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Your REALTOR® - for Buyer Vi Brown

Your REALTOR’S® Experience

If this were a book of fiction, you really wouldn’t need to know much about me. But I felt compelled to write this book on real estate because, in my experience, consumers are not really aware of the full process. They come to my office and are truly puzzled about the procedures involved in purchasing a home or how to begin the process of selling their home.

Real estate continues to increase in paper work and complexity and I would like to provide, at least, a basic road map through the process of buying and selling. As a REALTOR® and your guide through this process, you should know some of my background and the kind of real estate I have practiced over nearly 20 years.

REALTORS® are diverse individuals as in any profession. We must adhere to our professional code and standards but are otherwise free to practice our craft.

Throughout my years in real estate, I have certainly made many observations and formulated some specific views. I have chosen to limit some real estate practices because they no longer seem relevant today. I’m getting ahead of myself and will save this till later.

Marketing Manager

My first career was as a marketing manager for a subsidiary of a multinational corporation in the eastern part of Canada -- Quebec and Ontario. My position involved marketing, training, planning, forecasting, research, personnel, writing, committee work and much travel. After many years of a rewarding corporate career, it was time for a change.

Owner/Operator of Lodge

In my second career, I was self-employed somewhere in the wilderness. I had the opportunity to ‘escape’ to northern Ontario and become owner/operator of a fishing and hunting lodge with my husband. I abandoned my city life style and became a country woman.

I was literally living in the ‘bush’. It was a 36 kilometre round trip to pick up my mail at the post office. There were no year-round residents except for us and another lodge owner further down the lake. However, there were many summer camps around the lake and it was a busy time during those months. The lake was about 17 miles long and about ½ mile wide at its widest. The lodge was near the center. The area had no delivery of any kind – no newspapers, pizza or mail. Nor was there any cable TV, no street lights or private telephone lines – just party lines. No paved roads and no sanding of winter roads except for some snow clearing. Winters were pretty isolated during the week but busy with ice fishing and snowmobiling on weekends.

The property consisted of rental cottages on the lake and a number of trailer sites for those who wanted to set them up for the summer. Of course, being on a gorgeous lake, we had boats and motors and gas service. The lodge housed a restaurant with a liquor license, small convenience store and our personal residence. We were open year-round and activities consisted of swimming, boating, fishing and wild life watching during the summer. Hunting grouse, deer and moose were the fall activities and in the winter there was ice fishing and snowmobiling. The amenities consisted of fresh air and very quiet nights, the haunting sound of loons, incredible northern light displays, the occasional bear, deer or moose on the property. In addition, we drank lake water, operated on a septic system, and had two TV channels in good weather.

Self-Proclaimed Real Estate Person

There is a time for everything but after many years of running this lodge, it was time to sell. The problem was that I couldn’t find a real estate agent to market this property. The closest city with a real estate office was about 80 kilometres away. As far as I could determine, agents with this kind of experience were rare. I didn’t want to list with someone who sold only city residential properties. I had no choice but to try and sell this lodge myself. I proceeded with the advertising, the phone calls, answering questions and showing the property. This was a highly frustrating experience which took over a year. But, eventually the lodge sold.

My husband and I were quite used to this ‘bush’ lifestyle so we built a house about one kilometre up the lake from the lodge. Since we no longer had a business, I was looking for a new adventure and a new challenge.

REALTOR® - Ontario

Real estate sales – my third career! It seemed natural for me to sell recreational properties in the north. I knew all about hunting moose, deer and grouse and the license requirements and lotteries that had to be entered to get a desirable tag. Fishing the various species in the north, made me knowledgeable regarding open season dates and catch limits. As a restaurant operator, I was familiar with liquor laws, food handling regulations and health department requirements as well as the relevant taxation rules. I was a boater so could discuss boating regulations. As a snowmobiler, I knew all the connecting trails in many areas. Septic systems, drilled and shallow wells, the use of lake water as a drinking source were all familiar areas to me. I was aware of zoning by laws as well as the implication of living in unorganized townships.

After completing the real estate course, I specialized in such rural properties and businesses. I often travelled many kilometres to list properties. Sellers of these properties valued my knowledge and called on me. Aside from hunting and fishing resorts and cottages, this also evolved into the sale of motels, small hotels, restaurants, large resorts, hobby farms, acreages, waterfront properties and even some residential properties.

I did real estate by car, by boat and by snow machine. I wrote contracts in restaurants, in my car, on the hood of my car, on picnic tables, in boats and occasionally in a home. I was never close enough to my office.

When I first started out, I needed guidance to write contracts for such businesses. My office dealt primarily with residential properties and was not always able to adequately assist me. However, I was fortunate in knowing a very patient lawyer who helped me with appropriate clauses for contracts. These calls were often made from the field as I was drafting an offer. In those days, I had one of the very first cell phones, a rather large one to which I attached an extra long antennae so that I could get better reception. To this day, I am grateful that this lawyer always took my calls and provided the expertise I needed.

REALTOR® - British Columbia

As a result of a salmon fishing trip to British Columbia, my husband and I were so enthralled with BC’s Vancouver Island that we moved here in 1996.

I had already challenged the BC real estate examination while in Ontario so was ready to begin my real estate career in BC when we arrived. This was going to be a bit different. I was going to be working in the city. No more jeans or boots or boats or snowmobiles. High heels – which I hadn’t worn for many years—were going to be part of the dress code. I also had to get my jewellery out of moth balls. I was back to being a city woman.

Thankfully, the city was of reasonable size and it didn’t take me forever to learn my way around. It helped that a colleague took me under her wing and showed me around. As we went on office tours together, she pointed out various landmarks that I should note. One day she also asked “Are directional signals optional in Ontario?” It seems that I had to increase my multi-tasking skills -- observing and signalling my turns!

For a REALTOR® going to a new city is, in effect, starting over -- no contacts, no history, no business. I did what any new REALTOR® did in those days – offer to do open houses, send out flyers, make phone calls and so on. Gradually, business came my way. My helpful colleague and I became involved in some real estate projects and found that we worked well together so we formed a business partnership. We dealt with residential properties and, because of my background, incorporated some rural and waterfront properties as well as businesses.

Managing Broker – BC

The partnership worked well. Business was good. After a few years, I became a co-owner of the real estate company as did my business partner. As a result of some changes in our company and further changes in management, our company required a new Broker. Given my management background and my real estate experience, my business partner suggested that I consider the position. After some discussions with the other co-owners, I agreed to become the Managing Broker. This required additional studies and a change of licensing after which I became qualified as a Broker. My new licensing also included the Property Management areas. I was a non-selling Broker and dealt full time with company business and REALTOR® activities.

I found that being a Broker was a very serious obligation. Brokers are responsible for all the real estate activities conducted by REALTORS® and by property management. If a REALTOR® incorrectly handles a real estate transaction and/or breeches the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Business Practice, the Broker is equally responsible whether the Broker was aware of the infraction or not. To this day, I have a high respect for Brokers taking on such commitments.

Real Estate Board – Director - BC

During my time as Managing Broker, I also became a Director at the local real estate board. It was an interesting insight into the workings of the board – the various committees – the functions of the Executive Officer and the board’s relationship with the provincial Council.

The underlying theme in all this was to ensure that the consumer was well serviced by the real estate industry and well protected. The real estate boards are always prepared to answer consumer questions and to deal with complaints. It is their high priority to resolve such issues.

It was also a time when many internet suppliers were opening real estate websites. The Directors were exposed to many presentations illustrating how these internet websites would be of benefit to the REALTORS® if they listed their properties on these sites through the real estate board. There were many such sites in the making. After many discussions within the board and with other boards, it was concluded that the boards MLS® System was the best vehicle for REALTORS® and for consumers.

Over the years, the MLS® System has been updated and made more user friendly. Consumers can access listed properties on www.realtor.ca. It is the best consolidated list of properties available to the consumer. The MLS® System is financially maintained through fees charged to its licensed members – REALTORS® and real estate boards.

REALTOR® - BC

I have been a REALTOR® in two provinces and three cities. Victoria, BC is my current city. As with many self-employed professionals, a change of location means starting over and developing a new business base once again.

I have done commercial real estate over the years and am registered as a Commercial REALTOR® in Victoria. I now do selected commercial businesses and properties such as Bed & Breakfasts, RV Parks, equestrian properties, hobby farms, kennels, residential acreages and waterfront properties. Of course, residential properties are a large part of my work as well.

The company, I initially joined in Victoria, had several offices and often required an extra Broker to fill in during vacations and other absences. Consequently, my Broker’s license remained active over the years.

More recently, I joined DFH Real Estate Ltd. and now work as an Associate Broker/REALTOR® - without Broker responsibilities - but fully engaged in real estate sales.