I think I'm still in the giving thanks mode from Thanksgiving. My parents are both gone now and my family lives in Canada. Fortunately, my Canadian "snowbird" friends are ariving every day and they know how to party while the CD's are cranked up. Many of them are musicians as well. My horseshoe buddies keep me busy too! Having said that.......  My family always had cottages in the lake country just north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This was where I learned how to fish and hunt, appreciate hiking through the back trails I knew every inch of and grew to be a man like my father. He built the sun room in this photo and all the boys helped out. Mom would always have a great meal on the table at 5:30 and we would all play board games, cards or have a campfire untill we got tired. "You don't ... 11/23/2012

Collabrestate.com would like to offer you a simple, free, powerful marketing tool you can put to use TODAY! QR Codes! You’ve probably seen them – little square boxes with a pattern of dots in them. These little boxes encode information: a web address, contact information, a text message, a phone #... Anyone with a Smartphone can scan this coded box and the information it contains is delivered to their phone. So, in essence, this is a manner in which you can deliver digital information in a printed format. There are a number of ways you can use these codes but I think the most valuable, is to use it to provide potential buyers with instant access to each of your individual listings. The QR Codes allow you to provide that link anywhere that listing is shown in print. Print Advertizing – ... 02/15/2012

000 County Road 46 Building Lot, Five Minutes from Havelock PROPERTY DETAILS $24,900 LISTING INFORMATION MLS: 2120736Bedrooms: -1Full Baths: -1Partial Baths: 0Sq ft: 0Lot Size: 150 x 220Taxes: $165.00 PROPERTY DESCRIPTION This beautiful building lot is only minutes away from Tim Hortons and all the amenities that Havelock has to offer. This would make an ideal spot for your country retreat or year round house. It is in an area that has lots of large country homes. There are many lakes and other recreational opportunities nearby. There is hydro to the lot line, and the lot has many hardwood and softwood trees, so privacy won't be an issue. Havelock is the home of the reknowned Havelock jamboree and many other seasonal events. This conveniently located spot is only half an hour from Pete... 02/03/2012

Day Trips and Staycations - Peterborough, Ontario Musicfest Saturday June 25th 8:00pm Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy "Donnell Leahy, whose violin virtuosity has astounded audiences from coast to coast and across the world, has headlined the multi-talented Leahy for over a decade. Natalie MacMaster, the musical face of Atlantic Canada, has amazed crowds with her vibrant melodies, both lush and lyrical. These artists, with well-deserved Juno awards and Grammy nominations to their credit, are finally giving fans what they've been waiting for: a concert said to be made in heaven." ... source littlelake musicfest Del Crary Park Concerts Begin @ 8:00pmAdmission is FreeBring a blanket or chairs to sit on Musicfest has teamed up with 28 restaurants to bring you a special buy one get one 1/... 06/24/2011

Day Trips and Staycations - Peterborough, Ontario A short 1 1/2 hours drive from Uxbridge, Peterborough is recognized as one of Canada's Premier Recreational Regions. Ride The Peterborough Lift Lock as it rises 65 feet using the simple hydraulic system designed back in the late 1800's. Opened on July 9th 1904 this dual chamber hydraulic lock has been in operation for over 100 years. One of only two hydraulic locks on the waterway it offers boaters quiet overnight camping on the upper level. The Peterborough Lift Lock Visitor Centre, open during the boating season, is located here and offers exhibits, films and washroom facilities    Little Lake - In The Heart Of The City Little Lake is home to the Little Lake Marina and Lift Lock Cruises and Del Crary Park Travel To, From or Through Pe... 06/20/2011

You and every other real estate professional, wants their web site at the top of Google for a search for ‘real estate your-city’. Now let’s get realistic. There are only 10 top ten spots on Google – and everyone can’t be there. You can assume in most cities that the top few spots will be taken by the local board, large brokerages, and pooled sites. So, how do you win? The internet, by its very name, is an interconnected net of links. Creating links, anywhere on the internet, that connect back to your site, and including your name, profession, and brokerage everywhere you create these links, will increase your overall internet ‘weight’, or internet presence. You may never get to the top ten of Google, but there are many, many other ways to get traffic. Get your name, profession and locat... 12/16/2010

Attracting more traffic to your site, as I indicated in my article ‘How Do I get my Real Estate Website Found?’ will increase your business. Once visitors arrive at your site, you need to keep them there. How do you do that? Provide what your ideal user would want to find when they get there. If they find what they want on your site, they will be more likely to stay and to contact you. Once you get visitors to your site, find a way to engage them. A little question on the front page – a survey with just one or two questions – it can be something fun, silly or serious – anything to allow them to interact with you. Ideas: ’Please tell me what city you visited my site from’, a comment form, a contest, something related to a local sports team… anything to get them to engage with you and giv... 12/12/2010

  The Home TourYou’ve completed all of the initial steps before you start showing property, it’s now time to set-up your home tour and schedule showing appointments.Here are the critical steps:   1. Less is more:  The more homes you show a buyer, the more confused they get.  Drill down to the specific wants and needs of your buyer.  This information is gathered during your buyer counselling interview.  Keep the tour between 3-5 homes, any more than that can create confusion and indecision.    2. Create a map: Provide the buyer with a map that details the location of each property that you are going to show them.  Highlight the different schools and points of interest on the map.    3. Provide comparables: Educate the buyer and make them aware of the current marketplace.  This will help... 09/08/2010

  How do I pay off my mortgage faster? Paying off your home doesn’t have to take a lifetime. By planning ahead and sticking to the plan, youhave the opportunity to pay your mortgage off faster. Here are seven ways to pay your mortgage downfaster and decrease the amortization and interest costs off your mortgage: Choose a mortgage with a prepayment option - A prepayment option gives you the right toprepay specified amounts of your mortgage principal Shorten your amortization period - By shortening your amortization period to less than 25years you can create huge interest savings Increase your regular mortgage payment - Increasing your regular mortgage payment helpsyou reduce your mortgage principal faster, which means you save interest Increase your mortgage payment frequency - If you i... 09/08/2010

GET THE MORTGAGE THAT MEETS YOUR NEEDSWith unbiased advice, fast, flexible service, competitive rates, and access to many lending sources, I can make sure you get the mortgage that meets YOUR needs.  Call me today and SAVE!Market Rate (%)     Duration     Our Rates (%)4.35                      1 Year           2.544.20                      2 Years         3.654.65                      3 Years         2.905.59                     4 Years          4.445.49                      5 Years         3.796.85                      7 Years         5.556.90                     10 Years        5.492.75                     Variable         2.15OAC. Certain conditions may apply.  Rate subject to borrower and property qualification.  Posted rate is the rate offered by the majority of Canadian financial... 09/06/2010

SHOWING THE HOMENow it's time to get them into the car and start the homes tour .... ???Of course, that will depend on your market-inventory knowledge.Certainly you can convert all kinds of incoming buyer calls to appointments, but if you don't know the current inventory, you're going to waste a lot of your time, the buyers time, and look very unprofessional.Knowledge is power, do you have market?  Do you know the current inventory?  How much time do you spend previewing new listings?  This comes under Schedule management.s  I'll give you some ideas on that further into this series.You can qualify buyers, get their financing in place, but without up to the minute market knowledge, you're going to struggle to convert buyers into closings.Your next tip will be building a home tour that f... 09/04/2010

INITIAL APPOINTMENTSo congratulations, you have converted an incoming buyer call to an appointment.  Now what?    * Are you going to charge right out the door and start showing houses?  I sure hope not.    * Approach the buyer in the same fashion that you deal with a seller.    * Do you have a buyer presentation?  Do you have a buyer qualification process that you use?    * Do you have a buyer questionnaire that you use?  How do you determine the buyer's wants and needs?    * Do you immediately connect your buyer with a loan officer to discuss financing options and a prequalification letter?Next tip I will discuss showing the home. Until then I wish you all continued success. 09/04/2010

    CONVERT THE CALLWhen you get that incoming buyer call, they are full of questions and just want answers.How do you gain control of an incoming call?  Is it by providing answers or when you ask questions? Just find out what the buyers needs are, then deliver based on those wants and needs.Here are a couple typical mistakes I see when a buyer calls in.  The agent goes into sell mode, the agent provides all the information; the buyer graciously accepts the information and hangs up but the needs go un-serviced and the agent doesn't get an appointment.  Who is the biggest loser?The second mistake that I see is the agent preparing their response for the buyer before the buyer completes what they are saying.  Basically it's an agent that doesn't listen.Here's the solution:  Listen very cl... 09/04/2010

GET THE MORTGAGE THAT MEETS YOUR NEEDSWith unbiased advice, fast, flexible service, competitive rates, and access to many lending sources, I can make sure you get the mortgage that meets YOUR needs.  Call me today and SAVE! Interest RatesPosted Rate    Term         Our Rates*4.40%            1 Year           2.54%4.75%            3 Years         2.90%5.59%            5 Years         3.79%6.90%          10 Years         5.49%2.75%           Variable         2.10% OAC. Certain conditions may apply.  Rate subject to borrower and property qualification.  Posted rate is the rate offered by the majority of Canadian financial institutions.  Rates may vary provincially and are subject to change without notice. Independently owned and operated. 09/02/2010

  GET THE MORTGAGE THAT MEETS YOUR NEEDSWith unbiased advice, fast, flexible service, competitive rates, and access to many lending sources, I can make sure you get the mortgage that meets YOUR needs.  Call me today and SAVE! Interest RatesPosted Rate    Term         Our Rates*4.40%            1 Year           2.54%4.75%            3 Years         2.90%5.59%            5 Years         3.79%6.90%          10 Years         5.49%2.75%           Variable         2.10% OAC. Certain conditions may apply.  Rate subject to borrower and property qualification.  Posted rate is the rate offered by the majority of Canadian financial institutions.  Rates may vary provincially and are subject to change without notice. Independently owned and operated. 09/01/2010

GET THE MORTGAGE THAT MEETS YOUR NEEDSWith unbiased advice, fast, flexible service, competitive rates, and access to many lending sources, I can make sure you get the mortgage that meets YOUR needs.  Call me today and SAVE! Interest RatesPosted Rate    Term         Our Rates*4.40%            1 Year           2.54%4.75%            3 Years         2.90%5.59%            5 Years         3.79%6.90%          10 Years         5.49%2.75%           Variable         2.10% OAC. Certain conditions may apply.  Rate subject to borrower and property qualification.  Posted rate is the rate offered by the majority of Canadian financial institutions.  Rates may vary provincially and are subject to change without notice. Independently owned and operated. 08/30/2010

LEAD GENERATION Buyers can be very time consuming, if you don't have a specific SYSTEM in place.Your next series of tips will take you through a system that will funnel well qualified buyers your way, increase your conversion rates and decrease the amount of time you have to spend with them.How are you currently generating your buyer leads?  Rather than sit back and wait, our market demands ACTION!  Now is the time to really sit down and think of various "systems" that you could put into place that will garner these leads even while you might be away.  Yes, you oversee the system and the system does the work!Here are some ways to consistently generate buyer leads.    * Homebuyer seminars    * For Sale by Owners that want to buy another house    * Open House    * Kiosk    * Sign Calls  ... 08/29/2010

A minimum down payment of 5% is required to purchase a home, subject to certain maximum price restrictions. For instance, in the Greater Vancouver area the maximum purchase price with 5% down is $250,000. Any purchase price in excess of $250,000 requires a minimum of 10% as a down payment. In addition to the down payment, you must also be able to show that you can cover the applicable closing costs (i.e. legal fees and disbursements, appraisal fees and a survey certificate, where applicable).Regardless of the amount of your down payment, at least 5% of it must be from your own cash resources or a gift from a family member. It cannot be borrowed.Lenders will generally accept a gift from a family member as an acceptable down payment provided a letter stating it is a true gift, not a loan... 08/28/2010

Working with Buyers (4)What does the buyers home search process look like?    * Median number of weeks searched: 10    * Median number of homes seen:  10How much time are you spending with your buyers?  If you're spending more than 10 weeks with a buyer are they a real buyer or someone wasting your valuable time?The length of the typical home search rose from eight weeks in 2007 to ten weeks in 2008. During the search for a home, buyers viewed a median of ten homes before making a purchase.Among buyers who used a real estate sales representative / broker when searching for and purchasing a home, the median length of the total search was ten weeks.  before contacting the sales representative / broker, these buyers typically searched for two weeks.  The median length of the home search f... 08/28/2010

  Working with Buyers (3) What information sources do buyers use in their home search?•    90%  Internet•    87% Real estate agent•    59% Yard sign•    46% Open House•    40% Print Newspaper Advertisement•    26% Home-book magazine•    18% Home Builder•    8% Television•    6%  Billboard•    4%  Relocation Company•    2009 NAR Survey Results Evaluate your current strategies to capture buyers.  How would you measure yourself in the above areas? Your next tip will measure the buyers active home search process. 08/27/2010