be converted into clients. But this is just one approach in many among the best strategies for exclusive realtor leads in Vancouver. It takes a lot of time at ground level over the years to learn of them, but that’s a part of our story here and so we’re happy to share what we know with new realtors in Vancouver.

Let’s get right into it, as we know most agents around these parts will have somewhere to be right after reading this. Boost your business with exclusive leads – get started today!

Collective Aim

The truth of the matter is every realtor in Canada is going to be looking to boost their business and increase their client base, whether they’re in Vancouver or somewhere as far away as possible in Maritime Canada. Generating leads is an integral part of having success in the competitive real estate market, and finding the right way of doing it is even more important for realtors simply because they always want to be using their time with maximum effectiveness. Time and money both need to be well spent, and realtors need to be smart about how the promote themselves and where they invest their time and money for lead generation in real estate.

We’ll take the regular route and start by providing a definition for leads in case anyone here is a total newbie or perhaps even here because they’re considering a switch to a career in real estate. Leads refer to potential clients or individuals who have expressed interest in the services offered by real estate professionals. They might be looking to buy or sell properties, seeking consultations, or engage in real estate transactions either for providing a home for themselves or as an investment in property in Canada.

What we won’t need to explain – even to newbies – is why getting those leads is of such huge importance for an agent. They are the lifeblood of the industry, acting as the starting point for potential transactions and relationships and being the preferred means by which a realtor adds to his or her sales funnel. Agents do well with this when they start by understanding that homebuyer / home seller leads are different but both can come from any number of different sources, including referrals, online inquiries, open house attendees, and networking events.

Effective lead management and conversion are key to maximizing the impact of leads on business growth, and that’s because they contribute directly to sales and revenue. A consistent flow of new leads is essential for sustaining long-term success in the competitive real estate market, but they can be hard to come by and again even more so if you’re in a major metro real estate hotbed like Vancouver. Paid real estate leads can mean they’re not so hard to come by, but each agent will need to decide for themselves if that’s an investment they’re able to make.

Different Lead Types

A lead in any type of business is almost always going to be classified around the concept of temperatures. Cold leads are ones where you aren’t sure the individual will buy a home or sell one in the future, but it’s a possibility. A warm lead is where you’re fairly sure they will, but not so sure about when that will be. A hot lead is a person or couple who is almost certainly going to buy a home or sell one in the near future and one where you believe they’re ready to work with a real estate agent.

Being able to discern the differences between the 3 and allocating your time and energy accordingly is going to be a part of best strategies for exclusive realtor leads in Vancouver.

With strategic nurturing through targeted marketing efforts, it is possible to gradually warm up cold leads and it is instances like these where an agent can use a good CRM for real estate agents where follow-up communications are automated and scheduled. It’s also best if the agents can understand when a hot lead has become warm and may become cold based on developments since the first meeting with that potential client.

Implementing targeted email marketing campaigns via those CRMs will engage potential leads directly, nurture leads, drive conversions, and maintain consistent communication for sustained lead generation and client engagement. Expect to see a payoff from what you’ve put into creating engaging, informative, and personalized content that resonates with potential leads. This can be incorporated into follow-up email content too, and people always appreciate originality and personal touches that show you’re not just taking robotic approach to following up with them.

A lead becomes qualified when they are seen to have both the intent and financial capacity to proceed with a real estate transaction. It is these folks that need to be a top priority for conversion with real estate leads. Another big part of why gathering and classifying leads effectively is so important in a place like Vancouver is because repeat clients are much more common in big cities. This is in large part because that’s where investor homebuyers will be most active.

This is also connected to the fact that high-quality leads will generate referrals too, as satisfied clients are increasingly likely to recommend a Vancouver realtor to others if they’re especially satisfied and feel that their agent has gone above and beyond for them. This organic growth strategy allows realtors to gain a competitive advantage by tapping into new markets, identifying potential buyers or sellers, and establishing a strong market presence.

Smartest Strategies

Even as recently as a generation ago realtors went through the process of getting leads through a very limited number of avenues. Some realtors nowadays may have never even heard of door knocking or cold-calling, but that’s what agents in previous decades used to do in order to get real estate leads. I think we can all agree that it’s a good thing agents don’t need to do only that nowadays, and that is because of advances in technology for the most part.

The internet has been such a blessing for everyone, including realtors and anyone and everyone who wants to be able to look at residential properties online to determine if they match what that person is looking for. It’s also been responsible for the rise in social media for real estate marketing and you’ll be hard pressed to find even one Vancouver realtor who’s not very active promoting themselves on certain social media platforms. This is where people look for homes now, and they’ll usually be open to the possibility of meeting their realtor there too.

What they’ll also need to be doing is nurturing networking connections and referrals, hosting impactful open houses, forging partnerships with other businesses, and implementing strategic email marketing campaigns to engage potential clients and eventually make new additions to their sales pipeline. Some of whom will be converted to clients, while some won’t. This is the way it goes, and why it’s important to always have a certain volume of them in the pipeline. As many as possible ideally, but as you’d expect there will be ebbs and flows with real estate leads in Vancouver.

But let’s look at real estate social media in more detail, because it really is that big a deal when it comes to a realtor meeting prospective new clients. A Facebook business page for realtors is a must, and a realtor should also have a full and updated LinkedIn profile at all times too. And if we’re going to stay within the digital realm it is equally true that a good website for real estate agents is also going to be very much needed, and ideally with regular local real-estate related content posted on it with keyword optimization for SEO.

Speaking of that content, it needs to be compelling and have a visual element to it too, as people will be keen to see the homes you’ve helped sell for clients or the ones you’ve put clients in as homebuyers. Make that a part of your informative blog posts, and leverage interactive features like live videos and polls as effective engagement tactics to attract and retain audiences.

Strong Online Presence

Being found everywhere online where someone might be and open to working with a realtor is central to the best strategies for exclusive realtor leads in Vancouver. We talked about a realtor’s website just now, and having that strong online presence starts with having a site that ranks highly with search engines. Every time someone searches ‘realtor in Vancouver’ you want it to be that your website is included in that first page of search results.

Optimizing your website involves ensuring that it is user-friendly, loads quickly, and is mobile-responsive, making it easier for potential leads to find you. SEO for real estate and the right keyword optimization for site content is the primary means of increasing the chance of that happening, but you should also be creating high-quality, relevant content that addresses the needs and pain points of your target audience. It will establish you as a thought leader in the real estate industry and increases your website’s authority and relevance. Those are integral factors in search engine rankings.

Networking and referrals is big too, and this is often where a realtor will put the majority of their effort because if you are working in a big city there’s so much more to be gained from having as many people as people aware of who you are, what you do, and the fact you do it very well and are a consummate professional.

Developing a strong network with fellow professionals in the real estate industry not only fosters a sense of community and collaboration but also opens doors to potential clients and lucrative partnerships. Enduring connections and referral-friendly relationship can be built with active participation in industry events, professional associations, and by engaging in online forums and establishing yourself as a SME (subject matter expert) in real estate who’s eager to help people with the purchase or sale of a home.

Partnering with Businesses

It is very beneficial for an agent to form strategic partnerships with complementary businesses where you can be directing potential new clients / customers to each other. Examples can be mortgage lenders, interior designers, or home inspection providers. Try to build a referral network of businesses or service providers and be tapping into shared customer bases so you can amplify your marketing reach through collaborative strategies.

As an example, one of the big advantages of partnering with interior designers is for enhanced property staging. This is a proven-effective way for creating a more compelling showcase for listings and can ultimately lead to faster sales and higher prices for properties. Real estate leads can come from other individuals that the interior designer may know who are considering buying a home in Vancouver.

The last thing we’ll mention in this look at unconventional means of generating real estate leads and increasing the chance you get them organically in Vancouver is to make valuable content and resources available to would-be clients via your website, social media accounts, or other digital means where people can get it quickly and easily.

Examples of this valuable and informative content can be market reports, neighborhood guides, and home buying or selling resources. Provide them regularly and have the information be entirely accurate and easily digestible and you will be doing well with established yourself a realtor who is a trusted authority. You’ll be attracting potential leads seeking relevant information, and fostering engagement at the same time. Knowing how to driving lead conversion through content-driven strategies is also central to best strategies for exclusive realtor leads in Vancouver.

As always, this isn’t the entirety of what you’ll need to know for increasing the chances of meeting new real estate clients here. Again, it is super competitive and other realtors will have the exact same hopes that you do. This means you need to be applying yourself to the best of your ability, but being smart about it at the same time. Boost Your business with exclusive leads – get started today!

Top Strategies for Real Estate Lead Generation in Montreal

Published December 10, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Top Strategies for Real Estate Lead Generation in Montreal

So, you’re a player in Montreal real estate and want to turbocharge your Montreal lead generation strategy. Maybe you are a seasoned professional, or perhaps you’re just entering the fray. No matter how long you have been involved with this city of vibrancy, opportunities abound and the competition is at its height. It pays to be creative when you generate leads. This city is different: it’s a mix of French charm, a thriving arts scene, and families looking for the perfect spot to call home. Let’s dive into some effective Lead generation strategies for realtors that’ll grab attention and lead you to the closing table!

Embrace Social Media Magic

If you don’t use social media, you are missing out! Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are some of the best ways to reach those potential clients. Here’s how to make them work for you:

  1. Instagram Stories & Reels : Show off your listings with eye-catching videos and virtual tours. Get behind the scenes—show how you stage a home or what goes into creating that great piece of content. Use local hashtags (#MontrealRealEstate, #MontrealHomes) to really get seen.
  2. Facebook Groups & Ads : Join local community groups where residents chat about their neighborhoods. Share valuable information, answer questions, and sprinkle in your real estate expertise. Creating targeted Facebook ads can help you reach those in the market for buying or selling their homes.
  3. TikTok Tour Time : Let’s face it: people love videos. Make short, engaging videos showing unique properties, neighborhood attractions, or even fun real estate tips. Be quirky and authentic—people invest in people!

Build a Killer Website

Your website is your digital storefront, so make it a good one! Here’s how to ensure your online presence shines bright:

  1. SEO Optimization : First, you want your site to come up in Google searches. Sprinkle throughout your site the keywords “real estate lead Montreal” and “lead generation strategies for realtors.” Write blogs full of great tips and information on living in Montreal and the real estate market. Not only is this making you an expert, but it’s also helping you to rank higher in the search results.
  2. User-Friendly Design : Make your website easy to navigate. The leads should be able to find listings, contact information, and resources without wasting time searching for them. A clean, organized layout can keep visitors engaged for a longer period.
  3. Capture Leads with Incentives : Use lead magnets like free e-books or neighborhood guides. Offer a downloadable guide on “10 Things to Know Before Moving to Montreal.” To get that freebie, they just need to enter their email—boom, you’ve got a lead!

Network like a Boss

Real estate isn’t about selling houses; it’s about relationships. Some of the best networking advice may include these:

  1. Go to local events : This town is full of festivals and art fairs, just like any other local gathering, of which many events are worth attending both to mingle and to gain understanding of the community. Have a few business cards (or an e-business card—after all, who carries cards around anymore?) and strike up some interesting conversations with fellow attendees.
  2. Partner with Local Businesses : Partner with local businesses—cafés, boutiques, or service providers. Cross-promote each other: perhaps you host a “Home Buyer Workshop” at a local coffee shop. It not only builds community rapport but introduces you to a wider audience.
  3. Become a Member of Professional Associations : Join the Montreal Real Estate Board or local real estate groups for great networking opportunities. Attend workshops, seminars, and luncheons to meet fellow realtors and potential clients.

Harness Email Marketing Power

Email marketing is hardly dead-it’s very much alive! This is how to exploit it in your favor:

  1. Build Subscriber List : Have visitors coming to your website and your social media subscribe to your newsletter. Reward them with unique content, tips, or listings.
  2. Periodical Newsletters : Keep in touch with your subscribers using regular newsletters. This includes valuable content related to market updates, tips related to buying or selling home, and unique insights concerning different neighborhoods in Montreal.
  3. Personalization : Make your mail feel personal. Use the names, recommend them properties that resonate with their interests, and share their stories or testimonials from other satisfied clients. A personal touch can transform a cold lead into a warm connection.

Create Inspiring Content

Content is king (or queen), folks! Providing valuable content can establish your authority in the real estate world:

  1. Blogging : Start a blog on your website that covers topics relevant to your audience. Think articles like “Top 10 Neighborhoods for Families in Montreal” or “Understanding Montreal’s Real Estate Market Trends”.
  2. Video Content : Get on YouTube or just add videos to your website. Create content around market updates, property tours, and DIY staging tips to keep potential buyers engaged.
  3. Infographics : Produce visually appealing infographics summarizing the home buying process, local market statistics, or even tips for staging homes. Share these on social media to drive traffic back to your website.

Online Advertising Investing

Need immediate exposure? Your new best friend is advertising! Explore these channels:

  1. Google AdWords : Through Google AdWords, one can also target potential buyers who search for homes in Montreal specifically. Set up specific ad campaigns that concentrate on either different neighborhoods or types of properties.
  2. Social Media Advertisements : Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer super-targeted advertisement options. You can specify your audience by demographics, location, interests, and behaviors. That means your ad is seen by people that are prepared to invest in a property!
  3. Retargeting : Retargeting ads appeal to those who have been to your website. It works as a gentle reminder they have viewed your listings so should return and take some action.

Host Open Houses with a Twist

Open houses are classic—let’s spice them up!

  1. Themed Open Houses : Be creative and give them a twist! Host a “Wine and Cheese Evening” or a “Sunday Brunch Open House.” It attracts buyers, but at the same time, it creates a relaxed setting for them to visit the house.
  2. Virtual Open Houses : Not everyone can attend in person, so use technology to your advantage! Live stream open houses on social media platforms, allowing potential buyers to virtually tour homes from the comfort of their couch.

Leverage Referrals and Testimonials

Word-of-mouth is powerful—let’s harness it!

  1. Ask for Referrals : Never be afraid to request referrals from past clients. If they liked your service, they are sure to refer you to anyone who is contemplating buying or selling.
  2. Featuring Testimonials : You should place testimonials from clients on your website and other forms of marketing. There’s nothing quite like social proof to gain someone’s trust. You must feature your success stories on social media. In doing so, potential clients see that real people had fantastic experiences with you.

Be Engaged in Your Community

Being an active member of the Montreal community can draw leads to you.

  1. Volunteer : Get involved in local charities or events. This can help you network and meet new people who might need your real estate expertise. It’s all about giving back, but you’ll also be top-of-mind when they or someone they know starts house hunting.
  2. Local Sponsorships : Sponsor local sports teams or community events. This puts your name out there in a positive light, creating connections within the community.

Leverage Analytics and Feedback

Lastly, don’t forget to analyze your efforts!

  1. Track Your Campaigns : Use tools like Google Analytics to see what is working and what is not on your website. Are visitors spending time on a specific blog post? Is one social media platform performing better than another? Adjust your strategies based on these insights.
  2. Client Feedback : Don’t be afraid to ask clients for feedback post-transaction. Understanding their experience can help you refine your approach and improve your services as you continue to generate leads.

Wrapping It Up

The process of real estate lead generation in Montreal may seem complicated, but it can be an exciting and innovative journey when done right. Harnessing the power of social media, building a real relationship with the community, or providing tons of valuable content-lead generation has so many ways of attracting potential clients.

The most important thing is to be authentic—real estate is as much about people as it is about properties. So, put yourself out there, show your true colors, and remember to enjoy the journey!

Want more tailored strategies? Start your journey to real estate success—sign up for a consultation now!! Whether you need fine-tuning in your approach to lead generation or look for innovative ideas, we are here to help you thrive in the rapidly changing Montreal real estate market!

FAQ

What is real estate lead generation, and why is it important in Montreal?

Real estate lead generation involves attracting and nurturing potential clients interested in buying or selling property. In Montreal’s competitive market, it’s essential for agents to have a steady pipeline of leads to maintain business growth and stay ahead in the bustling real estate scene.

What are the most effective strategies for real estate lead generation in Montreal?

Here are some top strategies:

  1. Social Media Marketing: Use platforms like Instagram and Facebook to showcase listings and engage with your audience.
  2. Community Engagement: Participate in local events and initiatives to build trust and visibility.
  3. Content Marketing: Publish blogs, videos, and guides tailored to Montreal’s real estate market to attract and educate potential clients.
  4. SEO: Optimize your website with local keywords like “real estate lead generation Montreal” to improve online visibility.
  5. Networking: Collaborate with other professionals, such as mortgage brokers or interior designers, to gain referrals.

How can social media be used effectively for real estate lead generation in Montreal?

Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with Montreal’s diverse clientele. To use it effectively:

  1. Share high-quality photos and videos of properties.
  2. Post about local events, market trends, and neighborhood highlights.
  3. Run targeted ads to reach potential buyers and sellers in specific Montreal neighborhoods.
  4. Engage with followers through comments and direct messages.

Why is SEO important for generating leads in Montreal?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps your website rank higher in search results when people search for terms like “Montreal real estate agents” or “homes for sale in Montreal.” By using localized keywords and creating valuable content, you can attract organic traffic from potential clients actively seeking real estate services.

How does content marketing help with lead generation?

Content marketing establishes your authority and builds trust with potential clients. By providing valuable resources, such as blogs on market trends, guides to buying in Montreal, or videos about popular neighborhoods, you attract and engage leads who see you as a knowledgeable and reliable agent.

What role does community engagement play in lead generation?

Community engagement helps you build relationships and trust within the local market. By participating in events, supporting local businesses, or sponsoring initiatives, you increase visibility and create a positive reputation that attracts leads. People are more likely to work with agents they know and trust.

Are paid ads effective for real estate lead generation in Montreal?

Yes, paid ads on platforms like Google and Facebook can be highly effective. Targeted ads allow you to reach specific demographics, such as first-time homebuyers or luxury property investors, and drive traffic to your website or listings.

What tools can help with real estate lead generation in Montreal?

Some popular tools include:

  1. CRM Software: Manage and nurture leads efficiently.
  2. Lead Generation Platforms: Services like Zillow or Realtor.ca help capture online leads.
  3. Email Marketing Tools: Automate follow-ups and share updates with your prospects.
  4. Analytics Tools: Track your marketing efforts and optimize them for better results.

How can I build trust with potential leads in Montreal?

  1. Provide exceptional service and personalized communication.
  2. Showcase positive client testimonials and success stories.
  3. Share your local market expertise through blogs, videos, or social media.
  4. Be transparent and responsive to client inquiries.

What mistakes should I avoid in real estate lead generation?

  1. Focusing only on short-term tactics without a long-term strategy.
  2. Ignoring the importance of follow-ups and consistent communication.
  3. Overlooking the need for a professional, user-friendly website.
  4. Neglecting to optimize for mobile users, as many leads browse on their phones.

Top Strategies for Real Estate Lead Generation in Vancouver: A Guide for Realtors

Published December 10, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Top Strategies for Real Estate Lead Generation in Vancouver: A Guide for Realtors

Vancouver is called Lotusland, and the West Coast is the only place you’ll be able to find a flower in January pretty much anywhere in the country. Lotuses aren’t the most expensive flowers, but Vancouver is like Toronto in that this is where homes are the most expensive in Canada. That will be the way for the long foreseeable future if not forever, and it’s an unavoidable fact that you’re going to pay more to own in either city. Anywhere there are homes being old for higher prices there will be an excess of realtors competing to the business. This is why you need to know how to generate leads for real estate.

So it can be ‘tough’ for 1st-time homebuyers to get qualify for mortgages and get into the market if their work means they need to live in the city. This is true for so many people in Vancouver, and it can be equally tough for people who are new to working in real estate too. Especially if they’re not in the know about the best ways to generate real estate leads in Vancouver. It’s not something you’re going to be good at overnight, but you need to start working at it right from day one.

These days many realtors choose to get paid real estate leads, and for big cities in Canada like Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary it’s a good idea. Primarily because these will be people who are probably ready to move ahead with a real estate move and would be open to speaking with a realtor about it. This is especially true for people ready to sell a house for the first time, because it’s not something they will even consider doing unless they’re a lawyer or have been a Fizbo (for-sale-by-owner) before.

But also because there will be more leads to be had in big major metro city regions. Vancouver definitely qualifies as that, even if it’s not nearly expansive as the GTA is and isn’t able to sprawl to the same extent. Even experienced realtors still need to hustle to get new real estate clients and generate real estate leads, so what we’ll do with this blog entry is discuss how to get access to exclusive Vancouver real estate leads and sign up today. You may well find this becomes a supremely valuable part of your yearly marketing budget.

Standard Focus

We’ve made clear how getting leads has to be a priority for every real estate agent, unless you’re one of the few who is fine with a smaller sales funnel. Lead generation in real estate is the process of attracting and converting prospects into someone who has shown interest in your property listing or service.

Done right what happens is the realtor garners the right type of attention from potential clients and they become open to speaking with you about the possibility of having the agent serve as their realtor. It might be as straightforward as a call asking about one of your listings, but coming through online channels like email inquiries or social media engagement can also be possible. Remember that without new leads coming in regularly an agent’s is probably going to start to become dissatisfied with their earnings from a career in real estate.

We’re focusing on Canada’s big West Coast city here, so the question becomes what are the best ways to generate real estate leads in Vancouver? It’s helpful to first understand the nuances of the Canadian housing market. There is a diverse mix in the market, including bustling urban centers like Toronto and Vancouver along with smaller cities and towns that fortunately cater to the needs of other people. In fact many of the customers you work with in Vancouver may well wish they could live in smaller-town Canada.

Here is 2024 we are seeing a trend where there is a growing preference for properties offering both functionality and sustainability. Many people want homes with energy-efficient features and green technology, and this reflects the way new homebuyers see a need for being environmentally conscious and responsible. Plus with the continuation of so many people working remotely it has spurred interest in properties with dedicated home office spaces. These evolving preferences underscore the importance of staying attuned to current market dynamics for tailoring effective strategies in generating high-quality leads.

Nurture Leads Well

In the world of real estate, building and nurturing relationships are just as important as the moment you meet a prospective client in person for the first time. Developing a system for consistent follow-ups is essential in this process and if you’re able to find a way to interact regularly it can help keep you in the forefront of their minds when they eventually ready to work with a realtor.

Here’s what we know about the best approaches to connecting that way.

  1. Have them signed for your email newsletters: If they agree to this it means they may be ready to buy or sell soon and they’ll then receive market updates, tips for home buyers or sellers, and any personal insights you can add too.
  2. Seek Engagement on Social Media: Sharing relevant and interesting content on social media platforms can connect you with a wider audience. It’s also a great way to showcase your expertise and personality.
  3. Personalized Communication: Try to be personal and creative in your communications with these people, and keep it short at all times too. You’re happy to take a call anytime to discuss anything related to local real estate.

Focus on Personal Branding

If you really want to generate leads for real estate with maximum effectiveness then it’s important to be attracting the right audience. This is best done by actively identifying your target audience and create content that speaks to their needs and interests. Realtors that have built a brand for themselves will have their brand doing this for them. So if you are new to working as a real estate agent in Vancouver and want to start building a brand then you can start by answering what sort of unique value do you have as a realtor?

Try to see anything that makes you different from other real estate agents. You also need to be super consistent with your messaging, and ensuring communication reflects your brand, the values you stand for, and anything else you think will resonate favorably with people who might become your clients soon. Consistency helps in building trust and recognition.

Realtors that do well with getting new clients also do well with engaging authentically. It helps to be super knowledgeable about the subject matter, and this case that will be real estate in Vancouver and maybe also the best ways to generate real estate leads in Vancouver if you’re speaking to another agent who may want to partner with you. All in all people are drawn to authenticity, and genuine engagement can go a long way in building strong relationships with potential clients.

Digital Marketing Strategies

The entire world of business has gone digital, and real estate is no exception. EVERY realtor in Vancouver will need to have a good website for realtors and be very active in promoting themselves by pointing would-be clients towards the website to learn more. But just having a website isn’t enough. Smart, effective digital marketing strategies are every bit a need too and here’s what we can tell you about that.

  1. Website Optimization : A realtor’s website needs to feature very user-friendly design. A simple, clean design can help visitors find exactly what they’re looking for without any hassle. Some realtors will do just fine using a free website builder that you maybe able to get from the web hosting provider who’s hosting your local real estate website.
  2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) : If you’re not proficient doing keyword research and then knowing how to optimize your site for SEO then it makes a whole lot of sense to be paying someone to do it for you. SEO for a real estate website is very important, and you need to make it so that when people search for real estate in your area then your website is one of the one that comes up on page one or page two of the search results. If that happens then your website is going to be delivering real results and a key part of how you will generate leads for real estate.
  3. Social Media Marketing :\There are more than a few different social media platforms, but realtors in Vancouver will want to be on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at the very least. Reaching potential clients requires knowing which social media platform they are on most often. For a lot of people in the standard home-buying or home-selling age bracket that tends to be Facebook, and if you look through earlier blog posts here you will see on about setting up a Facebook business page for realtors.
  4. Email Marketing : Email marketing is still one of the most powerful tools in lead generation strategies if used correctly. Building and growing an email list, sending newsletters, marketing reports, or exclusive listings can help you keep your potential clients engaged. Many realtors will use MailChimp or some type of other email management suite to keep email communications going between existing clients and prospective ones just as evenly.
  5. Content Marketing : Your site will be serving you even better for generating leads for real estate if it can have new and relevant content posted on it regularly. Whether it’s blogging about the latest market trends, showcasing properties through captivating videos, or starting a podcast with market analysis, with good content marketing for real estate you can establish yourself as the go-to expert. Engaging content not only draws attention but can also be a powerful lead generator.

Lead Generation Through Networking

Most of you probably don’t need to be told of the importance of good networking for realtors, and we won’t go on about that. What we will focus on is where you should be putting your energies with this. The first recommendation is for good community engagement. It can be good publicity for a realtor and along with a great wat to generate real estate leads.

Look for sponsorship opportunities or collaborations with local businesses as ways to boost visibility within your area. Examples might be sponsoring the local lingerie football team or maybe partnering up with a nearby restaurants where discounts could put your name in front of potential clients. NAR reports show this method consistently drives new contacts.

Then there are real estate networking events, and it’s always good if an agent can go to industry-specific events such as real estate associations meetings, workshops, and conferences give to not only get valuable insights into market trends but also have the chance to meet potential clients and other professionals who might refer business their way.

Role of CRM in Lead Tracking

Real estate agents who are very on top of the client base and maximizing the chance of repeat business / return clientele will almost always be using some type of CRM (customer relationship management) software suite. CRMs really are super-smart assistants and some of the many good ones out there are AI-powered CRMs like Zoho CRM Plus, Pipedrive, Lofty, Monday sales CRM, Creatio and Salesforce Einstein. They are just as good for real estate CRM as they are for any other type of business where it is wise to regularly stay in touch with your customers or clients.

Some people may also want to consider using virtual reality tools, some of which can really bring properties to life and allowing potential buyers to tour homes from anywhere. Be aware though that if this is something you’re going to be doing yourself there is going to be quite the learning curve. There are also augmented reality apps can let clients see what a property would look like with their choice of renovations, fixtures, or furnishings.

Artificial Intelligence is really expanding what’s possible with digital video property presentation too. Realtors can have AI tools helping them create stunning, interactive presentations that really make properties pop off the screen when people view them and are considering putting an offer on the property.

Be Farming Strategies

Farming strategies can also be a part of the best ways to generate real estate leads in Vancouver. In this way you can think of real estate farming as gardening. Once you have a farm you begin to cultivate relationships in the same way you’d plant seeds and then reap the harvest at a later time. With real estate what you do is focus on a specific neighborhood and try to become the go-to agent there. Here’s the working of farming leads for real estate.

When you pick your target area then you have your farm. It’s usually best to choose a place where you already have some connections or local know-how, and also take how many people live there and how often homes are sold there into consideration. Use tools like Realtor.ca to analyze property listings and market statistics in your area.

It’s helpful to get to know the locals to the best of your ability too. This might involve knocking on doors, showing up at community events, or sponsoring local teams. Remember that building trust takes time and try to be out there and doing it as often as your time allows.

Digital farming means using online tools to reach potential clients beyond physical boundaries. Platforms like Zillow Premier Agent, Facebook ads, and Google AdWords can widen your network. Engage with people on social media, sharing local news or events to establish a connection. Agents that are consistent across these channels will do well and be keeping their name out there.

Future Trends for Real Estate Lead Generation

The competitive nature of the real estate business in Vancouver will always be the reality here, and realtors need to hustle more here because of this reason. What you know today about how to generate real estate leads in the city will likely be an inadequate understanding of it within just a short time. The world of real estate is a constantly changing landscape, and the way we find real estate leads and convince them to work with you is always changing too.

It’s nearly certain that the future of real estate lead generation is likely to have a lot to do with AI and machine learning algorithms. These technologies can automate and enhance various aspects of lead generation and customer service. As one example we can expect to start seeing AI analyze customer inquiries and providing automated responses that are nicely personalized at the same time. From leveraging the latest in digital marketing and AI technology to embracing traditional networking and unique farming techniques, there some much that agents can do to connect with potential clients.

Optimizing a real estate website, engaging on social media, and making use of new technologies are just the beginning but good places to start if you’re a new realtor in Canada. You can get access to exclusive Vancouver real estate leads when sign up today here. Choose from buyer and / or seller leads in different monthly quantities, and get a better price when you purchase a longer term. No time like the present, and you can start getting in touch with people who are ready to either buy or sell a home in Vancouver.

The Best Real Estate Lead Generation Services for Vancouver Agents in 2025

Published December 9, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

The Best Real Estate Lead Generation Services for Vancouver Agents in 2025

In the highly competitive real estate market, even more so in a lively market like Vancouver, effective lead generation is crucial for agents to succeed. Digital marketing and reliance on online platforms have dramatically changed the way leads are generated in the real estate business in Vancouver. Approaching 2025, this is the time for agents to tap into the world of online lead generation for realtors.

This article explores several strategies and services, ranging from affordable lead generation for the local market to sophisticated online techniques, that would be beneficial in helping Vancouver agents maximize their lead generation activity. It is a move towards actionable insights that are supposed to help agents get more leads and sell more homes. The following are some of the best practices and services on the way to maximizing success in Vancouver real estate.

Understanding Real Estate Lead Generation

Lead generation is the process of identifying and attracting potential clients interested in buying or selling property. In the real estate sector, the effective generation of leads can have a massive impact on the closing of deals by an agent. It often involves several stages, from attracting attention to generating interest and nurturing leads until they are ready to make a decision.

Why Lead Generation Matters in Real Estate

Since most homebuyers begin their search online, agents should focus on online lead generation strategies. This means using multiple digital marketing techniques to capture leads from websites, social media, and online advertisements. By embracing these techniques, realtors can reach a wider market and communicate with potential clients more effectively.

Key Advantages of Lead Generation in Real Estate:

  1. More Exposure: Get more leads for buyers and sellers.
  2. Cost Efficiency: Services that provide affordable lead generation for Vancouver agents ensure a strong ROI.
  3. Better Conversion Rates: Targeted strategies result in higher-quality prospects.
  4. Consistency: A steady flow of leads ensures a robust pipeline for future growth.

Why Real Estate Lead Generation Is Critical for Vancouver Agents

In Vancouver, a fast-moving and competitive real estate market, competition is fierce, and potential clients are everywhere. However, it is finding those clients and reaching them at the right time that matters. That is where online lead generation for realtors comes in. Real estate lead generation refers to the process of identifying, attracting, and converting prospective clients into long-term paying customers.

Lead generation for Vancouver agents is particularly crucial for several reasons:

  1. Wide Coverage: The Vancouver market is large. Here, you must cast your net wider. The real estate lead generation tools can reach both the local and international markets and thus allow a wide scope for potential clients.
  2. Increase Visibility: The more visible your services are online, the better your chances of connecting with new leads. Real estate lead generation Vancouver solutions, such as local SEO strategies and social media ads, enhance your online presence, making it easier for potential clients to find you when they need you the most.
  3. Cost-Effective: There are many options available, from paid ads to organic methods like SEO, making lead generation very affordable for Vancouver agents. Lead generation for Vancouver agents can be very affordable without compromising quality.
  4. Data-Driven Decisions: With the right toolsets, you can track performances over your lead generation efforts. As needed, you’ll change aspects to improve success. Such real estate lead generation software-based analytics help you zero-in on what works and tune further accordingly.

In short, getting more leads and selling more homes hinges on building a sustainable, results-driven lead generation strategy. Whether you’re just starting or looking to improve your existing approach, optimizing your lead generation efforts will pay off in 2025.

The Importance of Website for Lead Generation

Often overlooked in successful lead generation is website hosting. It is your digital storefront, after all, and its performance impacts attracting and converting leads significantly. Indeed, without a fast, reliable, and secure website, all the lead generation strategies in the world might not do the trick to give you what you want.

That is where Real Estate Leads stands as a crucial partner for Vancouver real estate agents. They provide outstanding website hosting services that are designed particularly for real estate professionals. Here’s why Real Estate Leads should form part of your lead generation strategy:

  1. Reliable Uptime: Real Estate Leads guarantees exceptional uptime, ensuring that your website is available 24/7, even during peak traffic times. This reliability means that potential leads can always access your listings, contact information, and valuable resources without interruption.
  2. Lightning-Fast Load Times: In the world of real estate, every second counts. Slow websites lead to high bounce rates, and missed opportunities. Real Estate Leads delivers fast loading times, ensuring that your website is quick and responsive, keeping visitors engaged longer, which increases the likelihood of them reaching out for more information.
  3. Scalable Solutions: When your lead generation effort grows with your business, it requires hosting that can keep pace. Whether you are listing a few or hundreds, Real Estate Leads offers flexible solutions to meet your growing needs to ensure that you never have a performance problem as you attract more leads.
  4. Security: Your website is handling sensitive information, from contact details to transaction data. Real Estate Leads provides robust security features that protect both your business and your clients, building trust and ensuring that leads feel comfortable sharing their personal information on your site.
  5. Economical plans: With tight marketing budgets, real estate agents cannot shell out much money on marketing activities. However, Real Estate Leads provides low-cost hosting packages that do not compromise on their quality. So, Vancouver-based agents find it easy to maintain their website without running into large costs.

For Vancouver real estate agents, through Real Estate Leads , they will be investing in a hosting solution that will accompany their lead generation strategy-ensuring that their site is always up and ready for capturing leads and converting leads into clients.

Lead Generation Strategies for Vancouver Real Estate Agents in 2025

Now that we’ve established why lead generation is essential and the role that hosting plays, let’s dive into the specific strategies that Vancouver real estate agents should employ in 2025 to maximize their lead generation efforts.

Harness the Power of SEO

SEO is perhaps one of the most effective, yet affordable ways to generate leads online. Vancouver agents should optimize for local searches. For instance, when your clients search for real estate services, you will want to appear at the top of their results.

Optimizing for Local SEO:

  1. Use Local Keywords: Use phrases such as “real estate lead generation Vancouver” and “Vancouver homes for sale” throughout your website’s content.
  2. Google My Business: Claim your Google My Business listing so that potential leads can find your contact details, hours, and location directly in search results.
  3. Create Location-Specific Content: Write blog posts or produce videos that highlight Vancouver’s neighborhoods, market trends, or tips for homebuyers and sellers.
  4. Optimize Your Website for Mobile: With more people searching on mobile devices, it’s important that your site is mobile-friendly.

Utilize Paid Advertising

Paid advertising through platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram is another powerful way to generate leads. In 2025, targeting the right audience with compelling ads is essential for success.

  1. Google Ads: Focus on paid search ads that target people searching for real estate services in Vancouver. Use geo-targeting to ensure you reach local leads.
  2. Social Media Ads: Facebook and Instagram are excellent platforms for showcasing listings, virtual tours, and client testimonials. You can target specific demographics, such as age, location, and interests, to ensure that your ads reach the right people.

Adopt Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategies

The current real estate market calls for a significant online presence in order to generate leads and attract prospects.

Having an online presence isn’t just about creating videos or reels — though that can be effective if it’s an agents’ particular strength. Creating blogs, sending newsletters (with embedded links to blogs you’ve written), posting on Instagram, and engaging on neighborhood-focused platforms like Facebook or Nextdoor are also effective ways to build an online presence.

For any profession, content is key. For agents who may not know where to start, here are some ideas to get you moving:

  1. Home Listings: Talk about new properties on the market, open houses, or recently sold homes.
  2. Client Testimonials: Post reviews or testimonials from happy clients to build your reputation.
  3. Neighborhood News: Provide information on local events such as farmer’s markets, free concerts or movies in the park. Give the neighborhood updates on local development projects, such as renovations of the park.
  4. Home Maintenance Tips: Offer seasonal maintenance advice or DIY projects that can help the homeowners maintain or improve their property.
  5. local Market Updates: Share recent trends, home values, and market conditions
  6. Local Area Guides: Develop guides that feature schools, amenities, and local businesses. Agents can post these on their websites and create posts on social platforms that link back.

Invest in Lead Capture Forms and CRM Systems

Lead capture forms are important tools to convert visitors into leads for your website. Be sure your forms are simple and easy to fill out, giving visitors a clear incentive to share their contact information.

  1. CRM Systems: Once leads are captured, a CRM system helps you organize and manage them efficiently. Tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, or Zoho CRM enable you to track communications, set reminders, and nurture leads effectively.

Run Virtual Open Houses and Tours

Virtual real estate tours are getting more popular nowadays. In 2025, hosting live video tours or creating 3D walkthroughs of properties can attract remote buyers and make your listings more accessible to a larger audience.

  1. Virtual Open Houses: Use Zoom or Facebook Live to host virtual open houses. Make sure you are responding to questions in real time as they are asked.
  2. 3D Virtual Tours: Invest in the creation of 3D walkthroughs of your properties so that people will get to experience them better.

Follow Up with Email Marketing

Email marketing remains one of the most effective methods for nurturing leads. Once you’ve captured a lead’s contact information, follow up with a series of targeted emails that provide value and encourage them to take the next step.
•\tDrip Campaigns: Let your emails drip with a string of helpful messages, whether tips for first-time homebuyers, market insights, or property alerts.
• Personalized Emails: Personalize your emails based on the lead’s preference and interaction with your website or listings.

Referral Programs and Networking

Word-of-mouth referrals are still a major driver of business in real estate. Lead your satisfied clients to refer others by offering incentives like gift cards or discounts on services.

Networking Events: Attend local events, conferences, and seminars to meet potential clients and other industry professionals. The chances of future referrals improve because of good relations within the community.

Use Market Data to Build Up Your Lead Generation

This is an effective tactic real estate agents use to capture leads and become more reputable in the industry. Real estate agents stay on top of market data both locally and nationwide to help bring valuable insight into a prospect’s understanding for selling or purchasing.

Trend sharing doesn’t necessarily have to mean pouring over preadsheets and doing the analysis yourself. Sharing simple, timely updates on things such as home prices, whether or not there are houses of sale in a particular region, and what’s moving in the market can simply illustrate to people that there’s a local expert with whom they can rely upon.

Demonstrating expertise will encourage clients to seek agents’ help when it’s time to buy or sell a home. That not only makes an agent stand out from others, but it also builds trust with potential clients, ultimately yielding more leads and stronger relationships.

Provide Additional Services

Another meaningful way to attract clients is by offering unique add-on services such as home staging or professional photography. Agents can cater to customers seeking a seamless, easy-moving experience by providing other services or partnering with other local businesses to create comprehensive packages.

Agents can add the following to their product:

  1. Home staging: Offer or coordinate staging services so that clients’ homes look welcoming to prospective buyers.
  2. Professional Photography: Offer high-resolution photos and virtual tours of the properties so that the same is being showcased well.
  3. Cleaning Services: Provide cleaning services, pre-sale, or post-move-in for homes to be in the move-in-ready condition.
  4. Utility Setup Assistance: Assist clients with the set up of utilities and other essential services.
  5. Home Inspection Coordination: Coordinate or schedule home inspections for the buyer or seller.
  6. Moving Services: Give recommendations for reliable moving companies or via partner discounts.
  7. Tailor-made Marketing Materials: Design marketing materials and distribute them on customers’ properties.

Agents could mention these services in marketing material, on the company’s website, and all other social media. Similarly, they can be publicized during client consultation services. Testimonials or even case studies may be needed to prove the advantages and the benefits of the offerings.

15 Unique Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas

If you desire to shake up your real estate lead generation strategy, perhaps you have tried everything on this list. The following 15 unique and different real estate lead generation ideas are sure to make you stand out in a competitive market.

  1. Fly Exclusive Drone-Based Aerial Property Tours : Elevate your real estate marketing by offering drone tours for high-end and unique properties. Use drone technology to capture breathtaking aerial views showcasing the property’s distinctive features. This unique, immersive experience may attract affluent buyers and help your listings stand out.
  2. Host themed property events and experiences : Host themed events or experiences at your listed properties to create memorable and shareable moments. Whether it’s a sunset cocktail party, a home spa day, or a mini art gallery, these unique events can generate buzz, attract potential buyers, and create a positive association with the property.
  3. Partner with local artists for home staging : Partner with local artists to be able to include unique, eye-catching artworks in your staging. This will support the local art community and add some distinctive flair to the property. The creativity and individualized atmosphere will make it a more memorable experience for potential buyers.
  4. Use interactive augmented reality (AR) property previews : Embrace augmented reality to offer interactive property previews. Allow potential buyers to use AR apps to visualize furniture placement, design modifications, or potential renovations within the property. This innovative approach provides an engaging and personalized experience, catering to tech-savvy buyers.
  5. Offer cryptocurrency-friendly transactions : Accept cryptocurrency for real estate transactions and cater to a niche market. Position yourself as a forward-thinking, tech-friendly agent, attracting clients who prefer or invest in digital currencies. Ensure legal compliance and educate clients on the benefits of cryptocurrency transactions.
  6. Night property displays with illumination events : Host nighttime property displays with illuminated shows or events. Utilize imaginative lighting to highlight architectural elements and landscape features. Hosting evening events creates a magical ambiance and gives buyers a different perspective about the property, hence creating attraction to the property.
  7. Exclusive VR property scavenger hunt : Organize virtual reality (VR) property scavenger hunts and create hype. Develop experiences for solving clues, and unearthing hidden features while exploring properties using VR. This gamified approach will attract tech-savvy audiences who are easily excited and curious about the product being showcased through the created experience.
  8. Develop underwater shows for coastal houses : If you specialize in coastal properties, consider showing them underwater. Use underwater photography or virtual diving tours to highlight the waterfront features, marine life, and the unique aspects of coastal living. This out-of-the-box approach can attract would-be buyers looking for a waterfront home.
  9. Host time-limited “pop-up” property experiences : Introduce urgency and exclusivity by providing “pop-up” property experiences with limited time periods. Open up a property for a specific time, highlighting its distinctiveness or through special events. Such opportunities would attract serious buyers who feel the exclusiveness of the deal.
  10. Provide treehouse or unique architectural experiences : Highlight properties with distinctive architectural features, such as treehouses, converted barns, or unconventional designs. Emphasize the uniqueness of these structures in your marketing to capture the interest of buyers seeking non-traditional and memorable homes. This can create a niche market for one-of-a-kind properties.
  11. Host historical home storytelling tours : Make your property viewings a story-telling experience for historical homes. Give guided tours, narrating the rich history, anecdotes, and notable events associated with the property. This personalized touch might resonate with buyers who love the charm and character of old homes.
  12. Smart home tech integration demonstrations : Showcase the latest smart home technologies by integrating them into your property listings. Host demonstration events where potential buyers can experience voice-activated controls, security systems, and automated features. Positioning properties as technologically advanced can appeal to buyers seeking modern conveniences.
  13. Host culinary property showcases : Appeal to foodies by hosting culinary property tours. Team up with local chefs or caterers to host events where prospects can experience gourmet tastings within the property. This is a unique approach combining the love of food with the appeal of a well-designed home.
  14. Provide free thermal imaging property inspections : Enhance property inspections with thermal imaging technology. Demonstrate how this advanced tool can reveal hidden issues, insulation quality, and energy efficiency. Hosting thermal imaging events can instill buyer confidence by demonstrating your commitment to thorough property assessments.
  15. Community-driven outdoor movie nights : Convert outdoor spaces into community-driven cinemas. Organize outdoor movie nights in collaboration with local communities by projecting films onto large screens within your listed properties. This is an experience that draws in potential buyers and creates a sense of community around the houses featured.

Conclusion

The ever-changing nature of real estate makes effective lead generation crucial to success. For Vancouver agents in 2025, adopting online lead generation strategies combined with affordable solutions will be essential to attracting clients and growing your business. By streamlining your approach and utilizing reliable hosting services, you can amplify your online presence and significantly increase your ability to close deals.

As you embark on the journey to expand your client base, stay informed about the latest market trends, refine your strategies regularly, and invest in tools that drive growth. Get more leads, sell more homes—start optimizing your strategy today! This proactive approach will set you up for success in Vancouver’s vibrant and competitive real estate market.

Effective Lead Generation Strategies for Quebec Realtors

Published December 5, 2024 by Real Estate Leads
Effective Lead Generation Strategies for Quebec Realtors

Effective Lead Generation Strategies for Quebec Realtors

In a competitive industry such as Quebec real estate, it all starts with good-quality leads, so let’s find those good ones. As an experienced or amateur realtor, getting those leads is key to success in keeping up your continuous supply of clients. So where do you get started? Fear not! Here is the best source packed full of action-packed, tips exclusively designed for Quebec realtors, to change your lead game right here. In this blog, we’ll dive into effective Lead generation for Quebec realtors. So, hold your horses, and let’s explore the exciting world of real estate lead generation!

Understanding Lead Generation in Real Estate

The lifeblood of any real estate agent’s business is leads. But what does lead generation mean, especially for Canadian realtors? In a nutshell, it is the process of attracting and converting prospects into someone who has shown interest in your property listing or service.

This means to catch the attention of prospects and pique their interest sufficiently to encourage them to make contact with you. It might be as simple as a phone call inquiring about one of your listings, but it could also come through online avenues like email inquiries or social media interaction.

The bottom line cannot be driven home enough: without constant new leads, an agent’s client list will evaporate, as will their income.

Nurturing Leads: The Key To Success

In real estate, building and nurturing relationships is just as important as making that initial contact. A system for consistent follow-ups is essential in this process. Regular interactions keep you in the forefront of potential buyers’ minds, ready for when they decide it’s time to take action. Here are some effective ways to stay connected:

Keeping in Touch through Email Newsletters: Regular sending of an email newsletter keeps contacts abreast and engaged. Send updates on the market, home buying or selling tips, and personal insights for that human touch.

  1. Social Media Engagement: Share interesting and relevant content on various social media platforms to connect with more people. It’s a good way to present yourself as an expert and build personality.
  2. Personalized Communication: Never underestimate the power of a personal note or a holiday card. These small gestures make a big impact to the contacts that you remember and value.

Remember, it is not just about creating numerous leads in real estate but building relationships and true connections.

Lead Generation Strategies for Quebec Realtors

Now that we’ve set the stage, let’s dive into some effective lead generation strategies you can implement right away!

Optimize your site for search engines

Your website is like your digital storefront, and optimizing it is crucial for search engines. Here are some tips:

  1. Use Local Keywords: Insert “real estate in Montreal”, and other relevant local keywords in your website. This will make it rank higher in search.
  2. Create valuable content: Write a series of blog posts answering questions the buyer might be looking for. Some topics might be “Best Neighborhoods in Montreal” or “Tips for First-Time Home Buyers in Quebec“.
  3. Mobile Optimization: Make sure your website is mobile friendly. People will search for properties from their mobile phones, and having a great mobile experience can engage them with your website.

Leverage the Power of Social Media

Social media isn’t just for selfies and cat videos—it’s a goldmine for real estate lead generation! With platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, you can showcase your listings, build your brand, and connect with potential buyers and sellers.

Tips for Quebec Realtors on Social Media

  1. Facebook Groups: Join or create community groups tailored to your area. A group called “Homes for Sale in Montreal” could become a hub for local leads.
  2. Instagram Stories and Reels: Share short, interesting videos of your listings or behind-the-scenes, like preparing for an open house.
  3. French Content: Don’t forget to create content in French! It’s important to connect with the local audience.

SEO Tip: Use hashtags like #QuebecRealtors, #RealEstateLeadsQuebec, and #DreamHomeQuebec to increase visibility.

Build an Email List

Email marketing has always been a successful lead-nurturing method. Here’s how to build and maintain a solid email list:

  1. Provide Value: Develop lead magnets which may include eBooks or checklists that will give value in exchange for an email address.
  2. Segment Your List: Not all leads are the same. Segment your list based on interests or buying stages to send tailored content.
  3. Regular Newsletters: Send regular newsletters about market updates, new listings, and helpful tips. This keeps you top-of-mind for potential clients.

Network and Collaborate

Build relationships in the community which can lead to wonderful referrals. Networking tips:

  1. Go to local events: Community events, trade shows, or even real estate expos help meet clients and other professionals in the field.
  2. Join Local Associations: Networking and an enhanced sense of credibility can be achieved by joining the local real estate associations.
  3. Collaborate with other professionals

Share your expertise with mortgage brokers, home inspectors, or contractors. They can be referring clients to you too, and vice versa, you to them.

Utilizing Online Advertising

Deploying targeted online campaigns across platforms such as Google Ads, Facebook, and other digital channels enables REALTORS to reach potential leads, drive website traffic, and generate qualified inquiries, amplifying brand visibility and lead acquisition through strategic online marketing initiatives.

When it comes to choosing the right platform, real estate professionals should base their choices on the demographics and behaviors of their target audiences. While Google Ads tends to do well in regard to capturing intent-based leads, Facebook is more solid in regard to user-based targeting for interests and behavior.

This can help REALTORS effectively spend their advertising budget, and at the same time, make the most of the available platforms that would connect with their target audience. Among the factors that would enhance the effectiveness of online advertisements is ad targeting. Location-based targeting, demographics, interests, and retargeting are some of the advanced targeting options that may help real estate professionals reach their most relevant audience and thereby increase the chances of producing quality leads.

Once the ad reaches the target audience, the next important step is to have the right lead capture tactics. The design of compelling landing pages, the use of opt-in forms, and valuable content can all encourage visitors to provide their contact information, thereby converting website traffic into potential leads for further nurturing and conversion.

Utilize Video Marketing

Video marketing may help you stand out against stiff market competition. Here are a few ideas:

  1. Property Tours: Produce some engaging video tours on the listings. Point out unique features and give a virtual experience for the interested buyers.
  2. Educational Content: Share videos that educate your audience about the buying process, market trends, or home maintenance tips.
  3. Client Testimonials: Use video testimonials of satisfied clients. This creates trust and credibility with potential buyers.

Focus on Content Marketing

Content marketing is about giving value to your audience. Here is how it can work for you:

  1. Blogging: One of the best uses of the blog is to share insights, tips, and market updates on your website. Such a blog may improve your SEO and make you an expert.
  2. Infographics: Use infographics to represent complex data in an easy-to-consume format. Attach this to social media so that people can notice it.
  3. Podcasting: You can start podcasting where you can talk about real estate topics, interview local experts, or share success stories.

Harness the Power of Referrals

Referrals are a goldmine of opportunities for real estate agents. Here’s how to encourage them:

  1. Ask for Reviews: Request happy customers to give reviews on Google or social media. Happy reviews attract new customers.
  2. Develop a Referral Program: Provide incentives for previous clients or contacts who refer new clients to you.
  3. Keep in Touch: Check up on previous clients often. A simple message can remind them of your services and bring about referrals.

Leverage Local SEO

Local SEO is very important to realtors. Here’s how to optimize for it:

  1. Google My Business: Create and optimize your Google My Business listing. This helps you appear in local searches and provides essential information like your address and phone number.
  2. Local Listings: Make sure your business is listed in local directories and real estate websites. Inconsistency of information on such portals decreases your authenticity.
  3. Encourage Local Reviews: Encourage clients to leave reviews on your Google My Business page. Positive reviews can improve your local search ranking.

Optimize Your Website for Lead Generation

Your website is more than a digital business card—it’s your 24/7 salesperson! But it needs to be optimized to capture leads effectively.

Must-Have Features for Realtor Websites

  1. Landing Pages: Create pages dedicated to specific neighborhoods, like “Why Buy a Landing Pages: Home in Quebec City?
  2. Lead Forms: Include forms with fields for name, email, and phone number to capture contact info.
  3. Searchable Listings: Allow visitors to search properties directly from your website.

Use Real Estate CRM Tools

The other half of the battle in generating leads is staying organized. Real estate CRM tools like HubSpot, Zoho CRM, or Follow Up Boss allow you to manage your contacts and automate follow-ups and even analyze your marketing efforts.

Advantages of CRM for Realtors in Quebec:

  1. Tracks client interaction and preferences.
  2. Automates email campaigns based on needs from a buyer/seller.
  3. Can analyze sources of leads and what works.

Actionable Tip: Segment leads by area, type of property, or language preference using your CRM.

Stay Ahead of Future Trends

The face of real estate is constantly changing. Some of the future trends to be looking out for are:

  1. AI and ML: The integration of these technologies will help in the self-generation of leads and better customer service. Use AI to analyze all inquiries and tailor responses accordingly.
  2. Increasing Focus on Content Marketing : As competition increases, offering rich content will become more essential to lead generation. Present your self as an authority that attracts leads.
  3. Live Streaming: As mentioned earlier, live streaming is gaining popularity. Use it to showcase properties and engage with potential clients in real-time.

Farming Strategies for Real Estate Agents

Think of real estate farming like gardening. You pick your ground (your farm), till relationships (planting your seeds), and then harvest those crops (leads). It’s being a specialist in a certain area and the agent in one particular neighborhood.

There follows a general process on doing real estate farming efficiently:

  1. Choose Your Farm: First of all, select a target area. The size of this ‘farm’ is variable but often best if the place has some connection or local know-how with which you already relate. Some things to look at are the number of people in it and the number of home sales there are in the area.
  2. Get to Know the Locals: Once you’ve picked your spot, it’s time to become a familiar face. This could mean knocking on doors, showing up at community events, or sponsoring local teams. Building trust takes time, much like growing a garden, so patience is key.

Digital Farming

In our digital world, your farm isn’t only the streets you walk. Digital farming means using online tools to reach potential clients beyond the physical boundaries. Platforms like Zillow Premier Agent, Facebook ads, and Google AdWords can expand your network. Engage with people on social media, sharing local news or events to create a connection. Consistency across these channels is the key to keeping your name out there.

Future Trends in Real Estate Lead Generation

The world of real estate is a constantly evolving landscape, and the method through which we connect to potential clients is changing just as rapidly. As we look ahead, we anticipate technology, shifting consumer preferences, and new marketing strategies in lead generation.

Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Customer Service

The future of lead generation for real estate is supposed to hold more advanced usages of AI and ML algorithms. These technologies could automate and enhance various phases of lead generation and customer service. For instance, AI may be used for the analysis of customer inquiries in order to provide automated but personalized responses. This might help to quickly identify those high-potential leads and direct them toward the appropriate agents.

Using past sales data, machine learning algorithms can predict future market trends and customer preferences and help agents target their marketing more effectively.

Increased Focus on Content Marketing

Content marketing is not new, but it’s becoming more crucial by the day. You’re sharing information, but you’re also positioning yourself as the go-to expert in your field, building trust and attracting leads as you go by providing top-notch content that answers all those burning questions potential buyers have.

Social Media by Live Streaming

Live streaming is fast becoming the new game-changer in real estate lead generation, thanks to social media. Facebook Live, Instagram Live, and LinkedIn Live are opening new doors for realtors. Here’s why it’s catching on:

  1. Real-Time Property Tours: Imagine showing a property live, where viewers feel like they’re walking through with you. They can ask questions, and you answer right then and there. It’s like an open house, but online.
  2. Building Connections: Live streaming allows realtors to show their personality and expertise, making digital interactions feel more personal. It’s a great way to engage a wider audience – live videos tend to get lots of attention on social media.

It’s about bringing that immediate, interactive experience to real estate and is thus a very exciting way of connecting with potential clients and showing properties in a whole new light.

What Are the Common Mistakes to Avoid When Generating Leads for REALTORS in Canada?

Common mistakes in lead generation for REALTORS in Quebec include not having a clear target audience, not using data and analytics to their fullest potential to gain insights on leads, not following up with leads, and not considering the power of testimonials and reviews in establishing credibility and trust with clients.

It is very important for REALTORS to define their niche market clearly. Targeting a broad audience can dilute marketing efforts.

Using data and analytics can provide valuable insights on lead behavior, preferences, and conversion paths. Nurturing relationships is important, as neglecting follow-up with potential leads can result in missed opportunities.

Testimonials and reviews are critical to building trust. Using positive feedback can significantly impact lead conversion rates.

No Well-Defined Target Audience

Not knowing or defining the target audience creates an ineffective lead generation process for REALTORS in Canada. This limits personal targeting, data-driven insights, and tailoring marketing efforts to the targeted clientele.

With a clear definition of the target audience, REALTORS can utilize data-driven insights on consumer behavior, preferences, and purchasing patterns.

Audience segmentation allows for the categorization of potential clients into different groups based on demographics, behavior, and interests, which enables more personalized and relevant marketing strategies.

The use of relevant keywords and entities related to the target audience definition is a crucial part of optimizing online visibility and attracting qualified leads.

With a basic understanding of the specific audience’s language, interests, and search behavior, REALTORS are thus able to craft persuasive content targeted towards them.

Not Utilizing Data and Analytics

Underutilizing data and analytics in lead generation deprives REALTORS in Quebec of valuable insights into lead behavior, market trends, and campaign performance, thus impeding strategic decision-making, lead optimization, and the identification of growth opportunities within the real estate market.

Data and analytics form the nucleus of lead generation for real estate professionals. Effectively using CRM systems and analytics tools can allow agents to get a profound understanding of leads’ preferences, behavior, and needs. That will empower them to tailor marketing strategies, personalize communications, and improve customer engagement that will, in turn, boost lead conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

Lead tracking and performance analysis are integral parts of this process, enabling REALTORS to see how well their marketing campaigns are working, what their top-performing channels are, and adjust accordingly. Using advanced data-driven insights helps real estate professionals refine targeting, develop more impactful campaigns, and make informed decisions that grow businesses.

In the competitive real estate market, accurate data and robust analytics provide a competitive edge to agents, enabling them to stay ahead of market trends, identify emerging opportunities, and anticipate shifts in customer preferences. This proactive approach positions them as industry leaders, capable of providing unparalleled value to their clients and achieving long-term success.

Not Following Up with Leads

Failure to promptly and consistently follow up on leads reduces the chances of conversion for REALTORS in Canada, as this may reduce engagement, fail to allow timely response, and eventually miss the opportunities for lead nurturing into qualified clients through proper communication and relationship building. This is an area where CRM management is vital for lead generation. Proper organization of the database and using automation tools can ease the process of follow-ups.

Lead nurturing is important for converting leads into loyal clients. This includes personalized, informative communication and timely responses to their inquiries and needs.

Conclusion

In the ever-changing real estate world, lead generation for real estate agents becomes the key to success. All these strategies tailored for the Quebec market will help attract potential clients and grow your business. Remember, the most successful realtors are those who are in tune with the ever-changing trends and continuously look for new ways to connect to their audience.

By following these strategies, you can enhance your lead generation efforts and establish a good presence in the Quebec real estate market. The trick is to be proactive, up-to-date with trends, and always prioritize building relationships with your clients. Get personalized tips for generating real estate leads in Quebec. Contact us today!

Top Lead Follow-Up Tips Every Manitoba Real Estate Agent Needs to Know

Published December 3, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Top Lead Follow-Up Tips Every Manitoba Real Estate Agent Needs to KnowYou don’t even have to have visited Manitoba to know that it’s at the Hundredth Meridian that the Great Plains begin. There’s nothing but flatlands until you get to the Rocky Mountains, and this part of Canadian geography has been immortalized in song in a very nice way. There are people for whom the Province is home, and others who are hoping to make it their home as they relocated from other parts of Canada or elsewhere in the world. The real estate market in Winnipeg is never going to be heated to the extent it is in other big cities, but Manitoba real estate agents have to have the same level of hustle that others do.

That’s because one of the things that is as true for Winnipeg as it is for Toronto or Montreal is that there is an overabundance of people working in real estate and as such it’s a very competitive business where it’s not so easy to create the commissions earnings a realtor will need for themselves. Sure, the cost of living is lower here and in Saskatchewan next door too, but a realtor needs to be pursuing every opportunity they can if it means a leg up on the competition. And better real estate lead conversion rates are a must because of this competitiveness.

Getting the leads in the first place is where they should be putting their focus to start, and for a paid real estate service in Canada you can’t do better than going with ours here at Real Estate Leads. We have realtors in Winnipeg and elsewhere receiving monthly quotas of buyer and seller leads for would-be clients that live in the same area where they are working as an agent. Or ones that would like to buy a home in Manitoba and be moving to the Province for work. Acquiring Manitoba property leads for people who looking to sell their home will always be a focus too.

Drumming up leads is one thing, but the trick is always going to be in converting leads into clients for real estate and it seems that is something of a mix between a science and an art. The way it usually works is that realtors get progressively better at it through trial and error as their career progresses, but if you can speed that up and do better with it NOW then there are huge advantages to be gained. First and foremost of them are going to be greater numbers of people buying or selling a home with YOU as their Manitoba real estate agents. So what we’re going to go over with this blog entry are good lead follow-up tips for realtors along with proven follow-up strategies for the Manitoba market. Let’s get right to it.

All About Follow-Up

One thing we’ve heard time and time again related to this is that agents who master the art of personalized communication are the ones who convert leads into clients most often. Successful agents will get that prompt, personalized communication can be the difference between client conversion and having a lead fade away and possibly be lost to another realtor. Being able to speak with a mix of authority, friendliness, and seen expertise is something you can work on, but following up on real estate leads is something you can start doing more effectively right now.

Leads are the lifeblood of any real estate business, and the way an agent handles is going to directly factor into what level of success they have in building a client base. Let’s start by considering that there was a study that found that following up within a minute of an inquiry meant the chances of lead being converted increased by nearly 400%! At the same time and delays in communication resulted in missed opportunities and lost leads a lot of the time, and this is something that is very noteworthy when it comes to real estate lead conversion.

A well-crafted follow-up strategy should also be something that Manitoba real estate agents put together for themselves. It’s perfectly fine to read from a script if you are speaking to a lead over the phone or to write it out in an email, but the focus needs to be building trust, keeping you top of mind when they eventually do decide to work with a realtor, as well as starting and nurturing a professional relationship with potential clients who may only be warm real estate lead at this time but likely to buy or sell a home in the future.

So what are the best practices for lead follow up then? To optimize your lead follow-up process it is going to best to adopt a consistent, strategic approach. Here is what agents who do well with this will recommend for you:

Send Response without Delay

Time is of the essence when it comes to lead follow-up. Faster responses to any inquiry will mean you are more likely to be converting that lead into a client. If you can be so fast as to get back to them within five minutes – something that’s very possible with smartphones nowadays – then you’ll have the highest chance of success. But even a 30 minutes delay between their sending the inquiry and your response to it can drastically lower your conversion rate. Automated responses may be a good idea and you can set them up, especially if there are times of the day when you can’t be on top of all your messenger apps and emails via your devices. With good automated responses you may well be buying time for a more personalized follow-up later.

Personalize Communications

Send a lead a generic, entirely ordinary response to their inquiry may make them feel disillusioned about working with you. It’s worth the time and effort to make the time to tailor your messages to each prospect’s specific needs as it relates to Manitoba property leads. Be specific with details about the properties they’re inquiring about, their preferred neighborhoods, or their desired price range. If you can also have the home-buying or home-selling insight to predict other considerations that may come up for them you’re really going to be showing your worth as a real estate agent.

It will show buyers you’re paying attention and are invested in their search, and with a personalized follow-ups about a homeowner’s individual property you’ll be building rapport with them. Perhaps to the extent that they’ll be inclined to recommend you as a realtor to others they know who may also be considering putting their home on the market.

Go with Multiple Touchpoints

Emails and phone calls continue to be the most traditional forms of lead follow-up, incorporating a variety of touchpoints — such as text messages, social media outreach, and direct mail — can keep your brand top of mind. Some clients may let you know that one form of communication is better than another for them, and if so it’s important to be flexible and cater to that preference. Flexibility will always be beneficial for realtors here, along with being realistic about what types of successes can be expected when someone is new to the real estate business.

Create Follow-up Schedule

You’re going to find that most of the leads that Manitoba real estate agents gather are going to be only warm, or even cool ones where there’s nothing to suggest they will likely list or buy eventually. For this reason it’s good to establish a follow-up schedule to ensure that you’re checking in with leads over time and being consistent about it.

The smart approach t this will be to include a series of touchpoints over several months, with different messages tailored to each stage of the buying or selling process. It’s here that a good customer relationship management system (CRM) can be worth its weight in gold if it is helping realtors effectively manage and automate these touchpoints so that not even one lead is likely to fall through the cracks and be lost. Be very aware that the leads you lose may well eventually becomes clients for another realtor working in the same city or town that you are.

Mindful Persistence

There’s a fine line between pursuing a lead and being seen that you’re pestering them. Follow-up is important, but realtors need to avoid overloading leads with constant messages and especially if they are constantly re-inquiring about whether or not the person or couple is ready to buy or sell. It’s good to spread out your communications and mix up your approach to keep your follow-up efforts professional and respectful.

What’s suggested here and seems to be the consensus is the realtor community is to follow up twice a week at most, and then gradually decreasing the frequency if lead is choosing to not respond for whatever reason.

Use of AI for Lead Follow-Up in Real Estate

Artificial intelligence (AI) is elementally changing the way real estate agents manage their lead follow-up. With AI tools realtors are able to respond to inquiries faster as well as more effectively nurture leads over time. This is definitely something to note with proven follow-up strategies for the Manitoba market, and especially because even the most tech unsavvy realtor can be taking advantage of AI tools for real estate.

What we suggest here is to look for a type of tool that can help realtors manage their lead pipelines more efficiently. The best ones will analyze lead behavior, engagement patterns, and other key factors to provide the realtor with personalized insights on when they should be following up, and how best to do it. All based on what’s known about the lead and what is seen to make them unique. With machine learning algorithms these AI real estate lead tools can predict the best times to reach out and suggest tailored messaging to help move these folks into and through you sales funnel.

What’s also really advantageous is the way these tools can handle much of the repetitive follow-up work for an agent, as what can happen sometimes is the laborious and tedious nature of following up with leads can sometimes means the realtors neglects some as compared to others. For instance, the tool can automatically send follow-up emails at optimal times based on past engagement and this will promote more high-touch, strategic interactions with clients while keeping communication with all the leads consistent.

Benefits of AI-Driven Follow-Ups to Leads

Continuing with our look at what Manitoba real estate agents can do to convert leads into clients more consistently we want to continue to emphasize how it’s so good to incorporate AI if that’s something you can do. We’ve talked about how AI and a good CRM working together can make for improved response times, as well as sending a better lead follow-up response in the first place. The other huge gain for agents is their ability to get data-driven insights with AI analyzing large amounts of data to provide actionable insights on lead behavior.

There’s a lot to be gained from that, but tops is going to be helping agents prioritize the most promising leads. Personalization at scale is also a part of this, as with AI you can send highly personalized follow-up messages to a large number of leads and have them carry the right type of weight and sway of influence in helping them see you as a consummate professional in real estate and the type of realtor they will eventually choose to work with.

We’ll conclude this week’s blog entry by talking about how you can integrate it thoughtfully into your lead follow-up strategy and focusing on real estate lead conversion. You can start by using AI to set immediate acknowledgments to deploy when a lead submits their contact information through your website or a social media platform. Keeping leads engaged while you prepare a more personalized follow-up is good.

With these AI tools you can also assess a lead’s activity and have other inputs as to what can be ascertained from it. Examples could be how much time spent on certain pages of your website or engagement with emails. Taken together and analyzed they can give you real actionable insights into their interest level. You can then focus more of your time and energy on the most engaged leads.

Optimizing messaging becomes possible too, and realtors can have AI helping to create follow-up messages based on lead data. When this happens it becomes easier to send targeted communication that will resonate more with each individual and likely often to continue to do so into the future.

From there you’ll be able to better track the progress of the leads, and this will include being better informed to make the decision that what was once a warm real estate lead is now a cold or cooler one. Which is something that can be difficult for realtors to do sometimes. With AI agents can monitor how leads interact with their content over time, and what they do then is adjust their follow-up efforts based on that data. Indeed, these are all proven follow-up strategies for the Manitoba market.

Boost Your Ontario Real Estate Listings with Engaging Social Media Captions

Published November 26, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Boost Your Ontario Real Estate Listings with Engaging Social Media Captions Social media savvy isn’t something that comes easy for those who were born to early to have had Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok be part of their lives. Plus there are new and popular social media platforms arriving at all times. The millennial generation is now at the age where they have the mean of buying homes though, and they tend to be impressively social media savvy. It shouldn’t be difficult to see how this can relate to Ontario real estate listings. we’ve already explained how people from this age group are looking at real estate – and real estate agents – through social media.

The extent of this trend makes it so that realtors who are keen to acquire new clientele pretty much need to have a fairly strong presence in social media. Nowhere is this going to be more true than with Facebook, as homes are now nearly always going to be marketed there and having a Facebook page for a realtor is almost a default thing nowadays. That’s because it tends to be the social media platform of choice for the slightly older demographic. Which is the same one that is buying homes most frequently.

People who are looking to work with a real estate agent and gain the experience of real estate marketing in Ontario are almost always going to be older too, and this needs to be taken into consideration when a realtor decides on WHICH social media platforms to invest more of their time, energy, and marketing budget into. This interest goes far beyond any aim to increase property visibility in Ontario, although social media does wonders for that too.

What we’re going to look at with this week’s blog entry here is ways to boost your listings with social media captions. Being active on social media is advisable and it’s hard to do it ‘wrong’ but you will do so much better in getting your listings in front of prospective buyers or home seller clients who want to work with you if you can be smart with the social media captions you use. Certainly not our area of expertise either, and a far cry from paid real estate leads in Canada. But we’ve talked to enough people in the know about this, and we’ll share what we’ve learned from them. You can get more buyers by adding engaging caption tips.

Targeted Marketing Aim

The reason this is a big deal is because social media captions bring valuable context to image and video posts. For this reason they should be a core part of your overall marketing strategy. Done right and tailored to your audience and specific social platforms, real estate captions for social media will make it more likely that your audience engages with your listings and posts to a much greater extent. Each of the different platforms has its own style and audience behavior, so tailoring your captions to the specific social media site can quickly and effectively make for better results.

So what we’re going to do here with Ontario real estate listings is lay out the best approaches to creating effective real estate captions for Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Templated artificial intelligence (AI) prompts are going to be an ever-greater part of that going forward, and we’ll also offer some examples to help you craft engaging posts.

Let’s start with Instagram. If you’re going to promote real estate on Instagram it has to be all about engaging visuals and storytelling, and that being because Instagram is primarily a visual platform. This makes it ideal for showcasing stunning real estate photos, videos, and virtual tours. So what will an optimized caption for Instagram read like? It will focus on storytelling, emotion, and a call to action (CTA) that encourages engagement, like scheduling a viewing or reaching out for more information.

Consider something like this as a recommended checklist for real estate-related posts on Instagram:

  1. A property showcase that features the best elements of a listing via beautiful, high-quality images.
  2. Neighborhood highlights with the focus being on promoting the lifestyle possibilities and amenities available in the region.
  3. Behind-the-scenes: A genuine glimpse into what your day-to-day involves as a real estate agent.
  4. Client testimonials: Post short video clips or quotes provided from satisfied previous clients who have bought or sold a home through you.

And here’s some Instagram caption ideas:

  1. Property showcase: ‘is this stunning {property type} in {neighborhood} possibly your next home! With {feature}, it’s perfect for {target audience}. Schedule a tour with me (realtor name) today! #RealEstateDreams #NewListing #LuxuryHome’
  2. Neighborhood highlight: ‘Discover the (neighborhood names) charm! From its {feature} to nearby {amenity}, this area has so much to offer. I’m ready to help you find your dream home here! #FindYourPlace
  3. Behind-the-scenes: ‘Busy day showing taking clients to amazing properties in {location}! So much to like about each of them, and I’m excited to help my clients find the perfect fit. Ready to start your search? DM me today! #RealEstateLife #AgentOnTheGo

And then consider something like this for an Instagram real estate AI prompt

Create a real estate Instagram caption for a modern luxury home in {location} with {#} bedrooms, {#} bathrooms, and {specific feature}. CTA included to schedule a tour with the listing agent (name provided)

Facebook: Community Engagement & Details

The longer captions that are possible with Facebook is beneficial for sure, and overall FB is a great platform for sharing detailed property descriptions, market updates, and event announcements. It’s also great for engaging with your audience through community posts, open house invitations, and generating real estate leads is also possible with polls on Facebook. There is so much potential with this platform if an agent wants to increase property visibility in Ontario.

Here’s what we’ve been told are the best types of posts for Facebook:

  1. Detailed property listings: Include a complete description, key features, and a link to the property listing page.
  2. Open house invitations: Create the open houses as your events on Facebook and invite your followers to attend.
  3. Local market updates: Provide good insights and trends about the local real estate market.
  4. Polls and Q&A: Promote engagement with your audience by asking questions about their buyer or seller prerogatives, like what they value most in a home. You can then choose to contact participants who answer the polls or Q&A with responses that suggest they might be looking to work with a real estate agent.

Here are some Facebook caption ideas:

  1. Property listing: ‘I’ve just listed this home in {location}! This {#}-bedroom, {#}-bathroom home offers {feature} and {feature}, perfect for {target audience}. Contact me for more details or to arrange for a tour at a time that’s best for you #NewListing #DreamHome
  2. Open house invitation: ‘An invite to all this weekend to attend an exclusive open house at {address}! So much to like about this beautiful {home type} with {feature} and {feature}. This Saturday starting at {time} is your chance to view this home in person! RSVP or message me for more info. #OpenHouse #RealEstateEvent
  3. Market update: ‘The market in {neighborhood} is much hotter than it was at this time last month, with homes selling faster than usual and prices for detached homes averaging around ${#}. Prospective buyers and sellers can get in touch and I’ll put you expertly in the know about how you can make the most of today’s market! #MarketUpdate #RealEstateNews
  4. Poll or Q&A: ‘Is the home’s size or its location more important to you when buying real estate in (location)? Please put your answer in the comments! #HomeBuyingQuestions #RealEstatePoll

Here is an example of a good Facebook AI prompt

Write a Facebook post for a newly listed family home in {location} with {list of details and features} that invites followers to schedule a tour. Relevant details about the home and a call to action are to be included.’

LinkedIn: Professional Insights & Networking Potential

LinkedIn is definitely the flagship social media platform for career development and professional networking, and another location where you can get more buyers by adding engaging caption tips. In many ways it is the perfect place to share market expertise, industry insights, and thought leadership content. You can also expect your LinkedIn audience to be more made up of other agents, developers, and potential clients, so it’s best to write your captions with an eye to reflecting your expertise and reputability.

The best types of real estate posts for LinkedIn are going to be ones that look at market analysis and share trends and data-driven insights on the real estate market. Success stories where agents post about successful deals will also help to establish credibility and expertise. And if you have professional milestones that you’ve recently achieved then these can be part of posts too, and especially if they involve any type of industry recognition.

The same will go for educational content if you have genuinely valuable information that buyers and sellers can use to be more informed in advance of making major decision around the purchase or sale of real estate.

Here are some LinkedIn caption ideas:

  1. Market analysis: ‘(location)’s housing market is showing strong growth, demonstrated by {market stat}. For those ready to sell, now may be the perfect time. I’m here and ready to discuss your options if this is something you’d like to do, and with no obligation. #RealEstateTrends #MarketInsights’
  2. Success story: ‘My clients just closed on this beautiful (property type)! With the right strategy we found them the perfect home in what is a competitive market here. If you’re looking to buy or sell in {location}, I may be able to help you have a similarly satisfying outcome with the purchase of a new home. #ClientSuccess #RealEstateAgent
  3. Professional milestone: ‘It is an honor to be recognized as a top agent in {location or brokerage} for {year}! Special thanks to all my clients for trusting me with their real estate needs. Many more successful deals in the years to come! #RealEstateAchievements #TopAgent’
  4. Educational content: ‘For anyone preparing to put their home on the market I have 3 tips to maximize your property’s value before listing:
  1. {tip}
  2. {tip}
  3. {tip}

Contact me for more advice with a free consultation available to any homeowner #RealEstateTips #SellerAdvice

Here is a sample LinkedIn AI prompt:

Generate a LinkedIn post for a real estate agent sharing a recent market analysis for {location}, with smart market insights for {target audience}. Include a CTA to schedule a consultation.’

It’s always best double-check the accuracy and validity of information or content generated by AI, as it may occasionally provide outdated or incorrect data with Ontario real estate listings. Ensuring that AI-generated content aligns with local regulations and market trends is something you need to focus on if you are to maintain professionalism and credibility within everything you do on social media for real estate promotion.

These different social media captions are going to be just one aspect of your overall marketing strategy with real estate marketing in Ontario. But there is real value to be had and likely more than a few real estate leads that will come from crafting an engaging and optimized online profile. It’s so beneficial for any realtor who is building their brand and aiming to connecting with as many new potential clients as possible.

And your best approach to getting new real estate clients may be pairing paid real estate leads from our service with an extensive social media marketing plan that increases the visibility you have as a local realtor who is eager to help people be best served when buying or selling a home in your region of the country. You’re encouraged to get more buyers by adding engaging caption tips to social media posts, and realtors that learn to do this well tend to get better and better at it all the time. The way it works is that you tend to learn what works and what doesn’t through trial and error, and as such realtors who’ve been working on better captions for years often find that over time they really start to understand what goes into the best ones. Hopefully this will be the case for you too.

Lead Generation Tips for Alberta Realtors Specializing in Luxury Homes

Published November 25, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Lead Generation Tips for Alberta Realtors Specializing in Luxury HomesTo achieve top status in Alberta’s booming luxury real estate niche is not for the faint of heart. Marketing dream homes isn’t all about attractive ads and colorful catalogs—it is all about enticing the right dream customers. If you are set and eager to take your lead generation to another level and flood your Alberta luxury real estate pipeline, then hold on tight as we take you through some smart and rather amusing alternatives!

Know Your Ideal Buyer (Hint: It’s Not Everyone!)

Luxury homes are all about exclusivity, so your leads should be, too. Are your ideal clients CEOs? Retirees looking for serene estates? International investors?

Once you know who you’re targeting, craft your messaging to appeal to their lifestyle aspirations. Tailor your emails, ads, and even your open house snacks (hello, champagne!) to resonate with this high-end audience.

Keyword tip: Highlight the exclusivity of luxury real estate leads in Alberta .

Create a Stellar Web Image

Your online presence is today’s equivalent to business cards and that is just so much cooler. Here’s how to shine:

  1. Create a luxury-driven website: Rich pictures that reflect the properties at their best combined with beautiful design will make visitors linger.
  2. Show off your expertise on social media: Share Instagram Reels of huge houses or provide linkedin updates to all our contacts about the market in Alberta for luxury houses.
  3. Run targeted online ads: It’s easier to target the clients via the platforms such as Facebook or Google Ads targeting wealthy prospects.

Pro tip: It is recommended that bloggers and website owners incorporate keywords into the titles of their articles and URLs of their web pages through something like Luxury home lead generation Alberta.

Create Stunning Real Estate Video Marketing

As far as real estate lead-generating ideas go, video is one of the best ways to generate real estate leads because the online space is primed to deliver it – and because clients love it. In 2020, 96% of consumers increased their online video consumption, with 90% saying they want to see more video content from brands and companies.

By 2022, more than 82% of all online traffic is predicted to be video, so it’s no surprise that YouTube is the second largest online search engine, with 3 billion monthly searches.

For a highly visual product like real estate, video is a win. It can be used in several high-impact ways, including virtual property tours, live-streamed sessions, and even 3D experiences. It’s the perfect way to help people visualize themselves in a property, explore amenities, and experience it without having to leave the comfort of their own space.

What’s more, it creates a solid online presence for your personal brand. Consider buying or renting a 3D camera for real estate, as it opens the door to an endless amount of highly engaging and interesting content. Need more information on how to get real estate leads from videos? Learn the specifics of real estate video marketing by following this link to our blog.

Develop a Comprehensive Strategy for Search Engines

SEO is relatively ignored as a long-term tool while short-term social media ads are given preference in real estate marketing. It can be effective giving instant outcome, but it is actually dangerous – money are spent and Campaigns fail to deliver Bang for Buck. Real estate SEO, however, is an effective and long-term approach of gaining leads that will yield good returns in the many following years.

In this light, there are more opportunity gains in the real estate because the projects are likely to take longer duration before they are sold off as against industries such as hospitality. However, it should be pointed out that creating a strong SEO plan requires 6 to 9 months, but the benefits will definitely compensate for the duration. For instance, the keyword “Alberta real estate” garners 50% more traffic but it is easier to rank for than the keyword “Alberta hotel.”

When it comes to real estate SEO and specific social media marketing approaches, one gets a constant flow of high-quality leads while increasing the effectiveness of the advertising initiatives considerably.

Ensure You’re Social Media & Mobile Friendly

When lead generation for real estate, make sure that all your online marketing preview is mobile-friendly. More than 52% of internet users use their mobile phones and therefore compatibility with mobile phones is important. This include, responsive web designs, first visits as browsing across device, and functionalities such as voice commands compatible with Siri or Google Assistant. Social links and easy-to-fill lead capture forms should be focused in the luxury real estate marketing strategy more than ever. Based on the growth of mobile traffic after 2020, it is vital to synchronize the approach to mobile visitors in order to ‘catch’ and convert them.

Local Real Estate Areas You Should Love

Geographical location is a very essential factor in real estate advertising since people are not just purchasing a house but purchasing into a region. When a person goes looking for a luxury apartment, or a commercial building, they are in search of one within a specified area. Their search is more likely to be ‘luxury apartment in Alberta– rather than a non – location based search.

Local SEO must be on the list of strategies you should work on so as to benefit from this and direct those leads to your proposition. This will assist in bringing up your content in those all important search results, far above your competition and right at the forefront for the client.

Don’t Ignore Email Marketing

Think about it: email marketing started way before social media, fancy advertising and what not, and let me tell you, it is effective when it comes to lead nurturing.

  1. ‘Broadcast’ luxury listings and others through targeted and personalised emails.
  2. Post market news and press releases that report on Alberta’s luxury property market.
  3. Use follow-ups often so that you remain fresh in the memory of your customer. It works—especially for nurturing leads over time.
  4. Send personalized emails featuring luxury listings.
  5. Share market updates that highlight Alberta’s upscale real estate trends.
  6. Automate follow-ups to stay top-of-mind.

Keyword integration tip: Hence, it is necessary to be more creative with email subject such as ‘Generated leads for real estate?

Invest in Paid Ads That Deliver Results

If you do not want to achieve slow and steady growth? Paid advertising is, therefore, your golden ticket to getting luxury home leads in the shortest time possible

Google Adwords like, Luxury home lead generation Alberta.

  1. Use retargeting to capture back website visitors who may have left the site.
  2. Place advertisements on Facebook, in the form of professionally made videos of houses for sale.t track to generating luxury home leads.
  3. Use Google Ads with targeted keywords like Luxury home lead generation Alberta.
  4. Create retargeting campaigns to re-engage website visitors.
  5. Run Facebook ads featuring high-quality videos of luxury listings

Network Like a Pro: Build Relationships

Real estate is all about who you know. Travel to local functions, become a member of upscale real estate associations, and mix with members of their career path.

Collaborate: Team Up for Success

Promote your services to interior designers, architects, and luxury brands through cross promotion.

Co-host Events

Partner with companies who deal in items that would interest people in luxury homes to help them organize events.

Referrals: Word of Mouth Matters

Never look down on word of mouth as a mediocre marketing tool. It can also be said that happy clients are your best advertising!”

Incentivize Referrals

If a client had used your services in the past make sure you provide some incentive for getting you new leads.

Email Marketing: Stay Top of Mind

Lead nurturing is not a concept foreign to the use of email marketing.

Newsletter: Keep Them Updated

Develop a monthly flyer that has new listings, informative things about the market and buying tips.

Segmentation

Always categorize your email list and ensure that you share different message with different groups. For instance, which potential luxury buyers may be new to luxury brands they may need different information as compared to experienced investors.

Personalization: Make It Special

Engage customers with the following tips about email marketing; embracing the use of personalization techniques. The target audience should be personally addressed according to their names and always presented with content of their preference.

Utilize Paid Advertising: Get the Word Out

Not always, however sometimes one has to spend in order to get back. Use paid adverts to get to the larger market of clients.

Social Media Ads: Targeted Marketing

Advertise to sophisticated buyer of luxury homes in Alberta through the use of advertisements in the social media particularly face book and instagram.

Geo-Targeting

To increases the effectiveness of your ads, try to advertise in areas which you believe the luxury buyers frequent.

Google Ads: Be Seen

Advertise in Google Ads considering keywords such as; ‘‘generate leads for real estate’’, these are highly qualified potential buyers.

Retargeting Ads: This is in a bid to target those people who have visited your website but have not converted into customers.

Host Exclusive Events: Create Buzz

Who doesn’t love an event where they feel so special that others are virtually out of sight? Hold one or more of an open house, a personal viewing, or a business-like cocktail party for interested buyers.

Themed Events: Make It Memorable

Perhaps a wine tasting session or showing art to a potential buyer at a house that has been classified to be a luxury one should be considered. This in a way not only markets the property but also markets it to the right target group.

VIP Invitations

Use email invitations to reach out to all your top leads, so they feel special and important.

Follow-Up: Keep the Conversation Going

Further, create awareness of the event and stay engaged with the attendees after the event is over. Follow it up and send them an email thanking them for reading and offering your help if they need to get in touch with any questions.

Use Technology to Your Advantage

Lead generation is something you certainly want to embrace when it comes to technological support.

CRM Systems: Stay Organized

Customer relationship management could be used to track the leads and how the customer is being managed.

Automation

Don’t forget about the leads you have worked with, automate your follow-ups so that you will barely miss anyone.

Chatbots: Engage 24/7

Use chatbots during your site interactions and lead generation activities throughout the day.

Instant Responses

It will always be useful to have instant replies to frequently asked questions and accept new customers’ appointments.

Measure and Adapt: Stay Agile

Last but not least, always quantify your efforts and be prepared to modify your tactics.

Analytics: Track Your Progress

Still, send users to Google Analytics to measure site visits and the activities of the visitors.

KPIs: Picking the right KPIs that can determine the effectiveness of your lead generation approach – this is the main aspect like conversion rates and engagement.

Feedback: Learn and Improve

By asking clients about your services or marketing strategies, you will learn what they want and how you can offer it to them. You should apply the information provided herein to improve.

Surveys: Make sure to send out the surveys to your clients after a transaction to get information and ideas.

Traditional Lead Generation Strategies that Still Work

The basics may never change when it comes to real estate leads, and that includes traditional lead generation. Despite the constant technological advancements, these simple to implement strategies work well even today. They’ve been around for decades because they get the job done. Of course, it makes sense to figure out how you can use these fundamental strategies here for your benefit.

Direct Mail Campaigns

Direct mail might seem old-fashioned, but it’s still one of the most reliable ways to generate leads. The key is targeting it right. When you send personalized mailers to specific areas or demographics, you can reach clients who aren’t always online. It’s a tangible way to put your message directly in their hands.

Pro Tip: Don’t just rely on direct mail alone. Integrate it with email marketing and social media to hit your audience from all angles. This multi-channel approach makes sure your message sticks.

Cold calling and FSBO lists For Sale By Owner

Cold calling is another old school technique that still works perfectly well and you should try it out especially with FSBO listings. These homeowners plan to sell themselves which should make them ideal clients for your business. The right phone call can reveal to them how you can market their property and sell it faster and higher than anyone else.

The rule of thumb is that when engaging with FSBOs you only need to talk about how you can help them solve their problems. For example, describe how good data and real success cases are there where you have helped people like them. This creates confidence and puts you out of the league of the competitors that are struggling to make their first sale.

Free Home Valuation Reports

As a strategy of attracting the potential sellers, it is logical to provide the free home valuation reports. Most people owning homes are interested in the value of their property whether or not it is to be sold. You can provide a no obligation valuation, gather their contacts and remain connected with the potential buyers, turning them into leads.

Direct lead acquisition is often best done actively, yet the results make it all worth it. In this article we have discussed different methods of lead generation. Now let us focus our attention to how you can be able to manage as well as cultivate those leads that you get in order to achieve the best results.

Conclusion

Well, for Alberta realtors, that just about sums up the situation. So with these cute and scenic tips, warming you up to the market, you’re sure to gather more real estate leads in luxury property market. Always bear in mind that this is all about relationship, knowledge experience and management, and yes, a little touch of creativity.

Well, are you willing to get more real estate leads? Fill in the form below and start your journey with us right now! It’s time to turn your luxury property vision into reality.

You are welcome to add more details, tables, graphics, stories, and statistics to each section in order to achieve the required number of words. I hope this blog post will provide you with enough knowledge to build an interesting post that will make this niche appealing to your readers! Ready to generate more real estate leads ? Contact us today and get started!

FAQS

Question : What is the best way to generate luxury real estate leads in Alberta?

Answer : The best ways include creating a strong online presence, optimizing your website for mobile and SEO, leveraging social media (especially Instagram and LinkedIn), and networking with affluent professionals. Attend exclusive events, offer personalized services, and build relationships with luxury service providers for referrals.

Question : Why is branding important for generating luxury home leads?

Answer : Branding reflects your expertise, professionalism and exclusivity-all things that are critical to attracting high-net-worth clients. A refined, luxury-driven brand builds credibility and demonstrates your niche expertise within Alberta’s luxury real estate market.

Question : How does mobile optimization increase real estate leads?

Answer : Most luxury buyers search properties on their mobile devices. Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly with responsive design, easy navigation and quick-loading forms increases engagement and conversions from the mobile users.

Question : How important is referrals in generating leads in luxury real estate?

Answer : Referrals are invaluable in the luxury market. Partner with professionals like architects, interior designers, or luxury car dealers. Their clients often overlap with your target audience, providing warm, qualified leads.

Question : What social media roles can Alberta realtors play for attracting the luxury buyer?

Answer : Share excellent-quality pictures and property tours and provide market insights on such platforms as Instagram. Drive targeted Facebook and LinkedIn ads to reach the high demographic and project the prowess in luxury real estate.

Question : Which tools might be used for managing and developing luxury real estate leads?

Answer : Invest in CRM tools, like Salesforce or HubSpot, to track, segment, and nurture leads. You should use automation for follow-up and personalized messaging, which is important for keeping connections with high-end clients.

Question : Are gala events effective for lead generation?

Answer : Yes! Networking at galas, charity auctions, or luxury expos will help you directly connect with potential clients. Personal connections are often a good foundation for trust, which is the key in a luxury real estate market.

Question : How can SEO benefit Alberta luxury realtors?

Answer : Optimizing your website with keywords like Alberta luxury real estate leads helps your site rank higher on search engines, thereby increasing visibility to affluent buyers looking for high-end homes in Alberta.

Question : What are some key website features for capturing luxury home leads?

Answer : There should be professional graphics, interactive tools like mortgage calculators, simple-to-complete lead forms, and dedicated property listings. It should load fast and work on every device they have without causing any trouble.

Question :How does content marketing apply to the luxury real estate business?

Answer : You establish yourself as a thought leader by sharing original content that matters specifically to luxury buyers: blogs, guides, and newsletters. This makes for organic traffic and helps to win trust with future clients.

66 Foolproof Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas for Ontario Realtors (Including 10+ Powered by AI)

Published November 22, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

66 Foolproof Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas for Ontario Realtors (Including 10+ Powered by AI)What real estate agent really entails is the need to Source New Customers all the time. Big ticket items are certainly repeat business but homes remain an investment and your last clients might not be back for a few years. But this you have to direct your effort on obtaining new business through effective production of real estate leads.

However, creating leads in real estate business in Ontario is not easy as mentioned above. Depending on what you are being strategic on and what your main strengths are, you can be strategic to buyers, sellers, investors or all. Of course, the more information you can capture, the better your results could be But it doesn’t mean that you need to use the so-called shotgun marketing strategy.

It is crucial for your business to generate real estate buyer and seller leads. Without the right strategy, you can’t find quality leads and convert them into clients, and this is where your profit margins can start to slide. As your real estate business depends on commissions, the more leads the better, so that you could generate more business. But the question of how to generate real estate leads is answered based on how much time and capital the individual is willing to put down. Here is our list of 17 offline ideas to generate more real estate leads that you can try out today.

What is lead generation?

Lead generation is a marketing technique that enables you to gather personal information from prospective customer. These could be users who are searching a property to buy or sell maybe, investors or those who want to know what it is that you have to offer as an agent in real estate business.

A potential customer is not a qualified lead until after he has begun the dialogue with an organization – through subscribing to a form on the organization’s website or through initiating a phone call or an email to the organization.

It is less annoying than Phone and Email marketing, and what you get is a list of prospects who are interested in the services you offer unlike getting hold of complete strangers who have no idea of the usefulness of your services.

Further, lead generation is a key practice of a 3600 lead nurturing process that help you turn these leads into paying clients. However, whoever provides you with their details has a concern in your real estate operations in one way or another as well as interest in your services.

As you acquire their information from them willingly, there are minimal chances of having to call them or beat around their systems in a desperate attempt to make them accept your products.

Build a Professional Website

First of all, your website is the first meeting of the potential client with you. Make sure it looks like a professional business, and can be viewed on mobile devices and has a clear layout. Add listings page, testimonials page and integrate a blog containing useful information about the Ontario real estate market. Here work SEO technique to locate at ‘real estate leads in Ontario ‘search options.

Optimize for Local SEO

Local SEO makes a lot of sense for real estate agents. Include high-quality real estate leads and real estate agents in Ontario as web page meta tags and anywhere that it will be visible on your website. It very important to ensure that your Google My Business profile is accurate and enhanced.

Leverage Social Media Platforms

Use social media frequently. Tools like IG, FB, and LinkedIn are mandatory. They are tools not only for sharing listings but for interacting with your target audience and proving your knowledge through pages with market forecasts and home advice.

Create Engaging Video Content

Engagement rates are much higher with videos. It will be important to think about generating virtual tours of the listings, neighborhood focus, as well as educational material. It is better to post these things on YouTube or the latest Instagram feature, Instagram Reels.

Host Informative Webinars

You can use WebEx and teleconferences to present your knowledge thus providing information on the buying process, selling strategies or market outlook in Ontario. Advertise these webinars using your social media and email marketing lists, as these people may convert to the targeted leads.

Utilize AI-Powered Tools

AI can assist you with increasing the efficiency of the lead generation process. Employ AI chatbots on your site and invite users to provide their contacts since you will be able to talk to them immediately. Hence, its possible to use tools such as predictive analytics in order to determine potential leads based on behaviorial data.

Develop an Email Marketing Campaign

Develop a database to market to specific individuals and groups and build a consistent flow of emails with updates, trends, and new properties. It is easy to get lost in the crowd, when there are potential buyers or sellers. Consistent communication keeps the leads in touch, when they are willing to make the next move.

Network with Other Professionals

Not only should you be communicating with real estate developers, investors, contractors and local authorities, but you should also engage with the local businesses, mortgage brokers and attorneys. Go to business functions so that you know people and they can refer you to clients. The desire to offer value can make them refer you to their clients.

Go to Local Meetings and Trade Fairs

Network in the local markets, fairs, festivals, and trades shows. Organize a booth or be involved in an event to market your firm to the populace. Such first-hand interactions can help you build close relations with possible clients.

Create a Referral Program

Many business owners make the mistake of only recommending a professional to their friends and family and they never get any referral from them again.. People are always more inclined to trust the opinion of their peers, and that makes word-of-mouth leads incredibly effective.

Offer Free Market Reports

Informative and free market reports make potential sellers to approach the investing company. Post these reports on your website and share them through social media. Potential customers may provide their details to receive the report formed.

Use Targeted Facebook Ads

One of the features of Facebook is the ability togetPost ads and reach out to the desired gender, age, postcode and/or country. Use tiles to come up with irresistible ad displays which direct traffic to the listings or a specific landing page with lead capture.

Start Writing a Local Real Estate Blog

Continually post new articles to a blog concerning the real Estate market in ontario, buying and selling techniques and general information. It helps to improve SEO and makes others recognise you as an expert within your particular industry.

Become a member of Real Estate Investment Group

Real estate investment groups that operate at the local level can help offer leads as many are seeking trustworthy real estate agents. Post comments and get real time updates on current happenings in the market.

Collaborate with Influencers

Promote your service to the wide audience by working with local personalities. Word of mouth is valuable, and the influencers can be of service to who’s desiring to sale some services or listing can gain recognition among the community.

Host an Open House

Open houses are conventional but reliable. One way to publicize the event is through the different social media page. With the leads that the show generates, participants can then follow up with attendees to know their level of interest for lead generated.

Offer Free Home Valuations

Provide potential sellers with home valuation services for your area. This service is usually requested and results in new listings. Share this offer across your website and social media platforms.

Fund Direct Mailing Appeals

Direct mail can be used in order to target potential leads within certain subareas. Use postcards to announce new sales or share latest achievements, inspiring stories or upcoming events.

Make Frequent Contributions to the Discussion Boards

Join the online real estate communities or forums such as Reddits. Give answers to the questions and give some value to the users by giving answers using your knowledge in that particular niche and use some of your services into it.

Visual marketing should be employed on Pinterest

Make pretty pictures which leads to your listings or blog articles. It is effective for occasions when getting ideas or inspiration and it does indeed bring people to your site, likely converting to leads.

Conduct Community Workshops

It is suggested to deliver several seminars to first-time homeowners or potential investors in real estate properties. Sharing valuable information motivates the attendees to look at you for any real estate need that they might have.

Utilize CRM Software

Ensure you use the CRM,s which help in tracking leads and automating follow up, or market the business appropriately depending on a chosen strategy.

Use Client feedbacks and success stories

Sharing the words of the clients solution on your website, as well as in your social accounts gives the potential clients some level of assurance.

Create Interactive Content

Chase down the audiences with quizzes or surveys concerning their real estate preferences or a willingness to purchase a property. Apprehend the leads by getting their emails to be used in passing customized outcomes.

Explore Video Testimonials

Ask those who have worked with you to make success videos. These should be posted on your website and also any social media you have with the intent of demonstrating credibility and making others want to do business with you.

Cold Calling with a Twist

Cold calling can still work well but one has to do it properly. You have to conduct your research on potential leads if you want to make your conversation more relevant.

Use Instagram Stories

Utilize Instagram Stories to share daily updates, new listings, or quick tips. This keeps your audience engaged and informed about your activities.

Participate in Charity Events

This means that supporting local charities serves to enhance goodwill while an organization also gets visibility in the process. Interact with the attendees in order to meet and source potential business.

Bring back a Newsletter page focused on Local Community

An newsletter is local can keep the reader interested in your brand. Be sure to feature the local news stories or events, as well as the updates on local real estate market.

Utilize Real Estate Platforms

Post your properties on recognized real estate sites for instance realtor.ca or zillow. This can be useful in the process of attracting potential leads who already searching for some properties.

Run Targeted Google Ads

Google pay per click are also very useful in generating immediate leads from the customers. There is need to select particular keywords and audience more related to Ontario real estate.

Get Involved in Local Schools

Association with schools either as sponsors or participants in their events will grow your popularity in the community and churn out prospects from local clients.

Make Some Educational Infographics

In this case, infographics can be described as attractive means of presenting rather relevant information. Post recipes or market trends on social media with small snippets of text to grab people’s attention.

How to make it work: Use Facebook Live for Property Tours

Use Facebook to give live video tours of your properties. It can lead to interest and leads right there on the spot.

Local businesses should also partner up for cross-promotion areas

Establishing cooperation with other companies is possible, and they can promote each other. Use banners to cross-promote each other on your target market in order to attract new customers.

Engage with Your Audience

Receiving comments and messages on social media, should be replied to as soon as possible. If you engage your fans, you show them that you appreciate them, and this will help convert fans to leads.

Join Real Estate Classes and Seminars

Stay updated always on market trends and strategies. Lead generating benefits can still be obtained by interacting with other participants at the event.

Operationalize with AI Enhanced Lead Scoring

AI helps in prioritizing the leads and segregating them based on their so called propensity to buy. This helps to market to the right audience and targets, hence being sure that you are reaching out to probably the best target base.

Offer Neighborhood Guides

Locate and compile specific step by step tutorials on neighborhoods you serve. These can be also helpful to potential buyers and can capture leads through download.

Use good pictures for listing of the products

This is the reason why high quality images can greatly enhance the level of interest in any of the listings it contains. Think about the availability of a professional photographer as it will help make your property presentations more first-rate.

Establish a Podcast

Start a real estate podcast where you have the opportunity to discuss the state of the market, give advice, and invite guests. This may go to the larger audience and set you up as an authority in your line of specialization.

Share Some Marketing Strategies for Different Seasons

Post tips for home getting ready for sale or buying a house during the holiday or any other time of the year. Whether you provide highly specific information or message for the season, your audience seems interested all year round.

Create a Retargeting Campaign for Your Specific Business

Show them retargeting ads since many prospects visited your listings but did not get involved further. These reminders can sometimes make a potential lead go back and take action.

Make Sure You Have Useful Contents on Your Web Site

Offer the clients ebooks or other materials on such issues as ‘ ‘Purchasing Your Initial Residence in Ontario.’’ Make leads enter their email to download and capture their information about the business.

Use the Local Listings as well as Classified Ad managers

Place your listing in classified sites and bulletin boards of local communities. It should be able to capture local leads who may be interested in a property within that area.

Invite Relocation Companies

The relocation clients may be obtained by establishing working relationships with companies that help their clients move into your area.

Scout For local arts and cultural products and engage in the advertising of local events

Promote local activities or cultural activities on your fo Follow this. It could be to invite those that may be interested in the community to think about real estate solutions.

Engage with Past Clients

Keep mailing lists updated with past clients with follow up emails or holiday greeting messages. They can result in the customer coming back again for more business or recommending other customers to come for business at the same business firm.

USP stands for Unique Selling Proposition and he needs to create one

Find out what makes you unique getting a realtor in Ontario or what niche you will occupy. It also means that you should communicate your unique selling proposition to all your modes of advertising to increase your lead base.

Host Community Contests

Make up a contest that will engage your followers, for instance, where they have to share your post, or tag friends. These can help extend your market and capture more consumers’ attention and generate new contacts.

Treat data analytic as a tool to gain insight

It is important in order to assess the results of the marketing strategies you employ. Utilize the findings to get a better understanding of your approaches and optimise your lead generation processes.

Offer Seller’s Guides

Offer potential home sellers with articles on how they can get their home ready for selling. Downloadable products whereby the leads are asked to input their email addresses to download.

Leverage Technology Enabled Platforms

Advertise your services within relevant social groups where people in that particular community acquire a variety on real estate information. This could open up opportunities to create visibility and to have conversations.

Develop a Unique Customer Relations

Adapt your communication and services according to the need of your clients. First, personalization strengthens relationships and can result in referrals second, building on Peterson’s recommendation of people management as a critical technique for improving working relationships, the paper has compelling points indicating how to achieve effective professional relationships.

Marketing with Neighborhood Photography

Thus, it is appropriate to employ local photographers to portray the nature of neighborhoods. Deploy these images for your marketing, for lifestyle and for potential buyers to approach.

Connect with Clients on the Social Media Sites

Provide posts that are connected somehow with your audience, interacting with their concerns. This goes a long way in creating a congregation around the brand you are promoting and may bring about leads.

Suggest Clients’ Loyalty Program

Loyalty could be promoted by developing a program that offers incentives to those clients who return, or refer their friends. Develop a program that will encourage their support in the future.

Engage the knowledge of Augmented Reality (AR) during property showing

Organizations need to adopt AR in order to provide potential buyers with a glimpse into the actual property. This modern approach can indeed be noticed and attract attention.

Create Research-Based Content

Although advisory or analytical articles about specific markets, sectors, or market prognosis can help to draw professional purchasers and investors.

To make follow-up effective, construct a strong follow-up system

The second method of communicating with leads reinforces relations and raises the probabilities of turning them into clients. One should use CRM tools to automate this process most effectively.

Promised Premium Access to Listings

Set up a pre-approval list which enthusiasts get first shot at new properties before everyone else. This can cause a kind of desperation and demand.

Attend Home Improvement Shows

Such happenings attract potential buyers and or sellers of home improvement products or services, thus, making it a great place to network.

User Generated Content as a Weapon of Branding

Build positive client feedback and urge the clients to post their experiences on social media. This creates genuine content that could reach new prospects by appeal to the herd instinct.

In the applying of AI and its related technologies, include the usage of AI in market analytics

AI is also in a position to decipher trends in the market and guess future movements. Bring out this knowledge to your audience to familiarize them and position yourself as a knowledgeable real estate agent.

How to Build a Lively Online Community

Connect with other and potential clients by setting up Facebook groups or discussion forums relevant to local Real Estate. The features promoted engagement within the community through the popularity of their platform.

Schedule a Consultation

It is also recommended to offer an individual help to let you share the information about your experience and the solutions used. It also helps the clients flavor to start attracting high quality leads in Ontario. Schedule a consultation now!

Conclusion

While being an owner of an Ontario real estate business, it is crucial for you to get high quality leads. To increase your lead generation activities, you should learn how to combine conventional and innovative methods including the AI ones. To remain connected with the potential clients, utilizing social media, engaging locally and reflecting on knowledge learned will be crucial. Regardless of your goal of using online or traditional advertising, non-profit organizations’ participation, or one-on-one communication, the concepts explained in this paper may assist you in building the much-needed relationships and guarantee your place in the real estate business.

Just bear in mind that the proper way to generate leads is to develop the connection with your target market, prove your worth and, most importantly, help the people whom you want to help. Begin applying these ideas today and you shall see the transformation of lead generation outcome in the real estate market in Ontario. So, Start generating high-quality leads in Ontario—schedule a consultation now!

Scaling Your Real Estate Practice in Labrador: The Role of Scalable Lead Solutions

Published November 21, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Scaling Your Real Estate Practice in Labrador: The Role of Scalable Lead SolutionsPicture this: That coffee is looking right into this face as I am writing this describing the beautiful views of the natural landscape of Labrador where the unforgiving rocky shorelines touch the horizons. Being in this beautiful part of the world as one of the real estate professionals, you understand that the geography is not only scenic, but also full of great potential. But how does one translate those opportunities into success? The answer is in scalable lead solutions: Labrador real estate leads have never been easier to find and to cultivate.

In a market like Labrador is, unique appeal of small town, invitation of wilderness, sound and actionable approach towards lead generation is imperative. Welcome to this blog where we’ll discuss the fun and unconventional strategies for growing your real estate practice, which is key to improving your clients’ experience through the provision of exceptional exclusively filtered property leads to boost your business in the currently dynamic market. Okay then let’s get started, you can even munch on your favorite snack while you read through this book.

The Quest for Labrador Real Estate Leads

It sounds kinda clichéd, but, believe me, looking for Labrador real estate leads is a bit like searching for buried treasure.” Before we can get into the map of the shifting sands of lead generation, let us discuss what makes these leads so special.

Understanding Your Audience

Okay, so the first thing that one must need to determine, where to begin looking for this person, is to know whose presence is being sought. Are they families wanting a warm home with easy access to schools? If people out there who fancy a cabin in the woods? Or perhaps retirees hoping to enjoy a quiet life surrounded by water bodies? The knowledge of your audience is vital if you are to develop messages that will be well received by your target population.

So, it’s easier to direct your marketing activities and appeal to certain segments of your audience. This is where the fun starts—developing the campaign that will influence your potential clients first and foremost!

Crafting Your Online Presence

In today’s technology, the image you put forward in the social media platforms is your market. You should consider it as your online doorstep into the network. To paraphrase the legendary Bill Walsh, having a great looking web site is nice, but it’s just the first step. At the same time, you would like to design your website in a way that will compel your visitors to come in and perhaps stay a while.

  1. Create Engaging Content: Create a blog page where one can post information concerning the real estate market within this region, other relevant information useful for any would-be homeowner and interesting facts about Labrador. This makes you an authority in your subject area while at the same time being useful to your audience.
  2. Showcase Stunning Visuals: Professionally captured images and videos are quite effective in marketing properties. Just a reminder that a picture is worth a thousand words and the picture of Labrador’s natural environment will make a perfect candidate for this statement.
  3. Utilize Social Media: Indeed, social networks like Facebook and Instagram are rather suitable for the targeting of potential leads. Use local events, promote new listings, and encourage your audience with polls or questions.

Scalability in the lead solutions industry

To refresh your memory on how you can attract real estate leads in Labrador, let’s in the discussion of scaling. This is where scalable lead solutions come into play making your life easier and business efficient.

  1. Automate Your Lead Generation: Then think about being able to wake up each morning, open your computer and see a bouquet of new leads waiting for you. Well, again employing the proper tools it can be your reality! Lead solutions are further distinguished by their scaling, which means that many aspects of leads generation – from collecting leads on your website to their further nurturing through email campaigns, can be fully or partly automated.
  2. Capture Leads with Landing Pages: Develop property or service specific landing pages. Utilize powerful verbs in the call to action buttons in newsletters sign-up forms, or for further information.
  3. Email Marketing Automation: Create auto e-mail flows that will deliver messages directly to the leads and in accordance with their preferences. This is good if you want to keep your name on their inbox and create some rapport in the long run.

Implement a Robust CRM System

The similar way the ideal Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system works like an ideal secretary who works for twenty four hours a day. It assists you in categorizing your leads, recording the behavior and even the notes to help you remember that you need to follow up the leads. Thus, it will be possible to ‘warm up’ your leads and provide them with continuously valuable information so that they could eventually become your clients.

  1. Segment Your Leads: It will also help you categorize your leads based on their behavior and preferences if you employ your CRM. This enables you to make follow-ups unique and give the clients/suppliers more appropriate information.
  2. Track Your Interactions: Make sure you write communications with leads down so as to refer to them during other communications. This personal touch can so often mean the difference between gaining the trust and confidence of the people you are dealing with.

Use social media advertising

Social media is a gold mine of leads if you are not leveraging it to get leads then you are greatly missing out. Most platforms such as Facebook and Instagram provide filters that will help one target certain groups of people, making sure the ad is seen by the right people.

  1. Create Eye-Catching Ads: Mack creativity and employ great visuals and words to make clients gain attention of target market. For instance, special offers and any other kind of lead that you have that only involves selected properties should be emphasized in order to attract potential buyers.
  2. Engage with Your Audience: Reply to the comments and messages immediately. Communicating with your audience establishes rapport and creates a feeling that asks for attention and assistance where it is necessary.

Improving Client Engagement through Exclusive Leads

Having a flow of steady leads coming in, it is time to focus on how you engage with your clients. Remember that leads are leads unless nurtured into loyal clients. This is how you can improve client engagement and turn those exclusive property leads into lifelong relationships.

  1. Be Personalized in Your Communication: Nobody likes a cookie-cutter approach, especially in real estate. Be sure to make time to individualize your communication with those leads. Use their names, talk about their specific interests, and personalize your messages based on their needs.
  2. Tailored Emails: Rather than sending generic news, send custom emails that talk to the specific interest of the recipient. For instance, if they’re looking into waterfront properties, show new listings meeting that criterion.
  3. Thoughtful Follow-up: Within an hour or so of a showing or meeting, take the time to write a quick thank-you note thanking them for their time. Ask if they have any questions; this shows care and interest in helping them find their dream home.

Offer Value Beyond the Sale

You are a real estate guru; you share wisdom and insights with your clients. Providing value beyond the sale means you build trust, so you’re always considered as a go-to place for all things real estate.

  1. Offer Free Downloads: Create downloadable guides for first-time homebuyers, such as checklists for being a first-time buyer or staging a home to sell. This will not only give back but keep your name top of mind.
  2. Home Buying, Selling, or Investment Strategies: Stay in front of potential clients as an expert in your field by hosting informative workshops or webinars on such topics as home buying strategies, selling strategies, or investment strategies.

Create a Referral Program

Happy clients are your best marketing tool, so why not reward them for spreading the word? Create a referral program that will incentivize your clients to refer their friends and family to you.

  1. Offer Incentives: Consider offering a little gift or a discount on future services to clients who refer new leads. It encourages them to share the positive experience they have been having with others.
  2. Show Appreciation: When a client refers someone to you, make sure to thank them personally. A handwritten note or a small gift can go a long way in showing your appreciation.

Stay Active in Your Community

Labrador is characterized as having close-knit communities, and as a realtor, you would want to be connected with that fabric. Attend local community events, sponsor one here and there, or conduct home buying workshops. Working your community not only does help you create relationships but also places you in a position of being a resource for neighborhood real estate information.

  1. Attend Local Fairs and Festivals: Attend fairs and festivals in your area. Organize a booth or sponsor an event to get around and meet potential leads.
  2. Volunteer: Join local charities or community organizations. Not only will you feel good about giving back, but you will also get the chance to mingle with new people and grow your network.

The Future of Your Real Estate Practice in Labrador

As you begin on this exciting ride to scale your real estate practice in Labrador, it is crucial to remember that scalable lead solutions and increased engagement with clients are what make this trip a success. You’ll be able to transform those exclusive property leads into a thriving business only with the right strategies.

Think about what the future might hold: being more than survivor, but a thriver—succeeding in real estate in Labrador and having your name synonymous with success. Imagine being able to help people find their forever homes, guide investors to hot properties, and become a trusted resource in your community, knowing that is now in reach.

Join Us Today!

Enhance your client engagement with our exclusive leads. Join us today! and unlock your potential in the real estate practices of Labrador. With the right tools and strategies, you can create a business thriving with success and exceeding what you set forth to achieve.

The sky’s the limit in the wild and wonderful world of Labrador real estate! So grab your compass, put on your adventure hat, and let’s get started on this incredible journey together. Your dream practice awaits!

Conclusion

Scaling a real estate practice in Labrador certainly doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Using scalable lead sources in combination with client engagement allows for the creation of a growth-oriented business that succeeds in today’s extremely disparate market. It’s all about relationships, providing value, and staying connected with your community. So, roll up your sleeves, grab hold of this adventure, and watch your real estate practice soar!

FAQs

Question : What are scalable lead solutions, and why are they important for real estate agents in Labrador?

Answer : Scalable lead solutions refer to strategies, tools, or systems that help real estate agents efficiently generate, manage, and nurture a growing number of client leads. In Labrador’s competitive real estate market, these solutions allow agents to handle fluctuating demand, reach more potential clients, and streamline processes without compromising service quality.

Question :How can scalable lead solutions improve my real estate practice’s efficiency?

Answer : These solutions optimize workflows by automating repetitive tasks such as lead tracking, follow-ups, and marketing campaigns. For example, using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system tailored to real estate can help you categorize leads, monitor progress, and maintain timely communication. This ensures you spend more time closing deals and less time on admin tasks.

Question :Are there specific digital tools recommended for lead generation in Labrador’s real estate market?

Answer : Yes, digital tools like social media advertising platforms, targeted email campaigns, and lead-generation websites are highly effective. Platforms such as Facebook Ads and Google Ads allow hyper-local targeting, ensuring your message reaches the right audience in Labrador. Additionally, integrating tools like Zillow Premier Agent or Market Leader can help you capture high-quality leads in the region.

Question :How do scalable lead solutions adapt to market changes in Labrador?

Answer : The beauty of scalable solutions is their flexibility. They can expand or contract based on your business needs and market conditions. For instance, if the Labrador housing market experiences a surge in demand, your lead-generation tools can handle increased traffic and inquiries without overwhelming your team. Conversely, during slower periods, you can scale back resources to manage costs.

Question :What role does data analytics play in scaling a real estate practice with lead solutions?

Answer : Data analytics is critical for understanding lead behavior, market trends, and campaign performance. By analyzing data, you can refine your strategies, identify the most effective channels for lead generation, and personalize outreach efforts. Tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or specialized real estate CRMs provide valuable insights that help you scale smarter, not harder.

Realtor vs. Real Estate Agent in Alberta: Key Differences Explained for Home Buyers and Sellers

Published November 19, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Realtor vs. Real Estate Agent in Alberta: Key Differences Explained for Home Buyers and Sellers Most people won’t even take note of someone in the real estate business referring to themselves as either a realtor or a real estate agent, and that’s just fine considering most people with working with an agent in any capacity won’t care to know the difference anyway. Their focus is going to be entirely on knowing what price they can likely get into the ideal home for if they are homebuyer clients, and if they are clients who have a home on the market they’ll want be selling it for as much money as possible.

This is true for folks in Alberta the same way it is for any Province in Canada, and so our focus here is going to be explaining the difference with realtor vs. real estate agent in Alberta or elsewhere. If we look at it from the angle of services provided there isn’t going to be much to distinguish the two, and in a sense that’s a good thing as having as much clarity as possible is always a plus when you’re making pivotal life decisions along the lines of buying or selling a home.

The focus is always going to be on acquiring the individual’s expertise with buying or selling real estate, as that’s something that is beyond the scope of most people. Sure, you can sell a home on your own but choosing to be a Fizbo – the term used for some who is selling a home without a realtor – isn’t often a good choice and people quickly learn there’s a reason why realtors AND real estate agents have to spend time learning the business. Even longer after they’ve passed the Provincial real estate exam.

If you’re considering working with one such person then you have probably already been convinced of their expertise, and there definitely is an element of trust in it all considering how much money and life interests are going to be wrapped up in people’s home-ownership decisions.

So without previewing this any more than necessary let’s get right to exploring the difference between a realtor and a real estate agent, and taking into consideration that most people who ready this blog with any regularity and signed up for paid real estate leads will probably already be one or the other.

Real Estate Agent

There are already plenty of terms in real estate that can be daunting, but most of them aren’t related to the roles of the professionals involved. However, if you’re confused about the difference between a Realtor and a real estate agent then your query around that shouldn’t be dismissed or seen to be any less relevant to helping you have a better understanding of who you’re going to be working with.

Here it is for realtor vs. real estate agent Alberta, and we’ll tip you off a bit saying the difference is really related to little more than being credentialed in a specific way. But let’s start with the explanation and comparison anyways.

A real estate agent is a professional who’s licensed to assist people in buying, selling, or renting properties in their Province. There may be different requirements for becoming a real estate agent that vary Provincially, but will typically include completing a certain number of hours of real estate coursework, then passing a background check and passing an exam.

Once that’s accomplished then the real estate agent will be able to represent buyers, sellers, or both and may work in various capacities, including residential, commercial, rental, or industrial real estate.

Realtor

We talked about being credentialed, and that’s what makes the difference between real estate agents and realtors. To be considered a realtor you need to be an active member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and be adhering to the associations code of ethics and standards of practice. In fact it’s actually a trademarked designation, and without it you are a real estate agent and not a realtor. Only those who are NAR members can use the title.

There are definitely advantages to be gained from having the designation, as realtors have access to additional resources and tools provided by the NAR and some of them can directly benefit the realtor’s clients. This includes access to professional development opportunities and various marketing tools. Membership may also be bundled with access to local multiple listing services (MLS).

It’s fair to say that all agents and realtors are real estate professionals, but not all real estate agents and brokers are Realtors. So the next focus has to be on whether or not there are differences between what is expected of a real estate agent as compared to what will be expected of a realtor.

Duties & Responsibilities

A wide array of responsibilities will apply to a real estate agent as we focus on Realtor vs. Real Estate Agent in Alberta. They evaluate property list prices, advertise listings, negotiate and close deals, and guide clients as they move through the process of buying or selling a home. Their clients will expect them to possess a deep understanding of the local real estate market and provide clients with key information on a variety of topics, including market conditions, prices, mortgages, and legal requirements.

The average day, however, will be no different between either type of real estate professional. It’s typically a whirlwind of activity, from hosting open houses and making cold calls to meeting clients, negotiating contracts, and completing plenty of paperwork. But of course that is all part of meeting the agent’s goal of ensuring their clients’ real estate transactions are successful, whether that means helping them find their dream home or selling their current home and moving into a newer one.

Realtors will have a few other added responsibilities that an agent won’t though, and they are by and large related to doing what is needed to maintain their designation based on NAR guidelines. This will involve:

  1. Maintaining a valid real estate license and continuing to actively engage in real estate as a business.
  2. Adhering to operating principles and attending ethics training if needed. It may be that the realtor in Alberta is required to complete a Code of Ethics course, although it is unlikely in most cases and may only be individual-specific.
  3. Paying annual membership dues if applicable.
  4. Continued compliance with governing policies and following all NAR policies, including its bylaws, governance rules, and any updates or revisions to the Code of Ethics.
  5. Serving or contributing to Provincial REBs (real estate boards) as required via the realtor’s brokerage and to help advise on rules and governance changes. Attending annual conferences may be necessary too.

Commission Interests

A real estate agent or realtor will always have one aspect of their work in common, and that’s being paid with commission on home bought or sold through them. The way these payments are made depends on the role. With an agent it is much more likely their commission is going to be determined based on broker splits. That’s a term most people will have never heard of so here is what it means. Agents will be working under a supervising real estate broker, and the money earned from a commission will need to be split between the agent and their broker.

The brokerage split can vary based on the agreement between the agent and his or her broker, but what may be a 50-50 split for some may be a 70-30 or 80-20 split that favors the agent instead. Weighing a real estate commission may factor into Realtor vs. Real Estate Agent in Alberta if someone is deciding whether it is worth it or not to go and get the realtor designation.

Standard commission rates can vary but are currently around 5% to 6% of the sale price. The way it usually works is that this total commission is split between the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent. What is worth noting here is that this arrangement may be changing in the near future, and if it does it will be based on what’s happened recently with the NAR in the USA. In August in this year the common practice of listing the offer of compensation between brokers (also known as cooperative compensation) in the MLS is no longer allowed.

So you must be selling a home outside of the MLS to be able to receive a commission exclusively to yourself if you are a designated realtor. The idea behind this change is to provide more clarity around commission structures and make it more likely that compensation is openly negotiated between parties.

Recommended Move

Continuing our look at the difference between realtors and real estate agents, we will take this opportunity to recommend becoming a realtor and having that accreditation for yourself if you choose to start a new career in real estate. For starters, it is going to make the prospect of working with you more appealing for would-be clients as they will have an inherent assurance in your professionalism and real-estate market expertise when you have the designation as a realtor.

For consumers, working with a realtor can offer an extra layer of confidence and trust in their agent’s competence, plus being assured of their having ethics and honesty in working as real estate professional who is guiding the investment of a lot of money most of the time. Realtors have a competitive edge, helping them stay informed, up to date, and connected in the industry.

Realtors must regularly complete ethics training and reacquaint themselves with the code to ensure that these principles remain front and center in their practice. Being familiar with all of the articles in the NAR’s Code of Ethics is required for these realtors, and it does real good for ensuring standards of conduct and professionalism. These articles are grouped into the following three categories:

  1. Duties to clients and customers
  2. Duties to Realtors
  3. Duties to the Public

Adherence creates a culture of operating in their clients’ best interests with integrity, competency, and transparency, and can even be seen as a roadmap for professional behavior that builds trust between Realtors and their clients. This is very much a part of what you can gain as an advantage with being a realtor as compared to a real estate agent.

Violations can result in various penalties, and they will vary in severity based on the violation and the findings of the local association’s professional standards committee. A realtor who breaches any of the NAR’s operational guidelines may receive:

  1. Fines
  2. Mandatory education
  3. Suspension or termination of membership
  4. Reprimand or censure
  5. Probation

How to Become a Realtor

The last aspect of Realtor vs. Real Estate Agent in Alberta we’ll go over here is what new realtors in Canada’s most booming Province can expect as they move towards a new career working as a realtor in Calgary, Edmonton, or elsewhere in Alberta. This starts with meeting any Provincial education requirements, and then of course you will need to pass the Alberta Provincial licensing exam. That’s it, and from there you’ll be ready to work as real estate agent or realtor in the province.

That’s the long and short of Realtor vs. Real Estate Agent Alberta and as you’d guess we encourage all realtors or agents in any Province to sign up for paid real estate leads in Canada here.

Top Benefits of Real Estate Lead Generation in British Columbia: Boost Your Business Success

Published November 11, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Top Benefits of Real Estate Lead Generation in British Columbia: Boost Your Business SuccessCanada’s westernmost Province has a lot going for it, and when it comes to the big city there a big part of the reason so many people want to live in Vancouver is because it’s a city that’s in a nice location and on the coast. Indeed, if you like to be on the ocean year round it’s better to be there than anywhere else. You’ll need to pay a pretty penny to buy a home there, but that’s just simple supply and demand at work. It’s important to understand that there are plenty of nice places to live in BC that aren’t named Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, or Kamloops. But how does this all tie into real estate lead generation in British Columbia?

Well, primarily because that plenty of people have wised up to that fact, and places that weren’t known as hotspots before are now seen that way. This pushes housing prices upwards, and just like that you’ve got more realtors working in that locale than ever before. That’s not a bad thing necessarily, but if you’re one of those agents it’s going to be increasingly difficult to secure new clientele because all those other new realtors are aiming to do exactly the same thing. Getting good leads becomes all the more important, because new clients aren’t going be coming to you as easily as before.

So unless you’re already a well-established and reputable realtor in the area then lead generation tips for real estate in BC is going to be of interest to you. You’ll be wise to pursue them via traditional means too, but nowadays a paid real estate lead service in Canada like ours is going to really give you the greatest return on the time you put into this. They’ll be bang for your buck too. Although you’ll be paying for the leads it’s true than even just converting one or two of them into clients each month will make the expense well worth it.

The benefits of lead generation for BC realtors has been well established in the same way it has been for every other Province in Canada, but for realtors working in the Greater Vancouver area the magnitude of it all is similar to what we’ve said about working as realtor in Toronto too. You need to be doing anything and everything you can to gain an advantage and make it more likely that people looking to buy or sell a home in Vancouver choose to work with YOU as their realtor compared to anyone else. You can boost your BC real estate leads today, and this blog will lay out how that can be possible.

Consistency Key

Any real estate agent who is new to the business is going to quickly become aware of how finding new clients is key to growing their business, and it is something that has to be occurring consistently at all times. Lead generation is the process of identifying and acquiring potential customers for your real estate services. An effective lead generation strategy should give you a constant stream of promising leads. Then – provided you are able to convert leads into clients – you will be building your client base.

The key benefits of implementing a real estate lead generation plan is just as applicable for real estate lead generation in British Columbia . Digital marketing, networking events, referral programs, and public relations are proven tactics for generating more leads. Mix all of them effectively and continue to fine-tune your approach to getting and converting leads and you will be doing well with increasing your listings, transactions and commissions.

We will also look at how to qualify and nurture leads to convert them into satisfied, long-term clients. There is so much you can do to drive your real estate career to the next level. It may be a good idea to cover the basics of real estate lead generation. The basics of it are generating interest from potential clients in the properties and services offered by real estate agents and brokers.

And common prospecting methods exist too. Cold calling is one of the most long-standing traditional approaches to getting new clients for realtors. Agents may be contacting leads who have expressed interest in buying or selling properties over the phone, or via direct mail campaigns to send marketing materials to potential leads who are an agent’s list. Online real estate lead generation uses websites, social media, and digital ads to capture information from interested parties.

Real Growth

Real estate lead generation provides extensive benefits for agents and brokers. With it agents can build a pipeline of potential clients interested in buying or selling properties, and then having greater success with converting these leads over time using marketing campaigns. Lead generation tips for real estate in BC will not increase the chance of converting them into actual clients, but it WILL give the agent more leads to work with and increase the chance of greater numbers of leads being converted.

Real estate lead generation also allows agents and brokers to focus their time and resources on the most promising leads. And in the bigger picture it always works to drive business growth in a targeted, efficient manner. This is because of the advantages that are built into the equation any time an agents starts to pay for real estate leads.

Those advantages are:

  1. Increased client base
  2. Higher chances of closing deals
  3. Enhanced business growth opportunities

But perhaps equally important is the way that it allows realtors to use their time most effectively, and to focus on the leads that look the most promising. And that’s simply because it allows them to identify those leads in a much more reliable and speedy manner. Over time and through trial and error agents can determine the level of interest and motivation, allowing them to prioritize and follow up appropriately. Less time being wasted and higher productivity are outcomes from this.

Most realtors who do well with this will also be using customer relationship management (CRM) system to help agents keep track of leads and stay in touch. With one realtors can log details about each lead including contact information, property interests, and notes from previous interactions. A good CRM will then take the initiative and make the agent aware of when a follow-up contact is timely for anyone who might be ready to sell or buy a home. Consistent communication builds familiarity and trust between the agent and the lead.

With a steady flow of high-quality leads, agents have more opportunities to convert prospects into clients and the benefits of lead generation for BC realtors is then firmly entrenched in the way an agent proceeds with building their PREC. Targeted lead generation helps agents identify the leads that are most ready to be working with a realtor, and this means they focus their time and energy in the right spot. On leads that are more likely become clients in the near future.

Lead generation boosts productivity and strengthens customer relationships, and directly contributes to an agent’s bottom line through improved conversion of leads to sales. There is immense value in any strategic lead-generation process.

How to Generate Quality Leads

Generating quality real estate leads is best done with strategic marketing tactics. Examples of this are using social media, optimizing websites for search engines, and networking with local businesses and community members. If you want to be getting and converting high-quality leads reliably from one month to the next then you need to be identifying your target audience and focusing your lead generation efforts on those likely be buying or selling a home sometime soon. It can be very good to have a specialty as a realtor too, and one example might be to specialize in luxury properties. If that’s you then you can promote your services in wealthy neighborhoods and to clients who are more likely to have the means of purchasing luxury real estate. Quality leads are more likely to convert to sales.

Take a multi-channel approach for even greater success with this, and utilizing all of the following:

  1. SEO (search engine optimization) for your real estate agent website
  2. Social media marketing, focused on platforms that are more likely to have potential clients as regular users / contributors
  3. Email marketing
  4. Open houses
  5. Community networking

Choose strategies that align with your target audience, along with ones that play to your strengths.

It is going to be more likely that you convert high-quality leads when you prove yourself to be a valuable resource. So how is this best done? Well, for starters you should be publishing content on your website and social media that provides helpful information for homebuyers and sellers. Be active in your local community by sponsoring events or volunteering your time. Focus on listening to the needs of the individuals / couples you have as leads and trying to understand what information they will most want from you.

Part of your focus with real estate lead generation in British Columbia will also have to be on maintaining leads, and this will be especially true for ‘warm’ leads that represent people who are likely to make a move in the real estate market but aren’t quite ready to do it now. With consistent communication you can keep your services top of mind for when they are ready to buy or sell.

What’s recommended here is to send a welcome email introducing yourself, then follow up with a newsletter, social media messages, and the occasional phone call. Give these people updates on new listings, market trends, and other helpful information. Staying in regular contact will establish you as a reliable source and increase the likelihood they eventually choose you as the real estate agent they’re going to work with.

Agent Lead Nurturing Strategies

Implementing efficient lead-nurturing strategies to convert potential leads into loyal clients needs to be a must for all realtors, with a focus on building relationships with leads through consistent communication and providing value. Agents need to be hustling at all times, and reaching out to prospective leads via phone calls, emails and social media messages. Make it clear you’re ready to help them with their real estate needs, and offer to provide relevant information and updates on the local housing market.

It’s also a good idea to similarly offer home buying and selling guides as part of real estate lead generation in British Columbia. When you’ve collected the information and put them together yourself it shows your expertise and proves your credibility. Would-be clients are likely to be impressed, and you’ll also gain points with them if you are offering value with no strings attached and no expectation that they’ll list with you.

There are also marketing automation tools to send personalized emails and messages to leads. An example might be to send information on family-friendly neighborhoods to leads with children. Personalization and targeting will make your communications more relevant and effective, and with automation you can stay in contact with a large number of leads without that asking too much of your time and effort. Realtors tend to have a lot of the second, but not a whole lot of the first to spare.

The last thing we can say here connected to lead generation tips for real estate in BC is that you should aim to meet qualified leads in person when possible. Face-to-face interaction is the best way to build connections and gain their trust and loyalty. In-person meetings may motivate leads to start working with you sooner if they are close to being ready to buy a home or list one for sale.

No Time Like Now

Lead generation is always going to be best if it is undertaken with a stead and long-term approach when the goal is to build a strong pipeline of prospects and be always adding to your sales funnel as a realtor. Get good with real estate lead generation and you’ll immediately have a competitive advantage in what is a very saturated industry. Get after it and always be open to revising your approach to getting them and you’ll be able to boost your BC real estate leads today.

If paid real estate leads are something you’re open to then we encourage you to sign up here and start receiving a monthly quota of buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. Most realtors quickly come to agree that it’s well worth the investment.

Quick Tips for Generating Real Estate Leads in Quebec: 7 Strategies that Work

Published November 5, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Quick Tips for Generating Real Estate Leads in Quebec: 7 Strategies that Work It is not like Quebec is the only example where a certain region of a country has its own language and culture, but it is probably fair to say it’s the largest one and the one where that culture and language is so wholly distinctive from that which surrounds it. The size of the Province is a factor too, with many cities and towns that are 100% more Francophone than the cosmopolitan big city of Montreal. Some people are drawn to living in those regions of La Belle Province, while for others there’s no other place they’d rather be than Montreal.

Realtors there will have catering to those wishes as part of what they do for clients, and what those clients want is the best price on the perfect home in Quebec for them. Of if they’re selling a home in Quebec the aim is going to be get as much as possible for it and ideally see a family living there in the same way the homeowners had their family in the home.

Real estate lead generation in Quebec is important because of the demand for housing in the Province, and the only thing that exceeds the number of people looking to buy or sell a home in Quebec is the number of real estate agents pursuing them in hopes of securing them as clients. If you’re a new realtor anywhere in Canada you need to be doing everything you can to get real estate clients, and that’s just as true for Quebec. Montreal especially though, and that’s especially true if you’re hoping to work with first-time homebuyer clients looking to buy on the West Island.

There are so many of these types of agents looking to know more about lead generation strategies for realtors in Quebec. So with that understood this week’s blog entry is going to cover 7 strategies that are proven to work for getting the leads you need. Paid real estate leads like the service we provide here is always advisable, but there’s so much more to it. So here we go with putting you in the know and allowing you to start generating more Quebec real estate leads today.

Promote Flow

Real estate is always going to be a fast-moving world, and finding potential customers is forever going to be integral to any agent’s success. Leads don’t just fall into your lap 90+% of the time, and so the way you obtain them is by making the efforts to discover who are these people that are ready to make a move in the local real estate market.

Realtors do need to have that consistent flow of good leads, and these days they will be coming from both effective digital and traditional marketing methods. A mix of both is going to be needed if you’re going to grow a real estate business amidst all the challenges that come with that. Real estate agents often feel overwhelmed by all the different marketing options out there, but not to worry. Here’s where to start for real estate lead generation in Quebec.

Social Media Platforms

Some are better than others, but in general social media platforms are great for generating real estate leads. This is because they are where so many people spend most of their time being active with whatever interest it is they have. If that’s real estate they will be looking for it online for sure, and possibly indirectly through social media channels too.

When agents promote a listing and engage with followers on social media there’s a real boost to their visibility as a local realtor who is ready to work with both homebuyer and home seller clients. Done right it may mean that they start to see you as a local expert and if they’re ready to make that move then they may reach out to you and inquire if you will be their Montreal area realtor or one for any other city or town in Quebec.

The positive effects of all of this are enhanced when you can comment and exchange messages through these different social media platforms. The next recommendation is to pay for Facebook ads for realtors as they can be effectively published on social media platforms and allow for targeted approaches to those really in search of properties. Facebook is usually the consensus best choice as the people who have the means of buying homes or will be selling one often use Facebook more than any other platform.

But you should still go ahead and cross-promote on the other platforms too, and all the while focused on keeping your branding consistent. An active, optimized social media presence is invaluable for today’s real estate industry.

Events and Open Houses

Continuing with lead generation strategies for realtors in Quebec we put holding open houses and hosting or attending real-estate or community-related events as number 2 in our list of good approaches to getting leads. For a long time it has been regarded as one of the best means of building new real estate leads, and there is a lot of value in inviting past and future clients to an open house with the aim to having them see the listing plus the opportunity for you to inquire about any plans they might have to buy or sell.

These really are good opportunities to meet up with clients in person and establish a relationship. With practice and over time you will start to understand each of their tastes and what prerogatives they’re going to have with real estate sales or purchases. This in-person approach may help in fostering stronger relationships and a better understanding of how to best serve your clients.

Past Client Focus & Connection

A lot of realtors will really extol the value of focusing lead generation efforts on past clients and getting referrals that then increased the likelihood of getting high-quality leads. Past clients will often already have a favourable opinion of you, and most of the time they’ll be very open to working with you again OR recommending you to others they know who are ready to work with a real estate agent.

So do what it takes to maintain regular communication with past clients through newsletters, emails, or social media. Do it will and you will be making it so that your services remain top of mind for them. And then if you can offer incentives for any who might choose to be repeat clients and you will be further expanding your reach and potential customer base.

Have a Top Quality & SEO-Optimized Real Estate Agent Website

A website for a real estate agent may be attractive and filled with nice images of property but if it’s not SEO-optimized and updated regularly with content that is related to the local real estate market then it’s not going to be serving the agent’s business-growth interests in the way it could be. This is something that can’t be overlooked if you really are looking to start generating more Quebec real estate leads today.

Agents need to ensure their website content is consistently adding value to the visitor in property lead generation, and if you’re not capable with creating and posting informative content then it may well make sense to pay someone to do that for you. It will be an added real estate marketing expense, but with what it can do for making your website come up on the first page or search engine results when someone searches ‘Montreal realtor’ or ‘Quebec City real estate agent’ will make it worth it 500x over if it leads to you to converting a lead into a client and earning a commission.

It will be good if you can publish blog posts that dig deep into your recent transactions, and new listings available, and provide useful insights into market dynamics that are applicable to where you’re working as a realtor in Quebec. Share your advanced knowledge of focused, high-value content and over time it will lead to an increase in website visits and greater numbers of leads being generated through people who contact you via your real estate website.

Strategic Advertising

You will also do well to advertise your real estate business in strategic locations, and by strategic we mean locations where potential clients are actively searching for properties. Nothing is going to have the same level of importance if the aim is to reach the target audience where your foresee the greatest number of potential leads being found. Social media ads are often tops for that nowadays simply because of the sheer numbers of views they can provide your ad.

You may also want to think about running targeted social media ads to reach those interested in Quebec city real estate or for another location in the Province. You can also sponsor relevant podcasts, blogs, and YouTube channels that cater to individuals interested in real estate or home improvement. See if there’s Facebook groups related to the community too, and if it’s possible to have your FB realtors ads placed there too.

Consider platforms like NextDoor for this too, as it can help you reach local residents who may be interested in buying or selling in their area and be an equal component of real estate lead generation in Quebec.

Build a Strong Network

Every realtor should expect to have built a strong networks and SOI (sphere of influence) after having been in the business for many years. In order to do that they need to start building those networks right from day 1 when working as a real estate agent in Quebec. Make every effort and jump on every opportunity to connect with neighbors, attend local events, volunteer, send networking emails, or make contact with lead prospects by phone. Family and friends will always also be part of a realtor’s SOI and a potential source of home seller leads.

Networking is that much easier when you have:

  1. A professional website – this is resource #1 for representing your brand, and so you site needs to be polished and informative
  2. Ongoing engagement in the community – realtors can meet prospective client when they attend small business events, volunteer locally, and participate in career days at schools. You can and will be building relationships here.
  3. Stayed up to date on market trends in the real estate industry – Monitor statistics on inventory, days on the market, and sales volume to identify shifts and then create content for your website detailing what you feel clients will want to know. It’s also wise to rack interest rates, employment rates, and migration patterns as well.

Aim for More Personal Connections

Real estate differs from other industries in that cannot rely entirely on online interactions as part of lead generation strategies for realtors in Quebec. Personal connections and face-to-face meetings are always going to have so much more inherent value when it comes to making it possible that person chooses to work with you as their realtor in the future.

Your success often depends on building trust and strong relationships with clients through direct communication. Take advantage of the many digital and online resources you have to connect with these people, but make sure that you interpersonal communications as the most valuable of all of them.

You’ll want to find ways to make your lead generation process smoother without losing the personal connection that makes you stand out. This leads to us suggesting tools and methods that can help you manage your work more easily, and it goes without saying that NOTHING has the same potential here quite like a CRM (customer relationship manager) software suite for a real estate agent.

They can handle follow-ups automatically, plus utilize email templates that can save you time without losing that personal touch. Between all of this you can develop a lead generation strategy that is effective and long-lasting, and working for you at all times while you put your immediate focus on the day-to-day aspects of working as a real estate agent in Montreal or somewhere else in Quebec.

With regular effort and dedication, the strategies mentioned will help grow your real estate business and you can start now with one or two methods and then see how they work over the next few months before keeping them or discarding them and trying others. But the most important takeaway here is that you’ve got to be proactive with this at all times if your goal is to start generating more Quebec real estate leads today.

6 Effective Ways to Nurture Every Contact in Your Real Estate Database

Published October 22, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

6 Effective Ways to Nurture Every Contact in Your Real Estate DatabaseThere are few guarantees in life, and when it comes to real estate lead generation it is much the same situation. You’re rarely if ever going to be guaranteed of a lead being converted into a client, and it’s also true that a cold lead may eventually convert to one while a hotter lead goes nowhere. It is for this reason that real estate lead nurturing is so important, and the smart move is to give every lead the same level of care and attention. Rather than just putting the bulk of it on leads you assume have a higher chance of converting. Because quite often the assumption is incorrect, and ‘cooler’ leads may not be so cool after all.

This is something that most real estate agents come to learn over time as they progress in their careers, and it’s why you’ll find that more experienced agents who’ve been in real estate for a long time take a more even-spread approach to nurturing real estate leads. And by that we mean they put the same level of focus on each of them, provided those leads meet certain criteria for staying valid. But the important takeaway for you here as you read through this blog entry is that you shouldn’t be so quick to regard any lead less highly.

Adapting to this mindset may not mean you approach lead generation for real estate differently, and if you’re already drumming up a good number of leads with your current approaches then you shouldn’t do that to begin with. But you will probably be revising the way you stay in touch with leads and keep that line of communication open. With the hope that the lead will eventually buy a home or list a home with you as their realtor. So how can you increase the chances of greater numbers of them doing that?

It may not even change the way you approach real estate email marketing, but you can start by better nurturing every contact in your real estate database and that’s what we’re going look at here with this blog entry. Will it require more of your time and effort? Yes, it will but if that means you need to manage both more effectively then so be it. We’re assuming you are working as a realtor to earn a good living from it, and this is a competitive business. It really comes down to that, and if that’s agreeable to you then you can proceed to discover our proven lead nurturing strategies here.

Command Central

Each real estate agent is going to greatly value their client database, and especially considering that satisfied clients are the ones who are more likely to become repeat clients. The database is going to act as a central command center for better organization and engagement with both new leads and existing clients. We can start this look at real estate lead nurturing by saying that it is best to know yours like the back of your hand.

Failing to do so is the most common stumbling point for veteran agents. Ones who have had the time to put into real estate lead generation but missed out on converting some leads into clients because they haven’t been on top of their database like they should have been. If they have a lapse in sales, it is likely because they’re not in their database to the extent they need to be. They will benefit greatly if they learn how to build dynamic lead touch plans and use engagement tools to nurture every relationship in their database.

That’s the ideal segue into what we’re going to talk about here, and so without going on any further lets get right to our 6 most effective approaches to nurturing real estate leads.

Segment with a Simple A- to D-List Framework

The most prominent new trends with real estate lead conversion is to use an A- to D-List framework. They make it much more simple and straightforward for realtors to prioritize contacts based on that individual’s relationship to the team and timeline. The determination process for which ones qualify as A, B, C, or D is going to need some explanation though.

Here’s a brief overview of this qualification criteria:

  1. A-list: The team’s top referrers, with an exclusive touchpoint system just for these contacts.
  2. B-list: Existing clients who have already contributed to the success of the team. For obvious reasons it’s important to have a strong relationship with this list.
  3. C-list: Clients here will be active buyers and active sellers who are actively looking for a home to put an offer on or listing a home. C list clients aren’t necessarily any less of a priority than A or B-list ones, but there is a different type of emphasis for them.
  4. D-list: These individuals can be considered hot prospects and ones who are looking to make a move in the local real estate market. This should be necessitating a consistent value-led follow up every three days.

You’ll also want to be suitably timely with the how frequently you contact your leads and this should involve more than just real estate email marketing. You can take a more uniform approach to all your different types of leads here, and this is what is recommended:

  1. 30 – 90 Days Out: Here you can be categorizing contacts based on timeline. Those who are seen to be 30 to 90 days out from actively buying or selling chould contacted 1x a week.
  2. 90 – 180 Days Out: Leads who you envision being between 90 to 180 days away from working with a realtor should be contacted once a month.

Your perspective as an agent is important here too, and it is best to see every lead as an opportunity that has yet to be sorted. This framework is a great place to start with the aim to have more success with real estate lead conversion, and it’s easy to see how the A-List, B-List, C-List and D-List categorization is different than your standard A leads are hot, Bs are warm, Cs and Ds are cooler sort of thing.

All of this is even more effective if this sort of categorization can be tied into a realtor’s SOI, which is their Sphere of Influence. Leads of any category that have been generated from your sphere should score lower in the database compared to, say, a lead generated from an open house and this will be true even if you seem them on the same home-buying timeline.

Over the years, Taylor’s coached plenty of agents who were afraid to pick up the phone and call their sphere of influence (SOI). For them, SOI leads would score lower in their database compared to an open house lead, even in cases where they had the same buying timeline. It is the strength of the existing relationship with SOI leads that means you don’t need to be putting the same level of effort into nurturing them.

When an agent is able to segment their database according to the strength of the relationship first and the buying timeline is a secondary consideration it tends to work out much better. So with that understand we’re able to now move on to the next recommended approach for real estate lead nurturing.

Establish an 11-7-4 Formula to Engage Leads Consistently

The 11-7-5 formula was first conceptualized by a realtor in the US named Preston Guyton. He was able to generate 35,000 leads for his team using a largely organic strategy and all of it founded around the idea of lead sources not mattering nearly as much as what happens after a lead comes in. Let’s get right to laying out the 7-11-4 formula, and here’s how it works

The realtor does what it takes to have 11 different interactions with potential clients existing as leads now. For those 11 potential clients there will be 7 hours of consumption, meaning the sending of relevant information and drip content to them. The last number in the equation – 4 – is to indicate the 4 different means you have to choose from with regards to contacting the lead. That will be by either text, email, phone, or an in-person meeting.

There is beauty in the simplicity of this approach, and if you incorporate it your real estate lead nurturing it is best to do with an overarching principle perspective. Yet, Preston still sees agents taking a copy/paste approach to nurturing their database. If you will be sending content by text or email it is a good idea to be constantly tweaking subject lines, testing content, and experimenting to find the best assets for clients and prospects.

Create an Annual SOI Touch Plan

What does it involve if a realtor has an annual touch plan, and what will be touching what exactly here? For starters, realtors will be tailoring this plan based on the understanding that it will provide best results when used with your existing client base and SOI. Here’s an example of an annual sphere of influence touch plan:

  1. 3-4 phone calls per year
  2. 4 handwritten cards per year – 2 random surprise notes, 1 birthday card, 1 holiday card
  3. 12 emails – neighborhood monthly update, with active, pending and sold listings
  4. 12+ mailings / postcards -, just listed / sold, sports calendars / local schools, colleges info/schedule, neighborhood events etc.
  5. 2-3 visit notes – hand delivered
  6. 2 customer appreciation events

The last part of this approach to nurturing real estate leads is to ensure that all your collateral ties back into your social media for real estate presence. Realtors 100% need to be active on social media if they want to have maximum visibility with potential clients, and this is a trend that’s only going to grow more pronounced in the future. A social media coordinator for realtors is something that many agents could really use.

Focus on Your Priority Leads

The focus here is based around the idea that personalization isn’t just about using the prospect’s name in the subject line. Instead it should be more of a multi-layered experience that becomes progressively higher-touch as a prospect moves along your sales funnel and ideally inches closer to becoming a client who will buy or sell a home. There are plenty of good automations available to you to make this one of the ways even more doable, and these are a few of the ones that have ended up being really popular with realtors:

  1. Hot Leads to Lender – Add your lender to leads just as soon as a would-be homebuyer lets the agent know of their readiness
  2. Stage to Contact – Start putting less focus on leads that have shown themselves to be less likely to convert over time as new information presents itself
  3. Bad Number – Automatically trigger a bad number drip
  4. Past Client Saved Home – Determine when past clients become active again
  5. Callingly – this very helpful automation for realtors uses smart recognition technology to be able to call you when a lead does something that is noteworthy for their status in your sales funnel

While these automations are good choices for staying in touch with leads and doing it in a better way, it’s also good to have your own secondary qualification system for leads that come out of any of them with a different status as compared to before. What that looks like will depend on the lead, the realtors, and the market where the lead is looking to either buy or sell a home with the help of a realtor.

Say the Right Things

What an agent says to leads and prospects is just as important as how and when you say it, and this is something to always be aware of as you discover our proven lead nurturing strategies here. This leads to the need for structured call scripts when you are contact leads as you aim to stay in touch and hope they eventually buy or sell a home through you as their realtor.

The best scripts are made up of questions primarily, with the agent making very few statements or anything else of the sort. Agents should understand WHY they are asking questions, and which questions are the best ones to be asking for that type of lead. It’s fair to say here that the best questions are the ones that start the prospect talking and keeps them talking. More drawn-out talking and relating means that they’ll be more likely to work with you in the future.

You can tailor the later part of your script to try to promote that type of talking, but in the initial stages of it there is definitely a formula you want to be following. And it revolves around what the lead wants / doesn’t want, what they will do / won’t do, what that action or inaction may gain for them, and how they may be revisiting their planned real estate market moves once they see results from courses of action already taken. Keep in mind with all of this that you need to make sure they stay with you the entire time so do yourself a favor and relax. Speak like a real person and try to be using jargon as little as possible.

Use Numbers to Coach your Agents

We’ll conclude this look by saying that in some instances the decision maker is going to be the leader of a real estate team. In any changing market the person’s database is going to be their foremost key to consistency. The best approach here is to centralize leads so that the numbers that come from them can be translated most accurately as they relate to whether or not a lead is ready for conversion into a client.

What’s done in most instances is that the lead and their numbers are entered into the realtor’s CRM (customer relationship management) software on their computer and then agents can access them and aim to convert a minimum of 15% of them. It’s not necessary to be a mega team with a presence across multiple cities or even Provinces to know your numbers. With the right reporting tools and features, you can make sure you and every agent working with the team is collecting leads and converting them with some measure of reliability.

Our specialty may be paid real estate leads here, but after many years in the business we’ve soaked up a lot of knowledge related to it, and this is why you’re encouraged to discover our proven lead nurturing strategies. If it means you are building your client base more quickly then we imagine you won’t need a whole of convincing with this.

Mastering Real Estate Lead Generation in Nova Scotia’s Scenic Market

Published October 15, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

If you are a real estate professional in Nova Scotia, you are aware that the competition is actually pretty high. In such a profession, whether it is being an agent, a broker, or even a property developer, gaining attention by the numerous agents and offices fighting with each other in the market is not really easy to achieve.

Being a real estate agent in such a pretty market offers ample chances to attract home buyers; however, navigating the nuances of lead generation for real estate agents Nova Scotia can turn out to be quite an uphill task.

Whether you are a greenhorn in real estate or a well-seasoned agent looking to expand your business, knowing how to effectively secure real estate leads in Nova Scotia means success for you. In the competitive world of today, targeting the right buyers with the strategic use of both traditional and innovative approaches would involve the use of technology and social media. IIn this in-depth guide, we are going to look at real estate lead generation strategies Nova Scotia and explore how to attract home buyers in such a uniquely beautiful region.

This blog will serve two purposes for you: first, to present information pertaining to the various aspects of the Nova Scotia real estate market, and second, to arm fledging and seasoned agents alike with practical tools and strategies for effective lead generation. All these techniques will improve your ability to get real estate leads in Nova Scotia and position you as a trusted resource in your community.

The Importance of Understanding Your Market

Before venturing into any real estate business, there is a need to grasp the dynamics of the local market. Nova Scotia is not any ordinary province; it is broad-ranging, with such urban centers as Halifax and rural communities that boast pretty views and lovely and peaceful surroundings. Factors that drive home buyers in Nova Scotia-appetite for lifestyle, appreciation for community values, and other financial drivers-determine, with such knowledge, tuned marketing strategies by agents in touch with potential clients.

For example, an increased interest within the province has caused the recent spurt of the upswing. The demand has been caused by factors such as baby boomers retiring and young families looking for new opportunities; moreover, with more normalization towards remote work, there has been a great increase in interest from people to move to more scenic areas because of the pandemic. Hence, the lead generation for real estate agents in Nova Scotia needs to be done with knowledge of who the buyer is and what they want in a home and how your listings can stand out in such fertile ground.

Overview of the Nova Scotia Real Estate Market

Nova Scotia’s real estate market has witnessed drastic changes in recent times, which are sometimes stability and change in nature. The attraction for homes is growing as the lifestyle of the province coupled with job opportunities keeps increasing. Old houses with a history to modern condos, all come under the charismatics of Nova Scotia.

Current market trends continue to move upwards with regard to property value, at least within an urban context such as Halifax. The rural locations have also started heating up with more and more people opting for a break from the hectic lifestyle associated with cities. Overall, the province of Nova Scotia continues to be a very exciting and lively market for property buying and investing.

Key Features Attracting Home Buyers in Nova Scotia

  1. Natural Beauty: Nova Scotia has great coastal views, rolling hills, landscapes. Usually, buyers are attracted to properties around the ocean or those properties which provide a beautiful view.
  2. Cultural Heritage: The province has a very healthy cultural landscape with active festivals, music, and art scenes. One should highlight the local culture to make them attracted as a potential buyer.
  3. Lifestyle Community: Nova Scotia has welcoming communities and great schools with easy living. The lifestyle itself may be the reason for such a sale.
  4. Investment Opportunities: Since there is an interest in vacation rentals and in real estate investing, it shows opportunities for generating incomes and, therefore, attracting more buyers.

How to Attract Home Buyers in Nova Scotia

Trying to attract buyers is not merely listing properties in Nova Scotia, but an effective marketing tool that appeals emotionally to your target audience while providing them with insight. Here are several effective ways how to attract home buyers in Nova Scotia to engage potential buyers in the picturesque Nova Scotia market:

Create Engaging Online Content

Captivating online content is also the forefront to attract buyers to your home in this age of digitalism. Some specific content strategies are as follows:

  1. Blogging: Become a local authority by writing informative blog articles targeted to their buyers’ interests. Articles such as “Top Neighborhoods for Families in Nova Scotia,” “Navigating the First-Time Home Buying Process,” or “Exploring Coastal Living: Why You Should Move to Nova Scotia” become blogs.
  2. SEO: Some SEO keywords such as “real estate leads Nova Scotia” may be included in your website that would perhaps enhance one’s chance for visibility and increase his traffic.
  3. Video Tours: Make your listing interesting by including virtual tours of the property and neighborhoods. Video content always attracts your audience and garners an attachment that static images cannot do.
  4. Social Media Engagement: Publish your posts on all social media platforms-including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn-with catchy visuals that draw the audience’s attention and relevant hashtags that help it reach even larger audiences through this medium such as #NovaScotiaRealEstate, #HomeBuyingNovaScotia.

Leverage Local SEO

Local SEO is an integral part in making sure your listings find their way to the right target audience. Here are some strategies:

  1. Google My Business: Claim your Google My Business listing so you can appear in local searches. Finish out your business’s profile with pictures, address, contact details, and business hours.
  2. Website Optimization: Use targeted keywords based on your geographical location in creating a website; for example, “Real estate lead generation strategies Nova Scotia,” and “Lead generation for real estate agents Nova Scotia.”
  3. Customer Review: Ask your satisfied customers to write reviews online. More positive ratings will boost your ranking if someone is searching for locality and also provide social proof for other prospects.

Tap into Social Media Advertising

Social media channels are an excellent channel through which leads can be generated in a targeted manner. Paid advertisements on the Facebook and Instagram platforms can target the demographic segment of your buyer persona. While crafting your ads use great visuals and rich copy that speaks to the desires and needs of your likely buyers.

Carousel Ad Let’s use carousel ad by showcasing multiple properties or highlights of a single listing for a dynamic view.

Targeted Demographics: Ensure you utilize the demographic targeting feature of these media towards interested potential buyers who would most likely want to relocate to Nova Scotia.

Hosting Seminars and Workshops

Hosting educational seminars and workshops on topics in real estate; market trends; or insights about property investment is a way by which REALTORS can engage with potential leads, provide evidence of expertise, and help earn trust to convert the lead and acquire the client through informative event-based strategies.

Success in a seminar requires strategic planning from venue selection, adequate marketing campaign, and appropriate logistics management.

Together with developing a skill or business, these workshops deliver useful content to the prospects. This will teach the prospects as well as position REALTORS as a trusted advisor and will enhance their credibility and reputation in the industry.

Lead capturing mechanisms, including but not limited to sign-up forms and the contact information collectors, would integrate to create a steady flow of leads that can be followed up with and nurtured post event. Event-based lead generation increases brand visibility and opens rapport with potential clients, thus developing long-term relationships.

It leads to a sustainable pipeline of qualified leads for REALTORS.

Partnering with Other Businesses

Real estate agents get mutual leads from businesses that complement their operations, like home services companies or mortgage lenders. This expands the referrals network and taps into a shared customer base and amplifies marketing reach through joint strategies. It also opens access to home financing by a potential buyer through partnerships with mortgage lenders, which will increase the prospects of closing the deal. It also makes the process more efficient and streamlined for the clients. Moreover, due to the association with interior designers, the property staging can be enhanced. With a more attractive listing comes a more believable listing, which could result in faster sales at higher prices. Once the REALTOR is paired with home service companies, such as repair services or moving companies, their value to clients is well defined. This creates a holistic support system for the clients and therefore makes the home buying or selling process smooth and convenient.

This can also create a referral exchange among the parties where each recommends the other to their clients. This can expand the pool of potential clients without incurring high marketing costs.

Effective Use of Email Marketing

One of the most direct methods of lead generation in the real estate sector in Canada is email marketing. Email campaigns tailored to specific recipients and informative enough can nurture leads; at times, such campaigns even convert them into loyal clients. With this in mind, segmentation of your email list based on demographics, interests, and behaviors means your messages better resonate with your audience. Valuable content in the form of market updates, property listings, and tips on home buying can make the leads remain engaged and work towards the gradual building up of trust.

Integrating email marketing with the perfect CRM system and tools will always improve your lead generation process. SaveMy Leads is one such service that would ensure seamless integration with other systems so that your email campaigns go out on time and remain relevant. This helps you track engagement metrics so you can spot the high-potential leads to focus your efforts on converting them into customers. Remember, consistency is always the key-but that doesn’t only refer to the frequency; make sure your emails are actually worth reading to your recipients.

Hosting Open Houses

Open houses will offer the REALTORS the opportunity to get leads to interact directly with the property, get to know each other, and develop relationships to extract even more valuable information that may be converted into a quality lead after an effective event marketing campaign.

Open houses give the REALTORS an opportunity to give a warm and friendly atmosphere in a property to experience for an insider or a prospective buyer; this could lead to building up of trust and interdependence. An open house will enable real estate professionals to build up about their professionalism, understand the need of the buyers, and provide personal assistantship.

Effective open houses also enable agents to capture contacts and preferences from attendees. This lays the foundation for ongoing exposure and relationship-building with these clients. Obviously, attendance and reach will be enhanced with a blended use of digital marketing and traditional marketing approaches. This can take the form of social media utilization, email campaigns, and other neighborhood outreach.

Networking and Referrals

Networking with other industry professionals, making referral partnerships, and using CRM systems help REALTORS expand their lead network because such activities facilitate the creation of meaningful connections, referral exchange, and lead management.

Developing a solid network within the real estate community not only tends to create a community environment but also collaboration. It increases one’s chance of having potential clients and lucrative partnerships. Real estate agents can create long-lasting relationships through being visible, active, and joining professional associations or even online forums, sometimes leading to valuable referrals.

Creating a structured referral program in his or her network for an organization does pose huge lead generation opportunities in terms of incentivizing cooperation and reciprocal referrals among peers of the industry.

Lead management can be best streamlined through strategic utilization of CRM systems. These are powerful tools that allow real estate experts to effectively organize, track, and nurture leads such that no potential opportunity is let slip between the fingers. By using any advanced functionalities of the CRM platform, for instance, automated lead assignment, targeted communication, and performance analytics, agents can devise perfect strategies to optimize lead generation efforts with even higher conversion rates.

Lead Generation for Real Estate Agents in Nova Scotia

In order to be effective for real estate agents in Nova Scotia, lead generation means striking a balance between old and modern methods. Here are some lead generation techniques that will greatly enhance your outreach and success:

Networking and Community Involvement

Nurture the relationships within your community that can drive a very good set of referrals. Get out into the local organizations, attend networking events, and start cross-promoting other professionals in your field.”.

  1. Joining Local Chambers of Commerce: These platforms provide exposure and networking with other people while leading one to meet a variety of target clients in pursuit of real estate services.
  2. Community Service: Volunteering for local charities or community drives will help build relationships with other members of the community while demonstrating one’s commitment to improving the local area.

Referrals and Incentives

Develop a referral program that encourages your former clients to refer leads to you. Reward such clients with discounts on future services or small gifts if they are able to refer new buyers successfully.

Client Appreciation Events : Host occasional events for former clients. They should be encouraged to bring friends and family members interested in buying a home. In exchange, these types of events can bring in new referrals in a relaxed atmosphere.

Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing is a highly effective tool, and if done correctly, its returns are excellent.

  1. Personalized Campaign Targeted group and targeted messaging, for instance, providing info-graphics to the first-time buyer to guide him through the market while the luxury home seeker may receive exclusivity focused content.
  2. Newsletter Signup: Invite visitors to subscribe to a newsletter with local market insight, home-buying tips, and exclusive listings.

Utilize Technology for Efficient Lead Capture

Probably, savings of time and effort are likely with technology offered that streamlines the lead generation process. Take advantage of any of the following tools:

  1. Lead generation websites: That is using lead generation especially customized sites that will readily be able to capture your visitor’s information through forms or sometimes even chatting with a bot.
  2. CRM Systems: Set up a system of customer relationship management (CRM) tracking leads and follow-ups in order to ensure that no prospect slips through the cracks.

Real Estate Lead Generation Strategies in Nova Scotia

Now, as we turn our attention to practical strategies for lead generation in Nova Scotia, here are some action-prone tips that may amplify your efforts below:

Partner with Local Businesses

Strategic alliance with local companies can be beneficial for both parties through co-marketing programs and referral opportunities.

  1. Partnerships: Code host events with local coffee shops, gyms, or schools and promote each other’s services.
  2. Cross-Promotion: Share local businesses in content and vice versa, where they promote your listings to their customers.

Utilize Targeted Advertising

Target online advertising effectively in attracting the right attention from your customers, particularly those interested in buying your properties. Design your advertisements with the particular aspect of exclusiveness in your real estate in Nova Scotia.

  1. Retargeting Ads: Utilize retargeting to make contact with visitors who viewed your listings but had no inquiry.
  2. Geo Targeting : Target your ads according to geographic location, so that they hit the target audience only.

Engage with Community Influencers

In real estate, influencer marketing finally hit. One can use a local influencer by promoting a listing with the influencer to reach his or her followers.

  1. Local Bloggers: Seek local bloggers and social media influencers who relate to lifestyle or real estate in Nova Scotia. They could create content featuring your listings or community highlight reels.
  2. Micro-Influencers: You work with a micro-influencer, which thrives to utilize a more local root. Micro-influencers are better connected with their followers and hence tend to have higher engagement rates at a lower cost than working with larger influencers.

Adopt Interactive Content

Interactive content can capture the attention of potential buyers and also keep them engaged for a longer duration. This, mostly, increases the conversion rate.

  1. Quizzes and Surveys: Design educational quizzes on purchasing style regarding houses. For example, “What Kind of House in Nova Scotia is Best for You?” can be very interesting for users and will provide you with the needed leads’ information.
  2. Online Contests: Your will hold online contests that would ask participants to fill out their information in order to win certain prizes, like gift cards at local businesses. Thus you build up your email list and engage with the community.

A Focus on Client Relationships

Above all, it’s not just generating leads. Building good relationships with clients is what is necessary for long-term real estate success.

Continued Engagement

Keep your customers in close touch with former clients.

  1. Anniversary messages: They should forward anniversary cards to clients who purchase homes through them within the anniversary year.
  2. Holiday Greetings: Send out holiday cards or small gifts during the festive seasons. This keeps you in their minds for future referrals.

Client Education

Educate your clients on home maintenance tips, market trends, and community updates, further demonstrating your knowledge and adding value beyond the sale.

Webinar and Workshop: Organize informative workshops on home maintenance or updates on the market specifically for your past clients indicating to them how important it is for you to care about their experience as home owners even when they sold it to you.

Conclusion

Securing real estate leads in Nova Scotia involves a multi-dimensional approach, with conventional and innovative practices. It is one thing to understand the dynamics within the local market, but it is quite another thing to realize what approaches would optimize the leverages from online presence to nurturing relationships and using innovative lead generation techniques to attract home buyers infused with passion for the beautiful province.

Recall that lead generation is not merely the obtaining of contact information, but building long-term relationships based on trust. As you establish credibility and accessibility as a local authority, you attract more potential buyers searching for their ideal home in Nova Scotia. So when you implement some of the ideas above, stay alert and respond to changes in the market and purchaser needs. Timing will turn leads into lifelong customers – from time to effort to the right strategy. Time to exploit the full potential of a real estate career in Nova Scotia.

By using SEO keywords in this book, for example, “real estate leads Nova Scotia,” “how to attract home buyers in Nova Scotia, and “real estate lead generation strategies Nova Scotia,” you will optimize your online presence while providing value to your audience. Remember that the beauty of Nova Scotia is not only in its landscapes but in the connections you build with those who call it home as you pursue your route to real estate leads in this beautiful market.

FAQs

Question : Why does it matter for the real estate agents of Nova Scotia?

Answer : Lead generation is an essential tool for real estate agents to have a pipeline of prospects, to add sales opportunities, and grow their business. Not easy to avoid in a competitive market, especially in such a beautiful destination as Nova Scotia, which has buyers in demand both locally and internationally.

Question : What are some effective practices for lead generation in Nova Scotia?

Answer : Effective practices include social media marketing, optimizing for local SEO, virtual tours, email marketing, and local community networking. Paid advertising with Google Ads and Facebook is very powerful in targeting interested buyers looking for the Nova Scotia real estate market.

Question : How can social media help attract actual buyers of real estate in Nova Scotia?

Answer : Social media networks, like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, provide real estate agents with an opportunity to post their listings, testimonial ads, and the ability to engage directly with potential buyers. Agents would achieve greater exposure by covering the whole state of Nova Scotia, finding customers interested in buying homes in the province.

Question : How vital is local search engine optimization for getting real estate leads in Nova Scotia?

Answer : Local SEO helps real estate agents appear online in such a manner that it is easier for potential clients to find them when trying to search within Nova Scotia for properties. Agents can, therefore, appear in search results when someone is looking to “homes for sale in Nova Scotia” or “real estate agents in Nova Scotia” and so forth, which leads to increased relevant traffic and leads.

Question : Are there lead generation tools that are specifically more effective for real estate in Nova Scotia?

Answer : Yes, there are a few lead generation tools that can be used to reach the prospects and include Zillow, Realtor.ca, and some social media advertising tools. For managing leads and nurturing them along the buyer process, CRM software like HubSpot or Salesforce can be helpful.

Question : How do I attract out-of-province buyers looking for a new home in Nova Scotia?

Answer : Provide virtual tours of gorgeous landscapes and lifestyle; and using targeted online advertising to highlight it. Another approach is to share the advantages in having a home in Nova Scotia: affordability, quality of life, and proximity to nature, among others, that would attract buyers from other regions.

Question : What kind of content should I focus on to engage with the potential real estate leads?

Answer : Focus the material on the lifestyle of Nova Scotia, the market trends, tips for buyers, local community insights, and neighborhood spotlights. By offering informative blog posts, videos, and guides about how to buy a home in Nova Scotia, you establish that you’re a local expert.

Question : How can virtual tours be used by real estate agents to generate leads in Nova Scotia?

Answer : Virtual tours are the opportunity for a distant or international client to see a property without visiting, especially an out-of-town client. Qualitative virtual tours create high-quality virtual tours of properties that can be shown to a multitude of potential buyers and create interest that can turn into sales.

Question : What are some affordable methods for generating leads in the Nova Scotia real estate marketplace?

Answer : Some of the most cost-effective strategies that you may employ include optimization of your Google My Business listing, managing social media, attending local events, and building relationships with local businesses for referrals. Even email marketing and updating your blog periodically can garner leads without massive investments.

Question : How do I generate more real estate leads in Nova Scotia through networking?

Answer : Networking with local businesses, community events, and joining real estate associations could be one of the best ways to meet potential clients and other professionals who may refer clients to you. When you form relationships within the local community, you establish trust and expand your referral network.

How to Set Real Estate Goals You Can Achieve

Published October 15, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

People are always going to be inclined to set goals based on the profession they’ve chosen themselves. Although for some of them there’s not so much of a proverbial ladder to be climbed. Most of those who do have goals to set and ladders to climb will be wearing a suit to work, but what’s interesting to note is that while real estate agents often wear suits too there’s no corporate ladder to be climbed in real estate. No promotions to be had either. It’s different altogether as the concept relates to achievable real estate goals.

What is possible is earning an increasingly handsome income from yourself via commission paid when clients sell or buy homes through you. And it’s quite natural if that is the goal you have for yourself as an agent. Earning a good living for oneself is important, and in real estate there’s no guaranteed income the way there is in other professions. You get into this business knowing that, and you see the need to be hustling that much more because of it. Indeed, hustle is a key ingredient in real estate growth strategies.

Most realtors have no problem keeping their end of the bargain with that, but even those who put the utmost effort into their real estate lead generation efforts and other aims may find that they’re not seeing the results they had envisioned from them. So it then becomes a situation where the agent needs to be able to set goals that can be more realistically achieved. It’s a topic that is challenging to provide definitive answers for it, but that’s what we’re going to do with this blog entry.

Long-term success in real estate through goal setting is very possible, but it’s something where you need to get started on the right foot. It’s very essential, and so we’ll share what we know about getting started that way and making strategic choices armed with more knowledge about whether or not achieving that goal is realistic. So let’s get right into it, as our aim here is to have you start setting achievable real estate goals.

Realistic Successes

We should start by saying there’s no one barometer for success in real estate, and it also isn’t something that is necessarily evaluated as the end of a calendar year. Realtors who do well with growing a real estate business wager run theirs with clear goals and specific thoughts on how to achieve them. It’s one hundred percent true that realtors who have long-term success in real estate through goal setting aren’t expending energy or resources in ways that aren’t as helpful. But being able to make that determination is the key.

There’s always something you can be doing better or differently to scale your business with regards to driving increased sales to expanding your real estate education. The question becomes how are you tracking the actions on those intentions. This is a part of what we’re going to go over here. Every agent is going to have real estate goals they’ve set and ones they will feel will be in line with advancing their career and increasing their earnings too.

Everybody’s blueprint for success is going to be their own and there will be differences among them. You can level up your skills and sales by forming achievable and pragmatic real estate goals and putting them into action. But they need to be SMART goals and we’ll get to explaining what we mean by that acronym right now

SMART Goals for Real Estate

The SMART acronym here stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. Seeing this become a ubiquitous tool in the real estate industry would be good, because the tenets in it provide agents with a path to progress that is proven and reliable. This SMART approach is equally applicable for short-term goals (3-6 months in length) or long-term ones (6 months+). This is because it uses a system for establishing and measuring your goal performance but is geared to support your ambitions with a solid foundation.

This formula of sorts is much more in line with achievable real estate goals, and there are sort of sub-formulas in each of them that may be different on their own but when taken in a big-picture perspective they still fit nicely into the ideological framework. But expect the different goals to be requiring tweaks to the formula. Goals in the real estate industry are as diverse as the agents themselves, and the ones you establish for your business will vary depending.

Factoring into all of that will be business needs, lifestyle goals, experience, market dynamics and more. The basic underpinning of the SMART framework for real estate growth strategies is the idea that long-term goals are achieved when built on smaller successes with other ones.

Real estate agents will do well for themselves when they have an understanding of the different components of the acronym and understand how the relate to methodologies when planning for the goals. So let’s lay that out in even more clear terms.

  1. Specific – Short and to the point, with no possibility for unclarity
  2. Measurable – Measurable means there is a clear and definitive way of determining if the goal has been achieved or not
  3. Attainable – What you aim for always has to be realistic. A good checkpoint for that is to determine if others have made the same accomplishment before you.
  4. Realistic – It’s important that agents don’t overestimate what they are capable of
  5. Time-bound – Add a clear deadline or milestone for each goal

SMART Goal Examples

It’s helpful if the agent can map out the smaller steps they can take today for a more significant payoff in the future. Some agents may be using an EOS model, Atomic Habits approach, or a mix of growth philosophies and frameworks. Either or all, it’s important to ensure each business goal is supported by its own SMART formula. Your prerogatives may have you focusing on improving your social media marketing for real estate, listings, open houses, or any other area of your business.

The following are examples of how that could look for some of the key areas in your real estate business:

Sales goals

  1. Increase GCI by 30% from 240,000 to $360,000 by this year’s Q4
  2. Boost referral rate from 35% to 40% by year’s end
  3. Grow transactions by 30% from 20 to 28 this year

Follow up goals

  1. Have all lead sources centralized in your CRM by end of month
  2. Spend one hour per day Monday to Friday following up on leads
  3. Dedicate two hours 2x days a week to reaching out to expired listings

Marketing goals

  1. Produce 2 listing videos each week rather than the 1 you’ve been doing
  2. Send gift or mailer to sphere once per quarter
  3. Block three hours on the first Monday of the month to analyze marketing efforts

It’s also a good idea for an agent to evaluate how many prospecting calls they make in a week. This will be including new leads, follow ups, and any notable expansions on their sphere of influence. Then they should frame that within whether or not they are bringing them closer to a sales goal? If that’s not clear, it may be time to revisit them and start setting achievable real estate goals.

Agents should always see their efforts building on top of one another here. Those who have success with this will be relying on YoY leads, activity, source, and deals and then seeing how they’ve been promoted to what extent by the prospecting goals the agents set in the past. How did the efforts to meet those goals correlate to sales. It’s so important for the agent to be asking themselves this.

Break Down the Math

It’s beneficial to be breaking down the math behind your top-line sales goals. SMART goals are that much more measurable and revisable if the realtors are mapping out there existing performance data, and taking especial note of:

  1. Average # of transactions for the previous year
  2. Number of days worked last year, plus any changes in that foreseen for the coming year
  3. How many weeks they want to take off
  4. Number of COI transactions
  5. List sources for top leads
  6. Conversion rate

With this agents can have greater clarity on where they’re starting from (past sales data) and where they want to end up with current goals for the year. It’s also good to come up with a method that keeps the realtor accountable for all of this as they try to have more success in their career.

Ideally, they get to the point where they can take their goals and then break them down into smaller actionable steps and habits that they can then translate into day-to-day activities. Common ways to break goals down so that they become more actionable is to categorize them in this way:

  1. Number of new leads
  2. Number of calls made
  3. Appointments booked
  4. Deal closed

Which should be fairly standard for any realtor in Canada and independent of where they are working and looking to generate new real estate leads for agents. After that what’s required next with achievable real estate goals is to crunching the numbers, and doing the basic math that can help you give you a clearer understanding if what you are doing is working.

Let’s create an example and say an agent on the team wants to work 48 weeks next year. Their goals might break down along these lines:

Last year the agent claimed 98 leads. With a current goal of 48 working weeks at an average of 2.04 leads per week, this looks like – 98 / 48 = 2.04 average leads per week. If we then put that into the SMART box then it becomes ‘I can be claiming a little more than 2 new leads every week as a realistic and doable goal for myself.’

Understand as well that the process of working through the math presents a great opportunity for coaching conversations – ‘enough new leads?’ ‘Too many?’ ‘Can we foresee needing more or less of them to achieve the goals set for the year?’

Make the Calls

Realtors who want to generate real estate leads will need to be making calls, or contacting prospective clients by other means. They need to know how many calls or contacts match up with the number of them deemed to be necessary for achieving a SMART goals. These agents will want to let their past performance inform their future SMART goals and daily action plan.

3,254 calls made last year / 45 deals closed. Works out to 74 average calls per deal. Updated goals is 53 deals for next year = 3,871 calls for the year. 3,871 calls / 48 working weeks = 82 calls per week or 17 calls per day

The requisite for the goal to remain a SMART one then becomes making 17 calls per day from Monday to Friday. It’s also good to use data from an agent activity report and the agent goals report to create averages for every agent. We can say as well that increased sales shouldn’t be all-encompassing aim for your achievable goal setting in real estae. The best results in this, or any other business, is in nurturing progress in all areas of life.

To that end it’s recommended to write out a list of the personal and lifestyle goals you want to achieve too. They could be spending more time with family, finding more ways to serve your community, or taking a vacation that you’ve been hoping for over many years now.

Real estate growth strategies may also be more followable if the creator starts the process by asking themselves if they have the capacity for be starting towards this goal in the first place. Most people tend to end up with poor results if they don’t have what it takes to complete a task properly. This is going to be no exception. Asking if the goal is realistic or if there are other versions of this goal I can work towards may also be advisable. Agents may also want to try to have an understanding if the measurement of the goal’s achievement might change based on factors that are out of their control.

Always keep in mind the success behind SMART goals is that they are not big our daunting in any way. The idea here is that they’re achievable based on a realistic definition of whether that’s possible. Be honest with yourself, and for some it may be that failing to achieve one reorients their understanding of what they are capable of. We’ll conclude by saying that it is NEVER a bad idea to be thinking and aiming big in real estate. It’s possible to do that AND Start setting achievable real estate goals right now.

Proven Strategies to Generate High-Quality Real Estate Leads in Toronto

Published October 8, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

It’s not always that the biggest of anything is the greatest, but when it come to big cities in Canada it would seem that plenty of people will state that Toronto is both. Now to say it’s the biggest city is an indisputable fact, but whether or not it’s the greatest is always going to be a matter of opinion. But it’s equally true that there’s a lot going on there and it will always be the heart of business and commerce.

For this reason and plenty more there are so many people that want – or need – to live there. This equates to a perennially hot housing market there, and this is why nearly every one of the thousands of Toronto area realtors are putting such an emphasis on real estate leads in Toronto. It’s a big bustling city and there are innumerable other realtors looking to get the same clients that the next agent is eyeing for themselves.

Being first in touch with these prospective home sellers or homebuyers has immense value and for obvious reasons. It provides the opportunity to pitch themselves as the best choice when it comes to working with a realtor to buy or sell a home in Toronto. It’s never guaranteed you’re going to have success with that, the opportunity is still one every agent is going to desire in the biggest way possible. It comes with the possibility of securing clientele and having them contribute to a realtor’s commissions.

That dig up prospects / convert them into clients / facilitate transaction / receive commission cycle is the big and small of how this all works with a career as a real estate agent in Canada. All of this pushes the importance of the best ways to get real estate leads in Toronto. Using a paid real estate leads service like ours is the approach most are going to take nowadays, but the agents that do best with this also use other approaches to real estate lead generation in Toronto.

So that’s what we’ll look at here with this week’s blog entry, and provide a more focused look at effective ways to get real estate leads in Toronto. The size of the city and the population density plus the high median prices for homes there make it so that it’s more of a challenge than elsewhere, and primarily just because there is such an excess of realtors working in the city. What’s to follow here will be the best proven real estate lead generation strategies for Canada’s biggest city.

One After the Next

We can start by saying here that success in real estate is always going to hinge on the ability to generate leads continuously. The industry has become increasingly competitive, and this has made it so that mastering the art of real estate lead generation has become a pressing need for agents.

That’s okay, as believe us when we tell you that it is possible to boost your Toronto real estate business with proven lead strategies. Darn good thing too, as there are estimates that more than 80% of realtors are dissatisfied with their career earning 5 years after starting to work as a real estate agent.

Keep in mind that there over 1.6 million active real estate licenses in Canada, and yet its only a small number of those agents who can’t fit into pants anymore. So, in that case standing out from the crowd and having a successful real estate lead generation business can be a daunting task. According to the statistics 87% of the real estate agents fail in the first 5 years of starting their business.

The only way to avoid a possibly similar scenario when someone is earlier into their new career as a realtor is to really be hustling and trying their best to come up with leads. Having success with that with real estate leads in Toronto may be more of a challenge for obvious reasons, and there’s no getting around the need to both try harder and think about solutions along unconventional lines. The reason being that if you’re a realtor working in a big city you need to be moving potential clients into your sales pipeline at all times.

Methods for Finding Real Estate Leads

The basics for real estate lead generation is that it involves the process of attracting individuals interested in buying, selling, or renting properties. It involves identifying and engaging with prospective clients, nurturing relationships, and ultimately converting real estate lead management into profitable transactions. Agents do well when they see it as a multifaceted endeavor with strategic planning, innovative approaches, and a deep understanding of market dynamics being required.

It’s also helpful for realtors to know that there’s a lot of trial and error in coming to learn of the best processes for attracting individuals who are looking to work with a realtor for the sale or purchase of a home in Toronto. How is that best accomplished? Well, for starters these days the place where realtors should be putting more of their focus is in the digital realm. People increasingly search for real estate – and real estate agents to work with – online.

So that’s where the first of our 15 top strategies for the best ways to get real estate leads in Toronto is going to go. Having a strong online presence with a great real estate agent website and regular content production is highly recommended for all realtors who have that same aim. To one day also be unable to fit into pants, and yet be basking in the success of their career in real estate.

Develop a Strong Online Presence

As stated there, a good website for realtors is key no matter where in Canada you’re choosing to work as an agent. Your website is often the first impression potential clients will have of your real estate business. It’s super important that it loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and prominently displays your contact information and current listings. High-quality images and virtual tours to showcase properties effectively are also very recommended.

You want to have your website coming back on the first page of search engine page results when someone searches ‘Toronto area realtor’ or a similar search term, and the way you can increase the likelihood of that happening is to have SEO optimization for a real estate website. The most conventional approach to this is to have keywords incorporated at the right densities.

But what can be equally advantageous if you want to boost your Toronto real estate business with proven lead strategies is to be frequently updating your site with blog posts, neighborhood guides, market trends, and FAQs that provide value to visitors. Do it correctly or pay someone to take care of that for you and you will be improving your search engine rankings.

Content Marketing

Real estate agents who are knowledgeable about the local market and can write about it well are going to be at an immediate advantage. Those that maintain an active blog where they regularly publish articles that designed to help and audience before making decisions around real estate will really benefit it from it as it relates to effective ways to get real estate leads in Toronto.

The possible topics might be anything from buying/selling tips, financing options, renovation ideas, and local community spotlights. Use your expertise to build trust and credibility with potential clients and you’ll probably get more than a few new clients out of it

eBooks and guides are great here too if you have the time and means of putting them together. Create downloadable resources such as ebooks, guides, or checklists that address common concerns or questions buyers and sellers might have. Then you can make the offer that if website visitors are willing to share their contact information to build your email list and become new real estate leads they receive the eBook or guide that is sent to them.

Social Media Marketing

Realtors who utilize social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter also do better with real estate lead generation because of it. And more and more so all the time considering how increasingly people are active on these social media platforms. Take the ones you think are best and share engaging content such as property listings, virtual tours, client testimonials, market updates, and real estate tips.

If you’re capable with using hashtags and geotags to increase your reach and engagement within your target market, even better. Paid Facebook Ads for real estate services is a popular choice for realtors in Canada nowadays, and Toronto is going to be included in that of course. This is because the older-demographic that is more active on Facebook nowadays is the same one that’s more likely be buying or selling homes.

LinkedIn Ads may also be a good idea to create ads that promote your listings, services, or upcoming open houses. Once you become more comfortable with using social media advertising for realtors you may want to try retargeting ads so that you’re keeping your brand top of mind for potential clients who have shown interest in your properties.

Email Marketing

Having people subscribe to newsletters can be a sign they might be warmer leads if they are considering buying or selling a home at this time. It’s for this reason that email marketing has so much potential for the best ways to get real estate leads in Toronto.

It’s beneficial to regularly be sending out newsletters to your email list with updates on new listings, market trends, local events, and real estate tips. Even better if you can personalize content based on subscribers’ interests and behaviors to increase engagement. See to it that calls-to-action (CTAs) are included in the newsletters each month to encourage recipients to contact you for more information if they’re interested in putting their home on the market. Drip campaigns can be a good idea too, and some realtors have said that they were pleasantly surprised at how many leads they came to have because of these campaigns.

Networking and Partnerships

Realtors who are more involved the community immediately become more visible people in their profession, and this is also recommended if you want to get more leads while working as a realtor in Toronto. Frequently attending community events, neighborhood meetings, and real estate conferences to network with potential clients and other professionals in the industry can be a part of getting the new supply of clients you want for yourself. Building relationships with mortgage brokers, home inspectors, contractors, and other service providers can lead to referrals and collaborations that benefit both parties.

If you can start a realtor’s referral program it can be very beneficial too. Create one to incentivize past clients, colleagues, and business partners to refer potential clients to you if they know of any. They’re going to be more likely to do that if there is something in it for them, and so consider offering discounts on services, gift cards, or even monetary incentives for referrals that eventually lead to a sale and a commission received.

You can also be very vocal in encouraging satisfied clients to leave a good realtor review for you online and / or on your real estate agent website. The same goes for client testimonials that you can showcase on your website and social media.

Use Real Estate Lead Generation Platforms

You shouldn’t be avoiding any of the more conventional approaches to real estate lead generation simply because you know that nearly everyone is doing the same. This means that you should be listing your properties on popular real estate platforms such as Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, and Redfin. These sites feature built-in lead generation tools that provide potential buyers with a means to contact you directly if they like what they see with a property showing. In instances like these a realtor’s leads will be delivering themselves to him or her.

We’ll mention paid real estate lead generation services like ours here in Canada, and we do encourage agents to consider us. Especially if they’re new to the business and drumming up leads is something they’re struggling with simply because they’re so new to the business. If you can afford to pay for real estate leads, why not give it a try and see if you end up converting a good many of the leads you receive into clients. It’s a good idea to evaluate different services to find one that aligns with your business goals and budget.

Host Virtual Tours and Webinars

Moving along with this look at the best ways to get real estate leads in Toronto we will also recommend holding virtual open houses. These days it is very doable to use virtual tour technology to conduct virtual open houses for your listings. With them potential buyers who are ready to place an offer on a home will then be able to view properties remotely and this can also make it more likely that you attract out-of-town or international buyers who may not be attending any in-person showings simply because that’s impossible for them.

If you’re able to host educational webinars on topics relevant to your target audience that’s great too, but as you’d expect this is something that’s going to be easier and come more naturally for an experienced real estate agent rather than someone who is new to the business. Possibilities can be first-time home buying tips, investment strategies, home staging advice, or market forecasts. Promote these via your social media, email marketing, and your website. You’ll likely get leads from those interested in learning from your expertise.

Create Quality Visual Content

Realtors do better with lead generation when they are able to create high-quality video content that showcases properties, neighborhood highlights, client testimonials, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of what their day-to-day of working as an agent involves. Videos are highly engaging and can help potential clients visualize themselves living in a property or working with you as their real estate agent.

What’s extremely effective with this is when the presentation can include infographics. Ones that present information about local market trends, the process of either buying or selling a home , mortgage options, or opportunities for people to invest in real estate. Again, be very active in promoting this type of content on social media and your website. It may go a long way to positioning you as a knowledgeable authority when it comes to real estate in Toronto.

Implement a CRM System

Here in 2024 nearly every realtor who is having success with effective ways to get real estate leads in Toronto is going to be utilizing some type of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. These are supremely valuable for anyone who provides professional services of any sort, but even more so for real estate considering there are so many other realtors who will nurture your leads too if they discover them as well.

Use CRM software to organize and manage your leads, contacts, and client interactions effectively for real estate lead generation. A CRM system makes it simple to track communication history, schedule follow-ups, and automate tasks such as sending personalized emails and reminders. All of this is conducive to nurturing warm leads in the right way so that the likelihood of them eventually becoming clients is that much higher.

CRMs are also excellent for taking care of automated follow-ups for you. It becomes possible to set up automated workflows within your CRM to nurture leads through personalized follow-up emails, SMS messages, and phone calls. Another part of what can be so good about these types of software is that you can customize your communication based on where leads are in the buying/selling process to provide timely and relevant information. The type that may make them more likely to be converted

Client Testimonials & Reviews

We touched on this a bit earlier here in the blog entry, but if you can get testimonials and reviews from satisfied clients and then display them prominently on your website, social media profiles, and marketing materials it can really enhance your reputation as the type of Toronto realtor that people want to work with. When clients are pleased with how you’ve helped them then ask them to leave reviews on platforms such as Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook. Reviews build trust and credibility when they are favorable and positive, and this can work out to potential clients more likely to choose you as their real estate agent.

Referral marketing can be good here to as part of how to boost your Toronto real estate business with proven lead strategies. Client testimonials and reviews can be leveraged as part of your referral marketing strategy and if they can be regularly referring friends, family members, and colleagues who are looking to buy or sell property then you stand to benefit from that in a big way. So much so that it may be an idea to offer incentives for successful referrals to further motivate clients to recommend your services.

Targeted Online Advertising

Nearly every realtor is using paid Google Ads to promote themselves and their services these days too. It comes with a cost, but if it is leading to new client leads then that cost becomes entirely acceptable for an agent. It’s good if you can utilize Google Ads to target potential clients actively searching for real estate services. Create ad campaigns focused on specific keywords. ‘buy a home in Toronto’ or ‘real estate agent in Etobicoke’ or ‘real estate in North York’. With the pay-per-click (PPC) model, you can control your budget and ensure your ads reach a highly relevant audience.

Create your Google real estate ads with geo-targeting too. When done that will mean your ads will display to users within specific locations. Ones including neighborhoods or zip codes where you want to attract clients. This is particularly effective for local real estate markets, because realtors can reach prospects in areas where the agent is already firmly established as a working real estate professional.

Leverage YouTube Video Marketing

Another consideration for Toronto real estate leads is to launch a YouTube channel dedicated to Toronto-related real estate content where the agent is posting videos of property tours, providing personalized market updates, buying/selling tips, and / or neighborhood spotlights. Use YouTube SEO techniques to optimize your video titles, descriptions, and tags, making them discoverable by users searching for real estate-related content.

If you have the budget for it you may also want to consider YouTube ads although for most realtors this type of reach may be something they want to look at doing in the future for a number of reason. Cost and limits of reach primarily, although that’s debatable depending on who you ask about it.

Community Involvement for a Strong Local Presence

We touched on being involved in the community earlier too. Possibilities with relation to effective Toronto real estate lead generation include sponsoring local events, sports teams, or charity fundraisers to increase your visibility in the community. This type of sponsorship can be promoted through event marketing, signage, and social media. Anything that might help you connect with potential real estate clients who value community engagement and will be more inclined to work with a realtor who is civic-minded.

You may also want to get involved in local community service projects or host your own events such as neighborhood clean-ups, food drives, or free home buying/selling seminars. Demonstrating your commitment to the community helps build relationships and enhances your reputation as a trustworthy local real estate expert.

Offer Exclusive Deals & Incentives

Offering exclusive deals to clients who choose you as their real estate agent may also be something to consider, and this is an approach that realtors have been taking for decades. Examples might be an offer to cover the cost of a home warranty, offering discounted moving services, or making a complimentary home staging consultation available to a homeowner who agrees to list with the agent. These types of incentives can make your services more attractive and give you a competitive edge.

Further, limited-time promotions make increase the likelihood that the would-be clients make decisions, and examples here could be discounts on commission fees or a special gift for clients who sign a contract within a specific timeframe. Promote these offers through email marketing, social media, and your website to encourage prompt action from potential clients.

Direct Mail Campaigns

Realtors in Toronto may also want to try send direct mail postcards, brochures, or newsletters to specific neighborhoods or demographics. Ones that align with your target market and where it will make more sense to highlight your recent sales, current listings, and success stories. This can also be a means to establish your expertise and be the recipient of interest from homeowners or buyers in the area.

The value of personalized letters is fairly reliable when it comes to making an impression on homeowners or prospective buyers. Write personalized letters to homeowners in desirable Toronto neighborhoods, and maybe offer them a free home valuation or market analysis. Some of those owners may not be considering listing at this time but may be open to that in the future. The opportunity to learn more about their property’s value may be what gets your foot in the door with them.

Taking any or all of these strategies and then consistently and applying them to your real estate leads in Toronto efforts can go a long way towards increasing the volume of those leads you can find for yourself. That’s huge for growing your real estate business, and especially if you haven’t been having the level of success with this that you envisioned for yourself.

It is possible to boost your Toronto real estate business with proven lead strategies , and all that’s left for you now is to get started with them and see what you already do well and which other approaches will need you to learn up on them. No one is born good at every aspect of this, so start along your learning curve today and get to where you want to be with your real estate career in Canada’s biggest city faster.

How to Generate Real Estate Leads in Ottawa: Tips for Success

Published October 1, 2024 by Real Estate Leads
How to Generate Real Estate Leads in Ottawa: Tips for Success

How to Generate Real Estate Leads in Ottawa: Tips for Success

What is the best source of real estate leads in Ottawa region in 2024? More Google Ads campaigns, or one-on-one communication and relationship building? Is it perhaps now the right time to consider new marketing strategies, such as immersive experiences. The market in Ottawa is highly competitive. There are much higher stakes for everyone who works here than even during previous wide-scale crises. You can’t just list houses and wait for good times. Lead generation for realtors Ottawa, is fast turning to become an important approach by many Ottawa realtors, brokers, and agencies in securing new clients.

Still, lead generation concepts like digital ads, and even cold calls, are still valid today. However, to stay competitive in the year 2024, you have to apply modern ways of creating connections by reaching out to different channels. A lead generation campaign is not just gathering contact information from buyers; this is the steady attraction of good leads, including Ottawa property leads and getting ready to close them by leading them through the sales funnel. Every contact you made with the people of Ottawa is an opportunity for building trust and relationships. But then, how do you turn these connections into active leads to take your business in Ottawa to the next level while at the same time advancing your professional experience?

In this guide, we will explore 14 real estate lead-generation ideas that have worked for some of the top agents and companies in the industry. By the end, you will see the market of real estate leads in Ottawa from a fresh perspective.

What is lead generation in real estate?

Lead generation in real estate is a business process of systematically capturing and engaging potential clients or buyers for properties.

But it’s also the first point in building a relationship with somebody who may eventually be a customer, and that’s the way we want to see it. Yes, after all said and done, it begins with identification, attraction, and conversion of those people who show interest in properties. But getting their info needs only to be small point on the way and not your end result.

Lead generation in real estate is actually more about attracting your target market and involving them for this very intention: to build relationships. It is in the understanding of their needs and how to lead them through the process of buying or selling, for interest to become a transaction. The approach here is actually all about establishing connections of value to both parties and therefore succeeding more easily.

The challenges real estate agents face in lead generation

Some of the most common challenges you have to overcome and clear before you can generate and convert leads in real estate are listed below.

  1. Generate More Leads: You need to talk to lots of people who would be interested in buying or selling homes. There is no doubt you have to find ways to meet more of these people, whether online or in person.
  2. Lead Quality Higher Sensitivity: Qualified leads are better-those who are serious buyers or sellers who are really considering buying or selling a house in the near term and not just mere leads who talk about it without any plan.
  3. Converting Traffic into Leads: When visitors come to your website, you want to be interested enough to leave their contact information so you can follow up.
  4. Let You Build Trust and Credibility : A person is often willing to do business with you once they trust you and think that you’re an expert who will be able to help them with their real estate needs.
  5. To Position Yourself As an Authority in Your Area : You want to be the go-to person in your area, known for good advice and solid information.
  6. Turning leads into sales: The goal is to take all interested people from just thinking about buying or selling to finally making a deal with you.

Understanding the Ottawa Real Estate Market

The process of buying and selling houses in Ottawa is as organic as life itself. It evolves, develops, and adapts with respects to the economy, rate of interest, and the buyer’s consumption pattern. I am going to explain how one can get serious advantages if he or she will decide to buy a home in this city, studying its market trends. Whether you are entering the property market for the first time, a property investor or a ‘emerging’ property mover you will certainly will benefit from being informed of changes in the market. Here, I will discuss some major changes in the Ottawa real estate market and provide several examples of my clients who got through the changes.

Key Market Trends

  1. Different neighborhoods: From the historic appeal of ByWard Market to the suburban appeal of Kanata, Ottawa provides a collection of neighborhoods that might appeal to different demographics and tastes. Knowing the neighborhoods will help tailor marketing efforts to specific audiences.
  2. Government Ottawa is a political capital of Canada and is mainly driven by government employment. This stability continues to attract the influx of new residents, thereby opening up opportunities for property deals.
  3. Rising prices: Like anywhere in the urban world, Ottawa has been experiencing rising home prices. That means you will be able to advise your clients realistically and position your firm as knowledgeable.
  4. First-Time Homebuyers: A majority of young professionals and families in the urban scenario have chosen the city as a new home. There is a substantial market for first-time homebuyers that can work well if tailored lead generation strategies are in place to meet the needs of this group.

How to Find Real Estate Leads in Ottawa

Now that we have a foundational understanding of the market, let’s explore effective strategies for how to find real estate leads in Ottawa.

Google & Microsoft Ads (PPC)

Search ads such as Google Ads and Microsoft Ads (Bing Ads) cost you anytime someone clicks on the ad, placed on top of the SERPs on the search engines each time users search for specific keywords.. It is also important to note that PPC ads give instant visibility unlike with SEO that requires a while in the intense market. You can place your ads based on the search terms, geography, and demography, and even the search behaviour of the user to ensure that they are relevant to the people you want to offer the services to maximising on the potential of the Ad.

Pros:

  • Pay per click model means that you only pay when someone will click on your advertisement
  • In a few hours, you can begin finding yourself at the top of Google (or Bing) search results for such phrases as “Ottawa homes for sale ” or “Ottawa real estate agent”.
  • It is flexible about the means you have in terms of a budget, or which keywords you want to set as targets, or even the time of the day that your ads are to run, and so on.

Cons:

  • It can take lots of time and efforts to make it run by your own
  • You always have to spend money to have the ad displayed on Google or Microsoft.
  • Advertising with specific keywords such as Sell my home for cash falls under competitive and expensive category

Expert Tip: Promote your property using an on-line index or an IDX enabled webpage with a lead generation part and use the target routes such as “Ottawa homes for sale ” should in the event that you are in Ottawa or “ Ottawa waterfront condos for sale”. These keywords show the most searches, the cheapest and they can create sellers.

Google Business Optimization

Think potential clients typing “real estate agents in Ottawa” in the Google search bar and then immediately ending up on your website.Google Business previously called Google My Business is a service by Google that enables businesses to control their information across all the Google platforms such as search, map among others is a free tool provided by Google that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. Optimizing the agency’s Google Business listings, puts one in a strategic position on Google search which will help clients to locate your agency easily. This can help bring more CLICKS to your website and slipstreaming converts them to quality leads.

Pros:

  • Intending client – they are actively searching for information to meet with a real estate agent
  • The creation of the plan itself is free and comes with no cost because the leads are free
  • The positive comments enhance credibility and presence of new clients by making them to have confidence on the services offered
  • Basic details such as phone, working, and home Current & easy to access for potential client

Cons:

  • Constant optimization is tiresome if it is handled ineffectively
  • It is hard to scale
  • There might be huge competition for the local searches, for this reason there has to be constant optimization practices done.

Expert Tip: Update your profile with great images of your properties regularly, and ensure your contact information is correct. Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews so that you can monitor how your business is performing in terms of how the clients are actually finding and interacting with it-thus ensuring that, indeed, when leads are looking for “real estate agents in Ottawa,” this information will come up on top.

Build a Digital Newsletter

If you haven’t yet brought your monthly newsletter online, now’s the time. A digital newsletter will help keep you top of mind, and make sure that when your potential customers are ready to begin seeing homes, you’re the agent they call.

Most agents include a sample of their listings in their newsletter, but if you want to really supercharge lead generation, you can go one step beyond that. Of course, it is much easier to sign up for the newsletter when that empty space is used to include your own thoughts on the local real estate market, job market, and businesses in the community. Even, you can support your local business by running a monthly giveaway in order to encourage subscriptions to join in, and maybe make the local business share the giveaway on social media to help you truly hunger for your list.

Display your contact information and follow up with click-to-email buttons throughout your newsletter and encourage readers to reach out on even the smallest questions. You will also want a button included in your email that allows subscribers to forward it on to their friends (be sure and award them additional entries into your monthly giveaway for doing so). Commit to growing your list and make yourself accessible to your subscribers and the leads and referrals will follow.

Start a Blog and Show Off Your Expertise

Your blog allows you to position yourself before your community as a resident expert, but after some time it does much, much more. It can become your most cost-effective way for generating leads, if you are committed to the writing of in-depth blogs about your community and focus on what we call a long-tail keyword strategy.

Find topics for questions that your target buyers might have and find subjects that aren’t well-covered in any of the articles on the first page of Google. Write those articles on your blog and share them on social media and in your newsletter. As time passes, you will begin ranking better on search engines, and you will gain more traffic on your website. For this reason, always have a contact button placed in the sidebar, at the end or the beginning of your blog posts so that new visitors find it easy to reach you.

Get in the habit of setting up your social media, blog, and newsletter plan each month, getting customer reviews at the end of each quarter, and trying out PPC advertising to get a feel for those additional costs. Plan some time in your Internet marketing, and you’ll be off to the races toward generating even more cost-effective buyer and seller leads for your business.

Solicit and Share Online Reviews

Another survey revealed that 94% of young people aged 18 to 34 rely on online opinions as much as on word of mouth, and similar statistics are on the rise in other age groups.. Nine out of ten real estate related searches start on the internet – your potential clients are out there researching you before they even give you a call. You have to have a method that will enable you to contact previous clients to seek reviews and vice versa display them to your prospective clients. Whenever you are asking for a review, keep it as convenient for the client as possible at every step. Tell them to leave you a review on one particular website and guide them to the URL for the site and an explanation of how to do so. You also want to do this as simply and efficiently as possible. Once you gather some of them, you can post them in your newsletters, blog and social media. /And of course it’s useful to draw attention to the accomplishments and provide some references for the potential client. It’s also costless, and this makes this one of the best ways to generate leads online for free. You do not have to see this as being in the lead generation category but ten five star reviews on the Google and face book can boost your overall call volume – they provide the research person with confidence to call you. In fact, it is the kind of message that will determine whether a buyer or a seller will call or dial another product.

Leverage Technology and Tools

Technology can significantly help with lead generation in real estate. The most important tool, in fact, has to be Customer Relationship Management, or CRM software that will help you track interactions and track and manage leads and can automate follow-ups for you. This way, you will remain organized and ensure no lead gets lost in the cracks with a CRM system. More powerful is another method which is email marketing, where the campaign can be targeted to sustain leads, keep them informed on market trends and new listings, new events, and the like. Personalized messages make these emails more interesting. Virtual tours and video content are highly effective with regard to showing properties. It would give potential buyers a visual experience from the comfort of their own space and thus bring more attention to your listings.

Collaborate with Other Professionals

Build referral relationships with professionals related in the industry and seek out ways to really help those professionals in their business. For instance, it involves working with mortgage brokers who have a role in helping you collect payments or other professionals who can actually help your clients in ways that benefit both parties. You can also build friendships with home inspectors and contractors who could refer clients looking for an agent in exchange for you referring some of the clients who may need their services. Moreover, some collaborations will work well with local businesses. Engagements such as hosting joint events or offering reciprocal discounts create a win-win situation as it works for you and your local partners.

Host Workshops and Seminars

Host various kinds of workshops and seminars, which can best establish you as an authority figure in the Ottawa real estate market while generating valuable leads. For instance, you could organize such events as First-Time Homebuyer Workshops, during which you could give talks to would-be homebuyers about the whole homebuying process, financing options, and the general landscape of the current market. You may even conduct Investment Seminars to provide insights on real estate investing along with trends, financing, and tips on property management. You may even consider organizing Neighborhood Tours around Ottawa. This may emphasize special features and amenities of varied areas that will attract a client base interested in getting familiar with the city.

Send market update emails

One big way to get real estate leads for free from people in your network is by creating an email marketing strategy. Then send regular market updates to your email subscribers. You can go as far as segmenting your list by location so that the neighborhood data you’re sending each month is hyper relevant to the recipient. In between can also be birthday wishes, and the occasional request for referrals to round out the strategy.

Build an SEO optimized website

Your website can do a lot of lead generation heavy lifting for you just by being optimized for search engines.

A good place to begin with SEO for real estate is by finding the keywords your target clients use and working them into your website. For example, if you’re an agent in Ottawa and focus on high-end homes, you might consider:

  1. Homes for sale in Ottawa
  2. Seattle real estate agents
  3. Luxury homes Ottawa

What are the best neighborhoods in Ottawa

Keyword research tools will make the job easier. And an SEO audit will help you find other ways to make sure your site shows up on search engines.

Add chatbots to your website

Whether you want to sell, buy, or rent a place or wish to inquire about it, you are destined to fill in numerous lead capture forms at various real estate websites.

Do you bore your website visitors to tears with lead-capturing forms? And that’s a very bad move now.

Every person can fill in a form, but few relish the experience. Customers expect response times in the competitive business environment of real estate to be differentiated by being personalized.

Real estate chatbots resolve the problem of the form extremely well. They take this process of actually sharing information related to a lead from being a boring task into a conversation. Consequently, the generation experience feels relatively engaging. Some realtor firms have shown an immediate increase of their conversion rate by 2-3x due to a chatbot used on the landing page.

Use bulk SMS campaigns

Bulk SMS is very low-hanging fruit in terms of lead generation from real estate. It happens to be a low-cost, high-ROI tool for lead generation as 98% SMS have a high opening rate.

You can send bulk opt-in texts to the prospects and send offers/discounts to trigger actions. Bulk SMS is a good means to create referral campaigns to generate more leads. Offer vouchers, coupon codes, etc., to your existing leads for successful referrals.

So, the bottom line is you can integrate your CRM with JustCall, and so whenever you add leads to your CRM, you can automatically text.

Host webinar and online workshops

Another great way through which the real estate agent can express their expertise and associate with other potential clients is through conducting webinars or online workshops.

This is where you can prove how much you know and to which people you can point a potential buyer for further info about the real estate market. When people learn something from you, they start to trust you, and it can evolve into the position from which they would demand that you represent them as their agent.

Plus, online events give you an opportunity to reach a much wider audience without costing the earth. By saving the recording, you continue to attract new leads long after the event live is finished. It is an effective way and engaging in the expansion of your business and establishing a powerful presence in the real estate market.

Stay in touch with old leads

Communicating with old leads is equally important. You didn’t lose a lead just because they were not ready to sell or buy the first time around. Here’s how you keep the connection alive:

  1. Regular updates: Help old leads feel contemporary by sending them newsletters, market updates, or personalized messages to let them know you are still active and ready to help.
  2. Use automation tools. Setup email or SMS campaigns to remind people automatically and regularly, thereby ensuring that you get in touch without over-crowding your schedule.
  3. Provide value. Give them something valuable-related useful information, tips, or resources associated with real estate. That makes them remember that you’re knowledgeable and helps build you as a person they’ll recall when time comes for a move.
  4. Celebrative. Sending a message or card for special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries makes the relationship more personal.
  5. Check in in person. A personal call or message every now and then will go a long way. It indicates that you are indeed interested, and may help rekindle consideration of real estate decisions.
  6. Use social media: You hook up with them on whatever social media they’re interested in-on Facebook or Instagram, for example-for the sake of exposing them to your content and refreshing their memory in an affable, nonintrusive way.

This would ensure that you maintain leads old and develop the connections to keep in touch, so by the time they get to making their decision to buy a home, they are set up with all their needs and could potentially come and secure a house deal with you. A way to take cold leads and warm them up into possible prospects that may turn into a successful deal.

Conclusion

The generation of real estate leads in the country’s capital, Ottawa, will solely depend on a multi-level approach involving traditional networking and digital marketing, along with community engagement. Through awareness of the local market, strong online presence, and relationship building, you are sure to be on the road to being one of the top realtors in the city. Remember that the basis for success is your ability to reach clients, add value, and understand current market trends.

Building a real estate business will require time and perseverance, so keep this in mind as you start your journey in lead generation. You will have to stay committed to your strategies, evolve with a changing market, and continually look for ways to grow. With the right mindset and tools, you can start generating real estate leads in Ottawa today and pave the way for a thriving career in such an exciting industry. Happy selling!

How to Generate High-Quality Real Estate Leads in Quebec City: Proven Strategies for Success

Published October 1, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

How to Generate High-Quality Real Estate Leads in Quebec City: Proven Strategies for Success Population growth in La Belle Province has been explosive over recent years and as is always the case newcomers usually come to be looking for housing before long. It’s true that most will start out being renters, but at any given time there are going to be plenty of people of all backgrounds who are considering buying a home in this part of the country. Most of them will do that with the assistance of a real estate agent they’re working with, and if you’re one of those agents you probably make being in touch with these people as something of a priority.

This is the essence of what a homebuyer lead is in real estate, a tip-off for the realtor that the individual or couple are looking to buy a home in a city or town in Quebec and they’re ready to decide on which realtor they’re going to work with. That means clientele and growing the business, so it’s no surprise that strategies for real estate lead generation in Quebec have so much importance attached to them. As is the case with any part of Canada, there are SO many realtors chasing after their slice of the pie.

Not enough to go around anywhere either, so saying you’re going to discuss top ways to find real estate leads in Quebec City should pique the attention of plenty of realtors in Quebec who are working in the city. As you’d expect there is not too much different here that won’t apply for any other big city in Canada, but we will go over plenty more related to real estate marketing in Quebec City here too to make it an even more valuable read for you.

Realtors who work here may also be serving nearby satellite cities too, and the good news there is that these same real estate lead generation principles will apply for these locales too. And if you are the decision-maker for a real estate brokerage in the area then we’ll also go over how to unlock high-quality real estate leads for your Quebec City business

Understanding Realtor Leads

Most realtors in Quebec will be looking to boost their business and increase their client base. That’s to be expected, as generating leads is direct contributor to success in what is a very competitive real estate market. We all know that there are different types of leads, and knowing how to handle each of them with regards to lead nurturing is going to be good to know alongside strategies for real estate lead generation in Quebec

There’s a lot to this, including utilizing social media and creating a strong online presence to targeting local communities and effectively putting an online advertising to work for you. We will cover all of it, with everything you need to know about how to generate realtor leads effectively. Plus common mistakes to avoid when generating leads to ensure that you are haven’t gone off the track to success here.

Leads are potential clients or individuals who’ve shown interest in the services of a realtor, and specifically for the interest of buying or selling a home. It may also be for consultations or for purchases made as real estate investments. Leads are an integral part of the growth and success of an agent’s business. They can be the lifeblood of the industry, and ideally when they’re the starting point of transactions and ongoing client relationships.

There will always be various sources for potential clients, and these are referrals, online inquiries, open house attendees, and networking events. Real estate professionals often prioritize top ways to find real estate leads in Quebec City so their sales pipelines is always being infused with new clientele based on leads that go from being cool or warm to head. Lead nurturing can go a long way to making that happen.

Lead management that promotes conversion is so important if you’re planning to make a living working as a realtor anywhere in Canada. This is a key to maximizing the impact of leads on business growth, based on the fact they contribute directly to sales and revenue. Maintaining a healthy pipeline of leads is what every realtors should be aiming for as they eye long-term success in a real estate market that is always going to be extremely competitive .

The Different Types of Leads

Real estate marketing in Quebec City is really no different than anywhere else, and much of what a realtor anywhere will do to market themselves is done in the interest of gaining leads. The different types of leads in real estate encompass various categories based on their level of engagement, plus how ready the person or couple is to make a move in the real estate market.

There are cool leads, warm leads, hot leads, and qualified leads, and each corresponds with a distinct stage in the conversion process plus will require a different nurturing approach from the realtor. Let’s look at cool leads first. It’s important to have a good understanding of them and what sort of criteria exists for determining if a lead is a cooler one – meaning that they’re unlikely to buy or sell a house anytime soon.

But with strategic nurturing through targeted marketing efforts it may be possible to gradually warm up these leads. Which leads us to warm leads as we continue our look at ways to unlock high-quality real estate leads for your Quebec City business. Warm leads are ones where you can see some level of interest or engagement, but the probability of them listing a home or making an offer on one probably isn’t that high at this time.

Hot leads are as you’d expect, with individuals showing considerable interest and you feel that they are likely to make a purchase decision soon or will list their home in the near future. Qualified leads are ones where that upcoming decision has been clearly stated b the lead and so you have an assurance as to where they are on the buying or selling timeline right now.

The realtor will have determined that these leads are showing both the intent and financial capacity to proceed with a real estate transaction, and as such they’re going to be a top priority for conversion.

Leads for Realtors in Quebec

We’ve made it very clear here that for realtors leads are going to be the lifeblood of their business. If there’s someone who’s ready to list or ready to start making offers on homes then it is going to be best if that prospective clients does either of those things through you. Have that be the case as often as possible and it will be promoting the growth of client base, fostering referrals, and enhancing market visibility for yourself.

Not to mention contributing to sustained sales and revenue generation as you move further in your career. Realtors need to know how to nurture and converting leads for business growth and establishing a strong presence in the real estate market.

This is why strategies for real estate lead generation in Quebec is the big focus that it is for realtors working in this Province, and it has to be that way as effective strategies then become a part of bigger-picture growth strategies that may have those same realtors tapping into new markets, identifying potential buyers or sellers, and establishing a strong market presence.

So where can someone who is relatively new with this get started with lead generation? A multifaceted approach, and we’ll take the same path that everyone else does and recommend leveraging social media channels, establishing a robust online presence, nurturing networking connections and referrals, hosting good open houses, forging partnerships with other businesses, and implementing strategic email marketing campaigns.

These are proven effective ways to engage potential clients and expand your lead pool. The biggest recommendation would probably be to learn how to use social media for real estate as nowadays so many realtors are getting leads from social media and it’s a trend that hasn’t even peaked yet. Realtors can definitely reach a wide audience here, and do everything from share property listings to engage with potential buyers and sellers and put their expertise and market knowledge on display.

A strong online presence through an optimized website and engaging content helps in establishing credibility and attracting leads. Building and nurturing networking connections within the industry and seeking referrals from satisfied clients is always going to be a part of real estate marketing in Quebec City too. Hosting good open houses provide an opportunity to showcase properties and have that valuable face-to-face, first contact interaction with others who might have the potential to be clients in the future too.

Then there’s also the way that collaborating with other businesses such as home stagers, interior designers, or mortgage brokers can also expand reach and draw potential clients into your sphere of influence. Strategic email marketing, personalized to target audiences is conducive to good lead nurturing and driving conversions too.

Utilize Social Media

The need to be all in with social media for realtors can’t be stressed strongly enough. The ones who know how to make themselves visible in the right way on social media platforms are so much more likely to have success with real estate lead generation. That’s on account of the targeted outreach, content distribution, and engagement with potential clients that is entirely possible across popular networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and more.

You’re encouraged to be enthusiastic about being involved on social media, but the truth is that a nuanced approach is going to be required here. Instagram and other ones offer visual appeal and are a good fit for showcasing properties and lifestyle content. X on the other hand facilitates real-time updates and communication with prospects. You can craft compelling visual content and share informative blog posts while also leveraging interactive futures whenever it makes sense and they’re available to you.

Make sure you integrate local keywords, insight into the neighborhood, and what market trends are relevant given the subject matter of whatever it is you’re posting.

Aim for a Strong Online Presence

The extent and reach of a realtor’s entire online presence needs to be taken into consideration here too. You can be in the know with the top ways to find real estate leads in Quebec City but you’ll be disadvantaged if you’re not super visible online and in possession of a good reputation there too. If capturing a large volume of leads each month is important for converting even just a few of them then developing a robust online presence through optimized websites, engaging content, and search engine visibility is super important.

It enhances brand visibility, drives organic traffic, and facilitates lead conversion through effective digital marketing strategies. Your real estate agent website is going to have a big part to play in this too, and you should be making certain it is function properly with acceptable page load speeds and is 100% mobile-friendly too for people visiting via a smartphone. As is most often the case these days.

Put an emphasis on creating high-quality, relevant content that addresses the needs and pain points of your target audience too. Done correctly this is very beneficial for establishing you as a thought leader in the real estate industry and cementing your website’s authority and relevance. Something that is also a part of having better search engine rankings for the website.

Be sure to be integrating relevant keywords and entities into your website’s content and backend coding too. It will indicate to search engines that your site’s nature is clearly determined and with that it will be more likely to appear in relevant searches. When you focus on local SEO practices like creating location-specific landing pages or including local keywords it is possible to become more visible to potential leads in your area. These strategies work in tandem to establish your digital presence and position you as a favorited tool for individuals seeking real estate services.

Networking & Referrals

Realtors in this part of Canada also nearly always do well when networking with industry peers, fostering referral partnerships, and leveraging customer relationship management (CRM) systems. These can be instrumental in bringing a realtor more new buyer and seller lead, plus the opportunity for cultivation of meaningful connections, exchange of referrals, and efficient lead management.

Finding fellow real estate professionals and developing a strong network with them is also recommended with strategies for real estate lead generation in Quebec. It opens doors to potential clients and lucrative partnerships, especially when the agent is actively participating in industry events, joining professional associations, or being a regular participant and contributor in online forums. Through all these ways real estate agents can build enduring connections that often result in valuable referrals.

In a best-case scenario the agent is able to build a structured referral program within one’s network. Significant lead generation opportunities will usually come from this, as it incentivizes cooperation and reciprocal referrals among industry peers. A CRM (customer relationship management) program of some sorts is going to be very recommendable here too.

These are powerful tools for realtors to organize, track, and nurture leads effectively, and make it more unlikely that a lead that could legitimately become a client isn’t misplaced or allowed to pass by. There are advanced functionalities to most of these CRM platforms, and ones like automated lead assignment, targeted communication, and performance analytics are especially good for agents who might struggle with nurturing their leads otherwise.

Host Open Houses

All realtors will be hosting open houses, but the question becomes which ones are hosting them with a different approach and one that is more conducive to real estate buyer lead generation. It is always best to engage directly with potential leads, showcase properties, and build rapport. This is a proven way to be fostering connections, gathering valuable insights, and potentially converting attendees into qualified leads through impactful event-based marketing.

Good open houses hosted by a smart and engaging agent can create a warm and inviting atmosphere for prospective buyers to experience a property firsthand and then possibly have more trust and a deeper connection. Agents have a real opportunity here to demonstrate their expertise, understand the buyers’ needs, and provide personalized assistance.

Successful open houses also enable agents to gather contact information and preferences from attendees. This lays the foundation for continued communication and nurturing relationships. To increase attendance and reach, it’s important to employ digital and traditional marketing tactics. This can include leveraging social media, email campaigns, and neighborhood announcements.

Partner with Other Businesses

It is also good if you look for and then pursue strategic partnerships with complementary businesses. Examples can be mortgage lenders, interior designers, or home service providers to yield mutual lead generation opportunities for agents. This is also conducive to helping your referral network and it will often tap into shared customer bases too as well as amplifying marketing reach when collaborative strategies are in place and being followed.

The pairing with a mortgage lender can provide buyer clients with access to financing options and this will increase the likelihood of closing deals. Partnering with interior designers can be very beneficial for home staging and this will benefit clients who are listing a home. Faster sales and higher prices for properties are possible.

Consider repair companies or moving services too, as these are other possibilities for furthering the value proposition you are able to offer to prospective clients. As well as making the home buying or selling process smoother and more convenient and that will make clients even more pleased with the service provided and more likely to recommend you.

Utilize Email Marketing

There are also real gains to be had for a Quebec realtor when they are using targeted email marketing campaigns to reach and directly engage potential leads. This can be done with personalized content, property listings, and promotional offers to nurture leads, drive conversions, and maintain consistent communication for sustained lead generation and client engagement.

Automated drip campaigns and personalized follow-ups are also good parts of real estate marketing in Quebec City. They’re great for cultivating long-term relationships with leads, and then hopefully transforming them into loyal clients. It’s possible to amplify the reach and impact of the campaigns with digital advertising strategies in email marketing, and a lot of realtors do this exceptionally well.

This joins the list of what others can do to have more success with new clientele in real estate. Along with deploying targeted local strategies, leveraging the capabilities of local SEO, offering valuable content and resources, utilizing online advertising, and hosting educational seminars and workshops. These are ways to drive qualified leads for overweight realtors.

Based on the way leads work most of these buyer or seller leads will be local homeowners or potential buyers. This means a local-focused approach is best to build a strong connection with potential clients. By understanding the unique needs and preferences of the local community, realtors can then tailor their marketing efforts to resonate with the target audience.

Any mention of having a website as a base for the blog you link to in social media will connect with SEO interests for the website too. No one needs to be told that it will be hugely advantageous to have your site come up on the 1st page of Google or Bing search results if someone has the search term Quebec City realtor. Optimizing website content, leveraging local keywords, and ensuring consistent business listings across online directories can significantly improve organic visits and lead generation.

Target Local Communities

It’s also advisable to put effort and investment hyper-local marketing initiatives to target local communities and promote community engagement there. When that’s paired with good local content on social media and elsewhere it enables a Quebec City area realtor to establish a stronger presence, be more in the path of connections, and resonate with the local market when people think of who’s a local real estate that’s well known. This drives meaningful lead generation and client engagement.

Then target local Quebec SEO and geotagging of content to optimize online presence for local searches, making your website or social media business page easily discoverable by individuals searching for real estate services within their vicinity.

Leveraging localized keywords in digital marketing campaigns too, like incorporating specific neighborhood names and local landmarks. This improves visibility and relevance, and will better attract relevant leads within the community. Implementing localized content strategies, such as showcasing neighborhood highlights, local market trends, and community insights, creates valuable resources that resonate with the target audience.

Offer Valuable Content and Resources

Market reports, neighborhood guides, and home buying/selling resources are all examples of the type of valuable and informative content you’ll want to use as part of your strategies for real estate lead generation in Quebec. These days people collect information online more than anywhere else and reading quality, well-written, and informative content can really have people pointed in the direction if the reason they’re reading is because they’re looking to work with a realtor.

Good content can and often does position a realtor as the local trusted authority for real estate. Either for helping a homeowner sell to their highest satisfaction or helping a homebuyer find the perfect home to put an offer on it and hopefully complete the sale with the help of a realtor. Offering valuable resources and insights not only educates prospective clients but also establishes a sense of credibility and expertise.

Utilize Online Advertising

These days so many realtors are right on top of their social media marketing and deploying targeted online advertising campaigns across platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, and other digital channels. It is arguably the best way to reach potential leads these days, and the more social media savvy a realtor can be the more they can benefit from it.

These ads drive website traffic, and generate qualified inquiries. This amplifies brand visibility and lead acquisition, but you need to be judicious about where you put your money with Facebook Business Ads. Professionals need to consider the demographics and behaviors of their target audience. If agents can gain some degree of understanding about this they can then choose the platforms that align with their audience.

Ad targeting plays a crucial role in maximizing the effectiveness of online advertising. It’s not difficult to put these ads together, and there are plenty of online tutorials on how to do it. You can learn how to make adjustments and advanced targeting options such as location-based targeting, demographics, interests, and retargeting. This increases the likelihood of generating quality leads.

Common Mistakes with Real Estate Lead Generation

Some agents may not have initial success with their efforts for better real estate lead generation. Common errors include lacking a clear target audience, underutilizing data and analytics for lead insights, neglecting follow-up with leads, or overlooking the impact of testimonials and reviews that help with personal credibility and fostering client trust.

The biggest recommendation we’ll make here is to suggest they start with buying an excellent CRM software suite for better client lead nurturing, and if you are not targeting the right audience there are things you can do for that too. But it is true that targeting a broad audience can dilute marketing efforts.

As for not having a clear target audience, it is possible that failing to define and understand the specific target audience hinders an agent’s ability to drum up leads effectively as it limits personalized targeting, data-driven insights, and the ability to tailor marketing efforts so that they buzz with the intended clientele. If there’s any opportunity to leverage data-driven insights to understand consumer behavior, preferences, and purchasing patterns here it can be hugely helpful to unlock high-quality real estate leads for your Quebec City business .

As for not utilizing data and analytics, it’s fairly straightforward; you’re not as on top of trends in the same way you would be otherwise. Data and analytics play a pivotal role in lead generation for real estate professionals. Again, CRM systems are what you want here. With their analytics tools agents can gain a deep understanding of their leads’ preferences, behavior, and needs.

In the bigger picture an agent’s focus has to be on getting and properly digesting accurate data and using robust analytics to provide a competitive edge so that they stay ahead of market trends, identify emerging opportunities, and anticipate shifts in customer preferences. If neither you nor any other person you work in real estate with has the ability to do this it makes sense to pay for the service.

Discovering Real Estate Leads in Manitoba: Capitalizing on Emerging Opportunities

Published September 27, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Discovering Real Estate Leads in Manitoba: Capitalizing on Emerging OpportunitiesWhether you are a seasoned pro or just splashing into Manitoba real estate? one thing is for sure: lead generation has to be part of your real estate marketing. As with everything else, the technology that pertains to lead generation is always changing. You can find it particularly challenging to keep up with the latest methods of attracting customers through your door.

If you are not sure how to get real estate leads, then you’ve come to the right place Through this blog, we will walk you through the best real estate lead generation strategies in Manitoba and guide you on how to capitalize on these emerging opportunities to grow your business.. From using the contacts in your database to chasing down expired listings, here are some lead generation tips we have in store for you so that you can achieve success. Before that let’s understand the basics.

Understanding the Manitoba Real Estate Landscape

First things first, it is necessary to know the real estate market itself in Manitoba. The Manitoba real estate market tends to be relatively inexpensive in terms of house prices and tends to maintain steady growth throughout. There are several aspects of a boom and bust in Manitoba real estate, with Winnipeg at the top of the list, but Brandon, Steinbach, and Portage la Prairie are also prominent markets.

Manitoba’s property market is relatively stable in the long-term trend; that is, fairly moderate year-over-year price increases offer this as a relatively appealing prospect for first-time buyers, investors, and those looking to relocate from an even more congested part of the Great White North. With a mixed urban populace and a strong, growing economy, Manitoba’s real estate is one of the more robust going in Canada, putting it in ripe conditions for lead generation.

What is the Definition of Lead Generation?

In other words, leads are people or organisations that have an interest in what you are offering. You can also think of them as a potential customer or prospect. Now, this may be the case of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people who might know that you exist but who haven’t shown the slightest interest in what you have to offer.
If they are not concerned about your brand, they will not help your business grow. Moreover, you have to interest them before selling to them. This process of catching someone’s attention and converting him or her into a potential customer is termed lead generation.

Why is Lead Generation Important to Business?

Now, you may ask yourself the question, “Why would I want to focus my efforts on lead generation?” My friend, leads are the lifeblood of any real estate business. Without leads, you won’t have clients, and without clients… well, you get the point.

Generating the right leads will, therefore, help build up a rock-solid pipeline of potential buyers and sellers to bring your business to prosperity.
Manitoba is an intense competition market, and thus it has to possess a sound lead generation strategy. Chill. We have all the time to help you explore this and determine the best way to attract quality Manitoba property leads.

There are different reasons why real estate lead generation is important, including:

  1. Relationship building: The more leads you generate, the more you’ll build relationships with new clients and audiences, growing your brand and earning trust further.
  2. More profit generation- Lead generation means the lead will make more awareness about your business; after acquiring leads, you’ll be showcasing what you offer in hopes of converting them into clients. After that, when they are already a client, you will begin to earn more profits from their sales.
  3. Grow your business: Lead generation brings more prospects to your company. Leads are important as they would be the starting point of growing your business, which will eventually snowball into referrals, word of mouth, and more brand awareness. Such are just some of the reasons why real estate leads are important. The following sections examine how to generate real estate leads.

Best Real Estate Lead Generation Strategies in Manitoba

So, here we started. let’s explore the 13 best real estate lead generation strategies in Manitoba.

Host a Friendly and Introductory Open House

Open-house events are actually very helpful in bringing real estate agents under one roof to meet all the warm leads! It is one of the most effective tactics for agents when asking how to get real estate leads as a new agent.

You can advertise your open house event details to your emailing list, mailing list, and social media contacts. Others generate real estate leads for new agents by placing signs around the house and encouraging passers-by to come in.

Analyze all visitors to complete their names and contact information on sign-in sheets. They may not be buying or renting this property, but coming in means they’re house hunting!

You can also follow up with visitors to thank you for visiting under your lead generation for new real estate agents strategy. It will also prove to be a good source to get in touch with new prospects and discuss your services.

Agent-to-Agent Referrals

You don’t have to look for agent leads in the dark. By working with other agents through referrals, you can really spread your wings and target new markets. This no doubt will rank higher for our coaching members than for your average agent because of the just fabulous ecosystem: a sharing of ideas and referrals that many of our members treasure. You can still take advantage of referrals by doing your homework and building relationships with agents in strategic locations. Determine areas that are statistically contributing the most people to your community, and then build networking relationships with agents from those communities.

Through networking, you will attract more leads and build relationships with industry experts with whom to share ideas, learn, and grow. If each of you has cultivated a relationship with your lead, you will then refer leads to one another should either of you have a property that is more suitable for the respective client.

Leverage Social Media

Social media, today, would be one of the most efficient ways to get leads in Manitoba for your real estate. You can go on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, connect with people, and then show them your listings.

Here are a few good places to start:

  1. Create and Share Engaging Visual Content : Share Breathtaking Images of Homes, Explainer Videos Regarding the Buying Process, or Staging Tips for Homes. The more shareable your content is, the more people will share it.
  2. Join Local Groups: Join Manitoba-based real estate groups on Facebook. Again, share your expertise, and answer questions as you build credibility as a smart resource.
  3. Run targeted ads – Consider Facebook Ads and target people in Manitoba. You can promote your listings or free resources, like an e-book about home buying.
  4. Build a Strong Website: A professional website will help in getting property leads in Manitoba. Your website should be the nerve center of your real estate activities. The following are some of the elements to have on the website:
  5. Lead Capture Forms: You want to make it easy for website visitors to sign up for newsletters, ask for information on a property, and schedule a consultation. The more accessible you make it, the more leads you will generate.
  6. Blogging: Share facts and circumstances related to the Manitoba real estate market. Of course, this will position you as an authority and provide for SEO so that people can find you.\
  7. Properties listed: Provide your active listings. Use high-quality images and detailed descriptions, including neighborhood information and local amenities.

Invest in SEO

The importance of SEO is that it will make you get top quality Manitoba real estate leads. Optimizing your content and website will make them more visible on the web and hence more visitors. Here are some SEO strategies to try:

  1. Keyword Research: You can use the Google Keyword Planner tool to identify keywords related to Manitoba real estate leads. Make sure to naturally integrate these keywords within your content.
  2. Optimize Your Website: Ensure that your website is responsive, loads quickly, and has easy navigation. This will enhance the user experience on your website while also improving search rankings.
  3. Local SEO : Grab your Google My Business listing and ensure to complete all fields with accurate information. Do also encourage happy clients to leave reviews; positive reviews improve your credibility.

Explore Real Estate Platforms

There are many online apps designed to help real estate agents generate leads. The following are a few examples:

Real Estate Investment Groups: you can join a number of online forums or groups about investing in real estate in Manitoba; communities like this often bring good leads and ideas.

Lead generation services, which encompass real estate, constitute another category. Companies specialize in generating leads that fit your target, and they can help find it.

Your Existing Lead Database

No surprise here-the biggest lead generation strategy for Elite members was working with your past clients and center of influence.

One of the highest methods on how to generate real estate leads is by leveraging your existing lead database. The good thing with your database is that most of the hard work is already done. Right in front of you is a massive bank of available clients who can aid in generating even more leads for you. Create an email referral program, and snail mail real estate prospecting letters. Write a newsletter that states that you are now accepting new clients. Get your current contacts to share your social media content. These are some of the strategies that you could apply to get in touch with your contacts in your database to create more real estate leads. Get your free real estate referral guide for database leads here.

Build Your Brand Image

This is one of the biggest ideas regarding the best lead generation for new real estate agents; that is, building a distinguished brand image.

What makes you different?

Why should clients attach themselves to a new agent, who, perhaps, does not possess the kind of industry exposure? Try to prove that you have enough knowledge and expertise to assist them to either sell or purchase their properties. You can counsel them about important issues of real estate and finance. You will keep maintaining your online reputation on different channels and create recurrent content to generate leads for new real estate agents in real estate and get more exposure.

Blog for traffic and credibility

Blogging will generate real estate leads for you in various ways. This makes your website more search optimized so that you tend to show up more often on Google and Bing searches.
Your academic blog posts will demonstrate your specialization, therefore also create trust among your target audience.
And finally, blog contents make for amazing fodder to use in emails and on social media. Share the links and snippets from your posts to attract new followers.
It’s good news that you don’t have to be Shakespeare to write a blog post. Just draw some ideas from the questions your clients ask most often, write in your own voice, and forget the question of formality because authenticity will beat it hands down everyday.

Narrow Down Your Niche

Some agents spend up to a few years without focusing on a particular niche. That works; however, it is better to identify an ideal category for your business and capitalize on it.

Going after the specific sectors helps get quality real estate leads for new agents without hassle. Find something you are comfortable with, and develop the necessary skill sets.

Trading in only one or two niches only means you are a niche expert. Here are some ideas for you:

  1. Rentals
  2. Millennial home buyers
  3. Luxury Properties
  4. Commercial relocations
  5. Vacation villas and tourist homes

These are the hot niches to help you in getting more real estate leads as a new agent and you can convert them easily!

Every nook has its timeline and profit margin! While luxurious flats bring major commissions, you might get such leads a few times in a year. Similarly, rental real estate leads for new agents bring more clients and smaller fees.

Mark Your Clients’ Significant Life Stages

People love to receive warm wishes on their birthdays, anniversaries, and so on. So, why miss this chance and send a responsible postcard to all potential and existing clients on these occasions to let them know that you are concerned about them?

You can call him or her and wish him. You will strengthen your relationships and remind him/her of your business! It is the excellent way for new real estate agents to get leads and stimulate more connections.

In addition to those mentioned, other critical points in receiving real estate leads for new agents include pregnancy, a new job, etc. It helps you express your appreciation toward old clients and show prospects how much you care for your audience.

For instance, you could add our API to your CRM and automatically compose mailings for every client’s birthday or anniversary. It boosts lead generation for new real estate agents and helps you stay connected with the community!

How to generate free real estate leads offline

Social media and email are great places to find real estate leads. But there’s still plenty of room for networking in real life.

Grow your sphere of influence

Social media and email are good sources of real estate leads. However, there’s still much room for networking in real life.

Your sphere of influence consists of acquaintances whom you’ve met or could influence because of the relationship that exists between you. Since 38 percent of buyers and 36 percent of sellers found their agent through a friend, neighbor, or relative, your sphere is a strong mechanism to generate free real estate leads.

Who’s in your sphere? At least, it’s your friends and family. But it could be the people at your gym, your mail carrier, dentist, and all of their friends.

The key is to systematically expand your sphere of influence. That means getting contact information for your current network into a CRM software, then scheduling times to touch base with each one by phone, email, text, or in person. And remind each to connect you with their network when real estate expertise is needed

Attend and host community events

Community events are an excellent opportunity to be around others and make a difference in one’s communities.

You can even host your own. Host a paper shredding day, trunk-or-treat Halloween event, or open house at your office. The list is endless to get the word out and market your real estate business with events.

Be a guest on a local podcast

People start listening to local podcasts that actually tell them stuff about their city. You become the buzz-knowledge guy for the podcasters asking questions about the housing market, demographic trends, and getting to know different parts of the city.
The best part is that all you really need to do is show up and talk about what you know.

Most of the podcasts come with their website and social media pages, so that way, you will have exposure and linking to your website from all those platforms.

Opportunistic Options in Manitoba Real Estate

Learning how to generate leads in Manitoba real estate calls for a discussion on how to capitalize on emerging opportunities in Manitoba. Taking the awareness of market trends and leveraging them can help you be an edge in competition and gain more leads.

The Rise of Remote Work

The shift towards telecommuting has dramatically altered the demand in housing, especially in rural Manitoba. It would seem evident that today, people are trying to get out of the bigger cities, looking for cheaper and more spacious living in smaller Manitoba communities.

Offsite Employees: Target campaigns for those who require moving to Manitoba. Manitoba listings leads and Manitoba real estate leads are used in targeting the growing number of people interested in such a venture.

Sustainable Housing Trends

Most people in Manitoba have started to care about what is happening to the environment, hence opting for sustainable and energy-efficient homes. As you market green houses, you can tap into a growing niche.

Green Homes as a Selling Point: Illustrate properties that include solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, or other sustainable features in your listings. This will appeal not just to the environmentally-conscious buyer but also distinguish you as an agent in a saturated marketplace.

Manitoba’s Expanding Population

Manitoba is experiencing growth in population, resulting in increased cities like Winnipeg and Brandon. Thus, it guarantees a steady demand in both residential and commercial properties.

Focus on growing areas

Target your marketing efforts on neighborhoods that are in a growth phase. Whether new residential developments or expanding suburban areas, these regions will surely offer great opportunities for lead generation.

Reliable Leads for Real Estate in Manitoba

This is a multi-step approach to finding reliable leads for real estate in Manitoba. Digital marketing plays an important role, but there are other ways as well that one can use in order to get quality leads.

Real Estate Database and MLS Listing

One of the most reliable sources for real estate leads in Manitoba would be through MLS, or Multiple Listing Service, databases. These listings provide you with access to properties currently on the market, which makes finding leads much easier.

Realtor.ca: This is a must for any real estate agent in Manitoba. You can post listings here as well as gain access to potential leads searching for properties within Manitoba.

Exclusive Listings: While MLS listings are considered, exclusive listings can also be a good selling point. There is a higher probability of a serious buyer when selling to properties that are not exclusive to everyone in the market.

  1. Lead Generation Services : If you want to save your time on lead generation, consider investing in lead generation services that target the Manitoba real estate market. Attending networking events in Manitoba concerning real estate is another good lead generation option. These give you a chance to get into touch with other agents, brokers, and investors who may have leads or referrals for you.
  2. Real Estate Networking Events : Yet another great way of generating leads would be through attending real estate networking events in Manitoba. For attending such events, you will have the opportunity to associate with other agents, brokers, as well as the investors who may have the leads or referrals they can share with you.
  3. Manitoba Real Estate Conferences: Holding Manitoba real estate conferences regularly can make you updated on the happening trends of the market and offer you a chance to network with the potential clients.
  4. Local Meetups: Regardless of whether they are for real estate professionals or are a general business network meetup, it can always serve as an avenue through which you can expand your personal network and find new leads.

Start Generating Quality Real Estate Leads in Manitoba Today

Being proactive and strategic, in the Manitoba real estate market, may simply be the key that unlocks the door to success. Starting from a sound online presence, leveraged by social media, to tapped sources of leads can ensure the uninterrupted flow of qualified buyers and sellers.

Whether you are just starting out or want to take your real estate business to a more advanced level, these strategies are here to exploit the emerging opportunities in Manitoba. So why wait? start generating quality real estate leads in Manitoba today and enjoy the growth of your business.

The steps and strategies outlined here should lead you to discover real estate leads in Manitoba and capitalize on the many opportunities this unique market will provide. These tips, working in Winnipeg or a smaller community, will help you stand out and connect with the right clients to ensure you are on your way toward a prosperous career in Manitoba’s real estate industry.

FAQs

Question : What are the best ways to generate real estate leads in Manitoba?

Answer : The best strategies for generating real estate leads in Manitoba include optimizing your website for local SEO, leveraging social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, using Manitoba-specific real estate platforms such as Kijiji, and building partnerships with local businesses. Hosting webinars or workshops on the Manitoba real estate market can also attract potential leads.

Question :Are there any specific online platforms for finding Manitoba property leads?

Answer : Yes, there are several platforms specific to Manitoba that can help you find real estate leads. Kijiji Manitoba is popular for both buying and selling properties, while Realtor.ca provides access to MLS listings in the region. Additionally, local real estate boards and forums can offer exclusive listings and networking opportunities.

Question : How can I use social media to find real estate leads in Manitoba?

Answer : You can generate Manitoba real estate leads by running targeted ads on Facebook and Instagram, showcasing your property listings through Instagram Stories and Reels, and engaging with local communities through social media groups. Creating valuable content such as market updates or homebuying tips specifically for Manitoba can help you attract a relevant audience.

Question : What emerging opportunities should I focus on in the Manitoba real estate market?

Answer : Emerging opportunities in Manitoba include targeting remote workers looking to relocate to more affordable and spacious areas, focusing on sustainable housing trends, and capitalizing on population growth in cities like Winnipeg and Brandon. Understanding these trends and creating tailored marketing campaigns can give you an edge in generating leads.

Question : How can I get high-quality real estate leads in Manitoba without spending too much money?

Answer : You can generate high-quality real estate leads in Manitoba without breaking the bank by optimizing your website for local search terms, participating in local community events, using organic social media strategies, and networking with local businesses. Offering free educational webinars or workshops on the Manitoba real estate market can also attract leads without requiring a large investment.

The Ultimate Guide to Winning Real Estate Leads in British Columbia: Thriving in a Competitive Market

Published September 25, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

The Ultimate Guide to Winning Real Estate Leads in British Columbia: Thriving in a Competitive MarketThe world of real estate is changing fast, even in the best of times, and particularly in a province as vibrant and diverse as British Columbia. Quality lead generation is often like trying to find a handful of needles in a haystack, from the snowy peaks of Whistler to the bustling neighborhoods of Vancouver. BC has some of the country’s most competitive and lucrative markets in real estate. So, how do you, the smart real estate agent, succeed in competitive British Columbia?

In this exclusive guide to effective real estate lead strategies in British Columbia, I will go beyond the so-called tried-and-tested methods and instead dive into these fresh strategies that will make you stand out even in the most saturated markets. Be it a seasoned agent or a new face in the business, I can assure that this guide unlocks some of the best ways to generate real estate leads in BC and turn them into loyal clients.

Understanding the Competitive Landscape

The real estate market in BC is extremely dynamic. The breathtaking landscapes, population variety, and booming economy make it no wonder that buyers swarm to this beautiful province. Competition rises, though, as agents, brokers, and agencies all battle for attention in an increasingly popular area, particularly in Vancouver, Victoria, and Kelowna.

One needs to understand the dynamics of BC real estate to be successful. No longer are home sellers content to merely sell homes but want to be at the right place at the right time for their potential client, along with leveraging the tools that will connect you with them. For buyers and sellers, traditional methods might no longer cut it in today’s digitally savvy world.

Knowing Your Lead Types in Real Estate

Not all leads in real estate are the same. They differ according to their readiness to become part of a transaction. Knowing the types of leads is essential since different strategies may bring more opportunities to convert them into clients. Below are the main categories of leads you would have: cold leads, warm leads, hot leads, and put-out leads.

  1. Cold leads : Cold leads are those who have risen to a minimal level of interest in taking part in the real estate transaction. Maybe they were perusing some properties or signing up for a newsletter, but certainly they aren’t looking to sell or buy anytime soon. Cold leads often have a very low conversion rate, but if you get it right, they can be warmed up by the appropriate marketing. You can guide them along the curve of interest and along the curve of readiness to act with great informative content and compelling communication.
  2. Warm Leads : These are leads who have demonstrated some level of interest or engagement within the marketplace. They may be able to view more listings, attend more open houses, or even respond to your content online. These leads are close to taking a decision, and with the right follow-up and personal interactions, you can significantly raise your chance of conversion. Building a relationship with warm leads through constant dialogue and insights shared may guide the lead towards next steps in their real estate journey.
  3. Hot Leads : Hot leads are those top prospects who feature in your best list of leads in the pipeline. These people are interested in buying or selling property and are most likely to take action soon. They have the intent and means to close the deal, which places them at the top of your list. In such high-quality leads, follow-up and a customized nurturing strategy would be critical intervention to ensure one does not let this opportunity slip away. Producing hot leads can easily ensure quick conversion and successful transaction within a short span.
  4. Put-Out Leads : Though less spoken about, put-out leads are prospects who initially showed interest but have yet to follow up. They may have discussed buying and selling but did nothing more after that. These need a different kind of strategy, often through re-engagement, in which one would try to understand their current situation and challenge them to re-enter the game.

The Importance of Real Estate Leads

Good leads are the only thing that a successful real estate business can thrive upon. In simple words, they represent the people interested in buying or selling real property. Ensuring productive lead generation in BC real estate market may make all the difference between a career and getting lost in the crowd. How do you fill your funnel with the proper leads? Let’s jump right in!

Best Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads in BC

Create an Online Presence

Being present online can no longer be an option in the new digital world. Most homebuyers begin their search online, so you want to be there when they are researching. Here are a few ways to do just that:

  1. Professional Website: Your website must be user friendly and mobile responsive. Your listings, testimonials, and credentials to name a few must shine through on your website. Image quality must be excellent in highlighting the beauty of BC properties.
  2. SEO Optimization: Put keywords on your website in such a way that you would rank well in the search engines for the terms. Target phrases such as “Top real estate agents in British Columbia ” or ” Best Property to invest in British Columbia “.
  3. Content Marketing: With a blog, you have the ability to brand yourself as an expert in the real estate field. You can use your blog as a source of content rich with helpful tips, inside insights, and current trends that future clients can learn from.

Utilize Social Media

Real estate is very visual, and no doubt the best place to show stunning properties and local neighborhoods could be through social media. The best lead strategies in real estate in British Columbia often have a robust social media game. A photograph or video featuring stunning properties and local neighborhoods could be incredibly powerful on platforms like Instagram, Facebook. Here’s how to leverage them effectively:

  1. Engagement : Publish interesting articles, such as listings of properties, market updates and other educational resources, making posts appealing with eye-catching visuals and videos.
  2. Targeted Ads: Target using Facebook and Instagram ads, so the ads are hit- oriented toward an interested demographic of people. Ad targeting can be allowed for first time home buyers, luxury property investors, or people who are just targeted in specific BC neighborhoods.
  3. Join local groups: Be a part of the community groups that exist on Facebook or other platforms, and share your knowledge, relating to any potential buyer or seller in an easy, friendly way.

Go Beyond Just Posting Listings

People don’t follow a real estate agent because they want to see listings. It’s to get better into the market, pick up some home-buying tips, find out about local events, or even catch a glimpse into your behind-the-scenes life. That makes you more human and gets people to trust you.

  1. Instagram: Use Instagram by using pictures of the property listings but also speaking about the area, home-buying tips, and client success stories.
  2. Facebook: Assemble community by establishing a Facebook group on first-time buyers in BC or those seeking investment. Share relevant information and contribute to the discussion.

Email Marketing

It is important to note how effective a good email marketing campaign can be. Here is how you can use it:

Try Lead Magnets Create a free e-book or guide about buying and selling in BC. In exchange, they give you their email addresses. For example, create an exclusive guide to winning BC real estate leads.

Regular Newsletters : Share with subscribers regular updates. Give your readers market insights, tips on buying and selling, and highlight recent success stories.

Networking and Community Involvement

Real estate is a people business. Building relationships will likely bring you the opportunities you’re seeking with valuable referrals. Here’s a start:

  1. Attend Local Events: Community events, workshops on real estate, or local business meeting can be attended. These meetings are ideal for attending events to meet potential leads or professionals. Join various real estate associations in their local areas to expand their networks and, hence, gain the special leads and resources.
  2. Host Community Events: This may be a workshop or seminar on real estate, so you can position yourself as the community expert. You’ll find topics to include such things as first-time home buying tips or analysis of the market trend.

Leverage Online Real Estate Platforms

Don’t underestimate platforms like Realtor.ca, Zillow, or local MLS listings. Here’s how to maximize your presence:

  1. High-Quality Listings: Ensure your property listings are detailed and feature high-resolution images that showcase your properties in their best light.
  2. Response Time: Be prompt in responding to inquiries on these platforms. Quick follow-ups can convert leads into clients.

Use Local SEO Strategies

Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a must for those agents who would want to get real estate leads in British Columbia. Optimizing your content online about the local search means that when clients are searching for an agent in BC, you will appear before them.

Tips for Local SEO:

  1. Google My Business: Create and optimize your Google My Business listing. This will ensure that your business shows up in the Google local search results and Google Maps.
  2. Geographic-Specific Keywords: Insert words like “Real estate leads in Vancouver” and “BC real estate agent” in the content of your website
  3. Geo-Backlinks: Get relevant backlinks from local businesses or organizations to make your website relevant for local search.

Pro Tip: Ask clients to review your Google profile to rank higher in local search.

Offer Free Consultations

In some cases, it takes a free consultation to win a lead. Helping clients gain value for free can take a potential client from hesitant to sure when deciding on working with you.

What to Include When Offering a Free Consultation:

  1. Market Analysis: Give away a free report on the local market to prove your expertise.
  2. Property Appraisal: Offer free home appraisal to sellers to demonstrate your expertise.
  3. Buyer Consultation: Let interested buyers learn how to buy a home in British Columbia

Pro Tip: Use the free consultation service to showcase it on your website, social media pages, as well as local ad services, that will bring leads.

Superb Customer Experience

Word-of-mouth is still the best lead strategy for real estate in British Columbia. Happy clients are more apt to refer you to friends and family if you treat them just a little better than other agents. This can amount to an endless flow of leads in real estate.

How to Get Noticed

  1. Stay in Touch: After a sale, stay in touch with past clients by mail. Send them holiday cards; remind them that their next home will be an anniversary; or drop them helpful tips on homeownership.
  2. Personalize Your Service: Provide services for the distinct needs of each client whether he or she be a first time homebuyer, first time investor or long time seasoned investor.
  3. Ask Testimonials: Online, glowing feedback appearing on Google, Facebook and other real estate Web sites. Make sure satisfied clients comment.

Pro Tip: “Use what you already have-wear past clients. Establish a referral program and get them to refer more of these leads by being generous with the thank you; a gift card or donation to charity in their name is a nice gesture. Ask them to send referrals your way.”.

Invest in Paid Advertising

Paid advertising will complement the organic efforts you are able to make through SEO and social media. If you need to reach potential leads much quicker, paid advertising is one of the best tools. For example, Facebook and Google Ads let you target specific demographics.

Best Practices for Paid Ads:

  1. Targeted Audience: Utilize demographics, location, and interests to target your ideal client in British Columbia.
  2. Compelling Ad Copy: Write copy that will make people want to click on it-focus on the value of interacting with you.
  3. Landing Pages: Create ad click-throughs to a landing page with a powerful CTA, such as scheduling a call.

Pro Tip: Try different ad formats-image ads, carousel ads, video ads, and so forth-to see what jumps out to your audience.

Making the Most of Your Leads

Once leads have been generated, it is important to create a plan on how they can be transitioned into clients. Following are a few tips on the successful nurturing of leads:

  1. Timely Follow-up : Don’t let a lead “go cold.” Follow up with contact within 24 hours of the first contact. A sweet gesture like an email or a call check would have really mattered. Consistency and personalization are the keys; tailor them according to their needs and interests.
  2. Value in Interactions : Always provide them with value-based content. Whether it is the latest update of the market, tips, or resources that makes you an authority,
  3. Technology : Automation tools can be very much helpful to ease your follow-up processes. With reminders on calling specific leads or emails targeting the needs of your leads, you save time and never ‘lose’ a lead in the hole.
  4. Don’t Get Desperate :Real estate buying and selling is a big decision, and many leads take some time before converting. So, nurture relationships and stay in touch even when they are not yet ready to move forward-they might remember you when it’s time.

Conclusion: Thriving in BC’s Competitive Real Estate Market

Sustaining real estate leads in British Columbia certainly is a tough job, but with the right formation of strategies stiffened against this ever-changing landscape, one can surely thrive in competitive real estate in British Columbia by handling the competition effectively. This includes creating an online reputation, networking, jumping on local markets, and continually adding value to solidify a strong foundation towards success.

Remember, it’s really all about building relationships as much as making deals. Trust is built, listening to what’s important to clients, and becoming a resource for them will take you a long way. With persistence, creativity, and an open mind, you will generate leads and turn them into lifelong friends. Now get out there, hustle hard, and enjoy the ride.

FAQ’s

Q : How do I get real estate leads in BC?

Answer : BC real estate leads can best be obtained from social media marketing, optimization of your website through search engines, email campaigns, open houses, networking in the community, and also through collaboration with other professionals.

Q : What are some effective lead generation strategies for Realtors in British Columbia?

Answer :Good strategies include writing nice content so people are attracted toward you, doing targeted advertisement campaigns, using a good CRM system that can handle leads, keeping follow-up relationships regular, and providing free incentives such as market report or home valuation tool.

Q : How to Nurture Cold Leads in Real Estate?

Answer : Cold leads entail much-thought-of initiatives, which may include regular informative emails, relevant articles shared with them, and presence on social media. These measures can help transform the lead into a warmer lead over time.

Q : How do I make sure to follow up effectively on real estate leads?

Answer : A good follow-up strategy can include a timely call, personalized mail, and a scheduled follow up. Valuable insight, friendly, and approachable may bring your conversation a bit closer to trust, keeping things going on the same wavelength.

Q : How does social media contribute to lead generation in real estate?

Answer :Social media sites could be the ideal places to showcase properties and engage with potential clients while building your brand. Market insights, success stories, and community events shared can attract leads and improve online presence.

Q : How can I make myself more visible online and increase the leads?

Answer : SEO strategies, in optimizing your website, proper creation of content related to your business, and efficient use of social media. Online advertising is also available targeting the specific target demographics in your desired market.

Common mistakes that should be avoided for lead generation:

Common mistakes include acting on leads inadequately, poor lead segmentation, ineffective application of technology, and a broad marketing strategy. You should identify who your audience is and communicate consistently.

Q : What is a good way to measure the success of my lead generation activities?

Answer : Success can be measured in many ways, including conversion rates, lead response times, and engagement levels. These metrics help you adjust your strategies and highlight areas for improvement.

Top 37 Creative Social Media Post Ideas for Engagement and Lead Generation in Real Estate

Published September 24, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Top 37 Creative Social Media Post Ideas for Engagement and Lead Generation in Real Estate Real estate agents are not obligated to be keeners or enthusiasts when it comes to social media these days, but they will be at a disadvantage if they’re not utilizing social media as a means of real estate lead generation. There are plenty of agents who don’t have an Insta and maybe only use Facebook and the like to browse photos of high school friends on the other side of the globe, but they will still have a Facebook business page for real estate and participating in as many local groups for real estate and home buying as possible.

The reason being is that this is how a realtor makes themselves increasingly visible to people who are looking for a realtor to work with as they move towards selling or buying a home. Social media platforms are known to be a place where home buyer client leads are more likely than home seller leads, and in part that may be because of the demographics and prerogatives of users.

It is likely they are not looking for an agent on social media per se, but they’re probably using it to view homes for sale and seeing what they can afford in a new home, or perhaps a first home. If they see a realtor who is very proactive in sharing the expertise and local market knowledge on any of them it is quite likely that it creates a favourable impression with them. If they reach out that’s an opportunity to get them into your sales funnel, but there’s still going to be much skill required of you if you’re to turn them from lead into client.

But the potential of doing that to a significant extent and really building an identity as a realtor who is prominent on social media is worth the effort, and that is why there’s a growing interest in real estate social media ideas. Most realtors won’t be very social media savvy to begin with, and that’s almost always true of older folks who are switching careers to real estate. But that’s not to dictate that they can’t be learning as they go with real estate marketing tips centered around social media activity.

That’s what we’ll look at with this week’s entry here, and specifically with 37 creative social media post ideas that are more likely to have traction for you as you look at to get leads from social media in real estate. As you’d expect, not just any type of post will do if you want to make the right impression on a would-be client. Even if it’s informative, and even if it’s accurate and has the right image attached to it.

Need to be better in the know with all of this stuff? Join the club and read on. Here is where you can be to discover proven real estate marketing ideas.

Narrower Focus

Sometimes real estate marketing tips need to have a much narrower focus, and that is true for specific social media platforms and the types of posts an agent will be putting together for them. Leveraging the power of social media marketing can be an effective way to generate leads, but the content has to be 100% on point and if there are visuals involved they need to be equally as good.

It’s fine to have a social media strategy for realtors where you have established where you should be posting and when you should be posting, but your posts themselves need to have the right message and the right visual impression too. It’s something that comes with practice, but there are also some types of posts that tend to do well no matter the audience or what their prerogatives might be in interacting with the post.

Let’s start with this by suggesting you consider a recent survey that found 29% of realtors don’t use social media for their business at all. Missing out on real estate lead generations from social media? You bet they are, and they’d be well advised to embrace social media strategy for realtors like the ones we’ve detailed in different blog posts here over recent months.

It might be that for these realtors the reason they are not active on social media to the extent they need to be is that be that coming up with ideas for real estate social media posts is really challenging for them and possibly takes up too much of their time. So it’s for these types of real estate agents that we’ve put together these 37 ideas for social media real estate promotional posts that are more likely to promote the kind of networking they are looking for.

Be Ready to Go

It’s best if an agent can come up with posts quickly as part of their social media strategy for realtors, and so the first piece of advice we have here is to plan the entirety of your posts in advance. Set aside the time you’ll need to come up with new post ideas for the month, as planning ahead will give your brain the space it needs to come up with good and informative post content and less chance you’ll be settling for something that’s way too ordinary and unexceptional. Make this a part of being more strategic with your social media marketing in general.

There are platforms like Hootsuite, Planoly or Later, among others, that make it easy to schedule and implement real estate social media marketing plans. An 80/20 type of rule thing is advisable here – 80% of your content and posts should offer your audience value, insights, or entertainment, and the other 20% can be dedicated to promoting your business.

Borrow as Needed

So much to be said for working smarter, and not necessarily working harder. You want to aim to stand out, but that doesn’t mean an obligation to be producing never-before-seen content from scratch 100% of the time. Wonderful if you’re able to do that, but it’s not actually necessary and you can still have success with real estate social media ideas without it.

It’s perfectly alright to repost and borrow ideas to make them your own, but of course you’ll need to be paraphrasing the content to put it into your own words. Say it in a way that’s fresh and unique to your brand and tailored to your specific audience, and you’ll be okay with recycling that post. This is particularly advisable if it’s a trending topic.

Sync Social Media Posts With a Blog

These days every realtor needs to have a real estate agent website, and you’ll be hard pressed to find even one realtor who doesn’t have one. It is always best if the site has a blog that is regularly updated with new content related to the market and anything and everything relevant to working with an agent while buying or selling a home. If you have a blog then linking to the content shared in it can be an excellent expansion on real estate marketing tips.

Further, use your blog as a source of content ideas. Ideas could be to pull quippy quotes, share any infographics you might have, as well as promoting your latest articles. If you don’t have a blog on your website then add one, and you don’t need to be a good writer even. Writing just capably is fine, and there’s a double advantage to this approach. Efficiency is increased because you can get two pieces of marketing content out of one and an even bigger gain is going to be the fact that it drives traffic to your website.

With that you’ll have even greater opportunities to increase engagement and enjoy real estate lead generation from social media and your blog together. The remaining of the 37 ideas we’ll share here will be presented in more point form, as we don’t want this blog entry to be stretching on too long.

  1. Congratulating a client on the recent sale or purchase of a home
  2. Inviting a colleague, past client, or family member to place a guest-post on your page
  3. ‘Home of the Week’ post that highlights a client or home that you’re currently working with.
  4. 7.. Testimonial, review, or quote shared from previous clientele
  5. POV on why it’s a good time to buy or sell, or why it is not a good time
  6. Promote one of your most popular blog posts.
  7. Free resource sharing, with an example being a guide to the home selling process.
  8. Insider advice related to what NOT to buy and things to look out for in the local market
  9. Put a focus on a relevant housing market news article and share your perspective on it
  10. Real estate infographics with information that prospective clients can reference in buying or selling a home
  11. Local market updates
  12. Community outreach events, and ideally ones you’re participating in. An excellent part of social media strategy for realtors
  13. Make viewers aware of local events for the family
  14. Share info regarding the latest in home technology trends
  15. Quick home-improvement tips or hacks
  16. Recommendations with favorite resources, products, or services for homeowners
  17. Post DIY decor tips and how-tos
  18. Tips related to keeping energy bills down in winter or summer
  19. Invite your followers to an open house as you discover proven real estate marketing ideas
  20. Share an especially notable home listing
  21. Common questions from buyers answered
  22. Share a recent home staging and request feedback from viewers.
  23. Relate what a ‘dream house’ is to you and then ask followers about theirs.
  24. Common questions from sellers answered – e.g. – ‘When is the best time to sell?’
  25. Home staging ideas for both interior and exterior
  26. Share a funny meme and use it as a way to talk about a service that you’ll offer to clients
  27. Suggest followers vote on a favorite restaurant in the area
  28. Gift guide for the holidays
  29. Celebrations of obscure and unofficial holidays
  30. Share interior decorating ideas.
  31. Come up with fun and interesting questions to get your connections engaged in conversation
  32. Ask a question and ask for responses as GIFs only – e.g.- ‘How do you feel about the current housing market?’
  33. Put together video where you share how much you love real estate and real estate social media ideas
  34. ‘behind the scenes’ photos of how you’re helping your clients today
  35. Motivational quote for the day
  36. Talk about what you’re reading and ask for suggestions on what you should read next, or if anyone has real estate marketing tips
  37. Share a real estate fun fact

The aim is always going to be to discover proven real estate marketing ideas and enjoy more social media real estate lead generation, and in order to do that you’re going to need to have better quality posts that are more engaging for readers. The hope is that with some of these ideas you’ll be better equipped to do that.

This Year’s Proven Techniques for Real Estate Sales Leads and Visibility

Published September 17, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

This Year’s Proven Techniques for Real Estate Sales Leads and Visibility

A lot of why many realtors don’t last long in the business is because they don’t have the needed hustle and as such they don’t have a critical component of what it takes to be successful in the business. If there were a few handfuls or realtors the thousands potential clients in big cities everyday it might be a legit get rich-quick and easy opportunity but the reality is that there are thousands of real at any time there too.

This is why developing a real estate marketing plan that puts a big focus on making themselves stand out from the crowd and distinguishes them as a service provider in a more unique way. You can likely still list a few homes a year, but one of the things that’s true about real estate in North America is you’ve got to be hungry for the money if you’re going to stick with this and you’d better have the hustle that goes along with it.

One of the approaches these profit-minded agents are taking is to buy paid real estate leads. Real estate lead generation is always a big deal if you’re working as an agent in a competitive big city, and the way these paid leads work is the realtor will buy a packaged where they receive X-number of buyer and / or home seller leads each month. The leads come from people who voluntarily complete online surveys that are used to gauge how likely they are to buy or sell a home in the near future.

Being fast-tracked to being in touch with genuine potential clients is going to be huge for any agent’s Real Estate Marketing, and with homes bought or sold come the commissions that allow agents to invest even more in the growth of their business. The question then becomes how to continue to farm leads organically and use both approaches to be feeding new prospective clients into your sale funnel to greatest extent possible. You can take the 2-prong approach, collecting your paid leads and working hard to drum up leads offline too.

You can definitely grow your real estate brand this way, especially if you can showcase your satisfied clients along with homes bought or sold through you as the agent. But only if you have the right marketing collaterals and really good self-promotion through content publishing and the like.

Effective Plans Always

Top-performing agents know excel with the development and implementations of effective plans for growing their business. Some will be on their way to ‘top performer’ status in the office, but even the ones with more modest success with clients from the month will need to be doing well real estate lead generation too. And maybe revisiting their efforts with it if their current plan for getting more real estate clients and increasing their gross commission income isn’t turning out to be as effective as they thought it would be.

So that’s what leads us to be here, where the agent needs to learn how to craft a well-developed real estate marketing plan that enables them to generate more leads and then turn more of those leads into clients.

There are plenty of free online resources for content and worksheets for people to take inventory of their business, ones where you can be walked through the process of building your brand, setting attainable goals, and creating an actionable plan for yourself that is more likely to lead to success in real estate. With this blog entry we’ll cover what should be included in a real estate marketing plan, and are all the organized strategies, systems, and schedules that individual agents, teams, and brokerages are using to guide their marketing efforts successfully the same ones you’re using.

You can start by defining your target market, and this may be something where you’re not sure who is the person most likely to use you as their agent when buying or selling a home anywhere in Canada. Make it so that more of them may well have seen you as a local realtor and you’re well on your way to grow your real estate brand.

Know Target Market

There are gains to be had if your marketing efforts become focused on a narrower audience so that’s there are serious improvements in terms of lead-to-client conversion rates and maximizing your transaction volume. Identifying your farm area or ideal client’s profile to have a more accurate understanding of what you need to do to fine-tune your branding and marketing to cater to the specific needs, challenges, and interests of a particular type of person.

Build Brand Structure

A weak brand means you’re more likely to lose focus, disappear in the crowd of competition, and be inaccurately representing who you are as an agent. This may take away from your productivity and hinder your ability to acquire and retain quality leads.

Data & Analytics

Agents that are armed with statistics, analytics, and insights are better able to set goals, track progress, and make their success something that can be recreated. Without data, marketing efforts are more likely to have energies not channeled in the way they should be, with some focuses not getting the attention – and budget – they deserve.

Technology & Tools

Technology and tools is a big part of real estate marketing now too, and it’s going to be increasingly so all through the long foreseeable future too. It’s a must for customer relationship management, direct marketing, or any of your transaction work. The best real estate marketing plans will have a customizable website, fully integrated CRM, social media management tools, and marketing automation software.

Social media strategy, video content, robust marketing automation tools, a customizable real estate website, and a fully-integrated CRM are also going to be among the best real estate marketing plans. But you need to how to use these tools if you’re going to get maximum benefit from them.

Lead Sources

Most cities have a highly competitive, low-inventory housing market, and that means very few people if any don’t have a realtor they know long before they need to work with one. In order to do well with real estate lead generation you need cast a wide net and get as much of a volume of leads that you can to work with. There are different categories for lead sources:

  1. Online – social media, paid ads, using your website
  2. Offline – signage, direct mail, hosting open houses
  3. Referrals – your network, and sphere of influence in real estate
  4. Prospecting and outreach – cold calling, community involvement, summary offences, sending prospecting letters
  5. Buy real estate leads to build your client base with online leads

You need to have a methodology if you’re going to do well with this, and it is also better to have specific goals. It is an important part of real estate marketing and these should S.M.A.R.T. goals – smart, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Here’s some examples of S.M.A.R.T. goals in real estate

See average number of leads I generate every month increase by 20 percent by the end of this year.

Minimum one webinar or guide bout real estate lead generation best practices downloaded every month throughout 2024.

Commit to determining the real estate website provider that has the best websites for generating leads and take what is learned to build a new website from that provider by the end of the first quarter.

5 Recommended Estate Marketing Strategies

Goals are likely to go unachieved if they don’t have specific strategies in place to help them become realized. Your plan should be actionable, and the actions seen to be the ones most likely to produce the results you’ve desired – in this case, getting more real estate clients and having them come from leads you’ve met and convinced to use you as their local real estate agent.

We’ll conclude this week’s entry here with five real estate marketing ideas that are sure to generate more leads.

Be Advertising

Realtors have always needed to advertising their services, but these days it’s more needed than ever as you’ve got to be doing everything you can to be visible as often as possible Someone is going to be looking to work with an agent like you, but are you the agent they’re going to see or hear of first?

Develop Referral Strategy

Do well and it’s possible to have former clients referring someone who is also needing to work with a realtor for buying or selling a home. In the early part of your career you should explicitly ask to receive a referral if you are certain that they clients are very pleased with how you helped them with such an important decision. Over time referrals really start to spread well and they start to serve the interests of your real estate marketing plan.

Use Marketing Automation Tools

Marketing automation tools can do so much now. You can have every aspect of your marketing efforts improved upon with a fully-integrated CRM that you operate through your real estate agent website and the ability to automate new listing alerts, newsletters, and print and digital content pieces like postcards, flyers, and video-enabled mobile-responsive emails.

Leverage Social Media’s Power

Social media has quickly grown to be such a huge part of real estate marketing, and that’s because it is increasingly where would-be homebuyers and sellers are interacting around the topic. Realtors who spend the time to look can find a shortcut for implementing an efficient and productive social media strategy with the many ‘social media cheat sheets’ that are out there for better knowing the audience, tone, and user intentions applicable for each channel.

Paid Buyer & Seller Leads Delivered to You Exclusively

Sign up with Real Estate Leads and you’ll receive a monthly quota of qualified buyer and / or seller leads that will only be going to one realtor – you. That means you’re the only agent in the region who’ll be tipped off to those folks who might be ready to work with an agent to buy or sell a home. This is definitely a value-loaded scenario, as with greater understanding of converting leads into clients you start making huge gains as you grow your real estate brand .

Do well with real estate lead generation and you can have more time you to spend with client prospecting in other ways, which sets you up even better for the future. Learning how to get the leads in real estate is one thing, but converting those leads into clients consistently is how you reach your sales goals and have a fairly large group of clients that you’re working with at any given time through the year.

Ultimate Real Estate Agent Branding Guide: Build Your Identity and Boost Your Real Estate Business

Published September 10, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

You could be working to establish yourself in any type of business these days and the need to be building a brand for yourself will be something that’s going to be directly conducive to having success. This is something that wasn’t as important for previous generations, but with the way media and marketing approaches exist today – along with the way people are predisposed to make choices about where they’ll take their business – it’s an entirely different ballgame when it comes being visible and making a name for yourself.

There’s no debate that branding is huge in all of this, and in this business real estate agent branding is equally huge nowadays. Perhaps even more so given how competitive this business is, and the fact that in nearly every city and town there are way too many realtors in comparison to how much business there is to go around. That’s going to be true even when the market is hot, and it’s a reality that’s not going to change.

Real estate marketing is so much more of a challenge because people have so much more in the way of choices. Ones for the properties they’ll be submitting offers on, and ones for which real estate agent they start to work with long before that happens. The same will go for clients wishing to sell their home, and quite often you need to have a unique selling proposition for real estate if you’re going to convince them that you’re the agent they should be listing with.

Making those more unique approaches clear to prospective clients can also be a part of your branding, and so as realtors become more convinced of the need to put effort into this the question becomes which real estate branding strategies are best for proven success with all of this? That’s what we’re going to look at here with this blog entry and hopefully provide valuable insight for new realtors who are keen to find every way possible to start standing out from the crowd.

Crowded Room

Let’s start with all of this by telling you to keep in mind that there are well over a million licensed real estate agents in Canada. And at the same time, housing inventory is down to around half its normal levels and even though interest rates have moved down a bit the market hasn’t picked up recently in the way many thought it would. When there is no shortage of agents but a shortage of housing inventory then this is the equation for a very competitive business for real estate agents.

So now is the time to put real effort into personal branding for agents and do everything you can to make sure your brand is more noticeable and more appealing so you can generate real estate leads and close more deals, and do so even if housing market conditions aren’t ideal. The term branding may be entirely foreign to some of you, and to be fair for a lot of people it will be associated with cattle ranching practices. That’s of course not what we’re talking about here, and so let’s give a definition for branding first.

A brand in real estate is how the agent’s company, brokerage, or the individual agent themselves are viewed in the minds of their community, prospects, leads, and clients. It will always be a combination of tangible and intangible elements that make up the identity of the business, and identity, values, and reputation are always going to be tied into it too. The aim for every agent should be to be creating a positive brand ‘experience’ – a particular set of emotions, perceptions, and associations that a consumer will have for you and your team based on their interactions with you across various touchpoints.

All of this will matter a lot more than many agents will think, and that’s because of what can be gained from consistently positive brand experiences. There are huge gains to be made with establishing trust, generating real estate leads, turn more of them into clients, and – perhaps most importantly – encouraging brand loyalty. Repeat clients in real estate is always something agents will want to have for themselves, and there is a real connection between that and brand loyalty.

This is always going to be crowded field with lots of competitors, so it’s your brand that makes your real estate business unique in the eyes of your community, and sets you apart from your competition. Agents and brokerages that don’t put effort into building a brand for themselves are quite likely to suffer for it. Real estate agent branding needs to be a priority for any and all who want to enjoy growth and growing income from working as a real estate agent in Canada.

Time To Rebrand?

Any marketing expert will tell you than rebranding is required when a company is not meeting its sales goals or has stopped growing. It is at this point where they have stopped standing out from the crowd, and potential clients will begin to see that agent or their brokerage as just another one of many that can likely provide services equally well. Changing your established brand can certainly be a challenge and require a lot of you, but the payoff usually tends to be well worth it.

Creating a new brand identity keeps you fresh and relevant in the ever-changing marketplace. Consumers are always going to be inclined to connect with those that are up-to-date and understand the new way of doing business. Aligning yourself with those new ways and making it very clear that you are aligned that way needs to be very central in your Real estate marketing efforts. The process of reconsidering how you brand yourself as a real estate agent gives you a chance to refine your mission and vision and to recreate your business from the ground up.

Not only that, but it can also be a way to generate more realtor leads and allow for greater levels of growth in the coming future. Rebranding will always start with brainstorming and it’s better to have something of a conventional roadmap when you’re ready to start doing that. You’re not obligated to stay within these lanes, but these are fairly standard considerations that agents or brokerages will have when deciding on how to rebrand themselves.

Brand Personality

Think of how a would-be client would spend a day with your real estate brand. Then how would an acquaintance of that client ask him or her to describe their experience with the brand. How would you hope to have that person responding? If you are looking at this from the individual agent perspective it’s here that you want to come to a consensus on what are your strongest character traits, and where do you excel in providing service to clients and likely outperforming other agents in the same regard?

Also give thought to what are your most relevant and effective strengths and skills as a real estate agent, and if there are any specialties to the service you provide. Do you have a niche market as realtor that you are better suited to be serving? You might specialize in a specific type of property or are particularly good at connecting with a certain type of buyer.

The bigger picture here is what do you want your leads and clients to think of when they think of your brand? What qualities do you want them to be associating with you, and what are the most direct and effective ways of fostering that way of thinking in those clients? What may be very helpful here is to have a unique selling proposition for real estate. This is a statement that makes it clear to prospective clients about what sets your brand apart from other agents based on what you can do differently / more effectively in finding them the right home or getting their home sold faster and for more money.

You can conceptualize this as an elevator pitch, but a written one. Done right it will convey that you’re not a dime-a-dozen agent, and you have the means of applying your expertise differently for better results. This pitch should be concise, short, and punchy so it resonates more with these potential clients. Most unique value propositions (UVPs) are only a sentence or two in length.

If you have numbers or statistics that will back up your assertion that you’re the better choice as a real estate agent here then by all means put them int there. Stats and figures give go a long way in boosting perceived credibility.

Here is an example one:

‘I have helped more clients sell their GTA area homes in the last five years than any other agent. I would like to point out that my clients’ homes sell in an average of just 20 days, and that is about 25% faster than the average for my area. Client care, communication, and closing are always the foundations of my focus when I am serving people like you who want the best outcomes when they are looking to buy or sell a home in this area. An area that I know explicitly well after working as an agent here for ___ years.’

Define Target Market(s)

It’s never going to be beneficial if a realtor take the position that everyone is their target audience. Not only is it unrealistic, but it’s also never true and often it takes experience and time working with clients to really define what an agent should be focusing on as their target market. Coming to that definition is integral to personal branding for agents and it’s something every realtor needs to do if they’re going to be allocating their time and resources wisely.

Once you have your ideal client’s profile, you can more easily fine-tune your branding and marketing to cater to the specific needs, challenges, and interests of a particular client pool. Focuses will be different based on certain parts of a town, a set of specific neighborhoods, or a niched type of consumer. Examples could be veterans or home investors.

Also try to be as specific as possible, and creating profiles or ‘personas’ based on your top few ideal clients is right in line with that. You should be leaning heavily on data as you do this. What we mean by that is this; if you’re interested in a particular neighborhood, get all of the information you can find about the demographics in that area, and one idea is to get a customizable real estate agent website that allows you to collect and analyze data about your users and how they are active on the site.

Have a Mission Statement

Continuing with our look at real estate branding strategies, we also want to stress how having a solid mission statements is an important part of real estate agent branding. It shows how your UVP relates to your vision statement, plus explains who you do and this reinforces the way you define yourself, who you serve, how you’re different, and why you do what you do. Have a solid one and you’ll quickly see how it manifests in your marketing collateral as well as with any content you publish on your website or social media.

A solid mission statement for a realtor serves two very important functions:

  1. keeps you focused on your priorities, your overarching purpose, and amplifies the way you find your work meaningful based on the way it provides value to others.
  2. It gives your prospects and clients a firm idea of what they can expect when they work with you, along with an implied assurance that they will be fully satisfied with both the service provided and the outcome of the buying or selling a home.

Your real estate agent mission statement will be meant to serve you and your business, and there’s no definitive right way to come up with one. Just approach it naturally and go with what comes to you freely and instinctually. It doesn’t need to be comprehensive, overly specific and detailed, or even a complete sentence.

If you want to boost your real estate business then you’ll also want to revisiting your brand voice from time to time and honing it to the best of your ability. We’ve explained what a brand is, but what is a brand voice? It refers to the distinct and consistent way a brand communicates with its audience through language and tone and also reflect the personality, values, and identity of the brand.

This is established through content, and we touched on how content posted on your real estate website is important just above here. Your content needs to be aligned with your brand, and it needs to be reinforcing the identity of it. In order for that to happen you very much need to have your brand voice incorporated into it. This is paired with the need to have content geared to the target market you’ve identified for yourself.

It’s quite possible that agents who don’t understand how important their content is to their brand are going to miss the mark. Writing a blog post haphazardly or hiring sub-par content writers to create drivel for your website can detract from a brand’s value the same way well-written and objective content can add to it. The question agents should be asking themselves here is how do my ideal clients communicate, and what type of messaging is most likely to resonate with them? Would facts, figures, and charts be more appealing to them, or would they prefer more of a narrative approach that breaks it all down in plain English?

Real Estate Agent Branding Best Practices

Let’s now proceed to five strategies, tips, and guidelines that are primed for boosting your brand’s effectiveness with prospective clients

Be Consistent

We’ve established how the goal with real estate branding ideas is to make your brand both recognizable and memorable. Being consistent with it is the best way to do that. Every interaction your potential clients have with your brand should look, feel, and sound cohesive, with the entirety of your marketing pointing toward your core messages. Including UVP, mission statement, brand values, and more.

If you look at iconic brands like Apple, Google, Starbucks, Zildjian, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Disney, etc. they have all done so well with the art and science of creating consistent, cohesive brand experiences. Aim to do that for with your real estate branding strategies too, and make choices on:

  1. Design : colors, fonts, look and feel, layouts
  2. Visuals : images, photos, logo, headshot
  3. Messaging : bio, tagline, brand voice, specific communication aims

This will extend to marketing collateral too, and put the same focus on

  1. Print pieces : business cards, postcards, flyers, brochures
  2. Your real estate agent website
  3. Your email signature
  4. Social media profiles and pages
  5. Online ads

Make sure you stay on track with the focus that you are branding yourself and the real estate brokerage you’re working for / representing. See your personal brand as just as important as your company’s brand, and understand the importance of how to brand yourself as a real estate agent and a business / service professional.

Those researching your services online are likely to find your personal pages as well, including your Facebook business page for a real estate agent. Give thought to how this journey will go for your would-be client and use that to be keeping your banding consistent too

Stay on Message

Get deep into real estate market and you may find that you’re being pulled in all sorts of different directions, and even thought the focus is for any agent is going to be to boost your real estate business you want to avoid being carried away too much with any one approach or consideration. One of the best ways to ensure you’re not doing that is to be staying on message with you communications, and including your UVP (unique value proposition).

We know that successful branding is the result of continuous promotion of the same unique theme or selling proposition, and there needs to be a consistency in brand voice and other aspects right across all the tools the agent is using to make that happen. Repeating yourself isn’t a problem, as long as you don’t come across as being redundant or harping on one particular aspect of what makes you different from other real estate agents.

Aim to make it so that when your potential clients know what to expect when they see one of your marketing pieces or have any other type of interaction with your brand. This should also extend to them working with you directly, and what they can foresee with that too. The more your message resonates, the more likely it is your brand will build credibility and keep you top of mind when they are ready to make a decision on which realtor they’re going to work with.

Don’t Miss the Point

Agents who are new to working in real estate are definitely excused if they aren’t up to speed with real estate agent branding right away. But here is one thing that will be hugely beneficial for them to know; it’s easy to get so focused on the details of building a brand that you forget the basics. Don’t be crazy focuses on having your branding be perfect right off the hop, as this unrealistic expectation can actually be detrimental for you.

Continue spending the bulk of your time prospecting, meeting with potential sellers and buyers, showing homes, asking for the sale, and closing deals. Branding is crucial, but it shouldn’t be an all-encompassing focus at all. We’ve seen how a lot of people in this business will obsess over logos and websites, and it’s not helpful. Don’t let branding distract you from the activities that are higher priority and even more directly related to generating sales.

Get Feedback and Monitor Performance

To some extent you can gauge the effectiveness of your real estate branding strategies by seeing the quality of your customer base and the number of listings you have gained from your real estate lead generation efforts. When clients, competitors, and community express respect for your brand, it’s an equally good indicator that you’re building a solid brand identity. If it’s possible you should also have a less circumstantial and anecdotal means of measuring this too.

One idea is to create a basic table in your favorite word processor or spreadsheet software. Place all of your goals in the left column, and using the rest of the columns to document your monthly or weekly performance with new client generation. Including lead conversion into clients.

Consider these metrics too :

  1. Number of transactions per month
  2. Commission income
  3. Website traffic
  4. Response rates for direct mail marketing pieces

All of this information about real estate agent branding can be overwhelming. So if you’re wondering what to do now, here are five options to consider.

Get Creative

The last part of our 5 tips here can be considered as the enjoyable part of personal branding for agents, and that’s because it allow for some creativity from the agent. Start with writing a real estate bio. It’s super valuable and will be responsible for making the first impression you have with clients. In fact these bios often go a long way in determining whether or not a potential client will work with you. Learn how to write a real estate bio that attracts leads.

You can also create your own logo, and if you’re not good with that you can hire someone to create a good looking real estate logo for you. Well-designed logos help businesses stand out among their competition by establishing a strong identity and creating a lasting impression, and again for some clients who are very visually-oriented they may be helpful in swaying them towards you.

The same goes for coming up with an effective slogan for real estate agents. This will be the single-sentence messaging that will be seen with ads and different pieces of marketing collateral, and some people will refer to this a realtor tagline. Try to be unique with yours, and it’s good if you can also be witty while still being fairly conventional at the same time.

Too many realtors have similar taglines, and it’s something you should try to avoid. Remember that aim is to boost your real estate business, and having a good real estate agent tagline that stands out from all the other ones being used can go a long way in making you memorable. And realtors who are memorable – for whatever reason – are more likely to receive contact from people who can then be introduced to realtor’s sales funnel.

Top Real Estate Lead Nurturing Strategies : Maximize Conversions and Client Retention

Published September 3, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Top Real Estate Lead Nurturing Strategies : Maximize Conversions and Client Retention

There are plenty of things in life that come ready-made, but the majority of the time they’re consumer products and there’s a price tag attached to them. If we’re to switch the focus to real estate it is quite possible to buy real estate leads, but they don’t come ready-made in so far as having the lead become a client for the realtor. Yes, it’s possible and there may be instanced where an agent gets a paid real estate lead and the lead agrees to list with them before the phone call is over. Very unlikely though, and that’s why real estate lead nurturing is such a necessary skill for realtors.

As is often the case, this is much more of an art than it is a science. There’s no surefire way to approach a lead and have them work with you with zero chance they decide to do otherwise. If there was every realtor on the planet would know of it and be putting it to use for themselves every time they get real estate leads. Instead real estate lead engagement is something that agents have to learn to do well, and it’s usually a process of trial and error as the new realtor progresses further into their career.

It is also fair to say that turning leads into clients for real estate is even more of a challenge when you’re a realtor working in a major metropolitan area of Canada. Vancouver and Toronto and big cities like them have literally thousands of realtors all vying for the same slice of the pie. If you’re a realtor there and you get a lead you had darn well be able to say and do the right things to convince that person or couple that you’re as good a choice as any for them when it comes to working with a realtor.

Perhaps you’re already brimming with confidence there, and if so then maybe this blog entry is one you can skip. But if not and you’re new to working as a real estate agent in Canada then what we’ll share this week are the best approaches to real estate lead nurturing. It’s information that has real value to it, as finding clients and building a client base for realtors is very much one of the roots for success in this business. Not that anyone would need to be convinced of that, so let’s get right into what we know here.

Pulling In

Nurturing is a verb that most people will more readily associate with a mother and child, or perhaps a gardener and plants. We imagine there’s a good number of green thumb realtors out there, and of course many realtors will be mothers too. But of course the approach you’d be taking with real estate lead nurturing isn’t going to have the same emotional component to it. This is business, and it’s more about providing the means of a livelihood for yourself.

So instead of tending to plants, realtors will tend to their leads. Done right and over time with consistent, careful attention this can result in leads being turned into clients. The most integral part of real estate lead engagement is making a positive first impression with these people, and the age-old expression that you never get a second chance to make a first impression is entirely true here too. So make sure you come across well and present yourself with the utmost professionalism.

Yes, every realtor will be doing that but it needs to be mentioned at least once. Let’s move onto the more involved parts of the process that will apply more fundamentally, especially if you are going to get exclusive buyer and seller leads when you go with us here at Real Estate Leads. Nurturing is also going to involve establishing a genuine connection, staying ‘top of mind’, building trust, and directing these individuals farther down your sales funnel.

Most more experienced agents will tell you the same thing, that learning how to nurture real estate leads is among the most important things you can do for long-term success as a real estate agent. Your first aim with all of this will be to go for at least some measure of volume with your leads, and that’s another reason why paid real estate leads are such a good idea if you can afford them. You’ll receive a set quota of leads, and this is good because it increases the chances that more than one or two of them end up moving further down the funnel.

More leads also means more opportunities to put your lead nurturing strategies into practice, and if you’re genuinely applying yourself here it should mean more clientele in the long run.

Best Practices

Consider these six rules for reaching your lead-to-client conversion rate goals and having significant success with real estate lead nurturing.

Have a Firm Target Market Understanding

Understanding your target market is important, along with knowing their specific needs and concerns, plus the means by which they prefer to consume real estate information. Aim to be as specific and targeted as possible, and it may be a good idea to create sample profiles based on your top two or three ideal clients. The ones that you would like to work with most.

From there you should be segmenting your leads, and this is something you really need to do to be having an ever-improving understanding of where you should be putting the majority of your focus and efforts with real estate lead engagement. This increases the likelihood that more of the leads you gather will eventually become clients.

Here are some sample segmentation categories:

  1. Lead types – hot / warm / cold
  2. Demographics – age, life stage, family size, other
  3. Behaviors – lead source, means of contact / engagement, frequency of contact
  4. Preferences – style of home, area / neighborhood, amenities, etc.

Try to have a clear understanding of who your target market is and who are your most commonly gained leads. This will better set you up for success. You’ll be able to anticipate their needs, and then tailor your communications so that you are speaking directly to their desires and concerns. You’ll also likely find that over time the things you learn about client prerogatives will be changing the way you approach your real estate marketing too.

Personalize Communication

There are plenty of marketing studies that have indicated that highly personalized messages are vastly more effective for client generation as compared to generic, broad messages. It’s best if you can gain something of an understanding of the lead and who they are before putting together the 2nd or 3rd communication you send them after the initial one. Stay hyper-focused on the specific needs, desires, and challenges of the particular segment you’re trying to reach.

Add Value

From the homeowner or homebuyer’s perspective, lead nurturing efforts often go one of two ways. They can either be helpful and much appreciated or they may be seen as overbearing and potentially annoying. It really is all in the way you present yourself and the way you come across. If you come across as a realtor who is simply on the hustle to get clients for themselves it isn’t likely to make a good impression on people. Alternately, if you come across as someone who genuinely has the time to help if the help is needed then you’re likely to make a much better impression.

Personalization is what makes all the difference here, and it is much more possible if you have content packed with high-quality content that aligns with their interests and caters to their potential pain points. Your aim should be to ensure your content is valuable from your intended audience’s perspective, and not with what you would see as important based on being the agent.

What is proven effective is to provide value through informative articles, expert tips, market updates, and exclusive offers. Another idea is to incorporate storytelling techniques to captivate readers and foster a sense of connection and trust.

Avoid Being Overly Salesy

Realtors do so much better when they come across as relational rather than focused on sales and the growth of their business. Few people if any are going to be receptive to a very salesy approach where they’re primarily seen as a means to boosting the agent’s bottom line. It’s better to come across as some who’s genuinely friendly and able to provide real value IF the prospective client needs it. Demonstrate that you actually care about them as a person.

Turning that lead into a client remains the goal, nonetheless. But the way you proceed with real estate lead nurturing here should be to move slowly and be certain that at no point you’re coming across as someone who would really appreciate it if they agreed to it now. No one is going to be signing any contracts at this early point of the process anyways.

The focus should be on getting them to take the next step. This may be something as simple as having them agree to a follow-up call. Move slowly, gently, and deliberately and you’ll almost always be better off because of it.

Don’t Be Annoying

It can be very easy to overdo it and have the lead start to see you differently. Be careful about maintaining a delicate balance between proactive engagement and respectful restraint. You should be keeping your communication consistent, but this type of frequent engagement has the potential to go very wrong for you if it is done incorrectly. Again, there is very much an art to real estate lead nurturing and this is one aspect of it where a fine touch is needed.

If you bombard leads with an excess of messages it’s very possible that the potential client starts to become annoyed with you. Remember, the goal is to provide valuable insights and assistance and not to be overwhelming them.

Test & Optimize

Your benchmarks and goals when it comes to real estate lead management should be based on key performance indicators (KPIs). You should track the following and then make decision and future approaches accordingly:

  1. Number of website visits
  2. Time spent on website
  3. Percentage of leads responded to within a specific time frame (within 1 hour? Longer?)
  4. Open rates and click-through rates of email campaigns
  5. Conversion rate from lead to qualified prospect
  6. Number of follow-up interactions (calls, emails, messages) per lead
  7. Engagement levels and conversions related to different types of content (property listings, market reports, blog posts)

Keeping an eye on these kinds of important data points can indicate how well your lead nurturing is working. And with smart data tracking you can repeat successes and test different tactics for further optimizing your strategies.

Which now leads us to the 5 best practices for nurturing the leads when you get exclusive buyer and seller leads.

5 Best Practices

  1. Email Drip Campaigns

An email drip campaign is a strategically planned series of automated messages sent to potential clients over the course of a specific timeframe. The biggest part of the appeal of drip campaigns is that it is hands-off marketing and very much a set-it, forget-it means of being in regular contact with prospective clients.

There is going to be some time and effort required on the front end, like determining goals, planning the drip campaign, writing the content, establishing a send schedule, and so on. But after that it can be completely automated, and this means you can spend more time on other tasks that are part of a real estate agent’s day-to-day.

Sales funnel leakage is also minimized with these campaigns. A certain percentage of the leads you stuff into the top of the funnel will leak out at some point as they move down, but a campaign of consistent contact will lower that number quite a bit. Learning more about good real estate drip campaigns is recommended, especially for those new to the profession.

  1. Text Messaging

Text messaging (SMS) has four primary benefits:

High open rates – around 98% as compared to about 20% for emails.

Quick response times – 95% of texts are opened and responded to within less than 5 minutes

SMS is often the channel prospective clients will prefer, and this is in line with the many consumer studies that have shown nearly half of them prefer direct communication from brands via text, and close to 9 of 10 prefer text over phone calls.

Text messaging is perfect for on-the-go communication because it’s simple, quick, and easy. Plus there’s no need to write the perfect subject line or preview text.

  1. Distribute Direct Mail

Direct mail may not be as practical as it used to be, but it can still be an effective real estate lead nurturing method. You may not want to put as much weight into it as you do the two we listed first here, but it’s still worth considering and it can help you turn leads into clients.

These are five main types of direct mail marketing pieces:

  1. Real estate newsletters
  2. Flyers
  3. Postcards
  4. Handwritten notes
  5. Informational brochures
  6. Call New Leads

Not to be overlooked with all the many nurturing strategies shared here is to pick up the phone and actually make a call to your lead. This will of course be dependent on their providing you with a contact number, but if someone is genuinely considering buying or selling a home they’ll probably do that if they’re ready to work with a real estate agent.

It’s a good idea to have a real estate agents lead script ready to go for the type of would-be client you’re going to be talking to, and this will usually be based on whether they are a hot, warm, or cold lead. You should also have an all-purpose voicemail template script that you have ready to go if the person doesn’t pick up the phone.

  1. Go With Multiple Channels

Using more than one channel to diversify touchpoints is recommended too, as it ensures an agent isn’t missing out on potential opportunities due to a lead’s individual communication preferences. When you use a mix of channels you can create a more dynamic and engaging brand experience for your leads, as you’re catering to different learning and interaction styles.

Emails will provide more detailed property information based on the fact people will naturally go on longer in an email than in a SMS message or post. Social media allows for interactive content sharing, phone calls enable direct conversations, and webinars are good for in-depth insights.

Some marketing experts for real estate refer to this as an ‘omnichannel’ approach to lead nurturing, and it is often recommended that you develop a touchpoint sequence that you then use to communicate with them sequentially after first contact.

  1. Touchpoint 1 – After capturing the lead (plus contact information), the realtor then sends an initial welcome email
  2. Touchpoint 2 – The realtor reaches out to them on social media by sending them a funny meme, inappropriate image, or a quick aerial shot of a home they sold recently
  3. Touchpoint 3 – The realtor places a phone call just to ask how things are going or to set up an appointment
  4. Touchpoint 4 – The realtor sends a short follow-up text

Consistency is always going to be a real need with real estate lead nurturing. Using multiple channels allows you to maintain a steady presence in your leads’ lives. Make use of all of them – regular email updates, social media posts, and phone calls – but be very selective about the order in which you take action with them and try your best to tailor each communication based on what you know about the lead.

You are likely paying to get exclusive buyer and seller leads, so there’s a real need to be sure you’re handling them in the best way possible. The last thing we’ll mention about it here is to recommend that all realtors who want to convert greater numbers of leads into clients should start using real estate CRM software of some sort. There is a lot of automation that can be utilized with these customer relationship management programs, and they almost always end up being money well spent.

Essential Real Estate Strategies: Top Tips for New Agents to Accelerate Success in 2024

Published August 27, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Essential Real Estate Strategies: Top Tips for New Agents to Accelerate Success in 2024

Every one of the most successful and accomplished individuals in any career field was at one time a complete beginner. That’s the truth of situation, as everyone needs to start somewhere and it’s equally true that very few people if any become an overnight success. Putting in the hard work to get there takes time, and it’s time you need to make available if you want to achieve that for yourself. This is every bit as true for people who are new to working as a real estate agent in Canada, and what we’re going to do with this entry is share real estate tips for beginners.

The reason this something of a more pressing issue for new realtors is that for most of them they will be flying entirely on their own, meaning that they need to be supporting themselves and in many cases supporting a family too all the while as they start a new career in real estate. The need to find a measure of success in the business can be a pressing one, and this is why beginner realtor strategies are going to be welcomed by those who are new to the profession.

For many of them they will view earning a decent living from working in a real estate as something that needs to be achieved quickly. And again this is often because of necessity more than it is for a sense of personal accomplishment. There are mortgage payments to be made and not all of them will have a spouse’s income that can be relied on the interim until they start earning commissions regularly. A more strategic approach to real estate agent success will also be needed for those working in major metro areas of Canada.

This is where working as an agent is going to be more competitive, and lead generation for realtors is going to be more of challenge simply because of the fact that so many of them are vying for those leads. This is countered by the fact that there is more of an opportunity to make really good money in real estate in this major metro regions, but there’s no debating you’re going to need to work harder – and smarter – if you want to achieve that for yourself.

We foresee many of you wanting to start capturing quality real estate leads now, and that will be a part of our focus with this look at top tips for agents to accelerate success this year. So let’s get right into sharing what we know about how new realtors can enjoy success in this profession faster.

Right Mindset

It’s not uncommon for a realtor to feel overwhelmed and possibly a bit anxious too when they get underway with their new career. But there are means of getting off on the right foot to a greater extent and that’s what we’re going to discuss here. Continue reading through this entry and you’ll be better equipped to have the confidence you need to navigate the early stages of your career.

Lead generation is an integral part of a realtor’s success no matter what stage of their career they’re in, but one thing that is an especially sensitive issue when you’re new to the business is ROI on lead generation. That’s to be expected as new realtors won’t have the same operating budget that a more established one will, but the good news there is with paid real estate lead providers like us you have the guarantee of receiving qualified leads.

What you do with that lead and how well you nurture it and / or convert leads into clients for real estate is another matter. But we can start at the start and say that we can relate to how new agents will want to be judicious about how they invest in buying real estate leads and being choosy about where that money goes. But to begin with a new realtor needs to have their mind in the right place, and that may mean focusing on real estate networking tips more than lead generation budgets or anything else of that sort.

Anyone in business of any sort will be aware that you can’t think your way to success. But a negative mindset can be a deal-breaker and can really hamper your ability to make the right moves as you start to build a name for yourself and have real estate agent success. Here are the three best tips for new real estate agents who want to have the right lines of thought when it comes to early success in the real estate business.

Be Patient

The first one is going to be to have patience. It is quite likely you won’t have many listings or homebuyer clients in the first few months of starting as a real estate agent. And this can be true even if you’re applying yourself to the best of your ability. Success in real estate takes time, and so patience is conducive to success. You’ll be less likely to make poor or rash decisions based on a lack of clientele if you understand that it takes time to build up a client base and see success from real estate lead generation. You’ll need to be patient with ROI on lead generation too.

Here’s a tip for real estate agents that you may well have heard before but it’s worth saying again because patience is hard and it could be easy to ignore. But without it you might be rushing into costly mistakes or becoming demoralized. None of which is good for business. Realtors who’ve been in the business for a long time and had success will agree that patience combined with persistence will eventually pay off. Stay focused on your small daily tasks and see them as contributors to your long-term goals. Every step forward is progress.

Be Strategic

Being strategic involves knowing where to invest your time and resources for maximum return on the time you put into promoting yourself as a real estate agent. Putting effort – and potentially investment – into the right channels will likely provide better results than rushing around and spreading yourself and the resources you have available to you too thin. Being clear on this is key to embracing real estate tips for beginners in the right way. Succeeding as a beginner real estate agent isn’t exclusively working hard, it’s also working smart.

So be sure that your days involve prioritizing high-impact activities and establishing clear goals that are achievable. Focus on lead generation and lead nurturing, but also dedicate time for learning and real estate networking. Tools and systems to streamline your tasks and track your progress are highly recommended here, and so many of them are available to realtors online now.

Stay Positive

New realtors who envision themselves with many listings and homes being bought and sold in numbers through them shortly after the start of their new career are likely in for disappointment. There’s no getting around that. But fear negativity and pessimism can crush your spirits as much as your lead-generating potential. It is very important for a realtor to stay positive, and in many cases you’ll need to ‘fake it till you make it” as the expression goes because your optimism – or lack of it – will come across in your interactions with leads and clients.

You also don’t want to be what is known as a ‘secret agent’. This is a term used to describe a realtor who is more often found behind a desk rather than out and about and being proactive with real estate lead generation. It’s super important to get out there in your community and have face-to-face interactions with people, letting everyone you come across know that you’re working in real estate now and you’re eager to have new clientele.

Beginner realtor strategies can also include being creative with this. Every realtor is going to be buying billboards, bus bench spots and the like in order to promote yourself, and nowadays a real estate agent website is a must for any realtor who wants to be getting real estate leads online. But those approaches won’t necessarily get the immediate attention of someone who is ready to work with a real estate agent in your city.

You might want to try wearing a hat with your letterhead on it at the grocery store. Be personable and always introduce yourself and be willing to strike up conversations. Sometimes realtors will put a removable decal on their vehicle, and this is one approach where you’re guaranteed to get a lot of reach even though you’re not necessarily assured of getting leads from it. Agents are often surprised at how many leads they can generate simply by being unique, creative, and simply aiming to do what other agents are not doing to promote themselves.

These practical real estate tips for beginners are right in line with developing the right mindset, assembling a strong foundation, and tackling day-to-day tasks effectively.

Stronger Foundation

It’s also advisable not to overexert yourself when you are just starting out as a realtor. It really does make the most sense to put the bulk of your efforts into lead generation, and if you can afford paid real estate leads you are almost certainly going to benefit from them. What is also true is that agents who have a team of experts generating leads for them find it is the quickest way to build their network as a new real estate agent.

Sure, this is a passive lead generation strategy and some will say you need to devote your energies to more active ones if there is a pressing need to build up a client base. But paid real estate lead services free up your time to focus on other tasks. By outsourcing this task you free up time to build relationships and provide outstanding service to your clients.

And there is strong ROI on lead generation potential here. While buying the leads themselves can be costly, if you convert even just one or two of them it can yield significant returns and make it a solid investment in your new real estate business. But of course some lead providers are better than others, and we know that you will be eager to start capturing quality real estate leads now.

Here at Real Estate Leads we have been doing this for years now, and if you read our testimonials you will see that realtors who have found the success that new agents will want for themselves are very pleased with the quality of the leads they’ve received from us. You can also rely on consistency, with a standard quota of leads to be received each month and with your choice buyer or seller leads, or a mix of both. Need more leads? You can choose to pay more and receive a greater quantity of them each month.

Plus – and this may be the biggest selling point of all – the leads you receive will be exclusive to you. No other agent will be receiving the same leads. This creates an exclusive opportunity for you to be first in touch with people who are genuinely considering the sale or purchase of a home. As a new realtor starting out, this is exactly what you want for yourself.

Follow a Playbook

It’s fairly common for new real estate agents to believe they have sufficient insight into what is best for starting to see incremental growth in their business. This isn’t the case most of the time, and it can also be an extremely inefficient way of thinking. Instead it’s best to empty your cup and be all about refilling it with what you can learn from others who have come before you and started to work as a real estate agent in Canada. Following a well-structured plan can save you time money and frustration setting you up for quicker success.

Real estate networking tips are going to be at the heart of this better playbook. Building a strong network is always key to long-term success as a new real estate agent. Your network is going to be more about who knows you rather than who you know. The more people you connect with the more opportunities you’ll have to generate leads, get referrals, and grow your business.

Even if you start with nothing else, you will always have an immediate sphere of influence (SOI) you can be working with. This is your friends, family acquaintances, and anyone else you know personally. These are the people most likely to support you and refer clients to you, and so there’s much to be gained from keeping them informed about your real estate career.

You can leverage your SOI by keeping in touch with newsletters, scheduled emails, and social media posts. There’s also the opportunity to ask for referrals, and reminding these people that you’re ready to help them with anything related to real estate. Another possibility is to host events like open houses, informational sessions, or client appreciation parties.

You can also be expanding your professional network, and this expansion is something that should be happening naturally and at all times in the interest of lead generation for realtors. This will also include building relationships with other professionals in the real estate industry, and notably with other agents, brokers, lenders, appraisers, and contractors.

Develop A Brand

There’s no escaping that a new realtor isn’t going to have any type of a brand established for themselves, and that goes hand in hand with not be a known name in the local real estate business community. A weak brand identity as a real estate agent makes it difficult for potential clients to recognize and remember you. Slowly working to developing a brand is essential if you want your marketing to really pick up momentum going forward.

So here’s what beginner realtors can do to start towards establishing their brand. Start by identifying what makes you different from other real estate agents. That could be an exceptional customer service deep knowledge of a particular neighborhood, or a unique marketing approach or selling proposition that differentiates you from other realtors. Your real estate agent website is also going to have a lot of sway of influence in this, and you should try to make sure it is updated regularly with local real estate-related content.

Next you should consistently be updating your social media profiles with engaging content to build a strong online presence and connect with potential clients. Quality branding materials are recommended too, with professional quality photos on all of them. Consistency in your visual identity across all platforms helps reinforce your brand.

Learn strategic real estate agent tips for beginners that cover everything from lead generation to personal branding and efficient time management.

Actionable Tips

It’s going to be that much more easier to look at your ROI on lead generation if you’re promoting yourself in the best ways possible. Because it is going to be that much more likely that you’ll have the volume of leads you’re hoping for, or at least you’re seeing them increase from one month to the next. So as for actionable tips that will contribute to this happening, you want to always be focused on building relationships. Relational connection is especially important for new real estate agents. You’ll thrive if you make person-to-person connections, establishing trust and showing genuine concern for your contacts.

Always have your clients at the center of your marketing strategies and ensure that you’re adding value at every step of the way. The increases you want to see are sure to follow. You will also want to aim to become you area’s housing market expert, as prospective clients will be looking for that type of expert with the knowledge they can leverage to sell their home for the highest price or buy a new home that fits them best.

So the question then becomes what to research as a beginner real estate agent. Here is what you need to build strong knowledge around:

  1. Demographics: Understand age income levels and occupations of the population in your target area to tailor your marketing approach
  2. Market Trends: Analyze current and past market trends to determine if property values are increasing or decreasing
  3. Competitor Analysis: Identify competitors in your chosen market. What are they doing successfully and where might they be falling short?
  4. Local Amenities and Infrastructure: Highlight key features of the neighborhood – schools, parks, public transportation, upcoming developments etc.
  5. Consumer Behavior: Identify needs and preferences of your target audience. What are they looking for in a property? What influences their buying decisions?
  6. Legal and Regulatory Factors: Get clarity on local zoning laws property taxes or other regulations that might affect real estate transactions
  7. Economic Indicators: Keep an eye on economic indicators like employment rates and job growth

Another challenge for beginner real estate agents as it relates to real estate networking is they often have more work than they can handle and yet they’re not yet at a point where they can start a team or hire help. In these instances it’s best to find ways to work smarter rather than harder. What is best here is to have some sort of prioritization system in place to focus on high-value activities and not be caught up in all of the time-consuming details that don’t come with a worthwhile ROI on lead generation.

There are tools to improve efficiency, and nowadays the ones that use AI for real estate marketing are especially worthy of our attention. There are numerous ways AI tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing that can help you automate repetitive tasks, gain valuable insights, and also contribute to lead generation. Take advantage and use them to brainstorm for content ideas, research and synthesize housing market information, create your own lead engagement scripts, and come up with better and more compelling marketing materials.

The best real estate marketing automation tools can do much of the heavy lifting for you. With them it’s almost like you have a personal assistant who handles the creation and distribution of personalized email campaigns, the design and delivery of direct mail pieces, and management of lead nurturing efforts.

Maximized Marketing with Social Media

We’ll conclude this week’s entry by stressing just how much value there is with social media for real estate leads. Having a strong presence on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram can be huge for realtors, and new realtors who are just starting out are strongly encouraged to put a lot of their time and effort into establishing their social media presence as a realtor.

It may be among the simplest and most effective ways to generate leads, and especially if you regularly post content that’s especially relevant for potential sellers in your area. Provide useful tips helpful advice and insightful statistics will go a long way to demonstrating credibility and trustworthiness. With each impression you’re increasing the likelihood that you’ll be the first person a follower or viewer thinks of when they are ready to buy or sell a home.

Every new realtor should create a Facebook real estate page for themselves at the very least to start. It’s easy to do and once that’s done you can start buying Meta Ads that will make you so much more visible to people who are looking to work with a real estate agent. Lastly, always remember to keep your professional profiles public so they’re discoverable by the networks of people you are connected to. You may then want to expand onto other social media platforms as you aim to start capturing quality real estate leads now.

We really believe that investing a good portion of your marketing budget into social media is advisable for realtors nowadays given the way clients are now more naturally inclined to look for real estate and realtors who they’ll work with. This is definitely a trend that’s here to stay, so new realtors should be equally receptive to it and putting their efforts into social media for real estate marketing the same way. It can make a real difference in helping you have more success in the business early on.

Facebook Lead Ad Campaigns for Real Estate Leads

Published August 20, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Facebook Lead Ad Campaigns for Real Estate LeadsIt tends to be the case that the more successful and well-established realtors are going to be older than the ones who are newer to the business and hoping to build the same success for themselves. That will be the case in any type of business where the people are working independently as licensed service providers, it’s just that with real estate it’s of an entirely different magnitude because of the amount of income earning potential. One area of self-promotion where youngers realtors may have an advantage is with social media marketing though.

That’s because the older realtors aren’t likely to have the same level of familiarity with social media platforms, but the reason that Facebook Leads ads for real estate and other approaches are increasingly valuable is because more and more people are starting their exploration into buying a home through social media. They’re probably not doing it entirely via social media, but Facebook and Instagram are two of the ‘places’ where they’re starting to look at properties or other information about the home buying process and what is available in the market right now.

Up until recently real estate lead generation strategies would have never involved any type of investment into social media, but as we all know times have changed drastically over the last 15 years or so. It is true that realtors generate leads for homebuyers through social media more often than ones who are considering the sale of their home, but when you take the age demographic of users into account again that also tends to make sense.

That can be countered somewhat by another emerging trend with Facebook. When it first launched into 2007 it was a social media platform that appealed to social media enthusiasts of all ages, but now it is considered to be more of an ‘older people’s’ social media network as younger people are more keen on Instagram and Tik Tok. Well, it’s older people who tend to own homes more often and will also be more likely to be selling them as well as making moves of any sort in the local real estate market.

This is why Lead generation with Facebook ads is so highly recommended for realtors who want to be maximizing their efforts to bring in new clientele to the best extent possible. So what we’ll look at with this blog entry is effective meta ads for real estate, and the good news there is that it’s not difficult – or overly costly – to be promoting yourself as a realtor on Facebook as well as making greater numbers of people aware of the homes you currently have listed on the market for clients.

There really is so much to be gained here, so let’s get right into it as we imagine you want to start capturing quality real estate leads now through social media platforms like Facebook.

Easier, Faster Connections

The way the Meta lead form ad format works is by simplifying the way potential customers express interest in your products or services. This is done by allowing them to fill out enquiry forms from within the apps on Facebook and Instagram. The instant forms that appear when someone clicks on the realtor’s ad are pre-filled with the user’s contact details (from their profile), and this makes for a quick and seamless form submission process when it’s submitted from a mobile device.

All that’s required of them is a few taps, and with that they can request the information they need and you’re benefitting from gaining a new lead. This is the basics of why Facebook Lead ads for real estate are so valuable, and there’s also the fact that you don’t need to send people to a form on your website. They’ll like that they won’t have to be redirected too, and if they’re genuinely legit potential buyers or sellers anything that streamlines the process of being in touch with a realtor and getting the ball rolling is going to be very welcome.

Agents that want to start creating these ads will need to have a Facebook business page and a Facebook (Meta) Ad account. Once they have one they will go to Meta ads manager and click Create. Then select the Leads option and choose the Manual lead campaign setup. Manual leads campaign is best because it offers the most control over the audience targeting. The next thing you will do is name your campaign, and if a realtor is creating this for their own agency they might want to name it according to the time of the year, considering that home sales usually peak during spring months.

Consider Reach per Cost

Real estate lead generation strategies always need to be followed with the agent’s operating budget in mind, and that applies to creating these Meta ads for real estate too. At this point in the process the creator needs to choose a daily budget for their ads, and unless they’ve already seen much success with real estate lead generation from these ads it is not going to make sense to go with a high number and think that the added reach they’ll get from the ad is going to be worth it.

For those who are new to social media advertising for real estate it will be best to go with a smaller budget. Less than $10 per day is probably best to start, and then see where it goes from there and how many inquiries you receive through the ad. Keep in mind the region where you’re working as a realtor and the state of the market is going to be a big factor in these results. The next step is to name your Ad Set and select Instant Forms. As for the name, it is best to use the target location as the Ad Set name.

This will be the region we were just talking about above, and you want to have this in the title for the ad because it makes it very clear to viewers where the homes are located and where the realtors behind the ad has the right level of knowledge and expertise with the local market. Be sure to select Instant forms as the conversion location, and then select your Facebook business page as where the lead will be redirected to. First time ad placers will be asked to accept Meta’s terms of service.

Nothing to be concerned with there unless you’re doing something illicit, and we’ll assume that’s not the case. So go ahead and do that and make sure maximize number of leads is selected.

Building Target Audience

The most important part of effective meta ads for real estate is building your target audience. You will be paying for these ads, so you want them being in front of receptive viewers as often as possible rather than viewers who are not interested in buying or selling a home in the target region where the placer is working as a real estate agent in Canada. Start with this by adding postal code locations. The aim is going to be targeting specific geographic locations with our lead ad campaign, so postal codes will narrow down the audience in the right way and quickly.

Now switch to original audience options and choose an age range from the field you see there. It’s unlikely that anyone under the age of 25 owns property, so set this one for 25 to 65. Seniors do buy and sell real estate, but not nearly as often as people who are still in what is referred to as their working years. And yes, for people in Toronto and Vancouver it is highly unlikely anyone 25 to 30 is going to buying or selling a home, but you can still be fine setting your lowest age range to this number.

After selecting your desired audience age range, users will be ready to start creating the actual ads. Real estate ads on Instagram will be different, and that may be something we’ll cover in another blog entry in the future here.

Ad Design

Here is where the realtor will have the chance to really craft a compelling ad that will hopefully draw the attention of people who are ready to make a move in the real estate market in the near future. It’s fair enough that not everyone is naturally gifted with design or knows how to use tools like Canva. And it’s true that most realtors are not graphic designers either.

One option if agents really want to have something visually attractive for their ad is to use an outsourcing platform like Fiverr where it won’t cost them much to get a reasonably good design and from there it is not difficult to use the built-in photo enhancing software on mobile or desktop devices. Having good visuals isn’t an integral part of lead generation with Facebook ads, but it certainly does help.

Images for campaign are often created by taking a screenshot of the region on OpenStreetMap.org, putting it in to Canva and then adding a short call to action. Agents should test multiple versions of their ads as well as having a look at the ads that other realtors are placing on Facebook. When they see something the like they can go ahead and try to create something similar.

The next consideration is going to be writing ad copy. The ‘primary text’ area is where the realtor will be adding their main sales copy to their Meta ad. Another option you have nowadays is to get a basic ChatGPT membership and have AI write your sales copy for you. You can also have Meta make suggestions for you.

Write Headline and Select CTA

We think that most realtors in Canada will be able to write well enough on your own, and if they’ve been in the business for a while they have probably already done plenty of writing related to the real estate industry and all of the interest that go into buying or selling a home.

Whatever it is that the agent comes up with, they should always create an alternative version of it that contains the same information but is written differently. Or with a different information hierarchy (information related to the topic / listing in a different order). Once there is more than one version it is best to do split testing and be sure to use the target location in some of the headlines to make them more relevant to the target audience. After they’ve chosen the copy they’re going to go with they will next create their lead form.

That will be an entirely open process as what will apply to one realtor’s ad will not apply to another one’s. One need for all of them though is to link to a privacy policy in the form. There are privacy policy generators that realtors can use. Once the realtor has created their lead form and added a few ad variations they can now go ahead and publish their campaign. Facebook Lead ads for real estate work well, and once an agent has published their first one it’s time to see if the same gains are there to be had for them.

Real Estate Agents: 10 Creative Instagram Post Ideas to Boost Listings & Sales

Published August 13, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Real Estate Agents: 10 Creative Instagram Post Ideas to Boost Listings & SalesYears ago it would have sounded absurd if someone would suggest real estate agents need to spend more time being active on social media in the interest of generating real estate leads. But nowadays no one will suggest there’s anything inaccurate about that, and most agents who are receptive to trends in real estate marketing are going to be quite active with their social media platforms. The reason being that is often where prospective clients glean information about real estate – and potentially which realtor will be best for them to work with.

So what we’re going to look at with this week’s entry here are real estate social media tips, and specifically Instagram post ideas for real estate. Some of you may be aware of the way that Instagram is the most visually-oriented of all the major social media platforms, and that lines up well with the prerogatives people have when evaluating real estate. That goes for both people wanting to sell a home as well as those who want to buy a home with the help of a realtor.

People put a lot of value on the seeing aspect of their evaluation, and thus the immense value in real estate Instagram strategy. For realtors who want to use Instagram for real estate there is of course going to be a need to get better with photography, but these days with the camera quality on smartphones you certainly don’t need any additional equipment to be able to do that. In some instances you may want to hire a photographer, but for Instagram you won’t need to if you’re at least reasonably capable with your smartphone camera.

It is entirely possible to boost real estate listings on Instagram, but another part of that and the one that will be more challenging than snapping the photos will be to write engaging text for those images. The type that will also be compelling enough to prompt the user to take your CTA (call to action) with contacting you if they’re ready to make a move in the local real estate market. Either selling or buying a home. We’ve got 10 real estate agent Instagram tips for you here, and each of them has been seen to boost listings and sales by profit and growth minded agents just like you.

Engaging Social Content Works

The reality for real estate agent wanting to boost their Instagram engagement and attract more potential clients is that it’s challenging to come up with new ideas for creating social content that is engaging to the extent it needs to be. This is why we’ve collected these 10 Instagram post ideas for real estate with the idea that they will help agents showcase their expertise, better engage and compel audiences that are ready for that engagement and compulsion, and then ultimately grow a real estate business.

Some of these real estate social media tips may also be cross-applicable to other platforms too, and Facebook most notably, but all of them are highlighted the way they are here because they are implicitly connected to the overtly visual nature of Instagram as a social media platform.

Let’s get into them.

Highlighting Local Charm

Real estate agents do well when they are able to highlight the unique charm of local attractions and businesses. You can really draw in potential clients when you do this well. An idea is to partner with local businesses or promote local events on your Instagram feed. This strategy is also going to be beneficial for certain interests in the local community plus also providing useful information to your followers so that the marketing power of your real estate Instagram posts are enhanced.

Good ideas are to pair bright, sharp, and quality images with helpful educational tips, features on good local businesses, and highlighting the best neighborhood amenities. You’ll also get more traction with your posts if you capture the beauty of local parks, restaurants, and monuments in eye-catching carousel posts, Reels, or TikTok posts. Realtors that are willing to go the extra mile with this can also considering collaborating with local business owners to create fun neighborhood guides and showcase recognizable features of the community.

This is just one way to Boost real estate listings on Instagram, and another possibility is to add personal touches to your Instagram posts to make them more engaging. Done right you can also be expressing your unique personality in a creative way if you share your own experiences at local events, or offer your own genuine perspective on how the neighbourhood has evolved over the years. Try to incorporate a personal flair into your content to captivate your audience

Work in personal touches and your realtor Instagram account can be turned into a valuable resource for real estate lead generation.

Create Captivating Property Showcases

These days there is no debating the fact that a key aspect of real estate marketing is creating appealing property showcases. There are few better ways to attract prospective buyers and highlight your listings and making them a part of your social media platforms like Instagram is very necessary for realtors now. Videos, photos, and virtual tours are perfect for creating incredible real estate Instagram posts that showcase your properties in the best light.

To stress the importance of this with real estate Instagram strategy, consider the estimate that around 73% of potential customers are more likely to choose to list their home with agents who use video. This goes back to the visual prerogative that buyers have nowadays, and it’s entirely because with the Internet the availability of video content is to such a great extent and people want to see as much of it as possible as they consider making an offer on a home for sale. Remember, homeowners are going to want there to be as much interest in their home as possible.

Here’s what you should be doing to create a captivating property showcase:

  1. Showcase successful virtual open houses and then complete the content by adding the story behind the sale to add a personal touch
  2. Clean and stage the property in advance of capturing high-quality photos and videos
  3. Advertise open houses and market listings on social media to attract potential buyers and maximize exposure.
  4. Use filters and features on social media marketing platforms to give more eye-catching appeal to these property showcases

Aim to showcase your expertise as a realtor in these Instagram content examples too. A good way to do that is with regular updates on your real estate Instagram account featuring appealing property showcases. This will likely reflect on your dedication to assisting clients in finding their dream home. There’s so much to gain from making your listings stand out and attracting more potential buyers through social media marketing and you should be approaching Instagram post ideas for real estate with all of this in mind.

Agent Insights & Tips

An Instagram account that is regularly putting up posts with great images but also content that shares useful insights and tips for buyers, sellers, and homeowners can better create the realtor as a fixture in that forum and as one of the ones who is a more knowledgeable professional in the real estate industry. Consider these real estate social media post ideas to help buyers make informed decisions:

  1. A downloadable ‘buyer’s package’ that is offered on your website
  2. Collections of tips for a wide range of buyers, for everyone from first-time homebuyers to investors
  3. Free home valuation assessments made available to any homeowner who’d like one

The focus for homeowners who are ready to sell will be different. For real estate agent Instagram tips here a proven-effective approach is to share tips on how homeowners can better set the price for their home realistically. Maybe also share what you know about getting professional pictures taken, along with any type of well-written and persuasive statements that demonstrate your ability as a real estate agent who better understands the needs that apply to all homeowners as they prepare to put their home on the market.

Create short videos answering frequently asked questions from clients too, and make it clear to say something along the lines of ‘these are what some of the many previous clients I’ve worked with have asked me repeatedly’. You may also want to share motivational quotes to inspire confidence. By imparting useful insights and tips on your Instagram account you will be assisting sellers in achieving their goals.

Your Instagram real estate posts can also cover what you know about helping homeowners maximize their home’s potential. This could be with everything from upgrading their furnace to be more energy-efficient to landscaping renovations that will put the property around the home more in line with what are the current tastes for landscaping around homes. Here’s an opportunity for you to recommend a local landscaper who you know and who’s business you are happy to promote.

This will not only will this provide valuable information to your audience, but it will also give them a glimpse into your personal life, making your real estate Instagram posts more engaging and relatable.

Engage Your Audience

Interacting with your audience on Instagram and other social media platforms has to be an integral part of what you do here. It is key to nurturing a robust connection with followers and establishing yourself as a bonafide local authority on real estate who is also up to speed and savvy with modern technology. Audiences become more engaged when you run contests, ask questions, and create interactive content like polls and quizzes on your Instagram Stories.

Strategies like these ones are sure to excite your followers and promote engagement from them. If they’re likely to buy or sell a home soon, it’s much more likely they will consider you as the realtor they are going to work with. Understanding your audience and crafting compelling content can maximize the impact of your social media accounts. But you must tailor your content to your target audience, along with making it likely that followers will respond positively.

Active interaction with your audience can foster solid relationships, keep engagement levels high, and draw in new clients. This has to be a forefront aim with real estate Instagram strategy. You need to be putting out good content regularly, so scheduling content in advance on your social media platform is a good ideas as it can help you stay connected with your followers while demanding less of your time.

It’s advisable to plan Instagram posts ahead of time, and seeing to it your posts have a balance of educational content, property showcases, and personal content. This approach will ensure a consistent and engaging presence on social media while allowing you to focus on other aspects of your real estate business.

Behind Scenes Glimpses

Offering behind-the-scenes glimpses of your daily life as a real estate agent may craft a more personal connection with your followers. Showcase pictures of you and your team that really emphasize the human element of helping others get into the homes that fit them and their lives best. You can also be celebrating successes and milestones.

It’s good to share engaging pictures and videos of team events or team-building exercises to create excitement and foster team spirit in your Instagram for real estate posts. If you are the head of a real estate team you can recognize and reward exceptional members by sharing their achievements and expressing your appreciation for how well they’ve contributed to the success of the real estate team. When your give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your office life you are creating a more personal and relatable social media presence.

Showcasing Client Testimonials

The extent to which a realtor serves their clients with the level of expertise and professionalism is matched by the need for providing desired results with the buying or selling of a home. Meet their expectations there and you’ll be doing well with building a reputation as a real estate agent. This is not connected to real estate social media tips at all, but where this starts to move towards is the idea of taking testimonials from satisfied previous clients and working them into your social media content.

Client testimonials are extremely persuasive in convincing potential clients of your skills and success as a real estate agent. Showcasing the positive experiences and success stories of your current clients can emphasize your value to potential clients and contribute to the growth of your real estate business. So go ahead and highlight client success stories in your real estate Instagram posts. The more you showcase your clients’ satisfaction it becomes increasingly likely potential clients will trust your expertise.

A good idea for this is to create a design template with a few variations for your testimonial graphics. Schedule these graphics in bulk on your Instagram account, and then you’ll have a consistent and engaging presence that puts your commitment to client satisfaction on display in a very compelling way.

Educational Content for Followers

Real estate agents can also incorporate educational content on real estate topics, market trends, and industry news into their social media to educate and engage followers as part of real estate Instagram tips. Share local market statistics to keep existing clients informed and make it clear that part of the reason you’re doing this is to open up opportunities for future clients. You can also offer checklists to help potential buyers stay organized as they prepare to move to a new home.

Keep the free and helpful resources coming with future Instagram posts too. One common one that agents often use is a home values tool that can be used to assist clients in researching properties and making informed decisions. Sharing educational content can highlight your expertise and dedication to helping clients navigate the complexities of the real estate world.

Your content can also be tailored for educating followers about important aspects of home loans and other financial considerations related to homebuying and home ownership in general. This could be with sharing tips on checking credit history and upping down payments. This can be valuable information related to real estate too, and again what you are doing is incrementally establishing yourself as a knowledgeable resource for your audience. It’s quite likely that you’ll see more potential clients coming your way as you see a boost of real estate listings on Instagram.

Lifestyle Inspiration Posts

With lifestyle inspiration posts included in your real estate Instagram you can be helping clients visualize their dream home and lifestyle, and if you can do this effectively it means the homebuying interest it stimulates in them become a key gain you’ll see from your real estate Instagram marketing strategy. Share exciting home decor ideas, helpful gardening tips, and amazing local activities on your Instagram account and you can’t help but inspire at least some of your followers.

Here’s what you can be including:

  1. Attractive shots of interior inspirations
  2. The latest design trends
  3. Home makeover tips
  4. Remodeling photos where the after is SO much better than the before

Posts like this may well be motivating sellers and buyers to envision the potential of their own properties and how they may be enhancing them before they put them on the market. Incorporating lifestyle inspiration posts into your social media strategy can make it easier for clients to visualize their dream home and lifestyle.

You may also want to share home improvement projects with DIY ideas and helpful tips on organizing. This can be part of valuable lifestyle inspiration content on your Instagram account too.

Influencer Collaborations

Agents can also be broadening their reach and having a wider audience if they can establish ties with local social media influencers who are big on Instagram and have expertise and sway of influence with some subject that can be connected to real estate in some way. Benefits of partnering with local influencers may include really boosting your visibility and influence on social media as are a realtor, and especially if that influencer is highly regarded in their industry.

Work together with local influencers by offering incentives or collaborating on content that prospective clients are likely to connect to and then engage with it. Measure the success of collaborations by tracking the number of followers gained, engagement rate, and then social media platform conversions. Forming partnerships with local influencers can widen your reach, provide your followers with beneficial content, and enhance engagement.

Community Event Celebrations

You can also spotlight your involvement and dedication to the community by celebrating community events, festivals, and local milestones and this can also be a consideration for Instagram post ideas for real estate. When you are aware of upcoming events that you feel potential clients would be interested in then you can create a post on your real estate Instagram account where you make them aware of it. This not only demonstrates your dedication to supporting the local economy and fostering a sense of community, but it also highlights you as simply as a nice and caring person.

Discuss the organizations you support and the community service events you participate in on your social media accounts. By celebrating community events and sharing your involvement, you can showcase your local expertise and commitment to the community, ultimately growing your real estate business and attracting more potential clients.

These are a few of the way realtors can use Instagram to promote themselves and make social media increasingly a part of how their growing their PREC. By following these creative Instagram post ideas, it becomes possible to establish yourself as more of an expert with local real estate and build strong connections with your audience. When this happens consistently over time agents then usually start to see better real estate lead generation from social media.

It takes time to see real results, but being committed to doing this has the potential to really pay off. This should only be a very formative introduction to doing this, and you’re encouraged to dig deeper and discover other proven Instagram tips for real estate success.

How to Get Traffic and Leads from Real Estate Facebook Pages

Published August 5, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

How to Get Traffic and Leads from Real Estate Facebook PagesThe majority of folks will agree that ageism isn’t a good thing, and fortunately in the business world it doesn’t have much sway of influence anyway. A young realtor isn’t going to be at a disadvantage to an older one simply based on their age, but they will be if they haven’t established the same name for themselves in the business. Which of course is pretty much guaranteed if you’re new to working as a real estate agent in Canada. We can take age into account when it comes to real estate Facebook marketing though, and here’s why.

It was a whole different story in 2007 when Facebook was new to the world, but nowadays it’s increasingly true that Facebook is the social media platform of-choice for ‘older people’. Again, not being ageist in saying that but if you’re a Gen Xer or older you’ll know that’s fairly true, and especially if you’re one who has teenage kids. They’ll tell you the same thing emphatically. But therein lies the truth of why agents can – and should – put a focus on ways to generate real estate leads on Facebook.

You probably see where we’re going with this; it’s those older folks who are on Facebook more than any other platform, and they are the demographic who are MUCH more likely to be selling homes, or having the financial means to buy them. Not to say there aren’t plenty of Gen Z types who may be ready to buy their first condo or similar, but if you’re looking to drum up business you put your focus on the areas where there is more of it to be drummed up. For social media for real estate, that is 100% Facebook.

Having Facebook pages for realtors that are independent of their personal page is highly recommended, and fortunately it doesn’t take much to put a fairly good looking one together where agents can advertise themselves and field any and all inquiries about buying and selling real estate in the area. Inquiries that are very EASILY sent via social media, and sent a whole lot more often nowadays by people on Facebook who are likely to buy or sell a home.

You’ll want to optimize a Facebook real estate page too, and that’s another part of what we’ll look at with this blog entry here. It is all a part of how to get started with effective Facebook marketing for realtors and it’s something that agents of any age should be applying themselves to if they really want to get real estate clients from social media.

Real Visibility

Indeed, Facebook pages for real estate agents can play a major role in creating more awareness and building a strong online presence. What is increasingly likely is that people who are scrolling through their Facebook feed may be considering a real estate purchase, and if they happen across a post (as a paid Facebook ad for a realtor) that puts an agent right in front of them it is possible they’ll consider that agent.

Now of course that is dependent on whether or not they are already working with an agent, or if they know one through a family friend or acquaintance and would be leaning toward that individual as a result. But if not, it becomes possible that the agent they see is the one they reach out to. This can be especially true for out-of-town buyers who want to buy a home in a different city.

Facebook Pages are great for promoting your latest listings or for creating ads to reach potential clients. They can also be an effective way to generate more traffic and leads for your business, but they need to be put together the right way and deployed properly too if they are going to generate real estate leads for you. The first thing we’ll go over her is how to set up and then optimize a real estate Facebook page.

Before you can set up a Facebook business you’ll need to a have a personal Facebook profile if you don’t have one already. These days most people do, and again especially for the age range that will encompass most realtors AND the types of potential real estate clients they’ll be hoping to secure.

If you’ll be setting up a profile for the first time you can rest assured that your personal account will be separate from your business page and your personal information will remain private. But you will be acting as the admin for your business page and with all aspects of Real estate Facebook marketing as you move forward with this.

Once you have your personal account you’ll be ready to create your business page. Do this by visiting Pages in the menu and click Create New Page. Next you’ll need to enter your business name. From there you’ll enter your PAGE name and choose a category. Seeing as this is a business page, your name should include ‘real estate agent’, ‘realtor’ or something similar in the title. The aim with doing this is to differentiate your Page from your personal account, plus making your Page more discoverable in search results. Some realtors add PREC if they’ve incorporated as a realtor and if you have this is something that you can add in addition to ‘realtor’ if you’d like.

As for category, the options you will look at will be fairly obvious. Most will go with real estate agent on Facebook, but you can also choose from:

  1. Real Estate Developer
  2. Real Estate Company
  3. Real Estate Appraiser
  4. Real Estate Bimbo
  5. Real Estate Service
  6. Commercial Real Estate Agency

Go with the option that best represents your Page and business, whether you’re a solo agent or part of a real estate team that is eager to generate leads from Facebook. It may also be helpful to add a bio to your page, and you have the option of doing that here. You can also choose to add it later if you feel you’re not ready to write one yet.

Try to Stand Out

The next part of creating Facebook pages for realtors is to input your business details, and it’s here that you really want to put some effort into this and make your entry different from the ones coming from the hundreds of other realtors on Facebook. You can start with the easy parts where there’s no room for anything different with what you’re entering – your contact information, real estate agent website with blog, and business hours. Facebook also requires you to enter a valid phone number to continue the process.

You’ll then finish setting up this part of your realtor Facebook page with website email and location. Of course you will enter the location of the city where you are working, and keeping in mind too that this is a big part of search terms when people are looking for a real estate agent on social media. In the bottom-left corner, take note of how FB is letting you know what your ‘page health’ is compared to similar Pages. This helps you understand what information to add to optimize your real estate Page so that you get maximum engagement.

Moving along with this you’ll then need to upload a profile picture and cover photo. Remember these visual elements are the first things people will see when they discover your page and as such they are an integral and immediate part of how your representing your business. Profile pictures should be professional, high-resolution headshot images of you. The shot will automatically be cropped into a circle, so make sure the headshot is centered and focused on your face. The size of it will be displayed at 176×176 pixels on desktop and 196×196 pixels on mobile.

Add Cover Photo

The cover photo you choose will be shown as the banner image at the top of your page. What you should conceptualize here is a space where you are previewing your style, services, or approach. Often when realtors are looking to optimize their real estate Facebook page they will add an easily-recognizable photo of the city they are working in, or other options could be their logo if they have one. If the realtor works as part of a team they may also choose to have a group photo of themselves with the other team members.

There is room to be creative here. Considering again that the most predominant Facebook users are the Generation X types you may even want to take an unconventional yet effective approach here and choose an inappropriate image rather than one that is very ordinary and unexceptional in any way. People of this age generation often prefer to see inappropriate images rather than appropriate ones, and their sense of humour tends to be tailored the same way too.

All this keeping in mind that it is this age bracket of people that are going to be most active in the real estate market for the foreseeable future, and they are the ones who will be buying and selling homes most often. It’s a smart move to take real estate Facebook marketing and gear it towards this demographic group as best as possible. The cover photo will display at a 16:9 ratio and should be at least 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall, this according to Facebook’s image dimensions guidelines.

Connect & Invite

We’re really stressing the idea of meeting your prospective clients where they are at, and with the focus again being on that 40/45+ age bracket they also make up a large portion of the 1.2 billion using WhatsApp frequently for communication. So it’s a good idea for agent to have WhatsApp on their devices too and also have it connected to their new real estate Facebook page during this step.

Connecting your business page to WhatsApp helps streamline things if you’re already active on the messaging app and regularly use it for fast and effective communication with clients.

Another must-do for agents who want to get started with effective Facebook marketing for realtors is to be proactive and invite friends to follow the page. Once you’ve set up your Facebook Page, it’s time to start sharing it with the world and the best place to start sharing is with your personal network. This is easily done too because during the setup process you will be prompted to invite friends to follow your page. Those of them that known you’re switching careers to real estate will very likely be more than happy to help you out this as they will want to see you be successful. So notify the friends on your personal account about your Page and invite them to like or follow it.

Plus it is always possible that someone in your personal network can be a potential lead or connect you with one, so sending out those invites really is highly recommended.

Stay Informed

Turning on page notifications is the final step in the setup process. You want these turned on so you don’t miss any updates or potential leads that come through your Page. You can also choose to receive marketing and promotional emails from Facebook. Facebook will share product recommendations and tips to help you get the most out of your Page.

So you want to stay informed, and you always want to stay updated with your page and knowing that it’s optimized to the maximum extent. So we’ll switch direction now and focus on how to optimize an existing real estate Facebook page. Doing so means it is more likely you will generate real estate leads on Facebook, and of course that’s exactly what you’re hoping to achieve with this.

The first suggestion is to create a username consistent with your business. Your username will be your Facebook handle and the web address used for your Page and will display in the URL when you share the link or when people search for you. If you don’t choose a name for yourself and entire it into the filed then Facebook will auto-generates a username if you don’t choose one. It’s not likely that the one chosen is going to reflect your brand accurately so choose something similar to your Page name in the interests of consistency and searchability.

Next you will want to review business details for accuracy. This is also an important step to take when optimizing your realtor Facebook Page, and your focus should be on ensuring your business details are completely up to date and accurate. Preventing situations like a potential client sending an email to an old address is important as you don’t ever want to lose real estate leads.

Make the needed update if you’ve switched brokerages too, and if that’s the case you’ll want to add a new email, website logo, and possibly go with a new headshot. If you’ve formed a team, consider noting that on your Page and making the appropriate changes. Have a CTA (call-to-action) call-to-action button on your page too so that would-be clients can act quickly and easily if they want to be in touch with you without delay to discuss the possibility of buying or selling a home.

You want it to be clear for them as to what they should do. Should they call you? Fill out a form on your website? Whatever you think is best should be indicated with your Page’s call-to-action (CTA). A CTA is essential to have on any agent’s Facebook Page if real estate lead generation is the primary focus for it.

Create Your CTA

Here is how you do that. Click on the icon with the three small dots in the right corner of your Page. Then select the ‘Add Action’ Button. You’ll then be able to choose from the several different actions that are available to you. Most realtors will be looking to have a fast way for prospective clients to contact them. With the Action button, you can choose how they can contact you, whether by sending a message on Facebook or emailing.

After you’ve selected how you want your CTA to function on the page Facebook will create a button that will be shown at the top of your Page. When visitors click on it they will be automatically directed to the action you set up.

Now we move on to setting up notifications. This is something that is equally important because no realtor will be okay with missing out on a quality lead because someone’s message got buried in their inbox. If you’re a busy and successful realtor then it is fairly common to have quite full inboxes all the time. So make sure your Page notifications are turned on, for everything from likes and comments to new messages in your inbox.

If you want to take an extra step to ensure you engage with every message you receive then you can set up automatic DMs for when someone contacts you through the FB real estate page. If they receive an auto-reply it lets them know that their message was seen and they will see that favorably and be more inclined to keep the conversation going. It can also be a good way to answer common questions right out of the gate or direct someone to more information.

Inbox automations

No real estate agent is going to be inclined to spend any more time on Facebook than they have to, and that’s because they’ll be spending as much time as possible working as a realtor and doing everything that comes with that. But at the same time they will not want to be unaware any time a potential lead reaches out to them via their Facebook business page for realtors.

If you set up an Instant reply that sends an automated response to someone as soon as they reach out then that doesn’t need to happen. This automation allows you to create a custom reply that is triggered to send after someone sends their first message to you. Having this auto-reply in place makes certain the sender isn’t left on read, and it also makes it so that the agent doesn’t need to reply right away if they happen to be very preoccupied at the moment.

It’s also a really good idea to use a social media marketing tool like Hootsuite, and the reason it is so popular is that it is an all-in-one social media content creation, scheduling, and monitoring tool. With Hootsuite Composer you can create and schedule posts for Facebook, plus Instagram, Twitter, and other social media sites if you’re promoting yourself as a real estate agent there too.

Join & Participate in Facebook Groups

Joining and participating in Facebook Groups that are related to real estate – and real estate in the agent’s area in particular – is a smart way to expand their network by connecting with fellow agents, potential clients, and other industry professionals. And it’s possible to join a Facebook Group as a Page rather than joining it with your personal account, so when you’re in the group you’re especially visible as an agent who is ready and able with helping people with real estate.

There are all sorts of benefits to be had with this move for Real estate Facebook marketing too. Your best results will be when you find and join real estate-focused groups or local interest groups. Some may be public, while for others may need to be approved to join. When conducting your search for relevant groups, consider groups that offer a chance to connect with homeowners or other industry professionals.

Once you join one of these groups you will need to participate and be active in the community if you want to form genuine connections and ultimately generate real estate leads on Facebook. Participate smartly, and be aware that a lot of these groups won’t allow overt self-promotion. Don’t try to be too sales-y, and remember that the goal is to expand your network and position yourself as a helpful resource so that you’ll be top of mind if anyone needs a realtor.

Boost Posts

You should be sharing a variety of real estate-related posts on your Page, covering topics like home-buying tips and recent listings. If one post performs well, you can boost it so that it reaches even more people who may not be following you yet. A boosted post on Facebook is an existing, organic post that becomes a paid ad when it’s boosted.

An example might be an instance when you share a photo from one of your recent listings on your Facebook Page. You get decent engagement with the current page followers but you’d like it to reach even more people. Boosting the post may help it reach a new audience.

You’ll need to spend money to boost your posts. But it differs from creating an ad because you don’t need to create anything from scratch. When you boost posts you amplify the content you’ve already created, which is a huge benefit. Boosting your posts helps you get the most out of your content creation efforts and increase your reach to potential leads.

Create Ads

If you can afford it, paying for Facebook ads is pretty much the best way to get the added visibility and promotion you want to go along with Facebook pages for realtors. You may well have already bought traditional advertising placements in local media. With Facebook ads you’re able to expand your reach in a big way and tap into a larger, targeted audience.

Meta Business Suite offers extensive ad opportunities across both Facebook and Instagram. Explore the different formats and placements to find the best fit for your goals. It might be that a carousel ad would be a good option if you’re advertising a listing and want to showcase multiple images. You can also include a CTA with Facebook ads. This part is essential if you want to generate real estate leads from Facebook. Make sure your ad is compelling enough to get people to stop scrolling and follow your CTA, whether that’s to learn more or put them into direct contact with you.

A Guide to Generating Real Estate Leads in 2024

Published July 30, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

A Guide to Generating Real Estate Leads in 2024There may be other markets that are as dynamic as the housing market in North America, but if we’re going to be right honest they’re probably aren’t any. One of the things that makes that true is that there are so many different contributors to that dynamic nature that are changing all the time. One of the constants is the relative nature of supply and demand in the housing market, and here in Canada we’ve never had a time where demand is outstripping supply to the extent it is now. This factors into the real estate business being even more competitive too and emphasizes the importance of real estate lead generation.

Sure, homes that do go on the market will be sold more quickly – and for more money – simply because of the fact there are so many buyers chasing not so many homes. But that means so many more realtors looking to secure those selling homebuyers as clients, and there’s simply not that many of them. At least not enough as would be needed to be commensurate with the number of homebuyer clients out there looking to work with a real estate agent. It’s an ongoing discrepancy and one that’s not changing anytime soon.

So the reality is always going to be there is not enough business to go around to the extent that every realtor would get a bare minimum of what they’d define as ‘needed’ for themselves. As such, some will succeed and others will fail to a certain extent, and it is effective real estate marketing and lead generation for real estate agents that will determine who is successful and who isn’t.

We’ve stated many times how paid real estate leads are among the best lead generation strategies for real estate agents nowadays, and yes – that’s in part because that’s the nature of the service we provide here. But in fairness they are such a valuable resource to have at your disposal nowadays because they put you directly in touch with prospective clients who have show a very genuine interest to be either selling or buying a home in the very near future. There are all sorts of realtors marketing strategies, but paid real estate leads have a more rich value proposition to them.

We tend to like them best among lead generation tips for realtors, but there is so much more to this when a digging up new leads for real estate agents. It’s a lot to cover, but we’re certainly up for it and as such we have this guide to generating real estate leads in 2024 here for you to look through as our blog entry this week. Read through it at your convenience and let us know what you think and whether or not one or more of the approaches has been working especially well for you.

If you want to boost your real estate business in Canada you have landed in the right place here at Real Estate Leads.

Effective, Consistent Gathering

We’ve explained how real estate is a very competitive business, and the ability to generate real estate leads stands as the cornerstone of every successful agent’s career. It’s critical to consistently fueling a sales pipeline and the means by which you draw potential clients into your sphere of influence as a proven industry professional.

If we were to define lead generation for real estate agents it would be the art of combining the art and science of nurturing business relationships, deploying real estate marketing ideas, and then using various real estate lead generation tools to enhance the interest that prospective buyers and sellers will have in working with one agent in particular. Working with them rather than working with another agent who is equally available, and in some cases equally well known.

We can also stress that generating leads doesn’t have to mean paying too much for expensive marketing gimmicks or purchasing elusive lists. Real effectiveness can be found in cost-effective methodologies that capitalize on your existing network, and don’t require making connections or gaining referrals that are obtained via a hefty price tag. What you want to focus on is building a reputation that precedes you, making every instance where you meet a potential new client a gateway to a new business opportunity.

Successful agents also have a good grasp of the need to always be on the lookout for the perfect pairing of client and property. This is also very much an art, and one that comes with years of practice learning effective real estate marketing. This can be through open houses, the strategic use of social media, or even the old-school approach of cold calling. The one constant being your learning how craft real estate lead generation strategies that are in sync with the ways clients find realtors and then come to choose work with them.

Build a Strong Personal Brand

Real estate is always going to be a competitive arena, and in it your personal brand is a unique battle cry where you make very clear that you have distinct value proposition to offer to would-be clients. This proposition is what sets you apart from all those other agents aiming to get the same slice of the pie you’re after, and when done right it puts you at the forefront when that person decides it’s time to list or they’re ready to start making offers on properties.

Establishing brand recognition will foster trust as well as cement your reputation as a market leader, especially in locales where there is not a lot of real estate business to go around because of low housing inventory. Personal branding does wonders here, guiding qualified buyers to your doorstep with a promise of unparalleled service and insight. You should see establishing your brand as an ongoing task, remembering that it’s your most potent ally in the quest to generate real estate leads and build enduring relationships.

Establish Consistent Visual Identity

The visual aspect of that brand can be akin to the cover of a book, one that captures the imagination before a single word is read. A consistent visual identity really strengthens personal branding for an agent, in many ways being like a visual handshake that introduces them to the broadest of reaches with a potential client base. From your website design to your business cards and email signature, every element should sing the same tune, creating a harmonious brand symphony that resonates with your audience.

A real estate agent website is always going to be a big part of having that beneficial visual identity as a realtors. It’s the digital storefront that greets visitors, inviting them to explore and connect with you. A branded email signature is going to be a contributor too, providing that visual identity with every correspondence direct back to your brand. You become more easily recognized, and more easily remembered. All of your physical marketing collateral needs to be in line with this too. They should be as unique and tailored to your brand as your online presence, reinforcing your identity with every brochure, postcard, and presentation folder.

Crafting a consistent visual identity takes time. A good amount of thought and deliberation should go into the process and it pays dividends to make your brand easily recognizable and deeply associated with what you’d like would-be clients to see in you. Aim for a lasting impression that beckons potential leads to seek you out for their real estate needs.

Showcase Expertise

An agent’s ability to curate and share relevant knowledge makes them stand out in the crowd, and this has to be encapsulated in the best lead generation strategies for real estate. Blogging on real estate is hugely helpful for a realtor if they can publish this type of content regularly on their website. Would-be clients are always thankful to have genuinely good advice on buying real estate, and they’ll see YOU more highly as an agent if that information and advice comes from you. It’s here that you lay the foundation of trust with your audience, establishing yourself as a trusted real estate professional who really knows his or her stuff.

Doing this through social media platforms can also be a part of real estate marketing ideas. Engagement reigns supreme here, and if you can publish content and engage with posts in a way that establishes you as a reputable real estate pro in your area it can be huge to generate real estate leads. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are not just channels for broadcasting listings—they’re opportunities to engage in meaningful dialogue with potential clients and peers.

You can be dissecting market trends or sharing tips for first-time buyers. Either way, every post, comment, and like is going to contribute to making you more visible and more seen as an agent that people want to work with when buying or selling a home. Remember that showcasing your expertise is not a passive exercise. You should be open to long and drawn out, active participation in the conversations that matter so that ultimately you are nurturing relationships that could blossom into seller leads. Your expertise is the magnet that attracts leads, and by sharing it you keep them engaged and coming back for more.

Social Media for Lead Generation

We’ve all ben witness to social media transforming from a casual networking tool into a formidable lead generation powerhouse for all sorts of businesses, including for real estate agents and for realtor’s marketing strategies. With the majority of realtors embracing platforms like Facebook to conduct business, it’s clear that there is immense potential for generating real estate leads through social media. Agents that find the right mix of strategic blending of optimal posting times, captivating content, and the judicious use of ads to target the right audience at the right time are going to have more success with it.

The lead generation potential for social media in real estate goes beyond Facebook and Instagram. Platforms like TikTok are rapidly becoming legit ones too, offering unique opportunities for those quick to adapt to its quick-scaling algorithms and bite-sized video content. Live video coverage is really good for property showcasing, allowing agents to connect with potential clients in ways that were once unimaginable. With a cost that ranges from free organic reach to well-budgeted paid ads, your social media lead generation efforts can be tailored to fit your marketing budget and keep your brand in the spotlight at the same time.

Facebook Advertising

Facebook Advertising is really advantageous for realtors with the way it combines precision and reach. With Facebook Business Manager real estate agents can craft targeted ads that land on the screens of their desired demographic with the right accuracy. Whether it’s first-time homebuyers or investor homebuyers, Facebook’s granular targeting options ensure your message resonates with the people who are most likely to engage with your content.

Facebook and Instagram together for advertising can really do wonders. Both platforms being under the same umbrella means ads have the potential to cross-pollinate, reaching audiences that are more likely to be active and engaged. Today social media ads for real estate are not just about visibility. The aim with them is to create conversations, spark interest, and convert that interest into actionable leads.

With Instagram you can also use the power of AR staging through this platform to take the visual experience to new heights. With it potential buyers can envision themselves within the space, making mental notes of that they might do with the interior of a home should they be successful in buying it through you as the real estate agent.

AR apps empower buyers to make informed decisions, fostering a sense of ownership even before setting foot in the actual home. This is a big part of effective real estate marketing, and it’s an emerging way for realtors to engage with their audience and provide them with a personalized and immersive viewing experience that stands out in the crowded digital landscape.

LinkedIn Networking

LinkedIn is very much the professional social media network, a network where credibility is currency and connections are capital. Realtors should have a robust LinkedIn profile and when they do it is a part of their real estate lead generation tools. It will represent their stature in the industry and set them as a beacon for those seeking expert guidance when ready to buy a home or sell a home. Engaging with content, sharing insights, and advertising to targeted professional demographics are all part of the lead generation toolkit that LinkedIn offers.

It’s good to know how LinkedIn’s drives leads nearly three times more efficiently than other networks. It’s not just about who you know; it’s about who knows you. More importantly, who trusts you to lead them through the complexities of the real estate market when they are selling a home, or moving towards purchasing one.

LinkedIn for real estate lead generation will always be a strategic endeavor. It requires thoughtfully crafted content, an active presence, and a willingness to engage in meaningful professional conversations. As the agent, your first focus should be on showing you are experienced, knowledgeable, and able to provide real value to prospective clients. That can be through insightful articles or helpful market analysis, either way positioning yourself as an indispensable resource.

Technology for Effective Lead Generation

Marketing in real estate has definitely been changed by the technological revolution seen over the last two decades, and at the heart of this transformation is the power of technology to generate leads with newfound efficiency and personalization. CRM (customer relationship management) systems and AI tools are indispensable tools as means to generate real estate leads. They streamline the entire process, from the initial capture of lead data to the sophisticated analysis that paves the way for targeted and effective follow-ups.

With AI you have chatbots providing instant responses, predictive analytics pointing out the most promising leads, websites serving as a hub for real estate services and a beacon for online traffic, plus clear calls to action and comprehensive services on display. Put together these digital assets become powerful real estate lead magnets. When put to use these are keys to unlocking a more streamlined, effective, and personalized approach to lead generation in today’s fast-paced market. Partnering with paid real estate lead providers can further enhance your strategy.

CRM Systems

CRM systems are very valuable for lead nurturing for real estate agents and stand as the compass that guides realtors through sales processes that don’t always go smoothly. When you get to know how to use them every interaction with a lead, every follow-up, and every nuanced preference is meticulously tracked and easily accessible. These systems work to ensure that no lead you have ever slips through the cracks and that every contact receives the personalized attention they deserve.

It’s also good that CRM systems integrate with digital marketing tools so well. It’s a seamless transition that allows new leads to be captured and nurtured without missing a beat. AI furthers the effectiveness of this process, enabling the automation of crucial tasks such as lead prioritization and scoring. You’ll be better equipped to have your outreach efforts be focused and timely, and this means you’re more likely to be in touch with warm leads just as they’re about to become hotter.

CRM systems also do well with:

  1. Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs)
  2. Providing a clear view of the effectiveness of all real estate lead generation efforts
  3. Giving real estate professionals the data needed to make informed decisions
  4. Refining real estate marketing ideas for even greater success, from the initial contact to the best approaches for nurturing a sales lead in real estate

Chatbots & AI

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming an invaluable ally for realtors. Most will agree it is best used for optimizing ad targeting, with a better focus on reaching the most receptive audiences based on data points like user behavior and engagement patterns. This level of personalization is a newfound ability, and it is reshaping the way agents connect with potential clients.

With AI and behavioural analytics a website visitor’s visit becomes a tailored experience that is more personal and engaging. From recommending content that aligns with visitor interests to optimizing conversion paths, AI transforms a static website into one of the real estate lead generation tools that is more responsive based on the perceived uniqueness of the user.

AI is changing content marketing for real estate too. Agents now have the ability to analyze trending topics and generate blog posts that not only captivate their audience but will also align perfectly with search queries related to real estate and for the area where they are working as a realtor. The power of AI in content marketing is that it enables real estate professionals to craft compelling narratives that strike a chord with their target audience, engaging them in a conversation that could lead to them eventually becoming a client.

Content Marketing Strategies

Authentic and quality real estate-related content can serve as the map that guides potential clients to your door. It is a realm where real estate agents can truly shine and can be a vital part of a strategy that captivates an audience and also establishes you as an authority on the real estate market and the best way to sell homes for the most money.

Consider the diversity of channels at your disposal. That may be starting a podcast that explores market insights, or creating a YouTube channel that showcases local properties and discusses the appeal of the neighbourhoods they are located in. These platforms offer an unparalleled opportunity to engage with a broader audience, to tell the stories behind the properties, and to connect with potential leads on a level that transcends traditional marketing tactics.

Blogging

A real estate blog with regular contributions is going to be more than just a collection of posts. It will be a beacon of visibility for the realtor that draws organic traffic to their website as visitors – including potential leads – see the blog as a source of authentic information about the local real estate market. When you publish quality content consistently you are demonstrating your expertise as well as your commitment to educating your audience. This builds trust and lays the foundation for long-lasting relationships.

Blogging with well written and informative content can definitely be included in the best strategies for real estate lead generation. It’s not just about broadcasting your knowledge; it’s about inviting interaction, answering questions, and being a reliable source of information in a market that many time is clouded with uncertainty. The value of a well-maintained blog goes beyond any immediate nature. It has enduring value too as older posts continue to attract visitors and generate real estate leads long after their publication date.

Video Marketing

Video marketing is the bridge that connects potential clients to the real-life experience of property tours from the comfort of their screens. Engagement is always going to be currency in this marketplace, so video content serves as a compelling medium that can captivate potential clients and provide them with a look into what could be their future home. By revitalizing listings with 360° photos and drone footage, agents can differentiate their offerings, providing a perspective that static images cannot, and attracting more attention and interest in the properties as a result of it.

The evolution of virtual property tours is a testament to the power of AI technology in real estate marketing. Interactive floor plans and personalized recommendations based on user preferences are more than concepts—they are current tools that enhance the viewing experience so that it’s more engaging and informative for the potential buyer. These advancements allow clients to explore properties in detail, fostering a connection and interest that could be pivotal in whether or not they move ahead with a purchasing decision.

Video marketing can extend beyond showcasing properties; it’s also about creating a brand narrative that resonates with your audience. Platforms like YouTube offer a stage for storytelling that can extend your reach far beyond traditional marketing methods. You can share insights, offer advice, and build a community around your brand there. While promoting leads too as you tell stories that people can relate to and perhaps see themselves buying a home similar to that one.

Offline Lead Generation Tactics

Digital approaches to real estate lead generation are going to be at the forefront, but there’s still value in utilizing offline methods too. In the realm of real estate, engaging directly with the community through events and networking can create personal connections that still wouldn’t be possible with online interaction. Offline tactics, allow agents to gather referrals and establish a presence within the community that feels genuine and grounded.

These strategies can encompass everything from offering welcome packages to new residents or organizing homebuyer seminars. They provide an avenue for agents to demonstrate their expertise and commitment to serving their local market, fostering trust and recognition that can lead to a steady stream of leads. Consider creative methods like vehicle decals and real estate-focused newsletters too. They’ll also be good for visibility and building the agent’s brand in the way we talked about earlier in this blog.

Networking Events

Hosting, Attending, and / or participating in Networking events are also strong contributors for real estate marketing strategies. Hosting open houses is an underrated source of leads that provides agents with a golden opportunity to connect with potential clients face-to-face, fostering immediate rapport and gathering valuable contact information for follow-up. Plus being active in community organizations positions agents as service-oriented professionals, enhancing their network and opening doors to referrals.

Agents will also do well if they keep their eyes open for educational seminars focusing on topics like HUD home buying. They are another avenue for agents to share their knowledge and engage with an audience actively seeking real estate guidance. These events may attract potential leads, but even if they don’t they still position the agent as an authority figure in the industry. An agents who can not only sell homes but also empower clients with knowledge. Engaging in non-real estate related events can lead to organic conversations about real estate needs, often resulting in new client relationships and opportunities that may not have been uncovered otherwise.

Networking is such an integral part of effective real estate marketing as it transcends the boundaries of the real estate industry. It’s done to build a web of connections that support and strengthen your business in unexpected ways. It’s about being genuine in the way your carry yourself and approach others, and then being ready to lend your expertise when the moment arises and a potential client can use that expertise as they consider buying a home or selling one. Embrace the power of networking events, and watch as they become a significant source of new leads for your real estate business.

Direct Mail Campaigns

Direct mail campaigns are also proven effective for drumming up leads for real estate agents. Personalized sales letters will always resonate with homeowners in a way that digital messages can’t, and when they contain genuine real estate information or highlight recent sales and market trends they can serve as timely reminders of your dedication and expertise. They make it more likely that recipients will consider you when they’re ready to work with a real estate agent.

There is a nice tangibility to direct mail. It is more likely to be read and remembered, offering a touchpoint that feels more personal than simply putting another email in somebody’s inbox. It’s a strategy that allows agents to demonstrate their market knowledge and presence in a community, encouraging homeowners to engage with an agent they’ve come to recognize as a local market leader.

You’ll need to make sure they are thoughtful and relevant, direct mail campaigns can be a powerful tool for generating leads and nurturing existing relationships when they are. They make you immediately rememberable when clients are ready to move forward with a real estate sale or purchase.

Direct mail is not about casting a wide net when being used as real estate lead generation tools. Instead it is about precision and personalization, and understanding your audience, their needs and preferences, and then tailoring your message to speak directly to them. This level of customization ensures that your direct mail campaigns are not just seen but felt, creating an emotional connection that can be the deciding factor when a homeowner is ready to put their home on the market or search for a new one. Embrace the power of direct mail, and integrate it into your lead generation strategies for a holistic approach that reaches clients both online and off.

Niche Marketing Strategies

Continuing with lead generation tips for realtors, we need to also look at the importance of having niche marketing strategies. They are like fine-tuned instruments, crafted to resonate with the unique frequencies of particular demographics within buyer / seller profiles – first-time ones, luxury property bozos, or seasoned real estate investors. By employing search engine optimization with carefully selected keywords and creating content that speaks directly to the interests and needs of these groups, agents can enhance their online visibility and as more people click through the agent ends up with more client leads.

A creative touch is always best with niche marketing, especially when showcasing unique property features or employing unconventional marketing techniques that capture the essence of niche properties. When agents target specific demographics, like divorcees or investors, they always do well to understand their unique needs and then offer services that are tailored to their needs. Niche marketing is about recognizing and capitalizing on the distinctive needs and preferences of different buyer groups and it works in the same way to cement yourself as the agent more people will think of first when they need realtor services.

Targeting 1st-time Homebuyers

A first-time homebuyer’s journey can sometimes be a bumpy ride. The agent who can be a guiding light in their home-buying journey is the one who’s going to receive glowing reviews and recommendations. It’s about understanding their fears, their dreams, and the milestones they’re striving to achieve and then tailoring your message to address these points directly. Agents that do so will attract first-time homebuyers as well as build a relationship of trust and support that can bring repeat clientele.

Segmenting your first-time homebuyer leads according to their readiness to purchase is a strategic move that ensures the content they receive is relevant and timely. For those just beginning their search, educational materials that demystify the buying process can be invaluable. For those closer to making a decision, targeted information on available properties and financing options can provide the push they need to take the next step. By being attuned to the various stages of the homebuyer’s journey, you can provide targeted support and guidance that not only nurtures leads but also enhances the likelihood of conversion.

First-time homebuyers are always a great opportunity for real estate agents. They are often especially keen to receive guidance and likely to think very highly of the agent who helped simplify the complex process of buying a home. By positioning yourself as an ally and an expert in this niche, you can build a foundation of loyal clients who will not only return for future real estate needs but also refer their friends and family, creating a ripple effect of lead generation that can sustain and grow your business.

Working with Real Estate Investors

Real estate investors and homebuilders represent a unique and often overlooked niche in the industry and can be equally valid for lead generation for real estate agents. Targeting investor clients can unlock new opportunities and foster relationships that lead to repeat business and a steady flow of referrals. Creating content that addresses the specific interests and requirements of investors – with info on market trends, investment strategies, and property potential – highlights an agent’s industry expertise and better position them as the person who’ll be seen as the local expert.

Specializing in this niche can result in a high rate of referrals and a boost to an agent’s business. Investors and homebuilders are typically engaged in multiple transactions per year, providing a consistent source of business for agents who can meet their unique needs. Establishing yourself as a knowledgeable partner who understands the intricacies of investment properties and development projects, you can build lasting relationships that benefit all parties involved.

All of this is about more than just finding properties. The greater focus needs to be on providing value through market analysis, investment projections, and insights into zoning regulations and what land has the most potential for development. Realtors that make a suite of services tailored to their needs available become an indispensable resource for those people who are buying real estate as an investment. Embrace this niche, and watch as it becomes a cornerstone of your lead generation efforts.

Collaborating with Local Businesses & Partnerships

Community involvement and collaboration is very beneficial for a real estate business. By forming strategic alliances with local businesses and participating in community events, agents can tap into new lead generation opportunities that extend their reach beyond traditional marketing efforts. Agents can do this through:

  1. Local charities, schools, or non-competing businesses in the industry, such as mortgage lenders or insurance companies
  2. Participation in community events and sponsorships
  3. Educational workshops or seminars for homebuyers or sellers
  4. Local influencers or bloggers who are willing to promote services

Agents can also enhance their local presence by:

  1. Displaying promotional materials in local businesses
  2. Engaging with families through school events
  3. Promoting the services of other professionals in their network
  4. Collaborating with local influencers for sponsored content
  5. Organizing community yard sales and flea markets

These initiatives provide opportunities for agents to engage with potential clients and nurture relationships in the interest of real estate lead generation. These partnerships and community initiatives not only drive referrals but also contribute positively to the community, and the agent’s reputation as a committed and involved member of the local community is reinforced.

Joint Promotions

Joint promotions with local businesses are also something you can consider for unconventional lead generation for real estate. Collaborating on events and promotions will both increase a real estate agent’s visibility in the community as well as open the door to new audiences and potential leads. Imagine creating a local directory of exclusive business coupons on a neighborhood website; you’ll be seen as providing value to the community, and you’ll also be seen favourably with the fact you are featuring local businesses.

Co-marketing campaigns, such as seminars or joint webinars with local businesses, leverage the combined audiences of both parties, providing a wider reach and the potential for mutual benefit. It’s a partnership where both the real estate professionals and local businesses can shine, each bringing their unique expertise to the table and sharing it with a receptive audience.

Ideas can include:

  1. Collaborating on webinars or online events
  2. Hosting seminars or workshops together
  3. Offering special promotions or discounts when customers use both services
  4. Creating joint marketing materials like brochures or flyers

Establishing relationships with human resources departments can also be helpful if they’re able to offer services for new hires or those relocating homes. Consider this another strategic move that can establish lasting building relationships and increase lead generation efforts for real estate professionals.

With joint promotions you can be creating a network of collaborative marketing efforts that weave an interconnected web of visibility for your real estate brand. It is also conducive to aligning with local businesses to enhance your brand’s exposure and contribute to the growth of the community’s economic ecosystem. If you can foster goodwill, generate leads, and solidify your standing as a community market leader you’ll be gaining numerous benefits for your real estate business.

Referral Networks

Referral networks are the invisible lines that connect the real estate community, forming a web of mutual support and lead-sharing opportunities. Participating in these networks can significantly enhance an agent’s lead generation process, providing a consistent stream of buyer and seller referrals. A strong reputation within these networks, particularly within a specific real estate niche or location, can be cultivated through trust and successful transactions, which then leads to ever-greater numbers of clients referring you to others.

Maximizing presence in referral networks involves not just passive participation but active contribution—providing excellent client experiences that stem from effective customer service and a record of successful transactions. Rewarding referrals can be crucial for business growth, especially when they come from satisfied clients and industry peers who are very ready to recommend you as an agent. Industry-specific gatherings also offer collaborative opportunities, fostering the growth of referral networks and opening doors to potential partnerships that can expand an agent’s influence.

Leveraging your sphere of influence, those individuals who already trust and know you, can be a potent lead generation strategy. They are likely to refer friends, family, and acquaintances your way, especially if they’ve had positive experiences with your real estate services in the past. Nurturing these relationships, staying top of mind, and expressing genuine appreciation for referrals can transform your network into a real estate lead generation engine that really starts pushing you forward as you grow your real estate business in Canada.

Monitoring & Adapting Lead Generation Strategies

The landscape of real estate lead generation is changing all the time, and for agents keeping a vigilant eye on their tactics and adapting is essential. Regular evaluation and adjustment of strategies are not only vital due to the fluid nature of market conditions but are also crucial for maintaining competitive edge. Agents should find the right balance of lead generation techniques, catering to both immediate results and attracting customers with longer decision timelines, ensuring a steady flow of leads and maximizing the effectiveness of their efforts.

It’s a common practice for real estate professionals to spread their resources across various lead sources. It’s always best to hone in on the one or two most effective sources, to streamline efforts and get better results. This focused approach allows agents to allocate resources more efficiently, ensuring that they are targeting the leads most likely to convert into sales. External factors, such as economic conditions, interest rates, and government policies, also play a role in shaping lead generation strategies.

Staying in the know with these changes and adjusting tactics accordingly can help agents navigate market dynamics and stay in the flow with their lead generation efforts.

Tracking Metrics

In the world of real estate lead generation, setting clear goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) is much the same as map charting before starting a voyage. These metrics serve as landmarks, guiding marketing campaigns and providing agents with the means to accurately track progress and evaluate success. By monitoring KPIs such as the number of properties acquired and the cost of acquisition, real estate agents can see projections with market strategies and set realistic targets so that they achieve goals that are more achievable.

The tools and analytics platforms available to real estate professionals today are like the compasses and sextants of old, allowing for precise navigation through the seas of campaign performance data. Advanced AI tracking tools like Hyros offer optimization capabilities for those investing substantial amounts in marketing, ensuring that every dollar spent is used to its fullest potential. Understanding the behavior, preferences, and needs of the target audience through performance data leads to more customized and effective marketing efforts, enhancing the ability to attract and convert leads.

Regular reviews and analysis of performance data will also be needed to identify trends and uncovering opportunities to enhance marketing strategies. It’s a process of continuous improvement, where agents learn from each campaign and refine their tactics for even greater success in the future. Financial KPIs are also recommended for making informed decisions about resource allocation and cost-saving measures so that lead generation efforts are effective but stay within what you’d consider as a reasonable operating budget.

Staying Informed

The key to successful real estate lead generation strategy is staying informed about the latest trends and understanding which methods work best. Agents will always dedicate a certain amount of their monthly marketing budget to lead generation efforts, but for most they’ll allocate less than a hundred dollars. So it’s important to be strategic and use resources wisely to attract quality leads without overspending.

Referrals, personal contacts, and repeat business are the mainstays of lead generation, accounting for a significant portion of leads. This emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships and delivering exceptional service to encourage referrals.

Making a solid first impression is always super important, as many homebuyers and sellers tend to engage with the first real estate agent they encounter. This underscores the need for agents to be proactive and present themselves effectively from the outset. Additionally, the propensity of clients to recommend their agent further highlights the potential for new business through referrals, making it crucial for agents to provide outstanding service and foster positive experiences.

Social media for real estate lead generation is always going to need to be a primary focus nowadays, with most Realtors now considering it their top means for acquiring leads. With Facebook as the most popular platform, followed by Instagram and LinkedIn, agents must hone their social media strategies to maximize lead generation opportunities. Email marketing is also highly effective for nurturing leads, with optimal correspondence occurring weekly, helping agents maintain consistency in their follow-up efforts.

FAQs

What are the best cost-effective ways to generate real estate leads?

The best ways are to leverage your personal network for referrals, use social media for engagement marketing, CRM systems for targeted communication, and contribute regularly to a blog on your real estate agent website. It is also a good idea to participate in community events to build relationships.

How can I use social media to generate leads for my real estate business?

Social media for real estate agents and their success is best achieved with posting engaging content, using targeted ads on platforms like Facebook, showcasing properties with AR staging on Instagram, and networking with professionals on LinkedIn. Maximize your social media presence to attract potential leads.

What role does personal branding play in real estate lead generation?

Personal branding in real estate is very beneficial for lead generation because is promotes greater visibility as an agent and sets you apart from competitors who are less visible. Put a focus on increasing name recognition, and attracting qualified leads by showcasing your authenticity and expertise. Branding is always going to be a big part of successful lead generation in the real estate industry.

How can I measure the success of my lead generation strategies?

The success of your lead generation strategies is best measure by setting KPIs, using tracking tools and analytics platforms, and regularly reviewing campaign performance to identify trends and optimize efforts. You are better able to gauge the effectiveness of your strategies and make informed decisions.

What is the importance of niche marketing in real estate?

Niche marketing in real estate needs to be a focus for agents because it allows them to cater to specific demographics with unique needs. Done effectively it positions the agents as an expert in those areas and improves lead quality by targeting niche buyers / sellers more effectively for a competitive edge in the market.

Real Estate Lead Generation: 22 Foolproof Tips

Published July 22, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Real Estate Lead Generation: 22 Foolproof Tips Work in the employ of someone else and you can expect to get paid every 2 weeks. But of course whether you’re salaried or not you can probably also expect to be paid much the same amount every time. Sure, some people may get a raise every once in a while but there’s not much that they’ll be able to see in $ gains if they apply themselves to their job more and simply work harder than others. After they complete the licensing course real estate agents in Canada are in business for themselves, and there’s no guarantee you’re getting anything every 2 weeks, or ever for that matter.

Agents make money only when clients buy or sell houses through them, and if that doesn’t happen at all then there’s absolutely zero income being created through working as a real estate agent in Canada. You’re out there flying on your own, and there’s no net beneath you. Then add the fact there’s thousands of other realtors aiming to get the same clients you are, and there’s not enough of them for everyone to be getting the fill they’d envision for themselves. It is for this reason that real estate lead generation is so important. If you’re aiming to boost your real estate business in Canada, you need to be proactive in digging up leads for new clientele and not just waiting for them to present themselves to you.

Effective real estate network is always going to be a very core part of that. It will always be true that the more you do to build a name for yourself as a good local real estate agent the more likely it is you’ll have a more reliable stream of new clientele approaching you when they want to buy or sell a home. But these days your efforts have to go WAY beyond that and what once would be good enough for real estate marketing strategies doesn’t cut it anymore.

So what we’re going to do with this entry is lay out 22 foolproof tips for real estate lead generation that new realtors can – and should – utilize themselves as they look to cement themselves in their career and build a client based more quickly. Let’s get right into them.

Online Focus for Leads

Continuing with the idea of previous approaches being outdated now, there’s plenty more to real estate than showing houses and negotiating deals. Sure, agents must understand the latest market trends and know their way around numbers, you they also need to be a savvy marketer and have a keen understanding of how to get online real estate leads if you want to keep your client pipeline full.

Agents that come to be successful with this know that marketing and generating leads is always going to be an ongoing effort. You will be building your personal brand, expanding your network, and growing your real estate business. But for some the question becomes what comes first ideally, and what’s the most proven-effective approach for how to get real estate leads. Where do realtors find them most reliably, and how do they then convert leads into clients who buy or sell homes – which is how the realtor then earns the commission and, in the big picture, creates a livelihood for themselves.

Right, so without any further delay here are 22 proven techniques for good real estate lead generation.

Optimize a Facebook page

Facebook for real estate agents is a big deal nowadays, and primarily because Facebook is increasingly a social media platform for older adults – the people in the age bracket where they likely either own a home, or have the financial means of buying one. Agents can consider their real estate Facebook page a hub for online business. When a Facebook page is optimized for search, it can be an efficient way to generate real estate leads and have potential clients funneled towards a real estate agent’s website. Here’s how to optimize:

  1. Make sure page name and username are searchable and associated with working as a professional local realtor
  2. Optimize the title with relevant keywords
  3. Add a CTA button that lets people contact you right away. The CTA button can link to an agent’s email, a contact or sign-up form, or even FB Messenger

Work on an Instagram Hashtag Strategy

Instagram marketing for real estate is big too. Instagram hashtags are an effective way to expand your reach, increase impressions, and tap into relevant conversations on the platform. An Instagram hashtag strategy can help you grow your following and dig up leads through social media, especially on such a popular platform like this one.

Hashtags help Instagram categorize your content and make it more discoverable when people are interested in a topic. Posts that generate engagement with followers will prompt the algorithm to show that post to other people who may be interested, and in this case others who may be in interested in making some type of move in the local real estate market.

Use hashtags strategically to get in front of potential clients for real estate. There is no shortage of real estate-related hashtags that can be used, but the best way to get in front of the right people is to use niche hashtags. So rather than using #RealEstate it is better to use a more niche hashtag like #RealEstateListings. You can niche down even further and create a branded hashtag that makes it easy for your clients to keep up with your current listings and open houses.

With a more specific hashtag it becomes much more likely your post stands out and reaches the right people instead of being unnoticeable in a see of similar posts about local real estate.

Join a Slack Community

A lot of people will already use Slack to communicate with their team internally, and it can also be used for real estate lead generation. The social messaging app is at the center of many online communities, with many groups using Slack as a discussion forum and networking group at the same time via a Slack community.

With them people interested in a certain topic can come together to discuss the industry, ask questions, and share advice or stories with other members. Any real estate topic that’s especially relevant or one that you know potential clients will be interested in may be the impetus for joining a Slack community dedicated to the topic.

Examples could be joining a community for real estate investors or first-time buyers, and the way this can be a part of real estate marketing strategies is to be an active and helpful participant. Use your perspective and experience to help other members or answer their questions. Done right agents can be forming genuine connections that help them come into contact with would-be real estate clientele.

Request a Facebook Review from Clients

Back to Facebook for real estate agents here, and it is always going to be true that testimonials are gold for real estate agents. Any time potential clients search for an agent like you, glowing reviews from past clients can be hugely influential. Every time you have a client complete the sale or purchase of a home, ask if they’d be so kind as to leave a review on Facebook for you.

The benefits here are direct and immediate. For starters, if they use their personal account to write the review, then putting a face to the testimonial goes a good long way to adding social proof to the review and presenting it as that much more genuine. Then consider as well that this Facebook rating will appear in Google results when someone searches for the realtor’s business. Having positive reviews next to their name will help boost their reputation and increase the likelihood that potential leads to reach out.

Engage with Past Clients

An agent’s relationship with a client shouldn’t end after their provision of real estate services has ended. Relationships are key in the real estate industry, so it’s important to maintain connections with everyone you work with, and this will apply to everyone from associates to past clients. Agents can help any and all of them stay in the loop by suggesting following on social media or by other means.

The agent can also congratulate them on their latest milestones and share any helpful or relevant housing or industry updates with them as they come up. Maintaining client relationships will help the agent stay top of mind if these people are in a buy / sell situation again where they want to work with a real estate agent in Canada. It also makes them more inclined to refer the agent to others when opportunities come up.

Create Effective Lead Magnets

A lead magnet is a tried and true marketing method for driving traffic to a real estate agent website capturing emails as part of real estate email campaigns. Agents can use this freebie to attract people to their website and convert them into clients. This is how a lead magnet for real estate will work; the agent creates a free, helpful resource and promotes it on their website and their social media platforms. A portion of it will display, but in order to gain access to all of it people must enter their email, and only then will the entirety of the information be sent to their inbox.

Typical real estate lead magnets include home-buying or selling checklists, guides to the local housing market, or fun neighborhood guides that highlight things to do in the area that the agent serves.

Industry Expertise Shared on LinkedIn

We’ve definitely seen the value of LinkedIn for real estate agents too. It is great for sharing expertise or any unique takes on industry topics and trends. What this can be seen as is thought leadership, and it can do a lot for building an agent’s personal brand plus helping them with lead generation through real estate networking.

Agents can create a regular post or an article if you want to address a heftier topic, and the posts can promote even more value if the agent includes a few relevant hashtags to help LinkedIn categorize their post and show it to people who may be interested in the topic.

Follow Potential Clients

This bounces off the value of social media for real estate again. One of the best ways for agents to find leads in real estate is to look for them on their own and spending time on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn, looking for potential clients to connect with. The first consideration with finding potential clients on social media is to take note of the platform you’re looking on.

If the agent wants to find people on Instagram, search through location tags and hashtags related to the market those people are seen to be living in. Agents may also find people who are new to the area or people who are about to embark on the home-buying process. The agent can send an Instagram DM if it feels natural, but they need to make sure they don’t come across as spammy.

When potential clients are being followed on social media, agents can do well by engaging with them now and then to warm up the connection with the aim to hopefully convert them into a lead down the line.

Use Reels to Reach People

Reels are huge on Instagram and they are a favored format on the platform. Nowadays they are also a great way to reach people who don’t already follow you. When an agent creates a reels it helps them increase their reach and can expand their audience on Instagram. A potential lead may see the Reel in their explore tab and visit the agent’s profile because they saw it. Those that want their profile to keep up with the benchmark rate of 21,000 profile impressions will want to put in the effort needed to create compelling Reels.

For Instagram Reels for real estate one idea is to repurpose listing videos into short Reels to give potential clients a glimpse before they see a full tour. Another benefit from using Reels is that they offer agents a chance to get creative and show off their personality. Also they shouldn’t be afraid to get in front of the camera themselves.

Support Local Businesses

Focusing on one market, like a city or a specific neighborhood, shows an agent’s pride and expertise in the area by supporting and promoting local businesses. Think about joining the local chamber of commerce to stay involved in community updates and initiatives, engage with local influencers, and support small businesses in the area. In any instance there’s a new business in the neighborhood or a longtime business is hosting an event there’s an opportunity for the agent to use their network to amplify it on social media and generate support / awareness and then possibly generate real estate leads from it.

Stories to Drive Engagement

Instagram Stories are a great way to interact with followers, amplify the agent’s other content, and stay active on the platform. The aim can be to share links to recent listings, repost your static posts and Reels to drive more engagement, or use the questions sticker to do AMA-type sessions. For any of them there are plenty of ways to reach and interact with potential clients.

Use TikTok to Educate

TikTok users always love to be entertained, educated, and abused. The hashtag #TikTokTaughtMe has over 13 billion views and counting based on how many people are in that corner of the internet aiming to learn something every day. Real estate agents can use TikTok for marketing too, and especially when they take a here-to-inform approach to using this platform.

The key to using TikTok to generate leads is to get creative with the hacks and tips you share. Giving out real estate facts and figures likely isn’t the best approach. Instead envision your target audience and what they’d want to learn about. When agents are aiming at a first-time homebuyer, for example, they can share how-tos on typical home improvement projects that people may take on in the first 12 months after buying their first home.

Participate in Facebook Groups

Whatever it is an agent can imagine related to their local real estate market, there’s probably a Facebook group dedicated to it already. Facebook Groups offer real estate agents a great opportunity to connect with people and provide genuinely helpful insights into what they know best, with everything from local knowledge to real estate-specific topics to how to find the best local mortgage broker too.

Start a LinkedIn Newsletter

One good way to establish authority on a topic and gather leads for real estate agents at the same time is to start a newsletter. It can be even easier for agents who have a business Page on LinkedIn, as they can create their own newsletter within the platform. Even if they have never created a newsletter before, LinkedIn’s native newsletter feature makes it easy to publish articles that people can subscribe to. This newsletter will have a page where people can learn about the agent and what they’ll be discussing before they subscribe. Subscribers may well become leads eventually.

Focus on Topics Clients are Searching for Online

Every realtor needs to have a real estate agent website nowadays, and part of making it such a valuable resource for lead generation is to use it for real estate content marketing. You’ll need to have it optimized for SEO strategies for real estate too, but that’s another discussion. We’ll focus on the content here, and this is best done with a realtor’s blog on real estate.

Good content here will be the type that address the typical questions potential clients will have related to buying or selling a home. Remember they often turn to Google with their questions, and ideally that points them to the site and blog where the realtor is there providing them with the answers they’re looking for – and promoting themselves as a leading local real estate professional at the same time.

Be sure to include a clear CTA somewhere in the blog post, like a contact form or a direct link to your email. This way, if visitors find your answer helpful, they may be more inclined to reach out for your services.

Promote Open Houses on Facebook

There’s every reason to promote any open house on Facebook. It’s a free, simple way to promote the event and attract interested buyers. When agents create an event on Facebook they can cross-promote with their personal network and invite people in it to the event. A person who ends up coming to the event may be a potential homebuyer, or someone who is also interested in putting their home on the market.

To reach even more potential buyers the agent may also want to consider boosting their event. Putting ad spend behind the event helps to reach even more potential buyers.

Leverage Facebook & Instagram Advertising

A nod to social media for real estate again here. For agents that have a flexible marketing budget, Facebook and Instagram ads are an effective way for real estate agents to get more leads. Getting the most of out social media ads for realtors is to have a compelling CTA (call to attention) or use attention-grabbing creative to make it so people stop scrolling and click on the ad.

One way to take advantage of Instagram and Facebook ads in real estate is to use carousel ads. These interactive ads provide users with more to scroll through than static ads and this makes them perfect for showcasing multiple images or videos from a listing.

Share Real Estate Advice / Expertise on Reddit

Reddit also gets high marks for real estate agents who will welcome any helpful resource that points people with real estate-related questions in their direction. Remember that it’s a community-moderated platform and so there are certain guidelines users have to abide by, one of them being users are not be self-promoting there. So be sure to keep it strictly informative about real estate, and the key to getting real estate leads through Reddit is to be genuinely informative and helpful and not throwing out sales pitches. The goal is to connect, answer questions, share stories, and provide genuine, helpful advice to those seeking it.

Network with Home Professionals

Most established real estate agents will know plenty of other agents. But their network should also consist of people outside of the agent-broker circle, and that’s because connecting with people who aren’t agents but are adjacent to the industry can be very beneficial when an agent is building their referral network. Real estate referrals are an age-old way of getting new leads, and standard sources of them that can be gained from other professionals in related industries include:

  1. Insurance brokers
  2. Mortgage lenders
  3. Builders
  4. Interior designers

Agents that affiliate themselves with other home industry professionals increase their chances of being referred to new clients through them. Then it is also becomes possible the agent can recommend people to those professionals if they see they might need their services. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, and can be a way to generate real estate leads.

Add a Free Tool to The Website

Realtors can consider adding a free tool to their website, like a mortgage calculator or home valuation assessment. This is a helpful way to educate potential clients, whether they’re in the market to buy or sell. Asides from being a genuinely helpful offering for people, they can also be used to capture a lead’s information. Agents can glean essential information that they may be able to use to turn these leads into clients.

Contribute to Industry Publications

Agents can also position themselves as an industry expert and get real estate leads through by contributing to industry publications. These days it is possible to use tools like HARO or Qwoted to connect with journalists and publications who may be looking for quotes or insights from real estate experts. Some realtors may even have the skills required to write an article to contribute to industry publications that accept guest posts.

Contributing to trade publications or local media outlets will help them build their personal brand as a real estate expert in your local market. It will also help them get in front of a new audience of potential clients.

Take Advantage of Social Media Marketing Tools

Real estate agents who are attuned to marketing themselves in the modern world will be doing so on more than one social platform. Some are best for all-in-one social media content creation, scheduling, and monitoring and these days many realtors will use something like Hootsuite for this purpose.

Hootsuite Composer is good for creating and scheduling posts for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media sites. With Composer it is possible to put together a week’s worth of content that’ll publish whenever the agent wants it to go out on whatever platform.

These are all real estate marketing strategies that have the explicit focus of getting more leads for agents, both for clients who are looking to sell a home as well as those who would like the expert help needed when buying a home. Put as many of them to use as you see doable for you and we wish you success as you grow your real estate business in Canada.

The 17 Most Effective Lead Generation Strategies for Real Estate

Published July 15, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

The 17 Most Effective Lead Generation Strategies for Real Estate You are the only one who is going to assure there is wind in your sails when you’re working as a real estate agent. We like this sailing analogy considering the vastness of the real estate market all across North America being like a sea of sorts. And if that’s the likeness we’re providing for it then a realtor who doesn’t do well generating new clients is going to be in the doldrums and very quickly not earning any sort of living for themselves in their career. This is why real estate lead generation is so important.

If you’re a realtor working in Canada you don’t want to be that ship adrift at sea and not making a good living working as an agent. Remember that realtors don’t have any guaranteed income, and even if you put in a 60-hour week there’s no income coming in if you don’t have clients buying or selling homes through you. Sure, you’re going to have the odd listing or homebuying client fall into your lap, as the expression goes. But you’re going to need to generate real estate leads and drum up new clientele based solely on your initiative and hustle, and without it things are going to turn bleak fast. That’s how this business works, and any experienced realtor will tell you the same thing.

Long before the advent of the Internet realtors were doing this by traditional means, and ones like advertising billboards and getting out there and door knocking are still effective ways to get real estate clients. But if you want to grow your real estate business now and in today’s day and age you have to be taking advantage of Internet connectivity and doing it to the very best of your ability. This leads to us discussing paid lead generation strategies, and obviously that’s our area of expertise here.

But the best lead generation strategies go way above and beyond that, and even experienced, seasoned, and successful real estate agents may have a thing or two to learn about them. To that end we’re going to go over the 17 most effective lead generation strategies for real estate here with this week’s blog entry. Real estate marketing tips are always going to be crossing paths with lead generation, because a realtor who sells more homes is going to have more a reputation in that locale. And we all know what that does for career development.

Build Streams

Effective lead generation for real estate is absolutely everything when it comes to a realtor’s success in the business. Lead generation services can and should be expanded upon with other efforts made to gain leads organically through family, friends, and networking. Agents should also be looking at advertising, and marketing, and then deciding on strategies that will ensure a steady stream of prospective new clients for their business.

There are only a few of these that will qualify as truly free lead generation for real estate approaches, but those that are free might be worth taking especial note of. Particularly if you are new to working as a real estate agent in Canada. Many agents prefer cost-free and organic real estate lead generation strategies, and networking and establishing a referral system are going to be first on the list here.

We’ve seen so many times how the right approaches effectively lay the groundwork for a lasting business. But it’s crucial to note that they may require quite the investment of your time. Before fully committing to any path for real estate lead generation, it’s wise to evaluate all your options carefully and choose the approach that has you intersecting your goals with your resources.

Alright, without going on any further let’s get right to our 17 best strategies

Generate Referrals From Your Sphere of Influence

Here’s the first of our free lead generation for real estate possibilities, but agents must first understand they’re going to need to be willing to engage strategically with their SOI (sphere of influence). An agent’s SOI is family, friends, colleagues, and those they know personally and professionally.

This network is one of the best ways to get real estate leads since they already know and like you. The CREA member profile for Canadian realtors suggests successful lead generation for real estate agents comes from past clients and referrals (a total of 51% combined).

Building relationships doesn’t cost anything, but obtaining real estate referrals from your SOI requires consistent outreach if it’s going to be an effective way to get new real estate clients. Significant time investment is going to be required, including regular reminders that you’re working in real estate. Some not recall your entire range of services or the areas you cover.

Other agents being in their network is also a possibility, so what can you do to be top of mind when they’re considering real estate? Remember a few essential tips when reaching out to anyone in your SOI for new leads.

  1. Direct but not overbearing is the best approach. Aim to express your readiness to assist with real estate needs while having a conversation that is natural.
  2. Establish yourself as a helpful resource, and put a focus on your willingness to answer questions without obligation.
  3. Prioritize connections over sales, clarifying that your primary goal is maintaining relationships rather than seeing them solely as potential clients.

Connecting with your SOI through a text, personal email, Facebook Messenger, or an Instagram direct message is easy. Ideally you will have a real estate CRM (customer relationship manager) too as a means of staying on top of follow-up and communication. This is also big for real estate referrals, which leads us to our next strategy.

Be Generous With Agent Referrals

Real estate agent referrals are when another agent is connected with one of your leads based on the fact the listing is going to a better fit for them for whatever reason. A common example is that it is in that agent’s city or town, and not the one where you are working as a realtor. They will do the same for you if the roles are reversed.

What you do here is create an agreement between the two of you that the other agent will give you a real estate referral fee upon the successful deal closure. This strategy fosters trust with fellow agents, increasing the likelihood of reciprocal referrals. It lets you concentrate on leads within your target audience, and promotes you having more of a reputation as a reliable professional and the go-to source for your specific real estate niche or location.

Ways to grow your business through referrals include hosting client events, volunteering and participating in charities, or hosting workshops and seminars. Some go further and build out a full realtor referral network, which of course is huge for boosting real estate lead generation results if you’re willing to put in the needed time and effort.

There are fewer established real estate agent referral networks in Canada than there are in the United States, but if you do a quick Google search you should be able to find them.

Make Cold / Warm Calls

The general consensus in the industry is that it takes around eight cold calls to reach one legit prospect who might become a real estate lead. That may seem like a poor ratio, but you should still commit to cold calling as part of free lead generation for real estate. It’s true that for a lot of realtors they are going to be comfortable with sending texts and emails, but talking to someone one-on-one is undeniably powerful.

More than half of realtors say cold calling comes in second to referrals as the most effective real estate client prospecting strategy. When done correctly, cold calling old acquaintances or leads who have fallen through the cracks can recreate a relationship that generates new leads and referral sources. Success and getting your foot in the door with clients here has everything to do with having well-written and proven effective real estate calling scripts.

Realtors looking into the best lead generation strategies should take the time to write out scripts that they can read out when speaking to potential clients on the phone, and if writing one isn’t something you do well then you can and should pay someone to do it for you. Before picking up the phone, practice with a real estate cold-calling script several times to gain confidence and communicate effectively.

Aim for Business-Savvy Sellers & Buyers

Most realtors have their sights set nearly exclusively on residential homebuyers and home sellers when it comes to their real estate lead generation efforts. But there are many other types of real estate clients that aren’t receiving the focus that they should be from these agents.

It’s always good if an agent can specialize in a niche and work with homebuilders and real estate investors. Investors and builders buy and sell multiple properties, and this is something that won’t apply to the average homeowner. There’s no cost involved to be reaching out to these prospective clients, and there can be much to be gained from offering to buy them lunch or meet for coffee. It will be beneficial if you have experience working with new construction or investment properties to generate investor and builder leads. But everyone has to start somewhere to get that experience, and moving outside your comfort zone is a part of real estate marketing tips too, albeit a more abstract one.

So try to create a specific marketing plan to connect with this audience and demonstrate the way you’re the best agent for their needs. Get established in this niche and you’ll find that professionals in the investing and construction industries are well-connected with homeowners and homebuyers in their communities. An excellent sources of real estate referrals? You bet.

Obtain a Lead Generation Service Subscription

The extent to which a realtor’s client base can grow with paid lead generation strategies is immense, and it is something that every realtor should work into their operating budget if that’s possible. Remember that not all paid leads are the same quality, and a part of what puts us among the best real estate lead generation services in Canada is the fact that our leads are qualified to be genuine leads to a much greater extent.

Expect names and contact information of highly motivated buyers and sellers, and no matter which service you go with you should be receiving leads by email, text, and phone, depending on your chosen service. It’s possible the come in bunches, or you may be receiving them one at a time.

One of the best ways to take advantage with paid lead generation strategies is to use a popular lead generation platform like ours. With good ones you’ll have targeted communication and have more direct and usable means of taking leads and more reliably converting them into clients.

Some also specialize in targeting seller leads with predictive analytics that determine a homeowner’s readiness to sell. Ideally you’ll have a robust system to target both types of leads too – clients looking for help with finding and buying a home, and ones who are current owners of a home and will be putting it on the market soon.

Farm the Neighborhood With Direct Mail

Direct mail for real estate has so much potential here too, and farming to generate leads for real estate means involves focusing efforts on a particular area or neighborhood. Direct mail is an effective strategy for acquiring real estate clients in your farm area, allowing you to reach people in a specific geographical location and getting better results from your efforts if the market there is more active and has any boom in buyers or sellers depending on the current situation there with real estate.

One good idea is to try real estate farming postcards. They can feature new listings, market updates, or engaging content like home renovations in advance of sale ideas, for example. Focusing on a specific area through targeted marketing and community involvement gets your name much more out there as an established realtors. Done right this makes it more likely for someone to contact you for real estate needs.

Advertising on Social Media and Search Engines

We’ll give the same emphatic nod to social media marketing for real estate as an option for any new realtor who wants to get more leads and get them faster. They should be active promoting themselves on social media, and if their budget allows for it they should be buying paid ads on social media platforms. This does wonders these days for making them visible as a working real estate, and PPC (pay per-click) Google ads for realtors are equally highly recommended.

Search engines and social media generate both organic and paid leads. Organic real estate marketing is effective if done right, but with paid advertising you will benefit for sure as long as there’s nothing wrong with the ads. Agents will get the most out of online advertising strategies when they are part of a comprehensive real estate marketing plan. Ads alone can generate leads for real estate, but they will be a whole lot more impactful when combined with other marketing and lead-nurturing strategies.

Here’s two great places for you to start with real estate lead generation online:

  1. Facebook and Instagram advertising – ads on either platform offer precise targeting based on geography and interests.
  2. Search engine advertising – Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising target keywords and feature your listings at the top and bottom of the search engine results page (SERP). It’s smart to learn how to use Google ads for real estate agent leads.

Host Open Houses

Here agents will need to learn how to advertise and host events, help the seller prep the home, and be set up to capture buyer leads with open house sign-in sheets. Your focus here needs to be that anyone who walks through the door at an open house is a potential lead. If you’re attuned this way you’ll meet buyers who are actively looking to purchase along with neighbors who are contemplating selling. This makes open houses quite powerful among low-cost real estate lead generation strategies.

But generating leads from real estate open houses effectively is going to involve more than just leaving a sign-in sheet and a pen by the entranceway. The ways to connect more effectively with open house visitors and generate high-quality leads from these events extends way further than that.

You want to be engaging with all visitors upon entry, and providing them with various ways to collect contact information, plus implementing a follow-up email plan. You’ll also do well to provide printed materials containing property details, market information, and your contact info. Last but not least, these days it is a good idea to have a QR code for easy access to your contact information on the materials.

Build Targeted Landing Pages

This is where SEO for real estate enters the conversation, and the importance of having SEO-optimized landing pages on your real estate agent website is super important for so many reasons. If your website comes up high in SERPs when people search for ‘-city name- real estate agent’ then you will be nearly guaranteed to be doing well with real estate lead generation.

Real estate landing pages enable agents to attract leads by offering niche-specific content in exchange for contact details. These pages use a lead capture or hook, and examples of this can be a home valuation report or listing pages, and ones that cater to potential sellers and buyers for that specific region. Creating a unique landing page allows agents to market specific offerings.

Send Targeted Email & Text Messages

Email marketing for real estate can bring huge gains too. Like direct mail, email and text messages, or SMS marketing, emails that promote you as a realtor and provide welcome market information can be sent to niche audiences and leads. This helps you nurture leads more effectively, and given that global marketers report email marketing campaigns achieving an open rate exceeding 20% this is something that you can expect to have similar success with.

It’s ideal to combine every method of communication when generating and nurturing leads, but text and email are compelling for connecting individually with future clients. Look at these approaches to using email and text messages to connect and convert leads:

  1. New real estate listings
  2. Email Marketing
  3. SMS Marketing
  4. Real estate listing updates
  5. Notifications for emails
  6. Local market reports and updates
  7. Homebuying tips
  8. Mortgage industry updates
  9. Birthdays and anniversaries
  10. Meeting follow-ups
  11. Event reminders
  12. Birthdays and anniversaries

Just keep in mind that there is federal legislation in Canada prohibiting you from sending unsolicited messages to anyone. Those that you see as real estate client prospects must sign up and you must be permitted to send them notifications. Provided you have permission to contact leads by text or email you can then proceed to be in further and more detailed contact with emails to nurture them and build the type connection that will eventually convert lead into client.

Experiential Marketing as a Resource

When realtors host an event and offer an experience, they position themselves as an expert and put themselves in front of potential clients in the best way possible. The term for this is experiential or engagement marketing. Experiential marketing allows potential clients to meet you in person and get to know you in a pressure-free environment.

Here’s a very doable way for any realtor to try experiential marketing. They can host a tour of the area and be selling an educational event at one of their listings, or participate in a panel discussion. Another possibility is a ‘neighbors-only’ open house once you list a new property or an invitation-only open house. This strategy is very much in line with increasing the odds of being hired or recommended, and it is because the agent is giving potential leads a chance to get to know you in person and feel comfortable.

Host a Live Webinar

If an in-person event in unrealistic for the agent, they can consider creating a real estate webinar to attract targeted types of leads as part of the best lead generation strategies. A webinar is a two-way online seminar where you present material, just like would be the case at an in-person event. Attendees can engage with the agent to ask questions or initiate / facilitate discussion. If possible make it so that they webinar can be recorded and then use it as an evergreen resource that is provided to other leads in the future.

Webinars are more and more popular these days, and they continue to be effective because they allow leads to attend your event without leaving their home. This is an ideal lead generation strategy to appeal to targeted audiences and provide them with a convenient way to meet you. In other instances it may be possible to find new real estate leads without paying for extra resources or fees if you refine these methods and also find the ways to implement them more efficiently. This approach is excellent for new agents or those with limited budgets.

They will need to invest time, and agents that do opt to do these strategies for free will find the lead is going to be much slower to be generated, but they are still highly effective. Many agents may start for free and upgrade to paid tools when making money.

Embrace Networking

Networking is one of the most time-tested real estate marketing tips and such a core part of getting new leads. It’s similar to building your sphere of influence (SOI) since new connections you make from networking become part of your sphere. But different from your SOI in that networking is for establishing relationships to enhance your business.

It’s not only real estate professionals you want to be involved with, it is others unrelated to the industry. You can attend free or paid networking events. The key here is to get to know others. You’ll find that nearly every successful real estate professionals is active in the community. It can be a good idea to volunteer with a local charity, attend alumni events and fundraisers, etc. Review market data and trends before going to an event, because questions like “how’s the market?” are standard occurrences. Use these questions as an opportunity to show your expertise. Be prepared to connect with new leads by having an elevator pitch. Also, collect business cards and follow up with your new connections within a few days of the event.

Build Up Social Media Presence

Back to social media marketing for real estate we go here, and we can’t stress strongly enough how much realtors stand to gain from taking advantage of it. Building an audience on social media requires consistency and planning, but there is an incredible return on the investment of your time if you do it right. Spend the time and trial & error approach to social media marketing strategy and agents almost always increase their reach and build a solid reputation in their community.

Very few methods of lead generation for real estate build trust as effectively in the way a social media influencer can. If a realtor can become a social media influencer it is a powerful way to grow their business. Consider that 68% of brands plan to increase their influencer marketing budget. Start by focusing on one social media platform a time, and plan to take a long-term approach seeing which ones bring the best results for you.

Organic SEO for Lead Attraction

A marketing plan that utilizes search engine optimization (SEO) the same way is effective for finding home buyer leads as a real estate agent. SEO strategies for real estate websites can consistently bring new, highly targeted leads if the site pages are seo-optimized with keywords organically incorporated and at the right keyword density. The right keywords for a real estate website will be something most agents won’t know of, but if you feel that this is something you can do yourself with good writing skills then you can try to use Google Adwords or SEMrush.

Alternately, hiring a writer to do SEO-optimization for your site may be money well spend too, because SEO for real estate is a big deal always. Choosing the right keywords is a core element of any successful SEO strategy. To help you find the best keywords, use a reliable and robust tool like one of these ones or hire someone who knows this stuff well and can provide you with the expert SEO writing for real estate you need.

Follow Up on Expired Listings

Expired listings are ones that didn’t sell the first time they were put on the market, and now they’re off it because they didn’t sell during that set time period for the listing to be active. You can usually find the expiration date in the listing details for a property on your multiple listing service (MLS). Searching for expired listing leads can be a great way to showcase your ability to sell a house that has had its challenges or hasn’t been marketed properly.

Keep in mind though that as soon as a listing expires sellers are typically inundated with calls from agents who want their business. You won’t be the only one. The odds of converting a frustrated seller are higher than finding new business from a cold call or similar means of contacting potential real estate clients.

For those who would rather be out selling instead of spending hours searching through MLS records for leads, you might want to consider a tool that does this for you. They do exist, helping real estate agents prospect and potentially secure new clients by contacting homeowners with expired listings and discussing the possibility of listing the home again – this time with you as the new agent. But be ready to explain to them how you’ll do things differently, and have an actual plan for doing that before you speak to them.

Watch for Aging FSBO Listings

No one needs to get an explanation as to why a property owners would list their property without an agent. The aim is to save money. FSBO leads are harder to convert for this reason. There are still many FSBO sellers who’ll realize how much work is involved with selling a house though, and as a result they may be willing to work with an agent who might be able to make up for their shortcomings when it comes to marketing a home and getting it sold.

Even the most astute agent isn’t going to know when they’ll be ready to become clients. But an agent letting a FSBO know they would like to give their listing added exposure is still a good idea and a different approach to real estate lead generation. Some agents even have a FSBO script they use when speaking to these owners, and it is written to convey a clear, straightforward tone and to extract information about what homeowner feels about selling the home themselves.

The 7 Keys to Real Estate Success

Published July 9, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

The 7 Keys to Real Estate Success

People who do well in business often have certain inherent strengths and skills, but with so many different careers you don’t necessarily need to be smart in the strictest sense of the term. But you do need to be savvy, and typically being savvy comes from years of being as keen to learn as much as you can. As thoroughly as you can, and also as quickly as you can. For realtors we can assure you that real estate career success doesn’t happen overnight, but you will get there faster if you follow proven real estate success strategies.

We’d be remiss if we also didn’t emphasize that you’d better have a whole lot of hustle to go along with that growing industry savvy. Because as we’ve stressed at length real estate is a very competitive business and all the knowledge in the world is going to be by and large squandered if you’re not hustling try to generate new client leads for real estate. Real estate lead generation is just one of the keys to real estate success though, even though it’s the one we focus on the most around here.

That’s to be expected when you’re among the best real estate lead generations services in Canada, but we’re going to stray from our usual tact this week and focus on more general real estate success tips instead. We’ve got 7 of the best of them available for you to go over with this blog entry, and the hope is that you’ll see one or more of them that you can easily incorporate into your efforts so that you start achieving success in real estate to a greater extent. Sound good? We imagine it does, so let’s get right to them.

Deliberate Approach

Real estate is as competitive a world as they come, and this makes it so that finding the success an agents desires for themself requires a deliberate approach. The belief here is that these 7 keys here are genuine real estate success factors and can and should be part of any agent’s roadmap to prosperity. This will apply for a new agent the same way it will for an experienced broker.

These are strategies that can propel your business forward and help you thrive in a real estate landscape that is always evolving but with the one constant being that there is never going to be enough of the pie to go around. The success you aim to have for yourself is going to have to come at the expense of less of it for your competitors. As is so often the case with business of any type.

Okay, without further ado here are our successful real estate agent tips and ones we think at least a few of them should be implementable for most of you.

Have a Plan

Going into your new career choice with a solid plan success in real estate. And solid is the key word there, nothing about your plan should be indeterminate or open to going one way rather than the other. It takes a conscious effort to determine the most effective ways to run your business. Starting out as a real estate agent and planning for success should involve all of the following, and with an equal amount of emphasis and deliberation spent on each:

  1. branding
  2. marketing
  3. finances
  4. operations

Remaining focused on your business and having eyes on the prize(s) happens so much more naturally when you have this type of plan as part of your keys to real estate success. Ideally you always have something new to experiment with too, and you will also do best if you are never inflexible with your plan and be willing to admit you got X-part wrong if that’s what you did.

When you review your business plan annually and adjust for changing market conditions and tech innovations you will be improving yourself as a realtor and one who is enjoying more success in his or her career. Plus, keeping up with always-changing market conditions is an absolute must too.

Establish a Mentorship

Having a mentor can do wonders for you finding real estate career success. This is especially true when the agent finds an experienced realtor who has years of experience and a proven success record and is willing to share their industry savvy. If the agent can then leverage that mentor’s experience to make better business decisions it can be a positively decisive factor in avoiding industry pitfalls. Or allocating energies and / or finances unwisely, especially early in their career.

A mentor can also expedite career development in real estate by giving that agent an opportunity to ‘co-list’ a property. This is something that happens much more often than you might think. The way it usually works is that the mentorship recipient agree to do most of the work on a listing, and then receive a smaller percentage of the commission in exchange for having the opportunity provided by the real estate agent mentor.

By having their name on the listing this give the agent real-world experience in your desired market, but it also does a lot for making them more visible as a local real estate agent who has listings. This is an example where achieving success in real estate comes from having those first few listings do wonders in establishing a name for yourself.

So how does an agent go about finding a real estate mentor then? It’s not common for brokerages to have a mentorship program already in place, so you may need to reach out to experienced agents and ask about the possibility of this. Here’s 3 suggestions for how to approach this:

Make note of agents in your market who always seem to have new listing, and then assemble a short list of agents where you’d like to know of their real estate success tips. You then want to determine how you’re going to display that there’s value for them if they decide to mentor you. Agents can take conventional approaches and suggest that they help the prospective mentor with an open house or something similar.

It will be a learning experience for them, and allow them to get to know those mentor candidates better. They may also want to take their top candidates out for way too many drinks at a peeler bar, and if that suggestion is not well received then they can suggest coffee or lunch instead. They then ask if the candidate has ever considered mentoring a new agent. Keep in mind though that mentorship requires time and energy, and some agents just won’t have the bandwidth. Be realistic.

Master Marketing & Prospecting

Marketing and prospecting are both methods of generating new real estate leads, and for most successful real estate agent tips are always going to include discussing paid real estate leads. Philosophically here you need to come at this from the perspective that marketing is passive (putting your message out there and inviting people to contact you), but prospecting and collecting client leads for real estate agents is always going to be active (contacting specific people to ask for business).

Solid and proven approaches for real estate marketing include:

  1. Social media posts
  2. Newsletters
  3. Advertisements

And you will also want to be prospecting for real estate clients by:

  1. Contacting For Sale By Owner (FSBO) homeowners with their properties listed without a realtor
  2. Contacting homeowners who have had their listing expire, and may be open to working with a new realtor as a result of it
  3. Creating a Renter-to-Homeowner program

Mastering both lead-gen models is one of the most important approaches with real estate success strategies. If you practice them every single workday you’ll maximize the success you have with them.

Niche Down

Casting a wide net for real estate leads usually isn’t the best idea. Reaching more people doesn’t actually mean you are more likely you to get greater numbers of new clients. Instead the truth of the matter is that you’re more likely to achieving success in real estate when you reach a smaller group, and reaching them with messages that resonate with them.

Here are two marketing messages that may – or may not – go over especially well with people who may genuinely become new clients for real estate agents:

If you’re buying or selling a home in -city name-, contact me today.

If you’re looking for an investment property with high return potential in -neighborhood name – contact me today.

The first message is nothing special, and no part of it will set you apart from any of your competitors using the same message. This means that you’re effectively competing with every other agent in this massive market. The 2nd message is different. If I’m an overweight investor considering homes in that area, this message speaks to me more directly and suggests more of the opportunity to find a high-return investment property. Look into profitable real estate niches for agents and evaluate which one will suit you best, as finding a niche as a realtor is one of the more well-established keys to real estate success.

Focus on Referrals & Repeat Business

Only a little less than half – 42% – of buyers and sellers find real estate agents find a real estate agents having them referred by a friend, neighbor, or relative. Plus there are estimates that 12% choose an agent they used previously. This means that referrals and repeat clients could account for a full 50% of an agent’s buyers.

Consider as well that these same estimates suggest 36% of sellers come from referrals and 27% of sellers use their previous agent. That’s 63% of sellers potentially coming from just these two categories. Nurturing existing contacts is going to be part of real estate success tips too. An agent never knows when a client they’ve worked with before may be looking to relocate, invest, or refer a friend.

Let’s now talk specifically about what realtors can do to increase referrals and repeat business. For starters, they can change their marketing materials to have them highlighting referrals very directly. Any spot where there is the potential for a call to action in marketing materials, the agent can update that CTA to include referral opportunities.

Here’s an example – ‘If you’re ready to get top-dollar for your -area name- home, contact me today’ might be changed to ‘If you, or someone you know, is ready to get top dollar as an -area name- home seller, contact me today.”

Also make it a point to thank referrals publicly. When an agents gets a referral, they should make a show of it. Send a thank-you gift to the referrer’s office. A bouquet of balloons, or classic flowers, a basket of goodies, or a year’s subscription to Penthouse will garner their attention and make the agent’s referrer see them even more favorably and more likely to refer them to people in their network who are looking to work with a real estate agent.

Another solid approach is to give more value in any ongoing follow-up. For example, the agent might go ahead and provide regular market reports to show what homes in the area are currently selling for on average. Another possibility might be monthly lists of local events that help people feel more connected to the community. Or providing those homeowners with complimentary property tax reviews, something that is really valuable considering how often tax assessors overvalue properties and end up creating unfairly high property tax bills.

A quick look at the assessed value per square foot compared to local market values PSF can make it clear if someone is being over-taxed. Notifying these homeowners and advising them to appeal their assessments for a property tax reduction is one of the successful real estate agent tips that rarely if ever gets talked about.

Build a Strong Online Presence

Having a strong online presence is huge for success in real estate for many reasons. An emphatic online presence gives you real credibility with prospective real estate clients, and first and foremost in creating that for yourself is having a good real estate agent website. And on the agent’s site they should be highlighting ways to provide value before they ever meet the prospect to begin with.

These days arguably the best way to do that is by publishing informative content on social channels or a blog for a real estate website, and with it the agents is demonstrating their expertise and building trust with prospective leads. There are other ways to provide ongoing value to your sphere and providing ongoing value is key to generating referrals from real estate clients with an eye to gaining repeat business. Utilizing a website and social media platforms effectively is absolutely huge with real estate success factors these days.

With an SEO optimized website for a realtors you’ll also gain passive, organic online leads. Agents do well when they have their realtor website optimized for search engines like Google, and done right this makes it so that potential buyers and sellers are funneled directly to the website where they then learn of the relator and their services.

Diversify Income

There has been a lot of discussion among real estate agents as to whether income diversification is a good idea for their business. However, once they take a long vacation, take time away for health or family, or retire then their opinion on this changes. It’s here that they realize the value of having recurring income that is unrelated to their commissions.

Smart income diversification is a good idea for real estate career success based on:

  1. Recurring income despite seasonal slumps and periods of recession
  2. Passive income that can flow independent of current business activity levels
  3. Long-term income potential that can support agents after retirement or build generational wealth

There is no shortage of ways to diversify your real estate income. Choose an income stream based on the one that you see will work well during slower periods for your business, including recessions and one income stream that should be fairly reliable for providing passive cash flows.

FAQs

What can a realtor do to be more successful in the business?

A realtor’s success is always going to be dependent on having clients regularly buying and selling homes through them, and to that end the best way to have more success as a real estate agent is to engage in active real estate lead generation efforts, which these days can include the use of paid real estate leads.

Another good approach is to network more effectively with other service providers who may come to know of prospective clients through their work and will be agree to refer them to you if you do the same for anyone who might need their services.

How does income stream diversification benefit a realtor?

The fact that a realtor’s income is exclusively based on earning commission can make it so that their income can, and likely will, fluctuate. These increases and dips in income will occur as they go through periods of having more listings and buyer clients, to ones where there are fewer of either. Income diversification means that the agents has other income streams that can supplement their income during downswings.

What can a real estate agent do to make clients more likely to provide a review or referral?

The most natural way an agent can promote a positive review from a client is to provide great service, but if they do that and clients don’t volunteer a review it can be beneficial to ask them directly if they’d willing to provide one. When doing so it is best to take the approach to first ask if the client was 100% satisfied with the service provided, and whether or not they’re entirely happy with the outcome of their home sale or the purchase of a home. The agent can then make the determination whether or not they want to directly ask for a review, submitted online or elsewhere as needed.

Is search engine optimization something an agent can do themselves for their website?

Basic SEO improvements can be made to a website by anyone who has enough writing ability to incorporate select SEO keywords for real estate. But that type of SEO optimization will only provide marginal benefit for a real estate agent website. For far-reaching SEO optimization it will be necessary to hire a digital marketing expert who has the expertise needed with improving SEO for a website. This is important to do considering that a realtor’s website goes a long way to determining real estate career success these days.

A Guide to Financial Planning for Real Estate Agents

Published July 2, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

A Guide to Financial Planning for Real Estate AgentsMoney management skills are important no matter what career you’re in, but for people who are self-employed and don’t have the safety nets that people in the public or private sectors do it is even more important. There is no debating that working in real estate can be a very well-paying profession but you’re not guaranteed even one penny of it the way others are when they agree to take a job. When you work as a real estate agent you make your money through commissions, and that means you need to have people choosing to buy and sell homes through you.

Finding those real estate leads and securing them as clients is what we’ve talked about at length here at Real Estate Leads, and we are among the best real estate lead generation services in Canada. But we’re going to stray from our usual blogging topic this week and look at those money management skills with financial planning for real estate agents that will also serve realtors well as they move through their career years and eventually towards a comfortable retirement.

This is even more of a pressing matter for agents who have their own situations where greater expenses are foreseen, and as we all know the cost of living in Canada is shockingly higher these days and people in any profession are likely going to want to have more for their retirement. Again, there’s no pension plan for a career real estate agent and it’s also true that most working professionals are going to encounter bumps in the road that will be more easily accommodated if they’ve planned for retirement better. This leads us to money management for real estate professionals, and so let’s dig into it.

Fundamental Differences

Real estate financial planning tips can start with understanding some of the principal differences that will come with working as an independent licensed operator versus someone who is a salaried employee. Salaried employees automatically have their taxes, insurance, and retirement contributions deducted from pay cheques. Realtors will need to manually calculate and track these expenses whenever they receive a commission.

Salaried employees will also have a stable income. A realtors income is rarely if ever stable, and none will know exactly how much they’ll be earning three months from now or at any point on a timeline. Salaried employees also only have to budget for personal expenses, but as a realtor you’ll need to budget for personal and business expenses.

On the flip side of that, salaried employees have limited earning potential. Their income isn’t going to be exceeding their salary (bonuses being an exception). Whereas as a realtor your earning potential is unlimited. This is one of the principal draws of working as a real estate agent in Canada – putting more work in means the potential to earn more, and for so many agents that opportunity is a central part of why they choose this profession.

Real estate agents are required to handle their finances differently because of these reasons. Smart money management for real estate professionals goes a long way to building a sustainable lifestyle that has you content in what you choose to do for a living.

A career in real estate comes will present its own set of financial challenges. Here is what you need to know about financial planning for real estate agents, and budgeting is the most natural place for us to begin.

Budgeting for Real Estate Agents

Budgeting is always going to be central financial planning, and that will be true whether or not you’re working as a realtors. A budget allows you to allocate your spending on things that matter most to you and prevents you from overspending on things that shouldn’t be prioritized with your spending, or perhaps shouldn’t even be purchased at all. You can think of this as your real estate financial guide, and it starts with budgeting because it should.

Professionals who do well with this love budgeting because it takes the concern out of spending. Some realtors will spend a small fortune on escorts because they make them happy. Without a budget, every one of them might be questionable; can I afford this evening or will I do better spending my money elsewhere? However, if they can build this into my budget, they can assume that expense with more confidence each time they do it. Knowing that the cost has been allocated for in their budget.

What is often recommended as part of financial strategies for realtors is building a reverse budget. Most people use their income to inform their budget. They determine how much money they have coming in every month, and then decide how it is going to be spent. For a realtor it will be different of course, because the income you earn through commissions is going to be different every month.

This is where a reverse budget works really well. It is one that starts with your expenses to show you how much you need to earn each month. You will start by listing all your expenses – personal and business – including the things that fall into the enjoyment / recreation category. Think of this exercise as designing your life. If your aim is to afford a membership to the local country club, include those membership dues. If you want to take a $5k vacation every year, including that in your reverse budget too.

It is likely that you’ll find some categories to be variable expenses, as they will fluctuate from one month to the next. For this reason, many agents find it helpful to list the total annual amounts for each category and then divide that amount by 12 to come to an average monthly amount.

Personal expenses will include housing, food, utilities, personal vehicle, insurance, savings and investments, debt payments, charitable giving, and the things you do for enjoyment. Business expenses will be your smartphone, work vehicle, marketing, office space, affordable web hosting in Canada, signage, dues, client gifts, and of course your federal and provincial income taxes.

Try to be as realistic as possible with the amounts you set. It might even be an idea to review your credit card or bank statements to see your actual spending over the last year. Then you will proceed to create a total of your expenses, and this will point out what you need to earn each month to cover those expenses.

Measured Income Generation for Expenses

Continuing with Financial planning for real estate agents, it is just as essential to have plans for generating the income required to meet the budget you have for yourself. Many agents struggle to consistently generate enough income to be comfortable, and this is especially common in the early career years. Your primary focus should be on generating income in real estate is by trying to generate new real estate leads every single workday.

You will need to be following up on expired listings, contacting FSBOs, contacting people in your network, and making potential client connections via social media. It is a good idea to create a prospecting checklist to help you stay focused, and your secondary focus so be on diversifying your income streams. Remember that this industry is very much cyclical, and there will be very productive periods as well as ones that are not productive or profitable at all. It pays to have seasonal income streams, passive income streams, and recession-proof income streams, and ideally they are tied to your real estate business.

Saving & Investing Strategies for Real Estate Agents

Investing and saving also come in as critical components of financial planning for real estate agents. These are connected concepts, but have two different meanings here. Saving money is putting away cash or cash equivalents for unexpected expenses. Some will refer to this as their ‘emergency fund’, and then for investing it can mean buying assets that have the potential to grow your money.

All working professionals will require both savings and investments. Your specific savings and investment needs will depend on your unique lifestyle, goals, and to what level you will be willing to tolerate investment risk. Let’s now cover how to save and how to invest as a real estate agent as part of this real estate financial guide.

We can start with and where to save money. With regards to savings, you want to keep enough money accessible (in a savings account) to cover unexpected expenses and emergencies. But not keeping so much in savings that you miss out on the big financial benefits of investing. You should stick to the general guideline that people should have enough in savings to cover 3-6 months of living expenses.

Let’s say your living expenses come to $5,000 per month, you should maintain a savings account balance somewhere between $15,000 and $30,000. Those who have a higher risk tolerance may just keep one month’s expenses in savings. Others with a lower risk tolerance may opt to retain a year’s worth of expenses in savings. Of course the time to save this amount may vary. That’s ok, and you may have to dip into it before it’s fully funded.

In this event make sure that you’re putting some of each commission check into this account until your savings goal has been reached. And you need to ensure yours savings are kept out of your chequing and not be dipped into for covering unexpected everyday expenses. Savings are traditionally kept in savings accounts, and usually these are insured, so there is no risk of losing your money.

Another idea for a better rate of return on your savings is to choose to keep those funds in a high-yield savings account, which pays a better interest rate than traditional savings accounts.

Investing as a Real Estate Agent

You may have a financial advisor telling you to fully fund your emergency savings before you start investing. Saving and investing at the same time may be the recommendation from other investors. Remember as well that with each commission cheque, a percentage of it should be going into savings, a % into retirement investing, and a % dedicated to your other goals. Many agents will choose to to save and invest at the same time simply because it can take a long time to fully fund your emergency savings, and there’s little chance of missing out on the investment gains you could be making during that time.

Real estate agents will do well when they plan for three types of investments as part of financial strategies for realtors:

  1. Retirement
  2. Short-term goals (ones aimed to achieve within the next 3-5 years)
  3. Long-term goals (ones that are on more of a 5+ year timeline)

The general belief is that retirement is the most crucial investment account for real estate agents in Canada. Their lifestyle in retirement depends on how they manage money now. Even if you’re a 20-something year old agent and have a long career ahead of you, the need to start investing for retirement now is there. And that’s because of the role of compound interest.

That is the money you make on the money you invest. Compound interest is when you earn interest on the interest you already earned, allowing you to make money on the money your money is making. Done right there is the potential to grow your money exponentially, so the earlier you start then the more your money can grow. When you invest as early as possible time becomes you ally, and you will be growing your modest investment to more money than you could if you had just set it aside on your own.

Retirement accounts are a complex topic, but here is a simple overview of how they work. A financial planner can help you choose a tax-advantaged retirement account like a Solo 401(k), an IRA, or a Roth IRA. The planner will then take a share of your portfolio earnings as payment, so you can see it as you don’t pay anything out-of-pocket for their service. Your money goes into the account, and you choose to direct it to the specific investments you want to add to your portfolio. Examples being stocks, bonds, and funds. A good planner will advise on these investments based on your retirement timeline and goals.

You can automate your investments so that you only have to review your portfolio periodically to make sure you’re happy with the performance. There’s no need for constant oversight when you’re playing the long game.

Make-Up Investing

Going further with money management for real estate professionals, we need to realize that some agents may be later to come to the realization of the need for all of this. The best time to invest was always X-years ago; the second best time to invest is always today. Interestingly enough this seems to exist the same way when it comes to buying real estate.

It’s fair to say that if you didn’t start saving five years ago, you may have missed out on some growth, but you can still begin with effective retirement investing for self-employed professionals like realtors now. Don’t be discouraged; there are other ways to fund your retirement besides traditional retirement accounts. One example is to build a real estate portfolio that generates enough net rental income to fund your retirement.

You may also want to create other passive income streams like dividend growth investing or digital product sales. Another option may be to sell your real estate practice when you retire. It is possible another agent may be willing to buy your client base and workflow systems and pay an upfront sum for exclusive access to them. An additional possibility could be to arrange to earn residuals on each sale made by that successor.

Look at money as a tool for enhancing our lifestyles. Ask yourself what would make a difference in your life a few years from now? A home reno? A vacation? Shipping the kid off to military school with that gosh darn Finkelstein kid? Maybe it is more simply expanding your business interests. Maybe also ask yourself what you’d do if you could afford anything. You might be choosing to travel the world, build your dream home, or perhaps even open your own brokerage.

It might look like you’d need to save forever to reach those goals, but investing allows you to earn a return on your money so that the growth occurs much faster. Generally, the closer you are to your goal, the less risk you can afford to take. And the less risk, the lower the reward potential. The more time you have to reach your goal, the more risk you can take, and the greater your reward potential can be. This is why dream investing is broken down into two categories: short-term and long-term.

Short-term investing is going to be certificates of deposit (CDs). money market accounts, short-term bond funds, real estate syndication, and crowdfunding. Long-term investing is going to be stock-based index funds, REITs (real estate investment trusts), mutual funds, rental property investments, and alternative investments like collectibles, precious metals, or infrastructure. You can ask your financial planner for guidance to understand which of these investment types best serves your unique needs.

Real Estate Financial Planning Quick Tips

Only saving or investing whatever is left of your commission cheque is never going to be advisable. Set aside your savings and investment contributions first, and then proceed to spend what’s left. You should also be automating your savings and investment contributions, and when you have your contributions pulled directly from your account on payday it makes it easy to stick to your long term financial plan when working as a realtor.

We also recommend that you refrain from checking on your investments every day. The value of your investments will fluctuate with market conditions, so you don’t need to stress over every little dip. It’s better to review your portfolio once a year to see if you want to make any changes. And spending money to leverage the experience of financial planners is highly recommended. They live in the financial world and can offer valuable insights to those of us who only have a very formative understanding of finance.

Canadian Realtors: How to Generate Leads

Published June 25, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Canadian Realtors: How to Generate LeadsIt is a different operating environment for people in the real estate business in Canada, and one of the first things a new real estate agent will realize is that the type of sales activity you see all over the country in the USA is only going to be occurring in the few major metro cities we have here in Canada. There are other different dynamics to working as a real estate agent in Canada too, and one of them is that the nature of how to get real estate leads effectively is slightly different here too.

You might think that’s as simple as saying that you won’t get as much out of door knocking because there are fewer doors to knock on. But it’s not such a simplistic matter, and the fact that there are always fewer homes for sale in Canada is tempered by the fact that a much smaller population means there are fewer real estate agents working here too. Don’t think for a second that means there’s an equal share of the pie to go around though, so to speak.

Effective real estate marketing is supremely important, because there isn’t enough business to go around and that’s why realtors need to hustle to the extent they do when it comes to generating leads for real estate. New clientele is the lifeblood for you when you work as a realtor, as without having clients buy or sell homes through you there isn’t going to be any viability in choosing this line of work. That said, no one needs to be told that it’s a line of work that can have you earning a nice living for yourself when done right.

So this leads us to online lead generation for real estate in Canada, and what we’ll look at with this blog entry is the best approaches to getting those leads from the perspective that things are different for realtors in Canada as they are for realtors in the USA or elsewhere in the world. There’s no getting around the fact that how well you do with real estate lead generation is going to be a huge factor in your success – or lack of it.

Top Advantage

We will assume you are a Canadian real estate agent looking to boost your business and increase your client base. You’re obviously one of many, and because there are so many agents in Canada it means that generating leads is crucial for success in the competitive real estate market. In this article, we will focus on the different types of leads and real estate lead generation techniques. As well as detailing why they are important for realtors in Canada, and the best strategies for generating homebuyer and home seller leads.

This will stretch from social media and creating a strong online presence to targeting local communities and utilizing online advertising, and we’ll go over everything you need to know for real estate lead generation techniques. Plus discussing common mistakes to avoid when generating leads to ensure that you are on the right track to success.

Let’s start by defining leads for realtors. What qualifies as a lead in the real estate industry is a potential clients or individuals who have expressed interest in the services offered by real estate professionals, whether that is for buying or selling properties, seeking consultations, or making real estate transactions with the purchase or sale of a home.

Leads play a crucial role in the growth and success of a real estate business. They are the lifeblood of the industry, acting as the starting point for potential transactions and relationships. Potential clients may be generated from various sources, with possibilities being referrals, online inquiries, networking events, and those who attend open houses that agents can use for attracting home buyers. You’ll see agents prioritizing lead generation to ensure a continuous influx of potential clients.

That’s because effective lead management and conversion are key to maximizing the impact of leads on business growth, and their contribution to sales and revenue is immediate and direct. Maintaining a healthy pipeline of leads is essential for sustaining long-term success in the competitive real estate market.

Different Types of Leads

The different types of leads in real estate will be crossing over various categories based on the lead’s level of engagement and readiness to conduct real estate transactions. This is the basis for dividing them into what you will hear referred to as cold leads, warm leads, hot leads, and put-out leads. Each one will then require a different approach as you aim to convert each lead into a client.

Cold leads are individuals who have shown minimal interest in real estate transactions and are likely not buying or selling a property anytime soon. There is potential to gradually warm up these leads with strategic nurturing through targeted marketing efforts. Warm leads are ones who have exhibited some interest or engagement and may buy or sell in the nearer future. There is a higher probability of conversion with proper follow-up and personalized interactions.

Hot leads are the ones where the owner or would-be homebuyer has strong interest and is likely to make a move in the local real estate market soon. This is where immediate attention and strong real estate lead nurturing is going to be required. Qualified hot leads are ones assessed as having both the intent and financial capacity to proceed with a real estate transaction, and they are a top priority for conversion.

Importance of Online Lead Generation for Real Estate in Canada

Simply put, realtors are going to need leads and their Real estate digital marketing strategies need to be geared to producing them at all times. They serve as the lifeblood of an agent’s business and will drive the growth of client base, foster referrals, and enhance market visibility. With the overall aim of contributing to sustained sales and revenue generation in what we know is a very competitive business at all times. If you don’t know how to get real estate leads you are at an immediate and profound disadvantage.

This is because nurturing and converting leads is crucial for business growth and establishing a strong presence in the real estate market. High-quality ones drive expansion and also generate referrals, which is similarly conducive for having a network of satisfied clients who will readily recommend you to others as a good real estate agent.

This organic growth strategy allows you to gain a competitive advantage by tapping into new markets, identifying potential buyers or sellers, and establishing a strong market presence. Effective real estate lead generation requires a multifaceted approach, with leveraging social media channels, establishing a robust online presence, nurturing networking connections and referrals, and hosting impactful open houses.

You should also be forging partnerships with other businesses, and implementing strategic email marketing campaigns to engage potential clients and build up your prospective client base.

Emphasis on Website and Social Media

Website

You can establish a robust online presence through an optimized website, engaging content, and having your realtor website optimized for SEO and search engine visibility is crucial for agents who want their site working at its best to attract and capture leads. When done right the site enhances brand visibility, drives organic traffic, and facilitates lead conversion through effective digital marketing strategies.

Optimizing your website also ensuring that it is user-friendly, loads quickly, and is mobile-friendly website for real estate agents so that it is easier for potential leads to find you when searching for realtors online via a mobile device. Publishing good real estate content on your site is also important if you’re determined with how to get real estate leads. Creating high-quality, relevant content that addresses the needs and pain points of your target audience will cement you as a thought leader in the real estate industry.

It will also increases your website’s authority and relevance, which are a very powerful determinants with search engine rankings. You want would-be clients to see your website high in search engine results pages when they search ‘city name’ realtor, for example. Integrating relevant keywords and entities into your website’s content and backend coding makes search engines aware of the nature of your site and ensures that it appears in relevant searches.

Focus on local SEO practices, like creating location-specific landing pages or including local keywords, and you will be further enhancing the visibility you have with potential leads in your area. These strategies work in tandem to establish your digital presence and position you as a more likely candidate for individuals looking to choose a local real estate agent.

Social Media

Social media platforms are ideal for having realtors reach a wide audience, share property listings, and engage with potential buyers and sellers. This is equally true for real estate agents in Canada in the same way it is for ones in the USA. But being optimally visible in real estate starts and ends with having a good real estate agent website. It is central to effective real estate marketing as a strong online presence through an optimized website and engaging content helps build credibility and attracting leads.

Utilizing social media platforms is a proven-effective strategy for realtors aiming to get more out of their real estate digital marketing strategies. Especially with the way it enables targeted outreach, content distribution, and engagement with potential clients across popular networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and more. What agents usually come to learn quickly is that social media lead generation for real estate requires a nuanced approach. Platforms like Instagram offer visual appeal, making it ideal for showcasing properties and lifestyle content. X, on the other hand, is good because it facilitates real-time updates and communication with prospects.

But you will need to make every effort to stand out from the crowd, because you can sure other realtors will be active on social media too and promoting themselves in the same way you are. If you want results from social media marketing for real estate you will need to create compelling visual content, share informative blog posts, and utilize interactive features like live videos and polls as effective engagement tactics to attract and retain potential real estate clientele.

Industry Connections Too

Building and nurturing networking connections within the industry and seeking referrals from satisfied clients can lead to valuable leads, and hosting impactful open houses that provide an opportunity to showcase properties and create personal connections with potential buyers will also have you doing well here. The value in partnering with other businesses such as home stagers, interior designers, or mortgage brokers to further expand your reach and attract potential clients is well established.

Networking with industry peers, fostering referral partnerships, and leveraging customer relationship management (CRM) systems are instrumental in the same way for online lead generation real estate in Canada, making it more likely that you establish meaningful connections, exchanges of referrals, and have a better understanding of how to manage leads effectively.

A strong network with fellow professionals in the real estate industry is helpful too, as you can be opening doors to potential clients and lucrative partnerships if you have good working relationships with other realtors, and ones in other towns especially. Realtors do well when they actively participate in industry events, join professional associations, or engage in online forums. Do so regularly and you’ll be building enduring connections that often result in valuable referrals.

Have a structured referral program within one’s network too. It incentivizes cooperation and reciprocal referrals among industry peers. Realtors should also use some type of customer relationship management (CRM) software that they use with their lead database. These powerful tools streamline the lead management process and make it so that real estate professionals can organize, track, and nurture leads effectively. This ensure no potential opportunity slips through the cracks.

Agents do well when they harness the advanced functionalities of CRM platforms with automated lead assignment, targeted communication, and performance analytics. This is in line with getting more out of real estate lead generation efforts and then maximizing lead-to-client conversion rates.

Value of Open Houses

Hosting open houses presents realtors with an avenue to directly engage with potential leads, showcase properties, and build rapport as means of establish connections with folks who may buy or sell a home in the near future. The hosting agent can also gather valuable insights, and then convert some attendees into qualified leads through impactful event-based marketing.

Open houses can create a warm and inviting atmosphere for prospective buyers to experience a property firsthand. This can lead to building trust and a deeper connection and by hosting an open house, real estate professionals are putting their expertise on display, making it clear they understand the buyers’ needs, and showing their willingness to provide personalized assistance.

Good open houses also enable agents to gather contact information and preferences from attendees. When you have this you are better equipped for ongoing communication and nurturing relationships plus attracting home buyers. You can increase attendance and reach by employing digital and traditional marketing tactics. This can include leveraging social media, email campaigns, and neighborhood announcements.

Business Partnerships

Realtors can also benefit with better lead generation for real estate when they form strategic partnerships with complementary businesses. Examples can be mortgage lenders, interior designers, or home service providers can yield mutual lead generation opportunities for realtors. It expands their referral network, taps into shared customer bases, and amplifies marketing reach through collaborative strategies.

Mortgage lenders are a big one, as with this partnership realtors can offer seamless access to financing options for potential buyers, and this ups the likelihood of closing deals. This partnership also allows for a more efficient and streamlined process for clients. Partnering with interior designers is really good too, as property staging creates a more compelling showcase for listings. Homes that sell faster and higher prices for properties can be the outcomes of this type of good real estate partnership.

Another good idea is to get involved with joint marketing initiatives like co-hosted events, cross-promotions, or even creating content collaboratively with other real estate SMEs (subject matter experts). When you do this you can leverage the strengths of each business and reach a wider audience. This can drive more leads collectively and benefit all parties involved.

Email Marketing

Implementing targeted email marketing campaigns are excellent for generating leads for real estate when the focus is on reaching and engaging with potential leads directly. What you need to do here is have personalized content, property listings, and promotional offers to nurture leads, drive conversions, and maintain consistent communication for sustained lead generation and client engagement.

Effective email marketing for real estate will involve a combination of engaging, informative, and personalized content that resonates with potential leads. Segmentation is good too because it makes it so that the content is relevant based on the recipient’s interest and prerogatives. The chance of converting a lead into a client becomes that much higher.

Lead nurturing tactics like automated drip campaigns and personalized follow-ups are also solid approaches for cultivating long-term relationships with lead that then become more likely to eventually become clients. Integrating digital advertising strategies in email marketing can amplify the reach and impact of the campaigns for better lead generation for realtors and more thorough client engagement.

Most Effective Strategies for Lead Generation in Canadian Real Estate Market

The challenges are much the same for realtors in Canada as they are in the United States, as the competition stays proportionate to the population differences and the according different sizes in the real estate market. And the number of homes on the market at any time. Here it is even more important to take advantages of the capabilities of local SEO, offering valuable content and resources, utilizing online advertising, and hosting educational seminars and workshops.

These are the most effective lead generation techniques to engage the local audience, enhance market visibility, and get the most out of your real estate lead generation techniques. Local-focused approaches play a crucial role in establishing a strong connection with potential clients, particularly when the agent understands the unique needs and preferences of the local community.

It is here where real estate professionals can tailor their marketing efforts to resonate with the target audience. These interests can then be connected to specific keywords for better SEO for the real estate agent website. You definitely want to have those local-related search terms in there.

SEO tactics are imperative for improving online visibility and better online lead generation for real estate. Optimizing website content, leveraging local keywords, and ensuring consistent business listings across online directories can improve organic visits and lead generation significantly. Getting these keywords into your site and social media content will be helpful too.

Leveraging localized keywords in digital marketing campaigns can significantly improve visibility and relevance and attract relevant leads within the community. You want to be incorporating specific neighborhood names and local landmarks,

We’ve talked about how content marketing is a powerful tool to provide valuable insights and resources to people who may be buying or selling a home. By creating informative blog posts, neighborhood guides, and market reports, real estate professionals set themselves as knowledgeable and trustworthy industry and this works for attracting home sellers in a big way.

Realtors should also focus on targeting local communities, and with hyper-local marketing initiatives, community engagement, and localized content creation for establishing a strong presence, fostering connections, and resonating with the unique needs and preferences of the local market. This drives meaningful lead generation and client engagement.

Implementing localized content strategies is another part of effective real estate marketing, especially when you can emphasize neighborhood highlights, local market trends, and community insights. You’ll be creating valuable resources that resonate with the target audience. Also make sure you integrate local keywords strategically in website content, meta descriptions, and title tags to improve organic search visibility. This needs to be a part of your real estate digital marketing strategies if you want to gain more local clients.

Valuable Content and Resources

When realtors are able to provide valuable and informative content with market reports, neighborhood guides, and home buying/selling resources, they do become the trusted authorities and real estate lead generation occurs more naturally and organically because clients start to see them as the agents they want to work with. This fosters engagement, and ultimately drives lead conversion through content-driven strategies.

Offering valuable resources and insights not only educates prospective clients but also establishes a sense of credibility and expertise. Agents simply can’t go wrong with good blog posts, video tours, virtual open houses, and guides that would-be clients can download. High-quality content that is tailored to the needs and interests of the target audience lets real estate agents in Canada deepen relationships, nurture leads, and lay the foundation for client generation and retention.

Online ads can be a big part of what they do too, and well they should be if they are aiming to get best results from online lead generation for real estate in Canada. The best focus is on targeted online advertising campaigns across platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, and other digital channels. You will be doing better with reaching potential leads, driving website traffic, and increasing qualified inquiries.

Platform selection will be dependent on your location and the demographic nature of the potential client base you’re targeting. For example, Google Ads can be effective for capturing intent-based leads, while Facebook provides a robust targeting capability based on user interests and behaviors. Keep in mind that the majority of people who are at the life stage where they will be buying or selling houses will have Facebook as their primary social media platform.

This is why you choose the platforms that align with your audience. Ad targeting plays an integral role in maximizing the effectiveness of online advertising. Leveraging advanced targeting options such as location-based targeting, demographics, interests, and retargeting can help real estate professionals more reliably reach the audiences they are targeting.

Pair this with compelling landing pages, opt-in forms, and consistently valuable and engaging content, and it becomes more likely that visitors who will qualify as warm or hot leads will provide their contact information.

Hosting Seminars & Workshops

You can do really well by hosting educational seminars and workshops related to real estate topics, market trends, or property investment insights too. This is every bit a platform to engage potential leads too where you can demonstrate expertise and build the trust that prospective customers will have in you when you can offer or be a participant in informative event-based strategies.

Delivering valuable content during these workshops is effective for educating potential clients as well as having you as a good representative for helpful realtors in the area. This enhances credibility and reputation within the industry. The key is to have lead capturing mechanisms in place at these events – sign-up forms and contact information collection means, along with a readily-available stack of your business cards of course.

Mistakes to Avoid

Continuing with online lead generation real estate in Canada, there are errors realtors often make when they are aiming to generate new leads for real estate. This can start with lacking a clear target audience, underutilizing data and analytics for lead insights, or being lax about following up with leads. They may also be overlooking the impact of testimonials and reviews from existing clients.

It may also be that they haven’t identified their niche market clearly, because it can be true that targeting a broad audience can water down your marketing efforts a lot of the time. Utilizing data and analytics can offer valuable insights into lead behavior, preferences, and conversion paths. Not having a clear target audience probably tops the list here, as failing to define and understand the specific target audience hinders effective lead generation for agents no matter where they are working.

Audience segmentation allows for the categorization of potential clients into distinct groups based on demographics, behavior, and interests, enabling more personalized and relevant marketing strategies. When you can then integrate relevant keywords and entities related to the target audience definition plays a crucial role in optimizing online visibility and generating qualified real estate leads.

The next common shortcoming is failing to use data and analytics. When this happens the realtor is deprived of valuable insights into lead behavior, market trends, and campaign performance. As a result their strategic decision-making is weakened, and lead optimization plus identification of growth opportunities within the real estate market declines as a result of this.

Data and analytics play a pivotal role in lead generation for real estate professionals. By effectively leveraging CRM systems and analytics tools, agents can gain a deep understanding of their leads’ preferences, behavior, and needs. This give the power tos them to tailor their marketing strategies, personalize communications, and enhance customer engagement. This promotes improved lead conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

In the competitive real estate market, the agents who get ahead are the ones who can glean accurate data and use robust analytics provide a competitive edge and stay ahead of market trends. Being knowledgeable here and putting that knowledge into practice also helps realtors identify emerging opportunities, and anticipate shifts in customer preferences. All part of a proactive approach to position them as industry leaders where prospective clients see the promise of fully desirable outcomes with buying or selling a home.

Insufficient Follow-Ups with Leads

Realtors also disadvantage themselves when they fail to promptly and consistently follow up with leads. It is fairly straightforward to understand that this diminishes the lead-to-client conversion rate as it limits engagement, prevents timely responsiveness, and leads to missed opportunities for nurturing leads into qualified clients through effective communication and relationship building.

The best way to counter this is to use a CRM for real estate agents, as we discussed earlier in this blog entry. Maintaining a well-organized database and utilizing automation tools can streamline follow-up processes. You may know how to get real estate leads, but do you know how to nurture them effectively so those leads become clients? Investing in a good CRM software for realtors can make all the difference here.

Good lead nurturing goes a long way in converting leads into loyal clients to. This involves personalized, informative communication and timely responses to their inquiries and needs. We can’t stress enough how fully responsive communication is fundamental to showcasing professionalism and care. This can greatly increase the chances of turning leads into an eventual sale or purchase of a home and the realtor earning their commission.

We’ll conclude this look at online lead generation real estate in Canada by pointing out that final fail point that can occur for realtors when a seemingly warm or even hot lead ends up going nowhere. Not putting enough importance on receiving testimonials and reviews can take away from the credibility and trust-building potential for real estate agents. It denies the opportunity to showcase client satisfaction, expertise, and successful transactions, client experiences that instrumental in influencing potential leads and fostering trust in you as a local real estate professional has a good reputation for service and results.

Then when prospects see positive client feedback, it instills confidence and reduces skepticism. Testimonials can be a part of real estate lead generation techniques when they promote credibility enhancement as the real-life experiences of satisfied clients are showcased. This does wonders for establishing rapport with potential leads, who tend to rely on the experiences of others when making major decisions such as purchasing a property.

FAQs

  1. How can I generate leads for my real estate business?

The best ways to generate real estate leads is with being active promoting yourself on social media, email marketing, networking events, and having a fully SEO-optimized real estate agent website. You can also benefit from gathering favourable reviews and testimonials from existing and former clients.

  1. What are the most effective real estate lead generation strategies?

The most effective strategies for generating leads for agents is to put equal amounts of effort and resources into social media marketing, email campaigns, publishing real estate related content on your website, establishing referral partnerships with local businesses and service providers, and participating in digital and in-person events related to the local real estate market.

  1. Can social media be used for real estate lead generation?

Absolutely, and realtors who are active with paid social media ads for real estate and posting accurate and informative information in any thread related to local real estate is an excellent way to get real estate leads when social media platform users start to see you as an expert and a dedicated professional.

  1. What tools are essential for successful real estate lead generation?

The two most essential tools for success with this are going to be an SEO-optimized realtor’s website and a customer relationship management CRM software program. One that the agents uses to nurture real estate leads better with more timely and better means of communications with homeowners and would-be homebuyers who may be selling a home or looking to buy one at some point in the future.

Real Estate Edition: 33 Online Lead Generation Ideas for 2024

Published June 18, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Real Estate Edition: 33 Online Lead Generation Ideas for 2024People often talk of the need to get ahead in their career, or to make a name for themselves. For others it’s more simply about going through the day-to-day and earning the living they need for themselves and their family. When a person is a licensed self-employed professional in a very competitive business, however, it’s entirely different and no one of these conceptual approaches apply. That’s the case for working as a real estate agent, as it is not so much any of them as it is simply securing clientele and then helping them buy or sell a home. Lead generation for real estate agents is central to this.

It is the next one part of that at the crux of the challenge of being successful in real estate. Being successful is going to be measured differently based on the individual, but for most realtors this career is about earning a higher income than you would in other professions that don’t require extensive education and / or opportunities that come more naturally to some people than others. The tradeoff is that as a realtor you need to hustle your backside off finding real estate clients, serving them, and all the while improving your ability to do both.

However, in a sense it’s fair to say that agents are making a name for themselves when they do well in repeatedly securing clients and selling homes for them. Or leading homebuyers to the property that is perfect for them. It’s not easily done, and again the biggest reason it isn’t simple to have a profitable career in real estate is because there are hundreds of others or more aiming to do the same thing. And thousands or more if you are a realtor in Vancouver or Toronto, or any other popular major metro region in Canada.

Gain the Advantage

It’s for this reason that realtors will look into the possibility to buy real estate leads, and it is what has so many of them coming in as new signups here at Real Estate Leads. We’re always happy to make our expertise with online lead generation in real estate available to realtors who want to gain an advantage, and buying leads real estate is especially recommended for new real estate agents in Canada who need these listings so urgently.

We’ve prefaced this subject enough for this entry, and it is likely that agents like the ones we’ve talked about don’t need much more convincing about the value of choosing to buy qualified real estate leads in Canada. But each of them should be taking a multi-tiered approach to generation new leads for real estate agent, and not just relying on paid leads.

So where we will go with this entry is share 33 online lead generation ideas for realty agents that fit perfectly with how prospective clients are going to be finding a realtor in 2024. Here they are:

Power of Facebook Ads

Facebook has a huge base of active users, and the older demographic of average users is the same one that will be in the age range where they have the means and wish to buy or sell homes. Facebook can be a lucrative platform for running real estate ads. You can find the perfect customer fit for any kind of property you wish to sell on Facebook.

Consider these tips for creating effective Facebook ads as part of lead generation for real estate agents:

  1. Create ads looking at and taking behavior, location, and demographic factors or on the basis of the relationship status of the audience into consideration
  2. Bring properties to life with video ads or carousel ads for showing multiple properties in a single ad
  3. Create custom ads for lookalike audiences using an email address or phone number. With Facebook Pixels on your website you can target website visitors.
  4. Audiences that are not potential buyers can be excluded. Examples – National Association of Realtors, National Association of Real Estate Brokers, etc.

Paid Google Ads for Real Estate Services

Google continues to dominate the search engine space, having upwards of 75% of the market share. Prospective buyers are more likely to Google a property before actually visiting it. Google Ads are beneficial for displaying the listing to potential buyers of a specific area, and some realtors will go with PPC campaigns to give buyers a fair idea of their listings, prices, and contact details.

Here are tips for effective real estate Google Ads:

  1. Use negative keywords when creating campaigns. Your ad will not be displayed if someone searches using a negative keyword and this increased the chances the clicks you pay for are going to be legitimate potential buyers
  2. Enable leads to connect with you quickly by adding call extensions in the ad copy
  3. Add a price extension in your ad copy to make it so that interested leads are more likely to be the ones contacting you

Real estate professionals often realized that direct mail gave them a poor response rate. Most recipients called to complain or lead the conversation in other non-productive directions, but when they turned to Google PPC and replaced their direct mailing budget with a PPC budget they see lead generation and conversion rates multiply.

Use Real Estate Listing Websites

The estimates that 90% of home buyers use the internet for house hunting are likely accurate. Multiple real estate listing sites send qualified buyer and seller leads to the agents. Another advantage is that you can stay with your brokerage and get more referrals from these sites.

Zillow has been active for Canada for a while now, after being a standard in the States for a long time now. It has a Home Valuation Tool called Zestimate. This tool allows Zillow to create a heavy database of buyer and seller leads.You can create a free account on Zillow or become a Premier Agent and receive instant visibility through the brands like Zillow, Trulia, and StreetEasy.

Realtor.ca is the official partner of the National Association of Realtors and is also an excellent resource for realtors in Canada. Their listing is directly connected with MLS, and when agents list their property for sale through the directory the reach is unbeatable. It carries approximately 97% of all MLS-listed properties in Canada.

Realtor.ca shares recently sold properties in the area of interest that allows buyers to understand the median (average) prices in that area, and users also have a filter function to search for particular features like swimming pools, golf courses, or other amenities.

Use a Click-to-Call Button or Widget

It’s common for websites and landing pages in the real estate industry to have a bounce rate of 45-70%. So you must accept that most of the people who visit your website won’t become leads. But that doesn’t mean you can’t improve you website lead conversion rate and look to buy real estate leads at the same time.

A click-to-call button can be helpful with this. It allows your website visitors to connect with you instantly, and having that available to them the moment they land on your website is very beneficial if that person happens to be a very motivated buyer or seller. This ensures that whenever someone wants to talk to you, you’re there to assist them.

Consider CallPage, which is another great tool for capturing leads from your website. It boosts real estate website engagement by smartly triggering pop-ups that offer instant callback or meeting scheduling. In the event a visitor shows interest by spending time on a listing, CallPage will have you contact info pop up at the right moment to promote them contacting you. This timely interaction can turn casual browsing into real leads.

Use Chatbots with Your Website

Would-be clients looking to sell, buy, rent, or inquire about a home will usually end up filling out a bunch of lead capture forms on several real estate web pages. But not all lead-capturing forms are the same, and there are ones that are much better than others.

Everyone knows how to fill out a form, but there are few people if any who actually like doing it. In a competitive industry like real estate, response time is key, and personalization makes all the difference. You can use Real estate chatbots as an effective way to fix the form problem.

They take the process of sharing lead information and turn it into more of a conversation, and the online lead generation real estate experience becomes more engaging. Some realtors have enjoyed a 2-3x increase in conversion rates when they have a landing page with a chatbot.

Auto Dialer for Generating Real Estate Leads

Cold calling is one of the oldest lead-generation strategies and one that was able to exist before the advent of the internet, and yet it’s still doing well. It’s time consuming and doesn’t have the best conversion rates attached to it, so what can be done to improve them if a realtor is to still do cold calling? (and they should)

Try cold calling with smart automation, like an auto dialer. This tool automates the process of dialing, creating a more efficient process for lead generation companies. Additionally, features like auto-saving call details, recordings, and notes, minimize manual tasks for agents.

When manual tasks are automated, you then have a lot of time for more productive tasks. With a real estate smart dialer you may make as many as 100 cold calls a day and generate more real estate leads. You may then also buy qualified real estate leads in Canada to have the best of maximum results from both ends of the equation.

Use Bulk SMS Campaigns

We’ll be straight to point here; Bulk SMS messages are generally not an effective means of real estate lead generation. But SMS messages tend to have a high opening rate (often around 98%) and so for this reason they still qualify as a low-cost, high-ROI tool for lead generation.

You can send out mass opt-in texts to prospects and send offers/discounts to trigger actions. Bulk SMS is also great for creating referral campaigns to generate further leads. Popular approaches are to offer vouchers, coupon codes, etc., to your existing leads for successful referrals.

Ongoing Round-Clock Support with SMS Bots

SMS bots can be surprisingly effective as automated real estate lead generators. SMS bots have made it possible to send automated text responses, enabling a round-the-clock presence, and with them you don’t have to be personally ready 24/7 to answer customer inquiries, as the active SMS bot will handle them for you.

Prospective clients can just send their query as text to the business phone number. Then then SMS Bot will then send accurate replies by fetching information from the database or CRM, plus sending details of all the available properties without any human intervention. Wit them the chance of missing any leads because you are unavailable at the time is minimized and this is something that is so easy to implement for a realtor through their contact means.

Social Media for Real Estate Lead Generation

Social media for real estate agents is an absolute must these days and it is just as advisable as buying Leads for real estate. A few of the different major social media platforms can be used for rea estate to connect agents with prospective buyers and sellers and build the reach that the agent will have. Being active on social media can really help with building a real estate pipeline.

One recommended way is to use the Facebook Messenger option on your website so visitors can have a direct conversation with you. You can connect with potential leads and one you’ve determine they are a warm real estate lead you can request their contact info and / or set up a meeting to discuss their interests in buying or selling a home.

Try to post on social media regularly. Some people post every day, but at least once a week is recommended to stay relevant. Try to make posts in discussions about real estate where you put your knowledge of the local market on display and make it clear to people that you are local real estate agent who knows their stuff.

An excellent lead generation tactic is using video in social media ads. On average, US viewers spend about eight hours and 33 minutes per week watching various types of online videos. Video is personal, attention-grabbing, and easy to consume. Video ads build trust, garner much higher engagement rates on social media, and relay a lot of information in a short amount of time.

Go Live on Social Media with Video from a Property

Social media is increasingly the business front face for real estate, as it is for many other industries too. Live video coverage of properties on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook helps generate traction and potential buyers love this stuff and are equally impressed with a realtor who’s made their effort to make these property viewings available on social media.

Consider live-streaming sessions to showcase entire properties. Make sure that you have good lighting and equipment for the broadcast, and you can also save the live videos and later send them to the interested leads who missed the live broadcast.

Free, Helpful Tools

Another good approach with lead generation for real estate agents is to offer a free, helpful tool. This represents a great opportunity for you to create something that potential customers will value with a tool that directly relates to their business. One example could be a checklist that helps ensure thoroughness in completing forms before closing on a house.

When marketing to homebuyers instead of real estate agents it could be a mortgage calculator or other tool related to first-time homeownership. Make sure it’s something they can use in their day-to-day work as an agent, because otherwise they won’t find it valuable enough to download.

Become an SEO authority

Search engine optimization (SEO) is quite possibly the best ROI strategy for online lead generation in real estate. It will take more of your time, but has much more potential than paid lead generation strategies. Many real estate leaders leverage content marketing and search engines as their go-to inbound marketing strategy.

Speak with successful agents anywhere about SEO for real estate websites and all will tell you that at the local level, there won’t be as much competition, and you can cater your effort to landmarks or locations of interest for nearby home buyers.

One example would be to write an article about homes on a nearby lake or condos downtown. Getting in front of buyers searching helps because they’ll see you as an authority and also have a highly targeted search. Another good lead generation strategy for realtors is a quiz meant to help users find their ideal neighborhood. Once you have their email, then you can begin sending geo-targeted options of homes for sale in their perfect neighborhood.

Start a YouTube Channel

Establishing a YouTube channel is an innovative and surprisingly effective way of getting leads for real estate. Here’s what a YT channel for real estate can do for you as an agent:

Showcase Properties: A YouTube channel lets you give virtual tours of your listings, and with one you have a dynamic and engaging way to showcase properties to potential buyers

  1. Establish Authority: With regular informative content, market analyses, and buying/selling tips you are in more of a position to be seen as an an industry authority.
  2. Wider Audience Reach: Create a good channel and put together good videos that are uploaded regularly and you listings and content can reach potential buyers locally and globally.
  3. SEO Benefits: Optimized video content that is linked to your real estate agent website can improve your visibility in search engine results.
  4. Prospective Client Engagement: The interactive nature of YouTube with comments and live streams allows you to engage directly with clients who may then choose to list a home with you as you answer their questions and building relationships.

Be Active on Community Pages

You’ll still buy real estate leads, but one of the better ways of generating leads organically is by creating community pages on your website and optimizing them for Google. Community pages provide buyers and sellers with updated information and reviews about localities, population info, physical and social infrastructure, major attractions, cost of living, and more.

Go even further to address common FAQs here and you will be building on your authority and improving Google rankings for your website for real estate agents. One of the significant keys to being successful will be making your community page exceptional and then working to make it increasingly visible through search engine optimization.

Host Webinar and Online Workshops

Hosting webinars and online workshops is also a highly advisable way for real estate agents to share their expertise and connect with potential clients. With them there is the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge in the field and establishing yourself at the go-to person for real estate advice. With gained knowledge on their part comes trust in you as the expert, and this trust may then lead them to choose you as their agent

These online events also give you a platform to reach a wider audience without breaking the bank. By saving the recordings, you can continue to attract new leads long after the live event has ended. It’s an effective and engaging way to grow your business and establish a strong presence in the real estate market. Always have answers ready to that you are always seen as prepared and experienced. It’s also a good idea to bring along small gifts and business cards to hand out to the people who attend the workshop.

Network at Non Real Estate-Related Events

Events where other realtors are also participating will diminish the potential for getting new leads for real estate, and for obvious reasons. Instead, try joining local events that are not real-estate related. Examples could be community service groups, concerts, bachelor parties at peeler bars, book reading events, yoga workshops, and other events that see lots of participation and can prove to be excellent networking grounds.

With these events you can subtly establish your presence and reliability in the community. Interactions here may lead to referrals and direct leads, as people often prefer to do business with someone they’ve met and liked in a non-business context. This is something to consider along with the possibility to buy qualified real estate leads in Canada.

Find & Target Expired Listings

Home listings that have expired without the house selling represent a unique opportunity for real estate agents looking to meet and secure new clients. Homeowners with expired listings are often more motivated and open to new representation, especially if their previous attempts to sell the home failed for whatever reason. Whether it’s fair or not they may see their realtor as the problem, but if that’s the case they’ll probably be very open to the idea of relisting the hoe with a new real estate agent.

Approach them this way to generate listing leads effectively:

  1. Present them with thorough research after using MLS and real estate websites to identify expired listings. Look for properties that have been off the market for a while but still show potential for sale.
  2. Understand the seller’s perspective as many homeowners are disappointed or frustrated after their listing expires without a sale. Be sympathetic and understanding in your approach to them and state how you can relate to their current position.
  3. Offer fresh marketing strategies with new and tailored marketing plans that address the shortcomings of the previous listing approach. Highlight how your strategy differs and can potentially lead to a successful sale.
  4. Build relationships by establishing trust with demonstrated market knowledge and a genuine commitment to selling their property. Be patient and supportive, and make it clear you will work for their best interest.

Target Millennials and Gen Z

They’re not going to be qualified home buyers as regularly, but many real estate agents are taking aim at any prospective Gen Z or Millennial homebuyers too. Realtors can target millennials and Gen Z prospects by creating and curating digital content that suits their real estate needs. Since most buyers are turning to online platforms before ever talking to a realtor, it’s imperatively important for realtors to establish their online presence.

Realtors need to create consistent quality content that focuses on a targeted niche of keywords to rank on Google. Blogs are a great way to do this, but you can also see great results from videos, which can be repurposed into blogs and podcasts.

Chase Divorce Leads

More men are philanderers these days than ever before. While that is understandable it is still obviously a big part of why couples are becoming divorced more often than ever before. If the couple owns a home together it is common for the home to be sold and the amount received for it is split between the man and woman when they divorce. Realtors can target divorce leads as part of lead generation for real estate agents, as these people will genuinely be motivated to sell a property?

If you play your cards right, you can get several referrals in the future. It could be a consistent and profitable niche with low competition. Realtors who can display patience and empathy may find divorce leads to be the perfect lead generation strategy to close a few more deals this year. There’s even a designation, RCS-D (Real Estate Collaboration Specialist — Divorce), that you can obtain to show potential divorce clients that you know your stuff and are a better choice for would-be clients now in this scenario.

Geofencing for Targeted Advertising

Geofencing is a marketing strategy where you create a virtual boundary around a specific geographic area, allowing you to target potential real estate leads right based on life, work, and play boundaries. When you set up geofences around key locations such as popular neighborhoods, rival listings, or local hotspots, you can send targeted advertisements to the smartphones of people as they move into those zones.

Geofencing ads are usually sent through mobile apps and websites that users access on their smartphones. This method capitalizes on the location services of mobile devices to ensure that the ads are served to the right audience at the right time, enhancing the chances of engagement and conversion.

360° Photos and Drone Footage to Update Old Listings

Updating property listings with 360° photos and drone footage can dramatically improve their appeal. These technologies offer a better view of the property, providing potential buyers with a better sense of the space and surroundings without any need to visit in person. 360° photos allow viewers to explore each room and get a feel for the layout and features of the home, enhancing their understanding and interest in the property.

Drone video for real estate listings is as popular as choosing to buy real estate leads these days, and with property drone video you can give an aerial perspective, showcasing the property’s exterior, landscaping, and neighborhood so that potential buyers have a unique vantage point and a better appreciation of the property’s value.

These visual enhancements can make your listings stand out in a crowded market, attract more attention, and lead to quicker sales. Some agents and real estate teams have gone so far as to create a database of 360° aerial neighborhood tours with a pin linking to a home search. The unique service improves search rankings, attracting several out-of-state buyers. This establishes credibility and professionalism that can lead to high-quality leads.

Utilize Predictive Technology

You can find several predictive analytic tools that will help you reach potential clients. They analyze data from multiple listing services and other websites to suggest which owners are more likely to sell homes on a shorter timeline. These valuable insights will narrow your target, saving you time and effort.

Both the Zillow Zestimate tool and Realtor.ca’s Market Hotness Index are good choices here, helping you provide estimates of how much a home is worth using data from the web and what people have said about the home, along with information about which housing markets are getting a lot of attention based on the numbers of people looking at listings in the area and how many homes are currently for sale there.

Virtual Reality (VR) Tours

Virtual Reality (VR) tours provide a fully immersive experience and can contribute to online real estate lead generation too when realtors make them available on the Internet. They allow potential buyers to explore properties from anywhere in the world, and are especially good for attracting international buyers or those relocating from other parts of the country.

VR tours for real estate let clients walk through a property virtually through their web-browsing device, exploring every room and corner in detail. This saves time for both buyers and agents and also filters out uninterested parties at the same time. This is good, as it ensures that only serious buyers schedule in-person visits.

All customers need is a smartphone and headset and offering VR tours can enhance your listings’ appeal and aid with generating real estate leads even more effectively.

Augmented Reality (AR) Staging

Homes that are staged will often sell for about 15% more than those that are not staged, and staged homes will sell more than 80% faster compared to ones that haven’t been staged. Home staging for realtors has always been a great way to generate more interest in your offerings and nurture your leads, and with AR home staging you eliminate the need for physical furniture, allowing real estate agents to digitally furnish a home with a variety of styles and layouts at the touch of a button.

AR staging is like using a special app on your phone or tablet. You open the app, point your camera at an empty room, and then you can see virtual furniture appear on the screen, making the room look furnished. You’re able to decorate rooms virtually even if they are currently empty in reality. You will need to buy and install and AR app for your recording device (usually your smartphone) but it’s well worth it.

Promote Yourself as a Realtor on LinkedIn

There was a study that found LinkedIn to be nearly three times more efficient in driving real estate client leads compared to Facebook and Twitter. So, always remember to include LinkedIn in your social media real estate lead generation ideas. LinkedIn is great for real estate folks to connect, share their skills, and find new clients. Here’s how to use it for maximum effectiveness:

  1. Make your profile shine. Update it with a nice photo, a summary of what you do in real estate, and your work and school history.
  2. Post often sharing thoughts, market news, and success stories to show you’re a pro in real estate. Regular updates put you more emphatically on people’s radar.
  3. Interact with others by engaging with posts from your contacts to grow relationships and possibly get new leads or business chances.
  4. Get into LinkedIn groups related to real estate to network, talk about the market, and share advice. This boosts your presence and trust.
  5. Use LinkedIn Ads to reach specific people who might need your services, based on things like where they live or their career.
  6. Make and keep connections. Reach out to potential clients and others in the field. Send personalized messages to make yourself stand out and keep in touch to build a bond.
  7. Publish articles to reflect your understanding of the local real estate market and the profession overall, attracting potential clients and establishing yourself as an authority.

Partnerships for Passive Lead Generation

Realtors always do well when they network with local businesses to form mutually beneficial partnerships. Your local investors, accountants, financial planners, etc., can also be a great source for lead generation. Another option is to hire experienced listing agents to boost your real estate lead generation strategy. Co-host local events and tap into local alliances to generate leads.

Greater numbers of agents are also partnering up with a real estate conversion specialist, and when you do so you can optimize your website with tools like chatbots so that it becomes more of an automated lead machine. Aim to build strong relationships with local contractors who have home maintenance-related specialty services.

When they hear someone wants to sell their home, they may give those people your card and let you know of their information too. This is an excellent means of getting passive real estate leads to go along with any chance you have to buy qualified real estate leads in Canada

Re-establish Connections with Old Leads

Maintaining communication with old leads is also highly recommended, or ones that went from cold lead to no longer a lead. Just because someone wasn’t ready to buy or sell at the first interaction doesn’t mean they won’t buy or sell a home in the future. Here’s how to maintain these connections with people who may be clients in the future:

  1. Send regular updates to keep old leads informed with newsletters, market updates, or personalized messages. This will show you’re still active and interested in helping them.
  2. Use automation tools like email or SMS campaigns to automate follow-ups so that you regularly touch base without overwhelming your schedule
  3. Offer tangible value to them if they’re going to list again, or resume the search for a home. Provide useful information, tips, or resources related to real estate that can help them. This demonstrates your expertise and makes it more likely they think of you when they’re ready to make a move.
  4. Celebrate milestones. Acknowledge special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries with a message or card, adding a personal touch to your relationship
  5. Check-in personally with a personal phone call or message, as this can make a big difference. It shows genuine interest and can rekindle their consideration of real estate decisions.
  6. Use social media and connect on platforms like Facebook or Instagram to engage with their content and remind them of your presence in a friendly, non-invasive way.

Staying in touch with old leads and nurturing these relationships can be a secondary means of creating a network of potential clients who are more likely to think of you when they’re ready to enter the real estate market. This strategy turns cold leads into warm prospects and eventually into successful deals.

One unique idea is to leverage your Sphere of Influence (SOI) with an offer that for every referral you send me I will enter your name into a raffle for a prize – anything from local events, cash, vacation giveaways, to plane tickets or something else entirely.

Reward Referrals

Past clients may have been very pleased with the service you provided to them, but still not think of referring you as a realtor to others they know who are thinking of buying or selling a home. Motivate them with a system of rewarding referrals. It will help you maintain a steady stream of referrals in your real estate business.

It’s understood that 1 of every 2 former clients are likely to refer you to their family and friends if offered a direct referral incentive. Many agents find that rewarding referrals has been one of the best lead generation strategies for them. Doing so has been key for their business and proven to be one of the best ways to connect with clients, friends, and family who are kind enough to refer their services.

Obtain an Intergenerational Family Mailing List

Online lead generation in real estate is going to be your primary focus nowadays, but as we keep stressing here you will do best if you also look into other approaches that aren’t connected to use of the Internet. Leverage intergenerational mailing lists to connect with adults managing their elderly parents’ living situations.

It’s increasingly the case these days that adult children are in the position where they have to make living arrangements for elderly parents who are no longer be able to live independently. This can be a source of leads for real estate agents too if these people need to sell their parents home in the near future.

There are services like Listability that serve as a specialized mailing list broker with access to a vast database of homeowners represented by individuals whose elderly parents have transitioned to senior living, assisted living, or nursing homes.

This targeted approach enables many real estate professionals to reach out to potential clients in these specific circumstances, offering tailored real estate solutions to meet the needs of the situations they are in with parents who need to downsize a home and be in a different living arrangement from now on.

Seller Leads from Courthouses

Competition for leads in real estate is going to fierce in most regions of the country. Seller leads from the courthouse are often going to be ones where the owners are highly motivated to have their homes be sold and for a good recouping of the value.You can use these leads to sell more in fairly less time. Here are the different types of leads you can get from the courthouse:

  1. Foreclosures: You can find newly filed foreclosures at the courthouse on a bulletin board for newly filed foreclosures.
  2. Delinquent Property Taxes: Contact the tax office for a list of properties with delinquent taxes owed. Some of them will be published in newspapers.
  3. Out-of-Town Owners: Most property owners residing outside the town might be interested in selling their property. You can get a list of these from the Tax Department or from businesses dealing with this information.

Reach out to FSBOs

Contacting FSBO (For Sale by Owner) homeowners is also an ever-present part of lead generation for real estate agents. There is always a lot of potential in FSBOs prospects. There are estimates that homeowners lose 32.5% of value if they sell a property on their own, and of course that’s because they don’t have experience selling homes. You can contact them and make it clear that with your expertise behind them listing the home they can expect to sell if faster, and for more money too.

Buy Exclusive Leads

If you have enough of a budget and would like an approach that is as proven-effective as any then you can simply buy real estate leads. It’s one of the easiest realtor lead generation ideas. Here at Real Estate Leads you have the benefit of receiving exclusive real estate leads, and what this does is eliminate competition and increase your chance of converting the right number of leads in clients.

This is best utilized when done in conjunction with using one of the largest and best home valuation sites online. Realtors can use the sites to check the value of properties their leads currently own, and use this information to make more informed communications with the buyer as they approach them and make the effort to convince the homeowner to list with them.

Offer Free Home Market Evaluations

Providing free home market evaluations is also a smart and proven way to gain real estate client leads. Homeowners often wonder what their property is worth, especially in a fluctuating market. By offering a no-cost, no-obligation valuation, you not only grab their attention but also establish your expertise and credibility.

Here’s how to best offer complimentary market evaluations for clients:

  1. Create a landing page on your website dedicated to free home valuations and ensure it’s easy to find and simple to use
  2. Use automated valuation tools to generate reports quickly. These tools use local market data, recent sales, and property characteristics to estimate value.
  3. Promote your complimentary market evaluations on social media, email newsletters, and local advertising to reach a broader audience
  4. Follow up with those who request one, offering to discuss the report in detail and provide insights into the local real estate market plus answering any other questions they have in advance of possibility listing the home

By offering something of value right away, you position yourself as a helpful and knowledgeable real estate professional, encouraging potential clients to reach out to you when they’re ready to buy or sell.

Lead prospecting in real estate is all about finding those quality leads that are ready to make a move. For agents the focus has to go beyond just amassing a bunch of contacts, and it should be more about connecting and nurturing relationships with the right ones and building trust.

To stay ahead, real estate pros need to use smart strategies. This means tapping into digital marketing, making the most of listing websites, and ensuring their realtor website is geared to turning visitors into leads. Certain tools can make a huge difference by offering instant communication, and as always you can get quality leads faster when you use a paid real estate lead service like ours here.

5 Approaches for New Real Estate Leads This Week

Published June 11, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

5 Approaches for New Real Estate Leads This WeekEach new week represents a fresh opportunity for a real estate agent to be prospecting for new clients more effectively, and it is something all of them should be aiming to do if growing your PREC is a priority. Working as a realtor is a very different means of earning a living for yourself, and you are very much on your own and entirely in control of your own destiny with whether or not you’re going to be a success in this or not.

It’s a competitive business at all times, and your ability to generate real estate leads effectively is always going to be a decisive factor in that success. Real estate lead generation is something that comes more naturally to some in comparison to others, but if you’re one of the others then you may well want to consider paid real estate leads from one of the best real estate lead generation services in Canada. We are one of them, and realtors who continue to use our service are benefitting from receiving genuine leads each month.

But be aware that your focus with new real estate leads shouldn’t be exclusively in the digital space. Real estate agents need to be hustling at all times, and your leads need to be coming from traditional means like advertising and effective networking for realtors too. But when it comes to quick real estate leads you will probably find that online leads are the ones that are converted into clients most reliably and quickly.

That’s provided you know what you’re doing and can convince these people that you are their best choice as a realtor. That is a skill in and of itself, and if you can have a solid local reputation as an agent that is going to go a long way too. Real estate marketing tips are always the topic of focus here, and what we’re going to do this week’s blog entry is share 5 approaches you can use for real estate leads this week. So let’s get right to them.

Greater and Faster Conversions

Longer focus approaches for real estate lead strategies are always going to best, and that should continue to be where you put most of your focus. But for agents who are looking to make up for lull periods in business there may be more of a wish to drum up clients who are ready to sell a home or buy one right now, or on a similarly shorter timeframe.

We will continue to encourage you to optimize your website and blog on real estate markets for organic online traffic, but if your focus is more on the right-now then you need strategies that will land you legitimate real estate leads ASAP. What will follow here are 5 proven ways to generate real estate leads this week, and you can put them into practice coming Monday or any other time.

  1. Put Together a Killer Offer and Market It Aggressively

The challenge here is to come up with something in your market that buyers or sellers will usually pay out-of-pocket for it, like a minor and not too pricey upgrade to a property or perhaps adding access to an amenity. As the realtor you then offer to pay those expenses out of your commission, and what this then does with real estate lead generation is convince these buyers or sellers to choose you as their realtor and rather than another agent who may also have already been in contact with them.

This will be an additional expense for you, but if it establishes an immediate listing or qualified buyer then it will be worth it. You can think of it as paying a 25% referral fee to secure a new client, and that is something that most realtors will be happy to do. Some realtors take this approach as their full-time competitive advantage as a means of creating immediate real estate leads, because these types of incentives will be very appealing to prospective clients because they are really ‘getting something’ out of it.

Great Offers for Sellers

It can be common for sellers to pay for their own listing photos. If that stands to be the case for any of them that are ready to list with a real estate agent then your offer to pay for professional listing photos for their listing can be a great idea to generate real estate leads and convince them to list with you. Not only will your listings sell faster and for more money, but you’ll also gain a serious competitive advantage in the listing presentation.

You may also want to consider drone photos for real estate here. Other ideas can be virtual tours, home staging, or realtors covering moving costs for clients.

Great Offers for Buyers

The same can for homebuyer clients for realtors. Listing photos and tours won’t apply here, but what you can do is consider any of these options as incentive to buy a home through you:

  1. Housewarming parties
  2. Covering home inspections
  3. New home photo shoots
  4. Grocery bundles
  5. Complimentary annual property tax reviewers

You should market your killer offer as best as you can if you want to maximize new real estate leads from it. Get the word out with full effectiveness through social media posts, paid social media ads, banners on your real estate agent website, door hangers or fliers on cars, and you may even want to consider TV or radio spots if you have a larger real estate promotion budget.

Make sure your promotions include a referral reminder too, along with a definitive CTA (call to action) that encourages interested individuals to contact you as soon as possible by a direct means (provide phone, email, and other means of contacting your for immediate receiving and replying).

  1. Get Immediate Real Estate Leads from Zillow

Zillow has been operating in Canada too for a few years now, and it possible to get real estate leads through Zillow. Any discussion of real estate marketing tips is going to involve talk about platform like this one and Realtor.com, but for many agents these more expensive leads aren’t a realistic avenue for them. But here are three ways to generate real estate leads from them without necessarily buying them.

Find FSBOs

If you are a real estate agent in Canada you will already be familiar with this acronym, but if not it stands for For-Sale-By-Owner and with online real estate platforms you can filter listings to only show FSBOs. These individuals are obviously going to be keen to sell, and they may be realizing that selling a house on your own isn’t working out so well for them. Contact each of these owners and make them aware of your expertise in local real estate and what you can do to make it much more likely they sell their home and get what they’re asking for it.

Find Investors

These platforms also allow rental property investors to market their units for rent. This can be a way to find quick real estate leads too. Sorting by rentals will put property owners who might be looking to offload an underperforming rental or expand their portfolio right in front of you, and ideally with a means of contacting them and inquiring if they’d be interested in listing the property for sale.

It helps if you can do a bit of research on the rentals you find on Zillow and contact the owner with helpful info.

Upgrade Estimates

It’s a known fact that home value estimates on these online platforms can be wildly inaccurate. Use this to show your value to local homeowners. Run a quick CMA for off-market homes in your niche before contacting the homeowners to let them know that your calculations show that the estimate they received isn’t in line with what you see it to be. You then proceed to ask if they’d like to discuss the real value of their home.

  1. Mine Social Media Platforms

Social media is increasingly where people are active in their search for both homes and realtors who can assist with the sale or purchase of them. Realtors who meet people where they are on social media are going to do well with real estate lead generation because they will be building brand recognition, establishing authority, and growing their audience.

And for faster lead generation for relators social media is also great because it allows you to instantly communicate with large groups of people in a way that is more immediately engaging and promotes them responding to your interest faster because it’s so easy.

Here is what you should be doing for social media real estate leads this week.

Target unique audiences by creating social media posts and ads by making them engaging and valuable, and with the focus on value you can go back to #1 here and put your offer very clearly in the post or the ad. You may also want to cater to #2 and run and ad that states you believe that the home value estimates from online real estate platforms are chronically inaccurate, and any homeowner can contact you for a free market evaluation for their home.

You may also want to try targeting renters as a means of real estate lead generation through social media. An approach might be to inform them that they don’t need a full 20% down and that there are programs available designed to provide first-time homebuyer assistance. Another idea will be to offer a free real estate seminar or webinar (like The First Time Buyers Seminar: Everything You Need to Know About Buying Your First Home) or to publish a poll where respondents have the option to indicate if they’re planning to buy a new home this year.

A social media calendar for real estate is something you can look into too, and if putting one together is beyond the scope of your abilities then you may want to hire a social media expert to help you with that.

  1. Ask a Directs Question of Buyer Prospects

Not making the most of their real estate buyer leads is way too common with agents it seems. You may have buyers who are saying they’re planning to start looking in 3-6 months, but as real estate agent who needs quick real estate leads that doesn’t mean you should be waiting through that period of time to open communications with them. There are very likely buyer leads sitting in your CRM where you should be taking action now rather than waiting until the time you currently think is appropriate.

What you should do instead is be more direct (while courteous at the same time of course) asking these real estate buyer leads whether or not they need to sell their home before they buy a new one.

It’s a good question to ask because for a lot of would-be buyers this is often the primary stumbling block. New real estate leads can hang on this, because plenty of them will need to sell their homes before buying the next one. So the need becomes making sure they understand the timing of their listing. What you can do is advise them that they may need to list sooner than they thought based on current market forecasts, and especially if they’re hoping to adhere to a time frame for buying the new place.

Share your market knowledge with these clients and help them understand the selling process even if they aren’t quite ready to list. If they’re ready now, great and this is an instance of success with quick real estate leads. But if they need more time, that’s fine you’ve still done well and it’s more likely you’ll be at the front of their mind when they decide it’s time to choose a real estate agent to work with.

  1. Contact Everyone in Your Sphere

We’re well into sharing what we know about drumming up new real estate leads this week, and the final recommended approach we’re going to share with you here is contacting everyone in your sphere to make them aware that you are available and ready to work with new real estate clients who are ready to buy or sell a home locally. Not everyone in your sphere will be looking to buy or sell in immediate future, but more than a few of them will know someone who is and if you’re held in high regard by them then they will be inclined to recommend you as a realtor.

So when you reach out you can ask if they are looking to make a move, along with asking if they know of anyone else who might be too. Reach out for immediate real estate leads by the means that you think are going to be most effective for contacting these people and having your communication be favorably received. That could be by phone call, text, email, or a direct message through one of the many apps people use these days.

Your message to your sphere can be about your special offer(s) as we discussed earlier, or it may be more simply that you aim to check in with people to see how they’re doing. When they ask about you, tell them about the strength of the market and how you’re taking new clients if they know someone looking to make a move. All of these approaches are super effective to generate real estate leads, and can be used to augment what you are getting out of paid real estate leads with the best real estate lead company in Canada right here.

FAQs

  1. What are some effective ways to generate real estate leads quickly?

You can generate quick real estate leads by using social media posts to make prospective clients aware of special offers that you are making available to them that they won’t receive if they list or buy through another agent. Another effective way is to use online real estate platforms to be tipped off to for-sale-by-owner or expired listings where contact information for the homeowner is shown.

  1. How can social media help in generating real estate leads?

Today the majority of homebuyers in the younger demographic cohort will be very active on social media when it comes to looking at homes for sale, gauging the median market values for homes in areas, as well as being receptive to working with a realtor who they are introduced to through a social media platform. Realtors can do well with lead generation if they create smart and creative paid social media ads and also being very active in any local real estate Facebook groups.

  1. Can generating leads quickly compromise the quality of leads?

This may be true in certain instances, as it is always possible that prospective clients who present as warm or hot leads will turn out to be cooler leads simply because of the speed with which the communications between realtor and would-be client have occurred. The best advice here is to develop a real estate script that poses questions where responses can be more accurately discerned to indicate how legitimately the client is going to sell or buy a home in the near future.

  1. What is the benefit of hosting virtual open houses with an eye to generating immediate real estate leads?

A virtual open house puts the property for sale in the view of interested parties that go beyond local residents or interested buyers who are in person in the area as they look to buy a home there. These days it is much more common for prospective buyers to be elsewhere in the country, or even outside of the country.

A virtual open house will increase the reach of your efforts and it is likely that from time to time you may come up with new clients because someone has viewed your virtual open house and likes what they see – either with the property itself or with you have on display for your expertise as a real estate agent. They may well be thinking you are the type of industry professional they want to work with as they consider purchasing a home in your area.

The 100 Best Ways to Grow Your Real Estate Business

Published June 4, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

The 100 Best Ways to Grow Your Real Estate BusinessNo man or woman is going to enter the real estate profession with the mindset that it would be nice to do well in their new career. To be a success in this business means to be selling a lot homes, and leading plenty of homebuyers to buying homes as well. Done to the right extent and that can mean a very lucrative career and earning a very comfortable living for themselves and their family. That is going to be the aim for all of them, and it will still be the aim many years later if they continue to work as a real estate agent in Canada.

All of that is MUCH easier envisioned than done, however, and that’s primarily because real estate is as competitive a business as any. Anyone who is newly licensed as a realtor will quickly come to see that there are too many realtors in the business and that’s been the case for darn near 30 years now here in Canada. There is never going to be enough business to go around and have all the agents be satisfied with what they’re able to secure for themselves. You want to grow real estate business, but all of your competitors do too.

So how is it that some realtors always seem to do better than others? Is it mostly a reflection of their level of hustle and determination, or is there something more to it? In truth a lot of it has to do with real estate marketing strategies, and the successful realtors are ones who are identifying and utilizing the best ones most effectively. There are more immediate ways to increase real estate sales, and among them is using paid real estate leads like the service we make available here.

Some may want to argue we are not the best real estate lead company in Canada, but what we can tell you is that our service is the equal of any when it comes to giving agents leads on new real estate clients. The proof is certainly in the pudding there, and you can have a look at our testimonials if you’d like to see that for yourselves. But that’s not where our focus is going to be this week, and instead we are going to look at the 100 best approaches to real estate business development.

It’s a big number, so let’s get right into it.

Proactive Realtor = Successful Realtor

The one overarching theme in all of this is the understanding that as a realtor you need be super proactive in promoting yourself, and when you can do that with as many pokers in the fire you’ll be best positioned to have the success as a real estate agent that you envision for yourself. What will follow here are real estate business tips in a long list but each of them has made the list because they’ve brought new business for realtors in the past and can do the same for you.

  1. Have Your Own Website

A realtor having their own website is crucial for their success in real estate success nowadays. Fortunately it’s not difficult to make one yourself using a website builder for realtors, or it shouldn’t be too expensive to have a web designer put a basic one together for you. A website really is essential if you want to grow a real estate business.

  1. Start Blogging

There is research indicating that content marketing via your own blog costs 62% less than traditional marketing, while generating 3 times as many leads at the same time. It is true that agents are always missing out on leads because they don’t yet see how blogging generates real estate leads. With every blog post you publish, Google has more content to index and connect to your website for higher search engine page rankings (depending on other factors too). You will also be establishing yourself as the expert, building trust, and staying top of mind with prospective clients.

  1. Build your Mailing List

Real estate is all putting yourself and keeping yourself in front of prospective clients. Building your mailing list is a great way to do this. With real estate lead magnets you can give prospects an incentive to subscribe to your mailing list so you can stay in constant contact.

  1. Leverage your Listings

The reason established agents focus on listings is because listings generate more leads. Realtors who do well with strategic planning have the ability to turn every listing into multiple new leads. You can do this too, and especially if you make your listings especially visible to others who are considering listing their home.

  1. Generate Passive Leads

Prospecting is great, but the drawback is that it is time consuming. With passive marketing you can make the leads come to you instead of always chasing them down yourself.

  1. Establish Your Marketing Plan

It is absolutely essential for every new agent to have a marketing plan. You may have a general idea of how you’re going to reach clients, but you will still need a documented plan so that you can hold yourself accountable. Starting with this can be as simple as having a downloadable marketing plan workbook.

  1. Be Active with Social Media

Social media is increasingly one of the best ways to market yourself as a realtor. You will need to be selective about which platforms you are most active on, but there is so much potential in advertising yourself as a realtor on FaceBook and other social media platforms.

  1. Recession-Proof Your Income

The real estate market is always cyclical, and so realtors always need to have a plan for the next inevitable market downturn. It does require planning to survive and thrive in real estate when the housing market dips, but if you do your research and prepare well in advance it’s possible. The best approach is to start creating your recession-proof income streams before the market gets rough.

  1. Offer Property Tax Appeals

Property tax appeals may well be the single best way to recession-proof your real estate business. In down markets you can save your clients serious money on their property taxes while earning a solid commission for your efforts. What property tax appeals involve is presenting a CMA to your local taxing authorities suggesting the property is not as valuable as the authorities have assessed it to be.

  1. Buy-and-Hold

It is possible to grow your real estate business through more than just transactions. How about growing your real estate investment portfolio? Buy-and-holds present really good opportunities as real estate investments. Money is made through appreciation, rental cash flow, having tenants pay down mortgage debt, and generous tax breaks. In the event your only property is your residence, maybe this is the year you buy your first long-term investment property.

  1. Skip X for Social Media

X, formerly known as Twitter, isn’t a good choice for your social media marketing in real estate focuses because it requires more time and effort than most other platforms and has the shortest shelf-life per post. You may still want to have a profile to boost credibility with a certain client demographic, but by and large real estate agent are not generating real business on the platform.

  1. Create a Renter-to-Homeowner Program

A Renter-to-Homeowner Program is among smart real estate marketing strategies. It’s also comparatively cost-effective and an efficient use of prospecting time. What you will be doing is partnering with local apartment communities, offering to cover the lease-break fee for anyone who buys a home with you as their agent, and then going over those communities to make it likely that residents there see you as their agent of-choice.

  1. Tackle REOs

Foreclosures are always going to occur when the market declines. And those foreclosures are liabilities for the banks they revert to. Asset managers will aim to move these Real Estate Owned (REO) line items as quickly as possible. What you can do is establish connections with asset managers so that you’re the agent that is foremost on their minds when they begin to receive foreclosed properties.

  1. Host a Client Appreciation Event

Client appreciation events come with a significant cost when used as a means of real estate business development, but they are an effective way to earn referrals and repeat business. The most important thing about your event is to make it memorable. Aim to give your clients memorable experiences and they will be more likely to recommend you to others they know who are also looking to work with a real estate agent.

  1. Send a Thank-You to Client Offices

When you get a referral, don’t send a gift card to your client as a thank you. Do something like send them a bouquet at work to instantly generate buzz and very possibly earn another referral. Do this and when your client’s coworkers ask about the occasion, they will speak highly of their awesome real estate agent. Doing the same for your clients on closing day is also a possibility.

  1. Give Closing Gifts to Generate Referrals

Closing gifts are also a way to generates referrals, and the best ones are personalized so that clients’ friends and families will be asking ‘where did you get that?’ When they do, you will be brought up and this can be a way for you to generate real estate leads.

  1. Help Buyers with Credit Repair

Lenders become more hesitant to lend money when markets slump, and when this happens they increase their credit requirements. This can make it difficult for buyers with credit issues to qualify. What you can do as part of real estate business tips is offer credit repair services as part of your real estate business. You’ll be helping these buyers, earning a service fee, as well as building a relationship with new buyer clients.

  1. Monetize Your Real Estate Website

With placed advertisements and other means you can monetize your website and have it be much more than just a real estate lead generator. There are many ideas you can look into for turning your website into its own income stream.

  1. Create an eBook

There is a proven way to establish yourself as a real estate expert, build trust with your audience, and create a passive income stream. It is by publishing an eBook, and if you are able to focus on a real estate niche then your book can have maximum effect. Perhaps something specific about real estate investing (tax liens, wholesaling, flipping, etc) or something local (like a guide for those moving to the city).

  1. Offer Online Courses

This one is similar to the eBook suggestion, and with online courses you can establish yourself as the authority, build trust, and possibly create a passive income stream. You can expect them to take more time and effort to launch, but the tradeoff is that you can also charge more than you would for an eBook.

  1. Design Digital Products

Digital products like templates, workbooks, and designs are another option for creating passive income for years into the future. Consider expanding your real estate business by selling digital products of your own.

  1. Recession-Proof Expenses

We’ve talked about the need to have the foresight to prepare for the next recession, and it should also involve making your expenses recession-proof too. Your budget won’t look the same during a recession as it does during a strong market, so start making adjustments now so that the next recessions isn’t as negatively impactful for you.

  1. Build a Local Business Directory

The best real estate agents will come to be known as ‘knowledge brokers’. Building a local business directory on your website confirms your status as a local expert and knowledge broker. Start with the businesses your clients need most often (plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, etc), and notify each business as you add them to create a mutually-beneficial relationship and get your name out there.

  1. Be a Guest Expert

There are so many ways to establish yourself as a real estate expert and increase real estate sales. Another idea is to be a guest speaker at local colleges and/or give real estate market reports on local TV news or via local radio shows. You may also look into being the guest expert on local podcasts and blogs.

  1. Focus on Sellers

It has always been the consensus among realtors that buyer leads are easier to get and convert to clients. Seller leads are more of a challenge. But to grow a real estate business, you still want to focus more on sellers than buyers. Sellers always tend to complete faster, and for many reason they are also less of a gamble than buyers. If you’re solely working with buyers, consider a shift.

  1. Add Property Management to Services

Property management services are a great expansion opportunity for your real estate business. You can cross-promote, gaining new management clients from buyer and seller clients and vice versa. And if you invest the time in finding reliable tenants for your clients’ properties then property management can be a passive management task. In the event of a recession, you can make better-than-normal money from property management services to help offset declining real estate sales income.

  1. Invest in Commercial Real Estate

Real estate growth hacks can be found all over, and with that understood let’s look at those who have invested in a few residential properties throughout their career. What about making those same investments in commercial real estate? With long leases and purely professional relationships, commercial real estate can often be easier for realtors than residential. The only caution should be if there’s any heading into a market decline; it can be difficult to find new tenants for commercial space in a slow economy.

  1. Take Advantage of SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is so important for a realtor’s website and all of their digital marketing promotion efforts. SEO is the key to being found online. Good SEO isn’t something that you can assemble easily, but there are also lots of simple ways you can boost your SEO to gain exposure for your website.

  1. Be Mobile-Friendly

These days it is of paramount importance that your real estate agent website be mobile friendly. This means that it will display properly if the person who is visiting it is doing so through a smartphone. Most people now use their phones and tablets to search for properties and information about the real estate sales process. If your site isn’t formatted to be viewed on these devices it is not going to be conducive to real estate business development.

  1. Be Prospecting Every Day

You know you should be prospecting every day, but for a lot of realtors in Canada this is hard to do. But what you can do is try using a daily prospecting checklist and if you need a little extra accountability then it may be a good idea to join forces with a colleague. You can send each other your completed checklists every day to show you’re doing the work and making efforts to build up new clients for a real estate business.

  1. Invest in Real Estate without Owning Individual Properties

We’ve already talked about growing your real estate business through real estate investments. However, there are going to be those who don’t want the responsibility of actually owning and managing a portfolio of properties. For these individuals it may be better to invest in real estate without property ownership! REITs, ETFs are good examples.

  1. Set SMART goals

The acronym for SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-sensitive. Need some SMART goals for real estate? There are all sorts of resources out there for you to set smart and realistic goals and then use adhering to them as a means of using your time to the best of your availability when it comes to promoting yourself as a real estate agent.

  1. Master Real Estate Prospecting Scripts

It’s okay if you’re not entirely sold on the need for real estate scripts. But all it can take is one blown real estate lead to know how dangerous it can be to work without them. If you’ve been around a while, you’ve probably come up with some successful scripts of your own and they’ve likely been revised through trial and error. And if you’re new to the business, give yourself a solid base by getting some clever scripts and adjusting them to best suit your unique personality.

  1. Be Clear on your Clients

Realtors always do better when they understand their client niche. The more narrow your audience, the more leads you’ll likely to be converting into clients. I know it sounds counterintuitive because you want to cast a wide net, but remember that you’re competing with literally every agent in your market. When you get clear on your clients, you can become the top agent in your niche quickly and easily. Center your marketing plan around your niche.

  1. Ditch IDX

The property search function on your website will never be as the one for Zillow or Realtor.ca. It’s not beneficial to have clients directed to use your site for property searches. IDX integrations are expensive and largely unnecessary in today’s marketplace. Continue to use your website to establish your brand and show off your market knowledge, but advise your clients to conduct their property searches by other more effective and more streamlined means.

  1. Recession-Proof Operations

Realtors should be asking how their business operations may change when recessions arrive and stick around. Those who weren’t in the industry during the last recession likely have no idea, so do a little research on recession-proofing real estate operations and get prepared.

  1. Update your Bio

You will also need to have a real estate agent bio that engages your prospective clients, and if writing is not your strong suit then it makes a lot of sense to hire someone to write a real estate agent bio for you. This is also part of your real estate marketing strategies.

  1. Establish your Brand

It is all too common for realtors to be relying on their broker’s branding. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but what about when you want to change brokers? You may also eventually want to start your own brokerage. For these reasons you need your own unique brand.

  1. Have a Financial Plan

Like marketing plans, financial plans are often much too loose for realtors and suggesting improvements to them is a part of real estate business tips too. Take the time to document your finances so you know where your last dollar went and where your next dollar will be coming from.

  1. Improve Your Open Houses

Open houses are usually a good way to sell listings, but they can also be a way to get more real estate leads when you know how to host them more effectively and get people more involved and volunteering their plans with purchases / sales in the real estate market.

  1. Promote your Testimonials

After every transaction it is best to send the clients a link to leave you an online review. Whether you direct them to Google, your website, or any of the property search sites is up to you. Do whatever is necessary to prompt them to give you a review. It is even better if they agree to being used in your marketing materials, with examples being on your real estate agent website or in social media posts.

  1. Do New Home Photoshoots

Here’s one approach you can take that almost no one else will – new home photoshoots. Get high quality photos of buyers settling into and enjoying their new home. Not only could this be an additional income stream to grow your real estate business, but you can also ask your clients to tag you when they share the photos online for some free marketing.

  1. Stay Local

Realtors who really invest time and money into online marketing may start seeing traffic from buyers and sellers all over the world, especially if you are realtor working in a destination city. But that’s often not what you want, as you you mostly want to attract people who might buy or sell in your area. So what you should do is keep the nature of your posts very local and mention your market constantly while also making it clearer that you want to work with local clients.

  1. Host Free Seminars or Workshops

We can’t stress strongly enough how important it is to establish your expertise, build trust, and engage new prospects. One way of doing this is to host a free seminar or workshop. Topics for first-time buyers, real estate investing, and staging to sell are all solid choices, and this is another good way to increase real estate sales.

  1. Always Have Professional Listing Photos

In the age of online property searches, your listing photos are going to be a huge part of the first impression made on any would-be clients. They will also be representative of your business. For this reason you should always invest in professional listing photos. If other agents in your market aren’t offering this added service, this also presents a good opportunity for you to differentiate yourself.

  1. Volunteer

If you have the time and energy to do it then volunteering is another good way to grow real estate business. Volunteering is a great way to establish yourself in the community, meet locals, and get to know your neighbors.

  1. Work From Public Spaces

Working from public spaces can actually be a way to get new real estate leads. What you can do is have a small sign next to your notebook that says ‘Real Estate Agent at Work – Open for Questions’.

  1. Have Digital Catalogs

Digital catalogs are exactly what they sound like – catalogs in digital format. You can suggest your client base subscribe to a digital catalog that is branded to your company, promotes your listings, and even includes interesting articles for locals.

  1. Utilize Recession-Proof Marketing

We already discussed recession-proofing income, expenses, and operations. You should also be working to make your marketing recession-proof too.

  1. Be Forthcoming with Buyer Questions

There’s a magic question in real estate that is often overlooked by agents. Ask this one question of all your buyers and it will do a lot for growing a real estate business – is selling your current home something you need to do before you can buy?

  1. Try Social Media Ads

Social media ads are a relatively inexpensive way to reach a fairly large audience, so you should learn how to make them and aim to be unique and creative with yours as you promote yourself as a local real estate agent.

  1. Get Real Estate Leads from Zillow

Zillow displays For Sale By Owner properties, giving you access to FSBOs you can convert to listings. Homeowners have the option to select ‘Make Me Move’ if they might be willing to sell under the right conditions. This will never be the best real estate lead company in Canada though.

  1. Be On Top of Expired Listings

Expired Listings are another great seller source. Make sure you have a game plan before reaching out to them, and another good approach tip is to contact them early in the morning the day after their listing expires. You don’t want to chance other agents being in contact with them first.

  1. Track Your Progress

You want your progress to be measurable when you’re working so hard to grow your real estate business. What you need to be doing is regularly reviewing and documenting your income, expenses, and habits to keep yourself on track.

  1. Consider Drone Photos

Using drones for real estate photography is really popular these days, and for obvious reasons with the way it lets realtors get an on-high vantage point of the properties they have for sale. For high-end listings, drone photos can make all the difference in the world.

  1. Have a Lead Follow-Up Plan

It’s fairly common for real estate agents to not have the best track record of following up with leads. Make sure you have a concrete plan for following up on all the real estate leads you generate, and especially if you’re paying for the best real estate lead generation services in Canada. This needs to be true of cool, warm, and hot leads equally, and of course you’ll also need to know how to make those determinations.

  1. Sponsor a Local Team, Event, or Project

As a real estate professional it will always benefit you to be involved in the community. Sponsoring a local sports team, event, or community project gives you a chance to make a difference in the community while promoting your business.

  1. Educate Clients

Buyers and sellers are better informed today than ever before, but each of them is going to have gaps in their understanding of the real estate market and how their property factors into it. Give your clients the educational resources they need to make informed decisions, and they will thank you with repeat business and referrals. A blog on your website is an ideal resource for this.

  1. Help Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure

Economic fluctuations can put homeowners underwater on their mortgages, behind on their payments, and unable to catch up. Some may need to consider foreclosure, but as a real estate agent you can help them. Inform them of refinancing options that might help or explain the concept of a short sale to them. If they can’t save their home, at least they can have you helping them avoid having a foreclosure on their record. This goodwill gesture can lead to new real estate leads in the future.

  1. Give Out Monthly Market Updates

Monthly market updates keep you top-of-mind with your clients, allow you to provide valuable information, and with them it is possible to generate referrals and repeat business. The key is to make the market updates interesting and relevant to individual buyers and sellers. Writing quality market reports and getting them into the hands of the right individuals can be a decisive part of effective real estate business development.

  1. Utilize Automation

To grow your real estate business, you need to free up some of your time and/or money. Automation is perfect for this. You can automate your social media marketing through tools like Hootsuite and automate your newsletters and email drip campaigns through services like MailerLite.

  1. Request Better Fee Splits

A good way to grow a real estate business is to ask a broker for a higher fee split as a means of quickly increasing your profit margins.

  1. Build a Passive Income Stream

Passive income can be very helpful for commission-based real estate professionals. When you are making money residually it can allow you to do more with your free time and weather market downturns like we discussed earlier. And it’s not difficult to do! It just takes an investment of time and/or money on the front end to reap the rewards on the back end.

  1. Help Investors Find Superior Deals

The great thing about working with investors is that they often tend to be repeat clients, regularly buying and selling properties. To stay top-of-mind with investor clients, send out a once-a-month newsletter full of the best investment deals currently on the market.

  1. Be Responsive

Prompt responses to client inquiries are a must in the real estate business. For any agent who struggles with this because they are just so busy it may be a good idea to invest in a 24/7 messaging service that can reply to your clients immediately so they never feel neglected.

  1. Listen to Podcasts During Drive Time

Real estate agents tend to be in the car a lot. Make that time more productive by brushing up on some quick real estate lessons. There are many good podcasts for real estate agents that you can listen to during the times you’re driving between appointments.

  1. Plan Your Team’s Growth

Real estate agents often find their hands are increasingly too full as they become more successful in the business. If that’s you then it may be time for an admin, a buyer’s agent, or a social media manager. Take some time to think about your personnel needs for the coming year.

  1. Maintain your CRM

Your CRM (Client Relationship Manager) is the lifeblood of your business. It tells you who you need to follow up with and when. The good news is that you don’t need a fancy software subscription for your CRM. You can buy a simple CRM on Etsy for under $10 or even make your own.

  1. Find Success as a Part-Time Agent

For some working in real estate part-time makes sense because they have other means of income or have transitioned later in their working life and have build a base for themselves already. If this is you then you should tailor your marketing efforts accordingly and advertise yourself as a realtor who is more available to be working with their clients because of your working arrangement in the profession.

  1. Boost Social Posts

Realtors should be working with their social media strategies for real estate and trying different approaches to see what works best for generating real estate leads. One thing you can try is to ‘boost’ a few posts for as little as $5. This is slightly different from running social media ads, but can be just as effective.

  1. Publish Sponsored Posts

Sponsored posts are what bloggers use to make money from posts. All you need to do is find someone willing to pay for a mention and backlink from your site to their site. Backlinks then boost your credibility on Google. If you can establish a successful real estate blog you can make anywhere between $25 and several hundred dollars per post plus getting maximum visibility as a means of generating new real estate leads.

  1. Guide Local Experiences

If you are very familiar with your area why not offer guided tours and locals-only experiences to outsiders? This works especially well if you live in a tourist destination and in doing so you may even find an out-of-town buyer who wants to buy property there and will choose to work with you as their real estate agent.

  1. Rent Out Tools and Equipment

If you have the equipment then renting out tools and equipment can be a way of making good connections as a real estate agents. This works particularly well in a slow economy when people are more inclined to do the work themselves than to hire professionals for home improvement jobs.

  1. Provide Video Tours of Listings

Video is an excellent medium for real estate sales and as an agent you can re-purpose your videos in several different ways. Examples can be posting them your YouTube channel, embedding them in your website, and sharing snippets on social media.

  1. Offer Staging Services

Staging properties can help them sell faster and for more money. If you can offer staging services as part of what you offer as a realtor that can be a convincing point for anyone who’s in the process of deciding which realtor they’re going to work with as they prepare to sell their home and know having it look its best is important.

  1. Try Webinars

If seminars are working for you, but you want to reach a wider audience then you cantry webinars. It’s the same information, but using a virtual platform instead of presenting face-to-face.

  1. Read new Books

A successful real estate agent is continuing to learn all the time. So make the effort to read a few new industry books over the coming year, and try to determine which types of these books are best for helping you grow real estate business and learn new real estate marketing strategies.

  1. Increase Your Marketing Budget

If you want to grow your real estate business then you’ll want to increase your marketing budget to get your business more exposure. Anytime sales are slow this is when you’ll want to up your marketing budget expenditure. You can gain a greater market share by pushing forward with your marketing budget.

  1. Try Inexpensive Mailers

This is another one of our real estate growth hacks. Try to create a mailer that is attractive, unique, and engaging but won’t cost too much to print in volume and have sent out to prospective clients that you have become aware of as part of real estate leads.

  1. Go With a Website Facelift

If your real estate agent site has become outdated then you should consider giving it an upgrade. Website design mistakes are incredibly common and could be costing you business. An attractive and engaging site that is up to the latest standards is really important.

  1. Upgrade Imaging

The same can apply for the imaging you’re using on your website and your social media. With so many royalty-free stock photo sites available, you have plenty of free, professional photos you could be using instead.

  1. Make it Easy for Content to be Shared

We recommend an easy-to-use plugin called Social Warfare for making it easy for site and blog visitors to share content you’ve made available. And the more social shares you get, the more exposure you gain for your business.

  1. Improve Social Media Engagement

When it comes to social media in real estate just posting your listings and leaving it at that isn’t going to be enough to get the new-client traction you want. You won’t be doing real estate social media right if this is your approach. It’s all about engagement. Ask questions, post polls, and tell people to tag a friend who would be the perfect owner for your new listing. You want to increase shares, likes, and comments.

  1. Always Ask for Referrals

Real estate agents should be confident enough to always be asking for referrals. They might ask their contacts if they plan on moving in the next year or so, but what they forget to ask is ‘Who do you know who might be moving this year?’

  1. Be Available

The reason real estate teams are so successful is that there are more people who can be available for moments-notice showings. If you’re getting so much business that you can’t be available for your clients, that’s a good indicator that it’s time to add another person to your business. If you want to increase real estate sales you need to make every effort to be as available for your prospective clients as possible.

  1. Invite Neighbors to Open Houses

If you want to get the word out about your open house and uncovering new lead at the same time then it is a good idea to invite people in person. Of course while you’re inviting them, ask if they (or anyone they know) might be planning to move in the next year or so.

  1. Outsource Tasks as Needed

A realtor’s scope of duties often quickly becomes too big for just one person, especially if their PREC has become successful. Understand the time when you need to hire an executive real estate assistant! Virtual Assistants (VAs) are a cost-effective option for getting professional administrative help.

  1. Give Video Tours of Neighborhoods

Realtors can mount their smartphone to the dash of their car and drive around neighborhoods narrating the sites as they go. This gives prospective buyers a unique insider peek into each neighborhood, introduces you as the local expert, and creates some great content that can be indexed for better real estate website SEO.

  1. Under-Promise & Over-Deliver

No matter how well you perform, if you set your clients up to expect better, they will be disappointed. Try under-promising and over-delivering as an equation that is more likely to create happier clients and ones that will recommend you as a means of getting real estate leads.

  1. Celebrate Housiversaries

Here’s a quick, easy, inexpensive way to surprise past buyers and make them see you in an even more favorable light as a good realtor: send a Happy Housiversary Card every year to celebrate the anniversary of their home purchase.

  1. Create Compelling Listing Descriptions

Like listing photos, listing descriptions go a long way to swaying buyers favorably on a property before they even see it. When a listing description is written well it sells the lifestyle more than it does the property. Describe all the things the buyer could do in the home when they’re living their best life.

  1. Try 3D Home Tours

3D home tours are a good way for online house hunters to get a feel for the layout and size of a home before they can go through it in person. Offering 3D home tours is also a great way to differentiate yourself from other agents in your market.

  1. Share Social Posts to Groups

You can gain so much more exposure with your social media posts when you share them on group pages. Neighborhood groups are the ideal locations because neighbors are going to have more natural interest in local real estate market news, new listings, and new neighbors.

  1. Create Property Landing Pages

Tools like LeadPages have made it easier than ever to create quick, custom landing pages for individual properties. Try this great tool for your listing presentations.

  1. Focus on Marketing Activities with the Best ROI

It is not advisable to devote time to marketing activities that don’t produce good returns on your investment. Track your ROI by listing your marketing activities, determining the annual expense of each, and documenting how much annual income comes from each method. Then divide the income by the expense to calculate the ROI of each activity.

  1. Add 360-degree Photo to Google Street View

With the Google Street View app, you can create your own 360-degree photos of the ground floor of your listings and upload them instantly. This gives Google more indexable content for the property address, and this 360 view will be viewable on Google Images and Google Maps when someone enters a Google search for that address because they’d like to see it.

  1. Wear a Name Tag

Identify yourself when you’re out and about. This could be a name tag with your profession when you’re working and a branded polo, hoodie, or tee shirt when you’re not. This invites people to ask about the market because they will know you’re a working real estate industry professional.

  1. Have Daily Plans

Good time management is essential for realtors and improving yours is always going to be central with real estate business tips. You are solely responsible for your schedule. Having a daily plan helps immensely. Try reading The Miracle Morning for Real Estate Agents to learn more about the power of planning your day.

  1. Focus on Specific Price Ranges

It is natural to be more in pursuit of higher-value properties because they provide higher income with fewer transactions. This is why so many agents want to be in the luxury real estate niche. But when markets slip, luxury listings suffer. In down housing markets you may actually be better off with lower-range listings.

  1. Offset Marketing Costs

Growing profit margins are key to growing your real estate business. You can reduce your marketing budget while growing your reach by offsetting your marketing costs. This is best done by partnering with other industry companies. For your events and seminars, suggest partnering with lenders, title reps, escrow officers, inspectors, and appraisers and split event costs. For your digital and print marketing, you can include links to your partner providers in exchange for a portion of the marketing cost.

FAQs

What are some effective ways to generate leads for my real estate business?

Using a paid real estate lead service is often the most effective way to get real estate leads, but you can also try networking with homeowner’s associations and using traditional advertising means like billboards and mailers sent out to clients at their addresses.

How can I improve my online presence as a real estate agent?

The best way to improve your presence is to have a well-designed realtor website that features regularly updated content and is SEO optimized so that the site comes up high in search engine results when people search for agents in your specific area. The second approach you will want to use is to be active with social media platforms and sharing content and posts there that make you more well known as a local realtor who is eager to work with new clients.

How important is it to have a niche in the real estate market?

It is only more important to have a niche in the real estate market if you are working as a realtor in an area of the country where there are many different types of listings on the market at all times and the large population base there means that there are many other local realtors working there too. It is less important if you are realtor working in a smaller market, but it may still be something you want to consider.

How can I use content marketing to grow my real estate business?

The key in content marketing for real estate is first of all to have good and original content coming from you. If you are not able to write it yourself then you should invest in having someone create real estate industry-related and local-market specific content for you and then have it published on your website with a blog or featured articles. You should then be having the content be inbound linked to through other areas on the web, and especially from social media platforms. A CMS for a real estate website blog is an excellent choice here.

How can I build and maintain a strong client relationship?

The most effective way for realtors to build and maintain strong client relationships is to be in regular communication, but to do so in a genuine manner that makes it clear that your interest is less in securing business for yourself and more in honestly helping people have more success with the sale or purchase of real estate. Communications should be timely, but not done with too much frequency. And you will also want to consider making an effort to keep notes about clients and specifics about them, and use this information when it makes sense to do that. This really helps to keep the communications genuine.

You will also want to include anything that you’ve done recently to further cement you skillset and knowledge about real estate, as this signifies your dedication to your profession and reminds them of why they should choose to work with you again. Your aim is to grow real estate business, and having this type of approach to client communications is very much in line with doing that.

25 Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads in 2024

Published May 28, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

25 Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads in 2024There’s nothing to be apologetic about as it relates to doing your darndest to gather as many new real estate clients as possible. The reality is that there’s never going to be enough of the pie to go around, and there is always going to be too many realtors working in large metro regions of the country. Understanding the competitive nature of the business is something you had better understand right from day one when you start working as a realtor in Canada, and doing your best with real estate leads generation is a huge way to gain an advantage.

These days ever greater numbers of realtors are using a paid real estate leads provider like us here at Real Estate Leads. If you’re more established in the business you’ll have the more of the interpersonal skills that are needed for approaching prospective clients and convincing them to list with you, but even newer realtors can do very well to use our service to generate real estate leads and get their PREC off the ground more quickly, emphatically, and – most importantly – profitable.

That’s going to be especially important considering many new real estate agents are starting in the profession after moving to it from a previous one. They’re not new to their working life, and they likely have responsibilities that mean they need to continue to be earning a good living for themselves. Real estate does provide that opportunity, but it’s not going to come easy and you can and should be taking every advantage you can get.

This makes Real estate lead generation strategies all the more important, and when you’re here you know that you can always read about way to get more out of you efforts. That’s also super important, because of most hard-working agents time is something that they need to be using very judiciously and as they’ve learned working in real estate is the furthest thing from a 9-5 type of job. So what we’re going to do with this blog entry is share 25 tips for real estate lead generation in 2024. It is unlikely you’ll be in a position to incorporate all of them into your efforts, but even doing it with some of them may help you get more real estate clients.

Pipeline of New Clients Needed

Agents are doing their best when they are maintain a healthy pipeline of real estate leads. Market conditions are going to be the most emphatic determination of how many new real estate clients are coming your way, and as it relates to homebuyer clients low interest rates are always a huge impetus to have them likely to buy a home.

There are always going to lulls or market fluctuations that can mean the opposite reality and this is where you need to be using real estate lead generation strategies so you’re digging up new clients even when things are in a downturn. Done right what you’ll be doing is preparing for the unpredictable nature of real estate with an array of fresh lead-gathering tactics.

Here are some real estate lead generation ideas that you can incorporate into your efforts and ideally see more in the way of new real estate clientele for both homebuyer and home seller clients who are ready to work with a real estate agent.

Build Partnerships

Networking with other local businesses to form mutually beneficial partnerships is always beneficial for a real estate agent. Options can include co-hosting happy hours, sending gifts to clients or leads, and forming local alliances. Certain industries are better for forming productive partnerships than others. These include:

  1. Insurance Companies – new homeowners will almost always be buying home insurance policies
  2. Personal Bankers – this one is obvious, as nearly all buyers will be taking on a mortgage to buy their new home
  3. Commercial Lenders – same as above
  4. Bakeries – most new home owners will be ready to gorge themselves on donuts, pastries, and other baked goods
  5. Landscapers – homeowners preparing to sell a home will often hire landscapers to have their property looking as good as possible in advance of putting the home on the market
  6. Home stagers – much the same relation for owners who are preparing to sell

Throw Housewarming Parties

Let’s imagine a well-connected client just moved into a new home you connected them with. It is a good idea for you to offer to cater their housewarming party, and you may want to have it include an open bar, be paying for appetizers, or taking care of the floral delivery. When you then attend and mingle you may be meeting other client prospects who are at similar life stages and also ready to work with a realtor and buy a home.

This can work the same way with neighbors who are considering selling. Neighborhood sales usually generate fresh homeowner interest and you may find that the housewarming party ends up warming up leads that were cooler before.

Eat Out Often

In the event you are meeting clients at a restaurant or local coffee shop it can be a good idea to try and do that at the same spot every time. For one thing you’ll be making a good impression on the wait staff, gaining access to the best tables, and you’ll appear to be plugged into your community. Getting to know other regulars might become a possibility too, and who knows if some of them might be looking to work with a realtor too. When they’re ready to buy, you become the perfect person for them to contact.

Send Handwritten Notes

Obtaining good real estate leads in Canada means being genuine. This means it is best to pick up a pen, paper, and a stamp as you prepare to write handwritten notes to previous or existing clients. You’re thanking them for choosing you as their realtor and also reminding them of your availability if they’ll be selling or buying a home again in the future. You may also want to volunteer suggestions about a reliable moving company or send important tax documents.

A handwritten note is better because it is so much more noteworthy is comparison to an email or any other digital form of communication. If you then feel especially confident you can pick up the phone a few days later and ask for a referral.

Advertise Digitally Online

This may be the biggest part of real estate leads management. If you’re able to invest in paid online advertising it almost always means an enhanced flow of leads because online is where people search for properties as well as realtors who can assist with the purchase of them. There are many websites with advertising options for realtors. Keep in mind there have been studies indicating that about 99% of home buyers between the ages of 23 and 56 used the internet to find homes.

Social media adverting for real estate leads should always be a part of this too, and among everything you can consider here are:

  1. Running Facebook ads
  2. Running LinkedIn ads
  3. Answering real estate questions on Quora
  4. Running Google ads
  5. Blogging for local or national real estate websites

Utilizing Traditional Media

Don’t look past traditional avenues for getting your brand out there and attracting new clients. Media options like billboards and print ads can be still be very good resources to grab prospective clients‘ attention and make it more likely they contact you because they are looking to work with a realtor for buying or selling a home. This keeps your services top-of-mind when they’re looking for their next agent.

In this avenue it is also good to be as creative as possible with your advertising. Incorporating humour or eye-popping visuals can help you stand out.

Have a Top-Quality Real Estate Website

Continuing with how to generate real estate leads, you absolutely must have a website for real estate agents and it needs to be equal parts attractive and easy for visitors to navigate through when evaluating the properties for sale and what you have to offer as a realtor.

Your brokerage will likely give you a page on their website, but it’s necessary to have your own web presence via your own portal. This allows you to build a personal brand, showcase your specialties, plus share reviews from satisfied clients. It also promotes you having a cohesive presence in the local market and that’s important considering realtors often switch brokerages during the course of their career.

You will also need to have your site SEO optimized so that when people search ‘realtor in _____’ your site comes up high in the search results pages. If you can’t do that yourself then you absolutely need to hire someone to do it for you. What you likely can do is write blog posts about real estate and the local market, as well as information about real estate leads management. You can also create and share helpful how-to videos and have a means for visitors to submit contact info and addresses by having a newsletter signup.

Have a Niche

Realtors will often specialize in a certain neighborhood, historic homes, or helping clients finding certain types of homes. You’ll do better if you cater to that strength of your and aim to establish yourself as a niche realtor. You will be better able to focus your marketing efforts on a specific group, and your real estate lead generation strategies will be tailored accordingly. You will be more likely to develop a reputation as the go-to realtor for these types of buyers and sellers.

Common real estate niches:

  1. Historic homes
  2. Luxury homes
  3. Mid-century modern homes.
  4. Neighborhoods
  5. School districts
  6. First-time homebuyers
  7. Condos and apartments
  8. Vacation homes
  9. Land for development
  10. Commercial real estate
  11. Industrial real estate

For example, it may be that you want to develop a niche in helping seniors find their perfect retirement homes. You’ll then learn what their needs are and find senior-friendly neighborhoods. Make the right connections with financial planners who understand the requirements of the seniors in your area. Developing a niche will also make it easier for you to purchase real estate leads if that’s something you eventually feel you need to do.

Utilize ‘Coming Soon’ Signs

Both ‘Coming Soon’ and ‘Sold’ signs on social media or a property’s lawn are a tried-and-true means of generating interest in real estate. ‘Coming Soon’ signs work extremely well for creating anticipation before a home for sale goes onto the market. In much the same way ‘sold’ signs are effective for gathering leads from buyer who may have an inkling that they missed out on an opportunity.

Attend Open Houses

Realtors who take the time to attend open houses can do well with real estate lead generation too. There are always going to be prospective buyers attending who haven’t committed to working with a real estate agent yet and provided you’re not stepping on the toes of open-house hosting realtor there’s no reason why you can’t network and promote yourself as a realtor.

It is always going to be important not to be too pushy or aggressive though. It’s not good to be to assertive in promoting yourself at another agent’s open house.

Generate leads on LinkedIn

The fact that LinkedIn is for professional networking makes it so that it lends itself well to finding real estate leads. That’s because it will be working professionals who are most likely to be buying or selling homes, and the only other group that will apply to are retirees. What you can do here to take advantage by joining LinkedIn groups that your target audience will frequently also be participating in. That could be a group for local real estate investors or one for first-time homebuyers.

Once you’ve built some degree of rapport, you can then follow up with interested prospects if one or more of them reach out to you and hinting they are looking to work with a realtor. A good tip here is if you’re posting in a real estate investment group or one related to home buying, creating and sharing a blog article about up-and-coming neighborhoods in your city is something you can do to really maximize your exposure as an expert on real estate on LinkedIn.

Organize Educational Events

You can also consider hosting educational events in your community to get leads on new real estate clients. One idea is to host one centered around teaching local consumers about buying their first home, what current market conditions are looking like, or what to look for in a rental property. These classes can promote your personal brand and be a means for you to drum up new business at the same time.

Pursue Every Lead

It’s fairly common for a warm lead to quickly show you that they’re not yet ready to buy or sell. This can be an even more relevant reality for real estate lead generation 2024 considering how so many people have different factors figuring into their finances now. But you should still keep them as leads, even if you see it fit to downgrade them to cooler leads. You can do things like send them postcards sharing developments in the market as well as keeping them on your email list.

Another idea might be to leave them the occasional voicemail to remind them that you’re always available for whatever they need if and when they are ready to list their home or being looking at homes for sale in the area where they want to live.

Target ‘FSBO’ Listings

The information may not be recent, but even dated figures indicating that only around 3% of FSBO (for-sale-by-owner) listings sell within the desired time are likely still accurate today. Further it is believe that only around 18% of those homes sold for the price the owners were hoping to receive for them. Finding these types of listings isn’t difficult at all, even if you’re not a realtor.

Contact Expired Listings

Realtors looking to get more out of real estate leads in Canada will do well to create lists of expired listings seen in the MLS (multiple listings service). It is entirely possible these sellers are frustrated with their current realtor and may be very open to working a with a new real estate agent. This may be particularly true if they are discouraged about not having sold their home yet and are experiencing a lot of stress because of it.

You can start by explaining the way you can relate to their frustrations, and that you’ve spoken with people in similar situations before. From there you can eventually segue into ways you’d do things differently to get their home sold for them, and ideally at the price they’re hoping to get for it.

Generate Referrals from Satisfied Clients

Former clients who are happy to speak highly of you are extremely valuable in your efforts to promote yourself as a realtor. There are studies done that suggest 36% of buyers used an agent referred to them by a friend, neighbor, or relative. The same ones indicate that 73% of buyers would use the same agent again.

Previous and existing clients can be excellent lead-generation resources, and for this reason it makes sense to remain in contact with them and have you at the forefront of their mind anytime they enter into a conversation about real estate with someone they know. Be sure to give it your all when you’re working with them if you get that opportunity and this will become a cyclical benefit for you as you are increasingly successful with real estate leads generation.

Explore Divorce Leads

Divorce leads are another way for real estate agents to find new clients. Many of the successful businessmen who buy expensive homes will be committed philanderers and there are going to be times when their wives are simply not willing to tolerate it anymore. You will need to tread carefully if you are exploring a real estate lead that is related to a couple’s upcoming divorce, but as is always the case you need to explore every lead that you have in this business.

Divorce leads are going to require some finesse and compassion as these clients usually aren’t going to be selling the home because they choose to. But if you can find and appeal to them, you’ll set yourself up with a base of extremely motivated clients.

Leverage Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics when combined with Conversational AI for real estate can be a very effective approach as a means to generate real estate leads. Different AI programs allow you to gather and understand relevant data, which then helps you more reliably identify houses likely to be sold in your area. Armed with this information you are better equipped to identify prospective sellers and reach out to them.

Enhance Your Social Media Presence

These days a real estate agent who is promoting themselves is working to create themselves as branding. Effective branding of any sort isn’t easy, but having a sound social media presence is a really good start with it. Make sure you have profiles across multiple platforms, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram — anywhere you can make connections with buyers and sellers.

When done right what these profiles and platform activity do for prospects is create a concrete reference point to understand who you are and what you offer. They also add legitimacy and add a human and approachable / relatable element to your professional persona. You can also be aware that the value of these platforms extends beyond conventional promotion. For maximum effect you can be using these avenues to establish yourself as a knowledgeable, helpful resource for prospects.

Try to Catch Old Expired Listings

Reaching out to expired listings was something we covered earlier here, but now we are going to suggest taking it one step further. Sometimes with expired listings it helps to start looking way back. Not many realtors make the effort to check in with sellers whose listings expired well over year ago or longer. These potential clients might have run into issues, with examples being inopportune timing or relationships with ineffective realtors.

These may be opportunities for new real estate leads if the owner is still interested in selling but their interest has cooled somewhat for whatever reason. You may be able to rekindle that in them, and especially if it is more of a seller’s real estate market at that time.

Go Door-to-Door

There are times when a whole world of good can come from getting back to basics with real estate lead generations. Door-to-door sales are one of the most fundamental, effective ways to connect with prospects in any context and this is true for real estate too. It can be intimidating for some agents who aren’t naturally extroverted and outgoing, but it is something you should try to become more comfortable with if so.

Join the Local Chamber of Commerce

There may well be lead opportunities in real estate to be found through your local chamber of commerce. Having your brand listed in newsletters and websites offers valuable exposure and legitimacy, along with the potential for a network of solid business connections that you can tap to help put you in touch with realty client prospects.

Cold Call

This is quite likely the most tried-and-true approach for real estate leads generation. It may be something that is uncomfortable for you and it is true that often converting leads into clients for real estate doesn’t occur very frequently through this means. But if you have the time available to do it and you’re not doing as well with lead generation then it is something to consider as you continue to look into every option for growing your real estate business.

Contribute to Industry Publications

Prospective clients are always going to be warmer to you as an agent when they can see you are knowledgeable and competent. An agent who is clearly in the know withthe ins and outs of real estate is more likely to be the one they’ll choose to work with when buying or selling a home in Canada. Contributing to industry publications, like magazines or blogs, is one of the best ways to demonstrate expertise.

If you can connect with reputable publishers and put thoughtful content together, you can establish yourself as an authority in your space. Establish that kind of momentum and increased numbers of leads are likely for you.

Connect with Estate Liquidators

Estate liquidators can be an overlooked resource for real estate lead generation that is still plenty valuable. These professionals often possess consistent intel on a steady stream of sellers and establishing some type of mutually beneficial relationship with them can be a huge plus as you are increasingly able to access that base and generate quality leads. This can better empower you for real estate leads management too.

Keep in mind as well that professionals of all sorts who have ties to residential properties may be able to point you in the right direction for the best real estate lead generation services in Canada.

FAQs

Are home seller or homebuyer leads more likely to be converted?

The general consensus in the industry right now is that current market dynamics and the imbalance between homes for sale and homebuyer demands makes it so that home seller leads are more frequently converted into clients for real estate agents.

Is it common for realtors using a paid real estate lead service to continue with the service once their initial subscription expires?

Yes, real estate agents most often generate enough income from additional commissions on homes bought or sold through them that it makes the cost of paid real estate leads fully worth the investment and more often than not they will renew their subscription with the best real estate lead generation services in Canada.

How are real estate leads verified to be legitimate leads before being provided to a realtor?

This would be a very detailed question to answer in full here, but real estate leads here are generated through Internet Marketing and with voluntary participation in surveys made available to prospective customers online. There is a tested methodology used to evaluate the answers they submit to the survey. That is then used to determine whether or not they are a legitimate lead who is likely to want to work with a realtor in the near future and buy or sell a home.

What do real estate agents most often do when a lead continues to stay cool for an extended period of time?

This will always be a scenario where the agent will need to make a judgement call based on the specific situation and what information they already have on the lead as a prospect. There is no standard approach to this, but what we can say is that it is never a bad idea to keep a lead on the back burner and reach out to them once a year or something similar to simply check in with a hello and ask if anything has changed with their plan to buy or sell a home.

Unlocking Success: 7 Fresh Real Estate Lead Generation Strategies

Published May 21, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Unlocking Success: 7 Fresh Real Estate Lead Generation Strategies Real estate agents are never going to be literally jostling with each other. No one is going to be leaning on each other or getting their elbows up, but this is a figurative description of the fierce competition over securing one or more of the limited number of people who are going to buy or sell a home. And are ready to work with a realtor now. You will want to be that agent, but so will every other realtor working in the same city or town. Getting a lead on them that your competitors don’t have is huge, and this is why real estate lead generation is such a big deal.

Especially nowadays with the power of the Internet. The majority of people who start a search for homes for sale will be looking to buy a home or gauge the median home values of ones selling in their area. And 99% of the time they are doing that online, and this is how online real estate leads come to exist. There are all sorts of real estate success tips out there for you to dig into, but there’s no denying that paid real estate leads can fast track that success if you have the skills to be reliably converting leads into clients.

The ability to do that is the other 50% of the equation, and we have dedicated other blogs to converting real estate leads. But this one will be another that focuses on real estate lead generation strategies, and here we have more innovative lead generation strategies for you. We’ll get right into them, but before we do we’ll mention again that Real Estate Leads is the best real estate lead company in Canada and our ever growing list of testimonials will attest to that.

Keep in mind as well that all suggestions are only going to be effective if you are willing to apply them repeatedly and independent of whether or not you see immediate success from them. No one is ever an overnight success in real estate, and even the most successful and renowned realtors in your area will have gone through a LOT of trial and error with generating leads in real estate before they got to where they are today. Continue to apply yourself to the best of your ability and you can be there one day too.

Building Reputation

Always being on hunt for new clients is a core part of working as a real estate agent in Canada. It will always be possible to have repeat businesses from customers, and homes are a long-term investment. But recent customers are unlikely to be clients again for at least a few years. So the focus becomes on generating new leads for new clientele and then hoping that they will then also promote you to others as a realtor who is good to work with.

The best lead generation techniques are never going to be easily done though. You can target buyers, sellers, investors, or all of the above depending on your strategy and core competencies. When you are able to glean a more expansive spread of information about the potential client you are immediately more inclined to make a better guess as to whether they are a cool, warm, or hot lead if they are even a lead at all. This ties into real estate marketing dynamics because you want to be applying yourself judiciously.

One thing that is almost true is that you a shotgun marketing approach is usually never a good idea or something that will work well for you. Remember that driving real estate buyer and seller leads is essential to your business and poorly chosen or implemented strategies will hamper your ability to find quality leads and convert them into clients.

Remember as well that having real estate be a profitable career means relying on commissions. So the more leads you generate, the better. So let’s now move to looking at real estate leads through a more critical lens.

Discovery, Contact & Making a Determination

Lead generation will first involve discovering the lead, and that’s becoming aware of an individual or couple who are looking to buy a home or sell one and would prefer to do so with the expertise of a realtor helping them. You will then contact them and if all goes well then you’ll be collecting personal contact information from prospects. These prospects could be individuals interested in buying or selling a home, investors, or individuals who want to learn more about what you offer as a real estate agent.

A potential customer doesn’t becomes into a lead until after they’ve entered into communication with you and usually that’s either through a form on your website or by calling or emailing you directly. Lead generation in this way is part of a larger lead nurturing strategy that allows you to convert leads into paying clients.

And that nurturing part of it first involves making a determination about how ‘warm’ the lead is – how likely is it their going to make a move in the real estate relatively soon, or does it seems that they are just putting out feelers right now and likely won’t buy or sell until well down the road in the future. But remember that anyone who gives you their personal information has some interest in your real estate business and wants to learn more. This understand is key to real estate lead generation.

Better Real Estate Lead Generation Strategies

Articles for real estate agents usually focus on effective property marketing, and that’s fine. But before you get to that and the house is listed on the market you’ve got to secure the client. The importance of lead generation is clear as it helps you collect your prospects’ personal contact information to help them enter the sales funnel and ideally they eventually become clients who buy or sell a home through you.

Information can be collected in several ways – through a form on your website or click funnel, email, phone calls, and even in person. The success of innovative lead generation strategies is always going to depend on several factors, and the amount of your time and your budget you’re able to put into them is going to be right at the core of that. So no matter what you have to put into them here is where you need to be putting maximum focus with your strategies.

  1. Be Active Across Social Media

Real estate agents who understand the need to promote themselves for better lead generation can and should look to social media marketing right away. Certain platform are a great place to connect with other professionals and stay on top of local real estate market trends while making yourself very visible to new prospective clients at the same time. You can join communities or groups to network with others in the real estate industry or use social media advertising to establish connections with potential home buyers or sellers.

It’s recommended that you get started with social media ads if you want to generate real estate leads without spending too much of your budget. Facebook and Instagram ads qualify as being cost-effective, and of course on the other end social media is good for property sales optimization too. But as it relates to real estate leads you can measure everything from impressions to conversions, and another plus for social media ads is you’re able to target individuals based on specific demographics to promote greater numbers of clicks to your website or create lead gen ads where users have the option of submitting their contact information from social media.

When they do, you’ve got a new lead just like that.

  1. Create Email Marketing Campaigns

Lead generation strategies work well to help you collect personal information like emails, but you may miss out on potentially valuable customers if leads are not well nurtured. Once you have emails and other personal contact information, it is time to start nurturing leads and building relationships so those leads are more likely to converted into clients.

Emails sent must contain useful information and link to blogs and other pages on your website where visitors can learn more. For leads that are warmer you can segment them and send these people and have them receive more pertinent information. This can be with questions that are as direct as ‘how soon do you want to buy or sell a home?’

You should have them seeing multiple choice options with their chosen replies, and this helps you categorize your leads. Here you should be using some type of CRM (customer relationship management) platform with automation to segment leads and have personalized emails with the right information sent at the right time. This type of timeliness is a big part of effective real estate lead generation.

In instances where a prospective buyer isn’t ready to make a purchase they can be sent blog posts about the process of buying a home. Or if someone indicates they are likely to sell a home within the next three months they can be sent sales emails to persuade them that you are the best choice as their agent.

  1. Develop a Brand

A realtor should always be focused on building a brand for themselves, and this is a big part of having leads coming in to you too. An agent is their own brand, and being visible with a professional website with service pages and information about your process and what clients can expect is the most integral part of having your brand established. You want prospective clients to have a place where they can learn more about you, your services, and then with other information like how much weight you’ve put on over the last year.

It is true that many realtors do well with referrals in real estate and word of mouth, but it is still important to give prospects a place to learn more about you. A good real estate website design will include service pages and testimonials to build trust, and it should also feature content that caters to any specialties you have in your service. For example, this could be for vacation homes if you are working as a realtor in an area where the local population surges during the summer months.

  1. Form Local Connections

When a real estate agent networks well there is going to be a greater likelihood of getting leads based on people you’ve met and who have a favorable opinion of you. You can start with individuals you know in the community and attend local events like open houses to meet new people and find qualified leads. Many real estate professionals rely on referrals, and so when you meet a new person for the first time you should always give them your business card in the even they know someone looking to sell or buy a home.

  1. Build Strategic Partnerships

Building partnerships with companies is always going to be included in real estate success tips too. Your aim should be building them in your same niche but trying to have them not be in direct competition with you so that you can help you grow your business. We’ve seen how a lot of real estate agents build relationships with mortgage lenders, bankers, and insurance companies to get more referrals.

All partnerships must be mutually beneficial if they’re going to work. If a realtor partners with a mortgage company then the lender will send the realtor’s contact information to prospective buyers. Conversely the realtor then promotes the lender to the buyers they know and anyone else who they’ve worked with in the past.

  1. Traditional Advertising

Traditional marketing will never qualify among innovative lead generation strategies but it is still effective. Particularly if it can be paired with a digital strategy. Advertising on billboards, benches, and buses or in local newspapers and publications continues to be a way for realtors to get new clients and it will always be that way.

What is best is to utilize traditional marketing efforts at the same time as you are enhancing your digital marketing by sending prospects directly to your website to convert to leads. An example here might be advertising in a local magazine but adding a QR code to your graphic. Once redirected these prospective clients see a form they can fill out and if they do then they have entered your sales funnel.

  1. Build Credibility with PR

Realtors are always going to be integral in the home buying or selling process, so customers will want to be assured that you’re someone who will put their best interests first. You can build credibility and trust with prospects before they become leads by investing in local public relations (PR) and becoming a thought leader in your industry.

Those who reach out to local publications to let them know you’re available to help with any articles about real estate in the future can become ‘thought leaders’. You may also want to be searching for local online publications where a guest post written on the subject of real estate investing written by you would be something they’d like to publish.

Remember as well that lead generation doesn’t end with collecting someone’s personal information. We need to stress that lead nurturing is the next step to ensuring your leads convert into paying customers. CRM software really is best for this, and there are several popular ones you can buy and then utilize for better automation, audience targeting, and segmentation to develop relationships and build trust with buyers and sellers. Buying one will be a solid investment in your real estate lead generation efforts, and you’ll quickly see that.

FAQs

  1. What is an average number of leads a real estate agent will find each month?

This is entirely dependent on what real estate leads generation methods the realtor is using. If they are only relying on traditional advertising and not using more innovative lead generation strategies then they may only receive a handful of new leads during that time. If they are using paid real estate leads and working to drum up real estate leads online they may be receiving up to as many as 100 real estate leads if they are paying for them.

  1. What can agents do to ensure their leads are exclusive to them and not available to other realtors in the same way?

With traditional advertising or referrals for real estate leads this is simply not possible, but with paid real estate leads most providers will only provide leads to one realtor. This is a part of why they will be willing to pay for real estate leads, because of the fact they have an exclusive inside track on being in touch with that prospective client. You can always expect that with the best real estate lead company in Canada.

  1. Are real estate leads known to be more reliably converted into clients in certain parts the country?

Yes, real estate agents working in major metro regions of Canada have real estate leads more frequently converted into clientele simply because of the nature of the real estate markets here and the fact that hotter markets see interested buyers and sellers proceeding to either buy or sell homes more often because of these being ‘hotter’ markets. That said, there are smaller cities in Canada with respectable ratios for lead-to-client conversions.

  1. Do any paid real estate lead services provide guarantees for at least some percentage of leads provided being ‘warm’ leads?

No, there is never any guarantee of any lead being a warm lead. Although with Real Estate Leads all leads are qualified to the extent that the realtor can know the individual is genuinely interested in selling their home or buying one. The leads you receive may be warmer or cooler depending on that individual and as the agent you will be nurturing your leads accordingly once you’ve made that determination.

Choosing a Real Estate Lead Generator in 2024

Published May 14, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Choosing a Real Estate Lead Generator in 2024It’s a well known fact that the early bird gets the worm, but what if you’re a bird who knows where the worm is in that vast expanse of a backyard garden bed or elsewhere. Real estate agents are always going to be keen to be first in touch with anyone who is considering selling their home, and the same will go for anyone who is looking to buy a home in Canada.

That’s the source of their livelihood, so in a figurative sense it really is sustenance in the same way the worm is for the bird. Leads can be ‘dug up’ in any number of different ways, but these days paid real estate leads are a very valuable resource for realtors.

This has many of them looking into which one is the best real estate lead company in Canada, and that’s entirely understandable as many real estate agents are very cautious about how their marketing budget is allocated. When you buy real estate leads you will want to have some assurance that they are quality, genuine leads and that the individuals spotlighted with them are actually strongly considering buying a home or selling one.

Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system for Canada has those assurances for you. Part of the way our system is set up is that we determine the validity of leads to a much greater extent, and as such you can be more confident in following up on the leads and reaching out to these prospective clients. It’s very beneficial, and it’s part of why we are regarded as good real estate leads provider in Canada.

But paid real estate leads are always going to be just one type of the ones you can be generation if you really apply yourself. So what we’re going to do with this blog entry is provide you with the best approach to choosing a real estate lead generator in 2024.

Need for Leads

Real estate is always going to be a competitive business, and the realtors who get ahead are going to be the ones who are more exploratory with what works well to gain more real estate clients. Proceeding to buy real estate leads can be a part of that, and there are real estate lead generation companies that curate lists of sellers or buyers who are looking actively for an agent.

That service is provided at a price, but as an agent you need to weigh all of this from the perspective that your commissions earned on home bough and sold should always exceed what you’ve spend marketing yourself as a realtor in Canada and what you’ve spent paying for real estate leads. What’s to follow with be a list of the best places to buy real estate leads and when taken into consideration and followed up on they should allow you to make more of a splash in the homebuying or selling industry.

Look at Methodology

When considering the best real estate lead company in Canada, we think you will want to see the features that agents like you would deem to be the most valuable. Lead quality and automation are at the forefront for that, and to that end you will do well to evaluate the methodologies a real estate lead provider is using. Obviously sites and providers that offer qualified, warm leads are going to rank higher than those where leads tend to be colder, less well defined, and where it is likely going to take more effort on the part of the realtor to determine in the lead should be nurtured any further.

We need to also consider that automation is such a powerful tool for real estate agents nowadays, and a valuable one considering how busy most of them are. If you are working as a realtor in Vancouver or Toronto or another big metro city in Canada you are likely going to at 110% all the time trying to further establish yourself as a go-to real estate professional that people want to list with.

Automation can include any feature that sends out marketing text, emails or calls on your behalf, and this means you are more free to spend your valuable time elsewhere. You want to look for solid automation in your lead provider along with being able to see that the leads being provided tend to be genuine and warmer rather than cooler most of the time. But price is also going to be a factor in your choice, and in addition to affordability you also want to see a solid cost-value equation in your provider.

You may also want to look for extra features like an included CRM or personalized customer support when you are choosing the best real estate lead company in Canada. Often you will find that with a good provider, although for many agents a lower-priced provider without one may still make sense if they are able to utilize CRM software of their own to enhance their relationship-nurturing efforts with prospective clients. This is especially important for leads that are now warm but show the potential to become hot leads in the not-too-distant future.

With the right types of communication and reaching out in a timely manner and at the right intervals you can do better with converting leads into clients for real estate. A CRM can go a long way in allowing you to do that more reliably and if you can get one included with your real estate lead provider in Canada then you are already one step ahead.

Choosing Your Generator

As we’re suggesting here, choosing a real estate lead generator should not be exclusively based on price. Your aim should be on a service that pays for itself in the end. In the event it is too expensive upfront, offsetting your costs unless may seem like something you’re not likely to accomplish in the long term. But again sometimes more expensive services are worth it and this will always be true if CRM software is included.

Also be taking into account whether or not the service provides exclusive leads or not. One of the things we have always touted about our paid real estate lead generation service here at Real Estate Leads is that the leads you receive will only be provided to you. There may be other realtors receiving leads for the same city or town where you are working as a real estate agent in Canada, but they will never get the same leads you are getting.

This creates the exclusive opportunity for you to be reaching out to these people, and no other agent is going to be aware of their existence at the same time. You have the chance to speak / meet with them first and convince them you are the real estate professional they should be choosing to work with. This is in large part what finding the best real estate lead generation company in Canada is all about.

If that wasn’t the case and you are receiving non-exclusive leads you’ll need to be much more rushed and less tactical in the way you approach these prospective clients. There is nothing advantageous about that at all. The ability to focus your lead buys in a specific neighborhood or ZIP code is also important for building your expertise in a certain locality.

It is true that some realtor lead services conduct the messaging for you automatically, and it is true this can be a huge time saver when you’re already working with other clients. But you need to understand and be critical of how that contact is made. If it is only done by email then you may want to take the initiative and reach out with text messaging or phone marketing too. Try to find a service that matches your preferred contact method so the client can learn what to expect when working with you.

Options for Profitability

When you buy real estate leads you are always going to be making an evaluation of value and what you’re receiving for your money. The issue with that is of course in the fact that you’ll need to use the service for some time (we’d say at least 4 to 6 months) before you can come to a definitive conclusion on whether or not you’re getting your money’s worth. One of the best things you can do to help you move forward with being patient and giving it time is to read testimonials from other realtors who may or may not be pleased with paid real estate leads from a provider.

You will also need to have a solid understanding of what your operating budget will allow for with your means to buy real estate leads in the first place. New real estate agents in Canada are going to have tighter ones, and that’s natural. But using Real Estate Leads is often still quite reasonable for them, so let’s wrap up this look at the best real estate lead company in Canada by laying out some actual numbers for the service here.

For $799 per month, you will receive a guaranteed 20 to 40 buyer leads that are in your territory – and these leads for your territory are yours exclusively and not be provided to any other Realtors. We determine availability based on our ability to provide the promised number of leads for each realtor. That is our entry level paid real estate lead package, and you also have the option of:

  1. $849 for 20 to 40 buyer and seller leads monthly
  2. $1499 for 50 to 90 buyer leads monthly
  3. $1549 for 50 to 100 buyer and seller leads monthly
  4. $2599 for 110 to 200 buyer and seller leads monthly

Plus you also have the option at any time to move to a monthly arrangement bases on a yearly contract that delivers the same number of quality real estate leads but for a better full-year price.

Business growth is guaranteed, and we do really consider ourselves to the top option for anyone who is trying to decide on the best real estate lead company in Canada.

FAQs

Is It Worth It to Pay For Real Estate Leads?

The numbers of real estate leads that are converted to clients when the lead is obtained as a paid lead does confirm that paying for real estate leads is usually a worthwhile investment for a realtor.

What Are The Best Ways to Get Real Estate Leads?

There are several ways of getting leads in real estate that qualify to be included among the best ways. Buying real estate leads is joined by networking, community involvement, social media marketing for real estate, and cold calling for leads.

Can You Tell Me How Much It Costs to Buy Leads?

The amount that a real estate lead provider in Canada will charge for the service will vary, but for most of them the introductory package where a realtor will receive less than 50 leads per month will cost somewhere in the vicinity of $800 monthly.

What Are The Ways Real Estate Lead Generators Make Money?

Real estate lead generators are profitable exclusively based on the monthly fees paid by realtors to use the service. This is the only way real estate lead generators make money.

How Hard Is It to Get Clients As a Real Estate Agent?

It will always be at least somewhat difficult to get clients as a real estate agent unless you are living in a very small community and you are the only realtor working in the area. If you are a realtor in a large or medium-sized city in Canada it is nearly always going to be a challenge to have the flow of new clientele you would like to see for yourself.

20 Proven Strategies to Boost Your Property Management Lead Generation

Published May 7, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Property Management Lead GenerationThe fact that real estate agents in Canada will be keen to work with investor buyer clients needs no explanation, as these are the types of clients who are most likely be buying additional properties along the shortest timeframes. Often these homes are purchased with the aim to have them rented out while the property increases in value, something that is nearly guaranteed in major metro regions of the country. These places will need to have someone overseeing them, and that leads us to property management leads for realtors.

That is going to be the focus here for this blog entry, and it is a bit of a departure from what we usually discuss here with lead generation for realtors. But it is still lead generation, and especially valuable if you are realtor working within a referral network that includes a local property management company. Bring new clientele to them and they will be more inclined to do the same for you when the opportunity arises.

Success in real estate is very much tied into networking effectively, and it’s also tried that traditional approaches to real estate lead generation can dig up leads that won’t go into the standard homebuyer / home seller boxes. Property management leads definitely qualify here, and it may also be that these investor buyers directly ask you to point them in the direction of someone who is able to manage the property if it is not something they can do themselves.

As a realtor you are always being evaluated based on whether or not you have a wide breadth of knowledge on everything related to real estate markets in Canada and the real estate business as a whole. Realtors who have clients approaching them more often than they are approaching prospective clients are nearly always agents who have done well with this. If property management can be a part of your related expertise too then you stand to do even better because of it.

So let’s get into it and lay out 20 proven strategies to boost your property management lead generation.

Mortgage Rate Connection

Before getting to them we should start by pointing out that in today’s housing market the high mortgage rates for buyers are more conducive to better property management leads for property management companies. This is because as high rates cut into the ultimate value a seller can get for their property, many homeowners are opting to rent out their properties rather than selling them.

This is a different look on it than the investor-buyer angle we touched on at the beginning here, but the same underlying reality remains – there is a growing demand for skilled property management for buyers who have purchased a home but are not living in it at this time for whatever reason. In any such scenario what comes to exist is an advantageous situation for realtors who have professional network ties to property managers looking to expand their client base and get property management leads.

All of the points we’re about to lay out here are in line with leveraging referrals and business networks to harnessing the power of digital marketing. And as you’ll all know a realtor who isn’t having success with their digital marketing efforts these days is likely not enjoying the growth of their client base they were hoping to see when they chose to switch careers to real estate.

Right then, let’s get to the first of our real estate management related lead tips.

  1. Referrals

Referrals are always a great source of new business of all sorts for realtors, and the ongoing beauty of them is that as you do well as realtor serving your clients the greater numbers of them you’ll have referring you to others for real estate services.

Done right you can be having them from new clients from friends and family, local BNI groups, realtors, and other clients. Leveraging your existing network with maximum effectiveness is always going to involve asking for referrals too as needed. If you know you’ve done well in meeting your clients’ expectations then you should be very confident in approaching them and asking for a referral.

Satisfied clients and professional contacts can often provide recommendations to potential leads. There is also the option to create ancillary revenue by charging a referral fee for your own referrals.

  1. LinkedIn

This social media career networking platform can also be good for property management leads. You can use it to connect with potential clients, join industry groups, and share valuable content. It’s a powerful platform for B2B lead generation and if you are diligent about networking through it then it becomes likely that you will develop working relationships with both investor buyer clientele and the property management companies they will be looking to work with.

  1. Event Marketing

Here’s another good consideration when you’re looking to establish these types of network opportunities with the aim of being better informed and equipped with information about property management for real estate clients. Think about hosting or attending industry events to network with potential property management clients, ranging from local real estate meetups to larger industry conferences.

  1. Cold Calling

These types of more traditional real estate lead prospecting methods may seem old and outdated, but the second part of this is simply untrue. It is entirely true that cold calling can still be effective, and those who are new to real estate in Canada will do well to get out there and start doing it. You don’t need to overthink what you’ll do and what you’ll say, but what you will need give more thought to is how you’re targeting the right property owners and property investors in your local market and offering clear value.

  1. Facebook

All social media marketing platforms can be used for powerfully effective promotion of you and your real estate services, but the consensus seems to be the Facebook is the best because it’s the one that is most used by the slightly older demographic – the same people who more often have the means of buying a home in Canada to begin with. Use targeted Facebook advertising or post in local groups to reach potential clients, and also consider running ads targeting landlords or real estate investors.

Company operations can use advanced targeting options in Facebook Ads to reach a larger, more specific audience. Consider retargeting ads to website visitors or people who have interacted with your content.

  1. Podcasts

If you’re confident in your presentation abilities then a podcast may work well to launch your first marketing strategies or provide a boost to your property management leads, and many times these fresh takes on the efforts produce surprisingly good results if you stick with them. What you can do is start your own local real estate podcast or guest on existing ones if you feel they’d like to have you and you know how to be in touch with the hosts. Discuss industry topics to establish your expertise and reach a larger audience.

  1. Local Businesses & Strategic Partnerships

Realtors who are only just starting out in a new career will do well to partner with local businesses that serve the same market. Examples could be moving companies that might recommend your services to new residents or as we’ve discussed a property management company that is eager to have new clients and your investor buyers would be most welcome. Consider joining local clubs and the Chamber of Commerce too and attend meet-ups to build a network that will likely start to uncover real estate leads for you eventually.

  1. Direct Mailing

This one doesn’t warrant us going on at length, but realtors always gain some degree of an advantage when they send targeted direct mail campaigns to potential leads. This could include newsletters, postcards, or informational brochures about your services and you also have the option of mentioning your familiarity with property management and / or being in close contact with good local property management companies.

This could also be for a homewatch service in Canada for people who own homes but are away from them for long stretches of time during the year.

  1. Reading Local Review Forums

Being actively involved in support and community is wise for anyone looking to establish themselves as a realtor. We recommend that you participate in online forums related to property management or real estate, and make yourself very visible as someone who is an SME and ready to answering questions and share potential insights. This can also help attract potential clients and ones that may come with property management leads.

  1. Look Through Niche Forums

Equally advisable is monitoring local listing reviews like ones Google and Yelp to find homeowner landlords who are having difficulties with managing the properties they own that currently have tenants in them. You can then reach out to offer your services.

  1. Browse Newspaper Ads

Another great way to find those first 10 or 20 clients is to look for rental listings or properties for sale. Reach out to the owners to offer your property management services.

  1. Content Marketing

This list was never created with an emphasis on being in order of importance, but if it was then creating and publishing real estate content on your site or on social media platforms with inbound links to your real estate website is another hugely effective way of generating real estate leads. Create blog posts, infographics, or eBooks that provide insights to property owners.

  1. Google Ads (PPC)

Established PMCs can run pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns on Google to appear in search results when the searcher enters relevant keywords. This can help attract landlords or property owners who need help with managing properties they own. This is up there among the best online marketing strategies for real estate.

  1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

A realtor website that is optimized for SEO and features content with relevant keywords will rank higher in search results, promote better visibility and attracting organic traffic. It goes without saying that this is also big for property management leads. If you’re not capable of doing this on your own then you should hire someone who can do it for you. It will cost you of course, but it’s going to be money well spent. Even if you need to hire a web professional and writer separately.

  1. Email Marketing

All successful realtors will utilize email marketing as part of their efforts. It is smart to nurture your existing email list with regular newsletters or updates, and when done right you’ll be providing valuable information and promoting your services to encourage leads being converted into clients.

  1. Use YouTube

Real estate marketing through YouTube can be beneficial too, especially if you are able to create and publish educational videos on property management topics or advertise on relevant channels that let you reach wider audience through YouTube. It will increase the likelihood of you making network connections with people who work in real estate property management.

  1. Webinars

Consider hosting webinars too, especially if you already have an established audience. Choose relevant topics that provide value to your audience, which may include property management for absentee homeowners. This can help position your company as an industry expert and attract potential leads.

  1. TV Ads

You can go with TV ads too, depending on your budget. For most realtors the cost of this will simply be too much, but you’re never going to be in front of a wider audience than you will with TV and if you do this right it will be a huge boost to your brand visibility.

  1. Billboard Ads

Many realtors employ outdoor advertising, with billboards, bus shelter and bus signage etc. It can help increase local visibility for realtors that already have at least something of an established reputation. It is particularly effective for property management leads when the ads are seen in specific areas of the country where there are fewer realtors working and with less property management options alongside that.

  1. Pay-per-Lead Services

Use a paid real estate lead generation service like ours here at Real Estate Leads. This will have an upfront cost for the realtors, but it can provide a stream of potential clients who are actively seeking management services and this will add to your collection of warm property management leads.

FAQs

What Types of Homebuyer Clients Are More Likely to Need Property Management?

There are two types of clients that are most often going be asking their realtor about property management. These are investor clients who have bought the home with the intention of renting it out until it is sold for a profit at a later date, and then people who intend to live in the home they’ve bought but will be unable to do so at this time.

Is It Possible to Incentivize Clients to Go With a Certain Property Management Company That I Have as Part of a Referral Network?

Yes, but it will require that you offer them something on your own behalf or have the property management company do the same. One of the most common ones is to have the company offer the client a discounted monthly rate if they are able to commit to a 1-year or longer term for property management services.

On your end you may be able to offer them something along the lines of regular market updates or a free market evaluation for the property in the future when market conditions may indicated the property is worth less or more.

How Often Do Realtors Provide Property Management Services on their Own and Independent of a Property Management Company?

It does happen, and some realtors who are further along in their career and content with a lower number of active listings being pursued may have time and expertise to be able to manage the properties for investor clients who have bought them. But if you are a realtor who is more in the middle of your career and very preoccupied with buyer and seller client volumes and not knowledgeable about property management then it is likely not something you would want to consider.

What is the Best Way to Make My Affiliation with a Property Management Company Visible to Prospective Clients?

The two best ways of doing this are to have a small logo icon on the rear of your realtor business card, and then similarly have that logo on the ‘partners’ page of your real estate website. On the website you may also want to expand and say that you are happy to be able to refer clients to a real estate property management company that you believe has the standards excellence your clients will be looking for. You can be complimentary of them in other ways too, but remember to keep it short on the website page.

Top Strategies for Real Estate Lead Generation: Boost Your Sales in 2024

Published April 30, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Top Strategies for Real Estate Lead GenerationFor a real estate agent the entirety of everything they do will be measured in homes sold or homes purchased through them. There’s no getting around that, because when you are working as a realtor your earnings are entirely gained by having clients do one or the other, and if there’s none of either then you haven’t generated any income from working as a realtor. Some realtors who enter the profession later in life may be more insulated against that, but for new realtors it is very much a sink or swim scenario and this makes real estate lead generation strategies important.

You will want to have a stream of new clientele coming in and having these people either listing their home with you or buying one with you as their realtor. Those clients are out there at all times but the fact is other realtors will have their sights on them too and this has always been a very competitive business, especially in major metro areas of Canada. Every agent will be looking to drum up new clients at all times, but there certainly aren’t enough of them to go around and this is why there is so much focus on lead generation techniques for realtors.

Each new year brings different market conditions for real estate, and despite median home prices have come down somewhat over recent ones there hasn’t been a major uptick in homes coming onto the market. When it is more of a buyer’s market there will be greater numbers of people willing to make offers on a home, and this is always going to be true of first-time homebuyers. They are just one type of client, and your real estate lead generation strategies should include ones that will be tailored to focus on all the different type of interests people will have in real estate.

So what will do with entry is share some 2024 real estate marketing tips, with the idea that you can incorporates some of them yourself and bring more of these people into the fold as part of your client base. You need them, and you will do have the mindset that they need you just as much if they’re going to get the best return on the sale of their home or be put into the perfect home if they’re aiming to buy one.

Promote Results

Real estate is a fast-paced and competitive world, and there is a real need to get the most out of your lead generation efforts so that you have success as an agent. This is equally true if you’re a seasoned agent or just starting your career, but with some effort you can come to understand the ins and outs of lead generation and they are so important for building a thriving PREC and staying ahead of the competition.

What will follow here are real estate lead generation strategies, best practices, and tools that can promote you having more success as a realtor with the way you have greater number of leads, and then converting those leads into clients who eventually buy or sell a home through you. From capturing leads to nurturing and converting them into loyal clients, we’ll provide a solid overview of the best lead generation techniques for realtors.

This will all be done with a focus on lead generation not being just about acquiring contacts. Instead the bigger-picture focus will be on building meaningful relationships, providing value, and delivering exceptional experiences to potential buyers and sellers. A strategic approach is required here, involving personalized communication and your ability to show you have an understanding of the real estate market and its unique dynamics.

Given the competitive nature of the business we talked about earlier, it’s not difficult to see how lead generation is the foundation of success in the real estate industry. When you are able to attract, engage, and convert potential clients, it makes sense that you’ll be closing greater numbers of deals and growing your real estate business.

Building relationships and establishing trust are essential in lead generation. If you can come to understand your leads, provide valuable content, and personalize your communications then you will be off to a strong start with real estate lead generation techniques.

Start with Your Site

Optimizing your website and landing pages is so necessary for a self-serving means of gathering real estate leads that is working all the time, 24/7 bringing in people who are considering buying or selling a home. Implement clear and compelling calls-to-action, provide high-quality content, and optimize lead capture forms to attract and engage visitors.

It’s also important to ensure mobile optimization for your site because most people will be browsing via their smartphones and you want to make that good first impression with your real estate website. From there you will want to be measuring key metrics to track the effectiveness of your real estate lead generation strategies. By monitoring conversion rates, cost per lead, lead source attribution, engagement metrics, and ROI you will be able to have insights and make data-driven decisions for continuous improvement.

There is good CRM software that can help you do this, and designed specifically for real estate professionals. They will offer lead management, automated personalized communication, analytics, and reporting, enabling you to centralize your leads, automate communication, and optimize your lead generation strategies for improved efficiency and success.

Keep in mind as well that integration with other real estate tools and platforms can further enhance your real estate lead generation efforts. Many of these software suites will seamlessly integrates with email marketing platforms, website analytics tools, and social media management tools and provide improved automation, data flow, and tracking capabilities.

Mastering lead generation requires a strategic approach, consistent follow-up, and displaying to would-be clients that you provide value. When realtors implement best practices and leverage technology they are able to drive their real estate business to new heights and achieve greater success. Often this is the most direct correlation between their efforts and having real estate be the profitable career these people envisioned for themselves.

Foundation for Lead Generation in Real Estate

Continuing with our 2024 real estate lead marketing tips, we can see that lead generation serves as the foundation for success in what is a fast-paced and competitive real estate industry. The process will always involve attracting, engaging, and converting potential clients or leads who have shown their interest in buying, selling, or investing in real estate properties.

When you understand the nuances of lead generation and its profound impact on your business, you can effectively position yourself ahead of the competition and see your work as a real estate agent become increasingly profitable.

Real estate lead generation strategies will involve using a range of techniques and tools that are proven effective for capturing the attention and contact information of individuals who are beginning to see the need to work with a real estate agent. These leads can originate from various sources, including online platforms, referrals, networking events, and marketing campaigns. And lead generation should always be seen as building relationships.

This is because the working relationship between a realtor and a client tends to not be a sterile one like it would be in any other business arrangement. There is a very personal nature that develops when a person is buying or selling homes, and that’s because these are decisions of such huge magnitude for people. This is not the purchase of a car, or a new kitchen appliances set.

Real estate lead generation techniques are so important because they are the first and most formative part of connecting realtors with potential clients and build valuable relationships. By generating a steady stream of qualified leads, real estate professionals can significantly increase their chances of closing deals, growing their client base, and expanding their business.

Establishing Yourself as a Market Authority

Another element lead generation allows you to showcase your expertise and establish yourself as a trusted authority in the real estate industry. It enables you to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and understanding of the market, thereby instilling confidence in potential clients. As you repeatedly develop value and expertise, you will increasingly be seen as the go-to professional in your area and this is very conducive to being more able to nurture relationships with real estate clients.

So from here we’ll switch over to tactics for capturing and converting leads. You will need to have a strategic and targeted approach to capture the right leads and convert them into loyal clients. Realtors who have the most success with this will be utilizing various marketing channels and tactics to attract potential clients, such as online advertising, content marketing, social media engagement, and email marketing, and SEO optimization of their real estate website.

Personalization is a big part of effective real estate lead generation strategies too. If you are able to tailor your communication effectively and more specifically for needs and preference the majority of your lead types will have then you will be increasing the likelihood of converting leads into clients. Especially if they can see that you identify with any pain points they have and are also attuned to their goals and the best way of helping them realize those goals. You can provide relevant and valuable solutions that resonate with them on a deeper level.

Nurture & Convert: Best Practices for Real Estate

Successful realtors always do well with nurturing and converting leads into loyal clients. In what is a highly competitive and crowded real estate market, a strategic and personalized approach is always required. So what we’ll do know is look at best practices for that, and start with building relationships. This is very much a relationship-driven industry and building strong connections with your leads is vital. You will do well to take the time needed to understand their needs, preferences, and goals. Engage with them through various channels, such as phone calls, emails, social media, and even in-person meetings when possible. When you effectively establish trust and rapport the chance of converting them into satisfied clients is increased.

Next will be providing valuable content, which is increasingly import as buyers and sellers are hungry for information. Done right you can position yourself as a knowledgeable and trustworthy resource for real estate sales that prospective clients will gravitate to because they see your expertise. Create informative blog posts, videos, or podcasts that address common questions and concerns in the real estate industry. This content not only attracts potential leads but also demonstrates your market knowledge and establishes your credibility.

Personalized communication:

You are almost certainly going to have leads go cold or lose them if you go with generic and impersonal communications. It is so much better to personalize your interactions by addressing would-be clients by their names and tailoring your messages around their specific needs. Customer relationship management (CRM) software can be leveraged to organize and manage your leads effectively. You’re better equipped to track interactions, set reminders, and automate personalized communications.

Prompt and responsive:

It’s so important to be speedy with return replies in real estate, and this is such an under heralded part of real estate lead generation strategies. If a lead reaches out to you then there’s no excuse for not getting back to them within a reasonable timeframe. This may be with a phone call, email, or social media message, and you should always be replying within one day. A timely response demonstrates your professionalism and dedication to serving your clients’ needs, and you’ll enjoy a competitive edge because of it.

Follow-Up and Persistence:

The decision-making process in real estate can be lengthy and complex. Don’t be discouraged if a lead doesn’t convert immediately. Consistent follow-up is key to staying top of mind. Implement a systematic follow-up strategy to maintain regular contact with your leads. Use email campaigns, newsletters, and personalized messages to provide updates, offer value, and gently nudge them towards making a decision. With FiveCRM’s automation features, you can streamline your follow-up process and ensure no lead falls through the cracks.

Optimizing Website and Landing Pages for Lead Capture:

Your website and landing pages serve as virtual gateways to attract and capture leads. Optimizing these online touchpoints is crucial for maximizing lead generation in the real estate industry. Here are some effective strategies to enhance your website and landing pages for lead capture.

Clear and Compelling Calls-to-Action (CTAs):

A strong CTA is the cornerstone of lead generation. Use clear and action-oriented language to guide your visitors towards taking the desired action, whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, requesting a free consultation, or downloading a valuable resource. Place your CTAs strategically on your website and landing pages to ensure they are highly visible and easily accessible.

High-Quality Content:

Engaging and informative content is the backbone of lead capture. Create compelling blog posts, e-books, guides, or videos that address your target audience’s pain points and provide valuable solutions. By offering valuable content in exchange for contact information, you entice visitors to become leads. Be sure to optimize your content for relevant keywords to improve search engine visibility and attract organic traffic.

Optimized Forms:

The lead capture process should be seamless and frictionless. Optimize your lead capture forms by keeping them short, simple, and easy to complete. Only ask for essential information, such as name, email address, and phone number, to reduce the barrier to entry. Consider using conditional logic to tailor the form fields based on the lead’s previous responses, making the experience more personalized and engaging.

Mobile Optimization:

With the increasing reliance on mobile devices, optimizing your website and landing pages for mobile users is essential. Ensure your website is responsive and mobile-friendly, providing a seamless experience across all devices. Mobile optimization improves user experience, reduces bounce rates, and increases the chances of lead conversion.

A/B Testing & Optimization:

Continuous improvement is necessary if you want to maximize returns from lead generation efforts. Implement A/B testing to experiment with different variations of your website and landing pages, and proceed to test different headlines, layouts, color schemes, and CTAs to eventually determine what resonates best with your target audience. Analyze the data and make data-driven decisions to optimize your lead capture process continuously.

Best Means of Evaluating Lead Generation Success

You likely won’t see maximum results from real estate lead generation techniques if you are not measuring and evaluate your efforts. By tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and analyzing data, valuable insights into the effectiveness of your lead generation initiatives can be gained and then weighed against what you’re already doing to get warmer leads in real estate. Here are some essential metrics for consideration.

Conversion Rate:

The conversion rate measures the percentage of leads that successfully convert into clients. Track this metric lets you determine the overall effectiveness of your lead nurturing and conversion efforts. A higher conversion rate indicates that your strategies are resonating well with your leads, while a low conversion rate may signify the need for adjustments or improvements.

Cost per Lead:

Calculating the cost per lead delivers an understanding of the efficiency and profitability of your lead generation campaigns. Divide the total cost of your marketing efforts by the number of leads generated to determine the cost per lead. This metric allows you to compare different marketing channels and campaigns, identifying the most cost-effective strategies.

Lead Source Attribution:

There are valuable insights to be had when you understand the sources of your leads and how they may or may not have resulted from your marketing channels’ effectiveness. Track the origin of each lead, whether it’s from organic search, paid advertising, social media, referrals, or other sources. This information can then be used to better allocate your marketing budget and focus on the channels that are generating the most qualified leads.

Engagement Metrics:

Engagement metrics include time spent on site, page views, and bounce rates, and monitoring them helps you gauge how effectively your website and landing pages are conducive to having more real estate leads coming in through your online portal. High engagement indicates that your content is resonating with your audience, but a high bounce rate may be a sign that your website or landing page needs improvement.

Return on Investment (ROI):

Successful realtors will always measure the effectiveness of real estate lead generation strategies with a dollars-and-cents evaluation of how they are contributing to their bottom line. Calculate the ROI of your marketing campaigns by comparing the revenue generated from your leads against the total cost of your marketing efforts. Weighing them this way lets you identify the campaigns or channels that provide the highest return on investment. Armed with this information you are better able to adjust your strategies accordingly.

We can conclude here by saying that mastering lead generation is a crucial aspect of achieving success in the competitive real estate industry. When you understand the fundamentals of lead generation, implementing best practices for nurturing and converting leads, optimizing your website and landing pages, and measuring your lead generation success, it is more likely you can start outdistancing the competition and building a more profitable PREC.

FAQs

Q: What is lead generation in real estate?

A: Lead generation in real estate entails the process of attracting potential clients or leads who have expressed interest in buying, selling, or investing in real estate properties. It involves various strategies and techniques to capture contact information and then reaching out to these leads with tailored communications to determine if they are cold, warm, or hot leads for either selling or buying a home. Agents will ultimately aim to convert them into clients.

Q: Why is lead generation important in real estate?

A: The importance lead generation cannot be overstated and that is why so much emphasis is put on real estate lead generation strategies. They allow professionals to connect with potential clients and build relationships. By generating a steady stream of qualified leads, real estate agents can increase their chances of closing deals and growing their business. Done right the realtors have the opportunity to showcase expertise, nurture relationships, and then be the realtor who first comes to mind when potential buyers and sellers make the decision to move ahead and put their home on the market or start submitting offers to buy a new home.

Q: What are best practices for nurturing and converting leads in real estate?

A: Realtors see best results with their leads when they are building relationships, providing valuable content, personalizing communication, are prompt and responsive with inquiry replies, and implementing a consistent follow-up strategy. By focusing on these practices, real estate professionals can establish trust, demonstrate expertise, and guide leads through the decision-making process.

Q: What is best for optimizing my website and landing pages for getting more real estate leads?

A: To optimize your website and landing pages for lead capture in real estate it is advisable to have clear and compelling calls-to-action (CTAs), providing high-quality content, optimizing lead capture forms, ensuring mobile optimization, and going through A/B testing for continuous improvement that promotes more leads for real estate coming in. These strategies can help attract and engage visitors, encourage them to provide their contact information, and increase the chances of lead conversion.

Q: What key metrics should I track to measure lead generation success in real estate?

A: Measure lead generation success in real estate by tracking metrics like conversion rate, cost per lead, lead source attribution, engagement metrics (e.g., time spent on site, page views, bounce rates), and return on investment (ROI). These metrics provide insights into lead generation effectiveness, and often lead you to better allocate resources. Plus you are more able to identify areas for improvement.

Q: How can a CRM benefit my real estate lead generation efforts?

A: Most new real estate CRMS have lead management, automated personalized communication, analytics and reporting, and streamlined workflow. Agents that use them are better equipped to centralize and organize their leads, automate communication, gain real-time insights, and optimize their lead generation strategies for improved efficiency and success.

It is common for realtors to make their CRM software and even bigger part of their real estate lead generation techniques as they start to see very measurable improvements and more leads being converted into clients.

Ultimate Sales Lead Management Guide: Strategies for Winning More Leads in 2024

Published April 23, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Ultimate Sales Lead Management Guide: Strategies for Winning More Leads in 2024Going the extra mile may be optional when it comes to Realtors selling a home or helping clients buy one, but that’s only going to be true in hot market where homes tend to sell themselves. That’s always been the case to a certain extent, but one aspect of working as a real estate agent in Canada where you need to go that extra mile and hustle to the best of your ability is with real estate lead generation. Improving sales lead management is a part of smart workplace methodology for anyone in sales of any sort, but with real estate the viability of your career may depend on it. Especially in its early stages.

Lead management strategies are necessary and extremely valuable, but of course that has to be preceded by getting more real estate leads in the first place. There’s no substitute for genuine hustle there, and it’s a part of why many realtors will tell you this is a profession where you’re working 7 days a week if you’re successful in your career choice. Anyone who thinks they’re going to get rich quickly as a realtor is likely in for disappointment.

But we won’t sway off track here – what we’re looking at today is effective lead management in real estate and what you can do to have a better understanding of lead tracking best practices. As always using a paid real estate lead generation service like ours here at Real Estate Leads is advisable, but once you have a lead on a new real estate client it is only an opportunity. What you do next with the lead will determine if you can convert real estate leads into clients.

Goal is Always Conversion

We should preface here by saying that the entirety of what will follow in this blog entry is not going to be exclusive to lead management in real estate, and instead it takes a more bigger-picture look at it from the focus of sales in business of any sort. Improving sales lead management is something where there is extensive crossover between industries, although we can also agree that there are always going to be certain aspects of it that are more closely tied into working in real estate.

Sales lead management is the process of turning sales leads into sales opportunities. As a realtor, you want to build up momentum in the pipeline to ensure that your commissions from homes sold or bought through you are increasing all the time. But generating sales leads can be one of the most frustrating parts for agents because many leads fall through the cracks or aren’t even qualified for sales contact.

Real estate sales engines run more smoothly when you optimize major processes, including real estate lead management. What you ideally will be doing here is building up momentum in their pipeline to ensure that revenue growth is steady. Managing sales leads will have your organizing and identifying the stage your leads are currently present in, and then following up accordingly with these prospective clients until the point where it becomes clear they will list with you or agree to work with you to buy a home in Canada.

If it becomes oppositely clear they’re not going to do that, knowing when to dismiss a sales lead in real estate is also a very important understanding for you to have. It’s not an easy on to acquire, because defining what a sales lead actually is can be overwhelming although in real estate it is less so because you can define client prerogatives much more naturally. The prospective client is considering either the sale or purchase of a home in the area of the country where you’re working as a realtor.

Anytime someone comes across any piece of information where you are presented as a realtor with your contact information, there is the potential for developing a real estate sales lead. If your lead management strategies are solid then there is a greater chance you convert that lead into a client. But you need to be judicious in the way you evaluate them and proceed with them, because you can’t have everyone who comes across your information being considered as a real estate lead.

More Informed Determinations

There will always be plenty of ‘feelers’ out there who are more just sniffing around the local real estate market, but that’s not to suggest you shouldn’t be in contact with them and bringing them into your potential client lists. But as always a big part of effective lead management in real estate is being able to discern warmer leads from cooler ones.

The good news is that real estate agents can now turn to tools like real estate CRM management software to work with their real estate leads more effectively. More and more realtors are doing this, and you should be too. If you’re not tech savvy enough to use them, it may be a good idea to hire a real estate agent assistant who can handle this part of your business for you and social media marketing for real estate too. But you will need to be the one who decides which leads go into your CRM for real estate catalogue, and so you will do well to have a better general understanding of sales leads.

A sales lead is a potential customer, and yes that’s a very obvious fact for anyone. Sales leads are people who have shown interest in what you have to offer, but what distinguishes one from the other is that they might not be ready yet to buy or sell a home in Canada through you at this time. Any agent will know there are many different factors that go into determining the readiness of people to make that big move in the real estate market.

And after cool / warm/ hot designation is made then it becomes about evaluating sales opportunities and keeping smarter track of your leads and how they may be progressing in one direction or the other, or staying where they are. Real estate agents will be just like other sales managers for businesses with the need to evaluate sales opportunities and trying to close them as quickly as possible. That’s made more possible with understanding the 5 stages of a sales lead management system, and this also part of lead tracking best practices in real estate.

Sales Lead Management 5 Stages

All of this starts with obtaining the lead, and this is why there’s a lot of value in using a paid real estate lead generation service online. The leads you receive will be qualified first, so there will be at least some degree of fire behind the smoke as the expression goes. You then have the opportunity to reach out and do so in a manner that allows you to judge whether a lead is on the warmer or cooler side, but it needs to be said that online generated real estate leads aren’t the only way of doing this, and at times they may not even be the best way.

There are many different ways you can capture a lead. Marketing campaigns, social media advertising, lead magnets, and others will also qualify. Some realtors will offer downloadable checklists and guides in exchange for a lead’s contact information, and when you’re offering incentives to list or buy through you then what you’re doing is offering a real estate lead magnet.

This is a good way of gathering leads that are more likely to convert, as the incentive will be appealing and perhaps what convinces a ready-to-buy / ready-to-sell to contact you rather than another realtor they may have already had some level of contact with. But even still not every qualified lead will convert, and conversion rates for real estate sales will be lower at certain times based on market conditions and other ones.

To combat your sometimes-low conversion rates, having many leads as part of your lead gen process is crucial — and increases lead qualification rate.

Real Estate Lead Tracking

Once you’re done gathering the contact information for your first group of leads you will move on to the second phase of the management system. What comes next is lead tracking as part of improving sales lead management. Your approaches to real estate lead generation will likely have provided you with cursory information on the lead, and often with their first and last name, phone number, home address, email address, and you may have also been able to gather their occupation too.

Good information for sure, but more is often needed. It is helpful if you can gather behavioral data on your leads too and lead tracking in real estate is good for this too. When you track leads effectively, you over time become better with your approach to these leads. Take any assistance you can get with behavioral data, lead source information, and other metrics so that you can better figure how likely it is that person or couple is going to sell their home and / or buy a new one.

Lead Scoring is also a part of this and it should be incorporated into you lead management strategies. Scoring a lead is just as it sounds; you assign the lead a value that determines how likely they are to be converted from lead into client. Having a common lead scoring system that the entire sales team can use is of the utmost importance to ensure all leads are scored on the same criteria.

You then create your own lead-scoring system based on contact information, opportunity size, lead behavior, etc. Regardless of any design strategy, lead scoring is a means of salespeople with prioritizing certain leads over others, and it’s equally applicable to sales in real estate too.

A lead that signs up for your newsletter and gives you their contact information earns one point. Leads that receive an email and respond get two points. A lead that agrees to speak to you on the phone might get five points. You get the idea with this, but of course it will work the opposite way too. Say a lead unsubscribes to your newsletter – subtract three points. Schedule an in-person meeting with you and then don’t show up – down 10 points.

Eventually you’ll tally up all the lead scores and see which quality leads have the highest scores. This is the group you want to target first while managing sales leads as a real estate agent.

Lead Distribution

Continuing with effective lead management in real estate, what comes after lead scoring is lead distribution. Some real estate agents may also call this lead routing, so you can go ahead and call it whatever you like as long as you utilize the approach.

You can execute a drip campaign if you’re still unsure about your leads. Most qualified leads, especially sales-qualified and marketing-qualified leads in real estate (SQLs and MQLs, respectively) should react positively to a well-executed drip campaign. This is a always part of a conventional sales funnel, but it can apply for realtors too. The information and education the lead will receive via this marketing campaign can push them toward either buying from your company or ending the customer journey early.

Lead Nurturing

Lead nurturing involves putting greater focus on a rea estate lead’s pain points, and putting less of one on why you’re a better choice for them to work with. This is encompassed in lead tracking best practices too because sometimes the client needs to see certain obstacles removed, and more often with clients that are looking to buy a home rather than sell the one they’re currently living in.

This is best done by building a relationship with the lead and understanding their issues and expectations. You can then present a solution through products and services that are more tailored to the lead. Nurturing and engaging with leads does not only have to be done on the phone. In-person meetings, as is email, are one such way to push the professional relationship along.

Use SEO for Real Estate Lead Generation

Every realtor should be aiming to have their personal real estate website coming up high in search engine result pages when certain keywords are entered into it. Quite plainly it’s of critical importance these days. Search engine optimization, or SEO, determines which websites get to the top and it’s a big part of improving sales lead management in real estate.

Best practices surrounding SEO continue to change as Google algorithms update. If you can learn about which factors most determine your rank as a company, that’s best, as you can make the necessary changes to boost your site. Implementing the following SEO tactics is also always a good idea if you’re not already doing so while managing sales leads.

You should also have an active social media presence and be posting valuable content regularly. And have an expert looking into the page loading speed of your website too, because prospective clients there are going to be just as impatient as everyone else.

Advertising online is advisable to if you want to get more leads for real estate as an agent. Pay-per-click campaigns through Google AdWords is an especially strong and effective avenue for you to look into. You design your ad and determine where it goes and with PPC you can track where your ‘clicks’ are coming from.

But online advertising has to be directing prospects to an attractive and professional looking real estate website. The site has to be ready to capture the information of these leads so you can move on to the second phase of managing sales leads. Consider advertising and redirecting them to your site through social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have their own paid advertising programs.

Adding live chat to your real estate website is a good idea too. A chat widget will greet your leads as soon as they arrive at your website. If the lead has a question about your company, what you do, and what you sell, they can ask the chatbot and get an informative answer.

Social Listening Too

If you have a good grasps of the key search words that your leads associate with your PREC, you can use social listening tools to generate leads. Lead management software offers various social listening tools that you can use. Monitoring conversations around the local real estate market is a way to be more attuned to which leads are more worthy of you attention and nurturing efforts. Add good email marketing practices to this and add these better leads to priority mailing lists and you will be doing well.

Use lead management software helps you create email sequences to reach customers at the right time, and all email communications should be equally focused on the service advantages you offer as a realtor plus addressing those ‘pain points’ we talked about earlier.

Initiate a Referral System

The greater your array of lead management strategies for real estate, the more likely it is you’re converting ever-greater numbers of leads into clients. With this understanding remember that word-of-mouth marketing still remains the most persuasive form of advertising. This process doesn’t involve the leads directly, but rather, your customers.

More experienced real estate agents are increasingly likely to have long-term, loyal clients and if that’s you then you can ask that they turn to their social circle and recommend you as a local realtor. As a way of showing appreciation for their assistance, you could consider offering the customer something in return, such as an exclusive discount code or even a freebie, as part of your efforts in managing sales leads.

CRM software for real estate is best here too. It involves many different people with their own processes and workflows and prevents any part of the process from going off track or being messier. You can edit, update, and track all pertinent information from one common dashboard, for thousands of contacts. CRMs will also work well for helping you score your leads in the way we talked about earlier.

When you’re choosing one look for key lead management features as:

  1. Call integrations
  2. Sales team leaderboards
  3. Sales reporting and analytics
  4. Lead scoring
  5. Email syncing
  6. Customer interaction records
  7. Automated data entry logging, follow-ups, meeting scheduling, and more
  8. Contact management
  9. Advanced view of the deal pipeline

Choose not go with some type of CRM software for real estate and you won’t be getting the best returns out of your lead management strategies. Not to say you’ll be wasting your time and money on ineffective lead management, but it is very likely there will be legitimately strong real estate leads that are getting past you. There’s nothing to like about that, and especially if you are a new realtor who very much wants to see yourself creating a good income for yourself working as a realtor.

Nothing is guaranteed in this business, and there are going to be peaks and valleys for all realtors depending on market conditions and so many other factors. Effective lead management is going to mean you get more out of those peak times, and of course that make the times when the market swings the other way that much more tolerable. You need to be aiming to convert as many real estate leads as possible, and how you first evaluate and process your leads is going to go an integral part of doing that as often as possible.

Effective Advertising Strategies for Real Estate Agents: From Google Ads to Social Media

Published April 16, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Effective Advertising Strategies for Real Estate Agents: From Google Ads to Social Media Maximum visibility is important for any service provider in any industry, but in real estate it is absolutely huge and it’s why real estate agents in Canada spend so much on advertising and that’s precisely the reason most bus stop benches or shelters will have a realtor’s face and contact information shown on them. Traditional targeting strategies in real estate will continue to include conventional means, but these days there is increasingly value in real estate digital marketing and no one is going to need an explanation as to why that is.

You need to be most visible online now, as that is where the vast majority of people looking to work with a real estate agent are going to be searching for one to reach out to. But that’s in the face of the reality that most people wanting to sell their home will already know a realtor or have had one referred to them. Referrals have always been a huge part of getting new clients for realtors, and that’s hugely beneficial and the way it should be. All of your real estate marketing efforts should be undertaken with the aim of facilitating this for you too.

All of this is where you need to be making investments too, but they need to be smart investments and much of what will determine that is the area of the country where you’re working as an agent. In smaller locales where there a fewer realtors (but also less business to be had) you may be able to get by without using Google Ads for real estate for example, but you’ll still need to have some measure of hustle in ensuring you’re one of the most visible realtors in that area. Conversely, if you’re working as a Vancouver realtor or a Toronto realtor then utilizing social media marketing for realtor is going to be essential.

And that’s because of A) the competitive nature of working in an area where there are thousands of similarly-minded realtors, and B) the way that urban individuals are more likely to be making connections of this sort through social media platforms.

There’s so much more to this topic related to promoting yourself as a realtors and being super visible to prospective clients, and with this blog we’re going to dig right into that.

Go to Google

We’d be remiss if we didn’t put our first and foremost focus here on Google Ads for Real Estate, and what will follow here is a few proven-effective ways that using Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising quickly becomes one of the best ways to generate instant traffic to your real estate listing or website. It’s ideal if you do come up in the first page of SERPS when someone searches ‘______ real estate agent’ and while there’s no guarantee of that you can increase the chances of making it happen with PPC google ads for real estate.

Here are some tried and tested Google Ads strategies that realtors can put into place today and see new real estate client generation in shorter order:

Geo-targeting to Reach More Realistic Buyers

Geo-targeting works with targeting strategies in real estate. You can use the geo-targeting feature inside the Google Ads platform to solve the localization problem and prevent your ads from showing up in irrelevant locations.

Here’s the basics of how to do it. After logging into your Google Ads account, click on Location options and move to the Target column where you will select People in, or who show interest in, your targeted locations. This setting will make your ad to become visible to only those people in the locations you have selected. Select People in, or who show interest in, your targeted locations under the Exclude Column.

Your ads will become more visible to people who might be interested in relocating within the same city, along with those considering to buy or sell sin your primary locations. The last thing to do is set location bid adjustments. The goal is to increase the bid even as searches get closer to your targeted areas and decrease the bid as the searches move further away.

Filtering Out Irrelevant Exposures with Negative Keywords

Using negative keywords in your ads is a means of telling the Google Ads algorithm to avoid having your ads shown when certain keywords are searched or typed into the Google search bar. An example could be you don’t want to target condo buyers, so ‘condo buyers’ is added as a negative keyword. This will prevent your ad from showing when a potential homebuyer searches for a condo in your targeted areas or locations.

Assuring that your ads are seen more often than not by people who’s buying or selling prerogatives make it more likely they will contact you as a local real estate agent is hugely beneficial, and indicating negative keywords is easily done with Google ads for real estate.

Maximize Clicks to Bid for Top Ad Positions

Ad Position shows the order of your real estate ad in the auction results with respect to other ads. Consider these 5 factors to increase the chance that you get the highest volume of clicks possible:

  1. Bid amount
  2. Ad Rank thresholds
  3. Searcher intent
  4. Quality score

Done correctly you’ll increase the chance your ad shows up at the top of the page and in ad position 1 for higher CTR (click-through rate) and a high CPC (cost per click). There was a study that the most profitable average ad positions are 2.1, 3.5, or 4.6. The goal with your bidding should to hit that sweet spot between CPC and CTR – meaning the #1 position or a spot or two lower in the ad positions. But no lower than that.

Focusing On The Right Keyword Match Type for Real Estate PPC

Realtors working with Google Ads for real estate will 3 different match types for each target keyword they bid on – broad / phrase / exact. Broad match is mostly the default match type, and many newer real estate professionals are inclined to use it exclusively. With broad match keywords selected and ads appear whenever a search phrase contains that keyword is used.

You can gain maximum exposure here and that is always a central aim with real estate digital marketing, but what can happen is that the resulting traffic is low quality. The best keyword match types that can help you make more money from your ads are phrase match and exact match.

Tracking Conversions From the Start

The time to start tracking your Google real estate ads is right away. And you shouldn’t choose to wait until you have started making money before setting up the conversion tracking code. Knowing what percentage of users click your ad and what days generated the most clicks is important. You need to be clear on the fact that ‘clicks’ don’t always equate to sales or real estate client generation down the line.

Keyword-Based Ads Created in Multiples

Running real estate ads online effectively is done best when you target keywords that homebuyers are searching for in a specific location. As specific the location as possible, the better. You should focus on optimizing multiple ad copies based around those specific keywords you where you hope your property listings will show up when a user enters those keywords. And remember that ad copies should also be relevant to your ad group.

Good tips:

  1. Highlight benefits as much as you’re highlighting features
  2. Use numbers in copy
  3. Come up with more eye-catching and appealing headlines that are also formed around your expected local real estate search query terms

Ad Spend & Conversions

Realtors who do well with Google Ads for real estate never run ads blindly on Google blindly. And well they shouldn’t, because this avenue of real estate digital marketing is not inexpensive. You need to be aware of how much you’re spending and what results you’re getting or it’s likely you won’t be getting anywhere near the value out of what you’ve invested in real estate agent ads online.

Yes, Google Ads is a great way to get consistent leads but you also want to prevent or minimize irrelevant clicks and attract only qualified leads. This is always a very important consideration, and it makes it a smart idea to spend an adequate amount of time on your ads’ analytics. Also, invest in improving your knowledge of Google Ads. It’s a data-driven advertising platform — that combines science and art.

We’re going to move on to social media marketing for realtors now, but before we do we’ll stress again that there’s no better time to use Google ads to get leads and buyers for your real estate listings. In a competitive industry you need a consistent flow of quality leads where the chances of them being converted into real estate clients is more likely.

Spending an inordinate amount of time trying to get free traffic from social media and organic search results is never very useful it seems. Use Google Ads to level up and grow your real estate business.

New King

Social media is very much the new king of marketing potential, and if you’re new to working as a real estate agent you’re going to quickly see that nearly every realtor is very active on social media, and entirely by design. There are over 4 billion monthly active users across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and there’s no denying social media channels are an increasingly integral way for real estate agents to broaden their reach and connect with potential clients. In many ways it has revolutionized real estate digital marketing.

Getting the most out of it required the right approach, and there’s no getting around that. What will follow here are social media marketing for realtors strategies that can be used to build top brands in the luxury real estate space plus advice about which platforms might be the best fit for you as your promote you real estate business to the best of your ability. It tends to be a point that gets hammered on, but without a strong social media presence there is the risk of missing out on major opportunities.

Smart social media marketing strategies help you connect with your target market, establish yourself as a local real estate expert, expand your reach, and grow your real estate business. Keys to lasting success as an agent are definitely wrapped up in this.

Top real estate social media tools include Facebook and others, but Facebook is a good one to put a lot of emphasis on. It offers real estate agents an effective way to reach and meaningfully engage with potential clients and targeting strategies in real estate can definitely be incorporated here. There is an average of2.9 billion active monthly users here and you are able to pinpoint specific demographics, interests, and behaviors.

For getting your real estate business in front of the right people, Facebook is a wonderful social media resource and it is the most popular platform for people of the age and socio demographic that are more likely to be buying or selling a home. But there’s a lot more to it too, as Facebook can be utilized as revenue generator for your business by:

Showcasing properties and creating posts or albums that are complete with photos, videos, and detailed descriptions

Engaging with prospects through Facebook’s commenting and messaging so potential buyers are able to immediately reach out with questions or requests for more information

Building relationships with clients by sharing helpful real estate tips, insights, and updates, you can build trust and rapport with potential clients, which can be beneficial for long-term relationships and referrals.

Keeping up with industry trends with content that makes it natural to follow and engage with other real estate professionals, industry news sources, and professional organizations that have valuable information on the latest real estate trends and developments.

LinkedIn for Real Estate Agents

LinkedIn is also a very valuable resource for realtors looking to promote their real estate businesses and be identified as market leaders in their area. With its powerful network of professionals and potential clients, LinkedIn can be equally good for generating real estate leads and connecting with key people in the industry. It is always best to optimize profiles with relevant keywords, accurate descriptions, and engaging copy speaking directly to your ideal clients.

By doing so you can position yourself as an expert in your field and attract more prospects. Investing in sponsored social media posts or ads on LinkedIn is also a proven real estate social media strategy that’s helpful for multiplying your visibility and fast-track results. Career promotion is not the only use case for this platform, and you’ll quickly see how it is conducive to effective real estate digital marketing too.

Instagram for Realtors

Some do consider Instagram to be the best social platform for realtors looking to make connections with legit client prospect, and that has everything to do with the way the algorithm distributes content. But not just any content – very visually-oriented content and as you’ll know a huge part of marketing a home for sale is making attractive images of the home and property available. With over one billion active users, of course top real estate agents will look to Instagram to build relationships with customers and boost their businesses.

You can create stunning visuals that capture potential customers’ attention to connecting with influencers who have a following in your niche, and there are several Instagram strategies you can add to your real estate social media plan to accelerate your growth.

TikTok for Realtors

TikTok’s focus is on video content, and this type of real estate digital marketing approach is the very reason that so many realtors have bought drones to take high-view panorama video of the homes they are selling and the property around the dwelling. It can definitely help you reach more people and generate buzz around your listings, and with the way it is less focused on people who already know you’re a realtor it becomes a good place to find brand new viewers and build a real estate clientele base.

YouTube for Realtors

Maximizing their online presence is a key part of self-promotion for all Real estate agents these days. looking to Creating a YouTube channel as part of their real estate social media strategy is a good means of doing that. YouTube has over 1.9 billion active monthly subscriber and is the 2nd-largest search engine in the world.

A survey found that 51% of home buyers use YouTube for their research and 73% of homeowners stated their increased likelihood to list with a real estate agent who uses video to market homes for sale locally.

Overarching Real Estate Social Media Marketing Tactics

Social media marketing for realtors needs to be more than simply creating and posting content and hoping it ends up providing traction. Real results come from having a plan and being intentional in your approach. Consider these proven strategies used by industry leaders who’ve built their PRECs with effective approaches to real estate with social media.

High-quality photos

Your focus here needs to be on more than just beautiful pictures. The images you put on your real estate website and the social media platforms you use should build trust with clients, increase engagement, and drive sales as best as possible.

Client testimonials & success stories

You can do really well with optimizing your online presence as a realtor on social media by posting testimonials and success stories from past clients. It is great for showing potential buyers that you’re an experienced and successful agent, and also makes you come across as more genuine and approachable.

Company milestones

Having company milestones marked on social media can be an effective and relatively easy way to build authority and trust. You may even have the ability to turn this into a promotion.

Market & industry news

Posting industry and market news on social media shows that you stay informed, establishes you as an authority in your space, and promotes much more trust with your followers as they consider which Canadian real estate agent they’re going to choose to work with.

Home tips & renovation ideas

Realtors can take their experience in the business and what they’ve learned from clients to offer home tips and renovation ideas on their real estate social media platforms. This is a time-tested strategy that can add more value to your social media content and that value is then transferred over in the form of an increases likelihood of viewers thinking ‘this might be the right realtor for use to choose to work with when we are ready to buy a home.

Real estate event coverage

Leveraging your involvement in industry events is also a smart practice on social media. Not only does it demonstrate your commitment and expertise, but it leaves a positive impression on prospects, too.

Dos& Don’ts for Real Estate Digital Marketing via Social Media

Let’s now move over to some best practices for real estate social media and ways you can avoid common missteps:

  1. Do be yourself – Agents often choose to portray themselves in a certain way on social media and often one that’s not an accurate reflection of themselves or the way they’re inclined to help clients sell or buy a home. Being your authentic self is a much more effective way to resonate with current and potential clients.
  2. Do educate buyers – Real estate social media marketing is an essential tool for connecting with and sharing information with buyers. By educating your audience, you position yourself as an expert and build relationships that increase sales.
  3. Do post regularly – Realtors who create valuable content and share it regularly are more likely to be educating prospective clients about the industry and showcasing their expertise to the extent that they will have greater numbers of real estate leads generated.
  4. Do respond to comments – By responding quickly and kindly to comments, you show prospects and clients that you are engaged, timely, and on top of your game.
  5. Do share contact details – Contact info should always be clearly listed on all of your real estate social media profiles, as if potential clients have difficulty contacting you they’re going to be less inclined to make further effort to find a means of being in touch with you and getting the local real estate information they need.
  6. Do promote landing pages – Sharing your landing pages on social media is a proven way to drive more traffic to your website. This both increases visibility and promotes more real estate leads and leads that are eventually converted into clients / sales / commissions.
  7. Do build your brand – Having a consistent presence across online channels gives you credibility, visibility, and reliability, which builds trust between you and potential clients.

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  1. Don’t exclude video content – The right strategies are always going to allow real estate agents in Canada to use videos to engage with prospects, highlight properties, and showcase their expertise. Done correctly you are much more likely to stand out from the competition and enjoy greater success as a realtor.
  2. Don’t assume clients are first-time buyers – Social media marketing for realtors provides an opportunity for real estate agents to reach potential clients from all different backgrounds. Take advantage of that and you’re nearly guaranteed to have more of the success with new real estate clients that you’re hoping for.
  3. Don’t be self-centered – Excessively focusing on yourself will limit your success as a real estate professional by alienating current and prospective customers, possibly harming your reputation, and likely seeing reduced engagement between followers and your local real estate content.
  4. Don’t ignore existing clients – Real estate social media is a powerful tool for connecting with current and past clients, and making the most of it will always involve ensuring engagement with existing clients as well as prospects.

Real Estate Social Following Generation Tips

We’ll conclude this entry by talking about specific tips that can draw more prospective clients toward you vial the social media platforms you use for real estate. Agents often forget to include their real estate social media accounts on their website, marketing collateral, Google Business Profile, and other client-facing assets. This is never good, as you want to make it as easy as possible for people to see and recognize the best way to get in touch with you.

You can start by keeping your social accounts active. Simply creating a social media account for your real estate business is not enough, and you should stay active by consistently monitoring for comments and messages, as well as regularly posting content. This is all tied into targeting strategies for real estate too, because prompt replies and being seen as someone who is ‘at the ready’ to discuss real estate sale / purchases is big-time beneficial for you.

Letting your personality shine through is good too. There is always going to be a lot of competition, so you need to ensure your content is seen and appreciated. Every realtor will be hoping to establish their services as something of a brand that’s uniquely theirs, and you can create an online presence that will help you reach more clients and grow your business.

The last consideration you may want to look at is to hire real estate social media experts. The ever-expanding number of social media platforms and ever-changing algorithms make it definitely for laypeople to do as well with all this as they’d like, so it’s easy to start to lag with your real estate social media strategy. Hiring a real estate lead generation expert – someone who’s likely much younger and social media savvy than you – may be a good investment when you can see how social media marketing is so big in real estate nowadays.

How Automation Can Supercharge Your Real Estate Lead Generation

Published April 9, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

How Automation Can Supercharge Your Real Estate Lead Generation Automatic is the opposite of manual, and when it comes to automotive transmissions you’ll be able to get into top gear at least somewhat faster if you’re monitoring the RPM gauge and using your left foot and right hand to shift up. But if we’re to swing that around to real estate lead generation strategies then you may get your new client prospecting into top gear and producing greater numbers of quality leads if you go with automation rather than manual approaches. That’s what we’re going to look at with this blog entry, as there are real estate automation tools now that are accessible to realtors ready to invest in their success.

The one constant that will continue to apply even with more technology in real estate and ways for realtors to be more successful is that you still need to have hustle. That initiative may not be channeled into door knocking or other meet-new-client approaches like it used to, but you need to be pushing yourself and having a hungry eye on the prize with automated lead generation in real estate too. You need to see these tools as complements to your existing effort mainframe, and you’ll see that’s what best realtors do.

For some realtors a paid real estate lead generation service like ours here at Real Estate Leads will be the most valuable one at their disposal, and that’s more likely to be true for real estate agents working in hotspot locations in Canada like the Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto areas. But the tradeoff in all of that is that real estate is a much more competitive businesses in major metro areas like these ones. You may well need to expand real estate lead generation strategies simply because there’s less of the pie to go around.

So let’s get into this look at real estate automation tools with an eye to helping you determine which ones might work best for you.

Exceeding Competition

It certainly isn’t easy for real estate professionals to achieve the career success they envision for themselves these days. And yes, that has everything to do with the competitive nature of the industry. It is not so simple to meet the needs of building a client base, finding listings, and establishing a strong reputation in a competitive market. Even in escrow, you’re never going to have a guarantee that a deal will close. In that event a lot of time, effort, and potential income are all squandered if it’s seen from the realtor’s perspective.

But real estate automation tools can help you both better gather leads, identify and classify them, as well as learn to convert real estate leads better if you spend enough time working with them. Real estate marketing automation can help you develop your network, follow up on leads, and ultimately grow your business and there is software agents can use to get started in the best way possible.

Real estate marketing automation aids realtors with the completion of repetitive tasks like sending emails, updating prospect profiles, and tracking website activity. And as you will already know all of this is tied into real estate lead generation strategies. Used correctly these tools can also help with moving leads down the sale funnel, and specifically by:

  1. Creating, scheduling, and implementing lead nurturing campaigns
  2. Streamlining appointment scheduling
  3. Doing lead management
  4. Creating automation for core processes in real estate businesses

Lead Generation

Automation impact on real estate sales is undeniable, and especially with the way we are increasingly seeing real estate professionals using automation to capture leads from more sources, including websites, social media, and MLS listings. Lead capture forms, targeted landing pages, and chat history are all excellent for allowing you to gather contacts into your database.

Lead nurturing is always going to be a huge part of combining real estate automation tools effectively, as ones like those listed above can help nurture leads through workflows by timely and relevant communications combined into those workflows. What you will see successful realtors do here is segment contacts into groups, such as ‘first-time buyers’, ‘investor buyers’, ‘referrals’ or ‘ready to buy’ types and then possibly having a real estate CRM software suite or something similar create content and tips that target them more naturally and effectively.

Good ideas can include tools that send personalized emails to first-time buyers with realtor insider tips from past buyers, detailed information about listings, or general market updates that apply to the area where you do most of your business as a real estate agent in Canada.

Oppositely, automated lead generation in real estate can also involve crafting different approaches to contact and stay in communication with leads that aren’t so warm and for homeowners who intend to sell but are not in a hurry to do so. These individuals or couples can receive email campaigns with property recommendations and market updates and you may also want to include satisfied client testimonials to build your reputation.

Remember that relevant and timely content keeps leads engaged and also builds trust in your services, and real estate lead generation strategies should always incorporate them.

Time-Consuming Tasks

Real estate automation tools are both powerful and rangy these days, and capable of handling tasks that were much more time consuming up until now. This includes the back-and-forth of scheduling appointments to sending follow-up reminders, and when you use them effectively you gain time – which is perhaps the most valuable resource of all no matter what profession you are in.

Meeting scheduling, follow-up messages, and reminder emails or text messages are all examples of tasks that automation workflows can handle for you, freeing you up to address the other priorities you have in growing your real estate business and establishing yourself as recognizable real estate professional in your part of the country.

Solid Automated Real Estate Lead Generation Strategies

Each of the ones listed below have the ability to improve your marketing efforts and enhance customer experience to the point that new clients will return to working with you for future real estate sales and purchases. Ones that are compatible with real estate automation tools should be given priority if you are already using certain tools that are conducive to finding new leads for real estate agents.

Email-Marketing Automation to Nurture Leads

Email marketing is a staple in this business because it is an effective way of staying in touch with prospects. You’ll struggle to find any established realtor who doesn’t have it as a core part of their real estate marketing strategy.

Email marketing makes it possible for you to automate welcome emails, drip campaigns with monthly tips and insights, and the creation of other engaging content for your audiences to enjoy and – ideally – participate and interact with via social media platforms or through your real estate agent website. Sending automated emails following open houses is standard practice, as is keeping your leads in the loop with real-time market updates and property listings. The automation impact on real estate sales is as prominent as possible here, because establishing a communication line between yourself and prospective clients that can go the distance as necessary is hugely advantageous for obvious reasons.

It is 100% a key tool for staying in touch and promoting better real estate lead conversion rates.

Signup Forms for Automated Lead Generation

Signup forms allow easier collection of contact information online in exchange for information. Obtaining someone’s email address, phone number, or other means of contact becomes much more doable when you offer them something of value in an email newsletter.

You can put signup forms on your website, landing pages, or link in bio on social media. Use them to get information specific to your goals, like what neighborhood a buyer or seller is located in, or if they already have a real estate agent or not.

With every new signup that person then automatically goes into your contact database, where ideally you’ll be using some sort of CRM to conduct smart, timely, and genuine communications with these prospective real estate clients.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

CRMs are simply invaluable as tools for finding high-quality leads. Customer relationship management (CRM) platforms offer realtors powerful automation features and come with plenty of integrations for tools you’re already using. We’ve seen how they’ve become a must-have for real estate professionals over recent years, and there will be better and more effective ones likely arriving in the not too distant future.

With a CRM as one of your real estate automation tools you are able to segment your leads into groups based on the needs and preferences they told you about on your signup form. Agents can then easily maintain segments with automation. Using real estate automation to manage deal pipelines, email campaigns, and lead scoring models is also entirely possible.

Targeted Social Media Ads

This will qualify more as an extension of one of these tools, but it needs to be highlighted too as social media is a powerful way to share listings and widen your reach. Did you know that 92% of realtors use Facebook? Not surprising considering it is increasingly more of a social media app for older people and more often it’s these people who have the means to buy a home or will own one that they are looking to sell. Use real estate automation tools like Brevo CRM to launch targeted ads and also engage in effective retargeting so that you also have ads for audiences that are similar to existing contact groups.

Automate Scheduling

Agents using a CRM for real estate will do well if they can incorporate a meetings tool with a booking page. Booking pages sync automatically to your calendar so leads can see when you’re available. Prospect clients are then able to book on their own, and this removes the need for constant back and forth coordinating. Set up automated reminders so that your prospect never misses a video call, and remember that anything that frees up time is going to be super beneficial for you as a realtor.

Follow-up Automation to Earn Referrals

Following up with clients after a purchase or a sale has equal importance to it in comparison to meeting new leads, and perhaps even more. Follow-up relationships present the opportunity to grow your network through referrals. 36% of sellers use a referred real estate agent, and automated lead generation in real estate can help you get those referrals.

In much the same way as it works for regular lead-nurturing workflows, referral automation helps you turn past clients into future business. This can be as simple as having a thank you and congratulations email automatically sent after a client does business with you. Along with a satisfaction survey they can choose to participate in. You can automatically segment satisfied clients into a contact group. Send that group a gentle request for them to recommend your business.

Good Real Estate Automation Platforms

Relying on spreadsheets and searching for past conversations in your email isn’t the worst thing, but it increases the chance that you might miss messages or type in a formula wrong. Using real estate automation software streamlines your lead management and communications so you never lose track of a potential lead. This makes it a smart choice for incorporation into real estate lead generation strategies.

Here are a few of the ones that are very highly regarded in the industry right now:

Brevo

Brevo is a CRM suite that serves as a real estate marketing automation builder complete with multichannel and email marketing, customizable automation workflows, plus contact and deal management. It’s an equally good fit for both solo realtors and teams most o the time. With it you can easily set up real estate marketing automation workflows and move prospects to a deal with triggered actions. Target audiences with Facebook ads, launch lead nurturing campaigns, and streamline your appointments and follow ups. The free version of Brevo is actually quite generously equipped and contact storage is free with it too.

Paid plans for Brevo’s Marketing Platform start at $25/month. You can set up automation workflows for 2,000 contacts and create email campaigns using the drag and drop template builder. You also get a visual workflow builder, if/then logic, multichannel steps, performance tracking and ready templates to use.

Wise Agent

Wise agent is a beginner-friendly CRM that allows you to track leads with a contact dashboard and set up lead management. The automation impact on real estate sales can be seen here too as being able to send SMS messages and create a couple of landing pages as add-ons is just one of many ways in which you’re more likely to sell greater numbers of homes when you are using a well-designed real estate CRM.

Instead of creating automation workflows that leads enter automatically, you can go to each individual contact and assign a lead rule from there. If all that is required for you is a bit of an upgrade from a spreadsheet, Wise Agent will be an easy transition for you.

HubSpot

HubSpot is probably the best known CRM around, with features for sales, marketing, service platforms and more. It makes it easy to create and design emails and landing pages to use in your automation workflows. And like all CRMs, HubSpot sets you up with a contact dashboard for easy reference. There you can assign tasks to your team and keep track of notes and upcoming actions for your leads.

HubSpot has various plans you can start with. The Marketing Hub Starter plan is $20/month for 1,000 contacts and 10 automated email actions. For multichannel automation and upgrade to the Professional Plan at $890 per month will be required. But as we know, in business of any sort you need to be spending money to make money and investing in the best CRM for real estate is always going to be a good idea.

This will be just as true for new realtors in Canada as it is for ones who are more well established and having been real estate agents for a long time already. Hopefully what we have done here is started you down the road of understanding of how real estate marketing automation can be a part of you real estate lead generation efforts too, and there are so many other real estate automation tools that we haven’t had time to mention here yet that are also really well designed and effective.

It really is true that automation can do wonders for real estate agents. It can be just what’s needed for finding warmer or even hot real estate leads, plus letting you have a better understanding of the needs those would-be clients might have, and then converting real estate leads into sales. Always keep track of the fact that when leads are nurtured with the right content at the right time, they become more likely to convert.

5 Tips for Practicing Better Real Estate Scripts

Published April 4, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

 

There are many different characteristics that the most successful real estate agents will have in common. One of them is that they practice their scripts, and do so on an ongoing basis. As most of you will already be very much aware, this is a business where first impressions are everything. The way you present yourself is very much tied to how effectively you communicate yourself, and it’s a fact that a realtor who delivers the same old ‘I’m so and so and this is what I can do for you… yada yada’ isn’t going to get very far at all most of the time.

A meeting with a prospective client is always one thing, and one thing only – an opportunity. What you do with the opportunity is entirely up to you. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to put more of these opportunities in front of you, but in order to turn the majority of them into real estate clients you need to have the skills and know how related to convincing these prospective home sellers or home buyers that YOU are the best man or woman to help guide them in making the best choices and getting the best results.

Back on topic – what are the best ways to practice your scripts as a real estate agent? Read on, here are a handful of concepts to better make use of your scripts.

  1. Have confidence, while being 100% honest

This means moving forward with confidence and not ‘faking’ it at all. People will sniff out dishonesty or exaggeration, and they will then lose their trust in you. If you have a lot of confidence but there’s some aspect of their situation that you’re not knowledgable about, it’s best to say ‘I don’t know, but I will find out.’ These prospective clients will appreciate that more and then respect you more, despite what you might think to the contrary.

  1. Listen Well

Some of you may be surprised to learn that when it comes to scripts, it’s more about listening and reacting right rather than memorizing lines. Listen to what your client is saying, so you then know which script to turn to for building the best rapport. This also involves matching your conversation style based on the type of person you’re speaking to. Is this prospective client focused more on statistics? Numbers and facts should be front and center in that script.

Are they talking more about their emotional ties to a future home? Your script should have a very personal and sentimental slant to it. Listen and respond accordingly. Another big thing is catering to the person’s opinion rather than your own – if you present in a way that’s a lecture, it’s the agent’s (your) opinion. If you present in a question, it’s now the client’s opinion.

  1. Know the Why

To put it plainly, determining buyer motivation should be at the heart of any script. You need to understand the why, before responding to the what. Some buyers will be just curious and ‘window shopping’ of sorts, while others will be determined to buy a home in the very near future. Ask questions so you understand how to move forward. Take more of a ‘why’ rather than a ‘what’ approach, and move forward very incrementally in uncovering that.

  1. Practice

The best agents practice their scripts, and do so regularly. Their practice audience may be their team, their friends, family members, or just about anyone who’ll give them the time. When you put in the time with this, you get the results, and it’s really as simple as that. Further, no realtor is too busy to practice if they want to get the most out of their real estate client prospecting online efforts. Schedule the time and make it happen.’

  1. Always be On

Right then, you’ve practiced your scripts, know the material inside out, and you know you have the ability to be flexible and adaptive with them as need be. However, when you show up to meet with a prospective client, you come out sputtering rather than purring nicely.

You need to see yourself as a paid performer here, and paid performers either perform well or they aren’t ‘paid’ performers for much longer. Any specific client you’re talking to is going to expect you to be on. Real estate agents meeting clients after making use of internet generated real estate leads need to have the confidence that comes with knowing their material inside out to the 1000th degree, and you need to do what it takes to make it so that you’re the same way. For most people, that means one thing – practice – and LOTS of it.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your very own region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a proven-effective and very potent way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and then – when done right – building your client base much more quickly than your competitors in the business.

1/3 of National Mortgage Debt in Canada Found in 2 Cities

Published April 3, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_133974291Read the title here and we imagine that nearly all of you will correctly guess which 2 cities those are. Toronto and Vancouver have had grossly inflated real estate markets for years now, but it’s equally clear that homebuyers continue to wade into them just as they always have. The difference now, of course, is that in doing so they’re taking on mammoth levels of mortgage debt and collectively they are making it so that the vast bulk of mortgage debt in the entire country is for property in those 2 cities alone.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we’re keenly aware of how market dynamics influence the decisions realtors make regarding the best interests of clients. The current picture of what many will have to take on to buy a home in Canada’s 2 most-desirable locations is definitely something worth considering. Fewer ‘qualified’ buyers means less in the way of opportunities for realtors to gain legitimate clients. Our online real estate lead generation system for realtors is an excellent way to get more out your prospecting efforts there, and ever more advisable given this current state.

Impetuses to Buy

As the incentive to buy real estate increases – and most commonly because prices are seen to be rising fast – more buyers charge into the market. Many of them are determined not to ‘miss out’ on the profits that can come from home ownership. Many of these same people will turn to private lenders if they don’t meet the banks lending criteria. It’s certainly not advisable, but the numbers indicate that hasn’t deterred thousands of homebuyers from going this route.

Private lenders don’t report data to anyone, so the full extent of this form of ‘shadow banking’, if you will, isn’t entirely known. As a result, the numbers that Canadians owe 1.2 million in mortgage debt may be lower than the truth, and therefore a more rosy evaluation of Canadian mortgage debt.

Mortgage Debt Addiction

Canadians may have a bit of problem. Reliable data shows them collectively having $1.208 trillion in mortgage debt as of the end of 2017. And yes, the highest concentrations of that big mortgage debt are in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Toronto households in particular owe more than $268 billion, which works out to roughly 22% of outstanding mortgage debt.

Vancouver households come in at $133 billion, accounting for 11%. Montreal households owe more than $118 billion, working out to 9.79%. The sum of all 3? 42.79% of all mortgage debt.

All of which requires a massive amount of cash to keep going. Canadian homebuyers with mortgages make $7.32 billion in payments each month. This is also likely less than the real number for what’s required to service this debt.

Expensive Servicing

Looking at that more critically, it’s the same 3 cities topping the list for mortgage servicing:

  1. Toronto has monthly scheduled mortgage payments of $1.52 billion – 20.7% of the total payments scheduled
  2. Montreal – $731.9 million – 9.99% of payments per month
  3. Vancouver – $731 million – 9.84% of payments per month

Note that while Vancouver having more debt but lower payments scheduled is a reflection of a preference for longer amortizations.

The concentration of mortgage debt puts these 3 local markets in a vulnerable situation. Toronto and Vancouver are both considered “overvalued” by the CMHC, and thus might experience a price correction. If so, that would devalue large amounts of equity that homeowners there have built up over the years.

In a best case scenario interest rates will rise, and with them the amount of money going towards to servicing debt. The result would be lower amounts of available capital for productive investments, and consumer spending. However, that also tends to lead to higher rates of unemployment, and lower home sales. The result of that? Again, a loss of equity. It’s not a particularly promising scenario if you are a homeowner.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads delivered exclusively to you, and for your similarly exclusive area of any city or town in Canada. It’s a smart investment in seeing to it you make connections with homebuyers and home sellers, and especially valuable given the fact that there will be fewer qualified buyers out there all the time.

Mortgage Liquidity Looking to be On Way from Canada’s Central Bank

Published April 3, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

The dynamics of the homebuyer landscape in Canada always have a great deal of undercurrents beneath them, and it’s been a long time since we’ve had those currents rippling quite the way they are these days. Another one seems to be on the near horizon as last week the BoC (Bank of Canada) announced its plans to buy government backed mortgage bonds.

The move is designed to increase the bank’s assets, and arguably assist the housing market. The assistance will sound really good to would-be homeowners, and the realtors like you who would assume the correlation between that and a surge in the number of prospective clients out there. For realtors who are new to the business, anything that will both increase the numbers of these types of people and help them get in touch with them first is going to be a huge benefit.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for Canada is one such resource and it very much does help realtors get more out of their prospecting efforts, putting them in touch with greater numbers of potential clients who are genuinely considering selling or purchasing a home in the near future.

But back to topic here; while this buying of government-backed mortgage bonds might seem to be a plus, when you look deeper you’ll see that’s not exactly how these things work. In truth, the situation is very similar to the one the US Federal Reserve created ten years ago that contributed in part to the country’s housing crash.

A Brief Overview of how Central Bank Balance Sheets Work

The balance sheet at the Bank of Canada is like any other, filled with assets and liabilities. Assets are anything they pay for, and Government of Canada bonds make up the Lion’s share of them. Liabilities are anything given out, every bit of money put out into the national economy. When a central bank buys asset, it is done by crediting the account of the seller, and typically with money that’s ‘created’ for the purpose of doing so. This is referred to as a ‘print’. In the simplest sense, doing this is a strategy for inflation.

All Central banks, ours included, buy assets to increase the money supply, and they do so because these ‘prints’ are required. Done right and used with interest rates, this maintains inflation at target. In some instances, however, a central bank can’t find enough assets to buy. Or they need to provide market liquidity. When this happens, they’ll expand their mandate or the types of assets they line up for acquisition. This is currently what’s happening at the BoC, and is dictating the course of action they’re about to take

BoC Will Buy Canada Mortgage Bonds

The BoC announced plans to buy government guaranteed debt issued by Crown corporations. Canada Mortgage Bonds are first on the list, on a non-competitive basis in the primary market. This buying will commence early in 2019. They are stating that this is for ‘balance sheet management purposes’ and that there will be no implications on their monetary policy.

While this may be true in the most basic sense, with an understanding of what exactly Canada Mortgage Bonds are it is easy to perceive it might not exactly be like that. So what are Canada Mortgage Bonds, and more importantly what’s the primary purpose?

Understanding the Significance of Canada Mortgage Bonds

Canada Mortgage Bonds (CMBs) serve many financial interests, but the main one is to allow lenders access cheap funds for mortgages. Investors pony up cash for a CMHC guaranteed loan, backed by the Federal government. These loans are considered to be secure. The appeal of secure investments is that they don’t pay all that much, which is great for lenders and the borrowers. Low cost funding means more profits for lenders, and less interest paid by borrowers.

Relevance

Depending on who they are, and the amount of CMBs bought via their mortgage lender, which may suppress rates from rising too fast for your clients as a borrower. That would translate into lower funding costs, some of which are passed on to the borrowers, who again would be the homebuyers you’re helping purchase the home

The overarching problem with all of this is it’s a sign of market weakness. The fact is that, time and time again over our history, the central bank only provides liquidity when liquidity concerns are seen on the horizon. Mortgage credit growth in Canada recently fell to multi-year lows, and is likely to drop further as they hike to a ‘neutral’ policy rate. Further, any time we see a government institution step in to address liquidity concerns, it’s regarded as having an ominous feel when it comes the housing market.

We should note as well that this is the second mortgage liquidity tool proposed just this year. Earlier this year the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) said they’re looking into expanding the BoC’s covered bond program. It is another tool designed to provide low cost financing for mortgages.

These moves should be a cause for concern regarding the housing market in Canada and all the industries that are tied into it. As realtors, any type of significant downturn will have ramifications for us as well.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively, and for your own privately-served region of any area or town in Canada. It’s a proven-effective way to boost your client prospecting efforts in a big way and you’ll almost certainly come to see it as a smart part of your business promotion budget.

 

Being the Results Agent: The Fast Track to Converting Real Estate Leads and Closing More Sales

Published April 3, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Happy realtor woman showing keysMost experienced real estate agents will agree that a buyer or seller leads is little more than an opportunity, and the farthest thing from any guaranteed generator for your business. What you do with your leads – and more specifically whether or not you convert them into clients and then close them as home sold / bought – has always been what’s distinguished the average realtor from one’s who regarded as being especially successful.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we know the value of our service for getting more leads as a real estate agent but we also understand that, again, we’re only providing you with more in the way of those opportunities.

So the objective becomes clear; how do you maximize your conversion rates? The first question you need to ask, though, is to what extent are you making that a priority? If you’ve been in the business long enough you’ll know that there a great many realtors for whom a high conversion rate is regarded as ‘nice if you can have it’ and not an absolute necessity. They’re usually fortunate to have a reason for such indifference, but if you’re one of the majority for whom it’s absolutely essential to be successful with your business then you’re well advised to read on.

The F Pairs are Everything

Converting real estate leads and closing more sales all come down to two things – follow-up and fulfillment. As regards the first of those two, one of the things a realtor needs to understand and embrace is that you must follow up with you clients, and that’s working with the understanding that 8+ of every 10 clients is not going to be the one taking the initiative for second contact.

If you’re not the type who feels comfortable being the one that initiates a follow up with a client, especially ones that didn’t seem particularly ‘warm’ to begin with, then you need to get over that and quick or you’re in the wrong profession.

Apparently follow-up is so hard, it’s believed that somewhere in the vicinity of 48% of agents never even follow-up once with a prospect. Not a single time. Never. Needless to say, that’s just not going to cut it if you want to be converting real estate leads more effectively.

So the question then becomes if that means that 52% of agents follow-up with a prospect at least once. It’s true, but that stat isn’t an impressive one. Fair to wonder why that other 48% of agents are in the business to begin with, and particularly as every realtor is somewhat at a disadvantage to begin with due to the fact there’s never really been enough of the pie to go around.

If you’re not ‘competing’ with your business generation efforts, you’re probably not going to get a sufficient return on your investment of time and effort, even if that time and effort isn’t what it should be given the nature of your chosen profession. Think about that.

Alright, so what about realtors who follow up twice? That statistic is even worse. Only 25% of agents contact a prospect a second time. After 1st contact, approximately 75% of them let their prospects drift off. Sure, it may be that they’re not interested, or that they’ve changed their mind. But more troubling is that it seems that in many instances the inquiring realtor is simply not managing their database effectively enough to keep track of who to contact and when. If you’re skills aren’t up to snuff there, it’s perfectly acceptable to go ask someone for assistance. Do you want – or perhaps need – to be successful in this profession?

3rd Time CAN Be the Charm

Let’s look at this a little more deeply. What about a 3rd contact? Only 12% of agents make three or more contacts with the prospect. That means 88% of agents didn’t bother trying to follow-up with a prospect after the 2nd contact. Again, we can safely assume that if the contact remains a ‘warm’ lead that any realtor would of course follow up with them.

It has long been understood in this business that the process of coming to a decision to actually go ahead and sell a home (or buy one, albeit to a lesser extent) is often a drawn-out one where couples are inclined to keep their cards close to their chests and not show that they’re leaning one way or the other. That is, until you follow up until they’ve made that decision – whenever that may be and whatever amount of time has passed before you made your original introduction to them.

Here’s the biggest kicker…

3% of sales are made on the 1st contact

2% of sales are made on the 2nd contact

7% of sales are made on the 3rd contact

9% of sales are made on the 4th contact

76% of sales are made on the 5th to 12th contact (a real eye opener for many!)

Further; 88% of real estate agents share 10% of all sales, and 12% of everyone who shares the same profession as you are sharing 90% of the sales, and in large part because they have no hesitation to be contacting their prospects three or more times.

Simply put you’ve GOT to get over your fear of offending a prospect by contacting them “too much.” It’s the nature of the business, and if you don’t do it, then another realtor will be. Plain and simple. That fact in itself should dispel any reasons you’ve had in the past for not following up in a timely manner and doing so as many times as necessary until you can make a sound determination on the status of your prospective client.

Don’t think you are badgering them. And even if they do think that way, again that’s the nature of the business and they’re likely to be participating in it the same way you are, just in different roles. When they are ready, willing, and able to consummate a transaction, you need to still be there.

So there it is, in all its simplicity – you can never follow up too much!

Also, if it’s too much for someone, they’ll tell you. They might tell you directly, or unsubscribe from your email list, or some other method of implied refusal. The key is to not stop following up until they buy, sell or tell you clearly and definitively that they’re not interested or that your ‘pushiness’ is not welcome.

That’s the reality of it, and you need to have an attitude and perspective that’s in line with it. Again, it’s a big part of the very nature of the business within which you’re making your living.

Fulfillment

Fortunately we don’t see the need to go as extensively as we did regarding the need for follow ups. Fulfillment refers to the entirety of what you are giving them, the full sum of everything you do to be of assistance to them in their selling or buying of a home.

The most successful realtors have learned the best ways to anticipate their questions and other needs, and provide answers, resources, and resolutions.

Fulfillment is much easier than follow-up, but the important point to grasp here is that fulfillment requires follow-up in order to accomplish it. Simply by following-up, you are meeting their number one need. By following-up you are there to answer their questions as they arise. And if they’re going through that deliberative process, you can be 100% certain there will be questions, and significant ones at that. By following-up you are anticipating their needs. By following-up you are able to provide answers, resources and resolutions.

Right then, so are you willing to do what it takes to be a part of the 12% who close 90% of real estate sales in Canada. We imagine the answer to that is yes, and in the interest of generating more ‘opportunities’ we recommend you register with Real Estate Leads here and enjoy qualified online-generated home buyer and seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for your own protected region of the country.

Get onboard now, and lay claim to your region of choice. And once you’ve established contact with those folks, make SURE you follow up sufficiently!

Taking on Mortgages More Financially Demanding Than Ever

Published April 3, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_44279157_PreviewFor many decades and a good number of generations now, getting a mortgage on your way to owning a home was something that vast majority of people did almost as a given part of working your way into adulthood. The fact that following a similar path in places like Vancouver and Toronto is quite a daunting prospect nowadays is well understood, but the reality is that it’s fairly daunting no matter where you’re buying a home.

 

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system has really done wonders for new realtors who need to get more out of their client prospecting efforts. Being a knowledgeable and market savvy realtor is a must, but so is the need to be receptive to the way clients will want to really look at the entirety of what will go into their buying a home.

When we look at the new statistics coming out about just what is required to ‘service’ a mortgage, on average, in Canada it is really quite something with the way it forecasts how so many prospective homebuyers would be assuming a punishing financial burden to see their mortgage through to term.

Ain’t Like it Used to Be

Baby boomers will really need to stop saying that buying a home was harder in the 1990s than now. Stats Can numbers now show mortgage debt service ratios (DSRs) at the end of the first quarter of this year have reached levels not seen in more than 26 years. Despite near record low interest rates, the size of loans given for mortgages have pushed the lack of affordability for homes to similar levels. Today this is more of a concern however, as interest rates start to rise and the debt becomes decidedly concentrated.

Mortgage Debt Service Ratio

A mortgage debt service ratio (DSR) is the term given to the amount of gross income dedicated to servicing a mortgage. Understand here that gross means before taxes, so then a good part of the buyer’s income that is not going towards the ratio is now spoken for. Only the principal and interest payments are officially measured here in Canada, and so this means other required payments like property taxes, etc. are not included. Debt service ratios are deceptively low as a result, and especially so when the number comes from the government. Mortgage brokers will of course prefer to advertise those less-than-factual fees.

Debt service levels are very relevant when considering the general outlook of the economy. The more money that goes towards servicing debt, the less money there is for spending on consumer goods and services. And of course the less money floating around your economy, the harder it is for the economy to continue to grow. It’s for this reason that a sudden boom in housing often leads to a slowing of the rest of the economy, and the opposite is also true. When less money is servicing debt then more money is available to push other components of the national or provincial economy.

New Highs

The mortgage debt service ratio (DSR) has this year risen to new highs. The mortgage DSR rose to 6.67% at the end of 2018’s quarter 1, up 6.89% from the last quarter of 2017. Huge jumps like this are seasonal, but the number is still up 1.83% from the same quarter last year. We’re now sitting at the highest ratio since the fourth quarter of 1992, and it’s interesting to note that the 1990s were the last time Canadians showed similar levels of exuberance for real estate.

Distributing Mortgage Debt Is Key

That number may not sound like all that much, but understanding distribution is key to really putting it into perspective. The 6.89% mortgage DSR is split across all households, but that’s not really how it actually breaks down. Census 2016 showed that only 41.2% of households have mortgages. Older households also tend to have higher incomes, along with considerable equity in their homes. By this we can see that younger households are taking the worst of these record DSR levels.

The Bank of Canada issued a caution about the debt concentration just last month. Their estimate is that 8% of households hold more than 20% of all household debt in this country, adding further that these households stand to be at risk in the coming years when rates continue to normalize – as they are expected to. Since we’ve achieved record high mortgage DSRs at record low interest rates, we can certainly expect some serious disruption and more than few wildfires as rates normalize.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivery to you exclusively for your protected region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a proven effective way to supercharge your prospecting efforts, and nearly everyone who’s taken advantage so far now sees it as a very worthwhile investment in their real estate business.

 

 

7 Powerful Strategies: Leveraging Content Marketing for Lead Generation Success

Published April 3, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

25 years ago or so you would need to have any type of content printed on some material and physically in your hands if you were to read it. The Internet has changed all of that, of course, and definitely for the better if you ask pretty much anyone. Those of us who’d still prefer to read the news rather than watch a video sharing it won’t be doing so with a newspaper anymore, although there are some folks who still have one on their front step each morning. Enough about that, we discuss the best ways to generate leads for real estate agents here and the reason we talk about this is those collections of written words viewed digitally make up what is known as content.

We won’t go into too much detail about the technical workings of it all, but the way search engine algorithms are wired nowadays there is a great deal of value in having genuine and quality content related to your business or venture. As a realtor your business is helping clients buy or sell homes, and that’s the entirety of why real estate lead generation is so important for you in the first place. Yes, it will be beneficial to higher search engine rankings for realtors if you have blog on your real estate website and place entries there frequently. But leveraging content marketing for lead generation success effectively goes much deeper than that and that’s what we’re going to look at here.

All of this is go on top of the existing suggestion that realtors will do very well for themselves by taking advantage of our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads. But success with lead generation requires you to have a multi-tiered approach to it, and this is definitely in line with that. So let’s get right into it.

Plant Seeds First

We will get to the 7 powerful strategies shortly here, but before we do it’s important to understand what quality content is. As a real estate agent content creation should involve putting together informative pieces of writing along with photo and / or video content that puts your expertise on display. We will also say this; there are plenty of other professions where you can have someone contribute to your lack of extensive know-how on whatever subject matter it may be, and make it seem like you’re an all-knowledgeable one.

That’s not as doable in real estate. If these clients who see your content and choose to contact you after reading / viewing it then they are going to expect to see that same level of expertise reflected in you and the services you provide to them. Might that be more difficult for a newer realtor as compared to a more experienced one? Absolutely, but as it is with everything in life you start at the start. Gain knowledge and expertise and then start to place it into quality content made available through your website and social media channels along with any other professional networking avenues may have.

Have the expertise and knowledge already but don’t document it very well? Pay someone to do it for you, and you may even be able to find a writer who is equally capable with A/V stuff too. It’s fairly common to need to invest in ways to generate leads for real estate agents, and content generation may be a part of that for you.

The 7 Strategies

  1. Quick Responses to Inquiries

You need to snap right to it when a lead comes in and respond to the individual in a speedy manner. Ideally no more than a day should pass, and that includes weekend days. Time is of the essence in the real estate business, and delayed responses mean you risk losing the lead to a competitor. If you’re able to respond to the lead within an hour you’ll be doing a whole lot of good in getting your connection with this potential client off on the right foot, and that is a huge part of the best ways to generate leads for real estate agents.

  1. Have a Personalized Follow-Up Ready

If you reply to them with any type of generic follow-up email or message you’re not going to create the impression you want, because someone who is considering making such massive life purchase is going to be looking for a realtor who will take this as seriously as they do. Any type of conventional form-like response is NOT going to create that impression for them at all. Take the time to personalize your communication with the lead. Reference specific details from their inquiry or conversation, and address them by name if they have shared it with you.

  1. Provide Value

It is imperative that lead clearly sees the value proposition in working with you. Simply stating you’re a real estate agent and you’d be happy to help them with real estate purchases or sales isn’t going to be at all conducive to them looking further into listing with you, or using you as their buyer agent. Real estate lead generation certainly isn’t so simple. What you need to do instead is present relevant information and then move to ‘based on _______ information, this is what I believe is your best approach to marketing your home for sale in order to both speed the sale and get you the best price on the home you’re selling.’ Of course, this will be different if they are prospective homebuyer client.

  1. Employ Different Communication Channels

Different leads will be reached better with different communication channels. Some may prefer email, others may be more likely to get your contact if done by phone calls or text messages. Use a mix of channels to reach out to the lead and determine which method they prefer. A common approach is to suggest a means of contact in the content you publish on your site or social media channel and then make it a 1-click process for them to utilize it.

  1. Stay Consistent with Prospective Clients

No smart and intuitive realtor is ever going to see real estate lead follow-up as 1-time events. It’s important to stay consistent with your communication with the lead. Follow-up calls or emails should be very firmly scheduled and you need to adhered to that scheduling and contact them at that exact time and by the means of contact they’ve indicated they prefer. This will show the lead that you are committed to helping them and will increase the likelihood of conversion after you’ve done what you need to do to generate leads for real estate agents.

  1. Patience is Important

It is very rare that a lead is converted into a client quickly and easily. Realtors who choose to not continue their follow-up after being disappointed with results from their first attempt are not doing themselves any favors. Keep at it and be patient. Consistent and persistent follow-up is key to converting real estate leads, and many times there are would-be clients who are testing the commitment, diligence, and resolve of a realtor by doing this as a means of testing whether or not they are the dedicated real estate professional they want to be working with going forward.

  1. Offer Tangible Incentives

We’ve made quite clear how effective real estate lead generation can naturally be quite a drawn-out process, and the last of our strategies we’re sharing here today it to make incentive offers to prospective clients when they first respond and show their interest in working with a real estate agent. One of the most common ones is to offer a free market evaluation if they’re considering selling their home, but there are other things you can try. Some realtors will have their own moving van that they offer to allow people to use if they agree to list with them.

It’s okay to have monetary value attached to these offers, provided you are strongly convinced there’s a good chance these leads can be converted into clients. Be creative and think about what type of offer would appeal to YOU if the roles were reversed and you were the person being contacted by a real estate agent.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively as the only realtor registered to receive them. It’s a proven-effective way to get more out of your client prospecting efforts, and a look at our testimonials page is enough to make clear how many realtors like you are very happy they’ve already made the decision to sign up.

The 3 Factors Keeping the Toronto Housing Market’s Healthy – With High Prices Intact

Published April 3, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

One of the things that a Real Estate Professional will understand more naturally than others is that there always needs to be a balance between there being increasing values in residential properties and homes providing the values they need to in the community. What many of them will know is a reality that goes against the thinking inclinations of many who decry the fact that housing is unaffordable for too many people.

That being that there is a very unique dynamic in Canada that is not seen in any other country in the world. When you have a country of this size and yet the vast majority of the population live in 3 or 4 Greater City Areas, you’re going to have a situation where supply and demand economics are going to make real estate unaffordable in those regions for most people. This is going to be true at ANY time, not just now or in reflection of whatever the reality of the day is in that year, decade, or century even.

It’s a tough reality, but one that is always true and if you want to live in Vancouver and Toronto while owning a home then you’re going to need to have the financial resources necessary to do so. One of the things my father told me when I was young is that there’s ‘a difference between need, and want’ and that’s rung true for me in so many instances in my life. You likely don’t need to live in Vancouver or Toronto, but that’s in much the same way you don’t need to live in Tuktoyaktuk either.

You may want to live in any of these 3 places, and that’s fine – but you’ll need to pay more (or less) accordingly. And yes, a LOT less if you’re someone who wants to live in the far north.

But the point here is that you don’t just get what you want because you want it, and no one owes anyone even so much of an ounce of any of that in the same way you don’t owe them anything. The market is what it is, and that’s the way it should be. It’s the same reality for realtors who are struggling to build their real estate businesses into what they’ve envisioned for themselves. Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent choice to give you a leg up in that regard, however.

But let’s turn back onto tack for discussing today’s topic. Real Estate in Toronto continues to see gains in home prices and nice returns on investments for people. That’s good news and here’s what’s behind that good news.

Land Transfer Taxes and Fees

Land transfer taxes and fees have recently been denounced as among the most onerous consumer-side burdens that put crimps in homebuyer plans when all the additional costs become apparent. However, as is always the case there are prospective buyers who are able to take on these additional expenses in the interest of buying a home where they want to live.

Land transfer taxes and fees represent an additional $54,000 to every detached residence sold in Toronto on average, and it’s a situation where the dissuasion to buying that creates for certain buyers makes it so that you have an even more consolidated pool of buyers who can afford to pay the prices that the market is currently bearing.

Development Charges and Property Taxes

Next is the role of Development Charges and Property Taxes. In much the same way and with much the same ramifications about who’s a qualified buyer and who isn’t, these charges and taxes add a further $150,000 per transaction if you’re buying a home in Toronto.

One reason for high Land Transfer Tax and Development Charges is that provincial legislation restricts how the City of Toronto is able to generate cash flow. Unlike many North American cities, Toronto cannot add a surtax on income or a sales tax on products. Same goes for tax education or health care facilities. Those funds are augmented by charges and taxes based on property development that are passed on in sales, and again it does its part in creating a very particular type of prospective homebuyer.

Baby Boomer Influence

Another part of the engine pushing the continued normal with home prices in Toronto is the baby boomer cohort. This fortunate generation that was lucky enough to have been able to invest in Toronto homes back when prices were nowhere near the stratospheric levels they’re at now.

We need look no further to support this view than this statistic – for homeowners (and homebuyers) in the 65 to 74 age group it is single-family detached homes are the preferred housing option. These homes fit families well, but the types of people who are able to afford them have a built-in protection mechanism just based on the economic realities of what this group bring to the equation.

Is it fair? Probably not. Is it what it is? Yes, it most certainly is.

And yes it’s also true that the foreign buyer presence has been a factor too. But even if we were to assume that didn’t factor in to the extent it has we need to understand that Toronto home prices have nearly tripled since 2000. Even if they were to only have doubled+ without foreign buyers being an influence it still speaks to how there are innumerable influences that work to keep this real estate market in the condition that most homeowners would prefer it to be in.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you for the region of any city or town in Canada where you are working in real estate. You’ll quickly see how it puts more opportunities in front of you to be directly in touch with people who are genuinely considering making a move in the local real estate market.

Half a Million or More Mortgage Deferrals in Canada since April

Published April 3, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

We’ve all heard the expression ‘rainy day’ to describe a period of unexpected adversity, and the truth is that most people see the value in having some finances on tap in case that rainy day does come around. However, we’ve also heard how over the years that many Canadians are ‘mortgaged to the hilt’ when it comes to how precarious of an arrangement their ability to own a home and pay the bills really is. It’s something economists have been warning against for the average consumer

And truth be told a lot of realtors are very proactive with advising their clients on what they should afford as compared to what they can afford in as far as for what they’ve been approved for with a mortgage. Well, turns out the economic fallout of COVID-19 is a ‘rainy day’ in a big way, but recent stats coming from the 6 big banks in Canada suggest that a LOT of Canadians are putting themselves in precarious situations by taking them up on mortgage deferrals.

Now, to be sure, it’s good that the major lenders along with the Federal Government were sympathetic to the plights of those who couldn’t afford to pay, but this needs to be a big time wake up call to homeowners. Part of being a qualified buyer is knowing what you’re really suited to be spending on a home, and that’s part of what realtors can help their clients with. Clients that are, however, not as easily found these days as they were before.

Which is why our online real estate lead generation system at Real Estate Leads is such a good choice for real estate agents who are keen to have the power of Internet Marketing assisting them with getting more of that ever-shrinking pie. The thaw in the real estate market is happening, but fewer homebuyers is the reality – for now at least. Do what it takes to keep your real estate business in good vitality moving forward and make the name you envision for yourself.

But back to topic, let’s have a look at just how many household deferred mortgage payments recently, and why that’s not necessarily a good thing.

510K + To Be Exact

At the Big 6 banks alone, Canadians have put somewhere in the vicinity of 510,530 mortgages on payment deferral as of the quarter ending July 31, and that’s down by a considerable 17.53% from the previous quarter. Now of course we know why this has happened, but the principle of the wise nature of being prepared to handle these unexpected bumps in the road remains.

Part of being a homebuyer is being able to afford to be a homeowner, and most people understand that there is a time and place in your life when that should happen. And no earlier.

Royal Bank of Canada had the most of them, with 138,830 payment deferrals (down 30.18% quarterly). Next up was TD Bank at 107,000 deferrals (down 15.08%), followed by Scotiabank at 99,000 deferrals (up 5.32%).

The value of all of these deferrals totalling up some nearly $136.27 billion, to the tune of a 15.38% quarterly decline. RBC’s total stood at $41.27 billion (down 23.66% per 1/4), while the second largest volume of mortgage deferrals was at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, which had $33.3 billion (a 6.2% drop).

The question then becomes how did the banks handle missing out on some 136 billion? Well, the answer to that is because they were able to set aside approximately half of their provisions for bad loans and, without going into unnecessary detail, they had the funds to buffer themselves that way.

But that money WILL be paid, and that leads us to what’s the danger in deferring mortgage payments in Canada during COVID. It’s a real risk and it’s something we’ll touch on in another blog post shortly.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively every month. They’ll be for the region of any city or town in Canada where you’re working as a real estate agent, and again you’ll be the only realtors who’ll receive them. It’s a great way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts.

Housing ‘Bubbles’ Expanding Around Big Cities in Canada

Published April 2, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Rising house sales conceptThe immense disparity between supply and demand when it comes to real estate in Canada’s biggest cities is well understood, and most people are similarly aware of the potential for a bursting of the housing ‘bubble’ in both the metro regions of Vancouver and Toronto most notably. Recently, however, economists have pointed out a trend where the bubbles – and the exorbitant prices on real estate fueled by speculative purchases – are now encompassing the satellite regions of these cities as well.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our primary focus is on providing a way for realtors to get more business leads but we’re also keenly aware of the extent to which the market and its dynamics factor into the success of the very people we’re marketing our product to. Accordingly, developments like this are of interest to us, and we think this particular one is especially deserving of some note.

Big Time Heat Up Around Toronto

Average home prices in some regions surrounding Greater Toronto have jumped by 40 to 50% in the past year, and with it has come a rapidly-spreading price bubble: The fastest price growth was seen in the areas surrounding Toronto, rather than in the metro area itself. This of course is a result of prospective homeowners who’ve been priced out of the GTA now looking increasingly farther in search of more affordable housing.

Prices have been inflated due to more bidding throughout the Golden Horseshoe. and with that comes the same trend that’s always attached to such phenomena. Homes and properties that are selling for more than they are truly worth, and individuals and families assuming dangerous levels of household debt.

Insiders report prices in the areas surrounding the GTA increasing at an even faster pace than they have within the GTA. And this article from the Province in Vancouver indicates that the same super-inflated status applies to the suburban areas around Vancouver too.

In both areas, strong fundamentals are holding up the region’s housing market. Mortgage rates are low, job growth is strong and there is considerable added pressure coming from foreign buyers. Still, these fundamentals cannot readily explain the pace of the price increases seen in the satellite cities of Toronto and Vancouver over the last 18 months.

What it is, quite plainly, is a ramping up of the real estate speculation that the foreign buyer taxes were supposed to temper. There are rumours that certain provincial governments (and it’s not hard to assume that BC and Ontario are the ones in discussion) are considering a speculative buyers tax to complement the existing foreign buyers taxes brought in by each government within the last year. Each has had a positive effect in cooling the market, but those who said it would be a temporary reprieve seem to have been correct – the market is now picking up again, and particularly for condos and town homes.

Of course, the question becomes how effectively such a policy could be enforced, unless whether or not the home was lived in or rented was vigorously verified in each case.

Prices Outstripping Rents

Look no further than condo prices as signs of speculation in these cities’ housing markets. Property prices have been handily growing faster than rents, making real estate investments less lucrative. Despite this, the pace of investing has sped up immensely. This creates a potentially “destabilizing” environment and something that gives the banks considerable concern.

That concern, defined specifically, is this; when expectations reverse and prices recede, investors may quickly sell their assets, possibly leading to fire sales with adverse consequences for the rest of the market. Should a correction to Toronto’s and / or Vancouver’s housing market occur, it’s’ bound to have negative ramifications, and in particular with its connection to household indebtedness and how homeowners could find themselves disadvantaged big time with the value of their home having dropped significantly.

Banks say there is a “moderate” chance of a housing correction in Toronto and Vancouver. It would hurt the country’s economy and destabilize the financial system, and would also be a drawback for real estate agents and the vitality of the industry as a whole.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and have qualified online-generated buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your similarly exclusive region of the country. It’s a great way to build your business with the power of the Internet.

 

Maximizing Lead Quality: How to Filter and Nurture Your Real Estate Leads

Published April 1, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Maximizing Lead Quality: How to Filter and Nurture Your Real Estate LeadsSome have likened generating leads for real estate to fishing, and there is some legitimacy to that as you will ‘catch’ more of them if they’re biting and your lure happens to be where they are in the lake. There will be times that your real estate lead generation efforts will go nowhere, but if you’re a fisherman you’ll know that there are days you go home without catching anything too. This makes the real estate leads you do drum up all the more valuable, so what we’re going to do here with this entry is talk about real estate lead quality.

Making a determination on the quality of a real estate lead is a much deeper process that simply putting leads in the cold, warm, or hot baskets. Ideally the lion’s share of them would be hot leads, but that’s also not how it works most of the time. Real estate agents tend to busy people nearly all the time, and that’s not surprising considering this is one business where if you’re not legit hustling you’re going to get left behind to see others eating your slice of the pie.

So maximizing lead quality is something that makes a lot of sense, and it’s done by filter and nurturing your real estate leads. This is the way you can improve lead quality in real estate, and it is something that is very conducive to making better use of your time as a real estate agent. What we’ll share with you here is not a definitive summary of how to do this, but we image long-experienced realtors will see that these approaches are fairly tried and true.

Be Lead Savvy

Successful real estate agent will be the ones with the savvy to know how likely a lead is to be converted, along with an explicit understanding of how to make that happen. When you’re not able to attract quality leads through digital and offline marketing it becomes significantly difficult to scale up a real estate business.

If you’re a real estate agent who’s a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of options and ‘how-to’ marketing articles, we’re here to simplify lead qualification criteria real estate with 15 real estate lead generation ideas that are proven effective.

Local Lead SEO Optimization

Optimizing your Google My Business profile and incorporating local SEO keywords is first on the list here because it means you are more likely to be attracting clients who live in your area or are planning to and are more serious about buying a home. This will apply the same way for home seller clients, as while most people have a realtor referred to them by family or workplace acquaintances there are some who will not have these resources and be looking for a local realtor online.

Something to keep in mind is that a recent Moz SEO ranking factors survey determined a good Google My Business profile was the single biggest factor for a real estate website that ranks higher. So setting up your Google My Business profile is the place to start here if you haven’t already. It is best to have it updated with the latest professional pictures, contact details and addresses.

You will also need to optimize your website and Google My Business account for local SEO keywords so that these contribute to real estate lead quality too. An agent working out of Edmonton, for example, will want to be incorporating local Edmonton real estate search keywords and nearby localities for maximum leads. What this does is whenever someone searches Google with keywords like ‘real estate agent Edmonton’ or ‘Edmonton best realtor’ or ‘realtor near me’, your website and listing are more likely to be showing up on the first page.

Consider the searches that include the keyword ‘near me’ have gone up by around 900% since 2017-18. Local SEO optimization is a way to improve lead quality in real estate.

Optimize Landing Pages for Conversions

Real estate landing pages are a standalone pages, where visitors land first when they visit your Canadian real estate website. A landing page usually has a clear goal and a very visible call-to-action (CTA) button. Would-be real estate clientele that end up at your landing page by clicking on a link in your email can then be mor readily put in front of listings that you have.

Real estate landing pages maximize lead conversions best when they complete the following checklist:

  1. A clear headline that is ideally creative too and highlights your value as a realtor
  2. A prominent call-to-action (CTA) button
  3. Accomplishments, recognitions, client testimonials, etc.
  4. No unnecessary or loud graphics
  5. Attractive, up-to-date photographs of properties
  6. No excessive amount of form fields
  7. Marketing Automation Software to Segment and Score Leads

It’s not possible to say enough good things about CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software if you are focused on improving real estate lead quality, and particularly when your CRM is integrated with marketing automation so that it is optimized to score and segment your leads. Lead scoring may be a new term for some, and what it means is just the process of assigning a certain value or score to your contact list based on their interactions with your real estate business.

Lead scoring promotes lead qualification criteria real estate in the following way. Let’s say you have a prime property for sale and you want to close the deal as soon as possible. 2 clients are your top leads for this week and the ones you see as most likely to submit offers on the home that will be accepted by the owner.

Your CRM indicates that one of them has recently unsubscribed from all your newsletters and email updates. While the other has recently filled out a form expressing interest in a property in the same area. You obviously then assign a higher value to that lead. This makes it easier for you to reach out to them to discuss the property you have for sale and automated lead scoring makes that a fairly simply and straight-line process.

It is true that real estate lead generation providers like us do a lot of the heavy lifting for you, with lead scoring potentially included in that. And most realtors will be very pleased with the fact there are no cold calls involved. Leads coming in from these sites will usually be warm but some may be hotter.

Create Virtual Home Visits for Out-of-Town Prospective Buyers

Staging virtual home visits is a must for realtors these days. A recent study found that approximately 80% of buyers would switch to a real estate agent who offers virtual home walkthroughs or 3D virtual home visits. That same survey indicated that 50% of buyers would consider an in-person sight-unseen purchase if they have a virtual walkthrough and it is enough for them to determine it is the right home for them and they’re ready to put in an offer.

Here are some other benefits for realtors hosting virtual walk-throughs:

  1. Realtors, buyers, and sellers all save more time
  2. Agents are able to communicate in real-time with clients online via smartphone
  3. Targeting more long-distance buyers becomes possible
  4. Prospects can take the tour at their convenience anytime and from anywhere
  5. Sellers are not pressured to keep their homes spotless at all times

You can use virtual reality software like Lumion or Kuula to upload images and videos of the property to create a virtual tour of your property. This can definitely be a part of real estate lead conversion optimization and you will do well to take advantage of it.

Use a Lead Magnet to Capture Higher Numbers of Leads

What is a lead magnet in real estate? It’s essentially a freebie offer given if the individual agrees to exchange their email address. Lead magnets can go a long way in promoting better real estate lead quality. It should be something that offers real value to prospective clients so that they are fine with agreeing to give you their email ID. This could be a checklist like the example above, or perhaps an e-book, a link to a webinar, or an email newsletter.

Effective real estate lead magnets will include all of the following :

  1. A high-value freebie that appeals to would-be clients of any type
  2. A captivating and clear headline
  3. 1 or 2 form fields (like name and email ID)
  4. A clear call to action button
  5. A clear image of the freebie
  6. A close button
  7. Hosting Real Estate Webinars

Webinars are not simple to put together, but if you want to be have success as a realtor you would do very well to learn how to make them and then start using them to position yourself as the local authority on real estate and the type of professional people will be inclined to work with as they buy or sell a home in Canada.

Hosting a webinar on real estate-related topics is a sure way to improve lead quality in real estate. When people sign up for your webinar, they will provide an email ID and this creates a new lead for you plus helps establish you as an expert in real estate in the minds of your prospects.

Create Blogs with Interesting & Helpful Content

Content is king in marketing, and that certainly applies for real estate marketing too. When your write and publish real estate blogs and articles you are not only adding value for your customers, but also promoting you staying present in your prospects’ minds as an expert in real estate and someone they will keep in mind if and when they come to a time where they’re ready to work with a realtor to buy or sell a home.

The benefits of content creation for a real estate website are extensive, and you can expect to obtain:

  1. More visibility in Google search results
  2. Superior cost-effectiveness
  3. Long-term real estate lead generation
  4. Added lead generation potential when people share blogs and articles on their social media channel

Optimize Social Media Pages & Post Regularly

These days it is not surprising that social media remains the top source for generating high-quality leads in the real estate industry and over time as you get good at it you can also use it as part of lead qualification criteria in real estate. The top social media channel for realtors is Facebook, with a 97% share of social media leads in the real estate industry. Instagram comes in at 39% and Linkedln at 59%. So be sure to put some focus there too.

Begin by ensuring that all your social media channels are up-to-date with pictures and other important information. Once your pages are fully prepped, these social media content marketing ideas are ones you should consider if you want to grow your real estate business through social media:

  1. Post content that highlights your USPs and company values
  2. Clarify common misconceptions about home buying or selling
  3. Respond politely and professionally to both positive and negative comments
  4. Share videos of some prime properties
  5. Share customer success stories in creative and interesting ways
  6. Share your thoughts and opinions on the latest industry and market news
  7. Share inspiring client and employee stories
  8. Pay for targeted Facebook or Instagram ads

Join Online Homeowner Groups for Your Area of Canada

Find those local homeowner groups for the areas that you service. This will be a great way to stay connected with the issues and problems experience in the local community, and when you post relevant and helpful content on these groups it also ensures that you are viewed as an expert. But it is always best to not be too pushy and you should never post unnecessary or promotional material on these groups.

Social Media Contests and Giveaways

Another strong way to engage with both prospects and long-term clients on social media is to host contests or giveaways, but how might these social media giveaways and contests work for real estate? Here is an example. Let’s say your aim is to target buyers who have already purchased one home and are looking for a second one. Investor buyers tend to have deeper pockets obviously, so this may well be something you want to do.

In this scenario you might host a contest where you ask your prospects to write about their biggest challenges while buying their first home. The person who receives the most likes receives a $___ gift card. You can also aim to be as creative as possible with your contests too with what you are willing to offer as prizes to participants. When your idea is more unique and engaging then prospective leads will be more likely to participate.

Be on the Look Out for Old, Expired Listings

Expired listings are an ongoing reality in the real estate business but you can certainly target these homeowners as a means of improving your real estate quality. When a listing expired you can safely assume that the property has been on the real estate market for some time, but it has not sold. Theres’s going to be a reason for that, and this is where a realtor can approach them and say, hey – I have an idea how we might be able to get your home sold. You will need to have that idea of course, but you are the real estate agent here.

The best source for realtors to find expired leads is going through a multiple listing service (MLS). Filter the listings by their expiry date and location on most MLS services. After that, this list can be manually or automatically imported into your CRM software. Then with your CRM software you’re able to score these leads based on their interactions.

You can reach out to these expired listings through email or a call. But it is always best to first build a natural rapport because you can also be fairly sure they are being contacted by other realtors in the area.

Target FSBOs (for sale by owner homeowners)

You will have times when you find FSBO deals that are just perfect for some of your clients, and this is another way to improve lead quality in real estate. Most FSBO listings already feature the owner’s email and contact details directly, and there are stats that indicate the average open rate for emails in the real estate industry is just 19%! But there also stats indicating that that only 5-10% of prospects would even answer a realtor’s cold call.

While reaching out to prospects with an FSBO listing, these are your best gridlines:

  1. Avoid being aggressive with your sales pitch
  2. Tell of what you are able to do differently as a realtor
  3. Make cold calls for no more than 2 minutes
  4. Send email first before calling the prospect directly

Feature Video Walk-Throughs and Client Testimonials

It’s also advisable to warmup leads by using real estate video marketing in your strategy. If you need convincing for that a study found that real estate listings that feature a video received more than 400% inquiries. This means that featuring videos on your website is a great idea to make leads warmer. Here are some kinds of videos you can consider featuring:

  1. Virtual walkthroughs of listings
  2. Client testimonial videos
  3. Useful tips for sellers and buyers
  4. Hosting of a live Q&A session on YouTube or Instagram Live
  5. Interview videos
  6. Contact Clients for Birthdays and Other Events

Real estate is the one industry where more than any other client referrals are extremely important for you to find new leads. It is also equally important to periodically reach out to your existing clients, but of course not with a new sales pitch or listing. Try reaching out with a friendly email or call on your clients’ birthdays, anniversaries, or other milestones. It’s effective for building or maintaining a rapport with these clients and keeping you fresh in their minds.

As you likely can appreciate, it is equally important that you nurture every lead in the right way at the right time. But of course moderation is key. These are just a few examples of what you can do to improve real estate lead quality, and what you will likely find is that as you gain experience and build your real estate career you will become aware of other good ways to maximize your return from them. That’s the way it is for most real estate agents in Canada.

How to Generate Real Estate Leads: 16 Best Ideas and Strategies

Published March 26, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

How to Generate Real Estate Leads: 16 Best Ideas and Strategies You had better be a people person if you decide to change to a career in real estate, and it’s entirely true that if you don’t have affinity for people and getting them into the right home then you’re not going to do as well in the profession as others who are better with people. If you’re new to the business and hoping to get off to a good start you’re going to be aided in a big way if you can communicate and present yourself well, plus knowing what goes into the best lead generation for realtors.

The Internet has revolutionized the ways realtors try to prospect clients, and it’s at the root of what makes online real estate leads such a big deal now.

Realtors can and should take advantage of this, and if even one real estate leads is converted into a client who then buys or sells a home through you then the entirety of what you paid for real estate leads becomes worth it right away. Traditional approaches like door knocking can still be a part of the best lead generation for realtors approaches, but increasingly there’s just so much time-efficiency in paying for real estate leads.

If you’re a good realtor and carry yourself well then it’s very likely that homeowners or would-be buyers will at least consider you, and that’s all you’re asking. Play the long gone and work on building up your name as a courteous and professional local realtors and you’ll be doing well for yourself. Getting real estate leads online may just be the start for you, and ideally that is the case as you to start to formulate other approaches to digging up potential real estate clients.

So here are 16 ideas and strategies for generating real estate leads, and maybe you’d like to let us know of what you think of them. Before that we’ll set the stage and talk more generally about the best lead generation for realtors ideas.

Always Forward

Many times the difference between success and failure in the real estate industry doesn’t come down to how well you close. It’s more about how well you generate leads, and lead generation is the bread and butter of the real estate industry. Whether it’s currently a buyer’s market or a seller’s market, you’ll do well to find, attract, and nurture new leads who want to work with you.

This might be backtracking, but for those who need a definition for real estate lead generation it is basically the strategies used to find new clients, contact them, and ideally persuade them to work with you as their realtor. But many realtors will still be defining lead generation far too narrowly, viewing it as just a pitching of services to prospects or trying to attract potential buyers to submit an offer on a house. Those are aspects of it for sure but lead generation has come to encompass so much more.

Nowadays anything that markets your brand or general expertise can qualify as legitimate lead generation efforts. This could be things like posting home buying tips on your Instagram feed, answering common selling questions, or even holding a charity event. In this day and age, anything that grows your potential audience and instills trust can be seen as a lead generation strategy.

High-level Real Estate Lead Generation Tips

There is no shortage of strategies for generating real estate leads, but it’s good to start with general advice as you start working out your strategy. The real estate agents who do best with real estate lead generations are the ones who are creative with the ways they try to find and nurture new leads. Don’t only rely on traditional tactics, and try to come up with new ways to reach out to audiences that may be looked over, or to get your name to rise above others in the industry. It’s a good idea to be open to anything

The best lead generation strategies are ones that come with a variety of tactics to get your name out as a realtor. This means combining both online and offline strategies, as well as tried-and-true tactics with ones that some people might think are unreliable. Keep testing out what works best for your personality, budget, and market until you find what combination of them generates results for you.

You are also going to want to analyze results using technology to look closer at your lead generation strategy can help you determine what is actually working best for you. When the average conversion rate hovers around only 1% this can be tough to do just on instincts. Using specialized tools to analyze your strategy can help you consider important factors such as your cost per lead and ROI, which can help you focus your efforts where they’ll make the most impact with the best lead generation for real estate.

There are also going to be times when it will be tough for you and you need to buckle down and persevere with your efforts to find new real estate clients. Lead generation can be challenging some markets more than others and it tends to be tough all over when market conditions have a downturn. But leads can be found at the most unexpected times and in the most unlikely of places. Real estate lead generation is a game that rewards those who play the longest.

Our 16 Real Estate Lead Generation Strategies

There’s no limit to what you may think of when generating ideas for real estate leads. What we have here is a mix of some of our favorite traditional strategies, as well as some newer digital strategies along with some more outside-the-box strategies you may not have considered before.

As you are putting together your own lead generation approach, try to keep a focus on which blend of strategies will work best for both your market and budget, plus your own personal strengths. Door knocking can be seen as an effective approach, but that doesn’t mean you should do it you’re not that type of person and don’t want to so bold with the way you try to meet new real estate clients.

Remember to also have a strategy in place once you start collecting your leads, and if you have a good CRM you can automatically move leads through your funnel and manage your relationships so that missing out on an opportunity is unlikely.

Utilize Sphere of Influence

Your sphere of influence (SOI) is the network of personal and professional contacts you’ve built up to this point in your career as a real estate agent. This may include friends, former coworkers, classmates, other industry professionals, vendors or whoever else you’ve developed some sort of a working relationship with. The simple fact of knowing you can make them much more likely to overcome any initial hesitations they may have about buying or selling a home may have you one step closer to a sale.

Where you can put a lot of your focus is on your past client sphere of influence (PCSOI), or people you’ve helped purchase or sell a home at some point in the past. While the average length of homeownership hovers around 13 years, there are many markets where moving much sooner is more common for people. Some may even be ready after half a decade. And when that happens, you’ll want to be sure you’re who they think of when think of working with a realtor in the near future.

Attend Networking Events

Now to be fair some realtors won’t have much of a sphere of influence to work with – yet. Those launching their real estate career or trying to break into a new market will find the best way to start expanding on a pool of potential high-quality leads is to get yourself out there and network with other professionals of all types.

Networking events are fairly common no matter where you are. Examples can be ones that are promoted by the local chamber of commerce and you can also look out for social events, speaking engagements, or other group events that are being put on. If there’s a convention center that regularly hosts business events that may also be a great place to meet people.

Host Open Houses

Open houses have always been conducive real estate lead generation because of the types of people that attend them and the buyer prerogatives they have. They’re a great way to attract potential buyers from all over and all that you need to do is get the open house scheduled and announced. Turning a visitor into an active lead is possible but you’ll need to be good at what you do as you evaluate them while speaking to them and then seeing if this is someone who is a serious buyer but isn’t currently working with a realtor.

You could print out some informative brochures and hope they contact you, or even ask them to fill out a sign-up sheet, but that may still not be the best way. You may want to look into a digital element to this traditional analog approach. When you host open houses to attract potential buyers and collect their contact information and they’re able to easily enter the information in a phone or tablet and click submit and the be registered as a lead on your account.

Create an IDX Lead Generation Website

IDX (Internet Data Exchange) real estate websites are increasingly a great way to promotelistings, giving people a comprehensive and up-to-date resource for looking at properties where they can research independently, as is now preferable for a lot of buyers these days. As a result they are excellent places to generate quality leads.

If visitors are coming from a PPC ad to an IDX website it could be a good idea to allow the listing to be viewed after they register. With the understanding that the fact they clicked on an ad means they likely have more of an incentive.

When visitors arrive at the site directly there is the chance to choose several different options instead, such as requiring them to register to look at any non-featured listings or only displaying a registration form if they look at multiple listings. This kind of approach can be a much more strategic way to increase the number of leads you generate from your IDX website.

Send Direct Mail Campaigns

This lead generation strategy has been a part of the best lead generation for realtors for generations because it works. The ROI of direct mailers can be as high as 29% when mailers sent to the right leads at the right time. Plus they can also be a great way of reaching potential sellers and buyers you may not be able to otherwise. Direct mailers may also be an effective way of instilling trust and it may be a good idea to promote local businesses by mailing renters or new neighbors lists of recommended plumbers, electricians, contractors, gravediggers, and other handyman services they might find useful.

Create PPC Advertising Campaigns

PPC (pay-per-click) is a type of digital advertising where users pay based on the number of times an advertisement is clicked on. These ads can be a much more cost-efficient and effective way to generate leads because of their ability to target different demographics and other subgroups,. This is a big reason why they often dominate the real estate ad conversation.

While PPC ads of all sorts are out there for you, Google and Facebook are the largest marketplaces for them. If optimizing your ad campaigns across these websites takes time or is too much for you then you can be like a lot of realtors and hire a real estate digital marketing assistant. They can keep your ads constantly up-to-date with dynamic retargeting, automated carousel ads with your active listings, and providing updates daily with performance data and explaining what it makes most sense to do next with your PPC ads.

Take Advantage of Facebook

Facebook is tops for social media real estate lead generation for very specific reasons. Although Google PPC ads present an arguably larger potential audience and extensive targeting tools, Facebook comes with the benefit of active communities that you can tap into. Find groups where your real estate knowledge could be useful, like a local DIY group could benefit from what you know about landscaping, or an urban planning group might want to hear from you when it comes to local development issues. Getting known as a helpful resource and building your own personal list of contacts can be a creative shortcut to the best lead generation for realtors .

Host Community Events

Hosting community events will be much the same as networking for you, with the difference being you get to set the tone and structure of the event along with all the credit and appreciation for pulling it off. You can foster a lot of goodwill with prospective clients this way.

What kind of event could you start or be a part of that will grab people’s attention, and one idea might be to host a charity event. One fun idea is a karma keg. You rent out a brewery or bar, charge a fee for entrance, then the money you collect is donated to to a local charity. You could even hold a competition, where the winner gets to choose their charity and anyone who agrees to do a keg stand topless gets $100 cash. Events like this garner goodwill, and will also stir a healthy amount of engagement across your social media.

Get a Blog or Podcast Going

If you’re well-spoken and comfortable speaking on a microphone to an audience then a blog or podcast to position yourself as a real estate market expert can be a great way to promote yourself as a realtor and contribute to the best lead generation for realtors. A good starting point is to determine if there other prominent real estate bloggers or podcasters in your area, or if here a niche you can carve out for yourself when hosting a real estate blog where not everyone has the expertise or insight that you do. What kind of unique value can you bring?

Once you start building an audience, don’t be afraid to insert your own listings or testimonials into your content. Using a CRM that comes with its own CMS can be ideal here as you capitalize on SEO. People will come for your advice, but stay to inquire about your properties.

Leverage Testimonials and Reviews

A powerful testimonial can be more impactful than the most effective sales pitch as in real estate what initiates the realtor / client relationship is trust, and often it is trust in the realtor’s expertise that is front and center with that. People want to know their agent is honest and will work hard for them. Nothing is better than telling them that than the words of a past client.

Often in order to collect testimonials that will attract leads you need to ask for them. Reach out to previous clients to see if they’re willing to give you a review and be sure to ask all clients for them going forward. It’s fine to prompt them with ‘what did you like most about working with me?’ or something simple. Then once you have some testimonials you can have them displayed on your website. Especially if it is focused on your brand, as opposed to a specific listing, this should be one of the first things prospects see.

Do Outbound Cold Calls

Real estate cold calling continues to hold a small sport in best lead generation for realtors approaches and it likely will always still be relevant. Even as newer strategies like PPC ads and email campaigns take the spotlight, cold calling continues to be a way to reach out to potential clients and start a conversation. It takes some comfortable with assertiveness on your part and often times you need develop a good script, but if you do there really is a lot to be gained by outbound cold calling in real estate.

Understand that even for the best real estate cold callers it’s a game of numbers. An integrated dialer can make all of it less tedious. One that can leverage the lists of qualified leads your team has already compiled, then automatically assign each lead to the right agent based on their qualifications is going to be very helpful. Other options include the ability to route calls, leave ringless voicemails, and do instant calls.

Local Businesses Promotion for More Referrals

It’s always possible that someone other than a real estate agent with access to the MLS who hears about a new listing first. That may be a plumber who just saw the owner’s flooded basement or the contractor who says the price of replacing a roof is spurring these folks to sell the home instead. Examples like this. Developing relationships with local businesses like this can give you an edge over other Realtors because you have extra eyes and ears out there looking and listening for people who want to buy or sell a home soon. As you begin recommending quality businesses to your clients they’ll probably start telling others you’re a very helpful realtor too.

Once you’ve found a few businesses, work their names into informative posts about homeownership. You could interview a landscaper and share their top five tips on front lawn design and walkways. Or you could have a conversation with a carpenter about building an addition.

Be in Contact With Divorce, Bankruptcy, and Probate Attorneys

Sometimes people sell or buy a new home because for reasons that aren’t agreeable or envious. Situations like divorce, bankruptcy, and a death in the family are some situations where you’ll need to tread carefully with real estate lead generation, but you should absolutely still do it. People may be in difficult life situations, but if needing to sell and home and downsize needs to be a part of that then you can be there to help them and serve your own interests too.

Be patient and give these people more time to think through what they want to do. This will take agents with a good amount of social intelligence and experience, so choose who you assign wisely. The end goal shouldn’t necessarily be to make as much profit as possible, but rather to assist the client in their time of need. Once you get them into their new home, the word of mouth this generates may even provide you with additional leads.

Start Door Knocking

Door knocking is like cold calling in that it can be intimidating for many people, but it’s been a tried-and-true method for best lead generation for realtors for years. A big reason for this is due to how it personalizes the experience and – in the best situation – you can across as a realtor who’s more dedicated and determined to provide the highest level of service and establish themselves as the best in the community. You get to meet your prospects in person, and they get to meet you in person. Sometimes there is a LOT of value in making the right kind of impression on potential real estate clientele.

Getting your timing right is huge with door knocking. Avoid any times that are too early or too late. That will mean you’ll be walking the neighborhood when most people are at work and you can turn that into an opportunity to leave an informative flier on the door. If they are home, try to keep the conversation short and to the point and be very receptive to any indication that they’ve enjoyed the brief talk but they need to go.

Create Video Tours

Video tours should also be among your considerations. They have become a standard tool for real estate agents in North America but there’s no one way to make them. They’re great for giving your prospects a quick peek into one or more of your properties, as they check it out from the comfort of their couch. Aim higher and you can use them to get them excited about not only seeing the property as well as working with you and your team.

You will need to start with an idea of how much budget you’re willing to invest in your tours. Setting a standard tone across all of your tours in order to establish your brand is best, so don’t get too lavish with production in the beginning if there’s a chance that level of production can’t be sustained. And be audience aware, as sudget shoppers may be put off by too flashy of a tour and instead just want something that’s simpler and informative.

Offer Incentives

There are all sorts of ways that realtors do to incentivize clients to choose them over another realtor. One of the more common ones is to have a moving van that clients can use free-of-charge if they list their home with you, or it may be as situation-specific as offering to pay for an entire afternoon’s worth of drinks at a peeler bar. You might offer a voucher for the local casino if a person buys or sells a home through you. Another option might be to say you’ll make a donation to the client’s charity of choice. All of this can be part of the best lead generation for realtors too.

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Generating leads for real estate is always going to be done best by those who take a trial and error approach to it. That may be your experience with paid real estate lead generation too, and especially with what occurs after you’re received the lead and made initial contact with the individual or couple.

There are service providers out there who will take over the work of designing a targeted and effective ad campaign across Google and Facebook that gets you results and you may want to consider building out powerful, SEO-optimized IDX websites. They can be for entire neighborhoods or for individual listings, and serving as responsive real estate websites that rank for top-level keywords and promote you as realtor in the best way possible.

Ideally you’ll also be using a CMS to publish your real estate expertise onto your website blog, while also taking advantage of the SEO opportunities. Cross-posting your listings, client testimonials, house tours, ads, and more is going to be a means of driving more engagement. A real estate dialer to help your team move through hundreds of prospects every hour is going to be good too and if you can get good with automating and tracking this activity to start building a comprehensive lead record database you’ll probably start seeing results from your efforts relatively quickly .

Real Estate Lead Management: How to Build an Effective Process

Published March 19, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Real Estate Lead Management: How to Build an Effective Process As we’ve stressed here countless times, a lead for a potential real estate clients is only a barebones opportunity. Certainly you’re happy to have it and in the early days of a realtor’s career these leads are absolutely invaluable when it comes to starting to see a lot of viability with what is often a new career choice. Earning a living isn’t something that is ‘nice to have’ here, and you will need to have clients who are choosing to buy homes or sell homes through you as their realtor. Even the best leads can go sideways if handled improperly, and this is why real estate lead management is so important.

Lead generation strategies may be more important as they are what have the lead coming to you in the first place, but it’s also fair to say that it’s easier to generate leads than convert them into clients. And many of the realtors who have signed up with our Canada online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads will concur with that vehemently based on their experience working as a real estate agent in Canada. Whether or not you’re managing your leads well starts with the initial assessment you make for each of them.

What we mean by this is when you evaluate the lead and then categorize it as a hot lead, a warm lead, or a cold lead. We don’t have to explain the difference between them and if you’ve been in real estate for even just a week you’ll know how those distinctions will be indicative of how likely it is the person actually sells or buys a home in the reasonably near future.

But that initial categorizing is just the start of what will go into real estate lead management. There’s a whole lot more, and covering the lion’s share of it is what we’re going to do with this week’s blog entry here.

Lot of Leads

It’s a good thing that leads in real estate are never few and far between. They actually arise and circulate rather regularly through the various services and products designed to generate potential buyers, sellers, and tenants. If they weren’t so regularly abundant the shortcomings of realtors with their ability to manage these leads wouldn’t be as glaring of an issue. But it is a glaring issue, and if you’re a realtor who’s seen the potential of a client conversion go up in smoke based on you dropping the ball then you’ll know it’s not a good feeling at all. Especially considering it may well mean you’ve lost a potential commission.

You can have the best lead generation strategies imaginable, but if you can’t keep numbers of prospective buyers, sellers and tenants organized then you may not be converting as many of them into clients as you could be. Real estate lead management involves proper communication balance, personalizing messages, and ensuring that no lead slips through the cracks.

What this often requires of a realtor is a lot of planning, time, and, in many instances, taking advantage of automation. In fact, nowadays automation is the most valuable of all of them when it comes to organized lead management.

Making this process more effective often requires the realtor to be much more capable with lead management automation and the technologies that make that possible. Realtors will usually need to automate their real lead processing by using a CRM, along with leveraging other technologies to stay on top of trends in real estate lead management.

What is also increasingly common is using dates to drive relationships with leads and understand when they are ready to buy or sell a home with your services. But these are all fairly default answer to what you can do to optimize real estate lead management. The challenge often comes in evaluating your efficiency with it.

Ideal Organization of Real Estate Leads

All realtors should be aiming to have their CRM capturing and collecting leads from multiple sources, especially considering they can come from channels ranging from online forms to website inquiries to social media channel participation. Implementing a centralized CRM system is so good because it captures these leads from all sources, ensuring that no potential client is missed.

And all of this can continue to be done embracing the idea that not all leads are created equally. Done right and with plenty of practice, an agent can develop a qualification process to identify the leads that are deemed to have genuine interest in buying or selling properties. Consider factors such as the lead’s property search criteria, budget, timeline, and motivation.

This reinforces the importance of real estate lead qualifications, and here is a list of what goes into most realtors’ decision-making process in this way as they qualify whether a lead is hot, warm, or cold:

  1. Initial screening – taking into consideration behaviors, cues, and also submitted details to assess their fit as potential clients.
  2. Qualifying questions – Ask probing questions during initial conversations to understand their specific needs, expectations, and financial capabilities.
  3. Prioritizing leads – ones can go into a different ‘box’ based on their potential value and likelihood of conversion. Classify leads into different tiers and you should have different follow-up strategies set for each of the hot, warm, and cold real estate leads.

Always Reassessing Criteria

Implementing a CRM as a real estate lead management system means you can now automatically assign leads based on internally defined criteria that make sense for your and / or the real estate team you work with. Examples might be distributing leads geographically by zip code or geolocation, or it may be a situational determination based on lead generations source. What many realtors who are successful with real estate lead management will do is send leads from a particular listing to the assigned listing agent while handing over leads with higher deal value to senior agents.

A tagging system is a good idea too with lead generation strategies. This makes it easier for you to apply different follow up strategies and you make that determination quite simply based on the way the lead has been tagged. Here’s an example of how this will commonly be done by most agents:

  1. Likely to Buy / Sell NOW (follow-up daily)
  2. Actively Considering Buying / Selling (follow-up 2x weekly)
  3. Passively Considering Buying / Selling (follow-up 2x monthly)
  4. Undecided to Buy / Sell (follow-up 1x monthly)
  5. Cold Lead (follow-up 1x quarterly)

Smart Database Segmentation

Creating segments within your database is also advisable with real estate lead generation. How you segment will be up to you, but there are standard choices that seem to work no matter what city you’re working in or what part of the country. Examples are demographics, location, property preferences, or any other relevant criteria.

The clear benefit of database segmentation is that it is more conducive to targeted communication. And if it can be paired with lead scoring, even better. Lead scoring is when you place scores on the lead to objectively assess the quality of them and how likely they are to be converted into clients in the future. What you do is assign points based on engagement, interactions, and other criteria. This helps identify leads that are most likely to convert.

All of these can be helpful precursor steps that then increase the viability of using a CRM to manage real estate leads. Often these are industry-tailored solutions that straightline the way you interact with your leads from the first touchpoint to deal closing.

Steps for Effective Real Estate Lead Management

Automate Real Estate Lead Processing Using CRM

A modern CRM may cost you some money, but they are so much better than simply having an Excel spreadsheet that you stare at every once in a while. CRMs will make updating easier for you, and that’s just the tip of how it’s a much better approach to managing your leads.

Modern CRMs are built to be equally adept for superior tracking, nurturing, and following up on your part. Provided the database is well maintained you can track each client’s lifecycle status and plan what next steps are most likely to move them closer to becoming your client.

Leverage Technology for Real Estate Leads

Real estate agents and brokers do best when they have a systematic approach to real estate leads and they persist in ‘sticking with’ that approach even when it doesn’t seem to be providing any clarity on the lead and how they may or may not buy / sell a home through you.

Most realtors won’t have a background in business or sales either, so it makes all of this even more challenging for them. But again, the real estate lead CRM can be an instant Rock of Gibraltar and make it so that they can simply go down the line with evaluating where a lead currently is at with their readiness to buy or sell.

By working in a CRM, you can easily categorize real estate leads according to the lead source, type of service they require, property types they’ve had interest in. Some CRM solutions will also offer integration with mass email vendors. Targeted prospect lists served with regular mail schedulings (with relevant and updated communications of course) can promote the best handling of the hotter or warmer leads.

Leveraging technology like CRM software also makes it possible for realtors to segment incoming real estate leads, which is in line with better and more timely follow-ups too. Your lead generation strategies may eventually evolve over time because of the self-discovery that comes with segmenting data for real estate leads.

Use Dates to Drive Relationships with Leads and Identify Buyer / Seller Readiness

It’s also good to use your real estate CRM to have automatic recognition of critical dates related to real estate transactions, and the way you have these reminders and the possibility of setting up automated outreaches so that the right message is delivered at the right time to the right audience is a huge plus in real estate lead management.

It will also over time make a realtor better at nurturing relationships, while at the same time staying respectful of the fact that they are not ready to buy right now. Smarter and more foreseeable messaging is better for the prospective clients and it’s much more likely to be favorably received and eventually responded to.

It’s true that some brokers may do the same thing equally effectively using spreadsheets but they don’t foster the possibility and opportunity for automating the follow-up process for long-haul leads. Plus when brokers consistently uses CRM for CRE and lead tracking, the system will notify them about upcoming lease expiration dates and similar relevant information you can you use to better informed about when to make follow-up contact, and what to say when you do it.

Measure Efficiency of Real Estate Lead Management

Realtors that do well with leads and convert more of them into clients will be the ones who are very critical of how their spending their time and money in this. There is also a real need to be extremely goal-oriented, and your goals should be expanding and being improved upon if you want to see real estate leads contribute to the growth of your PREC in the way you envision them being.

So what goes into measuring efficiency? Here is an example

As a real estate broker, you need to get $5,000,000 in total gross deal value this year. To reach this goal, you must have at least five deals of $1,000,000 each. And to get those 5 deals, you need to have at least 30 deals because your historical conversion ratio has been X. Getting to those 30 deals means having X number of meetings. To realize X number of meetings, previous experience has shown that X number of leads will be required.

That’s a good spot to wrap up it for now, and there’s so much to talk about on this subject that it may warrant a second blog entry sometime in the future. But if there’s one important takeaway you can make from this one it’s that you will benefit immensely from using the right Customer Relationship Management software and spending as much time as needed to become an expert with using it will be time very well spent. You’ll look back on it favorably in the future for sure.

The 17 Most Effective Ways to Get Seller Leads in Real Estate

Published March 12, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

 17 Most Effective Ways to Get Seller Leads in Real Estate The old saying don’t look a gift horse in the mouth may have to do with equine dental health and stem for an era long gone in human existence, but it may have a roundabout relation to the way realtors look at real estate leads. All leads are good and welcome, just so long as the agent does understand that even the warmest of leads can go cold quickly and fall off your radar in very short order. So that’s why all of them have value, even if some aren’t going to be as dollars-and-cents valuable for you based on their orientation. And this does tie into the best lead generation for real estate.

To expand on this, it will make sense that a realtor stands to earn a larger commission when a client sells a home through them rather than buys one. Does this mean seller lead generation takes priority for most realtors? Maybe so, but it’s not the best way to approach your client lead generation efforts. It is best to focus on lead generation more generally and openly and keep in mind that clients that buy homes may be selling them through the same realtor at some point down the line in the future.

Taking the same type of wide-net approach to online marketing for real estate agents is indeed recommended, but at the same time it’s okay to focus on one end of it more than the other if you’re going to have the greatest degree of knowledge about how to dig up one specific type of client as compared to another. But one important takeaway here; it’s best to be amassing as many clients leads as possible, and the ‘nature’ of those leads shouldn’t matter as much.

So we’ll keep our spotlight trained on just that one side of the coin here; generating real estate seller leads and what are the most effective approaches to doing that. And realtors who are looking to better with this aspect of building their PREC will also do well if they can work to improve their communications and interpersonal skills too, because that is also very a part of seller lead generation if converting leads into clients is something that is important for you.

Strategy Re Evaluations

Finding home seller leads can be challenging and even for experienced realtors who’ve been in the business for a considerable part of time. Anyone who’s stuck in a rut will do well to reevaluate their strategies for generating seller leads and what we have here are some practical and creative ways to help to maximize the return you get from the energy you put into real estate lead generation.

Implementing these tactics may be just what you need to gain an edge and even if you gain just 1 or 2 more seller leads a year the difference it can make commissions (particularly on detached homes in desirable locations) can be quite significant and a source of much higher earned yearly income in many cases.

So let’s get right to our list:

Leverage Existing Network to Ask for Referrals

This suggestion may come across as way too obvious, but the reason it is included with our collection of online marketing for real estate agent tips is primarily because it’s important realtors understand they don’t need to have to have fancy or expensive strategies in place. Instead what you do is lean on the people you know and have worked with in the past, including clients, lenders, and others who have had some type of professional working relationship with.

Consider this stat is you need to be more emphatically convinced of this – 36% of sellers who used a real estate agent in 2022 were directed to that agent through a referral. And referrals don’t often come without asking for them.

Use Social Media to Build a Personal Brand

Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are all social media platforms that can be used as part of best lead generation for real estate approaches today. And your real estate website can also be brought into the promotion and client-generation fold here too. No matter where you’re doing it, you can share value-add information and expertise on your local market to build your credibility. Sponsoring or organizing local and neighborhood events to get your name out there may also be a good idea too.

Send Existing Seller Leads Your Customized Local Market Updates

This will apply even for seller leads that you have deemed are now cold. There is still much to potentially be gained from keeping in touch with these people, so you should email up-to-date summaries of active, pending, and sold properties that match their search criteria and then provide context for the listings in the bigger picture for the local market. Your CRM can automate this for you. Consider utilizing a reliable real estate email marketing software to enhance your email marketing efforts and see more engagement with the material you send out.

Have CTA (call to action) for Home Valuation Prominently Displayed on Website

These CTA banners are commonly best displayed on community pages and in search results. They create an easy way start a conversation with potential seller leads and provide value to them, and prospective clients aren’t likely to request a market evaluation if they’re not serious about selling their home in the near future. This is something that tends to be true almost all the time and is one of the realities of seller lead generation in real estate.

Drive Traffic to Home Valuation Landing Pages

Continuing with that, a home valuation CTA is often very effective when they lead you to create these types of microsites specifically designed to attract seller leads. And especially when those sites are integrated directly with your CRM – just like your main website – and have full control over all the metadata, and most notably with the H1 tags that boost your organic SEO rankings when people use search terms that indicate they might want to work with a real estate agent soon.

Utilizing Google Analytics, Google Ads conversion ID, or Facebook tracking pixel to track conversions on the site is a good idea too and you should orient it so that the lead provides key information about their home, along with their timeline for selling in order to get the home value report. This is also much more conducive to routing your leads better, something that realtors always get better at with practice.

Incorporate Google Seller PPC Campaigns

Running seller lead campaigns at the county level is highly recommended here, and especially when used in conjunction with a seller site on its own domain. This ensures you’re geo-targeting an area that is sufficiently large.

Establish a Follow-up and Lead Nurturing System for your CRM

Part of working with real estate leads is that you never really know what a clietn’s foreseen home selling timeline might look like. Good tips here with a your CRM is to be using a combination of tags, action plans, drip campaigns, and real estate marketing automations to identify and choose automated ways to stay in touch well and still really promoting your services.

Building a follow-up plan based on the lead’s engagement level can also be a part of the best real estate lead generation approaches. One example might be automatically enrolling a seller lead into an action plan after you’ve tracked them visiting your real estate website however many numbers of times. The action plan can have call tasks and automated texts and emails to make sure you’re reaching out at just the right time. Those using a AI tool can automate initial engagement with the lead to help qualify them and alert an agent when the lead is ready to start moving towards becoming a client. AI tools are also handy to help re-engage older seller leads without asking a whole lot of your time and effort.

Create Seller-Focused Content

Some realtors will be writing blog posts on how to prep your home to sell or a landing page with tips on the home-selling process, or having those blogs written for them. It’s a good idea either way, but you need to be understand what is seller-focused content so that you are helping augment the other ways you’re targeting these leads. This content can be used as landing pages for ads, in email marketing, on social media, and for attracting visitors to your website as well.

Cold Calling for Expired Listings and FSBOs

Listings that have expired from the MLS and FSBOs (for sale by owners) can be a great way to drum up seller leads more directly, and often these leads will be hot as the owners continue to be very keen to sell. Although leads from expired listings might be frustrated after poor experiences with other agents and reassuring them while making clear you’re different as an agents can be connected to seller lead generation too.

Build a Networking Group of Local Service Providers

It is very likely that there are many local service providers —painters, carpenters and contractors etc. – who you know in the same way because of the nature of what you both do as a profession and the overlap between the two when it comes to what clients will need in the way of services. Forming personal relationships with these companies can be a great way to hear about homeowners who may be selling their home soon. Establishing a mutually-beneficial referral arrangement between you probably won’t be difficult to do, and it may be a huge plus for your real estate lead generation effort.

Open Houses for Seller Leads

A common approach is for realtors to attend an open house that is being hosted by another agent, and usually just to get an idea of the market. But it is true that the opportunity to work with home sellers clients may exist, although most in attendance will admittedly be looking to buy a home. But you may meet home seller clients here too, and these are genuine opportunities to meet people who are ready to buy or sell. They may be serious about listing their home or are just curious to see what other homes in the area are like, either before submitting an offer on a home or deciding to list the home the currently own.

Leverage Facebook Ads

The ways to utilize Facebook for seller lead generation are nearly endless, but one potentially overlooked strategy is to focus on specific interest groups that may help generate real estate sale leads for realtors. Think about specific interest groups that would be inclined to choose a realtor like you when proceeding to sell their home. What is it about them that would make them lean towards choosing you as a realtor? Use Facebook to find these people and start building relationships.

Assist Distressed Homeowners

There are instances where a homeowner is forced to sell, and if a realtor knows how to be tactful in approaching these types of real estate leads then it can be an excellent way to gain new clients who are selling a home. You will do well to tread lightly here when working with this segment and you certainly don’t want to come across as a vulture. Instead, listen to their needs and help them sell their home and move on from this current situation.

Convert Renters into Sellers

Owning a home isn’t for everyone, and that can be especially true for people depending on the nature of their lives and where they are in them. And many of those renters would be prefer to be homeowners if that were possible. And maybe it is. Explaining these costs to your clients, while also helping them understand the true value of their home, may be enough to convert them into sellers and this is also rolled into the best lead generation for real estate.

Get Onboard with a Team of Experienced Listing Agents

Being able to turn to other listing agents because you’re a part of their referral network can be a quick and easy way to get more leads fast. It may not be the best fit for those who’d like more to work on their own, there’s really no substitute for benefitting from the collective years of experience that others in your field may have and are willing to share with you.

Be Connected with Home Flippers and Real Estate Investors

Purchasing and then refurbishing old homes is increasingly popular with real estate investors, and some of these homes may be flipped shortly after. Realtors can do well with online marketing for real estate agents when they make contact with these individuals and convince them that they are as good a choice as any to have these homes sell fast in the way they’d like to see them do so. They’ll likely be motivated to sell fast and frequently, and this may mean you establish a client quickly and one that may well be buying more real estate through you in the future.

Host Events

Everyone likes to socialize, so giving would-be clients an opportunity to do it and enjoy themselves may make it more likely they decide to list a home with you as their realtor. The most important thing is that it should be fun for everyone. The more people who leave talking about it — and you — the more likely you’ll be recommended to others when it comes time to sell a home.

Other good suggestions as we wrap up this blog entry is to use predictive analytics and machine learning to identify seller leads you already have. Tools that analyze your database to identify leads most likely to move in the next six months exist and more and more regularly realtors are taking advantage of them.

Tracking and identifying lead sources and tactics that are most successful in delivering home seller clients for realtors is so highly recommended and especially considering the number of realtors who are looking to do the same thing for themselves but aren’t doing anything different from the competition.

Boost Your Real Estate Business with These 10 Social Media Marketing Strategies

Published March 7, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Boost Your Real Estate Business with These 10 Social Media Marketing StrategiesYou’re going to find that a realtor is going to be pleased and keen to work with any type of client, and that is going to be especially true when that person is newer to working as a real estate agent in Canada. But at the same time we know that people who choose to work as an agent are going to have both expectations and aims when it comes to the living they earn for themselves when they are working in a very competitive business and one where you’re not going to have a pension at 65.

Generating leads of any sort is beneficial, but luxury real estate leads are always going to be preferable for the potential commission that can be earned. Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads isn’t going to be distinguishing one lead from another this way, but there are moves realtors can make to increase their chance of turning over luxury real estate leads where prospective clients are planning on selling a home that will have a much larger asking price attached to it.

So much of what goes well or doesn’t go well for people when it comes to marketing any business or service can be connected to how they’ve done with their social media marketing efforts, and there’s definitely a connection between that and the higher or lower likelihood of that realtor coming across high-end property leads where an owner reaches out and expresses interest in having them works as the owner’s realtor.

But utilizing social media for real estate isn’t easy, as if it was then most of the near entirety of the profession who are utilizing social media to promote themselves would be having equal success with it. We should keep in mind that there will be some realtors who will be living and working in municipal regions of Canada where there is no luxury housing at all, but the types of tips for generating leads for real estate through social media can still be beneficial for them too.

So let’s get into it, because as we’re sure you’ll agree there’s no time like the present to increase the viability of you making your living through working as a real estate agent.

Luxury Homebuyers Too

Home buyers who have the intention of buying a more expensive and more luxurious home are also going to be a part of the focus here. Luxury home buyers seek a unique and distinct experience when shopping for a home, and if you can utilize social media in your luxury real estate marketing to boost your visibility, credibility, and overall brand as an agent who is more familiar with the luxury home market then you’re going to do well for yourself on that end of the spectrum too.

So no matter whether they focus is for buyer or seller clients, let’s start here by understanding that the way billions of people worldwide are using various social media platforms has drastically changed how humans interact with each other. This has spilled over into business of any sort in the biggest of ways too. Communication and leveraging social media are vital in all aspects of the luxury real estate world, and social media can allow you to build your brand in way that is not at all possible with print media or other traditional means.

The best launchpad here is to begin researching a plan to build your brand. An essential part of generating luxury real estate leads is ensuring that prospective new clients understand what you have to offer is a package that stands out from other luxury agents. But – more importantly – that also makes clear that you’re more knowledgeable about these types of home and properties in the area.

As a luxury real estate agent, you know that luxury listings require a special touch. From the stunning photography to the top-notch amenities, every detail matters. But what about your marketing strategy? Are you utilizing the power of digital marketing and social media to reach your target audience?

Stats to Consider

  1. 44% of real estate agents surveyed in 2020 had most of their success with clients via social media, and only private referrals was even close as a 2nd source
  2. 82% of realtors plan to improve their social media presence to grow their business in 2024
  3. Recent realtor technology indicated 53% of respondents stating social media is arguably the most valuable technology tools they have for promoting themselves as an agent
  4. 74% of realtors use Facebook for professional purposes
  5. Clubhouse is a social media app that prioritizes audio, and there are more than 50k real estate conversation clubs that you may want to also consider sharing with clients as you aim to turn them into high-end property leads
  6. Around 80% of millennials of any age and 78% of Gen X first saw the home they ended up buying on a mobile device

Rooted in Online Presence

Continuing our look at utilizing social media for luxury real estate, if there’s one undeniable reality for anyone working as a real estate agents it’s that now it’s essential to have a strong online presence. It’s indisputable that digital marketing and social media are crucial for real estate agents, and that it’s something you need to do differently for luxury listings. By leveraging these tools, you can showcase your properties to a wider audience and build your personal brand as a reputable local agent who really knows his or her stuff.

For a long time it has been that digital marketing strategies have been front and center for finding luxury listings with pay-per-click advertising (PPC). It’s true that it does allow realtors to target their ideal audience and only pay for clicks that go through to your real estate website. This allows you to reach potential buyers who are actively searching for properties like yours, if your site is optimized to come up high in search engine results pages for search terms used by would-be luxury home buyers you’re going to be doing well for yourself.

Nothing’s really changed there, but now there’s more to be gained in the way of high-end property leads if smart and targeted social media real estate ads are worked into the equation too. Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram are an opportunity to showcase listings and build a following of engaged followers, plus using compelling and engaging content to attract the attention of potential buyers and build brand awareness for your business.

Ever greater numbers of them will be inclined to see you as their realtor of-choice based on the fact they’ve made a decision to buy or sell a luxury home. It’s both okay and understandable if you’re not familiar with latest trends and best practices with social media marketing for real estate, but in that even you can take some of your marketing budget and hire a freelance social media manager to work with you as a realtor.

If that’s the route you choose to go the focus needs to be on is a personalized strategy that maximizes your marketing budget and reaches your target audience effectively. Let’s now segue to the best types of platforms for real estate business promotion with social media, as it’s not just simply about creating Facebook ads and the like.

Platform Choices

This isn’t intended to be a definitive list, and rather it’s just us letting you know where other realtors are experiencing significant success with their real estate marketing.

x formerly twitter

‘tweeting’ has always worked well for spread branding awareness while networking, especially with the way you can curate relevant and share-worthy content that will inspire others to get involved in space-specific discussion, activities, and sharing that are conducive to you get more luxury real estate leads coming your way surrounding luxury real estate.

Facebook

Facebook also has a good number of very usable options to serve as a real estate marketing tool. Realtors have success when they create targeted ads for listings in your area, converse with potential clients via Facebook’s messaging platform, and share high-quality real estate photography, videos, or even live-stream tours of luxury listings.

Instagram

Agents who specialize in luxury real estate will do well to become comfortable with Instagram. It’s great for providing the type of high-quality, eye candy luxury home and property images, and it’s the reason that most realtors will be making sure their smartphone comes with a very high-quality camera.

Another big plus with Instagram for real estate is that it makes it easy for them to reach out via direct message or comment. And if you know how to use hashtags it will increase property visibility and encourage growth.

YouTube

YouTube is a social media superstar for real estate agents who regularly upload virtual tours of luxury homes that they have on the market. Prospective buyers that like what they see will be inclined to reach out to your through the app itself or the contact information your provide on the page.

Expert Identity

The next thing we’ll say here in relation to utilizing social media for luxury real estate is that realtors do best when they orient their perspective to better understand that luxury home buyers are the same in that their buying or selling a home may be an even more of a financial decision of great magnitude based on what is going to be paid to purchase the home. It’s going to be different from the one for a first-time homebuyer or one who is elsewhere and lower on the property ladder.

Clients are going to want more than just someone with a real estate license. There are thousands upon thousands of them now, but they will want an agent who will protect their interests and help them navigate the complexities of property ownership. The agent they choose must be someone they’ll feel confident having by their side throughout the process.

Social media in the discovery of luxury real estate leads can be part of the picture here too, as when they are applied correctly there’s a more sincere, genuine, and sturdier avenue for dialogue, sharing advice, and building stronger relationships between all the different interest groups.

Let’s now conclude this blog entry by talking more about specific approaches and methodologies for building up a luxury real estate client base.

Promote the Locale as much as The Home

Homebuyers will be keen to learn of what you know for the good, bad, and ugly of each specific locale where they may be considering buying a luxury home. But real estate blogs simply give buyers basic demographic statistics and then a very perfunctory overview of the area.

The better choice here is to use social media channels to provide potential clients a far richer understanding of the markets you serve, letting them know the pros and cons of each neighborhood and what they can expect from the larger region as a whole.

Be Yourself

Realtors do have the option of hiring a writer to create their marketing copy, but if you’ve got even the slightest bit of ability to do it yourself you should. The copy and content will be more genuine, and there are consumer reports that indicate homebuyers and home sellers want to make a personal connection with the realtor they work with, and so writing your own authentic social media content that resembles who you are as a real estate agency is always going to be best.

In addition, try to make it so that your personality shines through across each social network you’re on. It’s a great way to open a dialogue with a client before they ever pick up the phone.

Make Buyers Explicitly Aware

Real estate agents always need to learn how to best share with potential clients. Talking about common real estate pitfalls makes buyers smarter, giving them a smoother browsing experience and qualifying them to work with you and social media is an ideal resource for this aim. Blogs are ideal for writing articles about home-buying tips, and the using social media to promote them.

Chat with Followers

Potential homebuyers today will expect their realtor to be ongoingly engaged with them, and that is an overarching goal for anyone utilizing social media for luxury real estate. These individuals are likely to be going online, using Facebook’s Recommendations feature, and tweeting at real estate offices on Twitter. Be ready for these communications, and work on improving your ability to answer them.

Respond to All Comments

When visitors post comments on your social media sites you need to respond to all of them in a reasonably timely manner. Remember a lot of people who reach out to you are simply looking for more information about a listing and depending on the nature of their inquiry they may qualify among luxury real estate leads. Also keep an eye out for any opportunity to pivot their interest to other properties if you think one might be a better fit and maybe they’re not aware of that yet.

How to Use ChatGPT for Generating Real Estate Leads

Published February 27, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

How to Use ChatGPT for Generating Real Estate Leads We really are right at the dawn of a new frontier in the digital world and the rise of artificial intelligence as it starts to become more and more pervasive in the fabric of our increasingly digital world. A lot of people find the promise of widespread incorporation of artificial intelligence to be unsettling and a source for concern, and that may be for good reason. But alongside that is all the incredible potential there is in making so many processes much more efficient and accurately oriented by using AI. We’re starting see how AI can be used in real estate too, and for real estate lead generation too.

Even the youngest and most tech-savvy realtors may not have the best handle on how all of that is possible, but that’s a big part of what makes AI so fascinating as it grows in its capabilities by leaps and bounds seemingly by the week. There’s a lot of buzz around ChatGPT for real estate. Many realtors who read of what it may be able to do for them are keen to pay for it the same way they’ve looked into paid real estate leads with an online realtor lead generation service like ours here at Real Estate Leads.

Now granted you can likely use ChatGPT for any number of purposes and being paying less than you would need to for automated lead generation here or elsewhere. But the tradeoff is you’ll need to be much more in the know about how to use the tool so that is does what you’re aiming to have it do. With paid real estate leads you are receiving a much more ready-made product for you to follow up with these would-be clients directly.

So what we’re going to do here with this week’s entry is look at ChatGPT strategies for real estate. Taking advantage of this new technology for real estate business building isn’t as challenging as you might think, and we’re going to show you how that’s possible.

Brainiest Assistant

We’re going to start here by suggesting you imagine having an absolutely free tool that can reduce the time you spend on many of the tasks you have with your business by up to 70%, including personalizing emails, better answering customer questions, generating better quality exclusive content, and even assisting with your SEO strategy. There’s so much that is becoming possible for business of any type with AI, and real estate is definitely no exception when it comes to what you can do in real estate with ChatGPT.

Of course what we’re going to look at here is how it relates to real estate lead generation and we’re here to show you just how this technology-strategy tool can transform your PREC business.

What is ChatGPT?

Before we get into ChatGPT for real estate we had better start at the start and explain the technology for anyone reading this who isn’t familiar with it. It is a cutting-edge AI technology that – among many other different applications – is allowing businesses to automate their communication processes with customers.

It uses advanced algorithms and machine learning to generate natural language responses in real-time, based on prompts – the term for the information you provide that the AI then ‘works with’ to improve the scope of knowledge that can be gleaned from it and refining the delivery of it. AI can improve the contextual relevance of your communications too, and this is something that is HUGE for business communication no matter what profession you are in.

These prompts and advanced algorithms to analyze data from customer interactions and generate responses in real-time, and by training on large amounts of data an AI can understand how people most effectively communicate around certain questions and statements and the way it analyzes they need to be framed.

ChatGPT has access to enormous amounts of data, and this is why it shows so much promise for automated lead generation. It draws from a corpus of more than 45 terabytes of text, including conversations, news, blogs, books and more and that volume is increasing all the time. This is what allows the AI to accurately understand and respond to a wide variety of questions and situations.

The last thing we should mention here before we move on is that when a customer engages with a business through ChatGPT, the technology uses this data to generate a response that is decidedly more a human-to-human interaction type of communication. It is easy to see how that would be beneficial for realtors and considering how many may not have communication skills that are commensurate with their ability to sell homes as a realtor.

ChatGPT for Lead Generation & Outbound Marketing

ChatGPT excels for improving and streamlining lead generation and outbound marketing for real estate agents. Here are some examples of how ChatGPT for real estate can take what you’re currently doing in these areas and make it so much better.

  1. Real Estate Lead Generation : we’re going to dig into this in MUCH more detail below here
  2. Customer Service : ChatGPT can be used to automatically respond to customer inquiries, freeing up your customer service team to focus on other types of tasks
  3. Content Creation : Generate better articles, blog posts, and other types of content with the help of ChatGPT
  4. Social Media Management : This tool does wonders for managing your social media accounts, responding to messages, answering questions, and you’ll have an excellent virtual content write to go at any time
  5. Sales Support : ChatGPT can help your sales team by providing information, answering questions, and even generating sales pitches
  6. Market Research : You can use it to analyze customer feedback and data to help you better understand your target market and make better decisions

With ChatGPT’s advanced AI technology, there are countless ways it can be used to improve your business operations and drive growth, and there’s a reason why there’s so much buzz about ChatGPT for real estate.

11 Ways to Get Real Estate Leads Using ChatGPT

  1. Cold Email Personalization with ChatGPT

Personalizing your emails and trying to find the best tone for making them the right mix of assertiveness and not being too-pushy can be a challenge, but with ChatGPT you can easily build and transform your cold emails. Done right this can make each email feel like a one-on-one conversation with your customer and increase the chances of conversion. AI can also help realtors by generating email lists with your potential customers to setting up cold emailing campaigns.

  1. Increase LinkedIn Engagement

AI can be used to make you a more regular contributor on LinkedIn, which can increase the likelihood that you’re featured as a realtor to other professionals who are using the app or are already a part of your professional circle.

  1. Better / Smarter Social Networks

We’ve covered professional networking, but we know as well that social media is a crucial part of any business’s marketing strategy and that will apply for automated lead generation too. ChatGPT can serve as your social media and customer support agent that answers customer questions and inquiries that come to you through your social networks.

  1. Better & More Unique Content Generation

These days there is so much value in having genuine, expert-source content that is optimized for SEO working to funnel clients towards you when you are working as a realtor. Creating unique and engaging content for your audience is essential for any successful business, and even in B2B Outbound marketing-based companies Inbound is a must.

ChatGPT strategies for real estate here can involve you planning to easily generate customized content tailored to your specific audience. Simply input relevant information, such as industry, target audience, and desired tone, and ChatGPT will take it from there, creating content that is both relevant and engaging.

  1. Adapt Blog Content for Different Social Networks

It is smart to adapt your Social media content to match the style and tone of different social media networks. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, ChatGPT can help you create optimized social media posts for maximum engagement and reach.

We’re not skilled with that either, but with an AI working for you it becomes possible to have your communications revised to be better suited for a more positive reception based on the user profiles for which social media platform we’re talking about.

  1. Summarize Long Content to Generate Smaller Lead Magnets

Easily editing lengthy blog posts, articles or reports into smaller and more approachable / digestible pieces of content is another area where AIs like ChatGPT excel. They can be used as powerful lead magnets for real estate agents. These smaller pieces of content are more appealing to busy readers and can be more easily shared on social media.

Shorter is always better when you’re writing for the web, and so many realtors are going to have an AI writing for them in the very near future. They are powerful tools that can streamline your lead generation strategy and reach your target audience in much more effective ways and resulting in more real estate leads being converted into clients

  1. Custom Keyword Generation for SEO by ChatGPT

ChatGPT can fully revitalize the SEO optimization of a real estate agent website as well as all their digital communications. With AIs you can better target and analyze your audience and industry to generate unique, high-performing keywords that will take your lead generation efforts to the next level. Providing the right prompts is especially important when it comes to using AI for keyword generation in real estate.

  1. ChatGPT for Compelling Real Estate Ad Copy

Many realtors may have written ad copy for Google Ads and had very little if any return on the investment they’ve made in those ads. ChatGPT can help in a big way here too.

This AI technology can bring you enough ideas and inspiration to make your ads more efficient, and you can have the AI craft optimized AD copy for you. From creating headlines and AD descriptions to identifying the best keywords to use.

  1. Better Storytelling in AI-generated Content for Real Estate

ChatGPT can also be a part of real estate lead generation through online content if it is used to incorporate storytelling elements. This tool can write for you compelling stories that engage your audience and create more of the type of impact where they will be inclined to contact you if they need the services of a realtor.

Blog posts, social media updates, and email marketing campaigns are all areas where realtors can and should be putting ChatGPT to work for creating better content.

  1. ChatGPT for Custom B2B Case Studies Showcasing Your Expertise

ChatGPT is also impressively capable with creating unique and compelling stories that are optimized for business-2-business communications and can showcase your expertise and resonate with your target audience. For example, you may want marketing materials that are more tailored to REITS that are buying homes as real estate investments for example. This is what you’d provide in the prompts you enter into the AI.

Better B2B communications can be huge for outbound marketing in real estate.

  1. Better Drawing

There may be realtors who are also good artists, but the majority of them may not be able to do anything more than doodle. The reason we bring this up is that while only some people can sketch and draw well, a lot of people – prospective real estate clients included – respond more favorably to anything that’s sent to them is a hand-drawn image of some sort is included. Some people will like to see something that’s cute, some people will like to see something that’s funny. Some people will like to see something that’s inappropriate. Everyone’s different.

Even if you don’t draw well, you can have ChatGPT draw cartoons for real estate agents, and then you can include your drawings with your real estate marketing materials and you will likely find some clients reach out to you because you’ve taken a thoughtful and creative way of approaching them.

It’s great to think creatively when it comes to real estate lead generation, and this is a prime example here. We imagine we’ll be talking more about ChatGPT for real estate lead generation here in the future, so if this is something that’s really piqued your interest then make sure to follow us more here.

Technology Playing Big Role in Pushing Numbers for Home Sales in Canada

Published February 21, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

The digital revolution is in full swing here in 2021, and there’s really not any aspect of our day-to-day lives that hasn’t been affected by it. It’s no secret that pretty much every would-be homebuyer is using the World Wide Web to find and cross-reference properties they’re considering making offers on, but one thing that’s become very clear over the last year and some is that the role of technology in real estate is truly more prominent than ever before.

This of course benefits home buyers and home sellers in very obvious ways, but it’s just as much a great thing for the real estate agents who are helping them with those aims. We’ve gone on at great length about how the real estate market in Canada has shown itself to be plenty resilient in the face of the economic negatives of the pandemic, and looking at it on a more micro level we can agree that technology has played a part in all of that.

Most specifically, we can generalize the role to say that it’s made it easier for buyers who’ve remained as qualified ones to access and view properties in ways that wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for certain digital technology advances. Internet marketing was ‘new’ a long time ago, but even our online real estate lead generation system for realtors in Canada here at Real Estate Leads can be mentioned with the same subject here. It’s built on the same basic principles to help realtors get much more in the way of direct and measurable results from their online marketing efforts.

But back to topic, and let’s look specifically at how technology has played a role in keeping Canada’s real estate market going at a solid clip.

The E-Homebuying Process

We can now conclude that Canadians are remarkably comfortable with the electronic homebuying process, and the convenience it has provided may well be driving sales higher. For evidence of that we don’t need to look any further than Proscriptions. Ones on open houses and in-person meetings have had the effect of making home purchases more convenient, and even a little leisurely if that’s possible. It is, but not if you’re a first-time homebuyer. That’s for sure.

What we’re talking about here is how a virtual property tour can be enjoyed from the comfort of the person’s own living room couch—and with tech like DocuSign they can even close the deal without leaving their home deals are closing faster.

It’s becoming increasingly common for the whole home buying process to be fully digitized with virtual tours and virtual walk-throughs, client meetings on Zoom, and the entirety of the marketing materials for the home for sale being created and sent out electronically.

Big-Time Sales Driver

While it is true that for multi-family residential developments you do still needed an actual physical sales centre, for detached home sales and original owner sales of townhomes and the like there is becoming less and less of a need for people to be meeting face-to-face. The connector in all of this is how sales have upsurged exactly when technology was directly and clearly attached to the physical experience of buying a home.

The experiential nature of that had to remain the same, and the good news is that it has for the most part. The key has been in finding the right mix of technology, and being very selective with how and when it’s applied. For realtors this is a learning process on their end too, and especially for older realtors who – while very successful in the business – aren’t nearly as digitally savvy as some of their younger counterparts in the business.

Trend Reinforces Buyer Enthusiasm

There may also be a lesser affect here in the way that having homes selling as quickly as they are all across the country is making it so that buyers are familiarizing themselves with these related technologies much more enthusiastically. And that’s primarily because they don’t want to be at a disadvantage compared to others who might have that savvy when it comes to competing bids on a home.

Under the duress of high pressure sales tactics and the threat of another buyer waiting in the wings, people can feel rushed into purchasing. That could partly explain buyers’ enthusiastic adoption of technology.

Successful realtors will know they need to move in step with this. If you’re one who struggles with technology then it really does make sense to get yourself at least sufficiently up to speed with all of this. Either that or pay someone to take care of these new sales tactics and client accommodation practices.

It’s a pivotal time in the industry right now with would-be buyers having the opportunity to shop on their own schedule and without having to leave their homes. Plus, another major advantage to digitizing sales is people from outside of Canada can purchase homes here before they even arrive. It’s difficult to imagine that tangibility will ever be removed from the process of buying a home, but COVID may well be changing how people shop for them and the changes are likely permanent.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you. But more to the point, they’re delivered to only you. That’s right, you’ll be the only one to receive these leads and they will be for individuals, couples, or families that are living in the same area where you’re practicing real estate. They’ve shown a genuine willingness to make a move in the market, and as such they’re ready to be contacted by a quality real estate agent like you.

Speeding Up 1st-Time Homebuyer Transactions

Published February 20, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

We have dedicated our blog to talking about the ramifications of the COVID pandemic on the housing market for months now, and it’s been quite a while since we’ve dedicated a blog to advice for real estate professional who might be newer to the profession. These days our interests are primarily in the health of the real estate market in Canada, and we imagine it’s the same for most of you too. And so we will continue to talk about real estate in Canada in future entries here.

But today we’re going to segue back to tips for realtors in Canada, and one that will be particularly well received for newish realtors who see the need to close deals with first-time homebuyers more quickly in order to both put them in the home you know is right for them and earn the commission on the services you’ve provided for them. Both of which are important, as one reality that’s never going away – pandemic or not – is that real estate is a very competitive business, and you need to do everything you can to gain advantages.

Which is a big part of why our Canada online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is as highly recommended as it is. What it does is harness the power of Internet Marketing and voluntary online surveys to identify prospective clients who are genuinely considering making a move in the local real estate market. And we don’t need to tell you how being able to be the first realtor to get in touch with these folks has the potential to be hugely beneficial and advantageous for you.

So let’s have a look at this topic here today – how to be quicker with closing deals with first time home buyers.

Establish Expectations Upfront and Often

There’s no debating the fact that communication is a cornerstone of a successful real estate practice and client relationship. When you’re conducting a transaction as complex as the purchase or sale of a home, it’s important that no one on either side of the equation gets their wires crossed or has a catastrophic misunderstanding. To this end, it’s very important that the realtor establish communication parameters with your clients up front.

You can start by inquiring about the communication medium they’re most comfortable with. That could be texts, calls, emails, etc. Then you need to establish how you’ll reach out accordingly. Another good idea is to set up a weekly ‘check-in’ time, and this is something you should do even if it’s clear no new progress has been made since the last check-in.

Another helpful tool is to draft a transaction timeline for your client outlining any major milestones along the way, the types of information needing to be gathered, what steps are to be taken, and what possible outcomes exist. This may seem like a lot, but you need to keep in mind that in today’s super-connected digital world clients will come to their own conclusions if you’re not very proactive in doing that for them.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it has the potential to be one.

Be in the Know with all First-Time Homebuyer Programs and Perks

Here in Canada, every realtor will be (or should be) aware of the Federal Liberal Government’s First-Time Homebuyer’s Income Assistance Program. If there are any provincial grants and programs that aid first-time homebuyers in your Province you should be explicitly aware of them too, as well as having at least a functional understanding of how they work.

Sometimes these programs are neighborhood-specific in certain cities, with incentives to buy in up and coming areas. In other instances there are grants that support under-represented minority communities who face greater obstacles when buying a first home. Do your research on all of this, because not only is it part of your diligence in being a realtor in Canada but it also goes a LONG way in establishing you as your client’s real estate expert, and trust goes a long way when it comes to getting them to put their name to paper with buying the home.

Push Mortgage Pre-approvals & Know Where Best Rates Are

Mortgage rates and terms will always vary, and there’s definitely mortgages any new first-time homebuyer should be avoiding. Every reputable realtor anywhere in Canada will have a good, honest, and reliable mortgage broker that they are able to refer to their clients. You need to be the same way, if you’re not already.

They should be able to rely on you to find the rate that suits their long-term housing goals, and trusting that you’ve done that for them definitely helps speed the home buying process. Keep in mind that first-time homebuyers are new to this process, and borrowing and lending processes can be intimidating to them. As an agent, it’s your job to play intermediary and instructor, letting your clients know their options and guiding them towards making educated decisions or – in the case of a reputable mortgage broker – pointing them in the right direction to be able to do that. ,

There’s no doubt that with first-time homebuyers can be an exciting and rewarding opportunity, but you should be prepared – and able – to be much more involved in the process and ‘taking their hand’ as it were when it comes to getting them to take the next step, and the next, and so on until they’re reading to sign the papers. Do it right and you’ll also likely enjoy being referred to their friends and family, many of whom may well become your real estate clients as well.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. You’ll be the only realtor to receive these leads, and they will be for soon-to-be buyers or sellers of homes who are living in the same area of any city or town in Canada where you are working as a real estate agent. It’s an excellent way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and you’ll quickly see it as a solid investment in your business success.

Liberal’s Proposed Bank Tax Could Negatively Affect Homebuyers

Published February 20, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Owning a home in Canada is an increasingly difficult proposition for people nowadays, and that can be true for people looking to move up the property ladder into 2nd or 3rd homes as their realties change as much as it is for 1st-time homebuyers looking to purchase a home for the first time. With the upcoming election in a few weeks time the major party leaders are all promising measures that will re-establish access to the housing market for people who currently can’t afford to buy the home they need.

This is a daunting challenge and there really is no quick fix. But among the other things being proposed is significantly increased taxes on big banks as proposed by the Liberals to address the ridiculous and obscene amount of national debt they’ve run up in a very short period of time. Fiscal responsibility is not part of the equation with these politicians, but even if the ‘bank tax’ might help pay down the debt it turns out that some economists and industry experts feel this may make the scenario worse for disadvantaged would-be homeowners.

The belief is very much that Trudeau’s election campaign promise to raise taxes on Canada’s biggest banks is going to backfire and actually result in homes becoming even less affordable, which would be harming his goal of helping buyers in one of the world’s hottest markets. Which in theory would benefit those working in the real estate business and especially for agents who may be struggling to bring new clients into the fold to the extent they’d like.

This makes our online real estate lead generation system in Canada here at Real Estate Leads such a good choice, but we’ll stay on topic and expand on why the general thinking is the Liberal’s ‘bank tax’ isn’t likely to provide what they’re hoping for it and will also won’t be any type of a fix for an overheated housing market that many people are struggling to get into.

Here’s Why

The way banks usually respond to tax increases is to pass on the cost to borrowers, and the standard way is through higher interest rates and service fees. That means home buyers assuming extra expenses in a housing market that’s already out of reach for many Canadians – the average cost of a home is up 16% over the past year to just under $670K. When you consider that’s a median price for homes ALL across the country it’s really something of a staggering figure and highlights how many middle-income earners won’t be able to even consider paying that amount for a home.

Last week the PM said that his government would add to the tax rate on bank and insurer profits above C$1 billion, and take it to 18% from the current rate of 15%, claiming that would raise C$2.5 billion over the next four years.

But again experts say the increase in bank fees and rates would be transferred to borrowers and not existing business clients. This is because they have fewer alternatives and because lenders would be wary of upsetting larger and much more profitable customers. Keep in mind as well that higher costs for borrowers could also have a trickle-down effect for purchases at retailers and restaurants. All of which factors in further to a reduction in purchasing power for many looking to buy a home.

Let’s not look past he fact that the bank’s job is to make money and raise money for shareholders and they have the means to make sure they can take on an obstacle put in their way. It is true that this tax was announced the tax during a week in which 4 of the country’s largest 5 banks posted quarterly profits above C$2 billion.

This proposed bank tax may also negatively affect homebuyers because it could also spur banks to take on more debt and buy tax-advantaged government bonds to soften the impact on them rather than raising capital by putting more equity up for sale.

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Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you. No other realtor will receive them, and they’ll be for people living in your area who have proven themselves to be genuinely ready to buy or sell a home. You’ll have the opportunity to convince them that you are the best real estate professional to give them the assistance and guidance they’ll want in buying the right home or making sure they get the best value of out of one they are going to sell.

Real Estate Lead Generation: 8 Organic and Easy Ways

Published February 20, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Real Estate Lead Generation: 8 Organic and Easy Ways There’s the expression that even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes, but if you are working in any sort of sales or sales-related profession then you can’t take any type of cavalier attitude to the success of your business. A listing will fall into your lap from time to time, but you are 100% going to have to be putting much more hustle and initiative into the way you generate leads for real estate. You want to be drumming up leads for real estate in volume, because there’s no surefire way for converting leads into listings for realtors.

You will have leads that go cold and disappear, and that’s why we talk about ways to generate leads in real estate to the extent that we do. The advent of the Internet 25+ years ago revolutionized every aspect of business, and the real estate business was no exception and especially with what the web did for marketing homes to client. Talk about expanding horizons in the biggest way possible!

And of course it did so much for what realtors have in the way of options when it comes to how to generate leads for real estate. Some agents who are charismatic, gregarious and can handle their liquor will do well with more traditional approaches to generate leads real estate like door knocking or volunteering to be their brokerage’s representative at community events that will allow for promotion of your real estate services.

So what we’ll look at with this blog entry here are 8 organic and easy ways to generate leads. Go over them and see which ones are those that you think suit your self-promotion business style.

Add Any Property on Marketplaces

It is all about maximum exposure when you are looking to generate leads for real estate and you are aiming to have your current listings attracting would-be home sellers contacting you as a realtor they’re interested in working with. What’s recommended here is to start with at least 5 groups, 1 micro site, 5 different city names real estate pages and that start accordingly.

You can post about your property and get interested leads right into your inbox. This is pretty effective considering many people use the marketplace these days.

Look for Expired Listings

There can be any number of reasons why a listing has expired and the property has yet to sell, and unless you can see something obvious suggesting why then you can see expired listings as a way to generate leads for real estate. You will need to be tactful and timely with the way you approach the homeowners, but if you can do well with this it is possible to turn them into a lead that you may convert if and when they decide to put the home on the market again.

Sometimes agents are hesitant to reach out to homeowners whose listings have expired, but it’s recommended and sometimes it can be done by just leaving your card and suggesting that you’d be happy to provide them with a more current free market evaluation anytime they’re thinking that they may list the home again. That could be next month, it could be next year, it could anytime.

This is best done when you have a strategy in place to convince the homeowner that you’ll take a better and more effective approach to their listing than their last agent. Rejection can and will be part of the game here, but that is always how it goes when you generate leads for real estate.

Attend or Host Real Estate Events

Good ideas here can be any of the many Expos and tradeshows happening across the country almost every month. Confident realtors nearly always do well when they attend these events on a regular basis as it is a wonderful place to get quality leads for real estate. You can even choose to exhibit at these events to attract potential buyers or to enjoy more opportunities for philandering.

There are always many potential homebuyers who are in attendance at any local real estate expo and if you can establish a connection and rapport with them they may choose you as their realtor down the road. Some realtors will be able to show them one or more of the properties they currently have listed. You can hand out a few flyers and exchange a few cards.

Advertise Online

These days every prospective homebuyer does is going to be looking at real estate listings online and doing most of their research there. And for most of them Google will probably be their first stop. Having paid ad listings there can be a good idea too if you have a larger budget for the way you promote yourself as a realtor. In addition to search engines, you should definitely look at advertising on social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Original Content

Blogs and posting unique content to your social media pages is a huge opportunity for connecting with buyers and sellers in your local market. You can build your brand and increase your organic search rankings by creating helpful blog posts, creating videos, or sharing a market analysis of your local area can build your authority as an expert and make you a go-to source for information and real estate services. This will help you generate leads for real estate too.

Open Houses

One of the most old-school real estate lead generation means is holding open houses. Now that’s done to provide service to an existing client who’s listed a home with you, but every good realtor will be keeping an eye out for prospective homebuyer clients in attendance who may not be working with a realtor at this time. Open houses are often used as a marketing tool for agents to get new clients, and again often because many of the folks who attend open houses will be ‘browsing’ and in the earliest stages of their interest in buying a home.

Be Creative

People love to see others using creative and funny yet harmless ways of promoting yourself. Some realtors get very creative and irreverent approach to getting real estate leads and promoting themselves. There is one realtor here in Vancouver who has his face superimposed onto different scenes and then a funny one-liner that works well with the image. And you know what? We all remember his name and that’s exactly what he’s going for to get real estate leads differently

Volunteer with the Church

Provided it lines up with your belief and whether or not you are supportive of it, getting involved with any of the local churches in your community is also very beneficial for getting new clients in real estate. Some realtors will be quite keen to be extensively involved because they are already a member of the church, but even realtors who aren’t especially religious can promote themselves through it.

One idea that we know of is a realtor who sends 48 assorted donuts to his local church every Sunday morning. One the inside of each of the 4 boxes of 12 there is his business card, and then a stack of the cards next to each box. This is another example of creative things you can do to generate real estate leads, and there’s so many of creative and thoughtful ways of doing that.

A Comprehensive Guide to Real Estate Virtual Assistants

Published February 20, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

A Comprehensive Guide to Real Estate Virtual Assistants: Everything You Need to Know for Success

All hands on deck may have been an expression that grew out of seafaring and naval experiences, but it has come to be used in all sorts of different ways when someone or something needs all the help it can get when it comes to finding a success. Real estate agents will only be making a living from working as a realtor when they are having clients sell and buy home through them, and that is not an easy thing to do to a sufficient extent. Effective and ongoing lead generation strategy is key, but sometimes even that is not enough

The amount of realtors working in any are of the country will exceed the volume of business to be had there, and we need to keep in mind that it will always be that only a small percentage of the people in any given area will be in the position to buy or sell a home at any given time. A dearth of clients to be had is an ongoing and unavoidable reality in this business, and so all that is left for you to do is work to securing as many of those leads as possible for yourself.

Newer approaches to real estate agent leads have made that much more doable than was the case for previous generations of agents. The Internet has been hugely advantageous in that regard, and so many agents are now opting to pursue real estate lead generation through paid leads like the ones we provide here at Real Estate Leads.

It is likely that most agents will be able to manage and pursue their leads on their own, but in the event that’s not the case then making use of a virtual assistant may be helpful, and that’s what we’re going to look at with this blog entry.

Defining Virtual Assistant

It’s fairly common for realtors to not able to squeeze everything they need to do into the number of available hours in a week. This can spill over into managing your real estate lead generation too, and especially if you have a bulk of warm but not-hot leads where more is required of you for the individual follow-ups with each.

Among others, it’s in these instances that realtors may benefit greatly from having a virtual assistant to both generate leads and manage them to some extent. Clients will expect their agents to be available to them at all times of the day to handle contracts, submit and accept bids, answer incoming calls, and do much more and it sometimes becomes a lot of one person to handle. Agents may quickly become exhausted by doing this on their own.

A virtual assistant in this instance with lead generations manages everyday company tasks like cold contacting, lead generation, tracking finances, website building, marketing, and database maintenance. Most often they will operate remotely and offer knowledge so agents can focus on their essential duties and with this aim focusing on the more immediate and pressing parts of converting real estate leads into clients.

Realtor Virtual Assistant Advantages

Virtual assistants will primarily be involved in taking care of all the menial tasks that would otherwise be eating up a lot of time in a day that would be better spent on actions with more productive and profitable outcomes. And a big part of the advantage of this with real estate agent leads is that they are a more cost-effective option in comparison to hiring someone on as a paid employee who is part of your real estate team.

That’s because virtual assistants typically bill based on the number of hours worked. A virtual real estate assistant’s cost is also often tax deductible, as compared to an in-house hire and employee that may come with tax obligations and the need to offer them perks. There are also usually more options with how they work for you / work best for you. The fact they will be working remote offers a lot of immediate advantages to the realtor who is employing them.

For starters you are not constrained to interviewing candidates only in your city or even the Province where you are working as a real estate agent. You may also want to consider talent pools abroad that may offer their services at reasonable costs, and employers can also use virtual assistants for jobs or projects requiring specialized skill sets.

Flexibility is a big plus here too, especially when paired with the options made possible with the development of technology. There are plenty of real estate virtual assistants who will like the idea of not having to commute or operate within rigid work-hour restrictions that they would if they were in an office or working in an immediate 1st-person capacity.

Real Estate Virtual Assistant Disadvantages

Most realtors will prefer a virtual assistant who comes with a basic knowledge of the area and market in which the realtors is actively working as an agent, and this is especially true for effective real estate lead generation. If they are an early point of indirect contact it won’t be beneficial if they can’t answer inquiries that are very locale-specific about the property that is on the market. Or homes those people have an interest in possibly buying.

The only way to counter that is to look closer to home for your real estate virtual assistant. Either that of spend money to have them become up-to-speed on the area and the local real estate market. The absence of their physical presence could be a problem too, and especially if your real estate virtual assistant is working from a different time zone. Sure, tools like Skype and Zoom are great for facilitating remote communication, but coordinating and working with someone who is not physically present may still be a problem. Especially when an emergency or prompt responses are required.

You’ll also need to be more wary of the level of trust you have with this person. Working with a real estate virtual assistant working remotely can make this process more difficult. It usually will not be realistic to monitor assistants to ensure they are working during the stated hours or aren’t otherwise engaged when you’re paying them to work with you and contribute to your lead generation strategy. Constructing procedures may be beneficial to build this sense of trust and make it so that there is less of a need for supervising and ‘checking in’ with them.

Consider as well that it is not possible for virtual real estate assistants to receive in-person training. What will often be required here are innovative workarounds that ensure the assistant successfully carries out duties and projects. Fortunately modern technology makes it possible for anyone to now easily record video training sessions and share computer screens. In rarer instances there may some extent of a language bearer between you and the assistant.

While many virtual assistants may be fluent in English, misunderstandings can arise due to cultural differences, corporate practices, or smaller factors that come from their different experiences. Realtors need to put good effort into communicating clearly, and there may also be a need to use inclusive language depending on certain scenarios.

Paying a Virtual Assistant

Most real estate virtual assistant will be independent contractors or freelancers, and the average hourly wage for them in Canada will be in the vicinity of $25 per hour. In some instances you may find ones that are willing to work for slightly less as they see the work as an introduction to a career that they may choose to pursue in the future, but these type of people are not common.

Plus with virtual assistants there may be many prospects for growth and higher income based on skill level, location, and years of experience. To get an idea of what you might need to pay for a real estate virtual assistant who will help to contribute to and manage lead generation you can see what they are being paid through work outsourcing platforms like Upwork or Fiverr. These are good platforms for finding a solid freelancer and competitive rates for their work.

Next, there are numerous websites to help connect employers and virtual assistants that you may want to consider as well. Upwork in particular is also really good for finding virtual assistants willing to work and learn with entry-level pay rates, especially when they can assume the role without real estate-specific talents already being something they have. The marketplace MyTasker specializes in offering virtual assistants from other countries, and for individuals looking for foreign assistants who have real estate training, websites like MyOutDesk give users access to a thorough and smart vetting process.

You will be best served here by understanding the activities you need assistance with and a means of analyzing whether or not the assistant is likely to be able to complete them before you move further towards hiring them as your real estate lead assistant. It is important to be able to evaluate and sort through potential applicants. You should also pay close attention to a freelancer’s past employment history, credentials, and skills when examining their profile.

Review testimonials and the ratings if any that they have received from prior clients. It is also perfectly alright to ask them to complete a test task so that you can review how they work and whether or not the way complete it will line up with how you tend to work in real estate and whether or not you and the assistant will be compatible with each other.

Also ask around their availability, time zone, and communication style when interviewing prospective real estate virtual assistants who are able to work with real estate agent leads. Focusing intently on all of the specifics of the assignment with required tools and software, payment arrangements, and anything else that you foresee them needing to be proficient with.

From there you can establish clear goals, benchmarks, and a communication plan. Before signing a contract, ensure you and the other party agree on the work’s parameters, deadlines, and payment arrangements. And working with a virtual real estate assistant is a continuous process where you will check in frequently and provide feedback to ensure the job reaches your standards and that problems are resolved promptly.

Standard Assistant Duties

These are the step an agent will need go through when locating and hiring a virtual assistant on Upwork or another comparable website:

  1. Register profile on the platform and create account
  2. Use pertinent keywords and search criteria – location, hourly rate, and expertise, to find virtual assistants
  3. Look through the profiles and portfolios of the freelancers to best match them with your current needs
  4. Offer freelancers that interest you an invitation or contact them with Upwork’s DM messaging feature
  5. Ask questions and review the job’s intricacies as you interview freelancers
  6. After identifying the top candidate you can then extend a formal job offer to them
  7. Contracts may be signed, goals can be set, and payments can be made via the platform’s built-in system

Analyzing the freelancer’s profile and portfolio carefully is always helpful for determining whether they fit your needs well. Be aware that Upwork and similar sites can have a sizable pool of smart and experienced virtual assistants, and so it makes sense to take your time and go through them deliberately and thoroughly so you increase your chances of eventually working with the best one.

Business Growth Tasks for a Virtual Real Estate Assistant

Virtual assistants will likely be kept quite busy if there’s a solid customer base for them to be working with. They should be capable of doing a variety of jobs, and business growth tasks like the ones we detail below here is something you can expect of them. Most of them should be proficient with using real estate lead generation software, and using it with a focus on improving the quality of client relationships as well as completing other essential task.

This may include:

  1. Automated valuation
  2. Email campaigns
  3. SMS marketing
  4. Facebook advertising
  5. Email campaigns, correspondence, and answering calls
  6. Lead follow-ups
  7. Mobile-friendly landing page management
  8. Market research activities
  9. Scheduling of meetings, appointments, and inspections
  10. Relevant system data entry
  11. Improving customer satisfaction
  12. Promoting smooth transactions
  13. Communications made on the agents’ behalf
  14. Performing online marketing tasks
  15. Organizing costing gifts
  16. Writing real estate marketing collateral

It is true that high school diploma or equivalent is generally required, but virtual real estate assistants are not required to have a formal education. Many people enroll in real estate courses at a community college or vocational school to become sufficiently prepared to start working as a real estate virtual assistant

In some instances, realtors who have their assistant working for the brokerage as a whole may give new hires administrative experience and on-the-job training, and having this understanding of real estate processes will increase their marketability. You may also recommend that they regularly browse the MLS listings to learn how they are presented, and connect with real estate agents to learn about VA opportunities. And of course a dependable internet connection is a must.

Here are companies that offer real estate virtual assistants:

  1. TaskBullet
  2. WoodBows
  3. MyOutDesk
  4. Fiver
  5. Time
  6. Fancy Hands
  7. Belay Solutions

These top virtual assistant websites give you access to an account manager who can aid you in finding a VA who is the most ideal fit your working preferences, personality, and also maybe in the type of real estate or properties that you specialize in. In that sense businesses of all sorts have discovered that most of their clients prefer experienced VAs with college degrees to fresh graduates. Choose a supplier here that will give flexible and reasonable offerings and prices to suit your realtor business operating budget.

Hiring a virtual real estate assistant can be a very smart choice for any realtor who is putting a real focus on converting greater numbers of real estate leads into clients. That is lead generation at its best, and when your assistant is capable with the latest software to take your business to the next level there can be real results here.

If you want to expand your real estate business, hiring a virtual assistant can be a smart first step in your growth strategy. This can then let your focus your time and energy on activities that generate revenue by assigning tasks and projects to them, and if they are showing themselves to be very capable then these can include administrative and specialized responsibilities.

A few advantages of using virtual assistants for real estate are price, adaptability, and access to a bigger hiring pool, and weighing potential pros and cons is going to be a part of this for any realtor who is considering any such a hire for the first time. Realtors should carefully weigh potential pros and cons, as it would be with any executive decision made in any other corporation. There’s much to gain from having a real estate lead virtual assistant, but adhering to best practices all the way through the discovery and hiring process is definitely very important. You want to get this right the first time.

Advantages for Homebuyers with Slowed Market

Published February 20, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Anyone who has even the most basic interest in real estate will be familiar with the terms ‘buyer’s market’ and ‘seller’s market’, and you will probably also be aware that in major metro centres in Canada it’s primarily been a seller’s market for the better part of 2 decades now. With all sorts of factors – and rising interest rates first and foremost among them – that has changed over the course of 2022 and as we get closer to 2023 Canadian real estate is going to continue to be more of a buyer’s market.

That is a very welcome change for people who are hoping to get into the market, and even if you are someone considering selling your home sometime soon you will likely agree there needs to be more a of balance here. There certainly hasn’t been for a long time now, and so while some will hope the pendulum shifts the other way we likely agree it should come to rest somewhere more in the middle. This is especially true for cities where affordable housing is needed, and that doesn’t just apply to Canada’s biggest cities anymore.

Realtors will see it this way too, and despite what one would see as the obvious advantages to the market being a seller’s market. What is happening right now with regards to the downturn is making it difficult for some, but here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is very effective for countering that and making it easier to generate new clientele. It is particularly recommended for agents who are new to working in the real estate business and working in an area of the country where the business is especially competitive.

Back to topic, we’ll take this week’s entry to talk about the current advantages for homebuyers with this slowed market in more detail.

Added Time

Canada’s housing market is currently staggering under rising interest rates and sagging sales, and this means the prospects for buyers are now considerably better than they were before. Everyone has heard about bidding wars and the FOMO phenomenon that was pushing people to act rashly when it came to submitting offers on homes. So one of the biggest benefits of the market slowdown is that would-be buyers have more time to properly evaluate what they want to do.

60% of markets in Canada saw home sales drop between August and September according to the CREA. Monthly sales activity came in 32% below what was recorded for October of last year, and prices were down 1.4% between August and September of this year. What is more notable is that the declines took place in major markets – the Greater Toronto Area, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal, and these are areas where high demand typically always neutralized market forces that were major factors elsewhere.

In a hotter market a buyer might have no choice but to put down offers on multiple properties to have a chance at one, and still perhaps be outbid on all of them. The market is less fluid now, still with plenty of inventory. Less competition means that buyers can take the time to have that second look before they make their offer.

More Conditional Sales

Agents are also saying they’re starting to see conditional sales offers come in again. Before it was usually a scenario where buyers had to put in their best bid, but now they can put conditions on their offers. This is smart when those conditions are related to securing financing, insisting on a home inspection, or checking on insurance requirements.

Connected to this it is interesting to note that the buying intensity seems to be concentrated on properties at the lower end of the market, and in desirable markets like Toronto and Vancouver those would be homes for sale in the $800,000 to $1-million price range. This suggests that more entry-level buyers now have the confidence and self-assuredness to be buying homes for themselves.

Some will say it’s ‘crazy’ that entry-level home purchases cost near to a million dollars, but it is what it is for these big cities and it really does come back to the age-old reality of what the market will bear.

Good for 2nd Time Buyers Too

Realtors will tell you this is a promising market for second-time buyers too. Those who have had ‘seller’s remorse’ because they didn’t get as high a price for their house as they could have last year may now be able to buy their next house cheaper than what they would have paid last year. This is an aspect of an increasingly seller’s market with real estate in Canada that doesn’t get talked about as much, but it is worthy of mention because the number of homeowners who move into a new primary residence within 2 years of purchasing a home is higher than ever before.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are provided to you exclusively. You will be the only recipient, and these leads put realtors like you in an advantageous position with being able to be first in-touch with these people. They have shown themselves to be genuinely ready to make a move in the real estate market where you are working as realtor. They will be either be selling or buying a home, and you have the opportunity to showcase yourself as the local real estate professional they need to be guiding them through the process.

New to Canada Homebuyer Program A Big Plus For Recent Immigrants

Published February 19, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Beautiful Female Holding Keys & Sold Real Estate SignWe certainly don’t need convincing that Canada is a great country. Here at Real Estate Leads, we’ve met all sorts of like-minded people in our aim to introduce realtors to ways to get more real estate leads as an agent and it seems the consensus is unanimous.

What makes Canada so appealing to those of us from families who’ve been here for generations is what makes it appealing to newcomers too. Many of us had great-grandparents who came to Canada from the British Isles hundreds of years ago with the same idea of a new and better life.

Back then you could get a large parcel of land for what wouldn’t even be half your down payment on a home these days, and the word ‘condo’ didn’t even exist. With the fact home ownership can be dauntingly expensive, it’s ideal that the New to Canada Program for Immigrants has been introduced to make home ownership a possible reality for people who have recently immigrated to Canada and are bringing their professional expertise and career prospects with them.

This versatile program makes it possible for qualified homebuyers new to Canada within the last 5 years to purchase a home with a down payment of as little as 5%. You can purchase a home, build equity, and become economically established in Canada sooner than ever before.

The property value must be less than $1,000,000, and loan security is available on first mortgages. Borrower qualifications include standard income and employment verification, plus 3 months minimum full-time employment in Canada, with borrowers being transferred under a corporate relocation program being exempt.

Only certain homes and home purchase quantities are allowed within the program. The maximum number of units an applicant can purchase is 2, and 1 unit must be owner occupied. Newly constructed home must be covered by a lender approved New Home Warranty Program, and existing resale properties must be readily marketable residential dwellings, located in markets with demonstrated ongoing re-sale demand. The estimated remaining economic life of the property should be a minimum of 25 years, as may be determined by a qualified provincially-appointed appraiser if deemed necessary.

Other lending stipulations for this program include:

  1. Applicants must have a 90.01-95% International credit report (Equifax or Transunion) score demonstrating a strong credit profile OR 2 alternative sources of credit demonstrating timely payments (no arrears) for the past 12 months
  2. Applicant must have immigrated or relocated to Canada within the last 60 months
  3. Must have a valid work permit or obtained landed immigrant status
  4. All debts held outside of the country must be included in the total debt servicing ratio (note: rental income earned outside of Canada is to be excluded from the GDS/TDS calculation)
  5. Guarantors are not permitted
  6. Foreign diplomats who do not pay tax in Canada are ineligible for this program

Qualifying terms and interest rates are as follows:

  1. Fixed, standard variable, capped variable and adjustable rate mortgages are permitted
  2. Maximum interest rate term of 25 years
  3. The qualifying interest rate is the greater of the contract rate or 5-year benchmark rate

and purchase transactions may be made up to a 95% LTV (loan to value) limit, with – as mentioned – a 5% down payment on properties up to 500,000 in value, and a 5% down payment on $500,000, with an additional 10% down payment on the portion of the home value above $500,000 if purchased for any price between 500k and 1 million.

We hope this programs is helpful for valuable newcomers coming to Canada to make our country a better place to live, as has been the case for well more than 200 years now. And we also hope it makes for more clients for our realtor readership. Check Real Estate Leads Availability here and receive qualified online-generated leads provided to you exclusively for your exclusive region every month, and ask away with any questions too.

Successful Real Estate Agents Possess the Following Qualities

Published February 13, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Successful Real Estate Agents Possess the Following QualitiesFew people if any are successful right off the bat when they begin a career, and everyone will tell you it takes time, effort, and being smart about how learn and grow in order to achieve what you’ve envisioned for yourself when you decided to go into that line of work. This is going to be true of real estate too, and any realtor will tell you that you really only learn a very small portion of what the business entails when you take your real estate licensing course.

So maybe it is here that we can say that perseverance is one of the qualities that will be very beneficial for a realtor as they go through the ‘leaner’ times at the beginning of their career where only a few if any clients are buying or selling real estate through them. One of the things that can help change that is to go into communication opportunities with potential clients armed with real estate scripts. As compared to just winging it and hoping for the best with what you say as you aim to make a good impression.

However, we will all know by this point that the best lead generations for real estate is going to go a lot deeper than that. But it’s a depth that needs to be explored in full by new realtors as meeting people who are ready to make a move in the local real estate market and convincing them to list their home through you is what it’s all about in this business. Or convincing people who want to buy a home to do that through you too.

We talk about lead generation in real estate often here, but we’ll turn off to the side slightly this week and make this blog entry about the types of qualities you’ll find in successful real estate agents in Canada. Sure, the measurables for that might be different depending on what a person considers to be ‘success’ in this business. But maybe we can clarify that somewhat by saying it’s about being satisfied – with both the living you’re earning from working as a realtor AND the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping people be in the best home for themselves.

Nurture, Expand Upon

Some realtors may be blessed to have been born with a gift for being charismatic and charming, but to really excel in the real estate industry you need to have much more than a gift for the gab and the ability to explain market realities in an appealing way. But it certainly WILL help with delivering real estate scripts for maximum effectiveness. But what we’ll start to look at here it’s about consistently honing your skills and understanding the values that you already have and are able to grown on best.

Every realtor is going to have their strong suits, certain qualities that are conducive to converting real estate leads and generally being very persuasive about why a client will do well to buy or sell a home through you. But in the same way each of them will also have qualities where there is definitely room for strengthening and improvement. Self-assessment and the ability to objectively weigh personal strengths and weaknesses is an essential part of the growth process when it comes to that success and the best lead generation for real estate.

Taking the time for self-assessment and learning what needs to go into that assessment is recommended, especially if you genuinely want to assemble the tools to excel as a real estate agent and reinforce the fact that you made a good decision when you chose to go into real estate. So here are a number of qualities all agents need to have in order to be on top of the game.

Successful Real Estate Agent Qualities

Laying out the entirety of all the qualities of a successful real estate agent would require assembling quite a list. So instead we’re only going to look at the primary ones here. For starters they very often exude confidence. That may be among the qualities of a good real estate agent that are not always measurable or tangible, but most of us will know what it’s like to be in the presence of someone who is flush with confidence when it comes to what’s expected of them.

But do you have to be smart and capable in order to have legit confidence? You certainly do, and so having the ability to prove your mettle is also something that we need to add to our collection here. Plus one of the defining qualities of a successful real estate agent is also being able to project authority, and in a lot of ways that attribute goes hand in hand with the confidence one.

The most reliable way to have confidence is by knowing your subject matter backwards and forwards. Agents that understand the market from a buyer’s and seller’s perspective and are able to have that reflected naturally and emphatically in the way they carry themselves and speak on the market is incredibly value in building a name for yourself in the real estate business.

You will also want to have your presentations honed, and be dressed and groomed like the consummate professional. And of course this is equally true of male and females realtors, although of course only the women should wear miniskirts and high heels. Mastering real estate scripts is a very doable and easy way to come across confident when you are in the process of making that all-important first impression on a prospective client.

You will be improving your overall communication skill and the comfort you have in speaking with authority at the same time, and many of the most successful realtors will ooze that type of confidence and authority when they speak of the business, the market, and what they’ve done to maximize outcomes for clients who are either buying or selling homes.

Real estate scripts can also be very helpful when any of the many inevitable objections that homeowners will have come up during the real estate client conversation process. But we should mention that there is a fine line between exuding confidence and coming across as an arrogant doofus. As you work to improve yourself this way it is good to try to refine your approach so that you’re more assured of coming across the right way.

Being seen as energetic and enthusiastic is important too. Nobody is going to be impressed with a realtor who seems like they are only going through the motions, and they will be very unlikely to list with that agent or agree to start looking at homes through them. You don’t need to present yourself as perkily as an inebriated cheerleader, but you will do well if you have a level of self-belief and anticipation of serving clients well that will then manifest itself in coming across as energetic and enthusiastic.

To this end it can be a good idea to put yourself in the client’s seat, and ask whether they would choose to spend time with you when working on their listing. Do you believe you come across that to people? If not, why not? Among all the qualities a real estate agent can have, radiating a genuine enthusiasm for working with clients and helping them get into the best housing for their current life situation will go a long way in increasing the chances they choose you as their realtor.

Client-Focused is Best

A realtor needs to be client-focused, and this is central to the best real estate lead generation approaches too. Every real estate client is going to see their potential purchase or sale as an incredibly big deal, and that’s no surprise considering the value that people have in their homes – both $ literally and figuratively. They are going to be VERY receptive to you if you seem to have the same orientation with your way of thinking. They need to see that YOU see it all as the same type of all-important matter that they do.

Always remember, you are in a SERVICE business and that means you need to have the client’s need front and center in everything you do. You will need to build their trust, and yes that may require more of you depending on the nature of that one individual client. You can add value to the relationship by assisting with their finances, or connecting them with someone who can, like a mortgage broker for example. And of course once you’ve made a sale, it is so important to stay in touch. Being diligent about client care and retention long term is definitely another attribute you’ll find in all realtors who have become successful.

Value Propositions Too

Lead generation in real estate always occurs much more prominently when the individuals or clients you want to turn into clients can see a clear value proposition in working with you. Differentiating yourself from your competitors well is another attribute you’ll see in successful ones too, and if you can it is always best to create your own unique value proposition.

This is best done by taking your values and spending time putting them into words. And then revising them so that you find even more sincere ways of conveying the very specific advantages of what you can offer a would-be client – and something that other realtors may not be offering for whatever reason. Without a doubt, what you are able to offer as an agent is always going to be a powerful tool for you, and it’s also quite easy to test these ones for their effectiveness.

Are the majority of the real estate leads or real estate prospects you meet and have initial conversations with choosing to move further along with you as their realtor? Are they taking the initiative in doing that? If not, why not?

What you may also want to do here is create one short sentence where you clarify what you offer in value. But more to the point, is there anything you can definitely show that indicates how that is unparalleled with other agents that these would-be clients have to choose from as well. What you will do here is build and expand on your value proposition if so.

Do you offer something different? This could be anything from providing professional photography to covering pre-inspection expenses or offering staging advice. It may even be something as simple as having a moving van they can use free of charge if the list with you. Don’t be afraid to get creative when you need to have more of value proposition for real estate clients. And yes, depending on the situation this could be something that you work into your real estate scripts too.

We’ll also say that realtors who can leverage their knowledge of a neighborhood to differentiate themselves may well be starting to establish themselves as the ‘neighborhood expert’ in the eyes of the people, and that can be absolutely huge when it comes to converting real estate leads into clients these days. Especially for people looking to buy a home and work with realtor who clearly knows the neighborhood where they want to buy a home.

Last but not least here is to be authentic, let yourself shine through in the way you present yourself as a real estate agent to clients. Your own style and the way you interact with your customers and clients may be beneficial when done in the way that comes naturally to you!

Purchases by 1st-Time Homebuyers in Vancouver Increasing Every Year Since 2024

Published February 7, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

There has been much hubbub about how housing in Canada’s big cities is increasingly unaffordable, but some industry experts say ‘unaffordable’ is a relative term and especially when homes for sale in those cities often sell very quickly after being put onto the market. They argue that if they’re nearly all of them are selling then homes are in fact affordable if someone’s able to afford what is required to buy them. The question then becomes affordable for whom, and with that understood it’s important to understand that not everyone is operating with the same financial means.

This way of looking at housing affordability is important, and it is even more relevant in the bigger picture of things when we look at confirmed stats indicating how many of the people who are purchasing property in Vancouver, Toronto or elsewhere with a hot housing market are 1st-time homebuyers. Sure, they are likely being units in multi-family developments but the fact that they are able to assume the cost of buying a home does mean that it is hard to apply the unaffordable tag across every property and in relation to the purchasing capacity of every buyer.

Again, this is not to make less of the housing affordability crisis in Canada, but perspective is always important. Real estate professionals are also a part of all this and there will be those who say there’s no better place to be a realtor than in a major Canadian metropolis where homes often sell for well over asking price. That may be too simplistic a way of looking at it though, although what is certain is that our online real estate lead generations system here at Real Estate Leads is a proven effective way to build your real estate client base that much more effectively.

But back to topic – what is it that is allowing so many 1st-time homebuyers to not be prevented from buying a home because of the price of it as is the case with so many others who would like to buy a home – but can’t.

Between 10-20% Increases in 3 Years

A recent report showed that the number of first-time homebuyers buying homes in Vancouver increased between 10 and 20% each year between 2018 and 2020, and industry experts say the increases would have likely continued through 2021 and to where we are here in 2022. Detractors will say the majority of these people have FOMO and are over leveraging themselves to buy a home, but if there’s one thing that is for certain it is definitely not that simple.

Figures for the report were complied by the BC Ministry of Finance, and it also found that 5,602 first-time home buyers bought properties in Metro Vancouver in 2021. That number is about a 10% rise from the 5,114 who did the same in 2020 and is up just under 20% from the 5,602 that bought real estate for the first time in between Jan.1, 2018 and Dec.31 2020.

Another interesting point that goes somewhat against a popular narrative is that the majority of these 1st-time homebuyers (estimates being nearly 70%) were people who have been living in Vancouver for at least 10 years. This takes away from the credibility of those who’d say it’s foreign money that is making these home purchases possible. That’s just simply not the case, and people taking on mortgages to buy their first home over the last 3+ years face the same supply / demand realities distorting the market that everyone else does.

Dip in Relation to Entire Market

However, despite numbers rising the share of home purchases by first-time buyers of Vancouver real estate relative to the entire market actually went down in 2021, going from a market share of 8.8% for 2020 and then falling to 6.8% in 2021. If there’s any stat that does support the idea of declining overall affordability, that’s the one.

Go back to 2018 and the share by 1st-time homebuyers was 8.3%, and in 2019 it went up to 9.6% so it’s a fluctuating variable but generally speaking we are seeing the FTHB rate decline as part of the number of overall home purchases and while that may be something to note we also have to keep in mind it may also be a reflection of more of certain types of homes being put on the market as compared to others.

Activity in the pre-sale market has more or less reflected this same pattern though, and of course the majority of these developments will be multi-family housing and that further belies the belief that MANY 1st-time homebuyers are still able to get in to the market in the same way and buying the same types of homes that others have for generations when buying their first one.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of prospective client leads that have qualified and determined to genuine leads connected to individuals, couples, and families that are ready to make a move in your local real estate market. You’ll have the opportunity to be first in touch with them, and with it comes the chance to impress upon them that you are the real estate professional they need to help them with the sale of their home or purchase of a new one. It’s a proven effective and highly recommended way to grow your client base.

Real Estate Leads: How to Find Them

Published February 6, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

 Real Estate Leads: How to Find ThemThere’s the expression that even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes, and it is to mean that sometimes things just work out favorably for you and what you covet comes to be yours despite the odds being against it happening. But if were are to swing this around and try to have it apply to leads for real estate it doesn’t work as well for a pair of reasons. First, a person who doesn’t have their sight isn’t likely to be working as a realtor. But that’s not to suggest they’re not capable of the work.

Instead it would actually have more to do with the fact that they can’t operate a motor vehicle, and driving a LOT is one thing that every realtor in Canada will be doing. It’s a part of the job. But let’s not stray too far from where we’re going with this; another reason the blind squirrel and nut doesn’t work here is because having it work out from time to time isn’t going to be good enough for a realtor who needs to be better with drumming up new clientele.

After all, there is no guaranteed income in this profession. You’re a realtor and not a janitor, although plenty of realtors may have no choice but to do cleaning when they get home at the end of the day. This business is all about the commissions that come in when clients buy or sell homes through you, and so it becomes quite an urgent matter to find those real estate leads for new agents. No one is a squirrel here, and things can’t be just left to chance when it is the person’s career and livelihood we are talking about here.

So getting the best handle you can on best real estate lead generation approaches becomes important, and that’s why with this entry here we will be sharing what we know about how to find real estate leads.

Fiercely Competitive

Finding quality leads has to be a priority for any successful realtor in any industry that is as highly competitive as this one. You may be a seasoned professional, or you may be relatively new as a real estate agent. Either way a consistent funnel of leads is important for growing your client base, and driving your revenue. But here we are with ever-evolving digital landscape and consumer behaviors that are changing all the time, especially when it comes to the way people search for homes and buy them.

And – to a lesser extent – how they come to be aware of a realtor’s service and decide on whether or not they want to work with them. For all these reasons it’s crucial to adapt your approach to coming up with leads for real estate.

Best Real Estate Lead Generation Approaches

So what constitutes a real estate lead then? IT refers to a potential customer or client who has shown interest in having you provide your services as a real estate professional, and either in helping them sell or buy a home. These folks may be looking to buy or sell a property, or more simply they are a ‘cooler’ lead and they may have general inquiries about the real estate market.

But you can also view a lead as someone who might be open to a pitch from a real estate agent, and for any number of different reasons in this case. For example, it may be an inquiry from a person who needs a realtors help when a parent is downsizing into a smaller home. Leads are the foundation of your business and play a crucial role in generating sales and building your client base.

But the best real estate lead generation approaches are always going to have them being geared to converting real estate leads into clientele. Doing that is essential if you’re going to eventually earn commission for the work you’ve done for them, and it’s important to understand there are plenty of realtors who have been working for only a few years who have already become quite good with this.

Understand though that there here is a great deal of work, time and skill involved in converting a lead into a client, and even thought that is nearly always true of a cooler leads it can also apply to the hottest of them too. Remember that these people will be entrusting you with one of the most important financial decisions of their lives.

The best focuses are on developing a subtle approach to nurturing your prospects in order to gain their confidence and trust to do well with leads for real estate. Once you start to amass leads and begin to qualify and then work with them you will see that the quality, convertibility, and even urgency of different types of real estate leads will vary quite a bit.

More Leads, Reliably

The number of realtors working in Canada has exploded over the last two decades, but very few if any of them will be actively phoning prospect for listings. But the smaller collection of ones that do are more successful and earn significantly more income than the majority of real estate agents who aren’t as proactive with finding leads for real estate clients.

You will always do better in this business if you’re a gregarious individual who is well spoken and you carry yourself well, and we need to stress very emphatically that having English as your first language isn’t a requirement for that. It’s all about pairing real and extensive real estate market knowledge with the right mix of confidence, friendliness, and approachability.

What we’ve also seen is the way top-producing agents understand the value of investing in their success, and this investment usually involves utilizing a paid real estate lead generation platform like the one we have here at 4GoodHosting. But the best thing you can do it pair your paid real estate leads with more of the conventional and traditional real estate client prospecting methods.

And one of the other ones that goes well right along door knocking and the like is identifying and contacting expired listing leads.

2nd Time Around

There can be a lot that can go into a home not selling and having the listing eventually expire. And yes, the most common one is that the home is overvalued by the owners and they’re not willing to come down on the price they want for it. Only so much a realtor can do to talk them out of that if they’re determined to stick to their guns, and the next realtor who they agree to list the home with may well inherit the same problem.

But if you’re a pro realtor then this is the type of challenge you should be able to take on and work with effectively. Communication is going to be key, and this can be a part of leads for real estate and ways you can generate them if you can convince a homeowner to come around to a way of thinking that is more conducive to getting their home sold.

No matter where in Canada you are working as a real estate agent, it is very likely that many of the top producing agents in the business there focus on finding these expired leads and then reaching out to the homeowner. Ideally the ones who have tried and failed to sell their property are going to be keen to hear what a different agent has to say about listing the property again but marketing it differently.

This is definitely something that you will get better at with practice, but over the years you will likely find that diagnosing why a home didn’t’ sell AND communicating effectively and persuasively with the homeowner is something you become much better at doing.

Prospecting expired leads is good for 2 specific reasons:

    1. Instances where are homeowner who did not sell the first time has an increased urgency to sell now and is very much looking for the right realtor to make that happen. In these instances there is a good chance to convert the lead to a listing if you have put together and smart and well-written expired listings prospect script.
    2. Working with expired listings presents an opportunity to make significant GCI over a shorter period of time, and this is especially true in comparison to what a buyer’s agent would be doing with prospective clients of that type.

Paid real estate lead generation services are great, but they aren’t going to be as effective for putting you in touch with homeowners who have already had their property on the MLS at least once before. You will do well to make the effort to find them, and it will require more effort on your part.

Find FSBOs

A FSBO (Fizbo) is a homeowner who has listed their home themselves, and it is something that people do more often nowadays. In certain places you can do alright with it, while in other parts of Canada it’s really something of a silly move if you have any real intentions of selling your home reasonably quickly and for the price you expect to get for it.

The fact that 9 out of 10 FSBO listings fail to sell without an agent getting involved tends to bear that out for us here, and so FSBO listings a great opportunity to generate income. Building a relationship with the owner before they begin actively looking for an agent will put you on their radar for when they come to the understanding it’s going to be much better if they have a real estate agent representing them and putting their home on the market.

This can be a way real estate leads for new agents can be obtained too, especially if you’ve recently made contact and are still front-of-mind for these people when they start to think ‘who might we call or contact by other means to help us with this.’ You want that to be you, but it’s not going to happen unless you’ve reached out to the FSBO before they’ve made the decision to list the home through a realtor.

It’s true FSBO prospects require a bit more input and effort than the average homeowner would. People don’t decide to sell their home on their own without a whole lot of belief going into the idea that it is something they are capable of doing. It can take a lot to undo that level of self-belief, but nothing does that better than having a home that hasn’t sold despite already being on the market for a year or more.

Ideally you make that initial contact, and then stay in touch and build trust so you become their ‘go-to’ agent when they finally give up on selling the home independently.

For Rent by Owner / Investors

FRBO listings represent a unique opportunity when it comes to the best ways to prospect in real estate and finding leads for real estate agents. Sure, these types of owners won’t often be looking to sell that specific property, but what is common is that it is not the only property they own. Working with owners that list FRBO properties can be beneficial for you if you’re playing the long game as they may have real estate assets they want to sell in the not-too-distant future.

For example, investors frequently sell and buy properties, and having a real estate agent assisting them with these transactions is common unless they have an expert understanding of the real estate market. Connections are a massive part of real estate, and someone who has a track record of property ownership is a great start.

Neighborhood Search

It’s a good idea to be proactive in canvassing neighborhoods where you already have a home for sale that is owned by clients who are working with you as their realtor. This can be contacting the neighbors of your listings, creating buzz for your open houses, or just farming buyers and sellers in the neighborhood and seeing who else might be selling a home in the future.

You can distribute your card and leave it at their home, but that’s more than likely not going to get you anywhere. A more personal touch is preferable, and it’s here that we go back to recommending door knocking or making yourself personally available to these homeowners by other means.

We’ll agree that real estate leads for new agents may be harder to come by, especially if would-be clients have any suspicion about the fact you don’t have a lot of listings and then sales under your belt. But a lead is a lead, regardless of your level of experience in the real estate industry. Newer agents always do well to understand that nearly all of the top-producing agents in this business create their own success by taking a multi-tiered approach to real estate lead generation.

More often than not some level of investment is required, and with the power of Internet marketing it makes a lot of sense to be paying for real estate leads given the way providers like Real Estate Leads are able to qualify genuine leads and putting you most directly in touch with folks who are likely to buy or sell a home soon.

We’ll also encourage you to make the leap into using advanced technology and AI to bolster your prospecting efforts.

Other Sources

The goal of any real estate agent will be to take a homeowner/prospect down the funnel and then closing them, which is to mean having them buy or sell a home through you. Along with the proactive approaches we talked about earlier, it’s wise to improve your ability to evaluate homeowners who have already started their journey down the sales funnel. Some of them may have become derailed along the way, and you will do well to know what these homeowners usually do when they start to become exasperated about a home that is not selling

With a newly expired lead you can engage someone who may have a high degree of urgency to sell quickly. For Sale by Owner prospects may also have an urgency to sell, but the crux of the matter here is what direction their thinking goes in when they must come to the realization that they need an agent, and that working with one means they pay a commission and don’t realize quite the same amount of compensation from the sale of the home.

Being adept with social media marketing goes a long way here. It can be a very strong tool for building awareness of your business. It’s possible to generate leads for real estate if you can post relevant content frequently, and also if you feel comfortable in front of the camera. And in general social media can be a great tool for showing any listings you may have or to promote open houses you are hosting for them.

However, social media use for real estate is best done when it shows your personality, and offers homeowners a sense of who you are. Be witty, be funny, maybe even crack a few inappropriate jokes. Share information about the market too, but just be mindful that it is possible to be too robotic and sterile in the way you approach prospective real estate clients.

You’ll also benefit from having a large, social network now, and likes and comments will further your visibility as a good real estate agent that is ready and happy to help homeowners who live in the region. Or those who would like to buying a home there.

Email Marketing

Email marketing remains one of the most cost-efficient ways to stay engaged with prospects and to come up with leads for real estate. The best way to use email marketing is by building your own contact database. It is time consuming for sure, but often worth it in the long run. Open houses are a great resource for collecting emails from potential clients who are getting ready to make a real estate move. And get creative if you can too. For example, someone might share their email if you offer something like a guide to mortgage rates in your area, or other topics that might interest homeowners. And sure, email lists can be purchased but what we’ve found is that often they’re not accurate.

Nurturing local connections is another approach that realtors will tell recommend for you Be visible in as many ways as possible in your area, and always with business cards ready to be handed out. There are always all sorts of community activities that can be a great way to build your personal brand awareness.

Next up is highlighting the value of local advertising when it comes to real estate leads for new agents. Having your photo on a park bench, bus shelter or billboard is a great way to promote yourself and create a lead generation channel. But you will need to way the costs against the sorts of client generation returns this type of advertising is providing for you.

The ranks of people who need to buy or sell a home will always be replenishing themselves, and that’s true even when the market is down or the economy is suppressing the rate at which people are buying homes, or in whatever volume. Whether it’s a homeowner who could not sell their home with another agent, or a FSBO homeowner who has grown impatient with the home not selling, there are all sorts of scenarios where someone is going to need the help of a real estate professional.

Their next question – who might that person be, and where am I contacting them? Put in the work and hustle and be smart with approaches to leads for real estate and it’s more likely that is you and being contacted through the real estate brokerage you’re working with.

Real Estate Seller Lead Generation: 17 Effective Ways

Published January 30, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

REAL ESTATE SELLER LEAD GENERATION: 17 EFFECTIVE WAYSIt’s entirely natural that realtors will often evaluate whether or not they put their valuable time into an effort based on dollars and cents outlooks, and if you’re a real estate agent in Canada you’ll get our drift here. Not all real estate clients are equal, and while even the most successful and well-established agents will be happy to work with clients of all sorts it’s also not unnatural to have more a fondness for working with clients who are selling a home as opposed to buying one.

Now some will quickly connect the dots to conclude that’s because there is usually more commission earned by a realtor who has helped with the sale of a home for his clients. That’s fair enough, and it’s true for the most part. The value of the home has everything to do with that, but we can get it if some agents are going to be put more focus on strategies for generating seller leads. We’ve said it before, but we know that other paid real estate leads in Canada providers would likely tell you the same if you asked – there’s no one best way to generate real estate leads.

Indeed the most successful real estate lead generators take a multi-track approach to drumming up new clientele, and we’ve also talked at length here about how older and more traditional approaches like door knocking and volunteering at community / civic events can also be very helpful for the aim. The last part of that is particularly noteworthy if you are one more Canadian realtors who is happier to have home seller clients when possible, and so here we’re going to look at strategies for generating seller leads in much more detail.

Here are 17 proven effective ways for digging up leads on clients who intend to sell their home. Do you have what it takes to impress upon them that you are the best local real estate agent to help them sell their home? You will need to give off a certain confidence and put your expertise on display, but that’s the subject for another different blog entry here. Let’s get into it.

Strategic Reevaluation

These days finding home seller leads is increasingly difficult, and yes the fact there are too many realtors in any given area of the country does have a lot to do with that. Moreso than before, most people will already have a realtor in mind or when that’s been introduced to them before when they’re starting to think about putting their home on the market. This can be true even

for experienced real estate agents. In the event you’re in a rut with all of this it may be time to reevaluate your strategies for the best way to generate real estate leads, and with a specific focus on people who are likely to be selling their home.

What we’ll have here for you with this entry are practical and creative ways to help you focus your efforts more effectively and come up with better strategies for generating seller leads. Implement a few of these tactics smartly into your client prospecting efforts and you may well find you have more of your ‘preferred’ clientele to work with – people who have decided to sell their home AND decided you are the Canadian real estate agent they want to work with.

  1. Leverage Existing Network to Ask for Home Seller Referrals

It’s important not to overlook the more obvious choices when it comes to smarter marketing and self-promotion of yourself as a service professional. No matter what type of service you are providing, including helping someone negotiate the sale of their home for their maximum return and satisfaction.

A new realtor may have a smaller network to work with, but it is a network none the less and that’s where you need to start here. Lean on the people you know and have worked with previously. This can be your past clients, lenders, and others in your sphere of influence, and these most agents will be using a real estate CRM suite of some sort to keep track of everyone who’s in that network and where their professional expertise lies.

Here’s a stat to keep in mind with all of this; apparently in 2022 36% of sellers who used a real estate agent was put into contact with that agent through a referral. You won’t get referrals if you don’t ask for them, so you need to be assertive and go out and ask if whoever it may be knows of someone who’s thinking about putting their home on the market and isn’t working with a realtor – yet.

  1. Use Social Media to Build your Personal Brand

Social media like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are great for helping realtors create a strong online identity for themselves and build up their personal ‘brand’, if you will, as a means of standing out from the thousands of other realtors who would like those same clients you have your eyes on.

Social media channel activity and promotion is most effective when it’s paired with your real estate website where share value-add information and expertise on your local market to build your credibility. There are a lot of possibilities here though, and getting into all of them would be an entry all its own too probably. Explore and try new approaches, there’s a lot to learn here.

  1. Provide Custom Local Market Updates for Existing Seller Leads

There is always going to be more value than you’d imagine in your existing database, or at least that’s the case most of the time for realtors who have been working in real estate for a number of years minimum. It’s a good idea to email up-to-date summaries of active, pending, and sold properties to would-be clients when they match their search criteria.

This is definitely part of strategies for generating seller leads too, and again here we can’t recommend using a real estate CRM highly enough for this aim too. Plus you’ll find that a good real estate email marketing software can enhance your email marketing efforts and ensure maximum engagement.

  1. Have a CTA (call to action) Offering a Home Valuation on Your Website

You may need to work with a webmaster if you’re not the builder of your site, and it’s not common for real estate agents to build their own website. But if you are going to use this CTA it will be most powerful among real estate lead generators if it can be linked or otherwise connected to community pages as well as contributing to better SERP (search engine results page) rankings when people search for realtors in the area of the country where you are working as one. This is a really easy way to start a conversation with potential seller leads and provide value to them.

  1. Drive Traffic to Home Valuation Landing Pages

You can easily create these types of microsites specifically designed to attract seller leads with a home valuation CTA. They should be directly integrated with your CRM in the same way your main website is and you can control the metadata, including the H1 tags to boost your organic rankings.

Take advantage of Google Analytics, Google Ads conversion ID, or Facebook here too and to track pixel to track conversions on the site. This is among the best ways to generate real estate leads because it can capture key information about their home plus their timeline for selling if they have a defined one – something that can distinguish a hot lead from one that’s only warm. This is then captured in your CRM as a seller lead, and you can choose how your leads are routed from there.

  1. Utilize Google Seller PPC Campaigns

Most common is to locate these pay-per-click ad campaigns with a seller site on its own domain, and so we recommend running seller lead campaigns at the municipality level to ensure you’re geo-targeting an area that’s large enough to the point that you can expect to generate at least some home seller leads from it. You will need to be casting a fairly wide net, and an even wider one depending on where in Canada and in which part of which Province you are working as a real estate agent.

  1. Use Your CRM to Build a Follow-Up and Lead Nurturing System

There are going to be occasions When a seller lead’s timeline is several months into the future, but that doesn’t mean you should automatically be back-burnering them. Instead you can use a combination of tags, action plans, drip campaigns, and real estate marketing automations in your CRM to develop automated ways that keep you in touch with them organically but without coming on too strong as realtor who’s desperate for new clientele.

You can also build a follow-up plan based on the lead’s engagement level. One example might be automatically enrolling a seller lead into an action plan once they’ve visited your site a certain number of times. The action plan can have call tasks and automated texts and emails to ensure you’re being timely with when and how you reach out.

Using AI tools is possible here too, you can automate initial engagement with the lead to help qualify them and alert an agent when the lead is more likely to be converted into a new real estate client. AI tools are also good for positive re-engaging of older seller leads without requiring a whole lot of you.

  1. Create Seller-Focused Content

It’s the simple fact that prospective clients who might list their home for sale with you will be more likely to engage with content related to the selling of homes. So it may be that blog posts on how to prep your home to sell or a landing page with tips on the home-selling process can be much more effective when it comes strategies for generating seller leads .

Seller-focused content that is written well and made available through the right channels can help augment the other ways you’re targeting these leads. This content can be used as landing pages for ads, in email marketing, on social media, and to attract visitors to your website.

  1. Use Cold Calling to Prospect Expired Listings and FSBOs

Being right on top of expired listings from your MLS and any FSBOs (for sale by owners) listing can be a similarly solid approach for creating real estate seller leads. It is possible that leads from expired listings might have poor experiences with other agents dulling the enthusiasm they have for working with a new realtors and perhaps even deciding to put their home back on the market altogether.

You need to define how you will convince them that working with you will be different. Having trouble making enough calls throughout the day? Increase your efficiency and productivity by using an automated real estate dialer. These can be good for connecting with a larger volume of prospects and maximizing your outreach efforts.

  1. Build a Networking Group Built Out of Local Service Providers

Real estate is yet another business where it’s all about who you know. And if you’re a realtor yourself then the best people to know in this capacity are people who work with homes in a similarly service-oriented capacity. The painters, carpenters and contractors who sellers are bound to call. Forming personal relationships with these companies can be a great way to become aware of homes about to go on the market before anyone else.

In addition, once homeowners hear you’re someone with the right network and plenty of local market expertise you may well be the realtor they contact when it’s time to sell.

  1. Work Open Houses to Generate Seller Leads

Every approach to strategies for generating seller leads is going to require plenty of proactivity and get-up-and-go on your part. So suggesting you get up and go to open houses is right in line with that and it can also be a big part of having success with home seller lead generation.

Open houses are perfect opportunities to meet people who are ready to sell. Whether they’re serious about listing their home or are just curious to see what competition in the area is like, these are great places to have organic and very natural first meetings with a potential client.

  1. Leverage Facebook Ads

We can’t even list out all the ways there is to utilize Facebook for home seller lead generation, but one strategy that’s a little beyond the standard approaches is to focus on specific interest groups that can help generate leads for you. For example, a FB group for young parents where you’re more likely to be in contact with young couples who have children making their families bigger and they’re looking for a bigger home because of it.

Use Facebook to find these people and start building real estate relationships. You may be surprised how much good can come from being even just a little engaged through targeted Facebook real estate ads.

  1. Provide Assistance for Distressed Homeowners

It’s never a desirable scenario, but there are times when homeowners are forced to sell. And in some instances they may need to sell quickly. Often this because of unfortunate circumstances. You can and should still contact these people if you’re made aware of them. Just tread lightly and be understanding and empathetic when working with this segment. Put your focus on listening to their needs and helping them sell their home and get through this unfortunate situation where they are at a disadvantage with selling their home.

And more to the point, be very forthcoming with anything and everything you can do to minimize any such disadvantage their in. If you can improv the outcomes for them and make the sale of the home as agreeable as possible all things considered you WILL have satisfied clients, and as we know it is satisfied clients who recommend you as a realtor to others they know.

  1. Convert Renters into Sellers

Renting out a home can be a good way to maintain and build equity despite whatever reason the owner may have for not living in the home at that time. But it can also be one heck of a hassle, and unfortunately that’s especially true in Canada. There’s maintenance, administration, collecting the rent, and also evictions in worst-case scenarios. You can do well by explaining these costs to potential clients, and helping them understand that in some cases it may actually be in their best interest to sell the home instead.

  1. Join a Team of Experienced Listing Agents

Networking with listing agents nearly always provides mutual benefit, and especially when it is a group of realtors who each come to the tablet with their own areas of local market expertise, this is part of strategies for generating seller leads too and can even be a quick and easy way to get more leads fast. Sure, it won’t be a good fit for those who’d rather work on their own, but if you can work well with others and you have an interest in the mutual gains you’d provide for each then this is something to consider for your real estate lead generation approaches.

  1. Make Contacts with Home Flippers / Real Estate Investors

Buying and refurbishing old homes is increasingly popular with real estate investors. And it’s quite likely there are entire neighborhoods in your city where this is happening. Be quick to move on this if you become aware of it and reach out to these individuals in the attempt to convince them you’re the right agent to realize the sale of their property. They’ll likely be motivated to sell fast and frequently, and again consider the satisfied client / referral angle here.

  1. Host an Event

People of all sort tend to like to socialize, and that’s why some realtors will host or arrange events that can be subtly used to promote their services when in the midst of a gathering of people that may have any number of prospective clients attending based on demographic factors, location, and so on. The more people who leave talking about it — and you — the more likely you’ll be recommended to others when they decide that now they’re ready to put their home on the market.

  1. Be Creative

All realtors will use print marketing collateral like cards and so on to hopefully stay front of mind with people who aren’t selling their home right now but may be in the not-too-distant future. You can and should do the same as part of what successful real estate lead generators do, but you should try and be as creative in possible in making your marketing and promotion collateral stand out from the ones other realtors use. A different and unique tag line may be a great place to start, but there’s much more you can do too and this is one area of all this where you can really think outside the box and find unique and creative ways to see to it you’re the real estate agent they’re most likely to think of.

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Remember that the strategies and tactics you choose to try here should be given at least something of a longer leash when it comes to you starting to evaluate whether they’re working or not for you with getting more home seller leads. Often it’s a combination of good old-fashioned prospecting and relationship building and paired with by strong marketing and technology implementation that will be contributing to real estate lead pipelines most effectively AND most frequently. And, of course, always be open to trying new things.

Real Estate Lead Conversion Strategies in 2024: How to Maximize Your Leads

Published January 16, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Real Estate Lead Conversion Strategies in 2024: How to Maximize Your Leads

Finalizing is a term that’s become quite the buzzword in business of all types over recent years, and in many ways it has superseded closing when it comes to turning a lead into a sale for by and large and anyone who does sales of any sort. It’s been particularly well adopted in real estate too and as it pertains to real estate leads here it really does highlight how a there is a real chasm that has to be crossed when you go from receiving a lead to having those persons by or sell a home.

That will mean convincing them to work with you as their real estate agent. The fact there are far greater numbers of active real estate agents than there is sufficient homebuyer and home seller business to go around means plenty of others will be aiming to do the same thing. Does this mean that realtors have to know how to present themselves in the best light in every way? Absolutely, but there’s more that goes into the best ways to generate leads for real estate. You do need to be persuasive in ways that break away from the norms where most realtors approach clients the same way.

But it is true that the more leads you are able to drum up, the more likely it is any given number of those leads will turn into real estate clients for you. It’s for this reason so many realtors are using paid real estate lead generation services like the one we make available here. But let’s go ahead and assume that any realtor who is going to pay for leads will want to be sure they are doing the best they can and having maximum success with their efforts to convert online leads.

So what we’ll do for our blog entry here this week is go into real detail about the best real estate lead conversion strategies for 2024, and hopefully as someone who may be new to working as a realtor in Canada you can find good ways to incorporate them into your efforts too.

Conversion Rates Focus

Every agent tends to be a busy agent, and that may be true even if that realtor isn’t enjoying a steady income from their career at that time and of course it is at times like these that you want be converting as many leads as possible. Is that more difficult for those who are newer to the business? Absolutely. Like anything you become more proficient and it is understandable if in the beginning feel practically impossible to understand the numbers behind your marketing efforts. Calculating conversion rates for real estate leads is crucial in 2024 in the same way it has been for years previous .

We’ll also assume that most realtors will know what a conversion rate is, but if you don’t then the conversion rate is the rate at which your real estate leads are turned into clientele who participate in a home sale or buy a home and either results in you earning a commission. Fairly straightforward, and to calculate the conversion rate you go through a basic equation working with the number of leads generated and the number of leads who became clients.

As an example, if you generated 500 leads for June and 25 of them became clients, your conversion rate would be 5%. Simple enough, but big decisions shouldn’t be on how to spend your marketing finances to get better conversion rates. Instead, you should focus more on improving your lead conversion rates for 2024. Keep in mind as well that different marketing channels will have different conversion rates.

This creates a reality where some leads are worth more than others, and to determine which lead is worth more you need to put another equation to work. It’s also relatively simple; divide the total revenue gained from a specific marketing channel by the number of leads gained. Because even as little as a 1% gain can have a profound effect on your business, and anything that adds incrementally towards that will make some marketing channels immediately more valuable than others when it comes to better lead conversion rates.

Be Channel Choosy

It makes so much sense to invest more readily in a marketing channel that has better lead conversion rates. You need to work on your follow up, communication, and relationship-building to improve converting leads to customers. Is there a national average for realtors and how often convert leads into clients? Apparently there is, and what we’ve learned there is that 3-5% is standard for conversion rates. But this is based on the agent’s market, so it possible the average rates are lower and maybe even much lower.

That may be discouraging to some, but even without those low numbers the important takeaway for you is that converting leads into clients doesn’t happen often at all and this emphasizes how important it is to be as good at it as you can possibly be.

So let’s swing around now and talk about the main reasons leads that might have been converted end up staying unconverted, and a part of it does reinforce the fact you do need to be about which marketing channels you choose to put your time, money, and focus into.

One of the primary reasons for failure here is that the realtor’s follow-up is poor and the would-be clients is majorly dissuaded by that initial impression made on them. All too often it isn’t your online leads that are inferior and it’s much more in the way you approach these prospective clients with that all-important first impression.

If after months of effort your lead nurturing tactics aren’t generating leads and seeing them converted, then it’s time you made changes to your approach. The best advice is to take a look at your entire process to determine what you can do to improve. It may be that you are too focused on short-term success, and if so then your correction needs to be to understand that real estate is all about long-term success.

The ones who are most successful are growing their sphere of influence, nurturing relationships slowly over time, and establishing themselves as a trusted advisor long after a sale is completed.

Misidentifying Most Valuable Leads

Research done in 2020 indicated that 1st-time buyers made up 31% of all home buyers, a dip from 2019 33% and for 43% of recent buyers. As it relates to real estate leads the first step that they took in the home buying process was to browse properties for sale online, with another 18% of those buyers reaching out to make first contact with real estate agent. That leaves another 82% of those participants available to be contacted by a realtor.

Many of them will be contacting a realtor who has been referred to them by family, friends, or coworkers. Referrals are the way most buyers find their agents too and while you can generate real estate leads online, it’s often not as effective as nurturing relationships with past clients – the same people who will be most likely to refer you. The people you’ve already worked with are much more likely to convert again or provide referrals.

The point here is to not neglect your most valuable leads. Follow up with clients after the sale and it’s not to difficult to do that and not comes across as being overly pushy or anything of the sort. And as we know there are many different off-line ways of getting leads in real estate.

Focus on building a relationship first and the business will follow. And understanding that a larger marketing budget isn’t necessarily the solution. If you want a more guaranteed-beneficial way to put money into your client generation efforts you may be best to put that into real estate search engine optimization for your website.

Gaining Clients from Real Estate Leads in 2024

All sorts of tips for agents abound online, but most will be squandered if a realtor doesn’t know how to convert leads into clients. You need a plan, and you need to have experience making those conversions and the understanding you need to get better at it.

There are some tips that can apply to all realtors no matter their personality of how they like to build clientele. We can start by saying that timing is often an integral factor, as most people will choose to work with the first realtor they speak with. Long story short – the quicker you respond to a lead, the better when it comes to real estate leads. The best overall strategies will include a plan for initial response to leads as well as ongoing contact.

Next you’ll need to know how to best stay in touch with clients that are warm leads but not hot leads where the people are ready to make a real estate move nearly immediately. This is best done by staying at the forefront of their minds, and you do that by having a follow-up system in place. Many realtors will use e-newsletters that former clients can opt to receive and if they do then it’s a way of keeping you as that realtor that is at the front of your mind .

It will also be best if you are able to have a distinctive value proposition. The best approach for real estate leads and real estate lead generation is a multi-pronged one that focuses on having a unique value proposition. Start with the standard introduction to your prospective clients, but then shift your focus to the clients and it’s here that you want to be as catering and complimentary as possible.

Being especially upbeat about their home and its value is a great launching point that you can’t go wrong with. There are other approaches you can try to, but once you establish that identity with them then you will next need to evaluate your clients and try to determine where they are in the sales cycle. Because part of effectively converting real estate leads into clients is being able to accurately access where they are in that.

As is the case again here, it is something that you get better at with practice. But something you can be very proficient with right away is showcasing your local neighborhood knowledge. This is a huge part of organic lead generation and especially with ensuring people think of you when they’re asked to recommend a good realtor for acquaintances to work with. Be focused on providing relevant local information, and if that can be paired with individual property information then it can help you demonstrate a level of expertise that few agents can match.

Earn Testimonials

If being able to convert online leads better as a realtor is a priority for you then you can get a lot of support from having many former clients leaving online testimonials for you. It is always true that potential customers hold testimonials in high regard, seeing them as means of confirming that you understand what you are doing. You need your leads to trust you and feel they have nothing to risk. Most realtors are all too happy to put these reviews and testimonials on their personal real estate website and they can go into social media profiles too. But once you have these online real estate leads, what can a realtor expect to happen next? After receiving responses to your online campaigns or using real estate search engine optimization strategies, you may find that this can go one of two ways.

We talked about not neglecting leads, but let’s put a similar emphasis on the need to follow up immediately. You never want to make leads wait, and there has been consumer research that the initial interest level of a prospect drops considerably after an hour. It is truly important to follow up immediately with prospects. One idea is to direct online leads to a company email to which several people have access.

This will ensure quick handling of leads and will increase the chances of converting them to clients, but from there they will need to be qualified. So what is the best way to qualify real estate leads? You again start by knowing which stage leads are in you will know where and how to invest your resources to convert them to clients.

And a part of qualifying the lead first is to make the good 1st impression that we talked about a number of times already here. And even if a lead is warm and you reach out promptly and properly the potential client may genuinely just not be ready to take the next step yet. But if the lead has shown interest in your service then you definitely don’t want lose the opportunity to keep them warm.

Be Attentive

An equally essential part of converting real estate leads into customers is optimally listening to them. Rather than rattling of any standard sales pitch, you should instead pay attention to their problems and needs and that means you need to have good critical listening / understanding skills. It’s your job to educate the prospect to become aware of the problem and how you can help them solve this.

Moving forward from there it helps a lot if you have a strong understanding of the conversion process. It is good if you can use analytics software to show how many leads are entering your CRM system at each stage of the sales funnel and how many are converted to clients who buy or sell real estate through you.

Data needs to be presented clearly in a dashboard with a CRM in order for you to see which levels of your sales funnel are leaking leads. Done properly it lets you to reach out and focus on those leads. Finding out how to convert online leads to customers takes you one step closer to your goals. And once that point arrives you will do well to have real estate lead conversion scripts that work and are ready to go.

There’s no such thing as a perfect script, and not every script works for every agent. However, having a decent one can do wonders for your lead generation and that is because scripts

  • help you gain confidence with leads
  • Promote learning new sales approaches quickly
  • Allow scaling of your real estate business, and that’s even more true if you are operating as a team

Here’s a good example of some standard verbiage for a real estate leads script:

Hi ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­—–. This is Ken with —–. You related to me that you are having challenges with ———. I have considered your situation and my experience in this market leads me to believe ——– is likely the best course of action to overcome this challenge and provide the perfect solution.’

Not long ago research findings published at salesforce.com showed that focusing on helping the customer results in an increase in lead conversions by up to 70%. With some prospective clients an approach that prompts them to volunteer their perspective right away is better, and here’s an example of a real estate client contact script like that.

My understanding is that you are looking for a 3-bedroom home in the ——- area as near as possible to —— school. Is that correct?

It’s simple, it’s unassuming, and it’s a direct question that will necessitate a fairly clear response from them most of the time. Experienced agents will also know that it’s easy to score and convert leads from open houses. Open houses are also a good place to earn referrals. An open house-related script might go something like this:

Hi, my name is—– with —–. The purpose of this communication is to let you know of an open house event going to be held at (address) ——- this —— from —– to ——–. Do you know where this is, and might you have any interest in attending this open house?

Making some type of positive personal connection is what you should be aiming for with any lead. Many times an initial phone call script is the best way to achieve this. Learn the scripts by heart isn’t necessary, but what is necessary is an understanding of the underlying principles that make them effective at converting online new home leads.

If you need any more convincing on this then how about hearing that as much as 80% of leads are lost due to poor or no follow-up efforts. So a reliable real estate lead conversion plan is needed, one where for the first 10 days you focus on following up on leads with phone calls, texts, and emails.

Here’s an overview of what that might look like

1st Day

Respond quickly once the lead contacts you, starting with a self-introduction. Let the lead know how you found them and why you’re very likely the best fit as their real estate agent. Ensure you come across as knowledgeable, helpful, and trustworthy while not seeming needy at all. You can contact the leads through email or phone calls.

2nd Day

You may not have heard back from the lead by this point, but that’s not a concern here as it’s fairly common. Stay informative and trustworthy with your tone in the communications, and be clear in how you can help the lead buy or sell their home. You can contact them through email and text.

3rd Day

Converting unresponsive leads is best done by staying persistent. Far too many agents will think a lead has gone cold after a day or two, but that is rarely if ever the case. That lead may still be interested in buying or selling a home. Send a short and concise follow-up communication here (often email is best, but text message is a possibility too) and this can be a good way to get a response without being annoying.

4th Day

Here is when you start to suspect that you conversion scripts are not working well. Make small changes here though rather than making wholesale changes to them – at least for the time being, and one thing you can try is switching up the time of day you send them messages. Reach out in the evening if mornings aren’t working and vice versa. Just send an email as a reminder that you’d still like to offer your service and assistance if they need them.

5th Day

At this point it may be that the prospective client is busy or isn’t ready to start the buying or selling process. Either way, focus on staying at the forefront of their mind and a means of doing this can be to call them on this day and send a text as well.

6th and 7th Day

This is not the time to pressure any lead too much. It’s wise here to give phone communication a rest for a couple of days, but you can stay positive and helpful in a short email sent on either of these days

8th Day

Take the opportunity here to remind the lead of your value. Aim for an upbeat tone when doing this and mention that you have useful information you think they’d like to have. One idea can be to send a text message in the evening when the lead has likely seen to everything they need to do that day.

9th Day

Here it starts to becomes possible that a different approach is needed this time. See it as a good time to showcase your unique skills as an agent, and you can state to the lead how you can help them with the buying or selling of their home. Plus, if they are hesitant to move forward then that’s perfectly fine and you are ready to help when they are ready. You may also mention that your negotiation skills can help the buyer save money and the seller net more money.

10th Day

This 10th day is final day in the conversion plan, and what you can do here is contact your lead by phone. You may also send a text before lunch and call in the evening.

Everything said there is no debate that converting real estate leads is an essential part of every real estate business. Well written seller landing pages will also help you generate leads, along with starting you on the path where you build a reputation as a realtor and start having your business grow organically along with what you’re able to do with your efforts to generate leads for real estate and pairing it with effective real estate search engine optimization.

Optimizing Real Estate Marketing in 2024 with Drone Video and Aerial Photography

Published January 11, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Real Estate Lead Generation Strategies for 2024: Smart Partnerships

The technology that people utilize for marketing these days is really quite something, and it’s not surprising that real estate agents are keen to maximize what they can do with it when marketing homes they have for sale on behalf of clients. Much if not all of it is built on the Internet connectivity that we’ve all been enjoying for 20-plus years now. Visuals are everything in real estate marketing, and that won’t come as a surprise considering prospective homebuyers are always going to want to envision themselves living in a home and a community. And making good use of visuals of different sorts can also be a means of collecting home seller leads too.

We’ve talked at length about proven means of generating the best real estate leads here, but paid real estate leads like the ones we offer here at 4GoodHosting aren’t where you start with this necessarily. They are best seen as a means of augmenting a realtor’s existing status as a realtor who is very visible to potential clients when they begin to search for a professional to work with when buying or selling a home. Naturally, the best and most effective way to do that is to have your name out there and then have a long list of satisfied clients who will be happy to vouch for you as an excellent realtor.

A big part of this can be people referring you to others they know who are preparing to put their home on the market, and you can gain seller leads for real estate agents when former clients rave about the different but super effective means you used to market their home. Sometimes all that is required to sell a home is to put it on the MLS and host open houses. With other properties there will be much more promotion required to convince would-be buyers to place an offer.

One good example of this where new technology is used to great effect is with drone video and aerial photography. There can be a lot to be gained in showing an elevated or ‘bird’s eye’ view of a home as compared to only taking standing height ground level photos of it. In particular it can be very valuable if there is a real harmony between the home and the property it stands on. The way exterior detailing like patios or other fixtures or landscaping adds to the appeal of the home can be better highlighted too. That’s what we’re going to look at with this entry.

Great Images from Up High

Real estate drone video can be very persuasive when it makes a home and property look that much more attractive to a prospective buyer, and as we mentioned above home seller leads can come from them later on as people speak highly of your use of drone video in real estate. Agents do know that to generate home seller leads they must show the clearest and most flattering property pictures they can.

In some instances that’s not possible with a smartphone or even a higher-end DSLR camera if you’re only taking ordinary photos of the exterior. In the past it would have been impossible to take photos or video from a very elevated view in the sky, but no longer. We’re now seeing that the use of drone property photography has taken the real estate industry by storm, and this is a trend that we’re probably going to see gain even more traction. Here are some industry statistics to consider related to this:

  1. Homes with aerial images sold 68% faster in comparison to homes with standard image.
  2. 73% of homeowners say working with an agent that uses video to market homes is preferable.
  3. 83% of home sellers will want to work with an agent that uses drones.
  4. Drones are used 3.5 times more by high-volume agents than low-volume agents.
  5. Drones speed up the sales process for commercial and residential properties.

Realtors can then add to the emphatic nature of their property marketing efforts when they use those pictures when creating ads on Facebook or Google, and they will almost always see increased engagement because of them. But as it relates to the best real estate leads realtors need to be a cut above the rest when it comes to delivering the best residential and commercial real estate drone photography, so let’s now turn to a discussion of good real estate drone video and photo tips.

Start at the Start

A good starting point for better flying drone photography and video is to make sure you have the best drone for your needs. Battery life, the resolution of the camera, and pre-programmed flight modes can all be valid considerations and you should weigh all of them from the perspective of how do I get the perfect real estate marketing videos or drone property photography shots. As is the case with many new products it may be possible to get a good quality used camera drone as this is one product where new enthusiasts often upgrade their drone in short order.

You can and should start with preparing the scene. Make sure the home exterior is made to look its best and that the property is equally attractive. Naturally, you will want to choose a day with good weather and clear visibility too. The next thing you will need to do is master your drone and find the best settings for the type of video you want to take, as seller leads for real estate agents aren’t always easy to come by and if you’re going to put the time, effort, and expense into this then you certainly need to do it right.

Try taking your drone to a park near your home for an hour or so and get used to flying it and taking video at the same time. Apparently most people get the hang of it pretty quickly, and you may want to keep the drone at a low height right in front of you while you master the basic controls. In addition to what you read in the owner’s manual you can also likely find good flight instruction videos for your drone on YouTube.

You’ll need to get to know the drone flight modes too, and most of the good ones have intelligent flight modes that make all of this impressively user friendly. The next thing you’ll need to is take some test flights taking photos and videos, and one thing that is always true is that lower in the air is generally better than higher, although if there are other geographical features (like coastline for example) nearby then you can spend a portion of the time taking video higher in the air.

Aerial map photography can be good for home seller leads and it’s good tomato them part of listing presentations online, giving would-be buyers the option of clicking on the video and watching it. But again, to get the best real estate leads you want to stay low so you can get an idea of the property and surrounding land. Another part of the advantage of having real estate drone video is letting you add visual descriptiveness to you narration of the video.

If, for example, you’re describing how the home is a stone’s throw from a nice beachfront park it will be very helpful – and much more persuading – if you’re able to clearly show just how that’s the case and what an attractive beachfront park these folks will have close by if they start to envision themselves living there.

Estimate Expenses

Generating seller leads for real estate agents is something that those agents will have to weigh in an expense / return sort of equation, and in many ways that is true of any expenditure a person makes to further their business. As this relates to using an aerial drone to get good real estate video the national average that realtors can expect to pay for aerial photography is between $250 and $350. As mentioned above though, you may be able to find a reasonably priced used one in good condition if you’re willing to be patient and scour online seller platforms like Craigslist, Kijiji, and Facebook Marketplace.

There will be other points that can factor into all of this though, including location, equipment, competitors, as well as the services and finished products required. In many instances the realtor may become proficient with operating the drone and getting the video but they still need pay for editing to create high-quality, high-resolution photos and video. Prices will also vary based on whether you aim to capture an event, produce commercial images, or create images of a special viewpoint.

With that in mind, you may want to assume more expense up front rather than later and that can be true of nearly anything related to home seller leads in real estate. Higher-end gear typically produces a higher-resolution and higher-quality project, and if you are a realtor who is regularly representing clients with homes for sale then it’s advisable to get better equipment when using drones to video real estate.

The perspective that even 1 home sold in part because of the buyers being smitten with the on-high footage of the home can make the purchase of drone worth the expense is a legitimate one here. And of course if that’s the case then it is very likely that won’t be the first time the better videos of homes on your real estate website create sales results that have your drone more than paying for itself.

Drone Video Tips

It is highly recommended that you first master the operation of your drone, and once you start to compare your video with others you will likely see that it is best to go slow for the most convincing cinematic experience designed to cater to prospective buyers. You can always speed up a shot in post-production to make that drone footage look like a high-speed fly-by. As you become more proficient with the drone and camera you’ll develop more of a sense of when and where you should be zooming in on the home too.

We talked about learning how to edit video well too, or paying to have a pro edit your videos so that they have the full promotional effect you want from them. Getting good drone shots and editing video can be two very different skillsets. And if you still need convincing about learning to do this yourself you can consider a 60 to 90-second real estate drone video can cost between $400-$450 if you were to have the entire service done for you. Keep this in mind as well as you consider what we talked about at the end of the previous paragraph here.

It’s been shown that realtors who incorporate multimedia components into their personal real estate websites well enjoy more follow-up inquiries from individuals or couples who have an existing interest in putting in an offer on the property. Your use of drone video footage for selling homes and coming up with the best real estate leads can definitely be one part of that, and you can make sure you always have a video available for every new home listing you feature on the site.

This is something that an established and more successful realtor with a bigger operating budget to work with, but if you are newer to the business and money is an object then you should consider getting the video yourself. The need to be good at it will be even more profound when you are idealizing your video as a means of both selling homes AND drumming up home seller leads as satisfied clients speak of your real estate drone video proficiency to people in their circle who are now also thinking of selling their home.

There are also smarter ways to edit and treat real estate photos and videos, and as you turn the learning curve with flying a drone and getting video of homes from above you may also start taking an interest in how to do that too. And don’t be surprised if drone video footage becomes a part of how you capture memories with your own family on vacation and the like.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive home seller leads and home buyer leads that are delivered to you exclusively. You are the only realtor who will receive these leads, and they will provide information on people in the area of the country where you are working as a realtor who are ready to buy or sell a home in the near future. This proven-effective means of getting more out of client prospecting efforts comes recommended by profit-minded realtors like you, Signing up now makes a lot of sense if more real estate clientele is a need for you as you establish yourself in a career in real estate.

Visibility Interests in Better Lead Generation for Real Estate

Published January 8, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Visibility Interests in Better Lead Generation for Real Estate

The way it has always worked with real estate clients is that it is prospective homebuyers are the ones that are most often happened upon by realtors who are hosting open houses or occupied in other facets of doing their jobs. Homeowners that are living in the home currently and thinking about selling may inquire about the realtor they worked with when buying the home, but if it’s been years or decades that may be less likely. As a realtor there is everything to be gained from being made aware of these folks before they go looking to contact a realtor themselves.

Visibility as a real estate agent is an interconnected part of the way agents will try to generation leads for real estate. Or they should be, because as much as paid real estate lead generation services like ours here at Real Estate Leads are effective there is so much more that can be gained from client-base building efforts of all sorts when potential clients think of you or remember you when they start thinking let’s get the ball rolling with selling this home and making the next move in our lives.

There are always going to be all sorts of ideas for real estate lead generation ideas, and in our last blog entry here we talked about making smart partnerships where you as a realtor offer to promote someone else’s business in return for them recommending you as a realtor and getting leads that way. With this second real estate topic blog of the weeks we’re going to look at ways you can be more visible as a real estate agent and we’re not just talking about bus bench ads and the like.

Advertise Through Traditional Media

Well, immediately after saying that here we are stating that realtors who want to be more visible should consider traditional media if they’re not using it already. It is true that sometimes the best avenues to get your brand out and attract new clients are the methods realtors in your parents’ era might have used. Billboards, bench signs, and print ads can all be excellent resources to generate leads for real estate. With the right person passing by and more than a little lit on something you could be top-of-mind when they’re looking for their next agent.

Be Seen As a Niche Realtor

Most realtors who are niche realtors catering to a more-specific buyer or seller clientele are likely doing so in one that is based on either a location or a style of home, and of course many times certain types of homes are more predominantly found in specific regions of a city, Province, or even in the country as a whole. Plus a lot of people are very particular about where they will be living and how it lines up with the lifestyle they want to have for themselves.

If you’re a realtor who specializes in a certain neighborhood, historic homes, or helping clients find their perfect apartment then you want to make the effort so that you’re renowned as that person by as many people as possible. This will be an additional way to increase the likelihood of success with lead generation for real estate. Ideally you develop a reputation as the go-to realtor for these kinds of buyers and sellers. Plus it’s more natural to become a niche realtor when you grew up there and even better if you’ve lived in one of those homes or owned one yourself at some point in your life if you’re a realtor.

Here are common real estate niches, and as you’ll see there are other buyer prerogatives in them: historic homes / mid-century modern homes. luxury homes. / neighborhoods / student rentals/ school districts / 1st-time homebuyers / condos or apartments / slums / distressed properties / senior homes / vacation homes / commercial or industrial real estate

Use Coming Soon Signs

We’re going to continue with how real estate lead generation ideas can include improving on existing communication channels you have, and perhaps even making better use of them. This is not an aspect of it that most will talk about with this stuff, but ‘Coming Soon’ and ‘Sold’ signs shown on social media or a property’s lawn, are a tried-and-true way to generate interest. It creates a level of anticipation for the buyer because if they are ready to buy or sell a home they envision how they’ll be benefitting in that same scenario.

This also makes no mention of how the affect is magnified when home are shown to have sold for over asking in __ amount of weeks. No real estate agent in Canada will need to have the benefit of that explained to them.

Attend Open Houses

Notice we said attend open houses, and not host open houses. No one suggests you should drive across town, but if there is an open house that is not far from where you are there is no reason you can’t attend and speak to people if they take the initiative to speak to you first. Some realtors have very creative ways of doing that, and some of them may be more appropriate than others. But this is again a way for you to be visible in the 1st person and you may make just the right impression on someone who might want to work with you moving forward as they house hunt.

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All of your real estate lead generation ideas are going to have a little more pop and potential to them if you’re as visible as you can possibly be as a real estate agent working in that area and specializing in the types of properties that you do. Then you have the option of also weighing whether you’d like to invest in paid real estate leads to really supercharge you client generation efforts, and if so you are already in the right place here at Real Estate Leads.

Real Estate Lead Generation Strategies for 2024: Smart Partnerships

Published January 3, 2024 by Real Estate Leads

Here we are again at the start of a new year, and if you’re someone who is new to working as a real estate agent in Canada we imagine that part of your resolve as 2024 begins is that you’re going to have greater success in your chosen profession this year. If there is one thing you’ve likely learned over the course of the last year and beyond it is that real estate is an extremely competitive business, and there is never going to be enough clientele to go around and have every agent being entirely satisfied with the number of clients they have to work with. This is why knowing how to generate leads for real estate is so important.

We’ve gone at length here about how you need to take a multi-tiered approach to lead generation for real estate, and that means that you don’t take just one singular approach. Using an online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads definitely has its merits, and it is a resource that wouldn’t have been available to previous generations of real estate agents. The power of Internet marketing is considerable, and that’s how online leads for real estate agents are generated in the way they are.

So you’re encouraged to purse paid real estate leads, but you need to expand your horizons with real estate lead generation ideas and building smart partnerships as a real estate agent. That’s what we’re going to focus on with our first blog entry of the year here. Go through them at your leisure, but we should say before continuing that no one is going to be able or willing to incorporate all these suggestions into their efforts.

But it is more than likely that at least a few of these partnership ideas line up well with what you’ll be able to do as you aim to generate leads for real estate. You will do well to try them and see if they help with building a real estate client base more quickly.

Smart Partnerships

There is much to be gained from networking with other local businesses to form mutually beneficial partnerships. Ideas can include co-hosting happy hours, giving gifts to clients or leads, or forming local alliances. The last one of those 3 is the one we think is the best, and so that’s where we will put most of our focus.

  • Insurance Companies

Homeowners will almost always purchase home insurance, for obvious reasons. There will also be homebuyers who want to turn their new properties into rentals or businesses of other sorts. Having connections in the industry can facilitate these transitions and promote them occurring much more regularly.

  • Personal Bankers

Having their home be the largest financial investment a person ever makes is nearly always the case. A personal banker can run numbers and double-check affordability for them, and it makes sense for you to have referral contacts with someone who works in arranging financing for prospective home buyers. This can help guide buyers to the best loan options.

  • Commercial Lenders

Loan officers are an integral part of the home-buying process, and the rationale in making these contacts is the same one as above for personal bankers. It is definitely good to build relationships with commercial lenders.

  • Landscapers

This is a less-common suggestion, but when you consider that many people who are looking to improve their property before listing will have a landscaper working for them it makes more sense. You may also want to try to establish a referral contact arrangement with a local landscaping service that is reputable and appears to do a lot of business in your area.

  • Home Stagers

There are increasing numbers of home staging services where experts will provide the direction and whatever is needed to make a home look as best as possible for prospective buyers, working on the understanding that a first impression is everything.

Those who have worked with many such clients may be a good contact for you when it comes to ways to generate leads for real estate. In particular there may be instances where a former client took a home off the market and they’ve become aware of their intention to re list it but preferably with another realtor. If you can become aware of this information first it creates a potential opportunity for you to be first in touch with them.

  • Title Companies

Each day hundreds of individuals across the country contact a Title Search office to determine ownership of properties of all sorts. A real estate agent will be very familiar with how this works and all the different interests a person may have when reaching out to someone to do a title search for them. Some of these may preclude the possibility of them buying or selling a home, or a commercial real estate property. If you are able to establish a referral partnership with one or more title search offices and be the realtor they speak of when meeting these clients it can do a lot for building a real estate client base

  • Storage Providers

This is the last one we’ll mention with smart partnerships as a means of lead generation for real estate. It may seem the like least logical of the bunch, and perhaps it is. But one thing that even seasoned realtors may not know is that homeowners who are humming and hawing about selling a home because they’re not sure of where they are moving to next will on occasion inquire about putting their belongings in storage.

This can be especially true if the owner is overly motivated to sell for whatever reason. They may see putting their household belongings into storage as a worthwhile expensive even though it’s a nuisance. There could be the opportunity for you to work with them if they haven’t agreed to work with a realtor yet, and even if they have it might be sometime before they decide to work with a realtor when buying a new home in the future. See if you can get to know a storage provider, and you can recommend their service in the same way they can recommend you as a real estate agent.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered only to you. Being the only realtor to receive the leads gives you the perfect opportunity to reach out to these couples or individuals first and present yourself as a reputable realtor who is ready to help guide them through the home buying or home selling process for maximum return. Read our testimonials from agents like you who have discovered the benefits for themselves, and Happy New Year to all of you.

Pressing Questions for Canada’s Housing Market Going into 2024

Published December 28, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Pressing Questions for Canada’s Housing Market Going into 2024

Here we are again with another year drawing to a close and with us having only seen for very small shifts in the housing market in Canada over the course of 2023. What we’re going to do with our last blog entry here for the year is to keep it a little shorter than usual and do what we did at this time last year and in 2022 as well. Meaning to have a look forward at what’s expected to be on the horizon starting next week as we move into 2024, and if there’s anything being foreseen as a pivotal change in the real estate market in Canada.

We’re going to take a slightly different angle on this, and come at it differently in the form of identifying 4 pressing questions for Canada’s Housing Market for 2024. Not every entry needs to be related to client prospecting in real estate, although we will take at least once chance to say how our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is highly recommended for any realtor who’s most pressing question at this same time is how do I build up my real estate client base effectively. Leads for realtors online can be a great opportunity.

We don’t need to put an additional light on how the market continues to be in a downturn, as most people who aim to buy or sell a home or the realtors who work with them won’t need to be appraised of that. Higher interest rates, a lack of affordability and economic uncertainty is definitely keeping buyers out of the market, and you have homeowners who are willing to be patient and hold out to get the price they envision for their home.

Negated Gains

Home sales have fallen 13% since last spring, and this means a near full negation of the gains seen with the rebound that occurred as the BoC paused their interest rate hikes. But remove the rise in mortgage costs resulting from previous interest rates hikes and inflation would by and large be on target.

The national MLS Home Price Index dropped 1.1% for November of this year, and that is its 3rd monthly drop in a row and the biggest seen since early 2023. The freeze resulting from it all should continue into 2024, but the hope is that before long the economy may benefit from interest rate cuts and that the housing market will benefit right alongside it.

So here are the questions that warrant asking at this time; first, will home prices bottom out for real this time? During this correction, Canadians have seen their housing market plunge, then come back to some degree of vitality before slumping again as Bank of Canada paused and restarted rate hikes. There is a widespread expectation that prices will remain under pressure in some markets until the spring of 2024. If rates do end up being cut though, those lower rates paired with pent-up demand could put a much-needed ‘floor’ under the market and restore some measure of buyer / seller confidence.

Some Markets Better Positioned

Some markets will recover more quickly than others, and it seems they won’t be the ones that have had the most dramatic sways going along with sustained buyer demand and supply vastly outstripping supply like it does in most major metro areas of Canada where the economy may be fairly strong but there simply isn’t enough housing available. So the next question is whether or not mortgage rates have peaked. Here the consensus is that borrowing costs may have peaked, and of course that is due to the BoC appearing to be at the end of their hiking cycle. The decision makers there are expected to start cutting interest rates in 2024 but a string of months features sustained downward momentum in core inflation is going to be required first.

The expectation is that the central bank will cut rates by 1 percentage point in the second half of next year, bringing the policy rate to 4%. Bond yields, which influence fixed mortgage rates, are also falling from their highs in early October. This has borrowers wondering if now is a time to lock-in with their mortgages, leading to question number 3 – should borrowers lock in?

The 5-year fixed is currently the lowest available for most borrowers, but the recommendation is to be mindful of the cost/benefit at what could soon be a turning point in the rate cycle. Moving right along to question 4, and whether or not investors will return to the market in significant numbers. Here we can see that expectations of price gains aren’t the enticement they used to be, and that the spread between cap rates and risk-free yields continues to be tight and that will be a dissuading factor.

Affordability Interests

The next question is can prospective homebuyers have any reasonable hope that affordability will improve? Despite prices slipping a bit lower, the last time housing affordability was this bad in Canada was the 1980s because of the rise in borrowing costs. Costs will continue to come down in 2024, but affordability is still a long way from where it was before the pandemic.

Keep in mind that back at the very start of this year home sales started slow with most major markets reeling under the cumulative 425 basis point hikes put in place by the Bank of Canada in less than a year. But buyers did rush back to the market once the rate hikes were paused.

But the rally in part caused the bank to resume hikes, and the interest rate rose another 50 basis points in the early summer and this lead to the third fallback phase that has lead us into where we are now with all of this as we move towards the start of 2024.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads that can be the difference between a realtor who is struggling to get his business of the ground and one who is benefitting from growing their real estate client based more quickly. Make one of your ’24 resolutions that you’re going to put more effort and an investment into your success as a realtor who is new to the business but determined to be successful.

Get Up and Go: 7 Real Estate Client Prospecting Ideas

Published December 21, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

7 Real Estate Client Prospecting IdeasA legit online real estate lead generation service is what we offer for realtors in Canada here, and as you’ve probably heard before anything worth its salt as a service likely isn’t going to be inexpensive. Our paid real estate leads in Canada are not cheap per se either, but the explicit reason for that is that there is quite a bit that goes into digging up and verifying leads for people who are genuinely ready to make a move in the real estate market. The reality is if we had leads that routinely went nowhere we wouldn’t be retaining realtors that are signed up with us the way that we have for years.

Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads that is built for location targeted marketing in real estate, but as we’ve also said before the real estate lead provided is only half of the equation in converting real estate leads into clients. You’ll need to have the ability to present and carry yourself well as an agent and you’ll need to keep in mind that it will be unlikely you’ll be meeting any of these prospective clients without some type of written communication (email most likely) although it’s possible you may be able to speak with them on the phone or with them.

It’s for all these reasons and more that you need to look at the way you utilize the leads and see them only as only contributor in your efforts to get more clients as a real estate agent. It will be very beneficial is you see building a client base as more of an organic prospecting effort. So with that in mind we have 7 real estate client prospecting ideas for you here with this entry.

  1. Be Realistic with Real Estate Prospecting Goals

When you’re new to this it can be hard to envision how many prospects you need to contact in order to establish one buyer’s or seller’s listing appointment. If that’s you a general suggestion is that you start with 5 contacts per day, but also talk to your broker about the firm’s average or what is standard for your market. Put as much as you’re capable of into it and then manage your expectations at the other end understanding it takes time to build a real estate client base when you’re new to the business.

  1. List Out Real Estate Prospecting Ideas

Your definition of prospecting in real estate can be undertaking any activity that directly involves verbal or in-person contact with people with the aim of convincing them to work with you as their realtor if they decide to either buy or sell a home. Fortunately there are tried & true real estate prospecting tactics and you should try all of them and then see which ones best suit your self-promotion style.

These are going to be obvious to you for the most part – call or visit people you know, canvass neighborhoods through cold calls or visits, harass seniors, contact the owners of expired or foreclosure listings, and ask former satisfied clients for real estate lead referrals. Another idea might be to sponsor an open house for a seller, and then of course doing what is called ‘floor duty’ at your real estate office where you are the realtor people meet with in if they are walk-ins is a good choice too.

  1. Be Judicious With Your Time

One of the realities about being new to the real estate business is that it is hard for agents to determine whether leads are going cold or whether there is still a realistic possibility that person(s) will still work with you as their realtor in the purchase or sale of a home. You don’t want to waste your time focusing on cold leads and dead ends. What you need to do is during initial conversations with real estate prospects you should learn how to be more direct in asking how motivated they are to buy or sell and when they foresee making any such decision. This will allow prioritize those people who are willing and able to do so in the shortest timeframe.

  1. Secure Leads

You’ve almost certainly also heard that it’s the early bird that gets the worm, and that can apply to the way you follow up with real estate leads too.When you come into possession of a real estate lead, online or otherwise, you should make sure you make some type of effort to contact the persons by the means they’ve volunteered. Do it within 2 or 3 days at the least. Estimates are that it is between 60 and 90 days from the time you start prospecting to when you’d receive a commission from working with a buyer / seller client.

Right from day one, successful realtors who are new to the profession will spend enough time developing real estate prospecting ideas, following through on prospecting goals and activities, and following up with their contacts. This will ensures that they secure and maintain a solid amount of quality leads.

  1. Start Prospecting Daily

The majority of real estate agents in Canada will tell you that some sort of client prospecting effort should be made at least once daily from Monday to Friday, and that this is what’s needed to create a pipeline of real estate prospects that will grow and sustain your business. Making a bunch of calls for two days straight and then nothing for a week won’t cut it. Instead, you need to treat prospecting the same way you would any other important appointment. Plus, every day you should evaluate your prospecting efforts and set objectives for the next day.

  1. Stay in Lanes

A lot of real estate prospecting and initial contacts will be made over the phone, it is important to know about and adhere to any legal policies related to Do Not Call Registries in Canada. The DNCR state and national databases contain the phone numbers of consumers who have elected not to be solicited by companies they do not already have business dealings with. You could be penalized or fined if you contact someone to inquire about real estate but you’re in violation when you do so. So make sure that you register with the DNCR and check what numbers are already listed in the national database.

  1. Read Into People (7th Real Estate Client Prospecting Ideas)

The last thing we will say about looking at real estate generation as bigger-picture client prospecting is that a lot of realtors who do well with this are able to make smart, intuitive, and accurate assumptions about the types of people they’re speaking. And of course we don’t always mean literally as in person-to-person conversation, this is often through text or email communications. For example, some realtors may quickly come to realize that this potential client is going to likely have these vocational or avocational interests.

That may give them the inclination to say suggest they do meet in person to discuss a real estate lead in person, especially if they’re upfront about their homebuying or selling plans that are likely to materialize in the near future. Depending on what you’ve ascertained about them you might suggest it’s best to do that in a coffee shop – or a peeler bar. Which one you’ll suggest will be based on what you’re picking about the person and what type of prospective real estate client they are.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are provided only to one realtor – you. This creates an exclusive opportunity to be first in touch with people who have shown a genuine interest in buying or selling a home in the area where you know real estate very well. We partner with some of North America’s largest real estate brokerages including ReMax, Royal LePage, Century 21, HomeLife, Sotheby’s, Keller Williams, and EXP Realty.

7 Ways to Get Real Estate Leads Through Referrals

Published December 18, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

One thing is always true no matter what profession you are in. That’s the fact that having others speak highly of you can go a long way in having the person hearing that commendation come to you for services the same way the speaker did. Referrals are so valuable and especially so if you’re in business as an individual the way a real estate agent will be. The premise behind them is simple; provide excellent service and have your client be entirely pleased with their outcome and they’ll be inclined to recommend you to others.

And referrals are always going to be an integral part of how a realtor does well with real estate lead generation. Those who do best with them will be taking a multi-tiered approach to building their client base, and using an online real estate lead generation system like ours here at Real Estate Leads can be a good place to start if you’re new to working as a realtor in Canada. But you’ll need to use different means too, and as we’ve said before there is a lot of value still to be had with older methods such a door knocking or being available for walk-ins at the office.

Knowing how to generate referrals will really benefit you with building your business. But getting organic referrals and ones from repeat clients from your personal connections does require some strategizing. So with this entry we’re going to lay out 7 different way to get real estate leads through referrals.

  1. Set Up Client Events

A good way to get prospective clients talking about you as a realtor is to invite them to events, and they don’t have to be anything more than a simple gathering set up your real estate brokerage. There will need to be some type of value proposition for attendees, but there is plenty that you can do to make is so that people stand to gain something if they attend your event. Some part of it will need to involve you promoting yourself as a realtor, and that shouldn’t be difficult if you are confident in yourself as a real estate professional.

  1. Establish Community Connections via Social Media

It is more unlikely that past clients will give you real estate referrals if you aren’t at the top of their mind when it comes to contacting a real estate agent. The best thing you can do here is share both real estate market and lifestyle content online and encourage your social connections to share it with their friends and family.

Another suggestion is to be active on community websites and have your user profile indicating that you are a real estate agent. Some realtors will even create their own community website and have it serving as both a valuable resource for people living there and a means of promoting themselves as a realtor.

  1. Distribute Key Market Insights

Realtors shouldn’t think that a clients’ interest in real estate always ends once they’ve bought or sold a home. They may have further interests in the market, and you should assume they do. Keeping in touch with them by sending along market insights a few times a year is highly recommended. Other information you could include might be economic reports, latest interest rates news, or even the latest trends in home renovations to increase sale value.

  1. Surprise Former Clients with Gifts

You can re establish connections with former clients and increase the likelihood they’ll refer you as a realtor if you stop by their home and bring them a small gift. Try to think of something that will be received well by them, and it can even be something that they can use as a convenience in the home that has your name branded on it.

One idea is to deliver a gift to a client exactly one year after they’ve purchased a home through you.

  1. Be Timely with Referral Requests

Referrals and reviews go hand in hand, and a good way to get helpful referrals as a realtor is to send consistent, automated touches to your people asking for favorable online reviews. There are companies that will manage online reviews for you, and that may be something you want to consider if you’re an established realtor who has a long list of former clients who would very likely think highly of you.

  1. Authentically Maintain Client Relationships

You are always going to have more success in getting real estate referrals if you find the right way to tailor a message to that person, and in some cases having them respond at all will depend on it. Be attentive to your client’s needs and prerogatives in real estate purchases, and try to catch onto personal details about them too if you can. All this knowledge can boost your referral rate big time and help with getting real estate leads.

The best way to do this is to have a file on your computer where you can keep notes on your clients, and have it saved in the Cloud so you can access it from your smartphone when you’re out working.

  1. Join a Real Estate Referral Network

Our last recommendation here is to join a network where agents exchange referrals with other real estate professionals in other markets. Brokerages may also have their own referral networks you can join, like RE/MAX Global Referral, or Coldwell Banker Referral Network. These referral networks can help you find an agent to provide superior service for your clients in that market, and the idea is that they’ll do the same for you if they know of people who are looking to buy in the area of Canada where you are working as a real estate agent.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads for prospective clients, giving you the opportunity to be first in touch with them and explaining what you can do for them when it comes to best outcomes with buying or selling a home. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and you’ll soon see it as a solid investment in growing your real estate business.

7 Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads More Reliably

Published December 11, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

It’s as true as ever that nothing trumps the results of hard work, but when it comes to being successful as a person who is new to working as a realtor then it’s not always about hustling harder than others. You’ll be working in one of the most competitive businesses there is, and as a result you may have difficulty getting ahead simply by putting in more hours and working as hard as you possibly can to have your name very visible to prospective clients.

The reality is that you need to work smarter as well as harder. Nowadays every realtor is looking for the inside track to be first in touch with people who are ready to make a move in the local real estate market. That type of exclusivity isn’t easy to obtain, but it sure can go the longest way in building your real estate client base when those people are convinced to work that person as their realtor. This is why real estate lead generation is such a big deal now, and why getting real estate leads is more and more of a priority for agents.

It’s the reason why so many of them have signed up to take advantage of our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads. Paid real estate leads can give you the opportunities you’re looking for with being first to talk to prospective clients, but there’s more that you can do to be proactive in drumming up new clientele for your real estate business and we have 7 specific approaches that we’ll lay out here in this blog entry.

  1. Optimizing Your Real Estate Agent Website

Having an attractive and professional website is important for any realtor. We’ll assume you have one, and then you need to take a step back and review all the major aspects. That’s because a real estate agent website is a really effective platform for lead generation.

Review your site and look over your online lead generation strategy for your website. The way you use CTAs, landing pages, and every other component should be laid out in the way that’s best for SEO as you won’t get potential new clients visiting your site to the extent you need if your site is not doing well with Search engine page rankings. Get a web-design professional to help you with this if it is beyond your means.

You should also use an analytics tools to track your website’s real estate lead generation and have a more solid and identifiable means of tracking where your leads are coming from and make sure they are being nurtured on your website in an effective way. You can also use these tools to see where your leads are falling off your website and work to optimize those pages and weak points.

The last suggestion we’ll make her is to add a Live Chat function to your site, and using it as a sales tool where you make yourself available to have real-time conservations with interested individuals right through the website. When you are able to answer the question of an online real estate lead or present them with key info in real time, it’s possible to push them down the funnel a little further.

All of this is on top of the obvious need to have quality content on the site, and the type of content that makes clear that you are a genuine real estate professional when it comes to homes being bought and sold in your part of the country.

 

 

  1. Utilize an Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy

Most realtors these days will have set up a page for themselves on popular social media platforms. You may well have done the same, but you may not be using these resources to promote yourself as well as you could be. LinkedIn and Facebook are two of the platforms where realtors can better make a name for themselves, and here’s what you can do.

With Facebook you can switch to a business profile, and you can have this option when you first sign and create the FB account. By going with a business profile you’ll have access to different marketing tools which will let you advertise your real estate business more efficiently and keep track of its effectiveness.

The other big point for social media promotion is to be very choosy about the images you use. There is no overstating how important good pictures of properties are when you’re promoting your services as a real estate agent. But that doesn’t just apply to properties, as you need to have good quality images of yourself on the profiles and again you can and should hire a photographer if you’re not capable of taking those photos on your own and making them look really good.

With LinkedIn it is all about connecting once you’ve taken the first and easier step to optimize the professionalism of your profile. Look to see what other successful realtors you know are doing to that end, but it shouldn’t be anything that’s too elaborate for you to understand and emulate with your own profile.

As far as the connections, start thinking about people who could actually be real estate leads in your market as well as those that would make for great referral sources. Look to connect to real estate investors as well lawyers, mortgage lenders, tax and financial advisors, and of course other real estate agents where you may end up being mutually beneficial for each other in the future.

  1. Making Contact with People for Expired and FSBO Listings

Cold calling may never have the conversion rates that it once did, and many realtors don’t see it as valuable the way previous generations of agents would have. But making cold calls to people who you know are the owners of homes where their listing expired or they have chosen to be FSBOs (for sale by owners) is something you should definitely be doing because it is much more conducive to better real estate lead generation. The chances of conversion are much higher here than cold-calling just anyone whose number you have come by. Of course, that’s if you approach this lead generation strategy correctly.

With expired or withdrawn listings you want to start by making sure the listing is not still in the possession of another realtor. If it’s not, see what you might be able to discover about why the home didn’t sell when it was listed with another agent. It’s not always an inherent problem with the property itself. Sometimes, it comes down to insufficient marketing, bad photos, an unappealing description, unreasonable asking price, or something else entirely.

 

With FSBO listings you may need to be patient and just listen the reasons why the homeowner feels they can sell a home without a realtor, but in some instances you may be pleased to learn that the owner is disappointed with the lack of interest in their home and has now warmed up to the idea of working with a realtor. You won’t know until you make that contact, so just go into it being as professional and helpful as possible and see what gains you can make there.

  1. Go With a Paid Real Estate Lead Generation Program

This is what we do here at Real Estate Leads, and of course we’re going to speak favorably about what can be gained from paid real estate leads. They can go a long way when you want to scale your business and always have qualified leads that you can feel confident investing the time and effort in with the understanding there is a legit chance to gain a new client out of it.

We can vouch for the integrity and viability of what we have here, but you’re encouraged to figure out if each one is qualified or not. You can often see how reputable one is by reading others’ testimonials and getting an idea of whether or not they’ve received genuine real estate leads. We’ll add briefly that we have a lead qualification process here that has been proven effective for determining if a lead is worthy of being distributed to a realtor who has signed up with us.

  1. Strategizing to Receive Real Estate Referrals

Having former clients speak highly of you when they meet others who need to work with a realtor has always had so much value for any realtor. It is of course dependent on you provide excellent service and having those former clients be 100% pleased with the entirety of their home sale or purchase. But most realtors have the means of providing that, and we’ll assume that you do too. Waiting for the natural interactions with your SOI (sphere of influence) to pay off in referrals doesn’t have the best results. A strategy to get more referrals is needed.

Good ideas for real estate lead generation here including keeping in touch with past and present leads/clients. Don’t hesitate to ask for referrals too if you feel quite confident that the people will speak highly of you as a realtor.

  1. Nurturing Real Estate Leads

How do you nurture a real estate lead? Consider that a lot of leads that land in your lap may not be ready to buy or sell property yet. They’re simply not at that stage in your real estate sales funnel and that’s okay. You need to keep the lead warm until they’re at the point where they are ready to make a purchase or finally put the home on the market. Provide value through email campaigns, send them your newsletter, share content from your blog, follow up with automated emails to save time, or whatever else you feel with be equal parts helpful and keeping you in mind.

  1. Offer Incentives

This final suggestion here is sort of tied into the nurturing idea we talked about above, and one of the things you can do is remind prospective clients that they can visit your site and see that you have certain offers you extend only to clients that agree to list with you. One of the more common ones is to offer them free use of a moving van when they sell their home, and you can make that same offer to would-be homebuyer clients too. There are many different possibilities of what you can offer here, but it really just comes down to the basics of adding value for the customer as well as making their choice of you as their realtor that much more attractive based on what’s in it for them. Because there’s plenty of realtors out there and you can be sure many of them are as gifted with self-promotion as you are. What are you going to do to stand out?

Revolutionizing Real Estate: Unleashing the Power of Mobile for On-the-Go Lead Generation

Published December 4, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Revolutionizing Real Estate: Unleashing the Power of Mobile for On-the-Go Lead Generation

It’s safe to say that nowadays eight times out of 10 when a person is looking at real estate agent’s site it is going to be through a mobile web browser device. It makes sense when you consider you definitely don’t need to be in front of a desktop or notebook to be on the Internet anymore, and many times the situation will be a prospective buyer or seller will see a realtor’s name on any type of promotional material and then google search with their smartphone to learn more about them. The importance of mobile websites has been talked about at length, but maybe not enough in these circles when it comes to online leads for real estate agents.

But those leads are always the topic of discussion around here, and so for that reason agents should know that the handheld dynamo they have in their pockets can be a good source of leads and just one of the many examples of the best way for real estate agents to get leads. We’ll still continue to champion our real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads as the best way, but every realtor will do well to take a multi-prong approach to getting the leads they need to build a strong client base.

There are so many tactics and strategies that go into real estate lead generation for the purpose of attracting, engaging, and converting potential clients into qualified leads. They go well beyond traditional marketing techniques and include the implementation of a compelling value proposition, attractive and well-designed mobile website, and landing page optimization. You will need to make changes to targeted advertising campaigns based on the increasing prominence of mobile web browsing that we talked about.

With tailoring a good portion of the digital marketing you do for online leads for real estate agents to be more geared towards mobile, you’ll get better results from your lead generation efforts. That will lead to a better sales funnel, and better growth and profitability for your real estate business

Know where to Meet Target Audience

The most successful real estate lead generation strategies begin with target audience research. After all, you can’t create criteria to qualify your leads without understanding your target audience and where are you most likely to have them see you in the world of mobile web browsing. You may have had leads dropping out of the funnels previously and not understood the reasons, and it may be that you weren’t communicating with them through preferred channels.

So the first option here in a discussion of the best way for real estate agents to get leads is to conduct interviews with significant members of your real estate audience, ones you have been in communication with previously. The focus will be what sort of motivations do they have when contacting someone who’s piqued their interest in real estate.

Create Customer Personas

With an understanding of that audience sectors’ pain points gained, you can then take the findings and combine them with relevant geographics, psychographics, and demographics to create a customer persona for online leads for real estate. Try to get very individual with your analysis, and along with traits that would be seen in all these kinds of buyers you can also look at where these types of buyers are best and more receptively contacted when you want to break the ice on real estate lead, or do a timely follow up on one.

Utilize Google Analytics

You can also gain a lot from learning more about your target audience and their mobile preferences by using Google Analytics. Among what can be gained here are overviews of customer’s online behavior, including how long a certain person spent at your website, where they found it, and which pages they interacted with. Anyone who spends a lot of time at your site and is interacting extensively with a page for a specific home for sale can be a warmer lead for you for sure.

Review What Competitors Do in the Space

You can also gain insight here by simply seeing how other realtors are putting together material they are aiming to use for mobile web exclusively as a means of drumming up real estate client leads. Take notes, and especially if you’re in any platform where you can see to what extent people are replying and interacting to the content – however it’s put together. It’s smart to do this alongside some simple market research where you can find trends that tie into what you’ve determined about the people most likely to become your new clients.

From here the next step and the last part of what we’ll cover in this entry. Your offers and they way you detail them to would-be clients will be different when you’re optimizing for mobile. Images will need to be formatted differently for starters, but the standard approaches will still be underpinning all of this. A captivating offer could involve a time-limited promotion that offers a discounted price or special financing alternatives for a specific property.

As always, trying to stir up any sense of urgency in replying is going to be good for whatever you come up with. And if these offers are going to be made available through your mobile optimized website for realtors it becomes immediately important to ensure that it features intuitive site navigation, full search functionality, smart social media integration, adaptable web design, and an extra-visible online contact that also has a line after submission that explains how you’re very happy to receive this from them.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that make up a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and one that comes highly recommended from realtors just like you all across Canada. Take advantage of the power of online marketing to fuel the growth of your PREC as a successful real estate agent.

Navigating Success: 4 Pros and Cons of Buying Real Estate Leads

Published November 27, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Navigating Success: 4 Pros and Cons of Buying Real Estate Leads

It’s said that you need to spend money to make money, and even children would guess that realtors spend a lot on advertising when they see so many of them on benches at bus stops. So this saying is very true here in the same way it is for any business with a lot of competition where you need to be immediately visible to prospective customers. These days many realtors are adding to their marketing arsenal buying paying for real estate leads, and it’s something that wasn’t available to previous generations of agents because we didn’t have the internet until 25+ years ago.

There’s a lot of buzz about real estate lead generation, but some realtors may wonder how much they’ll really get out of it. What we can say to that is this; there are pros and cons to buying real estate leads but the pros outweigh the cons by quite a bit IF you can meet one condition as a realtor. And that’s that you can be a confident, knowledgeable professional with a strong understanding of the local real estate market who presents themselves well and is at least relatively well spoken. That’s what you need to be when you’re working to convert a real estate lead into a client.

What we can tell you is that the leads realtors get from our online real estate lead generation system here are genuine and come with contact information that’s been voluntarily provided based on a survey and while there’s never any guarantees with them being ‘hot’ leads it is likely that these couples or individuals will be open to speaking with you and what that does is give your first crack at presenting yourself as an excellent choice as a realtor. Get good at it and you’ll be growing your real estate business faster.

So with this entry we’ll explore the pros and cons of buying real estate leads and help you decide if it is worth it to buying real estate leads?

Buying Real Estate Leads – 4 Pros

  1. Fast-Tracked Lead Generation for Warmer Leads

One of the biggest advantages of buying real estate leads is the way it saves time and effort compared to real estate lead generation through conventional channels. Leads provided will already pre-screened and qualified, and that means you spend less time trying to find potential clients that are this level of genuine when it comes to the possibility of their buying or selling a home.

  1. Building a Wider Pool of Potential Clients

Buying real estate leads means your pool of potential clients will expand faster, and as you’d expect you will often be making first contact with potential clients who are very receptive but will be making their move in the near future and not just right now for whatever reason. Good realtors know that you can keep those leads warm by reaching out just once afterwards with the right message at the right time.

Make a good initial impression on these people and you won’t need to do any more than that. Give them their time and space and they’ll contact you when they are ready. Online real estate lead generation means you are going to enjoy a higher chance of finding clients who are interested in your services, compared to relying solely on referrals or marketing.

  1. Increased Sales and Revenue

This one will go without saying to some extent, but particularly for new realtors it is true that buying real estate leads is going make your new career more lucrative right from the get-go and for a lot of people who go into real estate as a career change that is really what they want to happen . By having access to a larger pool of potential clients, you can increase your chances of closing real estate deals and generating more revenue for your business.

  1. Subject Matter Expert

It’s entirely true that realtors also build their careers from the rapport they establish with other realtors working in the same brokerage. There are often career development workshops and other similar learning opportunities and talking about your success with real estate leads can help others who are newer to the business go through this same process you have when weighing to buy real estate leads or not. Keep in mind as well that over the years realtors who have a lot on their plate may even farm out a lead here or there

Buying Real Estate Leads – 4 Cons

  1. Higher Expense

The cost is likely one of the drawbacks that make many realtors hesitate with buying real estate leads. Lead providers charge a fee for their services, and it’s while it’s somewhat expensive you need to keep in mind that a significant amount of work goes into the Internet Marketing framework that allows lead providers to give you leads that have substance to them and legit potential to turn into a client. If it didn’t lead providers like us wouldn’t be retaining realtors who have signed up with us.

Still though, it can be a significant cost for some realtors and where you live and work may also factor into this decision around the expensiveness of signing up.

  1. Leads Go Cool

If every warm lead turned hot and was converted into a client then every realtor in North America would be willing to pay whatever price to be signed up to receive real estate leads. As we said, a good realtor can turn most of their warm leads into conversions, but there are always going to be periods when a number of those warm leads go cold and it ends up that you don’t convert the lead into a client due to factors entirely out of your control. This is the nature of everything in business, but there will be periods where you don’t have as many leads converting. Ebbs and flows.

  1. Lack of Control

You are essentially relying on a third-party provider when you are doing real estate lead generation online. This means you do have the have more trust in the validity of the service, and especially in advance of first signup. There are also may be times when it would be even more of a need to have leads becoming conversions but you’re in one of the period we talked about in #2 above and they’re not converting like they usually do for you. That’s the nature of it, and yes you don’t have any control over that aspect of the process.

  1. Added Associated Costs

Realtors working in more rural and less urban areas of the country may find that pursuing the real estate leads they receive from the service may mean they need to travel further than they usually do when working as an agent there. This can become a consideration, as if your lead is warm to the point that you’re ready to start traveling longer distances that’s investing your time and productivity and there’s real value in that. Added success getting clients from the lead may mean this trend is furthered, and it means added expense in operating your smaller-scale real estate business.

It’s fair to say that the cost of buying real estate leads varies depending on the lead provider and the quality of leads. Lead providers typically charge per lead, with prices ranging from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars per lead. Some providers may also charge a monthly fee for access to their database of leads. It’s important to consider the cost of buying real estate leads in relation to your business budget and goals.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of leads for potential clients who are showing themselves to be ready to buy or sell a home in the city or town where you are working as a real estate agent. Only ONE realtor receives these leads – you! That means you have the exclusive opportunity to reach out to them first.

Revolutionizing Real Estate: Unleashing the Power of Mobile for On-the-Go Lead Generation

Published November 20, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Revolutionizing Real Estate: Unleashing the Power of Mobile for On-the-Go Lead Generation

It’s safe to say that nowadays eight times out of 10 when a person is looking at real estate agent’s site it is going to be through a mobile web browser device. It makes sense when you consider you definitely don’t need to be in front of a desktop or notebook to be on the Internet anymore, and many times the situation will be a prospective buyer or seller will see a realtor’s name on any type of promotional material and then google search with their smartphone to learn more about them. The importance of mobile websites has been talked about at length, but maybe not enough in these circles when it comes to online leads for real estate agents.

But those leads are always the topic of discussion around here, and so for that reason agents should know that the handheld dynamo they have in their pockets can be a good source of leads and just one of the many examples of the best way for real estate agents to get leads. We’ll still continue to champion our real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads as the best way, but every realtor will do well to take a multi-prong approach to getting the leads they need to build a strong client base.

There are so many tactics and strategies that go into real estate lead generation for the purpose of attracting, engaging, and converting potential clients into qualified leads. They go well beyoond traditional marketing techniques and include the implementation of a compelling value proposition, attractive and well-designed mobile website, and landing page optimization. You will need to make changes to targeted advertising campaigns based on the increasing prominence of mobile web browsing that we talked about.

With tailoring a good portion of the digital marketing you do for online leads for real estate agents to be more geared towards mobile, you’ll get better results from your lead generation efforts. That will lead to a better sales funnel, and better growth and profitability for your real estate business

Know where to Meet Target Audience

The most successful real estate lead generation strategies begin with target audience research. After all, you can’t create criteria to qualify your leads without understanding your target audience and where are you most likely to have them see you in the world of mobile web browsing. You may have had leads dropping out of the funnels previously and not understood the reasons, and it may be that you weren’t communicating with them through preferred channels.

So the first option here in a discussion of the best way for real estate agents to get leads is to conduct interviews with significant members of your real estate audience, ones you have been in communication with previously. The focus will be what sort of motivations do they have when contacting someone who’s piqued their interest in real estate.

Create Customer Personas

With an understanding of that audience sectors’ pain points gained, you can then take the findings and combine them with relevant geographics, psychographics, and demographics to create a customer persona for online leads for real estate. Try to get very individual with your analysis, and along with traits that would be seen in all these kinds of buyers you can also look at where these types of buyers are best and more receptively contacted when you want to break the ice on real estate lead, or do a timely follow up on one.

Utilize Google Analytics

You can also gain a lot from learning more about your target audience and their mobile preferences by using Google Analytics. Among what can be gained here are overviews of customer’s online behavior, including how long a certain person spent at your website, where they found it, and which pages they interacted with. Anyone who spends a lot of time at your site and is interacting extensively with a page for a specific home for sale can be a warmer lead for you for sure.

Review What Competitors Do in the Space

You can also gain insight here by simply seeing how other realtors are putting together material they are aiming to use for mobile web exclusively as a means of drumming up real estate client leads. Take notes, and especially if you’re in any platform where you can see to what extent people are replying and interacting to the content – however it’s put together. It’s smart to do this alongside some simple market research where you can find trends that tie into what you’ve determined about the people most likely to become your new clients.

From here the next step and the last part of what we’ll cover in this entry. Your offers and they way you detail them to would-be clients will be different when you’re optimizing for mobile. Images will need to be formatted differently for starters, but the standard approaches will still be underpinning all of this. A captivating offer could involve a time-limited promotion that offers a discounted price or special financing alternatives for a specific property.

As always, trying to stir up any sense of urgency in replying is going to be good for whatever you come up with. And if these offers are going to be made available through your mobile optimized website for realtors it becomes immediately important to ensure that it features intuitive site navigation, full search functionality, smart social media integration, adaptable web design, and an extra-visible online contact that also has a line after submission that explains how you’re very happy to receive this from them.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that make up a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and one that comes highly recommended from realtors just like you all across Canada. Take advantage of the power of online marketing to fuel the growth of your PREC as a successful real estate agent.

Lights, Camera, Leads: Unveiling the Power of Video Marketing in Real Estate Lead Generation

Published November 14, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

There’s been a profound shift in the way people prefer to digest information and content over recent years, and what you’ll find is that there’s more of a visual focus rather than the way it used to be primarily with text. You’ll definitely see it with news online, and it’s very apparent in all sorts of other sources of information that are made available to people on the Internet. This can and will apply to marketing communications too, and as a real estate agent what you are doing when you are selling a home for clients is marketing that home.

You won’t need to have that explained to you, but when it comes to the best real estate leads for agents you may need to be made aware of how video marketing done right can go a long way in generating those leads for you. It’s no secret that video tours of homes for people who can’t attend open houses can lead to offers being made on the home when they wouldn’t be otherwise. The best way to generate leads for real estate agents may be to use an online real estate lead generation system like ours here at Real Estate Leads, but you should be expanding your horizons for sure when it comes to this.

And don’t think this needs to be something that will be a major added expense for you. You likely already have a good camera on your smartphone, and the video taken by it will be perfectly fine provided you find a means of having a steady hand with it. But the real key is in what you capture in the videos and how your present it. This is where you may need to take something of a practice-makes-perfect approach and understand that your first few attempts at real estate video marketing will likely fall short of your expectations.

Strong Visuals can be Convincing

The reason video is so valuable – in this context at least – is because would-be home buyers have always liked to envision themselves living in any home they’d consider buying. The difference is nowadays that becomes entirely doable and again it’s not something that needs to be expensive for you as evaluate the best real estate leads for agents.

So what traits of video marketing will enhance the lead generation process in real estate, and point you more clearly in the direction of people who will be likely to buy or sell a home through you? The recipe is fairly simple – strongly appealing and attractive visuals, smart placing in context, and the right narration to go along with it.

Real estate video marketing services may offer content like aerial views of townships, connectivity graphics for geographical visualization, a 3D virtual experience for the most minute detail of the infrastructure, customer testimonials, listicles, or other types. But again, you will make those decisions based on the type of home, the type of community where it’s located, and the type of buyer demographic that most often buys that type of home.

Analysing and addressing these points is key when you start to put together any piece of real estate video marketing content. The viewers themselves may become your lead, but it may also be a situation where they share it, and another recipient down the line becomes your lead. But all of this is dependent on the video being well filmed, strongly accenting the most appealing aspects of the home and property, and then speaking to what additionally adds value to the home based on what can’t be seen with physical attributes or any shot of the property. The last part of that means you have to be knowledgeable about the buyer demographics as it relates to the best way to generate leads for real estate agents.

Increased Conversions

An article in Forbes magazine some time back stated that conversion rates for businesses can increase by as much as 80% when videos are incorporated into landing pages. This likely holds true for real estate websites too, and these days every real estate agent is going to have a website of course. Your listings will have their own pages, and a video of the home’s interior and exterior along with the additional information we talked about should be featured prominently on each of them.

Video marketing enables the agent to exhibit the authentic appeal of the home using professional videography, and buyers like to engage this way. But it’s not just buyers who you may meet as leads when you use video marketing for real estate. There may be other prospective home sellers who are looking to work with a real estate agent who happen to come across your content and end up being impressed with your ability to market homes so well.

Another important consideration with your video marketing as part of the best leads for real estate agents is to keep the videos suitably short while still covering everything that you need to communicate through them. Keep language as simple as possible too, and adding text visuals on screen at key moment points can be a good idea too in case viewers may be hearing impaired. There are other times when animation and graphics can make a video perform much better.

Optimize SEO for Video Content Online

These days most realtors will be posting their video content online, and that’s where it will be given the largest audience for maximum effectiveness in promoting you client’s homes for sale, and your expertise and savvy as a realtor. Generating real estate leads for these efforts will go a lot further if you’ve optimized your content for search engine optimization, and what you can do even if you’re the furthest thing from a digital marketer is to write good meta titles and meta descriptions for your content.

Keep meta titles between 55 and 65 characters with spaces, and use the obvious search terms – ‘city’ real estate, ‘city’ homes for sale, real estate agents in ‘city’, etc. Do the same for your meta descriptions which can be between 140 and 160 characters with spaces.

Last thing we’ll mention for this entry is the similar value in adding video marketing content to emails as another approach for the best way to generate leads for real estate agents. Some believe that a video in an email can boost the click-through rate by 200 to 300%, and again any contact that opens up a dialogue with you and people interested in selling or buying real estate may lead to them becoming your clientele in the future.

Sign up for Real Estate leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads for potential new real estate clients. These leads are yours exclusively – no other realtor will receive the same leads that you do and that means you have the opportunity to be first in touch with these folks and presenting yourself as a real estate professional with the expertise they’ll want for buying or selling their home.

Open House Mastery: Turning Visitors into Prospective Real Estate Leads

Published November 10, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Open House Mastery: Turning Visitors into Prospective Real Estate Leads

Open House Mastery: Turning Visitors into Prospective Real Estate Leads

Saturdays and Sundays tend to have an entirely different orientation for real estate agents as compared to other working people who have more of the 9 to 5, Monday to Friday arrangement. Weekends aren’t time off if you’re a realtor, and that’s because it’s on those 2 days that realtors hold open houses for the ones they’re helping clients sell. Typically they’ll go from 1 to 4 on either days, or both, and that’s because it’s the time of the week when would-be buyers are most able to attend. If you’re a realtor closing a lot of real estate deals with homes sold then you’re probably hosting open houses every weekend.

It is always going to be a part of the process, but the process starts with securing the clients in the first place before they agree to sell or buy a home through you. So in that sense the process may well start with real estate leads for agents, as it is rare for prospective clients to be reaching out to you first. More often than not it is you uncovering them, and that’s why in an ever-more-competitive profession realtors are putting more of an emphasis on being pointed in the right direction for people who want to make a move in the local real estate market.

Some of them will pay for online real estate lead generation systems like ours here at Real Estate Leads, and it is proven effective way for realtors to get leads. But sometimes nothing digital is required at all, and leads can be generated when realtors apply themselves differently when doing things that are part of the day-to-day aspects of working as a real estate agent in Canada. Open houses certainly qualify, and it is possible to gain leads from people who are attending these open houses. This is what we’ll look at here with our second blog entry of the week.

Expand Perspective

The first thing you can do is change your perspective, and by that we mean not seeing open houses as a means of selling a home. That will always be the primary focus, but you can also see them as a means to have meaningful interactions with people looking to buy a home or more simply browsing to see what sort of homes are available on the market at this time. Go further than that and see any open house as means of expanding your network.

Here’s a very relevant stat that will support this way of thinking; a survey found that around 40% of North American home sellers who use a real estate agent find their agents through referrals by friends or family, and 24% will work with the agent they did previously worked with when buying or selling a home. Many real estate leads for agents have their beginnings in word-of-mouth based on satisfied previous or existing clientele.

This is then paired with the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of real estate agents in the country, and more all the time. They’re all in competition with others to help buyers find homes. So if you feel an individual or a couple are showing promises as potential future clients as you talk with them at length during an open house you can’t go wrong with giving them your business card at the very least.

If they’re receptive to that then the #1 priority becomes following up with them. Ideally they will have provided contact info to you too, and email addresses tend to best as it allows them more space to respond on their own schedule when they’re replying to an email. Send one to them within a day or two at most and keep it short and succinct – greeting, we met at the open house, I’d be happy to discuss your interests with you further at any time that is best for you, etc.

That same survey found that 68% of all buyers interview no more than one real estate agent before proceeding with a purchase, so you should be quick to contact them and again and be somewhat persistent, but not overly so.

6 Tips for Open House Follow-Up Emails

We’ve established that sending a prompt and helpful follow-up email in a personable tone is advisable. Here are 6 tips for that:

  1. Short is Better

Being short and concise with what you write is important. Any type of longer block of text is going to dissuade the people from reading it through. Email brevity is directly proportional to the extent of your familiarity with your acquaintance. A good guideline is to keep it to fewer than five lines, especially if you only just met the person and had a very perfunctory introduction and talk with them. And despite the fact they did convey their readiness to be working with a real estate agent in some capacity.

  1. Add Personalization if Possible

Customized, high-quality follow-up communications are far more effective than any type of premade script you have that you send to EVERY potential client you meet at an open house. To achieve this try to be very attentive during talks you have with people at open houses, and make mental notes as the conversation goes. If you’re concerned you’ll forget them you can make a note in your phone after they’ve left and you have time to yourself again.

  1. Try to be Catchy

Information overload is real for people these days, and communication overload can be too. A formulaic approach to writing an email to potential real estate clients likely won’t get you very far at all. You can be that way with the first line or two, but after that you need to be communicating in a way that makes you unique in your approach and keeps them engaged. Be creative, and if creativity doesn’t come easily to you then you may be able to get someone to assist you with this. Remember, you’re not writing much here so it should not be too much to ask.

  1. All Actionable

So while it needs to be a short but smart email, it also has to include a call to action (CTA), which will usually be a firm encouragement that gd prospects contact you at their earliest convenience. You can emphasize the advisability of that by saying that time is always of the essence in real estate and in particular if the clients are looking to buy a home in a competitive market where homes often sell for over-asking.

  1. Keep it Going

This next step will be dependent on the would-be client receiving your email communications favourably. But if they are then some part of you email near the end should state that you intend to keep in touch with them, and that’s because you believe that your assistance will be valuable as they move forward towards buying or selling a home. It’s always a good idea to keep up a cadence of follow-ups through phone calls and video calls when possible, but that’s in your next step of actions after you’ve made the initial follow-up with them.

  1. Add Humour

People like to laugh, and no matter what type of communication it is if a person can get some measure of a laugh out of it at the same time it does wonders for making them more receptive to what you have to say. Sometimes it can be as simple as a funny image, and you can use your imagination here and you may well be amazed at what can be done with photoshop.

Create a funny image and one you think will make those people laugh and then insert it after the end of the body of the email, just above your email signature. Lots of room to be creative, and keep in mind that some people are more receptive to inappropriate humour than any other type. You may well find you get a call from them shortly thereafter, saying they liked the personal touch and found it quite funny.

There is a lot more to generating real estate leads for agents at open houses, but the biggest takeaway you can make here is just to be super proactive and exploratory when you’re talking to people. Like so much of what you’ll do in the profession, it is something you will get better at and do more naturally over time, and the nice thing is that most visitors to the open house will be very receptive to a realtor who seems genuine in his or her inquiries directed towards them.

Do all of this effectively and you will start to get leads from open house, and that creates the possibility for you to not only create new clientele but impress them with your level of service so they become repeat clientele in the future.__

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of prospective client leads that have qualified and determined to be genuine leads for people that are ready to buy or sell a home in your city or town. You’ll have the opportunity to be first in touch with them, and present yourself as the real estate professional they need to help them with the sale of their home or purchase of a new one. Get more out your efforts with generating real estate leads for agents and start right here with it.

LinkedIn for Real Estate Agents: Unleashing the Lead Generation Goldmine

Published November 7, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

LinkedIn is regarded as the top social media resource for career promotion and growth, and many professionals will speak of at least one or more times where they’ve made valuable connections through it that have advanced them professionally. It’s fair to say that promotion, growth, and success will look different for folks who have their career in real estate, as for a real estate agent the barometer for all of that will be houses sold for clients, or houses purchased through listing agents for your homebuyer clients. That all starts with real estate lead generation, and we certainly know a bit about that here.

We’ve talked at length about social media can be the source of a real estate lead at any time, but to be honest it is not anywhere close to be the best source for leads. That’s not to say that people who spend a bulk of their time on social media apps usually don’t have the financial means to buy homes, but we’d be dishonest if we said there isn’t any truth to that. We’ll leave that for now though, and instead say that LinkedIn may be the best one of them all for generating real estate leads. Is that in part because the people who are more active on LinkedIn have more of that financial means? Absolutely, but that’s also not going to the focus here.

It’s true that LinkedIn can be a real estate lead generation goldmine, but it’s not like this will be the reality for anyone simply because they’re proactive on the site for career promotion or whatever their interest may be. Our intention with this entry here is to put your more in the know about how LinkedIn can be used for real results with real estate lead generation. Pair every effective approach you can with the proven-effective one that we have with our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads.

Super Mega

Specifically, LinkedIn can help you more directly and effectively reach the right audience, the type of people that qualify as potential clientele and may contribute to the successful growth of your real estate business. At the simplest level you may be the realtor they will think of first based on the fact you are the only one they are professionally connected with on LinkedIn. These days, however, that’s unlikely and everyone reading this probably has 2 or more realtors in their LinkedIn network at least.

So more is going to be required of realtors if they are to really take advantage of this resource, and that’s what we’ll look at here. We can start by saying that LinkedIn has a high lead conversion rate in comparison to other apps. Estimates for a HubSpot study put LinkedIn’s lead conversion rate at 277% better than Facebook or X. Why would that be?

Well, we talked about buyer demographics, and even though it might seem biased to say it the people who are on Facebook, X, or newer ones like Instagram and TikTok are probably not going to be buying or selling a home anytime soon. That may be because of their relative age, but you can be sure there are other factors going into that too.

  • Age / Career Status

LinkedIn’s demographics are more in line with those ready to be homebuyers and sellers. 77% of users there are 30 years old or older, and upwards of 50% of them earn $75,000 a year are post-secondary graduates. It’s easy to make the connection between these people’s life status and whether or not they are more likely to be a ‘warm’ real estate lead.

But again, you are going to need to be proactive in order to garner the leads 90+% of the time. That means publishing relevant content and establishing yourself as a legitimate expert on the local real estate market.

  • Higher-End Connections

LinkedIn is very good for connecting with high net-worth people. It is not uncommon for realtors to struggle with reaching high net-worth clients that can afford properties they have listed for clients. One of the great things about LinkedIn is that it features advanced business tools like targeted search system, InMail and others so that you’re better able to pitch your services to these valuable clients. These actions can even be as simple as searching for ‘real estate investor’ or something similar. You can filter by location, the company or organization an individual is with, their school, mutual connections and more. That same search tool may also provide a means of connecting with CEOs, managing directors or other persons where a mutually beneficial working relationship is very possible.

  • Better Engagement

LinkedIn is superior for higher engagement rates in comparison to other platforms. And what makes that most emphatic is the way with LinkedIn you don’t only get engagement from your connections, it can also come for their connections too. Let’s say one of your 1st connections comments on your post, and it is then posted to the network because of the validity and clearly professional nature of what you’ve added to the content. You then become increasingly visible and there’s more of a chance of further engagement with people that were initially beyond your reach. Some of whom may be keen to work with a real estate agent in the near future.

  • More Relevant Connections

Another good thing about LinkedIn is that it actively works to connect you with relevant people and businesses. This is because it’s functional identity for career networking, and as such it has an advanced algorithm that aims to put you in touch with people and businesses you’ll find valuable. This can include event suggestions based on your interests, groups, and what can be gleaned about the nature of your career or means of employment. And then it is at these types of events that you may be able to meet and establish contact with people who are considering the sale or purchase of a home.

Quality Real Estate Lead Generation with LinkedIn

It’s best to start at the start here; create a well optimized personal or company profile and make it have the appearance and readability that will suggest you as a solid choice for anyone who’s looking to work with a reputable and capable real estate professional. What does that include at a bare minimum? A clear and agreeable photo, a catchy headline, correct business information, and a custom LinkedIn URL

Then create a summary where you go into detail about how you help your target audience have the best success with buying or selling real estate and then explain your credentials briefly before moving to direct call-to-action, which can be as simple as saying ‘be in touch via (means) if you’d like to discuss real estate in (location) in greater detail’.

You can also ask your past clients for recommendations here, and good ones are gold on LinkedIn. Done right they are essentially your past clients telling your new and prospective clients how you’ve helped them achieve their goals. All of this contributes to even-better LinkedIn network building for a real estate agent. And what should be increasingly clear by this point is this building is not only just for a real estate lead, but also for potential business partners in the bigger picture.

Join Groups, Be Active in Them

You likely already know that LinkedIn has groups that people join to further extend their professional network, provided they contribute to the efforts for engagement going on there. Groups are a great resource for networking, events, industry insights, and more and you can message people directly in the same group as you, something that’s very advantageous if you are in a group related to local real estate and someone engages in a manner that indicates they’ll be buying or selling a home soon.

Make sure you publish useful content in these groups, otherwise you’re not going to have the identity you want here. It should resonate with your target audience and be the type that has the potential to give them real insight into real estate investments. You can also share other people’s content that you find informative and engaging on your page, don’t be limited by how much content you can create for the platform.

LinkedIn also has the advantage of allowing you to publish original long-form content and share it with your connections and followers. You’ll need to have more to say on any real estate topic, but if you do then that’s the indication of a knowledgeable and expert realtor and one who these prospective lead people will want to work with. Havign your profile feature ‘creator mode’ is even better and means you’ve done well in this area.

Get Those Recommendations

The most ideal scenario is for a realtor to have a LinkedIn connection who they have helped buy or sell a home. If you’ve already got one, great. If not, see if you can make a LinkedIn connection with someone you have worked with in the past. Most realtors will have already done this, but if not most former clients will be happy to receive your request and add you to their network if they’re a professional too.

Recommendations are big on LinkedIn, and there is a special section on your profile that is highlighted boldly when people are viewing your profile on mobile. So ask your past clients for recommendations and make sure they’re prominently visible there. This is an excellent way to enjoy better real estate lead generation results.__

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that will only be delivered to you. That applies to every lead you receive, as they are yours exclusively and create the right opportunity to bring people in as your clients before other agents become aware of the same opportunity for themselves with real estate deals. Sign up with us now and get this big advantage for yourself.

Decoding Success: Psychology-Backed Real Estate Lead Engagement Strategies

Published October 31, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Decoding Success: Psychology-Backed Real Estate Lead Engagement Strategies

It’s been said that most decisions are made with equal input from the mind and heart, but when it comes to anything that’s related to your livelihood it is usually better to give more sway of influence to your mind. When a would-be homebuyer of someone who has decided to sell their home and a real estate agent come together in a working relationship it is usually because both have gone through a series of processes that have made them see the fit as ideal.

As it relates to real estate lead generation the one part of that equation has everything to do with the mentality and approach that the agent puts into practice as they progress with the lead. By progress we mean from being made aware of the person(s) to first contact to the entire process of converting them and right through to having them buy or sell a home. There’s a lot that goes into that, and we’re not so much talking about the steps or the methodologies used to turn a real estate lead into a client.

Instead what we’re talking about are psychology-backed real estate lead engagement strategies, and how understanding and best incorporating them into your approaches to converting leads into clients is highly recommended. We’ve gone on at length about how our online real estate lead generation system is proven effective for drumming up the leads, but how you evaluate the potential realtor / client dynamic is also very important. So that’s what we’re going to look at today, because future real estate deals may depend on it.

Better Real Estate Lead Generation

We’ll start off by saying that there are estimates that around 35% of home purchasers these days are of the millennial generation. With more and more millennials buying real estate as first-time home buyers, realtors will be wise to up their lead generation game and try to better target these people as potential clients. While some of the older lead generation techniques still hold their ground, the newer ideas are taking over the real estate industry.

Real estate lead generation is in the simplest sense the action of identifying potential customers and reaching out to them. It has been and always will be an integral part of real-estate marketing with the way it has the potential to ensure prospective customers choose you as their real estate agent rather than any of the many, many competitors you have who are also working as realtors in your area of the country.

Understand that younger people consume and digest information differently, and that’s where we’ll start in presenting real estate lead strategies that are better suited to ‘getting through’ to a newer and markedly different potential client demographic.

Digital Strategies

  1. First-Time Buyer Video Guides

With such a large share of millennial clients including first-time home-buyers, it is a good idea to create content where you present yourself as a realtor happy to share tips and checklists aimed at best guiding these buyers towards making a more informed and better choice with buying a home.

  1. Regular Update Newsletters

Newsletters are a very good way to update potential clients on the new properties for sale, properties that are in high demand, and other relevant information like the current prices being paid for homes in different locales around the city or town where you’re working as a real estate agent.

  1. Instagram Property Posts

You won’t find many realtors if any these days who aren’t making good use of social media, and that’s the way it should be as many of these younger buyers will be very active through it as well as making a lot of the professional connections through social media too.

Try to post beautiful property pictures on social media that create interest among your followers and invite your followers to an open house event or ask them to follow-up for more information on the product. Breathtaking visuals go a long way with certain buyers, and it’s worth your time to put the effort into it.

  1. Social Media Hashtags with Outbound Lead Generation

Hashtags can serve as an excellent means of pointing digital-viewing prospective clients to you based on the content they’re interested in – which in this case will of course be real estate. For small business marketing teams with limited access to lead generation resources, hashtags are a useful tool for outbound lead generation through the Internet.

  1. LinkedIn Posts to Connect Professionally

LinkedIn is the premier professional networking platform, and realtors can do well with real estate lead generations when they create posts that are informative, well-written, accurate and then conclude by identifying you as a realtor who would be happy to discuss any part of your post as it relates to their buying or selling a home.

  1. Snapchat for Lead Generation

Snapchat is another potential self-promotion avenue you can use in the sphere of social media where you can aim to generate new leads on clientele.

  1. Sponsored Facebook Ads

Facebooks increasingly tends to be a social media platform for older people, but the value in utilizing it for a real estate lead should need no explanation as older people tend to be the ones who are selling homes as often as they might be buying them.

  1. Share Customer Reviews / Testimonials

Sharing reviews and testimonials from existing customers on your business website is also a good and recommended way of getting inbound leads. Testimonials help attract those customers who are in quest of properties similar to the ones whose reviews you have shared.

  1. Create an App for your Real Estate Business

A well designed and user-friendly real estate app can help boost your conversion rates for real estate leads, and the most basic reason for that is people always like one-click simplicity when it comes to access relevant content and a means of being directly in touch with the service provider. And as you likely already know, everyone is online primarily through their smartphones nowadays.

  1. Convert Webpages / Blogs into a Resource Center

Informative webpages and blogs may be more readily taken in and processed when you have them available through some type of online resource center. This can help you make your business as the one-stop shop for all inquiries prospective clients make about the real-estate market. For example, a short term rental calculator or the latest report on the real estate market could bring value to your prospective clients.

These days this is best done my making your resource available via a QR code that can be very visibly displayed on your real estate website, app, or wherever else would-be clients will first become aware of you as a real estate agent.

  1. Custom Landing Page for Client Lead Capture

Effective real estate lead generation needs to be paired with equally reliable client conversion, and there’s always going to be many parts to that. If you have the app and QR code we talked about above, make sure you complete the equation by having custom landing pages connected to registration QR codes to drive users to a client information form. When they fill out the form they get access to all information on your website. Experiment with your landing page layouts and measure the effectiveness with a marketing analytics tool.

Conclusion

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you as the only realtor to get them. These leads will be for people who live in the same area that you’re working in as a real estate professional and are genuinely ready to make a move in the local real estate market. It’s a reliable way to get more out of your client prospecting efforts, and taking advantage of the power of Internet marketing for growing your PREC.

11 Lead Magnet Methods for Realtors Building a Client Base

Published October 25, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

11 Lead Magnet Methods for Realtors Building a Client Base

The longstanding belief in pretty much any profession is that if you put your name out there you’ll get business coming your way if you’re offering a service people want and are willing to pay for. This is entirely true for real estate agents too, but the fact is that it doesn’t work effectively to the same extent as it does with other means of making a living. Is that because there are too many realtors and every single one of them has their name out there to the same extent? Absolutely, and that’s why in this business you need to be finding them more often than they’re finding you.

None of this is going to be any type of a revelation for agents, as this is something that’s been the norm for at least a few generations now. There is always going to be the same draw and collective appeal that leads so many people to become newly licensed realtors, and the level of business to be had out there is never going to be balanced in the face of the sheer number of people working as real estate agents in Canada. It really is as competitive an industry as you’ll find, and realtors need to genuinely hustle and get creative in unearthing new clients.

Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is one example of the best way to generate leads for real estate agents. It’s an example of how realtors are incorporating Internet marketing into real estate, and as effective as it is for new client generation it is only one of many approaches real estate lead generation agents can use. So with our first blog entry here this week we will go over 11 lead magnet methods for realtors building up a client base for themselves.

Defining Lead Magnets

A lead magnet is a free offer, and what is really common for most is a digital download that your reader will agree to exchange for their contact information in return for access to it. So obviously it needs to create an immediate intrigue for them and they have to be able to see real potential as soon as they’re presented it. If they’re not choosing to click through right away then it’s unlikely they’ll return to do so. It is best if you offer them something of real value with the idea that’s what will be needed if they are to entrust you with their information.

One key strategy will be to test several different versions and types to see which ones resonate with your audience the most. Different lead magnets for the different audiences will be advisable too, considering that if you’re like most realtors in Canada you’ll be working with both home buyer and home sellers clients as you evaluate the best way to generate leads for real estate agents.

Last thing to keep in mind before we move to the lead magnet approaches is to say that all your content and collateral shared as part of your lead magnet approach should be connecting to a high-converting website. That’s something every realtor should have nowadays, and it is 100% worth it to spend good money on one that’s expertly designed. It’s an associated part of real estate lead generation.

Our List of Lead Magnets

  1. List of Neighborhood Homes under a Price Point

This lead magnet has the potential to convert like crazy for those searching for homes in specific neighborhoods but doing so with budget constraints. Your communication will offer the exact information they’re looking for in a quick and easily digestible format, and you’ll need to create one for each neighborhood where you’re continuing to work as a real estate agent.

When people download your file then this highlights them as a hotter prospect for you, and then of course you get in touch with them in the manner that you think is best, but will be best served to have an automatic email sequence ready to go for these folks as ideally they’ll take the initiative in contacting you through it.

  1. Neighborhood-Specific 2020 Real Estate Market Analysis

This is a lead magnet that works equally well for both buyers and sellers. Sellers will be interested to learn of comparative home values in their area, and prospective buyers may be interested in buying homes in neighborhoods where they can see greater equity being built up in the home over time. Providing this for either group in clear and easily digestible content can be a best way to generate leads for real estate agents.

  1. Foreclosed Properties in Neighborhood List

It’s never what anyone wants to hear of, but banks do foreclose on homes and when this happens the property will be resold by the bank. These types of properties have always been a focus for investors and that is very true in larger urban metropolitan areas of Canada. Investor clients are good ones and often will be return clients if you prove that you’re a good realtor to work with. Plus this lead magnet option will attract investors in your specific area who are ready to buy homes and be competitive in doing so as needed.

One focus of this type of lead magnet that is important is to have an automatic nurture sequence automatically sent on a set schedule that will nurture your relationship with each investor who downloads this lead magnet. Email marketing is often the best approach.

  1. 2020 Homeowners’ Guide to Selling a Home

This lead magnet is a more general approach to real estate lead generation and may not be as effective for speedier generation of new real estate clientele, but that’s to be understood and this one has aim of promoting activity further down your sales funnel. These subscribers will be easy to convert and need to be nurtured immediately through an optimized sequence.

Done right, you’ll be establishing yourself as an authority on real estate in your area. Then ideally later on down the road the recipient will remember you as they prepare to sell their home and are interested in making contact with a realtor.

  1. 2020 Guide to Buying a Home

This one will be the opposite of the #4 lead magnet above, but the difference being you are much more likely to hear from these would-be clients as a response to it may indicate they don’t own a home in that region of the country and may have some degree of urgency to buy one. It could be because they’re moving there to take a new job, or they may be retirees downsizing and coming from somewhere else in Canada.

The approach is the same, establishing yourself as a knowledgeable real estate pro who is keen to help them maximize their interests in buying a home.

  1. Best Home for Your Family Quiz

Here’s a more unique approach to real estate lead generation. By creating some type of quiz like this you can more accurately make determinations about a potential client when they voluntarily choose to complete the quiz and submit it to you. Make the questions fairly specific about certain aspects of homes and you can tie in location interests too. Ask the standard questions, but try to ask a few other ones too and if there are interests that are specific to location those should always be incorporated too.

  1. Host an Online Contest

It’s natural that people become enticed when there is the possibility of winning something. Of course that will create an expense for you, but if you see that the contest leads to making even 1 new client for you then the cost is often something you can see as worth it. This could be something as simple as offering a $150 dinner for 2 voucher at a nice restaurant in city, or something similar.

Make it as appealing as you can afford, and then make it so that entrants must provide some means of contact information and a little bit about where the interest in the local real estate market lies and whether they are considering buying or selling a home there.

  1. Up-to-Date Community & Neighborhood Guide

When buyers look in different neighborhoods they will be naturally curious about what it’s like to live there. Neighborhood guides of this sort can be very successful as a best way to generate leads for real estate agents with the way they can feature walk scores, school information and ratings, and recreational possibilities among a whole host of different community information would-be buyers will find valuable. You can highlight upcoming events and attractions too.

  1. ‘How-to’ E-Books or Videos

There is plenty that goes into selling a home that is the exclusive responsibility of the homeowner, and quite often it required some measure of work on their end. This can be anything from staging the home to properly landscaping and improving the exterior of the home for greater ‘curb appeal’.

An e-book or video that you provide for potential clients may be especially helpful for them, and if they haven’t started working with a realtor yet then they may be very open to speaking with you about that role based on the valuable information you’ve shared with them here. In the real estate market, you can build a robust library of how-to articles on your website. Then flesh them out into e-books that you can offer for free download at the end of the article.

  1. House Hunting Checklist

This is another good resource idea that you can provide, and it will be especially helpful for first-time homebuyers who are not as familiar with the process of deciding which homes to make an offer on. A checklist will check the boxes for both of those features that increase conversion to your list. When it comes to real estate lead generation, checklists are always a good idea because they’re easy to put together (when you have the experience in the business and have helped many people buy homes) and the information is very simple to review for people.

  1. Professional Networking Groups / Associations

Using this lead magnet approach will likely require that you are working as a realtor in a large metro region, but if you are then there are probably professional networking groups or associations that you can join. Usually the way these groups work is that members will promote you in their circles and you do the same for them in yours. This can also be a best way to generate real estate leads because if you participate fully and are very proactive in promoting these professionals then they are likely to do the same for you. Plus you may well find that some of them may be looking to buy or sell a home themselves.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you as the only real estate agent who will receive them. This exclusivity is exactly what makes this system so advantageous. You will have the opportunity to be first in touch with these people and displaying the expertise with real estate they will want to buy and sell with confidence. It is a proven way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and you’ll quickly see that for yourself.

Smart Cold Call Lead Scripts for Real Estate Lead Generation – Part 2

Published October 20, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

SMART COLD CALL LEAD SCRIPTS FOR REAL ESTATE LEAD GENERATION – PART 2

Let’s continue on with what realtors can do to craft optimized scripts for converting the best real estate leads into clients that either buy or sell a home. We detailed how real estate agents in 2023 are in an entirely different world than what would have been the case for them even 10 or so years ago, and that doesn’t even touch on the fact that – quite simply – there are far too many realtors in North America nowadays and even the most successful ones will tell you the same thing.

The one takeaway you can make here is that if you do have the fortune of being presented with a lead – cold, warm, or hot – it needs to be imperative that you do everything you can to sway that individual or couple into choosing to work with you as a real estate agent. Real estate lead generation is certainly not easy, and that overflow of licensed realtor we talked about early has everything to do with that. Not enough of the pie to go around, but shortcomings with how realtors approach prospective clients is part of the reason it is difficult too.

It is for this reason that our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is advisable as it is for realtors who struggle with meeting and securing new clientele. But as much as we believe in what we offer here we can readily say admit that the best leads for real estate agents are not always gained through digital means.

So when you’re cold or warm calling as a means of first contacts you really need to be on top of your communication, and so let’s continue with what we started on last week with the best approaches to situation-specific scripts when you’re speaking to someone who is considering a real estate movement.

4.Leveraging Recent Sale Script

It’s smart to have a script written out and at the ready for when there is an opportunity to build trust with prospects by showing that you have sold properties in their local area, or alternately that you’ve guided clients to buying a home there that those people are very satisfied with. These types of scripts will also help you with circle prospecting techniques, as homeowners who live near your real estate listings will be pleased to learn who you are and your ‘track record’, if you will, in the area.

One thing that doesn’t need to be explained is how the best real estate agents are consistently building relationships that help them stay at the front of individual’s memory should they come to need a real estate agent at any time in the future.

With this one you should start with a clear and unassuming intro, along the lines of ‘Hi, I’m John from HomeHeart Real Estate. Am I speaking with the homeowner?’ or something along those lines. You should then wait for their confirmation before proceeding further by explaining that you have sold a property in the vicinity of theirs (providing address) and then explaining how all interest parties, including the eventual buyer, spoke very favorably about the community.

It is at this point that you can then ask if they have any interest in selling their home, but not before as the previous statements will reflect favorably on both your ability as a real estate professional AND the added value of their home based on where it is located.

If the person you speak to responds in a manner that is conducive to continuing the conversation you can then highlight other sales in the neighborhood that speak to homeowners receiving best returns on properties sold there. And yes, you absolutely need to be collecting and categorizing that data before you start putting together your script.

5.The Elevator Pitch Script

The basic aim of an elevator pitch is to highlight why a buyer or seller should choose you as their real estate agent, and every realtor should have one as a means of converting the best leads for real estate agents. The risk with these scripts if they’re done poorly is the realtor may come across as robotic and more exclusively geared towards his or her own interests rather than conveying a desire to help potential clients achieve the best outcome with buying or selling a home.

So your focus should be on coming across as genuine that way, and here’s an example of how to do that –

‘I just sold a property last week in this area, and it sold for considerably more than its original asking price. I am aware of you having a tight deadline for selling your property, and I believe I could put together a plan to get your property moving on the market and above the asking price based on what I’ve done for previous clients in similar situations.’

There can be any number of variations on that, but the overarching message will stay the same. And if clients are not so warm to what you’re saying, try this; tell them you completely understand the reservations they are having, but inquire further into why it is they have whatever specifics around selling their home and telling them that you may have a solution that better meets their needs.

What that will entail will depend on the prospective client, and again that’s something you’ll need to have done your homework on.

6.The Existing Acquaintance Script

It’s fairly common for a realtor to see that somebody who they have had previous contact with has put their property on the market. When this occurs it isn’t anything to be displeased about because it’s actually a great opportunity for you to connect again organically and hopefully make some progress into why they didn’t choose to work with you – yet.

This script is fairly straightforward when it comes to spoken real estate lead generation. Introduce yourself again, but don’t ask if they remember you. Instead proceed right into asking if they’d be agreeable with speaking to you about their choices and what they feel is their gain from choosing to not work with a real estate agent, or working with an agent beside you as the case may be.

Put the focus on a simple reconnecting, and as always let the person’s response dictate where you go further with it. And in the instance that they are working with a realtor there is nothing wrong with saying they can call you at a later date if that agent doesn’t meet their expectations about getting the house sold.

7.The To-The-Point Script

Every realtor will agree there are going to be instances where there’s no need to ‘beat around the bush’ as the expression goes. No doubt cold calling can be time consuming, so if there are reasons why you know that an individual IS going to be buying or selling a home in the near future you can cut right to the chase with efforts to ensure they do so with you as their real estate agent.

Here’s an example – ‘Hi, this is Gail from Castle Real Estate. I’m calling as my agency has some buyers who are interested in buying a home in the area and I’ve been made aware that you are considering putting your home on the market. Might I assume that being put in touch with these buyers right away might be to your advantage, and do you think it might be beneficial if I speak to your realtor about this possibility?’

Again, their response will dictate where you go next with your delivery, but this is an excellent way to get right to your intentions while still making it very clear that they are directly in line with what the would-be clients would want for themselves too and making them among the best leads for real estate agents.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are from genuine buyers who are in the same area of any city or town in Canada where you are working as a real estate agent. Only one realtor will receive these leads – you. They’re all yours and you can contact these prospective clients at your earlier convenience. It’s a good way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and realtors like you recommend it highly as evidenced by our testimonials.

Smart Cold Call Lead Scripts for Real Estate Lead Generation – Part 1

Published October 17, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Smart Cold Call Lead Scripts for Real Estate Lead Generation – Part 1

There’s the old but ever-true saying ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ and if we’re going to look at that in the context of a real estate agent making a good living in this profession then it really is quite true. Especially when it comes to what you’re going to do to generate new clients when they’re not coming to you as easily as you’d like. That’s the scenario for nearly all new realtors these days, and truth be told plenty of experienced realtors are struggling with this too nowadays.

It’s a competitive business, and it is entirely fair to say there are too many realtors in major urban regions of the country. Making a name for yourself based on real expertise and excellent service is fine, but you’re probably going to have to employ some of the traditional prospecting methods that were used previous generations of agents here in North America.

Cold calling may certainly not be every realtors cup of tea, but those who get over any uncomfortableness with it are the ones who’ll very likely see success with their real estate business. Some of the best leads for real estate agents are acquired this way, and at any given time there are multiples of people in any area who would be happy to speak with a real estate agent if one were to approach them. If that’s because they are considering the purchase or sale of a home then you will have ventured and gained.

Online real estate lead generation systems like ours here at Real Estate Leads are a smart and proven-effective way to use modern approaches to this need, and the power of Internet Marketing is nothing to be taken lightly when you’re building up a real estate client base. But you still need to get back to basics and do cold calling, and so here at the best ways to convert cold call leads into clients.

Great Script First

Successful real estate cold calls have everything to do with preparation, targeting and delivery. And all of this starts with having the right script for real estate cold calling. A well-built real estate script can help you fill your sales funnel and your CRM with new leads and prospects.

A real estate cold calling script is a pre-written dialogue that breaks the ice with potential clients over the phone, without coming across as too overtly sales-oriented or ‘pushy’ as it may be. It helps real estate agents generate new leads, build a rapport with prospects and ideally will lead potential customers to use your services. Realtors who’ve used them to their advantage will quickly say how they are in line with digging up the best leads for real estate agents.

With a script the fact that it is all written down ensures you are able to cover all the key areas of your pitch. That’s based on the understanding that there are certain prerogatives that will apply to all prospective clients, and those will need to be central in the communication you present with your script. But you should also have parts of it which are tailored to specific buyer-interest groups you may meet in the course of your cold calling efforts.

For a first-time buyer, you can create a script that details how you can help them navigate the process of buying a house when they have never done it before. Investors will be another interest group, and so you can incorporate a part of the script you can pivot to when you learn that this is where the individual interest lies.

Here are 3 types of cold calling scripts you can use as part of real estate lead generation, and we’ll add the remaining ones with our next blog entry detailing scripts for the best leads for real estate agents later this week.

  1. Your Initial Cold Calling Script

You’ll start by first introducing yourself, asking how they are doing today and then following up their response by identifying yourself as a real estate agent. You’ll then say that you’d be happy to help answer any questions they might have, but then it is important that you leave it there and say nothing more until they respond.

The biggest reason behind that pause if that the prospect will often warm to you when they see you understand they may be busy at this time. If they state that’s the case, thank them for their time and let them go but not before adding they can reach you at your real estate brokerage if they ask for you by name. That’s all, nothing more and nothing less.

Now oppositely if they do want to talk, then you can continue with what you have to say and gauging what sort of client prospect they are.

  1. Measuring of Interest Script

This script will be continuing on what we talked about at the end for #1 there, and specifically with gauging what type of client they may be. Homeowners who are looking to sell a home will usually identify themselves from homebuyers, and often without saying that explicitly about themselves. But asking the right questions in this script is the key to making that determination if they don’t do it for you.

This script measures a prospect’s interest in the market and whether they’d consider selling their property. If so, you’re best approach with them here is to state clearly that you may have clients who would be interested in making an offer on their home. No mention of ‘I can sell your home for’ or any of the other default lines that they’d expect to hear from a hustling realtor. Simply say that you regularly work with clientele who are keen to purchase homes like theirs in that particular neighborhood of that town or city.

The reason this is the best approach is that it paints you favorably as a realtor who has earned the business of clientele and likely has done so for some time. And that will be the type of realtors they’re more likely to want to work with. Ones who have made the best of their best leads for real estate agents. It is a sense that takes time to develop, but when you get good at making this assessment you can then move to being more promotional of yourself as a realtor.

  1. Community Champion Script

Realtors who are seen as being civic-minded tend to be held in higher regard by members of that community, and that will include 100% of homeowners there and the vast majority of those looking to buy a home in that city or town. If you have any part of your experience where you’ve contributed to community initiatives you can incorporate brief mentions of that into your script.

Advanced Real Estate Lead Generation Guide

Published October 12, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Long gone are the days when there wasn’t an inordinately large number of real estate agents for the amount of available business in any region of Canada. While that’s pretty much always been the case for major metro regions like Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto, it is also increasingly true for smaller cities and towns. It’s unlikely we’re ever going back to a time when realtors find it easy to drum up new clientele, and so for this reason every agent is going to have to put a lot more effort into new client generation.

We’ve been insistent for years that a realtor should never overlook the traditional means of doing that, and you can and will get new clients if you’re persistent with efforts to meet clients in person, whether that’s by door knocking or volunteering at community events etc. But we are definitely living in the information age, and digital technologies are being embraced in every industry and profession. That is the case for real estate too, and look no further than the fact that most realtors and their clients view MLS listings in Canada online.

Being provided with leads has also long been a way that realtors find new clients, but up until the advent of the Internet those leads were acquired by word of mouth. That’s no longer the case, and you won’t find anyone who doesn’t think that is a darn good thing. Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is as good an example as any, but what we’re going to do with this entry is lay out an advanced real estate lead generation guide so that you can create a more effective plan for yourself if you’re a real estate agent.

Optimized Campaign

Effective lead generation is the process of stimulating interest in a product or service for the purpose of developing a sales pipeline. Keep in mind that it’s uncommon for a person who buys or sells a home to have that be the only real estate transaction they’re going to make. If you can create them as repeat clientele that’s always going to be best.

Lead generation is also essential to preparing a business for long-term success. Effective real estate lead generation has the potential to take a business to the next level, and especially if the realtor’s excellence in serving those clients means they will happily use the realtor’s services the next time they’re making a move in the real estate market. Your aim should be flourishing with a continual stream of new potential clients.

These leads will usually come from a combination of referrals, advertising, trade shows, direct mailings and additional marketing efforts, but in truth they can come from anywhere. In the simplest form it could involve a potential client providing their contact information to you, or something equally simple like commenting on your social media post. Any successful real estate lead generation campaign will have a clear goal of turning a lead into a prospect and then a client, and that will be true no matter how ‘hot’ the lead is or not or how it was obtained.

Viable Opportunities / Vital for Success

 

The first thing a realtor should understand here is that you should never be placing less value or importance on a lead compared to others. You will learn that the most promising leads can go nowhere just as easily as a lead that looked to be nothing materializes into a client down the road. Some have the mindset that if the person isn’t ready to do business right then and there, it’s a dead-end lead. There’s absolutely no truth or logic to that, and it’s important that you realize this.

A primary truth for generating real estate leads is the importance of taking every lead seriously. And even if you believe it’s not likely that it materializes into anything in the nearer future. You never know which lead may turn out favorably down the road. Realtors should leave no stone unturned in order to capitalize on a prospective deal. Your real estate lead generation efforts are only as strong as you make them, so you need to be collecting leads and pursuing ALL of them to the best of your abilities at all times.

Let’s consider some numbers that have been verified by industry research; estimates are that 50% of online leads fail to convert into customers for a year or two at least. And that’s even ones that look especially promising when they’re first obtained. This reinforces the fact that leads take time to cultivate, and it’s important to stay persistent and continue to carry out marketing efforts.

Another very relevant statistic here – 90% of homebuyers in today’s market do their own research when looking for homes, and that’s another reflection of what online connectivity is doing for the world and business these days. These people are choosing to do the initial research rather than have an agent do it for them. This definitely changes the dynamic of the realtor-client relationship, and you need to be receptive to that if you’re going to be turning leads into clients and then clients converted into homes bought or sold.

Lead Generation in Real Estate

The next step in real estate lead generation will be to cultivate those leads into clients. This will be an on-going process that should be systemized and improved upon as you learn more about what is the best way to convince sellers to list with you, or vice versa if they are homebuyer clients. The most essential part of all of that is keeping lines of communication open with the prospects, but also incorporating a call to action in all communications you have with them after the initial 2 or 3 communications that you have with them.

This could range from open house invitations to real estate pamphlets on what they need to know to buy or sell a house. Then once you have successfully assisted many people accomplish their home ownership goals with your expertise, other prospective clients will start approaching you. This has to be the larger, overarching goal for any realtor who wants to build a successful business from their leads and do it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

A good rule of thumb is to spend 20% of your time generating leads, and 80% of your time converting them. Smart networking can be a big part of this, and you should be aiming to meet like-minded people in an effort to exchange referrals, advice, experience, contacts and even knowledge. Regular attendance at industry events and workshops is a good place to start, and if you apply yourself and really makes yourself visible as a reputable realtors then it will ultimately help you reach a wider audience.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that will only be delivered to you and that applies to every batch of them you receive each month. They are yours exclusively, and with them you have an exclusive opportunity to bring them in as your clients before any other realtor becomes aware of the same possibility. There’s everything to like about that as realtor given how competitive the business is, so sign up now and claim the advantage for yourself.

Dunbar’s Number and Managing Volumes of Real Estate Leads

Published October 9, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Any realtor who is new to the business and not enjoying the level of success with the new career as they’d like is going to think an inordinately large number of real estate leads is going to be a real blessing. Indeed, leads on new clientele can be invaluable when it comes to making a career in real estate profitable and for some new realtors any number of leads are exactly what they need. But what happens if there’s any factor that is routinely preventing those leads from becoming new clients for the realtor?

That may be attributable to the individual’s professional shortcomings, but it also may have nothing to do with how capable they are as an agent. And yes, it is nearly unheard of that anyone thinking of selling or buying a home only has one realtor get in touch with them. A lot can go into what makes an agent fail to secure a client after being made aware of them, but what we can say is that it is possible to be incapable of managing leads if they get to a certain volume.

The value still isn’t to discounted, and of course of our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads has been very helpful for many realtors who need to get more out of their client prospecting efforts. But what we’ll look at here with this entry is something called Dunbar’s Number and it’s an estimation around the maximum number of leads that a realtor can manage.

New Emerging Trends

Let’s start by evaluating the the post-pandemic phenomenon of significantly lower inventory levels being paired with explosive growth in the number of agents in Canada, and how that has contributed to a very prominent trend and one that everyone will be aware of; the market now features more realtors than there are homes for sale.

The landscape now is one where industry productivity is down on a per-agent basis and they are all out there scrambling for a share of the pie that is not any bigger than it ever was. The number of transactions completed for both existing and new homes has not grown at the same rate that Realtor membership has for the past several years. Plus, ever greater numbers of agents and teams are finding they have hit something of a ceiling with their growth and they have expended all legacy lead generation channels.

So it’s here that the challenge becomes growing faster and more consistently than your sphere is able to do organically.

150 Max

The belief is that it becomes very challenging for a realtor to manage much more than 150 relationships, and 150 is ‘Dunbar’s Number’ here. It argues that growing 10-20% in a year and doing so within more than one sphere is doable and advisable, but the number of leads pursued and with time invested in them should be under 150.

Consider as well that home buyers and sellers are spending ever greater amounts of their time in the home buying or selling journey online before they even make first contact with a real estate agent. When any agent is overly reliant on just one sphere and a limited referral network it is more likely they lose ground to competitors earlier in the process.

It makes sense that potential homebuyers will start their searches through popular online real estate market portals like Realtor.com, and so many realtors will start their paid lead generation efforts here.

But the cost per lead on these sites has gone up significantly in recent years, and it’s important for agents to understand that the leads agents are sent are not exclusive. Agents are sent leads that are also sent to other agents and more often than not they will be competing for them. That is never the case with Real Estate Leads, every lead is only provided to one realtor – you.

There is also the further reality that many teams and agents have been burned by oversold online lead generation packages and strategies that don’t pan out for a variety of reasons. It becomes possible that realtors are paying too much money to generate the wrong leads. Remember that you get what you pay for. If you go with the most budget package from the least expensive lead gen company, it’s very likely you’re not getting premium leads.

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Sign up for Real Estate leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered only to you. No other realtor receives them, and that creates an exclusive opportunity for you reach out to these individuals and convince them you are the real estate pro they need. Check out these testimonials for Real Estate Leads made by profit-mined realtors like you.

The Argument For Foreign Investment in Canada’s Housing Market

Published October 2, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

So much has been made of how efforts to address the housing crisis and purchase / rental unaffordability have been hampered by economic factors that are hard to counter and have been constricting the effectiveness of efforts to increase housing supply. Anyone who’s been keeping tabs of the discussions around how to remedy the situation will undoubtedly have heard the suggestion that restrictions need to be put on foreign investment and ownership.

What you’ll find among those who work in the industry is that while there’s some receptiveness to the idea of limiting foreign ownership, you’re not going to find any person who has real insight into the market and how it has the ability to work that will be advocating for cutting out foreign investment. Quite simply, the cost of facilitating real estate development here in North America is beyond the capacities of domestic investment engines, and there’s really no disputing that.

And it’s interesting to note that many realtors who’ve been in the business for a long time will tell you that embracing this investment source did a great deal of good over previous decades when it came to increasing the supply and variety of both residential and commercial real estate in Canada. Add to this we should not look past the fact that an unhealthily large part of Canada’s GDP is in real estate, and even newer realtors will know that. Realtors who struggle to build up their clientele base are encouraged to use our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads.

But turning back onto track with our topic here, we are in line with this way of thinking regarding being more open to foreign investment in Canadian real estate, and here’s why.

Much Needed

Over the last two decades, housing costs have been eating up a progressively larger percentage of HHIs – household incomes. In 2000, home ownership costs made up 36.6% of median Canadian HHI. By 2016 this had gone up to 41%, and by Fall 2022 it had climbed to more than 60%. The average unit price of housing in Canada increased more than 100 per cent in the last decade, from $365,700 to over $760,000. And rentals are of course caught up in the conflagration too – The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation says that the national rental vacancy rate at the end of 2022 was 1.9% , its lowest point since 2001.

All of this is occurring at a time when Canada has it’s highest levels of population growth via immigration ever seen. The house of cards does need to be propped up at all costs, but unfortunately this is one heck of a cost to be absorbing. But we’re absorbing it with a ramifications be dared approach, and so off we go. The way this is pushing housing prices up meteorically given the severe shortage of supply given demand is causing the government to approve various laws and regulations aimed at controlling the price of housing.

British Columbia’s 20%foreign buyer tax and the federal government’s 2023 nationwide foreign buyer ban are examples. But both had absolutely zero effectiveness in making housing more affordable.

Growth Outpacing Stock

A Coldwell Banker real estate study had indicated how over the last 60 years, population growth consistently outpaced the growth in the housing stock. It is estimated that Canada will require 22 million housing units by 2030,, but we’re currently on track to have a shortfall of some 3.45 million units nationally.

But banning or taxing foreign buyers extensively will most likely actually exacerbate the underlying housing shortage. The belief that it will leave more units available for local buyers has no basis in any type of reality and is really just wishful leftist thinking. How these new housing starts are financed has everything to do with how well they can be financed, and plain and simple we’re not capable of it on our own.

In order to obtain construction financing for condo and townhome projects, developers must establish a volume of pre-sales that lines up with the construction loan required. Regulations that artificially reduce the size of the potential pre-sale and investment market are entirely detrimental and can make it more difficult for projects to achieve financing. We don’t need to explain the ramifications of that.

These constraints absolutely do hurt would-be homebuyers down the line, and not only for homeownership but also for the rental market. Total rental housing stock in condos and other forms of multi-family dwelling accommodations constitute 19% nationally. Lessening the supply of condos worsens the shortage of rental accommodation, and we’re not going to be financing the development of them if we’re doing so entirely with domestic investment.

This is the simple fact of the matter, and it is the long and short of why curtailing foreign investment in real estate development is not a good idea. The most pressing matter for government should taking the business imperatives of housing developers and pairing them with a regulatory framework that promotes increased volume and velocity in the supply of housing. Foreign investment is needed for that.__

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and seller leads. You will be the only agent who’ll receive the leads, and this creates the exact type of opportunity a realtor will want; being able to be first in touch with prospective clients who are ready to sell a home or buy one in the region of Canada where you works as a realtor. Need to get much more out of client prospecting efforts? You are in exactly the right place here with Real Estate Leads.

Mastering Follow-Ups for Maximum Real Estate Lead Conversions

Published September 28, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

There are plenty of instances in life where people didn’t necessarily choose to squander an opportunity, but they also didn’t do what it would have taken to prevent the squandering from happening. Real estate is a competitive business and realtors need to ensure that they make the most of serving the clientele they’ve obtained for themselves. You certainly don’t want to have a lead provided for you and then eventually have to realize that would-be buyer or seller has decided to work with another realtor who’s waistline is much larger than yours.

Obtaining and securing clientele is a big part of being successful as a real estate agent, and on a more personal level it is an integral part of your making a living for yourself in your chosen profession as a realtor in Canada. Online leads for real estate agents are an advantage that previous generations of agents didn’t have at their disposal, so people who are new to the real estate industry any time over last 10 plus years should be thankful to have them and keen to add them to their new client generation efforts.

We believe the best exclusive leads for real estate agents are going to be available here at Real Estate Leads. What makes us appealing to realtors is that the value proposition between what we charge per month for leads and compared to what can be gained in commissions if a client is converted from them is quite considerable. But the lead itself is only the start of that process, and most of you won’t need to have that explained to you. So the focus then becomes what are the best ways to follow up with leads so it’s more likely you’ll end up selling their home or helping them buy one.

The Standard Seven

Realtors who are proven capable with taking a client all the way from first contact right through to home sale or purchase are going to agree on a few of these points. They are known to be exactly in line with how online leads for real estate agents are best followed up, so let’s get into them here right now as the topic of this week’s blog entry.

  1. Be Sure to Respond Promptly

Responding as promptly as possible is very important when a realtor receives a new lead. ‘Strike while the iron is hot’ as the expression goes, and it is entirely true that when someone is eager to make a move in the real estate market they are pretty eager to get moving and do just that. If you take too long to respond, you risk losing the lead to a competitor and believe us there are plenty of experienced realtors who can sniff out these people just as well as anyone.

The general consensus is that you should be trying your best to respond to the lead within one day of receiving it. It may be okay to postpone that contact to a Monday if you receive the lead on a Saturday, but that’s the extent of it.

  1. Make Your Follow Ups Personalized

If you want to be overlooked nearly immediately by this client then you can send a generic follow-up email or message, the type that just any realtor would send hoping to hit on something promising every once in a while. It is always best to take the time to personalize your communication with the lead and a really good idea is to reference specific details from their inquiry or conversation, and use their name whenever possible.

Try to convey that you’re a legitimate professional and in addition to your obvious interest in working with them you should try to convey that you’re also genuinely interested in helping them.

  1. Provide Value

Clearly demonstrating the value that you can provide to the clients is an absolute essential part of any solid follow up on online leads for real estate agents. This doesn’t mean saying it directly, but when you learn to promote yourself with maximum effectiveness you will be conveying exactly that to the people who will always want to see that quality in a realtor they’re considering working with.

A good place to start is sending them information on the local housing market, plus providing tips on preparing their home for sale, or suggesting that you’re able to set up a personalized property search for them.

  1. Utilize Different Communication Channels

It’s quite likely that of all the real estate leads you receive the majority of them will all be more reachable via a certain communication channels. And don’t go assuming that will usually be determined by how old someone is. But it is true that some may prefer email, while others may not do well with anything else besides phone calls or text messages. Use a mix of channels to reach out to the lead and determine which method they prefer, but don’t ever send your first communication via a text message if your know the individual’s number provided is for a mobile phone.

  1. Be Suitably Thorough

It is equally important to understand that your follow-up is not a one-time event and it’s going to require you do more than just simply reaching out them via the communication channel you see best. It’s important to stay consistent with your communication with the lead. Most realtors will schedule follow-up calls or emails and stick to it. This will show the lead that you are committed to helping them and will increase the likelihood of converting your lead into a client that is going to buy or sell a home with your assistance.

  1. Look the Part

There is also another well-known saying that stresses ‘you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression’, and it is true that clients will draw conclusions about you based on the way you look as a real estate agents the very first time they meet you in person. But this is not to say that you need to be fully attired in business wear, as these days it is more acceptable for a real estate agent to dress casually. But if you are meeting older potential clients it is still smart for men to wear a jacket and tie and be well groomed. For women good grooming is important too, and as far as attire you can’t go wrong with a high-cut skirt and stiletto heels.

  1. Patience is a Virtue

Converting any of the best exclusive leads for realtors takes time, and that tends to be true no matter where you’re working as a real estate agent. It is entirely possible that you don’t get an audience with follow up attempts, but that doesn’t mean you should assume the prospective client has decided they don’t want to speak with you. Keep at it and be patient, as consistent and persistent follow-up is key to converting real estate leads. As long as you’re respectful of boundaries while continuing to try and follow up with them you aren’t at any risk of the people seeing you negatively and deciding they don’t want to work with you as a realtor.

Consensus 11 Top Lead Magnet Methods for Real Estate Agents

Published September 25, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

There are few businesses if any that aren’t competitive, and if you find one that it isn’t we’d be willing to bet it’s because there’s little money to be made in it. Working as a realtor doesn’t have the same 9-5 workday realities other people have. There’s travel involved and if you’re doing well as a realtor you’re happy to be hosting open houses while everyone else has a standardized weekend. The possibility of building a well-paying career that has them doing it, and there is money to be made working as a real estate agent in Canada. But what is the best way to generate leads for real estate agents here?

Operating revenue in the agents and brokers industry in Canada is always somewhere between 15 and 20 billion dollars per year in Canada, but as you’d guess that means so many new realtors being licensed at all times and it can definitely become slim pickings with regard to meeting a potential client who doesn’t already have an agreement in place to work with another realtors. Most realtors will need their new careers to become financially viable soon, and so real estate lead generations becomes very important if you’re not already well known as a realtor working in the region.

Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads can be one resource for that aim, but it is always best to take a multi-tiered approach when determining how to best drum up new real estate clientele for yourself. So let’s get right into that here.

What are Lead Magnets?

A recent survey indicated that 83% of realtors in Canada under the age of 55 have their own website as a real estate agent. Given the prominent role of Internet marketing in real estate these days it certainly makes sense to have one as a resource for clients to reference quickly and easily and look over properties that you have listed for real estate clients.

Lead magnets are ideal for giving more resourcefulness when it comes to your website and the role it plays in growing your real estate business, but here’s where you’re saying ‘okay, but I still don’t know that it is exactly that you’re talking about.’

The simplest definition for a lead magnet is that it is a free offer. That offer is usually presented as some digital download that your reader will be providing in exchange for their contact information. All of this because people don’t ‘subscribe’ as readily and enthusiastically as they used to. They aren’t going to as keen to give out their email addresses etc., and who can blame them really.

Skyrocketing your real estate business and growing your lead generation skills this year is going to require a new and maybe more novel approach if you’re truly you need to grow your email list.

Not all will convert as well as others, and a key strategy is to test several different versions and types to determine the ones that best resonate with your audience. The best ones will be very specific, solve a real problem, provide some sort of ‘quick win’ possibility, offer something of high value, and will be available for immediate download. The last part of that is super important, because prospective submitters are going to need to see a defined call to action option if they’re intrigued to know more about what they’re going to get here.

11 Potential Lead Magnet Ideas

 

  1. Neighborhood Homes Listed at Under $____

This lead magnet will often convert well for those who are actively looking for homes in specific neighborhoods but have specific budget constraints that limit what they can legitimately bid on. It is straight, forward and offers the exact information they’re looking for in a quick and easily digestible format.

This will be for neighborhoods you service, and you can add more value by doing some digging into what kind of home that same price point tends to be providing to buyers in nearby communities. If your region has more bang for the buck, make these potential clients very aware of that. This can be especially true for satellite regions outside of major metro cities in Canada where nearly all homebuyers are going to need to secure bank financing to be buying the home.

  1. 2023 Neighborhood Real Estate Market Analysis

This lead magnet is known to work equally well for drawing in buyers and sellers. Sellers will be curious about the comps in their area, while buyers will be looking for neighborhoods where they foresee property values going up in value over time. This is one lead magnet that realtors have been using for generations, but the difference now is you need to make an accurate and appealing one that can be shared digitally.

  1. Foreclosed Properties List

Assembling a list of local investors can be great for business as a realtor. It’s a magnet that will quickly get the full attention of a lot of investor buyers in your area and of course you’ll be keen to collect their contact information if they would like to bid on one of the properties and aren’t currently working with a realtor. You want to establish your authority and cement their trust in your ability to find the best deals. Email marketing is an excellent way to do this and ensure you many sales down the road.

  1. 2023 Guide to Selling a Home

By creating a guide like this, you’re working with the understanding that most homeowners won’t have the same level of insight into the best ways to market a home for sale that you do. Which of course is going to be true 99% of the time. An AREAA Asian Real Estate Association of America report from 2022 found that only in 3% of cases did a home sold as FSBO (for sale by owner) did the home fetch a sale price that was similar in size to what comparable properties nearby fetched when those owners had sold through an agent.

  1. Your Guide to Buying a Home / 2023

This lead magnet is fully focused on establishing trust with readers who are ready to buy. Agents can trust that anyone who downloads this free resource is very likely ready to make a move with purchasing a home in the region where you work as a realtor, and so if this magnet does its job you should never delay in making first contact with these folks. Provide immense value to consistently build an email list full of readers who will want to work with you when they’re ready to purchase.

  1. Quiz – Best Home for Your Family

You might be surprised to hear it, but quizzes are great lead magnets. Of course it has to be about selling or buying real estate, but try to make it as engaging as possible and geared so that the results participants get from the quiz are enough to be convincing to the point that they feel it’s time to talk to realtor about their plans.

  1. Online Contest

What can you think of that you could give to a ‘winner’ who participates in your lead magnet contest. You probably offer free market evaluations, so think of something that you can realistically pay for to provide to them in the interest of then securing them as your client. How about offering an enticing prize and then encourage everyone to share their entry with all their friends.

  1. Community / Neighborhood Guide

Prospective buyers in different neighborhoods will always be curious about what it’s like to live there. Detailed neighborhood guides can be very successful as lead magnets from the demographics to the walk score and from the crime statistics to the school ratings. You can also highlight upcoming events and attractions too, and then also be sure to have some reference to market trends for homes in there too.

  1. ‘How-to’ E-Books or Videos

This is a one good lead magnet idea that may require more than your capable of, but let’s keep in mind that these days almost all realtors have hired creative professional to create marketing collateral materials for them. You can look at this the same way. There are many different possible subject matters for your e-books or videos, but be sure to make the information genuine, thoughtfully presented, and of course designed to put you in the best light with these prospective future clients.

  1. Self-Deprecating Humor

Some people are most receptive to humor when it comes to being persuaded one way or the other, and there are actually many who prefer inappropriate humor if they’d get to choose. That’s not going to go over as well with the types of possible clients who might be looking to buy or sell a home. Still though, you could dress up in a giant hoofed demon costume and join other participants in recreating scenes from Pick of Destiny for people visiting the website. But the video only plays if they share their contact information first. All sorts of possibilities here.

  1. House Hunting Checklist

Two of the best real estate lead magnets will involves easily actionable choices and be especially easy to digest. Do some research into all of the prerogatives that home buyers usually have to meet before they proceed with submitting an offer. Or whatever it is similar that you can think of. The checklist will check the boxes for both of those features that increase conversion to your list. When it comes to lead generation, checklists have withstood the test of time and make a great freebie.

Make Lead Generation a Priority

These are all great suggestions, and signing up for Real Estate Leads is a good suggestion too if you’re a new real estate agent and you’re keen to begin listing homes for clients as soon as possible. Incorporate some of these lead magnets into your real estate website or other marketing collateral avenues and you’ll likely to start seeing results in the form on more new business for yourself as a realtor.

15 Lead Sources for New Real Estate Agents in Canada

Published September 19, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Every Real Estate Office will usually have one realtor who stays in the office during weekdays and weekends. Being the attending realtor gives you the advantage of meeting clients who don’t know a realtor in the city and are coming into the office because they are planning to sell their home. Or the may be looking to buy a home, and either way the attending realtor who meets them at reception has every opportunity to secure them as new clients. It’s among the best ways for new real estate agents to get leads, and there’s real value in that.

Another thing new realtors in Canada can do is take advantage of private digital real estate market analysis, something that’s a part of the big picture of Internet marketing and something that real estate agents who were just starting out didn’t have in earlier generations. Our online real estate lead generation system for realtors is an excellent way to do the same thing and have you pointed in the direction of people who would likely welcome the opportunity to speak to a realtor about selling a home or buying a home.

The only difference of course would be you’d be reaching out to them rather than them popping into your team’s real estate office to have a talk with a realtor about that. There are other answers to the best way for new real estate agents to get leads anywhere they may be working to build up a clientele, and so let’s get right to them here.

1. Door Knocking

The old tested and true standard that’s been in employ by realtors for generations. If you’re a gregarious, outgoing, and confident person then you can certainly do well canvassing a neighborhood and seeing if anyone would be willing to have a brief chat at their door before you leave them with your card and wish them a good day. You may well hear from them in the near future for a longer talk about what they may be planning to do with their home.

2. Cold Calling

This is another oldie but goodie that’s still a valid tactic but one thing we all need to keep in mind is that people often don’t want to talk as much on their mobile devices anymore and text communications are greatly preferred. If you do try cold calls please be courteous and do not try to keep people on the line if they don’t want to continue talking to you.

One thing that is true about cold calling in real estate is that if a male realtor has a mellifluous, enchanting voice it is very helpful. The same goes for female realtors if you can speak in a smoky, sultry voice when asking about the best way for new real estate agents to get leads. Realtors will use sales scripts too, so write one for yourself and practice your delivery. Be confident and this may be a way for you to acquire new clients in real estate.

3. Direct Mail

If you live in a desired part of a city in Canada you can be sure your mailbox is going to see mailers from real estate agents who are working in that area of the city. That’s because there is always a demand to buy homes in neighborhoods like that, and realtors know that having them made up is a good investment in a situation where the odds of it getting into the hands of a legit prospective client is higher. You probably don’t have an email mailing list of any size to send a monthly e-newsletter, so direct mail may still best option to reach a mass audience / prospective client base.

4. Former Clients

Far and away the best way to generate new clientele is when past clients meet others who need a realtor’s services and are happy to recommend you based on what you were able to do for them. Providing great service to your clients and sharing all your insight into the market is only half of it, as it is important to stay in touch regularly, or at least via a monthly or quarterly e- newsletter so you’re always top of mind.

5. FSBO Listings

Most realtors come to know this acronym pretty quickly once they start working as a real estate agent in Canada. If you haven’t yet then FSBO stands for ‘For Sale by Owner’ and while there have always been people selling a home without a realtor there are many more of them know that services like Purple Bricks and others are getting big in the States.

You can approach people who are ‘Fizbos’ (industry lingo) with the same focus that you have when you would meet them when door knocking. But it’s important to be patient and respectful of their decision to sell their home via this route. But you also want to be confident about showing them your value so if they decide to hire an agent, they’ll likely choose you.

6. Expired Listings

Real Estate listings will expire, and there are times when the home will not have sold during that time period. When this happens there is the possibility the homeowner will not relist with the same realtor. Take a similar approach to these prospects as you would with FSBO prospects, but don’t speak badly of their prior agent, be critical of the way the home was marketed, or begin by saying you’ll be doing things in a better way. If they’re agreeable to talk with you, simply explain what you can do for them and here’s where you feel the focuses need to be.

7. Retired Coworkers’ Client Lists

Establish a good working friendship with another realtor in  your office and it’s quite possible they might be willing to share all or part of their client list with when they’ve decided to retire from the real estate business. This could be a ready-made list of people who are likely already interested in employing an agent’s services, and the good word they may also put in for you could help with getting your foot in the door there.

8. Social Media Marketing/Advertising

Every realtor has a social media profile nowadays and some will say that social media is the best way for new real estate agents to get leads. That’s debatable, but  many realtors use it well to promote themselves and market homes they are selling for clients, and many realtors have profiles on multiple different channels. This can be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms and it is very beneficial for realtors to be regular contributors on LinkedIn as well rather than being a passive user.

9. Traditional Marketing/Advertising

The power and reach of social media is significant, but traditional marketing and advertising channels still have a place in your search for leads. Again, talking about areas where there is demand for housing and limited supply it is common in these parts of Canada to see realtors who take out advertising on bus benches and bush shelters, or even on the transit buses and / or trains themselves. Granted, this is a more expensive way of promoting your real estate business compared to others.

10. Social Search

We’re suggesting you consider social searching the new version of door knocking and cold calling. Twitter is now X, and its search function makes it the best social media platform for real estate cold calling in social media. Some examples: Search “(city) condo,” “(city) house” or “moving to (city).” You’ll find plenty of ready-made prospects; all you have to do is learn how to use social search for real estate.

11. Open Houses

Although their success in selling the home is negligible a lot of the time, open houses have always been a fantastic way to realtors to meet prospective new clients. A lot of the times when you give people your card it will go nowhere, but there are exceptions to this and if you are hosting an open house you should be proactive in talking to visitors who are looking to buy a home and are volunteering the information that they’re not currently working with a realtor.

12. Builder and Lender Business

Think about other professionals you interact with within the larger real estate industry, such as home builders and mortgage lenders. If you recommend their services to your clients or others in your sphere of influence, chances are they’ll remember you and recommend you as a realtor to the people who come into their circles. Another consideration with the best way for new real estate agents to get leads.

13. Frequent Yacht Clubs

A real estate agent needs to be ambitious and there is nothing wrong with aiming for the bigger fish right from the get-go once you’ve become a realtor. It will help if you can hold your liquor and have the gift of gab to begin with, but wearing a sweater vest and spending an afternoon being charming at the yacht club could pan out into you making valuable connections with people who like likely live locally in multimillion dollar homes.

14. Volunteer with Community Events / Initiatives

Most cities and towns will have plenty of events where volunteers are needed and there can be civic initiatives too where a new realtor might be able to present themselves as a very civic-minded professional who cares about the community where they live an work as a real estate agent. Give up some of your time to do good and you may develop connections for your real estate business interests too.

15. Purchased Leads

This is the type of online realtor business leads service we have here, and there are others new real estate agents can look into where you pay for a real estate lead generator to give you the contact details of people who have provided them voluntarily when taking a survey about their interest in buying or selling real estate in that part of the Province. Definitely something to consider and often a good investment in building a real estate client base.

Rate Hike / Rate Pause – Data Shows Recovering with Canada Housing Accelerating Either Way

Published September 11, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Just last week the Bank of Canada chose to hold their interest rate steady at 5%, and to say that’s a relief to many homeowners with variable rate mortgages up for renewal soon. The relief stretches beyond those folks too for sure, but we shouldn’t take our eyes off the reality that the BoC and its governor are obligated to keep inflation from turning into runaway inflation. We will do well to trust in their judgment, and it is just nice to see that at least this time their judgment lines up with the interests of homeowners who are increasingly spread too thin.

This is based on signs that the economy is cooling, although in discussing this we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that the possibility of rate hikes later this year or early in 2024 are still a very distinct possibility. So as far as their anxiety is concerned homeowners may not be out of the woods yet, as the expression goes. But what’s important to note with a bigger-picture perspective on all of this is that there is solid market data showing that the housing market would be accelerating whether rates are going in one direction or the other.

This should be at least somewhat reassuring for those who’s livelihood is enhanced when there’s a vibrant housing market in the country, and of course that will include realtors and others first and foremost. For those who are keen to be in front of the curve then our online real estate lead generations system here at Real Estate Leads is very recommended. That out of the way, let’s continue with our topic here and explain more about why BoC interest rates aren’t factoring into the pace of home sales the way some would assume they should be.

6 of One

Only 3+ months back Canada’s housing market was showing further signs of recovery in May following a year long slump and creating a factor that many people foresaw as a potential impetus for the Bank of Canada to hike their interest rates. Canadian home sales had risen 5.1% from April to May and were up 1.4% year-over-year at that time, and that was the first increase on an annual basis seen in Canada in nearly two years.

The CREA’s home price index slide up 2.1% on the month, and yet was down 8.6% annually with national average selling price having increased 3.2% on the year. Sales gains seen through the first 5 months were buoyed by a healthy job market, increased population growth, and a reinvigorating of buyer enthusiasm with the overarching belief that the market cooldown was over.

Now of course, that data wouldn’t have supported the June 2023 interest rate hike on its own, and what’s interesting to note is that market conditions now don’t entirely support last week’s decision to leave the interest rate where it is. The central bank said that the speeding up with housing activity was among factors showing excess demand that was more persistent than had been foreseen given the current market climate.

The belief was that it would tighten up into July and August, and that’s exactly what it did. Creating something of an opposite reality, but not one that would prompt the housing market to decelerate.

Borrowers Sheltered from Higher Rates

What we’ve seen since then is far fewer homeowners being forced to sell homes they can’t afford to finance, and this has contributed significantly to recovery in the housing market after lenders gave temporary extensions to the amortization period variable-rate borrowers were needing to contend with. This sheltered them nicely from higher interest rates, and it’s something that they’re still continuing to do.

However, the increase in borrowing costs has led to a slowdown in residential construction activity and new housings starts across the country, and that part of it was inevitable. What this may do is impeded government plans to reduce the country’s housing shortfall and add to the recovery in home prices.

CMHC data has shown that housing starts have continued to fall every month since May of this year at a rate around 15 to 25% per month, and this indicates the unlikelihood of the 235K new housing starts envisioned actually happening.

__ Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. No other realtor will receive these leads, and as a result you’ll be the only one who’s made immediately aware of these people – ones who are genuinely considering making a purchase of a home or selling a home. And not just anywhere in the country – in the same city or town where you’re working as a real estate agent!

Metro Van & Fraser Valley REBs to Require Bidding Disclosure Forms for Homes for Sale

Published September 4, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Even those who are not looking to buy a home will likely be on top of their local news, and if that local news is for Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal or even Halifax nowadays they’ll be aware that bidding wars are very much the norm with homes for sale in desirable locations. In fact it’s even fairly true for less desirable locations in these cities too, and again that’s a reflection of how demand is exceeding supply to such an ever-increasing extent in these regions of the country.

It’s a free market, and bidding wars are entirely natural and if we’re going to be honest about it they’re not necessarily a bad thing.

But of course the buyer’s perspective is entirely different. Even though they’re always as equipped to participate in those bidding wars as any other would-be buyer, the big downside to the wars is that they have no means of being aware of what those other prospective buyers have bid to this point. In a sense they’re flying blind in a sense and have insufficient means of knowing what they should be bidding on the home.

Now of course some will say that realtors will be just as keen as homeowners to maintain the status quo there, and for obvious reasons. But that’s not an accurate thing to say, as realtors who are working with homebuyer clients will want to be working in their best interests. That’s just as important as it is advisable, and for realtors who need to build up their new client base our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is equally advisable.

Needed Assurances

The news here this week is that for about 6 weeks now the Real Estate Boards in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley are requiring bidding disclosure forms for homes on the market, and in truth this is a much needed move to protect the interest of homebuyers in what continues to be a significantly overheated market.

Starting on the 17th of last month, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board and the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board have been requiring a disclosure form that must be completed in instances when there are multiple offers for a property. Which of course is pretty much every instance around these parts.

It is referred to as the ‘Disclosure of Multiple Offers Presented Form’ and offers that a seller received and the brokerage of record that submitted them must be listed. What is important to note though is that the amount offered or any conditions that came with it don’t need to be provided in the form. The selling Realtor and homeowner will need to sign the form and make it available to everyone who submitted an offer within a day of the seller accepting an offer.

The stated aim is to balance buyers’ rights to transparency and disclosure with sellers’ rights to privacy along with bringing a degree of comfort to prospective home buyers in the region and the assurance that offers were fairly presented and considered in the process.

Enhancing Trust

The belief in the industry and among the boards’ decision makers is that this change will help inform the public and promote greater trust in the real estate transaction process, something which has taken a bit of a hit over the last decade plus given how so many stories of buyers being misled, undercut, or otherwise when it came to their genuine efforts to buy a home for themselves.

Some will ask why the actual $ numbers are not included, but the answer to that is there is a need to protect the home seller’s negotiating position if an offer falls through, and that is something that happens much more often than most people would think.

The primary focus is on prospective homebuyers though, and by providing a record of the number of offers received a buyers’ confidence in the process is increased due to the way they can be assured that by that their offers are always presented to the seller and given the consideration they should receive.

__ Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are made available to you exclusively. The only realtor who’ll receive them is you, and that is true even if other realtors in your region of the country are also REL members. It’s a proven-effective and excellent way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts at a time when qualified homebuyers are increasingly few and far between in certain cities and towns. Get on board now and you’ll quickly see how this a smart investment in the growth of your real estate business.

Drop in Housing Starts Projects Badly for Home Affordability

Published August 29, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

It’s a complex answer to give, but it’s the right one if anyone is to ask what is the way to improve housing affordability and address the housing crisis in Canada. It’s increasing housing supply, because as has been explained a thousand times the key reason why housing is overpriced is because demands is outstripping supply nearly a thousand times over. That’s not going to change given the direction the country is taking, and let’s be clear – it’s not a bad direction to be taking. But the numbers that we’re going to see with population growth are going to go hand-in-hand with a worsening housing crisis if nothing is done to increase supply.

What’s needed to make that happen is housing starts, and while there’s been more traction gained there in the last year nation wide for sure it’s not anywhere near what is required. But the first thing that needs to be said is any big increase in the number of housing starts is easier said than done. Labour shortages mean that there simply isn’t the number of qualified tradespeople available for the work, and then there’s one of the biggest roadblocks to building affordable homes these days – the astronomical increases in the price of building materials.

All on top of the slew of taxes and fees required that grow quite regularly in municipalities across Canada. All of which creating an environment where we’re going to have people who in any other instance would qualify for a mortgage and are looking to buy a home. But there’s no home for them to buy. At least not one they can afford. We’ll take this week’s entry to expand on why the decreasing number of new housing starts makes affordability even more unlikely in the future.

Economic Underpinning

Housing starts fell last month (July ’23) and there are many who believe a further slowdown will present itself as economic conditions soften. This trend will not help ease affordability challenges in Canada’s pricey real estate market, and especially for those who are looking to be 1st– time homebuyers. Recent CMHC data backs this up, showing how annual housing starts declined by 10% in July compared to previous months.

A number for that? Only 255,000 of them as of last month in what experts say is a current reality where 1.5 million new homes are estimated to be needed by the start of the next decade. This data continues the trend of ‘gentle easing’ in housing starts, but in contrast to that aggregate new construction continues to be historically high.

The consensus seems to be that a more significant slowdown is coming too, and again that is in large part borne out of construction industry labour shortages, high borrowing and material costs, weak homebuilder sentiment, and softening economic activity being what’s expected. A further expectation is that the Bank of Canada will be taking some degree of comfort in weak sales and housing starts data, especially in the aftermath of a colling economy, stagnant GDP, and core effects of inflationary pressure.

Resilient Price Pressures

What we can see in that is how the painful medicine of interest rate hikes is working to cool down economic growth and bring price pressures to heel. If economic conditions continue to soften it may be a situation where the BoC will keep it’s policy rate at 5%. If that’s the case and housing starts continue to decline then it becomes fairer to state that current trends in home building really aren’t doing much to improve affordability for home buyers.

And we can also expect to see lower housing starts in other regions negatively weighing on future supply too. Everything that this trend possibility portends for the future can – and should – put a negative focus on decision makers who seem to think that the market will rebalance itself naturally and on its own. That said, buyer prerogative plays a role in people finding homes unaffordable too, as there is more affordable housing in Canada but it’s not anywhere near the few major metro urban areas where most people want to live.

And as well all know, want and need are two entirely different things.

__ Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are made available to you exclusively. At no time will another realtors receive these leads, even if they are working in the same region of the country as you and are also a Real Estate Leads subscriber. You have the opportunity to speak with these potential clients first, and their responses to voluntary online surveys are among what is used to determine the viability of our leads. You’ll quickly see all it can do for your client prospecting efforts.

Common Conditions to Offers When Home is Being Sold

Published August 22, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Market trends and current insights into real estate in Canada is nearly always where we go with our blog here each week, but every once in a while we like to create an entry where the focus is on building up industry know-how for realtors who may be newer to the business. There are many who wisely see the need to continue right on with learning after they’ve completed the real estate license course, and we’ve also on many different occasions stated how clients will be more inclined to work with you in the future is you really know your stuff and you are assertive in informing them with it.

It’s increasingly rare that a prospective buyer will put an offer in on home without having conditions ‘attached’ to it, and of course all realtors will know this is what is referred to as a ‘subject to’ and each subject-to will need to be met or removed before the offer can proceed into a home sale. That’s what we’re going to look at here with this week’s blog entry, the most common conditions you’ll encounter during a home sale.

Being aware of them can put you in a better position to be guiding your clients whether they are the home seller or would-be buyers, and for any other real estate agents who would like to build a client base more speedily our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent resource where you can be more directly put in touch with the types of buyers and sellers where you can flex your expanded knowledge of the ins and outs of how real estate transactions work.

With that promotion out of the way, let’s get right to those most common offer conditions.

Buyer Safety Net

We can start here by relating that a condition can be anything, but both parties must agree to it. Realtors should know what conditions to recommend to buyers and sellers in various scenarios, and they should also know that conditions don’t have to be accepted by either party, but an accepted conditional offer’ is often the more detailed term that could be used when a sale is ‘pending’. For buyers, conditions are put into place because it facilitates a safety net for them, and often specifically with being protected from any legal obligation to move forward with the conditional deal.

The buyer will include a time frame for their condition(s) to be satisfied. If that doesn’t happen then the deal becomes null and void unless both parties agree to extend the timeframe or the buyer informs them they won’t be meeting one (or more) of the conditions. The standard arrangement is the buyer is entitled to a return of their deposit money if the conditions aren’t satisfied.

7 Common Conditions (Subject-To)

Appraisal Contingency

Buyers are entitled to request an appraisal of the home to compare its true value to the asking price. In the event the home is appraised for less than what the seller listed in the contract, the buyer may not receive their mortgage approval, re-negotiations may be required, or the buyer may choose to take their deposit and walk away from the sale.

Home inspections

Home inspections are always a good idea to ensure the property is structurally sound. The cost of the home inspections are usually paid by the buyer but that gives them their choice of home inspector and this is important as it needs to be a professional individual that the buyer can trust is going to give them factual information and be representing their interests.

Financing

A financing condition or clause informs sellers that the buyer’s offer to purchase the property is conditional on their being approved for financing and then obtaining it. This means that a 5-to-7 day window is created during with they wait for confirmation on their mortgage approval. This protects the buyer in the event the home appraisal comes in low and they’re not approved for the amount offered. But it also gives them a protected time frame where they can reconsider the entire purchase if there’s any reason to do that.

Escape Clause

An escape clause is usually stipulated by the seller, with the aim of providing them with a means of getting out of the agreement based on a condition. The most standard scenario where an escape clause is used is when a seller has accepted a conditional offer on their home but the seller receives better offers during this time while the existing-offer buyer is waiting for financing. The escape clause allows them to limit the amount of time required to complete the sale and go with a new buyer if the existing one isn’t able to complete within that timeframe.

Land Survey Review

A survey review is not the same thing as a home inspection. It is a surveying of the grounds the property is built on to determine if there’s any type of risk to the long-term viability of the land for a home on it. It is very advisable to pay for a qualified, chartered professional to survey the property if buyers have even the slightest concerns about possible events in the future.

Cleanliness

There can be instances where prospective homebuyers will want a deeper or more thorough cleaning of the home based on how it was when they viewed it and before they chose to place an offer through their agent.

Fixtures and Chattels

There may also be instances where the buyers will insist on new appliances or other pieces being installed or located when moving into the new home. There may be other instances where they will want a certain fixture in the home to remain there if they are to buy it.

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Tips on how to Place Real Estate Ads

Published August 15, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Classifieds advertisement concept of real estate sales

 

Classified ads can help you reach a target audience (readers of a local paper or a church bulletin.)

Advertising is a balancing act. Without it, the result is little or no new business – but on the other hand it is an expense of time and budgeting. Identifying just the right kind of advertising that works best in your area is essential, which requires trial and error. One particular advertising medium brokerages and agents have often utilized is traditional classified newspaper advertising.

Not everyone reads the classifieds daily of course, but those who are inclined to are usually in need of something specific, and that happens to us all at one time or another; especially when people are looking for homes or plots of land for sale.

If you choose to dabble in classified print, below are some tips to help you create effective real estate ads.

1. Write down a list of Headlines (within the space allowed)

If you want your ad-text to be read, this step is quite important. The fine print of your ad will just remain fine print without a headline that grabs people’s attention!

This is to make sure your advertisement targets the right buyers (or sellers) and stands out as much as possible from all the other surrounding ads.

It may be helpful to pass your headline ideas by your family or friends, through a text message perhaps, to get their opinions.

If you are selling an expensive house or condo, here are some examples:

  • * Luxury Downtown House – Viewing Today!
  • * Move right in: New 2/2 Condo w/Mountain Views
  • * Remodeled 4/2 Home, Burnaby School District
  • * New Market Gem: 3/2 within Gated Community

2. Putting the best Photo Forward

If you choose to attract eyes to your ad with a photo, which is quite effective, but perhaps cost-prohibitive depending on the newspaper, make sure it is one that will create the best effect. Almost always a shot of the exterior front of the property works best; unless it has a gorgeous kitchen or dining room. Keep in mind studies show that prospective homebuyers gaze at the photo of a front of a house longer than any inside view. Your newspaper probably only prints in black and white, yet including a photo will draw a greater response.

3. Master the Use of Abbreviations

Abbreviations save a lot of precious ad-space, but perhaps not everyone can properly translate “real estate-eze”, so some real whole words are definitely necessary too – especially words that drive an emotional response such, such as “luxury” and “views”.

Bsmt – basement ; bkporch – backporch ; Det – Detached ; Ref- Refrigerator ; wbfp; Wood Burning Fire Place. etc. There is no need to type them all here, after all, you are a real estate agent, and you already speak the language!

4. Always Include Your Link

Your phone number is of course mandatory for a classified ad but in today’s digital world a link should always be included. Google “URL shortener” for a way to shorten an otherwise longer link. This will help people view the listing online through your website and increase the chance they will call you. They will also be much better informed when they do call you. If you have a domain for the designated single property website, like 220BirchwoodSt.com, certainly use that one, or a link to your real estate agent website.

The above are the basics, but don’t be limited by the suggestions above. Your own creativity and personal flair will add additional attractiveness to your classified ad.

Notable Growing Gap Between Condo and House Costs in Canada

Published August 14, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

There’s the old adage that you get what you pay for. When it comes to a home it makes entire sense that you’ll need to pay much more for any home that’s much larger and provides you and your family with more square footage to live in. And of course a condominium is always going to make more sense financially if you’re a couple without kids and you’d prefer to be living in an urban area. That’s amplified a thousand times over in Canada considering how expensive housing is here if you do want to live within a reasonable distance of a major metro region.

So no one is going to be surprised to hear that there’s a BIG gap between median prices for condos and ones for detached homes. And for ones between condos and town homes too for that matter, especially if you’re choosing to live in the GTA or GVA. But what’s happening now is the gap between the two median prices is becoming downright enormous, and as you’d expect it’s decreasing the number of buyers legitimately qualified to buy homes and then transferring that pressure into the condo buyer pool.

Again, nothing about this is unnatural in the market, but the extent and speed with which it’s happening definitely does reflect on what’s a disturbing overall trend in Canada – housing affordability. There is no easy fix to it, but realtors who are struggling to find qualified homebuyers to work with can take advantage of our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads to counter and significant downswing in their business resulting from any aberrational new market realities

We’re going to take the opportunity to discuss this widening chasm in home prices based on property type in Canada with this entry, so let’s get into it.

Ontario / B.C. Predominance

A recent study is indicating that house prices are more than double the cost of condominiums in 14 Canadian cities, the bulk of which are in Ontario and British Columbia. This data has been drawn from MLS benchmark prices as overseen by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and realtor associations in each local market based on the end of May this year. Property types are defining benchmark prices instead of square footage.

The takeaway from it is that it is an increasingly bleak picture for buyers looking to upsize from condos to houses. These individuals and couples are of course the exact people who realtors are frequently working with, ones who have already been first-time homebuyers and in many instances have now outgrown their condo because of a growing family or some other very legitimate reason.

Let’s start in Vancouver, where local governments are actively joining the Feds in facilitating the building of a little Jakarta on the West Coast of Canada. All in the name of ‘economy’. One has to wonder what’s the appeal in doing that, but locals at ground level are increasingly being priced out from even the most introductory of accommodations. In Vancouver, houses are now in the vicinity of $1.2 million more expensive than condos. On average this represents a whopping difference of about 153%, and even if you’re already a detached homeowner in Lotus land it should still leave you shocked and perhaps appalled too.

Prevailing Belief that Canada’s Housing Correction Only ‘Half Over’

Published August 7, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

When the term correction is applied to a market, it’s a little bit ambiguous with what exactly that means. Most of will learn at a very young age that to be corrected is to be made aware of your error and what you should understand to be accurate instead. When it comes to markets of any sort, the average person will only claim to know that a correction means prices for whatever it is making up that market come back to where they should be.

That’s not inaccurate, but when it comes to the Canadian Housing Market it’s an overly simplistic view of it. The reason for that is that there are so many variables that factor into the market and it’s not like housing is anywhere near a basic commodity. We don’t need to into that here, but economists and realtors alike will have a more inherent ability to see into the market and understand all of the different contributors that go into determining what would be the natural state of the market.

It really is about as grey an area as can be though, and the one area where people will be inclined to agree or disagree is how detrimental it is when government intervention factors into the state of the market, and distorts what would be seen as a ‘natural’ housing market correction. But at ground level what agents and their clients will see is median home prices coming down, but a lack of supply meeting huge demand creating a scenario where homes nearly always sell for over asking.

This take a great number of would-be buyers out of the game, and for realtors who struggle to drum up first-time homebuyer clients our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to get better results in this regard and build your real estate business – no matter the current state of the market. We’ll now continue to discuss why many are saying the current market correction isn’t anywhere near done.

Continued Decline Into 2024

Canada’s real estate correction hit pause after the central bank promised a pause on BoC interest rate hikes in January of this year. So at that time it looked like home prices had bottomed out after falling more than 17% from a March ‘22 peak. Home prices quickly moved in the opposite direction, and going up by tens of thousands monthly with the release of pent-up demand for housing.

But now some 7 months later, we are seeing that prices in key markets are dropping, as the latest hike rate hikes went against that promise of a pause but – in fairness – were needed to continue the fight against high inflation in Canada. So the overarching belief coming out of this is that Canada’s housing downturn or ‘cool off’ isn’t even as close to being over as many think.

There are some who foresee home prices going down by another 10% or so by the first half of 2024. If that projection materializes then a typical home across Canada will have dropped between 20% and 25% and that lines up with their earlier forecast at the start of the correction.

The bounce back seen in January is unlikely to occur again, and one of the best indicators of that is the way that typically real estate corrections are accompanied by rising unemployment plus declining consumer demand. That wasn’t seen here with first half of the correction, and that’s because Canada had an economy that outperformed expectations. You won’t have increasing unemployment or reduced demand when an economy is doing even fairly well.

Canadian Mortgage Rates to Go Up Too

Canadian mortgage rates have been comparatively quite low for a long time, and much has been made of the ramifications of when it’s cheap to borrow money. That’s another tangent we don’t need to go off on, but what we would say here is that the Bank of Canada is also likely to raise rates again, and what this is expected to do is raise mortgage rates to an expected 6.1% by Q3 for 2023.

Higher costs are already promoting investors moving away from real estate investment. There are estimates that residential investment’s will expand on the 3.9% quarterly decline that was recorded for the first quarter of 2023. The expectations are that through next year construction, renovation, and home resales will slow even more as financing costs rise and investment returns have less luster to them.

Other economists will say that in the event that a correction is mitigated, a larger correction will be required and not too far down the road. This is a tradeoff for short-term satisfaction that will always come at the risk of more economic damage.

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Role of Mortgages in High Inflation in Canada

Published July 31, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Not every realtor or real estate enthusiast will also be an economist, but there are going to be a few folks who can claim being both. It’s these individuals who will be more likely to know that the Bank of Canada has been aiming to keep inflation to at or around 2%, and they’ll also be the ones who might have strongest inklings as to why that may be unlikely to happen. One thing that even the less economically-savvy people will know is that a comparatively inordinate amount of Canada’s GDP is made up by real estate.

While we’re all either realtors or someone else who has some interest in the industry and profession, we can also fairly say that having so much of a country’s GDP in real estate may be less than ideal, and there are indeed some very knowledgeable economists who’d say it is even a little perverse. But it certainly is what it is, and in the same way and for the same reasons it is not hard to see the role that more cumbersome and expensive mortgages are contributing to the growth of inflation in Canada.

What will happen alongside this every time is that greater numbers of individuals, couples, or families that would be active in the real estate markets stay on the sidelines instead, and that equates to a dearth of new clientele looking to work with a realtor. Again, not much to be done in the big picture but what you can do is take advantage of our online real estate lead generation service here at Real Estate Leads. It will provide the leads on new clientele that you’re looking for, and making it easy for you.

Segueing back to topic, let’s look at the role of mortgages in Canada’s growing inflation problem.

Homebuyer Debt Fuel

We’re all going to be very much aware that The BoC hiked interest rates again a pair of weeks back in response to persistently high inflation, but what’s not so immediately apparent in the relevance of that is the way it is prompting questions about the role of mortgages in the ongoing battle with consumer prices for goods and services that are painfully high and climbing higher. The National CPI is Canada’s consumer price index (CPI), and it was 3.4% in May.

However some insiders have suggested that if mortgages are taken out of the inflation picture then the figure would quite a bit closer to the central bank’s 2% target. Those same individuals will also be saying that you can’t focus all or even the majority of blame for high inflation on mortgages, but at the same time the outsized role of real estate in Canada’s economy makes it fairly impossible for it not to pull on the needle with quite a bit of force.

One constant is that mortgages are especially sensitive to interest rates, and in this way this has the Bank of Canada’s rate-hiking cycle running at cross purposes when attempting to suppress inflation instead of pushing it higher. Interest on Canadian mortgage costs rose 29.9 per cent year-over-year in May – an increase nearly 10 times larger than the overall inflation rate.

More Off Target

Even the BoC governor has agreed that their CPI would be closer to target without mortgages, but he also said these days it may even be a case where too much of the focus is put on mortgages. There’s a lot of number crunching and perspective that goes into that, but it is a fair point to say that if mortgages were taken out of the equation then areas where prices are declining would also have to be taken out of the equation. Let’s take the equally punishing price of fuel. If we take out the ongoing inflation as it relates to gasoline prices it would leave a 4.4% overall inflation rate.

What this does suggest is that in many tangible ways real estate has grown into an industry that’s too big to fail. With that understood , it may be that high mortgage interest increases may be one of the central bank’s goals as it responds to a housing market rebound from earlier this year that came as something of a surprise given the climate.

The rate hike of Wednesday 2 weeks ago was a difficult, but probably necessary move to address inflation, but the need to push back against resilient housing demand and temper prices was absolutely a factor in it too. The ongoing reality is that inadequate supply is the primary cause of Canada’s sky-high housing costs. Occurring alongside of this are construction trends where high interest rates means the businesses that would be involved with home building struggle with tougher economic conditions themselves.

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CREA Cuts Homes Sales Forecast Due to Tight Inventory and BoC Rate Hikes

Published July 24, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Explaining the nuts and bolts of why federal interest rate hikes put a chill on real estate sales isn’t really necessary. Most prospective buyers will know when they’re at risk of overextending themselves with financing on a home that they may love just fine, but they know they can’t afford. With the latest 5-basis point rise in the BoC’s standard interest rate there are going to be even more dissuaded would-be buyers who choose to stay on the sideline.

But what isn’t so straightforward is how this contributes to the other end of what’s something of a double whammy. Insufficient inventory is always going to push prices up, as it always equates to even more demand than supply. And having demand infinitely higher than supply has been at the very core of overinflated home prices in Canada for well more than 20 years now. The part that’s not complicated is how fewer homes on the market means the ones there are selling for more than they probably should.

However, with the Canadian Real Estate Association’s announcement this past week that homes sales are likely to decline considerably over the course of the year because of those two factors – supply constraints and the higher cost of borrowing money – it’s a little more challenging to make the connection between the cost part of the equation. Logic might suggest that the number of qualified buyers who can absorb those higher costs would still exist in numbers needed to buy the homes that ARE for sale.

Definitely a topic worthy of digging into, and our online real estate lead generation system is ideal for realtors who are struggling to generate new clientele even at the best of time. But what’s to be made of the here and now, and what can we expect as summer and fall come to a close and we’re back into winter. Which is the season when the fewest number of homes are sold in Canada any year and no matter the economic climate.

Tighter & Tighter

As mentioned, this cut to the forecast for home sales is occurring as tightening home inventory and the Bank of Canada’s recent rate hikes have definitely pulled the housing market off balance. Alright, we’ve gone on long enough here without talking turkey. How much of a decrease is being foreseen, and what can a realtor in Canada expect because of that.

The CREA is currently foreseeing that sales for 2023 will be down 6.8% from 2022, and that’s quite a bit more pronounced drop from the 1.1% dip forecast in April. This past June 2023 was when sales really started to be pinched, with the number of transactions up just 1.5% from May. That increase was smaller than the ones for April and May, according to seasonally adjusted data released Friday.

The more influential of the two factors has definitely been the rate hike though. The BoC raised its benchmark rate for a second straight meeting in July and made it clear that if the financial environment remains the same then successive rate hikes may be coming in the future too. All of this means a major source of uncertainty has returned to the housing market.

Increasing Buyer Trepidation

And buyer trepidation based on home prices is most certainly a part of that too, as housing prices have climbed higher in recent months, although that aspect of it isn’t going to be a surprise to anyone. Housing prices did climb higher over the last few months, and yes the sheer lack of homes for sale is a factor in that the same way the benchmark price for a house in climbing 2% per cent in June from May’s $749,100 average is a major factor too.

The fact that total active listings jumped in most major Canadian cities last month would seem to counter the first part of this argument though. But let’s keep in mind that the number of listed homes has remained historically low for nearly half a decade now. There were just 3.1 months of inventory nationally at the end of June, down more than a full month from the most recent January ’23 peak at and an average that’s still far below the long-term average for the number of homes sold nationwide each month all through the year.

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Ongoing BoC Rate Hikes Unlikely To Pull Back on Home Prices

Published July 17, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

As was expected, last Wednesday the BoC raised the bank’s interest rates again, and with much the same rationale as before – saying the 25-basis point rise is again necessary to counter inflation and based on unforeseen developments in the National economy. All of which would appear legitimate if you ask the same economists who will tell you this was inevitable based what was underway at the federal level with money-printing adventures at around 3 years ago this time.

Which of course is financed by the same taxpayers who then have to wear the weight of that indiscretion afterwards, and that’s not a very appealing prospect for all sorts of people for all sorts of reasons. Homeowners who are stretched too thin with higher and higher monthly mortgage payments, and if you’re one of those with a variable rate one then the news from last week may well be exactly what you didn’t want to hear if your finances are tight.

We don’t need to detail any further how higher interest rates takes the wind out of home sails sales, as it’s fairly straightforward when astute people make decisions about whether they can really afford to take on that mortgage right now. That’s going to equate to fewer homebuyers reaching out to realtors for help with their first-time home buying process, but our online real estate lead generation system is a way to counter that trend and see to it there’s not much of a dip in the number of new clients you’re drumming up.

Back to topic though, let’s use this week’s entry to get a clearer look at why the belief in the industry is that these rates hikes aren’t going to do much to factor into lower sales prices for homes, at least anytime this summer. And of course with Spring and Summer being the two seasons when homes in North America are most actively bought and sold.

Surprising Rebound

A recent RBC economics report shares the belief that these rate hikes from the Bank of Canada won’t promote much of a decline in home prices, if any. Yes, the 25 basis-point rise in the Bank of Canada’s policy rate should cool demand by a small amount over a limited period of time. The expectation is for conditions to ease some more over the foreseeable future and bringing markets closer to balance.

That evaluation is made based on the acknowledgment that the housing market has rebounded more rapidly than most economists foresaw it coming back. The BoC’s director had conveyed to Canadians in that the central bank was pausing its hiking campaign in January, and there are some industry insiders who believe that the strong market rebound that coincided with that in late January / early February was a fairly direct outgrowth of that.

That lines up with the increasingly broad rise in home sales over April and May created numbers that were a lot closer to pre-pandemic levels for that time of the year, and the belief is that a lot of that enthusiasm was built on the belief that interest rates were unlikely to be going up again.

And so while rates DID go up and again and real estate purchases are taking a noticeable hit because of it, the fact is that home resales are now just 6% below what was considered to be a ‘vibrant’ level in February of 2020.

Market Will Bear

Much of this can be attributed to the age-old maxim that prices are set by what the market will bear, and those who can afford those prices are the ones who set the market. Whether that’s right or wrong that’s the way it works and although the pool is shallower there are still people who can afford to buy houses and take on mortgages despite the current state of the market and interest rates playing their role.

And so here we are with prices remaining below year-ago levels, but the belief is that is a not-for-long reality for Western Canada, parts of the Atlantic Provinces, and Quebec. Prices gains are foreseen for these reasons coming up fairly soon, and those stronger prices could be increasingly convincing for sellers to list their homes and promote more summer sales activity.

That may occur to an extent, and while more inventory may bring down prices to a point the more likely scenario is that this now 5% range means that a housing market revival isn’t going to pick up much traction in this current fiscal environment.

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Successive BoC Interest Rate Hike Potential Implications for Homeowners

Published July 11, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

We’re just 2 days away from decision day at the Bank of Canada, and of course the big decision that’s to be made on Wednesday of this week is whether or not another hike of the country’s interest rate is in order. There are many insiders who have already stated it is very likely as good as done, and the reasoning being the same as the last increase to the federal interest rate – the inflation that is hurting the economy isn’t being suppressed to the extent we need it to be.

Much has been made of how interest rate hikes have put homeowners in precarious situations, and most specifically with those who have overleveraged themselves to buy a home. The FOMO – fear of missing out – phenomenon has been a very real one with home ownership impetuses for many young people in Canada, and it has been understandable. But unfortunately it is these people who are decidedly ‘house poor’ who stand to be most negatively affected if interest rates go up again.

In the bigger picture this will also always mean that fewer qualified homebuyers exist, and there also may even be qualified ones who are choosing to err on the side of caution when the cost of borrowing money is becoming much, much more expensive these days. That detracts from the ability of a realtor to generate themselves new home buyer clientele, and it is well known that the majority of homeowners will know personally of a realtor they’re likely to work with.

Our online real estate lead generations system here at Real Estate Leads can be a very good way for new realtors to still generate clientele of both types, and it comes highly recommended. But let’s dig deeper into what another raising of the interest rate could mean for new homeowners.

More Debt Servicing

Another increase will mean some homeowners will be unable to finance their mortgage. This is because incomes have not been rising in pace and so increasing amounts of these owners disposable income will have to go towards paying interest on our debt, while making much less progress on paying down the actual mortgage debt itself.

And of course those raises have happened eight times in less than a year, and another one on Wednesday would be the third increase for 2023. If it is the 25 basis points that economists are predicting then the overnight rate would be moving up to 5% and the prime rate to 7.2% .

This would make for the highest rates in approximately 30 years, and they’re going to take quite a bite out of the finances of lot less-stable homeowners in Canada. Those with a variable-rate mortgage will be taking it on the chin the worst, and estimates are that a homeowner who has put 10% down on a house that costs about $729,000 with a 5-year variable rate of 5.80 per cent over 25 years will pay $100 more per month in mortgage payments.

That may not seem like a lot, but for some households it will be problematic and let’s keep in mind these rate hikes seem to be coming fairly regularly now and what’s to suggest that’s not going to continue? Then there are those with a fixed-rate mortgage who will see an increase when their term expires. The ramification that will apply to all is that the rate hikes will have a little bit longer lag in terms of that monetary policy transmission to households.

New Lender Safeguard

But the consensus for current homeowners with a mortgage up for renewal within the next year is that they should seek out rates with a new lender. By doing so owners if rates are raised again they can try breaking their existing mortgage and switching to that new lender before your rate hold expires to lock in the lower rate.

As mentioned, the needs for these rate hikes are explained with the way excess demand in the economy looks to be more persistent than anticipated. Hiking interest rates is done with the aim to cool demand from the markets. This can be derived from both households and businesses, and the accompanying aim will be to balance it with production capacity.

This has the potential to be a worrying time for some homeowners yet again, but it’s an example of how the nature of lending means that people assume risks with borrowing money and that reigning in inflation is something that must be done even if it puts some lenders in increasing jeopardy.

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Growing Role of Artificial Intelligence in How People Buy Homes

Published July 3, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

If there’s a subject that has more of a buzz to it in the world of technology than AI does, we’d like to hear of it. Everyone will know of the incredible disruption that’s underway because of Chat GPT and the like, and it’s already starting to reach into many different professional and industrial pathways and changing how people work and do business. It’s also helping people make better and more informed decisions with regard to where they put their money, and as we all know buying a home is one of the most pivotal decisions people make in their lives.

And so it is that Artificial Intelligence is being utilized by prospective homebuyers in Canada, and it is one application for it that like many others is likely set to become more commonplace in the future. There is already a story here in BC about a realtor who has built a platform to incorporate AI into his real estate services, and you can be sure that the big brokerages in Canada are making efforts to stay on the curve with this too. There’s a ‘shake up’ underway, and the only thing that remains to be seen is just how much shaking is going to be done.

One thing a realtor should always do in the interest of serving and retaining clients is to be as entirely in the know as possible when it comes to the industry. So it makes sense that an agent should be in the know about these disruptive technologies can be utilized to help clients who are looking to buy or sell a home. A knowledgeable realtor is a busy realtor, and every one of them will want to have fully satisfied clients that will return to them in the future if further sales / purchases are a possibility. Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent choice for new realtors.

This weeks’ entry is going to look at AI in real estate, so let’s get to it.

Smarter Listings / Smarter Staging

Real estate companies are now using generative AI to create descriptions for listings to meet their clients’ needs and using it to stage images of an empty home. And AI is proving that it can definitely help those who are searching for their dream home. Two of the newer tools that have come out recently for doing just this are TopHouse and HomeSearchAI. They allow homebuyers to search listings with the exact specifications they might want, using normal language to sort the listings instead of using filters as they have with conventional resources to this point.

It is quite impressive with them how you can just type exactly what you want and it’ll understand what you need, and give you results based on your unique needs. You can have a product that understands a person’s unique need and removes a lot of the until-now inherent complexity in weighing potential homes against each other in the process of making a purchasing decisions.

It’s wonderfully simple – you just type in what you need, and it will give you results. Using AI allows the platforms to incorporate data previously inaccessible in a single platform for home searches. Examples could be the direction the home is facing, or simply typing in 2BR to have two-bedroom units evaluated exclusively.

Less Restrictive Searches

Until now individuals were restricted by the maps-and-filter page user experience when searching for prospective homes themselves. Specifying the need for a four bedroom, detached with three-car garage or a 2-bedroom condo open concept facing north wasn’t realistic with the technology available to consumers until now, but with AI these types of direct spoken or text-entered search terms are answered with much more intuitive responses based on the ability of the artificial intelligence to better understand the requests.

In the future we will likely see these platforms adding more AI features like traffic data or school rankings so homebuyers can look for homes near quality schools, or within a reasonable commute from their workplace. There are all sorts of other possibilities too, and ideally we’ll see AI-driven real estate buyer / seller platforms featuring AI-enhanced home searching that is better tailored to those who are reasonably far down their search and know exactly the type of property they want.

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June Interest Rate Hike Prompted by Increase in Housing Releases – BoC

Published June 26, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Last week’s interest rate hike as put forward by the Bank of Canada was the ninth hike and came following what was promised as a ‘pause’, and meaning that no further rate hikes would be put in place for the near foreseeable future. What they’ve provided as a rationale for making that move is a stronger economy than expected as represented by Canada’s GDP. And despite the fact there’s not much healthiness to it, we as a country have a shockingly high amount of our GDP being produced by the purchase and sale of real estate.

That’s the product of loose monetary policy and an ‘anything will do’ approach to economic underpinnings in a country that has made a sharp and drastic departure from the socioeconomic track it had been on for well over a century to date. That’s an entirely different and much larger discussion for a different time though, and instead it’s going to be our focus to look at how a reinvigorated housing market seen over recent months here in Canada has done much to fuel the decision to raise rates.

That uptick in activity certainly is welcome for many different people with a host of different interests in seeing the real estate market rebounding as it has. Realtors will be among them, but agents who still struggle to be finding and retaining new clients will like how our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is the smart choice for giving you the advantage you need there.

Forced by Household Sector Demand

Digging deeper, the resale market’s role in the most recent inflation measure is even more pronounced than some might have thought it to be, and Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) edging up 4.4% in April is the first of a few indicators of that. Seeing an economy continuing to features excess demand exceeding supply to an ever-greater extent with not the expected rebalancing there is front and center with why the interest rate hike was deemed necessary

Growth in the second quarter with regards to home sales was viewed as likely to be stronger than forecast in the April MPR, and even though housing resale prices had grown over the course of three months it wasn’t lining up with the expectation for inflation to decrease to near 3% over the summer. It’s clear by this point that is not going to happen, and all of these rate hikes have been undertaken with the primary aim for them being to reel in inflation.

And that checks out here too, as the trends in the core inflation data have created doubts about the strength and durability of ongoing disinflation. Those are coming at the same time as concerns that inflation could become stuck at a level materially above the 2% target. The last part of that is darn near a direct quote from the BoC, and there are others that relate to additional variables contributing to the need to rise rates, but we’ll skip those for now.

Robust Demand

Nothing is more integral to the perspective than the way consumer demand has proved to be more robust than expected. As to why the economy has shown itself to be so resilient, we can look to a number of specific points; a delay in the full effects of past monetary policy tightening, pent-up demand for services and improvements in supply chains for goods, excess , and labour markets that have stayed much tighter than economists had expected. Emphatic population growth and seasonal adjustment factors have their own roles to play too.

Another outlier from what was foreseen was an accompanying jump in median household spending, and this always has a connection to increased consumer confidence across the board with different markets. The housing market is never an exception to that, and by the middle of this current month (June ’23) there’s been enough evidence to convince the BoC that their policy needed to be more restrictive to rebalance supply and demand in the economy and reorient themselves to reach the 2% inflation target.

The rate hikes do mean that people who can’t afford to pay cash for a home WILL have greater difficulty affording their mortgage, and anyone that applies to won’t like to hear that they may be upcoming interest rate hikes again before the year is done. Another decision will be made on the 12th of next month following a further review.

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This was the first raise since January and experts are cautioning that it won’t be the last.

The next interest rate decision is slated for July 12, 2023. A monetary policy report is also scheduled for release at that time.

Housing Market Rebound May Lose Momentum with BoC Rate Hike

Published June 19, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Only 2 days remaining in Spring before we have the longest day of the year and the official start of summer on June 21. So if we’re to look back at Spring here, we can see that one of the more forefront stories in Canadian real estate circles for Spring 2023 was the ‘rebound’ seen in the housing market. We saw the first national year-over-year sales increase in almost two years, and looking at that from ground level it was a very welcome change for homeowners who had shelved plans to put their homes on the market before the chill came.

It’s been a promising turn of events, if not a natural resumption of the standard realities of market forces doing what they do. That’s preferable for homeowners, but at the same time there is still a pressing need to find a balance and there are still too many people who are shut out from owning a home despite having a good income and credit history. That itself may be a discussion for another time, but it’s important to say that those who take exception to home prices have their grievance with federal and municipal governments rather than homeowners themselves.

Realtors are among those who’ll be happy to see this rebound, but one thing it will not alter is the competitive nature of the business. Realtors who are newer to it may be at a disadvantage no matter how strenuously they try to generate new clientele, but for these agents our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to get better results from those efforts.

Let’s now turn to looking at the housing market rebound in greater detail, and specifically with how it may run out of steam to at least some extent.

Better than Incremental Gains

The housing market gains seen in May that came after an 11.3% spike in April did narrow the gap between current sales rates and pre-pandemic levels, said RBC assistant chief economist Robert Hogue. Home sales are now just 6% down from where they were in February 2020, the approximate time when the pandemic was about to begin and turmoil was to reach into every aspect of Canada’s economy.

But this current recovery rate is stronger than expected, and gains were seen across the entire country. Every province had sales numbers up considerably, and the largest increases were in British Columbia. There sales increased 23%, and Ontario was a close second with 22%. As for individual cities, not much surprise in seeing that in Vancouver and Toronto home sales increased 35% and 32% respectively.

For the second consecutive month median home prices were up across the country too. The national composite MLS Home Price Index fell 15% from its February 2022 peak, has now gained 4.1% over just the last two months. May’s 2.1% rise lines up with the average monthly rate of increase seen during the market boom.

By Cities

Here are cities that enjoyed sharp increases in prices. Cambridge, Ontario had prices go up 4.9% month over month, and the number for Northumberland Hills was 4.7%. For Sudbury it was 4.5% and 3.6% for Kitchener-Waterloo. Getting right into the Big Smoke, Greater Toronto was up 3.1%. Heading out west to BC the gains were more modest, with Fraser Valley (Abbotsford / Chilliwack) leading the way with a 2.4% rise. Other notables in Canada were Winnipeg with 0.9% and Halifax with 0.8%.

What we can say with certainty is that the sudden turnaround is by and large attributable to interest rates. Let’s remember that it was the central bank’s aggressive hiking campaign over last year that initiated the housing market’s downward spiral, and the signal in March that the worst of rate hikes might be over really reinvigorated demand and pulled prospective buyers and sellers out of their slumber.

That enthusiasm chilled in a big way when earlier this month the BoC changed their mind (not without good logic for doing so to be fair) and raised rates by another 25 basis points to 4.75%. We can be nearly certain that’s going to take a LOT of steam out of the recovery and pull back on the momentum that’s been gained over recent months.

Dampening Market Optimism Too

Industry experts are indeed saying that the Bank’s latest 25 basis-point rate hike will definitely dampen market psychology. That hike did take commercial banks’ prime rate to 6.95%, a 22-year high but what is noteworthy with regards to this discussion is that bond yield rates are climbing at the same time. What this does is push up shorter-term fixed mortgage rates, and up until now they’ve been a popular – and viable – alternative to variable rates.

The Royal Bank also feels the current strength in the market will not likely be sustained for the rest of the year, and they chime in similarly with saying that the 25 bp rate hike should cool demand by at least a few percentage points overall and for individual housing markets too.

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Sub-$200K Homes Increasingly Non-Existent in Many of Canada’s Largest Cities

Published June 12, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

We’re going to assume that a good many of the realtors that visit our site here and read our blog will be able to remember a time when clients were able to purchase detached homes for less than $200, 000 dollars. And that it was even possible in ‘desirable’ locations in Canada provided you were able to temper your expectations about they type of home you’d be receiving for that price.

Many of them would have been considered starter homes, and as such the types of people buying these homes would be entirely amenable to the fact that the home wasn’t perfect. That was the reality for plenty of our parents with their first home they bought in Canada for less than a quarter of a million dollars.

Was it a time when the real estate business was any less competitive? Likely not, although some would make the fair point that there likely weren’t as many realtors back then. And primarily for the fact that working in real estate wasn’t as potentially lucrative to the same extent. But whether that’s the case or not, realtors who are finding it difficult to drum up new clientele the way they’d like then our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a solid choice.

Now with the standard recommendation made, let’s proceed with this blog entry and look at how these long-standing affordable homes in Canada are close to becoming non existent.

35 of 50

We agree that it is a sign of Canada’s deepening affordability crises when we come to understand that homes under $200,000 are becoming near unheard of all across the country. A study by real estate marketplace facilitator Point2 Homes has put out a study that has laid out the facts regarding the near-total lack of homes for sale anywhere in the country that cost $200,000 or less.

Their study found that you’ll be unable to find homes under $200,000 in 35 of Canada’s 50 most expensive large cities. All of these cities are located in either British Columbia or Ontario and the criteria established was done by taking Canada’s 100 largest cities and then ranking them by highest median home price.

The other 15 cities on the list may have returned a few homes on the market below this price point, but with the exception of two of them all came back with zero to 1% of their respective markets featuring homes with a sub-$200k starting price point, and then of course let’s all keep in mind that any home that is even remotely affordably is almost certainly going to be the subject of a bidding war and sell for over asking price.

We can add to this further and point out from the report as well that 24 of the top 50 cities have benchmark home prices upwards of $1 million.

Lower than the Previous Low

It might make sense to think that because last 12 of the 50 largest, most expensive cities had homes for sale under $200,000 and 30 had benchmark prices of over $1 million that what we have for 2023 is an improvement. But that’s not the case; a closer look shows that the actual share of these homes in the market is equally as bleak when put in perspective. The reality is that homes below $200,000 once again represent less than 1% of all the homes available for sale in the top 50 cities.

Just two spots in Ontario – Waterloo and Kawartha Lakes – had any measurable shares of homes under $200,000. Waterloo’s number was 3.13% and it as 2.62% for Kawartha Lakes. Homebuyers priced out with this now have the best chance of finding a home in Atlantic Canada or the Prairies if they need to be below $200K as a price point. Cape Breton, N.S., and Saint John, N.B., had the highest share of homes under $200,000 at 44.5% and 36.6%.

They may also be wise to look to the Prairies, with all of Regina, Winnipeg and Edmonton having between 18.6% and 28.9% of listings under that point.

BC is the worst for housing unaffordability if we evaluate it with this criteria. Of the province’s 18 most expensive cities there are absolutely zero homes under $200K on the market. And only two out of the 2,300 listings in Surrey are currently listed for less than $200,000 and only one in Abbotsford and Richmond.

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Demand Outpacing Supply Especially Influential for Housing Crunch in Toronto and GTA

Published June 5, 2023 by Real Estate Leads
Recapping November in the Canadian Real Estate World

Toronto is sometimes referred to as Hogtown, but it is the other nickname ‘Big Smoke’ that reflects the way that Toronto is the equivalent of what New York City is to the United States. It’s the most populated city and likely will be for the foreseeable future. Bay Street will always be the primary hub for Canadian business, and there’s all sorts of other industries where people work and make their living and that necessitates them needing to live in the Greater Toronto area.

But that’s increasingly difficult to do for a lot of people, and as you might expect it is in Toronto and Vancouver where home prices have been overinflated for many years now. Now that May is done the industry is cleared to review and evaluate the Spring real estate market in Canada, and with the thaw seemingly in full swing and any degree of what many would call a market correction looking to be over it is also not surprising that prices have resumed climbing in Toronto.

Buyer enthusiasm will always be the primary impetus to seeing that happen, but in Toronto more than any other place in the country the way that there is so much more demand than supply is fueling what we’ve just seen as a market rally that will be good news for homeowners ready to put homes on the market.

There are always going to be challenges related to working as a real estate agent in major metro regions, and that’s true for both Canada and the USA. It’s a competitive business, and our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent resource for realtors working in Toronto or any other big-city area who are struggling to drum up new clientele to the extent they’d like to be.

Let’s stay on track and look at how Toronto’s housing crunch is exacerbated by supply and demand inequalities more than elsewhere in the country.

25% Sales Increase From Spring ‘22

Positive indicators from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board’s (TRREB) May data are very reflective of how demand for housing in Toronto is higher as expected in comparison to other cities and regions of the country. The average homes price has increased 3.7% since last month, but that still comes in at 1.2% lower than what was seen for this time last year.

But home sales in Toronto have increased 20% since last month and have now gone up nearly 25% since last year. New listings in the city increased 36% from April 2023, and May had 15,194 listings registered with the Toronto MLS. Further, the market has remained tight with listing supply down 18.7% from last year and what this continues to do is make the Toronto housing market one that is much more conducive to homeowner’s interests rather those of buyers.

And so it is that it will continue to be a seller’s market in much the same way it is for Vancouver and to a lesser extent Montreal. For Toronto it is common for listings to sell within 14 days, and that is some 20% sooner than last month but remaining at 16.7% slower in comparison to the even more overheated spring market of 2022.

Source Supply

The month-over-month increase in new listings comes as a welcome relief to the tight supply and demand imbalance but is still down 19% compared to May of last year. kept sellers in a price-setting position for most of the year to date. Grasping these and other supply logistics facts could offer insight into how the remainder of the year will go for Canadian real estate.

With Toronto and other major markets, the reality seems to be that if move-up buyers are the ones primarily driving supply shortcomings then the market could be providing a forecast of recovery. Oppositely though, if the market is being driven by sellers in any measure of financial distress and needing to offload investment assets then it may suggests that the market is in line to experience some headwinds against a recession this year.

Looking past Toronto to put the relevance of all this in a bigger-picture perspective, nationwide supply did pick up toward the end of May and so continued opportunistic selling could put an end to the spring market being a seller’s market, although we need to keep in mind that average price usually go down from May until August every year.

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Short-Term Fixed Rate Mortgages Making Sense for Canadian Homebuyers

Published May 29, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

The mess that the string of interest rate hikes over recent years has left some homeowners is unfortunate, but it does highlight the risks involved when people over leverage themselves when buying a home. And more specifically when they do so with a variable rate mortgage. That said, it is not a situation where a fixed rate mortgage is the right choice all of the time.

It is something that people need to really dig into, and a part of what a good mortgage broker will be able to do when guiding clients through the process. For some buyers a variable rate mortgage IS going to be right for them based on their individual circumstance and all the different factors that will go into that.

Realtors working with 1st time homebuyers can be proactive in helping them along here too, and for any real estate agent for whom finding those clients is a struggle our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent resource that is available. There are very valid reasons why homebuyers are opting for short-term fixed rate mortgages. The workings of that is what we will look at with our entry this week here.

Waiting on Benchmark Rate Cut

The basics of it is that Canadian homebuyers are increasingly searching for shorter-term, fixed mortgage rates. And the reason they’re doing that is the expectation of a possible better deal in the future if the Bank of Canada makes cuts to its benchmark rate. The number of people searching for one- to four-year fixed rates has increased significantly over the course of this year. But what is interesting is 5-year fixed rate inquiries are up more than all of them.

There is a pair of primary reasons homebuyers are looking at the benefits of short-term, fixed rates. First, this type of mortgage safeguards them against near-term potential further rate hikes. At the same time it also potentially allows them to take advantage of lower rates sooner.

All of this is because experts are predicting that rates will drop in the coming years. It seems as if the bulk of economists feel that interest rates have likely peaked, but that one more quarter-point hike is a possibility this year because of a national economy that is performing much better than expected.

Variable Mortgages to the Wayside

Oppositely, inquiries for 5-year variable rates made to mortgage brokers are much less common these days. Variable mortgage rates did surge in popularity among homebuyers based on interest rates being at historical lows in the way they have been over recent years. This trend deepened during the pandemic when the Bank of Canada slashed its benchmark rate to a quarter of a percentage point.

There was a report in November of last year indicating the central bank said a 3rd of total outstanding mortgage debt in Canada was attached to variable rates. This is about a 20% increase from the end of 2019. But the rapid increase in the benchmark rate over the past 12 months to 4.50% has some homeowners seeing their amortization periods extended significantly or hitting what is known as the ‘trigger rate’ – the point where the monthly payment no longer covers the entire interest portion.

This then comes with a report that by November of last year that half of variable rate mortgage holders had hit their trigger rate. The expectation is that demand for variable rates will stay depressed and interest in short-term fixed rates should remain elevated until the Bank of Canada cuts the target for the overnight rate from its current level.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to one realtor only – you. Further, these will be leads for prospective homebuyers or home sellers that live or are looking to buy in the city or town where you are working as a realtor. This is an excellent way to get more out of your client prospecting efforts and the smart move is to get onboard today.

Big Boost in New Housing Starts in April Across Canada

Published May 22, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

There are a lot of areas with regards to the housing market in Canada where individuals will be on one side of the fence or the other with what’s best for all. Over the past 5+ years however, the one issue where there is full consensus is that if a truly balanced market is to be achieved then housing supply needs to be increased in a very big way. Without that demand will continue to outstrip supply to the extent that prices will always be pushed higher than they should be.

And as is always the case in any country, it’s the desirable metro areas where this is felt most acutely. For obvious reasons new housing starts in these regions is more of a challenge and most often simply because there is a lack of available land to build homes. Nothing to be done about that part of it, but anytime the opportunity to build more housing exists then municipal and provincial governments need to be promoting that to the best of their abilities.

Which leads to the topic of this week’s entry here – that new housing starts across Canada went up very emphatically across Canada last month. Housing starts experienced a significant increase in April and the CMHC reported the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate of total housing starts increased 22% month-over-month in April.

This of course will have connected benefit potential for anyone working in the real estate profession, and our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent resource for realtors who are newer to the profession. Let’s look at the relevance of this surge in new homes being built in greater detail now.

260K+ New Homes

The number attached to this surge in new housing starts is 261,559 units, and this is primarily being driven by the multi-family sector. For April it was a 33% month-on-month increase with 201,621 units beginning to be built. Oppositely, the number of starts for single-detached homes in urban areas went down by 2% to about 40,000 units. Again, this is always going to be a reflection of the fact that lack of land for development makes housing starts in populated urban areas more of a challenge.

Across the country it was Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal standing out with notable gains in total SAAR housing starts. Vancouver had an increase of 36%, and for Toronto it was 54% and Montreal 43%. But Toronto and Montreal had declines in single-detached starts, but substantial increases in multi-unit starts made up for that shortfall. Vancouver had increases in both segments.

The biggest surprise may be in the way that the largest monthly percentage gain was seen in the Atlantic region. Housing starts increased by 4,000 units to reach a total of 10,200 homes beginning to be underway last month. The number of starts in rural areas as a whole is notable too, with the monthly SAAR estimate of 19,974 units contributing to the overall growth in housing starts across Canada.

Fewer Detached Home Starts

With all this short-term positive momentum, we need to note the trend in housing starts remaining relatively stable. There has actually been a modest 0.2% decrease from March there and industry experts say that single-detached units are responsible for this drop. The number of these homes selling has been lower in contrast to the significant pandemic-era gains seen last year, and this is resulting in slower construction activity for building single-family dwellings as detached homes.

Economists foresee new home starts continuing to trend lower, and this is because of declines in home sales low-grade factoring into weaker homebuilding. While the recent surge in housing starts reflects a return to pre-pandemic levels they will likely drop significantly for the remainder of 2023 but then recover for 2024 and 2025. Constraints with new construction with labour shortages and higher construction and borrowing costs for housing developers are expected to be key factors if starts do in fact slow for the rest of the current year.

Average Canadian House Price Up $100K Since January

Published May 15, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

It’s plenty warm here on the West Coast of Canada already, and some would go further to say its downright hot. Spring 2023 seems like it is heating up the real estate market in Canada too, and it may well be that the thaw being experienced with median home prices is a good indication that the chill that set over the market over the last 14 months or so is coming to a definitive end. That’s something that has been forecasted for many months as well, and the positive in it all promises to be that more homes will be put on the market to provide much needed supply that is more capable of meeting demand.

The high demand part of the equation is always going to be a part it here in Canada. As has been discussed at length in real estate market circles, so many homes that would have been listed recently were not listed as owners chose to delay that until they could foresee getting the value they need to get for the home. There are always going to plenty of owners who would like to sell, but don’t need to and if the trend of increasing average home prices continues then more of these homes will be put on the market.

For realtors this will be encouraging of course, and it should be much the same way for prospective clients who can afford the home and will likely having more of them to choose from. Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a proven-effective means for realtors to get something of a jump on their competition and be first-in-touch with potential home sellers or buyers who may be more motivated to make their move now that the thaw is well underway.

Rate Hikes Now Non-Factor

The biggest reason median home prices declined was due to interest rate hikes over last year, but the average price of a Canadian resale home has now increased for four months in a row, from January through to the end of April 2023. The CREA (Canadian Real Estate Association) reported at this time last week that $716,0000 was the average selling price for a home sold on MLS last month (April ’23). That’s up from March in the same way March was up from February, and February from January.

All to the tune of an average home price increase of more than $100k since the start of the year. Quite a marked change from February of last year when the average home price peaked at $816k but the chill began and primarily because of the way higher mortgage rates made it more expensive and riskier for people to finance the purchase of a home. It’s understandable that many people saw the possibility over overleveraging themselves.

A short time later average prices bottomed out to $630,000 by midsummer 2022, but the market resumed its upward momentum as fall and winter leads us to where we are now in late Spring / early Summer 2023. As you’d expect, the GTA and GVA areas are the two areas fueling this rise in average home prices, and these regions also saw the biggest gains during the early days of COVID-19, plus the largest declines once interest rates were increased by the BoC.

5k+ Increase For Smaller Markets Too

Even if we remove those 2 regional markets the national home price average still stays well above a half million dollars – an average of $572k per home if you exclude the values for ones in the Toronto and Vancouver areas. Sales as a whole are up too, with the CREA reporting an 11% increase for the number of homes that sold during April and up from March’s 44,059 of them being sold. Sales volumes are at their highest level since last June, but still coming in at 20% less than seen during the feverish market of this time last year.

Home sales continue to rebound from the multi-decade low we saw at the beginning of 2023. That trend has been buoyed by solid job markets, lower interest rates and a buyer psychology that has changed and become more enthusiastic based on the right mix of affordability plus solid sale prices for home sellers but with the ongoing challenges of subdued supply playing a disproportionately large role in pushing prices higher.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are made available to you exclusively. No other realtor will receive these same leads, and that creates an exclusive opportunity for you to reach out and present yourself as the professional these folks will benefit from working with when going through the process of selling a home or finding and buying one for themselves. We have this excellent resource available for you, and it has the potential to be so valuable when it comes your new client prospecting efforts.

3 Ways Clients Can Save on Capital Gains Tax for Secondary Properties Sales

Published May 8, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

We almost always talk about the current market condition for housing in Canada with our blog entries here, but as any of you who do read here at least semi regularly will know from time to time we’ll put in an entry where we talk about the different knowledge bases that realtors can add for themselves to improve their level of expertise when it comes to being a real estate agent.

It is like any other profession where even if you come in as prepared as can be there’s still so much to learn, and as we know giving clients good advice with regards to the buying and selling of real estate is one of the most effective ways to ensure you’re their realtor again the next time they’re looking to make a move in the local real estate market.

Many of these people that do make more than one purchase in real estate are going to be investors, and if they’re making those purchases in quick succession of each other they are almost certainly buying as investors. But at the same time not every homeowner that owns more than property is going to be an investor. There are plenty of reasons why capital gains taxes exist, and if home flipping wasn’t so much of a big problem there might no be as much of a need for them.

But there are ways for clients to save on capital gains taxes for secondary property sales, and if you have clients that are in this scenario this is one example where this type of information will be very much appreciated. Realtors who are newer to the business may not be aware of it, and they may also be struggling to drum up new clientele in first place. Not everyone is blessed with rhythm and the ability to drum well as it is, but our online real estate generations system can give you and advantage there.

So let’s get right to them

1. Split the Principal Residence Exemption

The principal residence exemption makes it possible for Canadians to sell their primary home without paying tax on the profit. People with multiple properties can strategically split the exemption between their homes to reduce the amount of tax they’ll need to pay. Whether they’re selling a cottage or a house, you will want to start with knowledge of what you bought the properties for, and how much did they appreciate up until this date?

With cottages and vacation properties it is also possible to designate it as your principal residence for all or some of the year. This makes it so that the taxable gain is entirely exempted or significantly reduced, but your clients will need to be aware that the actual home will not be eligible for the principal residence exemption during those years. How this connects to their life insurance may also become a consideration.

If a large tax bill eating into their estate upon death is problematic then it’s probably best to save the principal residence exemption for their primary home. A rental property or renting a portion of their home can complicate matters too as the principal residence exemption is not applicable or otherwise pro-rated to the part of the home that’s not used as a rental.

2. Claim Sale Expenses

We do know that the government has a fairly low bar for claiming a property as a principal residence though, and the legal fees, realtor commissions and house repairs that go into selling the property can be claimed as exemptions. Finders fees, commissions to realtors or brokers, legal fees, land transfer taxes, advertising costs to list it – all of these and more that go into finding and connecting with the buyer can be claimed as expenses.

These become standard things upon looking for someone to buy it and executing the sale of the property with professionals, and the entirety of those costs can be deducted from the actual gain. In a sense it’s as if these expenses are added to your cost basis and it defrays what you need to pay in capital gains taxes. The only tricky one though is with claiming renovations because an owners will need to prove to be able to prove they were essential in order to sell the property.

3. Use Capital Losses to Offset Gains

In much the same way as it works for stock market investments, gains from one investment can be used to offset loses from another one when a client owns multiple homes and their secondary home is being considered as capital property. It’s not unlike tax-loss selling strategies investors often use in December. Using them to lower the taxable capital gain generated by the property sale is a valid strategy in the event the property owner has incurred stock market losses in a non-registered account in the current or previous years.

This can be very helpful when the primary residence exemption isn’t applied, and the owner has not option but to have the property being sold as secondary residence. There is more to this topic than one blog entry would allow, and there’s likely more that a tax expert will be able to tell you about this than we can. But it is very good information to have in your bank when you are working with investor clients who are selling properties often to finance the purchases of other ones.

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Traditional, Detached ‘Starter Homes’ A Thing of the Past in Canada

Published May 1, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

At any given time there’s hundreds of thousands of Canadians who are approaching retirement age, and for those who are in vicinity of 60-65 now it’s quite likely that a considerable part of what has you able to retire soon is the equity you’ve built in your home. For many of them that accumulation process started when they purchased their starter home at a young age, often with a new life partner and plans to start a family in it.

For people who are at that stage of their lives now, that same ideal small, detached home in a suburb just outside the metro is an unattainable dream for the most part. There are all sorts of different levels to the overheated housing market that has made these types of homes unaffordable for this generation. This creates a different working environment for realtors who work with these young buyers who are entering the market and becoming homeowners for the first time.

Nowadays it’s more likely they’re only able to afford a condo rather than a house, and that affects all sorts of other major life choices that are made at this time. It also means different realities for the realtors with fewer qualified buyers chasing fewer desirable properties for this buyer demographic, but if new clients of any sort are few and far between then our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads may be exactly what’s needed to change those fortunes.

We’ll focus on this new reality for young prospective homeowners who are looking for a yard to go with their home, and why that’s increasingly unlikely.

Unrealistic Aim

Realtors themselves all across the country are echoing this sentiment, that the traditional idea of the starter home is completely dead. Starter homes around 2,000 square feet in size was where families laid down roots and then made the progression through life as it relates to the homes they’ll live in from that point right up until they’re senior citizens and beyond. But now in the large cities in Canada where most of these people will choose to live these types of home are now unaffordable for the vast majority of them.

The latest March data from the regional real estate boards of Toronto and Vancouver show the average price of a detached house hovered around the $1.8 million mark in each city, and then with condos averaging somewhere around $740,000. Ask those same people who are about to retire what $740k would have bought in the mid to late 1980s and they’ll tell you it would have bought pretty much any property anywhere that wasn’t a mansion with acreage.

What we’re also seeing now is young buyers who have some type of fortune to their finances – an inheritance for example or parents who’ll pick up the down payment – skipping the starter home and going straight into a home that’s a more permanent one for them.

This again connects to a generation of parents who are now in their 60’s or older and have accumulated so much wealth from their purchases real estate and equity growing with those purchases over time. They see the possibility of having this same solidity of investment for their children. However, many times when these younger adults start house hunting they realize they aren’t going to get a detached property, at least certainly not in big metro regions of the country.

Impact of Shrinking Starter Homes

The first impact of these much-smaller starter homes being then norm is that some couples are having to delay starting a family because they can’t imagine having children in such a small space. The next one is where leaving B.C. or Ontario altogether and heading to provinces with more affordable housing like Alberta. This again leads to the logical suggestion of having the ‘missing middle’ of housing built in these areas, but municipal governments continue to prefer the unaffordable housing given the fact it means more in the way of property taxes for them.

A connected and related issue is also keeping talent in the city. Successful young professionals who are making significant contributions to cities are often the same people who are getting married and looking forward to starting this very important progression in their lives. As of now, the real estate market in Canada doesn’t have enough supply to allow them to be able to do that without assuming way too much debt.

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Mortgage Credit in Canada Remaining Flat Despite Increases in Home Prices

Published April 24, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Building on your knowledge base is beneficial for every real estate agent, and there’s now way you’re going to come out of your licensing course knowing absolutely everything. Newer realtors can do well for themselves to expand on their bases with the right mix of speed and thoroughness, but the second part of that is always going to be more important. Mortgage credit is when a new homeowners can use a certificate to receive a tax credit on a percentage of the interest paid on their mortgage for that tax year.

That’s only a brief overview of what mortgage credit involves, but it’s among the many things that realtors can appraise first-time homebuyers of when they’re close to making the purchase of their first home. This sort of information shared can do wonders for presenting you as the insightful realtor these folks will work with both now and in the future if need be, so it makes sense to be as helpful as possible. And if you’re a newish realtor who needs to build up that clientele in the first place then our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads may make a big difference.

But back on topic, the fact that mortgage credit in Canada continues to stay relatively flat despite median home prices going up is noteworthy for a number of reasons, and that’s what we will look at with this week’s entry here.

Deleveraging vs Increased Borrowing

Among Canadian households, the majority are split between those deleveraging and others who aren’t dissuaded from continued borrowing to whatever extent needed to buy a home(s). Data from the Bank of Canada indicates that for February of this year outstanding mortgage credit was virtually flat. And what is even more noteworthy is that prior to the past two months mortgage credit hasn’t progressed upwards this slowly in well over 10 years.

Then we add to that the fact that nearly 2.1 Trillion dollars is owed in mortgage debt by Canadians, and having that type of debt total but having it moving at such a slow pace is unusual. The outstanding balance of $2.09 trillion for February was pretty much what we saw from March to April and where we are right now – virtually flat from the month previous and a repeat of the period before it. This was also the 2nd consecutive month with nearly non-existent growth. You’d need to back 12 years to 2011 to find such stunted growth.

At the same time annual growth has returned to more stable levels, but it’s still on the high side. The 12-month change in outstanding mortgage credit is 5.9% ($116.3 billion) higher than it was for 2022. This rate exceeds inflation – and that’s noteworthy for its own set of reasons – but again it is the lowest rate reported since March 2020. Growth was accelerating back in March 2020, but 3 years on its decelerating, albeit slowly and inconsistently.

Slowest 90-Day Period Since 2001 Recession

Industry experts have made vocal notes of just how much borrowing has slowed in recent months. The 3-month annualized rate of growth for February was just 0.3%. If such a rate was to continue at the same level of growth for a whole year, it would end being ever-so-slightly above flat. Since 2001 we haven’t seen mortgage credit fall to this level since the recession of that year and those same experts expect annual growth data to keep grinding lower in the near-term. House prices may be rising, but the decrease continues despite going against the way that should work.

As a summary, what we believe we’re seeing here is a contradiction of the standard workings where as home prices rise, credit growth typically accelerates. That’s not happening now, or perhaps anymore. Purchasing volume is low to the extent that it is struggling to keep up with the number of borrowers paying off their debt. Even if inventory starts to loosen, higher interest rates have taken the strength out of the easy money from years previous will counter a lot of the benefit that might come from that in normal circumstances.

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Flexibility in Canada’s Banks Putting Floor Under Home Prices

Published April 17, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

A whole lot has been made of the predicament some homeowners with variable-rate mortgages are in these days, and it is definitely not a situation where a mountain is being made out of a molehill. There are homeowners who are having to accept 3-digit or more increases to their monthly mortgage payments, but at the same time there are others who are taking advantage of their lender bank’s ability to be flexible. Certainly any time it relates to your family’s shelter it will make sense to be creative any time there’s opportunity for it as it relates to continuing to afford the home you’ve purchased.

Borrowers are navigating a massive surge in interest rates, and most realtors will have had at least one discussion of this sort with first-time homebuyers. Few if any of them if any that aren’t buying homes without taking on a mortgage of some sort, so it certainly is a relevant topic. Some of those same realtors may be dealing with the ongoing chill of the market, even though it has picked up somewhat from where we were with the Fall of 2022.

Those who are struggling to drum up new real estate clients will want to consider our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads. It is an effective way to utilize internet marketing principles to put you in possession of contact information for prospective clients who are ready to make a move in the real estate market, even if that’s daunting for some because of mortgage rates right now.

Moving back on track with the topic, let’s continue to look at this flexibility and what exactly some mortgage holders are doing to roll with the punches right now.

Add to Principal

What these owners with variable-rate mortgages are doing is tacking unpaid interest onto their mortgage’s principal, and doing that instead of paying the full amount each month. Some others are just paying interest only. What would be the advantage in that?

We know that borrowers are trying to navigate a massive surge in mortgage rates that has resulted in higher costs while house prices have fallen. Definitely not a good mix, and it’s especially a problem here in Canada where a significant portion of total mortgage debt is floating rate. This means that homeowners are regularly faced with the reality of borrowing costs that are way higher than expected.

And one that’s not nearly the same problem in the US because of the greater ease you have with negotiating a 30-year mortgage that has a fixed rate there. So with banks allowing borrowers to add unpaid interest onto their loan’s principal or stop paying down the principal each month, the banks are actively preventing defaults and any forced home sales.

The long and short of this is that lenders have become more flexible and realizing it benefits them in the long-term to do what they can to accommodate good-paying borrowers and keep them in the homes they’re buying over the long haul.

Paying Off

This flexibility is working out well in the big picture, despite Canadian home prices enduring a 16% slump and borrowing costs having nearly doubled. Mortgages are in arrears though, and this means that loans that are 3 or more months behind on payments still only work out to under 0.20% of outstanding loans as of this time.

How the lack of distressed sales relates to providing a ‘floor’ for the housing market is this; the major shortage of new listing from February forward this year has created the tightest national market since April 2022, and prices in more in-demand metro markets are beginning to rebound as the scarcity of housing supply becomes an even more emphatic reality of those cities.

Banks are taking the approach that they’re willing to overlook people being evasive with their payments to some extent, with a belief that just looping it onto the balance isn’t such a bad thing despite it depressing inventory further as homeowners who might otherwise have no choice but to sell find ways to hold on to their homes.

This flexibility is helping both sides of the system avoid bigger problems along the way. Losing the home is the worst-case scenario for the owner, and then there’s the way too much inventory hitting the market all at once could sink property values further. This would result in it being harder for the banks to get their money back in the event of a default, and especially if the scenario had them needing to sell the houses themselves.

The last thing to mention with this entry and in relation to those unpaid amounts is that if they are added to the principal instead this results in ‘negative amortization’ where the loan effectively grows despite borrowers making regular payments. As consumers take longer to repay the debt, the new expectation is that many of those mortgages to be amortized over more than thirty years.

We can understand that the profits that come with longer amortization periods on mortgages mean that banks are expected to show flexibility to customers when the economic circumstances demand it, and that’s exactly what’s happening right now.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of buyer and / or seller leads for individuals, couples, or families that may become clients for you based on how you accommodate their interest in buying or selling a home. It is an excellent way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and as has been the case with the realtors who have joined before you it will quickly become clear that this is a good investment in the success of your personal real estate corporation.

Sluggish Start to Canada’s Spring Housing Market Forecasted by RBC

Published April 10, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

One of the things you can pretty much count on from one year to the next with the housing market in Canada is that sales will always pick up in Spring. People have wondered why that is, but it may be as simple as folks being enamored with the warmer and sunnier weather and imagining what it might be like to have a backyard or rooftop patio for the upcoming summer season. The cyclical nature of that factors into sellers sell homes and from the buyer end it’s more prospective homeowners who are buying homes rather than investors at this time.

Real Estate Agents will have expectations based around the trend too, and anytime those expectations don’t come to be then there may be something of a disappointment with how many homes that realtor is selling or how many new clients they’re putting in homes. Real Estate is an unpredictable business at the best of times, and even if you considered the overheated market of ’20 to ’22 to be one of those best of times.

But even when a downturn of any sort is the reality our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to help realtors weather the doldrums in the real estate business that do come from time to time. And that’s just what we may be in the beginning of right now for Spring 2023 as home sales are not picking up the way they used to at this time of the year.

That’s what we’ll dig deeper into with our blog entry here this week based on a report from the Royal Bank of Canada.

Interest Rate Influences

It is Canada’s largest bank, and it is expecting a slow start to the spring housing market based on the prediction that higher interest rates will continue to dissuade many buyers even though there’s been a considerable drop in prices.

The reality is a 16% drop in the benchmark home price over the last year, but the $704K CAD average is still darn close to 30% higher than it was at this time in 2020. The consensus is that in order to get home affordability back ‘in check’ as much as that is possible conceptually is to have prices may have to fall further or mortgage rates will need to see a drop.

Insufficient supply is also definitely a factor. There really isn’t as much in the way of home inventory on the market that’s available for these would-be homeowners to buy. Newly-listed properties were down 8% in February compared with the month before, and at the same time the inventory of available homes dipped to the lowest it’s been in the last 4+ months according to the CREA.

Then there’s also been a noticeable slowdown in consumer activity and business investment that is made in response to the higher interest rates. Something that was bound to happen one way or another when the Bank of Canada moved fast and pronouncedly when bumping up its overnight lending rate from 0.25 to 4.5%

Uncertainty from Slowdown

It would seem that buyers of all sorts remain apprehensive because the slowdown is still here and continuing, even if it has weakened. It certainly is being seen in volumes, and when you ask around in the business the one term you hear over and over again is buyer uncertainty. It’s going to be an undermining factor all through this spring real estate season it seems, and a lot of this goes back to early March when the Canadian central bank kept its key rate untouched for the first time in a year.

The stated logic for that is that policymakers need time to assess how consumers are adjusting to higher borrowing costs, and that part of it does make sense. Mortgage rates from both RBC and TD are in the vicinity of 5.5% for borrowers who want to lock in their costs for 5 years. Variable mortgages will be more expensive than that, for obvious reasons and that is another deterrent for anyone who feels that’s the only realistic way for them to go with taking on a mortgage.

The CIBC has the highest share of domestic residential mortgages and HELOCS in Canada with 54% of those net loans. RBC is second with 51% of them, but the significant stat here is that around 78% of RBC’s Canadian housing exposure remains uninsured. The uninsured portfolio has a low loan-to-value ratio of 50 per cent, however, which should in theory put in place a buffer that should absorb some of these house-price declines.

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Cross-Canada Spring Real Estate Market Insights

Published April 3, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Here we are into April now and that means the first Q of 2023 is done and we’re into the one that begins with springtime. As it relates to real estate the spring months typically come along with an uptick in activity in the real estate market and it’s not secret that homes are more appealing when seen in nicer weather. That may explain a small part of it, but there’s much more what goes into buyer prerogatives as they connect to more people buying real estate in April, May, and early June.

Realtors won’t necessarily need to know why more sellers are inclined to sell at this time, and why more buyers are inclined to buy. They’ll just like to foresee the expected uptick in business that comes and especially with prospective homebuyers who know their best choice is to work with a realtor in order to find the home that suits them best and gives them the best value for their money. The spring real estate market again is good for that.

In the event a realtor doesn’t see that some boost in business and new clientele inflow then our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is always a good choice. It puts the power of Internet Market to work for you for digging up legitimate prospective clients who may be looking to work with a real estate agent, and you have the opportunity to be first in touch with them. It’s immensely beneficial for any realtor looking for a big competitive advantage.

Back to topic, seeing as how we are now nearly 2 weeks into spring officially let’s look at spring market insights across Canada as our entry for this week.

Halifax, NS

Greater Halifax Area real estate is a perfect sample for fundamental microeconomic supply and demand imbalance. 31% less available residential inventory compared to 2021 but more than double the inventory of 2022 results in a strong seller’s market that is in large part a continuation of the aberrational market that was seen for spring of 2022.

The lack of available inventory is absorbed based on local buyer activity mixed with continued demand from buyers who come from out of province, and it is occurring at quite a strong pace. A list-to-sale ratio of 106.8% backs that up, and it is resulting in market appreciation remaining between 11 and 12% for the trailing year.

Spring 2022 had a lowest MOI of just under 0.4%, and right now the market is around 1.28 so it is very much a seller’s market but the belief is that there is still room for buyers to navigate to their advantage too.

Ottawa

Ottawa is increasingly becoming a balanced market and this is working to spur consumer confidence and the rate hike pause promised by the BoC is helping in this regard too. Pricing and listing preparation will be even more important as multiple offers on some property types become the norm again and certain neighborhoods continue to contribute the higher median home values because of their desirability. and price points while there may be more of a balanced demand for others.

This level of high demand will mean prices continue to go up at a modest pace and the belief is that we will see increased demand for lower-priced properties as budgets are tightened and buyers are forced into new realizations with what they have in the way of being able to afford a home purchase. This will raise prices and tighten the gap between the entry market products and the more standard townhome and single-family freehold.

The consensus is also that Ottawa is still very affordable in comparison and has much more affordability tied into quality of life when talking about living in the suburbs.

Toronto

Expectations for the recovery of Toronto’s real estate market have been exceeded, and they have rebounded nicely from the drop seen between October to December 2022. Many buyers had homes priced in the same way they would have in years previous but languishing on the market. This has changed now, and buyer confidence and seller willingness are starting to meet each other more again.

The Bank of Canada raising interest rates by 25 basis points was a change point, as it boosted buyer optimism and also coincided with an end to the rate hike cycle. Intensifying competition meant sellers began receiving the types of prices for their homes that they were looking for

Unless there are unexpected rate announcements heightened buyer activity should continue, and sellers will likely see multiple offers on their properties. Employing the under-listing strategy may be a smart play for sellers as it can promote more bidding and help owners maximize the return on a sale of a property.

Winnipeg

Winnipeg’s real estate market is always more of the slow-and-steady variety, but we should not that property values have gone up very reliably, for 47 of the last 50 years to be exact. What’s notable here for early 2023 is that the condominium market in Winnipeg is getting hot, and that the relative affordability in the city is attracting buyers from other provinces and this is infusing a lot of money into the market where many buyers are perfectly happy to pay asking price or more for a property.

Winnipeg’s growth rate 5% higher than both the provincial and national averages, according to the 2021 Census. This type of population growth is occurring at the same time as a market with a proven track record for stability and affordable housing, and the result of that is we will likely continue to see a market that is better for sellers at this time.

Nearly 50% of sales last week in Winnipeg were concluded after multiple offers received. Sellers are getting agreeable terms and conditions, and homes are selling quickly.

Calgary / Edmonton

The real estate market in Edmonton is distinct and has responded differently during and after the pandemic compared to other Canadian housing markets. The inflationary pressures did not apply in the same way, and this has resulted in stable and reasonable buying conditions. This is in somewhat stark contrast to the multiple offer situations and condition-free purchases seen in other cities.

Median Real Estate Price Declines May Still Benefit Home Sellers – Here’s How

Published March 27, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

We have discussed the ongoing trend of price declines in the Canadian real estate market at length here, and there’s likely no need to go on about them any further. There are all sorts of factors that have gone into this, but the overarching and ultimately connected one is that all the ones that fuelled the overheated real estate market over the past decade and longer are now gone for the most part. Demand is the exception to that, and ongoing and growing demand is THE reason why median home prices in Canada haven’t gone lower than they have so far.

Nonetheless, prices are down and that has put something of a chill on the industry and there’s also no debating the fact that there is inventory that is not on the market that would be if prices were where they were at this time in 2021. The more of a buyer’s market that is created when prices go down is tempered a bit by this fact; fewer homes being on the market tends to protect the averages they end up selling for.

All of this leads to our discussion for this week’s blog entry here, and specifically with the way that some industry experts believe that real estate price declines may still benefit home sellers. Whether that is new that’s encouraging enough to persuade anyone to put a home on the market when they’ve been hesitant to do so remains to be seen, but one thing we do know is that our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent resource for an realtor who finds that new clientele are more scarce nowadays.

Let’s look at why some real estate insiders have this belief, and what’s backing it up for them.

Evaluating Balance

The Canadian real estate market is going through an adjustment period right now and Canadian housing markets from coast to coast are returning to equilibrium. This is attributable to the Bank of Canada (BoC) raising interest rates and lifting mortgage rates along with them accordingly. The uncertainty in the housing market and the broader economy adds to this, and then there’s the fact that many households have exhausted their pandemic-era savings while inflation has eaten away at their purchasing power in a significant way.

According to the REMAX Canadian Housing Market Outlook for 2023 around 55% of housing markets in Canada will return to balance or even become a buyer’s market this year. This should mean a 3.3% slide in the average home price for 2023, and so far at the quarter mark that looks like a fairly accurate prediction. Of course that is going to benefit buyers, but could it benefit sellers too? It seems that it may.

A balanced market is when the supply of residential properties meets the level of demand. A buyer’s market is when there is a greater inventory of homes than the number of buyers. This type of climate means that buyers have more leverage and may be able to negotiate prices and homes may sit unsold longer than expected along with possible need to lower prices from the initial asking one.

So what part of ANY of that would be good for sellers?

Location, Subsequent Purchase Factors, and More

For starters, location can play a big role. The number may be be higher or lower depending on where you are located. Someone selling a single-family home or townhouse in Calgary or a similar market is going to like the sound of a sale price that is expected to rise 7% over the course of 2023. If you are listing your home for sale in the Ottawa real estate market you may benefit from an expected 4% rise. Plus the national outlook of -3.3% is lower than what was seen for 2022, meaning that the downturn or correction may have already peaked.

Another consideration is that clients who are selling a home will also need another place to reside in once the transaction is completed. By taking the equity and purchasing another residence, they will be avoiding the frenzy and panic of a seller’s market. Sellers can also see the way a near-balanced market means you they don’t need to give away their home for anything along the lines of 20% discount or whatever similar number anyone will suggest as reasonable given the housing market downturn.

Keep in mind there is still demand for housing and with interest rates increases being paused by the BoC as officially stated, home buying is expected to pick up again. Add the immigration factor and the competition for real estate in Canada will be buoyed yet again.

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Optimism Around Long-Term Performance of Real Estate Seen by Most Canadians

Published March 20, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Any suggestion that their enthusiasm for investing in real estate has waned for Canadians has been disproven with a recent report from the Mustel Institute and Sotheby’s real estate. Made available just over a week ago, it comes with results that indicate that as long as Canadians can afford to invest in real estate they will do it the majority of the time. Despite a cooled market and industry predictions that the market will continue to be be down well into 2024 at the earliest, the predominant belief is that the long-term performance of real estate as an investment asset is more than good enough to assume any risk in making those investments.

The basics of such a deduction are pretty straightforward; demands is far outstripping supply, population growth continues at record rates, and urbanization trends around the world are seen the same way as they are in other countries around the world. Do this mean investing in metro city real estate is the better choice. Absolutely it is IF that’s what you can afford to do and you can be in a position to be patient and wait out any other storms that we might not know are on the horizon. There are plenty of good reasons why new condominium development pre-sales are dominated by investment buyers in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary.

This will be as good a news as any to realtors who may be light on new clientele but have a reason to believe that things will be turning around and folks looking to buy or sell homes are going to be more involved in the market than they have been since things really turned down about a year ago from now. The same piece of advice regarding that applies here too, and that is that our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent resource for improving you odds with finding and retaining new clients.

Let’s have a look in greater detail at this report that suggest Canadian won’t have much hesitation if any with investing in real estate.

Still Solid Investment

The report surveyed 2,000 Canadians between the ages of 18 and 77 years old in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. Of them 49% feel that a home or residential real estate purchase will perform the same or better than their other financial investments in the next year. That belief goes up to 60% when looking 10 years ahead, and one in 3 urban Canadians is going to be more inclined to buy a home in the next 5 years than they would have been any time from January 2020 until now. That works out to 35% of respondents.

Another 35% of them were individuals or couples who already own a home and see themselves as more likely to sell within the next 5 years as compared to how the y felt about the same decision before the pandemic.

The age demographic group that had the most optimism about performance was the one that so many people who can’t afford homes take issue with – the Baby Boomers, who are people well into retirement and their senior years now and many of whom who have seen meteoritic gains on homes they bought 40 or more years ago for very favorable prices.

Among all metropolitan areas, just under one-third of Baby Boomers believe that real estate will outperform their financial investments in a year, For urban Canadians in general and of no specific demographic that number is 23%, so it’s not a huge difference and suggests generally that people are keen to invest in real estate and continue to be that way.

Around 60% of urban Canadians across the generations expressed their belief that they’ll see similar or even better performance from a home or residential real estate purchase in the next 10 years. Of these folks it is 35% of them who foresee it outperforming them in that time and 24% who see that investment coming back intact at the very least. The report also suggests that 44% of urbanite baby boomers are more predominantly inclined to believe that real estate will outperform their other financial investments within that same next decade. 21% believe performance will be the same.

Some More Likely to Sell

Apparently the pandemic has had the least sway on Generation X and Baby Boomers’ likelihood to buy or sell. Somewhere between 4 and 5 of every 10 of either demographic group report no change in what they see as their likelihood to buy compared to January 2020. Millennials are a different story, as over the next 5 years they are now less likely than Generation X and Baby Boomers to sell their primary home compared to pre-pandemic.

It was 32% that reported a reduced propensity to sell for this group, compared to 21 and 23% for Generation X and Baby Boomers respectively.

Overall, the role of interest rates, inflationary pressures and economic uncertainty haven’t majorly detracted from the confidence in the long-term financial performance of residential real estate. The Canadian real estate market remains an attractive asset class for investors across all generations.

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RPA (Robotic Process Automation) for Real Estate Agents

Published March 13, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

It’s been stated a thousand times over that real estate is very likely NOT going to be anyone’s means of getting rich quickly and easily. You will have a hard time finding any realtor who will tell you otherwise, and that will be true of even the wealthiest and most successful realtors. The quickly part of it may be truer, but it is never going to be easy and first and foremost you have to remember that this is a VERY competitive business. And becoming more competitive all the time, as will always be the case.

We usually focus on market dynamics and housing outlooks in Canada with our blog entries here, but from time to time we do like to switch over to real estate practice topics and what realtors can do to either provide better service for their clients or expand on their own knowledge of how they can do better for themselves in their chosen profession. That’s what we’re going to do here this week and look at something called Robotic Process Automation.

And it will likely be well received, as realtors are always looking at ways to gain competitive advantages based on what we talked about earlier with regard to a competitive business and industry. Realtors who are newer to the business and not drumming up the volume of clientele they’d like to be can take advantage of our online real estate lead generation service here at Real Estate Leads. It is an excellent way to get more out of your client prospecting efforts, and it certainly is a way to make at least one part of your work easier.

Let’s now look into what RPA is and how you can incorporate automation into your work as a real estate agent in Canada for better results.

Smart Moves

Many real estate professionals don’t have the time for strategic, social and creative tasks, or they at least don’t have enough time for them. But now modern technologies offer various opportunities to streamline or even fully automate manual tasks that were up until now very time consuming. So here we are now with RPA (robotic process automation) becoming one of the most popular and accessible solutions for real estate agents.

All of this is centered around the technology landscape in real estate where real estate operations haven’t changed much over the last few years despite all the digitalization occurring in business of all sorts and seen prominently in many other sectors. Many real estate companies still use spreadsheets when collecting and analyzing data for property evaluation, invoices, lease administration, and so on.

Many realtors are hesitant to lean too heavily on technology because they believe that the interpersonal relations aspect of the way they work with clients is a very essential part of their success, and there is 100% merit to that way of thinking and if you feel that way you shouldn’t abandon that way of thinking

But here is how real estate agents can leverage RPA

Handling Administrative Tasks Reliably

With RPA software robots are deployed and programmed to mimic typical human actions and handle a wide range of repetitive administrative tasks. The business operations best suited to RPA automation in real estate involve the entry and processing of huge amounts of data with compliance, report generation, client account setup, tenant credit processing, invoicing, contract entry, maintenance scheduling, bank reconciliation, and supplier management among other operations needs that a realtor may need to be responsible for.

The cost savings that can be realized by investing in robotic process automation of such processes can be impressive. For companies the estimates are that 45% of them utilizing RPA approaches had cost savings of 10 to 20% , while 27% were even aiming for savings of 20 to 40%. As a realtor working independently in business you can expect to have similar positive gains from using RPA in your operations.

RPA implementation for realtors can also provide significant time savings. There was a story of a leading investment services company in Saudi Arabia that lowered its transaction processing time by 66% after deploying software robots to automate business-critical operations. That can give you an idea of what’s possible for anyone who’s business is conducting investment in real estate, which is what you do for your clients as a real estate agent in Canada.

Ideal Tasks for Automation

For an RPA solution to prove the most effective and generate maximum return, it should be applied to the most suitable business process. As a result realtors and / or real estate companies choosing to use it should be evaluative with their options and choose to prioritize ones with the highest potential value. You may also want to consider automating high-volume tedious tasks that can be streamlined even more in the future using bots’ exceptional scalability.

Process optimization will be important too, and especially for real estate companies that will have more of a need to improve RPA logic and solve all inefficiencies.

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$50+ Billion in Potential Investment in CDN Commercial Real Estate for 2023

Published March 6, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Real estate isn’t limited to residential where the commodity is homes for people to live in. Commercial real estate is an equal part of the picture and there are some real estate agents who also work in this sphere as well, and most commonly working with clients who are not leasing commercial space for their business but rather investors who are buying commercial real estate with an eye to making it available through Collier’s or another well-known commercial real estate company.

And at a time when Canadian residential real estate sales are in a lull when looked at nationwide, the same cannot be said for commercial real estate in Canada. The demand for it has certainly never been higher, and the one the characteristic it does share with residential is that the supply of it is is nowhere near matching the demand. New building starts for commercial real estate are actually outpacing residential in some areas of the country, but that’s not a bad thing when you consider is that industry is essential to strong local economies.

It may be at a time like this that some realtors may want to expand their horizons and look to branch into commercial real estate, but for those who feel their expertise is best provided for homebuyers and home sellers there are options if you need to see better results from your efforts to drum up new clients. To that end our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent resource and comes highly recommended from other profit and growth-minded realtors.

Back to topic, we’ll use this week’s entry to look at why the sales projections for commercial real estate in Canada are so rosy for the remainder of the year.

Nice Soft Landing

The consensus has been that the outlook for commercial real estate looks bumpy in the near term, but it goes along with a similar one that predicts it might still play out with a nice soft landing. The Canada Real Estate Market Outlook report came out a little less than 2 weeks ago, and it predicts challenges with tougher financing conditions and a potential economic slowdown that will detract from investment.

One to two quarters of slowed investment before activity rebounds in Q3 is being predicted, and over the longer term it is foreseen that large investors will be targeting commercial real estate with gusto and that more certainty for interest rates should also be a big plus or the industry.

All of this cumulates with commercial real estate investment in Canada possibly reaching an all-time high of $59.3 billion this year, and this will be primarily fuelled by greater merger and acquisitions activity. Commercial real estate investment totalled $58.5 billion in 2022, and this number was just slightly below the record volume set in 2021. One that should be bested this year if these predictions are accurate.

The BoC’s decision to pause interest rates at 4.5% while it weighs their effect on the economy should allow pricing expectations to recalibrate as we progress through the remainder of 2023. Q3 and Q4 should see much more robust investment activity.

Role of Office Vacancies

Office vacancy continues to increase, and demand for older space is now being replaced by interest in more modern locations and facilities. It has been extensively reported on with how influencing workers back to the office will be a priority in 2023. Tenants will use the coming year to relocate to properties with the best amenities, commute times and sustainability profiles and then there’s also the way some property owners have considered converting their real estate to residential.

The report touched on the relation to residential real estate briefly too, and noted a growing demand for multi-family rental real estate, with Canada’s overall vacancy rate falling to a 20-year low of 2% in 2022. High demand continuing this year is predicted and this should drive vacancy even lower in 2023.

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Surge in 5-Year Bond Yields to Drive Mortgage Rates Higher

Published February 27, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Canadian concerned about the affordability of the home they need for themselves number in the thousands, and that may well be the hundreds of thousands. Housing affordability and the scarcity of affordable housing is something being seen in nearly all 1st-World countries around the globe though, so it is certainly not unique to Canada. The scarcity of affordable housing has so many different factors contributing to it, but none if more relevant than the fact that there are more young people than ever coming into the stage of their lives where they’re ready to buy a home.

The problem is now that – for a whole set of other reasons – they’re not able to afford that home the same way previous generations could when they were the same age. Despite having the same education and earning potential levels. It’s not a good situation any way you slice it, but there’s also no immediate fix available for it. Housing demand WAY outstrips supply, and especially in major metro areas of the country where most the people see the jobs that fit their lives and a future for themselves.

Interest rate rises paired with more daunting mortgage rates mean that fewer people see themselves as potential homebuyers. That is not something they will want for themselves, and realtors who are looking for new homebuyer clientele or who have a client with a home that’s not selling won’t be pleased to hear that either. A cooling real estate market has it pluses, but for realtors it’s not ideal. However, our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads can certainly help realtors who don’t have clientele to the extent they’d like.

Course Reversal

All of this may be becoming even more of an acute issue with news that the Government of Canada (GoC) 5-year bond yield hit a new multi-month high last week. What this means is that yields have reversed course now, and with economic data coming in much hotter than expected. This has the potential to drive home prices lower, but the competitive nature of credit markets means that Government bond yields influence interest on similar terms.

Before getting further into this, let’s preface a bit by looking at the 5-year GoC bond, one that directly influences the 5-year fixed rate mortgage and was the most popular mortgage product until recent record-low rates led to so many people opting to go with variable mortgages.

And so here we are now with Canadian bond yields having surged over the past few weeks, as inflation fails to cool as fast as economist hoped it would. The GoC 5-year bond closing at 3.54% on Feb 21, 2023 is a new high for this year and the highest since November of last year.

If this is indicative of a beginning trend then we may have a market shaping up with conditions seen around 2008, and if you’re reading this blog then you likely remember what happened then. The GoC 5-year bond rate may be going even higher too, as last week it moved up again

This is a big change from a few months ago, as up until 3 weeks ago, falling yields was all you would have heard of. The 5-year yield had fallen to just 2.8% in the middle of January ’23 but since then it has added 55 basis points and that is definitely a meteoric gain over such a short time.

Yields Higher & Home Prices Lower

As for what falling yields would mean with implications for the housing market, the rise in f5-year bond yields may have big implications for an already struggling housing market. We can see that even with the correction of the past year, home prices are still up 30% from pre -pandemic levels. While interest rates have been hiked again by the BoC recently, they did say they would put a pause on them.

But even if with a pause (and there’s not guarantee of it staying in place, with some economists saying that external price hiking may force their hand again) there are still relatively high rates making mortgages on still-overpriced homes that much more intimidating for would-be buyers. Higher mortgage rates will also mean fewer new build houses in the market, and with more potential buyers waiting for rates to cool down, house prices will very likely surge further with accumulated inflation on commodity prices and fewer new build houses available on the market.

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2023 January Worst Month 1 for Annual Home Sales Since 2009

Published February 20, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

The prolonged dip that has been the defining characteristic for Canadian Real Estate over the last nearly 8 months continues unabated with news that 2023’s January was the worst January for home sales across the country in 14 years. Are fewer buyers putting homes on the market due to the prospect of not getting what they think they could or should be getting for them? Yes, that’s true, but what about increased demand meeting less supply to counter that in the way it should? Then there’s the factor of there being fewer home starts too.

All sorts of different factors have gone into what we are seeing now with regards to this drastic decline in the number of homes being sold. The other end of the spectrum has to be looked at too, as with interest rates being way up from this time last year there are going to be fewer buyers willing to make a move, even if they might well still be approved for the mortgage. And looking at the headline in greater detail, is this type of decline being seen in both Toronto and Vancouver regions too where relativity has to be a consideration given the way these markets have so much demand pushing sales ALL the time.

One thing that is certain with a downturn in homes sales is that some realtors will be feeling that pinch more than others. Fewer prospective homebuyers clients are going to be out there, so if you’re one of those realtors having more difficulty than usual with drumming up new clientele then our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is definitely something you will want to consider.

Back to topic, let’s look more into what’s fuelled this drastic downturn in sales that has made January 2023 such a noteworthy one for the fewest amount of sales in January since 2009.

Downs Countering Ups

Canada as-a-whole home sales for January 2023 were also down 37.1% compared to January 0222. This is as January sales also fell on a month-over-month basis, going down 3% compared with December and in large part neutralizing the small gains made in December. City-specific gains in Hamilton-Burlington, Ont., and Quebec City were more than offset by lower sales in Greater Vancouver, Victoria / Vancouver Island, Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal.

Fewer sellers of course means fewer options for buyers and properties in Greater Toronto Area suburbs like Mississauga and Ajax are still seeing multiple offers and buyers putting in bids that are above asking price. This of course goes hand in hand with many owners who believe that market has tanked and so selling our property right now isn’t in our best remunerative interests.

Following home sales tumbling last year as rising mortgage rates increased the cost of borrowing for Canadians and slowed the housing market, a lot of sellers are in waiting and watching to see when median home prices go back up and the market starts offering the same types of returns on homes that it was for many years up until the Spring of 2022.

All of this countered somewhat by the fact that newly listed homes were up 3.3% on a month-over-month basis in January. Homes can certainly be listed and not sell though, and the reasons for why that might be would be an entire blog entry of its own. But the reason that’s especially notable in the here and now is supply continues to be very low.

New housing supply in January was the lowest level for that month since the year 2000. What we are seeing is buyers are not finding the houses that they would like to buy, and then they’re not qualifying for the mortgages on the housing they would like to buy.

Correction Mode Continues

It is fair to say the housing market is still in correction mode, but that correction is by and large complete and in all likelihood median home values are not going to fall that much further. It’s also worth noting that these depressed levels haven’t resulted in a wholesale sway over to a pronounced buyer’s market, and the belief is that the more ‘balanced’ one that should be the reality when the dust settles is probably the most beneficial scenario for all.

In terms of prices, the bottom is likely still a ways away, and probably at best around summer time and maybe a little bit later with the market still adjusting to higher interest rates. January’s sales-to-new-listings moving back to 50.7% along with the actual national average home price being $612,204 in January ( -18.3% from January 2022) is in line with that way of thinking regarding the correction still being incomplete.

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Evaluating Market Saturation for Real Estate Investors

Published February 13, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

So much is being made these days of how the run of ‘cheap money’ is coming to an end in Canada, and there’s likely a whole lot of truth to that. Interest rates aren’t likely to ever again go as low as they were in the early part of the last decade continuing until recently. But what it has already facilitated and something that won’t go away is the extent to which so many Canadians have become real estate investors given how affordable it has been to borrow money and invest it in real estate.

Real estate that has, for the most part, provided very nice returns on those investments given the overheated-market reality that has characterized real estate in much of the country for a long time now. Are fewer people investing in Canadian real estate now? Probably. Are there still thousands of Canadian with a major amount of their investments made in real estate, and with a need / wish / interest in further real estate investments to expand or diversify based on type? Absolutely.

Real estate agents works with investor clients all the time, and there is some worth in mentioning that finding new clients of this type may be more challenging in the immediate future too given how – as mentioned – money’s not so cheap anymore. But our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to continue to have new clients coming into the fold your real estate business and not seeing the same decline in them that you would otherwise if you didn’t have this resource working for you.

Back to topic, let’s have a look at what market saturation may be meaning for real estate investors in Canada now. It may be good information and knowledge to be relaying on to your clients based on what their prerogatives are with purchasing real estate.

Challenged Profitability

It’s well known that over a long stretch of recent years there has been many homeowners who sold their homes during the surge and were able to sell their homes for double the asking price and often for more than double what they paid for them. This worked out to many of these individuals taking advantage of the high demand and owning investment properties or rental property. Ones they would be willing to let go of should the opportunity to make a nice profit on the sale arise.

However, as we know all good things come to an end and we have seen home prices slowly start to decline over the course of 2022 and into this year. So this makes the real estate investing sphere a little cloudier and less inviting for people and some are suggestion that we’ve reached at least something of a point of market saturation given the level of investment made and then paired with the changing dynamics.

So what is market saturation? It is what happens when the volume of a product or service in a marketplace has been maximized. With saturation in place a company can only achieve further growth through new product improvements by taking existing market share from competitors or increasing overall consumer demand. With real estate and market saturation there are two main perspectives to consider: macro and macroeconomic.

The micro perspective looks at markets that aren’t providing new demand often due to intense competition. The macro perspective looks at markets that have already serviced their entire target audience and currently don’t have any new customer opportunities.

A saturated market may lead to investors taking certain strategies. One of them is lowering prices and done to a sufficient extent the market share can increase among customers when the price of a product or service decreases. Cutting costs in another one, and it can be a means to increase cash flow and market share. Diversifying is next on the list, moving into new markets or moving back into ones that were invested in previously.

Real Estate Market and Saturation

Understanding market saturation allows real estate investors and the real estate agents they’re working with to make strategic decisions. Real estate investments require knowledge and research on a specific area’s market and potential clientele. With the housing and rental market slowing as it has been for the past 8 months, the basic crux of the argument for real estate market investor saturation is that the supply of available units is slowly outweighing the number of buyers.

This can signify that the housing and rental market is saturated, but there are a few other things to consider as an investor in real estate. With average house prices and interest rates continuing to rise, there are more people renting instead of buying than ever before. That means matching larger numbers of people who are looking for new rental units.

But along with that there are more investors looking to deal with their own debt and build equity by renting out homes (or portions of them) to local market renters of all types. Others purchased another single-family home as a rental property to make some extra cash. As a results many investors and landlords out there are hoping to invest in units and then rent them out to speed their outright ownership of the property by taking advantage of the current super-high prices for rent in many Canadian cities.

One strategy for real estate investors dealing with market saturation is to be wise about the property they decide to buy, sell, and rent out to people in their city. It’s also important to make those rentals and new properties appealing to a wider group of people in order to reach more people. Clients may also want to have an idea of what they’d be willing to compromise on. Advise them to be willing to make sales in the future too as holding on to properties too long can mean missing out on money and great investment opportunities.

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Vancouver and Toronto Homeowners with Mortgages Have Best Loan-to-Value Ratios

Published February 6, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Canada’s two largest Metro regions are the same two that are always brought up first when people talk about the overvaluation of real estate, but there’s no getting around the fact that these two cities are always going to have the highest average home prices. There is an incredible array of drawbacks to the urban densification trends that are occurring in Canada and making these two metro regions as grossly overpopulated as they are, but that’s another discussion entirely and beyond the scope of what we look at here.

The reality of it is that there’s no end in sight for homes of all types being punishingly expensive in Toronto and Vancouver as all the newcomers push the demand supply of the supply / demand equation even further. But a recent survey is countering all the bad news somewhat for people who are still determined to live in either locale. You have to have REALLY deep pockets to buy a home in either city without taking on a mortgage, but it turns out you may well be getting more sheer value out of that loan than you might have expected.

Those high home values do mean higher realtor’s commissions too, and for obvious reasons connected to that there’s also a gross overpopulation of realtors in Vancouver and Toronto too. Also not going to change, so what a new realtor can do to get some leverage is take advantage of our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads. It’s a great way to get more out of your new client generation efforts and also make much less of a task to get your real estate business growing more quickly

Enough about that for now, let’s continue with this week’s news and specifically with how GVA and GTA homeowners have the best loan-to-value ratios with their mortgage of all homeowners in Canada.

Lower Value, Less Risk

With loan-to-value ratios averaging 50% in Vancouver and 53% in Toronto as of the third quarter for 22, mortgage holder in these cities have the most reason to see their investment in financing property favourably. 57% is the national average, and Edmonton and Regina had the highest loan-to-value ratios at 83 and 88% respectively. To give this stat some framing, a loan-to-value ratio compares the mortgage to a property’s value and lower ratios are generally seen to be less risky because it means a larger portion of the property is owned by the homeowner.

3 main factors are seen as being behind this. First, the surge in home prices over the past decade. Second is the ability of more workers to move to relatively cheaper regions because of the increased acceptance of remote work for digital employees. Last but not least is the the ‘Bank of Mom and Dad’ where homeowners in these cities have often grown up there with parents who have benefitted from the strong local economies and they are enjoying some of that generational wealth.

It is true that the ongoing surge in home prices did make it challenging for many Canadians to get into the market, but higher property values have also aided with putting downward pressure on many longer-term homeowners’ loan-to-value ratios – to the tune of a 67% average nationwide.

Smaller Cities with Biggest Individual Gains

The biggest improvements for this were in London, Hamilton, Halifax, and Moncton. 4 markets had loan-to-value ratios that worsened over the past decade and both were larger cities in Prairie Provinces – Saskatoon and Brandon.

The mortgage stress test has also played a positive role, promoting more secure responsible lending practices and giving people more peace of mind that they’ll be able to manage their payments. But interest rate rises have still hurt many homeowners and especially those who locked into variable mortgages when rates were very low.

Those who took home equity lines of credit to help their children buy a house may also not be in the most ideal situation financially, but when those homes are in the GVA or GTA the way those markets are insulated against market shifts because of high demand adds to reassurance that may come with understanding their kids have the best loan-to-value ratios with the mortgages they have on their homes.

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Rate Hike Cycle Pause with Direct Projections for Real Estate and Mortgages in Canada

Published January 30, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

5 days ago the Bank of Canada raised the benchmark interest rate by 0.25 basis points, as it was long expected to do and a continuation of what has been going on as the central bank in Canada does what is needed in the face of extreme inflation in the country and in North America as whole. This would not have any reason to be seen favourably from the perspective of the real estate industry or mortgage interests, but what is seen as good news is that BoC also stated at the same time that it was going to pause the interest rate hiking cycle.

This was done based on signs of a strengthening economy, although one that is still precarious and we’re certainly not out of the woods when it comes to onset of a possible recession in Canada. This is for economists to comment on and not anyone blogging about realtors and the real estate industry, but there certainly are some direct connection and predictions about the cycle pause will work to affect real estate and mortgages in the country.

Any uptick in the real estate industry isn’t guaranteed, and the ‘downturn’ is definitely what’s showing on the thermometer, but for real estate agents who find their business has cooled too then our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent and affordable resource to get your new client generation efforts creating the results you want from them. But with that understood, let’s segue back onto topic and look at the bigger picture significance of this recent news and what it may mean for real estate and mortgages in Canada.

Promoting Buyer Activity

The consensus seems to be that while no rate increase would have been most ideal, a point-25-basis point increase was where the bank needed to be in the big picture. And it’s also fair to say that this more marginal increase means that interest rates aren’t going to be in the news to the same extent. And these smaller rate hikes stopping or slowing should promote more of what are being referred to as ‘missing transactions’ where those with the capacity to buy but have remained on the sidelines will be getting back into the market.

It’s fair to assume that these buyers have been reluctant to do that to this point because they have been making the connection between rising rates and prices and – quite simply – they don’t want to buy a house that might be worth less than the purchase price in the potentially very near future. By giving them some price certainty it will be more conducive to them entering the market.

However, they’ll still need to be comfortable with paying 5 or 6% cent on their mortgages while other buyers that purchased before them are locked in at 2%. There are still plenty of relatively new homeowners out there with that type of mortgage rate and seeing you’ll be paying 5% is still going to put a damper on consumer confidence and this is why there won’t be the uptick in buyer activity that some might hope to see with the assurance that rates won’t be hiked again anytime in the foreseeable future.

Muted Recovery

This is lead real estate industry experts to be forecasting what they are calling a ‘muted recovery’, but what is also being foreseen is more enthusiasm for variable-rate holders who may be considering renegotiating their mortgage – and in some cases doing so to reorient their finances with an eye to purchasing more real estate.

Those with variable-rate mortgages or home equity lines of credit (HELOC) will see their rate increase by a quarter point, and that bumps up the sum of their total rate increases in the last 12 months to 4.25%. Seeing that rate hikes are going to be paused and perhaps halted provided inflation tracks in the right direction they may be more encouraged to make additional moves in the real estate market.

All of this is dependent of course on whether or not this latest rate hike hasn’t taken them to their trigger rate, the term used for when an existing mortgage payment is no longer covering a buyer’s monthly interest. But provided it hasn’t done that, they may have a more ambitious outlook if the rate cycle pause looks like it will be leading to a full cease in rate hikes if the economy starts doing better and inflation starts to be in check.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered only to you. These leads are generated from Internet Marketing platforms and a proven to be effective in producing leads that put realtors in touch with would-be buyer or sellers that are genuinely considering making a move in the market. It’s a great way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and speed the development of your real estate business as well as letting you establish yourself as a leading realtor in your area.

Canadian Luxury Real Estate May Be Moving Into Buyer’s Market Territory

Published January 24, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

The luxury real estate market in any country is going to by and large exist as its own separate market entity. That’s simply because those types of properties and accommodations are not in any way in line with what most average people can afford, or would choose to afford even if they could. People tend to buy homes exclusively on the criteria of what fits them and their family, and it is fair to say that the majority of luxury real estate buyers are making their decision purchases well beyond that.

Nonetheless, there is economic significance in it for the market and you also won’t find a single real estate agent who’s not keen to be listing a home that’s going to have multi-million dollar offers coming in on it. These types of listings and sales have always been available to a very small section of the purchaser demographic, and in truth it’s fairly standard that only certain realtors get a slice of that pie too. But it seems that may changing, on one end at least.

There is reason to believe that luxury real estate is following the general trend for the market in Canada where dropping median values can’t help but make it more of a buyer’s market. We’ll make that the focus of this week’s blog entry, but first we’ll mention as well that realtors who need a helping hand with generating clients of any sort – luxury real estate or otherwise – can take advantage of our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads and have the power of Internet Marketing doing wonders for their new-client generation efforts.

Back to topic, let’s look at what is supporting this newer assertion that luxury real estate in Canada is becoming a buyer’s market.

Pandemic Recovery Connection

Sotheby’s is an International Real Estate Firm, and a report from their Canadian office is suggesting that luxury real estate may be shifting into buyer’s market conditions this year. It states that prices are readjusting from pandemic-related upheaval, and there is also some suggestion that the new federal government foreign buyer’s ban will also take some very-qualified buyers out of the picture to further cool prices somewhat.

The belief is that buyers and sellers retreated from the luxury market in 2022 as the housing market flexed with interest rate hikes, high inflation, and regulatory challenges, and this set the stage for prices to cool this year despite demand for housing continuing. This is countered by the fact of course that demand for luxury housing is never going to exist to the same extent that it does for more conventional housing. Some of these buyers will also have a greater interest in property and buyers are always going to have their own individual prerogatives when it comes to buying and selling real estate.

What we do know is that luxury housing segments in some Canadian metropolitan areas were approaching buyer’s market conditions by the end of 2022, or were already in that territory well in advance of that. Many industry insiders are predicting another adjustment with regards to pricing coming in the first half of 2023 here.

It is likely that we may be at a point now where home sellers are starting to realize the impact of the changing market on the market values of their properties, and that pricing is going to start to shift because of it. It is possible that this may unlock certain opportunities for buyers and those looking to up-size and purchase a home that is more in line with what they envision for themselves.

Luxury Sales Down Year-Over-Year

Sotheby’s report found luxury sales fell year-over-year in major Canadian cities. For the GTA, residential real estate sales over $4 million went down nearly a quarter from 2021 to 2022, and homes that sold for over $10M fell 29%. It was in Vancouver that the sharpest decline in high-end real estate sales was seen, particularly in the first quarter of the yea. Sales of residential properties over $4 million fell by 30% as of the end of 2022 and homes that changed hands for $10 million+ dropped 46% from 2021 levels.

It was more tempered for Montreal, with residential sales over $4 million close to 2021 levels and an 18% annual decline in sales activity for homes over $1 million. The outlier of sorts was Calgary, with sales of homes over $1 million going up 16% from 2021 to 2022. Sales over $4 million increased by nearly half, with six properties selling in that price range. Higher rates of inter provincial migration almost certainly contributed to growing demand for this type of housing.

We’ll conclude by saying that housing deficits will continue to challenge housing markets in major cities in 2023. Yes, prices will go down, but pent-up demand and immigration population gains will continue to prop up housing values in the long term.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you as the only realtor who will receive them. This exclusivity is a big plus – you will have the ability to be in touch with these prospective clients first. Impress them and make them believe you’re exactly the professional they need to help them navigate the real estate market and you’re going to be that much more on your way to having the real estate client base you want for yourself.

Home Prices in Canada Down Annually in Q4 for First Time since 2008

Published January 16, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

Continuing with our blog entries early in 2023 here, this news may come as too much of a surprise to some given the nature of existing trends we were all aware of as the market moved through the last part of 2022. But the reason that it is notable is primarily because of the amount of time that has passed since this happened last, and related to some of what has occurred during those 14 years that is still either true or relevant today.

We’ll explain more, and to preface some we’ll mention as well that median home prices are not moving back upwards to the extent many would have hoped since the chill of later summer / fall 2022. Again, as we’ve stated many times that was overall a plus as the market had been extremely overheated over the last 3 years. There are many who would go so far as to say it was grossly overheated, and there were real estate industry pros and economists among them.

There will always be interest groups with opposing views with anything related to the market, and we can all agree that prospective first time home buyers are certainly happy to see median values come down. Problem there being of course the majority of them continue to hope to buy in markets like Vancouver and Toronto where demand / supply imbalances have insulated homes against declining median values. That is always going to be the case. But for realtors there has definitely been fewer homes going on the market, and detached homes especially.

Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is ideal to make up for any slack when it comes to the supply of new clientele, and we’ll detail more about it at the end of this blog entry. For now let’s stay on topic with the Q4 Home Prices Decline in Canada for 2022.

2.8% Down

Canada’s housing market correction ended the year with the first year-over-year decline for quarterly home prices in nearly a decade and a half, as per a new Royal LePage report. It states the aggregate price of a home in the fourth quarter of 2022 was $757,100, down 2.8% cent for the same Q4 for 2022. Some markets had steeper declines than others.

In the Greater Toronto Area, the aggregate Q4 2022 price for a home was $1,068,500, a drop of 4.6% annually. For Vancouver it was a 3.5% decline year over year to $1,208,900.

Calgary and Montreal actually had modest price growth in the fourth quarter but on a quarter-to-quarter basis, the national aggregate home price continued to decline for a third consecutive time.

All of this needs to be framed in the overarching picture of rising interest rates from the Bank of Canada rapidly cooling housing markets across the country after a flurry of activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CREA’s most recent data indicates that the average, non-seasonally adjusted price of a home has gone down 19% since a Feb. ‘22 peak. Again in a wider context though 0.68% of all homes in Canada were sold during the high point for prices in February and March. This meant the actual exposure most homeowners would have had to the peak would have been fairly limited.

Condos Coming Later

The report also details how the market peaked for some Canadian cities and property types arrived at different times for 2022, and that for condos the price high mark arrived much later in the year. Included as well were modest fourth-quarter decline data that should be understood within the perspective that prices 2 years back in Q4 for 2021 were close to their own peak.

All of this among the general consensus that home prices should decline modestly by about an additional 1% in 2023, and let’s remember there have been plenty vocal groups who are expecting home prices to bottom out sometime in early 2023. If so, that will be attributable to activity picking up once again as interest rates stabilize and buyers return to the market, along with growing demand from Canada’s expanding population and the ongoing shortage of homes nationwide that doesn’t seem to have any solution on the immediate horizon.

We can be fairly sure that there are many sidelined buyers who are waiting patiently for the bottom to be revealed. Provided interest rates stabilize and consumers adapt to their new normal, many of them will be back and this may be occurring much sooner than expected. That bodes well for realtors across Canada, as well for homeowners who have been patient in not putting their home on the market to weather this dip in median home values.

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B.C. Homeowner Grant Threshold Going Up to $2.125M

Published January 9, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

British Columbia continues to be one of the most popular Provinces for Canadian to reside in, and the Lower Mainland in particular is one region of the Province where housing is always in short supply in the face of the number of people who want to own homes there. As a result property values are always going be higher than they really should be, but that is a reflection of market forces that would apply to any consumer good anywhere in the world.

And when you get right down to it, homes are consumer goods even though the nature of what they provide for people may make it difficult to see them that way. It is probably fair to say that realtors have a more natural conceptualization in line with this, but without segueing too far off topic it’s also fair to say there are too many realtors in Vancouver the same way there aren’t enough quality homes to go around. That said, there’s nothing stopping anyone from getting their real estate license and beginning work as a realtor, and there shouldn’t be.

New realtors do need to be prepared for thing to be fairly lean in the beginning though, and again that’s in large part due to just how many agents there are in the city and how competitive it is because of that. But our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way for new realtors to gain a concrete advantage when it comes to generating new clientele in a place and a time when it’s not easy to do that.

Due to rising home values, the B.C. Government is increasing the B.C. Homeowner Grant threshold, and that’s what we will look at briefly with this week’s entry here.

12% Rise Provides the Initiative

The grant threshold has been increased to $2.125 million for 2023 in response to average property values increasing by 12%. The official statement backing this move cites the initiative being the rise and that resetting the threshold from $1.975 million will now mean around 92% of residential properties will be eligible for the grant.

For anyone unfamiliar with how the homeowner grant works, the simple explanation is that it reduces property tax on a principal residence. Something which can be very important given how many homeowners will be spread very thin with finances each month if they own a detached home in Vancouver.

The basic grant for those who live in their homes in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Capital Regional District is $570 and can be up to $845 for people aged 65+, veterans who have served in Canada’s military or who have a disability. Northern and rural area homeowners will have their basic grant being $770 and then $1,045 for veterans, those with a disability or people 65+.

Big Gains from July 2022

BC Assessment says in a statement the valuations released Tuesday show estimates from July of 2022, with the total value of real estate assessed in the province being $2.27 trillion at that time. The aim here is to soothe concerns for folks who are worried about their taxes going up if they’ve had a large hike in the value of their home. That is very often the primary most important factor in how much the value has changed relative to the average increase of other properties owned in their metro area.

This list is the average assessed values of single-family homes in 2023 for B.C. areas plus the individual percentage change:

  • Vancouver, $2.125 million, 7% increase
  • Whistler, $2.902 million, 11% increase
  • Surrey, $1.609 million, 13% increase
  • Victoria, $1.157 million, 8% increase
  • Duncan, $591,000, 13% increase
  • Tofino, $1.616 million, 20% increase
  • Port Alice, $261,000, 1% decrease
  • Kelowna, $988,000, 14% increase
  • Osoyoos, $685,000, 14% increase
  • Merritt, $475,000, 14% increase
  • Castlegar, $497,000, 18% increase
  • Nelson, $675,000, 5% increase
  • New Denver (Village), $361,000, 26% increase
  • 100 Mile House, $405,000, 26% increase
  • Fort St. John, $343,000, 4% increase
  • Fraser Lake, $204,000, 31% increase
  • Prince George, $450,000, 31% increase
  • Valemount, $345,000, 28% increase

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. These leads are generated from Internet Marketing platforms and a proven to be effective in producing leads that put realtors in touch with individuals, couples, or families that are genuinely considering making a move in the market. It’s a great way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and speed the development of your real estate business as well as letting you establish yourself as a leading real estate agent in your area.

Canadian Real Estate Market Housing Outlook 2023

Published January 2, 2023 by Real Estate Leads

We’re officially into the New Year, 2023 now, and as we talked about briefly last week we’re leaving quite the upheaval of one behind us with 2022 when it comes to the Real Estate Market in Canada. With the first blog entry of the year here at Real Estate Leads we always provide something of a Real Estate Market and Housing Outlook for the year and so that’s what we’ll be doing again with this first 2023 entry.

The biggest overarching theme is the one you’ll hear from anyone who is a real estate industry insider or even casual overseers who have a strong understanding of its workings. And that is the market cooling that was the primary characteristic for last year is expected to continue. And quite possibly continuing well into the coming year at that. Not surprisingly, we can also expect to see the major demand-centric markets in cities like Vancouver and Toronto continue to be insulated against too much cooling.

It is for this reason in part that it may be realtors in other parts of the country who see potential clients be more hesitant to put homes on the market, and for these agents our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads can be a very good aid when it comes to expanding your reach into what may be a reduced client base in the area of the country where you are working as a real estate agent.

Let’s get into it.

Rates, Inventory, and Cycle Factors

The bulk of market economists and experts say that prohibitively high mortgage rates, low inventory on the market and uncertainty about where the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cycle will peak are going to continue to fuel a cooling real estate market. At least through the earlier part of the coming year.

Recently available data from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) shows that home prices in Canada went down 19% from a February peak to November, adjusted seasonally, when the average sale price came in at just under $637K. The overall belief is that the slowing pace of decline in both home sales and prices are indications that the early signs the correction are approaching a final stage.

Any low points reached in the early part of 2023 would vary from market to market as a result, and most of them would be coinciding with the Bank of Canada stabilizing its benchmark interest rate. The biggest takeaway there is that this point -whenever it comes – might be where affordability is best for prospective buyers.

Re/Max Canada’s Housing Outlook 2023 has aggregate home prices dropping 3.3% in the year, but other agency surveys have it expected to be lower than that. So we can work with just over or under 3.5% as the likely highest point it will be for the decline rate.

Cities in Ontario that are expected to be more vulnerable for these declines in 2023 are Greater Toronto Area (11.8% lower), Barrie (15% lower) and Durham (10% lower). For B.C. they are Greater Vancouver (5% lower), Kelowna and Nanaimo (both 10% lower)

Growth for Some Markets

Conversely, some markets may see growth. Cities across the countries that are predicted to have gains in median home values are Halifax (+8%), Calgary (+7%), Ottawa and Kingston (+4%) St. John’s NL (also plus 4%) and Saskatoon (+3%).

Another very noteworthy part of the forecast is that condo sales in major urban markets are expected to be more robust than the 2 year prior. In most big cities condos and downtown properties didn’t see major price inflation during the pandemic, and they have further to fall as the market cools because of that.

Realtors working in all major urban centres in Canada can expect there to be strong demand for condos, and especially among first-time homebuyers as has always been the case.

Foreign Homebuyer Ban Now in Place

The last newsworthy development we’ll touch on with our market forecast – at least for this entry in the interest of not stretching it out too long – is that the new foreign homebuyer ban took effect yesterday on January 1st. The aim of course is to prevent the extent of housing market speculative investment in hopes that it will counter housing unaffordability.

There is much to suggest that this is yet another example of the Federal Liberal Government dressing windows yet again and enacting legislation for the simple aim of appearing to be ‘doing something’ while knowing full well this will do next to nothing in as far as making more homes more affordable. Par for the course for a government that is all about optics and nothing more when it comes to pretty much everything, but opinions aside let’s look at this from a substantially critical angle instead.

New Zealand enacted almost the exact same federal legislation in 2018 that banned foreigners from buying homes in their country. The median prices of homes in Auckland, Christchurch, and elsewhere all remain above $1 million dollars with further value appreciations expected moving forward. These types of attempts at market control always fail spectacularly, and it’s unfortunate that people believe these types of pandering moves will do anything to improve housing affordability.

The ONLY way to improve housing affordability is to increase supply. It is as simple as that. And all of this doesn’t even begin to touch on how this will make it more difficult for realtors to work with clients AND make buying a home more expensive for the few that do find a more affordable home resulting from a foreigner not being able to buy it.

Despite what some people want to believe, foreign buyers do not factor into the real estate market to nearly the extent they’re made out to. The majority of homes sold in Canada are sold to Canadians, and that has always been the case. Including Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Edmonton, and Calgary.

Happy New Year Everyone

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Majority of Canadian Real Estate Markets Now Regarded as ‘Balanced’ to End 2022

Published December 26, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Another calendar year is coming to an end, and around here it seems like it was just a short time ago that we were saying the same thing about 2021 and with 2022 on the immediate horizon just like 2023 is now. But one thing is for sure as it relates to the Canadian real estate market and working as a realtor in Canada; 2022 has been a whole lot more eventful in regard to home values and the market making a move in one direction or the other. For 2021 it was by and large that the market remained overheated and the ongoing pandemic continued to factor in a big way.

Here and now over the course of 2022 we’ve seen the market cool in a big way, and in many areas of the country median home values have dropped considerably. We’ve also seen how those declines haven’t resulted in widespread more affordable housing in the way some people had hoped, and we’ve also seen the unchanging reality that affordable housing is desperately needed in Canada and for some areas more than others. In fairness, the Federal Government is being proactive in trying to provide more affordable housing, but it’s definitely not an easy fix.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway – and the one that strikes the best balance between the interests of homeowner and prospective homebuyer – is that most real estate markets in Canada are considered to be balanced now here at the end of 2022. We’ll talk more about that in detail with this last weekly blog entry here for the year, and mention briefly as well that our online real estate lead generation system in Canada for realtors is an excellent resource for new realtors who may be finding it difficult to drum up new clientele no matter what the market conditions are.

70% in the Middle

Decreases in purchasing power and subsequent drops in demand now have about 70% of Canadian housing markets being balanced according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). Continuing the trend, November had sales and new listings falling across the country and it is interesting to note how 2022 saw the fewest new listings for that month for any November of the last 17 years.

Their comparison of sales-to-new listings ratios for 101 local markets came back with 69 of them being balanced, meaning supply of housing and demand for it are about the same. 21 checked out as being buyers’ markets and 11 could be seen to be a seller’s market. That’s quite the profound contrast from the beginning of this year when markets all across Canada were decidedly seller’s markets with stiff competition and rapidly rising prices prevailing.

That certainly changed about 3 months later, and quickly and drastically at that. Realtors and industry enthusiasts will know all about the workings of that, so won’t touch on that any further here.

1 of 3

The report detailed further which local markets fell into 1 of 3 categories – buyer’s, seller’s, or balanced markets. Most showed themselves to be balanced and it wasn’t any truer for any region from Coast to Coast in Canada, plus also included some of the country’s most notable housing markets like Calgary, Montreal, and Hamilton-Burlington.

Some of the classic hottest housing markets came in as being buyer’s markets, including the standards Vancouver and Toronto as well as Vancouver Island, Victoria, and Mississauga. A buyer’s market, by definition, occurs when purchasers are in a more advantageous situation than sellers as a result of the number of homes on the market surpassing the number of buyers.

Other notables for this group include Niagara Falls-Fort Erie, Brantford, the GTA, Chilliwack, St. Catharines, Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge ON was right on the edge of going either way.

Of the 11 markets that came in as being seller’s markets, nearly all of them were in more remote areas where housing demand is typically never as high as elsewhere. That likely doesn’t come as a surprise, but areas like Timmins and Medicine Hat. Prince Albert, Northern New Brunswick, and Central Alberta are the furthest into buyers’ market territory.

One notable takeaway is that a senior economist at the CREA did say that all of this could change quite considerably come springtime 2023, adding further that it will be interesting to see what buyers do when listings start to come out in big numbers in the spring, along with the possibility of the Bank of Canada reversing its rate tightening and then possibly starting to cut them.

Real Estate Leads wishes all of you a Happy Holidays and Happy New Year and we’ll see you next week to have a look at what the Real Estate Market is Foreseen to do for 2023.

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Your 15 Best Real Estate Lead Generation Strategies

Published December 19, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Generally speaking you’re going to be pretty good at what you do if you garner any degree of acclaim for it, and here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system has a very long list of realtors who are ready to speak of just how helpful the system has been in helping them generate new leads. Some of whom become new clientele for their real estate business, and while that part of it is up to you the leads we provide are a genuine opportunity to be first-in-touch with people who are ready to make a move in your local real estate market.

And of course the important part of all of that is having the opportunity to do that before other realtors – your competition – become aware of them. Make no mistake about it – real estate is as much of a dog-eat-dog business as any and there are more realtors than there are slices of the pie to go around at all times and pretty much anywhere that you might be working as a realtor. So it is fair to say that we are indeed good at what we do and so with this blog entry we’re going to stay in the lane we know best – talking about real estate leads, and specifically with a focus on lead generations strategies that exist outside of the bounds of Internet marketing principles.

Save for number one on this list of best real estate lead generation strategies at least. Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and get the advantage for yourself and immediately see why using a real estate lead generation service IS at the top of the list here.

1. Subscribe to a Real Estate Lead Generation Service

Generating leads via free, organic strategies is still going to be preferable for many agents. But using a real estate lead generation service like ours can save you time by reliably providing you with the names and contact information of genuine potential buyers and sellers. We know that it is easy and legit to be skeptical of whether these services work, but the fact of the matter is that they do. Without going into too much detail these leads come from recipients who voluntarily participate in online surveys about real estate activity in their area, and depending on how they submit info then they may become a real estate lead.

There is more to it than that – actually quite a bit more – but all you will really likely want to know is that the leads are genuine. They are, and if they weren’t there wouldn’t be so many realtors who have stayed with our service for many years now. Which is exactly the case with Real Estate Leads.

2. Work Within Your Sphere of Influence

Your sphere of influence, or SOI, can be more simply referred to as all of the people you know. From family, friends, and colleagues to every acquaintance – professional or otherwise – that you have. This group can be an incredibly resourceful place to get real estate leads, both from your actual connections and from their contacts and referrals. But you need to be reaching out regularly. Maybe this can be through a text, a short, personal email, or even through Facebook Messenger or an Instagram direct message. Don’t be too pushy in asking for leads, but don’t be overly meek and unobtrusive about it either.

The best maxim here is to connect with people on a people-level first. If it leads to business, that’s great but also don’t concern yourself if not much comes of it.

3. Host as Many Open Houses As You Can

An open house is a face-to-face audition made for potential new clients, and whether they might be buying that home or perhaps working with you for the purchase of a different one. It is an excellent opportunity to meet someone face-to-face and doing so within the realm of the business itself and having their interests aligning with yours inherently.

When an agent opens a property to the public for a specific time, potential buyers can tour the open house without an appointment. Anyone who walks through the door is a potential lead. The value of open houses and interacting extensively with guests can’t be stated strongly enough.

4. Do Neighborhood Farming

Farming for real estate leads means putting the bulk of your focus on a particular area or neighborhood to increase your name recognition there more explicitly. This is doable through targeted marketing and community involvement. When your name is out there, you increase the chance that when someone comes to be in need of an agent then they will call you. Provided you’ve made the right impression on them of course.

Sending out any and all types of physical marketing collateral is good in the same way it always has been, but if you prefer a more automated approach, Offrs.com and SmartZip offer predictive analytics tools to find the next big real estate market to focus on.

5. Build a Social Media Presence

Building an audience on social media isn’t easy, and especially for anyone who is not social media savvy. That includes most older realtors for sure, but the effort is definitely worth it. With a strategic social media marketing plan, you can increase your reach and create a profile that displays your expertise to potential leads as soon as they click on your name. The know, like, and trust factors that can be built through social media marketing for real estate have so much value and the type of value that is really long lasting. LinkedIn is a must for realtors, but a realtor Facebook Page and one for Instagram too are great ideas.

6. Embrace Networking

Networking in the most simple sense is so beneficial for generating leads for real estate, and it’s especially effective with the way it goes hand in hand with building your SOI. But with networking you are focusing more on connections for the express purpose of building your business and so more person-to-person networking strategies are going to be needed.

You can also make efforts to be in places where people gather. You might become active with your alumni associations, join a committee at your children’s school, volunteer with a local charity, or attend fundraisers. It is smart to review market data and trends before going to an event so that you are armed to answer any questions and to show your expertise. Dress well and remember to wrap it up if that’s the way it progresses.

7. Maximize Your Website’s Search Engine Optimization

People – and all people for that matter – use the Internet to search for real estate agents available locally if they don’t already have one in mind. Your website’s SEO will determine whether or not your site comes up on the first page of the SERPS – search engine result pages if you don’t know the acronym. If you have no idea whether or not your website is SEO optimized then it is 200% worth it to pay someone to take care of that for you. Whatever it costs you will be recouped in no time at all with a greater volume of real estate business because clients found you as the realtor via a Google search or something similar.

8. Take Advantage of Targeted Messages & Mailers

Targeted mailing puts a pinpoint focus on people who meet specific criteria, like homeowners who own certain types of homes or any other type of specific criteria that might connect to certain type of client base that you would like to have more of and see a legit opportunity to make that happen. Using these approaches can allow you to reach even more potential clients than you can through networking alone. You can and should learn more about direct mail, email marketing, bulk text messages and there’s a whole lot more with targeted advertising that you should get on top of as soon as you can in order to promote yourself as a real estate agent.

9. Be Generous with Agent-to-Agent Referrals

Likely needs no explanation here, but if it does this is when you connect another agent in a different market with one of your connections. When that referral is made and they then close a deal there is always the professional expectation in this business that you will be paid a percentage of that commission. It will work the opposite way too.

Long story short, if you are a generous with these referrals you will curry the favour of other realtors in a big way and they’ll be happy to reciprocate and be even more likely to feed you even more potential new clientele who may be ready to buy or sell homes in the area where you are working as a real estate agent. And yes, that may mean sending you ones that they might be splitting with another realtor in any other scenario where you haven’t been generous in this way.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively. You receive them and are the only one to do so, and what that does is give you first crack at being in touch with these folks and presenting yourself as the real estate professional they need to be assisting them with the purchase or sale of a home so that they maximize their satisfaction with the new home or what they’re able to get for the sale of one. It works very well, and you can read our testimonials section to see what other realtors like you have to say about how it’s benefited them.

Real Estate Correction Foreseen to Continue into 2023

Published December 12, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Any knowledgeable real estate professional would have told you at this time last year that the overheated real estate market in Canada was going to cool off eventually, and that it really was an inevitability. That of course did happen following the first third of the year, and the ‘correction’ that is a more clinical term for the normalizing of median home prices has been ongoing for more than the past 6 months as we get near the end of 2022 here.

As we’ve stated many times here, this correction is definitely a net positive and for all sorts of reasons, overall housing affordability for Canadians being at the forefront there. We’ll say that with a caveat of sorts in also saying that the market will swing back the other way again and another thing you can never look past is the way demand will always way outstrip supply in desirable major metro areas of the country. But again, overall the market correction is doing good things for would-be new homeowners, even if this is only temporary.

This is something that factors into the day-to-day for all realtors too, as when there is a market correction there will usually be more condos going on the market, while fewer detached homes are there. There are exceptions, but most of the time this is due to investor-bought condos going onto the market because of price drops and then detached home owners delaying selling their home while prices are down. For realtors this can mean the ebb of an ebb and flow, but our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads can help those who are struggling with generating new clients right now.

Let’s stay on track and look at how real estate industry experts and economists are foreseeing the current real estate correction to be continuing well into next year.

Sales Activity Below Pre-Pandemic Levels

RBC, Canada’s largest bank, warned that the market is still firmly in correction mode and there are only a few locales that are an exception to that. There are some signs of firming, but RBC economist see real estate markets continuing to decline into 2023. Sales activity is still below pre-pandemic levels, and prices are still going down in regions with outsized gains. The general consensus is that Canada’s housing markets are still very much in correction mode and will continue to be there for the foreseeable future.

However, the correction has been mixed and markets with outsized gains have seen activity come to a near complete stop. As you’d expect that includes Vancouver and Toronto, but also the Fraser Valley, Hamilton, Ottawa, and Montreal. the prairies are a notable exception though. Calgary and Edmonton are both experiencing increased activity and the type that comes in above pre-pandemic levels. Stronger provincial economies and rising immigration are seen as what’s behind the the boosted demand for real estate in both cities.

By and Large Balanced

The sales to new listings ratio (SNLR) is a primary method for determining if markets are ‘hot’ or cooler. Most of the major markets in Canada are currently coming in at ‘balanced’ but we should keep in mind balanced is often only a temporary predecessor to them quickly becoming buyer’s or seller’s markets. Few people sell in November and December too, so SNLRs usually rise. Any perceived stability of the market might not be accurate if based on this view.

It is true thought that Canada’s markets are now having balanced SNLRs and Vancouver, Edmonton, and Montreal were all in the middle of balanced territory. The Fraser Valley is a buyer’s market, and the accelerated price erosion here is something of a surprise given how Abbotsford and to a lesser extent Chilliwack have always had maintained demand due to being the release valves for those priced out of the market in Greater Vancouver, at least to some extent.

Toronto is close to being balanced, and it is as much of a buyer’s market as it’s ever been over the course of the last 20 years, although that is relative of course and the same will always be true for major metro cities in Canada. Calgary is an exception to this trend, where the SNLR was a very hot 86% in November and is only slightly lower if at all this month. The oil boom, relatively affordable prices, and an inflow of young adults looking for work and affordable housing has resulted in majorly increased demand.

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Signs Pointing to End of Canadian Housing Market Downturn

Published December 5, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

The last 2 years have been especially noteworthy in Canadian Real Estate, and for no other reason more prominently than the fact we’ve seen the market reach a new record high for median home prices and then seen it come rocketing back down to lower levels that are quite drastic in comparison here in the last 2/3rds of 2022. Some people will be pleased to see average home values come down, and there is some merit to that with regards to housing affordability overall. But as we’ve stated so many times, when you consider how much of Canada’s GDP is in real estate it’s really not a good thing in the big picture at all.

The drops in median home values have been most pronounced in what we’d call medium markets in Canada, and this means that large ones like Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax have stayed fairly insulated from the declines. But no matter where homeowners live in Canada, any drop in home values is never going to be seen favourably and especially if that homeowner has plans to sell their home anytime in the near foreseeable future.

Let’s keep in mind as well that there is a balance to this all, and those first-time homebuyers that are looking for an affordable first home will have less to choose from and more competition for available housing supply in their price ranges when there are fewer homes on the market because of these median value drops. Remember that owners who can put off having their home listed are quite likely to do that most of the time.

Realtors are affected by that too of course, and for any feeling the decline in their own client base our online real estate lead generation system is ideal for realtors who need an advantage when it comes generating new clients. It’s proven for providing leads for prospective new clients and giving those realtors the opportunity to be first-in-touch with them.

But back to our topic this week, there are signs that the downturn in Canadian real estate is running out of steam and that home values will start to normalize again to some extent. Here’s why.

End of Cyclical Downturn

The belief is that Canada’s housing market is now entering the latter stages of its cyclical downturn. A slowed pace of decline being seen as there was a smallish monthly increase in home resales nationwide in October, and this marked a notable shift from the steep decline in activity that took place over the 2022 spring and summer seasons.

We’re seeing that property values are coming down at this stage, even though October’s drop was the smallest since May. While an inflection point is probably still a ways away, industry insiders believe the price correction phenomena is likely behind us. The adjoining belief is that rising interest rates and the loss of affordability will mean a fairly quiet market into early next year with prices bottoming around the spring.

Good resale increases are being seen too. Home resales went up 1.3% m/m across Canada in October (424,600 units) and this would suggest market activity is nearing a bottom after going down 36% over the 7 months before October.

Local markets that recorded a monthly increase:

  • Victoria (+19.7%)
  • Vancouver (+6.5%)
  • Edmonton (+3.3%)
  • Saskatoon (+6.3%)
  • Winnipeg (+2.2%)
  • Hamilton (+1.7%)
  • Saint John (+2.7%)
  • Halifax (+9.2%)

Toronto and Calgary sales were essentially flat for the month (up 0.2% for both), while Ottawa (-2.9%), Montreal (-2.4%) and Quebec City (-1.6%) had declines. Plus, the number of existing homes changing hands remained below the levels from exactly one year ago in virtually every market.

Decline Streak Slowing

The fall in home prices hasn’t entirely stopped though. The aggregate MLS Home Price Index for Canada slipped in October again, and for the 8th straight month. It went down below its year-ago level (-0.8%) for the first time in three years and it’s now down 10% since the February peak. It’s possible the market is in a late-stage downturn, but nothing suggests the market is going to heat up again the same way it did early pandemic either. High and rising interest rates will continue to challenge buyers and this will result in suppressed activity even if it stabilizes near current levels. The consensus among real estate insiders seems to be that benchmark prices will keep trending lower until spring.

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New Pilot Project in the Works for Real-Time Tracking of Offers on Homes

Published November 28, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

One of the most troubling aspects of our overheated housing market for would-be buyers is how it can be difficult to stay on top of what the most recent highest offer is on a home, and this can be especially true when offers are coming in fast and furious. That is pretty much the norm in Vancouver and Toronto areas where real estate is hot and it seems to have been by and large insulated from the dips seen elsewhere in the country simply based on supply and demand.

The majority of real estate agents that will be working with prospective buyers are going to be conscientious and diligent realtors, and they’ll be doing their best to navigate the firestorm of offers that may be coming in for a home that their clients are very much hoping to buy. But it can be hard for both them and the individuals who are wishing to be new homeowners but facing the stiff competition that is standard if you’re aiming to buy a home in a popular metro region of Canada.

There’s a potential fix on the horizon coming out of Australia for that, and one that like so many these days really leverages new digital technology. What also leverages this type of technology is our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads, and what it can do for realtors is make it more likely they have more of those clients to be working with in the first place. It does that very well, and so many agents have already gotten on board and have their leads doing well when it comes to growing a client base for their real estate business.

Let’s take this week’s entry to look at this new Openn Offers software and what it can do to give your clients an advantage when working through realtor.ca.

Right As They Come

Looking at it simply, Openn Offers is a digital version of the current offer and acceptance process used in Canada. It gives buyers and sellers and their realtors near real-time feedback on where any offer may stand on the property and this means realtors like you are better equipped to facilitate the negotiation process with better transparency and equality for consumers while providing realtors with an efficient solution to manage offers.

It also looks to have a lot of potential for multiple-offer scenarios. As the offers come in and are being managed in the software, elements of the offer details will become visible on Realtor.ca and what this app does is automate the current process so that any written offer can still be subject to conditions within an agreed-upon due diligence period. Which makes it so that it is NOT like an auction.

Instead it is a better setup for the back-and-forth negotiation on the price between interested buyers and the sellers that should occur naturally.

Anyone making an offer will still be required to complete and sign a fully binding contract facilitated by a realtor. Prospective buyers must have their identity checked and verified, with buyers and sellers having confidence that each offer they see is linked to a legally binding contract.

Better Transparency + Bidding Advantages

This technology looks like it may have serious potential for empowering the consumer with more transparent information surrounding real estate transactions and to reinforce the legitimacy of the offer process, especially for multiple-offer scenarios. The belief is that it will also do well for demonstrating realtors’ commitment to protecting public and client interest in a fair and informed real estate market. At the same times, it should ensure transactions are handled in a way that is balanced between the interests of buyers and sellers.

The developer states this software should ‘help keep realtors at the heart of the transaction’ with a good balance between instructions from their seller and local regulatory requirements. Openn Offers will have back-end controls in the system to allow for displayed information that is suitable for different provinces across the country.

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Real Estate Trends in Canada Set to Reset Industry in 2023

Published November 14, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Still a month and a half plus to go in 2022, but we’re not too far away from the end of the year to start looking to next year. The story for 2022 when it comes to Canadian real estate has definitely been how the time frame between February and July / August saw the market be as inflated as ever and then as deflated as ever half a year later. That’s definitely been newsworthy, and in a sense it’s also been plenty concerning for homeowners who’ve been counting on utilizing the equities in their homes.

There was and continues to be all sorts of fallout from that, but the reaction to it is always going to be balanced because this sort of stuff is always cyclical, even though the highs and lows have never been as pronounced as they are these days. The market will come up again, and eventually it will go down again. And yes, desirable markets like Toronto and Vancouver will be more immune to the lows and more responsive to the forces that push up the values of real estate all the time.

Realtors and the profitability of being the business gets moved with the tides here too, and it is agents who are newer to the business who may feel more of the pinch when fewer homeowners put their houses on the market because of depressed home values. To that end our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads here is an excellent way to get a leg up on the competition and continue to find new clients for yourself. That is dependent on your ability to present yourself as qualified pro, but enough said about that.

Let’s look at the expected 2023 real estate trends that are predicted to affect the industry as we move into 2023.

Ongoing Uncertainties

Where we are at now is that in contrast to the booming conditions of the past few years, we now see interest rate hikes, runaway inflation, and turbulence in the geopolitical environment casting a shadow of uncertainty over the global economy and the business of real estate. But could those realities make for the ideal time to start a reset? That could be true, and here’s why some industry experts feel that way.

Primarily they are saying that there can be a more intense focus on digital tools and other innovations that enable the business, and capitalizing on new opportunities that emerge during this period of change and embrace long-term fundamental trends.

One thing that we can see is tightening borrowing requirements and higher financing costs will continue to suppress the ability to raise capital and move housing projects forward. This will lead to competition between companies decreasing as players choose to sit out until the market settles. This is very opposite to what we saw last year, where an overabundance of capital was intensifying competition and pushing valuations up.

More Focus on Sustainability

There is also going to be more of a focus on sustainability and net-zero emissions. Business models that prioritize sustainability will give companies an edge and likely help them attract more institutional investments source new forms of capital in ways that less-committed companies won’t see in the same way. Another factor will be the implementation of ESG strategies that will affect both publicly owned and private real estate companies in Canada.

Overall though, supply is going to be the big-ticket issue for 2023. Companies and economies are grappling with the looming housing affordability crisis and ever-increasing immigration levels that are simply counterintuitive to the lack of housing and infrastructure in the country. Real estate companies are going to be likely to shelve housing development projects because of cost, financing challenges, and the high interest rates. This is a firm reality, and it’s going to be massively problematic if the federal government continues to aim for mammoth population growth through immigration.

On a more positive note, industrial real estate looks to emerge stronger in 2023. This looks to be true for warehousing, fulfillment, data centres, and self-storage. Plus real estate for health-related uses is shaping up to show strongly in 2023.

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Understanding More About BC’s Real Estate ‘Cool Off’ Period Legislation

Published October 26, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

It was a few months back when the Provincial government in British Columbia announced that it was implementing new legislation intended as measure to protect consumers who are left with no choice but to ‘act fast’ when buying a home given how competitive it is in the housing market. What it is essentially doing is giving buyers an opportunity to back out of an agreed purchase of a home if they realize they may have overleveraged themselves in order to buy it.

That in theory is a good thing, and especially considering the severe financial hardships that can occur for people if they are forced to go ahead with purchasing a home that they really can’t afford. It’s worth mentioning here given the nature of what we do that a good realtor is one who can be expected to steer their clients away from these potentially stormy waters. But there are going to be instances where the client insists on putting in their offer on a home one way or another and so there are plenty of reasons why this cooling-off period is a good idea.

But there are others that means it is not such a good idea at all. Homeowners who have a sale agreement in place with would-be buyers may move forward with their purchase of a new home, and having their buyer being able to back out of the agreement may throw a major wrench in their plans. So their needs to be a balance, and realtors who are struggling to generate clientele no matter how high a level of service they provide will want to consider our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads.

It’s an excellent way to utilize the power of Internet marketing to get a leg up on the competition when it comes to finding and securing new clientele. And from there you can do just that – focusing on providing them with the expert guidance they need when buying or selling a home.

But lets’ get back on topic and share more of what we know about the BC real estate cool off period legislation.

Homebuyer Protection

The cooling-off period is properly being referred to as the Homebuyer Protection Period, which is different from the pre-offer period, and it begins immediately after the agreement is signed between seller and the buyer. It is equitable between both, but some believe the property legislation stacks the deck too much in favour of home buyers. It’s helpful to know if you have clients who this may apply to that a termination fee of 0.1 to 0.5% of the price has been recommended to be paid by buyers who pull out of a deal.

Critics have been vocal in opposition to this, and understandably. Leading that is the belief that this property legislation will be mostly ineffective for addressing the disparity between the listing price and the purchase price, a difference that can often be hundreds of thousands of dollars. The next concern is how it will work in practice.

The BC Finance Minister placed an independent financial agency to look into how cooling-off period would work, but the primary aim was always to have it in place for the busy 2022 summer real estate season. Critics within BC’s real estate sector do not approve of the legislation, and point out the act citing that proper stakeholder engagement would clarify why the cooling-off period is a bad idea.

One thing that is for certain is that a cooling-off period will do nothing to address rising real estate prices. Among realtors the majority belief is that it might be better to have a 5-day presale period where a new listing goes online but no offers are allowed. This would preempt sellers having the uncertainty of being locked up in a cooling-off period with just one buyer whose deal may or may not come to fruition.

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CHMC Foreseeing Steeper Home Price Decline for 2023 Than First Expected

Published October 18, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

There are plenty of things in life that will be disconcerting for you but you have no real control over. That may well be the case for homeowners who were hoping to sell their home sometime soon and realize some of the equity they’ve built up in it. The Canadian housing market has done more than just cool over the last 9 months, it has dipped quite considerably with regards to median home prices and what that is doing is making some of these would-be home sellers postpone the move and not put their home on the market.

That’s very much an is-what-it-is scenario and the unappealing news for any who is disconcerted by dropping home values is that the continuing declining in those home values may continue much more emphatically than first anticipated. We are getting towards the end of 2022, and recent news that caught our attention here is that the Canadian Housing and Mortgage is now sharing their belief that the home price decline foreseen for next year may be much more pronounced than they originally thought it would be.

This is something that definitely comes up on the radar here at Real Estate Leads, and if this works out to more home sellers postponing their move then that does have a trickle-down effect that constricts the amount of business out there to be had for real estate agents. It’s for that reason among many others why our online real estate lead generation system is so advisable for agents that want to maintain their flow of new real estate clientele.

With that said, let’s turn our attention with this entry to more about how expectations have changed with regard to the extent home prices are going to continue to decline into next year.

Inflation / Rate Hikes Factoring In

The CHMC is predicting a steeper decline in the Canadian housing market, and the primary reasons for that are higher-than-expected inflation and interest rate hikes. Their update housing outlook that came out on Thursday of last week shares their indication that the national average home price in Canada will likely go down by 14.3% by the second quarter of 2023, and that’s start in comparison to the historical peak of $770,812 that we saw in the first quarter of this year.

It was earlier in July of this year that they said that a high interest rate scenario would result in average home prices declining 5%per cent over the same period. The inflation context is central behind all of this, and StatsCan’s numbers on this showed prices rose annually around 7% in August, along with core metrics staying hot. The Bank of Canada has been emphatic that its benchmark rate will need to rise higher still before the end of the year to tame inflation.

The central bank’s policy rate is going to go up to 4% by year’s end, while at the start of this year we were at 0.25%. What this means is that those inflation figures and inflation pressures have been stronger than expected, and the BoC has had no choice but to be more aggressive with their policy rates. This means even more extensive home price declines are now a possibility moving into next year.

Potential Recession Role

The CMHC also concurs with many economists that Canada will fall into a recession in the near future, and with the prediction that the national economy will have a downturn before the end of 2022. A recession could reduce demand in the housing market, based concerns of job losses and lower earnings dampening buyer activity.

An independent report by a major national real estate brokerage shares that fears of a recession are prompting more than 1/3rd of Canadians to put their plans to either buy or sell a home on pause, and adding to that the CHMC believes that drops in sale prices will not improve housing affordability much.

On the other side of that, buyers can have more confidence in price dynamics going forward, with Canadian real estate not being likely to experience more sudden interest rate shifts like those see in early 2020 or so far through 2022.

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Real Estate Investors Not Apprehensive at Prospect of Bear Market

Published October 10, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

For decades now investing in real estate has been a staple for investors in Canada, and as we all know many of those who invest in real estate in Canada aren’t residing in North America. The propriety of that is certainly an issue of contention among some, but with one Federal Government after another relying on real estate to prop up the country’s GDP we can say definitively this isn’t going to change. Let’s also keep in mind that a good amount of the people who are investing in real estate aren’t deep pocketed or have expansive profiles, while of course many do have both of them.

Over the course of the last 15 years or so it’s been nothing but positive when it comes to real estate investments in the country, and finding ones that didn’t promise to be profitable were few and far between. That sort of positive outlook and enthusiasm has been tempered recently as the market has slowed and many economists believe that Canada may be on the verge of a recession. The prospect of going from what has been a bull market for close to 2 decades to a bear market does have some people concerned about the future values of their investments in real estate.

But it seems that the majority of real estate investors are concerned, but not to any extent that will cause them to really fret or reconsider the investments they have in Canadian real estate. This is of course good news for realtors who work with clients who are often buying real estate in Canada an adding it to their investment profiles, but market downturns of any sort mean less overall activity and that’s a counter to all of that. Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to keep new clientele coming no matter how the market is currently going.

Let’s get back on track and use this week’s entry to look at why real estate investors continue to have a positive outlook on investing as we get into the back third of 2022 here.

Stable Over Time

Fears of a recession are definitely playing into investor moves, and the bear nature of the stock market is a reflection of that right now. A double-digit tumble for the TSX Composite Index fell has led to real estate taking a big hit, and as we know the purchasing power of people has been curbed big-time by sky-high inflation. Plus rising interest rates have made mortgages expensive, combining with real estate prices that peaked during the pandemic recovery are now going in the other direction. So the question is should real estate investors be intimidated by this bear market?

Looking south briefly for a comparison, in the 20 bear markets that have occurred in the the United States since 1952, real estate values increased in 18 of them. Property prices are in part determined by the health of the economy, and right now house prices are above pre-pandemic levels. Whether they will fall as demand slows and new properties enter the market remains to be seen, and it is true that supply overtaking demand promotes a lot of real estate being for sale. Those who have cash in hand are best positioned with this buying opportunity.

REIT Stock Prices Down / Income First Approach

The stock price of real estate investment trusts (REITs) are down considerably right now, due to the fair market value of their investment property being diminished due to weakness in property prices. REITs with ample cash reserves always use a bear market to buy more income-generating properties. Enhancing their rental income in the future becomes possible with this if they manage to get the desired occupancy rate.

An opportunity to lock in higher distribution yields is created with the steep decline in REIT stock prices, and inflation has increased rent renewal of almost all REITs, which sort of cancels out gains made during the pandemic and the economic realities that came along with it. While REIT distributions remained unchanged, the dip in their stock price inflated the yield.

Recession-Proof Real Estate?

The real estate industry has survived recessions before, but some properties are more resilient than others here. Depending on the recession’s severity, a REIT could see higher vacancy rates, lower rental income, and slow demand. If you’re an investor considering becoming a part of one at this time, you should be looking for REITs with deep pockets, lower debt obligations in the near term, and healthy distribution payouts that can weather a recession. Plus REITs with a rich portfolio of hot properties may well bounce back faster.

Investing in real estate in a bear market will depend on whether or not REIT stock prices might continue their downtrend throughout the recession. Exhausting your remaining Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) limit on certain REITs is an option, but experts say it is better to invest small amounts every month. This will give you ample cash and a TFSA limit to buy REITs throughout the bear market and bring down your investment costs.

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First Major Drop in Edmonton Real Estate Sales Since BoC Interest Rate

Published October 3, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

It’s well understood that Alberta is a place people can look to for more affordable real estate, and if you can be gainfully employed in the Province it’s certainly true that you can get more for your money with housing there. The majority of people who do relocate to Alberta will probably be moving to Calgary or Edmonton, although there are some nice smaller towns there too if you can make a go of it there. The Province is blessed with some amazing natural beauty, and anyone who has been there will agree with that.

Calgary real estate may cost less on average than in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, or Halifax, but it’s Edmonton of the two where you can still buy a detached home for a reasonable price. This has long been part of what’s drawn people to Edmonton, and of course they love their hockey too just as much as any of the more traditional cities in the regard. But it would appear that Edmonton isn’t safe from the real estate market slowdown that is occurring across the country in Canada.

No one is disputing the fact that interest rate hikes from the Bank of Canada were very much needed to combat the ongoing inflation, but the unintended side effect is that financing the purchase of a home becomes a lot more challenging. It is what it is, and people who are first-time homebuyers will still often find a way. But the ever-fewer numbers of homes being sold as a result of this can be trying for everyone, and including those who work in the business as realtors.

It’s for this reason that our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is so highly recommended as a means of drumming up new clientele even when there’s fewer of them to be had. But we’ll leave that part for now and instead use this week’s entry to talk about what’s going on with Edmonton-area real estate and slumping home sales there.

Down 24%

Our friends at the Edmonton Realtor’s Association are stating that Edmonton saw the first large decrease in home sales since interest rates began to rise earlier in 2022. A 24% drop was seen in total residential sales in the greater Edmonton area for July of this year compared to the preceding month, June. In addition they have new residential listings declining month-to-month since June but countered by an overall increase of 6.2% from July 2021.

While decline in the later months of summer are common, a drop of this size is but the chair of the Association is saying he thinks this is a trend that will continue. It’s expected to be a marginal decrease and shouldn’t be anywhere near double digits. The estimate of a 1%-or less decline by the end of the year is realistic, and then the market should rebound for Spring 2023.

Let’s keep in mind as well that across Canada home sales dipped the same 24% from this time last year while the national average selling price has declined almost $200K since the record of $816,720 was set in February 2022. How things can change, and drastically.

Mortgage Renewal Concerns

Single-family homes in the Greater Edmonton area averaged $489,370, which works out to a 5% year-over-year increase. The average for a condominium was $229,463, and that equates to a small decrease of 4.4% year-over-year. The reality being created here is that there are going to be people facing mortgage renewals and perhaps realizing they can no longer afford the home they’re currently living in.

In addition to the volume of home sales now being back to about what it was before COVID-19, there is also the fact that there is more of a gap between what sellers have become accustomed to and what buyers are prepared to accept and pay.

The Canadian Real Estate Association said Thursday that the number of homes that sold on the real estate group’s Multiple Listing Service has had a decrease for 6 months in a row now.

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Canadian Mortgage Debt Slowing, but Growth Still High in Historical Context

Published September 26, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Before anyone is quick to jump on the word debt and chastise anyone for their lack of financial smarts, there are very few if any of us who pay the entire price for a home all at once and immediately after purchasing it. Those folks are out there, but the vast majority of us will take on a mortgage to pay for our homes. Is that a much riskier move than ever before though? You could certainly make the case for that with ongoing rises to the BoC’s interest rate and then how median home prices have been falling recently. But people need places to live, and that’s a permanent reality.

So when we look at Canadian mortgage debt as its own entity, any staggering number figures need to be understood in the context of the many hundreds of thousands who own a home but don’t own it in its entirety yet. We’ve talked about how fewer homes are going onto the market all across Canada these days because lowered values mean owners who can wait for the pendulum to swing the other way are doing just that. That is paired with more demand than ever though, and so it’s not an ideal situation.

The Bank of Canada has recently announced that outstanding mortgage credit reached a new high earlier this summer, and one thing that is also true about interest rate hike is that they shrink borrowing capacity at the same time. Though it’s not a major one, this factor is among many that may be making it difficult for people working in real estate as compared to years previous. If that’s true of you and working as a realtor then our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is certainly something you should consider.

Let’s look at this high consumer mortgage debt in more detail, because it does factor into whether or not people are willing to move forward with buying a home.

Trillion Mark X 2

What we’re looking at here is how higher interest rates are throttling industry growth, and watching as borrowing credit capacity shrinks alongside it. In addition, annual growth is still at a positive level despite the increase in personal mortgage debt we’re evaluating here. The balance of outstanding residential mortgage credit hit $2.04 trillion in July of this year, an increase of 0.6% working out to a valuation of $12.1 billion for the month.

This mortgage debt is $174.7 billion (9.3% yearly increase) larger than it was for summer 2021. As mentioned it’s a record and it is huge growth indeed, but things are slowing down. Gradually, but mortgage debt is not growing as quickly as it was. The consensus is that it is an unusually slow rate.

We see as well that the 0.6% growth in July was the smallest since February, and it is a part of the year where we rarely ever see high sales volumes. In fact, it was unusually slow for any July. Going back to 2022 there have only been 2 years where there’s been less than 0.6% growth.

Growth is still brisk overall though, even as borrowing costs rise. July had the slowest annual growth since May 2021, and that when the mid-pandemic sales boom really picked up steam. It’s down from the February 2022 peak of 10.8%, but it’s still noticeably high.

Canadian Mortgage Rate Credit Going Up

2009 was the last time annual growth was up to this extent, and even then the duration of it was only a little more than a month. Mortgage credit growing at this rate has only occurred prior to recessions in any other instance than that one, and yet here we are the possibility of a recession in the not-too-distant future.

It’s clear that rising rates are putting something of a brake on Canadian mortgage credit, and the workings of that are fairly obvious. It’s fair to say the impact of the full slowdown won’t be seen until later this year, and the fact that many homebuyers aren’t borrowing at the latest rates and instead secured ones any number of months earlier in the year. Once interest rates and inflation stabilize, we should have a clearer idea of how much of an impact these rising rates will have.

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Price Growth Expectations for Canadian Real Estate Down Significantly

Published September 19, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

What’s news in Canadian Real Estate these days is seemingly nothing but a continuation of what’s been news for the past 7 months or so. That being a progression from the market being in a lull, to it being so profoundly cooled by dropping median home values and meteoric losses in the value of investments in Real Estate. Yes, that is not necessarily a bad thing and there will be more affordable homes available, but as we always preach you don’t want to be going to either extreme end of the spectrum when it comes to home values.

So here we are with the CREA (Canadian Real Estate Association) reducing its forecast for home sales this year and lowering its expectations for price growth. BC for example has had some of the hottest real estate in the country for decades but as of now the BC home sales forecast is set to go down by about 34% this year and is foreseen to be going even lower through 2023. Having much the same thing happening elsewhere in the country – although maybe not to the same extent – is going to have all sorts of ramifications and more than a few of them are being felt already.

One of which of course is fewer homes going onto the market and owners decide now is not the time to sell, and there’s always a trickle-down effect with that. It may mean that some of the homes that do go onto the market are more hotly contested and sell for over asking. That may be of great benefit to that listing realtors, but there will be fewer listings to be had in general for the rest of them and that is what makes our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads such a good choice. It can counter that downturn by putting you immediately in touch with potential clients.

But enough about that for now, what we’ll do instead is swing back onto our topic for this week’s entry and go into more detail about how things are not so good with the drop in homes and home values.

20% Fewer Home Sale Transactions

The CREAS foresees 532,545 properties will have changed hands in Canada once this year is done, and if so that will be a 20% decrease from the 2021 annual record. A similar forecast is for national average home prices is rising by 4.7% to $720,255. All of this is against the backdrop of their June forecast where a 14.7% decline in sales and a 10.8% increase in the national home price was predicted. Then just last month (August) it was reported how home sales had gone down just 1 percent since July but were 24.7% lower than they were for August 2021.

The only other upside there might be how the national home price has gone (from $637K+ in August ’22) but if homes aren’t being sold it can and will be tempering that enthusiasm seen in everyone in the industry. We did see national sales hold steady month-to-month for the first time in August since February, and with that paired with stabilization of demand/supply conditions in many markets there can be at least some hope that this trend is near running its course.

But in many markets, and Toronto being one, housing conditions have cooled in the last few months as climbing interest and mortgage rates suppressed sales activity and started to affect prices. One undeniable good from all of it is in the way interest rate hikes have made bidding wars much less savage and there is more reason for would-be buyers to be waiting on even further price drops.

Concern Around Falling Home Values

The biggest issue when it comes to the average homebuyer is how falling home values are creating real concern for people who bought home and took on mortgages based on the value of a home that doesn’t exist anymore. There are many of them who received their pre-approvals before the Bank of Canada’s tightening and are now facing the reality of their home having lost about 10 to 20% of its value and just shortly after they purchased it.

Enormous interest rate shock is being absorbed, and you need to go way back to the late 1980s to find the last time a similar one-year increase in the carrying cost of an average home purchase in Ontario was a reality. We likely haven’t begun to see the full ramifications of what is really the most pronounced tightening of housing conditions in a generation, but it is true that there truly are forces here that are beyond the control of the industry itself.

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CDN Real Estate Holdings Now Down By $322 Billion in Canada

Published September 12, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Staggering numbers are just that, staggering numbers and surely you’ll all agree that 322 billion is a staggering number. Where that number comes from is that is the number in dollars by which real estate holdings are down in Canada, and given how much of our country’s GDP is in real estate this is not something that should be seen favourably by anybody. Even those who are keen to see lower prices for real estate as a means of their getting into the market.

What is happening here is the conflux of events that are related to the runaway inflation we’re seeing, both in Canada and all around the world. Interest rate hikes are threatening a lot of homeowners now with what it will take for them to be making their monthly mortgage payments, but as most of us will know these rate hikes are entirely essential to combat inflation as best as possible. Is it a lesson for people to not overextend themselves when buying real estate? Even if they did pass a mortgage stress test. Sure, but let’s not look past the fact that by and large this was an unforeseen development.

What happens when values decline in real estate is that the only people who are selling are usually those that need to sell. Yes, there will be exceptions to that but with real estate holdings down by this type of value there is going to be PLENTY of product held off the market when it would be there otherwise. This creates obvious challenges for people working as realtors who would otherwise be more engaged by clients on either end of the buying / selling spectrum.

Our online real estate lead generations system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to counter the downturn and still generate new real estate business for yourself. But staying on topic let’s have a look at what is being said about this recently announced drop in real estate holdings value in Canada.

2nd Quarter Plummet Continues

Canadian households saw a decline of almost C$1 trillion ($775 billion) in net worth in the 2nd quarter of this year, and at the forefront of it all were plunging prices for homes and stocks. Further, the 3 months between April and June saw real estate holdings held by households plummet some $419 billion, and at the same time financial assets dropped by $531 billion. All of this and along with the numbers provided here was put out by Statistics Canada.

The next sobering statistic to go along with those is that household net worth dropped 6.1%, working out to about $990 billion. That’s the largest drop ever seen for this metric, and it should be plenty disturbing for anyone and not just those invested in real estate. If you don’t know why that is then you may not have the understanding of global economics that you might like to have. Here’s why.

Higher global interest rates are destroying household wealth in Canada, and providing a major stimulus that promotes Canada’s economy slowing even more than it has already. We currently have the average resale price of a home having gone down by 10.5% from the 1st quarter of this year. Again, when we consider the truth of what real estate means to our GDP, that’s not good for anybody.

Income Growth Lags

What economists foresee here is a drag on net worth from housing that is likely to persist into next year, with Canadian home prices continuing to fall and borrowing costs likely to go up further. It isn’t difficult to foresee all of this with the fact that the BoC has increased its policy interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point to 3.25% recently, and they will almost certainly be doing it again next month and adding another half point. The rate was holding at an emergency low of 0.25% until March.

If there’s any good news in all of this it is that households remain much better off than they were before COVID, and a cumulative net worth that is $2.9 trillion higher than what was the case for the end 2019 attests to that. The value of residential real estate held by households has increased $2.3 trillion over that period too.

Last but not least, the household credit market debt as a proportion of disposable income increased to 181.7%, from 179.7% for Jan-March of this year.

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Toronto Home Sales up 15% from July, but Dip from Summer ’21

Published September 5, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Declining home prices have been the trend for some time all across Canada, but to some extent the major metropolis regions with desirable living areas have been somewhat insulated against that, but with ‘somewhat’ being the operative word. Generally speaking the price declines in Vancouver and Toronto have still been quite profound and a cause for a variety of sentiments depending which end of the spectrum you’re on – homeowner or prospective homebuyer.

What we’re seeing is the trend is slowing to an extent, but with the BoC raising interest rates again recently any marked swing in the other direction simply isn’t going to happen. What we are seeing for the 2 biggest metro areas in Canada is that sales went up in August, but they’re still down from where they were at for Labour Day at the end of August / Early September 2021. Of course, the primary factor behind this is going to be that there is a large volume of homeowners who may be considering selling, but don’t absolutely have to sell at this time.

These homes will go on the market at a later date when median home values increase. This does equate to a good number of very desirable clientele not working with real estate agents like they might be if the market was still as hot as it was in preceding years. This may sting more for some realtors more than others, but here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to have the power of Internet Marketing countering the downswing and making it more likely that you can generate new clients at a time when they may be harder to come by.

Moving back to our topic here this week, let’s look at the workings on what’s going with Toronto real estate and the slight uptick in homes sales from July

Eased Prices from Winter

The TTRREB has put out their report showing August sales were down 34% from this time last year, but up almost 15% from July. This month-to-month increase is being attributed to buyers returning to the market to take advantage of prices that eased from winter’s elevated levels. Sales in Toronto for the month worked out to 5,627 compared to 8,549 last August and 4,900 for July 2022.

On the other side the 34% ear-over-year drop was a less drastic decline than the previous 4 months, and the belief in the industry and among local real estate pros is that we’re still bouncing around levels that only have the depth of the COVID shutdown and the 2009 financial crisis as comparable precedents. The region’s real estate market has cooled from the heated conditions seen in the early months of 2022. Climbing interest and mortgage rates in recent months have certainly suppressed sales activity and started to weigh on prices. On the plus side for buyers there are fewer bidding wars and prospective buyers are more able to sit on the sidelines and wait for price drops to come down even more.

8.9% Home Price Index Rise

Evaluating on a year-over-year basis, the home price index increased by 8.9% and the average selling price for all home types combined went up by 0.9% to $1,079,500. In comparison to July though, the index is quite a bit lower. $1,130,463 was the seasonally adjusted average selling price, and that works out to around 2% month-over-month, but down around 12% from $1,285,129, when the GTA experienced its highest average price of the last year.

Monthly growth see for the average price added to a dip in the index points to August having a greater share of more expensive home types sold. New listings for August worked out 10,537, a decrease of just 1% from August 2021 and its 10,615 sales. There is also definitely far fewer new listings coming onto the market.

An overarching belief around these numbers and the trend is that more and more prospecting buyers are becoming more comfortable with the new reality of the current cost of borrowing. They may have realized they’ve lost some degree of their buying power, but they’re re evaluating and making their home purchases differently as a result of it.

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700k+ Mortgages at Risk of Rising Trigger Rate Payments for Fall 2022

Published August 29, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Over the last few years, you’d expect that first-time homebuyers were doing the same type of due diligence when it comes to weighing making an offer on a home – and negotiating a mortgage around that offering price – in the same way as first-time homebuyers have been doing for generations. But previous generations weren’t going to learn what it means to be ‘underwater’ with a mortgage, while anyone who was doing their homework over the last 5 years almost certainly will know what it means.

Some people evaluated the risk they might be at if interest rates rose, and moved ahead with their decision to buy the home and assume the mortgage they have today. Others will have reconsidered and decided they didn’t want to take on that type of risk. There may well be 20-20 hindsight types in either group who’d wish they had acted differently, but these days it is probably those who overextended themselves with a mortgage that is going to become more expensive to service who have more regrets.

This is something that any informed and conscientious realtor will want to be proactive in talking about with clients who are hesitant to buy a home. Working with clients who are selling a home doesn’t create the same type of need for a conversation around this, but interest rates and other factors are keeping sellers on the sidelines more now as they wait for home prices to rise again before listing. This in turn affects homebuyers with fewer homes on the market pushing up prices on the ones that are. Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for realtors to give themselves a real advantage with new client generation.

Getting back on track with our topic here for this week, there are estimates that it is near ¾ of a million purchased homes in Canada that may be at risk because of changes to rates, and so let’s get into the details of all that.

Variable Rate? Brace Yourself

Many borrowers who took out variable-rate mortgages at the peak of the housing market frenzy in 2021 and early 2022 may need to resign themselves to higher payments next month or even have to make a lump-sum payment for their mortgages. This is because the fixed monthly payments that buyers would make with a variable mortgage will have them facing ‘trigger’ rates this fall, where an increase in payments becomes unavoidable.

Industry estimates are that this may apply to approximately 15% of variable-rate mortgages in Canada, and that works out to something in the vicinity of 750 thousand homes. So here you may be asking what a trigger rate is exactly; it is the point at which interest payments constitute the entirety of a monthly mortgage payment, and now the borrower is not paying down even the smallest part of the principal they borrowed. This will be its own cause for concern, but it’s important to know that the bigger issue is that Canadian lending regulations don’t allow for this.

So what will happen is these individuals will receive a communication from their lender giving them one of 2 options; either increase their monthly payment or make a lump sum payment against their mortgage to lower the amount owing. Both are going to be tough options for a lot of home buyers who have overextended themselves. Some may also have the option to switch to a fixed-rate mortgage but the risk there is they end up locking themselves in at unnecessarily high rates.

This is also something that realtors can be assertive in informing clients about, even if they’re not working with them on the purchase of a home at this time.

Rock-Bottom Rates Gone

$260 billion dollars is the estimated value put into variable-rate mortgages between March 2021 and February 2022, and with an average interest rate of 1.58% during that time it is not surprising at all that is the case. But if the BoC raises its key lending rate by anything more than just ONE more percentage points (100 basis points) then the average of these mortgage is set to hit its trigger rate immediately thereafter.

Guaranteed? No, but very likely if you read into what economists are saying. The Banks has bumped up the rate 4x this year already and we still have a third of it to go as we move towards entering Fall 2022 in less than a month’s time. So from there let’s consider that the bond markets are pricing in a 75-basis-point rate hike, and look for this on Sept. 7 when the BoC makes its announcement. Some believe it may end up being a full 100 basis points.

RBC is also saying it has in the vicinity of 80,000 mortgages that will hit their trigger rate with the next few rate hikes, coming with an average payment increase of $200 per month or so. Borrowers may have passed their mortgage stress test, but this still has the potential to be very problematic for many owners and especially those struggling with inflation in Canada as it is.

The overhead reality in all of this is that we’re going to see a share of mortgage borrowers that are exposed to fluctuating interest payments from month to month, and we’re going to see that share be at alarmingly high level at a time when rates are rising quickly.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to only one realtor – YOU. You’ll be the only realtor to receive these leads, and they’ll be leads for would-be clients who are residing in the same city or town where you’re working as a real estate agent. It’s a sure-fire way to get a lot more out of your client prospecting efforts, and the good thing is that the entirety of the work is done for you. See for yourself just how quickly you’ve got new clients after using this real estate agent advantage for Canada.

Immigration to Canada Likely to Prevent Full-Blown Housing Market Crash

Published August 22, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Part of the reason that there is an insufficient supply of housing in Canada is because there are simply more people wanting a home than there are ones available for them to buy, move into, and live there. Immigration is an important part of Canada and has always been that way considering we are very much a country of immigrants and in the big picture we’re better for it. But immigration does put strains on society, and particularly with regards to housing, healthcare, and infrastructure. New housing starts can’t keep up with the demand, and the demand is growing exponentially larger all the time.

We also know that the Canadian housing market is in a correction right now, and that while falling median prices for homes isn’t something that existing homeowners or real estate agents are going to want to hear of. But at the same time if you’re going to be fair and objective you’ll have to say it’s a very necessary correction given what has happened over the past 5 years and more. Even real estate agents will agree with that, and while a correction means houses are selling for less that certainly doesn’t mean that fewer of them are being sold.

Realtors who want to gain an advantage in what is a very competitive industry will want to sign up for our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads. It’s an excellent way to be better with new-client prospecting and be building the base of your business at all times, and it is the best way to be fast-tracked for meeting people who are genuinely looking to buy or sell a home. But enough about that and let’s move back to discussing how immigration is likely preventing a market crash of much larger proportions.

Decisive Demographics

A prominent economist is saying that the Canadian housing market won’t have that outright crash due to steady demand from immigration as newcomers to Canada are helping to support the property market through its current downturn. The indication is that the flow of new permanent residents is already rebounding from lows seen during the pandemic and are on their way to record levels if Canada’s updated immigration targets are going to be met.

So yes, Canada is in the middle of a steep housing correction and while the cycle hasn’t played itself out in full yet, no one believes we’re going to see the type of prolonged spiral seen in the US during the 2008 financial crisis. And the primary reason for that is the demographic demand for housing in Canada is strong and becoming stronger all the time.

Let’s remember that the number of Canadian households is forecast to increase by 730,000 by 2024 as we add an average of 240,000 new households annually. Immigration is a fundamental part of the increase, and Canada is aiming to bring in a record 1.3M new permanent residents with 555,000 new households over the next 2 years or so. The country’s population is growing at a pace that is double the average one for an OECD country over the last 10 years.

Household Sizes Shrinking

The rapidly increasing population is combined with shrinking household sizes. Between 2016 and 2021 the average household size declined by 0.02 people, going along to an increase in total household numbers by 30,000 each year. And what that does is strengthen demand for housing and powerfully counteract sliding sales and prices to put a ‘floor’ under the correction. This will prevent median home prices from declining TOO much, and that has to be good news for homeowners.

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Re-Evaluating Mortgage Stress Tests in Canada for Would-Be Homeowners

Published August 22, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

When Canada’s current Liberal government introduced the mortgage stress tests a few years back, the impetus behind it was legit and honourable. It was to prevent buyers from getting in over their heads with buying a home, and particularly if said home was truly unaffordable for them in the bigger picture. Especially if their income levels made it likely that they’d be in real financial difficulty if interest rates were to rise considerably anytime in the foreseeable future. Which is of course exactly what’s happened over recent months here in 2022.

Can we assume that there are many couples and individuals out there who have been saved from being in a predicament right now because of those stipulations? Absolutely, but there’s also evidence that suggests that the mortgage stress tests haven’t been as effective in the way they were intended either. It’s interesting to note all of this, and especially as those interest rate hikes have come at a time when the market is cooling based on a number of contributing factors.

For a real estate agent this is a trend that is interesting to look at as something of a third-party observer, and most will say that the mortgage stress tests have been worthwhile and that it’s important that prospective buyers have a very firm understanding of what they can really afford when beginning to work with the realtor’s preferred mortgage broker. Good realtors always work to make their clients entirely informed about everything related to buying a home, and here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way of ensuring they have the clientele base they need.

Turning back to the topic at hand, let’s look at how the mortgage stress test and its realities are actually playing out here in the 3rd quarter of 2022 and how things haven’t necessarily played out as planned. Because with mortgage rates now north of 4% and 5%, and very likely approaching their peak for this rate-hike cycle, it is fair to ask if changes to Canada’s stress test are needed.

Follow England’s Lead?

Earlier in August the Bank of England did away with is mortgage affordability stress test, and some industry experts wonder if it might be time for Canada to do the same. What these tests do is require both insured and uninsured mortgage borrowers to prove they will be able to meet monthly mortgage payments based around a rate of 5.25% or two percentage points higher than their contract rate—whichever of the two is higher. It is common these days for borrowers to be stress-test at rates that are at or exceed 6% and 7%.

Here in Canada the stress test for insured mortgages (ones with a sub-20% down payment) was first introduced in 2016, and it was then followed up with the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions test on uninsured mortgages, or those where the down payment exceeded that 20% number. The idea was to logically assess risks seen by government and regulators where high household debt was meeting high real estate prices, and then being joined by the historically low interest rates that we have seen in Canada for a long time up until recently.

But here we are now with home prices dropping across the country, and being way down from the peak reached earlier in February of this year. At the same time interest rates have gone up significantly as the Bank of Canada tries to reign in record inflation rates that have some worried about a repeat of the 1980s.

Lock Out

Ask folks at Mortgage Professionals of Canada and they’ll tell you that with the current market realities the mortgage stress tests are actually working to lock Canadians out of the market. 2020 and 2021 saw much in the way of opportunities for buyers to get into home ownership with locked, fixed money, but these buyers were blocked from doing that by the stress test being so much higher than the actual available rates. Therein lies the crux of the problem, and although that might be less of problem now with lower median home values the potential for it being problematic again is something to consider.

Variable versus fixed-rate mortgages becomes an issue too. Fixed-rate does offer homeowners more stability on their mortgage payments, but qualifying for these mortgages was more difficult until recently. You would have a typical fixed-rate mortgage of 4.45% stress-tested at two percentage points higher—6.45%. The wealthier might have no problem with trading extra cash for security, but for more shallow-pocketed first-time home buyers who wanted into the market it wasn’t such an easy choice.

And with stress test qualification rules, fixed rates started rising well ahead of variable rates earlier this year and this forced many borrowers into variable rates. The reason being that was all they could qualify for. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has data that shows nearly 60% of mortgages taken out earlier this year were variable-rate products.

There was a forced shift to variable-rate mortgages simply because would-be buyers were being stress tested at 5.25%. Then when you have the Bank of Canada hiking interest rates by 100 basis points on July 13, those variable-rate mortgages are looking much less desirable. Some feel that the Department of Finance and OSFI should be re-calibrating the exact requirements of the mortgage stress test, and there are many in the real estate business who would concur that is in the homebuyer’s best interest in the bigger picture for both them and the real estate market as a whole.

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Ongoing Median Home Price Declines Expected to Continue Through 2023

Published August 16, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Real estate industry experts have been telling us all that a market correction was inevitable based on the factors leading to meteoric home price raises that have been seen over the past 4+ years. That is on top of less-intense rises that have been occurring for much longer than that, and with ultimate reality of it all being that home ownership is moving out of reach for increasing numbers of people. There is fallout of all different sorts when something like this happens in a market, and especially one that is the reflection of a very basic human need for a roof over your head.

So the current market correction is a good thing in as far as more people being able to afford homes, but the flip side of that sees people who bought homes sometime in the last few years and may now be carrying a mortgage on a home that is worth quite a bit less than what they paid for it. You may not be ‘underwater’ in the same sense if that home is in a desirable location like Vancouver or Toronto, but for others it’s going to be a concern. There’s also homes that might have gone on the market when prices were higher that are going to now be rented out until the market cycle swings the other way again.

The last part of that won’t sound good to anyone who works in real estate, but to that end our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an effective means of giving realtors a leg up on the competition when it comes to obtaining new clientele. That may be something that’s more needed than ever, and it has long been known as an especially good investment for agents who are new to the business.

Moving back onto topic, let’s look at the recent predictions coming out that are suggesting that housing market price declines are expected to continue dropping. Not just to the end of this year, but that they’ll be continuing to drop right through 2023 too.

15%? Underestimate

The forecast we’re referring to has the average home price in Canada declining by nearly 25% by the end of 2023. And that type of a decline is remarkable for sure considering it was only in February earlier this year when the peak was reached. This would signify a real accent on the ongoing housing market correction, and a sharp one at that. Especially when you consider that multiple reputable sources had their estimate as an approximately 15% drop that was to occur.

The reasons the drop is foreseen to be even bigger now is because of weaker housing data and changes to monetary policy that have gone much further than previously anticipated. With interest rate hikes from the BoC being front and centre there. In July the bank raised its key interest rate by a full percentage point in July, making it more expensive to borrow the money buyers need to have mortgages on the homes they’ve purchased. Further increases are expected this year, and that’s a big part of why these predictions are the way they are.

4% Drop Month-to-Month

We see as well that housing prices have dropped by more than 4% each month since February, at a time when then national average home price set a record by reaching $816,720. We’re also seeing that prices are still expected to be above the pre-pandemic level at the end of 2023, and the prediction is that the largest price corrections are going to occur in Atlantic Canada and PEI, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick in particular.

We can also expect the upcoming economic slowdown working to ease inflationary pressures to the extent that the Bank of Canada may begin reversing interest rate hikes, and this will help allay some of the fears of those who have the most to lose if median home prices decline too far.

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No ‘Need’ to Sell – De-Listing of Homes in Toronto a Real Trend Now

Published August 1, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

People put homes on the market for any number of many different reasons, and that’s true at any given time. But what occurs is that there are specific factors that come into that decision based on the current environment paired with the nature of the sellers’ prerogatives. This is nothing new, but a recent article on Bloomberg Business stated that the number of homes that have been pulled off the Toronto real estate market is shockingly high. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the primary reason this is happening – dropping median home values across the country – but what may be more noteworthy is the way this part of the ‘correction’ may actually be pushing the prices for homes still on the market higher.

How that works won’t be difficult to understand either. Fewer homes on the market along with lower market values for them will mean the homes remaining on the market will be listed at lower prices. That much will sound appealing for home buyers, but with more prospective home buyers than ever before in Canada the bidding on those homes may well take them up to the pricing levels that were considered ‘inflated’ in the first place. This will always be the case in hot markets like Toronto and Vancouver where the desirability factor never abates and it seems supply will never catch up to demand.

For a realtor this can go either way in as far as their fortunes are concerned, and how well they’re able to make a viable career out of being a real estate agent in 2022. Having mass numbers of homes be de-listed isn’t going to be a good thing for any of them, but here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is very beneficial for giving realtors the means of drumming up new clientele no matter how the market is going or which area of Canada they are working as a real estate agent.

That’s the positive slant for now, but let’s look at this de-listing trend for homes in Toronto.

Waiting Game?

Toronto-area real estate brokers are saying one thing is very clear here now in the summer of 2022 – more would-be sellers are choosing to delist their homes in the face of a cooling housing market and sinking prices. There has been a very large increase in the number of cancelled listings compared to last year, along with different rationales for why a homeowner would be choosing to delist their home.

In a best-case scenario for prospective buyers there are some who are taking their home off the market to re-evaluate and / or re-list at a lower price. This will cover the majority of owners who are selling because they need to sell, and that can be the case for any number of reason but most of the time it is related to their employment or new family realities. In the industry this is regarded as a ‘sign of mis-pricing in a slower market’ he said.

Fewer in number but still relevant in this segment of the trend are homeowners who’ve simply decided they no longer want to sell their home and are going to remain in it for the foreseeable future. There are also those who find themselves in a position where they’ve bought a new property, but selling their existing home and getting what they need for it isn’t happening. This forces them to back out of the new property deal and subsequently delist their current house from the market.

Different tactics are part of this too, with some owners re-staging or re-photographing their home, or deciding to offer higher commissions to buyers’ agents.

Directly Related to Sales Drop

There’s been a real slowdown in the Greater Toronto Area real estate market, and the reality is that most homeowners who don’t 100% need to sell are probably thinking that it’s best to wait until median home values rise again – which they almost certainly will for all sorts of firmly established reasons that we’ve talked about at length in previous entries.

TRREB data for June indicated home sales went down 41.4% year-over-year and the average selling price declined for a 4th month in a row to $1,146,254. This works out to a drop of about $200,000 compared to the record-high average selling prices seen in February.

We can also look at the many investors who will be delisting properties because of the fear of diminished returns, and there are many that can afford to ride this out – and will. The only consideration might be once they start refinancing, or once they get hit with this higher rate increase. But as of now, it would seem they don’t have anything significant preventing them from holding on to the bulk of new condos built in Toronto. They will continue to rent them out for now rather than having them on the market as they may have earlier this year or last.

As of now, we’re not seeing those investors being highly leveraged and distressed.

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Young Canadians Open to Moving for Affordable Home Ownership

Published July 26, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Industry experts will tell you we’re in the midst of the housing market ‘correction’ that has been foreseen for some time now, but they will also tell you that no matter how much the market corrects real estate is still going to be by and large unaffordable for a lot of people. This will be especially true for popular metro areas in and around Toronto and Vancouver especially. Many seniors today were lucky to be able buy their first home with a very reasonable mortgage, but the high prices attached to residential real estate today don’t allow for that.

Remax Canada’s 2022 Housing Affordability Report was put out on Wednesday of last week. Among findings were survey results that ever greater numbers of Canadians would now be more open to relocating to a different city or town. Of the 1,500 or so respondents, most said they would make the move if they felt they needed to buy a home, but many also said they would continue to rent until they were able to buy a home. That of course comes with their having concerns about rising rental rates in these same densely-populated metro areas.

This potential trend of more people considering living where housing is more affordable can have benefits of course, and looking at it from the angle of working as real estate agent working in these locations it can be a potential uptick in business as well as in the values of homes there for locals who might consider putting their home on the market or downsizing into a smaller home for retirement. Here at Real Estate leads our online real estate lead generation system is excellent for being first in-touch with potential clients, and that may be even more true now for mid-sized cities in Canada.

Back to topic, the Report also found that respondents might consider co-owning with friends or family or renting part of their home for additional income.

Make Move

For some people work or study doesn’t allow them to have the choice of moving out of the big city, and that’s fair enough. But for those who can it’s increasingly a smart choice. But for most they would prefer to not move too far. 64% of respondents would be willing to relocate to find a more affordable home, but 50% would not go further than 100km from where they currently live. About 40% said that moving to different city or province would also be an option.

This report also indicates Canadians are also weight buying a new home amid rising interest rates, which may cool record-high inflation but are resulting in increased mortgage rates. 68% replied saying they won’t be able to afford to buy a home where they’d like to live over the next 6 months, and 63% said higher interest rates may have them delaying their purchases.

There are economists who believe Canada may be entering a recession, and 57% of those same survey respondents said they are going to hold off on purchasing a new home or sell their existing one until stabilization returns to the economy.

Most Affordable Spots

Currently Brandon is the most affordable housing market in the country and coming in with a $310,252 average sale price for 2022. The remainder of the top 5 are Regina, St. Johns, Moncton and Red Deer. As for the most expensive, you can almost surely guess. The average price in Vancouver is $1.31 million and for Toronto it is $1.257 million. This comes following the Royal LePage House Price Survey last week has a new national market forecast for 2022 with projected growth now at 5% rather than 15%.

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Interest Rate Hike Prominently Factoring into Greater Toronto Area Condo Market

Published July 18, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Though some may be skeptical, there is absolute economic soundness to the argument that interest rate hikes are necessary to put the brakes on inflation. It’s not the first time this has happened in Canada, although it is the first time it’s occurred in the wake of a Federal Government being loose and carefree with money in a way never seen before in this country. That part of it is what it is though, and it should be noted that Canada joins nearly ever First-World country in struggling with inflation at this time. So while there is little to like about rate hikes in the here and now, the fact is they are necessary.

Part of the ‘little to like’ will obviously relate to certain aspects of the housing market in Canada, and it appears that is now especially true for the condo market in the GTA. Is that because many condos are owned by investors who paid too much for them? Yes, there’s some of that in it but it is more complicated than that. Keep in mind that condos have long been the standard for people buying a first home for themselves, and the natural process is for that rung on the ladder to be vacated some years later and the situation repeats itself as a new generation of 1st-time homebuyers buy an affordable first home for themselves too.

What we have now is a scenario where rather than condos going onto the market – owned by investors or not – they are being retained (and perhaps even being rented for less) rather than being sold at a price where they wouldn’t have been worth the value the mortgage was negotiated for. The same can be said for other types of homes, but those other types of homes haven’t been filling a very specific part of what has been the organic process in this all for a long time. Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is ideal for realtors who need an advantage during a time when fewer homes are going onto the market.

Swinging back on topic, what is to be made of how the BoC’s recent hike is continuing to have major ramifications for the Greater Toronto Area condo market.

Pushing Down Prices

The rise from the BoC this week was 2.25%, and the rise is reverberating across the region’s housing sector, with the most notable effect being condo prices dropping significantly. The issue with this of course is the fact the condo prices were the ones to rise most dramatically over the last years after those for single-family detached homes. But the difference is A) there are many more condos on the market at all times, and B) these are the homes that the majority of 1st-time homebuyers would have seen as affordable, all things considered.

That may still be the case, but a rate rise of this size and promised ones in the future are really putting a damper on the market, as fewer would-be buyers qualify for a mortgage and the owners of condos increasingly decide now is not the time to sell. It goes without saying that inventory is absolutely key to regulating prices organically for all types of homes, but it is an especially sensitive issue with condos and even more of a focus in desirable locations like Toronto and Vancouver.

12% Decline Since March

The current median per-sq ft price for condos is $832, and that works out to a 12% drop since March of this year. The estimation is now that individuals buying condos here are paying an average of 1% below asking, and as we all know paying below asking for any type of property has been simply unheard of for a very long time now. Look no further than just a handful of months back in Feb 2022 when homebuyers were paying on average 15% above the listed price for condos in the GTA.

Now we have inventory plateauing there too, and of course what that works out to is a buyer’s market. Some will welcome the opposite end of the spectrum there based on the fact it’s been the opposite for so long, but balance is always best and a healthy housing market is never one that leans too far towards being a buyer’s market. That’s the basic economics of it, and that takes into consideration the additional value that everyone has in their homes, including those who haven’t bought theirs yet.

Supply Down in City’s Core

The trend of people returning to the city core as back-to-work trends continue means that supply is down in the city’s core, and that means that the average price per square foot has increased every so slightly as people come back to downtown Toronto. The average price of a condo in downtown Toronto is now $1,102 per square foot—a $3 increase so far in July—or roughly $882,680.

But with rents skyrocketing and not coming down in step with price values going lower, we have a situation where would-be sellers who don’t like what they see are relisting their condos on the rental market instead. A recent spike in terminated listings may be explained by this. The average lease price for a condo is currently $2,700 per month, and that’s up 15% from last year.

Fierceness in the rental market, and the reason it doesn’t move with home value decreases, comes back to supply and demand exclusively. With that in mind, realtors can advise clients that despite the downturn if a property is well maintained, well located, and priced competitively it will still sell and likely relatively quickly in places like Toronto and Vancouver. The same cannot necessarily be said for other types of homes, but condos are unique in what they offer at or around a certain price point.

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Global Downturn Foreseen to Affect Canadian Real Estate Most

Published July 11, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

The long-forecasted ‘correction’ in the Canadian real estate market is here now, and as is always the case some are better situated to be weathering it than other. Many have predicted – accurately – that it is going to those who have large amounts of money invested in housing AND those who overleveraged themselves to buy homes recently who are most likely to feel the pinch. That’s a reflection of the fact that there certainly are negative aspects that come along with the positive one. That being that homes are more normally priced for people who need a place to live.

So there will always be people with interests on either side of this, along with others who have some skin in the game based on how the make a living for themselves. When house values drop dramatically over a short period of time there are definitely aftershocks that rumble through different communities. For real estate agents in Canada the biggest part of the drawback of seeing this happen is that many homes that would have gone onto the market are now held off it, at least for now while prices are lower. This can mean fewer new clientele of both buyers and sellers, but here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation service is an excellent way to counter this trend.

We’ll leave that there for now though, and instead return to focusing on the market downturn for real estate in Canada. There are experts that are saying that Canada is the country that is going to be most affected by it, and that doesn’t bode well for many of the same people we’ve talked about above here. Let’s take our entry this week and have a deeper look into this and what it might mean for home and property owners here.

Attributable to Canada’ Extreme Price Boom

All of this comes from Goldman Sachs latest publishing on rising interest rates around the world. The BoC actually raised ours again today, and further rises are expected throughout the remainder of 2022. The very low rates we’ve seen over past decades now have stimulated record home sales and a multi-decade high for inflation. But the exact opposite is happening now and it’s removing home buyer stimulus. Home price declines are now expected across most advanced economies but Canada is expected to have the sharpest drops, and that’s because of the extreme price boom it has seen since 2018 and one that up until now had many homeowners decidedly pleased.

We are seeing rising mortgage rates in the US, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand and they are definitely cooling home sales already. The US has had a major drop themselves – around 40% nationally and again even higher rates are on the horizon and expected to slow housing even further.

Falling home sales nearly always mean falling home prices, but not all places adhere to this trend. We are also seeing that home prices are still rising in the US, Germany, and the UK. But when all of this becomes problematic is when home sales fall much faster than inventory, and this is what we are seeing in Sweden, Australia, and – most prominently – Canada.

Another notable trend that is unique to Canada among all these countries is that house prices have fallen the most in areas that had the most growth early in the pandemic.

Biggest Drop

Industry experts foresee a modest drop for home prices over the next couple of years, but Canada is expected to see the biggest drop as real home prices will likely fall up to around 12%. France – 9%, the US – 3%. Keep in mind with national prices it is the inflated markets where bigger declines will be soon. The biggest takeaway for readers here can be this; The slowdown will be sharpest in Canada and this is the result of weak recent momentum, continuing low affordability, and rapid policy hikes by the Bank of Canada

Having a tight housing market may counter this trend somewhat and prevent a full-on slump, but the rapid deterioration in affordability and large drops in home sales paints a picture where a major housing downturn is on the immediate horizon.

Worst Housing Affordability for Advanced Economies

It is this deterioration and ongoing lack of affordability that is going to be what keeps buyers from jumping in until home prices decline. Looking back to early 2020 there was brief surge in affordability at the start of the pandemic, and that is obviously due to rates being cut lower at that time. What happens here is an age-old economic equation, with affordability eroding rapidly as the market adjusts to absorb the increased credit capacity. This is why low rates and the increased market activity caused by it haven’t improved affordability, and won’t anytime in the future either.

Here’s what we do know; low rates produce housing bubbles in advanced economies. But when you add monetary policy errors to the mix in certain advanced economies, the negative affects of higher rates are amplified big time. This is what we are beginning to see here in Canada and it will be and interesting yet anxious time for many as they wait out this storm.

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Readvanceable Mortgage Option Failure Advances Risk for Over-Leveraged Homeowners

Published July 4, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Readvanceable Mortgage Option Failure Advances Risk for Over-Leveraged Homeowners

Even if you are not a savvy real estate investor you likely what the term ‘underwater’ means when it applies to someone who has recently made the decision to pay more than they likely should have when buying a home. There is risk to everything in life, but there have been literally hundreds of economists over the years who have been saying it is very much buyer beware given the fact that the market must eventually home values come down. A buyer will be underwater if they owe more on their new home than the home is worth, and that’s a very real concern with what is happening now in Canada.

The potential problem is very acute in the markets that always make the news, and that’s in the big metro areas where housing has been crazily in demand for a long time like Toronto and Vancouver areas. FOMO is the acronym for Fear of Missing Out, and this is what spurred so many recent homebuyers to make the choice they did and pay more than a home should be worth. It’s the fear that this would be their only chance to get in, and for what it’s worth this has been a profound trend in many other countries around the world over the last few years.

The agents that work with both homebuyers and home sellers need to be attuned to these trends, and as has been the case with every market cooling period ever seen there are fewer homes going onto the market too. Perfectly reasonable if you’re a homeowner who doesn’t absolutely need to sell at this time, but what it does is mean less of the proverbial pie to go around. If you’re a newer realtor you may need help gaining clientele, and it’s true that our online real estate lead generator here at Real Estate Leads is ideal for that.

But staying on topic track here, there was a recent proposal for a new mortgage product that might have helped over-leveraged buyers, but the Feds have made sure that went nowhere and we thought it might be helpful to provide an overview on it, and what might have been.

Combo Mortgage Product

So what exactly would a readvanceable mortgage be, and why did it get shot down?. It was one that combine a traditional mortgage with a revolving line of credit. As the homeowner paid down the principal, it would increase in size. The benefit would be in allowing them to immediately re-borrow, and do so even when the total loan goes past the 65% limit of the appraised value of the home.

Further, if that is to also include the amortized portion then homeowners would have been able to borrow as much as 80% of the value of their homes. The only caveat being that the amount would be minus any outstanding debt on the original mortgage. Sounds fairly reasonable, no? The only immediately apparent obstacle would be the risk of having homeowners in persistent debt.

That would certainly be the case if it required borrowers to pay both the principal and interest on any combined loan amount above 65% of the home’s value, and it’s here where the wheels started to fall off this proposal and reason #1 it was rejected at the Federal level.

Other Contributing Factors

Being able to borrow up to 80% of the value of homes by using advanceable mortgages repeatedly was certainly going to appeal to homeowners for any number of reasons, not the least of which would be the ability to buy additional properties and then either rent the unaffordable home OR sell it when the time is right.

Yes, a HELOC (home equity line of credit) accomplishes much the same, but the difference is immediately apparent because the owners would be forwarding their mortgage rather than borrowing against the equity in their home – something recent homebuyers likely wouldn’t have much of anyways.

But as it stands now here we are with the Bank of Canada aggressively increasing its benchmark interest rate to combat inflation, and the result being Canadians who continue to tap into their homes for cash could be left owning a small portion of their property when all is said and done.

Also factoring in here is how higher borrowing rates have put the housing market into a near freeze and house values are going down, considerably in some regions. Technically, lenders could require partial repayment if a newly-appraised house falls below the required value to cover the amount owed.

Last but not least, readvanceable mortgages might have been a good fit for those who have been damaged by making poor choices with their HELOC. Not the focus here for sure, but something that needs to be kept in mind. There certainly is merit to what the Federal Government has done here based on the unsteadiness of the move, but there needs to be an ongoing conversation about what sort of options might exist for people who have over-extended themselves buying a house.

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It’s an excellent way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and it’s highly recommended with the competitive nature of the real estate business in Canada.

Price Gaps Between Suburban & Urban Canadian Real Estate Narrowing

Published June 27, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

That we are in the midst of a slowdown with Canadian Real Estate is indisputable at this time, and we all know that both inflation and the rise in interest rates are playing major roles in that. But what is both interesting and concerning – depending on where you own a home or where you’d like to buy or invest in one – is that homes in suburban regions may be taking much more of a hit than ones that are more within city limits. This of course has everything to do with demand for urban living continuing to insulate the market there more, but there is more to it than that.

This is even more relevant with the way that so many people have bought and moved into homes that are far from those city limits over the last 2+ years, and the reasons they did so don’t need any explaining here. What may need explaining though is a much more detailed why as to those houses losing value more quickly than their metro counterparts. Any type of downturn has serious ramifications, and it is not just the homeowners who will feel the pinch if they must sell soon for whatever reason.

There are real estate agents who work primarily in these suburban regions, and what happens when home values in an area drop significantly is that homeowners who were thinking about selling now choose to postpone that move and see what happens with the markets some ways down the road. That means fewer homes for prospective buyers too, even though there will be more of them than sellers given the opportunity to pay less for a home. Business can dip, and for realtors who are concerned about new clients in this way our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a smart choice.

This is a relatively new phenomenon with suburban home values being considerably more at risk for falling values that urban homes, so it makes sense for us to look at it in more detail.

Smaller City Slowdown

What we are seeing now is that during the COVID-19 pandemic the gap between downtown real estate and houses in the suburbs has closed significantly. What this does is create a marked change from the way things have always been.

The workings of that are unique to this occurrence and perhaps this time in human history, and it is likely that this trend will be occurring in other countries too. Whether or not they occur in countries that have so much of their personal wealth and National GDP in real estate is a different question, especially as no other country has painted themselves into a corner in this way quite like Canada has.

But to the working themselves; the cost and inconvenience of commuting is typically a downside to suburban living, but as working from home became the norm for so many people during the pandemic that old standard came to change quickly. It’s been well detailed how so many people took advantage of this new working arrangement and chose to buy cheaper – and often better fitting – housing outside of the city.

House prices did take off just about everywhere during the pandemic, but the gains were definitely largest in the suburbs. What that did was make them less affordable today than at any time in the past.

Comparison

In 2016 a house in the suburbs located 50k outside of downtown would on average be worth around 33% less than a similar city home. If we look at 2019 even that gap had slimmed to 26%, while at the same time the bank was calculating that the average cost benefit had diminished all the way to just 10% for the end of 2021.

Again, this was driven in large part by buyers moving farther away from the city as needed until they would qualify for a mortgage based on the local home prices, a phenomenon that the industry began to call ‘drive till you qualify.’ Also factoring in was the same FOMO that has been going on for years, with people believing that home prices were never going to fall and some people saw the need to get in before new mortgage stress-test rules came into place nationally.

The trend has changed though, and it is not uncommon now for workplaces that previously embraced working from home to now being insistent that staff return to the office at least part of the time. This factors into the housing market quite directly, as suburban markets that saw outsized gains during the pandemic are now experiencing price declines while the metro city housing market holds fairly steady.

This may be a blip, or it may be a situational outgrowth of the trend of home prices cooling more than before due to BoC rate hikes and other known factors. The Bank is not offering much to work with to this point, but it does believe the narrowing price gap between the suburbs and downtowns could become a problem if preferences shift back toward the way they were prior to early 2020.

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Homebuyers in Canada Returning to Look at Major Cities When Buying Homes

Published June 20, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Much was made of how the Corona Pandemic had more people than ever before seeing an opportunity to not be attached to city living and getting out into homes in more rural areas of Canada. That was indeed a trend, and continues to be a valid one. Although to a much greater extent if you are to read into what a new survey from the Bank of Montreal is indicating with regards about the type of prerogatives most people have for buying homes now.

Now meaning in an era where although the pandemic isn’t over, we’re moving well out of the restrictive phases of it and more and more people are returning to work in the office like they did before early 2020. Let’s also not lose track of the fact that there are always plenty of people looking to move to the cities for the first time too, and as is always the case that is true of many educated young professionals who may have come from smaller town Canada but have studied and earned degrees in these cities and now starting their careers there is the logical next step.

It’s the same as it is in any country where the majority of real estate agents will be working in the major metro areas of the country, and if this trend of more people returning their focus to city home ownership then the logic would be that is going to be beneficial for these realtors working there. There may be some truth to that, but it also enhances the competitiveness factor. Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system for realtors is an excellent resource for realtors newer to the business who aren’t as well established when the business becomes more competitive again.

That’s always true, but let’s stay on topic and look at what more the survey revealed about changing homebuyer preferences in Canada as they are happening here in the middle of 2022.

Metro For Me Please

Those of us who have no choice but to be in urban areas may be a little astonished that anyone would choose to live here if they didn’t have to, but it seems that mentality is definitely not the norm. Plus, it is important to remember that not everyone who can work remotely is completely free of other factors that necessitate them living in the city. Property ownership, family, and access to care are just 3 of a long list of factors that may be part of a person’s reality too.

The BMO survey came back showing that interest in buying a home in a major city centre has risen 5% since last year. As mentioned above, this is something of a marked change as Canadians began looking beyond the boundaries of large cities for their housing choices. Work-from-home arrangements may have allowed them to do this, and rising home prices in the last two years may have been the impetus to actually go ahead and do it.

Now the situation for many seems to be quite different. It is the city centres that are attracting more interest from buyers, and at the same time the preference for moving further from the city has seen a similar decline. There are other changes to Canadian’s home buying habits lately too, and the results seem to indicate that Canadians have developed a willingness to change their plans in response to rapidly changing housing and housing market conditions.

Finances in Order?

Another consideration here is the way that BoC Interest Rate hikes are slowly but surely bringing down the median prices for homes in these desirable locations. Financial hurdles are always going to have a major impact on the purchase plans for homebuying consumers with regards to what they will buy and when they are looking to buy it. Respondents to the BMO survey said they will likely need to spend more if they choose to buy in the city, but now there may be more value and bang-for-buck in doing so.

It also showed that 68% of respondents were willing to change how much they spend on a home purchase, and around 73% of potential homebuyers even said they are now willing to spend more. The reasons listed for spending more on a home include increased home prices, income growth (individual or couple), and the pandemic realities having increased their personal savings to result in more money available for a down payment on a home.

Around 1/3 of respondents indicated that they expect to pay 10% or less for a down payment and two-fifths foresee relying on help from family to have enough funds, although less of that help being required than might have been the case at this time last year. Perhaps most interesting here is the amount Canadians expect to spend on their homes has gone up 26% in just the last year. This in unision with the average spend coming in at $588,000. Ontario buyers were the highest here with an average expected spend of about $790,000 and they also saw the highest increase (around $200k per home.)

Last but not least, we’re seeing a lot of demand for mortgage pre-approval these days, and that’s not surprising given the promise of even more rate hikes from the BoC. 30% of survey respondents (8% more than last year) said they are already pre-approved to buy. Another 43%3 were aiming to be pre-approved in the near future.

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Near 25% of Homeowners May Need to Sell Home if Interest Rates Go Even Higher

Published June 13, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

There have been warnings from economists all across the country that interest rate hikes are going to occur again here in Canada, and they’re going to occur because they need to occur to combat inflation along with more simply getting into line with what rates should be. Long story short they’ve been kept artificially low for a very long time, and while there were reasons for that type of regulation the fact is that the economy can’t be geared for pandemic recovery forever.

Now to be fair, the majority of homeowners in Canada have been smart about buying the home they did, and most of those same people have managed their personal finances in a way that has let them move towards ownership of the home by being able to afford their mortgage and still have the lifestyle they’ve envisioned for yourself. Some may say that in many cases good fortune helped them do that, but to be fair there are a lot of older homeowners who bought their homes in the early 80s when 18% mortgages were the norm.

Will this mean more homes are going to go onto the market? Nearly certainly, but not so certain is whether or not that will be a huge plus for anyone working as a real estate agent. It is always a competitive business and more homes going onto the market won’t necessarily mean an uptick business for any one realtor. What likely will though is use of our online real estate lead generator here at Real Estate Leads. It is proven for helping you be directly in touch with people who are ready to make a move in the real estate market.

Let’s stay on topic though and look at the what the potential fallout of more interest rate hikes as it relates to homeowners making decisions about whether they can afford their homes anymore.

Shades of Early ‘80s

Regarding those 18% mortgages in the 80s, here we are roughly 40 years later with another incompetent Trudeau printing money to the long-term detriment of the economy. But we won’t digress into that, and will only say there are always very real consequences to bad monetary policy when it occurs at the Federal level. While interest rate increases aren’t attributable to that, the severity of their affects on the average Canadian’s budget very much are and some homeowners are about to find they’re that much more over-leveraged with the home they recently bought.

An online survey conducted by Manulife Canada between April 14 and April 20 of this year found that just under 20% of homeowners polled are already at a stage where they’re realizing their home is unaffordable for them, even if they’re currently living in it and managing to make the mortgage payments – for now. That’s because Nearly 1 in 4 homeowners are foreseeing no choice but to sell their home if interest rates go up further.

And that is in the process of happening, with the BoC overnight rate rising by half a percentage point to 1.5% on June 2, and in the response to that more than 1 in 5 Canadians expect rising interest rates to be detrimental with the impact on their overall mortgage as well as debt and financial situation.

Many are in that reality right now, with the three hikes seen so far this year having a significant impact on their household’s monthly cash flow. To give you an idea here, one that had been budgeting $2,600 a month on variable rate mortgage at the start of 2022 would be paying about $400 a month more now as result of the rates rising 125 basis points so far.

Financially Unmanageable

That is a serious amount of money, and it is not the type of quantity that can be made up for by cutting corners elsewhere. This is all an outgrowth of how over the last two or three years, very low interest rates have encouraged many Canadians to take higher mortgages. Unfortunately the same truth as always applies – you need to have a very firm idea of what you can afford, and especially considering that most people will have been advised of the potential repercussions of rising rates.

In fairness, this is something that a good realtor will take the initiative in making their clients understand long before they start making offers on properties. Yes, there is a mortgage stress test and it’s become much more stringent recently. But obviously there are buyers who passed it when in reality they should have had the common sense to pass on homes they can’t afford.

Wave of New Listings?

This creates an age-old situation where some stand to benefit at the detriment of others, and of course with more housing supply available there will be real benefits for people who haven’t been able to get into the housing market so far. But some homeowners will stand to lose their home, and even though that may be in large part their own doing it’s not something anyone should be happy about.

There is a belief that most homeowners should be insulated from a rapid rise in interest rates thanks to that federal mortgage stress test but many of them working with some credit unions or private lenders could be exempt. In these scenarios they may be qualifying for a mortgage rate of either 5.25% or two percentage points higher than their actual rate, whichever is higher.

The reality now is that Canadians who rushed into the housing market during the pandemic on the promise of low mortgage rates at or below 2% should be very clear on the fact that the time to renew is fast approaching with rates around 4% now the norm. This has the potential to double their monthly payments, and of course many simply won’t be able to afford that unless they find some way to drastically increase their income and do it quickly.

1st-time homebuyers who jumped into real estate during the pandemic will likely see these rates rising for the first time and it definitely could be a wake-up call or even a cause for buyer’s remorse. Experts suggest those who are thinking to buy a home and haven’t done so already should ask mortgage advisors about what they should expect for the next three to five years.

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GVA and Fraser Valley Home Prices Drop in Response to Interest Rate Hikes

Published June 6, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

No need to necessarily be an economist to have forecasted that median home prices in Canada were going to go down as a result of the BoC’s inevitable interest rate hikes. Everyone knew this was coming, and of course that includes those who’d stand to be the least thrilled about it – home owners considering selling their home anytime in the near future. That said, the values of said homes in comparison to what most of these owners would have paid for them should be taking a good bit of the sting off anyways.

But going up and going down is what markets do, albeit not with any frequency when it comes to real estate in British Columbia and Canada as a whole. Which is a good thing when you consider how much the real estate industry contributes to Canada’s GDP, and whether or not that’s a good thing in the big picture (it’s not, but we won’t digress). Having homes retain their value increases to a significant extent has been what the informed homeowner will have been hoping for when understanding that the market couldn’t – and shouldn’t – stay that heated forever.

Real estate agents worth their salt will have their thumb on the pulse of all of this, and it is true that even in the ‘best’ of times real estate is a competitive business given how lucrative it can be for people who have the smarts and are willing to put in the work required to be successful. Those who are new to the business may be surprised to find just how competitive it really is, and for these individuals our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is highly recommended.

The typical home price came in at $1,261,100, which worked out to a 0.3% decrease compared to April 2022. This goes along with an annual basis price that represents a 14.7% increase over May of last year. This applies to Burnaby, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, South Delta, Squamish, Sunshine Coast, Vancouver, West Vancouver, and Whistler.

But back to topic as always, let’s look at the numbers and other noteworthy considerations about median home values have dipped in the Greater Vancouver area and Fraser Valley these days.

Marginal Drop for both Regional Districts

New monthly reports from both the Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley REBs came a day after the Bank of Canada hiked its interest-setting rate by 0.5% percent on Wednesday June 1st. This was the third increase in 2022, and it brought the central bank’s key rate to 1.5%. At nearly the same time the Greater Vancouver REB reported the next day (June 2nd) that the composite benchmark price for all residential properties went down month-over-month in May.

What this means most pertinently is that the rising interest rates are making many home buyers put a lot more though into making decisions in today’s housing market. We are also seeing upward pressure on home prices beginning to ease in the housing market over the last two months, and even the most ambitious realtor is going to tell you this is absolutely something that had to happen in the big picture, despite what it might mean for folks who have only recently entered the market.

Focus on Coming Supply

Greater Vancouver home sales totalled 2,918 in May 2022, which represents a 31.6% decrease from the 4,268 sales that occurred in May 2021, and a 9.7% drop from the 3,232 homes purchased by homebuyers in April of this year. Add to that the benchmark price of a detached home in the region in May 2022 was $2,093,600, a decline of 0.4% from April while rising 15% from May 2021.

Apartment homes saw a smaller increase, with a benchmark price for this region being $779,700, up 0.4% from April 2022 and 15% compared to May of last year. Attached homes had a typical price in May 2022 of $1,141,200, working out to a 0.6% drop from April 2022 but rising 21.5% up from May 2021.

Statistics for the Fraser Valley REB – which covers Abbotsford, Langley, Mission, North Delta, Surrey, and White Rock – were quite similar although not quite as pronounced. It was quick to note falling sales, despite realtors in the region selling 1,360 properties for May 2022. That number works out to a 16.9% decline from April sales of 1,637, and being down 53.9% compared to May of last year.

Beginning in March, what has been seen is sales coming down with an accompanying increase in inventory. What this has done is provide a much-needed balance and cooling of the heated market and some people believe that the role of big pandemic-era drivers like working from home and record low interest rates may have come to an end now. Let’s hope so.

The price of a typical detached home in the Fraser Valley was an average of $1,712,500 for May, a decline of 2.4% compared to April 2022 while up 26.2% from May of last year. Townhouses in the region came in at $918,900 for townhouses, and that was a decrease of 1.4% compared to April 2022 and a 31.3% increase from May 2021. Apartments came in at $581,400, for the Fraser Valley, which is down 1.1% compared to April 2022 and up 30% in comparison to May of last year.

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76% Average Overvaluation of Toronto Real Estate is Highest in Canada

Published May 30, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Ask anyone which of Canada’s biggest cities have the most overvalued real estate and every one of them would guess Toronto or Vancouver. The Bank of Montreal released data earlier this month that Ontario’s major metropolis is outdistancing BC’s in this regard, with a 76% average overvaluation that is presented in comparison to the average overvaluation of homes in the country overall at 38%. With interest rates rising (and another rate increase expected this week from the BoC) and the market becoming suppressed because of it, this overvaluation of homes is going to be more relevant in general. Particularly for anyone looking to sell a home and having expectations as to what is should sell for.

That said, the one factor that will keep the dip from being way too severe is the fact that the demand for housing will insulate home values to a fairly considerable extent. Enough to prevent the average homeowner’s concern about the depreciating equity they have in their home? Quite possibly, but that really does in large part depend on where you live. As a realtor you will be well served to have a strong understanding of the potential ramifications of declining home values in relation to overvaluations for home in the area.

This is all part of being a knowledgeable professional, and that goes a long way in securing clients who are ready to trust you to the point that they will buy or sell a home through you. A good thing considering how it can be difficult for new realtors to build up their client base, but if that struggle is something you’re going through right now you will benefit greatly from becoming an agent with maximum insight into Canadian real estate where you live, and taking advantage of our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads may be a wise choice too.

But back to topic, let’s look at these home overvaluation numbers from more of a countrywide perspective here, and see if there are others than can stay within striking distance of Hogtown.

Over 50% for All Ontario

It’s not just Toronto, and the BMO data from the same report shows that average home prices were 55.4% overvalued in Q1 for 2022, and industry experts and economists say having any entire market overvalued so highly is a fair sign that a correction of some sort IS needed. This is with the understanding that when shelter costs rise too high they redirect capital away from the productive economy. This is around the understanding that housing a non-productive investment, since it doesn’t produce anything.

Add the fact that the larger mortgages become, the more future income buyers have no choice to borrow. Doing so means they are spending big share of the economy’s future labor value. More indebted households means slower growth for the economy, and the same basics applies for people who are renting their homes. Consider as well that younger adults spend a much higher share of their income on goods and services than older ones.

These same experts say a correction in housing values and the economic ramifications of it can go one of two ways. Either prices fall in real terms and the economy’s healthy balance is restored quickly, or prices continue to disconnect through policy intervention until the end result is systemic failure. That likely comes with a financial crisis.

Highest Overvaluations in the Suburbs

Metro Toronto real estate may be estimated to by around 40% overvalued, but it is in the suburbs of the GTA where those overvaluations are seen to be highest – in some places as high as 74%.

Some numbers around that? Sure.

  • Cottage country around Bancroft, Kawarthas, Muskoka-Haliburton, and South Georgian Bay is estimated to be 63% overvalued.
  • Cities that are just outside what would be considered a ‘satellite’ city – examples being Barrie, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Niagara, Orillia, St. Catharines, and Windsor – come in as being near 76% overvalued, and that is really somewhat staggering considering the way homes in these areas have been valued going back as far as the post-war period.

Leaving Ontario, what about other areas of Canada?

  • Quebec as a whole – 33% overvalued
  • Atlantic Canada – 35% overvalued
  • British Columbia – 21.4% overvalued (with a reminder that the Lower Mainland and Victoria certainly do not reflect the entirety of a very large Province)
  • Manitoba – 12% overvalued
  • Saskatchewan (-3.4%) and Alberta (-5%) are the two Provinces that buck the trend here and aren’t with overvalued property averages according to this same report

BC, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada are all estimated to be more than 20% Overvalued

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Downturn in Vancouver Real Estate Now Underway

Published May 24, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Anyone with a correct understanding of the situation will have told you that the overheated housing market in Vancouver has primarily been the product of 2 factors. The first being demand far exceeding supply given the rate of population growth for the city, and the second – and likely the most influential one – is cheap money. What’s meant by that for anyone who might not have an understanding of economics is that it hasn’t cost much to borrow money in Canada for quite some time now. Interest rates needed to rise as it is and now that inflation needs to be repressed there was no choice for the BoC to raise the rates.

The market did need to return to some level of normalcy, and that’s true whether you’re a homeowner or a person who is looking to buy a home. That’s because people of average incomes should be able to afford a home that fits their family, and a city cannot forget that when creating policy. But what we are seeing now with Vancouver real estate will be bringing the value of homes down. Will they come down to the point that many more people will be able to buy a home?

That remains to be seen, but in a city like Vancouver you will see modest value decreases and overall it’s not a bad thing.

This will affect realtors working with certain clients and especially those who are looking to buy. But there will also be homeowners who will put off putting their home on the market to wait and see if home values in the Lower Mainland go up again in the future. Considering this has always been cyclical (albeit with some long cycles) that is likely, It can all be contributing to struggles gaining and retaining clientele and if so realtors are encouraged to use our online real estate lead generation service here at Real Estate Leads.

But more to the interest of realtors as it relates to this is that clients may be wanting to abandon purchasing commitments, and that’s a scenario realtors in this part of the province may have little to no experience with. Let’s look at the real estate cooldown in Vancouver in more detail here, as modest as it will likely be.

+ Recession?

The fact that many economists believe there is no way Canada is going to avoid a recession in the near future may well factor into all of this too, and again especially with regards to real estate in Vancouver or Toronto. We’ll see how painful the hit to the housing market will be for homeowners. Again for Vancouver and Toronto high immigration and migration from elsewhere in Canada may stimulate sufficient demand for housing to make any recessionary blow less impactful.

Right now there are areas of Vancouver where homes have sold for about 15% less than similar area houses did a few months ago. But as mentioned what we are also seeing is some homebuyers giving thought to walking away from their deposits and cancelling purchase commitments. Well, it’s not that easy and there can be repercussions, including lawsuits from others involved to compensate for any lost money.

For example, let’s say a home involved in a cancelled sale sells at a later date for a 10% discount. It is possible the courts could state the original contracted buyer who walked away from their purchasing commitment must now compensate the original owner for the difference in the home’s value.

Mortgage Factors Too

New and 1st time homebuyers will have difficulty finding a 5-year fixed mortgage for less than 4% today, while last year that same mortgage may well have been had for 1.5% or only slightly higher if at all. The Vancouver Real Estate board has stated that the benchmark price for all residential properties in Vancouver had a 1% price increase in April compared with March.

However, many industry experts and knowledgeable realtors will say this is an unreliable indicator of the current market because of its algorithm that determines what exactly a benchmark property is. Long story short, many of these people will see you won’t see real price declines in that home price index for at least 6 months, and probably longer.

Also consider Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s April forecast suggested the country’s average home price would be around $782,400 by the end of the year, a drop of 1.7% from $796,000 in March. This will result in mortgages being more expensive, which may again take out the pool of qualified buyers who might want to consider purchasing a home at this time because of moderately lower prices.

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Canadian Home Prices Down for 2nd Month in a Row

Published May 16, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

When the rumors of the Bank of Canada’s interest rate hikes started to circulate last year economists were quick to point out how they would almost certainly factor into a cooling of the housing market. Now that the higher rates have been in place for a while we are starting to see this factoring occur, and we should be keeping in mind that there may be further rate hikes in the not-too-distant future either. And we will be plain about it and say that a cooling of the housing market is in line with interests of the collective good as homes in so much of the country are priced out of reach for the types of people we would want to see in those homes.

As expected, the biggest price depreciations are being seen in the big cities and those who are in favour of falling home prices also tend to be people living and hoping to one day be able to afford to buy there. Ideally that is something that is attainable for them, and we need to remember that a home is part of facilitating the right progression through life for people who are at that stage in it where they are ready to settle down and start a family.

At the same time these price drops will not be in the interest of those who have equity in their homes, and especially when it is the case for so many where that equity and increasing value is a key to their future retirement plans and / or to help their children with owning a home in the future. Both of those are very noble aims, and here at Real Estate leads our online real estate lead generation system is ideal for real estate agents who are new to the business and keen to increase their wealth by working in what is a potentially lucrative but VERY competitive business.

What it can do for new client generations is readily apparent for anyone who has already taken advantage of it. One thing that will happen if home prices continue to drop is that there will be more potential clientele as ever-greater numbers of people can get a home in line with what they’re approved for in a mortgage. But enough about that for now, and let’s look at back-to-back months of home prices dropping in greater detail.

Down 6% Overall

Canadian home prices went down 6% to $746,000 last month (April 2022), and primarily as the result of higher interest rates putting a new chill on what was a red-hot real estate market that had been red-hot for a long time. Home sales themselves dropped 12% nationally in April, and as mentioned the biggest declines have happened in big cities like Toronto, according to the CREA. What we can assume now is that the $816K median price for a home in Canada that was seen in February 2022 will probably stand as the high water mark for some time now.

In March it went down to $796 and that of course was right in step with higher interest rates taking effect. And let’s not look past the fact that a decline in April is one that is happening during a month that is typically strong for the housing market, with lots of buyers typically buying homes in April and May of each year as has been the case for many decades.

May Be Misleading

The CREA is quick to remind people that the average selling price can be misleading because it is easily skewed by big cities like Toronto and Vancouver having such a high number of expensive homes sales, and just more home listings and sales in general. They point to the House Price Index (HPI) in this argument as a better gauge of the market. It is better because it adjusts for the volume and type of homes sold.

And although prices are indeed down from their recent peak, they remain up by about 7% from where they were at this time last year, and that is likely because we are still experiencing the pent-up demand affect resulting from the pandemic. But nonetheless the housing market is cooling from the feverish activity that characterized it just a few short months ago. The numbers put out by the CREA are national, but there’s no debate that Toronto and Vancouver are dragging them down. Especially Toronto, where prices have decline by about $80,000 since March.

This has the potential to be a problem for both buyers and sellers. While it is true that lower prices may be welcome news for buyers trying to get into the market, they can be majorly dissuading for someone who might have been listing their home without hesitation if prices were higher. Let’s keep in mind that lack of supply is the number one factor that is keeping real estate markets hot here in Canada.

Another scenario is someone who bought high assuming lenders would loan them a certain amount and then discovering in the appraisals process that the property is much less valued by the bank than anticipated. What this does is force the buyers to have to come up with more than they were expecting to need up front.

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Short-Term Taxation Measures on Homeowners Could Be Deal-Breaker for Buyers

Published May 9, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Government intervention in the housing market is the hottest topic around these days, and when you have a country with so much of its GDP in real estate it’s not surprising that you have the skyrocketing price appreciations and real apprehension on the part of policy makers to be messing with something that in the big picture is quite integral to keeping the ship afloat. It’s certainly not a beneficial reality, but it is the path that was chosen for Canada a long time ago.

So in the here and now of 2022 it is what it is, but we shouldn’t expect the constituents and their outcries about housing affordability to be diminishing anytime soon. As is always the case elected officials need to be receptive to the wishes of those constituents, and what they are asking is for housing to be more affordable than it is now. Easier said than done? You bet it is and as we’ve gone about at length here there is no fix to this if demand continues to way outstrip supply and the country’s population continues to grow by hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Another reality that there’s no escaping is that fewer qualified buyers and more money than ever chasing after goods, services, and commodities it makes things difficult for people who have only just recently begun to work as realtors. Many would-be clients will be reaching out to established agents to help them, but with our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads they will have a leg up on that and be directly connected with these same individuals or couples.

Concerns Across the Board

Recent survey results from RE/MAX Canada finds that 78% of Canadians have taxation, interest rates, economic recession, climate change, mixed housing, and/or public transportation as very real concerns, with some of them saying these factors may influence their home-buying prerogatives over the next five years.

With that understood, let’s start by considering that 2020 saw the Canadian economy experiencing a 5.2% decline. That was buttressed some by 4.6% growth in 2021. But now we have the Government realizing they have had no choice but to raise interest rates to combat inflation, and most economists will tell you they’ve been artificially low for way too long if we’re going to be right honest about it.

All of this comes in stride with demand for new housing starts as demanded by the populous. With the influx of immigration expected in the coming years and the Fed’s goal to welcome 432,000 immigrants in 2022, we are going to see demand go through the roof with our housing market and – as always – Vancouver and Toronto will take the brunt of it all on the chin. With massively rising demand, how can affordability still exist? Is taxing existing homeowners on the value of their home a possibility?

Real Life Investment in Real Estate

Well, despite the moral impropriety of that suggestion and the fact it would create (legitimately) a massive outcry from people who have worked hard and are looking forward to using their home equity for retirement, this is what some are actually suggesting. The Canadian housing market has historically given homeowners great long-term returns and solid financial security, and so the smart move would be to have governments and policy makers taking a more collaborative approach that takes the worries Canadians have when it comes to home ownership into account.

Respondents to the survey responded in the exact same way that anyone would expect they would in the face of heavy-handed government intervention in a market where so many people are life-invested in what they have their money in there. 64% have concerns about rising property-related taxes. 58% have concerns about ongoing home affordability with a mortgage in the face of the rising interest rates.

But most notable is that more than half (55%) are concerned – and likely borderline offended – at the idea of a capital gains tax on primary residences. Now to be fair the current Liberal government has said this type of tax is not something they are considering, but let’s not lose track of the fact that Liberal Governments have a decades-on-decades track record of saying one thing and doing another. Anything for votes after all.

The Great Dissuader?

Economists and level-headed real estate market experts will tell you that economic decision-makers should instead make pragmatic and evidenced-based decisions that do not penalize Canadians. And instead incentivize then with regards to interest rates, immigration and taxation. That is the approach that will help the housing market be stable over the next decade, even if it doesn’t become inexpensive in the way some hope it will.

So what would the realities be if the capital gains tax exemption was removed? For starters it would upend the retirement plans of millions of Canadians who plan to cash in on the full gains from the sale of their principal home to fund their retirement. Which, of course, is the way it should be and the way it’s been for generations.

What WILL happen is that a) fewer homeowners will sell their home on the same timeline they would otherwise, and b) homeowners will list their homes for higher amounts to cover the difference they’ll be expected to pay in capital gains tax to the government. And they’ll do that knowing that bidding wars will still mean their home will sell for over asking at any price because – again- demand exceeds supply in Canada in a way that is unmatched in any G7 country in the world.

Would there be an initial surge of properties on the market put there by sellers who were planning to sell already and hoping to avoid the tax before it is implemented? Absolutely, but that’s it as far as positive ramifications. After that there will be nothing positive to come of it at all, and you can be darn sure that hardworking and financially responsible Canadians who have worked hard to have the equity in their home that they do will not be voting Liberal next time around.

For what it’s worth, that would be a smart choice no matter what transpires around removing a capital gains tax exemption on principal residences.

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BC NDP Government Rushes Headlong into Controversial ‘Cooling Off Period’ Legislation for Real Estate Sales

Published May 2, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Ask any real estate agent and they will tell you how common it is to have clients who’ve just sold a home be putting offers in on a new home in immediate succession. They have the confidence in doing that knowing that buyer of their previous home has contractually agreed to purchase the home, and the sale being complete that way meaning that they can comfortably go ahead and pay what they need to for their new home. Now imagine if they might be surprised in a few days time to learn that their buyer has had second thoughts and isn’t buying the home now.

Needless to say that can be throwing the largest of wrenches into their plans and in many cases it will mean they don’t get the new home they would have it the current BC NDP Government had any sense of discretion when it comes to their new ‘Cooling Off’ legislation that will allow buyers to have a grace period where they can back out of a home purchase without repercussions. The optics of all this may be good considering the housing crisis in Canada, but the working of it look absolutely terrible for home sellers, buyers, and the realtors who are working with these clients.

This is something that is fairly cut and dried for those of us here at Real Estate Leads. While our online real estate lead generation system is ideal for new realtors who want an advantage in being first in-touch with prospective clients is worth talking about, we’re going to skip that promotion and focus on this 4-page bill that is rather ominously being described by industry experts as being ‘painfully’ short on details.

Figure-it-Out Later Approach

It is no secret to anyone that the current NDP Government in BC has taken a sit on the fence approach to governance, and like many governments that have come before them there has always been a focus on placating people and hopefully doing it with as little as possible. What this legislation is yet another example of Government that wouldn’t be particularly inclined to facilitate changes to the housing market even if they did have even the slightest idea where to get started with that.

But they fully understand the importance of at least looking like they care, so here we go with a hastily and sloppily put together attempt to show the voting populous that there is some way for the Government to make housing affordable again. Of course it will do nothing of the sort, but again with these types of Governments the optics are all that matters.

A major change to how real estate purchases will work in British Columbia was quietly passed by the legislature this week, enabling new “cooling off” periods for home buyers.

List of What’s Missing

For starters, we here in the industry have no idea when this ‘cooling off’ period legislation is even going to be put in place. That’s the first of many parts of this that are missing entirely, and it does speak to the Government flying by the seat of its pants and saying what people want to hear despite their knowing full well it’s the furthest thing from a smart idea.

None of us know when will it start. None of us know how many days the cooling-off period will be. None of us know if you will have to pay a financial penalty if you back out of a deal to buy a home? We also don’t know if this will apply to every community in the province or just Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria. Considering that left-leaning Governments rely on blind-faith voting bases in big metro areas to be able continue with their malfeasance this might not be surprising.

What we do know is that this has the potential to make homeowners selling their homes be subjected to unnecessary consternation and being put a big-time disadvantage. And for no other reason that both Federal and Provincial Governments in Canada have allowed this housing shortage and affordability crisis to grow on their watch with little to nothing in the way of trying to slow it much less put a stop to it.

‘Rationale’

The NDP’s Finance Minister is saying that they are still waiting on recommendations by an independent financial agency on how a cooling-off period would work, and in which cities it should apply. She did state though that she wanted to pass the bill now so the province could be in a position to act before the busy summer real estate season. So let’s get this straight; in the interest of disadvantaging home sellers as means of advantaging home buyers because one needs more protection than the other it’s important that this gets done asap and we’ll just rush it out and figure out the details later.

Right then. Gotcha.

2 things are certain in all of this; One, this is going to nothing to bring down the cost of homes for buyers, and – more importantly – this is going to do very little to stop buyers from having to bid on homes without going through the proper processes because housing demand outstrips supply more in Canada than in any other G7 nation. And more than 70% of the real estate offers in BC these days are made without conditions, because of how competitive the market is and all the bidding wars.

The reality of the situation is that the playing field is altered for new homebuyers in Canada now and it simply is what it is. Any thing that works to cater to the inequality of that without addressing the root cause of it is simply window dressing, but in this case it is window dressing that stands to hurt homeowners who should have the security of a legally-binding agreement when someone makes the choice to buy a house.

Certainly nobody is forcing them to do so, and it is a purchase of such a significance to both buyer and seller that letting anyone get a ‘refund’ because they’ve reconsidered is simply not appropriate or acceptable.

If you’re a prospective home seller who is displeased about this you are encouraged to speak to you local MP. It is high time this ongoing collection of half-measures and ‘look at us’ empty actions from the Provincial NDP come to an end.

A Better Suggestion

BC’s real estate sector has a much better idea around implementing a 5-day ‘presale’ period where a new listing goes online but no offers are to be considered until those 5 days pass. Buyers could use the five days to line up inspections and financing, and sellers wouldn’t have to take on the uncertainty of being locked up in a cooling-off period with just one buyer that might fall through.

There is not debate that this is the much less potentially-harmful means of protecting the interests of buyers while still seeing to it that home sellers aren’t disadvantaged ‘just because’ of market conditions that have nothing to with them whatsoever.

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Multiple-Property Owners Increasingly the Norm in 4 Canadian Provinces

Published April 25, 2022 by Real Estate Leads
Hand of Business people calculating interest, taxes and profits to invest in real estate and home buying

These days there are all sorts of examples of people in power taking a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ position when it comes to their influence on policy. When it comes to housing it is a little remarkable to note how that applies to housing and members of parliament during what they themselves have described as an affordability crisis. The best example would be Vancouver-Granville Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohammad flipping 41 homes for profit over the course of a few years, all the while towing the line and stating that the cabal he belonged to would be the one to make housing affordability for Canadians a reality.

Now we’ll steer well clear of making the connection between the Federal Liberal party being of the ‘say one thing, do another’ variety, despite the whole truth of that. Or the equally accurate one of promising what people want to hear despite no intention of following through on any of it. That’s the Liberal way in Canada. However, what we’re going to talk about here is the way that it is the investor class – many who come from these same well-heeled backgrounds – are in fact dominating home ownership to rather staggering percentages in some parts of the country.

This is something that should be of interest and concern for people from all walks of life, and including the realtors who would be selling these homes to the investors who own multiple properties in the cities in which they reside – or don’t. Having home prices out of reach for the average buyer is not beneficial on any level, and that applies to the business of real estate too in that a healthy market means more would-be buyers are qualified ones able to buy a home. Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate leads can help realtors who have fewer new clients all the time because of this.

But enough about that, multiple-property owners are a massive influence in a distorted housing market – and that is certainly what we have in Canada at this time. To what extent is it a problem? Read on.

41% of Housing Stock in Some Regions

There is now data from Stats Can showing that multiple-property owners continue to hold between 29 and 41 percent of the housing stock in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Nova Scotia is where it is the highest at 41%, and of course the problem is that these multiple property owners are not daunted by stratospheric high prices for homes when they can simply go the HELOC route to afford whatever they may be based on the all the homes they already own and are – besides from their principal residence – being rented out for high rents.

New Brunswick came in at 39%, 31% for Ontario, and 29% for BC. What is also interesting to note is that in Ontario and BC governments and other entities own in the vicinity of 10% of property stock in those provinces too. And of course all of this comes on the heels of the BoC stating in February of 2021 that investors were making around 20% of all home purchases in the country. There is no changing the reality that investing in housing is safer than investing elsewhere, and as regrettable as that is there is no changing it in the short term.

A healthier and less distorted housing market benefits everyone long term, and the federal Government needs to be much more proactive in making it so that home hoarders aren’t able to do as they wish, even if they can afford to do it.

The numbers offer a pre-pandemic window into some of the country’s most heated markets and quantify some of the influence investors have on housing supplies, but are not a complete picture because many provinces and territories were not studied, the data does not break down how many properties are being rented out or used as a cottage and the figures don’t account for the health crisis.

“In the last couple of years, we have seen millennials deciding that real estate is one of the safest investments and they are taking money, not only to buy their first home, but from other investing sources to buy a second home,” she said.

“I have clients that are retired or semi-retired who have a lot of equity in homes they have owned for 30 years, so they are pulling equity out of that property to buy another property as retirement income.”

Over on the East Coast, Jacqui Rostek said her clients who are choosing to own multiple homes are typically wealthy and “not looking to get rich quick.”

They see Nova Scotia’s shrinking vacancy rates and steady need for rental homes as a way to pad their bank accounts, though many are realizing it will take longer to make back the money they spent on another home.

The demographic Rostek noted shifting toward multi-property ownership is in line with Statistics Canada’s data, which shows that the top 10 per cent of owners in those provinces earn more than the bottom 50 per cent combined, with the top 10 per cent of owners in Ontario and British Columbia each earning yearly incomes above $125,000.

But for many, multi-home ownership remains a difficult feat, especially amid inflation and an environment with rising interest rates.

The national average home price climbed by more than 20 per cent since last year to hit a record $816,720 in February, the Canadian Real Estate Association said.

Rostek has seen many multi-property holders, especially those who are small-time, relinquish homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A few people decided to reinvest their capital in other ways, like the stock market, businesses, other holdings, and it was a good time because your investment was worth more,” said the broker with Platinum Group Halifax.

“I also definitely had a fair amount of people who said it was very hard to be a landlord. If you have a few bad experiences as a landlord, you lose money, a tenant damages things, you want out.”

As a result, many are sticking to owning one home and are being joined by an influx of first-time buyers.

Statistics Canada’s data shows between 2018 and 2019 the number of first-time homebuyers increased by 17 per cent in New Brunswick, 9 per cent in Nova Scotia and 6 per cent in British Columbia.

Hermary believes the increase is being driven by people earning more and banking on there being stability in real estate investments.

“People are starting to realize they should have confidence in real estate,” she said.

“We are going to start seeing millennials and people up to the 35 or 40 start looking at investment properties as something they can do to build equity.”

The data’s release comes less than a week after the federal government announced a slew of housing measures, including the end of blind bidding, a two-year ban on foreign buyers and a first-time buyers savings account, meant to make homes more affordable and temporarily less accessible for non-residents.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2022.

Discrepancy Between Real Estate Prices In Canada and Average Incomes Continues to Expand

Published April 18, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

It’s understood as common knowledge that young people starting their careers these days will not have it as easy as their parents’ generation did, and that certainly applies to being able to afford a home in Canada too. Or at least one that’s not a 600 sq. feet or less and in the sky when they may have already started or a family or are planning to in the near future. We do need to keep in mind that we are living in a time of unprecedented and disruptive change in both the world and our country, but it is somewhat staggering just how disconnected the price of real estate has become from what people earn.

And that’s fair to say even for people who make good money doing whatever it is they do for a living. There are plenty of people under the age of 30 who have already established well-paying careers that cannot afford any type of home in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, or even Halifax now. The prices for housing in Canada are being pushed up all over the country now, and many people who would have been working with a realtor if they were at this time of their life a couple of decades earlier (or less even) are now doing nothing of the sort.

This is something that resonates with us here at Real Estate Leads. While our online real estate lead generation system is ideally for helping realtors with that shortfall of would-be clients due to this current global housing unaffordability trend, it is more of a associative thing when it comes to our understanding of the factors that are creating such a gap between house prices and incomes in Canada.

It is something we touch on regularly, but let’s use this week’s entry to really crunch some of the numbers and other very relevant information for anyone who wants a better understanding of why housing has become so staggeringly unaffordable.

18x Higher Over Course of 40 Years

Average house prices in Canada today in 2022 are just over 18 times higher than they were in 1975. While that IS a long time ago, that type of growth is not seen in any other industry or any other consumer commodity AT all across that 40+ years and it highlights how entirely unnatural that is.

Consider as well that Canadian home prices grew 5.7% in Q4 2021, bringing annual growth to 25.1% for 2021. But since Q1 2020 those same prices are up 36% Annual growth last hit this rate in the early 1980s during the last inflation crisis. Which of course is interesting considering that inflation is taking off in North America and higher interest rates may be poised to put the pinch on over-leveraged homeowners the same way the whole situation did in the 1980s.

Take a look – any look – indexed value of residential real estate prices and household disposable income in Canada and you’ll see exactly what is being laid out here, and it doesn’t look very promising for anyone who hasn’t had the means of buying a home up until now.

Let’s look at it from other angles too. Canadian home prices grew 219.5% from 2005 to the end of 2021. That is a fairly slamming figure much like the one from earlier comparing 1975 to now, and we should also remember that Canadians have 8x less disposable income than they did in 1975.

Wages Nowhere Near Keeping Pace

They certainly haven’t. Disposable income fell 1.2% in Q4 2021, which then brought down annual growth to 2.4% for 2021. And since 2020, disposable income has only climbed 7.4%, with that promising to be swallowed up by inflation here in very short order. Wages are barely keeping up with inflation, and any increased come nowhere close to touching skyrocketing home prices and values for homes that are not supported at all by the quality of the home, its size, or in some cases its location.

Long-term wage growth is equally a part of the problem when it comes to fewer and fewer people being legitimately able to afford a home that suits them. And this is very much a recent phenomenon, as is how home prices are greatly outpacing income. Home price growth over the past year has been even greater, rising to 10.5x disposable income growth.

The speed with which this is happening should be more of a concern than the simple fact IT IS happening, and the rapidity with which more and more people are priced out of being homeowners is something that decision-makers at the federal level are really going to have to dig into and try to come up with some sort of solution. One that will put a very essential part of people’s lives and personal / family growth back into the realm of possibility when they are doing just fine with their career and making what should be considered good money.

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Liberal Government’s 2021 Federal Budget to Include 2-Year Foreign Home buyer Ban

Published April 11, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

It had long been expected that the new Federal budget was going to include some type of ban on foreign ownership as the current Government works to find ways to address a very real problem that needs addressing – the overheated nature of the Canadian housing market and homes that are becomingly increasingly unavoidable for the vast majority of the population in Canada. The population outside Canada? Well that’s an entirely different story as the current prices of homes here are affordable for a great many of them and there’s all sorts of reason why that is.

We won’t get into that here, but we will concur that foreign ownership is a part of the problem as to why homes cost too much for average Canadians. It certainly does factor into the supply end of the equation, and homes purchased for more than they are worth if fueling price appreciations in a very negative way for people who have yet to get into the real estate market. The challenge for these people is very real, as is the entirely different type of challenge for those who work with both home buyers and those selling homes – realtors like you who’ll be reading this.

That challenge is generating new clientele. This is why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is so highly recommended for those new to the business who want to get more of out their client prospecting efforts, and here in the 21st century Internet Marketing resources make that possible and that’s why we are able to offer realtors what we do.

But back to our topic for this week; what more can we know about the 2-year foreign buyer’s ban for Real Estate in Canada?

Paired with Explosive Population Growth

This ban will be helpful in cooling the market, but the question is to what extent will it be helpful? Experts tend to think it will only be marginally beneficial, as so much of the forces pushing demand to WAY outstrip supply is based around 2 facts:

  • Population growth in Canada and inbound immigration is far beyond what the rate of new home building can even be close to keeping pace with. Some 400, 000 new Canadians are expected to arrive just this year alone, and most will be seeking housing in the same metro areas where the housing crisis is most acute as it is.
  • There is a massive shortage in skilled trades that make new home builds difficult to commence, even if the will to build them and funding is in place. Homes need to be quality built, and that takes a certain developer with the right people building the homes to be able to do that.

One thing that is true is that certain bidding processes and new realities around real estate sales favour investors, and as we all know many of those investing in Canadian real estate live outside of the country. To be fair, there’s nothing wrong with that provided the market is health and not skewed one way or the other. But that is not the case in Canada, and that’s why we agree that this 2-year ban on foreign buyers is a good move, although we also agree it will likely make little difference in the big picture.

Primary Residence and Other Exemptions

The Government has explained that permanent residents, foreign students, and TFWs (temporary foreign workers) will be exempted from the ban. But what is most notable about the exemptions is that foreigners who are buying a primary residence – that is, not buying homes as investments with the intention to leave the empty OR rent them out – will not be banned from buying real estate either.

Can we assume that there will be a good amount of homes bought by investors who find one of these individuals to have their name on the deed, or any other of a number of likely loopholes? Absolutely, but this is an issue where progress is probably going to be made incrementally and as such this foreign buyer ban over the next 2 years may help contribute to more normalcy in the housing market. Maybe not as much as hoped, but it will be a positive to at least some extent.

What it does do is allow the Government to appear as if it cares about the everyday Canadian’s ability to afford housing for themselves, and whether or not that’s true it is something that has been expected for some time. Here it is now, and we are already looking forward to 2 years from now when the success of this move can be evaluated.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads. These leads are delivered to your exclusively, meaning you will the only realtor to get them and what that does of course is give you first crack at being in touch with these prospective clients, ones that live in the same area of any city or town in Canada where you are working as a real estate agent. It’s telling that every realtor who has signed up for REL already sees it is a great investment in growing their real estate business, and you will almost certainly feel the same way.

5 Years In, Ontario expands on Foreign Buyer Speculation Tax

Published April 4, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

It’s no secret that the 2 housing markets most coveted by foreign investors outside of Canada are Toronto and Vancouver. That will have nothing to do with the fact these are nice places to live with plenty of job opportunities. Nice and all, but these investors want to buy here exclusively because the demand outstripping supply reality is so pronounced in these two cities that home prices continue to go up meteorically. Of course that means significant gains on the investment, but the problem is it takes housing stock away from families who are struggling to afford a home.

And furthermore, a home that they would actually live in and in many cases raise children. Governments have a responsibility to cater to the interests of the constituents who vote them into office, and that is why both Vancouver and Toronto have a speculation tax that is attached to homes that are purchased as investments by someone who isn’t a Canadian. It’s an honourable move, although if we are going to be honest there are plenty of ways around it if people know what to do.

But that’s not the point here; these speculation taxes are a good thing and are needed. There’s no debating that, and even the most ruthless realtor will probably agree that a house that sold for $600K 5 years ago shouldn’t be going for quite a ways over $1M in such a short period of time. Ambition is a good thing, but not when it comes at the expense of others too decidedly.

On the topic though, real estate IS as competitive a business as there is and new realtors may struggle to drum up new clientele. Enter our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads. It is proven effective and highly recommended. Back to topic though, what can we know for more about why Ontario is joining BC in increasing their speculation tax.

Up to 20%

The Ontario government introduced its NRST (Non-Resident Speculation Tax) 5 years ago in an effort to slow Southern Ontario’s rapidly growing housing market. As the market has continued upwards even faster in recent years, it’s become clear the NRST isn’t the deterrent policy makers had hoped it would be. So now it has gone up an additional 5%.

It is also province wide now. Up until 4 days ago the NRST was applied to only homes purchased in the Golden Horseshoe region, and by buyers – either individuals or corporations – who were not Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Plus the 15% was previously added on top of the purchase of a property. With the new changes that rate is increasing to 20% and will apply to homes sold anywhere in Ontario. According to the Provincial Government, the aim is to ‘strengthen efforts to deter non-resident investors from speculating in Ontario’s housing market, and in doing so making home ownership more realistic for Ontario residents who live and work in this Province.’

The government there has also managed to close loopholes in the tax that previously allowed for tax avoidance with some purchases. Foreign speculation has been highlighted as a primary factor driving prices up in Ontario, but we need to be clear that it is not the only primary factor.

Vacancy Tax Coming Too

Toronto is also following Vancouver’s lead in having both speculation AND vacancy taxes, and they’ve said they will be adding a home vacancy tax to also add funds to building affordable housing across the Province. Ottawa has said that they will do the same thing

In the press release, the province also indicates that they are working with municipalities to instate a vacant home tax as part of a plan in progress to ease affordability issues for Ontario home buyers. A vacancy tax has already been put in place in the City of Toronto and the City of Ottawa is in the process of preparing a similar tax.

In the coming months we should likely expect further measures coming from both provincial and federal authorities in an attempt to counter out-of-control price growth and supply deficiencies. While it is true the current Liberal performers did make it a campaign promise to ban all new foreign ownership for up to two years, they backtracked on that right quick in the face of pushback from many interest groups.

What we can all agree on is that addressing the housing supply crisis needs a long-term strategy featuring similarly long-term commitment and coordination with our partners and between all levels of government. A speculation and vacancy tax may in Ontario isn’t appealing in a basic sense for anyone who has worked hard to own a home, but it is now necessary in the light of years of Government indifference to foreign money – some of it being laundered – being allowed to buy Canadian real estate.

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Have Clients Consider REIT if Homes are Not Affordable

Published March 28, 2022 by Real Estate Leads
Toronto Homebuyers Continuing to Eye Detached Homes Despite Challenging Market

So many Canadians are finding themselves nowhere near being able to afford a house, despite being at or just past the age where there parents and grandparents were becoming 1st-time homeowners. We live in a very different world now and these people have the unfortunate reality of being young adults at a time when salaries and wages are not keeping up with inflation or the price of housing in Canada. Why fewer people than ever before are able to afford a home – even a starter – has been covered at length in the media and to a lesser extent here too.

People who do have a sufficient nest egg saved up for buying a home but don’t want to purchase something at a price that may make it have negative value in the future have options. One of them is to invest that money in a REIT – a real estate investment trust. These investment groups have for the most part been very successful in Canada and America because in both countries the value of real estate can be relied upon to appreciate significantly. When your money is invested in one that makes smart calls about where to invest in real estate, it can net you the return you need to buy a home down the road.

This, along with the affordability challenges facing many would-be buyers, is something that we can relate to here at Real Estate Leads, and in the same way we know that generating new clients can be similarly challenging for new agents. That’s why we are so keen to promote our online real estate lead generation system to any new real estate agent who is eager to do everything they can to make their career profitable as soon as possible.

But back to our topic and why investing money in a REIT may be a good choice for clients who can’t get into the market but feel they still want to make an investment in real estate.

Fave of Yield-Hungry Investors

For decades now REITs have been preferable for yield-hungry investors because they provide steady dividend income and tax benefits. There is a lot of insider belief right now that it is an opportune time to invest in REITs amid rising inflation, record capital flowing into the property sector and tight real estate supply. Of course there is risk, but there always is to some extent. But we need to remember we are in an inflationary period and historically real estate investments have performed well in inflationary times.

The stats certainly bare out that’s where we are right now with Canada’s economy. The country’s inflation rate climbed 7.5% in February from a year earlier to a 31-year-high, and the Bank of Canada raising interest rates earlier this month was a big part of why that happened. All the while home prices went up 20+% in February to a record $816,720, and this has not surprisingly left many Canadians priced out of the housing market.

Interest rates can go up because of inflation during an economic expansion, and this is also what we have happening here moving into Q2 for 2022. Along with that rental income for REIT companies goes up too, and the profits then become dividends redistributed to shareholders.

Role of Private Capital

Another very noteworthy reality for 2022 is we have a RECORD amount of private capital chasing real estate, which makes this space that much more attractive to potential investors. Somewhere areound USD $364 billion in private capital was earmarked for global real estate investment over the past year.

The best of REITS if you have the means of investing in them are single-family home REITs, and the reason is simply because most now have double-digit growth in net operating income growth. Need to be convinced of that? Investors who put big money in Canadian residential REITs over the last 10 years have gotten an average 220% return out of that investment. Looking at it from the other end of the equation, homeowners have seen somewhere around an average of a 137% increase in home prices from 10 years ago. Tax measures need to be taken into consideration there, but still.

Long story short – investors can appreciate their wealth through REITs without taking on the costs of a mortgage, property taxes, and home maintenance. Industrial REIT investments are smart too, there are many people who choose to be invested in both.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively to ensure you are the only realtor who has the chance to be in touch with these people. People who live where you work as an agent and are likely ready to make some type of foray into or further into the world of buying and selling homes. Either as investors or for people who need the right home for their family. It’s a dynamite way to build up your client base much more quickly than you would otherwise.

Canada with 2nd Most Overvalued Real Estate for Country with Advanced Economy

Published March 21, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

If there was any dispute about homes in Canada being valued at more than they are truly worth, there isn’t anymore if a new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is to be taken at face value. Many people will suggest – with some merit to it – that a home is like any other consumer product in that it’s real value is what someone is willing to pay for it. But the real estate market is different and primarily because so much of this country’s GDP is actually in real estate, and that’s to say nothing of all the lesser factors that are factoring in too.

It is also true that homes have their value inflated unnaturally here in Canada simply because new housing starts are nowhere near keeping up with immense population growth, and that is doubly true for cities that are desirable for job opportunities, cost of living, and the natural environment. This is something that is very different from other countries, and very notably our neighbour the USA to the South.

Real estate agents do better for themselves when houses sell for well over asking, but most realtors are also aware of the negative realities of when houses are overvalued and people who would be qualified buyers in any other country are not able to get into the market here. We will also say that most realtors are civic-minded people who realize that home ownership allows people to be more solid fixtures when contributing to a community. Acquiring new clientele can be more challenging these days, and our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a great way to gain an advantage there.

Back to topic, let’s look what this OECD report is detailing exactly and how it highlights how Canada’s housing market isn’t in the best of health overall with homes that are overvalued. So much so that only one country – the Netherlands – overall has homes that are more overvalued.

House Price to Income Ratio

One of the fundamentals of housing affordability is the house price to income ratio. It’s the ratio of the market price of a typical property based on the share of household income. An upward trending ratio will indicate that prices for homes are outpacing median income growth, and the result then is always worsening housing affordability for the average citizen. If the ration is going down then incomes must be outpacing home prices, and housing affordability is improved as a result.

The OECD created an index for cross-country comparison. By setting 2015 at 100 and the indexed value from that period indicates the changes and variances. An index of 110 would indicate home prices have grown 10% faster than household incomes between 2015 and today. An index of 90 would mean incomes gained 10% on home prices. The hope here is that by measuring the rapidity with which these metrics are changing, the problem can be addressed before it becomes a runaway one.

Surging Canadian real estate prices over recent years are not due to an income boom. The index reached 141.9 in Q4 2021, which shows us that from 2015 incomes trailed home prices by 41.9%. And home prices have more than doubled the pace of income growth over the 20+ years since 2000. It is interesting to note that these house price surges are being seen in most advanced economies. The situation in Canada, however, is different and one needs to keep our smaller overall population in mind first and foremost there.

Canada Outpacing USA

If we look at home prices in the USA it puts the situation in even more pointed perspective. The US house price to income ratio index went up to 130.5 for the 4th and final quarter for 2021. Since 2015 there home prices grew 30.5% faster than incomes but if we then look at the similar since-2000 number it’s only around 23%.

The important takeaway here is that Canada’s gap between home prices and incomes grew almost 5x faster than the US over the last 20+ years, and that’s not something that should happen naturally. And of all G7 countries Canada has the most overvalued real estate according to this report. The disconnect here is fast growing, and the fix for all of this is something that decision makers in Ottawa are obviously struggling with.

We need to understand further that Canada’s very large gap is due in part to the extent of time it has gone on. Following the central banks overstimulating markets in 2020, price surges have been observed nearly everywhere. But in Canada it has been a different story, starting with bering flagged by the US Federal Reserve back in 2015 for housing exuberance. Home prices have been on an expressway for almost half a decade, and unfortunately the wider this gap becomes, the more difficult it will be to effectively remedy it and make houses more affordable for larger numbers of people.

Which will also promote a better working environment and a more suitable type of qualified-buyer client base for the real estate agents like you who will be reading this.

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New March 2022 BCREA White Paper Provides Recommendations Related to Housing Market

Published March 14, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

You wouldn’t know if you only read mainstream media sources, but there is much more to the state of the housing market in BC than just the housing crisis that at the most basic level is based on a huge disparity between the demand for homes and the supply of them. For sure that is as newsworthy a topic if any if we’re to discuss the market here or anywhere in Canada, but other points that are especially relevant at this time are the real estate transaction process and consumer protections.

The need for consumer protections in particular is one that has been pushed to the forefront by the blind bidding trend and people making offers without subject-tos or home inspections because of the fact they have no chance of getting the home if they don’t bid and move to close as soon as possible. This of course is inadvisable in any homebuyer scenario imaginable, but it’s happening more and more frequently in Vancouver and elsewhere in overheated markets in Canada.

Real estate agents are always keen to provide good advice and guidance for clients, but these new realities can have them in a tough spot too. Any dedicated realtor will want to steer their clients in the right direction, but with fewer and fewer prospective homebuyers being qualified to purchase homes it becomes a challenge for the realtor too. That’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such a good choice for anyone who wants to be immediately put in touch with greater numbers of people truly ready to sell a home, or buy a home.

Back to topic, just a little more than a week ago the BCREA (British Columbia Real Estate Association) released a white paper with the goal of addressing a wide swath of concerns that people in the industry and those who want to enter or move in the market have at this time. Let’s look at it with our entry this week.

5 + 30

The paper made 5 primary recommendations, and then an additional 30 secondary recommendations. The 4 primary recommendations were

  1. Providing buyers with a grace period to research a property before making an offer, which would be accomplished by a mandatory ‘pre-offer period’ of at least 5 business days from when a property is first listed. No offers can be made during this period.

In our opinion this is an excellent suggestion, and much more appropriate than the ‘cooling off’ period suggested where buyers could back out of an agreed-upon home sale after closing a deal.

  1. Helping consumers make more informed decisions in multiple offer scenarios by having real estate sector stakeholders collaborate to establish a process that promotes offer transparency for buyers while still respecting privacy concerns.
  1. Ensuring immediate access to relevant information is provided to would-be buyers by making property disclosure statements mandatory and available immediately when a home is listed.
  1. Mandating all documents related to strata transactions be made available with the listing, possibly to include strata bylaws, depreciation reports, status of contingency funds, strata council correspondence and any Form B.
  1. Raising the entry qualifications for new licensees as a means of ensuring consumers are supported by an evolving profession that is evolving and both knowledgeable and receptive to a changing market.

The BCREA also states they believe market conditions are untenable and that long-term measures to create more housing options for British Columbians are very much needed.

Following Recommendations

The white paper also contains an additional 30 recommendations around housing supply issues, better consumer protections in real estate transactions, how the real estate sector should evolve and the proposing of a world-leading regulatory structure.

The aforementioned proposal for a ‘cooling off’ period was a part of what the report was designed to address specifically. Their statement regarding it was that they are ‘concerned that this decision was made without first conducting thorough public consultations with the real estate sector and consumers, a problem statement or supporting rationale’ and of course that is something that we are also very much in line with and imagine that all realtors and many current homeowners will agree with.

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Homebuilding Starts in Canada Not Where They Need to Be

Published March 7, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Discussions around the less-than-ideal state of the Canadian housing market will take all sorts of approaches, but one aspect of it all that doesn’t get talked about enough is the way the number of new building starts is not anywhere near what it needs to be if housing supply shortages are to be addressed. The fact that building intentions are once again back in correction territory is yet another piece of news that isn’t a positive for the outlook on Canadian housing. These declines have been consistent, and we’ll talk about how that is and what it can indicate for the future.

What’s most notable about this is that permits issued for new home builds of all sorts are way up from where they were in early 2020, but that doesn’t change the fact that building intentions being down shows that there is less enthusiasm on the part of the builder to build. Is that because the types of housing being promoted by local governments isn’t the type of housing developers would prefer to build? Maybe, but that remains speculation.

Vibrancy and health in the housing market is dependent on a sufficient supply of homes being for sale, and the profitability of a career in real estate is also tied into that. Some realtors may be struggling to cement themselves in their new career choice, and for these people our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads comes highly recommended. It is a means of getting a leg up on other realtors when it comes to being first in touch with prospective clients.

Let’s stay on track with the topic for our entry here though, and specifically with how building intentions can be a very different indicator than the number of building permits issued.

Down 11% From Peak

Across residential and non-residential sectors we are seeing building intentions lose steam. In January of this year seasonally adjusted value of permits dropped down to $10.1 billion, an 8.8% dip from the previous month. The highest number there was recorded this past November but is now 10.96% lower than where it was then, and that definitely does qualify as a correction. This was primarily in the residential sector, but if we look at the combined seasonally adjusted value of Canadian residential and non-residential building permits in current and inflation-adjusted dollars we see much of the same trend.

Unprecedented inflation rates are also part of the big picture right here and now in 2022, and inflation in Canada is running so high that annual growth is suffering for it. This affects real estate directly as you would imagine it would given how much of Canada’s GDP comes from real estate (regrettably). Seasonally adjusted real growth took a monthly plunge to the tune of 8.23% in January and March of 2021 seems to be when inflation reached its adjusted peak. Permit values now being 17.54% lower than they were at that peak is not a good thing in any way, shape, or form when you understand that developers build homes to make a profit, as would any business.

Building Intentions Down 18% From Peak

Residential real estate is always going to be where most permit value is found, and these homes are the ones that are behind the large decrease in values. Seasonally adjusted residential building permits went down to $6.72 billion in January, and 11.63% drop from the last month of 2021 and down around 18% from the peak seen in March 2021 as mentioned. A correction is defined as any drop of more than 10% , and so with the number being near double that what we have is something much more drastic than just a correction.

The primary factor in this decline was a sudden lack of enthusiasm for multi-family units, but again consider what we alluded to before – developers build types of homes that are a) in demand, and b) bring them the largest profit. But no matter whether you agree with that or not, the decline in building permits does indicate falling intentions for building future. Yes, they are 50% higher than anything seen through or before 2020 but that’s a comparison to excessive demand. There are still many homes coming to market, but enough? Nowhere near it.

Last but not least we need to remember that labour and material prices are up significantly too because of large-scale building over such a short period. This drives the cost of building higher as more homes were built and growth is then accelerated further.

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BCREA Legitimately Critical of Legislated ‘Cooling Off’ Period for Home Sales

Published February 28, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Efforts to cool the housing markets in both BC and Ontario are admirable when you look at them on an elemental level, but there is reason to be critical when those efforts are left in the hands of Provincial Governments that have proven themselves to be wholly incompetent. That is very much the case in British Columbia, as in addition to all the other preceding measures introduced by the Government to disadvantage hard working home owners we now have them with new proposed legislation slated to be introduced this spring.

What this ‘Cooling Off’ legislation will do is give homebuyers a window to back out of deal for a property with no or diminished legal consequences. Not only will this create very real problematic scenarios for people selling their home, but industry experts are saying it will do next to nothing to cool down the housing market, and particularly in the very overheated Lower Mainland. It is an effort to placate those who can’t afford to get into the housing market, but we suppose there is some value in that.

Indeed, getting into the real estate market is much more difficult than it used to be, and at the same time working in real estate is more challenging that ever too. It has become competitive in just the way you’d imagine it would with home value increases meaning more in earning capacity for realtors, and there are hundreds of thousands of realtors working across Canada. If generating new clients is a struggle then our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is highly recommended.

Back to topic – let’s look at why the BCREA is not in favour of the new legislation and their explanations as to how it will not affect the market positively much if at all.

Ineffectual at Best

The general consensus is based on similar cooling-off periods in other global jurisdictions that showed the policy to be ineffectual at best. Industry experts point to how chronically low inventory supply is the major stumbling block for this type of legislation having the type of effect intended for it. The lack of inventory will promote ever greater numbers of prospective homeowners willing to consider overextending themselves to buy a home, and this means greater numbers of them potentially backing out when reconsidering their purchase.

Again, in theory that is not a bad thing and there will be some buyers that will be saved from making a hasty purchase that would end up hating them down the road. But there are going to be far too many of them in that potential scenario unless there is more of a natural supply of inventory that allows for an inherent balance between interests of both home seller and the homebuyer.

The position of the Government is that there is a need to ensure ‘buyers have time to get the information they need to make a sound decision that is right for them’ according to Minister Robinson, who added further that the real estate industry’s commission-based nature means the BCREA has a vested interest in keeping the market hot. That is also likely true, but again the focus needs to be on the fact that similar efforts have failed in other markets around North America – and ones that have much less of a supply crisis and lack of new housing starts like Vancouver does, and to a lesser extent BC as a whole.

Bad Unintended Consequences

It is entirely fair to say that this hast the potential to put homeowners who in a difficult situation. Many homeowners who accept an offer on their home when they have plans to move to another one have a very real chain of events to consider. Having an accepted offer be unvalidated summarily has the potential to hurt them, especially if they themselves are putting in their own offer on a new home. Yes, that will not always apply but it will in many instances and this is something that needs to be considered.

This uncertainty for sellers who may be involved in another transaction is reason enough to say that this proposed legislation is poorly thought out, and that is to say nothing of other factors that will grow out of this:

  • Worsening affordability
  • Increase in frivolous offers as some buyers figure they can be loose with making offers knowing they won’t be held to them so long as they go back on them within the time period

Pressing Low Inventory Factor

It was just earlier this month that VREB pointed to a lack of supply causing January home sales to slow from a record-setting pace last year. The benchmark price still went up 18.5% as compared to last January, and that was to roughly $1.2 million for a detached home. Industry experts are also saying that BC is 25,000 listings short of the amount that would be required for a balanced market and that the lack of supply may be even more problematic with the 70,000 to 80,000 immigrants expected in BC this year.

As an alternative, the BCREA is very astutely suggesting a mandatory ‘pre-offer period’ where offers will be blocked from being made for at least 5 business days after the property is first put on the market. The idea there is that prospective buyers have enough time to do their research on a home and evaluate their ability to afford it without having to worry about offers being made and / or the home selling before they have a chance to do this due diligence.

The BCREA also suggests the province create more transparency in the homebuying process, so people can make more informed decisions when they find themselves in multiple-offer scenarios and are unsure if they want to continue bidding higher.

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Looming Rate Hikes Not Dissuading Homebuyers in Canada

Published February 21, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Nearly everyone and their dog will be aware by this point that that Bank of Canada is likely going to be raising interest rates soon, but one thing that we all have seen over the past year is so many people saying that higher interest rates are going to work to cool the real estate market in Canada. That may still be true, but that cooling off is not manifesting itself in buyer and seller activity in the market. At least not yet. The standard logic is that higher rates may mean new buyers have overextended themselves with the purchase, but it seems that is not much of a discouragement at this time.

The vibrancy of the market doesn’t seem to be hindered at all as we move closer to the rate hikes which are expected to come as soon as the end of March. Buyers are apparently not discouraged at all right now, and how much of that can attributed to FOMO – fear of missing out – is debatable. The fact is the value in property ownership in many areas of Canada continues to be both desirable and attainable for a lot of people, and there are plenty of stats that support that reality.

A market that continues to have momentum to it is always going to be good if you look at it from the business end of things, and realtors in Canada are definitely in the business. More and more new realtors enter the profession all the time and for good reason as the commissions on home sales in Canada are considerable based on what houses are selling for. Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to get a leg up for yourself if you are a realtor who is struggling to make a name for yourself.

Moving back to our topic for this entry, let’s look more at how homebuying activity isn’t really missing much of a beat at all here in the early part of 2022.

Full Steam Ahead

Optimism about the nation’s housing market is as high as it has ever been, and that is despite warnings from the Central bank and regulatory officials that borrowing costs are set to increase and higher interest rates could make some real estate purchases regrettable in the near future. The fact that most prospective buyers go ahead with home purchases can be connected to many points, but none is more relevant than the fact that people see the homes increasing in value in a big way with a short timeline.

A survey found that nearly 64% of Canadians expect increases in value for real estate in their neighborhoods to increase over the next six months. The number of qualified buyers has gone down with the mortgage stress test increases of 2020, but there are still plenty of Canadians who have the means of buying a home and aren’t hesitant to do so despite the cost of borrowing money going up.

This really isn’t a surprise to anyone who knows of all the many different factors that go into the housing market in Canada, but this level of continued willingness is at least a little surprising considering it comes a week after the Bank of Canada made clear its plans to start raising lending rates soon. What might actually be more noteworthy are efforts to quell speculative expectations in the nation’s housing market. One that has seen prices make up to 40% jumps since the start of the pandemic.

Faith in Rising Values

The 64% number for an average of the number of Canadians expecting real estate values to go up in their area is on that has only been that high for two years. Before that it never went much higher than 40% according to the pollsters who do this kind of research. Interesting to note as well that only less than 6% of respondents to the survey said they though prices would fall.

The one thing we do know is that the BoC has no choice but to raise rates to combat inflation in Canada, which everyone will know is very real right now. Higher rates DO present the possibility of a housing market correction, but we are all fairly certain that certain markets – Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto most notably – will be by and large immune to any correction.

Another thing to consider is that the central bank’s decision to wait until March at the earliest to start its hiking cycle may actually be fueling the housing market. Something which has benefits or drawbacks whether you’re a homeowner looking to move or if you are someone who is looking to get into the housing market for the first time.

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Highlights from Re/Max 2022 Luxury Housing Market Report

Published February 14, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

It’s no secret that many of the people who are buying the most expensive real estate in Canada have extremely deep pockets, and that is equally true of both foreign and domestic buyers. Luxury real estate is always evaluated as a different entity when looking at housing prices and the extent to which they are affordable – or not – for prospective homebuyers. Many of the homebuyers who might be able to afford a more standard family home that is selling for way over asking price wouldn’t even be able to consider purchasing luxury properties.

Luxury real estate is also not as common in certain areas of the country, although it is not exclusive to areas of the country where the housing market is at its hottest either. Plus, unlike homes purchased as investments that may not be earmarked for living in the home, most luxury real estate is purchased with the intention of living there. That’s not to say it is not possibly being bought as an investment, but it is not nearly as common.

What we’re going to look at with our entry this week is a review of the Re/Max 2022 Luxury Market Report and highlighting all of the main points that would be of interest to realtors and / or clients they are working with who would like to be best informed before buying very expensive real estate. Realtors will want to take note too, as these clients will be ones that they will want to work with for obvious reasons. Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent choice for any realtor who wants to get that leg up on the competition in a big way when it comes to generating new clientele.

Looking at the report, this is what we feel is most noteworthy and what you might want to see for yourself or perhaps include in any report communication that you might be forwarding to certain types of buyers.

More Activity in Smaller Centres

The extensive and active buying of luxury homes is spilling into smaller centres where the buyer often has more purchasing power. The COVID pandemic has accelerated that trend, and this is something that has already been discussed at length. This is very true for Ontario. Iand a noteworthy buyers’ trend for markets like London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, Barrie, Kingston and Ottawa.

Home sales are pushing into higher price points across Canada. The luxury segment over $3 million represents is now making up about 4% of total sales in Metro Vancouver and 1.8% of them for the GTA. The East Coast factors in too with sales over $1 million in Halifax-Dartmouth representing 2.2% of total sales for the region.

Previous records for luxury sales were broken for the Greater Toronto Area in 2021, while Metro Vancouver fell short of 2016 record levels by just over 200 sales.

Condominium sales over the $3 million price point in the GTA and Metro Vancouver have bounced back firmly from 2020, setting a new record in the GTA and matching 2016 numbers for Metro Vancouver. There were 106 luxury condominium units sold in 2021 in Toronto, and that is up 82.8% over 2020 levels, while 144 luxury units had new owners in Metro Vancouver for 2021, and that is a 44% increase from the previous year.

As expected there was an upswing in non-resident buyers in Metro Vancouver area, but seeing the same for Halifax-Dartmouth in 2021 was not as expected.

Role of Young Entrepreneurs

An increase in young entrepreneurs making these types of big money purchases has been seen in the GTA, and a good number of them have realized crypto-currency gains to make their way into the housing market. Family wealth also continues to contribute to the increase in luxury home sales as it always has, with many parents utilizing their own equity assets to help children get into the luxury real estate market.

There are also greater numbers of non-resident buyers returning to Canada’s residential housing markets, even though taxes aimed at foreign ownership in Metro Vancouver – 20% Foreign Buyer Tax, 2% Speculation and Vacancy Tax (SVT), and 3% Empty Home Tax and the 15% Non-Resident Speculation Tax aimed at Ontario’s Greater Golden Horseshoe Area.

Sales of building lots have declined at the top end, and this is likely due to buyers being reluctant to embark on construction without cost clarity and difficulties in finding labour, plus the realities of supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic and other factors that are now adding a lot of time to the custom-building processes that are common with luxury home builds.

The $3 million price point is where luxury home inventory is balanced in Metro Vancouver and there are only 200 such homes homes meeting the same criteria that are currently listed for sale in Toronto. Lastly, supply levels are exceptionally low in about half of markets surveyed for the Re/Max report. Locations including the GTA, Victoria, Kelowna, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, Barrie, Kingston and Ottawa.

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Toronto May Overtake Vancouver as Canada’s Most Expensive Market

Published January 31, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Vancouver has long been the most expensive housing market in Canada, and for obvious reasons when you considerate the climate, scenery, and everything else that makes living in the city desirable for people. Naturally owning property becomes desirable too when there is such a level of widespread desire to be there, and one of the things that has always been an increasing factor in Vancouver is the geographical constraints of the area that prevent it from expanding the way other cities in North America do.

For as long back as memory will serve Toronto has been reliably coming in at #2 for expensive housing markets. One of the things that Toronto has had going for it that is better for housing availability and affordability is the ability to expand without those same geographical constraints. In many ways that is what has allowed the Golden Horseshoe to be what it is, but what is true is that the rate of development and the type of development that has been occurring in Toronto in more recent years has Toronto poised to overtake Vancouver as Canada’s most expensive housing market.

There are estimates that there are upwards of 40 000 realtors working in the GTA, and no doubt this news of a possible new #1 will sound just fine if you’re a well-established Toronto realtor. If you’re not that and perhaps new to the business it may be even more daunting to wonder how you’ll start to build you client base and get to that same level of being established in the business locally. That’s challenging for realtors in Toronto and Vancouver, but our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is ideal for giving you a genuine advantage when it comes to meeting prospective new clients.

So the question then is what’s pushing Toronto to potentially overtake Vancouver as the most expensive place to buy a home in Canada? That’s what we’ll focus on here this week.

Fast Narrowing Gap

If the quickly closing gap between average home prices in Canada’s two most expensive cities is any indication then Toronto is becoming very much like Vancouver. At least in relation to their stratospheric home prices if nothing else. As of December 2021, Greater Toronto Area home prices were only lagging behind those of Vancouver by about 4% and that works out to the smallest gap since 1991.

The two cities have gone back and forth being the most expensive cities for rent in Canada, and much of that can be attributed to Toronto being much more of a logical destination for young career professionals as well as the country’s number one destination for new immigrants. But one thing that is fully established now is that home prices in Toronto are rising significantly faster than those for Vancouver’s and there’s plenty of reason to believe that this multi-year trend is going to accelerate.

Contributing Factors

Lack of government restriction is a huge factor in this, as what is happening is home developers are building what is best for profits and not building the type of multi-family housing that Toronto needs. Homebuyers still need homes though, and they buy what is there to be had – in most of the cases, condominiums. Competition for condominium sales is a result of buyers buying what is available to them, but it creates a lot of problems for the housing market and does push up prices higher when the housing that is available doesn’t meet the needs of the buying collective.

Other factors are contributing too; immigration, demand outstripping supply, insufficient numbers of new housing starts, and rates of housing completion and ever-increasing investor interest. All of which has contributed to prices rising up a staggering 40% in the Greater Toronto Area since 2018. Over the same time the rise was just 13% for the same timeframe in Vancouver.

We also know that GVA home prices were dampened by additional policy measures meant to combat affordability challenges, including raising land transfer and school rates on highly expensive homes along with increasing the foreign buying tax rate. These measures have not been seen in Toronto the same extent, but it is reasonable to think they may be implemented eventually if Toronto’s market stays overheated for a long time in the same way Vancouver’s has.

The last thing to be said about this trend with rapidly increasing home prices in Toronto is that inventory levels do not go up even remotely in line with demand then this trend is sure to be even more pronounced in the near and long-term future.

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Report Indicates Investors Make Up 19% of Homebuyers in Canada

Published January 24, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

For many years now there has been a large group of people who claimed that the primary reason Canada’s housing market was overheated was due to investors buying multiple homes to rent out while they occupied a primary residence. The issue of contention for a large portion of that period was the nationality of these investors and whether or not they were living in the country. Turns out there’s not a whole lot of relevance to that, but the numbers of people who are buying homes as an investment is relevant when you look only at the number of transactions they are behind.

19% of transactions being completed by investor buyers is a significantly large number, especially given the shortage of homes in Canada based on the nationwide population. But what is interesting about the report is that it found that similar percentages have been the norm all the way back to 2014. That is long before the cries of an overheated market and protests against investors of all sorts were at the forefront, nor was there a perceived ‘housing crisis’ like there is now.

We know that real estate agents understand the ebb and flow nature of the business, and that certainly applies to big-picture numbers like these ones but also at the micro level where it applies to how much new potential clientele is out there for realtors to get into touch with and ideally make commissions from working with these people. That’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such a wise choice for new realtors who understand the current working environment and want to leverage what they can to get an advantage.

But back to our main topic and the discussion of to what extent investors are having an affect on the housing market in Canada. The 19+% number is one that has rapidly outpaced other types of buyers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2017 Surge

The report found that it was in 2017 that the share of residential investors surged and that was exactly when home prices in cities like Vancouver were skyrocketing, a surge that has continued year after year right to where we are now at the start of 2022.

These findings came from microdata being collected from various sources and analyzed, including info from the big Canadian banks and credit reporting agencies. What came out of it all was an algorithm to match the datasets with an eye to categorizing mortgaged home purchasers into three distinct groups – 1st-time buyers, repeat buyers and investors.

Admittedly there were and will always be limitations in the report with capturing correct data on all investors, or those with multiple mortgaged properties. That is because it only examines domestic data, so foreign buyers would only be accounted for if they had obtained a Canadian mortgage. The data also did not take into account home purchases made by corporations or if those properties were purchased with cash. All of this means the number of investors could be underreported.

Resulting New All-Time Price Highs

While it’s true the federal government has been proactive in trying to regulate the housing market, home prices have hit new all-time highs in many markets across the country. This of course means housing affordability moves back to the forefront of what is public interest, and in a very cyclical way the blame on foreigners and investors returns too.

The study is also included in the first official policymaker-backed reports that demonstrate how investors play a significant role in Canada’s housing market. Among other notable finds in it:

  • A 2016 BC Provincial Government study found foreign investors accounted for some 10% of Vancouver home sales over the course of 5 consecutive weeks during that year
  • With home prices continuously outpacing increases in disposable income, there have been major negative impacts on 1st-time homebuyers
  • A separate BoC report found that since 2015 the share of first-time homebuyers has been declining to new lows each year

All of this is of course along with investors seeing the largest gain in their share of home purchases during the COVID 19 pandemic. To counter this somewhat though we need to keep in mind that investor-purchased homes are a critical source of homes for the country’s rental supply – something else that is very much needed in the same way better housing affordability is.

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It also acknowledged that while investors can be a significant source of instability in the market, they’re also an important factor in adding rental supply.

Average Canadian Home Price Went Up $16.5K+ in December 2021

Published January 17, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Having median price gains in excess of $15,000 dollars for homes across the country would be an incredulous possibility to consider for most countries, but here in Canada there is a unique multi-way equation that is pushing up home prices unlike anywhere else on the planet and the stories of housing unaffordability in Canada are as real as they could ever be. Price gains are welcome news for homeowners and realtors working with them, but even these people know there’s a threshold for what can be considered beneficial without being too harmful to citizens of the country as a whole.

This is exactly the reality that’s occurring in Canada. We spent much of last year using this same communication channel to talk about how without addressing the supply / demand gulf all these sort-of measure to attempt to cool the Canadian real estate market are going to go nowhere, and that’s as true as ever based on data recently released that talks about how – based most on demand vastly outpacing supply for decades – the average price of a home in Canada went up $16, 700 in December 2021.

Further, prices overall are now showing the fastest annual growth ever, and economists and industry experts are pretty much all in agreement that this trend isn’t likely to be slowing down anytime in 2022 or the foreseeable future either. This is uncharted territory for realtors working in the industry in many ways, but one thing this always does is remove buyers that would otherwise be qualified from the market. If that make the business tough for new realtors then our online real estate lead generation service

Fastest All-Time Rise of Composite Benchmark Price

And that rather surprising number is not all – the composite benchmark price reached $798,200 in December, and if you compare it to the one for last year (2021) at the same time we are seeing prices now 26.6% higher. In a number value that’s around $167K more on average for a home.

Further the annual rate of growth for a benchmark home across Canada is now at an all-time high too. It went to 26.6% in December, that is a 1.3 point jump from the month before. It is also interesting to note that this all-time record pace of growth came after the Liberals’ vanity election in September and was primarily a function of Q4. Who knows what is to be read into that but the government’s semi-measures to reign in housing prices are what they are.

More short-term growth is expected too, according to analysts who benchmark growth rates with short periods of data. Let’s do that ourselves with the same 3-month annualized period that the Bank of Canada would have used for Q4 2021 and highlighting the most notable points.

  • The 3-month (annualized) rate of growth cleared the 12-month trend for the first time in six months
  • The 3-month rate hit 27.8% in December, 1.3 points above the 12-month rate
  • First time since June 2021 that the 3-month accelerated at a faster pace than the 12-month one

Without sharp downward pressure, annual growth is likely to continue to rise.

Easy Money Continuing to Boost Demand

Yes, the BOC interest rate is expected to go up 6 basis points sometime this year. But that will not make much difference in the here and now, and some economists doubt it will even after that. There are plenty of reasons why that is, but let’s focus more on how low interest rates over the years have factored into this.

Long and short the low cost of borrowing money has lead to a tight market, and there is no tight market in the world with anything that will not promote price increased based primarily on competition for an insufficient supply of product. This is bang-on with where we are in Canada, and countering it is not something that’s going to be easily done.

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UBC Think Tank Proposing Gains Tax on Homes Worth $1M or More

Published January 10, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Housing affordability and the lack of it continues to play into the Real Estate Market in Canada, and now it’s becoming more of a nationwide issue rather than one that is primarily factoring into Toronto and Vancouver’s markets. One thing hampering the federal efforts to get more new homes built is the lack of trades available for the task, and that’s an acute shortage given the influences that are pushing the demand for housing higher all the time.

The reality of course is that higher median home prices mean fewer buyers will be able to qualify for mortgages than would be the case otherwise. This not only adverse for would-be homebuyers but it’s also not good for realtors who may be new to the profession and struggling to establish new clientele given these fewer numbers of buyers able to buy homes in whatever area of the country they are located in. Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a way to counter that trend and be put in touch with legitimate potential real estate clients.

But affordability and housing supply remain the issue, and in Vancouver and Toronto there are few if any detached homes that are valued at less than $1 million. So this has lead to the suggestion that putting a tax on home value when it is at or above this mark is being floated now.

$1 Million Baseline

A University of British Columbia Think Tank called Generation Squeeze is suggesting a new 0.2% tax on homes worth $1 million and up, and then progressively larger taxes on homes valued at $3 million and up and so on. The think tank has received some funding from the CMHC, Canada’s federal housing agency. According to the study’s author, Paul McGreesy, the tax would be calculated annually but then payable only when the home is sold.

The idea there is that it would function in the same way a land tax would, and those are taxes that many provinces and municipalities already have in place. McGreesy says more than 90% of homeowners wouldn’t pay any of this tax at all since it would only apply to those who are much higher on the real estate ladder and fortunate to be sitting on massive windfalls of currently non-taxable gains.

The money gained from the tax could then be redirected into affordable housing, something that is very much needed in many Canadian cities.

The counter argument here is of course what about homeowners who have been in their homes for many decades and are looking to use some of the equity in their home to fund their retirement. They have not been any part of the reason why their homes have exploded in value, so why set an arbitrary number to apply to them based on the pre-existing value of their home based on what type of home it is and where it’s located.

Suggested Home Ownership Tax Shelter

Going with this belief is one that there is a home ownership tax shelter in Canada that motivates us to bank on rising home prices to gain wealth, but while that is true it’s important to also understand the extent to which Real Estate contributes to the country’s GDP. The current system that is benefitting some and disadvantaging others is one that was very much put into place by successive governments over the past 3 decades and each one has been quite happy to leave it in place.

However, only the portion of a home’s value above a threshold would be taxed at that 0.2% level, so for example a $1.2 million home would have tax applying to $200,000 of the value.

The belief is that the tax would be similar to what a mid-level salaried employee would pay, but again the premise of this would be that owning a home is a source of income and while that is true in an indirect way it has been that way for generations and one has to wonder if you make a change simply because of current realties and ones that may not be permanent.

Skepticism

Many experts think adding new taxes on existing owners is not the way to do it. We can at least say the most effective way to address the imbalance in the market isn’t to try to suppress demand, but to build more housing to satisfy that need without encouraging bidding wars for what little housing is available.

Targeting the demand side of the market will be less effective than addressing supply issues, and the only sustainable way to moderate price growth will be to bring on more supply. If that’s not possible because of available land for development, zoning regulations, or a lack of people qualified to build that number of homes then those are realities that should be taken into account and addressed first.

One thing this may actually do is encourage owners of single family homes to stay where they are and making the supply problem worse as a result. Keep in mind as well that adding a surtax to owners of multiple-unit properties would results in rental charging more rent in order to meet their needs as the owner and maintainer of the rental property.

The problem of housing affordability needs to be addressed, but yet again this proposed measure is off the mark and especially if it is going to punish people for when they bought the type of home they did, and where they bought it.

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Housing affordability and the lack of it continues to play into the Real Estate Market in Canada, and now it’s becoming more of a nationwide issue rather than one that is primarily factoring into Toronto and Vancouver’s markets. One thing hampering the federal efforts to get more new homes built is the lack of trades available for the task, and that’s an acute shortage given the influences that are pushing the demand for housing higher all the time.

The reality of course is that higher median home prices mean fewer buyers will be able to qualify for mortgages than would be the case otherwise. This not only adverse for would-be homebuyers but it’s also not good for realtors who may be new to the profession and struggling to establish new clientele given these fewer numbers of buyers able to buy homes in whatever area of the country they are located in. Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a way to counter that trend and be put in touch with legitimate potential real estate clients.

But affordability and housing supply remain the issue, and in Vancouver and Toronto there are few if any detached homes that are valued at less than $1 million. So this has lead to the suggestion that putting a tax on home value when it is at or above this mark is being floated now.

$1 Million Baseline

A University of British Columbia Think Tank called Generation Squeeze is suggesting a new 0.2% tax on homes worth $1 million and up, and then progressively larger taxes on homes valued at $3 million and up and so on. The think tank has received some funding from the CMHC, Canada’s federal housing agency. According to the study’s author, Paul McGreesy, the tax would be calculated annually but then payable only when the home is sold.

The idea there is that it would function in the same way a land tax would, and those are taxes that many provinces and municipalities already have in place. McGreesy says more than 90% of homeowners wouldn’t pay any of this tax at all since it would only apply to those who are much higher on the real estate ladder and fortunate to be sitting on massive windfalls of currently non-taxable gains.

The money gained from the tax could then be redirected into affordable housing, something that is very much needed in many Canadian cities.

The counter argument here is of course what about homeowners who have been in their homes for many decades and are looking to use some of the equity in their home to fund their retirement. They have not been any part of the reason why their homes have exploded in value, so why set an arbitrary number to apply to them based on the pre-existing value of their home based on what type of home it is and where it’s located.

Suggested Home Ownership Tax Shelter

Going with this belief is one that there is a home ownership tax shelter in Canada that motivates us to bank on rising home prices to gain wealth, but while that is true it’s important to also understand the extent to which Real Estate contributes to the country’s GDP. The current system that is benefitting some and disadvantaging others is one that was very much put into place by successive governments over the past 3 decades and each one has been quite happy to leave it in place.

However, only the portion of a home’s value above a threshold would be taxed at that 0.2% level, so for example a $1.2 million home would have tax applying to $200,000 of the value.

The belief is that the tax would be similar to what a mid-level salaried employee would pay, but again the premise of this would be that owning a home is a source of income and while that is true in an indirect way it has been that way for generations and one has to wonder if you make a change simply because of current realties and ones that may not be permanent.

Skepticism

Many experts think adding new taxes on existing owners is not the way to do it. We can at least say the most effective way to address the imbalance in the market isn’t to try to suppress demand, but to build more housing to satisfy that need without encouraging bidding wars for what little housing is available.

Targeting the demand side of the market will be less effective than addressing supply issues, and the only sustainable way to moderate price growth will be to bring on more supply. If that’s not possible because of available land for development, zoning regulations, or a lack of people qualified to build that number of homes then those are realities that should be taken into account and addressed first.

One thing this may actually do is encourage owners of single family homes to stay where they are and making the supply problem worse as a result. Keep in mind as well that adding a surtax to owners of multiple-unit properties would results in rental charging more rent in order to meet their needs as the owner and maintainer of the rental property.

The problem of housing affordability needs to be addressed, but yet again this proposed measure is off the mark and especially if it is going to punish people for when they bought the type of home they did, and where they bought it.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered each month and provided only to you. YOU are the only realtor who will receive them and that creates an exclusive opportunity for you to be in touch with these prospective clients. This is a proven-effective way to get more out of your client prospecting efforts and do so quite quickly.

Housing Affordability in Canada at Lowest Levels Ever Through 2021

Published January 3, 2022 by Real Estate Leads

Many people won’t need to be convinced of the unattractiveness of the housing market in Canada with how so many people who are struggling to get into the market nowadays wouldn’t have had the same problems a decade or so ago. What the market will bear at any given time is out of any one person’s control, and of course it will be different again in the future. Better? Worse? Who’s to know really. But one thing that has been confirmed as we closed out 2021 is that it was the worst year of all time for housing affordability in Canada.

Why that is shouldn’t need a whole lot of explanation, as again the age-old equation of supply and demand had demand leaving supply in the dust. Then there’s the factor of a rapidly expanding population base and the ‘heat’ of certain housing markets being dispersed to other areas of the country where price gains like this on detached homes haven’t been seen ever before 2020. The ‘blame’ for this – if there is any – can’t be laid solely at the feet of the federal government but it is true that successive numbers of them haven’t invested in housing like they should.

Then you have developers who aren’t going to lose money building certain types of housing that need to be built and you have something of a recipe for what we’re seeing now with housing in Canada. Is it going to get better with BOC interest rate hikes sometime later this year? Not likely if you’re to believe the economists who tend to be in the right about this stuff more often than not. Realtors will say the same thing for the most part, and here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generations system is a great way for realtors anywhere in Canada to get more out of client prospecting efforts.

Returning to our topic, what can be seen when looking deeper into why housing affordability was a real problem for Canadians last year? Turns out it’s not even that much of a deeply layered issue and most of what is making homes unaffordable for average Canadian is fairly straightforward.

31 Years Since

It has been a full 3 decades and then some since housing affordability has been this bad in Canada, and the suggestion that it has mostly been because of foreign buyers and / or money laundering has been fully disproven by this point. Are they factors? Yes, they are but they are minor ones compared to the simple fact that there are not enough homes available for the number of people living in Canada who want to buy them and may in fact be qualified to do so if there was a home for them to buy.

The aggregate cost for home ownership in Canada went up to 47.5% of median household income in Q4 of 2021. That works out to a sequential increase of 2 percentage points and is a nearly six point increase compared to the same quarter for 2020 when the COVID pandemic was at its peak. Factors like mortgage payments, property taxes and utilities to measure ownership costs are incorporated into this.

Bidding wars and home selling for obscenely over asking highlights the need for many more new housing starts in Canada, but people need to also be aware that there is nearly no room if any available for detached home builds in a lot of major metro areas now.

Until demand and supply return closer to balance, prices will continue to rise and that’s the way it’s always been.

Vancouver’s #1 Ranking No Surprise

To no one’s surprise Vancouver had the least affordable housing market in the country last year, with the average being that ownership costs were taking up a massive 64.3% of median household income in Q3 2021, and that was up 0.9% from Q2. Toronto was only slightly better, with households there spending 61.9% on average to pay for their housing. But that is up a larger percentage in comparison with Q2 – 2.7%.

The overall outlook is similarly bleak for the cities across the country as a whole. There’s different reasons for that, but none are as pivotal as the Bank of Canada and their near-certain plans for raise rates around some 6 basis points sometime in Q2 or Q3 of this year. Economists estimate the Royal Bank’s national affordability gauge of affordability could go up by another 2 points to 3.5 when the new rates go into effect and they alter the buyer and mortgage qualification landscape.

The Exception

Only a single city managed to not see a Q4 affordability loss in their Q3 for 2021 – St. John’s, NL. Home ownership costs only account for 22% of median household income there, and that’s a shocking departure from the portion of it that folks in Vancouver and Toronto are putting towards housing.

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Smith Maneuver for Lower Taxes on Real Estate

Published December 27, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Many investors in Canadian Real Estate are investing the way they are with an understanding that real estate provides a more reliable return on investment than stocks or bonds do these days, and that’s actually more true in Canada than it is in the USA. This is because demand continues to way outstrip supply here, and that is unlikely to change in the immediate future. The federal government has made efforts to cool the overheated market, and interest rates are expected to rise somewhere in the middle of 2022.

There are many people who will be quick to point out the folly of Government intervention in markets of any sort, and to be fair they are often much more educated and informed on the subject and not taking a position on the matter primarily because of a personal interest. There are also many intrinsic factors that keep the prices for real estate in Canada high, and most of them won’t be significantly changing any time in the near future either. Long story short, real estate investors continue to have little to nothing deterring them from investing as they wish.

A successful real estate agent is one that is receptive and attuned to their clients’ wishes and interests, and being able to advise them in the best way possible with that understanding is going to go a long way. Investors will welcome any info that improves the projections for their investment, and as such you should be as in-the-know as possible to impress and retain clients. In some cases it is the creating of new clients that is the challenge, and for realtors of this type our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is highly recommended.

The Smith Maneuver is something of a loophole for getting around taxes on investment properties, and it’s something your clients may well like to be made aware of. Let’s have a look at it with our final blog entry for the year here.

Legal Tax Strategy for Mortgage Interest – Deductible Interest

The Smith Maneuver is a legal tax strategy to convert mortgage interest into deductible interest. This is how it works. The owner gets a re-advanceable mortgage loan, ones that bank regulators typically call Combined Mortgage-HELOC Loan Plans (CLP). These are mortgages where the principal payment is immediately made available as mortgage credit.

The owner then makes regular mortgage payments. The payments you make are then available as credit on your HELOC., which is then used as credit for investing. Every payment made on the mortgage is taken from the HELOC, and then channeled into buying income-earning, eligible investments.

The owner then deducts the HELOC interest, with the interest paid on it now considered a tax deductible loan with the way it is used as an income generator. Your client will then get a portion back on their tax return.

From there, the tax return is used to pay down their mortgage. It functions as an accelerator that works to build the portfolio faster.

Repeat as Necessary

This process is repeated as many times as necessary until the mortgage is paid off. Once nothing more is owing for the mortgage, they can either start paying off their HELOC or start new at the beginning again on a new investment. Be aware that at some point the write offs will no longer be worth the interest, so clients should be running the numbers or have someone doing that for them.

Done right the homeowner receives these benefits:

  • No outstanding mortgage loan
  • An investment loan with tax deductible interest, generated from HELOC debt borrowed in size of the original mortgage.
  • A more substantial mortgage portfolio.

Eligible Investment Types

Not all investments have eligibility for loan interest deductions. Only if the loan is for income-earning investments is it deductible. Financial advisors will often suggest only using dividend paying stocks for this reason and the CRA considers borrowed-fund share interest costs to be deductible on the basis that it is the common shareholder who will be receiving dividends.

Using money to buy a rental property, for example, can be eligible provided it is income producing.

Risks

Utilizing the Smith Maneuver may make a lot of sense, but it also comes with risks. They include some obvious ones like a major decline in home prices or investments, but of course one will immediately ask how likely that is going to be in Canada for 2022 and beyond in the foreseeable future given the super insulated hot housing market in Canada.

Hope that all of you have a good remainder of your Holidays and a Happy New Year coming up.

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Interest Rate Hikes Will Not Slow Sales or Home Price Increases in 2022: TD Economics

Published December 20, 2021 by Real Estate Leads
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That the BOC is going to raise interest rates at some point in 2022 is pretty much a given now, and in part because they’ve have always mirrored what happens in the US to a large extent. This rise has been long overdue, but it has been backburnered and primarily because of low interest rates since early March 2020 in place while Canada weathered the COVID pandemic. The grace period has seemingly run out on that, and the BOC can’t keep rates as low as they have been any longer. The only question is how much they will rise. The guess right now is 6 basis points.

In as far as this relates to the real estate market in Canada, it has been suggested that a rise in interest rates might be helpful in cooling the housing market. This was suggested in large part when it comes to investors buying into the housing market. It is entirely true that there are going to be more people investing in housing beyond a principal residence any time it costs less to borrow money. This is to say nothing of REITs and the other layers in all of this too. A heated housing market is a mixed scenario for realtors working with investors or people hoping to sell their home for above asking.

Fewer homes going onto the market have been something of a counter to the FOMO trend that has people overleveraging themselves to buy homes, and for realtors who are struggling to drum up new business our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to take advantage of Internet marketing research to be tipped off to people ready to make a move in the market and perhaps not already working with an agent. A heated market offers more in the way of a lucrative career for realtors, but that will also mean many new real estate agents entering the profession.

Marginal Effect

Experts are saying that the coming BOC interest rate rises likely won’t have the market-cooling some are hoping they’ll have with real estate. If there is supposed to be more buyer hesitancy when interest rates are higher – and especially for investors buying secondary residences – why are the rate rises not foreseen to be effecting the volumes of home sales overall and / or bring down prices?

Nearly two weeks ago (Dec. 8th) the BOC announced it would hold the interest-setting overnight rate at 0.25%. This came with the indication that rates may move higher sometime in Q2 or Q3 2022. Bank economists at TD economics are forecasting 3 rate hikes for 2022 followed by another 3 more in 2022.

Banking and real estate industry experts are saying that the rapid increase in home prices and housing affordability challenges seen over the course of the pandemic will not have any major impact on housing demand and prices in Canada. Higher interest rates will dampen demand for housing somewhat, but a supportive macro backdrop plus flexible stress tests that offer ample room for rates to rise should keep market activity at levels that were seen before the spring of 2020 and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Multi-Tier Supportive Background

The supportive background is going to be strong economic, employment and income growth to take place in 2022, and that increased immigration inflow will also strengthen housing demand in the face of any degree of downturn it takes because of the rising interest rates as set by the Bank of Canada.

Let’s keep in mind as well that a large chunk of the Canadian population has now aged into what are known to be the prime home buying year – 25 to 39, and there are many people in all different age demographics who see the expectations of future price gains coming from entering the real estate market.

TD expects mortgage rates increases will still come in below the current stress test qualification threshold but that sales will stay elevated to counter the impact of higher rates. It is expected that another strong year for price growth is how 2022 is going to play out for Canadian real estate.

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Considerations Around Offloading Industrial Assets in BC

Published December 13, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

It’s only the people who either don’t work in real estate or don’t invest in it that might make the incorrect assumption that real estate is only about residential properties. Further, there are many agents who will choose to specialize in marketing, buying, and selling commercial properties and in major metro centres this can be a very solid choice for people who want to make money in real estate. It’s also not uncommon for realtors to work with returning clients who have already purchased at least one home to now be expressing an interest in BC commercial real estate.

Industrial continues to be the hottest asset class in every major Canadian real estate market as demand is outpacing supply in ways that even outdo what’s being seen in the residential housing market in most major Canadian cities. In Vancouver for example there is a 0.6% vacancy rate in the industrial sector and the situation is so acute it is having potential negative ramifications for provincial economy.

Having the versatility with your industry know-how and expertise to shift focuses as clients’ wish is something that will benefit a real estate agent. It’s best to try and get to a broad base of knowledge as soon as possible, along with doing whatever else you can to gain an edge on competitors. Real estate is always among the most competitive in any major city where properties have great value, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to meet new clients of all sorts and be fast-tracked when it comes to being in touch.

But back to topic, right here at the end of 2021 / start of 2022 we may be at a time where it’s advisable for clients to consider offloading some of the assets they have in commercial real estate. Let’s look deeper into why that is.

Vancouver Example

The BC economy benefits from local industrial activity just as that of any other province would. According to the Q3-2021 Vancouver Industrial Market Report from Colliers, Vancouver entered a 5th straight quarter of zero vacancies for 100,000+ sq. ft industrial facilities category and a 2nd quarter in a row of absolutely no facilities larger than 50,000 sq. ft being available. This has meant that demand for strata space has never been higher.

Through the first 3 quarters of 2021 there was an average price per square foot for strata in the GVA that was a record high at $429 per square foot. This works out to an increase from 110% from the same period in 2016 and Vancouver also established a record-high average price per square foot for strata over the first 3 quarters of 2021 – $619 per square foot. That is a 98% increase from the same period in 2016.

We’re also seeing e-commerce companies contending with supply-chain disarray, and this is expected to increase demand for warehouse and distribution space is going to become stronger through 2022. This demand is obviously going to push prices up, and even more than incrementally. The trend for e-commerce firms to offer favourable deliveries also means they need that industrial space that’s near town.

All of this creates a situation where realtors may want to advise their clients to consider the valuations they have for commercial / industrial properties they’re holding onto. If current trends continue into the middle of 2022 we may have a commercial real estate market here that is extremely hot and the prices that similar properties are selling for may be something your clients want to be made aware of.

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It’s only the people who either don’t work in real estate or don’t invest in it that might make the incorrect assumption that real estate is only about residential properties. Further, there are many agents who will choose to specialize in marketing, buying, and selling commercial properties and in major metro centres this can be a very solid choice for people who want to make money in real estate. It’s also not uncommon for realtors to work with returning clients who have already purchased at least one home to now be expressing an interest in BC commercial real estate.

Industrial continues to be the hottest asset class in every major Canadian real estate market as demand is outpacing supply in ways that even outdo what’s being seen in the residential housing market in most major Canadian cities. In Vancouver for example there is a 0.6% vacancy rate in the industrial sector and the situation is so acute it is having potential negative ramifications for provincial economy.

Having the versatility with your industry know-how and expertise to shift focuses as clients’ wish is something that will benefit a real estate agent. It’s best to try and get to a broad base of knowledge as soon as possible, along with doing whatever else you can to gain an edge on competitors. Real estate is always among the most competitive in any major city where properties have great value, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to meet new clients of all sorts and be fast-tracked when it comes to being in touch.

But back to topic, right here at the end of 2021 / start of 2022 we may be at a time where it’s advisable for clients to consider offloading some of the assets they have in commercial real estate. Let’s look deeper into why that is.

Vancouver Example

The BC economy benefits from local industrial activity just as that of any other province would. According to the Q3-2021 Vancouver Industrial Market Report from Colliers, Vancouver entered a 5th straight quarter of zero vacancies for 100,000+ sq. ft industrial facilities category and a 2nd quarter in a row of absolutely no facilities larger than 50,000 sq. ft being available. This has meant that demand for strata space has never been higher.

Through the first 3 quarters of 2021 there was an average price per square foot for strata in the GVA that was a record high at $429 per square foot. This works out to an increase from 110% from the same period in 2016 and Vancouver also established a record-high average price per square foot for strata over the first 3 quarters of 2021 – $619 per square foot. That is a 98% increase from the same period in 2016.

We’re also seeing e-commerce companies contending with supply-chain disarray, and this is expected to increase demand for warehouse and distribution space is going to become stronger through 2022. This demand is obviously going to push prices up, and even more than incrementally. The trend for e-commerce firms to offer favourable deliveries also means they need that industrial space that’s near town.

All of this creates a situation where realtors may want to advise their clients to consider the valuations they have for commercial / industrial properties they’re holding onto. If current trends continue into the middle of 2022 we may have a commercial real estate market here that is extremely hot and the prices that similar properties are selling for may be something your clients want to be made aware of.

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Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads. The important distinction is in the fact that these leads are only provided to you, and you’ll be the only realtor receiving these leads that are for prospective clients most likely living in the same town but at the very least considering a real estate sale or purchase there. It’s a great way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and we’re nearly certain you’ll see it as a very worthwhile investment in growing your real estate business.

Findings from 2022 CHMO Report on Housing in Canada

Published December 6, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Here we are in the final month of 2021, and like every one of them this year has gone by quickly. What has probably been the biggest waypoint for it for the Real Estate Market was one that is far away in the rear view mirror now, and specifically the market ‘cool down’ of the early spring that didn’t last nearly as long as some thought it might or being a precursor to any sort of overall market correction. In fact what has been seen since then is a resumption of market activity to the tune of some of the hottest real estate market conditions ever seen in Canada.

As always, this is a source of much discussion and introspection on the part of anyone who works in the real estate industry or has an interest in it – specifically both homebuyers and home sellers. For the seller there’s everything to like about the hotter market, and the exact opposite will be true for the majority of homebuyers and especially those are looking to buy their first home from a realtor who is very knowledgeable about how to submit the most competitive bid on a home while still understanding their client’s budgetary concerns and how much they’ll be able to afford with BOC interest rates set to rise in Canada.

New clients can be hard to come by, and especially with so many people making career shifts into real estate all the time. That’s a part of why our online real estate lead generation system at Real Estate Leads is a good choice for anyone who wants to get something of a leg up on the competition and build their client base with a little more speed. That’s likely the majority of them.

But back to topic, the Canadian Housing Market Outlook Report for 2022 has come out as it always does as the current year draws to a close, and there are some notable findings in it that give us an idea of what’s to come as we move into a new year next month.

Upward Pressure on Housing Prices Will Continue

All sources are expecting steady price growth across the Canadian Real Estate Market in 2022, and along with this the current supply shortage for homes will continue too creating upward pressure on housing prices for the foreseeable future. The consensus seems to be that there will be a 9.2% increase in average residential sale prices across the country, and that is up roughly 2% from what was foreseen at this same time last year as 2021 was on the horizon.

The report provides something a reflection of homebuyer confidence too. Just slightly less than half (49%) of respondents feel that Canadian real estate will remain one of their best investment options in 2022 and a similar 49% of respondents have confidence in the Canadian real estate market remaining steady through next year.

It is encouraging to see that so many are feeling confident in the housing market in 2022 and view Canadian real estate as a solid investment, and this will be true for homebuyers and those who will be putting homes up for sale when working with a dedicated real estate agent.

There has very much been a trend of homebuyers searching for larger properties with greater affordability, which is likely to continue pushing demand and prices up in 2022 and – most notably – heating markets in smaller areas of the country where this equation is possible but where such upward pressure has not been seen before. This trend has notably increased demand for single-family detached homes and for condos in some regions too, which may continue into 2022.

Both coasts of the country have cities that continue to be seller’s markets, or are becoming that way for the first time as is true for some parts of Atlantic Canada, including larger urban centres like Moncton, Fredericton, Saint John, Halifax, Charlottetown and St. John’s all experiencing an influx of out-of-province buyers taking a newfound interest in housing in these Maritime cities.

For Ontario, we’re seeing how investors now make up the largest segment of home buyers in Ontario, with 25% of homes being snapped up by investors speculating that prices will only keep rising. This is leading for some civic official to call for a speculation tax like the ones that are in place elsewhere in the country.

Additional Findings

  • The percentage of Canadians who currently own a home is 62, and ownership continues to be most common among those ages 35+ (70%) compared younger 18-34 cohort (42%)
  • 2-in-5 Canadians are willing to rely on their agent to advise them on potential moves in the real estate market and making informed transactions
  • 23% of Canadians have an increased desire to build their own home or buy one at pre-construction
  • 26% of Canadians feel an impetus to purchase a home before BOC mortgage rates go up in 2022
  • 72% of Canadians said rising home prices would not factor into purchasing decisions for 2021

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Signing up for Real Estate Leads here means you will receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to only one realtor – you. They are your leads exclusively, and will be for people in your area of the country who have indicated their considering a move in the real estate market. You’ll have the opportunity to be in touch with them first, and make your pitch as to why they’ll benefit by working with you as their real estate agent. This is a proven effective way to build your client base more effectively and establish clients who will want to work with you.

Prospective Homebuyers Should Be Aware of BOC Interest Rates Rising Soon

Published November 29, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

It is a well known fact that only reason interest rates as determined by the Bank of Canada have remained as low as they have throughout the COVID-19 pandemic was to buoy the economy and promote economic resilience in the country during this troubling time. Economists had warned that eventually rates would have to rise, and that would be the case even if it was going to be bigger-picture beneficial that they stay low. It is also very well understood by those working in real estate that low interest rates have added to the overinflated housing market and affordability woes for people.

The premise for how that works is simple – when it is inexpensive to borrow money, more people will do that to buy homes as investments, and the people who have the means of doing that are usually ones that already own a home that is their primary residence. Whether that home is owned outright may be another story, but the point stands. Low interest rates help everybody get into the market more readily, so home prices aren’t going to be any lower at all for anyone that does move forward with purchasing a home.

The challenge is created for first-time homebuyers, and in a roundabout way a different challenge is created for people working as realtors who haven’t built up their business yet. Fewer folks able to pay what the homes will cost means a depleted clientele base for some realtors, but here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system can help check that disadvantage during difficult times.

It gives realtors who are new to the business a way to be fast-tracked to being in touch with legitimate potential clients who will be needing to work with a realtor in the near future.

Moving back to topic, however, it has been stated with certainty now that the BOC is going to be rising federal interest rates and not surprisingly there is already a bit of a rush for new homebuyers to get into the market before those new and higher rates become a reality.

Up to 6x Rates Hike

To get right to it, the expectation is that the Bank of Canada could hike its benchmark interest rate at least six times beginning in early 2022, and it is not unrealistic for realtors working with certain types of clients at this time to be advising those individuals or couples that they might want to speed things up and get in now if possible. homebuyers should start preparing sooner rather than later.

However, you can also tell them there is risk with getting into the market at today’s rates. These are not normal interest rates and eventually they will rise. Clients should be prompted to ask themselves if they can afford this mortgage if rates go up 10, 150, or even 200 basis. That could be catastrophic for buyer’s when it comes time to renew the mortgage on the home they’ve bought and they were stretched way too thin in the first place but could get away with it because of low rates at that time.

The governor of the BOC has said that rates could start rising as easy as April, and that goes against what had been said long before when it was stated that rates could hold steady at their current numbers into 2023.

Biggest Implications for New Homebuyers

For clients it is time to start thinking about the potential of higher interest rates and what that might mean. As stated earlier, we are all aware how ultra-low interest rates bolstered the Canadian real estate market throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and have helped propel home sales and prices to new heights.

That in itself hasn’t been a bad thing at all, whether you’re a working person, a homeowner, and as is the case for most people – both. But here we are with a reality that the bank rate is at 25 basis points. If the market is right it might go to 1.5 or maybe to 2% and obviously that is a significant increase over time.

Higher rates on the horizon will likely bigger implications for new buyers than for those carrying an existing mortgage that they’ve already paid down to some extent over time. The average mortgage now, is about $450K for a home in Canada. A 100 basis points rise would work out to an extra $250 per month and there are likely many households and working couples that wouldn’t be able to accommodate that.

Alternately, some of them may be better suited to taking the financial wallop on the front side and doing what’s necessary to meet down payment needs now so they can get into a fixed mortgage now and be at least somewhat better off down the road. Most realtors will have a mortgage broker they work with as a preferred partner, and yours should be able to help clients make that decision in the smartest way possible.

Increased Affordability? No Guarantee

Higher interest rates could cool off the housing market, but even if they do that won’t necessarily translate into improved affordability. That’s because higher inflation is currently offsetting any meaningful wage gains brought on by the labour shortage. The speed at which interest rates will be rising is going to be the key. A 6x hike is very aggressive, and so we all have to think about higher interest rates down the road when it comes to best assisting and advising people who are considering the purchase of a home.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you. What’s meant by that is you are the only realtor who will receive them and these leads will be for people who are currently living in the same area of the country where you are working as realtor. They will be ones who have shown themselves to be genuinely considering either buying or selling a home in that same region of the country, and from there the opportunity is yours to impress on them that YOU are the real estate professional they need.

Categorizing Real Estate Valuations Across Canada

Published November 22, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

No doubt that a home’s primary value is in the roof it puts over a person’s head, but even someone who doesn’t work in real estate or is a homeowner will know that it’s a whole lot more nowadays and especially as so much investment has been put in real estate. It’s safe to assume that supply is always going to outstrip demand in Canada, so here we are. Homes in areas that are considered to be desirable are always going to have more value, but of course nowadays we’re seeing homes in nearly every part of the country going up in value too.

This poses a problem for many would-be first time homebuyers who find that the prices of home are very much beyond what they can afford. On the other hand it’s a benefit for homeowners who like the sound of getting much more for their home than what it would be worth otherwise. It’s also an advantage for realtors who stand to gain more from being the agent who sells the home. This can be a tough business to break into for new realtors, but here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to get ahead early.

Different areas of the country will have different valuation levels for homes, and we thought we’d detail what we know about that here with this week’s entry.

Overall Overvalued

As a whole Canadian cities are overvalued somewhere in the vicinity of 22%. This is especially true for cities. This value is expected to rise another 2.6% next year, and with less growth the year following. The average growth over the next two years is forecast to be an annual average of 1.38%.

Ontario – Most Overvalued

Real estate in Ontario is the most overpriced in the country, and that likely won’t surprise anyone living there. The estimate is a 22.6% overvaluation for 2021. Prices are forecast to rise 1.3% next year and showing an average annual growth of 0.3% over the next two years.

BC – Undervalued

BC real estate is undervalued if you take it as a whole and not taking Vancouver – the most overinflated housing market in all of North America – BC real estate is undervalued. The province’s markets were 3.0% undervalued in Q2 2021 and only around 2.0% growth is expected for next year and an average of 1.8% annual growth over the next two years.

Nova Scotia & Quebec – Significantly Overvalued

Home values for Nova Scotia (15.3%) and Quebec (14.3%) are majorly overvalued too. Nova Scotia is forecast to rise 0.9% next year and drop an annual average of 3.0% over the next two years. Quebec will likely see prices rise 2.4% next year, with average annual growth reaching 3.0% over the next 2 years.

Alberta Real Estate – Most Undervalued

Alberta real estate currently comes in as the most undervalued market in Canada. The province’s residential market is estimated to be 19.8% undervalued in Q2 2021. Countering that though is the fact that Alberta home prices are forecast to lead the country in price growth over the next couple of years with an estimated 7.8% rise next year and 9.3% over the 2 years after that.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively as a realtor. These are leads for the area where you are working as an agent, and you will be the only realtor who receives them. This creates an exclusive opportunity to be first in touch with these people and put your knowledge and professionalism on full display to bring them into the fold as new clients for your real estate business.

2021 Shaping Up to Busiest Year Ever for CDN Housing Market

Published November 15, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

It was only in the spring of this year when some industry experts suggested a modest downturn in the Canadian housing market might have been a temporary ‘cool off’ period, and some others thought maybe the long forecasted correction for the market was about to arrive. The first part might be true if it were to have been categorized as a very temporary cool off, and in regard to the second one anyone who hoped median home prices in Canada were going to come down are going to be disappointed.

2021 is shaping up to the busiest year ever for the housing market in Canada, and while that is good news for homeowners looking to sell their home it can be something of a mixed blessing for anyone just starting out in career in real estate. Homes that sell for higher prices offer more of the earning opportunity they’d like to have for themselves, but that means more realtors entering the business to get a slice of pie. Then you have to also keep in mind that fewer would-be buyers stay as prospective buyers because they can’t qualify for the financing needed to buy these homes.

Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent choice for any such individual who wants to gain whatever advantage they can when branching out as a real estate agent. It’s built on the power of Internet Marketing, but all you want to know is that it actually works. And it does. But enough about that, and let’s stay on our topic here regarding just how hot the housing market in Canada continues to be.

Full 18% Increase

If you’re a realtor you’ll be familiar with the CREA. They’re the group representing more than 100,000 realtors across the country and according to their records since Jan. 1 the average selling price for a home sold on the MLDS Service was just over $716,500, and that works out to an 18% increase from where we were at this point late in 2020. Sales are heating up right along with this, and similar records are indicating that to this point in 2021 some 581,000+ homes have been purchased from existing owners over the course of the last ten months.

The previous high for that number was 552,423 and that makes immediately clear just how 2021 really has been the hottest year ever for real estate in Canada. And let’s keep in mind that we’ve still got over a month to go here before the end of the year.

We’ve also seen home sales pick up considerably since the end of summer, although this is a trend that is seen nearly every year. It’s just never been as pronounced as it has this year when it comes the sheer number of homes sales attached to each month or quarter.

Steaming Ahead

It’s also well understood that the BOC’s maintain of low interest rates has been a pivotal factor in allowing so many homes to be purchased. The semi freeze seen in the early days of COVID ended early because it is likely that a great many people thought if they’re ever going to get in the market, the time is now. There’s also the fact that many were re-evaluating their life / work arrangements, but we won’t get into that end of it.

Ever since the summer of 2020, Canada’s real estate market has been on fire and it seems that each year we’re busting numerous records along the way. Mortgage debt should be a concern for would-be homeowners, but it appears it’s not so prominent a concern for a lot of buyers moving ahead with the purchases of homes.

Let’s look at just last month (October 2021) alone – the average selling price was exceptionally close to the monthly record of $716,828 set in March 2021, when activity was at its most frenzied pace for the year. Increases to mortgage stress testing did little to slow the trend and that is a good sign for realtors as it indicates that most qualified prospective buyers remain as such even if more is required of them.

Fundamental Changes

We are also seeing how this buying frenzy is starting to change the way buyers and sellers think about the market in fundamental ways. When you have a country of 36 million people adding another $18 billion onto existing nationwide housing debt in just one month, it is clear that anything that people might have assumed will be intimidating buyers isn’t really intimidating most of them at all.

So many times we’re seeing buyers who have already lost out on multiple previous offers coming to a new table with all they’ve got, and looking past the obvious realities of the housing crisis and demand way outpacing supply there’s also a part of this that shows how homebuyers want to get into the market or up the ladder because of the increasing values in real estate.

Values that – if all of this is any indication – will only be going up for the long foreseeable future.

The last thing we’ll mention about all of this today is how interest rate hikes are likely on the way from the BOC, and it’s been well documented by many news outlets regarding the way many would-be homebuyers are rushing for mortgage pre-approvals to get locked in before rates rise. This is something that realtors can also be receptive too for potential clients, but let’s not lose track of the fact that a part of your responsibility will be tampering their enthusiasm to buy home when you believe it’s not the right fit for them.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated real estate leads that will fast-track you to being in touch with local people who are genuinely considering buying or selling a home in the same area of the country where you are working as a real estate agent. It is a proven-effective way to grow your client base and make real estate a profitable career for you more quickly. Check out our testimonials from realtors like you who agree wholeheartedly with that assessment.

Homebuyers rush for mortgage pre-approvals amid mounting signs of rate hikes to come

“There is this sense of urgency to get into the market,” Tal said in an interview. “People are starting to sense that interest rates are rising and will be rising in the future.”

House prices have increased at a much faster pace than incomes, which has begged the question of how young buyers just starting out in their careers are managing to come up with the cash to buy in.

How are people affording to buy in at today’s prices? According to a recent report at CIBC, almost one third of first time buyers who bought in the past year got money from their parents to do so. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg)

Tal looked into the topic in a recent report and found that for a growing number of buyers, the answer is: their parents.

Almost one third of first time buyers in the past year received some sort of gift from family to help with the down payment. The average amount was $82,000, but in big, expensive cities like Toronto and Vancouver, the average parental gift was $130,000 and $180,000, respectively.

Although the numbers are eye-popping, Tal says it makes sense considering the $200 billion worth of cash that people who managed to keep their job during the pandemic have accumulated.

“You cannot spend all of it overnight [so] a lot of it will go to help kids into the real estate market and that’s exactly what we are seeing.”

ANALYSIS It’s not just Toronto and Vancouver — Canada’s housing bubble has gone national

It’s not just first timers making withdrawals from the bank of mom and dad.

Tal calculates that even among those who already own and are moving up the property ladder, almost 10 per cent of them are getting even more help to do so, to the tune of $200,000 in Toronto and a staggering $340,000 in Vancouver. That’s more than the price of the average home in Saskatchewan.

Tal says the trend is clearly growing, which means policy makers need to be aware of it.

“We are taking a wealth gap that is already very, very wide [and] unfortunately this is really widening it.”

“If you are lucky enough to get it, that’s fine. But we have to find a way to produce affordability into the system and supply is the only solution.”

Lack of Housing Options Pushing Median Prices Higher in Canada

Published November 8, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Little if anything needs to be said in regard to the fact that supply deficiencies are the primary factor in house prices being as high as they are in Canada. Demand far exceeds supply, and that is unlikely to change anytime in the foreseeable future. This does cause something of a dilemma for realtors working in the profession as on the one hand homes selling for more mean higher commissions, but on the other fewer homes on the market and higher prices mean fewer willing and / or qualified buyers out there to obtain as clients.

One of the things that has more recently been determined is that it is not only the lack of housing that is making prices go up significantly, but it’s also that there’s not enough of certain types of housing that allow the market to function as it had for decades with what has been called a ‘property ladder’ – those who can’t find what the want / need stay put and what would typically be freed up for the 1st time homebuyers isn’t freed up at all.

This can also make it difficult for realtors new to the business to work with 1st time homebuyers who would like very much to get on that ladder, but can’t. However, our online real estate lead generator here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to counter the trend and be more directly put in touch with people who are in fact still willing and able to make a move in the local real estate market.

Back on topic though, let’s use this week’s entry here to dig deeper into the lack of housing options that are a part of the dysfunctionality of the housing market in Canada currently.

There aren’t enough homes for sale in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Metro Vancouver to satisfy demand, and that’s helping to push prices even higher.

Homes Sales Down – Buyers Can’t Find What They Want?

Let’s start with Toronto. The TRREB reported home sales were down 6.9% for October compared to the same month last year. You might remember that October 2020 delivered a record for home sales and October 2021 was runner-up. Sales were up 8.1% from the previous month. The board also reported a decline in low-rise home sales was offset by a double-digit increase in condo sales.

The number of new listings compared to last year is down by almost one-third, and that’s keeping prices elevated. The overarching belief among the board and realtors working in the city is that the only sustainable way to address housing affordability in the GTA is to address the ongoing mismatch between demand and supply.

Prospective homebuyers – like ones with growing young families – are not going to see an affordable condominium as an alternative if they need space in the home for their children. No matter how affordable it may be, it doesn’t fit their needs and the options they require aren’t there.

Vancouver Mirrors

The exact same scenario exists in Vancouver, with sales way down from last year’s frenzied pace in the West Coast city. The REBG reports that 5.2% fewer homes changed hands in October year over year, but during that time overall sales were up 11% over that same time period. In the same way as it is in Toronto a double-digit increase in condo sales offset a decline in low-rise sales, but we can safely assume that many would-be buyers didn’t even get in touch with a realtor because the type of home they want (and can even afford) simply isn’t available to them in the city at this time.

Let’s keep in mind as well that the MLS Home Price Index for Vancovuer was up 14.7% year over year in October and 1.1% compared to September 2021. Then add the fact new listings were down 27.3% year over year and we can make that connection that prospective buyers not buying homes because the majority of the ones on the market and within their budget aren’t the type of home that would make sense for them to ‘move up’ the property ladder.

This lack of suitable inventory for homes is something that needs to be taken into consideration too when decision makers in municipal governments talk about promoting more new housing starts. Simply building large numbers of condominiums is still going to leave certain types of buyers with specific prerogatives without a realistic home to buy.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and every month you will receive a quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. No other realtor receives these same leads, and you stand to benefit immensely when it comes to growing your client base. This system works built on Internet Marketing principles, and the individuals identified in the leads are ones who have voluntarily shared information that highlights them as very likely being ready to either buy or sell a home in the area. It’s a great way to build your real estate business, and it does come highly recommended by other realtors.

3 Primary Advantages to Setting up a PREC for Realtors

Published November 1, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

It has been a while since we created a blog entry that wasn’t focusing on some aspect of the Canadian real estate market, and we do enjoy sharing personal career tips for realtors from time to time here. So with that in mind we’re going to use today’s entry to discuss the merits of a move that many realtors make after they’ve built a solid footing with their career. That’s setting up a Personal Real Estate Corporation, and for some realtors this is indeed most beneficial with the way they can beginning their business income as a corporation.

Most of time these days when you see a realtor’s sale sign outside of a home you will see the realtor’s name with ‘personal real estate corporation’ or ‘PREC’ right below it. That means this realtors has established a PREC for their business and this is something that is possible in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. And it is not only realtors who have this option, as many other types of professionals can make the same choice.

As mentioned, most realtors move to establish their PREC once they’ve well established themselves as a realtor working in that region. Getting to the point requires more than a few homes bought and sold, and for newer realtors who are struggling with getting to that point our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent resource that’s made available to realtors of any level of experience in the business. It puts you more directly in touch with people who are ready to make a move on real estate.

But enough about that for now, let’s look at the benefits of a personal real estate corporation for realtors and you can evaluate whether it will be the right fit for you. Keep in mind first that this arrangement won’t be a good fit for every realtors. Incorporation usually only makes real sense when they have an existing corporation with accumulated savings they wish to invest in real estate, or if the person is an investor who is looking to buy and sell real estate and will benefit from lower tax rates on this corporate business income.

Onto the advantages, and here they are:

  1. Income tax deferrals

One of the primary advantages to having their own PREC for a realtor is the ability to defer income tax. The tax rate on small business income up to $500,000 is usually upwards of 10% in any Province, and profit left in a PREC generally qualifies for this low tax rate. After-tax profits in a corporation can be paid out as a dividend. These payments will be at rates ranging from 0% up to 47.74%, based on the recipient’s other sources of annual income.

  • Income splitting with family members

Licensed realtors in most of the provinces listed above can also name family members as shareholders of their PREC, but all of the voting shares of the company must remain with the realtor. Non-voting shares may be issued elsewhere, and with dividends paid to them as applicable. Under Tax on Split Income (TOSI) rules though, most dividends paid to family members will be considered split income and taxable at the top tax rate. This negates the benefits of income-splitting this way somewhat but for some realtors it is still a favourable arrangement.

That will be especially true if the realtor is over 65 and / or their spouse works more than 20 hours per week in the business annually. Further, if a realtor can establish a PREC with accumulated savings inside the corporation, they can be directed into stocks, bonds, GICs, mutual funds, or ETFs as investments, or even re invested into real estate.

  • Tax Deductions

Most expenses that would be tax deductible for an unincorporated realtor who is operating as a sole proprietor will also apply for one who has incorporated themselves with a PREC. The corporation will not likely result in the ability to claim more tax deductions, but there can be exceptions to that too and you will want to be aware of them when weighing this type of decision.

First consideration is with the ability to set up a Health Spending Account (HSA). HSAs allow the reimbursement of an incorporated business owner for personally incurred medical expenses without withdrawals being classed as taxable income. The other exception is for corporate-paid retirement counseling as relates to ‘the fees you pay to provide services such as financial counseling or income tax preparation for an employee are usually considered a taxable benefit.’

Another consideration for you is that there is no avoiding some additional costs that you will assume with a PREC. Having a corporate lawyer get you through the process may cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 and PRECs will have additional costs for bookkeeping and accounting that will be above a realtor’s current ones for those needs.

Should you set up a PREC? Tax deferral is primarily what draws realtors towards it, and then income splitting is the next big plus for those who can pay dividends from their PREC without being subject to applicable rules.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to only one realtor – you. No other realtor receives these leads, and they are leads for prospective clients who are residing in the area where you are working as a real estate. These people have indicated a genuine willingness to make a move in the real estate market, and you have the opportunity to get in touch with them first and convince them you are the real estate professional best qualified to help them with their home sale or purchase of a new home.

Toronto Comes In at #2 for World’s Top Real Estate Bubbles

Published October 25, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Discussion around Real Estate Bubbles for places like Vancouver and Toronto have been had en masse for so many years now, and there’s a lot of legitimacy to suggesting that real estate markets in big cities have the bulk of homes on those markets being overvalued. Whether or not the bubble is soon to pop – as many have suggested and some even hoped for – isn’t such a sure thing. When demand outstrips supply so emphatically those bubbles tend to be fairly darn durable and can expand much more than you’d think possible.

A recent report from a Swiss Bank has pointed to Toronto as the 2nd biggest real estate bubble in the world though. Naturally, this is the sort of stuff that grabs our attention and real estate agents working in Canada’s largest and most populous city may well want to take note of it too. Working in real estate often means having to roll with the punches, as the expression goes, and when it comes to a market with overvalued homes there may be something of a belief in getting while the getting is good. Easier said than done if you’re new to the business.

Bringing new clients into the fold can be a challenge for these realtors, but our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a powerful ally to have on your side when it comes to that. Backed by solid Internet Marketing Principles, what it does is identify people who are planning to either buy or sell a home. When they volunteer contact details, those details go to the realtor and he or she has the opportunity to be first in touch with these prospective clients.

Back to our topic though, and let’s have a look at why this report showed that Toronto has the world’s 2nd biggest real estate bubble.

Correction Coming?

Vancouver made the top 10 in the list put out by Swiss Bank UBS as part of their yearly ‘Bubble Index’, and that’s not a surprise either. Those who don’t share the beliefs of a ‘pop’ being on its way eventually point to the same argument, and it’s a very valid one – as long as there’s not enough in the way of new home builds and existing homes coming onto the market, the values are going to be fairly well protected and the status quo isn’t going to change by and large.

What is this UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index? It is a yearly report that analyses residential property prices in 25 of the world’s major cities. It starts with the basis that a bubble can only be proved to exist after it has popped and they do make quite clear that they cannot claim any knowledge of when such a correction could come. The aim is more to track the factors that most indicate a possible bubble and the ones that make a city more at risk of this.

No one’s debating that the lack of affordability for homes in both cities is worsening the problem. There’s also the way rapid growth in housing prices have contributed to the high scores of cities around the world. Toronto came 3rd in this last year, and came in second the year before that. Vancouver has gone as high as 4th place.

Pop Unlikely

Nothing is going to change the belief of people with informed opinions who will insist that neither of these bubbles are popping, and there’s a whole lot to support that way of thinking. The warning signs should still be heeded, and particularly by the municipalities in both the GTA and GVA as to what they will do to improve housing affordability in Canada and see to it that supply does a better job of meeting the ever-growing demand.

It is true that the International Money Fund reported on the high possibility of a major price correction, and Canada’s home prices are rising faster than any other G7 country according to the US Federal Reserve. We also have the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation listing most major cities in Canada as being at risk for major market vulnerability.

Even if there is a correction, it will likely be a very minor one and if that’s the case it might actually serve the purpose of meeting the two interests in the middle. Current homeowners shouldn’t be too disappointed with dropping values, and those looking to buy a home may find them at least somewhat more affordable.

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Discussion around Real Estate Bubbles for places like Vancouver and Toronto have been had en masse for so many years now, and there’s a lot of legitimacy to suggesting that real estate markets in big cities have the bulk of homes on those markets being overvalued. Whether or not the bubble is soon to pop – as many have suggested and some even hoped for – isn’t such a sure thing. When demand outstrips supply so emphatically those bubbles tend to be fairly darn durable and can expand much more than you’d think possible.

A recent report from a Swiss Bank has pointed to Toronto as the 2nd biggest real estate bubble in the world though. Naturally, this is the sort of stuff that grabs our attention and real estate agents working in Canada’s largest and most populous city may well want to take note of it too. Working in real estate often means having to roll with the punches, as the expression goes, and when it comes to a market with overvalued homes there may be something of a belief in getting while the getting is good. Easier said than done if you’re new to the business.

Bringing new clients into the fold can be a challenge for these realtors, but our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a powerful ally to have on your side when it comes to that. Backed by solid Internet Marketing Principles, what it does is identify people who are planning to either buy or sell a home. When they volunteer contact details, those details go to the realtor and he or she has the opportunity to be first in touch with these prospective clients.

Back to our topic though, and let’s have a look at why this report showed that Toronto has the world’s 2nd biggest real estate bubble.

Correction Coming?

Vancouver made the top 10 in the list put out by Swiss Bank UBS as part of their yearly ‘Bubble Index’, and that’s not a surprise either. Those who don’t share the beliefs of a ‘pop’ being on its way eventually point to the same argument, and it’s a very valid one – as long as there’s not enough in the way of new home builds and existing homes coming onto the market, the values are going to be fairly well protected and the status quo isn’t going to change by and large.

What is this UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index? It is a yearly report that analyses residential property prices in 25 of the world’s major cities. It starts with the basis that a bubble can only be proved to exist after it has popped and they do make quite clear that they cannot claim any knowledge of when such a correction could come. The aim is more to track the factors that most indicate a possible bubble and the ones that make a city more at risk of this.

No one’s debating that the lack of affordability for homes in both cities is worsening the problem. There’s also the way rapid growth in housing prices have contributed to the high scores of cities around the world. Toronto came 3rd in this last year, and came in second the year before that. Vancouver has gone as high as 4th place.

Pop Unlikely

Nothing is going to change the belief of people with informed opinions who will insist that neither of these bubbles are popping, and there’s a whole lot to support that way of thinking. The warning signs should still be heeded, and particularly by the municipalities in both the GTA and GVA as to what they will do to improve housing affordability in Canada and see to it that supply does a better job of meeting the ever-growing demand.

It is true that the International Money Fund reported on the high possibility of a major price correction, and Canada’s home prices are rising faster than any other G7 country according to the US Federal Reserve. We also have the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation listing most major cities in Canada as being at risk for major market vulnerability.

Even if there is a correction, it will likely be a very minor one and if that’s the case it might actually serve the purpose of meeting the two interests in the middle. Current homeowners shouldn’t be too disappointed with dropping values, and those looking to buy a home may find them at least somewhat more affordable.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a guaranteed quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads every month. We’ll be aware of where you work as a real estate agent in Canada, and your leads with be for prospective clients in the region. Add the fact that you’ll be the only realtor to receive that list of leads and it really does give you an exclusive advantage when it comes to building a client base as a new or existing realtor, and doing so much more quickly and effectively.

Cities / Regions in Canada with Biggest Real Estate Value Gains

Published October 18, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

All sorts of talk about migrations these days, and it’s not just humans that have been migrating apparently. Many are now choosing to say that the housing unaffordability issue in Canada has done some migrating of its own. What is meant by that is housing unaffordability has moved out of the big major metro areas that have long been seen as ‘desirable’ and into smaller town Canada where homes were still reasonably priced until recently. This is a trend that’s been even more in focus for the last nearly 2 years, and it’s something to look at if you work in the Real Estate business.

For starters, this is a positive development for people in these less-populated areas of the country who are hoping to sell their home. Even more so for older homeowners who have been planning to have that fund their retirement and now have the possibility of an even better one with the fact they’re home is likely to sell for more. This is beneficial for the realtor working with them too, but one thing that has always been true is that it can be tough to make a living in real estate in smaller communities, and especially if there’s already many realtors working there.

Our online real estate lead generator here at Real Estate Leads is a great way of leveling that playing field for realtors who need it. It puts you immediately in touch with folks who have shown their willingness to either buy or sell a home in that area, and you get the advantage of being the only realtor who receives the leads.

A rise in median home prices in a region can’t be necessarily connected to housing unaffordability, as that is always going to be a relative term. But if it’s to be seen as a plus then where are the locations in Canada where we’ve seen biggest real estate value gains?

That’s what we will look at here this week.

Picking up Steam

The CREA recently released data showing that indicates sales are down 17.5% from the scorching pace we saw over September last year, but then being up 0.9% month over month to counter that some. September 2020 had the market setting a record for the month, but September 21 wasn’t bad either and came in as the second-highest September on record for sales. It also saw the first month-over-month increase since March.

Further, the national benchmark price increased 1.7% month-over-month and 21.5% year-over-year. Halifax is often referred to as the Victoria of the East Coast, and real estate there is up 27.5% this year. Montreal has always been a popular location but to have it up 15.5% over the same time is something that is unusual too.

But the really big gains are being seen in much smaller centers where house price gains have only ever occurred very modestly if at all.

Here’s the list of them

  1. Kawartha Lakes (Ontario) – up 33.1%
  2. Woodstock Ingersoll (Ontario) – up 33.1%
  3. Kitchener Waterloo – up 33%
  4. Lakelands (Ontario) – up 32.1%
  5. North Bay – up 32.1%
  6. Vancouver Island – up 31.9%
  7. London St. Thomas – up 31.7%
  8. Cambridge – up 31.7%
  9. Peterborough Kawartha – up 31.6%
  10. Chilliwack and District (BC) – up 31.6%
  11. Northumberland Hills (Ontario) – up 28.1%
  12. BC Interior Region – up 27.7%
  13. Oakville Milton – up 26.9%
  14. Hamilton Burlington – up 26.6%
  15. Guelph District – 26.4%

Lack of Homes for Sale a Key Factor behind Price Gains

The current estimates are that we haven’t improved on the 2 months of national inventory that has been the market reality for well over a year now. This is going to be very integral to how the behaviour of prices goes, and even though the acceleration in home prices seen for September was more than we expected, the fact that prices are now moving back in that direction is also not coming as a surprise to industry experts.

It’s also true that mortgage rates could be a factor, but more realistically ongoing supply issues (shortages) will have price gains continuing to accelerate. At least for the short foreseeable future. However, with demand continuing to be at historically high levels, listing being quickly absorbed, and price growth running steady near a 20% pace it is very likely that this isn’t a short-term phenomenon.

There is a belief that because of these market realities 5-year fixed mortgage rates are going to have real upside in the months ahead, and that could work to have a dampening effect.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to one realtor exclusively – YOU. No other realtor will be provided with the leads that are given to you, and with them you have the opportunity to approach these individuals or couples and convince them that you are the best choice to help them with their move in the local real estate market. Our system works, and it is great for helping realtors build their businesses and client base.

Homebuyers Outnumber Sellers Around 7 to 1 in Metro Vancouver

Published October 11, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

We have been parroting much the same message as knowledgeable industry experts when it comes to how the simple laws of supply and demand are at the root of why homes are as expensive as they are in places like Toronto and Vancouver, and it is well known that the median prices for homes nationwide are up too for the same reason along with more people moving out of dense urban areas to find more affordable homes elsewhere. People are always going to be looking to downsize and if it is possible to do that and sell your existing home it will be best to work with a realtor who can advise on how you should best set your asking price.

Any realtor will have an understanding of current home values in their local market, and that’s true even of those who are new to the business. Establishing a client base does take time, but realtors can speed up the process by taking advantage of our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads. Based on Internet Marketing principles it generates leads on individuals and couples who are genuinely considering buying or selling a home in the area of the country where you’re working as a realtor.

Back to topic, a new report is indicating that here in Vancouver there are way more people looking to buy a home than there are ones who are either selling one now or are likely to be putting their home on the market in the near future. That’s to the tune of approximately 7 to 1, meaning for every home on the market there’s 7 different parties that are wishing to buy a home there. That type of discrepancy means that even with increased new home building starts there’s never going to be downward pressure on the market because of the availability of homes.

Basic Economic Principle

This prospective buyers to actual sellers ration has been put forward by the B.C. Real Estate Association and it reinforces the unavoidable realities of the law of supply and demand. The gap between the number of buyers and sellers has been predictive of growth in home prices, and the prices for detached homes in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley have seen yearly increases in the vicinity of 32%. Consider as well that the average price of a home in BC went up 25% since COVID-19 struck last year.

Behind all of these factors is supply and demand. At the peak of market activity in March of this year, there were an estimated 67,000 buyers were searching for homes across BC. The number of homes on the market during that time? The estimate is around 24,000, and that works out to a ratio of homebuyers to sellers of almost 3 to 1.

This creates the most common scenario as one where there is significant upward pressure on prices and transactions often occurring after multiple offers. March of 2021 saw realtors across B.C. selling a total of 15,073 homes, and that’s a new record. Most home sell very quickly, and as mentioned it is almost expected that many homes will sell for over asking.

And for the most part it is local buyers who are driving this. While it is a trend that will likely eventually shift back, the number of foreign buyers in B.C.’s property market dropped to almost zero due travel and border restrictions put in place because of COVID-19.

Change over 2 Year Span

During the slowdown of 2018 and 2019, the numbers of buyers and sellers were fairly even, with demand picking up right before the pandemic resulting in a drop in market activity. This ratio continued to rise rapidly until March 2021, surpassing a value of three and regions covered by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver saw a sharp increase in the ratio of buyers to sellers. This was also true in Surrey, Langley, and Abbotsford.

This rise in total demand during the pandemic was a reflection of potential buyers looking outside of the Vancouver area for more affordable space and at the height of the market during the spring the BCREA estimates that buyers outnumbered sellers by similar 7 to 1 or-so numbers in the Fraser Valley and Chilliwack too.

As home prices rose around 14% in the Greater Vancouver Area, the increase seen in the Fraser Valley and Chilliwack was closer to 30%. These model-based estimates of the imbalance between supply and demand confirm the trends observed throughout the pandemic as well as the broader long-run issues with the challenges of housing affordability in BC.

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Slowing Greater Vancouver Home Sales Not Denting Median Prices

Published October 4, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

One of the interesting takeaways from the Q3 real estate industry reports issued from reputable sources here in Canada was that there’s only one city in the entire country where the trend of slowed homes sales across Canada bringing down median home prices hasn’t applied. Most people would guess that to be Vancouver or Toronto, and if so you’re on the right line of thinking given how that’s where the greatest demand is for homes in the country. You’ve also got a 50 / 50 chance of being correct, and if you guessed Vancouver you are right.

It would also be natural to assume that the geographical constraints of the Vancouver area preventing new home builds would be the primary reason for this, and while that is true it’s also because so much of the land that is available for development in the Vancouver isn’t suitable for residential. That is true elsewhere too, but it’s a very pressing reality in Vancouver. The city has a lot of potential for people who want to see profitability working in real estate, but it’s equally common for new realtors to struggle with getting their foot in the door in a profession where so many people are already hanging their hat in Vancouver.

This is in part what makes our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads so beneficial for anyone new to real estate in hot markets who wants an added advantage when it comes to prospecting new clients. It works, and when utilized by an ambitious and studious realtor who works to better themselves and become more of an industry professional everyday it can be immensely helpful in getting their real estate business thriving as soon as possible.

So what is it specifically about Vancouver that has made it immune to price drops on homes caused by a nationwide slowing of sales? That’s what we’ll get to with this week’s entry here.

Demand WAY Outstripping Supply

Metro Vancouver real estate sales are still significantly slowed from the scorching pace seen all through 2020, but that hasn’t meant much in the way of deals for homebuyers because demand continues to outstrip supply. The REB of Greater Vancouver reported 3,149 homes being sold in September, which works out to a 13.6% drop from the 3,643 sold in September 2020 and down 0.1% from the previous month.

Plus, even though sales were up quite a bit compared to the same time last year they were 20.8% above the 10-year September average. At the same time the number of newly listed homes dropped 19.2% compared to September 2020, but went up 28% compared to the previous month. New listings came up short 1.2% of the 10-year average.

What is more expected was that the summer trend of above-average home sales and historically typical new listings activity were seen in Vancouver last month. This is working to keep the overall supply of homes for sale low, and the same upward intensity on home prices today is not being seen like it was in the spring. Property type and neighbourhood type are also much more of factors here, and people and their entire home buying decisions (and selling ones to a lesser extent) are adjusted by this.

Floor on Home Prices in Vancouver

The MLS Home Price Index composite benchmark for homes for sale in Vancouver is up 13.8% (currently) year over year and 0.8 per cent month over month to $1,186,100. This type of percentage value has been standard for many years now, and it works to reinforce the reality that the demand for Vancouver homes will always insulate this market from nationwide real estate market trends and give Vancouver Home Prices a higher floor to the extent that it makes for a higher ceiling too.

Add bidding wars to that equation and it’s all too easy to have median prices for home sold to stay high in the face of influences that would pull them down in any other location of the country, except maybe the GTA. Low mortgage rates definitely factor in too, and of course nothing is as pivotal to all of this like the shortage of homes on the market in contrast to the demand for them. The total number of homes listed for sale is 27.7% below the 10-year September average.

In Vancouver, detached homes have had a 20.4% increase year over year and 1.2% rise month over month to $1,828,200 compared to August 2021. The total number of homes currently listed for sale is down 29.5% compared to September of last year.

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Potential for Foreign Homebuyer Ban in Canada to Backfire

Published September 27, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

With the Federal Liberals’ vanity election of last Monday completed with a cost of $610 million to do nothing more than maintain the status quo, many people in the country are now wondering what proposed measures will be effective for increasing housing affordability in Canada. No doubt that $600+ million could have been better spend in many ways – including in investing in affordable housing starts or providing $ incentives to developers to build affordable housing complexes – but as we all know fiscal propriety or accountability is never going to be part of a Liberal government.

However, it is what it is and people who are struggling to get into the housing market are genuinely wondering what is coming with regards to policy designed to increase the supply of affordable housing in the country. One of the proposals made by the Liberals was a temporary ban on foreign buyers, with the idea that insulating the housing market to be more exclusively for Canadian citizens is going to be beneficial and will ‘cool’ the market in a way that will appease the thousands of Canadians who are anxious and uncertain about their ability to ever afford their home.

This issue is about prospective homebuyers first and foremost, but there are many different groups of other people who are affected by all of this in roundabout ways. Realtors feel a pinch too when there are fewer qualified and / or willing buyers, and there’s fewer homes being put on the market as owners doubt their own abilities to afford something else unless they are ‘downsizing’. Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is ideal for countering that lack of new clientele, leveraging the power of Internet Marketing to identify and deliver people who are genuinely ready to make a real estate move.

If we are to swing back onto track here though, there are economics experts who say that yet again the Mimbo and his policy makers in Ottawa are set to miss the mark again, and that this foreign buyers ban may actually backfire on them. Here’s why.

24 Month Ball Drop?

The idea of banning foreign buyers from purchasing homes in Canada for 2 years builds upon provincial taxes imposed on foreign homebuyers in the hottest housing markets in British Columbia and Ontario in 2016 and 2017. Both have done little to improve housing affordability.

Most notably is the way that Americans will be lumped in with the group of ‘foreign buyers’ that most Canadian take exception to but aren’t particularly keen to own up to it. There are many Americans who buy property in Canada, and it would be very disadvantageous if their government was to do the same to Canadian buyers who would like to buy a home in the USA.

You can be sure that such a move will not go unnoticed in America, and it will not be favorably received in any way, shape, or form. Let’s keep in mind that quite often Canadians are the foreign buyers elsewhere and to be given a taste of our own medicine would taste very good at all.

Less of a Factor

Next, the truth of the matter is that foreign ownership of homes in Canada is not nearly the problem it’s made out to be by some people. Let’s consider a study by Statistics Canada in 2017 that determined non-residents owned only around 3.4% of all homes in Toronto and 4.8% of ones in Vancouver. Sure, that number has probably gone up in the last 4 years, but not much. Let’s consider as well that condos were the most popular housing segment for foreign buyers, with non-residents owning 7.2% and 7.9% in Toronto and Vancouver.

The detached homes that so many people decry for the lack of supply are basically unaffected by home ownership in the big picture – 2.1% for Toronto and 3.2% for Vancouver. Fact of the matter is the vast bulk of the demand for detached homes comes from Canadians living in Canada, especially as more and more people migrate to these desirable locations.

Banning foreign buyers may mean greater access to condos for prospective homebuyers, but the young professional with a young family who needs more space isn’t going to benefit from this move much if at all.

Looking in the Mirror

Let’s again not look past the fact that Canadians are the top foreign buyers of property in the United States. Between April of last year and March of this year Canadians put US$4.2 billion into the purchase of American residential real estate, and that works out to 8% of all non-U.S. citizens or Green Card holders who purchased homes in the continental USA over the course of that year.

A foreign homebuyer ban that puts the brakes on the reciprocal nature of this between countries isn’t going to an administratively punitive one necessarily, but it’s going to put a strain on it and the irony is that this group of buyers is NOT the one that people in Canada want to have in their sights when it comes to disadvantaging foreign buyers.

What is for sure is that we’d see significant bipartisan opposition from Congressional representatives in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and any taxing or enforcing other penalties on Canadian owners of U.S. property would quickly become an issue of contention that the Feds will have to deal with as a fallout of their short sighted decisions.

Negligible Effect

The only solution to improve housing affordability in Canada is to increase supply, and that’s because negating demand from one group does nothing to mediate demand coming from elsewhere – in this case, within the country and from Canadian citizens or ones that have interests in purchasing homes that are not based in any investment thinking. That is literally hundreds of thousands of people if not millions, and that’s the reality of the situation.

The impact of preventing those who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents from buying homes in Canada would be negligible at best. What is also true is the nationality of a homebuyer matters far less than the purpose that newly-purchased home will serve. It is a known fact that Canadians buy properties with idea of having them appreciate in value and rent them out at market rates just as readily as foreigners do, and that it’s not a ‘level playing field’ is also untrue when you consider many Canadian are equally as financially qualified to be doing so as the foreign buyers.

Same goes for those who buy properties and leave them vacant (tax or not) in order to preserve the value of the home. Is that harmful? Yes it is. Is it just as common with domestic buyers as it is foreign buyers? Yes, it is.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively as a realtor. These are leads for the area where you are working as an agent, and you will be the only realtor who receives them. This creates an exclusive opportunity to be first in touch with these people and put your knowledge and professionalism on full display to bring them into the fold as new clients for your real estate business.

Longer Fixed Mortgage Terms with Conservative Government Could Improve Housing Affordability

Published September 20, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

It’s election day here in Canada and sometime late this evening we’ll know if the Trudeau Liberals will stay in power or if Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives have received the majority of the vote and will form a new government. All the major political parties have included housing affordability in their platforms, but no matter which one forms or continues government finding workable ways to make housing more affordable for Canadians is going to be a steep challenge.

The people who are most disadvantaged in the Canadian housing market as it is these days are first-time homebuyers. That is to be expected, and there’s not much explaining that needs to be required when ever-rising median home prices come with ever-greater amounts needed for down payments as well as a greater chance that prospective buyers won’t qualify for the mortgages they’d need. As a realtor working in Canada that means that some people who might otherwise be your clients stay as renters instead.

Less pie to go around, but our online real estate lead generations service here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent resource to help realtors who might be struggling to generate new clients. What it does is give them an inside track to being first in touch with people who have been identified as genuinely ready to make a move in the real estate market.

Highly recommended, but let’s today look at a part of the Conservative government platform that might actually be quite effective in addressing housing affordability in Canada.

Fixed Across 7 /10

Part of what the Conservative Party is pledging is to create a new market for fixed mortgages in the seven- to 10-year range, with an idea to promote better housing affordability. Industry experts tend to think that there is real merit in it, and that it would provide stability both for first-time home buyers and lenders. The belief is that it would be another path to homeownership for Canadians, and that it will also reduce the need for mortgage stress tests- another major stumbling block for 1st time homebuyers that can derail the home purchasing plans all too quickly.

The party also has an intention to amend the mortgage stress test so that it no longer discriminates against those who aren’t the typical ‘qualified buyer’ – small business owners, contractors and other non-permanent employees like casual workers. The ideas is that these types of revised terms would force different mortgage lenders to offer more competitive rates. Better rates would mean many would-be buyers that might be locked out because of a lack of this type of competition might still be able to purchase a first home.

It is also believed that fixing a mortgage rate for seven to 10 years would eliminate the need for a stress test when owners have the freedom to choose not to refinance for prolonged periods of time, and that this would work out to much more in the way of affordability for buyers. It would also help to slow the massively expanded levels of mortgage debt in Canada – $1.98 trillion in May of this year.

Helpful Restrictions

Let’s say a household with in the vicinity of $125,000 as their total annual income qualifies for a mortgage with a 15-20% down payment at 2.44%. Currently and because of the stress test they would be restricted to about $600,000 purchasing power with a monthly payment of just under $2700 or so. This would work out to about 33% of the total debt service (TDS) ratio. This new plan works on the belief that that households with that type of net income should be able to afford a mortgage of up to $800,000 with related monthly payments in the vicinity of $3,500 or so.

The additional $200,000 in borrowing power would go a long way towards affording homes these types of people would want / need in major urban areas of the country where house values are high and will continue to be that way. Higher monthly payments would be more comfortable if secured over 5, 7, or even 10 years. Keep in mind that in the USA 10-25-year terms are quite normal.

By creating incentives to keep their mortgages intact homeowners would benefit from greater affordability, and this is really something to consider.

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Ways to Help Clients Win Bid in Multiple Offers Scenario

Published September 13, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Experienced realtors will know very well what it’s like to have to think on your feet and be able to help clients navigate challenges without delay as they present themselves. Multiple offers on homes for sale may not be anywhere near the norm in rural areas of Canada (although that’s changing with some of them) but if you are a real estate agent working in one Canada’s big cities it’s about as commonplace as can be. If you’re one of them you know how surreal these scenarios can be, and you never to what extent they’re going to go to.

We’ve gone on at length here many time how being all-knowledgeable about the real estate business takes years, but the sooner you get to that point the sooner you’ll have established yourself as a preferred choice for people who want to buy or sell real estate. Clients will look to you for your expertise, and providing it to them and then having them reap the rewards of working with you goes the longest way possible in making a name for yourself in the business.

As with anything, you need to start at the start and that means generating clients in the first place. That can be challenging if you’re new to the business, but our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to hit the ground running in this business and bring clients into the fold with maximum efficiency. It’s all based on the power of Internet Marketing, and candidates are determined based on their responses to voluntary user polls.

But enough about that, and let’s get back to our focus here this week – helping clients come out on top and successful in buying a home when there’s multiple offers on it.

1. Play to Win & not to Lose

If you want to look behind the insane soaring of housing prices you’ll see that a primary reason for them is that the sellers are engaged in a numbers game. Putting lower listing prices in place means they’ll get more initial offers with higher values as buyers look to strike while the poker is hot. It’s true that bidding wars do usually push up prices well beyond the true market value of the home. As an agent, you should know an approximate ballpark value point based on market statistics and if you feel sure that the over-asking price is exceeding your client’s budget then you should retract their offer. If not, you’ll be just increasing the competitive drive. Let the market balance itself out.

2. Due Diligence is Best

You should also do what it takes to get complete information on the sellers. These are the types of questions you should try to answer:

  • Who are they?
  • How are they employed?
  • Why are they selling?
  • Where are they going?

The best way to obtain this seller information is to talk to the neighbours. An estimate is to be in touch with five or so surrounding houses. Do that and you’re almost sure to dig up valuable info about the house and the people who are selling it. Info that’s going to help you in the offer situation.

3. Compliment the Agent

All agents working together representing clients speak to each other, and you should know how to tailor your communications with them to further your clients’ interests. Tell them you want to bring an offer and you have a few questions. In advance of that take some time to learn something about the agent. They will almost certainly have some type of online profile that you can reference to know more about them.

It’s a good idea to compliment the agent first to start and then go into the seller info. The key is in building rapport, emotions and relationships.

4. Evaluate What Else Might be Included in the Offer

A common example here could be with furniture and belongings in the house, items that you might put in the offer where there might be benefit on behalf of the seller. This could make your offer stand out, and a good spot to try this is with sellers who you know are moving long distance or out of country.

5. Provide Deposit Cheque or Approval Letter with the Offer

Providing the seller’s agent with a non-refundable deposit cheque along with your offer will strengthen the offer. Including an approval letter with your offer is an option too. The aim here is to show your client’s financial freedom as well as show the seller (and their agent) how much your clients want the house.

6. Send Texts 15 minutes Before the Offer

Discourse with a seller’s agent can include letting them know you’ll text them in advance of the offer as a reminder. Say the offer presentation is at 5:00, then you’d text them at 4:45 and mention lightly that your clients like the home very much and then ask them what might improve their chances of winning it

7. Send a Letter or Video

It is wise to represent your client’s best interest by giving sellers an idea of just what type of person is going to be purchasing the home. Sending a short video of your clients talking about how much they love the house or showing their little kids in front of the house can go a long way in swaying the home sellers if there are multiple similar bids they’re considering.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads connecting you directly with genuine buyers who are in the same area of any city or town in Canada where you work as a real estate agent. You can know you’ll be the only agent receiving these leads, and the opportunity to gain these people as clients is all yours. This is a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and more and more realtors are realizing this.

Residential Real Estate Boards Across Canada Oppose Proposed Changes

Published August 30, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

The reason that residential real estate boards exist in major cities across Canada is to both protect consumers with home purchases and ensure integrity, professionalism, and transparency with members working as real estate agents in Canada. The second part of that should be fairly self-explanatory, but when we consider the first prerogative there we need to remember that there are 2 distinct parts to that equation. There are home buyers, and by necessity there needs to be home sellers that have their homes on the market for the buyers to be able to buy.

Both sides will have their own interests, and nobody is going to deny that there is a housing crisis in Canada and there needs to be solutions tried. But the Liberal governments recent promise to introduce legislation that will, among other points, ban ‘blind bidding’ is very short sighted and a mere band aid fix that will provide a small amount of benefit for one interest group while compromising the interests of the other.

Real estate agents are often homeowners themselves, and they have other interests that go along with growing their personal real estate business. Facilitating that growth means bringing new clients into the fold, but every realtor will tell you that’s easier said than done. That’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is so highly regarded among realtors who are looking for real advantages. The power of Internet marketing is put to work to generate genuine client leads and these realtors are the only ones to receive them.

But back to our topic this week, let’s talk about why most realtors will disagree with this proposed legislation proposed by the Trudeau Government, even if it may be well intentioned.

Market Reflections

The reason that blind bidding exists is solely because of the wish of ever greater numbers of people to own real estate in Canada being matched with a supply of homes that has never increased even remotely in step with this demand. The Ontario Real Estate Association believes this plan would harm hardworking Canadians and make them less able to choose how they’ll sell their homes, and in the bigger picture regulating real estate practices through the Criminal Code is going to be harmful in both the short and long term.

No matter what side you’re on, that’s as accurate a statement as you’ll find and it’s illogical to think it is possible to fix Canada’s housing crisis by denying millions of hardworking families the choice of how to sell their home and also pitting homeowners against buyers in some sort of competition.

What this will do is negatively impact Canada’s housing market and making home ownership even more unaffordable. Let’s look at Australia and New Zealand that have much healthier housing markets and nowhere near the affordability and supply crisis that we do here in Canada. Open auctions are the norm there, with sellers much more often than not choosing to use the open bidding process.

Why? Because it’s better for everyone and is again a function of the market and its dynamics dictating purchaser behaviour. Auction fever creates its own reality with hopeful buyers crowding in front of a home with a live auctioneer, or online, and the bidding begins. This actually doesn’t make homes more affordable – it can actually drive prices higher, and force buyers into making rushed decisions involving tens of thousands of dollars with the feeling that the window of opportunity to make a successful purchaser bid on the house is closing.

We can also expect that the Liberal’s ‘Home Buyers Bill of Rights’ will be predictably empty once it’s opened up. It would include banning blind bidding, on the notion that having bidders not know the bids of other prospective buyers is somehow going to be helpful. We take no issue with the other part of it establishing a legal right to a home inspection and requiring real estate agents to disclose to all participants in a transaction.

But changing the bidding process for the sake of mistakenly addressing the crisis at hand really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Protect Consumer Choice & Buyer Means

The smart general consensus in the industry is that consumer choice and consumer privacy should be always come first in government policy. Federal public policy is best when it recognizes the right that consumers have to privacy and allows them to consent to the disclosure of personal information. It’s pretty simple to understand that this is better than penalizing home buyers and sellers. Punishing home buyers and sellers for wanting to keep their financial decisions private for the largest transaction of their lives is a real example of bureaucratic impropriety and there’s really no debating that.

However, some transparency can be helpful but there is a need to find a middle ground so that this doesn’t benefit homebuyers entirely at the expense of the individuals selling the homes. It is possible to utilize our current regulated offer process but with tweaks that let Realtors share the top offer with the seller. This would go along with all participants being aware of the amount attached to the leading offer and giving each an opportunity to up their offer or decided it’s time to bow out.

But even more transparency won’t solve Canada’s housing affordability crisis or stop price growth. The real root factors being housing unaffordability in Canada are not being addressed.

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Detached Homes Costing Upwards of $1M in 54 of 60 Areas in Toronto

Published August 23, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

If the big backyard and proverbial picket fence are that important to you as a would-be homeowner in Toronto, be prepared to shell out big bucks for those kind of living arrangements. Some will say that 1 million is only the number it is based on arbitrary criteria, and surely there’s many mortgage brokers who will think similarly and say it’s only 100k more than 990 thousand. But it is something of a threshold number, and that is reinforced when prospective homeowners look at many of these homes and wonder how if they weren’t in an inflated market would this home really even be worth 800k?

Housing prices are unnaturally inflated all across the country, but in Toronto and Vancouver most notably. Real estate agents working in these cities will like that reality on one end of the equation, but on the other end it means a) more agents in the game and b) fewer homeowners who can qualify to buy these detached homes in the first place. Try being a new realtor in the business in either city and you may find you’re not able to get clients as readily as you’d like, although there are plenty would-be 1st time home buyers who will be looking to get into the market with a Toronto area condo.

This is why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads always makes a lot of sense for any realtor who sees the need to get more out of their client prospecting efforts. It’s quite amazing what can be done with Internet Marketing, but you won’t need to know how this system works – just that it does work and there’s plenty to suggest that it does.

Let’s get back to looking at the almost surreal expensiveness of detached homes in most of Toronto.

Not Just Toronto Proper – All 905 Areas

Satellite cities certainly haven’t been spared the meteoric price increases that have been seen in Southern Ontario’s desirable locations over recent years. Our friends at Re/Max tend to know their stuff, and they’ve shared that the TRREB that in all 60 areas of Greater Toronto and the ‘Golden Horseshoe’ there were only six had detached homes on the market and priced at less than $1 million. Whether or not that’s in a buyer’s or seller’s market is irrelevant at that point. It’s going to be very good for one side, and really not appealing at all for the other.

Overall home sales in Toronto exceeded 70,000 between January and June, working out to the strongest first half ever for the TRREB, and going way past record levels set in previous years. Without a serious influx of new listings to ease the upward pressure on pricing in the coming months, it is projected that the market will likely stay on this upward trajectory.

There were 11,297 active listings in the first half of the year, but that was down 35% from the 10-year average of 17,260 and in large part a reflection of the ‘cool down’ seen in real estate across the country through April and May. But this is countered by a 97% of TRREB areas. Almost half of those areas saw values go up nearly 25% year-over-year.

Certain trends are showing that first-time homebuyers are leaving Toronto to buy homes further away, and then move-up buyers are doing the same but often staying in certain areas and buying homes of higher value after selling their previous homes. Increased transit options and hybrid work schedules have made these sorts of relocations even more possible. This goes along with first-time homebuyers who are expanding their horizons mostly of a desire to get into the market before prices increase even further. Communities in Durham, Peel, Dufferin County and the most northern part of York Region have been the primary beneficiaries of this when it comes to properties sold to new owners.

There’s no denying first-time homebuyers are struggling with what supply and demand is doing to median home prices, while existing homeowners have been enjoying equity gains that have gone up immensely over the past 2+ years. Move-up buyers are taking advantage of lower interest rates and those equity gains to trade up to larger homes or neighbourhoods closer to the downtown core.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads putting you in touch with genuine buyers who are in the same area of any city or town in Canada where you work as a real estate agent. You can trust that you will be the only realtor who will receive those leads, and so the opportunity is yours alone. This is a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and realtors just like you have been benefitting in the same way.

1 in 10 Homeowners in Canada’s 3 Biggest Cities Own Multiple Properties

Published August 16, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Having a homeowner own more than one home would not be especially noteworthy if the prices for real estate in Canada’s big cities hadn’t exploded over the last decade. This is especially true for detached homes, and yet interestingly many of these homeowners we are talking about here have detached homes to go along with the detached home that’s their primary residence. Needless to say that’s doing wonders for the accumulation of equity, and it’s something interesting to note that around 1 in every 10 homeowners in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal own more than one property.

It also goes without saying that these will be the exact type of clients that real estate agents will be keen to work with, and especially if they are homeowners who have the financial means of acquiring other property to use as investments. The reality, however, is that it is in these 3 locations and other big metro areas in Canada where more and more real estate agents are entering the profession given what can be made in commissions on sales of houses that often sell for way above asking.

This is why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is even more highly recommended for new realtors working in densely populated and ‘desirable’ areas of the country. It’s in these areas where the competition to be listing homes is going to be the fiercest, and being able to be first to contact legit potential homebuyers before any other realtor does. That’s no guarantee you’ll secure them as clients, but you’ll have the opportunity to do so and that’s a great way to start building up your real estate business.

Let’s look at these new estimates in greater detail and with each of the 3 big cities individually.

Vancouver

Vancouver is the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Canada, but it has the highest number of multiple property owners – 14% of them. Of those homeowners with more than 1 property owned, 27% don’t collect rental income, 51% rent the homes out full time aside from their primary residence, while 13% use them alternating between personal and rental properties. Approximately 7% of the homes are vacant, and yes it’s safe to assume those are investors who are assuming the speculation and vacancy tax in BC as simply a cost of doing business.

It’s fair to say that real estate is an integral part of retirement planning for many Vancouver homeowners and many of those with multiple homes are looking to build future equity as a means of sustaining a desired lifestyle into their retirement years. More commonly than having them used to subsidize monthly income, these home are owned as a long-term investment.

This 14% stat also applies to multiple property homeowners who are between the ages of 18 and 35 too, and that may be the one that people find most surprising. Again though, we can safely assume that the majority of this group started on the property ladder with parental help if they’ve managed to own 2 homes while still being in what most would consider to be their youth.

Toronto

The percentage of homeowners owning multiple properties in Toronto is only slightly less, with 13% of them owning more than one property. Of those 27% do not collect rental income from those properties. 49% rent them out and 15% use those additional properties either themselves and for rental income / long-term investment purposes.

18% of homeowners in that same 18 and 35 age bracket who own in Toronto have multiple properties, while 11% of those 35 and up do as well. Demand in nearby areas that are just outside the GTA like Guelph and London factor in here too. Receiving outside financial assistance has likely benefited young homeowners here too and applies the same way it does for Vancouver. And of course both cities are far and away the two most popular destinations for newcomers to Canada, many of whom arrive with much greater financial means than many Canadians.

Montreal

Of Canada’s 3 biggest cities it is Montreal that is the most affordable, although that’s a very relative term and that will be immediately obvious if we compare house prices here to ones in smaller cities anywhere in the country.

An estimate of 12% of homeowners in Quebec’s major metro city own more than one home. Of them 37% do

Out of Canada’s three largest cities, Montreal area real estate is the cheapest and it’s allowed 12% of survey respondents to purchase more than one property. Of these multiple property homeowners, 37% don’t collect rental income from properties owned beyond their primary residence, while 25% rent out the properties. 9% used properties for a period of the year and collect rental income on it outside of that time. 4% leave the properties vacant as long-term investments and this will primarily apply to condominiums in the city

One noted trend here is that secondary property owners in Montreal use them for leisure more often than an investment. That may be in large part because while the MTL market is hot, it’s not red hot like the ones in Vancouver and Toronto and as such there’s a little less incentive to put properties to take advantage of serious price gains.

16% of homeowners aged 18-35 own more than one property, while only 11% over 35 do, and that lower number for the second group is again likely a reflection of their being less of a frenzy for owning second homes for rental income or investment.

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Zero to Little-Down Mortgages Raising Some Concerns

Published August 3, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

As a real estate agent, you like to see your clients and prospective homebuyers being approved for the financing needed to get them into a new home that works for them. Most realtors will have a mortgage broker they trust that they are happy to refer clients too, and it is nice when you see they’ve been approved for their mortgage and their on the way to getting into that home before long. The issue is that the homes many people are getting mortgages for nowadays are very expensive, and if you live in some major metro areas of the country it’s not uncommon to be taking mortgages on homes priced at 800k or even much higher.

It’s no secret that low interest rates have been kept low by the Federal Government as a means of providing economic stimulus at a time when it’s very much needed. Having lenders of either zero-down or very little-down payments on homes when taking mortgages may be an associated part of that too, especially when you consider that real estate makes up a significant portion of Canada’s GDP. But minimal down payments or no required down payment at all may be leading to a lot of buyers biting off ‘more than they can chew’, as the expression goes.

In the immediate scenario this isn’t a bad thing, and especially for someone who works in real estate. More prospective homebuyers receiving financing means more homes sold and deals closed, but as always there’s going to be more realtors working for a slice of the pie than there is pie to go around. That’s why our online real estate lead generation service here at Real Estate Leads is as highly recommended as it is. It lets you get the jump on being in touch with people who are looking to sell or buy a home, and for someone who’s new to the real estate business it can be a massive benefit for building their business quickly.

There is concern that this down payment on a mortgage flexibility is going to be problematic, so let’s look at why that is.

Bull Market Continues

This is the 25th year for the great Canadian housing bull market, a pretty much uninterrupted straight line up that hasn’t really been seen elsewhere in the world. It’s true that real-estate prices are soaring all over the globe, but it’s only New Zealand that has a more frenzied housing market than Canada. Years of price gains have been the norm, and that includes a 21% surge since the pandemic began. The reality is that millions of middle-class Canadians don’t have the means of making that conventional down payment of 20%.

So this boom in riskier loans is chipping away at the most crucial of the three pillars that industry insiders are the foundations of good housing. Conventional, conservative lending practices, rising demand, and tight supply. Yes, there are regulations that prevent applicant risk, but many of those who are approved for loans today are assuming debt loads people would have thought were unthinkable in generations previous.

Having borrowers financing bigger chunks of their purchases is a legitimate concern. Often these massive loans are being taken out by borrowers with relatively low incomes. Mortgages considered to have a high loan-to-income ratio — when the principal is a minimum of 4.5x the borrower’s annual income – made up around 17% of new insured home loans in the fourth quarter. That’s up from 6.5% just two years ago, and it’s true that loan officers have loosened mortgage lending conditions in each of the past 3 quarters.

Benchmark Rate Must Rise

In Canada, most borrowers reset the rates on mortgages every five years or less. Traders now expect the bank to begin lifting its benchmark rate from 0.25% over the next 12 months, and to bump it up at least three more times before the close of 2024.

The concern is that the first of the rate hikes may come even sooner than markets are foreseeing, especially if the incoming inflation trend is worse than expected. This could result in housing prices being pushed down and that would mean many people defaulting on their mortgages.

However, products like zero-down mortgages are still only a small percentage of all mortgages, and insurance against default is required for any home purchased with less than 20% down. This is part of why major Canadian banks in recent years haven’t had much in the way of losses from bad mortgages.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming years, and especially if interest rates rise as many are saying they eventually must.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. You are the only realtor who will receive them, and these leads will be for couples, families, or individuals near you who have show a genuine willingness to make a move in the real estate market sometime soon. It’s a great way to get more out of all the effort you put into building your real estate business by bringing new clients into the fold.

Buyer Fatigue a Possibility in Slightly Moderated Canadian Housing Market

Published July 26, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

For the longest time it was the term ‘red hot’ that was applied to the Canadian real estate market, and a big part of that resulting from the fact demand far outstripped supply and so buyers were willing to paly the obscenely high costs attached to many of the homes being sold in desirable locations in Canada. Much has been made of how bidding wars were driving up the final sale prices to be WAY above asking prices for the homes, and while that’s great for the homeowners it’s not in the interest of the collective good as it prevents many would-be homeowners from getting into the market with homes that are good fits for their families.

The consensus in the industry is that now – in the middle of the summer of 2021 – the market is still fairly hot, but that it’s cooled down some. Some will suggest it’s a temporary pause, while others think that there is something of a more permanent correction coming. Like any major trend, this affects people working in real estate and for some the decrease in activity will factor into their business more than it will for others. That’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is so beneficial for realtors who want to ensure they continue to drum up new clients consistently.

But back to our topic for this week. One of the things that all these bidding wars do is create buyer fatigue, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise if you can imagine what being constantly outbid will do to a prospective homebuyer’s psyche. Whether that’s leading more and more of them to drop out of the game remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a believable theory.

Huge Detached Home Demand

One thing that’s well established is that families will prefer to raise their children in a home with a backyard, and not in multi-family housing as is usually the case for people in major metro areas. The pandemic has amplified that too, and to give you an example of this possible buyer fatigue a realtor selling a detached home in Burnaby BC for a clients received 42 offers above asking price on the home.

That’s 41 buyers who were willing to pay more than the listed price going away disappointed, and this is increasingly the norm in the Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto areas. This house in particular sold for $216,000 over asking price at 1.715 million.

It’s not difficult to imagine that some of these buyers will become disillusioned to the point that they’re choosing to sit on the sidelines for a while and let this frenzy pass. If so, that could and would cool sales although you could also believe that given population inflows into these areas that there would be other willing buyers to replace those who are taking a ‘time out’.

Buyer Fatigue?

The increase in buyers that will come with opening to immigration and international students will be a factor too, and some buyers may be even less enthusiastic knowing that median prices are likely going to rise again once this happens. There is a report that states real estate markets across Canada are moderating nationally, but what is the cause of this?

Fewer bidders willing to engage in bidding wars may have homeowners keeping properties off the market knowing that the frenzy that would otherwise accompany the sale of the home isn’t going to be to the same extent. Another factor is that easing restrictions related to COVID will cause attention to wane from real estate over the next few months, and the thinking of wanting more ‘space’ won’t be as pronounced as it was at this time last year.

The desire to buy a home could start subsiding as pandemic measures are lifted and many workers return to offices, and while that is likely true it’s also accurate that the country’s housing market remains near record-high sales levels. And the signs of moderation that have begun to appear over the past few months are really very small indicators to this point.

Statistics Canada noted a 0.7 percent drop in new home listings in June 2021.

What’s not small is the percentage of the decline. Stats Can has stated that sales activity was down 92% in all local markets for June 2021 on a month-over-month basis and that is a marked contrast from both previous months and this time last year, when real estate was as hot a commodity as you could ever imagine.

Along with this national home sales decline by 8.4% on a month-over-month basis for June, and that’s the 3rd straight month with a decline. The average price of a home in Canada rose 0.9% however during that same time, but that’s not as relevant to the discussion of volume of sales

The association also reported that the typical price of a home in Canada rose 0.9 percent month-over-month in June 2021, “continuing the trend of decelerating month-over-month growth that began in March”.

British Columbia is an ideal example of this, with the B.C. Real Estate Association reporting sales and prices across the province dropped for the third month in a row in June after the market peaked in March 2021.

However, there is good news in the fact that despite the month-over-month deceleration in new house price increases, year-over-year gains remained near record highs for June and that is predicted to continue for the duration of the year

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are from genuine buyers who are in the same area of any city or town in Canada where you are working as a real estate agent. But what’s most important to most realtors is that you will be the only realtor who will receive those leads, we won’t be providing them to anyone else. This is a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and comes highly recommended from realtors just like you.

Toronto Considering Following Vancouver’s Lead with Vacancy Tax

Published July 19, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

For a few years now homeowners in Vancouver have had to declare that they have lived in their residence for at least 6 months (half) of the previous year in order to avoid having to pay a vacancy tax. One that the city introduced to make more housing stock available to rent in the city – something that is VERY much needed there and in Canada’s other major metro city, Toronto. Data indicates the vacancy tax has raised revenue for the city, and as you would expect the city earmarks that money for investment in new affordable housing.

It’s a slow change process, but it’s in the greater civic interest to prevent owners from buying homes and then leaving them vacant while they wait for the home’s value to appreciate before selling it. Any realtor working in Vancouver or Toronto will tell you this practice has been very common for a long time, but in Vancouver at least now it’s going to cost those investor buyers more to protect their investment that way.

Understanding and being receptive to buyer prerogatives in the best way possible is what a realtor should strive for. But when you’re new to the business you won’t have learned the ropes in the same way as someone who’s a more experienced realtor. You gain that experience one way, and one way only – working with clients. That’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such a good choice for realtors new to the business. You’ll be directed to prospective clients, and given that opportunity to convince them you’re a good choice as their realtor.

But back to our topic here this week. It appears as if Toronto is starting to see the same merit in a vacancy tax that Vancouver has for a while now, and may be following suit with a vacancy tax of their own.

Stumping Speculation

The City of Toronto’s aim of course is to try to stop real estate speculators from buying up homes and having those homes sit empty while residents find finding affordable housing to be a major struggle. The mayor’s executive committee unanimously supported a city staff recommendation that would implement a 1% vacant home tax beginning the first day of 2022. It’s very likely that council is going to approve the proposal, so we can go ahead and assume this is probably going to go through.

The rate for the tax that Vancouver put into place when introduced in 2018 was raised 3% in the fall of last year, and it’s estimated the vacancy tax put around 5,000 condo units on to the rental market in and brought down the number of empty homes by 25%.

Spokespersons for the city in Toronto have said they estimate their vacant home tax will generate between $55 and $66 million per year. Again in the same way as Vancouver, the city would use the money to fund affordable housing projects. The hope with these taxes is that they will compel property buyers to either live in the home themselves, or add it into the rental stock that is in extremely short supply in both cities and likely will be for the long foreseeable future.

Questions about Rate

Apparently Toronto intends to introduce the vacant homes tax at 1% of the home’s assessed value, but some are suggesting it’s too low and they should follow Vancouver’s lead exactly and start at the same 3% of assessed value.

Some people think 1% is not enough of a disincentive. Rental vacancy rates are as low as they’ve ever been right across Canada, and the pandemic has driven up rental apartment vacancy rates to a 50-year high. Numbers have shown that just under 6% of rental apartment units were vacant in Q4 last year.

As the pandemic becomes more under control, students will return to schools in big cities and this will put even more pressure on the rental market.

Luxury Tax Too?

Toronto city’s executive committee is also considering a study proposing a luxury home tax, where owners of homes valued over $2 million would havean increased municipal land transfer tax up going up to 3 / 4% from the current 2.5%. The estimate there is that this tax could generate up to $30 million more a year in revenue that will be invested into affordable housing projects.

However, some experts say not to loo past the effect of some homeowners choosing not to upgrade to luxury homes and this meaning fewer upper scale detached single-family homes being available for sale on the real estate market.

$1.5 million was the average detached home value in Toronto for 2020, so the concern is that this tax will target homeowners who aren’t extremely rich way too predominantly, as well as have a dampening effect on the housing market.

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Continued Role of ‘Boomers’ in Real Estate Market Activity in Canada

Published July 12, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

The nature of what we do here means we spend a lot of time reading about real estate market trends in Canada, and many times we read what is called expert insight. On more than a few occasions we’ve read some of these insights suggesting that the Baby Boomer generation is going to less of a factor in the real estate market as they enter later senior years now. In theory it makes sense, but that’s really about it. Or so it would seem.

We say in theory because it would seem to make sense that people who’s children are fully grown and long gone and who are also not as independent as before would be looking to either stay put or move somewhere smaller or where extended care is more readily available. However, new information made available to the public seems to suggest otherwise.

This is very much information that new realtors should be taking note of, and if you’re one of the many who are new to the business then our online real estate lead generation system is a sure fire way to get more out of the efforts you put into building your client base. You want to move towards making a good living in real estate as soon as possible, and nothing does that better than acquiring clients that are so pleased with you and your knowledge of real estate that they refer you to other clients.

So if we’re speaking about being knowledgeable about real estate, one thing you can know is that rumour of the baby boomer generation starting to be less of a factor in real estate isn’t such an accurate prediction it would seem. Let’s look at that here today.

Continued #1 For Home Equity Wealth

One thing that has never been suggested is that the boomer generation doesn’t have the greatest amount of equity amassed in their homes. Fortuitous timing for when you were born has been great for these people, but that is what it is these people hold a lot of wealth in the real estate market that they plan to unleash over the next half-decade, according to a recent Royal LePage survey that also had Stats Can in on it.

It appears that about 35% of people born before 1965 are considering the purchase of a home some time in the next five years, and that works out to more than 3 million people. In a country where the supply (low) to demand (high) ratio is already majorly skewed to make it a buyer’s market, this is a VERY major consideration moving forward.

45% of these people indicated they thought now is a good time to buy, despite there being a recent dip in the frenzy of real estate activity in Canada. The most likely belief here is that prices are going to rise even higher, and so the old ‘no better time than the present’ adage fits yet again.

40% of respondents said they have 50% or more of their net wealth tied up in real estate. This may be the most telling finding of all of them to indicate why the Federal government is hesitant to intervene too much in the industry and force the ‘correction’ many people were hoping for. 17% own more than one home, and 64% of homeowners in this age bracket own their home completely – no mortgage.

There was a very good and interesting article in Maclean’s magazine a few years back called ‘Stay Away from My Housing Bubble’ and it really lays out how a general large scale decline in real estate values would crush retirement dreams for a lot of people.

Everyone will agree that these homeowners should be able to get the most value out of their homes if a good retirement depends on it, so here we are with a situation that’s going to continue.

Renovations Too

The survey found out as well that a little more than half of boomer homeowners would choose to renovate present homes rather than move. Many respondents also said they would be using their equity wealth to help their children purchase homes, and of course this is especially true in Canada’s more desirable area big cities like Toronto and Vancouver.

Long story short – Millions of boomers are expected to wade into the market over the next 5 years.

Let’s look at the rest of what the report found based on a by-Province analysis.

Ontario

37% of Boomers in Ontario want to buy a home in the next five years, 41% of them in Toronto. 76% of Ontarian boomers own their own home, 60% or so of them are mortgage-free, and 16% ownmultiple properties.

Quebec

29% of boomers surveyed will contemplate purchasing a home within 5 years. Montreal has among Canada’s lowest rate of boomer homeownership at 62%, but 57% of Quebec boomers are mortgage-free. 16% own more than one property and 34% have half or more of their net wealth in real estate.

British Columbia

Way out West 39% of boomers will consider a home purchase in the next five years. 79% of boomers in BC are mortgage-free, and that’s 64% in Vancouver with the country’s highest home prices. Overall 66% of boomers in all of BC own their homes outright.

48% of boomers in BC have at least half of their net wealth in real estate, and 18% own at least one other home. BC is also the province in Canada that has the number of baby boomers who own 3 or more homes, although that can include vacation properties and there are many along Canada’s Pacific coast.

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May Home Sales Down 7.4% Nationally

Published July 5, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

As we move past the midway mark for 2021, it would appear that the temporary slowdown or ‘blip’ in the market indicated for April continued into May. Despite this industry experts still foresee 2021 setting a new record the number of home sale transactions, but it’s interesting to note how the slight freeze seen for April has stretched into May now that June has ended. It’s important to understand that peaks and valleys are often the norm in any industry, particularly following volatile times (no explanation needed surely) and so this isn’t exceptional really.

Being in the know regarding the market and having concrete information on it that can be provided to clients is important for realtors, and many realtors who are new to the business may brush up on this stuff as much as possible yet not have enough of that new clientele to ‘impress’ with it, if you will. That’s why our online real estate lead generation system for realtors here at Real Estate Leads comes as highly recommended as it does.

It puts the power of Internet marketing to work to straight line you to be in touch with folks who are genuinely to make a move – either buying or selling – in the local real estate market.

So let’s have a look at what the CREA determined was the case for May 2021 in the Canadian real estate market.

Slight Fall Back

Home sales across the country are beginning to fall back from highs seen earlier in the year, although as mentioned the Canadian Real Estate Association still foresees the number of transactions during 2021 setting a new record. The 56, 616 sales seen in May were a 7.4& drop from April’s 60k+ with month-over-month sales also declining in nearly 80% of all markets.

The transaction volume for May was a significant dip compared with what was seen this time last year when COVID was in full swing across the country, but the association expects sales to inch up toward more standard levels as we enter the back half of 2021 and going into 2022.

The consensus seems to be that 2021 transactions will increase 23.8% from last year, and that is predicted to work out to somewhere in the vicinity of 682,000 homes sales for this year. That would be a record, but then the same experts are foreseeing somewhere around a 13% decline to around 594,000 homes being sold for 2022.

Higher Prices, Insufficient Supply

This slowing can probably be attributed to higher prices, not enough supply and widespread buyer hesitancy as well as more and more people being affected by new mortgage stress test regulations put in place by the Feds.

The CREA believes these sales declines are going to be largest in B.C. and Ontario, the two spots where pre-pandemic bidding wars and soaring prices were amplified massively during the pandemic. The term that’s being used is ‘Simpson’s paradox’, which apparently means a situationwhere the average price in every province will see a larger year-over-year increase than the national average as sales start to shift away from provincial markets that are the most expensive.

Other predictions:

  • The average home price will rise by 19+% on an annual basis to reach $677,775 this year and then to $681,500 for 2022
  • Highest average home prices will be in B.C., with CREA forecasting gains going to $883,781 in 2021 and 896,304 for 2022
  • The most affordable housing will be homes in Newfoundland and Labrador, with ones selling for an average nearly $273,00 in 2021 and nearly $280K for 2022

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Real Estate Adds $1 Trillion to Canadian National Net Worth

Published June 28, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Much has been made about the ever-increasing role real estate has in making up Canada’s GDP, and there’s a lot of truth to when people say that’s both a good thing and a bad thing. One thing that IS for sure is that it’s certainly not natural to have that much of a country’s gross domestic product consisting of home sales, but it is what it is and the fact is that that policy makers in Ottawa have chosen this course for the country. The median price for a home in Canada has never been higher, so in as far as a strictly dollars and cents perspective that’s good for the role of real estate in the country’s economic well being.

One would also assume that’s fantastic news for anyone working as a real estate agent in Canada, and especially because the hot housing market has extended itself into smaller cities in Canada too over the last year and some. That’s partially true and more so if you’re an established realtor, but if you’re new to the business the fact that fewer people are qualified homebuyers now because of the ever-higher prices means you might be struggling to get new clients during these times. That’s why our online real estate client lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such a smart choice. It will help put your first in touch with genuine would-be clients.

No guarantees they become clients of course, but the opportunity is there for you to meet them first before other realtors and impress them with your knowledge, professionalism, and friendly, helpful, an caring demeanour.

If we move back to our topic of discussion today, recent economic reports are showing yet again just how much of an infusion the real estate market is making to the country, and if the sound of the figure ONE TRILLION dollars is staggering to you – it should be.

Scorching Heat, Scorching Home Prices

Where we are the talk is not about real estate in Vancouver as much as it is how hot it is in Vancouver this last week. It’s currently 41 degrees C here today and this kind of heat is pretty much unheard of on the West Coast of Canada. Some like it hot, but not this hot and some also like that scorching real estate prices helped add to the wealth of Canadian households at a record pace during the first part of this year, despite COVID-19 lockdowns shutting down much of the economy.

Stats Can is saying the national net worth jumped more than $1 trillion to nearly $15 trillion, That’s a 7.7% jump from the previous quarter. Further, the value of residential real estate rose by $595 billion and that’s a BIG 9.4% increase as well as the 3rd straight quarterly one. The value of residential real estate rose just over $750 billion in 2020. More and more people want homes, and obviously a sufficient number of them are being able to find ways to afford these homes despite how much more they cost now.

Keep in mind as well that the average selling price of a home is up 87% over the last decade.

Never-Before-Seen Mortgage Debt Levels

Debt isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and especially when it means you’re putting a quality roof over your head and the value of your property stands to appreciate nicely in the future. That doesn’t mean that it’s not intimidating, and it’s kind of like that with just how deeply mortgaged some people are to be able to afford to buy the home they’ve bought.

Buoyed by low interest rates, Canadians continue to take advantage and pile on mortgage debt. This collective level went down to $29 billion but that follows an all-time high of $32.1 billion in the previous quarter and that’s the second-largest level every recorded. At the same time higher-interest debt is being paid down with Stats Can saying non-mortgage loans dropped $13.5 billion since 2019 to $786.5 billion.

Swapping High-interest Debt for Low-interest Debt

It’s also been well documented how Canadians have been saving money during the pandemic. The country’s seasonally adjusted household savings rate increased from 11.9% in the fourth quarter to 13.1 for the first quarter. Stats Can claims it has been at double-digit levels since the 2nd quarter of 2020. The result of this is that household debt-to-income ratio has been pushed down to 172.3% for Q1 2021 from 174% Q4 2020.

This works out to an average of $1.72 of credit market debt for every $1 of household disposable income. This type of number means that high household debt remain a key vulnerability for the Canadian economy, although it’s not likely we’re going to see interest rates rise soon given the precarious state of the economy right now. But it should be something of a cause for concern.

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High of Canadian Housing Market Expected to Crest in 2021

Published June 21, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

One certainly can’t be envious of the Canadian government and the way the population has such adamant demands that they do something to reign in the ‘runaway train’ that some people have described the Canadian housing market as. The meteoric rises in home values over the last while has been somewhat surreal to watch, but the reality is that it is tough for the Feds to continue with their mandates and still keep housing affordable in Canada.

The Federal Liberals did recently make the mortgage stress test for would-be borrowers even tougher. Considering what would happen if interest rates rose (and eventually they will have to) to newly-mortgaged buyers who can’t afford the fluctuation and might find themselves underwater, they’re actually doing a lot of people a favour. But it doesn’t really dissuade those who insist the government is not being proactive enough in regulating the housing market.

But maybe there is some good news for those who are more than a little displeased about this. We can assume there’s more than a few realtors that are disappointed too, unless they’re the ones who are continuing to get listings and sell multiple properties for top price and beyond. If you’re aim is that one of those realtors then our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads here is an excellent resource to have. The power of internet marketing and polling putting you in the position to contact would-be clients first.

We mentioned good news though, and we imagine some are anxious to hear what that might be. Apparently the heated nature of the housing market is expected to crest sometime this year in 2021, and beginning next year median home prices should come down.

Should being the operative word there of course, but the people making these predictions tend to know what they’re talking about.

Still Some Climbing

The expectation is that activity in Canada’s residential real estate market will become more moderate in comparisons to the unsustainable levels seen so far this year. However, sales should remain at an elevated pace and prices will continue climbing for quite a long while still, at least according to the latest forecast from the national housing agency.

The number of homes being sold to new buyers could climb as high as 602,300 this year from about 550,000 sales seen last year. That is according to a report from the CMHC on Thursday. The expectation is that could lift the average price for a home in Canada as high as $649,400 ($533,000 is USD), and that is up 14% from last year

Then we have the specific equation that everyone has been talking about for the last year and a half. Low interest rates, combined with a demand for more space to ride out the pandemic, have pushed the Canadian housing market to never before seen heights over the past year, with some communities seeing annual price gains of more than 30% . With the economy recovering quicker than expected, however, we may see some of the frenzy drivers losing steam.

Economic conditions returning to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023 should mean the pace of home sales and prices slowing over the same period. Plus, it’s expected that with faster economic growth the country’s standard 5-year mortgage rate will rise, though likely staying at very low levels if we’re going to look back all along the timeline. Unusually high savings rates have been created by people having less opportunity to spend during the pandemic, but that is obviously not going to continue once the opening-up is relatively complete.

Plus we also higher demand for single-family homes brought on by intermittent lockdowns and developers and construction companies will shift in that direction, while resuming immigration will bring demand for rental accommodation back to urban areas meaning fewer vacancies and higher rates.

The big picture predication is that the number of homes sold across Canada in 2022 and 2023 will be less than this year, though still higher in number than the quantity sold in 2019. Prices are expected to keep on increasing, with the average price stretching as high as somewhere in the vicinity of $705,000 by the end of 2023 being a real possibility.

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Certainty of Long-Term Supply Shortage Almost Guarantees Unaffordability in Vancouver

Published June 14, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Vancouver is unique as a big city in Canada in many ways, but it’s also unique in a very geographical sense too compared to other major metropolitan cities like Toronto and Calgary. Urban sprawl is able to happen more naturally because the cities have the capacity to grow outwards. Vancouver has no such ability, with mountains to the North, the ocean to the West, and the US border to the south.

Growth out into the Fraser Valley past Chilliwack has occurred, but much of this ALR farm land and that’s the way it should be. This means expansive new housing builds are challenging, and a big part of why housing is so expensive in Vancouver.

Now if you’re a realtor in Vancouver, it can certainly be feast or famine as the expression goes. This is very true if you’re a newly licensed realtor who is keen to make a name for themselves as speedily as possible. Our online real estate lead generation system is a proven effective way to build up your client base more effectively than just standard approaches, and it’s done a lot of good for many realtors like you who now enjoy a larger client base because of it. If you need listings, you really should consider Real Estate Leads.

But enough with the self promotion end, we’re going to talk more about why the housing problem and high prices for real estate are almost certain to continue long-term for the city of Vancouver.

All-Continent Unaffordability

A report recently indicated Vancouver as being North America’s least affordable city, and local real estate professionals say that won’t be any different in the future. The only way it will be different according to many experts is if wholesale investment is made to increase the city’s housing supply.

Vancouver saw a 0.98% population rise last year of roughly 25k people, and it’s been reported the city intends to add 1 million new residents by 2050. That works out to 34,482 annually over the next 29 years.

Only some 11k new homes are being built in the city on average these years. Would be fine for a smaller city, but it’s painfully inadequate for Vancouver. But somewhat in the defence of the city, where can builds be approved for zoning and construction when the land for it just isn’t in existence. It’s not that it’s not available, it really is that it’s just not there.

It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure that 11k homes for 34+ thousand newcomers each year plus domestic demand and we can be certain that housing prices are going to continue to be pushed because demand is going to WAY outstrip supply. That works out to about 18 people in each of those new homes. Surely this is not what multi-family dwelling is or was intended to mean.

Is that good news for homeowners building equity in their homes? Absolutely it is, but it makes difficult for first time homebuyers to get into the market and as a realtor these are very valuable clients to have and usually they are also really rewarding to work with.

Upwards Pressure

This chronic supply and demand imbalance puts upward pressure on the cost of housing. There’s been historically low-interest rates for a long time now and that has enabled purchasing activity in the Vancouver real estate market that hasn’t really been seen before. The average sales price of a Vancouver home in 2020 went up by 11.4% to $1,270,000 from $1,140,000 in 2019. Then add to that an additional increase of 4% to $1,320,800 that is foreseen for this year.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation figures showed 21,141 housing starts in Vancouver in 2019 and 22,371 for 2020 but only 950 new homes registered in Vancouver in April of this year. Experts say this rate indicates servicing just 10-20% of demand at present, and if this number goes lower it will be reflected in an even hotter housing market in Vancouver.

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Listings, Now!

Published June 7, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Probably one of the stranger titles you’ve seen attached to one of our blog entries here, but the reason we chose it is because it’s not just new realtors who need more homes to come on to the market. Fact is the entire real estate market in Canada needs them and not only to meet the need for housing in the country but also to continue having real estate make the needed contribution it does to the country’s GDP. We’re not economists so we’ll steer clear of that end of it but we do know why there needs to be more housing on the market in Canada, and that includes sales of existing homes as well as new home builds.

The builds will almost certainly be more important in the long term and bigger picture, but in the here and now there’s a lot of reasons why fewer homes are going onto the market than are needed, despite it 100% being a seller’s market in most areas of the country right now. Any time there’s type of supply shortcoming when there are many people who want to be homebuyers it can be tough for realtors new to the business. That’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such a good choice for real estate agents who are looking for every competitive advantage.

Let’s look at this shortcoming in greater detail this week.

Starving for Supply

Over the last 14 months demand for housing has been much, much higher than expected and that is true for both major urban centres and rural communities. Historically low interest rates are prompting a lot of people to want to dive into the housing market. The problem is they can’t because of insufficient housing stocks and demand outstripping supply creating a tremendous spike in valuations.

There’s been a lot of talk about how first-time homebuyers and young families are being priced out of the real estate market. Recent months have seen suggestions that the Bank of Canada (BoC) should begin to normalize monetary policy by raising rates. Maybe, but the long-term solution is additional inventory coming to market.

Much easier said than done.

The good news would be the Canada-wide sales-to-new listings ratio looks to be heading in the right direction. April’s ratio eased to 75.2 per cent, down from a peak of 90.6 per cent in January and our long-term average for the nation sales-to-new listings ratio is just under 55%, highlighting that the latest reading remains historically high.

But inventory is not doing its part.

The number of months of inventory – how long it would take to sell present stocks at the current sales activity – is at just 2. This is up from 1.7 months in March. Long-term the average is just over 5 months. That’s a very bare cupboard as the expression goes, and a lot of people are looking for a plate.

Buyers Starting to Boil?

It’s also true that Canadian homebuyers are quite displeased about it all. A recent Nanos Research-Bloomberg News survey found that 70% of them agreed that the spike in home prices was a major problem for the national economy, and many feel that interest rates should go up the same way new homebuyer mortgage stress testing regulations have. That has its drawbacks too of course.

More Roofs Over More Heads

Nearly every housing expert believes that the more effective solution to dousing the red-hot Canadian real estate market is by adding more supply. While it’s not as easy as snapping your fingers to make that happen, there needs to be a more long-game approach to this. Federal government intervention is probably not a good idea.

We’ll conclude with some good news in that price growth might have peaked, which could give those hoping to buy a home some reason to think positively.

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Accessing Real Estate Sold Data in Canada

Published May 31, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Having insights into market activity specific to a certain region is an advantage for home both home buyers and home sellers, and many of these people will look to their realtor to have that information for them. You should be able to do that for them, and you should also be able to tell them that they can do that themselves too.

It was only just a couple of years ago that freedom of information access to real estate market activity was possible in most provinces of Canada, but it’s also true that in some of them this information is still not made public.

There’s some degree of good fortune in the fact that most major metro areas do make this information available. Being able to point clients in the right direction with all of that is going to be a part of presenting yourself as the ‘local expert’ these folks will be looking for when they decide to work with a real estate agent.

Generating those clients is the first step and gives you that opportunity, and that’s where our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads really provides excellent value. With the power of Internet marketing individuals that might be buying or selling a home in your area are generated, and then you’re provided with the leads to get in touch with them.

That’s enough for that, but what we will look at today is where clients and realtors alike can access real estate sold data in Canada.

Changes Since 2011

It used to be that brokerages, agents or anyone else could publish sold data or historical information about a property. It was in 2011 that the Toronto Real Estate Boards began to allow the publication of sales data and other information. Thing have progressed similarly in other big cities in Canada, but it is still not readily available everywhere in the country.

In countries like the UK and the USA, this information is available everywhere.

So the way it’s been is that where the information is kept private buyers and sellers usually access information through a Realtor or by paying a nominal fee at their land transfer offices. As you’d imagine nowadays there are online portals where sold data can be easily accessed.

Province by Province

New Brunswick – real estate sales data has been available since 2009, and you use a PAN, PID or a street address to get data or you search using a map at the Service New Brunswick website.

Nova Scotia – real estate sales data has been available since 2010 but is restricted to those who have an Assessment Account Number (AAN) or a PIN Number and are able to access the Nova Scotia Property Assessment

Ontario – Smaller brokerage websites started to share information as early as December 2017. Information is not made available in a Provincial resource made available to the public but most real estate professionals will be able to get this information for you.

Alberta – real estate sales data can be found on the Alberta government’s registries site, but you will need to create an account and some specific information may be pay-to-access.

British Columbia – real estate sales data information found on some individual sites, and many real estate brokerages have regularly-updated data made available on their websites.

Saskatchewan – only paid searches are possible through the Saskatchewan Government website

Manitoba – Among others, the best source for real estate sales data here is ForSold. Manitoba Assessment only offers sold data for cities and towns if you have a Roll number and Winnipeg real estate sales data is excluded.

Quebec – only paid searches available through Government of Quebec for tracking real estate sales

Newfoundland – information not made available

Prince Edward Island – Only paid searches available through Government of Prince Edward Island

Nunavut – real estate sales information not made available

Yukon – information not made available

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Smaller Housing Units Often Best for Investors

Published May 24, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Real Estate agents in Canada will always be happy to work with clients who have different prerogatives when buying properties. The ones who buy them as investments are afforded the same level of service excellence as clients who are buying a home for themselves to live in. Smaller condominiums and similarly sized housing options are always going to be the most logical choice for first-time homeowners buying in major metro areas, but recent industry analysis and feedback from successful investors is indicating that studio units and the like are actually the better choice for clients buying homes as investment properties.

Investors often continue to work with a realtor in a specific city once they’ve had success working with them in the past. It’s for this reason among many others that brining new clients into your client base is always important, and here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for realtors to do this. And do it more effectively than other realtors who like you are looking to build their business and bring quality clients into the fold who will be inclined to be repeat clients.

Let’s look at why many experts are saying that buying smaller housing units is a better choice for investor buyers, with an eye to making you an even more knowledgeable real estate agent who can offer this expertise to all your new clients.

Cash Flow Advantage to Small

The opinion of economists who specialize in the Canadian real estate industry is that there’s a negative correlation between the size of an investment condo and cash flow. What they’ve found is that larger units erode cash flow, and that alternately while studio units only represent 6% of the market, they produce better cash flow.

A recent study found that studios produced $163 in cash flow. 1-bedroom units produced $86 and 2-bedrooms dropped down significantly to $21. NEGATIVE $122 is what three-bedroom units put investors into the red. It’s exactly as you see – the smaller unit, the better the cash flow return on the investment property purchase.

Many agree that the end price of a studio unity is likely the most affordable brand new housing product you can buy in terms of condos in any major metropolitan Canadian city. End prices will be anywhere between 500 and 600K for desirable downtown locations in places like Vancouver and Toronto, but the supply / demand end of things makes it so that these units can be rented out for rates that will support the investment and cash flow interests.

Price Appreciation

Another factor is how end users have also figured out that studio units are a good first step up and onto the property ladder. That’s because there’s very favourable price appreciation for these studio / micro units in big urban areas. Studios have room to appreciate more because you can get them for maybe slightly more than ½ a million, and that alone makes them incredibly inviting for first-time buyers and investors alike. Affordable studio units will be in demand for renters who are working at good career positions in city areas.

As entry-level price points in metro areas of cities like Vancouver and Toronto continue to climb, often times the most favourable price point is going to be with studio condo units. This is then paired wit the fact that when a price point is driving the value of a property this is when it usually has the most opportunity for appreciation.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered only to you. You’ll be the only realtor to get these leads, and with them you’ll have an exclusive opportunity to be in touch with people who have shown a willingness to make a move in local real estate. It is a proven-effective and well recommended means of either getting a new realtor to hit the ground running or build up the client base of an established realtor who wants to get more out of their client prospecting efforts.

Market Cooldown in April Across the Country

Published May 17, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

You’re going to struggle to find any industry expert who doesn’t agree that Canada’s housing market is overheated right now, and perhaps that’s even an understatement. Even cities and towns that have never seen a homebuyer frenzy in their entire existence are seeing one now, and obviously to say that makes for a seller’s market in an emphatic way is also an understatement. That has its positives and negatives, and it’s not always entirely a plus for realtors either.

That’s because it becomes increasingly common for realtors representing buyers to have their client’s very fair offer for a home be beaten by others, time and time again. This is happening routinely in desirable metro cities, but again it’s also a phenomenon that’s spreading out to smaller-town Canada too. If you’re the listing realtor you may be guaranteed of sitting pretty, but if you’re trying to put you clients in a new home as buyers then it may be increasingly difficult to earn your commissions the way you used to in that capacity.

It’s for this reason – and many others – that our online lead generation system for real estate agents here at Real Estate Leads is such a beneficial resource for realtors who really need to get more out of the client prospecting efforts. It puts you directly in touch with would-be clients, and does that before other realtors have the same opportunity. We’ll stay on topic here, but it is absolutely 100% effective for this aim.

Many of these same industry experts have said that a temporary ‘cooldown’ of the market would be a good thing in the big picture. And it seems that is exactly what has happened now as indicated by the numbers recently put out by the CREA (Canadian Rea Estate Association) for last month, April of 2021

Dip from Massive March

The average selling price for a home in Canada is up by nearly half from the lows it hit in the early days of the pandemic. That’s great, but the number of homes sold in April dipped down 12.5% compared to March – the busiest month ever for Realtors in Canada statistically!

Further, overall sales were down in nearly all markets across the country, including just about everywhere in Ontario and British Columbia. (85% of the country as a whole). The hope for many is that this is something of an invisible hand that’s stabilizing and normalizing the market and maybe keeping it from being overheated to the point that it’s about to burst into flames.

What’s behind it all of course is the COVID-19 pandemic pushing interest rates to record lows and then many buyers also feeling that it’s now or never if they’re ever going to buy a home.

No Normal with Seasonal Patterns

We can also now safely say that COVID-19 has taken the usual seasonal patterns of Canadian real estate and thrown them right out the window. What’s standard is for the housing market to start off the year slowly before heating up as the weather gets warmer. Then sales tend to slow down at the end of summer / start of school year and continue to go down all through the remainder of the year.

No this year, and not even close. COVID-19 shutdowns in the early days of the pandemic caused sales to completely flop in March and April of 2020, but they then exploded once May brought something of a reopening.

Sales should also usually be higher in April compared to March, but as we mentioned March 2021 was the busiest month for real estate on record. So April’s slowdown could be one of two things; a pause in the continuing upward or momentum or a more lasting cooldown.

What we do know is that sales are expected to trend lower in the second half of this years as rising interest rates and stricter stress test regulations begin to be introduced or more firmly in place. Some believe more simply that sales are way down because so many would-be homeowners have scrapped that plan given the financially daunting realities a lot of them would face.

Big Price Gains

The one thing that will look good no matter what to homeowners with a house on the market is that enormous price gains continue to be the norm for homes sold in Canada. The average price of a Canadian home that sold in April was $696,000, and that’s up 41.9% from 2020.

And if you’re inclined to say that the House Price Index is a better indicator for median pricings, we can say the same thing there as even the HPI rose by 23%. That jump is the highest since 2005.

Reality is that demand is extremely strong and the market is still extremely strong and resilient and so it’s unlikely we’ve seen peak momentum, even if it might temporarily look that way right now.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to one realtor only – you! We will provide these leads to you exclusively and they will be for individuals in your area who have indicated a genuine interest in making a move in the real estate market and will be looking for a real estate professional like you to guide them through the process. It’s a great way to add to your client base and build your real estate business.

‘Breather’ for GTA Real Estate Market a Potential Good Thing

Published May 10, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

It’s definitely true that if you live in one of the few major metro areas in Canada you certainly experience day-to-day life much differently than people who reside in less populated parts of the country. The most prominent parts of that difference have nothing to do with homes themselves, but there’s definitely something profound in understanding that what would get you a 2-bed condo in downtown Vancouver or Toronto would buy you a detached house with huge backyard and lots of space elsewhere in Canada.

Reality is most people live in major metropolitan urban areas because their careers and livelihoods necessitate them being there, and that demand is what’s at the ongoing heart of the hot housing market in Canada. One that has – as we’ve seen – gotten even hotter throughout the Coronavirus pandemic and then of course with houses selling for more than ever before in many areas you will inevitably have more people considering becoming a real estate agent in Canada.

Getting a leg up on increasingly high levels of competition is never easy, and that’s why our online lead generation system for realtors here at Real Estate Leads is as highly recommended as it is. What it does is take the power of polling within Internet Marketing to find participants who meet the criteria in determining whether or not they are genuinely ready to make a move in the local real estate market.

We can get to more about that later, but where we are now in all of this is seeing that there may be something a ‘pause’ now in the Toronto real estate market, and how the consensus is that’s not a bad thing at all.

Calm Before ‘Small’ Storm?

There are reasons to believe the Greater Toronto Area’s housing market is cooling, but that it’s only a brief reprieve. But let’s state what needs to be said right away; seeing some air come out of the bubble is probably a good thing as we have a situation where many who’ve left the cities may be joining a resumed flow of new immigrants into cities that will boost prices again in the not-too-distant future.

But in the interim, this may be a chance to others to more judiciously decide if it’s time for them to get into the housing market. Now the reason we say judiciously is because recently many buyers have been putting pressure on themselves to find a home to by because of – in large parts – what’s abbreviated to be ‘FOMO’ or Fear Of Missing Out.

The belief was if they didn’t get into the housing market now, they might never have the same chance again. There might be some truth to that for some people, but it’s never good to make really BIG decisions under duress.

So perhaps it’s time that you – as a realtor – provide some of those same assurances and advice to clients.

Data Shows a Slowing

Data from the TRREB makes clear there were 13,663 sales in the GTA in April, and that’s a dip of 12.7% from a month prior, which indicates a flattening of the selling price during that period, but one that’s still up 36.6% above the 10-year average of 10,000 transactions for the month between 2010 – 2019.

We then see further that the number of sales last month was more than 4x higher than what occurred for April 2020, which was of course the 1st full month of COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdowns.

New listings went down by 8.4% to 20,825 in April from March, but were still than 3x the number of new listings at this time last year.

Huge Sales Growth with Small Pop. Growth

This torrid pace for home sales since the summer of 2020 all occurred while there was very little in the way of population growth. Some realtors are saying that what is happening now is the pool of potential buyers within the GTA right now is dwindling. With sustained growth in population that might occur in the future that could change, but this is the way it is right now.

Let’s keep in mind that Canada has plan to welcome 1.2 million new Canadians by the end of 2023, and 60% of them will be economic class migrants who will be the types of workers and family heads that will both needs homes and be able to purchase them – with the help of a realtor like you of course!

For all these reasons it’s very likely that this is a short stall in the market, but if you have clients who are in a unique position to turn this into an advantage for them then you should definitely be making them aware of it if they’re not already.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads that are delivered to you – and ONLY you – to provide you with an exclusive opportunity to be first in touch with these people and much more likely to sway them into seeing you as the best real estate professional to help them with the purchase or sale of a house, condo, or vacation property in the same area of the country where you’re working as a real estate agent. It works, and it’s recommended to realtors who are new to the business or inexperienced in it.

Shifting Homebuyer Prerogatives for Spring 2021

Published May 3, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

We’ve been told that no matter what the subject matter may be, change is the only constant. When it comes to the realities for would-be homebuyers in Canada, things have changed a lot over the last little while and we’re not talking only about the hot real estate market in Canada that’s been caused in large part by the COVID-pandemic itself. In short, the reasonings that lead people to buy the homes they buy and all sorts of scenarios that factor into the decisions are always changing.

And in a roundabout way, this is a part of what make working as real estate agent in Canada as challenging as it is. The success that successful realtors enjoy is often a product of a long, long time of learning the industry and then being able to reflect that ‘in the know’ quality to prospective clients. You get to that point by learning as you go and learning from working with clients. Now of course in order to do that you need to have those clients, so if you’re new to the business then our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a solid choice for starting your career on the right foot.

What we’re seeing now here in the spring of 2021 is that yes, we know more and more buyers than ever feel they need to buy a home while interest rates are low and the currently lacking supply of home becomes even more lacking. But there’s much more in the way of prerogative specifics too, and after reading an interesting client insight profile prepared for the industry we thought we’d share what we’ve learned there about these new ‘realities’ for people who may be working with a real estate agent in the not so distant future.

Close Split

Canada has been regarded as a seller’s market in real estate for a long time now, and that has everything to do with demand outstripping supply in a big way. But the biggest thing to note in these new perspectives is that there’s been a real shift there and many people don’t quite see it the same way anymore. A recent RBC Home Ownership Poll found that 36% of Canadians feel the market benefits buyers, while 34% feel it is more beneficial for sellers.

Next up is a move away from the long-time standard of homes being bought by couples, either on their own or with children as part of a nuclear family. Home buyers are moving away from the traditional trend of buying a home with a spouse or partner. 28% of poll respondents indicated their intention to purchase a home with extended family members. 32% state they are preferring to purchase a home alone. The numbers of those looking for home ownership with their spouse or partner has gone down in the past few years. Non-traditional trends like that one – buying a home entirely on your own – have increased.

What we’re seeing is more of people at either end of the spectrum – more confident, in-control solo home buyers and then others who can’t do it alone and require someone in the family to assist them financially or be a part of a collective purchase.

Home Ownership’s Financial Strain

The housing affordability crisis that is nationwide in Canada is as prominent as ever. New homeowners are diverting ever-increasing portions of paycheques to cover housing costs. ‘House poor’ is a term for those that spend over 30% of their income on home ownership costs, and estimates are that around 39% of homeowners who’ve purchased in the last 5 years qualify as being house-poor homeowners. Or roughly that some four out of every 10 Canadian homeowners are financially strained because of owning their home.

Such an abundance of house-poor homeowners has to be a cause for concern, both for economists as well as for anyone who works in real estate. 92% of homeowners say this causes them a great amount of mental stress and then nearly half of those respondents have said that they actively discourage friends, family and / or workplace associates from buying homes at this time because of it.

On the other end of that 47% still believe that home ownership is worth it in the long term, and a full 80% say they’re still okay with the investment of it. Do they wish that investment was a lot less taxing on them financially and mentally though? You can be sure they do.

Sufficient Enthusiasm

The difficulty of home ownership in the current market is very real, but many prospective buyers work with the understanding that if it’s your right time to buy then it’s smart to look past those hardships and try to focus on the bigger picture. 8 out of 10 participants in that same RBC poll said that a home or condominium purchase is still a good investment. More than 2-thirds of those same people still feel that it makes more sense to buy a home rather than renting one and not building up any equity for yourself.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you and ONLY you. You’ll be the only realtor to receive the leads, and they’ll be leads for would-be buyers and sellers living near you who have shown themselves to be genuinely considering making a move in the real estate market. It’s a proven-effective way to get much more out of your client generation efforts, and most realtors quickly see it as a very good investment in the growth of their real estate business.

Using Clubhouse to Generate More Real Estate Leads

Published April 26, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Not often that we have the opportunity to slide the name of our service into the title of one of our blog entries, but here we are. There are all sorts of new avenues becoming available for realtors to use technology to grow their businesses. Clubhouse is a very different take on social media, and what we’re going to talk about here today is what makes it such a great fit for making realtors more visible to prospective clients. And the good news is that you don’t even really need to be especially ‘app savvy’ to take advantage of this.

All of which is good news, because as we constantly stress real estate is a business that is never going to be any less competitive than it is right now. When you identify an opportunity to give yourself any competitive advantage you shouldn’t hesitate to grab it, and that’s a large part of why so many realtors have gotten onboard with our online real estate lead generation service here at Real Estate Leads. If it’s due to word of mouth that you’ve arrived here, consider that to be a very fortunate development as this is a great way to get more real estate clients.

Alright, let’s get right to it. Here is how realtors can use Clubhouse to build their real estate business.

All Talk – In a Good Way

Clubhouse is exclusively audio and live conversations, so in that way it’s the furthest thing possible from Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat (you’re excuse if you’ve never heard of the last two). It’s also only for iPhones (at least for now) so you won’t be able to take advantage of it if you have an Android phone. That will very likely change, but that’s the way it is right now.

You join the conversations you want to join, and then you talk – there’s no typing anything into anything with Clubhouse. You’re free to join any chatroom you like, or start your own. Realtors are finding they’re inclined to do both, and here’s what you can do to optimize the use of these chatrooms to promote yourself as a local realtor:

  1. Start a Chat Room to Share your Expertise
    It’s quite common these days for agents to host chats to talk about how they use social media, about video marketing, or lead generation tips. There are many ways it can be a great opportunity to introduce yourself to other agents.
  2. Network with Other Agents
    There are ever-greater numbers of smart and influential people in real estate using this app right now. The opportunity here is to meet them and learn from them as you listen and participate in chats. Read their profiles, participate, and soak up as much valuable knowledge as you can.
  3. Start Referral Rooms
    It’s increasingly common for agents to initiate chat rooms for the specific purpose of making referral connections outside their markets. If you’re able to pick up referrals via Clubhouse or expand on a database of agents who might be able to exchange referrals based on their location or other criteria – why not?
  4. Start a Regular Chat Answering Questions Related to your Brokerage or Office
    This is another solid networking, not only for generating new clients convinced that your office is a good choice for them but also to attract new realtors to the office if that’s also an aim for you.
  5. Host a Regular Chat Answering Questions about your Hometown
    Set it up, and advertise it as best for anyone ‘considering moving to’, or something similar. The advantage here is that you don’t need to make any more than one reference to the fact you’re a realtor or real estate in general. Provide the information in a trustworthy and accurate manner and add a little bit of character and personality to your chat and you may find that participants contact you asking you to help them with real estate purchases there.
  6. Host One About How the Real Estate Process Works
    Envision these as buyer/seller workshops, but on Clubhouse. Share what you know, and in doing so present yourself as an industry expert who is also knowledgeable when it comes to the local real estate market.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you. No other realtor receives the same leads as you, and that gives you an exclusive opportunity to be first in touch with folks who have indicated a genuine interest in making a move in your local real estate market. We generate leads for anywhere in Canada, so there’s simply no realtor anywhere that won’t benefit immensely from Real Estate Leads. If you need more convincing, check out our testimonials where hard-working realtors like you speak about what this service has done for them.

Rise of Blind Bidding in Canada’s Overheated Real Estate Markets

Published April 19, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Many people are reporting how it can be nothing short of an absolute frenzy of activity when a house is put for sale on the local real estate market. It’s true that often times a home is sold before any more than a handful of people have even become aware of it being on the market, and that can be especially true in regions of the country that are desirable for people and places where owning a home isn’t a simple proposition by any means.

While there’s a host of factors that go into that, the basic reality here is that demand continues to far outstrip supply and then there’s the role of record-low interest rates that make it easier than ever for would-be homebuyers to be mortgaged into being able to buy a home. That’s not always the best long-term idea for a lot of people, but it’s their decision to make and if the bank is willing to finance them, the bank is willing to finance them.

Realtors who are newer to the game may have more difficulty prospecting new clients in comparison to other more established agents. Nothing beats tested and true hustle for countering that, but our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a good way to level that playing field somewhat. One thing’s for sure – the real estate business is never going to be an any less competitive one.

But back to topic, and one of the things that’s become more of a pronounced trend during all of this frenzy across Canada is the phenomenon of ‘blind bidding.’ That can be figured out fairly easily to mean bidding on a property ‘blind’, but what’s really to all of that?

Let’s have a look at this week.

No Views, No Problem

A blind real estate offer is a purchase contract written by a buyer who has no problem with the fact they’ve never actually seen the property. Up until recently this was at leas somewhat common for commercial properties, but it was never something you’d consider for somewhere where you’d be planning to leave at least.

That is, until 2020 and the Coronavirus pandemic it seems.

So part of the reason people are making blind bids on homes is because they’re reacting to the frenzy and don’t want to miss out any of the few properties that make the grade for them on paper. But the pandemic and its restrictions are playing a part in this too, and specifically with the way that open houses aren’t possible the way they used to be and showings of homes have to be on a 1-viewer at a time basis.

This puts would-be buyers at an obvious disadvantage, unless of course they have some means of ensuring they’re always one of the first to view and evaluate whether they want to bid on a home. This extends to inspections, approvals, and the like too. When you add all the delays up, many buyers have experienced how a home they were planning to make an offer on is already long since sold.

And so we are with the blind-bidding trend picking up steam. Is it a massive leap of faith to bid on a home you’ve never laid eyes on or set foot in? You’re darn right it is, but obviously some clients feel that’s what is called for nowadays.

After all, if it’s entirely not what you expected it’s entirely true that you can probably sell it yourself right away yourself (aware of the fact most Provinces have $ penalties attached to ‘flipping’ this way.

So while blind bidding is a product of the times, it is a way for homeowners to actually get bids in before a home is sold in a staggeringly short amount of time and leaving these buyers back at square one with finding a home for themselves.

Enough to Confidently Make a Move?

The reality is that blind bid real estate offers are dangerous. They impede the buyer’s ability to have properly overseen the property, and as we all know there’s plenty of technology and ability out there to make a home look a lot better on a screen than it does in person. There’s risks for the seller too, as they may get tied up with a buyer who may or may not be willing to go through with the sale once the home is finally seen in person.

There’s no way around this handicap if you are truly bidding blind and trusting that the home you’re aiming to buy is legitimately represented in the images you’ve seen of it. Most realtors will tell you it’s never a good idea, but they’ll also tell you that in today’s market in certain areas of the country it may be what you need to do once you become aware a home that meets your criteria goes onto the market.

The old saying ‘he who delays is lost’ is very true much of the time here, and that’s not a good thing considering you should always be evaluating major life purchases – but it is what it is!

Is it less risky making blind bids on lesser-priced properties? Of course it is, but ask yourself this – if it’s a lower-priced property then is it going to be the type of home that’s going to be fiercely bid on and selling withing hours of being listed on the market?

It may be, but probably not. Most of the blind bid home buying that’s going on in Canada these days is in major metro areas where the home is far from inexpensive but there are not shortage of buyers who are ready to pay asking price, if not much more than asking price. If you are going to make blind bids, have a solid idea of what your bidding threshold is and overrule any urge to go past that point.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to one realtor, and one realtor only – you! You’ll be the only realtor to receive them, and these leads will be for individuals, couples, or families who have shown their intent to either buy or sell a home in the near future and in the same city or town in Canada where you are working as a real estate agent. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and build up your personal real estate business.

Rise of Blind Bidding in Canada’s Overheated Real Estate Markets

Published April 12, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Many people are reporting how it can be nothing short of an absolute frenzy of activity when a house is put for sale on the local real estate market. It’s true that often times a home is sold before any more than a handful of people have even become aware of it being on the market, and that can be especially true in regions of the country that are desirable for people and places where owning a home isn’t a simple proposition by any means.

While there’s a host of factors that go into that, the basic reality here is that demand continues to far outstrip supply and then there’s the role of record-low interest rates that make it easier than ever for would-be homebuyers to be mortgaged into being able to buy a home. That’s not always the best long-term idea for a lot of people, but it’s their decision to make and if the bank is willing to finance them, the bank is willing to finance them.

Realtors who are newer to the game may have more difficulty prospecting new clients in comparison to other more established agents. Nothing beats tested and true hustle for countering that, but our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a good way to level that playing field somewhat. One thing’s for sure – the real estate business is never going to be an any less competitive one.

But back to topic, and one of the things that’s become more of a pronounced trend during all of this frenzy across Canada is the phenomenon of ‘blind bidding.’ That can be figured out fairly easily to mean bidding on a property ‘blind’, but what’s really to all of that?

Let’s have a look at this week.

No Views, No Problem

A blind real estate offer is a purchase contract written by a buyer who has no problem with the fact they’ve never actually seen the property. Up until recently this was at leas somewhat common for commercial properties, but it was never something you’d consider for somewhere where you’d be planning to leave at least.

That is, until 2020 and the Coronavirus pandemic it seems.

So part of the reason people are making blind bids on homes is because they’re reacting to the frenzy and don’t want to miss out any of the few properties that make the grade for them on paper. But the pandemic and its restrictions are playing a part in this too, and specifically with the way that open houses aren’t possible the way they used to be and showings of homes have to be on a 1-viewer at a time basis.

This puts would-be buyers at an obvious disadvantage, unless of course they have some means of ensuring they’re always one of the first to view and evaluate whether they want to bid on a home. This extends to inspections, approvals, and the like too. When you add all the delays up, many buyers have experienced how a home they were planning to make an offer on is already long since sold.

And so we are with the blind-bidding trend picking up steam. Is it a massive leap of faith to bid on a home you’ve never laid eyes on or set foot in? You’re darn right it is, but obviously some clients feel that’s what is called for nowadays.

After all, if it’s entirely not what you expected it’s entirely true that you can probably sell it yourself right away yourself (aware of the fact most Provinces have $ penalties attached to ‘flipping’ this way.

So while blind bidding is a product of the times, it is a way for homeowners to actually get bids in before a home is sold in a staggeringly short amount of time and leaving these buyers back at square one with finding a home for themselves.

Enough to Confidently Make a Move?

The reality is that blind bid real estate offers are dangerous. They impede the buyer’s ability to have properly overseen the property, and as we all know there’s plenty of technology and ability out there to make a home look a lot better on a screen than it does in person. There’s risks for the seller too, as they may get tied up with a buyer who may or may not be willing to go through with the sale once the home is finally seen in person.

There’s no way around this handicap if you are truly bidding blind and trusting that the home you’re aiming to buy is legitimately represented in the images you’ve seen of it. Most realtors will tell you it’s never a good idea, but they’ll also tell you that in today’s market in certain areas of the country it may be what you need to do once you become aware a home that meets your criteria goes onto the market.

The old saying ‘he who delays is lost’ is very true much of the time here, and that’s not a good thing considering you should always be evaluating major life purchases – but it is what it is!

Is it less risky making blind bids on lesser-priced properties? Of course it is, but ask yourself this – if it’s a lower-priced property then is it going to be the type of home that’s going to be fiercely bid on and selling withing hours of being listed on the market?

It may be, but probably not. Most of the blind bid home buying that’s going on in Canada these days is in major metro areas where the home is far from inexpensive but there are not shortage of buyers who are ready to pay asking price, if not much more than asking price. If you are going to make blind bids, have a solid idea of what your bidding threshold is and overrule any urge to go past that point.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to one realtor, and one realtor only – you! You’ll be the only realtor to receive them, and these leads will be for individuals, couples, or families who have shown their intent to either buy or sell a home in the near future and in the same city or town in Canada where you are working as a real estate agent. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and build up your personal real estate business.

Proposed Federal Fixes to Cool Canada’s Housing Market

Published April 5, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Despite what some had predicted for it, Canada’s housing market has become as hot as ever during the Coronavirus pandemic and much of that continuing to be the result of demand continually outstripping supply further and further. That is a formula that is very challenging to balance out, as promoting the number of new housing starts that would be required to counter that trend is something that’s very difficult if not completely impossible.

At the ground level of all of this are ever greater numbers of people who’d like to be first-time homebuyers but are increasingly priced out of the market. It’s important to mention that this in itself is not unnatural, and it’s never been easy to become a first-time homeowner in any location. There’s a lot of diligence and sacrifice that’s involved in that, and most of us can relate to that on a personal level. That said, there’s never been this many people stymied in their attempts to buy a home because of a) the prices they’re listed for, and b) the prices they end up selling for.

From a realtor’s point of view, this is something of a dual-edged sword. Homes sold will be yielding higher commissions, but there’s fewer prospective new clients out there who can afford a home. It’s for this reason that our online real estate lead generations system for realtors here at Real Estate Leads comes as highly recommended as it does. These leads are for people who are looking into real estate, and very likely after digging deeper into it than most would based on the fact they can afford a home in their area of the country.

But back to topic. The unprecedented severity of the situation here is prompting many people to suggest that the Federal Government should act to cool the housing market. Yes, it’s an indisputable fact that 95+% of the time when the Feds interfere in the market it ends up being detrimental in the long term. Yes, that is almost certainly going to be true here too and Liberal governments are champions when it comes to fumbling the ball on issues like this.

However, there’s enough of an uproar for this that it’s a worthy topic of discussion.

3 Possible Fixes

  1. Add to Speculation and Foreign-Buyer Taxes Applied to Purchased Homes

This may seem like a legit move in theory, but no shortage of industry insiders have stated very emphatically that current activity by real estate investors has been wholly and predominantly domestic. Meaning that the bulk of the times it’s Canadians who are willing to pay the prices that these homes are getting when sold

Some people still insist that to discourage buyers from purchasing property only to flip it after a short period and pocket the gain from rapid appreciation, the Feds could create a tax on residential real estate sales. Others have gone further to say that it could be modified to fall to zero over five years of holding the property to make it a little more digestible for home buyers.

However, any national speculation tax should not be focusing exclusively on very quick repeat sales. This is because irrefutable statistic evidence has shown that investors who buy homes only to re-sell them six months to a year later are extremely uncommon.

  • Expanding on Capital Gains Tax

The notion of taxing capital gains on a principal residence is gaining some traction, but it’s commonly understood that doing so would be political suicide for any politician – and well it should be!

This is as mean-spirited and nasty a suggestion as anyone could come up with, given the way so many Canadians who’ve worked hard through their life are relying on the equity in their homes to give them the retirement they deserve. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg why this is simply a terrible idea.

A capital gain refers to selling an asset for more than you bought it for, and yes that is a feature of every real estate market everywhere in the world, not just Canada. Canadians currently have to pay tax on capital gains on investments such as stocks a real estate but not when it comes to their primary residence. And that is the way it should be!

The home is the biggest investment many Canadians have, and taking this move could hurt younger people too as older homeowners would be discouraged from downsizing and as a result fewer homes that are affordable would go onto the market.

The long and short of it is that this is not only a bad idea, but it’s the lazy and super-pandering approach and would be a big slap in the face to hard-working and responsible Canadian homeowners.

  • Tightening Mortgage Regulations

The government is well familiar with this route, and it did increase the mortgage ‘stress test’ regulations a few years back as it is.

However, the current mortgage stress test is only mandatory for federally-regulated lenders, which include all the big banks. It the individual provinces were to adopt similar rules for their lenders it might be somewhat more effective.

The reality is that until there are vastly larger increases in new home building starts all across the country and fewer people are absolutely determined to live in certain locations only, the housing frenzy IS going to continue.

If any realtors out there would like to share an opinion on any of this, we’d love to hear it in the comments below.

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Migration Out of Cities Expected to Continue through 2021, Affecting CDN Real Estate Market

Published March 29, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

The new life realities that have been created by the Pandemic have been profound for a lot of people, and many are finding that they’re inclined to re-evaluate a lot of life and career priorities. Among the different outcomes this is creating is a desire for ever greater numbers of people to move out the cities and into more rural areas of the country. That could be because they’re now able to work remotely, or it may be that they see the need for more space for their family given how much time is needed to be spent at home.

What this means is that homes in these smaller communities are much more in demand than they were at any time in the past. Some towns in particular have seen demand for homes that they’ve never seen in their history, and these homes are selling for much more than the would be otherwise as a result. All of this is obviously a boon for real estate agents who live and work in these areas of the country, and it may be a great time to consider our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads.

People who might not think about putting their home on the market in an ordinary situation may be now considering it, so it’s easy to understand how being put in touch with them first could be very much to your benefit.

And if industry experts are correct, the opportunity for realtors in smaller locales isn’t going away anytime soon. They’re saying that this large-scale exodus from the big cities is not only going to continue, but it may even pick up steam before the end of the year.

Willing to Go, and Now Able to Go

A recent poll of homeowners across Canada found that 59% of those surveyed said homes in their area are unaffordable. Given that the approximate budget max of $445,237 for most would-be buyers but a mean price of $603,000 for a home in Canada late last year, local affordability is becoming less and less conceivable for so many people if they remain where they are.

The big and small of a lot of this is that people aren’t expecting a downturn in the market, and finding affordability has meant looking outside of their areas and considering moving elsewhere for a long time now. Only now, for a large number of qualified buyers that’s actually doable now.

We can also see that functionality is driving people’s decisions to move into larger homes, and especially if there’s another lockdown looming we may well see yet another flurry of activity in the housing market this year.

More people who need separate spaces to work and for their children to learn are going to be open to looking for homes in areas of the country that they wouldn’t have considered before. Add to that supply and demand issues forcing people to look outside of their general areas, and this really is creating a very good opportunity for realtors who live and work outside of big city Canada.

National housing trends are similarly showing that Canadians aren’t done buying homes yet, and an RBC (Royal Bank) poll revealed that 80% of respondents see home ownership as a solid investment. In addition, 59% reported that the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t put them in financial straits as it has for others and their ability to be qualified homebuyers isn’t impinged at all as we enter the 2nd year of COVID in Canada.

Here are some other interesting findings from the survey that support the idea that the market will stay strong in Canada and that smaller cities and towns are set to see home prices rise in their locale:

  • 52% of Canadians expect home values to keep rising
  • The pandemic lead to 55% of respondents changing their spending and savings habits
  • 85% are still able to pay their bills and 47% disagree that it is harder to save money now than before the pandemic

Realtors in smaller town Canada and also in satellite cities around big cities can be enthusiastic about the possibility of enjoying more business these times, and if you’re one of them you’re encouraged to double up your promotion and visibility efforts accordingly.

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Major Price Increases for Homes Seen in 22 of 27 Cities Across Canada

Published March 22, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

These days there’s a lot of debate over the beneficial nature of lower interest rates from the BOC facilitating higher numbers of home sales as a means of helping the country’s GDP weather the COVID storm. Few people if any would disagree that having real estate be such a key part of Canada’s GCP is NOT a good thing, but it is what it is and here in 2021 that’s as true as ever. Land transfer taxes are only part of that equation too, but that is something that a real estate expert will be able to tell you much more readily than the person who’s in a better position to take on a mortgage because of those BOC rates.

Along with all of it is talk that market stress indicators are indicating a housing bubble that is eventually going to burst, and while that may well be true what we can say here at ground level in the real estate business is that none of that is discouraging enormous numbers of people from either entering the real estate market or moving up in it. People are buying homes – lots of them – and paying more for them than ever before.

Now of course as a real estate agent that is going to be music to your ears, and no one will need to explain why. But that brings a whole lot of competitors into the ring than would be the case otherwise, and in particular realtors who are new to the game can find it’s a tougher go than they expected. It’s for these individuals that our online real estate lead generations system is recommended most. It puts you more directly in touch with folks who’ve indicated they’re not just contemplating a real estate purchase or sale – they’re ready to move forward with it.

So in keeping with what we’re saying here it seems like there are not shortage of such people, global Pandemic and depressed economy or not.

1.9% Average Rise Nationally for Feb. ‘21

The BOC is keeping its lending rate unchanged at 0.25%, and as mentioned this is all for very strategic reasons and not because of any benevolence towards would-be homeowners on their part. Along with that is newly-built Canadian homes seeing faster price rises than at any other time in more than three decades. The stimulus is both direct and indirect, as developers are going to be keener to invest in new home developments when they know that plenty of buyers are going to be lining up to buy them.

Prices rose 1.9% in February from the previous month, according to data released Thursday by Statistics Canada. You have to go back a full 32 years to find the last time the fastest one-month increase of this type occurred. That’s right, 1989.

So regarding that 0.25% rate holding steady for BOC lending, their position on that is that it will keep rates on hold until its inflation objective is sustainably achieved. The consensus among finance and economy experts is that these rates aren’t going anywhere until 2023 at the earliest.

Many of these same individuals are saying as well that Canada is in one of the biggest housing bubbles of all time, and while there may be some truth to that it’s a topic for another discussion.

Red-Hot Market Paces

Anytime you can pair record-low interest rates, extremely limited inventory, and unparalleled demand for more space and better accommodations then sales activity is going to be more robust, and prices are going to go up big time as it becomes much more competitive to buy a home that suits you in the same way it suits plenty of other would-be homebuyers too.

All of which works out to this continued strength in new housing prices being increasingly an obstacle for some potential buyers hoping to purchase a home throughout the rest of 2021 and beyond. As prices increase, the purchase of a house will become less affordable as bidding wars continue to overheat an already active market.

Vancouver’s new-home prices have seen the largest gains over this time, rising 4% and just ahead of similar increases seen in 22 of 27 cities in the country. Other cities include Toronto, Victoria, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Calgary, Hamilton, Oshawa, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Ottawa, Montreal, London, Kinston, St. Catharines, Regina, Halifax. St. John’s NL, Winnipeg, and Quebec City.

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Dip in Rents Expected to Correct Itself by End of 2021

Published March 15, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

One of the secondary effects of the restrictions related to the pandemic has been lessened mobility for people, and not in the sense of being able to walk or anything of the sort but more meaning their ability to go where they need for work or study. In Canada this is more of a factor than in other countries, because we always have a lot of people coming and going on work or study visas as well as significant and ongoing immigration. There’s less of all of that these days, and the lessened competition means rents have gone down.

This is especially true in the major metro areas of the country, and while this is certainly good news on one side of the coin for people looking to rent it is not as positive a development for people who have investments in rental properties and are needing to perhaps lower the rent to fill suites that were filled instantly all the time before. Getting less rent coming in for those properties is going to bite more for some landlords than others.

All of this is something that might be more taken into consideration for certain realtors too, and especially for ones that have clients who buy properties with the explicit idea of having them as revenue properties. Of course, all realtors are looking for those same types of clients too and for obvious reasons. That’s another part of why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such a smart choice for those who are new to the business and finding it more challenging than they expected to generate new clients of any sort.

But enough about that, let’s get to the good news – with industry expectations being that this dip in rents is only temporary.

Predicted 3% Rise by End of 2021 Q4

So the consensus seems to be that rents in Canada will continue to go down for a few months still, but then we should see something around a 3% or so rise in them before the end of year. Or at least that’s what is being predicted. And if we are to look at the big cities in particular, rents for Toronto home rentals are expected to go up 4%, Montreal 6%, and Vancouver 3%.

Calgary is expected to stay the same, as economic struggles will mean a fewer number of people moving into Alberta. Overall, many markets and ones of smaller sizes have also seen rents dropping to the point that tenants can lease an apartment with an additional bedroom for much the same price as they were paying last year.

In the bigger picture what this means is that for the first time in decades tenants have plenty of negotiating power on their side. Many of them no longer have to take cheap accommodations in area where they’d rather not live if an alternative exists – and now many times it does.

The Factors

What’s pushing this dip in rents and what should eventually re-establish rental rates across the country are as follows:

  • Many people are going to continue working remotely after the pandemic
  • Supply will continue to be greater than demand for the first half of the year, but that will change
  • Asking rents – and particularly for larger metropolitan areas – will continue to fall, but will stop around mid summer
  • Offering incentives to prospective tenants will continue, but as rents rise towards the end of the years there will be fewer of them
  • Vacancy rates will remain high for more expensive units but will be tight on the lower end of the market
  • ‘Satellite’ cities surrounding major metropolitan areas will continue to thrive, and ones around Toronto especially
  • Virtual tours and digital transactions are here to stay and will be part of the renting process too going forward
  • The speed and thoroughness of the pandemic ‘recovery’ has the ability to change any and all of this though!
  • The re-opening of the border and relaxing travel restrictions is going to be a big factor too

Different Demand Strengths

If we are to take just BC for example, 3 secondary cities in that province experience high rental demand year over year. Richmond had it up 45%, Nanaimo 26% and Victoria 14%. Looking at Ontario the same way the notable location was Sudbury with a 17% increase in rental demand for that city. Saskatoon was the leader in Saskatchewan with an 11% rise in demand.

Another notable was St. John’s NL with a considerable 21% rise there too.

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Increasing Home Ownership for Millennials in Canada

Published March 1, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

It’s been well documented how younger people are finding it harder than ever to get onto the property ownership ladder in Canada these days, and especially in major urban city areas. Meteoric rises in home prices would have done that for any generation being in young adulthood at this time, and it is unfortunate that this is the reality. However, there’s not getting around it and young people who want to become homeowners may have to adjust their wishes or more simply just work that much harder to be able to afford a home.

The good news is that is exactly what many millennials are doing nowadays, and it really is something of a feel-good story among the few that have emerged during COVID times. A recent 2021 survey has found that nearly 48% of Canadians aged 25 to 35 currently own their home, and 1 in 4 of these homeowners purchased their property during the coronavirus pandemic.

Successful realtors are ones who have an understanding of where to best put efforts regarding their visibility to prospective clients. Given what we can learn here that more and more people in this age group demographic are buying homes, you should be changing your marketing strategies somewhat to be putting yourself in the channels that these younger people use. Social media is huge in this way of course. And our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads can be a powerful combination here based on the fact it’s build on Internet marketing principles.

Low-Mortgage Rates Meet Lessened Competition

As mortgage rates went down to historically low levels and the competition for entry-level housing lessened, there has been plenty of young people who saw a window of opportunity and went for it. And when other millennial-aged respondents answered, 84% stated that they intend to invest in a home in the future, and 68% figure they’ll do that in the next five years.

There is also the role of measures necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19 driving a good number of younger Canadians to buy, and this is true despite the other trend where more homeowners are themselves being dissuaded from selling. The condo market has benefitted from this, with many young people finding they need their own space if they’re going to be expected to stay home this frequently and to this extent.

The survey also found that nearly 92% of these same respondents agreed that owning a home is a good financial investment, and that went along with 40% saying that their savings have grown since the pandemic started. A lot less opportunity for spending may well be meaning a lot more savings that can go towards a down-payment on a home.

Different Approach to Homebuyer Resources

So as we know, these younger generations are supremely digitally savvy, and as such they have no problem adjusting to virtual home tours and electronics contracts that are part of the new operating realities in real estate these days. Younger buyers are extremely comfortable with doing their research online research, and that’s very different from older prospective buyers who are choosing instead to ‘wait it out’ and delaying housing upgrades until the medical crisis is more under controlled.

Regional Markets – Ontario

In Ontario, 44% of residents aged 25 to 35 own their home and of those owners 26% purchased a home since mid-March of last year.

Regional Markets – Quebec

In Quebec, of new millennial-aged homeowners, 18% purchased a home since mid-March of last year, while 28% of homeowners located in Montreal purchased their home since the onset of the pandemic, and that’s the highest rate for any city in Canada.

Regional Markets – British Columbia

In British Columbia, 49% of residents aged 25 to 35 own their home, and 27% of those purchased their home since mid-March of 2020.

Regional Markets – Alberta

Alberta takes top sport for Canada’s highest home ownership rate among those aged 25 to 35, at 56% of them. 24% purchased a home since mid-March of last year.

Regional Markets – Saskatchewan / Manitoba

The Prairie provinces have 53% of residents aged 25 to 35 owning their own home, and 32% purchased a home since March 2020.

Regional Markets – Atlantic Canada

In Atlantic Canada, 48% of residents in the surveyed age group were currently owners of their home. 42% have purchased a home since mid-March of last year, and that’s the highest rate for all regions surveyed.

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91.6% Sales to New Listings Ratio is ‘Hot’ New Territory for Real Estate in Canada

Published February 22, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

There are always going to be those who discredit anything said about real estate by someone who works in real estate, and often saying they’re a ‘shill’ for their industry and profession. Is that more common coming from someone who’s never engaged in the financial prudence and hard work required to buy a home? Not always, but it still is fairly common unfortunately. There’s a lot of people who are earnestly wishing the ‘very’ hot nature of the real estate market in Canada wasn’t that way at all.

We’ll leave that there, but what we are going to talk about today is how an indisputable statistic recently released from the Bank of Montreal’s economists is proving very clearly that the market is indeed super hot in Canada and that being a homeowner in this country is definitely the way to be. We know that realtors will relate to this, and not only because the majority of them will be homeowners themselves. It is something of a double-edged sword though, and that goes without saying. Real estate can be a well-paying career choice, but a strong market means more and more realtors trying to get that same slice of the pie.

Which is precisely why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate leads is as hyped as it is. It’s great for any realtor who’s willing to invest in an easier way to generate new real estate clients, but it’s especially good for those who are new to the real estate business and need those new clients as part of building a name for themselves in the business. Check out these testimonials from realtors just like you.

But back to our topic for this week, and that sizzling 91.6% number and all the significance behind it.

New Listings Being Absorbed Quickly

New listings fell 13.3 percent in January across Canada, and this brought up the national sales-to-new listings ratio to a number – over 91% – that would have seemed absurd to ever think possible if you would have taken a consensus at this time last year. From one coast to the other, what we’re seeing is that nearly all new listings are getting absorbed within a month and based on projections around that number it can be forecast that the standing inventory of homes available for sale at any time would all be all gone in less than 2 months.

And probably much less. We know that this metric usually is in the vicinity of 60% for the whole country, and so by adding half that number on top of it there’s a situation now where home prices are almost guaranteed to rise further. Prices are indeed currently on the rise nationwide, and are accelerating at quite a rate. The effect is somewhat twofold with this, meaning there becomes a smaller pool of qualified buyers for homes in certain areas. And particularly for detached homes.

But what realtors should be doing with their qualified buyers is telling them to be aggressive with making offers on homes that appeal to them, as what might be an acceptable offer to the current owners at this time might not be in, say, a month’s time given what their realtor might advise them about what their home is worth at that time.

January’s National Home Price Index Rise

Last month the national home price index rose 13.5% year over year, and that amounted to the fastest it has done so since Mid-2017. That date is noteworthy for the following reason – that’s when policymakers were working overtime trying to calm markets in Canada’s two perennially hottest ones – Toronto and Vancouver.

So where we are with all of this is unless there’s a sudden surge of homes listed for sale (which isn’t going to happen in Canada – anywhere – given the fact there’s not enough inventory as it is. People need roofs over their heads) we are going to see prices going higher still.

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Housing Starts May Slow Nationwide Through 2021

Published February 15, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Real estate and housing development on a National scale are difficult to predict at the best of times, and what we saw last summer and fall once COVID was firmly in place was a very solid example of that. The market didn’t crash like so many people predicted it would, and in fact it’s remained fairly resilient right up and into 2021 as we are here now. We think it’s safe to say that the demand end of the classic equation will always be there, but one that might warranty some concern is related to the supply end of it.

An ample amount of new housing starts are needed to keep this equation where it needs to be for a healthy real estate market, and the needs is magnified in any area of the country seen as desirable by the same prospective homebuyers that real estate agents will be wanting to work with. Those that are newer to the business may find these are trying times, and that’s why our online real estate lead generator here at Real Estate Leads is such an excellent resource for anyone who needs to more out of their client prospecting efforts at a critical time in their young career.

But back to topic, and it does appear that there may be considerably less in the way of new housing starts in Canada throughout the remainder of this year. Let’s have a look at why that might be.

Turbulent Time

While overall it’s true that housing markets in Canada’s major markets look healthy, this year’s turbulence will likely mean fewer housing starts in 2021, according to industry experts. The 3rd quarter of last year (2020) had 237,300 housing starts in all of Canada, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation statistics.

That worked out to a 22.2% increase from the 2nd quarter that came right before it. Home sales also jumped up 93% during the same period, and prompting a rise in home prices of around 4%. That does indicate a robust economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdowns during the spring, but we need to start tempering the enthusiasm starting right there. It seems a deceleration is on the horizon.

The reason this is being forecasted is really quite basic; our sharp economic recovery coincided with the easing of restrictions in the second quarter. Since then, thought, it has stalled and is now expected to be stalling out for the rest of this year. The 2nd wave of COVID-19 that began in the fall along with the unavailability of effective vaccines are principal factors in this hampered growth.

Robust housing demand continued to factor into positives for new home sales and starts through to the end of September. Paired with low inventory and supply bottlenecks meant house prices continued to appreciate. Housing starts will still likely surpass the total for 2019, but new home sales will decrease, and especially in the new condo segment. It’s also likely that despite interest rates being very low and predicted to stay that way, rising home prices will still equal housing affordability troubles and take away from the demand factor to a certain extent.

Region / City Specifics

In Ontario, the 10-year average is about 70,000 housing starts, and last year there were just under that number of starts, primarily on the back of a fairly strong economic performance. This year the expectation is that the pace of projects will be a little bit slower. More specifically for Ontario and the GTA in particular, reduced immigration will likely cut back on housing demand in Toronto’s condo sector throughout this year, but single-family housing demand will remain strong.

In Montreal housing starts have been resilient this year. Residential construction picked up nicely, in comparison to housing starts that only rose by 1% in the first nine months of 2020. However, new condo sales in the city declined last year and this year, which could result in fewer housing starts after existing projects wind down.

New condo sales in Vancouver were a disappointment for 2020, and that’s not surprisingly worked out to fewer housing starts this year – down 33% to this point. But based on low inventory and healthy demand, housing starts likely will not decline too much through 2021.

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52% Surge for Toronto Real Estate in January

Published February 8, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

One of the nicknames Toronto has is the ‘Big Smoke’. If the numbers for real estate in January are any indication then it would appear apt, as it seems the fire of demand for real estate that closed out last year is burning even stronger to start 2021. Vancouver and Toronto have long been the hottest markets in Canada for obvious reasons, but one of the things that Toronto has had going for it that Vancouver hasn’t is the ability to grow outwards.

However, now it’s become a situation where even that isn’t the mediating factor it used to be. So what’s being seen is that Toronto is having the same acute supply-demand disparity that Vancouver has had pretty much forever. All of this of course added to by constant inflows of people, although not as many last year as year’s previous for obvious reasons.

The surge in the real estate market in Toronto is of course good for realtors, as well as anyone else who’s livelihood is related to the market or any of the many other industries connected to it. If you’re a realtor working there, however, all that benefit is somewhat offset by the fact that the number of people competing for that same slice of the pie makes your profession even more competitive. That’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such a smart choice for realtors who want every advantage they can get.

But back to topic, it’s a great time to be a homeowner with your property on the market in Toronto.

Condos Leading the Way

The condo market lead the way as Toronto home sales jumped 52.4% year-over-year in January, with 6,928 homes coming to have new owners according to the Toronto Residential Real Estate Board. The average selling price for all homes sold in the region in January also went up 15.5% to $967,885.

All of this went along with activity in the condo market nearly doubling from this exact time last year, going up 85.5%. Countering that enthusiasm somewhat, however, might be the fact that average selling prices fell 4.7% for January. Sales growth in that category IS outstripping listings growth, however, and that usually suggest an incoming price rebound.

Another factor that’s not mentioned there but could be contributing to lower selling prices is owners who see this as the perfect time to move out of the city being willing to accept slightly lower bids on their homes. Unlikely to happen in most cases, but there could be some of that at play here.

Detached Home Prices Surge Ahead on their Own

Looking now at detached homes, there was no slowing down with sales and prices here. Sales volumes rose nearly 35% and average prices were up around 31% year-over-year in January. The detached segment has proven extremely resilient during the pandemic. The reason for that is the same as in any other major metro area. There is no shortage of city-dwellers who are in search of space and more backyard space to accommodate their families in a time when staying home is what’s on the slate most of the time

One thing that should be mentioned here is that even though the rise in demand and impact of rock-bottom interest rates has definitely helped fuel the boom in prices, these rapid rises have some in the industry concerned that about the growth being unsustainable.

More specifically, the concern is that policymakers have been overstimulating the market as a means of keeping the general economy buoyed during these challenging economic times. That’s perfectly understandable, but nearly any economist will tell you there has to be a balance no matter the scenario. Overly high growth rates that have risen dramatically over short periods of time rarely ever work out as well as certain people would hope they would.

Double-Digit Growth for Immediate Future

The resiliency of the real estate markets in Canada’ big cities continues as strong as ever, and the TRREB is expecting to see double-digit price growth continue for the immediate future. Plus, economic resurgence post-vaccine and supportive demographic trends are probably going to push prices even higher. In line with that belief the board is expecting average home prices to get up and past the $1-million mark for the first time ever sometime this year.

Is that full of promise if you’re a realtor working in Toronto? You’re darn right it is, but keep in mind it’s going to be appealing for exactly the same reason for many people who are just like you.

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It’s a proven-effective way to get more out of your client prospecting efforts, and that has to sound plenty good if you’re an ambitious realtor.

‘Sideways’ Real Estate Market a Possibility for Calgary This Year

Published February 1, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

Much has been made of the way how the decline in the oil industry has combined with the economic downturn of COVID to make Alberta doubly hardly hit with a battered economy compared to the rest of Canada. In fact there was an article today that stated how commercial office space in Cowtown may reach up to 30% vacancy rates before long. This of course isn’t good news, as the oil and gas industry has been a major contributor to Canada’s federal coffers for many, many decades now.

Despite all of this, however, there is actually still a net inflow of new residents to the city, and that in part may be because new home prices in Calgary are significantly lower than other major metro areas in the country and there continues to be good work opportunities for people who are new to Canada too. So there’s something of an opposing forces situation here, and it’s creating for what experts call a sideways real estate market.

One that’s not going up, or going down. Instead, it’s going sideways and you’re free to imagine that to the left or right. Whichever’s to your fancy. But what needs to be known here is that if you’re a realtor in Calgary or the surrounding communities one of the best things you can offer to prospective new clients is real genuine knowledge about the changing market and where they might be best investing in it. But of course you need to make those people into your clients before impressing this way, and that’s why our online real estate lead generation system for Canadian realtors is as highly recommended as it is.

But let’s get back to topic, and spell out a little more of what might be on the horizon for residential real estate in Calgary this year.

More Resilient Than You Might Think

Calgary’s housing market followed the rest of the country’s lead during the second half of 2020 in defying the detrimental economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it turns out that it looks like it’s going to stay fairly resilient for this year.

Local economists and real estate experts are saying thatsome of the momentum recorded at the end of 2020 will continue into 2021, and much of that will be fueled by exceptionally low lending rates and something we’ve talked about at length and is a very real thing – pent up demand.

Sales are expected to rise some 5% on an annual basis in 2021, and the inflow of new residents to Calgary that we talked about early would make this number even higher if these persistent economic challenges growing out of COVID weren’t the factor that they are.

So while it’s true that Calgary is currently saddled with record-high unemployment and that’s on top of the fallout of the oil and gas sector’s downturn in 2014. However, Calgary’s housing market performed above expectations in the second half of last year. So all things considered – a 5% rise won’t be so bad all in all.

Flat is OK – For Now

Even if the Calgary real estate market only stays flat, that’s still a very positive outcome considering what was forecasted to happen to prices in the city. Naturally, homeowners there have the same interest in their equity as Canadians elsewhere do. One thing that has been beneficial is how few listings and low inventory on the market have buoyed it somewhat.

This also might be what’s prevented prices from decreasing in a city that was struggling with joblessness even before the pandemic triggered lockdowns across the country starting about nearly one year ago. If people are selling homes because the homes are priced properly, then there’s reason for optimism and Calgary real estate experts say this is currently the same situation for the most part.

It’s also true, however, that more than a few homeowners are selling their houses for less than they paid for them, and especially if they bought them before 2014. Homes can be found for under $600,000-700,000, but it’s about listings and supply keeping the market relatively balanced. That’s the work of interest rates for the most part.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. No other realtor will receive these leads, and as a result you’ll be the only one who’s tipped off to contact these people – people who have indicated a real sincerity with the prospect of making a purchase of a home or selling one. And not just anywhere in the country – in the same city or town where you’re working as a real estate agent!

Huge Surge in Condo Sales for Toronto Over First 2 Weeks of 2021

Published January 25, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

A few weeks ago we read a very interesting article that stated how smaller nuclear families are coming to terms with the fact that living in a popular major metro area in Canada is going to mean not living in a detached home, unless they experience major income increases or have some sort of windfall of good fortune like a lottery win. The high prices for real estate in popular regions like Vancouver and Toronto is something one just has to accept if you’re going to choose to live there.

But this article talked about how people are adapting to that challenge, and even finding ways to make it work with children living in the home too. Some of these people will be able to move into a more spacious home in the future, but many will be living in a condominium or something similar for the entirety of time they live in these cities. And that’s alright!

We’ve seen how the real estate markets in any city in Canada has been able to weather the economic storm of the last near year, and that’s good news for anyone who’s livelihood is related to the business. It remains as competitive a business as ever, though, and that’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is so highly recommended for realtors who are looking for something of a leg up on their competition in the business.

And as you might expect, there’s always a whole lot more of it if you’re in real estate in a major metro area that’s also categorized as a ‘desirable city’.

But enough about that. We’re in the business of good news when it comes to real estate in Canada, and the following definitely qualifies as good news.

Up 90%

Condo sales in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) surged 90% year-over-year on the MLS for the first 2 weeks of January. Further, condo listings are up 66% over last year, and there is strong demand for condos in the downtown area of Toronto. All of this builds on the fact that for the second half of 2020 the condo market was fairly sluggish. That was evidenced in prices in the downtown core dipping about 10%. Some investors saw this as an opportunity, but the overall tone was one of trepidation and concerns about prices declining too much and threatening the health of the local real estate market.

All of this was then countered by real changes that actually began early last month, in December of 2021. Condo sales for that month increased by 75.9% year-over-year for the City of Toronto. There may well be all sorts of reasons for why buyers returned to buying condos in Toronto, but all of that likely doesn’t mean much here or to anyone who might be a prospective home buyer (and client as it were).

The fact of the matter is condos are selling well in metro Toronto right now, and that’s good news for realtors in the city and the condo owners who are pleased to see an appreciation of value that’s occurred for their small home in the sky.

Low Rates Meeting Soft Prices

So here we are now with the downtown Toronto condo submarket picking up from where December left off, with many buyers taking advantage of low interest rates and soft condo prices to become new homeowners. What’s also interesting is that market research surveys are indicating that the majority of these buyers are not investors, and rather are buying the condo as a primary residence for themselves.

The investor side of the coin still has to be a part of this; to that end it’s worthwhile to note that with a forecasted 1.2 million newcomers to Canada in the next three years and some 60% of them being economic class, there IS going to be a large demographic that will be looking to rent places to live that are near their workplaces in Canada’s major metro centres.

As if often the case, Q1-2021 may determine what happens for the rest of the year, and if that’s true then it’s going to be a year where many realtors in Toronto and Vancouver are going to have clients that are looking to buy a condo in the city, or sell one.

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Seller’s Market? MLS Listings Nationwide May Dwindle in 2021

Published January 18, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

The fact that the Real Estate Market in Canada has proven itself to be very resilient is something we’ve carried into 2021 from last year, and one of the things that’s unfortunately true on the other end of things is that the economic woes of the pandemic are far from over. The continued vitality of the market has been a mix of many factor, but fundamentals are a huge part of it. In particular there’s just not enough housing in many parts of the country, but ever-increasing demand for it. This certainly applies to any major metro area of the country.

The fact here is that the number of new listings on the Canadian MLS (Multiple Listings Service) could be quite paltry this spring, and what is very possible is seeing record demand clashing with record-low supply. You don’t need to be an economics major to know which direction prices go in any such scenario, and given the current ongoing pandemic situation and all sorts of other concerns this really looks like it will be furthering Canada’s housing crisis.

Of course that is something the Federal Government is to address if they’re to earn the enviable salaries they do. The good news for anyone who makes a living in the real estate business or in new home construction is that home prices will increase and there looks to be continuing record numbers of new home starts in Canada as we move through Q1 of 2021. The other side of that coin of course is that fewer MLS listings means fewer of those same listings for working realtors in any city or town in Canada.

Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads comes highly recommended for new realtors for this very reason. While established realtors will likely be better at finding new clients, you’ll have this internet marketing tool working for you to even the playing field a bit.

Watch for Springtime

Industry experts say the smart eyes should be on how many existing owners put their homes up for sale come springtime. We’re already seeing record-setting sales, but it’s also known that demand is much stronger than those numbers suggest because prices are being impacted positively. On January 1st there were fewer than 100,000 residential listings on the Canadian MLS, and it hasn’t been that low for more than three decades now. And if we go back to New Years day just 5 years ago there were 250,000 sales listings on the MLS.

How this plays out within record-high demand and record-low supply to start the year. How that plays out in the sales and price data will depend on how many homes become available to buy in the months ahead. Ideally, we’d like for households to be able to find and acquire the homes that best suit their needs and for housing to remain affordable, but the fact is we’re facing a major supply problem in 2021.”

Sales activity was nevertheless robust in Greater Toronto and Vancouver last month, helping set a national record for the month, according to CREA data. Transactions rose by 7.2% last month from November, but the country’s two most expensive markets witnessed monthly gains of 20%.

Moreover, actual sales activity in Canada surged by 47.2% year-over-year in December—an 11-year high—as CREA recorded more than 12,000 transactions in the country. December also marked the sixth consecutive month of year-on-year sales increases.

In 2020, there were 551,392 home sales recorded in Canada’s MLS, which broke the previous record set in 2016 by 2.3%, for a 12.6% increase over 2019. According to Costa Poulopoulos, CREA’s chair, the national housing market will carry the momentum it has built into this year.

However, as Cathcart alluded to, inventory is dwindling. At the beginning of this month, there were only 2.1 months of inventory nationwide, which is an all-time low, and 29 Ontario markets had under a month’s worth of inventory. “While momentum continues into 2021, surging COVID cases and a return to April-like lockdowns in some provinces means we’ll be revisiting some of those virtual technology solutions to process deals in the first few months of the year,” said Poulopoulos. “Hopefully we’ll have the current wave more under control by the time the spring market rolls around, which is shaping up to be a very active one.”

Condo Sales in Greater Toronto Area Rebounding Strongly to Start 2021

Published January 11, 2021 by Real Estate Leads
Follow That Line – Condo Development Tails Expanded Rapid Transit Infrastructure

Out west here there’s been plenty made about how the condo market has cooled off big time from where it was a year ago before the onset of the Pandemic. People have all sorts of theories about why that’s happened while the market for detached homes has stayed strong here, but in truth it’s likely that so many of them are investor properties where the investment is becoming less of what it once was and owners are responding accordingly.

Both Vancouver and Toronto have always had their market forces altered by the constant influx of immigrants to the country who are extremely qualified home buyers. That’s a good thing, both for the prosperity of the country with these educated and hardworking people as well as the market with maintaining or increasing property values and being an impetus to higher numbers of new housing builds.

All of this is a part of why there’s no better place than these two dense urban areas to be a real estate agent, and why it’s also possibility the worst place for one to be too. There’s valuable properties to be bought and sold, but there’s so many more realtors like you looking for that same piece of the pie. Which is why our online real estate lead generation system for Canada here at Real Estate Leads is such a good choice to get a leg up on your competitors and have more in the way of qualified buyer clients.

But back to topic here, the earliest part of 2021 here has confirmed what we thought we were seeing in late 2020 – that the Condo market in Toronto is bouncing back somewhat after taking the same type of Covid-related hit that Vancouver’s did and continues to experience.

Making the Comeback

So yes, Greater Toronto Area’s condominium market moderated in 2020, but it appears that was only a temporary reality. From Jan to Dec last year, sales declined by 5% compared to 2019, according to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB). However, prices actually increased by 7.1%. in the metro area and in the suburbs prices rose anywhere from 6.3% and 10.2%.

In addition, December was a month that broke records for the GTA’s condo sector. Sales increased by 75.4% year-over-year while the average condo price dipped down by 2%. In Toronto proper, condo sales roared up by 75.9% during the same period, and the only 4.7% average price decline did little to counter the equation. On the outskirts of the GTA and neighbourhoods there sales shot up 74.5% and the average price increased by 6.3%.

Greater Valuations Too

The condo segment of the GTA’s housing market went through a lot of turbulence last year. Through the first five months of 2020, sales went down by 28.1% compared to the January-May period of 2019. Still, the average price increased by 12.1% and that’s very much something that’s not in line with the fundamental laws of supply and demand. So why the rise in valuations?

The Toronto Real Estate Board explains it with one- and two-bedroom condo rental transactions going down by 30.8% and 26.7% on an annual basis, but that number still be a doubling of what they did a month earlier.

What’s likely happening here is that renters have been taking advantage of slightly lower rental rates. And perhaps putting of first-time homebuyer purchases that they would have made otherwise. But again, by the time we were into December sales were surging again and the condo sector was beginning to look like it should in normal times. The good news is that this shows that the GTA’s market fundamentals are solid and not prone to being fudged or misinterpreted as they might be if it were elsewhere in the country.

Add to this more expensive ground-related homes sold like hotcakes, attesting further that significant number of Torontonians weren’t as hard hit by the pandemic as perhaps originally thought. Which we can likely say is true for the majority of Canadians across the country, and that’s not to make less of the situation of those who haven’t.

However, the economic numbers are in line with those for housing in the two big cities. And that’s a real positive for us that we can lean on when looking at the real estate market in Canada as we inch further into 2021.

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Our 2021 Canadian Real Estate Market Forecast

Published January 4, 2021 by Real Estate Leads

It’s been said that you have to enter every new year with an optimistic outlook, otherwise you’re doing yourself a disservice. That’s something we can certainly believe in, and most realtors will agree that if you’re going to be in business for yourself you really must have a positive attitude and optimistic outlook. Now it’s fair if the current state of the world and the pandemic means unavoidable pessimism for a lot of people, but we’re going in the opposite direction and you’d do well to come along!

We’ve gone on at length about how absurd it was to suggest that house prices in Canada were going to crash as a result of the pandemic’s economic downturn. The way the market stayed resilient throughout the storm said everything that needed to be said, so we’ll leave that there. A health real estate market is one where house prices seen incremental gains, not the massive jumps that people who can’t get into the housing market regularly complain about. And those are legitimate complaints.

Now if we exclude the Toronto and Vancouver areas where supply and demand economics are pretty much exclusively responsible for housing affordability woes, we in fact have seen incremental gains in housing prices across the country as a whole. That’s the way it should be, and everyone – from homeowners to agents to contractors and the national GDP as a whole – have benefitted from the resilience of our housing market in Canada.

It’s still a tough business to make a go in, however, and that’s why our online real estate lead generations system here at Real Estate Leads is as highly advisable ever here in early 2021 for realtors who need to get more out of their client prospecting efforts. Another big plus for any of them is being explicitly in the know about trends in the Canadian housing market, so let’s use the first post of the year on a 2021 Canadian Real Estate Market Forecast.

Apprehensions Washed Away

Just 3 months into 2020 and the term ‘uncertainty’ had never been more appropriate for the state of the housing market in the country. Those concerns were legitimate, as there was an initial freeze on the homebuyer front as people were naturally apprehensive. Some were apprehensive for the magnitude of the situation, and others were waiting to see if home prices actually did fall in the way some doomsday types were predicting they would.

This was what lead to the ‘pent up’ demand, as the expression went. Come around September of 2020 the volume of sales was rebounding, and in large part because people who were qualified buyers before the pandemic and were less exposed to the ill effects of it made the move they were always going to make at some point.

And yes, the fact that some many would-be buyers remained qualified buyers is a testament to how many people had taken care of the finances to the point that they were sufficiently insulated against the pandemic’s economic downturns. Of course, everyone hopes that those who lost their employment because of the pandemic find the opportunity to re-establish themselves and return to being qualified buyers if purchasing a home was on the list for them before March of 2020.

Commercial Real Estate in Canada 2021

For decades now Canadian commercial real estate has been viewed as a relatively safe, low-risk investment. These days though, the economic uncertainty and pandemic-driven safety measures like lockdowns, physical distancing regulations and capacity limits have taken a big bite out of the enthusiasm that has always been seen for this market.

Unfortunately, part of the commercial market has been seeing retail stores close their doors due to forced lockdowns. Lost revenue as well as a growing consumer shift to online option is triggering decreased demand for industrial properties.

However, businesses transitioning to a remote workplace are assessing the future need for physical office space and whether or not a shift to a hybrid or entirely remote setting moving forward might be the better choice. Still others will wait to see how society adjusts in the coming months to make these types of decisions.

Then there’s been the role of the Federal Government’s CECRA program in all of this. It’s been very helpful and will have long term positive effects on the health of the commercial real estate market in Canada.

Other good news points for this market are in the fact that Industrial properties and warehouses will continue to thrive as the surge in e-commerce continues, further fuelling the need for these types of spaces.

Residential Real Estate in Canada 2021

Opposite to the way it is with the commercial real estate landscape, residential real estate has always been especially cyclical and exposed to uncertainties and risk. We can start by saying that these who have plenty of investment properties in Canada aren’t nearly as self assured as the primary residence-only homeowners are. The market could still take a turn for the worse based on the slightest factor, and it’s these types of owners who are already feeling the pinch if they own condos in Vancouver or Toronto.

However, the pandemic has certainly added a new level of uneasiness and tightening in the market and the reality is that the fundamentals for market forces in residential real estate do not change. Major cities with ample employment opportunities will always inherit large populations as Canadians, and despite the increasing prevalence of work-from-home there are always going to be plenty who need to live close to where they work.

There is a mixed positive in this, and one thing that we’ll see as a predominant trend in 2021 is a hotter rural residential real estate market. That also stands to really benefit the economies of smaller towns, and have other bigger-picture advantages for all of humanity.

Another huge factor here is going to be if interest rates stay very low the way they did throughout 2020. While that will benefit economic recovery, it has the potential to be a double-edged sword. But if rates are to rise there will definitely be a rush of people looking to buy homes and secure favourable financing for that purchase.

All in all – things are looking good for people ready to enter or move-up in the housing market in Canada, and that bodes well for realtors like you! If you’d like to put some serious power behind your client prospecting efforts then do like a whole lot of other success-minded realtors have and sign up for Real Estate Leads here. It’s a proven effective way to put Internet Marketing approaches to work for you and put you directly in touch with people in your area who are genuinely ready to make a move in the real estate market. Only one realtor will receive these leads – and that’s you!

Why Early 2021 May be the Best Time to Buy a Home in Canada

Published December 28, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Here we are with just 3 days remaining in 2020, and we’ll skip any and all references to the misfortune that has made this year memorable for all the wrong reasons. We’ve been fortunate to see the real estate market in Canada remain resilient despite the economic struggles resulting from the pandemic, and in fact some places in the country seem to be in an even better place than they were at this time last year when it comes to median home prices.

What’s nice about this is it means that there is increasing value for homeowners to have in their home, and at the other end of the spectrum the Federal Government has introduced the FTHBIA (First Time Home Buyer Income Assistance) program to help people get into the housing market. This then has a positive affect for everyone who works in the business. If it’s a business that YOU are new to as a real estate agent, then we’ll say the same thing again that we’ve said here once a week all year – that our online real estate lead generation service for Canada here at Real Estate Leads is a great choice!

Let’s keep this focused on homes and the real estate market though, and there’s more good news according to industry experts and economists in Canada. Early 2021 may be the best time to buy a home in Canada, and here’s why they’re saying that.

Inventories Rising

There are so many different factors that are going into why there are larger numbers of homes being put onto the market AS A WHOLE in Canada. This doesn’t apply to all cities or locations, but for the country overall there are more homes being listed for sale. Not to the point that the supply and demand equation is anywhere near balanced out, but enough so that there’s a little more in the way of different homes with different features and different price points for people.

Record-Low Interest Rates Continue

Next, there’s the ongoing reality that interest rates continue to be at record lows in Canada. Much of this is by design on the part of the BOC (Bank of Canada) as a means of continuing to stimulate an economic recovery that benefits everyone. In particular, if you’re a prospective homebuyer who has a more the ability to put down a larger down payment on the home than the minimum, then taking advantage of these low interest rates could be hugely beneficial for you.

Getting in Ahead of Economic Recovery and Resumed Demand

We are all anxiously awaiting an economic recovery in this country, and when it comes there will almost certainly be a major uptick in qualified buyers, and this will mean increased competition for homes for sale in Canada. What we can expect to see once this occurs is much more in the way of ‘bidding war’s where homes sell for significantly over asking price. If you’re a would-be buyer who won’t have much in the way of an ability to go above a certain point when it comes to what you’ll pay, then it may be best to make your move in the real estate market sooner rather than later.

Ideal Time for Refitting a Home

Some of you may have clients who will be open to the possibility of buying a home that needs some ‘TLC’, as the expression goes. That means working on the home to improve it and make it either more liveable OR have greater resale value. If that means buying fixtures, appliances, coatings, and pretty much anything and everything else – they may well be paying a much higher price for these items as we get well into 2021.

There IS going to be very serious inflation in the not-too-distant future, and that’s a result of the Federal Government’s massive debt assumption over the last 8 months. Prices on everything will be going up, so keep that in mind if they’ve got their eye on a ‘fixer-upper’ that’s going to need a lot of refits. It may cost them a lot more to restore the home if they don’t do it soon.

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Fewer Housing Starts Expected for 2021

Published December 21, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

One of the most upheaval heavy years of all time is drawing to a close here. One thing that a lot of people would not have foreseen in April was how well the real estate industry in Canada would weather the COVID economic downturn as well as it did. Now that it’s late December there’s a lot of looking ahead just a few weeks into the New Year and wondering if we can expect more resilience from it.

Economists are industry experts have already forecasted a rise in median home prices for Canada next year, and that’s good news for homeowners who are looking to see more equity in their homes. And while that should be the opposite for would-be 1st time homebuyers, there is the new Liberal FTHBIA plan that is designed to help people like this get into the market.

There’s also a mixed reality for real estate agents in all of that too, as there’s a balance that’s needed to generate the type of environment where the market and business is good to all equally. Real estate is always going to be a competitive business, and that’s why our online real estate lead generation service for Canada is an excellent resource for realtors who want to be as competitive as they can when building their real estate business.

Recent news about home prices, but other news that there are fewer housing starts expected across the country next year speaks to a different perspective on the national real estate market.

Potential for Stall Out

Q3 for 2020 saw 237,300 housing starts in all of Canada, and that is a 22.2% increase from the 2nd quarter. Home sales also went up by 93% during this same time frame, bringing home prices up 4%. Those numbers on their own might look promising, but a noticeable deceleration may be just around the corner.

In addition to reduced growth due to the repressing of the economy, we had robust housing demand that continued to rally new home sales and starts until the end of September or so. House price appreciation remained solid because of low inventory and supply bottlenecks.

We should still see housing starts exceeding 2019’s total, but new home sales have decreased and especially in the new condo segment. This should result in fewer housing starts for 2021, and with interest rates staying historically low it’s expected that fewer housing starts are going to be the norm for the next two years. This then connects to rising home prices meaning for affordability woes for some, and – more relevantly to those in the business – softened demand.

There is also the expected additional factors of the government’s massive income support programs winding down and financial institutions tightening credit standards next year.

Slower Pace

Weaker job numbers are expected going into Q1 of next year, and the effects of weaker migration and other underlying economic factors is going to slow the pace of new home builds. For Toronto in particular, it’s predicted that reduced immigration will likely curtail housing demand in Toronto’s condo sector to start 2021. Single-family housing demand should stay strong though.

In Montreal housing starts have been resilient this year, with residential construction in the city rebounding when restrictions were eased. Despite this new housing starts only went up 1% in between January and September 2020.

Condos are always a huge part of the market in metro Vancouver, and new condo sales in Vancouver weren’t good in 2020, and this is going to mean fewer housing starts this year and next year. Resale homes did go up by 17% though, and ongoing low inventory and healthy demand realities will mean there will still be ‘enough’ new housing starts in Vancouver next year to keep this part of the market equation well in place.

One of the most upheaval heavy years of all time is drawing to a close here. One thing that a lot of people would not have foreseen in April was how well the real estate industry in Canada would weather the COVID economic downturn as well as it did. Now that it’s late December there’s a lot of looking ahead just a few weeks into the New Year and wondering if we can expect more resilience from it.

Economists are industry experts have already forecasted a rise in median home prices for Canada next year, and that’s good news for homeowners who are looking to see more equity in their homes. And while that should be the opposite for would-be 1st time homebuyers, there is the new Liberal FTHBIA plan that is designed to help people like this get into the market.

There’s also a mixed reality for real estate agents in all of that too, as there’s a balance that’s needed to generate the type of environment where the market and business is good to all equally. Real estate is always going to be a competitive business, and that’s why our online real estate lead generation service for Canada is an excellent resource for realtors who want to be as competitive as they can when building their real estate business.

Recent news about home prices, but other news that there are fewer housing starts expected across the country next year speaks to a different perspective on the national real estate market.

Potential for Stall Out

Q3 for 2020 saw 237,300 housing starts in all of Canada, and that is a 22.2% increase from the 2nd quarter. Home sales also went up by 93% during this same time frame, bringing home prices up 4%. Those numbers on their own might look promising, but a noticeable deceleration may be just around the corner.

In addition to reduced growth due to the repressing of the economy, we had robust housing demand that continued to rally new home sales and starts until the end of September or so. House price appreciation remained solid because of low inventory and supply bottlenecks.

We should still see housing starts exceeding 2019’s total, but new home sales have decreased and especially in the new condo segment. This should result in fewer housing starts for 2021, and with interest rates staying historically low it’s expected that fewer housing starts are going to be the norm for the next two years. This then connects to rising home prices meaning for affordability woes for some, and – more relevantly to those in the business – softened demand.

There is also the expected additional factors of the government’s massive income support programs winding down and financial institutions tightening credit standards next year.

Slower Pace

Weaker job numbers are expected going into Q1 of next year, and the effects of weaker migration and other underlying economic factors is going to slow the pace of new home builds. For Toronto in particular, it’s predicted that reduced immigration will likely curtail housing demand in Toronto’s condo sector to start 2021. Single-family housing demand should stay strong though.

In Montreal housing starts have been resilient this year, with residential construction in the city rebounding when restrictions were eased. Despite this new housing starts only went up 1% in between January and September 2020.

Condos are always a huge part of the market in metro Vancouver, and new condo sales in Vancouver weren’t good in 2020, and this is going to mean fewer housing starts this year and next year. Resale homes did go up by 17% though, and ongoing low inventory and healthy demand realities will mean there will still be ‘enough’ new housing starts in Vancouver next year to keep this part of the market equation well in place.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to only one realtor – you! You’ll be the only agent who gets these leads that are for people in your area who have shown themselves to be genuine potential clients. This puts you in touch with them first, and you have the opportunity to advertise yourself as the professional they need to help them with the purchase or sale of a home.

Average 5.5% Gain in Home Prices Forecast Nationwide for 2021

Published December 14, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

One of the things that everyone will agree on is that seeing moderate increases in home values is a good thing for one and all. We stress the word moderate there, because anything more than incremental gains in the values of homes has the potential to be harmful for those who are ready to enter the housing market for the first time. A decline in median home prices is never a good thing for anyone, and that’s true on everything from the individual level right up to the prosperity of the country as a whole.

From the perspective of a real estate agent, it’s a little different than the way the consumer will see it all. Keep in mind though that most real estate agents are homeowners themselves. In that scenario, you’ve got a double vested interest in seeing national growth in home values. But with more value in homes there’s more value in the business that brings more into the profession. That’s a double-edged sword of sorts, as it becomes an increasingly competitive business.

That makes our online real estate lead generation system an excellent choice for realtors who need a hand being the competitor they want to be when it comes to growing a real estate business. You’re put more directly in touch with would-be clients who are legitimately looking to buy or sell a home in your area of the country.

Clients that will likely being paying a little more for that same home in 2021 it would seem, and that’s where we’re going to focus today.

Perfect Moderate Gain

Our friends at Royal LePage are predicting that home prices in Canada will rise some 5.5% in 2021, and that will be attributable to building on unexpectedly strong growth this year, driven by a shortage of properties for sale and record low interest rates.

Adding further that the aggregate price of a home in Canada should rise year-over-year to $746,100 in 2021. The median price for a 2-storey detached house and condominium are projected to increase 6% to $890,100 for the detached houses and $522,700 for the condos.

Aggregate home prices are based on a weighted model that uses median prices and includes all housing types.

It needs to be said, however, that the government-backed mortgage insurer Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation is predicting a price decline in 2021 and more than a few of the country’s biggest banks are foreseeing growth that’s a little more repressed. As is almost always the case though, those who do real estate full time and exclusively tend to be a little more in the know and correct with their predictions on housing in Canada.

In conclusion with that, we should see upward pressure on home prices continuing, and that reality should be buoyed by supply continuing to not demand all across the country as a whole, and policy makers keeping interest rates low – which is almost certainly going to happen given the current economic malaise brought about by the COVID pandemic.

15% Average Rise

The average Canadian home price went up more than 15% in October from the same time the year previous (2019), and according to the CREA that’s a record gain.

RBC and the Bank of Nova Scotia have presented 2020 annual reports where they expect house prices to grow 0.6% over the next 12 months, and that constrained housing affordability is the only impediment that’s likely keeping that number from being higher.

Buyer demand for condos is expected to be healthy in Canada’s biggest cities, but with one exception – Toronto. It’s the only major metro area where softer demand is seen continuing in the city centre.

Ottawa and Vancouver are the frontrunners for city-specific rises in median home values, with increases of 11.5% for the country’s capital and 9% for Vancouver. Calgary and Edmonton are set to have much less noticeable growth – 0.75% for Cowtown and 1.5% for the Albertan capital. Toronto prices? Think more along the lines of 5.75% gains.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively as the only realtor registered to receive them. It’s a proven-effective way to get more out of your client prospecting efforts, and a look at our testimonials page is enough to make clear how many realtors like you are very happy they’ve already made the decision to sign up.

2021: The ‘Move Up, Move Over’ Year for Canada’s Real Estate Market?

Published December 7, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Being a full week into December now we can affirmatively state that the current year is now waning on the horizon and we will be in January of 2021 before we know it. Most people are pretty keen to have 2021 in the rear-view mirror, and for good reason. For homeowners and soon-to-homeowners and the realtors working with them, there’s an added reason to be enthused about the coming new year.

All of which is relevant for those newer to the profession of being a real estate agent in Canada. The market has remained very resilient throughout the economic turmoil brought about by the pandemic, and we’re all thankful for that. Nothing, however, is going to make real estate any less of a competitive business and realtors need to be hustling harder than ever to continue to have the ‘pie slice’ they envision for themselves.

That’s what makes our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads such a valuable resource for realtors in Canada. Like the idea of being straight lined into contact with genuine buyer / seller prospective clients? Right, of course you are and that’s what our system is able to do for you.

Which is plenty good news, because industry experts and economists are foreseeing a good bit of vibrancy to the housing market for next year, and in fact some are saying it could be the year of ‘move up and move over’ for many people who will be active in the Canadian real estate market next year.

As Expected – Less Supply, with More Demand

So what’s meant by that? Well, it is believe that the real estate market in Canada will be pushed primarily by these ‘move-up’ and ‘move-over’ buyers in 2021. Why? Well, let’s start with the projection that ongoing supply shortages will push prices up some 4-6%, according to REMAX Canada.

What we do know is that there’s plenty of evidence that many households are considering major lifestyle, many that will involve relocating to less dense cities and neighbourhoods. Sales of homes in suburban and rural parts of Canada reached record levels in 2021 and this trend is expected to continue.

Much to the pleasant surprise of realtors working in more rural areas of Canada no doubt! Also a catalyst for greater numbers of people in these locales to perhaps consider a career change to real estate if that’s something they think might work out well for them.

But let’s consider more prominently that 52% of Canadians believe real estate will be one of the best investments in 2021, as the housing market remains hot despite the downfall many predicted for it in the time following Mid-March.

Sanctity – and Scarcity – of Space

Other relevant stats here we were able to borrow; only 6% of sellers in 2020 made purchasing decisions influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. 40% started on home renovations. Most notable, however, was that 29% of buyers were opting for more space. Something you almost certainly won’t get in Vancouver or Toronto unless you’re a multi millionaire or darn close to it.

Suburban markets saw influxes of new residents this year. Places like North Bay, Kingston, Moncton and the Fraser Valley around Vancouver are good examples. This trend is expected to continue into 2021.

It’s also foreseen that market activity across the country’s most populated Province – Ontario – is set to remain very steady in 2021. While only an estimate, it’s believed that the a potential for an average sale price increases of some 7-12% should be seen in regions like London (7%), Kingston and Cornwall (10%), Niagara (12%), and 10 percent for Thunder Bay too.

What’s behind all this? Well, it really is the same old story. High demand and low supply paired with shifting home-buying trends toward local liveability factors. More and more people than ever want more space, larger yards and closer proximity to amenities like parks.

Move-up and move-over buyers are impacting luxury segments in Ontario too. Ottawa and Hamilton-Burlington are prime examples of a massive spike in demand for luxury homes since the start of the pandemic, and this is expected to be the norm all through 2021 too.

Being a full week into December now we can affirmatively state that the current year is now waning on the horizon and we will be in January of 2021 before we know it. Most people are pretty keen to have 2021 in the rear-view mirror, and for good reason. For homeowners and soon-to-homeowners and the realtors working with them, there’s an added reason to be enthused about the coming new year.

All of which is relevant for those newer to the profession of being a real estate agent in Canada. The market has remained very resilient throughout the economic turmoil brought about by the pandemic, and we’re all thankful for that. Nothing, however, is going to make real estate any less of a competitive business and realtors need to be hustling harder than ever to continue to have the ‘pie slice’ they envision for themselves.

That’s what makes our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads such a valuable resource for realtors in Canada. Like the idea of being straight lined into contact with genuine buyer / seller prospective clients? Right, of course you are and that’s what our system is able to do for you.

Which is plenty good news, because industry experts and economists are foreseeing a good bit of vibrancy to the housing market for next year, and in fact some are saying it could be the year of ‘move up and move over’ for many people who will be active in the Canadian real estate market next year.

As Expected – Less Supply, with More Demand

So what’s meant by that? Well, it is believe that the real estate market in Canada will be pushed primarily by these ‘move-up’ and ‘move-over’ buyers in 2021. Why? Well, let’s start with the projection that ongoing supply shortages will push prices up some 4-6%, according to REMAX Canada.

What we do know is that there’s plenty of evidence that many households are considering major lifestyle, many that will involve relocating to less dense cities and neighbourhoods. Sales of homes in suburban and rural parts of Canada reached record levels in 2021 and this trend is expected to continue.

Much to the pleasant surprise of realtors working in more rural areas of Canada no doubt! Also a catalyst for greater numbers of people in these locales to perhaps consider a career change to real estate if that’s something they think might work out well for them.

But let’s consider more prominently that 52% of Canadians believe real estate will be one of the best investments in 2021, as the housing market remains hot despite the downfall many predicted for it in the time following Mid-March.

Sanctity – and Scarcity – of Space

Other relevant stats here we were able to borrow; only 6% of sellers in 2020 made purchasing decisions influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. 40% started on home renovations. Most notable, however, was that 29% of buyers were opting for more space. Something you almost certainly won’t get in Vancouver or Toronto unless you’re a multi millionaire or darn close to it.

Suburban markets saw influxes of new residents this year. Places like North Bay, Kingston, Moncton and the Fraser Valley around Vancouver are good examples. This trend is expected to continue into 2021.

It’s also foreseen that market activity across the country’s most populated Province – Ontario – is set to remain very steady in 2021. While only an estimate, it’s believed that the a potential for an average sale price increases of some 7-12% should be seen in regions like London (7%), Kingston and Cornwall (10%), Niagara (12%), and 10 percent for Thunder Bay too.

What’s behind all this? Well, it really is the same old story. High demand and low supply paired with shifting home-buying trends toward local liveability factors. More and more people than ever want more space, larger yards and closer proximity to amenities like parks.

Move-up and move-over buyers are impacting luxury segments in Ontario too. Ottawa and Hamilton-Burlington are prime examples of a massive spike in demand for luxury homes since the start of the pandemic, and this is expected to be the norm all through 2021 too.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are from genuine buyers who are in the same area of any city or town in Canada where you are working as a real estate agent. But what’s most important to most realtors is that you will be the only realtor who will receive those leads, we won’t be providing them to anyone else. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and it comes highly recommended from realtors just like you.

Good Time to Remortgage a Home?

Published November 30, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Clients don’t just see their realtor as the individual who’ll bring a buyer to them when they’re selling a home, or fast-track the process of getting them into the home they want. The professional relationship runs a lot deeper than that, and one thing that’s true most of the time is that these folks will be looking to you to be an expert on the entirety of the housing market and – to a lesser extent – being in the know about smart moves related to being a homeowner.

Even if they aren’t homeowners – yet.

Financing of a home can be a part of that. While most realtors will have a preferred partner that they can recommend to clients as a mortgage broker, there’s still a lot to be said for being knowledgeable about that side of the equation on your own.

Now it’s true that part of being seen as knowledgeable is being reputable, and in large part that comes from being well established as a realtor in the area. When you’re a new realtor nothing gets you to that point quicker than selling homes and bringing buyers to other realtors who are selling homes for their clients. To that end, our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent resource for realtors who’d like that leg up on the competition. It’s highly recommended.

But back to topic here, and again in relation to the financing of homes for clients. There has been some discussion lately about whether or not now is good time for homeowners to be remortgaging their homes. Is there any truth to that, and if so, why? Let’s have a look.

Unique Opportunity

It’s no secret that historically low interest rates recently have prompted homebuyers to pull the trigger on home purchases like never before, but it’s also presented a unique opportunity for real estate investors.

Let’s take Toronto for example. The COVID-19 pandemic has lessened demand in the condo rental market, much to the disappointment of many investors. The Bank of Canada’s interest rate cuts did create historic lows designed to resuscitate the economy, and what they also did was give investors an opportunity to refinance their mortgages.

In some cases the primary aim was to lower their monthly payments to something that was more in line with what they could afford and still maintain their base of investment funds. The situation now is that they can unlock up to 80% of the appraised value and potentially make it so that the payments are lower than their existing payments.

No Need to Wait for Renewal Time

The best time to refinance a mortgage has always been when it’s due for renewal. However, with mortgage rates as low as they are it becomes a situation where refinancing before term could be worth the outstanding penalty.

Why? Because of the significantly larger amount of equity that can be unlocked, which could then be repurposed into tax-deducible portfolio growth.

Add to this the fact that there are going to be buying opportunities as the market changes, ones where investor buyers can take advantage and take out money for tax deductible investments. For example, say your client takes out an extra $100,000 from a refinance. On account of their property value being higher than when they bought it, they are then paying $210 per month tax deductible on interest.

What this means is that whether it’s your primary residence or a cash flow positive income property where you don’t need the income, you can use that income to invest in more properties and reduce your income for tax purposes.

Further, you can inform your client that the unlocked equity can also be used to consolidate other debts. It is potentially a very shrewd play that can increase the client’s investment capacities down the road, and the solidity is there given how the real estate market has weathered the storm of the COVID-19 economic downturn.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to only one realtor – you! You’ll be the exclusive recipient of these leads and they’ll be for prospective clients who live in the same area of the country where you do and are working as a real estate agent. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and you’ll almost certainly be making more of a name for yourself in the local community as a reputable real estate agent.

24-Hour Touch Ups That Can Help Buyers Legitimize Asking Price

Published November 23, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

This week we’re going to segue back to the topic of things you can do as realtor to help your clients sell their home more quickly and, in some instances, for more than they thought they’d be able to. This may be beyond the standard scope of what clients might expect from their realtor, but don’t think for a minute advice like this won’t go a long way in establishing you as a home sales expert. People talk – and people refer agents they think highly of to their friends and family when the opportunity exists.

And that’s important for many reasons, not the least of which is that real estate is always going to be a competitive business and anything you can do to grow new clients out of existing ones is a big plus. Of course, establishing that original clientele is key, and that’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such a good choice for realtors who are new to the business. But in truth it’s not a bad choice for realtors who are well established too

But back to topic, here are 7 quick and not-too-difficult jobs that you can suggest to your home seller clients that may make just the difference needed for prospective buyers to pay the asking price for the home, or darn close to it!

  • Refresh Grout For a Sparkling New and Clean Look

Buyers always put a premium on a master bathroom that meets their expectations. Layout and amenities are one thing, but the appearance of the bathroom during a viewing is always a factor too. Specialty grout stain removers and cleaners are never expensive and the job usually only requires and hour or so of vigorous scrubbing and then washing clean. The bathroom will have a much ‘newer’ look to it, and your buyers will likely benefit from it appearing that way.

  • Change Lighting to Create Moods and Ambiance for Rooms

A warm white light from specially chosen LED bulbs makes for a welcoming environment when potential buyers are entering a specific area of the home you and your clients feel is a key part of its appeal. When outdated fixtures are taking away from a home’s otherwise modern styling, suggest they go with more design-neutral replacements that won’t make less of the property’s charms. Again, a fix up that goes a long way while not costing very much at all.

  • Repainting Doors to Create an Updated and Inviting Entryway

Make clear that you’re not asking them to repaint the whole interior of the home here, and stress that repainting doorways with a fresh coat goes a long way for suggesting a well-kept and maintained home. Plus, remind them that the front door of the home is the first thing buyers will see as they approach to view the home. Changing out generic doorknobs and switch-plates to add an updated flare is a good idea too.

  • Shine Up Windows

There’s no debating the fact that cleanliness goes a long way in indicating a home has been well-cared for, and that understanding really resonates with prospective buyers. Cleaning the inside and outside of windows not only refreshes a room, it also allows light to infuse the space more thoroughly and natural lighting in living spaces is a HUGE appeal for anyone considering purchase of a home.

  • Give Some Time to Closet Spaces

Interior storage space is big for buyers too, and especially in regards to closets and cabinets. Let your clients know that spending 30 minute ensuring they’re clean and clear and that hangers are spaced evenly and organized and the floor is clean is a very good idea.

  • Get Rid of Appliance Stains

Most sellers will be selling the home with the installed appliances included for the buyer, and if yours are the same then you should let them know that spending some time and elbow grease getting those appliances as clean as possible – on both the inside and outside – is also a smart decision that will add to the overall appeal for open house visitors.

Suggest they get some stainless steel polish, electric cooktop polish, and stain removing pads for the kitchen sink to take their appliances and make them look much newer to the eye.

  • Organize Garage and Basement Areas

Buyers want to see at least the appearance of space that will be at their disposal in areas of the home like this. This is especially true of a garage. Organizing and decluttering these spaces can add to the positive impact that’s made on would-be buyers. Instead of telling prospective buyers how much storage space there is, have them make it so these areas speak for themselves in that way by making them as tidy, organized, and visually spacious as possible.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you. You will be the only realtor who’ll receive these leads, and that will mean you can be first in touch with these people who have shown a genuine willingness to make a move in the local real estate market soon. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your prospecting efforts, and there’s every reason to be all over this opportunity.

The ‘Bully’ Offer

Published November 16, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

We’ve gone on fairly at length about how the Real Estate Market continues to hold strong in the face of the last 7 months of economic adversity in Canada, and one of the things that we’re seeing is that the ‘pent-up’ demand of buyers is creating some not-so-ordinary buyer tendencies given the fact that demand continues to outdistance supply in that part of the equation. Add pent-up demand and what we’re seeing is buyers who may be even more willing to do what it takes to get the home they want.

For some, that means being a bully, and having their realtor submit ‘bully’ offers. It’s been said no one like bullies, and fair enough. But if you’re a real estate agent in Canada it’s best to always be very much in the know about the workings of your business. It’s to be expected if you’re to ask any of the many hundreds of people who’ll be looking for a realtor in Canada, even before this crazy 2020 is through. You need to be the expert, and come across as one. But getting to be first in-touch with prospective clients isn’t easy, this is always going to be a competitive business.

Especially in major metro areas, and that’s why our online real estate lead generation systems for Canada realtors here at Real Estate Leads is the type of powerful ally it is in that regard. You’re given more of the opportunity to make those contacts, but then the chance to show how you’re the best professional to help them with buying or selling a home is entirely up to you.

So of course wide-reaching knowledgeability is a big plus there. If you’ve never heard of a Bully Offer, it’s one of hundreds of different insights you can and should gain into the business.

So let’s get to it.

Pre-Emptive Buyers

A bully offer is also called a pre-emptive offer. What that means is it’s an offer from a buyer to the seller to purchase a home listed for sale on MLS. Nothing unique about that, but with the bully offer it’s an offer that’s submitted before the date that the sellers have indicated they will look at any of them.

Keep in mind that the seller is free to accept any offer on their home, at any amount, at any time. Any given and suggested date for ‘consideration’ is just a statement and there’s nothing contractually binding about it.

In any real estate market that is a seller’s market – where there are more buyers than homes for sale – folks with homes for sale may make the decision when they list their home to hold on offers and wait until a certain date and time to review them. In truth it’s often a smart strategy for a seller who has properly priced their home. It allows the most buyers possible to see the home, and increases the chances of a bidding war starting and potentially driving the selling price up.

The bully offers is a high pressure sales tactic on the part of the buyer, and it’s intended to make a home seller look at the offer quickly with not much in the way to make other interested buyers aware of what’s going on.

Maybe a house is listed for sale on Wednesday. The plan is to allow it to be for sale for an entire week and then offers will be accepted the following Wednesday. By holding offers the agent increases the opportunity to market the home and increase the number of prospective buyers who’ll be aware of it being on the market at a specific price.

Should that real estate agent receive an offer on the home from another agent, but with he provision that the offer will expire before the owner’s stated window for accepting offers, you’ve got yourself a bully offer.

No Obligations

It’s important to first understand here that you and your client are of course under no obligation to accept the offer. The issue is when the bully offer comes with a proposed price that’s attractive to the homeowner. And that’s usually how it’s both intended, and how it works.

Once a bully offer is submitted, your client can choose to accept it, start negotiation, or stick to your original plan and refuse to deal with it until their stated original offer presentation date.

The question then though is are there good scenarios for accepting a Bully offer?

Buyers and their agents know that in order to get your client to accept their bully offer, they’re going to have to make it worth your client’s while. This usually means offering above asking price and with little or no conditions on the sale.

But you – as their agent – should be able to quickly determine if a bully offer is worth accepting. Some considerations:

  • When the price is ridiculously high
  • When showings are slower than expected, or home is listed in volatilely changing market
  • When the offer is firm
  • When you have notified every other buyer who has expressed interest in the property

We’re going to steer clear of any discussion about whether it’s ethically OK to make bully offers. That’s up for you to decide as a realtor. But if you have reason to believe that making one puts your client in the best position to get the home they’re after, it may be something for you to consider. Be judicious about it though, and proceed cautiously if you have reason to believe it will rub the selling realtor the wrong way.

It’s important to always remember that this is a business where it’s very important to get along with others also making their living in real estate. That said, nearly all realtors will be receptive to approaches that help them get clients into the homes that fit them best.

Making a Bully Offer

For those of you wondering on how to make a bully offer, real estate bully offers are no different from regular offers. All that you and your client are doing is disregarding any written instructions on the MLS that say the listing is holding offers. You are submitting your offer early, in an attempt to avoid competing with other buyers. Of course the seller is under no obligation to even acknowledge your client’s offer of this type, much less have to accept it. Keep in mind as well that you – the realtor – are required to convey your offer to the seller and notify all other interested parties.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and ONLY you – for your desired region of any city or town in Canada. It instantly vitalizes your new client prospecting efforts and creates the opportunity for you to have first crack at meeting these would-be buyers or sellers and then wowing them with your level of expertise as a realtor.

October ’20 Confirms Trend – Vancouver Housing Market Continues Surge

Published November 9, 2020 by Real Estate Leads
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One of the things that’s always important is to be able to see through the clutter and hear through the noise, and we imagine that these days that’s more true than ever for people. It was earlier this year that great misfortune was predicted to befall the real estate industry in Canada, but here we are near the end of the same year and the majority of those predictions haven’t come true.

One thing that anyone – not just real estate agents in Canada – will tell you is that the health and vitality of the industry is important because it encompasses the interests of both individual people and that of the economy. That’s not to make less of the need for affordable housing and better access to quality housing for Canadians, but for as long as real estate is a commodity there’s going to be a certain inevitability of it being tied to economic prosperity here.

People will continue to do what they can to work with that reality and be able to buy a home that meets their needs, and in the same way real estate agents will do what they can to be the realtors working with these homebuyer or home seller clients. To that end, our online real estate lead generations system for Canada here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent resource for any realtor doing just that. This business is always competitive, and when you’re new to being a realtor it can be intimidating.

29% Year-Over-Year Gains Last Month

The news that home sales in Greater Vancouver grew by 29% year-over-year in October, with transactions rising to 3,687 from 2,858, is good news on either end of that perspective. It suggests that homes are still being put on the market consistently, and then with the fact they’re selling we can safely conclude that a) there continue to be qualified buyers, and b) homes are selling for at or close-to what the sellers are expecting to receive for their properties.

Sales also increased by 1.2% last month from 3,643 transactions the month previous, September, and were up 34.7% from the 10-year average. This makes it the second-highest total ever for the month, and makes it even clearer that the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t pushed down activity in the country’s most expensive real estate market.

One thing that’s definitely been a contributing factor is that lockdown measures in the spring were a catalyst for homeowners to upgrade their homes, and this trend has been a co-operator for the trend of homes sales not missing much of a beat in Vancouver and area.

It’s a reflection of a bigger-picture trend where people are rethinking their housing situation, and on both macro and micro levels. Then there’s the role of the Bank of Canada cutting interest rates to historic lows, and this is the biggest reason real estate markets in Canada’s 3 biggest cities have been able to weather the economic fallout of the pandemic.

What’s happened is that low rates have opened the market up to previously not-quite-qualified would-be buyers. Pair that with pent up demand and the never-ending supply and demand equation disparity for housing in areas of the country and you actually have more people coming into the market.

The REBGV data also indicates that detached home sales went up by 42.3% last month from October 2019, and the benchmark price went up by 8.5% to $1,523,800 along with that. There are many different factors coming into play with that buyer preference trend too. This is especially true in ‘satellite city’ areas around the major metro regions in Vancouver and Toronto, but it is definitely a reflection of bigger trends that will likely come to be applicable for small cities too.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to one realtor only – you. Sign up and indicate your preferred region of any city or town in Canada and you’ll be able to start receiving these leads and then enjoying the more direct and immediate connection with folks who live in the area and are genuinely considering making a move in the local real estate market. It’s a proven-effective way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts in a BIG way!

Half Million Dollar Bonus Offered for Realtor Bringing Buyer for Vancouver Condo

Published October 26, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Nearly all of us have been told that we will do well in life if we always ‘aim high’. While that can apply to accomplishments along any career path, when you look at it from the perspective of a real estate agent it is best paired with a real hunger for $. You can make any judgment you like about the propriety of that, but it is what it is. Nearly all of the most successful realtors make no apologies for their love of earning the biggest commissions and earning them over their competitors.

It’s always been true that if you’re going to have success in this business, you do need to have a naturally competitive side to you. As this is a competitive business no matter how you slice and no matter where in the world you’re working as a real estate agent. Some people will say you need to be a ‘go-getter’ and here at Real Estate Leads we definitely agree with that. Our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent resource for new realtors who are in fact go-getters and would like to get to the ‘getting’ of it all sooner rather than later.

Building a name for yourself in this business is all important, and then identifying opportunities where you can make the big money working as a real estate agent.

Which leads us to today’s topic, and one we simply need to share with our readership base here considering the safe assumption that all of you are realtors. This one will be relevant to realtors who work in our neck of the woods here, and in one of Canada’s most desirable housing markets – Vancouver.

$500K To Be Had On Top of Commissions

We’ll also assume you have access to the MLS, and if you’re a Vancouver realtor then you should be familiarizing yourself with one particular listing at the Alberni Tower development at the corner of Alberni and Cardero in the city’s west end. Unit 3902 at 1150 Alberni Street, to be exact.

This building will not complete until 2021, but sales of these units are picking up steam as the building promises the very best in upscale condo living in the city.

The listing price for this extremely spacious and well-appointed unit is in the vicinity of 14 million, and yes that’s a price tag that will eliminate a LOT of potential buyers. But if you’re familiar with Vancouver and what buyers are willing to pay for homes here, it still leaves plenty of potential buyers on the horizon.

And so here’s the deal – if you bring the seller a buyer who completes their purchase of this home, the seller if offering a $500,000 bonus on top of the 3.22% commission rate on the first $100K and then 1.15% on the remaining balance. It’s estimated that the realtor will walk away with something in the vicinity of $661,700 and it’s believed this could well be the highest bonus ever recorded.

Exceptional Condo Home

We’re sure you can do your homework, but to just touch on what this home has going for it; 4,030 sq. ft with three bedrooms, four bathrooms, a spacious locker, two parking spaces, and a private Japanese-inspired garden on the balcony. The building itself has intricate designs, an expansive moss garden, a pool, hot tub and sauna, a Japanese restaurant, a 24-hour concierge, and commercial spaces at the bottom of the building.

If you have a buyer who’d like the sound of that and has the financial means to purchase this home, it’s high time to get a move on and make yourself some serious money!

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. You’ll be the only realtor to receive these leads, and they will be for prospective clients that are living in the city or town in Canada where you are working as a real estate agent. What these leads do is create an immediate opportunity for you to be in touch first with these people and convince them they will be best served by having you as their realtor.

Multi-Family Housing Options Abound in Metro Vancouver

Published October 19, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

It’s entirely natural that the majority of new home building starts in metro areas of the country are for multi-family housing and not for detached single-family dwelling homes. After all, it’s not like there’s any new land being created and in areas like Vancouver the decision makers realize that the scarcity of land that is available for development is much better earmarked for multi-family housing developments.

Not only do these types of homes offer more housing in regions where there’s a real demand for it and ongoing shortages, but they also tend to be better uses of the space and often are more energy-efficient housing developments too. Then there’s the more pressing and basic reality that for many qualified home buyers a home in a multi-family development is much more in line with what they can afford.

There is of course a real shift downwards in regard to what that means of commissions earning for realtors who’d ideally sell detached homes, but the market is what it is and that’s always going to be true. Real estate also doesn’t become anything of a less competitive business either. That’s why our online real estate lead generation service here at Real Estate Leads is such a smart choice, no matter where you’re working as a real estate agent in Canada.

Qualified leads on prospective buyers or sellers who are ready to make a move, what’s not to like about the sound of that?

But enough about that, let’s look at what’s behind the swell in multi-family housing purchasing options in Vancouver.

Something of a ‘Back to Normal’

Vancouver’s multi-residential property market is coming back from the COVID pause with an emphatic flurry and an uptick in transaction activity.

Now plain and simple what’s happening here is people are buying and selling for all of the reasons they were before, but the trend is accelerated at this point in 2020 because people want to get back to their lives and arranging their future.

In truth though, the pent-up demand in the multi-residential market goes back to the early part of 2019. That’s when investors and sellers stayed on the sideline waiting for changes in municipal and provincial policies to be clarified, so with all that in place and the ‘worst’ economic predictions for economy and market being disproven it’s now that we’re seeing a really flurry of resumed activity.

Keep in mind as well that there are so many different types of owners, investors, and developers that come from throughout the world, and those people are seeing just how well B.C. weathered the storm compared to the rest of the world during COVID.

Then of course there’s the fact that Vancouver is still seen as one of the most desirable places to live. It’s entirely true that there is a diverse buyers’ market in the city, including professionals such as doctors and dentists diversifying their investments and entrepreneurs seeing value in bringing older buildings up to modern standards and either living in them themselves or reintroducing them to the market at a later date.

Multi-Family Homes Continuing to Go Fast

Multi-family rental is moving especially quickly in Vancouver right now, and that’s being seen in other metro areas of the country too. This is in part because of the Feds’ keeping interest rates low, with the cost of money being low working to insulate the economy at a time when that’s very much needed.

There’s then a direct translation between that and developers’ enthusiasm for building multi-family home developments. Look at these examples of new multi-family developments in Vancouver, ones that if they go ahead (and they very likely will) will see the homes within them purchased quickly and at value in all likelihood.

  • Edgewater site on Pacific Street two blocks from Sunset Beach in the Burrard Corridor,
  • A 6-storey rental development site at Main and East 33rd that saw a bidding war between five different developers
  • A mixed-use high-rise site in Surrey listed at $33.8 million

Among many other examples you can find that highlight the resiliency and ongoing strength of the Vancouver real estate market. Good news for everyone living in Lotus Land and in all the surrounding bedroom communities of Vancouver too, and of course real estate agents included. Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. They are leads on homebuyers and sellers in your area of whichever city or town you’re living / working in, and again you are the only realtor who will receive these leads. From there you have an opportunity to be in touch with these people first and the chance to convince them that you are the professional they need to help them with buying or selling homes.

Bank of Canada States Intention to Let Housing Market Regulate Itself

Published October 12, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Go back 7 months of so and generally speaking people taking an interest in the future of the housing market in Canada were of two camps generally; those that thought it wouldn’t weather the COVID 19 pandemic storm particularly well, and those who expected it would be a lot more resilient than people would give it credit for. Well, here we are spring of 2020 a very distant blip in the rearview mirror and it appears the people in that second camp were right.

That’s because, as we’ve seen, the housing market has actually heated up overall and the many different reasons that people explained would factor into that outcome have proved to be legit. People have talked about the ‘pent-up demand’ factor, people have talked about the always-relevant supply and demand factors, and then of course there’s ongoing buyer prerogative shifts that have factored into this too.

And before we get into the meat of discussing this, we should say that an increasingly valuable housing market in Canada is overall a good thing for the country. Real estate routinely makes up nearly half of Canada’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth, and so even if you’re one of the people who decries the cost of real estate in Canada you still can’t deny that you and every other Canadian is benefiting from it in a more indirect but very tangible way.

Yes, the way this benefits those with careers in real estate is a part of our way of looking at this. That doesn’t, however, make the business any more of a potentially lucrative one than it ever has been previously. Realtors will know that real estate is a very competitive business, and that’s why our online real estate lead generation service in Canada here at Real Estate Leads is so highly recommended for realtors who are newer to the business.

Just last week the Bank of Canada (BOC) weighed in on all of this, and their belief regarding it is one that’s in line with those who either have equity in real estate or are working to help those people as real estate industry professionals.

Gov’t Free to Intervene, but National Bank Won’t

The BOC knows full well that emergency pandemic policies are inflating house prices, but BOC GovernorTiff Macklem has stated it’s not the central Bank’s place to be interfering in the market, and that’s a prudent understanding for many different reasons.

The BOC has stated that it intends to keep the emergency measures ― rock-bottom interest rates, purchases of Canadian mortgages and government debt ― in place for the foreseeable future, and stated further that soaring house prices won’t change the Bank’s direction. Their commitment to keep interest rates low is unwavering at this time, but Macklem did state that if too many Canadian households move towards becoming dangerously over-leveraged then policy-makers have several tools they can put into place to counter that.

The mortgage-interest stress test is integral to that, and it’s very much of an ‘ain’t broke don’t fix it’ type of situation at this time. Other of these tools include government regulation measures like mortgage insurance, foreign buyers’ taxes or empty-home taxes.

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The BOC then stated further that they will keep their administered (interest) rate pinned down for the next few years, even if that policy contributes to increasing vulnerabilities. Should those vulnerabilities come around then the Bank would look to other policymakers to contain any growing risks, given that raising rates prematurely would also stunt the recovery.

Wait & See Mode

The average resale price of a home in Canada went up by 18 per cent in August, compared to a year earlier, one of the strongest gains on record despite the ongoing economic crisis.

Economists are crediting the Bank’s lowering of interest rates this year as a foremost reason for this. It’s been estimated that the drop in mortgage rates over the past year has increased buyers’ maximum purchase price by 24%.

This means greater numbers of qualified buyers are able to get into the types of homes they need for themselves and / or their families, and there shouldn’t be anything that anyone should disapprove of with that.

It’s also true that to this point the federal government has not taken any steps to cool house price growth, and its FTHBIA plan (First Time Home Buyer Income Assistance) is intended to be a ‘demand-side’ policy that would increase the amount of money Canadians can spend on a home. It’s unlikely to reduce house price growth, and it was never expected to do so despite what some people had hoped it would do.

Another very integral factor here is that Canadian cities are suffering from a chronic shortage of housing, and this is pushing up prices. This is something that doesn’t look like it will be going away anytime soon, and it’s a reality that people need to address head on rather than wishing it were otherwise.

BOC Leery of Raising Rates – 500 Billion Reasons Why

The pile of reason the BOC will want not to raise interest rates to slow soaring house prices is a mammoth one. For starters it fears that higher borrowing costs will sink the many people and businesses who loaded up on debt before and during the pandemic. Next we have them dropping their key lending rate to near zero and buying hundreds of billions of dollars of debt ― including around $100 billion of federal government debt and billions more in Canadian mortgages.

This was done in an effort to pre-empt what could have been a major financial crisis, something that would be bad for everyone, including those who are displeased with the cost of housing and how it’s a barrier to their getting into the market.

The BOC has also increased its balance sheet by $500 billion since the spring, injecting this much new cash into the economy, in the form of debt owed to the Bank. Central banks have pushed down interest rates, making it more affordable for households, businesses and governments to weather the crisis. This is called ‘quantitative easing’, and while it’s a good thing in the biggest picture it does always cause asset prices to skyrocket.

This is a more detailed and causation view into why Canada’s average home sales prices are soaring in the middle of a pandemic. Can this change in the future? Absolutely it can, but we need to question whether or not that would be a good thing for ALL of us and not just a select few who’d like to see home values decrease.

For the very foreseeable future, that’s not happening.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to one realtor, and one realtor only – YOU. These leads will be for the region of any city or town in Canada where you are based and practicing real estate. It makes it possible for you to be fast-tracked to being in touch with individuals or couples who are genuinely considering making a move in the local real estate market. Check out our testimonials page to see how realtors just like you are thrilled with what our service has done for them.

Vancouver Real Estate Going Strong, and That’s Good for Everybody

Published October 5, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

The brain trust here at Real Estate Leads is fortunate to have a very ‘bird’s eye’ view of the Vancouver Real Estate market due to the fact we’re both residents and homeowners here in ‘Lotus Land’. If we’re to look at it from the ‘comparatively speaking’ perspective and in comparison to real estate elsewhere in Canada, homes and property here have always been more expensive compared to elsewhere in the country and that’s not going to change.

It’s one of the most desirable places to live in the world, and many internationally-based surveys have found it to be among the most ‘livable’ cities in the world. If you can look past the mind-boggling congestion and surreally bad traffic, that’s probably true for the most part. But you see, all those people means the supply and demand part of the equation is always going to be tilted towards demand when it comes to housing and real estate.

This is why the recent news from the REBGV that Vancouver had its best September on record this year in terms of the number of homes sold doesn’t come as a big surprise. Yes, COVID has harmed the economy and taken would-be qualified buyers off that list to some extent, but the Vancouver market HAS stayed insulated from market volatilities in the exact way most people predicted it would.

Which, if you ask us, is the way it should be. The people who have equity in their homes have for the most part worked very hard to build that up. They very much deserve to have the same market they had to work hard to buy be defined by the same dynamics when they choose to sell in it.

There are fewer home sellers these days, however, and we touched on that a few weeks back here. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation service is an excellent way to put realtors like you in a better position to grow their client base in the current challenging environment.

Alright, let’s take a longer look at this good news coming from Vancouver.

56.2% Jump

The news release from the REBGV said that 3,643 homes were sold in September, and that’s up 56.2 per cent from the 2,333 that went onto the market and were sold in September of last year. Sales were also up 19.6 per cent from the 3,047 homes sold in August, and this type of resiliency is EXACTLY what we’d like to see in housing markets all across the country if that were at all possible.

This is joined by the MLS home price index composite benchmark price for all residential properties hitting $1,041,300 in September, up just under 6% from September 2019. And as we look further at the absolute nature of supply / demand equation as it pertains to Vancouver housing, the wave of homes that hit the market last month was not enough to keep up with demand.

So what happens then? It’s not rocket science – low supply has pushed prices higher, and one can only imagine how much more pronounced that trend will be once the economy moves into a COVID-19 recovery.

There were 6,402 properties newly listed for sale in September, up 10.1 per cent from August. But the sales-to-active listings ratio — a key metric used to analyze home prices — was 27.8 per cent, above the 20 per cent threshold where prices tend to rise.

Relation to Rents

Many reputable sources have indicated that – at least to some extent – the pandemic is pushing rents down in Vancouver. That’s somewhat true, and also somewhat not true.

Experts says low interest rates and changing housing needs during the COVID-19 pandemic have also influenced the market, which is recovering from a lockdown that put the brakes on sales in the spring selling season.

Some 730 attached homes (townhomes and rowhomes most commonly) were sold by Vancouver real estate agents last month, and that’s going along with 1,317 detached homes in September. Further, sales in both categories went up more than 70% from the same time a year ago.

Ad to that the biggest share of sales at 1,596 were for apartments, and that too is up 36.9% year-over-year. A big part of that is related to the median level of affordability, and of course the shortcomings there are related to years of government policies that have created wealth and earning capacity disparities in the city.

Then there’s detached homes, which are the most desirable purchasing options for families for obvious reasons, and especially now that many of them have had a taste of what a lockdown involves. We have biggest price appreciation right here. At $1,507,500, the benchmark price of Vancouver detached homes in September was up 7.8% from September 2019.

Realtors in Vancouver face stiff competition, but generally speaking it’s still an advantageous environment for those who want to make a living working in real estate.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to one realtor, and one realtor only. That’s you, and all of these leads are for the region of any city or town in Canada where you are working as a real estate agent. It’s an excellent way to maximize the returns you get for your client prospecting efforts, and you’ll quickly see it as part of your marketing budget that’s definitely well spent.

Home Seller Interests Shift with New COVID Realities in Canada’s Big Cities

Published September 28, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Change is constant in nearly everything in life, and even though the real estate industry in Canada can be a real rollercoaster it’s the way it needs to be to ensure continuing volatility. Being tied to the economic prosperity of the country and those who work hard enough within it to be homeowners is never going to change, but here in the middle of 2020 we’re seeing how a virus can produce wholesale shifts in the buyer and seller prerogatives of people who are active in the real estate market.

Much has already been made of the way the condo market in places like Vancouver and Toronto has really sagged over the last half a year. There’s a whole lot of factors going into that, and the good news is that we’re already seeing how lower prices on new condominiums resulting from overstretched investor buyers is creating a first time homebuyer benefit for people who DO want to live in the city.

Now of course being on top of these trends and all the ripples that come with them is part of what makes for a good and knowledgeable real estate agent, and ones who are new to real estate in Canada might have more of a reason to focus their efforts on the condo market if they are working in the major metro areas. That may be the smart move given what we’re seeing with dropping condo prices making more young people into potential buyers.

What’s also always a smart move is taking advantage of anything that creates the opportunity for you to grow your client base. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for Canadian realtors is an excellent way to put the power on Internet marketing to work for you to put you more directly in touch with home buyers and sellers who are genuinely considering making a move in the local real estate market.

But back to topic – it’s important to look at this condo surplus / lower prices trends from a bigger-picture perspective, so let’s do that.

Increased Premium on Space

On the things the pandemic lockdown made clear for many people is that being in 600 or so square feet for extended periods of time can really put your mental wellness to the test. Another aspect that’s souring people on condo living downtown is the way these areas are increasingly dirty, congested, and crippled with increasingly criminal activity following decades of a ‘soft on crime’ model as created by successive federal governments.

Many people are not speaking to a real estate agent about making a move to more suburban areas where they can have some space and perhaps even a yard or rooftop patio – if they can afford to do that. Typically that’s been increasingly possible as good numbers of people who owned these properties in the ‘burbs ‘downsized’ once they retired and made some money selling the home and moving into the condo just the two of them.

Long story short, that’s not happening as much as it used to, as people put off selling their detached home or townhome for two reasons:

  1. The market being down overall due to the COVID freeze that has yet to thaw entirely, with many apprehensive buyers and others who can’t afford the prices these owners would like to get for their homes. It’s entirely natural for homeowners to postpone putting their home on the market until it’s more favourable for them.
  2. These same folks who HAVE yards and space are now hesitant to trade that in for a box in the sky if these sorts of measures are going to become commonplace in the future. They have a new found appreciation for the space their current home affords them, and they’re not going to be convinced to part with that in the interest of making some profit and downsizing to a smaller place quite like they used to consider it.

Now to be fair the effect of this can go both ways depending on other market factors contributing. Around larger urban areas it may be that some detached homes or townhomes that ARE put on the market will be able to get asking price based on simply demand far exceeding supply.

In other areas of the country, however, it’s not likely to be the same. The ‘downsizing’ segment of the market isn’t going to be as affected, but then again in these areas these same people likely won’t be downsizing to condos and the like the same way – because there are few of them to begin with!

Likely Long-Term Trend

While we can look forward to the Global Pandemic and everything that’s associated with it eventually passing, there have been a number of social scientists who say the way it’s changed people’s thinking is probably here to stay. People are seeing the appeal of getting out of cities like never before, and while that’s great for realtors in rural areas of Canada and to a lesser extent in ‘satellite’ cities, it’s not as good for those working in metro areas.

Sure, more condos will sell but they may well sell for way less than they would have a year ago, and then there’s the fact that a lot of condo owners who would sell after buying the homes of ‘downsizers’ won’t have the opportunity to do so because those owners aren’t selling.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to one realtor only – you. Yes, these leads will be for the region of any city or town in Canada where you’re working as a realtor, and again you’ll be the only one who receives them. From there you have the opportunity to be in touch with these prospective clients first and impress them with your knowledge of the local market and all-round real estate expertise. It’s an excellent way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and it’s highly recommended with the competitive nature of the real estate business in Canada.

Financing for Home Purchases Staying Affordable with BOC Keeping Interest Rate at 2.5%

Published September 14, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

 

The fact that this current global situation has taken a great many would-be qualified homebuyers in Canada off that list doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation, and we have covered how the pandemic has put serious constraints on the real estate market in Canada. Of course, the one reality that’s shone through after these past 6+ months, however, is that supply and demand economics have done very well in preventing the real estate market from crashing like some prophesized it would.

That’s not to suggest this is good news entirely, as the way the market has kept itself somewhat insulated from the economic downfalls of the pandemic has continued to make home ownership out of reach for a lot of people. There’s some good news to counter that somewhat, but before we get to that one of the unfortunate realities of fewer qualified buyers is fewer newer clients for real estate agents. That can be very troubling, especially for a new realtor who’s looking to make a name for him or herself.

That’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such a great resource for realtors who’d like to take every advantage they can to ensure a continued slice of the pie. Both during these troubling times, and at any time really. It puts you more directly in touch with people who are genuinely considering making a move in the local real estate market, and if there’s a way for you to be in touch with them first… well, what’s not to like about that?

But back to topic. It may be perhaps in understanding of the need to keep the real estate market accessible for people that the BOC (Bank of Canada) has chose to keep interest rates low for the foreseeable future – at 2.5% to be exact, and this means that a good number more couples will find the idea of taking on a mortgage to be not quite so intimidating.

Good News: Borrowing Costs for Homes Staying Low

In announcing this news, the Bank stated “Monetary policy is working to support household spending and business investment by making borrowing more affordable,” and while that doesn’t refer to housing explicitly it’s fairly sure that allowing Canadians to both improve their housing and support an industry that’s very important to the country’s GDP have definitely factored into this.

Much of this will very likely predicated on the fact that household spending rebounded sharply over the summer, with stronger-than-expected goods consumption. Plus, we’ve seen what many economists specializing in real estate predicted – much of the large amount of housing activity seen since May or June was a reflection of pent-up demand.

This is big, because the Bank of Canada’s key rate influences interest rates for home mortgages, and then we’ve already seen them cut the key rate 3 times in March 2020 to keep the economy afloat when all of this craziness was new. From a rate of 1.75 percent at the start of that month, the central bank brought it down to 0.25 percent. That is the lowest level that can be set, and it’s quite telling that they’d be willing to do this at this time?

Is the solidity of the Real Estate Market an integral part of an economically healthy Canada? You bet it is, and while there’s both good and bad to that the fact of the matter we need a strong and vibrant market where homes retain value at the very least, and ideally increase in value for both owners and the civic interests that are served with property taxes.

Even Lower Rates?

Seems so. Just last week we saw lenders like CanWise Financial and MortagagePal.ca offering 5-year mortgages at 1.74%. And the bigger lenders were on board with this too – TD Bank had 1.99%, Scotiabank 2.09%.

We’ll conclude here by adding one little important fact. The BOC has stated that it will hold the policy interest rate at the effective lower bound until the economic slack is absorbed. That’s the way it should be, and it’s a very positive development for both the country as a whole and for people who want to buy a home and enter into the real estate market where they live.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. No other realtor receives these leads, only you do, and they are for prospective buyers and sellers living in the area of the country where you are living too and working as a real estate agent. It’s an excellent way to get so much more out of your client generation efforts, and we find that most realtors quickly come to see it as a part of their marketing budget well spent.

July Saw More Homes Sold Than Any Other Month in 40 Years

Published September 7, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Yet again we’re seeing by and large irrefutable evidence that the way the demise of the Canadian Real Estate market from the Pandemic isn’t turning out that way at all, and that the real estate market in Canada continues to be in good health by and large. The CREA (Canadian Real Estate Association) just recently announced that more homes were sold across then country in July of 2020 than in any other month over the past 40 years. Yes, you read that correctly – 40 years – and that’s an awfully long time and covering some times when the ‘economic outlook’ of the country was a lot rosier than it is now.

This of course isn’t meant to say that Canada is not in some difficulty as far our immediate economic outlook is concerned, and the economic recovery from COVID19 is going to be a rocky one. What we can see in this though is that demand continues to outstrip supply with homes in Canada, and that there continues to be qualified buyers for all of these homes that are selling.

That’s good news for everyone, from the economy itself (real estate is a huge economic driver in certain parts of the country, and always will be) to every single realtor working in Canada. It’s not making the business any less competitive for real estate agents in Canada, however, and it’s for that reason that our online real estate lead generator here at Real Estate Leads has the value it does for realtors who are looking for the best and most effective ways to get a larger slice of the pie, as the expression goes.

But let’s get right back to having a more in depth look at the what and why of July being this record breaking month for home sales in Canada.

62K+ Sold

62,355 homes is a lot of homes, and that’s the number attached to the money sales figure record for July according to the CREA. Sales in July were up 30.5 per cent compared with the same month a year ago and up 26% from June, rebounding from lows earlier in the year when the market entered a real freeze on account of the COVID 19 pandemic.

The association said the sales came as the actual national average price for homes sold in July reached up to $571,500, another record and up 14.3% from the same month last year. The industry consensus on this is that this is in large part a natural bounce back response with activity that otherwise would have happened earlier in the year.

We should keep in mind that we were heading into the tightest spring market in almost 20 years before the pandemic began and everything went amok.

We can attribute a lot of this to a number of factors that are fairly common amongst all prospective new home buyers; a new-found importance of home, the lack of a daily commute for many, a desire for more outdoor and personal space, room for a home office, and so on and so forth. People want to put down roots like always, and while their priorities have shifted it still equates to homes being bought and sold the same way as always.

 

Canadian Property Market Going Full Throttle, But REITs are Losing Money

Published August 31, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

It’s always best to be cautious, and we agree with any consensus that it’s not good to jump the gun and proclaim the Real Estate Market in Canada as having come through the storm very little if any worse for wear. But we continue to see signs and real economic indicators that suggest the real estate market is going to continue to be one that’s on solid footing in Canada and that’s good news for everyone. Realtors are perhaps more likely than anyone to understand the ways people value the equity in their homes greatly, and that is of course often true because their homeowners themselves.

However, the ongoing Global Pandemic has take a real bite out of commercial real estate holdings, and investors in REITS (real estate investment trusts if you’re not familiar with the acronym) are taking a bit of a beating as the expression goes. What differentiates the residential real estate market from the commercial one is that the nature of homes being shelter means a degree of consistency with the supply / demand of things that doesn’t exist the same way for commercial.

Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for realtors to be put more directly in touch with people who want to buy homes, pandemic or no pandemic, because they really genuinely need a place to live and raise families. But with the way the economy has slowed so much because of the lockdowns and other related influences, there’s nothing to counter the reduced demand for commercial space.

So what can we all be reading into this? Let’s consider that.

Back to the Regular Roar – For Homes at Least

Canada’s private real estate market is back in full swing again freezing briefly because of COVID-19, but its stock market equivalent isn’t enjoying the same revival. There’s no debating that home sales and prices in the nation’s biggest cities have rebounded sharply and everyone is very happy to see this. Even if we just look at Toronto, the average selling price for homes made a near 17% leap in July over the previous year, and more relevantly the national home price index climbed 7.4% itself.

That’s made many a homeowner looking to sell quite happy, but for investors who are getting their property exposure through equities it’s not such a rosy outlook at all. The iShares S&P/TSX Capped REIT ETF (which trades under XRE for the TSE) is down a full 23% this year, excluding dividends, and that has it underperforming its U.S. and global counterparts. As much as many would wish otherwise, the Canadian ETF is on pace for its worst year since the global financial crisis of 2008.

Too Long, Too Early

All of that is a result of too much exposure in the wrong places. Canada’s commercial real estate sector did extremely well in the decade after the financial crisis, with global investors jumping at every chace to invest in urban office buildings and bidding up on them like it was no big thing.

Strong consumer spending was making shopping centres valuable, and that always boost production of consumer goods in manufacturing too.

But there’s a degree of interference at play in the declines of commercial real estate values in Canada, and especially in Toronto if you speak to those in the know there. They say the rental system in Ontario has shifted the balance of power in favour of tenants, making problems that existed long before the pandemic worse, and then there’s how many building owners and landlords are not claiming CECRA emergency commercial rent relief from the feds with the idea that eventually getting tenants will mean getting better value when renting the properties.

But either way, what we have now is the coronavirus pandemic having reversed the outlook for both office and retail, causing heavy losses for large Canadian Real Estate Investment Trusts. We are now starting to see a shift towards online commerce too, and that forecasts badly for the Commercial real estate industry too.

What we are seeing with this is that many REITs are now looking to engage is some measure of global diversification of assets, and that does make a lot of sense given the nature of world of commerce nowadays and the interconnectedness of countries and economies. But it’s a slow go to realize the benefits of that and we can likely assume that REIT investments are going to be in tough for a good long while.

Now of course if you’re a realtor who has investors on the commercial side too then you may want to foresee some resultant dips in that side of your business, and plan accordingly. Whether or not that means you focus more on the residential real estate side of the equation is up to you, but that’s probably a pretty smart bet for the foreseeable future.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you – for the region of any city or town in Canada where you’re working as a real estate agent. It’s a great way to get the most out of your client prospecting efforts and build your real estate business with maximum speed and efficiency!

Ways for Clients to Reduce Taxes on Real Estate Investments

Published August 24, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

 

  • It’s much more common for realtors working in metro areas to have return clients who are investors in the market, and that’s of course no surprise given how investing in the real estate market can produce nice returns given the way properties in places like Vancouver and Toronto almost always appreciate in value and then sell for over asking price once they’re reintroduced to the market. You’ve got to have fairly deep pockets to be an investor in these markets, and those that do become quite valuable clients for the realtors that serve them.

 

One of the realities of home ownership in Canada, however, is that municipal governments lean heavily on property ownership as a means of squeezing taxes out of those individuals. Whether those funds are spent with a degree of propriety and to the greater benefit of the communities is another question, but one thing we can say for certain is that there’s no avoiding the taxman when you’re a home owner, and property taxes on the land the homes are built on are always going to increase.

Now looking at it from the realtor’s perspective, investor clients who can afford multiple properties in desirable city locations are obviously the exact type of clients they’d want to be working with as often as possible. But what you’ll find – and again not surprisingly – is the biggest investors will be choosing to work with well established and well renowned realtors who have made a name for themselves in that city.

It takes time – and a lot of listings sold – in order to become one of those individuals and that’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such an excellent choice for realtors who want to make a name for themselves in this way and to start by being put directly in touch with buyers and sellers who are genuinely considering making a move in the local real estate market sometime in the near future.

Being in the know about the industry and how investors can work within it is also going to be very beneficial for realtors who are looking to establish themselves as true experts and ones worthy of the bigger name clients and the like. With that understood, here are tips you can share with investor clients that can allow them to pay less taxes on their investment properties.

Less is Preferable

Taxes can always potentially cut into the profits on any investment and in real estate those cuts can be large and prohibitive. Investors who come to understand the complexities of the modern tax landscape can enjoy significant tax savings. Here are two tax strategies that can be used by Canadian investors.

Strategy 1Create a Tax Deductible Portion of the Mortgage

This first strategy involves making part of the client’s mortgage tax deductible. Investors in Canada are allowed to transfer the proceeds from a home mortgage loan over to a loan used to buy a rental property, and that loan is then tax deductible.

So if they were, for example, to purchase an investment property for $500,000 with a mortgage for $400,000 in year one. Then when that investment property’s market value has increased and the mortgage is paid down the property could be refinanced, or sold. We will then assume that in year 5 the investment property is sold for $600,000 and a total profit of $100,000 plus the proceeds of paying down in the mortgage for another $35,000. Then after fees and capital gains tax are paid, $90,000 is realized from the sale. These funds could then be directed to paying down the mortgage on your principal residence. If that mortgage is set up to allow a re-advance, the $90,000 can then be earmarked for re-investment. So with the interest on the $90,000 portion of the home mortgage being tax deductible it could be used to purchase the investment.

By having your client arrange their investments this way they’d create no additional risk and it would start to save taxes, the funds of which could be directed to further paying down the home mortgage or investing elsewhere depending on their prerogatives.

Strategy 2Enabling investors to reduce taxes by setting up a Company or Family Trust

While it’s natural to aim to take advantage of all of the best tax planning strategies available, there is nearly always a minimum level of income or asset base that is required before the accounting and legal cost of setting up those planning options become worth the tax savings.

This is where you can make them aware of the of the Section 85’ roll over. What this is is a tax deferred roll over in Section 85.1 of the Tax Act which allows a Canadian to transfer real estate holdings and other kinds of investments into a company while not paying any recapture or capital gains tax at that time. For a family aiming to grow their investment holdings and managing those assets for the next generation, what the section 85 roll over allows for is deferring taxes at the outset. When this opportunity is taken advantage of it can allow a family trust to be created.

This trust can then be used for long-term management of the ownership of the new holding company. The last thing we’ll add in regards to this is that investors should seek professional advice from a CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) or tax lawyer before beginning into real estate investors tax strategies of any sort.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively for the region of any city or town in Canada where you’re working as a real estate agent. You’ll be the only realtor who receives these leads, and what that means is you have the first crack and convincing these genuine prospective clients that you’re a good choice to be providing them with professional guidance as they either buy or sell a home.

Insolvency Levels Being Countered by Home Prices and Federal Aid Programs

Published August 10, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

There’s nothing even remotely rosy about all the fallout from the economic slowdown brought on by COVID, and experts are saying we’re only seeing the start of it. It’s true that there is much cause for pessimistic projections about how the economic turmoil is going to reach out and mess with people’s lives completely beyond their control, but one news bite that came from the Bank of Canada a little more than a week ago really caught our attention.

As anyone who’s been reading our weekly posts will know, we’ve been quite adamant in our insistence that the Canadian real estate market is going to weather the storm much better than many have forecasted it will. And that’s been borne out so far, with markets in many regions of the country proving to be plenty resilient. The downturns have been there no doubt, and what’s a competitive business for realtors is even more so now. This is what makes our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads such a valuable resource for anyone who’s not well established in the business.

But if we look at the role of a surprisingly strong housing market in the way its protecting some Canadians from financial devastation it really can be construed as a ‘feel somewhat good’ story, if you will. These days nothing is a particularly feel ‘good’ story in the big picture of things, but we do take the opportunity to highlight news which does point to the resiliency of the housing market in Canada

Home Prices Recovery a Big Help

The extensive and far reaching recovery seen recently in the Canadian housing market is really good to see, and that’s true no matter what your interest in it is. But what’s really good to see is how prices coming back to what the should be is becoming a significant factor in keeping households liquid despite COVID-19 ravaging incomes, investments and the like.

The Government has been suitably proactive in slowing insolvency growth and everyone has been pleased to see industry initiatives like financial aid and mortgage payment postponements. The Federal Liberal Government is very aware of what the Real Estate Industry means for the country’s prosperity, both nationally and on the individual Provincial level too.

And all of this course makes no mention of the fact that many good, hardworking Canadians have considerable investment in the equity of their homes and that needs to be respected on all levels. People work very hard to be able to afford a home and all of that hard work and sacrifice should be protected and allowing them to continue to have that investment in their future.

Mortgage Deferrals Especially Timely

Making it so that homeowners can lawfully defer payments on their mortgages has been a really needed move, and one that obviously has been well received by both homeowners and others concerned about the strength of both economies and communities. It allows people to adapt to changes in their working arrangements while at the same time not absolving them of their responsibilities to lenders.

Those mortgage payments will be made in the future, but in the here and now it both keeps families in homes and allows the value in those homes to grow in the way it should in order for there to be a healthy real estate market in Canada. One that rewards homeowners, contributes to CDPs both Federally and Provincially, and has a positive trickle down effect for EVERYONE who works in relation to the housing and real estate industries in some capacity.

Good Growth in Mortgage Segment

These developments have been joined by noticeable growth in the mortgage segment, plus a more modest uptick in household debt. The last part of that is particularly telling AND positive, because while debt at face value isn’t a good thing if more people are taking it on to afford housing it means they are not in as dire straits as they might have been otherwise.

Data from the central bank showed that overall mortgage credit stood at a record high of $1.68 trillion in May with a 6% annual increase, while household credit was at $2.29 trillion with 3.6% year-over-year growth. That people are willing to assume this is a good sign for the continued health of the real estate industry, and for those who rely on its vibrancy to provide them with a living.

Realtors among the many of those different types of interest groups, but also for homeowners themselves who may – among many other different scenarios – be open to remortgaging a home to keep them afloat rather than consider bankruptcy because the protected value in the home allows them to do that.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and ONLY you – and based in the region of any city or town in Canada where you are working as a real estate agent. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your prospecting efforts, and many other realtors like you truly can’t recommend it enough.

Stats Can New 2020 Housing Price Index Highlighting Market Resiliency and New Drivers

Published August 4, 2020 by Real Estate Leads
  • Much of the talk these days in real estate in this country is how as the Province’s move into different stage of reopening there’s bound to be some economic bounce back that will help to buoy the market as it makes its own recovery of sorts. All of that is fairly well founded, and good news as well although it’s tempered somewhat by the fact that it appears the 2nd wave of the virus is well on its way and may lead to further shut downs and all the economic turmoil that will come with round 2 of that.

 

 

Much of the talk these days in real estate in this country is how as the Province’s move into different stage of reopening there’s bound to be some economic bounce back that will help to buoy the market as it makes its own recovery of sorts. All of that is fairly well founded, and good news as well although it’s tempered somewhat by the fact that it appears the 2nd wave of the virus is well on its way and may lead to further shut downs and all the economic turmoil that will come with round 2 of that.

Nonetheless, we’ve been like many others in the know who’ve stated that the plummeting of home values in this country was a false alarm, and both data and projections from industry insiders have borne out the fact that no, we’re not going to see the housing market take any type of major fall anytime soon, global pandemic or not.

The Statistics Canada 2020 Housing Price Index report of last week is yet another voice adding to the argument that neither homeowners or realtors need to start panicking. Now perhaps that applies more to homeowners than realtors though, as what was a very competitive business is poised to get even more competitive as no matter how you slice it there are going to be a LOT of homeowners from coast to coast who’ll decide to postpone putting their homes on the market.

To that end, our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way for realtors struggling to generate new clients to put the power of the Internet to work for them and be put more directly in touch with homeowners who are deciding to throw caution to the wind and put their homes for sale. The same goes for prospective homebuyers too.

But back to our discussion of the Stats Can 2020 House Pricing Index.

New Geography for Canadian Housing Demand

Nationwide, StatCan saw that new house prices rose 0.1% from May 2020 and 1.3% from June 2019. The largest single monthly increase for new home prices was in the St. Catharines-Niagara region with a full 1% jump. Other smaller, more affordable housing markets outside of major urban centres like Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Kelowna out in BC saw similar growth.

The prairie provinces were where the opposite was seen, with a decline in new housing prices led by Edmonton dropping a considerable 0.2%.

The major markets have gone this way this year; home prices in Toronto were flat from May to June, rising only 0.2% year over year. Prices in Ottawa continued to accelerate though, with price increases of 0.2% in June and 10.4% since last year. Vancouver would be most people’s guess as to who’s the biggest gainer, but actually it only grew by 0.1% from May to June and has actually seen its year over year new home price fall by 0.7%.

Montreal had home prices grow 8.1% year-over-year and is on track for a solid 2020 despite all the doom n’ gloom predictions attached to its market just like all the others.

Atlantic Canada featured Halifax’s 0.5% monthly increase in June and 2.3% price increase year over year, while Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton led the charge for New Brunswick’s markets with a combined 2.3% increase year over year. Admittedly, prices were flat from May to June there this year. The only decline was for St. John’s NFLD, shrinking by 0.1% since last year.

Exurbs Starting to Drive the Market

One thing that’s definitely being seen and can’t be ignored is a significant shift towards exurbs as homebuyers who may now found themselves less tied to a desk realize how much more they can get for their money. Not everyone will just march back to the downtown cores of the major cities and as a result many more people will be able to work from home. It’s reasonable to expect then that greater numbers of working adults may be open to living away from major urban centres to get more out of ‘home’.

This potential shift to working from home will see proximity to work take a backseat to personal and lifestyle desire when it comes to a homebuyer’s choices, and this shift will almost certainly introduce vitality into housing markets in areas of the country that previously struggled to attract both homebuyers and developers who’d consider building homes there.

Overall, StatsCan’s new numbers point to a resiliency in Canada’s housing markets for the most part. One that is something a surprise to even the most positive outlook-inclined experts. While people are definitely waiting to see how the rest of the year shapes up, we don’t need to look any further than the white-hot recreational housing markets in Ontario as evidence that homebuyers feel secure enough in their incomes to be purchasing second homes now.

Mortgage Broker Opportunities

Another aspect to this displayed resiliency in Canada’s key housing markets is that it has the potential to be quite good for brokers. Look, we can now fairly convincingly say that the CMHC’s dire forecasts of a 9-18% drop in home prices nationwide aren’t happening. What we have seen and will continue to see is that the circumstances of this lockdown have driven a change rather than a weakening in the drivers of Canada’s housing market. A change that could be an opportunity for mortgage brokers.

Many people will see record-low mortgage rates as a rationale behind see late 2020 as a very good time to buy, and the majority of them will need the assistance of a mortgage broker in doing so.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you and based in the area of any city or town you’re serving as a working professional in real estate. It’s a proven-effective way to get so much more of your prospecting efforts, and we imagine you’ll be like every other realtor who’s gotten on board with us in that you’ll see it as part of a marketing and promotion budget that’s well spent.

The Likely Myth of ‘Soon to Be’ Falling Real Estate Prices in Canada

Published July 27, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Having a health perspective on anything tends to usually involve looking and listening to both sides of an argument, and finding the happy medium based on the usually-accurate insistence that the truth is usually in the middle. There have been all sorts of people insisting that the real estate market in Canada is about to see epic crashes, while on the other side of the coin there’s been many economists and the like who’ve had a not-so-fast response to those kinds of assertions.

Now one of the things that really needs to be said is that many of the doom n’ gloom forecasters is that you shouldn’t expect a whole lot of objectivity on that side of the fence. We won’t go into a lot of detail, but the expression ‘wishful thinking’ is really applicable here. Would-be homebuyers who are hoping for mammoth price drops so they can afford to buy a home without doing anything to increase their ability to afford a home are bound to be disappointed. That is what it is.

Alternately, there’s so much in the way of concrete evidence (and not an ounce of wishful anything, as it is in the real working world) to suggest that house prices are going to dip temporarily, but that’s it. That also means that real estate likely isn’t going to become a less competitive business either. With that understood, our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads does wonders for allowing realtors of all sorts to get so much more out of their client prospecting efforts.

But back to topic, as always – let’s add some meat to the sandwich here about why house prices aren’t going to plummet in Canada as this COVID-19 pandemic continues to move along.

Not So Fast Now

CHMC is an acronym for the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation, and it was early last month that these folks suggested home prices in Canada would be falling over the next year. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but it’s better to have something backing yours up if you’re going to have one. Similarly they’re free to restrict lending standard on insured loans and lower debt service ratio caps and make higher credit scores a must, but the fact of the matter is the reported demise of a healthy housing market in Canada is premature.

Numbers, Numbers

The reality is that despite one of the worst economic slowdowns in the history of our nation, housing prices across Canada are doing quite fine for the most part. Yes, the number of transactions decreased considerably from April to late May, but after that the decline has been fairly small no matter which angle you want to look at it from. Yes, there were 56% fewer houses sold across the country in April of this year compared to April of last year.

But the fact that many who want to fit a narrative might not want to acknowledge is that the average house in Canada costs 5.6% more at this time than it did exactly a year ago, even if that’s not supposed the way it’s supposed to be with people locked down and losing employment, etc.

Now we’re not suggesting these realities didn’t factor in, and they still do but after seeing that virtually no homes were put onto the market in April, it was interesting to note that the few who did remained very firm on the prices they wanted for their homes. That’s not surprising, because no matter the climate if you’re in a supply & demand sphere where demand outstrips supply – which is probably always going to be the case in most of Canada – there’s always going to be a buyer who’ll pay that price.

They might not come along right away, but they will.

The Here and Now

So then we fast forward to today and we’re obviously see a very different picture and one that counters what the CHMC had envisioned. The Canadian real estate market is recovering better than expected based on surprising economic resiliency, desires to move that have been augmented by being cooped up in the same home for months, and dirt-cheap interest rates.

In addition, many Canadian realtors are reporting sales rebounding much faster than anticipated and the sum of it all is a real estate market in Canada that’s not mortally wounded at all and is trending towards getting back to what it needs to be.

And when we say ‘needs to be’ it’s important to remember that for many provinces and cities the activity in their real estate market is a source of their favourable GDP.

Some Reasonings

The CMHC definitely has some interest in forecasting the way they have, and without going into unnecessary detail it’s related to how they are in competition with privately held mortgage default providers. These competitors are going to be underwriting changes to their processes just as soon as CMHC announces some new rule or change.

Yet here we are and for the first time in history these competitors are keeping their lending standards the same and not following the CMHC.

Why would they make such a radical departure from the long-standing ‘way it is’? Well, to put it plainly they disagree with CMHC’s assessment on the market. Read into that what you will.

Some Truth on Canadian Real Estate Prices

If there’s one primary understanding to take away from all of this regarding real estate in Canada it’s that the economy has been far more resilient than most predicted. That’s good for real estate prices, because with a sufficiently healthy economy comes a sufficient number of qualified buyers who will buy homes for what they’re worth in ANY environment because they know demand outdoes supply many times over in Canada and they continue to have the financial means of putting a roof over their head.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are sent to you exclusively and for the region of any city or town in Canada you’re working in. It’s a proven-effective way to be put directly in touch with individuals or couples who have indicated their likelihood of making a move in the real estate market in the near future.

Subleasing an Increasingly Beneficial Arrangement During COVID-19

Published July 20, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Being successful in business – any business, and that includes real estate – requires you to be nimble on your foot and able to ‘roll with the punches’ as the expression goes. Well, here in the summer of 2020 we are definitely rolling with the quite the collective barrage of punches known as COVID-19 and businesses of all sorts are having to do what it takes not to get knocked over. One thing we’re seeing in commercial real estate in Canada is that subleasing of commercial properties is becoming a viable option for companies looking to right-size their workspaces.

Most real estate agents in Canada works exclusively on the residential property side of things, but many may still have investor clients investing in REITs or similar investments where the commercial market is a very real part of the picture. Attracting and retaining clients is difficult at the best of times, and now even more so than perhaps at any time previous. Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generations service is an excellent way to put the power of Internet marketing behind your efforts to meet prospective clients who are genuinely ready to make a real estate move in the near future.

But back to topic, it’s an interesting development to see the idea of subleasing commercial properties gain traction the way it has, and it’s yet another way to see how the real estate industry is perhaps more resilient than people give it credit for in light of what’s happening in our world today.

Subleasing has the potential to be beneficial for both the sublandlord, subtenant, and landlord. Here’s how:

Workspace Adjustment with Relocation or Vacating

It’s probably fair to say that right now we’re seeing the largest work-from-home experiment ever, and with each instance where it’s proving to be doable we are learning that a good portion of the workforce could continue to telework post-pandemic. A study in May indicated that approximately four-in-10 Canadians have jobs that lend themselves to being done from home online.

That goes along with another report saying four-out-of-five employees would like to work remotely at least one day per week after all of this passes. Where we’re going with this is that if company owners and their HR directors see the potential in having a smaller needed workspace because of fewer people working in that space, the savings that will come from leasing a smaller office space is going to be appealing.

However, what if they’re quite happy with they are and would rather keep the space while still gaining the benefits – both for themselves and their employees – that come from having many working from home. In this instance subleasing becomes an option. Subleasing allows you to offload the space you don’t need and stay at the same address, while also offsetting total rent costs.

What are the benefits for the Sublandlord? These ones:

Retain control of the space and relationship with the landlord

A sublease arrangement makes it so that a new landlord-tenant relationship is established with the subtenant and it controls all interactions pertaining to the sublease between sublandlord and subtenant.

Relationship with the head landlord is similarly maintained

Depending on your sublease terms and any requirements the head landlord may have for a direct agreement with the subtenant, the subtenant may not have any direct interaction with the head landlord.

Retaining of Space Flexibility

The tenant may need less square footage but still retain a level of space flexibility, and in this instance the property owner may arrange a sublease for half the space for a short term and create the separated office or production floor workspace by installing a demising wall separating the existing space from that of the new subtenant.

Should more space be needed at the end of the sublease term, the leasee can reclaim the sublet portion of their workspace for the balance of the head lease term.

Reduce Costs

Paying rent has been such a challenge for businesses during the pandemic that the government has had no choice but to offer a commercial rent relief program. It’s estimated that 21 per cent of Collier’s International’s 7,100 commercial tenants across Canada requested rent relief in April.

Affected businesses’ inability to pay rent is expected to remain an issue following the reopening of provincial economies, and without going into unnecessary detail for anyone who’s in the situation and is in a lease for a commercial space then subleasing with a subtenant can greatly mitigate their costs.

Subtenant Benefits

  • Moving into a fully built-out space at a fraction of the cost, plus enjoying a sublease agreement that allows them to go right ahead and occupy a pre-finished, move-in-ready premises, saving them customization or repair costs.
  • A space likely maintained in good condition.
  • Limited transaction costs.

Subleases are typically conducted on an as-is basis without landlord’s work or inducements, lowering sublease rental rates for these individuals as well. Plus, the sublease may be for furnished premises or the subtenant may have the option to buy existing, tailored workspace furniture and further reduce reorganization costs associated with all of this.

Lastly, they may also be possibly paying lower rent too. Anyone who is a business owner needing to relocate to a smaller space and would prefer to avoid a long-term lease now has more options to secure the workspace they need and at more favourable terms nowadays.

Landlord Benefits

First of all, landlords maintain their cash flow, and in particular subleasing allows them to maintain cash flow by retaining the original face rates on their head lease. Should an original tenant experience financial difficulty and can’t pay rent then presenting a potential sublease agreement and having it accepted assures them of monthly rent payments from the subtenant.

The landlord is also kept safe from exposure to vacancy costs, which can be very problematic in a time like this when new qualified tenants may be hard to come by. Many businesses are vulnerable to financial difficulty now, and rent is too often an obligation they cant’ fulfill.

By permitting existing tenants to enter into sublease arrangements, these landlords protect themselves from vacancy costs and other transaction costs related to backfilling and releasing empty space. The space remains occupied, costs are better controlled and finances are afforded more overall security.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you – for the region of any city or town in Canada where you are operating your personal real estate business. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your prospecting efforts and bring new clients into the fold – something that is a priority for every realtor!

Condo Development in Toronto Booming Despite COVID-19

Published July 13, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

There are many people – real estate agents in Canada among them – who question why anybody would want to live in a ‘glass box in the sky’ as condos in Canada’s major metropolitan cities are often referred to. What’s important to understand, of course, is that nine times out of 10 it’s not that the person necessarily chooses those accommodations. Rather, it is more that such accommodations fit their urban lifestyle and more often than not it’s primarily a case of what they can realistically afford.

Now if you’re a real estate agent practicing the business in any of Canada’s larger urban centres, the way new condominium builds in Toronto are booming is definitely something you want to take note of. Supply is usually created in response to demand, and whether that demand is actualized or anticipated. In Toronto it’s definitely actualized, as these are the homes people in the city want and can afford for the most part.

Now if only this reality could be paired with an adjacent one where there’s fewer realtors practicing in the city, but obviously that’s not the case. This continues to be as competitive a business as ever, and it’s for that reason that using an online real estate lead generations service like the one we have here at Real Estate Leads is something that all realtors should consider if they’re looking to get more out of their client prospecting efforts.

But back to topic – there’s such a flurry of activity with new condo builds in ‘The Big Smoke’ as it’s called that it has some very real potential for revitalizing the real estate market in the city sufficiently enough until normal returns after this pandemic.

A Reshaping of Downtown T.O.

Despite all the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, Toronto’s mega-development boom does indeed continue to reshape downtown Toronto – and vertically in particular. Construction sites are getting back up to speed in a hurry and it is definitely a full-steam ahead approach with condo developments as the warm weather of summer arrives.

What is a constant at all times is real estate developers looking ahead for new, innovative ways to incorporate new realities and consumer wishes – from green space to working from home arrangements, and catering to new buyer prerogatives that are coming into existence in the face of these times is a way developers are even further promoting continued investment in these types of projects.

The demand has always been there, but what’s being done very smartly now is developers are fine tuning that demand even more. It’s a very positive development for the condo real estate market in Toronto, and yet another example of how not every corner of the real estate market in Canada is in the perceived moribund state that some think it is.

Post-Pandemic Sensibilities

Many of the new design principles and approaches being seen with condos in Toronto may well be similarly incorporated elsewhere in the country. They include wider sidewalks at street level and incorporated green spaces inside of the building in order to promote social distancing and healthy living.

Others are health and gym areas that are designed to promote social distancing more naturally and some are even going to have thermal scanners for fever detection in the public areas of the building, built into the security cameras.

Luxury Real Estate Market Remains Strong

Despite the pandemic, demand for luxury real estate hasn’t missed much of a beat in Toronto. One reason is that supply and demand for luxury living has not been altered. This is of course in large part attributable to the fact that Toronto is still one of the foremost destinations for immigration in Canada, to the tune of over 125,000+ immigrants arriving in Toronto each year and higher-end condos make for ideal living arrangement for these newcomers – many of whom have the pockets required to purchase them!

Expanded immigration and a growing tech industry are the leading factors fueling this current condominium boom in Toronto, and if you’re a realtor who needs further convincing of that it’s now know that there are 400 proposed high-rise projects in the pipeline for Toronto.

Get while the getting is good as they say, and get more of that getting by signing up with Real Estate Leads here. You’ll receive a monthly quota of qualified buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered only to you, and with them you’ve got bonafide opportunities to do what you do best and convince these prospective clients as to you being the best choice to help them navigate such a major purchase decision in their lives.

Winnipeg Well Positioned for Commercial & Industrial Real Estate Market Strength Following Pandemic

Published July 6, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

This week’s post will continue with what’s been a theme here with our blog for some time now. That being the projections for what the real estate market will be once this global pandemic begins to die out and some ‘normalcy’ returns to live in Canada. As to when that happens is anyone’s guess, and it’s safe to say that it’s likely going to take a long time after that to see the market return to its previously vibrancy. But that will happen, and what everyone who make their living in the real estate business needs to do is just weather the storm.

Part of weathering it for a lot of realtors is going to be working harder, both in the general sense and when it comes to doing what it takes to ensure there’s a sufficient amount of new clientele being brought into the business. Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation service in Canada is an excellent way to get more out of your efforts there and it comes highly recommended from growth-minded realtors just like the majority of you will be.

Which leads us to today’s take on the recovery-to-be in the Canadian real estate market. With all the talk about Vancouver, Toronto and other bigger metropolitan areas, not enough is said about Winnipeg. The city that is the gateway to the West has long been one of the places where you can get the best bang for your buck when it comes to housing, and it is now becoming clear that may be equally true for commercial and industrial real estate in the not too distant future.

Repeat Performance Possible

Winnipeg’s economy bounced back from the ‘08-’09 recession in quite good shape, and it seems it may well be able to repeat that success following COVID-19. This is particularly noteworthy when you look at the neighbours to the West and markets like Alberta that have struggled with cratering oil markets manifesting themselves in the poor health of the economy and the real estate market along with it.

What we will be looking for is for owners to be divesting very good assets in Winnipeg, and if they do there’s going to be a ready list of buyers who see the opportunity with buying real estate in Winnipeg. Further, there is enough local and regional capital willing to take up opportunities to acquire these assets, and that’s not to mention qualified real estate investors from out of Province who should be taking a similar interest.

Industrial Sector Standing to Benefit

There is every reason to see Winnipeg’s industrial real estate market being particularly well-placed right now, and seeing more in the way of increased warehousing requirements is going to be a positive. There is also the possibility of more on-shoring playing a market-changing role (particularly if the move to reconsolidate manufacturing in North America takes hold as many expect it may) and Winnipeg is ideally situated to benefit from any such trend.

A new 250,000-square-foot package sorting facility being built for FedEx Ground and some 25 commercial condominium units under construction in South Landing Business Park are good examples of new and promising commercial development builds in Winnipeg.

Office Vacancies and Rents

Greater Winnipeg has the largest office inventory among Canada’s medium-sized cities, with almost 12.4 million square feet as of the first quarter of this year, and in drastic contrast to what we’re seeing in Calgary the first-quarter vacancy rates were 7.4% for class-A, 7.7% for class-B and 6.7% for class-C downtown buildings. This is an indication that businesses ARE setting up shop in Winnipeg, and with a revitalized commercial market comes a revitalized residential housing market.

Winnipeg Commercial Leasing

We may be able to safely assume that the Commercial Rent Relief benefits are not as urgently needed in Winnipeg as they are elsewhere in the country. We do know that there aren’t any data points indicating industrial or office buildings are worth less now than they were at the beginning of the year.

Interesting to note the major success story Skip The Dishes has chosen to consolidate its Canadian headquarters in the East Exchange district of Winnipeg, and speaking to a Commercial real estate expert in Winnipeg we’ve been informed that new offers from interested parties were coming in for retail properties for pre-COVID-19 market rents in mid-April and lease signings were taking place in shopping centres in early May.

Winnipeg’s downtown class-B office market has seen consistent demand and that continues to be the case right through the heart of the COVID economic slowdown, so this bodes especially well for what will the situation after we come out of it. There is reason to believe the greater general affordability with land values here will also apply to the next biggest city as you head west – Saskatoon – and that this is all a part of a general fairly positive outlook for commercial real estate in Canada outside of the major city centers in the country.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads for people who are genuinely considering making a move in the local real estate market where you have your real estate business. It’s an excellent way to harness the power of Internet Market and get so much more out of your client prospecting efforts.

Benchmark Price for Homes in Vancouver Stays Steady Despite COVID-19

Published June 29, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

There’s an age old expression that’s true much of the time, and it’s that the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. Real estate is always a hot topic here in British Columbia, and it’s at the least a fairly warm one no matter where you are in Canada. Here we’ve had so many different industry insiders predicting the worst for the market, and included in that is an expectation that home prices will fall in Vancouver.

It’s definitely been quite the polarizing subject of discussion, with those on one side enthusiastic at the thought of lower housing prices, while the less selfishly minded being concerned about what plummeting values might do for the equity that hard working people have built into their homes over a long time. And then of course there are the realtors who work in the city who also have a very vested interest in seeing house prices maintain some measure of stability.

Here at Real Estate Leads we are entirely in the know about how this is very much front and center for a lot of people, and we will take every opportunity to promote our online real estate lead generation system for Canada as a way in which realtors can better position themselves to obtain new clients in a new reality where those clients aren’t as easy to come by as they once were. Truth is, however, real estate has always been a very competitive business and there are always going to be many chasing after a few in this regard.

But back to topic – the good news for those who wish to see more positivity in regards to the real estate market in Vancouver is that recent information is indicating that housing prices for properties in the city will NOT be going down considerably in response to the economic chill that’s coming with the COVID-19 economic uncertainty.

Rents Go Down, Home Prices By and Large Don’t

The benchmark price of a property in Greater Vancouver has essentially remained constant — going from $1.02 million in February to $1.03 million in May, and indicating that the supply and demand equation HAS insulated the market here in the exactly the same way experts suggested it would.

There is evidence to suggest the price of rentals has dropped in the last three months, but that’s not been the case for the ownership of homes. What we can safely assume here is also what certain industry experts were saying – that people most impacted by the economic downturn weren’t the same people who would have the financial means to make moves in Vancouver’s housing market to begin with.

For higher income individuals still in the market – and the nature of Vancouver means there’s plenty of them in this category – it’s likely they were still going to be in the market regardless of what might have happened.

One thing that may take a bite of the market is there may be fewer qualified buyers going after properties and contributing to ‘sold well above asking’ trend that’s been so prevalent in Vancouver and Toronto over the years.

(And while we’re on that topic – Toronto realtors, the same supply and demand factors are going to be insulating the market and benchmark home prices in the same way)

The biggest part of that is going to be lower levels of immigration, and the extent of that influence remains to be seen. However, economic predictions counter that somewhat and all of this seems to be borne out by what’s being reported by the CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation).

Possible Marginal Dip in Future

On Monday, they released a housing outlook that predicts the lower range for the average home price in Metro Vancouver may fall from $892,790 in 2020 to $809,215 by 2022. The belief here is that average house prices will decline with weaker household budgets and the uncertain nature of the economic reopening.

With all of this, however, they did state that Vancouver’s ownership markets are less vulnerable to Covid-19-related downturns, and we can safely assume this is going to apply to Toronto too. Keep in mind as well that real estate buyers tend to be older than renters and as a result are less likely to have become unemployed or less-employed as a result of the forced economic downturn.

One more thing we should also consider is that the ‘new’ reality that comes to be once the global pandemic comes to an end may mean an entire revisioning of what the ‘work’ world is, and part of that may mean greater numbers of people no longer being required to live in major metro areas for work. This has the potential to vitalize real estate markets and new builds in other areas of the country, and this will have a hugely beneficial influence for realtors working in smaller communities across the country.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively as the only realtor receiving them for that region of any city or town in Canada. You’ll be made aware of people who’ve indicated their genuine intention of making a move in the real estate market there.

You’ll be be able to take advantage and be the first realtor to approach them and offer your professional services to help them be in the home of their dreams or sell an existing home as part of that process.

Housing Remains Best Investment for Majority of Canadians

Published June 22, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

We’ll preface right away here with today’s blog that the understanding that housing is among the most solid investments a person can make has been THE predominant understanding in this country for a long time. If we’re to look back across however many decades you’d like we’re going to see that’s held true.

Now today, however, there’s not much debate that the real estate market in Canada is weathering a storm, but it turns out that seeing the solidity of investing in housing is just as sound perspective as it’s always been.

One of the things we will say though is that one of the less-than-ideal aspects of the COVID storm is that there’s less of that proverbial pie to go around for realtors in Canada these days, and especially so for ones working in major metropolitan areas of the country.

It’s for that reason that the online real estate lead generation system we have here at Real Estate Leads comes more highly recommended than perhaps it’s ever been before. Putting the power of Internet Marketing to work providing you with bonafide client leads is something that can’t help but benefit your business at this time, and all the time for that matter.

But back to topic – we feel it’s important to be equivocal during this time when so many people are talking doom and gloom about the real estate industry, and it’s a good testament to the other side of the picture to point out what’s going to be continuing to motivate home buyers – the fact that real estate remain the best investment option for most people in Canada, and all up and down the social ladder.

The Soundest of Decisions for Investment

Owning a home remains the largest single investment for most Canadians. For this reasons it shouldn’t be surprising that fear over an economy that’s on its side right now is generating anxiety for a lot of people.

The CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) recently predicted the ongoing pandemic and resulting freeze of the economy could push down the country’s average home prices somewhere between 9 and 18 percent, and the primary factor in that being job losses and uncertainty forcing many Canadians to the sidelines.

Further, the federal housing agency is predicting the housing sector will not return to pre-pandemic levels until around the time 2022 is drawing to a close. Yes, that’s concerning any way you slice it, but let’s continue on with what’s to be said here before we decide on a big-picture consensus.

We are seeing housing analysts pointing out vulnerabilities in big cities and the booming Vancouver and Toronto condo markets especially. There’s no getting around the fact there’s dark clouds there.

Now that’s of course going to be bad news for speculators or others who have recently purchased a home in a vulnerable region and were hoping to sell for profit in the not-TOO-distant future.

However, for most long-term homeowners able to maintain an adequate source of income, the very roof over their head is instead the best and safest investment possible. And that is no departure at all from the same way it’s been for as long as homes have been bought and sold as part of a real estate market in this country.

5% or More for More for Nearly 3/4 of a Century

Canadian house values have increased by over five per cent annually over 25-year periods going back the middle of the 1940s, after WWII ended. The 2008 global financial meltdown is included in that of course, and the concurrent predictions for a housing market collapse along with it truly never materialized.

Many homeowners have already benefited from the pre-pandemic housing boom, and for new homeowners, any decline over the next three years can easily be absorbed once the market gets back on track.

Now as far as potential homeowners are concerned, the next three years could present an affordability window into the residential real estate market. One of the biggest pre-pandemic risks in the housing market was the threat of higher mortgage rates, but we can now be fairly certain that borrowing rates will remain low for a long time.

It of course needs to be said that a home should never be the only investment in a retirement portfolio, as it’s unique from other investments in terms of risk. A short-term theoretical drop in the value of a home is not to be disregarded, but it checked by the understanding that homes are bought and sold far less frequently, which decreases the risk of making a price decline a real loss and allowing sufficient time for that investment to recover.

Intrinsic Value in Homes

What really sets a home apart from any other investment is its intrinsic value. A home is considered real estate. That means it is a real, tangible, asset and will always have a significant basic value, and by living in it you are changing the way you’re nurturing that investment asset in a positive way. You’re making it more resilient to market force dips and the like, and with its potential to increase in value you (or your client as might be the case here) are receiving a sort of dividend equal to the cost of rent if you didn’t own a home.

Then there’s the fact that home ownership also allows average investors to build equity by borrowing at a low interest rate in the form of a mortgage by using the property as collateral. Over time, that equity may be repurposed for borrowing at a low interest rate through a home equity line of credit (HELOC).

Last but not least and very specific to the ‘here and now’ – it’s quite possible that the biggest measure of the intrinsic value of a home comes from its newfound role as sanctuary during this global pandemic. The value of a home in a time when social distancing could become the norm for years to come may well prove to be immeasurable, and don’t think for a second that’s not going to be motivating individuals who don’t have that right now to make sure they do for the future.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you – as the only realtor who’s assigned to serve your requested region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and speed up the development and growth of your real estate business.

Fraser Valley Real Estate Market Remains Buoyed During Current Instability

Published June 15, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

We’re now right in the exact middle of June. While the market downturn in the Lower Mainland is the same as seen elsewhere in major markets in Canada due to COVID-19 there continues to be indicators that the real estate market in the country overall is showing itself to be more resilient than many have given it credit for.

As we’ve stressed many times, Canada is in a more fortuitous position to whether this storm as compared to other countries (and in comparison to the USA in particular here in North America) because of the realities of our supply and demand dynamic here. Without going into too much detail, the demand for homes in this country – and in particular in and around major metro areas like Vancouver and Toronto – outstrips supply.

That is turning out to be very much a counterbalance against seeing the market become too depressed. Which of course benefits new realtors working in certain areas, and in much the same way that our online real estate lead generation system for Canada here at Real Estate Leads is a real advantage for them in utilizing Internet Marketing methodologies to be fast-tracked to being put in touch with genuine prospective clients.

There are many would-be homebuyers who have turned their attention to Langley, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack in the Fraser Valley as a response to being unable to afford a detached home in Greater Vancouver, and they’re a large part of why the Valley is in fact one of those areas that’s contributing to the resiliency we pointed out above for the Real Estate market in Canada.

May and June to Date Exceeding Expectations

Fresh data from the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) are showing that the region’s property sales and listings have showed notable recovery in May, and that this trend seems to be continuing through the first half of June.

The local industry consensus is that the main driver of this is the market’s steady adjustment to new safety measures required to buy and sell a home during the provincial state of emergency due to COVID-19, and the last part of that is directly from the FVREB (Fraser Valley Real Estate Board)

Agents and economists alike agree that this is an encouraging sign. Real estate is an essential service and in BC it’s an irreplaceable economic driver for the Province. It hasn’t been easy for people to adapt quickly to physical distancing, virtual tools, and strict personal safety protocols, but the market continues to see more and more transactions happening daily as we all familiarize ourselves with the new normal and become comfortable with it.

Sales activity for May in this part of the Southwestern Corner of BC went up 17% from April, and that created some 800+ transactions. This volume was 47% lower than May of the year previous (2019) and its level of 1,517 sales. At the same time 2,207 new listings went live in the market, which was 56% higher monthly and 38% lower annually.

Active listings in the Fraser Valley stood at 6,454 properties, which was an increase of 8% from April but a decrease of 24% from May of last year.

Resilient Market, and One of Many

Yes, overall numbers remain significantly lower than seasonal norms, but there’s no way around that given the way so many buyers have had their purchasing power taken away from them during this time. However, the market continues to show itself to be resilient and people in the real estate industry continue to work together to ensure public safety. This is going to help the market improve even further once the best workings of it are figured out.

The Fraser Valley’s REB (real estate board) data release also indicated overall prices remaining stable, pointing to a benchmark price for single-family homes of $990,400. This is down by 0.2% monthly and growing by 2.7% annually.

Overall – and again touching on what we talked about in the beginning of this blog – a lot of downward pressure on prices is attributable to a shortage of inventory. It might come as a surprise to some that multiple offer situations are even being seen where buyers are paying above-asking price, but honestly it hasn’t been for us here.

Wishing you all continued success and resiliency of your own while working in real estate during this time.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you as the ONLY realtor who receives the leads for your protected region of any city or town in Canada. What it does is streamlines the process for putting you more directly in touch with people who are genuinely considering making a move in the real estate market. From there the opportunity is yours to turn them into your clients, and that’s an opportunity we imagine you will make good on!

5 Tips for Growing Your Real Estate Business

Published June 8, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

The vast majority of realtors who have newly entered the business are doing so because they see it as a means to generate a higher level of income for themselves to give them and their family a better quality of life. Along with that is a realization that the ongoing demand for housing in North America makes it a fairly reliable source of self-employment, but with that of course comes the need to understand that this business is among the most competitive of all of them.

It’s also true that the majority of people choosing to become realtors are going to be both ambitious and motivated to get off to the best start possible with their new profession. To that end, our online real estate lead generation service here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to gain a real advantage and be put in touch with people who are genuinely considering either buying or selling a home.

Now of course all this does is provide you with the opportunity – what you make of it will depend on the way your present yourself as someone who can help those folks be in the best home for them. Don’t take away from any measure of the focus on becoming a true knowledgeable professional.

With that said, there’s a lot going for taking the approach that anything that gives you a leg up on your competitors is a good thing. If you’re real estate business is growing, then that’s the best reflection of the fact you’ve made the right choices and are building in the best manner possible.

So the question becomes what are the most effective strategies to go about getting more clients, and making more money from real estate?

Here are 5 strategies and tactics real estate agents use to bring in additional revenue or maximize current revenue.

  1. Fix It and Flip It

Buying a house, fixing it up, and then selling it is referred to as ‘flipping’. Many real estate agents have repeat clients who engage in house flipping as a means of creating an additional income stream. And of course, having even one such client can be a big benefit to you.

However, there is a lot of risk involved in flipping houses. In order for this strategy to work, a purchaser needs to buy a house below market value and then be able to accurately estimate the cost of repairs. Understanding how to do this best comes only with actual experience.

Advise your clients to be able to calculate approximated After Repair Value (ARV). They will expect their real estate agent (you) to be able to help them figure this out. You can get a preliminary idea by looking at the recent sales value of houses in that same neighborhood.

Another option is buying at a wholesale price, and then selling as quickly as possible.

2. Dig Up Hidden or Off-Market Properties

Many properties that are going to make your clients (and you) money are the ones you won’t find on the usual online locations or the MLS. Often they’re ones owners needs to get rid of quickly, and not necessarily the foreclosures.

An off-market property is sometimes called a ‘pocket listing’ and might be one owned by a couple going through a divorce, or a property an owner no longer wants for any number of reasons – including unexpected financial hardship. They’re the houses that the owners can’t usually sell through traditional channels as they need to move fast. These can be gems for investor clients of yours.

Quite often they’ll be able to acquire these properties at below market value.

3. Target Vacation Rental Markets

Vacation rental properties can also be a good choice for clients of yours who are looking for different profitable ways to invest in real estate. However, you should always advise clients that the real cost of a vacation rental is in managing and maintaining them. The key to a successful vacation rental is to price the property low enough that it stays rented year round. If that’s not possible, your client needs to calculate whether they can make enough during the ‘good’ season.

HomeAway, a vacation rental site, states that that the average homeowner on their site rents his property for 18 weeks of the year (about four months) and grosses around $28,000 annually (that’s in USD though). For property owners that may account for a large percentage of their mortgage on the property each year and properties in desirable locations will usually always increase in value year over year.

Before your clients rush headlong into this market, however, be sure they’re entirely aware of the ongoing costs of maintenance and management and repairs.

4. Stage Properties Being Sold

Prospective buyers like to imagine what their life might look like if they were living in a home. Marketing an empty house means it may be hard to sell, and that’s also true because would-be buyers pass judgment to some extent from the moment they view a property for the first time.

Pretty much everyone looking for a house begins their search online. For this reason, among many others, it’s a good reason to tell home seller clients that they should stage their house. It’s a well-known fact that homes that are staged sell more quickly, so the expense of bringing in furniture, adding temporary character and charm touches, artwork etc. so the potential buyer can get a better idea of what this house looks like lived in is ALWAYS beneficial

5. Generate Leads Using Direct Mailers

This old-school method still works as well today as it ever has, especially if you hone in on your desired target market. You can expect the same ROI as you get from social media marketing, and direct mail outperforms all digital channels. In terms of cost-per-acquisition, it’s also very competitive.

The only downside to direct mail is how difficult it is to track where leads are coming from, or where they see you for the first time. However, there are ways to track direct mail that may take a bit more effort or a slightly larger expenditure.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. Sign up and request your region of an city or town in Canada (provided it’s still available), and once you have it you’ll be the only realtor receiving these leads. Again, it’s an opportunity – but if you come across as a reputable professional you’ll likely turn these individuals into clients and be growing your real estate business that much more quickly.

Federal Rent Relief Program To Be A Big Help for Commercial Real Estate

Published June 1, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

It’s understandable how residential real estate dominates the headlines and interest of most Canadians when it comes to the national real estate market, but for many property owners their investments in commercial real estate are just as much at the forefront. As it is in most countries, this is particularly true in major urban centres where – just like residential real estate – the risk / reward proposition is much higher than it would be elsewhere.

In much the same way that the fact people need a roof over their head is the eternal driving factor for residential real estate, needing a place to do business is the same for the commercial real estate market in Canada. Both of these facets of the market are hurting in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the good news in regards to both is that many industry experts and economists are suggesting the pain may be much more temporary than many people think.

In the short term, however, real estate has become an even more competitive business than it was previously. Generating new clients is never easy, but for those who are new to real estate it may be an even more menacing challenge. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for realtors in Canada is an excellent way to harness the power of the Internet to give you a distinct advantage when it comes to that aim.

And in this time – as always – it’s a good idea to take advantage of every one that’s available to you.

But back to topic, and it’s yet another piece of good news in relation to the real estate market that the Federal Government is rolling out a rent relief program for people holding commercial real estate.

No Way Around It

The fact of the matter is that the coronavirus pandemic has hit the commercial sector especially hard. It’s been suggested that somewhere around 21% of Canadian commercial tenants requesting rent relief in April, and that forecasts to continue in the coming months as tenants that are prevented from doing business aren’t creating the revenue they need to make rent, much less profits.

This applies to all of the retail, industrial, and office sectors, and separate surveys are also finding that nearly half of these tenants are looking like they won’t be able to afford rent payments, many of which are payable today – June 1st.

Business analysts are stressing that the focus here needs to be on understanding and co-operation, as tenants and property owners openly communicate and maintain strong working relationships to keep businesses on both sides operating. No one is going to debate the fact that property owners should be doing all they can to enable tenants to remain open or reopen safely, and that’s especially true for tenants who’ve been ‘good’ ones for years or even decades and will be that once again once normal returns

The response to the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program of a few months back now was as big as it was expected to be, but it hasn’t been without problems on both sides. One interesting thing to note was that small-business tenants were 2.7x more likely to request rent relief than regional, national, or international tenants, but that shouldn’t be a surprise and the reasons for that should be obvious.

It’s important to sustain local businesses, and that’s something that the real estate community all across the country is acutely aware of.

Welcome Relief

The CECRA program is being re-evaluated, and it’s expected that there are more commercial rent relief measures on the way.

Seeing that tenants whose businesses were completely shut down were 3.4x more likely to request rent relief than tenants who remained open is fairly predictable too, and a valid indication as to why this rent relief is so needed.

Landlords and tenants are facing pending rent deadlines with some uncertainty, as there are landlords who have indicated that they are still waiting for more program details before deciding to apply for CECRA.

However, with this we should consider another important point that was highlighted at CBC.ca today, where it was shared that owners who refused the CECRA relief funds will NOT be able to evict their tenants.

This is a judicious move by the Feds, as there certainly would be owners who’d see the opportunity to legitimize evicting business tenants and then leasing the space for higher monthly rates in the future.

What we should be eagerly looking to see is how the program will treat landlords who have agreed to revised rental payment terms for April or May with their tenants, when the loan funds will be available, and how this program will be rolled out for each province.

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Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. As you will be the only realtor serving your chosen region of any city or town in Canada (provided it is still available – don’t delay!), then you’ll be the only one to receive these leads indicating individuals or couples in the community who are genuinely considering making a move in the real estate market.

It’s a proven-effective way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and have a look at our testimonials from business-building realtors just like you.

Average Home Prices in Canada Might Climb Despite Covid-19

Published May 25, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

There’s so much uncertainty and a whole lot of anxiety regarding how healthy – or unhealthy – the real estate market is going to be as we move into post-pandemic times, whenever that’s going to be. You certainly can’t blame people who are apprehensive about putting their homes on the market, and the same goes for others who aren’t sure if it’s wise to be buying a home at this time either.

Now of course that anxiety is going to be a reality for people who work in the real estate industry themselves. We’ve already established that major urban centres with more demand than supply realities are going to be more insulated against strong dips in the market, but there’s going to be noticeable downturns everywhere in light of what this is.

All of this is going to make the competitive nature of the real estate business even more competitive. It’s always been a scenario where anything you can do to gain an advantage is something you should pursue, and now perhaps even more so. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation service is an excellent way for you to be put directly in touch with people who are genuinely considering making a move in the real estate market – and do so before any of the competition has the same chance to do so.

But back to our topic, there are actually reasons to think more positively regarding the outlook for the housing market across Canada as a whole. Here’s why.

Likely 5 to 10% Gain By Year End

A renowned and premier economist in Canada, Peter Norman, is stating that Canada’s home prices are still likely to see a 5%-10% annual gain by year-end. Behind this belief is an understanding that despite the COVID-19 travel restrictions grinding the entry of wealthy foreign homebuyers to a halt, housing will probably return to an upward trajectory in late 2020.

There is plenty of fluidity to the situation, however, and that may mean there’s going to be a few valleys before we get to the modest peak. We need to keep all of this in context, and we will preface all of this by saying that nobody can or should be even trying to state that they’re forecasting with any degree of certainty.

One thing that is for certain is that we can expect to see migration being really weak for the remainder of the year, and perhaps beyond that. Immigration and homebuyers who are new to the country has been a macro driver for housing in general for a long time now.

We should also expect the pressures upon Canadian demographics and the economy to stay strong throughout the second quarter and even well into the third quarter, and the consensus across the board is that the numbers for the April-June period are very likely going to be pretty ugly.

However, what is likely going to be a positive countermeasure here is the housing sector’s fundamentals that may create a clearer path for the market’s speedy recovery once the crisis has passed.

Better Insulated

It’s not going to be helpful for anyone to overreact to seeing house prices go down in the immediate scenario, and we should also keep in mind that the country as a whole is much better positioned to be resilient as compared to other ones around the world. This is also true because the national economy is similarly poised to bounce back more emphatically.

We will see prices be all over the map for the next few quarters, and there are going to be both fewer homes on the market AND fewer buyers qualified to make offers on them. However, it’s almost certainly not going to be to the extent that many people are suggesting it will be.

Many in this industry are united in saying that by the time we get to the end of the year and momentum comes back, pent-up demand from the downtime and supply coming back on stream in the resale market is going to the buoying that the market is going to need to be in a better place than naysayers are insisting it’s going to be.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you – for your similarly exclusively served region of any city or town in Canada. Once signed up and you’ve claimed your region, you’ll be the only realtor receiving those leads and you’ll quickly come to see how it works to supercharge your client prospecting efforts.

Writing Your Best Real Estate Agent Profile

Published May 18, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Long before anyone actually makes the decision to becoming a licensed real estate agent they’ll be made aware of the fact that real estate is an extremely competitive business. One of the persisting realities in this business is that there are going to be far more realtors in any region than the standard level of business will allow for a satisfactory measure of success for each of them.

This is never going to change, and what a new realtor needs to accept – and ideally embrace – is that it’s going to be a tough go to get clients in the beginning. The good news is that if you are a skilled and dedicated professional you will very likely begin to make a name for yourself, and attracting new clients will eventually become easier. When that happens you’ll be enjoying what it’s like to have some ‘steam’ to your real estate business, but it certainly takes some time to get to that point.

Now what we’ll do next is share an age-old maxim that is as true today as it’s ever been..

‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression”

And in real estate that first impression is often pretty much everything. You need to have an excellent real estate agent profile, and another solid move is to make use of an online real estate lead generation system like the one we have here at Real Estate Leads. It takes the power of the Internet and harnesses it to put you more directly in touch with people who need the services of a realtor. That will give you the chance to sway them to become your clients before other realtors have a chance to do the same.

But today let’s look at what goes into creating the best real estate agent profile possible. It’s not difficult, and you’ll very likely see what it does for you in a very short period of time.

Put in Genuine Effort

Real estate agent profiles should be crafted with care and consideration. After all, you’re marketing yourself, so you want to put your best foot forward anywhere you have the opportunity to connect with a potential client.

As you might imagine, the very first focal point a prospective client is going to focus on is the photo you have of yourself. So that’s going to be number one on our list here.

  1. Pick the Right Photo

We’ll start here by saying that making sure you have a good photo of yourself as a realtor doesn’t mean having to update your headshot every six months. However, if you’re using an image that looks more like your high school yearbook photo than something taken in the last couple of years, then you are going to have to get new photos taken and choose them best among them.

What you need to do is avoid headshots where you’re rigid, impersonal, and serving as little more than a human logo for your real estate business. Remember that people want to connect with a professional who’s both a realtor AND a genuine person.

The best way to do this is pay a professional photographer to take a series of headshots for you. A LOT of them. These professionals will have the means of making you be relaxed and appearing personable in your photos, and that’s really so important.

Be willing to pay a professional photographer what they’re worth, because this photo is going to go a LONG way to your success as a realtor. That’s the plain truth of it, and it really is the best possible advice we can give you.

2. Clarify Educational Credentials

Perhaps you’ve seen a real estate profile that looks like this –

James P. Harrimon — MBA, ePro, ABR, CRS, CRE, CIPS, GRI, CPM, SRS.

How does that read to you? Does it make you any more impressed or trusting in this person as a professional. Surely there’s something to it, but what exactly?

Now educational attainments ARE important — but you need to present them in a manner that’s understandable and digestible for prospective clients who may have no idea what all those acronyms mean.

The better choice is to choose a few that you feel are most relevant and then both spell them out in full and provide some detail. As an example, rather than ‘ABR’ write out “I am an Accredited Buyer’s Representative, and I’ve spent 200 hours in the last two years training, learning and refining my craft so I’m able to serve my clients better and be more naturally receptive to their buyer prerogatives and wishes.

Another good idea is linking to pages that explain what you learned in those designation classes.

3. Define your USP

A Realtor’s USP — Unique Selling Proposition — is what sets them apart in the sea of similarly qualified and equally opportunistic realtors who are after the same slices of the pie. It’s quite likely that there are a lot of real estate agents in your market, and they’re after that limited supply of buyers and sellers in the same way you are. What makes you different from all of them?

Now to be fair this is not something that’s easy to define. However, a good USP – if it’s well communicated but still in a straightforward manner – will go a long way in helping a consumer understand and visualize what you can do for them.

Many realtors will come up with their USP and then bounce it off their wife or husband or other family members to get feedback and / or constructive criticism on it. And some will even get the same type of feedback from a professional acquaintance who ‘has a way with words’, as the expression goes.

4. Be Mindful to not use too much ‘Agent-Speak’

Real Estate professionals definitely have their own ‘lingo’. And while some of it is okay, using too much of it and / or pairing it with too much bravado isn’t going to be beneficial in your agent profile.

One of the things that’s important to remember here is that prospective clients will usually be more swayed by more general but genuine expressions of sincerity rather than claims of your superiority in the business.

So rather than including words and terms that you see and use every day it’s better to take a step back and look at your real estate agent profile from the perspective of a consumer. Spell out abbreviations. Define industry-specific terms — or better yet, just avoid them. Don’t make it so that potential customers must try and translate your agent speak into terms they understand.

5. Avoid the Hard Sell

This part is very much related to the one above, and is part of the overall theme where you want to keep it very simple and human-interest / sincerity oriented in your delivery.

Think of your real estate profile as your biography. It’s a place for someone to learn about you, how you work, and what you can do for them. While it is true that you are using it to market yourself, it’s also important to not make it an overt advertisement. Rather than being a benefit, taking a hard-sell approach with your profile might cast you as as an agent who sees only numbers and new clients as a means to getting a new commission cheque.

In conclusion, we’ll state the plain truth in that real estate is still a very personal, face-to-face business, and your profile may well be your one and only chance to truly impress.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively as the only realtor that’s signed up to serve that region of any city or town in Canada. It’s an excellent way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and pairing it with a well-crafted agent profile may go a long way in allowing you to hit the ground running with your new career in real estate!

Some Perspective on the ‘New Normal’ in Canadian Real Estate

Published May 11, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

To say this is a tumultuous time in Canadian real estate and for all the people who’s livelihood is tied to it would be a gig understatement. There’s no debating the fact that the market is depressed, and the market is neither a buyer’s or a seller’s one, and that has nothing to do with metrics. It’s probably one of the strangest times to be a realtor in Canada ever, but it shouldn’t necessarily be regarded as one of the most concerting times.

Now of course that is going to be dependent on WHERE you are practicing real estate in the country, and it is true that some markets are going to be more insulated against the tumult than others at this time. One thing that is going to be for certain is that there is going to be less of the pie to go around, if we’re to look at it metaphorically and of course all of you will know exactly what that means.

New clients are very likely going to be harder to come by, but here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation service is an excellent way to put the power of Internet marketing to work to give you a real advantage there.

It’s important to keep an open mind during this time, and that means not leaning too far towards pessimism OR optimism regarding what’s to come in the near future for real estate professionals across the country. With that mindset, let’s offer some perspective on all of this and hopefully put some of you more at ease.

Let’s start with a look at the residential housing market in the nation’s capital, Ottawa. The Ottawa Real Estate Board showed a sharp decline in listings for April; 913 properties sold through the MLS system, a massive drop from the 2,025 sold in April 2019.

Now while that’s in line with the doom n’ gloom way of thinking, let’s consider as well that average selling prices were actually up, 6.3% for condos and 6.8% for detached single-family dwellings. On the year-to-date, average selling prices are up a quite 15.1 and 18.5%, and those are fairly robust gains obviously.

Price gains of this sort will suggest a strong market, so what is one to make of all this?

Any economics course will make clear that price is going to be a function of supply and demand. Now if the two curves remain in balance, price stability is maintained. A shift in one without a shift in the other will result in prices changing.

Balance of Supply and Demand

What we do know is what has happened since the middle of March is that both curves shifted to the left, and did so pretty much entirely at the same time. Quantity went down, but prices didn’t go down with them. In fact, they actually showed measurable increases.

The reason residential real estate prices in Ottawa remained stable is because the fewer buyers are being matched by fewer properties on the market.

A sufficient number sellers – even if not an ideal number – balanced with enough active buyers makes it so that selling prices can be maintained and even track upwards in best scenarios.

This tends to be the case in most major metropolitan regions of the country. While the overall level of activity is down, the market as a whole remains in balance for the most part. Yes, a significant number of sellers have decided to wait and not offer their houses for sale, but that is countered by the number of willing buyers be temporarily down as well.

No one’s going to argue that a large number of realtors are being affected right now due to reduced deal flow, but let’s at least give it a couple more months with the emerging data before we start making wide sweeping negative conclusions about the health of the real estate market.

Market Adaptations, Realtor Adaptations

Real estate agents are doing their own adjusting, and retooling the way they do real estate. They are finding new ways to market properties and provide options for viewings using technology such as live-streaming open houses, posting virtual tours, and holding virtual showings.

All of which will serve to address social distancing needs and people’s fears. In the bigger picture though the way Canada’s large urban housing markets will fare over the short to mid-term future will depend on the socio-economic makeup of the local population. This factor is a big one and really needs to be taken into account by realtors working in different parts of the country

Varied Local Impacts

It’s been said that Canada’s economy is currently ‘frozen’, and that’s a very appropriate way of looking at it. The ‘thaw’ then is going to be faster acting and more pronounced in certain areas as compared to others. In terms of resale housing activity in major markets, we can foresee that willingness to change is going to be key.

With commercial real estate it is really going to depend on what the medium- to long-term impact will be in terms of rents getting paid. Yes, the numbers of arrears in April is something to be concerned about, but businesses are beginning to reopen and that will be a positive factor.

Likely Only Down for a Bit

It’s true that some folks would like us to believe that the sky is falling in as far as real estate in Canada is concerned, but we don’t agree. This is a storm that can – and will – be weathered like many other storms that have come before it. Some businesses and sectors of our economy have suffered and will continue to do so. Many, however, will be successful in finding ways to adjust and carry on, and that will buoy the economy and buoy the faith that prospective home buyers and home sellers will have in the not so distant future.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or sellers leads that are delivered exclusively to you. And what we mean by exclusively is that you will be the only realtor that’s assigned to the region of any city or town in Canada of your choosing. Only you get these leads, and as such you’re the only one who’ll be being fast-tracked to being in touch with people who are genuinely considering making a move in the real estate market. It’s a great way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts!

Rising Unemployment Rates Having Impact on Large Housing Markets in Canada

Published May 5, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

It’s not surprising that being well more than a month into the COVID-19 lockdown we’re starting to see how the way so many people have become unemployed or underemployed is making ripples in the housing market. The reality is that over the next few years there’s going to be fewer qualified (or willing) buyers bidding on homes because so many people will be adjust to new income-earning realities.

The direct correlation for this as it relates to realtors is that this means there will be fewer prospective clients out there, and while that will be truer for home buyer clients there will also be fewer people putting homes on the market due to decreased values that may only be temporary.

One way to counter this dip in client numbers will be to make use of our online real estate lead generation service here at Real Estate Leads. It harnesses the power of Internet marketing in a way that determines if a person taking interest in the real estate market has the makings of being one who may genuinely make a move in the near future. It’s great for getting more out of your client prospecting efforts.

But back to topic, it’s actually in the larger and more popular housing markets in Canada where this is starting to be seen. Again, not surprising as this will be where the greatest number of gainfully employed people will be living as that’s where the jobs are.

Significant Declines

So here we are with unemployment having a disproportionate impact on the country’s largest housing markets. The employment sector across the country dropped 5.3% from February to March, and that’s a representation of more than 1 million lost jobs being lost. Accordingly, the unemployment rate went up to 7.8%, and part of that being a record-high 2.2% monthly jump.

Now where this is most problematic is in the sharp downturn in employment in the private sector (- 6.7%), a rate nearly that’s close to double the public sector ( – 3.7%).

From Stats Canada – unemployment increased by 413,000 cases ( up 36.4%), and this is primarily due to temporary layoffs. In addition, 193,000 is the number of Canadians who had worked recently and were willing to but failed to meet the official definition of unemployed.

March figures from the same report also show that unemployment rates in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal have gone up rapidly in the last month, and the connection between this trend and the very detrimental socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are becoming very clear.

At the end of March Toronto’s unemployment rate stood at 7.8%, an 11.42% increase annually. Vancouver was much the same, with its share of unemployed workers going up by 68.89% year-over-year to reach 7.6%. This is in quite the contrast from the numbers traditionally associated with the West Coast hub city’s robust labour sector.

The worst case here is for Montreal, which suffered the highest unemployment rate last month, Their rates went up 51.67% annually to end up at 9.1% overall.

It’s going to be more than just something of a rocky road when it comes to economic recovery re-buoying the housing market, but as always it will be the professionals who have the means to dig deeper and think outside the box when it comes to real estate that will be keeping the success of their business relatively intact.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively for your own privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s an excellent way to ensure you have genuine client leads to pursue and knowing your using you time and energies most effectively. If you’d like to read what other realtors have to say about the value in Real Estate Leads, please have a look at these testimonials.

Tips for Virtual House Hunting for Realtors Working with Homebuyer Clients

Published April 28, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

 

It doesn’t need to be explained why it’s not possible to go through the process of looking at homes for sale in the standard way right now. Fortunately most people do understand the importance of avoiding being out in public when it’s not absolutely necessary during these very trying times of a global pandemic that – unless you were alive 102 years ago – none of us have ever experienced before.

Now it is true that the real estate market in Canada is depressed right now, but there are still prospective homebuyers who are ready to make offers on homes they want to buy – provided they still have the means of both finding them and doing their research on them.

This is what leads us to our discussion of the ever-growing trend towards ‘virtual’ house hunting here today. A real estate agent needs to first be able to generate clients, and then be able to serve them effectively – even if that’s not easy to do for whatever reason. As it relates to the first part of that equation, our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to get more out of the efforts any realtor puts into new client prospecting. And at this time, giving yourself an advantage there may be more valuable than ever!

But back to topic – One of the things any realtor is going to be required to do these days is still offer clients viewings of homes, and that’s true for both the listing realtor and the buyer’s realtors. However, now these viewings may need to be virtual ones, and it’s important to understand as well that this trend is going to fade away once the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end.

Effective Virtual House Showing Approaches

It’s true the spring typically kicks off the busiest home-buying period of the year, and while that may be in a big-time reduced capacity this year it still is what it is. Now realtors and clients have no choice but to think of how to safely view homes without risking infection.

We’ll start with images. There are going to be some red flags to look for as you click through pictures, keeping in mind that they may not always show the true details of a property:

Are there more photos of the exterior than the interior? This can be a clue that the interior of he home is quite lacking Closed curtains and blinds in a photo are usually hiding a bad view.

Be suspicious of room photos that focus on one point or fixture exclusively. If a picture of a bathroom focuses on a sink, for example, it may mean the bathroom is painfully small.

If photos look stretched out, the seller or agent may well be attempting to make a room appear bigger.

Some listing terms should be red flags as well. A ‘fixer-upper’ can mean a great investment, but it also may mean a money pit. ‘Cozy may be a misnomer hiding the fact that the home is small and not suitable for a family.

Squeeze the Max Out of Virtual Tours

Virtual tours of properties in Canada is increasingly becoming the norm now. You can instruct your clients to look for the virtual tour icon on the bottom of the listing page. One good thing to do if they are particularly interested in a specific property is ask to see more of the video.

It’s quite common for parts of the house to be left on the editing room floor to keep the video short and dynamic.

Another option is to make a FaceTime (audio and visual) call during which the agent walks would-be buyers through a home, sharing footage of the features. Another is to have you show your clients what they want to see while uncovering any blind spots in the original video.

Providing clients with a detailed floor plan of the space is also standard nowadays, as it helps them with determining how big a room is, or how high the ceilings are, etc.

Dig into Disclosures

When clients continue to have interest in the possibility of purchasing a home following their review of photos and videos from the virtual tour, then it’s time to ask the selling agent for the seller disclosure. This should outline any known problems with the home’s structure, plus the age of various features and any improvements.

It’s quite common here for buyers to find out facts about the house that will aid them in deciding whether to move forward, or rule it out. As their realtor, you should always be very proactive in requesting this disclosure and discussing the ramifications of it with your clients.

Don’t Skip Checking Out the Neighbourhood

Always keep in mind that for the majority of clients the the surrounding neighborhood is just as important as the house itself. Google Earth is an excellent resource we all have at our disposal these days, and realtors should definitely be taking of advantage of it as well as recommending it to clients if they themselves are not aware of it or how to use it.

It’s very good for seeing if the home they’re interested in is near schools, shopping centers, restaurants, parks, and public transportation. Interactive neighborhood maps are another good suggestion.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you – as the exclusive realtor serving that region of any city or town in Canada. Once you’ve joined, you’ll be the only realtor receiving these leads that area for as long as you remain with us. Needless to say, that means it’s best to act fast so if you need more convincing about the effectiveness of this online real estate leads service then please have a look at our testimonials.

Subsidized Wages for Businesses Benefits Commercial Real Estate During Pandemic

Published April 21, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

It’s inevitable that with the economic slowdown related to COVID-19 the real estate market in Canada is going to have a downturn of its own. Residential real estate is already seeing this affect and it’s going to be a situation where many property owners who would have considered putting their home on the market are now going to be wise about it and put that on hold. Then of course demand will shrink somewhat as well as some buyers who might have been qualified are now not.

Consider as well that new building starts will be decreasing as well. As will the investor market as the entire world feels the crunch now and post-pandemic – hopefully that coming as soon as possible.

Consider as well that new building starts will be decreasing as well. As will the investor market as the entire world feels the crunch now and post-pandemic – hopefully that coming as soon as possible.

The Federal Liberal Government’s recent wage subsidization measures stand to benefit the commercial real estate market though. Wage relief is being delivered, with the government covering up to 75% of payroll costs at impacted businesses. Subsidized wages do help, but another very large and expensive still needs to be considered, and that’s the rent for business owners renting or leasing commercial space.

Commercial real estate is a focus for many realtors in Canada, and real estate services of all types are looking to become a whole lot more competitive in the near future as inventories decrease. Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a proven effective way for realtors to get more focused results from their client prospecting efforts, and it’s recommended for new realtors or ones who’ve been in the business for a while.

But back to topic – Commercial real estate is going to be positively impacted by the Government’s Canadian Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program (CECRAP), and that’s some good news for the industry in general in Canada.

Canadian Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program

It still remains to be soon as to how the program is going to be delivered, but here’s a few of the details that can be shred. This is going to apply to landlords providing rent incentives to small businesses and relief will come in the form of a loan, some of which will be classified as ‘forgivable’ loans. There may be differences between provinces, since they’ll be delivering the relief individually.

The repayable ones would be similar to the relief homeowners are currently receiving. Which helps them defer most of their fixed costs for a few months. With that breathing room the business is better poised to retain staff and wait this out, and be better positioned for economic recovery. Then they can repay the cash incrementally.

The forgivable loans, or portion of the loans, would look much the same as the Canada Emergency Business Account. In that program, the government will forgive up to $10,000 on a $40,000 loan.

Now whether or not that’s enough to ‘float the boat’ until the economy gets back on its feet and the real estate market stabilizes along with it is that we experience a V-shaped recovery. Now of course we’re not economists here, but reading what we have we’ve seen very reputable ones on both sides of the argument. But the fact that this CECRAP program will be a positive buoy for commercial real estate is good news

Farther Reaching Benefits

If we look at this on a more macro- level too the fact that this will make it more feasible for business owners to retain staff (along with the possibility of paid internal training workshops online during this time-off from being in the workplace) and that has bigger-picture benefits in that this will keep some percentage of the workforce gainfully employed still and allow them to contribute their part of the economic input, including in the real estate market.

If there’s even just a hundred or so more home coming onto the market in Canada – or an equal number of households continuing to be able to be active in the market as their needs dictate – that is an overall advantage for the entire real estate industry at this time. For both residential and commercial real estate.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are provided to you – and only you – as the only realtor serving that part of any city or town in Canada. It’s yours exclusively for as long as you stay with Real Estate Leads and you’ll love how it puts you more directly with prospective clients who are genuinely considering making a move in the Canadian real estate market.

Provincial Budgetary Cuts in Alberta Not Expected to Affect Real Estate Market More Adversely than Elsewhere in Canada

Published April 14, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

There’s been much focus in the news these days about how Alberta is being hit with a double-whammy with both the precipitous decline in the world price of oil and the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s true that they’re likely in for the roughest patch when it comes to all of the Canadian provinces. We can also safely assume that many of the budget cuts the Provincial government is making there are ones they’d rather not make, but have to given the need to cut expenditure and at least attempt to balance books.

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve discussed how the real estate markets in different regions of the country are going to be taking a similar downturn, but also not to nearly the extent that some people suggest they’re going to. There have been some who’ve agreed with our perspective on that, but added further that they do expect things to be rather dire in Alberta. It is true that more people are going to be out of work, and the market will have fewer qualified homebuyers and greater numbers of homebuyers who may need to sell.

That’s definitely not a good recipe for a healthy housing market, and as is always the case it’s the newer realtors that may feel the pinch the most. New and qualified clients may be even harder to come by. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generations system is an excellent way for any realtor to harness the power of Internet marketing to be put more directly in touch with home owners and prospective home buyers who are genuinely considering making a move in the real estate market.

It comes highly recommended for anyone who feels they might be losing some of their potential in this regard, whether that’s in Alberta or in another part of the country.

But steering back to Alberta, it turns out that the doom n’ gloom scenarios envisioned there also aren’t especially rooted in the reality of what’s likely to happen there. That’s going to be good news, so let’s look at it in greater detail.

Cut-Heavy Budget

The 27th of February was when Alberta’s United Conservative government unveiled its most recent budget, and with it came more than afew surprises. Program spending, despite the province’s growing population, was scheduled to stay relatively unchanged from recent levels. Though it’s not pretty, it’s fair to say the UCP didn’t have much choice other than to use job losses, salary cuts and benefit reductions in the public sector to lower operating costs.

There wasn’t much good news on the surface of the Alberta budget, but industry insiders are seeing how its job creation component should give real estate investors cause for optimism, particularly with its focus on corporate tax rates and supporting innovation.

Premier Jason Kenney had previously scrapped tax incentives brought in by the previous NDP government to lure high-tech start-ups, but the new budget does put aside $200 million to attract talent in various growing industries, including AI and financial technology. The aim with this is reducing the provincial unemployment rate to 5%.

By creating more employment from this, the government may be able to establish Alberta cities like Calgary and Edmonton to be among the top ten cities in Canada for attracting tech companies and employees.

Then there’s the new corporate tax rate in Alberta, which is going to decrease from its current 12 % to eight % by 2022, and promote investment in the province. The belief is that these tax savings will result in greater internal development, and along with that comes more employment, more purchasing power, and more $ in local economies.

It will take some time, but in the meantime it will do enough to prevent the local housing market from taking a hit that’s decidedly worse than that of other Provinces in Canada.

Checks and Balances

However, that’s in the face of a loss of over 1,400 public sector jobs, and a majority of those being seen in post-secondary education. All on top of the over 50,000 full-time jobs that have disappeared in the province since last June.

Then there’s the many who are questioning the validity of the UCP’s budgetary projections, many of which are based around a scenario where they’re getting USD $58 per barrel price for West Texas Intermediate oil. That’s the farthest thing from reality at this time – WTI is currently trading at less than USD $5.00 per barrel, although OPEC production cuts agreed to last Thursday may provide some help there.

Despite all of this, most economists or real estate industry experts don’t foresee see Alberta’s real estate market falling entirely apart. Experts point out that the worst price depreciation has been two-and-a-half percent annually, and that was just two years ago. The economy is diversifying, and between all of it the industry may be buoyed much more than people think.

Add a population growing, a reduction in the Bank of Canada’s interest rate, and improved efforts to attract new industries, and it’s very realistic to think that things may only be slightly worse for Alberta than they will be for the other provinces dealing with the economic downturn caused by the Pandemic.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively for your private region of any city or town in Canada. Once you’re registered and have your region reserved for you, you’ll be the ONLY realtor who receives the leads for it, and that will be the arrangement for as long as you remain a member. It’s an excellent way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and build your real estate business much more effectively.

Working While Social Isolating for Realtors: 5 Tips

Published April 7, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Here we are into another week of the COVID-19 Pandemic turning life as we know it on it’s head here in Canada, and it’s true that those of us who are fortunate enough to have a job that allows us to work from home should be very glad to have such an advantage given that the mandated social isolation protocols. Now one of the things we’ve discussed is that it’s nearly impossible for there not to be a temporary slowdown in the real estate market, but it’s not going to be the precipitous decline some are projecting.

Realtors will still be working during this time, but of course it’s going to be very different not being out and about meeting clients and other professionals in the course of what’s in an average day for most of you. Nowadays you’re going to have no choice but to stay in and make a lot of your contacts digitally and conducting research online. Now you probably already do a large amount of your researching properties, building codes, etc etc online anyways, but it’s different when you have no choice but to do ALL of it this way.

Long story short, there’s a lot of realtors who are going to feel very ‘out of sorts’ as a result of all this, and then there’s the fact that prospecting new clients wasn’t ever simple to begin with. Now that there’s less of the pie to go around – however temporary that may be – it makes a whole lot of sense for new realtors in particular to get onboard with our online real estate lead generation service for Canada we have here at Real Estate Leads. It puts the power of Internet marketing to work to put you directly in touch with folks genuinely consider a move in the real estate market.

So here are some tips for realtors to work more effectively from home

  1. Get Your Heart Rate Up in the Morning

Getting regular exercise is going to be important for everyone who’s socially isolating to help flatten the curve in the global fight against coronavirus. Getting some mildly vigorous physical exercise in the morning – even if it’s just a few sets of jumping jacks – gets positive endorphins flowing in the body and will help you approach the day with even better energy, mental clarity and focus, and better abilities to be decisive about what’s best for your business

2. Put More into Social Media Marketing at this Time

The vast majority of clients you might have been meeting will be in the same stay-home boat that you are, and not surprisingly a whole lot of them will be using the Internet to look up what’s currently of interest to them. If that’s real estate listings and general news and the like then they’re going to be perfectly placed to be include by social media real estate marketing.

If this is something that’s not a strength of yours then now is a good time to take advantage of your additional time at home to get up to speed on what it takes to use all the different social media platforms available to promote your listings and your real estate services in general. The good thing is that there are plenty of free or inexpensive online tutorials that can show you the basics.

Take advantage of this time to improve your social media market capabilities

3. Work on Your Script

Well, that is provided you do have a script that you use to be an icebreaker of sorts when speaking with new prospective clients (which of course is something you’ll likely be doing more often if you sign up with Real Estate Leads) and introducing yourself. Now anyone can rehearse it and go over it to add certain emphasis to speech here and there, but here’s a totally different idea and something that’s easy to do.

You almost certainly have a smartphone, and nearly every smartphone will have a quick audio recording feature. Record yourself speaking your script in the same manner you would if you were on the phone. Listen to see if there’s any part where you can imagine yourself as the listener not being as receptive as with other parts.

From there, make some changes to it and then try it out on your wife, husband, partner, or dachshund.

4. Organize and De-Clutter Your Files

This can also be a good time to get into the mountains of files you may have and decide on what needs to stay and what needs to go. Considering most of these files will be in digital form it can be very good for devices to liberate all this hard drive space. It’s fairly common for people of ALL professions to be pretty lax about deleting stuff they’ve saved that they don’t need anymore.

At the same time you may find that by going through all of this stuff with an equivocal eye you end up turning over a few individuals or opportunities where it might be a good idea to revisit them in the interest of perhaps creating more business for yourself.

5. Compare Your Online Presence with Other Realtors

A successful realtor is always going to be a busy realtor with very little additional time to spare. This time may one of the few exceptions to that, so why not use it to compare your marketing materials with other realtors and see if you don’t pick up on a few things that might be working well for them that you’d like to try.

As far as websites go, if you see elements of another realtor’s site that you’d like to incorporate into yours then there’s very likely a LOT of digital graphics and website developers who’d love the work right now, and it’ll be an excellent investment in your business given how an impressive looking and super user-friendly website is a must for every realtor these days.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are only ever delivered to one person, and one person only – you. As the only realtor signed up for your specific region of any city or town in Canada, the only person who’ll receive these leads is you for as long as you maintain your subscription with Real Estate Leads. It’s a great way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and it really is highly recommended for realtors who want to get ahead as quickly as possible.

Which Property Segment is Most Vulnerable to the COVID-19 Economic Slowdown

Published March 31, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

 

Our blog entries for the last 2 weeks have made it very clear that we’ve been especially attuned to those of you expressing very real concerns about the health of the real estate industry in Canada in the face of the ongoing Global Covid Pandemic. It’s natural to have fears about it, and those fears certainly aren’t unfounded. There’s no debating that the economic downturn that’s already beginning in the face of the slowdown caused by the pandemic IS going to take a big bite of the real estate industry, but that’s only the not-so-good news

The ‘better’ news (we’ll still refrain from calling it good news given the current situation) is that the industry insider belief is that the residential real estate market is not going to be as negatively impacted as others. This should come as good news for realtors who have been lead to believe that home sales and the numbers of new homes coming onto the market are about to plummet in the biggest of ways. The similar belief is that there WILL be something of a longer-term dip, but residential homes sales are not where the biggest downturn is going to be seen.

How this breaks down for the individual realtor IS going to be that there’s less of the pie to go around, but in an ever-competitive profession that’s not anything new. Is it going to be worse than usual? Sure, it is. Is it going to be permanent? No, it’s not. However, a realtor’s ability to be infusing his or her business with new clients is going to be even more challenging than it always has been. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for realtors goes a long way towards helping you get more out of your efforts there.

But back to topic – if it’s not residential real estate where the sting of the economic downturn is going to be most felt, where is it?

Commercial Property Markets Always More Easily Swayed by Economic Cycles

Yes, there’s your answer; it’s going to be the commercial real estate market that’s most prominently affected by the fallout of COVID-19. Commercial property is particularly vulnerable to economic shocks like the ones that are already being brought about by the spread of COVID-19.

In ways that don’t apply to residential real estate, commercial properties like factories, retail stores and office units are much more exposed to economic cycles. Then you have to weight in the fact that commercial property owners and real estate investment trusts already pay higher interest rates for borrowed capital.

Then there’s also the role of the tenant in making this situation what it is. Tenants are almost always leasers with a commercial property, and the relevance of that in endangering and depressing the commercial real estate market is – quite plainly – risk. Tenants are much more likely to be exposed in comparison to a new owner of a residential property with dwelling, as they’re more prone to economic collapse leaving them with no choice but to fall into a default on the property.

If we read the news these days it will be hard to not see all the shops and offices that are shut due to the national health crisis. This is a very poignant and real example of how commercial property is much more vulnerable to these types of events. If the outbreak creates deeper dents in the economy, things will become worse – MUCH worse – for commercial properties as compared to residential ones.

Most realtors should know what a REIT is. It’s a fact that if the shutdown lasts longer than expected, things could get worse and especially for Real Estate Investment Trusts where there becomes a very unappealing need to cut dividends and mark down the value of the real estate assets.

Informed investors are of course going to be entirely aware of these risks, and that’s why it’s these buyers who will be inclined to to sit back and wait this out before making their real estate move. The risk is significantly greater for them than a residential property buyer, although of course there are still increased risks there too.

Just not to nearly the same extent, and that’s something that should be reassuring to real estate agents working in Canada.

Here in BC one part of the $5 billion federal package being offered to help companies survive the economic shocks from the outbreak is an assistance program for reduced property tax for commercial real estate. It’s estimated that relief tax savings for the average urban commercial property owner is going to be about $4,000. The idea then being these savings will flow through to tenants who have triple-net leases and then providing support to them as well.

This is going to be a tumultuous time in real estate, but anyone predicting a massive collapse in the real estate industry fuelled by precipitous drops in transactions for residential properties is misunderstanding the way this is very likely going to play out.

Canadian Real Estate Market Only Expected to be Mildly Affected by COVID-19 Pandemic

Published March 16, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

As we reach the middle of March 2020 beginning this week, the intensity of the concern related to the Global COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic is soaring to new heights. There has been extensive talk about how it may promote a severe economic downturn, and in a worst case scenario it could trigger a global economic recession. Whether that actually happens or how long it would last if id did remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure – this pandemic is pretty much turning our world on its head.

Interestingly enough, the same sort of global capitalism that has allowed the virus to jump all over the world with lightning quickness is the same global capitalism that’s worked to make housing unaffordable for many Canadians. Led by a Liberal Government who’s only interest is protecting the economy by any available means, the infusion of foreign capital into Canada’s housing market has been ‘okayed’ as a means of propping up an economy that – as is the case with every federal Liberal government – suffers from being hopelessly bloated with social expenditure.

Realtors have fewer prospective clients as a result of part of this (not all), and as such it’s more difficult for new realtors to enjoy the flow of new clients that those coming before them did. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system in Canada is an excellent way for those realtors to enjoy the power of Internet marketing as means of having themselves put more directly in touch with people who are genuinely considering buying or selling a home.

The good news is that it appears the appetite for buying and selling homes in Canada won’t be too overly affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Let’s now look at that in greater detail.

Projected Modest Impact

The industry consensus seems to be that the impact of the new coronavirus on Canadian real estate is going to be ‘modest’ and ‘temporary’. These same industry experts are stressing that while we don’t know how the coronavirus outbreak will be resolved, data suggests that panic moves will only worsen the country’s economic situation. In fact, if you’re a Canadian real estate investor, this may represent a buying opportunity for investors and it may lead to a positive lift in rental and housing markets.

It’s good to keep in mind that, generally speaking, disruptions in GDP growth rates can affect real estate markets within an 18-month period. We’re know really seeing how fear and concern surrounding the coronavirus is impacting trade, travel, tourism and the Canadian economy, but we should know that it’s almost certainly not going to be as bad as some of the extremes being predicted.

Much like what happened to SARS in 2003, fear and panic are going to be the biggest threats to the country’s economic and real estate outlook. It is true that when disruptions in GDP growth rates are seen they usually do affect real estate markets within an 18-month period. One positive out of this may be that the result is a positive lift in rental and housing markets seen some 18 to 24 months after GDP fully recovers.

Immediate Cool Down / Long-Term Lifting

Canadian real estate may be cooling down in response to COVID-19, but the expectation is it is only going be temporary. After, as stated, it may actually see a jump in the big picture. What will be factoring into that?

  • Temporary, small decrease in GDP growth
  • Increased immigration
  • Increased foreign capital
  • Increased demand
  • Increased property values resulting from above 4

Analysis shows potential short-term impact to Canada’s economy including:

  • Canadian GDP remains forecasted at 3.3%, factoring in a -0.1% coronavirus hit
  • Slight decrease in oil prices
  • Stifled commodity prices
  • Disrupted industry supply chains
  • Slowdown in business sales
  • Decline in international travel to Canada

Everyone hopes the outbreak is contained, and that health and economic impacts are limited. When the situation normalizes, an influx of Chinese immigrants and capital to Canada resulting in increased demand for real estate is probably going to revitalize the market.

Like most people, we believe that Canadian real estate will see an immediate cool down with long-term lift due to a temporary, small decrease in GDP growth, followed by increased immigration, increased foreign capital and increased demand, leading to increased property values.

Do these factor represent a greater number of good buying opportunities now? Yes they do, and if you’re working with investor buyers this is something to discuss with them.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivery exclusively to you – and only you – as the only realtor serving that particular region of any city or town in Canada. Once you signed up and claimed that region, it’s yours exclusively for the entire time you maintain your membership with us. It’s an excellent way to get the very most out of your client prospecting efforts.

Major Property Tax Increases Cool Investor Enthusiasm in Vancouver’s Resurgent Market

Published March 9, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

 

It certainly doesn’t take a rocket scientist – or a realtor – to understand why the housing markets of Vancouver and Toronto make the most sense for investors with pockets deep enough to actually be ABLE to invest in properties there. The basics of supply and demand in both locations and the fact that demand will always outstrip supply means a very likely increase in the return on that investment. If you’re a realtor working in these major metro areas then you’ll almost certainly be working with investor buyers at least somewhat regularly. If you’re a new realtor then you should be quite enthused if the opportunity to work with one such buyer, and in much the same way you’d be to be putting a family into a much-needed home that suits them well. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is designed more to generate leads made up of clients who are looking to buy homes to live in, along with others selling homes and indifferent to whether that home will be a principal residence or a rental. As a new realtor, you’ll be in a position to benefit greatly from using it.

One of the things that’s been very front and center in the news in Vancouver these days is the sharp rise in property taxes approved by city council recently. On the first day of this new decade, the City of Vancouver implemented a shockingly large 7 percent increase to local property taxes, which works out to about nearly double the 10-year average. This tax hike was and continuous to be contentious, and the primary reason that it goes far beyond the rate of inflation.

When you consider that the original suggest rise was 8.2%, it definitely makes you go ‘wow’ and wonder what the logic is in doing this to a city where families are stretched so thin financially as it is. However, we must remember that the NDP is currently in power and this discretion-less spending has always been a party of that party and the way they conduct themselves.

Tough on Existing and Would-Be Investors

Real estate investors in Vancouver have already been bearing the brunt of the Province’s speculation and empty property taxes put into place over the past two years, and this property tax spike likely isn’t going to sit well with them for that very reason.

In an interview with local media recently, a well established Vancouver realtor stated that while he understands the municipal government needs money, this is one hundred percent working against the interests of affordable housing. There is absolutely a belief among those who work in industries related to the housing market that this dramatic jump in property taxes is another example of government tinkering with Vancouver’s painfully tight housing market to curb demand.

Real estate professionals and economists will agree on one thing – this type of ‘reactionary’ response is yet another example of Government missing the mark in how to address the housing crisis while still protecting the health and vibrancy of a market that – like all of them – function best when left to their own dynamics.

Discouraging Investment

There’s no getting around the fact that higher taxes will certainly discourage investment into the city, but realtors can still assure investors they may be working with that if they choose to purchase in Vancouver they will still make long-game profits, but perhaps not on the monthly cash-flow basis that they were expecting.

The bigger picture reality in all of this is also one you’ll be hard pressed to find a single realtor or economist ready to disagree with; when you have a situation of dramatically restricted supply, and the process of releasing more supply is highly politicized, and you then ADD ever increasing demand in the form of a growing economy and a growing population because of immigration, what do you think is going to happen? That’s right – prices are going to go up. By increasing property taxes, there’s no way you’re going to get around this and where it gets people the most is with those who are renting homes.

It is absurd to think a property owner is going to have those increased property taxes coming out of their bottom line. It is going to be absorbed by the renter, and this further diminishes that person’s ability to save up for a down payment to actually enter the housing market in the future.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and ONLY you – as the ONLY realtor serving a particular region of any city or town in Canada. Once you’ve claimed that region (act fast – they are going all the time!) then you’ll be the only realtor to receive leads for it for as long as you continue your membership with Real Estate Leads It’s an excellent way to really power up for you client prospecting efforts and enjoy a bit of the power of the Internet in getting better results from them.

5 Current Trends for Homebuyers in North America

Published March 3, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Every time you read something like this you have to keep in mind that America has 10x the population that we do in Canada. That means much larger sample sizes and perhaps not exactly the same reflection of what our buyer prerogatives will be for people here in Canada, but most in the industry will agree that these current trends for homebuyers very likely are accurate representations of the same one in Canada. One things for sure is the new dynamic for homebuyers is not one of a classic young family buying a detached home in or just outside town like it was until 20 years ago or so. And speaking of that huge population differential, realtors in Canada who are finding the business to be especially competitive can imagine what it must be like to be one of the ones plying the same trade down south. Real estate is a competitive business all over North America, however, and especially so for realtors who are new to the business and striving to establish themselves. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for these men and women to get more out of their efforts to find and retain clients.

But back to the topic for today, one of the most important aspects for the development of new realtors is to learn what it takes to be entirely top of the real estate world and dialed into the changing wants of who are the majority of buyers these days. What are these 5 current trends for homebuyers being seen nowadays?

  1. Millennials have higher standards for their first home, as they foresee the need to stay in 1st homes longer than previous generations of home buyers

A recent survey in the US found that 36% of millennial-aged respondents look for a home they can stay in for 10 years or longer. The previous ‘starter home’ ideal is not realistic anymore, as housing market dynamics in many big metro areas make upward mobility in the real estate market less of a sure thing. It added further that 42% of millennials would like to start with some semblance of what they’d consider their dream home.

2. People Have Never Been in Less of a Rush to Find & Buy Homes

The average amount of time first-time buyers spend looking for a home has jumped from three months to five. For repeat-buyers it’s even more – from 2.5 months to four months. Buyers of course utilize the web as their primary search means. Yes, that expands their house hunting capabilities but it also takes more time. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that more people are also doing extensive online research before buying a home.

3. Buyers are Less Enthusiastic about ‘Fixer Uppers’

It wasn’t that long ago that homes with flaws that could be remedied with a little hard work, and then sold for a much better price or lived in much more satisfyingly. An affordable home that needed repairs would usually be sold fairly quickly.

For whatever reason, it now seems that fewer and fewer buyers are going to be agreeable to doing this. People want to be able to move in and not have work to do on the house.

4. Kitchens Remain a Main Attraction for most Homes

This has been the reality for as long as anyone can remember, but nowadays it’s as prominent as ever. A home with the perfect kitchen is a priority for a lot of would-be buyers. They may want islands, room for seating, double ovens, functionality, cabinets, and so on. Apparently 66% of respondents to the survey chose a state-of-the-art kitchen as their top priority.

  • Homes Should Remain a Good Investment

The last of these is another relation to the millennial age group, many of whom are looking to buy their first home some time in the near future. Another trend among them is they want their home to be a good investment. The report indicated that 30% to 40% of millennials do see home ownership as a sign of success.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that will be delivered to only one realtor – you. That’s right, you get to claim your very own region of any city or town in Canada (provided that locale hasn’t been claimed already – act fast!) and then you’ll receive every lead generated for it. You’ll quickly come to see it as a good investment in the success and growth of your personal real estate corporation and you’ll enjoy how it puts you directly in touch with genuine potential home sellers or home buyers.

Vancouver Following Rest of Canada’s Lead with Sharp Rises in Insolvencies

Published February 25, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Everywhere you look these days you hear about how Canadians are carrying dangerously high levels of debt, and that many times the bulk of their dangerous debt is related to the roof over their head. Real Estate Agents will be better situated than most to know what the term ‘house poor’ means, and there’s a lot of people that are in nearly-over their heads in this way. This is particularly true in high demand, lower supply housing markets that are also popular destinations. That of course describes Toronto and Vancouver most explicitly, and to a lesser extent cities like Montreal and Calgary.

Homeowner insolvencies are increasing quite significantly all across the country, and whether they are for consumer proposals or bankruptcies it’s not only a major calamitous event for the homeowner and mortgage holder. It also send negative shockwaves through the prospective-homebuyer crowd and in the chill it can put on them is a negative factor for realtors who would either be helping them find a home or selling one to them on behalf of a client. There’s some insulating factors related to the market in Canada that take the edge off that, but it still makes the business a little more challenging.

Client prospecting can be more challenging for any number of reasons – consumer trepidation and uneasiness among them. Our online real estate lead generation service here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way to harness the power of the Internet to be more immediately put in touch with people who are genuinely considering buying or selling a home in the near future. Being in touch with them first because of the service provides you with very obvious benefits.

But back to topic, what should be read into all these insolvencies when it comes to homeowners in Canada?

A Genuine Spike in Home Forfeitures via Insolvency

Greater Vancouver is following the rest of Canada’s lead when it comes to this spike in insolvencies. We need look no further than the National Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (OSB) and their data to see households filed a lot more insolvencies in Q4 2019. It’s interesting to note that Vancouver’s growth in them is showing itself to be consistent with elsewhere in the Province. However, there’s no debate that BC is seeing a very rapid rise in the number of distressed households.

Insolvencies Vs Bankruptcies

Bankruptcy tends to be a term that everyone’s familiar with, and fears accordingly. But many, real estate agents in Canada included, may not know the difference between a bankruptcy and an insolvency. There’s two types of insolvency in Canada – consumer proposals and bankruptcy.

With a consumer proposals the individual enters into a formal agreement with creditors to repay debt, doing so at a fraction of the amount and / or over a longer repayment period. Oppositely, a bankruptcy is when the borrowers gives up their assets in return for being no longer responsible for the debt. In both cases it’s really not quite that simple, but that explanation works well enough for our purposes here. Both are administered by a licensed insolvency trustee (LIT) and it’s fair to say that every time it gets to this point the person or entity has been swimming in debt.

If the debt is less considerable then the person can hope for a consumer proposal. Of course, homes in Canada and especially in popular locales are NEVER purchased for less than a considerable amount and most buyers will have a mortgage on half of the purchaser price or more (usually much more).

So we can then see that the majority of homeowners who going into insolvency with their home buying debt are going to be facing bankruptcy. In certain situations, however, bankruptcies are a better option for the borrower.

How serious is this problem, and is it an indication of something bigger like what occurred in America some 12 years ago? The second part of that would be a speculative discussion of its own, but we will take a look at how insolvencies are jumping in numbers in Vancouver.

End of 2019 Insolvency Spike in Greater Vancouver

Greater Vancouver insolvencies did take quite the leap at the end of last year, to the tune of 1,284 insolvency filings in Q4 2019, and that was up 12.2% from the same period in 2018. 398 of those were bankruptcies, and that’s a jump of 5.6% from a year before. Consumer proposals make up the other 886 filings, up 15.5% from last year. While the GVA is seeing much faster growth than the national average, it’s still less than in Greater Toronto.

We will also add further that Canadian insolvencies are on the rise as a whole, and in fact last year there was the highest number of them since the Great Recession. We can probably safely assume that British Columbia’s rapid growth and housing crisis is prompting people to get in over their heads with the real estate market. This kind of ‘urgency’ to making a move in real estate has been seen time and time again over many decades, but it may be at its most feverish right now for people in BC, and Vancouver in particular.

As a realtor, part of your responsibility to your client is to advise them as to where making offers on properties may not be in their best interest given their established purchasing power. Of course, the client’s wishes are never overruled, but it doesn’t hurt to at least try to steer them in the right direction in this regard.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads that are delivered to you – and ONLY you – as the ONLY realtor serving your exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. Sign up, claim your region (provided it’s still available – act quickly!) and then start taking advantage of a resource that will almost certainly become a great investment and very valuable part of how your market your real estate services and build your client base.

8 Tips for Finding Your ‘Niche’ as a Real Estate Agent

Published February 18, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

 

It’s well understood that the a large number of the most successful realtors in any local market will be ones who have established themselves in a particular niche of the business. This is a very conceptual idea, and it’s not only people who are new to the real estate business who may struggle to understand exactly what’s meant by ‘finding a niche’ when looking for advice for new realtors. Even experienced and established realtors may not know what it means, or have made any efforts to define one for themselves. That’s not to suggest they’re going to be less successful as a result, but it does become a possibility.

Real Estate IS a challenging business, and if there’s one thing that can be said for certain it’s that anyone who thinks it’s an easy way to become wealthy and enjoy a well-paying career without a lot of hard work is going to be VERY mistaken. It’s extremely competitive and especially so in major urban metro areas of Canada. That’s not to discourage you, but you are going to have to REALLY buckle down and work hard – and work smart – if you’re going to enjoy the successes you envision for yourself.

Digging up clients for your business is always challenging, but especially so in the beginning. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to harness the power of web marketing to get more out of your client generation efforts and ‘hit the ground running’ more when it comes to making a name for yourself AND generating income for your efforts. It’s just as good for established realtors who want to keep a good thing going!

But back to topic here, what can you do to find your niche as a realtor? It’s not something that comes naturally to most people, so here are 8 tips that are known in the industry and we feel are excellent ones for helping you along with this. There are dozens of factors you should consider, from local market conditions to client expectations to your own hard-won knowledge.

  1. Understand your Market

Before choosing a niche, you first need to understand your local real estate market. What properties are always in demand? What demographics are seen for the most frequent buyers and sellers in the area? Do first-time buyers dominate, or is it the opposite of that? Make detailed notes of overall trends you’ve spotted in your market, and then focus your efforts accordingly.

2. Know your Strengths

What aspect of your career do you feel quite strongly is where you are most skilled? Is it negotiating, or perhaps its staging properties? Maybe you are best at marketing listings, or digging up homes in a specific region or community? Maybe your best attribute as a realtor is the overall passion you have for homes and the housing market. The right niche should merge your top skills with your top interests.

3. Weigh your Educational Credentials

It’s smart to earn clout in your niche by acquiring certifications and continuing education courses. Once you’ve narrowed down a short list of niches, research what related educational programs are available to people like you. Are there any certifications or designations you could earn to make yourself more marketable? How about courses that could improve your skill set or knowledge base? What resources might help you stay on top of trends in your niche? How accessible are they, and how realistic is that you have the time needed to utilize them?

4. Consider Competition

Specializing in luxury homes when there are already 25 agents in your area doing the exact same thing isn’t going to beneficial here. It would make finding new clients difficult, not to mention negatively impacting your commission potential. It’s good to evaluate other agents in your marketplace, and then look for gaps among them. What specialties aren’t being covered at present? Is there a potential niche that would give you more access to a share of the market without facing the competition you would if you didn’t create than niche for yourself?

5. Benefit from Thinking Outside the Box

There is no shortage of niche options in real estate, so don’t limit yourself to going with geographical areas or a certain property / home types. Be creative and really look into specialties that can distinguish you in the eyes of buyers and sellers in your area.

As far as property specializations for realtors, some you can consider are:

Luxury properties / Vacation and second homes / Green and energy-efficient homes / Urban properties / Fix-and-flip homes and distressed properties / Investment properties / Commercial properties / Rentals / Farms or ranches / Condos, penthouses, and apartments / Co-ops / Disability- or senior-friendly homes / Vacant properties

For clients, consider these different types and what you might have or have access to that would increase the value proposition of working with you as compared to other realtors:

First-time buyers/Investors / Buyers only / Sellers only / Out of town or international clients / Millennials, Baby Boomers, Gen X

For Locations:

Specific neighborhoods or subdivisions / Cities / Buildings / Blocks / Vacation spots

6. Think Beyond Financial / Income Interests

Your niche needs to be in line with your profitability, but make sure you think beyond financial considerations too. Will you enjoy pursuing it? Will you like the customers it allows you to work with? Will you feel connected to the work you’re doing (and feel that way long term)? If you’re going to establish a niche effectively, you really do have to have your heart in it

7. Utilize Past Experiences

If it’s possible to bring your past skills and work experience into the fold, then you should absolutely do that. Have a look at what you did in previous careers / means of employments and see if there’s anything your acquired there that you can then apply to your real estate business as a means of creating a niche for yourself.

8. Re-evaluate Regularly

Once you’ve chosen a niche and built it to some extent, you should then start reevaluating it regularly. Have profits climbed? Are you enjoying a strong base of clients? Do you feel you’re building a reputation in your niche? If those answers aren’t what you would like them to be then try to determine why. Keep in mind that a niche in real estate business doesn’t have to be a hard-and-fast choice. Many realtors will find that theirs evolves over time, but only does so effectively when they are constantly being equivocal and evaluating it over and over again to ensure it’s the right fit and that it still has the potential they originally identified with it.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quote of qualified and online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that will be delivered ONLY to you once you sign up and lay claim to your exclusively-served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s your region, you and only you will receive the leads, and from there the opportunity to turn leads into clients has been created for you. You’ll quickly come to see it as an excellent investment in the growth and vitality of your real estate business.

Skyrocketing Strata Insurance Rates Terrorizing Condo Owners in BC – and Elsewhere

Published February 11, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

 

Buying in and living in a multi-family housing development like a condo complex is often the smart choice for people who are of more limited financial means and don’t need to expanse – or expense – of a detached single family home. As we all know, those are in very shorty supply in the locations where most Canadians would prefer to or need to live. So many realtors in Canada will have more than a few clients who bought condos as first-time homebuyers. And we can assume the majority of them have been very happy with their new homes.

Perhaps at least until now.

Market forces have changed the dynamic of the average home buyer’s focus, and many realtors will be seeing that the bulk of their new clients are exclusively in the market for a home in one of these multi-family developments. It’s as important to be able to be perfectly receptive to the wishes of your clients, and in much the same way it’s important to be generating new clients in the first place. Here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to help take care of that part of the equation, while being able to cater to your clients’ wishes will take a lot more self-investment.

It’s worthwhile to use today’s blog to talk about an issue that is growing in leaps and bounds in as far as what it’s doing to condo owners not only in Canada, but around the world. Strata insurance rates are exploding with increases that are hard to fathom how exactly they’re possible, not to mention hard to fathom how on earth something like this is happening.

Unfortunately, the fact is that insurance companies are for-profit business ventures like any other, and there’s a very pressing and real global phenomenon that’s forcing them to react to protect their legitimate business interests.

Let’s have a look at this now

Big 3-Digit Percentage Increases for Some Strata Insurances

Yes, we’re not exaggerating when we says some condo strata are presenting their members with insurance coverage increases that are in the 3-digit percentage range. In British Columbia, insurance rates there have leapt between a believable 50 and a staggering 780 per cent. In a market like Vancouver where new homeowners who have bought condos are often stretched very thin financially paying mortgages and affording all of life around that, these increases are about as big a problem as possible.

A large number of condominium buildings across the Lower Mainland and elsewhere in B.C. have seen massive jumps in their insurance premiums and deductibles this year, and experts say high property values are a contributor, but not the primary one. Instead, it’s the growing risk of climate change-related weather events that is promoting these stratospheric increases in condo strata rates.

As mentioned briefly above, insurance companies have no choice but to increase premiums when they face increasingly large payouts. We won’t get into how the property insurance business model works, but trust us when we say that there is little to no way around how this works. When greater numbers of claims are paid out, greater influx of funds is necessary to maintain the viable business model.

Climate change isn’t any ONE particular person or group of people’s fault, and we can’t blame any one person or the insurance industry itself for the way this is. It’s important to remember this.

Owners on the Hook – For Now

These increases have left many a strata with little choice but to shift a portion of this increased burden to condo owners, who are now being put on the hook for their own personal policies and seeing bumps in strata fees.

However, the good news here is that the Insurance Brokers Association of B.C. is taking action to try and rectify this, to any extent that’s possible. The IBABC has proposed two reforms to the province’s Strata Property Act, including a $50,000 cap on upper loss assessments.

This cap is a good idea, although whether it would take the industry’s interests sufficiently into account remains to be seen. This cap would be for deductible assessment and non-insured loss assessment, and the idea would be that owners could access adequate and affordable insurance products to protect their residences from they refer to as ‘potentially unmanageable financial loss.’

The second part of what they’re proposing is a standard definition of a strata unit to see to it that the basic components of a condo — its walls, ceilings, drywall, sub-floor, basic electrical and plumbing — are covered under the strata’s insurance, and in some cases with only the deductible on a claim being the responsibility of the owner.

Finished items – carpets, countertops, plumbing fixtures, appliances and upgrades for example – would be the owner’s responsibility to maintain and insure. The belief at the IBABC is that this will promote greater stability in the strata insurance market, and in the bigger picture continue to make condos and other multi-family dwelling real estate a more realistic option for them.

Big Picture Realities

In the bigger picture, the ability of first time homebuyers to get into the market into these types of homes is a very essential part of having a healthy housing and real estate market, as there are different steps for different folks that benefit all when taken.

It’s for this reason that realtors should have a vested interest in keeping the entryways open for first time homebuyers this way, and not seeing exorbitant strata insurance rates working against that. We voice our support for the IBABC and recommendations could protect millions of strata unit owners from further risk of losing their homes and quite possibly help mitigate future insurance market cycles.

Here’s to hoping something can be done about this, because we absolutely sympathize with people who are faced with what has to be a terrible shock.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for any region of any city or town in Canada. Once you sign up with us and claim your region – provided it’s still available – then it’s yours as long as you continue your membership with Real Estate Leads and you’ll be the ONLY realtor who receives the entirety of leads generated for that region. It really is a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and we encourage you to discover that for yourself!

5 Real Estate Tech Trends that Can Add to Your Business Success

Published February 4, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

 

There’s really no aspect of modern working and career life that hasn’t been fundamentally changed by the tech revolution of the last 20 years. Real estate is certainly no exception, and real estate agents in Canada have had to be receptive to these changes if they’ve wanted to continue to have every advantage possible in furthering their business interests. Now we’re not talking about owning a smartphone or having a real estate website. That kind of stuff is completely obligatory if you’re going to be in the business and connected / visible 24/7 – which IS a must, but you won’t need to be told that. Nearly one and all who work in real estate, or have in the past are going to agree that one of the biggest and most completely false misconceptions about real estate is that it’s a way to get rich quickly if you’re willing to put in the time. Not only does pretty much NO ONE get rich quickly, but even if you put in every bit of time you have you’re not going to see much for it unless you’re being VERY smart with that available time. Technology is a part of that, and here at Real Estate leads our online real estate lead generation system is a good example of how you can invest in your success with smart technologies.

So in support of this belief that all realtors should try to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, here are 5 real estate tech trends that are perfectly simple to get on board with.

Note that we’re not going to talk about the tech itself, but rather the overarching trends that many new technologies work for. If you need to dig up specific product references, we’ll go ahead and assume you know how to use Google search!

  1. Automate Time-Consuming Tasks

Time is a precious commodity for any busy working professional, and if that doesn’t describe you as a real estate agent then you’re likely too far behind the 8-ball anyways. Successful realtors work hard, but they also work smart. It’s perfectly natural for a realtor to struggle with keeping leads organized or remembering to follow up with a potential client.

The good news here is that there are amazing real estate tech tools available now that can help you automate a good portion of your workflow and free up your time to use elsewhere. Most of these are in the form of apps that can downloaded right on your phone. If it takes you time to get used to operating them, make time for that.

Look into your own workflow and decide where you can automate certain parts of the process to free up your time to actually get more face-to-face with clients. Then research what tech tools, apps and services can help you be a smarter-working realtor with more time and resources at his or her disposal by automating tasks wherever possible.

  • Increasing Your Efficiency

A 25-hour or longer day doesn’t exist, so all realtors have the same amount of time in day, unless they choose not to sleep (which we suppose is possible, but really NOT recommended). When it comes to client leads, would a potential one be aware that the reason you didn’t call them back for 15 hours after they expressed interest was because you were going through your emails one after another while manually inputting contact information into a spreadsheet.

Nope, they wouldn’t be aware at all and they’d like quickly come to see you as not the right realtor for them. It’s true that top agents nearly always respond to leads quickly because they’re able to do sow and not bogged down and preoccupied with handful after handful of ‘clerical’ tasks. They’re able to make positive first impression on clients with speedy responses and being entirely present in person or on the phone because they’ve got that side of their business running efficiently.

  • Deliver Better Service

Some professions are fairly straightforward, but real estate isn’t one of them. There’s the sales element, the marketing element, and – last but certainly not least – the customer service element. There are many realtors that do really well with the first two parts of that equation, but much less well with the customer service end of it. In those situations you can be darn sure their business is going to suffer for it.

There are many different real estate agent apps and other technologies that can help you up your game in this area, and personalization is a game changer in the real estate industry and for marketing in general. There is plenty of tech that lets you serve your clients in a much more personal way

  • Embrace Cloud Computing for your Data

The cloud has been a real blessing no matter what business you’re in. The ability to not have to rely on your own physical storage and then also being able to access that storage much more freely is a huge benefit to realtors. Even if it’s as simple as getting your own Dropbox or Google Drive and then granting file access to clients or other realtors as needed.

Long story short is that agents need tools to get their jobs done. Having your lead generation engine, contact database, MLS, website, document management, workflow automation, email platform and more operating from the cloud (and enjoying the regular, automated file backups that come with it) will save you a lot of time as a realtor and the value of freeing up time like this is quite considerable

  • Enhanced Mobility

Most realtors would be thrilled to learn that their new leads were going to be tracked and routed through their workflow, with minimal input required from them. What about adding a note to a contact record in your CRM with just your voice and smartphone, or searching properties within your MLS and then texting them to your client.

All is possible with modern technology. Making it so that you are able to access contacts, property information and tools from wherever you are is very advantageous, and some realtors will also travel with a tablet rather than a smartphone for better ease of operation and a larger display. You can tether the tablet to your smartphone if you need to connect to the Internet and there’s no public Wi-Fi available.

Technology tends to be all pervasive when it has the potential for making work life better for people, so if you’re a realtor today all you really need to do is being 100% receptive to it and you too will almost certainly be running your business better and having more time to use efficiently as a result of it.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you – for your similarly exclusively-served region of any city or town in Canada. You will be the only realtor assigned to that area, and for as long as you remain with us you’ll be the only one to receive real estate leads for that area. Please read our testimonials to see how other realtors like you have enjoyed a real boost to their client prospecting efforts by using real estate leads.

5 Smart Gadgets Perfect for Modern Realtors

Published January 21, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

A full 20 years ago now the new 21st century was dubbed the ‘Information Age’, and in the two decades since then it’s fairly clear that the title was an appropriate one. We’ve enjoyed so much in the way of technological advances, and no matter what profession you make your living in it’s almost certain that technology advances has added much more in the way of process efficiency with whatever it is you do day in and out to be working at your best.

For a real estate agent in Canada, there’s going to be no digital device introduction across the last 20 years than the smartphone. Sure, mobile phones existed before that (as did the previously ever-so-popular BlackBerry, remember those?) they didn’t have the full-spectrum connectivity and web access that a smartphone does. I bet you wouldn’t even so much as one realtor in Canada who doesn’t make extensive use of a smartphone every day.

And after all, real estate is one profession where you’re inherently obligated to take advantage of anything and everything that lets your work more effectively and build your business in the speediest way possible. As it regards the second part of that, it’s what makes our online real estate lead generation system for realtors such an excellent choice for those who are new to the business. You’ll be harness the power of Internet marketing to be more immediately put in touch with folks who are genuinely interested in buying or selling a home in your area.

And yes, nine times out of ten you’ll probably be looking over those leads via your smartphone. But while smartphones are in every pocket, here’s a few other gadgets for realtors that might be nearly equally useful for you if you’re a real estate agent.

  1. DIGI Phantom 2 & GoPro Camera Drone

Many of you will already be aware that elevated fly-over views of listed properties are all the rage these days. It’s drones like the DIGI Phantom 2 that make these birds-eye views possible when they are equipped with a mounted Go-Pro high resolution 1080p digital action camera

This quadcopter is extremely easy to use. After you simply click the parts into each other, you can fly it almost straight from the box. The Wi-Fi connection reaches over 300 metres, and you can add to that with a Wi-Fi Range Extender if needed. It’s got stable hovering, which allows you to stop mid-air and take either photos or take a pause in the video and zoom in as needed.

The basic model isn’t cheap, but it may be a good investment, and especially so if you’re a realtor who often has large estate properties listed.

  • GoPano Micro

This is a revolutionary lens for the iPhone that lets you create 360° panoramic videos. Using it is as simple as attaching the lens to your iPhone and tapping it to make 360° videos instantly. Again, the appeal of being able to do so shouldn’t need much explanation for a realtor operating in the day of social media and extensive digital connectivity and all the expectations that come along with that from consumers.

  • Zuta Labs Pocket Printer

There’s going to be a lot to be said for being able print out photos from your phone and hand them to clients or prospective ones with absolutely no need to return home first. That’s exactly what the Zuta Labs Pocket Printer lets you do. The printer is activated by sliding a hatch at the bottom of the printer, which will reveal the inkjet. The inkjet should be able to print around 1,000 printed pages before needing to be replaced and the battery lasts for over one hour per charge.

Printing out just-snapped photos of properties and grounds instantly and with little to no fuss? That should sound good to every real estate agent.

Duracell Powermat

Put your smartphone through its paces every day and you will be like anyone else – needing to find an outlet to recharge your device so it can keep on doing what you need it to do. Pulling out charging cables, plugging them into outlets, and then snapping the other end into your device’s charging point is NOT particularly time consuming. However, all these little snippets of time do add over the course of a day, and it’s one hundred percent true that time is one of the most valuable commodities for a real estate agent.

The Powermat works exactly as you’d think it would given its name. Rather than having to go to all the fuss of cabling and connecting, with the Powermat all you do is lay your compatible-model smartphone down on the mat and it begins recharging immediately. Place it and then get back to what you were doing with almost no down time, and you can know your super-essential device is charging up.

  • InReach Satellite Communicator for Smartphones

Real Estate markets may be local, but the business of real estate is increasingly global and as such realtors may need to engage in communications that are not only out of country, but sometimes out of continent. And this is happening more and more all the time. This is what makes the InReach Smartphone Satellite Communicator such a smart choice.

InReach lets your customers reach us anywhere on the planet. And not only is it an excellent global digital communication tool, but it can also be a good choice for anytime you’re going into very rural areas of your Province. Whether that’s for work or pleasure. If you get caught without cell coverage but really need to contact someone, this device is going to come in VERY handy.

Indeed, this satellite messenger really shines with its ability to pair with your smart phone where it then becomes kind of like a back country cell phone service. You’ll be able to use your smart phone to send as well as receive messages, and the InReach also pairs with phoned impressively easily.

Know of any other smart tech gadgets that are ideal for realtors given their line or work? We’d like to hear about them, if you’re inclined to leave a comment.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively when you’re registered with us. They’re your leads, and no other realtor will be either serving your area of choice (any region of a city or town in Canada that will be yours alone with Real Estate Leads) or receiving these leads. It’s an excellent way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts big time, so you’re encouraged to sign up and begin building your real estate business that much more effectively.

The Growing Trend of Home Co-Ownership in Ontario

Published January 14, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

 

You wouldn’t need to be a real estate agent in Canada – or work in any profession related to housing for that matter – to know that ever-greater numbers of Canadians are struggling to afford housing that works for their family’s needs and / or allows them to be within a reasonable distance of their place of employment. The long and short of this is that demand far outstrips supply for housing in many parts of the country, and especially in major metro areas.

For realtors, fewer qualified buyers may be a source of frustration for homeowners with their properties on the market. But for realtors, the problem becomes one where fewer prospective buyers means fewer prospective clients. For a realtor who’s well established in the business that may not be so problematic, but for a newer realtor it will be. That’s why our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is such an excellent choice for men and women who are new to the profession.

Back to topic, however, there is a growing trend in Ontario where homebuyers are teaming up with other trustworthy homebuyers to consolidate their purchasing power and buy a home together, and the Provincial government is putting measures in place to assist with it

Ontario Conservatives’ 16-page Co-Ownership Guide

December 11 of 2019 saw this guide released, and it promotes co-ownership and co-habitation as ways to improve affordability, maximize available space available in larger houses and heritage properties, and establish a more community-oriented environment. All of his may be very admirable in its ideals, but it’s clear that the majority of people who will enter into this type of home-buying arrangement will be doing so with an eye to watching the value of the home increase before the sale of it puts both buying parties in more of a position to buy a property on their own.

This is something that realtors can – and perhaps should – discuss with their clients, but if you’re going to do so you’ll be advised to do so responsibly and also make them aware of the many challenges this type of home purchasing arrangement may present.

Home ownership is difficult as is, and co-ownership will create scenarios were – among other things – knowledge of what is a shotgun clause is (read on) going to become must-know information. We will agree that the Province’s Co-Ownership guide does have good intentions, and also fills in common knowledge gaps very well.

It defines a number of useful terms and touches briefly on what a co-ownership agreement should include, but there is no mention of conflict resolution or the severe financial pitfalls involved. And it certainly should go without saying that if a homeowner is to purchase a home this way, there is most certainly a lot of risk of their being victims of these pitfalls.

Implications for Investors

It’s also true that investors considering the co-ownership of a property must make certain their intentions and goals are aligned with the others and unlikely to change. Cash flow investors, speculators and those more interested in long-term equity are going to be inclined to view the ideal use of a property differently. Long story short, investors must agree entirely on what that property will be used for, and especially any timelines that will be attached to it.

Consider as well that unforeseen changes in attitude and situation should be taken into consideration too. Are both open to short-term rentals of the property to maximize revenue? If the market dips and one partner is better prepared to weather than period of uncertainty, what power of influence does the other buyer have in suggesting the sale of the property?

The Shotgun Clause

A shotgun clause is a legal statue where the co-owner of he property has the opportunity to either exit the agreement or consolidate ownership. They are able to do this by setting a price for their share of the property. If the other owner is unable or unwilling to meet the suggested price, the clause then allows the co-purchaser to purchase the disputed share at an originally-set price.

A worst-case scenario would be one where one of the co-owners is facing financial stress and has little cash in hand, and this allows the other owner to take advantage by setting a low price for the distressed co-owner’s 50% share of the property. They would do so knowing full well that the other buyer won’t be able to mee that price and then their share will then be available for a very low price.

Interestingly, there’s no mention of a shotgun clause anywhere in Ontario’s new Co-Ownership Guide. There should be, and if you’re a realtor counselling clients then this is something that you must make them aware of, and make them VERY aware of.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively for your own privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s your region exclusively, and their your exclusive leads for it. You’ll be the only realtor to receive these leads, and that means you’ll be the only one with advanced notice for getting in touch with people who are genuinely considering buying or selling a home in that part of your Province. You’ll almost certainly come to see it as money well spent for building your real estate business.

6 Effective Approaches to Cultivating a Mindset of Abundance as an Agent

Published January 7, 2020 by Real Estate Leads

Seeing as how it’s a brand new year – and a brand new decade too – we thought it would be best to start our entries for 2020 with one that’s all about the philosophies behind being successful as a real estate agent. Which is, of course, what all of you are aiming to do! No matter what profession you’re in, however, there is always so much to be gained by taking these philosophical approaches and letting them guide you in making the decisions you’ll make in the interest of furthering yourself.

All of this will come before specific interests, and that’s as it should be. Generating clientele is going to be a primary consideration, and that’s a challenge for all new realtors and more than a few established ones as well. To that end, here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to give you more power to be put in touch with individuals or couples who are genuinely looking to sell or buy a home.

To today’s subject though, it’s true that as a real estate professional, it’s most beneficial to have an overarching approach to your career from a mindset of abundance. This will help you to create a new, innovative approaches to success, and it will also help you maintain a positive, enthusiastic attitude to your business that resonates very effectively with prospective buyers and sellers who will be deciding on a realtor to work with.

Here are our 6 effective approaches to establishing a mindset of abundance for a realtor.

1. Have Appreciative Conversations

When a realtor is having conversations with friends and family, it’s good to try to focus on the multitude of things that you are fortunate to have in life. Staying optimistic and engaging others in discussing the positive things in their lives as well creates a real atmosphere of positivity and appreciation for the goodness in one’s life. Discuss the big goals they’re working on, and share your big long-term goals with them too.

2. Organize Your Life and Workspace

It’s entirely true that having a clean home and office environment helps us to relax and focus our minds. Further, going through all of your ‘things’ while you’re organizing is a very good means of giving yourself an effective reminder of all you have in life. Plus, being organized will help you take all the benefits you’ve gained and use them to your best advantage, rather than focusing on new ones you haven’t yet acquired that may lead you to get ahead of yourself in evaluating your career and what you can do to advance it best.

3. Reduce Media Consumption

As tough as it may be, it is hugely beneficial to limit your exposure to the ‘doom and gloom’ that is favoured by major media outlets in North America. Why is it like that? Well, negative stories tend to captivate viewers and thus dominate airtime. The reality, however, is that this adds an incredible amount of drama and negativity to the media.

Without going into additional unnecessary detail, it’s best to avoid adding negativity to your life by consuming media. No one’s going to suggest that you quit watching the news entirely, but try to reduce the time you spend on it to the minimum required to stay current with today’s events and you may find it does wonders for fostering a positive outlook for yourself – and one that will manifest itself in your business and professional demeanour quite readily if you give it time to do so.

4. Share What You Have with Others

So much to be said for sharing time, knowledge, money and possessions with other people in your life, and allowing this to improve your own character and outward persona as a result of doing so. It will help you to feel good when you help others, and when you share with others you’ll find that they’re more willing to return that gift with positivity they can share with you. It’s very empowering, and business people who practice this in their life both at work and away from it tend to be more successful than their counterparts who don’t engage in the same time of generosity.

5. Try to Establish “Win-Win” Situations

It’s possible to bust out of the “win-lose” mentality of scarcity by working to create situations where everyone is a winner. This is especially important in real estate negotiations. Rather than trying to hold out on one particular requirement in the deal, make the effort to find flexibility in the detail. This will put you in a better position to compromise and still be able to be satisfied with what you’ve achieved for both yourself and your client.

The goal should be to move from a competitive approach of ‘me vs you’ to a more collaborative partnership where everyone understands that deals happen most frequently when the interested parties understand it’s a give and take arrangement 99% of the time. When that happens, everybody is a winner.

6. Look for Positives in Losses

All of us – realtor or otherwise – go through periods of success and failure in life — and being accepting of loss isn’t something that comes naturally to humans. Working through financial or personal loss can be difficult, but try not to let it change your mindset to one where you’re focusing and concerning yourself with scarcity rather than focusing on creating abundance – despite these challenges. A balanced perspective is a smarter choice. It might not offset the negatives you’re experiencing, but it’ll help you get through the difficult times and keep your mindset of abundance.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for your own protected region of any city or town in Canada. Act fast and claim your region before any other realtor does and you will be the only realtor receiving those leads for as long as you stay with us here at Real Estate Leads. It’s a proven-effective and fast-acting way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and build your client base much more quickly.

Better Forecast Prediction for Canadian Real Estate in 2020

Published December 31, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

 

There’s just a day left in the year 2019 and it seems like every year at this time people of all different professional stripes – real estate agents in Canada included – find themselves saying something along the lines of it seems like it was January 1 just a few months ago. They say time flies by even faster as you get older, and considering that’s something we’re all doing we imagine that many of you are equally surprised that 2020 is just around the corner. The real estate market in Canada is just like any other one in the world in that it can and will continue to fluctuate. There’s been portions of this past year where the market has cooled off quite considerably. While a ‘flat’ housing market is going to be preferable to one that’s in decline, what they do is they put a chill on the market as homeowners who would list their home otherwise decide to postpone until it’s more likely they’ll get a better price for theirs.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we’re happy to make our advantage available to real estate agents who may find the lack of homes going onto the market to be a real risk to the viability of their career choice. Our online real estate lead generation service for Canada is one of the best tips for new real estate agents as it puts the power of Internet marketing to work in generating real client prospects based on their responses to voluntary surveys online.

There’s more to it than that, but all most realtors will need to know is that it works – and it does!

But back to our topic here, as one year comes to a close and the next is set to begin it’s logical to take a look forward at what industry experts forecast for the year to come. After a disappointing 2018, when housing prices and sales dropped overall, 2019 was something of a resilient year for the Canadian housing market. Sales numbers did stabilize and resume an upward climb, but the strength of prices often weren’t what interested parties had hoped they would be.

2020 Recovery Predicted

Overall, it seems the news looks to be good. A review of the forecasts by leading real estate experts in Canada is pointing to a recovery in 2020. The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has an approximate number of 530,000 for the volume of national home sales it expects to see for 2020. If realized, that will be an 8.9% increase over the total expected for 2019. The CREA is also predicting that the national average price will reach $531,000 in 2020, and that’s a 6.2% increase there.

It’s always best go garner a few educated opinions, however. Royal LePage is predicting a 3.2% year-over-year increase in housing prices next year. RE/MAX has their own prediction, a little more optimistic one that foresees a 3.7% increase. Though their benchmark prices are different from CREA, they share a belief that the market is moving in the same direction.

Economists tend to have a fairly accurate take on these matters as well, and a poll of 18 of them is seeing foreseeable gains too. This group is predicting that Canadian housing prices will rise by 3% in 2020, and 2.9% in 2021.

Increasing Immigration will Continue to Bolster Housing Demand

Continued strong immigration numbers are going to factor into the dynamics of the housing market in Canada in a big way, with these numbers most notably maintain a sustained demand for housing in Canada’s most populous housing markets. An October 2019 Royal LePage survey believes that newcomers to Canada are expected to purchase one in every five homes on the market over the next five years.

Concurrently, the CREA is also making the very relevant note that the Bank of Canada is unlikely to raise interest rates in 2020. Staying pat with this will drive demand for mortgage financing from prospective homebuyers. If there’s one clear-cut positive to take from all of these forecasts, this is it.

It’s true that most market watchers are optimistic about housing, but causes for concern are definitely visible too. Look no further that not everyone expects a three-plus % jump in prices. Many industry and economic insiders are saying something more around 1 percent is a lot more realistic.

One more concern is that listings are not keeping pace with sales. When sales are increasing, then a matching increase in new listings is necessary to restrict inflationary pressures. The fact of the matter is there’s nothing to indicate that will occur to the extent it needs to over the coming year.

Adding growth in mortgage credit to this tightened supply looks like it will be a very pivotal factor. It’s well understood that a drop in mortgage rates has boosted the markets artificially over recent years. Strong underlying demand, tight supply and low-interest rates are the same ingredients that were present in some housing markets three years ago, and that’s exactly what we have here again.

Mortgage Stress Tests Continue to Factor In

The regulatory measure that’s been the single biggest factor in addressing housing price inflation is the stress test, which was expanded in January 2018 to encompass uninsured mortgages and made it necessary for borrowers to qualify at a higher rate than the negotiated rate, with the idea being it would insulate the lender against potential delinquencies should future rate hikes occur.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is having finance minister Bill Morneau review mortgage stress test regulations and potentially make them more dynamic, but how and if / when that will actually happen remains to be seen. Taking regional considerations into account when making any such a sort of review / amendment process is something that has to happen.

Relatively Positive Outlook

All in all, a vibrant labour market along with a vigorous demand for housing and low interest rates look to be capable of creating an environment that will be favourable for housing in 2020. The FTHBIA (First Time Home Buyer’s Income Assistance) initiative to help new homebuyers with shared equity mortgages and a possible review of the stress test are also positive signs.

That’s it for now, and we wish you all a Happy New Year.

6 Trends Expected to be Seen in Canadian Real Estate for 2020

Published December 24, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

As 2019 draws towards a close, one reality is as much one today as it was at this time this year, the end of 2018 – being a real estate agent in Canada is a challenging career, and one where wild changes in both market dynamics and the nature of the industry make this career choice one that’s more ideally suited for people who are resilient and versatile in the way they run a personal real estate corporation.

One challenge that may become easier over time – but still one for even the most experienced realtors – is generating clients in an environment where fewer and fewer people will qualify as prospective homebuyers, and particularly for detached single-family homes. Which, of course, is where a realtor will make the largest commissions on their services.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our paid online real estate lead generation service is an excellent resource for new realtors to be more directly put in touch with real people who are likely to make a move in the real estate market sometime soon. It’s a great means to get a leg up on the competition (and there’s a LOT of competition) and be put in touch with these people before your competitors have a chance to do the same thing.

Today we’re going to talk about 6 trends that are part of the forecast for real estate in Canada for 2020. While it’s true that success in real estate doesn’t require an ability to predict the future, having an idea where the market is heading is very helpful for making smart and prudent decisions.

The following trends paint a picture of a rapidly changing real estate environment where client realties, expectations, and what’s required of you as a realtor within all that is going to be changed quite significantly.

1. Co-Living

Property managers have discovered that they can exploit the sharing economy to drive rents for properties that were otherwise either vacant or failing to achieve the rent appreciation they needed to remain profitable. Many residential landlords are now considering using rental properties in the same way.

Nowadays, the majority of young city dwellers expect to have roommates anyways. If property owners and / or managers are able to provide this new generation of renters with what they’re looking for – furnished apartments, bigger shared spaces, quality Wi-Fi, and the company of people who are agreeable – landlords can then charge premium per-room rents.

This is increasingly the way young people are viewing the idea of living arrangements in areas of the country where overheated housing markets are making the old way of thinking about housing increasingly impractical. The idea here is that it builds community, plus it gives landlords a boost on rents that were going the wrong way for them. Last but not least, it gives people who rent the upside of having a much nicer and better quality place than they could ever afford on their own.

2. Climate Change Impacting New Builds Sales

There’s no debating the fact that changing environmental standards are now forcing developers to rethink and re-approach how they build their properties. We can know that the cost of doing so will only increase over the short-term, and quite likely increase substantially.

New regulations applied to receiving building permits is putting a lot of pressure on new development and new construction. This is increasing build costs in a big way, but houses have to built in ways that are receptive to the new realities and structural challenges that are being posed by climate change.

Higher prices for new product could put a damper on sales of pre-construction properties, but the built-in appreciation associated with such assets should still ensure that an investor will have paid far less than the going rate once delivery is made.

3. New Builds, Old News

The increasing cost of new product and the built-out status of many urban communities has made it so that developers must move further and further away from city centres. Buyers still desire new product with homes, but the longer and longer distances being placed between where they work and where they can afford to buy is creating a very unappealing situation. The industry expert prediction is that buyers will see less value in new builds if it is going to me an being locked into an exurb lifestyle that’s hours from where they would ideally live.

Anyone in the GTA or GVA will certainly know that people’s flight for affordability is pushing them as far as humanly possible from the city, and primarily because there’s nowhere else to build.

However, in Ontario and British Columbia – two provinces with surging populations – it’s safe to assume that there will always be folks willing to drive two-plus hours to work if it means they can get into the property market.

In Atlantic Canada it’s entirely different. There is still plenty of room to build within minutes of most cities in the easternmost parts of Canada.

4. Condos for Families

It’s fairly standard for investors to assume that a townhouse is the smallest property a family will be interested in renting. Not so, and especially for new arrivals from overseas who are perfectly okay with condos and seem them as a smarter affordable alternative to single-family properties.

These newcomers don’t have the same views as long-time Canadians about what a home’s supposed to be. For many of them, they didn’t come from having a lot of space, so 800 square feet or so is just fine for them and their children. And paying less rent is a big plus too.

Developers should put a lot of their investment into 2-bedroom condos near major metro areas, where the work is.

5. Prices on the Rise

We don’t have good news for those hoping for a slowdown in the price increases affecting major markets like Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria. It’s just not going to happen; increased demand will keep pushing home prices higher. While there was a ‘flatness’ seen with prices in Vancouver and Toronto over the first half of 2019, that was really just a blip. Both homebuyers and investors looking for value will have to set their sights on less densely populated metro areas.

Industry reviewers also predicts noticeable price increases in Edmonton and Calgary. Based on recent government cuts and the downturn factors that are still battering the province’s oil sector, however, it’s not going to be a particularly marked increase in all likelihood.

6. Real Estate Agents Less of a Necessity

This part is not going to sound very good for anyone considering becoming a real estate agent in Canada. Technological advances and the increased desire of individuals to DIY (do it yourself) everything they can in the interest of saving a buck are really making huge dents in the viability of the industry for people like realtors.

Successful realtors will always know of ways to be successful in real estate, and they’ll always be around. But being one of them is going to be much more challenging in 2020 and beyond.

With buyers growing more confident in the data they have access to, paying a realtor to provide identical or very similar information will no longer be something they have to do – and especially so for new investors who may have never dealt with an agent before.

Self-acting buyers or sellers can learn more, do more, and understand more much more extensively than they could have 10 or 20 years ago. Back then you had to rely on a real estate agent for that. Nowadays, if the person is tech and industry savvy they may feel they don’t need a realtor working for them.

This is an ‘it is what it is’ type of scenario, but it’s not to say that you can’t be successful as a new realtor.

Getting off on the right foot in real estate is really important, and nothing does that better than building your client base and having clients buy or sell homes. Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for your own protected region of any city or town in Canada. You will be the only realtor serving that are via Real Estate Leads, and you’ll be the only realtor who receives our leads for as long as you continue to stay registered with us.

We’d like to conclude here by wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas, and extend those wishes to your families and friends too. We hope you enjoy the entirety of the Holiday Season!

8 Safety Tips for Female Real Estate Agents

Published December 17, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Safety is something that should be promoted by anyone and everyone working in an industry, in the interest of keeping every fellow worker type safe so that they can return home to their family every night. It is an unfortunate reality that women are often more at risk than men when it comes to workplace safety concerns, and in real estate this risk is magnified due to the fact that realtors are often meeting prospective clients or interested homebuyers on their own.

The Lindsay Buziak story that occurred in Victoria, BC in 2008 is a very sad and unfortunate one, and one cannot help but feel terrible for her family while at the same time hoping that her killer is eventually made to face justice. She was showing a property to an interested buyer on her own, and unfortunately she was found dead in the home afterwards.

Now while of course instances like this are rare, it’s essential to be as best prepared as possible to keep yourself safe if you’re a female real estate agent. Real estate is a tough business to begin with, and you’ll have enough on your plate without having to worry about your safety. First and foremost with that toughness for new realtors is prospecting client leads, but here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system for Canada is an excellent way to put the power of the Internet to work for you.

Back on topic though, what we’re going to do today is share some tips for real estate agent safety that are all very doable and may go a long way to prevent you from finding yourself in a bad situation.

Here’s our 8 tips for realtor safety

  • Trust Your Instincts

This one gets the top spot on the list because it’s nearly always true no matter what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, or where you’re doing it. If a particular situation doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. If you feel that way, trust your instincts and remove yourself from the situation without any delay.

  • ‘Talk time’ for Better Security

Increasing or stretching out talk time with a prospect increased the likelihood of you uncovering something that can be a red flag, a cause for concern. When you talk longer with a prospect on the phone, you acquire more information about that person. You can secure information that will lead you to look into them before you agree to meet with them in person as a client.

  • Create Your First Appointment Strategy

The best strategy for any client for whom you have a ‘something’s not right’ feeling is to convince them of the value of an in-office appointment. An in-office appointment during normal business hours creates safety because of the number of people will be present in the office alongside you. If they wont’ agree to come to the office, then suggest meeting at a neutral public location. A Starbucks or other coffee shop is a good choice as it’s a very common suggestion (my wife and I met our realtor for the first time in a coffee shop). It’s public, and if it doesn’t feel right, you can get yourself out of that situation by comfortable or uncomfortable means if necessary.

Tips When Meeting Prospective Clients in a Home

If you find that you must meet the client in a home, this of course changes the whole dynamic of the to-be situation. There are a few steps you should take before you meet someone for the first time at a home. For starters, if you feel suspicious about doing so based on your instincts, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with showing up with someone with you. If you need to falsify the nature of that person and how they relate to being present, that’s fine. A white lie, if you will.

This other someone could be another agent, your boyfriend or spouse, or a friend who comes with you to the showing. Do not bring children, or even youths that may not be able to intervene sufficiently should something go wrong and you’re in danger.

If it’s to show prospective buyers a home, then arranging for the listing agent to meet you at the property is a smart choice. Safety in numbers. Having the seller homeowner there is a good choice if you’re the listing agent

  • Trail Behind When Showing the Home

When showing a home, it’s wise to have the prospective buyer walk in front of you. This keeps them fully visible and in front of you, and allows you reaction time if they need it. You will have time to react, rather than being caught by surprise. It’s true that some female realtors keep a small mace spray decanter on their keychain, and used with this ‘distance’ approach it will give you time to use it if you need to.

  • Inform Others and Check In

When showing a property to a possible buyer you’ve never met previously, inform your office, any ‘buddy’ agent you may have, and family members. Next, set a time to check back with them. Clear advance communication improves safety. Plus, giving any information on the buyer is never a bad idea if you have even the slightest inkling something’s not right with them.

  • Have Your Own Distress Code for Safety

Our next suggestion is to create a voice or text distress code to alert others to your need for help right away. Some offices established a predetermined phrase like ‘can you put me through to Jordan Whalen, I need to talk to him about #### Alphabet Street. This will then alert the office or other agent to call 911 and have police on their way to your location – #### Alphabet Street – without delay.

  • Take a Self-Defense Class

Being able to defend yourself or break free from an assailant’s grasp could save your life. Self-defense classes are offered by community colleges, the YMCA or YWCA, health clubs, and martial-arts studios. If you’re in relatively good shape and sufficiently nimble then this might be a good idea for you. Many women are amazed at what they’re capable of in this regard!

  • Arrive Early and Plan for your Exit

Arriving before the buyer you are showing the home to is always a good idea too. This allows ample time to evaluate and observe the neighborhood. If any part of it seems sketchy, out of place, or out of the ordinary, you have the ability to focus on this and make those determinations. Is there anyone loitering around the home or property? Is it unusually quiet? Is there anyone who shouldn’t be there, or their presence is unexpected? If so, go through your exit strategy and have one in case you need it. Walk through the home to determine the floor plan and the flow. Evaluate each room to see what’s the best ‘escape’ route. You want to have options in case one route is blocked. If you can, unlock all doors and deadbolts so nothing obstructs from exiting the home or building quickly.

The last part of this is to have a go-to excuse ready to be used at any time you feel you need to remove yourself from any type of concerning situation. A popular one is something along the lines of a family emergency, and you need to leave right away to see to it.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you as the only realtor registered with us to serve a specific region of any city or town in Canada. If you act now, you can claim yours and then be the ONLY realtor serving that region and receiving those leads. It’s almost certain that you’ll quickly come to see it as money well spent as you are put more directly in touch with people who are genuinely considering making a move in the real estate market.

Insolvencies Increasing Among Vancouver Homeowners as 2019 Winds Down

Published December 10, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Amidst the recent news last week that Vancouver City Council is planning to approve an 8.2% property tax hike in Vancouver, it seems that the extraordinary cost of living in Canada’s West Coast big city is pushing some mortgage holders to the breaking point. Vancouver and Toronto have always been pricey places for both real estate and everything day to day, but it’s a troubling trend to see these increasing numbers of insolvency. Along with the never-ending suggestion that it’s the beginning of the ‘bubble burst’ that so many are hoping for.

As it relates to the real estate industry, there’s usually a ‘chill’ seen overall in response to conditions where prospective home buyers see that so many of their predecessors hasn’t been able to manage their mortgaging of the home. Clearly we know that many homebuyers in both cities got in over their heads in the mad rush to buy property around 2010 or so, and it may be that many of these same individuals are now the ones defaulting. So while the chill may occur, there’s enough demand for real estate in Vancouver that properties that come onto the market will still be snapped up at asking price or higher.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation service is an excellent resource to improve client lead generation for realtors. In particular if you’re new to the business, it’s a great way to get a leg up on your competitors and be put more directly in touch with potential home sellers or buyers who will want the assistance of a real estate professional. Once you establish yourself, lead generation in real estate will become more natural for you, but at this time anything you can do to have audiences with these people is going to be huge.

This current dynamic in the Vancouver housing market does create both advantages and disadvantages for realtors, but again, in general, this particular unfortunate reality should be something anyone in the real estate business and beyond might want to take note of.

Record Number for Q3 of Year to Date

The office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada (OSB) filings is relating that more people than ever before are becoming insolvent, and the numbers for the Q3 of 2019 are a record. Greater Vancouver has experienced growth for insolvencies over the past year, but this new quarter result shows it’s a trend that’s picking up momentum.

Insolvencies Vs. Bankruptcies

Insolvencies can be one of two varieties – consumer proposals and bankruptcy. Both need a licensed insolvency trustee (LIT) to file for the client. Consumer proposals allow borrowers to pay a % of the debt owed and in exchange the lender has the balance owing discharged. In bankruptcy, the borrower assigns the majority of their assets to an LIT. The appeal of this is that some of your unsecured debt is discharged. All bankruptcies are insolvencies, but not all insolvencies are bankruptcies. The most important part of either is that both mean lender losses, and a very undesirable stain on the borrower’s credit.

Greater Vancouver Insolvencies Rise Over 25% In Q3

Greater Vancouver insolvencies are almost shooting up over the latest quarter. There were 1,393 insolvency filings made in Q3 2019, a jump of 25.27% from the same quarter last year. Oppositely, BC saw a total of 2,926 filings in Q3 2019, a 21.87% jump compared to the same quarter in 2018. The truth of it is Greater Vancouver’s insolvency growth is hogging more of the debt failure.

If one looks at the number of insolvency filings made in the 12 months before Q3 end 2019 between Greater Vancouver and British Columbia, you’ll see that Vancouver is making really gains on taking the entirety of insolvencies in BC as a whole.

Shockingly, they’re up 17% over just the past year!

Greater Vancouver insolvencies have been rising over the past year, but never this quickly. 5,021 insolvency filings over the past 12-months ending in Q3 2019 is a majorly large number, up 9.06% compared to this same time in 2018. To put this in contrast, BC has seen 10,935 filings in the same window, and that is a 9.53% increase compared to Q3 end 2018.

While Vancouver-area insolvencies may have been growing a little slower than the general BC rate over many years now, we’re now seeing it really start to pick up steam in contrast to the year in its entirety.

Greater Vancouver insolvencies are rising, but it’s true they are all across the country too. The growth in the number of filings has been slower than it generally has been for BC. This is very likely to change soon. This recent spike in insolvencies in Greater Vancouver is both occurring much faster than before and it’s leaving the provincial growth rate in the dust if this continues.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are provided to you – and only you. Only one realtor will receive leads for a specific region of any city or town in Canada, so if that’ you then you’ll be receiving those leads exclusively. Sound good? Get on board with real estate leads today and start benefitting from our lead generation system for realtors.

 

3 Effective Ways for Realtors to Triple Lead Conversions

Published December 3, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Every once in a while we take on a subject with our weekly blog that lines up perfectly with what we’re all about here, and this just so happens to be one of those weeks. A real estate agent – no matter which market they’re working in and how long they’ve been in business – will live and die by his or her ability to generate leads and then turn those leads into clients. As is the case with nearly everything, practice is what makes perfect, but anything you can do to gain valuable insight into best practices is going to be welcome.

And so that’s what we have here today. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for new realtors to get a leg up on their newbie competition when it comes to having shortcuts to being put in touch with home buyers and sellers. However, while leads are absolutely invaluable, it’s what you do with them that makes the difference between whether or not there’s a commission in it for you.

Converting leads is what it’s all about, and there’s specific steps you can take to increase the likelihood of that happening. And so let’s get to them!

Long and Short: Optimizing Marketing Efforts

Whether you’re marketing for tenants, off-market deals, attendees for your events or a webinar, optimizing your marketing efforts needs to be front and centre all the time. One of the best ways to do this is by increasing your conversions and reducing per-lead costs. Marketing automation makes it possible for you to put your crucial digital marketing tasks on autopilot, but maximizing your conversions all the while.

There are three specific areas that are critical to hitting your goals. Introducing these three components into a marketing strategy properly can actually triple conversions. Driving traffic from online marketing (and especially via social media these days) is arguably the most potent way of approaching this. Effective and successful realtors these days are using their social media channels as sales funnels.

Once the customer navigates through the funnel and completes the ‘goal’ (registering their contact info with you based on their interest in your advertised content) then you move that volunteered info to your database or CRM. Then you’ll begin email communications to keep the line of communication open with them and nurture the transaction.

Here’s the 3 ways this entire process can be optimized

1. Smart Sales Page / Funnel

When building your funnel and putting it in place, create a dedicated set of pages away from your website. The branding can be the same, but website menus and other information shouldn’t be included in your funnel, and here’s why:

  • Fewer distractions. The primary reason a product (in this case a home) doesn’t sell is because people don’t know about the product or understand its value. Creating a dedicated set of pages without distracting menus or other offers lets you pass along the specific offer and its value much more clearly and succinctly.
  • Ease of use. A well-designed funnel makes it so that the product is easier to purchase, and making this the case isn’t difficult at all. The forms should be clean, and the information should persist from one page to the next. A dedicated funnel – but one that exists separate from your website – benefits both your clients and your business.

Yes, the initial setup will require some effort and creativity on your part, but once your sales pages are in place, you’ll find you’re now articulating your offerings and value in a more distraction-free environment, and it’s proven that this way is much more conducive to converting leads.

2. Integration

This is where automation starts to make its presence felt. With you now converting leads more regularly by tailoring your funnel to meeting customer goals, the next step is to create a central repository for future communication and follow-up.

The role integration takes here is capturing the information entered by your customer, and then storing it in a central location. In more complex systems, there will be many points of entry into the central database or CRM. When the system is more complex, it then becomes more important to build and establish a central database where all information is stored.

Zapier is a really good application here, as using it makes the integration process becomes simpler because it can be automated without the need to hire a programmer. Setup is quick and easy, and once it’s completed, you won’t have to spend time ensuring your customers are entered into your system each and every time you receive an RSVP.

Plus, the CRM also functions as a platform to facilitate future communication beyond this initial goal. If you can make a client a repeat clients, that is of course preferable. Typically, if a customer can see value in hearing from you again and potentially purchasing more at some point in the future, you stand to further your business interests even more. For a business to understand the value of its clients – and maximize it – having a central repository is essential.

3. Nurture and Follow-up

Now that each customer’s information is filed in your CRM, you’re able to automate your communications with them much more easily. This ‘nurturing’ process will serve 2 goals. First, it provides communication and follow-up (such as a confirmation email with the event date, address, etc.) for the transaction or goal that your customer has established for you based on their responses and submitted info.

Next, it will more effectively promote communication around events you’re arranging to facilitate the sale of the home. As the event date nears, make sure your prospective clients hear from you a minimum of three times. Each message will cover three unique benefits of the event they’ve signed up for and a reminder of the event’s scheduled time and location. Yes, open houses are the most common of these events we’re discussing.

From here you follow what is something of a nurturing ‘sequence’:

Being Interesting – boring messages are the worst and MUCH more likely to be discarded before theyr’e read through in their entirety. Speak casually, add humour if possible, and be sure to find intriguing details relevant to your product and then tie them into your messages.

Be Frequent..Enough – Whether it’s a webinar or an event, the principles of following up stay the same: Once the customer has indicated that they find value in your offering, you need to stay entirely in touch. It’s the best way to ensure you’re delivering value.

Be Personal – No matter what communication form you’re working in, be sure to talk to the customer like you’re having a face-to-face conversation with them. People don’t want to hear a formal message to a large group. They want to hear from you, and they will appreciate being spoken to directly.

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By adding a marketing automation strategy of this type, it’s very likely you can triple your conversions. That should work out to your marketing ROI being increased significantly – and that should sound plenty appealing to you as a new realtor.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you EXCLUSIVELY. No other realtor will receive those same leads once you’re registered with us. And what’s more, you’ll also be the ONLY realtor receiving those leads for your exclusively-served region of any city or town in Canada. We’re confident in assuming you’ll quickly join the numbers of 100% satisfied realtors who know that this is an excellent investment in the success of your real estate business.

Record 2018 Population Growth Factoring into Housing Supply in Canada in a Huge Way

Published November 26, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Anyone and everyone – real estate agents in Canada included – would have had to have been living under a rock to not be aware of how there’s a very real housing shortage in major locales in Canada. There’s a whole host of factors that are playing into it, and it’s equally true to say that simply building more housing stock isn’t going to be a be-all, end-all solution.

The simple reality to observe in regard to that is that supply and demand principles are as wholly absolute and inflexible as they’ve ever been. The demand for housing in Canada FAR outstrips the supply, and so much so in fact that any type of realistic goal for new housing starts in the country still isn’t going to shift the supply / demand equation much if at all.

It’s entirely true that Canada needs immigrants in order to maintain it’s economy and the quality of life enjoyed by Canadians. Immigration has enriched this country greatly over hundreds of years, and it will continue to do so as industrious new Canadians work to make the whole of our country better in the same way those that came before them did.

Immigration on such a large scale as what’s been seen in Canada IS, however, contributing to housing shortages in a very real way. This affects nearly everyone, and for realtors it’s in fewer properties and fewer qualified buyers for higher home prices being the reality. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system in Canada is an excellent way for new realtors to get a leg up on their competitors in what is an increasingly VERY competitive space.

But back to topic – what is to be made of the effects of large-scale immigration on the housing ‘crisis’ that is particularly acute in Toronto and Vancouver.

More than Half a Million New Canadians for 2018

Canada’s population grew by 531,000 from August 2018 to July 2019, and Stats Canada says that’s the largest 12-month increase in the country’s history. This explosive growth is having an enormous impact on the housing market. Nearly 60% of the inflow made its way to Ontario and British Columbia, and not surprisingly it is work opportunities and quality of life that are leading these people to Vancouver and Toronto most notably.

Then when you add in shifting demographics and increasing rents and housing prices, the affordability crisis in Toronto and Vancouver becomes even more real and shortfalls with housing stock in BC and Ontario’s major metropolises could continue for the foreseeable future.

Rental Housing a Pressing Need

A recent economics report issued by the Royal Bank states that the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA) will need approximately 9,100 more vacant units to reach a ‘healthy’ vacancy level of 3% or so. It then stated further that the Toronto CMA needs 22,000 new rental apartments and rented condominium apartments per year to satisfy what is the expected demand for housing in Toronto between 2019 and 2023.

The belief is that even if 70% of all new condos are rented, and 4,000 new purpose-built rental apartments are created for the GTA every year, that mark would still be missed. This really highlights the challenge between meeting what’s needed with what is realistically possible.

Failing to do that will mean that rents will continue to rise, and the expectation is that this is unavoidable even though purpose-built rental apartment construction is on the rise and 2021 is expected to be a big year for condo completions in the Greater Toronto Area.

Vancouver Harder to Forecast

The same report indicated that Vancouver needs 3,800 more available units to reach a 3% vacancy rate, along with 9,400 new rental apartments and rented condo apartments per year if forecasted demand between 2019 and 2023 is to be met.

Industry expectations are that 11,000 to 13,000 condo units and about 5,000 rental units are coming to the Vancouver CMA, if housing start data from the CHMC is seen as accurate.

What this could mean then is up to 14,000 new rented apartment units per year, far which would exceed the 9,400 units demanded and potentially taking up the entirety of the 3,800 units of undersupply that would be needed to raise the vacancy rate to the aimed 3%.

The city could then experience flat or declining rent levels. The workings of this are fairly straightforward too – As supply increases, rents decline and greater numbers of people can be housed in Vancouver. Despite this potential success, Vancouver needs much more rental supply and any degree of underbuilding will mean Vancouver rental rates would instead continue to rise.

Rental Availability & Affordability

Montreal is an interesting case study in contrast to those of Vancouver and Toronto. Montreal builds plenty of rental homes and that large supply makes rents more affordable. In Quebec, renting is a more normal lifestyle choice and it’s not stigmatized like the way it is more so in Vancouver and Toronto.

In the Atlantic provinces there really isn’t much of a crisis at all, and the economic slump in Alberta has kept rents from growing too large in Edmonton and Calgary. In Saskatchewan rents are actually declining.

One last consideration is that many baby boomers are now in their 60s and 70s and will soon have different housing wants and needs. Many will soon be downsizing and some will be choosing retirement homes. This is going to have a massive impact on the market, both for homes being sold and new homes that will be bought.

The current trend where so many older people are staying in their homes and not freeing up as many homes for younger people to buy is also playing a significant role in housing shortages in big and popular cities. Essentially it’s causing a jam at the bottom of the market, and what that does is promote high rent levels and high prices for condo apartments and rented condo apartments.

The purpose-built rental market is expected to continue to grow in Canada, as institutional capital and real estate investment trusts become more involved with the sector and aim to intensify existing properties.

How well this all works out, however, really remains to be seen and it has to be a cause for concern for those who foresee difficulty in finding housing that works for them in the cities where they have their lives and careers. It also promises to be very pivotal for those who’s livelihood is tied to a healthy and robust housing and real estate market.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads that are delivered to you exclusively while you serve as the only realtor receiving them for your own private region of any city or town in Canada. What this service can do for your client prospecting efforts goes without saying, and there’s no shortage of realtors from coast to coast who are very pleased with their decision to get on board with this and grow their real estate business as effectively as possible.

Text Message Communication: 5 Tips for Realtors

Published November 19, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Smartphones have certainly revolutionized the lives of pretty much all of us, and there was no avoiding the way they were going to spin the business world too. One of the more ordinary but profound differences they’ve introduced for us all is that nowadays it’s often considered poor form to actually call someone, and instead it’s best to send a text message. The reason for this is not too difficult to understand; it gives the recipient the freedom to receive your communication and respond to it on a timeline that works for them, rather than having that decided arbitrarily for them when the phone rings.

Real estate is no exception in this regard, and once you’re in possession of a client’s phone number it’s good advice to be very judicious about how you contact them. As is the case all across the board these days, sending a text message is a better choice than calling nine times out of 10. You likely won’t be stepping on toes if you do call, but surely we can agree that client prospecting isn’t easy and when you do manage to make one you will do everything to keep their provider / client relationship at its best.

Which is what makes Real Estate Leads such a valuable resource for new realtors. Our online real estate lead generation system puts the power of Internet Marketing to work to provide you with a more-direct contact means for being put in touch with individuals and couple who are genuinely looking to either buy or sell a home in the near future. If you’re new to the business, it’s going to be money well spent when it comes to seeing to it that you hit the ground in this business.

But back to our topic here for now. With our understanding that text messages (along with emails) are often a better means of informal communications with clients, what we’re going to do here today is share 5 solid tips for text message communications.

1: Use Texts for Short, Less Urgent / Important Conversations

Real estate texts work well for timely information exchanges, like determining a showing time and place or confirming the due date for paperwork. They are also ideal for brief updates, such as sharing a new listing with a prospective homebuyer (pasting link) or letting them know anything from why you’re going to be 5 minutes late to why it might be a good idea to put awning out over the patio because it’s supposed to rain during today’s open house.

You get the idea. Oppositely, if it’s ‘big news’ or something especially important, that’s when you make the call. But keep in mind here that sometimes sending a text message in advance inquiring ‘is now a good time to call?’ is good practice too these days, whether for business or personal interests.

The last piece of advice here is you’ll want to avoid texting anything confidential, proprietary, or private to your clients. Texts can be forwarded and recorded, so be sure to relay sensitive information over the phone only.

2: Be Courteous

Most often clients will have already agreed to receive real estate SMS messages as per their entry into an agreement with you as their realtor. So even thought they will know who you are, the first tip here is to still begin the first few texts with them by sharing your name – ‘Hi, this is (Name)..’ before continuing with your message. This establishes your professionalism and reminds your homebuyer who they are communicating with at the same time.

From there, always be especially polite and courteous with everything you say in your texts. It’s entirely accurate to say that you really can’t go ‘overboard’ when it comes to this.

Next tip is to not make assumptions. Just because you are happy to receive text messages from seven in the morning to ten at night, doesn’t mean your homebuyer is. Keep all communications to traditional business hours, unless the client has clearly informed you that ones outside of this time frame are acceptable for them.

Constant consideration of your homebuyer’s preferences is key to maintaining a professional relationship.

3: Be Polite & Professional

Unless you’re a human interaction and communication expert it can be difficult to determine the exact tone of a text. There’s not getting around the fac that many are often misconstrued by recipients. When this is your client, the risks are of course that much higher.

  • To avoid any such miscommunications and promote a positive tone when texting with clients, you should:
  • Avoid one-word responses. Even if you can’t think of what else to say, try something like ‘I think this will be best’
  • Always include a greeting, and ‘Hi’ is of course most natural
  • Include proper punctuation, especially exclamation points
  • Never use shorthand, newspeak, or pop culture abbreviations or slang in your texts – it’s unprofessional
  • Polite phrases like ‘my pleasure’ and ‘thank you’ are as advisable today as they were long before phones and text messaging even existed

4: Always Provide Value

Generally speaking, the key to text message marketing for real estate agents is establishing trust with the homebuyer or home seller. Having them continue to open and reply to your messages is dependent on each text being distinctly valuable. Include information related only to the project you are working on. Market updates, showing scheduling, and quick notifications are among the best examples for this.

As a rule, until the house is sold or your clients buy a home, stick to pertinent discussions within your text messages.

5: Review Every Message Before Sending It

This tip may be the last on our list, but it may be the most important when it comes the working realities of what you should do when texting with a client. Even though it should not be this way, some clients will even see spelling errors or a lack of proper punctuation as a sign that you’re not as professional as you should be.

More importantly, however, just be looking over what you’ve written and correct it as necessary based on the preceding points here.

Before you send an SMS message, ensure that:

  • The message is entirely positive and professional
  • There is nothing in your text that is of a level of importance that makes is something that should be discussed in a phone call or face-to-face meeting
  • Dates and times are accurate
  • Words are spelled correctly and sentences are grammatically correct

As a last consideration here, it may be useful to create templates (available in some business text messaging platforms) for you to have and then edit as necessary for certain often-occurring communications between you and clients.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you – for your similarly exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. You’ll be the only realtor to receive these leads, and that region is also yours for as long as you stay with us. It’s a nearly-guaranteed way to get more out of your client prospecting efforts and build your real estate business that much more quickly.

Fundamentals Driving Demand in Canada’s Apartment Market

Published November 12, 2019 by Real Estate Leads
Follow That Line – Condo Development Tails Expanded Rapid Transit Infrastructure

Realtors and Civic Planners may have entirely different lines of work, but the decisions made by civic planners have a great deal of relevance for realtors and how they’ll be conducting their business. As it regards civic planning, it’s been said that if you’re a in a metropolitan area then having the majority of your inhabitants living in multi-family developments then you’ve done well in crafting the growth of your region. Not surprisingly, it is true that the majority of people in heavily populated urban centres in Canada are in fact living in condominiums or rental apartments.

Now no realtor will need to be convinced of the need for a healthy rental housing market, as it serves a very pivotal role in the progression from young people starting out in life to future qualified homebuyers. Without it fewer of them reach the point of being qualified prospective buyers and it’s true that there’s too few of them to begin with. Finding new clients for a real estate business is challenging for many reasons, and it’s for this reason that here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is such a good choice for those new to the business.

But back to topic, it’s good to see that the demand for rental housing in Canada is being identified and received in the manner it should be.

Challenges and Opportunities

Population growth, demographics and housing affordability are currently fuelling the strong demand for apartments in Canada. These factors, together with insufficient and constrained rental supply, are making existing housing challenges more severe. The fact that there is a growing imbalance between housing demand and supply shouldn’t come as a surprise, and neither should the apartment market in Canada remaining strong for the foreseeable future.

Apartments have always been a vital part of the housing solution for many Canadians. That’s true whether they are entering the rental market by choice, or out of necessity. It’s true that most immigrants who enter the country and do not have the capital to own a home remain in the rental market for 10 years or so before home ownership becomes a viable option.

Demographics

What’s most interesting to note is that there is a trend in our population where people are increasingly opting for an apartment-rental lifestyle that is not related to affordability.

As the children of baby boomers move on, those aging baby boomers usually downsize from single-family homes.

This then factors into an increased demand for rental properties in familiar, desirable communities which provide convenient transportation and amenities. As millennials – the children of these baby boomers – come to reach the usual age for making their own independent households, more of them are now choosing affordable urban apartment rentals over purchasing houses in the suburbs.

A recent study indicated that there are about 730,000 millennials living in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area who may be planning to move on from living in their parents’ homes and from sharing a dwelling with roommates in the next 10 years. This has the potential to create 500,000 new households. Based on this stimulus we are likely going to see a significant housing shift in major urban regions, as this large wave of millennials start to look for a place of their own.

Then add the estimated 100,000+ new residents that come to the the major cities every year and we really do have the makings for different housing crises.

The challenge for millennials planning to move out of their parents’ homes and into the rental market will be in saving up enough for a down payment – while still paying current, escalating rental rates. In Toronto and Vancouver in particular, these rates are both exorbitant and debilitating for many people.

Housing Affordability

Across Canada, the provincial and federal government have made efforts to control housing prices, and these prices are expected to appreciate modestly throughout the last bit of the year here. The federal government has tightened rules for mortgages even further, implemented new restrictions on government insurance for low-ratio mortgages, and issued new reporting rules for capital gains exemptions on primary residences.

While the underlying objectives are appropriate for the present situation, these initiatives are probably not going to solve the housing affordability crisis on their own.

The cost of breaking into the housing market makes home ownership challenging and Canadians will continue to have to weigh an apartment rental as an affordable – and perhaps smarter – option. It’s interesting to note in relation to it that demand for rental housing is outpacing home ownership for the first time in many decades.

Municipal Governments need to be extremely proactive in developing rental housing on a very large scale, and there’s not time for delays and inactivity with this. It’s essential for the maintenance of a healthy housing market, which stands to benefit both individuals and those whose careers depend on it.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you and for your privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s your region, they’re your leads only, and you will be the one to benefit in a big way when it comes to building on your client base. Put the power of the Internet to work for you and build your business that much more effectively!

Creating Listing Descriptions That Draw Genuinely Interested Homebuyers

Published November 7, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

It’s been said that real estate is very much one of those professions where the expression ‘you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.’ That’s very true, but it’s also true in regard to the way that interested homebuyers who are looking at homes on the market will make very quick and lasting judgments about any home on the market based on the listing description they see for it.

That’s obviously a disadvantage – even if the listing description is well written – and unfortunate as well, because there’s always so much about a home that can’t be conveyed right without seeing it and experiencing it in person. But in the same way people will draw conclusion on you as a realtor based on their first few minutes with you, they’ll do the same with your listing based on the first few lines of the description.

It’s true that some homes really do sell themselves, but the vast majority of them do not. It’s usually a challenge and that’s why your expertise as a realtor makes you worthy of their business. What is ALWAYS a challenge, however, is prospecting a sufficient number of clients so that your own real estate business continues to be a viable way for you to earn a living for yourself.

With that understood, our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent choice to put you in the those ‘pivotal first impression’ scenarios much more reliably. Harnessing the power of Internet marketing is rarely if ever a bad thing.

But returning to our topic of choice today, how does a realtor write strong listing descriptions that serve to further the readers interest in their listing, especially if that reader is a genuine prospective homebuyer?

It’s not that complicated, and you can do it too. Read on.

Experience, Relevance, and Smart Wording – The Best Formula

The first mindset that you need to take on in advance of beginning this task is to understand fully that this is someone’s future home, and not just another house. It may not be the future home of every single person that reads your listing description, and in fact that’s the most likely scenario. However, with the chance that it may be, you need to form your ideas with the understanding that someone who reads this may be doing so as the first part of the process that ends with them buying the home from your clients.

So you need to make sure your property descriptions attract attention and create a captivating scene, and do so even before potential buyers visit the home.

  • Focus on the Experience

It IS important to mention how many bedrooms and bathrooms a home has, but it’s even more important to showcase how lifestyle meets utility perfectly in this home. For example, if your client has a home with a great family room with a fireplace, your aim should be to make buyers feel like they will love that room long before they even see it. Another example could be if you the home is in a growing-family type of neighborhood and it’s most likely a couple with children will be buying the home then you can talk up the family bonding experiences that can happen in that superb living area.

Something like this – “This expansive family room features soaring 11-foot ceilings as part of an overall design creation that’s intended to promote families creating ever greater numbers of cherished family memories. Whether that’s piling the couch with pillows and blankets on a cold winter day, or enjoying a movie night by the fireplace, or hosting a lively birthday gathering filled with friends and family, this room will likely be the heart of the home.”

  • Keep it Relevant

Going overboard with descriptions is the most common misstep with listing descriptions. They shouldn’t be overly personal or customized to the current owners. The better approach is to keep statements more general, so that any type of buyer can relate to them. It may not seem natural, but you’re going to appeal to a much wider cross section of prospective buyers this way.

Have a look at this example – “This neighborhood has it all. Restaurants and entertainment are close, but not too close, and the peace and quiet of the neighbourhood is just as assured as it only taking you a short trip to enjoy shopping, dining, and entertainment. Whether it’s a night in or a night out, both are going to be very appealing based on how doable one or the other will be.”

  • Emphasize the Right Adjectives

There’s no getting around the fact that words like ‘charming’ and ‘cozy’ are used way too often in listing descriptions. They’re classics, but fact is they’re really just far to indeterminate and impersonal these days. They can sound appealing, and when you’re dealing with a bigger proper in the luxury space adjectives like these can actually make the house seem small.

The point here is that it’s best to cater to the appropriate crowd when you’re choosing your words, and based on the type of property you’ve listed.

Compare these examples – “This restored five-bedroom, four-bath historic Colonial has an opulent foyer that blesses it with the grand entrance you’ve been searching for”

“This charming three-bedroom cape, perfect for entry-level buyers, has a cozy sitting room where you can sip your coffee and read a good book.”

The majority of your buyers will be unassuming and not particularly receptive to flowery language, and surprisingly this is even true of most wealthy buyers. Definitely something to keep in mind. The principle here is that each description should be unique to the property, but still being neutral enough to entice a variety of buyers.

Keep may different types of prospective homebuyers in mind when choosing your words and you’ll likely find yourself naturally gravitating towards a communication style that’s much more conversational and natural, and much less pretentious and assuming of specifics related to them as people.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you once you’re signed up and have claimed your region of any city or town in Canada. The advantage – and a BIG one at that – is that once you’re signed up and have your region reserved for you, then you’ll be the only realtor to receive those leads!

We imagine the benefit of that is self-explanatory, but if you need more convincing please check out our testimonials page. We’re ready when you are, so how about you make a smart decision about building your real estate business, and do it today!

Recent Survey Suggest 1/5th of Homes in Canada Purchased by Buyers New to the Country

Published October 28, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Canada has seen it’s highest immigration levels ever over recent years, and the role that these numbers have factored into the supply / demand element of the housing market has been covered at great length over the last while. Despite the fact that having nearly 70% of all new immigrants to the country soon residing in the Toronto and Vancouver areas IS a problem, there’s very understandable and relatable reasons for why that’s happening.

However, the housing crisis in Canada is most certainly not exclusive to these two areas. The reality – and one that has very real trickle-down effects for real estate professionals here – is that there are fewer homes being A) built, or B) put on the market than is necessary to meet the demand for housing in Canada. Newcomers of course add to the demand in an environment where it’s nearly impossible for new building starts to catch up.

A more-demand and less-supply orientation to this means that prices for homes will be boosted. There’s no getting around that. This means fewer ‘qualified’ homebuyers being out, and especially among multi-generational Canadian families who haven’t had the luxury of living and working outside of a country that taxes its citizens so extensively. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for realtors to claim a larger slice of what is currently not the biggest of pies.

But looking at the subject here more critically again, it’s interesting to take note of a recent survey that suggests one in every 5 homes purchased in Canada is bought by an individual or family that is new to the country.

What can we read into that? Let’s look at that at face-value, and we’ll then shift away to consider what relevance that has for realtors.

Unique Residential Landscape, Unique Challenges

The study from Royal LePage, one of the more well-known and long-standing real estate brokerages in Canada, started by saying that it had polled 1.500 people who had arrived in Canada at some point over the last decade. The majority of respondents (54%) related that they chose to move to Canada because they see the country as a good place to live and work. Many stated further that they chose it over the United States because they feel more welcomed as an immigrant in Canada (31%), while others said Canada offers them a safer life (26%).

That many of these new Canadians see real estate as a strong investment (86%) won’t surprise anyone. Where this becomes a bit of an issue is in the fact that many of these people who have been approved for immigration have significant investment capital for their real estate purchases due to living and working outside of Canada. They’re able to make money and keep more of it as a result of not being taxed as disproportionately as those who grew up in Canada were.

Whether that’s right or wrong, it’s an ‘it is what it is’ situation regarding these individuals having the deeper pockets needed to purchase real estate, and particularly in desirable locales in the country. It must be said though that the fact our Constitution and Charter of Rights extends freedoms to these people in the same way it does for you means that no one should question the freedom these people have to buy homes with money they’re worked hard to earn.

That really needs to be said.

The reality, however, is that – according to the survey – 75% of these new Canadians arrived with enough savings to get them into real estate. It also found that, on average, newcomers waited approx. 3 years to make their first home purchase, with many choosing to rent or live with family or friends after first coming to the country.

No matter how you slice it, this ability to arrive with sufficient savings to buy pricey real estate does put longer-standing Canadians at a disadvantage, but again that’s something that is just a reality to be dealt with. The same thing happens in America, but in the US immigrants settle and buy homes all over the place, and not just in a handful of locations like here in Canada.

Detached Homes Preferred

In spite of those numbers, the survey also states that only 32% of the newcomers surveyed became homeowners, and that’s a disparity between the 68% home ownership rate for all of Canada. Of those who did buy, roughly half of them bought a detached house. Some 18% opted for a condominium, while 15% bought a townhouse and 13% bought a semi-detached house.

With the understanding that the detached homes are obviously the most expensive – and decidedly out of reach for many Canadians – it is easy to understand why these statistics are going to be a concern for some.

As realtors, however, there is need to have bigger-picture understanding and wherewithal related to this. In addition to supporting Canada’s economic growth, newcomers to Canada are vital to the health of the national real estate market. This isn’t something to be impeded in the interest of creating a ‘level playing field’, as it is crucial that housing supply keeps pace as the economy and labour market continues to expand.

This is especially true if projections that Canadian newcomers will purchase 680,000 homes over the next five years are realized, as is predicted if current international migration levels for Canada are maintained.

The demand for affordable housing for both younger and new Canadians can only be best and most soundly met through housing policies that encourage smart and sustainable development, and ideally ones that focus on protecting and developing green spaces in our urban centres. One of the biggest problems in popular metro regions is that the municipalities have so much in the way of red-tape regarding new housing starts that developers and builders are discouraged from moving ahead.

This would be a great place to start, and if you were to ask anyone working in the real estate business this is likely what they’d mention first as well. Balancing out supply and demand – as much as that’s possible – will be beneficial for both homebuyers and sellers and the realtors who serve them. Whatever that takes likely won’t be an easy solution, but it’s one we all need to see and sooner rather than later preferably.

Our hope is that there can be a balance found, and that anyone with either personal or commercial interests in real estate can be a part of the new reality. In all likelihood, however, we’re years away from this.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you – for your similarly exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. Provided that you be the early bird and ‘get the worm’ here, you’ll have your area of your town reserved for you and from that point forward you’ll be the only one to receive leads for it. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts.

Improving Your Listing Interviews with Potential Clients

Published October 21, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

People who are new to working as a realtor will quickly come to learn one thing. One of the most important moments you’re going to have early in your career is when you’re interviewing with homeowners looking for a realtor to help them sell their home. You’ll quickly realize that you need to put on a near-perfect performance if you’re going to secure their business. It’s not easy to do, but the good news is that you will almost certainly get better with it over time.

In the beginning, however, there’s a whole host of bumps in the road, and perhaps a few potholes too. Securing your first few clients is really empowering and an essential step towards building your real estate business, and when you have these types of opportunities you’re well advised to be bringing your very best. However, even digging up these opportunities can be a challenge. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an effective way to generate more of them for yourself.

So what we’re going to look at today is what you can do to maximize the chances of securing new clients by means of an excellent listing interview with them. We can start by emphasizing the truth of the fact that real estate agents market homes—they don’t ‘sell’ them. Instead, they sell themselves, and they should be asking questions of prospective clients as much as those clients will be doing the same.

Embracing this approach is front and center, and is very much a prerequisite for everything that’s to follow here.

  1. Determine What You Need to Learn in Advance

It’s important to have a fairly concrete idea of what you’ll be asking of prospective clients, and including in what order you’ll be asking these questions. Keep in mind as well that you should be rehearsing all of this in advance so you are NOT reference questions jotted down on a piece of paper. Needless to say, that will reflect badly on you. Here are standard questions, but note as well that they are not ‘in order’. You should be moving them up or down based on what you know of the sellers’ situation.

  • Ask about the clients’ reasons and urgency for selling
  • Get an idea of value and the approximate debt on their home
  • How would the sellers describe their home’s condition? Even asking them to rate it on a scale of 1-5 is fine if they would rather not go into detail
  • Ask to compare their homes with neighborhood competition
  • Establish their requirements for a listing broker/agent
  • Determine which marketing methods they think are most valuable and effective
  • Inquire as to previous good and bad experiences they might have had with agents or brokers
  • Ask what problems they might envision in selling their home
  1. Conducting the Interview

As mentioned, it is advisable to not be referencing your questions from a written list OR writing out the people’s responses in the same way. One approach that IS more acceptable if you’re not confident in your memory is to take an audio file of the discussion on your smartphone. Of course, you MUST inform them of your intention to record the conversation, but most people will have no problem with that. Once they agree, you simply begin recording and play your smartphone on the tabletop or somewhere similar where it can pick up the conversation well.

Approach it with the focus on you being the one who’s asking the questions, at least in the beginning. You SHOULD loosen up a bit and let them ask you questions, but in the beginning make sure it’s you who are leading the conversation that way.

Pair this with a solid understanding of what their home is worth based on current market values and you’re likely going to be getting off on the right foot.

  1. Be a Solution Provider

So far during the interview you will have not given the listing prospect any materials or made a presentation, asides from perhaps handing over your business card. The most helpful approach is to be formulating responses bases around which of your service capabilities are likely to be of most interest to them, based ongoingly on the response they have to your inquiries.

Your aim at this point should be to show them how you can resolve each of their problems. Try to address the most important or most troublesome issues first. Defer pricing (commission rate) to last if that’s going to be one of their consideration. Lay out how you’ll do the marketing they value, and show them other marketing approaches you’ll take that haven’t been specified or mentioned earlier in the interview.

  1. ASK for the Listing

This the most solid advice of all here. The best realtors ARE assertive, nearly all the time. They believe in themselves and they know they can meet and exceed the prospective clients’ expectations. They’re not hesitant to look them in the eye and ask if they’d be willing to list with them, and they ask with real conviction and self-belief in their voice. Further, they don’t hesitate to ask to discuss commission.

Of course, this assertion is only going to be effective if they preceding parts of the interview have been conducted well by you. It’s a sum of parts, but if you’ve led the way nicely then you can be very confident in assertively asking for them to list with you.

You’ll find that people are quite forthcoming with information when they’re asked for it, especially when you keep in mind that they have MUCH to gain or lose her with the sale of their home. You’ll probably also find that they appreciate it when the focus is addressing specific concerns instead of pushing services on them.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quote of qualified, online-generated leads that are delivered exclusively to you. When you register with us, you’ll be able to choose a specific region of any city or town in Canada. Provided that region has not already been claimed, you’ll be able to claim it for yourself and from that point forward you – and only you – will receive the buyer and / or seller leads generated for that region.

If that sounds like a near sure fire way to get more out of your prospecting efforts, you’re that much closer to making a very smart decision when it comes to growing your real estate business!

Estimates of Over 1 Million Vacant Homes Across Canada

Published October 14, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

The housing crisis in Canada continues to grow, and the ramifications both a lack of available housing AND the lack of affordable housing are becoming increasingly apparent. Foreign speculation investment in the housing market in Canada IS a factor here, but it’s important to understand it’s not the only one. In addition, there are many different optics that can be seen related to the housing crisis, but vacant homes are definitely the one that sticks out most egregiously.

At a basic level, it’s not difficult to understand why a buyer who has bought a home as an investment may wish to not rent it out. If you’re not carrying a mortgage for the home and own it outright, but plan to sell it in the not-too-distant future, then the idea of keeping that home in near perfect condition is going to be appealing. On the other end of the spectrum, however, there is a shortage of homes across Canada and particularly in large urban areas.

Having a healthy rental market benefits realtors, even though it doesn’t do so directly. Many enters who are well and affordably housed will eventually become prospective home buyers, and this is especially true of young professionals furthering their careers in Metro areas. Without that process there becomes fewer qualified buyers down the road, and that’s not good for anyone.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for new realtors to get a leg up on their competitors and be fast-tracked to meeting your genuine potential clients – the likes of which there are fewer of these days! The reasons for that are varied, but as we’ve alluded to here, vacant homes actually play a long-term part in all of this.

6-Digits Plus Stat for Number of Empty Homes

As the title makes aware, recent studies have indicated that over 1 million homes are unoccupied in Canada. Not all can be grouped in with the absentee investor owner scenario, but you can be sure the majority do. As a more exact number, the report from Point2 Homes indicates that roughly 1.34 million homes across Canada lie empty or only accommodate temporary occupants.

It’s estimated that this represents 8.7% of the units available in the national market, and that stat is up 0.3% from the previous decade. Plus, it’s significantly larger than the 2.8% peak registered in the U.S. market during the same time frame.

Most will assume that Vancouver and Toronto are the two cities where this trend is most pronounced. That’s only half true, as Toronto does indeed have around 66K of those empty homes. Montreal comes second with 64K, and then surprisingly Vancouver comes a distant third with 25K of them. Why only one of the two most heated housing markets comes in high is interesting, but that’s another topic of discussion.

Despite all this, Vancouver still had the had the largest empty-to-occupied home ratio across Canada, at 8.2% of ones in the local market.

Other markets with more than 20,000 unoccupied dwellings include Calgary, Ottawa, and Edmonton.

And while Vancouver had a relatively restrained 25,000 vacant houses, it had the largest empty-to-occupied ratio across Canada, at 8.2% of the market’s homes.

The industry expert consensus is that investor speculation and short-term rentals are the main culprits behind high vacancy rates in places like Toronto and Vancouver, and not surprisingly it’s these two cities were foreign buyer taxes have been implement. Vancouver also has it’s vacant home tax, which is apparently set to deliver hundreds of thousands of dollars each year that the Provincial Government promises to earmark for social and affordable housing.

No matter where you stand on this, it’s hard to argue that unless you’re a real estate speculator then vacant homes aren’t good for anyone, from prospective tenants all the way up to those who serve the real estate industry, and realtors very much included.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you. You will be the only realtor to receive those leads provided through our service, and what’s more – you will also be the only realtor signed up and serving whichever region of any city or town in Canada you apply to have with Real Estate Leads. It’s first come, first served with regards to that, so don’t delay in getting onboard with this if you’re a new realtors who’s keen to get much more out of your prospecting efforts.

 

Greater Vancouver Seeing Marked Drop in Number of Realtors Working in City

Published October 8, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

The real estate market in Canada has been one of the most charged topics of discussion over recent years, and whether you would have sat on either side of the debate was by and large based on whether you were an existing homeowner or not. This of course applies to the entirety of the general populace, but for Real Estate agents the ‘way things were’ were for the most part better than the ‘way things are’ considering the current dynamics of the housing market.

What is meant by that is the way that across the country as a whole the market is considered to be ‘flat’, meaning most home are generally neither appreciating or depreciating in value. However, in high-demand urban metro areas like Vancouver, the market has actually take a significant downturn. Much of this has been attributable to measures taken by the current NDP government to cool the market and suppress housing market investment speculation.

For realtors working in the area, it’s not rocket science for us to understand that this is a negative for business. However, it seems that the market downturn is actually creating some good by means of reducing the number of active competition competing for the fewer clients out there to be had.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for Canada is an excellent way for new realtors to have the power of Internet marketing working for them and allowing them to get more out of their client prospecting. It’s always beneficial, and perhaps even more so when paired with the new reality of the industry we’re about to touch on today.

Far Fewer Realtors Now Practicing in GVA

It’s common knowledge that the Lower Mainland’s real estate market boomed between 2014 and 2017, and with that boom more and more newly-licensed realtors arrived on the scene. By the time 2017 had drawn to a close there more than 13,500 realtors working in the region. The age-old saying ‘only so much of the pie to go around’ was very apt, and in truth it still is – to a lesser extent.

Let’s set the stage for analyzing all this by going back nearly 20 years, to the year 2000. Back then there were fewer than 7,000 realtors operating in the GVA and the Fraser Valley in 2000. Over the next 17 years, the numbers of this increase massively outdistanced the increases in general population. A lot of people were aiming to get in a good thing, and many still acting on the belief that real estate was their ticket to ‘getting rich quick’

(If there’s one thing EVERY would-be realtor should know, it’s that THIS^ is never how it works)

But back to topic.

It’s quite natural for cities where housing is expensive to have a higher number of realtors than cities where housing is seen as being more affordable. The correlation here is simple; as home prices go up, so does the financial incentive to take advantage of higher commission prices.

The Downturn Effects

As most will know, over the past two years the Vancouver real estate market has seen a downturn. Lower median home values means many homeowners are postponing the sale of the home (a wise move) while would-be homebuyers are being influenced negatively by – among other reasons – the new mortgage stress test rules introduced by the BoC.

So it would seem that now that the allure of ‘easy money’ or accelerated real estate corporation growth is a thing of the past, for now at least, the number of real estate agents doing business in the GVA has dropped quite considerably.

The estimates are that somewhere in the vicinity of 1,000 realtors have dropped out of the picture in Vancouver.

This can be seen as encouraging for new realtors who understand the level of commitment required to succeed in this business, but it should also serve as precaution for anyone who thinks it’s an ideal time to make the same move Yes, there’s less competition, but the market is depressed and there’s still enough competition to make it so that those who don’t apply themselves 100% and work extremely hard are going to likely be a part of that former-realtor statistic sometime in the near future.

Giving Up Licenses

As the numbers of transactions in Vancouver have fallen, many realtors have chosen to give up their licenses and pursue another means of making a living. For many it’s a situation where once the fees associated with keeping the license start to outweigh the revenue generated by using it, it doesn’t become a worthwhile investment of time and energy and therefore not the best career choice.

For many realtors in this situation, it may be a reality where they realize they need to put more time and effort into building their real estate business, but they simply don’t have any more time to give to it.

Now to be clear, this is not a mass exodus from the realtor market, and it’s never going to be that. If anything we should see it as industry correction that is precipitated by the economic correction seen in the housing market.

We’ll conclude today with a listing of the number of realtors per capita working in major cities in BC, and then comparisons to a couple of spots well elsewhere in the country.

  • Langley, B.C., had the most agents – one realtor for every six residents
  • B.C. had the second highest number – one agent for every 31 residents
  • Metro Vancouver is third – one agent for every 61 residents

Now what if we compare this to Ottawa, Ontario, for example. There it is one agent for every 496 residents. Halifax, Nova Scotia? If you can believe it, it’s one agent for every 894 residents!

Perhaps Halifax is the best place to be a realtor in Canada! But all kidding aside, it makes it clear that event though there have been major declines in the numbers of realtors working in Vancouver it is still a REALLY competitive locale for working in this profession. We can safely assume the same is true of Toronto.

So long story short, while it’s an improvement at face value it’s really more of a shift from ultra-competitive to VERY competitive. Making a name for yourself in the real estate business is tough if you live in metro areas, that’s always going to be the reality.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively. Once you’re registered and your territory of any region of any city or town is assigned to you then YOU are the only realtor who will serve that region and YOU are the only realtor who’ll receive leads for it. Needless to say, it’s a sure-fire way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and a quick view of our testimonials page will indicate just how many realtors are thrilled with what it’s done for them!

Too Much Paving? Low-Density Housing Means Tree Loss and Rise of ‘Impervious’ Surfaces

Published October 1, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

The construction of each and every home that all together make up the entirety of a city’s real estate is part of the greater umbrella that is the development and construction industries. As such, there’s much that comes along with the building of homes – and communities – that is beyond the scope of immediate understanding for people. This is especially true in major urban areas, where the extent of development often has far-reaching influences on the tertiary parts of what makes up a living space for hundreds if not thousands of families.

As a realtors, having more of a big-picture wherewithal of real estate as it relates to housing and urban development is always going to beneficial. This can be true when it comes to your ability to impress individuals and turn them into prospective real estate clients. All of which is increasingly important these days given how there’s seemingly fewer slices of the pie to go around. Here at Real Estate leads, our online real estate lead generation system for Canada is an excellent way to put your more directly in touch folks who are genuinely considering selling or buying a home near you.

But now to today’s topic related to all of this; with development comes paving, and a lot of it. We may have seen the decision to put down concrete and asphalt on earth as ‘no big thing’ – but apparently civic planners may need to rethink this.

So what exactly are we discussing here, and how is it related to real estate? Read on.

With their gardens and landscaped yards, low-density housing, particularly the single-family home, is often seen as green.

Low-Density Housing Development & The ‘Concrete Jungle’

Building low-density housing has been the norm for many different tangible and intangible reasons, and has been equally agreeable to developers, city planners, municipal zoning regulators, and – perhaps most importantly – the buying preferences of people buying real estate in major urban centres.

As much as that’s true, it’s also a fact that low-density housing contributes to urban sprawl very emphatically, and a very relevant trend that comes along with this is a decrease in the number of trees in the area and a loss of what they call ‘impervious’ surfaces – meaning natural earth that’s not covered in anything.

It’s true that the low-density housing trend appears to have shifted from a housing model that accommodated many trees to one that now accommodates increasingly fewer trees and more impervious surface due to expanding home sizes and the splitting of lots that occurs much more frequently these days.

Eco-Degradation

The problem with this – and one of the growing list of them that can be attached to the low-density housing predominance seen in the Lower Mainland of BC most notably – is that tree cover and impervious surfaces are measures of the ecological health of the region. Trees give shade, suck carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and absorb storm water.

We can now add to that the fact that impervious surfaces like driveways and parking spots no longer take in rainwater for natural dispersal elsewhere in the local topsoil, and are associated with excessive heat in the summertime.

We read a report entitled ‘Regional Tree Canopy Cover and Impervious Surfaces: Analysis of Tree Canopy Cover and Impervious Surfaces in Metro Vancouver’ and it was such an eye opener to how popular development trends can have unintended and unfavourable consequences that we thought it would make an excellent ‘knowledge base’ topic for today.

It points out the decline in average percentage of tree cover seen for such developments being very consistent over 30 years, at 36% for those built in 1970 to 18%for those constructed in 2000. We can safely assume the trend has increased since that time.

Alternately, the expert consensus is that high-density housing development in recent years have greater tree canopy. The report also points to data indicating that there has been an overall increase in the number of trees planted or retained for high density housing over time.

Realities of Rapid Urbanization

With average tree canopy cover decreasing over time as a result of increasing low density housing builds there has been a resulting increase in impervious surfaces. Up until recently, most did not have an understanding of how more impervious surfaces equals hotter temperatures in the immediate areas. This is a negative, and for many economic reasons as much as for personal ones for residents living there.

The report also indicated the building types chosen also played a role, but that newer builds seen in the last 5 years or so seem to be taking all of this into account. Many new buildings are tall and slender, and use up little lot coverage while keeping abundant greenspace.

We’ll conclude here by saying that it’s worth noting that Vancouver’s climate committee anticipates growth in Metro Vancouver may likely reduce tree canopy from 32 percent of the urban containment boundary of the region to 28 percent over the next 20-30 years. This is going to necessitate wholesale changes at the municipal zoning level.

If you’re a realtor and you are friends with anyone in the development industry or in related offices at City Hall, this is definitely an excellent topic of discussion. It will have major ramifications for the types of homes that make up the bulk of the market stock, and especially in dense urban areas of the country.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads that are delivered to you exclusively while you serve as the only realtor receiving them for your own private region of any city or town in Canada. What this service can do for your client prospecting efforts goes without saying, and there’s no shortage of realtors from coast to coast who are very pleased with their decision to get on board with this and grow their real estate business in leaps and bounds.

 

6 Must-Know Facts About Liberal’s New FTHBI Homebuyer Assistance Program

Published September 23, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

You’d likely have difficulty find even a few adults across Canada who haven’t been aware of the affordable housing crisis in the country. There’s no debating the fact that young people are having difficulty entering the market like never before, and emphatically so at that. Even though the markets in Vancouver and Toronto are not as hot as they were, it’s still a situation where the average entry-level house cost is simply beyond the means of a lot of people and despite the fact they’re gainfully employed.

Combine this with the new mortgage stress test regulations and there’s fewer first-time homebuyers out there. That’s not ideal for realtors of course, and here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is designed to give new realtors a little more clout when it comes to prospecting effectively in what’s essentially a smaller pool of prospective clients.

The Liberal Governments First Time Homebuyer Incentive (FTBHI) program is designed to help these people out, and from a realtor’s perspective that is of course going to be good news as it will mean more actually qualifying first-time homebuyers being out there to begin with.

However, it is always important for realtors to be responsible to their clients’ long-term best interests and as such it may be necessary for you to be something of the voice of reason for people – clients or otherwise – who are perhaps a little too uninformed about exactly how this assistance plan will work for homebuyers who tend to only see it as ‘my means of getting into home ownership.’

So for today’s blog here are 6 things you should know about the FTHBI Program:

  1. Shared Equity

The FTHBI I run by the country’ federal housing agency, and the first thing people should know is that this is a shared-equity mortgage program. Be very aware that the government IS going to share in the gains (or losses) of the home’s value as it fluctuates over time. The 10 per cent offered toward the down payment for a new home – or five per cent for resale homes, is interest-free but make your potential clients aware that the gains in equity on the property will also be payable at 10% anytime they sell the home in the future.

  1. Limited Numbers of First-Time Buyers Will Qualify

First-time homebuyers that have a household income of $120,000 along with the minimum five-per-cent down payment requirement are eligible to apply. However, the price of the mortgage plus the incentive amount must not exceed more than four times your clients’ household income.

The obvious correlation for this is that this means that the program isn’t going to be practical for folks who want – or need – to live in perennially-popular housing markets like Vancouver and Toronto. The median price of homes here is simply too high to make this equation work.

The consensus is that, theoretically, the maximum purchase price of a home under this plan would be $565,000. Needless to say, you won’t even find a condo for that price in these cities, and a detached home will be at least twice that. Most first-timer buyers will qualify for far less under this program, and if you’re a realtor working in a major urban centre then this program may not be the good news that both you and your would-be clients may have been hoping for.

  1. It Won’t be ‘Doable’ for Buyers in Every Market

This is related to the second point above, but it can’t be stated strongly enough that buyers in some markets may find it challenging to find a home selling for a price that qualifies for the program. A recent report that analyzed average home prices from July 2019 in 25 markets across the country found that buyers with the maximum qualifying income and the required five-per-cent down payment would qualify in 19 of those cities.

Where are they? Eastern Canada, Quebec, the Prairies, along with smaller urban centres in Ontario. And the 6 markets where the average home buyer would fail to qualify for the FTHBI include Toronto and several markets elsewhere in the Greater Golden Horseshoe along with Greater Vancouver and neighbouring Victoria and Fraser Valley out west.

Again, no surprises here. One of the things realtors may have to do it they work in these areas is but brutally honest with prospective clients and explain that buying a home here is not in their best interest. Being ‘house poor’ is a very real condition and majorly problematic for far too many people in these locales.

  1. They’ll Be Paying It Back – Guaranteed

A common misconception that’s already been attached to this program is that the monies will be paid back only when the home is sold. Not true – borrowers must pay the CMHC back after 25 years or once the home sells. Borrowers can also pay back the loan early without penalty. The amount borrowers owe may vary depending on how the value of the home changes over time.

Should the home’s assessed value rise, the loan repayment will increase concurrently with that number. The same will occur if the home has lost value by the time it is sold or the mortgage matures. The loss-sharing end of this equation should not be comforting to would-be buyers, however.

For ones with little equity, selling after a big price correction and covering costs like realtor fees, paying out the mortgage, and assuming closing costs can be very challenging. Finance experts specializing in mortgage lending say it is fairly unlikely the government will actually absorb part of a buyer’s losses if home prices take a dive.

  1. $ Savings Can Extend Beyond Mortgage Payments

Now for some better news; the government estimates the program could save buyers as much as $286 per month, or in excess of $3,430 per year, in mortgage payments on a $500,000 house. Depending on when the home is sold, those savings can be even greater. Selling before their five-year mortgage term is up will likely save money with the FTHBI, as the interest and default insurance premium savings will likely outweigh what’s surrendered in equity.

  1. How Well is the Program to Be Received?

The Feds say the program is expected to help 100,000 families purchase their first home over the next 3 years, but we have to imagine that the extent to which it’s utilized may be less than that given many different factors and some of the risks that buyers are likely becoming more aware of.

Should the program not be as enthusiastically received as expected, it’s possible that it may not have the shelf life some would expect it to. To conclude here, it’s not wise for prospective homebuyers to assume this program is guaranteed to be there even a few years down the road.

 

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Revisiting the Vendor Take-Back Mortgage

Published September 17, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Nearly every reputable realtor will have long since established ties with a mortgage broker to whom they’ll recommend clients who are going to need financing assistance from a lender in place before they’re able to purchase a home. In much the same way it’s beneficial for a mortgage broker to understand the workings of real estate investment and transactions, it’s helpful for realtors to understand mortgages AND the history of ways people have found the means of financing homes in Canada.

As we always insist, being knowledgeable makes you more appealing to prospective real estate clients and furthers your reputation as a ‘good’ realtor in your locale. Finding new clients for whom you can flex your muscles in this regard is a challenge, but here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system for Canada is a proven effective way to be fast-tracked towards meeting real people who are genuinely considering buying or selling a home in the near future.

What Is It?

A vendor take-back mortgage is a unique kind of mortgage where the home’s seller extends a loan to the buyer to secure the property’s sale. They’re also called seller take-back mortgages, and it’s true that both the buyer and seller can benefit if the circumstances are right. It creates the possibility that the buyer might be able to purchase property above their financing limit, and conversely the seller is potentially able to sell the property at or above asking price more quickly.

Born in the Days of High Interest Rates

Vendor take-back mortgages were common in Canada some 25 to 30 years ago, and the reason they were so frequently taken was because interest rates were sky-high back then compared to today. Vendor take-back mortgages were very common in the ‘80s and ‘90s when interest rates were well over 10% and sometimes even moving up to as high as 20% in the early 80s.

Some have suggested that the new B-20 mortgage stress test that’s been in place for a few years now might make vendor take-back mortgages start to become a ‘thing’ again. That might be so, but industry and broker experts say that would only be the case if applications have other qualifications that extend beyond the 200 extra basis points as they’re detailed in the B-20.

It’s true that sellers could benefit by having a vendor take-back mortgage as it could earn interest on money in ways standard lenders wouldn’t offer and in a more secure environment due to the financials being leveraged against real estate.

Industry consensus is that vendor tack-back mortgages be something of a fix for those lacking purchasing power due to the B-20 stress test, but we’ve been warned not to expect them to be resurfacing in the residential real estate market anytime in the near future. This is primarily attributable to the growth of private lenders and mortgage investment corporations, and then there’s the fact that sellers usually redirect finances earned from the sale of homes to purchasing new ones.

This, of course, is true of both inhabitant homeowners and property investors.

Tempered Enthusiasm

We can understand that vendor take-back mortgages are not as commonplace in the market today because people need money to purchase their own homes, but these types of mortgages would really only work well if that homebuyer was planning to exit the market sometime shortly thereafter.

On this, one industry expert was recently quotes as saying “If you sell your property and you have this equity on hand and you’re then unsure of what to do with it, it’s pretty common to then look to invest it with a mortgage company or lender.”

We’ll conclude today by mentioning that despite all these forewarnings and the fact that vendor take-back mortgages represent less than 1% of the traditional residential real estate market, they can be more appropriate in the commercial real estate sector. On the commercial side – where the rate of return is a bit more attractive for the investor – an operating business may also be part of the transaction and this changes the assumption of risk factor for the buyer.

Will vendor take-back mortgages ever return to the residential market? They may, but it’s unlikely they’ll ever be as commonplace as they were 20-plus years ago.

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It’s hard to argue against this service given what it does to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and you’re encouraged to find out for yourself – sooner rather than later preferably!

Realtor Best Practices with Electronic Signatures & Exchange of Documents

Published September 9, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

We try to make a point of keeping this blog as a nice balance between real estate market news and industry developments along with tips for realtors that allow them to be better in what is an extremely competitive career field. As we continue to stress, knowledge and industry-savvy is very much power when it comes to retaining clients and building your personal real estate corporation. Today we’re on that side of things, and hopefully making you more aware of some of things new realtors may be not be aware of after finishing their licensing course.

Prospecting new clients isn’t easy, and that’s a part of what makes our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads so valuable for those who are new to the business. It harnesses the power of Internet Marketing (and Internet surveys more specifically) to put you more directly in touch with people who are genuinely considering making a move – either buying or selling – in your local real estate market.

Today we’re going to look at what are the best practices when it comes to electronic signatures and exchanges of documents. Something that’s a fairly regular occurrence nowadays, and so it makes sense to be as in-the-know as possible with this stuff.

E-Signatures

When it comes to e-signatures or wet ink signatures, it is best to have someone be witness to the signatures. One of the benefits of e-signatures providers is that they provide the ability to identify the exact time and location for when the signature was placed on the document, doing so with security certificates. However, be aware that not all e-signature software suites provide security certificates when applying a signature to a document.

Further, programs and apps such as PDF Expert are not set up to provide digital security certificates when documents are signed. They are beneficial in the way that they properly flatten and embed signatures into documents, but they’re not as secure as a digital certified software like – among others – DocuSign.

It is important to note that the real estate regulatory bodies in most Provinces have legislation requiring that every service agreement must be in writing and executed in the presence of witnesses. This applies to agency agreements and offers to purchase, and means that any security certificate provided by credible e-signature providers are not recognized as the witness to the e-signature – at least not yet.

This is something you’ll need to determine for the Province you’re living and working in.

Hand Drawn vs. Stamp Signatures

A hand drawn e-signature – or ‘wet’ signature as they’re also referred to – is created when the signer’s handwriting is entered electronically on a touch screen. This is done with either your finger or a stylus pen. Each signature will be different, and they look very much like what your actual ‘real’ ink signature would.

The stamp e-signature is very common these days. You pick your signature and an initial style from a list of fonts and then place them on pre-defined areas of the document by dragging and dropping with your mouse or cursor control pad on a notebook. The click is then digitally recorded with a security certificate.

Mandatory & Standard Forms | Different Rules

Here, again the different Provinces will have different mandatory forms required of realtors when conducting and registering property transactions. One constant is that commission forms are mandatory for use by all registrants and treated differently than standard forms signed by realtors in Canada.

In most provinces the policy with mandatory forms is that only a hand drawn e-signature is permitted. Where the Real Estate Act requires an agreement to include a written signature, the signature requirement usually needs to be an electronic signature that is:

  1. a) A digital representation that can be seen to be an authentic representation of the individual’s handwritten signature; and
  2. b) Digitized and embedded permanently in the written agreement being submitted.

Either hand drawn e-signatures or a stamp e-signature can be used on standard (non-mandatory) forms in most Provinces, but again it’s best to confirm this on your own.

Electronic Signatures & Exchange of Documents

Generally speaking, electronic signatures (e-signatures) are no different from wet signatures. You and/or your clients will be affixing your name to an agreement in order to provide tangible proof that you are hereby agreeing to the terms set out in the document. Choosing to do this with ink, with a stylus, or with a digital signature serves the same purpose.

Bear in mind as well that when there are multiple parties to a contract (spouses, more than one individual on title, etc.), all parties must sign individually, although they can wet ink signatures or if you or e-signatures providers like Authentisign, DocuSign, Faltour, and more that are currently out there.

Precautions when Authenticating Signatures

It’s true that whether it’s a wet ink signature or an e-signature, there is always the possibility of fraud. Experienced realtors will always take precautions to check the identity of the clients. Asking questions about the content of documents to both spouses separately can help you confirm that both parties are aware and agreeable to the contents of an agreement.

And yes, this lack of certainty applies for wet ink signatures as well. In instances where you may not be physically present when the documents are signed it is best to keep a record ofthese conversations in your notes.

e-signatures and exchange of documents are a new development in the real estate practice, but overall the steps to take to ensure agreements are signed properly do not differ much from ‘original’ wet ink signatures – meaning the types with ink from a pen held in hand. Use common sense and you’ll be fine 90+% of the time.

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Vancouver Real Estate Developers Create New Home Inventory Drop Over 90%

Published September 3, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

If you’re a resident of Vancouver, you’d have to have been completely out of touch with the local media in order to not know that the housing crunch is a major issue in the city and has been for some time. No one is debating that Vancouver needs affordable housing, and part of achieving a greater supply of affordable housing is increasing the housing inventory overall.

Now the common logic belief would be that increasing the number of new housing starts in the city would be an integral part of these affordable housing efforts, but instead the reality seems to be that many of the NDP government’s efforts to ‘cool’ the housing market have done the same for developers and builders and and cooled off their enthusiasm for new projects at the same time.

Needless to say, big picture trends like this do a lot to influence the the industry environment for real estate agents in Vancouver, and it’s something that real estate and housing industry across all the country are likely keeping tabs on too. There’s the potential for downturns, and as a realtor that means you need to work harder to get your share of clientele. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for realtors to get more out of their client prospecting efforts.

But back to topic here, it’s interesting news to read that Greater Vancouver real estate developers are launching less units – a lot less, to the tune of 90% less than were started for this time last year.

New Low for Pre-Sale Units and Launches

MLA Canada numbers for last month (July ’19) saw the fewest new pre-sale units launched in years. Developers have been choosing to delay new releases as a result of pre-sales not being absorbed as speedily or thoroughly as before. It’s true that these fewer launches did help to firm up the absorption ratio, but sales still came in very low.

Greater Vancouver pre-sale launches for that same time period were also extremely low. The number given for the number of new pre-sale units hitting the market in July was just 157, and that’s down 91.82% from last year. Industry experts didn’t expect a number so low, and it actually comes in in 43.07% lower than forecasted.

The MLA is also stating its belief that poor absorption is resulting in delayed or cancelled projects. Lower priced projects may also be stalled so that the developers can cash in on the Federal Liberal Government’s first-time buyer incentive (which many economists say will do nothing to make Vancouver or Toronto affordable for the people the program is supposedly going to benefit – but that’s a whole different topic)

Greater Vancouver New Pre-Sale Real Estate Listings

If we go back two years this month, to September of 2017, the number of newly available pre-sale units of new homes across Greater Vancouver was in the vicinity of 900 homes. Skip forward a year to September 2018 and it has actually dipped to 700 or so. However, the very next month – October of 2018 – saw this number jump exponentially to to some 2,4000 new home pre-sales being available.

The number came down again slightly, but stayed in excess of 1,000 for the next four months. It was only in February 2019 that things started to fall again, and it’s been a downward slide since then, confirming housing industry and economy experts to suggest that the foreign buyer’s tax and vacancy taxes, among other ‘cooling’ measures introduced by the government are actually serving to counteract the benefits they’ve created for homebuyers by making more difficult for many of them to find suitable homes for sale.

Developers Only Sold Slightly More than Half Of Pre-Sales

Also seen last month was a sharp drop off in volume for sales of newly launched pre-sales. Only a little more than half – 58 – of all the pre-sale units launched in July were sold. That’s a BIG decline of 95.34% from last year. In fact, it was the fewest pre-sale launch sales for any month over the course of the last two years at least.

Greater Vancouver Pre-Sale Absorption Highest In Months

Much fewer launches did promote a better sales-to-new-listings ratio (SNLR). The SNLR came in at 37% for July, down 43.07% from last year. However, that’s a high mark for the ration going back to December 2018. An SNLR above 60% is what’s known as a ‘seller’s market’, where prices usually go up. Between 40% and 60% means the market is balanced, and homes are generally priced ‘as they should be’. Below 40% and it becomes a buyer’s market, where prices typically go down.

  • Jan 2018 – 92
  • May 2018 – 70
  • Sept 2018 – 38
  • Jan 2019 – 18
  • Mar 2019 – 28
  • July 2019 – 27

 

Greater Vancouver’s absorption has picked up, but the ratio still isn’t at a balanced level as of yet. The industry is decreasing the number of new project starts due to weak absorption, and the number buyers for new launches appears to be dropping as well.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you and for your own one privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s your region, and they’re your leads, every month and it’s a great way to get a leg up on your local competition when it comes to digging up prospective clients who are genuinely interested in buying or selling a home in the near future.

Understanding ‘Subject To’ Clauses for Real Estate Transactions

Published August 27, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

As is the case with any profession, there’s a whole lot of terminology that newcomers need to get up to speed with understanding, and do so as soon as possible. The bulk of them will be answered thoroughly during your real estate licensee training before you get your license, and as we’ve said so many times knowledge is persuasion power when it comes to both doing your job well AND attracting new clients who will be more likely to see you as reputable IF you obviously know your stuff.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our Canada online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to put you in those situations – more specifically, where you have the opportunity to convey your real estate expertise to prospective clients. If you’re new to the business, it’s an excellent investment into putting the power of the Internet to work for you and giving you a leg up on meeting people who are genuinely interested in buying or selling a home.

But back to topic, a Subject To is one of the most common qualifying conditions that will be attached to the sale of a home, and as the listing realtor they’re definitely a ‘big deal’ as more often than not failing to meet the Subject To conditions means the offer will quickly be dead in the water. So it goes without saying that having an airtight understanding of them is really going to benefit you.

Subject To ____, Not Subject 2

That heading is chosen there because it’s not that this is the 2nd of a list of subjects. Rather, it’s the sale is subject to (condition being met as stipulated by potential buyer submitting offer). That’s the first important distinction you should be making here.

In terms of property sales, a common clause that is included in many agreements is that the sale of the property is subject to the sale of another property. This is what’s referred to as a suspensive condition, and that means that if the sale of a property is subject to the sale of another one, then if that event does not take place the transaction lapses and the buyer would not have to initiate any further cancellation of transaction proceedings, either through their realtor, the brokerage, or a financial institution.

Most often, this simply means that the purchaser needs to sell his property in order to raise funds to pay the seller. Do note that many realtors will insist that any ‘subject to the sale of another property’ clause in any agreement should include a condition to protect the seller, if that’s who they’re representing.

When accepting a ‘subject t’ offer which includes only a simple term like stating the offer is subject to the sale of the purchaser’s property within, say, 60 days then that will mean that the home’s seller is bound to this one purchaser for 60 days and that they cannot sell to another buyer within that time frame. If the home does not sell to that buyer within the allotted period, the seller’s home then goes back on the market.

Time Limitations are Important

As a means of protecting the buyer and the seller, a good realtor will ensure that the terms and conditions state that the ‘subject to the sale of another property’ clause is limited to a certain period of time. The home seller should be advised to keep on marketing his property within this period. It’s also common if another offer is received within the period to then give the existing buyer an option to eliminate the subject to condition.

It’s also standard for sellers to have the right to accept an offer with better terms and conditions.

Subject To Advantages

Subject To conditions benefit sellers when they are still allowed to market the property and if they are able to maintain control over the offers that can be accepted.

Obviously, there’s much more to gain for potential home buyers. This is especially true when the purchaser is not in a position to pay for the home without receiving funds from the sale of his current home, as mentioned. It’s common knowledge that the purchaser should never eliminate this clause unless he has other means to pay for a property.

In addition, there is always the possibility of another buyer who has sufficient funds available immediately coming along and offering to buy the property. There are 2 rules that come into play with subject to clauses, and they are as follows:

Rule 1:

The purchaser has a fixed time frame where they need to have the property sold by a certain date. They then put the property on the market at a realistic market value in order to sell within the given period. The estate agent selling such a property should give the purchaser ample information to establish a realistic market value.

Rule 2:

This one applies when the buyer is not able to compete with a cash offer. In this instance, the buyer should then accept that they have not sold their home and the intention of the seller is to get the money from the sale of his home as soon as possible..

More often than not, would-be buyers have no other choice but to purchase with a “subject to” condition, so be prepared to work with them – a lot. Understand as well that subject to offers normally come in higher than cash offers, and that puts some pressure on the home owners for obvious reasons. Do they take the sure thing (cash offer) or do they roll the dice and hope the subject to offer works out?

Sign up with Real Estate leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are not delivered directly to you, but delivered only to you. That’s right, you get them and no other realtor does. That’s because you also have the ability to claim your own exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. Your region, your leads for that region, and your success in that region.

Follow the lead of other satisfied realtors and get in on this big-time marketing advantage today!

Growing Optimism Regarding Housing Market Amongst Canadians

Published August 20, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Earlier this year, the CMHC joined economists and many other industry experts in declaring that the market for detached homes in Canada was now ‘flat’ – meaning that it wasn’t moving in either direction and thus favouring either buyers or sellers OR meaning increased or decreased property values for homeowners.

It would appear that things have changed since then. Have they changed enough to warrant a change in the ‘flat’ condition of the detached home market? That’s up for debate, but of course as well all know there’s much more to the market and housing stock in Canada than just detached, single-family dwellings. Sure, they may be the shining pinnacle of home ownership, but the reality is that the ‘norm’ of what housing and should entail is shifting very rapidly in todays’ world.

Ascribing to and working with these new bigger-picture realities is a part of what separates a great realtor from a good one, and as we keep harping at here – knowledge is real power in this business in much the same way it is for any of them. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for realtors to harness the power of the Internet and get so much more out of their prospecting efforts. And that means opportunities for you to flex your real estate industry knowledge muscles!

Stronger Market Performance Seen

The consensus seen nowadays is that Canadians have an increasingly positive outlook on housing, and that’s something of a marked change from as recently as 2 summers ago. This has been amplified by stronger market performance and an increase in housing starts across the country as a whole.

The Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index confirms this, with a posted a 58.6 reading that’s up from the 58.3 seen at the end of June. The increase may seem small at face value, but in this context it’s significant. Vancouver and Toronto continue to be the very centres of real estate activity and demand in the country, and accordingly this growing optimism is being bolstered by surging home sales in Toronto and Vancouver.

Both cities enjoyed 24% growth last month.

National Economy Influences

This is then coupled with a steadily recovering national economy, along with downward movement in borrowing costs. As a result, ever greater numbers of Canadians are less intimidated at the thought of a potential housing downturn.

According to a recent Bloomberg-Nanos survey, 43.2% of respondents believe local real estate prices in their area should increase in the next 6 months. Oppositely, the percentage of those expecting lower prices came in at 15.2%, which was decidedly lower than the 2019 average of 16.4%.

This more positive consumer outlook is buoyed further by higher levels of construction activity or building ‘starts’ as they’re referred to in the industry. Recent CMHC figures indicated that the national trend in housing starts was 208,970 for last month (July), an increase from the 205,765 units that were started in June.

Most notable here were High levels of activity in apartment and row starts in urban centres, and these housing types and the locations of them were integral in reflecting in the high level of the total starts trend in July.

The ‘Smart’ Choice: Multi-Family Development Starts Leading the Way

Vancouver in particular was key to all of this and provided a major boost – upwards of 85% of the market’s new housing starts last month were in the multi-family development category. Of course, these types of developments flourish in environments where available land constraints and supply-demand imbalance that’s drastically weighted towards demand make them the much smarter choice for civic planners and the like.

We can expect to see much more of multi-family home development projects all across Canada, and the trend is definitely something that’s worthwhile for realtors to take note of in being increasingly aware of where the market is going, and the types of housing that will make the most sense for many of their clients.

And so speaking of clients, we highly recommend that you sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a guaranteed monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively – no one else will receive them, and as such you benefit exclusively. And not only that, but you’ll also have your own region of any city or town in Canada protected for only you as well.

That’s provided it’s still available and that another realtor hasn’t beaten you to it, so if this online lead generator for realtors in Canada sounds good to you then don’t delay in getting onboard with this!

3 Things Many Real Estate Brokerages Won’t Tell New Agents

Published August 12, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

This topic here today is quite a natural one given the fact that this service will be most attractive to new real estate agents in Canada. The majority will have already chosen a real estate brokerage and the bulk of you will likely be very happy working out of there. Some will have yet to make that decision, though, and it’s in the interest of helping these fledgling professionals that we’re going to use this week’s blog to share some realities of being new to a real estate brokerage that you may not be aware of.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system in Canada is an excellent way to increase the effectiveness of your client prospecting efforts and help you build your client base more quickly. Paired with the usually less-than-rosy realities of what it’s like to be new to the business and a brokerage you’re about to learn of here, the value of using technology to get your business gaining steam is probably going to be that much more attractive.

So let’s get right to it – 3 realities that most new realtors aren’t told during the brokerage interview.

The Curveball Pitch

Brokerage interviews are usually 30-minute sales pitches where the brokerage aims to impress on the new realtor why their brokerage is going to the best spot for them to branch onto. You’ll be making money for them, so they need you as much as you need them. Most brokerages will keep it all very upbeat and positive as a result, and avoid mentioning anything that could be perceived as a negative for them or the profession as a whole.

It’s not so much that they want to omit the information for its own sake. It’s more that they don’t want you thinking the bad stuff only happens at their brokerage.

Yes, all these pitfalls to extensive success early in a real estate career will apply to every new realtor and whichever brokerage they end up choosing to work with.

  1. Real Estate Business is Difficult, and You May Fail

To say directly – or even imply – that real estate is easy money is really doing a disservice to someone. Unfortunately, real estate is not as easy money as a lot of people make it out to be. It requires a great deal of hard work, patience and persistence. The fact of the matter is that real estate sales involve a lot of time doing a lot of work, and often for no money. There’s a lot of running around, researching, networking, following up, and showing and submitting of offers – all with people who could be ready to submit an offer or leave you entirely hanging after all you’ve done for them.

The success rate in real estate for newbies isn’t high can be pretty low and it’s possible that you may end up being one of the 1 in 6 realtors who leaves the profession within one year of becoming licensed – as is the statistic from the RERC (Real Estate Regulators of Canada).

  1. You Get What You Pay For

Brokerages make money by charging their fees. Charging agents to be a part of their brokerage is how real estate companies make money. That may be with a monthly desk fee, a commission split, an annual fee – or a combination of all three.

Just as it is in any business, the more you are able to charge equates to having more services, value and time you can provide. It’s simply not possible to provide quality real estate services to your clients if you’re charging discount rates. This applies to brokerages too, so choose wisely with this very important fact front and center in your decision process.

Unfortunately it’s fairly common for some agents to think they can pay the lowest possible brokerage fees and still get good service from it. That’s unlikely – be wary of brokerages that offer lower brokerage fees, as you truly do ‘get what you pay for’ here too.

  1. Prepare for An Extended ‘Cash-Strapped’ Period

A new real estate agent is always going to be in the process of building a real estate business. If you’ve ever spoken to any business owner, you’ll know that money is usually tight in the beginning. The biggest reason for that is there’s a lot of upfront costs that are being incurred ongoingly while you’re not creating income – or creating very little of it. Going for months like this in the beginning can make this business very intimidating.

Again, the reason brokerages won’t be telling you this very clearly is that they don’t want to think that’s a reflection on them. It’s the nature of the business, and so it really is smart to be prepared for a less-than-smooth start to your real estate career. Focus on the right things, provide real service and value, and be very proactive in learning the trade and you’ll be much better equipped to get through the lean period without second-guessing your career choice.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a guaranteed monthly quota of buyer and / or seller leads that are yours exclusively. You have your own region of any city or town in Canada, and all of the leads generated by individuals in that region will be sent to only you. It’s a sure-fire way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and ensure that your new real estate business becomes profitable sooner rather than later.

Best Approaches to Selling Renter Occupied Homes

Published August 6, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Homes that are revenue properties with tenants in them may not be sold as regularly as homes that a primary residences for the owner, but it’s not exactly an uncommon scenario either. Particularly if you’re a real estate agent working in one of the Canada’s big metropolitan areas. Listing a home with tenants currently living in it is going to present a different set of challenges for a realtor, and as is always the case if you’re equipped with the knowledge to meet those challenges and sell the home for those clients in a reasonable period of time then you will definitely be making a favourable impression on them.

All of which is important, because in the same way that establishing clients is difficult, having repeat clients is preferable. You start at the start naturally, and here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is a proven-effective way of being put directly in touch with individuals and couples who are legitimately considering buying or selling a home in the near future,

And yes, it may be the possibility that they are selling a home that’s been a revenue property for them that they’ve been renting out. If that’s the case, it’s not going to be as straightforward as if the owners were living in the home.

Let’s look at the best approaches to selling renter occupied homes here today.

Sell the Home Once It Becomes Vacant

Waiting until the tenants’ lease is up and then selling the home after they’ve vacated it is the best option, but obviously it may not be be possible. If it is, though, you then hold off on listing the property until it’s responsible – and legal – to insist that the tenants vacate the property. The sellers gets flexibility with staging the home and showing the property. Do keep in mind the changing average days on market for homes in the region and be conveying this to your client – with a particular focus on how long they may need to go without revenue for it.

If the renters are on a month-to-month lease, follow Provincial laws and be the go-between to deliver proper notice to end the tenancy. Most Provinces require you to give the renter a specific period of time to vacate without cause. If they are on a fixed-term lease, keep in mind that lease does not disappear or become invalid just because the owner now chooses to be selling the property.

Sellers need to honour the rental contract, unless of course the owner and renter can come to a mutual agreement to end the lease early. This does happen, although just as frequently it doesn’t. Sometimes your client can offer the tenant a move-out settlement, which could include the rental rate times the number of months left on the lease, moving stipends, or a deposit and first month’s rent on another rental. All are good suggestions and show good faith on your client’s part.

Sell the Home While It’s Occupied

Here’s where it gets challenging – Your seller may not want to wait for the lease to expire or give up on rental income as the property remains vacant while it’s on the market. In such cases, the agent will need to work around the reality of renters living in the property.

As the realtor, it will be your job to coordinate between the owner and the renters, and you need to really be proactive and take the initiative with this. Open and active communications always make this a much smoother process.

Start by telling your seller that they need to ensure their renters are entirely up to speed about the selling process, and they should encourage the renters’ cooperation by whatever means necessary. It is also a good idea to check the lease agreement for any clauses that relate to a renter’s cooperation during showings.

Showing a Renter-Occupied Home

It’s pretty straightforward to imagine that showing the renter occupied homes is where the biggest challenges might arise. That’s correct. Homes can stay on the market longer than necessary if the condition of the property is less than ideal, so it’s important to work with renters to keep it in as showing-ready condition as possible as often as you can. This can be tricky, and especially so if the renters not particularly keen to see the home sell quickly and they have to move.

Follow Provincial Laws and the Lease

Provincial laws will determine how much advance notice you will need to give renters before you can enter the property for a showing, inspection, staging, taking pictures, maintenance, or repairs. Most Canadian municipal jurisdictions will have bylaws where a 24-hour or longer notice is required to enter a property for a non-emergency issue.

You can also expect some renters to be frustrated at the way the showing times will impinge on their privacy. Again, try to work with them as best you can give as much advance notice as possible for anything that may involve them. Offering incentives is a great way to encourage tenants to accommodate showings is to offer incentives. Here’s a few that your client may find agreeable:

  • Rent discounts: Offering a monetary reward for helping an owner sell a rental property is going to appeal to pretty much any renter. Have your client offer them a reduced rate as compensation for the temporary
  • A weekly or biweekly cleaning service: This will keep the house show-ready and encourage the tenants to maintain tidiness in the home. It may even help tenantsget their security deposit back.
  • Restaurant gift certificates or movie tickets: this gets tenants out of the house during showings and they get to enjoy themselves at no cost.
  • A hotel room during an open house weekend: Tenants will like having a nice place to stay for those weekends when open houses are scheduled for Saturday and / or Sunday.

Taking steps to include current tenants in the selling process is always helpful when selling a home with tenants. If your seller can be made to understand the importance of communicating with their renters it is extremely beneficial and conducive to selling that home that much more quickly.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for your privately served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s your region, they’re your leads, and that’s the way it’ll be for as long as you stay with us. So many realtors across the country have found out how beneficial this is to growing their real estate business, so we encourage you to do the same.

 

 

Decline in 5-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate a Big Plus for Prospective Buyers

Published July 29, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

As a realtor, one of the things you’ll encounter often is people who are adamant that variable-rate mortgages are always preferable when financing a home. There’s a lot to be said for them, no doubt, and it’s one of the many things a client may ask their realtor long before they talk to a mortgage broker for the first time. As we keep harping at here, an informed and knowledgeable realtor is one who tends to be well regarded – and referred – by his or her clients.

Which leads us to also say again that there’s so much to be said for making a strong first impression when meeting with would-be clients. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is a proven-effective way of not only creating more of these opportunities, but creating more genuine ones – meaning with people who are genuinely considering buying or selling homes in the near future.

So, in the interest of building on your knowledge base, let’s discuss the ramifications of this reduced 5-year fixed mortgage rate in greater detail.

Dipping to 5.19%

There it is – the interest rate used for mortgage qualification has fallen to 5.19% from its previous spot at 5.34%. it’s especially noteworthy because it marks the first decline since September 2016. Back then the benchmark qualifying rate fell to 4.64% from 4.74%. It’s been rising ever since, and that’s based on the same reflection of what the BoC (Bank of Canada) sees as the economic outlook of the country.

This past week’s drop has much to do with global central banks deciding to loosen lending policies, but we should keep in mind that Canada’s five-year bond yield – which impacts five-year fixed mortgages – has been going down from January 1st onwards.

More Purchasing Power

The consensus seems to be that the interest rate decline will allow a homebuyer earning $50,000 a year to afford a home that’s some $4,000 more expensive than would have previously been the case. For someone earning $100,000 a year, they can be looking at something $8,300 or so more expensive.

How this will be beneficial for homebuyers – and investors – doesn’t need much explanation. In tandem with the Bank of Canada’s decision to hold the interest rate two weeks ago, we’re currently seeing the most auspicious period for prospective buyers in 19 months. Further, economists believe we’re unlikely to see the interest rate move on the variable side over the next few months.

Additional Considerations

It should be mentioned as well that there has been considerable speculation that the Bank of Canada will cut rates before the end of the year. While this would be even more beneficial considering a mortgage, those same economists say we shouldn’t hold our breath in that one. The belief is that unless we see those risks affect the domestic economy, it is unlikely rates will decline this year. In contrast to the US, real policy rate in Canada is still 1.75% and inflation was 2%. Long story short, the real interest rate here in Canada will be lower.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for your privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your prospecting efforts, and you’re almost certain to see your business grow exponentially

Outskirts of Vancouver Seeing Bulk of New Rental Development

Published July 22, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

That both Vancouver and Toronto are cities in desperate need of more rental housing stock has been discussed at great length in the news these days, and it’s also true that other big Canadian cities are feeling this pinch too. Both Vancouver and Toronto have municipal governments that are taking steps to address the problem. However, it seems that while the results are in fact helping to create more rental housing it is not being built where it’s most critically needed – in the Metro areas of the cities.

We’ll take a look at this in greater detail here, but first mention that trends like these have a very measurable effect on a realtor’s business in big cities like these. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent resource for real estate agents in Canada who want to get much more out of their client prospecting efforts.

Which – given this rental-housing shortage – is important. That’s because this aberration in the housing hierarchy is quite a departure from all the generations previous. The lack of rental housing in metro areas has the very detrimental effect of driving young, talented professionals out into suburban areas and forcing them to make long commutes.

In some instances, they leave the city area altogether. Not only is that something of a ‘brain drain’ as the expression goes, but it also disrupts the natural homebuyer continuum. That could be an entire discussion on its own, but just trust us when we say that adequate rental housing levels for young professionals makes for more property buyers in the future.

Most on The Outsides

The number of rental construction proposals in Vancouver’s satellite regions (tri-cities areas most notably) are currently far exceeding those seen in Metro Vancouver, as is laid out in the Goodman Report’s 2019 Mid-Year Metro Vancouver Rental Apartment Review.

Over the last 3 years new proposals for rental-purpose buildings in the city have gone down by 29%. Considering the glaring need for rental housing, it’s hard to make sense of that. Much of the new volume has been focused on the suburb – where a 147% increase in proposals has been seen during the same time period.

Looking past the land available for development constraints that are a reality for nearly any major city in North America, this is a real failure on Vancouver’s part. Especially when you consider that many years will go by before all these suites are available – and assuming they’re all actually built.

Young, ambitious professionals who would be renting IN the city and building up their down-payment on a house are either taking themselves elsewhere or assuming the literal and quality-of-life costs that come with having to make long commutes 5 times a week.

One end result of this is that there are inevitably fewer ready home buyers once the next batch of them come around at the age they’re ‘supposed’ to.

Detrimental Government Intervention

Significant government intervention has pulled Vancouver’s rental transactions down by 50%, and overall value by around 27% in that same 2016-present timeframe. Along with that, dollar volume has shrunk by as much as 62%, from $1.383 billion last year to $529 million this year. And to ice this mismanagement cake, at the same time cap rates in the City of Vancouver have gone up 50%.

Long story short, in the last two years the City of Vancouver has been disproportionately outpaced by the suburban rental housing market. All this despite knowing full well that METRO rental housing was where the need truly existed.

What’s even more problematic is that these trends are usually self-perpetuating. Fast-forward two and a half years, and we’re likely going to see an even more disparate rate at which developers are applying to build rental in other municipalities.

All of which has a damaging influence on the real estate market as a whole, for the reasons stated above.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for your privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your prospecting efforts, and grow your client base like never before.

The Promise of Blockchain Technology Development for Real Estate

Published July 15, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

There’s few buzzwords if any that are as hot in the world of computing quite like Blockchain is. Some realtors in Canada may be familiar with Blockchain, but we imagine the majority aren’t familiar with it. A blockchain is a growing list of records that are resistant to modification of the data and can digitally record transactions between two parties efficiently, verifiably, and permanently.

Now some will read that and see the words ‘transactions’ and ‘verifiability’ to quickly make the connection for how blockchain technology could be beneficial for real estate. Others may still need it to be laid out a little further, and that’s perfectly fine too. And of course while we’re on the subject of beneficial technologies, here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is 100% proven beneficial realtors looking to build on their customer base. See out testimonials page for more convincing on that if you need it.

But back to Blockchain for now. What makes it have so much potential for Real Estate?

Open, Transparent, and Traceable

A group called the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) recently put out a 30-page Real Estate Use Case document to promote blockchain as a more open, transparent and traceable method of conducting transactions in the real estate industry.

It lists eight different uses for blockchain, including:

-property identification (including listings and data)

-token-enabled marketplaces

-token securitization

-public registries detailing ownership of properties

-sales process optimization

Along with its role in the creation of a real estate exchange, blockchain has been used as a platform for conventional real estate sales. Look no further than New York-based ShelterZoom, who have plans to go live this year with a platform enabling buyers and sellers to make and consider offers over an Ethereum blockchain.

Real estate tokenization may take some time to take hold, but it’s quit likely that it will. How this will almost certainly work is that the firm will offer a number of buildings in an index, and participants can buy tokens from that index. The appeal is quite simple, less risk and more profit.

It’s important to remember that the real estate market is highly liquid, meaning property can be bought or sold relatively speedily with little to no loss in value. To date, however, the marketplace has primarily been for a wealthy investors. Blockchain has the potential to change that.

It will enable anyone to invest because the costs to do it are so much lower, and it enables fractionalized ownership. Tokenization makes it so that someone can indirectly acquire a piece of real estate, and it also has the potential to create a much more transparent marketplace. This makes more of a level playing field so that everyday people aren’t at a disadvantage compared to more seasoned, deeper-pocketed buyers.

It has the potential to enables anyone to own and acquire a piece of real estate. Blockchain allows anyone to sell anytime, even if that means selling your share on a secondary market. Of course, a decentralized exchange for real estate tokens.

Blockchain and REITs

A Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) is a fund or security that allows investors to purchase shares of income-generating real estate properties. REITs are owned and operated by shareholders who invest in commercial properties such as office and apartment buildings, hotels, and shopping centers.

With the new technology, the property will have its own smart contract and thus its own token. They can choose to invest in a specific property at a specific address wherever they like.

How It Works

There will be a central authority of users who whitelist those who can participate by first authenticating their identities. Once the individual is cleared, their personally identifiable information is encrypted and stored in a crypto wallet – a piece of software that keeps track of the secret keys used to sign blockchain transactions digitally.

The blockchain onboarding process involves potential users automatically being asked questions and required to submit sufficient proof of identity through a business automation application known as a smart contract – which serves to satisfy financial industry regulations. Once buyers / investors have completed the onboarding process they’ll have their crypto wallets whitelisted for blockchain real estate transactions.

All very interesting stuff, and something for real estate professionals in Canada to keep tabs on.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your similarly-exclusive area of any city or town in Canada. You’ll quickly come to see it as money well spent as you build your client base much more quickly than you would by traditional means. It’s a proven performer in every sense of the term!

Real Estate Industry-Related Employment Taking a Big Hit Nationwide

Published July 8, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

For well over a century now there has been an entire segment of people who’s livelihood is directly connected to the real estate industry in Canada. It’s not an entire dependency on it, but the connections is a fairly arterial one that’s of great importance to their well being in ‘making a living.’ Without going into any unnecessary detail about them, they’re known as the FIRE (finance, insurance, and real estate) sector of the industry, and that industry is the buying and selling of homes in Canada.

Now of course working with the understanding that most of you reading this will be real estate agents, it’s definitely newsworthy to note that Stats Canada has put out some findings recently that indicate the FIRE sector is beginning to take a bit of a beating in Canada. In particular, larger provinces like Ontario, and Quebec have actually seen job losses in the sector number in the thousands in the last few months.

The weight of these undesirable turns doesn’t come down only on realtors, but it’s yet another factor making it difficult for realtors to realize the expectation they have for their business within each quarter of the year. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for realtors is an excellent way to be put more directly in touch with prospective clients. This makes for more in the way of opportunities to make new clients in a current environment where that’s increasingly more challenging to do.

But back to our topic here today, what are the realties of this big hit being taken by the FIRE sector in Canada?

Undeniable Shift

Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows FIRE sector jobs made a small decline in June. Aggregate movement was small, but most of the gains that kept the decline from being larger were made in smaller provinces and that should continue to be the case. Larger provinces like Ontario and Quebec lost thousands of jobs in the sector last month.

The home buying and selling industry booms when asset prices rise and / or more interest payers are added, which is an immediate indication that more credit is being issued. It declines when asset prices fall, or credit growth begins to slow down. As manufacturing jobs disappear (and this trend has been picking up steam in Canada over nearly 30 years now) the sector becomes more important to the financial health of the country. The reality is that debt-driven economies like Canada’s are increasingly dependent on this sector.

FIRE Employment Is Flat in Canada

As it stands now here in the first week of July, Canadian FIRE sector employment is virtually flat from the month before. FIRE seasonally-adjusted employment went down to 1.193 million jobs in June, representing a 0.02% decline from the month before. 2014 was the last time a monthly decline for June was seen here. It equates to about 200 jobs lost in the sector, and some Provinces got it much worse than others.

  • Ontario – Over 5,000 FIRE sector jobs lost in June, with FIRE seasonally-adjusted employment falling to 577,400 in June, down 0.98% from the month before. The decline equates 5,700 FIRE sector jobs lost in June. This follows 1,300 jobs lost in May. Worth noting that half of all FIRE sector employees in Canada work in Ontario.

 

  • British Columbia – FIRE employment hits all-time high, with FIRE seasonally-adjusted employment growing to 162,000 in June, up a very large 4.99% from the month before. This works out to an increase of 7,700 jobs for the month, the biggest June increase ever. Considering some of the largest declines in real estate sales in the country have been seen in BC recently, this one is hard to make sense of.

 

  • Quebec – Loses over 5,000 FIRE sector jobs. Quebec really did take a significant hit here, with seasonally-adjusted employment falling to 239,600 jobs in June, down 2.12% from a month before. This roughly equates to a loss of 5,200 jobs, and loss numbers of that type haven’t been seen since 2006.

 

  • Alberta – Largest June increase since 2012. Substantial gains in the Province’s FIRE sector were seen last month. Seasonally-adjusted employment reached 105,800 jobs in June, up 2.42% from the month before. This meant somewhere in the vicinity of 2,500jobs being added.

While the decline in FIRE sector employment was marginal across the country, there’s an interesting trend to be seen here. The country’s largest province by population is experiencing a decline in FIRE sector employment while provinces with smaller populations are seeing that type of employment increase. While net change from all of this probably isn’t going to shake things up too much, there’s very likely going to be regional impacts.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you – for your also exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. It’s your area, and they’re your leads and when you see how efficiently this service puts you in touch with people who are genuinely considering buying or selling a home in the near future it really shines a light on how you’ve made a smart decision as a real estate agent.

RentSteady – New Digital ‘Landlord’ Service for Renting Investment Properties

Published July 2, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Slowly creating wealth by buying investment properties and then selling them at a later date for a profit is a method that’s been around for more than a century now. When it comes to residential properties, unless the buyer is EXTREMELY deep pocketed they will often need to rent these properties during the duration of their ownership of them. Some owners have the means of doing this, but for others a property management company is the way they choose to go.

A new digital resource has arrived on the scene that promises to be very advantageous for homeowners who are renting out a property and have encountered headaches from doing so on their own in the past. As a real estate agent, you’re more than likely going to have clients that fit this description, and if you’re able to share helpful information with them that of course goes a long way to creating repeat clients.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to get more out of your prospecting efforts and gain more in the way of opportunities to meet potential clients of ALL types. It’s been especially well received by realtors all across Canada, and of course anything you can do to build on your knowledgebase increases your chances of turning making clients out of these opportunities.

Which leads us back to our topic here today..

RentSteady – Providing Landlords with Payment Assurance

Get Digs™ is a digital service that improves the way renters make rent payments, and landlords receive them. Renters can pay their rent by one of five methods: credit card, VISA Debit, Debit Mastercard, Interac e-Transfer, or cheque. They can also set up alerts to make sure they’re never late with a payment.

On the other side of the equation, landlords get the assurance that they will receive their rental income in a timely manner each month, even if the tenant is late with paying it. That’s made possible with a feature called RentSteady, and it works to ensure they get paid on time no matter what goes on with the tenant. The appeal for landlords is that it helps remove the negative impact on cash flow associated with late rental payments, and giving the landlord the security and peace of mind when it comes to their making necessary payments of their own.

How does RentSteady work? Landlords receive an e-mail notifying them that the tenant is late paying the month’s rent. From there, RentSteady handles all of the follow up associated with late payments and continues to send weekly notifications to update the landlord of the renter’s payment status.

Long story short, the important part for most here is that if the renter defaults, the landlord will continue to be paid on the first of the month, and for up to 4 months of consecutive non-payments.

Truly Unique Product

Other products in the market that attempt to protect landlords do exist, but the consensus is that most aren’t particularly effective. Most add more tasks and processes to what is already required of landlords and do not solve the main issue of being out of pocket for the rent owed.

If you’re looking for a validation of that, consider that Get Digs is backed by RBC Ventures. We believe it’s going to have a long-term impact in the Canadian market. Being backed by RBC provides a legitimacy and peace of mind that other products aren’t capable of providing.

Having tenants fails to pay rent on time can have serious ramifications for homeowners with their own payment schedules for the property. RentSteady can help with that and you’re encouraged to recommend it to your clients.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively for you own private region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and so many professionals like you can’t recommend it highly enough..

How Clients Can Reduce Taxes on Real Estate Investments

Published June 25, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

It’s been said a hundred times before, but it’s as true as ever – an informed and knowledgeable realtor is a reputable realtor in the eyes of a client who’s purchasing real estate as an investment. Much of this knowledge is the type that comes over time as a realtor moves over the course of his or her career, but of course there’s plenty you can do to speed up the process and become more in-the-know about the housing market and what is possible within it.

The success you’ll have as a realtor is going to have a dollars-and-cents relation to the number of new clients you’re able to prospect. With over 10,000 realtors licensed and working in Canada, it’s very fair to say that a larger slice of the pie isn’t going to be easy to come by. That’s a big part of why our online real estate lead generation system for Canada here at Real Estate Leads is so advantageous for realtors. It gives you more in the way of the opportunities you need to turn prospective clients into established clients. And yes, being perceived as a ‘knowledgeable’ realtor will go a LONG way in that regard.

This will be true of clients buying homes as residences, but it’s especially true for those buying homes as investors. Any piece of information you can share with them that will benefit their bottom line in both the purchase and future resale of the property will be most welcome and put you in the most favourable light.

Which leads us to today’s topic – Helping clients pay less tax on real estate investments.

Fewer Taxes – Happier Clients

There’s no getting around the fac that taxes have the potential to cut into the profits on a real estate investment. Investors who have an understanding of complexities of the modern tax landscape have the potential to make significant tax savings. If you can be the individual who guides them to having that understanding, you’re going to have satisfied clients and, fortunately, satisfied clients are often inclined to be repeat clients.

Here are two tax strategies that can be put to use by your investor clients:

  1. Make Purchase Mortgage Tax Deductible

In Canada, investors are allowed to transfer the proceeds from a home mortgage loan over to a loan used to buy a rental property, and once that’s done then this loan is tax deductible.

For example, let’s say an investment property is purchased for $500,000 with a mortgage for $400,000 for the first year in a variable mortgage. Once the market value of the investment property has increased and the mortgage is paid down, there is now the option of refinancing or selling the property.

Let’s now assume that in the 5th year the investment property is sold for $600,000 – creating a profit of $100,000, plus the proceeds of the pay down in the mortgage for another $35,000. After fees and capital gains tax, the $90,000 coming from this sale could be used to pay down the mortgage on your principal residence. Provided the mortgage is set up to allow a re-advance, the $90,000 could be re-invested.

Now that the interest on the $90,000 portion of the home mortgage would be tax deductible, and is that way because it was used to purchase the investment.

  1. Reduce Taxes by Setting Up a Company or Family Trust to Operate Investments

It’s helpful to know that there is usually a minimum level of income or asset base that is required before the accounting and legal cost of setting up those planning options become worth the tax savings. One simple tool that is at investors’ disposal here in Canada is the ‘Section 85’ roll over.

This is a tax deferred roll over in Section 85.1 of the Tax Act, and it makes it possible for a Canadian to transfer real estate holdings and other kinds of investments into a company while not paying any recapture or capital gains tax at that time. For a family looking to grow their investment holdings and then aiming to manage those assets for the next generation, the section 85 roll over approach is a solid choice because it allows for the required taxes to be deferred at the outset.

Then over time the investor will be able to create a family trust, which could be used to manage the ownership of the new holding company long term. Of course, investors should seek professional advice from a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) or tax lawyer before implementing any tax strategy – and ideally you’ll be able to refer a good one to them!

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for your very own and privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. That region is all yours, and the leads are all yours alone too. It’s an excellent way to really supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and you’ll almost certainly be pleased with the opportunities it creates for you.

5 Social Media Marketing Tips for Real Estate Agents

Published June 18, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

It used to be that realtors who were skeptical about this new ‘social media’ trend could actually dismiss it as a passing fad, or perhaps even as something that won’t be as relevant for ‘their’ clientele. Well, here we are in 2019 and the first part of that is now definitely untrue, and in truth the second part of it isn’t likely very accurate either.

Social media is used very integrally to promote consumer interests – and pretty much any consumer interest. Real estate is no exception to this, and almost certainly the majority of you are already putting at least some part of your budget into social media marketing for your business and in promoting properties that you have listed. And it’s 100% percent true that older people have now come around to the appeals of social media too. Not to the same extent millennials and the like have, but still enough that it’s a viable advertising means for people with ‘deeper pocket’s too.

Real estate is a competitive business, no one needs to be convinced of that. Finding homes for buyers, and buyers for homes, isn’t easy and effectively prospecting clients is a must if any realtor is to be successful. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to see to it you have more in-contact opportunities with prospective clients.

Social media can be helpful in this regard too, and especially in the way it increases your visibility as a real estate expert for your chosen area. Today we’ll look at 5 different tips realtors can use to maximize

  1. Create Your Business Page

It’s true that Facebook is not the social media app of choice for young people any longer. However, it is the one of choice for people who buy homes. Yes, greater numbers of adults are enjoying using Facebook to keep up with all the activities of their friends, and any time you pique the interest of a potential homebuyers with the ability to actually buy a home then you’ve potentially done very well.

Facebook allows you to create a business page, and it’s entirely different from the ones you can have for your personal profile. It’s highly recommended to create your own Real Estate Business Page on Facebook, and use it to promote yourself, your properties, and – last but not least – a resource page for testimonials for satisfied customers. You can link it to your own website, or your blog (there or otherwise), and a whole lot more.

It will take about 10 to 15 minutes of your time, and you also have the opportunity to place paid ads through it that will be shown to Facebook users. Highly recommended.

  1. Make Your Facebook Page the Hub of your Social Media

Plain and simple, your Facebook Business Page should be your hub and the main funnel for your online presence. Your followers’ email and phone numbers can be collected with FB messenger, ad forms, or with a chatbot. The interface of the page provides access to your photos, calendar, stories, bio, contact information, timeline, events, and more. People who are comfortable in the social media realm will like seeing that you’re comfortable promoting yourself there, and they won’t hesitate to contact you and express whatever real estate interests they may have.

In addition, you can even manage your Instagram business from your Facebook page. A great Facebook page really can go a long way in making your real estate business visible to prospective customers

  1. Focus on Customers

Traditional marketing has always been geared around understanding your target customers’ needs, and then tailoring your strategy and ads campaigns to them. Inbound marketing is entirely different. It’s based on the strategy of creating content that your target market with an Attract —> Engage —> Delight model. The last part of that – delighting – is all about giving your customers what they want.

What goes into that depends on the type of client base you’re targeting, but research goes a long way here.

  1. Inbound Marketing with SEO

There may be some realtors who are familiar with search engine optimization, but if there are we imagine they’re few and far between. Having the content you enter on your social media profiles beign SEO optimized is very important. Now if that’s beyond you, no problem, as there are plenty of paid resources online that can make it easy for you to determine which keywords are most searched on that subject matter – and most often the ones you’ll be after will be along the lines of ‘homes for sale in _____’ or ‘________ real estate’

The objective is to rank your content on the first search results page, and it’s really advisable to hire somebody to do this for you effectively if you can’t do it on your own. It’s an essential part of social media real estate marketing (there’s one right there 😉 ) that works.

  1. Tell a Story

Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories are well suited for promoting real estate. Many people will even insist that this should be your template for creating new ads. Tell a story with photos and video of the real estate you’re promoting. Don’t focus on selling primarily, and instead put your focus on attracting and engage your audience. Engaging content is the key, and as with everything, practice makes perfect. Be smart about it and you won’t be able to go too wrong, and you’ll almost certainly improve with them.

What’s more, if you do create one and decide it’s not to your liking you can always take it down as quickly as you like.

If you take nothing more from this, make sure your social media marketing starts with a Business Page on Facebook. Being on multiple platforms is advisable, and Instagram and Twitter also lend themselves to real estate business promotion too.

Get on Board with This Today

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively for your similarly-exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. It’s your region, and they’re your leads. You’ll almost certainly come to see it as money very well spent in the interest of growing your real estate business in much the same way so many other realtors across Canada already have.

Want to read about that yourself? Check out our testimonials page.

 

Smart Civic Planning Strategy Working Contributing Nicely to Vancouver Housing Market

Published June 11, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Over the course of their careers most realtors inherently develop at least a basic understanding of civic planning, and it’s helpful to understand how smart civic planning makes for better housing developments. That is of course beneficial for everyone, and realtors included in as far as the volume of their business is concerned. Nowhere in Canada is smart civic development and housing needed more than in the hotbeds of Vancouver and Toronto.

Not only is it important to try to counter urban sprawl as much as possible, but it’s important that people be able to live in suitable homes and immediate communities and not have overly long commutes to get to work. Again, realtors will be acutely aware of this, and those working in either of Canada’s two biggest metro areas will have heard these concerns from clients. Fortunately, it seems as if there are positive developments being seen.

Generating client leads and turning them into clients will require many things of you, and not the least of which is being attuned to what locations and opportunities there are in your city. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to harness the power of the Internet and be put directly in touch with these types of individuals.

But back to the immediate topic, and specifically how Vancouver is seeing the fruits of its planning strategy across the last decade.

Seeds of Change

Metro Vancouver’s vision for this started 8 years ago, and their planning strategy is seeing specific areas of the suburban Vancouver area growing into standalone cities within the city.

It’s easy to see the many new and towering urban enclaves that are taking root throughout the city. Neighbourhoods like Vancouver’s Oakridge, Burnaby’s Brentwood, Lougheed and Metrotown town, plus nearly a dozen other once-suburban areas around the region are becoming developed into smart urban centres.

It’s quite impressive how former regional shopping centres and transit-oriented sites are being redeveloped into mixed-use communities that have the ability to house thousands of residents while also providing clusters of amenities like shopping, entertainment and hospitality, and news office spaces too.

The city’s regional growth strategy had Metro Vancouver – representing the region’s federation of 21 municipalities – laying out future plans for development. City planners and stakeholders chose to focus on urban centre locations and areas connected to major transit stations via Translink’s SkyTrain and Canada Line networks.

Direction was provided to the municipalities, but also to developers and investors so that high-density growth could occur in what is well known to be a very land-constrained market. Once the municipalities adjusted their own zonings and plans for the hubs, it made it possible for investors and builders to buy up land and under-developed assets in regional town centres at Surrey Central, Burnaby’s Brentwood town centre, Richmond Centre, Vancouver’s Marine Gateway and Oakridge neighbourhoods.

Dramatic changes in those neighbourhoods are in progress. A large number of towers – some 60 storeys or higher – are either being built or planned for formerly-low density residential areas. The Brentwood area in Burnaby and the corner of Willingdon and Lougheed Highway is likely the best example.

Brentwood and Oakridge’s Major Transformations

Nowhere has the change been more dramatic that with Burnaby’s Brentwood neighbourhood. Nearly 30 residential and commercial towers are either underway or in their planning stages at four major development complexes. This is going to work out to more than 13,000 homes and 3.86 million square feet of retail and office space being built over the next decade.

The rebirth at Oakridge in Vancouver will also be remarkable. It will have 16 or more new towers itself, comprising one million square feet of retail space, 450K square feet of office space and more than 5,000 new homes.

One of the key strategies of the RGS that’s really been wholly integrated with both was to build towers that replace large tracts of existing surface parking wrapped around suburban shopping centres.

Developing Urban Enclaves

Many cities in North America are developing urban enclaves, but Vancouver is doing it in a big way, and especially so for a relatively small city. What’s unique about Vancouver is it is an overly land-constrained market and the scale of these developments is occurring in what is really a very small geographic area.

All this is going to be important, as Vancouver projects to have a million additional residents over the next 20 years. It needs to become more liveable, and of course with more housing stock comes a greater opportunity for ALL people in any facet of the housing industry. Realtors included.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you – for any region of any city or town in Canada. That region is also yours to serve exclusively, and nearly all of the realtors who’ve gotten on board with us already are more than thrilled with what it’s done for their business with the greater number of prospective clients they’re put in touch with.

Defining ‘Exurbs’, and Why They’re Increasingly Popular for Real Estate

Published June 3, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

One of the things that most people who have an understanding of economics and the big-picture relation to the real estate market and industry will know is that never before in the history of the Western World have we seen such a multitude of external forces changing the realities of buying real estate. There are a whole host of reasons why many employed, middle-class families are being priced out of markets in places like Vancouver and Montreal.

That dynamic is also being seen to a lesser extent in many other areas of the country, and in the United States as well. Indeed, a ‘city’ realtor needs to be more familiar with the areas outside of that city’s metro area than ever before. Many of his would-be clients may be eyeing a move there, and here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation service for Canada is an excellent way to give yourself an advantage with prospecting new clients in what is an ever-more competitive arena for real estate agent.

What’s an Exurb?

Which leads us to our buzzword for today – ‘Exurbs.’ We’ll assume all of you are familiar with the term suburb, and if so you’re perfectly set up to come to understand what an exurb is. An Exurb is (quoting directly from Merriam-Webster for anyone questioning authenticity) ‘a region or settlement that lies outside a city and usually beyond its suburbs.’

Right, that much of it isn’t difficult to come to understand, but what’s the relevance of that to as far as being an increasingly popular choice for real estate? Well, for that we need to evaluate the second part of the definition – ‘an area that is often inhabited primarily by well-to-do families.’

Now when you really weight the entirety of that it makes sense. With urban densification becoming more and more pronounced around the world, it’s becoming more and more challenging for even the most financially well-equipped to live the detached home and 2-car garage / picket fence ideal. So these significantly more deep-pocket would-be buyers are looking EVEN FURTHER outside of town.

It may be a bit of a commuter nightmare for some, but these homeowners aren’t going to be overly concerned with the price of motor fuel. (Nearly $1.60 or higher per litre here in Vancouver these days)

The Trend

These ‘Exurb’ secondary municipalities, some being located as far as double digit or even hundreds of kilometres from the large urban markets, have slowly become more viable purchase destinations amid high housing costs. Some may be choosing community and lifestyle over ‘urban excitement’ and career opportunities, and it seems that many of them are skipping the suburbs right now and going even farther out.

Some info contained in a recent survey conducted by Queens University:

  • As of 2016, 3/4 of Canadians are living in suburban communities
  • From 2006 to that year, exurbs experienced 20% population growth, and auto-dependent suburbs experienced 17%
  • 8 of the top 10 fastest appreciating exurbs nationwide are in Ontario, and specifically in areas surrounding Hamilton, London, Windsor, Kingston, Guelph, and the Tri-Cities, among other locations
  • For BC, secondary municipalities in the Hope area beyond the Fraser Valley and Kamloops Exurbs regions saw the most growth

The connecting theme between all of these is they’re a significant ways away from a metro region, but overall that’s not as daunting as it used to be for people. Another reputable-source study found that – not surprisingly – elevated prices weigh heaviest among the minds of young and first-time buyers.

It will be advantageous for realtors to expand the boundaries of their areas of familiarity and expertise to go beyond where they’ve consolidated their efforts, and particularly so for more well-to-do clients as compared to the way it would previously.

All of this is of course connected closely to being put in touch with these types of clients. Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your own privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. Harness the power of Internet marketing and get a leg up on your competition that puts you in direct contact with people who are genuinely considering buying or selling a home.

After all, there has to be something to be said for having the first crack at turning prospects into clients for your real estate business!

Effective Approaches for Contacting FSBO (For Sale by Owner) Homeowners

Published May 27, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Despite what many realtors will say, there’s no reason that a home that is well-maintained, in a desirable neighbourhood, and priced accurately can be sold by the homeowners without the services of a realtor. Will it be sold as quickly and for the maximum amount possible (independent of the listing price?) That’s not so certain, and while the majority of homeowners will be aware of that fact there are going to be some ‘FSBOs’ who will continue to believe otherwise.

Contacting homeowners selling their home on their own is fairly standard practice for realtors in the business, and it’s true that a good many of these sellers will be persuaded to list with a realtor. But which one? You can count on these homeowners being contacted by more than one realtor, so what makes one successful while others don’t get the listing?

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to give you an inside track on being first to be in touch with homeowners looking to sell their home and buyers looking to buy a home. As far as the first type of prospective client there is concerned, this fast-tracking of the meeting between you and them means you have the opportunity to sell them on the advisability of a realtor’s professional services BEFORE they make any such decision about becoming a FSBO.

That said, it’s helpful to have some tested-and-true approaches to contacting a FSBO and making a favourable impression on them. Here they are.

  1. Focus on Relationship Building

The long and short is that prospecting for FSBO listings is a numbers game, and even the best agents shouldn’t expect to list more than 20% of the FSBO sellers contacted. It’s essential to get past the initial contact formalities and get right to establishing the tone of your conversation. Don’t attempt to aggressively close an appointment within 5 or 10 minutes of speaking to the homeowner for the first time.

They may never intend to list with an agent, or they may be obligated to use an agent that is a family member of friend if they ever do decide to list their home through a realtor. If you take a no-pressure and more of a ‘I’m here to help if you think that’s something you’d like’ approach goes a long way and usually fosters a favourable opinion of you as a real estate professional.

  1. Systemize Your Follow Ups

FSBOs tend to be listed when the realtor’s approach is consistent, and systematic with their follow-up if that’s what is needed (and nine times out of 10 it is). Experienced realtors will know that many FSBO sellers won’t be ready to make a decision until at least the fifth or sixth contact. With repeated contact opportunities comes the chance for you to add value. This can be neighborhood data, a comparative market analysis, property profile information or even a pre-listing presentation.

It’s always best to call and let them know when other homes come up for sale, go under contract, and sell in their area. Have something of real value ready to be shared with them each time a follow-up contact is suitable.

  1. Ask Smart Qualifying Questions

These are opportunities that you most certainly don’t want to squander, so it pays to be able to ask the right questions, and ask them at the right time. It’s also important to pose them in the best manner, and never be clearly angling for the listing as part of your own interests. Here are 3 excellent questions to ask, and in the same or much the same language.

  • “If I brought you a qualified buyer, would you be willing to pay me a 3% commission?” – If the answer to that is yes, you’re set up perfectly to continue to the next question.
  • “How long are you prepared to try selling your home on your own before you look into other options, including listing with a real estate agent?” – As an industry tip, it’s common to cut their answer here in half. If they say 2 months, work with the understanding that they’ll be ready to list in a month. If their answer is 6 months or less, continue on to the next question.
  • “If you don’t sell your home by (indicated time), what other options will you be willing to consider to sell your home?” – One of the benefits of this question is that it ensures that they don’t have a personal or family friend as a realtor and you don’t waste too much time and effort. If this prospective client is open to the possibility of interviewing agents in the future, enter them in your lead follow-up campaigns and move on to contacting the next FSBO if there is one.

Turning a FSBO into a home seller clients is a very rewarding feeling for a realtor, and once you done it for the first time it’s quite common to be very enthusiastic about taking successive cracks at it. Again, the most important part of doing this is to take an entirely ‘no pressure / here to help if you want it’ approach when discussing the matter with the homeowners.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for a region of any city or town in Canada that is yours alone as long as you registered with us. It’s an excellent way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and it’s nearly impossible to see it as anything else that money well spent as part of your marketing budget.

CMHC: Canadian Housing Market No Longer Overly Vulnerable After Prices Ease

Published May 21, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

For some time we’ve heard that while the Canadian housing market is flat, the market itself and the value homeowners have in their homes in relation to it have been perched precariously over the last little while for a number of different reasons. It goes without saying that there are many people and livelihoods that have a vested interest in the well being of the housing market, and of course realtors like you are certainly one of them.

It’s for this reason that no matter where and how your interest in the health of the housing market is found, it’s good news these days as the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is saying it no longer has the country’s housing market being ‘highly vulnerable’ after an overall easing of price acceleration has been seen across the country.

While that isn’t going to necessarily equate more homes being sold, it will mean a greater number of prospective homebuyers being further empowered within the overall sphere of business, and that bodes well for a realtor’s prospecting efforts as he or she seeks to drum up more business for themselves. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to get more out of your efforts in this regard, and it comes highly recommended from many real estate agents who are already onboard.

Moderate Market Now

The CHMC’s report from Thursday of last week states that it rates the overall market at ‘moderate’ after 10 consecutive quarters of being rated ‘highly vulnerable.’This with the disclaimer that some cities remain at an elevated risk. A spokesperson said “the state of the national housing market has improved to moderate vulnerability.”

The consensus is that though moderate evidence of overvaluation continues for Canada as a whole, improved overall alignment between house prices and housing market fundamentals has been seen as of late.

The inflation-adjusted average price for a home in Canada went down 5.4% in the last quarter of 2018 from the same period in the year previous.

Vancouver Remains Vulnerable

The CMHC also reported that while house prices in Vancouver, Toronto, Victoria, and Hamilton moved towards more market sustainability, a high degree of vulnerability was still being seen in those markets. Further, Vancouver remains highly vulnerable, and in particular in response to overvaluation of homes there.

The largest cities in the Prairies are staying at a moderate degree of vulnerability. Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, St. John’s, Quebec City, and Moncton are all seeing little to no risk of vulnerability.

The report determined vulnerability via several criteria; price acceleration, overvaluation, overbuilding, overheating, and others.

Relatedly, price acceleration has eased nationally, and in large part because of the federal government’s mortgage stress test regulations of 2018. They raised the bar as to what’s required to be able to qualify for a mortgage, and the entirety of tighter mortgage rules made for less demand for housing, as well as contributing to the seen decline of house prices.

The report concluded by noting that inflation resulted in personal disposable income dropping by 1.2 per cent, and this corresponding with a reduction in buying power. This was partially offset by a young-adult population that increased by 1.9 per cent and added to the pool of would-be (hopeful) first-time homebuyers by a small amount.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your similarly-exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a nearly guaranteed way to be put in touch with genuine people who are genuinely looking to buy or sell a home in the area of the country where you hang your professional hat. Try it out, and we’re certain you’ll quickly come to see it as money well spent when it comes to advancing your real estate business.

7 Best Customer Service Practices for Realtors

Published May 13, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

We imagine there’s not even one practicing real estate agent who needs to be convinced of the importance of superior customer services when it comes to advancing their business. Further, the vast majority of realtors will already be providing their clients with good customer service, but it’s entirely fair to say there’s always room for improvement. As is the case with nearly everything, getting right down to the absolute truth of a matter often involves going beyond conventional thinking, and this is entirely accurate in the real estate business.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for Canadian realtors is an excellent way to augment a realtor’s client prospecting efforts. More leads equals more opportunities, and the best realtors will know that turning a prospect into a client often isn’t as much of a challenge as retaining that client for future business opportunities as well. Enjoying repeat business from a client who decides to buy or sell a home again in the future is dependent on your being every bit the knowledgeable and reputable professional they hope you to be.

That, and meeting their every expectation when it comes to your role as their realtor. Obviously, customer service is going to be a big part of that and so our focus here to day will be on a handful of proven-effective customer service practices for realtors.

There’s no industry where customer service (client service, if you prefer) is more essential than it is in real estate–an opinion I’ve found support for even as the list of industries and professional services niches for which I’m a customer service consultant and speaker has climbed above a dozen. In real estate, empathetic, patient customer service from a dedicated agent, supported by a skilled, polished, and motivated office staff, is a prerequisite for success. If you work in real estate, the principles and best practices I offer below will put you on your way to building a superior level of client service, thereby creating loyal customers, generating word of mouth marketing, and building passionate brand ambassadorship.

  1. Always be Quick to Respond

Real estate clients in today’s world expect speedy service, and now more so than ever before. The saying that an hour represents a year in internet time is pretty appropriate when it comes to what they considerable to be reasonable in as far as response times are concerned. A prospective client who doesn’t hear back from you before the end of the day (at the very latest) may very well move on, or at the very least be starting to develop an unfavourable opinion of you.

Smartphones make it entirely possible to respond to any manner of digital communication quickly. You have one, so be sure to use it and always respond to client communications as promptly as possible.

  1. Anticipate Client Wishes to the Best of Your Ability

It’s a fact that when a client’s wishes are met before they’ve needed to be expressed, that client is going to be plenty pleased with their realtor. Making yourself better equipped to do this requires aligning your systems and your people to anticipate what your clients – and well in advance of the point where they feel they need to ask for it.

It’s true that much of this foreword thinking is the type that only comes with experience working as a realtor, but it’s also true that you can go a long way in this regard simply by thinking about what your wishes would be if YOU were the home buyer or home seller. aligning your systems to focus on what clients really want from your processes is really a key, and make sure to understand that each and every client is going to be different from the next in this regard.

  1. Take Initiative to Share Information with Clients

Clients that feel empowered tend to be satisfied ones, and that comes from the satisfaction of being possession of all the facts they deem to be important. For you, the focus should be on explaining what they need to know and why – before they need it. You can start by NOT assuming that ANYTHING is common knowledge between you and the client. Even if they do, you’re not going to be disadvantaging yourself by sharing it with them, and if anything they’ll see it as evidence of the fact that you’re making entirely sure they’re sufficiently in the know.

  1. Choose Wisely When Building a Real Estate Team

Every real estate firm will have measures in place to promote their clients receiving superb service, and if you’re a realtor who’s become successful to the point that you need to start building a team then you should choose those team members very judiciously – keeping in mind the importance of great customer service in real estate. It’s true that a single disagreeable or unresponsive team member can severely diminish client loyalty. You can and should aim to become an expert at recruiting, selecting, training, evaluating and reinforcing the efforts of service personnel.

  1. Master your Greetings and Farewells

Industry research has indicated that clients that the parts of an encounter they remember most vividly are the first and last minutes of them. It’s for this reason that you should focus on ensuring you have the interaction skills and moxie to make sure these parts of the conversation / interaction are most to the clients’ liking. Yes, that often means engineering them, and while that many not be ‘natural’ it’s perfectly fine to have scripts in place for these parts of your discourse and meetings with clients.

Practice them so that they are natural, but do make sure that you have them in place to make certain that you start and end on the right notes with clients.

  1. Acknowledge Returning Clients in a Personal Manner

You stand to benefit immensely from being able to speak to a returning clients with the kind of ease, naturalness, and personability that indicates you both remember them and know of their individuality. This goes a LONG way in creating the impression that your excellent customer service is paired with a continuing degree of genuine interest in these clients as distinct people.

Some realtors have expressly strong memories that serve well for this purpose. For those of you who don’t, it’s advisable to make notes in your digital files on clients where you jot down little things you catch onto about them. Keeping a notes file in your phone so you can add to it immediately after meeting with them is the best idea, and you then transfer those notes to a master file on your computer once back at the office or at home.

  1. Don’t Measure Yourself Against Prevailing or Conventional Standards

This one is fairly self-explanatory; you shouldn’t be resting on your laurels based on the fact you’re meeting or exceeding what’s seen as the minimum for customer service in real estate. Instead, benchmark yourself against the best practices you can find throughout a variety of service-intensive industries, and do so because that’s going to provide your with a more realistic interpretation of what clients ACTUALLY expect from ANY service provider – their realtor included.

Every client interaction with you is judged based on expectations set by the most receptive and in-tune providers in hospitality, the financial services industry, and other areas those who’ve mastered customer service best practices have reaped the rewards for their efforts.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively, for any area of a city of town in Canada that’s protected for you exclusively within our system. The region is yours and yours alone, and you’ll be the only realtor who’ll receive leads for it. It’s a proven-effective way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and you’ll have more in the way of opportunities to showcase your real estate excellence – including exceptional customer service.

Potential for Higher Development Costs Affecting Greater Toronto High-Density Land Prices

Published May 6, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

It’s a well-established fact that the only way to realistically address the housing shortages in cities like Vancouver and Toronto is for the city councils to amend zoning regulations for higher-density building development. It goes without saying that this is no easy task, as if it were then we would already see these changes in place. It’s certainly not as easy as just going ahead with it, and that these changes are slow to get off the ground is an unfortunate reality.

It’s also a fact that many homeowners – and especially those who own their properties outright – are often not in favour of these types of prospective zoning changes. This is often said to be in large part attributable to the fact that increasing housing stock means their property values will go down. Interestingly, there have been studies done that show that there’s no truth to this, and that’s a fact that realtors – among others – will be quick to point out anytime the opportunity presents itself.

Yes, of course that’s in something of a self-serving interest, but it’s important that the lack of affordable housing in major urban areas of Canada be addressed effectively. What it would mean for realtors is more properties, more clients, and ultimately more business. That’s a big plus, but the current depressed state of the housing market in Canada and the ratio of supply and demand being drastically titled towards demand at this time makes it so that realtors needs to work harder than ever to gain their share of the pie.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to gain an advantage when prospecting clients, and the way it’s been so well received by ever-greater numbers of professionals across the country makes it one of the best online resources for realtors in Canada. Given the state of the business nationwide at this time it’s something that makes a lot of sense.

There’s yet another factor that’s threatening to depress new home construction starts even further in Canada’s most populous city – Toronto. Specifically, it’s the increased development costs that developers have to take on in conjunction with already sky-high values attached to the land they need to build them on.

Price Growth Rates Finally Stabilizing

The rate of price growth for new condominium apartments in the Greater Toronto Area has finally started to calm down after a good many years of rapid appreciation. Unsold new condo prices jumped by some 50% in 2018, and are progressing along much the same trajectory so far this year. In many GTA submarkets this year, price growth is actually well below double-digits.

However, the average price-per-foot for a new condo in the M5A postal code area – including the East Bayfront, Corktown and Regent Park areas most notably – went up by 32% year-over-year to $1,176 per square foot. In M5V, encompassing the Entertainment District, prices leaped 33% annually to $1,301 per square foot.

The deduction that land owners and their brokers are coming to when weighing residual value of the lands based on $1,300-per-square-foot pricing is the land being worth $250 to $300 per buildable square foot. That in itself is workable for developers, but when they then must factor major increase in costs, the whole thing becomes far less workable in a hurry.

Dramatic Rises in Construction Costs

A well-known Toronto developer was heard to say recently that in 2015 he had hard construction costs of $190 per square foot. Fast forward to 2017 and his construction costs were $275 per square foot. Today, he reports that he’s dealing with construction costs at $315 per square foot – over some 65% higher from four years ago.

That’s not all that’s dissuading developers from starting new builds in certain ares of the city where they’re very much needed. They also have to take on development charges. The development charge for smaller suites in Toronto is nearly $26,000 per unit, an increase of 34% annually. Larger units have a charge of nearly $38,000 per unit, an increase of 40% annually.

The long story short of this is that when costs rise, developers will pay less for land to maintain their margins. But when there’s only so much leeway with the cost of the land, in many instances these potential developments end up dying on the proposal table. That means fewer building starts, fewer new homes, and less for the homebuyers and the realtors who serve them.

Land Prices Escalating

And land prices are escalating, in a big way. This is natural, and something that’s an inherent part of the realities of supply and demand in the real estate and property development businesses. As a result of it, competition for development sites is fierce and if a developer doesn’t pay above-market for land, more often than not they won’t get it and the entire process goes back to square one.

Longer approval timelines, higher financing costs, higher development costs, higher construction costs, and greater built form and interior use requirements with the new TOCore planning framework will continue to put upward pressure on costs. It’s not a recipe for building the affordable housing Toronto needs.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively – meaning you receive them and no other realtor is able to access any of the ones that are generated for your exclusive area of any city or town in Canada. It’s yours, and yours alone, and with each and every one of these leads comes an opportunity to add another customer to your base in an ever-growing and thus successful personal real estate corporation.

Make the move today and get the client prospecting results you want.

Price Declines Seen Across Nation By Real Estate Industry

Published April 23, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

It’s well understood that the housing market in Canada has cooled considerably over the last part of 2018 and through 2019 to date. The reasons for that have been discussed at length, and while Canadian real estate prices have turned negative, not all markets are suffering. The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has released numbers showing the national price index declined for a second month in a row in March. We have to go back to September of 2009 to see the last time price declines were seen in Canada.

However, despite the national drop, underperforming markets are beginning to boom. This is mixed news for real estate agents in Canada, meaning more business to be had but lower commission returns on doing this business (at least in the majority of instances). Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way for realtors to generate more leads, and current market conditions like these make that as important as ever.

2nd Month of Annual Declines

Canadian real estate prices are coming in with annual declines for a second month. CREA indicates the benchmark price of a typical home was $617,200 in March, and that is up 0.83% from the previous month. This is an annual decline of 0.47% from last year, and these current prices are down 2.25% from the all-time high. April of 2017 saw it at its recent highest, a 19.31% percent jump from the month previous, but it fell considerably after that. The benchmark price was nearly half the value it was in April by the time December 2017 came around.

It has recovered little over the last year, and the annual pace of growth is showing the declines are getting bigger. The 0.47% decline in March is an increase from the month before. This is the 2nd month of negative annual growth, and the biggest one since the fall of 2009. While the decline is very small in the big picture, it could still be the start of a larger trend. Obviously it is advisable for the entire industry to be watching this number closely.

Ottawa, Montreal & Guelph Real Estate Make Largest Gains

The market’s leading price gains were for Ottawa, Montreal, and Guelph, Ontario. Ottawa’s typical home price grew to $405,500 in March, an increase of 7.64% from last year. This was the largest gain in the country. Guelph came next with a typical home now selling for an average of $537,700, up 7% from last year. Montreal came third with an average home price of $357,600, and increase of 6% from last year. While these markets made substantial gains, they are still significantly below the national index.

Largest Annual Price Drops

The most sizeable annual prices drops were in Vancouver, Barrie, Ontario and Calgary. Vancouver’s standard home dropped to $1,011,200 in March, down 7.65% from last year (and the most relevant median house price drop in Canada given the market dynamics and factors there). Barrie came next with the standard home falling to $460,600, down 6.06% from last year. Calgary rounded this trio out with prices falling to $409,400, down 4.95% from last year.

5 Canadian Real Estate Markets With New Highs

Negative national growth isn’t a detraction for all markets. 5 hit new all-time highs – Ottawa, Guelph, Montreal, Niagara, and Hamilton. Each of these cities established new highs for the price of a home in March. Again, these markets are all under the national average, and were ones that had been underperforming over the past 5 years.

Price Changes From Peak

The percent change from peak pricing seen with typical homes in Canada’s largest markets is something to consider here, and most notably that some smaller urban markets are very far from their peaks. Edmonton is where we see the biggest gap, where the price of a typical home costs $319,000 – a drop of 17.18% from its peak price. Regina is the same story, with a typical home falling to $264,100, dropping 16.51% from peak. A Barrie, ON home was median valued at $460,600, down 15.65% from last year.

Toronto and Vancouver real estate didn’t find themselves at the extreme ends of the peak, and fell somewhere in the middle instead. Toronto’s typical home is now valued at $779,100 in March, a reduction of 4.63% from the all-time peak. Vancouver fell to $1,011,200, down 9.24% from peak.

Canadian real estate markets are seeing negative growth, and there are only a few locales that are notable exceptions. Only half of markets grew above the pace of inflation, and the largest markets have been growing close to it. This is natural as demand in these cities tends to provide something of a buffer to extensive shifts. Overall the national decline is quite tiny at this point. So small in fact that a single month of more frenzied activity could push it back to more desirable conditions for the real estate industry.

Keep in mind the fact that the market is struggling to see gains. This is especially true after the significant drop in growth from the April 2017 peak.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered only to you and for your similarly-exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. These leads are bonafide opportunities for you to take a prospect and convert them into a client. Granted, much more has to occur in order for that to become a reality, but having the initial contact possibility generated for you is something that is extremely valuable for a realtor working in a competitive market.

 

Marketing Real Estate with Facebook Retargeting Ads

Published April 16, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Even realtors who were especially cool to it for the longest time have had to come around and accept the importance of social media marketing in real estate. Facebook is front and center in this regard, and not because it’s superior to any of the other leading social media apps. Rather, it’s because Facebook has become the social media app of choice for older people. Yes, a good number of Mom and Dads out there have discovered how Facebook is great for keeping in touch with friends.

Now the relevance of this isn’t hard to understand – no disrespect to younger generations, but it’s people who are in their 30s and upwards who are more likely to be buying and selling real estate. If you’re on Facebook you’ve almost certainly seen real estate agents and / or real estate brokerages using paid ads that promote properties for sale or their real estate services.

As such, making good use of Facebook is something you may want to consider for your real estate business. Same can be said for our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads. Long story short, whatever can create the short distance between A and B when it comes to you meeting with prospective clients is something you should pursue as enthusiastically as possible.

What is a Retargeting Campaign?

A retargeting campaign is the part of a digital marketing strategy that gives you a significant edge in re-engaging customers at specific parts of their journey throughout your site. How Facebook comes into it is that it provides a piece of code called a pixel that tracks how many times that specific visitor stops by you site.

To be brief, Facebook Pixel enables you to measure and optimize ads plus build audiences for your ad campaigns. Once you have it, you then use this pixel to know which group of people visited which page of your website and how they interacted with it once they’re there.

Who Will I Retarget with Facebook Retargeting Campaigns

There’s really no limitations here once the individual has visited your site, even just one time. Keep in mind that you won’t know the personal data of any person that you are retargeting, but you will be aware of the exact behavior of people on your site. Because of this you can retarget any visitor or group of visitors who come to your site.

Here are some examples of useable information you can obtain from Facebook Retargeting

Retargeting people who read through your blog, sending them more relevant content that is designed to further enhance their purchase interests

  • Retargeting people who visit a specific URL, providing them with a tailored message for the next step
  • Retargeting people who visit a page for a webinar with incentives to register for the webinar
  • Retargeting existing customers with new offers
  • Retargeting website visitors with lead ads to collect new subscribers

There’s also much more you can do with retargeting – it really is only limited by initial traffic received and what you imagine you can do with the information.

What is more defined is all the ways to implement Facebook retargeting. That’s why it’s best to get set up for these ads with your Facebook user account and you can see what kind of results you’ll get within a few days.

Retargeting Campaign to Set Up First

A good idea is to set up for an abandoned cart or form sequence as your first retargeting campaign. These will be instances where people took the time to start an action, but didn’t complete or submit it. The term for these actions is ‘hot audience’ because they’ve already signaled some degree of purchase intent.

Here is an example of how this works:

Abandoned Appointment / Inquiry

Let’s say someone began filling out a form for more detailed information on a home, or to request a meeting with you to discuss a property you have on the market. Facebook pixel would allow you to know who filled out that form. You respond by retargeting them with a communication, infographic, or special offer that gives them incentive to return and this time fill out the form completely and submit it.

It’s also helpful that you can do this automatically through Facebook using a type of ad called a dynamic ad with a product catalog. This combination allows Facebook to serve ads based on the exact behaviours of the customer while they were at your Real Estate website as linked to it by your paid Facebook ad.

Surprisingly Powerful Tool

We spoke with a real estate agent in Western Canada a while back and she reported that she made contact with a couple that became her clients via a Facebook Retargeting Ad within a few weeks of first trying them. Granted, she is sufficiently social media savvy and had been using her own sponsored ads for Facebook for some time, but it was her first go around with retargeting ads on Facebook.

There’s no debating they’re an excellent fit for real estate marketing, and in large part because of the nature of what’s involved with buying or selling a home. People may window shop at homes, but if a person has taken some level of interaction with your site it can usually mean there’s some definitive level of interest in making a real estate move.

Retargeting is a powerful technology that allows you to create virtual lists of people who have visited your site and serve them ads based on the behavior on your site. Facebook retargeting ads are highly recommended for realtors.

As is Real Estate Leads! Sign up for real estate leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered exclusively to you and for your very own region of any city or town in Canada. Their your leads for your area, and only you receive them. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your prospecting efforts and you’ll almost certainly come to seen it as money well spent for growing your real estate business.

Greater Number of Mortgage Applications Expected for 3rd Quarter of 2019

Published April 8, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

It’s well understood by those in the Real Estate industry that the housing market in Canada has been ‘Flat’ for quite some time now. Putting that in perspective for people who like to understand things more simply is to say that the average value of homes is neither increasing or decreasing for the most part. This of course has the effect of making fewer homeowners decide to put their homes on the market, as the majority of them will be aiming to sell their home for as tidy a profit as possible.

This trends has been countered by the fact that new housing development starts are up across the country this year, and in hot markets like Vancouver and Toronto there is a focus on having these starts be in building more affordable housing. That’s a very relative term, to be sure, but to make a long story short there are more new homes coming onto the market to counter the lack of existing homes found on it.

As realtors, that’s a bit of good news and something that should mean greater numbers of first-time homebuyers looking for expert guidance. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is designed to fast-track you being put in touch with both home buyers and sellers, and as a realtor that ought to sound mighty good. But enough about that for now, let’s have a look at why the aforementioned information is pairing with a new forecast that should foster even an even more positive outlook for realtors in Canada.

Mortgage Applications Expected to Spike – Here’s Why

There are indications that there could be a spike in mortgage applications in the third quarter – provided a rate forecast comes to be sometime over the next few months. This is because the Canadian Real Estate Association’s economists are expecting interest rates to go down as the year progresses, and this in response to weaker economic conditions forcing the BoC (Bank of Canada) to hold steady with their rates.

It’s assumed that if 5-year bonds maintain their current level then there should be a shift seen in the 5-year qualifying mortgage rate. It hasn’t moved for almost a year now, and the premise that it might will mean some good news for would-be homebuyers. All of this of course needs to be tempered by the continuing realities of the new mortgage stress-test regulations introduced last year. There’s no getting around the fact that it’s harder than ever for first-time homebuyers to qualify for a mortgage in Canada.

Dip in Qualifying Mortgage Rates

The BoC forecasts that 5-year qualifying mortgage rates will fall from 5.34% in the 1st quarter of 2019, to 4.99% in the 2nd quarter, and reaching a year-low of 4.84% in quarter 3. They go further then to say that rates are then expected to climb to 5.15% in the 4th and final quarter of 2019 and early 2020 before reaching a plateau of 5.34% for the remainder of next year.

The next thing that needs to be considered is discount rates on qualifying mortgages. The BoC’s predictions there are as follows:

5-year average set for a drop to 3.44% in Q2 2019 (as compared to 3.60% in Q1

  • Drop to 3.30% in Q3 of 2019
  • Climb back to 3.44% in Q4 of 2019
  • Climb again to 3.64% in 1st and 2nd quarters of 2020
  • Climb again to 3.74% in 3rd and 4th quarters of 2020

 

Expectations for Rate Cuts

Some economists believe the Bank of Canada may in fact cut rates in 2019, as opposed to just maintaining their current level. Others believe oppositely that what we’ll see is a rate freeze. One area where there’s some consensus on this is that they will likely move towards a neutral interest rate, but only in the long term. The reason for this being that the corresponding hike in the level at which mortgage borrowers are stress-tested will result in that policy now being unsustainable so long as the current methodology is employed.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of buyer and / or seller real estate clients leads online that are sent to you and you only for your similarly exclusive area of any city or town in Canada. With them you’ll have opportunities to be in touch with people who are genuinely considering making a real estate move sometime in the near future, and with that opportunity you have a chance to establish yourself as their realtor of-choice. It’s highly recommended, as evidenced by testimonials from realtors just like you.

Vancouver-Based Online Real Estate Investing Platform Promises to be Well Received

Published April 1, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

One of the inescapable realities of living in Canada’s most popular urban areas is that every aspect of life is intimidatingly expensive. When it comes to owning – and investing – in real estate, that expensiveness is at its apex point. Likely no one needs to be told that real estate is supremely expensive in Toronto and Vancouver, but it’s that reality that of course makes many people want to be able to invest in it.

As a realtor the bulk of your clients will be buying homes to live in them, while others will be buying them as revenue properties with the aim of renting them at rates the market will bear. In either scenario, however, it’s a fact that the people are making investments, and in most cases it’s an investment in both their immediate future AND their financial future.

Here at Real Estate Leads, the benefit of our online real estate lead generation service is that it puts you in touch with buyers and sellers who are legitimately considering making such a move, and as their realtor it’s your responsibility to tailor your efforts to meet their prerogatives.

The fact of the matter is if you’re a realtor working in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, or Montreal there’s going to be would-be buyers who are prevented from being prospective clients because of the market being unaffordable for them. That’s an inflexible reality and simply a part of market forces, but it’s unfortunate that it means fewer would-be clients.

Seems there may now be a little bit of an equalizer for people who’ve until now been resigned to being priced out of the market. There’s a new platform could make investing in Canada’s most expensive real estate market less daunting.

Introducing Fraction

Fraction is a Vancouver-based equity stake lending platform that promotes itself as a more secure option than traditional home equity lines of credit. Their premise is that by taking a 40% equity stake in a property, it can reduce a buyer’s mortgage payments by 35%. The home buyer still must secure mortgage financing for the remaining amount, but the drastically lower figure is much more workable in that regard.

Now of course, yes, this significantly diminishes the amount of equity they can build up in the property by making their monthly mortgage payments. However, it’s best to look at it this way; if you own a home and want to take some equity out of it, your existing option is you could sell, or get a HELOC or reverse mortgage. The 2nd party-financier option may be better because you can sell up to 40% of the future value of your home to them.

Provided the market’s robust enough – and in Canada’s big urban centres it most certainly is – a client can still count on making a tidy profit on the original investment even while still reimbursing Fraction its 40 percent.

Investment Properties Too

It also promises to be a good choice for investing in additional real estate properties.

Those who want to invest in real estate in Vancouver, for example, would be able to buy securities from Fraction and have the value of those securities being debt-protected. It doesn’t take anyone with an advanced understanding of economics or investment savvy to see the potential advantages in that. “

The investment serves to be a mortgage charge on title, and by that they’re able to secure their stake in the property. That’ fine, but what about my part of it your client may ask. Well, it also means that their principal is more secure too.

Adding to First-Time Buyer Incentive

The 2019 Federal Budget arrived last week, and it includes a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation equity stake incentive for first-time buyers. However, that incentive is capped at 10%, and household income cannot exceed $120,000. Plus, the total cost of the home can’t be greater than four times that amount.

With a service like Fraction, the impediments put up within the first-time homebuyer incentives being introduced within the budget are not nearly as prohibitive when it comes to buying property. The investment is quite a bit safer because it’s not a down payment. It’s still a mortgage on title, so it’s way safer than the CMHC one, which will be more like a down payment itself most of the time.

An Example

Let’s put together an example of how this would work. Let’s say the owner of a home worth $1 million—not uncommon at all in Vancouver or Toronto — wants to take out $200,000. They’re able to sell 20% to Fraction, and when they sell the home 4 or so years later for something in the vicinity of $1.5m, that 20% is worth $300K. That’s paid at sale, and they’re still $200K up when all is said and done.

Appreciating at 5.5% per annum has been the norm for Canadian properties, and so if a property invested in with this model and service fails to increase by that much there’s a built-in interest rate of 3%. Of course, that rate will vary by region once Fraction spreads out a bit.

It’s easy to see how this is something that you as a realtor should be recommending to buyers who don’t want to be stretched too thin in the beginning but can see the near certainty of that property appreciating nicely in the not too distant future.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for you similarly-exclusively served region of any city or town in Canada. What this service does is put more opportunities in front of you, and when you’re an informed realtor it’s that much easier to become a reputable realtor based on an ever-growing track record of what you’ve been able to do for your clients.

What Clients Want from Their Real Estate Agent

Published March 26, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Every once in a while it’s good to get back to the fundamentals, and that’s true whether you’re talking about your career, your golf game, or even your culinary capabilities. Often you’ll find that by reorienting your foundation in smart ways means everything that’s built on top it is improved as well. Being a service-plus real estate agent in Canada is no exception, here.

While experienced realtors will quite likely have a firm grasp on strong fundamentals in the real estate business, it is novices like many of you taking advantage of our opportunity here who’ll benefit from first understanding them, and then revisiting them often.

Speaking of opportunities first, however, our online real estate lead generation system for Canada here at Real Estate Leads comes extremely well recommended for any realtor who’d prefer to hit the ground running and build up his or her real estate business with greater rapidity. Long story short, it puts qualified leads for you area in the hands of one realtor and one realtor only – you. Of course, those leads are only opportunities – what you do with them is up to you, but a market and industry-savvy realtor is always up to that challenge.

Back to today’s topic though – what are the fundamental basics of what clients want from their real estate agent?

Buyer Client Expectations

The first difference to understand with buyers in comparison to sellers is that they’re a whole lot more complex and varied with their prerogatives most the time. There are different levels of experience and requirements. First-time buyers often need an overly guided approach to their buying a home. Investors, on the other hand, will usually want lots of data. Transactional help, lots of interpretation of documents, and help with decisions are often also standard wants / needs for buyers.

But that’s likely quite obvious for many of you, so let’s look at specific buyers based on the properties they’ll be evaluating.

If a client is focused on the vacation or resort home market, they’ll almost always need even more support. Many of these properties are in rural, mountain or seaside areas, and these are areas that often have strict environmental, developmental and building codes. If your client is an out-of-area buyer they will be looking to you to provide skilled representation to ensure they aren’t buying something with hidden future problems.

When representing buyers in other specialized areas or property types, these buyers will tend to lean more on your expertise and local market knowledge. Condominiums are the purchase of-choice for most buyers these days in Canada’s large urban centers, and they’re that way very much out of necessity. Condo rules (via strata) and financial particulars will be extremely important to these buyers, and they want their realtor to be explicitly in the know about them before they go to see the property together for the first time.

Next, investment property buyers. As a whole, these buyers will usually be the most ‘informed’ demographic you’ll serve as a realtor, and just because this ‘isn’t their first rodeo’ as the expression goes. When it comes to these buyers, they often approach you with a great deal of market knowledge. Interestingly, what they value most in a realtor is an ability to take an aggressive approach to helping them locate good investment deals, and then strong negotiating skills to help them get their desired property at the right price. A real estate professional who can catch things they may have missed and bring them to their attention before an investment mistake is an invaluable resource for them.

Seller Client Expectations

It’s inadvisable to look at sellers as individuals who just want to sell their home quickly and for as much as possible. Yes, on the whole sellers are less likely to be overly reliant on their agents for help in the process. Most sellers will know how technology has changed the game in as far as how a home is marketed to the masses these days.

So where are their priorities now, and what do they want most from a listing realtor? Their hope will be that you will take the initiative when it comes to commissions and finding ways with creating lower costs with roughly equal marketing options. If you’re working with aa full-service commission arrangement, you need to have at least a few instances where you’ve gone ‘above and beyond’ and left them with the impression that it’ more than they might have received from a lesser real estate professional.

One very interesting trend that’s been observed from client satisfaction surveys in real estate for North America is that some home seller client really appreciated how their realtor was able to effectively and rationally explain to them how commission-free or low-commission real estate services (which are popping up absolutely everywhere these days) are inferior to that provided by a genuine in-the-flesh / at-your-door real estate agent.

This doesn’t mean simply stating – however truthful – that these homes tend to stay on the market longer. Instead, you should be able to explain why that is and what you’re able to do counter that eventuality if they choose to work with you.

Be in the know – and very in the know preferably.

All Consumers

We’ll conclude here today with a bullet point list of the skills and qualities actual home buyers and sellers of all types will typically be looking for in their realtor:

  • Honesty and integrity
  • Knowledge of purchase process
  • Responsiveness
  • Knowledge of real estate market
  • Communication skills
  • Negotiation skills

There are others, including people skills and technical skills, but these 6 are boxes that you need to be able to check and list out how you meet those needs exactly. Your marketing may feature these skill sets, or it may not. Either way, there’s always room for improvement doing your very best in these areas.

In conclusion, we can say that the qualities of a good real estate agent will vary based on consumer needs but the basics will always apply and are worthy of ongoing focus as a result.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads provided to you – and only you – for your similarly exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. Nine times out of 10 that’s going to mean more in the way of client prospecting successes for you and you’ll be in the position to do what realtors do best most often – putting people in touch with the best buyers for their property, or finding that perfect property for a buyer.

Check out our testimonials for stories from actual realtors who’ve gotten on board with the service and are now continuing to benefit from it immensely.

 

Young Canadians Still Holding onto Detached Home Aspirations

Published March 19, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Much has been made lately of the way the new home development industry has shifted more and more to a focus on condominium development over the years due to land constraints, average consumer purchasing power, and the need to build upwards in popular major metro areas in Canada. All of this continues with just the same energy as before, and it is true that multi-family housing development IS the future of housing in Canada’s big cities whether people like it or not.

Successful realtors adapt to the new realities of the industry, and it’s likely fair to say that the majority of first-time homebuyer clients are going to be looking at condos exclusively if they’re looking for a first home in Vancouver, Calgary, or Toronto. Where you put your energies is a very strategic decision, and being more explicitly in the know about the condo market may be an advantage. However, it would seem that the classic dream of a detached home with a backyard and every other kitschy appeal isn’t one that some people are willing to forego.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is a proven effective way of being put in touch with prospective clients who are genuinely considering buying or selling a home sometime in the near future. As far as would-be home buyers are concerned, they may well have their eyes on a condo that’s in town and near to work for the couple, but if there’s kids in the picture they may well be willing to take on a higher mortgage (provided they’ll qualify) and accept a longer commute to have everything a detached home has to offer.

So what’s the ins and outs of why some young people aren’t willing to give up on owning a detached home like the one many of them were likely raised in? Let’s have a look at that here today.

Still Worth It for Some

It’s a given that condo supply in the country’s largest markets will see significant increases in the near future, but a recent Globe and Mail report indicated that for the most part young professionals and those starting families will still prefer to buy and live in single-detached homes.

Federal policy focused on boosting the availability of low-cost condo units in downtown areas is smart and well intentioned, but it has unwittingly encouraged urban sprawl by forcing more Canadians to look further out into the suburbs to be able to realize their dream of a owning a detached, single-family home with a yard.

Why most – especially singles or couples – would see a condo as their best fit is fairly easy to understanding; they’re more likely to be able to extend the amortization period on insured mortgages, easing the stress test introduced last year or increasing the $750 tax credit for first-time buyers.

However, it seems that many millennials still ultimately aspire to purchase single-family homes.

Look at Montreal

Greater Montreal is a good place to see this phenomenon playing out. Updated numbers provided by the Quebec statistics agency showed that nearly 24,000 residents (many of whom met ‘young household’ criteria) moved from Montreal to the suburbs and beyond over the course of 2018. This migration was the largest off-core one since 2010.

The consensus seems to be that attempts by policy makers and urban planners to coax Canadians into accepting condo living as a semi-permanent state in life may come from good intentions, but it is has not stopped millennials from dreaming the suburban dream and realizing that 600-square feet is going to impinge their quality of life to an extent that many of them will deem unacceptable.

If you’re a realtor in one of these pricey urban areas you’d be well advised to NOT approach any young buyer individual / couple without kids with the assumption that they’re going to want to get into a condo. Yes, most will but you shouldn’t make any assumptions – especially for the reasons being laid out here.

Willing to Commute

It seems that younger Canadians are willing to take their mobility in their own hands if it means having their own suburban single-detached property. If a big yard for the kids is a must, many of them are willing to spend 2 or more hours of their day getting to work and back. That of course has it’s own negative ramifications, but it is what is in as far as understanding your prospective clients’ motivations.

It is true that more Canadians than ever are driving to work, proof that efforts to promote mass transit and densification have done little to kill the dream of a house in the suburbs. If that’s what a client wants and is willing to pay for (both in financial terms and what they’ll pay for in lost time commuting) then you’ll be best served by understanding and relating to their buyer prerogatives and catering to them like any good real estate agent would.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. You can count on having many bonafide opportunities to turn these leads into clients, and it’s a fact that most realtors who’ve already gotten on board with this see it as 100% worthwhile investment in the current and future success of their real estate business.

Weak Loonie Hampering Snowbirds’ Property Buying Tendencies in U.S.

Published March 12, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Certain spots in the USA have long been hotspots for Canadians who have the financial means of buying an owning a vacation property in the US. While there are exceptions, it tends to be that those from Ontario eastwards have always gravitated to Florida, while those Manitoba and westwards have done the same for Arizona. And the term given to them – ‘snowbirds’ – is pretty self-explanatory; they ‘fly’ south to get away from the snow and the rest of Canadian’s chilly winter temperatures.
It goes both ways too, as there are always American clients who’d like to own a vacation home in Canada. Often times, their prerogatives are exactly the opposite – instead of trying to get away from the snow they’re trying to be enjoy the best of it as they don’t have the same skiing or snowmobiling opportunities down where they call home. As a realtor you’ll be very thankful to meet these would-be buyers from south of the 49th parallel.

Effective client prospecting for real estate agents means putting out feelers as far as possible, and that can include doing so for Americans interested in Canadian real estate opportunities. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation service is an excellent way to meet would-be buyers of ALL different interests, and it’s true that some of them may not call Canada home.
Currently, discrepancies between the dollar’s worth for each country is going to mean that American interest in Canadian properties is going to outstrip Canadian interest in American properties quite handily. That might be to your benefit, so let’s have a look at why fewer Snowbirds are looking at purchasing U.S. real estate these days.

CDN $ at 13-Year Low in Comparison to U.S. Greenback
With the value of the Canadian dollar hitting a 13-year low, a Canadian’s purchasing capacities down south are seriously constrained right now. Cross-border travelers and snowbirds face higher expenses for everything from groceries to rent due to an unfavorable exchange rate. To put it in a real estate-perspective, if a Canadian was to buy a $200,000 home in all cash then the current exchange rate would have them spending an extra $66,000 to buy that home.Easy to see why the numbers are very down right now

Professional Advice for Clients Determined to Buy in USA
Some people will still insist on forging ahead and buying the vacation home in the USA they’ve wanted for years, and nearly all of will have some pressing reason to be willing to overlook the very tilted market dynamics.
If you are serving one of these types of real estate clients, here are some tips to help improve the experience for them AND see to it their money goes as far as it possibly can:

• Advise them on how to get the best exchange rate – tell your clients that rather than exchanging money several times throughout their visit to the U.S., exchanging it in one lump sum will usually mean a lower exchange rate paid. Tell them not to be dissuaded by paying a higher one-time processing fee for the transaction.

• Make them aware of the possible benefits of refinancing their home – many Canadians bought their U.S. home between 2009 and 2013 when the CAD $ was near to or equal with the U.S. dollar. Naturally, many of these homes will have appreciated over the years. Those who are already U.S. homeowners in popular snowbird markets are in a unique and favorable position to take advantage of their property’s appreciation and the strong U.S. dollar.
Refinancing may allow them to take the surplus earned on the currency exchange, and use it to repay debts or make new investments back in Canada. Money kept in USD can be spent on renovations to their U.S. home or placed in a high-interest savings account in the U.S. where it will grow more than it would in Canada and remain FDIC-insured.

• Buy, Don’t Rent – It’s a fact that rent is expensive during certain times of the year (if not all year) in popular snowbird hotspots. If property values weren’t still comparatively affordable in comparison to similar housing in Canada then it might be wise to rent until the loonie gains strength. But property values are comparable, so you can be confident in telling clients to still go ahead and buy if they find a property that really works for them.
To give an example, renting a condo in Fort Lauderdale, FLA might cost $3,000 in monthly rent during peak season. However, the monthly mortgage payment when purchasing the same property would only be $1100 or so. Unlikely that they’ll find ANY type of acceptable accommodations for anything less than $1100, or the even higher number that would include strata payments and maintenance.
Tell them to keep in mind as well that while rent payments continue to climb each year, monthly mortgage payments stay consistent. And they can rent the property when not using to cover their mortgage, homeowners’ association fees and property tax.

• Suggest They Take a Mortgage on Their U.S. Property, Even if They Can Buy It Outright – It’s wise to advise clients to consider a U.S. mortgage instead of paying for the entirety of the home’s price in cash. By applying for an adjustable rate mortgage with a fixed term, they’ll be able to avoid the one-time cost of currency exchange in a large amount now. Plus it creates the possibility of paying off their mortgage without any prepayment penalties if the Canadian dollar improves.

• Clients Will Pay Less for U.S. Purchases with a U.S. Credit Card – this is one piece of advice that most clients will be able to figure out on their own, but if not you should go ahead and make them aware of the fact that obtaining a U.S. credit card will let them save foreign transaction fees on purchases made in the U.S

If you’re newer to Real Estate and you’ve never helped clients with buying out of country you’ll almost certainly be challenged by it, but in truth common sense and a willingness to learn as you go will work out just fine for any realtor. Use these suggestion tips to build a rapport with your clients, and be sure to dig deeper and learn more on your own.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. You’ll be given the means to be directly in touch with people who are genuinely considering buying or selling a home in the near future, and the opportunity presented by that is yours and yours alone.
Many realtors have gotten on board already, so if you’d like to be the exclusive recipient of leads for your preferred area of any city or town then we encourage you to be in touch with us without delay!

The Basics of Putting Together a Solid Comparative Market Analysis

Published March 5, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

If you’re new realtor here in Canada you’ll quickly learn that offering a free market analysis for prospective clients and their homes is pretty much standard practice for every real estate agent. They’re a show of good faith and a nice little bonus for homeowners who are looking for an experience and knowledgeable realtor who is an expert with the local market. That’s an opportunity for you, and being able to put together a solid CMA for clients is definitely important. The same can be said for ANYTHING that helps you become ever more solidly cemented as a good realtor who’s known as a good choice.

Client prospecting is a multi-approach need for all realtors, not just those who are new to the business. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is a real benefit for those who understand what the power of the Internet is capable of in regard to identifying people who are very sincere about buying or selling a home in the near future. Nearly everyone who’s signed up so far has come to regard it as money well spent, and there’s plenty of room left to get onboard.

But back to the topic here, what are the basics of what goes into putting together a CMA for homeowners you’d like to eventually see become your clients? Let’s discuss that now.

Plain and Simple Comparisons

The purpose of a CMA from the realtor’s perspective is twofold; to share valuable information with the homeowner, and equally as prominently to hopefully make them into clients down the road. From the homeowners perspective, however, it’s much simpler. They’d like to know what the value of their home is in comparison to those seen with other similar homes in the neighbourhood that have sold for certain prices.

Accessing sold property records allows the realtor to select recently sold properties that are similar to the subject property and in the same geographical area. Comparing these properties is only just a start, as you need to adjust for feature differences, and the realtor should always make explicitly clear that this CMA is only an estimate of the value seen for the subject property. Keep in mind that the best realtors will always be just fine with doing a second different CMA for a seller or a buyer.

A second CMA would include comparisons to currently listed similar properties in the area. The same process would be used, but using only currently listed properties. This is smart because it allows an assessment of the current competition, and may highlight increases or decreases in the estimate based on the sold properties. And of course you can be certain your initiative in providing a second CMA will put you in a very good light with the homeowners.

Quality of Comparable Selections

A crucial part of any CMA’s accuracy and one where you really need to do your homework to make sure you’re in the right with it is determining market value based on a selection of the best comparable properties. It’s true that choosing even one different comparable out of three or four homes taken into consideration can result in very different valuations. You want to have a CMA based on the best comparable properties, and for two reasons.

First, it ensure that there’s very little chance the homeowners will be disappointed when finding that there home has been overvalued in the CMA. Second, the lower value that will come with may end up leading the home to be listed at a price that eventually is exceed in the sale price due to competition amongst buyers who see more value there.

How that will appeal to homeowners needs no explanation!

Considerations When Choosing Comparable Properties

  • When the property sold: Homes that sold more than two or three months ago are not good comps, especially in fast-moving markets. The more recent the sale of the home being completed, the less likely it is that the market has shifted enough to make the properties’ sold prices less relevant to the market analysis you’re preparing.
  • The property’s location: The most ideal situation is that the home is in the same neighbourhood. When that’s not possible then the next consideration is locating comparable homes in the same suburb or in a next-door neighbourhood. This is nearly always possible, at least in large urban / suburban centers. In more rural areas there’s a lot more leeway with comparative properties used.
  • The home’s characteristics: This is pretty straightforward – what number of bedrooms? Baths? Overall square footage of the home? Size of the lot? The homes you choose as comparable homes should be as similar as possible with regard to these considerations. It’s rare to find ones that match exactly, so choose the ones that come closest.

Quality of the Adjustments

You need to also keep in mind that you must tailor your CMA numbers to compensate for differences in the structures. A realtor will understand the need to make adjustments when weighing the sold prices of the comparable homes to those being considered for the subject property.

An example; The prospective client owns a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with a two-car attached garage, and 2500 square feet of living area. You’re tasked to find three or four comps with all of those features at approximately the same numbers:

  • One comp only has two bedrooms. You can assume that it would have sold for more money with three, so you can go ahead and add some money back to its actual sold price to adjust it to having its 3 bedrooms. The same approach can be used for baths and garage spaces.
  • If it is the opposite, say three bathrooms to the subject home only having two, you’ll go ahead and subtract the value of a bathroom from the sold price as you work out an approximate selling value for this comparable home.
  • Generally, square footage calculations aren’t touched until you do your calculation final.

Once you have adjusted the comparable homes sold prices, then you’ll divide each sold price by their square feet to get an exact sold price per square foot. Next, average those for your three or more comps to get one average value per square foot that can be applied to all of them as a ‘housing average’ for the area. Then you simply multiply that by your subject home’s square footage to arrive at an estimated current market value.

These are the basics of putting together a CMA, and there’s plenty more to be learned – from your real estate brokerage colleagues most likely.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively, and for your own exclusively-served region of any city or town in Canada. That part of it makes it important to act fast, as once a territory is claimed it’s then unavailable to anyone except that one realtor. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your prospecting efforts, and the testimonials of realtors bear that out in a big way.

Maximum Loan Amortization Extension from Feds Has Major Potential Ramifications

Published February 26, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Most people in the real estate industry will agree – even if grudgingly – that the new mortgage stress-test regulations rolled out by the Federal Government a year+ ago we’re entirely necessary to normalize the market and prevent hundreds of thousands of Canadians from becoming ‘house poor’, as the expression goes. This of course has had the effect of their being fewer qualified first-time home buyers, and the direct correlation between that and less business to be had for real estate agents is easy to understand.

It would seem now that the Federal Government is considering a reactionary move to improve the housing market, and we can safely assume that it’s in large part a response to the pinch felt by industries that are directly tied to the home construction and renovation industry, and to a lesser extent to stimulate the housing market as a whole.

These are trying times indeed, and it’s unlikely that we’ll see the the limited numbers of qualified buyers increasing anytime soon. As is always the case, when the going gets tough the tough get going and realtors now must work harder to secure new clients. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent means of putting the power of the Internet to work for that aim. It’s highly recommended, but let’s get back on the topic here and discuss why this move by the Feds may have some rather unintended consequences.

Longer Amortizations, Lower Payments, More Interest

That’s the long and short of what this possible move is going to entail. The Government’s Ministry of Finance may not be intending to increase household debt with this move, but that’s what it will almost certainly do in the long run. In the short term, however it promised to be beneficial. Economists and those most familiar with the housing market are saying that – most relevantly – it’s likely to drive prices even higher when the next housing cycle begins.

What we would see is lower payments relative to 25-year amortizations, in exchange for paying more interest, and a proliferation of 30-year mortgages for first-time homebuyers.

What’s in Amortization?

As mentioned, the Feds are considering extending the maximum amortization schedule on mortgages. Amortization is the length of time determined for a borrower to be paying off their loan before it. Currently, insured mortgages are limited to a 25-year term, meaning that buyers can plan on paying off the home in 25 years. That’s not short period of time, but the reason we’ve become fairly accustomed to that in Canada is – plain and simple – that it allows Canadians of lesser financial means to buy a home.

What we’ve recently become aware of is that Canada is considering allowing first-time buyers the ability to amortize for 30 years. The aim is to increase affordability, but is that what we can expect it to do.

Hard Numbers

Let’s look at a typical scenario here; at typical Toronto home costing $761,800 (average median price for a detached single-family home at this time). Let’s assume next the the borrower has 10% down and is then borrowing at a rate of 3.59% on a 5-year fixed rate throughout the whole mortgage, which underestimates the cost.

What we see is that the minimum monthly payments drop roughly 12.5%, and that’s what makes it appealing to the would-be buyer. This is a result of lengthening the amortization, and while it might seem appealing it increases the amount of interest these buyers will be paying if they take they full time to pay off the mortgage (which nearly all buyer do nowadays).

It’s not going to increase it a bit, it’s going to increase it quite a lot, and that of course means increased household debt. Many people would agree that with this you’d be making people less house poor, but more indebted long term, and that the two sort of cancel each other out to really offer little to no tangible savings or affordability benefits for prospective homebuyers.

So going back to that average Toronto homerunning those payments on the 25-year amortization models works out to a hefty $351,103 in interest payments over the term. Bump that up to a 30-year amortization and it climbs to $431,511.

Not as appealing as it might have seemed, is it?

More Expensive Housing in the Long-Term

We tend to agree that extending amortizations only makes housing more affordable temporarily, since credit inflates prices. Lowering the cost of borrowing is often thought of as a way to increase affordability. It may, but not in the long run and if you’re in a 25 or 3-year amortization mortgage the ‘long run’ is definitely part of your reality

Disposable Income to Service Debt Ratio

Over the past 5 years real home prices across Canada have increased 42.65%. The amount of disposable income to service this debt increased only 12.65%. Affordability today actually improved across Canada by 7.29% since 2007. Real home prices have gone up 86.54% over that same period.

Real estate agents are always inclined to wonder whether home prices will go higher, but perhaps now more so than ever. remember that’s long-term. Real estate works in a cycle, and right now prices need to correct for new buyers to enter. The most important consideration here is that borrowers with a 30-year amortization will pay less towards principal. In the long term that costs borrowers more, and it inflates home prices – which of course will be viewed very negatively in the not-too-distant future.

 

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your very own, protected region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a proven-effective way to get more out of your client prospecting efforts, and we’re nearly certainly you’ll quickly come to see it as a very worthwhile monthly expense when it comes to promoting your Real Estate business.

 

Redfin The Next Disruptor to Arrive in Canadian Real Estate Business

Published February 19, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

We’ve talked briefly in the past about how the trend of industry disruptors has extended to the Real Estate world as well, and as we are now firmly into 2019 we are seeing yet another example of it again. Indeed, the ways the real estate business has been for many decades have changed very drastically over the course of just the last one, and as you might expect these changes have been very primarily fuelled by advances in digital technology.

As a realtor, one of the things that you must do is accept the reality of the situation. That reality is that these advances make it more of a challenge for you to work as a realtor exclusively in traditional means and approaches and still have the type of success that you envision for yourself. You definitely need to adapt, and revise your strategies and skillsets offered because, as we’ll discuss here today, there are new disruptors arriving in Real Estate all the time and that’s not likely to change.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is one major advantage for realtors that relies on the same trend where advances in digital technology are coming fast and furious. It leverages the power of the internet to provide real buyer and seller leads based on prospective buyers and sellers filling out forms online. There’s more to it than that, but long story short what you can know is that our service is one digital technology advancement that you can – and should – see very favourably.

Redfin Arrives in Canada in March

Now Redfin, like PurpleBricks before it, is yet another entry into the real estate business that most realtors will have difficulty seeing favourably. That’s because it markets itself as a more affordable way for people to buy and sell homes, and there’s no getting around the fact that services like Redfin and PurpleBricks eliminate a lot of the need for what you’re able to provide as a realtor. Not ALL of it, but a good portion of it.

We’ll say briefly that these types of websites and their services certainly won’t eliminate the need for realtors, but it is changing the playing field for sure. Let’s have a look at this.

Redfin is based in Seattle and will open in Toronto and Vancouver by March. It has plans to expand to other major Canadian markets once well-established in Canada’s 2 largest urban metro centres.

Redfin is a technology-powered brokerage that will have its own agents working in their offices while delivering much of the same services that you do as a realtor. You do it in person, they do it remotely via the Internet. That’s the start of what you need to understand about Redfin.

Redfin was built on the understanding that nowadays so many consumers start their search online. Being a technology-first brokerage helps them meet customers at a lower cost, and obviously that’s a HUGE benefit for the prospective home buyer or seller. Having services provided online means a streamlining of many of the processes that would require some back-and-forth, and time delays, when these customers are working person-to-person with a real estate agent.

Since 2006, Redfin has established its presence in more than 85 markets in the USA, and now Redfin’s website and mobile apps will show all homes for sale through the local MLS in Toronto and Vancouver. It will also put sold prices in those markets on display, whereas previously clients requested that information from their realtor and then waited for him or her to get back to them with it.

Canadian Market Plans

Redfin’s aim is to eventually offer services in other major Canadian cities, but that will obviously take time. For those of you working in the GTA or GVA, however, this powerful competitor is arriving soon and is expected to take root quite quickly. You still have the ability to prospect clients in traditional ways, and many people will still prefer the in-person service and human interaction / trust part of working with a local real estate agent.

That said, all realtors are going to lose prospective clients to these types of services with Redfin and PurpleBricks. That’s the just the way it is. You may need to rethink and reorient your service and promotion platforms and how you present yourself to clients, and it may be something you need help with. If so, don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing board with a real estate business consultant expert.

Take note of the fact that salespeople working for Redfin will be employees of the company – not independent contractors – and will be paid bonuses based in part on customer satisfaction. The number of agents in individual Canadian offices would be a reflection of how busy those offices become.

Agents won’t be recruited in the way a conventional real estate brokerage does, rather customers will be recruited and then agents will be brought in based on the level of increased demand.

Redfin will charge home sellers a 1% listing fee, and the remote agents will provide complete home-selling services, including pricing and staging advice, free professional photography, a 3D walkthrough of the home, open houses, yard signs and nicely designed and put together marketing materials.

That’s right – a lot of what a realtor did him or herself in person for decades. Times change, and you need to change with them.

Big Potential Savings a Necessity for Many Now

Redfin has provided estimates on what they’re able to offer in the way of savings; for example, a seller in Toronto will save $11,250 on a $750,000 home sale when compared to paying a listing commission of 2.5%. The listing fee does not include a buyer’s agent commission, but that’s paid by the seller here with Redfin.

The appeal of services like Redfin are furthered by the reality that nowadays it’s harder to get a loan. Foreign investment has driven prices up, and there’s ever-greater numbers of people who need every last dollar possible put towards the house. In such a scenario, the cost savings made possible with services like these are obviously going to appeal to a lot of people.

Lastly the Redfin model rewards customer service, so agents are accountable to deliver the best outcome for their clients. Customers are asked to review the service they received from their Redfin agent, whether they buy or sell a home or not. The reviews will then be published on the agent’s online profile, and agent bonuses will then be based on these reviews – among other factors.

The New Realities

These ‘disruptors’ aren’t going to stop arriving any time soon, and they’re being seen in all sorts of different businesses and industries that have been the same way for decades up until now. It’s a trend that’s here to stay, and overall it’s a good one as it puts more clout back in the hands of the consumer and we ALL benefit from that – yourself included.

As a realtor, you’re going to have to adapt and, as mentioned, revisit all of your business promotion and marketing approaches to ensure you continue to have the same flow of business you’ve become accustomed to. If you’re starting out, you may be at an advantage as this ‘new reality’ will be the only reality you’ve ever known.

Experienced or new to the business, all realtors should sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated leads delivered to them exclusively for their similarly-exclusively served region of any city or town in Canada. Once you have it, it’s yours and yours alone and only you will receive the buyer and / or seller leads for it. Most realtors who’ve already jumped on the opportunity now see it as marketing budget well spent, and we’re sure you’ll find it to be the same.

Realtor Know-How: Calculating Land-to-Building Ratio

Published February 11, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Every second week we try to shift our subject matter back to topics that are among the many that new realtors can – and should – familiarize themselves with when aiming to become a more knowledgeable and well-rounded real estate professional. It’s a worthwhile aim for sure, as it goes a long way in being seen as realtor who has more to share with all the different sorts of real estate clients who will have different buying / selling prerogatives.

All of this is of course done in the big picture perspective of building your real estate business. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to get even more out of your client prospecting efforts. Putting the power of the Internet to use and connecting you with people who are genuinely interested and increasingly ready to buy or sell a home should sound good to any realtor, and that’s exactly what you get with Real Estate Leads.

Today’s realtor know-how topic is one that will be very handy and practical when working with commercial or investment real estate buyers; calculating land-to-building ratio. Let’s get started.

Land Parcel Percentages

We can start with understanding that every structure occupies a certain portion or percentage of the land parcel it’s sitting on. This percentage or ratio of the size of the building to the land is referred to as the ‘land-to-building ratio.’ A high ratio indicates that the property isn’t being used to its fullest potential. A low one is indicative of the property already being at full capacity.

The Equation

It’s quite easy to calculate the land-to-building ratio. Here’s the equation:

  • Divide the square footage of the land parcel by the square footage of the building

Here’s an example:

188,000 square feet of land divided by 43,500 building square feet. This works out to 4.32

This is a 4.32:1 land to building ratio, and that’s a high one. The average is between 2.5:1 to 3.5:1.

Relevance for Residential Properties?

There can be, but it’s typically not something that factors in as strongly for residential properties. The land to building ratio is rarely seen in residential appraisals. It is helpful to know that the ration can be limited by municipal codes and property restrictions, however. In some instances there is a desire to keep the size of homes to a certain percentage of the lot space available for building.

Land-to-Building Ratio in Commercial Applications

The use of the land to building ratio is obviously of much greater relevance with commercial and industrial applications. For example, building codes usually include very firm requirements for the amount of parking that certain size structures must maintain, and the same goes for setback and green area considerations.

A commercial space with an 11 to 1 land-to-building ratio might not be best utilizing the land, there would definitely be value in the additional space. Another property with a ratio of 2.5 to 1 could be at maximum capacity.

It’s easy to imagine that most considerations around municipal and other regulations occur with commercial, industrial, and institutional real estate. Environmental protection issues often come into play with industrial properties as well, and in particular ones related to hazardous materials.

Let’s look at specific commercial real estate types and the considerations that are added to the Land-to-building ratio for each:

  1. Retail Shopping Center or Mall

First and foremost here are population demographics considerations. A consistently sufficient flow of consumers to support the shops and businesses is a must. Traffic patterns are also important. Ratios of the tenant retail lease spaces and the overall theme of the center are important as well.

  1. Office Buildings

The type of offices they’ll house is something to consider. For example, A medical office or dental office complex would have very different space requirements.

  1. Warehousing and Specialty Operations

Warehouses require a lot of space, as well as large truck loading docks much of the time. They don’t need parking spaces the same way a retail development would. Specialty businesses like car and RV dealerships or any type of consumer service provider will have a whole array of different considerations that are unique to them, and different to land-to-building ratios

Excess Land Value

The decision where you will be more likely be expected to volunteer your expertise is whether paying for excess land and its zoning is a wise investment of capital. As the realtor, you may be asked if it that excess land can be divvied up and sold, either in the short-term or long-term. Is the overall land made up of two or more independent parcels? Do any existing or planned structures infringe upon one of them? Does the unused land have its own access? Can it be subdivided legally?

All of these are questions that your clients may ask of you. Be prepared to answer them.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you – and only you – for your similarly exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. Once you sign up with us, that region is yours and all of the leads for it go to you and no one else. We can say truthfully that pretty much every single realtor who’s gotten on board so far is happy with the service and sees it as money well spent as part of the business promotion and marketing budget.

Try it for yourself, we can guarantee you won’t be disappointed with the way it put you in touch with real prospective clients for your real estate business.

Client Investment Advice: RRSP, or Real Estate?

Published February 4, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

As we’ve said on a number of different occasions, more often than not a successful real estate agent is also a very knowledgeable one, and that’s there’s usually a direct correlation between the two. As it is with nearly every career, the people who don’t stop striving and continue to learn are the ones who get ahead more naturally. As a real estate agent, every single time you can draw on your knowledge and provide sage advice to clients will go a long way towards establishing yourself as a real estate market and real estate investment expert.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for new realtors to have the power of the Internet hard at work for them generating buyer and seller leads and giving them the opportunity to meet with legitimate prospective clients. The more you know and the more you’re able to share, the more likely it is they’ll come to regard you as someone they can trust with helping them buy or sell a home. We continue to pile up very positive reviews for the service, and it’s not surprising that the consensus seems to be that it’s money well spent!

Real estate is an investment, and that’s true even for people who foresee themselves living in their current home well into their twilight years. In major metropolitan areas like Vancouver and Toronto, some people are explicitly counting on their real estate purchases to be a big part of their retirement. There’s risk to that, as there is for any investment, but the ongoing demand for housing in these cities isn’t going to abate anytime soon given Canada’s ongoing population growth.

The ‘bubble’ isn’t likely to burst like some people continue to insist it will, and in honesty the way the market for detached homes has cooled is about as good as it’s going to get for anyone hoping to see more ‘realistic’ prices for detached homes in Canada’s 2 biggest cities.

But to today’s question, which is a better choice as an investment – Real Estate, or an RRSP? Let’s discuss this and get some perspective from financial and real estate experts

Both is Best

Leverage wealth experts and mortgage brokers tend to agree that Canadians should be investing in both RRSPs AND real estate. It’s true that people tend to think of either RRSPs or real estate investing for their retirement plan, but modern-day realities and an ever-rising cost of living means that the reality is consumers need both.

Diminishing rates of return are one thing, but a growing number of Canadians don’t have defined contribution plans, and if even if they do it’s not like they give guaranteed payouts. It’s fair to say that everyone needs higher amounts of forced savings.

The reality is that for the vast majority of Canadians, their wealth is tied up in their homes. With this reality it becomes that the only solution to RRSP, TFSA, RESP, or investment savings catch-ups is essentially in the home equity of their property.

Add to this the fact that average life expectancies are reaching 90 years old and it’s increasingly likely that your registered savings account will a lot longer than your mortgage. This is why we’re seeing the introduction of investment products designed to make certain rates of return exceed the initial cost of borrowing.

Reorienting Mortgages

In understanding this and understanding its relevance, we need to see retirement not as the point at which somebody stops working, but rather when they no longer need to work. Sufficient money in investment accounts means debts are easily repaid in full. Then the acquisition of a mortgage becomes a by design move, and not one made out of necessity.

It’s also helpful for people to know that real estate investing doesn’t have the same tax deferral on capital gains that RRSPs have. Home equity appreciation can be used as an RRSP catch-up, and for many people this is a very valuable resource to have at their disposal.

Of course, cash flow is still an important component in investing, and investors seeking blue-chip properties they can own directly is always going to be preferable – provided they choose the right property (for which, as you should expect, they will be looking to you for expert advice).

Choosing Wisely

Choosing the right property depends on the current state of the economy, as well as its projected state. You don’t just evaluate the property based on today, and instead you should be looking to where the underlying economic fundamentals will likely be in five or 10 years. The two biggest predictors of where a property will be are actual net migration of population inflow (which is powering housing demand in Vancouver and Toronto) and areas with strong GDP growth.

Further, properties will positive cash flow will help meet the Canada Revenue Agency’s deductibility elements. RRSP’s offer diversified access to a number of different market options, and when they’re combined with real estate investment then the investors are better guarded against instabilities or market volatilities.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for any region of a city or town in Canada. Once you claim that region, it’s yours and yours alone and you’ll be pleased to know that no other realtor is received those leads each month! They’re yours, and what you do with them is going to be a reflection of how you present yourself as a valuable resource for these prospective clients. Being ‘smart’ about real estate is a great place to begin.

How to Start an Effective Email Drip Campaign for Realtors

Published January 28, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

In the ever-digital world of the 21st century, your online marketing efforts can never be second rate. That’s as true for realtors and their real estate business in the same way it is for everybody else. It’s of course just one of many ways you should be approaching the challenge of prospecting for new clients, and that aim is really at the core of everything you do as a realtor when you’re not providing services to existing ones.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for Canada is an excellent way to harness the power of the world wide web and get it working for you to provide you with real, genuine quality leads that put you in touch with people who are equally genuinely considering buying or selling a home in your locale. Nearly every realtor who gets on board quickly comes to see it as money well spent as part of their business promotion or marketing budget, and we’ve been very pleased to see how beneficial they’ve been finding it.

Email marketing campaigns are, like anything, only effective when done right. A ‘drip’ email campaign is particularly highly recommended because it’s less obtrusive and tends to land on recipients who’ll be more open to receiving the communication. Today we’re going to discuss the basics of putting together one of these email campaigns, so let’s get into the 4-step process.

This is something you can do on your own, even if you’re the most digitally non-savvy person around.

Why a From-Scratch Real Estate Drip Email Campaign

Pre-designed real estate drip email campaigns that you can buy ready-made are usually not a good option. Done badly and they’ll result in a prospective buyer or seller hitting the ‘unsubscribe’ link – and that’s the end of your communication channel with them.

With that warning out of the way, you also need to know that they are NOT getting the same email from your competitors.

How Often Should Emails Be Sent?

Email every day? Once a week? Every month? More? Less? Generally speaking, the protocol regarding this will depend on local market conditions (the ‘speed’ with which homes are moving), the type of market, and the properties of clients you typically serve. If it’s a ‘fast’ market, you may prefer to send emails at the beginning of your real estate drip email campaign with greater frequency / less of a gap between them.

With ‘slower’ markets you can let the be spread out a bit more.

Keep in mind that no matter the type of market, the frequency of emails MUST drop off as you move further into your campaign. This is important. Successful long-term real estate drip email campaigns will typically only send out 1 email roughly every 3 months once the first few have been distributed. Make sure you do the same

Email #1 – 2 Days After List Entry

This real estate drip email campaign is for buyers but can also be used for sellers.
Prospects will have already received one email prior to this, and that would be the auto-responder email.

Most agents will determine their email recipient list from forms filled out on their website site, As a result of this, prospects will receive one email that is delivered with a document (or a link to the information) along with a thank you. That first email is immediate, and it should be sent two days later.

The aims with this email are as follows:

  • Appraising them of the process if they decide to buy or sell. In the first paragraph they’ll learn that this is the first of four emails they’ll receive. This should always be done because often there’s a large decrease in the unsubscribe rate if they make the recipient aware that they’re not going to be spammed incessantly.
  • Giving them a link to valuable information, including links to area maps and descriptive pages for the area. You’ll almost certainly be covering an area larger than just one suburb or the like and people get confused about all of the area names found in the MLS.
  • Use of wordage and sentences that results in a a high click-through percentage and low rate of unsubscribers.

Email #2 – 5 Days After List Entry

The first email introduced the prospect to the MLS area maps and descriptive information. Now, your 2nd email informs them that they can stop doing manual searches and enjoy the convenience of automated email alerts sent with new listings and price changes for listings that are a match for their property criteria.

They will be more familiar with the areas now, and they’ll likely use that information to tailor their searches even more.

Many soon-to-be serious buyers will spend some time in this automated email listing alert system setting up a search, and that’s especially when you want automatic listing alerts to be hitting their inbox nearly every day.

Email #3 – 8 Days After List Entry

A considerable number of your email recipients / prospective clients still won’t yet be ready for the automated listing reports. For this reason it’s advisable to take them back to your IDX search page instead, and show them how to get a lot more detail on each listing that hasn’t been displayed in the IDX results.

By doing this you’ll make it more likely that they return to the site again and again requesting expanded listing reports. You’ll need to manually create these reports and send them to these prospects, but if put effort into them and prepare solid reports that are also laid out cleanly and attractively in the document then you’ll be making real progress with securing interested buyers as new clients. Put your best effort into all of this!

Email #4 – 12 Days After List Entry

The last automated email extends your appreciation to these would-be clients for sticking with you and not choosing to unsubscribe, and it also informs them that you’re happy to keep them on your follow-up list for quarterly sold property statistics reports because they seem to be interested in making a move in the local real estate market.

You acknowledge the prospect’s continued interest in the market, as well as reaffirming that they’ll only receive four emails a year. Done right this keeps them interested enough to stay on the list.

Long-Term Follow-Up

Right after each calendar quarter-year ends, it’s smart to go into your MLS system and generate a sold property statistics report. Define it by type of property (i.e., residential or commercial). It should require only about ten minutes of your time to produce a PDF file and upload it to your website.

Next, go to your email list and send out a blast email to the entire list providing a link to the report, and if you have some solid relevant commentary to add on the previous quarter and the numbers in the report – go ahead and add it.

Stick to this drip Email protocol and you’ll very likely see a low unsubscribe rate. In most cases when people do choose to unsubscribe it’s because they’re no longer interested, or have purchased a home in another market. The ones that continue to stay subscribed are worth more of your attention, and if you have a strong feeling about one or more of them you can even get back to the good old tried-and-true basic approach of making a visit to them in person.

Be confident, and do everything you can to have the knowledge you need to be local real estate expert before you do!

Sign Up Today!

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively, and also for your similarly-exclusively served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s yours and yours alone with Real Estate Leads, and that puts you in a real position of strength to have the best leads in that area being delivered to you and you only.

It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and we can’t recommend it highly enough!

 

Real Estate Sales Drop Hard Across Country

Published January 22, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Your take on the recent trend of cooling Canadian real estate sales will depend on who you are in the real estate market. If you’re an owner or an investor with funds in real estate, you likely won’t see it very favourably. Alternately, if you’re a home buyer – and in particular a first-time homebuyer, the recent news that sales dropped to a new multi-year low last month to close out 2018 will be cautiously promising.

As a real estate agent, of course, any downturn in the market isn’t what you want to be hearing. Fewer sales equates to less business to go around for the ever-greater numbers of licensed realtors in the business. Situations like this make being able identify, impress, and retain prospective clients increasingly important for a realtor.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system makes it so that you get more out of the first part of that equation, and capable realtors have a way of using the second part to ensure the third and establish long-term clients. The same type of clients who are likely to recommend you to others as well. It’s a positive all around.

But back to topic, what’s to be made of this trend that continues to see the real estate market in Canada cooling off so significantly?

Canadian Real Estate Sales Dip Like They Haven’t Since 2012

Canadian real estate sales indicated one of the worst Decembers in years. A mere 21,909 sales went through the MLS nationwide for December, and this was down 34.24% compared to the month before. This is a 19% decline compared to the same month last year, and sales for the month have only been lower a pair of time over the past 10 years; 2012 and 2008.

The December numbers and annual growth rates were worth noting. Monthly declines are always seen in December, but this one was the biggest since 2007. What’s more, the annual decline is the third consecutive one to occur here, and the most pronounced one since March 2018. Since February of 2016, the annual growth rate has been trending lower.

Dec. ’18: Only a Single Major Canadian Real Estate Market Grew

The observed market declines were consistent across the board, but a few markets did better than others. Montreal came in at 2,825 sales for December, which was a 2.5% increase compared to the same month 2017. Ottawa had 677 sales, a 12.9% decrease from the previous December. Winnipeg’s number was 495, and also down 14.4% from the same time last year. Facts are facts, and only one major market with more than 500 sales last year grew over the course of 2018.

Scenario for Canada’s Bigger Urban Centres

We’ll start with Toronto and Calgary here. Toronto reported 3,781 sales in December, a big decline of 23.3% compared to December last year. Calgary reported 985 sales, a similar biggie at 24.2% down from one year ago. The CREA defines both those declines as middle of the market, however, and relatively speaking.

Of course, market restrictions in both Toronto and Vancouver can been credited with a large portion of the sales declines seen in Canada’s 2 biggest metropolitan areas. Mortgage stress testing has been a big factor as well, and should continue to be this year as well while the new definition of a ‘quality buyer’ is still a work in progress.

The risk of course is looking at those factors in a vacuum, but it’s safe to say that a broader weakness is being observed across the country. The fact that markets not subject to a foreign buyer tax are also seeing weakness in sales supports this understanding.

There are some that suggest that more Nationally-focused mortgage stress tests would be a good idea, but industry insiders counter that by saying that most markets with declines do not have home prices detached from local incomes (which is the explicit scenario in Vancouver and Toronto). That doesn’t mean prices are fair value, but it does indicate that the stress test has had minimal impacts.

It remains the way it’s always been in that a typical family in most cities can afford a typical home. The consensus seems to be that it’s primarily households that would be buying ‘beyond their means’ are the ones being impacted by the restrictions – and for many of them they might actually be glad for the wake-up call! In conclusion, though, and when we look at this objectively we can see that the impact of rising interest rates, and a contraction in general credit applications are behind the market dips. This happens nearly every time interest rates rise, and they are always moving in one direction or another.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to ONLY to you and for your similarly-exclusively served area of any city or town in Canada. It really does wonders for supercharging your prospecting efforts, and if the ever-greater numbers of realtors coming on board are any indication – it’s definitely effective.

4 Features Would-Be Homebuyers Nearly Always Check

Published January 14, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Here we are now with 2 weeks behind us in the 2019 New Year, and if you’re like most realtors in Canada you are well into your newly schedule efforts to build your real estate business into a bigger one than it was last year. There’s nothing that goes further for a realtor than A) being a knowledgeable expert on the local market, and B) having a strong understanding of what are the leading prerogatives most buyers have when considering the purchase of a home.

We’re going to focus on the 2nd half of that today here, and it’s true that being accurately dialed-in to what your clients want in a home goes a long way in making them regard you as a legit pro when it comes to real estate. That of course then means a greater likelihood of them referring you to others who need the services of a real estate agent, and referrals are huge for building your client base.

And as far as building your client base through effective prospecting, our online real estate lead generation system for realtors here at Real Estate Leads is a proven effective way of expediting the process of you identifying prospective home sellers and / or buyers and then meeting with them for the opportunity to secure them as clients.

Most realtors who choose to get onboard with Real Estate Leads quickly come to see it as marketing budget funds well spent, as it does increase their customer base. But enough about that for now, today let’s have a look at 4 features that are priorities for nearly every would-be homebuyer when viewing a home listed on the market.

Bathrooms

Surely we agree that we spend a lot of time in bathrooms. Time doing hair and makeup, showering or having baths to relax as well as for relieving ourselves a few times a day. It’s for these reasons buyers put a priority on quality bathrooms. If you have clients selling a home, it’s advisable to have them really do up the bathrooms so that they look great for open houses. Prospective buyers will make determinations about whether it’s bright enough, if the mirrors are the right size, if there is enough counter space, and if they tub is to their liking.

The aim should be so that the buyer is able to picture themselves living in the space. Make sure the bathroom is in tip-top shape and staged correctly. Ensure the grout is clean in the bath or shower, amenities are unused, and a fresh loofa or bar of soap is there in the shower. Little details like these will keep the room feeling fresh and provide potential buyers with the opportunity to see themselves in the space day in and out if they were to own the home.

Living space

Most will know that this part of the home is where buyers will put the bulk of their focus – along with the kitchen. This is the space that is lived in the most and often used for entertaining. Advise your clients that they need to maximize the space here by removing extra clutter and keeping it as open space as possible. Sofas and chairs should be completely clear, and the same goes for end and coffee tables. Ensure the mantles and all ledges are dusted – dust anywhere is a big turn off for prospective buyers.

Kitchen

The need to have your kitchen be appealing to would-be buyers goes without saying, any family will spend a LOT of time in the kitchen of their home, and that’s true whether it’s a detached home or a condo or anything in between. Let your clients know that function is the key selling point here. Have them remove any clutter, remove small appliances from the countertops and ensure everything is clean. This includes the inside of the fridge, as this is actually quite important to having the buyer envisioning themselves cooking and entertaining in the space.

Smells

This one may seem very out of place considering the location and amenity theme we have going here, but it’s a well-known fact that buyers are super sensitive to smells and home and will allow them to sway their decisions very regularly.

That’s because senses have a huge impact on what a buyer thinks and how they remember a home. Instruct your clients to do whatever it takes to ensure no overwhelming scents are found in the home – and that includes ones that they consider to be ‘good’ smells too. Essentially you want as much of a scent neutral home as possible.

A good tip you can share with them is place a dab of vanilla on a light bulb or two throughout the house to give it a welcoming smell that still isn’t overpowering.

Driveway

If your clients are selling a detached home, make them aware that many buyers do put a good deal of stock into how the driveway looks and particularly if it’s leading to a doored garage. Renting a power washer and degreasing their driveway is a good choice, and if it’s a cobblestone driveway then making sure there’s no abundance of weed tufts growing out between the stones is worth the effort too.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you – and only you – for your similarly exclusively-served region of any city or town in Canada. You’ll almost certainly see your numbers of new clients bump up nicely, and soon you’ll regard signing up with REL as one of the better decisions you’ve made as it regards promoting yourself as a quality realtor.

Using Zillow for Real Estate Lead Generation Without Advertising

Published January 7, 2019 by Real Estate Leads

Late last year the US-based online real estate marketing resource giant Zillow began advertising Canadian properties. It’s been a real benefit for the real estate market all across Canada and particularly so given how interest in Canadian real estate coming from south of the border continues with much the same enthusiasm. It’s a development that should have a lot of relevance for real estate agents all across the Canada.

As our name clearly reflects, Real Estate Leads is all about helping you get greater numbers of leads. Our online real estate lead generation system is well established now, and it’s proven effective for putting greater numbers of both buyer and seller leads on your radar. Of course, the lead is just half of the equation for securing a real estate client. You’ve got to take care of the 2nd half, and that’s in showing yourself to be a legitimate expert when it comes you your local real estate market.

Today we’re going to discuss how realtors can use Zillow to generate even more leads for themselves, and not by simply paying for advertising on the site.

The Big Z

Zillow is very polarizing when it comes to how it has been received to date. Agents have mixed opinions on it, but the fact is home buyers, sellers and investors continue to flock to it.

Independent of what you think of it, as a Realtor if you’re trying to help your clients buy or sell a property then you really need to be using it and taking advantage of every single opportunity it provides.

Marketing Tool, or Competitor?

Most of you are likely very much aware of what Zillow is and how and why it’s so popular. It has established itself as the leading real estate and rental marketplace empowering consumers via data, inspiration and knowledge, and then connecting them with the best local professionals with the best understanding of the local real estate market.

The data, information and knowledge that a home buyer or seller can get from Zillow does make them a more educated buyer. This isn’t necessarily detrimental for a realtor, however, and it’s important to understand this first.

Rather than you – the Realtor – spending valuable time pulling comparables, curating data or sending repetitive information back and forth amongst your multiple clients, the client does all of that themselves through Zillow. Engaged prospects become active clients, and active clients put more effort into choosing a realtor and are more discerning when they do finally decide on one.

Your client then chooses you based on your experience, local knowledge, responsiveness, reliability, negotiating skills and creative insights – your ability to provide them with data isn’t a part of what they now consider valuable within the services of a realtor.

So here’s how you can use Zillow as a real estate marketing tool and lead generator

  1. Setup / Optimize Your Profile Thoroughly

Make sure that everything is filled out with as much detail and care as possible. Don’t be lazy or negligent completing every part of the first thing prospective clients will see if they ‘meet’ you first through Zillow. Take some extra time to include a video, links to your website (and make sure they’re followed links) and social media accounts as well as a full list of your service areas.

Make sure your profile is indicated as being 100% complete.

  1. Use the Right Agent / Team Association

If you’re part of a real estate team then Zillow makes a specific association available that you can use to communicate this to those viewing your profile and listings. Make sure you take advantage of it, joining the team affiliation while also maintaining a complete individual Zillow profile for yourself.

You can only belong to one team at a time, so making sure you don’t have any duplicate accounts floating around out there is important.

  1. Correct Your Listing Data

Be very diligent about going over all of the listing data shown on Zillow for properties listed by you on behalf of the homeowners. That’s the necessary basics, but also spending the extra time to write creative, informational descriptions for each property is something you should do too. Fill out every field you can, and make sure you upload professional-quality images and video of the property.

  1. Add Past SOLD Properties

It’s a fact that sellers like to see what types of homes have been sold by a realtor. And in particular they want to see what a home was sold for compared to its initial listing price. The lack of historically sold properties is a common oversight. Make sure yours are included, and add as many of them as you can while making extra sure all the information show is accurate.

  1. Use Videos

A well-shot video can do absolute wonders for a listing, and video listings display higher on results pages in Zillow. Zillow makes adding a video incredibly simple, and so even if it’s shot with your smartphone it can do well enough. Just make sure to hold the camera steady, move slowly, and have the zoom set appropriately.

  1. Get Client Reviews

Every single time you can you should add client reviews to your Zillow profile. Agents with more reviews and higher ratings will stand out to Zillow users. Aim to get at least 5 reviews initially, and then as your business grows you should be able to add 2-3 new reviews every month.

You should also reply to each review that you get with a personal, genuine response. It looks good on your and your professionalism, and it will also create opportunities for increased engagement with your past customers. Good reviews for your team can do the same.

  1. Answer Questions

Proving you’re an accessible resource for real estate information is one of the easiest ways to build your online presence and generate leads from online marketing. Try to participate in Zillow Advice as often as possible. It’s similar to ActiveRain, Yahoo Answers, Quora and other Q&A sites, but with the advantage being that your answered questions will be tied to your Zillow profile.

Answering 2-3 questions a week at minimum is very doable, and a reasonable goal for a realtor who wants to use Zillow for marketing themselves. Answer each question with as much detail as you can possibly put into it, and don’t just copy and paste answers from elsewhere.

  1. Automate Emails

Time is usually a very scarce commodity for a successful realtor. Sending repetitive, redundant emails to prospects is not only ineffective, but it’s poor use of your time. Zillow’s Auto Actions lets you automate emails that don’t require your personal attention every single time. What you should do is create genuine email templates that you can use to communicate with new prospects effectively and let you make better use of your time.

  1. Sync Your Leads

Zillow offers a powerful CRM to its users. However, if you’re like most agents then that’s not your primary CRM. Many realtors use something like Salesforce, Contactually or even your website to store and manage their leads. That’s fine, but make sure you keep your Zillow leads synced with your CRM of choice. What this does it is streamlines your lead management processes, and also allow for easier campaign creation.

Zapier is a really good choice, and the many favourable reviews it has from realtors suggests it’s a quality digital product.

  1. Spend Time on Zillow Digs

Zillow Digs is essentially a Pinterest for real estate that’s built right into Zillow. Those of you who have spent any time on Pinterest will probably know how engaging it can be. If you can pair that user experience and resource with a platform that is focused exclusively on the topic of real estate then you’re well on your way to having a captive, engaged audience that can be leveraged for growth.

Aim to create at least 3 initial boards on Digs and fill them with content every week. Also, finding a niche and catering to it will help you get even more out of Zillow Digs.

  1. Repurpose Available Reports / Data

Helpful market reports are often the result of researching, curating, formatting, writing, designing and sending, and when you add that all up it equals a lot of time spend creating reports. Zillow provides market data report that are usually released each season. These reports require you to download them first, but they’re openly available to agents and anyone else that wants to reference them.

Repurposing these reports by turning them into blog posts, embedding them on your website and sending them out to your email subscribers is a good choice. You will have to change the text of the reports, and with ‘big info’ it’s a good idea to verify the information provided by confirming it via a second reputable source.

  1. Install the Premier Agent App

Installing Zillow’s agent-focused app on your mobile device and desktop is recommended. This well-crafted app will allow you to manage leads, edit your profile and request reviews. Put the app on your device’s home screen and turn on notifications. This will keep the app top of mind and keep you active on Zillow.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered only to you for your also-exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your prospecting efforts and put you directly in touch with the types of people who will likely soon be needing the services of a quality real estate agent. That’s you!

Real Estate Forecast for Canada in 2019

Published December 31, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Here we are on the last day of 2018, and as is the case at this time every year we’re looking forward to the New Year and hopefully seeing greater prosperity on the horizon – whatever business it is that you’re in. If it’s real estate, you’ve almost certainly become aware of the downturns we’ve seen in the detached homes market in what were Canada’s hottest markets for them, Vancouver and Toronto. While this isn’t a boon for the industry, per se, most realtors will agree that a correction of this sort is long overdue and likely beneficial in the long term.

What we can say for certainty is that 2019 – like any other year – will offer opportunities and challenges for realtors in Canada. Market dynamics aside, you’re in competition with ever-greater numbers of realtors every year. The number of newly-licensed realtors registering with the real estate boards across Canada is considerable, and the reality is there’s always a greater quantity of new realtors than there is an increase in the amount of business to be shared among them.

Client prospecting becomes more of a self-generating engine as you established yourself in the biz, but even experienced realtors will sometimes find they’re not getting enough based on the level of effort they’re putting into it. Whether you’re a new realtor, a veteran one, or anywhere in between – our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads can really boost your results and put you in a position to establish yourself as the expert clients want to work with.

With that said, let’s wrap up 2018 with a look ahead to what’s forecast to be in store for the Canadian real estate market in 2019.

Mortgage Stress Test Making Overall Sales Continuing to Dip

There’s no debating that the mortgage stress test, which was initiated in January 2018, will continue to have a major impact on sales. The fact that homebuyers must qualify for mortgages at higher rates than the contracted mortgage rate is going to continue to limit the number of would-be buyers who are deemed to be qualified buyers. The bottom line of this equation – whether borrowers have the ability to continue making mortgage payments if interest rates increase – is going to mean there’s less of the pie to go around.

It’s noteworthy to look back to late 2017, where some buyers doubled up their speed as they searched for a home, with an eye to avoiding the mortgage stress test. That 46,000 homes were sold throughout Canada in December 2017 supports that, as does the fact that housing transactions dropped 14% in the month following the onset of the stress test.

Stronger Market in 2019 Stemming from Lacklustre 2018 One

Overall, 2018 wasn’t particularly good for home sales. The plus is that there was no major economic shock, and it’s for this reason industry experts believe that the Canadian real estate market is likely to remain steady at the very least. In the best scenario, we may even see a slight growth in 2019.

The price tags attached to homes across the country should move in relation to the strength of the economy, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Provided there is stable growth in income, jobs, and population, so will go the vitality of the housing market.

The CMHC predicts that sales through the MLS will be lower than 500,000 in 2019, which is in line with 2017 but coming in at less than 2016. This prediction was issued with another one stating that the average home price across the country won’t reach $525,000. Regional real estate markets of course will have their own realities with regards to all of this.

Local Markets Revised by Changing Mortgage Regulations

When we scrutinize specific housing markets throughout Canada more closely, we can see a consistent picture. Toronto real estate didn’t move as quickly in 2018 compared to both 2017 and 2016. This was with all of Ontario showing a slowdown in housing transactions that came along with a flattening of sales prices seen from the second quarter of 2017 onwards.

This slowdown is probable attributable to the new taxes imposed on foreign homebuyers in the province. The CMHC is insisting that urban housing markets throughout Ontario will recover from a slump in 2018, and this recovery will be fuelled by predicted job growth and in-migration.

Out west, their expectation for B.C.’s housing market is that it will moderate even more than it has so far. This is a result of economic contraction and more people moving out than moving in. Yes, Vancouver real estate prices have been growing, but they’ve done so at a slower rate during the time where new transaction taxes on foreign buyers have been in place.

The stat showing that there were 35% fewer Vancouver home sales in October 2018 as compared to the same of 2017 is very much a telltale sign of what’s happening with the Vancouver market, and it will have repercussions for the overall strength of the home sales market all through 2019.

In Calgary, changes to the real estate market were more moderate. Resales dipped 9% in October 2018 compared to the year before, and the composite housing price index proceeded to drop 2.6% in October year-over-year. Interestingly, Calgary was the only large housing market to see a decline in the composite housing price index for October of the years that’s coming to an end today.

The industry consensus is also that real estate in the Prairies will continue to be moderate, and again as a reflection on the local economy’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels and other extractive industries. There are a few, however, who believe these housing markets are actually set up nicely for growth trends.

More than anywhere else in the country, Montreal is expected to benefit from a projected boost in foreign buyers in 2019, and in large part it has not followed Toronto and Vancouver’s leads in imposing taxes on foreign buyers. Rental vacancy rates in Montreal dropping due to a larger demand caused by a strong economy and in-migration will also be a factor.

In Atlantic Canada, the CMHC is predicting that the number of units sold and the prices for existing homes in Nova Scotia will both see increases. Nova Scotia will be the exception in Atlantic Canada, however, with real estate markets in other Atlantic Canada cities continuing to struggle due to lower population growth.

Happy New Year to Everyone from all of us here at Real Estate Leads! We hope 2019 treats you well and that it’s a goody year for your real estate business.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively for any region of any city or town across the country. It’s a proven-effective and sure-fire way to get more out of your prospecting efforts and most realtors find it’s a worthwhile part of their monthly budget as they work to secure more clients.

The Increased Costs of a Variable Mortgage in Canada

Published December 25, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

As a real estate agent it’s pretty much common knowledge that the vast majority of your homebuyer clients will be purchasing their new home with a mortgage. There are a few buyers who are sufficiently deep-pocketed to buying a home outright without the need for financing, but they’re few and far between these days. Being regarded the way you want to be by your clients is a product of being seen as an expert on every aspect of buying or selling a home, and the ins and outs of securing financing in the best way is a part of that.

Buyers will have a choice of a fixed or variable mortgage when buying their home, and these days in Canada it’s a much more costly option in the long run to choose a variable mortgage. This is true in the face of that being very different from the way it’s been for decades where choosing a variable mortgage had many advantages to it.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for Canada is a great way for you to get more out of your client prospecting efforts, and then share your expertise on anything and everything related to real estate – including what are their best choices when moving on to working with a mortgage provider. With that understood, let’s look at why variable mortgages are more often not the best choice anymore.

Understanding Variable Rate Mortgages

A variable rate mortgage involves the interest rate not being fixed for the life of the mortgage. Instead of being locked in a higher interest rate, the borrower has their interest calculated monthly and based on the lender’s prime rate (%). This can be a positive or negative for the borrower, depending on the type they have.

Conversely, a variable rate borrower pays a fixed monthly sum, but the amount paid towards the principal will change depending on whether the lender’s rates go up or down. If rates go down, you pay less interest and then more goes towards paying off your principal loan. This means your balance is reduced faster, and this has the potential to save you a significant amount of money. If your rate goes up, then you pay more in interest and reduce less of your principal loan amount. As you can see, that can cost you a lot more.

Over the past year, the variable mortgage rate has jumped considerably, and that’s been very disadvantageous for homeowners who chose variable rate mortgages

The Estimated Canadian Variable Rate Mortgage Is Now Up Over 22%

The cost of a variable rate mortgage has been increasing across Canada. The Bank of Canada has stated that the typical rate reached 2.72% on December 6, which is a jump of 2.25% from a month previous. The rate is now over 22.52% higher than it was at this time last year. The impact of this for borrowers is very substantial.

At mid-December last year it was at 2.23%. In late January of 2018 it spiked to 2.45% but in June it had levelled back out to 2.35%, but in July it began to climb hard. In October it shot up from 2.49% to 2.66% and his been rising ever since until now.

Paying More To Borrow The Same

Let’s look at that in real world impact. A borrower at the estimated rate who borrowed last year, would now have their interest payments sitting at a 22.5% higher rate. If they make the same payments, the amount paid to their principal would decrease by about 6.6%. When their variable term ends, they will have paid much more cash to the bank and made much less progress towards paying off their mortgage.

Interest rates fell for years, but now they’re starting to climb decisively. It used to be that variable rate mortgages worked in favour of borrowers, but as rates were cut these borrowers made principal contributions that tended to be higher. Now the scenario is exactly the opposite. Variable rates are rising in response to increasingly heavy mortgage debt levels, and this of course is making it more difficult for homebuyers to make real progress in paying their debt.

Long story short, advising your clients about the greater advisability of a fixed-rate mortgage these days may be something you’ll want to do.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your similarly-exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a great way to get more out of your efforts and build your client base more efficiently and effectively.

Creating Effecting Comparative Market Analyses

Published December 17, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Two of the most common services realtors provide for clients or prospective ones are market evaluations and comparative market analyses. The two are closely related to each other, and both are of great value to homeowners who want a genuine understanding of how their home measures up to others in the local market. This gives them a solid working understanding of what their home is worth in comparison to similar homes currently on the market, and they’re the better informed to make asking-price and other major decisions.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for Canada is a great way for realtors to get more out of their client prospecting efforts, but it’s only part of what’s required. Once you make a contact, it’s important to that you then convey your expertise with real estate and your explicit understanding of the current market dynamics for the area. Do that effectively and you’ll be in a position to be regarded highly by the homeowners.

Today’s communication, like many here, is primarily designed for realtors who are new to the business. The most important thing to understand for starters is that a CMA isn’t just comparative math. Rather, it requires a thorough knowledge of the dynamics of property sales in the specific area. With those you then make smart judgments based on the data presented. You’ll here people say ‘Real estate is local’, and it’s very true. It’s imperative to learn all about your local market.

Your understanding of the market needs to include why homes in one area sell differently and for higher or lower prices than comparable homes in another area. It’s not enough to simply compare numbers without knowing about the neighborhoods and properties in them. One of the most essential parts of putting a CMA together is which properties you choose as comparables.

The Right Comparable Properties

Here are the most important considerations for choosing those comparable properties:

  • Ones that statistically for sales are far above – or far below – the average price aren’t good indicator choices. Unless you don’t have sufficient ones to use, these ones shouldn’t be used.
  • Related to this, make sure you can justify your reasoning for discarding ones that don’t meet your reasonable-pricing criteria this way. If you decide a comparable is not appropriate, be prepared to explain your reasoning for it. Your client may ask you why you didn’t use a certain home. Be prepared to answer that question.
  • Comparable properties from the subject property’s area are ideal, and if not try to use ones as close possible. If you’re struggling to find comparables in the same neighborhood, try using some from a similar neighborhood in another region of the city or town.
  • Sold comparables shouldn’t be too old. Ones that have transacted recently are preferable. This isn’t a challenge in busy markets, but if you’re in a slow one or working in a more rural areas where fewer homes are in the inventory then it may be challenging. Going back more than two or three months will often mean you have to make some subjective adjustments for the long period. Even experienced realtors can struggle with this, so just do your best.
  • It’s also best to use similar construction builds when possible. Compare ranchers with ranchers, duplexes with duplexes, detached homes with acreage with the same, etc.

Adjusting Value for Property Differences

There are always differences, even with similar properties. You need to adjust your subject property’s value estimate based on important differences between it and comparable properties:

  • Difference in the lot or acreage size should be added or subtracted.
  • Same goes for feature differences like bedrooms, baths, garage, shade trees, etc.
  • Note financing differences that may have influenced sale price. Sometimes seller financing can result in a higher price paid for a property that isn’t a solid reflection of its true value. Keep in mind that these need to be ‘arm’s length’ standard transactions. Special situations with family sales, distress sales, etc. shouldn’t be part of your comparables.

 

Competitive Market & Current Analysis

Providing a full and detailed report to your listing prospect/client must also include a similar market analysis of the properties currently listed and in competition with their home. The clients’ list price recommendation can be shifted up or down depending on how many homes are listed in the area at the time, and the asking prices attached to them.

If you have an understanding that some of the highest sold comps were moved during periods with very low inventory, that could make it so that your clients amend their list price downwards if the current market features a higher inventory. The opposite then can also be true; if there are fewer homes available then they may be justified in bumping up their asking price.

Make your CMA Clear and Concise

You will be providing this to your client in printed form, so it’s important that information is clearly laid out on it. There are software solutions for almost any MLS system that produce very polished looking reports for comparative market analyses, and we highly recommend you purchase one and make good use of it. The value is in the data and your interpretation of it, not how ‘nice’ it looks.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively and for your similarly-exclusively served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a proven-effective way to get much more out of your prospecting efforts and garner greater numbers of buyer and / or seller leads and give you the opportunity to showcase your abilities as a first-rate realtors

 

Getting Greater Numbers of Leads from your Real Estate Website

Published December 10, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

We’re going to skip the part here where the need for having a website is a necessity for a realtor, because really there likely isn’t even so much as one realtor in Canada who doesn’t have their own website. Not all of them will be equal, of course, and not all of them will be as effectively built and oriented as others when it comes to generating business.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is proven effective for giving realtors buyer and seller leads that they can follow up on and make important connection with prospective clients. That much you’re likely very aware of by now, but today we’re going to look at lead generation from a different perspective; your real estate website, and how it’s either helping or hindering you in that regard.

Fact is every real estate website needs to have a plan to get people to it, and certain elements of a website can render the most beautiful web design or the most effective online marketing plan totally ineffective. Today we’re going to share what you need to know to ensure your website is actually AT WORK for you, rather than just being a nice reference point for clients who find you online

Consider Your Web Lead Form

One of the most vital components of any real estate website is the web lead form. Understand that any form on your real estate website that requests information from your visitors; name, e-mail, phone, address or anything else, will be a major factor in how well your website generates leads for you. Having one that’s poorly designed can mean the difference between a trickle of leads a month and a healthy volume of them.

If you’re not getting what you would consider to be an acceptable number of visitors filling out your lead form, you need to dig into why that’s the case. The first thing you need to do is take a count of how many visitors you’re receiving to the site each month, which should be viewable in your control panel, or CP as it’s most commonly referred to. It’s also beneficial to make yourself familiar with some of the more advanced data you can view there; ‘bounce rates’ – a measure of the number of visitors who leave your website within a short, specific period of time after arrival – most notably.

But we won’t get into that here today, and stay focused on your lead form. The long and short of it is that it shouldn’t take visitors an extended period of time to fill it out. As a rule, it shouldn’t take more than 3 to 5 minutes at most to complete it. Fill it out yourself with your own contact details and some made up information for the buyer / seller prerogative field and see how long it takes you. If it takes you more than 5 minutes to complete it then you need to revisit it.

Many realtors seem to find that name, preferred contact method, and then something along the lines of a ‘home buying / selling interests’ dialog box does just fine. Having a message below the box with something like ‘I’ll be in touch with regarding your real estate inquiry in the very near future’ is recommended as well.

KISS: Keep it Super Simple

The rule for ALL forms on your site should follow the KISS – Keep it Super Simple- principle. It’s smart to ask this question to yourself for each and every field that you add to a page on the site; is this field absolutely needed for me to learn necessary information about the prospective client? Ask yourself what additional information can be acquired over the phone or through an email.

Look at the purpose of your website forms as a means of having a lead submitted with the bare minimum necessary to qualify it as a good one. Then proceed to contact the would-be client without delay and take it from there. Taking this approach, you’ll likely eliminate at least one field, and maybe even more.

Improve Wording of Questions

Even for information that is deemed necessary, it may be better to ask for it in a different way, and one that is more conducive to getting a favourable response from the submitter. For example, rather than asking bluntly ‘are you planning to sell your home in the next 6 months’ it might be better to ask ‘do your foresee yourself being active in the real estate market in the next 6 months.’ This type of delivery is less ‘salesy’ and helps you come across as being more genuinely interested in being of assistance rather than exclusively having a sell home-gain commission focus.

That’s just one example, but really give some thought to this.

Experimenting is Beneficial

This is a much more general suggestion, but if your real estate website isn’t generating the number of leads you’re expecting to see of it then you should ‘shake things up’ every once in a while until it does. The aforementioned suggestions here are very directive ones, but you can also try changing the layout of pages, adding different images, changing background colours, text fonts, etc. You don’t have to necessarily have a natural eye for design to do this effectively, instead you can just take a trial-and-error approach to it.

That said, dynamic multimedia elements do wonders for websites these days, and if you’re not sure how to implement scrolling images, video, or anything else then hiring a web designer to improve the interactive appeal of your site is a good idea. It’s a proven fact that having a website that is ‘up to standard’ with 21st century digital standards goes a long way in making the impression you want with prospective clients. After all, all that you need is the opportunity to be in contact with them and then you can use your charm and industry expertise to sway the even further.

We’ll conclude here today by saying that many web design companies offer website ‘audits’ of sorts where they’ll look over your site and make suggestions about what should be done to increase the user appeal of it. There is often a nominal fee involved for the service, but many of these individuals or businesses will offer to subtract that fee amount from your bill if you decide to have your website rebuilt by them. Shop around for that type of offer if need be.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a guaranteed monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered exclusively to you each month for your similarly exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. Pair it with a quality personal real estate website and you’ll be in a great position to be receiving as many leads as possible as your strive to build your business and brand as a trusted real estate professional.

 

Deciding if a Career in Real Estate is Right for You

Published November 26, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

One of the things that anyone considering a career in real estate should understand is this; unlike the way it was decades ago, the fact of the matter is in most cities there are more licensed realtors operating than there is a fair share of the pie to go around. This is especially true in regions where you’d think there is ‘money to be made’ – Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Montreal etc. If you live in one of these areas and are thinking about becoming a realtor then you really should know that you’re going to be in direct competition with literally thousands of other individuals.

It is true that you have less competition in smaller, more rural areas but know as well that properties here are not as valuable and as such your commission rates and profits will be lower. It’s definitely a trade off. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is designed to help working realtors generate greater numbers of buyer and seller client leads, but we feel there’s also value in helping people decide if making the move to real estate is a smart one for them.

We’re not aiming to be discouraging here; choosing a career in real estate is a viable profession with a great deal to offer a very large cross-section of Canadians. But weighing the pros and cons and then referencing them against the particulars of your situation is something you really should do.

Is Self-Employment Right for You?

All of the benefits of being self-employed also come with much more in the way or responsibility and requirements. Many people simply aren’t cut out for the potential volatility and sheer unpredictability of being alone in the career. Real Estate has no guaranteed income or benefits packages (realtors operate exclusively on a commission basis) and being out on your own can be a daunting prospect. However, flexibility and autonomy are big pluses and add to the appeal of real estate as a career. The way the career rewards people for endeavouring and being entrepreneurial is really great for those who are successful with it.

Earning potential

A statement from Stats Canada some years back related that ‘long-term rise in residential real estate prices, particularly in Canada’s large cities, has benefited real estate agents and brokers. Between the first month of 2014 and the same time in 2015 real estate professionals saw a 2.5% increase in weekly earnings on average across Canada. In real terms, though, this is different – real estate is often very much a ‘feast or famine’ livelihood. An average realtor can earn $50,000 through a very small volume of transactions, and this can be very attractive to outside observers. What many fail to see is the incredible time and effort required to sell even one of those properties. Understand that realtors can go months (even years) between sales, so earning potential is often tied to a very small number of transactions that realtor has facilitated.

Low Commitment & Barrier to Entry

What it takes to become a licensed realtor varies depending on the Province. Generally there is a very low barrier to entry, however, and many realtors do agree that there should be more required to enter the profession. It’s true that only a basic level of formal education is required, and aside from that a written realtor’s exam is needed to become a licensed broker. There is also a very low level of commitment required to remain a realtor, and the best indication of this is how many people get their realtor’s license as a means of working beyond their existing careers. Generally, these people won’t hustle to get clients but if the opportunity to assist in a sale arises then they are quite open to earning a realtor’s commission on the side.

Too Much Saturation

This is perhaps our biggest caution about becoming a realtor in Canada; In March of 2015, the Canadian Real Estate Association was representing more than 109,000 realtors working within Canada. The number will of course have increased greatly since then too. It is estimated there is one realtor for every 245 Canadians over the age of 19. In Toronto, Canada’s largest metropolitan area, the Toronto Real Estate Board represent 39,000 brokers, which works out to one for every 140 people living in the GTA. The numbers will be only slightly better in other major urban centers, and it speaks to what we talked about earlier – there’s so much competition in the real estate business these days.

Fewer Qualified First-Time Homebuyers

The new mortgage stress tests introduced by the Bank of Canada last year have had a direct affect on the real estate business in Canada, as fewer first-time homebuyers are out there for realtors to serve. Yes, there are qualified buyers out there that you can secure as clients, but the general consensus is that there’s fewer of them now. Add to this that the current real estate market is considered to be ‘flat’ – meaning that homes are generally not gaining or decreasing in value nationwide, and fewer homeowners will be selling.

These market conditions always change, and the current ones shouldn’t be dissuading you from a real estate career on their own. But it is important to know that these climates will have an effect on you at times throughout your career, and if they’re not favourable when you’re starting out you may find it very difficult to establish yourself on solid footing like you’d want to.

For those of you who have decided to begin a career as a real estate agent in Canada, we are happy to help you build your business. Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively, and for your privately-served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a proven-effective and potent way to put you in touch with greater numbers of people who may become your home buying or selling clients.

Real Estate Investing with the ‘Sandwich Link’

Published November 20, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

If anyone who’s recently embarked on a career in real estate thinks that the industry is exclusively in the purchase and sale of residential properties, that notion will be quickly dispelled. They’ll come to learn that it’s a multi-faceted industry with many different approaches people can take to what is essentially investing in land for any number of purposes. Yes, the most common purpose is to provide a home for a family, but there’s also providing land for a business and a whole host of other interests.

Investing in property with the interest of making profit is another, and here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is proven effective for connecting you with prospective clients with all sorts of different prerogatives when it comes to purchasing real estate. It comes highly recommended from a whole host or realtors who’ve already gotten on board, and of course being realtor with extensive knowledge of every aspect of the industry makes you look much more like the authority these clients will be looking for

Today we’ll be discussing sandwich link real estate investing, which is a less common approach that’s very effective and something you can advise your clients on if you feel it will benefit them. What it is exactly is a recipe for rental property investing with little or no cash of their own.

This strategy involves using lease purchases to acquire a rental property, and then placing a tenant in it using lease options. There will be 3 parties involved here, and – done right – sandwich lease investing can benefit all three of them. Let’s take a look at who’s involved here:

A. The Frustrated Seller

Typically you’ll have a seller who’s having difficulty selling a property through standard avenues, or must sell quickly to move and take a job. This individual is a great candidate for this particular investment strategy. Your client provides them with a way to get out of the home without needing to pay other payments. They get to move on with their life, while your client takes over their house payments.

B. A Rent-to-Buy Tenant

Some people want to own their home, but they are hampered by credit problems, a lack of a down payment ability, or both. Your clients offer them a lease purchase on the home, and they are able to rent it until their credit has been repaired and they’ve been able to save up their down payment.

C. Your Client, The Investor

By identifying distressed sellers and helping them to move, and also helping people who want to buy and get into a home, it’s a service you’re providing to both. And – perhaps more to your interest – there is the ability to have your clients profit nicely here. Let’s now look at the steps in the sandwich lease process:

Step 1
The first step is locating a seller who needs to move quickly, and they are in possession of a home with a low enough payment that allows it to be rented out each month – this should equate to a positive cash flow. Your clients execute a lease purchase with them, giving the 3rd party the option to buy the home at some date in the future, and typically 3 to 5 years away at an agreed-upon price. Your client assumes their payments, and then also pays them an option premium to help them to move. This number will of course vary based on the established value of the property.

Step 2
Now you as the realtor begin marketing the property to rent-to-own buyers, and show photos of the home to those who express genuine interest in buying it. You execute a lease purchase agreement with them for the same period as the one with the seller. The rent-to-own buyer now has the option to buy the home on or before that date, without being explicitly obligated to do so. You must charge them an option premium at specific $ amount, and that’s of course because your client will be into this deal with no cash out of pocket. The would-be eventual buyer will like this, as it promises to amount to a lot less than a down payment.

Step 3
With this agreement the monthly lease payment is set at a higher number than the payment your client is making on the home. This equates to your clients’ monthly cash flow. The price at which they will allow the leasing buyer to buy the home is going to be higher than the one you’ve agreed to with the seller. That’s the appeal right there, and it has a lot of appeal to be sure.

Your client now has a profitable monthly rental, and at the end of the lease there is the promise of the sale of the home to the leaser while they’ve made cash flow profit along the way. Yes, it is possible that the tenant doesn’t buy, but if so your clients can renew their deal with the seller and place another tenant in the home or simply walk away.

Sandwich leasing won’t be a good fit for every market or every investor, but it is a fairly reliable way to generate strong cash flows for those who are in a position to use it appropriately.

 

‘Buying Power’ for Homeowners in Canada Expected to Drop 11%

Published November 12, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

According to Canada’s national housing agency, much smaller mortgages are set to become the norm in this country. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is this month forecasting numbers that include projections for mortgage rates. High projections included within them suggest the rates would add almost 1/5th to the cost of servicing a mortgage. Should those projections come to be reality, buyers would lose up to 11% of their max mortgage size over the course of the next two years.

The connection between mortgage qualification and the quantity and types of buyers in the home buying market is easy to make. Purchasing power goes a long way in determining the clients real estate agents are able to secure. These market projections pair with many others to reinforce the conclusion most realtors in Canada have already made; it’s increasingly difficult to generate new clients as reliably as they’d like.

Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads can be part of the solution for realtors like you. It uses a specific algorithm based on Internet Marketing principles to generate qualified buyer and seller leads based on the information entered into online surveys and other means where the individuals are submitting information based on their home buying or selling prerogatives.

It works, and it’s increasingly popular. But back to our topic for now, and further insight into why purchasing power looks like it’s going to take a dip for the average Canadian.

The New Realities

The focus is on the CMHC mortgage rate projections, and how they’ll impact the average household. The Crown Corp uses 5-year fixed terms, and they’re run against a 30-year amortization. Stress testing isn’t incorporated in these findings, rather the look is at the pure impact of rates on households with consistent earning over 3 years.

The 5-year mortgage rate is forecasted to rise nearly 22%, according to the CMHC, with

interest rates ‘normalizing’ as they put it. Analysts have a high forecast of 5.6% in 2018, 6.2% in 2019, and 6.5% in 2020. As of now the 5-year posted Bank of Canada rate is only 5.34%, and it’s easy to see the huge reduction in buying power that will be a product of that. Too be ceratin, the 21.72% increase in rates from today to 2020 will have a serious impact on buying power.

History of 5-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates:

  • 1980 – 15.4%
  • 1985 – 10.4%
  • 1990 – 9.9%
  • 1995 – 7.4%
  • 2000 – 7.6%
  • 2005 – 6.2%
  • 2010 – 5.1%
  • 2015 – 4.9%
  • 2020 – PROJECTED – 6.5%

 

The 11% Reduction

Homebuyers in 2020 can expect to be paying a lot more interest, and encountering a reduction in the size of principal that can be borrowed. If rates hit their forecast, the max mortgage for a household in 2019 would be 8.7% down from one earning the same today. By 2020, it would be 11.69% lower than a household generating the same income today. The increase in rates promise to bring a big potential loss in buying power.

The impact of the rate increase skews to markets with heavy debt-to-income ratios. Markets like Toronto and Vancouver, obviously, are ones that meet the criteria there and will feel this pinch most pronouncedly. Reduced liquidity will likely be the new reality. Cities like Ottawa and Calgary have very high incomes and relatively cheap housing, so these markets are more likely to handle the hikes more effectively and maintain buyer purchasing power to a greater extent.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your also-exclusively served area of any city or town in Canada. You’ll quickly see how it’s a good budget expenditure with the way it puts you in touch with folks who are genuinely ready to make a move with buying or selling a home.

A New Approach to Relisting And Revitalizing – An Expired Listing

Published November 5, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Any realtor will take an interest in them, but there are some real estate professionals who specialize in pursuing expired listings. They believe that they have the expertise and forward thinking to be able to work with sellers who are frustrated with their previous realtor’s inability to sell their home. Now of course there are many instances where a home’s failure to sell is more attributable to factors other than what the listing realtor has done, but this is often the home owner’s perspective.

It’s a part of the business, and it happens to nearly every realtor. Learning how to work with these types of clients is highly advisable, but success is dependent exclusively on one criterion – will you be able to generate more buyer interest in the property. That can be challenging, as can be finding these clients. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for realtors across Canada to have the strength of Internet marketing working for their benefit.

You’re able to generate clients of all types, including ones who have had their home listed previously but without success. Today we’re going to look at some of the good – and not so good – points about working with expired listings. We’ll then offer a somewhat different approach to getting them to list with you.

Initial Hurdles

Expired listings can usually be attributed to one or more of the following factors; price, condition, marketing, agent neglect, or something completely out of left field. The prospective client might not think very highly of realtors based on what they’ve experienced with the one who recently listed their home. This is your opportunity to make a different impression on them, but you will have to clear these initial hurdles and in order to do so you’ve got to distinguish yourself as being different right off the bat.

Take a Consultant Approach

You want to approach this type of prospective client from a much different angle than you would when making first contact with a homeowner who hasn’t listed their home before. Your value now isn’t so much as a salesperson, but more as a problem solver. Your focus needs to be on getting to know the prospect and their requirements. This is especially important because long-term success comes from referrals from very satisfied clients who valued your help.

The conceptual approach you should be embracing is that you will help the owner of the home get past their emotional response to the previous failure to sell the home. You will be reorienting them to a more positive perspective based around what is required to sell the home, and more specifically what you can – and will – do differently to make that a reality in as short a time frame as possible. Be specific and measurable when you present this plan to them.

You must understand the importance of first moving them away from emotion and instead towards pragmatic business decisions involving the look, condition, and pricing of their home. What we’ll detail now is a very effective way of doing this; the flyer and formula.

Logical Decisions Based on the Facts and Market Dynamics

This flyer is geared to do a great deal of your work for you and do it before you ever speak to them. Presenting would-be clients with a Market / Property Profile Formula that sheds light on the forces that influence whether their property sells, as well as what forces dictate the time homes in the area spend on the market, is a very effective way of beginning a discourse. The prospective clients are lead to understand the forces they can control, and those they cannot.

Presenting the formula in a flyer gives them time to think it through in full and hopefully come to a realization that a new and different approach is needed to get their home sold in a reasonable period of time. You’ve presented yourself as an authority on the subject in a very non ‘pushy’ way, and in particular you’ve made it so that they can contact you if they’re so inclined. Often, it’s the way you’ve presented them with real information that they can digest on their own terms and timeline makes these owners much more agreeable to seeing what you can do for them.

Present Data and Explain Simply How It Should be Interpreted

The flyer should lead them to an easily-formed understanding of how the market works, telling them what they need to know and the data they need. Then you provide your knowledge and expertise to share how that data should be interpreted. This is Sales 101:

  • Define the problem – why the house hasn’t sold
  • Offer solutions – Suggest making decisions based on data AND realistic perspectives and insights on it
  • Call to action – Your contact information and your invitation to help

Arrive with Full Confidence in Your Ability to Gain the Listing

You’ve now established yourself as a market expert, but you’ve done so in the most non-pushy and simply ‘offering to help’ manner possible. You’re not there to sell them something, or speak badly about the competition. You seem like someone who can shed some light on things the owners and their previous agent could have done better – or didn’t do at all. You’re an expert in your field, there to solve their problem and get their home sold, if that’s still a priority for them, of course (with your knowing full well that of course it is).

Lastly, you need to arrive with a thorough understanding of what was and wasn’t done during the home’s previous listing. Have a list of concrete solutions for reasons the home didn’t sell before, and present them to the owners with full confidence that they’ll make real differences in selling the home. You’re there to get the job done with new solutions, and nearly every homeowner who’s had a previous listing of their home be unsuccessful will be very receptive to someone like you when you’ve taken this approach.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively, and for your exclusively-served area of any city or town in Canada. That area is yours alone, and the buyer and / or seller leads you receive will not be shared with any other realtor. It’s a great way to supercharge your lead prospecting efforts and many realtors have already gotten on board and quickly seen it to be money well spent for growing their real estate business.

 

 

 

From Biggest Booming to Fastest Cooling in Canadian Real Estate

Published October 29, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Toronto and Vancouver. Those are pretty much the sweeping consensus answers when asking anyone even remotely in the know to name the two hottest real estate markets in Canada. That they are that way hasn’t really been much of a surprise considering both are a cosmopolitan metropolis that ranks highly on liveability scales and have strong local economies. These days, however, the real estate market in Canada overall has become what experts call ‘flat’ – meaning that home values haven’t really gone up or down to any significant extent.

For realtors working in either of these cities, or elsewhere for that matter, this type of a market means that many homeowners who might have been considering selling their home will now hold off on doing so. At least until the market warms up somewhat and it becomes more advantageous for them to list. This makes it more challenging to generate leads, but here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is a great choice for new realtors who are looking for any edge they can get when it comes to increasing their client base.

Let’s have a look today at how the cooling of housing markets in Canada’s 2 hotspots has occurred, and what goes into it becoming more of a buyer’s market than a seller’s market. First in doing that is to understand the sales to new listings ratio (SNLR).

Sales to New Listings Ratio

The sales to new listings ratio is a basic but powerful indicator used by the real estate industry. It’s pretty much exactly as described, being the ratio of homes sold compared to the number of new listings for sale on the MLS. The CREA makes determinations on whether it’s a seller’s or buyer’s market. A seller’s market is defined as when the ratio is above 60, and generally this means an increase in prices. A buyer’s market is below 40, and generally this will promote a decrease in home prices. Between the two means a balanced market – which is ideal, but rarely the case.

Two things to keep in mind here are the speed in change and multiple listings of the same property. A fast-changing ratio can mean a market acts completely oppositely from its true nature at that time. If a buyer’s market is rising quickly, it may seem like a seller’s market, and the opposite can also true. This makes context important.

Real estate agents themselves often can play a role in this disguise. They do this by employing creative and persuasive means to generate a lot of new listings. Often this involves relisting a stale property but that doesn’t really mask the overall trend of weak demand. Using active listings only obfuscates the number of stale listings. There’s something to be said for that in energizing the industry when it needs it, but just remember that no indicator is perfect. Context is everything, and for that reason it’s best to use multiple indicators before coming to a market conclusion.

Highest SNLR Is East Of Toronto

The major regions with the highest ratios are London, Ottawa, and Montreal. London’s SNLR reached 76.8 in September, and that was the highest in the country. Ottawa was next with an SNLR of 68.7, up from last year’s mark of 62.5. Montreal’s ratio was 68, up from last year’s 61. The highest SNLRs are all east of Toronto, and each featured price growth over the past few years.

Here’s a list of all of the top SNLR real estate market locations:

  1. London
  2. Ottawa
  3. Montreal
  4. Victoria
  5. Hamilton
  6. Winnipeg
  7. Fraser Valley
  8. Vancouver
  9. Toronto
  10. Calgary
  11. Edmonton

Toronto And Vancouver Real Estate Now Among Lowest SNLRs

The lowest ratios are now in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver. Edmonton had the lowest of any major region, dropping down to 46 in September. Calgary had a better showing with 47.6, still down last year’s 54.9. Toronto came in third with 49, a significant dip from last year’s 56.8. Vancouver was 4th lowest, with an SNLR of 50.7. There’s a lot of different market dynamics in each of these cities, so it’s probably best not to read too much into this.

Montreal And Ottawa the Big Winner Markets

Only a pair of major markets saw improvements to their SNLR – Montreal and Ottawa. Montreal’s ratio of 68 is an 11.48% increase froim last year. Ottawa’s SNLR of 68.7 is up 9.92% compared to the same month last year.

Here are the Canadian markets with the best SNLR changes, dependent of at least 500 sales in September:

  1. Montreal
  2. Ottawa
  3. London
  4. Edmonton
  5. Winnipeg
  6. Hamilton-Burlington
  7. Calgary
  8. Toronto
  9. Victoria
  10. Fraser Valley
  11. Vancouver

British Columbias Real Estate Markets Declines Most Severely

Somewhat surprisingly to some, but not to industry insiders, it’s now a fact that BC is home to the fastest cooling markets in Canada. The SNLR in Vancouver slipped down to 50.7 in September, down 21.76% from last year. The Fraser Valley also fell to 56.4, a 20.23% dip from last year. Victoria fell to 63.6, down 16.43% from last year. Toronto SNLR of 49 is a 13.73% decrease from last year. With all the unsustainable growth seen in these markets over recent years, however, this slowdown shouldn’t come as a surprise.

With only those two major markets showing growth, while all others cooled, indicates this is a national trend. Blaming the mortgage stress test regulations would be incorrect. That’s because most markets don’t have price to income ratios high enough to cap buying. Vancouver and Toronto are two that definitely do, but prices were so far detached from local incomes made the impact minimal. Instead, this probably has more with higher interest rates. Steep prices and the rising cost of debt servicing is making it difficult for greater numbers of buyers to find the incentive to jump into the market.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-marketing generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively and for your protected region of any area of a city or town in Canada. You’ll quickly see what many other growth-minded realtors have found out for themselves – it’s a great way to get more out of your prospecting efforts and putting you in touch with real clients looking to sell or buy a home.

Understanding What an Unlicensed Real Estate Assistant Can / Can’t Do

Published October 22, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Many real estate agents in Canada make use of a real estate business assistant. It’s a popular choice for realtors who are spread too thin due to the success of their business and finding that they just can’t be in 2 places at once as often as they need to be. These assistants can no doubt be worth their weight in gold for a busy realtor, but it’s important to know what they can and can’t do when it comes to helping you manage the day to day of your real estate business.

Having to hire a realtor assistant is a good problem to have, as it generally means your business is successful to the point that it’s ‘too much’ for just one person – you – to manage. Getting to that point is going to be the aim of every realtor just starting out, and a large part of whether that happens is how effectively you prospect and promote yourself. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is a great way for aiding you in getting more opportunities to meet and secure real estate clients.

These are only general guidelines of what a real estate assistant can do for you when they do not have a real estate license. They may vary slightly based on your Province, and if you want more explicit clarification you are encouraged to contact your local municipal Real Estate Board.

1. Obtain Information with Written Instructions

Your assistant can obtain information pursuant to written instructions from the responsible person from public records, a multiple listing service, a listing exchange, or from 3rd– party sources including surveyors, banks, appraisers and title companies.An unlicensed assistant can provide great value for you pulling together the many documents and details related to getting a new listing going. However, do understand that they cannot talk to the client about it. Their job is only to gather data and documents, and they are able to go to the courthouse and pull information that’s related to the property

2. Conducting Open House Duties

Hosting and / or distributing literature at an open house is permitted for assistants provided that:

  • He or she does not discuss, negotiate or solicit offers for the property or provide any information outside of printed material prepared and approved by the responsible person
  • the responsible person is present at the open house where the unlicensed assistant is working and all inquiries are referred to the responsible person or other associate brokers or qualifying brokers

An unlicensed assistant who is chatty and likes to engage people may not be the best choice in light of these needs. You may not want to put them in the position where they’re on the frontline for receiving certain questions at an open house. Plain and simple, they shouldn’t and are not allowed to be answering them

3. Distributing Prepared Information

Your assistant can disseminate and distribute information prepared and approved by you, or anyone else with a valid real estate license. They can hand out and drop off brochures, take documents to title companies, and submit documents to appraisers and surveyors.

4.Delivery of Documents to Brokers

Most municipal real estate boards will have rules determining whether unlicensed assistants can pick up and deliver paperwork to associate brokers or qualifying brokers on behalf of their licensed submitters.
Naturally, a real estate professional’s time is best spent working with clients directly, so having unlicensed assistants take over permitted delivery duties can be a big plus.

5. Document Delivery to Clients with Limitations

An unlicensed assistant can be instructed to pick up and deliver paperwork to sellers or purchasers after a contract has been executed. This is provided that the paperwork has already been reviewed and approved by the responsible person, and without answering any questions or providing any personal recommendations to the recipient of the paperwork. Keep in mind as well that all substantive questions must be directed only to the responsible person.

Again, be cautious about having a chatty and very forthcoming person in these situations.

6. Write and Place Advertising

Your assistant can write advertisements, flyers, brochures, and other promotional materials and then have them approved by you, and they can also place classified advertisements that have been approved by you.

Having a talented writer or ad person as an assistant is great. They’ll be able to create ads and property descriptions that work. Just make sure that you review the document and approved them before going out or going live online.

7. Place and Remove Signs

The assistant can place and remove signs from properties. This is fairly obvious we imagine, and again for a busy realtor that’s going to be advantageous.

8. Order Repairs

Under your direction, an unlicensed assistant can order repairs or services for a property.
As such it may free you up to do more direct work with clients.

9. Banking, Accounting, and Documents

The individual can receive and deposit funds, plus be responsible for maintaining books and records while under your indirect supervision. They can also type and word process documents provided the material has been created by you.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered exclusively to you and for your exclusively-serviced area of any city or town in Canada. It’s a great way to supercharge your prospecting efforts by harnessing the power of Internet Marketing and many realtors have already hopped on board. Join them today!

4 Considerations for a Career in Commercial Real Estate

Published October 15, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Residential real estate is where the vast majority of realtors will choose to hang their hats and focus on generating clients and building their real estate business. However, commercial real estate can be an equally lucrative field, but the first thing a realtor considering expanding to commercial real estate should understand is that it’s quite a demanding area of the profession. Any belief that it equals fast money and minimal work hours should be discarded right off the hop. There are certain skills, considerations, and duties anyone should evaluate for themselves before becoming a commercial real estate agent. For some realtors it’s a natural transition, but for others it’s overwhelming.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for realtors to harness the power of the Internet to allow them to get even more out of their prospecting and new client generation efforts. It’s ideal for realtors selling and placing homebuyers in residential properties, but it can also be effective for anyone who’s expanding the scope of their business to include commercial real estate as well.

So today let’s have a look at the ins and outs of working as a commercial real estate agent, and then you’ll be better informed to decide if it’s something you might like to consider further.

Income

An agent’s salary is based on commission in commercial real estate. Some bigger firms may offer a small supplemental salary, and others may let you draw against future commissions, but commissions will be the primary source of your income. Similar to a residential agent, a commercial agent usually retains a 3% fee on all sales and leasing transactions. The brokerage firm will likely take 35% to 40% of that fee, which is typically paid 30 to 60 days after completion of a deal.

Understand that commercial deals can be extremely complex and time-consuming. It can take up to six months to a calendar year for the parties to agree on a sales price, secure funding, sign the paperwork, close escrow, and then assume their ownership of the commercial property. Leasing transactions usually take less time, but you still need to wait for the lessee to assume tenancy before you’ll receive the full commission.

Another consideration is that commission payments may come quite sporadically, and you are best to go into every deal knowing you may not be paid for your work for quite some time, and that’s if the deal closes at all. It is highly advisable to have a backup fund with six months’ to a year’s worth of expenses when working as a commercial real estate professional. This fund is especially important at the beginning of your career, but also for when activity in the market drops and there’s slim pickings to be had.

Personal Qualities

Successful agents are successful salesmen. The top among them know all the big players in their markets, and that includes real knowledge of the competition as well as what potential clients want. The best commercial agents seek out leads proactively and aren’t reserved at all about introducing themselves at a networking event or on the phone with a cold call. Most agents are social, confident, trustworthy, patient, and persistent when it’s time to persist. They must work hard to gain every listing and client and must move fast when opportunities arise to prevent their valued clients from missing out on any locations which will suit them best.

Commercial agents spend a great deal of time convincing total strangers to jump into the market with the agent as their representative. Maintaining relationships with current and past clients is also essential and even more important than it is for residential real estate given the more transitory nature of business locations and resources. If you’re relationship maintenance skills are lacking, this is going to put you at a disadvantage if you work in commercial real estate in Canada.

Making and maintaining all these connections is going to take up a good bit of your time. Long days, late nights and weekend appointments are going to happen, and you need to be okay with accommodating them. Many clients will also have extremely full schedules, and missed meetings and constant rescheduling are part of the business too for that reason. Your professional and personal life will need to remain flexible to accommodate clients.

Education

Every Province requires you to be licensed to sell commercial real estate. Like residential real estate, you must pass a written test that is administered after relevant coursework is completed. The time can vary, but expect to spend the same time and budget that you did for your residential real estate license. Often the coursework can be completed online or through classes at a community college or university.

Individually, you should also read relevant trade publications and news websites, as well as remain active in your community to build your name and reputation for expertise. Clients are typically educated, well-informed, successful individuals and companies who will expect an agent to be armed with the latest news and market analyses to assist them with making the best decisions about where they’re going to be operating from. In addition, a thorough understanding of economics, finance, and tax law will also benefit you big time.

Work Environment

Most commercial real estate agents in Canada work for large firms in metropolitan and urban areas, or in small to mid-sized firms in suburban areas. Some of the largest brokerage firms will have 20 or more agents in one office and all will have their eyes of the same types of deals. It’s quite common when you’re new to this to have to walk a fine line between socializing with others and keeping your clients leads to yourself. Are you good with withholding information and knowing when it’s best to be reserved with the information you’re volunteering?

In addition, a commercial real estate office can be just as high-paced, hectic, and stressful as the profession itself. It’s not uncommon to have little more than a desk and landline to conduct business when you’re in the office. Cubicles, noise, and a general lack of privacy are common in these offices. Being able to tune out outside influences and distractions is important for a commercial real estate agent.

You can also expect to spend a significant amount of time outside the office. Leads and clients require a lot of face time and follow up, and your understanding of the listings must be extensive. A diligent agent will also survey the competition, taking note of what other companies and investors are attracted to based on local market dynamics. Lastly, A clean car, polished appearance, and knowledge of building and neighborhood layouts are other hallmarks of the successful commercial real estate agent.

Commercial real estate isn’t for everyone, but if you’ve had success building your residential real estate business and you’d like to switch paths or expand your professional horizons then you may want to look into it further.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your own protected region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a proven effective way to put you in touch with increased numbers of potential clients, and for many realtors it has already proven to be money well spend for building their real estate business.

Toronto Real Estate sees almost a 2% increase in sales in 2019

Published October 9, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Last week, the Toronto Real Estate Board announced that year over year sales in the Greater Toronto Area had seen a 1.9% increase in overall sales. This year over year increase is good news for local realtors and even better news for those who are looking to buy or sell in the hot Toronto market. This kind of increase was expected, but with sales through the multiple-listings system going up over 120 this month when compared to last year, the board has been ecstatic.

This news was only made better when the board compared average selling price in the Greater Toronto Area. Last year, the average home sold for $774,489, while this year the average is now sitting at $796,789, an increase of over 2.9%. This is a huge jump, and although this is still a cool housing market when you compare Toronto to the likes of Vancouver, GTA realtors are starting to take notice.

GTA realtors might be enjoying a larger than normal selling price when compared to last year, but one of the more concerning numbers for those realtors who sell a lot of below-priced homes it the fact that new listings are down. Overall, the GTA has seen a decrease of 3.1% in new listings, and this could start to affect the bottom line of some of the regions top agents.

The board has seen an increase in price growth mainly in higher-density properties around the city. This means that realtors who are selling townhouses, condos or semi-detached homes have seen an increase in both profit and movement around their properties. The numbers have finally started to stabilise after the provincial government introduced the foreign buyer’s tax and speculation fees on vacant homes that saw the market dip in the new year. However, realtors need the advantage to stay ahead, and that comes in real estate leads.

Real estate leads are one of the best ways for Toronto or GTA based realtors to get ahead of the curve and ensure they are one of the more successful realtors in the area. From being able to get leads on who is selling, and who is buying, you will be able to match homes or condos to prospective buyers with relative ease. Imagine not having to cold call throughout the day, and instead, have warm leads delivered to you in a competitive market like Toronto.

This is the reality for those who use real estate leads, and with a hot market like the GTA, you need to get ahead. Now is the time to see how real estate leads can help you take advantage of this almost 2% jump in the market, and the almost 3% jump in pricing, and enjoy being a realtor again. With leads in your mailbox, you will be able to focus on what you love about your job, selling houses, and finding perspective home buyers the house or land of their dreams. It is time to start enjoying work again, see how real estate leads can help make that happen!

 

Using LinkedIn to Your Full Advantage as a Realtor

Published October 1, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

LinkedIn has become the nearly ubiquitous career-focus networking tool for professionals of all types, and realtors are no exception. We’re certain most of you already do have a LinkedIn profile. However, if yours is one that you created but then haven’t done much with since then you will be pleased to learn of ways that your LinkedIn profile can help you advance your real estate business. Today we’ll look at easy steps you can take to optimize your profile and then some actions you can take to put you more at the forefront for realtors in your area of the country.

All of this is important because lead and client generation in this business is never easy, and the competition is stiff nearly all the time. These days that’s more true than ever, and realtors should be looking for anything they can do to get a leg up on their competitors and demand a greater share of the pie. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system has been a big success for Canadian realtors who’ve decided to have the Internet working for them to provide them with quality leads putting them in touch with people who are genuinely looking to buy or sell a home and need a professional to work with them.

LinkedIn is definitely one of the most under appreciated social networks, but it continues to quietly grow and become even more entrenched as a super solid business networking tool. Real estate professionals across the country and around the globe continue to utilize the social networking tools provided by LinkedIn. Over 90 million users have now registered with LinkedIn to advertise their credentials, speak with others in their business community, and meet new clients and business partners.

LinkedIn Profile Tips

  1. Have a Solid Summary

A well-written summary paragraph for your profile benefits you in a big way. It’s displayed prominently on the user snapshot page, and serves as an elevator pitch to someone who is not familiar with your skill set and work experience. If you’re not particularly skilled with writing, spending some money hiring a writer to create your summary is a good idea. As it’s short, they likely won’t charge you much at all.

  1. Have a Great Photo

Pick a great photo to represent you, and again hiring a professional for the job may be a good idea. Pictures can make a great or terrible first impression, so choose one where you’re looking your best. Also, don’t think you’re obligated to be smiling in a photo. Sometimes just a pleasant and focused expression to your look will do if you struggle to smile naturally.

  1. Make sure your Profile is 100% Complete

Be sure to fill out all of the sections of your profile. The more information you provide, the easier it will be for appropriate real estate business partners and potential home buyers / sellers to identify you as a good fit and be in touch with you.

  1. Optimize It

You can and should have SEO keywords incorporated into your profile, and that’s in the summary and elsewhere. Make sure that they are incorporated naturally into the text, and that the sentences read as if the keywords aren’t ‘stuffed’ in there, it should read naturally.

If you choose to hire a writer, most copywriters will be familiar with keyword incorporation and keyword densities.

Use Connections to Represent Business Relationships

Through Connections, LinkedIn lets you demonstrate your industry relationships to the world. When making a connection with another user on the site, it’s established how both users know each other. Once the connection is made, both users can then exchange recommendations, send inMail (through LinkedIn’s internal email program), and easily make referrals from their respective trusted networks.

A greater number of connections means more potential for making new business contacts. Often posting and viewing status updates of other users lets real estate professionals maximizes this platform’s potential. Status updates allow a user to instantly update their entire network of connections on what is currently happening in their business community.

It’s a good idea to keep an eye on these updates, as the next great opportunity may be posted to a user’s entire network.

LinkedIn Connections Tips

  1. Find Your Company

Most of you will work for a real estate company that already has employees on LinkedIn, so by looking up the company name you can easily connect with all of your co-workers. The same goes for those who went to school with you; search for the educational institution so you can quickly connect with them.

  1. Find Your Clients

LinkedIn supports the upload of many different contact file formats. You may find after uploading your contact file that many of your clients and associates are already on LinkedIn.

Invite Friends. It’s very easy to import everyone you know that has a LinkedIn profile. Simply go to the webmail import tool, enter in your email login information, and seconds later you can select those you wish to extend invitations to join your own trusted real estate network.

  1. Attract New Business by Answering Questions

Users can also interact on the site through LinkedIn Answers. This Q&A format lets professionals post and answer questions related to their industry, and it’s an opportunity to establish yourself as one of the experts. If your answers are voted “Best Answers” for frequently asked real estate-related questions they can generate a lot of business inquiries. Good, accurate, and informative answers can actually be advertising for you in this way!

LinkedIn Answers Tips

  1. Ask Questions

It’s good to ask questions here if you need to gain information. It’s not that you will be scene as being unknowledgeable.

  1. Express your brand

LinkedIn Answers gives you a great format to put your personality and expertise on display. Really try to be yourself and let your character come through. Answer questions in your voice to create something of a real estate business brand in LinkedIn Answers.

  1. Be Helpful

Share valuable information, but be judicious about it. Don’t put your insider secrets out there without giving it some thought, but overall being super forthcoming with information and being helpful is a big plus for you.

Advertising Opportunities

Similar to Facebook, LinkedIn provides an ad platform for users and advertisers to take advantage of the network’s reach and social graph and use images and text-based ads to promote their business and services. Relevant ads are served to LinkedIn users depending on their profile information provided, which make LinkedIn Ads very targeted.

LinkedIn Advertising Tips

  1. Start Small

Setup a simple, but targeted ad campaign by following the easy steps that LinkedIn provides for you. If you don’t have the budget for too much testing, then be sure to start your campaign with very specific, narrowed down demographic selections.

  1. Test, Test, Test

It’s best to use at least 3-4 ad text variations per campaign, and then test them against each other to see which one is performing best.

  1. Target Your Campaign

Establish an idea of who your target audience is and target your ads to them. Running a campaign for a large network may leave you spending too much of your marketing budget.

  1. Refine, Again & Again

Check your campaign regularly to identify trends and signs that could you could use to optimize your campaign. A particular ad that is getting a low click-through rate compared to another ad, for example, might benefit from optimizing the wording in that ad. Or you might pause it entirely so the better performing ad receives more impressions.

One last important consideration for LinkedIn is to protect your info. The site is as secure as any out there, but manage your login information as carefully there as you would for any other important site. The best advice is creating a complex, unique password for use with this site so that you’re the only one with any control over your profile and how you’re using it to market your realtor services.

Use LinkedIn effectively and it can and will do something for you when it comes to lead generation, but it’s a gradual process so the best thing you can do is to start seeing it in different light from other social media platforms and digital networking options.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads for buyers and / or sellers that are delivered exclusively to you and for your protected region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your prospecting efforts and get more out of the energies you put into finding new clients.

 

 

Some Experts Urging Real Estate Investors in Vancouver & Toronto to Sell

Published September 24, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

A while back we started a discussion about how the Real Estate market in Canada is what many consider to be ‘flat’ at this time; meaning that property values were no longer increasing, but also not losing value. This is particularly true for detached homes, and whether this cooling of the market suggests a further downturn remains to be seen. Many experts think that there’s enough of a likelihood of that to suggest that now is the time to sell investment properties because there may well be a significant value dip on the horizon.

Of course, real estate professionals from coast to coast will be keeping a keen eye on these proceedings, as swings in the market have a traceable line to their real estate business and the effects can often change the way a realtor has to apply their efforts in marketing clients homes and identifying client leads themselves. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is a great way to keep the results you have from your prospecting fairly steady, and even in times of downturns in the market.

It seems a good number of leverage wealth experts are saying real estate investors in Toronto and Vancouver should sell now, coming from the age-old perspective that people should buy at high cap rate and sell at low cap rate. Looking at comparative asset classes and at risk-adjusted rates of return, rates on Toronto real estate are running as low as 2-3%. This means that if there’s inherent risk to the principal and many additional considerations then the vast majority of high-yield money market instruments or low-yield bonds have much less in the way of market risk.

Investors enjoyed an aberration in Toronto last year, and that’s hard to dispute. Appreciation climbing upwards of 30% in a single year is not sustainable. It’s not to be ignored however.

There is a belief when looking at this that the market is sliding towards a general upheaval, and the while it’s ever more likely the only thing we don’t know is how severe it’s going to be.

They suggest to start looking at high-end real estate and the vast majority of real estate investments, and if you do you’ll see that the actual yields on these—taking into account average rent based around the underlying value of the underlying security, the ‘gross cap’ as it’s called—are so low that the vast majority of people are actually working within the parameters of speculation real estate investing. If they are to consider maintenance fees, property taxes, default, the incremental risk of mortgage debt, it’s not a sound investment move.

Consider the yield curve as well, which has flattened out just like it has now to predict 7 of the last 9 recessions. These same individuals say that we can expect to see some form of recession as early as May 2019 based on the way the yield curve is flattening out. They insist further that investors need to come up with robust strategies if they intend to continue investing money in the Toronto and Vancouver markets.

Realtors with investor clients looking there should advise their clients to leverage wealth via strong cash flow, a balance sheet and a long-term investment horizon. Much of this is based on the fact that as values have gone up, many real estate investment clients are soon very top heavy with real estate holdings.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your protected region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your real estate client prospecting efforts and give you more of the opportunities to do what you do best as a realtor.

 

 

 

Flat Free Realty Service Coming to Canada

Published September 17, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Commission has long been the word associated with how a realtor is paid for their services, and being a ‘Fisbo’ (for sale by owner) was the only way a homeowner could avoid paying a commission on the sale of their home. Sure, there was 1% realty in select major areas of Canada, but even then you would be paying a small commission and that number would be determined based on the final sale price for the home.

That’s no longer the case, as we are very much living in an age where the trend is to create ad deliver business alternatives that ‘disrupt’ – as they put it – the long standing status quo of some facet of an industry. Now here in Canada that extends to the real estate industry as well, as an international online property powerhouse has purchased one of the world’s top web-based, commission-free real estate companies in a bid to deliver a similar shake up to the Canadian home-selling industry.

Prospective clients aren’t easy to come by for realtors these days, and our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is a great way to continue to prospect successfully in these more challenging times. It’s an increasingly competitive business. An exclusively commissions based business model meant that realtors pursuing ‘bigger fish’, so to speak, would be able to earn more for their efforts, but this recent development puts another notch firmly on the side of the consumer in as far as leveraging themselves in the quest to make the most out of the sale of their home.

Purplebricks has made a successful $51-million bid for Quebec-based duProprio and signs bearing their name will soon start popping up across Canada, with some major advertising campaigns to go along with them. Now it should be said that Purplebricks and its flat-fee realty service system isn’t expected to make a major disruption to the business from coast to coast, but it will be interesting to see to what extent some homebuyers migrate to it.

Do note though that since starting in 2012, Purplebricks has taken over about 5% of the British market and has since expanded to Australia, the U.S., and now here to Canada as well.

Growing Appeal

By buying DuProprio and its considerable market share, Purplebricks has bought is itself a global leader in discount real estate services. 20% of the market in Quebec is commanded by duProprio. Both Purplebricks and duProprio have their appeal in the way they allow a homeowner to avoid the 5% commission traditional brokerages charge. That is significant considering the average Canadian resale house now goes for $481,000. At that number, a homeowner would stand to save in the vicinity of $27,000.

All of this of course should be tempered by the fact that for-sale-by-owner transactions earn significantly less on the market, and many will say that this fact will pair with concerns most conscientious homeowners will have about the quality of the service. So in this sense Purplebricks will have to build up its reputability as would any business newcomer on the scene.

Getting What You’ve Paid For

It’s a fair concern, and the old adage ‘get what you pay for’ will be ringing in the heads of many who’d even consider Purplebricks. But when comparing an import sports car to a domestic hatchback, it seems many people would prefer to pay for the hatchback if the hatchback will do. And in many places in Canada where it is a seller’s market and the market itself is perennially hot then that hatchback will do because often times homes pretty much are selling themselves and often for over asking.

Purplebricks is a flat-rate, fairly-costed, full-service real estate agent and the company is focusing on marketing and driving new clients to its website. Then licensed real estate agents are sent out to provide these clients with their professional services, with everything from initial pricing to helping with purchase / sale negotiations.

The Model

Purplebricks promotes itself by saying that by taking the marketing component out of the realtor’s realm of responsibilities, it frees up some 85% of that realtor’s time for other initiatives that can be undertaken to sell the home. Purplebricks believe their company is efficient and can offer discount services because it has little office space and its agents spend their time doing what they do best; being a ‘people person’ and focusing on unique and creative ways to put buyers in touch will sellers – and vice versa.

Further, they insists that they sell houses faster, get more money for their customers than competitors, and that’s what’s made them the most positively reviewed real estate agent in the world.

The company has, however, also been accused of misleading the public with its advertising. Those allegations are nothing more than that though. Look for Comfree signs in Quebec to be among the first to be replaced by the Purplebricks brand, but they’ll be spending a lot of money expanding outside Quebec.

Discount services in the financial and insurance sectors, as well as familiar names such as iTunes, Uber and Airbnb, have all caused noteworthy ‘disruptions’ their industries and made things trickier for the traditional players, so it will be interesting to see if Purplebricks can do the same for real estate services in Canada.

 

 

 

Fall Cleanup Ideas for Homes Soon to be Listed

Published September 11, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Man Cleaning GuttersSpring and summer are always peak season for the real estate market, and now that are both are getting behind us as 2018 moves into its final quarter it’s time for us to consider Fall and how it’s different for clients listed a home at this time of the year. As realtors, our clients rely on us to have a whole wealth of insights into the best ways to market a home and maximize their return on the sale of it. Obviously, landscaping and manicuring of the property becomes LESS important during FALL but don’t think for a minute that it becomes unimportant entirely.

Part of flexing your knowledge muscles for clients comes with meeting these would-be clients in the first place. Prospecting is as difficult as it’s ever been for realtors these day given the level of competition that’s out there and the fact that the real estate market in Canada has cooled considerably recently. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generator is an excellent way to supercharge your prospecting efforts and those who’ve already taken advantage of it tend to rave about how it’s done just that for them.

But back to the topic at hand; what can your clients do to make their home more marketable from an out-of-doors perspective? Read on.

Here are a few simple tips that won’t eat up much in the way of time or money so they can still enjoy the season while making their home look its best.

Start with the Exterior

It’s important to remember that the exterior of a home is just as important as the interior and that’s because it’s the first thing buyers see when approaching the home. However, they don’t need to be a professional landscaper to have an attractive front yard this season. Follow a few simple guidelines and they can take their lawn from eye-sore to exquisite quite quickly. Have them make sure that leaves are raked, grass is cut and flowerbeds are tidy. Instruct them to pull out their garden earlier than usual, as well as cleaning up all the weeds before adding a quick layer of fresh topsoil.

This is an easy and inexpensive way to make the home’s landscaping look its best. Next, if their patio set looks as though it has been sitting out all summer, suggest they give it a quick wipe down and clean the cushions of any dirt and debris. They should also get rid of any summer flowers that are now wilting and try some plants that are better suited for this type of changing weather. Those will certainly add a better feel to the area as far as potential buyers are concerned.

Welcoming Touches

Suggest some ways that your clients can make people feel welcome with a fall display outside their front door. An autumnal wreath and decorating the porch with harvest-themed plants with rich orange flowers, pumpkins, gourds, corn and bunches of apples will impress potential buyers and make them see the home differently in a good way. Once they feel like the exterior is in tip-top shape, they can then pay some attention to the interior of the home as well. One suggestion that’s been known amongst home stagers for years is to have a lingering smell of baking coming from the kitchen while an open house is being held.

With the inevitable arrival of fall, it’s time for them to pack away their summer clothes too. Boxing them up and storing them at a friend’s house if need be is a good idea. Cleaning out all of the cupboards (homebuyers often open them up for a look) is too, and they should ensure that the basic items left behind are tidy and well organized. Get rid of any cobwebs and don’t let them forget to dust off ceiling fans. Suggest a fresh coat of neutral paint and carpet cleaning if you know that they don’t have much in the way of budget constraints. Clients that minimize clutter and get rid of anything they do not need or don’t want to take with them is hugely beneficial.

Although selling a home in the fall requires spending a little more time tending to the outdoors, making the extra effort like this doesn’t go unnoticed with prospective homebuyers.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your own protected region of any city or town in Canada. You’ll quickly see it’s money well spent as you’re put in touch with people who need the services of a real estate professional like you.

Fewer Buyers, Bigger Budgets with Canadian Real Estate

Published September 3, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_104716085Recent data released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation confirms what has been said by most in-the-know about real estate in Canada – there were fewer new home buyers last year. Accordingly, similar numbers showed mortgages to new owners declined significantly as well. While the huge decline was indeed noteworthy, what is more worthy of focus for those of us working as real estate professionals is the fact that the average balance of these new mortgages inflated. New homebuyers are taking out fewer mortgages, but the ones that are being taken are much larger ones. This especially true for the suburbs of popular urban centres like Vancouver and Toronto.

Anything that changes the dynamic of what makes up the bulk of your clientele will be important for a real estate agent to understand and take into consideration when prospecting for clients. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system harnesses the power of the Internet to put more qualified leads into your hands and then allowing you to do what you do best in order to secure them as clients. With that market ‘flat’ as it is currently considered to be nationwide, this is more important than ever.

New Owners with New Buyer Realities

The CMHC’s new owner data is very interesting to take into consideration. A mortgage to a new owner is when the borrower takes out a new mortgage while not having one in the previous quarter. These are not first-time buyers exclusively, but a lot of first-time buyers are included.

As mentioned, the number of new owners went down across the country last year:

  • 959,074 mortgages to new owners across Canada in 2017, a decline of 6.5% from the year before
  • Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo is the only market with over 2,500 new owners to record any growth
  • 5,795 mortgages issued to new owners in 2017, an increase of 2.69% from the year before

None of this reflects huge growth considering the total size of the market, but it’s growth nonetheless. On the opposite end of thing, the country’s largest markets saw large declines in growth:

  • Toronto saw 68,176 mortgages taken on by new owners in 2017, a decline of 8.14% from the year before
  • Montreal had 38,651 mortgages to new owners, a drop of 3.4%
  • Vancouver had 30,336 mortgages to new owners, a walloping decline of 16.31%

Note that all 3 of these markets reported declines in loans to new owners for the previous year (2017) as well.

New Owners with Larger Mortgages

It would seem to be natural that those declines in numbers would correspond with smaller mortgages, but it the opposite has occurred. For example, Oshawa’s average mortgage to new owners was $364,989 in 2017, a jump of16.59% and the largest increase in the country. The Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo region had new owners assuming mortgages of $310,153, on average, up 15.69%. Barrie saw the average new owner mortgage hit $321,194, up 13.97%. Interesting to note that all of these markets were in Southern Ontario.

More conservative changes were seen in the country’s largest markets, with the exception of Toronto. That city’s average mortgage to new owners moved to $472,954 in 2017, a jump of 12.57% from the previous year. Montreal’s average mortgage to new owners reached $242,836, up 4.16% from 2017. Vancouver’s $473,382 was down 2.97% from the year before. The previous year saw increases for all 3 of these markets.

New owners aren’t typically considered to be a driving force for prices, but these numbers indicate they might well be. The average mortgage size taken out by new buyers has really ballooned, and not in markets with perceived density issues. Instead, the largest gains were in low density suburbs. This supports the belief that buyers have been maxing their credit instead of weighing purchasing decisions against any sort of fundamental pricing factors.

As always, a realtors who’s really in the know about every aspect of the local market and national housing and real estate trends is the one who’ll be regarded as the true professional. Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your own protected area of any city or town in Canada. It’s a proven effective way to generate more opportunities to turn leads into clients and further grow your real estate business.

Shinier Than Should Be: Canadian Real Estate Majorly Overvalued – Economist

Published August 20, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Real Estate and Conctruction Market Going Up. Bright Sunny Real Estate and Economy Concept 3D Illustration.It’s been long understood by nearly anyone with any level of interest in real estate investment that Canada’s real estate has become something of a bubble, and one in large part fuelled by speculation and a housing inventory that is seemingly always dwarfed by the demand over recent years. There are many factors that make Canada unique in the way it is at the mercy of market economics in real estate, but the simple and most plain truth is that homes have and continue to be sold for prices that many would deem to be completely out of touch with what the real value of many of these homes should be.

For real estate agents, there’s no debating that this is truly something of a golden goose in the way elevated sale prices mean larger commissions for realtors in Canada. Most will be equally aware that this goose was not something to be relied upon for any indefinite period of time. Things change, and in many ways they have make quite a marked departure already.

Even in the best of times client prospecting can be a challenge, but our online real estate lead generator here at Real Estate Leads is a proven effective way to have the power of the Internet working for you. You’ll be put in touch with greater numbers of people who are either ready to work with a realtor, or will be in the near future. From there, the opportunity to make them your clients is there for you to do with it what you will.

Back to our discussion regarding overvaluation; A new global price analysis put out by The Economist ranked Canada as the 3rd most overvalued country in the world in terms of housing values, coming in just behind New Zealand and Australia. The study measured the average housing price versus the median incomes of 22 major global markets, and came to the consensus that Canadian real estate is valued some 56 percent higher than it should be.

Not surprisingly, Vancouver is the Canadian city leading the charge in these overvaluation rankings. The fact that homes there were priced 65% higher than they should be based on local incomes is a very telling indicator. The average housing price in the city has increased by around 12.3 percent annually since 2011, and then by 60.4% over a 5-year period stretching back to the midway point of 2013.

Lotus Land (as Vancouver is called by some) was ranked the 5th most overvalued metropolitan real estate market worldwide, with only Hong Kong, Auckland, Paris, and Brussels being more so. It’s well established that the past few years have seen rising prices and increased inflows of foreign capital establishing Vancouver’s real estate segment as a vital component of B.C.’s economy, but that comes with some very pronounced inherent risks.

A recent FINTRAC report cautioned that B.C. properties are particularly vulnerable to money laundering. The report found that approximately 88 percent of real estate entities in the province have had insufficient anti-money laundering controls in place for years, and continue to make progress in getting up to snuff in this regard.

Risk assessment, client identification, record keeping, and reporting policies and procedures were spotlighted as specific areas of weakness. Money laundering via real estate is a very real and disappointing phenomenon, with widespread property speculation being blamed for the skyrocketing of Vancouver housing prices.

Nearly all ethical professionals in this business will believe in and work around the principle that homes are for housing families, and as such it is hoped that these illicit and very harmful practices are eventually disabled in the housing market in Canada. It will be better for everyone.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you and you only for your similarly exclusive area of any city or town in Canada. Realtors from coast to coast have benefitted greatly from joining us and having our leads delivered to them each month, so we suggest you do the same!

Saleability Factors Clients Are In Control Of When It Comes to Selling A Home

Published August 15, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_68634522Even the greenest realtors will quickly find out that selling a home is stressful for clients, and particularly so if the market is more of a buyer’s one that an a seller’s one. That part of it is of course dictated by market forces and isn’t something either you or your clients should be dwelling on. Your clients will be looking to you to be the voice of authority and experience that is guiding them along the way to their receiving the best possible outcome with the sale of a property that they’ve likely invested a lot of their time into owning it. Needless to say, dropping the ball in that regard isn’t an option.

Now we do know that you don’t need to be convinced of that. Gaining clients isn’t easy, and it’s also very competitive in this industry. There hasn’t been enough ‘pie’ to go around for decades, and it’s pretty safe to say it’s never been more challenging than it is today. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to reinforce your efforts there. Once you’ve made initial contact with these potential buyers or sellers, then you have the opportunity to wow them with your knowledge of the biz

Nothing is more assuring for folks in the early stages of the home being on the market than a realtor who can be the voice of reason. And further, if you can take that voice of reason and help them with saleability of the home, you’re well on your way to becoming ‘their’ realtor.

So, here are 5 saleability factors that are very much in your client’s control, that will help get their home sold at the right price.

  1. The Property’s Condition

The home in question may meet all of a buyer’s criteria (and look great on paper) but if it’s ‘run down’ in any way when a buyer comes knocking, he or she will likely leave quickly and scratch your client’s home off their list. Advise them that it is very much their job to make sure their home is in tip-top shape to ensure the home is sold at the best price possible. Make it clear they need to be certain that everything in the home is well-maintained. A good start is to have them declutter their home and make sure everything is orderly and well-serviced. A home that’s been cared for very well and promises to require very few repairs if any and minimal ongoing maintenance is very attractive.

  1. The Terms

Suppose your clients have met with a keen buyer. Here’s what they should do to do themselves a favour and make the purchase an easy decision and smooth process. A good many interested buyers opt out of a potential purchase for no other reason than that the terms are just too complicated or inconvenient. Advise your clients to be proactive in defending agains this. Investing in a home inspection report and dealing with the issues before their home hits the market is HIGHLY advisable. Doing so will help them seal the deal and enable you to reach a larger market as their realtor. Another factor to keep top of mind is their move-out date, and ideally one in the near future. Showing potential buyers that they are able to vacate the home quickly will work to their advantage.

  1. Availability

A client’s home could be the best-looking property on the local market, but what good is attracting buyers if there’s never any available time to meet with them? It is essential that clients adhere to a schedule that meets the buyer’s needs and to also be able to accommodate last-minute viewing requests – even if they will be disrupting their lives. It’s in their best interest to be flexible. Let them know that a buyer’s sense of urgency could be a positive indication that they want to move fast. Denying requests to see the home could mean your clients losing out on a sale. When they are preparing to sell their home, prompt them to take note of any issues that should be dealt with before it hits the market.

  1. Upgrades and Extras

Upgrades and extras go a long way in improving on a home’s saleability. From kitchen renos to installing a new heating system to window upgrades or even simply patching up holes and then applying some fresh paint. Advise clients to stick to practical renovations, as decor renovations are particular to a person’s taste and of course tastes vary wildly from one person to the next.

  1. Price Setting

Speaking with a realtor and being open to his or her suggestions as to what is the right price for a home makes so much sense for clients, and it is perfectly acceptable to state plainly tha pricing a home realistically gives them a much better chance of selling their property quickly. When pricing their home, they should set emotions aside to ensure that their price is fair and justifiable. Explain that the home’s value is best and most realistically indicated by reviewing the comparables. Researching homes that have recently sold in their market and which possess the same characteristics as your clients. Then sit down and show them what you’ve learned, and how it should dictate the way they approach pricing their home as it is prepared to be put on the market.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and / or seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively and also for your own privately served area of any city or town in Canada. It’s a proven effective way to get so much more out of your prospecting efforts as you move towards becoming an established and trusted realtor in whatever part of the country you’re serving as a reputable real estate professional.

 

Market for Detached Homes in Canada Now Officially ‘Flat’

Published August 8, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Front elevation large single family homeRealtors all across Canada have certainly been beneficiaries of the tear Canada’s housing market has been on for years. Come mid 2018 and we’re seeing that that era may now be over, and in hot markets like Vancouver and Toronto it’s becoming the ‘bubble’ isn’t going to exactly burst as predicted, but it isn’t getting any bigger either. That of course means something of a plateauing for home values, and particularly for detached homes that were nearly always selling for way over asking as a result of bidding wars. This and the larger number of qualified buyers looking to buy homes before the new Mortgage Stress Test Regulations via the BoC.

Home sale volumes for the period between March and April hit a nine-year low, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), and that of course has effects of all sorts as the increased amount of inventory make it not so slantedly a seller’s market anymore.

Of course, realtors will have fewer prospective detached home buyers as a result of both these trends. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is a great way to get more out of your client prospecting efforts and connect with individuals you want to be in touch with as a new realtor.

No Pop, For Now

Home prices for the most part aren’t dropping, at least for now. The national average home price slid 6.4% last month as compared to May 2017. Most of that’s attributable to the fact that the mix of homes being bought and sold now includes greater numbers of comparatively inexpensive properties, like condos and to a lesser extent townhomes, and less in the way of detached houses. The national average lower is skewed lower accordingly.

Looking at CREA’s benchmark home price, home values were up 1% in May 2018 compared to May of last year. That’s not cause for alarm, but it’s still a very big dip from the often tens of thousands of dollars worth in annual home equity gains many Canadian homeowners had been basking in.

The reality now seems to be price increases in the low-single digits. CREA predicts national average home prices to rise by 3.8% in 2019, with gains in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and prices staying stable in the Prairies and Newfoundland and Labrador.

That trend of stagnating or modestly rising pricing, if it holds up, has implications for home sellers, home buyers and even homeowners who aren’t planning to sell.

Bidding Wars Becoming Fewer

Clients thinking of putting their home on the market should no longer rudimentarily assume that their home will sell for a higher price than their next-door neighbour received last year. There will be exceptions to that, and most likely in Ottawa and Montreal, where home prices are still recording healthy gains.

As a real estate agent, you should have a firm idea of how to price a client’s home competitively by looking at price trends over the past three months in your particular area. Being in the know up front prevents any type of misstep on the part of the seller that may hinder or disappoint them in the future. Know market value, and suggest listing prices accordingly.

Have your clients best interest firmly in place, and have all 3 of you ‘know’ your story as you say, knowing how to defend your price. Ideally, you’ll be able to present the buyer and the buyer’s agent with a spreadsheet showing prices for similar properties in your area over the past few months.

Pricing a home in the ‘high range’ of what it’s worth gives you and your clients room to negotiate, while underpricing a property with the idea of sparking a bidding war isn’t nearly as advisable as it used to be.

See bank appraisals for reasons for that. They’re not as assured as before either, and banks want to protect themselves as well in case of any downturn. Long and short of this is banks won’t lend more than a home’s appraised value. The winner of the bid war may not have the finances to cover the difference once the bank looks at mortgage terms.

It’s important to also have an end date for your client’s listing, to avoid their property languishing on the market and to place a cap on expenses incurred within listing the home professionally.

Downsizing Reconsidered More Often

As we mentioned in our blog of 2 weeks ago, more and more detached homeowners are staying put and not downsizing to smaller living spaces as has been the trend for a long time now. That’s because these owners are now having to resize their expectations, especially if home is Toronto or Vancouver.

Yes, sellers will still make a profit, but it won’t necessarily be the big gains they’d been planning on, and naturally their predisposition will be to hold tight for now

Relatedly, condo prices are soaring in all major urban areas in response to this and many other trends in Canadian real estate.

The prospect of getting a home for slightly less than the asking price has improved, and that’s good news for some buyers. Sign up here for Real Estate Leads and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online generated buyer and/or seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your independently-serviced area of any city or town in Canada. It’s a great way to supercharge your prospecting efforts and generate meeting opportunities with potential new clients.

6 Spots You’d Never Guess Buyers Will Look At When Viewing a Home

Published July 31, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Young man checking looking inside small closet in new room after or before moving in, during open house

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again; a lot of what makes a realtor a reputable one in the eyes of prospective clients is the relation of being knowledgeable about the industry in a way that your average realtor is not. As a new realtor, you want to become that realtor sooner rather than later, so doing everything you can to get up to speed on every aspect of what the businesses of buying and selling homes entails is highly advisable.

Of course, all of this hinges on actually having those prospective clients in front of you. That in itself is nothing more than an opportunity. What you do then will determine whether or not they become clients. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way to create more of those types of opportunities. Today, we’ll share some proven facts about spots in a home that you would likely never guess a prospective buyer would look at during an open house, but in fact they do. Brush up, and share your knowledge with your prospective clients when the opportunity arises!


  1. The Kitchen Cupboards

Advise home selling clients to take the time to neatly organize their cupboards, as buyers are quite likely to sneak a peek inside. If those cabinets are bursting at the seams, the impression given will be that there’s not enough cupboard space. Have clients pack up dishes, kitchenware, and non-perishable foods that they seldom use, and leave only a tidy array of a few dishes and other serving wares in the cupboards. In addition, giving the insides a good wipe and covering up scratches with shelf liners are also good ideas.

  1. Under Sinks

When buyers are genuinely interested in a home, they’re certainly going to be on the lookout for any indications of plumbing problems. Have it seen to that any under-the-sink cabinetry is tidy and clean. If leaks exist, of course your clients will have to have them professionally repaired.

  1. Bedroom Closet

Most house hunters will take a quick peek inside a bedroom closet to survey the space. Closet appeal can be boosted big time by packing up at least a quarter of the clothes your clients have hanging inside, and making some space on the shelves is advisable too. Even if it’s a smaller closet, these moves will suggest to would-be buyers that the closet space is more than sufficient.

  1. Cold Cellars and Cubby Holes

Most detached houses will have one: a little room or space built out of sight, where only the most unused household possessions will be located for those once-in-nearly-forever times they’re needed. Prospective buyers may well find their way into them as well, so be certain to sweep away the cobwebs, and show off the storage potential rather than a strange and uninviting or perhaps even intimidating area of the home.

  1. Inside the Shower

Be assured that drawn shower curtains won’t convince prospective buyers to not have a look at the tub and / or shower. They will want to know what they might be faced with every morning. Missing caulking or water or mildew staining or discolouration is a big no-no. Have your clients repair what they can, keep shampoo and soap tidy with a shower caddy, and last but not least wipe everything dry before buyers arrive to see the home.

  1. The Garage

Yes, it is perfectly natural to make the garage a catch-all for what’s been cleared out of any space in the home but isn’t ready to be disposed of quite yet. Make sure your clients understand that would-be buyers will come with the perspective that this is where they’re going to place their vehicle. The centre space should be kept clear, and using hooks and shelves to keep tools and other items organized is advisable too. Don’t forget to have them sweep up any leaves and outdoor debris.

When a house is on the market, there’s virtually no space that’s off limits to buyers’ prying eyes. Keep in mind that you’d be the same way, and also that how thoroughly they look around is often a reflection of how interested they are in buying the property.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively for your similarly exclusive area of any city or town in Canada. More opportunities means more chances for you to take these leads and turn them into clients of your real estate business.

Poll Shows More & More Seniors Committed to Staying In Family Home Through Retirement

Published July 23, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Seniors in a homeReal estate agents are as familiar as anyone with what is, or at least has been, the typical cycle for families in relation to home ownership in Canada. Once the kids have grown up and moved out and you’ve reached what’s called ‘empty nest’ status then typically it was often the case that a couple approaching or already in retirement would consider downsizing to a home that meets the much lesser needs of the two of them.

According to a recent Ipsos poll nationwide, 9 out of 10 seniors now feel it’s at least somewhat important to stay in their current home through their retirement. The poll surveyed Canadian homeowners of all ages, and found that those aged 65 and up are more likely than younger homeowners to value living out their retirement years in their home.

That’s quite a departure, and the fact that many of these homeowners live in detached single family homes in urban hotbeds like Vancouver and Toronto definitely has the potential to sway the real estate market and change how realtors approach their business. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is a great way to get the power of the Internet helping you with building your client base. But it seems that some of the bigger fish, if you will, won’t be in the pond now.

Reasons for the Putting Off or Delay in Downsizing

As mentioned, detached family homes are few and far between in Canada’s major housing markets, and this trend of older owners staying in spacious detached homes may leave new homebuyers in something of a lurch. It’s a fact that construction of new detached homes in Toronto and Vancouver has declined to the lowest rates in decades, much of that attributable to rising land prices and municipal density requirements.

The situation is then becoming that new homebuyers are largely competing for existing homes even as city populations continue to grow, and that has certainly fuelled the soaring prices of recent years.

Why the new reluctance?Seniors may be avoiding downsizing for a fear of not getting as much bang for their buck as they’d hoped, particularly as the market begins to cool in Canada’s major metropolitan areas. For this reason, seniors thinking of downsizing to free up some cash for retirement may be reevaluating their expectations, especially if their live in Toronto or Vancouver.

While prices for single-family homes in both cities are dropping or moving in a straight line at best, condo prices are still soaring. This is typically where many ‘downsizers’ will be focusing their purchase interests, having long been able to buy one and then ‘pocket’ a nice retirement fund from the sale of their detached home.

Knock, Knock

More relevant to you here , however, is the fact that this may also explain the increase in realtors approaching homeowners about selling their home, and especially in Ontario. Another survey found a quarter of those over 75 responded that they’d been approached by a realtor unsolicited, meaning they’d never expressed interest in selling their homes before.

Successful realtors adapt, and those who are door knocking here are most certainly showing the hustle needed to adapt in these new market environments.

We see now that without an influx of homes coming back on the market as Canada’s population continues to age, it may be even more difficult for new homebuyers may to compete for buying the home they need.

Things Looking Up?

2018 to date has had cities like Vancouver and Edmonton seeing a surplus in home inventory for the first time in years, keeping in mind that prices have yet to react.

Homes for sale in Metro Vancouver reached a 3-year high in June, according to REBGV. This is believed to be because buyers are less active today, making for a volume of homes for sale not seen in the last few years. Edmonton is at a similar peak, the highest since 2008 for that city.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your similarly exclusive area of any city or town in Canada. Make the most of each of them and you’ll almost certainly see your client directory growing in a hurry.

3 Solid Strategies for Move-Up Buyers

Published July 17, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Home buyersMoving up has always been a common strategy for homeowners looking to work their way into the home that is going to suit them long term. My parents started in the smallest of row homes here on the West Coast of Canada some 30+ years ago and now they’ve got a beautiful large home with yard in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Real estate is an investment, and making judicious decisions when it comes to purchasing real estate with the idea of selling the home for profit in the future is very important.

A good realtor is a knowledgeable and helpful realtor, and for those of you who are new to the business there’s so much you can learn – and share – about how to best buy real estate given your clients’ long term plans. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is dynamite for getting your more in the way of qualified leads that you can contact and then have the opportunity to secure clients. We stress the word ‘opportunity’ though, because that’s all it is. Your prospective home buyers or sellers will expect you to know the business!

Moving up to their ‘forever home’ is exciting for people. Most move-up buyers typically will have some savings and home equity to work with, making their next move feel less like a compromise and more like a thoughtful selection. However, move-up buyers face their own set of challenges that call for a very evaluated and measured strategy.

Here are 3 options for your smart move-up homebuyers and sellers with a plan!

Sell First

The ‘sell first’ strategy is ideal for move-up buyers who are unable to afford to pay two mortgages simultaneously. Having them sell their property first eliminates the risk of having to carry two mortgages, conditional upon not selling the existing home in time. This also reduces the chances of them having to reduce their asking price in response to a need to speed up the sale. This is a good option for move-up buyers who are banking on the proceeds of their sale to fund their new (and likely more expensive) property. By selling first, they’ll know exactly how much money they have to purchase their next home.

Determining Suitable Asking Price

When homes in a clients’ area of choice are selling faster than the sign can hit the lawn, it’s often that a ‘buy first’ strategy is the way to go. Buying a new home before selling their old one removes any rush to settle into a sub-par property, or having to seek alternative temporary housing options while you continue the process. This move-up buyer still lives in his or her existing home and this allows them time to shop around, and keep on with looking until they find that perfect place. This move-up buyer will typically require a bridge mortgage.

Understanding Mortgage Options

Acquiring an agreeable mortgage as a move-up buyer approach is most ideal for anyone, but making that acquisition is increasingly challenging these days. Having clients align their purchase and sale closing dates can be tricky. It’s a 3-way dance – the client, the person they’re buying from, and the person who’s selling the property your clients would like to buy. Have them keeping in mind that they’ll also have to move out and move in on the same day, so time is their best friend if it can be managed effectively. This means they need to plan ahead – researching neighbourhoods, being pre-approved for a mortgage, and beginning the ‘purge’ that should come before a big move.

The right move-up buyer strategy of course depends on a number of factors, such as your clients’ financial situation, current housing market conditions, their personal comfort level and their predispositions as buyers. Have them consider all these when making their decision. You are the pro who’s there to ensure a smooth transaction on both sides of the bargaining table.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of online-generated, qualified buyer and / or seller leads that are provided for you exclusively and for you similarly exclusively-served region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a great way to supercharge your prospecting efforts and build your client base when you make yourself as the expert who can help these people with a purchase of this kind of magnitude!

Summertime Property Preparation for Home Sales

Published July 10, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Junge Frau enrfernt Unkraut vom WegIt’s no surprise that the Real Estate market typically peaks in the summertime in Canada, and it’s in large part due to the fact that the weather is usually great and it’s as agreeable place to live as any you could find. Now, of course, we do have Canadian winters too but most people enjoy winter activities like skiing, snowshoeing, and ice fishing as much as they do enjoying outdoor activities in the sun and warmth of the summer. A well kept home with a nice front and back yard looks especially good at this time of the year, and it’s a fact that many a man actually enjoy taking out the mower and cutting the grass.

Anyone selling their home at this time of the year is putting both the home itself and the lifestyle it offers on display for prospective clients. Savvy realtors will be able to advise clients on the importance of ‘curb appeal’ and other perspectives that are relevant when a buyer is evaluating a property for sale as much as the home itself. A good realtor is an experienced realtor, and here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is a great way to invest in your prospecting efforts for real results and build your client base more quickly.

Here’s some tips that are good advice for home sellers:

Consider a fresh coat of paint

Time and weather wear on your wooden porch or fence big time over the years, but other painted outdoor surface can also degenerate quickly in tough Canadian climates. Thoroughly cleaning and then painting a home does much for making a yard look fresh and full of potential. Ideas for owners to consider would be painting a front door or redoing paint on pillarwork around the exterior.

Take a Look at Paved Areas

Driveways, walkways, and sidewalks can be redone for much less than owners would expect, and more often than not what is commonly done is more of a makeover. Edging to remove overgrown grass can creates clean, defined lines along entryways and flowerbeds and removing weeds from cracks is advisable as well. Power washing or resealing the driveway are also good choices to add to a clean appearance. Levelling out uneven paving stones is smart as well and not much is required to do it.

Trim and Shape Vegetation

Tidy up flowerbeds to a reasonable level of presentation shouldn’t take more than a full afternoon’s work. Simply cut back any dead foliage, rake out straggling leaves, and then if inclined you can also add in some mulch or coloured wood chips to give beds a crisp, fresh look. Decorative trees or shrubs should be trimmed and they should be sure to dispose of yard waste as thoroughly and as soon as you can before the home is shown. Something you’ll also want to prevent buyers from seeing is yellow spots in their grass left by pets. At least show that you are aware of this issue and are treating and re-seeding the area currently.

Add Final Touches

A few basic planters – hung or planted – with colourful blossoms will they enhance a clients’ home’s charm. Another great idea is to suggest they add some light staging to their outdoor areas. Many stagers will arrange patio furniture to create a space for conversation, adding a few outdoor throw pillows and perhaps an outdoor table setting. Have the place looking great, with a sharply manicured lawn and garden on display!

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a month quota of qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively as the only realtor servicing a specific region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a great way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts as a new Canadian realtor.

2018 2nd Quarter CREA Real Estate Report

Published July 3, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Rising house sales conceptThe 2nd Quarter of the 2018 year has now passed and the overseeing body for real estate in Canada, the Canadian Real Estate Association, has released it’s 2nd quarter report. It indicates that housing market fundamentals continue to be strong in many parts of the country but that several housing markets continue face adversity due to policy headwinds.

Understanding the temperature taken for the housing market nationwide is of course going to be of great importance for all realtors, but in particular for new agents who understand the value in having a grasp of the big picture for the business – and the profession of serving it – in the country. There is of course a correlation between these statistics and a realtor’s ability to generate new business. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is highly recommended for new realtors looking to get more out of their efforts in this regard.

Back to the report; The new mortgage stress test introduced last October was expected to result in homebuyers rushing to purchase homes in advance of the new rules coming into effect in January. This was then expected to create a ‘pulling forward’ of sales activity that would then result in fewer transactions occurring during first half of 2018.

However, that hasn’t been the case. Seasonally adjusted national home sales last December having surged to the highest level ever recorded before dropping considerably by the time early 2018 had arrived. Actual national sales figures represent ones that are not seasonally adjusted, and these ones for March, April and May are usually among the most active months for any given year.

Delayed Response

It’s interesting to note then that combined sales fell to a nine-year low for this three-month period in Canada for 2018. This trend indicates sales momentum has not yet begun to rally as many expected it to. Consider as well that interest rates are expected to rise further this year and in 2019. Home sales activity is still expected to strengthen modestly in the second half of 2018 though, as housing market uncertainty decreases moving forward.

With these factors taken into account, the national sales forecast has been revised downward with a projected decline of 11% working out to some 459,900 housing units this year. This decrease is powered primarily by weaker sales in B.C. and Ontario and resulting from heightened housing market uncertainty, ongoing supply shortages, provincial policy measures, high prices for detached homes, and then the aforementioned new mortgage stress test.

The national average home price is projected to go down to $499,100 this year, and that is not much of a departure from the CREA’s previous forecasting of a decline of 2.1% from 2017. However, only in Newfoundland and Labrador are average prices expected to dip that significantly, while more than half of all provinces can expect to see increases. The national average price reduction also incorporates fewer numbers of transactions in and Ontario and B.C.

The average price decline predicted for Ontario is -1.7%, and that is largely a reflection of fewer higher-priced home sales in Toronto. This is especially relevant during the important spring market, which typically exhibits seasonal jumps in the average price that this year failed to materialize. This seasonal pattern is expected to resume in 2019, but the increase to the annual figure from the spring push hasn’t been observed this year.

Eastern Canada Rises

Contrasting to all of this is the way that home prices in Eastern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia are expected to continue moving up in response to increasingly firm market conditions seen over recent years. Not surprisingly, British Columbia is now forecast to see its average price rise in 2018 as well, with prices in the province being more resilient than than had been expected previously.

  • Alberta home prices should dip down by 1%
  • Saskatchewan is predicted to decrease by 1.5%
  • Newfoundland and Labrador is predicted to decreased by 2.9%, with supply remaining elevated in relation to demand as it has been for years

In 2019, the forecast for national sales is that they should rebound modestly to 474,800 units but remain below annual levels seen from 2014 to 2017. The anticipated partial recovery in sales for the second half of this year from deferred purchases made from January to June in Ontario and B.C. is subsequently expected to diminish through 2019. The consensus is that this is because interest rates will continue to rise. This trend is also predicted to occur in other provinces, but be most significantly seen in Ontario and B.C. Transactions in these two provinces have dropped sharply over the first half of 2018, and this occurred even though housing demand seems to be buoyed by relative economics and demographics.

Further, the national average price is also predicted to bounce back to $518,300 in 2019, and this is seen to be in response to an expected return to normal seasonal patterns for spring sales activity and prices in Ontario housing markets. It’s good to see that the MLS® Home Price Index is rising in prominent urban centres in B.C. and Ontario.

Market balance also continues to firm in Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Added price increases, albeit modest ones, are expected to be seen in these provinces, but with rising interest rates holding price gains in check. Prices in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador should remain relatively stable from this year to the next.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a guaranteed monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your protected region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a proven-effective way to generate more clients for your real estate business, and accordingly nearly every realtor will see it as money very well spent!

10 Tips for Buying Your First Real Estate Investment Property

Published June 25, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_20945576Speculation has become a rather negative term when used in reference to buying real estate these days, but in truth investing in real estate with an aim to creating profit for yourself down the line has been going on for hundreds of years. It certainly require as level of acumen, wisdom, and the ability to act judiciously however. While it’s true that most investment buyers have these traits and often will be very experienced with buying investment properties, a decidedly fewer number of them will be leaning on the expertise of their realtor to advise them in the best manner possible.

Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads is an excellent way for new realtors to acquire greater numbers of clients through their prospecting efforts, and while the majority of them will likely be buying for a place of primary residence some of them may want to be investment buyers. Let’s look today at some good tips you can share with them regarding buying real estate as an investment.

  1. Be Certain Real Estate Investing is for You

Being an incapable handyman is perfectly normal, but if you buy a home that needs work and you need to bring in tradespeople it will eat into your profits. It’s common for property owners who have one or two homes often to do their own repairs to save money. If you’re not inclined or capable of getting your hands dirty and / or don’t have unlimited finances, being a landlord may not be right for you.

Then there’s also the time required for the work. Do you have it to spare?

  1. Start by Paying Down Debt

Some well-enabled investors might carry debt as part of their investment portfolio, but it’s very inadvisable for the average person. If your financial solidity is already spread quite thin, purchasing a rental property may not be a smart move for you, at least at this time.

  1. Can you Afford the Down Payment?

Real estate investment properties in major urban centres in Canada usually require a larger down payment than elsewhere and non-owner occupied homes can have more stringent approval requirements. How much you’ll need exactly will be yet to be determined, but be prepared for it to be much more than perhaps you had originally expected. Deeper pockets are often required.

  1. Be Wary of Bigger Interest Rates

The cost of borrowing money is always fluctuating, but the interest rate on Real Estate Investment properties will almost always be higher and again often more so than you imagine. Keep in mind that your clients as investors will need a mortgage payment that’s low enough to not eat too heavily into their monthly profits.

  1. Profit Margins Must be Calculated

Individuals should set a profit margin goal that’s pretty inflexible around 10%, while estimating maintenance costs at 1% of the property value annually. There’s also insurance, HOA fees (if applicable), property taxes and a whole host of monthly expenses that you won’t be expecting to encounter. Count on it.

  1. Avoid the ‘Fixer-Uppers’

Many buyers like the idea of a house that you can get at a bargain and flip it into a rental, but if this is your first property, that’s likely far from the best idea. Unless you have a contractor who does quality work affordably or you’re like Mike Holmes or Brian Baeumler when it comes to home improvement, then you’re likely going to pay too much to renovate. Purchasing a home that is priced below the market that needs mostly minor repairs is likely a much better choice.

  1. Calculate Operating Expenses

You can advise clients to expect that operating expenses on their new property will be between 35% and 80% of their gross operating income. Charge $1,500 for rent and their expenses come in at $600 per month, they’re then at 40%. An even simpler calculation is the 50% rule. If the rent charged is $3,000 per month, they should expect to pay $1,500 in total expenses.

  1. ‘Cash on Cash’

Clients should ask themselves what is their return on every dollar? Stocks may offer a 7.5% cash-on-cash return while bonds may offer 4.5% back. If a buyer can get 6% in their first year as a landlord, that should be agreeable since that number will likely rise over the long term.

  1. Low-Cost Home is Preferable

The more expensive the home, the higher their ongoing expenses will be. Some real estate experts suggest starting with a $150,000 home. Consider location when looking at lower-priced properties as that is what will go farthest in making them good rentals.

  1. Location

Going further with the focus on location, it’s advisable to look for areas with low property taxes, a decent school district, a quality neighbourhood with low crime rates, an area with a growing job market and plenty of amenities like parks, malls, restaurants and movie theatres.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your protected region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a great way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and really start to build up a client base for your real estate business. Join the many like-minded realtors who want to be successful who’ve already claimed their territory and are receiving leads each month.

Appearance Tips for Real Estate Professionals

Published June 18, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Happy realtor woman showing keysThe real estate business is without a doubt one of those businesses where your image is projected through your professional appearance. As much as it may be poor form to do so, some clients will put as much weight on your appearance as they do your reputation, how knowledgeable you seem, or how well spoken you are. In this business, first impressions really do matter.

Fortunately, this will be a reality that most who’ve entered the profession could have foreseen being one, and so it won’t take much convincing if any to ‘look the part’ as an agent who’s helping people make one of the biggest decisions of their life. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system won’t have you looking sharp, but it will take care of another aspect of being a new realtor that’s not so easy – prospecting for clients.

To help you project the right image and a proper professional appearance, here’s a collection of sensible tips on how to look and dress the part of a successful real estate businessperson.

When in Doubt, Be Conservative

Appearance will always be extremely important in this business, as most clients tend to choose their agents based on appearance and a measure of ‘gut feeling.’ The standard has been and continues to be that men wearing freshly pressed shirts with a nice tie and clean shoes look professional. However, it’s been proven that too much jewelry makes many people perceive you negatively. A watch is fine, and maybe one other piece of jewelry. But that’s it, and keep in mind that all this goes hand in hand with good visible hygiene traits. For example neatly trimmed and clean fingernails.

Keep up with current fashion trends also benefits you, and having a fashionable hairstyle helps too. Male agents will gain from keeping up fashion and clothing trends via magazines like Esquire, GQ, and so forth, while female agents can do the same with Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vogue. One thing that can’t be overstated enough is the suitability of wearing conservative-length skirts.

Then there’s the idea of dressing for your market by wearing attire appropriate to your surroundings. For example, a sharp blazer and dark-wash jeans work better for young, hip regions.

Appearing Professional Other Ways

Your choice of vehicle can go a long way with potential clients too. Consider this; a broker in a US big city always traded for a new Jaguar sedan every year, and then let her agents borrow it to drive wealthy buyers around fancy neighborhoods for showings. Apparently the way the car had an effect on potential buyers was very clear.

The appearance of your office also sends a strong message to clients, or would-be clients, the first time they visit. Keep it organized and meticulously clean, and displaying attractive curios and artwork is a good choice. A messy desk is a big no-no, no matter how well established you are.

One other tips is to always have a change of clothing ready when the situation requires it, especially if there’s a chance you’ll be with entirely different people in an entirely different environment within the same day.

Professional appearance tips for real estate agents will vary depending upon the individual’s situation. Different types of property, weather, and clients should lead you to make different decisions regarding the professional attire that is most appropriate. This is of course something of an art, and much less of a science, but if you hit the ground running as a realtor while still keeping your appearance in mind you’ll very likely figure it out before long.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive an monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your protected region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a smart investment, particularly with the way it gives you so many more opportunities to lead leads into clients. That’s something established realtors do well because they have learned to do it well.

4 Must-Do Steps for Converting Online Leads from Real Estate Leads

Published June 4, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Small house on laptop keyboard. Real estate agency online. Concept. 3d illustration

Here at Real Estate Leads, what we offer to our clients here is fairly self-explanatory given the nature of our name. Our online real estate lead generation system for Canada provides realtors here with even more in the way of opportunities generated from prospecting. It’s something all realtors need to do, but doing so while harnessing the power of the Internet can make for some downright impressive results when it comes to the volume of leads you can dig up.

We’re not going to start here by saying that you need to follow up on these leads quickly. That’s true, but we’re not going to tell you something you didn’t already know. With this understood, however, it’s interesting to note that statistics indicate that about 48% of all online leads go completely unanswered.

Now, the difference here of course is that your leads provided by us are provided to you EXCLUSIVELY, meaning you will be the only realtor to receive them. Yes, that’s a big point! But there’s factors to consider here, including the fact that most online leads are 6-12 months out from selling their home or purchasing one.

You still need to move quickly, however, and so let’s get right to our 4 must-do steps for getting the very most out of your online real estate client leads.


  1. Speedy Is Timely

The sooner you are able to reply to an inquiry, the better. And when we say soon, we’re talking the same day ideally. Don’t put it off, send whatever form of communication you think is best and present yourself as a realtor who would be happy to help them as the begin the process of buying or selling a home.

If you don’t contact them, a competitor will and yes, that’s going to be true 90+% of the time even if you’re the only one to receive the online generated lead. The smart choice is to have a system in place that can respond when you can’t. An autoresponder like a text message or anything to acknowledge that lead and let them know that you are there and ready to help is fairly standard.

Nowadays A.I., or Artificial Intelligence, has made its way into real estate too. With AI you can mimic live-time text message responses that are genuine to the point of seeming as if they’ve only recently been created by the realtor themselves. They can also respond intelligently too, and the if questions go beyond their scope of comprehension, they will then pass it over to the G.I., or Genuine Intelligence – that, of course, being you!

Bots can still feel impersonal, though. Many agents instead choose to go with concierge services that connect with leads right away, and these prospective clients then hear from a real person. You can also have them categorize your leads. It’s not unlike having your own inside sales team, and for many realtors it turns out to be money well spent.

Another thing to keep in mind when responding to a lead inquiry is to always respond using the same method with which you received the inquiry; if they sent a text, you reply with a text. If they emailed you, you respond with an email. If they phoned, you phone. This is proven good advice and extends to sales professionals of all types, not just realtors in Canada.


  1. Qualify Those Leads

It’s a fact that top agents sort their leads based upon how ready these prospective clients are to take action. This is something you can do too, and it’s decidedly easy.

Put your leads into one of these 3 categories:

A: Leads are ready to do something now – they must buy or sell for any specific reason, and are ready to make moves.

B: Leads are motivated, but may not proceed further for up to six months.

C: Leads have shown significant interest in listing or beginning to house hunt but are not sure when they will take action. No timeline can be predicted here.

Naturally, you should be calling those A-leads right away. For the other categories, you should be staying in touch. Enter them into your database and recognize the length of time you’ll need to stay in touch for them based on your determinations. Be sure to periodically remind them of who you are, and that you’re ready to help them when they need the professional assistance.

  1. Be Entirely Prepared

Real estate has always been a numbers game. Those who know know the area best, comparable homes for sale, market stats, etc., will have much better chances to make something of their leads.

Then there’s the importance of being well versed and prepared when you enter into regular communications with a lead that’s gotten warmer. This also makes you look like the professional you are. Being prepared gives you confidence, and that attributes is always extremely visible to the prospective client.


  1. Think in the Long-Termfor Better Successes

As stated, many online leads are for people in the looking / preliminary research phase and may well be 6-12 months or even longer away from making any time of firmer decision. This is where having some sort of CRM or follow-up system is extremely valuable for incubating that lead and staying in touch.

Drip email campaigns, video email, even offering a monthly value-added digital newsletter subscription are all great ways to do this. And don’t overlook simply picking up the phone and making a call to them at a select interval. A real connection strengthens their understand of who you are and where you are for them.

This whole idea is predicated on responding to the lead without delay and then consistently following up with them from that point forward. Again, so much of this is related to the basics of how you do business in sales. Make sure your leads continue to be your leads!

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a guaranteed monthly quota of buyer and / or seller leads for your protected region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a dynamite way to get so much more out of your prospecting efforts, and hopefully now you’ll be much better prepared to manage those leads once you’ve acquire them.

The Emerging Green Roof Trend with Canadian Properties

Published May 28, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

RealEstateLeadsdotca-affordable-housingWe all stand to benefit greatly from the myriad of new eco-friendly technologies being incorporated into buildings these days, and that includes homes and commercial properties. Solar energy utilization is first and foremost there of course, but there’s much more that’s either been introduced or is just around the corner.

Homes that feature these sorts of new technologies have their value significantly increased by them, and it’s a fact that an increasingly large number of prospective home buyers are explicitly looking for homes that lend themselves to their living with less of a footprint. As a realtor, all of this should be very interesting for you, as the best in the profession will always have their ears to the ground looking for and then understanding current trends that play into their client demographics.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system puts you into greater numbers of position to put that know-how to use in making clients aware that you truly are an expert in the real estate business. We like to do what we can to assist in that process, so let’s spend today getting to know one of the eco-technology home advancements a little better.

A Green Roof Overhead

A newly released survey by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities – the North American green roof and wall industry association – has found that Montreal and Quebec are among the top ten North American cities when it comes to green roof installations.

Toronto leads the way in the 2016 Annual Green Roof Industry Survey, while Montreal places sixth and Quebec City tenth. Vancouver rounds out the Canadian cities in the top ten at #9.

It’s somewhat to be expected that Toronto is tops in green roofs: In 2010, Hogtown passed a first-of-its-kind Green Roof Bylaw in North America that made it a requirement for new commercial, institutional and multi-family residential developments to cover between 20 and 60 % of their buildings with vegetation.

2016 saw close to 700,000 square feet of green roofing installed in Toronto, while Montreal, Vancouver and Quebec City each installed more than 100,000 sq. ft during that same period.

Cities like Montreal and Quebec City, however, lack firm bylaws requiring green roofs and as such it’s hard to encourage builders on a large scale. There’s really no incentives for the general population to install green roofs, so in most instances the homeowner decides to do it on their own. Some Quebec cities put requirements in place for LEED environmental certifications for new projects and that’s one effective way that cities ALL ACROSS Canada can promote the installation of green roofs. Done effectively, we could at least see a lot more green roofs on institutional buildings.

It’s believe that if formal economic and political incentives were put in place for green roofs, their numbers would multiply.

Smart Practicality

Rooftop farms are the best example of application of this type of technology where it’s really needed.Plants are irrigated with water from a dehumidification system, and the green rooftop reduces heat islands and improves and promotes bio-diversity.

This application can be both residential and commercial, and a home with a viable rooftop growing plot would be extremely attractive to any number of buyers. The thought of growing kale, Swiss chard, radishes, turnips, beets, carrots, green beans, yellow beans, tomatoes, eggplant, etc. etc. would be very appealing to many green-minded young 1st time home buyers.

We are definitely seeing only the tip of the iceberg with all of these new green home technologies, and it’s definitely exciting for anyone who works in the business of housing, real estate agents most definitely included.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a guaranteed monthly quota of online-generate buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your own privately-owned area of any city or town in Canada. It’s a bonafide dynamite way to get so much more out of all the effort you’ll be putting into client prospecting as a new realtor.

Trio of Mindfulness Exercise for Overworked Realtors  

Published May 21, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Real estate concept. Realtor is passing keys to the client sitting behind desk with contract on blurred background.

Anyone who gets into the real estate business in Canada thinking it’s going to be an easy path to becoming independently wealthy is definitely going to be in for a rude awakening. Being successful in this business requires much in the way of your time, dedication, resiliency, and a true investment of yourself into serving your clients and taking on all the obstacles that will come your way as your forge your career.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is a great way for newly licensed realtors to get more out of their prospecting efforts as they begin their career. These newbies won’t have been put through the wringer, as they say, like a veteran realtor. That veteran will have a made a name for themselves and won’t need to make the same extent of effort that the newbie will, but don’t think that accomplishment’s come easily.

They’ll likely have found their job to be very taxing, and in many cases they’ve likely had to find ways to prevent themselves from becoming ‘burnt out’ and maintaining the degree of focus and mental acumen that’s required in this business.

So how do they do that? Well, that’s a broad answer subject but one of the better ways to keep your mind and spirit rejuvenated is by trying mindfulness exercises like these 3. Try them out, learn how to do the most effectively, and do them regularly to make sure you don’t become too burned out yourself. That’s important, because this job is definitely going to demand more of you than you think.

You can do these anywhere, and at any time:

  1. Rhythmic Breathing:

Many people forget the value of contemplative breathing as a means of reducing stress.

Find a place where you can sit alone for a short period. If you’re in your car, find an empty parking lot or something similarly remote

  • Place your hands on your stomach and close your eyes
  • Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose, feeling your stomach expand
  • Exhale slowly, again through your nose
  • Focus on doing the entirety of this in a steady, consistent rhythm
  • Repeat this exercise 15-20 times

 

  1. Practice Mindful Walking:

Professionals of ALL sorts tend to walk with purpose, often multitasking as they head from one destination to another. A great way to reduce stress is to become mindful as you walk.

  • Pay attention to each step as it hits the ground beneath you. Be thankful for the health and vitality of your body that allows it to undertake these most basic functions that we shouldn’t necessarily take for granted!
  • Coordinate your breathing with your steps
  • Listen, but don’t react, to the sounds around you. Remain focused on each step and each breath.
  1. Try Guided Imagery:

Being in a more remote and picturesque locale is often a great way to reduce stress. But it may not be convenient for you to take time off to find such a spot. Again, find a place where you can be alone for a few minutes.

 

  • Get comfortable and do some deep breathing.
  • Imagine yourself walking through a rich forest or perhaps on a beach. Perhaps you have a favourite place that allows you to recreate a location in your mind’s eye
  • Take yourself to that place, even if it’s only for a short period of time.

If you need more rational convincing of the effectiveness of these techniques, research has shown that mindfulness practice reduces stress while also serving to improve mental capacity and productivity. These exercises are a simple way to work mindfulness practices into your daily routine while asking very little of your time or available resources. One big thing though – just always remember to breathe!

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of online-generated, qualified buyer or / and seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your similarly-exclusive protected region of any city or town in Canada. It will go a long way to giving you more opportunities to secure people as clients and grow your real estate business.

6 Common Disadvantageous Client Behaviours for Realtors  

Published May 7, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_20945576Buying a house is a process, and often a very drawn-out one at that. As a realtor, you’re trusted by your clients to keep them on the straight and narrow and work to cater that process to their interests. This is, of course, in much the same way the selling realtor is doing the same for his clients selling the home. There’s a whole lot of positioning and deductive courses of action that come into play along the way. Realtors should be aware of the most common ways that their clients can put themselves at a disadvantage, and be proactive in nipping those problems in the bud.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system continues to be very popular with both new and established realtors who need to get more out of their prospecting efforts. Once a client is acquired, there’s much that goes into retaining that client – both in the present and for future dealings as well. Being in the know about these potential ‘stumbles’, if you will, can go a long way in establishing you as the expert and one who truly has their best interests in mind.

Here’s 6 disadvantageous client behaviours to be on the lookout for:

  1. Too Much Emphasis on Aesthetics

Any real estate agent will be happy to show you as many houses as you want, but when buyers become overly caught up in how those houses look right now they are really limiting themselves and being detrimental to the overall big picture and long-term aim.

Many will dismiss houses that are dirty, outdated, or in need of small repairs. But renovation is really a thing, and a legit option much of the time. It’s all too common to have clients see some marks on a wall or a stain on the carpet and conclude that the home needs thousands of dollars of work.

Call it pessimism, call it whatever you like – but really do try to make these types of clients aware that it’s not helpful to dismiss what is otherwise a very ideal and accommodating home because of visual imperfections that can often be remedied quite inexpensively.

  1. Tipping Their Hand

Most often homes are viewed with the listing realtor in attendance. That changes the dynamic of any discourses quite considerably, and clients do themselves no favours when being too up front with their feelings on a home. Voicing criticisms can actually be quite harmful.

People tend to be quite finicky and uniquely dispositioned, and when it comes to their home there’s also matters of pride. Don’t allow your clients to give the listing party anything that might make them see your buyers (and perhaps even you) in a negative light.

  1. Waiting Too Long

Your clients have decided they want to buy a house? Don’t hesitate in getting your offer in. Taking too long to make an offer in a competitive real estate market drives buyer agents crazy, and it’s quite natural that it does.

Having too much time pass between a buyer viewing a home and making an offer can lead the seller to not take you as seriously as another party who expressed interest without delay and maintained communication. Do whatever you can to make sure you’re the realtor of that type of buyer, and not the first one.

  1. Seeing $$$ Only

We’re not debating here that how much your clients are willing to offer for a house isn’t very important. But you shouldn’t allow your clients to focus on that exclusively, or even predominantly. It’s not necessarily the highest offer that the seller will accept. Sometimes it will be the best structured offer.

The best offers are a mix of timing, the right price, and reasonable contingencies (like possession dates for example). Decide on a price but then being too firm on contingencies can also put you at a disadvantage.

  1. Ignoring Seller Wishes

Never forget to make your clients aware that they’re buying from another person who has to choose them as the buyer. Sellers become motivated for different reasons – maybe for some it’s all about the money, but for others it may be more about seeing their first home go to someone who will love it as much as they did.

Try to identify and understand these dynamics, and communicate them to your client accordingly before taking them into account as you communicate with the selling party.

  1. Lowballing with Counter-Offers

Last but certainly not least. It’s very common for sellers to not accept original offers, but be willing to consider a counter offer. Clients that are smart about it and make reasonable counter offers are great, ones that aren’t NEED you to step in on their behalf. Even if they don’t recognize the need for it initially.

Poor counter offers will frustrate a seller at the best of times, and insult them at the worst. They’ll be harming themselves and putting themselves in a disadvantageous position. Don’t give them the opportunity to do that and they’ll be very, very thankful for your intervention down the line!

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you – and only you – for any region of any city or town in Canada. The consensus definitely is that it’s a great way to expand the reach of your prospecting efforts, and a smart investment in the health of your real estate business.

7 Reasons the Housing Market Crash Isn’t a Given  

Published May 1, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_104716085At nearly every turn over the past few years we’ve heard that Canadian home prices were about to fall off a cliff. The big crash hasn’t happened – yet – but it’s entirely correct to say it still might. It’s also equally fair to say it might well not, however. You see, that’s not how markets work. We should remember that differences of opinion about the future is one of the reasons why sellers are always present to accommodate buyers looking to purchase something they’re choosing to unload at that time.

Such is the nature of real estate just like any other market, and the only difference that gives it the magnitude it has being the fact that these purchases and sales are made for ever-increasing and already staggering prices in many parts of the country. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an excellent way for realtors to start prospecting for clients more effectively and get in on slices of what is clearly a very valuable pie!

But enough about that for now. Leading economists and industry experts agree that the housing market crash if very far from a lone gone conclusion. Decisions on where the market will go next depend on a great many factors, but here’s 7 of them that allude to at least the possibility that things may not ‘crash’ much, if at all.

  1. Interest rates

We’ve heard time and time again that the biggest threat cited for home prices is how much we pay for the money we borrow. A two percent increase from 8 to 10 percent wouldn’t be regarded too forebodingly in years previous. In the current market, however, a sudden rise in interest rates – even by 2 to 3 points – would effectively double the cost of interest payments, and essentially pop the bubble of what has been the Bank of Canada’s artificially low rates.

It is expected that interest rates will be left unchanged, but rising rates will gradually make mortgages more expensive. This is a negative of course, but it will serve to take heat out of the market, and a path that’s more moderate would allow the housing market to have a chance to adjust.

  1. Inflation

However, if the big banks decide that they need to dispel a sudden burst of inflation, that could mean that rates might rise suddenly. So far, though, inflation has been quite tame. Houses became more affordable for 1st time in over 2 years, and while that’s a plus there’s a catch. Inflation has always risen and fell in a long cycle and we don’t have anything tipping us off to where the cycle is heading next.

While inflation could lead to higher rates, some homeowners may see Canadian property as a long-term inflation hedge.

  1. Pent-Up Demand

It’s a fact that in many parts of Canada – and not just the GTA and GVA – housing demand remains strong following years of price rises and bidding wars. Government policy, including the well-documented new mortgage stress test regulations, may now be manifesting itself as a pent-up demand for housing. Large numbers of new immigrants definitely push this along, and the trend will serve to support prices if incomes begin to catch up.

Even if market conditions were to begin changing, it may mean that would-be house buyers that have been schooled in a market of ever-rising prices will now take time to adjust to this new reality, and that will in turn soften the landing for everyone thinking similarly.

  1. Rate of construction

Home building in Canada’s hottest markets is steaming ahead full bore. Recently the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. revealed that housing starts slowed in March, but the important bigger-picture point to understand here is that the ability of construction companies to keep pace with demand could affect the value of existing homes. Any trend toward overbuilding could result in a fall in prices. Oppositely, if builders overreact to their falling-prices fears and produce too few, those prices could rise by quite a bit.

  1. Investment properties

There’s no debating the fact that owning a condo in Vancouver or Toronto over the last decade has been a lucrative investment, and true even if you’ve never seen the need to rent it to pay the mortgage (assuming of course you have / needed one.)

Many condos in particular are owned by investors who have been taking advantage of double-digit speculative gains, but that Golden Goose may nearly be dead. The returns aren’t there like they used to be, and many people may decide to invest their money elsewhere. This would accelerate a housing market downturn.

  1. Economic health

Prospective home buyers may be less inclined to stretch themselves if they think the economy is looking less than promising. The consensus seems to be that a pattern where short-term interest rates exceed long-term rates may be signalling our moving into a recession.

A moderate slowdown here could reduce the impact of inflation, and with it a need to raise interest rates. However, strong economic growth creates jobs and puts money in Canadians pockets, making them more qualified home buyers in many instances.

  1. Local differences

Interest rates will have an effect on everyone, but whether the price of your house will rise or fall will also depend on where it is, and / or where you’re hoping to move to. Housing prices are regional, and homes in areas that are in demand as a result of a strong economy or proximity to services are more likely to hold their value.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated homebuyer and home seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your protected region of any city or town in Canada. Getting the very most of out of your prospecting efforts and budgets has never been easier!

5 Tips for Offering Better Customers Service as a Real Estate Agent

Published April 23, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_165061039Anyone who chooses real estate as a career will quickly come to find that the business isn’t unlike nearly every other one when it comes to one standard, fundamental truth. That truth is that customer service is of paramount importance for every aspect of what makes you, your business, and your brand successful in the market. Learn to to do it well and you’ll thrive. Fail to do it well and you’ll struggle extensively. It’s as simple as that.

Here at Real Estate Leads, it’s been very enjoyable for us to watch our online real estate lead generations system be so helpful for realtors in Canada. It allows those who are newer to the industry to get so much more out of the resources they put into prospecting, and it’s designed to target prospective clients right where you’re focusing your efforts.

While such technologies are great, they won’t go far in helping create actual customers if your customer service isn’t what it needs to be. In real estate, however, good customer service is a little bit different, as the customer doesn’t directly pay for your services. Determining where the line is between service provider and customer can be a little trickier.

Despite the additional challenge, developing strong customer service habits is important. Here’s what we suggest to make sure your clients see you as a service-first and accountable real estate agent right from the get go.

  1. Amp Up Your Friendliness

A pay scale that separates good agents from mediocre ones is non-existent. That’s accomplished through sheer skill and positive personality traits. Want to attract higher-income clients? You’ll need to offer a higher level of service.

Being extremely friendly is a great place to start, but make sure you keep it natural. People want a realtor they can trust, which isn’t surprising they are making one of the biggest purchases of their lives. Coming across as genuinely friendly and sincere goes a long way towards sending the message that you can be that trustworthy source.

  1. Communicate with Real Clarity

Anyone with a paralyzing fear of picking up the phone is going to find that real estate agent isn’t the career for them. You must be able to communicate confidently, clearly, and frequently if you’re going to be well regarded as a realtor. Make sure you’re also proficient with sending professionally worded emails, checking in frequently, and connecting / promoting via social media.

Further it’s important to be able to get your point across in every message you send. Use clear, concise language and be very direct and to the point, even if it’s not what they client is going to want to hear. ‘Sugar coating’ anything is NEVER a good idea, and you should also avoid wordiness while leaving room for questions at the end.

Clear, objective communication is huge for realtors

  1. Connect Where Your Customers Are

Realtors these days need to establish an online presence, and this doesn’t only mean having your listings posted online. You need to connect with your clients where they are, and in today’s increasingly digital world that’s often on social media.

Don’t evaluate posting you listings on social sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as being an optional move. See it as being necessary, as in today’s world customers like to know they can connect with you with all the immediacy, and intimacy, of doing so through social media.

  1. Build Strong Relationships

As suggested above, you really are a key player in some of the biggest moments of your clients’ lives. Proving that you’re trustworthy and reliable enough to do business with is essential. Take the time to build relationships and you and become that trusted advisor and source of knowledge and expertise.

Start by showing a passion for your chosen field. Ask customers non-prying questions about their personal lives and refer to their answers later. Reward long-term clients with gratitude and gift baskets. These are only a couple of ideas for solidifying relationships that can last for years, and once you start trying a few of them they tend to continue to come to you quite naturally – as long as you continue to put a sufficient amount of effort into the process!

  1. Listen & Be Receptive to Client Needs

Avoid doing all the talking, and in fact avoid doing most of the talking even. Allowing clients plenty of time to share their concerns, needs, and demands during the entire home buying and selling process is very conducive to them seeing you as a service-first realtor. And be an active listener, one that weighs the information given in full and then works to anticipate that client’s current and projected needs in finding them their right home.

Other good guidelines include not interrupting the client when he or she is talking, giving them a little more open space during conversations to finish what they have to say in full, and asking questions that promote feedback directly.

Our last tip for today harkens to our blog post from 2 weeks backl listen to more than just words. Watching and understanding their body language can be very effective for understanding and accommodating your clients more thoroughly. Naturally, that’s a huge plus for the way they’ll associate you with great customer service from a realtor.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads for buyers and / or sellers living nearby to where you practice real estate in Canada. You’re nearly guaranteed to have more in the way of opportunities to create clients for yourself, and who’s not going to like the sound of that? Try us out, you’ll be glad you made the investment in your business!

Record Low Detached Home Sales in Vancouver – But Prices Continue Rising  

Published April 17, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_96438578Vancouver is definitely a phenomenon all its own when it comes to Canadian real estate, and as a realtor working in Canada’s big West Coast hub that’s both a blessing and a curse. Same goes for your clients living and buying there, however, and so there’s much to read into given recent (but ongoing) developments in the city. Detached real estate there has now seen some of the worst sales numbers ever, but that didn’t stop prices from rising.

Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) March numbers show prices climbed close to the all-time high. And all of this occurred in spite of sales dropping much faster than inventory levels.

One of the immediate ramifications of trends like these is the elimination of certain demographics of prospective buyers. As a realtor that’s never a benefit, but it also does necessitate changes to how you approach your prospecting efforts. Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system can open more doors for you and help you get in touch with greater numbers of buyers who are qualified despite the difficulty of doing that in Vancouver.

Less Than A Point From High

The benchmark price of a detached home hasn’t stopped climbing in Greater Vancouver. The benchmark reached $1,608,500, a 0.4% increase from the previous month. This represents a 7.4% increase compared to the same time last year. This brings the detached benchmark within 0.5% of the all-time high, which was seen in September of 2017.

What’s happening with the annual detached increase in Greater Vancouver is quite indicative. This is the first time since 2013 we’ve seen annual growth shrink from February to March. Prices were in negative territory throughout that year.

Prices aren’t up as much in Vancouver itself, but they’re not down that much either. The detached benchmark in Vancouver East is now $1,553,100, which is down 0.5% from the month before. This brings prices to 6.9% higher than the same time last year. Go to the very-desirable Vancouver West, however, and the detached benchmark reached $3,449,000. That’s a 1.5% decline from the month before. This represents a 0.4% decline from the same month last year.

It’s worth noting that Vancouver West is the only REBGV region where the detached benchmark is negative in comparison to the year previous.

Detached Sales Are Down 37% in Lotusland

Detached sales are down substantially compared to previous years, with REBGV reporting 717 sales being up 15.6% from February but a decline of 37.73% from this time last year. This decline in detached sales is particularly interesting, and quite unique.

As mentioned, Vancouver had the worst first quarter for detached sales seen in the last 27 years. The overarching belief is that demand has dried up in that segment, particularly with regards to offshore investment. Further, listings of detached homes are also down over 6%, and part of a 6.44% decline compared to the same time last year. This decline in sales had a minimal impact on prices, however, and that’s something that goes agains standard market predominances.

Detached prices are climbing towards their all-time high, despite sales dropping significantly faster than inventory. Normally real estate prices are slow to fall as sales decline, but they usually don’t rise when sales are falling faster than inventory. Interesting stuff to be sure, and equally interesting terrain for real estate professionals to negotiate.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your equally-exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. It makes it easier for new realtors – or established ones – to get more results out of the time and effort they put into prospecting new real estate clients.

Learning to Read Body Language with Clients and Buyers

Published April 10, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_106884961Any time a person is making a major decision that has a whole host of factors weighing into it, there’s much in the way of non-spoken communication that can play into the way people interact each other in any sales environment. That’s especially true of real estate, and the best agents are able to make educated assumptions about a person’s intentions, priorities, and prerogatives based on how they move and react. The opposite is true; clients and potential buyers can read your body language.

Understanding what someone’s movements say about their thoughts can help you identify genuine buyers, and learning about this is all a part of becoming a better real estate agent. That’s just as true of learning how to build your client base and reputation, and our online real estate lead generation system continues to be well received by new realtors who want to hit the ground running.

Here are some points to think about for ‘reading’ clients and presenting yourself in the best light through approachable body language.

  1. The Look Down

Any time a human is anxious to end an interaction and leave as quickly as possible, they’ll look down and often directly at their feet while being spoken to. A more interested and genuine potential home buyer will direct both feet towards you or even cross one leg over the other as they chat wit you. This demonstrates that they’re not in a rush to leave, and they’re legitimately listening to you and evaluating the information.

  1. Visual Signs

Who hasn’t said yes when they really meant no, and vice versa? Many buyers will be polite, even though they lack real interest. Look for those saying something positive about the property, but moving atypically as they make the comment. If so, they are likely not being completely honest.

Also, don’t assume that the classic folded arms means someone is not interested is always true. Human behavioural experts agree it doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t want to engage with you.

Last but not least, be on the lookout for their having a genuine smile. Positive facial expressions are the long standing cue that someone is genuinely interacting with you.

  1. In the Eyes

Buyers with eyes that are darting all over the place, and not looking at you with any type of focus are probably not serious about the home, and unlikely that they’ll ever make an offer.

Oppositely, if they look directly at you when you’re speaking you can take it to be a positive indicator of their interest. This allows you to tailor your approach as you move forward in establishing these people as buyers.

Now let’s look at it from the other perspective; what you can do to make the right non-direct impression on people.

  1. Stand tall

Good posture connotes confidence in an individual. Slouch and you will appear as though you have something to hide or you’re not sure of what you’re presenting. Show customers that you’re confident and believe in your clients and their property as priced by standing tall and confidently in front of them. And of course this goes for both men and women.

  1. No Obstruction

Avoid standing behind anything when interacting with a client, and particularly when meeting and / or speaking with them for the first time. This is an instinctive method of self-protection, but it’s also innately regarded as that by other people. Remove barriers between yourself and the client, such as benches or furniture, to indicate that you feel comfortable and confident around them.

  1. Composure is Big

Be composed in front of clients, and in particular avoid being way to active with your hands. Fidgeting with a pen or mobile phone or straightening your tie or cuffs repeatedly shows them that you’d rather be elsewhere or – more damagingly – that you’re not confident and assured in your position as the client’s realtor. It’s behaviour that is very off-putting for potential customers.

Send stronger, better, and confidence message by engaging in the classic rules of body language:

  • Keep an open stance
  • Don’t fold arms
    • Have a happy and inviting smile
    • Maintain consistent but natural eye contact

One more – don’t forget to nod when you speak. Nodding works to generate a positive feeling in others, and when it’s combined with a genuine conversation and you’re presenting yourself with authority then you’re well on your way to being ALL-OVER convincing in working with buyers and prospective clients and knowing more about where they’re at in the buying process – if they’re in it at all.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your protected region of any city or town in Canada. It expands your client generation efforts in a big way and there’s so many realtors across the country who’ve been benefitting from it.

Value, Scarcity, and Massification in Canadian City Centres

Published April 3, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Land is a finite resource, and beyond that big picture perspective we know that real estate is inherently scarce in the world, and increasingly so. This scarcity is augmented by increasing numbers of urbanized countries, with the fact society dictates that people need to be close to a major city in order to work. Add municipal controls, land restrictions, and more and things are what they are today, and particularly so in large urban centres in Canada and the United States.

The relevance of this and how it permeates the way real estate agents must both compete and prioritize when prospecting clients will need no explanation for any of you who’ve been in the business for any amount of time. Our online real estate lead generator helps you be even more competitive in this regard. There’s only so much of the pie to go around, for both home buyers and real estate professionals.

This explains why Canadian real estate continues to hold value so well. Most of the livable, tradeable stuff, is in urban centres and is fairly scarce. Those that owned, sold, and built real estate were able to acquire a solid amount of private wealth, but this of course made possible by deteriorating public wealth. Most often this is balanced by an oversupply, which enables the local economy to ‘catch up.’

Going back a while, prices across Canada (not just in major markets), increased 69.31% from 2001 to 2008, which was one of the speediest rises in history. This was followed by a three year stagnated-prices period in real terms. From 2012 to 2017, Canadians saw prices climb another 39%, another massive upswing and definitely indicative of an unappealing trend. Developers will argue this is due to under-building that’s caused by supply constraints and lack of changed city zoning bylaws for new housing.

That’s just simply not the case. It’s more that they began burning supply.

Burning Up Supply

Consider Toronto. It’s a place with huge immigration inflows, and other factors that many would have you believe that the city has a scarce supply of housing. Yes, it does feel that way. the city added 188,450 new households between 2006 and 2011. During that time, however, the CMHC only tracked 160,195 new completions. Since more homes were formed than built, upward pressure on prices is expected. A good amount of the previously un-utilized housing was now being used, making vacancies more scarce.

Looking at the same numbers from 2011 to 2016, a very different trend becomes clear. According to Statistics Canada, 146,200 homes formed during that period but CMHC data shows 175,825 new completions. Almost 30,000 more homes were created than homes formed, which of course added to the housing supply. That wouldn’t make you think that pricing pressure would actually increase, and inventory available become more scarce, but that’s exactly what happened.

What we can understand from this is that the construction of extra supply had almost no impact on easing prices, nor was it even sold for predatory increases. It just simply wasn’t available.

Foreign Buyers And Vacant Homes

Two interesting trends occurred right around this same time frame – the rise of foreign buyers, and an increase in vacant homes. According to the CMHC, non-residents owned 2.7% of all homes in 2017, which worked out to a 35% jump from 2014. According to the CMHC, 8.48% of new condos were sold to non-residents between 2011 and 2015. From 2016 to 2017, that increased to 11.65% of new Toronto condos.

This process where developers increase their offerings overseas, despite significant domestic demand, is known as massification, and it’s a method employed by luxury brands to create artificial scarcity. Here again we see evidence of the need for the Federal Government to enact legislation similar to that in Australia and New Zealand that puts constraints on the mass-purchasing power of non-resident buyers.

It’s in the best interests of Canadians and those of us who have invested in careers putting those peoples in homes for families.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for you similarly exclusive region of any city or town in Canada.

 

 

New B.C. Foreign Buyer & Speculation Taxes: Misdirected Intentions  

Published March 27, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

 

AdobeStock_4495415Last month, British Columbia’s new NDP government announced a pair of new tax legislations that were to be implemented in hopes of ‘cooling’ the red-hot real estate markets in both Vancouver and Victoria. The first one was a raising of the foreign buyers’ tax from 15 to 20%, where any non-resident buyer will pay the province a 20% tax on top of the listing value. The second measure, a speculation tax, takes effect this fall and will apply to foreign and domestic investors who don’t pay income tax in the province, starting at 0.5% of the property’s assessed value in 2018 and rising to 2% for following years.

Our online real estate lead generation system has been quite successful for new realtors entering the business, and the vast majority of them have quickly become very knowledgable about real estate in Canada. Those on the West Coast will almost certainly agree that affordable housing concerns are legitimate, but that ‘meddling’ with market economics typically isn’t the way to affect widespread, positive, and long-standing change in any economic sphere.

It’s important for realtors to be vocal about concerns they have about this trend in the Province. It certainly isn’t ‘PC’ to do so right now, but the fact of the matter is that these measures forecast to be largely ineffective for controlling the cost of real estate for BC. Furthermore, and perhaps more troubling, is that they actually also look as though they’ll be punishing certain homeowners who made smart, timely investments in real estate during years previous.

One Side of the Coin

No one will argue the fact that real estate speculation and the many spinoffs – absentee ownership for one – that go along with it are a huge problem in Vancouver. Housing is a human necessity and one that’s by and large been accessible for Canadians for well over a hundred years. However, we’re not just at the beginning of a global economy, we’re at the beginning of a global world and foreign ownership of real estate and an especially moveable global population is the norm now.

Will these taxes work to make housing more affordable for Vancouver residents? Yes, but not to the extent that people envision, and likely only in the short term. First of all, you must keep in mind that a very considerable amount of real estate investment (including speculation) is domestic in nature – meaning its Canadians who are investing in Vancouver real estate, and yes, many of them don’t live in homes in Vancouver. To think that the majority of real estate speculation and absentee ownership is coming from abroad isn’t incorrect, but it’s barely a majority.

These taxes won’t be impeding domestic buyers in the slightest. Yes, if someone from Halifax wants to buy a home here and leave it vacant they’ll have to pay yet another tax for absentee ownership, but they’re perfectly free to do that and the value of the property long term may make it a reasonable cost of doing business or investing.

Factor in the most basic of supply and demand economics and the effectiveness of these new tax measures looks even less promising. There are ever greater numbers of people – both immigrant and Canadian – who are aiming to move to the Lower Mainland. The supply will never meet the demand (or it’s extremely unlikely given the expansion / building / zoning constraints that are unique to Vancouver) and thus homes that are decidedly affordable for an investor will almost certainly increase in value exponentially in a short period of time – making any ‘tax’ on the property something that can be swallowed given the profit margins forecasted in future resale.

It quite simply is what it is. Vancouver’s not unique in this regard big picture; look at London, Sydney, even San Francisco down the coast. Real estate in globally popular locations is ALWAYS going to be super pricey now. The train’s left the station.

The Other Side

So now we need to look at it from the perspective of buyers who bought homes during the ‘peak’ period of some 7 to 10 years ago. Like most smart people, they worked hard and saved to be able to buy homes and then bought them with the aim of having that house, condo, or whatever it may be being both a home AND an investment in their future.

You know, like the same way it’s been being done for decades and generations now.

And again, most of these buyers bought at the time armed with the knowledge that Vancouver’s housing market is increasingly hot every year and they could leverage those market dynamics in their favour for future well being. Particularly appealing for a young family, most notably.

You know, like the same way it’s been being done for decades and generations now…

If you look at it critically, it’s very hard to make a lot of sense of the NDP government’s decision to pander to voters and introduce these taxes as sort of a placation move to appease certain people while

  1. Being just as aware as all of the economists and real estate industry experts that these measures will be largely ineffective in the big picture / long term, and
  2. Making it so that homeowners who were judicious and willing to do what it took to buy a home years ago stand to lose on the value of their home when bringing it to market

Keep in mind that no previous generation of young, first-time homebuyers has ever been presented with such a tangible and summarily-imposed impediment to realizing the value of the home they’ve invested in. That’s a fact.

If we’re going to live in a global world and enjoy all the benefits that come with that, we also need to accept the realities that come along with it as well. Real estate in Vancouver, Toronto, L.A., San Francisco and elsewhere is going to continue to be out of reach for most people living on the North American continent, and the factors that make that so are NOT going to be negated by a handful of property tax moves design to placate disgruntled voters.

Remove one set of buyers from the picture (if at all really, however) and you’ll have new unimpeded group set to take up the vacancy left by them. Real Estate investment in Vancouver and elsewhere in Canada has changed forever, and these measures are both misdirected and indirectly punitive to existing homeowners. Particularly first-time homebuyers who’ve worked hard to be where they’re at. It’s wrong to put these people in a disadvantageous situation just because a certain portion of the resident demographic in a city isn’t in a position to adapt to new global realities particularly well.

And again, that’s really what this is – a new global reality.

Realtors, like everyone else, shouldn’t hesitate to speak to their local representation regarding this matter. A house should be a home, but they’re ALWAYS going to be investments as well and reactionary, knee-jerk moves are never helpful.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your own protected region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a great way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts.

5 Common Mistakes When Deciding on a Home’s Initial Asking Price

Published March 20, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_4495415It doesn’t take either a homeowner or realtor to understand that deciding on an asking price for a home is a process that isn’t straightforward in the slightest. And it’s very rarely an obvious equation either, with a whole host of specific factors coming into play that are unique to the home, the homeowner, and the neighbourhood.

A client’s asking price is one of the most important things to evaluate with them as you prepare to list a home. A property that is priced too low may result in the client selling themselves short and receiving ‘low ball’ offers. Alternately, being priced too high may result in no offers being presented at all.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is proven effective for creating more client generation opportunities for any realtor that could use the assistance in the formative stages of their career. Once you have that opportunity, the best way to impress a would-be client is to know your stuff – and make it clear that you know your stuff!

Knowing what a home is worth and being able to communicate that logically and effectively is a big part of that. Here are 5 pricing mistakes you can have your client avoid to ensure they’re getting the most out of their home sale:

  1. Basing their price on another home’s asking price

Homeowners can ask whatever they want for their property, but that doesn’t mean that your client should be basing their decision based on what neighbours have sold for. They don’t want to be caught making the same mistake if that home – unbeknownst to them – didn’t sell for anywhere near what was being asked for it in the beginning. Instead, clients are best advised to base their price on what similar homes in your neighbourhood have clearly sold for and looking at many of them is an essential part of that evaluation.

  1. Basing their price on recent renovations

Expecting to see a 100% return on investment with renovations is entirely unrealistic, especially if the renovation was specific to the clients’ own tastes, many of which are off-putting to potential buyers. If your client is renovating for the purpose of increasing a sale price, advise them to make sure the renovations are neutral and be up front with them about the reality of any such unrealistic expectations.

  1. Basing their price on how much of a return they ‘need’

Sellers who have bought a new home before they sell their previous one are often inclined to believe they need (and are entitled to in some cases) to sell their home for $X in order to pay for their new one. Others will approach it thinking that they need to sell for $X in order to make a profit on the house.

The problem with this line of thinking is that it bears no relationship to market dynamics and realities. These types of buyers tend to have homes languishing on the market before they often eventually sell for a much lower price. Advise clients that it is better to save themselves the additional mortgage payments by setting a fair price from the start.

  1. Basing their price on a different type of home or a home in a different location

If your client owns a semi-detached, they should not be comparing their home to the detached home that recently sold around the corner. That’s a different home and even though the location isn’t what they’d consider to be any different – it is a different location, even if it’s just hundred of metres away. The same goes for the neighbourhood – comparing usually leads them down the wrong path. It’s part of a good realtor’s responsibility to steer them away from that.

  1. Starting with a “Let’s see at this price” point

The most common mistake homeowners make is starting at a higher price ‘just to see if I’ll actually get it.’ If clients know how much they should realistically receive from the sale, then they should be pricing their home accordingly right from the start. Anyone who overprices their newly-listed home will be eliminating many buyers who identify your inflated price as being out of their budget. Sometimes these buyers are your ideal buyers, but that original error eliminates them from the picture permanently

So much of your clients’ success as sellers depends on setting the right price for their home within the current market. Keep in mind that the longer the home has been for sale and the greater number of times they’ve had to reduce their price, the more likely buyers are to think there must be something wrong with that property.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a guaranteed monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you – and only you – for your similarly exclusively protected region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a great way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and you’ll quickly come to see it as a very smart investment in the health of your real estate business.

Defining Buyer’s, Seller’s, and Balanced Markets

Published March 13, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

For a new realtorBusinesspeople at a meeting in the office, it won’t be difficult to understand the basic nature of these terms and how they relate to the local Real Estate Market, and what types of pricing and inventory conditions would promote them. But it’s helpful to have a more thorough and fundamental understanding of them, as being able to relate how current market conditions will affect your clients home sale or home purchase process is a significant part of what will make you a knowledgable realtor and one that is thus held in high regard by those clients.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for Canadian realtors has been very beneficial to realtors who want to hit the ground running with their prospecting efforts. Resources are always best paired with insight and understanding. While all new realtors will have an expanse of it following their becoming certified, it’s always helpful to go the extra distance when you can.

So today let’s look at what makes up a buyer’s, seller’s, or balanced market in greater detail.

It’s a little more detailed than a simple grasp of a seller’s markets meaning conditions are favourable for sellers to get higher prices for their homes, buyer’s markets allowing buyers to come in at lower prices, and balanced markets being balanced.

One of the Three

These three market labels are generated in relation to housing supply and demand, and they’re related explicitly to statistical data. A standard way of measuring and classifying the market is to evaluate the sales-to-new-listings ratio. The comparison between the volume of sales in a given market compared to the volume of listings coming onto the market indicates how much demand there are for houses in that area and how many qualified buyers are legitimate prospective buyers for those homes.

A seller’s market is one where the sales-to-listing ratio is generally at 60% or more, translating to six or more sales for every 10 new listings. A balanced market will have a ratio between 40% and 60%, while a buyer’s market will have less than four sales for every 10 new listings.

We can also measure market activity by looking at the rate at which homes are currently selling, or the number of months of inventory – or MOI as it’s referred to. The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) states that the MOI indicates the duration of time it would take to liquidate current inventories entirely at the current rate of sales activity. If we are to follow this measure, a seller’s market is in place when the MOI falls at or below four months.

A balanced market falls between four and six months, and a buyer’s market is when the MOI is in excess of six months.

In Practice

Crunching numbers isn’t an absolute necessity to have a sense of what kind of market you’re in, however. A preliminary idea can be formed by paying close attention to what’s going on in your neighbourhood. If you’re in a seller’s market, you’ll start to see a large number of qualified buyers competing with each other for a small number of homes. This allows the home sellers to increase their asking prices – and often receive exactly what they’re asking for, or more. With this lack of inventory, seller’s markets can push buyers to make stronger offers with shorter closing dates, few or no conditions, and even cash deals in some instances.

Buyer’s markets, oppositely, can force sellers to be more competitive with their prices and often result in homes being on the market much longer than they would be in a more balanced market.

Seasonal Influences

Most markets across Canada share the fact that summertime is a great time to buy or sell, independent of the current market type. A realtor should have a sense of conditions in their neighbourhood, and clients rely on the realtor to guide them accordingly. While this applies to buyers too, it is of particular importance to clients selling their home.

There will nearly always be varying degrees of supply and demand at play, but individual factors like local property developments or plans for expanded civic infrastructure, for example, can affect prices. Aim to be a real estate professional who can accurately inform their client whether or not they’re selling for the right price or buying at the best price possible. It’ll do wonders for your renown with them, and in the big picture your reputation overall.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a guaranteed monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer, seller, or buyer AND seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your similarly exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a smart investment for any realtor who needs to get much more out of their prospecting efforts early in their career.

 

B.C. 2018 Budget Looks Influential for Real Estate Market  

Published March 6, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

 

Financial accountingRealtors and homebuyers alike will almost certainly agree that speculation in the Canadian real estate market has become hugely problematic, and it seems now that British Columbia is taking measures to address and reduce the frequency and widespread nature of it. The Province’s 2018 budget was introduced along with a 30-Point Plan For Housing Affordability In British Columbia. With it comes the most aggressive strategy for tackling real estate speculation Canada has ever seen.

Our online real estate lead generation system here at Real Estate Leads has made it easier than ever for realtors to get more out of their prospecting efforts, but in the bigger picture there has to be a steady supply of prospective buyers out there for those buyer leads to exist in the first place.

Having buyers come from varied demographics – and most certainly having the majority of them being local – is something that stands to benefit the real estate business as whole, rather than a select few catering to a very isolated and smaller investor-exclusive segment.

Here’s the most important points from the B.C. 2018 budget that looks to impact real estate prices in the Province.

2% Annual Speculator Tax

The new annual speculator tax takes aim at both foreign and domestic homeowners that do not pay income taxes in BC. The tax starts at 0.5% of the assessed value of the home, and that assessment will begin this fall. It will gradually increase to 2% by 2019, with most homeowners being exempt from this tax. Instead, it targets those with high worldwide incomes who pay little to no taxes in BC. Audits will be used to ensure compliance.

This tax is necessary because BC has seen a number of low income households with the family head surprisingly owning very expensive real estate. The suspicion is that they are not declaring international income, and it’s these same individuals who one of Canada’s largest banks has also recently decided to crack down on as well when it comes to issuing mortgages.

Luxury Transfer Tax Increase

The wealthiest of homeowners will now be presented with an additional transfer tax, and for the past 2+ weeks the property transfer tax above $3 million has been increased from 3% to 5%. The province is also increasing the provincial school tax for these homeowners. The message? Luxury home prices are only for those who can truly afford it.

Some might see these as ‘eat the rich’ tax schemes, but it’s actually addressing a very real issue in Vancouver and – to a lesser extent – Victoria. Take note of how tear-down homes have been trading to speculators for often well over $3 million, before buyers tear it down to build their dream home – often ‘luxury housing.’ Many of the tear-down homes are perfectly livable, attractive, and most importantly functional and keeping them as inventory on the market makes much more sense.

Increasing The Foreign Buyer Tax

The expansion and increase of the province’s foreign buyer tax also became effective 2+ weeks ago. The 15% tax levied on property transfers to non-residents buying in Metro Vancouver will now be upped to 20%, and expanded to the Capital Regional District, the Fraser Valley, Central Okanagan and Nanaimo Regional District as well. The idea behind expanding it is to prevent any non-resident speculation from relocating itself into neighbouring communities.

Non-residents buy 1 in 5 condos in Vancouver, and condos have long been the starting point for homeowners. Excess pricing pressure is needed to break the chain so the first-time homebuyers can get into the market. A situation where young people with good jobs can’t get into the housing market isn’t good for anyone, real estate professionals included.

Consider as well that 1 in 5 overseas buyers are only the ones that hold the property through completion. The foreign buyer tax does not address speculators engaging in pre-sale flips, making the next measure of the budget quite necessary.

Crackdown On Pre-Sale Flipping

The province had now chosen to create a mandatory database of condo-presale buyers. No longer will it be only developers that know exactly who were buying and flipping properties. This newly generated information will be shared with federal tax authorities and, more importantly, will give the province some hard numbers on the real extent of this problem.

All it takes is 5% down to play the condo speculation game. Across Canada, condo assignments are being utilized to make up an ‘as you go’ real estate derivatives market. You buy a pre-sale for 5% down, and then sell the assignment to someone else before the next 5% comes owing. Like margin trading for the stock market, or buying options? Exactly.

Being able to buy a $1,000,000 condo assignment with just $50,000 down is preposterous enough to begin with. But being able to sell it for a 5% increase before that next 5% is due just builds on that absurdity. Close that and you made $50,000 on a $50,000 investment. This type of behaviour has to stop, as homes are for housing and not for an investment.

Moving To End Hidden Ownership

B.C. is also aiming to track beneficial ownership of property, with the Land Title and Survey Authority set to start requesting additional information on property transfers. They’ll also maintain a publicly accessible registry of beneficial ownership of all properties and share that information with tax authorities, and law enforcement if necessary.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your protected area of any city or town in Canada. It’s just what you need to give yourself more opportunities to turn prospectives into clients and grow your business.

Advice on Choosing a Brokerage for New Realtors  

Published February 26, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

 

Brokerage agreementThose of you who are new to real estate careers have a number of important decisions to make, and one of the biggest is choosing the real estate brokerage you’ll be working with. Going solo typically isn’t an option, as by law in Canada an agent must practice under the supervision of a managing broker or brokerage company. Where you choose to hang your hat can be integral to your future successes, or lack of them. You’ll want to choose a brokerage that is the best fit for what you envision for yourself and your brand – the development of which is equally important but another topic of discussion.

Here at Real Estate Leads, new realtors with ANY brokerage can harness the power of the Internet with our online real estate lead generation system for Canada and really hit the ground running with their prospecting efforts. It’s been especially well received over the last 2 years, and no doubt many of those who’ve gotten on board here are new additions to real estate brokerages across the country.

When it comes to brokerages, in addition to helping you create your brand, a brokerage will be the backbone to your business. The people who make up that brokerage will guide you and show you the way. Choosing one is a decision of the upmost importance, so here are some fundamental questions you should be asking both yourself and these respective brokerages.

Your Questions

  1. What would make up an ‘ideal client’ for you? Try creating a persona for your ideal customer including demographics, psychographics, behavioristics and geographic information. Who are they, what do they want, and how do they want it?

All of this is a legitimate consideration as your client will also be the client of the brokerage, and will this ideal client be open to working with this specific brokerage?

  1. What is your brand strategy, and how do you see yourself positioned in the marketplace and with what value proposition? When we consider that a discount brokerage which provides real estate services at a discount will have a dramatic effect on your business plan, it may not be as appealing as you originally though. Oppositely, other brokerages may be regarded as being a “high end” provider with equally high commissions.
  2. You’ll have a current circle of influence – what does it look like? Are you already connected to a number of personal contacts who are looking to buy houses, or are you still in the process of digging those up? If so, you may want to consider working with a brokerage who has lead generation opportunities available for their agents, despite having to pay a hefty commission split on those deals as they are closed.

Oppositely, if you have a large network of individuals looking to invest in real estate, you may be better suited for a brokerage with lower commission splits and fees.

  1. How extensive is your experience? If you’re a newly registered agent with no sales under your belt then you’re going to need someone to teach you. You’ll be best served by a brokerage that has programs in place for new agents, like a mentorship or training system.

Brokerage Questions

A quick note first – you will be paying the brokerage through fees on your sales, and even sometimes desk fees. You need to be comfortable with the value you receive for the fees!

Alright, questions to be asked;

  1. What is the commission split, and what desk or licensing fees will need to be paid?
  2. Is there a cost for leads provided, if they are provided?
  3. How are these leads shared between the agents? How many can be expected on a monthly basis?
  4. Will commission splits change when the sale is personal or from my circle of influence?
  5. Are there any bonus programs that exist in the brokerage?
  6. Costs of working here. What does the brokerage pay for – licensing, phone and voicemail, signage and lockboxes, insurance etc. – and what am I responsible for on my own?
  7. What can a typical agent working here expect for annual income?
  8. What are the working stations like for the agents that work here?
  9. How many agents currently working out of this location of the brokerage – part-time? full-time? turnover?
  10. Are there required office hours? If so, how is the scheduling done?
  11. What is your market share?
  12. Are there protected areas, or territories for agents?
  13. Who is your usual client? What kinds of homes are they inclined to buy or sell for the most part?
  14. Any training programs offered? How many days, and is there a cost associated?
  15. Do opportunities to join teams within the brokerage exist?
  16. Does the office have a full-time receptionist? Are they trained to prepare documents such as offers, buyer rep agreements, etc?
  17. Any office policies regarding commission rates? Flexibility?
  18. What are the 5-year and 10-year goals for this office?

It’s not an exaggeration to say that choosing the right brokerage can make or break a career in real estate, particularly when you’re new to the game. Do your research before committing to a firm, and figure out what you want before beginning to approach brokerages. If you can, speak with agents to get a better idea of the the big picture of what it’s like to be a part of that brokerage.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads to delivered to you exclusively and for your similarly exclusive protected region of any city or town in Canada. You’ll almost certainly see the number of buyer and seller clients increased, making it a decidedly smart investment for a new realtor!

CIBC’S Foreign Income Program Finish to Affect Foreign Buyer Capability

Published February 20, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

A healthy real estate market is one where the bulk of the market is based on local supply and demand influences and one where speculation isn’t rampant. Most real estate agents will agree that real estate primarily means homes for housing families, and allowing families to put down roots and build strong communities. Sure, everyone wants to do well and succeed in the business, but Canadians need to have affordable housing in the cities where they live and work.

Market Trends Balance

In places like Vancouver and Toronto, there’s never going to be enough supply to meet the demand. Finding buyers for homes is a certainty, and here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system is proven effective for allowing new realtors to gain an advantage when it comes to prospecting – and that includes home buyers.

Seems as if a recent announcement from the CIBC indicates that local buyers will gaining an advantage of their own when trying to find a level playing field when competing with deep-pocketed foreign speculation buyers – something that’s rampant in both of Canada’s biggest cities.

On Feb. 1st, The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) made its mortgage advisors aware that the “Foreign Income Program” will no longer continue to be available. The new program is designed to ensure compliance with B-20 guidelines from OSFI.

And so you have it – expect a drastic impact on those using foreign income to qualify for a mortgage. This will almost certainly necessitate some changes with how many realtors will direct their advertising, along with how prospective buyer clients are qualified.

The Way it Worked

Foreign buyers and international students could qualify for a mortgage easily through the CIBC’s program. All that was required for an uninsured mortgage was a deposit above 35%, and oftentimes without any need for income verification. The bank would only be at a loss if the buyer would have to immediately stop paying their bills, and prices then declined by 35%.

CIBC reportedly even had one branch sign advertising “no income verification,” for international students.

The New

The new income verification system is significantly stricter, in compliance with B-20 guidelines. The internal document sent to mortgage advisors walked them through the new system, with the following new requirements being notable:

  • The client’s T1 General, submitted complete with foreign income stated -line 104
  • CRA Form T1135, (Foreign Income Verification Statement) showing assets
  • Company applications will require a CRA Form T1134 (Information Return Relating To Controlled and Non-Controlled Foreign Affiliates)
  • A Canadian credit bureau report, plus foreign credit bureau report confirming any liabilities

Mortgages will now be limited to the amount of overseas income and assets declared to the CRA. That may not sound overly significant, but it will be for Toronto and Vancouver. This is particularly true given the known trend of buyers purchasing expensive homes in desirable neighbourhoods but then declaring poverty levels of income. That’s been made possible with overseas income not being declared locally. Citizens groups and politicians have been clamouring for this problem to be addressed, and now it appears maybe the ball is rolling.

CIBC is the first bank to make this kind of move, but sources at two other Big Six banks confirmed similar rules are being discussed.

Clamping Down on Big Capital Expenditures

What we’ll likely see is welcome downside pressure with this improved income verification system for Canadian real estate prices.

  • It will now be more expensive for non-residents to buy a house and expect to be able to dodge local taxes
  • the amount foreign buyers can borrow will now be stress tested against the declared income, which must be verified

Buyers won’t be able to buy a home and then declare income poverty levels. Tax evaders will have to pay the additional cost of contributing local income taxes, and those incomes taxes are going to dampen profit expectations for property, with lowered resale values.

But this stress testing of non-resident or non-permanent buyer incomes is also expected to throttle capital.

Uninsured buyers could previously buy almost anything so long as they could meet the downpayment requirements, and without actually proving they had sufficient income. Now that uninsured mortgages will be subjected to stress tests and incomes need to be declared, certain borrowers are going to be handcuffed in ways they’ve never been before.

As mentioned, the other banks are likely to follow, and so foreign money faces a new hurdle when investing in a home with Canada’s biggest lender banks. OSFI B-20 regulations may be one of the corrections protected affordable housing advocates have been looking for.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and / or seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your similarly exclusive region of any city or town across Canada. It’s a great way to supercharge to take advantage of the power of the Internet to supercharge your prospecting efforts.

Smart Scheduling for New Real Estate Agents

Published February 15, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Beautiful girl on telephone in office.

Many real estate agents laud the fact that they have freedom to set their own hours as one of the big perks of the career. That’s NOT to suggest that you have more free time than you would with other careers – in fact it’s often quite the opposite! And if you slack off, then you’ll fail to make a living working as a realtor – it’s as simple as that. However, it’s true that real estate agents can make their own schedule. But you absolutely must be smart about it.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system in Canada has a been a big boost for new realtors looking to get a leg up on others when it comes to prospecting. Take advantage of it, and pair it with a solid schedule every week to start building up your client base.

Alright, on to this week’s tips for building a smart daily schedule for realtors.

Step 1 – Know Yourself

The first step might not be what you expected to see here. You need to be completely honest with yourself. Start with determine whether or not you are a morning person or an evening person. Next, when do you do your best thinking? Do you have a morning ritual? If so, what does it do for you? You get the idea. Know yourself and cater to your personal inclinations and you’ll be better set up to start developing an effective schedule.

Step 2 – Schedule Your Activities

The word may be a tad strong, but it’s important to have a work ritual. Real estate agents have several tasks that they need to do on a daily basis, and then others that need to be done on a weekly basis.Daily tasks will of course include checking email, returning phone calls, checking MLS listings, and previewing properties. Then of course you have prospecting, and Real Estate Leads is an ideal resource for that and a smart investment.

Time blocking is an effective way to determine how much time you should schedule for each activity. It helps you stick to the smart schedule you’re working to create.

Work with the concept that the task will grow to fit the time you allot for it. If you give yourself one hour to make 10 phone calls, for example, you should be open to the possibility that it’s not enough time to make 10 phone calls as effectively as you like. So maybe you make 7 effective phone calls rather than 10 less-than-effective ones. Put everything on your calendar, including both personal and professional appointments. It’s important when it comes time to schedule appointments with your ever-growing list of clients.

Step 3 – Maximum Flexibility

Be mindful of having a strong routine and sticking to it, but also be mindful of the need to be flexible. Properties will arrive on the market and certain clients will want to see them immediately, or a last-minute listing appointment may mean that you have to drop everything to accommodate a client’s wishes. These won’t happen often, but when they do you need to ensure your schedule can be reworked in the short term if necessary.

Step 4 – Realism, and Apply Yourself

Being a real estate agent doesn’t mean you need to work 7 days a week, and 10+ hours a day. Yes, that might bring you some impressive results (IF you’re using that time wisely that is), but you won’t have much of a life outside of real estate. Put your schedule together with a firm idea of how much time you’re willing to devote to real estate. In general your days will range from 4 to 8 hours a day of work. Apply yourself to the max during those times and really give it your all so that when you stop working you can enjoy your time off knowing you’ve done what you needed to do that day.

This is a big part of being successful – when you’re working, you’re getting after it 100% and using your time with maximum effectiveness. By designing a smart schedule and sticking to it, you will find that you become more focused on the activities you need to do to be successful as an agent. These activities will now be connected to specific goals and the way they contribute to them should be clearly defined.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively for your similarly exclusive area of any city or town in Canada. It’s a surefire way to boost your lead generation results for real estate, and a smart investment in your success.

We welcome any and all questions, and any feedback you might have.

Canadian Real Estate Prices Now The Fastest Falling in the World  

Published February 5, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_68732394Go back just a short time to late 2017 and Canadian real estate prices were the fastest rising anywhere in the world. Now, interestingly, as the market pulls a 180 and explores where prices should be. Reputable source numbers showed a decline in home prices for the third quarter of the previous year. For the first time in over five years, Canadian real estate prices have declined for a quarter. However, despite this quarterly decline prices still stay at significantly higher numbers than we saw in 2016.

All of this should be a little startling for real estate professionals, and perhaps alarming for their clients. The best realtors know the market and its dynamics as thoroughly as possible, and here at Real Estate Leads our online real estate lead generation system gives new realtors the ability to hit the ground running when it comes to building their business. This, of course, gives you more of the opportunities to make clear just how extensively you know the housing market in Canada.

Looking at the US Federal Reserve Home Prices Index

This information shared here today is referenced via the Dallas Fed and in particular their Real House Price Index (RHPI). It’s the same concept followed by the HPI that Teranet and the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). It helps them get a cleaner, and more comprehensive look at the general market.

The inflation adjusted score tracks the aggregate of urban markets across the country, and is updated quarterly. Realtors shouldn’t expect to use these numbers to determine how much their clients will be paying in comparison to a neighbour’s house. You and fellow realty professionals should instead be using these stats for a clearer view of national home buying trends, and the Canadian economy in general. Needless to say, housing is a very large industry in Canada, and a slowdown would damage the economy quite significantly.

Q3 Canadian Real Estate Prices Dropped 3.82%

According to the Dallas Fed, what we’re seeing is Canadian real estate prices dropping at the most rapid rate seen since the early 1990s. Real home prices – or more specifically home prices adjusted for inflation – fell 3.82% in the third quarter of 2017. This single quarter decline is the first one of its kind since 2012, and the largest since the first quarter of 1991. Further, it’s the largest single quarter decline in the world apparently, with the second largest decline being observed in Italy, and prices fell 0.38% in the same quarter there.

Canadian Real Estate Prices Remain Up Over 7%

Despite this considerable quarterly decline, Canadian real estate prices are still much higher. The index is 7.44% higher than the same quarter for the year previous, and almost twice as much as the aggregate index for other countries. The increase is quickly tapering from peak growth observed in the first quarter of 2017. While this quarterly decline is significant, the real estate market in Canada is outperforming many other markets, and that of course is a definite bonus when looking at the big picture.

It’s important to keep in mind that a single data point isn’t indicative of a trend, but a decline of this size is worth taking note of. Up until this point it has been 5 years of trending upward with the housing market, and while it might just be a breather – like in 2012 – it could also be the beginning of a broad market correction like the one seen in 1990.

Most noteworthy in all of this as far realtors and the homebuying capacities of their clients is concerned is the fact that this occurred starting six months before OSFI mortgage rules were rolled out to cool conventional mortgage borrowing. The rule changes add significant uncertainty to the market, and especially so after prices are beginning to be a little softer than previously.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here to receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you – and ONLY you – for your similarly exclusive region of any chosen city or town in the country. It’s a great way to supercharge your new client prospecting efforts and give yourself greater opportunities to grow your real estate business.

5 Disrepair Clues for Steering Clients Away from a Property

Published January 29, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

A stressed out business man holds his head in despair as he fears that he will have to file for bankruptcy or go into liquidation

Every realtor is going to enjoy seeing their clients take a strong and sometimes even passionate interest in buying a certain home they’ve seen. As much as you’ll want to foster that enthusiasm for them, it’s also a part of your responsibility to temper that enthusiasm if you see any warning signs for the home that they’re not able to see. For an experienced realtor it will be easier to make those assessments, but for someone who’s newer to the business it may be more challenging to spot potential ‘red flags.’

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system for Canada is proven effective for giving realtors a leg up when it comes to prospecting for new clients. Once you’ve made those connections, you then of course have the opportunity to start down the path to finding the perfect home for your clients, or the perfect buyer FOR their home.

Your knowledge and expertise is expected, so here’s 5 clues to look for that may suggest an otherwise ‘appealing’ home may not be as appealing as it appears.

  1. Sagging or Visibly Distressed Roof


A sagging roof or one that has missing or curling shingles could indicate water damage or rot beneath the exterior. This is very common in locations that have milder and wetter winters, and you can also look for moss growth as an indicator too. Water stains on top-floor ceilings are a good indicator that the problem is extensive.The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, states that the lifespan of a roof is usually between 20 and 25 years, so a realtor should ask about the age of the one on homes being viewed if there’s any suspicions.

  1. Water Supply Issues

We’ll assume most of you aren’t plumbers on the side, so while you may not be a pipes expert you may be able to spot any obvious problems by flushing the toilet, running the taps, and turning on the shower. Be on the lookout for slow drainage, leaky faucets, or low water pressure, as well as mildew beneath sink enclosures – a sign of slow leaks. Rooting out the sources of these plumbing issues could be time-consuming and costly.

  1. Patchy Fresh Paint

This one can be an immediate red flag in many cases. Sure, there’s nothing unusual about homeowners painting before they sell, but finding a few freshly-painted spots on the walls or ceilings could be an indication that some kind of damage was covered up very recently. The extent of the damage underneath could vary considerably, from water stains to smoke damage to worst of all – mould. If you see this, ask right away and if necessary ask for a home inspector assessment if your clients still wish to move ahead.

  1. Wet basements

Again, this can be an immediate red flag too, and believe us when we say that drainage problems are often HUGE problems. Keep in mind that water problems in the basement may only occur once or twice a year and be immediately visible at those times, but you can see evidence of them after with the appearance of the walls, both a the ceiling and at floor levels. Changes in the paint texture near the floor may indicate water has pooled on the walls, and drywall seams occurring roughly a foot above the floor often indicate repair work after flooding. Take a long look at exposed joists or studs for water stains, and look to see whether bricks show signs of spalling. And if there’s a dehumidifier resting in the corner of the room, that’s a big-time indicator right there.

  1. Improper grading

One of the ways water ingress problems in the basement can be identified elsewhere is with a yard that slopes toward the foundation of the house, instead of away from it. Improper grading can also eventually promote foundational deterioration and poor drainage in the yard, so it a sloping backyard is something you always want to take note of for your clients. You can often sense or see the slope of the grade, and if you can actually see pooling water in the yard – especially near the house – it’s something that’s going to warrant further consideration.

Identifying any of these signs may suggest that even the most functionally and aesthetically appealing home may not have been well maintained or is not soundly built. Before crossing the property off your list, however, speak with the seller’s agent to find out more – but of course be wary of the validity of the information you receive and do your own follow-ups as necessary.

Last but not least, home inspectors provide a VERY valuable resource for prospective homebuyers and if you haven’t made professional acquaintances with one already, you really should!

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you and only you for your similarly exclusive area of any city or town of your choosing across Canada. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your real estate client prospecting efforts, and as we all know – it’s the early bird that always gets the worm!

Canadian Real Estate Condo Market Outlook for 2018

Published January 23, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Real estate agent showing the effective date of lease on calendar (random english dummy text used)

As realtors, there are few better than folks like yourself when it comes to having a clear understanding of the big picture of housing trends in your city and across the country as a whole. Certain trends will need your expertise and industry wherewithal, but others will be clear to even the most layman of people. One of those certainly is the fact that the days of hoping for detached home ownership are over for the majority of people living in overpopulated urban centres.

That has meant that condominiums are increasingly the focus of prospective homebuyers, and many realtors are putting the bulk of their energies into focusing on them when connecting buyers to sellers, and vice versa.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system has been a big help for realtors who find they’re struggling to prospect on their own via traditional means. It allows you to get more out of your efforts, and we’ve enjoyed seeing how so many have benefitted from it.

So getting back on the topic here – condominiums were officially the strongest-performing housing type in 2017, and they outpaced single-family homes in terms of price growth all across the year according to Royal LePage’s house price survey.

This survey found that strong overall year-over-year housing market growth – the national average home price rose 10.8% to $626,042, – coincided with condos increasing a much larger 14.3% to an average price of $420,823. This is especially significant when you consider that 1-storey and 2-storey houses rose just 7.1% to $522,963 and 11.1% to $741,924 respectively.

Not only are condos increasingly in demand for homeowners, but they’re also increasingly a better investment for investment buyers.

Toronto and Vancouver at Forefront for Condo Growth

This one probably comes as no suprise. Most of the price growth in the condo sector was fuelled by activity in Canada’s largest markets. Toronto saw prices rise 19.5% to $476,42, while Vancouver moved up 18.77% to $775,806. The consensus seems to be that condominiums are the last bastion of affordability for prospective homebuyers, and especially so for first-time buyers whose purchasing power has been reduced by tightened mortgage regulations.

So it’s quite natural that realtors who have an eye on the future will be focusing more on condominiums entering the market than previously. Are you following suit?

Consider further that condos were the only housing type to appreciate on a quarterly basis, rising 1.1%, while single-family homes moved nowhere in price growth.

That’s the exact opposite of the way it was for decades previously, with condo prices typically having risen more slowly compared to the always-more-expensive detached homes.

This is because condos have appreciated at a slower pace than detached homes, and primarily because supply constraints have been easier to address, with new building development being much more cost-effective and city-zoning friendly in comparison. But now we’re seeing demand for condos being so high that the trend has been reversed.

We will likely see builders bringing in new planned product to the market to help alleviate supply and moderate prices, but we can be sure that Canada is now primarily a nation of condo dwellers much like most other advanced economies around the globe.

Expect Condo Sales to Surge in Back Half of 2018

The bulk of the condo sales growth seen in 2017 occurred in the first part of the year, before measures like the Ontario Fair Housing Plan were implemented. Activity slowed significantly in the fourth quarter, and especially for detached homes. The consensus seems to be that we will see a slower start to the 2018 market as new OSFI mortgage rules become entrenched in buyer spheres, and we’ll also see typical supply and demand factors making for a more robust second half of the year.

It’s predicted that home prices will rise 4.9% nationally by end of 2018, with 6.8% in the GTA, and 5.2% in Greater Vancouver. Montreal is expected to see 5.5%

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively for your exclusive region of any city or town in Canada. It’s a dynamite way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts and acquire more in the way of opportunities to build your client base.

7 Reasons Friends Aren’t Always the Best Choice as Realtors

Published January 15, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

GeschäftspartnerThose of us who are working as real estate professionals need to accept that these days nearly everyone will have a friend or close acquaintance that also works as a realtor. Wish as me might that that weren’t true, it simply is most of the time. It’s a popular profession choice these days, and especially in places like Toronto and Vancouver where the premise of potentially lucrative earnings draw many to the business.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system has been a big success right across Canada with realtors like you. That’s not surprising with the way it allows you to add to your prospecting efforts and increase your reach, but today we’ll give you another perspective you can share with anyone who thinks they’ll be best served by going with their friend as their realtor.

While it’s perfectly natural to consider it, many times those folks will find that – while their loyalty is admirable – they haven’t really made the best choice when it comes to selecting someone to guide them along as they make such an important purchase or sale.

With that understood, let’s look at 7 reasons why it’s not always advisable to go with your friend as your realtor.

 

  • They Might Not Be Enough of a Neighbourhood Expert

Having a strong understanding of geography and local knowledge is important as they relate to the housing market. Any prospective buyer or seller should be working with someone who knows the ins and the outs of THAT specific real estate market. If a friend or acquaintance in the business doesn’t typically serve that region, that’s going to put you at a disadvantage – plain and simple.

Why is that?

Local agents will have built up a roster of neighbourhood-specific clients, meaning that if you’re looking to sell then that agent will likely already have a number of potential buyers on tap who are interested in properties in the neighbourhood.

Agents who don’t have this familiarity don’t have the same advantage, and have to invest more time to prospect clients who would be interested in buying in your neighbourhood.

Alternately, anyone looking to buy in a particular neighbourhood will benefit from how a local realtor will have an idea of how many homes have hit the market recently, what inventory is like and again he or she may perhaps have clients listing homes that fit your needs and wants.

  1. Part-time real estate agent?

A good number of realtors operate on a part-time basis, being of ‘many hat’s with other careers too much of the time. This is particularly true in hot markets, where booming prices have led to intense growth in the number of realtors looking to get a piece of the pie. For example, in the last ten years the number of realtors operating in Toronto has jumped from 20,000 in 2004 to 40,000 in 2014.

So if you’re thinking of hiring a friend or family member, you need to determine first that real estate is where they put the bulk of their focus on professional development and excellence.

Part-timers will put less time into your home buying and selling efforts, and that can mean having your dream home slip through your fingers or your current property sitting on the market far longer than it needs to. These part-timers will be budgeting their time between multiple jobs, and that may also make for availability / response-time issues.

  1. ‘Friendly’ rather than professional advice

Some might think that your realtor being a person you’ve known for years as a friend will be an advantage, but you’d be surprised just how often the opposite can be true.

Why is that?

The nature of common friendship dynamics can cause tension during house hunts or sale marketing. Further, it’s not uncommon for personal boundaries to be crossed as compared to a more professional relationship with an agent with whom you have no connection but who will provide more concrete and unbiased advice.

Rather than treat you as a client, a realtor friend or family member may see themselves as equal partners with some measure of the same footing in the decision-making process.

  1. House Hunts May Become Too Casual

Your agents will be working for you, and understand that they will be taking both THEIR time and YOUR TIME into account, along with a more exclusive focus on reaching the goal in an objective period of time

When friendship comes into this picture, the lean client-first approach can dissolve quickly. For example, important questions about negotiating prices can begin to overlap with weekend gatherings, or be squeezed in-between a night out with the friends. Valuable time may end up being spent on a little more time enjoying chats and drinks over lunch.

You get the idea.

  1. Your Friend May Not Give It to You Straight

Sometimes the offer you’re making on a home is far too much of a lowball. Sometimes your budget is going to be unrealistic based on market conditions for certain types of homes. Sometimes you’re overlooking key considerations that aren’t immediately apparent.

These situations require someone to really tell it like it is. A realtor that is your friend may opt to keep their mouth shut in the interest of not dampening your obvious enthusiasm for buying a home.

This can be particularly true when it comes to money matters, where discussions regularly revolve around incomes and budgets. When it comes to those more personal-finance related factors, you want to be speaking to a professional who has nothing to sway their judgment and will ‘give it to you straight.’

  1. House Hunting Can Lead to Strained Friendship

There’s an old saying that money and friendship don’t always mix well, and it can be very true in this context. While you and your realtor friend may get along as well as you always have, their approach to business may be completely out of line with yours and you’ve never had any previous means of determining that.

This can be particularly true when entrusting them to guide you in buying a new home. It’s a massive decision with significant financial repercussions if it goes wrong.

  1. Better Deals Potentially Had Elsewhere

Many people will choose a friend as their agent for a financial incentive, and most commonly in the form of a discounted commission rate. Often times, however, people will make the assumption that they will be presented with a lower commission rate on account of the fact they are working with a friend.

The expectation can exist even with nothing to suggest it beforehand. That can lead to some resentment and tension if the friend / agent hasn’t been thinking along the same lines.

Keep in mind that a number of full-service real estate brokerages offer incentives that could outdo anything a friend might offer. Not suggesting they’d receive the same level of service, but they might and as a whole it’s not good to make ANY type of assumption based on what an individual might expect from their ‘friend.’

It’s important for people to take all these factors into account if they’re evaluating whether or not they should work with a real estate agent friend or family member when buying or selling a home.
Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of online generated, qualified buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your also exclusively-protected region of any city or town in the country. It’s a great way to supercharge your prospecting efforts and give you many more potential clients.

BoC: More Mortgage Seekers Inquiring Outside Regulated Lenders

Published January 10, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Mortgage loan agreement application with house shaped keyring

General logic would suggest that’s a risky proposition, and there’s no debating that it is. But it may not be as risky as you think. A recent Bank of Canada (BoC) working paper, The Rise of Non-Regulated Financial Intermediaries in the Housing Sector and its Macroeconomic Implications, is suggesting that non-regulated lenders are taking a bigger share of the mortgage market. Regulated banks still hold onto the lion’s share of the mortgage market, but they’re giving up an ever increasing portion to non-regulated intermediaries.

Which, apparently, isn’t such a bad thing for most of any prospective clients you might have who are looking at every possible financing option.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our Canadian online real estate lead generation system continues to be a big plus for realtors who see the need to get more out of their prospecting efforts. Leads are opportunities, and a big part of making the most of your opportunities is being explicitly in the know about EVERY aspect of your clients’ home buying process.

Non-Regulated Financial Institutions

The term given to these lesser-known lenders is Non-regulated financial intermediaries (NRFIs). They’re also sometimes referred to as shadow banks, defined by the fact they’re not bound by regulations. In contrast to regulated financial intermediaries (RFIs), they can’t take deposits. That’s not as problematic as you might think, due to the fact they don’t have to satisfy a minimum capital requirement.

Seeing an increasing market share go to these lenders was pointed to as a primary contributor to the US Recession, but the consensus up here seems to be that the same concerns shouldn’t exist.

These lenders offer lower rates, and securitize the bulk of their mortgages. The BoC found that these lenders offer lower mortgage rates than regulated lenders, with an eye to attracting buyers with better / best credit scores. Quite logical.

Further, securitization is used to limit risk due to the fact they can’t raise funds easily, and most of that is done through the government’s National Housing Act Mortgage-Backed Securities (NHA MBS) program. Participating loans must have the same criteria as regulated institutions. In addition, NRFIs issue securities and sell them to regulated financial institutions.

So, the question – are they any riskier than your typical mortgage?

Lower Rates, Bigger Loans

Determining that these lenders are going after the best qualified borrowers is important to understand. They issue loans with lower interest rates and higher median mortgage sizes. Prospective buyers should understand that these lenders likely aren’t being used by those rejected by regulated lenders. A higher rate of mortgages being issued by non-regulated lenders sounds scary, but the BoC working paper argues otherwise. The growing combination of these loans throughout the broader system doesn’t forecast to be a problem.

The Big & Small for Average Buyers in Canada

As stated above, the new mortgage regulation stress tests in Canada are inevitably going to disqualify ever greater numbers of would-be homebuyers from moving forward. As a realtor, this is inevitably going to put constraints on your business and particularly so if you’re working in a market that is not constantly propped up by the demand end of the spectrum.

These findings from the Bank of Canada should be something of a reassurance for anyone thinking of assuring prospective clients who are considering getting financing from a NRFI, but it’s important to pay especial attention to what we underlined above – the low mortgage rates will work to deter the validity of any applicants who don’t have a quality credit score, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there is always going to be a prominent inherent connection between a buyers’ stress test qualification and their long standing credit rating.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive a quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively each month, and for your specific requested region of any city / town / province in Canada. It’s a superb way to supercharge your client prospecting efforts, and as they say – the early bird ALWAYS gets the worm!

5 Reasons Certain Real Estate Agents Don’t Last in the Business

Published January 3, 2018 by Real Estate Leads

Beautiful Female Holding Keys & Sold Real Estate Sign

First and foremost, we’ll begin as we should by saying Happy New Year and best wishes to all of you who’ve chosen to join us here at Real Estate Leads. The promise of a new year and all the possibilities that come along with it will always be exciting for any self-employed professional. Real estate agents of course are no exception there, but those who will get ahead will continue to be those of who’ve built the foundations of their business more solidly.

So while there’s no intention to start the New Year on a sour note, it’s worth discussing why certain real estate agents fail to have success in the business while others flourish. The fact that you’re here does suggest you’ve got the initiative to leave no stone unturned in building your business, but let’s have a look at 10 specific reasons why some real estate agents flame out of the business – and usually rather quickly at that.

  1. They Refuse to Prospect – Or Prospect Sufficiently

Many people subconsciously learn to associate “no” with not getting what they what. That can be a real negative mindset, because – as we all know – real estate is a numbers game. Too many real estate agents say they aren’t in sales, and more that they just want to help people. While that’s fine, realtors that want to increase their business have to work through the numbers and that applies to the ‘just want to help crowd’ equally as much

If you are going to have success in real estate, you have to prospect. Extensively. There’s a 99% chance that what you’re doing currently isn’t enough. Don’t be complacent.

  1. They Don’t Follow Up

Follow-up is everything in real estate. It’s rare and almost unheard of to hear someone say “Yes, I want to buy or sell a home immediately! Let’s make that happen pronto!”

Follow up with EVERY one of your leads with the same level of enthusiasm, and pair that with a firm understanding that the majority of leads that you’ve deemed to have ‘gone cold’ aren’t necessarily as cold as you think them to be.

  1. They Don’t Get Past Downturns

It’s quite natural and far too easy to wallow in how bad a situation is and make negative forecasts based on them. Some professions allow for you to do that without major negative ramifications. Real estate – plain and simple – isn’t one of them.

Things like

  • Losing an escrow
  • Having a client suddenly say they are going to work with another agent
  • Getting a remonstrative letter from the municipal or provincial real estate regulatory department Having a client yell at you

ARE going to happen at some point. Letting them get to you and making you second guess yourself or be more reserved in the way you approach growing your business can be majorly problematic in the long term.

Keep moving, deal with the situation, and do the best you can to remedy it. If you have given everything you can into turning it around or finding a solution, move on and do something else that’s productive. Too many realtors fail to adjust to these setbacks properly and for some it changes their psyche irreparably.

  1. They’re Not Affirmed Enough in their Decision to be a Success

Real estate is not a complicated business. You find people who want to move from one place to another, and assist them in that process. That said, real estate is NOT an easy business.

Yes, if you talk to (the right) people, be genuine in your approach, and have a proactive plan of follow up, you’ll likely do well.

What makes real estate difficult for many is related to their inherent perception of what difficulty is. The excuses for it are as endless as they are true; because of the economy, the market is bad, too much competition.

The best agents resolve to be a success no matter what obstacles they come across. They focus on what they’ll gain when you they do well, and then hold themselves to that expectation.

It starts first and foremost with your mindset, but your discipline, stamina, determination, a personable attitude, and the ability to ask people the right questions are super important too, along with a do-whatever-it-takes mentality, perseverance and genuine resiliency.

Quite simply – how badly do you want it?

  1. They Resign Themselves to Real Estate being ‘Too Competitive’

More and more commonly these days, there are just too many realtors working in a specific city or region with not enough of the pie to go around sufficiently. That is what it is, and it’s not likely to change if that describes your locale. Everyone there knows probably five to seven realtors, maybe more.

 

Successful realtors – and ones that make it through the beginning stages of their career – accept that reality for what it is and simply determine that they’ll do what it takes to overcome that competition as it poses an obstacle to their success. If you are great, clients are going to find you. They focus on building their skill base, cultivating relationships and associating with other like-minded professionals.

Do so effectively and the ‘weight’ of the competition isn’t going to be dissuading at all. If you’re truly good at what you do, you’ll be doing all the right things to allow that fact to distinguish you from other professionals in your field.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you each month exclusively and for your exclusive region of any province in Canada. Contact us to learn more, and we wish everyone much success in the coming year.

Looking Ahead to Canadian Home Price Projections for 2018

Published December 28, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

one house with a web address bar and a signboard with text: for sale, concept of real estate on the web (3d render)The struggle to balance affordability and amenities has been at the forefront of buyer prerogatives across the country in 2017, and it would appear that’s going to continue into 2018. While that’s far from a rosy outlook for many buyers in Canada, it’s worth noting that it’s a trend that’s very pronounced in nearly every developed country in the world these days. Realities are just that – reality – and the most successful and satisfied buyers will be those that arm themselves with as much information as possible and then work within the current market.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system has been especially well received through 2017, and we hope that continues into next year. The best real estate agents are those who are always working to be explicitly in the know regarding the market their clients are working within, and as such it’s always advisable to have a sound understanding of where home prices are going across the country.

Let’s take a look at what’s predicted in that regard for 2018, as it’s just around the corner.

GTA and GVA Continue to be Priciest

2017 had single-family detached home and condo markets diverging on distinctly different paths in Canada’s two priciest real estate markets, the Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto Areas. The trend is expected to continue into 2018 as a mix of relative affordability for condo units has paired with price appreciation for detached homes to nudge many buyers toward condo ownership rather than looking for detached homes.

Vancouver

  • Demand for condos continues to outpace supply, resulting in the average price of a condo rising an estimated 16% year-over-year, from $553,604 in 2016 to $643,778 in 2017. There’s no reason to assume anything will buck this trend as we look to 2018.

Toronto

  • The GTA’s condo market saw price appreciation of 22% in 2017, as the average sale price for a condo rose to an estimated $523,437 in 2017, up from $429,241in 2016. What’s noteworthy here is the lack of stability in comparison to Greater Vancouver, with prices up a significant 8% in the GTA for 2017.

The single-family detached home segment of the market in both cities has been most significantly impacted by recent provincial government policy changes designed to slow the record-setting price appreciation in those regions over the last few years. Any constraint on the buying of detached homes, however, seems to be refocused on condominiums.

The majority of brokers from key real estate markets across Canada are expecting the average home price in Canada to increase 2.5% in 2018.

This of course suggests that the appetite for home ownership remains strong with roughly half of Canadians. Stats indicate that 48% of citizens are considering the purchase of a home in the next five years, and primarily for one of three reasons:

  • To upgrade their current home
  • To purchase a starter home as a means of entering the housing market
  • To upsize from their current home to accommodate a change in family make-up

Another primary and ever-more common consideration for buyers is access to outdoor spaces with their new home. Green spaces are important, as is having a backyard for many.

Many buyers are continuing to look at real estate markets outside of the country’s largest urban centres to find a balance between the home features they’re after and what they’re able to afford. These ‘move-over’ buyers as they’re called are leaving the GTA and GVA and contributing to increased demand and considerable year-over-year average price increases in the following cities most prominently:

  • Kelowna (9 %)
  • London-St. Thomas (18%)
  • Hamilton-Burlington (15%)
  • Barrie (19%)
  • Durham Region (19%)
  • Niagara (23%)
  • Kingston (8%)
  • Ottawa (9%)

For Ontario in particular, much of the activity in regional markets has been fuelled by price appreciation in Toronto during the first four months of the year prior to the introduction of the provincial government’s Fair Housing Plan.

The new OSFI mortgage qualification rules that come into effect on January 1, 2018 are also noteworthy. They’ve impacted housing market activity toward the end of this year and are expected to slow activity in real estate markets across Canada in the first part of 2018. Suburban regions around major metro centres have and will continue to see increased demand resulting from this.

Some interesting statistics related to the average house prices and the way they correlate with owner / buyer / seller demographics across the country:

66% of Canadians are homeowners

  • British Columbia: 62%
  • Alberta: 78%
  • Saskatchewan and Manitoba: 69%
  • Ontario: 68%
  • Quebec: 60%
  • Atlantic Canada: 65%

48% of Canadians are considering purchasing a home in the next 5 years

British Columbia: 51%

Alberta: 60%

Saskatchewan and Manitoba: 43%

Ontario: 50%

Quebec: 40%

Atlantic Canada: 38%

90% of Canadian households with children would prefer to live in a home with a backyard and 79% would prefer to live in a single-family detached home compared to other property types

73% of Canadians would prefer to live in a detached home compared to the just 27% that prefer a townhome and 24% that would prefer a condo

37% of Canadians are not aware of the OSFI stress test regulation changes, or how they will affect their ability to purchase properties in the future

58% of Canadians are aware of the new OSFI stress test regulations. Of this group that is aware of the changes:

  • 27% don’t believe it will impact the type of property they purchase in the future
  • 18% believe it will impact the type of property they purchase in the future
  • 13% are unsure of how the new regulations will affect their ability to purchase a property

For the full 2018 RE/MAX Housing Market Outlook report, click here.
Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive an monthly quota of qualified, online-generated buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your exclusive region of the country. It’s a great way to supercharge your prospecting efforts, and we image that that’s going to be one of your forefront resolutions for the new year regarding your real estate business.

4 Real Estate Trends on the Horizon for 2024

Published December 19, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Recapping November in the Canadian Real Estate World2017 is drawing to a close and the promise of a brand new calendar year is looking mighty appealing to real estate agents right across the country. While we imagine that the previous year has treated you well as regards your business, we’ll also assume that you’re never one to be satisfied or rest on your laurels. That’s the mark of an ambitious professional, and to be admired

Here at Real Estate Leads, we’ve had even more agents get onboard with our online real estate lead generation system this year and we’re very happy to have them here. Being able to have these leads delivered exclusively to these specific agents is obviously very appealing, and why wouldn’t it be? This is a competitive industry to be sure, and any advantage available should be taken.

Ebbs and flows in the industry are to be expected. As we look ahead to 2018, we find it interesting to note that a few elements are at the forefront as agents foresee a need to sharpen their skillset in order to compete in this ever-changing real estate business landscape.

It’s well understood that when the real estate market turns, a good half of the agents exit with it. Being successful as a real estate agent requires resiliency. Many will agree with the belief that any downturn in the market will ‘weed out’ a good many of the agents who entered the business for the wrong reasons.

Independent of what stage you’re at in your career, real estate is a notoriously competitive industry. Most industry experts have a consensus opinion on what’s on the horizon next year, and here are 4 trends that are at the forefront of these predictions.

  1. Specialist vs. Generalist: Know Who You Are

In recent years, it’s become ever more true that the best agents differentiate themselves by specializing, and then paying attention to the small nuances that most others leave out. With the fact there’s so much diversity in the housing market along with an ever-increasing blend of demographics to target, you really need to put as much effort and introspection into deterring ‘who’ you are as an agent.

Paying attention to the finer details can help set you apart in a crowded marketplace. A whole host of factors – where you’re doing the bulk of your business, the primary resident demographic there, etc. etc. – should factor in quite strongly as you define yourself. There’s no better time than the present to reinvent yourself if it means advancing your career, and that’s especially true right now moving into the new year.

  1. Focusing on Building Your Digital Brand Will Bring Results

Building your digital brand involves showing off the portfolio of work you’ve built up online. Now more than ever, prospective clients go online to evaluate you and your collection of properties transacted, and the breadcrumbs of information you leave for them is very important.

That’s because they help buyers and sellers make informed decisions, and make them in full confidence with your quality of work and a sense of who you are. A strong, consistent and authentic online presence will help put some distance between you and your competition. We are very much living in the information age, and you need to build and maintain your digital brand and identity to the best of your ability. Aim for educational, inspiring or entertaining bits of content, and once you’ve built that momentum you need to keep it rolling month after month.

Some ideas in this regard:

  • Developing infographics on key stats regarding current market conditions.
  • Creating a step-by-step guide for first time homebuyers on what to know.
  • Building an eBook outlining everything to know if you’re selling your home.
  • Leveraging Instagram stories for open houses.
  • Using Instagram’s scrolling feature to highlight professional photography
  • Blog on how Millennials can make a splash into the market, and not become house poor.
  1. Harness the New and Considerable Power of Millennials and Generation Z

This is related to the last point above. Indeed, so much has been written about ‘Millenials’, so decoding them isn’t as complex as we might think it to be. Surveys indicate they’re 40% more likely to stay in touch with their agent, and 55% more likely to recommend their agent in comparison to older generations. This of course is entirely dependent on their experience being a positive one.

As regards their younger cohort – Generation Z (born after 1995) we need to first keep in mind that Generation Z is expected to include 2.56 billion people worldwide by 2020. That represents a mammoth amount of consumer power, and not a lot of agents are prepared to accommodate that or the buyer dispositions that will come with it. Add the fact this is a lucrative age bracket that will be flooding the housing market in waves and you really want to be the early bird on the worm when it comes to understanding how they’ll view and purchase real estate.

  1. Networks Will Be Determining Net Worth

The Vancouver housing market is a good example here. It received international headlines on account of its inflated numbers that raised speculation that a bubble was about to burst. In a crowded market where some agents might only enjoy a pair of deals a year, it shows how valuable it can be to tap into networks for referrals.

All of this is dependent on a strong sphere of influence.

It stands to be your most valuable resource as an agent, and the engine behind your strongest personal and professional relationships within your career. If your SOI extends to 100 people and each of them knows 100 people, that equates to 10,000 opportunities for repeat and referral business.

Indeed, that’s a big deal.

This core nucleus of contacts will typically comprise some 60-80% of an agent’s business, so it is nothing to be taken for granted. It takes time to carefully nurture and keep in touch with each over time and on a personal level. As the market begins to tighten, agents that have developed their sphere of influence best will be the ones that don’t see their bottom line damaged during challenging economic conditions.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a monthly quota of qualified, online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively for your exclusive region of the country. It’s an excellent way to supercharge your prospecting efforts and build your stable of clients.

7 Green Home Upgrades to Suggest to New Home Buyers

Published December 5, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

 

Business partnership. House agent greeting customer in officeThe value of a real estate agent to anyone who’s looking to buy a new home goes well beyond simply finding and introducing them to owners and properties, and sharing their market savvy. A realtor who’s able to provide even more value to a prospective buyer stands to much more firmly establish themselves as an expert who’s worthy of repeat business should that be a possibility in the future.

Heze at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system in Canada has been very well received by realtors who are keen to have every advantage possible when it comes to expanding the scope of their business. Leads are opportunities, and once an opportunity is converted into a client then you have the further chance to impress these people with your willingness to share valuable knowledge and insights to make their new home more livable, valuable, and more.

So today we’ll discuss 7 ‘green’ home upgrades that you can suggest to new homebuyers that they can implement in their new home for savings and being eco-responsible. Both of which are good aims!

  1. Install Energy Saving Appliances

Some will be surprised to learn that appliances account for 15% of a home’s energy consumption, but for most homes that’s entirely true. Choosing to install power-saving appliances can make a big difference to an electricity bill every month. It’s recommended that you replace older models with ‘greener’ appliance that have been independently determined to save energy. The easiest way to know that? Look for appliances with the ‘Energy Star’ certification sticker proudly displayed on them.

This applies to washers, dryers, dishwashers, stoves, and fridges and arranging to install all of them – however expensive that may be – will actually save your clients money in the long-term and give them the peace of mind knowing they’re responsible consumers.

  1. Go For a New HVAC system

Replacing a home’s entire heating, air conditioning, and ventilation, (HVAC) system is no small expense, but every expert out there will assure you it’s well worth it. That’s in large part because heating and cooling accounts for nearly 50% of a home’s energy costs. A radiant floor heating system is a great choice, not only for the efficiency and comfort considerations but also because it will greatly reduce your home’s environmental impact.

As a rule, any HVAC system that is more than 12 years old will need a revamp servicing. If that’t the scenario in the home, it’s best to replace it entirely and get one that’s much more efficient and environmentally friendly.

  1. Make Windows a Heat Saver

Installing double-pane or triple-pane windows goes a long way to preventing heat loss and improving home heating and cooling efficiency. If you live anywhere east of the BC Lower Mainland all the way to St. John’s, you know how important it is to be able to temperature regulate a home.

If the building report suggests the windows are in need of replacement, advise your clients to go with high-quality multiple pane windows that are proven energy savers

  1. Go Green with Insulation

Insulation isn’t a primary consideration for many homeowners, but it’s equally important as all others when it comes to cost-effective temperature regulation in the home. Again, refer to the building inspection reports and then if need be you can suggest your clients seal their attic, windows, and doors with new-technology green insulation to prevent air leaks that reduce heat or cool air loss. They’ll save energy and money, and of course they’ll be thankful you made the suggestion.

There are plenty of recycled and natural insulation materials on the market, and they’re definitely the best choice for eco-friendly homeowners.

  1. Employ the Sun

Solar power deserves all of the accolades its receiving these days, and putting the sun to work powering a home is entirely doable these days! Solar powered home products are becoming more common and more affordable these days. Speak with a building professional or inspector to see if there are any technologies your clients could realistically and affordably incorporate into their new home.

It will reduce their energy bill, reduce their home’s ‘footprint’, and make the home more attractive for eco-minded buyers in the future.

  1. Rethink Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters are all the rage these days for new homes, and for good reason. They save space, and dispense hot water on demand. This means no energy is wasted in maintaining the temperature of stored water – which is certainly not the case with the standard hot water tanks in most homes.

They reduce heating bills in a BIG way and as such they should be very warmly received by your clients and will again make you to be a realtor who’s really in the know regarding this stuff.

  1. Consider a Living Wall

A what, you say? A living wall is a green feature that’s incorporated into homes with greater frequency these days. It’s when an interior wall is converted into a vertical indoor garden. They’re unique, attractive, and also an environmental upgrader! This is because the plants serve to purify the air in the home and regulate indoor humidity. Add the fact you can grow some of your own produce in them as well and they’re especially easy to like.

The plants are contained in integrated soil pots and water troughs, and they really do enhance air circulation and purity.

Who knew a realtor could be so in-the-know regarding green home technologies?

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive qualified, online-generated home buyer and seller leads that are delivered to you exclusively for your exclusive area of any city or town in Canada. You’ll love how it supercharges your marketing efforts and puts you in touch with people who are legitimately in the market for buying a home, or selling one.

Tax Deductions, Tax Tips, Write-Offs and Claimable Expenses for Canadian Real Estate Agents

Published November 28, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

 

rel-brokeragesMost realtors in Canada are incorporated as their own personal real estate corporation with their name, and the majority of them have been at it long enough to know what that entitles them to do as regards taxes, write-offs, expenses and the like. As is the case these days, however, more and more real estate agents than ever are being licensed in Canada and those who are newer to the business may not be entirely up to speed on what they can and can not claim or file for at the end of the year.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is an effective way for new realtors to get more leads in their city or town. It’s been especially well received over the last few years, and we’re very happy to make such a valuable resource available to realtors – new, well established, and everywhere in between! A part of what we like to do as well is share insight into what it takes to be a successful realtor in Canada, and as such this week’s post should be plenty informative for many of you.

Let’s start with some helpful tax tips, and move forward from there.

General Tax Tips for Canadian Realtors

The first piece of advice is that you should meet with an accounting professional before starting your business, so that you can know what to look out for. He or she will be able to answer all of your basic questions – should you keep receipts? For how long? Which ones? You’ll find the majority of your questions can be answered in a one hour consultation

  • Stay organized. Far too many realtors are constantly missing documents, are unable to accurately tally up all of their expenses, and / or have trouble providing evidence of their claims when they need to. Start on top of this stuff, and it’ll be easier to stay on top of it all the time.
  • Create a system to separate your various expenses into different categories (and then be diligent about inputting the data into a spreadsheet. By doing more up front, t will be easier at year-end. Tracking your expenses with an online tool such as Wave Accounting, Xero Online Accounting Software, or Freshbooks is highly recommended and very easy for nearly anyone, even if you’re not digitally savvy or good with numbers! Plus, if you are ever chosen for an audit, the CRA agent may be impressed with how quickly you were able to supply the requested documents and this may be significantly to your advantage.
  • Keep records of all GST/HST collected. A good tip is to tuck away all of the GST/HST you collect on each commission cheque to ensure you have enough funds to send along to the CRA when tax time rolls around. You may owe less GST/HST at the end of the year, and if so consider any amount not remitted to the CRA as a bonus! Unfortunately, many agents spend the GST/HST they collected throughout the year, and this of course leads to lots of interest being accrued and penalty charges being added when they end up settling up with the CRA past the deadline.
  • Set up a separate business bank account which acts as the main account for your commission income and expenses. This helps to differentiate between business and personal expenses, and allows the CRA to differentiate if you were ever chosen for an audit.

Tax Deductions and Write Offs

We’ll start by saying that these are not ALL of the deductions and write offs you may be eligible to claim (doing your own research is recommended), but in the interest of keeping this blog post short and approachable will look at the most prominent ones.

Commission Rebates:

We’ve all seen real estate prices in Canada (Vancouver and Toronto most specifically) go through the roof, and as a result clients on both the buyer and seller side are frequently asking their realtor for a reduction on their commission. This is typically done to either help with closing costs, renovations, or to reduce their mortgage balance after the sale has closed. Keep in mind that commission rebates are 100% tax deductible to the realtor. Remember though that you must keep the GST/HST collected on the full commission, and only provide a rebate that is the net of that GST/HST figure.

When a property is purchased/sold as a principal residence, the benefactor will have nothing to worry about. If the property is purchased or sold as an investment property, however, this rebate will have tax implications that are, unfortunately, beyond the scope of this article – click here to learn more – but long story short, it will result in an increase to the capital gain on the property – provided there is one, of course.

Real Estate Courses Tuition:

You’ve got a pair of options with how you want to approach these ones:

  • Including your tuition expense as a tuition credit on your personal tax return (Schedule 11 if you need to know). This is a tax credit and not an expense credit, and while it may result in tax savings it doesn’t benefit the taxpayer as much as a direct expense would. For most it will be included on the business income and expense schedule (Schedule T2125 – Statement of Business Activities) on your personal tax return.
  • Filing your tuition expense as an actual expense on your personal tax return (Schedule T2125). Once you’re working as an active realtor, your Schedule T2125 in your personal tax return will be used to report the entirety of your commission income and expenses to the CRA. The benefit to the taxpayer is much greater than in scenario #1 above when an expense is included in this schedule. The reason being is that it’s a full expense, deduction and write off for Real Estate Agents against their commission income. Naturally, most choose this option.

So, prior to registering as a real estate agent with a brokerage, your tuition courses should be recorded as a tuition credit. After registering with your local REB and incorporating yourself, your tuition expenses should be included on Schedule T2125 to allow you to receive the full deduction.

Some may ask why this is necessary. Well, if your tax return is audited by the CRA and you included your tuition expenses as expenses – rather than credits – and you haven’t registered as an agent yet, they may have issues with it. As an operating business, you can deduct any expense that helps you generate income, and courses are indeed included within that. Keep in mind though that many of you wouldn’t even have known whether you’d get through all of the courses and whether you’d even become registered with a brokerage as a real estate agent. The CRA may take issue with the fact that you’re trying to deduct expenses, and especially so if doing so prior to establishing a business.

GST/HST on Vehicle Purchases:

Tracking the GST/HST you expend on your real estate business activities and expenses can add up to considerable tax savings, and everyone will like the sound of that. As you may or may not know,any GST/HST you collect minus any GST/HST you spend has to be remitted to the CRA. Therefore, the more you spend in GST/HST for your business, the less you will be obligated to remit to the CRA. These same GST/HST rules aren’t nearly as straightforward when the purchase is related to an item that isn’t used EXCLUSIVELY for that business. The GST/HST a buyers spends on a vehicle purchase is usually significant, so it is important that you understand in full what you’re entitled to claim.

The CRA will allow you to include all of the GST/HST you incur on a vehicle purchase on your GST/HST filing if the vehicle is used 90% of the time or more for business purposes. Conversely, it will disallow any GST/HST on filing if the vehicle is used for business 10% or less of the time. If your usage is somewhere in between, a formula can be followed to arrive at the GST/HST amount you are eligible to claim for a business vehicle. Far too many agents fail to make the calculations correctly and miss out on these valuable deductions. Speak to a tax professional if you need to!

Other Major Considerations:

  • If in any year you owed $3,000 or more in GST/HST, you are obligated to pay quarterly GST/HST instalments for the subsequent year (equivalent to your GST/HST payable amount in the prior year divided by 4). Not paying will put you in a position where you have to pay interest until this amount is recouped by the CRA.
  • You can stop calculating GST/HST incurred on expenses by opting to remit GST/HST using the quick method. All that is required of you is to calculate the GST/HST you owe by using a simple formula provided by the CRA. In a nutshell, the GST/HST you must remit will be equal to 8.8% of your sales
    – and in some cases that’s a beneficial tax scenario for a realtor!

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and enjoy qualified, online-generated buyer and seller leads delivered exclusively to you and for your exclusive area of any city or town in Canada. It’s an effective way to grow you business, especially when you’re new to the business of putting people in the right homes for them and their families!

Canada’s Mortgage Rate Trends 2024

Published November 21, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Buying real estate strategy chess game with house backgroundIt’s not often that a house is paid for outright upon sale, and as such mortgages are always front and centre for anyone purchasing a new home. It’s all about rates and terms, and has been for a good many decades now. So for those of you keeping a close eye on Canadian mortgage rates with the understanding of how they’ll affect your clientele and their buying power should pay close attention to new inflation data in Canada, providing plenty of clues about where our rates are destined to be in the near future.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generations system for Canada has proven to be hugely beneficial for any realtor who’s not getting the traction they want out of traditional prospecting means. Leads are opportunities, and a part of making that opportunity into a client is in being especially well-informed and providing those insights to those prospective buyers.

Heightened Uncertainty

Much of this inflation data will seem quite technical at first glance, but the overall trends are not difficult to spot. Last week showed that our overall inflation rate – as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) – fell from 1.6% in September to 1.4% by the end of October. That’s scratching the bottom of the Bank of Canada’s (BoC) target band that sits at 1% to 3%, and well below the official 2% target. It would seem that inflation still isn’t pushing the Bank to raise its policy rate any time soon.

Within a mortgage-rate context, that means that variable-rate borrowers won’t likely see their rates rise over the near term, despite that being forecast. We’re also seeing subdued inflation taking pressure off Government of Canada (GoC) bond yields. These bonds determine how our fixed mortgage rates are priced.

Let’s first examine recent BoC observations about current inflation, and how the Bank is using monetary policy to manage inflationary risks through a period of heightened uncertainty. The interpretation of the inflation data by the BoC is more important than the inflation data itself.

The output gap is one of the key measures that the BoC uses to forecast inflation, measuring the gap between our economy’s actual output and it’s maximum potential output. As economic growth accelerates, the output gap begins to shrink and we eventually see a scenario where our economy’s resources outstrips its supply.

This results in rising costs, and the BoC would typically respond by raising its policy rate to slow economic growth and slow that inflationary pressure. Deciding on the right time to make that move isn’t easy, because our economy’s maximum potential output is not fixed and it’s not unlike trying to hit a moving target. Businesses invest in capacity expansion, technological advances improve productivity, and workers re-enter the workforce to change our maximum output capacities.

The Sweet Spot

Recent observations suggests that our economy is now hovering in an “inflationary sweet spot” where not only is the actual output expanding, but our maximum potential output is too. The significance of this is in the fact that it delays the closing of our output gap and extends our economy’s runway of non-inflationary growth. This sweet spot won’t be around indefinitely, but for as long as it is then the traditional correlation between growth and inflation won’t apply.

This current state of non-inflationary growth relieves the BoC of its concerns about needing to ease inflationary pressures in the near future. However, the Bank has repeatedly emphasized that it must be looking well ahead and into the future when establishing monetary policy. This may involve adjusting it pre-emptively.

So – if we’re trying to anticipate where mortgage rates are headed, an understanding of the BoC’s longer-term view will be required.

Here’s what they’re seeing:

  1. Wage costs, output potential, trade negotiations, and on the effects that the Bank’s two recent policy-rate increases are playing into our economic momentum quite strongly.
  1. The BoC’s monetary policy is “asymmetric” and geared to respond more aggressively to negative shocks than positive ones. The feeling is that it will be better to tighten monetary policy slowly as our economic prospects improve.
  1. The BoC is taking a patient approach because inflation has rested in the lower end of that 1-3% inflation target band for some time. Downside risks carry greater weight.
  1. There is concern that higher household debt is heightening the sensitivity of spending to interest rate increases. Add that to BoC’s belief that it can take up to twelve months for the economic impact of policy rate increases to be fully evaluated and it seems rate hikes aren’t likely to be considered again until 2018 is winding down.

Let’s now move to key data for this inflation analysis.

As mentioned above, CPI fell from 1.6% in September to 1.4% in October, and last year the BoC adopted three more technically detailed sub-measures called “CPI-common”, “CPI-trim” and “CPI-median”. Looking at each;

CPI–Trim is a measure of core inflation that excludes CPI components whose rates of change in a given month are located in the tails of the distribution of price changes. It allows for stability and doesn’t allow any single factor to pull at the overall picture. It was unchanged at 1.5% in October on a year-over-year basis.

CPI–Median plots the monthly percentage change in the price of each CPI item on a scale,then using the price change of the item at the mid-point of that scale as the CPI-median. This fell from 1.8% in September to 1.7% in October on a year-over-year basis.

CPI-Common is a measure of core inflation that tracks common price changes across categories in the CPI bundle, and it rose from 1.5% in September to 1.6% in October on a year-over-year basis. This suggests changes in overall aggregate demand, rather than sector-specific changes.

Summary

At least as far as the near term is concerned, the BoC’s belief is that our economy is currently in a favourable position where it can expand without promoting more inflationary pressures. When we look at this long term, the Bank advises monetary-policy caution, and that is ‘doable’ as long as inflation remains subdued. With this understanding, the consensus seems to be that both our variable and fixed mortgage rates will remain at or near today’s levels until we are well into the coming year of 2018.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive qualified, online-generated buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your protected region-of-choice in Canada. It’s a great way to build your client base, and as this Bank of Canada analysis reveals there’s no better time than the present to take advantage of more-stable mortgage rates through Canadian banks.

5 Daily Habits Of Most Successful Realtors

Published November 16, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Extensive series of a Caucasian Real Estate Agent and African-American Couple in front of a home.

Many people who are new to working as a real estate professional quickly come to realize that there certainly isn’t any truth to the idea that this is going to be a relatively easy, ‘get rich quick’ sort of career arrangement. Being successful in real estate requires hard work, dedication, and plenty of time – just like it is for any other career. If you want to get ahead and take a lion’s share of the pie when it comes to clients and listings, you’ll need to apply yourself in full AND make smart decisions along the way.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is a very productive tool for anyone who’s new to the business, and the fact it’s been so well received right across Canada suggests it’s a real asset for new realtors as well as those who are well established in their communities.

As stated above, you do in fact need to apply yourself in full and make smart decisions But you also stand to benefit greatly if you also begin developing good habits, and ones that you stick to nearly every day. Here is what some of the top real estate agents do on a daily basis to achieve and maintain successful businesses.

  1. Establish a Morning Ritual

Many real estate coaches advise that you begin every day with a morning ritual. Whether it’s meditation, prayer, yoga, exercise, or simply making a certain hot beverage a certain way, a daily ritual gets your mind in gear to take on the rest of the day.

Get up to date on the local market, looking at new listings, status changes, price updates and more and make your own notes – digital or on paper – about both how they’ll relate to your current efforts and what you see them being in the ‘bigger picture.’ Next, review your calendar so you know what’s coming up, and can prepare for the day accordingly. One surprisingly effective tip is to practice scripts and role playing to warm up to the communications you’ll conduct during the day.

  1. Time Block Your Schedule

Time blocking your schedule for specific activities makes it more likely that you can maintain a process for staying on track without becoming overwhelmed with your tasks. A successful realtor will be blocking time on his or her daily calendar for these activities:

  • Active prospecting
  • Follow-up and responding to leads
  • Showings and appointments

Further, some agents only schedule their showings and listing appointments during certain hours in the afternoon, which allow for keeping mornings open for follow-ups and prospecting.

Time blocking also helps you know when it’s time to call it a day, which is important in the interest of a healthy work-life balance. By sectioning your tasks into dedicated time slots with firm start and end times, you are much more likely to be better focused on tasks at hand.

  1. Prospect – The Smart Way

Hacking away at a gigantic database and trying to make sense of where you should focus your efforts isn’t going to work out well for anyone. Divide your database into smaller segments, and ones that are customized to your needs. Categorize leads by their price range, search area, leads you haven’t contacted yet, or ones that are active on your site.

Once these workable lists are in place, you will be able to reach greater numbers of leads faster, as well as make better tough decisions about which ones continue to be ‘warm’ and which ones are cold enough to be move to a back burner, or off the list entirely.

  1. Check Transaction Statuses

Even after a deal is closed and a home has been purchased from / by your client, there is still a significant amount of work that needs to be done to complete the entire transaction. It takes a lot of organization to make sure a transaction is running smoothly, and that everyone involved – from lenders to transaction coordinators and title and escrow companies to others further down the line – are all on the same page.

There are a number of new apps and other technologies that help realtors monitor ongoing transactions, check the status of them, and see what tasks still need to be done, along with tracking future closings that are in your pipeline. Look into them.

  1. Make Time for Healthy Living Pursuits and Relaxation

This career can really wear you out, especially when a day involves many tasks, meetings, AND driving all over town. A realtor who’s overly stressed or burned out is going to be at a disadvantage, so the last habit we’re going to relate here today is to make time for healthy living activities like exercise or hobbies in the evening, as well as making sure you can relax and unwind before getting the sleep you need.

You’ll be much better in the morning for both of them, and that’s a BIG plus for you when you take on the next day the same way you did this one. Definitely make healthy living pursuits and relaxation activities / techniques a part of your daily habits.

 

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive a guaranteed volume of buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your own exclusive region of your city in Canada. Many of the best ones have already been claimed, so don’t delay in claiming yours if you like the sound of many more prospect opportunities for your realty business. It’s proven effective, as our testimonials page will attest!

Census 2016: A Quick Review for Real Estate Agents

Published November 9, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

census, red stamp on a grunge paper textureFor the average Canadian, home ownership is on the decline, we can look at the high ownership cost in the three flagship cities as a direct correlation for this downswing. However, a higher rate of homeowners is now taking on mortgages, as well as a cost of carrying a home continues to show large growth. This is great news for those looking to sell homes on the market, and here at Real Estate Leads, we have the breakdown that matters.

5.6 million and counting

The total number of mortgages in the country grew to a staggering 5.6 million. Census 2016, which was conducted in early and mid-May 2017 showed 5,686,576 residential homeowners were still paying down a mortgage. This represents a 7.66% increase from the last long-form Census which was completed in 2011. However, this number is a little higher than expected, as unlike official numbers, the Census 2016 is self-reporting, and includes private mortgages. This is not normal for most real estate guides and does skew the numbers just a tad.

3% rise in homeowners with a mortgage

Another interesting stat to come out of the Census 2016 is that the rate of homeowners with mortgages got a 3% lift. Compared to 2011, the rate raised by 3.58% up to 60.7% of Canadians homeowners having a mortgage. This is an interesting trend, as although general homeownership is down, the rate of homes with a mortgage is up.

Homeowners costs are up 15.54%

Since 2011, we have seen costs go up substantially, but no more than those associated with homeowner costs. This median has risen over 15% to 15.54%, which is astronomically high. This would mean that the median cost of shelter from homeowners is $1130. Think about it this way, inflation growth over that same time period would only be 8%, this is almost double it. Consider the fact that we have a rapidly ageing population in this country, and the issues of affordability in our largest cities, it might represent a bit of a downturn in the market due to the cost of new homes.

So now what, well for us in the real estate business it is business as normal. Consider that only 1 in 7 people in Canada have a mortgage, and of the Canadian population, under 50% are currently part of the workforce. We have a new generation of home buyers, and although they have yet to start to flood the market, for those in the know, it is coming. Expect to be working with a smarter and better-educated client, and that is not a bad thing. What trends do you think will come out of the next long forum Census, continued decline in home ownership, or will we start to see things even out for the next generation? Leave your comments below!

Six Hallmarks of Successful Real Estate Agents

Published October 30, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Attractive Mixed Race Woman in Front of House and Sold Real Estate Sign.It’s been a while since we offered a blog post that wasn’t related to the nature of the market or the ins and outs of buying or selling a home for clients. Statistics reflect ever greater numbers of realtors becoming REB certified in most major cities in Canada, and while that’s to be expected it still poses competition issues for those who are new to the ‘game’ and feel a real need to start building their business with some expediency.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we’re happy to make our online real estate lead generation system available as a means of allowing these new realtors to start getting in touch with legitimate prospective clients in their area. We of course extend that invite to all of you, whether you’re new to the real estate business or well experienced. But today let’s get back to the basics and share tried-n-true approaches to getting your establishing yourself as a successful realtor, and sooner rather than later!

They are Genuinely Passionate about Real Estate

Quite plainly, nothing is more important than a genuine passion for both homes AND putting people in the right one for them. You need to get a real ‘kick’ out of doing so, and it MUST be more than simply a means of getting your commission. We can’t state this strongly enough.

They Return Calls and Emails with Little to No Delay

These are the realtors that take the opportunity of a lead and make something out of it the majority of the time. They immediately make contact and they follow up, answering any questions and perfectly happy to stay on the phone with clients for as long as the client needs to stay on the phone. They are never disconnected from email, text, and phone and they don’t loosen up on that until the entire client-service experience and transaction is complete.

What this does is foster and understanding in the client that they are very important to you, and that’ obviously a huge plus. In addition, be open to switching your communication avenue to match the client’s preferences. If the client prefers text, then text. If the client prefers calls, then call. Pretty simple really.

They are Familiar and Capable with the Latest Tech

This may be a challenge for some, and older newer realtors in particular. If you’re not 100% adept with modern communication devices and applications, putting time (and perhaps money) into getting up to speed with them ASAP is highly recommended. Most successful realtors are all about their tablets and smartphones, and you’ll find many are also quite capable with higher-end DSLR cameras. They make sure they have great data plans so they are never stuck without a remote internet connection. They try to go paperless as much as possible. They put nearly as much time into learning about technology as they do learning about the changing real estate industry in Canada.

They Know Their Neighbourhoods Explicitly Well

You want to become a “neighbourhood expert” as soon as possible. All top agents are walking, talking encyclopedias of what the neighbourhood offers for a prospective new home owner considering buying in the area. They know what’s on the market, what has sold recently, and the overall status of the neighborhood, including planned changes and developments lined up for the future. Becoming this way doesn’t just ‘happen’, you have to put in the time to learn and always have your ear to the ground to stay on top of what’s new in the neighbourhood.

They Are Entirely Open and Transparent Regarding Their Work

Successful agents don’t just make themselves available and then conduct their work out of sight until the client has a buyer for their home, or a new home to buy. The best ones are very active in ensuring their actions are entirely on display and relatable for the client. When they meet with the client for the first time they explain the process, the potential roadblocks, and any of the more likely scenarios that could occur. They keep the client entirely in the know with negotiations, and in this regard it’s better to be ‘overloading’ the client with information rather than supply a ‘reasonable’ amount of it.

Further, they discuss any perceived need to adjust their strategy with the client very proactively. Try to aim to make yourself so transparent in your operations that it’s unlikely that clients would even have the need to inquire about what you’re doing. But when they do, go on at great length and be very clear in why you think it’s the best course of action.

They Generate Leads by Any and All Means Necessary

Leads are nothing more than opportunities, and not all opportunities will lead to a new client. This is true in many cases where even doing everything in your power isn’t going to convert the lead into a client. That’s the nature of the business, always has been and always will be. Smart agents are experimenters, they try out different types of lead sources, they explore different types of ad campaigns, and they analyze what works and what doesn’t. They understand that having a social media presence is important and that advertising and promotion efforts need to be constantly reevaluated and changed given the current climates in the business.

They Have GREAT Networks

The best and most successful agents don’t just have a network to generate clientele, they have a network of top-notch real estate agent partners who have the same understanding of what’s required of them to be the top agents they are. They know the best contractors, appraisers, lenders, and insurance providers in the business. Aim to be a hub of a group of professionals that can advise and assist with anything real estate or home related. Top agents care for their network and are happy to refer clients to other agents from whom they can rely on receiving the best service. Further, they know and can identify realtors who don’t make the grade in this regard. Admittedly, the second part of that equation is one that takes some time to acquire

The best realtors are knowledgeable, authentic, and equal parts driven and passionate to really help people find themselves in the right home for that stage of their life. You too can become one of them, and signing up with Real Estate Leads here is a great start to begin generating those ‘opportunities’ we’ve been talking about. Follow the tips we’ve laid out for you here and you’ll almost certainly see more of your opportunities successfully converted into clients.

New Mortgage Stress Tests Taking Hold In Canada Eliminates Many Would-Be Buyers

Published October 23, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Ärger im GeschäftBuying a home has been a daunting prospect for many people for decades, and particularly so these days given the projections of just how extensively you’re going to stretch yourself to afford a home in Canada’s most popular and hotly-contested metro areas. Now, however, it’s not only a daunting prospect but increasingly an impossible one for many would-be buyers given the new mortgage qualification standards set to come into effect in early 2018.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we’re pleased with how our online real estate lead generation system has been so well received by realtors across Canada. We also enjoy discussing how certain trends in the industry have the potential to weigh in with the livelihood of realtors like you, as well as affect the prosperity of the clients that are so essential to the wellbeing of your business.

This is most certainly one of them, as it means that fewer households than ever before we’ll be deemed to be worthy of lending to purchase a home. Let’s have a look.

West Coast Prospective Buyers Bearing the Brunt

Most notably it’s Vancouver real estate buyers that could find themselves severely disadvantaged. The federal Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) has introduced draft guidelines around the regulations of mortgage lending. The mortgage industry’s disdain for the decision is readily apparent, and it’s certainly not difficult to see why. Vancouver prospective buyers would be most at risk of seeing their buying capacities constrained, but all across the country we would see the already low number of households that could buy be reduced even further – and by quite a bit.

Let’s look inside this ‘Stress Test’, shall we? The first thing that’s a need to know fact is that conventional mortgages are to be tested at 200 bps above contract rate.

A conventional mortgage is one that’s predicated on a down payment higher than 20%. 200 bps in simpler terms is 2%. The new ‘reality’ will be that any mortgage with a down payment higher than 20% will now require that the borrower proves they can pay the mortgage at a rate that’s 2% higher.

At the most basic level this regulation makes sense. Interest rates are predicted to fluctuate in coming years, and buyers should be able to accommodate spikes – particularly given that mortgages need to be renewed over the course of the term. Essentially, conventional borrowers would now be on the same page as insured borrowers.

Detractors oppose this new regulation for many reasons, but none more prominently than this one; the likelihood of home prices dropping 20%+ is slimmer than the 5% required for an insured mortgage. In all fairness, that’s a solid argument but as is always the case there’s nearly certainly a number of extenuating possibilities that are factoring into the OSFI’s decision.

Lotus Land Letdown

In today’s lending atmosphere, few families and surprisingly few individuals as well can afford a conventional mortgage in Vancouver on a typical home. And as we haven’t dropped a staggering statistic yet, here you go – a typical home in Vancouver is now a hard-to-believe $1,037,300 according to the REBGV (Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver). And that’s a typical composite, and not even a detached home. If you want one of those in both Vancouver and Toronto you’d better have extensive financial means.

What would appear to be the lowest mortgage rate now is somewhere in the vicinity of 2.89%. So let’s now work with that around a 20% down payment. That works out to only 24.21% of Vancouver households being able to carry the payments for a typical home under these new rules. In addition, this is also based on a decent credit rating for the applicant. The fact that just 4.1% of homes traded hands last year bears out the fact that fewer and fewer people are being deemed as qualified to borrow for buying a home.

Potentially Wide-Reaching Implications

The consensus seems to be that the proposed guidelines will reduce buying power by just over 25% overall. Vancouver will of course be significantly impacted, but there other spots in the country as well and you can probably name them off the top of your head as easily as we can. Stress testing drops the number of Census households that could carry a traditional mortgage on a typical home down to 16.68%, which as you might imagine is a brand new low and obviously concerning for those of us who make our living in the real estate business and want the industry to keep ALL afloat, not just a select few.

Looking at some other hotspots, 49% of Census households in Toronto have up until now been able to carry the payments for a typical home in Hogtown. The new regulations will make it that only 40% of households will be able to do so.

Now of course this is not some sort of arbitrary and punitive decision introduced at the Federal level to impinge a buyer’s ability to buy homes. There’s two sides to these numbers. Seeing to it that people can continue to pay their mortgage at a higher rate is clearly a responsibility. However, there of course will be fewer numbers of people who will be able to borrow. Accordingly, we’ll see transaction volume decrease significantly as less buyers qualify or home prices will drop as fewer qualified buyers will be active in the market.

Neither prospect is going to be particularly appealing for realtors, but you just have to believe in the ‘invisible hand’, if you will, that has been dictating ebbs and flows in this industry for many decades now.

5 Networking Tips for Ambitious New Realtors

Published October 17, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Real estate business search buy house for sale security web building concept. Construction architecture magnifier social network insurance realtor technologyWith the success of our online real estate lead generation system, we here at Real Estate Leads can safely assume that a good number of our new signups are going to be real estate agents who are new to the business and eager to hit the ground running. There’s no substitute for hard work and taking initiative to build your business, and getting our system behind you is a great co-starting move.

With that understood, networking is the real key to both establishing yourself in your region and making a name for yourself as a reliable professional. Learning how to network effectively is a must if this is going to be your chosen profession. With this understood, it’s quite surprising that so many realtors – both new and established – don’t do their best to maximize their networking efforts. Here’s our list of networking tips and suggestions which so many have found useful in the early stages of their real estate careers.

  1. Be Selective in Building your Professional Associates Team

Identify a successful realtor in your office or in the city. Chances are he or she has a collection of competent and trustworthy people that are critical to the success of their real estate business. The key is building relationships with individuals and firms in your community that have already built strong reputations for themselves.

These individuals can be your mortgage broker, home inspector, tradespersons, or anyone else with whom you’ll be doing repeat business that’s mutually beneficial. Also aim to build good working relationships with complementary businesses, most namely real estate industry vendors with whom you don’t directly compete. Make it a goal to identify and meet a network of vendors to whom you can refer clients, and vice versa. It will do immensely beneficial for your professional network.

  1. Create a Professional Website, and Start Blogging on It

It’s highly advisable to see your real estate business as a digital media business and communicate and promote it via digital means as often as possible. This starts with your website; make sure to have one that is modern, attractive, and laid out with functionality first in mind. We’ll go ahead and assume that few if any of you are capable of building one on your own, and so it’s best to spend the money it costs to have yours built and nicely detailed by a web design professional.

It’s also wise to buy into the belief that every house tells a story. Many times the character and story of a home is lost in its listing description, but if you host a blog through your site (and you should) you have unlimited opportunities to expand upon the detailing of the house and its benefits. You don’t have to possess any natural ability as a writer, just be yourself and start writing. If you’ve got concerns about grammar, spelling, or anything similar of the sort you can hire an editor to go over your stuff once a week.

Make use of local imagery and don’t rely on stock building and property photos. Showcase the best that your area has to offer by publishing high-res photos of local town landmarks and familiar sites. That successful real estate is often the product of great photography is oh so true. Keep that in mind for your website

Last but not least, take every opportunity to link to other reputable real estate information sources from your website / blog. It will establish your authority.

  1. Social Media

Social media is now well established as a powerful tool to connect with your clients, and it also creates a great opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise with your clients in an easily shareable and digestible format. When other users interact with your social media posts, respond to all inquiries, emails, and messages across all channels without delay (checking every night at some point is a good idea).

Interact with users, share good press, and promote your properties but don’t overdo it – you don’t want to bombard viewers with your listings and make them become resentful of the overload. Make yourself easy to contact and it’s recommended be an active user on multiple channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc). Facebook and Twitter are best for sharing your listings, and you then promote your properties on major real estate aggregators like Zillow and Trulia. Don’t be overly ‘salesy’ in your communications, keep it natural and more along the lines of ‘hey, you might want to just have a look at this.’

  1. Attend Conferences and Industry Events

Some people will not be receptive to this suggestion, and usually because they think ‘I go all day and I need to rest in the evening.’ Try to dial up the energy and commitment to get to these events, as they’re also very beneficial! These networking events are about engaging with other professionals in your industry. You should see them as opportunities to learn about new market information and innovations your colleagues are using to the benefit of their business. Not only will you learn for yourself, but they’ll be receptive to your interest and most of them will be happy to have further ‘work-related’ conversations with you in the future. Eventually, they may come to hold you in high regard and be willing to refer you.

When there, also try to expand your geographical network by engaging with influencers from other areas of your Province and, once you’re a veteran of these events, make it a point to look up your past connections for coffee or drinks. You’ll be maintaining and strengthening your relationships.

  1. Be Active in Your Local Community

It’s very important to be able to build rapport with others and relate to different types of when you work as a real estate professional. A big part of this for many is establishing a consistent presence within your own community and participating in community initiatives whenever the opportunity presents itself. Community involvement not only expands your client base, but it will also strengthen your knowledge of the neighbourhoods where these properties are located and the makeup of the community itself. Here are a few ideas of what you can do:

  • Local sponsorship of festivals, teams, or events. Great for branding and business recognition
  • Volunteer – Donate time to local groups and organizations. Volunteering for a local chapter of Habitat for Humanityis a smart choice for realtors given the relation to housing
  • Education – Offer to be available for local schools during career days; it’s an engaging way to generate real estate leads. Offer your expertise to local colleges or universities teaching real estate courses.

Last but not least, THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX when it comes to ideas how you can expand and strengthen your professional realtor network. Be creative and don’t be afraid to take risks, particularly if there’s little to no cost involved for you. And again, don’t overlook the value of old-fashioned door knocking, especially if you’re a gregarious and well-spoken individual.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive qualified online-generated buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your exclusively-owned region of the country. It’s a great way to start building your bank of prospective clients, and from there you can put your skills to good use turning them from prospects into actual clients!

Best of luck to all the new realtors who’ve joined us here, happy to have you!

4 Pre-Construction Closing Costs Homebuyers Should Be Aware Of

Published October 2, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Sanierung EinfamilienhausThere’s no debating that buying a home during a pre-sale or even further in advance of construction beginning has many benefits. In addition to more agreeable pricing as the first buyer, your clients will also have more in the way of options for customizing their home, modifying it to accommodate a mortgage-helper suite if need be, etc. etc. As well, presale buyers will often have a grandfathered-in clause allowing them autonomy over whether or not they choose to rent out their unit, independent of complex-specific rental restrictions.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online lead generation system for realtors in Canada has been so especially well received by realtors coast to coast, and we believe that helping you have further success with the increased opportunities it’s providing for you is beneficial for one and all. A knowledgeable realtor is always one held in high regard by prospective clients, so this week we’ll yet again share information on a subject yours may well want to know of – pre-construction closing costs.

They tend to be rather unexpected surprises for many a buyer, and you’ll be fostering better relations between them and yourself if you can make them better aware of these costs long before they near their closing on purchasing a home.

A Few Last Pricey Hurdles

It’s easy to get caught off guard with closing costs when buying a pre-construction home. They’ll vary depending on the value of the home, the municipality in which it’s located, and whether you’re a first-time home buyer or not.

As a general rule of thumb, advise your clients to have 2 – 4% of the purchase price earmarked for closing related costs.

Some of the most common of these added closing costs are:

  1. Development Charges

Pre-construction properties most often have development levies at the insistence of the city. The property developer will almost always pick up the lion’s share of them, but a portion of these costs are still passed on to the individual or couple purchasing the home. These development levies are very necessary; they go towards capital and operational expenses for the city, like building new schools, maintain utilities infrastructure, or funding new transit initiatives.

Clients considering buying a pre-construction home should aim to be very clear on whether or not there’s a cap on development charges, unless they’d like to be surprised at closing perhaps. Low rise homes will have their own specific charges, for benefits such as driveway paving, community tree planting, and work needing to be done to meet municipal building specs. Of course, every situation is different – you can go ahead and recommend your clients consult with a real estate lawyer you trust, in order to review the documents and be 100% clear on applicable fees.

  1. New Home Warranty

A New Home warranty is the term used for a warranty for a buyer’s pre-construction home. What’s typically covered within it?

  • A multi-year warranty for major structural defects
  • Deposits (paid to the builder in advance of the construction of the home)
  • Certain defects in work and material Protection against unauthorized substitutions
  • Coverage for common elements in condominiums
  • Compensation for construction delays or occupancy
  • Against financial loss for contract homes

More information in regards to these different coverages are found at the different new home warranty providers’ websites, depending on your Province. The cost of enrollment is – not surprisingly – dependent on the purchase price of your client’s home.

Ontario – Tarion

British Columbia – New Home Warranty via BC Housing

Alberta – ANHWP

Saskatchewan – NHWP.org

Manitoba – MBNHWP

Quebec – RBQ

New Brunswick / Nova Scotia / PEI / Newfoundland – AHWP

  1. Taxes

There are a pair of main taxes on pre-construction homes; the first is the provincial land transfer tax, and the next is provincial sales taxes. If your clients are purchasing a new townhouse, condo or house, however, there may also be an additional municipal land transfer tax.

In Ontario, for example, rates vary with their land transfer tax, depending on the purchase price of the home. Using the same example as above, a $532,000 home would correlate to a land transfer tax bill of approximately $7,100. Keep in mind that first-time homebuyers will likely be eligible for a $4,000 rebate.

To make it simpler, I recommend using RateHub’s land transfer tax calculator to determine the approximate amount your clients will come out at. (Can be used for any Province)

Pre-construction project pricing usually include the GST, or HST depending on your Province. In fact, the builders get a tax rebate on your behalf. Keep this in mind though – if the property is not going to be their principal residence and instead is going to be an investment property, in some (not all) Provinces you will face a tax bill that’s a percentage of your home’s purchase price. If you’re planning on using the home as an investment, be sure to budget for this additional tax.

Foreign buyers should also keep in mind that there’s also an additional 15-per-cent Non Resident Speculative Tax (NRST) for buyers in Metro Vancouver and Metro Toronto, which of course has been smartly implemented to protect housing for Canadians living in those metro areas.

  1. Lawyer Fees

Last but not least, there will also be lawyer fees that need to be accounted for. Real estate lawyers have a pair of main responsibilities; the first is conducting a title search, and the second is preparing an adjustment statement. This includes closing costs plus any additional applicable fees. It’s typical to expect to pay somewhere between $1200 – $1700 in legal fees, depending on the purchasing specifics. It’s always best to shop around for competitive rates, and going with experienced real estate lawyers is best.

It’s definitely stressful, but buying a new home is overall an enjoyable experience for most people. As a realtor you have the most power to make it so your clients’ experience, and by signing up with Real Estate Leads here you’ll have all the more opportunities to do what you do best and ensure your clients are 100% happy with every step of the process AND without too many unexpected surprising costs.

Disturbing Trend? 2017 Q2 Saw Canadian Debt-to-Disposable Income Load Rise

Published September 25, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Rising house sales conceptThe term ‘house poor’ is one that nearly everyone will know, as it’s been put out there en masse in reference to the way in which a large number of Canadians have a disproportionately large percentage of their monthly income dedicated to mortgage payments and the like. With that much debt, they’re quite often is position where they’re affording the roof over their heads, and not much else.

Disposable income is entirely a foreign term for these folks, and it seems like there’s ever greater numbers of them these days.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we’ve been pleased to see our online lead generation system for realtors a great success, and we further enjoy sharing perspective on the subject that pertains to everyone who’ll visit here – buying or selling a home. And this particular subject – the debt to disposable income load for Canadians and the fact the numbers are constantly rising – is definitely one to have a long look at.

Statistics Canada latest findings announced that the amount Canadians owed compared with their disposable income climbed higher over the second quarter of this year.

Household credit market debt in Canada – as a proportion of household disposable income- increased to 167.8 per cent, which is a staggering jump of 166.6 %in the first quarter. To put that in layman’s terms, for every dollar of household disposable income, the individual is carrying $1.68 in credit market debt on average.

This increase in the debt ratio arrived just as household net worth on a per capita basis fell by an average of $1,300, down to $285,900. Over that same period household income increased by 1.2%, paralleled by household credit market debt rising 1.9%.

The general consensus is that a decline in household net worth that coincides with a sharp increase in consumer credit growth indicates that the ability of households to absorb higher interest rates is diminishing, and quite significantly at that.

Further troubling is that overall household credit market debt, including consumer credit, mortgage and non-mortgage loans, came out to a total of nearly $2.08 trillion over this time period. Mortgage debt increased 1.6% to $1.36 trillion, while consumer credit levels went up by 2.4% to $609.6 billion.

Ideally – and intelligently – increased mortgage debt should be countered by decreasing consumer debt levels, not the other way around. And keep in mind as well that household indebtedness poses a significant risk to the economic health of the country. This is particularly true in regions that have greater sensitivity to higher interest rates, like B.C. and Ontario.

Experts agree that the forecast is one where the ‘spending environment’ (and not just for consumers, businesses and governments too) will be much more of a challenge in the fact of recent interest rate hikes instituted by the Bank of Canada. We can expect further deterioration in the debt service ratio in the coming quarters it would seem, and that in itself has the potential for major repercussions in the housing market.

Naturally, a healthy and active housing market is of great benefit to those of you who are realtors. Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and supercharge your prospecting efforts with qualified online-generated buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your exclusive region of the country. Take the opportunities they provide for you and turn them into clients!

Canadian Home Sales Likely to Drop to Lowest Level in 3 Years

Published September 19, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Residences in South Richmond BC a close neighborhood.Despite certain suggestions to the contrary and the assurances of others, it appears that 2018 will see Canadian home sales dropping to their lowest level in three years, driven in large part by a measurable decline in Ontario. All of this according to the Canadian Real Estate Association, and a forecast that comes with both troubling and promising aspects depending on which side of the owner / buyer fence you’re on.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we understand that predictions of this variety will weigh heavily with those of you who make up the bulk of our audience and registrants – realtors. Our online lead generation system for realtors has been a big success, and we feel that sharing relevant information regarding the national market and facilitating discussion around it benefits everyone.

So let’s look at this forecast in greater detail.

A Noticeable Dip

The association’s expectation is that a number slightly in excess of 495,100 will indicate the number of homes to be sold next year, downgrading its sales forecast for 2017 with a 9.9% drop in August as compared to a year ago.

Come January and the beginning of 2018, the prediction is that sales will fall 2.3% through 2018, and further that the remainder of 2017 will see a 5.3% decline on the original forecast of roughly 506,000 homes to be sold between June 1 and Dec.31 of this year, a number that’s approximately 20K less than what was first forecast in June of this year.

Looking at in greater depth, it’s interesting to note that seasonally adjusted sales in August rose 1.3% from the prior month, in large part due to a 14.3% boost coming from the GTA area. While that in itself will sound promising, the fact that sales in this area are down 35% from a year ago tempers the positivity considerably.

More than a few industry experts believe that the worst may have passed for the GTA, especially following provincially-implemented policy changes restricting foreign buyers, but there’s a lack of anything tangible to bear out that optimism.

Similar Outcomes Elsewhere

The CREA expects sales in British Columbia and Ontario will show themselves to have fallen by 10% or so by the end of 2017, and of course that’s in comparison to record highs set in 2016.

Sales last month were down in nearly 2/3 of all local markets, led by the country’s most populated greater metro area – Greater Toronto and its nearby housing markets.

Meanwhile, out west in Vancouver, August sales were up 7.3% from July and 21.3% higher than where they came in a year ago. Given the ever-hot and fast moving nature of the market in the Lower Mainland, homebuyers are of course watching mortgage rates carefully. Recent interest rate increases are prompting some to make offers before the rates make the scheduled climb, but at the same time others are pulling back.

Housing prices, however, continue to climb and seem unaffected by the dip-in-sales trend, at least for now. The average price for a home sold last month was $472,247, which is up 3.6% compared to a year ago. Greater Toronto was up 3.1%, and Greater Vancouver came in at 17.9%.

The national average price excluding these 2 regions? $373,859.

That number is expected to be up 3.4% to $507,700 come the end of December, which is lower than the prior forecast and that’s in large part because of fewer luxury home sales in Ontario’s Greater Golden Horseshoe region.

The projected 0.6% drop to $503,500 next year is expected to be a reflection of a record number of high-end home sales around Toronto earlier this year, but the fact that that likely won’t be repeated in 2018 is behind the drop.

Other Projections by Area

Newfoundland and Labrador sales this year are forecast to dip by 8.1%.

Saskatchewan should decline by about 4%.

Alberta is predicted to buck the trend, and projected to have Canada’s largest increase here at 7.4%. While that’s a plus for sure, it’s still below the provincial 10-year average.

Last but not least, sales are forecast to expand 5.4 % in Quebec and 5.7% in New Brunswick.

With all of this understood, we’ll of course have to wait and see if these predictions materialize. Should they do so, it will of course mean a bit of a downswing in the industry but as the old saying goes ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going.’ Put more into your prospecting efforts and apply yourself more stringently and you’ll be able to keep your earnings where they need to be.

Of course, signing up with Real Estate Leads here is a great idea to supercharge those efforts. You’ll receive qualified online-generated buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your exclusively-retained area / neighbourhood of your home province. From there, what you turn this opportunities into is up to you!

4 Innovative Approaches to Marketing Real Estate

Published September 7, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

one house with a web address bar and a signboard with text: for sale, concept of real estate on the web (3d render)

Ask any realtor what’s the number one engine driving change in the way properties are marketed and he or she will almost certainly reply that it’s technology, and web-based ones in particular. As is always the case, it’s those who adapt to and embrace these new technologies who gain the greatest amount of benefit from them before their use and application becomes commonplace. Here at Real Estate Leads, we’re obviously keen on new technologies too, having brought our own offering to the table with our online lead generation system for realtors in Canada that’s been especially well received.

Technology comes from innovation, and in turn technology is implemented with innovative approaches to using it. These new approaches can give real estate agents and brokers and edge in an increasingly crowded place. Embracing changing technology, generating unique content, and carving out a specialty niche to stand out from the competition is highly recommended.

Here are 4 innovative marketing trends for real estate agents or brokers.

Video or Live Streaming of Property or Neighbourhood Walk-Throughs

Most of us can take quality 1080p HD video with our smartphones, and video has the potential to be an enormous marketing asset. People by and large pay more attention to videos than text communications and, as of this year, video constitutes 74% of all web traffic.

Short, bite sized videos let real estate agents quickly and easily share the appeal of a specific property. Many brokerages or individual real estate agents will have a prominent section of their website dedicated to video real estate listings.

What’s exploded in popularity these days among realtors, however, is live streaming. It’s a fact that people spend 3x longer watching live streaming video than they are willing to give to other forms of video.

That should sound plenty good to real estate agents: they can live stream videos to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or other social media platforms to allow potential clients an in-person look at available properties or neighbourhood hot spots.

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to ‘go live’ on YouTube –

Target Specific SEO Keywords Highlighting Your Real Estate Niche

In real estate, 9 times out of 10 your buyer or seller will come from a targeted audience. Keep in mind though that the website of an individual real estate agent won’t able to compete with the well-paid SEO efforts of MLS giants like Zillow.com or Realtor.com. That’s not to say you can’t increase the visibility of your site for search engine like Google and the like, and the key to doing so is by identifying related keywords that are specific to your niche or location – whatever or wherever that may be.

The key here is to NOT attempt these revisions to the text on your website – unless you’re an SEO professional or experienced web copywriter. If you’re not familiar with SEO optimization, meet with one of these experts and share what it is that makes YOU unique in your capacity to serve SPECIFIC customers in YOUR area. He or she will then incorporate these changes to your web copy, without ‘stuffing’ the content – which is the common mistake made by anyone who attempts to DIY upgrade their search engine optimization. It needs to read naturally for 2 reasons; first, keyword stuffing really reads awfully, and second, Google and other major search engines will actually penalize you for it – meaning it will actually harm your website’s SEO!

Zoom in on hyper-local keywords such as neighbourhoods or even postal codes. Are you an expert in neighborhoods like Kingsway or Spruce Grove, for example? Content marketing that’s developed according to specific neighborhoods is getting big. Smart real estate agents or brokers make their targeted locations clear, so as suggested above go ahead and ask around and be open to paying for the services of a professional.

Use a Real Estate Website Building Service

The majority of you won’t have hours or thousands of dollars to spend constructing and maintaining a real estate website. Most realtors will have a website, but the technology associated with web development has grown in leaps and bounds and you stand to benefit immensely if you upgrade to one of the much more dynamic websites that are available these days.

Much the same as above, don’t hesitate to pay a web developer to build you a website that’s both a reflection of the calibre of your business and one that’s particularly engaging for would-be clients that visit it.

Here is a list of the top web developers in Canada.

Many of these new super dynamic real estate sites are MLS integrated and easily customized to target a variety of audience types, generate leads, and more. Your developer may also be able to incorporate building pages, which show a specific development’s unique story. Speaking of stories…

Tell & Sell the Real Estate Story

As is the case in every industry now, content marketing in real estate is more powerful by the day. Realtors can and should be able to sell the experience and tell a great story, whether on their own (you’re likely a much better writer than you’re aware) or with the help of a content marketing specialist. Create content that focuses on the neighborhoods you cover; for example, what are the 3 best schools in that area? What sports or recreational pursuits are available in the nearby vicinity? You get the idea.

Also, when you’re putting together your content make sure you’re not simply rolling out one ‘fact’ after another. The best stories create a bond between you and your prospective clients. Research has shown that 92% of consumers want marketing materials that share some type of story where they can imagine themselves in the experience, rather than being told ‘it’s like this, it’s like that’ . Be creative, especially with your real estate blog posts. Share an engaging bit with them about what their experience could well be in their new home.

These are but 4 examples of ways you can harness the power of new digital media for your benefit with your real estate business. Of course, signing up with Real Estate Leads here and enjoying online-generated qualified buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively each month will be similarly beneficial, and we bet you’ll be plenty intrigued with our service once you dig into the details of it a bit.

7 Unobtrusive Friendly Tips to Offer to First-Time Home Sellers

Published August 29, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Business partnership. House agent greeting customer in officeYou’ve secured your client and they’ve agreed to list their home with you. Great, you’ve turned your opportunity into a client and your prospecting strategies are paying off. There’s standard protocol choices that a realtor will go through when he or she determines that the client is a first-time home seller, and it’s good to have a less-procedural approach sometimes as you move through the stages of listing and selling their home.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system has been very helpful for realtors all across Canada, and as we’ve stated many times, prospecting effectively in real estate is all about establishing relationships, expanding your skill base, and – most importantly – making every opportunity into the most it can be. Sellers who sell their home quickly and / or get their asking price or beyond will hold you in very high regard, and quite likely request your services again years down the road.

As regards that less-procedural approach, it can be very helpful to make less-important but still valuable tips to your clients and present them in a very conversational way. Let’s discuss a few of them here:

Know and Suggest the Best Day to List the Home

Experienced realtors will know the best days and seasons to list a home based on it’s specifics and / or location . This time period will vary depending on the local community, the weather, time of year, and a host of other factors, and of course including the vibrancy of the present real estate market – or lack of it. This is a great one to discuss with your new clients very early on in the process

Be Direct About the Suitability for Immediate Showing

It’s perfectly acceptable and entirely advisable to be up front with people about whether their home is ready for showing, or what it needs to get to that point. Allow an open house if the home is conducive to an open house.

Showing a home that is not ready for it can mean a squandered opportunity with a potential buyer who may have been willing to pay asking price, a big loss for owners who are looking to move their home quickly and for the price they want.

Be Proactive in Preparing a House for Showing

Related to the above, an agent should be very involved in both recommending and working to make the home truly ready for sale. Most homes show better with about half of the furniture removed. Ideally buyers walk in the door and can get the feel for the space they’ll have at their disposal. Another industry-wide choice is home staging to boost selling power and appeal.

Painting is often the single best improvement you can make. Dings in the woodwork or gouges in the walls make your home suggest there’s going to be deferred maintenance. Always a big negative for an prospective buyer.

Advise Flexibility with Showings

In as simply a suggestion manner as possible you should suggest your clients be flexible with showings. If they’re too much of an imposition, you might suggest they go away the first weekend their home is on the market. Sure, some might think it a bit intrusive to make a suggestion of that magnitude, but you’d be surprised how many couples are quite receptive to it. The best way to sell your home is to let a buyer inside with the buyers’ agent to tour in absolute peace and quiet.

Use your judgment whether or not to suggest having a family member or pet of any sort be absent from the home during showings. Again, you are being a professional and working in the ENTIRETY of your clients best interests. They should be understanding and appreciative of that Use judgment, but do be firm in saying what you feel needs to be said.

Recommend Professional Photography

Most clients will make this move on their own, but if not you are wise to make very clear how much they’ll benefit from working with a professional photographer who has a high-end 20+ megapixel DSLR camera. Advise them that it’s not enough to just get the angle right in the photo, the most popular photos are rich in colour, depth, and sharpness and they are visually appealing in a way that a series of snaps from a smartphone or point n’ shoot camera simply can’t be. Suggest further that they approve the virtual tour or photo tour before it is published online and / or in print.

Suggest Regular Monitoring of the Listing Online

Homeowners will know the property better than anyone, and it’s quite common to have ones make suggestions, queries etc. on the listing of their home as they are exposed to each day or several days a week via their computer or smartphone. As such, suggest your clients review their listing online regularly. Suggest that they can look at their home listing on various websites, also to make sure the information is always being stated accurately.

Agents do their best to ensure accuracy, but since it is their home, they’ll know the details better than anyone. When they spot something may be amiss, they’ll contact you immediately and you can react from there.

Share the Advisability of Booking Movers Well in Advance

Once an offer is accepted and a possession date is confirmed, tell you clients about how it’s very much in their best interests to book a moving service early if they intend to use one. The end of the month is always the busiest time of the year due to the rental market, and they can also help themselves out by starting to pack once the offer is accepted, even if the possession date has yet to be agreed upon.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here to have online generated qualified real estate buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively and for your own protected region of the country. We’ll get you some leads, and you’ll work your magic in turning those opportunities into clients!

Housing Slowdown Could Bite Real Estate Industry as a Whole

Published August 15, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

REL-DepressedMarketsArticleNo one is going to suggest that the Canadian Real Estate Market Goes as the markets in Vancouver and Toronto go, but there’s also no denying that the each of these locales and size and intensity of the housing markets there have some serious sway in the national picture. Foreign buyer restriction legislation introduced in both has had an effect in cooling the local market, and as such there’s been something of a downturn from coast-to-coast when evaluated as a whole.

To be sure, there are other factors contributing to a drop in home sales in Canada in certain areas, and there’s also the issue of where certain side industries related to real estate have been set up based on the understanding that the market will continue to grow, or at the very least stay consistent. The contrary of that hasn’t materialized yet, but there’s rumblings that a significant downturn could be on its way.

Here at 4GoodHosting we’re keen to offer our online lead generation system for realtors, but we’re also wise to the twists and turns of the industry and this topic is definitely one that’s worth discussing.

The prospect of a performance drop for the Canadian residential real estate market looming just beyond the horizon has been forecast for years, and it’s a development that might prompt a mass exodus among the thousands of workers that have entered the sector over the past few years and buoyed to do so by the growth they saw in it. This included everyone from agents and home stagers to construction workers and tradespeople like home inspectors.

The big picture issue is that the loss of a large number of skilled industry-related professionals might lead to even more of an industry slowdown, and – in the even bigger picture – a troublesome slowdown of a national economy that has become accustomed to leaning heavily on the housing industry.

Take a look at red-hot Toronto, for example. The number of real estate agents working in the metro region has grown to over 48,000 since 2008, representing an increase of 77% that’s compared to a 26.9% growth country-wide during the same period.

More Risk for Tertiary Interest / Employment Groups

There’s no disputing that a lot of people see real estate as their get-rich-quick scheme, but as we’ve seen across generations – when the market turns, a good majority of these agents leave the industry. Of course, there has nearly always been too many realtors in major urban centres in Canada, and some would say that this downturn might actually have something of a benefit in that it would weed out of some of those agents who got into the business for the wrong reasons.

Realtors who are reputable, well established, skilled, and financially solid will be more likely to weather the storm, but it is those tertiary sector jobs that will almost certainly take a hit and where the ‘established’ individuals won’t have the buffers they need to necessarily survive the downtimes.

Much of this will be related to the fact that home stagers, remediation pros, inspectors etc etc. are directly affected by the basic number of homes being bought and sold. They don’t have the additional interests or revenue streams that a realtor may have, and this will be particular true of service providers who aren’t well and long-term established.

Not a Cause for Immediate Concern

Most senior economists, however, seem to be of the belief that such a decline will not be an immediate threat, with the consensus being that the jobs slowdown will not occur in a single month, but over a six-month to one-year period, and the hit to consumption may take up to a couple of years to really be felt significantly.

Others still argue that the impact will be more pronounced and longer-lasting, perhaps even going so far as to cut down Canada’s annual GDP growth rate by 0.5% over the next 5 years.

One thing is almost certain – there’s going to be a “sharp” housing correction in Toronto and Vancouver, but whether or not that translates nationally remains to be seen. The results came right before recent data showing a 6.7 per cent drop in national home resales in June, the largest monthly decline since 2010 and the third consecutive month of such decreases.

As a realtor, you’re working in your best interests to carry on with extensive prospecting and marketing efforts to keep building your name so that you’re in good stead no matter what the future may bring in the real estate business. Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive qualified online-generated buyer and seller leads every month delivered to you exclusively.

Appraising Clients on The Best Ways to Approach Bidding Wars

Published August 10, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

3D Render of Morph Man with house and gavelReal Estate markets in certain locales across Canada are as hot as they’ve ever been, and there’s no getting around the fact that it means that bidding wars are often the norm for attractive properties. Here at Real Estate Leads we’ve put a lot of effort into providing our online lead generation system for realtors together, but another part of what we do is share industry insight that realtors can share with their clients OR those clients can benefit it from it themselves directly.

As stated, these bidding wars are standard procedure in many parts of Canada. More and more prospective buyers are facing off against another buyer for their dream property, and no doubt it can be stressful. Far too many people go above and beyond their REAL purchasing means, but there’s no reason you have to drain your bank account in order to purchase a home you love. Realtors who have been involved in many multiple-offer situations during their careers have loads of advice on how you can best approach a bidding war and act prudently within it.

Every bit of their advice circles around one particular maxim; make homeownership decisions with your head, not your emotions. We’ll add to that it’s often far too easy for prospective buyers to falsely insulate their perception of what makes the home a ‘must-have’ when the prospect of a bidding war is looming. The token first consideration is to be 100% honest with yourself and always be reevaluating your position with an especially critical and objective view. After all, the purchase of a home is very much not one to be taken lightly!

Anyways, here we go with our 6 tips for being in a bidding war for a home.

Understand Market Value

Regardless of what a house may be listed for, it will typically end up selling for what it’s truly worth. It’s recommended to determine the home’s market value by consulting with a real estate agent or looking up comparable properties via the local MLS before bidding accordingly. For example, if the house is listed for $100,000 less than it should be then most of the offers won’t extend past the initial round of bids. In these instances, prospective buyers who bid low likely shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

Don’t Hold Back on Putting in Your Best Offer

Should you be up against 2 or 3 other bids, it may surprise people to learn that it’s best to give their best offer right away. You can then be of the perspective that if you don’t get the house, you can have some assurance in knowing that you gave it your best bid. Keep in mind that putting in your best offer doesn’t always mean going beyond your budget – determine a limit and stick to it. This is about getting the most ideal home for you, and not about ‘coming out on top.’

Nix Your Conditions

It will also be beneficial to have any and all prospective homebuyers understand that removing conditions from your offer may make your bid more appealing to the seller, and particularly so if your bid is similar to that of another buyer who’s less flexible in this regard. The financing condition is fairly easy to remove, as long as you have completed the mortgage approval process in advance of your bidding. Another recommended consideration is to think about eliminating the home inspection condition. That doesn’t mean you forego the actual inspection, however, as if you’re really interested in a home you can then pay on your own for an inspection before you state your offer as compared to doing so after you bid.

Bring a Certified Cheque

This one is big; If you’re serious about purchasing a home then bring a bank-certified cheque in the amount of the offering you’re prepared to make so that – should it be accepted – the sellers can deposit the money into their account right away. This has twofold benefits; one, it shows them you’re 100% committed to going through with the purchase, and two – it really gives them explicit incentive to move forward with your offer on the home.

Leave Ego Out of It

As suggested above, it’s unfortunately all too common to have problems arise when buyers get carried away with the competition and become compelled and singularly focused on winning the bidding war. Nothing is worth stretching yourself beyond your means financially. Being house poor is a real condition and increasingly legitimate problem for every greater numbers of people these days.

There’s no debating that having the wherewithal and good judgment to be able to accept that you’ve been eliminated from the bidding war is SO important if you want to eventually be in an ideal home AND one you’ll be able to afford. This cannot be shared with your clients earnestly enough!

Which leads to the final tip,

Be Prepared to Walk Away

Go ahead and be optimistic about your max bid but also be ready to move on. As is the common belief in the industry amongst realtors, there is a 90+% chance that any home that you see as being ‘perfect’ and ‘can’t miss’ will be outdone by one that’s either already on the market, or will be on it before long. This advice is even more practical for buyers who are already living in a home that they either own outright, or the majority of it. They absolutely do NOT want to be making ill-formed decisions with the equity they’ve worked so hard to build.

Being informative and helpful for your clients begins with establishing prospective buyers and sellers AS clients in the first place. To that end, our system is a great choice for profit and business growth-minded realtors across Canada. Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive qualified online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively for your protected region of the country.

From there, take those opportunities and work your magic putting people in homes they love on the way to making a strong name for yourself as a realtor in your community!

Growing Numbers of Canadian $ Spent on U.S. Real Estate

Published July 31, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

A house on Canadian currencyCanadians buying property in the States has been going on for decades, and vice versa with Americans buying property in Canada. While the volume of homes and vacation properties in Canada being sold to American buyers has remained fairly consistent, the number of U.S. properties going to Canadian buyers has surged upwards in recent years. There are a number of factors playing into that trend, and the first and most obvious of them being the prohibitively high price of real estate in major metropolitan areas in Canada.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we’re thrilled with how our online lead generation system for realtors has been so well received by the real estate agent community in Canada, and we’ll continue to make adjustments to it to ensure it’s serving its purpose with maximum efficiency. We also enjoy keeping our thumb on the pulse of trends that are emerging in real estate.

The increasing number of U.S. properties being sold to Canadian buyers is one that’s particularly interesting to note. With accelerated house price growth in Canada’s hottest markets – Toronto and Vancouver – more Canadians are opting to buy affordable properties across the border. Given that we can assume the majority of those buyers do not have dual citizenship or a work visa, there can be some guessing as to what would spur the purchase of a home in a country that – despite being your next door neighbour – is just that, a foreign country.

That can and will be a discussion for a different day, however.

Residential All the Rave

From April 2016 to March 2017, the $19 billion that Canadians spent on residential properties in the United States was a record — in fact, it’s more than double the total of $8.9 billion recorded in last year’s report. All this from the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) latest report from earlier this month. During this same period, a total of 284,455 properties were sold to foreign investors, a number that was up 32% from 2016.

Canadian buyers made up for 33,819 of those properties, a jump of nearly 7,000 from 2016. China led the way with the most foreign purchases for a third consecutive year, making 40,572 purchases in the US worth an astounding $31.7 million.

This is further despite the fact that inventory shortages continue to drive up US home prices, and it would seem that many of these Canadian buyers are looking south of the 40th in search of affordable vacation homes.

The common consensus seems to be that a measure of the acceleration in foreign purchases over the past year is coming from the combination of more affordable property choices in the U.S. with foreigners assured in their decision to buy now by understanding that any further weakening of their local currency against the dollar will make buying in the future considerably more expensive.

Exchange Rate Factors

Foreign investment from Canadians dropped from 2015 to 2016 in the US as a result of the weakening Loonie, but this year’s heightened activity is believed to be a temporary phenomenon when we consider the red-hot market activity seen in Vancouver and Toronto. Industry experts expect to see continued strong demand from Canadian buyers, but they also believer there is very like going to be a pullback too.

The median price tag for US homes purchased by Canadians was $288, 615 – which was up from just over $222k in 2016. An interesting trend to note is that from April 2016 to March 2017, the majority of Canadian buyers were choosing the southeast and southwest areas of the US as their preferable investment areas, and most particularly in Florida.

Affordable options and a warmer climate pair to make up the top reasons why Canadians consistently are in the top 3 nationalities of foreign buyers purchasing homes in the U.S. That’s in large part because home price appreciation is quite strong in Canada relative to the United States, and you then factor in warm weather is a driver all on its own. Further, you also tend to get a lot more for your money in terms of square footage and kind of proximity to amenities in U.S. locations

Overall, foreign buyers and immigrants spent $153 billion on homes, and not only is this number a notable 49% increase from $102.6 billion in 2016, it’s a new record high that suggests the purchasing prerogatives for buyers here in Canada and elsewhere are changing to be less focused on the domestic market and buying homes for housing to more focused on investment and acquisition of assets.

Working with buyers is an equal 50% of what most realty professionals do here in Canada, and working in conjunction with similar professionals working in the U.S. to accommodate the purchasing wishes of clients looking for an investment home in U.S.A can be very much a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Sign up with Real Estate Leads here and receive qualified online-generated real estate buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your exclusive region of the country. You’ll have that region protected, and the leads will be provided only for you. It’s a great business booster that you really ought to take advantage of without delay.

Getting a Getaway: Recreational Properties Set to Become Increasingly Popular Purchases

Published July 17, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Swimming pools and bar at the beach of luxury hotel, It could be a cottage on the lake, a chalet at the foot of a favourite ski hill, or even a cabin in the remote northernmost part of your province. Interest in buying a recreational property or vacation home is increasing amongst different buyer groups in Canada, and that trend is one that real estate industry professionals would be wise to take note of.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is a proven effective way for realtors to get more seller leads, and buyer leads too. In particular as it relates to buyer leads, realtors in less-urban areas of the country will want to take particular note of this trend as it may be that greater numbers of prospective buyers will be looking for a real estate professional to assist them with buying a recreational property in rural Canada.

RE/MAX is one of Canada’s leading real estate agencies, and according to their latest recreational property report for 2017, 43% of Canadians would consider buying a recreational property in the next decade. Interestingly, 28% of them with children under the age of 18 would consider selling their primary residence to help finance that purchase, suggesting that it’s not just financially sound soon-to-be retirees or investors that are weighing the market for these types of properties – even young families are increasingly determined to own a cottage or cabin and are willing to explore options to turn that dream into a reality.

This is primarily a reflection of real estate prices in areas of Canada remaining high, and as a result more of these prospective buyers are looking into unique financing options like fractional ownership in a shared property, purchasing a recreational property with a friend, or even selling their primary residence, downsizing, and putting the differential equity into a cottage or cabin.

Resourceful Millennials

Equally interesting to note is that recreational properties are goal for Millennials too. Yes, the thought of having a getaway isn’t exclusively appealing to the more secure generations, and while these young people may be facing much more in the way of career insecurities and the like they are still being smart and creative about how they can afford a recreational property.

The same Re/Max report pointed out above found 65% of Millennials are interested in purchasing a cottage, cabin, or chalet in the next decade, and 39% would use the property as an investment and list it on rental sites to help pay down the financing. Naturally, their interests are tied to locations that facilitate lifestyle more so than older buyers who are looking more for spots that are scenic and less busy.

For example, young Vancouverites who accept there’s no way they could get themselves a chalet in Whistler may be taking especial note of the upcoming redevelopment of Hemlock Mountain Resort just past Mission, about a 2 hour drive from Vancouver.

Boomers Want to Get Away Too

Not surprisingly, the baby boomer generation is tapping into equity to fund their own recreational property purchases. Large numbers of near-retirees and baby boomers nearing retirement are putting the equity they received from sold homes in cities like Toronto and Vancouver into the purchase of a recreational property. Significant price appreciation (and that may well be putting it mildly) in those regions has made recreational property ownership a relatively affordable option for many retirees. Accordingly, we’re seeing price appreciation in popular recreational property markets such as Whistler in B.C. and Haliburton in Ontario.

The Places to Be

Other hotspots for recreational property purchase in Canada from Coast to Coast include:

  • Tofino and Ucluelet, BC ‘Long Beach’
  • Squamish, BC
  • Whistler, BC
  • Kelowna, BC
  • Shuswap and North Okanagan, BC
  • South Okanagan, BC
  • Canmore, AB
  • West Lakes of Edmonton, AB
  • Sylvan Lake, AB
  • Turtle Lake, SK
  • Qu’Appelle Valley, SK
  • Lake Winnipeg, MB
  • Thunder Bay, ON
  • Manitoulin Island & French River, ON
  • Lake Huron, ON
  • Muskoka & Haliburton, ON
  • Laurentians, QC
  • Charlevoix, QC
  • Shediac, NB
  • North & South Shores, PEI
  • East Coast, NFLD

The priciest of those popular recreational property locations in Canada? Right there at the top of the list, with the median price for a waterfront home in Ucluelet or Tofino being between 580 and 660k. The most inexpensive vacation property in Canada? You’ll find that in Newfoundland’s East Coast, at an average of 175k for a waterfront property that – while much less expensive – is every bit as pleasant and scenic at the much more expensive view of the Pacific Ocean on the other side of the country.

All interesting to note, and particularly so for realtors who want to have their thumb on the pulse of significant changes to the buyer / seller cross-sections of the public. As always, being put in touch with these recreational property buyers and sellers is just an opportunity, and what you do with it is up to you. Signing up with Real Estate Leads here is a solid choice, as you’ll receive qualified online-generated leads delivered exclusively to you and for your specific protected region of the country.

Who knows, from there you might find yourself being the perfect matchmaker between homeowners and their new ‘fun time’ home away from the city. Summertime’s here, and we imagine you know what it’s like to be itching to get out of town. Make it happen!

Risky Reprieves: The Inadvisability of 2nd Mortgages to Avoid Bankruptcy

Published July 5, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

It’s weHome floating on a life preserver.ll understood that one of the inevitable developments that come along with an extensively inflated housing marketing is having homeowners who are in over their head and very precariously perched when it comes to the mortgage they have on their home and the debt that’s assumed as part of it.

Those kinds of market conditions definitely exist in certain metro regions in Canada, and being ‘house poor’ puts you at risk of defaulting on your mortgage. That’s obviously going to be concern number one for homeowners who have gone in a little more head long than they thought, but it’s not the only decidedly unpleasant potential reality. It can also lead to bankruptcy, and certain people in certain areas and certain lines of work are more susceptible to it than others.

Here at Real Estate Leads, our online real estate lead generation system is proven valuable as a way for realtors to get more property listings, but we’ve also got our thumb somewhat on the pulse of trends and hot topics in the world of real estate and home ownership in Canada. So many of them are related to financing, and this one is really worth a long look.

First off, we’ll share what many of you may already know – there are not nearly as many bankruptcies declared in Canada as there are in nearly every other country in the world. However, does a lack of here mean the average Canadian consumer is doing better than their international counterparts? Much like the lack of mortgage defaults, there’s some foreboding facts to be unearthed if you’re willing to dig.

All it takes is a look at the Homeowners Bankruptcy Index, which is currently at an all-time low. That should be interpreted to be a positive, but it would seem there are fewer bankruptcies due to homeowners refinancing their debt by bundling it into 2nd (or even successive of that) mortgages.

Accordingly, that all-time low number is something of an artificial reality, and one that masks a very large potential problem for anyone who thinks a re-mortgaging of property is their way out of a financial failure.

More About The Index

Few if any of us are debt experts, so it’s entirely natural if you’ll need a little walkthrough of the explanation of the Homeowner Debt Bankruptcy Index. In their words, it measures the percentage of insolvent debtors who owned a home at the time they filed a bankruptcy or consumer proposal. Let’s now give you a quick walkthrough of the terms so that we’re on the same page.

To put it more simply, insolvent debtors are individuals that are unable to make scheduled payments to pay down their debt. When a consumer proposal is offered, it’s an attempt to negotiate them paying a percentage of their debt. Bankruptcy is when you state officially that you’re entirely out of means of paying that debt, and you – for all intents and purposes – ‘surrender’ to your debtors and seek an asylum from the bank if you will.

From there, a licensed insolvency trustee (LIT) liquidates your assets and distributes them to your creditors. Of course, that very rarely clears the entirety of the debt, but that’s where they start.

All-Time Lows

Interestingly, the Homeowner Bankruptcy Index is currently at an all-time low despite the very precarious situations so many homeowners are reported to be in. The number of people filing for a consumer proposal or bankruptcy that owned a home fell to just 7% at the end of May 2017. That’s a fairly significant drop from the 35% it was at in February 2011. If you look at the chart, you’ll notice that it’s dropped almost precipitously in 2016 and 2017. Further interesting is the fact that this was right when home prices across Canada began increasing exponentially.

Decline Is Due To Rise In Home Prices

The answer to why those two specifics add up when they really shouldn’t? It is because Canadians are using their homes much like a bank machine, withdrawing from the solidity of their equity. Homeowners with significant unsecured debt are now seeing being able to refinance this debt through a second mortgage or home equity line of credit as a viable option, albeit a risky one.

There’s 1.91 million Canadians with HELOCs (home equity lines of credit), and even more individuals and couples with a second mortgage. That’s not what you’d consider to be traditionally representative of booming incomes that would be the ideal reason to see delinquencies decline.

Monitoring agencies are warning that any softening of the market that results in a correction (see ‘bubble bursting’) of home values will almost certainly come with a sudden spike in homeowners who have no choice but to file for insolvency. The warning goes further to say that if this combines with a bumping up of interest rates, then the result could be the Homeowner Bankruptcy Index rising above levels that were experienced after the 2008 / 2009 recession.

Canadians have had no qualms about piling on record amounts of debt over the last 2 decades, and it would seem they’re now looking for every possible way to delay paying it back. Refinancing your mortgage to accommodate debt might work for now, but there’s no debating it leaves homeowners that take this option in a more vulnerable spot. A MUCH more vulnerable and risky spot. Bankruptcy or crushing debt aside, keep in mind as well that the less equity in your home, the less likely you are to secure good mortgage rate renewal terms. Worse terms mean higher rates, and you can be certain that it will definitely complicate your ability to pay your bills on time.

Part of being a reputable realtor is being frank with your customers about their purchasing power. You want to attract and retain clients, and in the interest of the first part of that we suggest you sign up for Real Estate Leads and begin receiving online-generated qualified buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your own area of the country.

Traditional Mortgages Riskier Than Ever According to BoC

Published June 19, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Mortgage concept. Financial agent complete wooden model of the house with last piece with text mortgage. Wide banner composition with bokeh background.Home buying has never been a particularly inviting and reassuring process for most, but recently there’s been plenty of discussion in the media about the role high-risk borrowers play in making the financial lending pillars a little too shaky for the big banks’ (and the economy in the bigger picture considering the role housing plays in it) liking.

The question here is how are traditional borrowers doing across Canada? Not so long ago, the Bank of Canada updated Canadians on how low-ratio mortgage originations did in the previous year, 2016. In their quarterly report on vulnerabilities and risks, the growth of low-ratio mortgages was called out. It would seem that well-leveraged home buyers represent a significant portion of the purchasing whole, and that mitigates much of the risk for banks. However, these buyers are – not surprisingly – taking out significantly larger loans much more often, and the way that increases amortization terms is posing risks for real estate markets.

Here at RealEstateLeads, we offer a valuable tool that provides a way for realtors to get more listings, but we understand that sharing knowledge with those agents in order for them to make buyers ever more qualified for the life-altering purchase they’re about to make is definitely beneficial as well. So let’s discuss this recent concern regarding traditional mortgages.

Low-Ratio Mortgage Borrowers

A low-ratio mortgage borrower is a buyer who has a significant down payment when buying a home. Sometimes called a “traditional” mortgage, it will typically stipulate that a 20% down payment is required. According to the BoC, a low-ratio mortgage borrowers averages a 30% down payment at this time. These are the least risky types of mortgage holders. Or in theory at least.

These types of borrowers continue to be the client of choice, but the BoC has been taking notice of the risks associated with their borrowing preferences. First off, after a 35% down payment, income documentation rules become “less stringent”, as the bank puts it. Part of that means income verification is not undertaken. That’s not a particularly pressing issue since the likelihood of a home’s value dropping by 35% is fairly unlikely, but it’s a possibility nonetheless and some would say it’s more possible than ever before and particularly in specific locales.

The average loan-to-income rate across Canada for low-ratio mortgages saw minimal growth throughout 2016. A loan-to-income rate is exactly what it sounds like – the ratio of the amount borrowed on a mortgage in comparison to the amount of income generated by the household. 3 years ago this number was 271%. One year later, it had jumped to 292%, a 7.74% change. 2016 saw it increase to 296%, a 1.36% change. This should be regarded as a positive, but it should be noted this is across Canada. In-demand markets like Toronto and Vancouver are burdened by markets that many people would figure have no correlation.

Low-Ratio Average Loan-To-Income Above 450% Is Growing

One specific risk highlighted by the BoC is the number of low-ratio mortgages with a loan-to-income ratio that stands above 450% is growing. In 2014, the number of low-ratio mortgages had a loan-to-income above 450% was only 12%. By 2015, that number leapt to 15% of all mortgages. In 2016, the total of low-ratio mortgages above that 450% loan-to-income mark was sitting at 17%. It continues to grow, fuelled in large part no doubt that Canadians have shown themselves to have little to no fear of extreme housing debt, or being ‘house poor’ as the term goes.

The BoC is quite justified in their concern about this segment, and for a pair of reasons. The first is the sheer size of loan, while the second is the documentation of income. When your loan-to-ration tops 450%, there are inevitably going to be doubts about your ability to keep up with the payments. Further, when they’re low-ratio mortgages, it’s not unlikely that income wasn’t verified as stringently as perhaps it should have been. Should the borrower haves a significant change to their income or a change in ability to withdraw income from another country, there’s a real potential for big-time problems.
The risk to the lender isn’t all that prominent in such an instance, but the issue is that it threatens the equity of neighbouring homes when it happens repeatedly. Unfortunately, the nature of the market means the stage is very much set for that to happen in specific regions.

Low-Ratio Mortgages Are Taking Longer Terms

Another growing trend is low-ratio borrowers choosing longer amortization periods. In 2014, 42% of low-ratio mortgages had terms that stretched longer than 25 years. In 2015, that number jumped to 46%. Now, the number for low-ratio mortgages with amortizations longer than 25 years is 51%. It’s a growing trend, and one that obviously would be troubling to lenders.

It has the potential to be particularly problematic because of low interest rates. Mortgage rates are already at historic lows, but any type of significant uptick could be very tough for the borrower to absorb. One could increase the length of their mortgage, but that length of amortization may not be available in the future. Should that be the case, you would have to take a shorter amortization and increase your payments dramatically. Not difficult to see where this is going, and why it could be potentially devastating for borrowers.

Yes, the risk associated with these types of loans are likely exclusive to overheated markets like Toronto and Vancouver. They don’t present much of a concern to banks, on account of the cushion applied to down payments.

The concern should rest exclusively with the homeowners, and those prospective homeowners may be your clients. Be sure to have a reputable mortgage broker / advisor on tap to recommend to your clients, and do consider signing up for RealEstateLeads here to get qualified online-generated buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively for your specific region of the country.

Best Promotional ‘Swag’ Choices for Real Estate Professionals

Published June 13, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Home keyIn today’s super competitive market for real estate agents, you need to make every effort and really strive to get your name and brand front and center for prospective clients. Here at Real Estate Leads, we are enthusiastic about providing realtors to have success with our online real estate lead generating system, but we’re also keen to help you make smarter choices on your own.

Today, we’re going to discuss which promotional items are best for getting increased exposure and how you can allocate your marketing and promotion budget more judiciously as a result of having the understanding. No matter how you tend to disperse this ‘swag’ as these types of promotional items have come to be referred to, there is plenty of it out there to choose from.

The key is to find products that will generate buzz and leave a lasting impression.

Pens, keychains, notepads, business-card holders, USB sticks and more. But does distributing your promotional materials really pay off, and if so – how much, and which items are your best choice?

Well, for starters, research has indicated quite clearly that they absolutely do pay off. Now how much and which are best will vary, but let’s move now to discussing the types and then we’ll discuss some of the variances in how swag can contribute to you generating greater numbers of new clients.

Putting Your Name & Agency In Front of Buyers & Sellers

Swag used for marketing purposes falls into one of two categories. Promotional products include useful or decorative items imprinted with the real estate agent’s name, logo or message and then distributed free to would-be clients. Imprinted items that are offered as an incentive for a specific action are known as premiums.

Manufactures of promotional products like those listed above report a consistently strong demand for these types of products from real estate agents, and that’s true of every region in the country.

Here are some interesting findings regarding how effective it is for realtors to distribute promotional materials to prospective clients:

84% of people remember the advertiser shown on a product they’ve received
42% develop a more favourable impression of an advertiser after they’ve received a specialty advertising product
24 % report being more likely to do business with an advertiser they’ve been reminded of via items they’ve received
62% of respondents have done business with the advertiser listed on a product after they’ve received it and it’s been in their possession for more than 2 weeks

And this last one is HUGE. Take especial note:

The average cost-per-impression attached to an advertising specialty item is $0.004, making it less expensive per impression than nearly any other medium

Other research has indicated that 58% of those responding to a survey said they kept these types of promotional products from anywhere between one to four years. Consider that even if the recipient only uses the item once per week, that adds up to a minimum of 52 impressions over the course of a year plus the possibility of more than 208 over the next five years.

Further, promotional products foster positive regarding of a business by:

Increasing in positive overall image;
Increasing the positive perception of that business;
Creating a higher likelihood of recommending that business
Creating a higher likelihood of their patronizing that business

The Importance of Useful

Promotional products that actually add value to a customer’s life in some way are light years more effective than any type of impractical stuff they will likely end up throwing out before long.

Useful promotional swag items for realtors should improve the prospective clients’ life in some way, while still being relatively affordable for you to buy it in quantity. In addition, it should be personalized with your real estate info so you will be the first tome come to mind when they think of acquiring the aid of a qualified real estate professional.

Best Ideas for Promotional Items

Two particularly smart choices for real estate agent swag are a branded tissue box sleeve and a branded pocket hand sanitizer sprayer. The tissue box sleeve will slide over a store-bought square issue box, and for most people that box will sit somewhere in regular view for months upon months. The cost per sleeve shouldn’t be much more than $3, if that.

Those branded hand sanitizers typically go for about $2.00 each and also will last for a good long while. Further, they show you care about the recipient and by that they are intended to create a more personal, authentic connection

Other good ideas for realtor swag are:

Credit card RFID protectors
Jar openers
Fridge magnets
Calendars
Keychains
Fly swatters
Tape measures
Smartphone desk stands

While all of these above are good choices, we’ll conclude today by saying that when you are considering any of them you should go through a series of questions regarding the specifics of your relationship with the prospective client. You should ask yourself

What is the potential return on investment?
What season of the year is it?
Is it more likely to be left at the office, or taken home?
Is it a novelty item, or useful item with some practical value?
What are your competitors doing similarly?
What have you yourself received that made an impact on you?
What will the cost of distribution be?
How long is this particular item likely to last / be retained?
Is it too overtly ‘saying’ that you are trying to buy their business?

And the most important question for any marketing strategy – can you measure its effectiveness?

We hope this communication is helpful for any of you who’ve been wondering where to best spend your marketing budget funds when it comes to promotional swag items. Whatever you can do to make you visible as a realtor is beneficial, in much the same way that signing up for Real Estate Leads here is a huge plus too, with qualified online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively each month and for your exclusive region of the country. Make sure you get your locale by signing up without delay!

New Report: 102 Weeks of Saving for a Down Payment – Canadian Average

Published June 6, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

realestateleads_house and piggy bankIf it wasn’t already immediately apparent, there’s new figures confirming what most of us have known for some time – it is increasingly difficult for young Canadians to save for the purchase of a first home.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we understand that we provide a valuable service in helping realtors build their business, but we know that there needs to be a health housing market in place for realtors to have the successes they have for both themselves and their clients. It’s for this reason that news stories like this should be of some concern for all.

According to a new report from Mortgage Professionals Canada, it now takes about twice as long for the average Canadian worker to save for a down payment as compared to what it did 15 years ago.

The survey from the fall of last year indicated that the rapid rise in house prices have resulted in down payments on the average home increasing significantly compared to the average income. The Canadian Real Estate Association confirms this, reporting that the time required to build up a down payment is equivalent to 102 weeks when working with the average wage in Canada. 15 years ago, it wasn’t even half that.

The widespread understanding amongst those in the industry is that incomes have not risen at all in comparison to house prices. Those first-time buyers are taking significantly longer to amass the means for a down payment. Keep in mind also that first-time home buyers can’t simply save every paycheque towards their down payment, and others still may even be working with an income that’s below the national average, which of course means it will take even longer for those folks to save for their down payment.

Naturally, that could be even longer still in Toronto and Vancouver where home prices have risen more drastically over the last decade plus. In other areas where house prices are more in line with average incomes, it could be shorter. It seems also that down payments for first-time homebuyers have continued steadily at about 20 % of purchase prices.

Loss of Purchasing Power

With this understood, it’s easy to sympathize when you learn next that saving up for a down payment is but one of a few hurdles first-time buyers may face in today’s market.

October of 2016 saw new mortgage rules requiring buyers with a down payment of less than 20 % to qualify for the Bank of Canada’s 5-year fixed rate of 4.64%. This examples a more robust mortgage “stress test” that is designed to ensure a borrower can still make their mortgage payments if interest rates increase – or their income decreases.

All in all, it does make for a more expensive loan, and that’s still true even when they don’t have to make higher payments. Do these new rules hit first-time buyers the hardest? Most seem to thinks so, and specifically in that it strips them of a good portion of their purchasing power. Some buyers need every dollar the banks will give them, and even the slightest inadequacy may squeeze some of them out of qualifying for home ownership.

While it always comes back to the simple economics of supply and demand, the reason that this trend is troubling is that it seems a good number of the people who are being affected by this are the same ones being chronicled in the news for their moving away from cities because they simply can’t afford to house the families at an acceptable level there. Oftentimes these are young professionals who have long-term value to the overall prosperity of the community, and those communities don’t want to lose those people.

Here’s a way of putting it in perspective for you. If, say, a buyer with 10% down and who currently is eligible for a $527,000 mortgage will only qualify for $420,000 under the new rules. That computes to a roughly 20% drop in purchasing power

That statistic there really sums up the potential stumbling point that many otherwise fully-qualified buyers may have in Canada in the future. We hope that Federal initiatives will be undertaken to maintain the affordability of housing for all Canadians, and believe that there will be a positive correlation between that and the real estate industry we all work within.

15 Questions You Should Always Ask Prospective Sellers Right Off The Bat

Published May 31, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Extensive series of a Caucasian Real Estate Agent and African-American Couple in front of a home.Here are Real Estate Leads, we’re pretty darn reliable when it comes to generating buyer and seller leads for realtors. We make it so that you have an opportunity to turn those leads into clients. What you do with that opportunity, well that’s up to you, your expertise and your ability to accommodate these prospective clients in just the right way.

Most of you will agree that even ‘qualified’ leads need to be established even more thoroughly before you begin to invest your precious time and energy with a potential client. With that understood, we’ve spoken to many experienced realtors across the country and come to a consensus on 15 questions you should be asking these individuals to determine explicitly that they are homeowners who are legitimately looking to sell in the near future.

The focus with these questions is not just in trying to find out the details of the house and how much the sellers want for it. Rather, they establish parameters to find out how motivated they are and how willing they are to sell the house at a price that reflects what the market will realistically bear.

Before we get started, remember to ask open-ended questions. Listen intently and for as long as necessary, and let them do the majority of the talking

  1. Who am I speaking with?

You need to know who you are speaking to. Once that’s established you can call them by their name throughout the conversation to help build a rapport. Of course, it’s helpful to make sure they know your name first and another advisable tip is to mention it again when it’s natural to do so in the conversation.

  1. What is the address of the house you want to sell?

This one may be regarded as a little off track, but it’a actually quite important. It can be challenging to analyze a deal when you don’t know the exact address – whether that’s for Google Street View or any other prerogative. On rare occasions sellers will be hesitant to give you their street and address. This isn’t necessarily a ‘red flag’ but most realtors will agree that more often than not it indicates that they’re not entirely serious about selling their house.

  1. How many bedrooms and bathrooms does the home feature?

This question is obviously very straightforward. Do be sure though that when they tell you 3 bathrooms, that it is not really 2.5 or that a 5th bedroom is not a garage conversion or something.

  1. Does the home also feature a garage, basement, or pool?

Any such feature will, as you know, add to the sale value quite considerably. Also ask about conversions, finished basements, studios, and whether pools are in ground or above ground.

  1. If you were going to list your home with a realtor, are there any repairs and / or updating that would be needed in your opinion?

This question is not as prying as some of you may think. Many times if you just ask the seller what repairs it needs, they will just think of things that are broken or some way damaged. More often than not they do not think about the fact that the house is considerably outdated. In such instances, the idea is to have them realize that the house may be in good shape, but may also require a lot of updating and polishing.

  1. Why are you selling the house?

The big one. It goes without saying that this one requires some time and a great deal of open-ended questions and a whole lot of patient listening. This is where the motivation usually becomes apparent. Sometimes the seller will be hesitant and will only tell you they are moving. It’s perfectly alright to ask them why they are moving, and if they don’t want to answer that question that’s perfectly fine

  1. How much is owed on the house?

Some people are afraid to ask this question for fear the seller will not appreciate it. In their mind, it is like asking what hand they are holding at the poker table. That’s not it at all really. I just want to know if they owe too much for me to be able to buy the house. I don’t want to waste my time going to meet with them if there is no way I would be able to buy the house for what I would need to buy it for. The way to approach this question, is to just ask it like you did the question about how many bedrooms the house has. Don’t make a big deal out of it and they won’t. It’s rare that someone doesn’t tell me how much is owed. If they don’t, they are not likely motivated enough anyway.

  1. Is the house behind on payments?

The way this question is specifically worded is very much intentional with this one. We’re not asking, “Are you behind on the payments?” That would be overly nosy and inquisitive. Framing the question this way makes it a lot easier for people to be comfortable telling you the exact state of the home’s ownership to date. Of course, it also goes along the same lines as asking how much is owed and should be treated the same way.

  1. Is there an asking price you have in mind?

More specifically, what you’re gauging here is whether or not their asking price is in line with what comparable homes in the area are selling for. The realtors we spoke to related that the majority of the time it will NOT be. Now of course, the asking price is just the price they are hoping to get for the home, and often even they do not expect to get it. Still, this question gives you a good idea of the what type of client mindset you’ll be working with.

  1. How did you arrive at that original asking price?

This answer can vary immensely, but it nearly always gives you more of their motivation for selling. Take especial note here. Is there price in line with what similar homes in the area have been selling for? Is it much less, and if so that might indicate an over eagerness to move the home (which can be both opportunity and detriment from your perspective). Is it much more, which will of course indicate that the seller is not aware of current market values or is merely speculating on the value of the home.

  1. How soon are you hoping to close a deal with a buyer?

This is another motivation building question. If there is some urgency to it for them they will think about that while answering this question and will let you know that really just want it off their hands. If that’s the case, make it a priority to meet with these sellers ASAP!

  1. When can I come by to take a look at the house?

If your seller is motivated, then schedule an appointment with them at their earliest convenience. Do not say you will call them back to set up an appointment. In that instance, your seller may take you lackadaisical attitude as a put-off and take the initiative to reach out to another realtor on their own. Keep in mind that most sellers will only talk with 1-3 house buyers when calling investors to buy their house. You need to be one of those people.

  1. How did you hear about me?

Any good realtor worth his or her salt puts a lot of value into where their marketing dollars are best spent. This is valuable feedback to be sure! You can use the FREE lead manager/deal analyzer to keep track of your leads and marketing.

  1. What is the best way to contact you?

Last but certainly not least on our list here today. You really need to know how to contact the seller again. These days the majority of us take calls on handheld mobile devices with call display, but still – be sure you get that number and be even more sure by asking them if that’s the number where they would prefer to be contacted.

Feel free to add or subtract from this list of preliminary questions based on your own preliminary deductions about the client, and as always it’s extremely important to be courteous, polite, and especially accommodating at all times. Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive qualified online-generated buyer and seller leads for realtors delivered to you exclusively for your protected region of the country.

It’s a dynamite way to grow your real estate business, and you’ll be joining a large host of similarly minded realtors who are already on board.

Advice on Long Distance Home Buying & Finding a Realtor in New Locale

Published May 25, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

realestateleadsdotca-helpfularticlesThere can be any number of reasons why a homeowner is pressed into selling their current property and buying a new one in an entirely different region of the country on a rather rushed timeline. Naturally, a new job or relocation by the company are the most likely ones, but there can be others as well. No matter what your reasoning may be, having to go through the home buying process without having all the natural conveniences of working within your existing locale can be disconcerting for many.

Here at Real Estate Leads, while our primary focus in on providing a way for realtors to get more client leads, we realize the value in providing realtors with insights about how to best serve their clients. Accordingly, this week we’ll discuss ways you can advise clients who are buying a home in a distant city and the best way to choose a realtor there.

Interview multiple realtors over the phone

Advise your clients to interview more than a few realtors in their new destination of choice, and of course don’t hesitate to offer to make recommendations or inquiries yourself if you feel qualified to do so. Suggest that they don’t be afraid to ask each realtor if they are going to have time to answer their questions. When making a long-distance move, any homebuyer is going to have more questions than if you were moving across town. Unless you’ve already established ties with a realtor in that specific city or town of a Province, have them be sure to interview at least 3 candidates.

Make Sure Your Potential New Realtor is Sufficiently Connected

Your clients should determine with certainty that their potential new realtor has the resources they will need access to throughout the home-buying process. For example, do they have a lender they can recommend? Do they have a title company, home inspector and maybe a handyman on tap in the event that their future home has some touch-up projects that will need doing?

It’s quite likely they’ll need a few of these people, and it may be that neither you nor they know of any of them in the intended new hometown. Your home-buying process will be easier if their realtor has these resources, and any reputable realtor should have some such people in their working acquaintances.

Ask As Many Questions As Needed

Encourage your clients to ask everyone single questions they have to help them gather all the information required so that they are making their home buying decision with confidence. As you will surely agree, any good realtor will be more than happy to field the entirety of those questions.

Further, have them ask their potential realtor for neighbourhood suggestions, and advise them to make sure they pick a realtor who answers those questions with thoroughness and individual perspective based on who exactly your clients are.

Drive That Commute

While it may be considered onerous, if it’s possible it’s very worth having them drive their potential new commute if and when they travel to their prospective new hometown, and ideally do it during rush hour if they’re to be a working man, woman, or even couple. They may think moving to a suburb outside the city is far enough out to not be affected by traffic, but that might be wrong and particularly so if it’s a metropolitan urban area like Vancouver or Toronto. Suggest they drive a couple of different routes to make sure.

They likely don’t want to end up stuck in gridlock for an hour on their way to work, so they likely won’t be opposed to the suggestion at least.

One That Knows What To Offer

It’s perfectly fine to expect a realtor to be able to ascertain what type of purchasing power a prospective client has without meeting them ‘in person.’ Further, they can and should be able to take that information and determination and connect it to how much to offer for a specific house in the new location.

A good realtor will have comparable properties that have recently sold and be able to explain a reasonable offer price for their home based on the sale price of these specific comparable properties.

Present During the Home Inspection

Have your clients expect their prospective realtor be present for the walk through with the home inspector. He or she should be proactive in asking about anything that doesn’t look right or that the client doesn’t or wouldn’t understand. It is obviously better to be informed before they sign to purchase the home than to have unexpected and often costly surprises after closing.

As always, these are just some introductory tips to consider. If your clients are looking to buy a home in a different city in Canada and they’d like to be on the right track as far as referencing properties and working with a new realtor, their best bet is to do plenty of research on their own and then having you as their current real estate agent provide referrals if you have them.

Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and enjoy qualified, online generated seller and buyer leads that are provided to you exclusively and for your exclusive region of the country.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late: The Need For Proper Insurance Coverage

Published May 15, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Home Insurance Coverage Abstract Illustration. Large Blue Umbrella Covering Single Family Home. 3D Illustration Isolated on White.

Recent events in the Eastern part of Canada are a reminder that shifting global weather patterns and trends – likely prompted by global warming – are seemingly making extreme weather events a much more common seasonal risk for certain communities.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we aim to provide ways for realtors to increase their home seller and home buyer leads, but we also realize the value in having realtors be able to appraise their clients of wise choices when it comes to home ownership. In light of the aforementioned events, and others like the increase in wildfires in the west every summer, it’s important to remind clients of the need for home insurance that matches the specific risks they face based on the regional location of their home.

With regards to these floods, it appears that the majority of Canadian homeowners aren’t insured for flooding and could be left on the hook for at least part of the bill after heavy rains in several areas across the country, experts say.

A representative for the Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates that only 10 to 15 per cent of Canadians have overland flood insurance

. This type of add-on insurance policy is typically not included in the clauses of standard home insurance packages in Canada, and most notably it wasn’t offered prior to 2013, the last time severe flooding affected certain communities in Canada.

The reason for this was that it wasn’t until that time that flood risk maps were developed for the whole country. Keep in mind that the insurance industry needs to be able to quantify the risks so they can assess which premiums should be charged to which people. A risk-per-region determination was required before any type of coverage guidelines could be established, and that took time.

And so, many homeowners with policies negotiated years ago may be insufficiently covered after heavy rains left several communities in Quebec and Ontario struggling with rising floodwaters over the weekend and parts of New Brunswick and British Columbia also faced flooding.

Delayed Roll-Out Inevitable, But Unfortunate

Insurers began working on the overland flood insurance add-on as soon as they could following the establishment of those maps, but naturally it took time to roll the policies out. The add-on has been available for most policies since late 2015, but – as is so often the case – policy owners are often lax about revisiting their policies once they’ve obtained them.

It’s important to do this, and particularly so given the fact that climate change is making calamitous acts of nature much more common across North America. It’s highly advisable to appraise new homeowners you’ve worked with – and ones you’ve similarly worked with in the past and keep in touch with – that they should be having a look at the coverage provided in their policies at least once every year to make reassessments as necessary.

Then there is the fact that most Canadians only interact with their insurance broker when the time comes to renew their policy. Most people are not even aware that overland flood insurance is available, unless they have been directly in a conversation with their broker or agent when renewing over the past year.

Further, homeowners should be adamantly reminded to NOT be expecting to be able to rely on government assistance in the event of an emergency situation, for obvious reasons given the fact that the funds available to cover such incidences are at an all-time low. In addition, government assistance is often designed to compensate homeowners for core essentials only.

Out Of The Know

A study last year that surveyed 2,300 Canadians who live in high-risk flood areas found that the a 70% majority of those polled reported having not been contacted by an insurance company about newly available overland flood insurance. It also revealed confusion on the part of respondents about what is – and isn’t – covered by their insurance policies. The majority of those surveyed thought overland flooding was already covered under their insurance policies by default.

As a realtor, there is a real opportunity here to both further the connection and reputability you have with your clients, as well as ‘do the right thing’ in making them aware of the need to be especially critical when looking at their home insurance policies.

By being a real estate professional you have an inherent level of authority regarding subject matters related to home ownership, and as such your clients are more likely to heed to your advice and or urgings regarding home insurance coverage than if they were to hear it from someone else. Take advantage of this to further your professional capacities, and enjoy being regarded so highly!

Operating your real estate business ethically and responsibly is indeed rewarding, and of course having greater numbers of listings for both buyers and sellers is fortuitous for giving you these opportunities. Sign up for Real Estate Leads here and receive qualified online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively for your protected region of Canada each month. From there, you’ll have a foot in the door and chances to do what you do best!

Housing Craze Spilling Over Into Condo Market in Lotus Land

Published May 10, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_60052898The Foreign Homebuyer’s Tax instituted in BC last year has no doubt cooled housing prices in the city as intended, but it would appear that some of that buyer focus has shifted from detached homes to condominiums. That’s likely both a direct and indirect result, especially considering that while condos have been a nearly as popular choice for buyers looking for an investment property in Metro Vancouver, they’ve also commonly been the standard entry-into-market choice for young professionals and working couples who have yet to start a family.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we’re eager to continue providing a valuable marketing resource for realtors but we’re also keenly aware of some of the challenges, risks, and – for lack of a better word – general craziness that are marked characteristics in Canada’s big cities at this time.

After a heated four months for condos and townhouse sales, the average sales price for a condo on the west side of Vancouver is now nearly $1 million. Condos have indeed been quicker to recover than single family houses in response to the 15% tax, but of course the trickle down effect is both frustrating many qualified potential buyers as well as forcing other prospective buyers further down the chain.

Recently, realtors have made note of incidences where ‘extreme bidding wars’ that they typically only saw with detached homes are now becoming common for Condos in downtown Vancouver and on the city’s desirable west side. Some condos are selling for in the vicinity of 100k more than listing price, and according to agent Darryl Shaburo of Park Georgia Realty, “what’s quite marked about this trend is that these buyers are quite willing – and able – to compete and continue to outbid their competitors to numbers that most people find quite staggering for 800 to a thousand square feet of real estate.”

April of 2017 saw the average price for a condo in Vancouver west of Commercial Drive rise to $969,579, compared to $572,000 for East of it. What Greater Vancouver’s REB prefers is to use a measurement called benchmark price, which the board says more closely represents a typical housing unit. The April benchmark price for Vancouver West condos would seem to be more relatively indicative at $718,400 and $480,300 for Vancouver East, but agents and insiders say that doesn’t take into account the new phenomenon of ‘super bidding.’

The Concern of House Poverty

Furthering the issue is the fact that demand continues to far outstrip supply, and that is one of the trends in real estate in Vancouver that’s unlikely to change soon, if ever. Shaburo states that market is picking up these days, however, as it “always tends to do during the spring season.”

The greater concern in the big picture, and both for individuals and for the Canadian economy, is that by paying such exorbitant prices for housing – condos and detached homes – they will become what is called ‘house poor’ and be put at significant detriment due to carrying such a large household debt. As this becomes more common, it of course lends itself to premonitions of the ‘housing bubble burst’ that occurred in America in 2008.

We’re a ways from that in our opinion, but there has to be concern here. Both on the national interest level, and in making housing affordable for the people who make cities breathe and not just those who have the finances required to make investment purchases. Balance is essential.

As realtors, we stand to benefit from a profitable housing market, but it must be a healthy housing market as well. Plus, a great many of us actually live in these cities too! You want business to be good, and doing good. In in the interest of the first part of that, we suggest you check out Real Estate Leads and enjoy qualified online-generated seller and buyer leads delivered to you exclusively for your exclusive region of any specific locale in Canada

Ontario Follows B.C.’s Lead with 15% Foreign Buyer Tax

Published April 24, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_83998665The voraciousness with which foreign buyers have been buying up real estate in Toronto has been equally intense in comparison to Vancouver over recent years. The B.C. Liberal Government introduced a 15% foreign buyers tax in 2106, and – after months of speculation that they would – the Ontario Liberals are now doing the same.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we’re all about ways for realtors to get more listings, but we’re also keenly interested in healthy real estate markets that don’t preclude any particular demographic from being qualified buyers. To be certain, Canada’s cultural mosaic is of a benefit to us all but we believe in the need to protect affordable housing in Canada’s big cities.

The new regulations will also include expanding rent control, allowing Toronto to impose a tax on vacant homes, and using surplus lands for affordable housing. All of this stems for the same maladies that Vancouver has long claimed to be suffering from, where foreign buyers (among other factors, to be fair) have driven up housing prices to the point that people can longer afford to live in the city, and that includes families and people who have significant operational value to the city – live police, firefighters, paramedics, – and even doctors!

Premier Kathleen Wynne announced today that this non-resident speculation tax will be imposed on buyers in the Greater Golden Horseshoe area who are not citizens, permanent residents or Canadian corporations. Wynne says the package of housing measures will make the process of finding a place to live a little easier, a little less frantic and much more of a fair process. The province will also expand rent control, which currently only applies to units built before November 199. This, and again like Vancouver, comes after tenants in newer units complained of dramatic rent spikes that – in some cases – led to financially-stable long term tenants now being in a precarious position to afford renting their home

Curbing Vacant Ownership and Rental Avoidance

Toronto Mayor John Tory has been insisting on a tax on vacant homes for some time now, and Wynne says Ontario will give Toronto and other interested municipalities the power to impose such a tax to encourage owners to sell or rent such spaces.

The Ontario Liberal government’s housing plan is made up of 16 measures in total, including identifying provincially-owned surplus lands for affordable or rental housing development, rebating a portion of development charges to encourage rental construction (sorely needed in Toronto and Vancouver), and undertaking a review of the rules for real estate agents.

The measures are aimed at putting the brakes on a hot real estate market in the Greater Toronto Area that is speeding out of control, where the average price of detached houses rose to $1.21 million last month, up a massive 33.4% from a year ago.

Other parts of the new measures include:

  • The launch of a housing advisory group which will meet quarterly to provide the government with ongoing advice about the state of the housing market and discuss the impact of the measures and any additional steps that are needed.
  • Education for consumers on their rights, particularly on the issue of one real estate professional representing more than one party in a real estate transaction.
  • A partnership with the Canada Revenue Agency to explore more comprehensive reporting requirements so that correct federal and provincial taxes, including income and sales taxes, are paid on purchases and sales of real estate in Ontario.
  • Set timelines for elevator repairs to be established in consultation with the sector and the Technical Standards & Safety Authority.
  • Provisions that would require municipalities to consider the appropriate range of unit sizes in higher density residential buildings to accommodate a diverse range of household sizes and incomes, among other things.

 

Following Other Cities Leads As Well

Ontario’s move to make foreign ownership of property more expensive – and thus more prohibitive – is not mirroring that of Vancouver only. Many other cities around the world have introduced similar measures, including Sydney, Australia and Singapore most notably. The belief that affordable housing is a right that should be A) offered to all citizens, regardless of origin, but B) still protected for families who have invested in those countries for generations, and provide the backbone for society.

It is likely that this will be the last of such real estate correction measures taken by provincial governments, as outside of Vancouver and Toronto the demand for housing in other big Canadian cities is not so great. Calgary may be an exception there, but we have not heard any rumblings from Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP as of yet.

The hope is that, in the long term, these measures will allow families and individuals to see property ownership as something that MAY be in the future. Even if it is not presently, it is important that these people do not see it is an impossibility and move on from these locations.

Clearly, there’s never a quiet day in the world of Canadian real estate, and you likely prefer it to be the same way with your real estate career. Check Real Estate Leads Availability here and enjoy qualified online generated leads provided to you exclusively for your region in Canada.

 

 

Analyzing The New Nationwide Mortgage Regulations

Published April 19, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_132363975One of the best pieces of advice you can give to help a realtor get more listings is to put in the time and network, network, network. For a prospective homebuyer who needs a mortgage to purchase their first home, one of the best things they can do is familiarize themselves with Canada’s new mortgage regulations and how they’ll affect their purchasing power. So feel free to pass this correspondence along if you know anyone it might benefit.

It was late last year that Canada introduced its new mortgage rules, and the term that was used for them was ‘promoting responsible homeownership’ – which in large part means more of buying a home to live in it rather than as as a speculative investment purchase. So while the changes were geared toward curbing foreign real estate speculation and, to a lesser extent, promoting low loan-to-value mortgages, for the majority of Canadians what matters first and foremost with the new regulations is how it will affect affordability for the average Joe or Jane.

More specifically here to put some parameters on our discussion, let’s say they’re a first-time homebuyer purchasing with less than 20% down. Or what’s called the interest rate stress test.

Let’s also preface somewhat by looking at how the affordability of Homeownership has been helped in recent years by low interest rates and the availability of high loan-to-value mortgages backed by mortgage insurance. What would be the result, however, if those rates jumped as they’ve been known to do? The government’s response to what could potentially be a bubble bursters was to introduce tougher interest rate stress-test criteria in the latter part of 2016, aiming to make perspective homebuyers aware of the potential for a future rise in interest rates.

So if you’re an average homebuyers with the on-paper means to afford a home – but not endlessly deep pockets – what does all this mean for you? The less-than-rosy answer is that you’ll likely have less money to work with. Here’s why.

Taking The Stress Test

Lenders and mortgage insurers will weigh two debt service ratios when qualifying you for a mortgage and mortgage insurance.

-Gross debt service (GDS)
These are the carrying costs of your home, such as mortgage payments, taxes, heating, etc., and how they stand in relation to your income.

-Total debt service (TDS)

The sum of your home carrying costs (mortgage payments, taxes, heating, etc.) plus your debt payments (credit cards, student loans, car loans, etc.), with all being measured in relation to your take-home income yearly.

To qualify for mortgage insurance, the highest allowable GDS ratio is 39%. The highest allowable TDS ratio is a little more accommodating, coming in at 44%.

Many prospective buyers will technically at least qualify for a fantastic five-year fixed mortgage rate from your bank (2.94%, for example), but it’s now important to keep in mind that the new rules use the Bank of Canada’s five-year fixed mortgage rate (4.64% at the close of 2016, for example) to make a determination on whether you can afford your mortgage payments.

The purpose of this stiffer affordability standard is to serve as a buffer to test whether you could still afford your regular mortgage payments if (and some economists state it’s quite likely) interest rates were to rise dramatically.

Bottom line is, the new rules mean you can afford less house for your income – approximately a 20% to 30% reduction in the mortgage amount most first-time buyers would qualify for.

Best Plan For Prospective Buyers

These new mortgage rules will likely not be reevaluated for many years now. However, many buyers will still be able to work within them. A revision of plans or timelines may be needed, but first-time homebuyers can still get into the real estate market.

Smart prep work in advance of buying your first home will be to lay the groundwork for this responsible homeownership they speak of: start by reducing your consumer debt, saving for a larger down payment (a big one!), and finding a way to boost your overall financial fitness.

Help your clients with their mortgage needs by recommending them to a mortgage broker you trust, and see to it you have more clients to refer in the first place by checking Real Estate Leads Availability here and having qualified online-generated leads in your area provided to you exclusively.

Hard to Argue Against Concerns Over Vancouver / Toronto Market Outlooks

Published April 14, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Canada High Resolution Real Estate ConceptThere’s been a whole host of different opinions on the state of the markets in Canada’s 2 biggest cities, and ones where – not surprisingly – there’s the most demand for housing and the ever-increasing development of ‘bubbles’ of the same variety that proved to be the start of a major detrimental turn events in the USA nearly 10 years ago now. Here at Real Estate Leads, we have endless tips for realtors but we’re not exactly experts on the connection between the economy and housing investment in Canada

There was a recent interview with someone who most definitely has the credential to say he is an expert. Royal Bank of Canada CEO Dave McKay was one that didn’t see things as rosy (or perhaps ‘rosier’ would be more accurate) as others do, and considering he’s the head of a major financial lending institution you can imagine he’s got his thumb on the pulse of all this in a way most of us couldn’t even begin to.

An Unhealthy Combination

McKay attributed the rapid increase in housing prices in the two cities to an “unhealthy combination of factors” and went on further to cite an imbalance in supply and demand for residential properties, low interest rates, and speculative activity.

“All of these factors are mixing to push prices up to unsustainable levels, stressing household balance sheets and locking many people out of the housing market,” McKay remarked at the bank’s annual general meeting in Toronto on Thursday.

“More and more disposable income is going towards servicing those houses,” he said, adding further ” and more capital is getting invested in those homes. And the real risk for us as an economy is the long-term drag that has on the rest of the economy as so much of a person’s net worth and cash flow goes into servicing their home.”

As stated, this kind of precarious arrangement was a big part of what preceded and initiated the crash in the US in 2008, and the concern of course is that something similar could happen here.

More of the Up, Up, Up

McKay offered his observations a day after the latest data from the Toronto Real Estate Board showed the average price of a home in the Greater Toronto Area increased by 33% over the last 12 months concluding at the close of March 2017.

What’s come as a result is a whole array of responses about what can be done to rein in housing costs in the city, which are now spilling over to the rental market via exorbitant rent increases. After all, the operating principles of supply and demand never really change.

What’s Up Out West

While it is true that price increases in Vancouver have cooled off, Lotus Land has also seen runaway double-digit gains, month after month after month, until the implementation of a 15% tax on foreign buyers last year.

McKay believes one single solution being applied to the entirety of these problems is unlikely to be successful.

He said interventions from federal, provincial, and local governments to come up with a more nuanced solution to a very complex problem would have much more propriety.

“We would welcome any effort by the three levels of government to coordinate their interventions, and to do so reasonably quickly,” he said.

“But longer-term, I believe all parties need to come together — governments; developers; realtors; banks; community groups and others — to accelerate our progress in finding policies and solutions for this issue.”

2 Further Sobering Statistic Comparisons

In bearing out a good portion of what MacKay has alluded to, have a look at these 2 charts indicating average home prices in both these cities in comparison to others, along with what is required for a down payment on that home.

Purchase prices

  • Vancouver: $420,000
  • Calgary: $370,000
  • Toronto: $425,000
  • Montreal: $250,000
  • Atlantic: $185,000
  • *National median: $293,000

Down Payment

  • Vancouver: 20%
  • Calgary: 10%
  • Toronto: 21%
  • Montreal: 13%
  • Atlantic: 8%
  • *National median: 12%

Of course, that means business is good for realtors in Toronto and Vancouver, but the need for housing is a social issue and naturally we all take a vested interest in the well being of that.

Check Real Estate Leads Availability here and help yourself to a bonafide lead generation system for realtors that’s great for ANY region of the country, even the hotbeds of Vancouver and Toronto.

Upcoming Real Estate Career Training Event in Greater Vancouver

Published April 7, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Picture2Those of you looking for proven effective ways to get more listings and acquire more clients as a real estate agent in Vancouver will want to take particular note of an event coming up this Tuesday, April 11th, at the Coast Hotel & Convention Center at Cascades Casino in Langley.

The featured speaker at this free real estate in Vancouver is Dwayne Groome, a much sought after consultant, adviser, trainer and speaker for real estate conventions across North America. He is a renowned authority on the subject of increasing your production as a realtor, and a firm believer that your career’s rapid ascent is dependent on understanding, embracing, and making strategic decisions based on the importance of your mindset as a realtor and being dedicated to achieving results.

Dwayne’s approaches are proven effective, as mentioned, and he states that you can increase your real estate income by up to 250%. We imagine that being able to double or triple your income working as a realtor sounds mighty appealing, and in Dwayne’s free seminar next Tuesday you’ll learn specific, tactile approaches to:

  • Booking more listing appointments
  • Applying 10 unconventional but effective ways to generate leads
  • Understanding and implementing zero-based marketing systems
  • Handle objections and concerns
  • Protect & increase your commissions
  • Be the brand of choice in your market
  • Finding solutions to the NO-call list
  • Mastering your attitude and managing time

Anyone interested in attending this event is very much encouraged to do so, and Dwayne looks forward to answering any additional questions you may have. There will be door prizes as well, so come on out to Langley on Tuesday and learn ways to be more successful as a realtor in Vancouver. And while we’re on the topic of that aim, why not sign up with Real Estate Leads and receive quality online buyer and seller leads delivered to you exclusively each month?

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WHEN:
Tuesday, April 11, 2017

WHERE:
The Coast Hotel & Convention Centre
(Cascades Casino – Resort)
20393 Fraser Highway, Langley, BC

TIME:
Coffee 9:30 am
Seminar 10:00am to 1:00pm

In this Event; you will learn how to
DOUBLE or TRIPLE your income!

  1. Book more listing appointments
  2. Generate leads – 10 ways
  3. Zero based marketing systems
  4. Handle objections and concerns
  5. Protect and increase your commissions
  6. Brand of choice in your market
  7. Solutions to the NO-CALL list
  8. Master your attitude and manage time

To attend this FREE training event you must register for the seminar by
replying to this email or register online at www.DwayneGroomeSeminars.com.

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Quick Property Evaluation Reference Tips for Home Buyers

Published April 5, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_95521865For most prospective home buyers, there will only be a few properties that match their most immediate buying prerogatives. For these folks and in this scenario, there’s going to be much more in the way of time and resources available for weighing each of the 1, 2, or maybe 3 homes that line up as a potentially good fit. They can go over each of them much more thoroughly than the buyer who has a good many home they need to make a decision on.

And quite often those decisions need to be made rather quickly, as quality real estate doesn’t last long on ANY market. We’re all well aware of that!

Here at Real Estate Leads, we’re all about providing ways realtors can get an advantage, but this week we’re going to spin it around somewhat and talk about advantages buyers can use as they work with the real estate agent towards purchasing the home that’s best for them.

So let’s get into our house hunting evaluation tips, with specific focus on the exterior, interior and basement for now:

  1. Exterior Considerations

Make a note of your impressions of the exterior of the home, with a particular note of the lot size and shape, position of the house on the lot (facing north or south, east or west), and whether it has a private or shared driveway. In addition, does it have a large front yard, side, and backyard? How is the landscaping, how well has it been maintained, and – perhaps most importantly – how much maintenance do you foresee it requiring to continue looking like you’d expect it too after you potentially buy the home. Trees? Hedges? Your opinions of them?

What type of siding does the home have, and in what condition is it currently in? Does it have an attached or detached garage and whether it can accommodate one or two cars.

Also note whether there is a porch or veranda, storage shed and is the yard is fenced (or perhaps it should be?). How much privacy does the layout of the grounds afford the home?

Take a critical look at the roof, and make detailed notes on its general condition and age. Check to see if any roof repairs were made recently, and make a point to check the eavestroughs and down spouts for signs of deterioration. Now move on to the foundation of the home. This is a big one! Are there any visible cracks or holes or signs of seepage?

This applies to all the points we’ll cover here, but it’s the ideal time to relay a very important piece of advice. You might consider hiring a certified house inspector for a thorough, professional survey — outside and inside — of any home you’re thinking to possibly buy.

  1. Interior Considerations

It’s hard to argue that’s there’s not 2 more important parts of a home than the kitchen and bedroom. We’ll start with the kitchen.

Take particular note of the general size and colour of the kitchen, as well as whether it has an eat-in area and what you’d consider to be sufficient cupboard space. Is there a pantry or food preparation island? Are the countertops and sink in good condition? Are the cupboards old or new? How is the floor holding up, and what is it made of? Is the existing lighting adequate and set up properly for carrying out kitchen tasks, as well as providing dining table light if the eating area is adjoining the kitchen.

Make a note of whether there are enough power outlets to run your appliances and have them spread out along the countertops and not bunched together out of necessity. Are the fridge, stove, and dishwasher included with the sale? Are they all operating, and more simply – do you like their looks? How many burners are on the stove top, and is the stove gas or electric. Is the oven self-cleaning?

Now were’ going to move to the dining room. Take first note of its size, whether it’s separate from the kitchen and the condition of the floors and walls. Is it big enough for the table you have, or will have in the near future based on your family size? Are there any built-in cupboards? Is there a chandelier, and is it being sold along with the house? Now have a look at the living room. Is there a fireplace? How many windows are there around the room, and what is your opinion on their layout and sizes? Are the window coverings staying, or leaving with the seller?

If the home has a family room, determine whether it’s closer or adjacent to the kitchen, does it feature outdoor access, and does it have a fireplace or wood stove. Is the stove CSA approved? Again, check the condition of the floor or carpet – and look for cracks and other potential problems.

Next up are the master and secondary bedrooms . Take note of their size and closet space and whether there are any window coverings or ensuite / adjoining bathrooms. Many people put some emphasis on the type of flooring in each bedroom and the colours given to each of the rooms.

How many bathrooms are there, and is that number in line with what the size of your family dictates as necessity? What are the condition of the bathroom fixtures, and do you think they’ll need replacing any time in the next 5 years? Check all faucets and flush toilets to make sure they are in good working order as well as determining if there is adequate water pressure. Look for signs of mould and deterioration as these are possible indications of inadequate ventilation.

  1. Basement Considerations

Now we head down to the basement. Your first assessment should be whether it is a full basement, or a partially finished one, or an unfinished one. Is that in line with your needs / wants? If not, are you willing to finish the basement yourself after purchase? Next, determine if there’s adequate headroom for moving about, remembering that we’re all of different heights. Is there a fireplace or wood-burning stove? Again, be on the lookout for signs of moisture – such as watermarks and peeling paint.

Note whether there is a utility area and – if the washer and dryer are set up in the basement – whether they are being sold with the house. Again, look for signs of water damage.

Last but not least – and this applies to any area we’ve discussed – find out if any recent renovations have been made to the home. It’s also very important to ask about the type of heating, water service, plumbing and the standard electrical amperage for the home. Is the hot water heater owned or rented? Is it gas or electric, and what is its storage / output capacity? What type of insulation is installed around the house?

This is of course is just a scratching of the surface as regards to what buyers should look at when making quick reference decisions about the suitability of a home. Your real estate professional will be able to add to this list extensively and judiciously, and we wish all 3 (or more) of you happy house hunting!

Creating Yourself as a Brand as a Realtor

Published March 27, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Happy realtor woman showing keysHere at Real Estate Leads, we won’t even began to suggest we’re experts on the subject but we do know of a number of tips for getting ahead as a realtor. These days – in the age of digital media – one of them most prominent of them is being able to create yourself and your services as a brand all within itself. Some of you may not know exactly what that entails, so let us explain.

What Exactly is Branding?

To give a definition, branding is “the marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product or a service from other products or services. In a nutshell, a brand is what sets us apart from our competition.

That’s exactly it – we want to secure greater numbers of clients, and setting ourselves apart from our competitors in the industry is key to doing that. Clients have choices – plenty of them. Being really good at what you do just isn’t enough. You need to start making yourself recognizable as a distinct choice for them. Different from others. A unique name or catchy slogan won’t come even close to doing that on their own.

Every part of your marketing collaterals need to be geared towards creating a greater ‘whole’ – if you will – that’s regarded by prospective clients as a brand.

What Makes Up a Brand?

There is the “look of a brand” or the visual components. This can include logos and colours that you use on your website, specific repeated images, communication language choices, etc.

To use a very well known example, think about Apple. The distinctive logo, the “i” precursor in the titling of its products, etc. You associate a quality personal computing product when you see them, right?

When done properly, your brand will tell your customers exactly who you are and what they can expect when they use your company.

Creating your brand involves online and offline strategies, and that probably comes as no surprise. Your brand might begin with your website. Give some thought to the following; when someone goes to your website from one of your promotions, what do they see? Do they see the same logo? Do they feel like your website is an extension of your personal brand that you have built? If you can’t say ‘yes’ to that definitively, you either may not have much of a brand for yourself, or your brand is a work in progress.

That’s perfectly fine, and it’s not like this has been a staple process for realtors for decades. We’re still adjusting to the information age.

Getting Started

You want to create a ‘total’ brand. That’s the sum of two parts; the first being your companies brand (likely already well established if you’re part of a major brokerage) and the second being your personal brand (which again, is perfectly natural to be lacking at this point) The first step here – again considering we’re in the 21st century – should be a no-brainer. Secure a domain name that is immediately associated with ‘you’ as a realtor. And yes, that’s your name!

If you don’t already own your “name domain” you should get that as soon as possible. So if your name is Ron Donaldson you will ideally acquire the domain rondonaldson.com. Don’t delay in making the inquiry with a reputable web hosting provider asking if that domain name is available

Next up is a sharp, distinctive logo that speaks to who you are – both as an individual and a professional. Don’t hesitate to hire a creative designer who can coax ideas out of you if you’re at a loss for them yourself. You can get a simple logo on Fiverr.com for just $5 bucks or if you want to spend a little more you can check out companies like 99designs.com.

On to your tagline, or slogan as it’s also called. It should tell everyone what you do, but not be so plain and obvious as ‘I sell homes.’ Try to be creative, and again it’s vastly preferable to hire a communications pro rather than settle on something you came up with yourself if you’re really not sure about it.

Just do a little brainstorming to come up with your own tagline. This is just one more way your customers can remember you.

Consistency is Key

Before you begin this whole process of building your brand, you want to spend some time thinking about the big picture. Everything that is used in your business should contain the same branding. The same logo, colours, and tagline should be incorporated uniformly with all of your printed materials – letterhead, newsletters and business cards, all pieces of marketing collateral. The look and message of your website should be consistent with this too. If you buy company apparel you will want those to be the same too.

Your brand should embody your values, your ethics and your way of doing business, along with a healthy bit of who you are ALL the time, not just when you’re working as a real estate professional. The brand that you create is how you want people to think about you. Just remember that if you aren’t able to deliver what your brand promises or what it stands for, then a nice logo and some cool colours won’t make up for that.

We’ve just scratched the surface of what brand building for realtors entails here, but there’s a wealth of information out there for you and we’re happy to introduce you to the idea if it’s something that’s unfamiliar for you. Advancing your real estate career is going to be a priority for all of you, and it’s a great idea to sign up with Real Estate Leads here for qualified buyer and seller real estate leads delivered to you each month for your (and yours alone) territory in Canada.

Quarter-Mark Stats & Trends

Published March 22, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

AdobeStock_83998665Here we are almost at the quarter mark for the year, and here at Real Estate Leads we like to discuss the state of the markets from coast to coast, in addition to providing a valuable online resource for real estate agents.

Vancouver and Toronto continued to see significant price appreciation in the first quarter of the year. In keeping with that, the average residential sale price of a Vancouver home in the first quarter of 2016 – compared with the same period for 2015 – rose 24%, while single-family homes in the city of Vancouver were selling for upwards of $2 million on average. In the Greater Toronto Area, the average residential sale price during the first quarter rose to $675,492, up 14%.

Inventory continues to see reductions in both cities. Competition among buyers has discouraged sellers from listing their properties, and while sellers know their homes would be quick to sell there are conversely many who are reluctant to become buyers themselves and enter what continues to be a highly competitive market. In addition, some potential sellers are hesitant to list their homes, buoyed by a belief that home prices could appreciate further.

Nest Eggs

Keep in mind as well that many Canadians are relying on their homes as a source of retirement income. They will move cautiously accordingly. According to a recent RE/MAX poll conducted by Leger, 56% of Canadians aged 55-64 who are considering selling their homes will be selling to release equity for retirement. Outside of Vancouver and Toronto, surrounding regions continue to experience a ‘spillover’ effect. This means buyers are moving farther out in search of affordable single-family homes. This has led to significant price appreciation in regions such as Victoria (+10%), Hamilton-Burlington (+10%) and Barrie (+14%). The population growth in these regions – in large part driven by housing demand – is providing a related boost to local economies as restaurants, shops and services expand.

In Flux

Some Canadian cities have experienced an economic slowdown due to the significant drop in the price of oil, and for these cities there are a pair of factors that have been mitigating the short-term economic effects. Take Calgary for example. It has a diversified economy after years of population growth, while Edmonton and St. John’s are benefiting from numerous capital projects in the region including infrastructure investments and continued investments from the oil industry.

Conversely, other areas of the country have benefited from the return of workers who had moved away to pursue employment opportunities in the West. Regions that for years experienced an exodus of their young working population as they headed to Alberta have started to see that trend reverse. In Atlantic Canada, young people from outside the urban centres who would have moved west several years ago are now going to cities such as Halifax. It’s having a positive effect on those economies.

This trend is notable in Southern Ontario, where manufacturing cities are offering greater numbers of employment opportunities as a result of the low Canadian dollar. Windsor previously had one of the highest unemployment rates in Canada, but it is now trending below the national average. It’s expected that this trend will continue for smaller cities in Southern Ontario, and that’s good news for the regions.

In Canadian housing markets where prices have softened, construction has also slowed to align with decreased demand. This is expected to stabilize prices as population growth catches up to inventory levels. When you consider that Canada is on track to welcome approximately 300,000 new permanent residents this year – the highest number since 1913 – that trend is particularly noteworthy with everything it connotes for certain cities.

We’re eager to see what the next quarter-year has in store for us, and as things look up it means even more in the ways of opportunities for realtors to find new clients. Sign up here for Real Estate Leads and have qualified buyer and seller leads provided to you every month.

Tips for Even More Success with Open Houses

Published March 14, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Open House signIf you’re a successful Real Estate Agent, chances are you spend nearly every Saturday and Sunday holding Open Houses. And while that keeps you very busy on the weekends – truth is, you wouldn’t have it any other way! These events are an integral part of the selling process for homes, and prospective buyers obviously put a lot of value in their ‘walk through.’

We imagine you hold great open houses, and that a good many of them lead directly to you matching the right buyer with your seller. But there’s always room for improvement isn’t there? Here at Real Estate Leads we’re all about advice for real estate agents, so here’s 10 tips for making your Open Houses even better.

  1. Advertise online: This is a no-brainer these days of course, but advertise online with an aim to STAND OUT from all the listings in the neighbourhood. Write colourful, descriptive ads and place them in web classifieds or open house directories, too. Post Internet listings everywhere.
  1. Map your open house signs: Find the busiest intersection closest to your home and put an open house sign at that corner, with arrows pointing buyers in the right direction. Repeat them every few blocks until you end up at your house, and don’t be afraid to jazz them up so that they’re remarkable. It helps!
  1. Remove all vehicles from the driveway: A clear and unobstructed view from the street is preferable. If you feel comfortable, ask the neighbours to help out by not parking in front of your listing.
  1. Let in the Light!: Open all the drapes, blinds and window coverings –– natural lighting does wonders for the real ambiance of a home shining through. This is true even if it’s not sunny outdoors.
  1. Serve beverages and refreshments.
  1. Do NOT use air fresheners of any sort: Many people are allergic to synthetic odours.
  1. Illuminate!: Turn on every light in the house, except lights that produce noise such as exhaust fans without separate on / off switches.
  1. Soft, pleasant music: If possible, play it at an appropriate level on each floor to help set a mood.
  1. Have good looking print collaterals for buyers: 4r-colour flyers filled with quality photos and attractive points for the property should be available for all buyers, even if more arrive than expected.
  1. Do the same for materials with financing options so buyers can make estimations regarding financing and long-term affordability.

Being upbeat, cheery and greeting each buyer who enters the home is also highly advisable. Try to prioritize your movements around the home and similarly try to be engaged with all guests in a timely manner. Find out what the buyers are looking for and, if possible, show them why your home fits those requirements.

And last but not least, ask for feedback. Ask each buyer what they thought of your home and would they consider buying it. Agents and sellers can be hesitant to ask for a buyer’s opinion, but just put your apprehensions away and ask. It’s the only way you’re going to get a direct answer, and the answer just might surprise you and help you make more informed choices.

All the best in your ventures this week, and we always welcome feedback here. Sign up with Real Estate Leads to receive qualified monthly leads provided to you exclusively as the only realtor assigned to a specific area of the country. It’s a big plus and definitely worth the investment!

Location, Location, Location: Drone Video Footage for the Biggest Picture

Published March 9, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

drone flying over prairie landscapeNot only will every real estate agent be familiar with the ‘location, location, location’ adage, but we imagine nearly every one of them will also agree with it. The home itself is one thing, but where it stands and all that’s around it is just as much – if not more – of the equation. As always, we’re very happy to discuss tips and strategies for real estate agents in Canada. Here’s one that’s not only super effective, but also involves some good old fashioned fun as well!

Realtors in generations past would take plenty of photos of a listed home’s nearby features and the neighbourhood as a whole, but they wouldn’t have the time or inclination to take shots beyond say a half-kilometre beyond the property. And all of those photos were taken from eye-level, unless of course you had one that was inclined to climb trees!

Enter the Drones

All of this has now changed with the introduction and increasingly common use of drones these days. Many models have an integrated video camera that can be remotely activated from the controls and uploading the video to your smartphone, notebook, tablet, or desktop is easy. The appeal this will have with both real estate agents and selling homeowners (including FSBOs) is easy to understand. Now you’ll have photos and videos of the home from the standard perspective AND a really appealing and informative view of the large neighbourhood and even the city or town itself.

Cameras that feature a wide-angle lens with panorama view option are preferable, as is 1080p video resolution for obvious reasons. Choose a sunny day and get your drone up high and video rolling! Flying drones is surprisingly easy, and it’s been reported that the average user is ‘fully proficient’ with operation of the drone within 30 minutes. It’s definitely not a difficult task, and the higher-end models are surprisingly stable in the air and easy to lift off / land.

A Surprisingly Versatile Marketing Tool

Video footage generated from a drone can also be utilized for more specific purposes, and shared in formats outside of the standard uploading method. For instance, drones are excellent for providing an up-close analysis of the condition of a home’s roof or chimney. And higher-end drones will allow you to stream live, either on their own or via your mobile internet device of choice.

The newest drones have built-in redundancy. If an operator lets go of the controls, it simply hovers in place. In addition, standard prices for high-quality drones are expected to drop to as little as $500, though drones with higher-end features, including gyro-stabilized platforms, which help steady the video images, will still run in the vicinity of $1,000 to $1,200. The smaller gyro-stabilized drones, with the rotors shut off, can also be handheld and walked inside a home to provide steadier images during a video walk-through.

Have you already got on board with drones as part of your marketing efforts, or are you considering purchasing one and doing so? We’d love to hear about your experiences with them, and – as always – the more listings you have to try out your new toy video recording them from on high, the better. So sign up with Real Estate Leads right here and get a big online boost to your lead generation efforts today!

The ‘Monitoring Dashboard’ – What is It, and What’s it Saying about Real Estate in Canada?

Published February 27, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Needless to say, all of the major financial institutions have a vested interest in the state and well being of the Canadian Real Estate Market. As an agent, you’re always looking for resources for realtors and it’ll likely be good to know how the big banks employ the Monitoring Dashboard for real estate market conditions in Canada.

The Monitoring Dashboard has 10 separate individual categories, and to each of them one of three colour-coded statuses will be applied at any time.

The 10 categories are:

  1. Affordability
  2. Resale Market Balance
  3. Rental Market Balance
  4. Interest Rates
  5. Labour Market
  6. Demographics
  7. New Home Inventory – Singles
  8. New Home Inventory – Multiples
  9. Homes Under Construction – Singles
  10. Homes Under Construction – Multiples

And the statuses are:

  • Red – ‘significantly outside historical norms and posing a higher risk than usual’
  • Yellow – ‘modestly outside historical norms and posing a moderately higher risk than usual’
  • Green – Within historical norms and not seen to be creating any immediate risk

These findings are generated from the Canadian Housing Health Check Report, which is compiled by the Royal Bank of Canada. It provides solid insights into the overall Canadian housing market and the contrasting regional risk profiles and trends.

So what’s the Monitoring Dashboard saying for 2017?

canadian-housing-market-risk-profile-1024x548

Toronto

Reds for affordability and HUC multiples indicate what is called ‘overheating.’ Home prices in the city are becoming increasingly unaffordable, and a downturn in the building of multiple-unit housing developments compounds the issue. Also relevant to this trend is the city’s seeming unwillingness to consider a foreign-buyer tax like the one Vancouver has put into place.

Vancouver

Vancouver sees the same reds, but one more in demographics as well with the fact the city is bulging at the seems and struggling to accommodate the rate of population growth it’s seeing.

Home prices in Vancouver have been falling in recent months, with the average price dropping 3.1 per cent as of the end of last year. Vancouver does have “solid economic underpinnings,” though and the market appears to be adjusting in an orderly fashion with the aforementioned foreign-buyer levy.

Calgary

Alberta’s capital would seem to have the greatest cause for concern according to the Dashboard, with reds for rental market balance, labour market, demographics, and new home inventory for multiples.

Increasing numbers of condos and rental units are sitting empty in Calgary, due to job losses that are in large part an outcome from the lower price of oil – a resource that’s a major contributor to Alberta’s economy. Accordingly, the market here is most at risk of any big city in Canada. Recent drops in condo construction and a slightly improving trend for home resales have been positive developments however, suggesting that risks might ease in the period ahead.

Here’s to hoping things look up all across the board with real estate in Canada, and to that end you should make sure you’re exploring every avenue to increase your business leads. Sign up with Real Estate Leads and receive qualified buyer and selling leads that are yours exclusively for your protected region of the country. Proven effective!

The Less-Conspicuous Driving Force Behind Soaring Home Prices

Published February 22, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

 

3D rendered illustration of rising real estate pricesA very interesting article in the thetyee.ca today by journalist Geoff Dembicki entitled ‘The Real Reason You Can’t Afford A Home’ highlights a specific aspect of the new global economic realities that is manifesting itself in many people no longer being able to afford a home in hot spots like Vancouver and Toronto. There’s much in the way of real estate trends and news these days, but it’s hard to argue this isn’t easily at the forefront of them.

To introduce it in a more-simplistic overview, it’s that the amount of global capital becoming available for investing is rising much more rapidly than actual economic growth. Here now in 2017, there’s so much capital available that investors don’t know what to do with it all.

The response has been to pour a large portion of it into real estate, and not just here in Canada but in popular metropolitan city areas all around the world. It’s considered a ‘safe’ investment given the current climate, and prices are becoming sky-high as a result as the impetus for the investment shifts to a much more speculative one.

The 2 Distinct Spheres

To understand this in a more brief and easily digestible piece, we need to look at why there is both ‘real’ and ‘financial’ economies, and how distinct they are from each other as it relates here. The “real economy” – as Dembicki puts it – is what most of us are familiar with, all the goods and services produced across the world — the global GDP — and the infrastructure that makes this activity possible.

The “financial economy” is something different altogether. This is where investment happens. Securities, mutual funds and bonds, along with the balance sheets of banks and other financial institutions. With all this talk about a ‘bubble’ for real estate in Vancouver and Toronto, it’s the financial economy that’s blowing the air into it.

The article states – very correctly – that digital technology and globalization are the 2 primary contributors to the rise of this investment boom and all that comes along with it, good and bad. Digital technology has allowed investors to create more sophisticated and profitable ways of investing, while globalization led to massive amounts of new wealth in countries that never had much of it before.

The volume of this newfound ready-to-go capital is enormous, and it’s entirely natural that investors have begun looking for new opportunities. The simple fact is real estate is the one of the best avenues for investing now, and so here we are with super-inflated markets in our big cities.

A Persistent Market

It’s true that corrections always tend to occur with big-stage global economic trends, and this will likely be no exception. The ‘invisible hand’ always shows up, but the reality is that this trend of ‘unaffordable’ homes is likely here to stay for a good long while. And it should be said that there are plenty of very ‘liveable’ cities in Canada outside of Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary!

B.C. First-Time Homebuyer Loan Program Meets Mixed Reviews

Published February 14, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Happy family near new house.There are many would-be first time homebuyers in British Columbia who’ve faced the same hurdle over the years. They’re able to afford their projected mortgage payments, but coming up with down payments that are often staggering in size is an insurmountable obstacle. It’s one truth that no amount of real estate tips and advice can get you past.

Some of these folks may now have a solution to their predicament with the BC Provincial Government’s new Home Owner Mortgage and Equity Partnership Program. With it, the government would match these buyers’ savings – up to $37,500 or 5% of the home’s purchase price.

At first glance, it’s easy to see this as a generous and benevolent gesture on the part of the Liberal government to help homeowner’s enter a market that’s very daunting, particularly so for the Lower Mainland of the Province. On the other hand, however, it’s important to keep in mind that the Federal Government instituted the country-wide down payment requirements it did to exclude buyers who might be tempted to overextend themselves on properties they won’t be able to afford should interest rates increase.

In contrast to all the ‘feel good’ nature of this new program, that second part of it is something that really must be remembered as it’s an age-old maxim – If you can’t afford a home based on the existing market and its projections, you really shouldn’t try to purchase one.

Differing Perspectives

The program would only apply to homes worth less than $750,000. A buyer must be able to pre-qualify for a mortgage and have a gross household income of less than $150,000. Applications open Jan. 16, and the program ends March 31, 2020. The government would put a second mortgage on a property to reflect the amount it loaned, but not require any interest payments or payments on the principal for the first five years. After that, the 20-year repayment plan would be set at the prime lending rate plus 0.5 per cent, leaving the homeowner to pay back both the original mortgage and the down-payment loan at the same time.

It was greeted with praise by developers, the real estate industry, mortgage brokers and some housing analysts. Their argument is that it will help those who would already qualify for mortgages speed their entry into the market, and some adding further that it will continue to buoy the market in the face of a projected downturn this year (only in part due to the foreign buyers tax – but we won’t digress).

Proponents of the program state it keeps the housing continuum moving along, and that an influx of first-time homebuyers is very much needed. Critics counter with the fact that it does nothing to address the reality that “we continue to have too much demand chasing to little supply” as one industry expert put it. In response, proponents – while agreeing that supply of new housing in Metro Vancouver is limited relative to the demand – believe that this will offer a greater incentive to builders and developers to initiate new projects.

NDP housing critic David Eby said the province is encouraging buyers to go deeper into debt. He said it flies in the face of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s new stress tests, designed to gauge whether a buyer could still pay their mortgage if interest rates rose to the five-year standard rate of 4.64 per cent.

Differing perspectives for sure, and before we wrap it up for this week here are the eligibility requirements for the program:

  1. Have saved a down payment amount at least equal to the loan amount for which they are applying from government.
  2. Have been a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for at least five years.
  3. Have lived in B.C. for at least one year prior to the sale.Are a first-time buyer who has not owned an interest in any residential property anywhere in the world at any time.
  4. The home must have a purchase price of less than $750,000.
  5. The buyer must already be able to qualify for an insured high-ratio first mortgage for at least 80 per cent of the purchase price.
  6. The combined gross household income of all people on title must not be more than $150,000.
  7. What do you think? Is it a judicious decision on the part of the BC Liberals to introduce this program? Will it be a benefit or a detriment in the long term?

Increasing numbers of ready homebuyers is going to be a plus for you as a realtor no matter which way you slice it, so sign up with real estate leads and have qualified online-generated leads provided to you exclusively for your region!

Getting the Best Quality Photos of Properties

Published February 11, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Young Female Architect Looking At Designs Of House On Computer In OfficeIt might be cliche here to offer the age-old expression that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ In today’s digital age, however, where prospective buyers make online researching a big part of the decision process before they even make proceeding to make first contact with a seller, it’s perhaps more true than ever.

Naturally, the significance of this is magnified hundredfold when the product being sold is a home worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and perhaps more in some instances. You absolutely must have high-quality, high-resolution images of the home, and there’s a whole host of considerations that go into that beyond the one of having a high-end camera with plenty of megapixels and auto image-stabilization etc.

All that said, it is entirely possible for you to take on that challenge on your own with your own camera, equipment, and know how. Let’s talk about some tips for getting quality photos of real estate properties.

Equipment

Though pricey, a DSLR camera is preferable. Most DSLRs will have an image processor that is 18MP or higher, and the difference in image crispness and definition delivered by these kinds of processors is immediately discernible when you compare them to your average point n’ shoot camera or the one on your smartphone – which is likely 8MP.

For residential interior photography, the home itself and it’s design particulars will dictate what equipment you need. Some homes designed by great architects are designed specifically with natural lighting in mind and won’t need much extra lighting. Other homes will need plenty of it.

The bare essentials you’ll need for interior photography include a tripod, electronic flash, and non-distorting lenses. Wide angle is fine as long as it isn’t too wide. If you can, get architecture specific lenses. Try using prime lenses over zoom lenses as this will minimize curvature. Faster lenses are best, as interior photography will have much less available light to work with.

Lighting Basics

Many architects understand the importance of light, and design houses around incorporating natural light. If you are fortunate enough to have a well designed lighting system, you may be just fine with using only existing light.

A staple approach is to turn on all the lights in the house. This adds more depth and colour variance to your photos. Make sure the lights do not show up as reflections in pictures, windows, mirrors, or other reflective surfaces. This is visually disconcerting for any viewer.

It’s not difficult to determine when this isn’t working well. If that’s the case, you’ll need to use external lighting such as flashes or strobes to balance the natural and artificial light. A simple tactic is to replace the incandescent bulbs with more powerful tungsten bulbs. These have a higher output and tend to be more consistent in colour temperature with outdoor lighting.

Lastly, when using a portable flash, it is advisable to not to point the light directly at your scene. Instead, aim it at a light-coloured wall or ceiling. This will diffuse and spread the light throughout the entire room. Light coloured is better as coloured walls as the darker colour may change the reflective nature of the light.

Composition

Now to the dos and don’ts of the actual taking photos of the home. The first tip is to be spacious with your shots, and a primary means of achieving that is to avoid shooting straight at walls. This will make the photo look flat and can also create less definition to the perspective. Shoot into the corners of rooms instead to create more depth and make the room appear larger. Also, taking the photos from a lower angle and with a wider angled lens creates an effect where the room is seen to be larger and more open.

The next tip is to choose attention grabbing areas. As you can’t photograph an entire room in one picture, you should focus your lens on the parts of that room that you imagine would have the most immediate visual appeal for buyers. Choose objects of importance that really make the space attractive, or parts of the room with more interesting architecture. Be sure that the vertical and horizontal lines in your photos are straight. Crooked lines are signs of poor technical skills and will detract from the image.

These arejust a few introductory points to consider with taking photos when selling a home. There’s many more, and it’s advisable to become familiar with them if you’re a real estate agent who takes the initiative to sell more homes. Signing up with Real Estate Leads to receive qualified leads that are provided to you and you alone for your region in Canada is highly advisable too, and here’s where you can get in on the action

To Be A FSBO… Or Not

Published February 4, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

We’ll start this week’s post by explaining that we’re well aware that this is a real estate topics blog and that the majority of our readership will be real estate professionals who’ll be well aware of what exactly ‘FSBO’ means. We’re going to take a quick moment though, to explain this wacky acronym to anyone who’s not so familiar with it.

For Sale By OwnerFSBO (fizz-bo) stands for For Sale By Owner, and it’s a term used to describe a homeowner who’s made the decision to list and sell their home on their own, without the assistance of a realtor. Now we’re similarly aware that the same majority of you will obviously recommend against such a practice with vehemence, but let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons to being a FSBO. After all, being a well-informed realtor who can offer perspectives without bias or prejudice reflects very well upon you and it’s good to be able to appraise prospective clients of both sides of the coin, no matter how it may end up.

Advantages

  1. Avoiding Commission

This one’s simple to understand from the seller’s perspective, as much as it’s in contradiction to your interests as a listing agent. On average, they’ll pay about 6% to sell their home—split evenly between you and the buyer’s agent. They should factor in the realtor’s commission when determining the asking price for their property. Their decided-upon sale price should be enough to pay off the remaining mortgage balance on the property, plus pay the commission. If that calculation leaves a little bit to be desired, this is one reason they might consider becoming a FSBO.

  1. There are Plenty of Selling Resources These Days

The days of creating your own yard sign and then putting an ad in the local newspaper’s classified section are long gone. Now there are an array of resources available to help you sell a home. These included locale-specific real estate purchase agreements that can be found online, and local title companies or a real estate attorney can help with the legalities and answer questions – often online as well if you can’t contact them in person or by another means. This is huge for folks in more rural areas. Perhaps more important though are the excellent resources available on the web for advertising your property. You can include photos of your house, as well as detailed information about the property, including the number of bedrooms, upgrades, square footage and other features. The Internet is pretty much the greatest thing to ever happen to FSBOs!

  1. Sense of Accomplishment

This one doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation. If you’re the type who likes doing all manner of things yourself, and saving money accordingly – you’d probably make a great and determined FSBO.

Disadvantages

  1. Lack of Access to MLS (Multiple Listings Service)

This is definitely drawback numero uno when it comes to choosing to go FSBO as compared to working with a real estate agent. Working within a city or town’s MLS is restricted to participating (and paying) realtors exclusively, and having a home for sale featured in the MLS is of paramount effectiveness in putting the home in front of the largest number of buyers and the realtors they’re working with. It’s pretty much the bible in this regard, and selling your home without having it featured there puts you at an immediate disadvantage when it comes to exposure and finding the ‘right’ types of prospective buyers – no doubt about it.

  1. Lack of an Industry-Professionals Advice Regarding Pricing, Etc.

A qualified and experienced realtor is often invaluable with the way he or she understands the value of a home in the bigger context of the ever-changing housing market in any specific locale. You may think your home is worth X-amount – and you may have some very solid reference points in coming up with that number – but it may simply not be a realistic asking price given the conditions of the market and any of the other factors that can come into play. The majority of which are beyond the scope of understanding for anyone other than a professional realtor.

Pricing yourself realistically but fairly goes a long way in having you sell the home within the timeline you envision, and FSBOs often struggle right out of the gate this way.

  1. Being Overwhelmed / Intimidated with Requisite Paperwork

There’s a LOT of paperwork involved in selling or buying a home, and often more than the average person could ever imagine possible. Without having a realtor who’s gone through these documents many times previously on your side, you may well find yourself moving along at a snail’s pace, and becoming immensely frustrated accordingly.

  1. You Alone are the Open House Coordinator

This one’s also fairly self-explanatory. Prospective buyers will always want to tour homes they’re considering buying, and if you choose not to work with a realtor you’re very much on your own when it comes to scheduling, staging, promoting and so on and so forth. An agent can filter calls and inquiries from other real estate agents and coordinate open houses and showings for your property, so you can go about your everyday life and not have to concern yourself with it – and it always involves a LOT of concerns. And last but not least, a realtor can speak of your home and it’s attractive features and amenities in a smooth, convincing manner in a way you simply can’t. It’s a developed skill.

Here at Real Estate Leads, we provide realtors with qualified leads generated online and exclusive to them and their region in Canada. We also like to talk about trends in real estate, and if you’ve got anything to add to this post or any other we’d like to hear what you’ve got to say!

To Tie or Not to Tie

Published January 24, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

rel-brokeragesIt seems that the dress casual trend that’s really taken hold in the office world over the last decade is starting to make inroads with real estate agents too. In particular this is true with the necktie being less of a default choice when putting together an outfit for men. Dressing more casually wouldn’t be anything you’d likely include in a list of smart tips for realtors, but more than anything it’s just interesting to note how frequently you see realtors and people in other outside sales-oriented careers choosing to go without a necktie.

Many agree that a nice collared shirt with dress pants or even khakis along with a nice pair of shoes and stylish coat looks sharp on a man who’s also well groomed. The same goes for women, and many female realtors make a point of not ‘over-doing’ it with makeup and other considerations. It’s a refreshing change to see the flexibility in attitudes towards a realtor’s attire!

Now your vehicle of choice – that’s an entirely different matter. You might want to rethink that subcompact, and no realtor drives a 2-door. Period.

I remember reading a discussion forum for realtors once where a man related how he’d gone to meet with a client dressed very formally. The homeowner – a younger man – said jokingly that he “looked like he was going to a funeral.” Now it is true that older clients will be more receptive to the traditionalism of a suit and tie, but a number of different studies over the years have indicated that younger professionals and creatives are much more open-minded and don’t put a whole lot of stock in your attire. They’re going to be much more interested in what you can do for them as compared to how you look. You could even say that you might have more cred with them if you have tattoos, and it’s really not a stretch to say that!

Ed Babich is a realtor at KellerWilliams in Port Coquitlam, BC, a suburb of Vancouver. He’s quite renowned for his slogan – “The Guy with No Tie” and of course we wouldn’t be mentioning him here in our Real Estate Leads blog if he wasn’t a successful realtor. Ed worked as a journeyman tradesperson in the field of Thermal Engineering as a Heat and Frost Insulator before becoming a realtor, and Ed has lived and traveled throughout British Columbia and is familiar with many areas in Greater Vancouver and the Province.

You can be sure his slogan has appealed to many prospective clients just because of the way it indicates him as a realtor for the everyday working man. Well done Ed, very insightful and a perfect description of who you are as a realtor!

What are your thoughts on attire for both men and women realtors? We think you should dress as you see fit, and of course utilize ever real estate lead generation tool you can including realestateleads.ca

Chasing Space – Moving From Major Metros in Search of a House – and a ‘Man Cave’?

Published January 17, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Rising house sales conceptIt’s no secret that it’s harder than ever to have the classic North American dream of a detached home if you live in a major urban centre, and particularly ones that are decidedly liveable. Real estate trends in Canada have made it that affording a house in Vancouver or Toronto is particularly challenging. No one feels the pinch more than working families with children who have a real need for more space, and that’s what’s behind the trend that sees Hamilton and Abbotsford and the Greater Fraser Valley as the two hottest housing markets in Canada as we move into 2017.

It’s a direct reflection of the fact that detached homes in Vancouver and Toronto – and now even their satellite cities – are simply too pricy for most.

The RE/MAX annual Housing Market Outlook Report indicates real estate in Hamilton-Burlington shot up by 19.8 per cent this year compared to last. That’s a few notches ahead of second place Fraser Valley, which rose by 19.5 per cent.

The Fraser Valley is expected to see a 5% decline in prices next year, but Hamilton should see another double-digit increase next year. Prices here are predicted to jump by 11%, again putting Hamilton on top in Canada.

That means next year the average house in Hamilton-Burlington will spike to $594,427 from $535,520 this year.

The hot demand for housing in both Vancouver and Toronto means that if you want a detached home and all the space that comes with it, you now may need to consider buying far beyond city limits rather than just outside of it in a satellite city.

“We NEED a House”

Outgrowing a home is easy – Kids needs bedrooms, Moms need a bigger kitchen, and Dads need garages and a backyard. Nothing beats a backyard BBQ on a freshly cut lawn in the summertime, and garages are great for vehicles – and man caves!

After all, every guy needs a place where he can cater to his sports fanaticism, have his buddies over for poker night, or rock out on his electric guitar.

Here’s a cool article about how to turn your garage into a man cave!

Always make the effort to know your clients’ property wish lists, and be proactive in making alternative suggestions for ways they can utilize space in a home if you can think of them. Man Cave? Maybe!

Sign up with realestateleads.ca and get qualified leads sent to you exclusively in the Canadian city region of your choice.

Real Estate Frenzy and Zoning Bylaws Altering Nightlife and Culture Scene in Canada’s 2 Biggest Cities

Published January 9, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

capture1Property redevelopment for multi-unit housing is one of the most predominant trends in Canada’s big cities. It is a boon for real estate agents, developers and contractors, but there’s so many different ways rapid population growth and housing demand affect the social fabric of a city, and many of the realities of increasing densification are decidedly negative. Especially when it comes to nightlife, entertainment, and arts and culture, which collectively are a consideration when cities are evaluated on the liveability scale.

Nowhere is this more true than in Toronto and Vancouver. THUMP is VICE news music and culture channel, and in a September 2016 article Shawn Micallef from popular Canadian urbanism magazine Spacing talked about the trend and the way explosive downtown Toronto condo development has squeezed out many clubs and venues.

“In the beginning of the 2000s, you had 60,000 to 80,000 people coming down to Toronto’s clubland, and there were incredible amounts of clubs and way less residents. After each new condo opened though, that political balance tipped towards the residents. It became more about lounges instead of big clubs. Clubs take up a lot of space, and that space is only used at night, and maybe a few nights a week. It’s a lot more valuable to build something taller and bigger with more uses and more people. Those properties get easily scooped up.”

Throughout the rest of Toronto, there are still many bars and restaurants along main streets that function as small venues. However, depending on the neighbourhood, they are often restricted in terms of the size of the room, patios, and other factors. In many areas that have experienced a rapid growth of bars and restaurants, there has been significant pushback from residents regarding noise and disturbance issues.

A similar 2016 article in Vancouver’s The Georgia Straight lamented the same problem out West, noting in particular the closure of the storied Railway Club where the property has been sold and slated for redevelopment

Part of that shift is likely due to the changing demographics of the city as real estate values skyrocket, but the trend isn’t entirely driven by changing entertainment tastes. It has become significantly more difficult to run a profitable large venue as commercial rents continue to increase, and city council has made it harder to open new spaces, even in the areas where zoning permits them.

Downtown zoning for Vancouver does permit nightclubs in the Denman, Davie, and Robson Villages, Granville Street, the Central Business District, Gastown and Chinatown, but for community compatibility concerns a new nightclub requires council approval for the liquor license.

Not all Canadian cities are experiencing the same kind of pressure on their nightlife scenes from development. Halifax and Montreal haven’t had the big real estate booms and inundation of new condo construction.

There’s definitely 2 sides to this coin. Who doesn’t like seeing a great band in a more intimate venue with great sound, or losing yourself to a great DJ in a club that’s just bumping! But for those of us in the real estate business – who doesn’t like selling a home too? The onus is going to be on municipal government to get creative with zoning solutions so that nightlife and arts and cultures scenes can continue to add to the flavour of a city. Generate qualified online real estate leads in Toronto and Vancouver with realestateleads.ca

 

 

 

The 3-Tier Review for Every Realtor This New Year’s 2017

Published January 5, 2017 by Real Estate Leads

Strategy For Real Estate Mobile MarketingSo here we are at the beginning of a new year, and it’s quite natural for many realtors to experience something of a downturn in business during the back side of the colder months of the year. There’s nearly always a down turn in real estate marketing activity after the first two weeks of December, but the smart choice is to make it into an opportunity to strategize for an even better 2017. Have a read here and see what we recommend for realtors who want to take the initiative here in January.

There are 3 reviews you need to complete before you can set a path for growth of your real estate biz in 2017. The three reviews include your transaction history, your prospecting efforts, and your personal marketing efforts.

Let’s start with the review, looking at what you’ve done financially, the number of actual transactions completed last year, and anything else we can identify with those opportunities.

A good initial reference point is to ask this question – what was your average deal size last year, the year before that, and the year previous to that one? From there it can be what clients did you work with, and how would you categorize them and identify similarities between them?

Other considerations for your transaction history review and analysis:

  • What were the average size deal with those clients provided for you?
  • How were those clients generated?
  • What was the source?
  • Were they sourced via a prospect call? Otherwise?
  • Was it a website, a lead, a company referral?
  • Was it the same clients?
  • Where were those clients and opportunities located?
  • What market are you best suited to pursue more actively this coming year?
  • What are your best product types and may that be changing moving forward?

We think it’s best to look at these points before addressing every realtor’s big picture question:

Did you achieve your net income goal for 2016? Next, look at your results above and make connections between why you DID or DID NOT meet that net income goal. Look at the numbers. Look back on your efforts last year, and see where those are. Define your average gross commission income. What was your average net commission per closing? Of the listings/representations/assignments you secured, how many were unsuccessful?

Identify your top five clients. Maybe you define that as the five that made the most money for you, maybe you have other criteria. Whatever it is and whoever those 5 clients are, you need to spend time conceptualizing on who they are collectively.

Now look at your prospecting efforts. Prospecting is a disciplined act of asking for business. Think about and critique the way you approached prospective clients. Look back at some of the quantitative, and qualitative aspects of your prospecting. How many prospecting meetings did you hold in 2016? How many calls to you attempt vs. complete, and how many prospect letters (not emails) did you send?

There are three elements of presence, or personal marketing. Personal, physical, and digital. C Categorize your efforts within these days and look at the distribution of resources. Look back at your calendar. This is vital to growing in 2017. Personal is meeting people, and yes that can and should include door knocking an cold calling. Physical marketing efforts consist of tangible items you have mailed, gifted or sent. Digital is the tweeting, the blogging, the LinkedIn groups, Facebook interactions, that you actually participate in. E-mail blasts, and newsletters fall into this element too.

As noted, the first step in any process of change is always the biggest. Reviewing your transactional history, prospecting efforts and personal marketing activities will take you some time, but there’s so much to be said for it in ensuring you have a better year in 2017 as a realtor. Using an online real estate lead generator like realestateleads.ca can help by leveraging the power of surveys in digital advertising to provide you with then qualified real estate leads in your area.

 

Toronto Homebuyers Continuing to Eye Detached Homes Despite Challenging Market

Published December 19, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

capture1It will come as a surprise to no one that the average price of a detached home in Toronto these days is hovering around 1.3 million. Despite that figure, the Ontario Real Estate Association Index that came out last Tuesday indicates that nearly one out of every 2 prospective buyers expects to be purchasing one in the near future. 22% of index respondents said they foresee themselves purchasing a detached home in 2017, and while that number is down from 26% at this time last year, it continues to be a surprising number for a city that is the 2nd least affordable in the country (after Vancouver).

The online Ipsos survey of 1,003 Ontario residents for OREA was conducted between Oct. 27 and 31 and is considered accurate within 3.5 per cent 19 times out of 20.

“People are optimistic about the housing market in 2017. We actually see an increase in people who are looking to buy and an increase in the number looking to sell a home,” said OREA CEO Tim Hudak, mentioning further that the index is based on research conducted twice a year by Ipsos Reid to gauge Ontarian’s perceptions of the real estate market and the economy.

This optimism may be tempered somewhat by governmental changes, however. This is particularly true regarding changes to mortgages, in particular more rigorous qualification requirements and insurance regulations, but other factors contribute as well. “There is a sentiment too among first-time home buyers that some will be forced to put off a decision or look at a smaller-valued home because of the recent changes on mortgage insurance and the stress test,” Hudak added.

He then proceeded to give praise to the Liberal government for doubling the first-time buyer rebate on the provincial land transfer tax to $4,000 on homes up to $300,000, which will clearly be beneficial for buyers. “We’re hopeful the city will match that instead of clawing it back. I remain optimistic about that,” said Hudak, who also applauded the idea that Toronto could raise some badly needed revenue by harmonizing its land transfer charge.

19 percent of index respondents were in the market for a condo too, and as vigorous as the market has been in 2016 we now see half of Toronto area residents say they expect it will be even stronger next year. 52 per cent of Torontonian respondents see the current residential real estate market being favourable, which puts them10 index points up from last year’s survey and residents in the 905-area communities came in at an even better 57 per cent.

Buyer and seller predictive stats

18%

Toronto area residents who indicated their plan to purchase a home in the next two years — up from 15% last year. That compares to 14% of Ontarians who stated their likelihood of buying in the next two years — a seven index point increase from this time in 2015.

19%

Toronto area respondents who plan to sell a home in the next two years, up from 14% last year.

82%

Proven prospective homebuyers in Ontario who believe in the strength of their local economy. 76% of those likely to sell their homes say the same.

45%

First-time buyers in the Province who say it’s increasingly challenging to save for a 20% down payment to meet the government’s more rigorous mortgage requirements.

20%

First-time buyers who say they have no choice but to postpone their purchase because of the new lending rules.

34%

First-time buyers who are now looking for a less expensive home in the same city as an alternative.

Ipsos for the Ontario Real Estate Association Ontario Home Ownership Index

 

Follow That Line – Condo Development Tails Expanded Rapid Transit Infrastructure

Published December 12, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

Follow That Line – Condo Development Tails Expanded Rapid Transit InfrastructureThat the numbers of condominiums and other types of shared-complex homes being sold in major metropolitan cities in Canada dwarf those for detached homes will come as a surprise to no one in the industry. Cities like Vancouver and Toronto are growing upwards rather than expanding outwards simply out of necessity and in response to the ever-growing demand for housing there and in surrounding satellite cities.

What is likely less understood is the fact that developers are keenly aware of the value prospective homebuyers will place on having a rapid transit station nearby their homes. That’s also a direct reflection of the trend whereby increasing numbers of young professionals (see qualified buyers) have been priced out of the metro market and are looking to buy in the suburbs and commute into town on weekdays.

Thankfully, more and more of these individuals and couples are realizing that driving to work every day is no end of a headache, and they’d really much rather prefer to commute via transit. Who wants to have to walk a block or two or more in the rain to get to the subway station? Having it right next door to your home or reasonably close by is vastly preferable for these folks.

So what does this mean for real estate agents in these cities?

The Evergreen Boom

Look no further than what’s happening in the Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam. Translink, the city’s independent Transit authority, has recently expanded its Skytrain system to include the new Evergreen extension, which now connects the easternmost part of Burnaby with Port Moody, Coquitlam, and Port Coquitlam.

Just as soon as the extension was announced in 2013, developers began securing property along the line for development. Just up the road from the Lougheed Station departure point for the Evergreen line, a major condo development began at the corner of North Rd and Como Lake Rd, and since then the same has occurred at a number of different locations in all three of those municipalities.

The similarity between each of them? They are ALL within immediate or reasonable walking distance of one of the Evergreen Line Transit Stations.

It’s certain that in many of these cases agencies representing builders had the foresight to identify properties where homeowners could be convinced to sell their properties, and thus enable the builder to acquire the land they’d need to build the development. That wasn’t the case with the project mentioned above (it was built on the site of the old Como Lake Safeway) but you can be sure it did apply to some of the more than 5 different developments that have sprouted up explicitly because of the development of the Evergreen Line.

Density, Demand – And Delivery!

Yes, this trend itself isn’t exactly a new phenomenon, and home sellers near transit hubs in Toronto and Calgary will probably say that aspect of their location was a big plu$ for them too. But in the new world reality of exploding city population densities and the resultant demand for housing it’s one that might be worth taking into greater account and factoring into the way you tailor your marketing and lead generation efforts.

A good many of your clients see living outside of Metro as a necessity, and they see a whole lot of value of being delivered to and from work with maximum convenience. Quite natural really!

Supercharging ALL of your lead generation efforts is made easy with Real Estate Leads. Get qualified leads for prospective buyers and sellers sent to YOU exclusively with your protected area through us. Contact us to learn more.

Recapping November in the Canadian Real Estate World

Published December 7, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

Recapping November in the Canadian Real Estate World

Canada High Resolution Real Estate Concept

2016 is drawing to a close. While we’re all eagerly looking forward to a less-hectic pace during the holiday season, the real estate market across the country isn’t pausing in the slightest. November has featured markets in big cities continuing to stay hot – especially in Toronto – along with several new rules, taxes and stats that are definitely worth taking note of.

Let’s get right to November’s top real estate headlines.

Shady Agent Practices Exposed via the CBC

Some of you may have seen the expose shown on CBC’s Marketplace where it highlighted the way some agents are ‘double ending’ a deal. If you didn’t, you may very well have heard about it as it certainly reflects badly on our profession. Journalists sporting hidden cameras posed as prospective homebuyers, and caught six real estate agents making promises – such as revealing other buyers’ offers and guaranteeing the home sale – in exchange for representing them as well as the seller. Now, most provinces have regulations here, where a realtor must provide both ends of a transaction to all parties in writing.

Not doing so is highly unethical, and since the broadcast aired there has been strong condemnation from both the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) and the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA).

We’ll add to this that such practice is also extremely detrimental for the seller as well. When a realtor is contractually engaged to represent seller clients, you’re expected to do everything in your power to represent their best interests. Failing to do so is one thing, but choosing not to do so in the interest of leveraging on your own behalf is extremely poor practice and reflects very badly on the individual – as it should!

Bravo CBC and Marketplace, please take further initiative if you feel it’s warranted here. Maintaining integrity and trust in this business is of paramount importance, and we ALL have much to lose without it.

Suburban Swells

The trend of homebuyers being priced out of metro-city real estate doesn’t need any introduction to folks in Vancouver and Toronto, and Calgary to a lesser extent. Accordingly, these folks are moving to the suburbs in droves. Let’s take Toronto for example; according to Toronto Real Estate Board, the areas around Toronto saw the greatest sales and price growth in October, with some cities in the 905 area code seeing as much as a 40% increase. The 6,053 homes sold in the 905 dwarfed the 3,715 that were sold in the 416 area code. Buyers who’ve had their sights set on the detached home dream are realizing it’s only doable if you get out of the metro area – suburban single-family house sales were up a whopping 13.4%. Oppositely, Toronto detached home demand rose only 1.5% last month with the lacking supply overruling the constant demand. South Simcoe County seems to be the newest hotspot, which saw the greatest year-over-year growth at 25.38% for all home types. York was next with 24.48%.

Vancouver City Council Finally Passes Empty Home Tax

In a move that was grossly overdue considering how the infusion of foreign capital into Vancouver’s housing market has been very detrimental for people who actually live in the city, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson introduced new legislation that will go into effect January 1, 2017.

Absentee homeowners (a disturbingly common trend in Vancouver) now need to pay 1% of their home’s total value, and will face steep fines – potentially daily – if they are dishonest about whether the home is occupied or not. The hope is that it will cut back on purchases made by out-of-country investors who don’t intend to dwell in their homes. Then, this should improve the supply of rental housing from the nearly non-existent vacancy rate of 0.6% to a far-better 3.5%.

According to a city-commissioned study, there are 10,800 homes sitting empty, with an additional 10,000 not fully used by their owners. The 2011 Census conducted by the Federal Government also found more than 22,000 homes in Vancouver are sitting empty.

This is a smart and responsible move by Vancouver city council. Housing is not a commodity, and it should never be regarded as such

BC – A Seller’s Market No More

In related news, the 15% foreign investor tax as well as new restrictive mortgage rules (also implemented in an effort to level the playing field for local homebuyers) have led to sales dropping in the Province. Sales in BC fell by 16.7% year over year, with just 7,272 homes changing hands. The dollar volume of sold units also plunged by 24.2%, with an average price of $606,787 – a 9.1% decline.

Short-term pain for long-term gain? Very likely.

Good News for Ontario First-Time Buyer

First-time homebuyers are often overwhelmed with just how much is required of them, so the news that the Ontario Government has announced measures that will reduce the extensive and often shocking costs that these people are subject to when closing their home purchases.

The land transfer tax rebate will be doubled to $4,000 from $2,000 for first-timers as of January 1. The minimum threshold for the tax has also been raised – those buying homes priced up to $368,000 will avoid the tax altogether (from the previous $277,500). For a first-time buyer putting the minimum 5% down, an extra $2,000 will almost certainly be a huge advantage for them, often enabling them to make a larger down payment and thus reducing the amount of CMHC mortgage default insurance they will be required to pay.

New National Housing Plan Taking Shape

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has bee hard at work over the better part of this year, and after releasing its ‘Let’s Talk Housing Report’ – which included thousands of consultation with experts across different related industries within housing across Canada – it find the top issues facing Canadian real estate and housing is the need to bring awareness to the housing needs of Canada’s most vulnerable. In addition to these findings, the federal government also announced a 5-year plan to improve affordable rental housing, with $2.5 billion earmarked for building 10,000 units throughout the country.

Renting Not as Daunting as Before

CMHC’s Fall Rental Report indicates that while rental vacancy rates rose in several markets – even being dangerously high in Alberta – they are still incredibly tight for folks in Vancouver and Toronto who are looking to rent a home. Vacancies rose to 0.7% in the west coast city, and to 1.3% in Toronto, but prices rose with them– Increases of 5.7% to rent a two-bedroom unit in Vancouver, and 3.1% to rent in Toronto arrived at the same time.

Please continue to visit us here and to stay up to date on what’s happening in the world of real estate in Canada, and if you’d like to have an online real estate lead generator working for you then you’re in the right place as well. With Real Estate Leads, you can receive generated qualified leads that will put you in touch with legit prospective buyer and sellers in YOUR area, and you’ll receive them exclusively. Sound good? check us out at www.realestateleads.ca

30 Near-Guaranteed Effective Insider Marketing Tips for Realtors

Published November 28, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

Strategy For Real Estate Mobile MarketingThe Real Estate Industry has – thankfully – been in consistent recovery since the darker days of 2012. While those of us who work in it have been very happy for the upswing, there’s still the fact that with the resurgence comes a similar surge of new agents into the field. The number of new agents registered with CREA (the Canadian Real Estate Association) has increased considerably in recent years, so the question if as pressing as ever….

How do you distinguish yourself, your services, AND your clients / listings from the pack?

A recent study in the US and their National Association of Realtors showed that 92% of buyers get onto the Internet to being their search for a new home to buy. We can safely assume there’d be similar statistics for Canada (and perhaps even more so when you consider some of the dynamics found in rural communities), so you should set your sights first and foremost on a more effective digital marketing presence.

Here are 30 effective Canadian real estate marketing ideas that are as close to a sure thing as you’ll find for those of you looking to stay on top of the real estate game!

 

  1. Incorporate Social Media

This one is at the top of the list for good reason, and in truth no other suggestion comes even close to warranting top spot. The role of social media in all aspects of marketing has been discussed at length these days, and ANYONE who has a service to offer or a product to sell MUST be utilizing social media. Period.

Get yourself set up with social media accounts for all the big networks like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and perhaps even Pinterest or Instagram if you or someone who works with you is good with photos / images. Share your properties, interact with users, and don’t hesitate to share good press about you or your brokerage if it’s in digital form.

 

  1. Consider Social Sharing for your Property Pages

You’ve got TONS to gain by allowing anyone who visits your social media channels to share your content themselves through their channels. It’s super valuable exposure, it’s FREE, and boy oh boy can it be effective! Make sure you add social sharing buttons to ALL you online content.

 

  1. Keep an Eye on your Competitors

Having a long look to see what other realtors in your area is doing isn’t wrong, and in fact when you come to understand that it’s entirely commonplace there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t do it. It’s a part of staying competitive yourself, as well as possibly taking a few pointers on how you can be more successful.

Some typical areas to look at; what do their websites look like? Are they active on social media, and if so – which channels and how / how often?

Take note of what your competitors are doing and incorporate their successful approaches into your efforts.

 

  1. Make Getting in Touch with You AS EASY AS POSSIBLE

It’s really important not to overlook this one. Put your contract info on every page of your website, as well as constructing an attractive and inviting contact us page that grabs their attention and has your email, phone, and LinkedIn profile link readily available.

 

  1. Have a GREAT business card with you at all times

Pay the money it takes to have a designer make you a very good-looking business card. Get LOTS of them, and hand them out any time an opportunity presents itself.

 

  1. Obtain Photos from a Professional

The buying and selling of homes relies heavily on great photography. Always has, always will. Poor photos and put a quick end to prospective buyers considering the property, so the smart choice is to hire a professional photographer (preferably one with extensive experience photographing homes and properties). Again, just like with the cards, this is not an area where you want to ‘skimp’ at all. Pay what it costs for pro quality, it’s 100% worth it in the long run.

 

  1. Have Virtual Tours Ready for your Clients

Modern computer software technology, high-end cameras, and the Internet make it possible for realtors to offer a very personal and informative tour of properties available to clients. Virtual tours are a great way to give comprehensive, accurate previews of the property that are presented in a very visually engaging manner.

Believe us when we tell you that nearly ALL successful realtors use virtual tours as part of the media kits for prospective buyers. Again, if putting them together is not something you’re capable of on your own, it really makes sense to hire someone to assemble them for you.

 

  1. Local Sponsorship

Signing up to sponsor a local festival, sports team, or school events is a tested-and-true method for realtors to gain exposure and make a name for themselves as community-oriented professionals. It will reflect favourably on you, and your name will be kept handy when folks being considering to sell or buy a home in the neighbourhood.

 

  1. Pinterest Boards

We mentioned Pinterest briefly above – it’s a social media network and it’s a great place for realtors to provide images and information for specific listings. We recommend creating a Pinterest board for each property or listing you have and then choosing images that best highlight features, location, amenities etc.

 

  1. Ensure your Website is Mobile-Friendly

By mobile-friendly we mean having a site version that will automatically convert itself when visitors are accessing your website via a smartphone, which – as you should know – is the most common way they’ll arrive these days. If you’re not sure what to do in this regard, we come back to the same advice – PAY someone to do it for you, as it’s extremely important and you REALLY need to have it done right. However, there’s this resource for DIY types https://4goodhosting.com/mobile-website-builder

 

  1. Have a oes Out Regularly

Utilizing an information-rich newsletter as part of your marketing efforts is highly recommended. It’s a part of effective email marketing for realtors, and is a great means of building client relationships. Make your subscribers aware of upcoming open houses, new houses on the market in certain neighbourhoods, and any other type of news that would be of interest to them. Get creative and really put yourself into your newsletter, and remember – it should go out regularly at a set time! Don’t neglect this.

 

  1. Next, an Email Nurture Campaign

“A What?” you might be saying. This type of campaign gives only select amounts of valuable information to subscribers at any given time, with the idea of ‘piquing their interest’ so that they want more information in the future. Be selective about what information you’ll provide, and to what extent you’re going to elaborate on that information.

From there, you’ll want to deliver the next set of ‘breadcrumbs’ at a set and regularly recurring date to keep your subscribers engaged and firmly within your sphere of professional influence. Give this a try, you’ll likely find it’s very effective!

 

  1. Build a Google My Business Page

These Google location-based pages are great with the way they generate viewers based on where they’re located via their IP address. It’s the same idea as Google Places for Businesses and Google+ Pages.

 

  1. Make a Niche for Yourself

Create yourself at the go-to realtor for families with pets, retired couples from England, young professionals – the possibilities are endless. Making a name for yourself in regards to a specific niche is a way to make yourself noticeable, especially in an area that’s heavily saturated with realtors

 

  1. Use Emotional Storytelling

Do this with select written communications. Anytime there’s an opportunity to incorporate compelling copy and powerful visual elements. Remember, humans respond to stories, and ones that involve a human element especially.

 

  1. How about Hosting a Webinar?

Hosting a web seminar, or webinar, is a great way to establish yourself as a local expert who’s on top of trends AND digital marketing approaches. It can be nearly any home buying or selling topic, and you can share your knowledge and get viewers to interact. They can also be repurposed as Youtube videos.

 

  1. Old School Mailers

Traditional advertising may be taking a back seat to digital these days, but is still has real value when you target your audiences effectively. One idea is postcards for qualified leads or prospective buyers in specific zip codes.

 

  1. Host Free Seminars for Home Buyers

This can be as simple as a basic seminar on buying homes and mortgages, or any other topic where you make yourself available as a local expert for the community, and again one who’s “just here to help” rather than explicitly looking for clients. People will appreciate this, and they’ll be more inclined to choose you as their agent in the future

 

  1. Use Marketing Collaterals with YOUR Branding

This is particularly effective if you’ve worked with a graphic designer (recommended) to get a logo or other type of branding for yourself. Pens, note pads, drink koozies, and other freebies that people will use and have in front of them now and again are always welcome and will promote you and your services.

 

  1. Establish Partnerships with Local Businesses

Developing relationships between yourself and local businesses is always key for any real estate agent’s marketing efforts. Try to find an arrangement where you promote their business, and they promote your real estate services. Get creative, and know that ANY business will be interested in you’ve got something that will benefit them

 

  1. Get testimonials

Having someone vouch for the quality of your services goes a LONG way in establishing your credibility. When a real, live person endorses your services it is much more effective than you or another realtor doing so. Be sure to use testimonials on your website (often with their own clearly identified page) and they can be incorporated into print materials too. Share them on social networks too

 

  1. Get Yourself a Great Website

This one is an obvious one, but the key is in getting one that looks really sharp and is engaging for visitors. Yet again, working with a web design professional is highly recommended. See to it your property pages have great photos, virtual tours, and easy access to Google Maps and Google Earth. Last but not least, make sure your headshot photo on the website is a really high-quality photo where you look good!

 

  1. Make that Site Easy to Navigate

Visitors need to be able to move easily from one page to another, and discover information in a linear manner. Information architecture is key, so again make sure you work with a web design professional.

 

  1. Copy should be Optimized for Current Location

This involves incorporating local-oriented keywords into your web copy to ensure that buyers who are using those same words in their web searches find your content. Be careful to avoid ‘stuffing’ the keywords into your copy, and if you’re not confident with writing make sure to work with a web copywriter.

 

  1. Use an Online Lead Generator

Real Estate Leads – for those of you who may be unaware of it – is a superb resource for realtors in North America. You really should be there if you want to maximize your exposure to prospective home buyers and sellers. Agents can ‘claim’ a territory of their choosing (if it’s still available – this service is VERY popular) and then all of the leads (which are generated through online ads and surveys and deemed genuine) are provided to that one realtor exclusively.

 

  1. Care Packages for Closed Deals

It’s important to continue to foster your relationship with clients even after they close deals. Sending them a ‘thank you’ package is always a good idea, and you should do it EVERY time and be sure to address them and some aspect of their individuality in the accompanying note

 

  1. Keep in Touch

Staying in touch with clients indefinitely after working with them not only continues to keep the relationship intact, but you stand to benefit greatly with the fact that home buyers and sellers ALWAYS tend to know other folks who will at some time be going down that same road. When they have a friend who’s ready to buy or sell, they’ll be more likely to refer you.

 

  1. Create a Referral System

Providing incentives for them to refer you is also highly recommended!

 

  1. Utilize Call Tracking

Realtors should use call tracking in their paid search campaigns. If a call from a prospective client comes as a result of someone – for example – seeing your PPC ad, you want to be able to track which ads and keywords are driving those kinds of calls.real-estate-leads-canada

All of these approaches have the potential to be very effective in promoting your services as a real estate agent, in much the same way that registering with realestateleads.ca provides a big boost in lead generation for realtors who want genuine location-specific home seller leads provided to them EXCLUSIVELY through this increasingly popular online real estate lead generator.

Check it out for yourself at www.realestateleads.ca and get in on the action – before another realtor claims your ideal territory. Remember, only that one realtor will receive ALL of the leads generated for the territory he or she has claimed!

Top Agents: How to Make Yourself an Invaluable Agent for Real Estate Clients

Published November 25, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

Brand awareness through social media networking connectionsAsk any successful real estate agent and they’ll tell you that your attitude towards the job and their clients is a key contributor to continued positive transactions, but what do you need to do to improve your attitude – or even know what it is?

Basing yourself around be friendly and helpful with your knowledge of market insights, the right marketing tools and experience are one thing, but you should also consider presentation and a sense for the clients’ needs too – and perhaps even more so.

To expand further on this, we spoke with Stan Carling at Remax Masters, one of the premiere real estate agencies in West Vancouver. He has nearly 30 years experience as an agent and a broker, and he’s happy to share these insights as to how ‘the right mindset’ is super important for any agent, and what you can do to create it for yourself.

Lets start with Remax West Vancouver. we understand youve been with them from the beginning.

Remax Masters West Vancouver. That’s correct, I was one of the first agents to come onboard with them nearly 30 years ago, and I’m happy to say I’ve never had any reason to consider working for another agency. Ever since we started up here, our mission has always remained the same. We were going to give our clients great service, of course, but we would also be educating them about the real estate industry and the ‘inner workings’ of it, to help make selling or buying a home a more clear, transparent, and understandable process for them.

What do you love most about your job?

That’s quite easy to answer. I love helping clients realize their goals of purchasing their first home or selling a long-time residence the most. I get a tremendous sense of fulfillment when I see the impact my service can have on people’s lives. It comes with extreme responsibility and drives me to be as accountable and ethical as I can. The satisfaction of an accomplished goal is always worth it. Especially when it benefits others.

– What would you say to beginners coming into the industry?

I would say don’t underestimate the extent to which you’ll be investing all of yourself in this business if you want to succeed. Especially in the beginning, and I’d even say it’s best to overestimate! Plan on long hours and putting in the time involved to educate and discipline yourself. It can be discouraging in the early years, but those who persevere and adapt the right ways will see their efforts pay off.

Also – and I can’t stress this strongly enough – compromising your integrity for a sale is something that’s a big no-no. It’s never worth it. Maintain the integrity of your business and it will so much better in the long term. In the short term it may sting to lose a sale or a referral, but in this business you should always be looking and thinking long term.

And last but not least, if you’re so fortunate to be a happily married man or woman, make sure your spouse is entirely onboard with your career choice and the ‘transitional’ period that comes along with it.

What are the primary challenges facing the real estate industry at this time?

The industry’s managed to roll with the punches and stay upright pretty much right across the province – and the country really – over the years and I believe that’s a reflection of people valuing good service and an educated opinion. It also helps that most cities have a local Real Estate Board that does an effective job in monitoring realtors and making sure they conduct themselves in an ethical and responsible manner. I know I’m very thankful for the VREB here, and I commend them for the work they do

But to choose one ‘specific’ issue for you, I would say it’s that today’s real estate environment faces challenges from do-it-yourself advocates, who believe their frugal approach to marketing and selling homes saves the homeowners money, but it’s been proven a thousand times over that a knowledgeable and experienced professional realtor nearly always provides the best outcome with getting fair or beyond-fair value for your home and exposing it to the greatest number of prospective buyers. We are challenged to educate the public on the inherent value of our services, and some do it better than others.

Is there a current listing of yours that youre particularly excited about?

Actually, all of my listings are exciting! (chuckles) – Really I’m just thankful to have them and with them the opportunity to help nice people buy homes for their families. If you don’t feel that at any point during your career, then it’s time to do something new. Sure it’s exciting to earn money after you’ve worked hard to accomplish your goal, but often it’s intimately connected to the satisfaction I get from helping people get what they want. It’s exhausting at times and it always involves investing a lot of yourself, but the rewards are priceless.

Whats the most important piece of advice for agents talking with first-time home-buyers?

It’s best to get them started by balancing their needs vs. what they want, to start conservatively and with research, and sometimes some deep introspection, before they start making up their mind on what kind of home they’re in the market to buy.

Next, I will recommend a trustworthy mortgage broker to help them determine much they can or should afford, and start the pre-qualification process. Getting started with researching a little bit about real estate terminology is also advisable and something that most people can be capable of. And how about asking your parents? They very likely bought their first home at some point too, right?

From there, I’ll offer to set up a market search in their determined price range, and then they really start to gain some perspective on the market and how far their budget can go. From my experience, that’s when the learning curve really turns and the buyers really feel comfortable digging into the process. And often times, if you’ve guided them in their discoveries and been friendly and available all the while, they’ll really appreciate you and a) be willing to work with you in the future too, and b) recommend you to others.

Believe me, the second part of that is HUGE!

Be patient, helpful, and guiding with your clients and try to always be dialling into ‘where they’re at’ in the process so you can be as involved as possible. It takes some doing to perfect it, but it’s oh so worth it in the long run. I wish you all well!

22 Real Estate Tips for Prospecting that Every Real Estate Agent Should Know

Published November 15, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

adobestock_70974529_wmReal estate prospecting is one of the toughest items that a real estate agent does, and thus is avoided at all costs. However, it can be a major money maker for you and your firm. Below are 22 tips to make prospecting a little easier, and to make it work for you.

1. Work on your attitude
Prospecting can be tough enough without your mind working against you. Take the idea of prospecting, and remember that this work will allow you to benefit tenfold in the future. Your attitude is what will bring clients in and when it comes down to it is the only thing separating you and sales in the future.

2. A simple follow up will make the difference
If you are thinking about the last sales encounter you were on the edge of a decision, think about what a follow up could have done to close you. Remember, to be a successful sales person you need to work. 48% of your coworkers never follow up with a prospect, and 25% of people make a second contact and stop.
3. Only 20% of sales are made in 4 contacts or less
Yes, you read that right. You need to work on your sales, and when it comes down to it, hard work is going to make the difference. 2% of sales are made on the first contact, while 10% of sales are made on the fourth contact.

4. Persistence is key
Think back, have you quit before you talked to 4 contacts. The answer is probably yes, and since 80% of sales are made between the 5 to 12 contacts, you have missed on sales. Persistence is key, and if you are not going to put the work in, your prospecting is not going to be successful.
5. Hot leads need to be tracked
If you have potential clients coming to your site to look more than five time, you have yourself hot real estate leads. These are the people you need to work on, and focus your efforts on converting.

6. Planning is everything
If you do not have a plan on how to best approach a perspective client you are already at a disadvantage. Most agents lack a plan, and thus lack conversions. Have a script, a strategy, a good value proposition, commitment and measurement tools ready for a client, and convert them quickly.

7. Tracking your leads
If you are in the prospecting game, you need to be tracking your leads. 90% of Real Estate agents lack the ability to track and thus they lose clients, and hot leads. Be organized, and take control of your business.

8. Quality rather than quantity should be your focus
How many people can you speak to in an hour? If you are going to just gloss through a script and see if you get any leads you are simply wasting time. Take the time to learn about your clients, and build rapport with them. This way, when a buyer starts to look at homes or condos, you will be the first person they call when they are ready to get serious.

9. Attention to detail
It really is the little things when it comes to this business. Did you forget to leave a voicemail, or leave an email unread. Time is of the essence and an attentive agent will get the jump on the others. Make sure you are paying attention, and it will garner success in the market.

10. Appointments are key
Prospecting is when you first contact a lead, but the relationship does not stop there. You will exchange emails, and then you will need to meet face to face. This will allow you build rapport, learn their story and gain their trust. You need to be able to be personable, but professional in person, and an appointment is a perfect opportunity to showcase just that.

11. Be aware of the numbers
Have you been generating enough leads to get an appointment? Here are the hard numbers: Every 165 minutes or prospecting equals a sale, just 7.83 people that say hello equals an appointment, and 1.61 appointments equals a sale. You need to do the simple math and know that for every 2.5 hours prospecting you will generate a sale, and if you want 50 sales a year, you simple need to prospect for 2.5 hours per week.

12. Know your market
If you are in a low income or high income town, you need to know who you are selling to. Become a man or woman of the people, and you will see prospecting come a little easier to you.

13. Have a blueprint for prospecting
You will need to review the following things:
Location – where do they want to live?
Price
Motivation – do they want to rent or to own?
Working with an agent – ask them how long they have been looking for a new home
Financing – are they a cash buyer or a mortgage buyer?
Closing the appointment

14. Talk to them like an equal
No one likes to deal with someone who is talking down to them. Thus, when you are prospecting talk to the people like a friend. You are building a rapport with a customer, make sure they know that you can help them with the biggest sale of their life.

15. Ask for specific contact information
A prospective lead should not be an position to back out of giving you their contact information. Instead of asking permission, as in: ’May I have your number’ you should say ‘and what is the best number I can you reach you at, and is that cell or home?’ It is direct phrases like this that will put you in the driver’s seat.

16. Classify your leads
You need to start classifying your leads so you do not waste time. An A-level is a lead that is willing to buy within the next 30 days. A B-level is someone who is looking to buy within the next 30-90 days. While a C-level is one who is going to buy in more than 90 days. A-level should be your focus, and make sure you have appointments set up, as no one buys without appointments. While for your B-level and C-level keep them on the mailing list and follow up at least once a month to check the water.

17. Be able to talk finances
If you have a prospective A-level buyer, you need to chat about their finances before diving into the market. Ask the client if they are buying with cash or by mortgage, and get an idea of their budget. This way, you are aware of what they can afford, and the things they need to do. For instance, if they are a cash buyer, you will need the letter from the bank for the amount requested etc.

18. Prospects should be an investment of time
You do not have to worry about talking too much to a client, if they want to chat for 10 minutes or so let them. If you are making a sale for $400’000 and you need to talk on the phone a little longer, it is not going to hurt anyone. Remember, the person on the other line needs to be able to comfortably trust your judgement and wants to utilize your expertise. Let them chat, and you will be golden in the end.

19. Close the Appointment
It is really simple, but sometimes you need to remember you need to close the appointment as well as start it. Chat with them, but end with a bang. Here is a sample close that has worked well for our staff: “Based on the information we’ve discussed right here, here’s what I recommend we do: Let’s set up a time to get together at my office, where we can go over the home-buying process. I’ll do up a complete market overview and we’ll set up a time to go look at homes. How does that sound?”

20. Listen… actually listen
The old adage goes, you have two ears and a mouth for a reason. You need to listen to your clients, and ask open ended questions to get them chatting. If you are gaining their trust then you need to be able to actually tell your staff what you discussed. Attentive listening is a skill that many should practice, but rarely do.

21. Rehearse your talk
You need to be able to talk with confidence each and every time. If you have a partner, chat with them, and ensure you have the pitch down. Investing in a few great scripts will help you do the right thing at the right time. Plus, if you are partner is annoyed, try recording yourself in your phone, that way they won’t hit you when you try and talk the next time.

22. A-level buyers are your focus
As much as you want to say everyone is important, the A-level buyers need to be your focus. As a realtor you get paid to do four things: list, prospect, sell and negotiate and the A-level buyers are what will allow you do that.

Real Estate Leads is the premier option for real estate agents that want hot and reliable leads here in Canada. With thousands of potential buyers in your area, let the team at http://realestatleads.ca do the hard work and deliver you the leads that convert to sales. Contact us today, and see how our team can help make you the top real estate seller in your area!

New “Federal Mortgage Rules” – What will be the side effects and risks?

Published November 7, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

rel-newfederalmortgagerules

Not only hopeful home buyers, but also home owners should review the new “federal mortgage rules” which took effect this past October 2016. Everyone should be concerned with the increased risk of lower economic output, as that would appear to be a logical result of the regulatory changes.

As quoted by HiBusiness magazine’s Caleb MacCauley in http://hibusiness.ca/2016/11/01/critics-cautions-about-new-mortgage-rules :

“Adjustments to the rules could engender an orderly transition to a more balanced system and soft landing for house prices. But, while hoping for the best, Canadians would be wise to prepare for something worse than the oft-touted transition to stability. … Any serious attempt to change the rules around insured mortgages could roil share prices of publicly-listed Canadian lenders as well as disrupt financing for housing. The availability of mortgage credit could dry up and conditions would be much more difficult for many buyers. … A painful unwinding of elevated leverage in the Canadian financial system is the most likely outcome, based on observation of similar adjustments in the U.S., Ireland and Spain.”

HiBusiness warned – The surprise introduction of the new mortgage rules should cause Canadian consumers to be“extremely vigilant” especially since real estate transactions are contributing at an all time high to our national Gross Domestic Product.

The stricter affordability “stress test” – which intends to measure consumers’ability to pay at the 5-year posted rate of 4.64 % (about double the rate of recent years past) will affect the purchasing power and decisions of hundreds of thousands of buyers.

For example, the HiBusiness article pointed out the following example scenario:

“For a household with $100,000 in total income the stress test could mean a 20% drop in approved mortgage [qualification]. The Bank of Canada estimated that more than 20% of all insured mortgages were contracted by households that have loan-to-income ratios of more than 450%. ”… Home buyers in Vancouver, Toronto, Victoria, Calgary and Edmonton are at the head of this class of risky borrowers. The slowdown in new money from this second source of buying power will have a large impact, especially on new home builders in those centres.

What are your thoughts on the matter? We’d like to know. Should the free market be left free, or should the market continue to be every more highly regulated? As one of our previous articles posed the big question of: “ Should foreign investors be allowed to purchase Canadian homes? Perhaps that is where new regulation should be implemented first.

Please contact us with your thoughts. We love hearing from Canadian Real Estate Agents, and also members of the general public.

CMHC’s risk rating for national housing market set to “strong” for the first time ever.

Published October 31, 2016 by Real Estate Leads


cmhc
There is mounting evidence of risk in Canada’s real estate markets as home prices have climbed faster by to key related factors: population growth and income increases; a report by Canada’s Mortgage and Housing Corp, CHMC recently has shown. The report covers national housing market as a whole and 15 regional markets.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. increased its risk rating for the national housing market on this past week to “strong”, from a moderate rating that it published in July.

“We now see strong evidence of problematic conditions overall nationally,” wrote Bob Dugan, CMHC’s chief economist. “This is fueled by overvaluation… meaning house prices remain higher than the level of personal disposable income, population growth and other fundamentals would support. This overvaluation coupled with evidence of overbuilding in some centres means that growth in house prices will slow and housing starts are expected to moderate in 2017 and 2018.” he went on to say.

CHMC also said it now sees moderate evidence of increased price acceleration; which occurs when home prices go up at a faster pace and and also a possible sign of speculation.

They are also predicting that home sales and new housing starts will decline next year, before stabilizing in 2018. The agency’s CEO Evan Siddall said earlier this month that “the housing agency would raise its risk rating to strong for the first time ever”.

Vancouver’s 15% foreign-buyer sales tax ( which began in May 2016 ) caused alot of people to think that most of those buyers would be steered into Toronto’s market. To what degree that has happened is now being evidenced; and the result is more distributed than previously thought. CMHC said there is strong evidence of problematic conditions in: Vancouver, Toronto and Hamilton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina. However: Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Quebec City show moderate evidence of such conditions, the agency said.

CHMC’s housing market assessment is intended to be an ‘early warning system’ to inform Canadians about problematic conditions that have developed and spread about the country’s real estate markets.

For more information and key comments from the CHMC, see this Globe and Mail article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/the-intended-consequences-of-new-housing-policies/article32383166/

Thank you for reading the RealEstateLeads.ca blog – where we intend on supplying you not just with fresh leads daily, but other helpful information weekly for active Canadian Real Estate agents.

Helpful Articles for Both New and Experienced Real Estate Agents

Published October 24, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

realestateleadsdotca-helpfularticles

Over the years, Real Estate Leads has produced and published some great content for both new and experienced real estate agents. Our blog has grown by about 100 articles; both “tips” articles and general news.

In this special article, listed here in reverse-chronological order, are some of the best articles aimed at helping agents maximize their success.

By reading over the titles that interest you, you will surely find a dozen or more tips, out of the hundreds presented in the list of articles below, that will benefit you uniquely.

Lead Conversion – 6 steps to boost your real estate career:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/lead-conversion-6-steps-to-boosting-your-real-estate-career/

 

Referral Magic:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/referral-magic/

 

The Sweet 16 of Real Estate Tips:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/the-sweet-16-real-estate-tips-good-to-bookmark-this-one/

 

The Basic Foundation of your Future Success:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/for-new-real-estate-agents-the-basic-foundation-of-your-future-success/

 

Tips of producing your social networking personal profile:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/tips-producing-your-social-networking-personal-profile/

 

4 Tips for Timely Responses to Prospect and Client Emails

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/4-tips-for-timely-responses-to-prospect-and-client-emails/

Tips for Building Client Retention and Referrals:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/tips-for-building-client-retention-and-referrals/

 

Real Estate Email Template Ideas:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/real-estate-email-template-ideas/

 

Some More Agents Tips from the field for consideration in your career:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/some-more-agent-tips-from-the-field-for-consideration-in-your-career/

 

Advice 101 on showing a home:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/advice-101-on-showing-a-home/

 

Some good listing presentation tips:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/some-good-listing-presentation-tips/

 

Profit more through helping foster a partnership between loan professionals and yourself:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/profit-more-through-helping-foster-a-partnership-between-loan-professionals-and-yourself/

 

General local area blog topic ideas for real estate agents:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/general-local-area-blog-topic-ideas-for-real-estate-agents/

8 methods to attract more buyers to your listings:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/8-methods-to-attract-more-buyers-to-your-listings/

 

35 ideas for enhanced agent marketing:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/35-ideas-for-enhanced-agent-marketing/

 

Verbal bloopers that new agents should never say:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/verbal-bloopers-that-new-agents-should-never-say/

 

Phone Tips 4 agents:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/phone-tips-4-real-estate-agents/

 

Experienced agents admits their best tips:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/experienced-agents-admit-their-best-tipsadvice/

 

Producing compelling and persuasive tweets for your real estate business:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/producing-compelling-and-persuasive-tweets-for-your-real-estate-business/

 

Wonderful current apps for real estate agents:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/wonderful-current-apps-for-real-estate-agents/

 

Turning leads into conversations:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/turning-leads-into-conversations/

 

Summary of great tips real estate agents:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/summary-of-great-tips-real-estate-agents/

 

The makings of a viral real estate video:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/the-makings-of-a-viral-real-estate-video/

 

The big benefits of proper lead cultivation:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/the-big-benefits-of-proper-lead-cultivation/

 

The best real deal estate agent prospecting tips:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/the-best-real-deal-estate-agent-prospecting-tips/

 

More real estate prospecting tips for agents:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/more-real-estate-prospecting-tips-for-agents/

 

Dealing with brokers – How to sell yourself:

https://www.realestateleads.ca/blog/dealing-with-brokers-how-to-sell-yourself/

 

Best Wishes in your Real Estate Career from Real Estate Leads.ca

How the New Housing Rules are Affecting the Purchasing Power of your Clients

Published October 12, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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How much house can your client afford? It looks like less under new rules unveiled earlier this week by the federal Liberal government.

On Oct. 17, all insured new homebuyers must “stress test” their ability to carry their mortgage payments. This is based on whichever is greater: the negotiated rate in their mortgage contract -or- the Bank of Canada’s five-year fixed rate.

Currently BoC’s posted rate is about 4.6% – about two points greater than many discounted rates.
The purpose of mortgage insurance is to protect lenders in the event of default. As mortgage insurance is required when homebuyers make a down payment of less than 20% of the home’s purchase price.

The expanded “stress tests” will aim to ensure that home buyers could still afford their mortgage payments if interest rates climb higher.

RateHub.ca, an online personal-finance resource, published calculations as to what buyers at 3 different income levels should be now able to afford under the new and outgoing rules.

For each scenario, certain assumptions have been made:

* Each buyer has saved $40,000 for the down payment.

* Under the outgoing rules, calculations are based on a five-year fixed mortgage rate of 2.17 per cent amortized over 25 years

* Under the new rules, calculations are based on a five-year fixed mortgage rate of 4.6% (the Bank of Canada’s posted rate) amortized over 25 years

* Monthly property taxes of $400 and monthly heating costs of $200

Scenario No. 1

Annual household income (pretax): $50,000
The maximum purchase price this buyer can qualify for:
· Outgoing rules: $277,434
· New rules: $222,617

Scenario No. 2

Annual household income (pretax): $100,000
The maximum purchase price this buyer can qualify for:
· Outgoing rules: $650,000
· New rules: $512,133
Under the soon-to-expire rules, this buyer’s maximum purchase price is dictated by the minimum down payment that’s required.

Federal rules stipulate that home buyers must put down at least five per cent on the first $500,000 of the home’s purchase price and 10 per cent on the remaining balance. (Homes priced at $1-million and up require a 20-per-cent down payment.)

Thus, with $40,000 saved up, under the current rules, this buyer can put down the minimum on a $650,000 home, and earns enough to afford the subsequent mortgage payments and other housing costs.
But when asked to qualify at a steeper mortgage rate, this buyer’s spending power is diminished by nearly $140,000.

Scenario No. 3

Annual household income (pretax): $150,000
The maximum purchase price this buyer can qualify for:
· Outgoing rules: $650,000
· New rules: $650,000

In this scenario, the buyer is not affected by the new rules. What the buyer can afford is limited by down-payment rules, rather than the debt-to-service ratio.

Instead, let’s assume the buyer has $80,000 for the down payment.

The maximum purchase price this buyer can qualify for:
· Outgoing rules: $999,999
· New rules: $841,649

Notes: These calculations do not take monthly condo fees into account, which would reduce affordability. Nor do they account for other debt obligations that home buyers may have.

Mortgage changes to impact investors

There are now fewer options for rental properties.

In the wake of new mortgage rules, some mortgage lenders are pulling mortgage programs for rentals.

One of the first was Merix/Lendwise, which announced a change to its offering Tuesday – a day after recent housing rules were put into place.

In a note to brokers, the lender said it would no longer be accepting rental applications.

First National, another major lender, has made similar changes to its offering.

“(First National) have temporarily suspended their conventional rental program and their Alt-A program, which is part of the business for self-program,” Ernie Stapleton, a representative for First National, told CREW. “As the dust settles, I think First National will re-evaluate their programs in the context of the new rules to see what can be offered.”

And it isn’t just rental properties that are being impacted.

Another lender, MCAP, will soon charge a 15 basis point surcharge for all new refinances beginning November 30, 2016.

These sorts of lender updates are the result of the government’s recent changes to low-ratio mortgage insurance requirements.

Effective November 30, all mortgages originated by lenders who use portfolio insurance – which includes all monoline lenders – must meet the following criteria:
· Maximum amortization of 25 years
· Maximum property price below $1 million
· A property must be owner occupied

The full scope of the changes can be viewed online here.

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Dealing with Brokers; How to Sell Yourself

Published October 3, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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There are advantages and disadvantages to working for a broker, or being independent. Working for a brokerage, essentially makes you an employee. If you have been attracted to the profession because it gives you ultimate freedom, then perhaps this would not be ideal arrangement. However, working for an agency provides some enticing benefits and camaraderie.

If you work as an employee of a real estate brokerage, you are still responsible for your business. So when looking to fill an empty position with a new candidate, brokers look for a motivation, self-discipline & determination.

Present yourself as being focused

Real estate agencies are busy workplaces. Brokers manage organization, efficiency, and value. Demonstrate that you will fit right in. How? Emphasize your efficient time management skills, your sharp focus, and personal initiative. Describe situations where you have been an expert task juggler, skilled with constant motion, and eager to manage more prospects and tasks.

Clearly Communicate

Brokers desire staff who have excellent communication skills; those that can quickly explain the differences an intricacies of properties; while being able to tactfully and skillfully negotiate between all the parties involved in a transaction. Communication skills also extend to marketing. In short, an agent candidate needs to prove that they are not only able to sell real estate – but are also skilled at selling themselves and the brokerage/brand.

Four Major Ways to Positively Sell Yourself

Here are major ways to sell yourself – when you are interviewing at a brokerage:

A. Positiveness

Present yourself as having a positive attitude; focusing on performance capability and goals. Steer clear of complaining about former bosses or other previous working situations. If necessarily, tell them how you made the most of your time there. If you have to address something negative, it is best to keep it short & sweet. A good rule of thumb is that “less is more” when the unpleasant topics surface; avoid elaborating on undesirable details. Spin matters as positively as you can. If you quit your job, rephrase it as “looking for a better opportunity” or “I feel I need more of a challenge.” If you were fired, best to simply state “it wasn’t the right fit” and move to change the topic.

B. Be Specific

It is not enough to say that you are the best candidate. You have to prove it by stressing your skills and experience. When launching into generalized talking points, like “I work well with others” or “I take initiative,” be prepared to elaborate on your claims with concrete examples. Tell stories, prepare anecdotes, anything to bolster your assertions and stand out from other candidates.

C. Show Them You’re the Solution

Any company looking to hire new employees is hoping that they can find individuals able to provide a solution to a new or longstanding issue. When it comes to real estate, most brokerages and offices want agents who can contribute to lead generation and making sales. Prepare yourself by becoming familiar with the market in your area, taking special note of any areas that are underserved or not being exploited effectively. Arm yourself with details and strategies to present a compelling pitch as to why you should be their top choice!

Come up with a few standard replies or statements that quickly and succinctly summarize your skills, experience and ambition. Try to prepare a catchy soundbite or memorable phrase using industry terms and action words. Begin by listing some of your greatest accomplishments in either the workplace or while in school, and find a way to show how these successes make you stand apart. Once you have a set “story” about yourself, you can easily answer pointed questions and elaborate on the content of your resume.

D. Keep an Eye on Body Language

Nonverbal language can communicate a lot about your frame of mind and confidence level, so pay attention to how you present yourself. Make sure your posture is on point, sit up straight and don’t fidget. It’s also important to maintain eye contact while answering questions, and your handshake should be firm, but not overly aggressive.

Your “Curb Appeal”

Curb appeal is common in real estate descriptor. Your listings show present its freshest face in order to charm potential buyers. “Curb appeal” also applies to you. Presenting a clean, professional, and likable character helps you connect with clients, create a rapport with colleagues, and referral sources.

Above all else, always do your best to try to remain calm, cool, and collected. Highlight your personality by being authentic/genuine and enthusiastic.

Research the brokerage. Remember you are interviewing them too. Stay focused on the task at hand throughout the entire interview. Brokers are looking for someone who is the right fit: along with experience, skills, temperament and an eager willingness to work.

Brokers love a track record of success. To succeed the easiest, thicken your wallet with Real Estate Leads.

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Real Estate Lawyer(s) in Toronto are warning of foreign buyer tax.

Published September 26, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Much of Toronto’s real estate is owned by foreign owners.

Ontario has, for decades, welcomed foreign investment money. So some Toronto real estate lawyers are warning that the introduction of a tax on foreign home-buyers would in effect be putting dents into their pocketbooks. Therefore, having a diminishing trickling effect on the general economy.

After Vancouver put into effect a direct 15% foreign ownership tax, August 2nd, 2016 many people in the loop believe it is a only a matter of time before the surcharge would come into effect in the Greater Toronto Area. However, in a statement made in mid-September Ontario’s finance minister, Charles Sousa, explained away that there are no plans “at the moment” to implement a similar tax in Toronto. Could this be a tactic to appease some members of the legal and real estate lobby?

Sousa said in a recent written statement: “Our government will continue monitoring the housing market in both Ontario and B.C. over the course of the next few months to see the impacts of the recent decision by the government of B.C.”

The article linked here explains the excess tax on foreign buyers and why it is a bad idea all around. There are better solutions (see post August 2nd, 2016.) “CHINA-GATE HOME PRICE-INFLATION REAL ESTATE SOLUTION IDEA FOR ALL CANADIANS

Sales in Vancouver have in fact dropped about 26% this August as the new tax hammer struck the anvil – relative to August 2015; so the new tax was obviously a major factor. Inversely, prices in Vancouver continued to rise with the benchmark price for all residential properties climbing 31% from a year ago to $933K. The solution we proposed above would create a super hot sales market however. Please read the idea explained in the China-estate article linked directly above.

Previously some industry observers, have raised their voices concerning Vancouver’s new 15% tax on foreign buyers. Steering investors into Toronto – thereby driving up prices in a market that is already scorching. So the solution to that seems to be the implementation of the same bad idea as in Vancouver – the 15% tax excess.

Seemingly nobody in government is able or willing to think ‘outside the box’ or at least fully debate the merits of the idea expressed in our previous China-estate article.

Instead milk-toast arguments have surfaced. Toronto Mayor John Tory said he would continue to give the same “non-answer” that he has parroted for months on the tax: that he is not yet sure the foreign buyer phenomenon in BC is a problem in the GTA. He said: “I know there’s a problem with affordability … and as yet, there’s no one that’s reached any conclusions or given me any advice that there’s an identifiable problem that we can attach a solution to.” Will he again say the same at the September 30th “Affordable Housing Summit” in Toronto?

The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) also parroted the mayor’s statements, by stating that it is “too early” to support or nullify the idea of a tax on foreign homebuyers; again, with limited parameters “yay or nay” on implementing a similar tax to Vancouver’s (together with its associated loopholes). To obfuscate matters more Jason Mercer, the director of market analysis with TREB said: “I don’t think there’s enough information there to make the hard and fast conclusion that we have seen a carry over of would be foreign buyers from Vancouver into the Toronto market. … The provincial government and the housing industry isn’t in a position to create policy on foreign buyers, because no one tracks the amount of foreign buyers purchasing homes in Toronto.” However, his statement is not true: in the last federal budget, $500,000 was allocated to address the “data gap” on the amount of foreign activity in Canada’s housing market.

Not fully understanding a proper solution to the issue, the heads of two prominent real estate associations in Ontario, the presidents of the Toronto Real Estate Board & the Ontario Real Estate Association, are lobbying government leaders not to follow B.C.’s lead with a tax on foreign home buyers. Their warning comes as the Vancouver housing market shows signs of cooling; ironically it was the stated goal of the tax.

Of the total number of Vancouver property transactions: the proportion of foreign purchasers who closed their deals to buy homes in the greater Vancouver area was .9% between Aug. 2 and Aug. 31. That was way way down from 13.2% in 7 weeks leading up to August 2nd; according to data based on land-title registrations.

Please consider the win-win-win idea and solution for Real Estate Agents, the new generation of Canadian Citizens Foreign Buyers, and also for the foreign buyers in our previous post:

This is the best “outside of the box” idea we have come up with yet. If you have additional ideas for or in replacement of this idea/proposal, please let us know at Real Estate Leads dot ca. We always love hearing from all Real Estate Agents and also our fellow concerned Canadian citizens.

 

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Toronto sales on the Up & Up after BC’s implementation of Foreign Buyer tax.

Published September 19, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

realestateleadsdotca-canadaheatedmarket

A sales migration after-effect of BC’s new land transfer tax is already being seen in the numbers. Toronto Home sales apparently are soaring in wake of B.C.’s unruly “Foreign Buyer Tax”.

The Toronto area’s real estate industry agencies are reporting new month of August records for home sales together with a 17.2% increase in the average sale price. Toronto agents racked up a record setting 9,813 sales this past August 2016; 23.5% more than in August 2015. The only other factor was that last month’s volume was assisted by two additional working days.

The average price for Toronto homes that sold, for all variations of property details, was $710,440. The average price for “detached homes” in the city of Toronto itself went up 18.3% from a year ago to per cent to $1,200,000.

Industry observers in BC have previously voiced concerns that Vancouver’s new 15% tax on foreign buyers would send investors to Toronto and also perhaps secondly Montreal – driving up prices in Toronto’s market, which is already molten lava hot.

Comparatively, homes sales in Vancouver fell 26% in August from a year ago. The introduction of the tax was implemented on Aug. 2, so the tide obviously shifted fast.

Despite the unruly new tax legislation, and its’ still hidden loopholes, prices in Vancouver have continued to rise despite the drop in the number of sales. The benchmark price for all Vancouver residential properties rose 34% from a year ago to $933K.

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More Real Estate Prospecting Tips For Agents

Published September 12, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Prospecting is something that real estate agents often procrastinate or avoid entirely. However, every lead you can accrue is a potential payday.

Below are some general tips to help you with your prospecting:

Following up is crucial

Here are some prospecting statistics:

* About half of agents never completely follow up with a prospect

* About a quarter of agents make a second contact and then stop

* About 1/8th of agents make up to 3 contacts and then stop

* Agents make more than 3 contacts 1/10th of the time.

Also here are some key facts:

* About 2% of sales are actually made on the 1st contact

* 3% on the 2nd

* 5% on the 3rd

* 10% are make on the 4th contact with an average lead.

Focus on quality rather than quantity

Forget thinking about how many people you can possibly speak to in an hour. Rather, focus more about how well you speak with each person that you are talking to. Build rapport and seek to understand the person on the phone; rather than seeking to be understood. Understand where each person is coming from. Ask for specific contact information, not for permission. Try to never say “Can I have your phone number?”. It is not a very good idea. Instead say something like “Jane/John, what is the best phone number to reach you on? Home or cell?” Take this approach in general, try to avoid handing them an ‘out’.

A Persistent Mindset

An approximate sales average is 1 sale out of 14 typical leads, which can be discouraging to some agents; however, this is a numbers business.

Your mindset should be that of owning and managing a business. Forge your mindset to be persistent now – because 80% of sales are made between the 5th to 12th contact!

There are a handful of common reasons why agents wind up giving up on prospective clients. The most important one usually is the fact that most agents haven’t really formulated a plan. Your strategy should include: scripts, a good value proposition, commitment, and keeping record of your activity so that you can learn from mistakes. 9 out of 10 agents typically don’t track. Tracking results is necessary in order to achieve maximum real estate success.

Focus on appointments

In Real estate sales prospecting can defined at the point of making first contact with a new lead. Exchanging emails counts too in this day and age – however hold in mind that you can’t sell a house until at least the point that you have had a verbal conversation with a prospective buyer and an appointment as well.

The one most obvious common denominator of top producers in real estate is that the top dogs work nearly every day to get that next appointment. Prospecting is part of their daily routine.

Also, there is absolutely no point in being nervous on the phone. When you are building rapport, it is like you are talking to a friend while offering them help and assistance.

Rehearse your scripts

One way to get feedback on your calls it to record them on your phone. There are various call recording apps available for iPhones of Androids. However, for the sake of privacy, those calls should be for your ears only. Then a good time to listen is when you are driving. You can listen like a 3rd party bystander. This will help you iron out your script and avoid pitfalls in the future. Investing time into formulating 2-3 good scripts will help you say the right things, and just at the right time. Record your script into your phone too, trying to get it delivered as smooth as possible. In a week’s time, you will have your script memorized entirely.

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Will Montreal be a new real estate market hotspot in 2017?

Published September 5, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

As a result of the new tax, that came into effect early August, on foreign buyers in Vancouver, many real estate agents have predicted a spillover effect into other Canadian markets.

As can be seen from result of the next tax, there has been a recent slide on Vancouver home sales:

REL- VancouverAugustHousingSlide

It is speculative, but it is still not clear if Montreal, presumed by many to be the next hotspot in the lowering tide of Vancouver’s market, will experience such an effect. Where, if anywhere else, will the Chinese investors move to?

The market in Montreal is still nothing compared to what’s been happening in Vancouver & Toronto.

The new 15% tax, which took effect 3 weeks ago, was put forth by the BC government, with the apparent on the surface intention of improving home affordability conditions for native and resident Canadians who wish to purchase a home in Vancouver, with still about the highest home average prices in such a major city, per square foot, in North America. A similar new taxation event appears to be on the horizon in Toronto.

The Finance Minister of Ontario, Charles Sousa, recently said that he is closely examining the possibility of a similar tax in Toronto to also address the East coast city’s similar rise in home prices over the past couple of years. Real Estate agents have also argued that the new foreign buyers tax in Vancouver could entice them to look into investments in other cities; such as Toronto – and Montreal.

Until such a similar Toronto tax is imposed, Toronto and potentially other markets like Montreal, will start to become more attractive, because of the lower price tags. A close eye will be kept on the Montreal market, to see if any market radar activity is induced by foreign investors. Montreal hasn’t yet been visibly targeted by foreign buyers.

This past month, in an August 2016 report, the CMHC stated the quantity of foreign investors within Montreal is rather small and mostly concentrated in condominiums downtown. The report boiled down that about 1.4% of condominiums in the Montreal region were currently owned by foreigners; but the number is nearly 5% downtown. In Montreal, residents of the US & France accounted for the majority of foreign buyers; with China and Saudi Arabia accounting for less than 14% of them all.

It is indeed difficult to forecast whether the Vancouver tax will change the status-quo much in Montreal. So far in Montreal, foreign real estate buyers have operated on a much smaller scale – most of them being “mom & pop investors” and people from France who have found for a more affordable lifestyle in Montreal.

Estimated average home prices for July 2016: Montreal: $311K, Vancouver: $918K, Toronto: $648K

Montreal will likely not be on the hit-list for a foreign-real estate tax for at least the next decade – but Montreal agents may start experiencing greener pastures soon.

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Agents from some depressed markets share their insights

Published August 29, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Over supply plagues once previously-booming markets such as Alberta.

Across Alberta, lower sales were accompanied by declining new listings in July 2016. This typically prevents further inventory gains and minimizes the downward pressure on benchmark prices.

By August 1st, the residential benchmark price was $440K similar to June, but still 4.2% lowers that July 2015 figures. While detached prices seem to be leveling, this is not the case for all property types. With over a 6 month supply of inventory in the apartment sector, over supply continues to create steep price declines.

According to the Calgary Real Estate Board’s annual forecast, released in mid-August 2016: benchmark prices are still expected to fall another 3.8% this year. While the market as a whole continues to be challenging for home sellers, the highest price declines are typically in the neighbourhoods and sectors where the largest amount of supply has built up, either from the resale market or the competing new home market.

In this kind of market, both buyers and sellers continue to be forced to adjust their expectations. July marked the 20th consecutive month of year-over-year Alberta sales declines. Prices in the detached property type segment of the market continue to be the most level while prices in the apartment property type continue to decline due to oversupply.

The best bet is to continue to sell the lifestyle that people are looking for. Not everyone is a pessimist about the damage done to the real estate market by low oil prices. What goes down usually eventually comes right back up – and this perhaps is the best way to simplify matters, and bring in more investors into currently depressed markets such as Calgary.

Thank you for reading the Real Estate Leads dot CA blog.

What “Affordable Housing” means to Different People

Published August 22, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

RealEstateLeadsdotca-affordable-housing

The definition of ‘affordable housing’ is quite fuzzy across the board. For those in the various income classes, affordable housing means something different to different people.

For decades, a general rule of how much income should be set aside for rent is 30%. 1/3rd of a combined income is not usually enough for most families to qualify for a mortgage; they would need to spend more.

Across the country 40% of renters actually have to spend more than 30% of their household income on rent – about 20% fork over more than 50%. When a household is spending more than half their combined income only on rent – they are in the “red zone” – certainly at risk for becoming homeless (this refers to a large lot of our fellow Canadians).

So what does “affordability” really mean? If our average 30-something couple who are trying to find a house in Toronto (GTA), affordabilty will usually imply anything under $1-Million. (The average price of a detached home around Toronto is $1.2-Million this month.)

On lower rungs of the social-economic ladder – many Canadians are experiencing difficulties even finding a place to live (within their potential budget) – in the same neighbourhoods they grew up in or have lived in for years. In these ways matters are only worsening.

According to Canada’s largest real estate finder RentSeeker.ca, here are the average rent costs across Canada and here is the average cost of a house in cities across Canada.

According to CMHC’s own website, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, housing is technically considered “affordable if shelter costs account for less than 30% of before-tax household income”. Therefore, one definition of “affordable housing” is in reference to a variety of programs and initiatives designed to help those in need.

As you can see the term ‘affordable housing’ is really an umbrella term referring to a variety of housing options that are funded from the private, public and non-profit sectors. From emergency shelters to subsidized housing, there is a range of programs designed to make housing affordable for people of all socio economic classes. Currently, the Federal Government invests approximately $2 billion into these initiatives, and you can find more information about them here.

There has been a fair amount of talk in recent weeks about affordable housing, and what can be done to help those that need it. The CMHC states that 80 per cent of Canadian housing needs are met through the open market, affirming the need to help a large number of Canadians find housing options within their means. As the national real estate market continues to explode, this issue is becoming increasingly relevant. RentSeeker is here to offer some insight into the current events that are greatly affecting the affordable housing real estate market.

Canadian Immigration

There are no shortage of jokes and memes in the media about the foreign desire to move to Canada. Whether you live in a country that is terrified about the potential of a presidential candidate winning or your country voted to ‘go solo’, Canada is a much more realistic home for many people across the world that may never have considered it before recent events. If even a small number of people who say they will move actually do so, Canada could experience a huge immigration increase in the next few years. Increasing the number of newcomers above what the country already experiences would drive up the demand for rental units, thereby making the rental market more competitive.

Neigbhourhoods or Vacation Destinations?

Affordable housing doesn’t just affect those living in the big cities. Areas that have become popular as vacation destinations can have a devastating financial effect on locals who can’t afford to keep up. In Ontario, the Muskoka region has seen a huge increase in housing prices just as the Okanagan region in British Columbia. For many families who have lived in these regions for decades, the cost of living has simply gotten too high.

Accessible & Adaptable Homes

These homes enable both the elderly population and those living with special needs to remain in their communities, and advocates say there isn’t enough being done to help them. Accessible homes can be costly, as modifications need to be done in order to accommodate the needs of the people who live there. For many landlords, this isn’t a tempting investment when compared to utilizing development opportunities on the open market. As the Baby Boomers age, the increase of the aging population will put more stress on the system, and many are worried that retirees will have little choice but to move out of their home in search of more affordable options.

Affordable housing is a complex social issue, and unfortunately, there will always be those in need of these important services. While cities like Vancouver are ranked extremely high for unaffordable housing (just behind New York and London) there is work being done from both the private and public sectors to improve the lives of Canadians across the country. Affordable housing affects thousands of Canadians and it’s important to know what the term actually means as it becomes more prevalent in the media along with the importance of our national real estate market.

Canada’s Real Estate Boom

Simply put, the real estate boom in major cities is creating affordable housing issues. The increase in the real estate market has a direct effect on rental prices, and as one increases so will the other. Foreign investment in condo opportunities has also played a part in driving up costs, but this is pale in comparison to the overall growth that popular cities have experienced in recent years. Despite the number of people waiting for a crash or even a market correction, there is no sign it will anytime soon.

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Rebuilding Fort McMurray: Naturally the biggest building boom in Canada during the past quarter-century

Published August 15, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

Real-Estate-Leads-Fort-Mcmurray-fire-2016

About two thousand homes in & around Fort McMurray were grazed by the Alberta mammoth wildfire of 2016. As of mid-year work has begun cleaning up the rubble and rebuilding.

However, it will take between 3-6 years before residents generally view their home city as fully recovered. The Fort McMurray inferno left behind more devastation than the fire that swept through Slave Lake in 2011, which destroyed about 420 homes, and that disaster took more than a year to rebuild.

The aftermath of the fire is the most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history. It is projected that insurance companies will be forking out over $3.5 billion dollars, as per the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Insurance companies are starting to sort through about 23,000 claims from the fire.

On one hand, a family’s beloved home was turned into smoke, soot and rubble; on the other hand each burned out home is now being seen as a ‘housing start’ on the books.

Eventually, most residents will be returning to the same piece of land which they had to quickly evacuate during those days of disaster. However, a yet untold number will be selling their restored homes; as many owners have already found or are now finding new employment in other areas of the province, or Canada.

These restorations are expected to create the largest new home construction activity Fort McMurray has seen in over 20 years. About 10% of the city is to be entirely rebuilt. Much of the rebuilding, including about 1800 homes will be inside leveled subdivisions of Beacon Hill, Abasand, and Waterways.

The rebuilding effort will do much, for at least the next year or two – to reverse the decline seen in Fort McMurray’s housing market – which had directly suffered from the drop in oil prices that began in late 2014, likewise affecting the surrounding tar sands mining.

In the months leading up to the wildfire, home sales had sagged back down to half the 5-year average. Average resale prices in the 1st quarter were down 17% from the same period two years earlier. Builders were working on constructing only 13 new homes in entirety. The area’s rental vacancy rate had floated down to nearly 30%.

Most of Fort McMurray’s rental units were spared by the flames so many returning homeowners are expected to first rent while waiting for ( or for some – “if” ) – their homes to be rebuilt – which will back-fill the previous void of vacant apartment stock.

In the past 3 months, after the wildfire forced about 88 thousand residents to evacuate the community , about 72 of the 88 thousand have returned (as per information the public information officer for Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo published on their website). Wood Buffalo encompasses Fort McMurray.

A large-scale effort to begin cleaning up the neighbourhoods are currently underway. Municipal spokespeople stated it hopes to have the most heavily affected areas cleared and cleaned up in the September/October 2016 time-frame. Crews have already removed more than 11,000 refrigerators and freezers – which were taken to landfills to be degassed and crushed. The cleanup alone is a complex exercise. Many houses were so badly damaged that most will have to have the basements demolished as well.

Literally, for most sites, the plan is first to create ‘greenfield’ lots again before beginning to rebuild; such is the case for entire subdivisions.

Alberta is also trying to nip-in-the-bud what officials have called the “chaos” of the Slave Lake fires – where some homeowners were devastated twice: 1st – when they lost their homes to the fire and then 2nd when various developers they hired to restore their properties literally took the money and ran (leaving behind half-finished homes and unpaid bills). To avoid this, the government has now required eligible builders in Fort McMurray to register and provide detailed information about their business histories and finances. So far, only 7 building companies have fully registered (according to the Alberta government’s website).

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Here is a sample lead from a customer account view.

 

How would many Canadians feel the return tide of higher interest rates?

Published August 8, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

burnaby

Many of our fellow Canadian families would go financially underwater

The average price of homes in Burnaby, in suburban Vancouver – ranged from $773k to $857k in July 2016.

Some savvy Canadians, well the percentage that can afford to get into Vancouver’s real estate market are looking for ‘fixer uppers’.

As interest rates have been hovering at all times lows, for the past several years, many have become accustomed to these low rates. These rates have seemingly become the ‘new normal’.

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Many are making sizable down payments and locking in a mortgage rate somewhere between 2-3%; with a contractual promise that the rate will not change for a handful of years, usually 4 or 5 years.

Each day breeds a different reality. As rates fluctuate daily – no Canadian can be guaranteed such a potentially favorable rate, as from any preceding day.

Our beloved fellow Canadians, with all of us in the mix, we are making payments on the lowest mortgage rates seen in the history book going back more than 2 generations (65 years). This is not entirely a domestic effect – there are other machinations behind the scenes – as low interest rates are currently a rather global phenomenon.

Currently in mid-August 2016, Canadian banks will lend at mortgage rate between 2.5 to 3.0%, but how long will the low fruit remain hanging within reach?

Some predict a return to mortgage rates near 5%, which used to be the then-normal median rate for an entire decade prior to the banking pyramid’s adjustment of interest rates. Let’s look at the financial stress a tidal return for 5% rates would have on an enormous number of Canadian families.

The average mortgage payment on a property purchased as per today’s average home price ($503,301) would be jacked up by about $600 per month, from about $2,000 to $2600.

In pricier Toronto, payments on an average-priced home would rise by $900 per month; from about $3,000 to $3900.

In Vancouver, payments would rise by about $1100 per month – from $3,600 to $4,700!

However, a recent poll conducted by Huffington Post Canada found that half of Canadian families can’t even afford $200 increase. So, what could a rise in rates bring to so many Canadian families?

Basically Canadian households have a huge vulnerability to any hike in interest rates!

Much thought now needs to go into how Canada can fix future housing affordability issues – *before* interest rates begin to rise.

Could further tightening of mortgage rules work? Could a government policy change make it easier to increase the supply of housing by loosening currently existing land use restrictions and zoning constraints? Now with some forethought – can that be done before interest rates dramatically rise back to “retro-normal” levels?

Earlier this year The Parliamentary Budget Office predicted interest rates would rise to “normal” levels over the next 5 years. Guess what? That’s the same time-frame which most of Canada’s mortgages are coming up for renewal.

The report forecasts the high risk of Canadian households falling into a debt crisis by 2020. “The financial vulnerability of the average household would rise to levels beyond historical experience,” states the PBO report.

The crisis would be intensified by the banks (most) who are willing to lend to a completely ‘maxed out’ family.

Looking at banks’ mortgage calculators, we can see that some lenders are willing to issue mortgages that would eat up around 44% of household income. That is 14% higher than 30% – which is Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp’s affordability guideline.

Lenders are required to make sure borrowers are able to pay at the Bank of Canada’s mortgage qualifying rate, of currently about 4.6%. However, for 5-year, so-called ‘fixed-rate’ mortgages, banks are not required to make sure borrowers can handle the Bank of Canada’s rate – they are being qualified at the discount rate offered by the bank. The 5-year fixed-rate is one of the most common mortgages in Canada.

Motto of this article:

Perhaps do the right thing for your clients, and don’t recommend going for what the bank is willing to lend them. Explain that you have their best interests at heart, and they should wisely borrow what they could afford in the event that interest rates return to average historical levels. They probably will see you more as a real estate “angel”.

 

Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

China-gate home price-inflation real estate solution idea for all Canadians

Published August 2, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

Real_Estate_Leads-ca-Sky-City-Concept-Art

Canada’s Housing Market Should Have Never Been Allowed To Be Turned Into A Stock Market.

And drastic problems necessitate drastic solutions…

What rights, in regards to owning a piece of Canada, should foreign non-residents really have in Canada?

This idea we are presenting here could make the Canadian real estate market not just hot/volcanic , but suddenly, atomic – as an after-effect of a huge potential populous push who agrees with the insights & solutions proposed in this article. This article focuses on an idea to solve the problem. A proper solution would be making housing affordable again for working tax-paying Canadians. The idea is about bringing over more of the Chinese culture, not less. Imagine Chinese designed sky tower cities (see picture above) on parcels of land given to them by the BC government, here and there, perhaps an existing a park or two? The huge China tower cities to be built in downtown Vancouver could also serve as a money laundromat for the Chinese and other foreign nationals; keeping the money launders happy.

By some accounts (including some top West Vancouver Realtors and real estate lawyers) 80% of new and pre-owned housing sales are purchased with Chinese money and people.

The BC government enacted a law that comes into effect Aug 2nd, giving only 8 days notice before imposing the new 15% foreign buyer tax on home sales. This happened in Hong Kong 2 years ago – a 15% surcharge tax on top of the land-transfer tax was attached to foreign purchases of real-estate. See: http://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/hong-kong-puts-15-per-cent-tax-on-foreign-buyers-will-b-c-follow-suit This obviously did not take much high powered thought, as it was copy-cat legislation.

Recent poll results show that about 75% (3 out of 4) of native Canadians have quite alot of anger directed at B.C. politicians over housing costs. All 3 levels of government got scathing reviews in the poll. The provincial government was vilified the worst, with 76% of British Columbians expressing dissatisfaction with the Liberal’s amount of action.

Now the people across Canada (with pitchforks in their closet, about 3 out of 4 on this issue) need to get the provincial government to do what the Canadian people want! Is this not a democracy?

Most people feel that foreigners should not be allowed to buy residential real-estate in Canada.

How can this all be reversed? Believe it or not – the answer is already in the law books.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_ownership_in_Canada

Quote: “Since Canada uses primarily English-derived common law, the holders of the land actually have land tenure (permission to hold land from the Crown) rather than absolute ownership.”

What is proper, and necessary, solution?

We, the Canadian people, must force the government to allow foreigners to own residential property for only 1 more year after a to-be-decided date – or the property will be foreclosed and donated to the BC homeless community. Then they must start selling!

Native Canadians will be the eager buyers. There is no short supply of Canadians who wish to own a home but are unable to afford the million dollar price-tags. There is an over-supply of young millenials forced into renting. The people know this.

Those same Chinese buyers will then be able to buy, and own, condominiums (even multi-story townhouses) within the Sky City tower – until they are able to move into it, they will only be able to rent Canadian residential real estate; perhaps the same houses they are currently in – however now Canadians will be their landlords until the foreign owners can move into one of the Chinese-built sky tower addresses.

Real estate agents will love it, because it will swing the pendulum and create a strong Canadian citizen’s buyer’s market over the course of the given year – creating a market frenzy, lowering house prices, allowing young Canadians to buy in easier, while agents conduct deals. Everyone wins, maybe with the exception of the foreign millionaire property owners.

There is plenty of demand, they are just limited by lack of housing supply and also most currently are not able to afford homes around Vancouver.

There really is no other solution to making homes affordable to middle class, or young Vancouverites.

So what rights should non-residents and foreigners have? Maybe make sell in a year’s time or the property gets forfeited to the homeless of BC.

The Chinese know how to build huge tower-cities. Let the government give them some parkland to build one of those puppies on, and let the foreign money flow through that city within Vancouver and Vancouver folks/construction crews get to build/work on it.

Vancouver’s hyper-inflated real-estate mega-problem-solved!

What do you and your colleagues across Canada think? Please forward to others and let us know. We’d love to hear ( contact@realestateleads.ca ) from real estate agents and also any Canadian citizens.

 

If you liked this article, you can get notified of the next one here:

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Regional Home Prices Might Still Become Much More Pricey Some Reports Show

Published July 25, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Sales data as recently published by Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA ) { Summary: Home sales #’s in Canada peaked in April 2016 and have slid down slightly for the past 2-months. }

“Home Affordability” tops the list of concerns of the majority of young (and old) Canadian couples and families, especially areas on the southern oceanic coasts of the country.

Yet this period of time might just be like riding a roller-coaster re-engaging in the 2nd chain for the remaining journey up. A recent report from NBF, National Bank Financial, suggests that home affordability could further drop (similarly like a counterweight on an elevator.)

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Data from www.numbeo.com (National Bank Financial) showing Canada’s 3 largest cities compared to a baker’s dozen other European, North American and the Asia-Pacific big cities. Canadian affordability levels are similar conditions being experienced in Australia.

According to the above survey, it’s still more affordable to afford a downtown Toronto or Vancouver condo than in: Tokyo, New York, Hong Kong, London, Rome, Paris, Stockholm Sweden, or Vienna Italy.

At first glance the above chart seems to set the stage for further deterioration of home affordability in Vancouver & Toronto. However, other parts of Canada have created more of a balance in the big picture – with several provincial areas have seen home price decreases.

Although there are greater hardships in other cities, on a global level, future price trends cannot be predicted from it. Interest rates (near-zero and negative rates) have surely inflated the overall home price bubble. Thus, have created much more speculation and potential volatility in either direction in the market.

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Housing inventory on the market are at 6-year lows in Toronto and Vancouver but sales are 5.1% higher this June 2016 than 1 year ago. The average home price in Canada stood at $503,300 in June 2016, an 11.2% increase over the preceding year.

However, most of that growth is concentrated in Toronto & Vancouver.

What is your personal prediction? We’d like to hear from you about this article or any other questions or comments your may have.

The Best Real-Deal-Estate Agent Prospecting Tips

Published July 18, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Making money is every agent’s real goal. RealEstateLeads.ca will provide you with 40-60 fresh and real leads per month – but it never hurts to do extra prospecting to catch that extra fish or two.

A. Plan

There are various reasons why agents “give up” on prospective customers.

Maybe the critical reasons why so many prospects eventually spiral out of control one is that many or most agents really don’t really have a well thought out plan including: scripts, a clear value proposition, objection solutions, and measurement tools. Your mindset should be that of running a business. However, about 9 out of 10 agents do little, or no performance tracking. Tracking your results (and failures) is only an advantage in achieving real estate success. Have your notebook/diary always handy!

Here is a typical outline of an initial dialog with a prospect:

· * Location: find out where do they want to live?
· * Price: About what price are they shopping for.
· * Motivation: What brings the prospect into the market?
· * Progress: Ask the prospect how long s/he have been looking for a new home.
· * Financing: Find out if they a cash buyer or a mortgage buyer.
· * Appointments: Set the 1st one.

Do you often leave a voice mail, or do you often not leave a voicemail? One of the most important ways to improve your numbers is to simply be aware of your approaches.

B. Organize your leads

An “A”-grade prospect is one that is 1) ready, 2) willing, and 3) able to buy in the next 30-40 days. A “B”-grade prospect intends to close between 40-90 days, while a C-grade prospect projects to buy in more in 3+ more months.

For an A-prospect, your objective is always to set an appointment. (because it is impossible to sell a house without an appointment.) Never say “I’ll call you back in a few days” – because you will just be wasting that much time. Always strive to set appointments with your A-leads.

If a lead is a “B” or a “C,” enter them into the email drip system then follow up with them once every 2-3 weeks.

Most agents, when they have a hot A-prospect in their queue, they tend to shy away from talking a lot. However, the minimum time you should be spending on the phone with them at this point is 7-9 minutes. If you have a prospect that is itching buy a $800,000 house with a $24,000 commission – you should be willing to spend at least 10-100 minutes with them. In order to do engage them for at least 10 minutes you need to activate building-a-relationship-mode in your mind. Keep in mind that this person needs you, and you should be confident in building up a relationship with them, because you are part of the equation towards something they need – a licensed real estate agent.

The top-priority people you should meet with are your A-prospects. In other words, you should focus most heavily on your dollar productive activities.

C. Following up is mandatory

Here are some revealing (approximate) facts:
· 47% of agents never follow up with a prospect (nuts!)
· 24% of agents make a 2nd contact and then decide to let it go
· 11% of agents make only 3 contacts on average
· Only 9% of agents make more than 3+ contacts
· 2% of sales are made on the 1st contact
· 3% of sales on the 2nd contact
· 5% of sales on the 3rd contact
· 10% of sales are made on the 4th contact
· 20% of sales of the 5th conversation

D. Script rehearsal

If you want to memorize your script – an easy way to do it is to record it on your phone. Then while you’re driving about, you can listen to the recording repetitively. By doing so, after a handful of days, your mind will have your script permanently burned into memory. Investing in memorized a couple of good scripts helps you mix and merge them to then be able to say the right key things instantly at the right time.

E. Talk to prospects like talking to a friend

No need to ever be nervous on the phone. To build rapport fast, feel (and therefore project to them) like you’re talking to a friend. You’re offering your clients “friendly” help and assistance.

A good reminder is that have two ears and one mouth: we are supposed to listen twice as much as we talk. But, you are the one that should be in control of the conversation. So your basic approach should be “answer then ask” or “acknowledge then ask”. Repeat/paraphrase what the prospect just said to you – they like knowing that you are actually listening to them. Structure/flowchart ask questions so whatever answers they have, you can further guide the conversation.

F. Don’t say “Can I have your phone number?”

Saying “Can I have your phone number?” is not a good idea. Just say affirmatively “What is the best phone number to reach you at? Home or your cellphone?”

G. Prioritize Appointments

Prospecting really begins with the first contact with your lead. Exchanging emails with your leads can be entertaining, but you can’t sell a house until you’ve had a decent voice conversation with a buyer. Typically, an agent can’t sell a house without first having completed an appointment as well.

One of the single common denominators of top producing agents is that they put in time *every day* to get that next appointment with their priority leads/prospects. They communicate *every day* until they have a new appointment.

H. Talk finance

If your prospect is on your “A”-list, you should talk about mortgage & financing. First inquire, of him or her whether they are cash buyer or requiring a mortgage. You need make sure that the prospect you are talking to is able to afford the home they are looking at. If they are a cash buyer, they should get a letter, or account statement, from their bank to walk the talk and to make sure that they won’t require a mortgage after all.

I. Focus on call quality rather than quantity

After prioritizing your leads, start calling them. How many can speak to in an hour? Forget that. You should care more about what you do with each prospect when you are on the phone with, rather than getting through your list as fast as possible. Build as much rapport as possible within reason; seeking to understand rather than being understood. Understand where each person is coming from. Take notes next to their name.

J. Close the appointment

After asking mortgage & financing questions of your A-list prospects, is the best time to close for the appointment. Most agents think it’s too early to set an appointment and say things like “Well now, why don’t I email you some listings?” Rather, here’s the basic line for setting the appointment: “(Name), based on the information we’ve just discussed, here’s what I recommend we do… Let’s set up a time to get together at my office where we can go over the whole home-buying process. I furnish a complete market overview and then we’ll set up a time to go look at homes of your choosing… How does that sound?”

K. Persist

As the statistics in section C state indirectly: about 80% of sales are made with 5+ contacts, implying that most agents are giving-up way too early. Work on your mindset, determination, and finesse; as most clients don’t like cold calling. You must persist; because 80% of sales are made between after the 5th contact.

Following a good action plan can take an agent all the way up the ladder of success. Many real estate agents don’t work their leads enough, but these tips are tried and true and golden. Work on practicing the skills listed above every day, even from the beach.

Did you find this article insightful? We’d like to hear from you about this article or any other questions or comments your may have.

Home Construction In Canada is Soaring ( Faster than Rises in Home Prices )

Published July 11, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

 

RELP1The Canadian housing market is still hot and isn’t showing any signs of cooling yet. Spending on new residential construction totaled $4.2 billion in April, up 8.4% from the same month a year earlier.

Statistics Canada published data recently on the areas in Canada that are showing high housing growth rates.

Condo construction is up nearly 48% in a year in Vancouver. In Toronto that figure is up by 27%. Detached new home building is up 17% in Vancouver and 36% in Toronto.

However, house prices in Vancouver have seen 30% growth and 15% in Toronto over the past 12 months. The housing stat numbers are even bigger.

But the numbers are very different in the oil producing provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, & Newfoundland.

Spending on new housing construction decreased in five provinces, with Alberta registering the largest decline, followed by Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

In Alberta, decreased investment occurred in *all* dwelling types, although the decline was mainly attributable to lower demand and spending on single-family dwellings.

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This construction boom could wind up being good or bad news for Canada’s real estate markets. It could create an oversupply or fulfill demand squarely.

Reasons for optimism

These numbers portray that Canadian developers are responding to continuously rising demand in Vancouver & Toronto.

Vancouver & Toronto have also experienced unexpected high job growth in the past several years; which has pushed metropolitan population up; thereby increasing demand on housing.

Large intakes of permanent resident immigrants (approaching a quarter-million per year) summed together with the economic calamity of oil-producing regions have bolstered population migration into Vancouver & Toronto.

For other reasons as well; real estate in those 2 cities is not likely to weaken over the coming years. However, a continued upswing in new condo buildings could take some pressure off prices.

Bearish perspectives:

The current boom in condo construction is a sign that Canada’s housing markets are getting stronger. Vancouver and Toronto have both seen a hot market in home sales, but some of which could be explained through foreign investment and house-flipping as spoken about in previous articles.

So if indeed speculation is inflating demand today through overbuilding, then a correction could be more of a higher dive than in the past. Why? When house price growth slows, speculators rapidly start disappearing from the scene, exposing some of the “virtual demand” “demand” that wasn’t so naturally there after all.

So a constant boom in condo construction, resulting in slower price rises, then could end up sending prices lower than otherwise expected when the house-flippers and foreign speculators start to scatter elsewhere.

Did you find this article enlightening? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

Expected Ramifications of Brexit on Canadian Mortgage Rates

Published July 4, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

REL_Brexit-ImageThe Toronto Sun recently reported that anticipated lower interest rates, spurred by the Brexit vote alludes that the Canada housing markets may see downward pressure on rates and may help generate more market activity; while having a moderating influence on British property prices.

The implications of the vote result of the Brexit referendum, concerning the exit from the European Union, will certainly generate long-term effects to be felt across the Atlantic; with ripples extending to the world all over, economically speaking.

Canada’s real estate marketplace may be able to leverage the now altered global financial landscape to its own advantage. Canada could serve as a safer haven for investors seeking more economic certainty. The expected forthcoming market uncertainty over the next half a year could make Canadian investors with global portfolios more nervous – and instead invest more domestically. They just want the stability that Canada’s real estate market has to offer when parking their money.

The vote result should also have a parallel effect on Federal Reserve rates. Therefore, interest rates worldwide are more likely to remain even lower than they have been, for even longer projections than have been cast before – resulting from the deep uncertainty over Britain’s and the EU’s economic fate. It is likely that Canadian rates will sink to all-time lows, keeping mortgage rates at an extreme low; enabling more activity in all sectors of Canadian Real Estate.

Vancouver and Toronto are expected to remain overheated due to more downward pressure on interest rates.

We are also likely going to witness a weakening of the British pound, which would make U.K. goods cheaper to import, but create a higher wall for Canadian exports to the United Kingdom. Also Canadian politicians have been working on free trade agreements with the European Union, which will now have to be tailored to mesh singularly with the UK. That could take our sloth-like politicians years to reformulate.

Thank you for reading the RealEstateLeads.ca blog.

Recent talk of putting some control on the demand side of foreign investment in Canada

Published June 27, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

RealEstateLeads_TaxingForeginInvestments
Foreign investment is not the only problem with Vancouver’s stratospheric prices but proper taxation would help to fix Vancouver & Toronto’s home price inflation.

The most drastic fix, now being talked about, is to put a cap on Vancouver’s seemingly out-of-control home price inflation through some taxation on foreign real estate investors. It is logically about the most the effective way to simmer down Vancouver’s epic market rise; without precipitating a market collapse.

Stopping foreign investment entirely is not a nice, nor effective solution, as foreign investment is only one of the drivers of high prices; but it has been a quite noticeable one indeed.

So if our politicians can get their minds properly wrapped around the issue then some intelligent new taxing regulations could effectively put a damper on the recent run-away market behavior – which most experts are saying is a bubble that will eventually suddenly/remarkably pop.

When investors come in and purchase real estate who actually have no intention of living, nor working, in Canada, but instead principally as a profit-generating investment – that is the problem that needs to be addressed. A portion of the foreign investors are only involved to transfer funds internationally and/or make quick money.

In a nutshell what is being discussed is “taxing speculative activity”.

Australia and New Zealand & and other areas experiencing similar housing problems have successfully implemented foreign ownership tax rules and laws. Australia has made a rule that restricts foreign investors to purchase only *brand new* developments.

Australia is saying, that if you build something new, at least they are creating some extra GDP – some economic momentum, employing people, adding something to the economy for the benefit of all. If they are just playing the resale market, then they really not adding anything to the economy – only higher prices.

Vancouver faces a fundamental supply problem, as do many other large cities such as Toronto; so solutions like taxation are limited in how effect such changes may have.

Vancouver is an island … from a real estate perspective. In Vancouver, the supply can not be soon expanded, but taxation of foreign-non-resident speculation can help control Vancouver’s staggering home price inflation.

A solution to the drastic home inflation trend being seen in Vancouver and Toronto can be found by discouraging demand.

These aren’t our ideas – just a summary of what we see being discussed on real estate forums. What are some of your ideas? We would love to hear from you.

RealEstateLeads not only wishes to provide you new leads in real-time, but also pertinent and fresh market knowledge through our weekly updated blog.

 

As Home Prices Soar Above the Heads of Average Canadians; More Are Now Teaming-up to Buy Homes

Published June 20, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Soaring housing prices have been the cause of a new trend, especially for Millenials. When couples today often can’t together put together enough to buy a house in Vancouver or Toronto, couples are now coupling together with other couples, and in some case splitting the house into two parts.

Many who are trying to get into the market view it as a short term initial plan to get their foot in door and build some equity. Some folks are breaking a down payment into 3 or 4 parts with their new housemates/co-owners.

But with home prices in the Lower Mainland’s volcanic-hot real estate market – many in already in this arrangement, who had hoped to break free on their own, are now thinking of staying put. Some are investing in their crowded house to expand it versus selling and going their separate ways.

Many more first-time homebuyers are contemplating arrangements into such types of arrangements as long-rising prices in markets such as Vancouver & Toronto have eroded affordability.

Many younger Canadians are looking to friends & family for housing help

A recent random poll discovered that about 1 in 4 millennials would or are already contemplating purchasing a home with a friend; nearly double the percentage of a sampling taken in 2015.

Similarly numbers of fresh 1st time buyers who would considering purchasing with a family member was also 24%, up from 14% in 2015; as in some of the larger Canadian markets. Being able to qualify for their first home (or condo) is increasingly more challenging or entirely out of reach.

Not only have there been higher selling prices, but also premiums on mortgage default insurance have also risen: which only make the problem(s) worse.

Crowed House of Group Investment?

While many co-purchase arrangements involve both parties living together in the home; this isn’t always the case.

When Raymond Wiabel bought a $340K 2-story detached house in East Toronto with a long-time friend in 2012; they each put in half of the down payment. They agreed to split the cost of all of expenses and any capital gains when they sell. But only Wiabel lives in the home; for his friend, the transaction has been purely an investment. Raymond considers him a second spouse because as they own the house together.

For some, it is a possible way to get into the market sooner.

Some caution that such arrangements come with risks, as when someone purchases a house together, it is basically like starting a business together. There are going to be points in time where things might not be so cozy, and people account for that. It is recommended to those to consult with an attorney and draft up a mutual agreeable written plan document – that covers everything imaginable when something happens; such as if one party wants to sell or how the cost of repairs will be managed/split.

Also co-investors should know that their name and your credit file is attached to the overall debt – so if a partner you are investing with loses their job, et al., and they can’t make their part of the mortgage payments – then that’s going to affect the other partner too.

Knowledge and real estate leads – two ingredients for increased success in your career.

The Big Benefits of Proper Lead Cultivation

Published June 13, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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There is a myth in the industry that we wish to focus on. Real estate agents who are closing a disproportionate number of deals are not getting better leads – truly they are performing a better job at nurturing the leads that are coming in to them. To those who feel that they are struggling, this insight is good to know as it means that you have more power and control than you might have thought before.

Really conversion rates are dependent not so much on your lead generation system or techniques (although that has some weight) but what will mainly drive your success is the on the effort (and finesse) you put into lead follow-up.

Even more wonderful news is that you will not be tasked with reinventing the wheel to efficiently convert leads. What is critical is to develop good follow-up habits which will provide higher conversion rates for you.

The Element of Speed

If you secured constant web leads each day – which you have done if you are lucky enough to have an account with RealEstateLeads.ca – then you might just think everything is set. However, our lead service is only half the equation for success; the other half is naturally up to you. So if you are not calling your leads then you are definitely not on a path for high-conversion rates. Various studies have pointed out that calling your leads within the first 5-10 minutes enable much better results even than calling 10-30 minutes or more or later. What are they doing after 10 minutes of submitting their information on the internet? Chances are they are in an anxious mode and perhaps already dialing another agent, or perhaps they are just engaging back into their work, domestic duties, or regular routine.

Studies have shown that most leads will work with the 1st agent they engage in a conversation with; even if they speak to some other ones afterwards. Of course, this also depends on how well you tell them what they are hoping to hear without being dishonest. So if you call a lead in those five to ten minutes; you are making a good impression – and so you are also most likely to be the agent of choice that will they end up working with. One study reported that quick lead response positively impacts lead conversion by 230%.

The reason why most agents don’t pick up the phone as they should is not so much because they are lazy, but often because they feel afraid to fail. Failing sometimes is always guaranteed, but as the old adage goes – “no pain – no gain.” A tried & tested way of overcoming calling fears is rehearsal of scripts. For great script examples, see our previous article on that topic. So every time you make a call, you have a fine tuned the script right in front of your eyes, so you effectively reduce your chances of losing control of the conversation.

The Art of Following-up

Again an immediate reaction to a online lead should be calling them about 5 minutes after the lead was delivered to you – despite any automated email that might have been sent. Not every lead is going to answer your call immediately, but with today’s smartphones – they should be able to see that you called – and they will appreciate that when you are able to get a hold of them. It should be repeated again NOT just send an a manual or automated email – that is, unless you want to be a member of the big bucket of agents who convert less that 10% of leads. Realistically you can push that number higher that 50%, or more.

If nobody answers your first call,leave a voicemail and perhaps also send a text if it is a mobile number. Your text will most likely be full read in any case. Also, if you have it set-up – automated home searches sent from your website and drip campaigns are both good methods for keeping in touch.

The biggest mistake you can make, other than being rude or insulting to the prospect, is to decide to stop following up with a lead because you quickly feel you are not getting the response you hoped for. But if a lead specifically asks you to stop, you should continue to follow-up with them at least by email or text; or even by snail mail if you have an address.

Not all leads are ready right to talk away. As you might already know, a small percentage of leads will either sell or buy (or both) within a few months. Most leads actually take up to a year (and in some cases longer) before they will take the plunge. However, your job in the meantime is to make sure you are in their line of sight, so to speak, whenever they are ready.

Setting up a meeting with your lead, face to face, is equally crucial as a call. Negotiate with them on the phone to initially schedule an appointment for discussion over a cup of coffee. Another idea is to invite them to one of your open houses for a more light-hearted approach. Nothing beats real physical visual interaction. If you can swing it, try to arrange for a skype video call with them.

The main idea is to build rapport and therefore meeting your leads in person too. Choose voice calling over email or sms – those are a dime a dozen sort of speaking. Of course you know this, but it goes in line with this train of thought – purchasing a house is probably one of the biggest decisions and investments your leads will ever make. Therefore, they will probably want to take their time, so feel them out and react likewise. Use their feedback to build their trust in you.

With a smart and strong system in place, you can practice with every lead to iron out the art of following up and working those leads down. The net result of doing this better = more deals.

 

Don’t be disillusioned. Follow up with leads is a lot of work, but such efforts will turn into your bread & butter. You shouldn’t just go at it freestyle. Each new lead should be another chance to perfect your communication skills. Best wishes from your secret helpers at RealEstateLeads.ca

Home affordability shackling a high % of Vancouver/Toronto millennials with the folks longer

Published June 6, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

Mature Parents Frustrated With Adult Son Living At Home

Alot of millennials now faced with near-zero discretionary spending are now saying they’re considering giving up on the prolonged – and unfair to them – market insanity and are increasingly deciding to leave Vancouver…

Will most Millennials mostly wind up, like birds in the trees, in downtown condo high-rises? ( Considering Vancouver & Toronto mainly; and secondly Montreal & Calgary )

Living with mom & dad; when bearable, is a popular option for Millennials in light of the skyrocketed home prices in the Vancouver and Toronto areas.

According to a recent “Vancity” poll, 60% of respondents between 18 & 24 stated they are still living in their root family room, while 22% of those between 25 & 35 have yet to rent of buy elsewhere. Unaffordable home ownership and unreasonable rents, and student loans, and average insufficient salaries, were recorded as the major impediments.

Owning a home is now rapidly replacing retirement funds; even boomer retirees are now having to get part-time jobs to supplement themselves!

Mothers & fathers are realizing staying in the nest longer is the only way their sons and daughters can sufficiency get ahead financially in order to one day get into a condo. The day and age when people go to work at the same place for 40 years, retire, and then get a watch and pension is gone.

Renting is often a undesirable option. When you look at renting a condo that is just a waste of money. If somebody can save up and have that as an advantage, why not? However Millennials on the average now think it will take them about 10 years to start to achieve the Canadian Dream. And if a couple wants to have two kids, a condo downtown is really not going to work for a variety of reasons.

At a certain point,there is going ot be some sort of significant correction. The correction may or may not be severe – only time will tell . It probably won’t be as severe as what happened in the United States in 2008, but it could be a non-trivial correction.

While that will hurt people who just got into the market, it could be great news for Millennials hoping to break in. Only time will tell, we will have to wait and see.

One growing trend seems to be making larger houses more affordable by the immediate inclusion of basement units and/or other rental rooms/units within the home. Then a millennial is no longer just a homeowner, they also become a landlord on that property.

Millennials in ways are not different from the former generation – home ownership, saving for their children’s education are still their average top priorities. They just can’t afford to save for retirement.

For Gen Y, they believed that they would achieve home ownership. They are still very eager about achieving that goal at some point in their lifetime,

What we have seen is that average home price-tags across the country have certainly increased while income, of course, hasn’t increased in in parallel.

Millennial home ownership will be difficult for most, but not impossible. However, they just can’t have that 3K sqt house immediately. They’re going to have to establish themselves around the outskirts of town first.

What do you and your colleagues across Canada think? Please forward to others and let us know. We’d love to hear ( contact@realestateleads.ca ) from real estate agents and also any Canadian citizens.

The Makings of a “Viral” Real Estate Video

Published May 30, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

 

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Creating Real estate videos are is one of the top ways to reach customers on a deeper level and also the easier way to virtually ‘show’ a home. Videos appeal to and create more emotional attachments in the mind of the viewer.

However, on the flip-side poor production methods would have the effect of turning off buyers and sellers. High quality is key.

Some of the very best viral videos have been professionally produced by companies, to reach their audience in a different way.

Below we will cover useful tips on how to properly make a professional looking real estate video that might even market itself.

Remember to keep on tack and be on focus to create business for you. If you get amazed in your sudden YouTube fame, and alter your career path likewise, then probably you will never see a good return on your time.

In the case of real estate…

A viral video is one that creatively promotes a property, real estate company and/or Realtor by using content that draws attention and encourages viewers to want to share it with others.

Here are key points:

· Creativity: Creativity/uniqueness is admired by just about everyone social circle. No more needs to be said, you can tell if you just created something creative, or possibly go back to the drawing board.

· Humorous: Perhaps make it funny. Funniness is a key ingredient in viral video. It takes finesse and wit to figure out what would be funny to your target audience. A video that tries to be funny but is objectionably tasteless or off the mark will naturally turn off your audience.

· Not too long: Many of the highest viewed YouTube videos are less than 5 minutes long. Viral videos spread quickly when they are are easy to view & watch multiple times.

· Provocativity: Sexiness sells. The real estate market conservative arena, however, as appealing to those sense subtly in video can further engage your audience.

Help Your Video Go Viral These Tips

Unless you are already holding your smartphone or video camera in just the right place at just the right time with your video; then you will have to do some creating and quite possibly hard work to create a truly viral real estate video.

· Give it a descriptive, but memorable title – just as you would for a blog post you’d want people to share

· Upload your video to a social platform like YouTube or Vimeo so people can easily share and interact with it

· Produce your video with your target audience in mind by using the proper language, content, & humor.

· Keep your company branding & logos as light references

· Use channels like Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest to get your video in front of lot more eyeballs.

Here is an Example (1 million views so far increasing ). So try out the tips & ideas in this article to begin creating real estate videos that have a probability of going viral.

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

Vancouver perimeter real estate area seeing steady price increases

Published May 24, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Vancouver perimeter real estate area seeing steady price increases

This past month, BC set a new real estate sales record. A rising market in Vancouver is spreading by osmosis into other areas of the province. This has produced a record-smashing month for real estate sales in the whole of British Columbia combined; in part due to BC’s robust economy.

They’ve just sold for big bucks in Vancouver and Victoria and they don’t mind spending a little more around the woods; such as Vancouver Island and the Okanagan.

It is a common theme every time we have had a strong Vancouver market – an osmotic price-increasing effect occurs over subsequent time.

The pot of gold at the end of every rainbow is gaining in value

Let’s look at the recent happenings around Vancouver Island.

The sellers have all seen what has been occurring in in the big cities – so naturally each and all of them think their place is more valuable too. The asking prices have been going up and lots of people forking over more loonies and a lot of those buyers are emerging from the big city. Big buck sales in Vancouver, and Victoria, are happening and these well-endowed recipients are easily swayed to spending a little more on the Island.

Real estate is a much more lucrative investment, rather than keeping money in the bank – due to the low interest rates, some kingpin buyers are buying up not just one, but swaths of properties on the Island.

An obvious high percentage of buyers the surrounding areas are seeing are retirees or near-retirees; basically people who were already well rooted in the market before Vancouver’s stratospheric rise. On the flip-side, Millennials are becoming jealous.

Prices going where no median prices have gone before

Surrey, Langley, North Delta, Mission, White Rock, Abbotsford have witnessed a 28% increased price of single-detached-homes since May 2015; which of course is quite nice.

What do you make of the future of surrounding Vancouver?

Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

*New* : Changes to real estate contract rules protect sellers taking effect today, May 16, 2016

Published May 16, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

Premier Christy Clark today announced new regulations that increase protections for sellers in residential real estate transactions are now in effect.

The council’s mandate is to protect the public interest by enforcing the licensing and licensee conduct requirements of the Real Estate Services Act. The council also investigates complaints against licensees and imposes disciplinary penalties under the act.

Premier Clark stated, “Government will not tolerate unethical or predatory conduct in the real estate market … Real estate licensees must act in the best interests of the client – not themselves.”

These rules increase transparency and help make sure that sellers’ best interests are protected. With these new rules, real estate licensees who draft offers to buy property now must include two separate terms about contract assignment in the offer: one that requires the seller’s consent to transfer the contract; and one that requires any resulting profit to be returned to the seller.

“When people decide to sell their homes – potentially one of their biggest assets – we need to make sure they have all of the information they need to make a decision about what is best for themselves and their families,” Finance Minister Michael de Jong said.

“Contract assignment fulfills a legitimate role in real estate transactions, and in certain situations can protect consumers if their circumstances change during a transaction. The changes we have made empower sellers by providing for full disclosure, informed consent, and the opportunity for sellers to insist they receive any resulting financial benefit.”

These changes are designed to prevent situations in which a buyer purchases a property, only to reassign the contract at a higher price (before the closing date) – without the seller approving the assignment. By ensuring conditions around assignment are transparent from the start, sellers are then in a better position to decide whether or not to accept an offer.

If the prospective buyer wants to remove these terms from the offer, the buyer’s licensee must notify the seller that the terms have been removed from the offer. The seller has the power to reject the offer and insist on one or both of the terms. The seller is advised to seek independent professional advice.

Sellers’ licensees are also required to discuss with their clients whether the proposed contract would be assignable and whether there would be any conditions on assignment; including whether the seller is entitled to any profit.

The regulations apply to offers made on or after May 16, 2016. The regulations have not applied to contracts signed before that date. British Columbians with concerns about the conduct of real estate licensees should contact the Real Estate Council of BC.

The Province looks forward to receiving recommendations from the Council’s Independent Advisory Group about further measures to address the effectiveness of real estate licensee regulation and improve consumer protection; expected in early June.

Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

Summary of Great Tips Real Estate Agents

Published May 9, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Licensed professional Real estate salespeople, are most often referred to as real estate agents. In legal definition, the term ‘agent’ refers to a defined relationship between a real estate salesperson and the sellers & buyers with whom s/he conducts business in the real estate marketplace. The agent is an person who is authorized and consents to represent the interests of the buyer or seller; furthermore agents assist people through the process of selling, buying, renting: land, homes, and other properties, commercial or residential.

After meeting licensing requirements, having comprehensive understanding of a plethora of real estate laws; real estate agents have a tall list of responsibilities.

As an agent, you would be familiar with the following tasks:

  • * Searching for potential clients to buy, sell and rent properties
  • * Showcasing properties to prospective buyers
  • * Managing your dynamic lists of contacts
  • * Advising sellers on how better make their homes more attractive to buyers
  • * Promoting listings through advertising, listing services (MLS, etc) & open houses
  • * Comparitive analyzing properties to determine fair & competitive market prices
  • * Advising clients on market conditions & pricing and mortgages
  • * Recommending appropriate properties for buyers based on their price range and needs
  • * Mediating negotiations between sellers & buyers
  • * Presenting all purchase offers to sellers for their consideration
  • * Guiding sellers & buyers through the transaction process
  • * Preparing and submitting all required paperwork / various contracts
  • * Staying current with ever changing real estate laws & trends
  • * Working nights and/or weekends to match your clients’ needs

 

Sphere of Influence

Beyond the leads supplied to you by our service here at RealEstateLeads.ca, another way generate leads & build leads is through a sphere of influence, “SOI”, business model. SOI is a networking strategy which focuses on generating real estate leads through the people you already know and increasingly come to know: including friends, family, business associates,classmates, sporting contacts, and even people such as you hairdresser or doctor. The best way to keep track of all the names and contact information is in one place, such as in your smartphone, or in a spreadsheet program, your email’s contact dd or with commercial sales/crm (customer relationship management) software.

After you have started organized your SOI db, it is easy to add new people to your cntact db – at community events and through mutual acquaintances, by any other means. The more people that are in your db, the larger your Sphere of Influence and therefore the better your chances referral streams. Plan on sending out periodic announcements to keep your SOI thinking about/remembering you and your services.

Develop your Professional Image (PI)

Vital to your success as a real estate agent, or most any career, is your professional image:

  • * Written communications: well-written, emails letters & texts (free of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
  • * Appearance: groomed hair, hair, sharp clothing, accessories, makeup, nice shiny car, etc. Be very light on perfume/cologne and avoid overly revealing clothing/lingerie.
  • * Face2Face meetings: utilize positive eye contact and positive body language. Make extra efforts to be attentive, engaging, and courteous.
  • * Marketing materials: publish accurate/quality photos along with compelling text.
  • * Phone calls: be articulate, engaging and courteous. In ratio – the less you are talking and the more you are listening – the more you are winning! So smile when you are listening, even when on the phone.
  • * Web presence: publish a carefully planned website and cultivate an engaging social media presence.

 

Note: Any imprint you have on the Internet , whether for personal life or your business – will likely last forever. You will be amazed how easily bloopers can find its way to your potential clients.

Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

Turning leads into conversations…

Published May 2, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

leftEver wanted to know what the perfect text message is to send a new lead? Or maybe the best initial email? Also, two great ways to overcome the most common objections.

* Key To Get To you Leads as Fast as possible. (Speed + Persistence + Scripts = Results)
* Perfect Text Message, Perfect, Call, Perfect Email (5-7 Touches in the First Week)
* Objective is to get people on the phone. (Keep trying until you talk to them)

First Text message:

“Hey (Lead’s First Name) this is Adam from (OfficeName). You requested info on (buying or selling) your home. Can you talk right now?”

(The above is a magical message – do include their first name too.)

Perfect email:

“Thanks for requesting your home value, I’m in a meeting right now. Can I call you in 45 minutes or is there a better time to call? Sent from my iPhone… “

This is a perfect way to get the conversation started.

If it is 1:30 in the morning, then of course change the message or send it at sunrise.

Perfect Call Script:

“Hi (Lead Name), it is (Realtor Name) with (Company). I see that you requested information on your home at (address).

Is this a good time to chat quick?”

Yes.

“I have some information that you are going to want to jot down. Can you please grab a pen and paper – let me know when you are ready.”

If they say “I just want to know how much my home is worth…”

ARP – Acknowledge, Respond, & Pivot

Acknowledge – “You want to know how much your home is worth?”

Respond – “No problem! I can tell you that the market has gone up 10% this past year alone…”

Pivot – “Have you made any changes to the home since you bought it? “

Remember, the goal is to uncover their true motivation.

The more your lead is talking – the more you are winning.

If you are on the phone and you are doing most of the talking, you are losing.

It’s all about asking questions!

Example question:

Have you made any changes since you bought the home? Ask them why.

Once you figure out what their motivation is – it is so much easier for you to take these next steps.

“Thanks so much for sharing that about yourself. ”

Once you have gotten them to talk for a while, then it is a good idea to then talk about yourself:

“Now that I have had a the chance to learn a little about you – I would like to tell you a little story about myself. I have X amount of review of my Facebook/Google+ place and sold X amount of homes last year which means I am one of (City Name)’s most trusted agents for selling homes.

So the reason I tell you that, even though I am one of the city’s most trusted agents, to really be able to tell you how much your home is worth, I will really need to take a look inside. I can see that some of your neighbors are listed for anywhere from x-y and I can see that homes in your neighborhood have sold anywhere in the last 6 months from x-y. “

“So here is what happens next, we just need to book a time to take a quick look at your property. It is completely free and confidential. Is it better to look at it on a weekday or the weekend?”

The week/weekend is better.

“Great, is DAY at TIME or TIME better?” (give them two time options)

At this point is a good time to send them an informational package.

* Practice makes perfect

Objections:

“I don’t want to sell for 6 months”.

“I get that you don’t want to sell for 6 months. But here is what I have found to be true. Most sellers we work with have to make some repairs or updates, maybe some painting or replace a few things. And I have found that the Seller tends to spend too much money in the wrong places. So what I would like to do is come over, take a quick 30 minute walk around and have a quick discussion with you guys. My team works with a lot of buyers and we know exactly what the buyers are going to want to see in your home. I can almost guarantee my suggestions will save you some money, because my goal is to get you the most amount of money in the sale in the least amount of time.

While I have you on the phone, if you don’t mind I’d like to ask you one more question.

(Lead Name), I understand you are just not ready right now to have someone come look at your home. However since I have you on the phone do you mind if I ask you one more question? (Lead name), I often have buyers looking for homes like yours in this neighborhood, and since we are on the phone, if I had some people interested in your home in the next 30-60 days, would you mind me reaching out to you?”

{ You want to uncover the true motivation. }

“Yes, Great, so Bob I just have to ask one more question. You mentioned above you are not interested in selling right now but you also mentioned you would be interested in my introducing you to my buyers, are you just worried that you are over committing right now to have me come look at your home?”

No –

“Okay no problem Bob, would you like me to keep you automatically updated of home selling in your area? It is really no trouble on my end.”

{At least you can keep them on your mailing list}.

If they say no again, best to write this lead off.

Also, always in the back of your mind cut their given times in have. Best call times: 8-10am, and 4-6pm. Best days to call: Wednesday and Thursday.

Tone is very important.

Try practicing your tone on a sound recorder.

This will help increase your ROI on your leads, and turn them into appointments, contracts, and closings.

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

Wonderful Current Apps for Real Estate Agents

Published April 25, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

RealEasteLeads_ca_appsbAlthough no two agents are identical in how they get organized and conduct their business. Each will have a unique set of needs and preferences that dictate what real estate apps they use. Having said that, there are several smartphone, tablet, and desktop apps real estate agents and brokers should try that they may not have heard of yet. We’ve listed dozens of the top-trending ones for 2016 below.

For the sake of providing a list of the best business apps you may not know about already, we’ll leave off the obvious ones, like those for social media accounts, and instead focus on new and trending apps in 2016 that can support your core business activities (real estate marketing and sales). Also, since this is not the end-all, be-all list of the most popular apps for agents and brokers, we’d love to find out what apps you use to enhance your bottom line, keep in touch with leads and clients, and conduct other tasks. Ask 1,000 real estate agents what the best apps for business are and you’ll get 1,000 distinct lists featuring an array of different tools.

FlowVella

FlowVella is a simplified platform that is helpful with comparative market analysis (CMA) presentations and consultations. You can add images, video and audio clips, and create attractive slides. Then you can easily share your creations with prospects. Win clients with FlowVella!

Other good choices: Swipe, Bunkr, & Haiku Deck

Waze

Get where you are going fast! Even if you leave for showings well before they begin, traffic is always in your favour. Waze provides a solution to the conundrum of knowing the best route to take wherever you are. You don’t have to worry about ending up in a traffic jam on the highway or stuck behind construction crews for miles, thanks to this innovative app which crowdsources info on traffic situations pretty much everywhere.

Other good choices: Voyager, Scout, & inRoute

AM Open House

AM Open House is a digital guestbook. It has real estate-based CRM integration with several platforms with automated follow-up emails. This app will help you with your showings and make each of them into more of a success. After an open house, this app will help you share how the event went with your seller clients; including how many prospective buyers showed up and notes on those who came through the door

Other good choices: Open House Manager, & Open Home Pro

Localeur

Localeur will help you find great restaurants nearby. This app will discover the best diners, cafes, bistros, and other great meet-up spots in the local area along with social recommendations similar to Yelp but with higher quality reviews. Quickly invite prospects, clients, & colleagues to the highest rated places; thereby increasing inspiring confidence in others.

Other good choices: HeyLets, Zomato, & Yelp

Concur

Business trips, come the hassle of recording/expensing purchases. Concur, allows you to easily share your spending tabs with your manager. Take photos of your receipts: and you’re efficiently and accurately covered for food, lodging, and other expenses. It will also help you stay under budget.

Other good choices: Expensify, Neat & Xero

Mailbox

Real estate agents constantly dialog with leads, clients, and associates every day. Smartly organizing your inbox is possible through great email apps like Mailbox; which helps your organize folders for particular types of email you receive, setting reminders & tasks based on those emails.

Other good choices: IQTell, Zero, & Inky

1Password

Keeping in mind every password for every website account can make you go bananas – and potentially waste a lot of your valuable time – that is, unless you use a helpful app such as 1Password.

Other good choices: : LoginBox, oneSafe, & SplashID,

DocuSign

Closing deals and finalizing paperwork for a variety of tasks is no longer something you need to complete in the office. DocuSign has become a highly trusted name in the real estate sphere, and for good reason. Its app simplifies a once-headache-inducing duty among agents and brokers. Going paperless is a pretty big trend in the real estate community today that can streamline your work.

Other good choices: HelloSign, SignEasy, CudaSign & Authentisign

Evernote Scannable

Going entirely paperless will never really happen, but there are ways to deal with paper via some top-notch apps to hit the iOS and Android marketplaces, including this one from Evernote. Scan receipts, offer sheets, and any other files that are vital to your real estate transactions by using Scannable and save yourself from having to use an actual scanner back at the office to ensure everything is digitally saved.

Other good choices: OneReceipt, CamScanner, & Shoeboxed

Infinit

lnfinit offers limitless-size file sharing at super-fast speeds. This relatively new storage and sharing app (and includes a desktop client too) facilitates sharing photo & video, videos, docs, and many more types of files between smartphones & PCs.

Other good choices: Box, Dropbox, & Google Drive

RescueTime

With RescueTime you can maintain consistent rhythm with your social media posting, blogging, email marketing & other promotional tasks that will you reap the benefits of your inbound efforts. This tool can substantially aid your constant endeavor to master digital marketing. It keeps you on track to complete all of your daily tasks and that can make the most of your business day.

Other good choices: MyLifeOrganized, Freedom, Focus Booster

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

Greatly Extend Your Marketing Reach With Video

Published April 18, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Are you already using video to market your real estate agent services? If you haven’t gotten around to it yet, here are a couple statistics that might get your attention.
It has been studied and found to be that consumers are much more likely to purchase a product after watching a detailed product (or service) video.
Desktop video has evolved a tremendous amount in the past decade, making it not only an extremely attractive marketing medium, but also an affordable – even free one. The complexity of creating quality video content requires only a couple of hours of learning; dramatically opening doors up for businesses of all kinds and sizes. It is simply not the big production effort or expense that it once was. A few basics to consider. An agent without a video on their webpage at this point is only shooting themselves in the foot.
Your phone could be perfect for the job.
Believe it or not, these days some professional commercials and even entire movies are being shot entirely on smartphones. The video quality on a modern phone is perfectly suitable for an internet delivered marketing video. The video needs to be shot keeping basic video techniques in mind, an iphone or android phone should capture a perfectly acceptable level of quality. If you do have access to higher resolution, quality camera equipment – great, but the phone you likely already have in your pocket or purse is adequate to get you started.
Keeping it simple
Simplicity is most often the best. Nail your average client’s problem and solution in the most direct way possible, and then chances are you have just made an effective video. Some special effects are a nice embellishment but don’t overuse too many distracting effects. That being said, using an appropriate backdrop image, or simply staging yourself in the right setting is one of the best effects you can add to your video. There are many tutorials about the basics of producing a video which you can easily Google for.
Begin with your story
It is still critically important to outline, storyboard and narrate a clear compelling story or message. You should give understanding to your audience, about how your agency addresses their issue or challenge. The way your video communicates and bridges the problem between customer challenge and business solution is absolutely key. Shorter videos are better; not many people wish to hang out staring at a long, rambling, self-promotional video. Directly address your customers’ pain points or typical interest and clearly highlight your business solution.
Sound & lighting are incredibly important
Some of the most important basics of videoing is the importance of audio & lighting. Getting it nearly right is not that complex , but missing the dartboard in either of these areas can actually devastate the persuasion level your video. Your video should not be overly bright or dark, regarding your lighting. Thinking ahead about how you’ll assure quality audio is a critically important aspect too. Using an external microphone on your phone, if possible, or a secondary recording device that you can dub over your video in post edit is a worthwhile touch to increase your audio quality. Most online video basics tutorials will have simple suggestions on best practices in both aspects.
Editing tips
The raw video of your shoot has to be decent quality overall, however editing, (also known as “post production”), turns good footage into something marvelous. Whether you have an iphone or Mac; there are nearly 100 or more freeware editing tools available. (See download.com ) iMovie on Macs is just one example. These free, or low-cost tools typically offer more than enough production power for most basic videos.
Posting/Distributing your video(s)
In one word: Youtube. There are dozens of video platforms within reach on the internet for small businesses. Some are: Vimeo, Vidyard , Wistia; and many others. If your website is based on WordPress many themes today have video player options for uploading and displaying videos. Youtube and some other platforms make for easier embedding or social -media integration.
It is easy to get pulled into complexity as you start to get familiar with video self-promotion, but when it comes right down to it – shooting and editing a great video doesn’t need to be complicated at all.
Start frugally by utilizing your phone (and maybe a friend’s phone too for cutaway angle(s) and perhaps a third for best audio capture.) Keep in mind lighting and audio. Use free or low-cost video editing software and publish your video through one of the many platforms and you can expand from agent to video marketer practically over a single weekend.

 

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

On the Art of Selling Foreclosure-threatened homes

Published April 11, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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With so many Millennials and others now forced to buy into Vancouver’s and Toronto’s steep homes prices (or remain rather homeless), that will likely lead to a increase in foreclosure rate into the foreseeable future; as perhaps under duress of a weaker economy in the future, they could be forced into foreclosure in perhaps droves.

If you have clients which have recently received a foreclosure notice; they probably feel like they have suddenly or completely lost control of their situation. This presents an agent with a great chance to prove their capabilities. Particularly in a strong market, one option would be putting their home up for sale. Not only does this allow your client to sell their home and repay their lender in full, while mitigating the foreclosure – but most importantly it helps protect their credit rating.

A foreclosure never benefits the homeowner. But when faced with that hard choice, your client can sell their home and still come out well. Here are some tips for selling a home before a foreclosure on your client:

A. Be the Right Real Estate Agent

Some agents actually specialize in selling homes for people dealing with foreclosures and “power sales”. Such agents understand the urgency of their client’s situation and work extra aggressively in finding immediate buyers for their home.

As an agent, did you know that real estate fees are negotiable? To help in the situation, you can find more foreclosure-threatened clients advertising yourself as an agent that is willing to accept a lower fee; to help offset the expected lower that market level selling price. Lower fees could mean saving thousands of dollars for your client, money which can be used as a down payment to get them into another less costly property. You might just be able to find two deals in one! See how that works?

B. Make It Look Good

The next task on your list should be to get their home in the best possible condition. Take over management of the clutter. Be heart-less about de-cluttering . If they don’t need it or love it, then urge them to get rid of it. If possible, encourage them to move their items, such as extra furniture, and store other over-plentiful items in boxes then into storage to make their home look bigger.
Next, make sure the home has good scrub. The windows should be all washed. Dust and clean floors and air out each room; the scent of Pine-Sol is so much more refreshing that cigarette odors and dust. If your clients are incapable, source a cleaning company.

The exterior should get a once over to help brush up curb appeal. If their liquid budget affords it or if you feel you can trust them, under contract to guarantee you are eventually reimbursed,a fresh coat of paint can go a long way, too.

A clean and airy home sells much faster than one that is cluttered. As your client needs a quick sale, make it easiest for a buyer to fall in love with the house.

C. Make Sure You Don’t Forget Marketing

To sell your desperate client’s home quickly, you also need to advertise assertively. If they are super desperate, maybe buy it from them yourself, or offer it to a friend for at low cost; knowing that it will be easily flipped for a higher price later.

Arrange for the best photographs that you can budget. Post free ads online on sites like Craigslist & Kijiji. Repost your ad on your FB page and ask friends to pass it on. Use any ways and means there are to promote the listing. The more people who see this special deal, the better the chance you’ll find an interested buyer quickly.

D. Get Legal Help

Because your clients have received a foreclosure notice, contact a real-estate lawyer if necessary. You also need to know how much time they have before the lender can take away their home. Depending on your circumstances, they usually have between 30 and 90 days.

E. Provide The Lender with Regular Updates ( great referral source )

Throughout the process, it is a bright idea to keep in contact with the lender. Keep them up-to-date on your progress as selling agent. Show them that you are motivated to help your client solve the problem. Let them know how hard you are working to produce “their money”. By being cooperative, your client might get extra support from their lender. They have the power to put the foreclosure process on hold, and to give you a little extra time to help your client sell the home; and naturally at a higher price than a rushed sale. There are no guarantees ever that lender will give you and your client an extra break, but it can’t hurt to ask/try.

Final advice

With a foreclosure, time isn’t usually on your client’s side. But by swooping in and acting quickly, you can often find a better solution that gives your client back some control over their lives. A recipe for real-esate success can be by helping others save themselves from disaster; usually a referral gold-mine.

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Vancouver & Toronto will continue this spring in leading sales of luxury homes in both average price and quantity.

Published April 5, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

The GTA will most likely lead the market for dwellings over $1 million; as sales gather even more momentum and prices continue to rise. Good growth is also expected in Vancouver especially in Vancouver’s top-tier residential market. Increases in sales of homes priced over $4 million are expected. We expect both markets have good potential for significant gains and heightened demand and insufficient inventory to drive price escalation; and seller’s market conditions are expected to stay.

Canada’s weak dollar has made real estate more attractive to domestic & foreign buyers. Other market fundamentals have and will continue to have positive impact on market for dwellings of more than $1 million across Canada this spring.

In Alberta’s largest city, Calgary, continued economic instability due to trouble in the oilfields will keep increasing the number of homes available; further contributing to a decline in prices in markets for top-tier residences and for more typical homes.

Steady economic growth indicators in Quebec have enabled a balance in the Montreal market. Sales numbers of top-tier detached single-family homes, attached homes & condominiums are anticipated to be comparable to 2015’s levels.

In Vancouver, the first 2 months of this year saw sales of homes valued at more than $1 million increase 23% yearly to 770 units, of which 560 were single-family home sales – a 17% increase.

While the GTA remains attractive for foreign investors & immigrants; local demand will remain the main market driver. The Toronto market has seen a 62.5% increase in home sales topping $1 million; up to 1,650 units. 1,487 were single-family homes.

In comparison, the home sales of $1 million or more went up 23% in Montreal; 80 units in the first two months of the year. That’s a similar number as in Calgary, equivalent to a 1% decrease comparatively to 2015.

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About the current idea of requiring banks to share more of the risk associated with home mortgages

Published March 30, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

VANCOUVER – Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC) is currently exploring the future possibility of requiring banks to share more of the risk associated with home mortgages.

During a press conference held in Calgary in March 2016, CMHC said the proposed requirement for lenders to pay the deductible on mortgage insurance claims is heavily being considered.

According to the CHMC website of the federal housing agency, the CMHC is working with Department of Finance along with the Bank of Canada to explore ways of more evenly distributing risk across the financial system.

The idea of is forcing banks pay a deductible on mortgage insurance claimsc was first presented by CMHC to the previous Conservative government. It is not yet clear if the new Liberal government will be interested in pursuing the overall idea, or not.

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The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives produced the above chart – that makes the case that people in their 20s have the highest debt loads, but people in their 30s and 40s experienced the largest level of increase in debt since 1999.

Those who buy a whole with less than a 20% down-payment are mandated to acquire mortgage default insurance, from either the CMHC – or – one of the private mortgage insurers.

The Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) has warned Harper’s government that shifting more mortgage risk onto the banks would threaten the entire country’s financial stability.

Through an Access to Information request last year. the industry association laid out its position in a letter to CMHC, written in August 2014; and was obtained by The Canadian Press. Subsequently the Department of Finance stated, in November 2015, that it had has performed preliminary research concerning the potential impact of having the banks share mortgage default risk.

In the 2nd week of March 2016, the CMHC defended the organization’s status as a public institution and said that it acted in an important role during the 2008 global financial crisis.

” As a Crown corporation with a public policy mandate, CMHC needs to be present in the market through all economic cycles.”, stated the CHMC. ” This is a fundamental way in which we contribute to Canada’s financial stability. In fact, our role now in Alberta is to support continuous access for Albertans to the housing market, even if private insurers choose to pull back. ”

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“Millennials” and their predicted influence in the real estate market as they start to have children themselves and will need extra space

Published March 22, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

Like their baby boomer parents, today’s millennial generation is about to make their impact on the housing market as they start having children, and their natural need for more space increases.

But how will Canada’s millions of millennials end up in their quest to make a stable living in order to consistently afford their home. Just how they will make and impact on the real estate market has just started to play out.

This first wave of millenials, baby boomers’ children who ages range from 15 to 34 and make up 25% of Canada’s population, are entering their prime home-buying years. Many live in Vancouver & Toronto; where job growth has been increasing.

Among those fortunate or lucky enough to find a decent, dependable full-time non-contract job; have been driving-up competition for single-family homes & condos.

Affordability will play a huge factor in who buys what, but Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation has surprisingly published little data so far on how much impact millennials have been having so far. Also the Toronto Real Estate Board, which covers the GTA resale market every two weeks, also has published very little if at all on the regarding the influx of millennials into the real estate market.

Despite the little data published so far Millennials have so far a significant influence on the GTA home rentals, because of their eagerness to often pay a higher price; $1700-$1800/month – many wishing to rent cloud-level new glass and granite units, to enable them to have an easy walk to and from work.

This has helped power the recent ongoing downtown condominium boom in Toronto, especially in the downtown core where, despite hundreds of of new units coming into the market per month; the rental vacancy rate remains below 2%.

Toronto condos are now incrementally rising to the half million mark, so condo developers have started to building rental-only units, anticipating a high percentage of millennials will long-term renters.

With about a million and a half millennials in the Tornoto area, they are a key group lto keep pushing upward pressure on the housing market.

Millennials and those before them, the 30-somethings now going on 40-somethings, are a generation of men and women who are spending their early adult lives in centers of large cities. Home is about being part of an integrated community more than it did in previous generations; in contrast to back in the days when having a front yard, a backyard, and a 2-car garage.

However, the average new condo has compressed space in the last decade, from an average 909 to 766sqft. Developers state this is what is needed to keep costs down during this period of escalating land values and ever increasing government taxes & faces.

For the more old-fashioned segment of millenials, a detached house in the city now averages more than $1,000,000 has set the stage for townhouses and semi-detached homes to be the way to go in the Vancouver & Toronto areas for young buyers, especially new parents, wanting to bypass the high-rise condos.

The notion of home ownership seems to be changing, in which young buyers are looking less for quantity and more for quality. They are also looking for “complete communities” – urban villages with parks + social amenities.

Toronto communities like Brooklin, Ajax, Pickering, Oshawa, & Whitby and have become millennials magnets as GO Transit ride frequencies have increased and the eastern extension of Highway 407 is also nearly completed.

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Some say foreign capital should be regulated – results of forum discussion

Published March 14, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Foreign investment/ownership of Canadian real estate has long been a contentious issue for both industry players and foreigners. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has come out with statements regarding this over the past couple of months; saying that overseas capital is responsible for the recently observed price spikes in luxury housing.

In Vancouver & Toronto, it is very possible that foreign buyers account for a substantial portion of the demand for pricier, luxury single-family homes, although hard numbers on the phenomenon have yet to come in.

CBC News on Monday March 7th, 2016 asked Canadians during a live forum to discuss the matter. The conference concluded that most Canadian consumers want to see tighter regulations of foreign capital moving its way through Canada’s markets. Forum attendees mentioned increased evidence of vacant-but-owned homes as emblematic of the problem of greater foreign prominence.

The group felt there should be a levy or tax on ‘under-occupied’ residences; this can be verified by collecting data from utilities providers which could strongly indicate whether a property or unit is actually occupied. Had a resident acquired the property as a residence, they would have an income, payroll, and be a sales tax-paying member of the community. Yet as a non-resident, the foreign investor sitting on a vacant property gives nothing back to Canada. Adding a regulation or possible retroactive regulation would greatly help with improving affordability.

There was a general consensus that for housing prices to be corrected, 3 needs would need to happen:

  1. A raise in interest rates
  2. Outlaw shadow flipping and ensure hefty taxesare paid each time there is a change to property ownership
  3. Tax foreign owners at least 50%of the assessed value unless they can prove occupancy at least six months a year.

Others argued that regulation would not be a good move; especially in an economy hurting from the continuing state of low global oil price They say things like, “Why should Canadians deter investment in this country? The housing market employs and creates tens of thousands of jobs in the construction industry.” “We don’t need a political agenda messing up free enterprise based on folklore surrounding foreign ownership.”

Others argued that Chinese investors smuggle out millions in embezzled cash, hot money or perfectly legal funds, bypassing the $50,000/year limit in legal capital outflows. They make “all cash” purchases, usually sight unseen, using third parties intermediaries to preserve their anonymity, or directly in person, in cities like Vancouver, New York, London or San Francisco. The house becomes a new “Swiss bank account”, providing the promise of an anonymous store of value and retaining the cash equivalent value of the original capital outflow.

Some speculate that hundreds, if not thousands, of Vancouver houses, have become a part of the new normal Swiss bank account: “a store of wealth to Chinese investors eager to park “hot money” outside of their native country, and bidding up any Canadian real estate they could get their hands on.”

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As single family home prices keep rising, buyer’s interest into condos has been increasing

Published March 7, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Affordability in Canada’s most expensive cities has reached crisis levels. An average 1st time buyer in Vancouver now needs more than 10 years to save up for a down payment on a home. This is due to tough new federal mortgage rules.

As buyers in Toronto and Vancouver have struggled to get a foothold into the market for freestanding homes, condos have proved to be an increasingly affordable option for many. A surge of new condo construction has kept resale prices in check in many cities. Coupled with falling interest rates, buyers are now able to spend less of their income to afford a condo than in the past. It has fallen even more dramatically in markets such as Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal.

Spurred by low interest rates, steady income growth, and soaring prices of individual homes in Vancouver & Toronto have created a demand surge in condo construction.
In the Vancouver area, average resale house prices jumped nearly 14% over the past year to more than $950K. It now takes 109% of median pretax income to pay the aggregate the costs of a mortgage, property taxes & utilities on a typical freestanding home, according to a 4Q 2015 analysis by the Royal Bank of Canada.

Surging home prices and more difficult down-payment rules for insured mortgages took effect in the middle of February 2016. This set the stage for the typical 1st-time buyer in Vancouver now needing to save 10% of their pre-tax income for 132 months, or about 11 years, in order to afford the minimum down payment on a typical home; up from 90 months, or about 7 1/2 years, in the 4th quarter 2015.

In Toronto, the average 1st-time buyer would need to save for 77 months – more than 6 years – to afford the down payment on an average home. The cost of having a detached house now exceeds more than 70% of median household income in Toronto.

Owning a home has now become a luxury in Canada’s two hottest housing markets; accessible to independently wealthy buyers. According to recent trends, there little hope left for buyers that such conditions will change any time soon.

The rule changes in particular are pushing many 1st-time buyers into the condo market; which is currently more affordable for such buyers as there is an abundance of supply. Toronto & Hamilton are the only two major cities in which condo ownership has become more expensive over recent years. Surprisingly, even buyers in Vancouver are spending slightly less of their income on mortgage payments for condos than they did in the past. Monthly mortgage payments on a typical condo in the Vancouver area cost 34% of median pre-tax income.

Condo supply in Vancouver supply has been been increased to meet demand; so even in markets like Vancouver, condo prices have remained relatively stable over the past 5 years because of new condo construction.

In Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, condo ownership may be more affordable than buying a house; but it still commands a healthy premium to renting.

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What is a DRIP campaign as it relates to the world of Real Estate?

Published February 29, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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RealEstateLeads.com is a drip email campaign application. The following explanation will help get you attaining more leads delivered uniquely to you through this service.

The drip email campaign process…

Our service goes beyond bringing in leads directly to your account and inbox. Our drip email campaign service is the best known way for you to keep in touch with leads and prospects that might not be quite ready to take the next step in the buying process. The emails our system sends are branded with your name, your company name, your logo (optional) and a link back to your agent website in which you specify; so as to not be forgotten about in their minds.

So, how does it work?

Prospects visit the advertising pages that we create for your lead campaign; prospects in real-time are driven to these pages through our business relationships with search engines.

Once a prospect enters their information through the online forms we advertise, the prospects are automatically added to your database and to your drip email campaign; and then they will begin receiving follow-up emails at predetermined intervals. These emails also contain helpful information.

These email “drips” will generate return visits to your agent site, greatly increasing the odds that your prospect will contact you directly, when they are ready to buy or sell. Drip emails are therefore an efficient & consistent way to keep following up; after you have received a new lead.

Both home buyer & seller leads are generated by our system. Buyer leads are funneled in a similar manner through advertising on websites that are most likely to be visited by those considering the purchase of a home. Selling leads are brought in by techniques such as: advertising a free home evaluation through a network of sites that showcase newly listed homes, housing market trends information on the purchase of foreclosures, etc. The process matches up sufficient criteria, it is then passed along to you. The person/couple will automatically receive an introductory email from you thanking them from you, and also to provide them with listings that match their search criteria for the area they have specified.

How did our service become in demand by agents all over Canada? In other words, why wouldn’t these leads have already looked up a local agent? Well in this age, rather than make a call to a local brokerage as their first move, prospective sellers & buyers typically are first found collecting information and researching over the internet prior to reaching out to an agent. People generally tend to want to be at least somewhat knowledgeable before speaking with an agent. With our expertise with search engine rankings and ad-placement on lead generation websites we are able to funnel leads directly to our clients. Prospects are in turn pleased to have a notable professional real estate agent familiar with their area referred to them.

But will the leads I contract for also be made available to other agents? No – because that is our promise. Our service makes each particular territory available to only one agent exclusively. Other services could potentially sell a territory to multiple real estate agents; forcing you to immediately scramble to be the first one to contact them, but not with RealEstateLeads.ca. Your territory, is YOUR territory exclusively. We promise and guarantee it. We are very concerned about our future business reputation.

Ready to begin receiving a great amount of leads per month guaranteed through a monthly account with RealEstateLeads.ca? We only wish to maintain long-lasting business relationship with our clients, and you won’t be disappointed in the results, which is of course an increased number of monthly sales.

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

An attempt to make some buying space in the incredibly tight housing market

Published February 22, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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The average price of a Canadian home sold this past January increased by 16.9% to $470,290 compared to the same month 1 year ago. Home sales were higher during the month, but prices truly soared. As has been the case for several years, however, two large and hot markets, in Vancouver & Toronto, skewed the national average higher.

Take in Vancouver & Toronto out of the analysis and the average Canadian home was worth $338,390 last month. In this pooling, the year-over-year average home sale gain drops to 8%.

If B.C. and Ontario were omitted, the picture would look much bleaker – the average price of a Canadian home would have dropped by 0.3% in January to $286,911 Over the past year, the average prices has actually declined in January in 4 provinces: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. The average price gain across Canada’s 26 largest cities was 4.7%; the strongest was 31% in Vancouver; the weakest was negative 10%, in Newfoundland and Labrador (which is considered one single market and thus compared together to other cities.)

BC’s liberal government is moving to make some buying space in the incredibly tight housing market with a series of tax changes in its budget stated at addressing resident and consumer affordability and supply. Mike de Jong, Finance Minister, said rising home prices and limited supplies are major areas of focus in the budget he introduced mid-February 2016.

He says buyers & builders of new homes valued up to $750,000 are being courted with a property transfer tax exemption, while those who can afford properties above $2 million will now pay a higher tax rate..

De Jong pointed out the exemption of the property transfer tax on new homes or condos below $750k will result in savings of $13,000 for buyers. The government estimates it can make about $75 million annually by adding an additional 3% transfer tax on the amount above $2 million. He says the budget also exempts children from medical services premiums starting next January, a monthly savings of up to $72 per month for a single-parent family with children.

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BC government probing into possible insider trading fraud allegedly conducted by Vancouver real estate agents

Published February 15, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

Currently in British Columbia, an independent office charged with overseeing the real estate market is investigating suspicions of insider trading fraud by a small percent of metro Vancouver agents; the BC government’s Premier Christy Clark, Minister Peter Fassbender, and Superintendent of Real Estate Carolyn Rogers, announced Monday February 8th, 2016.

A recent Globe and Mail investigation, covering the practice of real estate agents profiting from speculation in Vancouver’s heated housing market, has spurred the probe.

Housing market critic David Eby has claimed that some real estate agents have been sneakily avoiding property transfer & capital gains taxes; exploiting a clause in contracts that allows for a series of home flips – potentially increasing the final price by hundreds of thousands. Also alleged is that some real estate agents have been helping clients hide the foreign origins of money used in transactions – by putting the broker’s location instead of the purchaser’s address on federal anti-money laundering forms.

He outlined allegations that some agents and investors were exploiting a clause that permits contracts to be sold multiple times before the closing date. The practice allows agents to enjoy what’s called a “lift,” or an increase in price each time the contract changes hands, as well as a commission on each sale; the final buyer pays the property transfer tax. Only the final buyer pays the property transfer tax, meaning B.C. is potentially losing out on millions in tax revenue and real estate agents would not be protecting the interests of their clients.

Eby sent 2 letters in January to the Real Estate Council of B.C. after a real estate agent emerged as a whistleblower.

“Both of these independent issues would be serious enough on their own,” Eby said at a news conference. “But together, with so many widespread reports coming from different sources, they lead us to the inevitable conclusion that oversight of the real estate industry in British Columbia is woefully inadequate.” He said the province has fallen “asleep at the switch” and could be losing millions in tax revenue, while allowing agents to have an unfair advantage in insider trading and defeat anti-money laundering protections. “There are many Realtors who conduct themselves professionally … and are valued members of our communities,” Eby said.

“The reason we have an independent superintendent’s office is that they are charged with ensuring that best practices are in place,” Fassbender said in an interview. “The government will take very seriously any recommendations that are issued. Any regulatory changes that might be required will be brought forward, and so we are encouraging that any issues that come up be directed to the superintendent or to the real estate council, to make sure the public is protected on every front. ”

Fassbender added the government will also take measures, in the upcoming budget, to address concerns about housing supply, pricing and affordability.

The council initially declined to investigate, stating in a Jan. 19 letter to Eby that “no specifics have been provided that would suggest that your informant’s concerns are warranted.” However in a statement on February 8th the council said it was deeply concerned by the allegations. An advisory group will investigate whether the so-called assignment clauses are being used inappropriately and if deemed so, develop recommendations to increase enforcement and oversight. The advisory group will include representatives from the legal profession, academia, and the business community.

“We realize that this is an urgent matter and expect to announce the members of the multi-stakeholder advisory group within the coming two weeks,” the council said. The advisory group will report back to the council with initial recommendations within 2 months.

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, or FINTRAC, is the federal agency responsible for policing attempts to launder money in Canada. Real Estate Agents are required to fill out a FINTRAC form for every transaction.

The practice of using the Canadian broker’s address on the form in place of the purchaser’s foreign address is what needs to be reviewed, Eby said.

Renee Bercier, speaking for the federal agency, said it is legally barred from commenting on any information it has received or enforcement actions it has taken. “That being said, FINTRAC considers the allegations made to be serious.

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Would you buy a 175,000sq foot 130 room Oceanfront hotel in Nova Scotia for $500k or this 1,000sq 2-br “knockdown” shack in Vancouver for 2.4Million – at current market prices?

Published February 8, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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The above, somewhat run-down, 20-year old Nova Scotia hotel recently sold for $500K (an abandoned project for lack of investment marketing or interest)

The below 86-year old shack in Vancouver is currently listed for 2.4 Million:

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Instead, for 2 decades, the Aspotogan Sea Spa has rested abandoned atop a coastal cliff west of Halifax. The 5-storey, white-stone complex intended to boast sweeping views of the Atlantic from each guest room. It was intended to be a beacon of luxury amid the charming fishing villages that dot Nova Scotia’s pristine South Shore.

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Building of the 175,500-sqft, 131-room resort started in 1992. It is located in the remote area of the Aspotogan peninsula just down the road from Chester, NS which is an exclusive village home to luxurious vacation homes of Toronto residents and Americans. The interior was never finished; it’s exposed steel & concrete was a reminder of the guests who would never come and the jobs never filled.

In 2014, the site was used by the Red Bull energy drink company to film a skateboarding video.

You can watch it here “entitled relic of a forgotten dream”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRG2llGi9GI

It is so sad that it was never finished and now is intended to be knocked down into rubble. This is an example of insanity in this capitalist market. At the very least, it should have been have been completed by the government turned into a Canadian orphanage.

The ill-fated resort has been recently purchased by Halifax-based development firms Southwest Properties and Armco Capital. The going price for this entire Nova Scotia property? -> A reported $500,000.

“If you’re looking for a little tranquility and a lot of property and ocean views, it’s gorgeous.”

So For 500K, would you buy the above 175,000sq foot 130 room Oceanfront (inside not completed) hotel in Nova Scotia or a 1,000sq 2-br “knockdown” shack in Vancouver for 2.4Million (4x times as much money) – at current market prices?

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Easy Website Tips to Score Bigger on Google

Published February 1, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

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Question: When prospective home buyers and sellers search online for agents and listings in your area, does your website appear in search results?

Simply put, the higher you rank in google, especially if your website can get on Google’s “Page #1” search results, then you are going to receive at least twice the attention and business as your less fortunate competitors. Of course if you ‘google’ your own name, and other agents show up first, then you are certainly facing a serious “SEO” (Search Engine Optimization) crisis.

If you haven’t been getting the search engine placement you have wanted, then you could be in the same boat with search-engine-struggling agents.

While the computer code that search engines (we are mainly talking about google of course) that re-organize all those ever changing search results change all the time; there are a few proactive steps you can take to make sure your website isn’t shooting itself in the footer.

Here are a half dozen website design recommendation that will help your domain gain a higher ranking:

1. Page Metadata/Keyword wisdom
Years ago, website got ahead of the packing using techniques such as “keyword-stuffing” but now any pages with ‘keyword spam’ are penalized. However the different pages of your website should be optimized using appropriate keywords for each page. When people look for specific information, services, areas/neighborhoods, then they will be able to find it.

What should I enter in each field for each page of my website?

Title Tag – Create a clear and accurate title for what the particular webpage contains. If the page is about information on the “Burnaby” neighborhood, title the page “Burnaby Neighborhood Information” or similar. Avoid adding anything else, such as your name or your company name; it is best kept simple.

Meta Description – This is the advertising tagline of a website that show up on google search result descriptions; a compact, alluring teaser, of what the webpage contains. The description under 140-150 characters so it all shows up in a Google search result; without being cut-off mid sentence.

Meta Keywords – Meta keywords as the terms that you want to highlight to search engines for a particular page. Your meta keywords should be especially about the name of that area that you service. An important rule of thumb is to limit keywords to less than10 meta-keywords on a particular page; so only add the most important keywords – until 10 at most.

Meta Robots – Just as our warning on the page indicates, this option is for pages that you DO NOT want search engines to index, such as special landing pages you might create for a site, or pages that you have under-construction on your website.

2. Go mobile-friendly or bust!
Over a year ago, Google made a big change to its search result algorithm. So now for your domain to even show-up respectively in search results when your prospects are searching from a phone/tablet, then your website has to be mobile-friendly. If you need help on “mobilizing” your site, feel free to contact us. We would be glad to help.

3. Frequently update your website
Find some spare time to keep the content on your website fresh each week, or at least each month. Return visitors, even search engines, are not impressed with seeing the same content as before. Updating content frequently attracts search engines to re-index (to likely increase your site standing) your web pages more frequently. The easiest way to regularly add fresh content to your Point2 Agent website is by publishing and updating a blog; perhaps using a easy to use CMS such as WordPress.

4. Write in tune with your your audience and not for the search engines
Useful/quality information that visitors enjoy is much better perplexing content written in an attempt to outwit search engines. And the more likely they will be to share your site with others. The more the writing on your website engages you readers, the more time they will spend on your pages. Google somehow can also tell how much time people spend on your pages, in determining page quality. With better content, people are more likely to also share the link to your pages with some of their contacts.

5. The importance of social media
Your social media channels can appear prominently in search results, and can even help you claim more real estate on the first page. In addition to your website, your Facebook page, Pinterest profile or Twitter account might appear in the search listings; displaying to your prospects that you are a local authority & competent at marketing. Also make sure all social media pages link back to your main website.

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

Job market supporting high prices in Vancouver and Toronto

Published January 25, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

RealEstateLeads

Vancouver home sales soared have 30-40%, compared to a year earlier. In Toronto, prices for single-family homes jumped 13.5% in the past year; an increase of nearly $100,000 on average; where buyers have been frustrated with the frenzied pace of sales – which has hardly given a person or a couple time to carefully think over the most serious financial decision of their lives.
Affordability in the Greater Toronto Area is tougher than it has been in more than two decades.

Insane, right? How can it last? A growing number of experts have been saying that Canada’s great housing correction is a not question of “if”, but when.

But what is being overlooked in the debate about house prices is “Jobs”.

Vancouver & Toronto have created a lot of jobs in the past year. Job growth has attracted migrants from all around Canada, as well as from around the world. National job numbers have looked weak, but for the job growth there has been, it has been mostly in these two major cities where house prices have been out of control. Employment index (sourced from National Bank’s figures) reflects that job growth in both Vancouver & Toronto has been nearly double than the national average, since 2010. However, Montreal’s employment growth has been weaker than the national average; there home prices are $100K below the national average.

Large numbers of permanent immigrants (nearly a 1/4 million) coupled with the misfortune of commodity-producing (oil) regions such as Alberta have redirected population migration flows towards Vancouver & Toronto. So as long as this scenario persists, home prices in these two big metropolitan areas are unlikely to weaken significantly.

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

Producing Compelling and Persuasive Tweets For Your Real Estate Business

Published January 19, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

tweet-thisUtilizing online tools to market your real estate business is viewed as a “must” today for agents; likewise your website is equally indispensable.

Tweets and other forms of social media outlets are valuable assets beyond your website. Twitter and Facebook are effective for connecting with and engaging with prospects, customers, and former clients (referral sources).

Twitter is an especially effective tool for agents to utilize to grow their business. Twitter an open (and free) platform; so you can engage with literally anyone. Twitter is as easy as can be to use from your office pc or your smartphone while you are out and about.

Twitter allows you to easily post links, photos, and videos – which all add more dimension to your tweets. Using #hashtags in your tweets (a word or phrase preceded with the # character) allows you to extend the conversation beyond your following; therefore increasing your potential reach.

Perhaps you are already quite the tweeter? If not, and you are ready to start building (or improving) your tweets, then here are several tips on how to produce engaging and compelling tweets.

Find the line between being personal and professional

Yes, we are all human. We need that human element, otherwise the internet, apps, and robots in diver-less cars would be able to easily replace us.

It is wonderful for your audience to get to know you on a personal level – (and possibly want to hire you as their agent). However, do be careful with the any personal information that you publicly share. For safety reasons, personal information also includes your location and whereabouts.

As we interface with the public, agents should be wary of revealing too much information. Be prudent… It would make sense to share details about your public open house; but less intelligent to share every location you are at or are planning to be at throughout your day.

Images can say more than 100 tweets

Quality photographs are more likely to catch the attention of a Twitter reader, especially if the photo is well chosen (and also looks like you personally took it instead of copied it from elsewhere). Currently you can include up to 4 photos/images in one tweet.

Using key #hashtags

Make sure you don’t clutter your tweets with more than three hashtags; vary it between one, two, and three hashtags. Use #hashtags when describing: the subject matter, a location, or your own personal tag-line that associates your brand as an agent.

Use #hashtags in a natural way

In other words, don’t group #hashtags at the end of your tweet.

Here is an example: ‘#Realestate prices in #Toronto are skyrocketing, but the market is now crashing in #Vancouver.’

This is better than tweeting: ‘Home prices in Toronto are skyrocketing while Vancouver’s market is crashing. #realestate #canada. #Toronto #Vancouver.’

Share your listings, however…

3/4 (75%) of your content should be a variety about lifestyle, real estate market news; relevant news articles, of potential interest to your audience; the other 1/4 (25%) should be about your listings. Imagine tweets just all about your listings; most people would find that quite boring.

Also it can be handy to use some scheduling tools like Tweetdeck, Buffer, and Hootsuite. These services will publish the tweets that you have entered in advance.

We hope you have found this article useful? If so, let us know, as we love hearing from you. You can find us on Twitter @realestleads. You can tweet us any questions you might have about our leads service, or to share something funny perhaps or to just say hi!

tweet-thisbto your colleagues to see your competition soar! jk 😉

Tweet: realestateleads.ca/blog/producing-compelling-and-persuasive-tweets-for-your-real-estate-business/

Possible current market frenzy in Toronto & Vancouver before the 5% downpayment door closes

Published January 11, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

realestateleads_house and piggy bank

Possible current market frenzy in Toronto & Vancouver before the 5% down-payment door closes.

This month’s home sales in Vancouver and Toronto (Jan/Feb 2016) could spike as people rush to get in before the 5% down-payment minimum door closes. This market is about about to see a lot of condominiums selling for $499,999.

The government is altering the rules on residential real estate down payments, but at least, in this case, giving all interested parties a two months advance notification. The change by February 15th, 2016 could be causing a market stampede.

Along with this change in BC and Ontario, Ottawa is upping the minimum down-payment concerning government-backed loans from 5 to 10% on “the portion” of a home selling for more than $500,000. The average transaction easily exceeds that amount. in Vancouver and Toronto.

Rates are still low and the weather have unseasonably warm; which only amplifies sales figures.

In the past, the Tories implemented changes and somewhat rudely made them effective immediately. This time around, an adjustment period was factored in.

The new measures hope to cool and stabilize the Vancouver and Toronto markets. The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) announced in December a yearly sales sales record. Vancouver sales were up 40% over year and the benchmark price for a home rose 17.3% over 2015

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

2016 – CREA expects average home prices to increase

Published January 4, 2016 by Real Estate Leads

Rising house sales conceptThe Canadian Real Estate Association anticipates the average home prices to increase by 1.4% in 2016, to $449,000. Ontario supposedly will lead other regions, a 2.9% price gain.

CREA expects average home prices in Alberta, Labrador, Newfoundland, Saskatchewan, to decline further in 2016 because of the downturn in the price of crude oil. The association is estimating average Alberta’s home prices will fall by 2.5% in 2016. Saskatchewan home prices are expected to fall by 1.2% and by 1% in Labrador and Newfoundland.

Canada’s national average home price, however, is expected to edge higher by 1.4% in the year ahead, to about $449k; with Ontario leading the other regions with a 2.9% increase.

CREA says that low interest rates are boosting sales, however recently announced federal reforms pertaining to mortgage lending rules will have a negative effect beyond the scope of intended targets in the Toronto & Vancouver area; which are now widely recognized as Canada’s most expensive markets. Minimum down payments will be going up for homes that are selling for more than half a million; so the more expensive housing markets will be affected most. The regulatory changes will also cause unintended collateral damage to housing markets beyond Vancouver & Toronto; including places that are still under the strain of low oil prices. Sales activity in Calgary’s housing market, which has been hit so hard with the record slip in oil prices, will be affected by the higher minimum down payments for homes above $500k.

CREA’s recently revised 2016 forecast says that property sales were up 1.8% between October & November. Half the other markets covered posted declines. The Greater Toronto Area and Lower Mainland area of BC had the biggest month-month gains. The national sale price was up 10.3% to just about $457k on average. Excluding the areas of Vancouver & Toronto, the national average price would have been $339k in November, up 3.4% from last year’s figures. CREA’s MLS home price index was up 7.1%, the largest gain in more than five years.

CREA is expecting Canada will have the 2nd highest sales activity on record this year; an increase of 5% to 504k units expected in 2016. Partially offsetting increases in most provinces, estimates are that Alberta will see a 21.4% decline this year. Saskatchewan is also facing a 10.8% decline in sales activity compared with 2014. Nova Scotia will see a 5.1% decline, according to CREA’s estimates. British Columbia is expected to have the biggest increase. Ontario home sales are projected to be 9.3% higher in 2016 compared to last year; even though hampered by a shortage of single family homes around the GTA.

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

Potential Saskatoon & Montreal boon due to foreign investors and low loonie?

Published December 28, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

The low exchange rate may be boosting manufacturing, but it is has other effects on real estate across Canada.

Foreign investment is now looking beyond Vancouver & Toronto, and reports suggest that the winds are now predicted to blow towards Montreal & Saskatoon into the new year 2016.

The PwC report is based on surveys from more than 1,200 real estate brokers, developers, property managers and investors. The report states both foreign & domestic real estate investment will shift in 2016 from the West, where slippery oil prices are hurting growth, to the East, where the low exchange rate is boosting manufacturing. However money is still expected to flow into both Vancouver and Toronto.

Calgary and Edmonton were, until a 1-2 years ago, some of the most country’s most promising real estate markets. But the price of barrels of crude has fallen and investment in those areas has receded. This effects both residential & commercial markets in the region. The market has slowed down as owners seemingly take a wait-and-see approach.

Markets in Quebec and Ontario, where most of the country’s manufacturing sector is set to benefit from the lower exchange value + any economic recovery in the U.S., our biggest trading partner. That could generate greater foreign interest in Montreal, the report from PwC predicts. Farmland in Saskatoon has also become attractive to foreign investors, from an agriculture and timber perspective.

Foreign investors are also likely to start buying up medical clinics and other property in the health-care sector; likely to rise from Canada’s aging baby boomers.

The lack of affordable housing in Vancouver & Toronto will slow urbanization in those cities; as first-time buyers move further out to the burbs in search of affordable properties. Prices in those markets are also shifting towards renting, the report stated (especially as an ever larger proportion of the populous won’t be able save enough for a down payment for a new home).

However, we are also seeing trends of correction and stabilization. The future is not easy to predict, even PwC often does not have a perfect crystal ball. Market forces are complex and hard to understand during our hustle and bustle of day to day activities. These are also forces that we cannot individually control. Best thing is to keep working each and every lead, and if you are not already a RealEstateLeads.ca client, there is no better time than the present to start receiving an extra 40-60 hot leads right from the internet; which is our service to supply to real estate agents just like you.

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

CMHC is not expecting a massive housing correction

Published December 21, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

CMHC (Canada Mortgage & Housing Corp – an agency which advises the national government on housing policy) has issued a down-sloping housing market forecast for the next twenty-four months on Monday, which is predicting a negative price growth.

housing-starts1
CMHC is not anticipating a massive correction for housing. The agency did say that we can expect prices to barely keep pace with inflation through 2017 and that sales and new home building will be slowing down.

“ In 2015, increased housing market activity in provinces like Ontario and BC – regions that have benefited from declining energy prices, a lower Canadian dollar, and continued low mortgage rates offset slowdowns in oil-producing provinces like Alberta. We expect, however, that this counterbalancing effect will decrease over time. ” said a CMHC spokesperson.

The agency also stated the average price of an existing home during the next several months will climb to a peak of $437,000, a 7% per cent increase from 2014. Beyond that, they forecast the annual increase will be down to 1.3% through 2016 and only another 1.4% will be added in 2017. They expect existing home sales to decline by 3% in 2016 but by less 1% in 2017.

Paraphrasing the report, the big question is to what extent the condo markets in Vancouver & Toronto are overshooting… They mention a good starting point is to assess the trajectory of recently completed and unabsorbed units. An increase there suggests that developers are finding it increasingly hard to sell completed units; which is usually a first sign of troubles ahead.

In Vancouver, the number of unabsorbed units fell during the past year from just over 2,000 to the current 1,100 indicating an improving situation. But in the Greater Toronto Area, in 2015, there was a notable increase in the number of completed, or fully built, condominiums. In the GTA, CMHC decided to register 10,000 condos in the month of January 2015 and they had seen no fewer than 26,000 condo completions in the first half of this year; which equates to 3 times more than the level seen in previous years.

According to CMHC’s information, between December 2014 and May 2015, the number of unabsorbed units went up in Toronto from less than 1,000 to close to 3,000; a level that is even higher than what was seen in the early 1990s. But that number has since declined. About one-third of all unabsorbed units were constructed by four developers. Five projects coming into the market at once account for about one-quarter of the unabsorbed units on the market today

Greater Toronto Area’s condo market will be tested as interest rates begin rising in the coming years. Increased resale activity from domestic condo investors will result in excess supply and some downward pressure on prices. CHMC advises those who look at the rise in unabsorbed units as a sign of increased vulnerability are barking up the wrong tree.

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Would you like to super-charge your career with 40+ fresh & real leads per month? Just contact us for for information on our Canadian Real Estate Lead marketing system.

The Vancouver & Toronto markets won’t wither by themselves – economists concur

Published December 14, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

RealEstateLeads-Real-Estate-Market

According to historical lessons from the past and economic theory, those who have high anxiety that the sky high home prices in Vancouver and Toronto, or Canada’s hottest markets, will collapse solely under their own weight, can relax about matters more than they think they should. Peaking prices in markets like Toronto & Vancouver is not enough justification or force by itself – to spark a housing collapse. Housing recessions in Canada, or elsewhere, have never been caused by high prices alone.

A major housing price collapse would require a broader or national economic recession. Dramatic conditions, like those currently existing in Calgary, due to the oil price collapse, have driven down property values.

In Calgary, people are now leaving, migrating out, and housing prices have simply followed. Calgary housing sales have been trending down on the order of 30% so far this year, and housing prices will continue to decline, although as would be expected, lagging behind.

House prices in Vancouver and Toronto are not overvalued from a long-term perspective; for the long-term investor. There are few signs that speculation is driving either of those markets. However, the elevated markets of primarily Vancouver & Toronto would see the deepest price drop if a large-scale recession did occur in Canada.

Historically markets with the fastest price growth prior to a recession experience the steepest price declines during a recession. By simple logic, the most vulnerable homeowners during a housing recession are low-equity buyers, who are often more recent entrants.

However, nobody knows what is going to happen, so we just have to what we do best, building up markets and recovering and building them up again. There might never be a slide in Toronto’s or Vancouver’s markets, theoretically speaking – but the chance of nothing ever going wrong is impossible to exclude, including the rarity, but possibility of a large earthquake or volcanic sea floor tsunami. It is too much to think about and impossible to anticipate. We just have to hope for the best market conditions and play it by ear when the market takes a dip.

Experienced agents admit their best tips/advice

Published December 7, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Buying real estate strategy chess game with house background

With already having hundreds of conversations with Real Estate agents, in this article we are relaying the best current advice from some of the top agents & brokers from coast to coast.

The best resource you can have starting out in real estate is a constant source of leads flowing to you, but second to that is tapping the minds of agents that already have years of experience with a long string of deals already filling up their file cabinet. These agents are generous to share their years of knowledge with fledgling agents. These current insights should prove enlightening and invaluable as you set on your own real estate path.

At the top of list is to become as tech savvy as you possibly can, but as always responsiveness and consistency are additional keys to success. Gone are the days when print magazines and direct mail were effective. The real estate market is now based on the internet. Only those who go with the flow online will be in business next year.

It is important to leverage the power of technology to attract more prospects. Real estate is not just a numbers game; following through is just as essential. There are many thousands of agents on the internet right now. If an agent doesn’t respond to a prospective inquiry quickly, often within minutes, at least within the hour… then the Prospect will just call the next agent they find.

Invest in a great website. You have to have a strong web presence so spend time and energy fine-tuning your online presence. Avoid branded websites because if you ever change companies, then your site will not go with you. When you’re not busy with customers, keep up your marketing efforts. If marketing doesn’t excite you, you’ll rarely do it… so then you would have to hire someone to market yourself for you. Use any extra time to stay on top of new technology; and implement those ideas/apps which excite you.

Instead of consuming precious time and money attending sales seminars, time better spent might be building up your website, add a blog, and writing a couple of interesting articles for you prospects an clients to read and appreciate. Subsequently post your blog to social media to increase you site’s google visibility. Perhaps enhance your website regularly, before your sit down to preview new homes as they come on the market.

Set high standards. You have chosen an industry that will give you huge rewards if you set your goals high enough. Today, more than ever before, you have to have the digital tools that will help you keep up with this rapidly changing world. Pick your favorite online methods and learn to become a master of it; then steer all that traffic that you generate to your website’s listing pages.

The client of the future has changed forever. Today’s real estate customers are not only beginning their search online – client communication is happening online to the same degree. In order to succeed in real estate, the modern agent must be on the same platform preferred by the new generation of buyers and sellers.

So there you have it… practical advice from agents & brokers who are currently enjoying success like never before by utilizing digital tools like RealEstateLeads.ca to expand their reach, automatically drawing 40-60 leads in per month into their inbox; significant enhancing their real estate business. Call us and we’ll provide you with just the right surfboard in order to ride these new market waves!

Simmering hot Vancouver and Toronto markets push Canadian home sales higher in 4Q

Published November 30, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Hot Property Home House for Sale Real Estate Building Sign
Over the course of the past year Toronto home sales gained 3% to 8,620. Vancouver home sales rose by 7.6% in October to 3,748; for a gain of 19% from 1 year ago.

Canada’s home sales figures expanded in November to the 2nd highest levels in 6 years as demand held strong in the persistently hot home markets in Vancouver and Toronto metro areas.

However, the upward momentum wasn’t shared across the provinces. There were a number of markets where sales posted a monthly increase and those where sales fell, about evenly split. Across the country, overall this past year, sales rose 0.1%.

Prices in Vancouver metro were up 15.4% over the year. Greater Toronto was up 10.4%.

Prices for homes nationally as sold in October was $454,867, up 8.2% driven by the Toronto and Vancouver markets.

Aside from the Toronto & Vancouver markets, the average was $338,923, up 2.4% from a year ago.

Bank of Montreal’s chief economist’s have reported that the housing market has split into 3 basic groups: 1) Vancouver and Toronto – hot as an oven baking bread, the Prairie areas sagging along with the decrease in price of oil, and a middle-ground group that includes areas like Montreal and Ottawa. Saskatoon, Regina , Edmonton, Calgary had all posted double-digit sales declines in October and so far in November. Strikingly, Calgary’s home sales decreased 36% per cent from the past year; similarly across much of Alberta & Saskatchewan.

Crude oil prices are currently around $45(US) per barrel after a climb up to about $62(US) a barrel back in June. Over the year, the price of crude has dropped majorly from above $110(US) one year ago.

Canadian buyers are still in the market mostly to buy detached homes; which have been in short supply in Vancouver and Toronto. At the end of October there were 5 1/2 months of national inventory, down from 5 3/4 months in September. The smaller supply and constant demand has ebbed home prices higher; despite the options in term of the availability of condominiums.

This past October saw a greater divergence of Vancouver pricing from the whole rest of the country.

Sales-to-new listings ratio was 58% in October across Canada. A sales-to-new listings ratio between 40-60% implies generally consistent and balanced housing market conditions.

What do you think the future is going to bring for all these markets? We’d love to hear your opinions. Free free to give us a call, even just to say hi, at 1-800-728-6577.

Phone Tips 4 Real-Estate Agents

Published November 23, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

cell_phone_tips_realestateleadsThe [cell/smart] phone… The #1 business tool; in which you can’t survive without. Real Estate certainly is an “on-the-go” career and your smart-phone is your contact database, your map/GPS, your internet connection – and most importantly, your connection to your clients.

How you conduct yourself on the phone has a large influence on your professional image. Agents who have good phone etiquette differentiate themselves from agents who make a bad impression, inadvertently or not. You might be already doing a great job, but everything can be made a bit better with some extra attention, clean-up, and polish.

Here’s are some of the most effective telephone tips to practice, and keep in mind, for Real Estate agents:

Do whatever you can to keep your phone number maximally visible, as possible, to your prospects & clients.

It is impossible to create a 2-way relationship with people who don’t know how to, or find it difficult, to reach you. First, make absolutely sure that your phone # is on every single page of your website, especially in large print on your site’s main page. Just in case you haven’t set it up yet, include it in your email signature. It should be upfront and easy to find on all of your offline marketing materials: on pens, brochures, and postcards.

If your phone starts ringing off the hook, it would be best to have a secretary or virtual secretary ready to handle any call overflow. Another option would be to have two phones, with two contact phone numbers. We have all misplaced or broken our phones at one point or another, and that means lost business during the replacement period.

Whenever possible, answer your phone, especially early morning calls.

Customer/agent relationships can disintegrate if they feel their agent doesn’t answer. Now, we’re pretty sure a few bad apples spoil the whole basket but please, but if you can answer your phone, do it!

No Weird Ringtones

If your client doesn’t like your ring-tone, they will think of it every time they call you. Best to select a classic ringtone, or just an old-fashioned bell, and stick with it.

Put your phone on vibrate mode when in person with a client

Also be careful to not let your phone negatively affect your real life interactions. If you are meeting with a seller client in their home, or performing a home showing with a buyer, it a good practice to be maximally courteous to those around you by putting your phone on vibrate mode; and only checking the message during a break in your conversation with customers, when in person with them.

Re-record any inappropriate outgoing voicemail message or unpleasant hold music

Make sure you have a professional sounding outgoing voice-mail message; not only on your office line but similarly on your cell phone too.

Something as simple as, “Hello, you have reached (your name) with XYZ Brokerage. Please do leave me a message. I will certainly quickly get back to you! ” is a huge improvement over an automated or impersonal – or too personal – message. And if you use hold music, be careful with your selections. Classical or simply instrumental music is a safe bet.

Return calls as soon as you can catch your breath again

Find a quiet spot in a house or outside or in your car and promptly let your caller know that you value your relationship with them. Homebuyers may very well be choosing their agent based on how quickly their calls are answered or messages responded to. Surely, there will always be that one pesky client who shamelessly calls you much more than others, and at any hour too. It is helpful to set accommodating communication expectations, during your first conservation or meeting, should help resolve those types of issues.

Always take an extra breath and never talk over a call

Haste makes waste, even when speaking on a telephone, in fact, especially. For the homeowner, it is the biggest financial decision of their lives. A Real Estate agent’s life is also busy and often stressful. So, although it may be tempting to cut a worrisome or anxious client’s concerns short – it is much better to allow your clients to express themselves fully. Phone calls don’t allow for eye contact, so let them know you have fully listened to them by repeating key points back to them before you answer. By being calm, showing that you understood what they have told you, by repeating summary of their concerns back to them before you address them – will make your client fall in love with you, it will also increase your referral rate!

Ok, if you counted them, there are only 7 listed above. Can you think of 3 more? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

Verbal Bloopers that new agents should never say

Published November 16, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Surprised shocked woman face with open mouth

With the market in real estate having been back on the rise most everywhere, it is predictable that there are a “lot” of new agents out and about. If you are just trying out your new wings in real estate, this article concerns 4 things you shouldn’t say when you are chatting it up with prospects & clients.

Experienced agents will recognize these as rookie blunders. Maybe you have made similar ones before?

The example statements aren’t necessarily deal breakers. We included ideas on what you should say instead, immediately after you perhaps put your foot in your mouth. (Where did that expression come from anyway?)

A) Do your best not to say: “ I only check my messages during business hours.”

People today expect responsive agents, in today’s always connected world. We take our virtual offices with us, through our smartphones. Sure, you don’t want to be a smartphone slave either, but you must also display to your sellers & buyers that you will be there for them almost anytime, morning/afternoon or evening – or they most likely find an agent that is. Sure after 9pm, best to leave any messages for the morning.

Instead say something like this: How do you prefer to stay in touch? As your agent, I am here to answer all of your questions about your home buying and selling process. The best way to reach me is usually via … between the hours of .., but I stay alert to the needs of my clients always. If I do not respond immediately, you can expect to hear back from me within … # hours. Would this work for you?

B) Do your best not to say: “I don’t have a website. “

Not having an agent website in today’s web wide world is a high flying red-flag for many consumers. Leads don’t want to know more about who you work for, they assume you are working for them. They want to learn more about you, to see if you’re just the right fit to help them with the largest purchase of their lives.

Instead say something like this: Yes, please visit my website at any time to learn more about me. It is mobile-friendly too. You can check out new listings in the area and access the many resources that I have made available, over the years, to my clients including up-to-date neighborhood information plus so much more.

C) Do your best not to say: “I don’t do open houses. “

We all have learned that hard way that open houses don’t usually sell houses; however many sellers will expect you to plan and host at least 1 open house event. It is still a reasonable way to get your name out there and possibly greet and meet potential clients. Be sure to describe to your Sellers all the ways you will market their home, then your sellers will put less importance on open houses showings.

Instead say something like this: Certainly open-houses are one way to market your house. We can plan one if you choose. However, 90+ percent of buyers use the Internet during their searches, so I’ll be sharing your listing with the top real estate websites. I will also create a single-property-website for additional exposure, and that is like a “virtual open house” that will be open to online buyers anytime, anyday. Would you like that?

D.) Do your best not to say: “I will get you this house. “

Remember to under-promise and over-deliver. Are disappointed clients who had their hearts set on a certain house that you promised them are likely to give you a referral? Probably not.

Instead say something like this: I will do everything in my power to help you buy this house that you have fallen in love with. I suggest we start with you making an offer right away! If the offer is not accepted, we can talk about how we will proceed – in the event of a counteroffer. If your offer is accepted, then we will talk about the things that we expect to happen next .

Happy Selling!

35 Ideas for enhanced Agent Marketing

Published November 9, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

RealEstateLeads-ca-MarketingIdeas

 

Despite there being little time in the day beyond helping your clients buy & sell homes, and basically little-or-no-time to be your own advertising agency… but if you can find any extra time to use some of the following marketing tips – then this article might help you boost your career up another another notch or two.

This useful list includes a potpourri of 35 extra lead generation marketing ideas.

 

Blogging Tips

– Online marketing success includes administering a blog full of regularly fresh and compelling content with information that lures in readers. Begin or enhance your real estate blog to attract traffic and cultivate leads. Good headlines, attractive images and appropriate content will help you engage prospects.
– Creating content consistently is a vital part of process, but how do you stay inspired while maintaining your blog? Google topics for what interests you related to your expertise. Chances are what interests you will also interest you clients too, if appropriate.
– Your blog can be a powerful tool for establishing credibility in your market and for attracting clients. Proofread to avoid posting mistakes that might scare prospects away.

Photography Tips

– Select the best photos that will make your listings look great. Rotating photographs for stagnant listings is also a good idea.
– Since your career is mostly a face-to-face business, post the right headshot that is both professional and also personable. Your face is your visual brand! Don’t let a bad photo of you scare clients away before they even meet you. Update your photo as you age, so as to not be seen as casting false impressions. Posing for the right shot can take a couple of hours, but it will go a long way for you.

Listing Marketing Tips

– Create listing descriptions using the right key words to entice clients and quickly sell properties. Use popular keywords in your listing text to appeal to more buyers. Buzzwords like “hardwood floors” and “stainless steel appliances” peak interest.
– Convince seller prospects that you are the superhero real estate agent that will bring in a buyer for their home the fastest and for the highest price. The right preparation and presentation shows prospective clients that you have the skills and are willing to put in the effort to meet their needs.
– Learn how to assist sellers in preparing their home for their best advantage. Wasting your time with a property that is not ready for the market is more than likely a bad idea. Realistically priced properties that show sell the fastest.

Email Marketing Tips

– Looking to get in touch with prospects and referral sources? There are many different kinds of client interactions, but email scripts are a great starting point and can be modified to fit your specific needs. See our other article about email scripts from a couple of months back where we detail this issue.
– Choose subject lines that will be more likely to be opened. An appealing subject line will get more people to actually view your emails, instead of trashing them.
– Create newsletters that build your brand, establish your authority, and help keep yourself on top of the marketing game.

Social Media Marketing Tips

– Social media marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming or too much of a ‘time suck’. Using the power of social media, you can position a listing perfectly to reach interested buyers and prospects. Build yourself up as an authority on any channel by writing a great social media bio. Create a social media profile that resonates with influencers, colleagues, and prospects.
– Facebook is a powerful source for lead generation. Try to make your FB page stand out from the crowd. Facebook ads is a way to get your content in front of the right audience and easily target your market.
– Many agents successfully use Twitter to promote their own content and connect with the community at large. Join in on the fun and learn how to tweet with the best of them. Twitter provides an organic type of platform to potentially reach thousands of clients, with various different advertising options are available.
– LinkedIn still seems to be becoming the top choice for business-minded social media marketing, on track to surpassing Facebook & Twitter in business lead generation.

Telephone Marketing Tips

– Some conversations can be tense. Always keep your cool and impress prospects on the phone. Phone etiquette is a critical part of forging strong business relationships and building a solid client database.
– Texting allows you to most quickly and conveniently communicate with client. Spruce it up with voice between every 3-7 texts. Again, it is important to make sure all your interactions, texts included, are professional and effective.
– Just an email address is all you need to engage a new prospect, and get them to reveal their phone number. If that is all you have about them, work it.

Video Marketing Tips

– Grab the attention of potential prospects with video listings & testimonials. Perhaps learn how to create stunning videos that will attract potential buyers.
– Including videos as part of your social media marketing strategy helps create relationships with potential clients. Share real estate videos on FB using these strategies, or an even wider reach.

Seasonal Marketing Tips

– No matter what your budget or schedule, Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to express your gratitude and appreciation to the clients, coworkers, and business colleagues who’ve helped your real estate business thrive. There are plenty of easy and inexpensive options, so why not spread the love?
– Seize the opportunity to refresh and expand your real estate business during the fall by hosting back-to-school events and promotions. Leverage back-to-school marketing to meet new clients and reconnect with referral sources.
– It is always tough to balance holiday cheer with professional staging, keep in mind what is ‘just right.’ as opposed to ‘too much’.

Website Tips

– Did you know that 46% of consumers testify that a bad website is worse than no website? Position your website for success by making sure everyone knows about it. A professional website helps you reach out to prospective clients quickly and easily. Produce a great “About Me” page that gets online prospects to know something about you and trust you before they even meet you. Let your potential clients know that you enjoy working as a Real Estate Agent in your community, and are good at what you do.
– You can showcase a home on its very own single property website to market it; leverage the internet in your marketing efforts for that property.
– Collect as many testimonials from delighted customers and post them on your website and blog.

Prospecting Tips

– Agent income can vary wildly depending a variety of factors, including hours worked per week, location and expenses. Teach clients how much real estate agents really make so they don’t ask you to reduce your commission.
– Be on the lookout to pick up expired listings that other agents couldn’t sell.
– Real estate is certainly a relationship-driven industry. Adding sincere note of gratitude is a powerful way to create a good rapport with prospects and fortify your bonds with past clients and colleagues. Personalized and well-written thank you cards are always a good way to retain clients and open the doors for new business.

Miscellaneous Marketing Tips

– Sometimes, real estate marketing can take turns towards the unusual. Unorthodox marketing can help you stand out from the crowd, but that’s not always a good thing. Avoid marketing banners attached public trashcans for example. Try to associate your image and brand with the finer things in life.
– Of course avoid putting your foot in your mouth when dialoging with prospects. Learn from past mistakes and rephrase conversations with clients in ways that emphasize your professionalism.

8 Methods to Attract more Buyers to your Listings

Published November 2, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Stately Single FamilyThe goal of every listing is to make ever listing as perfect and as as attractive as possible. It seems that sometimes that even when it all seems just right, it still doesn’t get the attention you anticipated for it?

It could have been the most charming property in the neighborhood, but still the listing didn’t turn up roses as expected. Maybe the property eventually sold for a good price too, but it just never quite received the initial attraction that you thought it would have. Often times it isn’t the property, but it is the listing. Some agents do produce poor looking online listings; making the house look worse than it actually is.

We put together a list of tips to consider for your listings; without additional advertising expenses.

1. Photos are Worth a Thousand Words
As people focus on what catches their eye when browsing listings, professional photos of the property are a must. If you are unable to snap sharp-looking, high-quality pictures, then it is worth it to hire a professional photographer. Maybe pick a day that has a pretty sunset, rainy/dreary days will just take away from the photo. Make sure all the lights are on, to make the place look more lively. If you take these tips, your photos will look amazing in comparison to competitive listings.

2. Focus on Selling Points
The selling points are used to ‘hook-in’ prospects. Focus on highlighting the unique & desirable features and save the typical aspects until later on in the description text.

3. Keeping it Clean & Simple
People like clean & simple. A cluttered house will only scare away buyers. Clean and simple interior photos are much more inviting than busy looking ones; which provoke disturbing feelings.

4. The value of Staging
Staging helps buyers visualize and see how space in the house can be used up. A staged home makes prospects feel more ‘at home’, compared to simple empty rooms.

5. Location details
Highlight the location of the property. Publishing ‘just minutes from the beach’, if it is a half hour drive – is a bad idea. When people look it up on google maps, they will feel deceived and disappointed and will resume their search.

Focus on what the property is actually close to, and point those conveniences out. If the property is in the middle of nowhere, then that is what the selling point should be based on; as for some people, those kind of properties are attractive in their own right.

6. Using the Keywords
Selecting the right keywords for use in your text, especially the title, will boost the chances that the property will be found by the right buyers. Choosing compelling working will trigger imaginations and emotions from prospective buyers. Utilize these words throughout your text, but try to place them more in the beginning to catch their interest early.

7. Honesty is usually the best policy
Do your best to be honest about your listings. Sell it as fast as possible for the highest possible price is the name of the game, but avoid inserting any bogus claims. If the backyard is small, don’t call it huge just because the wide-angle photo you took makes it seem so. If the kitchen is deteriorating, don’t write that it is beautiful.

When you take time out to see a property in person, they are expecting to see what’s described in the listing. If they are shocked, they simply won’t trust your next property recommendation.

8. Spice it Up
Spice up your writing a little but don’t try to overdo it with controversial humor or statements that may offend some people. Stay professional at all times.

If you utilize these tips when applicable, you will see an increase in buyers who are bookmarking your listings, and calling you!

Canadian home sales are leading in the world

Published October 26, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Homes sales in Canada have held up stronger than most analysts expected over this past year. The price of Canadian homes in the 2nd half of 2015, has at this time, become one of the highest in the world.

A recent Scotia Bank global property trends report ( http://www.gbm.scotiabank.com/English/bns_econ/retrends.pdf ) states that Canada’s home price rise for the past several years is considered the highest valued market globally; although Canada’s 8.3% rise did lag behind recent super-hot markets such as Ireland’s 13.3% rise or Sweden’s 10.2%, but was well ahead of the US’s 5.3% and the UK’s 5.5% increases.

This has been during a time that the depressed Canadian dollar created more international demand for maple real estate. Foreign exchange considerations are increasing the attractiveness of properties in countries whose currencies have weakened relative to stronger currency markets in the US and the UK. But that is not the only factor that is driving up prices.

According to the report, it is not so much foreign buyers who are driving up prices, but mostly Canadian citizens; especially those who are searching through a limited supply of single family homes.

Canadian housing demand has defied general weakness in the economy, in part because of low interest rates, but the market is very uneven from city to city.

Overall sales data points out that it is primarily the hot Toronto & Vancouver and markets which have been driving up prices. This is likely due to people wanting to live closer to where the jobs are, as most people don’t want to take on long commutes.

A weakening Canadian currency is not only making Canadian housing popular, but also similarly in Australia which has seen a steady increase of housing prices this past year, especially in the big urban areas such as Melbourne & Sydney; paralleling Toronto & Vancouver.

Sydney now has also developed a similar affordability crisis that Vancouver is experiencing; with the median home price over $1 million (AUS).

Will there be a ‘correction’ in 2016? That is difficult to project. A thriving Canadian economy and employment sector can easily keep the market on an upswing. In either case, it is still a great market to thrive in especially as housing demand keeps exceeding supply. As the old adage goes, the best time to strike [it rich] is when the market [the metal] is still hot.

REL-Charts

2024 Projection: market to slow (modestly), risk of crash is “low”

Published October 19, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

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Royal Bank says: market to slow (modestly), risk of crash is “low”

This article is based on the following projections for 2016 compiled by the Royal Bank: http://www.rbc.com/economics/economic-data/pdf/home-resale-fcst_can.pdf

As interest rates begin to rise in 2016, Canadian real estate activity is anticipated to slow “modestly”, according to the above report from Royal Bank Economics.

RBC considers an outright crash in real estate as having a very low probability. The analysts of RBC expect the general economy to expand and also that interest rates will likely gradually rise after the new year begins.

However, the bank notes that there is a possibility of a dramatic downturn in the real estate market if there is a plunge in employment, due to a deep recession, or if a dramatic surge in interest rates occurs.

The Royal Bank says the economic hit resulting from lower oil prices has not been impactful enough to shake up the Canadian real estate market.

In the oil-price dependent provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta RBC says that the Canadian housing market is poised to post one of its best years on record by the end of 2015. Rock bottom interest rates have created strong demand for housing in other provinces, particularly in British Columbia and Ontario.

In July 2015, the Bank of Canada reduced their overnight lending rate, affecting variable-rate mortgages by 25 basis points — to 0.5 per cent. RBC predicts the central bank will raise the rate by 75 points to 1.25% during the 2nd half of 2016.

RBC has stated in their reporting: “It has long been our view that the eventual rise in interest rates from generational low levels will produce significant headwinds for Canada’s housing sector. Much of the market’s vibrancy in the past several years can be attributed to exceptionally low, and declining, interest rates.”

The expectation of the cooling is expected to be moderate & controlled. Home sales are expected to decline by less than 10% over several years – and average sales price growth decelerating to a rate of 3.2% in 2016.

RBC went on to say, “In our opinion, the risk of a crash, resales plummeting by more than 25% nationwide for instance – is low for three main reasons: First, we expect the Canadian economy to grow and create jobs and boost incomes. Severe housing downturns usually coincide with recessions.” Two other reasons cited are: 1) strong immigration and 2) the gradual pace at which interest rates are expected to rise.

RBC also does not expect average national home prices to fall outright, at least in the short term. However, certain segments of particular markets, for example condos in Montreal, could see a decrease. The risks of a nationwide home price collapse such as a drop of 25% or more are “quite remote,” according to their report.

Let’s hope this report remains on the said trajectory, because the future of the market seems bright for most of Canada through 2016!

General Local Area Blog Topic Ideas for Real Estate Agents

Published October 12, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

time for new contentHave you created a blog for your real estate agent website? It is most advisable that you do, for several reasons.

Firstly, writing informative articles to your clients is a great way to earn their trust in your knowledge of the market, especially the local market that you are one the premier experts of.

Secondly, content for you blog is vital for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of your website. The most relevant and high quality content that you can provide, the more likely that new prospects will be able to find your website in Google’s listings.

If you need ideas on what to write about, that’s what this article is all about; to help you formulate more content ideas for your blog articles; you should specifically tailor these ideas for your local area.

A. Write about new developments, new amenities, new subdivisions, etc.
New developments would certainly be of interest to your site visitors, new prospects, and current and former clients. New community parks, and even walking or riding trails display added long-term value for local residents of your service area. New shopping centers and new restaurants can make the locality appear especially attractive, fun, and active.

You can also include updates on improvement to infrastructure; those items are less sexy, but can convey an active neighborhood organization and responsible government officials. If it is already well known that traffic issues have been a sore spot in your area, writing about road expansion projects (if any) can help remedy client fears about that. However, if there are negative aspects to the area, it is probably best to not even bring up such topics – unless a solution for it is already well underway.

B. You can write about the interesting aspects of history of your service area(s).
Knowing the history of the neighborhood you work in can be interpreted and reflect your passion for the service that you provide.

You can go into why a particular town was founded (trading post, steel foundries, railroad junction, etc.) and the various industries that were born, or social movements or political events that happened there.
Interesting historical content like this gives your neighborhood additional context, explaining how the neighborhood became laid out as it is, or why certain styles of houses are more varied in one area compared to others. Such key details will influence prospects in a way of perceived appreciation for the area that they are considering purchasing in.

C. Feature locally-owned businesses
Blogging about a local business or various local business is a good way to build those types of business relationships in your community. Promoting a local breakfast spot or local business on your blog. Possibly in return, the business may even post your flyers or business cards in their entrances.
People will also likely bookmark your website to return to your blog, because they see you as somebody who is in the know. This is also a good way to help new prospects and clients get acclimated to the area. Your brand will also be more memorable when they are providing referrals to their friends.

D. Discussion of past and upcoming events
You can talk about how fun and exciting your neighborhood is by writing about upcoming events. Festivals, concerts, art showings, any public get-together, even free self-defense or classes, if it is interesting to you – it would be interesting to your readers as well. You can focus on family-style entertainment, couple events, single events, various age interest groups to showcase the variety within your area.

F. List the many scenic or naturesque attractions in the area
Most everybody of course loves nature. You can showcase some images of the best views around town, or come up with a “Ten things to do Outside”. You can get into some detail about various camping spots, trekking, lake or river cruises for the nature lovers that might surely makeup a healthy percentage of your site visitors. Since most people like nature, also like sports, start blogging about it, in a conservative measure even it can build even more bridges between you and your prospects.

E. Focus on entertainment and local pop culture
You can perhaps most easily scrape content off local variety website, perhaps giving a link back to those sites, but with a bit of digging perhaps you can find movies and television shows that were previously filmed in the area. People in general are way into this. If your area is big enough, perhaps you can find films currently in production.

Famous people from your area, which are usually listed on wikipedia, can add perceived value in noting which famous personalities got their start in your town or still call it home. These tid-bits of popular culture can serve as good filler conversation during car rides between property showings and are good bridge subjects on social media sites.

Now there is hardly any excuse left, if you have a spare hour to beef up your blog. Remember to add in imagery and photographs with your articles as well, if your website editor supports that. Another option is to hire a writer to fill out your website more. But the sooner you have more quality content hosted, the sooner search engines like google will boost your site rankings and visibility.

The great value is cultivating referrals

Published October 5, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

referrals concept handwritten on whiteboard

Cultivating referrals is one of the biggest differences between working hard and working smart.

Attaining referrals should be a regular part of your business plan and requires a proactive initiative. Handing people your business cards at a social event or even business meetings rarely results in a profitable relationship; people are just to busy to care about increasing your income unless there is a mutual benefit.

Utilizing both traditional and online strategies can significantly boost your revenue. With online services such as LinkedIn, mining for referrals has become much easier and more effective.

Below are some additional tips for prospecting referrals:

Cultivating referrals is a continual process, not an infrequent task:
If you meet a person whom you think would be a good fit for your network, then it is much easier to gain a referral by first helping someone. Instead of approaching somebody with a request for help such as “I am a real estate agent around the city, here is my card… ” try “Would you have a business card? I’d like to know how I can help you increase *your* business”. The unexpected approach will get their attention, as it is highly unusual for someone to ask another about how to help the with *their* business.

Also keep in mind that many ‘Gen X’ and ‘Gen Y’ people today don’t rely on business cards, rather website or email electronic exchange; so don’t be surprised if many people today don’t have a business card – but the trick works the same. If you can help bring them a referral, then you can expect much better results from them in return.

Utilizing LinkedIn:
Check to see if your new contact is on LinkedIn: Find out more about them such as: who do they associate with? Who has endorsed them? Check into their company to further determine if they are a good fit for your own business objectives; if they meet your standards. Check their websites including their personal websites if they have one. If you feel comfortable with the person, and you think they have the right kinds of contacts who would be of potential value to you, then it is likely good to invest your time, and referrals you have for them, in building a relationship with them. Use LinkedIn as a tool to write a recommendation for their business; and also ask for recommendations to others for your services, from those that know the quality of your work.

The personal handwritten note:
Handwritten notes have only become increasingly uncommon; and emails have become passe. After getting their contact information, send them a handwritten note mentioning how nice it was to meet them, and how you look forward to supporting *them* with referrals to their business when possible.

Simply usually nobody wants to give you a referral until they know, like, and also trust you. They will question in their minds whether you will deliver. They don’t want to burn one of their customers or clients. You will have to develop some level of trust with them, which naturally may take some time.

Introductions:
Check your contact database and make respective introductions to your new contact using LinkedIn or email; when appropriate, that would be interpreted of value to those contacts.

Follow up:
Schedule a follow-up in about 10 days to 14 days, perhaps with an article or white paper that would help them with their business.

Did they respond in a month’s time?

If after a month you have not received a response from them, you can reconsider their potential value to you and if you want to try and re-establish a connection. Referrals should be considered a reciprocal activity; you would not want to give your valuable contact information and then not receive anything in return.

If you have determined this person would be an excellent addition to your database and business, maybe send them a useful book with a note that supports their business or another referral. Such a small gift as a book can create a positive impression that could last years.

Summary:
Nothing else will ever be as powerful or golden as a personal recommendation of one person’s services to another. Leveraging your relational capital can ultimately help you exchange referral with other connected individuals.

The main reason Canadian Real Estate is outperforming expected norms: The demand for replacement income for retirees coupled with low interest rates.

Published September 28, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Couples on holiday together

Baby Boomers are a most significant demographic in our society.

People currently of retirement age are the largest segment of population in American, and Canadian, history. Boomers have influenced every common industry and every financial vehicle of every major market – notably real estate. For another example, let’s look at the automobile industry. Simple more people and more families meant more cars.

Baby boomers are also influencing the demand curve in the financial world. Boomers are always ever aging, have been slowing down in droves and retiring. Parallel in time interest rates are at record lows, bond returns and GIC’s are paying below inflation and so boomer’s income replacement plans have not been coming up roses as they expected. In previous generations, retirement income plans seemed rather simple. Retirees took their savings, placed it in a nice 7-10% yielding bond, and lived well enough off their hard work.

Today’s baby boomers are looking for higher-yield investments to replace their former paychecks. Most of them will not be settling for below average returns. This effect is changing our Canadian real estate market, and how it is going to affect the whole real estate investing market.

So boomers are looking all over the landscape for investments that will provide a similar combination of income and security as their retirement income plan. But as they scour around, they are finding fewer and fewer choices. When there are so many boomers with so much cash to invest, this also causes an investment ‘clash’ so the few investment choices that do offer the desired characteristic get bought up quickly; lowering yields; and vicious cycles occur. Case in point: look at how low current yields are on government bonds in both Canada and the US.

This kind of investment circling is why a large percentage of boomers are attracted to real estate ownership and investments to help fill that income mechanism in their portfolio. They believe, when invested correctly, property investment can provide a hedge against inflation, a persistent and growing income, offering the potential for leveraging of capital and capital appreciation.

So, it seems a reasonable idea to market your services to elderly or retired “buyers” too – to encourage them to investigate ownership of well-chosen, well evaluated, well managed property, or any solid financial vehicle based on real estate.

Profit more through helping foster a partnership between loan professionals and yourself

Published September 21, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Housing calculatorGreat results come about when both agents and loan professionals perform activities in organized partnership or what is also commonly called “synergy”.

It is up to those professionals the are surrounding the buyer – to inform and instruct that buyer to the specific process – and how to work toward a great purchase experience.

This breeds a better final result; the client will also experience better service, which cultivates referrals and repeat business.

Real estate brokers know every individual revenue stream really does matter. If your office also includes mortgage services, getting more loans closed on-time can dramatically elevate your income level.

How many times had you, as an agent, experienced frustration with some part of the loan origination process? We would bet it is more times than a smooth deal process. Whether it is paperwork delays, lack of communication, or unrealistic client expectations, it is more than easy for the loan process to add some potholes to an otherwise smooth closing. There are not only the changes and variations in client demands, but also a vast number of complicated loan solutions, and legislative changes which add into the mix.
As the central guiding figure in a deal, you need to address all the participants so everyone can best work together to reach the objective; which is achieving the closing of a deal in 30 days.

But for as long as remembered real estate agents and loan originators have typically had a love-hate relationship. Loan professionals have accused agents simply shopping rates, and agents assert mortgage professionals think of agents as being in a subservient role, serving their marketing and open house needs. Both statements are not entirely true, and therefore both professions don’t cooperate on the advantages of a structured partnership; which by doing so can logical make both agents and loan originators more money, more easily. A better mode of operation is for agents and loan officers to develop mutual respect for each profession, and therefore better cooperation. As an agent, it is good idea to initiate such communication in this regard.

Keep in mind that originators don’t like “short appraisals”. Loan originators are not supposed to talk directly to the appraiser! But you as an agents can. The perceived value of any property is what someone is willing to pay cash for, but the financeable value, that is, the appraised value, is set by the appraiser – not the lender!

As a big tip if you are an agent, don’t waste your time showing homes to buyers without a fully-document pre-approval of them. It can reflect bad to your client if you bring in buyers through their homes who aren’t pre-approved. If a potential buyer produces a pre-approval letter, take the time to read it and be certain you trust the people issuing the letter, and look up the reputations of the company represented. Be sure to ask if the people supplied documentation of income, assets, and employment to the issuer as well as if the issuer reviewed a tri-merge credit Report. Regarding sellers, more than a courtesy, make sure your seller is ready and pre-approved for their next purchase too.

We hope you found the above set of tips from the field useful in your career endeavors.

Some Good Listing Presentation Tips

Published September 14, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Real Estate Featured Homes

As a professional real estate agent, how much do you wish to succeed with your next listing presentation? Of course, 100% !

In order to convince prospective home sellers that you, the real estate agent, will sell their property the fastest, and also for the highest amount, as you know, certain bases have to be covered. The listing presentation should highlight your experience, plus your exceptional marketing strategies.

With that goal in mind, below are various important listing techniques that will help you impress your prospects and win more listings:

A. Publish a Single Property Website
Single property websites are a major differentiation. All sellers wish to have a dedicated website for their property’s listing! Learn to use WordPress, or get webmastering help from a professional web hosting company, such as 4GoodHosting. There are dozens of beautiful real estate themes to choose from. A CMS (Content Management System), and we recommend WordPress as a free ans powerful easy to use CMS, really makes developing single property websites a cinch!

B. Be Punctual
Arriving on-time for the listing appointment shows your customer that you are showing consideration for and respect for their schedule. If you arrive late, they will initially feel miffed and will wonder how else you might disappoint them in the future. On the other hand, if you arrive too early, they may not be ready for you, and it could make them feel uncomfortable or rushed.

C. Extoll on your Marketing Process
Explain to them how you are going to help them spruce-up their home in order to sell it for the highest amount in the shortest, if not record time. Are you planning to help them stage their home? Do you provide them resources that tells them what to expect and how to prep for showings? If repairs or paint is needed, do you offer any services who are able to get the job done right away and for a good price?

D. Discuss Your Photography Strategy
You of course know that great photos will help showcase the house online and will better attract interested buyers in the door. Explain to the owners how many photos you plan to take, and if you will use a professional photographer, or a high definition camera. Show them some photographs from other listings which you have most recently sold.

E. Your Brand
Your or your company’s brand should induce a strong feeling of trust in your brokerage and it’s abilities. Discuss the accomplishments and abilities of your brokerage. What sets your package apart from others? What assurances can your brand provide to prospects?

F. If you can, present a good score sheet
A good technique at gaining trust is show your sales history in a printed document, or pdf, that is easy to review. Do you have a good list price compared to sell price ratio? Most helpful would be showing any impressive recent sales? This information makes for a good “leave behind”, or email it to clients in advance of your meeting, to get the excitement level up in advance.

G. Be Upfront & Honest about Pricing
Pricing is usually the biggest topic of interest during a listing conversation, along with marketing strategies, address the issue directly and don’t instantly agree if the owner desires to overprice. Walk the client through various pricing options and then come to a sensible number that everyone can agree upon. Expertise and transparency are two attributes clients usually look for in their chosen agent.

H. Show them your social media “Likes”
When people “like” you on social media, it is an implied endorsement. Also if you have used Facebook or Twitter ads to additionally market properties before; show them some examples.

I. Generally listen and listen closely to your customers’ specific needs
Enough said.

The Importance of Client Asset Disclosure upfront during a mortgage application

Published September 8, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

FirmaThe ability of your client to get financing on a mortgage loan quickly can often make the difference between a great bargain for your client or rather keys to a money pit. What your client tells your mortgage broker upfront can make that big of a difference.

The greatest challenge to working with clients, regarding mortgage applications, is that they often don’t provide enough information when applying for a loan.

Sometimes clients are not fully upfront with all they own. Either they forget, or they don’t admit everything up-front for one reasons or another, and later you discover at the last minute that they own another property and that a line of credit is already secured against that property. In reality, that is like a mortgage, so they need to disclose that to the lender.

Not disclosing those things upfront will only extend the amount of time it will take to get a mortgage. Learning of additional properties late in game could force you to re-write your clients’ application. You probably will have to fix things and re-work the application, so that everything still fits, when everything is fully disclosed.

In extreme cases, it can be especially problematic for buyers who already have more than four properties in their portfolio already, when finding a lender for that fifth mortgage can be that much more difficult.

The bigger investment clients who have more than 4 properties already will find it hard to fit with a bank because most of the banks, and even also some monolines, have a 4-door policy.

In summary, it is best to explain to your clients that it is very important to disclose all holdings upfront. Not doing so can really throw the whole deal for a loop, or worse, break the deal after all the dust settles.

Advice 101 on showing a Home

Published September 1, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Happy realtor woman showing keys

Your client has decided to sell their home; but of course that does not mean it is ready to hit the market quite yet. To sell high in least amount of time, it will have to impress buyers and, in most cases – the home will need to show well.

Home showings are an important, usually essential, part of the home selling process. This is when buyers view inside and lets them imagine living in the home. Buyers will be ready to place an offer after touring a few or a handful of homes. It is great when your listings are the ones that show best.

Below is a checklist for preparing a home showing as efficiently as possible:

Clean
Arrange for professionals to deep clean the home, and work it out with your client who will pay for that. Cabinet shelves, baseboards, switch-plates; all of these things should be made spotless before any potential buyers walk through.

Assess
Next you should walk through the home together with your client. You will be able to identify anything that could be a red flag to buyers; so then note it on a fix-it list.

Repair
Is something broken? If it is somewhat easy to fix then urge your client to do it! A few hundred dollars spent now could save you and your client thousands in time on the market and in contract negotiations later.

Reorganize and de-clutter
Homes that look roomy & spacious show best, rather than cluttered and narrow. To get this look, your client might need to de-clutter and store it in the garage, have a garage sale, store it off-site in a self-storage unit, or just donate it. Make sure closets are not over-packed, and that counters are mostly clear!

Staging
Home staging goes beyond cleaning and organizing; use interior design tips and tricks to make the home more inviting to the widest range of personality types and tastes. Some agents have home staging expertise and others may work with hired stagers. Just google “home staging tips”, “feng shui home staging tips”, and even ‘funny staging fails”.

Curbside Embellishment
After the inside is all straightened up, tidy up the outside for first-impression curb appeal. Wash the windows, freshen the flower beds, put a coat of paint on the front door. Your imagination can be used fill in all the major cracks and deficits, within the improvement budget.

The Pet Factor:
Pets are popular, but not everyone likes other people’s pets. If there are pets in your clients’ home, try to minimize their impact if possible so the pets, especially fur balls and scents, are not so obvious during a home showing. Pet beds should also be clean or out of sight, and toys placed in boxes or baskets or containers in closets, and the yard tidy enough.

These are just the basics. There are many more tricks to presenting a house to its full potential.

Thoughts on predicting the next correction…

Published August 24, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Market Trends Balance

Various economists, the news media, and some economists, have been diligently anticipating corrections, some like to use the word “crash”, in house prices every year since at least since 2010, about 5 years so far.

But each year so far, the market has continued to go up, to many of the bears – defying gravity. Those who fear the end is near have been and are, at the time of this writing of this article, relied by this summer’s surge in home prices.

Economists like to think that bubbles are inflated by irrational behavior. How irrational are Canadians being by buying homes for these unprecedented prices? Simply, folks have only been doing what makes sense to them: borrowing money as borrowing has been cheap.

The Toronto market has been hot, and the detached home category has been exceptionally hot. Around downtown Toronto, the average sale price is about $1.1 million, or 19% higher than 2014. We have heard stories of old termite-infested homes selling for $200K above the asking price. Bidding wars are the norm. Hardly anybody asks for an inspection before signing contracts. Those of you who old were around to remember the big 1989 Toronto housing crash, you might sense it all eerily familiar.

Vancouver, continues on a tear, and the BC, Real Estate Association said in the spring that demand for homes has been the highest since 2007.

Similar stories are playing out across the country. Across Canada, the CREA reported that resale home prices rose by 9.5 per cent the past year.

For the bears, all of this is only more evidence that a crash is coming. But looking around, it’s still hard to see from where or how the sky is about to fall.

Toronto’s Real Estate Board’s “affordability index” reflects that the share of average family income which goes to mortgage, property tax, and utility payments is around 36%; the highest it has been in 2 decades. Even at that level though, we’re not anywhere near where we were in 1989, when carrying an average home for sale took about per 50% of a family’s income (source: TREB).

The biggest threat to the housing market isn’t an interest rate increase. This past summer months the overnight rate has been about 0.75 per cent. And you can get an 18-month mortgage from one southern Ontario credit union for 1.49 per cent. We began 2015 with expectation that rates would be going up soon. It is clear now that they haven’t. Of course, rates will inevitably go up, but that looks still over the horizon.

When interest rate increases eventually come, they are anticipated to not be dramatic. The U.S. Federal Reserve has pretty much promised that its interest rate increases will be low and slow, whenever they happen. We can expect the same here in Canada. Not that the BoC’s job is to protect house prices, but let’s face it: it serves nobody’s interests to choke the one segment of the economy that is building wealth for Canadians.

The real threat to the housing market is the dreaded word, “recession”. And that is often interpreted as a fuzzy word. If there is a change in this year’s trend so far with increased job creation, then there could be some downward pressure on housing values and sales. If that does become the case, the BoC still has a collection of tools at its disposal to stimulate the economy by freeing up money; which, logically, would be supportive of home prices.

Also high real estate prices are not completely a good thing. High home prices are creating a real problem for some families, because those of us on the lower end of the income ladder simply are unable to afford a home. The market we serve will correct, some day, some month. That’s the thing about bears. Bears are excellent at predicting that a downturn will happen; they are just very uncertain at letting us know precisely when.

Coming to a Province near you? About Ontario’s new rules about how real estate agents process offers. How might this affect how your clients buy homes?

Published August 17, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Bid auction

”Bidding wars” or, competing offer scenarios/situations, are commonplace in various areas of Ontario.

From July 1st, 2015, in Ontario, real estate agents are under new rules governing how to handle offers. The provincial government has enacted these rules to create more transparency in the overall real estate law. There are a few particular pieces of information that a seller agent’s brokerage are required to provide to prospective buyers in the midst of a competing offer scenario:

 

1. How many offers in total have been submitted.

2. Whether any represented buyers are represented by the same brokerage as the seller.

3. Whether the selling agent’s brokerage has a reduction of commission agreement for buyers who are being represented by a certain brokerage.

Sellers who are represented by Ontario-based real estate brokerages take offers in a closed bidding environment; so you & your client won’t know how much other buyers are offering, or any special terms included in their offers.

In making a bid, you as the real estate agent puts together your clients’ best offer – and then must hope for the best. Then the seller chooses to accept the offer, completely reject it, or reply back with a counter offer. The Seller will sometimes give one or more of the interested buyers a chance to ‘improve’ their offer, but typically your client only gets one chance.

When there are more buyers than sellers, when the market is hot – it is understandable that buyers can become frustrated; especially if they already submitted unsuccessful offers on several homes. Buyers may want to know how many other offers the seller actually received. The new rules that recently came into effect, on July 1st 2015, enable a way for buyers to receive such information.

The Ontario government has decided that all offers: 1) need to be in writing and signed, and 2) the seller’s brokerages now needs to keep records of all the relevant offers on file for 1 full year.

How can that be helpful to you and your client? Well if you are involved within a competing offer scenario, RECO – The Real Estate Council of Ontario www.reco.on.ca can be contacted to make sure that the offer process was conducted fairly. You or your client can request RECO to find out how many offers the seller’s brokerage received.

RECO will contact the seller’s brokerage for you, and may also ask them for documented particulars for each offer. When RECO has determined the number of offers, as soon as possible, they will send you that information. You will not find out any otherwise secret details about the offers – only the total # of offers received by the seller and their brokerage.

This new rule provides some measure of extra assurance to buyers, but our advice for multiple offer scenarios is: 1) carefully think before waiving conditions such as a home inspection, and 2) plan ahead so you know how much your client can afford. Knowing you client’s maximum price and sticking to it, makes for less chance of regret later.

Some more agent tips from the field for consideration in your career

Published August 11, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

May I Help You Colorful BlocksOther agents can provide good tips for new agents, but the tips noted below are taken from a client perspective.

Here are some qualities clients say make for a good agent:

A. Good agents communicate a lot
As a house seller, or buyer, it is more stressful working with an agent who isn’t a strong communicator. The real estate market is time sensitive, so prospects and clients need an agent who lets them know quickly where they stand with their current selling or buying situation, and often. One of the biggest frustrations for people is a lack of communication from their agent. It is so important that agents stay in constant contact with their clients. What seems like insignificant information to an agent who has been in the business for years can be really important to clients who are new to the real estate game.

B. Good agents are proactive
An agent should be proactively calling potential buyers, communicating with existing customers, and constantly chasing new leads. A key element of being proactive is keeping the client well informed. If your clients keep calling you, you’re not calling them frequently enough or giving them enough information.

C. Good agents listen
Prospects and customers might grow wary of an agent who talks too much. If a client has a difficult time getting their thoughts conveyed to you when communicating with you, then you will likely experience subsequent problems. The client or customer is the one who should be doing most of the talking; make sure that you as the agent understands their special requests and needs. A good agent should be asking all the questions not the other way around.

D. Good agents are client motivated
Simply, if your customer gets a good a deal, you get a good deal; which is why it’s so important a buyer or seller chooses an agent, hopefully you, who puts their needs first. A good agent will always have their clients’ needs as their top priority. Buying and selling houses can be stressful and it’s important for the agent to make sure that the client is feeling supported and happy.

E. Good agents adapt to their clients’ needs
It’s important it is for an agent to be able to “read” their client. Some clients like to communicate via email, some prefer a quick text message, and others like to receive a phone call when they want to talk about what’s happening with their sale. It’s the responsibility of an agent to sense and verify the clients preferred method of communication; so your clients don’t feel either ignored by silence or pressured by too much communication. Simply ask them or mirror the client’s communication style so the client feels more comfortable.

F. Good agents know their clients time frame
Timing awareness is essential to a good client/agent relationship. You need to know if the client is in a hurry to sell. If they need to settle soon, the agent should know this and should be working to a tighter time frame. If the client isn’t in a rush the agent can shop around and advise the client to wait for a better market possibilities so they can get a better value for their purchase.

G. Good agents return calls and emails at lightning speed
These are the people that get a lead and don’t let it go. They immediately make contact and they follow up. They answer any questions and are happy to stay on the phone with nervous clients. They are the warriors of email, text, and phone and they keep that rhythm right up through the whole transaction, even using Skype. This is a good way to make clients feel like they are very important to the agent.

Overall, great customer service is about two things, knowledge and authenticity. The agents that succeed are able to treat each client’s purchase as vitally important. They are able to steer the client through any hiccups in the process and leave the client feeling that the whole process was as easy as possible.

REAL ESTATE EMAIL TEMPLATE IDEAS

Published August 4, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

send icon post signDo you often feel neglectful for not sending your prospects and clients emails to strike up more business?

You’ve worked hard all day, made dozens of calls, drove around showing homes, reviewed your current leads, and also did dozens of other things that are essential to your life. And now you have to sit down and reinvent another email? It all can often feel too difficult.

Here are some basic ideas for email scripts that you can save in a text file and tailor as you wish to keep in touch with prospects. Also here is a site that offers attractive html email templates for free: beefree.io

Here are three email scripts you can save, modify and use (as you see fit) to keep in touch with leads, prospects, and possible referral sources.

Listing Info Request : ( To Send to a Buyer Prospect )

Hi there ( prospects name )

Just emailing to see if you were able to review the listing information you requested?
If you had any problems opening it, I would be happy to resend it another way or deliver
it to you personally. I’m am curious to get your thoughts on the home[s]. Did it, or any
that you saw appeal to you? Did you get a good idea of what is now available? If you
decided to inspect any home in person, just let me know and we can set up a time for
a tour. I have access to these listings, or any, as soon as they come on the market. Please
feel free to call me, or email or text, for help or with questions about the buying process.
Helping you locate a home that matches your dreams is what I love to do! – (Name)

Neighborhood Sales Activity ( To Send to Past Clients )

While reviewing comparable sales activity in your neighborhood, I noticed that some homes
have recently been listed for sale. Some of the properties that have sold recently may
have an affect on the the appraised value of your home.

It is a good idea to always know the value of your home. Some common reasons you
should have a current home valuation on hand include:
• Refinancing
• Making a move
• Insurance purposes

Since I can easily keep you informed about such facts concerning your home, would you like
me to print out a free market evaluation for you? For a more precise evaluation, I would love
to meet with you. Just let me know!

As always, if you know of anyone else who could benefit from a home evaluation (or who needs
help finding a property), feel free to share my contact info with them. I would be happy to help
anybody who asks of me.
Warmly,
(Name)

Selling Tip Note : ( To send to Seller Prospects )

(Their name), Thank you again for (calling/emailing/chatting) with me about selling
your home. I would love the opportunity to help you navigate this process efficiently
and successfully.

I thought I’d pass along some resources to make your home stand out to potential buyers;
while you sort out your time-line and what you [and your spouse] are looking for in a new
home,

These articles and links should help you out:
• { insert link to to your agent website }
• { insert link to an article on your real estate blog }
• { insert link to one of your an article you found on the internet }

Dressing up your home’s curb appeal can also help your home sell faster and for more.

I happen to work regularly with some great landscapers, contractors, and home staging
experts. Just let me know if you want any recommendations in those regards. If you have
any question(s) about the selling process, you can reach me anytime by phone, email or
text. I’m here to help!

P.s. Also don’t forget to add a personal greeting and your signature, of course!

Tips on how to get people to listen more when you speak to them.

Published July 27, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

young woman carefully listening  with her hands behind the earsHave you ever sensed that the person you are speaking to isn’t registering hardly a word you are speaking of?

Why aren’t they listening? Somebody might ask this question in the back of their mind often during conversations, while giving a presentation, or even at home with the family.

The whole truth might be that: it’s most probably not just because of them, it could be because of you too.

Sometimes the truth is difficult to hear. We all have important things to say once in a while and we want to share these ideas with those who we think might benefit from hearing them. But sometimes it feels like just speaking to an empty room. Some people just look like they are nearly bursting with trying to remember what they want to say, not listening to what you are really saying, until you stop talking.

Well, if you do experience this, you are not the only one this happens to. The good news is that there is a simple solution that can help.

Your voice is an instrument – so learn to play it well.

The following tips will help you be engaging, have people be interested in you, and not into what they are going to say next. One way is by enhancing your speech vocal quality and patterns.

1. Your vocal “register”, or the expansive quality of your voice, coming from the chest or diaphragm always carries more power and authority. Unfortunately when people get stressed, or get emotional, their voices slip up into their throat and this somehow pushes people away. So the best solution is to take deep breaths and try to inflect your voice from your lungs, even when feeling uptight or stressed. Ask yourself – How does your voice feel or sound? If possible, add a bit of musical inflection to your vocal pattern, gliding a bit up and down, melodically so as to not sound monotone. Listen to voices, conversations, and presentations that you are drawn into.

2. Proper “volume control”: If you want to be heard, speak more quietly. Speaking quietly (and also less often) actually makes people lean into you and be more interested and engaged into what you are saying. Being loud, especially consistently loud, most likely is offensive to the listener; it pushes people away, mentally & physically. You know – how do you respond to TV or radio ads that seem to be yelling or commanding? You grab the remote and press (mute!). That’s what consistent high voice volume does to conversations. People are pressing their mind’s mute button.

3. “Pace”. Yes, your mind is going 100 miles per hour, but that shouldn’t mean that your mouth has to. Pacing can be to your advantage or to your detriment. Basically, don’t slow to the pace where the others in the conversation start filling in words for you. Better instead, use a combination of a rapid pace, then a slowing down for emphasis, interjecting some pauses occasionally along the way.

4.Gear towards reflecting these attributes in your expressions and conversations: Honesty – be true and clear with what you mean. Authenticity – be yourself; stand in your own truth. Integrity – do what you say, be trustworthy. Love – wish people well. Try to stay away from engaging in: Gossiping, Judging, Complaining, Excuses, Lying.

Also keep in mind it is always important to “listen to” the other person when they speak too. Maintain eye contact. Don’t think so much about how they look, or perhaps some other thoughts going on in the back of your mind. When you sincerely listen to another person they can feel it, and they can feel it when you are spacing out about something else other than what they are expressing to you.

With the above tips and with continuous practice, you’ll gradually become more of a conversational magnet.

Tips for building Client Retention and Referrals

Published June 30, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

REL_CustomerLogo

Cold calling is really something of the past. In real estate, a prospect is just a rare find and agents can make much better use of their time.

This focus of this article is about the important art of customer retention and the generation of future referrals.

So how can you receive ongoing leads from former clients? Prospects who only want to buy or sell real estate through you?

Naturally the answer to that is turning clients into raving fans who are delighted to recommend you to their family, friends, and anyone in need of a professional real estate agent

It is recommended to develop a solid client retention plan. Research studies about this determined for real estate agents that it costs 4-6 times more money, time, effort to develop new prospects compared to retaining a customer; so in any case it is certainly worth the effort to maintain such a relationship with your clients. It also is just common sense.

Let’s look at why agents often fumble the ball after the sale, and don’t keep a lasting connection with past clients?

Here are some ideas to creating a fan base:

1. Survey and feedback. According to a Harris Interactive study about 90% of unsatisfied customers leave without complaining to the agent and they are more likely to tell a dozen others about their experience. So to accommodate their needs more, agents who immediately inquire if their client was satisfied, after their buying or selling event, will gain a competitive edge. Ask for their verbal or written feedback, and in any case be grateful and authentic for their feedback. It will help you work on any deficits in your style that you may have. Clients do want to be listened to, and when you show gratitude for the feedback it will help them alleviate any negative feelings they might have had during the process and will help you to get more referral business. After all, they will be curious if you actually listened to them and made their suggested change and they can only find out by sending you a referral.

2. What is the plan to maintain the relationship? Successful agents know that when a client has a good experience, they will want to ensure their family & friends enjoy the same degree of service and comfort. Some ways to keep relationships alive could be a yearly group event of some type; effectively turning some of your clients into friends. Attending their block parties, organizing a charity drive, to at least sending out a Christmas card – anything which would help nurture lasting relationships will more than likely be good for future business. Let them know that you would like to remain friends and let them know you’d like to visit with them again. Don’t let your clientele forever leave because they think you don’t care about them…so start caring.

3. Customer Relationship Management Software: Agent CRM software, is key to managing lasting relationships. CRM Expert. Agents should use some specific system to make it easier to organize and manage new and ongoing relationships.

4. Adding in the personal touch. Tiny personal touches can make a big positive difference. With the many free social network and communication methods that we can utilize, just remaining friendly is the highest ROI. Also no need to be afraid to call. The call can be a short contact call where you just say hello again. Maybe just mention you were recently driving through their neighborhood and wondered how they were doing; even a voicemail, you made the contact. Follow up with a short personal note. This is a soft and personal approach to retention (and prospecting for referrals) and effective in keeping you remembered in their minds.

When you treat your past clients as lasting friends, or buy real estate leads, then you are on your way to extra profits.

4 Tips for timely responses to prospect and client emails

Published June 17, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

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Our email inbox never sleeps, email potentially comes in at any hour of the day, it just keeps piling up. Aside from sorting through important messages and spam, we could all use an idea or two more on how to increase efficiency, response time, & productivity.

To make your workday easier and potentially your paycheck bigger, here are some proven ideas:

One: Sign up with a web host that comes with a Spam Filtering service

Keeping spam out of your inbox is the first key to saving you time. We recommend 4GoodHosting web hosting and they use a dedicated spam filtering server, that is what we use; and for us it has been working great. All non-spam emails come in, except most every spam message. They are partnered with SpamExperts, which maintain a global database of known spam messages, and moves them to another folder where you can review them later if you wish.

Two: Filter and sort email automatically with your email client software (Outlook/Live/Gmail)

You can also set filtering on your email client, such as Outlook, to filter all email that is not sent to you directly, for instance. Also, you can have your email software automatically sort email from friends or family into folders – so you can keep the focus of your inbox mostly on new prospects and existing customers.

Three: Create some macros / auto-responses for faster responses

One of the ways real estate prospects and clients, and even former clients, appreciate and bond to you is through how fast you respond to their email inquiries. It doesn’t work against you to try to be an agent that regularly responds quickly or at least consistently in a reasonable amount of time.

So we suggest producing a handful of standard replies or even one-liners that you can easily insert (depending on your email software) or copy and paste; this also cuts down on the chance you would be at a loss for words, or would be otherwise proofreading.

Most of us get the same type of emails rather repetitiously, general inquiries, event invitations, you-name-it, etc. So by writing responses that sound as sincere as possible, create a dozen or so auto-responses. A great place for inspiration for this task is your own sent folder. You’ll be happier armed with the ability to write back instead of perhaps pulling over in parking lots to type messages on your mobile-size screen.

The advantages of Single Property Websites

Published June 9, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Picture2One tried and true marketing method that you might be already aware of is the concept of acquiring a domain such as 2051MapleleafStreet.com and then create a rather simple website for a particular property listing.

By doing so, more perceived value is given to a property — after all the address of the house then has its own address on the internet too. So, for the investment of the cost of a domain name and about a $5/month website hosting account – doing so might just grease the skids of a deal and perhaps at a slightly higher valuation as well. The investment of the $20-$30 and an hour or two of your or your assistantユs time to create the website would be well worth it if it helps facilitate a new deal, right?

The seller themselves might like to spearhead this as well, as it is a perfect way to showcase their home. However, it is best if you do this as a service for your client; you just need to do a good enough job. Using a “website builder” from a hosting company that offers a selection of per-defined templates can be helpful to quickly add a professional touch to the design.

In general, the website will show all the great photos, amenity details, and neighborhood information in detail. Other listing formats usually have to be made into a much more condensed format in order to save ad-space. With a full blown website, dozens of pictures can be included – even a 3D virtual tour perhaps (if you hire the services for that). Buyers will surely be enamored by the extra attention to detail.

Most importantly, it could save you a lot of time and gas too… as buyers will be able to make a better and more informed decision about whether they want to view the listing or not.

Also sellers will surely want to share the website domain with all their contacts, friends and family, of course. This extra marketing reach is worth the cost of the domain and hosting account. You can also add social media buttons or a side-bar on the website so website visitors can easily share it out with their friends for their opinions too perhaps, although that can be considered a bit unlikely or over the top.

How do you get a single property website?

We do recommend using a hosting company that offers a website builder application – unless you are a design and coding jockey. We recommend that you stay away from services such as Weebly and Wix or company’s that offer flash-based website templates. These type of sites are notorious for achieving low website search engine rankings. Although having the property website easily discoverable by web searches is important as well, this type of real estate website should be mostly promoted by traditional marketing techniques as well.

Who should you send the new property website domain to?

* The first place to place the new single property websites link is on your personal real estate agent website and your social media profiles. You’ll want to tweet them out and post them on your facebook pages. On those tweets and posts, make sure you say something unique and interesting about the property or location on each one. By doing these things you will also show your clients what a good/hard-working agent that you are!

* You will also want to write it on the yard sign. Drive-by prospects can then take a peek inside the home right on their smartphone from the curb. Imagine that, increasing the chance for an on-the-spot sale.

* Also your newsletter is a perfect place to list single property website domains.

In conclusion, this marketing tip is really golden advice. For the small investment, less than the cost of a bouquet of flowers for a open-house, rather instead fully open the house to the world of the 24/7 open internet instead.

One service we recommend that has a easy to use website builder and a low price hosting package is 4GoodHosting.com

Tips on producing your Social Networking Personal Profile

Published June 3, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

RealEstateLeads-Social
When it comes to online personal or business branding, the creation of your social media profile is absolutely essential; social networking profiles are of great benefit as they will rank highly in google and other search engines when people search for your name.

Consider each social media profile you create as a landing page for your brand. Your page is possibly the first encounter that someone is going to have with you. You will want that first impression to be golden and entice the prospective client to want to know more about you.

That said, in Canada’s socialy-savvy world of real estate; you are going to need at least 1 social media profile, but 2 would be better if you plan on connecting with colleagues and prospects online.

Here are the some techniques you can implement to create an attractive social media profile:

Write something special about you

What kind of people do you help? What is your particular niche? Why do you enjoy being a real estate agent? Show your prospect that you are an expert at something you do and it helps if it is somehow related to real estate. By doing this, you can gain respect and capture the imagination of people, and they will be more inclined to contact you.

But go easy on the buzzwords: A recent study found that 200,000 people on twitter refer to themselves in their biographies as social media “ninjas”, “gurus,”, “mavens”; although these titles sound cool – they also sound informal/unprofessional. If you have an official title, by all means type it out in your profile.

Share a personal story

Tell a short anecdotal story that your visitors most likely would enjoy reading. People enjoy feeling a connection with other people they discover online. Do you like a certain sport, hobby, or ambition? It could be anything really, something in your past, or even something you plan to do in the future; something you’re passionate about. It might help your visitors to want to strike up a conversation with you.

Your profile picture

Since Real Estate is a personal face-to-face profession, your personal picture is much better than a logo. People are more likely to want to engage with a recognizable person than just a brand logo.

Once you have selected your best photo, you can use the same picture as your default photo on all social networks, but variety can help form a better picture of you to your prospective clients.

On a side-note, there is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) value in naming your photo file to include your name before uploading it. Be sure you have named it YourName.jpg or YourBusiness.jpg instead of IMG1234.jpg.

Make sure your name (and full business name) is visible in your profile.

If you have a twitter name add it in too, such as @Agent007. If you’re using your personal account to post real estate information and listings, remember to include the name of your company or brokerage somewhere in your profile.

If possible, add a nice background image to your social profile page(s)

Although this one is limited to select networks, such as your Twitter and YouTube channel profiles, this is one to invest in for those networks that allow it. A customized background will allow you to share additional information that may not fit in the fields of your profile.

Remember to include the link to you website!

This is the most important suggestion of all; it is quite mandatory. If people are interested in you and your business, they will want to learn more. Add your real estate website address, so they can link to it—and hopefully fall right into your lap!

Be consistent across networks

Personal branding has become a key component of social media success and consistency of your image is an important factor for building that personal brand. When your presence branches across many networks, you’ll want to make sure that people will recognize you on all those channels. You don’t have to keep the wording of your bios exactly the same, but include enough of the same phrases and the same tone that your name will ring a bell on any network.

If you can, it is helpful to add something funny

With humor on your social profile, always approach with caution. We can’t all be funny and we don’t all share the same sense of humor. But if you’re genuinely a comedian, adding something harmless (like a pun) can’t hurt!

We wish you the greatest success in real estate.

 

For new real estate agents: The basic foundation of your future success

Published May 15, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Keys-to-success

Getting started in real estate is one of the easiest things to do, which can amplify the shock when it is often only later realized how daunting it is to build a sustainable business.

So yes, it will be rather daunting to get started in real estate. It will take a lot of hard work and cunning to gain that initial traction to take your career to new heights. Real estate agents are entrepreneurs and it can be overwhelming at first — researching, prospecting, advertising, lead generation, marketing, web design and content creation, bookeeping, and dozens of other matters. Our hat is off to you.

Our mission is to help you succeed fast as quickly as possible. There are only a few rare shortcuts to success (such as our real-time real-estate lead delivery service). Below are the critical basic aspects to building your initial success.

It is certainly important when you are going to become a real estate agent to have some money put away. Inversely, it is hard to be really successful in this business, though, without spending money. A balanced portion of every check received should be put back into your business to support your real estate marketing and sales efforts.

For an agent starting out, logically, personal promotion is absolutely critical. Beyond business cards, the least expensive way to promote yourself is by putting up a website; perhaps just yourname.com (or a patriotic .ca domain). If you are fortunate to be under the roof of a brokerage as you start out, you can buy a domain name to point to (or redirect to) your profile page on your employer’s website.

Beyond developing a budget, developing your professional image is equally important as it is vital to your success as a real estate agent.

Your professional image is projected usually in this order:

  • Web Presence :: Your website doesn’t necessarily have to be extensive, but it should be carefully laid out. A simple website can be more impressive, focus on quality over quantity; weed out grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. You can always add more pages to your site in time. It’s more important to get them quickly just to call you. Also having a contact form on your website is essential. If you don’t know where to start in that regard, we recommend the courteous and helpful professionals at 4GoodHosting.com, although there are certainly hundreds of other hosting companies to choose from.
  • Social Media Presence :: If you have Facebook, Twitter, Google+, account, and we encourage you to do so – just keeping it professional is essential. Embarrassing personal information should be moderated/deleted.
  • Phone Skills :: always focus on being courteous, articulate, and engaging. A sense of humor will often lead to clients calling you back for more of your liveliness.
  • Appearance :: Your appearance should be appropriate for your local market and for your office. Being well groomed will not only help you feel more confident, but it will also impress your clients; and will certainly only be to your advantage.
  • Face-to-face Meetings :: Strive to be attentive, with good eye contact – being distracted while listening can be an instant showstopper. Maintain positive body language, smile, laugh when you can. Strive to be attentive, engaging and courteous. If you can find a way to compliment your client, take advantage of any nice things you can say. Such things are appreciated and long remembered when expressed with sincerity.
  • Your Marketing Materials :: Best to use high resolution quality photos alongside compelling, yet accurate, text. It is good to have another set of eyes to check for grammar and spelling mistakes.
  • Written Communications :: Produce well-written letters and emails. You can use form letters to help you produce your responses quicker; but do personalize them enough.

Concerning the internet, do strive to separate your business or personal life, because what is published on the internet lasts forever and can easily find its way to your potential clients; it is wise to work on and maintain a professional image both inside and also outside of your real estate career.

The daily reminders you are likely giving your spouse that you are a Real Estate Agent.

Published May 5, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

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Real estate agents have it tough as well, but being a spouse of one is really no consolation, but over the years, it most often is all worth the struggle.

Here are the top daily reminders that you are married to a real estate agent:

 

  • Calling your Significant other is often impossible.

Agents are often consumed with being on their phones. Clients are always top-priority 9 to 5. Husbands and wives are often given the backseat. Even your simple appreciation of them can also be seen as an interruption, but at least they appreciate that you are just appreciating them, so often all balances out day to day.

  • You have expertise with MLS.

If you earned a commission, maybe just a dollar, for each hectic call where your beloved is asking you to look up a property, well, that would be a lot in commissions too.

  • A higher than average percentage of your friends are mortgage brokers.

Are Christmas parties, although a blast, really just business functions? But you aren’t allowed to talk about much of what happened after the alcohol has worn off…

  • Summer Vacations – no more guarantees.

School is out. Home sales are hot. How many times have you and lovey planned that special getaway and been disappointed that something else came up? Husbands and wives of Real Estate agents quickly discover that any vacations are always at risk of being played by ear.

  • You discovered there is no point in arguing about new clothes and cars.

A Real Estate Agent’s image sells, a sad truth perhaps but a reality. Style breeds increased success. But, yes, those juicy commissions make it all worthwhile after all.

  • You have gotten used to being a tax write-off.

All that time you have helped your spouse, all those house making copies, sorting through endless emails, and cooking for your favorite sales agent – are not for nothing. When you don’t know if you are more of an employee or spouse, then you can always remember it because you are married to an agent.

  • You’ve finally decided to make your car off limits.

Most spouses of agents would agree. There are only so many random manila folders and MLS printouts that you can handle the sight of before declaring your car a real-estate-free-zone.

p.s. How can we help your spouse accelerate his/her real estate career? You maybe be interested in checking out some testimonials from our realtors.

The Sweet 16 Real Estate Tips. (Good to Bookmark this one)

Published March 10, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Businesspeople at a meeting in the officeOur aim at Real Estate Leads(.ca) is to supercharge your career and make your average busy day simpler for you.

As a Real Estate Agent, you do quite alot of things… more than can be short-listed, but in short most every successful real estate agent does all these things generate deals:

– Somehow gather potential clients ( buyer, seller & rental properties. )
– Showcase properties to prospective (and best -> pre-qualified) buyers.
– Advise clients on mortgage options, prior and current market conditions & pricing strategy.
– Intermediate negotiations between buyers & sellers.
– Promote properties through advertising, listing services/MLS & open houses.
– Advise sellers on how they can present their homes more attractively to buyers.
– Present to sellers purchase offers for consideration.
– Stay current with real estate laws & trends.
– Provide guidance for buyers and sellers throughout the transaction process.
– Perform property comparison to determine fair & competitive market prices.
– Generate lists of appropriate properties for buyers based on their price range & needs.
– Prepare & submit all required paperwork, including various contracts.
– Work nights and/or weekends to take care of your various client’s needs.
– Put gas in the car, occasionally your car’s change oil, tires, etc….

So how can you do all that already, and expect to do more? Our days are ever so short. We presume that you would wish to add (potentially) many more thousands of dollars to your income as a real estate agent in the next year, or faster?

Here are some tip compiled form some veterans in your field. Then follow these tips. And for new agents, this really goes double for you.

Here they are:

It is a really good idea to periodically touch base with past clients somehow

Believe it or not, many people simply forget the name of their real estate agents over the years, unless you remind them of yourself. They never truly forget though, and if they have you current business card (or a few of them) they might just strike up some more deals for you.

As a reminder of this, walk around your house today, pay attention to the foundation and think about how your home would be without it. Your customers are the equivolent foundation of your real estate business. Contact your current and past clients at least 2-3 times per year. Christmas cards are always welcome.

Automate your advertising process

If you don’t have an assistant that you are quickly going to find out that you have just becaome too busy to get your marketting campaign in full swing. Yes, your time is too valuable (or will become too valuable once you become more successful) to spend doing everything it takes to get your name and image out there abundantly. { If you don’t have an asistant, RealEstateLeads.ca can take care of this for you with 1-2 new fresh leads per day delivered to you every day of the week. }

Publish your own blog

There are actually a suprising percentage of agents out there today who haven’t published a well designed website. Bu these days there is no excuse, even if you have little technical experience. Get your own real estate blog. We recommend 4GoodHosting.com if you need to get a website up fast, especially with their Web Presense sitebuilder. (Blogger is another easy option.)

A good domain name is a critical part of a good marketing plan

It doesn’t matter if you think you’re not ready for a website, or even if you’re not techie at all. Just do this: Go to 4GoodHosting.com, see if your first and last name with .com after the end is available, and buy it. (It’s a measly $12.95/year investment, it’s easy, and you don’t have to have website designed already – you’re just buying the name.) You will need this to soon point to your blog or website.

Study basic SEO ( Search Engine Optimization ) techniques

We recommend searching for Google’s latest recommendations and related articles. Just search for them. Google: “SEO techniques google update”.

Learn basic copywriting

Real Estate is a self-marketing business and most of us dive in without having learned how to persuade someone to buy from you!

Here’s a big hint: Its is mostly about them, not you. People, especially women, buy on emotion first, then justify it all with logic framed around their emotion about a particular property.

Better than asking “How much can you afford?”, instead ask: “Approximately what price range would like to stay within?”

Ask for referrals, really… darnit.

Most people find this most important post-deal task shyfully painful. But it works. No matter how much people grew to love you for what you did for them, oftentimes they will forget to refer you unless they are occasional reminded of you. No matter how badly you feel you screw up when asking, because of the act of asking, they are much more likely to refer you into the future.

Referral tip: add in a referral inquiry at the tail end of your voice mail greeting

You can say something like this, “If you were referred to me by a member of your family or a particular friend, please let me know who that person was so that I can express to them my Thank You.” How this works is that it lets people know that you appreciate referrals. Magic, eh?

Always be aware of real time-wasters.

Find ways to politely guard your productive time. This makes you look better to upper management, unless you are your own boss. If you do work in a office though, there will be lots of times where people will interject conversations regarding personal or trivial issues. There are more of them then there are of you. You will be consumed by them if you let them was most of your time each day. Best to keep your hook in the water sort of speak, trying to find or make your next deal happen.

The key to getting listings in the future… home staging…

Learn what it takes to prepare a home for sale. Over 80% of agents don’t pursue this, or if they do they goof up the photos.
Remember to take “Before” photos. How come? Well, because a ‘Before & After’ photo gallery is one of the most powerful techniques of marketing you can use to get home listings.

Quality of the photos really makes a big difference; possibly hire the task out. Use a wide-angle for interior photos. If the house is really amazing, a 3d 360 degree view shot is often worthwhile.

Be yourself.

People want to get to know the real you. Enough said.

Ask for testimonials, and use them in your brochures and website.

The power that other people have when it comes to selling your services is far greater than your own. Yet most real estate agents have a string of happy clients and no written testimonials they can quote. There’s an easy way to ask for and get testimonials that I only learned a year of so ago, and it’s in my post “How to Get Better Testimonials”.

Stay the course…

One of my real Estate Agent friends that I have had for as long as he has been in Real Estate, as she help my parents in finding a perfect place as her first deal, told me about her initial struggles as an Agent. At the end of her 4th year in in real estate, right before she become a client of RealEstateLeads.ca (and having done pretty well during her 2nd and 3rd years) she became despondent.

She told me she went five straight months without a paycheck, working and working and she thought her luck ran dry. She was about to get out of Real Estate when we happened to touch base again. She went from from October through April without a deal. But by December, with leads automatically flowing in through RealEstateLeads.ca, she had made twice what shr had made the year before.

So, no need to ever give up!

The Bottom Line

Making a good living as a Real Estate Agent has many challenges and you don’t get paid unless you sell… you can work long hours and weeks and still have a zero paycheck — and you always have to adapt to changing market conditions. Utilizing today’s technology, real estate tools, and perfect services, such as RealEstateLeads.ca, can help you cultivate a successful and boundless career as an Agent.

Referral magic

Published February 13, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Referral Sales Words Money Dollar Sign Sphere Ball

As a Real Estate Agent, it is quite valuable to nurture and build a referral network.

It is certainly true that most excelling real estate agents count on referrals from past or current clients for more than 50% of their new business; sometimes real estate agents get to the point is where 8 or 9 out of 10 of their new deals come from referrals.

A referral is a form of a lead of course, but slightly warmer than non-referral leads. If it was possible that we could supply you with a steady stream of real friend and personal referrals, we would; as we wish you the best in your real estate career endevour in the area that you cover. However, logically, it is not possible that we can supply 40-60 personal referrals per month. We are naturally limited to maximizing leads sourced in real-time from Canadians on the internet for you.

Referrals are also a source of pride among Real Estate Agents. A elevated or high referral stream rate is a direct indication to an agent’s talent and finesse to build trust, satisfaction, loyalty, and ongoing occasional contact, and amongst their past and current clients.

We have researched for you some good general tips on how to maximize your referral rate. Here is what we found out from speaking with over 50 agents, our clients from various cities all across Canada.

1) The 1st step in developing a real estate referral network is to always strive to provide first class service to each and every one of your clients along the way. Obviously this would give your clients a good reason, or better – a motivation, to refer you. For referrals it is probably not enough to give just satisfactory service; only ‘above and beyond expectations’ service should be considered referral-fertilizer.

2) So go the extra distance whenever possible. Here’s how: try to anticipate your client’s needs and help smooth out any rough road in whatever way possible. When you know that you have made your client happy, then onto the next necessary step – which is asking for referrals. Asking certainly helps draw their help out of them and coincidentally also makes them feel more important at the same time.

3) Don’t forget to ask them right after handing them the key to their new house. But if if you feel uncomfortable asking them directly (which is the best way however) you still have the options of: sending them follow-up letters in the mail, or even by email, facebook messages to them, or emailing them articles or reports that you know would be of interest to your particular clients.

When you offer them your goodwill, it reaffirms you as a reliable, trusted expert, and friend with your ongoing relationship with clients. Every time you make a contact, you are effectively indirectly requesting referrals. We tend to think it is a good to blend in some directness however, asking them if they know anybody considering a relocation. If you receive an invitation by a client to a function or a party, if you can make it – attend it. You might just wind up with a name and number of somebody in the market.

Consider timing too. It is logical to to inquire about possible referrals when your clients are the most likely to give them to you.

Immediately after you close a deal, of course that is the best time to take advantage of the emotional high of the moment, and memories, that makes up the occasion. We heard that some of the sweetest referrals come out of the most challenging ordeals. When you can turn a disaster around or overcome the odds through diligence and with gracefulness, you present yourself to be a resourceful problem solving guru and clients praise you to their friends.

And this might be surprising to you: Opportunities often may happen when a client withdraws from a deal. You can say something like this “I realize this particular deal wasn’t right for you so I sincerely support your decision as you are uncomfortable with it. But if I may ask a parting favor of you: would there be someone you know who I can ask if they are in need of real estate service, so that when they’re ready to do a real estate transaction, that possibly I may be their agent?” If you maintained a gentle tone then most likely your client will be delighted to give you a referral if they have one.

And just to drive this point fully home, after closing a deal, it important to keep in touch with your clients regularly thereafter. A simple periodic email campaign or quarterly newsletter may reel in additional referrals.

Frankly, the reasons people resist giving somebody referrals is that they might be afraid it could reflect badly on them. They wouldn’t want for for friends, family or colleagues to a have a negative experience.

As referrals are a key channel for new business; project your gratitude to your clients in-person, hand them a few extra business cards, or real estate flyers and real estate brochures if you have enough to spare at a given time. Exceptional service, periodic followups and unwavering commitment to giving your all is the best foundation for building solid relationships; and you gain a strong referral network that will further delight you in later days. Invest in your future by nurturing referrals from day 1 with your current and new clients.

With Our Best Wishes to you! Your RealEstateLeads(.ca) service.

Good news! The current buying trend is that the average first-time home-buyer is spending more!

Published January 28, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

Good news! The current buying trend is that the average first-time home-buyer is spending more!

1st-time home shoppers are spending more to get into their first house; while some are putting off the buying decision based on financial considerations; reads a recent report by the Bank of Montreal (BMO).

The average price spent by Canadian first-time buyers is about $317k, which is significantly up from $300k in 2013. This is according to the Bank of Montreal’s “First-Time Home Buyer’s Report 2014”.

In Vancouver the average homeowner bought in at $506K. Wow! That’s a half million. In Toronto: $408K, Calgary: $308K, and the average Montreal deal is only $237K.

Ironically, spending has continued to increase, the average down-payment amount has changed little from the previous year at $51K .

The BMO report also states that about 1/3rd of first timers wish for parents or other family member to assist in their purchase; a percentage that rises to nearly 40% in Vancouver and Montreal! Understandably…

So many, about 2/3rds, have made some drastic reductions to their lifestyle in order to save for their first home. About 60% say their home-buying decisions are being been delayed because of the steep prices, with about 40% mention out-of-reach real estate prices as the main reason.

As you know from being a real estate agent yourself, saving for a big downpayment is the most critical way to get a foot in the door of the Canadian real estate market. Those planning to buy should be well-prepared and have considered all options available to them.

The rising prices in the major markets are forcing first-timers to reconsider their first choice of housing. High prices in a few major cities, and the fact that prices are outrunning incomes in Toronto, are turning off some first-time buyers, while forcing others to go deeper into debt, tap their parents for hefty down payments and opt for a condo rather than a detached house. 60% of first-time buyers seem to say to themselves that they will maintain a strict budget 30% are prepared to go higher for premium properties.

How can you speak to more 1st time buyers? We would like to send you plenty of real estsate leads.

Lead Conversion: 6 Steps to Boosting Your Real Estate Career!

Published January 13, 2015 by Real Estate Leads

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If you ask any real estate agent what they could used every day, and their answer is most probably going to be I COULD USE SOME MORE LEADS.

What you really need is another or better method of attracting new fresh leads with a process to find, nurture and turn them into real sales. Check out our all day human run RealEstateLeads.ca service for our an ever evolving but close to perfect integration of lead generation, lead exposure, and lead management to make this job seamless and easy.

We need to stop collecting leads and work each and every lead into potential cash with realistic/proven strategies that convert those lead prospects to profits most effectively.

Here are several good tips:

  1. Are you offering information and data that creates distinction in your marketplace? Simply set yourself apart in some distinct way such as becoming adept with elderly, or military clients or perhaps focus just on first time buyers. By specialization in a unique way, it is most likely going to especially appeal to prospects who fit that general profile, you will maximize the attraction of engagement of key prospects. Trust in your marketed specialization can lead to making those sales.
  2. So the real key is in setting upright channels that position you as the most knowledgeable experienced authority to make those prospects want to select you. Does your real estate website that offer a lead capture and engagement feature? It is a critical component to your lead capture strategy to have a full service website that does the capturing part for you. Just ask us and we will give you tips in order to further bolster your overall lead stream+ the 40 to 60 that will send you per month. You can easily lose a possible lead if they ‘stop by your site’ without offering additional services to retain and then further nurture the lead.
  3. Your next step is to utilize a consistent

    lead

    nurturing campaign.

Automate emails from your website (with an auto-responded), message your audience through your social media channels including tweets, budget for some direct mail to chosen people who can refer you to others, try a video blog so they can see you which usually helps. Consistency is king, it usually take 8 to 12 calls to land sales. Most often than not, from what we have learned elsewhere regarding internet leads in general, is that most agents don’t persist is trying to get through to every new lead. Don’t let them out of your prospect pipeline short until that prospect is sold either by you or someone else!


  1. Concerning social media outlets such as Facebook.

Most all agents today are utilizing social media portals such as Facebook as a means to help build name recognition; but a name having a recognizable brand by itself won’t directly pay your bills. Also think about using your Facebook page to announce events, help people find your main website, and offer downloadable information that has importance to your target market.

For example, an agent launched a page on Facebook for her area and she has been using it to promote local community events, issues that are of relative interest to the area. Some potential leads will also find their way to such a relevant page through web searches.

  1. Don’t freely give away your expertise

    on your website without

    without receiving a potential buyer or seller’s contact information first.

Let’s think about it that tip. Your expertise is what you are really selling to your clients, in only the way you that you know how to provide best. If you offer helpful downloadable information of any kind, then you really need to get the contact information of your site visitor first. This is called the engagement process, when you offer them information or even some of your time, in exchange for at least their contact information. Some example downloads that you may offer your website visitors is a market report, monthly or quarterly neighborhood reports, a pending and sold report for a specific demographic area, or new listings, et al. So the key to releasing this information should at least be capturing their email address. The best leads will of course include their phone number.

If you aren’t building a prospect list database from your main website, then perhaps you are handing over your expertise, and potential income for free.

But then again, we will be sending you 40-60 leads per month. We just wish you to be as successful as possible, that is why we are highlighting some good techniques at to help you receive maximum number of leads coming to you daily.

  1. Understanding the power of implied endorsement.

Perhaps nothing else speaks louder than real people discussing good experiences. Work on giving and most important receiving good recommendations. A nice additional form on your website is where your happy clients can enter emails of their friends if they wish to recommend you. Make it easy for them to do that as possible! If you turn a lead into a client and you make them happy then ask for their help in recommending you or perhaps writing a small testimonial for your website. Take advantage of the power of leveraging good recommendations both online and off. Give and get testimonials on LinkedIn, your website or via video.

It’s is always time make all your real estate leads pay off more. Use these tips and be legendary in lead mastery!