RE/MAX Hallmark Blog

Incredible things happen when you get together with incredible people

It's a long time, come to think of it. A couple of days ago we held our 18th Annual Company Golf Tournament. What a great day it was.

We had 120 Hallmark realtors and friends at our tourney at Meadowbrook Golf and Country in Gormley - third year now at this course - and by all accounts it was the best tournament in our long history.

At the start of the day, the weather was a big concern, but the skies held off to give us an amazing day. Lunch was generously provided by our friends at TD Mortgages as usual and the club served up a delicious dinner to cap off the day's events.

We played a "Lemon Ball" tournament. Each foursome was given a yellow golf ball and instructed  in order to "qualify" for the best prizes at the prize table, they must return with the ball at the end of the round. You would of thought we gave them the key to the national treasury by the way the individual teams focused on returning the yellow ball at the end of their round!

This year we added a "silent auction" from items generously donated from realtors and our friends. We wanted to raise some money for a special cause in support of one of our realtors. The cause - "Head for a Cure," is dedicated to helping people inflicted with brain tumours. Currently a realtor in our company is fighting a brave battle and we wanted to bring attention to the disease and support her along the way. The support was truly exceptional. 

During the dinner, some realtors and friends approached me with the idea of auctioning off holiday weeks at their beautiful recreational properties. A week in Naples Florida and Collingwood raised close to $3,000. for the Worthy cause. Many thanks to Lindsay Wright of our Beach office for making properties available.

Our friend, Al Cheatley next offered up his luxury boat for a day on the water for  six couples - including food and drink. This "gift" from Al went for a lot of money and is sure to be fun.

How generous was everyone ? During the day I was wearing a hat which transformed me into a hairy guy - a visor with hair. Got $100 for the hat at the auction!

All in all a great day. Incredible things happen when you get together with incredible people. Thanks to everyone.

This Ad says it all....

 

Scary Howler

This is so cool. One of Gary Crowder's clients incorporated realtor Gary into their front lawn scary Halloween scene.

Very Cool Website

Discovered this very interesting site the other day. It's from RE/MAX International and was put together to show the number of hits occurring on the website, www.remax.com. This particular site focuses on hits in the USA. A similar site will be launched to showcase hits on www.remax.ca. Here is the info for the site, click here to check it out. 

Some important highlights of the online map include:

• the map highlights areas where searches were recently conducted
• yellow dots across the country highlight areas searched
• white orbs randomly select recently searched ares and travel to that location while displaying the city that was searched
• the cities highlighted by the orbs are displayed in text at the bottom of the window
• the counter at the bottom of the page tallies the number of searches conducted in the last minute
• an online/offline area indicates if the application is using live data
• the application dynamically refreshes the search data every couple of minutes to continually refresh consumer us of the site.

Real Estate in Prague, Czech Republic By Teri-Lynn Flynn

This past week I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to visit Prague with Debra Bain and experience the real estate business from a Czech Realtor and Broker perspective.  

No matter who we are or where we come from, our needs are the same, a place to LIVE!  Realtors in the Czech Republic are faced with many challenges that we don’t experience here in Canada.  The Czech Republic does not have a Multiple Listing System, a real estate board or any governing laws or insurances to protect them. 

RE/MAX of Czech Republic is “raising the bar” and taking many strides to become the industry leader in their region.   They are spreading the word of cooperation and are working on a system similar to our MLS, which will help RE/MAX realtors cooperate with one another.  Broker Owners are training their realtors using many of the same training programs available to us here, Succeed, Buffini, etc...  

I observed from the Realtors and Brokers, their profound loyalty to the RE/MAX brand.  They wear the brand EVERYWHERE and on EVERYTHING.  All the Brokers drive cars that are plastered with red, white, and blue.  We in Canada should embrace the brand more… brand awareness does work!

Debra was the featured speaker at the RE/MAX Czech Republic Broker Conference.  She

delivered a sensational message to Broker Owners inspiring them to growth and success. The language barrier was a "non" issue for us when communicating to the Czech brokers on our industry. The Broker Owners told us they left the conference very inspired and motivated by the fantastic possibilities for their businesses.

I was privileged to introduce myself to the Broker Owners and share with them some of my experiences and growth as well. 

Although our trip was for business purposes, Debra and I did take some time to visit the many historic sites in Prague.  The Castle, Old Town Square, and the Charles Bridge, just to name a few.  We also experienced many great restaurants and shopping that Prague has to offer. 

A fantastic trip, the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am so happy to of been a part of it!

 

 

Success Story from Portugal!!!

A year ago at this time, we had some realtor visitors from Portugal. Nuno and his friends own a RE/MAX company in beautiful Lisbon and asked us if they could come over and "hang out" with us for a few days. They wanted to learn as much as they could about our business and company. At the time, they were fairly new to the real estate business in Portugal and wanted to learn as much as they could about how we did things over here at RE/MAX Hallmark and in Canada. We were quite flattered and eagerly agreed to have them as our guests for a few days.

They spent a total of four days with us, and were able to participate in our Annual General Meeting last year. It was very interesting to spend time with these amazing broker owners. They were intent on learning as much as they could and were equally intent on implementing what they learned. We talked at length about how important we felt it was to set high expectations of their company and the realtors that worked for them. Leadership was not to be left as a buzz word but implemented daily. Apparently Nuno and his friends took what they learned to heart. I received a posting on my recent blog about our  Annual General Meeting from Nuno.

His words:

"Hi Ken, 1 year ago we were your guests in your annual meeting. We saw a big organization with great leadership in motion. It was inspirational those 4 days you and Debra dedicated to these Portugues friends. Thank you again and again."

"Oh, by the way...did you know RE/MAX Abaco was number 1 in Portugal and number 4 in Europe in the first semester of 2009?"

Truth is, we learned much more from Nuno and his friends than they learned from us. We saw a passion and a commitment to achieve, inspire and grow from these amazing broker owners in the short time spent with them. Hopefully we will be invited to Portugal to witness first hand their amazing accomplishments.

Para os nossos amigos em Portugal, continuou o sucesso e parabéns.

Thank You Mr. Sharp for your Inspiration

Yesterday was a very special day for the realtors and staff of RE/MAX Hallmark. We had our annual company meeting, this year at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Toronto, with our keynote speaker, Mr. Isadore Sharp.

I can't relate in words how impressed I was with Mr. Sharp and the message he sent to all in attendance. There were many instances throughout his talk which strengthen the resolve we have as a company to "raise the bar" in our values and service. Mr. Sharp is a Canadian Icon of business and community. He calmly and passionately relayed some of his experiences which have occurred for him in developing the number one brand in the luxury hotel and resort market, and how his journey relates to our work as realtors. We are all in the service industry, looking out for and after the needs of our "guests" or "clients."

Yesterday's meeting brought me back to the early days of RE/MAX Hallmark, some 29 years ago. At the beginning, our company meetings were held in coffee shops, with around 10 realtors in attendance. When I joined RE/MAX Hallmark in 1986, the annual meetings consisted of 50 or so realtors in slightly bigger coffee shops. The annual meeting this year was attended by 400 of our realtors and guests, and was held at the Four Seasons Hotel.

We are committed as a company to raising the bar in our client and customer service, by providing outstanding service and resources. It's going to be a great 12 months till our next annual meeting.

Thank you Mr. Sharp for your inspiration.

Terilynn Flynn - Director of Agent Development

I remember the first time I met Terilynn Flynn. It was a summer Saturday afternoon and I was in the beach, shopping at the Rogers Store for yet another Blackberry. While I was waiting for owner Sam to hook me up, I had time to spend in the shop. I noticed a young couple browsing around, looking at various phones. I heard a very distinct Newfie accent, and wandered over to say hello. Terilynn, and her then boyfriend and now husband Mark had just moved to Toronto and of course needed a phone to get settled. Where were they working I asked. I can't remember what Mark said but I am sure of Terilynn's response. "I'm working at RE/MAX Hallmark," she said. Oh - and what are you doing? "I am going to work in the office in the Beach." I soon identified myself and welcomed her to our company and suggested she contact Joy Robertson to figure things out. That was three years ago. Terilynn did go to work in our Beach office as a receptionist, green as the grass in Newfoundland. But she definitely had spunk, and a passion for learning and people.  Then Terilynn moved up to the job of personal assistant to Debra Bain and myself and had been doing the job of looking after us for about two years. She was amazing but needed another challenge.

This September, Terilynn has been promoted yet again. She is now the Director of Agent Development for our entire organization and will be settled into our Pape location. Terilynn will work in our recruiting program along side Debra. She will also play a large role with the orientation of new realtor hires to our company, she will work with our existing realtors on various problems and generally take a strong leadership role with the realtors of our company. Terilynn has in the past year or so spent countless hours developing and presenting courses related to agent development and will continue to show leadership in that direction. Along the way, Terilynn also found time to get her real estate license and sell a few houses.

Many aren't aware that Terilynn has played a role in various committees throughout the company, such as the Scholarship Committee, and the Award of Excellence Committee. She will continue to play a key role in these committees.

We are so proud of Terilynn. Her passion for excellence. Her commitment to the realtors and the company, and lastly for being so positive about life and the people surrounding her. She is a treasure and a pleasure to work with.  Congratulations Terilynn on your promotion and continued success. Terilynn can be reach through her email, [email protected]

Meeting with Mr. Sharp

Today I had an amazing experience. This afternoon we were fortunate enough to have a meeting with Isadore Sharp, the CEO and founder of Four Seasons. Mr. Sharp was gracious enough to meet with us to discuss our Annual General Meeting which is being held next Monday, September 14th at the Four Season Hotel in downtown Toronto. Mr. Sharp is our  keynote speaker for the event, which promises to be quite spectacular.

When we first arrived at the world headquarters of Four Seasons on Leslie, it was evident that we were about to experience the true meaning of Four Season service. Immediately we were greeted by Heather, the receptionist who informed us as we walked up that Mr. Sharp had already been notified of our arrival and would be out to greet us momentarily, and to please make ourselves comfortable.  We had barely said hello and Heather was already looking after us. Heather had seen us approaching the walkway and was aware that we were Mr. Sharp's 3 o'clock appointment. While waiting I asked Heather how long she had been working for this organization. She proudly told me 21 years and added that she loved every minute of it.

Within a few short minutes, Mr. Sharp appeared in the foyer with a delegation of 6 business people from China and his team of 3 from the Four Seasons. Apparently Mr. Sharp had been meeting with some hotel investors for operations in Mainland China. As he said goodbye, he patiently waited inside the foyer until his business guests were comfortably seated in their vehicle, before retreating to his office. Soon his personal assistant, Nan appeared and welcomed us. Nan walked us through the very impressive head office to Mr. Sharps office where we were personally greeted. Talk about a tough act to follow. Meeting with Mr. Sharp immediately after his meeting with the Chinese delegation.

Our meeting with Mr. Sharp was informal and thought provoking. He constantly asked us questions about our company and how we do business. He had a genuine interest in learning as much as he could about us which would help him in his talk the following Monday. We were fortunate enough to discuss with him many of his life and business philosophies. We did talk a great deal about his book, Four Seasos, which is incredible. When we told Mr. Sharp we were going to read his book for the second time, he recommended we read another book which was better than his. Rifke, an Improbable Life by Rosalie Wise Sharp. Mr. Sharp said his wife Rosalie was a much better writer than he was and was a natural story teller. He graciously gave us two signed copies to take with us. I have already started reading Rifke and can tell you the book is incredible. Mrs. Sharp writes about growing up in Toronto in  a Jewish household. Her style of writing is engaging.

Soon it was time for us to leave. Mr. Sharp walked us through the hallways lined with Canadian Art to the front foyer. We ended up discussing Terry Fox and his foundation. What a day it was for me. We met a true Canadian icon of business and of life in our country. Our meeting on Monday will be unforgettable.

Think Globally - Act Locally

The power of a Global Brand. RE/MAX has a presence in over 73 countries worldwide. Most recently regions in India and China have opened up. India and China - the two most populated countries in the world and many would say the future economic engines of the world. Now RE/MAX is there. No other real estate brand has the global presence of RE/MAX. Simply take a trip to Europe and you will RE/MAX signs everywhere.

Recently a realtor in our company told me how the strength of the global brand impacted her. A realtor from RE/MAX in France has a contact in China. The contact in China asked the realtor in France to find them a realtor in Toronto who can help them purchase an investment property. Voila - the referral was sent and business was done.

As RE/MAX continues to grow globally, more and more referrals for RE/MAX Hallmark realtors will come our way from all parts of the world.